text | un: redlion

[secondnature]

[This message shows up about an hour after their arrival in the Mothership. Keith has had it made clear to him that if he doesn't handle this appropriately, then some of the people who have volunteered will take care of it themselves. If there's any better reason to step up (to be the leader his team back home believes he can be), this is it. It's text because they can't risk being overheard.]

Hey. Some of you don't know what the taraxa are, or what that has to do with our mission. I thought I'd begin there, and then make it clear what we're doing here with that.

A year ago, we had a mission on Perdition's Rest. That's when our team first learned about Zymandis and their goals. They utilize taraxa agents. These agents are slugs that take over someone's mind against their will. The person loses themselves, but ALASTAIR has developed a means to get most of them back. The problem is that they're a part of a hive mind led by the Mother. They can communicate with each other so long as she's active.

That should make our goal here clear.

1. We need to identify the location of the Mother and take her out. This is a necessary casualty to save as many of the hosts' lives as we can.

2. We need to identify taraxa agents. Kal and Rhys both have means to scan for taraxa-affected brains. Work with them if you need someone confirmed. Once they're confirmed and the Mother is down, we put them to sleep until we can rift them back to Oska. We'll need to find a safe place to gather the bodies.

3. Once the Mother is identified, we take her out, and then we head for the rest of the taraxa agents.

We need to work quickly.

And I KNOW some of you will think we're better off killing the hosts than risking Oska, but that's stupid. They never asked for this! Plus, we put down a Zymandis force before. We'll do it again. So don't even try it. I already remember all that from last year. Trust me. I've heard it all before.

So, let's do this the right way this time.

[It wouldn't be Keith without the little bit of abrasiveness at the end.]

Comments

[secondnature]

I don't have one. Not yet.

I plan on checking out the science area. There's gotta be something there, right?

[dbag]

Like... idk, knockout gas?

Is knockout gas a real thing?

[secondnature]

If they can create a zombie virus, I'm sure they can create knockout gas.

[dbag]

Yeah ok that's true.

We're going to need like a meet-up point to get knockout gas or... whatever. And a place to store them all. I was thinking we could just steal somebody's room key somehow and lock them up there? Somebody can probably pick pockets or uhhh, seduce it off them or something.

[secondnature]

We need some way to disperse the gas. And not suffocate while using it.

I've stolen some keys. Not sure if they're the right ones.

[dbag]

You don't even know where the keys go? Do they have anything written on them? Literally anything that would indicate what doors they unlock? There have got to be a million doors on this ship, it's not like we can just try all of them until one works.

[secondnature]

[Keith comes from a universe where one keycard fits all.

So.]

Look, why don't I just give you the key cards so you can figure this all out?

[controlling]

Yes. There are several volatile anesthetics that can induce unconsciousness.

[secondnature]

Do you know how to identify them?

[controlling]

Yes.

[ disturbingly easily, in fact. he does not think of why. ]

The chemical compounds don't change even if the names do. That said, I know of the effects on humans. Non-human hosts, it's a gamble.

[secondnature]

The Qorral weren't so different from humans, but depended on a kind of element to live. I'm not sure if they're keeping the same hosts, because the bodies depend on that.

But if it's on this ship, we might not have to worry about whether it's strong enough. If they have a species of choice, maybe we can check their computers to cross reference what we need.

I think we'll have to do that for the rest of our mission, anyway.

[controlling]

My concern isn't just that it might not be strong enough. Too strong can prove fatal. [ batman doesn't kill also the pope is catholic. ] But the level of risk depends on what compounds are aboard.
I can check through what my clearance affords me. Someone with access to the labs too. Depending on what's here, we can make firmer plans.

[secondnature]

Sounds good.

[The goal isn't to kill the hosts, just to put them under. (Sans the Mother, the "necessary casualty" of the bunch.]

I'll keep an eye out for a scientist, see what I can find. Or who I can find. We'll have to figure out a way to make sure we do this safely, so none of our own get knocked out as well.

[controlling]

[ "necessary" is debatable. ]

Labs come equipped with safety measures. Masks, hoods. Even have one of our own who is immune set it off.

[ he recommends clark. ]

Gas also typically disperses quickly so, depending, we'd only need to wait a while before the affected space is safe to move around in freely again.

[secondnature]

I'll look for someone who's immune. If it doesn't work, my suit should be able to protect me.

[Keith would just prefer to keep out of the paladin gear until necessary.]

Do you think we should angle on rounding them up into a place, or find them separately? One is more effective. I know that. But it might be harder to pull off.

[The rounding up is harder, in his opinion.]

[controlling]

Depends on the numbers we're looking at.

[ a little pause. ]

The first time, did the other taraxa converge on the Mother when she felt threatened?

[secondnature]

I think she knew we were coming because we went after the others.

No one managed to find her. She got away.

text | un: the doctor

[spacerhyme]

Hello.

I have access to the labs. Find the physiological profile of any species in question, and I'll be able to cook up something nice and non-lethal.

[ at least, he's fairly confident he could. ]

[secondnature]

It might be multiple species.

Any chance they've got medical files for their taraxa agents? That won't be a bad place to start.

[spacerhyme]

I would expect so, but I haven't had a chance to look. Have you got the name of anyone posing as medical personnel now?

[secondnature]

Not yet.

I didn't think to grab someone.

[Whoops.]

[controlling]

Mind if I join you? Two heads, etc.

[spacerhyme]

Be my guest. Come round and I'll give you the ten cent tour of the facilities. We've a rather impressive assortment of substances at our disposal.

[controlling]

If you can break a quarter, I'll be there. [ and if he can't, bruce will still be there. having something to do is exactly what he needs. ]

[dbag]

Okay, great. So we use those. Somehow without also knocking ourselves out.

...Does anyone have any gas masks just lying around, asking for a friend.