Mission #14 - Follow Up and Vote

[lucetimods]

By the conclusion of this mission, the volunteers will have the option to either help the Iron Eye or take measures to ensure they fail. There are four options to take, each with their own pros and cons, as well as chances for success or failure. The involvement of the Lucetians will have a significant impact on future drafts and missions.

Of course, the question is: what are the Iron Eye up to? If you haven’t figured it out, you may have to make a decision with just what you’ve figured out.

The voting will impact things thusly:

Options 1 and 2 are pro-Iron Eye. By voting for them, one vote is ADDED to their chance of success.

Options 3 and 4 are anti-Iron Eye. But voting against them, one voted is SUBTRACTED to their chance of success.

Whichever of the four options get the majority vote will be the one that is used to determine the outcome of the mission. So, for instance, if Option 3 is chosen with 10 votes for Anti-Iron Eye, and 4 votes for Pro-Iron Eye, we could end up with:

40% - 10% + 4% = 34% chance of success. This means the Iron Eye would very likely fail, which is the desired option of the majority vote.

Once we have the votes in, we’ll use the random dice roll in an AIM chatroom, where we will roll a 100-sided die. If the dice rolls 34 or higher, the Iron Eye will fail. Likewise, if the success percentage is at 85%, then any dice roll over 85 will result in failure.

Bear in mind that there are 28 characters involved, which means that there is a lot of sway on the success rate based simply on agreeing with any one option.

The dice roll will take place in lucetiplot on September 15th at 11:00PM EST for those who wish to observe. If you do not have your vote in by then, it will not be counted. But this should give you ample time to try and figure out what’s really going on and decide what your character will do.

And so your options are thus:

1. They help the Iron Eye find the entrance to the cultist’s underground city and do not report to the Malnosso. Although this dramatically increases the chances to succeed, it will also put them in danger of some reprisal.

Pro: This route secures them an alliance with the Iron Eye. The repercussions could dramatically shift the war away from the cultists.
Con: Direct collaboration would make them accountable to the Malnosso, and they would lack the ability to deny their involvement.
Chance of Iron Eye Success: 80% + one point for each volunteer supporting the Iron Eye.

2. They help the Iron Eye by not telling the Malnosso what’s going on. This increases the chance of success and doesn’t put them in any kind of danger. They claim ignorance.

Pro: This route frees them of accountability. The repercussions could dramatically shift the war away from the cultists.
Con: Their relationship with the Iron Eye and Malnosso is not improved, but it isn’t ruined either. Luceti’s influence is not altered.
Chance of Iron Eye Success: 60% + one point for each volunteer supporting the Iron Eye.

3. They report the Iron Eye’s activities to the Malnosso, informing them of their ultimate goal. This also reveals Bil’s location. This decreases the chance of success and doesn’t put the volunteers in any danger.

Pro: This route guarantees they secure some tangible physical reward for Luceti in return for their loyalty to the Organization. This could be new infrastructure, an expanded barrier, or some other surprise gift.
Con: This route leaves Bil and the Iron Eye’s fate to the Malnosso, which is not promising for either of them.
Chance of Iron Eye Success: 40% - one point for each volunteer opposing the Iron Eye.

4. They find a way to sabotage the Iron Eye’s activities, but don’t report it to the Malnosso. This dramatically decreases the chance of success, but puts them in danger of reprisal.

Pro: This route leaves the Iron Eye and Bil in tact, but foils their plans. They maintain good relations with the Malnosso.
Con: The route sours relations with the Iron Eye.
Chance of Iron Eye Success: 20% - one point for each volunteer opposing the Iron Eye.

Characters will find out the results of their decision via an NPC post sometime later in September.

Comments

IC Briefing and Discussion

[thefinaljedi]

"You mean they're building a bomb to use on a cultist population?" Luke steps forward, leaving his place against a wall to weigh in. His eyes are heavy, and his voice low. "Bil's saying it's unforgivable. That means that there are civilians in the city, yes?"

The idea was deplorable, an act banned by nearly every convention of warfare he knew, and these sorts of weapons had a habit of backfiring on the user, as well as the target. Standing behind such a thing...he's not sure he could. But then, this place was so different from home. Was it really such a bad thing, to let a group of mercenaries destroy a nest of insane zealots?

[godbent]

"Don't read too much into it. The Third Party doesn't have civilians"

She says this quickly. Haruhi doesn't rise from her seat to say it either. She only has a few inferred things (the fact they don't make their own weapons, the fact they're a death cult based in planetary extermination, and the fact that they recruit via people descending into madness - meaning they probably don't have industry or families) to make this statement with though, so it would be best if someone from the Mine draft confirmed this statement from her.

[misterbrief]

"It doesn't matter who's down there."

The Saiyan responds, eyes closed as he thinks upon the information he's just heard, leaning up against the side of a chair. "Didn't you hear what the man said? That bomb might make this planet uninhabitable if those people are suffering from radiation injuries. Or at least a good portion of the planet. Who knows what it's capable of. If it triggers an effect that washes over every region of this world, everyone will wish their wretched existence would end immediately."

[godbent]

Haaaah? The entire world? The young woman arches an eyebrow from her seat before turning to get a better look at the man who just said that. Older than her, short, lots of muscles.

"The entire planet? Don't be stupid." And at this she begins to count off on her fingers, "We're in the middle of nowhere, if they were going to use it just to blow up one enclosure it's clearly not going to do that, and they'd be detonating it underground anyway."

But then it hits her, duh--

"Besides, these two guys," with a wave at Gai and Law, "didn't give us any specifics about how the thing functions anyway, so that's just guesswork to begin with."

And at this, a turn and a half-stand to address everyone else in here, her hands going to her hips, "Did anyone even fish up solid details on it?"

[misterbrief]

"What you say is true, we don't know how it functions." He turns to look at Gai and Law, narrowing his eyes. "Unless you two know more than we do about this."

Either way, he'll address Haruhi again, "But even so, I don't think it's worth the risk. We live here too for the time being, and quite frankly I'd rather not visit the afterlife." Again.

[falenandawn]

"I would like to know the specifics of this as well." His voice is soft but firm, having been quiet up until now as he tried to put together the images that this information was painting. He trails his eyes from Haruhi to Gai and Law, brows furrowed in concern.

"This sort of technology doesn't exist in my world, but I've seen the like in other ways. It never ends well, either." used only once, a power capable of such great destruction had only helped convince others it was a valid option to use again, no matter what consequences or if it could be controlled or not.

"Technology capable of such a destructive power as to take out a city or a city block carries far more danger in it's use than it's destructive power. What's to say this won't cause us problems, if we ignore it's use?"

[tearmeanewone]

"Exactly--" Elizabeth has been mostly listening, trying to piece all of this very new information together and reconcile it with a weapon that could destroy an entire town. But she comes from a place where deadly things come from stolen information.

"If it was used to destroy the entire population of the Cultists, that might be one thing--" One thing she doesn't want to consider the moral repercussions of right now. "--but if it's used, then they reverse-engineer the same thing when they arrive to claim whatever is left, we could be facing the same thing inside Luceti."

[voidseeing]

"My source refused to give me details about the explosive device itself," was Gai's response. "All she said was that the desert was inhospitable anyway."

IC Briefing and Discussion

[deathsdoctor]

"... not quite. Use of the weapon itself is banned. From what Gai's told me, deploying it is a war crime in itself." Law's expression is unreadable. Something is bothering him very badly for those who know him and can read him... it radiates off him subtly. "Vaskoth was the exception."

"That does not mean there aren't civilians in that city. From what I understand of the Third Party, it seems every member is bent to sacrificing the planet's population and actively working towards that goal, however of their actual society, we know little. However, personally, I do not think so."

IC Briefing and Discussion

[thefinaljedi]

"Do we have any idea why Vaskoth was the exception?" Luke asks this simply with a vaguely concerned look at the doctor. Something wasn't right with that, and something was off there. He couldn't say what, though.

Turning to include Haruhi and Vegeta in his query, he frowns thoughtfully. "So, what you're saying is that you believe this city is less a city and more an underground military complex. That's all well and good. But this weapon is banned for a reason, right? IF it's anything like similar weapons back home, there's probably a damn good reason. Super-weapons and excessive force tend to rebound on the people using them."

[misterbrief]

"Precisely. There are far better ways to wipe out their numbers than to blindly throw something like that into their nest. I'd prefer to go in myself and deal with them personally. There are some of us here who are more than capable of blowing up a city without creating a conflicting disturbance with the natural shifts that reside in this area." He shoots Luke a sly grin. He'll gladly volunteer for such a task.

[falenandawn]

"The underground city we visited once over a year and a half... no, nearly two years ago did have residences. I could not say if there were civilians, but they did have housing. It was a poor situation in which to gauge it's manner of use, with tunnels caving in all around and our focus on defending the mines." He glances at Vegeta, giving a surprised look the implied boast. Just how powerful was this man....?

[thefinaljedi]

"I remember the reports from that. I was conscripted, myself. But then I was kidnapped the day before the draft started so..." He shrugs. "I can't say anything about that." Looking at Vegeta, he offered the man (who was actually shorter than he was) a faint, flickering smile. "If we had a feasible way to do something like that, I wouldn't disagree. Better than a bomb like that. But is such a thing feasible? What we know suggests it's bigger than the last city."

[16autumnroad]

"Most cities need civilians to function, unless their soldiers are performing multiple duties." He knows better than to compare the cultist city to the hidden villages at home, but there are always support personnel. It could be closer to a warzone camp, of course, just with more permanent structures.

"Can you blow up a city even with our abilities blocked? I've barely felt my chakra the whole time I've been here. How far does that effect extend?" Chouji doesn't doubt the ability of someone powerful to level a city, he just doesn't think most of them are anywhere near as powerful as usual right now.

[misterbrief]

"Of course it is. The problem is getting there and getting inside. Once inside, however? It's a piece of cake." He truly does not see the point in risking the planet for something they didn't even know that would work. But a small group of Lucetians who could take care of business? He'd prefer that. He'd get to destroy them with his own two hands, and keep the planet intact.

IC Briefing and Discussion

[deathsdoctor]

"The virus was that bad, given from what I understand. They weren't willing to let it spread. The Malnosso were willing to go to extremes to contain it. Raze it from the soil and the waters and eliminate every single last person just to be sure it was gone."

It might not be the only thing, but there's only so much insight Law can give since he wasn't there for that and is operating off secondhand knowledge.

IC Briefing and Discussion

[thefinaljedi]

"Well, they gave us time to cure it. Which, I guess means they were willing to let us try. But I can't say I'd have disagreed with them if they did. I was there. The consequences of the virus getting loose must've been greater than the risk of a bomb."

IC Briefing and Discussion

[deathsdoctor]

Law nods, but whatever else he has to say is overcome by the roar of discussion. What's weighing on him isn't immediately apparent.

Until Itachi speaks.

He knew. Law had known all along.

IC Briefing and Discussion

[voidseeing]

Gai nods. "I learned after the mission in the hospital that the use of the Shift explosive there had been concealed from the rest of the Malnosso. The only explanation for that would be that their use is forbidden, or considered to be a terrible crime. Unless, of course, Davis concealed it to avoid reporting his own intelligence failure."

[selphie_t]

It's a dog eat dog world outside of Luceti.

With Selphie's mind running a mile a minute thanks to the blanks being filled in, the young woman is oddly silent, perplexed. Mentions of the Mine and the Jungle stir up feelings of unease that she can't shake off. The colour run out of her face as she looks up at Frey with a mix of anger and confusion. There's still so much she doesn't remember, so many blanks left to fill that she can't think about this rationally.

They may not know if there are civilians in that underground city, but there's a possibility of it. If this happens to be true, then the perky brunette cannot condone this attack, not after what she's been through. Her personal feeling are blurring her thinking and the fists resting on her knees are pretty indicative of her thoughts on this. Innocent people dying from their actions is something that hasn't sat well with her since Trabia and knowing that it could happen again ultimately leaves her cold inside.

However, she's a mercenary and she can't let these thoughts cloud her thinking. She understands that they're ultimate purpose is to stop the cultists but where do they draw the line? She's used to being hated but that doesn't mean she has to like it. She closes her eyes eventually to try and tune out the debating going on around her. Eventually, Selphie shakes her head and lets it drop so she's staring at her lap when she opens her eyes again.

"I can't decide..." she says softly. "Kill a whole city of people for the greater good or stop the Iron Eye? It's like the missile crisis all over again only this time we're potentially playing the bad guys."

[voidseeing]

"Sometimes working for the greater good means being the bad guys," is Gai's response, face still wearing an expression of practiced neutrality. "The world isn't black and white. Actions have consequences, and sometimes they might not be what you want. You can't look only at the immediate results of your actions."

Harsh, perhaps, but they're the words of someone who has learned these things the hard way.

[selphie_t]

She knows this face of practiced neutrality from a dear friend of hers. Regardless, Selphie's head snaps up and frowns darkly at Gai's response. It's harsh without a doubt but her feelings are clouding her judgement.

"And if we let the Iron Eye finish this Shift Bomb, what's going to stop them from dropping one into Luceti?"

[voidseeing]

"That's why we want to maintain a good relationship with them." It's obvious from the look on Gai's face and the tone of his voice that he isn't very impressed with this conversation. "Keeping them as our allies means we could potentially have access to Shift explosives too, should we ever need them."

[misterbrief]

"Well, it looks like we finally agree on something for a change." He smirks over to Gai. "I'm not advocating for this explosive, but think how much time that would buy us if the whole lot of them are destroyed. If that clown says we have two years, then I'd say it'd be a good idea to extend that as much as we possibly can."

[voidseeing]

"Exactly," he says, looking over at Vegeta. "We have the opportunity to allow the destruction of an entire cultist city. It would be in our best interests to let it happen."