IC New Beginnings DAWN Options

[Necrogigas]

He knew it, he fragging knew it! He suggests a distraction, it's too loud and they need stealth. Starlet suggests a distraction, and suddenly it's a grand strategy. If he didn't find Englebrecht and his ilk loathsome, he'd be giving that offer a second consideration.

[Crossbow]

"Why would you put them on guard anymore than they normally are? This all just seems unnecessary to me, and too loud." Silence visibly withdraws from the the planning, sitting down away from the group.

[pbangarth]

Well, isn't this a fine pickle. Two of the four of us have retreated into a snit because their way is not carrying the day. One wants silence, the other noise and distraction. Where did my contract talk about babysitting?


Torley speaks up. Look, we've got two options here, and one strong proponent for each. Here's what I can do.

I'm lousy in a fight, but I can talk my way through some bad drek. That could be useful on the outside to get a crowd riled up. It could also be useful inside to get an ally, like for example the grandfather who apparently doesn't want the idol here. And, I'm not much of a planner, I kinda do things on the fly, taking advantage of what comes up.

But this thing has to be thought through or we all get geeked. There's too many inside for us to overpower them. That's not an option. And all four of us going in invisible will tax Sammy to the max. So, we need to figure out who is going in and who is staying on the outside. And if we are not all going in, then what are the tasks for the outside and inside persons.

So. let's not retreat into silos. Let's get a plan going that will work.

[Crossbow]

"What is a silo? I just figured you would prefer I not take an active role in planning, since you, rightfully, have no reason to trust me. I have explained my capabilities, so you know what I can do, just let me know what you WANT me to do."

[pbangarth]

Look at me. the one who crosses cultural barriers with the greatest of ease.

Silo: a storage building for grain or vegetables. Built to keep the good stuff inside, and the things that want to eat it outside. Also a turn of speech to represent a place where one's ideas are not challenged.

Your skills and input are valued. We succeed or fail as one.

[farothel]

"What if we create a distraction further away from the compound, but something the guards have to react to," Sammy asked, "that will put the noise and stuff further away and reduce the amount of guards available in the compound."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor, reluctantly, let himself be drawn back into the circular discussion. If only, in hope of moving it forward. He turned to Lil' Homie and Silence, as the local guides, "Any probable target sites that are, as Starlet put it, 'further away?'" He turned back to the team, "We need to learn where the other armed forces are operating nearby. If we can rope the Royal Army or the Area Boys into the kerfuffle, again, the spark we light won't need to be big."

[Crossbow]

Silence returns to the planning group, "If you simply want to keep the guards busy, why not start a fire in the compound, maybe the kitchen or somewhere else like the barracks?"

Lil Homie in uncharacteristically quiet, especially considering the fact that Con asked him for help directly.

[pbangarth]

Torley was so busy picking up the body language of the two men, he had ignored the boy. Until now. "Hey, Lil Homie. You look troubled. What's wrong?"

[Crossbow]

"The lady that works in the kitchen brings out extra food sometimes." The kid looks embarassed.

[pbangarth]

"Well, we want to make sure the kind lady doesn't get hurt. Thanks for letting us know."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor scoffed, "That's not something you can promise if we set fire to the compound. Hell, with how compact these slums are, a fire could easily get out of control." He really hoped he could get the team away from starting a fire. He still hadn't told anyone about his newly developed pyrophobia. The team probably deserved to know, but he refused to admit to the weakness.

[farothel]

"I could let a spirit create some smoke," Sammy suggested, "so it looks like a fire, but it isn't. Illusions can also work."

[Crossbow]

"Spirits could definitely cause a distraction, but wouldn't that tire you out too? Also, this seems to be putting you on the distraction team, I thought the idea was that at least the two of us would sneak in?"

[farothel]

"I can put him on remote service," Sammy said, "that way I can technically be on the other side of the world. And yes, the summoning takes a bit, but I can do that up front, as long as we don't pass sunrise or sunset."

[Necrogigas]

"Alright, so a spirit will cause the distraction, while Silence and Starlet infiltrate." He turned to the thief, "Are there any buildings nearby that have a good view of the compound. I need a vantage point to cover you two if/when the plan goes sideways." He then turned to Torley, "Like I said earlier, we need to find out where any opposition forces are nearby. If the distraction is going to be at the compound then we need to know where we have to head them off. If the spirit is heading somewhere else to cause chaos, it should be somewhere that will draw in and entangle our enemies."

[pbangarth]

" I'll see what I can find out. " Torley heads outside, smiling at the lookout at the end of the hall as he passes.

Out in the press of the daytime crowd, despite being half a world away from home, Torley feels at ease. The mass of people allows even this fish-belly white man to mix and blend. He stops on occasion to check some merchandise, then he moves on, matching his movements to those of the regulars. At one merchant's booth, he buys a vest in the local style, not too fancy mind you, and puts it on over his own clothes. In behind this group, back around that stall, surreptitiously glancing to see if he is being followed.

But the real work is about feeling the flow of the community. Hearing the buzz. Watching where the couple over there glances as they whisper to each other. In a densely populated city, news travels faster than the wind. From those glances, from the snippets he hears, from the electricity of human life that so feeds him, he seeks out where ... otherness... is happening. Where are the strangers who don't belong, and can't possibly blend like the nobody that Sam Torley knows so well how to be?

Damn, life is good.

[Necrogigas]

After Torley left, O'Connor stared at the door perplexed for a moment. He was rather surprised the face had actually listened to him. He turned back to the others, "Right, well, the kind of distraction we use, and where, is going to depend on what Torley uncovers. Unless anyone's got something else to add, how about we take a break and get some food?"

[farothel]

"sounds like a plan," Sammy said, "the type of distraction will also dictate the type of spirit I will need, so there's little I can do at the moment anyway. But not that horrible palm wine this time, if you would."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor snorted at Starlet's complaint. Even if she had a background similar to his, she'd clearly become used to the finer things in life. He smiled, "You think that stuff is bad? You should try some prison hooch; rotten fruit, melted hard candy, actual sugar if a crew member's on kitchen duty, tomatoe paste, and bread crumbs strained through dirty socks."

He turned to Silence, "There any restaurants or cafes near the compound? It'd be a good chance to do some physical recon."

[Crossbow]

It was now Silence's turn to give a snort, "You can find a few vendors here and there, but you can also expect to get hit up by Area Boys in the process. That part of Apapa isn't really a tourist hot spot, or even a good place for oyibos to go slumming."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor turned to Lil' Homie to confirm if Silence was telling the truth. Torley and Starlet were idiots for trusting the thief, and he'd be damned if he was going to get deep sixed for it. If Lil' Homie wasn't here to corroborate what he could of Silence's information, then O'Connor would have vetoed the team vote by executing Silence.

[Crossbow]

Lil Homie looked confused at the attention, but confirmed the assessment.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor gave a small encouraging smile to Lil' Homie, "Alright then, we'll stay near the hotel." He motioned the guide towards the door, and told the others, "Let's meet back up in two hours if Torley isn't back before then." Many would mock him for putting so much stock in a child, but O'Connor knew better than most that places like this didn't produce children, only little adults.

Once the two where in the hallway, he patted Lil' Homie on the back companionly, "You've really been a godsend to us. Can't imagine where we'd be right now without you. Any restaurants around here that you'd like to try?"

[Crossbow]

Since they are left alone, Silence takes the opportunity to scmooze Starlet a bit. "I don't know if you speak any Or'zet, but there is lovely terrace cafe overlooking the waterfront that caters to our kind, the chef claims to have studied in France."

-----------------

Lil'Homie takes Con to what looks to him like a burrito place back in the UCAS. The food is solid and filling, and as spicy as you can stand it. The gangbanger had eaten enough Devil Rat to know that that the meat wasn't one he had eaten before, but it had a good texture and was alive on the hoof at some point, not some soy protein.