Y2156.11.18 - AUNT ELLIE'S HOUSE

[ateno]

"Juliette, lets get all the information first.

Who hired you, how many of you are there, when are you supposed to report, what are you orders?"

Tut hesitates before looking for background on the "New Dawn", knowing it might use the satellites and dishes, he puts his phone down.

Tut

[atpollard]

Chester
Do Chester know the reason why the war happens in the first place? Need context here so he can reply properly.

Sure.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The "New Dawn" was a Survivalist Community/Movement [Think AMISH Post-Apocolypse Preppers meets "SURVIVORS/NAKED AND AFRAID"] They lived off the grid, in the deep wilderness, and if they could not grow/kill/make it, then they did not need it.

SOMETHING HAPPENED [nobody on the planet knows what, or is willing to say] and the 'New Dawn Movement' formed a Militia and began attacking Transportation Convoys. The Government assumed that people living at TL 0-3 would be easily dealt with by the LEO and a small National Guard force .. until the Government Forces were completely decimated by Pneumatic Crossbows firing 3 round bursts by a militia using Guerilla tactics that would make a Recon Scout proud. The Marines were sent in [a 100 man Marine Raiding Company equipped at TL 10-11 backed by an Army unit of about 1000 men equipped at TL 9-10] to destroy the New Dawn Movement (a Community of about 100 fanatical men woman and children that refused to surrender and inflicted a 2:1 kill ratio against the Marine raiders and closer to a 5:1 ratio against the Army units). The community was finally carpet bombed by COACC and overrun by the Marines and Army. Almost none were captured, most choosing to die fighting (including IED suicide attacks).

Juliette was raised in this community. "Barbarians" [characters from lower TLs] begin careers at age 14, so she was 16 years old and in her second/third year of Term 1 when the War broke out. Juliette survived the massacre of the New Dawn Militia/Community and ... is living HERE 4 years later [Middle of Barbarian Term 2 at age 20].

[Kenjosephus]

Chester

Seeing the rather miraculous predicament, Chester taps his thigh in amusement and say..

Okay. THIS.. IS... INTERESTING.

To answer Tut's questions, Chester leans back, calming himself.
Sorry, already blurting my piece way too much here.An info for an info. Since you're not with the Dawn, how in the world you three ends up with her?

Points at Juliette, scoffing at her accusation. This time he is more confident than ever, almost passionately angry at her.

Yeah, sure. How about you tell that to my dead mate. You're the one who fire first, you think we're gonna just sit by?

[Thumper]

Seeing things quickly escalating, and not in a good way, Mick feels the desperate need to cool things off before Juliette does something rash and Chester continues to say inflammatory accusations that will trigger violence or, as a minimum, paints himself into a corner with the group.

He reaches into his known intrinsic DAYDREAM talent and produces that effect first in Juliette's mind then in Chester's. Do I need to roll for those effects? I didn't think I had to for this, but if i'm wrong, here they are:

BTW, his dose of patch should still be working...

Juliette:
Daydream: [2d6]=3

Chester:
Daydream: [2d6]=9
Add +2 for Patch dose

Once Chester is zoned out, Mick will speak:
"Juliette, listen up. (if he needed a successful roll to DAYDREAM Juliette). Let's take a step back. There's obviously more here that we need to digest. He's zoned out for about a minute...a little mental trick I didn't want to expose in front of Hol, Tut, and Juliette. But here we are!

He obviously knows more about Ellie and might be able to shed more light on this situation. We should keep him alive and safe while we get that from him.

Are we to understand that Juliette is a lone survivor of the New Dawn, and she was just a kid when...this...all went down? So, there IS no New Dawn...only a sole survivor. No threat to the blockheads.

I will try to sooth his emotions, and possibly charm him, when he comes to his senses again. Should give the best way to learn all he knows. I suggest everybody get ready to defend themselves if need be. We never did get an answer as to whether he's out here alone.

Thoughts?"

If his attempt to Daydream Juliette failed, he'll now attempt to soothe her emotions 9 (roll if needed):
Soothe: [2d6]=8
Add +2 for Patch dose

Charming Chester (add +2 for Patch dose):
Charm: [2d6+2]=5+2=7

[atpollard]

Just a quick OOC note ... you don't need to roll for Psionics. If you LIKE to roll, then I will use them when appropriate (or just for inspiration) but the TWO goals for Psionics in this game was for EVERY talent to be unique and all the mechanics to stay hidden behind the wall. Most of the skills don't need a roll and those that do typically involve rolls by the target to eventually break the effect (charmed until ...) that sort of thing.

At the skill level of your typical abilities, you can just keep trying until it works, so the "COST" is time.

[atpollard]

He reaches into his known intrinsic DAYDREAM talent and produces that effect first in Juliette's mind then in Chester's. Do I need to roll for those effects? I didn't think I had to for this, but if i'm wrong, here they are:

BTW, his dose of patch should still be working...

MICK:

I never really got as far as applying the PATCH results.
You can DAYDREAM at will with no difficulty without the Patch, so we can hold off on using PATCH if you want. If you want to control them with the HYPNOSIS ability (like the wild animals), then you will need the PATCH boost.

I will move forward without the PATCH until I hear back from you ... PATCH is interesting in some of its side effects.

[Thumper]

I wouldn’t burn the Patch if I knew it wasn’t needed. Un-regard all my rolls then. Intent is to Daydream both of them to buy a minute or so of time for the rest of us to devise a plan. Then re-evaluate the situation as they come back around to the present.

If needed at that time, he’ll down the Patch and HYPNOTIZE one or both of them.

When not doing that, he’ll continue controlling his breathing, thoughts, and emotions trying to read Chester’s mind.

[atpollard]

Y2156.11.24:1310 at Ellie’s Compound
Juliette was about to respond to Chester, and from the drawn blade this conversation was not going to end well. Chester tensed, prepared to overturn the table and counter her imminent attack … when her eyes suddenly just glazed over and she stood just blankly staring ahead.

“What the h3ll?” thought Chester … then his mind went blank.

Tut, Hol and DJ watched the situation quickly escalate and then, suddenly Juliette was just staring blankly into space. Then Chester was staring blankly into space. Joe just smiled a little … he had seen this show before, and turned to see Mick practicing that ‘meditation’ thing that Sophia had taught you both.

Juliette blinked and looked around with that confused look that people had when they forget what they were about to say, or why they came into a room and were trying to decide what they should do next. Mick began calmly talking to her and the group while Chester just stood there with that blank - daydreaming - stare.

Mick:

Your attempts to read Chester’s thoughts yield no results. It is beyond your current ability (with or without PATCH).

Juliette was resistant to Mick’s suggestions, but anyone could sense it was a response born more out of fear than anger. Whatever THIS was and whatever happened THEN, the events of THEN had left a deep scar on the little girl that had grown into the woman standing HERE.

For Hol and Tut, the Ship’s message from Ellie about someone needing to protect Juliette took on a new meaning. Who was ‘Aunt’ Ellie and what was she involved in?

Juliette reaction to Chester = roll [3] … Hostile [attack on 5+]

Mick [PSI-0]: Has the ability to confuse the thoughts of a person, causing their mind to wander in a daydream for 1 minute. At the end, the person has lost their train of thought and cannot remember what they were saying/doing.

Juliette reaction to Mick = roll [6] … unreceptive

Y2156.11.24:1320 at Ellie’s Compound
Chester found himself just staring off and daydreaming. He was going to say or do something … it was right there, just out of reach. No use, he just couldn’t remember what he was going to say. Looking around … memories and situational awareness came flooding back.

Chester:

You were here to scout for a terrorist cell.
You were captured by that woman.
Joe and a group of Merchant Spacers were here.
That woman … Juliette … was a survivor from the original ‘New Dawn’ Movement … but she was only a teenager back then.

Glancing around to reassess his tactical situation, Chester found things calmer.
What happened? … how would he respond? … something strange is going on here … are they using drugs on him?

Everyone seemed to be waiting to see how Chester would react.
Nobody had any weapons pointed at Chester. That was a good sign!

[Eris]

Joe says calmly, "I wasn't around when whatever went down with this New Dawn bunch, but that was several years ago, right? Things change. People change."

"Chester, Juliette has been friendly with us, not threatening or acting dangerous. She's out here by herself. She's not a threat to anyone." Joe continues, "From what I understand Dr. Ellie took her under her wing and was protecting her. If you're out here looking for terrorists, I don't think you've found any. I don't think there are any out here to find."

[Thumper]

Mick-
”Chester, Hol here is Dr. Ellie’s heir, but didn't really know her. Tut is from off-planet and never met Hol's Aunt. What can you tell them about her?”

He’s hoping to use Chester’s lack of situational awareness as he he recovers to get him engaged in a productive conversation.

This New Dawn revelation causes Mick to begin wondering about Sofia and some of the military trained folks up at St Oyland. Any tie there?

Then the thought smack him in the forehead…does the Blue Clan want any of the parts c chemicals, etc. from the Graveyard?

[Kenjosephus]

Chester

He looks at the floor, almost drooling. What is going on? Why i suddenly felt tired?. He eventually sits back down, spilling glass and almost the last drop of beverages inside.

Really? The poster girl of the New Dawn Movement herself is not a threat? She's literally the Taylor Swift of this movement. Haven't you see the their recruitment poster?

He almost groan tired from all this mental influence. He slumps to the point where his head is at the bottom of the stoolstand.

I've told you that i know about Dr.Ellie. I came here and i've only been hearing about her through the locals. Seems her death sours a lot of people.. or maybe it's just me, being a marine and such.

Finally, from his slumped position, he muster his word.
Hey.. if you poison the meat or lace the drink i just drank. I got one thing to say..

His last word didn't come out, but what came out is two middle finger, against the whole crew.

Man, i want psychic power too to pull off thing like this.

[ateno]

"What the H--l was that."

Tut grabs him and puts him upright and checks his breathing.

Tut

[Thumper]

This young ignorantly arrogant kid has just identified himself as a threat. After being given opportunities to hear reason, a cooling off minute, and another round of sound regaining, he’s not getting it through his thick skull or his massive ego.

Before Chester escalates this to violence, he’ll try one more thing…the only thing he can think of to prevent a hostile situation.

He downs the Patch, damn jackass kid, closes his eyes in meditation while concentrating on the hypnotic effect that was unleashed under Sofia’s ministrations, and attempts to replicate the hypnotic effect again. This time, all the effect is concentrated on just Chester since Juliette is behaving herself.

[Kenjosephus]

Chester

Chester.. do not do anything. He tries to stand up, sits back and say...

So what now? I've told mv piece. Definitely, the men who sent me won't believe i got nothing to look at. Especially when they already took a photo of this place through a satellite.

[atpollard]

Y2156.11.24:1400 at Ellie’s Compound
Mick was holding the PATCH in his hand, ready to take more drastic actions before things escalated … when the mood abruptly shifted. He quickly slipped the special package back into a pocket to see how the turn of events played out.

Chester: “So what now? …”

Juliette responded. “Now this.” All hearts stopped as she snatched Chester's ACR. EVERYONE could breathe again when she tossed it to Hol “Carry this.“ She grabbed her Crossbow and Chester “You come with me and WE talk.” Juliette dragged Chester towards her ‘home’ and everyone followed along.

**********

For a moment, Chester feared he was being dragged into the woods to be executed, but the reaction of the others suggested that THIS was something else and his mission and curiosity suggested that he would learn more by following along than trying to fight against 6:1 odds to escape. Juliette led them into the woods to a tunnel entrance down into a well-concealed mound. A standard Infantry GRID SEARCH would only have had a 50/50 chance to spot it unless they were scanning for underground bunkers.

Inside, the bunker was deep - deep enough to survive surface bombardment except for a direct hit by Starship grade weapons. The walls were lined with uncut fieldstone and braced with heavy timbers. The ceiling was domed slightly and covered in a cement plaster. Crude ceramic jars, some as large as ten gallons and covered in woven hemp, lined one wall in a storage area. There was a wood-burning ceramic stove with an electric outlet built into the side and a battery slow-charging from the outlet. [It was the only item in the room that seemed to require electricity]. The two chairs were folding camp stools with legs carved from branches and seats made of animal hides. Juliette racked her Crossbow on wall pegs apparently designed for that purpose. The one-room space had a “place for everything and everything in its place” feel to it.

Juliette invited Chester to “Sit down before you fall down.” as she gestured to the stool. Chester obliged, but the walk and time had done him a great deal of good. He was feeling strong and alert again, but that was information he felt no need to share. The room seemed crowded with everyone in it, but most of the group had never actually SEEN Juliette’s home and EVERYONE wanted to know what was going to happen [plus the more people available to pull these two off eachother, the better].

**********

Juliette waved her arms around the room and addressed Chester directly: “This is it. This is the ‘New Dawn Movement’ your Government is so determined to wipe out. We … which is just me now that you successfully killed everyone else except me … have nothing that we did not grow, kill or make ourselves … myself. It is a LIFE and a PHILOSOPHY of living deliberately and striving for complete Self-Reliance without the distraction and dependence on Technology. I hear that the typical City Worker labors 40 hours per week or more to meet their basic needs. This life requires between 8 and 12 hours per week of labor to meet minimum basic needs.”

Juliette walked over to her crossbow and ran her fingers along it, caressing the hand-carved wooden stock. “The Government sent you to kill me and destroy this to STOP the ‘New Dawn’ at all costs. You are prepared to DIE to kill me and stop this. I am prepared to kill you and as many more as they send in my fight to preserve THIS way of life.” Juliette smiled a wry smile. “It would appear that we are at an impasse, would it not? However appearances can be deceiving. I have been here before. I know how this dance ends. So … MARINE …” Juliette took the Crossbow down from the peg and readied it to fire, unloading and reloading it. Then she took the ACR from Hol and briefly removed and reseated the clip, drew the bolt, set the selector to ‘burst’ and released the safety. Picking up her Crossbow “... If you REALLY want to destroy this and kill me. This is it: Hol, please hand the Marine his weapons. We will kill each other and the New Dawn ends … right here and right now. Without a lot of other innocent Marines and Friends needing to die with us. So MARINE, the choice is yours … are you ready to leave your wife to raise your children alone to destroy all this!” Juliette smiled as she pointed the weapon around the room.

Juliette then pointed the Crossbow directly at Chester and waited for Hol to hand him his ACR. “You called this meeting. You wanted to find me. So which will it be, MARINE. Do we shoot and die, or do we set the weapons down and declare this war over? Make the choice for both of us.”

Hol reluctantly handed Chester his ACR and everyone stepped back from the Line of Fire.

[OOC: One way or another, the issue will be resolved and the surviving party can move forward.]

[Thumper]

Mick steps back against a wall to avoid the duel zone as best he can. Juliette seems determined…perhaps this is the only resolution to her situation that can bring her peace. He’ll not intervene…especially against this ass of a kid. He had multiple chances to listen to reason and refused. Corrupted by and so willing, anxious even, to participate in the blockheaded government oppression that’s so obvious!. He can’t understand how Joe was ever friends with such a belligerent calloused and bloodthirsty man.

His resentment for the government grows even greater learning of the New Dawn incident.

May Juliette find peace in the afterlife with her family there.

[shaidar]

DJ

DJ looks on in horror

"This is insane!" he looks around at the others "We can't just let them shoot each other."

[Thumper]

Mick-
“This assassin won’t listen. Can’t see anything else to be done. He doesn’t care who he hurts….all just targets to him, not people. He’s IS the government hit man sent to assassinate a sole survivor of genocide.

The only way out for her is this. They will keep coming.”

[shaidar]

DJ

"That's just as mad as they are! You think killing him is the answer, that it'll just make it go away? It'll make it worse. If this is what this group has become...well, it's not what I signed up for."

[Kenjosephus]

Chester

Chester is rather amused by her bravery, recklessness, if he is to be blunt.

I could. My ACR's is rather cold for a few days. But seriously, all of you here think i'm an assassin?

Chester takes off the magazine of his rifle, drops it to the floor, and raise his hand.

If i am, i would've open fire from the moment i see you, sweetheart. You are in my scope for 10 seconds straight, that's more than enough for me to complete my mission if i am a hitman. But, I am not. Trust me. I'm here to see if the Dawn is warm or cold. That's all.

He puts the ACR in the floor while not breaking eye contact with the crew.

So, would the poster girl, meet her end part of the deal? Or are you,as my marine folks once said, a sniveling snake?