Brave Galaxy is set in a world loosely based on Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail and Eden’s Zero. It is a PG-13 or so rated space fantasy RP, and uses a combination of character statistics, which can be acquired via roleplaying and events, and creative freedom to help direct players’ characters. While there is a main storyline, which can be found in the events section, characters are free to interact with others and their environment however they see fit.
Explore the galaxy. Overcome the obstacles in your path. Shape the future of humanity.
The Fishery. So, Meat Mountain had managed to get fairly close to the bandit crew without being seen, she assumed. And now, he was expecting her to do the same. In a town with a population under one hundred, she assumed this would be difficult. She assumed the docks would be nearly empty. She assumed that meeting at the fishery would be a massive, horrific mistake. But, in truth, all her assumptions were based on literally nothing: she had never lived on a dock, or rather, she had never a dock on the water. And what she saw upon her approach made her think twice about making any more assumptions: save for one end of the dock, being avoided like the plague, the area around the fishery was quickly being filled with vendors, fishermen and townsfolk alike. It seemed that there were more people here than just the residents of the town, as several stalls were stocked with goods that had no way of being cultivated in the swampy environ. One man in particular stood out, in that he was the only "man" in this otherwise elf-dominated society. He was milling from stall to stall, casting motes of ice magic on their wares and being rewarded with a pittance for his troubles.
She moved slowly, but not without purpose, doing her best to mingle with the crowd, rather than simply moving through it. The pier wasn't crowded, at least, not by city standards, but there was still a fair bit of commotion, as many people seemed to be rushing through their purchases as fast as possible, taking whatever they could get, at whatever price that the vendors asked for. No doubt, anyone who frequented this market was aware of the town's recurrent bandit problem, and were doing their damnedest to get out of town before last light.
It was only ten minutes after Jairec had messaged her that Jak entered the fishery, but already, it seemed that the vendors were getting ready to leave, only the bare essentials left out for the customers to choose from. Jak tapped the flash-frozen fish against a counter, not really sure how someone would even go about cooking an entire fish, but still having felt pressured into buying it for what she could only hope was a massively inflated price. After a moment's consideration, she tossed the fish to one side and addressed the only other person not taking part in the short-lived market outside.
"Right, so... Whaddya got?"
Jak listened to what the mage had to say, and it definitely seemed like he had learned a lot more useful information than she had. One of the perks that came with magic was utility, she supposed. There was no telling what kind of tricks Jairec had up his sleeves, but it was definitely a boon against what Jak was capable. Jak had to do her sneaking the old-fashioned way. And her info mostly came from just standard detective work.
"Hrm... Well that matches up with what the barkeep said," she shrugged, "Soser's getting cocky. And the mainland is starting to take notice."
"Honestly, this might be our last chance to catch him before he goes dark."
Post by cadavericdivinity on Jan 3, 2020 1:12:19 GMT
"I would not be surprised if this whole village is under the watch of local government and their hired guns. But if so, we'll put on a show. They'll be moving weapons over the dock but I was underneath them; their foundation and flooring has been weakened in areas. Whatever they're bringing will be useless if it falls into the waters along with the unlucky saps carting it. My idea is that I'll break the ground beneath their feet, sow confusion amongst them. In that time, we capture Soser and steal a ship."
He paused for a minute; it was a very rough idea and he imagined it was far from perfect. But what would Jak say? He knew nothing of her capabilities as a fighter or a strategist. And surely she would have some different ideas on how to proceed; he wanted an idea of the kind of strategy that worked for her. Normally he would have had a team but this scenario was less than ideal, especially with the lack of lethality.
It seemed to Jak that Meat Mountain was a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Why would the local government send a bunch of police, soldiers, mercenaries, or whatever other kind of "hired gun" Jairec had in mind and not do anything? Simple answer for Jak, as a member of a police-force, herself, beholden, to governmental forces: unless Soser's a big fish, planning a coup? They wouldn't. As far as she was concerned, Soser was a local menace that the mainland couldn't be bothered with. And that was changing. But in the off-chance that he was right, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to tread carefully, if for no other reason than to prevent any unnecessary conflict.
And when Jairec shared his plan of attack, well... she certainly saw a way that hostilities could be raised.
"It's a no-go." Jak said bluntly, "Elves have a thing about nature. And this dock is probably hundreds of years old."
Jak may not have ever stepped foot on Stella's soil, but this much she knew from the few elves she had served with, in the past. Hell, one of them actually kept a sapling in his bunk. Apparently, he'd planted it as a toddler and cared for it ever since. He acted like the damn thing was his little brother. It was... weird. To say the least. But it spoke volumes, to Jak, about how the elves living in Shan’vay might react to them blowing holes in their docks, even if it was to catch a criminal. "Hell, we might even end up charged with, like, plant-murder or something..."
"What kind of weaponry are you carrying, Jak?"
Jak answered without hesitation, "Pistol and a Sword. If I'm using the blade, though, best to stay away. It's got an enchantment on it, but I can't control what it targets."
"Wait-" she started, "Did you say they're carting stuff in!?"
Normally Soser's crew were acting as bandits, taking whatever they could get their mitts on and scarpering off to their little fortress in the marshes, wherever the hell that was... But if they were bringing stuff in?
Well, maybe Jairec's conspiracy wasn't as far-fetched as Jak initially painted it...
last edited Jan 8, 2020 17:15:24 GMT by fairchild.txt
Post by cadavericdivinity on Jan 11, 2020 2:54:03 GMT
"I'm not scorching the earth; a couple of partially cracked leaf-platforms they were barely maintaining themselves, some worm-devoured wood falling apart - we could very, very easily make it appear as if the thugs carting their weapons over it caused it to break. The whole thing looked like a patchwork; some of it must have been makeshift repairs and others half-baked schemes at expansion and improvement that clearly never went anywhere." He would've had difficulty believing Jak's words with how grungy the town was. They lived with nature at and as their doorstep but given what he saw, perhaps they only followed that philosophy in a looser sense. It wouldn't be the first time he'd seen urban living trump over environmental harmony.
So she was armed to kill just like he was. The thing is the mission wasn't supposed to be one where they bathed the town in elf blood. This was going to be more difficult when-
"They wanted weapons for a raid and they're coming as we speak. Personally, I think that's why the government is keeping tabs. If we can't stop them, they're in for a horrible battle and it's not going to end well for anyone on either side or between. I don't know what they specifically want to gain with this but it's clear our benefactors do not want any more bloodshed than there is already."
Quickly, he pulled out a pair of batons, twirling them in his hands. In spite of their three foot length and subtly reinforced heads, they whirled nimbly in his long fingers, the air making a wobbling sound with the whipping speed. Their material was some kind of dark berry blue and black with silvery white streaks traveling in a spiral up their body, ending in pointed tips near their denser heads. Both weapon tips had a bit of a point to them but they were too wide to be cutting almost like a manual juicer.
"Can you strike to wound? We're going to have to neutralize those weapons first somehow. If we can't simply drop them into the water, we're going to have to somehow get on the ship before it gets here or think of another way to get the drop entirely."
Post by fairchild.txt on Jan 13, 2020 18:24:03 GMT
"The townspeople sent the bounty out because they'd been harassed by Soser's gang." Jak mused, "But they didn't mention anything about this. It's possible they don't even know."
But even as Jak was making her concerns known, Jairec seemed to already be altering his plan to fit. Seemingly caring little of the reasons, but more for getting the job done, however he could manage. While he seemed like something of an odd character, Jairec definitely seemed to have a very focused mindset, when it came to completing a task. Perhaps he had spent time in the military? Indeed, Jak hadn't seen someone be this agreeable about changes of plan since her time in the Bundeswehr, where at any moment, their orders might change, and the average soldier would have no idea why. But they would still follow orders. Still accomplish their mission. Even if they didn't know why.
Most people who worked for the Organizations, on the other hand, tended to be... rather reckless. And talking them out of their crazy plans tended to be a difficult mission, even if they knew the reasons. Meat Mountain was definitely a different breed of Merc. "These weapons... did you see them?"
Jak's answer to Jairec's question was probably not what he had expected. But for Jak, the two questions were inexorably tied together.
"Listen. Our job here is to apprehend Soser." she explained, "but if he's got these weapons... They're obviously not content with ransacking a supply ship every now and again. And it's gonna be bloody."
"So before we do anything, we need to make sure our intel is good."
last edited Jan 13, 2020 19:14:20 GMT by fairchild.txt
Post by cadavericdivinity on Jan 14, 2020 4:29:19 GMT
"The thugs are smart. They kept the plan only to themselves but they didn't count on an uninvited guest overhearing it. They didn't mention what the weapons were but I'm guessing firearms and with the secrecy surrounding them, they must be at least military grade and they have to keep it in containers, the sort they'll need to manually transport and inspect before they get going." The weapons spun in his hand faster and faster, kicking up a bit of dust on a nearby shelf, scattering both spiderwebs and dead flies. A few swings followed in sharp, curving patterns interspersed with vicious jabs, all the more shocking with the raw size of Jak's strange partner.
The woman seemed well trained and sharp enough but she seemed skeptical of any plans. He didn't blame her; while they could easily strike from the shadows there was no telling what could happen if their theoretical ambush turned into a full scale assault. If they could get the weapons, that was one thing, but even if those were out of the picture it was clear they were not fighting any group of enraged street thugs. These were trained killers who'd avoided the law and from what he could gather, defeated it before. They were outnumbered and with only their guts and their intelligence.
"Magic." He asked. Likely not in short supply but if there was a force multiplier, he'd take it. "What magic do you have at hand? I want to avoid paying for funeral fees in the aftermath and if we have some way to level the playing field, we should take it. Our only real option is to strike very hard the second we encounter that ship and somehow close them off from the weapons or get them out of reach. And given how valuable they are, they will be forced to try and keep them, something we can exploit."
The longer Jairec was left to his own devices, the more Jak was having doubts about her earlier assessment. He went from seeming fairly pragmatic to... showing off with his knives, for some reason? Jak wasn't really sure. But now, Jak found herself coughing as Jairec's movements sent dust flying through the air. She waved her hand in front of her face, trying to stave off the airborne particles. She couldn't doubt that Jairec was skilled, but it seemed like he was also incredibly impatient, if this is how he responds to a few moments pause. Or maybe he was just excitable, wanting to show off with his new toys. But it was when he brought up magic that Jak really started to look at him sideways. The ISC had always been a fighting force consisting of only physical fighters: mages need not apply. It was something so innately tied to the ISC, she found it difficult to comprehend how someone could not make the connection that a Lieutenant of the ISC would not have any magical abilities.
"I... don't have magic." she sighed, "And- wait. Your plan is to try to take out the entire crew? Just the two of us? Just rush in swinging? What happened to stealth? Subterfuge? An ACTUAL PLAN!?"
Jak was waving her arms wildly at this point, clearly agitated. She couldn't get a read on this guy. No. That's not true. She knew exactly what this guy's problem was: he was a mage. And he had all the bravado and un-earned self-confidence that came along with it. He thought that just because he could summon flames in his hands... or could turn into water... or could summon little demons... that he was just the big-shit on campus and nothing could ever kill him. As she pointed out the failings in his... fairly basic plan, she counted them off on her fingers. However, even as she grew more heated, and it was clear that she desperately wanted to be screaming at the top of her lungs, Jak's voice just got quieter, as if used to having long, heated arguments while trying to remain undetected.
"One: we're grossly outnumbered. Two: we've got no idea of the enemy's capabilities. Except fer three: they got powerful, high-grade weaponry that they got from beating tha military in a fight!"
Jak advanced on Jairec, getting up in his face and jabbing a finger into his chest, looking comically unimposing against his massive frame. However, Jak seemed to care little, if at all, staring him down with the intensity of an angry god.
"If we try'n jus' run up and start fightin' people, they will, and I wanna be very, very clear here: KILL. US."
Jak spun around, hands gripping at the sides of her head, clearly in pain. She started pacing, clearly trying to come up with some kind of plan that wouldn't immediately end with them both riddled with bullets. She kept muttering something about distractions. And surprise. And separating the enemy combatants.
"The docks." she suddenly muttered, spinning on her heel excitedly, "You said you were under the docks! That's how you snuck up to their ship!"
Jak excitedly moved to a window at the far end of the fishery, peering out at the ship which, she assumed, belonged to the bandits. She turned towards Jairec excitedly, a smile spreading across her entire face.
"How would your magic do against... the hull of a ship?"
((OoC: sorry about Jak reaming Jairec. She... really has no idea how to gauge him, atm, and that comment about magic kinda... set her off the deep end as far as assuming that Jairec was an ignorant gadjo who doesn't know which way is up.))
last edited Jan 17, 2020 2:43:36 GMT by fairchild.txt
Post by cadavericdivinity on Jan 17, 2020 4:06:42 GMT
Jairec liked planning. He also hated it. Right now, he leaned towards the latter. All plans sounded good until they came into contact with the enemy which in this case was Jak's frankly disbelieving voice and cutting though well reasoned opposition to a vicious attack. A logical and savage one; the little puzzle he'd made, the vision of a quick and decisive victory with a death of deaths and bloodshed - a part of him snapped out of the thinking of the unit he'd earned his reputation in. Too easy to slip back into old habits and patterns; the thrill of battle hadn't really left him. Could Jak see that? A part of him wished to simply annihilate them and be done with it yet a part of him didn't like the ideal of spilling blood in a foreign domain, even against non-humans.
He'd come here to break bread and forge unity with humanity. But he supposed he had to start somewhere, even if it was among bodybags-to-be. Now about those docks, what was Jak planning? Why did her finger feel so pointy? Was it armoured? Synthetic? Was he just over-eager?
"They smell, as you can tell, then again, everything there smells. Let's just say that nobody 'weeds' whatever's growing in the water." Somehow he hadn't really noticed it until now. He supposed when they had time to sit down and think, some things popped up that were practically nonexistent before. The elves probably hadn't noticed as when he thought about it, a bunch of rag tag grungy criminals probably weren't much better when it came to hygiene.
"I can't sink them but... I could possibly damage rudders or older, rickety vessels. If you want to know what I can do - smokescreen, temporary basic invisibility, and... think of a bunch of very sharp blades slashing wildly within a small radius. A small silenced piercing projectile for good measure. What's on your mind?"
Post by fairchild.txt on Jan 20, 2020 15:08:45 GMT
She figured his magic wasn't going to be devastating. But she couldn't have imagined that it would be that weak. A lot of the mages she had met and grown up with had put all their eggs in the magic basket, often forgoing even the most basic of physical training in favor of practicing their magic. Well... at least she could say that Jairec was an all-rounder, which... she supposed was a refreshing change of pace. Still, that didn't leave her plan in the best condition. Her hand went to the blade slung around her hips, not really relishing the idea of putting a civilian in harm's way. Still, she supposed he was a member of IMG. Not really a civilian. Not in the normal sense, at least.
"We don't need to sink it. We just need to cause enough damage to get them panicking." Jak explained, "If half the crew is busy bailing water and patching leaks, that would create enough chaos that we could launch an attack on the few who were left on guard duty without being overwhelmed and-"
Jak's words caught in her throat as she made a realization. If it were her family planning this sort of thing... They wouldn't be anywhere near those weapons. I mean, not that they really dealt in weapons, all that often, but, even if they did, they wouldn't be so careless as to waltz into a populated area with them. Especially not if they had an entire crew that could take care of that for them. It was almost without a doubt that Soser wasn't going to be on that ship. And in the end, that was the guy who they really needed to deal with.
"It won't work." Jak resigned, "If Soser's not on that ship, he'd be in the wind before we could manage to track him down."
"We may not be able to stop them from delivering the weapons to... wherever they're bringing them... But that wont matter if we can take down Soser."
"I doubt they're planning on using their artillery on such a tiny town as Shan'vay. They have bigger fish to fry. And we just need to get to Soser before they finish their delivery."
As Jak talked her hands seemed to gesture more wildly by the sentence, as if a visualization of Jak working her way through the plan quickly forming in her mind. It made sense, sure. But it wouldn't be easy. They'd need to sneak onto the ship... or cling to the side of it. Not only that, but they'd no doubt have to fight their way through any defenses that Soser had set up in his base of operations, whatever that might take the form of. Lots of unknowns. But if she had the Angel Blade by her side, and Jairec had her back? They just might be able to pull it off.
"While they unload, we can stow away in their ship. Then, when they head back to base, we can work our way through their base and take out Soser once and for all." she concluded, "Whadd'ya think?"
Post by cadavericdivinity on Jan 21, 2020 0:49:38 GMT
The plan was dangerous even with a more sound plan. A two man assault on an armed, prepared, tense target prepared for a heavy duty engagement with forces they knew were likely just as prepared for a bloodbath.
He was on board of course. The threat of a grim end somehow made it more compelling; just like back in the insurrections and upheavals, he was caught up in something much bigger than he was. He even smiled a little; he turned away of course but it was a pearly toothed smile, visible against the dark of his synthetic flesh.
"You have an even better eye than I do for situations that could get us horribly killed by bringing us right into the middle of the highest concentration of enemies; I like that, especially the part where we make them bleed. Consider this plan agreed upon."
There was a lot that could go wrong; would they be able to detect the magic? Would they do a security sweep afterwards? Would there be a checkpoint at the base? No battle plan survived contact with the enemy; that was an old human saying apparently. However that didn't mean the enemy was going to do much better.
"I hope you have contingencies; we will need to improvise some things on the fly. However Soser appears, I have the feeling we will be caught off guard. I do suppose you will be leading the way, Jak."