Mission: Stealing Back Our Stuff

[newmemorywhodis]

Who: Everyone involved in the plot
What: Several simultaneous hits are made on Sylphid locations, in an attempt to retrieve stolen items
When: A few weeks after the winter holiday party
Where: Witches Camp & the surrounding jungle
Content Warnings: None

[[ooc: plotting post & sign up info here. Any questions can also be directed there as well]]

i. Pre-mission / planning
Fortunately - for Link, and for everyone else who has been dispairing at his complete and utter lack of leadership and organisational ability - someone has in fact taken the reigns to try and organise this motley crew.

Codi, having volunteered herself to organise this mission, has contacted the Rebel's HQ for access to their resources, including the mission PA system. With this, she's been able to contact everyone to gather them together at the Rebel's nearest waystation to Zephyr.

From here, they can plan further, divide up into groups, and make their way to their destinations.

ii. The depots
There are four Sylphid depots. As each is located in the city of Zephyr - one to the North, South, East, and West - at least one Chipped person will be needed to even dream of getting close. From the outside, the depots look like large, unassuming warehouses. But closer observation will soon reveal heavy security.

Each is bordered by a tall, electrified fence. The gate is manned at all times by four Sylphid guards, and they question and inspect everyone coming through. At least two pieces of identification are needed: a swipe card coded with the appropriate authorisations, and a bio-security scanner to ensure that the holder's identity matches with the authorised card.

Once inside, that same card will be required to get through additional security checks. Not one door in the facility will open without it.

And then, there's the final challenge - finding the items that are actually theirs, in these massive spaces.

iii. The post offices
Comparatively easier to get to are the post offices. Located in the residential areas to the south of the city, these locations are outside the areas where only Chipped characters can go without notice.

Heavy traffic makes it way to and from these locations - trucks are frequently arriving, unloading unmarked crates and boxes, and leaving after being loaded up again. There's altogether more people to deal with here - in addition to the drivers and the workers loading and unloading the trucks, there's the Sylphid guards who patrol and keep watch over the deliveries, and more workers inside who sort through it all.

There's also another group at play - ordinary citizens of Zephyr, who are apparently in the business of just trying to get their mail done. Even if they are watched closely by the guards as they do so.

iv. The transports
Of course, those trucks going in and out of the post offices don't necessarily need to be hit up at the post offices. There's always the possibility of striking at one while out on the road, alone and unprotected...

There might be a few challenges once they open them up, however. Such as the robotic guard dogs that the Sylphid have taken to keeping inside, apparently as a last line of defense against rebel attacks just like this one.

Comments

ii

[tech_nically]

Given previous missions, the revelation of heavier security never really comes by surprise anymore. Tech would be more surprised if the Sylphid weren't careful with such matters, and it would be entirely irresponsible if they didn't think of upping their security after the last mission the Rebels had pulled off.

Tech observes the perimeter of the warehouse through a pair of binoculars, fixating eventually upon the guards. "This is going to be tricky," he notes, which is still putting the situation lightly. Lowering his goggles, he reaches into one of the pouches at his belt to produce the cards he's prepared. Making fake IDs for them was the easy part. The real challenge would be getting the scanner to match, but that would require doing in real-time.

"Unfortunately I can't access the bio-security scanner from here to prepare it for our approach," he explains as he hands out the cards. "Otherwise things would be much simpler. But once we're in the process of being checked in, I should be well within range to handle it."

I. | OTA

[maskedtyrant]

To say that Codi is excited to have this opportunity to personally lead and organize a mission would be a gross understatement. She's overjoyed. This is the first time Codi's felt like she did back home - to properly be in a position of oversight and control, for something that matters. And to have the cooperation of her contacts in HQ for the resources she needs, to see everyone start to gather in the warehouse, watch it all come together? There's absolutely no greater thrill Codi could imagine.

Still, there's work to be done and she can't let her excitement get ahold of the many tasks on her plate. Codi uses a standard template to announce mission briefings, for the sake of familiarity, but there's still the actual overview. Once she estimates that a majority of participants have arrived, she navigates to the large, central planning table, pulls a chair out from the side, and uses it to climb on top so she stands several heads taller than the assembled masses. It's not exactly the Witch's stage in Central Command, but it will have to work.

"Okay everyone, settle in!" Codi calls with a clap of her hands. Internally she makes a note to learn how to cast Thaumaturgy to make this job easier in future; thankfully her normal, projected voice works well enough to cut through the rumbling chatter, which dies down a few moments later.

A wide, delighted grin splits Codi's face. "First, let me thank all of you that have decided to show up today," she says. The holographic map of the mission area projected onto the tabletop flickers under her feet as she paces. "It already takes a lot of courage to go into enemy territory for a world we weren't raised on, even for standard missions. I commend everyone that's put their trust in our intrepid young organizer--"

Codi gestures briefly to where she sees Link in the crowd.

"--and myself, of course--" She gestures to herself with a more sly smile. "--for choosing to take the initiative and help us help you take back what's rightfully ours. I hope we send a powerful message to the Sylphid today - that neither our people nor our prized items from home can be held hostage. Not while we're still around to do something about it."

Letting that opening statement hang in the air for a few seconds, Codi straightens, expression growing a little more serious as she sets her hands on her hips.

"Now before we get into the details of the plan and proposed role assignments," she continues, "I'm opening the floor for questions or concerns. Anyone have anything they need to address?"

iv

[chalicejoker]

Hajime likes the idea of going after the transports. He drives a hovercraft like a maniac on a good day, and today is definitely a good day in that regard. He's gotten to aggressively run a transport off the road and incapacitate the vehicle, and now all that remains is to crack open that prize and see what's inside. "...something's moving in there."

Problem? Possibly.

OTA

[scarabwings]

ii. the depots

It takes a bit of searching to find someone in the Witches' Camp who can duplicate the ID cards used to gain access to the Sylphid depots. The bio scanner is more of a concern - copying authorisations is easier by far than inserting them into an unfamiliar system. But after long hours spent watching the trucks enter and exit the facilities, it becomes clear that while the guards check everyone in the truck's cabin, they aren't scrutinizing the cargo area.

And so it is that after a long, cramped ride in a crate resealed by virtue of her increasingly well-practiced Heba gift, Layla waits crouched and listening while the drivers decant the robotic hounds and lead them off for - recharging, probably. Robots aren't likely to need food or sleep.

"Come on," she says quietly to her companion. "We have a few minutes to get clear before they're back."

Once they're away from the truck, it should be easy enough to blend in with the actual workers.

wildcard - aftermath

It's been a long day, and a long, frustrating search of the warehouse. Most of the things people had mentioned, Layla's seen no sign of, and she can't say for certain whether the missing items are in one of the other depots, in a segment of the one she'd hit that she hadn't managed to search, or taken off to some Sylphid lab to be pulled apart and analyzed or duplicated.

But she had managed to secure a few items, and is now diligently searching out their owners to reunite them.

Really, she reflects, the main difference between this and her usual line of work is that the original owners are still alive, and the people she usually retrieves objects from aren't literal soul-stealing horrors.