agogelogs | [CLOSED: KEBECHET PLAYER PLOT] A thousand armies couldn't keep me out

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[CLOSED: KEBECHET PLAYER PLOT] A thousand armies couldn't keep me out

WHO? Everyone involved in the plot to abduct Kebechet from the Regency villa!
WHAT? All the pertinent information is here.
WHEN? Somewhat after the return from the Eclipse and the discovery of the destruction of the COST villa and Grothia's abduction.
ANYTHING ELSE? Each group should write its own starter, but I've linked the pertinent information for everyone so you're not flying blind.

Those who had been abducted by the Regency in Gallipoli managed to escape, but their experiences -- interrogation, intimate psychological torture, and sleep deprivation among them -- left them hungry for revenge. Their tormentor, Kebechet, also made an appearance on the COST network while they were being held, and her insults, manipulation, and disdain managed to anger even more of COST's operatives.

It's not that there's been an uneasy peace since both the Regency and COST have been working on their objectives in Jhashch; it's more that hostilities have mostly stayed at a relatively low buzz, played out in the arenas, or the deaths of the Aranean noble family most sympathetic to COST's cause. But a few things have changed that. A COST operative, Hei, learned that Kebechet has been present on Jhashch, disguised as the meek little shabti secretary who follows Mhic Nathair around (in reality, Kebechet's rank is much higher than that of the woman she pretends is her boss). He wasted no time in passing this information on to one of the abductees, Daenerys Targaryen, the sort of woman who's full of kindness until you give her good cause to turn you and everything around you to ashes.

Much like the Regency just did to COST's villa, and to their Commander, Grothia -- a real shabti herself, escaped from her creators, helping to lead the fight against them, not someone merely acting the role of one of the Regency's clone-slaves.

Using the BCE¹, Daenerys and several of her friends and fellow abductees recruited willing and able help from among other COST members, until they arrived at a plan. Breaking into several teams, they would create a significant distraction near the Regency compound, sneak in, drug and abduct Kebechet... and use PASIV technology to try to get into her head.

After that... well, before Grothia's abduction, when Daenerys approached Grothia for permission for the operation, Grothia had strongly implied that it could only end in Kebechet's death. And Mordred is involved, which makes the chances that Kebechet will walk away at the end almost infinitesimal.

¹ Handwaved.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ After Ryuji, there's no one Mordred trusts to have her back more than Chiron. Strange, when they were enemies once — and may yet be again, when they return to the Holy Grail War still in progress back home — but then, maybe it's not so strange after all. Having fought Chiron to a draw once, she knows firsthand what he's capable of. More than that, though, she's spoken to him about things normally kept between Masters and Servants, and never once found his advice lacking.

As much as she'd love to be in the thick of it, dragging Kebechet out into the street by the ears of her stupid mask, she's no good at stealth or extraction. She's good at destruction, and that's exactly what they need right now. Clad in armour, sword in hand, she whistles almost jovially as they approach the compound... and then stops, indicating Chiron should do the same with a shake of her head. ]

... Something's weird. [ Her ears strain to hear any sound of an impending attack, but nada. ] They should be expecting us by now. It's just a hunch, but my hunches are usually right.

[ She wouldn't be surprised if Chiron's come to the same conclusion, frankly. Tapping Clarent against the outer wall of the compound, she frowns. ]

Some kind of barrier...? Hey, didn't the arena have something like that? [ She'd never gotten destructive enough to need it, thanks to her plan to spare the shabti, but there seemed to be something in place to protect the crowd. Something to block their powers, much like the nullifiers the operatives wore. ] Tch. In that case, we'd be wasting our time attacking from the front. You're supposed to be smart, so figure something else out.

[Being partnered with Mordred felt like a good balance. Distractions, big, loud, noisy distractions, that was something Mordred could probably pull off without too much of an issue. All Chiron really had to do was pull strings to make sure that the right eyes were looking in their direction. Destruction, pointedly so. An ideal match.

Besides. Mordred had proven, time and again, someone worth talking to and hearing out. Chiron was hard pressed to think of a conversation with her that he didn't enjoy, as she often brought up interesting topics in unexpected ways. There was no artiface about her either. Few people could be as straight forward as her.

Just like now. Chiron frowned as Clarent was tapped against the compound, and he tested his own (non-magic) arrow against the outer wall as well.]

You're right, the arena had something similar. Probably because something like this was anticipated. [Chiron frowns at that, nodding to indicate that Mordred's right about attacking the front.]

It's safe to assume that this kind of protection extends around the compound entirely, so we need to change our approach entirely. Quickly. [Chiron does not put his arrow away. He holds onto it, frowning.] We're probably expected. But there's too much going on right now, so we have to draw eyes back in with a dramatic gesture.

Yeah. Just slitting a few Regency throats won't be enough right now.

[ This close to Kebechet, to getting her revenge, the bloodlust is starting to seep in. She's mad about Grothia, too — having come to a sort of understanding with the other woman, a fellow clone at that, her sudden death angers Mordred more than she expected. The stakes were already personal, and now doubly so. ]

We could get over the wall easily enough... but causing a distraction inside is no good. We need to lure them out here, so there's no risk of them seeing the others. [ Mordred's confident (too confident) in their ability to take on any comers, but corralling them is a different matter. The further away they can fight, the better. ] In Gallipoli, there was some junk their fields didn't stop. Anything normal. If you threw a totally average rock at their ugly heads, it'd travel right through the barrier.

So maybe there's a convenient boulder we can push down a hill and through the wall. You know, like in a badass action movie. [ Not the time. ] Come on, come on, use that Archer eyesight of yours and find one.

Anything normal would include anything flammeable, correct?

[Chiron rubs his chin slowly, thinking through the suggestion he is about to make before he says it. It is a suggestion Mordred could run wild with, and in truth, that could be a problem as well as an advantage.]

If we set a fire at the entrance, we could not only draw attention, but I could snipe individuals as they come close if it's possible. Making a fire is far easier than finding a boulder of opportunity.

Well, a boulder is way cooler... but I guess a big fire is way hotter! Hahaha!

[ NOT THE TIME, AGAIN. ]

Alright, I'll try and start something with my mana burst. You help out, too. [ Because Chiron's the kind to laze about and not help. Of course. It's like you don't know him at all, Mordred. ] Maybe rubbing two arrows together would work. They're basically just big sticks, right?

Sadly, a boulder is less likely to garner the attention that a fire would. Plus there is additional destruction in the blaze, and that cannot be anything but an advantage in this moment.

[Leave it to the horse to make destruction sound so damn boring.]

I can sacrifice two arrows for this cause, I believe.

[And he does, although he is certain to give Mordred a few feet of space in order to ensure her mana bursts don't catch him ablaze by accident. He works quickly, and in a few moments, there is a small flicker of flame.]

Where shall we set this?

You make it sound so boring...

[ Yep, she feels the same way. Destruction is her lifeblood, Chiron, don't ruin it. ]

Light it at the main entrance. I want their best fighters to come right away. [ It'll minimize needless shabti kills, she thinks but doesn't say. ] ... Still, they could remain inside until it passes. We need something else to force them out. I could go in and cause a ruckus, but they'd probably just attack me within their own walls.

Hm. What would be ideal would be one or two attacks to force them out, placed at the center and rear of the compound. Like squeezing a tube and forcing everything out from one end due to pressure alone.

[Chiron tilts his head, looking to Mordred.]

Thoughts on how to accomplish that?

Muh. It's a shame they won't just explode from the pressure instead.

... That's actually a good idea, though. Some sort of explosion... but we'd have no way of causing such a thing. Dammit, our role is way harder than she made it sound!

[ "She" meaning Dany. Because of course Mordred assumed she'd just show up and destroy shit. She kicks at the ground in frustration, then pauses. ]

This place is weird as hell. Maybe we could use that. [ Narrowing her eyes under her helmet, she looks up at the stalactite-riddled ceiling. ] I got it. Blast a big enough hole in there, and they'll think the sky is falling on their heads. It's a plan even my father would envy! Those bastards will scatter like rats for sure!

We simply need to get creative. If I had had any foresight, I might have asked if any of the COST members I know that are skilled with firearms happen to have spare gunpowder on them.

[He means 76. But no matter. Chiron follows Mordred's gaze, and then nods in agreement. It's a really good idea, actually.]

If the magic barrier shield doesn't extend that high, then one or both of our noble phantasms might be enough to dislodge them. It isn't an explosion, but it is a big noise and enough shaking to cause issue.

There's a limit to how prepared someone can be. [ That goes for both him and the Regency. ] Anyway, the barrier might go over the compound's roof, but those things will fall right through. They're normal, after all.

[ Laughing, she melds her helmet down into her armour. No need to hold back anymore. ]

A future king, and a queen's Archer... together, the two of us will bring this place down around their ears. [ At least she's calling them a team, and not just focusing on herself for once. ] I'll get as high as I can and use my Noble Phantasm. I'm sure you have something stronger than your usual attacks. A rocket-type arrow, maybe?

[ ... Not quite. ]

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horsepowered - 2018-07-08 15:24 (UTC) - Expand

{ execution }

i. waking up is hard to do
She's dead. Grothia's head is the second to last thing she sees before succumbing to the heaviness of sleep; Jon's face is the last, though she distinctly recalls the strength of his fingers in hers as her grip grew slack. There was a quiet whisper, like a warm hug in her mind. Chiron's voice, a reassurance that he and Mordred fare well. For now.

Kebechet's mind is a broken, twisted thing, filled with shards of memories, both of the familiar and unfamiliar. Of note is the holding cell upon which she and the other five in COST were held. The sister... well, that reminds her of a conversation held during her captivity, and suddenly Grothia's mode of execution makes far more sense.

( a ) When she's awake again, it feels as if remnants of that dream hang on her. She sits up in a rush, scrubbing her face with her palms before she reaches to tug out the IV with trembling fingers. Are you there to help her so she doesn't cause more damage as she removes the IV? Do you offer her some form of comfort or reassurance that she's truly awake again?

( b ) Soon she's standing and pacing the small room where they're hidden. She paces like a wild animal, fingers turning the ring on her finger with a restlessness unseen before. It's only in the flurry of trying to shrug off what she'd seen that she catches sight of what... looks to be Grothia's head, hidden beneath a cloth. All jitteriness freezes away, and she stares at the dome-shaped item. "Is that--"

( c ) But it's soon far too obvious that, yes, it is indeed Grothia's head. "This ends now," she tells those who stand guard. "We need her bound and quiet. And we need Mordred."

ii. i now pronounce thee dead
It's rather simple after that to summon Morded.

She cares little for what those around her feel at this point about an execution. They've each spoken individually--those she'd contacted about Kebechet's presence--and while she'd been agreeable to preserving the mission and their place in this world, Grothia's death changes things. The destruction of COST's villa does, as well.

What good was a promise if one could not fulfill it?

"You were offered mercy, Kebechet," she says, fingers linked in front of her. "And you squandered that chance time and time again."

She looks to you, now. Gone is Dany, in her place is the queen.

"It's time that we answer injustice with justice."

[The work of this night hasn't made him happy. It hasn't made him anything but uneasy, and that shows in his expression.]

Aye, it's her head. Siegfried found it on Kebechet's desk.

[ On her desk. She stares at him, and for that first brief moment, it's as if she looks upon a stranger. But he's far from one, can never be one at this point, and she's shaking her head to rid herself of the idea of it. Or maybe it's to banish the picture he illustrates. ]

Her sister was on the third level. The one she spoke of months ago.

[The truth is that he doesn't like to think of any of these people having sisters, or brothers, or parents or children, yet for all their masks and their talk, they're still people; it's still easy to wish they could work together rather than fighting. Kebechet had spoken to him of people dear to her.

This is all a waste.]

Her sister?

She told me people dear to her had been killed. I told her no one had forced her to do a thing.

The same way she's murdered Grothia.

[ Her lips thin, nostrils flaring. She's still fingering her mother's ring, reminding herself that this is real.

If there was truly any doubt though, surely, the world would begin to fracture all about her, no? ]

She told me when I was taken that Grothia beheaded her sister. Her twin.

[His stare is distant, not focused on her, and the look on his face is bleak.]

How much of this is just revenge, back and forth, and where does it stop? The Regency can't be allowed to win, that much I know, but --

I'm not arguing for her life, Dany. We've all made choices... you and me, we know what we're defending, and Grothia knew what she was fighting against. She thought it was important enough to sacrifice her own life in the end.

[He shakes his head and holds his hand out to her.]

What did you see, when you were --

[Asleep, he means, or unconscious, or dreaming... he still doesn't really understand what they were doing.]

[ She lifts her chin, her eyes growing cooler with what he implies. Not a flash of anger, but something dangerous all the same, for there is a suggestion of complacency, layered deep beneath his contemplations. ]

She was offered mercy once, and will receive none now for what she's done. [ Quieter: ] I swore that I would find a way to save her.

[ Grothia. For all that it was told that Grothia was gone, she'd held out hope... but what is there to refute a head? She doesn't fully understand how the BCE functions, how it could revive a person, but if it were possible for their Commander, it would be done.

Silently, she steps closer to him, curling her fingers around his. There's still a distance to her, not because she's upset with him, but because they're not safe. Not here, even surrounded by allies who are in different stages of waking. Where are the Araneans? ]

Fractured memories, as if someone managed to erase anything that mattered.

[He caught the slight coolness, how she recedes into formality.

It's not complacency for him: it's that he knows he's a skilled, efficient killer, but often, he tires of it. Other solutions are better, if they can be made to last.]

I know you did. I did too. The Sergeant said it wouldn't be possible, but I don't think anyone expected it to end like this.

[His grip on her fingers is firm and warm without being tight.]

She told me they read your mind, when she was holding you. I don't know how they can erase memories, but it must be to do with that.

There was no chance of turning her?

Edited 2018-07-01 04:11 (UTC)

We underestimated them. Perhaps some of us even became arrogant, thinking they would behave while we competed.

[ She shakes her head. It doesn't matter, and she's tired. Dreamshare was brief in the waking world, but so much time ticked away, and she'd seen enough to wish they still had the villa. That things were different.

His hold might not be tight, but hers does tighten. ]

I don't know how they did it, either. Maybe they can see into our minds in that room.

She wasn't the Gallipoli nurse, Jon.

[He nods: they'd definitely underestimated the Regency. They had treated a diplomatic function like it meant something. They hadn't had a detachment of troops or a dragon to use to guard the villa. They had assumed, in some way, a sense of fair play.

He rubs his thumb over her fingers and against the side of her hand.]

I know. If Arthur has a way to get into someone's dreams... still sounds mad to me, even after seeing what Ryuji can do... then it's not impossible that they could see into your minds.

The Gallipoli nurse, she cared about her mother. She cared about a lot of things. Did you get the sense of what Kebechet cared about, other than her sister?

Edited 2018-07-02 01:40 (UTC)

TEAM DISTRACT

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TEAMS SNEAK & EXTRACT

TEAM PASIV

I TOLD YOU FROM THE START JUST HOW THIS WOULD END

dany's wrangling the execution i guess! - ota

b->c->ii ish I guess

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