Outcast Quest [Updated 10/10/18 - Turn 14]

[Razor One]

Logical. Forgot how long they'd been drifting.

...which would also explain why I didn't connect the dots about the dead bodies being Loroi instead of Human. Of course in advanced stages of decomposition they'd pretty much look the same, and I missed when he said they were all women. Considering all the bodies and the state of these kids, safe to say the ship is all the way dead.

To be fair, the bodies being exclusively women was something that your viewpoint character, Volkova, didn't notice. Her main concern was in the technology of the ship, hacking doors, bitchslapping their language, and basically walking all over their computer systems. She only tended to take notice of her environment when the technological stuff was over with or while she was idle, hence why she could casually ignore dead and decomposing bodies or brutal impalements without much sweat while Mitchell was a bit more environmentally minded and threw up in his suit for the trouble, though it certainly helped that the suits kept the smell out.

If you'd taken the Colonel's point of view, you'd have noticed that straight up but wouldn't be able to surmise they were aliens from a glance. You'd have also noticed a lot of other environmental details, poked about with their weapons, such as a primitive high caliber rifle, think a bigger and heavier version of an AK 47, and would have gone into more detail making a threat assessment of the Snouts in personal combat.

You still get all of that in the final report, just more generalised and compact than it would have been if it were in the story.

[dragoongfa]

Alright, final plan and the one that gets my vote:

[X] Plan: The ones with guns should be the responsible party v4

SpoilerShow

[X] Defuse the situation by having most of the marines back away, leaving only a squad visible but in safe distance with weapons lowered and visibly relaxed. We know that Volkova nor the Colonel are 'people persons' and thus they should stay calm and wait for someone competent. They should try and pass the message that someone will be with them shortly with hand signals or something.
-[X] Have the marines make sure the alien ship is fully secured. Have more marines sent if needed and secure a working airlock for better access while allowing the assault shuttle to leave its latching point (after the hole is patched up). They should also see if they can find some short of food storage, hopefully that storage wasn't at the lower decks.
-[X] We need someone with high diplomacy on board the alien ship, preferably without a space suit in order to instill a sense of trust. We ask the Doctor about the possibility of a plague and according to his answer we send both Izumi and him with or without space suits (Both should jump for such an opportunity). Izumi because of being a linguist and the doctor in case he could provide some medical attention (while also looking for possible contagions and data about both alien species). Some crates of food should also be sent as well, with the doctor overseeing the former prisoners eating in the case of complications.
--[X] Izumi should start by having the elves follow them at an other compartment, a cleaner one and with no bodies laying around. Give them the food we found or brought there, if they feel nervous about it, have a volunteer (if the doctor didn't give the ok about contagion) eat something of ours in front of them.
--[X] Once Izumi has some basic understanding of their language we should make sure that the elves understand that we mean no harm to them and that we are not related with their captors.
---[X] We then ask about their collars, what they are and how to safely take them off them (Have Volkova look into the technical stuff), no one takes them off or fiddles with them without making sure that they are not rigged to explode or something.
---[X] Treat the elf dead with respect, gather them somewhere and ask if the survivors have some short of rituals for their dead. Have the Snout dead taken out of the way.
-[X] In order to avoid passenger unrest (the rumor mill can be quite nasty) we inform the passengers about what happened and that we freed what looks like blue elves that were enslaved.

----[X] Knowing that the alien ship is a barely flying mess, we demonstrate that to the elves and then invite the elves on our ship as passengers with the promise that we will allow them to return to their people once an opportunity arises while also informing them of the situation we are in. Proper screening is of course a priority for medical reasons. We should also keep them isolated from the passengers until we are certain that no misunderstandings arise.

-----[X] The moment we have a basic level of communications with the Loroi we have Izumi decipher the Snoutnosed Alien charts and then have her report her findings. (this is for later)

[Suederwind]

Has cost me a while to catch up with what happened.
I agree with dragoongfa that someone with better stats should talk to them, but doing that in that (for a lack of better words) hellhole might not be the best idea.
We also have no idea that those are Loroi and our charcter has never heard of them. We only know that they look like blue elves, hold captive for a while and are starving or even ill.

I therefore suggest plan B - Necessary force:
-Have the marines disarm the blue elve and take the others prisoner without lethal force.
-Examine the subdued aliens (again without harming them) for diseases or injuries.
-Provide first aid as a sign of good will, give them some of our water (there will be some in the shuttle or in the marine sprovisions, I hope) and try to lern their language by talking to them.
-Have our ship prepare some kind of quarantine station for them.
-Take them back to the shuttle (without lethal force) and bring them there.
-Let our doctors take a look at them and provide further help, as well as food and water.
-Let others do the talking in a safe enviroment for both sides.

[dragoongfa]

Remember that they are practically slaves that have been starved to the point of cannibalism. Doing things violently may turn sour (by having them doing something drastic on themselves) if they get in their heads that they are about to be enslaved again.

A show of good will with the subtle reminder of having overwhelming force should break their initial resistance.

[Suederwind]

Remember that they are practically slaves that have been starved to the point of cannibalism.

Yes, and the best way of showing that is getting them out there, give them food/water and provide first aid. We can't talk to them, so thats out of the question at least for the moment.
We are the more powerfull party here and need to act in a way that ensures the safety of all of us (them included). So, whatever we do, it might end in violence, but we can still get through them if we treat them nicely (so no handcuffs or whips) afterwards, by showing them that we do not regard them as slaves or food. Also: we need to find out more about them and we can't do that here, in that cell with rotten corpses and scared kids.

[dragoongfa]

Remember that they are practically slaves that have been starved to the point of cannibalism.

Yes, and the best way of showing that is getting them out there, give them food/water and provide first aid. We can't talk to them, so thats out of the question at least for the moment.
We are the more powerfull party here and need to act in a way that ensures the safety of all of us (them included). So, whatever we do, it might end in violence, but we can still get through them if we treat them nicely (so no handcuffs or whips) afterwards, by showing them that we do not regard them as slaves or food. Also: we need to find out more about them and we can't do that here, in that cell with rotten corpses and scared kids.

There are two reasons I disagree:

First, a sudden and violent (even if non lethal) change of environment will cause them extreme distress. They may be among bodies and refuse but it is the environment they have known for months. Now aliens with heavy armor and weapons passed through their door, there was a yelling match but they didn't act violently.

In my opinion they need immediate psychological help and violence should be used only for self defense.

Second and 4th wall breaking here:

They are Loroi and we know about their telekinesis. There is a possibility that one of them is a telekinetic. We don't want a telekinetic feel threatened because it will turn into a slaughter if a couple of marines suddenly drop.

[joestej]

Has cost me a while to catch up with what happened.
I agree with dragoongfa that someone with better stats should talk to them, but doing that in that (for a lack of better words) hellhole might not be the best idea.
We also have no idea that those are Loroi and our charcter has never heard of them. We only know that they look like blue elves, hold captive for a while and are starving or even ill.

I therefore suggest plan B - Necessary force:

SpoilerShow

-Have the marines disarm the blue elve and take the others prisoner without lethal force.
-Examine the subdued aliens (again without harming them) for diseases or injuries.
-Provide first aid as a sign of good will, give them some of our water (there will be some in the shuttle or in the marine sprovisions, I hope) and try to lern their language by talking to them.
-Have our ship prepare some kind of quarantine station for them.
-Take them back to the shuttle (without lethal force) and bring them there.
-Let our doctors take a look at them and provide further help, as well as food and water.
-Let others do the talking in a safe enviroment for both sides.

I'm with the Dragoon on this one. Seizing these kids by force would be a HORRIBLE idea.

We don't know who/what a Loroi is, but we DO know that they're the only living aliens any Human has ever encountered. We don't know where we are, or even how the local laws of physics work (if we are indeed stuck in another universe). We also know they're kids (we've seen adult bodies, so we know the difference), were captives, and are almost starved to death. A bit of kindness and compassion would be much more in order than stomping in power-armor first.

Remember, from their perspective they've been trapped in that room for weeks, their parents and everyone else they've ever known is dead or gone, and SOMETHING just hit the ship they were on, hard. Now a race of freaky aliens in armor just kicked in the door and stormed the place with guns. They're probably scared out of their minds right now.

If we back off/lower our own weapons, that communicates that we are friends and here to save them. If we grab their weapons and bring them down with force, we're just a new group of slavers trying to take over. Giving them medical care later will not convince them differently. Slaves must be healthy to work, after all, and we don't speak their language.

Our ship is only a safe environment for us. They won't find it safe at all, especially if we drag them there by force. Right now they pose zero threat as far as we know. What, is the starving girl going to stab our power-armored marines to death with her spear? Extending a kind hand by sending most of our marines away and letting the aliens keep their improvised weapons puts us at almost no extra risk, but will go a long way toward convincing them that we're the good guys.

The small amount of extra short term safety Plan Necessary Force provides is not nearly going to be worth how hard we'll have to bust our asses in the long term to make up for such a horrific first impression.

EDIT since I didn't notice Dragoon posted a new plan:

I have some concerns about our ability to pick up the rudiments of the 'Space Elf' language fast enough for all the communications your plan requires, and I would like to get these kids off the Good Ship Rustbucket sooner rather than later. But those are minor details and not worth the effort of another discussion/rewrite. Consider me on board.

Final Vote:

[X]The Ones With Guns Should Be The Responsible Party v4.

[Suederwind]

Reason 1:
The marines and our character are not psychologists and we do not have the equipment to help them here. Yes, being transfered (even with minimal force) to an unknown enviroment can be very distressfull or even traumatising. But, ask yourself: can it get even worse than as it is now? I do not think so. It might cause some harm, but in the end they will understand that we just wanted to help them.

Reason 2:
Yes, thats 4th wall breaking.
But, lets go there: Yes, we as players know they are Loroi and we know about their telepathy. We do not know if they are telekinetic or if thats a band of proto Teidar (I guess/hope not, since the one has spoken to us). So I would guess the risc that one of them will make the head of our character explode, is minimal.
Whats more disturbing, is that this is most likely some kind of captured diral of Loroi. That means they will be even less open to diplomatic solutions or talking and will only open up over time. We can't even be sure if they will accept our help, especially if provided by males. Thats why we need to show them who is in charge, but doing so in a respectfull way and get them out of there in a safe and protected enviroment. We can observe them there, communicated and provide assistance.

[dragoongfa]

Reason 1:
The marines and our character are not psychologists and we do not have the equipment to help them here. Yes, being transfered (even with minimal force) to an unknown enviroment can be very distressfull or even traumatising. But, ask yourself: can it get even worse than as it is now? I do not think so. It might cause some harm, but in the end they will understand that we just wanted to help them.

Our doctor however has a very high diplomacy score for this very situation and our ensign has a high diplo as well. We don't need to provide counseling, we just need them calm, fed and not afraid of us. They aren't a threat to the marines in any way of form (that we can know about) and thus we can afford some hours of trying to get through the language barrier in a calm manner.

Reason 2:
Yes, thats 4th wall breaking.
But, lets go there: Yes, we as players know they are Loroi and we know about their telepathy. We do not know if they are telekinetic or if thats a band of proto Teidar (I guess/hope not, since the one has spoken to us). So I would guess the risc that one of them will make the head of our character explode, is minimal.
Whats more disturbing, is that this is most likely some kind of captured diral of Loroi. That means they will be even less open to diplomatic solutions or talking and will only open up over time. We can't even be sure if they will accept our help, especially if provided by males. Thats why we need to show them who is in charge, but doing so in a respectfull way and get them out of there in a safe and protected enviroment. We can observe them there, communicated and provide assistance.

Remember some of the wounds that the snouts suffered (collapsed ribs, broken arms and legs). If the Loroi aren't significantly stronger than our females then it would be extremely difficult to do all that quickly enough with 13 (37 - 24 = 13) people armed with only make shift weapons. That was the clue which made me think that Loroi had their hands on this mess.

Then there are their collars to consider, the Loroi spoke to its comrades. She didn't need to do that so I guess that it is some form of telepathic suppressor. However even we don't know if telekinesis can be suppressed in the same way that telepathy can (and it is a plot point of my story that its a related power but works on different principles).

[joestej]

To add more to the 4th Wall stuff:

WE know about their telekinetic abilities, etc. But our characters don't. To them, this is a bunch of very human-looking kids. As near as we can tell, they've got the same strength and abilities a bunch of Humans of similar size would have, which isn't much. They haven't acted hostile to us, just defensive. Thus, as far as our in-character knowledge goes, they pose zero threat.

[Absalom]

This brings up the question of how the Snouties were even able to subdue so many Loroi in the first place (especially with this level of technology), but that's a meta issue and something we'll no doubt have to find out on our own.

I think a hint has been given in the description of the collars.

[Razor One]

I count about two votes for plan [X] The Ones With Guns v4. Since there are a few people sitting on the fence or leaning the other way, I'll leave it another day for you guys to come to a consensus, since calling it on just two votes seems a bit iffy right now.

[Logannion]

Ok... well. I'll try my own hand at this since I can't really agree with any of the plans right now.

[X] Plan Extract & Befriend

[X] Have Half of the Marines leave the room, the rest should include the Colonel and any medics on hand. They should be relaxed and non threatening.
[X] Have the Chief Engineer de-ionize her faceplate (I remember reading that she had a different space-suit on then the soldiers, so chances are its one of those space suits with a helmet that have a faceplate made from materials that could be turned transparent), show her similar face to the aliens. Using gestures, try to convey that the aliens are to follow us OFF the ship, and that it is URGENT.
-[X] Once the aliens are calmed down enough and seem to be cooperative, have the medics check out any Loroi with external wounds (if any), and patch up any wounds with bandages. Have them shoulder their guns beforehand to make intent clear. If any Loroi are unable to walk, have marines carry them, again approach them unarmed to make intentions clear.
- - [X] Have Volkova be the face of the group, have her gesture as needed while they do this.

[X] Have Colonel Pierce treat this as a hostage rescue situation. This gives him procedures to fall back on.
-[X] Escort the loroi group back to the assault shuttle. Have marines cover the group, pointing their guns outwards (Protectors, not captors). Should any of the Loroi recognise any of the corpses, give them a moment but get them to hustle.
- - [X] Detach the assault shuttle once Loroi have boarded. Volkova should go with them along with small escort. Have Michael seal off the area now that it has a hole in the hull.

[X] Once back to ship, hand over to the doctor and ensign Izumi. Set up a triage area in the ship where they could be housed (in a group, not separated) without contaminant risk to us. Start giving them our rations, and hydration. Take note of the ones they do and do not eat. Adjust their rations. Have Izumi start liasoning with them. Have Volkava return to ship when she is not longer needed.

[X] Back on the ship, have Colonel Pierce check out the storage areas, try to find loot and possible rations.

Justification & Logic:

These Aliens might be our first contact, but they are also shipwrecked hostages that need to be evacuated. Volkava is the chief engineer (Which gives her considerable fleet rank), as well as the person who initiated contact. This is an in character reason to have her do the communications. We're not trying to hash out treaties or defence-pacts here. We're trying to get a bunch of malnourished, scare, child alien ex-hostages off a deteriorating ship. Hopefully, both curiosity (On Volkova's similarity to Loroi) and desperate hope would be enough to convince them that we don't mean any harm. We're already off to a good start (we haven't acted hostile, but they don't know who we are and our suites, apart from Volkova's, are undoubtably intimidating), we frankly don't have the time to get anyone with better diplomacy stats to the ship.

Based on similarity and gender, Volkova has a pretty good shot on convincing them (its not that they have much choice anyway, and they know it), especially if the marines look like they differ to her. Colonel Pierce on the other hand, definitely knows how to handle hostage extraction (Tripoli), that framework would give him something to fall back on. Hopefully one outside their holdup room, the ship would be scary enough to get the Aliens to follow Volkova's lead.

[joestej]

I think a hint has been given in the description of the collars.

Ah, but how did they get those collars on them in the first place? If a Human transport outguns them so hard it's not even funny, even the most basic Loroi defense technology would be lightyears beyond what the Snouties can muster. Likely the Snouties got lucky and found either a ship that jumped worse than we did, or a colony some stranded Loroi set up that had no defenses.

I count about two votes for plan [X] The Ones With Guns v4. Since there are a few people sitting on the fence or leaning the other way, I'll leave it another day for you guys to come to a consensus, since calling it on just two votes seems a bit iffy right now.

Aw. But I like calling it on two votes...when one of those votes is mine!

Plan Extract & Befriend

I have doubts about whether or not we'll be able to convince them to follow us off this ship until we can create some level of trust. Other than that I have no huge problems with this, but still prefer the other plan.

[dragoongfa]

snip

Volkova isn't a civilian. L'amour is a military transport and no civilians will ever work on those under any normal circumstances.

[Nugget]

Tough call, but i'll go with

[X] Plan Extract & Befriend

[anamiac]

Ah, but how did they get those collars on them in the first place? If a Human transport outguns them so hard it's not even funny, even the most basic Loroi defense technology would be lightyears beyond what the Snouties can muster. Likely the Snouties got lucky and found either a ship that jumped worse than we did, or a colony some stranded Loroi set up that had no defenses.

There's another possible explanation. Perhaps we've traveled back in time a thousand years or so. Perhaps the Snouties and the Loroi are on equal or semi-equal technological footing here.

I like plan Extract and Befriend. If they don't want to come with us, well, we can make a new plan then.

[Siber]

Eeh, there's not really a perfect answer here, but... I'll go with

[X] Plan Extract & Befriend

[Logannion]

snip

Volkova isn't a civilian. L'amour is a military transport and no civilians will ever work on those under any normal circumstances.

Good catch, I've edited the post.

[Razor One]

[X] Plan Extract & Befriend

"Colonel, have half your men leave the room in as non-threatening a manner as possible. Those that remain are to relax their stance and try not to provoke them into violence," you order.

"Agreed," says the Colonel and enacts your orders.

You watch on the monitors as four of the marines file out. The Colonel and his remaining team remain within the room at a reasonable distance from the elves. The spear wielding one is watching them like a hawk the entire time, while her comrades silently look on.

"Chief, I need you to let them know we're not their enemy," you say.

"Um, how?" she asks nervously.

"You're the only one there that can show your face. Show them that we're alike and try to coax them out of that room. The sooner they're out of that hell hole the sooner we can try to treat them," you state.

"I'll... I'll try," says Volkova nervously.

You watch on the monitors as Volkova steps forward with her hands raised and opened towards the aliens. She turns down her suit lights to something a bit more tolerable and points to herself.

The spear wielding elf glares at her with what looks like mounting suspicion. She snarls something in that language of hers and you turn to Ensign Izumi.

"What did she say?" you ask her.

"I don't have nearly enough to tell," says the Ensign with a furrowed brow whilst furiously scribbling notes, "but if I had to guess, assuming that they're roughly similar to us and judging by the tone, she probably said 'stay the hell away from me you freak', or something like that."

"Keep trying to get through to them Chief. At the very least, try to get them to talk a bit so Ensign Izumi can work her magic," you order.

"Yes Captain," says Volkova nervously.

"Colonel, given what's been done to these aliens, would it be fair to say that this roughly maps over to a hostage situation?" you ask.

"Hostages usually want to be rescued," retorts the Colonel, "A closer analogy would be rescuing refugees from a foundering vessel."

"Except that our 'refugees' don't know who we are and don't trust us," you say.

"That's about the size of it," says the Colonel, "We can overpower them and treat their condition by force, if necessary."

"Let's hope that doesn't become necessary. Keep me posted, Colonel," you say.

"Will do," he signs off.

[] Write In

--

Response to Similarity: 21 – 8 + 10 = 23 (Fail)
Friendly Gestures (DC 80): 59 – 8 + 10 = 61 (Fail)
Blue Space Elf: 30 + 11 + 15 = 56

Blue Space Elf: 56 / 3000: It may as well be gibberish.

--

The dice gods officially hate you. A lot of that plan was predicated on the space elves to be cooperative with your party, so that couldn't really be enacted upon, hence the shortness of the update.