NOTW XXXIX: Impending Retribution Game Thread

[Duke Blackstone]

Obligatory Vote:choxorn

No accusations until we can establish what happened, petty officer! (24 hours I think)

 

[Backwards Logic]

((GM Note: Right, no votes until tomorrow. Those posted now will not be counted.))

 

[Autolycus]

Petty Officer Perkins, reporting, Lieutenant! Have not seen either of the Commanders or the Captain, sir! Beg Permission to ask what the heck is going on, sir!!

 

[Sprig]

Petty officer Sprig 3rd class, also reporting! Sir!

 

[johnhughthom]

Seaman johnhughthom reporting. Can I shoot my big gun yet?

 

[Diamondeye]

One of the commanders enter into common view, rustling one hand through his millimetre-short hair, clearly unnerved at the situation, something very seldomly seen. He paces nerveously, still obsessively running fingers through his hair, obviously trying to gather his thoughts and control his emotions.

The commander - D.E. to his equals and superiors and "sir" to anyone else - stop, and rests both hands on a nearby table, taking in the many confused outbursts and doing his best to adress them.

Arrrghhh!!! Yarr!!! Swab the poop deck, ye landlubbers!!!

"Recruit, despite the crisis, we are maintaining the current command structure. This means that there are no one on this ship under your command. And the swabbing the poop deck is a job that befalls you, if anyone. We need our discipline intact to deal with this unfortunate event the right way."

"Gentlemen, I must inform you that the captain has been shot, and significant damage has been dealt to the ship. My hypothesis at this point is that there are two groups of enemies on this ship, the traitors we know about, and a group of saboteurs whose motivations we can not at this time divine. I believe that the saboteurs do not have access to the main bridge, as its systems have not been destroyed"

"Mason, good to see you're swifter than most to regain your calm. I hesitate to correct you when I say that the Captain is not the only victim. Before dying, the Captain executed the two prisoners Chandrasekhar and Nahkarma during an interview. He acted in self-defence but could ultimately have saved them both. I am unsure whether their deaths is for the best with this chaos around us, or if we could have extracted anything from them."

"Furthermore, I think we can second-guess the motivation of these saboteurs. The Impending Retribution carries a heavy arsenal of weapons, up to and including a nuclear payload, and letting this fall into the hands of these rogue agents would be tantamount to prevent. I believe that keeping these weapons off rogue hands at any cost could be the motivation behind the sabotage.

At least, that is what I hope they are thinking... There may be more sinister reasons, but those I cannot imagine."

Petty Officer Perkins, reporting, Lieutenant! Have not seen either of the Commanders or the Captain, sir! Beg Permission to ask what the heck is going on, sir!!

"Calm down, Perkins. We have an emergency situation; the Retribution has been the target of a sabotage effectively cutting us off from the rest of the fleet and disarming us. Furthermore, it would seem that rogue agents working with Chandrasekhar and Nahkarma are loose on the ship, and one of them has managed to deprive us of our beloved Captain."

"Despite these unfortunate events, we must remain calm. As one of the highest ranking officers remaining on the Retribution, I urge anyone - anyone - who have anything they wish to disclose which may help to bring evidence forth as to the identity of these attackers."

"Especially, if I am correct concerning the motivations of the saboteurs, I believe that they are ultimately working against the rogue agents, although they are misled in their ways. I believe there can be coorporation amongst us to deal with a mutual threat here."

"As I said, anyone who knows anything, speak to me. I'll be right inside, pouring myself a large glass of something strong. Got to hold on to our everyday habits to comfort us in this mess..."

D.E.'s voice trails off as he walks back towards the bunks.

 

[Frozen In Ice]

"Commander, I'm reporting in! It is good to see that you seem to have a handle on the situation, but I must question your conclusions however as wreckless and uncorroborated. No offence intended, but why on earth would sabetours consider it a good thing to disable and isolate the ship in order to deal with the threat of traitors on board? I fail to follow your reasoning."

 

[Darth Caesar]

Well Takhisis is usually a good place to start looking for scum.

 

[johnhughthom]

Well Takhisis is usually a good place to start looking for scum.

People who drop names without any evidence are even better.

 

[Darth Caesar]

I have plenty of evidence which I will share after I make it up find the last few bits.

 

[Diamondeye]

"Commander, I'm reporting in! It is good to see that you seem to have a handle on the situation, but I must question your conclusions however as wreckless and uncorroborated. No offence intended, but why on earth would sabetours consider it a good thing to disable and isolate the ship in order to deal with the threat of traitors on board? I fail to follow your reasoning."

The commander returns with a glass in one hand, an amber-coloured drink swirling in it.

"Good to see so many men speaking up. Your question is legitimate - I merely pondered if sabotaging the ship to the point of uselesness is really a means to the end which can be described as 'keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of infiltrators'. It is not a question of dealing with the infiltrators themselves, it's a question of limiting damage. On a grand scale, which may cost each and everyone of us our lives. But compared to the damage that the weapons on the Retribution can do, I have to admit that the casualties could be defended."

"It is, however, mere speculation, something I think we should all practice a bit as long as we are not in the know. There may be other reasons yet undisclosed to us," the commander ends and takes a gulp out of his glass, sinking it slowly while looking to see if his answer has been interpret correctly this time.

 

[Darth Caesar]

Avast ye swabies let's make someone walk the plank!

 

[Duke Blackstone]

"Perhaps, sir. But why would they not simply destroy the nukes themselves? They obviously have penetrated a good bit of our ship".

 

[Diamondeye]

"Perhaps, sir. But why would they not simply destroy the nukes themselves? They obviously have penetrated a good bit of our ship".

"I should like to think that only the Captain had clearance to the nuclear command, Mason. It may be why the rogue agents have chosen to strike against him, after all. You are aware that there are many parts of this ship with restricted access. Even though the rogue agents got to the Captain, that was while he was on the Bridge. I do not hope they have access to all parts of the ship as it would seriously compromise the situation. Neither does it look like the saboteurs have complete access, although I must admit that they have been effective in crippling the Retribution."

"I hope that their reasons for cutting any means of fast transport or transmission is so that we can apprehend the rogues, and not to serve some ulterior motive..."

 

[landlubber]

Especially you! *points at landlubber*

Why do I have to do all the work?

 

[thomas.berubeg]

OOC: confirming I am here... real post in a few hours, once I am awake.

 

[Frozen In Ice]

The commander returns with a glass in one hand, an amber-coloured drink swirling in it.

"Good to see so many men speaking up. Your question is legitimate - I merely pondered if sabotaging the ship to the point of uselesness is really a means to the end which can be described as 'keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of infiltrators'. It is not a question of dealing with the infiltrators themselves, it's a question of limiting damage. On a grand scale, which may cost each and everyone of us our lives. But compared to the damage that the weapons on the Retribution can do, I have to admit that the casualties could be defended."

"It is, however, mere speculation, something I think we should all practice a bit as long as we are not in the know. There may be other reasons yet undisclosed to us," the commander ends and takes a gulp out of his glass, sinking it slowly while looking to see if his answer has been interpret correctly this time.

The Seaman Apprentice recieved the Commander's answer with a blank stare, then took a few moments to arrange his thoughts.

"While I agree it is a good to speculate a bit, the speculation should be based on reality. The fact is that these saboteurs are making it easier for the rogues to acquire the nukes. The ship is now isolated for longer thanks to the damage caused by these explosions, and in the general the extra chaos will not help things either. If the goal of these saboteurs is to keep the nuke out of the rogue's hands, then by all means they should have targeted the Combat Information Center, which would have prevented the launch of the nuke. Or they could have tried to sink the ship in one fell swoop. I just find it unlikely their motive is to simply stop the rogues based on their actions thus far."

"It seems Mason (Blackstone) understands what I am talking about."

 

[Diamondeye]

"You're probably right, lad. Perhaps I'm just desperate to see some good in this situation..." The commander runs his fingers through his hair again. "Still, we must hope that these two factions are obstacles to each other rather than allies..."
The Commander takes another swig from his glass. "Anyway, the more we are to talk these speculations over, the better an understanding we will have. Permission to speak freely, everyone. What do you think is going on?"

 

[Frozen In Ice]

"I should like to think that only the Captain had clearance to the nuclear command, Mason. It may be why the rogue agents have chosen to strike against him, after all. You are aware that there are many parts of this ship with restricted access. Even though the rogue agents got to the Captain, that was while he was on the Bridge. I do not hope they have access to all parts of the ship as it would seriously compromise the situation. Neither does it look like the saboteurs have complete access, although I must admit that they have been effective in crippling the Retribution."

"I hope that their reasons for cutting any means of fast transport or transmission is so that we can apprehend the rogues, and not to serve some ulterior motive..."

"A bomb of the likes used by these saboteurs should be able to give access to any compartment on the ship, should it not? I'm not an expert by any means, but reinforced doors and such can only take so much force before they give. These saboteurs may or may not be our enemies, but I think it is best that not consider them allies until we know for sure."

 

[Love]

Lieutenant commander reporting in.