NIIIIGHTFALLLLL [closed]

[saltybirds]

Characters: Anyone who signed up for the Victoria II plot!
Content: TACTICAL PRINCE-RESCUING ACTION
Setting: The outskirts of Calvacade, where The Manifesto is being held.
Time: The night before the execution
Warnings: Possible violence, swearing, and so on.
Notes: Instead of starting on the ship itself, the characters will be starting from outside

Comments

Team What Did I Do to Deserve This

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth waited in the dark of the forest, waiting for Katsura's arrival. Their plan was ...it was more ridiculous than he wanted to admit, but it had merit. The Lieutenant Commander proposed that they infiltrate while disguised as members of the crew, and despite how absurd it sounded, Edgeworth realized that it could work. It would make them stand out far less than a military uniform, for one, and allow them to blend in discretely and unseen. So long as they were subtle and sensible, the mission would be a success.

...now if only he would actually get here. Edgeworth glowered at the darkness, and looked back down at the grappling hooks he brought with him. He swore, if he was so much as a minute late, his pay would be cut so low he would make the most austere monk look like an Erealian lord.

[notabomber]

Katsura managed to arrive at the rendezvous point more or less on time, though he looked as if he'd been slapped in the face by a few tree branches on the way. He had over his shoulder a nondescript brown sack, which he set down when he reached the spot where Edgeworth was waiting.

"Commander." He inclined his head slightly by way of greeting before he set about the business of pulling the disguises from the sack. It was possible that in some fantasy world, they did resemble the garb of your average pirate. That place, however, was not anywhere near the reality they currently inhabited. Not that Katsura seemed to think there was anything wrong with the black, yellow, and red coat he pulled on after divesting himself of his uniform jacket.

[edge_of_honor]

"Lieutenant Commander," he nodded back. Now that he was finally here, Edgeworth took a look at the outfits he brought. It would be a simple shirt and pair of trousers, no doubt, something suitable for the hard work on board a ship-

...it wasn't. Edgeworth stared blankly at the gaudy monstrosity, before his look hardened.

"Katsura?" he asked, his voice low and dark. "What is that?"

[notabomber]

Katsura finished tugging on the jacket and reached down for an eye-patch that was emblazoned with the stereotypical skull and crossbones. "Sir?" He fixed Edgeworth with a somewhat confused look. "The disguises, sir. I thought we'd agreed that it would be easier to infiltrate the ship if we didn't resemble Ivonian military."

The Commander had always struck him as a smart man; it was hard to imagine he could have forgotten about such an essential part of their plan.

[edge_of_honor]

"The point of the disguises was to help us blend in!" he hissed. "No self respecting pirate would actually wear those on their ship!"

...well, a few of the more flamboyant captains would, but even then this was more of a parody than a reflection of reality. It was as if he just got those from some cheap costume store!

[notabomber]

"I was assured these were very authentic," Katsura replied, fixing Edgeworth with an utterly blank look. "Besides," he added, pointing through the trees towards their very vibrant target, "they match the ship."

Really, he couldn't see what the problem was. They were perfectly good disguises.

[edge_of_honor]

"Whoever assured you of this was either lying or mistaken," he snapped. "And furthermore-"

...he actually didn't have a rebuttal to his comment about the ship. Edgeworth clenched his fist, and continued, "...and while it might match the captain's taste, most of his crew wouldn't dare to wear something so ostentatious."

[notabomber]

Katsura just stared for a moment longer. "I really think they're more than sufficient," he said finally, as if he simply could not grasp Edgeworth's logic. "I've never had a disguise fail me." Not for lack of utter ridiculous, of course. He just seemed to have that sort of luck.

"Are you sure?" He actually looked a little disappointed.

[edge_of_honor]

"I'm positive."

Edgeworth sighed, and glanced back down at the outfits. Well, he supposed this is what he deserved for depending on a certified madman. Either way, it was too late to back down; time was of the essence.

"Let me take a look at these," he ordered. "Perhaps we can salvage something usable..."

[notabomber]

Katsura dutifully handed over the sack with the remaining outfit in it--it was more or less like the one he had already donned, with the loud accent colors in slightly different proportions.

"I honestly think they're rather nice," he added in a thoughtful tone. Honestly, Edgeworth probably should have been grateful the things weren't pink.

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth ignored Katsura's inane commentary, and thought over the current predicament. Despite the bright accents, the majority of the coat was a dark black, and the details were unlikely to be noticed from a distance. If nothing else they shouldn't have any extra difficulty sneaking on.

Now, what happened when they actually arrived on the ship was an entirely different story.

"Lets get this over with," he muttered, switching out his coat. "And take off that eyepatch!"

[notabomber]

Katsura looked slightly put upon as he pulled off the eye-patch and stuffed it into his coat pocket, but made no comment, instead nodding slightly at Edgeworth.

"Of course." It would be best to get on board as quickly as possible, especially since if any of the other teams blew their cover, the mission would be significantly more difficult for everyone involved.

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth smoothed out his disguise, and picked up one of the grappling devices he brought with him. They were a marvel of Melior design, inspired by the harpoons found on whaling ships and shrunk down to the length of a large rifle. Despite being fat and somewhat heavy, it was still small enough to be carried by a man, and yet powerful enough to get them to their destination. He handed it to Katsura, and picked up the other one.

"Here's the plan," he started. "We're to sneak towards the ship, until we're in the perfect range to reach the railing. When we're close enough, we'll fire these..." He pointed to the large trigger mechanism, and continued, "And hoist ourselves to the deck. Do you have any questions?"

[notabomber]

"It seems simple enough, Sir." The device was a bit on the heavy side, but they wouldn't have to haul them for long, so Katsura doubted it would be an issue. And for all that his behavior could be downright bizarre, in situations like these, Zura was quite capable of holding his own.

"Have we any idea where we're headed once we make it on board?" He had a general idea of their goal, but he hoped they wouldn't be flailing around blindly once they got on deck.

[edge_of_honor]

"We're to head straight to the infirmary," he said crisply. "There's a high chance that the prince might be kept there until the execution - after all, it wouldn't do for their hostage to die too soon."

And before Katsura could contest this, he added, "And while there are other areas he could be held, those are the responsibility of the other teams. The infirmary is ours."

[notabomber]

It didn't seem a very secure sort of place to keep a prisoner, but if the infirmary was where they were meant to search, it seemed that was what they would have to do. There was no point contesting orders at this point in the game, and if nothing else, they were likely to meet less resistance on their way to the medical area than they would if they were searching, say, the brig.

"Very well then," he replied, waiting to follow Edgeworth's lead in deference to the man's superior rank.