! [Open]

[tidesnpc]

Characters: The Victoria II crewmen who signed up to go infiltratin'!
Content: TACTICAL INFILTRATION ACTION
Setting: The illegal breeders' base
Time: Early evening
Warnings: In cold like this, over 70% of your body warmth is lost through your head. Put on a hat of some kind. (also, violence, possible language, etc.)

Comments

von Karma, Delita, Katsura

[tidesnpc]

Up until this point, the base had seemed somewhat undefined through the snow, which had been getting heavier as the day went on. Now, though, the east side of the base was visible. The wall was much too high to scale; there was a large, heavy-looking steel door, but it was most likely locked from the inside.

However, the door was the strongest part of the wall; the rest… had certainly seen better days. A few feet to the right of the door, there was a fairly large crack in it, and the surrounding metal looked weak enough that it could easily be ploughed through. Furthermore, there were no guards in sight, so the ensuing commotion would probably go unnoticed… provided there aren’t guards right inside the door, of course.

[karmauberalles]

It was really goddamn cold out, but von Karma didn't care. Well, not that much. He was somewhat concerned that the heavy, fur-lined coat he was wearing would get in the way during a fight, but the trek from the Victoria II to this point had been rather refreshing, and he was looking forward to this. It'd been too long since he'd gotten to engage in some honest, hand-to-hand combat where he could effortlessly and flawlessly cut down his foes... but ah, he couldn't daydream here.

He turned slightly to acknowledge his current companions to make sure they'd kept up; he really could have gone without them, but... well, if they had any potential whatsoever, they wouldn't drag him down, and if they didn't, he'd have some cannon fodder.

[peasant_king]

Delita had been right on the Admiral's heels, just far enough away to be in the way when he stopped. The Quartermaster was silent, following like a shadow. A well armed shadow. He knew the Admiral was a decorated fighter, but it was not the leaders duty to wade through the throng of foes. He acknowledged this, and meant to do his job well.

His heavy winter cloak billowed around him as they moved. It was cold enough for the lowest pit of hell out here, and it showed. But like hell he was going to complain.

"Admiral?" He said softly as vonKarma glanced back, his hand falling to his sword without thought.

[notabomber]

Katsura was more than happy to bring up the rear of their little group, where he could observe the other two. He knew next to nothing about the two men, and he considered it a good plan to see what he could learn before they were in the thick of things.

He'd chosen a black, heavy wool coat to combat the weather, warm enough to protect him reasonably well from the chill but not so cumbersome so as to hamper him in combat. One hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword which peeked out from a side-vent in the fabric, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment to the Admiral. He was looking forward to this... it had been a long time since he'd been able to engage in any real combat.

Edgeworth, Ffamran, Seras

[tidesnpc]

Near the west wall of the base, to the north, was the sheer cliff that the base was built against; this supposedly provided a natural defense used in place of an actual wall, and the wall and the cliff face were close enough in color to make it look as though the base was carved out of the rock. Unfortunately, this fact could cause one to think that the only way in from this point was to climb the cliff and rappel down inside the walls. However, near the cliff, smoke or steam seems to be rising from an indentation in the ground, which could indicate either some kind of deathtrap or a sewer system.

[edge_of_honor]

Despite the warmth of his jacket, Edgeworth still felt a chill run through his body. He knew, on a distant level, how cold it would be, and prepared himself accordingly; however, actually dealing with it was another matter entirely. He did his best to ignore it, and instead, focused on their surroundings.

Eventually they came across the "wall", and Edgeworth frowned as he thought on how to circumvent this obstacle. He looked around, and the frown disappeared as soon as he saw hints of steam. Well, that was certainly unusual. He looked at his companions, and signaled for them to approach the sight. "Victoria, take point," he said quietly, as he began to move forward. "Bunansa, watch our backs."

[boomandabam]

"Oh ah, Roger." Came Seras' meek reply, and she hastily scrambled over to the front of the group

[bunansajr]

"Aye, sir."

Ffamran brought up the rear, keeping an eye out on their backs and the surrounding area. There were going to be people here, smugglers, bad guys, he thought he was ready, but it was difficult to know what you were made of until the opportunity presented itself. He'd proved himself against zombies, now it was time to prove himself against living people. He didn't relish the idea of killing, but he knew it was going to be necessary.

The cold was also distracting him from the task at hand. The weather was bone chilling, and his thin shirt and leather jacket were not up to the task. He'd worn an additional leather jacket, also artfully tooled, but it was hardly a practical piece of clothing.

His gun was out, two shots loaded and an additional pouch of ammo at the ready. He waited for Edgeworth's command.

Cao Cao, Hijikata, Sun Ce

[tidesnpc]

The north gate was the only one with any semblance of protection; there was a hutlike station a few feet away from the gate. Three guards were huddled around a small fire built inside. They wore thick winter coats of an almost uniform design, and the three sported matching black scarves around their faces and sunglasses.

From the current distance, it was difficult to hear what they were talking about; however, they seemed too involved in their discussion to notice much else.

[dragon_of_wei]

It was bitter cold out here, cold enough to deter any fiends that could be lurking within the dense snow covered shrubbery. The howling winds only added to this frigid weather, making it seem as if it was a lot colder now that evening is approaching. Although despite the fact the elements were against them now in this tundra-like environment, the strategist was confident enough to assume their mission shall be a success. Admiral von Karma made it very clear to them all that failure is not an option and this mission could be a perilous one. This is why Cao Cao decided to take the time to familiarize himself with the equipment and tactics needed to survive this night

[mayovice]

Hijikata made a soft grunt of acknowledgment as he took the binoculars and peered through them as well, eyes trained at the trio huddling around the campfire. Unlike the strategist, the boatswain didn't wear anything more than his usual outfit and a scarf - a dress shirt, vest, dark blue coat and pants and boots, his sword sheathed at his side like every samurai should. Unlike most people Hijikata was used to rather chilling weather - it was something one had to get used to when you lived in Solare. Winter time had never been pleasant back then.

Though he just had to wonder why of all people, the man had to be stuck with Cao and Ce. If it hadn't been obvious enough by now, it was pretty clear that the two were at complete loggerheads with each other. Hopefully they both would know better than to bring in their petty rivalries into this mission or otherwise Hijikata would have a lot to bitch about once this mission was over. For now it seemed that they were alright. Good. This would make everything so much easier. Keeping an eye on

[conqueror_bofu]

Sweet holy hells, but it was cold! The Sun family had always traveled a lot, but though the main house was in Bellcius, they'd spent all the time they could at a smaller home in the southlands. Maybe it had spoiled him, because...goddamn. He'd managed to get several layers of socks on under his boots, and was wearing his winter uniform, which at least was a bit thicker than the summer one, with as many layers underneath as he could manage without impeding his own movements. A pair of thin, pliable leather gloves kept his hands warm and a hand-knitted scarf that his mother had given to him around the Long Night were the only visible signs that he was trying to fight the cold off...He'd decided not to bring a hat, since his hair was pretty thick and warm anyway. Kind of regretting that one now

Vimes, Franziska, Zhou Yu

[tidesnpc]

The walls of the eastern gate are in much better condition than the somewhat dilapidated walls on the west side. They’re quite strong and have a trimming of barbed wire at the top, preventing any attempts to scale the walls; however, the heavy metal doors seem to be parted slightly. They’re open enough that it’s noticeable, but it’s impossible to see inside to see if there are any guards right inside. Still, it’s somewhat unnerving…

[stoneface_vimes]

Gloved hands thrust firmly into his coat pockets, Vimes scowled at the wall. The doors seemed like the obvious way in, but he'd be damned if he was going to be suckered into a trap. The chances of there being whatever unknown number of guards on the other side of that gate seemed far too high for comfort.

On the other hand, there was no other way in immediately obvious, at least, not at this distance. Barging right in the door stood a good chance of losing them the element of surprise completely, if there were guards in there to raise an alarm. And cocking up the mission like that would not fly well at all.

With a non-committal but not exactly happy-sounding grunt, he turned to face his two companions, as if merely to check they were both there. "Well, here we are," he said, unenthusiastically. The silence that followed the remark was long enough to make it apparent that he didn't plan on saying anything else - any plans that might be forming in his head waiting until he'd heard anything the others might have to say.

[shuuyu]

Satisfied after a good few moments of examining the obstacles before them, Zhou Yu set about into thinking about a way to infiltrate without bringing unnecessary risk towards them. Having traveled light to reach the point of entrance quickly enough, and with their team being consisted of just three people, scaling the walls was definitely out the question. They simply did not have the equipment or manpower required for it and while the vantage point the walls could have provided would have been an advantage, it could also be a huge liability should an enemy spot them immediately from the ground; and to make matters worse, if that scenario happened, they would be one less person to deal with the reinforcements.

That left the heavy metal doors as the only entrance within the vicinity. They could go about searching around for another entrance - a backdoor of sorts - but considering the state the walls were in, he doubted there would be one, at least, not one within a mile or two at least. The doors looked inviting enough, ajar like

[its_karma_fool]

Franziska, standing steady in the snow despite her usual heeled boots, scowled irritably at a variety of things. "Or they could simply be a lot of spineless, untrained fools," she half sneered at Zhou Yu, "As deluded criminals often are."

She glared up at the broad doors again, scanning for any hints of competency. Naturally, there were none. It was simply a dilapidated strong-hold in an icy wasteland, likely filled with the sort of soft-headed lack-wits foolish enough to think crime was ever an option.

Franziska uncrossed her arms and placed a hand on her hip. "And even if it were some sort of crude trap," she spoke, glancing sidelong at her companions, "the obvious course of action is to spring it and deprive them of their element of surprise."