LOCATION:  UPPERDECKS - NEOMAH QUARTER - ASHERIM HEADQUARTERS
TIME:  1115
DATE:  2025 - 18 - OCT

REPORTING OFFICER:  SONIA ASHERAH MATAHARI, CALLSIGN 'NINMAH'

COMBAT PERSONNEL IN ATTENDANCE: LYLA RAINES, CALLSIGN 'BLUE FOX'; DANIEL MATTHEWS, CALLSIGN 'LUCIFER'

SECRETARY:  JUNO

THIS TRANSCRIPT SEALED, LEVEL 23E:  COMBAT PERSONNEL AND UPPER COMMAND ONLY

---

It all starts with a summons from Core directly to their phones.  That is not the thing either of them would ignore.  They each aren't far from the Neomah Quarter at the time.  A quick route brings them to what's called the 'Asherim Briefing Room', which as far as they can tell is just a lovely little tea room.  It's all fine china and hard wood and a dozen other breakable things that seem to visibly tremble at the amount of power in the room.  The three are seated at a table, little cups of tea already served piping hot.

"This one is glad you three could come on such short notice.  Lord Lucifer, this one is Sonia Asherah Matahari."

Sonia is a gorgeous dark-skinned woman with Malfean Green eyes, hair that reaches her ankles, and a penchant for cow leather.  Lucifer, of course, hasn't met her yet but he can recognize a Neomah glamour when he sees one.  And, well, the fact that they're in the Neomah quarter is a pretty good indicator of what she is.  Lyla is greeted in particular with a smile.  The Asherim and her Ombra Agency have been cooperating lately to great results.

"There are new developments in a portion of the Underdecks."  She taps the table once and a small holographic display pops up, projected from a hidden camera on the ceiling above the table.  The vast egg of the Last Refuge lingers for a moment before slicing in half, then focusing down on the Underdecks of the 'Southern' pole.

"There are numerous small communities here.  Some are more important than others.  These are mostly garbage disposal and recycling communities,"  She gestures, "Heavy metals reclamation, plastics recycling, biomatter conversion... common, necessary, disgusting.  The main community center is Hanthaburg."

A sizable portion of the decks blink red- a crazed warren of hallways, moderately sized open spaces, industrial facilities, and residential blocks.

"Core reports Hanthaburg fell off the map last night.  Repair crews were dispatched and haven't responded.  At 0900 hours, to the second, we lost contact with all the Underdecks within a 50 mile radius.  That could be anywhere between 100,000 and 200,000 souls."

A huge chunk of the southern Underdecks blinks red, all with Hanthaburg around the center.

"Thaumaturgists were contacted immediately, and here we find anomalies.  There are no significant losses in life, no evidence of necromantic essence.  Ombra and Asherim agents in the area have gone dark." She looks Lyla in the eye, "As if they've all simultaneously lost connection.  We know your agents aren't responding because we contacted them to find out what happened to our agents.

Core has immediately requested investigation by top Exalts.  You are instructed to recon the area.  It has been suggested by Forecasting that you select additional helpers."

Daniel, looking rugged as ever in his trusty biker jacket and jeans combo, seems quite misplaced in the room but nonetheless lifts the offered cup of tea to his lips. It'd serve as breakfast, he'd been out doing gods-know-what with no regard for self-maintenance again.

As the briefing starts, he follows intently while reaching for some crumpets and stuffing them in his face.

When the initial brief concludes, he already has a frown over his features.

"No contact at all, technological or otherwise? That is alarming indeed. You'd think an Infallible Messenger or escapee would get out somewhere."

He leans in toward the projection, scanning for points of interest in or near the darkened area, before turning to look at Lyla.

"Between the two of us we have a lot of bases covered, but I suppose we could use reinforcements in a few fields. A techie, a medical specialist and the closest we can get to a local guide would be my first ideas. Not knowing what to expect makes it difficult to make specific requests, though. I suppose the only common requirement would be being able to handle themselves so as to not become liabilities when things take an unexpected turn. Thoughts?"

After the incident with Hales, Lyla has resorted to wearing her sleek cut combat gear more often. One could say that being exposed to so many unfortunate elements within one day leaves a mark of reminder on one. So luckily, when the call comes, she is all suited up and nearby. Mostly though she was spending her time wondering why no-one was responding to her hails and trying to see how far that was reaching.

With her mostly black shaded clothing, she appears awfully out of place. Occasional blue hexagons appear on the clothing, as her essence flows by, as if she was warming up. Sonia's smile receives a polite and a very swift wink in return, as Lyla was in return glad with their co-operation. Daniel on the other hand, receives a protein bar from her tossed at him at the first sight.

"Hm. No wonder my agents didn't respond. Latest visuals on the nearby area? I mean any anomalies that you can see with naked eye. I assume the routes to the dropped out area have been blocked so that no more civilians wander in?"

Her teacup is quickly emptied.

"Hard to say what we need before its too late. But I agree with you Daniel on that. Bigger team does mean more coverage, but I'd rather go with an efficient team with survivability. If we can't contact the people in there, it might also be possible that if we split up within there, we can't contact each other as well."

"Infallible Messengers have gone in, so our agents are still alive, but nothing has come out."  Sonia agrees with a nod, "That may mean they're unconscious, within a ward, having their own castings interrupted, or they've been suborned.  Visuals on the area have closed off bulkheads."

Sonia taps a button.  Several entry points into the area, including a station of the Grand Trunk, blink red.

"All locked, closed.  Cameras in the area shut off.  There are some sorceries and technologies that can cause a wide interdiction field like that.  Technologically, Core should be able to brute force it.  Motonically, we should be able to sense the essence expenditure necessary to do so.  We're getting neither."  She says with a sigh.

"At this point you are not being controlled?  You are being given information, this one supposes.  You are your own bosses.  But if this theorized Interdiction Field is still active, you may have trouble coming back to recruit from a team."  She points out, "This one suggests a small team, perhaps six in number, and splitting up is ill-advised."

"You'd think if someone had something to gain from this, they'd be coming outside to negotiate their terms of opening the area. But then again being utterly shut out leaves a LOT of room for whatever it is that you wish to do in private. Hmph," Lyla ponders, tossing her thoughts into the air. "Eh, I already hate this thought..but..."

The idea hangs in the air for a while, seemingly cause some sort of internal struggle in Lyla, before she manages to voice it out.

"If there are people who are behind this, or people who are shit scared, we could kind of want someone with a gentler touch on negotiating than the two of us. Also with some luck this all falls under his constituency. Yes, I'm actually thinking if Kendall should join in."

She mostly directs her suggestion to Daniel, while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"And to fill your list the rest sound like Battles, Ilari and Arkady for me..and Sonia as well. This should cover some nice versatility. Though the former two might be busy as always, but its worth the asking, and the latter could benefit from more field experience."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:52, Wed 23 Oct 2019.

Daniel looks to Lyla as she considers, deducing the cause of her turmoil but letting her process it rather than interrupt.

"Hm. Considering we have no idea what kind of mission this is going to be, it would indeed be smart to have someone with a... gentler touch along.  But still Exalted so we don't have to worry about them dying the moment something goes wrong. The diplomatic immunity and oath-sanctifying abilities might well prove indispensable too. Sonia seems fitting for a similar purpose."

He peels the protein bar she'd thrown at him from its wrappings and takes a bite.

"Arkady's still green but clearly competent in his field. I haven't had the chance to coach or see him in battle yet, but this is a prime opportunity. Kumiho is another rising star, but this would be quite far from her core competence."

He empties his teacup and carefully puts it back on the plate.

"Ilari's the first thing that comes to my mind too regarding medical know-how and Battles would be able to rep Command, but like you said they might both be busy. Worth a try in any case. As for my side... Well, with all this talk of blocked portals and doorways, there's Sondok. Certainly not someone we'd have to worry about being able to handle herself, but she's also oftentimes quite... incalculable. Supposing she'd be interested in the first place. Perhaps some established Dragon-Blooded would do instead."

A sigh as he chows down the rest of the bar.

"So we've got Kendal and Arkady for sure, and a maybe on Sonia, Battles, Ilari, Kumiho and Sondok. Then an option to fill out with a Dragon-Blooded specialist or two."

"This one would prefer not to enter," Sonia says seriously, "This one needs to remain in contact with Core and the rest of the Neomah.  Too many of the Asherim are already in the location and there must be continuity of operations outside of the affected zone.  If the other Asherim are dead or suborned, this one will need to carry on the remit of the organization."

She clears her throat.

"Spirits are, however, a good idea.  Perhaps you should consider one.  The ability to dematerialize and move through barriers you may not want to blast open is a major advantage."

"Quite understandable," Lyla nods to Sonia. "Shall we ourselves contact those who could be up for the job or does Michael want to do it? His request has got a tad more oomph to it, but other than that I don't mind asking."

She sips her tea patiently, nodding in agreement again.

"Spirits do sound handy. Especially as you said for occasions when we wouldn't want to cause an alarm with brute forcing our way in, or when tinkering won't help. Spirits do sound like your forte though, Daniel."

Daniel nods understandingly at Sonia's refusal, pouring himself another cup of tea.

"I do think Michael would get the request and possible declinations or non-availabilities done with sooner. Could you ask him, Sonia?"

He leans back in his chair, eliciting a creak.

"Well, Sondok's a spirit of a kind. Other than that, there's your friends Swan Dragon and Sayeed, and... Hm."

A look appears on Daniel's face that very closely mirrors that of Lyla's when she'd arrived at the dilemma of taking Kendal along.

"Well, there's Anna. She's a ghost and infiltration specialist, one intimately familiar with how the Dead work, no less. I've made significant progress in disconnecting her from the Neverborn, enough so that it SHOULD be safe for her to leave her prison... And we'd be there to guard her."

Lyla almost seems amused at Daniel's last comment, mostly at the fact of him coming up with similar ideas to hers.

"Anna sounds best suited. And the occasion seems fitting due to the problem area being on Last Refuge but being cut off from the rest of the ship. I'm not certain on how things are going in the Fire Court, but as far as I know they are both quite busy with the shit storm there, and Sayeed has his hands also filled with my assistant to be. Not that I'd vote them out just yet."

She keeps a small break, turning to look at Daniel.

"But as said, if you are willing to take Anna along, I'll support and help you in that matter in any way that is necessary."

"This one suggests contacting potential recruits yourselves.  Core tends to be rather... forceful, and stingy with his information.  They will need more information and instruction on your part to establish better group synergy."

Sonia tops off each teacup for them.

"Anna.  The ghost?" Sonia puts down the teapot.  "This one was not aware of this.  Just what have you done to separate her?"

"I wholeheartedly agree on that. People would not say no to him, but they sure would be confused," Lyla smirks. "I'll call Kendal."

With that being said, she digs out her phone and dials his number without further ado, turning a bit sideways from the two to give their discussion some privacy.

"True enough. I'll contact Arkady. Anna we will have to fetch in person."

He turns toward Sonia while taking out his phone and swiping for Arkady's number.

"I started by weaning her off from the Neverborn and their energy as much as possible, by putting her in a containment unit built for the purpose. Then I started a twofold approach at redefining the kind of being she is; a 'soft' approach through finding joy, meaning and personal connection in the world of the Living once more, preparing her for a metaphysical rebirth as I tear the Malfeas Shard from her. The idea is to have her metaphysical being made malleable, a blank slate she will have to fill with her psyche and true self, not quite human, nor demon, but no more a ghost either. A new type of self-defined spirit. Naturally the process is risky, but I believe with my personal connection to her, my experience with guiding thousands of souls to Lethe and my degree of control over the embers of Malfeas it is possible."

He reaches for the teacup.

"If it doesn't work... Well, I think the least I can do is send her to Lethe."

He lets the somber thought hang in the air for a moment before distracting himself with the phone, thumbing a message to Arkady.

Hey Arkady, it's Lucifer. Got an urgent mission in Underdecks, some kind of giant interdiction field, could use a techie going in. 1) Can you come? 2) How is Manifest Destiny coming along?

Sonia nods once in thought and drinks from her teacup.  She leans back in her chair a bit, clearly allowing both of them to place their calls.

To Lyla's surprise, a woman's voice picks up the phone.

"Senator Raines' office."  She says; in a few moments Lyla recognizes the voice.  That'd be Kendal's secretary, the Goddess of Neon, Xene.  "He can't come to the phone right now- can I take a message?"

There's a playful lilt to her voice, like she's grinning as she's saying it...

---

Xene, in the meantime, has scampered away with Kendal's phone and is standnng just outside of his apartment's bathroom, stark naked and glowing dimly.  She winks at him and sticks out her tongue, clearly having fun at answering his personal phone when they're definitely not in his office, let alone doing work.  All work and no play makes the Senator a dull boy...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:36, Thu 31 Oct 2019.

Lyla takes a small moment to process what just happened, and she gives a small thoughtful nod with raised brows.

"Ah, I see, how unfortunate," she smirks and looks at her PDA tapping it once to make it show his phones location...which she partially regrets at the moment she notices the location."A home office day, it'd seem? Glad to hear he is resting from time to time. Anyway. We've never really been introduced officially, so... Nice talking to you Xene, it's Lyla here, and I'd have a rather urgent business with my brother, if he could spare a moment from...his paperwork."

It's hard to judge from her facial expression what she is thinking, but she does give a tap to her cigarette case.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Fri 01 Nov 2019.

Lucifer's Phone pings with a replied message. A voice message infact:

"Intradiction field what blyat?? Sounds just about the right ration of 50% weird and 50% techy so sure. Why the hell not!

A loud crash, like something heavy just fell apart, an A LOT of swearing in russian with one very distinct SUUUUKA!.

And that's a nope for your piledriver. I'll come up as soon as I get a cup of extra stiff coffee and some clothes on... Aww fuck that's gonna take forever to fix... I'll be there in... Where are we going again?"

Daniel listens to Arkady’s message with a focused expression, blinking at the loud crash but seeming mostly unperturbed by it. It was quite in line with his image of the man. Well, boy. These whippersnappers and their voicemails and snapbooks and facetinders.

”Arkady’s in. I’ll tell him to meet us on the way to Anna.”

He taps away a reply.

Hope that wasn’t my gun. I’ll send you the place to meet. Prepare for... whatever.

Lyla can practically FEEL Xene's luminescent blush through the phone.

"Errr... right.  Home office, burning the... midmorning oil."  Xene stammers, "Senator Raines, it's for you...!"

She passes the phone immediately to Kendal.

Sonia puts down her teacup, "... That was the Russian?"  She asks Lucifer, "You'll have to introduce him to this one sometime.  This one has been watching many documentaries of a British spy during the Cold War period and would like some of his gadgets."

There is a short shuffling sound as Kendall picks up the phone and some muted words as he keeps his hand on the mic before actually answering. Most probably asking Xene who was calling.

"This is Senator Raines speaking, hooooooooow may I help you today?" He asks jokingly.

Daniel inclines his head slightly at Sonia's request. "Like the Lipstick Gun or Bulgarian Umbrella? I'm sure he could make rather more advanced versions. I'll make introductions if we're ever in the same place."

Sending Arkady the coordinates for a meeting place near where Anna was being kept, Daniel considers for a moment before composing another message to Kumiho and Ilari.

Greetings. Got a special mission in the Underdecks - unidentified interdiction field appeared recently. Going in, looking for backup. If you're busy with something else don't drop it.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:35, Tue 05 Nov 2019.