Celestia's Finest: The Wasteland Wailers

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg takes a deep breath, stares really hard at Flesh Love, and claps her forehooves together. "Right! Lunch sounds good. Very good. Right now. No more talking. Eating."

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The ten ponies are arrayed in a variety of scrap armor and makeshift weapons. Nothing really threatening, though no gun is really 'non-threatening'.

However, they lower their weapons slowly. "You survived?!" one of them squeaks out, "That's...amazing."

[Elbeyon]

Love chuckles. "Good! Cause, you weren't going to eat unless it was with me." She gives an evil grin then turns to walk away. "I'm joking! I'm switching now!"

Love rises up and bends forward to stretch. "Hello, Keg." The heat had really done a number on her throat. Apparently, she had managed a poor job of keeping herself hydrated. A quick straw into a thermos helps fix that right up. A cough kills the rest of that old dusty throat. "How about lunch in the Firebird? No one should be there except for us. We can talk in private!"

Love starts gathering their food and drink onto a tray. "I haven't had the chance to talk to too many fellow wastelanders lately."

[D.KnightSpider]

"Every pony did. There were no casualties." Sniper decided to build off of the initial shock/surprise. Keep the pressure on. "The others are back at the crash site handling the aftermath."

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg watches Flesh Love get up as her drone deactivates and her eyes go wide. "The...the buck?!" Though she meant to shout it, it comes out as a high-pitched squeak. She follows Love, very, very weirded out by this, but the call of food is just too strong.

"So..." she says once they're alone, "How long have you been like...this?"

--------------

"Why does 'aftermath' sound ominous?" one of them says.

"Why does he have a weird gun?"

"Why did we think this was a good idea?"

The lead mare clears her throat. "Well, good sir. It's...nice to meet you."

[Elbeyon]

The squeak is watched with caution over amusement after her mix-up with the holo. She grabs her comm gear on the way out, and she sends a text off to Star that she's taking her lunch with Keg. Their schedules sadly didn't match up. Star was probably watching Scope and Rose, and Love was taking a break right before they move on to the next Step 2.

"I don't now, Keg. Since, I've been alive, I guess? You prefer to go by a certain name?"

"So, what are you getting out of working with us? A pass on all your history?"

Love notes. "I'm from Junk Town. You can feel free to trash talk everyone and everything if it'll make you feel better. It'll be like home again." She smirks. "Nothing, you say will reach another pony by my lips. If I lie, you can shoot me. Fair is fair."

[Miltonian]

"Don't tempt me," she says, deadpan.

Powder Keg takes a deep breath. "I should have asked for something like that, yeah. But Celestia was like, 'hey gal. We need somepony to guide my little ponies through the Wastes. We can't save the Wastes without it' and I was like, 'Hey. Couldn't get worse for me. Sign me up'. And here I am. Didn't expect to get shoved inside a tiny cell and crash-land. That was rude."

She leans back and sighs. "Which Junk Town?"

[Elbeyon]

She couldn't help but smile at the story. "Celestia is kind and fair. She'll work out something to your benefit as strange as that may sound. She honestly wants to help you. You do as she asks, and she'll help you."

Love pulls up a low rez map on her phone, tries to find a landmark of some kind, and shows it to her. "No touching. It was in the southwest corner near the swallowing sands." The waste is a big place.

"I'm sorry about your cell and the landing. I didn't plan or want either." She takes a drink and starts spreading peanut butter on her bread. "MREs are pretty good once you get used to them." Love will help her open all the packages and do all the steps that require reading. She sits next to her to help facilitate the process.

"I'll tempt you. Why do you think I got us all alone? You probably have stuff you need saying, but you're all wound by the military. I'll put aside my position if you'll do the same. We can talk as regular ponies, not tied up by any past relationship."

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg nods to her various condolences. She begins devouring her food with gusto. "Tastes good to me," she says, "Lot of flavor. Nice texture." It has neither. Whether she is being sarcastic or sincere, Love can't tell.

"No offense, but why do you care?"

[Elbeyon]

Love switches to sucking on her limited hard candies so she can talk easier. "Ah! I've forgotten to introduce myself. How rude." She jokes. "Name's Love." She chuckles.

"I already met you up at the space station. I was part of the forces that came over on the tram while you escaped on the pods. I met and am friends with Rip now. You could say I've gone soft and soft in the head. I care because I want to help every pony." She pauses. "Well... I'm a little home sick, and you're a piece of my home."

[DigoDragon]

Rose steps forward. "Y'all don't need to be lying now. You came this way expecting the passengers of the ship to have all died in the crash so as you can loot it. Not an accusation, mind you. I reckon that salvage is just a means of survival in the wasteland. Well, today could still be your lucky day."

She levitates a small case forward and sets it down at mid-distance between the two groups. She then uses her magic to open it so that the ponies can see the medical contents therein. "We bring you a token of goodwill to show you we're not out here to cause you folks any trouble. We are just passing through, and wanting to form peaceful relationships with nearby settlements. Maybe we can scratch each other's backs, if you understand us?"

[D.KnightSpider]

The lead mare clears her throat. "Well, good sir. It's...nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Although the introductions are one sided at the moment. Do you mind telling me who I'm talking to?"

While Rose opened negotiations proper, Sniper began putting his training to use. He looked the posse over for 'tells'.

Spoiler: OoC

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Detect Lies
(3d6)[3][6][6](15) VS 13

Body Language
(3d6)[2][6][1](9) VS 14

[Miltonian]

"You know my name," Powder Keg says, a grin forming, "Buuuut for the fun of it." She stands up and rears onto her hind hooves. "You stand in the presence of the Queen of Calamity, the Tyrant of TNT! Powder Keg!" She drops back to a four-legged posture and grins.

"Oh. That was you? We were expecting changelings. Sneaky little bugs." To Love's reason for helping, she falls silent. "That's...kinda...strange. Lame. A little. I-deal-ist-ic. I mean, you can't help everypony. Physically...wait, you can be in two places at once."

-----------

The ponies look at the gear Rose brought, then at Rose. "Do you know how many credits those are worth?" the lead mare asks softly.

The ponies are more scared than anything. To them, Equestria has probably been an all-powerful but distant force since they were fillies. And now, a unicorn and a pegasus, rare enough in the Wastes, have crashed out of the sky, survived, and are having a pleasant conversation with them. Or trying to. It's disconcerting for them. There's no way of telling how their shattered opinions will reform quite yet.

Spoiler

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Diplomacy, if you please!

[DigoDragon]

The ponies look at the gear Rose brought, then at Rose. "Do you know how many credits those are worth?" the lead mare asks softly.

"Enough to hopefully give you the right impression that we're serious about coming in peace," Rose says. "I can provide medical aid to any sick or injured folks in your little town. There's enough supplies in that case to care for nearly a dozen ponies."

[Elbeyon]

Love claps at the wonderful show displayed out only for her. "Queen of Calamity! Have mercy!"

"I've been called the Blue Desert Princess once or twice."

Her question gets answered with a nod. "Even Supermare can't help everypony, and she is a pretend God. I can't help everypony. I'm flawed in that I help those around me and not those farther away, ever out of reach. May motives my be pinned as idealistic, but the reality is far from that."

"Helping others helps me keep sane. It gives me a drive forward that is so easy for me to try to follow. I'm a very selfish pony. Left to myself and only to pursue things that interest me would lead to disaster. I'm already on my way to becoming a hermit. I'd probably be conquering the red planet instead of being focused on this planet."

"When I help a pony I feel good. So, I do get things out of it. It's a fair trade. I help a pony and in return they helped me."

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper winced, internally. Entering Goodhope wasn't something that should be on the table until they had backup. He couldn't countermand the suggestion, however, so he'd have to roll with it.

"We announced ourselves instead of ambushing you. Now we're talking to you out in the open. We're offering to trade resources with you while our team repairs the aircraft." Sniper added a few reminders of their immediate history. "We're not here to take advantage of you. I can give you my word on that."

They were approaching a tipping point. Hopefully, Rose had her shield at the ready.

Heh. Rose Shield. That was pretty close to Red Shield.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

It's like the gas cloud all over again.

Diplomacy (Defaults to IQ-6)
(3d6)[1][6][2](9) VS 6

[Miltonian]

At the mention of 'doctor' and 'medical help', the ten ponies gather in a cluster and mutter to themselves for five minutes or so. The lead mare steps forward. "Actually, there is a pony back in town that could use your help right now. As in, if you're serious, follow us."

--------------

Powder Keg looks relieved. "So it's not some chemical in the air that turns your mind all sappy and crazy? Just a different form of exchange. Okay. I can roll with that." She chuckles. "With the, er, 'ghost' and the 'not-bug', I started to think maybe Equestrians were all high and that's why they were so nice."

[DigoDragon]

At the mention of 'doctor' and 'medical help', the ten ponies gather in a cluster and mutter to themselves for five minutes or so. The lead mare steps forward. "Actually, there is a pony back in town that could use your help right now. As in, if you're serious, follow us."

"We are and we shall," Rose says cooperatively. She turns to Sniper. "I think the commander won't mind if we let him know that we're assisting these fine locals. Wouldn't you agree? "

[Elbeyon]

Love burst into laughing so hard she is temporally floored. "We're not on drugs. We're funny like that, huh?" She sits up, grabs a heated up a burrito, and starts nomming down on it. "Sorry. The idea of my friends taking happy pills cracks me up. They're definitely not on any happy pills. It's easier to share one meal when you have two. Drugs have never been my drug of choice. I've always preferred the comfort of other ponies to turn my mind to mush."

Love smiles. "You're a smart pony. You pick things up quickly. If you'd like I can teach you about our, the world's, technology. There is a lot to learn, but I'll try to make it fun for you." Love puts a hoof to her mane and feels her feathered friend. "I'm from the wastes." She repeats. "I had to learn everything from scratch. If I was up to the challenge, the Tyrant of TNT can blast through my tough lessons."

Spoiler: Edit

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I added some text

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper nodded to Rose.

"We should. I'll put the call in." He reached up and activated his comm. "Lt. Scope to Commander Wildcat. The scouting party has requested that we provide medical aid to an injured civilian. We'll be making a quick trip into Goodhope for that purpose."

This entire situation screamed 'trap'. But it could also be the one chance they needed to establish some good will. He'd just have to keep his paranoia up, his eyes sharp... and remember to use small words.

[DigoDragon]

Rose picks up the medical case and squares her shoulders. "Alright, lead the way to the patient."

[Miltonian]

The ten ponies seem very unsure about this, but for the sake of their friend, they are willing to take Rose and Sniper Scope back. Wildcat signs off on the mission, but tells Scope to be ready to take to the air and Rose to use her shield spell at a moment's notice.

It's a bit of a walk to the town of Goodhope, though it's hardly a town by Equestria's standards. Still, there are houses, a trading outpost, a clinic (though the conditions inside offend all of Rose's sensibilities. They're using vodka as a sanitizing agent!), a bar, and, most prominently of all, a church with the worn letters 'Goodhope Congregational' over the front entrance. The church is abandoned and boarded up. The rest of the town comes out to stare at them as the two ponies walk down to the clinic. Most are earth ponies, though a single pegasus stumbles out of the bar for a moment, curses, and heads back inside.

In the clinic, aside from the horrendously backwater equipment and standards, there is one patient. A young stallion beaten within an inch of his life and losing the battle for it. In the background, a radio plays soft, rustic music, but that is only to comfort the dying.

---------------

Powder Keg grins wide. "Well hey, I wouldn't say no."

To her offer of lessons, she slowly nods. "I guess I'll need them if I'm going to have any hope of moving forward. Alright." She extends a hoof to shake on it.

[Elbeyon]

Love shoves some stress into the corner of her mouth and stares at Keg's grin. A glance over her, Love hesitantly reaches out toward her flank before pulling back her hoof. "And, I can't say 'yes'." The disappointment is palpable. She blushes. "I'm in a position of power over you. It wouldn't be right. And, our group has in the past had trouble caused by a quick hooving."

The hoofshake is a little on the weak side because FleshLove. "I'll give you my spare holo-phone and we can work from there." Love steals another look at her flank and sighs. Her burrito seems to have lost its flavor as she munches on it.

[D.KnightSpider]

It was a poor sight to begin with and it only went downhill from there. Sniper took in the state of the town and the church. Maybe his fears of a trap were unfounded. This place was liable to fall apart in a stiff breeze-- the EDF could wipe out of in their sleep.

Upon reaching the patient, Sniper moved to the side of the room. He took up a flanking position. If their hosts went to make a wrong move, he'd be able to see it.

"What happened to him?" He asked the group.

To Rose, he said: "Let me know if you need an assist."

[DigoDragon]

Rose wrinkles her nose at the sight of this... well third world is probably the level we're looking at. She puts the case down and sets to work.

"Alright clear a table for me. I'm also curious what fight this poor chap picked up," Rose says. Her medic mode is in control as she smoothly opens the case and levitates out tool after tool, moving them about like you would set the dinner table for important guests.

Diagnosis: (3d6)[6] vs. 16*
First Aid: (3d6)[18] vs. 18*

*not counting GM penalties for poor conditions.

She whispers to her patient. "Alright friend, you're in good hooves. Name's Rose. I'm going to do what I can to get you fixed up." She diagnoses the worst injuries first and prioritizes those for treatment. A vaccine against tetanus is probably required. Antibiotics? Possibly, but let's see if surgery will be needed first. Then there's this and that... wow that's some pretty strong vodka.

This might require some magical healing too at the end to ensure the stitches set right.

Minor Healing check (3d6)[13] vs. 16 (fueling 3 points into it).

[Miltonian]

Powder Keg puts on a look of mock offense. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess there's nothing for it." She sighs melodramatically and falls sideways. She weakly extends a hoof and takes the holophone. "How's this work?"

----------

For once, Rose's surgical skills fail her. The subject is suffering from multiple bruises that go straight down to the bone along with multiple bleeding (but bandaged and 'disinfected') wounds. However, no matter what method she tried, she cannot properly treat this. In the end, she just hits him with a healing spell. There. Now he'll recover.

"He ran into one of those 'recruiting' parties and didn't want to sign up," the lead mare says. She sends all her followers off to do other things and stands alone with the EDF.

[DigoDragon]

Freaking damned cybernetic hooves... Do NOT be failing me now. Rose is not happy with herself. She needed to perform some simple aid and she couldn't even do that right. If it weren't for her magic... FFF.

"Recruitment for what?" She asked as she cleaned up her failure.

[D.KnightSpider]

Sniper relaxed slightly when the other scouts left. For the most part, these ponies seemed to be on the up-and-up. Good to know.

He waited for more details on the patient's history.

[Elbeyon]

Love chuckles and follows her down to the grown. Laying nearby, Love starts by wiping the phone and setting it up for Keg. "I've connected the device to my computer." Rip had trouble getting into her own phone. It's a temptation to remove the password, but Keg should build her habits with security in mind. Love smiles and pulls Keg closer. "We'll use a picture as your password. If you point the phone at yourself like I'm doing now, your phone will unlock." She puts their faces together cheek to cheek and takes a picture. "You're phone will self-lock after you haven't used it for ten minutes. So, you'll have to resubmit your face that often."

Love says, "Love" into the phone. "There, It's our phone now. You can ask the phone any technology question, and it should be able to give you an answer. It's still limited to technical questions, but it's the best I can do for now. I want you to feel free to ask me questions whenever they pop into your head."

"To ask the phone a question you say my name so the phone knows you are talking to it then ask the question." Love gives a demonstration. "Love, what is a phone?"

The phone answers in love's voice. "A system that converts acoustic vibrations to electrical signals in order to transmit sound, typically voices, over a distance using wire or radio."

"Love, what is radio?"

"The transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves of radio frequency, especially those carrying sound messages."

Love frowns. "It's not a teaching program, sadly. It'll answer your questions in less than helpful ways. Well, I'm here for you. I'll look over your phone questions at the end of each day and see if you need help with anything." She slightly tugs on her foreleg over her. "Keg, you can ask me anything, and I'll always answer you the best that I can do. Love, take a picture. Love, bring up that picture." Love shows her a second picture. "The phone is your whipping mare now."

[userpay]

As Brazen listens to the comm chatter leading up to Rose and Sniper heading off he doesn't particularly like the idea of not sending a larger group but then they weren't all that far away given they had Wonderbolt support. If it came down to it it would probably be they who'd be more useful in extracting the two lesser armored squadmates from the town.

Instead Brazen heads over to assist in finishing unloading any remaining supplies and stacking them and then, after that, working on digging out what he could of the buried Bird to make it easier for the cars to pull out. (assuming it hasn't been done yet)

[Miltonian]

The mare scowls. "The buckin' 'Co-prosperity Initiative'. Ponies in big, fancy steel suits clomping around and 'pressing' settlements into 'service'. Building for the future, they call it. We're on the very edge of their territory, so the three that swung by here got their tails handed to them. Not before they beat up poor Boot here."

-------

Powder Keg looks very, very lost, but offers a weak grin. "I'll start with the basics then, I guess," she says and accepts the phone, "Love, what is Lt. Love's favorite music?"

She looks up innocently. "You know. The basics."

--------

By the time Brazen is satisfied, Happy, Red Tape, and Wildcat have a nice camp set up to prepare meals/coordinate a strategy in while he and Hornet Squad prepare the Thunderbird for flipping. After a break for lunch, it'll be prepped and ready.

"Hot work?" Seafire radios from above.