IronMaiden VII

[00:19]	<[GM]Mary>	Last time, on IRONMAIDEN
[00:20]	<[GM]Mary>	...checkups. No, really.
[00:21]	<[GM]Mary>	We last left off with Freya in bondage and entrusted to Sergeant Locke.
[00:22]	<[Zem]R1N4>	I think last time, I was about to check on someone, with possible molestation.
[00:22]	<[GM]Mary>	Oh, right, that too. Should we do that right now?
[00:32]	<[GM]Mary>	Well, whatever! In any case, a negligible amount of time passes, and you all find yourselves in the War Room, a room just for talking about wars. It's got one of those big wood tables with maps and stuff on it, and the master is currently working a projector facing the wall.
[00:36]	<CaptainFarina>	So, my little greenhorns, how much do you know about the mutative parasite that's been plaguing human progress ever since he went underground?
[00:37]	* [Pyg]Anstice	quiet sips on some tea as the Captain addresses the girls.
[00:39]	* CaptainFarina	fools with the machine. red wire, green wire, what the hell's the blue wire for?
[00:41]	* [Nom]Locke	is the kind who nonchalently reads in class
[00:41]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...A bit.
[00:42]	* CaptainFarina	doesn't even look up.
[00:42]	<CaptainFarina>	Locke, put the book away.
[00:42]	<CaptainFarina>	Miss Blaeksprutte, care to share with the rest of the group?
[00:44]	* [Nom]Locke	thought he was doing a good job of staying unnoticed. He sighs and bookmarks his page
[00:45]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	It changes you, it changes your kids, and god only knows how much, in what way, or how badly. It doesn't always go so neatly. Some people don't react well to it, and they turn into something freaky and broken.
[00:45]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	Spreads easy if you aren't careful.
[00:47]	* [huh]Freya	is silent...
[00:48]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	That's been my experience.
[00:52]	<[Pyg]Anstice>	"That sounds about right, wouldn't you say so, Captain?"
[00:52]	<CaptainFarina>	That's the gist of it. What makes it very dangerous is that there's no immunity and the parasite's ability to adapt is unparalleled. It can live within any organism, be it plants, bugs, animals, bacteria, or people.
[00:53]	* CaptainFarina	finally fixes the thing. She switches it on and turns out the lights.
[00:55]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	If only we could become robots instead.
[00:55]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	smirks a little.
[00:56]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Then we'd have to deal with machine revolutions and whatnot. Just not a friendly place down here."
[00:57]	* [Nom]Locke	is trying to figure out how best to read in the dark
[00:57]	<CaptainFarina>	I don't know about Rina, but bio-mechanical androids are subject to infection as well. It can thrive in any living tissue.
[00:59]	<[Zem]R1N4>	I am constructed entirely of nonliving materials.
[01:00]	<[Zem]R1N4>	Is it possible for us to get a radiation chamber? I am more hardened against radiation than any known living organism.
[01:01]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	Until lead figures out how to walk.
[01:02]	<CaptainFarina>	What do we need a radiation chamber for? Just go down to southernmost Dis, it's the same thing.
[01:03]	<CaptainFarina>	In any case, the point is, we have standing orders throughout our ranks to cease the spread of this disease. That's why half of our missions are parasite-related.
[01:04]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	sits up a little straighter.
[01:05]	<[huh]Freya>	Excuse me, miss...
[01:05]	* CaptainFarina	slips on a slide showing the parasite in detail, but it just looks like a lump of hideous goo with strange bubbles and colors popping out from it.
[01:05]	<CaptainFarina>	Hm?
[01:05]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...Does this mean we're going on a proper mi-- ooh.
[01:06]	<[huh]Freya>	This may be a stupid question, but... if only half of our missions are related to the plague, what are the other half?
[01:06]	* [Pyg]Anstice	turns her attention to the projection, and is very glad to be finished drinking her tea.
[01:07]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	is intrigued enough by this question to let thoughts of slaughtering mutants be put on hold.
[01:09]	<[Nom]Locke>	"If half the time we're killing mutants, then obviously the other half is killing normals."
[01:09]	<CaptainFarina>	Half is an overwhelming amount. You're forgetting basic practices like training, security, private contracts, search and rescue, disaster assistance, holding garrison, conventional human wars, hunting bandits, establishing road and rail blocks, and etcetera that aren't necessarily contagion-related.
[01:10]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	...Oh.
[01:10]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	Oh.
[01:10]	<[huh]Freya>	I see, thank you.
[01:12]	<[Pyg]Anstice>	"So, what are we going to do about this parasite then, Captain?"
[01:15]	<CaptainFarina>	What are we going to do? Train, for the next eight weeks in the very least. If you're lucky, maybe someone will send you guys a contract and you'll get a chance to see a little bit of the world. What's left of it, anyway.
[01:16]	<CaptainFarina>	Right now, I'm gonna pound it into your thick skulls to treat this thing very carefully.
[01:17]	* [huh]Freya	nods, determined.
[01:18]	* CaptainFarina	changes the slide, showing an infested girl with deep-red skin and little white boils growing all over her arms.
[01:20]	<CaptainFarina>	A common misconception is that all plague-bearers look completely sickening like this child here. For our purposes, that is not usually the case.
[01:24]	<CaptainFarina>	Reaction differs from person to person. Sometimes, there's no visible signs at all, and the symptoms are concealed purely in mental complexes. Induced rage, extremeobsessive-compulsive habits, speaking in tongues, retardation, multiple personalities, insanity, memory loss...
[01:27]	* CaptainFarina	goes silent, staring down at the table.
[01:28]	* [Nom]Locke	tags out the Captain just in case
[01:28]	<CaptainFarina>	Ugh... Anyway.
[01:29]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...Really? I'd never seen much of that. ...Or at least, not without some of the more outwardly obvious physical signs. Then again, the ones I was going after were wild ones on the prowl, so... I guess it's the difference between a hobo and old nutty grandpa, then?
[01:29]	<[Nom]Locke>	"What this means is that it's pretty hard to diagnose genuine infestation just from symptoms. That's why we have a robot. "
[01:30]	<[huh]Freya>	And she can?
[01:30]	<CaptainFarina>	Indeed. Yes, Rina here is a personal investment to make quarantine more accurate, timely, and safe for soldiers.
[01:33]	<[Zem]R1N4>	Yes. I am designed to be able to heal and be immune to the parasite. If my involvement proves worthy, mass production will begin.
[01:34]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...They made more than one of you, though, right?
[01:35]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	It seems a little ...not smart... to just have only one test model.
[01:35]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	eyes Miss Robot.
[01:40]	<[Pyg]Anstice>	"They could probably only afford to create one prototype."
[01:40]	<CaptainFarina>	If I recall correctly, there's a handful of other prototypes being fielded as well. Rina, however, is the only one in our entire battalion.
[01:41]	<[Pyg]Anstice>	"Oh? I stand corrected then."
[01:41]	<CaptainFarina>	As far as I know, anyway. There isn't any in our company, at least.
[01:42]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	nods.
[01:42]	<[Zem]R1N4>	There are currently six others in various stages of assembly. They will include upgrades based on the inadequacies I find in my own design.
[01:42]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	I see. Thank you.
[01:46]	* CaptainFarina	changes the slide to a depiction of a rather large emaciated humanoid with a narrow skull and skin the color of ash.
[01:46]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...yeesh.
[01:46]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	grimaces. Them's ugly buggers.
[01:47]	<CaptainFarina>	Here's an example of the popular mutant monster, one so tainted that it almost completely alters their biology.
[01:48]	* [huh]Freya	nods.
[01:48]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	The "doesn't react well" type?
[01:49]	<CaptainFarina>	Very few of these retain their memories prior to infection at this state, and they're usually the easiest kind to pick out. Also usually the most aggressive.
[01:50]	<CaptainFarina>	Maybe they react too well. Nothing's really immune to this thing, just different levels of acceptance.
[01:53]	<CaptainFarina>	One of our biggest problems is that there's no typical mutation, it's all nigh completely random. We have no idea what we're up against until we come face to face with it.
[01:54]	<[Pyg]Anstice>	"Indeed. No two encounters with mutants is ever similar, so there are nearly no records from previous engagements to use as reference."
[01:56]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Our research has shown, however, that they usually die when you kill them. This is the basis of our countermeasures."
[01:56]	* [huh]Freya	smacks Locke.
[01:57]	* [Nom]Locke	feels the need to contribute, that's all
[01:57]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	"Don't touch them, don't sniff them, don't eat them, don't fuck them, don't get any on you, don't get any in you, and kill it with fire as soon as possible."
[01:57]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Ow. What?"
[01:57]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	...that was basically what I tried to stick to.
[01:57]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	And, um. Sorry about the language.
[01:57]	<[huh]Freya>	This is a serious matter, Locke.
[01:58]	<[Nom]Locke>	"I was being serious. This stuff is important."
[01:59]	<[huh]Freya>	Don't give me that.
[02:00]	<CaptainFarina>	Knock it off. Bullshit aside, Locke and miss Blaeksprutte have effectively summarized the rules of engagement towards the parasite.
[02:01]	<CaptainFarina>	More or less. RTFM, if you have any questions.
[02:02]	<[Zem]R1N4>	What should we do if someone is injured by a mutant?
[02:02]	<CaptainFarina>	Ah, thank you for bringing that up.
[02:03]	* CaptainFarina	fishes around in her pocket, then pulls out a small bottle of medicine, rattling the pills around inside.
[02:05]	<CaptainFarina>	Starting tomorrow, you're all going to start taking mutation resistance pills on a daily basis. This won't stop it from infecting you, but it will slow it down enough for effective countermeasures to be used. Rina, it will be your duty to distribute and make certain everyone is taking them.
[02:06]	<[Nom]Locke>	"You kids have it so lucky. Back in my day, the only pills we got was cyanide."
[02:07]	<[Zem]R1N4>	Aye-aye, Captain.
[02:09]	<[huh]Freya>	Hmm... Miss Captian, how does the infection spread? I've heard rumors, of course, but they were everything from by air to having to take their blood...
[02:09]	<CaptainFarina>	If one of you were injured with a boosted immune system, you could take a shot made to kill it while it's in its younger stages. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be any less careful, though. Some muties that infect directly do so with second or third stage parasites, and the only thing that can save you there is amputation or surgery.
[02:11]	<CaptainFarina>	The infection spreads in a multitude of ways. Blood-to-blood contact is one of the most obvious, but a lot of people get it from eating mutated plants or drinking from contaminated water.
[02:12]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Yes, Dis is a great place. Just don't drink the water and don't breathe the air."
[02:14]	<CaptainFarina>	Dis, as far as the Center for Parasitic Diseases Control is concerned, firmly believes we live in a safe zone. A lot of effort goes into keeping it that way.
[02:14]	<CaptainFarina>	We've been fortunate so far, that much I can say.
[02:19]	<CaptainFarina>	Think if an air or waterborne agent was introduced to Dis and it happened to get contaminated by the parasite. There's an estimate of five-hundred thousand people living in this city, more than half of which lives in poverty and without cleanliness. Many thousands could get infected in just a few days, and the resulting domino effect against the population would quickly spiral down into...
[02:19]	<CaptainFarina>	...pandemonium.
[02:20]	* [huh]Freya	doesn't really want to imagine something like that. All her friends... her ears fall a bit.
[02:22]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Well, the Centre has the place wrapped up pretty tightly. I'm sure -nothing- like that can -ever- happen."
[02:23]	<CaptainFarina>	Dis would collapse on its own weight, tens of thousands would die in the resulting violence and hundreds of thousands more would die of starvation and disease. All of the towns within five hundred miles would go on high-alert, and many of those would be dragged down with Dis in an economic collapse. Not to mention the lack of military might to keep the mutagen and bandits in check.
[02:24]	<[Nom]Locke>	"...Bright ray of sunshine, our Capt'n is."
[02:25]	<[Zem]R1N4>	How many companies are there besides us?
[02:26]	<CaptainFarina>	In the entire Iron Maiden corps?
[02:28]	<[Zem]R1N4>	Yes.
[02:29]	<CaptainFarina>	Well, there's three other companies in our battalion. We're all "A" Company, with B, C, and D being our sister companies.
[02:31]	<CaptainFarina>	There's four battalions in our regiment, and two regiments in our division.
[02:32]	<[huh]Freya>	I never knew there were so many Maidens...
[02:33]	<[Nom]Locke>	"I wish more maidens kept me company, even if it's just my sister"
[02:33]	<[huh]Freya>	You have a sister?
[02:33]	<[Nom]Locke>	"...Never mind. You're horrible at this."
[02:33]	<CaptainFarina>	So somewhere around thirty. It all differs, another battalion may have as many as seven companies, but I don't that's true for any of us anymore.
[02:34]	<[huh]Freya>	Horrible at what?
[02:35]	<CaptainFarina>	Any reason why you bring it up, Rina?
[02:35]	<[Nom]Locke>	"Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it."
[02:36]	<[Zem]R1N4>	I am just wondering.
[02:36]	* [huh]Freya	doesn't know exactly what Locke's getting at, but feels it's a good chance she should be offended.
[02:38]	<CaptainFarina>	Sounds like a lot, but those active are spread pretty thin, even when we're in "peacetimes".
[02:41]	<CaptainFarina>	Hmm... I guess that about sums it up. Are there any questions?
[02:45]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	has nothing more.
[02:45]	<[huh]Freya>	None, Miss Captain.
[02:46]	<[Zem]R1N4>	None more, Captain.
[02:47]	<[Atai]Blaeksprutte>	No, ma'am.
[02:47]	<CaptainFarina>	Alright. Well, that's it for the day. Clean up the place and get some rest. I'm not going to baby you punks tomorrow.
[02:48]	<[huh]Freya>	Understood, Miss Captain.
[02:49]	<CaptainFarina>	Except for you, Freya. You can come with me.
[02:50]	<[huh]Freya>	...Yes, Miss Captain.
[02:50]	* CaptainFarina	shuts off the projector and turns on the lights, then makes herself the first one out.
[02:50]	* [huh]Freya	dutifully makes herself the second.
[02:51]	* [Zem]R1N4	leaves as well, heading off to prepare dinner.
[02:53]	* [Pyg]Anstice	takes her empty cup and saucer leaving to put it away.
[02:54]	<[Nom]Locke>	"I wonder what she needs her for."
[02:54]	* [Nom]Locke	exits, curious
[02:57]	* CaptainFarina	leads Freya back to her office, encouraging her to take a seat. The Captain herself retrieves some papers from her desk and looks them over.
[02:58]	* [huh]Freya	sits, staring at her feet.
[02:59]	<CaptainFarina>	Miss Esther, I believe you have a problem.
[02:59]	* [Atai]Blaeksprutte	goes, as well.
[02:59]	<CaptainFarina>	Would you happen to know what that may be?
[03:00]	<[huh]Freya>	I do not believe I do, Miss Captain...
[03:07]	<CaptainFarina>	Well, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is a huge problem. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure you're risking everybody you've come in contact with an infectious disease.
[03:07]	<[huh]Freya>	...
[03:08]	* CaptainFarina	thinks of her little romp in the training room... Better take a lot of vitamin C the next week or two.
[03:10]	<CaptainFarina>	We don't judge based on appearances here, but this is unacceptable.
[03:13]	<[huh]Freya>	It's... it's not infectious...
[03:13]	* [huh]Freya	nonetheless drops her ears as low as they will go.
[03:14]	<CaptainFarina>	It's not? How would you know that?
[03:15]	<[huh]Freya>	I've had this for well over a decade, and I've never known anyone to have caught it from me.
[03:16]	<[huh]Freya>	I-I assume it's mutated or something, maybe something from the surface, or maybe even infections can be infected.
[03:17]	<[huh]Freya>	But...
[03:17]	* [huh]Freya	prostrates herself before Farina.
[03:18]	<[huh]Freya>	It was wrong of me to hide it from you. I'm ready for any punishment.
[03:21]	* CaptainFarina	sighs. Why the fuck is this thing in here kissing my floor?
[03:23]	<CaptainFarina>	Lying or omitting information for induction is a major offense, Esther. By the book, you'll be dishonorably discharged and imprisoned with hard labor for six months.
[03:27]	<[huh]Freya>	If that is your decision, Miss Captain...
[03:30]	* CaptainFarina	sighs, and sits at her desk.
[03:32]	<CaptainFarina>	You're willing to accept that? Really? If I called a few MPs in here to haul your ass to prison, you'd be fine with that?
[03:34]	<[huh]Freya>	Well, of course I'd rather stay here with you, Miss Commander, but if it was your order then I'd accept it without complaint.
[03:38]	<CaptainFarina>	...Well, nice knowing you, Miss Esther. I'll have one down here shortly.
[03:39]	* CaptainFarina	picks up a phone and dials a few numbers, then waits.
[03:40]	<[huh]Freya>	...
[03:41]	* [huh]Freya	watches.
[03:43]	<CaptainFarina>	...Yes, I would like head of admissions to send someone down here to collect a discharge. No. Yes. Alright. Thank you.
[03:43]	* CaptainFarina	hangs up.
[03:45]	* CaptainFarina	yanks out a clipboard and scrawls some information down.
[03:47]	<CaptainFarina>	Just sit tight, Miss Esther. They'll be here in about fifteen minutes.
[03:47]	* [huh]Freya	nods, slowly.
[03:47]	* CaptainFarina	speaks while writing,
[03:47]	<CaptainFarina>	You mentioned repaying me before.
[03:48]	<[huh]Freya>	I did.
[03:50]	<CaptainFarina>	It turns out that won't be necessary. I haven't ordered your equipment yet. So the good news is you won't be in debt up to your eyeballs once you get out of jail.
[03:50]	<[huh]Freya>	I still owe my life to you, Miss Captain.
[03:52]	<CaptainFarina>	Well, I think you just threw it away in a fairly non-spectacular manner. What do you mean by that, anyway? Do you know me or something?
[03:56]	<[huh]Freya>	Did I not explain? You saved me some years back when I was attacked.
[03:57]	* CaptainFarina	peers closely at Freya.
[03:57]	<CaptainFarina>	...I don't remember you, in any case.
[03:58]	<[huh]Freya>	I was nobody significant. It probably happens often enough that I can't blame you for it.
[03:59]	<[huh]Freya>	But the important thing is that I remember.
[03:59]	<CaptainFarina>	Hmph. Care to refresh my memory before you get the six, six, and kick?
[04:07]	<[huh]Freya>	It maust have been... four, five years ago? Around the outskirts of Dis, there were a couple mutants who had found their way in somehow. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, visiting a friend. They broke into his home and seemed about to tear us apart when you came. You were really amazing, it was like they weren't a problem at all...
[04:09]	<[huh]Freya>	Anyway, you just took care of your business and left, but to me it was a life-changing experience.
[04:09]	<CaptainFarina>	How so?
[04:13]	<[huh]Freya>	I wanted to become a stronger, better person. Seeing you reminded me of those old tales my mother used to tell me, about long, long ago. It may seem a bit childins, but I wanted to be like a knight. And even if the sentiment was childish, the idealism stayed with me. Since then I've worked toward my ideals, and repaying my debt to you is part of that.
[04:17]	<CaptainFarina>	Cute. But getting discharged doesn't help anybody. Or was that part of the ideal too?
[04:19]	* [huh]Freya	nods.
[04:20]	<[huh]Freya>	Because you're my commander, and especially because it's you, I have no right to complain about whatever you decide, no matter my personal feelings.
[04:28]	* CaptainFarina	shrugs and slouches in her chair.
[04:30]	<CaptainFarina>	That's too bad. I was looking forward to a new Locke. Oh well...