Mission Startup

DO NOT CONTINUE READING UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO PLAY MISSION 1.

You will spoil your joy of discovery.

This is a storyline scene, which is always in first-person as you the Coach. You are the “I” and the “me”.

Mission Coordinator Shanice Obel is sitting across from me in the cafeteria. She’s starting to talk but I’m not listening well. Out of the corner of my eye, I’m watching my athletes at the other tables.

Ezebel and Billie are ignoring each other. Correction. Ezebel is doing the right thing and actually ignoring Billie. Billie is embarrassing herself by making a show of ignoring Ezebel, throwing around a lot of rude talk. Bad idea. I should make an example out of her in this first mission, pit her and give her downtime to think about how a team works.

When my attention returns to MC Obel, she’s staring at me patiently. “Ready?”

“Fire away,” I say.

She swirls up a visual in the air to our right. “As Minister Lev pointed out, you have a combat-leaning roster of heroes. However, your athletes are experienced across the spectrum. Billie is your only newbie. Lev insists that Genni has experience, but us regulars have never seen it.

“Anyway, this mission’s enemy team will be weak, so combat will be an easy swing in your favor.”

“Who are the enemies?” I ask.

Obel shows a few ugly, obsidian-skinned beasts on the screen. “Worldworks put energy into several new sets of trainer foes. Top-notch development work. This mission will be against the low caste of the set known as Spawn. Nothing deadly, and mostly straightforward combat specs.”

I nod. “What’s my team complement?”

“Eight.”