Deep Dweller: Start

[voidtreckermods]

After the dreams some of the voidtreckers report on day Four of Grasshopper those that have been on the train for a little while will be expecting what comes the next day. Their SCA's glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparations and Arrival

As promised the dressing carriage is opened for optional extras. There are flight suits, similar to those they wore into space but without the helmets. There are instead hard hats and some basic climbing gear as well as bags to put supplies in. There are even a few red tents if any of those planning on tackling red's mission want to grab one, they hold six people in two inner compartments and are relatively easy to put up and take down.

They have a few hours of preparation before the announcement comes. Soon approaching system #789327772. Planet Terra. Drop order: Orange, Red, Blue, Purple. Orange to doors. Leaving the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. A sharp jerk, a judder and the view from the window changes from the void to dark cloudy skies and very red sand.

They land smoothly, and indeed it seems they have landed on train tracks. A few moments later they pull up outside a huge metal and glass building.

Orange Team

Arrival

Jumping down from the train they will find themselves outside large metal gates. Noticable is the spotlights that shine even in the day time, reflecting oddly off the red sand. It is hot and dry outside, a slight breeze sending red dust rolling around their feet.

The gates aren't locked. There is no lock though they will notice devices that are probably security cameras. The doors are glass and inside is light and airy. They enter into a large lobby, a large circular desk in the centre and a glass walled waiting room to the side.

It is empty. No people at all. All the lights are on. Time to explore.

Exploration

Going up two floors and down five the lab is large and full of all manner of interesting things. Scientific equipment, monitoring stations measuring chemical levels in the air, temperature, water levels. Where to even start is a good question. The lights remain on, which might be annoying at night.

Red Team

Arrivals

Red team to doors. The train continues travelling along the train tracks, looking out the windows they will see endless rolling red sand. Factories rising up from the ground, dotted across the landscape. As the train gets close the air outside seems hazier, through the fumes. They may even see in the distance, strange silver floating orbs.

Eventually it pulls up at a station. Just a raised block really, but easy enough for red team to disembark.

The land stretches out around them. Train tracks criss cross the surface but apart from that there don't seem to be any boundaries. No fences, roads or sign posts.

It won't take them long to find the first orbs, strange silvery spheres and seem almost liquid, until they are not.

Night Time

It grows dark quickly after sunset here, which might take them by surprise. Taking them more by surprise however may be the scraping, scuttling noises in the dark. Skittering close. There is no light out here on the surface, they are far away from the research facility that Orange found themselves in.

If anyone manages to catch a glimpse they will see grey, long limmbed creatures. They shy away from light but anyone in the dark is likely to be attacked. They fight with claws and teeth.

When the sun rises they are gone.

Blue Team

Arrival

Blue team to doors. The train continues across the landscape, passing more orbs, just floating there silently. It stops at the entrance of a cave.

The cave slopes downwards into darkness and soon turns into small tunnels. They don't need to go far when they meet the first ground of Gry. A group of young Gry, practising with spears in an wider section of cave.

Despite being very surprised at the sudden visitors no weapons are pointed at the voidtreckers, instead they are met with curiosity. They are soon led further into the tunnels and soon come to the living areas.

The Gry lead simple lives but they are all pretty fascinated to see their visitors and will allow them to look around their home and answer any questions they have.

Night Time

Most of the Gry sleep in a large communal sleeping area and the Voidtreckers are welcome to join them, though the Gry won't be insulted if they choose to seek out a more private area.

If the Voidtreckers awake in fear in the night, after strange dreams they will find they are not alone. Many of the Gry have awoken too and will reassure the Voidtreckers, tell them it is an honour to communicate with The Burrower.

Purple

Arrival

Purple team to doors. The train continues on the tracks and soon enters a tunnel itself. It's a bit of a bumpy trip, this train was clearly not made for warren systems but after some uneasy twists and turns they pull to a stop.

They are at a train station, not that it's easy to see because it is pitch black. But it is clear there are people around, some looking very confused at the very odd train.

Once the last of those going on the mission leave the train it speeds off into the darkness.

The Terran's are large and tower over most of the voidtreckers but they are friendly enough, if a little confused, once it is explained that they are here to help. They will be led over towards the collapsed section of city.

There is a lot of activity. People digging at rubble, others using their sheer size and strength to hold up beams. There is an array of rescue equipment and a group of official-looking Terran's holding large devices that are comparable to a tablet-computer and discussing solutions.

There is plenty to do to help, smaller rubble to clear, injured people to tend to. Worried Terran's to calm and reassure. Those brave enough can volunteer to use their smaller size to help get supplies through to those trapped and those with any scientific know how, great strength or magic can put their skills to good use.

Rest Time

Throughout the day people are rescued and other parts of the tunnels stabilised. There is more work to be done but the Terran's seem to be working in shifts and they will encourage their surprise allies to rest as well. They will offer to host them.

They live in large groups and will happily invite the voidtreckers into their homes. They will be curious about the voidtreckers but will also answer questions. Telling them about the strange storm and the collapse of the tunnels. They are urged to sleep early and the next day it will be back to work.

(OOC: Information is here)

Comments

Duo Maxwell | Purple Team - OTA

[maxwellsdaemon]

Mission Prep: Duo had opted for one of the flight suits, just in case anything happened. He didn't want to ruin any of his good clothes, especially not his leather jacket. What he DID wear over the flight suit was his cloak though. The one from the aborted mission. Dark brown, hooded and long enough to reach his ankles.

He'd braided his hair and tucked it under the cloak, but fly-away strands hung in his face as he bent to packing rope into a pack he'd grabbed. There was also a travel mug shoved deep into the pack.

Duo looked... exhausted. His movements slow. Pale and with bags under his eyes.

But if someone catches his eye or speaks to him, he'll answer with a ready smile or laughter.


Arrival 1 - Stepping off of the train into darkness was unplesent. Duo sighed, rubbed at his eyes and then lowered his hand to te floor and activated his flashlight to allow him to see what the hell was lurking in the darkness.

"... I've seen this movie. Light is my friend." He muttered to himself.

2 - While he wasn't one of the people who approached the natives to find out what was up, Duo did his best to get involved.

Being slim and experienced, he somehow ended up being one of the people to wriggle through the rubble to take supplies to those trapped.

He sat, legs crossed, covered in dust, his face streaked with dirt and drinking something he really, really hoped was water that one of the natives had given him once he'd returned from one of his supply runs.


Rest Time: Duo... didn't sleep.

He was offered a bed, a place in one of the homes of the Terrans. They were nice enough, even if they were tall as hell.

As politely as he could, Duo had to say no.

Instead he sat outside of one of the houses, he'd at least agreed to a few blankets he'd sat himself down on. And he leaned against the wall, sipping from his travel mug.

Re: Duo Maxwell | Mission Prep

[only_one_wei]

"...you don't look so good," Wei Wuxian said.

[maxwellsdaemon]

"Huh? You kiddin? I'm feeling great!" Duo replied with a laugh and a toss of his head that should have sent his braid swishing in a jaunty way, but with it caught under his cloak it didn't do much at all. And Duo pouted.

"Looking forward to gettin off the train and doing something!" He continued, forcing way more enthusiasm into his voice than was actually needed.

[only_one_wei]

"How long have you been dead, then?" Wei Wuxian asked. "Because by the bags under your eyes, you've either been losing sleep or you died about 3 days ago."

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo cocked his head to the side, one eye closing as he tried to remember... "Uh... maybe double that and add on a few more for garnish." While it wasn't entirely true that he hadn't had any sleep... He wasn't getting a full nights sleep. He'd force himself awake within an hour or so.

And yet he was still able to flash a wide grin. "But nothing to worry about! I'm good to go, coach!"

prep

[blitzcheer]

"Hey. The mission catch you in the middle of some z's?"

Because the sluggish movements and that tired look are hard to miss, even if Duo might catch someone's eye and then do his best to brighten up. Tidus is in his standard train clothes, a purple hoodie, and two bags--one of them the Red Team tent--by his feet where he's sitting out of the way, waiting.

"This is the problem when the only coffee machine's all the way on the other side of the train."

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo gave a low laugh as he grabbed up a hard hat and examined it. To take or not to take? That was the question.

"That's why the train gave us travel mugs. Coffee on the go!" He replied cheerfully. And yes, he had one of those. And yes, it was full of coffee. And yes, it was so strong it was like tar but dammit it gave him the kick in the pants he needed when he took a shot of it.

[blitzcheer]

"The train gave you one?" Wait, did Tidus have one? Now he's questioning himself (what did he get when he arrived?), a quizzical dip of his brow. "What, when you arrived? There was a mug?"

Is the train doing him dirty or his memory?!

[maxwellsdaemon]

"Huh? What?" Duo looked at the guy strangely. What was he on about? It took him a handful of seconds to struggle to think back on what he'd said before it clicked.

"... No, dude. The store. Has travel mugs. I got one before I came here and filled it up." Though it would have been damn nice to have had one in his bag from the start. But it was fine. He had one now. Filled to the brim with coffee to keep some pep in his step.

arrival 2

[irrationally]

As Alice walks up to him, she makes sure to make her presence known first before doing anything else. She knows Duo is sleep deprived. Hell, he still looks like it right now. And it's probably not the best idea to startle him while he's in that state. So before she's even fully there yet, she already says: "You look like you haven't seen a bath in years."

Only when she's sure he heard it does Alice fully approach. She has her big hobby horse weapon casually slung over her shoulder, but she makes it disappear into thin air in favour of using her hands to wipe the dust off the top of Duo's head.

"Have you eaten anything yet? One of those delectable insect dishes?"

There's definitely some deadpan about that last part. But it's very intentional. Yes, Alice is 100% mother henning him here, considering she's been worried ever since seeing him looking so tired back on the train, but she doesn't want to come across as if she's mother henning. Both since she doesn't want to be patronizing and since she doesn't like being emotionally open. So downplaying it is the way to go.

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo did appreciate he fact Alice thought about his mental state before she got close. If he didn't startle easily then there was that moment where he felt like he needed to be reaching for a weapon. Fortunately he'd left all of his weapons with his pack just so he didn't end up accidentally shoving a dagger into someone's spleen for daring to talk to him.

While his smile might not have been wide, it was genuine. He tilted his head to look up at Alice and let out a low laugh. "I feel like I haven't..." There was dirt on top of dirt he was sure. And he was very glad he had opted to use the trains clothes rather than his own.

He did, however, tense a little when Alice reached out to him, not sure what she had intended... Though immediately relaxed when he realised. Under the dirt and dust his cheeks warmed quite nicely. Not that her dusting his hair would do much, the thought was nice.

"... Yeah. I'd rather starve." Duo replied with a chuckle. It wouldn't be the first time. He knew exactly how long he could function without food. So long as he had water, he was good. So he lifted his cup with the water inside. "This should keep me goin for now."

[irrationally]

That last part manages to earn him a bit of a stare. She's willing to let the dirt slide, because even if he'd go and find some way to get himself clean, there's no doubt that he would just get dirty all over again sooner or later. They're not exactly doing clean work over here.

But the part about food is a little less tolerable. Sure, Alice believes that Duo probably is more used to going without food than the average person, judging by what she's heard about his life, but that still means there's no need to deprive himself of it when it's right there. And especially not when he still has those dark circles under his eyes. At this rate he might just start to look like her, and not in a good way.

"Hmm." It's a half-sceptical sound. "You could do that, or you could come with me to get some actual food."

There's a pause, just a beat, and then she adds: "I saw some of the younger people here with food that actually managed to look appetizing, and I need your smile to get them to share."

Is she making up an excuse so it doesn't seem to him like she's fussing over him? Or is she instead trying to convince herself that it isn't just because she wants to take care of him? It's hard to tell even for Alice herself at this point. She isn't used to this.

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo hesitated some. Go and eat or... just stay where he was? But Alice threw him a curve-ball and he knew there wasn't a way he could say no. He knew it. She knew it. He gave her a lopsided grin and laughed.

"Yeah, yeah I guess actual food'd be good. And if you say something looks edible over there, I'll trust you." Honestly, Duo appreciated the effort. Even the mild manipulation he could forgive. He knew he should eat, there was no reason not to. He just hadn't realised there was something he could eat!

Re: Duo Maxwell | Purple Team | Rest time

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel spotted Duo leaning against the wall and crossed over to sit next to him. "You don't look like an elf," he said. "I was pretty sure you humans need to sleep."

[maxwellsdaemon]

"No, not an elf. I'd be taller if I was an elf." Duo replied with a bit of a laugh. It was a weak joke, even by his standards.

"I'm fine though." Duo continued. "I'll get a bit of sleep soon..." Maybe an hour... maybe less... Just a catnap really. It's all he could afford.

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel gave him a Look. "You'd also have better jokes." He wrapped his light around Duo to hopefully help put his mind at ease. "What's going on? You've been working hard, your body needs to rest."

Prep

[najaran]

Najaran was still worried about her friend. So she was going to go with him. And even though she wanted to leave the thing behind she was wearing her stupid bracelet thing. Just this once. Next mission she was going to let him hold onto it if he wanted. But right now she needed to keep close to him, keep an eye on him. She took some of the climbing gear, but suspected that the two of them wouldn't need it. She had Goligan and her cards. "I packed food," she told him, nodding back to the bag she had made from clothing scraps and... yes that was her orange hoodie, why do you ask? She had Gooligan hitched to her belt and her cards in their pouch tucked into the back of it. She had been surprised, building her book, to realize that she could take all her cards with her. She wasn't sure why yet, but she could discuss that with Goligan later.

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo looked up with a smile, and then over toward the 'bag' that Najaran had cobbled together and gave her an odd look. "Hey, Naja? You... uh... you know there's packs you can use, right?" He held up his own, already stuffed with items he may or may not find useful in the coming days.

[najaran]

She blinked several times, then her shoulders fell. "So much for being resourceful and clever," she muttered while Goligan laughed at her. "Well, at least this one won't vanish." So there was that...

Arrival - I figure 1 can lead into 2.

[najaran]

Najaran hadn't thought to grab a light device. But she had an idea all the same. "Give me that a second? I can get us even more light!" she said, cheerfully. She reached her other hand back and a card flew into it. She summoned shield and held it so that the slightly concave side was face up. "If we put it in here it can reflect more brightly."

"Or we could just use a second magic light," Goligan said dryly.

She turned to tell him that she hadn't grabbed one, when she saw one dangling from his mustache. She muttered under her breath and looked to Duo. "Can you show us how to activate the magic device?"

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo had no idea what Najaran meant for a handful of seconds. He just blinked owlishly, watching as she pulled out a card and did a thing and... it was only then that he realised she meant the flashlight function on his SCA.

So he reached over to her hand, turned it and pressed a button on the SCA that activated the light. And smiled. "There ya go. Just press that again and it'll go off. But pretty sure you're gonna need all the light you can get here."

[najaran]

"Oh. It does that too?" Shield vanished back into a card that flew back into the pouch behind her. "I still don't like the thing," she said pointedly, but without too much heat and only a small glare at the device.

Rest

[najaran]

She followed him outside with her own blankets. She had been all readuy to bed down until she noticed him leaving. She had shoved a pillow in Goligan's mouth and had grabbed one herself before following. And she was wearing her pack, so it took her a bit to navigate out after him.

She sat down beside him and started fussing with the blankets a bit then offered him a pillow. "If you're keeping watch I can join you," she said. She wasn't sure what they were keeping watch in case of, but her friend shouldn't have to do it alone.

[maxwellsdaemon]

Duo accepted the pillow with a gentle smile of thanks. But instead of putting it behind himself, he wrapped his arms around it and leaned it against his knees, then leaned forward to rest against it.

"Sure thing. Happy for the company." Though he hoped she'd get some sleep. One of them needed to at least get some of that.

[najaran]

She gave him a tired smile and nodded. "You could always ask," she said, still smiling.

"Yeah," Goligan put in, "because counting on Najaran to notice..." whatever else he was going to say was muffled by nNjaran putting her hand over his mouth huffily.