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

second day, morning

[enthunder]

Her first day, she'd helped set up and explore; ranged a little, poked at an orb or two. But once the initial novelty had worn off, she'd felt the need to move, to do something, and so she'd called Odin forth and ridden out to see how far the silver spread.

Quite far, it turned out. To her great disgust. What, they were meant to get rid of all of these? By the time she'd turned for home, now on foot, it had been late in the day. By the time night fell and it all went to shit, she was more than ready to just cast Thundaga over and over. And did so, until she was almost kneeling from exhaustion.

She shows up back in camp in the morning. Whole and unharmed, thanks to a session of Cures, but the damage to her flight suit and the blood on the tears gives an idea of the night she's had. There are a few metal poles strapped to her back, but she had to get rid of most of them in her flight back to Red team. She drops them with a clank.

"Can't believe I owe Xue Yang ten points," she complains, voice scratchy, and flops into the sand next to Tidus.

[blitzcheer]

Tidus knew she'd gone out, not that he'd known what she expected to find than a whole lotta more orbs by the mission report, but he knew it was something else than waiting around like the rest of them were left to do.

And when the more than most of them were looking for finally happened--cool, thanks, in the middle of the night--Tidus had the concern to think about Light, but none of the time to actually make a call out to her, as the rush to figure out how to knock back the surprisingly hardy fiends then swapped over to create enough light to get everyone around and protected.

Light finds her, in the midst of ending a conversation over his SCA, his purple bag sat in a spot to keep open the notebook he actually figured to bring for once open, as well as a stack of playing cards in their packaging.

That's pretty much forgotten the second Tidus witnesses Light approach, and if she hadn't flopped down next to him, he wouldn't gotten up.

"Okay, you are not going out on your own again--Odin doesn't count," he adds, as if he needs to. Tidus is seeing the state of Light and he's not enjoying it. There's a mess in his mind as he figures what he should do, demand, before deciding: "There's some quarters in one of the undergrounds near here. I'll let you take a breather, then I'm helping you over to get some rest, okay? It'll be better than the tents up here."

Less noise for one, he hopes. Whatever. Light is grounded into getting rest a.s.a.p.

[enthunder]

"No argument on that count." It's mostly spoken into her shawl, as she yanks it over her head to get a better idea of the damage. "The moment the sun set, the entire goddess-damned planet was crawling with monsters. How bad was it here?"

She pulls a face at the rents and tears in the fabric. Yeah, okay. That's a lost cause until she's got a couple of hours and a needle.

[blitzcheer]

"Worse than the beaches on the last planet. We got some fires going and figured out how to keep them away, but that was still the entire night. We need some way to deal with them, or stay elsewhere at night."

Because camping out when they were going to get attacked by endless hordes? Dumb and stupid. Best place was either the warrens or zipping off with a teleport.

[enthunder]

That didn't scan with what she'd found, but she was too tired to do much more than narrow her eyes at him.

"There were a lot of them, but they went down to magic." Which was probably the only reason she was still alive, all told. "Or, I think they did. It did something, but I didn't stick around to find out."

[blitzcheer]

"What magic?" If she found a better way than them of taking them out, he'd like to know, but he does decide to share first: "We used anything with light--anything. You hit them in the face with a bright enough light, that took them out. But-"

He pauses, and frowns as he remembers what happened not that long ago.

"Now I'm wondering if we did take any out. Me and a guy--we just tried covering one of the orbs in dark half an hour ago. Bunch of fiends popped out from the ground and shattered when he took down the spell. But when he did--another orb showed up with its friend."

Two orbs for the price of one.

[enthunder]

"Thundaga seemed to work best," she hazards, after a moment's thought. "Couldn't see much, but it gave me a second to breathe every time. What's that about the orbs?"

Look, she hasn't had time to check her SCA for a while. Or... no, she thinks she remembers... her eyes are glazing over a little. Like a wet dog, she shakes herself awake, and makes an attempt to get back to her feet. "How's everyone doing? I should do the rounds."

[blitzcheer]

Is she seriously standing up and saying that in front of Tidus.

Because Tidus is standing too, the question about the orbs dropped for now, the pieces of his things picked up between his hands, shoved against his abdomen as he tries to get them into the bag.

"Nooo, you're gonna get some rest," he tells, not asks. "We're fine--if you want someone to give you an update or whatever later, pick someone you know to do it and go to bed. But you know we've got the train doctor with us," he adds. "Don't make me grab her to scare you!"

Because nobody likes to be given a Look by a doctor on any planet or any culture, and so that threat works even if Tidus has had minimal to no contact with Wen Qing to know what she's actually like.

[enthunder]

He wouldn't.

The look he gets from Lightning is almost doctor-like in its intensity, but lessened somewhat by her inability to stand up straight. "She doesn't scare me," she argues, at first. Like a liar. She can't help the glance around, as if mentioning her would summon her. "She okay?"

But bed does sound pretty good right now, so objections for posturing's sake aside, she takes a step towards Tidus, as if preparing to follow him. "And what about you?"

[blitzcheer]

If anybody asks, Tidus didn't make a grimacing face and shrink like he was about to turn into the husk of a human being under that expression shot his way, with some ability to keep himself upright, and standing his ground. Absolutely not at all.

The doctor might not scare her but Tidus knows who scares him right now....

But he recovers, somehow, somewhere in the question regarding Wen Qing's health; giving a small "huh?" before he realises who she's asking after, and then she looks prepared to move.

Oh, alright, sure. Tidus can do this! It's even better when he's sure he can turn around and not have to face Light a while, to compose himself while searching for a familiar 'landmark' for the entrances.

"I'm fine, I had Yuna with me--we kept each other healed up." He has that instinct to show an arm that had been slashed last night, his upper sleeve tattered some, but there's nothing to show for it other than that, so it's a pretty useless display. "The doctor's fine too, far as I know. I'll check around. I think most of the people are doing some last minute heals before we all try to get some more rest, you know?"

[enthunder]

Given that her own injuries are likewise just torn fabric at this point, she gets it. Or, nods like she does, anyway. Ugh. It makes her want to offer to do some healing, but ...she knows when she's beat. And when she's not necessary, even. What a nice feeling.

"Didn't realise just how good it'd be to have more medics," she admits, after making a mildly concerned but ultimately incomprehensible noise at his arm. "Going out alone would've been real stupid if it'd been last mission's team."

[blitzcheer]

It was stupid anyway. ...but Tidus isn't going to reiterate his concern about that in the end when he hadn't put as much fight into her going in the first place. Next time he will, since there can be a next time.

"Well, we get more points and we can breathe easier with healing even more. Long as the train's feeling generous." But even his grumbling now is halfhearted; it's been a long night, talking for talking's sake. "What did you find out there? Anything?"

[enthunder]

"Just more of the same. Red sand, hatches, industrial equipment... and plenty more of these stupid orbs."

Ah, which reminds her. She stops, and indicates back to where she dropped the pipes. "Took apart a machine scaffolds on the way out. Figured we could use 'em... doesn't matter now, I guess."

[blitzcheer]

Tidus stops when she does, and then linger where the pipes were left behind. Sure, they might not be any good for now, but-

"Want me to give them to Toby, the bald guy? He seems like he'd know what to do with them."

...which was an assumption on Tidus's part than knowing the guy that well. But, well. Light could correct him.

[enthunder]

"Might as well leave them there until..." But, no. Asking Rieper was as good a plan as any. Even if she'd been avoiding him for the past however many weeks. "Sure, ask him. He could probably build a gun or something."