voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2020-11-13 04:28 am
Entry tags:

Not with a Bang Start and Ongoing

"Good Morning passengers. Today is day seven of the month of Imagination." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preperation

They have about an hour to prepare, a little less than usual but perhaps expected, given the urgency of the task.

The cupboards in the dressing room are open to reveal rows of tents, in all four team colours as well as some basic camp cooking equipment. They are in bags that should be easy enough to carry.

"Shortly arriving on System #6416. All passengers get ready to disembark. Next stop world 6416. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." The train rocks and lurches, bright colours of the void filling the space and then fading as they fly downwards towards a very green landscape.

Arrival and Initial Task

The train lands in a clearing, curving round in an attempt to fit. Once everyone who wishes to disembark has done it flies back into the air, vanishing from sight.

The air is heavy and humid, though it is not currently raining. The clearing is open to the sky and looking up will reveal a worrying sight. The sky is an angry red colour, colours shifting as if the clouds themselves were on fire. It's an unnerving sight.

Their SCA's show three points, one Orange, One purple and one that is half blue and half red. The three control centres. Each are a few hours treck through the jungle and it certainly feels like there is no time to waste.

Those that don't want to treck through the forest can start setting up camp, though the darkening sky might be a little distracting. As time goes on flecks of fire drift down, though they extinguish before hitting the forest floor.

Orange are to travel to the north, Purple to the south and Blue and Red must travel together to the west. Each route takes them through thick and unrelenting jungle. Flying is difficult here unless you can get up past the canopy layer, which means vision of the ground is severely hampered.

The control stations themselves are half buried in vines and require cutting into. If voidtreckers are unlucky they will meet their first security robots here, firing on the intruders. They might even meet their first giant Armadillos, the creatures are curious and may wish to investigate. They are not helpful or constructive to trying to power up the stations and prevent the destruction of the planet.

The control stations are simple enough to operate, but there's quite a lot that needs to be done in way of repairs and clearing. It will take a team effort to get it in working enough order to activate the shield.

The shield itself, when it is activated, is mostly invisible but there is a loud humming sound. The meteor, which has gotten more visible throughout the five hours, hits the shield and splinters, fire enveloping the whole sky. It is visibly terrifying, but no fire falls to earth, no rocks get through, the planet is safe.

Ongoing

Once the planet is safe the voidtreckers deserve a rest. But once the next morning dawns it is time to start with their next tasks, to make sure that this planet stays safe from future threats.

Red

The robots at the control stations are not the only malfunctioning security robots around. They roam the jungle, or are more often stranded in the jungle, powering up only when faced with a new threat.

Some are benign, terraforming machines whose only crime is using up precious power. These need to be dismantled so that power can be saved for the shield system. Others are security robots that will attack the intruders to the planet.

Though the machines are scattered they are often obvious, emitting warning alarms or flashing lights. Their SCA's will show some areas where there are larger clusters but machines can be found anywhere.

Purple

Their SCA's are filled with hundreds of purple dots, each a solar stations that needs cleared and brought back online. It's not the most glamourous job, the stations are deep in the jungle, the treck is difficult and most of the work needed is weed clearing.

But once the weeds have been cut away they will need to patch up the station, doing basic maintenance to get it back online. In some cases wires need to be patched back together but it shouldn't take any great feats of engineering to get the stations up and running.

They may run into some of the security automatons, needing to fight their way into the stations before they can begin the clean up operations.

Orange

Like the red team their SCA will show areas where there are clusters of the small insectoid automatons that need to be rescued and restored. However they can be found anywhere throughout the jungle, they are not too suited for the terrain outside of the stations and so they have gotten tangled in vines. They can be found powered down, stranded and in dire need of maintenance.

Tools and spare parts can be found in many of the solar stations that purple team have been locating. Actually repairing the robots takes some engineering knowledge but once they are restored they will go about their tasks in the stations. They will need help getting to the further flung stations as well as the main control centres.

They are very basic in design and follow pre programmed instructions rather than being able to hear and listen to orders. But once in the correct place they are very effective at their job.

Blue

Once the shield is up there is a faint humming that can be heard throughout the jungle if they listen closely and find it among the sound of rain and insects. But once they hear it, it is obvious where it is louder and more prominent.

Their SCA will pin point some of the larger control boxes but there are truthfully too many to show on a map. Not all of them have attracted Violet Pandas, but many of them have.

They are curious creatures, both of the power boxes and the voidtreckers. They are protective of each other but not so much of territory and therefore it is not difficult to move them on. Keeping them away is another matter, the power humming is interesting and they will unearth wires and chew through them. It doesn't seem to do them much harm, there is clearly safety stops in the system for such eventualities. It does however cut power off to entire solar stations and require a lot of patch work.

Good luck voidtreckers!
mtsilver_conquor: (Default)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-11-27 10:35 am (UTC)(link)
It's not, and as far as she cares, it's very, very telling.

"Come on. Near the edge of the camp. We'll feel more useful there."

Never mind she's aware they likely don't need that many guards; it's not about that. It's about feeling that one can control and make very real positive effects on circumstances.

That it's a distance from the others, possibly out of view of any breakdowns, isn't even on her mind.
luckydragonsfoot: (stare sadly into the middle distance-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-11-29 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Nhhhh...there ev'n anythin' we're s'pposed t' be doin' other than eatin' an' sleepin' t'night..?" he wonders aloud, staring at the ground as he follows. It sure feels like the mission itself is a 'tomorrow' thing at least- eat, rest, recover before tackling the mission full strength...
mtsilver_conquor: (Default)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-01 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Keeping watch. Just because the dangers past doesn't mean we should skip it." Eva says with a smile. "And - after what we all witnessed, feeling the need to control and make very real positive effects on circumstances's pretty standard, even if it's just keeping curious animals away from sleeping people."

A lopsided grin. "Even I'm feeling it, and I've been in some pretty hairy situations in my life."
luckydragonsfoot: (stare sadly into the middle distance-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-01 02:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nyhhh....watchin' f'r meteors y' mean..?" He's slowly going to get there, go easy on him.

Regardless, Katsuya just nods along and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah..? ...Guess I have t' agree there," he admits, quietly noting to himself that despite everything he's seen in his own world, that was still pretty harrowing. "...Though I think I had some kinda advantage back home, when stuff like this happened..."

The advantage was having his emotions stripped off temporarily by way of being computerized. 0/10 he doesn't recommend.
mtsilver_conquor: (Default)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-02 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"I mean more mundane threats like curious animals," she says gently as she stops near the edge of the camp.

"Yeah. I wouldn't recommend them though. Storms aren't easy at the best of times back home." She shrugs a little. "Do I want to know what advantage that was?"
luckydragonsfoot: (ewwwww thing)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-03 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"...Oh..." He didn't really think those were things to watch for...

...Uh- "...Storms?" He pauses, and then looks away. "Er...not really, prob'bly..." It's definitely not something he'd expect anyone to hear about, and take well.
mtsilver_conquor: (Default)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-04 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Trust me, waking up to a curious animal inside your tent isn't the most ideal," Eva adds as she sits down.

She snickers then grins, wide and bright. "Try me. I live in a world where storms often attract wild pokemon and those bring their own havoc, nevermind what sandā-driven ones are like... Storms'll also see idiots going out storm riding, and that's saying nothing of what life in a coastal community like Masara's like."
luckydragonsfoot: (say again-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-05 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
He immediately imagines a panda sneaking into his tent. Hmmm...hmmmmm...

The rest of what she's saying pulls him back to reality though. "Nyyhhh...ain't so much tha' it might be unbelievable as it is more..." He grimaces. "...Bad," Katsuya admits almost shortly.

"Storms sound a hell 'f a lot like alola swarms though, if y' ask me. Def'nitely isn't as bad as tha' sounds like though." Granted, he's not entirely sure what he thinks it sounds like- all he knows is that havoc created by pokemon where Eva's from will probably be a heck of a lot messier than say, when there were suddenly Alcremie everywhere that one time.
mtsilver_conquor: (casual)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-09 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"That... tells me nothing?" It honestly does; then again, given her world, bad can and does mean everything from 'stepped on a geodude' to 'disturbed the beedril hive' to 'angry mother hydregion H E L P'. "But if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

And it is, because there's more important things: like swarms not sounding as bad as they sound??? "Um. You're gonna have to explain that one? As swarms of pokemon tend to mean Trouble."
luckydragonsfoot: (nyh-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-10 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"...Yeah tha's th' point." He looks rather grim, so it's definitely...well. Honestly it doesn't really match the mood for any of what Eva's thinking. "It ain't like 'whoops' bad. ...It's 'horror' bad. Like...the creepy, brain-related kind."

Psychologically bad, is what he's trying to say.

Anyway. "...Ehh, prob'bly not th' way you'd think. We had a few in Alola- durin' some, I got t' use some herdin' experience even! ...Then there was th' time there was Alcremie everywhere...they're like, livin' piles 'f whipped cream. Real weird." A swarm of farm animals is one thing. But a swarm of...whipped cream??? Alright.
mtsilver_conquor: (Thinking it over)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-16 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah... Did you end up going to talk to someone to make sense of what you'd been through in that case?" It's an innocent, well-meaning question, and, in Eva's mind, a little more important than the alcremie right now.

She can come back to that topic, after all.
luckydragonsfoot: (stare sadly into the middle distance-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-16 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
'Going to'...

"...Like...a therapist..?" He's assuming that's what she means, at least. "...Hah. ...Yeah, that wouldn' work out. Fact is, magic an' stuff ain't common knowledge back home. I talk t' anyone other than my friends- an I have, honest!" he insists, not wanting to worry the other with the idea that he hasn't talked to anyone.

"...But other than them, I can' talk abou' this stuff." He'd probably be laughed off at best, going to a therapist about 'shadow games' after all.
mtsilver_conquor: (Default)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-17 08:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Friends are good, and a start, yet..." Eva sighs and leans back as she stares up at the sky. "Take it from someone who's been there; friends are friends and great to talk to, yet it's possible for them to say what you want to hear, not what you need to. That said, you... you should find one."

There's a grin. "A good one has an open mind and listens. Plus, there's the fact they're bound by strict confidentiality stuff."
luckydragonsfoot: (stare sadly into the middle distance-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-19 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nyhhhh..."

He's Extra certain that won't go well for him right now. "I'll think abou' it, how's tha'..?" The tragedy of the world 'norm'.
mtsilver_conquor: (Sunglasses)

Do we want to start to wrap or?

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-21 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good. Can't do much other than here anyway, I think."

She's love it if they could though!
luckydragonsfoot: (Heckye)

sounds good to me! (-EYES THE WINTER FAIRE WHILE SAYING THIS...-)

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-21 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hah!" Alright, she's got him there. "Yeah! I bet not a whole lotta folks here are qualified f'r tha'!"

Maybe some come close to qualified but.... ....ehhhhhh probably not if he thinks about it actually.
mtsilver_conquor: (Sunglasses)

Wrap? (CW: Pee joke.)

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-21 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"I wouldn't even bet one that," Eva says with a small head shake. "Anyway, stay and keep watch with me?"

She asks that, yet there's an impish- and completely immature grin crossing her face, as now, in an effort to get her friend thinking about something else entirely: "I promise not to look if you gotta go piss on a tree or something."

She means it, even if the tone is light and teasing. "But, in all seriousness. Stay and keep watch?"
luckydragonsfoot: (guess what i have Wise things 2 say)

Annnnd wrap..!

[personal profile] luckydragonsfoot 2020-12-21 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, he's feeling a little better now at least. So...

Hah, what the heck. "...Yeah...yeah, I guess I c'n-"

Suffice to say, Katsuya chokes. "KEH-! Aw man, c'mon, tha's as bad as Honda..!" The choking only lasts so long, soon replaced by a far more genuine grin however. Nodding, he repeats the decision. "Yeah, I'll help watch," Katsuya says more clearly.

... "Maybe we'll see one 'f those purple pandas 'r somethin'." Pandas...Pandas sound great...
mtsilver_conquor: (16)

/puts a bow on it!

[personal profile] mtsilver_conquor 2020-12-22 10:25 am (UTC)(link)
The only response is a loud peel of laughter, though Eva soon settles down as it seems like her ploy worked and got his mind off things.

At least for now, but whatever. Mission accomplished!