Not with a Bang Start and Ongoing

[voidtreckermods]

"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!

Comments

[deferences]

Once he's finished playing, his hands splay across the strings, holding the instrument steady in his lap. “Arrows are arrows, aren't they? I'm not too picky.” Sizhui had noticed Senku materializing the jar from his periphery while plucking the guqin, but hadn't wanted to interrupt until afterward. “Did you also make that?”

[10billionpercent]

He grinned at him. "Not the jar, but the oil, yes. It's made from the fat from the bear. It's good for sealing the wood and helping with waterproofing."

If he had had a brush, he'd have used that, but as it was, his fingers would have to do.

[deferences]

Of course not the jar! Sizhui snorts, lifts a hand to cover his smile then lowers it again after he's reeled himself in. “You really did make good use of all parts of the bear, huh?”

Unfortunately, he hasn't got a brush he could offer because if he did, he would've handed it over by now.

[10billionpercent]

Why not? Senku knew how to do glass blowing. He was no expert, but he knew how to do it.

"Force of habit, but yes, I'm working on it anyway. I have more than we can probably do things with but I'm trying not to waste them." Senku brushed his hands on the grass once he was done and then made a thick, rolled piece of leather appear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. He was going to make a proper grip for the bow now.

[deferences]

...well then. Guess there really isn't anything saying he couldn't have made the jar at that point!

“Nothing wrong with that, I'd say. You're smart, so I'm sure you'll figure out what to do with whatever remains, and I'm willing to bet there are people that would help.” Whether it's with taking bear parts off of him or helping Senku figure out what he could do with what remains; hides could be made into coats or rugs; bones could become weapons; meat can be eaten and et cetera. “Ah,” he pauses, considers the knife Senku's now holding then, “Are you sure your hands are clean enough?” Since he'd hate for him to slip and accidentally cut himself while he works.

[10billionpercent]

"I've got some plans for the next time we're on the train with no end." Senku responded as he was about to start but stopped at his question and looked at his hands. They were maybe a bit too greasy still.

"Ah, fair enough." Senku wiped them on the underside of his shirt before he went back to cutting the thick leather.

"I'm going to get some fabric to help me and make some coats and blankets with the pelts. That should kill a couple of weeks." He had a list of people in mind to outfit, limited by however many bear pieces he was going to get, but he wasn't anticipating how many he would actually get. Inigo outdid himself.

[deferences]

Sizhui is just about ready to offer up something of his own when Senku wipes his hands on his shirt instead. That works too, he supposes, and can't help smiling faintly in spite of himself. Much better. Now, there's less of a chance Senku might cut himself while working on the leather handgrip.

“It should, yes. If you'd like any help with that at all, let me know, okay?” Sitting here, chatting and playing music for Senku is one thing, but it doesn't really quite feel like actual repayment for the work. Helping him out with something that requires some sort of labor would be more proper and if there's sewing that needs to be done, that's something he could actually do!

[10billionpercent]

"Oh, I will. I have a lot of projects in mind and people who owe me favours usually get asked to help." Senku smirked.

He couldn't help it, it was a bit of a barter system.

He fit the grip around the bow that was really starting to look like on and another thin piece of leather just needed to be wrapped around and tied to keep it into place.

"I think I can make you eight arrows." Senku mused. "To start with anyway, but if you need more, I can show you how to make them, if you're interested in that."

[deferences]

“Good,” he affirms with a smile, glad they at least have that understanding. Whatever Senku decides to ask him for help with, he'll help, no questions asked.

(Well, maybe a few if he has no actual idea what he's doing.)

The bow is coming together rather nicely, Sizhui appraises it from where he's sitting, head admiringly tipped. Here's hoping Senku won't get upset after he gets it, probably uses it once or twice and ends up letting Willow borrow it for however long she needs. Having his sword and guqin are enough, sure, but it never hurts to have another extra weapon just in case, and sometimes for reasons like letting friends borrow them when necessary.

“Eight arrows is perfect. I'll have to collect and reuse them until there are more, which I would happily learn to make.” Especially since Senku's willing to teach him and all. “Are they difficult to make?”

[10billionpercent]

"Not teribly, but it took me a lot of trial and error to say that." Once he was satisfied with the bow and he tugged on the string experimentally, he offered it to Sizhui.

"What do you think?"

[deferences]

“Fair enough.” Most things do take practice before one becomes good at something. He watches Senku test the bow first and once it's offered, Sizhui accepts, carefully testing the string himself, gripping the leather firmly in his other hand.

“Mm! It's very nice, thank you. The durability is good and the tensile strength of the string feels just right.”

[10billionpercent]

"Good, I can adjust it if you don't like it." Senku answered and summoned himself a few rocks and sticks.

"Now then, the quickest way is to use stone tips and I'll show you how to shape and sharpen it here...." Senku said, getting into demonstration mode.

[deferences]

“No, no, that shouldn't be necessary at the moment.” For now, it feels perfectly fine, though if it were to ever break or become too slack, he knows exactly who he can come to.

And as soon as Senku starts explaining how to make the arrows, Sizhui goes into his own full-on student mode, listening intently, nodding here or there toward particular details. Fortunately, it doesn't seem all that difficult and again, if he has questions, Senku's likely to answer whatever he asks, even though it might require an exchange of some sort.

[10billionpercent]

He wasn't quite that picky about his favours, after all, he enjoyed teaching people how to make things.

"The real trick, is breaking the rocks so that you get a sharp edge..."

When the lesson was concluded, he helped Shizhui whip up the rest of the arrows, it was just that he was clearly well practiced at this and he handed them over.

"Here you go. If you ever need anything else, you know where to find me."

[deferences]

Sharp edges make sense on arrows, given what they're used for, so he'll certainly dedicate time and put effort into making sure they stay that way. He mms discerningly, fascinated by the ease of which Senku explains how to make them, taking information in while testing each pointed tip against his fingers with caution.

After they're finished, Sizhui produces a long white sash from the same bag as before, binds all the arrows together in a neat bundle then stores them alongside the rest of his items inside that same qiankun pouch.

“Thank you very much for the weapon, the arrows and teaching me how to make said projectiles.” If that weren't enough praise, he even lifts his arms, clasps both hands in front of himself then gratefully bows his head. “I most certainly do.” However, much to his dismay, the ever-present Lan clan internal clock is starting to remind him it's getting (if not already being) late. With his hands raised, at least he has an excuse when bringing one toward his mouth to cover a small yawn. “Pardon me. Unfortunately, I have a rather strictly ingrained bedtime, so I must excuse myself.” He shifts following the remark, takes the bow, gingerly hooks its string over his shoulder.

“Again, I appreciate this quite a lot, and just keep me informed of when you might want help.” Then he clambers upright, gives another head-tilt and makes his way back toward his own tent, bleary-eyed yet content with their successful exchange.