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

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is happy to have her close to his side, and he's aware of her concerns about fire. He's got a few terrible associations with it himself -- such as the torches in the plaza where Fëanor and his sons swore that dreadful Oath; the burning of the ships at Losgar; the Balrogs who were the death of his father; the fires that destroyed the plains in the Dagor Bragollach, the dragons that caused those fires; and the dragon that killed the Dwarf king who was their ally and their protector in the Fëanorion's flight to the mountains at the end of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

It's true that Curufin looks rather like his father, especially in the reddish light that floods the skies outside. These days, he manages not to be his father, or rather, the way his father was in those far gone days.

"Thank you, Mother!" he says, turning to smile at her. "Should we go and have lunch now?"

[marriedanidiot]

Nerdanel would very much prefer that he NOT mimic his father in that one particular regard, please and thank you.

"I would like that." She reaches to tidy his hair back. "You're working very hard, my Atarinke."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin would certainly agree with that! He loves his father dearly and wishes he were not gone from the train, but nowadays he knows better than to imitate him without thinking first.

He grins at her as she tidies his hair. These loving gestures never fail to melt his heart. "Thank you, Mother. I do work hard at these mission tasks, the same way as I worked hard at the forge in the old days in our world."

He looks around at the repaired robots lying or sitting or standing around the workbench. "Some of these should go to nearby solar stations. Want to help me shepherd them to their destinations? We can pick up some lunch at the camp before we set off."

The little robots jump of the bench and come to stand at the feet of the two Elves, somehow managing to look eager to be off.

[marriedanidiot]

Especially his death!!!

"You do." She agrees fondly. "And you do very well! I know you said you had been to other places, but it still amazes me how quick you have picked this up."

[so_dark_a_road]

Indeed! Fëanor launched himself into battle with a whole pack of Balrogs, not waiting for backup, simply for the joy of being a bold and ferocious warrior who feared nothing and dared everything. Curufin had that same tendency, but on these missions he tried not to indulge it too much, for his mother's sake.

"I did pick up these new skills quickly, it's true. Though not without a lot of delving into those modern textbooks that explain the sciences of engineering, and a lot of help from those who were already proficient at some of the needed skills."

The little robots are now jumping up and down in their eagerness to be off. Curufin chuckles, picks up his rucksack and his other gear and starts for the doorway of the station. "All right, let's go! I'm hungry."

He grins at Nerdanel and leads the way to the campsite, where they stop to eat. They sit around a campfire and share in the delicious cooked meal. The little robots don't eat, of course, but they cluster around the feet of the two Elves again and adopt lounging postures.

"So, how are you doing, Mother?" he asks. He doesn't mean just on this mission, but generally.

[marriedanidiot]

"It is good to see you enjoy learning new things again." She smiles.

"It reminds me of your growing up!"

She clucks at the little robots, herding them carefully back to camp. At his question she sighs a little and shrugs.

"Well enough." She says slowly. "It still hurts, but ... it is not as if I have not know this pain before. I manage, yonya. Slowly, but I manage."

[so_dark_a_road]

He smiles back. "I do love to learn new things. I remember how encouraging you were when I was growing up, so I give you credit for a part of my enthusiasm."

He smiles again to see her herding the little robots.

As they sit to eat at the campsite, he dips a couple of bowls of soup out of the big pot and hands her one.

"I am so sorry you have to deal with the pain of loss, yet another time. It doesn't seem fair. But I do understand what you are saying. Having gone through it before can actually be an advantage, when one is dealing with loss."

[marriedanidiot]

"We are Noldor." She says fondly. "And your father the greatest of a people who have always sought knowledge. Why should I not encourage you to pursue your passions?"

She nods faintly.

"I know... what to expect." A low breath. "It makes it hurt no less."

[so_dark_a_road]

"We certainly are Noldor! We all have that passion for knowledge, and we teach our children to honor this impulse in themselves. As you did for me."

He gazes at her with compassion. "I believe you. Having prior experience with loss helps a person get through it, but not because the pain is any less. Listen, Mother, if there is anything I can do for you, you have only to ask. You've done so much for me, and it is only fair that I return the favor."

[marriedanidiot]

"We did our best." She says with a quiet smile.

"Thank you, darling. All I want is that you would take care of yourself, and come back to me."

[so_dark_a_road]

"You did your best, and you taught me to do my best, and so I taught him to respect his own need to learn and excel." He returns that quiet, affectionate smile.

"I'll do my best to take care of myself, for your sake and for my own. I would always want to come back to you."

[marriedanidiot]

"I will wait for you." She promises. "Always, my Atarinke."

[so_dark_a_road]

"And I will always come to you. Are you going to stay here at the base camp, or do you want to help me shepherd these robots to the solar stations? It would be fun to take a couple of long walks with you. And the robots." He grins down at the little mechanical creatures.

[marriedanidiot]

She shakes her head, smiling at him quietly.

"What use would I be out there?" She murmurs. "This is beyond what I know, my Atarinke. I think you might be easier if I stayed behind, hm?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"I'd be happy either way, Mother," he answers. "You may not know anything about repairing the shields or fixing robots, but it would be nice to have your company on some of these walks to the other stations, delivering repaired robots. Will you at least go with me on my walk today?"

[marriedanidiot]

She cups his cheek fondly.

"I will. I only do not wish to be a burden, my son."

Wanna wrap this thread and catch up somewhere later?

[so_dark_a_road]

He makes a little catlike motion of his head, caressing her hand with his cheek.

"You're not a burden, Mother. You could never be. Quite the contrary, whenever you're with me, I feel twice as efficient. And twice as happy."

sure!

[marriedanidiot]

"My dear one."

She says fondly. "Go on with you. Only come home to me, yonya."

And it's a wrap!

[so_dark_a_road]

He answers with equal fondness, "I will come home to you, Ammë. Always."