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

[zechs_isonfire]

Zechs looked over at the young man - brow furrowed slightly - and then his face smoothed, becoming serious and a little stern.

"Alfredo," Zechs said, his voice carrying a little. "You haven't eaten."

To the point.

[hisblueskies]

"I did this morning," he replied, after furrowing his brows in a moment of thought.

"I haven't been hungry since."

Which was true enough. The mission should have been enough to hold his focus, and yet...

Finally, he turned to actually look at Zechs, some amount of exhaustion clear on his face.

"Have you?"

There's no bite to the question.

[zechs_isonfire]

Zechs' look was unimpressed. "We just hiked most of the day through jungle. You should eat even if you don't feel hungry, because your body needs the calories. Come here."

Very firm, without any room for argument.

He nodded. "These noodles are adequate. Eat, and then you'll get some rest."

[hisblueskies]

Well, Alfredo couldn't argue with that logic.

He could dislike it, but he couldn't argue.

"... I guess so."

The noodles look strangely familiar; maybe Romeo had made them before on the train?

Then, more quietly, he added, "Thank you."

Zechs may want to make sure he actually ate the food, though.

[zechs_isonfire]

"You're welcome."

Zechs was eating, not really with relish, but food was food. Just because he had eaten much finer things didn't mean he wasn't used to making do with worse. After a little bit, he'd glance over ... and his eyes would narrow pointedly. "Merely looking at them won't nourish you."

[hisblueskies]

And so, at the subtle prodding, Alfredo began to eat, chewing slowly.

... At least at first. Apparently he really was hungry; who knew!

He wouldn't be much for talking until he was done, however.

[zechs_isonfire]

Fortunately, Zechs didn't need small talk. He simply ate as well, and once he was finished, simply vanished the dishes into the borrowed Arms Band. Once they're back on the train, they could fix that.

Finally, he said, "Whatever's troubling you - there's no room for it out here. You're not on a trek alone. So you need to set it aside, for now."

[hisblueskies]

Alfredo watched the dishes disappear as silently as he had been sitting before.

Eventually, though, he spoke up again. "It's because I'm not alone that I'm troubled. I worry for my- for my friends, even when I'm working beside them."

And there were still some kinds of problems he couldn't fix, or even be a shoulder to cry on about.

[zechs_isonfire]

"Concern for others does you credit," Zechs said, a little more stern. "But not when it'll risk them, or yourself, because you grow negligent."

Zechs' tone was still calm even as he gave the boy this mild reprove. "Focus on what you can do for them. And, I do mean focus. If you consider all the ways you can do nothing for them - you'll create a self-fulfilling prophesy where you fail."

[hisblueskies]

Alfredo felt his spine straighten, as much from Zechs' tone as his words.

He wanted to ask if Zechs was speaking from experience, but some instinct told him to keep that thought shut.

Instead, he only nodded again.

"I can- I can always ask them outright what it is they need."

But remembering that and acting on it felt like two different things.

[zechs_isonfire]

"You can," Zechs agreed with a small nod. "If you know them well, you can also anticipate their needs. Trust in your abilities as they are now."

Zechs looked at him again. "When the mission is over - then you can worry about improving any skills you find that you lack. There isn't anything to do for it now."

[hisblueskies]

Feeling a bit more grounded, now (though that may have been helped in no small part by the meal as well), he nodded one last time.

"Or in learning a new skill altogether? Though that seems to happen on these missions anyway."

New world, new skills - or new interpretations of skills. It was all- a wonder and a headache both.

[zechs_isonfire]

"If you're given the opportunity," Zechs agreed. "I know that Piccolo has volunteered to teach others how to fight, improving their skills at hand-to-hand combat. Likely there are other instructors as well."

[hisblueskies]

"Yes."

He'd have to do more than just watch carefully and quietly, next time. This couldn't keep being put off...!

"I need to meet Piccolo in particular, as well; I heard he can use chi?"

It had been asked as a question more to confirm that he'd heard it right than anything else about it.

[zechs_isonfire]

"Yes," Zechs nodded. "I haven't been able to grasp the concept yet, but he does, to great skill. He's willing to show others how to use it, if they're not afraid of hard work."

[hisblueskies]

"I'm not."

Alfredo was many things: a hard worker and an intensive learner were two of them.

"... What training have you started, since joining the train?"

If Zechs wasn't focusing on chi, then what was he working on?

[zechs_isonfire]

"Well. If at some point I can actually figure out how to access this ... chi ... I'll begin training on that," Zechs told him wryly. "For now, I've been improving my hand-to-hand combat skills instead. That's the simplest to do considering how little equipment we have to train with."

[hisblueskies]

Alfredo nods again.

"Both are important, I should think."

Make do with what they have.

"But... what should we do, right now?"

In camp, on another unfamiliar world, if surrounded by their compatriots.

[zechs_isonfire]

"Focus," Zechs told him bluntly. "Focus on the current task, and what you currently have to meet those tasks. Focus on your skills and what you can do to support others. And focus, at times like these, to meet the goals of getting adequate food and rest."

[hisblueskies]

Alfredo has not yet heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but the logic is sound just the same.

"I- I will, then."

He pauses, suddenly feeling awkward.

"I think I'm still hungry, though. Sorry."

Now that his stomach's needs were known, they wouldn't quieten again that easily! But with that said, he didn't want to lessen Zechs' help.

[zechs_isonfire]

"Don't apologize," Zechs said, a little stern. He reached into the Arms Band and pulled some bread rolls from there that he'd found in the kitchen. "Just improve."

[hisblueskies]

Alfredo only nodded, accepting the rolls with grace.

"Understood. Thank you."

It was going to be a long night... but not one spent as despondent as Alfredo had been.