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!
swansongs: (Let's face it I blew it you waited)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-15 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
"God, I hope so," he said, looking up. "I'm so not a mechanical guy. I know my way around a computer, but not the inside of them." He didn't know if this counted as mechanical or electronic, but it was as good as--as something really foreign.

"This part looks kind of busted, but that's all I can tell," he said, prodding it carefully.
blitzcheer: (woah u look like a tree)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-15 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Tidus kneels where he's standing, eyeing the piece held up and then shuffling through his box of bits and bobs.

"Lemme know if anything here looks useful?" he offers, helplessly himself. He takes out what looks like batteries, wires, screwdrivers and weird...circular devices. Setting them out so they can be seen.

"If this train's going to send us out on repair jobs, it's gotta give us more people who knows what that means. I get desperate times call for desperate situations, but it's a big void. There has to be other people who actually do this thing."
swansongs: (To what I said)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-16 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Will do." Dyme watched what Tidus was doing, picking up one of the circular things and comparing it to the inside of the robot before putting it back down.

"Or, if there's not more people who can do this stuff, at least give us diagrams or lists of what things are supposed to look like," he said. "Even some pictures would help a lot on figuring things out." He figured, anyway.
blitzcheer: (the QUEEN)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-16 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
A scoff.

"What, the train? Help? It doesn't even give us instructions for the tents!" Which had been confusing enough the first time Tidus had to put one together on a mission! "This is where we need someone on the other side. Like,"

He lifts up his hand with the SCA on his wrist, mock says,

"'Hey, Tidus to Train HQ, give us a manual, half of us don't know what a phone is down here'."
swansongs: (That I should really stick)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-17 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
Dyme laughed. "It's helpful most of the time except when we really need it. And god, screw the tents; I don't even know where to start."

Peering down at the robot again, he sighed. "Where's a genius when you need one." Even if his world had robots, he wouldn't know where to start with this one.
blitzcheer: (whatcha gonna do about iiitt)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-17 11:49 am (UTC)(link)
Tidus hums, sympathetic. Just how were any of them actually meant to get these jobs done when they had the know-how for electronics as well as their medieval companions did?

"You think it'd be easier if we brought all the good robots to one of the stations," he muses slowly, waving a hand, "stuck all the tech-heads with them, and the rest of us cleaned up the solar panels?" A tilt to his frown. "I mean, with Webs's magic, we might be able to do it."
swansongs: (Let's face it I blew it you waited)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-18 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Dyme perked up. "That sounds like a great idea, actually." Apparently there was a genius right in front of him, because he probably wouldn't have thought of that on his own. "Who's Webs?" And what kind of magic did they have?
blitzcheer: (you'll never give up)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-18 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh--Webs? The spider who lives in the dressing car? Her?"

He figures Dyme has to know her, right? Giant spiders are hard to miss! He waves a hand though, half-sheepish.

"That's what I call her. Uhh, what's the other name people use?" Is there a more 'public' one...?
swansongs: (That I should really stick)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-19 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh! Her. Okay, yeah, I know who you mean." He just didn't remember her name, whoops.

He shrugged. "Beats me. I knew at one point I think but, uh, I forgot."
blitzcheer: (trying not to use same keywords)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-20 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
"She doesn't really care, far as I know. But alright, I'll ask her! I got to talk to her later anyway." About boring mission stuff, all the different routes and travel. But there's an awkward pause, when Tidus wonders if to bring something up. But, well...

"But, hey-- how are you holding up?" He pauses again, looks away briefly. Speaks on a lower note. "...I heard about Bucky."
swansongs: (Said a million things but now I know)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-22 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
He was nodding to the first part until abruptly he stopped, freezing when he heard Bucky's name. Swallowing, he hesitated, looking up.

"I'm...I'm okay. It's not like...the worst." It was the worst but not the worst. "I just...thought I'd have more time." He'd known Bucky since the day he'd arrived on the train; he'd gotten used to seeing him around. Figured he'd just always be there. It figured that when he finally took a chance, everything would go to hell.
blitzcheer: (blahblah yippy doggy love you)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-22 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Tidus listens, getting it; maybe getting it better than his question would have had it sound like. Scoffing, but just at himself, digging into the wiring of the bot. Trying to find a place to tug them out without damaging any part.

"It sucks," he says; stating the obvious, saying nothing new. "What are you supposed to do? Nothing wrong in falling for someone."

Even if you know it can't be forever -- even if you know the risks. Tidus's hands find the joint of the limb he's messing with, trying to break it apart with just his fingers, seeing how far he'll get.

"Think the worst part is knowing they didn't choose to go."
swansongs: (Said a million things but now I know)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-23 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
"It does..." He swallowed, pulling some vines back from the robot, trying to untangle it some more. "I don't...have a good track record with romance," he said quietly. "I'd thought--hoped it was a chance to turn things around. I'd been planning a date...cause I'd wanted to do something nice with him."

He hadn't even wanted or been trying to rush into anything. He hadn't gotten the feeling that Bucky was the kind of guy to rush, either.

"I just hope, wherever he is, that he's safe and happy." Even if Bucky'd been taken away against his will.
blitzcheer: (a match to gasoline)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-11-23 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Me too," he joins in, to Bucky's safety. But quietly, if he thinks about it; a small noise before he admits, "I had a girl back home. We... well." He sighs, rubs the back of his neck.

"We weren't gonna be able to be together long. Never really got to get together at all, but... we got a small while, on the train. Two months." He chuckles- "One month of me not wanting her to worry thinking about me, and then another month...that I'll never regret."

He didn't really regret either of them. Maybe they could have done things better, but- it was still time together.

"I'm glad. I hope she's gonna be happy back home too."
swansongs: (Said a million things but now I know)

[personal profile] swansongs 2020-11-24 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh." Dyme never would have known or guessed or had any idea if Tidus hadn't told him. He was, sometimes, completely oblivious. He'd also never wish the pain of losing someone on anyone, especially not someone he considered a friend.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm glad you had some time together, at least, but..." he shrugged helplessly. There wasn't anything they could do, probably, to stop someone from leaving, and there was nothing they could do after they were gone.

Did he hope that the people they'd lost would come back? Yes and no. Yes because there were people he missed, and no because he wouldn't wish being kidnapped on anyone, no matter how much he wanted to see them again.