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!
namethattune: (But it's a good refrain)

Orange

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-18 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
This is not the first time Siebren has been grateful to see a feral grin coming his way mid-mission; the main difference is that Sombra's always carried an element of danger, while this one has far more...sunshine, for lack of a better descriptor.

Also, Siebren is currently wrist-deep in robotics instead of combat. Small favors.

He responds with a smile of his own. "Thank you. Would you be so kind as to bring it over here? I am...in the middle of something, at the moment." Wrist-deep in robotics is, as it turns out, not a metaphor.
barenakedspirit: (pic#13844370)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-20 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
“Sure thing.” Galo answers as he walks over and sets the kit down in easy reach. He takes a step back so Siebren can get right to work. “And if you got any injuries that need patched up I can get to those when you got a moment.”

He glances out at the jungle but there is nothing out there that could pose a danger for the moment. “Took down a bot to the south on the way here. That area is clear...for now, I think.”
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-21 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"I am alright, but thank you. I will keep an eye out if I head in that direction." He spreads a hand to keep what he's working on in place, not unlike holding one's place in a book, and opens the kit with the other, rummaging for what he needs.

"I do have a favor to ask of you, if you do not mind."
barenakedspirit: (pic#13868534)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-23 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Galo’s cheerful expression subtly shifts as he leans forward just a hair. A light sparking in his eyes. He prefers being useful. “Yeah? What’s the favor?” He glances behind him, doing the check to make sure nothing is about to cause trouble.

Then he turns his gaze back to him. He left his staff a little ways away. He could get to it and be on a target the moment it appeared.
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-23 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Siebren finishes his train of thought - fishing a length of yellow wire out of the kit - before answering the question. "There are a number of repaired robots in the pen behind you. Would you mind taking a few with you when you leave and placing them in the power stations?"

There is indeed a makeshift pen, constructed of jungle debris, with about half a dozen repaired drones either meandering aimlessly or simply idling. Siebren has been busy today.
barenakedspirit: (pic#13844371)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-23 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
It looks a bit like a playpen to Galo as he walks over to observe the robots. None of them attack him but he clearly didn’t expect them to. “I need to know any specific commands to get them to come with me?” He asks as he checks his SCA and brings up a map.

Stations that are powered up are marked helpfully and he taps the display before putting his arm down. “Next time you got a bunch, if you ping the network we can probably keep this deployment program going.” He says as he rests a hand on the edge of the pen.
namethattune: (I was left to my own devices)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-24 09:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Not unless you are pied piper of robotics," Siebren replies wryly, threading the length of wire into the bot he's working on and securing the ends. "They do not handle the jungle well as it is; I would highly recommend carrying them." So they don't get stuck in the jungle, necessitating Siebren spend an hour tracking them down and picking vines and leaves out of their casing.

Following that train of thought, he leans a bit to look into the open toolkit- Ah, it does have tweezers. Perfect.

He pauses to consider the proposal and nods. It's a good idea. "Thank you. As the one doing the legwork, what would you consider to be a reasonable number of fixed robots?" What exactly constitutes "a bunch" in Galo's mind?
barenakedspirit: (pic#14371188)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-25 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Galo leans back a little and crosses his arms as he studies the bots. "Six is already a bunch of trips back and forth." He says at last with a slight furrow of his eyebrows. "So that's a solid ball park number for now?"

He checks his SCA and sets up a small ping for himself for this spot. Last thing he wants is to get lost as fuck trying to get back here. He checks the staff strapped to his back to make sure it will stay and leans over the pen, scooping up a bot.

"There's a station I just repaired and cleared out not far,." He pauses again. He has to double check one last detail. "Do I just...set it down and gets on with its day?"
namethattune: (Still alive and teaching math at Yale)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-26 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Duly noted." Maximum of six before he puts out the call for couriers. Perhaps someone else would be able to carry more, but he cannot make that assumption.

He closes the casing on the bot he's repairing, and it flickers to life as he floats it over to the pen and sets it down. "That should be fine, yes. If it is completely dead, you may need to place it in a power dock, but they seem to be programmed to get to work as soon as they enter a station."
barenakedspirit: (pic#13981650)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-27 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, whatever group did all this for this planet meant these to operate without assistance." Mostly. He nods once. "Be back in five." Then he takes off between the trees, his coat visible off and on.

He isn't trying to be stealthy. He's back in a flash, hauling a wrecked drone with him. He lays it down. "Found this one off to one side." It looks like someone with a blunt instrument got in some good hits but, the repairs needed aren't super involved.
namethattune: (It's a mess)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-11-27 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well. He certainly has some energy to him, doesn't he. And he'd mentioned that he'd taken down a security sentry on the way in...he certainly seems capable.

Siebren is in the middle of working on another bot - the casing is opened, and he's using the tweezers to work bits of foliage out of wiring - when the man returns with another drone. Siebren takes a look and visibly starts. Every other drone had signs of natural wear and tear - missing casing, plant overgrowth, lack of power - but this one-

A sudden memory springs to mind - news footage of a riot in King's Row, of an enraged human swinging a metal bat into an omnic skull-

"This is...not right," he manages, still looking at the wrecked drone. "This looks deliberate."
barenakedspirit: (pic#14370887)

[personal profile] barenakedspirit 2020-11-28 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's why I brought it to you." He says as he runs his fingers over one of the hits. "From behind." He can be an idiot but a paramedic trained fire fighter knows injuries. His smile has vanished, replaced with a sharpness that's almost as feral as his smile was.

Galo cracks his knuckles, "It was laid between some trees in the brush. I did a sweep around this area. No traps. It could be it got in a fight with something, dunno." But he's not happy either. He sighs. "Bitch of a time to be without my usual equipment."
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2020-12-06 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
Siebren shakes his head slowly, listening to the report. No traps, nothing else around, and the giant armadillos and pandas don't seem to have fighting dispositions. "What here would be motivated to cause this sort of damage, let alone capable?" He pulls a screwdriver from the toolkit, holds it by the head, and lays the grip in one of the dents. It's not quite the right size, but the idea is there nonetheless - this damage was likely caused by something using a tool, a skill which none of the native wildlife has displayed.