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

[radishlobbyist]

Wen Qing had noticed Xiao Xingchen looking rather wan while he was helping with the tents and eventually withdrawing to one saying he needs a nap, though the work isn't done yet. It has her frowning in concern; he doesn't strike her as the kind of person who would try to get out of work, if he says he is unwell then he must truly be unwell.

Once she can take a break from her own duties of sorting out their equipment, she walks over to the tent he disappeared into, clearing her throat loudly.

"Daozhang?" she asks quietly, so as not to wake him if he managed to fall asleep. Sleep is probably for the best if he doesn't feel well anyway. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

[feixuehua]

He isn't sleeping yet, but he will soon. Xingchen is searching for the canteen for his tea, when he heard a voice, female, and he's unfamiliar, but she has spoken in his language.

"Hello?" Then with a cheerful upbeat. "Hello, I am looking for...it's a silver tin, a canteen with my iced tea. If you can help me find it."

She can see it's carefully tucked away on the floor of the tent in a corner somewhere, which is his tea.

[radishlobbyist]

As far as first proper conversations go, this is certainly somewhat awkward, so Wen Qing being Wen Qing decides to breeze right past that and focus on practicalities.

Given implicit permission, she enters the tent, giving him a small nod before joining the search, eyes soon alight on the canteen.

"It might be this one here," she says, picking it up and bringing it to him. "It's certainly filled with something cold."

[feixuehua]

He can hear her entering the tent, which she is welcomed to. He huffs in frustration as he is getting used to living his life being blind like this, but up until now, he learns to have patience with himself.

"Yes, that's the one. It has my iced tea. Thank you." He reaches out to her, in the direction of her voice, wanting to receive the canteen.

[radishlobbyist]

She puts the cool canteen right into his hand, not letting go before she is certain he has a solid grip on it.

She falls silent then, waiting, giving him time to actually drink in peace first.

"If you're feeling unwell, I could check your pulse. I'm one of the doctors on the train."

[feixuehua]

Twisting the cap, he has a drink, which is a relief to help him cool down and quench his thirst.

"Oh, a doctor? You could. I have met Ichigo, so you can check my pulse. Whom I'm speaking to? I don't think we have met yet." As he doesn't recognize her by her voice.

[radishlobbyist]

Now, she does hesitate. Would he be hostile towards her? He had been briefly on the train before and then he hadn't shown any hostility upon learning her name but...

Detemined to get this over with, her voice is a little brisker than necessary when she says, hands neatly folded in front of her, "Wen Qing. My name is Wen Qing." And then, since she isn't sure if he has figured out that much, or how much he has been told about the other cultivators on the train, she adds, "Yes, of the Wen sect. We are from the same world."

[feixuehua]

Very slowly, "Wen Qing. Of the Wen Sect." A pause, a beat. "I'm very sorry what happened to your clan."

There's no hostility coming from him at all. He cannot see her bowing, but out of courtesy, he knows his manners, so he bows back in his introduction. "It's nice to meet you, Wen Qing. I am Xiao Xingchen. I was once a student of Baoshan Sanren in her sect." With a smile, "I hope we can be friends. A doctor can save lives."

[radishlobbyist]

She thinks of mentioning that she knows who he is, that she has met him before on the train, or at least some other version of him, but she doesn't know if he has actually been told about that yet. If not, she doesn't wish to unsettle him.

So she just smiles a little, grateful for finding the same easy acceptance and respect as before.

"I would hope to be friends, too. I have heard much of you, and I was once lucky enough to treat a companion of yours who spoke highly of you." She falls silent, looking down at her hands. "I only wish to be a doctor here on this train, regardless of my name."

[feixuehua]

He has been told and is aware of what happened, so even if she brought it up, it will come to no surprise of him. Just that when he returned back, he comes from the point of no return.

He can't see the smile, but he smiles back. "Just like yourself, I wish to help people and serve." Tilting his head, looking every bit of surprise. "Which one spoke highly of me?" He doesn't deserve such high regard, he thinks.

[radishlobbyist]

"Song Lan." She shakes her head, a small, wistful smile on her lips as she thinks back to having had him as a patient. "But that was years ago, before..." Well, before she lost her standing in the Wen sect, before the Wen sect fell. "I was a very different person back then."

She clears her throat, straightening. "If you are certain you need nothing but your cold tea, I should leave you to rest."

[feixuehua]

The smile faded, voice soft, barely audible at the mention of his best friend. "...oh." A heavy weight of guilt in his heart when he thought about it.

"Years ago." He echoes after her. "Yes, he was my best friend and he regarded me highly." He swallows thickly, feeling slightly tense speaking of him, not wanting to speak of his past.

"I'm glad. And, yes, I need rest. And indeed you are. You should be proud."

A thought, a beat. "I thought you're coming over to check my pulse?" Though he is fine, just feeling dizzy and dry from the heat, but the iced tea helps with that.

[radishlobbyist]

"I was. If you won't mind, I will still do so before I leave you to your rest." Right, she had come to do that, before memories of the different life she'd lived back when she met Song Lan made her move to retreat quickly.

She kneels by Xiao Xingchen, reaching out for his wrist, slowly, first brushing against his fingers so he will have time to realize she is now touching him and make the choice to permit or refuse it before she takes his wrist for the pulse diagnosis.

[feixuehua]

"I don't mind at all." So, like a good patient, he sat still. He can hear her movements as she kneels, feeling her fingers on his wrist. He sat quietly, not saying a word, and let her do her job. She'll find that his pulse is strong and steady, so he is fine.

When she finished and he doesn't feel her anymore, "How was it?"

[radishlobbyist]

She withdraws her fingers after a moment, satisfied with what she has found.

"Your own assessment was correct; your pulse is strong and I sense no irregularities. Rest and drinking plenty of fluids should be enough to acclimatize you, but if you run into any other problems, you are welcome to call for me."

[feixuehua]

With a nod, he relaxes as he listens to her instructions, and rest his hands on his lap.

"Thank you. That's good to know. I will rest and drink lots of fluids. And I will."

wrap?

[radishlobbyist]

"I'm glad, daozhang. Rest well, I will be available if you need me," she offers again, though this time this offer comes with a bow and then she makes her way to the exit.

Time to get back to setting up tents and sorting out supplies.

yup! /wraps

[feixuehua]

"Thanks again. I hope we meet again." As he hears her footsteps, stepping out, and he bows back in his gratitude, and he helps himself to his tea.