middleofsomewhere | Not with a Bang Start and Ongoing

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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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's alright, they have a ton of things to process from the bears as it is, a small hunting break isn't going to do much, and they have enough to eat. It's just how things are in his world and he can't see any reason to waste parts of animals. It isn't like they have a ton of things on the train after all. ]

Yeah, robot parts. Those will be fun to tinker with. It would be nice if we could make a few things. I'm not sure how useful they'll end up being, but it can't hurt to experiment a little.

Can you really make that many things with those parts?

[ It's a general 'you' more than a Senku 'you', really. Inigo wouldn't doubt Senku's talents, after all. It's more just that he has no idea how these robots work.. or how the parts inside of them work. Or what you could do with them. After all, all Inigo can think of is just reassembling one of these robots, but what would that do for them around the train? It'd probably just be a nuisance with all these blinking lights! ]

They all just look like junk to me. Oh-- hold on. [ He looks down at his SCA. ] There should be a station near here, let's clear that one out.

[ Or well, more like Inigo will clear it out, and Senku can.. fiddle with electronics there, or something. Do stuff that Inigo has no idea of how to work. ]

You can make things that are mechanical with it. A lot of machines have the same kinds of insides.

[ Surprisingly perhaps, Senku actually picked up on the meaning Inigo was going for. He's already been warned by Inigo himself that boring science talks aren't his thing and that he needs to make sure he stays away from complex concepts without explaining himself first. ]

So wires and things can be repurposed to make other machines.

[ He's ready to tinker anytime, so this plan works for him! ]

[ Thank you Senku for having learned that Inigo's poor peanut sized brain can't handle the big science talk..

But this is helping, at least. These tiny chunks of information are simple enough to be processed by him. ]

Do you have an idea of what kind of machines you'd like to make then?

[ Not like Inigo knows! He has no idea what kinds of machines are out there, other than what they already have on the train..

And in the meantime, while talking, he'll start heading in the direction of the dot on his SCA display. ]

Not off the top of my head yet, I mean, I haven't come up with any plans. Most likely I'll take a look at what we collect and see what we can manage with it.

[ Not a problem, Senku was always going to join him on this wild adventure, and probably definitely get in trouble with Gen later for not resting, but it was fine. ]

I'm sure we'll come up with something.

Well, it's you. [ Inigo smiles a little. He's tired, but that doesn't mean he can't smile! He has to show Senku that he genuinely means this compliment, anyway. ] Of course you'd come up with something.

[ He admires your big brains, Senku! ]

I could never do that! [ He chops some plants out of the way while they walk. ] It all just looks like the same junk to me.

Yeah, but you're not alone. [ He chuckles lightly. ]

Not everyone can do what I can, and that's okay, you have other skills I lack. We find something to fight I'm counting on you to keep me alive.

[ I-Is that an actual compliment from Senku. Or at the very least the other saying something nice to him.

Inigo is so weak to these sorts of things. For as great as he is with throwing around random praise at just about everyone, he sucks at receiving it himself without being very much caught off guard. His cheeks are starting to grow red. ]

O-Of course I'll keep you alive!

[ HE SOUNDS SO DETERMINED NOW. The slightest hint of praise is all Inigo needs to keep going for days. Goodbye, any and all fatigue! ]

As long as you're here with me, I won't let a single thing happen to you. Promise.

[ It very much is a compliment from Senku. He's quite liberal with them when the timing is right for someone who's not a sap, he sure is a softie.

It just takes time to get to know him and understand what affection looks like with him. ]

Yeah, I trust you.

[ He's not lying either, he does trust Inigo in this department, or he would be worried to wander off with him somewhere. ]

.. thanks, Senku.

[ This is a little less determined, but it's because The Softness is taking over. It's just a lot, hearing those words from someone. Maybe it shouldn't be, maybe he should take these sorts of things more casually, but..

Well, when your self esteem is as low as Inigo's, even small things like this can mean the world.

They reach a station, and Inigo starts trying to clear out the entrance so they can go in. ]

That means a lot to me. I'm kind of worried about disappointing you, you know? [ Try 'a lot', but Inigo has to downplay it and keep things light somehow. ]

[ He's not much of a liar, so it's truly sincere even if his manner of speaking can be more gruff and blunt.

Senku pulls out his knife so he can help get rid of the vines. ]

I don't think you could disappoint me. [ He says, with a shake of his head. ]

So you don't need to worry about that. I think I have a decent enough read on you to say that. [ He might not be the most attuned to things, but one thing he does do is try and bring out the best in people around him. ]

[ Of course with Inigo's consistently low self esteem, the first thing he thinks is 'I'm not so sure about that.' After all, he hurt Senku before, though not on purpose. Who's to say he couldn't accidentally do that again? Or disappoint him in some other way? Inigo isn't smart, after all, and--

No, he's not going to let him go down that spiral in the middle of a mission. He shakes his head, trying to clear his mind as he replies. ]

Well, I'll try to stop worrying about it then. [ He tries to make it sound like a joke with his tone to keep things light. ] Though it sure sounds like you have a lot of faith in me! That means I'll have to work extra hard to live up to it.

Yeah, tons of faith, and you're doing fine anyway. You're working hard, aren't you?

[ Just because they aren't the same doesn't mean he's not proud of Inigo and proud of what he does accomplish. He believes in people for their own skills.

Everything in his posture is relaxed. He doesn't look like he's ready to jump out at unknown threats. He looks comfortable as he ever is, and that's because Inigo is there to protect him.]

I am, but..

[ Inigo's voice trails off before he can speak further. There's a lot he could say. Sure, he's trying his best, but his best is nothing compared to other people. He's so ordinary, so mediocre. There's nothing he can do really well.

Other than just do his best. Other than just keep going for days and days and days, because effort is all he can give, so that's what he ought to give in spades.

He bows his head. He doesn't want to go down such a negative spiral about his lack of self esteem right in front of Senku. Not when the other is being so nice.

Having cut away the plants in front of the entrance to the station, it's now open enough to walk in. ]

I should be working even harder.

[ Senku will let that hang in the air as they walk for a moment or two.

This here, this overworking, man is it familiar. He's a horrible culprit when it comes to that, he's a horrible workaholic.]

You know, considering how late it is... [ Man this is so rich coming from him. ]

It might be time to get some rest. Gen constantly makes me rest even though I always feel like I could be doing more, even though I have work to do, but it's still there in the morning. Nothing bad happens if I take a break.

[ Nothing bad will happen if Inigo takes a break. ]

My dad always used to say that having fun was as impotant as having work.

Your father sounds like a kind man.

[ Inigo would never let that go unmentioned, so he has to address it first. Considering Inigo's own myriad of daddy issues, he appreciates stories about people being close to their dads - the way it's supposed to be. Especially with Senku's.. Senku-ness, it must have been nice that there was someone there for him through it all.

But the rest is harder to reply to, and comes less instantaneous, Inigo working on for a moment before he speaks again. ]

But.. Someone does have to keep working to prevent something bad from happening.

[ And while that's how Inigo thinks on every mission, maybe there's just a tad more of it this time.

Because he remembers a world ruined, its sky as red as the one here had been the very first moment they showed up, one where he could never save enough people, no matter how little he rested--

He doesn't look at Senku, instead still just cutting and tugging at plants. ]

And I'm fine with that being me. I'd rather have everyone else rest.

He was. [ That's just a fact, one Senku will attest to.

He's quiet for a moment as he tries to think of a response. He understands the impulse, he really does. He feels it all the time. Even to these void passengers, these people he might not know well, he still feels obligated to do everything he can for them.

Senku was not the best person for this, not even a little bit. He can't guess what's going on exactly, but he knows a parallel.

He moves over to Inigo and puts a hand in between his shoulder blades, gentle, but firm enough to be felt, and coming from him, rather significant considering initiating touch also wasn't in his wheelhouse. ]

Hey Inigo. [ He speaks quietly, as though he might be dealing with someone else overworking, or rather, Gen might be dealing with him. His tone is soft, maybe there's more kindness there. ]

You've done enough tonight. [ Maybe he just needs to hear this. He might need to hear it from someone better, but Senku is who he has at the moment. ]

[ At first it seems like Inigo is just going to keep working, still staring at the plants, still tearing away at them.

But when that hand is joined by those soft words, Inigo stops in the middle of everything. One half of a plant is in one hand, the other half in the other, and it's like he just freezes on the spot, unmoving. Like he, too, is aware of just how rare this is for Senku, to a point where he can't just keep going on and pretend nothing is wrong when the other is going so far out of his way for him.

Still, he doesn't turn to look at the other, even now. Inigo just slightly bows his head before he slowly starts shaking it. ]

.. no. [ It doesn't sound harsh. It doesn't even sound as much like a protest as much as it sounds like a plea. Don't make him stop, please. His own voice is just as quiet as Senku's. ] I'm not.. This isn't enough yet. We're not safe yet.

[ He isn't sure if what he's doing is right, which Senku may wind up wondering. Inigo does seem to be responding somehow and he waits, patient, although his fingers twitch maybe he should remove his hand? ]

Inigo.

[ His tone is a bit more firm, to get his attention and he does let go, so he can look him in the eyes. ]

Everyone is as safe as they're going to get. There's no active threat. Everything else, we can deal with. You're not here alone. You're not alone and we've all got this. You can take a rest.

I can just-- [ For what it's worth, Inigo is actually looking at Senku now the other is trying to catch his gaze, rather than turning away from the other again. But there is something very visible in his eyes at the same time - a struggle. ] I can rest when this is over.

[ Missions don't last too long anyway, right? What, a week tops? He can do a week without too much proper rest. It's fine. He's fine.

After all, if there's anything these sorts of situations back home have taught him, it's that there's always some threat. And it pops up when you least expect it. ]

I'm used to going like this for a while without resting, so it won't be hard for me. Just until the mission is over.

So can I, but it doesn't mean I should. [ He appreciates but he glances away before too long, he has a habit of getting distracted by his surroundings, or maybe it's because he doesn't like to hold eye contact very long. ]

Well then. I don't see any reason why I should let you be restless on your own. Tell me what you want help with.

[ Fine, Inigo, if you aren't going to sleep, Senku won't either. ]

[ Inigo pauses. His throat feels dry as he has to make this decision. He doesn't want to keep Senku up - he really doesn't.

But on the other hand, he can hardly tell the other to go rest if he refuses to do the same himself.

And that makes the decision for him. ]

Okay. [ He says, a little more quietly. They'll work together. At least get a bit more done first. ] I can clear out stations easily, but I don't understand any part of the technology enough to get it working again. Can you work on that while I get rid of all the plants?

I can do that. Technology is one of my specialties.

[ He nods after a moment and gestures. ]

Lead the way. [ Gen is so going to kill him. Senku doesn't have the sweet talking skills to convince Inigo to bed, so the least he can do is keep him company. He'll pay for it later. ]

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Not with a Bang Start and Ongoing

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