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

[blitzcheer]

Taiki stays in the back of Tidus's mind, though his lets his attention this time be where it needs to. The worries of what happened last time, too many emotions slipping through onto a battlefield that were dangerous - bordering on life threatening - now not an issue. He's dealt with machines before, used by the Al Bhed and left forgotten in the crevices of Spira's past, only to be woken by the presence of unknowns.

These bots act the same, awakening to their approach. But they're outnumbered by the joined efforts of the Red and Blue teams, those not donning their colours who have joined.

Taiki may not be able to tell what exactly is going on, but while others move on through the gates, Tidus doesn't go forward. Not straight away. Calling out as he makes his way back to where he left Taiki, feet skidding to a halt the second he sees him.

"--Taiki! The way's clear! Let's figure out what to do!"

The sky was clearer, with the station near. The blood red sky looming like an omen. A reminder.

[longforgottenpromise]

He stays hidden, wishing he could block out the sound of battle, the smell of blood and the sight of the robots strewn around the battlefield.

He is just trying to decide whether it is safe enough to come out of hiding or not. It sounds quiet and the blood red sky is oppressing, a reminder of why they have to keep moving.

"Tidus." He smiled when he saw him and rushed to his side, "Are you alright?"

He's not paused though, walking on to the station, they had to figure out how to help.

[blitzcheer]

"I dealt with rust buckets all the time, no sweat!" And he wouldn't have rushed over as quickly if he'd gotten hurt. But that's one thing not to be concerned by, even though the same can't be said for someone else in the group. The door to the station has been opened, and there's crushed vines underfoot, ivy, no actual walls to be seen except for those made out of plant.

But the first room they come to is large, and what may be terminals can be made out by where the flora decides to hug anything, unable to hide the shapes underneath.

"Geez, this place is completely forgotten! How did we even get here?" He hurries over to the outstretched desk, more of a long rectangle. "Is any of this going to work?"

[longforgottenpromise]

"I'm not sure. It's a good question." He said quietly, looking around, and trying to pry away some of the overgrowth away from the nearest terminal.

"How did we even know to come here?"

No one was here, it was as if this place had been long forgotten. Had one of these machines sent a distress call?

Was that even how they knew where to go?

[blitzcheer]

Just how did any of the planets get their missions, really. Ivy clings to the terminal, vines wrapped around like tree roots more than those that hung green and limp from some of the canopies outside. That's the biggest pain, like fingers keeping the terminal in its grasp.

Tidus doesn't dare use magic this close to the the machinery, so he thinks, remembers the knife he thought to take from the kitchen (thanks, Cassie). About to use it to try and work some way into the vines, but pauses to look over to Taiki.

He holds it out, pointing it away from him.

"Hey, you wanna use this?"

[longforgottenpromise]

"Do you not need it?" He tilted his head, he hadn't thought to bring a knife, obviously but in hindsight he should have. He could use one for practical tasks like cutting away vines, however Tidus was stronger than him and probably more effective at cutting down vines.

"I should have thought to bring one..."

[blitzcheer]

It's okay, Tidus only thought about it thanks to a conversation about 'rather be taking the kitchen knives than spending eighty points on daggers'. The odd ways you can be inspired to swipe the kitchen supplies...!

"You see how you do with it and get through what you can! If you can't do the vines, I'll have a go next!" He brings up a fist, flexing some.

"I'll use my hands 'til then!"

Teamwork!!

[longforgottenpromise]

"Be careful." He nodded at him, weeding could be difficult and painful even in a garden, never mind a jungle.

But he took the knife carefully and crouched down, starting the cut through the vines covering the monitor.

[blitzcheer]

It's a tough and messy job no matter who has the knife. But the greenery begins to clear from the terminal, whatever it's used for, and Tidus decides - quickly saying, "I'm going over here" - to clear up another. Free as much of the consoles from the jungle, keeping his head away from the...weird...bizarre mushrooms that cling down the walls like trimmings.

It won't be for a while until Tidus calls over to Taiki, "Hey! Can I borrow that knife? Got a tough one here!"

There's a trumpet tree-like vine, broken in from a portion of the wall and grasping desperately across the surface of the console. The efforts of where Tidus has pulled away from what he could there, but not enough where it thickens.

[longforgottenpromise]

Taiki is very careful but tries to cut as quickly as possible. It's exhausting work but he can't give up, every moment they work on freeing these terminals is one step closer to saving the planet but it is also one step closer to the moment the planet explodes.

"Yes." He nodded and moved over to where Tidus was, handing over the knife. Tidus was a lot stronger than him and would be able to cut the root, he was sure.

[blitzcheer]

He gives a quick thanks when the blade exchanges hands, and in his great wisdom tries to jab the knife in, to little success. Nor is sawing a job that will work despite the serrated side. Has to go for putting a bit more than just muscle into it and calls forth energy; a glow consuming the metal, and he plunges it in deeper on the next thrust. Another, another-

It takes a few resisting wiggles, but he finally gets it unattached, knife discarded to the side while he shifts the plant, petrified in place. Chucks it to the side and wipes at his forehead.

"Okay! It looking good up there, Taiki?" Did he need to get rid of anything else? Were all the vines and ivy off and out of the way?

[longforgottenpromise]

Taiki doesn't pause in his own work but he does watch Tidus out of the corner of his eye, it is hard to miss when Tidus is firing magic into it.

It must be a very tough plant indeed but it is no match for Tidus. Taiki smiles at him when he calls up to him.

"Well done, Tidus. I'm done, this is the last of it."

He pushes some vines aside, the terminal is free. Now they just need to figure out how to use it...