VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-01-11 05:58 am

Fierce New World- Mission Start!

"Good Morning passengers. Today is day six of the month of Jelly." 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.

Preparation and Arrival

They have a short time to prepare for their mission, enough time to read their briefs, make decisions, meet in their teams and gather anything they may need.

A few hours later there is another announcement. "Shortly arriving on System #2207385. All passengers get ready to disembark. Next stop world #2207385. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train judders as it leaves the void, the colours from the windows turn into the blackness of space but quickly white as the train descends into the entrance of the biosphere.

The doors of the train open and passengers can enter the large white-walled holding bay. Currently, they are the only vehicle inside. There are four large doors around the bay each labelled with where they lead. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

The doors open easily, and their SCA’s show a basic route, though the non-linear nature of the sectors mean that obstacles will need to be navigated. While they are in a closed world, there is a day and night cycle: the panels far up above are designed to make it seem like there is a natural sky, brightening and dimming every ten hours.

Red/Summer

Empty Streets

Wide streets divide sealed-off factories and manufacturing pods that tower up towards the ‘sky’. It is hot here, though the fumes from the factories are vented out, leaving the air breathable if overly warm.

Sometimes the pods are not yet finished, empty shells that can be sheltered in. There are also stations for living, with plumbing and basic amenities scattered through the sector. Places to rest as they move towards the center and the Great-Summer that they seek.

Helpmates

Where factories are still being built they will find Helpmates, operating machinery or moving materials.

They will not pause in their tasks for long but are programmed to answer questions so can be drawn into a conversation. Or, if the Voidtreckers are unfortunate, they will find those that are malfunctioning turning on them as they approach.

They aren’t too difficult to fight, but can do some damage with the machinery if they manage to take a Voidtrecker by surprise. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down outright.

Wild Weather

Though warm, the corridors remain a constant temperature that is not too unpleasant for people. For the most part. Unfortunately, due to the malfunctioning state of things routes may become impassable. Boiling air, freezing blasts, electricity crackling across a pathway.

Their SCA’s do a good job of warning them, allowing them to change direction or shelter in nearby buildings.

Purple/Autumn

Exploring

The Autumn sector is the least complete of the sectors, with shells of habitation pods and not much else. No one is expected to live here until nearing the end of construction, and so the pods are unfurnished, many missing doors, some missing internal walls.

Outside the streets are wide and clearly made to be pleasant to walk on; it is airy, bright and spacious, if a bit eerie due to the quiet.

There are panels on the walls, to call Helpmates to appear. Here they are primarily for helping citizens, giving directions and offering aid.

Malfunctions

Since there are more helpmates there is more risk of them malfunctioning. They attack with or without weapons, using any tools they can pick up to attack. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

They won’t chase people into the houses, their privacy programming preventing them from doing so.

Turned Around

The roads seem simple, built in a grid pattern around the houses. However, whatever is going wrong here is affecting the very streets themselves. Sometimes there will be a wall where there wasn’t before or roads go in circles. Sometimes they find themselves at a dead end, trapped until structures shift again.

Their SCA’s do their best to keep up but it can take a while for them to reroute and by the time they do, that path might be blocked too!

Blue/Spring

Patchwork Forest

The Spring sector houses the hydroponics and pastoral sections. It alternates between grazing land and more heavily forested areas with rows of pine-like trees in a checkerboard pattern, with empty plots interspersed. Walkways divide each square, but all squares appear able to move about as required, as though on a conveyor system.

There are clear walkways to avoid stepping on any newly growing plants. In the grazing land live flocks of camelid creatures resembling alpacas with blueish wool, on average a metre and a half tall at the shoulders. Helpmates appear here as if on a timer to feed the animals and tend to plants.

Destruction


If the Helpmates here malfunction they attack anyone nearby, cause havoc to any farming equipment and frightening the animals.

They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down. The panels here are less obvious than they are in the more urban sectors, low to the ground, looking almost like energy panels. But once they know what to look for they will be able to use them to shut down the Helpmates.

Stampede

Frightened animals are likely to flee and unfortunately in this case it means rampaging across the grazing land to the newly growing trees.

They will need to be calmed, returned to their grazing lands and the plants restored. Or it might be that the Voidtreckers can stop the Helpmates before the creatures get too spooked.

Orange/Winter

Exploring

The Winter sector’s primary concern is life support. Huge banks of air scrubbers form artificial cliffs, while other sections are tanks filled with water in varying stages of processing or recycling.

The paths here are a lot narrower than they are in other areas, sometimes requiring moving between pipes or scrambling over layers of railing.

There doesn’t seem to be any easy or straightforward path through the sector, their SCA takes them on wild winding routes through the machinery.

Help or Hindrance

The fluctuating temperatures here are causing problems with many of the pipes, several sections are flooded, others are in danger of being so.

There are patch kits in easily opened panels, designed to be used by the helpmates and indeed there are many helpmates out.

But some are less helpful, those that are malfunctioning are more likely to cause more damage than they are there to fix. They will attack any one who tries to interfere with them. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

Patch Job

Once the malfunctioning Helpmates are dealt with the pipes still need to be fixed. The patch kits do not have any instructions but are simple enough that anyone with a basic knowledge of how to fix things should be able to figure them out- though the more knowledge and expertise they have the better the fix!

For those that don’t, many of the jobs will need more than one person and so for those that don’t mind taking instructions they will find an extra pair of hands is always welcome.
nutkrusher: (Sticks Out)

[personal profile] nutkrusher 2021-01-14 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Cassie lifts herself into the air - three feet, perhaps - coils her body, and rockets to the other side of the passage, leaving a trail of green light behind her. The helpmates, however, are too otherwise engaged to immediately notice.

She taps the panel furiously, attempting to work her way through the readout as water splashes and digital punches fly around her. It should be made clear that the emphasis is on the word "attempting."

She snarls. "Actually, fuck this."

Her tonfa is at her side as she leaps into action, arcing above and behind them. She sweeps her baton in an arc, clubbing two of them in the thing-she-supposes-you-can-call-a-head.

She can figure out how the panels work when she's not being harassed by fucking Tron.
happyends: (better than the rest)

[personal profile] happyends 2021-01-14 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, thankfully it's humanoid. Sure, it's still a weird kind of hologram.. being.. without an actual moving and speaking mouth.. But it could be weirder, at least. (A glitched one definitely would have been much, much weirder.)

Although then she's being put on the spot! Despite her intention being to ask the Helpmate that specifically, Madoka can't help but be a little shy when Alfredo gently prods her to actually ask it!

"A-Ah, um..! We were wondering.. if it was okay for us to go pet the alpacas.." She's stammering and blushing, but at least she's getting the question out there!
happyends: (that has been plucked)

[personal profile] happyends 2021-01-14 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Of course, Raven.. I-I plan on coming back safe."

Although it may be harder if something big does happen this time around, huh? It seems like the teams are going to be completely separated, unlike last time around.. But even though Madoka definitely seems more than just a little nervous about that, she also tries to smile at the other girl.

"I'm going prepared! I have my bow, and I'm sure mister Piccolo will make sure to look out for everyone on the blue team.."
happyends: (so it's now or never more)

[personal profile] happyends 2021-01-14 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"I hope so too.." Since it'd be nice to have a mission where no one has to get hurt, huh. Though it's hard to tell how much of a risk of that there's going to be with how utterly vague the description they got is...

Madoka definitely leans over towards the cute critter though, happily letting Rosetta get to know her. She may even gently be trying to pet its back a little..

"Although it sounds like the teams may be pretty far apart this time.. I-I'm not sure how hard that'll make it for miss spider to teleport people. But even if we do get attacked, or get hurt.. Um, I'm sure there are people on the blue team who can help too. And we took along some mana drives with healing spells in case we really need them. So please don't worry about me.." She's sure Mami has enough to worry about even without her being added to it!
light_of_willpower: (long hair profile talking)

[personal profile] light_of_willpower 2021-01-14 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Considering where Purple team was going, and what description we got, you're probably right about the people." Trunks agreed, letting the helpmate go as she shut it down.

Looking where she pointed, he shook his head. "Guess we'd better go help it. I'll hold you disable?"
light_of_willpower: (long hair profile talking)

Re: Travel/Exploring

[personal profile] light_of_willpower 2021-01-14 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm used to urban explanation, thankfully. Need a hand?

[It wasn't the main reason Trunks had come with Orange, but it could be useful. He's not far away, wearing an orange coat over his armor.]
light_of_willpower: (long-hair speaking)

[personal profile] light_of_willpower 2021-01-14 11:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"Making sure I'll be able to recognize you easily." Trunks replied, ignoring the other question. "You're Handsome Jack, right?"
springforth: (pic#14055166)

[personal profile] springforth 2021-01-14 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Persephone lowers herself to the steps, relaxing into a stand.

"One less thing to worry about. Eventually that gets really tiring. So--let's get this one." She squeezes out the tips of her hair and holds up the patch.

"Ready?"
azrthmtrnznthos: (content)

[personal profile] azrthmtrnznthos 2021-01-14 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm sure mister Piccolo will do his best, which from what I can tell, is pretty awesome." Raven responded confidently. "I know you'll do your best too, Madoka. If you need it though, don't be afraid to call for help via the comm channels. I can teleport, so I can try and get to you fast."
azrthmtrnznthos: (Dark Energy once more)

[personal profile] azrthmtrnznthos 2021-01-14 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Do you have a way to hold this thing back, and I can come look at the panel?" Raven asked. "I can probably keep them away from us if it does call more..."
azrthmtrnznthos: (dark energy teleport and phase)

[personal profile] azrthmtrnznthos 2021-01-14 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Raven double checks to make sure no one else nearby is trapped, before following Roland through her portal to the other side of the wall.]
Hopefully it's a good reminder.
azrthmtrnznthos: (....really?)

Re: malfunctions

[personal profile] azrthmtrnznthos 2021-01-14 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Raven blinks, fortunately her focus on holding the Helpmate back wasn't disrupted. "I'm...not sure how to answer that. What do you mean?"
dreamtamer: (Default)

[personal profile] dreamtamer 2021-01-14 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Takato had gone running over to Guilmon's position to see.

"I think so!" he calls back. "They all look like they just shut down."
bakegarasu: (brooding like a demon)

[personal profile] bakegarasu 2021-01-14 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"... I can't... imagine what that's like. The best friend hurting you part. Destroying a whole organization... that I understand." He sighs and flicks his gaze away. "How long ago was it?"
schrodingersghost: (Default)

[personal profile] schrodingersghost 2021-01-14 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"well, I did kind of come through a wall," he points out. "It isn't hard to stick to a straight line when I can just walk through all the obstacles in the way. That's... kind of why I'm here. I figured I could help people move through the walls. Or if that creeps people out too much I can carry them over the walls. Or, you know, just point the way through the maze from above."

azrthmtrnznthos: (cowl-up bored)

[personal profile] azrthmtrnznthos 2021-01-14 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"Could be. It likely means an artificial environment designed for life on an otherwise inhabitable place."
unfavorableinstigation: Nita looking directly at the viewer, mouth slightly open, as if she's in the middle of an important or unamused expression. (Focused)

/tries to figure out if Nita would nickname Persephone anything...

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-01-14 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Nita braces herself, reaffirming the strength of the spell - and also turning her wizardly focus to the pipe above.

"On your mark - wait, that's more of a racing thing... whenever you're ready, Persephone."
ballseeker: (not looking for no crazy love)

[personal profile] ballseeker 2021-01-15 12:07 am (UTC)(link)

Yeah. My husband, my son.. though, he's a future version, but we're gonna count it, and my daughter too.. also a future version or I'd have an infant on my hip all the time.

[ Bulma's laughing, pretty unconcerned. But then again... her family happens to be very strong and can break a normal person like a toothpick, with Bulma as the exception. But having them all able to take care of themselves takes a bit of weight off of her shoulders for sure. ]

Oh, purple? That's my daughter's team. Bulla. She.. well.

She looks basically like a shorter, less busty me, if you ever run in to her.
ballseeker: (blast off into space)

[personal profile] ballseeker 2021-01-15 12:07 am (UTC)(link)

I don't really care either way - just make it knock it off! [ If Bulma gets to make them stop it probably won't end well for the helpmates.. considering she's irritated to be interrupted in the first place.

Peeking out from her little spot under the pipes, Bulma's still glowering. ]


Or I can take care of it.
ballseeker: (Default)

[personal profile] ballseeker 2021-01-15 12:07 am (UTC)(link)

Mmn... That's actually a good point.. [ If these places are that delicate, projectiles probably shouldn't be a thing, should they? Bulma realizes it after a few moments, and then shakes her head no. ]

I don't wanna pop the bubble in a literal fashion, so. I'll pass.
ballseeker: (we're going faster than light)

[personal profile] ballseeker 2021-01-15 12:07 am (UTC)(link)

Yeah.. that's the other thing. Kinda hard to focus when I have to keep looking around me at the same time... [ Bulma sighs, but then shakes her head, deciding to explain a little more in just a moment. She adjusts her grip, and then nods. ]

Alright, ready? 1.. 2..

[ Bulma begins to stretch the patch kit, then, reaching to cover her newly repaired wiring to keep it safe from any water leakage. ]
light_of_willpower: (long-hair speaking)

[personal profile] light_of_willpower 2021-01-15 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
[It was probably going to get broken then, if Bulma took care of it. Trunks shook his head, laughing slightly to himself.]

Worry about the pipes, Mother. I'll take care of this thing. Come on, you...hologram...thingy.

[Trunks couldn't think of a good word to describe the helpmate, as he started herding it away from where his mother was hiding. He'd probably try to find a panel and deactivate it first. If not, he could just break it.]
nutkrusher: (Bang)

[personal profile] nutkrusher 2021-01-15 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
It'd probably be safer for somebody besides me. There's no point in me using a rifle unless I can channel my energy into the shots. And that blows shit up way harder. I might as well just throw fireballs instead.

[Honestly, she's still a little bummed about it. She wanted a goon-shattering kaboom. Ah, well. She sticks it back inside her hammerspace band.]

Still, Trunks is with your team if you ever change your mind. He carries a laser rifle in his ARMS band for anyone else who needs one.

[She'd have given him the band for practical reasons even if he weren't her boyfriend, but she feels a little more glad he has it now.]
Edited 2021-01-15 06:43 (UTC)
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-15 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
"It is. And the mission is going to be long." Judging from the map for their routes, and any trouble they run into along the way. Because they're definitely going to run into trouble. That's just how missions go. This is probably not going to be enough food, ugh.

They frown at the bags of trail mix and stack of soup mugs, and then at the SCA around the flesh wrist. "If you worry. There's always these things, I guess. Ain't tried to use them at all yet." Or the ICPs, not for communication.
gentle_jim: (hold on)

[personal profile] gentle_jim 2021-01-15 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Are you kidding? Who else looks like a blue light special around here?" Jack grumps, wondering if this person intended to put him down safely.

"Got it in one, kiddo."