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.
stillnewatthis: (focus)

[personal profile] stillnewatthis 2021-01-15 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
"I do not know. The change was very abrupt, so it will likely change back suddenly too." Plodding on forward at her meticulous place, Orisa swiveled her head back and forth to track their flanks.
soldier_blade: (30-not buying it/unhappy)

[personal profile] soldier_blade 2021-01-15 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
Sonya knelt to one of the lower panels, carefully opening the door. Thankfully, the wires weren't damaged, even with all the electrical surges and crazy weather.

She pulled out the small tool box she'd brought with her. "I'd make knives a priority." She spoke with her attention on the panel. "Body armor can usually be acquired, atleast that's how it's been on various missions that might require you to wear it."

That was certainly the case in past missions; true, it had to be earned, but it was still provided. "Weapons are a little hard to come by."
unfavorableinstigation: Foresty background (Forest)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-01-15 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
Nita outright leaps off of her last air-step, aiming to land on the Helpmate.

/Did you hear me?!/ she called, annoyance as well as outright anger on her face.

She was going to have to tell her sister about this-

But not right now! Now was time to get down to business.
deductiongeek: (really?)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2021-01-15 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Conan warily steps back away from the Helpmate. His gaze flickers up, calculating the angles in the small space. Just a little more distance, and he'd have enough space to use a soccer ball.
singerofspells: A humpback whale underwater.  Image is cropped around the head. (Default)

I'm In

[personal profile] singerofspells 2021-01-15 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Hang on." S'reee might be a little more vulnerable to damage than Jack, but she also can call up a hardened air shield around her standard set of 'convince gravity to ignore me' spells, which is quite useful to block fists or tools.

She just needs to get the Helpmates' attention. Which works by simply floating up and nudging a few hard. "Come on, he's just pushing buttons, I'm big and strange and running into you..."

The last is more for the Helpmates' ears than Jack's. Who knows if they find it convincing, but even a shrunk-down whale is still a whale of a distraction.
pleple: (Didn't mean to)

[personal profile] pleple 2021-01-15 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
As long as she's not being ganged up on she can take care of himself - Alfredo ought to focus on what he's got in front of him. She works on the panel, eyeing it up and fiddling around with it. There's certainly a measure of improv here...
singerofspells: A humpback whale underwater.  Image is cropped around the head. (Default)

Flooded!

[personal profile] singerofspells 2021-01-15 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Thankfully, she's with S'reee, who is probably the best equipped of the Orange team for flooding. "Oh, must we?" She's teasing. Enough exploring has given her at least a small sense of how these pipes and tanks replicate what on a planet would be an entire water cycle and the parts of ecosystems that feed on other people's waste products.

At least this water is reasonably clean.

"I can create an air pocket for you if you're comfortable working underwater. I'll keep an ear out for other problems."
hotheadwarmheart: (Small smile)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2021-01-15 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
Lea nodded. "Sure," he said, taking a seat next to Meng Yao. "I can't stay too long; I'm mostly just here to grab a few things and my teammates'll be expecting me back. But I can stay long enough to help you get warm, at least." The fire in his hand vanished as he sat down, but another fire- this one the size of a decent campfire- appeared hovering an inch or so above the floor in front of them; close enough that they'd get a good amount of heat from it, but far enough away that there was no danger of sparks catching on the blankets.

And Lea himself wasn't sure what his social position was these days, but would fully agree that it didn't matter. One thing he was sure of though, was that the young man's voice sounded familiar. "Meng Yao, am I right?"
forleaving: (007)

[personal profile] forleaving 2021-01-15 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not much of a fighter, either," he said. The only reason he hadn't been running, himself, was because he was too determined. He'd been a coward too many times in his life.

Adam shook his head. "I'm good." He didn't want to feel like he was mooching off of anyone.
hotheadwarmheart: (Attentive)

Arrival

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2021-01-15 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
The open, white space... sure was something. If there were other vehicles in it- as was apparently the intention, given its size- it likely wouldn't be so bad, but as it was, it was a bit unnerving. "Yeah...", Lea said. "With us being the only ones here, it's almost eerie."
hotheadwarmheart: (Attentive)

Patchwork forest

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2021-01-15 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Lea glances around at the trees. The forest feels less like nature and more like a public park or other engineered green space, most likely because that's exactly what it is. Still things seem relatively peaceful so far. The key word there being 'so far'.]

Maybe that's what we're here to figure out.
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-15 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
"I have two knives. Bone and. Kitchen." They look mildly disgusted by having to admit that, but, well, it's what they have to work with. "I'll see how many points I get. Nobody seems to know how they're counted." A pause. "Also could stand a box like that."

Those look like useful tools.

Soldat knows how to do maintenance on their own metal arm, and how to repair things like radios and car engines, but this is... well beyond their skill. They peer into the panel, then decide they'd be much more useful by standing back a little to standing guard instead. "Any ideas for that?"
controlsthedie: screenshot of Thanatos in Elysium (Do me a favor and die?)

[personal profile] controlsthedie 2021-01-15 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
Sometimes slow and steady is required. It will keep them from running out of energy or needlessly getting hurt.

"I'll keep them busy for you." Thanatos spins in that direction to parry another attack. "What's your range?"
controlsthedie: painterly side profile of Thanatos with purple butterfly (If you take my advice)

[personal profile] controlsthedie 2021-01-15 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
"It's something I can do when I want." He lowers himself until he touches the ground. Thanatos isn't offended. It's as natural to him as breathing is to a mortal.

"Does it cause a problem?"
soldier_blade: (MKx_observing)

Sonya Blade | OTA | Team read

[personal profile] soldier_blade 2021-01-15 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
preparation
From what Sonya heard in the briefing, this was definitely a more technical than offensive. There might be things they'd have to fight against, but that was only secondary.

Among her supplies, she packs the small tool kit she'd bought earlier, figuring it might come in handy to repair wires if nothing else. She's gathering some of the beef jerky for rations as well as water containers, unsure how long or if there would be any food available.

There were others in the carriage with her. "Jerky?" She handed them a few slices. "We can't say for certain if they'll have food stores there."

Empty streets
The surrounding area reminded her of the rougher parts of Berlin, back when she was first assigned a position in the army. Industrial, filthy, with concerns for safety only a passing glance.

She's near a row of what resemble housing units, looking inside several, wondering if there's anything of use. That they're deserted doesn't exactly fill right to her, and she can only hope the residents have found some other form of shelter.

wild weather
The extreme weather is more of a nuisance than anything. Most of her training and deployments were in areas of extreme heat and humidity, so while this was uncomfortable, it was nothing she couldn't handle.

There's a warning of an electrical charge on her SGA, and she immediately turns to whoever's next to her. "We need to find some cover quick."

Already she could recognize the signs.
sciencegirl: (094)

[personal profile] sciencegirl 2021-01-15 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
"On it!"

Alright. Get into the panel. Turn off Helpmate. Retrieve patch kit.

There's a Stooge level of fight going on between Helpmate and Hindermate at the moment. She runs by them making one of her strange little "eehhhhhn" noises, which distracts them both for a microsecond as she makes her way to the panel, hearty pigtails dangling behind her.
sciencegirl: (04)

[personal profile] sciencegirl 2021-01-15 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
The Helpmate suddenly finds itself unable to leave its space and bangs angrily on the shield.

Entrapta opens the panel so fast and with such force the door pops off. "Oops, I'll fix that! I promise." she shouts even as she's frantically dragging out the patch kit and pressing buttons inside with her hair. She holds the ill fated door in her hands.

Okay, maybe she can give it to a Helpmate to fix or she can weld it on herself. It might be good to find a functioning one because welding on the door would take some time, and they have a lot of more important things to fix.

"I really hope whatever controls these can fix this. I'm worried it's something that can keep spreading!"
myblueskies: (the world is beautiful!)

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Okay! I'll make sure none of them can get to you while you do that!"

They've both come a long way from the first mission they fought on together, fighting waves of goblins on top of a wizard tower.

Both of them have gotten better!

"Line!" He would watch her back!
theturksway: (068.)

[personal profile] theturksway 2021-01-15 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll do my best," he said with a cheeky little smile. Reno may or may not keep his promise not to shock Demyx if that reaction was any indication. Sorry, he was just being a brat for the pure sake of being one (mostly).

That was looking good! Reno was impressed by the strange, new magical ability that Demyx demonstrated. Like most enemy abilities back home it sort of was a toss-up whether it was magic or an innate skill. It didn't really matter what it was though as long as it was effective.

"Make 'em splash, yo!" he said as he pointed his baton at a few crazed Helpmates headed their way. He was at the ready to follow up.
myblueskies: (of course!)

One for now! We can do another in ongoing?

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
Romeo turned around and smiled brightly at Alfredo. Alfredo was proof that sometimes friends would always come back. Even if they had been separated by death, Romeo had lost his memories and it had been many months where they hadn't seen him at all, still they had found each other again.

Just like they had vowed. Elfnein would wake up in the luggage soon, Romeo was sure about it! Hopefully she wouldn't be too lonely if everyone was still on the mission!

He would work extra hard when she was gone! He nodded at Alfredo. "We can still prepare things, we could go and make sure there's food for everyone and... We still need to pack things, it might be cold or hot or rainy so we gotta make sure we've got the right things!"
myblueskies: (smiles all round)

Re: Preparation

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:42 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh hello mister Roland!" He smiled, despite the sadness he felt. He shook his head. "I wasn't talking to anyone here sir."

He looked around the library. "My goddess, Elfnein! She went into a suitcase, so I was just promising that I'll work extra hard to help everyone on the mission!"

Just like she would, if she were here!
myblueskies: (smiles all round)

Romeo and Madoka, jailwardens of the multiverse

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Maybe... There's only the helpmates here and they are sort of like people but they just do the same thing all the time..."

And he's not seen them pet any of the alpacas.

"Maybe they've never seen people like us before!" A thought occurred to him, "Maybe they've never been petted before!"

So they wouldn't even know what it was like!
myblueskies: (brave smiles)

Re: Preparation

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
Romeo turned around to see Zetta, "Hello, mister Zetta!" His voice was still cheery even as he nodded firmly.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be functioning?"

He was a bit sad, but it was fine! It was just one mission and Elfnein would probably be back before they even got back from it! So then he could just tell her all about his adventures!
myblueskies: (they really are delicious apples!)

Re: arrival

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-01-15 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Hello mister Tidus!" Romeo grinned at him and skipped closer, through the throng of people exiting the train.

"Echo? Oh because it's really big!"

And big rooms made good sounds! He looked around and took a deep breath "HELLO!"

He tilted his head, to hear the echo.
pleple: (Default)

[personal profile] pleple 2021-01-15 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
Ple Two will know how they work very shortly, and that's what really matters! She's not the best equipped for fighting these even with a gun in hand now, so she's getting good at identifying her strengths - like disabling them indirectly, which she runs off to get down to.