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.
gentle_jim: (listen here)

[personal profile] gentle_jim 2021-01-27 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I was just gonna noogie you a little, you dork," the AI huffs, putting his hands on his hips.

"Are you gonna lose your mind every time I touch you now, or what?"
stillnewatthis: (victory)

[personal profile] stillnewatthis 2021-01-27 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Very much so! He was a member of the Overwatch team, who did many great things in the past." And then things got bad, but that didn't mean the people involved were bad, or that their victories and successes meant nothing.
onehandsomeslickninja: (i got this)

[personal profile] onehandsomeslickninja 2021-01-27 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"I wouldn't mind. ANYthing is better than sitting around bored. Just make sure it's heavy on the practical applications!"

Edge knew perfectly well he was not a scholar. Learning by doing, that was his way.

"I appreciate it."
firewalled: (Once more?)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-27 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"I... I- sorry, I just... I don't know what happened." His ears are still buzzing with static, and he swallows hard against the panic.

"It just felt like you were gonna do something else."
gentle_jim: (eyebrow raise)

[personal profile] gentle_jim 2021-01-27 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Like what? Strangle you?" Jack supposes that's fair actually. His has big hands and he's prone to strangling people.
firewalled: (Looking in the mirror)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-27 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"You know you can't act like that's ridiculous..." After their first meeting, of course Rich is going to be a little wary. And he does know that was bullying, at least now.
badassfreakingoverlord: (animated laughter)

[personal profile] badassfreakingoverlord 2021-01-27 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
As the helpmate vanishes, the minion army paused -- everyone looking expectantly around, for either new enemies, a new section of battlefield to appear out of nowhere, or both. When nothing happened, they let out a cheer and hopped off the machine to the ground. One of them picked it up, hefting it over his head.

"All right! Mission complete, vehicle acquired! So... onwards?"

Alley, you have been implicitly granted the title of Minion. Congratulations?
worthallthis: (but i did it)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-27 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"Unfamiliar surroundings. That can certainly do it. Hope you can try again tomorrow, or maybe later tonight." Soldat shifts to bring their backpack over to fish around inside. "Are you hungry?" They can spare the last of their soup cup for him, if that will help him sleep.
worthallthis: (but i did it)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-27 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldat knows many languages, so they might be okay-- they're curious to find out. Though if the same thing doesn't happen twice... maybe they won't have the chance. "Right. Are world missions usually fighting, then?" There hasn't been much combat this mission, so far, but it's early yet, and then then only helpmate holograms. "What other world missions have there been?"
worthallthis: (distance)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-27 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes," Soldat agrees, memorizing the wire placement. "But it might happen anyway. The team ranges out on a wide grid. Separations happen." After all, there's currently only the two of them here, though Soldat knows where half a dozen other red team members are right now, doing their best to keep track of as many people as possible.

They push back fully to their feet, looking around. There's Otoha on the far end of the warehouse they're passing through, and a glimpse of Buttercup through a window. "We should find the others. Make sure they're not running into the same problems."
worthallthis: (cautious)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-27 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldat... can sympathize, actually. They nod once. "Losing control is. Terrifying. Yes. Fear of hurting other people." They chew the inside of their cheek a little, thinking, then wishing fervently that they'd finished their chain of chewing pendants before the mission. (Snack? Gotta save 'em, Pit. You have paper. For folding, Pit, not eating. After you fold them. Shut up, Pit.)

Getting off track. With that reminder of their own strange brain, Soldat decides to go ahead and say, "I was owned. For a long time. There are. Words." They don't know for sure what the Words do, but... but they have a few guesses.
badassfreakingoverlord: (maniacal glee)

[personal profile] badassfreakingoverlord 2021-01-27 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Well, he sure could wish he was turned the other way around, but you know what, this was okay. "I'm pretty damn happy right here!"
reluctantjinrou: (Sleepy)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-27 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"I can't imagine that." Natsuno said, because that was truly his reaction. He couldn't conceive of something so heinous as to own someone else.

"I don't want to hurt anyone." They could agree on that. He looked at them and sighed a little bit. "So far, it's fine though. I wouldn't want to make you worry."
reluctantjinrou: (Glancing Around Corners)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-27 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately, that would also lead to more questions, so Natsuno nodded. "Well then, I hope you get to meet him."

He didn't know what an Overwatch team was, or what they did but he wasn't sure if it was rude to ask or not, so he was erring on the side of caution.
springforth: (014)

[personal profile] springforth 2021-01-27 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Then I won't ruin it with whining." A slightly tighter squeeze punctuates her words. The desire for a proper hug, a proper cuddle even--it's hardly new. It's just strikingly intense. He does the right things, even when she's not sure he means to.

She doesn't want to go off and fuss with a weird sphere, it sounds boring and tedious and not her area of expertise. She wants him to be a person proper and maybe let her flop against him to nap until they land and maybe kiss him when he does the right things. But--she squeezes him close and then lets go.

"Sadly we still have things to do."
schrodingersghost: (fenton - not hiding anything)

[personal profile] schrodingersghost 2021-01-27 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sounds good. Let me know if you want a lift through."
gentle_jim: (pout 2)

[personal profile] gentle_jim 2021-01-27 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Jack rolls his eyes. "You don't have a port, so stop worrying about that," he grumbles, dismissing the problem entirely.
forleaving: (008)

[personal profile] forleaving 2021-01-27 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Adam nodded. Personally, he wasn't eager about the idea of using a knife on anyone or anything that was alive. "I can imagine how it comes in handy on missions. Especially with rough terrain."
kingcat: (You're pathetic)

[personal profile] kingcat 2021-01-27 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Grimmjow sighed heavily, absently kicking one of the little robots away. "I need somethin' to dig my claws into," he griped, crushing a broken helpmate's head under his foot.
10billionpercent: (Default)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-01-27 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, well you always seem to need to cut something. I do a lot of other things on missions usually but again, not this one. This one kind of sucks." He admitted with a bit of a huff.
10billionpercent: (This...is exhilarating)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-01-27 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Senku chuckled a bit. "Practical applications? No problem." He was a huge fan of practical applications after all, and no beginner was going to get into theoretical physics anyway.
sos_pilot: by <user name=noimpulsecontrol> (if you could use)

Re: Exploring

[personal profile] sos_pilot 2021-01-27 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, I've been through this kinda thing plenty of times, even before the train picked me up. Danger is practically my middle name.
rieper: (velvet room.)

[personal profile] rieper 2021-01-28 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
47 didn't mind the practice on the easy targets but he also knew the benefits of using tact over brute force when applicable. And changing strategies on the fly was a big part of his repertoire. He held his sword up in a loose defensive position as he looked over at the other man and then towards where he last saw a set of panels for the local holograms.

"I can shut them down if you prefer," he offered in response. Before heading in that direction anyway. "It shouldn't take too long."
rieper: (Default)

[personal profile] rieper 2021-01-28 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
Still that unexpected response to his question. He thought perhaps changing tactics, avoiding the direct name of the entity they were searching for, might aid the bot in remaining functional. Guess he was wrong.

He took a step back out of reach as it flailed helplessly about. He wondered, briefly, if it was entirely what he had said or if it would have devolved into this destructive behavior anyway with enough time. Was this some sort of virus spreading through the system here?

He could wonder about it later. He drew his sword. If it wouldn't deactivate on its own then 47 would just force it to.
rieper: (Default)

[personal profile] rieper 2021-01-28 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
47 said nothing in response to her first question. It wasn't that he thought it cruel but that he simply did not deign to answer. He tried not to think about civilians. They tended to be obstacles for him and his job but ones he took care to avoid collateral damage against. He didn't always go out of his way to protect them, however. He simply did his best to go unseen and ascertain his actions didn't warrant unwanted attention and thus avoided innocents in his work as much as possible.

As for the second, he took a moment to parse her question. "You mean the creatures abundant on the last mission?" As opposed to this one. "There were creatures similar to pandas and armadillos on that world."