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.
lanxichen: (Faceline)

After

[personal profile] lanxichen 2021-01-11 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
Xichen is checking on people once they are done for the moment, and he notices Meng Yao in such a state. Closes his eyes for a moment - of course, at that time his cultivation was much lower. He would be suffering more - and he came from Yunmeng, where it is very warm most of the time, as well.

He crouches done next to him, holding out his palm. "Come give me your hand. A bit of spiritual energy should help, hmm?"
ayao: (watch)

[personal profile] ayao 2021-01-11 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
Just the sight of Lan Xichen helps. Meng Yao can't take his eyes off of the man and when he has that attention he so desires, he flushes. Setting his mug down, he shakily takes hold of Xichen's hand, giving a little gasp as energy passes between them.

"We did good work." he feels the need to explain himself, "Much of the pipes were repaired."
lanxichen: (Soft look)

[personal profile] lanxichen 2021-01-11 11:14 am (UTC)(link)
"Mm." Xichen nods, not slowing down the energy transfer until Meng Yao's face starts recovering some color - so he might want to pick his mug back up again. "This place is truly vast, and the previous mission many things went wrong after we thought we had made things right, so I am sure there will be more work to be done. So it is important to rest and recover."
ayao: (genius)

[personal profile] ayao 2021-01-14 01:21 pm (UTC)(link)
He has shared spiritual energy with others for a variety of reasons, but Lan Xichen's feels the best. Stability is returned to his body and his trembling muscles relax, finally able to retain heat.

"Are you going to rest?" he questions shyly, peering up at the other man from under long, dark lashes.
lanxichen: (Soft look)

[personal profile] lanxichen 2021-01-14 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Xichen settles his hands in his lap once Meng Yao is better, but doesn't try to bolt. Though he does shake his head slightly.

"I am not really tired, yet. I will meditate some when everyone seems all right and resting."

He doesn't sleep if he can avoid it, no.
ayao: (fright)

[personal profile] ayao 2021-01-19 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
Sleep is important and yet he too knows the horror of nightmares. His dreams are surely not nearly as graphic as poor Xichen's.

"I watched you for hours. I should have been tending to Huaisang, but I couldn't look away from you. I feel the same way now." he admits, glancing to the side, "I wish I could help you relax. I must have the opposite effect on you." and he has no idea how to repair that - or if it can be repaired.

Yet he dreams.
Edited 2021-01-19 09:18 (UTC)
lanxichen: (Faceline)

[personal profile] lanxichen 2021-01-19 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
Xichen shivers slightly, between the mention of Huaisang and Meng Yao's involvement in his nightmares. Then he takes a deep breath, focusing instead on the differences. Taking care of Huaisang...

Back then, when Meng Yao had been with da ge, Huaisang had been away at the barely recovering Cloud Recesses. They had come closer later, but then Huaisang had definitely not been

"It is all right. In the end, it was my own mistakes that upset me. The you I knew was responsible for his choices, and I for mine. As are you for yours - not more, not less. Do not try to take burdens of things you have not done, hmm?"
ayao: (death)

[personal profile] ayao 2021-01-23 08:01 am (UTC)(link)
"I am condemned whether I have done them or not. I must see your pain and his and instead of having the power to sooth it, I only seem to make it worse." Meng Yao drops his gaze, feeling unworthy of even looking at the beautiful man before him, "I want to be a good man - in your eyes and in Huaisang's. There's this hunger in me for it."

For acceptance, really. Any acceptance. He is tired of being thrown away.
lanxichen: (Sad look)

[personal profile] lanxichen 2021-01-23 11:59 am (UTC)(link)
"I am sorry." Quiet enough to be barely audible. "That I am not stronger. That you have to see it and feel - condemned. Accused. It is not my intention."

But then again, when did he ever successfully make his intention come through?

Xichen breathes out, swallowing down the bitterness of failure. Again. Over the months that have gone by, the taste has gotten very familiar.

"Being a good man... it is not something I can give you. Trying to tell you were when you were not did not end well. But I can give you this - I believe that you are now, and you can be. And I will not turn away as you try to maintain it."