Fierce New World- Mission Start!

[voidtreckermods]

"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.

Comments

[worthallthis]

"Yeah? What other ones have you been on?" This is Soldat's first, but it hasn't been that bad so far. Just under-geared and over-warm, that's all.

They motion back the way they came. Soldat remembers the way, don't worry, man. Even if it was a joke, they're still going to lead the way back.

[mynameisallen]

"One example is the time we spent it underground, we had one that was... I guess you could call it fantasy type setting but... that mission went horribly wrong and we were forced to evacuate."

Which he still wasn't a fan of, but at least maybe understands the why behind it at this point.*

"We've been to places that weren't mission-related also like one was a place where people ended up sharing memories with another and bonding."

[worthallthis]

"Ugh, underground. That's a lot worse than this," Soldat says firmly. "No clear exits. Easy ambush points, choke points. This is better." It's obvious where the helpmates might be found to malfunction, they get warnings for the climate malfunctions, there are lots of routes to get anywhere-- this is great.

They consider the latter thoughtfully. "So there's sharing memories here, too, huh?" That could be good, because those sort of things mean new memories usually, and could be awful, because it means people might have to experience the shit Soldat went through. Nobody should have to feel those things.

[mynameisallen]

"Only that one time and only one other person, but that seemed to be only on that one places, so I doubt it will happen again." He hoped that was the case. It was bad enough one person to know certain things about him that he didn't want out yet.

"But over all it's never the same thing twice at least."

[worthallthis]

"What other things have happened?" It seems prudent to know these sorts of things, and it's something to talk about while Soldat's eyes rove around, looking for potential threats. With no helpmates around to turn on them unexpectedly, it's mostly signs of the environmental changes, now.

[mynameisallen]

"Once on the train we had a time where we didn't understand each other." he was lucky that he had at least one friend he knew who spoke the same language as him. But it'#s taking him a long moment to remember other things that stood out.

"That's the only other I remember off the top of my head, at the moment. Not counting just world missions, but those usually are we have an objective and fighting is usually a thing."

[worthallthis]

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?"

[mynameisallen]

"I always found they were. Orange is the one that it's least likely to happen with, but not impossible." Considering he believes there was one time where they did end up hacking to fight that he could recall anyway.

"But the fighting was not usually right off the bat type thing if that makes sense. Always seems peaceful at the beginning." He soon looked around briefly, it was probably why he seemed a little relaxed at the moment.

"As for other missions we had one that was underground, he had one where diving was involved just for a couple of examples. They are always different"

[worthallthis]

"Diving. Like in the water?" Soldat has done some of that, and the metal arm didn't like it. It can keep water out for a while, but not forever. Hrm.

They shake their head a little. "I suppose there are never two missions the same, either."

[mynameisallen]

"Yeah, I know Orange did a lot of it. The team I was on did basically an escort mission of sorts with some fights." This was his usual style of missions so he enjoyed that for the most part. Protecting people.

"Not that I know of there haven't been, so at least you know you'll never get that."

[worthallthis]

That part sounds pretty great. Soldat does enjoy protection detail. "For the best. This is mostly waterproof." They hold up the metal hand with half a smile. "But only mostly."

[mynameisallen]

"You know I bet you there are people who might be able to make it so. I mean there are a lot of people who seem to enjoy things like science and making improvements for the sake of people on the train."

He at least wouldn't be at all surprised anyway.