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.
adregem: (leander breaks the news.)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-01-16 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Roland takes the joke in stride, a breath coming out in a soft huff before he abandons the pod altogether.

"Please." Roland replies. "Glor doesn't sleep, you should know that by now. I'd be the first to fail the part, no question. Heh."

The more they linger about, the more evident it is to Roland that they should be more concerned. That there had to be someone to ask questions, or there had to be clues to figure out the details. Otherwise, everything just felt like a giant trap to him. Further ahead were Helpmates turned away from them...he narrows his eyes and wonders if there would be merit to coming closer.

"Sticking together sounds good on paper, but this place is way too big for it to be productive," He adds, steps tentative and quiet. Not really knowing at the moment what's a supposed threat and what counts as decoration. "So I'd say we keep spreading out and keep our comm lines as open as we can. Trunks is a good call, kid can cover huge distances and can see things from above. He did it on Nion, too."

Which means establishing a line with him too, but darn should he be bringing out his gun for holographic humanoid Helpmates currently idled out a few feet away? The tension continues.

"Stay close, okay?"
blitzcheer: (whatcha gonna do about iiitt)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-01-16 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm the dirty team hopper! I don't know what Glor gets up to at night."

Should he have known that about elves in general though? He'll try and remember it for the future, though man, the train life is finding out a hundred elaborate things about people and barely being able to keep any of it straight a month or two later. Tidus is trying here!

For the present, Tidus isn't sure about Roland's idea, though he knows where he's coming from. Keeps quiet however as he notices the holographic pair not far, and where Roland's attentions have gone to. He doesn't call for his own weapon, but considers quick the layout around them. Plenty of room to move, if they were going to. And...

"Changed your tune," he jokes quietly. "Let's do it this way."

And this way is a finger and thumb coming to Tidus's mouth, and he whistles. The sound rings out, sharp as travelling far, bringing up the hairless heads of the beings. They turn around, facing the as well as can be discerned...

Tidus waves up a hand. "Yo! Over here!"

'Please standby,' speaks a voice calming, its volume raised but not the pitch, and the two begin to walk over.

Nothing weird happening yet!!
adregem: (suspicions abound.)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-01-17 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
It's incredibly loud at the proximity in which Tidus blows the whistle, far louder than Roland might have anticipated even after he knows what the guy is capable of. Hearing it in a training car was definitely different when the acoustics of the Great Autumn lend itself to such a changed tune. The grimace doesn't last long on Roland's face though, shifting his gaze from looking incredulous at Tidus, to watching the Helpmates whose attention they've successfully caught. Or rather, Tidus did.

"...You gotta teach me how to whistle like that one of these days," Roland mutters under his breath, the Helpmates getting closer and closer.

He thinks to himself that seeing them walk the way they do is definitely disturbing at best. It's weird to watch holograms that don't quite have a physical shape, yet should look and feel like they have every business being a real organic being. He shakes his head and the pistol in his hand hides behind his back, ever at the ready. Looks like it's showtime.

"If they end up being part of the threat, I've got your back." He adds, before he plays the role he's here for, nodding at the Helpmate closest to him while they meet halfway. Not that he knows or thinks the Helpmates actually understand the social cues, but it's habit by now.

"Err. Greetings." Way to sound casual. "Are...you able to answer questions?"
voidtreckernpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] voidtreckernpcs 2021-01-17 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
The Helpmates come to a stop as a reasonable distance to the pair, only one speaking up to answer Roland's question.

"Yes," it says. "How would you like our help? Is this your first time in the Autumn sector?"

The other turns to Tidus however, asking, "Hello. Are you friends, partners, or family?"
blitzcheer: (the QUEEN)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-01-17 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Roland gets a noise for agreement, whistling lessons in Roland's future. For now, luckily, the things coming for them haven't decide to go ahead and attack them, which is always good. Better to figure that out while there's some distance between them than having them right in their faces and launching who-knows-what at them.

But what faces. They're a rather plain looking pair, definitely...not human, at least having similar features, but too sleek to ever be mistaken for anything other than what they are. Tidus accompanies Roland in the short walk over to them, willing to stand there and not be in yet. Except-

"Whoawhoawhoa!" Excuse this thing! Tidus waves both hands in front of him. "We're friends. Friends!"

Let's not bring up 'partners' or 'family' here again for either of them, thanks!!
adregem: (overthinking is a hobby right?)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-01-22 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
He resists the urge to snort - a feeling he hasn't felt in a very long time.

"Smooth. The lady doth protest too much?" He says under his breath, laden with sarcasm. But he can't let the moment linger longer than it has to when the first Helpmate directs the question to him. His expression drops and he turns serious, or at least, as Tidus might recognize...he turns to pretending like a switch going on.

"Hi. Yes, as my friend here said, this is our first time in the Great Autumn. We're just about moved in, actually. Decided on becoming next door neighbors, in fact." He pats Tidus's shoulder once for emphasis, taking a step forward. The Helpmates don't get more attractive to Roland up close. "But everything seems rather...bare. Is this deliberate? Are we to complete our own lodgings or did something happen to our living arrangements?"

There, that seemed natural enough to pass, right?
voidtreckernpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] voidtreckernpcs 2021-01-25 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Both of the Helpmates appear to take a moment to register what Roland has said, before the one that spoke before speaks again:

"We're sorry that you're having trouble with your accommodations. Can you please explain what issues you are experiencing?"

It bows its head, and the other beside it follows.
blitzcheer: (blah blah bluh wuh weh)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-01-25 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Who asks that?" is all Tidus has to ask to Roland's teasing, like come on, doesn't this thing has enough powers of deduction in its holo-brain? But as Roland puts on his sensible adult act and the Helpmate gives its... rather simple answer in return, it doesn't sound like deducing is in its holo-banks.

"This place," Tidus says, voice flat. "It's empty. What's going on?"

'We're sorry,' the Helpmate repeats after a short pause. 'We don't know the problem you're referring to.'

They're making great work here.