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.
reluctantjinrou: (Glancing Around Corners)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-17 02:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"I agree." Natsuno said with a bit of a frown.

"I'm not entirely sure what the problem is. I mean, random electricity isn't great, but can't they just fix that on their own?" Natsuno asked. "Is it easy to fix?"
knifewithnoname: (serious)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-18 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I do no really be knowing anything about electricity."

She wrinkled her nose, "I think if you did be being smart with science you could be fixing it and if they did be building this whole world." What a weird thought. "Then they should be able to be fixing stupid electricity."
reluctantjinrou: (Who's Following Me?)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-19 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"I assume the people, or whoever built this, knows way more about electricity than I do." He huffed lightly.

"I did okay in science but this stuff is way over my head."
knifewithnoname: (But I don't want that)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-20 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Science do no even be existing in my world, so you do be doing better than me."

She huffed herself, this was annoying. "Shall we be going down here?" It looked clear, no electiricty.
reluctantjinrou: (Default)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-20 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"Your guess is as good as mine." Natsuno shrugged and nodded, heading in the direction she suggested.

"All the science in the world didn't help me in the end so there's not much I can say about it."
knifewithnoname: (But I don't want that)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-21 10:13 am (UTC)(link)
She nodded with a nose wrinkle. "Did you be trying to be solving your problems with science?"

He voice was curious, though if he didn't want to talk about it she wouldn't push. He had mentioned it though, it had been a strange thing to say.
reluctantjinrou: (I Will Get The Last Word)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-21 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"No." Natsuno shook his head. "Not really, unless you count the supernatural scientific. I solved my problems with killing people."

Was that really something he should tell a small child? Probably not.
knifewithnoname: (listening to you)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-22 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh. That do be being a much easier way to be solving problems." Rather than science. Killing people she understood.

"But here there do no even be anything to be killing."
reluctantjinrou: (Default)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-23 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's frustrating." Natsuno said with a grumble. "The last mission was much better for that, it was really...cathartic to kill a bunch of robots."
knifewithnoname: (curiousity)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-24 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, smashing robots did be being better than this." She wrinkled her nose. "It do be more boring if we can no even be killing monsters."

She's being a bit more open than she usually would be, though still careful, still taking his cues from him.
reluctantjinrou: (Glancing Around Corners)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-25 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"I didn't consider what it would mean with a boring world. Aren't they supposed to be having some sort of crisis?" Natsuno asked with a frown.

"I thought that was the whole point but..." He hadn't been on very many missions, she was very much the experienced party here.
knifewithnoname: (listening to you)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-30 01:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"Maybe they do be being very dramatic." She sighed and looked around.

"They do be thinking stupid weather do be being a crisis."

And had called them here for nothing. That would be stupid.
reluctantjinrou: (Default)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-30 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"I hope not." He grumbled. "I want things to beat up, it's better than being stuck on the train."

That, and hitting things was cathartic. "Who do we complain to if it's just the weather?"
knifewithnoname: (sadness)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-31 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes." She agreed wholeheartedly.

"I do no be knowing. This world do no even be having any people." She sighed, "I do no even be knowing why it should be being saved."
reluctantjinrou: (Mournful Glance)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-31 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's a good question. Are we meant to be saving these robot things?" Natsuno asked. "They're just machines."
knifewithnoname: (worry)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-01-31 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well we did be fixing machines last time..." She wrinkled her nose.

"Maybe they do be thinking they do be being important."
reluctantjinrou: (Sleepy)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-01-31 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"True, but that planet was going to be destroyed by a meteor. This planet's just boring." Natsuno quipped.

"Unless you want sudden cold and nothing happening, then it's perfect."
knifewithnoname: (But I don't want that)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-02-02 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
"That do be being true." She sighed, "Maybe it will be dying because it do be being so boring." She nudged a nearby structure.

"Who would even be wanting to be living here."
reluctantjinrou: (Glancing Around Corners)

[personal profile] reluctantjinrou 2021-02-04 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Her words got an amused snicker out of Natsuno.

"Beats me. I'd rather live just about anywhere but here."
knifewithnoname: (yeah I'm not buying that)

[personal profile] knifewithnoname 2021-02-05 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, this place do be being too weird."

She'd rather live on Terra... And that place had been stupid too. She sighed and looked around. "We should be keeping going, be seeing what we can be finding."