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.
worthallthis: (friendly)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-17 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"Much," they correct. "I catnap here and there. When it's safest, and there are plenty of others on watch. Usually don't sleep well on ops, anyway, so sometimes sleep is less help." They're not sure if their Beacon requirements have changed, the ability to go without sleep, food, or drink, but not more than one, and still function. Guess they're going to give it a try here.
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-01-21 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Emporio's response to the correction is a bit of a squint. 'Much' doesn't necessarily mean 'enough' mister, you can't trick him with this!!!

But, he also knows better than to argue that point blank. Instead he just frowns a bit skeptically, and even more worriedly, not entirely sure what to say. "...If you say so I guess..." Is ultimately what his brain apparently settles on, his clouds disappearing. "How would it make sleep 'less' help though, instead of just..." He searches for the word, frowning. "...I guess...'neutral'? Like it isn't helping, but it's not making it worse."
worthallthis: (looking around)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-21 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nightmares," Soldat says, sounding kind of apologetic. "Sometimes disturbed sleep is worse than no sleep." They look around at the room they're holed up in, and allow, "Nothing here seems too bad, right now. But there was a field of. Electricity earlier today. That's a potential trigger."
seacub: (AnxietyBoy prevails)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-01-23 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh." Nightmares...

"So... ...basically, you don't want something bad to happen in your sleep..." Bad is a general term, but he definitely means something closer to what Soldat is likely thinking. There were definitely people with those sorts of struggles in the cells of Green Dolphin, even if he never drew close.
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-24 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Pretty much. It'd just make me cranky, and upset anyone else who had to hear it," Soldat says, satisfied. "So I get short naps here and there. It's enough. It's only probably about a week, yeah?"
seacub: (AnxietyBoy prevails)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-01-24 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"I guess..." He sounds pretty worried all the same. "...As long as nothing worse happens, I...guess we just have to deal with it though, huh..."
worthallthis: (smilesad)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-24 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
It's hard to miss the worry, really. "I've done it before," Soldat assures him. "I'll be okay. Why don't you tell me why you're havin' trouble sleeping, yourself?"
seacub: (AnxietyBoy prevails)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-01-27 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Me?" Ah, well. "I actually don't know...I wasn't having a nightmare or anything, I just...couldn't get to sleep I guess. Maybe it's being somewhere like this?"

He's not even sure what 'like this' entails, but it's definitely different from pitching a tent on that last planet, or sleeping on the train, so...
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.
seacub: (: ' D)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-01-30 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"I think everything so far is unfamilar..." But, well. He nods. "...I hope so though, yeah."

The boy blinks, watching as Soldat roots through the bag for a moment. "Eh- Oh! No, that's alright! I'm not hungry. Just...bored I guess? I can't sleep, but I can't really do much until morning either..."
worthallthis: (look up)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-01-31 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
"You sure?" They hold up the sealed cup of soup just in case. "It's not really warm anymore... but it's not cold, either. It might help you sleep."
seacub: ('boy i sure hope nothin bad happens')

[personal profile] seacub 2021-02-01 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Besides, if it's lukewarm..." He gives a small laugh- sorry Soldat, but it sounds just a little unappetizing now..! "What kind of soup is it anyway?"
worthallthis: (Default)

[personal profile] worthallthis 2021-02-01 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"Siege stew," Soldat says, ducking their head, maybe a little shy. "Based in beef stock, potato, celery, and carrots, with pepper and garlic. I made the recipe in my last place. It keeps very well over long periods, for, you know. Sieges." Which would be when they developed it, needing to keep a pot of something warm going 24/7 for a week when it wasn't always possible to make a full meal between attacks.
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-02-02 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"Right!" It makes sense!! "It definitely smells good at least." ...

"...I guess I could warm it up to try a bite?" Just to be polite. And all that.

wait hows he warming it