middleofsomewhere | Crashing Down: Start

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Crashing Down: Start

As the Voidtreckers are going through their morning routines on the 24th Quicksand, there comes a train announcement over the comms. When it ends, their SCAs glow and bring up a holographic screen as is common before a mission. There's a few hours to prepare before a new announcement:

Shortly arriving at system #78961112094711. Leaving the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

The train shakes as it leaves the void. As explained by the mission brief, those who are not wearing their SCA will not be able to physically leave the train.

But for those that do, they will find their SCA lights up with their stopwatch. Counting down from five hous.

CRASHING DOWN: START

QUICKSAND 24 ~ TEAM OBJECTIVES ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ OTHER DETAILS
ASK QUESTIONS ~ SHENANIGANS ~ TEAM PLOTTING ~ MISSION TASKS/REWARDS

HOUR ONE

The Voidtrecker Express lands them within a voidcraft multistorey, the same one as when they came to holiday at the Irue Grotto. As soon as it does, their SCAs vibrate and bring up a message, audio and transcript (including brialle) become available from a Ministry worker: the tethering station is on the first floor, and there will be people and gear waiting for them, depending on what jobs they're taking up.

Evacuation plans have already begun, and everything is going to get hectic, fast. Voidtreckers will have no end of work available.

1. PROCESSING. For the more tech-minded, plenty of help is needed. Containers of SCAs in storage need to be scanned and made sure they're not faulty before they're loaded up and sent off to communities outside the Irue Grotto. It's a simple if tedious process, but necessary. There's also helping to process people, getting visitors to the planet back to their voidcrafts, so they can leave and make room for more voidcrafts to station.

People can help civilians through the health scanners, or help manage the cyro-pods that they'll be placed into, Setting up the pods isn't too difficult, it just requires hands and the ability to follow an instruction manual. The void scientists happily give this task to any voidtreckers availible to help so that they can get on with the tasks that require more know-how. ( ORANGE1 )

2. GATHERING. The Ministry also need help with bringing in people. Hover trams will help take officials - including Voidtreckers - into the Irue Grotto, to pick up people at farther parts of the city, and who can't walk to the tethering station. Directing people is necessary, as well as making sure that people have caught the message of the evacuation in the earliest hours; but also those less keen, not taking the call seriously will need to be persuaded.

People are also needed to begin going to further out communities. There are emergency broadcasts throughout the planet but the ministry and the local governing groups are aware that not everyone is going to have heard them. The ministry scramble to give the voidtreckers official passes, to help give credibility to their announcement of evacuation. ( PURPLE 1, BLUE 1 )

3. JOIN THE QUEUE. Help will be needed to help keep some semblance of order, to create a flow to keep everything running. Out in the streets, or even in the tethering station, people will become more panicked if they think they've missed their ride, if they have to wait for too long. It's not yet violent, but people with presence will be useful for helping keep everyone sensible. ( RED 1 )

HOURS TWO AND THREE

The work continues to bring people from their lives to the tethering stations, now packed by anxious individuals. There's aid needed for people outside the Irue Grotto, a call for drivers and more volunteers to stay back and help with tethering processing to get people onto the liminal stations. Panic rises with the tension, and there's also signs of disbelief for what's apparently going on.

The Ministry are handing out SCAs to be taken to those who can't come to the stations, to help with the tethering process. With quick training, people can tether themselves, and arrive at the liminal stations awaiting them.

1. ALL ABOARD. Even in the most busy of void hubs, the tethering and platform systems are not designed for an entire planet to arrive all at once. Those volunteering can access the void by a device at the tethering station. The ministry workers explain that it won't disrupt their own tethers, and they will be able to freely walk through the barrier back to the ministry building. The platform is larger than any voidtreckers have seen in their time in the void, closer to the transport station. There are rows of train tracks, but also docked air craft, space craft, there's even a port with voidcraft that look like traditional ships that would sail through water, if there were any water in the void.

All those tethered have tickets and so should know where they are going, but volunteers have been given tablets with an ever growing database to match passengers up to their voidcrafts. From there, it's a case of helping direct people, carrying luggage, and hurrying children along.

For those who would rather not be around panicked people, there's plenty of work loading animals, be they pets or animals from the zoo, who have their own dedicated voidcraft. ( ORANGE2 )

2. THE IRUE ZOO. Outside the Irue Grotto the planet is pretty rural. Not far from the city is The Irue Zoo, a clutter of domed conservatories customised to house creatures from across the system's planets: avians, reptiles, creatures that don't match anything Voidtreckers know. The zookeepers have already had collars delivered- devices similar to SCAs but for use on animals. They do however need help getting them on the creatures. For any tiny animals, there are chip guns - but, you'll need good aim.

Using drones, those piloting them can also help to make sure an area has been cleared and no one left behind, without the person piloting even being physically present. ( PURPLE 2, BLUE 3, ORANGE 3 )

2. OSIGA VILLAGES. In the villages, there are families who just don't have easy access to reach the Irue Grotto: not everyone has a vehicle. Some eagerly climb into the Ministry ride that Voidtreckers take to reach their communities, while others will need help to go to them instead. They might have family members who can't make the trip, others are more worried about their pets or farm creatures, for those lucky to have indoor farms. Luckily the SCA packs that voidtreckers were given also contain the animal tethering collars- the ministry had factored that into their evacuation plans.

More of a challenge are those who refuse to leave the lives they made, who've barricaded and are making it difficult to be helped. They might not trust the ministry. They might not believe that the threat is real. Or they might resist the idea that this threat cannot be fought, after all they are Osigan, not a weak people at all. ( ORANGE 3, RED2, PURPLE2, BLUE3 )

HOURS FOUR AND FIVE

As their countdown clocks tick to two hours remaining there is a message from Anan. The main bulk of people have been processed by now, freeing up those helping in the grotto to move out to further flung communities. Almost all efforts are now on the portable tethering kits, voidtreckers encouraged to travel by speeder to get to as many places as possible.

1. OFF WORLD. Anan waits at the main transport hub next to a space ship. It's not particularly large, clearly made for short inter planet journeys rather than long durations in space. She looks understandably worried, Chiff sat like a hat on her head, but she welcomes people on board for half an hour before they leave.

They're headed to a space station, getting there not for the faint hearted as it's situated in an asteroid field. Luckily, Anan can pilot her way through safely. The station is mostly occupied by elderly people and small children, suspicious people, a couple even tangry at Anan for leading strangers to their door. She takes their ire with humility but is quick to get down to business.

Here like on Osiga people have varying reactions to the news. The children are frightened but generally tough souls. Some of them know Anan and Chiff already and that helps with coaxing them. ( RED 2-3, BLUE 3, PURPLE 2-3 )

2. ON PLANET. The easily convinced have been evacuated by now, which leaves those who are, for variety of reasons, more difficult. Some are the furthest away from the Grotto, the travel time longer. Here, there is often unrest. There's been a couple of hours for people to work themselves into a state of panic. Even those ready and prepared to be evacuated are frustrated.

As they travel they might even find bands of people moving towards the grotto, angry and assuming they have been forgotten, abandoned. They can be calmed, especially when they learn that the voidtreckers have tethering kits and are here to help. But it will take some loud voices and calm personalities to break through that fear and anger. ( BLUE 2, PURPLE 3 )

3. THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE. But what of those who are adament they will not leave? The refusers are not one homogeneous group. Some refuse to believe what is happening. World eaters? Whose heard of them? Who are these strange people who are trying to empty their world? They never did trust the ministry, setting up in Irue like that...

Others truly believe that leaving their home to an otherworldly threat is an act of cowardice. Surely they should stay and fight. Stand against this threat and drive it back. They have weapons, surely if everyone just made a stand they could stop what was about to happen.

Others just can't bare to leave their homes. They are old and would rather face their fate in the comfort they know rather than leave to go to the void- they might know of it but that doesn't mean they trust it. Others are very aware of what this means, they survive but their bodies do not.

Some can be convinced, others are more stubborn. It may be best to focus on those who do want to leave, but there is no easy answer. ( RED 2-3, BLUE 3, ORANGE 3, PURPLE 2-3 )

All the time the skies are calm and clear, no sign of the approaching danger present. In some ways, this makes it harder; te only indication they have is their SCA clocks counting down. Hours turning to minutes, counting down to catastrophe.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions ~ Shenanigans ~ Tasks Check-In & Rewards
This event will last for 1 IC day, and OOCly runs from 16th to 22nd, with a conclusion going up on the 23rd.

CHARACTER AID: Lan Jingyi will be offering transport over distance, Lea can create keyblade portals to move people; Thanatos and Tidus will have functioning transgates to allow movement between where they are and back at the tethering station. Elidibus will also eventually be creating portals and force-teleports.

Art Credit: Header

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's a bit of a surprise.

It... makes sense, but that's a bit of a surprise.

"Hun. I thought it'd be the other way around." Then again, his contact with the train had been severely limited, just this one occasion that had rattled between the three of them. Esteban had seen it, as coloured with the glasses of his own understanding, and so had assumed that their train in particular would be clingy to its passengers, as opposed to a vessel that had no personal stake in this.

And he'd been clobbered with the concept that he wasn't actually physically here just a month after climbing aboard, so, well. He hadn't thought about not knowing the difference between a VoidSelf and a PhysicalSelf. Not that it mattered overly much, right now. He'd just keep that to himself.

"'F I got that right, new crafts don't have self-agency, right? Why would they hold passengers-- because safety's written in the program, right?" Oh! OH! He's starting to catch on! Right?

"Right. The program's designed to keep its passengers safe at all costs. That's why our SCAs will yank us back automatically if it detects we're about to die whenever possible---but the train can't see everything."

It's missed a few things. Seto knows that too well. But he keeps silent on that front.

"Untethering people from their craft is a risk, as I understand it, so the craft would have to be assured that their passengers will be safe when it lets go of them."

Oh, he didn't know that! Or, well, maybe he'd known that, but not quite in that cause-and-effect pattern that Kaiba has mentioned.

"Wait-- so what happens if someone doesn't have their SCA?" The half-elf is glancing at him with wide, but furrowed eyes, the curve of his mouth indicating his worry. This would be bad, he bets, and he knows-- knows Najaran doesn't wear hers often. He hopes she'll keep it on today through it all.

Ahead, the speeders are drawing near; another step in their journey to approach the sheltered and far communities of Irue. Esteban hopes Kaiba knows how to drive one; maybe he can learn a bit from him in case they need to split up later on.

"Depends on the planet we're on. If they can live on the planet without help, they'll usually be fine without a SCA, just not be able to understand the local language. If it's a less hospitable climate, they'll suffer some ill effects. And on this particular mission...once the world destroyer gets here, they'll die. There will still be a tether to pull them back from the dead tomorrow morning, but the train won't be able to evacuate them."

It's a grim reality, but he really hopes everyone's heeded the train's warning this time. (He is unfortunately unaware that someone did not.)

Kaiba hops into the pilot's seat, waits for Esteban to strap in, and soon they're speeding over the snow. "We'll grab as many as we can. You're good at keeping people calm."

"Yeah!" He's more used to rile people up in excitement, but he can do that much. "Right now, they're gonna want to have hope." He's... understanding that they're not bringing back everyone. The vehicle is far too small, and they don't have the time to evacuate the entire planet as they are now. It's not an ideal situation.

"They're a tight society right? Anythin' they face is gonna be together. 'F we convince the loudmouths an' the leaders, we should be good. The others are gonna follow, an' anyone who doubts gets a nudge of reassurance. We're basically the best 'xample of what's gonna happen to them anyways." Their situation is not ideal either. But they are working to fix it; they have the opportunity to fix it.

"Right, d'we have a destination, an' do we have a list of influent people 'round those parts?" He glances at his companion as he asks, before checking again through any documentation that they may have acquired from the ministry. He doubts it's all that great-- but he does find the official request asking to evacuate the planet, at least.

"Excellent plan," Seto says approvingly, impressed with Esteban's forethought. That's much more efficient than trying to go for the entire crowd at once.

"List of people, no...but I can usually identify leaders by looking at them," h declares as they reach the first village in sight. He parks as quickly as possible, landing a little more roughly than necessary---but they're short on time.

"Leaders stand tall. Project strength. You'll usually see a crowd gathered around them."

He looks around...and spots just such a group in the town square. It's showtime.

"Excuse me. We've been sent to help you all tether to voidcraft and evacuate. This world's going to be destroyed in about two hours."

Probably not the smoothest start, but he's trying to project absolute certainty here. The people stare at him dubiously...hm, maybe wrong approach?

Kaiba, that is not how you network!

Esteban is rushing after his companion, pulling the documentations as best he can from his SCA as he runs behind Kaiba's brisk pace. He has to cover a wince from the abruptness of his statement, without really being able to fault him for it, before he reaches the group that his sharp-gazed companion had approached.

"Hi! Hello!" He hides an awkward throat clearing cough before it can escape him as he tries to salvage this real-quick.

"My name's Esteban, and he is Kaiba! We've been sent by the Void Ministry to warn the villages surroundin'--" he forces the casual slouch to his accent away, sharper voice and sharper syllables to be extra clear as he speaks. "--ing Irue to evacuate. Here-- we've got their official documents, and Kaiba is the best person to answer any questions you might have."

"We need to warn anyone that might be able to help us gather everyone in a calm and steady process, and you seemed like the right people to ask! Feel free to validate the documents-- there should be a mass warning given to everyone--" he trails off, having no idea how the Irue system would spread such a word, but trusts that the Osigan will probably look it up themselves without him pushing for it.

"I have to ask; is there anyone else you can think of that would need to be informed of this?" He's... missing something, he knows he is, but this is as far as his contract-ready-speech pushes him to, as it was the only thing he's ever needed to say.

Introductions, check! Letters of reference, check! Brief summary of their ~~skills~~ purpose (with bonus flatteries for ego stroking), check! and further involvement from absent parties, check! There's his list.

He's still missing something though. It sits like a stone at the bottom of his stomach while he watches the group snicker lightly before they notice the seal of the Void Ministry at the top of his documentation-- holographic or otherwise. Please let this work.

Kaiba steps back to let the more sociable Esteban speak---oh, right. Diplomacy. He could've done that, but survival instincts are getting in the way here. He waits a little while before trying again.

"Right. That's all the information we were given officially. What's' coming are a mass called 'world eaters'--crude name, I know. But I've personally seen the threat coming, and been told the system was obliterated."

He briefly dips into his notebook to look up the system number of the former world. "Please believe us when we say that trying to fight it is unwise. It completely consumes planets in seconds."

Hopefully the softer approach helps? If not, he'll step behind Esteban's friendlier face. Well...they're still listening, so that's something.

There is definitely a leader among them. She raises her chin when the VoidTreckers approach, and when they blurt out their request, the rest of them stay quiet as she glances through the documentation first, passing through the group of them to look at the holographic seal the half-elf lowers to her height.

Her hair is peppered with grey streaks, and her eyes are a tad paler than most, but it does not give her any air of weakness as she lowers her head a bit, pondering for a few minutes. When another from her entourage shuffles, she turns her steely gaze to his, and nudges him forth with a movement of her chin.

"Confirm these for me, will you?" She utters, and her voice is so gentle, for how non-negotiable it sounds like. The man who shifted hurries off, apparently settling on the request as she turns her gaze to Kaiba instead. "How long do we have, and what are we encouraged to do?"

Her entourage seems ready to move, but her open palm seems to steady them all; they will all need this information. She is not convinced, not yet, but it is clear that she has enough reason to check their claims, and to possibly speed them far more along than either Esteban or Kaiba could ever hope to convince anyone else.

Kaiba straightens his posture once more, sounding surer of himself. Like the old days. He needs to be absolutely certain here.

"Two hours, maybe a little more. We're arranging flights back to the main transport center, and we have a mobile tethering unit to help anyone who can't travel. Just tell us where to go and we'll find evacuees."

He's offering to be guided: a rarity for him. But this isn't the time to be Mr. Ego.

"You are well prepared." She smiles at them, the wrinkles casting crow's feet at the corners of her steely gaze as she shifts to see the people behind her. There is a moment more of pondering, before she nods her head slowly.

"Follow me." There is movement about her as she gives her directives, efficient and quick to guide those around her, many of them who jump to the task before she is completely done with her words. The team is well used to work together, and their leader is gentle, even as she guides them.

Esteban allows himself a few seconds to be impressed, before the crone's surprisingly quick feet forces him to great strides to keep up, as she leads them to the few in her village who will need the VoidTrecker's help.

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Crashing Down: Start

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Suggesting a fade to black so we can focus on the train contact log instead.