Race Against Time: Ongoing Mission

[voidtreckermods]

Once the training is over people can get to work pretty quickly, there is plenty to be done both out in the world and back at the hub for those not too keep on jumping straight in to a strange volcanic planet with creatures that probably want to eat them.

Hub

The underground hub is a centre of activity. It turns out there isn't all that much fuel for shuttles to get back up to the space station so trips are rationed, they will hold villagers and lindusi until they have full shuttles and then send them up. So the hub is busy with scientists, lindusi in holding pens and as the week goes on villagers who may not be too impressed with the evacuation.

There is food, usually large pots of soup that can be reheated whenever people are around. Though some heavier meals are provided at set times the people leading the evacuation are keen not to let any of their helpers, or those they are rescuing, starve.

Sleeping rooms hold bunk beds, usually around eight a room but as the hub fills up space gets limited. Sharing beds or sleeping on the floor may become necessary.

For those hanging around the hub as the week goes on there is plenty to do, small jobs, entertaining village children, logistics, communication. Or they can find a quiet place to rest before going back out on their mission.

Red

The skies are heavy with debris, both from space and the volcanic ash and rocks from the planet itself. The fighter craft are not difficult to pilot but nor are they easy. They cannot be piloted by one person, unless that person has four arms and space in the cockpit is tight for two people.

It's difficult work and it is probably good for everybody that the craft only fly for six hours before recharging, it means they have to work in shifts, and rest when they are not in the sky. The pilots from the world are generally friendly, if very focused.

Purple

Flying bubble pods around what seems like an apocalyptic wasteland may seem surreal and that's before they even get to the villages. The villages are mostly underground, bunkers where groups of people shelter. There are a range of ages. Some villages come easy, some do not. Diplomacy is key.

Watch out for falling rocks, rogue lindusi and angry villagers, all are threats that have to mitigated. As the week goes on the villagers get more stubborn, the earthquakes get more frequent and the villagers that are waiting to be taken off world get more impatient. It's a tough job.

Orange

The lindusi are scattered across the island. Mostly as far away from volcanoes as possible though there are a few that seem too curious for their own good.

The trucks to hold the lindusi in are kept in a central point in an area whilst the groups go out to try and round as many up as possible. The voidtreckers are encouraged to stick together as they don't know the area or threats very well.

Blue

The Blue team are to protect the scientists, both those collecting plants and other life samples and those with Orange rounding up Lindusi. Once they have the hang of the shield devices it's just a case of sticking close by, keeping both eyes open and being quick to activate shields whenever there is a threat.

There are plenty of threats, it's one thing this island has in abundance.

Comments

Ongoing: Red

[runs_on_batteries]

Fighting debris

By now he'd gotten a good handle on both flying the space fighter crafts and the weapons system. He'd gone out a number of times with the pilots from the base and he appreciated how focused they were. When he was with someone from the Voidtreckers, he tended to be the pilot to make certain they came back in one piece. There were a few exceptions to this, of course.

Improving/ Tweaking the Technology

Leave it to Feanor and Tony to come back from six hours of grueling work, arguing. Fortunately this specific argument wasn't because someone was in someone else's personal space but how to best improve the fighter craft and weapons. Instead of going to rest, Tony went and found a set of tools before joining Feanor back at the fighter craft they just used.

"I'm telling you, it's the fuel injectors that are causing that annoying shutter! If that wasn't there then the ride would be smoother and would wear less on the pilots and the rest of the system. They don't need a different crystallized fuel source!"

Resting

For the first day or so, Tony pushed himself to do more than one shift in a row but between the pressure that put on his body and the nagging from his friends and boyfriend, he relented and started taking proper rest breaks.

He sat at one of the tables in the base with a hot- well, he wasn't sure what it was- drink in his hands. He was guessing it was tea/ sports drink of some kind, but he was really missing coffee about now. That mixed with the dried mix he'd brought from the train, he was doing his best to use as little of the base's supplies as he could. He kept looking toward the hanger, waiting to see who of the Voidtreckers would come back from their mission before he went to find a bed.

Fighting debris

[enthunder]

Being one of the Voidtreckers trained in both fighter-piloting and gunnery, Light's roles have tended to shift depending on who she ends up in a fighter with. When she arrives in the bay, hair damp from the fastest shower she could manage after she was woken up by radio chatter in place of an alarm, she squints at Tony. She wonders if he's slept yet.

She wishes she hadn't been gone so long that she can't tell anymore.

"Got a preference?"

Re: Fighting debris

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony looked up from where he had been adjusting a few settings and flashed his teammate a smile. He moved toward the edge of the craft and offered her a hand up. "Coming to join me, Light?" He remembered that first mission where the two of them had fun beating down the giant gorilla who had taken over the mountain pass.

"Well, if you don't, I'll take the guns. Just try to get us back in one piece, okay?" He teased.

skids back in

[enthunder]

She squinted at him for a second longer, still struggling with that sense of alienation, but was apparently satisfied by both the smile and easy manner. Her shoulders relaxed, even, as she took the offered hand up into the craft.

"No promises," she remarked, eyeing the changes he'd already made to the controls as she started the process of fitting a second person into the craft. The embarrassment had faded to a dull thing by now, and she simply gestured for him to move back into the seat so she could reach her half of the controls.

Hmm.

"Did you... change anything on the piloting side since last time?"

fighting debris

[knifewithnoname]

Fighting rocks in tiny flying tubes was not something she had ever thought she would be doing. Mostly because she had never known it was a thing that could be done before. But here she was, ready to fly up into the sky and fire beams of light that exploded rocks and other debris. It was amazing. And terrifying. But she is focusing on the amazing.

She's been up a few times and she's getting used to the controls, she hasn't tried the actual flying yet but she is getting good at shooting. You needed quick eyes and quick hands and she had both.

She arrived in the hanger, still rubbing sleep from her eyes and grinned when she saw Tony. "Do you be needing a partner?"

Re: fighting debris

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony looked up from what he was working on and his face lit up at the sight of her. He heldout a hand to help her up. "Absolutely! You feel like shooting some rocks?" He was happy to have her fly with him, but he'd be a little nervous with a kid flying the fighter. It was hypocritical since she'd likely already flown with someone else but it went against his protective nature. "How have you been doing so far?"

Re: fighting debris

[knifewithnoname]

"I do be doing well. I did be shooting lots of rocks but I did no be flying yet." She shrugged, "I can be shooting good though, I did nearly be hitting everything I did be aiming at last time. I did only be missing twice and I did be getting it on a second go."

It doesn't quite sound like boasting, just a factual report of her skills. She had learned a lot, her first try had been pretty dreadful. But Tony had asked and so she answered honestly.

Re: fighting debris

[runs_on_batteries]

This was one of the reasons these two got along so well. He appreciated getting honest, direct answers when he asked Buttercup things. He didn't care if it was 'polite' or 'bragging'. When there was a job to do, he needed someone capable of giving him facts. As it was, this information gave him something to consider he wouldn't have otherwise. She should learn how to fly these things. It was better he teach her than someone else pushing her before she was ready and getting hurt.

"We need to fix that then. Alright, upfront here. Come on." He patted the spot where the pilot sits. Once she's in the seat, he goes back over with her all the buttons specific to flying. "If we need to, we might be able to switch midair. It'll have to be done quickly though, so tell me the instant you think you're getting tired or have had enough, okay? There's nothing wrong with being the gunman instead of the pilot. Both are important."

Resting

[mtsilver_conquor]

"You look like a mother fox," Eva says as she drops into a chair near Tony, what passes for a mug of tea in hand. But it's not like she has much room to talk when she's been doing much the same, especially with her team.

Princess is noticeably absent. "So far so good, yeah?"

Re: Resting

[runs_on_batteries]

"There are much worse things to be described as," he replied with a grin. "We also have too many people like me who will work themselves to a dangerous level before remembering to take care of themselves." He knows how hypocritical that sounded, so he added with an almost sheepish smirk. "I'm trying to get better at that, by the way."

"It appears to be going smoothly, despite the circumstances." He glanced around both at their team and the natives. "Where's Princess?"

[mtsilver_conquor]

The laugh is honest and her eyes dance with amusement. "Maybe- and true. But given the mission, can you hardly blame them?"

She takes a sip of tea, then a deep breath and exhales, long and slow before answering the question. "Resting. Sleeping. Regaining the ability to Sing. It puts pressure on them, to sing long enough to put something to sleep for an hour."

Resting

[dredefulchilde]

Thankfully, there's refrigeration on the ship.

Joss had called his blood 'medical supplies,' and even though he'd gotten a few strange looks for having a backpack full of O+, at least they'd let him borrow a corner of their kitchen to keep his meals fresh.

After that, it had just been a matter of sneaking off into a dark, isolated corner of the hanger and drinking a bag.

Now that those immediate needs have been taken care of, he wanders back into the mess. Blood keeps him alive, but he still wants solid food. Even when the solid food is something indistinguishably brown that looks partially digested already.

He grabs a bowl and sits down near Tony. There's a smear of ash on the boy's cheek that he doesn't know is there, and his normally immaculate clothing is somewhat singed, but at least he's still in once piece.

"Holding up, Stark?"

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony gives Joss a smile when he came up to the table. The smudge on his cheek was pretty cute, so he decided not to tell him about it. Besides, no one here was worried about appearances. They all just wanted to survive.

He shrugged at the question. "It's a vast improvement from the last mission where we couldn't check on people. If I'd thought about it earlier I would've set up a sign in just to keep track of when and who was coming back to rest. As it is, a few of the younger team members are pushing themselves too hard." He took in the kid's appearance. "Like you?" He pointed to the food. "I'm telling myself those brown things are raisins."

[dredefulchilde]

“I’m not one of the ‘younger team members, though,” Joscelin reminds Tony for what feels like the millionth time. “I’m one of the oldest, save for the elves. I’m merely well-preserved.” He takes a bite of the food and pulls a face. “Dreadful stuff. I’m rather glad I don’t have to rely on their cooking to sustain me.” He shoves his tray aside and pulls a pack of blood, freshly liberated from the refrigerator. He drinks it openly, no longer caring who or what sees him for what he really is.

“How are you holding up then, Stark? Missing the creature comforts of home yet?”

[runs_on_batteries]

"And yet, you're one of the ones who is working yourself too hard. Shouldn't you know better?" He quipped back. He smirked at Joss pushing the food away. "Sorry, their last Wendy's caught on fire. Perhaps you'd like a bowl of lava from McDonald's instead?"

He sighed, hating that the old man-kid was right. "I admit, I've gotten spoiled. Except it would really be nice to have more than a twin sized bunk on the train. And privacy. Too many people. Other than that, yes, I miss the train."

Tweaking the Technology

[sweetnessandfight]

Sarai's got no clue as to how to tweak the technology. What she can do is make certain that both males can have something like a proper meal while they do so. Sarai has had no problem secreting some of the train's supplies down with her, and she's availing herself of them to try to help stretch the ones down here.

So it's more crimson cider for Tony and Feanor, and what looks like soup. Bean soup! There's also some fresh bread to go with it--it's not leavened, so it's more like pita bread, but it is recently made.

"Time for your arguing break, Tony! Both of you need to wash your hands and eat!" Mama Sara won't take no for an answer, either!

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony snorted a laugh and stuck his head out from under the fighter craft's main underside panel. "Did you really just mom at Feanor and I?" He asked, as if this was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. His hands were stained with metal grease and some soot that had gathered on the outside of the ship. He wiped some sweat off his brow, leaving an unintentional smudge.

"You sure you don't want a hug first?" He teased, stretching his arms out. It was to pretend he was reaching for her but really his muscles were just sore having been cramped on the fighter craft for the last few hours. To the elf, he joked, "I bet our next task is elongating this bottom part to give you more leg room. Should I go confess to Ignis after how close we had to sit?"

[tinkerheart]

"Oh, by all means, do! I'd love to hear him laugh all the way up here. He knows he's got nothing to worry about."

Fëanor emerges from the other side of the ship. He looks a tad cleaner than Tony but not much. There is a limited number of times one can avoid smearing oneself with soot and grease while handling metal parts of a machine that's just an hour ago was in active use. He at least tries to clean himself with a cloth before approaching Sarai.

"Thank you, you are too kind," he says and bows slightly as he takes both bowls, the bread and the cider from her. He deposits all of it on a small foldable table. They might be in the middle of work and the conditions are not ideal but it would be criminal to eat their meal sitting on the floor like savages. He can organize another chair for Sarai if she'd like to accompany them.

Tony will get hit with a spoon right on the head if he doesn't duck in time.

"At least say thank you, you ingrate."

[sweetnessandfight]

"And if I did?" Sarai asks in response to Tony's question about if she'd mothered them. Of course she had, it was part of her personality to do so, and the Au Ra was hardly ashamed of such a thing!

She made a face at Tony, taking a step back and wrinkling her nose. "I do not want a hug, you are sweaty and you smell!" And then a spoon bounced itself off of Tony's noggin, and Sarai gave Feanor a wide-eyed look.

"Do I need to make sure you two are sitting at opposite ends of the bay for the moment, too?" Human and Elf males were both acting so much like two little boys getting into trouble--she wasn't sure if she should laugh about it, or be troubled by it...

Re: Ongoing: Red

[unholyandbroken]

"Need a shooter? If there is one thing that never changes its knowing how to hunt." Jessie makes the offer in spite of seeing how small the ships are. But she has to faceher phobia and this is a start right?

Re: Ongoing: Red

[runs_on_batteries]

"Sure," Tony said, reaching out a hand to help her up into the cockpit. "Have you been taking the medicine I gave you or are we going to have issues when this lid shuts?" Often Tony said things that were mean. In this case, he was literally asking for information so he could be prepared, overly blunt and all.

Resting (workaholics unite?)

[azrthmtrnznthos]

Tony is getting company, and Raven has a large mug of hot-whatever-it-is in her own hands as she heads over. Not asking to take a seat, which is unusual, but she doesn't think Tony will mind.

Slumping a bit too, with a sigh of exhaustion. Right then, he was familiar--and things were calm enough, she didn't feel the need to actively project 'peace and calm'. He was, in some ways, a person she would let her guard down around. A bit.

Not that she'd tell him; his ego was too much already.

High five workaholics!

[runs_on_batteries]

It wouldn't even occur to him that Raven should ask before sitting with him. She was young, snarky, useful, and smart. She could sit with him whenever she'd like. It would make him very proud if he knew she felt so positively about him. She was like a shy cat who he'd slowly been coaxing over to let him scratch her ears. They'd gotten along so far with keeping a respectable distance, but the trust was growing. His, more than hers, as he'd been so grateful for her help with Joss and for not letting him down with respecting the boy's privacy.

And yes, his ego didn't need the extra fuel. At least the ego he flaunted. As Ignis said once, his suit was iron, but there was a man underneath.

"That bad huh?" He asked with a smirk about her sigh. "I'm pretty sure this tea is made of grass."

[azrthmtrnznthos]

"Most tea is made from grass, and leaves. And flowers. Coffee isn't much better." Her usual deadpan with snark, as the sigh was mostly because she was exhausted even with resting. Too many people and the press of emotions in a high stress situation. Especially since she was doing what she could herself to keep it from getting worse, when not actively on the mission of evacuation.

She was 'resting', but maybe not as much as she should. Not that she was trying to let anyone else in on that fact. Or make it obvious; she could rest when this was over.

[runs_on_batteries]

"Well you can go drink nasty lawn clippings anytime you'd like, but I'll be happy with my herbs and bitter beans." He shot back playfully. He reached out and patted the back of her hand in silent camaraderie before relaxing back in his seat.

"Have you had anything to eat recently?" Tea grass or lawn grass, neither should take the place of real food. They were burning far too many calories working the mission to go too lean. Someone small and thin like Raven might be more susceptible to the heat too. One dad problem at a time!