VoidTrecker Express Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
voidtreckermods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
middleofsomewhere2019-07-13 08:02 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2019-07-13 08:02 am
To Climb
Preparation
Just after light on the seventh day since boarding the train everyone’s SCA glows with the colours of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come. No one gets much time to process this before there is a shaking, like turbulance before there’s a jolt and flash of colour.
”Welcome to Hub World#5739. Our next stop will be Ciyesia in a few hours.”
Outside the windows the void is gone. The train is winding through a mountain range. The mountains tower up around them. The sky is a beautiful blue though every now and again there is a swirl of colour, like the void is trying to break through.
The countryside wizzes by, sometimes you go past settlements, small villages of wooden houses. Sometimes you pass farmers in fields. Sometimes herds of animals, horses, camels, strange animals with six legs and curled horns.
Eventually the train slows. ”Now arriving at Ciyesia. Passengers must wear their Safety Control Apparatus. Please ensure you take all equipment needed for your mission with you when you leave the train and take extra care when you step from the train to the platform. Next stop Ciyesia.”
Arrival
And in a billow of steam the train comes to a stop. The doors hiss open and there is indeed a rickety wooden platform, fallen into disuse. Sat upon it were two children, a boy and a girl who were staring at the train with open mouths.
Before the doors were even fully opened they were off running, “Ma! Ma!”
The platform is in a clearing, surrounded mostly by trees but down the path the children took a building can be seen. If you follow the children you will find it a large homestead, with a sign outside. The Weary Wanderer. The children are on the doorstep talking to a woman and gesturing towards you.
As you approach she smiles, a little nervously. “Well. This is not something I thought I would see in my lifetime. Welcome Treckers, I offer you the hospitality of my inn.”
She gestures them in. Inside is a large common room with wooden tables. There is a fire place but the day is warm enough that it is not lit. At first glance it looks old fashioned to anyone from a modern world, even fantasy-esque for those who would recognise it as such. Indeed her and the children are dressed in simple layered, loose tunics. But then you may notice some of the candles are battery powered and! there’s a coffee machine on the bar.
“Maia can you ask our guests what they would like to drink?” The woman hands the little girl a slate and chalk before she begins rummaging around on the bar for mugs and glasses. “I’m sorry, it’s the quiet season so we aren’t quite guest-ready.”
They become guest ready in an impressive amount of time. The little boy runs off and returns a short while later with a plate of oat biscuits that he begins handing out.
Sheltered and soon to be fed it is time to learn more about this land and plan for your journeys ahead.
(OOC: Information for this event is here and the initial briefing is here
Just after light on the seventh day since boarding the train everyone’s SCA glows with the colours of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come. No one gets much time to process this before there is a shaking, like turbulance before there’s a jolt and flash of colour.
”Welcome to Hub World#5739. Our next stop will be Ciyesia in a few hours.”
Outside the windows the void is gone. The train is winding through a mountain range. The mountains tower up around them. The sky is a beautiful blue though every now and again there is a swirl of colour, like the void is trying to break through.
The countryside wizzes by, sometimes you go past settlements, small villages of wooden houses. Sometimes you pass farmers in fields. Sometimes herds of animals, horses, camels, strange animals with six legs and curled horns.
Eventually the train slows. ”Now arriving at Ciyesia. Passengers must wear their Safety Control Apparatus. Please ensure you take all equipment needed for your mission with you when you leave the train and take extra care when you step from the train to the platform. Next stop Ciyesia.”
Arrival
And in a billow of steam the train comes to a stop. The doors hiss open and there is indeed a rickety wooden platform, fallen into disuse. Sat upon it were two children, a boy and a girl who were staring at the train with open mouths.
Before the doors were even fully opened they were off running, “Ma! Ma!”
The platform is in a clearing, surrounded mostly by trees but down the path the children took a building can be seen. If you follow the children you will find it a large homestead, with a sign outside. The Weary Wanderer. The children are on the doorstep talking to a woman and gesturing towards you.
As you approach she smiles, a little nervously. “Well. This is not something I thought I would see in my lifetime. Welcome Treckers, I offer you the hospitality of my inn.”
She gestures them in. Inside is a large common room with wooden tables. There is a fire place but the day is warm enough that it is not lit. At first glance it looks old fashioned to anyone from a modern world, even fantasy-esque for those who would recognise it as such. Indeed her and the children are dressed in simple layered, loose tunics. But then you may notice some of the candles are battery powered and! there’s a coffee machine on the bar.
“Maia can you ask our guests what they would like to drink?” The woman hands the little girl a slate and chalk before she begins rummaging around on the bar for mugs and glasses. “I’m sorry, it’s the quiet season so we aren’t quite guest-ready.”
They become guest ready in an impressive amount of time. The little boy runs off and returns a short while later with a plate of oat biscuits that he begins handing out.
Sheltered and soon to be fed it is time to learn more about this land and plan for your journeys ahead.
(OOC: Information for this event is here and the initial briefing is here
no subject
"Aa, tha-thanks," he utters, still grinning. "I don't always know what's going on, or...the right thing to do about it, but I'll still give it my all, you know? That's...I think, the best anyone can do."
He clears his throat, looking up and away. Gosh, he expected to reach the top of the mountain annoyed and tired, not...full of nostalgia and sentiment! What a day. It--
Oh!
He blinks and looks back.
"Auh, but, ah! What...what about you? Does the rest of your family get cool power suits, too?"
no subject
The older man seems a bit surprised the conversation turned back towards him. He snorts a laugh at that question. "Well, somewhat, yes. I suppose they do." He hadn't thought of it quite like that. "My wife has one that I made. My daughter's only four, so, no. She doesn't have one yet. I probably would've made her one eventually." His expression shifts briefly to a pained one, before he can push it away. "I may fly back to the inn to see about stealing or buying some tools. Would you like to come with me or stay here?" He glances around the empty, rocky space. Tony knows which one he'd pick, but.. maybe the kid really hated the flight.
no subject
He just misses the wince on the older man's face, distracted by the view and what he thought was another eagle owl -- just a pigeon, no harm. But his attention comes back at the ask, eyebrows raised.
"Ah? Oh--ye, yeah, actually. The job's already done for the day here, right?" The other team can cart up those awful fledglings on unmolested...save for the awful fledglings themselves. "I wouldn't mind a lift, if that's fine?"
no subject
It was hard drawing his focus back to Manabu, but it was more like a postponing the thought rather than pushing away forever. The distinction somehow made it easier to deal with.
"Right. You did good, kid. You got to the mountain and did what you were supposed to do. Now you can go back and sleep in a real bed and have a hot supper." He holds out an arm to wrap around Manabu for the flight back.
no subject
When he's actually prepared for it, Manabu is much less the flailing ragdoll of alarm he'd been the first go around. Rather, he's more trusting of the grip on him and more willing to look about, as if this were just some kind of carnival ride rather than a guy doing him a solid. For how much he loves piloting the space cruisers, it kind of makes sense! That feeling of having nothing between his feet and oblivion's hard to shake, though, so the nervous butterflies stay. That's part of the charm!
"You know--" Manabu doesn't start back up until his feet are on the ground and he's set loose. "It'd be nice if that kind of armor also had a way to interface with other systems -- link up like in a network, right? It's driving me nuts not being able to get into the engine of that damn train..."
no subject
He didn't have any trouble with heights (obviously) but after he'd fallen out of bed that first day, he hadn't been eager to try the top bunk. In some ways, he figured Buttercup preferred having the height advantage and whatever privacy the top bunk afforded her.
Though he wouldn't say it and possibly embarrass the kid, he was surprised and pleased Manabu didn't have the same heart attack this time. He'd always enjoyed the exhilaration of flying and if this young man was a pilot, he had to have some adrenaline junky to his personality too.
As they landed, he sighs at Manabu's remark. "Yes, I do have an AI that could link with the ship, but I haven't been able to do so yet. Part of it is the same problem we've been having. I don't have any proper tools. Maybe we can make a blueprint?"
no subject
Despite the outcry, he's still in good spirits. Flying, a sense of security...good things like that add up. Hell, he's an optimist by nature, so any mere chance to hang onto something good and crawl out of the dumps is taken as soon as he senses it.
With boots back on the ground and focus back on their mysterious ride, Manabu's demeanor starts to shift more toward the prospect of work. His eyes wince.
"No good already?" He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe the interface in the train is too primitive. It did look pretty barren under the floor panels..."
no subject
He hadn't thought of that yet. Looking up, he stares at Manabu a moment as he considers the fact the void train might not be too advanced, but actually primitive. "So besides the fact it's going through the void, it might be technologically too slow to be hacked?" He runs his fingers along his goutee, deep in thought. "It'd be helpful if we had some contact with the ones who have abducted us from our worlds and ask them some questions. For all we know, there isn't anyone in the conductor car but some AI."
no subject
"I'm not sure that'd be a great find," he admits. "AI without human advisory isn't very safe. But then...maybe who or whatever picked us all up isn't really that concerned with safety?"
The train is packed with things that make spider-boys puke, after all.
no subject
It wasn't the conductor's fault his kids were idiots and allergic to everything. He hadn't realized before just how many different things Peter could get harmed by. It made his confidence in the boy's abilities to be strong and capable waiver. How could you be a superhero and protect the world if you were taken out by Febreeze?
"Either way, we should see what we can do when we get back on the train to override the system or at least communicate with it."
no subject
If the train comes back. Manabu rubs the back of his head and sighs. Man, grim speculation really isn't his favorite pastime, but overt optimism doesn't seem right for the moment, either. For someone who runs mostly on zero or a hundred, there's a hard balance to strike here.
"I'm going to go in and see who's made it back," he decides, his head turning in the direction of the inn. "And, maybe, if I see some useful tools, I can pass them along your way."
Not just for the gun, but...for whatever else could follow.
no subject
Whenever Manabu felt like it, he would fly them back to the summit. They'd talked quite a bit about their situation and it had turned pretty bleak. Maybe he shouldn't have spun things so negatively for the young man. They could use that positive spirit of Manabu's. Either way, Tony liked him and he was going to have the kid's back.