middleofsomewhere | Day 7: Screw your courage to the sticking place: Start

Day 7: Screw your courage to the sticking place: Start

For those who have been on the train a little while they will be expecting this, the beginning of a new month, after certain passengers have strange dreams. Early in the morning of day seven of the month of Egret their SCA's glow the colour of the void and a holographic message appears. Their next mission. Another world to save.

Preperation

Those that go to the dressing room will find flight suits and helmets, one per passenger. Those who are not human shaped will find ones adapted for them, some of them quite odd. The flight suits are tight fitting and light, but once they put them on they will feel quite warm. Each is the colour of the Voidtreckers team and have a black train symbol on the chest, the helmets have clear fronts and coloured backs.

They have an hour or so to prepare for their mission. Time to make sure everyone understands what a space ship is, at least. Hopefully.

Arrival

"We are now approaching System #7212108." Finally it is time. "Warning: Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A jolt, a flash of light and suddenly the colours are gone, out of the windows they will see they are in a large hanger.

And outside of the train there are five scaled humanoids with guns pointing directly at the train. Those that try the doors find they do not open.

"What void transport is this?" One of the creatures demands. "We didn't request void help, explain yourselves."

Another speaks. From where they are stood near the engine. "Voidtrecker Express."

Even though the voidtreckers are unfamiliar with these people the surprise is clear in the creatures eyes.

"Stand down." They snap at the others, who lower their weapons and step back.

The commander looks worried. "Give them anything they need." They turn to hurry out of the hanger.

The doors open, allowing the Voidtreckers off the train.

One of the remaining guards steps forwards.

"I am Hitrinto, I apologise, we were not expecting you." They look worried as well. "We have everything under control but if you are here..."

At that moment there is a clatter of noise over the radio.

"There are reports coming in of a second wormhole in the system." A second voice spoke almost immediately. "Shield Station Two has been hit. I repeat Shield Station two is taking heavy fire." A third soon after. "More enemies ships sighted, reports of a second wormhole confirmed."

Hitrinto looked at the Voidtreckers grimly. "Come with me."

If the Voidtreckers indeed follow them they will find an array of ships. Hitrinto quickly explains the basics, two person ships are easier to pilot. The controls can be shared or can be set so one person drives whilst the other concentrates on fighting. They have solo ships but they are difficult to pilot and they will only give them to those who have ship fighting experience.

Another guard hands out blasters and will give quick lessons to anyone who is unsure on how they work. For all that they were surprised they guards seem to accept the presence of the Voidtreckers and work quickly to get them armed and ready for battle. Choose ships, have a quick practice of weapons and get ready to go!

Onward!

Blue team are already where they need to be, they can begin to explore the station, get the lay of the land and figure out a plan of helping guard this place.

Everyone else is off, purple and red are off to the second wormhole, orange to the shield station that needs help! Board your ships and set off to help!

(OOC: Team posts detailing the next part of each mission will go up on the 15th March)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Again, she nods.

"Be easiest if the power source is part of the wormhole's manifestation... but somehow I doubt it'll be that simple."

Why have the 'off' switch where enemies of the Empire could reach it, after all?

"I can't imagine how such a phenomenon would be powered, let alone controlled. It must use some vast power source, and where would they put the controls?"

Indeed! An off-switch would most likely be hidden, or at least put in a guarded place.

Nita pauses, a thought striking her- "It'd have to be something as large as a star - but there's a really high chance it'd just destabilize them if they get it wrong."

She freezes, that dream-vision-terror coming back to her. Fire, blossoming all over a world.

"Hopefully they're just using planet-bound nuclear materials. Or geothermal."

"A star, yes! A star is an inferno of energy, and maybe it would be enough. Dangerous, though, if a civilization used their own star to provide the power. Yes, if they made a mistake, they could destroy their own sun. Or. . . just create havoc, because the power might flow in paths the scientists didn't anticipate."

He sees how she freezes at a disquieting thought. He has the same one, thinking of the dream-image of the wave of fiery energy swarming over the surface of a whole world.

"Do you think this nuclear energy would be enough to create such a vast thing as a wormhole? And if by geothermal, you mean that they'd use the molten core of their world to provide the energy, I wonder if even that would be enough?"

"Or other planets' suns," Nita points out faintly.

"I'd wager that this is far from the first world the Empire of Stars has... set its sights on."

She's hoping she's wrong. She's really hoping she's wrong.

"The fabric of space-time can be pretty weak, in some ways. Pulling two disparate pieces together - yeah, it can be done," she confirms, nodding.

"And maybe. Lower-powered, but still."

Part of her wants to look in her Manual, or have Bobo run the figures, but... she doesn't want to know, not really.

It's just that they might have to, and soon.

"Yes, or if they used someone else's sun," he agrees. "Less risky for them, more risky for those whose sun has been hijacked. The Empire of Stars strikes me as being very acquisitive indeed!"

Curufin would rather be wrong, too.

"Strange, I never thought about how strong or weak the fabric of space-time might be. But then, I didn't have to wonder. It wasn't a problem I was concerned with, not even after I found I could open a pathway myself when I was in spirit form or sometimes even in living form. But these questions are paramount in a universe such as this one, on missions such as this one."

He shakes his head, smiling a little, meeting Nita's eyes. Not that he really thinks this is funny, but it is just like him to smile in the face of possible disaster.

Edited 2020-03-25 05:20 (UTC)

"It's one of those things where, if it goes wrong when you're in the middle of it, then it becomes your problem."

There's a reason there are wizards that specialize in dealing with the hyperstrings worldgates are hung on.

"But here, we've got more than just that to worry about. To start with, uh, what's this hatch supposed to hold?"

Nita gently taps a compartment in the ship.

"Amen to that!" he agrees, nodding his head emphatically. "And we're in the middle of it, although it hasn't gone wrong yet. And hopefully won't."

What a fascinating idea! Worldgates hung on hyperstrings. Someday Nita will have to tell that one to Curufin.

"True, we have much to worry about. Starting with how to fly this craft." He looks at the hatch. "Want to open it and find out?"

Nita tentatively does just that... and a coil of rope falls out.

Laughing, both from stress and in genuine relief, she holds the rope and peeks into the back of the hatch. "Guess this is emergency supplies; don't see a tether in here!"

"Rope!" he laughs. "Are they expecting us to go on a mountain-climbing expedition in space?" He peers into the hatch alongside her. "Emergency supplies, hmm? First aid kit and all?"

Nita snickers just a little more, carefully reaching a hand in - and yup, that's exactly what it appears to be.

"Think this is if we need to tie ourselves to the fighter in a hurry. Or each other."

Or in case they catch anyone from the Empire!

After some more searching, she puts the rope back just as carefully as she'd opened it all up in the first place.

"Wonder if there's any open data ports?"

He snickers along with her, as regards the possible uses of the rope. But not about the first aid kit, as that's no laughing matter.

"Open data ports? If there are, I wonder where they'd be?" This aspect of technology is not his thing, but NIta's curiosity sparks his.

"I doubt they'd be in the ceiling..."

Nita doesn't have anything on her to plug in, but for Bobo's (and therefore Spot's) sake she's looking anyway.

Getting back up from her seat and awkwardly crouching on the floor, she runs her hand underneath panels (incidentally finding a power socket on the underside of a console).

"Hnnn, let's see, let's see- aha!"

It's not in a shape she recognizes, of course, but it's clearly something. Bringing her SCA-carrying wrist over, she turns on the light-

And nearly blinds herself in the process! "Ow! Forgot how strong that light is."

"What have you found?" he asks, watching her searching under the panels.

He has to laugh at her reaction to the bright light produced by the SCA. "Oops! I've done that myself. Flooded my eyes with that light and so couldn't see what I was looking at."

"Some sort of cable port; I seriously doubt this is what most people mean by 'universal adaptor,'" Nita allows.

Fumbling for the light, she clicks it off, substituting it for a (much more gentle and blue) wizardlight instead.

"Better - and yup, whatever kind of world this is, they still use optical fibers in their wiring."

Even with the odd shape, the bumps along it were telling.

"Ah, that might be what you were looking for?" he says. "Can you plug your laptop in?" Maybe not, if the ship's ports aren't designed to accommodate a multitude of cable types.

The wizardlight makes him smile. "That is very beautiful," he remarks.

"Optical fibers seem to be a common theme in high-tech worlds."

Edited 2020-03-29 04:04 (UTC)

Nita briefly blinks in confusion on top of the glare caused by the bright SCA light.

Then she laughs. "I don't have one, Curufin. But one of us should tell Dair, whoever next sees her."

Spot'll appreciate the advantage, no doubt. He, at least, is adaptable.

"Thanks," Nita replies softly, trying to negotiate a way back to the seat before she can make her way out of the fighter.

"And they're just one of many, really; these might be made out of a plant we've never heard of or something, too!"

"Ah, sorry. I was assuming that you did, since you seem to know more about modern technology than do a good many people that I've met. But yes, we'll tell Dairine, in case she wants to try."

Well, she knows more about wizardry than a good many people, as well. She can summon a wizard light of high quality.

"Fiber optics made of plants! I'd like to see that. Besides, it would be perfect if that were possible. Instead of a factory, all we'd need is a farm." Smile.

He sees she's making her exit from the fighter. "You're not planning on patrolling or fighting in one of these craft? Oh well, maybe that would be a waste of your skills. Do you have a plan?"

Edited 2020-03-29 23:41 (UTC)

"Just didn't want to build up a cramp, is all," Nita explains, backing all the way out and stretching once she's on good solid ground again.

She smiles, wry but pleased. "Maybe there is, Curufin; maybe there is."

As for a plan...

"Apart from checking out those wormholes? I can do stealth, have a word with the security systems we come across - I wish teleporting could be relied on here," she adds with scorn.

"But when we're so far from all our homes, it's not worth risking it. That, and I'd like to prevent that megaweapon from moving, not move it myself."

Assuming it can in fact be found.

He couldn't blame her. The space inside the fighter was cramped. He took the opportunity to follow her out of the craft, and he stretched his own arms and started pacing back and forth a little.

"I'm fascinated by the wormholes, too. I hope there's a way for us to check them out. I've thought of going to join Red Team, and partly for that reason. I'd get to see a wormhole first-hand."

"I'm wondering about that mega-weapon, too. If there really is such a thing, that might explain the visions Nerdanel and I had. I really, really don't want the Empire soldiers to get to fire it at a planet."

"The hard part would be getting enough time to inspect them without drawing attention," Nita replies. Which... applied to both the wormhole AND the megaweapon, really.

"Even if we're cloaked, we still take up space. And getting run over is not on my list of things to do today, or any time this week."

"Buying time is my specialty," he answers. "I'll volunteer to create a distraction, in either case, if I must. Time for you to get to the wormhole, or time for others to get into wherever that mega-weapon is and shut it off."

He smiles. "True. Let's not get run over! Say, do you want to take this spacecraft for a little spin? Can't hurt to learn how to fly it."

"Maybe even both at once?" Nita says, cracking another smile.

She's... not entirely joking.

"If they'll let us out into near-station space, we may as well give it a whirl."

Assuming, of course, they don't just get shot. That'll screw up their plans!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 7: Screw your courage to the sticking place: Start

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Fortunately, they're wrong. XD Worried for nothing!

We hope!

Re: We hope!

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Thread wrap, maybe? Though this is a good thread.

Very nice thread! And yes, let's wrap it.

\o/