thisavrou_log | december event log

Entry tags:

december event log

Who: Everyone
When: December 1st and on
Where: The Midway Hub.
What: With the Moira destroyed, the crew travel to the center of the Hub.
Warnings: Potential violence. Lots and lots and lots of walking. Please label your content

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the outer gate
"Open up, and let them in."

The Moira is no more.

With the damage done to the ship due to the timeslip, all that remains is a burning wreckage and parts to be taken—if the crew can find anything in the pieces. Recovery and headcounts are the main objective for the first several hours of being planetside, and once things have settled just enough, Captain Ira calls for a meeting and addresses those who are able in person to explain the situation. He draws a rough map of the area and explains where he believes they are - according to the terrain - and where they must go. For anyone who’s listening, he describes things like an “Outer Gate”, an “Inner Gate” and “gate sectors”. Believing this to be the best course of action, all crew are asked to explore and gather what they think they’ll need to make the long journey towards the central point of the Hub. Because the MIDs are no longer working due to the lack of a network, the Captains distribute a newer tech called the TAB. It serves the same functions as the MID but is lighter, slimmer, and has the ability to stick to any surface.

WELCOME TO THE MIDWAY HUB

Now that the smoke from the crash has cleared, and injured crew have been tended to, the Captains get everyone ready for departure by explaining what they know of the Hub. Almost stone-like, the creators built a domed workspace in the largest solid space on the planet they could find. Gates are the only way inside, and anyone who catches a glimpse of the compound will see that parts of the dome are cracked. Yet, everything still appears to be relatively intact. The Midway Hub’s terrain is very rocky and difficult to walk on at times. Below the surface is a honeycomb of intermittently dense and brittle stone that makes travel difficult due to the unpredictable nature of what lies beneath the crew’s feet. Those who can develop the tech from what’s left of the debris might be able to create something to determine which route is the safest. Ships and small crafts can be used to fly, but landing is a problem—rocks jut up in sharp peaks and the clearer spots can't handle their weight. Vegetation is sparse, consisting of twisted dark gray thistles that have sprung up from cracks in the rock and burn when in direct contact with skin, and what could be considered small animals here can be seen scurrying away the closer crew get to them.

☄ WEEK ONE

Crew are asked to hook cryo beds together and to use any appropriate vehicles that can be made or fashioned to fit the terrain to carry injured crew on the journey to the center of the Hub. Supplies are gathered, and the Captains, as well as any crew who want to, give the Moira a proper sendoff, heads bowed as they say goodbye to what’s been their home. Traveling starts out slowly, a line of a hundred-plus crew members making their way slowly forward. Stops are frequent, but camping for rest only occurs at night. Crew are assigned watch shifts, fires are built, injured tended to, and those who are able are asked to explore nearby caves and hunt for food.

Something akin to deer, though striped and only to be found in pairs, can be stumbled across at night. Throngs of dark purple mammels begin to follow the Moirans on their trip as well. They are friendly, curious, and eat the thistle. Meet the intelligent, watchful predators that aren’t easily scared away and follow the crew from a distance as if waiting to pounce. The thistle can be eaten, but only if cooked first, and those who sample the chewy plant raw will experience a burning sensation in their throat that doesn’t go away until the cooked version is consumed. During the first week, water can’t be found.

Anyone who does hunt, gather, or explore should make sure to that their TABS are on and it’s suggested that nobody goes alone.

Nearing the end of the first week, an Ingress can be spotted close by that crew can explore. If anyone dares to go inside, they will find the texture of the ground and surrounding walls to be rather soft. If inspected closely, crew will discover that what they originally thought to be rock is actually a living organism that’s fed off the energy of the Ingress it’s attached itself to. It’s not harmful and squishy to the touch. If pressed hard enough, it secretes a turquoise liquid with the consistency of water that might make a good substitute for that very thing.

☄ WEEK TWO

When crew finally pass through the sector gates, a strange sensation encompasses them, and a depowering of sorts goes into effect. The creators put in security measures meant to put all visitors on equal footing as well as to protect themselves from harm. All crew will essentially have the strength and abilities of the average human. An unforeseen issue, this causes Captain Thán to slip into a coma as he is no longer able to continue to recover at a steady pace, and with the loss of the former Captain’s abilities, crew can no longer be brought back if they die. For the first time, all Moirans are subject to permanent death.

During this week of travel, broken ingress machines and parts will be found scattered among the rocks, and new crew will come through. Unfortunately, these Ingresses aren’t in good shape, and anyone coming through will be in varying states of distress—some physical and some mental. New individuals will either have suffered an age slip, growing older or younger than their original body, some form of body transformation (perhaps that shiny thing they were wearing is now part of them somehow), or an extreme weakness they had never been subjected to before arriving on the Midway Hub. The new people will be offered to join their group, once found, and seasoned crew will be asked to explain to them where they are going and what they know.

The rest of the week will be a mix of greeting the new arrivals and continuing to travel to the center of the Hub. The closer they get, the less frequently they’ll see animals, and more caves will begin to pop up.

☄ WEEK THREE

Entering the third week of travel, settlements and houses begin to crop up and are prime areas for exploration and general supplies. Those who go inside may find items that have been left behind and evidence showing that those of varying species and cultures lived in the homes. Some appeared to have been scientists while others were explorers, but all living quarters are deserted. Crew who are less lucky in their search might come away with no fresh supplies, and others might walk into traps or safeguards left behind by previous tenants; these come in many forms, from mild paralysis to temporary unconsciousness. As there are more residences, there are also more caves. The entrances vary in size, and light sources will be needed to explore. Once inside, crew can find purple underwater streams, which can be consumed, and glowing surfaces. When crew drink the water, it temporarily restores powers, a few minutes tops, and then, extreme lethargy settles in for a couple of hours.

Further into the cave systems, crew will come across these lovely creatures that are attracted to sound and track through scent. They are highly dangerous and attack simply to feed. Killing them, though, is surprisingly simple as they are just as vulnerable and weak as everyone else. They are vicious in demeanor but only as strong as an average human.

The closer to the Inner Gate crew get, the less homes, wildlife, and more caves there will be.

☄ WEEK FOUR

The Captains, aware that the crew is exhausted, stop and make camp for the first few days. Someone mentions that it’s the holidays where they’re from, and the Captains do their best to throw a party. Set up at the base of a cave, tents are built and fires roar. Soft music is played in the form of guitar, thank you Ira, and Cúrre brings out some legumes that taste like cherries when roasted. There isn’t much in the way of decorations, but crew are encouraged to dig through their pac-discs and contribute to the festivities.

After a brief respite, crew learn that the entrances to Gate A and Gate B are inside one of the caves but any signs or markings have long since worn away or been destroyed. Groups are split, TABS are synced, and crew explore carefully until an entrance is found. Crew discover Gate A first, and all crew are contacted to gather there. The Captains will remain at the cave entrance until all crew are accounted for, and then, they’ll enter through the gate together.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Naturally, whenever it's possible to stick with her teammates, that's what Pidge does. She may not be directly working with Shiro to carry heavy objects or anything, but she's nearby when it, whatever it is, happens.

At first she's moving closer simply because he'd nearly fallen off the bed, and that couldn't mean anything good. But then she's moving much faster when she sees the way he's holding his metal arm with his good hand. And the way he's looking at it...]

Shiro!! [She's at his side in a matter of seconds, looking between him and his prosthetic hand.] What just happened??

[After the initial surprise... he's more shocked how used to it he'd gotten. To having that casual strength whenever he wanted or needed it. Suddenly it's gone, and he's... at a loss. Staring at it.]

[His fingers flex. They're still whirring faintly. Still mechanical. Functional. So why...?]

It stopped... it just cut out.

Wha- Out of nowhere?

[That prompts her to immediately reach out to grab the limb and pull it close to her face so she can inspect it, brows furrowed and lips quirked in thought.]

How could it just... It's not damaged... [She starts to look slightly annoyed. What Pidge wouldn't give to know more about all the damn Galra tech.]

...I need my laptop.

Out of nowhere.

[She's one of the few people he doesn't mind grabbing onto it and yanking it around. He's used to it, really. He'll show her his fingers flexing, moves his wrist a little.]

I didn't do anything to it, lately. Or... [He shakes his head.] Go get it. I'll take the armor off.

[At least the torso piece, anyway.]

[As soon as Pidge gets confirmation, she's back on her feet and darting over to where she'd left the bag with her laptop. She isn't gone for long, and soon enough she's back at his side and pulling the machine out onto the ground in front of her. It takes a bit longer for her to find the wires that she needs to plug into Shiro's arm, and even longer to get them all plugged in correctly. They're much cruder than what she had back home, but they work.

...At least they do when the arm itself is working properly. Pidge blinks down at her screen in confusion, then looks mildly annoyed as her fingers start to fly across the keyboard.] What the...

[By the time she's back, he's stripped out of the ... arm... portion of his armor, sitting on the ground, cross legged and waiting for her. Even if it takes longer than usual, he keeps the arm steady. Trying to help fit in plugs where he can.]

[But then she's typing away and all he can really do is lean over to peer at her screen occasionally. He won't deny he's a little apprehensive of the results. What does this mean for the rest of him?]

Are you seeing anything?

[She's got such a hard frown on her face. It might be a little concerning.]

That's the weird thing. Normally I'd see something, but...

[Her fingers finally slow to a halt and she straightens slightly, still looking at her screen as if she's been deeply offended by it.]

I'm not registering anything. No damage, no glitch, nothing. It's like someone hit an invisible off-switch that I can't find.

[It is a little concerning. More than a little. He keeps leaning in to get a look. In that weird inching way he has.]

What about a power supply? [A beat.] Did it ever have a power supply you could find?

As far as I could tell, its power supply was you. [She turns that slight frown up at Shiro, brows still furrowed.] I mean, the human body can supply a pretty significant amount of energy, and I'm pretty sure your arm is totally hardwired into your nervous system in order to function the way it does.

But right now... [Then her attention's back on the screen as she gestures toward it with one hand.] It's like something's blocking the way your body feeds into the arm. I'd say someone hacked it, but if that's what happened I'd be able to bypass them pretty easily.

That's... [That's incredibly disturbing. And probably incredibly true. It's not really something he'd ever wanted to think about. Partly because... he'd held onto some little sliver of hope it wouldn't always be attached.]

[That he could get it replaced, get something normal instead.]

You're saying it's not really... connected anymore? Not like it was?

That's what the readings I'm getting suggest. [Or the lack thereof. It really is like someone powered it down to a point where Pidge is barely getting anything out of it.]

Can you... raise it? Anything beyond moving your fingers?

Yeah. It moves fine... [And slowly, he demonstrates. Lifting it. Moving it at the elbow. It's just lacking the feeling of strength it always had before.]

There's just nothing there.

[She watches its movements critically, tapping a finger to her chin. Somehow none of it makes sense. It can still move, but it registers like it's been powered off. How?]

I must be overlooking something... [And then her eyes dart back to her screen, scanning through the lines of code.] Does it feel extra heavy?

[She's working and he's thinking. Thinking on things he probably shouldn't be, right now. If it's no longer "as attached" then... Then maybe there's some kind of chance. But -- if they do it, they might lose the tool she needs for her family's safety.]

[He doesn't want this weapon. He'd never wanted it. Why can't there be some kind of middle ground?]

Huh? [Question. Answer it.] Oh. Not really. But it's hard to tell -- it just happened a few minutes ago.

[Pidge doesn't like this. She doesn't like this at all. It's probably totally selfish of her to want his arm to stay completely functional for the sake of finding her family-- But they also use it in their fight against the Galra, right? So it's not so wrong of her to be determined to figure out what's wrong and fix it.

Her fingers are flying over the keyboard again, searching for anything that could be considered a discrepancy. She has to fix it. She has to.]

But you fell over, right? Was it because of what you were carrying or-- When it cut out, did it hurt or anything?

I think it was the box.

[Because the arm doesn't feel heavy now. Not any heavier than it usually does.]

[He tries not to think too hard again, because getting lost in the "what ifs" won't exactly help their situation. Debating whether or not it should be removed shouldn't be the focus.]

[He knows what her answer would be, anyway.]

No. Not like that one time.

[Pidge presses her lips together tightly and manages a quick nod. It's good that it didn't hurt. Of course that doesn't exactly make the situation itself any better, but- it's good.]

At least you can still move it... It could be a lot worse.

[She really kind of wishes that she could just haul Shiro's arm off for the next several hours without having to actually bother Shiro himself. Because this is seriously troubling, on so many levels. The only other thing that Pidge can think capable running interference on this kind of level is--

She freezes abruptly, sitting up completely straight.]

The Ingress.

Hey, if it was completely broken, we could always just replace it.

[He does his best to make that sound as teasing as possible. As if he hasn't daydreamed about that possibility, or given it serious thought since talking both to Ratchet and Angela, however briefly. Because he knows what her answer will be.]

[And he doesn't know if he could live with himself, if he were that clearly selfish around her.]

[Her statement throws him off the brooding track, and he stares at her, cradling the metal wrist in his hand.]

You think the ship's Ingress shut it off somehow?

[The words register before the teasing tone does, and it makes the corner of her mouth twitch into an almost frown. It's just for half a second, and then it's gone.] Not if we want it to be as strong.

[She tried to sound teasing and playful back. It probably didn't quite work.

But mostly because her brain goes right back into problem-solving mode. She doesn't have time to linger on the What-Ifs of the situation. She's only interested in solutions.]

Not the ship's Ingress. [She makes a vague gesture at their surroundings.] There are a bunch of broken ones and messed up parts all over the place. It'd only make sense that there's one that's powered on and glitching out.

... Yeah, I know.

[It didn't quite work. It sort of fell flat and that nagging guilt comes back again, full force. He doesn't pull back from her, but he does look away. Like she'll see through him somehow. Like he's already let her down.]

[He's glad she moves on to the topic of the Ingress... es.]

And them glitching is taking out our tech, you think? Is anything else reacting?

[As Shiro looks away, so does Pidge; except she's actually just looking around them to see if anything else has abruptly shut down. It doesn't seem like it. The hover beds seem to be fine, and her laptop is certainly working.]

I'm not sure... I can't tell. It doesn't look like anything else broke, but... [She turns a frown back to her laptop.] Maybe it's because most of what we have came from the Moira?

Your laptop isn't from the Moira.

[He hates to point out a flaw in her logic, but it's true. It's still working. He can see various bits and pieces of powered armor still functioning. Not from the Moira either, probably.]

Our armor is still working, too.

This one is. I had to rebuild it from scratch when I got here. [SO THERE.

...But their armor does still seem to work, for the most part, so her logic still gets a pretty big hole poked into it.]

Still... My bet's on this having something to do with the Ingress machines here. We should ask around and see if anyone else has noticed something weird.

That took you less time than I thought.

[He'd figured it would be a week or so. But he remembers seeing her with it almost immediately after they got here.]

If it's taking out our tech... maybe it took out the ship, too.

[She nearly gives him a look for that - Come on, who does he think he's talking to? - but instead just sort of smirks to herself.]

That's... probably possible. [Her eyebrows come together and her head tilts slightly to one side in thought.] It could've probably cut out the controls on the approach.

december event log

WEEK 2

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