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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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hohnkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-12-02 06:54 pm
no subject
Thanks. [And he is very thankful this guy is going to teach him a thing or two more, too. It just catches him as a little weird that's what he claims is more important.] You sure about that?
[He rises to his feet after him. All he means by putting the question out there again is that it's okay with him if they share. That's how they survive.]
no subject
Sure.
[ Before whistling from the corner of his mouth, low and reedy, to call his canine companion over. He's sure that this will drive the point home, that his wolfdog is more than capable of bringing him food if push comes to shove. Venom is pretty set, all things considered.
And yes, the wolfdog does have an eyepatch. Yes, he matches wardrobe accessories with his dog. ]
no subject
Okay. I'm ready.
[He steadies himself once he is up, glancing off to where the soft sound of paws eventually comes trotting up to them. The dog is surprising largely than any he remembers seeing before, but not at all scary so he gives it a admiring look.
It gets bonus points for the eye patch, too. Carl glances between the both of them for a moment, noticing how the eye patches are the same and finding it a small source of amusement. Which is definitely a first since he is still so sensitive about his own eye.]
That your dog? You made him look the same as you.
no subject
It wasn't me. People back home had a sense of humor.
[ Crouching next to his dog, Venom shifts the eyepatch to show Carl that yes, DD is missing an eye, and that they didn't just saddle the poor thing with an eyepatch just so he can look Extra Cool. ]
He'll do a better job of showing you how to find trails than me.
no subject
Your friends did this? [His brow raised along with asking his question. Though, he was wondering if they were just trying to be nice about it or mean with their sense of humor. His opinion was split. But then he sees the dog did indeed have an eye missing, so he forces himself to think maybe it was a nice thing.]
The dog can do that? [A real hunting dog. That's new to this former small town kid.]
no subject
Readjusting the straps that sit snugly over his dog's face (DD is still the entire time, impeccably behaved), Venom nods and glances up towards Carl from his position near the ground. ]
Even soldiers have senses of humor. [ Is his answer for the first question, before he gets up and whistles for DD to start following him along rough terrain. It's followed up with: ] And, yeah. He's a military hound, not a lapdog.
no subject
I don't know where the humor can be found in it. [But he shrugs. It was Venom's friends, not his. Carl's not far behind them, running a little to catch up to their side, when they start to lead the way. The dog was even more interesting than a minute ago seeing how obedient it was.]
That's kinda cool. Never saw a military dog. And never thought I'd see one here either.
no subject
He does wonder what happened to make the kid lose an eye, but he also appreciates that he's talking to someone roughly a fifth his age, so. There's that, too. ]
Space has ways of surprising you.
[ A light half-joke, neutral and measured. ] Wouldn't have much of a reason to see military canines unless you were near a base, anyway.
[ That's a little bit of fishing, he supposes. A half-veiled what's your background? ]
no subject
More surprises than I would like.
[And that's all he has to say to that. Switching back to the topic of the dog, more or less.]
No. I guess not. I think I've only ever seen police dogs as puppies, but I don't know if that counts. [A short pause as the memory of puppies he's seen slowly comes back to a sober reality of home.] That was before, though. Don't think any animals like them would be around anymore.
[He's completely oblivious to the fishing of his own background, but he may have given a clue where he was from with that anyway. Or at least what type of family he was born to. It used to be where he had an extended family in the town police force being that his dad was a sheriff's deputy.]
no subject
The latter bit of Carl's statement is more of a mystery than the rest, though, and Venom reacts to it with a sidelong glance, a hint of inquisitiveness coloring his single eye. ]
Why not?
[ 'Before' implies that something happened to... wipe out police dogs? That doesn't sound promising, no matter how blithe Carl's delivery of that fact is. ]
no subject
Um, well, that's because people turned-- got infected with something we don't know and started eating the living.
[Simply put. He is open enough to share that, but not enough for painting anymore of the picture. The hard times that followed is implied. So is the reasoning for dogs being wiped out.]
no subject
At least Venom knows now that that's something that Carl's somehow normalized. It doesn't stop him from raising a brow in mild bemusement (because really), but he keeps his reaction from being too exaggerated because, again, he knows that that Never Helps. ]
...Sounds like something out of a movie.
[ Which isn't to minimize that experience, so: ] Explains why you're so levelheaded, huh.
no subject
Venom's look he reads as slightly bemused, but he never expected that anyone could not react in at least some small way so he tries to ignore it. Keyword: tries.]
No movie I ever seen. [A slight frown tugs down at the corners of his mouth.]
It's just the way I know I have to be right now. [Though he accepts and takes pride in the compliment. Inside.
Carl can sense they're approaching the forest line now and he turns his head to make sure he steps through without tripping on the brush or something. He didn't want that embarrassment.]
no subject
He knows that choices are luxuries, and that resignation is a survival tactic. He doesn't spare Carl the sentiment of pity because it would be a disservice to his resolve— instead, he presses into the woods and crouches by indented underbrush. Runs his gloved hand over a thin line in the soil. ]
Then you won't have a hard time adjusting to this.
[ A statement of confidence, delivered with quiet acknowledgment. Poor thing is not a point of view he'll be impressing on Carl anytime soon. ]
The people around you right now, they're your allies. [ None of them are out to eat any of them, thank god. ] Utilize their assets. Learn where you can.
no subject
He listens, though, then partly nods down at him.]
I don't know if I trust everybody here, but I know we are working together for common interests. [So he could agree they were allies, but at the same time they were still people he felt he ought to watch out for if things got worse. He huffed with a sigh, feeling weird about being that jaded.] I'm learning from you though, aren't I? [He says after a moment in an effort to lighten up.]