E
V
E
N
T
L
O
G
|
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.
( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hohnkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-12-02 06:54 pm
no subject
[The smile is meek and small, but present. It's all he can manage in the face of everything he feels, and most especially what he can't. His arm slips around her slender shoulders and with a long breath, he manages to keep upright on his feet, even if the steps are slow and less steady than he wants to admit.]
I used to wonder what this felt like. [The revelation is offered only after a fem minutes of slow progress.] How anyone functioned like this.
no subject
[She gives the lightest of squeezes upon him, yet steadies herself, keeping her steps as smooth as she can.]
I function quite well, or so I like to assume.
no subject
[
As if he doesn't by himself. Or surround himself with people who behave much the same.]But-- [She functions just fine because she's learned how to survive on her own, with the talents she's cultivated...or was maybe born it, it's hard to see Padmé as anything but that passionate freedom fighter, even as a child. There is no loss here to make up for.]
It's like having to learn how to walk again when you know you know better. [I should be better than this, he thinks. It remains unsaid.]
no subject
It takes one to know one.
[She is mindful still, watching their steps as they move forward at a snail's pace. There is no rush in her despite the tiredness that seeks at her bones, only that gentle patience.]
You've always been a quick learner, Ani, and I'll be here every step of the way.
[Mayhaps it is something on the planet, or it could be something else. Yet they are together, and together they will get through it.]
no subject
[It's easier to focus on that, on her, on anything but this, and the laughter comes easier, even if it doesn't sound wholly natural. Anyone else in the galaxy might have assumed he was making light of the whole situation when he's at his wits end and literally clinging to the last bits of sanity he has left.
Padmé makes sense, and Padmé will always make sense. That has to be enough.]
Unfortunately for us both, I think I knew how to fly before I could walk...
no subject
[She can keep that banter small, a lightness to her voice at the situation as her fingers tighten ever so against him. She has already lost him once, and she will not lose him again. No. Not here. Not ever.]
I suppose you'll have the distinct pleasure of learning like us normal people then, although you are already putting one foot in front of the other.
[Which is good. Otherwise, the journey might have taken far, far longer.]
Ahead. See? We can rest there.
[A small spot to sit, and while it might not have creature comforts, it is still better than nothing.]
no subject
[Baby steps. It certainly feels like it too, but he supposes she has a point. Forward is better than nothing at all. The banter, however is distracting and easy and keeps his mind off how slow progress has become, or how hollow everything but that arm around his back and that body at his side feels.
Still, he nods absently and continues to follow her lead when nothing else provides any guidance.
And as much as he tries to pride himself on self-sufficiency, it seems that's never been the case, has it? The emptiness is the most frightening thing he's felt in a long time, not that he'll readily admit it.]
Padmé, I'll be fine.
[It's as close as he's getting to thanks until they reach that point. He'll need it.]
no subject
[Which means they had both been correct. He is her other half, the piece of her that had been missing, and only with him had she felt completed. So hesitant and shy that day when they wed, his hand had taken hers like it was crystal and might shatter. A delicate strength that he had always had.
Angling them towards the bench, Padmé lets him take a seat first.]
I know you will, my love.
no subject
Seated, he can take time to breathe and to better assess his traveling companion. A hand settles gently, just under her ribs, and his gaze finally clears and fixes pointedly on her.]
How are you holding up?
[It isn't quite an accusation that she's been downplaying her own condition: he knows they wouldn't have made it to even this point without her taking charge when he simply couldn't. But he knows.]
no subject
As delicate as his touch may be, Padmé still winces out of instinct. She can feel his gaze on her, and after a moment turns to look at him.]
I- [But no, she knows better than to say I am fine and alters her wording.] I will be fine.
[Which is the truth. Her wounds are normal, typical, nothing special. They will heal in due course, if given the chance. Anakin's... Padmé doesn't know how long he will be without his connection to the Force. It may be something on the planet, or something that they have ingested. She has no idea. It could be any number of things.
With a hand cupping his cheek, her head tilts slightly.]
And you, my love?
no subject
He both takes hope out of that "will be" and hates the implication that she isn't fine all at once. She takes it in stride, she always takes it in stride, but Force, if he doesn't wish she didn't have to.
Anakin leans into that touch, a gesture between them that's become almost second-nature by now, and closes his eyes. In that "solitude," it's far too quiet, the steady hum just beyond his periphery gone and the light with it. But Padmé's warmth is steadying, and not something he's willing to lose quite yet.
Saying that is he fine would be a lie, and echoing her own sentiment--stars forbid--may become just as much of one, but the truth, the fact that he has no idea, is horrifying. Too much so to find the right words for. Fear is still a failure, and now more than ever--now that he knows what's at stake should the worst come to pass--failure is nowhere near an option.
But the truth of it doesn't change. He doesn't know.]
...I'm breathing?
[It's a start. It's not a lie, and not so overtly hopeful as to tempt Fate in the opposite direction. But it's not quite there.]
I'll fix this.
[Whatever that means.]
no subject
Her fingers curl gently, and she leans forward to give a soft kiss upon his forehead, before resting her own lightly upon his own. Her own breathing is steady and while tiredness licks at her heels, she has always been a survivor, pushing ahead one step at a time. A reprise for a moment, to let them each catch their breath, before moving on again, to see what lays ahead.
She chuckles, softly, expression tender.]
Well, that is a very good sign.
[But her hand tips his face slightly upward, eyes on him.]
We will.