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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.
( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )
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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
And, belatedly, that he probably shouldn't. But if the overtures a few decicycles back have put them on less hostile terms, Rinzler still doesn't want his duplicate in his space. Much less babbling about data he already has, and can't glitching use...
The harsh rattling persists as Rinzler jerks his head to the side, an irritated gesture that flags the stream, and pointedly just that. He's looking at the lights... but they don't feel right. Not even from this distance.]
no subject
[He trails off at the belated realization. He's never seen Rinzler without the helmet. He can remove his own, a simple command to his suit, but what had he done when he was Rinzler?
He never took it off. Not back then. Not that he wasn't allowed. He just... didn't want to. Was that written into Clu's code? The desire to never see his own face... was that his own desire, or Clu's? And is this version of Rinzler the same?]
You can't, can you? You can't take it off.
no subject
None of that stops the hateful, scathing flare of circuits that responds.
Of course he can't. He knows. And if Tron just came to remind him of the limit...
Fingers curl. Rinzler twitches, seethes—paces a few steps away as his lights gutter to shadow once again. He thinks he might attack his mirror if he doesn't, and probably Tron is only being stupid. Willfully or otherwise. He might share Rinzler's code and memories, but he doesn't like dwelling on them, does he?]
no subject
Tron won't dwell on the point. Nothing he can do for Rinzler on that, not right now, anyway. Whatever limitations Clu's placed on him won't be solved today, especially not with both of them so near shutdown from low power.
He can help with that, though.]
Wait here a micro. Please.
[His optical processes are fading in and out by the time he reaches the glowing stream, and it takes all his will not to simply fall headfirst into it. Kneeling shakily, he cups his hands and dips up just enough to taste at first, to confirm what his sensors are already telling him.
The energy rushes through him in a heady wave, dizzying, causing him to sway and grip the rocks to keep from tumbling forward. Circuits glow bright, their normal blue returning in a pulse before dimming again. The energy here is different, not the pure source of the Grid, but it will do for now.
Dipping his head, Tron gulps down a few more mouthfuls of the glowing water, feeling power buzz through his circuits again. The fog that had seemed to gather over his processes lifts, and he straightens, his own sparse lights bright in the dim cave.
Moving back to where Rinzler is still waiting, dim and angry, he extends his hand, the circuits on his fingers glowing cool blue.]
Take it.
[Surely Rinzler can still share energy, though whether he'll accept a transfer from Tron is to be seen.]
no subject
Please. Request, not order. It's not a word the enforcer hears much—at least, outside of the useless pleading of his prey—and it leaves Rinzler off-balance, nothing to push back against. Reactions falter, resentment settling to a suspicious stare as Tron moves over and bends down to drink.
Stupid of him. The other program's dock is exposed, attention elsewhere—even with the building power differential, Rinzler knows he could close that distance fast enough. That kind of idiocy is all but asking for it. A lunge, a strike, force uncoiled at just the right time, and then...
...then what?
He doesn't know. He doesn't want to think about it.
He doesn't move. Tron finishes, and Tron turns back, and now there's no question at all which one of them has the advantage. His mirror's lights burn bright against the shadows, slicing through them with fluid ease as he approaches where Rinzler has all but faded into the dark. Tron is quicker, Tron is stronger, and Tron has always been less broken. Rinzler wonders if he'll use that.
But the hand that reaches out is empty. The words that emerge make no sense at all. Rinzler stares, and Rinzler loops, and slowly, a rigid freeze locks itself through the hunched frame. Sound stutters, rough static joining each skip as Rinzler looks up at his other self and searches for the lie.
He's... serious.]
no subject
Rinzler seems to lock up at the offer of shared energy, however, and Tron isn't going to force it on him. Holding his hand steady, the offer still open, he moves slightly closer. Surely Rinzler knows what he's trying to do?]
You can take some of my energy. Let me help.
[He wonders how long it's been since Rinzler's had a friendly touch from another program, aside from Clu. Certainly not back on the Grid; Tron remembers the fear with which even the other members of Clu's regime regarded him, and none would dare get close. Clu's touch had been both repulsive and desired, a twisted yearning built into his rectified code. Hundreds of cycles of isolation behind the mask, with only the gold-circuited program to provide everything.
Here, though, on the ship, he doesn't know what it's like for this Rinzler. Yori is here now, and she... she's made it clear that she wants to help Rinzler, that her priorities are with him, though Tron doesn't know how much interaction they've had. Tron and Rinzler haven't had any non-violent physical contact since... well, ever.]
no subject
Contact has never been simple. Never been welcome, and as much fear and shame and need as Clu's touch has always meant, this place has done nearly as good a job impressing the dangers. Rinzler keeps to himself, because he's meant to. Because he doesn't trust them, not at all (
lie). Rinzler keeps to himself because he doesn't know how to act differently.It's been a long time.
Violence is easier. Violence is better: than being pinned or trapped or held in place, than submitting to Clu's gloating or Clu's fury. Rinzler knows how to fight, knows how to hate, and when he'd first seen himself mirrored on the Moira, it had been so easy to lash out in answer. He's never understood why Tron wouldn't do the same. He doesn't move as his mirror shifts closer. He can feel the hum of power, [his] [not his] signature bright and clear and offering, ahead. Maybe it's a trick. A lie.
It isn't.
Slowly, Rinzler reaches out to take the offered hand. Dim red contacts Tron's blue-white lights, and he opens a connection.]
no subject
Tron feels the connection open, and he completes the link, allowing the transfer to begin. Shared energy is common back on the Grid: easy and intimate between matched pairs, permitted and helpful even between friends and comrades. He doesn't let the energy flow too quickly, not wanting to overwhelm Rinzler's drained system, but hopes his mirror will begin to feel the effects soon enough.]
no subject
Lights slowly brighten. The defensive, hungry clench to Rinzler's frame lets up. The trickle of power is maddeningly slow, but still enough to all but stagger him with the sensation. It's been a long time since Rinzler felt this kind of link, and at first, he thinks that's why.
But something's different.
He does stagger when it registers, a startled lurch that goes nowhere at all. The black helmet jerks sharply up, grip tightening as much to maintain balance as to keep the link intact. Does Tron feel it too? The leeching, oppressive tug, the background drain that's countered every effort at recharge Rinzler's made since entering the zone—
It's completely, wholly gone.]
no subject
Better now?
no subject
In lieu of that, the enforcer reaches back—though he takes more care than he might usually to maintain an open, unaggressive stance for this diagnostic. No threat. His disk lights, splits, recombines and darkens, leaving Rinzler practically humming with satisfaction.
All of him works. The enforcer gives a sharp, unequivocal nod. Much better.]