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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
Though they never used the word, Tony was a superhero. If he hadn't already known it, he'd seen it in the number of times the man suited up, despite his own crippling terror of events, and set to the task of helping those who couldn't help themselves.
As for the fact that Stark addressed Courser. That did have Adrien glancing back over his shoulder, eyebrow arching and just the barest hint of a grin touching one corner of his lips. He said nothing, waiting it out patiently.
Because soon enough, the bahari surfaced from the shadows, moving in silent paws. He went to Tony, circling him one full circuit before stepping away and angling towards the left. Courser's brilliantly colored tail remained in the beam of Stark's flashlight; patiently waiting. ]
no subject
Uh. I just realized the flaw in my plan is that I have no idea what the hell that means.
[ Still, he keeps the flashlight trained on Courser and follows in the direction he leads, which is as good a show of faith as any to date. ]
no subject
To what little credit could be attributed to him, he kept his mouth shut and let Courser interact with Stark. As the man moved to follow the bahari, the doctor also adjusted his trajectory and moved to flank, Tony. ]
I'd say you translated it fairly quickly.
[ He remarked in a dry, slightly amused tone. Tony may contradict the notion all he wished but the fact remained; Courser wanted him to follow and Tony was following.
Though, Adrien did feel the need to point something out, as they pushed deeper into the darkness. His voice was pitched to a little above a whisper. ]
Though I should warn you, he tends to sniff out trouble, rather than lead away from it.
[ Just a friendly note of caution. ]
no subject
When have you ever once known me to walk away from trouble?
no subject
I just didn't want you going into this with expectations of logic or reason.
[ Both of which would have strongly advised that the pair of them take their murdercat and exit the cave, rather than pushing deeper into the darkness. ]
no subject
Wouldn't dream of it. Who do you think I am?
[ He adjusts his grip on his knife as he continues to plod after the bahari, which does more to give him away than anything else. ]
no subject
Well.
Okay, Tony had a point there and Adrien made a quick face that said as much. However, then they were once again on the move and the doctor fell quiet as they went deeper into the cave.
It was hard not to get distracted by curiosity and perhaps a little hopefulness. Perhaps Courser had come across those creatures because they were down here protecting a useful resource. Clean water, food ... a magic doorway home. Perhaps there was a good reason to be sneaking down through what amount to true dark, with nothing more than two small beams of light and a hell of a lot of reckless stupidity.
Regardless, whether there was gold at the end of this shit rainbow or coal, they had little warning beyond Courser's angry scratching scream and the whisper of moving air when the attacks came. Flicking his ring to activate it, Adrien dove for Tony intending to put himself between the other man and the incoming threat.
Look, nothing personal here Stark, but you got to princess carry him; he may feel the very manly need to damsel in distress you in return. ]
no subject
And damseling is just about the kindest word for it, because the first thing Tony does when the commotion kicks up is lift one hand, palm out - muscle memory, so used to having a repulsor strapped to his hand that his body falls into the stance whether he's armored or not. Unfortunately, all it would achieve in this case is losing him a hand.
At least, if Adrien weren't here being much more useful.
Tony curses loudly when his brain catches up to the situation, hands knotting sharply in the fabric of Adrien's coat as they go down, to keep them from skittering apart when they hit the floor of the cave - he's quick enough to know Adrien's ring might be the only thing that helps them survive the next fifteen seconds, if nothing else. ]
no subject
Still, the bahari can't do it on his own.
Shuddering under a double fisted blow, Adrien turned in towards Tony. Promise, he's not getting fresh here. ]
On a scale of marshmallow to my armor is flying through the cave as we speak, how squishy are you at the moment?
no subject
He can't say he's enjoying it.
He shines a light out into the darkness of the cave, the narrow beam catching only flurried movement and the occasional flash of eyes, teeth, or tail in the chaos happening just beyond their little bubble. He shifts the hunting knife in his hand, white-knuckled, and gives Adrien a look that wants to be sarcastic but mostly just looks like consternation. ]
Armor's dead, pal. All I'm armed with is my brilliance.
no subject
It truly wasn't his intention to sideline Tony. The man was a more than capable fighter, Adrien had seen it. At the same time, he was aware of those dark shadows in Stark's psyche that they both agreed to never talk about. The flashes of memory that could leave Tony breathless and on the verge of a panic attack and more importantly, how the armor's presence often served as a sturdy exoskeleton in more ways than just physical.
It's emotional support as well.
Shifting slightly, Adrien reached for his right hand and tugged the blue enamel ring off the middle finger. Stark's hands were larger but the ring should fit securely enough on his ring finger. ]
Don't even go there. [ He said before Stark's mouth could fire off snark. ] I know it's not the armor but it's been adapted to encase you at millimeters above the skin so you can fight through it without compromising it's integrity. It can withstand a ground zero nuclear blast, so don't worry about walls.
[ Remember all those Adrien shaped holes through the bulkheads of the Moira?
Yeah.
He didn't know if the ring's presence and his word would be enough to help Stark's disquiet and if the man decided to just stay out of the way, that was okay also. But the man had a knife, "armor" and options.
Pushing up and away from Stark, Tony might have heard the soft swish of Adrien spinning his knife around into an attack position, before the doctor launched himself at the unknown threats in the dark. ]
i do not have icons for a KNIFE FIGHT
What the hell are you — [ It sinks in what Adrien's just done around the time the doctor flings himself into the darkness. Tony has to bite back a surge of new panic and, more pressingly, anger. Adrien just rid himself of his only defense and leapt into the gaping maw of god only knows what, and the entire debacle wouldn't even be happening if the armor were in working order and he weren't a goddamn sitting duck. ]
Stupid, stubborn son of a bitch -
[ He's still muttering to himself as he launches himself headlong into the fray after Adrien, both hands occupied with a combination of flashlight and knife. He desperately hopes he doesn't end up slicing through non-tooth monster flesh in the midst of this clusterfuck, what with his jarring lack of sensors and night vision, but decides to take the chance.
He's just glad the first thing he slices through makes a distinctly inhuman sound of pain and anger. ]
Just realized, neither do I
He may have emotionally stepped back, but that didn't mean he wouldn't protect the man to his last breath. And, when necessary, piss him off for his own good.
Little known fact about the doctor, mostly because Adrien did his best to keep it to himself, but he was trained beyond what anyone would consider for a doctor, or even a baseline human. He had been challenged by one of the officers to find beings who ere stronger than he was and train, spar, work with them and Adrien had taken Armada at his word. He had spent hours getting his ass kicked by super soldiers, aliens, magic users, force users, the list was endless.
Adrien had put up with the indignity of getting beat down, after beat down for the express purpose of honing his skills to the point where, when faced with an enemy and unfavorable conditions, he was as prepared as a human being could possibly be. He'd learned how to listen for the whisper of wind as a body moved through it, how to internally visualize his opponent, even how to use smell to differentiate subtle variations. His muscles had wickedly fast kinetic memory and flowed through the routine of lethal hand to hand combat without conscious thought.
Courser's sharp, scratchy screeches also helped. They forced grunts and noises from the creatures they fought, something that would hopefully help Tony as well. The bahari had better eyesight in low light, infinitely better hearing and smell, his sleek body moving between his two human companions as he helped guide (if Tony paid attention) as well as covered their flank.
Tony had asked how good he was at killing with a knife and his bare hands, the answer was scary good, especially when supported by Courser.
He and Courser had barely been in one another's company when the attacks had started on the base camp back on Macha. The two had forged their bond literally in hours upon hours of desperate fighting. Working together was as natural as breathing, and the addition of Tony's efforts was also accounted for; though it was possible that both doctor and tracker were doing their best to protect Stark.
Little more damseling; prayer circle for Tony's ego. ]
no subject
He may not have the extensive hand-to-hand combat experience that Adrien does, but he isn't a sitting duck, either; he does his own combat training in his free time, and though the suit certainly makes for a different combat experience, a fight is a fight. He manages to avoid more blows than he doesn't, and the remainder bounce off the shielding Adrien has so kindly loaned him, probably preventing a few injuries that would've been deeply unpleasant otherwise. He tries to keep an eye on Adrien and Courser amidst the chaos, which is likely the only reason he spots the pattern in what Courser is doing. The bahari had been guiding them earlier, so it makes sense that he'd be doing so again in the thick of battle.
He retracts (most) of the uncharitable thoughts he's ever had about the little alien.
Things seem to be going as well as they can under the circumstances, until he sinks his knife into the flank of one of the attacking beasts deeply enough that he fails to jerk it back out in time. Pain shoots through his wrist as the creature thrashes back, knife twisting out of Tony's grasp in the process, and Tony decides to do what any superhero would do in this situation:
Punch your problems.
He hauls back and decks the thing in some approximation of where its face would be, heedless of the pain already throbbing through his arm and trusting the ring to do its job for the rest. It's more than a little satisfying when he hears the thing go down in a heap on the cave floor.
It'd probably be a cooler moment if there weren't still several more trying to kill them. ]
no subject
The creatures were aggressive, it was true and they had some nasty attacks that was true as well. After taking a couple of body blows, Adrien was certain he'd made the right decision to pass the ring to Tony. But body blows or not, the doctor was trained for this, he was trained to the slaughter, and each kill came more easily as he performed them.
He hadn't cut loose on an enemy like this since the Caducians had chosen warfare over peace and even back then, his ruthlessness had been aimed at helping get people like Nate back to their loved ones. Likewise Courser was in full fury, his predatory instincts let slip of the leash Adrien normally kept on him, and he ripped into the threats with brutal abandon.
It was hard to gauge how long the fight went on. In Adrien's mind he was counting down from ten minutes, doing his best to finish the fight within that frame of time, before the ring's power ran out and as the last creature fell from his knife and silence descended across the dark cave, he was fairly confident that there were two minutes remaining.
Maybe one and change.
Still, he called out in a tense tone. ]
Stark?!
[ Courser, was a little more delicate than his companion. The bahari simply gliding past Tony's left leg as the tracker placed himself slightly between both men, keeping track of them both. ]