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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
He sniffs, apparently on the verge of tears. Scared, pained, upset - regretful, no doubt, that he will once again have to incorporate this aberration into his life.
The demon that comes when it is called. Even, it seems, when it is not wanted at all.
"Frisk informed me of the details," says Chara. They missed you.
They deviated from the script. So quickly and so immediately and so effortlessly, he has drawn them astray. Could there be any other person who...?
No.
"It really is not safe for you here." Hands folded behind their back. Nonthreatening, see? He has tolerated far too much of their ugliness to have it inflicted upon him callously and without regard for what he has endured in their...absence. "You should return to the others."
no subject
Ah, no... he was just wishing it was like that, wasn't he? That childish part of him that missed Chara and imagined a happy reunion if he ever ran into them again. Of course it'd be hard - especially if they didn't remember?
Especially if they were angry at him all over again.
Asriel rubs his face again, trying to ignore the questions adding up in his head. Now that he's found Chara, he can't just let them slip through his fingers and disappear again.
"I'm fine - you should come with me! Are those flowers stuck to you? There's people back at the camp who look at 'em...
"O-oh! And it's not just me here! Mom's here too, and there's Frisk of course, and Mettaton... um, I'm not sure if you've met Mettaton yet.
Asriel's expression shifts, and a tiny bit of desperation peeks through.
"... Please come back with me?"
no subject
But, no. It seems they are friends. It seems they are buddy chum pals.
How nice for them.
"I've met him, yes," says Chara. "I'm sure you will hear of it."
Look at him directly, Chara. Face him squarely, Chara. You owe him this much, after razing his life to the ground. They know exactly whose fault it is, that he is like this, and their sins, their sins -
Their sins weigh heavily on their neck. A noose. Draw the knot tight, wash your hands of it. Burn the pages and seal the book. Please and thank you.
Their smile softens, marginally.
"It seems you have a second chance after all." And Chara? They have been consigned to something as fragile and precious as life for a little bit longer - presumably for everyone else's punishment. An obstacle to be surmounted.
Smile, Chara.
Smile at him, and speak gently.
"Do not squander it with me."
no subject
More like a third or... uh, well Asriel's lost track of how many, between all that resetting. But he does have his soul back, and he's not going to turn back into Flowey again. That's the important thing.
"But... you've got another chance too. Things are different now. They're not perfect or anything-"
It's hard to remain optimistic, and tell Chara how everything is better now. Not when Asriel has been dragged through the dirt with every new step of this journey they've made.
"a-actually, it hasn't been that great, but..."
And already he's messing it up, but it honestly is that hard to lie to Chara.
no subject
That was always the easy thing about him. He was always - always had to be, perhaps - eternally sincere, open as a book with his overly wide and expressive eyes. I'm not mad, he could say, and it would be plain as the nose on his face that he was, his eyes scrunched up and his paws screwed up into defiant fists or perhaps clenched around his ears.
Things are not perfect. They are not great. They are not even acceptable.
He says such things without a hint of cold sarcasm. Another chance for you too, Chara. Another chance for a child that completely and utterly does not deserve it. Who is bound to squander it, taint it with their touch, just as they ruined him.
"You do not have to lie to me, Asriel." It is hard, even now, to look him in the eye. But they force themself to be direct. Owe him that much. "I know things have been...far from perfect. They have been for a very long time."
no subject
"She'll find another kid, and instantly forget about you. You'll NEVER see her again."
Asriel bites his lower lip.
"You... you do?"
no subject
Again they must wonder, bitterly, how much ground was covered when they were last here. He does not fear them. He misses them, despicably enough. He misses what would and has destroyed him.
"Of course." They smile, a faint, soft upward hook of one side of their mouth. Skewed rather than glued on, something feeble as they attempt to make it...sincere. "Any fool could see it."
no subject
Chara gets a small fit of nervous laughter.
"Haha, well... it hasn't been all that great lately. There's a lot of dangerous things that happen in space! And sometimes it can get real bad. B-but you're back now, so none of that really matters to me anymore-"
Because it's not like slavery and losing most of his friends has completely changed how he sees himself or anything.
"I just... I really missed you, Chara."
no subject
He was impressionable, and they are nothing but impressions, echoes, black coal marks streaked across an empty canvas.
They're still smiling, but the curve of their lips is a protection once more, a shield, a fresh wad of scorn thick and heavy beneath their tongue.
"I can't imagine why you would."
no subject
The words come out automatically, as if the idea that he wouldn't miss them was ridiculous. He's spent timelines waiting and wishing for Chara to come back to him.
"I... I guess you really don't remember the last time you were here, huh? I mean, not that I didn't miss you before you um... went missing. I've lost you two times already, I don't want there to be a third."
no subject
If there was any chance that he would, it had all but dissolved by the time he met Frisk. He met them, and they proved to him how wrong and callous and cold his best friend must be. The Locket about their neck may as well be a shackle; a golden chain that spools between fingertips like cobwebs, a lie infused with false sunlight.
They almost find their fingers reaching for it, before they catch themself and quell the motion.
"I am not the greatest person, after all," says Chara, their smile uneven but all the same - stark in its knowing resignation. "Am I?"