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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
cw: talk about past abuse
He doesn't recoil, he doesn't try to turn away. He thinks doing that now would only serve to what he can see J is thinking- that he's upset with her. He's not. Because she hasn't answered his question.
"How old were you J?" He keeps his voice steady by some miracle, trying to channel the same quiet strength he'd found in his sister. "Because kids don't want that. Parents don't want that of their kids. And they don't blame their kids for, for that happening. They don't let their kids blame themselves for it. If your dad-"
He stops, swallows in effort to keep from letting his voice raise. "You didn't betray her. You didn't do anything."
cw: talk about past abuse
"You weren't there," it's defense of sorts, something to strengthen the fact that her opinion is the right one. No one else than her family had been there and out of all three of them J's the one still able to tell the tale, only one capable of seeing what had went wrong. And what she's seeing isn't pretty.
"I did want it just like I always do." Again, she's only giving him the half of truth. She had wanted it, yes. She had wanted nothing but make the person she loved the most smile again after having being depressed for so long.
"You know, I want it so bad that I don't even care who I'm with. Someone old or young, family, aliens, robots, monsters. Mutants." She throws the last one in just to strike him. It's cruel and unfair but there's no point in stopping now that she's gone so far. All of this just to prove a point. That he shouldn't trust her.
cw: talk about past abuse
It doesn't stop him from flinching.
Beyond her attempt at digging at his insecurity, Peter tries to listen to what she's saying. What she isn't saying. She's right about one thing; Peter wasn't there. He only has J's word to work off of. But he wasn't lying when he said he trusted her and that trust wasn't going to disappear just because of a few cruel shots. And he trusts her too much to just take that word at face value.
"I do know. I know you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry your dad did that to you. That your mom did. That she or whoever tried to make you think it was your fault."
He wants to take her hand again, he want to hug her. Hold her. Pretend he could protect her from every terrible thing that had every happened. But he knows the world doesn't work that way. So he just tries to catch her eye, somehow make her understand that he's not going anywhere.
"I know you. You're not the bad person you want to make yourself out to be. You weren't the bad guy. They were."
cw: talk about past abuse
With her mind spinning J presses her lips into thin, stressed line as she tries to understand why.
"Well, it's like I said. You decide what to do and believe yourself. Nice to hear you want to remember your first fuck sweet." They didn't have much time together left. Just couple of weeks if even that so in a way J thinks she can understand why he wouldn't want to soil the memory or the experience of her any more than what they already had.
"Maybe I really should have gotten you a picture of me after all."
cw: talk about past abuse
He takes her diversion instead. It's easier than to try to beg her into believing something different. It's easier than trying to express something he doesn't have the right words for. A fight isn't' what he wants for their last moments.
"Is that all you really think I think of you?" Or maybe he could just keep putting his foot in his mouth. Make those last moments awkward anyway. He pauses, looking away. "It's just remembering you, believing in you- it's not trying to sweeten you up."
Missing her will have very little to do with the sex. What he wanted from her hadn't always been about that either.
"Maybe I should have taken one of you when I had the chance."
cw: talk about past abuse
"I don't know. What else is there left." A strangely honest answer. She doesn't know what to think. What is this thing between them and what did all of this mean anymore. Before the shooting, before their fight there had been a period when J had thought that maybe there was something more than just dumb, clumsy flirtation. Something more genuine but then they had to go and ruin it.
Another thing she always seems to do. But in the end, maybe it's better this way.
"Too bad." She says with a shrug of shoulders, the weight from the sense of completion billowing on her. "But you know what they say. Better luck next time."
cw: talk about past abuse
Spending them together, he thinks. He's not ready for any of it to be over yet. He's not ready to be over her yet. He wants to cling to the last few hours, let it end on a high note if it has to end at all.
He reaches out a hand for her again, tentative and gentle. "There won't be a better next time."
For better or for worse, he knew he'd never meet someone else like her.
Re: cw: talk about past abuse
This time she answer to his grip. It's not nearly as firm, sure or guiding what's usually expected of her. Instead it's more wistful maybe even melancholic and soft, the touch of her fingers matching his. There is no need for words for J to know what he thinks. She can sense the feeling of the unspeakable truth between them from the connected fingers. The silent voice has grown louder and is now challenging the scream that tried to subdue it earlier.
She's torn between yes and no. Stay or let go. The idea of the former is so tempting and she shares the idea of not being -- or wanting -- to be ready to over this. Especially not now that he's still pulling her closer after what she just told him. Despite the efforts to create distance. But then again.. it's in the end nothing but foolish to try avoid inevitable isn't it. Peter isn't going to ask her.
"You don't think it's too late for that?" For this. Any half-assed, clumsy confessions or whatever is happening here. It's too late and she doesn't want this baggage with her. Then, she tries to pull her hand away from him again. This time to keep it that way.
cw: talk about past abuse
"Maybe. But I don't want it to be too late. Even if it is, I still want it."
He thinks to grab her hand again, make her see his point. But that's not how this has to end. He's making his choice. She has to make her own.
"You don't have to, J. If you want me to leave you alone until we go, I will. But you should know, I want to try. You're important to me."
no subject
She wants to flinch when the word 'important' is thrown to table. A flustered and bewildered red gathers on her cheeks, spreading its way to her ears and reaching to eyes. Her heart skips a beat and then hits back twice as hard as the realization that she's actually blushing like a little girl registers in her brain. This isn't going as she planned. There is no beast that would willingly let go of the claws and fangs.
Nothing in this encounter had gone as J had thought. She had only approached him because she wanted to see if he was still hurt and maybe look for a closure of sorts between them. It had appeared noble to her allow him go free from this mess in which they had played for so long. But despite all her words, warnings and ugly truths she had only been met with seemingly unconditional trust, care, promises of something she had once craved for: You're important and there'll be no better. He sure has come a long way from being a foolish and nervous teenager to this person whose words could fill the emptiness in her. J's sure she could think of a song for situation like this.
And still, she's allowed to be the one to decide. No one else had asked her opinions before calling the quits. It's sad, yet so much like him to think he's taking her feelings into consideration when he really isn't. How does he think that either of the choices are going to hurt less after this?
"I think I need to go," says the confident woman over the lonely girl. The battle is over and as hard it is, she's not going to take his hand. But still, there is no denying nor promises on her part. He's given her enough as a parting gift and in a way J hopes he'll settle with her the most guarded secret. Both equally heavy to carry.
"Take care, Peter." Her last words before standing up.
no subject
He could pull her back. He could argue and rant. He could ignore her clear attempts to brush him off and just keep at her side until they reached the Ingresses. He could find some other way to fix this, salvage this thing they've had between them.
But Peter made her a promise. The ball was in her court. This was J's decision to make. If she didn't want this, want him, he had to abide by that. He cared too much to take that decision away from her, no matter how it made his lungs feel like they had filled with water. Like his chest was being crushed.
"Goodbye." It's all he can think to say. He looks down at his hand, can't bare to watch her face as she leaves. It's over. He wonders how quickly in this condition he can find Wanda, hide by her side until the pit that's forming in his stomach fills again.
He already misses her.