Who: Everyone
When: July 1 and onward. See this post for info.
Where: Kauto + Chioni + Ingress Complex
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label warn-worthy content in your subject headers.

There's a burst of light in the sky when the Ingress breaks, a final flare followed by a shuddering that only those in the facility can feel. A flurry of panicked activity in the complex follows, ushering new arrivals to where they need to go in a hurry, with little time to give them the needed information, much less answer questions. The lights remain on, but dimmer now, life functions still operating but little else. On Kauto and Chioni below, the sky fades into an early twilight, followed by night, and day does not come again.

nerds save the world

Before the end of the day, all TABs receive an emergency broadcast notification outlining the situation. The speaker, a lead Savriite Ingress technician, does not invite panic but nor does he mince words. The Ingress is broken; their best efforts have failed to restore it. The time has come to turn to anyone who can help: scientists, engineers, those who have worked with advanced technology on any world. Formal qualifications don't matter when it could be the end of everything.

"Help us. Before it is too late."

Those who come will have the run of the complex and full access to the Ingress, as well as whatever tools are available and as much coffee as they can drink. People are encouraged to work in groups and share ideas, and a small number of young and nervous technical assistants will be on hand.

the land below

As Thisavrou is denied light and warmth, the weather becomes brisk and descends into bitter cold. Chioni is evacuated due to the effects on the already-harsh weather cycles there, although a skeleton crew of scientists remain behind. On Kauto, the arboreal Region Three and pastoral Region Two suffer the most from the temperatures and the snow that eventually begins to fall. Many crops are frozen over, and refugee citizens are driven from their homes to the Regions One and Five, where stored energy will keep dwellings warm. Save for those who choose to leave the underwater facilities, Region Four remains largely unchanged, but there are unverified accounts of strange aquatic animal behavior near the surface.

Overcrowding, limited supplies and a pervasive fear presents the opportunity for both heroism and foul deeds. Many come together to share resources, supplies and fellowship in what could be the end of worlds, while others take what they can from the unwilling or exploit the desperate. Sentient evacuees are followed by fauna from Region Three and unsettled lands beyond, in search of warmth or food or merely confused by the change in habitat. Some are unthreatening herbivores, while tanglesnakes and clownbees are more troublesome. Others are poisonous hunters, while still others are small, but dangerous when faced as a pack.

Just when all seems lost, light returns to the sky. The Ingress begins to function once more.

the coming days

As the temperatures rise, many demand answers, but most turn to the rebuilding of their lives first. Damage has been done that isn't so easily fixed, and even in the least-affected areas, remnants of the crisis show in the lack of fresh food, in the increased signs of criminal activity. Those who can help others through their own efforts of by organizing assistance are needed, but those with impure intentions are more likely to go unnoticed.

Eavesdropping on the streets may reveal a desire for vengeance. "Those intruders from last week. They're responsible for this, aren't they? What's being done?" But don't listen too closely, or a suspicious eye may be turned on you. "Aren't you one of the refugees from the Midway Hub? You should return to where you came from! All the trouble began when your people showed up!"

Life goes on. But life does not go on unchanged.

[quick ooc note: the Region 4 search & retrieval mission/RNG fight will be posted in a separate log.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

     "Figures," Cayde sighs. "You'd think that with something of this technical level, they'd have like an instruction manual or something." Some kind of records, at least.

     Glancing over at Quorra, he gives a nod in his floaty pal's direction. "That's my Ghost. Answers to the same. He'll be helping out around here if he can. I'm more of the shoot-all-the-things kinda guy."

     A blue beam of light emits from the Ghost's 'eye', washing over the portion of the Ingress in front of it before it pauses and turns in midair to offer something of a bobbing nod at Quorra. "I hope I can be of assistance, anyway. This is a big step up from having to get centuries old computers and machinery to function."

She laughs softly. "Right? I'm happy to help and everything, but they kinda left us in the dark here. An instruction manual would be wonderful right about now."

Quorra watches with interest as the Ghost scans the Ingress' machinery, then tilts her head a touch. "Your Ghost. He looks kinda like a bit, but talks way more than any bit I've ever met." It turns to acknowledge her and the ISO gives a nod back, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Ghost. And I'm sure you will be, especially if you can get something like a schematic mapped out for this thing."

She glances at Cayde. "Is there anything I can do here to help you guys?" A break from what she was doing is probably long overdue. There's only so many times she can futilely stare at the same few lines of code.

     "Nice to meet you as well. I'll do my best. It's as good a place to start as any, I think." The Ghost's vertices swivel and twitch a little, giving something of a curious sort of 'expression' to it. "What is a bit?"

     Cayde seems about to have asked the same question, but at the Ghost's inquiry he simply gestures as though to say, 'what he said.' "Thankfully he doesn't talk too much. Generally provides useful information that helps me not get killed. Or tries to deter me otherwise," he smirks. "Oh, I'm Cayde, by the way. And what do we call you?"

     Casting a look between Quorra and the Ingress, the Exo shrugs. "I don't know- oh wait. Any of these terminals work? Maybe Ghost can start uploading his scans and you can compile them?"

"A bit is a digit that act as helpers for programs in the system." She gestures towards the Ghost. "They look a little like you, and can float. But they can only say 'yes' or 'no' and not much else." Cayde's comment receives a small laugh, "Sounds like Ghost is a good helper for you, if he's keeping you out of trouble like that. And my name's Quorra."

She nods at his query, indicating to one of the nearby terminals. "I managed to get that one up and running. I should be able to compile what data Ghost is able to retrieve on it."

Somehow the Exo appears to smirk at that. "His fault I'm alive and kicking to begin with, you could say." A nod. "Good to meet you, Quorra."

"Likewise," the Ghost adds. Floating over towards the terminal as the ISO points out, it seems to consider it. "Excellent. I'll copy over what I've got so far." Exchanging a glance with Cayde, it then vanishes in a brief shimmer of light, right into the terminal itself.

Her smile widens at that. "Good on him. And good to meet you two as well."

She starts with surprise, however, as Ghost shimmers and disappears into the terminal. In her experience, things were more... solidly structured in the User world, a lot less malleable than things were in the Grid. So that wins a couple impressed, raised eyebrows.

"Whoa, that's pretty cool. How is he able to do that?"

     "Honestly? I have no idea."

     There's a lot of things he doesn't know about the Ghost's workings, let alone his own Exo body. Cayde's just come to accept that such is how things are and so long as they continue to work, that's fine by him.

     It doesn't take long before the Ghost reemerges from the terminal in the same dispersal of light that it had gone into it.

     "Everything should be ready to go, Quorra," it informs them, nodding at the ISO.

"Perfect! I'll get started."

The ISO settles in place at the terminal, fingers deftly working across the keyboard. Having spent an inordinate amount of time already attempting to troubleshooting, she's gotten more comfortable with the complex intricacies that make up the Ingress' software. It's still fairly alien to her, and much different than the programming language she's used to, but she's able to maneuver her way through it.

As she compiles the raw data from Ghost, eyes fixed on the screen, she inclines her head. "So, you used to get old computers and machines and stuff to function again? Tell me more about that. Did you enjoy it?"

     The Ghost watches Quorra as she sets to work, fascinated by how acclimated she is to the terminal's layout, or rather how quick she is. The glance he gives Cayde seems to suggest 'look, maybe you could learn something.'

     "If we're lucky, anyway. Time does things to some systems that no amount of work might get it to function again, unfortunately. And while I don't think I'd necessarily say I enjoy it- at least not all the time, I do find it a welcome challenge."

     "Earth and its other colonies are full of a lot of dilapidated tech. Been through some rough times," Cayde fills in, stepping closer to watch, although not necessarily in hopes of learning anything. He knows where his skills lie. "So a lot of stuff lies in ruin, largely untouched if we're lucky. And if we're luckier still, then we can find them and get them to work again. Like opening time capsules to history."

     "Or a nest of Hive."

     "-or that," Cayde admits.

"Challenges always make things more fun." Her fingers hover over the keyboard for a nano, however, and Quorra gives a short glance in their direction, concern flitting into her expression.

Colonies? Dilapidated tech? Stuff in ruins? That wasn't at all how Flynn had described the User world to her. For a moment, all she can think of is how so much had been riding on the Creator getting out again. Returning to the User world to right what was wrong in her world and bring the wonders of the Grid to his world. But the techs here had told her that time could be fluid, bent, however impossible that sounded. And not everyone came from the same system.

"Really? Rough times? What happened?"

Cayde would be glad that Quorra was familiar with the whole possibility of there being more than one version of Earth. It makes talking about his own Earth and solar system much easier than having to explain that maybe, hopefully the Earth someone else might be familiar with doesn't end up getting near destroyed.

"Eh, we got some big destructive...thing of some kind that tried to wipe us out. Nearly did. That's why Earth's a mess. Only got one city standing, but it's home. Near everywhere else we've ever settled has been gutted and reclaimed by other things that would rather kill us before anything else." He shrugs. "So we just hit 'em first, when we can."

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nerds save the world

the land below

the coming days

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