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

[Well that gets Natasha's attention in a hurry. She tries to turn around so quickly she nearly takes her head off on the half-open panel, but manages to duck out of it with just a faint grimace.]

God yes, that sounds amazing. [She flicks the woman a quick, grateful smile.] I've been working blind and I'm terrified I'm going to bring this entire thing crashing out of the sky.

[Okay, it's an exaggeration. But someone is actually offering her information! She might be Natasha's new favorite person.]

[Yori smiles back, pleased that someone appreciates her efforts.]

I can understand the feeling. I only got the job about six months ago and it's been quite a crash course to learn all the rules. Not that they are very useful right now.

[She aims a brief scowl in the direction of the emptiness that ought to be an eccentric but functioning portal.]

But I can send the instruction books I got to your TAB, or answer any urgent queries, or take anything I don't know the answer to back to my co-workers...they might not know the answer either, but at least I can get you a survey fast.

[Natasha's smile quirks into something wryly understanding as she follows the look shot towards the portal. There's nothing more depressing than broken tech. Especially when you have no idea how or why.]

I'll take anything, really. The more background, the better.

[She glances back towards the panel she's been messing with, then leans forward to hold out a hand.]

Natasha, by the way. So you've been working with this thing?

[That sentiment matches well with Yori's own standards of data collection. She's happy to send all the packets she ever got in training, plus the complicated reference works.]

Let me transfer these...

[The TABs aren't ideal for reading large amounts of information, but in an emergency it's the fastest way. Fortunately the system is working despite the Ingress.]

I'm Yori--pleased to meet you.

[Orders given to the programs in the TAB, she reaches to accept the handshake, only mildly awkward with the User gesture after months of occasional practice.]

As an Ingress technician, yes. I wanted more data about how everything works here as soon as I arrived, and it's been very kind of them to pay me for spending time to learn about it while I help out the best I can. I just wish I understood more. Especially now.

[Luckily, Natasha doesn't actually need the TAB to read it all. She can feel the new files slot into place in the back of her mind, but she's not going to try to open them yet. Definitely going to be spending some quality time with those later, but going through it all now seems a bit rude.

And just processing it all doesn't take that much attention, leaving her with more than enough focus to smile at Yori.]

I know the feeling. I wish I'd thought to come check this place out sooner. I guess I figured the locals wouldn't want strangers poking at it.

[Both the technicians and the Ingress Security functions have hired recent arrivals to Yori's certain knowledge, though in some cases she really can't tell how local her most experienced co-workers might or might not have been. She offers a shrug.]

They certainly don't like unauthorized strangers poking with unknown magic...but they seem happy to hire anyone who's half-qualified and willing to learn as long as we do our best to follow their safety regulations. I can't argue the need.

[It often feels like one crisis after another at the Ingress, though this one is worse than most.]

[Her eyebrows lift a little in surprise. It doesn't quite jive with how possessive others have mentioned the Savrii being with their tech, which means Natasha is missing something. More things to ponder over later, after the issue is handled.]

Well I've got my hands in about as deep as they can get now. [Natasha flicks an amused look at the open panel she's been digging in.] Let's just hope it helps.

[That's a definite look of surprise. Yori can see why. With all the general suspicion of recent arrivals after the asteroid mess, maybe anyone applying for a job now wouldn't have it as easy. But there was a mess when the Moira crew arrived after the crash, too; there is never any shortage of enormous messes. As suspicious as the Savrii can be, quite a few of the ones in charge are pragmatic enough to find uses for those among their strange guests who are willing to work within the rules.]

If you help fix this they'll be impressed.

[No time for exploring the topic right now. She nods toward the panel.]

What are you working on here?

[Natasha flicks the other woman a thoughtful look, but she's willing to go along with the subject change for the moment. That is the main reason they're all here, after all.]

Mostly exploratory at the moment. Trying to find the damaged spots and see if I can reroute things around them.

[From the careful progress, Yori accepts that this User is very good at such a task.]

That makes sense. We've had a lot of trouble even identifying the damage with our usual tools. Some kind of magical feedback seems to have overloaded all the systems.

[The idea makes Yori grimace. Of course there are all kinds of User abilities and inexplicable things, but if these computer systems are like the one she was written for, there are even more worlds depending on the repair work. How can they fix what they don't understand?]

They really need to get more defenses against magic in the restricted areas. Once we know it's on the way to being fixed, anyway.

[She can't help but pull a face at that in return at that. Magic. This is why she hates the stuff. It makes no sense and just causes a mess.]

Might help. But if nothing else, we just keep pulling wires back together until something turns back on.

[A wry smile flashes over Natasha's face, but she's not entirely kidding.]

[If it takes magic to fix things, they're in trouble; not many people have showed any skill in repairing with magic instead of breaking things. But Yori leaves that worry aside for now. Not her current task.]

I hope we can find a better system than that, but at least it's a place to start.

[Working with no plan isn't a situation Yori likes at all, but it's better than not working.]

Is there anything I can get you?

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nerds save the world

the land below

the coming days

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