August Event Log: Part I

[savmods]

Who: Everyone
When: August 9 and onward
Where: An unexpected destination
What: The newcomers go on a trip and end up far from where they expected
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label your content!

NOTE: PLEASE READ THIS OOC POST FIRST.

When the time comes for the travelers to go on the off-world trip that will help restore Thisavrou, they are not alone. Others who have settled on the planets longer and come to call them home are also prepared to travel; through the Ingress and do their part. Yet when the newcomers step through, whether they stepped through the Ingress seconds or hours apart, they will find that they have arrived at the same time, and only newcomers are in sight.

What awaits them is not a land of plenty. The land is barren, and dark storms in the sky resemble those held at bay by the Ingress complex—but much, much closer. Those who traveled on the Moira may recognize the landscape; though they have come through at a different point from the crash, they are on the Midway Hub. And there is no portal back. They are trapped.

hitting the road

Though some have been here before, the Midway Hub is not as they remember it. The storms fill the sky, leaving it dark and ominous even when they are not sweeping across the landscape—but they have clearly done so in recent times, and often. While never a lush land, large patches of ground an acre or more wide looking nothing more than utterly dead; the thistle that naturally grows is brittle, black and unable to be consumed even with the usual preparations to make it edible, and here and there animal corpses are found twisted into unnatural poses, but seemingly uninjured. These places are particularly concentrated near the broken Ingresses litter the landscape. While Midway Hub as a whole may seem naturally arid, these dead spots leave no hope that anything can possibly live there again.

The travelers have two options: stay where they are, or move on. While it might seem that they've been tricked into coming here and been left abandoned, those with the technological ability to do so may detect a sign of hope: a familiar energy source, far in the distance. Although none of the Ingresses they pass will ever work again, the faint energy shows that one still-functioning Ingress lies far in the distance, days away.

Although technological scanning or impressive memory of the landscape indicates that they are not separated from their destination by one of the gates that divide the land, they are also far from the shelter of the facility at the center of the Hub. Any attempt to travel in a direction other than that of the energy signal will result in a strange disorientation after several hours, bringing individuals back to their original path as though they've gone in circles. Meanwhile, though travelers will feel the need to slake their hunger and thirst through any natural water sources they discover, wildlife they can hunt for food and any supplies they have on them, if they don't find sustenance, they'll find that they will never pass out or reach the point of starvation. Instead, they'll be left alive and awake but feeling utterly hollow.

storm front

At regular intervals, the energy storms above descend onto the land, bringing not rain but violent clashes of negative energy and thunder so loud that nothing can be heard above it. The passing of the storms leaves some strange effects. The ground is warped and rotted by their touch, even solid stone degrading to a spongy surface. The air is tepid and oddly charged. Prolonged contact with air or ground will not supply energy, however — it drains it from organic and synthetic life alike.

Those who remember their last trip to the Hub, or simply explore in the right direction, may come across the cave complexes with their glowing surfaces and streams. The light is dimmer now, a sickly green, but drinking from the streams will still restore the energy lost, for a time. This time, however, the lethargy that inevitably follows is much more severe, and the drinkers are left with a raw, empty feeling leeching in from the wasteland around.

Those who are exposed to the storms, either by finding themselves in very close proximity or even closely observing them for too long as they approach, may lose their sight, or hearing, even much of the ability to feel touch — whatever sense they used in observation. What lingers in its place is a numbness. A hunger. And as time passes, the time between storms decreases; what seemed like hours between the storms becomes scarcely one, and their intensity grows.

wild life

Sentient beings are not the only ones affected by the storms; these creatures, attracted to sound and able to track by scent, and these panthers, which once looked normal but have been twisted by the storms into more monstrous forms, are numerous enough that travelers must be constantly alert for their presence. Though natural predators, the threat the creatures represent is not itself natural. They are also more aggressive. Some strange instinct drives them, not a need for food. While the panthers themselves can be caught and their meat cooked, it has little taste, offering nutrition but not satisfaction.

old familiar places

Although it's difficult to track the passage of time without day-night cycles, after what seems like more than a week of the travelers' unexpected trip, the storms abruptly come rushing in at the group of travelers, as if they're herding the group to move faster toward their destination and the Ingress energy that awaits them. The true nature of that destination becomes clear when debris appears on the horizon; the energy comes from the wreckage of the Moira, the interstellar ship that crashed here months ago.

Despite the trauma of impact, large sections of the ship remain surprisingly intact, though few of them are properly vertically oriented. If travelers are able to make their way inside the damaged sections of the ship, they'll find familiar territory, if they are one of those who traveled on the Moira, as well as shelter—something that's increasingly necessary as the storms seem to center over the ship, leaving little hope for survival outside. Useful items may be scavenged from the ship if they are willing to explore, but no personal items of any kind remain.

Strangely, the deeper travelers go into the crashed ship, the less familiar their surroundings will seem, regardless of their orientation. The inward-leading paths into the ship become generic metal, and as with the travel on the surface of the planet, they may find themselves back where they started. And no matter how far they go or how hard they try, they will find themselves unable to make it to the Ingress chamber itself...for now.

Comments

tony stark | ota

[arcreact]

i. hitting the road

[ It's not that Tony's against gestures of goodwill or amends-making on principle. Far from it. But the Savrii haven't done a whole lot to earn warm feelings from him, and don't seem to understand some essential components of negotiation and diplomacy - like the parts where the trade is mutually beneficial, or undertaken willingly. Actually, it feels more like being made to wash dishes after you couldn't pay for your meal, only the dishes are unfathomable horrors, and you never asked to be given a meal in the first place.

But whatever. Space. What else is new?

He stuffs his pacdisc with all the things his paranoid mind assumes they'll need for what's essentially a Star Trek away mission, and goes about following their not-orders with no small amount of snark. And it's manageable at first, when it's all hypotheticals and quips and they haven't stepped through the Ingress yet.

But then they do step through, and even that tenuous humor feels difficult to dredge up. He scans the familiar scenery of the Midway Hub and feels a bit like he's been dropped from a great height. It's a while of disbelieving gaping and pacing before he can summon up a smart remark. ]

Pretty audacious way of taking out the trash, don't you think?

[ Almost gotta admire the balls, if not the morals. ]

ii. storm front

[ "Indomitable spirit" is probably a dramatic way to describe what's mostly "insatiable scientific curiosity." Are they currently living an actual, hang-to-God nightmare scenario of his? Sure. Do things look grim to the point of being borderline hysterical? Yes. Thanks for asking. Is there a chance they're all gonna get fried to death at basically any time? Absolutely.

But damn if it isn't fascinating.

As a storm passes and the travelers creep out from wherever they'd managed to take cover - under outcroppings, in caves, in divots in the ground - Tony makes his way over to the black, twisted remains of ground zero. After a few minutes of poking at the charred vegetative life, scuffing at the blackened soil, and tsking at some poor animal that didn't cheese it in time, he mutters very distinctly: ]

Yeahhh... it's dead, Jim.

[ Just let him have this. It detracts from the looming horror that one of them could be next.

(And if he cuts up his hands more than once sifting through the evidence because the pain receptors aren't working as well as they normally should - well, that's whatever.) ]

iii. old familiar places

[ After what feels like a few months of misery packed into a handful of days, the form of the Moira looms on the horizon. It's hard to say whether the sight of it is a positive thing or not; the harshness of the storm outside has made shelter the most dire of their necessities, particularly as no one has actually succumbed from dehydration or starvation. According to Maslow, that just leaves a roof. It's just unfortunate that the roof in question feels like returning to a crime scene.

It's not that Tony enjoyed his time on the Moira. A cramped, delicate machine hurtling through space with all manner of lunatics trapped inside, the creepy voices on the observation deck, the glass-riddled remnants of the Caducan invasion - it was practically a prison. But still, the circumstances that led to its crash weigh heavy on his conscience. Would any of them be in this situation if not for that one colossal fuckup?

Impossible to say, really.

Either way, as the intrepid travelers pile into the wreckage of the ship and get as settled as they can, Tony takes the time to wander deeper into the bowels of the ship - sometimes climbing or ducking around hallways, doors, and debris that are oriented wrong. Even with the twisted scenery, though, the path to the engine room is familiar - and maybe, in some morbid way, kind of nostalgic. ]

Nice. Glad to see this place is still a dump.

[ His voice echoes eerily around the cavernous room - it was never this quiet (or cold) back when the engines were still alive. The sound travels farther than he'd intended. Oh well. ]

Sorry, kid. I'd pour out a drink for you if I had one.

[ A man talking to a spaceship is probably not the weirdest thing that's happened this week, so at least there's that. ]

iv. wildcard

[ ???? Come at me bro ]

old familiar places

[otiosity]

[Honestly being blind hadn't been so bad. She got to hang out with her dog because she claimed that he was very good at assisting blind people (he wasn't) and holding Pepper's hand when she decided to jump in and save Kitty from his shameful stint as a seeing eye-dog.

Okay, that's not true. Being blind had been a little bit scary. But she'd made it through. Like some kind of roach that's meant to be scuttling around in dark places like this, Hawke always seemed to make it through with just a few scraps and bruises.

But it didn't let up. She'd woken to find her voice gone. Her throat and chest burned when she tried to speak. It reminded her of being ill with the flu as a child, her lungs sore from coughing and a sharp lump in her throat. But it was strange to suffer it and to not to feel ill. In fact, she felt very little at all. Just a funny sort of numbness and exhaustion. So when she realized she couldn't hear, all she could do is silently laugh. There was a joke in there that she couldn't find in her exhaustion.

And like a glutton for punishment she ended up back into the bowels of the Moira. She'd almost forgotten what it had been like, trapped, often afraid, mixed in with memories of playing cards with Tony and Nate late into the night.

Speaking of... There's Tony. Of course he'd return here, returning to the scene of the accident to hope for clarity that would never come. She tries to call out to him, forgetting herself in the normalcy of bantering with him, but she can only choke and cough silently.

So instead she comes up behind him and gives him a good hard jab in the arm with her finger.]

[arcreact]

[ He doesn't react to the jab at first, almost like he didn't even feel it. It's the motion in his peripheral vision that gets him to turn his head, one eyebrow quirking in greeting. He doesn't seem surprised to see her, even though he'd wandered into the most obscure bowels of the ship alone. Maybe it's so normal having her around that nothing is surprising anymore. ]

Taking in the shitty sights? [ Wait - isn't she blind? Damn. ] Actually, that was probably insensitive. Oh well.

[otiosity]

[Oh. She forgot to tell him she could see again. Probably because that coincided with losing her voice. With a frown she jabs her index and middle finger at her own eyes and then does the same to him in the universal "I'm watching you" gesture. Her knuckles and elbows are still bruised and bloody from her blind spills.

Then she moves her hand to her throat. She tires to make any kind of noise but all she can do is cough harshly, like she's choking on the words she's trying to say. Hawke rubs her throat with a pained expression before moving closer to him, pressing her shoulder against his, giving him a LOOK, before looking out over the room with him.]

storm front

[soldiergenes]

[ The storm passing had felt like it should come with emergency sirens, flashing red lights or a voice over a loudspeaker warning everyone to get to cover. It hadn't been nearly that civilized, and Snake had only barely managed to hit the deck under an outcropping of debris before the worst of it hit.

In the aftermath, everyone creeps out of their hiding holes. Even for someone as weathered as Snake, it's hard not to be shaky as he takes in the ruined landscape around them.

He spots a familiar face nearby. The last time he'd seen Tony he'd been in full armor as they'd dealt with that sea monster. In contrast, he looks so much smaller now, but everyone looks that way in the wake of that force of nature they just experienced. Snake approaches and spots the corpse that's caught Tony's attention, head tilting from side to side as he lets out a heaving sigh. ]

You a meteorologist now?

[ The half-joking comment is quickly forgotten when Snake spots some red splotches on Tony's hands. He draws closer, eyes narrowed as he notices a few cuts on the man's palms. ]

... You're bleeding.

[arcreact]

[ The comment earns a snort as Tony sits back on his haunches. Somehow, he can always count on this guy to show up in the midst of a disaster. It's kind of a pattern. They've gotta stop meeting this like this, etc. ]

Enough of one to tell you that [ He points exasperatedly at the sky, like it's wronged him above and beyond the obvious ] just isn't right.

[ Snake's second observation pulls him up short, though, as he gives his hand a closer examination - the injuries are news to him, apparently. Being so fixated on something that he fails to notice personal injury isn't exactly new or cause for undue concern. Probably. ]

Guess I'll have to hope this "inhospitable to all life" thing includes hostile bacteria.

[ Jokes. ]

[soldiergenes]

[ Either Snake is drawn to disaster or disaster is drawn to him. He'd argue it's the latter, but it's something of a toss-up. Only a small percentage of his life could be called uneventful. Still, he realizes that not everyone is prepared to handle this kind of strain the way he is, so that plays a part too.

There's no arguments about the storm. This isn't just a particularly nasty thunderstorm like what they would experience on Earth. Had Thisavrou really been shielding them from all of this? ]

Well, wrapping it up will probably lessen your chances of catching some kind of space virus, at least.

[ Snake reaches for his pacdisc. He hadn't packed as carefully as he would have had he realized where they'd end up, but basic medical supplies had seemed worth bringing regardless of what planet they were visiting.

Out come some bandages. ]

And here we thought giant tentacle monsters were our biggest worry.

[ Jokes. ]

iii. old familiar places

[efficacy]

[ Pepper had almost had a meltdown when the Ingress had spilled them out at the Midway hub, remembering only all too well her initial introduction to the barren rock. If it was possible, the place seemed to be even more hostile than the last time, which was just par for the course. Why would they ever catch a break or anything so ludicrous? It's another stinging betrayal after the shadow incident, for this isn't exactly the horn of plenty disguised as a planet the Savrii had sent them to visit.

What the hell were they to do now? Was this the Savrii's plan all along, to get rid of the strangers on their doorstep who turned out to be more trouble than worth? Were they doomed to be stuck here indefinitely, to be picked off by the storms and the wildlife? Every question crowding in her head weighs on her as certainly as the gnawing emptiness inside, this despondency settled over her like a blanket. They've at least found shelter in the wreckage of the ship, but what's next? They couldn't stay here for long.

Pepper hugs herself for feeble comfort, ignoring the tiniest, lingering twinges to her ribs from the shadow encounter as she traces Tony's path to the cavernous engine room. If nothing else, at least she'd had the foresight to grab her pacdisc before leaving, on it slightly more appropriate clothing for this environment than what she'd been wearing; including the pair of boots she'd found on this very same rock all those months ago. ]

Should I come back later? [ The jokey quip falls flat despite her best effort, not quite feeling up to bantering like she normally would. ]

[arcreact]

[ This whole cursed field trip has stirred up some emotions best left to lie, in Tony's opinion. Memories of Pepper's arrival are among them - even after all these months, he hasn't sorted out how he feels about it all. Every day he's grateful just to be able to see her, talk to her, hold her. But as they crawl their way across this barren, deadly landscape yet again, he can't help wishing she were safe at home, where all the horrors of this place wouldn't be creeping in on her all the time.

It hasn't even been a few weeks since she was attacked in their own home. "Home."

And so it's a mix of guilt and good old fashioned paranoia that keep him close to Pepper's side for the duration of their journey. His jaunt to the engine room is one of the first times he breaks off from the group at large, perhaps thinking he can put something inside himself to rest if he does.

It's not working.

He half turns when Pepper calls out, her voice an almost a welcome interruption from the unnaturally silent room. ]

Hey. Sorry, honey. Just having a moment with the ex.

[ More quips that fall flat. They're on a roll, these two. ]

[efficacy]

Already luring you away from me, huh? What a bad bitch.

[ More wan quips, and definitely an out of character thing for her to say -- Pepper really hates that B word, having been on the receiving end of it a few times too many. But what does it matter? What did anything matter now, stuck in this dump until whatever end? She knows it's not like her to be this fatalistic, and a part of her is annoyed at herself for it. But larger part just doesn't give a crap, to be honest.

With a small sigh somehow containing a world of weariness in it, Pepper takes a seat on a nearest flat surface; an overturned container of some sort. Her back hunches a little and she picks idly at the brace around her left wrist, the sprain still not healed completely in the wake of the shadow attack. Maybe she should have left Tony alone for whatever closure he'd come here to look for, she does feel a bit bad about bothering him. Something tells her he has some unresolved issues regarding the crash of the ship, but she'd never pushed him about it-- since they arrived to Thisavrou, it hadn't seemed relevant. She should have known better.

But at the same time, Pepper couldn't stand the way this unnamed feeling of some malcontent kept growing and gnawing at her all the more when left to her own devices, even though she was with people she recognized. She never did have any illusions that they were anything less than completely codependent. ]

Sorry for interrupting. [ For what it's worth. ]

old familiar places

[sketchycharacter]

[He's not following Tony. Mostly. But Nate doesn't know where to go, and inside the Moira is better than outside in the raging storms, and Tony is one of his people, so when he catches a glimpse of him, Nate heads that way too. He's not all that close when Tony speaks, but sound travels.]

Someone should've brought better supplies before this trip.

[arcreact]

[ No fucking kidding.

Tony'd brought what he assumed he'd need for the trip that was advertised, plus more, on the assumption things would go sideways like they always do - but he hadn't packed like they'd be stuck on a barren wasteland indefinitely. The suit, toolkits, computers, some rations.

The rations didn't include booze. A rooky mistake. ]

I packed on the assumption that there was nowhere in the galaxy devoid of booze but this place. Funny joke, if you think about it.

[sketchycharacter]

Oh yeah. Hilarious.

[There's a distinct lack of any amusement in both their voices.]

I keep trying to remember the sock booze method I learned in prison, but my partner or my brother always got me out before I had to test it.

[He sighs and pinches at his forehead, trying to ward off the low-level migraine he can feel coming.]

So. Odds that we can get this Ingress going enough to take us anywhere? If we can even get to it.

hitting the road, making it weird

[lavelly]

[In any other circumstances, Lavellan would respond with a quip of his own. Instead he lets out a dry, desperate laugh.]

If only they'd been a bit more selective about it.

[The trash, that is.]

[arcreact]

[ Desperate laughter sounds really appealing right now. Maybe he'll indulge in some later, when it becomes more apparently how screwed they are. Sounds like a plan. ]

Yeah, well, too bad these guys are racist- worldist? Univereist. Whatever the hell we're calling this, but it definitely ends in -ist. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater doesn't seem out of character for them.

[lavelly]

[Lavellan isn't looking at him, and he nods absently, like he isn't really listening either. Humoring Tony's chatter isn't something he has the energy for.]

But the ones who are at fault, would you say they deserve this?

[...He doesn't sound like he's angling for a debate. More like he's thinking out loud.]

hitting the road

[infailtration]

[ York always gears up when he goes through the Ingress, even for pleasure trips. If he really doesn't seem to need it it gets stowed in his pac-disc, that's all, and this trip is no different -- it can't hurt to be prepared even if it's supposed to be a nice world, and so he steps through to the Midway Hub in full body armor, his stocked pac-disc in its storage compartment.

It's an unpleasant surprise when he realizes where they are. That they've been tricked. Punished, perhaps, for the sins of the few. He can understand why the Savrii would want them gone, but he's pissed. He'd never done anything but try to help, after all.

He hears Tony off to his right and turns, helmeted head nodding in agreement. ]

It is. Also, we're in deep shit now.

[arcreact]

[ Walking through the Ingress without a fully body suit of armor is just about unfathomable to Tony, so honestly, York has the right idea.

Tony's open faceplate means York can see the quirked eyebrow as he looks over. More armor? It looks like the rig Tex has, not to mention that other guy her shadow was trying to murder. There must be a secret club he wasn't invited to. ]

Aw, c'mon, this went so well last time. [ Simultaneously dripping with sarcasm and drier than the Sahara. Somehow. ] It's just like a vacation where everything tries to kill you, and there's no minibar.

[infailtration]

[ York is similarly sizing up Tony's armor behind his helmet -- his faceplate doesn't open, though, so his curiosity is hidden. ]

That kinda vacation is my life. But at least last time we had resources from the ship. This time it's just whatever we've got in our pac discs, if people even keep theirs on them and stocked like I do.

[ He tilts his head a little at Tony, and that much is obvious. ] You military?

road hitting

[tearsinajar]

[ Anyone who'd received a pacdisc would have been smart to fill it with everything and anything they would need. Elena had hers at her hip and it was full of water and rations, snacks and clothes suited for the travel, dressed in a double layered hooded jacket that acted more as a hooded shawl over top of her sweater. She'd peered around the edge of it and had spotted him among the crowd, going over to one of the more familiar faces she knew.

Her hand touches his arm as she comes up to his side and she peers up from inside of the hood before tugging it down a bit. ]

I think it more has to do with the fact that they're finally dropping their balls. We should take this as a warning.

[arcreact]

[ Seeing Elena is a relief. If this journey is going to be anything like it was the first time, he's going to want to keep his people close enough to know they haven't reached some terrible end somewhere.

All the same, it would've been better if she'd magically escaped this little adventure. ]

I guess it beats jail or execution. Think we'll get a fair trial? Not that I even know what the justice system is around here, beyond "toss people through spacetime with impunity."

familiar places and faces

[ventifact]

[Even though Rey doesn't really seem like it, she's a sentimental person. She had collected scraps of memories back on Jakku: dried flowers, pieces of a pilot's uniform, an old flight helmet. Pieces of history that she'd been able to make up stories for, since she didn't know their real ones.

The Moira isn't that kind of mystery to her, though. The sentiment she holds for it is all real, and a little part of her hates that.

Even though the wreckage might seem impossible to navigate for some, Rey knows certain parts of the ship better than the back of her hand. When she finds the part of it that houses the engine, it doesn't take too long for her to find her way there. And she isn't even the first one there.

Seems she isn't the only one who's sentimental.]

I've got some water, if you want it.

[arcreact]

[ Tony's running his hand over one of the cold, silent vents when Rey calls out, and it's enough to make him pause. It's a little nostalgic, this situation - this is the same place he met Rey for the first time, when they'd both gotten it into their heads to pull everything apart and see how it ticked. It's been a little over a year since then, but it feels like eons, somehow. ]

I'd say it's not worth wasting, but drinking it doesn't seem to make much difference, so what the hell?

[ It figures she'd be down here too. He's really not surprised; for some of them, this place was home more than the residential decks. ]

[gentlemenpreferblondes]

[It had taken some time from J to recover from the overwhelming feeling that hit her (and undoubtedly everyone else) once they had reached Moira. The ship's current state is far from it's previous glory, it was like a ghost. A ghost of place that had once been a home. After the moment of disbelief faded, J braced herself and waded inside the ruins.

She walks through every hall, visits every room, floor and corner that she can find. And of course, eventually her feet leads her to the part of the ship where the engines had once been active. There hadn't been many reasons for her to come here earlier when the ship was still up and sailing -- and now she kind of regrets it.

She doesn't need to wander far to notice Tony, his back turned to her. They'd only need to go as much a month back in time and just a sight of him would have been enough to make her turn around with her nose held high. But now? The past quarrels and disagreements or whatsoever could be put aside. At least for now. J was way too weary to summon energy to be mad at him.]

I think you're in wrong place for that. [She says, her voice raspy tired -- which was quite matching to her current looks. Half of face covered by a bandage and saggy hoodie over her slim shoulders.]

(ooc: idk if it makes any difference but J's appearing as a "male" here)

[arcreact]

[ Tony glances over his shoulder at the comment, though he doesn't need to turn to know who it is. He peers at her through the darkness for a moment, vaguely wondering what brought her down here beyond the same forlorn nostalgia that's driven the rest of them.

But, since it's her, he has a quip for this. ]

Yeah, well, the sad man's tour hasn't quite reached the speakeasy yet. In hindsight, probably should have hit that on the way.