Who: Anyone and Everyone
When: February 10-19
Where: Avagi
What: Life support fails, and a team sets out. Check out
this ooc post for more.
Warnings: Label your content.
Synce their arrival, Avagi's residents have been plagued by minor system failures. Faulty taskbots and infested crawlspaces, supply shortages and the floods last month. For the most part, they've coped admirably, and quality of life aboard the station is substantially improved from what it was. But even as the damage in the lived-in space is scrubbed away, more dangerous poisons have been building underneath.
On February 10, the groaning from the walls will escalate to a harsh scraping, audible station-wide. Then silence falls as the filtration systems die completely: leaving all vents to begin spewing thick, black smoke.
|
| System Failures | |
| (February 10-19) | |
Acrid and hazardous, the cocktail of gases emerging from the vents are the result of three centuries' toxin storage spilling over. A shallow breath can cause a coughing fit, but individuals who draw in too much of the toxic air will find themselves becoming dizzy, passing out, or worse. While effects may vary based on individual biology, all beings who require breath will find their lungs burning and their vision blurred. An hour after the initial failure, the lighting goes out too. With it, all station power: to computers, doors, and any system not hooked up to its own supply.
Investigation:
The electrical failures can be sourced to an automated safety shutoff, override-able from Life Support's main controls. But the mechanism isn't in place without a reason. Generating station power produces more of the dark fumes, and without working filters, they will pump straight into the air.
Wait in the dark (and growing cold), or suffocate more quickly? Either way, your air troubles won't be resolved quickly. Over the next couple days, groups searching Sanitation can track down the vapors to their source. A small mob of taskbots run sad circles in the filtration hub: between the air processing units and a row of shelves along one wall. The label reads Purification Crystals, and a single empty container remains. Survival (Home Team):
Without the crystals, there is no effective way of restoring the entire living space. It may, however, be possible to section off small areas. Able bodies will be required to seal off the fumes and guide those suffering from their effects to safety. Many may need medical assistance, and technical skills will be in even more desperate need: to equip these regions with oxygen and power, and insulate them against the cold that leeches in from the outside.
Some amount of work has already been done, and a few safe rooms are prepped across the station. As days progress toward weeks, however, their air and power reserves will run thin, and some larger sectors may warrant securing regardless. The Greenery contains young plants that are susceptible to the fumes, and those invested in the library's book collection may also want to take measures. The gas has acidic qualities in higher concentrations, enough to eat through paper... for a start.
Contain it? Remove it? Or just try to protect yourselves? One way or another, you'll need to hold out for a while.
|
| Travel (Away Team) | |
| (February 12-19) | |
When Avagi's current population first got here, it was clear that others had inhabited the space before. Recent developments have even proven that these others—or, perhaps, their descendants—might still exist elsewhere on the station now. With the crystals that might repair your home missing, diplomacy is no longer an optional consideration. It's time to meet the neighbors, and hope they come in peace.Navigation:
Those volunteering to undertake this mission will be provided with a patchwork set of maps. However, these contain little to no information on the current state of the station—including which parts still exist. The explosion that tore apart the former Ingress Complex left wide gaps in the structure, many of which have been invaded by the storms outside.
Scanning tech will be required to assess what lies behind the sealed walls, and physical labor to cut through them. As no contiguous paths across the station remain, this process will need to be repeated numerous times. Where no adjoining regions can be verified intact, smaller scouting tools (or group members!) may be required to traverse crawlspaces for a view of nearby rooms. Survival:
Behind the first wall lies a pressurized room with normal gravity—and contaminated air. This will not persist as the travelers continue. Some regions have power, but no gravity. Others contain pockets of unaffected, still-clean air. Few spaces will be fully online before the travelers get there, but local generators can be found that might allow for a night or two of "comfortable" camping. At least one juncture can only be crossed by floating through an empty docking bay. The area contains no power, air, or gravity, but spacesuits can be procured... inside the sealed vacuum of the bay. Creative thinking may be required.
Enveloping the station's outside, the roiling shadows of Avagi's storms have crept invasively into all unsealed regions of the interior. While the Observation Station may have accustomed some Avagians to the view, there's something much more immediate about the shadows pressing at the other side of these windows. The faint patterns of light that ripple through the clouds prompt a sense of malice and exhaustion, one that lingers even when you've turned away. Those who attempt more intense scrutiny may suffer more severe effects.
Certainly, it feels like something is watching back. Discoveries:
As harrowing as the journey may be, it's not entirely without its gains. A few tools can be salvaged from some of the decks visited along the way, and while food is in much shorter supply, there are a few signs that it might not have been, long ago. Wrappers and empty cans turn up in strange places. A few glyphs can be found scratched into one wall: ones that your ACE's translators roughly interpret as prayers.
One sealed room has a large "X" scrawled across the walls despite the detectable presence of power, air, and gravity. Opening it produces a strange sight: two skeletal corpses pressed up against the still-active force field that cuts this room off from the storms. Both bodies show extensive burns to hands and faces, but don't appear to have died from that effect. |
[For questions, signups, or plotting, check out the ooc post. For the duration of this log, characters may travel between teams to whatever extent they are capable. The event will escalate with a second log on February 20.] 
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thisavrou_log2018-02-10 04:46 pm
King Alfor // Team "Where R We Going" // OTA
Parts of maps were better than no maps, but on the whole they still leave too much to the unknown, and it's the unknown to beware of. With no real information to go by beyond the sector they'd inhabited, they were still going in blind. It's not the first time Alfor's gone into uncharted territory, but there's a lot at risk here, and failing in their mission would only further endanger those they'd left behind to safeguard the known, the familiar.
Failure isn't an option.
At the very least, the armor of the Paladins are well equipped for environments lacking gravity or breathable space, and there had been some definite improvements to the suits that Shiro and his friends wore than the one that Alfor had first donned. Wearing the armor of the Red Paladin as he's come to do by habit now, the Altean king's actions betray nothing of his royal title as he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty or to volunteer to do something or another for the benefit of the explorational group. But he's never been one to set such distinctions, especially not here in this place. They were all far from home, on equal footing.
As his helmet's internal HUD goes off with readings for the atmosphere, it's but the first reminder of potential hardships to be faced. Not everyone shared such equipment, and not everyone is used to traveling in Zero-G. While there are certainly times that Alfor might wish that the team were all together, believing that they would be able to get through the worst of these spaces with ease, he still knows that the others are where they ultimately can do the best that they can. And so likewise...
I want to Thrive, not just Survive - 15
It's that eerie presence of the storm outside of the station- and even inside, now, that constantly creeps into his thoughts. There's been no clear details given about the storm save that it brought about the destruction of the world they'd been called to. He had not experienced the warning dreamwalk of the now gone Savrii Intermediary, and even the things he'd heard about it were uncertain.
While the roiling darkness is nothing he hasn't before observed behind the safety of shields and glass, there's undeniably something else to it as he looks upon it now, separated merely by the walls yet left in tact while it's invaded what it could of the damaged portions of the station. Perhaps it's actively seeking entry.
They've once again stopped to rest, and while the weary feeling from travel hasn't yet faded, another brand of exhaustion has overlapped it. Alfor shivers, pulling his stare away from the flickering darkness outside, shaking his head. There's something there, he knows it. What do you want..? he thinks at it as he once again lifts his pale-eyed gaze, feeling as though he's trying to engage the thing in a staring contest. He makes notes, scant as they are, recordings and attempts to take readings through what's available of his armor's sensors. Eventually he finally turns away from the view of the storm, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. The weariness still lingers, but he it's been there from the start, hasn't it?
The Things We Find - 16-19
Maybe it's the journey that's been slowly taking its toll. But with other strangeness occurring within the ranks of those who had volunteered to traverse to unknown parts of the station, maybe there's something more to it. Alfor has seemed more...distant, in a way. He seems to have little patience for dealing with others, always opting to push forward when at all possible. It doesn't seem like he's much inclined to relay any observations he makes, or it just doesn't cross his mind to do so.
The findings of traces of inhabitants are something to pick up his spirits and probably those of others, for it means they're finally getting somewhere. While the strange prayer-like inscriptions are interesting, they're met with a faint snort once translated. "Lot of good it's done anyone," he mutters to himself, shaking his head.
Naturally positive readings coming from an otherwise questionably marked door draws curiosity and thus the need for further investigation. The revelation of the room's contents are certainly disturbing, and while further proof that someone's been around this side of the station, it's still a bit of a drawback.
"Well, that's unfortunate."
The Things We Find - 16
He hasn't really strayed far from Alfor since they left. Not because he thinks the king is incapable, but because he has a promise to keep. To bring them back again. Easiest way to do that is keep close. Work together.
The corpses are... well. They're unnerving, to say the least. He's hesitant to approach. But they need to know. They need information here. So he steps forward, to look more closely at them.
"They look burned."
no subject
The Altean concedes the point Shiro makes with but a shrug, and where the other is hesitant at first, the Red Paladin moves into the room for a better look. Behind the shield of his helmet, his eyes look from the pair to the force-field the two bodies are pressed against, and for a moment to the blackness beyond before he returns his focus to the dead.
"Burned, yes, but from what? Is it from the field? But the damage doesn't appear enough to have caused their deaths. Consider their positions, the room. This space is, aside from that force-field in tact. The readings I'm getting are all stable."
no subject
"Maybe not the field."
He's hesitant to reach out and touch it. Just in case they're wrong. It's not that he doesn't trust Alfor's judgment here, but with the way everything's been going, anything is possible. Instead, he picks up one of the leftover bits of food wrapping. Tossing it at the barrier experimentally.
"It could have come down when they were already inside the room. Or... it was here... and they were chased in by whatever burned them..."
no subject
"Hmm." His eyes narrow as he thinks about the suggestions put forth, but he doesn't seem terribly convinced. Stepping forward closer to the shield, he glances at the corpses again, the balled wrapper at his feet, and then lifts a hand to tap at the energy barrier.
no subject
If they were running from something, he means. If they were trying to escape, why would they have stopped to do more than lock the door? And how did they get burned...?
He looks up as Alfor touches the barrier, fully prepared to tackle him away from it if he has to. But nothing seems to happen.
"Unless it was just marked off to tell people the barrier was here."
no subject
Alfor's pale eyes narrow as he studies it, and then he applies his palm directly to it, drawing it back with a slight hiss at the bite of the electrical charge. He shakes out his hand.
"That could be the reason though, yes," he says, at least proving that he was listening to Shiro earlier. "This is the only thing keeping the storm from entering through this area. But this barrier produces a charge. Prolonged contact might very well likely do some significant damage." His eyes drift back towards the unfortunate bodies.
"But it's an instantaneous response. That these two remain pressed against it in spite of such..." Madness, really. What had drawn them to endure burning themselves?
no subject
It's basically an automatic response at this point. He has to. This is part of his team, after all. It doesn't look serous, but who knows? There's just too many questions here.
"Maybe they didn't have a choice."
Speaking of questions. How can they tell what happened here? He's no forensic expert. Or tracker or anything who can read a scene based on dead bodies. But someone pressing the bodies against the barrier could have accounted for the burns.
"Something else could have been here. Something a lot bigger and stronger than they were."
no subject
"It could be. We haven't much information to go on about those dwelling on this side. I don't believe any data was given on the potential of differing species, after all..."
Which further underlines the need for caution.
no subject
He knows this. He's just confirming it aloud. Thinking aloud. They don't know what life forms are here. If they're all the same species, if they're even sentient.
"Guess it's too much to assume we can recognize the species from the skeletons."
no subject
"Otherwise the rest of them is too burned to identify by appearance alone. So unfortunately it seems there's little else to be gathered from here, save that there are bipedal beings in the vicinity somewhere."
no subject
Neither did anyone else he knew of. No records, no information. Not even the scrawlings on the wall to make any sense of the people they were going to find.
It's frustrating. To say the least.
He frowns, but starts studying the bodies more closely. It's far from pleasant... but necessary. "They're not the same species. See?" Did that mean they were pulled here, too? Like everyone else? "Clothes don't look like they were in great shape to start with, either."
no subject
He hasn't attempted consulting anything by means of his armor's computing systems, but he's been trying to reserve its energy after what had happened when he'd tried making a study of the storm. The accent lights on his armor had been a little dimmed.
"...hm?" The Altean lifts his head from his thoughts, looking back at Shiro and then back at the bodies. He'd been so fixated upon cause of death that he hadn't bothered to give the corpses a real look.
"Ah, you're right... How strange. They're...not Savrii." More mysteries, it seems. "Were there any other non-natives aside from those brought by the Ingress who dwelt on Kauto?"
no subject
He'd seen a lot of other species. Other peoples. Refugees like them. People just trying to live out their lives until... until this Mother thing broke it all down. It made sense the people who escaped here would be similar.
"This one looks like they had a mask on."
no subject
Alfor shakes his head. "They must have been around this station longer than we have though, if their clothing is to tell of anything. The mask doesn't look like it's of any use anymore."
no subject
Which doesn't bode well. That either they weren't worth remembering, the people who did remember were gone, or ... whatever killed them didn't have the capacity to remember. Or maybe he's completely off the mark here.
Too many questions. Not enough information.
"Wonder why they needed it. Was their life support failing, too?"
no subject
Because of the storm? Alfor frowns. "Perhaps they were so fixated by what lies beyond..."
He shrugs at Shiro's question. "Maybe they're part of whatever group may have migrated from our end of the station. Or perhaps they were exploring from this side, already aware of the unstable areas. ...or perhaps their species specifically needed assistance in breathing other than oxygen. They certainly can't tell us now, and I doubt we'll find anything more by staying here, at least nothing that will assist us with our current mission."
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SURE ASK ME THE ONE THING THEY DON'T EXPLAIN
I'M SORRY BUT YOU KNOW HE'D ASK
I should have replied with "Now /that/ is an excellent question."
I WOULD HAVE LAUGHED
( things we find )
Of course there's an X on a door. And of course they open it because they can't not. Lena gasps sharply, a shiver running down her spine. Her neighbor, it seems, isn't quite as affected. She frowns at him, looking almost disapproving.
"Bit more than that."
no subject
"Yes..." he concedes, brow furrowing as he studies the macabre scene before them as though it were a museum installation. "Certainly their position looks like it would have been painful, but as severe as the burns are, it doesn't look like it could have killed them. If it's due to the shield, surely they could have pulled away from it..."
no subject
Lena follows him, stepping a bit closer to examine the bodies. She's not squeamish, luckily, just sympathetic. Alfor's theory seems to be right on the mark, but it just brings up more questions.
"Unless they couldn't. Could've been a trap."
Or they could've been running from something worse than the storm. Lena's mind flickers to the image of Mother that she'd seen two months ago.
Can't be. Right?
no subject
He wouldn't be so sure as to dismiss the storm to be at fault somehow, however. The roiling darkness beyond the shield is something he only slightly turns his attention towards. It's much too soon to forget the strange happenings from his earlier attempts to study it.
no subject
"Doesn't look like it's what killed 'em. I suppose it could've been torture-- it's hard to tell."
She looks as closely as she dares with the forcefield in the way. But she's not a crime scene investigator nor a forensic scientist. There's nothing she can see with the naked eye that can confirm or refute any of their theories.
"D'you think the storm might have somethin' to do with it? I'm not an expert on space, but it doesn't seem... right."
She still remembers Mother's speech, the way she spoke about the storm as if it was something that could be summoned. Something, perhaps, tied to, or a side-effect of, the Ingress.
no subject
"And yet so far as I can see, the burns are really the only grievous injury to them... Hm." Alfor lifts his head a bit, glancing at Lena again. "I was wondering the same, regarding the storm. ...what do you know about it?"
no subject
"Did you see the broadcast Mother sent out before she destroyed the Ingress? She said that the Savrii had 'called' the storm."
Lena sighs and runs a hand through her hair, obviously distressed.
"Mother, the Ingress, and the storm are linked. And they're all here."
no subject
He pauses. "Wait, what do you mean? The Mother...she's in the station?"