thisavrou_log | march event log

Entry tags:

march event log

Who: Everyone
When: March 17th and on
Where: The Moira and Ceta; various locations
What: Communication, mercenaries, and scraplets
Warnings: Please label accordingly!

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communicate & protect
"The best way to protect something is to set it free."

Since the Moira has arrived on Ceta, things have been (mostly) quiet considering their usual stay on planets before it. The only cruelty about this one is the fact they hunt for both sport and gain, and the creatures of Ceta do not have a voice—or intelligence to defend themselves. However, as the crew of the ship will come to learn, this is an elaborate lie. With the previous problem of the MID malfunctioning, and causing a bit of a miscommunication fiasco, finally solved, it is apparent that whatever had been wrong with this technology had slowly begun to affect the crew prior to exploring Ceta. Only in subtle, unnoticed ways.

With everything beginning to run a little more smoothly, a shift in the air overtakes both the Moira and Ceta in the days following.

☄ A LESSON IN MID COMMUNICATION ( 03.17 - 03.22 )
As the translator technology has recently been fixed, the crew will notice that their MID devices now come with an extra feature: a brief explanation of the extra capabilities of the translation technology. Each MID records all language that is spoken near it, stores information on phonetics and linguistics in order to keep each language as current as possible. In the event that an unknown language is encountered, all known languages are applied until the meanings of each sound or word are decoded. In some instances, it’s a long process, and in others, it spans the time of a few weeks.

There is a small addendum that states that no conversations are recorded and stored in their entirety in order to protect privacy.

Crew may ask themselves why this is there, but all they have to do is get close enough to one of the flying, whale-like creatures to find out. Communication is still not quite perfect, and this is where the translator technology needs the crew’s help. The more two beings interact using speech, the further the database will expand. Attempting communication might be futile at first, but eventually, the low peaceful songs filling the misty air of Ceta are broken with words: a cry for help When the creatures have come close to the temporaries before, it was not out of curiosity; it was an attempt to destroy them and save themselves. But remember, even if you want to help, these creatures are skittish around sudden light and it takes time for them to trust, time the Moira might not have.

☄ TRADE FOR RESOLUTION ( 03.22 - 03.25 )
It’s common knowledge that this universe runs on a system of trade for either goods or services. If you can provide either of those to another, then you can have anything you want. This includes protection. The closest neighboring planet, like so many others, has a variety of groups that can be hired out to perform a number of duties. In an effort to offer the crew peaceful resolution for something that they’ve learned is discomfiting to many Moirans, the hunting and killing of innocent creatures on Ceta, the captains suggest something a little different this time.

Contact and an initial payment has been made to a team of soldiers to travel to Ceta to meet with the crew. Essentially, if enough valuable resources are offered to this group, they will do whatever is necessary to rid Ceta of the hunters and declare that Ceta is a protected planet. This means that they will protect these giant creatures from future harm as long as a yearly sum is delivered to them. The captains agree to continue payment as long as the rest of the crew can gather enough for the first year.

☄ FEEDING FRENZY ( 03.25 - 03.31 )
With everything finally coming to a peaceful close, the Moira and the crew’s routine begin to return to normal. The process for leaving Ceta is spread ship-wide. However, as they leave Ceta’s atmosphere and enter space once more, some odd things appear to have flooded the ship. An infestation of scraplets have led to minor complications that soon start to escalate. Feeding exclusively on metal, they make a mangled mess of the ship's systems, causing them to glitch and stop working altogether as they chew their way through its internal workings. You may notice your door will no longer open or close, or maybe the temperature has gotten unusually warm. Is that a leak? How did that get there? Maybe you happen to be made of metal yourself, or have metallic prosthetics - "living" metal is actually preferred over the walls of the ship.

The infestation will start to threaten critical systems if left unchecked and will need to be taken care of as quickly as possible. It is the crew’s responsibility to band together and figure out a way to stop these scraplets from devouring the entirety of the ship and leaving them stranded or worse.

( OOC: Please label any material with content warnings. For questions, go here! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm fine! Just go!"

Because a) this is how it works in movies, and b) this... isn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. The little things are fast, but hey. So is he. It's not a perfect plan, and, eventually, they're going to swarm even more, but for the moment, he's holding his own.

By smashing them with the crate lid, using it like a big shield, before they can munch holes in it.

"Do you know what they eat? LIVING METAL! Do you know what happens when you move around a lot? YOUR ENERGY SIGNATURE GETS BIGGER!" Riptide says, gesturing angrily at the ones starting to tumble out the vents.

He puts a hand on Sideswipe's arm, pulling him back.

"Come on, you had your fun."

"Then why! Are you! Still here!"

He legitimately does not get this. He was trying to help Riptide, here. And it wasn't going... terribly. He wasn't dying yet. Riptide wanted to run away -- he wanted to show him he wasn't incapable.

Wanted to show the cool older bot he could handle something serious.

And then he's getting pulled back, and he's not big enough to resist. But he keeps up a few token swings at the critters still following after them.

Mostly because, despite everything, Riptide can't just leave Sideswipe to be overwhelmed and eaten alive. He wouldn't be able to keep fighting forever and the scraplets would keep coming.

Riptide doesn't manage to say any of this, and instead what comes out is more of an incoherent yell, in which Sideswipe may be able to make out quite a few swears, his name a few times and Megatron.

"... What?"

He pauses at the yelling. Which is incredibly stupid. But hey, maybe there's something in the swearing worth listening to.

Except that just means he's not smashing the monsters.

After that brief pause is some incoherent yelling of his own. Complete with feet stomping and kicking and general attempts at noodley mayhem.

"I said stop arguing!" Riptide snaps, trying to get a hold of Sideswipe to stop him flailing everywhere.

"And stop wiggling around, you're gonna hit me in the face!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

But then Riptide's got hold of his waist, and he yelps, startled out of the fight. Now's your chance, boatface.

"You're not helping me by getting your stupid aft eaten!"

He takes his chance, slinging Sideswipe over his shoulder. "Even Stumpy thinks it's stupid!"

On cue, Stumpy beeps a few times from under Riptide's arm.

"That's why you were supposed to run and get help!"

He squirms around determinedly when he's scooped up. But can't really dislodge himself. He is a noodle, after all.

So he'll settle for swatting at the critters that seem to want to jump up and bite Riptide's ankles. Because he's got to do something.

"I'm not leaving you with a load of beasties you don't even know! Do you know how messed up it is for someone to be eaten alive? REALLY!"

Riptide is vaguely pleased with how small Sideswipe is. God bless the noodles.

"No? Why would I?"

Geez, Riptide. You think this noodle has Life Experience?

Although... the whole not leaving you thing sort of makes him pause. Thinking that over. It's not really a common phrase for him to hear. Even after inadvertently joining up with Team Bee.

Is he supposed to thank him for it? Or...?

"I don't know! A lot of people do!"

He's just yelling into the void now.

"What are they even called!"

And Sideswipe is yelling back. Like an idiot.

"Scraplets," Riptide starts before turning a corner. He stops, finally, again, and puts Sideswipe down. "They'll eat you alive if they get the chance and they're probably causing hell on the ship's systems. They're horribly inconvenient like that. I can't imagine where they could've come from... there wasn't any Cybertronian activity on Ceta that I noticed. Even if it had been millions of years ago."

"If they're affecting the ship--"

Plunk, down he goes. He wobbles a bit, before drawing himself up, trying to look tougher and more determined. It's only marginally effective since he is, literally, a noodle.

"-- Then we've got to try and stop them, don't we?"

"Yes, but maybe not by running in and clubbing them? I can't think of a time that trying to club something to death has ever worked."

Luckily, Riptide being able to concentrate on keeping Sideswipe safe has ebbed the panic significantly.

"I don't have anything else to use! Grape Drift still has my sword!"

And Sideswipe trying to convince Riptide to believe him has taken all his fears away. Good going, guys.

"...Yeah, we should probably talk to him about that. I don't like you being so defenceless."

Not that it would help much and Riptide is an idiot with a gun, so.

"I'm not defenseless! I just can't use a crate like I can a sword! Or... traffic pole..."

Don't ask.

"Duh, different shape entirely! That's like comparing combiners and jets!"

See, he didn't! Riptide huffs, then looks to the wall - at a scraplet starting to crawl out a small hole.

"And it's stupid!" he yells, smashing the scraplet with his fist.

"I know! That's the problem! That's what I'm saying!"

He jerks around as Riptide punches the wall, staring for a second, and then, thinking he's helping, he does it too. Punching the wall.

Granted, the fact he just happens to mash another scraplet is a complete coincidence.