THE AMAZING BASE.

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? Welcome home, nerds.
WHEN? Outside time and space, in the aether between dimensions.
ANYTHING ELSE? There is also a fish. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

MYSTERY FISH;

question the mystery fish

DEPARTING GALLIPOLI

The order comes the day after the Marie Antoinette sets sail:

PACK UP AND GET READY TO MOVE OUT. WE'VE DONE ALL WE CAN HERE.

DEPLOYMENT: BASE.

WE NEED TO RESTOCK. BE PREPARED FOR MORE TRANSFERS ON ARRIVAL.

STAY SAFE. TIME-STEP EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN THE HOUR.

FOR THOSE OF YOU NEW TO COST: FIND A SECLUDED SPOT AND TRY NOT TO EAT ANYTHING BEFORE THE JUMP.

The Time-Step

The transfer begins like a vibrating heat on the collar bone, just a hum of sensation.

But the vibration spreads. Veteran COST soldiers often refer to this phenomenon as "the buzz". The feeling builds, not unlike standing near a great engine or the wind-rattled branches of a massive tree. There is a long moment of motion sickness and you can't be sure if the world is shaking you from the inside out or the outside in. It may be better to close your eyes against the growing nausea, as the world blurs out of focus.

A star shines in the distance. You may hear the faint rustling of leaves. Some swear they hear voices in this moment, indistinct words echoing off nothingness. Others say they feel a touch of the divine, that the eyes of the eternal look down upon you. Ancient bones rattle just out of earshot, cold and brittle and nothing more than the suggestion of sound. Or maybe it's only an illusion, brought on by the powerful technology grafted into your skin.

One thing is for sure: One moment you are here and the next you are not.

The shift takes you from whatever solitude you could find aboard the Marie Antoinette to the temperature-regulated hallway of what looks like a very poorly put together space station. Droids rush up and down the long hallway, fixing broken bits of machinery or just chattering with each other. A few crows sit on high ledges, looking down and watching. Someone mutters something about a centaur around the corner.

And you might just notice, provided you were in Gallipoli long enough to acquire stowaways, that the parasites lurking on your skin are mercifully gone.

For new arrivals who didn't experience Gallipoli: You, too, will appear in this long hallway, filled with droids and crows and humans (still filthy and clad in ANZAC uniforms, carrying battered equipment from the first World War). And you'll be wearing the minimal COST-issued athletic underwear and holding whatever one item you were allowed to bring. Surprise!

READ THE BASE INFOPAGE.

home away from home

Those who have been to BASE before may find a strangeness to it all: BASE seems...still. The windows show a verdant world instead of the usual aether (though with the typical paranoia), and the halls are bereft of all but a few crows. A man stands at the end of the long hallway you arrived in, waiting for you to get your bearings before he speaks.

Except, you know, he's not a man. He's a centaur.

"It's been barely a week since you left, by my reckoning. But for you, I'm sure, it's been much longer. Still, much has changed. You may have noticed we are...becalmed. This is due, it seems, to an error in our ways. We kept something that does not belong to us, several wild creatures that are meant to be free. They seem to have psychically called out to their home, and their home responded; we are now somewhat stranded.

"But let me explain—the Aether is the nexus between worlds and times, but it is not a dead thing. Creatures live in it. We have crashed onto the back of one such creature, a mighty beast, as large as a small country and entirely undiscovered. We have found why the creature has intercepted us: we have accidentally taken captive some of its children. Shapers, the wild creatures I mentioned, it seems they form a symbiotic bond with the creature, and live happily within its stomach."

He frowns, considering this.

"Shapers, I should mention, are creatures that briefly infested our fair BASE. The issue was dealt with, though we kept some for experimentation. The coelacanth took issue with this, it seems. It can speak, of course; we are stranded very near its head, and if you wish to ask it a question, I implore you to do so. The creature is older than creation—older than me—and only speaks once to any creature it encounters. It's said its wisdom brings kings to their knees."

His eyes crinkle in humor.

"My name is Chiron and I am the caretaker of this place, for those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. More importantly, I am a trainer and a teacher of some experience; if you wish training or schooling of any sort, do summon me. I will be happy to assist."

He's easy to contact, often found in the library, the training area, his capsule, or elsewhere in the station, attempting to fix what he understands and arguing with crows.

"We intended to spend this time exploring, for this is a rare opportunity to discover more of an entirely uncharted world. I hasten you to see if anything on the coelacanth can be of use, but be careful. Take only what you need, not what you may want. I intend to learn my lessons well; these creatures are not pets. Takes food, water, and any materials of use to us for our survival and perseverance, but no more. We task you with this: explore the coelacanth, and see what of it can be understood. Bring us back samples, but do try to interrupt the natural habitat as little as possible. We are guests here."

He bows and the action shows a slight limp in one of his back legs.

"I would join you, but I am far too old for such activities. Still, do pepper me with any questions you should encounter. I am always available on the network, or in person, within this hulking mass we call home."

And then he leaves you to find your capsules and rest.

CAPSULE ASSIGNMENTS

Once you've found your room and settled in—perhaps taken a shower, collected clothes, and eaten—a droid will approach you with camping equipment and give you a brief explanation of how to access and use the database. It's time to get your gear and go.

Of course, you can decline. You can stay and tend to the fort, maybe try and clean up this patchwork jumble of metal and machinery. But seeing the sights on the back of a giant fish flying through non-space? Who can say no to that?


the undiscovered country.

BASE's airlocks open into a lush valley, vibrant with color and rustling with life that has thrived on the coelacanth's back for millennia. It's a striking shift from the rot and gunfire of Gallipoli, unmarked by shrapnel, bombshells, and never-fresh air.

No, the air here is clean in a way that can leave you breathless, untouched by pollutants and stirred into a gentle breeze. It's a marked departure for anyone used to a more modern Earth or rough equivalent; letting the air sit on your tongue leaves a crisp, unsullied taste behind. And the whole forest feels alive, in a way that reminds you of how small you really are.

A white crow perches in a tree near BASE's exit, too high up to properly engage but a stark contrast to the bright leaves around her. She merely watches recruits come and go with a shrewd eye, feathers fluffed against the light chill. There are other crows scattered throughout the wilderness, some easier to find than others as they flit through the trees, sit on camping equipment, or hitch rides on the hoverbikes.

Besides those brief flashes of black feathers, however, you're left unsupervised.

Try not to fuck up anything too badly.

EXPLORE:INFOPAGE|DATABASE
talk to a fish | destruction report

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

[northerndragon]

If he ran away now, she'd still have his pointless but ornamental egg, wouldn't she?

Still, it's good to see her in a brighter mood than the one she's been in for the last few days.

Her gasp gets his attention, and when he turns his head to look at her, he blinks in surprise. There really isn't very much to that dress at all. He's never seen anything like it.

"Is that for sleeping in?"

Morrigan | Dragon Age

[courtintrigue]

[ throw a punch ]

On the last break between missions Morrigan never once thought she could be glad to see this place again. For the span of about half an hour as she disappears into a hot bath and does her best to scrub Gallipoli off her skin, she actually is.

The feeling doesn't last.

For one thing, the meager stash of belongings she left in her half of her capsule last time has all been moved to a different capsule. Including the cryotube that supposedly holds her unborn child. Perhaps she should be grateful to have a new roommate; she only hopes it is not another teenage boy who wants to be her friend.

She likes the rec rooms later at night, when fewer people visit them, and she goes almost nightly to the gym either to spar magically with the small grey training drone she found last time or to hone entirely physical skills, which may never be her first instinct but seem more important after encountering the Regency's soldiers. Tonight she would at first glance be almost unrecognizable to her former companions, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and assaulting a punching bag as though it has made some misguided attempt on her life.

She turns, panting, when she slows down enough to be more aware of someone's presence nearby. "'Tis yours, if you wish."


[ whiskey is their shield ]

In the mess long after most people have had their evening meal Morrigan finds a cup and opens the bottle of Glenfiddich that came back with her from the last mission. She sniffs the opened bottle first, nose wrinkling. She never drinks much and when she does wine is more to her liking, but she soldiers on, filling the cup about halfway. It is her dubious prize, after all, and once she has had enough to warrant refilling the cup, again about halfway, she takes everything into the mostly empty library, where she sits sideways on a couch with a vague flush in her cheeks, pointedly taking up all the available space.

>>@BASICWITCH | TO: @ALL
I have an interest in sparring with a few people who are not usually reliant on magic. Ideally you will improve my chances against Regency agents who can nullify my power. In return I will help you learn to defend yourself against a magical enemy; one day it may prove useful to you.

Even if it's only because she loses her temper.

[ library and bce threads equally welcome! ]


[ like a fox... on a fish ]

The tents are supposedly too difficult for one person alone to set up, but Morrigan is far too stubborn not to make the attempt by herself. Soon enough four curious foxlike creatures are her audience, creeping ever closer as they watch and going so far as to nose her bag on the ground. Her interest in the animals tempers her frustration as she continues to work. Even after well over a year away from the Korcari Wilds she feels more at home here than she has anywhere else she's been lately.

She lets the foxwealds sniff around her things long enough that when she gives up on the tent and slowly approaches they do not run, watching her as carefully as she watches them. Their grassy backs and rootlike tails fascinate her, and the largest of the group seems to leave a greener path in her wake, as though as young plants spring from her path.

When the bushes nearby rustle Morrigan and the foxwealds all turn to investigate, but when someone steps forward the foxwealds scatter, leaving her with an unappreciative glare for her new company. "Subtlety is not your strength."


[ wakey wakey ]

In a darkly wooded area she comes across a body on the ground. Moving close enough to observe the slight rise and fall of the person's chest, she eyes the glossy red and black arms of the plant next to them and scans it to see if someone has made a report yet.

Red Corvette, the description says, and since there seems to be no immediate danger she considers just leaving, but a day or two spent exploring at her leisure and on her own terms -- more or less -- has elevated her mood. She gives the body's shoulder a nudge with her foot, but nothing happens.

Crouching down, she tries a different approach. A distinct crackle of lightning -- only a minor jolt -- arcs between her fingers and the person's side. "Perhaps you should sleep elsewhere."

[ will match brackets if that's your pref. wildcards welcome even if it's dumb magic vs superpowers ping pong; pm or ping gratuitousmagic if you want. I don't mind assuming our characters have met in passing before and holy fuck there's so much I'd like to do that if you feel like swinging more than one thread lemme know. ]

[dorzalta]

This is true, she would have lived up to being a dragon and stolen his egg.

With a roll of the eyes, she sets his egg down beside hers and lifts the shoulders of the dress with both hands. Talk of sleep makes her want to sleep.

"No, love, it's to wear in the day. I wore it in the great pyramid as we strategized ways to deal with the Great Masters."

He of all people should know she prefers sleeping naked.

[masque]

They came with me.

[but if hei really IS going to nag...] You don't want me putting them in the fridge or the freezer. I can't cook this all for myself.

[holds up the bag, a heavy one no less. five large fish.] So what's your idea?

[masque]

i'm at the base right now, and the coordinates are recorded.
i'll just meet with you there.

i'm akira, also.

[masque]

i'm more surprised that i'm right. he told me ages ago, but it's a hard name to forget.

guess he was searching for you and his other friends as priority number one.

[masque]

[. . . shOOTS right up, a man he's never seen before, which means COST has been switching up its team. sounds about right.]

The BCE said there were effects with the fox's plants, so I just wanted to see if you could consume it as is or if you had to— [stops, because all it does it say YEAH, I DID.

...

bows his head.]

Yeah.

[northerndragon]

He does.

He stares at the dress with a strange expression. He absolutely wants to see her in it, and he absolutely doesn't want anyone else to see it at all.

"There's nothing like that in the North. It's too cold for a dress like that, even at Winterfell."

[dorzalta]

If she didn't feel so dirty, she'd slip out of her clothing and into the dress. That's what his look makes her want to do.

Instead, she smiles to herself and turns away to set the dress down. There are two more beside it: a black one, as well as a blue and white one, sleeveless. Some of her jewelry she wore with them also sits on her bed.

"Good." She doesn't want to think about all the pretty Winterfell girls flouncing around him in these sorts of dresses. Ducking into her storage box, she considers a book for a moment before tugging out clothing. Baggy, but that's fine. "It's hot and humid in Meereen."

[inconstantly]

All John wanted was to find a secluded spot to smoke in peace. His last area proved to be not nearly far enough away from disturbances so he'd wandered further than intended. Upon finding what seemed to be a decent place John withdraws his pack of cigarettes from the trench coat slung over the worn COST clothes.

Only to be interrupted yet again.

He looks to the sudden burst of energy with irritation, shoving the pack back into his coat pocket. "Not everyone carries a bloody gun."

The words drip with annoyance and John can tell that whatever this situation is won't leave him alone or go away quietly. John has a different plan in mind, one in which he has some control over the situation and hopefully won't get them both killed in the process.

"If you want my assistance you're going to have to keep it down there. Pin it or something." As he speaks John walks toward the water, away from the telltale bubbles. He kneels at the edge and retracts the COST issued lighter. "Then when you're out-" he covers his hand in flame, touching it toward the water which begins to bubble under his palm. He keeps the flamed contained, it's not time for the full boiler yet. "We'll have ourselves a nice fish dinner."

[neutronium]

"...well, now I understand why you were so complementary to the other Chrion, now." Hux frowned slightly, eyes moving over the frame of the other's body. It wasn't judging just--just taking it all in. It wasn't something completely familiar to him, and in truth, alien species never were seen overly positive to the First Order.

"...is it inappropriate for me to ask which is your true form?" The human, or the centaur? Again, Hux's tone is more curious than judgmental.

[northerndragon]

The other two dresses are pretty too, and in some ways seem like they're more girlish than the ones she wore on Dragonstone... along with a warmer climate in Meereen, she must have had a more relaxed court, even if she had also been at war there.

"It's hot and humid in the showers, too."

His gaze moves to the eggs, and he peers at them a little more closely. "They're different."

And so they are: the patterns are traced on the shells in the same colors, but not the same designs. If it's somehow possible to hatch them, even though they seem hollow, there probably isn't anyone better to make the attempt than she is... though it remains to be seen whether or not hatching them is a good idea. "You can keep mine until we learn more about them."

It's not as if she seems to intend to give it back to him.

[horsepowered]

"It is one's nature to compliment themselves." Chiron's response was incredibly straight forward, and he lowered his hands very, very slowly. "As for your question, it isn't inappropriate so long as it comes from a place of genuine curiosity. The answer is this is my normal form."

Somehow, given Hux's reaction to talk of gods, Chiron suspected that getting into the matter of the Holy Grail War was not a path to go down.

[inconstantly]

[The gasp catches his attention. Those are always nice things to hear, gasps. It almost always means that something has gone in your favor. A person is typically pleased or surprised, and either way, you have their attention.

When the woman steps closer so does John in an effort to create less distance between them.]

Would you like to see? Promise the only thing that will be burned is me if the answer is no.

E.

[bivariant]

Beyond him, she can see the rotting remains of a spacecraft that -- reassuringly and lamentably, in the same breath -- truly does not resemble the moths she's familiar with. Where he says he was looking for it, Cheris has fumbled into the area on her own wanderings, her hands streaked with some sort of sticky sap that her BCE is churning information out on, over the sound of Midnighter's voice.

As she scrubs her hands on her dark, utilitarian overalls, a sharp sound escapes her. It could be a laugh, but nothing about her suggests she's one to be so jovial: "Oh. By all means, you're welcome to their bones. I'm going to take what I find in that ship." Listen, he said 'grave rob". Of course she'll respond with Kel literalism, when given the chance. And over the edge she goes, picking her way down into the gully.

[decisions]

That is the intention.

[ the faint tug of a smile is returned as he nods and then watches him place everything back with a methodical madness, one that only looks as such because the technology itself is so incredibly new. he studies it with quick eyes, and while perhaps for the moment it won't serve him, seeing it ever once makes him feel just a bit more informed. hopefully he'll be able to see it again sometime soon. ]

You're certain it's going to fly like that?

[ just think of death from above, just think of vex's broom, just think. think of that. yes.

except this somehow looks even more terrifying. in fact, his eyebrows are somewhere in his white hairline. hrm. ]

MESS HALL.

[bivariant]

A heartfelt attempt?

[ The woman who sits diagonally from him pauses, her thumbs digging into the suspiciously un-textured outer skin of one of the two bright orange fruits before her. Her meal tray has been demolished, every scrap of food consumed and her dishes stacked tidily in the middle. Her mouth wrinkles in a way, not so much by way mockery or amusement as it is sincerity. The fruit in her hand spits, and she licks her thumb clean before digging into the pulp, splitting it into messy slivers.

A heartfelt attempt, indeed. ]

You don't want to know what it looks like, before the servitors do their work.

[ She Knows... She Pried.... ]

II.

[trample]

[ Face down on the table, Eren was barely even there. His mop of hair laid messily strewn to one side, bandages still wrapping it close to his head in some places, but for the most part he looked practically dead - only his shallow breathing and low groaning signaled any sign of life whatsoever.

Upon hearing the presence of another, his grip tightens on a bottle of liquor that sat firmly in the middle of the table itself. ]

I live here. [ His head turns to the side to reveal a red-marked forehead and a plain face that wore a glum-looking expression on it. ] This is my home now.

1A.

[bivariant]

[ She rounds the corner, a pair of technical dactyl bots cupped in the palms of her hands, and nearly drives her knees into the side of de Rolo's head. He surprises her, and his structure mystifies her -- a man so pale, that he reminds her of the Nirai who had monitored her and Jedao at the black cradle. That she finds him doing peculiar things, such as observing the droids as they work, seems more and more part of his repertoire. ]

What has you so transfixed now, de Rolo?

[ She's seen the way he wanders, the way he tries not to rubberneck.

As she asks, she crouches alongside him and sets down the pair of droids she's carried all this way -- having transported them from a minor repair within her capsule quarters to their next repair project. They might not be servitors, or even sentient, but that doesn't mean they might not one day become so. ]

never believe it's not sooooo~

[inconstantly]

[John prides himself on knowing a situation, both entering it and as it changes. It's the only way to slip out of a mess, to know how to escape before a potential trap is set. That's why it comes as a surprise when someone calls to him from overhead. He didn't even think to look that high up.

Don't be stupid, Johnny.

Thankfully her remark makes him laugh in kind as he looks up, squinting a little into the light.]

Oh you know, I like to take the direct approach. That and "What the fuck am I doing here?" was a little long. Best to distill a message to its essence, wouldn't you say?

1b.

[trample]

[ He'd done it all - laying out a map of the base in his head, then finding the fastest route out if he were to start from his capsule, and after that the only thing remaining was to actually get through the aforementioned route without any trouble. And for what it was worth, he actually thought he'd get through that last step without any difficulty.

If it wasn't for a cat that showed up at the most inopportune time - as he turned the very last corner before the exit - he might have just done it. He cursed, thinking it to be one of a certain blonde's antics, before readjusting himself with his back against a wall. In his arms was a very heavy box, with bits of metal that could quite easily be recognized as some sort of technology from a glance.

But his stupor doesn't last long as there's little time to breathe before the cat's true owner comes around. He's quick to give her a sharp stare. But it's a look not unlike what he'd give to anyone else. ]

Was that yours? [ In reference to the animal, obviously. ]

[decisions]

[ there's partially something about the lux arbor that keeps percy from jumping readily to his feet. laid across his lap is his rifle wrapped up securely, while he sits at the roots of it. he'd originally been looking up through the trees boughs and leaves, but finds himself directing that attention to the man... or

centaur?

yes, centaur, coming to take a closer look at the tree itself. truth be told, percy has seen all manner of folk - tieflings, elves, fae, vampires... centaurs are not a sight he's ever beheld, but he's not too jarred. though perhaps he glances a hair too long at all four legs before turning his eyes up. ]

Not at all. This tree is quite the spectacle - something straight from the Feywild almost...

[ he smiles slightly with a bit of a shrug ] I thought I might spend some time beneath it, see if it does more than simply sing.

[decisions]

[ percy jerks just slightly, startled by his name first, then the sight cheris' clad knees. he looks up and follows her movement downwards, watching as she releases the small bots onto the ground. they clamber away to their next task nearby, and percy lets the sound of their limbs and humming fill the silence before he clears his throat. ]

I've just never seen so many constructs at work all at once. They're incredibly clever, very determined as well.

[ he rubs his jaw just a bit, looking to cheris one moment, lean and gray before adjusting his stance and turning back to watch them. ] I thought I might learn something from them if I watched long enough. This level of technology is new to me entirely. Have to start somewhere.

BREADFISH I. !!

[bivariant]

[ Camping is best done in pairs, if not groups. As night begins to encroach, Cheris finds herself lucky to come across one of the other COST members -- it means a better night's sleep, and a helpful hand. Her scavenged materials set to one side on the ground, she dusts her hands off and approaches the tent that Sebastian is piecing together, holding poles in place so that he can thread the tent's material through them. And so on.

The coelacanth they have crashed into is known to answer a single question, that much they have discerned by trial and error. Her shadow, caught in the dying sun's light, winks and blinks with watchful yellow eyes. ]

There isn't an answer it could give me that would not breed more questions, I think.

[ She's rather, uh. Circumspect. ]

I might give mine to someone who needs it, though. As a follow-up. If that's possible.

[deem]

I guess that's true, but you're not exactly threatening or hunting anything right now.

[It makes him wonder: how many creatures on Bob would go after humans? The thought itself is distressing, as there is only one of him to try and protect so many of them from who-knows-what]

So a distraction's a bad idea?

[Here 9S had thought it would be an efficient way to address the matter of this guy's four-legged devotee, but far be it from him to go against a human's wishes. So long as neither of them are in danger of getting killed, anyway.

Still, he frowns. They could be waiting a good, long time, depending on how difficult one of these deer was to shake]