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

we'll take 1b) first

[reillumination]

[ ryo may or may not have been in here for quite a while before percy got in, but ryo's single-minded focus or lack of interest in others was more than likely the reason for his otherwise absence of engagement. that is, until someone makes a comment. and that someone is someone he'd already approached him earlier. ryo, like a number his age, are predictable in this way: they don't step into the spaces of those they don't know unless they have to or someone else has compelled them to. ryo, however, is not precisely typical no matter how fundamental his reasons may be in some respects. after all, the targets in his corner of the range look respectably mauled in places that'd guarantee a quick bleed-out if they were of human origin — and that's not accounting for the disconcerting amount of clean, precise head shots.

when he turns his head to look at percy, he's in the middle of popping open the chamber of a double-barrel shotgun, one hand diving blindly into his right pocket. he's not wearing any earmuffs. ]

Modifying it shouldn't be too hard, [ he says, offhand. he throws a glance to bad news, assessing. ] There's probably someone who has the right tools around here. [ he considers for a moment, before just as blindly pulling up two round and loading them into the chamber of the gun he's still got in his hand before snapping the whole rig closed again and setting the safety. for now.

there's a slight implication in that gesture though. after all, he's done plenty of his own modifications back home. he's certainly very comfortable with guns. ]

b.

[excelsus]

Dorian has no idea how anyone could just burst out of their sleep into full wakefulness and spring into activity when it takes the mage at least an hour to shake off the fog. It must be an acquired skill but an acquired skill that is enough to wake the Altus from a dead sleep in that scrambling, startled, fashion that threatens to shake the entire tent apart. He cursed something in Tevene before finally smoothing his hair down and popping his head just outside of the tent, he's not about to leave the tent in just his smallclothes.

Nearby his Hart was also bellowing, startled by the sudden flurry of action and in spite of all of it's animal instincts it still didn't have the peculiar alertness that Midnighter did.

"Hmmm..." Dorian manages an unintelligible sound, blinking owlishly into the trees, still very drowsy, "the trees are in the trees, you plan to take on the roughest toughest tree that there is?"

It's to early to be politic, Dorian's opting for sarcasm...sarcasm is easiest for his brain at the moment.

[gerechtigkeit]

[Something tells him he might've met this guy, whoever he is.]

Did you run into a Regency agent at all?

[millimeter]

heist??

and yeah i do
but most of the people i've actually asked about it don't
so
that sucks
for you guys i mean! idk what i'd do if i couldn't remember

[gerechtigkeit]

[Ryo can't see it, but Siegfried is pleased.]

It's a good habit to have. How many pets have you had?

[A moment later, then-]

I'll keep that in mind with her. I think I can be patient enough to train her, and who knows. Maybe she'll teach me something as well.

[excelsus]

A little vague, but fair enough. I haven't thought of an appropriate name for him yet, it seems an odd thing to name him though. [None of the Inquisition mounts hand names, they weren't pets, but they were also important and well cared for.

If asked Dorian wouldn't be able to describe a Hart, but it was somewhere between an elk, an okapi, and a Clydesdale...and true enough he was quite big.]

That is an excellent question, I'm not certain if this place is equipped with stables. [But there were other questions as well, where the hart would be staying was only one of them.] I do believe we've met somewhere before, but I can't recall, your voice is very familiar.

[prizeneck]

[Steadying his feet, he reaches to his bag, where a canteen is hanging by a hook.

He throws it at the bush, the aluminum-like material making a racket. A dragokeet jumps out of the bush, squawking " minutes! Minutes!"

Tapping onto his collarbone, Mamoru hears the dictated description. The dragokeet keeps flapping its wings around the bush. ]

Huh. These are harmless 'pparently.

[prizeneck]

[oh boy he's already making the math]

i might have

[prizeneck]

Why not? It's yours now, right? [He shrugs, walking around it. Mamoru is actually pretty tall, but this seems like the figures in a science museum - "Mammals That Once Roamed the Earth".] Are they fast?

[Ah, right. The gas mask had almost been so commonplace for him he forgot that most people in COST haven't seen him without it. ] Yeah. Gallipoli. I was wearing a gas mask.

[excelsus]

You can hardly fool me, I can see right through that smooth facade of yours into your sassy depths. [Whether or not Dorian really does is up for debate, he could very well be teasing him.] And therein lies the problem, what am I supposed to do with him on the base? Let him wander the halls like a street urchin? Leaving little presents here and there?

[They both know Dorian doesn't mean presents.]

Joyous, yes, but he's hallyracket, I'm afraid he's going to prance right over the edge of a cliff.

[Okay, yes, it's a little endearing too, but Dorian is ever the realist.]

There it is again. [Such cheek, Chiron, it's amazing!] I suppose the practicality is all in our design, unless you are a Qunari...I am not entirely certain what the purpose of the horns are other than to prevent them from properly getting through a door.

[Giving the hart another quick glance he tipped his head at Chiron and raised an eyebrow.]

Now, now you. Hush. I can't have it going around that I'm concerned. If others found out then where would I be?

[gerechtigkeit]

[Boy, isn't that kind of annoying and kind of familiar.]

You wore a mask, didn't you.

[It's not a question. And if this is who he's thinking of, w e l p.]

[prizeneck]

it was necessary

[gerechtigkeit]

It wasn't necessary to try and test me in the middle of a battlefield.

[prizeneck]

of course it was

[gerechtigkeit]

[WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS]

We had more important things to do. What point did it serve?

[prizeneck]

it told me how ready you were for surprise attacks

[You can read the shrug here]

[gerechtigkeit]

Do you purposely try to attack every person you meet?

[prizeneck]

don't be stupid who do you take me for

[gerechtigkeit]

Someone who doesn't pick his battles wisely or carefully.

[YOU ASKED....]

[prizeneck]

why do you think i tested you in the first place

[gerechtigkeit]

That's not something to be proud of.

[prizeneck]

nobody said anything about pride

[dipolar]

(excited?

...

looks down at the fish and tries to remember what getting excited felt like. can't, so he turns away to slap the fish onto the counter and drag them out of the bag one by one. they look like quite the catches and hei doesn't waste time slicing beneath the gills, ridding them of their heads, cutting along the spines to separate the meaty sides of their bellies from bone, deftly pinching each rib from their bodies with gentle drags of one guiding finger—)

Ask the servitordacts for the individual ingredients required to make tempura batter. If you don't know, check your BCE.

(—and, soon enough, they've all been prepared and ready to make into sashimi and whatever else they decide to do with them.

hei drapes a damp towel over his forearm and cleans the knife off against it with two smooth drags.)

Fish skin tempura would make more sense. We'll get rid of the scraps that way as well...

[gerechtigkeit]

So you'll attack those you simply want to fight?

[prizeneck]

warmer but not quite there yet