agogelogs | THE AMAZING BASE.

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THE AMAZING BASE.

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

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[He has no idea about Futhark, but he'll do his own research later.

Earbuds, though, he recognizes.]

yeah
like headphones probably

He shakes his shoulders, almost expecting to have some feathers and the usual dust from them, except the critter was reptilian, wasn't it? If anything, he'd find a scale, but that's very unlikely.

Still. Old habits.

Speaking of old habits, Mamoru is suddenly reminded of something that Igawa used to tell him whenever they were in Blade's base, and he didn't find Haruka somewhere.

"Yeah, well. Princess is in another goddamn castle," he shrugs.

Taking in the attention the sniper is focusing on the pool, he tilts his head. "Water? You fishin'? "

No way. I like mine the way it is.

[ Mordred lets out a childish huff, half at his attempt at a joke, half at the idea of changing her Punk Look. (Ignore the fact it's basically just bedhead in a ponytail.) ]

I got bored, so I trained for a while. [ She waves her giant sword around a little, narrowly missing Ashitaka. ] There's no way I could bring something like this on the last mission. Having to blend in sure is annoying.

... Well, then I'll be king. That's why I need to know how to rule well.

It's not like I plan on taking the crown and casting it away. I need to know how my father felt. Why he became king, and why he ruled the way he did. I thought I understood his actions, but when he rejected me, I realized I didn't understand anything.

@jinglejangle: someone left the door unlocked.

"Let's get hunting. Can't be too hard to scrounge up something edible." Granted, when you're a certain kind of hungry and a certain kind of picky, everything is, but spending a night on the john because the radroaches went south isn't really her idea of a good time.

[ oh. this isn't going to be fun at all.

shepard clears her throat softly, a foot already in the nest and knowing full well that it is far too late for her to go changing her mind about the matter. that's the problem, sometimes. shepard's the kind of person that steps into the nests of horny and dangerous slime people first, asks questions later. she regrets her assessment regarding his capability, and that it sadly didn't call into question his sanity.

and hers, for that matter. ]

Way to make a girl feel special, [ she mutters, barely able to muster the energy to roll her eyes. ] What's the plan if it does?

[ god help him, he better have one. ]

That's right. It sure beats sitting around BASE, growing old.

[ because no matter how little love she has for all things green and brimming with nature, boredom and inactivity alike are worse than whatever this place can throw at her. probably. ]

[ well. that's a way to get yourself noticed.

focus is something that shepard has always been pretty damn good at. thus, she pays cheris little attention to begin with, too determined to maintain and follow through with her own routine to exchange pleasantries. she'll remember cheris, easily, as soon as she comes back down to earth a little (hah). she'll remember, when she takes a moment to count her own reps and cheris'. competition isn't anything new to shepard — she's military, a more or less friendly challenge isn't something she's ever shied away from. when she was younger, it was because she had the brash elements of being a street kid, and needed her ass to get kicked once in a while. these days... it's just fun. mostly.

midway through the movement of the pull up, shepard stops. holds herself up at the bar, a soft strain in her voice from the effort. ]

You gonna invite me to the party, or what?

[ punctuated with the firm noise of her feet landing flat on the ground again as she drops, mouth quirked in cheris' direction. ]

Some secrets are best kept.

[ Meliorn, for his part, has a tray of almost the exact same thing and while he's not sitting, he's overheard the other speak while passing to a different table. He doesn't recognize the other, and while he hasn't met everyone in the previous mission, he thinks he'd recognize the sharp nose and strong jaw. They're quite distinctive facial features.

He offers a quick, almost polite small smile, and his gaze dips from the other's face to his food. ]

I haven't seen you before. [ Lucky for Meliorn, he can look as he usually does without glamour or hiding - streaked hair, pointed ears, vine markings and all. ]

[ Genji has seen that startled look from people enough times to know what it means, but the man doesn't immediately reject him or tell him to go away. It's good enough for Genji, and so he nods. The last thing they need is to get ambushed by whatever is out here and hungry.

(Not that he thinks they'd like how he tastes, unless they're able to gnaw through metal...)

He takes a seat next to the bike and begins to examine it, searching first for any kind of control panel that might allow him to control the volume of the music or turn it off.

As he's doing that, a notice comes up from his BCE, telling him about an available network that he can pair to, and suddenly everything makes sense. He lifts an arm up to wave the other man over. ]

I believe you need to use your BCE to control this. You should be able to shut it off that way.

Dorian shot Midnighter a mutinous look, he spent a whole five seconds making his hair look presentable and Midnighter ruffled in in a fraction of that time. The noise in the back of his throat is a mixture of disapproval and nonchalance, like he can't decide whether he should be annoyed at the hair thing or cool in the face of evil while wearing a blanket and his underwear. Tough play.

But then the creature parroted Midnighter from the shadows and the mage barked a laugh before he could even stop himself, okay the way it sounded wasn't exactly pleasant, but that didn't change the fact that it was funny. A little funny, "I don't think it's kidding you...I think it's mocking you, are you going to take it?"

Or maybe the creature doesn't really know how to do anything other than copy what it hears, which is why Dorian is keeping his own voice respectably low. He's only teasing Mightnighter though, a little ribbing in honor of his deflated hair.

Well it is a bit of an exaggeration, but I see you understand the point. [Go ahead it's funny, Dorian often tries his best.]

The reflective mask on your face is not material in any setting. Are they to hide the scars or something else? [Dorian has seen plenty of masks and masks always hide something, whether imperfections or the real person.]

[ Meliorn had been meditating.

Had, of course, being the operative word. He's quite good at blocking out distractions and strange noises, yes, but there are certain things he's keen on listening for, or that trained to zero in on. Cries for help, for example. This isn't quite a cry for help but there's certainly a lot of splashing around, and Meliorn opens one eye from the spot on the ground he'd been meditating on to see a blurry movement behind a thick bunch of trees. Sure enough, there's a mundane. Probably their first time camping. He sighs, rises, and goes to inspect the noise. Once closer, it takes all of half a second to put two and two together. She's trying to fish. ]

Noise will only scare them.

[ Not very many people are use to pointy eared, facially scarred men with blue streaks and vine markings along their skin, so he keeps his distance so as not to startle her. ]

[ percy thinks him self clever some days, the harbinger of something dramatic and dark during others. they're wretchedly useful things, guns, and he'll die before he stops using one. it's become an extension of himself he can't excise no matter what the tool, so he uses it for the better than for simply power.

he wants to wince at the remark, but remains steeled, a bit of a smile on his face until cheris offers him something, handle first it appears.

he reaches over carefully. there are many things about cheris he knows he has yet to learn. softly: ] It's clean. Streamlined. [ a spike of fascination, perhaps jealousy of the make. ] Light... [ but how do you load it? ] I've no idea what to make of it.

[ he smooths a hand reverently over the shape of it, bringing it up just slightly to study its appearance. streamlined, sleek, a faded olive color. he keeps a finger clear of the trigger's home, lined up along the barrel as he turns it this way and that with the eye of an engineer. ] If not to harm the physical, then what's your target, Cheris? Something intangible? What do you load into it and what is its intention?

[ Genji does reach out to shake her hand, making sure to keep his grip light in comparison. It's true that they're going to be rather cramped in here, but that's the case for everyone. They'll just have to deal with it. ]

No... hopefully we can coexist peacefully, all the same. What is your name?

[ The young man is certainly brave to offer to be the first one to go, and it almost makes Genji feel foolish. But there is a lot of pressure, given what they've been told about this ancient and god-like creature. ]

I wouldn't be opposed to that, if you don't mind.

[ Though he doesn't quite let the stranger go yet, tilting his head at him curiously. ]

It can see the future?

[ With time so relative, maybe it makes some strange sort of sense. ]

And to such a handsome face? Such an unfortunate set of circumstances.

[Dorian is quite capable when it comes to playing into the drama and playing along is just as much fun for him.]

I'd never rescind on an offer to improve the quality of grooming while we're all here, consider it my pleasure as long as you trust me.

[After all Dorian trusts himself and he's never cut himself shaving.]

[ this must be what it's like moments before a siren drowns you or some such. percy finds a bit of the tub to cling onto with one hand as his vision, while still blurry, clears as much as it can now that his eyes aren't full of water. he looks to her with less-than-keen squinting eyes before he feels the water move, the warmth of her bearing into his space, but not uncomfortably. he bends where she presses, sliding a hand along until they're met somewhere in the middle.

the water's just hot, it's not his face. not his face at all. ]

Well then, [ swallowing just softly, a second, lifting a hand up to meet hers and press against the back of it. ] I can't find any reason to argue.

[ sm...ooth... right? ]

This is rather soothing.

[ nicer than getting viciously rained on by merciless water pressure, but you have to get the gallipoli off you somehow. ]

[ For some reason, one Meliorn cannot fathom, Bunnyhawks enjoy spending time with him. Perhaps it's the fact that he's quieter than most on BASE, or perhaps it's because they can sense he's Seelie - but he only has to sit still for a few moments before they dive down, curious and friendly.

When he comes to a clearing he's been meditating in as of late, he's not surprised to find them - what he is surprised to find, however, is someone else. ]

They seem to like you.

[ He keeps his voice quiet and stilled, not wanting to scare one of the bunnyhawks currently trying to impress the stranger by doing a loop-de-loop in the air. ]

Huh. Yeah. [He's not a guffaw type of guy, but that breath in a staccato is actually his usual rendition of it.]

It is, where I come from. People use these all the time, helps shield eyes from the sun. [He tucks them a little higher up the bridge of his nose.] In my case they allow me to see.

Understood.

(looking at the chest of any animal tells him where the rest of it is going. the limbs may lie and feint, but the core of the body won't, save for the exceptions — metahumans, people like him. people like her, if he had to make a guess. they'll get out of this as clean as a whistle, besides the obvious blood and gore. but it won't belong to them.

hei drops into the underbrush with a silent leap over the outcropping where they laid on their bellies, no further sounds coming from his advancement.

they look delicious up close, at least from the vantage point he's staring at them from. a thicket of trees that obscure him, eyes on the bodies of the great beasts and avoiding their crowns. the sooner they get this done, the better. his stomach feels set to rumble and, in one crazed moment, he almost sniffs amusedly at the prospect of such a noise giving him away. it'd make for a better story than all the rest he's ashamed of.)

There's an app, now. Called "Tasty". It holds a great number of recipes, all done in one minute.

(if there was something he could get excited about, it'd be this app. fucking genius. he nods along with himself, knife poised and ready to slide effortlessly through the cuts of fish. it looks as easy as cutting through warm butter and he inspects one small slab before reaching out to akira.

a piece of foreign fish, sashimi, cut for him to try. hei already has one in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.)

Tastes like salmon, but it's a lighter texture. Try this before you get started.

[ it's almost hypnotic, the way that the strange creatures lift up off the field and move through the air, catching warm currents above the trees. the field had been a good place to stop for the moment, rest his feet and lay his rifle down a while to ease up on his shoulders. he's noticed the one bunnyhawk moving through the air in fantastical circuits, certainly enough to keep percy's attention as he watches.

the footsteps, however, bring him to turn just a bit, peripheral still on the little display at hand. ] Is that what this is all about? I've never seen such behavior from a rabbit. Must be the hawkblood in it, making it bold.

[ there's a lazy kind of smile on his face as he turns his attention back. ] Incredible they've made their home on a giant fish of all places.

[76 is a little loath to use his limited ammunition in the practice range, but he can't be sure his rifle hasn't been tampered with, which means he has to test it out at least a little. The last thing he wants is to be able to take it on a mission only to find that it isn't functional or has been limited in some way.

It doesn't surprise him that he attracts the attention of other recruits--this is not a gun that's meant to be silent, after all. 76 stops short, taking a prolonged look at the target before he shoulders the rifle, turning to see who's come into the range.]

Pulse fire.

[Which he knows may or may not mean anything, depending on who he's talking to or if they're familiar with firearms at all. He gives 9S a quick once-over, as if trying to assess that.]

It's like, uh. Energy bullets.

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THE AMAZING BASE.

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mess hall;

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camping;

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2b bunnyhawk time

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