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

[garbagepilot]

Well, sometimes. That's why you have to learn to be careful.

[That's a little morbid as far as jokes go, sorry.

Of course, then Jeyne brings up family and Rey's smile falters, fades entirely. That's still a little raw, all things considered.]

It was just me. I taught myself how to do this.

[faenthras]

[ She takes far to much joy from this, amusement painted across her expression as he shifts and adjusts. Maybe she shouldn't tease him as much, knowing what she does of what he remembers, of what he has lived. She considers it, for a moment, before his hand meets hers. ]

I am very compelling person, darling.

[ Vex'ahlia, you terrible person. ]

Isn't it? [ Her expression shifts, becoming softer as she continues. ] We both needed a nice hot bath after all of that. Thrust into a battlefield we weren't prepared for, finding out we brought you back... You deserve a moment to relax more than anyone.

[ Hand slips from his grasp to brush at wet hair clinging to his forehead before falling away, slipping back underneath the water. Vex follows a moment later, lowering herself a little back into the water. ]

[widow_of_the_crag]

I will let you guide me through this then. I don't want to remove or do something that could make it catch on fire.

[She can see the humor in it, at least. Just the thought of even handling something like this seemed a bit absurd to her, far from anything she might have pictured before. This wasn't how proper girls behaved.]

Oh. [She made a mistake and her smile falls immediately.] I didn't know. I'm sorry.

[faenthras]

Watching.

[ Even though she sits ready, poised to move should she have to. To push off and knock an arrow in a matter of seconds. There shouldn't be any reason to, she thinks, so long as they keep their distance and make no aggressive movements - but she remains ready. ]

I prefer not to hunt them. It would be a shame to kill something so beautiful.

[ Already she has managed to gather a fair few feathers, two sit in her hair, brilliant blue sharp against her dark locks. The rest sit in her kit, to possible be used later. ]

[neutronium]

I am young, yes. I rose quickly through the ranks. [By eliminating the competition. Hux does his best not to preen at the comment, but instead tilts his chin up just slightly. His brow does furrow at the 'right bastard' comment.

...given Hux is a literal bastard (something his father never let him forget), it puts a little twinge through him, but he brushes it off.]

Is there a term you prefer? Or is it all the same to you. [He seems to be genuinely asking; he knows Kylo would hate being called a wizard, while others here have told him they prefer mage.]

[garbagepilot]

Of course you didn't. [She says it softly, and she's getting better at the whole people thing so it's easy enough to reach out and put a hand on Jeyne's arm, soothing and comforting.] It's fine, it doesn't matter.

[It isn't fine and it does matter, but it's also not Jeyne's problem. So... maybe not so great at opening up after all.]

I did have one, I just- I never met them. That's all.

[widow_of_the_crag]

[It explained a number of things. Rey had asked for help coming up with an alias during their mission. If she hadn't known her parents, she wouldn't know her family name.

She covered Rey's hand with her own, trying to offer a comforting smile in return for that sweet gesture.]

Family isn't always blood.

[And sometimes that was better, if her own family was any indication.]

You could find a family here.

[bloodings]

An escape route... yeah. You could call it that.

[ He's not wrong. The Throne exists outside time and space; if the Regency (or anyone) could mess with something like that, she can't even imagine the consequences. ]

But it's not about me. The Regency... maybe they were lying, but they said Britain doesn't exist in their future. I can't let that happen. It's one thing for me to destroy that country, but nobody else can. That's more than enough reason for me to fight.

[courtintrigue]

[ With distance between her and Earth she has a little more of a sense of humor about it. The sigh she lets out is mostly mock suffering.

But only mostly. ]

'Tis a compliment that I would be interested despite your bias.

[ But to answer his question she leans forward to pick up To My Fellow Wardens and then offer it to him. ]

I doubt anyone would call this light reading, but if you are curious enough it is an intriguing place to start. These are published notes written by a member of a secretive but very necessary order called the Grey Wardens shortly before her assumed death.

[millimeter]

Shit.

[Despite the expletive, it sounds more awestruck than anything else.]

Did you ever have to deal with COST or the Regency? Before they recruited you, I mean. 'Cause they've talked about it being way in the future, but never whose future.

[inconstantly]

[John takes the wine in hand easily. Giving them both a bottle was by far the most practical option, if indulging in their mutual alcohol habit could be considered practical. He delivers Dorian an eyebrow raise and nod of approval at the improvisational use of the knife. It's something that John would have done, and he appreciates an out of the box thinker.

He lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a long swig. The action is not meant to taste anything, just to ingest as much as possible as quickly as possible. When he lowers the bottle John keeps it close in hand rather than set it aside.]

Well you're in luck considering I've never thought of you as particularly nice. But I don't know if I would consider you an ill-bred plebeian either. I assume all the presentation [John circles his hand around his own face to indicate Dorian's personal grooming. ] isn't an accident.

[courtintrigue]

[ She lets out a vaguely amused snort. ]

I have my doubts.

[ Deflection is not unexpected, but her eyes still narrow, brow half-wrinkled. While she may be glad for the challenge, she would prefer to come out on top.

It is a bit of a calculated risk to give him a split second of hesitation, but she does it so a sharp backward jab of her elbow has a chance to meet his gut. ]

[deem]

We've had some alien species try to invade for a really long time, but there wasn't really communication from them. Hard to say if they had any affiliation...

[But they sure did fight tooth and nail over the planet for no apparent reason for such an incredibly long time it had been doubtful the war would ever end.

9S shrugs, at a loss for relevant data, and yet he knows that really is a very good question]

So far as I know, it was the aliens' machines fighting us androids.

[millimeter]

Sounds like a lot to deal with, either way.

[He crosses his arms, looking at 9S—and it's honestly kind of hard to wrap his head around the fact he's an android.]

Like I get this is the point of androids, at least in sci-fi series... But you don't really look different from a human? [Prompto knows 9S said he was activated four years ago, but for real. He looks around the same age as Iris.] Maybe it's just weird because there are robots around Eos, but you'd never...no one ever thinks they're human.

[trample]

[ Absolutely...nothing... :^) ]

You would be mistaken. [ He pulls his gear closer. ] The size of the bag is playing tricks on your eyes.

[ Considering Ashitaka's words for a moment, he brings his gaze to the horizon, which is blocked by swathes of green shrubbery. ]

Weapons, a saddle, and... [ He nods. ] Food for yourself, I suppose? I ask only so that I can know whether or not I need to forage for tonight's meal.

[ Or go without it entirely. ]

[deem]

I'd say a robot sounds more like a machine.

[And there's a small but definite edge to that word, because he is programmed to hate the enemy. At the same time, he has the presence of self to acknowledge how incredibly complex that is, now]

But inside I'm metal and circuits, and my blood's synthetic. Units like me are built in the image of mankind, and that's who we're meant to protect. I even need to breathe, which isn't true of machines.

[trample]

[ ...Oh. He'd struck a wrong note with that one. The guilt pangs his heart almost immediately after, and he settles back into his seat, any semblance of his former overbearing attitude all but gone. He puts a hand up. ]

I'm sure he's doing fine wherever he is. If he was a part of COST, that is. [ Eren brings his hands together on the table, looking perplexed. ] Like I said, don't think much of this. It's just temporary. And I have no intention of taking any husband's place.

[ Was that a joke? It was a bad one. ]

[handsomefoil]

The thing about all this though, is that Henry doesn't realize just how much of an impact this is having on the guy. He doesn't know much about Bucky beyond what he's let on during casual conversation and a little bit just now regarding sexuality. It's the tip of the iceberg, barely a scrape, and he has no clue what this might lead to. Hell, he didn't even think about it because that's just how Henry is: acts without thinking, and inevitably hurts someone without a care. Or at least without realizing.

That being said, he doesn't read too far into the kiss. He just enjoys the moment of it all, the warmth and the addicting sense of euphoria that washes over him. It's nothing new, at least in terms of sensations and emotions, but like any addictive sensation or activity he finds himself seeking it out from time to time when it's allowed.

He's not sure how long they've been going at it like this, but it's getting to the point where his hands wander a little more just simply out of habit. His thumb kneads towards Bucky's inner thigh, just massaging it there for a moment as he holds the kiss for a brief moment before pulling back ever so slightly.

[lefthandfree]

For as wholly poignant as knowing it’s possible for someone to know the killer and not be repulsed, to say that it does anything to draw Bucky out of the present would be incorrect. While it certainly opens doors Bucky had long forgotten the hallways for, feeling the immediate want reciprocated in Henry’s every movement is intoxicating. Which is as intensely desired on Bucky’s part as it would seem for anyone like him who can 1) no longer become intoxicated and 2) drank quite normally for fun before he lost the ability to feel the affects of it.

Even the feeling of Henry’s hand moving closer to something Bucky doesn’t know he can give slips by the wayside, the fact Bucky can still claim kisses more urgent in his mind than the possibility of Henry pushing for something they both likely know won’t happen.

Only when Henry draws away, the need to chase to find the press of his lips again, does Bucky really clear from his stupor, breath heavy and a pained sigh sitting at the tip of his tongue at how keenly he feels the loss of what had been his moments before.

“What is it?” A tinge of concern as he pulls back too, giving Henry space should he need it.

[handsomefoil]

He doesn't move back any further than he needs to so he can speak, the skin of their lips occasionally brushing against each other's whenever he moves his mouth. Bucky pulls back to in kind and Henry's fingers press into the fabric of Bucky's pants, as if anchoring himself for a moment.

"Hm, nothing really. I was just thinking that you're a very good kisser..." he chuckles low in his throat, eyelids still heavy like he doesn't intend on opening them all the way anytime soon.

Telling him what was an extremely obvious fact isn't his true reason for pausing. He uses this moment to gauge a reaction from not only Bucky, but from himself as well. Did he want to keep this up? He usually does (unless he's got a real good reason not to), so he's mostly reading Bucky at this point. However, that little touch of concern in the question that sounded like a plea to continue is all he really needs. Bucky clearly wants to continue and Henry is totally fine with this. Eager for it, even.

He glides his hands up from wherever they were resting and rests them against the side of Bucky's neck, pulling himself back towards him into a more comfortable position. Then placing a kiss to the corner of Bucky's mouth, it's the only window of opportunity for Bucky to get any words in before Henry goes for his mouth again.

[desynched]

[ Lena had been dearly hoping for a taste of home, especially after Gallipoli, so her disappointment runs a little deeper than having to eat bad food. But she perks up at Mamoru's suggestion. ]

I think I can manage that. [ She giggles. ] We could all even work together a potluck. Share our tastes. Take a little pity on people who can't cook.

[duskmeadow]

[ Dragons. Plural. Vax's hands don't pause in their work, but his brow knits into a frown. Confusion is the only thing that follows in the wake of her comment. His twin misspoke, surely. It had only ever been one dragon, and— ]

Vex'ahlia...

[ How does he phrase this question? Vax bites the inside of his cheek, fingers working through the thick locks of Vex's hair. ]

You mean the vampires, don't you?

[ And whatever Lady Briarwood was. She hadn't gotten her teeth into Vax, but she's looked as if she wouldn't have objected. Compared to their exploits in General Krieg's home, it was very clear to Vax what the more difficult fight was going to be at this point. A dragon hadn't been easy, but Vax had figured the Briarwoods for the more difficult fight. ]

[excelsus]

[Dorian settles himself perpendicular to John since the man has occupied the bed horizontally, of course that also means he's throwing his legs over his bedmate's as well just to stretch them out given that they are both respectably tall and Dorian himself is respectably leggy.

Enabling one another might not be considered practical to most, but when it comes to dealing with problems getting drunk and fast is often the best method there is when it comes to coping. It may also be the quickest way to engaging in stupid activities, but that was also part of the charm.]

Mm...depends on who you ask...this [Dorian mimics the gesture around his own face] is probably symptomatic of my upbringing and yes, I was fat with it. Strict nannies, expensive education in prestigious Circles of Magi...found myself kicked out of every single one, ah...the scion of House Pavus, a product of generations of careful breeding, and the repository of its hopes and dreams. Marvelous! The grooming habits are one of he few things I didn't despise growing up.

[And Dorian punctuates that statement by throwing his own bottle back and drinking deeply.]

[duskmeadow]

[ Durable. Vax looks skeptical, running a hand along the seat without making any attempt to climb on. ]

I've a friend here who would be able to tell better if it were suitable for riding or not.

[ Though Vax has asked enough of Percy lately. He stands, then brushes his hand down the front of his tunic. ]

Is there one suited for you?

[ Are the legs a touchy subject? Vax is trying to tread lightly, unaccustomed to how to speak with centaurs and unwilling to upset an ally. ]

[duskmeadow]

Out.

[ Because retreating back into the ship certainly wasn't an option. ]

Sorry. I wasn't expecting to see...the crows.

[ Among other things outside of this vessel. He sidesteps, clearing the way as he sizes up his newfound teammate. ]

I'll be another few moments.

[ He's planning on loitering on the off chance Vex is only a few steps behind him, though he doesn't think that explanation would be of interest to anyone who hadn't already met his twin. ]