agogemod: (Default)
⌞THE AGOGE⌝ MODS ([personal profile] agogemod) wrote in [community profile] agogelogs2018-03-17 12:45 am

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.


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.


horsepowered: (x15. Confident grin)

[personal profile] horsepowered 2018-04-05 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
That was a very impressive dismount.

[Chiron's tone seems to actually mean that with all sincerity, and he automatically offers a hand down to 76. The man doubtlessly can pick himself up off the forest floor, but whatever.]

I think you ought to be crowned winner for that stunt alone.
bloodings: (with our lives)

[personal profile] bloodings 2018-04-05 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She grins a little, too. It's always good when he plays along, however reluctantly. ]

Beats me. That sort of thing doesn't affect me, either.

[ Which... she's grateful for, considering she didn't have long left when she died. From the start, she was only created to live a dozen or so years; her mother never needed her beyond that. ]

If you're worried about grey hairs, it's a little late for that. Try wearing a hat.
bloodings: (you terrorize)

[personal profile] bloodings 2018-04-05 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
That woman and I told the Regency we wanted to do a deal. She wanted her dragons back, and I wanted power... since they knew who I was, it made sense that I'd betray everyone for my own sake. They totally fell for it.

[ Mordred puffs herself up a little when she says that. If there's one good thing about the Regency knowing their identities, it's being able to use that fact against them. Her legend isn't wrong about her... but it's not the full story, either. ]

After that... we found a mask with access to their network. But we were running out of time, so when we found a way to blow everything up, we took it.[ She shrugs. ] I was pretty sure you guys would be fine. No, definitely sure. We figured there'd be something that ejected you out. [ Very reassuring. ]
decisions: art by <user name="BlackSalander" site="twitter.com"> (WHITESTONE.)

[personal profile] decisions 2018-04-05 02:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ and you thought you were getting a sexy bath log. that's really cute.

percy knows it's a disappointing question, one that's hardly befitting of the laughter they'd indulged in briefly moments before, but percy's not one to let questions burn through him. he needs to know everything, good and bad, and he needs to know it now before he finds something unsavory out in the midst of a crisis. he does move closer to her, pressing in shoulder to shoulder, quiet.

it shouldn't surprise him that they had their strange methods of... grieving and getting rest simultaneously. the bit about keyleth has him chuckling just a little, hand coming up out of the water to cup a bit of it in his palms before letting go of it all. ]


You took me home...

[ he tilts his head, doesn't quite meet her gaze, brows drawn a little. ]

To Whitestone?

[ an afterthought: his sister. ]
thunders: (avengers; :D)

[personal profile] thunders 2018-04-05 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Thor folds his arms. ] I would like to see you try. [ Come at him bro. It's all in good humor - he's glad to see that his challenge doesn't go unmet, and he's looking forward to the sparring match, when they find a moment for it.

While he's been told of the previous events through rumors and gossip, he knows only the broad strokes of the situation - that some were taken, that some went in to rescue them. It was easy to discern which among them were heroes, by the way the soldiers around them behaved, but away from Gallipoli it's not so obvious.

Though he notices the way her expression dims at the mention of the place, it's not the first conclusion that he draws. Gallipoli had been hard, even for someone like him. ]


I think all among us would agree. The swim was even more refreshing. Do you still wish to make the attempt?
excelsus: (Default)

[personal profile] excelsus 2018-04-05 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, if anything could make Dorian forget about getting too personal it was a hand on his hip followed by one on his shoulder not even a few moments later. That little maneuver did require a bit of physical closeness on John's part, it also sparked the realization that he was being barred from the kitchen, something the mage considered very carefully.

His eyes considered the length of John's arms and the the fingers pressing into him...neither of them were drunk from a single bottle of wine. Buzzed, perhaps, the tingling warm sensation pleasantly creeping through his system was about the extent of it, but he still had his wits about him.]


Oh? [Dorian's voice took a dip, lower, a bit smoother if possible and he leaned in easing John back against the wall, his outstretched hands pressing against the wall (one still fisting a bottle of wine), effectively caging John with his arms.] You have other appetites that require satisfaction...more primal ones?

[It's an out if John want's to take it, Dorian enjoys flirting, but he's not so nice a man that he would hold himself back if John was offering himself seriously. Dorian was only unassuming up to a point.]
mylawn: (pic#12084086)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Must be nice.

[Not that 76 cares too much about getting old. He can still do what he needs to do, and probably has the enhancement program to thank for that. Maybe he's slowing down--he breaks a sweat easier, nowadays--but 76 will do his very best not to think about it and continue to push himself as he always has.

Still, maybe it would be a load off to stop worry about it. 76 tries to laugh again, but this time it's a little more half-hearted. He runs a hand through his hair reflexively.
]

I'm just trying to keep what I have left.
decisions: art by <user name="BlackSalander" site="twitter.com"> (OFFICIAL.)

[personal profile] decisions 2018-04-05 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I may be a good marksman, but I've so many questions.

[ his voice softens incrementally at the last bit of that, expression never wavering - a neutral brow, a stiff upper lip. my reflection, my shadow, or me. percy knows what this may be like, this strange unearthly possession, and it strokes down his shoulders like an unsettling, thick deluge of memory. smoke and soot, black powder smell in his lungs, choking.

he pushes the thought away. ]


I will save them for later, but for now, Cheris, are you certain this is what you want me to do? There's no other way to put him down if the case may be?

[ a beat. ]

Do we know if this will kill you in the process?

[ the hesitance is barely there, the desire only for information, to do what is right by her. ]
courtintrigue: (I am not opposed)

[personal profile] courtintrigue 2018-04-05 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The look she gives him is a bit approving. Not being a man of many words apparently does not make him incurious and immediately he draws his own comparisons. ]

I would not take issue with calling it that.

[ A task force: she is more familiar with those words apart than together, but if it means what it sounds like it makes enough sense. ]

Cultish is arguable. But no matter how necessary they are I would not allow myself to be conscripted.

[ Reaching for the bottle on the table next to her, she tips a little more of its contents into the cup beside it. ]

Do you like whiskey?
prizeneck: (57)

[personal profile] prizeneck 2018-04-05 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[He stays quiet when he sees Ryo pick up the small stone from the ground, picking up on his idea even if he hasn't really explained it. He watches the arch, manages to pick up on it as it lands onto a branch on the opposite side of the clearing. He hears the trickle of sound as the stone keeps hitting wood and foliage, down until it comes back to its place on the earth.

The deer wobbles towards the sound, and it's when it reaches a certain angle that Mamoru spots the outline of that third eye, empty save for the folds of flesh and fur. It's underwhelming in its look, but Mamoru feels as if now there's another predator in the midst of all of them.

The arms, though. They're not as phantasmagoric as they look to someone with normal sight, not to him anyway. The growth, the sudden disruption of a common looking dear by two human-like arms as if a person was trying to burst through the ribcage. His jaw tightens as he watches the animal wobble once again, towards the noise.

In his other hand, a very small but very sharp knife has slipped into his hand. Standard issue: a souvenir from Galipolli. The plan was sound, and if anything he'll throw at a high branch to cut it and make it fall even further away.

He jerks his head back, once again, and if Ryo isn't paying attention, it's as if Mamoru's voice carried without him almost moving. A habit of someone used to sneak in.
] Go, I'll follow.
gerechtigkeit: ([moderne] Shall I dare it)

[personal profile] gerechtigkeit 2018-04-05 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Do we? Not many people here seem that interested.

[Not that he's openly asked. Most of them aren't always from the same world, so he's not really going to ask about it. The only people who do know lore are the ones from his world, and even then, he's not quite sure they follow it as extensively as he does.]

I see. [Was, not is or are. He doesn't miss that. But it's like rubbing salt in a wound to press further, so he doesn't.] I've always been terrible at naming things, unfortunately. It's never really something I've ever improved on.
gerechtigkeit: ([corrigeren] I'm coming home)

[personal profile] gerechtigkeit 2018-04-05 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's an exasperated snort as she slobbers over his glasses, but it's one that Siegfried relents on, looking thankful that Percy isn't upset with it. He crosses his arms at that, only shaking his head at the statement.]

She's nearly been trapped by blade plants, chased by foxwealds, almost followed by those carnivorous deer, not to mention nearly fallen in several holes... I'll gladly take her failing to catch this prey instead of all the rest.

[Hearing this, his dog whines, tail wagging furiously. Siegfried sighs again.]

What am I going to do with you? [She barks happily, as if answering him.] I need to name you, at least.
gerechtigkeit: ([mahnung] Wings won't take me)

[personal profile] gerechtigkeit 2018-04-05 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[What Mamoru will find is an entire section has been cleared and set aside specifically for this purpose. Call him aware, or perhaps just using common sense, but he knows that if anything, their little bout in Gallipoli meant that Mamoru wasn't above using everything around him to his advantage.

He stands to the side, leaning against the wall, no weapon in sight. Arms crossed, his head tilts in curiosity rather than in annoyance. If this man wants to fight, he'll give him one- but he's not going to go overboard.]


You found me easy enough, it seems.
prizeneck: (14)

[personal profile] prizeneck 2018-04-05 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
All cut. [Mamoru says, but not at Sieg. Shutting down the comms is only something he’s used to do, and even if the BCE command isn’t exactly that one it’s programmed to follow to shut down the voice-to-text feature, it’s responsive enough to adapt and follow it anyway. It annoys him that he needs to do it. People have a tendency to use text and not communicate with their voice, for some reason. Maybe they were too suspicious and knew their voice gave away things that they didn’t want shared.

A question for some other time, anyway. He adjusts the sunglasses a little higher as he takes in the space in the room. Mamoru is holding his sword, yes, but the same way a millennial holds their cellphone. Naked without it, fingers restless even when there’s no use for them.
]

I’m familiar with this part of the ship. [More than familiar, he’s been spending more time in this room than in his own, although his skewed sleep schedule makes him either omnipresent and elusive.

Without the mask and with the context of warfare left behind, there’s an ease to Mamoru’s voice that could be easily misidentified as insolence. Still, he let’s it slip. He gives him a disbelieving snort.
] You made quick work of preparing the classroom or is this just for me?
bloodings: (f4)

[personal profile] bloodings 2018-04-05 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
It's fine, it's fine. It makes you look wise, or something like that.

[ Nobody hires Mordred for her motivational speeches. She shrugs her shoulders a little, still amused, but seemingly appraising him at the same time. Even if she was joking about the wise thing... she actually does pay attention to what he says. She just won't ever, ever tell him that. ]

Want your coat back? [ At least she's offering. ]
mylawn: (pic#10436343)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[76 watches with interest, half expecting this to go horribly wrong in one way or another. Sure, the BCE gives some cursory information about the samples they're collecting, but he's overly-paranoid, and can't convince himself that everything he reads about this place is going to prove accurate.

Suffice to say he's potentially waiting for Natasha to drop dead on the spot. He's quiet for a long moment, watching her for any signs of potential poisoning.

When that doesn't happen right away, he ventures to speak.
]

How is it?
mylawn: (pic#11742600)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[He imagines that this is as close to a compliment that Mordred gets, so he figures he might as well take it. This is as close to a rapport as they've managed to get, and for some reason he finds himself not wanting to ruin it. 76 almost forgets what she's wearing, and the sort of half-smile on his face wavers when she mentions the coat.]

Yeah, I guess.

[For as much as it hurts to be reminded of what the coat stands for, it's a reminder of home he doesn't think he can dismiss. Saying something along the lines of 'I don't wear it anymore' might invite her to keep it.]

It's a little big on you.
mylawn: (pic#10641416)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Always better to be an independent agent.

[Says someone who spent the better part of thirty years part of one organization or another. He can't deny that striking out on his own has been liberating, and he certainly doesn't miss the red tape, or having to adhere to a code of conduct. Morrigan strikes him as that type as well.

His attention is diverted, however, when she alerts him to a bottle on the table.
]

Like it well enough. [It doesn't do much unless he drinks a lot of it, but he likes the taste, too.] You offering?
mylawn: (pic#10436334)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Still got it.

[Barely, and it's clear that even 76 is surprised he pulled that off. He gets it all out of his system, culminating in a fairly dramatic sigh, then he finally rights himself, shaking his head.]

You beat me fair and square.
mylawn: (pic#11742611)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Something like that.

[It reminds him of camping and fishing trips and the first day of deer season--all things he hasn't done since he was a teenager. Sure, he had to rough it during the Crisis but under threat of death it wasn't exactly the same thing. This isn't exactly the same thing either, but it's just vaguely similar enough for him to take it. It's the reprieve after Gallipoli that makes him feel this way, he thinks.

76 realizes that he's managed to start talking about himself, which is usually the last thing he wants to do.
]

I try not to get sentimental.

[But of course he is anyway. There's not much else left.]
mylawn: (pic#10981865)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Jack's tolerance for pain is fairly unparalleled, but in better days it was easier to admit when he's injured. Now he won't verbalize anything at all. There's nothing overt, but he might grimace a little when she puts pressure on some of his joints--more of a sign of him wearing down than anything else.

All in all, however, everything seems fine, at least physically.
]

The Regency pinned us so we split into groups to evacuate. Mine left Lone Pine to try and contact the French.
mylawn: (pic#12139074)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[This time, he pays attention to the feather between her fingers--it's hard not to, given the color and the motion.]

Souvenir?

[Possibly a more ethical one than killing them for their pelts.]
mylawn: (pic#12190499)

[personal profile] mylawn 2018-04-05 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
You been holed up in BASE this whole time?

[Sounds terrible, frankly, but 76 knows that not everyone is an outdoors person. Given the way this guy is geared up, however, it's hard to believe he chose not to venture out because he was apprehensive.

The general demeanor of the guy gives 76 all the permission he needs to bite back, kicking the bike into gear.
]

Needed someone to hold your hand?
mcscouty: (isaac 2)

[personal profile] mcscouty 2018-04-05 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, the place has an honest-to-God spa. Kind of a shit spa if we're being honest, but after the last mission? You take what you can get.

[ It beat lice and mustard gas and sleeping in the dirt. Not that he couldn't handle all of that just fine, but a little luxury was more than overdue. Now, he's just restless. Bored. Needing to see what's out there.

Someone watching his six during the exploration process? So much the better. ]
gerechtigkeit: ([corrigeren] I'm coming home)

[personal profile] gerechtigkeit 2018-04-05 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldiers know how to avoid obstacles. [That's the first thing out of his mouth after Mamoru asks his question. But you're not a soldier is easily implied. Siegfried studies him- now finally getting to see his face, his body language, how his hands idly keep to his sword, the sunglasses he wears...

Wait, sunglasses?

He says nothing about them, but if he needed any more clarification that Mamoru is unusual and not a typical fighter, then that settles it. Siegfried's interest is piqued, a brow raising.]


Do you always carry it with you? [His sword. Bluntly stated, but it's more as a question than a scoffing. He does the same, more often than not.]