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

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes.

[Even though he's fairly powerless in this situation, he can at least project confidence to Angela. Maybe she won't buy it, but without much else to do, that's what he can offer.]

I'm going to do everything I can.

not all of it
is it in powder or tabs

Yes, that's the one. [ Thor flashes him another grin. ]

You're from Earth, then? It's been a while since I was back there. Pretty sure there weren't any laser swords yet.

Ah.

[Perhaps 76 sounds a bit disappointed to hear that. He ends up nodding along to the rest of it--76 knows better than most the kinds of sacrifices that must be made to secure peace. It's never real peace, either, because keeping it that way is a struggle. He's done things he's not proud of in the name of it, and it's easy to see where the slippery slope of the Regency begins.]

Your friend. She signed on too?

[Wow what a nerd about blades. Why is everyone in COST obsessed with blades. With how he goes on about it however she's not surprised he owns more than one. It's not unlike her great arsenal of guns and other utility upgrades; different tools for different jobs.]

How many do you have? ...Or had?

[ This conversation is bordering on difficult, so Genji actually appreciates the brief passing of the droid. He smiles and waves at it as it whirs by, glancing down the hall for a moment to see where it might be going.

Then Mamoru asks another question, and it's certainly a loaded one. Genji's quiet for a few seconds, the only sound his light footsteps. He might be walking a little faster than before as well, though he doesn't fully realize it. ]

It depends. If it's just a prosthetic arm or leg that someone has, that's normal enough. But for someone like me, who blurs the line between man and machine... it gets complicated.

[ The 'why' of that requires a brief history lesson, and Genji doesn't know how deep down this rabbit hole Mamoru would like to go. None of it is that relevant to their current situation, after all. ]

[ Sometimes, it's hard to tell if this guy is being serious or just seriously fucking with him. The grin doesn't help, either. That being said, Henry finds it bothers him less and less when he comes across fantastical people and things from legends and stories in the flesh. Stranger things have happened. ]

Yet? Well, perhaps I'm from a more modern time. Or a different universe. I find that makes a big difference within our scrappy lot.

Hux gave a small snort. "'Honor' is something people often cling to when they have nothing else. It's often used to shield bad actions," he countered. His father certainly liked 'honor' and he was the worst of them all.

"Why did you choose to join this cause?" He looked up at Chiron frankly, quirking an eyebrow. "If you remember, of course. Why choose to leave what you were doing, and come here?"

[These are all things that 76 has been pouring over since arriving here. He knows it’s in the Regency’s interest to lie to them and sow dissent, but if they really are bound to something that prevents them from killing ancestors or even fellow time travelers, it raises some uncomfortable possibilities about Xici.

76 still isn’t sure who’s telling the truth. All he can do is keep in mind that the Regency will go to any lengths to secure their peace, even if it makes them hypocrites.]

Grothia told me about the first time the Regency wiped out a bloodline to secure power. It was so devastating that they instituted the rule that they’d never do it again.

[An illusion of benevolence, maybe. An empty promise made emptier by the knowledge of what happened and the possibility the Regency could choose to break it at any time with no consequence.]

I don’t think they care about holding up that end of the bargain, but if they were telling the truth, maybe COST killed Xici.

Somehow, Hux's cynicism about the concept did not surprise Chiron in the least. "Often, yes. But as I said, it's a matter of cultural norm, and plenty of groups rely on that concept among others. Depending on which city you were in within my time, some elements shifted."

Athens and Sparta are the obvious ways of expounding, but Hux hasn't asked that.

"In truth, I don't recall." But that had never bothered Chiron. Not when he learned the truth of the war and what it entailed. "But given all I've learned, I can easily see why I'd remotely entertain the possibility."

The planet's a warzone, and machines are constantly producing more units.

[YoRHa by comparison had numbered in the hundreds, expensive to produce for all that they were capable of, and the resources their bodies and black boxes demanded. There were certainly more Resistance androids, but even then, 9S knows that machines came in far greater numbers.

That's why units like him were necessary to begin with]

We try to reconstruct and preserve what we can, but it's not safe. Not until the war's over.

[Is it over now, with the launch of the Ark?]

Edited 2018-05-06 06:37 (UTC)

[9S nods. This, at least, is easy to answer]

Just about all androids are soldiers. You could say YoRha are...special forces?

[He recalls coming across such a term, in data from the Old World]

"I assume your city, or your group was high on honor, then?" Chiron often attempted to seem relatively neutral in their talks, but Hux had no doubt he had his own thoughts on each subject they spoke about, but often talked in the royal 'we' to keep things less than personal.

Ah, so he was one of those. Which surprised Hux, honestly; with the way that Chiron spoke on things, and the fact there was a doppleganger of him here--he would have thought of all people, he would have chosen this.

It made him more distrustful of COST than ever, regardless if Chiron trusts them. He would have felt more testy over this, were it not for the tree. "Does it not bother you, that you can't remember? You still trust COST despite that."

"The overall culture was, yes." There is a pause, before he elaborates on why his own responses tend to remove himself from the answer. "Understand that I lived a little outside of the city-states of Greece, on a mountain known as Mount Pelion, and so I don't dare to place myself squarely within the realms of men."

For Chiron, it's an important distinction. He knows his people, their history, their values, he was a product of all of those things. But to not lived within their walls, not been truly subject to their laws, that's a nuance that should be kept.

His response to being bothered about a memory gap is probably not what Hux is expecting. "Have you ever been summoned through magic or teleportation seemingly against your own will?"

That was my thinking. [ He's only just learning the ins and outs of where people come from and how they might differ, but he thinks Henry has the right of it. ]

Is such a weapon common on your version of Earth?

There's nothing subtle about that. [She tries to think about the last time she saw so many limbs on a person and she's pretty sure it was probably the last time she saw a Reptilicus. It was of course trying to kill her and she thinks he probably wouldn't appreciate the comparison.]

Not that it's a bad look.

Not at all. Although in places like this, it's extremely useful for getting around and ensuring that everyone has transportation.

[Who needs a bike wen you have this many limbs? Not this weird horse, that's who.]

Thank you. It's been exceedingly nice to have it back.

[ Instead of running away, she runs toward him. Just before she's within striking range, Lena jumps through time and lands behind him. But a blind leap like that means it takes her a moment to reorient herself, which gives Genji a chance to respond. ]

[He has a great point. She can imagine how liberating it must feel with all this fresh air and open land to run around on. Even she feels more at ease with the alien wildlife around.]

I've been eager for my equipment to sync with the BCE proper so I can have it back. [She continues to work the bike parts until she's able to access the piece she needs to.] Did you have any trouble adjusting to COSTS's preferences?

In truth, I didn't. I had been summoned in my human form for another matter before I arrived here, so I was comfortable enough on two legs. [After all, a centaur's pretty obvious in a Holy Grail War too.]

May I ask how much equipment you have to sync into the BCE?

[She'll help by spreading the plates around or making room accordingly so they all fit. He made a hell of a lot, didn't he...

And he asked a question that has an unexpectedly complicated answer. Where she was born was one thing, where she came from was another.]

I was orphaned. Victories were usually... [Not celebrated.] accomplished alone.

"I assume you lived apart due to your nature. Were common people aware of what you were? Or did you usually live apart, in this form?" He gestured to the centaur's frame. Hux knew that he might seem invasive with his questions, but with the calm of the tree, he was finding himself more willing to be curious and just ask questions he might have simply made assumptions about, previously.

At question, Hux frowns. "...no. Besides what COST does, I have never experienced anything like that." The force abilities used on him to throw him across a room, or slammed into a floor don't count.

"Oh, centaurs weren't uncommon. More out in the wilderness, of course, but people knew what they were, along with nymphs, dryads, and all the other spirits, gods, and demi-gods that occupied their own spaces in every level of Greece and her many islands." They were a part of the whole place. It was a time of gods and their ilk.

Chiron nods. "Well, I have. Once before, and shortly before COST summoned me. So the sensations, the feelings, they weren't novel. An advantage over many people here, I'll admit."

[She can find these kinds of questions simultaneously frustrating and thought-provoking, a duality she'd quickly blame on her heritage. The Chozo instilled her with an appreciation for the path of seeking answers, and her human nature instilled her with the curiosity to do so.]

It's about peace. [There's still clear hesitance to open up to him about it, and she reminds herself she's about to ask a primordial fish being this kind of question, who was technically more of a stranger to her than Genji was. And Genji's questions prove he also thinks about these kinds of things as well.]

I've spent much of my life and career devoted to the idea of galactic peace and fighting for a better future.

...But sometimes peace is not so easy to obtain. Sometimes it's necessitated by strife.

[He's definitely the only one who gets it right now, though she surmises from the succinct answer it might possibly be a joke. Then again, 76 is a guy who is never not taciturn.

She could cheat and look in the BCE about Indiana, get quick trivial information, confirm it's a state and not a country or something goofy since Earth itself wasn't really a planet she frequented aside from the once-in-a-blue-moon trip to Federation HQ.]

Full of wildlife? [He doesn't seem to like the wildlife here. Maybe Indiana was full of it.]

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THE AMAZING BASE.

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i suck this took so long

No worries dude that's why we've got backtagging

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