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

[heilt]

BASE

( open )
( having being back from the mission longer than everyone else angela is there to greet them when they return, scanning for any injuries and new faces. she's thrilled to have them back, not only because it had been very quiet and lonely with them gone, but also because the mission in gallipoli had been difficult )

Are you alright?

( her words are gentle and laced with concern, eyes appraising for any injuries or weakness. for any faces that are more unfamiliar, she may also ask if they need anything or have just arrived )

( genji )
( they'd had a long conversation over the devices but seeing him again now was different. it had been too long since she'd seen him in person, and even longer since she'd seen him so--

angela's smiling the minute she sees him, recognising his face, and reaches him quickly. a hand moves up to his face, resting on his cheek. it all looks so real and feels it too. however cost had given him this skin they'd done well with it )

It's good to see you, Genji.

( !!! )

[desynched]

[ Lena is quite a sight, dressed head to toe as an ANZAC soldier. She's grimy and exhausted and she swears her clothes are still damp from the snow. She already has her priorities: hot bath, tea, edible food.

Her priorities shift immediately the moment she sees Angela. Lena lights up, all of her weariness vanishing in a split second. ]

Angela!

[ Lena makes her way over, a bright grin on her face. ]

[heilt]

Lena!

( she's thrilled to see her, even more so knowing that lena was coming. it's a relief to see her safe, though under the grime she can't quite tell whether the girl had been injured. she'd soon answer that )

It's so good to see you.

[desynched]

[ Lena can't help but pull Angela into a hug. She's filthy and smells terrible, which probably isn't overly pleasant for Angela, but she can't help it. It's a relief to be somewhere safe and to be around someone familiar. ]

It's been too long! I've missed you.

[heilt]

And I you.

( she's smiling, not caring as much about lena's disarray as she hugs the younger woman, giving a brief visual assessment once she steps back )

How have you been?

[desynched]

[ Lena's smile flickers a little. She can't say she's really okay after Gallipoli, but there's no need to describe a battlefield to Angela. She knows what it's like and what it's like for the returning soldiers not to be okay.

So she opts to talk about home instead. ]

Back home? I kept busy. Traveling all around, wherever anyone called for me. Helpin' Winston out.

[ With the new Overwatch. Lena's sure that Angela got the Recall message. ]

[thunders]

[ The first thing Thor had done upon his arrival was take a long, sorely needed shower. He's one of the later arrivals to medbay because of it, and while most of his wounds were easily healed by the technology here, the bullet hole in his shoulder is still painful. It's filled in mostly, at least - it just needs a bandage and some time. Truly, the fact that he was injured in such a mundane fashion is more troubling than the wound itself.

He's rolled his sleeve up so that he can try to look at it but it's a difficult angle for him to deal with on his own, and his arm doesn't particularly like being moved. When a woman approaches him offering aid, Thor nods in greeting, and perhaps there is some relief in his expression. There's a gentle air about her, and her offer seems quite sincere. ]

It is of little concern - but if you would not mind?

[heilt]

( there's a small nod as thor approaches and angela directs him to sit down, hands pushing the fabric of his shirt higher still. angela examines the injury for a few moments before stepping away, bringing back a tray with some supplies on )

I'd like to remove that shirt first.

( by which she's definitely planning on cutting him out of it so that they don't have to move his arm to do so )

What's your name?

[thunders]

[ It's clear that she's a healer - a doctor, if he were on Midgard. Thor does as he's told and allows her to prod the injury as she likes, but his expression grows more uncertain as she brings the tray back to him. ]

As you wish. I assure you, there's no need to fuss so much over such a small wound. [ Still, starts to shift so that he can remove the shirt on his own. He's stubborn like that. ]

I am Thor, and yourself?

[heilt]

Angela.

( she offers him a smile before placing a hand on his arm, a gentle shake of her head )

Try not to move. ( she turns only briefly to pick up the scissors, moving the fabric away from his arm ) Small as it may be you came to me for help. It is no fuss, and I'd rather that this was seen to properly.

( she's also pretty stubborn about her patients. don't ask jack )

You'll be glad when it's fully healed.

[thunders]

[ Thor stills at her chiding. He heals more easily than most, but she's right. Leaving a bullet lodged in his shoulder is still taking a chance that it will trouble him for however long he's here. ]

If you won't let me talk you out of it, is there anything I can do in recompense?

[ He moves only enough to allow her to cut him out of his clothing more easily. ]

[heilt]

Perhaps avoid future bullets.

( it's said in jest because she knows that he would have been careful, that in war anything can happen. angela gives a small shake of her head before giving her real answer )

I wouldn't be doing my job if there was. Now, hold still.

( he had been so far but this next bit, now that the wound was free of the fabric, was the most tense. she had a numbing agent for the site, letting that take effect before moving her tools to the site to begin )

[thunders]

[ Thor chuckles at the jest. It's clear from her tone that she knows as well as he does that he can't make a promise like that.

He sits still and looks away; he's not particularly squeamish, but even he doesn't want to watch someone dig around in his arm. It's a very strange sensation, for what little of it he can feel. ] How long have you been a healer? You have a steady hand.

[heilt]

Twenty years.

( her voice is quieter as she works, brow furrowed somewhat in concentration. some days it feels so much longer, as if there hadn't been a time that she hadn't been a doctor, yet occasionally angela will wonder where the years went. she remembers the first time that she'd visited overwatch with torbjorn. how young she'd been then.

it's a simple job. the bullet hadn't penetrated too deeply leaving angela able to easily remove it. she examines it at first, comfortable in how intact it is )

Just a few moments more.

( to stitch and bandage. she's been without her staff for so long that, though it's now sat in her room, she doesn't instantly think of it )

[thunders]

The better part of your life? [ It's a guess. There's no obvious distinction between the aesir and the shorter-lived races, like humans, but Thor has spent much of his time among the latter. They mark their time by years, not epochs and eras, and there's a certain weariness about it that he's come to know very well.

And anyway, the conversation is a good distraction from what she's doing with his arm. ]

Have you always wanted to do this?

[heilt]

( there's a small nod and then, soon enough, thor will feel a very gentle pat on his arm, angela taking a step back to replace her equipment )

There. ( she turns back and actually answers his question ) And yes. This is always what I wanted to do.

( just never quite how she imagined it )

≧ω≦

[doublejumps]

[ Arriving on BASE is a relief for a number of reasons. This will allow him a moment to breathe and get his footing in this bizarre new situation, he'll be able to do something about this artificial skin (or so he hopes), and Angela is waiting for him. The sudden transition is jarring, and it might have been enough to make Genji throw up, if he'd been eating anything lately. (He hadn't, really. Food is somewhat optional for him.)

It doesn't take him long to recover from that, and as soon as he has, he's on the search for Angela. She said she would be awaiting him, and from the looks of things she'd been one of the few people brought back to BASE in advance. Maybe they'd wanted her to be ready and rested for the large amount of wounded coming in.

Given that both of them are looking for each other, it doesn't take long for him to find her, and Genji's face brightens as soon as he sees Angela. As he'd warned her, he looks far more like a normal person than he'd ever been in the time they'd known each other. There's a time when he might have dreamed for something like this, but as things stand, he'd rather return to the appearance he's come to accept.

He can't begrudge Angela when she reaches out for his face, his smile remaining as he looks her over. ] It's good to see you too, Angela. You look well.

[ It's been far, far too long. ]

[heilt]

As do you.

( well, unharmed. it was a little strange seeing him like this, and though angela knew his face this was different. her hand lingers for a few seconds longer before she moves to hug him, finally beginning to relax. he was here, which also meant that jack and lena would have returned. knowing that they're back, that they're safe, gets angela to release all the worry that had built up in her.

when angela steps back her hands drop down, finding one of his. she's smiling still, calmer now, and considering getting away from the crowd, finding somewhere quiet that they can sit and catch up in. and check him over in medical )

Let's take a walk. We can find your room.

( show him the sights, all the important and interesting things )

[doublejumps]

[ The hug isn't exactly unexpected, and Genji is quick to return it, his arms wrapping tight around Angela, his hands spreading out over her back. He can feel her ease up with relief. A text conversation is one thing, but seeing him in person clearly has an effect on her. It isn't easy, to be the one waiting for those in a dangerous situation to come back.

When she steps away, Genji still can't stop himself from smiling at her. He squeezes her hands with his, not as overwhelmed with the contact as he might have been in the past. ]

You're going to give me a tour? I look forward to it.

[ He nods to her, indicating that she should feel free to lead the way. ]

[heilt]

( her smile remains, steps slow as angela begins to lead him about the base )

There's a lot here and plenty of space. I mentioned before that while we were on base they wanted us to recuperate.

( recuperate and keep their skills sharp. they'd go past the rooms, the training areas, the mess hall. it was quite an efficient little base )

They've also been agreeable to those that would prefer not to fight.

( angela's head dips for a few seconds. they'd encouraged her to train, to know how to fight, to shoot, but when angela had refused they'd accepted it, adapting her training to her speciality. she'd had to make sure she could pull a body across a war field. it wasn't new but it had been good practice )

[doublejumps]

[ As far as recuperation goes, Genji doesn't need that as much as some of the others. He'd only been in the trenches for a few days, whereas for others it had been months. Still, he won't begrudge the chance to take a breather and learn more about their situation.

It's good to hear that Angela hasn't been forced into a situation where she had to engage in combat, or take life. Genji would not want to see her tainted in that way. Maybe that's part of why she had been brought back here in advance. ]

There needs to be someone to tend to the rest of us. They must have known you would be up to the challenge.

[ He winks at her, hoping he can cheer her up in even a small way. ]

[heilt]

( angela does smile a little though being brought back here still bothered her. if it had been by choice perhaps there could be more that she said or did about it, though likely she'd have argued the sentiment. instead, it was just by accident -- a failure )

Perhaps. Though there's more to it.

( she has yet to mention this in entirety to jack, having found genji on arrival before jack, but she'd tell him too. she'd made that promise )

I wasn't brought back because they needed me here. ( especially not when the troops would have needed her more. no one had been on base to require attention ) There was a problem with my implant. It's stabilised now but it could happen to anyone.

[doublejumps]

[ A problem with her implant? ]

You mean the BCE?

[ Genji frowns and draws a hand up to feel over the small bump at his collarbone. The BCE is part of what anchors them in time, isn't it? If something like that were to malfunction, well, all they have to do is look at what happened to Lena. ]

Is everything all right now? Do you have any lasting side effects?

[ As much as Angela might worry about all of them, Genji is going to fuss right back at her. ]

[heilt]

I'm alright.

( she squeezes his hand gently, her voice a little extra soothing. she knows that he'd worried, as jack would, and finds it sweet. for all that angela frets over them it's nice to know that they care about her too )

That's why they brought me back so that they could fix the problem. I'm going to do what I can to minimise it happening again.

( she'd spoken to chiron about examining the technology. angela knew that she couldn't do much but it was peace of mind at the least, and help at the most )

[doublejumps]

[ It's at least good that she's aware of it, which will lessen the chances that something could go wrong in the middle of a mission. He squeezes her hand in turn. This is proof that those in charge of them are keeping an eye on their status, which is also a good sign. ]

I know you're always worrying about everyone else, but you need to take care of yourself too, Angela. [ The reminder is gentle. He doesn't want to press too hard on the subject, but given that they're going to be marching into other war zones, he wants to at least say it once.

With that taken care of, he fixes her with a smile. ] So, where to first?