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

mordred | ota

[bloodings]

a | meanwhile, on base...

[ Mordred wants to sleep for a damn week — and, honestly, that's the first thing she does, passing the fuck out with her grey cat in various spots across BASE. Probably right on the floor where you were going. Sorry. (Meanwhile, her new outfit looks like someone's taken a pair of scissors to it, so maybe see if she's cold...?)

Alternatively, find said cat running through the halls, being chased by Mordred on all fours. She's not really looking where she's going, and while the cat can fit through people's legs, she can't — so heads up! ]

b | out here in the field.

[ That's not a smoke signal you can see through the trees — no, it's one these things being cooked over a fire. Mordred's taken care of the gory parts, ripping off the limbs and the head, and she's jammed a stick through the middle of its body, idly holding it over the fire with one hand.

Armour still covered in blood, she looks up if anyone enters the same clearing. ]

Smells good, right? [ Especially after the rations of Gallipoli. She makes a come-closer motion with her free hand. ] Come on. Meals always taste better with others. [ Someone's in a good mood today. ]

c | wildcard.

[ obligatory! hmu with whatever or if you want a closed starter. ]

b

[chipouttaluck]

[What the hell, she's eaten weirder things than a giant bird-looking thing. She'll plop down next to the person cooking it.]

Anythin' you want help with?

[Figures it'd be polite to ask.]

[bloodings]

[ Mordred shakes her head. ] It's fine, It's fine. This is nearly done.

[ After a few more seconds, she lifts the medium-rare torso back up off the fire — then tears it in two with her hands, handing the loose half over to Surely. Her helmet slots neatly down into her armour, and she bites into the rest of the meat like a wild animal, not even bothering to take it off the stick. ]

Mmmrgh. S'good. [ Talking with her mouth full, of course. ]

[chipouttaluck]

[She grabs the loose half. It takes her a bit to work out the best way to eat it, but figures it can't be too different from a rack of ribs, so she scarfs it down that way.]

Better than squirrel, anyhow.

[bloodings]

Bigger is better.

[ Says the shorty... but she eats like someone ten times her own size, tearing into the meat with fearsome speed. It's like she's never been taught table manners in her life. ]

Is that what you've been eating? Meals should be tasty and filling. Hunt something worthwhile next time.

[chipouttaluck]

[If Surely's been taught table manners, she's forgotten them by now. She's just chowing down, and maybe she remembers not to talk with her mouth full if you're lucky.]

If it beats BlamCo, I'll take it.

[bloodings]

[ Mordred swallows, and stops eating just long enough to ask— ]

Huh? What kind of animal is a BlamCo? Some sort of phantasmal? [ She doesn't understand branding... ]

B

[horsepowered]

...It smells like a much gamier chicken, truth be told.

[Chiron walks into Mordred's little camp carefully, his bag of supplies swung over his back and his hair a little bit more messy than usual. There's leaves and twigs in it, suggesting a recent fight with some thick forest.

Moreover, there's no mistaking that he's been getting around the place on all four hooves, rather than the COST provided transport.]

[bloodings]

[ She blinks under her helmet. ]

Hah? You're a horse again! [ Centaur... ] Dammit, if I didn't have this bike to look after...

[ She'd ride on Chiron. No, she's not worrying about whether he'd give her permission or not. ]

Anyway! Game or not, it's still meat. [ And therefore better than rations or the fake-food in BASE's cafeteria. She cocks an eyebrow, merging her helmet into her armour so he can see the questioning look on her face. ] You do eat meat, right?

[ ... Since he's kind of animal-y himself... ]

[horsepowered]

And with a consistent mechanism for making it so.

[Chiron looks fairly pleased about that fact. Never mind the bike comment, Ttey're going to have to negotiate making use of that riding stat.]

I am not a vegetarian, correct. How many of those have you taken in to become dinner? I'm not about to question the luxury of hunted food.

[bloodings]

[ but daaaaaad ]

I stopped counting a while ago. Does it matter?

[ The answer is a lot... she's just fat af trying to make things easier on Ryuji, okay!! ]

They yell a lot, but they go down easy enough. Easy to cook, too. It's about time we got a chance to hunt.

[horsepowered]

I don't wish to eat more than my fair share, that's all.

[It does help Masters, doesn't it? Chiron trots over and proceeds to sit himself down beside Mordred, which is perhaps a little awkward in terms of big horse legs going everywhere before he's comfortable.]

[bloodings]

[ She snorts. ]

Like I'd let you. [ Don't worry, Chiron... Mordred's natural rudeness keeps anyone else at bay. She pulls the stick out of the fire and waves the chicken in Chiron's direction. ] Just rip off whatever you want. It's hot, though.

[horsepowered]

That is a very good point, come to think of it.

[Mordred's...Mordreness is truly a blessing at times. Either way, Chiron takes off a good quarter portion of the chicken - thigh and drumstick - all in one go. If the heat is a problem, he says nothing to show it.]

Thank you.

[bloodings]

Yeah, yeah. Next time, you owe me a favour.

[ She's just feeling generous today. Or she misses eating with a big army while on the march. Either way, Mordred eats like a wild animal herself; tearing chunks off the chicken and talking with her mouth full. Gross. ]

Have you asked the fish a question yet? I bet the other you would be pretty interested in hearing about it.

[horsepowered]

Let's call said favor a ride and be done with any negotiating on that end.

[Chiron's just trying to head that indignity off at the pass. It always looks silly.]

I haven't no. In truth, I wasn't planning on doing so. Were you going to...?

a

[ryuji]

[Ryuji does pretty much the same thing when he's back on BASE. There's a period where all he wants to do is just be alone, to take in the last month, and the results of those horrible nights where the sound of shelling was the only music that accompanied him to sleep. Lately, he's even more jittery than he was before: loud sounds seem to knock him a little looser, he seems to be on edge in a way that he can't even control. But sitting in his room, in his bed- it's calm. So it takes him a while to get used to that, too.

Until he starts to have dreams of Mordred's life when he sleeps, and increasingly more attuned to her life and times, he feels a sense of disciplined necessity warm over him. He's her Master. They're supposed to take care of each other. He leaves his room for the first time in what feels like forever; anything other than showers or food didn't seem appealing to him whatsoever.

And he finds Mordred asleep in the middle of hall, Ryuji's expression soft and lost, like he had inexplicably become a member of the Lost Generation himself, until he reels back and comes to his room to grab the military issued blanket that he'd clung to for the past while. Carefully, he drapes her softly with the fabric and props himself up against a wall near her, figuring that he'll be there for her when she wakes up. Plugging in his earphones, he listens to some punk rock music from back when punk was still a thing, and waits, quietly, reverently almost. She deserves the sleep too.]

[bloodings]

[ He'll be waiting a while, though it's a nap-length rest instead of a full sleep. It's obvious when she starts to rouse; her drain on his mana starts to increase again, and she rolls over halfway, letting out a big yawn. Then, she leans down to scratch her ass, and—

—there definitely wasn't a blanket on her before. She lifts her head, looking around, until her gaze settles on Ryuji. ]

Oi, Master. It's creepy to watch someone sleep. [ Mordred stares at him almost accusingly... before her gaze wavers, and she looks away. ] ... Well, it explains why I felt so relaxed, though.

[ His presence is as comforting as the blanket on top of her. She yawns again, stretching out on the floor, making no real effort to move otherwise. Lazy. ]

[ryuji]

[Yep, there it goes again, feeling like someone just unplugged the charging station of his laptop battery. It's okay, though, he's starting to get more accustomed to it. Somehow, he feels stronger than he did back in Gallipoli. He pulls out one of the earbuds from his ear when she wakes up, not having heard it's creepy to watch someone sleep, and instead coming to around how relaxed she feels.

For a dumb moment, he just sits there.]

Did you just scratch your ass when you woke up?

[Why do they have so much in common.]

[bloodings]

[ Staring at him... ]

Obviously. What, you don't? [ She knows you, Ryuji. You're an ass-scratcher. ]

[ryuji]

[That is the RUDEst thing he's ever heard and quite simply not true.]

Nah, I usually covertly use a wall to rub my bum if I gotta. Saves me the trouble of lookin' like a bonafide ass picker.

[Teaching her all the subtleties of being atrociously gross in public, yet entirely hidden.]

Anyway. Mornin' princess.

[bloodings]

[ Muttered: ] Who cares what you look like? Seriously, just use a hand...

[ Mordred doesn't care about people seeing her be gross. She sits up in an exaggeration motion, letting out another yawn. ]

And don't call me that, [ she grumbles. He's lucky she's too sleepy to make more threats. ] At least it was a decent enough sleep. Last time, I had to see one of your weird dreams.

[ryuji]

But what about dignity? What about butt dignity?

[He's sitting there, smiling, cheery at the sight of this, rather than waking up in a battlefield. Sometimes he catches himself being too proud, too dumbly proud, that he managed to actually do something right in Galipolli. If he hadn't contracted, then even scratches in the early morn wouldn't be possible. Little things are neat.

But then comes the mention of a dream, and he's not nearly as confident as he was pretending to be, in the end.]

Yeah... sorry about that. I have a lot of memories from my childhood that I keep visitin' when I dream, and they're not always great. [He licks his lips and gives off a soft hmm- (how should he put this?)]

I saw one of yours too.

[bloodings]

... Yeah. I knew you would sooner or later. It's part of the contract.

[ Something else she didn't have time to explain. Minor, all things considered, but definitely an invasion of privacy for someone unprepared. Her history is scattered across poems and stories, laid bare for anyone to see. Ryuji's is his own. Even if she grumbles and complains about having to see it, it's tinged with... bashfulness, almost. ]

I didn't mean to pry, [ she says with sincerity. Mordred wouldn't know a normal upbringing if it slapped her in the face, but it's not that. It can't be that. ] But it'll probably keep happening. In a way, that's good. It means our bond is strong.

[ryuji]

Good. We're gonna be COSTs best power couple.

[Seeing past the pain and the suffering, enduring, living, going through everything with your head high, or low if the situation calls for it- Ryuji lives by this. It's coded into his genetic diary, his moral fiber. It's not like he wasn't open about it; anyone who asked would've gotten the same explanation: his father was a pitiable drunk who talked with his fists, rather than his love for his family. How many times had he laid awake at night after he became a Phantom Thief... knowing exactly where he was, wondering what would happen if he selfishly forced a change of hearts? Too many to count... but in the end, he wouldn't. Not that it was retribution to know he was out there in the world alone and without a family. Fuck that.

If you're a Sakamoto, you have to find the will inside you to get better. No magic is going to fuck around with that. So when he thinks about Mordred's dream, and the words that she says afterward, almost as an apology for the mutual invasion, it trickles off of him like excess rainwater from a stormy afternoon.]

I guess we both got issues with our dads, huh.

[Some things can't be changed, either way. Of course, Mordred's issue was a thing of legend... Ryuji's was just personal and only important to himself and his mother. But, still.]