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

[inconstantly]

I'm John Constantine, son of a bitch. [John smiles widely and reaches for Thor's hand, giving it a firm shake. So that was it, then. The actual Thor of Norse mythology. He has to repeat the phrase in his head to fully wrap his head around it, but after meeting so many varied people here on BASE, why not?

When they part, he returns his attention to the hammer.] Discerning, eh? [Sounds like a challenge. John's not the strongest person in the world, nor is he worthy of much other than a punch to the face, but that won't stop him from trying. He returns both hands to the handle and lifts. Or. Attempts to lift. It doesn't budge.] Is it enchanted or something?

[thunders]

[ Thor raises an eyebrow. ] You get your looks from your father, then? Well met, John.

[ It's refreshing to have someone understand so easily. Even with the wide variety of people here, most of the ones he's met are from Midgard or something like it.

He watches John curiously. Mjolnir doesn't so much as tremble when he tries to lift it. ]

It is. By the Allfather himself. So- [ He reaches down and grips the hammer himself, one handed. When he gives it a little toss it, hums softly with the movement, an entirely alien sound. He sets it on the bed, and the mattress doesn't sink more than it would for any average object. ] Don't take it personally.

Do you know something of enchantments?

[inconstantly]

[Thor's comment about John's parentage only serves to further put John at ease. He'd rather not get anything from his father, but that was another item for another day and John isn't about to be as pedantic as all that.

When the hammer practically leaps into Thor's hand John lifts his eyebrows and purses his lips with interest. It was admittedly pretty cool.] I know a little something, yeah.

[John withdraws his lighter from his pocket, holding it flat on its hand as he whispers a directional spell. The lighter lifts his hand and spins on its axis in the air before pointing directly at Thor. Or more specifically, one of Thor's arms. Who was a mere mortal to argue with a magic compass? He snatches the lighter from the air and follows the direction indicated before touching Thor's arm with curious fingertips and quickly backing away.] Mind if I take another crack at that hammer?

[thunders]

[ Thor watches the display of magic and how easily controlled it seems to be in John's hand. Loki would do magic like that, but for him it was always a slight of hand. The trick was never the thing you saw - always the thing you didn't.

The muscle in his arm tenses briefly, but he nods at the question. ] Help yourself.

[ No craft or trickery that he knows of will move Mjolnir, but he doesn't know of all the magic in the realms.

He settles on the bed begins to pull has hair back so that it can be braided, apparently unconcerned. ] You're a wizard, then? Where are you from?

[inconstantly]

Yeah. Wizard. Mage. Sorcerer. All sorts of names for it. Doesn't matter much to me.

[When he speaks it's with a distracted tone, mental energy focused on that damn hammer. John wracks his mind with ideas, flickering through various spells and enchantments in his mind's eye. Nothing seems useful.

Maybe it was time for a more solid, direct approach.

John takes "help yourself" fully literally and climbs onto Thor's bed. It's not exactly the way he'd expected to first share a bed with someone here. He pushes the sleeves further up his arms and pulls again at the handle, grinding his teeth with a drawn out grunt. Still nothing.

Stupid piece of shit.]

So really now, what's the trick? I am not about to use my mouth if it's truly that discerning.

[thunders]

[ Thor watches John climb into his bed with one eyebrow slightly raised. Usually he insists on dinner first. ]

The trick is that there is no trick. Mjolnir moves for a just heart. If ever I am not worthy of it, it won't be moved by my hand either.

[ That is its purpose, after all - to remind him of who he is to be. Still, he's not without sympathy for John's plight. He knows what it is to strain against his hammer while it remains unmoving. ]

My brother was quite skilled with magic as well. If there was a spell that could be cast against Mjolnir, he would have found it. [ Thor shakes his head. There's a very long list of reasons why Molnir would not move for Loki, but John doesn't need to know that. ] Come now, you're going to hurt yourself. Perhaps you could rescue a kitten from a tree and try again later?

[inconstantly]

I'm not typically one for kittens. Or trees.

[And ugh, from the sound of it "worthy" seems like a lot of work and a constant measurement. That didn't sound sound like it was worth the effort for a minor curiosity.]

But perhaps I can try again after the next mission. [a shrug] Might be worth something.

[Without asking for permission John flops down onto a seated position next to on the bed, curling his legs under him and resting his forearms on his knees.]

Is your heart more just than most, then?

[He's not entirely sure if he believes it, but the answer is likely to be revealing.]

[thunders]

[ There's no kind way to say that it might not, so Thor simply shrugs. If John is meant to lift the hammer, he'll be able to lift it, and Thor has no power over that.

He considers the question with care. ]

Perhaps, but I do not think so. There is some other measure at work, or my friends would have lifted it long before now. [ He's thinking of Steve, particularly. ] I mean it when I say that you shouldn't let it trouble you. It doesn't mean that you aren't a good man. Perhaps it is just not a weight you are meant to carry.