agogelogs | THE AMAZING BASE.

Entry tags:

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I. Arrival

[To say Jeyne was out of her element was an understatement. For all the time she had spent during training, seeing the stark differences between this world and her own, it still left her dazed and uncertain when she looked around and saw technology that surpassed anything she had known before. The driods especially made her nervous, but she followed them and took her meal.

It was the showers that threw her for a loop. Communal. The word was unfamiliar, but the meaning was clear. Men and women were expected to share. For however much she might be able to accept everything else, this made her cringe.]

Aren't there any other options?

II. Capsule 14

[Communal showers were one thing, but actually sharing a room with a man that wasn't her husband was another. She hadn't expected very much on arriving at the capsule, but seeing a sleeping form at the table jarred her. It took a few minutes for her to understand what the state of her living arrangement would be, then everything clicked into place.

She stumbled back towards the door, wrapping her arms around her waist.]

What are you doing here?

III. Exploring

[While she wasn't a nurse in the army anymore, it didn't dissuade her from ignoring the things she learned or the continuation of her training. There were a number of different plants in the area, all of them foreign to her and full of uses that they might need in the future.

It had been her luck to discover one breed of plant, a fruit tree with flowers that could ease pain and fevers. It was also small enough that she didn't have to struggle to collect the flowers. The berries were more trouble than they were worth, as she tried to tell anyone that wanted to eat them while she was around.]

Careful, it will make you see things.

IV. Network

FROM: @GOTTAGUN
TO: @ALL

Would anyone be willing to teach me hand to hand? I'm not a fast learner, but I will work very hard. It's something I want to practice until our next mission comes in.

Hand to hand huh
any type in specific

There is more than one type of hand to hand?

[Ah, that kind of hand to hand]

several kinds
but there's a basis to all of them

What's easier for someone to learn that's never really fought before...and isn't very athletic?

there's a lot you can learn even if you're not athletic
reading body language
figure out what the other person is going to do and use it to your advantage
using your surroundings to work in your favor
that's where i'd start

That's a lot to learn.
Would you be willing to teach me? It sounds as if you have experience in this?
I don't have very much, but I could repay you somehow?

it becomes second nature once you get it
don't think you can repay me anyway
but yeah ill do it

When can we meet and get started?
I'm a bit hopeless, so this might take a lot of practice.
I will try my best though, if that helps anything?

i'm always around the gym you can meet me there
you can start by stopping saying that
hopeless and not athletic i mean
it all starts with conviction

Are you there early in the morning? I'm a bit used to early hours now, after that mission.

Have you taught anyone before?

I will try.

it will be fine
i will put my location public if you wanna check

yeah i

["you were what, Mamoru?" he actually frowns at the possible nomenclature. "took care of" was too much, "guarded" was too simplistic, "was partners with" is weird.

best to settle with Occam's razor]

i taught a girl who knew nothing about defending herself before

and you will. not try.

[ Face down on the table, Eren was barely even there. His mop of hair laid messily strewn to one side, bandages still wrapping it close to his head in some places, but for the most part he looked practically dead - only his shallow breathing and low groaning signaled any sign of life whatsoever.

Upon hearing the presence of another, his grip tightens on a bottle of liquor that sat firmly in the middle of the table itself. ]

I live here. [ His head turns to the side to reveal a red-marked forehead and a plain face that wore a glum-looking expression on it. ] This is my home now.

[Her first thought was that he was dead. Had it not been for the groaning, she would have assumed that he succumbed to whatever injuries he had. The bandages were enough of an indicator to show the return home had been difficult for him, if that was where he got the wounds.

She shook her head fiercely, glaring at the door behind her, as though the droids were to blame for this.]

This is supposed to be where I live.

Did your parents never teach you to share?

[ His voice had as much gravel to it as a dump truck, and the tired tone of it didn't help much either. Though he must come off as a little fussed, he's mostly joking. Mostly. He doesn't have it in him to be properly concerned about what others think of him at the moment. ]

Each of these capsules - ahem - they fit two.

[ He accentuates that last bit, so she either takes the hint or misses it completely. ]

My parents taught me to never share a room with a man that wasn't my husband.

[She backed as far as she could against the wall, her face lowered as she struggled between embarrassment and frustration. It was hard to tell whether he was joking or not, but the situation wasn't as humorous to her as it would be to others.]

They...they expect men and women to share?

[She isn't dense, but this simple fact stalls her mind. For everything else she had grown used to or learn to accept, her mind didn't seem willing to move past this simple fact.]

Oh, so you're one of those kinds of prudes.

[ Drunkenly - a word that very well describes him at present - he pulls his torso up, dragging his face against the tabletop for a few seconds before lurching back and leaning lazily against the back of the seat he was on. His face is red, both from lying down and being inebriated - and before he can get another word out, he feels out of breath. It's only after raising one hand up as if to tell her "hold on" that he composes himself properly and - ]

It's really not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be.

[ He is completely without tact. ]

Prude?

[She tries to sputter out a better retort, but her mind stalls as he gets to his feet. He's clearly drunk and that only makes the situation more frightening and aggravating. She was placed in this capsule, not only with a man, but a drunk one at that. If it was some kind of cruel joke, she didn't see the humor in it.

She crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her back against the wall.]

I'm sure it isn't wherever you're from, but it is in my world.

[But she wasn't there now. She was here and had to get used to these rules. Yet somehow, this was what she balked against the most.]

[ Her reaction's amusing, but he doesn't let that show on his face. He continues to be sardonic and has zero intention of relenting. There's a moment of silence after she's done speaking where he quirks a brow, before realizing she's insulting his home world. Well, he couldn't quite blame her for that one. ]

Why so straight-laced? Were you married before all this? Is it bad form to live in a house with a man that you've never seen before?

[ He's...being really insensitive at the moment. ]

I am married.

[There's a pained expression in her eyes, not wanting to venture further into the subject of Robb or the hurt that radiated through her whenever he came to mind. There was still no word of him and he'd been missing since Gallipoli. Being put in a room with another man threatened the small hope that she still clung to.]

And my husband was here...is here somewhere.

[ ...Oh. He'd struck a wrong note with that one. The guilt pangs his heart almost immediately after, and he settles back into his seat, any semblance of his former overbearing attitude all but gone. He puts a hand up. ]

I'm sure he's doing fine wherever he is. If he was a part of COST, that is. [ Eren brings his hands together on the table, looking perplexed. ] Like I said, don't think much of this. It's just temporary. And I have no intention of taking any husband's place.

[ Was that a joke? It was a bad one. ]

[She can see the guilt on his face and it's enough to loosen the anger that had been building in her chest. It wasn't his fault this happened, but he had been the only one here. Between this and everything else, there was only so much she could take before toeing her limit.]

I know.

[She didn't know if Robb was all right or if he'd been returned home only to die. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on or discuss now. Instead, she took the offer of comfort that it was intended as.]

We have separate quarters on either ends of the capsule? [Maybe that wouldn't be so terrible? At least there wouldn't be an emptiness.] I'm Jeyne. I'm sorry for yelling at you.

Indeed we do. Let's keep them separate. [ His mind was finally starting to clear up. ] I'm Kruger. Don't worry about it.

[ He clears his throat. ]

I'd say the old, 'nice to meet you,' but that wouldn't be in line with what just happened...so I'll just say that I hope for better in the future.

[ That was a sorry attempt at a joke, if she couldn't tell. ]

Yes, let's.

[No offense meant to him, but she'd be positioning some of the furniture in front of the door for the first few nights, if only to ease her mind.]

You didn't know and I'm still have trouble adjusting to all of...this.

[She waved her hand around the room.]

I keep trying to remember that things are different here, but something always catches me by surprise.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

THE AMAZING BASE.

Jeyne Westerling | ASOIAF

@SWORDARTONLINE

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