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

BASE

Mess Hall

[ Once he finally passes out for the night, Thor sleeps like the dead well into the next morning. He'd been hungry enough to eat whatever was put in front of him the day before, but now that he's rested he's feeling a little more discerning about his food choices. Instead of having a fully cooked meal handed to him, he asks the droids to create some more basic ingredients. He knows that they're just the same slabs of black jelly, refashioned to look like food, but the eggs behave like eggs and the thick slices of bacon smell real enough as they sizzle away in the pan. He's not an amazing cook, but living away from Asgard with a lovely, brilliant scientist who couldn't cook anything more complicated than cereal has taught him how to fend for himself. Mostly. At the moment, he's trying to flip the bacon with a fork without getting splattered by hot grease. He's not succeeding. He should have worn a shirt with longer sleeves. ]

How dare you scald the prince of Asgard... [ He's definitely grumbling to the bacon. He's going to intimidate it into behaving.

If anyone wants to give him a hand with the cooking, or even ask him to share his breakfast, he's not going to turn them down.

When the cooking is done, Thor settles for his meal which consists of meat, eggs, more meat, different meat, suspicious meat, and toast - for variety. It's enough food for two, maybe three people, and he looks like he intends to eat all of it himself. If anyone settles nearby, or if he sees a familiar face from the previous mission, he'll happily greet them and strike up a conversation.

Later that day, he can be found in the recreation area. Anyone looking to spar is welcome to join him. ]

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Camping

[ The problem with the hoverbikes is that there never seems to be enough of them around for everyone. Thor could, if he wanted to, fly off on his own using the hammer that hangs from his belt, but it's not the kind of thing he wants to do for several hours at a time. He doesn't have that kind of stamina.

He eyes the person beside him, resigned. ]

Alright, get on - but no backseat driving. [ Do they really want to let Thor drive?

Or maybe they've already gotten to the campsite and done their exploring, and it's time to set up for the night. Thor is an old hand at camping, and he'll help anyone who isn't so accustomed to pitching tents and building fires. Maybe he's even caught something for dinner - he'll have to hope his companion isn't squeamish about watching him gut one of those cute little animals.

While they're sitting around the camp fire, he'll be pressing anyone who keeps his company for stories of valor from their lives before or after joining COST. For his part, he keeps the stories lighthearted, and there's no small amount of obvious embellishing going on. ]

Gorge

[ Eventually, Thor abandons the bike and his traveling companions and uses Mjolnir to get airborne. He's been trying to stave off the restless feeling he's had since coming back from the mission and, while he's been fairly successful until now, it always catches up.

Even without the Recency soldiers nearby, Thor feels... diminished. It bothers him that he can't contact Heimdall and, by extension, Asgard. Though he has chosen this path, it feels not unlike being an outcast. He worries for his home, and for his people. He still dreams of it all burning in Surter's flames.

Eventually, he lands near a water-filled gorge, loud enough to disturb the nearby wildlife into bolting further into the trees. He thinks he's alone, for the moment, though he doesn't spend much time looking around.

He strips of his clothing and leaves it with his hammer on dry land before he wades out into the chilly water to bathe. It's been a long few weeks - maybe a swim will ease his mind. ]

[ Today is another day of exploration on his own, preferring small bursts of wandering the outdoors instead of taking long extended camping trips. He doesn't get a chance to explore terribly far due to all the back and forth he's been doing, but he's not concerned.

A lot of the times, he takes to climbing tall trees for vision. While he didn't always make a habit of scaling trees (or skyscrapers, if he were to make a more modern comparison), he always felt content in higher altitudes. Even with the occasional creepy antler owls hanging about during the night, he rarely encountered anything extremely dangerous up here.

The sound of water catches his attention and he sees a guy just strip and get into the water. Henry can't blame him for enjoying the water, but at the same time, he can't imagine ever getting into strange bodies of water himself. He doesn't recognize the guy but he definitely recognizes the hammer that sits with his clothes. He wants to get a closer look at it... but, hm. What to do...he doesn't want to alarm the guy but he also doesn't want to linger too long up here and feel creepy. So after a moment to think, he drops down from the tree (he's very silent despite the height he drops from) away from Thor's line of sight to try and see if he can get to the hammer without getting caught. ]

[ Thor, for his part, remains obviously immersed in his thoughts. He doesn't hear Henry drop down, and he has his back to the hammer and the clothing piled on the shore. He has no real fear of losing either, so why guard it? ]

[ While Thor is completely unworried about his stuff being stolen, Henry takes a gander at the hammer's design and pretty much confirms it. Yeah, he fought alongside this guy. Talked like he was from an old Shakespearean play, very handsome, etc.

In his curiosity, he tries to lift it. Seems people are just naturally compelled to do this. Of course, he fails to do so, but also like most people, instead of giving up, he continues to put in more wasted effort to lift it.]

[ Thor does finally notice someone out the corner of his eye. He isn't unaccustomed to people trying to lift his hammer when it isn't near, and while the idea doesn't trouble him, it is a little rude. They could ask. He waits until the man's hands are wrapped around the grip, preparing for another heave, and then he calls Mjolnir to him.

The hammer jerks instantly, pulling toward him. If Henry doesn't react quickly enough, it will simply drag him into the water with it as it makes a straight shot for Thor's hand. ]

[ The idea was to look at it very briefly, then leave, without Thor noticing so the guy could just go on and enjoy his naked swim. But he doesn't have time to think when he's suddenly surging forward into the water by the hand. The thought to let go didn't occur to him (more like, he didn't have time for the thought to occur) so into the water he goes.

Graceful. Like a dog tripping on its own feet.

With a sputter, he spits the pond water out and shakes his head. He is thoroughly soaked now from head to toe but the water is still shallow enough that he doesn't need to tread water. With a shaky laughter, he waves awkwardly. ]

Uh, hey.

[ Thor, of course, turns to watch the spectacle. Henry doesn't disappoint. By the time Thor has stopped laughing, he only barely hears the greeting. He tosses Mjolnir in his hand and grins. ] When I said we should have drinks, this isn't what I meant.

[ He wades over to where Henry is and offers him a hand up. The water is shallow enough that it hides nothing, but Thor isn't particularly concerned about his state of undress. It's nothing Henry hasn't seen before, he's certain. ] Forgive me, my friend. You made it too easy.

[ His dignity and entire self dampened, he tries to laugh it off even as he's helped up onto his feet. Still, he does feel pretty embarrassed about being dragged into the water by a weird flying magical hammer. Thor's nakedness isn't a shock to him even at this proximity since he's already aware of this fact. They're all adults here...even if does try not to stare. ]

It's quite alright, I suppose I deserved that. Guess my curiosity got the best of me.

[ He starts heading to shore, stripping his shirt off to squeeze the water out of it. Better dry these clothes out before trying to move on (or back to BASE, even). ]

I don't think I would've touched it if I knew it could do that.

Thor, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard, God of Thunder, Only Odinkid Who Isn't a Goth | MCU

gorge

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this dumbass

i love him

♥

MESS HALL

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camping

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gorge

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