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

[prizeneck]

[His lip twitches at her grimace, more the way she hitches her breath as she takes the bite and the dismayed sigh that comes next. He can understand that eating bland or food that tastes off can be really disconcerting. Hell, for someone with one sense less than most, that an important one such as taste is neglected feels kind of off-putting.

But he's ordered enough things since he arrived - the man has a big appetite - to have noticed a couple of patterns.] Think the more complicated your order, the worse it gets. I have to try asking for separate ingredients. That may work better if you're willing to cook.

[desynched]

[ Lena had been dearly hoping for a taste of home, especially after Gallipoli, so her disappointment runs a little deeper than having to eat bad food. But she perks up at Mamoru's suggestion. ]

I think I can manage that. [ She giggles. ] We could all even work together a potluck. Share our tastes. Take a little pity on people who can't cook.

[prizeneck]

[Her enthusiasm is almost contagious and honestly refreshing, Mamoru finds as he finishes up his noodles. He's still hungry. He's been training over and over and he feels like he could eat a horse, hooves and everything.]

Ya gotta try and get everyone to be awake at the same time, then. [He raises from his seat, picking up his plate and resting the chopsticks on a folded napkin. He already knows how to walk from his seat to a machine without needing his cane, but he still needs to run the back of his hand over the counter to figure out where the machines are and back on the table to find his things.

He places a bowl of rice and scrambled eggs and before he starts eating, points his chopsticks at her.] But that's not a bad idea.

[desynched]

[ Lena watches him make his way across the room and back. Blind or hard-of-seeing. A part of her is ready to help, should he need it, but she refrains from doing anything else. He seems experienced with this, and she doesn't want to patronize him.

She grins when he actually encourages her. ] I can't believe nobody's thought of it before. When I was in Overwatch, we'd bring snacks from our home countries and try 'em out. [ Mischievously: ] Sometimes we'd go outta our way to bring some of the stranger snacks.

[prizeneck]

[He does move rather well for someone who's completely blind, even having left his super speshul shades back in his room. It's been a couple of years, after all, muscle memory helping - and developing each time he goes to the kitchen to eat, which is... quite a lot.

He chews thoughtfully while listening to her. The rice seems slightly off, but he's too hungry to really care at the moment. He had been going at a long bout of training before this.

He stops, giving her a curious look.] What's "Overwatch"?

[desynched]

[ Lena's still getting used to people not knowing about Overwatch. Or her, really. ]

It was a global peacekeeping taskforce. The best of the best from all over the world were brought together to do everything from resolving hostage situations to discovering entirely new branches of science.

So I got to know a lotta different people from all over.

[ She sounds wistful. ]

[prizeneck]

[He takes another bit of rice - and it's a good thing that he can't see that it's black rice or he'd find it even staler than it already tastes - listening intently at her explanation.

It sounds familiar, kind of. Like the network he worked for.]

What 'appened to it?

[desynched]

[ Lena doesn't answer right away. Even years later, it still hurts. ]

Disbanded. It had gotten unpopular and after we lost our commander...

[ She sighs. ] Nothing to prevent the UN disbanding us.

[prizeneck]

[He frowns at that, even when the short silence seems to speak volumes. She does seem the kind of person who invests herself into many of the things she does, but it's when the enthusiasm dies down in those short breaks that you can tell just what really matters to her.

He rests his chopsticks against the bowl.] Why did the UN disband you? Were you a branch of some sort?

[desynched]

[ It's strange to have to explain Overwatch to someone. Reuniting with Jack and the others has rekindled some of her heartache.

They really had been a good team. Nobody deserved what happened. ]

Not quite. We were a paramilitary organization overseen by the UN. Overwatch didn't need approval for everything, but the UN could punish us if we crossed a line.

[ With a sad smile: ] My very first mission was an unsanctioned mission. Commander Morrison must've gotten into a lot of trouble for it, but...

[ She hopes he didn't regret it, despite the consequences. ]

[prizeneck]

Ya did what you had to do. [Mamoru leans back, a little further away from his bowl.] Sometimes politics and action don't mix.

[Not that he is... a perfect example of what you'd consider a diplomat. In fact, it's the total opposite, standing at the other side of the spectrum, or out of it completely. That Mamoru had been called anachronistic several times without even mentioning his penchant for the art of the sword kind of set himself apart from who usually made the calls.

Then again he was an instrument, not a judge, and he's aware of that.]

I was part of a similar group. We were independent, though, responded to a guy who oversaw the whole network but not much else. [He tilts his head, bringing his elbows a little closer to each other on the table to sit up a little straighter.] I had to work behind the scenes a lot, enough to know that sometimes it's just necessary.

What kinda mission was it?

[desynched]

[ Lena sighs and nods. ]

I think some of it was pride. Countries didn't want to ask for help; maybe they thought it made them look weak.

We had another group within Overwatch kind of like that. A little more structured but still covert ops.

[ That sounds like a sore subject too. ]

Omnics-- robots, more or less-- took over London. Hundreds died, thousands were displaced. Overwatch offered to help, but the PM refused it. But they weren't equipped to handle it, so people kept dying and buildings kept burning.

Finally, we stepped in. They didn't want us, but they needed us. Too many people were dying-- we couldn't just sit by anymore.

[prizeneck]

[That's... a lot of information all in one go, and he frowns as he takes it all in, using the chopsticks in his hand and bringing more food to his mouth. Buying time to think. The lilt of bitterness on a department that ran black ops thrums interesting in his mind, perhaps from being part of such a group, but it's something he files for later.

Robots taking over, though. That sounds kind of weird, but he has seen Igawa talking about companies - one of them was in Boston? Or maybe had Boston in its name? - that were getting too close to comfort to things they both had heard in science fiction. He can almost hear him in his mind 'Skynet, man. That shit is real and I don't want to be part of it.'

He gulps down the food in his mouth after a few thoughtful chews.]

What happened after you intervened?