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

[trample]

[ Kruger here was busy having the time of his life in Gallipoli, thank you very much. ]

Fortunate indeed. [ To ride what could be considered game in his own world - what a feat! Eren's astonished as he can be, which is to say his brow is very slightly raised, but little else besides that shows his surprise. ] I would think your loyalty to him must have been what drew him back. He certainly seems...

[ Drawing his head back in response to the sudden inspection of his body by the elk, Eren finds himself - for once - self-conscious. Had he showered this morning? He'd advised Ashitaka to do so daily, and knowing the boy's fondness for duty, he doubted not for a second that Ashitaka was clean as a whistle, but as for himself...well, no matter. Once they were interred in the depths of the forest, body odor would be the last of their problems. ]

I'll be taking one of the bicycles they've provided. [ The ones that hover, he means. In his time, they still had wheels. Now that they don't, he's not sure what to call them. So, even if he knows he's wrong, he's still going to call them bicycles. And after nodding in recognition of that, he takes a seat on the hoverbicycle machine he's readied. ] You can lead the way. These vehicles aren't the fastest.

[lonelywar]

[He's happy you had such a great time, Kruger.

It's likely, though. If COST had merely wanted to supply him with a steed, they could have been far more general. Horses would blend in to plenty more places and times. There were also those machines that people could use to get from place to place, but... Ashitaka finds himself very grateful he wouldn't have to try to pilot one (it would most likely end very poorly). No, they gave Yakul back to him because he was a companion more than a steed, an intelligent creature that he had known for enough years to gain enough understanding between them that he was far more useful than any warhorse or hovercraft.

Regardless of whether or not Kruger had showered lately, Yakul doesn't seem bothered. He's an animal, after all. He does seem a little curious of him, his inspection lasting a little longer than it might typically. Ashitaka knows that Kruger has own curse, something that changes something intrinsic about him. Perhaps Yakul sensed the barest portion of that, but couldn't make out what it was.

The elk retreats after a moment, though, giving a final huff of acceptance. It seems Kruger had passed the test.]

Is that what they are? [The young man gives the vehicles a wary eye. Seems like it's the blind leading the blind here.

He's a little surprised to learn that they aren't very fast. He hadn't thought that Yakul would outpace these vehicles, but... if Kruger says so. He gives a stern nod.] I will do so. I will try to find the clearest path.

[He gives Yakul a pat on the neck and then a gentle prod with his heels, and then the two of them are off and away, blazing the path for Kruger and his hovering bicycle.]

[trample]

[ And away they go.

It's a breath of fresh air - literally - to be in the midst of something so green. With the lush plants taking up space in every direction, it was no wonder they assigned hover bikes as a rule - anything else would just be too inefficient.

Walking, it would seem, without a trail to follow is quite difficult. Contrary to earlier expectations, it's the lad and his elk that begin to slow, while Eren - who can easily disregard the terrain - catches up not long after they make their way in. Is this god modding

Once they come to a head, it's Eren who, coming from behind, speaks up. ]

How far in do you want to go? Now's a good a time as any for surveying.

[ That was, after all, their mission here. ]

[lonelywar]

[There is a feeling that accompanies starting a journey. It is usually unique to the journey itself. When Ashitaka left to journey west, searching for a way to cure himself of his curse, it had been a heavy sort of feeling that settled across his shoulders like a heavy drape, weighing on his chest like the claws of the demon's curse slowly sinking deeper and deeper in. This is almost entirely opposite. He feels liberated, leaving behind all of the things that had plagued him from the end of the last mission. They were not gone by any means, but he could put them aside for the time being, focusing on this far more exciting possibility of a wide open world ready to be discovered rather than continuing to plumb the depths of his concerns for their overall mission.

The overall climate here is different from what he was used to, the types of plants and animals already stark in contrast as they set out just a short ways. Ashitaka could push Yakul to be faster than the pace he has set him on, but he's being cautious for now, unsure of what unique qualities the landscape this place might have. The animal also doesn't have endless stamina, and he knows it's best to go slow and steady.

He glances over his shoulder as Kruger calls out, tugging gently at the reins to slow Yakul. It's been a decent while since they set out. He's right: now's as good a time as any.]

We stop here, then. [He continues to guide Yakul to a halt.] We know little of this place. We should see what the area is like close to BASE, so we have means of comparing it to different locations.

[trample]

[ Eren nods in agreement, and hops off his bike with ease that would have surprised anyone who had known him when he went without a leg. As he pulls his bag from off the back end of his vehicle, he turns his head around to ask Ashitaka a question. ]

How much do you have prepared? [ Eren slings his luggage over his shoulder. ] I'm only carrying what they issued us.

[lonelywar]

[Ashitaka swings down from Yakul's back, giving the elk another fond pat as he did so. He's looking around in one of the satchels he's tied to his saddle when Kruger addresses him with the question. He looks over to him quizzically.]

Apart from what we were given, I brought food, my weapons, and this equipment for Yakul. [The reins and saddle and bags, apparently.

He has a hard time believing that from Kruger, though.]

It seems to me as though you are carrying a great deal more than that.

[Just what are you up to...]

[trample]

[ Absolutely...nothing... :^) ]

You would be mistaken. [ He pulls his gear closer. ] The size of the bag is playing tricks on your eyes.

[ Considering Ashitaka's words for a moment, he brings his gaze to the horizon, which is blocked by swathes of green shrubbery. ]

Weapons, a saddle, and... [ He nods. ] Food for yourself, I suppose? I ask only so that I can know whether or not I need to forage for tonight's meal.

[ Or go without it entirely. ]

[lonelywar]

[Unsure...

It's about the kind of expression Ashitaka gives Kruger at his insistence. He's quite wary of having some trick played upon him at this point — it's certainly within the wheelhouse of what the other young man would do — but he's not entirely certain what yet. He decides to simply wait it out.]

As you say.

[He glances between his companion and what he had brought, his brows knitting together. Had Kruger decided to leave with such a large pack without packing supplies? They didn't even know if anything here was edible.]

For myself, yes. And perhaps for Yakul, if the grasses were not suited for him. Did you not bring food?

[trample]

[ Eren shrugs. ]

Nothing at all. [ Cue resigned sigh. ] It can't be helped. Foraging it is.

[ Unfortunate as it was, he wouldn't want to rely on another for food in the first place - if things were different, he'd likely still search for something of his own. Self-reliance - independence - was his priority here. ]

You just do your thing. I'll keep an eye out for something worth eating while we set up camp.

[lonelywar]

[Ashitaka gives the other man a flat stare. Seriously? He's still anticipating some kind of trick or joke, as he never really got the vibe from Kruger that he would be this dense about survival situations.]

Be cautious. [He's giving Kruger a sharp look as he sifts through saddlebags to find the equipment they'd been given for camping.] There is no assurance anything here is properly edible for us.

[Sure, the BCE could scan it, he guesses. Perhaps they will be fortunate.

Over the next span of time, as Kruger is searching for what might stand to be dinner, Ashitaka struggles with the collapsible tent. He hadn't anticipated it to be so arduous, but attempting to get it fastened to a nearby tree proves to be far worse than he thought. If Kruger checks in on him in the next foreseeable period of time, he will still be struggling with it.

Making camp is never supposed to be as difficult as this... these gadgets only make things more difficult.]