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

[garbagepilot]

[She seems to have the bad (or good) luck of seeing random naked manchest, it's fine.

She shakes his hand, though, and decides the best move is to just move on like everything is normal. Her palms are rough and callused, a sign of a fighter, and her staff is slung across her back to give a hint towards how they might have gotten that way, but she smiles at him all the same.]

Son of Odin, huh? [She's never heard anyone introduce themselves like that, so it stands out.] And- to be fair, you were alone. I'm sorry I surprised you.

[thunders]

Aye. Prince of Asgard, and God of Thunder as well, but I don't like to brag. [ Thor grins. He's absolutely bragging - but that's what he's accustomed to, when meeting other warriors, and he generally expects the same in return. She must be a fighter of some skill of COST has taken her on, and that's evident in the way she carries herself. ]

It was not an unpleasant surprise. I only just arrived during the last mission - I'm glad of the company.

[garbagepilot]

[It's impossible not to grin as well at the joke, his sense of humor, and she gets the feeling that he and Poe would get along very well.]

A prince and a god? Will I get a prize when I beat you in a fight?

[He's not the only one that's maybe a little too cocky for their own good, but she doesn't have any fancy titles, any special descriptors. She's just Rey, and that's going to have to be something she starts getting used to.

The mention of their last mission makes her smile dim, though. Every time she comes across someone that arrived halfway through Gallipoli she has to wonder what they know, what they saw, how public the information about members of COST being taken was.

How many people know that she was one of the kidnapped soldiers.

He doesn't seem to, though, so she just pushes right through the doubt and worry of being thought of as the Regency's victim.]

And glad of a shower, I'd guess. That place was disgusting.

[thunders]

[ Thor folds his arms. ] I would like to see you try. [ Come at him bro. It's all in good humor - he's glad to see that his challenge doesn't go unmet, and he's looking forward to the sparring match, when they find a moment for it.

While he's been told of the previous events through rumors and gossip, he knows only the broad strokes of the situation - that some were taken, that some went in to rescue them. It was easy to discern which among them were heroes, by the way the soldiers around them behaved, but away from Gallipoli it's not so obvious.

Though he notices the way her expression dims at the mention of the place, it's not the first conclusion that he draws. Gallipoli had been hard, even for someone like him. ]

I think all among us would agree. The swim was even more refreshing. Do you still wish to make the attempt?

[garbagepilot]

[Oh right, that. She glances back at the water and nods, reaching up to sling her staff off her shoulder.]

I guess there's no point in putting it off.

[She feels a need to get rid of at least her vest and her arm wraps, not wanting to have to take the extra time to let them dry off so she sets off to doing exactly that.]

This isn't something where it's one lesson and you've learned everything you need to know, is it?

[She's guessing it's going to take practice.]

[thunders]

[ She doesn't seem terribly excited about the prospect. Thor considers this - it feels as if he's missing something, but he has no idea what. ]

It isn't complicated. [ He starts back into the water while she prepares. He thinks it unlikely that she'll be in any danger; it's just easier to teach by demonstration. ] Think of it as you would any exercise or technique. It takes time to become proficient - but unlike combat, you need not worry about mastering it.

[garbagepilot]

[She can tell there's a little bit of curiosity about all this, ans she supposes it makes sense. From what she's seen not many people live in places with no natural water, so it's uncommon to be unable to swim. It's hard to be ashamed of a fact she has no control over, so it's easy to just admit it outright.]

I grew up on a planet where there wasn't any water, and my first experience with trying to swim was pretty much just me trying not to drown.

[As she follows him into the water, she gives him a little bit of a wry grin.]

It hasn't gone any better since then.

[thunders]

[ That does explain some of the trepidation. He'll have to ask her about this planet with no water. He stops when the water comes up to about the middle of his chest, and a little bit higher on her. ]

On the bright side, it's not going to get worse. [ Probably, anyway. He's never really taught anyone to swim before, but he has a rough idea of where to begin, if most of her experience has been of the not-drowning variety. ] Have you tried floating before? [ If not, he's going to teach her that first. ]

I almost drowned the first time I tried to swim, too. It's nothing to be ashamed of. We can trade stories.