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

[decisions]

[ she's a terrible person, but she's all the right kinds of terrible that percy finds himself taking such a private enjoyment in (loving seems like such a strong word, he's almost afraid of it.) she's not wrong. the war has left them bruised in all kinds of places, and the realization that he's alive somehow, in vex's eyes... somewhere in a future that's theirs... well it's a relief but a shock as well. ]

We all deserve this moment. A war like that - I'm glad we managed it all. As if I had doubts.

[ for a half of a breath he had at one point, perhaps, but when he'd seen vex on the field, there'd been a whole new sensation of self-preservation swelling up in him, and not just that, but the desire to carry her along that as well. they'd survive, they'd overcome it, just as they'd overcome everything else.

even death now, apparently.

even anna ripley, even orthax.

he chuckles as she lowers herself back into the water, and despite all of his clothes, makes himself comfortable in the surprise bath. off goes the jacket at the very least. his own expression remains gentled, withdrawn a little save half a smile reserved just for her. ]

Did I miss anything?

[ a little more sullen now. ]

Was I gone long?

[faenthras]

We're pretty good at managing terrible situations.

[ Isn't that what the last six or so months of their lives been? One big terrible situation. They managed it, often by the skin of their teeth. It's a habit, she thinks, that they fell into a long time ago, a habit that will likely never go away. Vox Machina are survivors if nothing else, assholes determine to survive as long as they can, gods and fates be damned.

Vex sinks a little lower into the water, watching as he removes the jacket, water sticking the shirt underneath to his chest. A view she appreciates, lips curving into a familiar smile.

Did I miss anything?

It falters at the question, eyes widening as the question sinks into her mind.

Was I gone long?

Vex breathes in, dropping her gaze to the surface of the water. It was only a matter of time, wasn't it? After their conversation on the boats she knew he would ask, seek out more than what she gave him. It's only fair, of course, that she tells him all she knows. ]

About a day. [ Her gaze goes back to him. ] We needed rest, after the battle we were all exhausted and... [ Emotional. ] We made a blanket fort in the mansion with you, which is a little morbid saying it out loud. But Keyleth made little fireflies so it was a kinda cute.

[ Not that many of them noticed it, wrapped up in their own misery. ]

We took you home that morning and immediately went to Pike.

[decisions]

[ and you thought you were getting a sexy bath log. that's really cute.

percy knows it's a disappointing question, one that's hardly befitting of the laughter they'd indulged in briefly moments before, but percy's not one to let questions burn through him. he needs to know everything, good and bad, and he needs to know it now before he finds something unsavory out in the midst of a crisis. he does move closer to her, pressing in shoulder to shoulder, quiet.

it shouldn't surprise him that they had their strange methods of... grieving and getting rest simultaneously. the bit about keyleth has him chuckling just a little, hand coming up out of the water to cup a bit of it in his palms before letting go of it all. ]

You took me home...

[ he tilts his head, doesn't quite meet her gaze, brows drawn a little. ]

To Whitestone?

[ an afterthought: his sister. ]

[faenthras]

[ There is a comfort to Percy being closer, the light pressure of his shoulder pressed up against hers. She leans into it, indulges in the feeling of him there, the warmth that seeps through. ]

Of course, Pike was there and if there was any chance we could have brought you back we had to take it. We had to take you home.

[ It's what he wanted after all, even if his letter said he would have been content with being left in a ditch. They... Vex couldn't let that happen, no matter what. She couldn't leave him like that if there was still a chance. ]

Cassandra, she didn't arrive until after the ritual. We didn't tell her any of the particulars but I think she managed to understand what had happened. We were all a mess.

[ She glances over at him, dragging fingers across the surface of the water. ]

She called you useless, told you to eat, and slapped you a little.

[decisions]

Cass...

[ the word is soft leaving his mouth, like he might finish the name, but out of affection doesn't. there's something regretful behind his eyes. the idea that he might have left her behind perhaps... hurts more than he'd intended to truly live with. in death, he's sure he would have regretted it just as much. more pain along the rest of the coasting ache inside of him, like a clawed hand around his heart.

he watches her fingers glance the water and reaches over with his hand hesitantly, his own fingers hovering just barely before reaching in to scoop her own up into his palm. he doesn't meet her eyes, feels as though he can't for half a moment with his glasses fogging slightly in the warmth of the tub.

a sigh. soft. he left them. he left vex and he left vox machina and he left cass and they.

they brought him back. ]

Certainly wasn't wrong. Very useless.

[ he hesitates, bringing vex's hand up slowly to rest a moment against his temple, thumb glancing her knuckles. down to his cheek. ]

I'm sorry.

[ it takes a beat, truly, to acknowledge all of this. he died, and lived, and what else is there to do now because he could die again at any moment. they could. either of them. though he'd be loathe to let a thing happen to her ever again. not after his own foolishness. ]

Thank you.

[ a kiss, lingering, to her knuckles. ] I thank you.

[faenthras]

[ The moment ways heavy, his hand taking hold of her own and bringing it up, hesitant, to rest against his face. She watches, breath held, searching his expression for what she can already see, the regret, the thoughts that churn through his head. Vex breathes out, shaky, shifting closer. ]

Only sometimes.

[ Her voice becomes soft, almost uncertain, yet warm affection clings desperately to it. A tone she only ever reserved for Percy, the sound of her heart laid bare for him to hear.

It's yours.

A hand reaches, resting upon the side of Percy's face damp with water. Gently she urges it towards him, guides his gaze to hers, fingers light upon his cheek. That look, she can all but see the gears turning in his head. ]

Percy. You don't have to apologize, there is nothing to apologize for. [ He came back to them, it's all that matters. ] You have already been forgiven.

[ Water shifts as she moves, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. ]

Thank you for coming back to me.