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

[lonelywar]

[He's well-aware of Mordred's situation; by this point he feels honor-bound to sacrifice some small amount of whatever food he had so she could manage to hold onto her presence here. He knows this was true for the other spirits that fought by their side; he thinks only that he will try to help when he can and otherwise hope things are manageable for them otherwise.

Ashitaka's smile deepens a bit at his reply.]

I had thought so. It is good to hear. I had not expected Yakul to be able to outpace these machines that COST supplied us with, but it seems he can do so easily enough.

[The elk seems to have noticed his name being said and flicks an ear, his eyes opening for a moment before sinking back into a doze.

There is less he can find to say in response to what Chiron says next. He's right, after all, and it's something that Ashitaka reflects upon in a moment of silence, looking first at the dying fire and then out over the expanse of wilderness. The light remains as it always has been, in an odd sort of twilight, broken by the strobing lights of flickering bioluminescent creatures.]

This place having neither day nor night is something we have found difficult getting used to. [The fact that Yakul was snatching sleep whenever he could was a testament to this.] How long have you been traveling before coming across us?

[As in: how tired were you, Chiron, because Ashitaka's about ready to sleep for a while... or, wait, do the spirits even need sleep -]

[horsepowered]

I will admit, myself and 76 did test out the theory. [Chiron smiles, a little embarrassed. It had been an immature whim, but truly, it had also been an absolute blast. Even if 76 almost went over a surprise cliff neither of them were aware of.] Unless Yakul also feels like racing, in which case we'll do that later on.

[As to the question of traveling (and the walking around the advice given, Chiron does notice that much), there's a soft, considering hum before he replies. It's an airy lightness, one that suggests that truly right now, time is of no importance at all.]

A few days, I suppose. But I am helped along by the fact that technically, I don't require sleep. With that said, I don't oppose sitting watch if you need a few more hours off your own feet.

[lonelywar]

[Ashitaka actually does chuckle a bit, just imagining the mental image of the two of them doing something like that. Chiron need not feel embarrassed, though; the laugh is entirely good-natured. In all honesty, it was nice that they were able to even have moments like that. After what they just went through, a period of decompression like this one was vital.]

Perhaps. He is not particularly used to such a thing, but maybe he is competitive and simply does not know it.

[He doesn't really think that's true, but it would be funny.

Well, this answers his question. He nods, an expression of appreciation resting on his face.]

Yes... We have been traveling for quite some time. Give us only a few hours, and then we can continue onward.

[horsepowered]

I shan't push either of you into it.

[Besides, Chiron would rather make a friend of the fuzzy newcomer, not invite competition. At least the image of the race is enough to get a laugh - it had felt much the same way at the time, right up to crashing.]

Do what you need to do, and I'll keep watch.

[lonelywar]

[Ashitaka gives him a tired smile.] Regardless, anything is worth trying.

[He had already had an impromptu race with the bikes, so testing his speed against another quadruped certainly wouldn't negatively impact him too much. Yakul was a gentle soul, in the end.]

Thank you. [Ashitaka nods as he pulls a blanket over himself, head resting against Yakul's flank as a make-shift pillow.] We will... rest for only a few hours.

[And it takes him maybe less than a minute to fall asleep after that, lulled by the sounds of the crackling fire and the distant rushing of water.]

[horsepowered]

You're welcome. Rest well.

[Chiron's happy to slip into silence as Ashitaka and Yakul rest. It is a pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by, the soundtrack even finer.

Would that this could be the only other place COST ever needed to go.]