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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
WHO? Everybody! Including fourth wall visitors.
WHAT? Time to kiss the spiders goodbye and strike out for greener pastures.
WHEN? 10 XI, Year 6 of Sanaliel's reign (as of arrival in Lemuria).
ANYTHING ELSE? Please warn for anything besides physical violence and move to a personal journal if it's beyond PG-13.
WHAT? Time to kiss the spiders goodbye and strike out for greener pastures.
WHEN? 10 XI, Year 6 of Sanaliel's reign (as of arrival in Lemuria).
ANYTHING ELSE? Please warn for anything besides physical violence and move to a personal journal if it's beyond PG-13.
this is a public service announcement;
with guitar
ESCAPE TACTICS
READ THE JHASHCH INFOPAGE.
The departure from Jhashch has none of the ceremony of arrival. A few hours after the last of the mission teams report in, a bulletin goes out. It's the only forewarning for the time-step.
@SCOUT | @ALLIt's hurried and without embellishment, and for good reason. While the teams have deterred and distracted the Regency and burned House Shaiy's residence, it hasn't stemmed the chaos. If anything, it encourages it.
emergency time-step approved
expect it within the hour
you won't be returning to base; we'll port in supplies after arrival
if you have your standard cost clothing, change into it now
cover your face and hide the cost patch
Princess Chch still lives, but Queen Thsh is viewed as the Aranean ideal of a tyrant, confidence only bolstered by surviving the Regency's assassination attempts. COST has her blessing — and that of the Twin Generals and Prince Shch. Aranean soldiers throw themselves into brutal confrontation at their generals' behest, dragging Ythaway further into bloodshed; the male Araneans decline direct involvement, but they're skilled saboteurs. And the public watches; while the media teams couldn't completely convince them of the cause and House Oujh still maintains its influence, they spare the Regency no love.
This is the fate of the weak.
Young has already sent Serket ahead with the mines' valuable deposits of Ymir. And, with the queen's position assured amidst all the gore, COST wants to evacuate as quickly as possible.
» THE TIME-STEP
The transfer begins like a vibrating heat on the collar bone, just a hum of sensation.
But the vibration spreads. Veteran recruits 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.
WELCOME, GHOSTS
A siren blares in the distance, accompanied by unintelligible shouting and the low rumble of engines. The air is chill, no matter where you arrive; the ground beneath your feet is like ice if the soles of your shoes have worn too thin. Closer, there's the crackle of an air quality alert and the creak of swaying metal. A nearby terminal declares the date to be 10 XI, 6 SNL.
The time-step has scattered the cell throughout the districts of Lemuria.
@SCOUT | @ALLAlmost immediately, a second bulletin pops up.
now that i have more time
if you weren't briefed by your commander already, this is an emergency time-step, possible through the efforts on jhashch
for those of you with my cell, the sergeant and i won't be present, at least not physically; we can't be
you can contact us, but the regency carefully monitors this time stream so excessive communication through time and space could be dangerous
you can ask the scouts available for more information
@ASHOLE @STARBOY the two of you are the most accessible
@STARBOY | @ALLThe files are succinct, establishing COST's mission and role as opposed to that of the Regency. The beginner's guide even addresses the side effects of BCE glitches and wiped memories, for newbies who don't remember joining COST. These scouts want you up to speed as quickly as possible, because fucking up could have dire consequences. And they also really don't want to explain it to you; this shit is not in their purview.
are you shitting me
[And that's it, until five minutes later:]
lets get this out of the way
read the 1st attachment
its not done but dwi
if youre new read that and the 2nd attachment
and if youre looking for us for some bullshit reason
x marks the spot on the 3rd attachment
we got clothes and weapons since no one sent you in w shit
(lmao ofc)
[ATTACHMENT: lemuria.html, beginnersguidetodumbfuckery.html, map.png]
The map indicates a cellar in one of the low districts, identified as the Skhan District. If you're missing an outfit of your own, the scouts have several bins of secondhand clothing and more than their fair share of weaponry. It's a mismatched collection and far from the height of fashion (unless scavenger chic is in), but be careful: while most of the patches have been torn off, some clothes still bear the insignia of COST. You'll want to get rid of that.
POST-APOCALYPTIC WEAR IS IN THIS SEASON
Blasters load six to fifteen rounds, depending on model; none are larger than a shotgun. And, because of the dangers of porting in and out of Lemuria, the bolthole has its own revivicator installed. Which means if you die in Lemuria, you revive in Lemuria. It isn't as refined as BASE's rundown tech; chances are, when you wake up, you'll feel echoes of whatever killed you.
READ THE LEMURIA INFOPAGE.
» NEW RECRUITS.
New arrivals, here by virtue of the fourth wall, can arrive in one of two ways.
The first is as a fresh recruit, in COST-issued athletic underwear and holding whatever item you chose to bring. Hopefully your clothes and circumstances don't embarrass you too much, because you're stuck with them until you can rendezvous with a scout or steal your own.
The second way for fourth wall characters to arrive is as a seasoned member of another COST cell. Their assumed missions can be to your tastes, as fantastical or historical as you like. Need ideas? Feel free to read back through the game's logs and infopages for inspiration.
HIDE YOUR SHIT
Welcome to COST's little bolthole in Lemuria. It's a cramped space, a basement's basement in an abandoned factory overrun by squatters. The community doesn't make much notice of anyone moving through as a rule, so it's easy to weave by the masses huddled together in rags and find the long, dingy staircase, leading down, down, down to a padlocked door.
The padlock will twist and open as soon as you tap the corresponding app on your BCE. It automatically loaded when you got to Lemuria and reads FUCKINGPADLOCK.IO.
And then there's the bolthole. Dug into the ground, it's not unlike being in a submarine; it's certainly cramped enough. It could hold maybe four people, very uncomfortably.
It has a selection of security cameras and terminals on one end and the rest of the walls are decked with cabinets and drawers, all locked by various means. Some are traditional and some ask for eye scans or fingerprints or "identity samples", whatever that means.
There is a not insignificant number of empty takeout containers in one corner.
And, thanks to the staircase, you can at least hear whenever someone's coming.
GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER
You can't hide in the bolthole forever — the scouts, for one, will kick you out — and Lemuria is a restless city. Many of the low districts are overflowing, too many people packed in too small spaces. And everywhere is an air of discontent, evident from disgruntled muttering.
It's often hard to tell what's news and what's rumor, even surrounded by terminals with easy access to the Lemurian network. Fafnir is causing a ruckus at the city limits; maybe someone will ask Jörmungandr to "deal" with him. Terrapin Labs is dumping genetic waste in the sewers. The Crosslands are already drained dry and the war is a coverup. A red dragon ate someone near the upper districts. Sanaliel's advisor is a shape-shifter. The list goes on.
For now, your orders are to keep an ear to the ground and maintain a low profile. In general, the scouts would really like you not to make their lives any harder.
» THE ANTS GO MARCHING.
If you manage to find your way into the Pyramid District, the Lemurian upper class is having a military parade and even the lower rungs of society have dragged themselves to see it. The crowd is mixed, though it naturally segregates itself, with the richer moving away from the poorer. Myths fit themselves in where they can; faeries flit through the crowd and a few kappa saunter through, promising eternal blessings for a few spare cucumbers.
The parade itself is a magnificent thing to behold, if you like gaudy splendor and overzealous displays of wealth. Each regiment walks in unified steps, their battalion announced. At various points, the parade stops and the soldiers perform demonstrations of will and might, shooting rockets into the polluted fog of the sky, shredding dummies with advanced weaponry, and sparring with one another.
Occasionally, radicals break through the crowd, throwing smoke bombs that bleed colored mist and sting the eye. They shout slogans like "Freedom for the Crosslands!" and "Justice for Lemuria!" and "Food for the poor!" Sometimes they cause a riot. Sometimes they escape back into the crowd. Sometimes they get shot in the head.
The bodies are dragged away without much comment, like it's a common occurrence.
The parade continues.
» I PREDICT A RIOT.
If you wander into the low districts, you'll find something else entire. Some would argue it's a coincidence that there are bread riots the same day as a military parade. Some wouldn't.
Basic sustenance — rice, bread, beans, and lentils — have skyrocketed in price. Fueled by tax increases and missing supply vans, what it means is the poor are poorer. People slink back to their hovels to beg or barter. And the rest, well...
The rioters come prepared, stomping boots and guns fired into the sky. The majority are teenagers and young adults, commandeering food shops and carts, scaring away (or killing) the owners and giving out food for free (or at a lowered price). Other people try to stop them and the scuffle quickly becomes untenable, escalating into bloodier violence.
What do you do?
» THIS IS SO ILLEGAL.
Maybe you got involved in a riot. Maybe your fingers were a little sticky. Or maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time; the police force is largely apathetic to crime in the low districts and reacts all too readily with violence in the upper districts.
Whatever the case, you've gotten yourself on the wrong side of the Lemurian law and you're handcuffed to (or sharing a cell with) a comrade-in-arms. Maybe it's fortunate that Lemuria has only just begun to distribute power nullification tech to deal with the influx of myths; most officers don't carry it and even fewer would think to use it on someone who looks human.
The guards make no comment, if asked how long they'll hold you. Other prisoners, filthy and dressed in rags, remark they've gone months without knowing.
Escape is really the only feasible option.
» SPECIAL DELIVERY.
If you left items behind at BASE, you can handwave filing a request and COST will deliver them to the bolthole. The scouts will send an alert if necessary and you can pick it up at any time. Just preferably sooner than later, because there isn't exactly a lot of space in that cellar.
Alternatively, if you're a veteran recruit, maybe you just received an unexpected delivery.
no subject
Despite his general reluctance to talk about the golden years of Overwatch, he’s starting to realize that he can give a little to get a little with Genji, and almost surprises himself with how easily he offers the information. Perhaps it’s a testament to how far they’ve come in the short time they’ve been reunited.
He pulls the picture out of his jacket and hands it over.
"I think it predates you."
no subject
At one point he'd been bitter about being Overwatch's dirty little experiment that had to be kept out of the public eye, but he's worked through that now, as he has so many other things.
He takes the photo with a small, genuine smile, and his eyes widen as soon as he realizes what he's looking at.
"Wow! Look how young McCree looks!"
He's seen plenty of pictures of Jack when he was young, but not so much when it came to a certain cowboy.
no subject
If they get back home, but that's not necessarily a new thought.
Figures he'd zero in on McCree, and Jack can't help but smile a little crookedly at the sincere enthusiasm Genji has for seeing him so young.
"It's an old picture."
Which is obvious, but McCree's presence more-or-less solidifies just how old. Twenty years ago, at this point.
no subject
It's strange to think so far back, now that he's experienced and changed so much. Back then, he had no clue what sort of future awaited him.
"When we have the time, you'll have to tell me embarrassing stories about them," he jokes, before handing the photo back. It seems rude to hold onto it for too long.
As promised, Genji procures his own photograph and gives that to Jack as well. It's a shot of himself and Hanzo, back when he was still young. For that matter, it could have been taken at a similar time to the one Jack just showed him.
no subject
He remembers that much, which likely places this photo on the timeline. Fareeha is young, too, indicating that this is a picture of a very early Overwatch—perhaps not even five years into his tenure as Strike-Commander. Things never really got much better than that, now that he recalls it.
Jack laughs a little at the mention of embarassing stories. He has them, of course, but they likely have just as many about him, and he’s not sure he wants to venture into that kind of mutually-assured destruction. It might have to wait for another day, especially when Genji shows his own picture in return.
Hanzo Shimada is easy enough to recognize, as Overwatch most certainly had dossiers on him, but it’s interesting to see him in this kind of way. He imagines that the way he feels about his own picture is the way Genji feels about this.
"Better times, huh?"
no subject
Jack's comment on the photo is a mild one, and Genji nods in agreement. "In a way," he says after a long pause. "Growing up as an heir of the Shimada clan was never easy, though I suppose that was the whole problem."
He delivers the words in a matter-of-fact way, but manages to hold back on the dry laugh that's building at the back of his throat.
"When that picture was taken, though, I had no idea what my future held in store for me." That he would be turned into some sort of hybrid of human and machine, that he would work for Overwatch, that he would ultimately follow the teachings of an omnic monk, and that he would end up traveling through time. He smiles to himself and shakes his head slowly. "I suppose none of us did."
no subject
No one did, and Jack says that as a matter-of-fact reminder that no one really knows where the future is going to take them. Without the Crisis or SEP or Overwatch, Jack imagines he'd just be taking over the family business. Not unlike Genji, really, though the Morrison family business did involve a lot less organized crime.
He's not exactly one to believe in fate or destiny, and in many ways Jack thinks he suffered all that much more due to the turns his life took, but there's nothing to be changed about it now.
"You ever track him down, after Blackwatch? Your brother?"
no subject
Jack's question is a fair one, and Genji doesn't mind answering. He nods.
"It was not too long before I was recruited by COST, actually. I decided I was ready to speak to him, and I knew that he would return to Hanamura once a year to..." He pauses, fighting for the correct words for a moment. "To pay respects."
Hanzo had spent those ten long years thinking he'd murdered him. That had been a torment of its own.
no subject
But there does, of course, come a point where it's not exactly tenable. He wonders about Genji's thought process, when he sought out Hanzo.
"What made you change your mind?"
no subject
Then again, Jack can probably relate in some way. Confronting Gabriel had to come with its own baggage.
"I spent a lot of my time with the Shambali reflecting on what was done to me, and how it affected my life. I put much of that time into working through all of the anger I had toward my brother, and eventually I was able to find it in myself to forgive him. To be honest, I don't know if he was fully able to accept that it was me at all, when we spoke."
That had hurt, but it's not as if Genji can entirely blame Hanzo either. To have him show up after ten years, looking nothing like he once did, would be enough to throw anyone for a loop.