raiamods: (Default)
raiamods ([personal profile] raiamods) wrote in [community profile] ethyraia2021-05-21 04:56 pm
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◣ OPEN ◢ HATCHING LOG 001

WHO: All PCs
WHAT: New characters arrive on Ethyraia, get interrogated, and settle in at the basecamp.
WHEN: May 21 onward
WHERE: Basecamp Leviathan
NOTES/WARNINGS: Potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.


HATCHING LOG 001 ❀
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore, alcohol and drug-use, light aphrodisiac effects (optional), and references to mass death.

Players who participated in our TDM are welcome to keep their CR and the content of those threads. Please make sure to chat this out on the OOC intro & CR meme before making assumptions. Please take your time reading the hatching and basecamp bullets, as some items have been altered or expanded.

❀ HATCHING


Congrats, you've woken up in an egg. I'm sure this is exactly how you wanted to spend your Saturday, right? There's no time to get curious and check out the other egg sacs. By the time you've fought your way out of the membranous sac, spilled electric blue goop everywhere, wiped it out of your eyes and sundry other orifices to get your bearings, you have a spear (or a gun) leveled at your face, throat, or other vital organs. Even if you might be inclined to fight, you can barely lift your arms to protest being grabbed and dragged off. Before you can even get a word in edgewise, you've been thrown into a holding cell.

Characters will not have a chance to retrieve their items at the time of the first hatching, and may not even know there is anything left in the remaining eggs.

The holding cell stinks of something sour and acidic, like rotted citrus, but you are not alone. Several other detainees sit in similar squalid confusion, dressed strangely and equally gooey. Time to make nice, ask questions... figure out what the hell is going on, and maybe do something about all that slime?

Over the next few days, a few things become clear. Despite the alien greeting, your captors speak a language that you understand, and the unpleasant circumstances are revealed to be a matter of necessity, not choice. Supplies are low, but they ensure that the new arrivals' time imprisoned is as painless as can be — they offer hot communal showers of less than three minutes, some strange starchy meal-replacement, and medical treatment to those in need. You might strike up a conversation with your new best friend in the shower over a low soap dispenser or when you realize you might need to share towels.

The cost of these luxuries comes in the form of touch-and-go interrogation by the security officers keeping tabs on the cells and supervising the shower time.

A few notes:
Your character may get pulled away for interrogation at some point. No torture, no drugs; just questioning. If you would like to thread this out, please reply to CAPT CHILDE'S top level comment! A caveat: threads will not go beyond (TEN) NPC replies, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

☆ Locals will be stopping by outside the freestanding holding cells to ogle or ask questions. Are you really going to be mean to that little kid staring at you with wide eyes?

☆ Characters will be let out for bio breaks. No one has to pee in a bucket, that's just inhumane!

Attempts to escape will probably get you tasered. If your character composes a genius jailbreak, you are welcome to submit it in the MOD QUESTION comment to work out how that might go with the NPCs!

❀ EXPLORE THE BASECAMP

On the heels of a little benign interrogation, a medical inspection, and a stern talking to by Captain Childe, the survivors at Basecamp Leviathan determine one thing: you don't appear to be an active threat.

Released from the detention center after three days, you are given the run-down by the locals — you're on a planet called Ethyraia, and the people around you are survivors of the catastrophic crash of the UCSS Adamant several years prior. You, in fact, showed up on the third anniversary of the crash. Weird coincidence, huh?

The first order of the day is having a proper meal at the mess hall — some of the Adamant's survivors will be friendlier than others. They've been stranded here for years, remember? Some of them will be so desperate to talk to someone who has news of other places, and some will be giving you the cold shoulder.

You'll be fed the same as the rest of them. A plastic plate of crumbled protein of unidentifiable origin and gravy over rice with a single wilted stalk of broccoli and a cup of the worst coffee you've ever had. Maybe somebody bumps into you and spills said coffee, maybe you make it all the way to one of the long tables set out for communal eating.

Time to strike up a chat with your neighbor — maybe ask them to pass the salt?

(What do you mean, there's no salt!?)

During this time, characters will be able to return to the Central Chrysalis where they hatched. While there are no clues as to how they got there, they might find items — their own, or someone else's. Everyone is strapped for supplies, but try not to snatch up anything that isn't yours. The security officers don't look kindly on people chasing one other down the hall, trying to get back their dirty magazines.

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to help out anywhere. Every little bit of assistance you offer to the locals will raise their estimation of you. You could easily help clean dishes after the meal, help fix leaky piping or repair hammocks. You could stop by the aid station and assist with the wounded. You'll be watched closely and some of the survivors will be warier than others, but most will appreciate the opportunity to have a 'break'.

☆ If your character leaves the basecamp and wanders outside the Leviathan, they may begin to notice that what they perhaps took as a giant cave is actually an enormous dragon. Everything that seems human-made will look varying levels of worn down, patched, repaired and patched again. This is not a place of prosperity and happiness. Many people are recently injured, or have new scars or missing limbs.

☆ PCs will be warned about the acid rain and inhospitable wildlife that they'll face if they venture beyond the shade of the dragon's wings.

❀ RECRUITMENT FAIR



You've been here for a week, had a chance to show your mettle. Maybe you've demonstrated a propensity for fixing gadgets (or plumbing!) or you have the command of a natural leader and the ability to wield a gun (or a tire iron!) to great effect. Either way, the Adamant's survivors are eager to put you to work so they can have their first real 'days off' in three years! Survivors have set up their various areas in the hopes of catching your attention and (possibly!) bolster their numbers! Feel free to wander around, talk to other PCs, and get the lay of the land.

ENGINEERING CORPS

Thorkil has welded a sign to a post out front, cheerfully painted by a gaggle of children to say "WELCOME!" The children are crowded around the area, and Thorkil is telling them stories about one of his many tattoos as you approach — he has a magnificent eagle tattooed on his arm, and in a hush he is explaining how it landed on him and tried to bite him like a mosquito, and how he slapped it and it just splattered right there on his arm and he's never been able to wash it off!

The children seem mesmerized by the story (maybe you are too?) and will scatter at the story's conclusion, tugging you over to the various areas, pointing things out excitedly. What is an Ehlers-Chau sublight engine? You're about to find out whether you like it or not! Or maybe you can teach them a thing or two. Those who seem to know their stuff will be eagerly invited on board by Thorkil.

The Engineering division has salvaged its tools and scrap from the Adamant’s wreckage, so it has all of the essentials from metal mills to CNC routers to circuitry tools. A holo projector throws schematics on the wall — a drill, a few potential shelter ideas for long-term settlement, and a new communications tower.

SECURITY DIVISION

Rémi has barely deigned to participate — and seems to have done so only at the request of some of his companions. He's sitting at an unadorned table and he is cleaning a variety of weapons. He will scowl if approached, and seems openly mistrustful of your intentions should you speak to him. Questions about how a conversation with Rémi might go may be posted to the MOD QUESTIONS thread. (Note: We will not be threading Rémi, so these questions will be handwaved!)

Characters who make a positive impression on him will open up the avenue to work for the Security Division later, but he will not be extending any offers now — please allow for a realistic period of development here!

Feel free to lean into another PC's space and comment on how frosty that dude seems! You can also survey the various weapons stored in racks, help out with building spears, the usual suspects.

THEATRE

The theatre doubles as a childcare center, and many of the NPCs bustling about seem very excited and eager for the chance to talk to anyone who ventures in to visit. The theatre is bright and cheerful, paintings have been done on the walls of scenes from children's stories featuring colorful characters.

The thespians will not only try to recruit you (for acting in a play, for teaching, for script writing, for drawing on the walls or caring for children) but they will actively put you to work if they see you standing idle longer than a moment! Your character may find themselves with a paintbrush in hand, or taking part in a recital for a play (you're free to invent one, or put a new spin on an old classic! Romeo and Julio, anyone?) or building a set piece for one of the many local productions.

The Theatre doubles as the protective hub in times of need, so beyond arts education and babysitting, your character may also be tasked with shoring up those defenses, helping to fortify the walls, or other such tasks. And who knows, they may be paired off with someone else rather unexpectedly!

AID STATION

Sunya Hyacinth is the local medical doctor, fueled by coffee and spite. She doesn't have the time to recruit personally — she's flitting about the aid station seeing to the injured.

If you follow her, she will put you to work. Hold this stent, articulate this dislocation, take this blood pressure reading. If anyone appears to have a proficiency for this sort of work, she may inquire after credentials — and anyone who seems to have medical experience is going to immediately be handed the medic's armband, a white band with a blue cross emblazoned on it. This armband will grant any PC an extra amount of respect and trust from the Adamant's survivors — but you'd better be able to live up to it!

Feel free to treat any injured PCs, converse with other 'recruits', help pin that white and blue arm-band on... you know, anything under the sun. Some of the patients in the medical bay seem to be suffering from the adverse effects of some of the local flora — itching hives or burning pustules. One unfortunate soul seems only able to speak in limericks, which the medical staff will admit is one of the odder things they’ve seen.

SANITATION

CONTENT WARNING: DRUG REFERENCES

It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! There are always latrines to be dug, pipes to be repaired, general maintenance to be done on the various sanitation systems.

A nervous-looking janitor will approach your character almost shyly, and ask if you wouldn't mind giving her a hand. If you are willing to help her (fix a pipe, dig a hole, etc), she will gradually warm up to you and seem more animated and lively and very, very grateful. Won't you please consider working with the Sanitation crew? Sure, it's not as glamorous as some of the other duties, but they're the backbone of the Basecamp and they could really use the help!

She'll even let you in on a little secret if you really butter her up or show an interest — the Sanitation Crew? Totally has a little underground greenhouse where they're growing marijuana. They're totally willing to share...

Feel free to dig latrines alongside your fellow PCs, or maybe even share a joint. It's a way to pass the time, right? PCs serving in sanitation will also have an easier time overhearing the gossip that spreads around the base, since no one looks twice at them.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO MASS DEATH

During their first two weeks in the basecamp, any character who stops by one of the various houses of worship (in addition to a church, a synagogue, and a mosque, there is a temple with small statues to fifteen different unfamiliar deities, many of whom seem to be from different faiths), the gymnasium, or the mess hall will come across a stand that hosts a dozen or so packages.

Wrapped in the black emergency blankets that many bring with them to and from the bunks, these packages are about one cubic foot and contain folded clothes in roughly the same sizes. The styles are all different and highly individualized. Some are luxe, some are basic, and some are clearly the undershirt (but not the proper outerwear) for uniforms of the Adamant’s crew. Warm-faced folks eagerly give out a single package to each new hatchling. Along with the clothing and blanket, hatchlings will receive basic packages containing basic toiletries — bar soap, a toothbrush, a straight razor, etc.

Come by at the wrong time, and you might see a fight break out. A young person, red-faced, shouts at the volunteers working these stands, “Those were our people! Our families! We should be the one to decide what’s done with what they left behind.”

In hushed tones, clearly trying to keep this from becoming a conflict, the lead volunteer insists, “Take it up with Captain Childe.”


A few notes:
Feel free to have your character sign on to help out with any of the listed divisions, with the exception of security.

☆ Characters may collect one (1) care package from the community outreach program. If your character intends to come back for more, please let us know in the Mod Questions thread.

☆ Feel free to ask for light NPC interactions in the MOD QUESTIONS header; we can give you a general idea of how a conversation might go! Like with the Captain Childe threads, none of these threads will be lengthy, and new tag-ins will not be responded to after MAY 24.

❀ THE DREAMING

You are standing at the edge of an immense, underground lake. Water laps at the shore, echoing in the cavern. There is a sense of peace and warmth and — welcome.

A creature emerges from the lake and approaches you. Its gills flutter, its eyes are a faint bioluminescent glow in the darkness. It reaches out to touch you — one long, elegant finger presses against your chest. It feels as if it might crack your sternum open and ferret beneath your bones as if looking, looking for something. Yet, there is no malice from it, and you feel no fear.

But the creature relents. It backs up. Bows to you once, and then turns and walks back into the water.

You stay for some time at the edge of the lake. Eventually, it seems as if another person is here with you, or perhaps they simply came into focus after being here just as long as you. Should you speak with them?

A few notes:
PCs may interact with one another in the dreams. They will be in a semi-conscious state, not wholly aware they are dreaming and not wholly under the impression of its normalcy.

☆ Your character will wake up naturally from the Dreaming, they will feel peaceful and refreshed.
The lake, if they choose to swim in it while dreaming, would be perceived as the perfect ambient temperature for them — some characters may prefer it to be warmer or colder!

☆ If they duck below the water, they will see far-off glittering city lights, but no matter how they try to swim towards them they will never get any closer!

☆ If your character tries to drink the water, they might notice that for a few minutes after they wake they can hear little snippets of NPC thoughts. Weird!

☆ Every character will have a small, pale lilac mark where they were touched on the chest. It will fade over the next few days.

❀ FETCH QUEST

CONTENT WARNING: REFERENCES TO LIGHT APHRODISIAC EFFECTS

A small, perky woman corrals you somewhere near the latrines. "Hey!" she says insistently, pushing her hat back and sending a spill of inky curls askew from her forehead. "We need a hand. There's this plant we get for Sunya — the Doc? You met her yet? — it's a painkiller. Go through a shitload of that, which I'm sure is quite surprising," she says all this in a single breath, and her expression is sour despite her cheery tone.

"You any good at botany? We need another round of Starspire root. Can't harvest the ones we've got in camp, they've been a little cranky lately. You'll have to go about four kilometers due west, towards the old Adamant wreck. Just watch them — if they start to sweat, you'll need to get under cover, means the acid rain is coming. I'll upload the specs to your Comm."

Seems like you're being partnered with somebody else for the run — another person looking perhaps about as equally haggard as you, and at least as equally voluntold. Hopefully you won't run into any difficulties — how hard can retrieving one plant be?

A few notes:
☆ Feel free to have random monster encounters along the way! Don’t forget to wait for approvals on bestiary submissions before incorporating them into threads.

☆ The plants are at a high elevation, so they will exist on rocky outcroppings along a cliff-face. The landscape here is mostly high desert, which means it is full of thin, calf-high grasses, scrub plants, and non arable land polluted by dense, alkaline soil and rocks. Be creative in how you get there!

☆ Somebody gets hurt? Here, chew this root! They said it was a painkiller, right? What's the worst that could happen? (People can get a little ... flirtatious, shall we say.)

☆ Or you could go one step further and try exploring portions of the Adamant! Remember, the ship itself was built to house seventy thousand people — it's the size of a city, and it cannot be adequately explored in an afternoon! If you'd like anything specific to come of this, or if you’d like to know specifics about the Adamant’s layout, please consider submitting a plot request!.

freightcars: (165)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-06-06 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
( So that's how you're gonna do me just earns a wry smile and no comment - yes, that's exactly what he's gonna do.

That smile becomes a little bittersweet and fades at the edges; shit I need to catch you up on.
)

Well...

( He starts with a beleaguered sigh. )

What's going on here ain't going away any time soon, so. Might as well go ahead and throw that in. Think it's better that I know.
freightcars: (bucky-104-00099)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-06-07 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
( Some of his attention to his surrounding drops just a bit in favor of casting another look back at her. He doesn't know what half of those words mean, but he's piecing together what he can with context almost in time with her explanations. The words fit the definitions instinctually, somehow. ​)

Think they'd probably have a different name for you where I'm from, but I get your meaning. I think. I know some people that can do... stuff like that.

( Wanda Maximoff stands out as his first association, not that they were particularly close.

Anyway, the point is:
)

I'm not gonna tell anybody. I wouldn't bank on keeping it a secret for long if you're gonna keep coming out here and doing stuff like this, though.
unclesam: ((10))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
Not sure that's quite true.

[ There's a hint of something strained and tired in Sam's voice there. He doesn't fully disagree though, and it shows in the way he rolls his shoulders. He can be stubborn as a mule, and he really isn't quite sure if it's generally better that Bucky know some of this stuff, but he also knows it's better that Bucky find out easy, uncomplicated, and not by virtue of more surprise egg births.

Jesus, the thought of Walker or Zemo showing up here...

Or Karli. Alive and angry and no longer doomed to die for Sam's failure to get through to her.

It gnaws at Sam that they gotta catch Steve up, too. They're off kilter because of the shield, all of them, and Sam wants desperately to fix what can be fixed there. At least plug up a few holes and slap on a new coat of paint. Pray they float and don't sink. ]


I'm gonna need you to be careful around the folks from engineering.

[ Sam holds up a hand, then reaches out and raps his knuckles very lightly against Bucky's left shoulder - solidly on the metal, not on the connective seam between metal and scarred flesh. ]

Your arm's got a failsafe. Press the right points, it comes right off.

[ Low and soft, words tucked into the space between them. Just in case someone strolls by the gym, Sam's not gonna risk his voice carrying. But he also remembers the look in Bucky's eyes from that day. ]

Dunno if anyone here's got the kinda skill to figure out something that specific, but... yeah. That's the kinda shit you oughta know.

[ He's still not quite sure why Wakanda never told Bucky that, but that's also not his business. Sam's not gonna keep a secret about Bucky's own damn body - arm included. ]
freightcars: (bucky-104-00046)

[personal profile] freightcars 2021-06-07 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
They weren't my people.

( The ones that sawed his arm off and gave him the original version, anyway. Does he sound a little bit dark right there? He might. It's not even about the rude commentary, so much as it is about the memory. )

I take it they don't do prosthetics where you're from?
mylawn: (pic#10433702)

[personal profile] mylawn 2021-06-07 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
[76 nods, figuring he doesn't need to say anything more in that department--either Banshee will keep up, or he won't. Either way, he's pressing onward, with a speed and dexterity that suggests he doesn't necessarily feel his age.

After a moment, however, he seems to reconsider, slowing a little in an apparent effort to match their paces.
]

What kind of munitions does that take?

[He's not going to lie. He's pretty interested in the aresenal.]
needfully: (pic#14782379)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-07 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
Sure. It's enough, for now.

[ Illumi agrees rather easily... the prospect of their existing resources and also the fact that a method to build something powerful enough to return them all from whence they came is much more stressful than any weird animal or plant on the planet. ] But I was surprised to see some of the more long-term survival efforts— the piping, and the heating for water. Happening upon this hospitable skeleton.

[ All great strokes of luck, probably combined with the efforts and sacrifices of many along the way. ]

Those are things that will last quite some time, if circumstances stay as they are. It does make me wonder about the balance of focus and resources on acclimation versus escape. Which one do you think they're prioritizing?
fortyforged: (order's ready)

[personal profile] fortyforged 2021-06-07 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
[The pace that the man chooses to take catches the Exo off guard, but rather than say anything, he starts off after 76 as best he can. Perhaps not as quick, but then he's been about for some centuries. He's nevertheless grateful that 76 slows down some. Didn't seem like any big need to be in such a hurry anyway.]

Kinetic. Got at least a few cartridges, but if there's some real trouble, they won't last.

[He recalls what he's seen of the armory, at least before they'd shooed him off.]

Don't think their standard guns here use bullets.
needfully: (pic#14877858)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-07 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ Truth be told, he's a little surprised by the sudden change in tune, not that he doesn't welcome it. It's definitely favorable if he can just secure someone down the line to fix his clothing for him should it become ruined by god-knows-what around here.

That sounds like a fair enough trade. And, he'll feel more willing to lift a finger to (superficially) aid her, if the time and place are convenient. For him. ]


Sure. I can do that.

[ A (small) part of him wants to point out that it doesn't seem like she's getting anything out of this deal, but another (bigger) part of him thinks that fixing clothes can't be so monumental that it warrants him putting anything significant on the table, anyway. He's grown up with countless butlers at his beck and call to tailor his clothes for him, offering them nothing in return. This should be the same. ]

Based on what I've seen out there, it won't be a matter of if it will get ruined, but a matter of when. [ Might as well be honest about it! Illumi's plan had always been to steal more clothes if the ones he got became ruined, but this is a preferable arrangement. His dark eyes follow the scattering crowds of people as they begin to disperse, searching for lingering signs of contempt. ] How much of it have you seen? Outside, I mean.
needfully: (pic#14766404)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-07 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
Why shouldn't I be thinking of it?

[ An earnest question, coupled with him scratching at his cheek in thought— seemingly puzzled. ]

You said it yourself. People like us are in short supply. If the last mission is anything to go by, they'll be expecting us to take risks for them because of it. [ His words are direct, detached, almost cold in their bluntness. ] All while we were brought here against our will.

[ A part of him feels their little settlement owes the Hatchlings food and board just from forcefully dragging them here, so really, he doesn't feel he should have to do anything for them. Only the threat of having to live outside on his own keeps him from completely avoiding pulling some weight for the community good. That aside, he's clearly not as worried about survival as the average person is around here, but whether that's due to a great deal of confidence, or whether he's just hiding any negative thoughts he has on the matter behind his stony expression remains to be seen. ]

Does that seem like a fair trade to you? Us living here, in return for all of that.
needfully: (pic#14782461)

[personal profile] needfully 2021-06-07 08:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Illumi listens with genuine interest— although, his deadpan expression doesn't convey much of it, aside from the slightest raise of his brow. A society of robots, with ones in the workforce, and even overseeing humans? It's something out of fiction where he comes from, so of course he's at least a bit intrigued. ]

So, there are even some with authority. I suppose if they are such a big part of society...

[ Then it might be normal. He mumbles off to himself, watching the droid scan that new plant, before his eyes drift upwards to the planet's sky. There are a collection of clouds up above, growing thicker as the pair move closer to the arid hills out of the more lush path they're trekking. ]

Most metals from my planet can be corroded by acid, [ He muses, thinking that it's quite possible that's not the case for the other man's place of origin, if their technology is so advanced. ] If I had something of that quality built from metals, I'd hesitate to bring it out here.

[ Cal says it's an explorer droid, so maybe it is built Texas Tough™, but he can't help but voice his question of whether or not it's safe for such a machine out here, where acid rain is frequent. The base camp seems lacking in ways to repair robots, from his uneducated perspective, after all. ]
unclesam: ((36))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 08:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sorry, Nina, there is no dodging his ability to empathize and be earnest and well-intentioned with you. You're nowhere near unpleasant enough for him to bite down on his better nature. ]

Well, I left service 10 years ago... no. Sorry. 15.

[ He frowns, rubs at the back of his neck. Despite the correction, neither number is incorrect - but how do you explain that for you it was 10 years ago, but then you were dead for 5 years, so technically it's 15 years now? ]

I studied to become a counselor for veterans afterwards, worked as that for a couple years, and picked up the fight on a freelance basis 4... shit, 9 years ago now.

[ It's just been 4 years - but again, he lost a couple years there. Feels surreal to think that he's been dead longer than he's been an Avenger, to be honest. That he's been dead longer than Steve has known him, even. ]
unclesam: ((100))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Now that gets 76 a bright grin, a flash of genuine joy over this little tidbit of information, but also probably a sign of the regret to come for this poor old man. ]

So more like... Dribbles? Slam Dunk? Swish?

[ He can keep going, too, but Sam decides not to press his luck too much here. ]

If you're not into the sport themed names, we gotta workshop something else. Open to suggestions.
unclesam: ((71))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 08:45 am (UTC)(link)
Sam snorts softly, but it's not derision or amusement at her, more the rough agreement of someone who knows what that's like. Still he holds up his hands briefly, trying to indicate that he means no disrespect. He's not yet sure if he can get with the way she handles everything, but so far she's also not given him any reason to be distrustful of her other than his natural - and well-deserved - skepticism of anyone in power over anyone else. Sam respects her for being open to getting called out on stuff, though - it's a good sign, he thinks, if people are free to speak their mind like that and be heard, and have things explained to them if they're not being agreed with so that at least they'll understand, even if they disagree. With numbers as high as these, Captain Childe will never be able to make calls that satisfy everyone - and that's normal.

"I hear you. Ain't raising the point to say you're doing it wrong."

He focuses on his work for a moment, in the quiet way of someone trying to pick his words carefully - it's not fear of retribution, though, but the desire to find the right words. She can be angry with him - hell, he'd rather she be angry than dismissive.

"But there's gotta be something we can do to make this easier on people who gotta give up the last connection to their loved ones they have. Grief ain't rational, and makes a hard companion to the logistics of survival. Every decision you make impacts this little world you guys have carved out for yourselves here - ain't something I envy, believe me, and trust me, you're doing a more solid job of it than a collective of world leaders from where I'm from. And I know us... hatchlings or yolk people or whatever you wanna call us, we don't make shit easier on you. You got anyone helping the survivors and your crew process all this? I mean, you're military, right - how've you guys been handling the collective trauma?"
unclesam: ((30))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ It would be just his luck, truth be told, to be the one who gets the shield all fucked up in the acid rain. Bucky would have some choice words, he imagines.

His expression remains serious, but his eyes flicker of Matthias. Not in disbelief - he just... can't help but notice that the guy's young.

Sam thinks, for a moment, of Peter, or Karli, or John... hell, or Nina, maybe half his age if that, who served in the Second Army. ]


I can show you the wings if you're curious. They're mechanical.
unclesam: ((100))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 08:58 am (UTC)(link)
You saying BD-1's sentient or something?

[ Sam's eyebrows are slowly crawling up as he observes the droid, curiosity tugging on him. ]

Redwing...

[ There's a soft beep from the drone, almost sounding like a chirp itself. That one has no intonation or meaning to it, though - it's merely a sound Redwing makes on occasion, a signal that the drone's alert, no matter how much Sam likes to pretend there's life within that metal casing. ]

... take a spin for me.

[ The drone hovers up, and then shoots off. Sam pulls the goggles over his eyes for a moment, then grins and holds them out to Cal. Even without putting them on, there's a visible display of what Redwing's seeing, and some baseline information on display. Just recon. ]

Redwing listens to voice commands and input on my wrist panel.
unclesam: ((33))

sorry this is so late, hngggh.

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sam's starting to get used to all manner of weird in this place. And a shocking amount of people who look around the age of Peter or Karli, which... does not sit right with him on so many levels.

This kid... appears to be wearing a blindfold. Still able to see? Sam's eyes flick to 9S's little companion like this is a puzzle he could maybe solve. Instead he shakes his head. ]


Nah, Redwing ain't broken, just in need of some love and calibration.
unclesam: ((81))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ On the upside, at least Yennefer's world doesn't have Twitter yet. In that, if nothing else, her world knows true peace.

Plumbing though... yeah, Sam's got survival training, and he still considers plumbing entirely non-optional, thank you very much. ]


Propulsion. Generates heat, which generates thrust.

[ Sam flips Redwing so she can see the thruster, but is careful that it's not pointing at her - he's got no desire to burn her. He holds Redwing with one hand, then taps something on his wrist panel. The thruster on the drone lights up blue with a soft, quiet 'whoosh', and it's obvious that Sam's now holding the drone down in order to keep it in place - if he let go, Redwing would move. ]

If you hold out your hand, you can feel the heat. Careful, though. You get that right on your skin, it's gonna hurt.
unclesam: ((147))

I am SO sorry for how late this is

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:20 am (UTC)(link)
You got some time to kill?

[ Sam rubs over the mark again - still not budging. The definition of madness is repeating the same action and expecting different results. Sam still can't quite help it. This rattles him - their very existence in this place is not by choice. To find a mark on his skin that he definitely didn't put there, like a tag...

That's more than unsettling. ]


I could scan the marks with my drone. No guarantee it'll be able to tell us anything about this, but... I mean, even if the scan can't tell us anything, at least we can exclude a whole array of shit from the possible explanations.
unclesam: ((29))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ The discomfort radiates off John. Sam's not sure if the kid's trying to hide it - but it's clear as day in the small tics, in the way he phrases that question. That's not just sheer curiosity like it's been with some others. And that's why Sam doesn't go for the tease. ]

Not a single thing about Redwing's sentient. Just the cutest little collection of metal and sensors that was ever made, and fully under my control.

[ .... well, maybe a little tease. Sam grins at John, good natured and calm as he powers Redwing down, grabs the inert drone and holds it out to John to let him look. ]

Don't tell him, though, it'll hurt his non-existent feelings.
unclesam: ((50))

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
Man... little sisters, right?

[ Sam laughs, lightly nudging Alex' arm with the exasperated fondness on his face that is reserved, universally, for big brothers alone. ]

How do they do it? Figure out just how to spin you right around, so you don't even realize you did their bidding all along. Some goddamn witchcraft, man... Poe would have been a good name. Crow's cute, though. Can't say we got critters like that where I'm from.

[ Inspiration strikes then, which is usually not a good sign for anyone involved. As they're walking, Sam gestures between Alex and himself. ]

Yo, we can lean into a bird-theme here. Hatching from eggs, I got Redwing, you got Crow, my callsign used to be Falcon, I know a guy back home called Hawkeye...

[ Sam snorts with amusement. ]
unclesam: ((47))

sorry for this being so damn late <3

[personal profile] unclesam 2021-06-07 09:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sam moves the moment he hears the telltale sound of a structure collapsing, and by the time the small catastrophy's over and done with, he's crouched half below one of the sides. He wasn't quite fast enough to catch it before it fell, but he did curve out one of his mechanical wings, attached to the slim silver jetpack on his back, to curve out and under this part of collapsing shelf. His heart hammers hard against his ribs once or twice, but he smiles at the small girl clutching his chin. She wouldn't have been hit - butit would have been a narrow miss, and she seems to know it, so she scampers away in a hurry to find her parent, before he can ask if she's alright.

Children...

Sam grunts with effort, unable to gain leverage on the wing, so he taps his wrist panel instead, and locks his drones under the side piece of the shelf, letting their thrust lift the piece up and off his wing enough that he can step back. The wing folds neatly back in, and the drones lower that section of shelf down to the ground - it doesn't look stable enough to stand on its own anymore.

It's only then that Sam seems to register what he just heard. ]


Tentacle incest - really?
trassel: (42.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-06-07 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For a brief second, wonder sparks in his eyes. ]

[ He's not a child anymore, and couldn't return to it besides. Matthias' face smooths over with calm, studying. Technology his people would benefit from, in the war. He can't help but feed it through those gates first, even if the war isn't here, and it doesn't especially ring of its truth to him like it once did. He can't root out that loyalty, after the cage is open for all else to walk out, it will be the lone bird there still singing. ]

Yes, I would like to see.

[ He's suddenly extremely aware of his usual bluntness, and softens, ]

If you would show me.
trassel: (51.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-06-07 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Why...?

[ He echoes, at first, almost dumbfounded — nobody has asked that question. Nobody has ever needed to. Fjerda hates Grisha, and everyone knows that. The druskelle weren't always the force they are now, but they're a mainstay. ]

[ Why? Because Grisha only want to kill them anyway — it's a cycle. ]

[ He huffs. Suppose he could just snap, why don't you ask one of them?. ]

We have been at war for a long time.
trassel: (23.)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-06-07 01:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure.

[ He'd assumed someone would know. After all, with the people here, someone had to know. The alternative is that they're all equally lost, all stumbling their way through something they can barely hope to face. ]

I was told you can use the watch to speak to everyone. Perhaps you should ask there.
trassel: (Default)

[personal profile] trassel 2021-06-07 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Delight sparks in his eyes before he tempers it — Matthias takes it with care, with surety, and a little wariness, not wanting to damage something that is useful, and more than that, valuable. He inspects it from one end to another, not once seeming that he might drop it or fire it accidentally.

'A war on so many fronts?' he says, with some sympathy. Fjerda has two Ravkan forces, but that's better than the single one, united. The war is all he's breathed since he was a boy. 'It's fortunate then, that it did not follow you here.'