◣ OPEN ◢ HATCHING LOG 001

[raiamods]

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!.

NAVIGATION ❀

Comments

[unclesam]

✪ Hatching

I'm just gonna say it...

[ Sam scrubs at himself ineffectually. He does not look happy about the current state of things, but he feels about as week as anyone else does after arrival, and disinclined to cause trouble where he doesn't know how far trouble gets him. Never shying away from a reckless danger, Sam also likes to consider himself the occasional fool, but solidly not a complete idiot. ]

... this feels like something sneezed us halfway across the galaxy, and I ain't a fan.

---

✪ Basecamp/Recruitment Fair

[ Redwing: It doesn't take long for a kite sized drone to become a common sight whirring around base camp. Mostly around the aid station, the drone's also not an uncommon sight zipping around the basecamp perimeter. If you've met Sam before, you might find Redwing occasionally trailing you, or circling you with a soft electronic chirping sound before rushing off. And where Redwing is, Sam's usually not too far - outside he's often little more than the shape of wings in the sky carried on the blue glow of his wingsuit's thrusters. Feel free to say hi to Redwing or pet him if Sam somehow managed to convince you the drone's cute. It's not actually sentient or sapient in any manner of speaking. You might also catch Sam fussing with Redwing's calibration and talking to the drone like it's an actual pet.

Aid Station: Honestly, the white band with the blue cross shows up on his arm before long. Sam's not sure he ever officially agrees to it, but he shows up and does the work, and well, that is that. He likes to joke and call it 'failing upwards to the level of his imcompetence'. Sam puts in long shifts at the Aid Station, pararescue training coming in handy in fixing people up. He moves fast and seemingly tireless, barely slowing down between people who need someone tending to them, and if there's something drawn in his eyes over every person they can't properly patch up because supplies are running low, then the smile he's got for the next person in need of help barely shows it. ] Alright, what do we got? [ And whether you're hurt or in need of something else, Sam's attention is now yours.

Gymnasium: From pretty early during their stay here, Sam can be found training here. Whether it's as simple as running, the obstacle course, training with his shield (form looking considerably better than it does in the beginning of that nice montage) or using the floating rocks and his wingsuit to practice recklessly fast, nimble maneuvers in the air, he puts in the work - tirelessly so. It's not unusual to see the dark skin of his left arm further darkened by bruises. Sam's a man who knows he needs to put in twice as much effort, and so he does - and then some. And hey, if anyone's in need of a sparring partner, he's happy to provide. Sam's a talk, muscular man, but surprisingly nimble, and his fighting style is much more based in martial arts and acrobatics than brute force.

Mess Hall: ]

I spy with my little eye...

[ Sam glances around. He's wearing his goggles, which means Redwing's out somewhere scouting something out for Sam even as he's here 'taking a break' and enjoying some food. Well... what qualifies as food around here. Joy might be overselling it, either. And the following lines get tossed out for this little game:

"... the end of all joy."
"... something red."
"... someone who looks like they're about to improve my day. It's you. You're the chosen one."

Base Camp General: Outside of those locations/instances and his shifts at the aid station, Sam can be spotted helping out where help is needed. Whether it be washing dishes, reinforcing walls or fixing hammocks, Sam's rarely completely idle. Feel free to have him lend you a hand in anything that needs assistance. He doesn't volunteer his time and energy without limits, and is careful not to overpromise assistance when he's already occupied elsewhere. But if he can help, he's happy to do it. ]

---

✪ Dreaming

[ During the dream: Sam does not resist the creature's touch. He looks content, eyes half closed at the sound of water lapping at the shore, so much so that his eyes are half-closed by the time he registers the presence by his side in the dreamlike haze.

Reminds me of home.

[ Aftermath: He doesn't notice it until he's on the way to the showers by the gym the next day. The bruises on his left arm are so common by now he hardly registers them, but there appears to be a small lilac mark on his chest. He remembers the dream then, and frowns deeper. ]

What the hell?

---

✪ Fetch Quest

[ Painkillers are in short supply, so the call for aid comes as little surprise to him. Sam's been making himself useful around the Aid Station, and fell into getting recruited more by virtue of already getting involved anyway. He likes to joke and call it 'failing upwards to the level of his imcompetence'. So when a call for a supply run comes in, he's not going to fuss and gear up fast, giving his involuntarily volunteered partner a nod.

The terrain isn't exactly friendly to them, and they're not far into the trek when he says: 'Redwing, get me an aerial.' A kite sized drone - white with red and blue detailing - detaches from the jetpack on Sam's back and with an electronic chirp rushes off into the air and ahead of them. ]

Redwing's gonna get us a better look at the area we're headed for. I can fly up on the cliffs if we gotta get there, though, so don't worry about climbing.

[ OOC Please note: Sam will stick with the mission with most people, but feel free to have them get into an encounter with the wildlife. He will only deviate and strike out to the Adamant with people he's already got a rapport with, which in this case means cast mates or people who had Rat Warren TDM threads with him. ]

---

✪ Wildcard

[ Feel free to hit me up on inkcharm or on Discord inkcharm#4573 for any further plotting! ]

---

Gʏᴍɴᴀsɪᴜᴍ

[freightcars]

( Takes a couple of days for Bucky to catch him at it, but eventually he does — happens by the gym in time to see a familiar blur of color hurtling across the room. He slips in discreetly, watches quietly as Sam demonstrates a clearly practiced mastery of the shield.

Doesn't plan to interrupt, except that it comes flying in his direction and it's reflex to stick his arm out and catch it.

His eyes flicker from it to Sam, and after a beat he hurls it toward a post, bouncing it back in Sam's direction. )

Getting pretty good at that.

[unclesam]

[ It's all kinds of familiar. Enough to want something in Sam to relax into it. Fixing a boat, setting up a training course outside Sam's family home, throwing the shield and talking. If only.

The shield bounces towards him, and Sam catches it with the same kind of practiced ease. His gaze mirrors Bucky's - flicks to the shield, then back to the man. ]

Thanks. Little better every day.

[ A hesitates, and then mirrors Bucky's actions again - tosses the shield smooth and easy, lets it bounce back towards Bucky. ]

[freightcars]

( It's a little easier. Doing something, instead of just talking face to face. It's easier to focus on that disc spinning through space, watching it smoothly glide toward him. The satisfying feeling of it landing just right.

Way easier than looking Sam in the eyes.

He Frisbees it back again. Waits until it's half way there before he speaks. )

You talk to the security guy?

Gʏᴍɴᴀsɪᴜᴍ

[fossils]

Looking for a partner?

[ Comes up from behind Sam, outfitted in some of the clothes he'd gotten from the care package: an undershirt and loose pants. His voice is wry, comes from lips curved in a half smile. Nods at the shield where it's landed.

Loaded topic, but he can help— if Sam's looking for some. ]

[unclesam]

[ There's little that sucks as hard about this entire deal as the fact that an innocent question between them feels so loaded.

Bucky still called it 'his shield' and meant Steve, because where Bucky's from, Walker's the one carrying it. And where Steve is from, he hasn't passed it on to Sam to begin with. It's a tangled mess to reconcile.

And still... Sam can't help but grin as he bends down to pick the shield up. ]

Now I know you ain't tryna sell me a new catchphrase. That's still 'on your left' to you.

[ And with that he holds the shield out to Steve with a nod. Yeah... he could do with a partner. ]

[fossils]

[ Sam gets a light, amused huff out of him, but instead of taking the shield from him he raises both hands in the air, shaking his head at an angle. ]

It's yours, you know. In case I wasn't making that clear the other day. [ When they first talked. There was a lot going on in that conversation, so, he just wants this part laid out. Says it with another half smile, not wistful or distant, but present. ]

And it's been two years so I'm rusty, but — [ he starts walking backwards, creating a decent amount of space between them.

Toss it over. ]

basecamp (redwing)

[angerberg]

[ yennefer spots redwing zipping around just overhead in the basecamp while she's looking for something to keep her occupied after the utter disappointment of failing with the children at the theater. when it looks ready to zip off, she reaches out with one hand, freezing the creature mid-flight with magic — or at least making it very hard for it to fly. ]

And what are you? [ the question is rhetorical as she approaches. she would be surprised to find anything feathered around this acid rain, but as she gets nearer, she notes that it has no feathers. only smooth steel. ]

[unclesam]

[ The soft whirr of mechanics isn't a real response to the question, but it is accompanied by another sound, an electronic beep that sounds almost like a chirping bird. A small black half-sphere on Redwing's underside moves - Yennefer will not recognize this for a camera, but it does mean Sam's taking a look from his current location, puzzled as to why Redwing appears to be trapped.

The blue flare of the thrusters burns brighter for a moment as Redwing tries to shoot off into the distance, then dims again as the drone lets itself hover.

There's another chirp. It's just some internal processing, really, but maybe it sounds a little put upon. Anything can have a personality if you try hard enough.

Yennefer is free to inspect the drone for now, as Sam course corrects his own flight to make his way over - he'll be arriving in a tick. If she tries to touch it, Redwing will fire his little grappling hook at a nearby wall and attempt to pull itself away from her, like a skittish animal. If she doesn't reach to touch, it just stays hovering, its camera observing her movement. ]

[angerberg]

[ yennefer does indeed try to touch, and when it fires out the grappling hook, she gives up the hold she has on it. it's a waste of chaos to invest too much in holding the little creature still. when it rockets away, she arches a brow. ]

Awfully dramatic, don't you think? Particularly when you're the one spying. What are you, little bird?

Go Fetch

[cryptoherpetology]

[ Alex had found he worked well enough with Sam when the rats had to be dealt with that agreeing to a field expedition with him was no problem. A field trip out into an alien ecosystem JUST when he needs something to keep his mind occupied? Yes, please.

With Sam's aerial scout a lot more advanced and far less likely to shed than his, he left Crow back at the base to hopefully keep himself out of trouble while they head out for supplies. He watches the small drone get smaller as it zooms up and away. ]

Do you have any way to upload the footage it takes? I wouldn't mind having a good long look at the terrain when we get back. Maybe get to know a bit more about the local wildlife before it tries to eat someone again.

[unclesam]

Thought about seeing if Redwing can interface with the network.

[ Sam's been hesitant to try, though. It's not that he doesn't wanna share intelligence with the entire population of the base camp. It's that once he opens that path, he's got no guarantee it will be one way. And as much as Captain Childe and the rest have no reason to trust the Hatchlings yet, Sam's not about to give anyone in a position of power over him and his the ability to turn his own tech around and spy on him. Or worse, seize control.

He's still unhappy - though not surprised - that the government tracked the Falcon suit. This tech, at least, is Wakandan, and that means it's damn difficult to abuse outside of their technicians and Sam's own control.

Making the data available to one person though, that's different, and Alex has bought himself some goodwill with Sam. ]

Not sure it's possible. Happy to sit down and let you peruse, though.

[ He taps the red goggles over his eyes with a small, amicable grin. If Alex takes a closer look, he'll see that Sam's got an interface in there giving him input from Redwing. ]

[cryptoherpetology]

[ He's suddenly really greatful he's nearsighted and not farsighted. He'll actually be able to see the display with his glasses off and Sam's goggles on. He imagines trying to layer the two would be awkward. ]

I'd appreciate that a lot. Having a literal birds-eye view will really help identify anything that might be edible. I figure expanding the menu can't exactly make the locals like us less.

[ Rising tides, and all that, he thinks. He pushes his glasses up, looking in the distance that he thinks Redwing was in last he saw. Damned if he can tell in this light anyway. ]

Assuming we come back successful from the hunt for painkillers, anyway. Any luck on that front so far?

dream->gym

[unfastens]

[ there's only so much to do here, and only so much he can help with - only so much he's allowed to help with, rather - so, naturally, he ends up in the gym fairly often, too. Keeping his body up to speed is as vital here as it ever was back home... although the poor-quality food has him refraining from doing anything too strenuous.

Rather than leaving the gym, he's on the way there. Normally, he'd mind his own business. However, he's on an alien planet that is, evidently, full of things trying to kill them, so when he hears that "what the hell," he slows his footsteps and voices his concern. ]

What's the matter?

[unclesam]

Apparently this place is into involuntary body decoration now.

[ Sam grimaces, then pulls the collar of his shirt down a little, gesturing at the pale lilac mark. It wouldn't be all that obvious on someone of pale skin, but Sam's skin is dark, and the colour is a very distinct contrast. ]

Ain't a bruise.

[ Obviously. ]

[unfastens]

[ huh. his brow furrows, and he lifts a hand to his own chest, shifting his lace undershirt enough to reveal... basically the same mark. It's true: it wasn't all that noticeable, and considering everything that happened to him both before and after his arrival here, Bruno had assumed it was just a bruise when he woke up and saw it. God knows he has enough of them. ]

I assumed it was... [ this is worse! ] Are they marking us?

[ he doesn't want to assume badly of the people here, considering they've been feeding and sheltering them. ]

mess hall

[swordjock]

[ Adora snorts at the end of all joy. The starting phrase is unfamiliar, but the game itself isn't; not too far from the sort of thing her and Catra came up with to amuse themselves back in the Horde. (Only, their answers usually consisted of 'smog', 'guards', or, in Catra's case, 'a blonde idiot'.) ]

It's not that bad. [ Then, upon a second glance at the food in front of her, she grimaces. ] Okay, so maybe it is that bad. But uh, what's up with the tiny tree? Should we be eating this, or planting it?

[ She holds up the wilting broccoli between two fingers, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Bright Moon had salads, but she's never seen anything that just looked like a sad bush. ]

[unclesam]

[ Sam's had his fair share of blonde idiots. He's only recently chosen to include brunette idiots on that list. Which is to say, somehow he'd find both Catra and Adora to be a whole entire mood in different ways. ]

Tiny tree.

[ Deadpan. Sam's not sure he's ever met a white person who doesn't know how to ruin broccoli or pretend to like it, but then this place is chock full of androids, aliens and wizards - you can fight him on that - so maybe it's not that weird. ]

It's broccoli. Eat it - good source of fiber and protein. Just don't blame the poor thing for tasting like shit. Not its fault no one here knows how to cook.

[swordjock]

[ His deadpan reaction makes her frown, briefly, from embarrassment — she'd almost forgotten what it was like to be way behind the curve with common knowledge, and she doesn't miss the feeling — but the actual answer is helpful, and she nods. ]

Broccoli. [ She repeats, confidently. ] Can't be worse than ration bars, right?

[ After a few seconds of thoughtful chewing... ]

... Okay, well, it's not worse. It's just bad in a different way. [ Flavourless and watery, versus dry, crumbly, and tasting like cement. ] Not really seeing how good cooking can save that, but I'll take your word for it. [ Says the girl who has never cooked in her life. ]

Basecamp - Redwing

[baum]

[ Exactly one occurrence of that electronic chirping is enough to put John on alert. Sight of the drone sends a wave of panic through him, one he hastily smothers down.

When it flees, he follows. There's a rifle slung over his back, and a handgun in the waistband of his jeans. He's acutely aware of their presence, but neither make it to his hand just yet. Instead he moves fast, careful to give himself the cover of a crowd, or the side of a building.

Finding himself facing Sam, of all people, at the end of that hunt, is the last thing he expected. He stares at the machine. ]

It's yours? It was tailing me.

[unclesam]

[ Sam grins when John comes over. The kid's proven himself in the rat warrens, and tragic implications aside, that earned him some brownie points in Sam's book. ]

Oh yeah, I've been doing some perimeter checks with him, seeing if his facial recognition works around here or if something messes with the sensors, y'know. So I had him try and find people I've met.

[ Sam taps the red goggles he's wearing. ]

His name's Redwing.

basecamp/redwing

[bestaround]

[ And catch him fussing 9S does, somewhere along outside—but definitely still underneath the safety of the old dragon's corpse. Everyone has learned by now not to wander too far without preparations, no thanks to the rain that sometimes comes down. (And hey, he also has a robot companion of his own.) ]

That thing broken?

sorry this is so late, hngggh.

[unclesam]

[ 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.

base camp general

[cleaningsolutions]

[As Sam's passing through the camp, he might see a big gray-tinged woman protecting her head with her arm as a major jury-rigged shelving unit she's inspecting suffers a long overdue catastrophic failure. Shelves in different sizes and colors cascade and go sliding across the floor, canisters and little boxes tumbling and rolling out with vigor, various of them glancing off her. The sides topple and the large, heavy headboard seems to hesitate before tipping over, slow at first and then very quickly. She catches it with a loud smack of metal and plastic on flesh that probably means a bruise.

Calmly, with only the mildest indication of annoyance in her tone, Mops says something that technically translates fine but without the cultural context sounds a little off.]

...Tentacle incest. This is why you don't use glue to build furniture.

[More loudly:]

Anyone got hit by that?

sorry for this being so damn late <3

[unclesam]

[ 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?