WHO: vidar etc. WHAT: log, but with starters (OTA + closed to a few) WHEN: throughout june! WHERE: [ handwaves ] NOTES/WARNINGS: will be noted as they come up
[ given a certain set of identifiers, he finds the engineer. vidar appears with his old gjallarhorn uniform and not in the kit they've given him, considering he has to show him the gundam anyway; it's only fitting to be properly dressed for the occasion, kind of like showing up to work, or meeting a close friend.
in any case he has nothing else to do. and he has something to protect, which he was fairly sure was taking up space in a planet not made for it, and amongst a people who were rightfully suspicious of new hatchlings. vidar might've gained some popularity by recent expeditions but it's short-lived. and as a former aristocrat he was very well-acquainted with how fickle a public can be.
so befriending engineers is paramount. technically proficient who, he's fairly sure, the basecamp would love to get a use for, but vidar needs to make acquaintances with them for personal reasons. sentimental reasons, even. he's far away from home and he wants his comforts; can one blame him for such selfishness?
but one doesn't need to know that to a first meeting, and so vidar is here, charming as you please, and gives him a little wave. ]
( And then there's Ian, who might've once had the dress and demeanor of somebody that taught at a well-respected college, but his days at Berkeley are more a memory than anything now. He was a miscreant youth, and once the apocalypse hit his world all things professional became completely pointless. What you're left with is a guy who looks like he probably smoked a joint about ten minutes ago at any given time, that probably drinks Starbucks habitually and almost certainly has a large collection of plaid flannel shirts.
He's wearing one, actually, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a set of safety goggles perched on his head holding his long hair back.
Prepare for the traditional greeting of his people: a sup nod and a casual; )
Hey, man.
( He wheels away from his desk a couple of feet before standing and meandering over. )
I'll give you a bit of a background. [ said as they walk and talk - ]
The machine is called a Gundam. It is a mobile suit which is made for for space warfare; Gundam is the name for its frame. There are only a few of it made in my world; this one is a modified antique, but it still runs well.
Now, I have confidence in its sturdiness but that was when I was .... not stranded in an alien planet with acid rain.
[ walking towards the edge of the base camp and the gundam is revealed, looming over them. at about twenty feet tall, black and blue in colour, it is certainly imposing. ]
This is Gundam Vidar.
[ yes they have the same name. ] The cockpit is in the chest, it's suited for one pilot. It is powered by three nuclear reactors, and the armor is something that's called a nanolaminate armour - I'm not ... the person to ask about its composition, but it's sturdy enough that in our world, beam weaponry was practically eradicated because it's ineffective against the armour.
( So, when he heard robot Ian was expecting like a six or seven foot tall sort-of human-ish stereotypical I, Robot thing. Not...
That. He slows to a stop, hands settling on his hips and letting out a low, impressed whistle. Surprised as he might be, Ian's countenance almost never wavers from a steady baseline kind of chill, usually with undercurrents of amusement running through it. Right now's no different. )
Well.
( He starts thoughtfully, head tilted back to study the thing. )
I can build you a hangar out of that acid rain resistant metal in about... a day and a half. Or... maybe make some custom plating to attach over the exterior, but that would take... a lot longer. It might not even be necessary, nanolaminate is... a hell of a lot more resistant to degredation and corrosion than standard steel. I'd say... let me inspect it, then we can give it a week or two after a couple rains and I'll check for wear. I'm gonna, um--
( He heads over nearer to the base of one foot, and holds out a hand. )
Don't... freak out.
( Which is all the warning Vidar gets before Ian's chest starts glowing a pleasant blue, and about a square foot of the gundam's armor plating peels itself away from the whole. )
I'm gonna make a copy of the material to run some tests.
Certainly a hangar would be ideal. But that would count as hoarding resources, and we are at a precarious arrangement with our current .... neighbours. I'm in the discussions with the Captain regarding the third nuclear reactor, because it only needs two. I can afford to donate one to the populace; the third is really just used to camouflage its signature frequency from being identified readily by my enemies. But I'm not in a position to worry about such things right now, and I highly doubt there's any use for its camouflaging capabilities here when no-one cares about the fact that it's a Gundam to begin with. [ he pauses, and then adds, ] Or the fact that I, its pilot, am here.
For now, checking for wear and tear and having regular maintenance performed on it is more than I can hope for. [ he looks at the gundam fondly. ] This might be strange, but I do consider it as an old friend. And I've someone waiting for both of us back home ... I need it to be ready for that day.
[ he looks at ian's chest curiously as he does his thing. a person who has an appreciation for things will be careful with it, and he trusts that ian knows what he's doing. ]
The only resource you'd really be hoarding is just... space, but depending on how comfortable you are storing it further away from residential areas...
( He murmurs, a little distracted. That single square of metal doesn't stay single very long — beside it, knitting into existence is an exact duplicate. Once it's fully formed, he curls a hand around that and uses the other to gently knit the first piece back where it belongs.
That done, he turns his attention back to Vidar properly. )
I can duplicate patches of the acid resistant material, but that's kind of... time-consuming. Hopefully it turns out we don't need it. In the meantime...
( He blows out a breath, shoots another glance at the Gundam. )
At that size, this is either gonna be way easier or way harder than I thought. We'll see once I can actually peel back some panels and take a look. Is there anything... particularly sensitive or anything I should know about it before I go poking around?
[ ian mentions distance, and vidar just sighs. muttering more to himself than anything else - ] I hate not having funding. It sickens me.
[ anyway.
vidar tries not to look like he's going to have a conniption at the whole 'poking' around thing, but yamazin isn't here and he isn't technologically proficient enough to not fuck around with the gundam and hope for the best that it'll be alright. ]
It has two operating systems. Its general operating system allows it to run, but the second one, I can't show you. [ a pause, and then he tries to clarify - ] It's more for combat use anyway.
( Funding earns Vidar a slightly more amused look, but the comment goes unremarked upon. Currency went out with the apocalypse back home, and he met a few people who seemed totally lost by the concept. The loose bartering system that sprung up naturally afterward was a little harder for a few people to navigate. He doesn't know nearly enough about the guy to insinuate one way or the other, and so the smart play is to keep his mouth shut. )
Weapons systems aren't really my forte anyway, so that's probably for the best.
( He takes his metal scrap back under the covered workshop, and sets it on a workbench he seems to have claimed for himself. On it are long sheets of drafting paper, some blank, some already filled out with lines and sketches. He draws out a fresh sheet and sets it on top. )
I'm gonna be spending a lot of time crafting weapons and ammunition for the security team, then helping the construction of the bunker beneath the theater, but I should have an hour or two most evenings to start drawing out the schematics. You can leave it here if you want, or just bring it by a little before sundown?
( Over-extending himself? Ian? No, never. Why would he ever avoid all of his problems by working himself to death? It's fine. )
[ vidar nods. ] If I'm not doing any exploring with it, it'll just be here.
But do it carefully. I can't imagine anyone would be happy that we're spending it on what's essentially a vanity project compared to, you know. The overall security and well-being of the camp.
[ he's sure a lot of them see his friend here as scrap metal that can be used to reinforce the bunker he mentioned; that's really vidar's worry. ian will find out in small doses that vidar is more than a pilot, and has a bit of the politician in him. perhaps it's for the best that he's confined in a mobile suit as opposed to actually being in government. ]
Thank you for your interest; we're happy to be in your care. [ him and the gundam, which he speaks of in very fond terms; vidar pats it gently on its foot, even, as if to reassure it. ] I'd normally repay such gestures, but for now, you can count on me for favours that are within my limited capabilities.
( He nods absently; yeah, he's been well-chastised about vanity projects recently. That's the reason operation "build himself an underground apartment with an actual private bedroom" has been put on hold until the damn bunker is finished. He thinks they'll be a little more lenient about an hour or two periodically for a giant fucking battle robot. That's something that could potentially benefit the camp as a whole.
The offer earns Vidar a mild, calm smile. )
No problem, man. I might take you up on that.
( His tone suggests he probably doesn't plan to. He doesn't really work for payment, not in situations like this. He does it because he can, and because people need it.
He raises up a screwdriver in a kind of wave; he's got it from here, buddy. You can go do something more fun than stand around watching him stare at paper. )
[ he doesn't mind watching for now. it's interesting the way someone is super happy to work on his gundam, and it reminds him of yamazin, his actual mechanic, except ian has no compunctions about making him a guinea pig at the cost of his life, so maybe this is a better arrangement. ]
What kind of weapons have you been making for the security team? Not just guns of various types, I guess?
( He starts out, just an absent little filler word as he glances over at the disassembled weapon on one side of the workbench. )
I've actually mainly been duplicating the rifles they've already got on tap. I can't do the whole thing at once, the... copying part is actually pretty restrictive for me, but I can copy the pieces and then manually assemble them. The ammo, though, they're way more into that. Apparently it's harder to come by, and it gets lost easy.
That's understandable. Though if ammo is always a concern, maybe they should all consider moving towards non-ballistic weapons for the most part? That way they don't have to worry about ammunition all the time.
Swords, spears, all of that is old fashioned, but have their own uses. Firearms should only go to people who are specialized with its use.
[ well, it makes sense to him, either way. ] I'm guessing you're not working on any alien tech, or whatever's alien to someone from your period in earth.
( He sways in a shrug of telegraphed consideration, and sounds generally agreeable even as he offers a counter-point. )
True, but close quarters isn't always ideal. Those rats from a few days ago had acid tentacles, they had a pretty long reach. We found an entire arm that had been burned off. As for alien tech...
( He absently touches a scar at the back of his hairline. )
I guess that kind of... depends. I— well, waking up five hundred years in the future last year skews my whole time period baseline a little. These guns are pretty foreign, your giant robot's pretty foreign, but so were cybernetic neural mesh implants at first. I seriously wouldn't mind getting my hands on something new, though, you know? Everything I've run into regardless of the universe or time period operates on kind of the same... stuff. The same principals, the same... physics, the same materials for the most part. I mean, everything aside from magic, but that's... a whole different story.
( Sorry man, he's a rambler. Get him on the right subjects and he'll talk fer days. )
Magic is new to me, and I'd love to see more about it, but it's my understanding that witches and wizards and so on are quite secretive about their craft? Perhaps for good reason.
In any case, isn't it good that everyone operates similarly? I wouldn't have been able to ask you for help otherwise if it's something impossible.
[ though he's hoping that there aren't a lot of systems that make use of someone's brain, or soul, or whatever you'd call it as a stand-in for an operating system. ] What kind of stuff do you want to see?
( Another gentle sway comes about that secretiveness; yeah, fairly true in his experience as well, even if they didn't call themselves witches and wizards back there. They still kept their powers to themselves, sometimes even among themselves, never revealing to the rest of the group what they could do.
He's way more passionate about the other portion of this conversation, though. )
Don't get me wrong, it's great that I have at least some idea of what I'm doing with most of this new tech at the start, and it's great that I can generally figure it out using the same... methods, but... I don't know, it'd just be really exciting to see some kind of science or system that worked in a completely baffling, non-intuitive way that I couldn't wrap my head around for a while. Like--
( He struggles visibly for a second, searching his imagination for an example that doesn't sound stupid. )
Liquid metal, or- or- some variant on magnetism, a completely new material or element, or... something. I don't know. Something cool. Some of that abstract science fiction shit.
I think it's nice to be curious. But in that case you'll never be satisfied, no? There is always something out there just beyond the limits of your grasp.
[ vidar can't say that he understands that drive, but he respects it. anyone wanting to pursue something greater than themselves is going beyond the amount of respect vidar pays his own life, but that's not really something for a lighthearted discussion. ] Then again, I suppose that's what defines scientists and poets alike. There's a certain romance in it.
[ a feast is a welcome change of pace for the base camp, whose existence has been quite routine and dreary for a while. it doesn't take too long to find things tedious far away from where one should be and vidar certainly isn't immune to it.
with the arrival of the aliens, he's a bit concerned. he's never seen aliens before, and he's delighted to find that they are just as bizarre as he thought they would be, though peaceful. not really a problem, and more of a welcome disposition than anything else, however.
the food leaves much to be desired. vidar is content to eat the seafood; he'll touch some of the vegetables, but he also has no problems giving them away. when he's given a second helping - due to some good will he's done recently - he sighs at the amount of green in it. ]
I know I can't be picky, but I truly wish I was eating something else. Want some of mine?
B.
[ or maybe you're going to join the revelry, because he certainly will. whether or not you're up for it, if you're in the periphery, he'll ask - ]
Want to dance?
CRITTERS
[ following the opening of the sinkholes, a robot about twenty metres tall is seen lifting one of the critters, and spearing them right through with a sabre. it pushes the carcass off the blade with a kick and heaves it into a pile for disposal later on. ]
Watch your head.
[ careful not to get stepped on. or if you need a hand, just hail him over, and he'll help you out! ]
ANYTHING ELSE
[ hmu for plans, whether on discord (wrryypugnant#6666) or via PMs! ]
[ Dealing with critters... it's not exactly something that's usually in Illumi's repertoire back at home. On a rare occasion, he has to deal with something like this. But it's quite few and far between. Not that he's at a loss of what to do— it's more like this is really stuff he doesn't feel like doing.
His abilities aren't exactly suited to fending off such beasts, either, aside from using raw brute strength, so it's a nice breath of fresh air when this giant robot comes over and takes care of things for him. Illumi's seen the robot around camp before, so he's not that alarmed to see it in motion, though he is a little surprised by that giant sword, as well as by the unceremonious way the carcass of that beast gets dropped. He doesn't look armed, despite being right in the thick of the battle-zone, choosing instead to shield his eyes with a hand as he looks up at the tower of metal. ]
...Are they telling us to kill them now?
[ Last he heard, quite a few others were trying to do find alternative ways of dealing with them... he doesn't sound accusatory, just curious! ]
'Extermination' doesn't really leave much choice for living, doesn't it?
In any case, if you provide me a reason to let them live, I'm all ears.
[ because as it stands, he's lifting a wriggler in his robot hands and chucking it right back into the hole. it's quite the sight. when the critter tries to climb out of the hole, vidar has no problem kicking it right back in. gaslight, gatekeep. ]
[ Well, it's certainly not compassion that's giving Illumi pause at the statement. No, he seems to be in genuine thought, trying to come up with any reason at all, arbitrary or otherwise, that these creatures shouldn't get speared. ]
Hmm... couldn't we eat them? Oh, then we'd still need to kill them.
[ He's rambling, obviously with little forethought, as he's just throwing ideas at the board. Meanwhile, Illumi watches Vidar kick and throw the critter back down the hole with little sympathy, while also not offering any assistance or advice. This guy is gatekeeping quite fine on his own!! ]
Well, it doesn't really matter that much. [ So long as he doesn't have to pull more weight than necessary. ] You seem equipped to deal with them, in either case.
... What, you want to try and eat them? Can we even do that?
[ is that actually a possibility. because that'd make them slightly more useful, than, you know. whatever it is they're doing right now. vidar stuns another one with the edge of his gundam's sword, lifts it, and chucks it off to join its other friends. ]
[ Illumi wanders over to the stack of the critters, getting a closer look at their talons and the qualities of their hide. He makes sure to stay out of the way in case another one comes flying over to join them, though. ]
Why not? They don't seem to be poisonous, [ He offers, lightly, continuing to search for any tell-tale signs of venom - well, "tell-tale" from the perspective of his own world, anyway. ] And the rations they have are finite. Wouldn't eating them be the logical solution?
[ The hard part of finding them and killing them is already done with! ]
[ He says this with a fair degree of confidence, his eyes boring into the animal's fatal wound. Alien animal or not, if Illumi is certain of one of his talents, it's his ability to ingest lethal and dangerous substances. Even on the off chance an animal like this can cause a negative reaction in humans, he's quite sure his body will make the reaction minimal, or he'll be able to endure any negative side effects of eating Alien Mole Meat™. ]
But, if we take one and prove it isn't dangerous, the rest will likely be more open to agreeing.
[ now does he want to be a lab rat... preferably no, but he gets the feeling the people around here will not be amenable to "hey lets cook up this gross rat thing that crawled up out of the ground" unless provided with some proof it'll be safe. ]
[ is that an ability of his, is that why? or is this just childish foolishness. who knows. in any case the robot stares at him for a while, vidar trying to decide whether he really should push illumi's luck, and then finally decides to grab not one, but two wrigglers. he stuns them with a sharp thwack on the side of their heads and starts taking them an arm each. ]
[ Inside his mind, Illumi is left cluelessly wondering what this guy means by "just in case" he's successful... didn't he just say it would be fine? Maybe he can't hear him through that big robot head. That must be the reason for the hesitation! ]
Sure. We'll need a big knife to clean them first, though.
[ Which means they're heading off to the kitchen! Illumi takes a few paces back away from the robot, wondering just how this guy will help with the gutting while in that huge machine... did more work just fall into his lap? ]
Unless that machine has some way of dealing with taking the organs out. And you have the know-how.
[ It's never good to judge a book by its cover... Illumi knows his way around anatomy (for nefarious reasons), but it'd certainly take less elbow grease from a giant robot than him. ]
Then, lets ask the kitchen. The cleanup will be easier.
[ Because they probably have ... some?! Kitchen tools that would make gutting an animal a cleaner process? Illumi wanders back towards the winding pathways that'll lead them off to the basecamp's kitchen, peering sideways up at the giant robot - making sure not to walk too fast, keeping stride with the machine. On the way there: ]
Do the Adamant's people mind you walking around in that?
[ It's a blunt question, but an honestly curious one; he has to wonder whether people see the giant robot as cool or a big nuisance to the general flow of things. Personally, he doesn't see a problem, since anyone with two braincells should be able to stay out of its way. ]
[ eventually, he'll get down from it - it's simply too big to be carried through and it's a hassle. he'll leave it right outside, but catch up with him later on.
it does feel a lot better being outside of the gundam sometimes. vidar glances at their kill and at his question, shrugs. ]
When you do favours for them, they're more inclined to be kind to you and overlook certain things.
[ He manages to send genuinely surprised... the one person on Camp Leviathan who wouldn't know that is this guy, who only pulls the weight he feels is most urgently necessary. As a result, he is Not popular with the locals, but it doesn't bother him - however, in the current situation, it does give him pause, before he meanders off to the kitchen. ]
They're more likely to hand over the kitchen to you, then. Shall I say you were with me?
[ there are times he's actually useful, and there are times where he actually enjoys himself, and this is one of them, primarily because he wants to see illumi succeed in his little experiment. they're allowed in, of course, and given room thanks to vidar being helpful around for some time. that all done, he gets illuminated the sharpest butcher knife he can find to start with. ]
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closed to: ian
in any case he has nothing else to do. and he has something to protect, which he was fairly sure was taking up space in a planet not made for it, and amongst a people who were rightfully suspicious of new hatchlings. vidar might've gained some popularity by recent expeditions but it's short-lived. and as a former aristocrat he was very well-acquainted with how fickle a public can be.
so befriending engineers is paramount. technically proficient who, he's fairly sure, the basecamp would love to get a use for, but vidar needs to make acquaintances with them for personal reasons. sentimental reasons, even. he's far away from home and he wants his comforts; can one blame him for such selfishness?
but one doesn't need to know that to a first meeting, and so vidar is here, charming as you please, and gives him a little wave. ]
Hello. Are you ready?
no subject
He's wearing one, actually, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a set of safety goggles perched on his head holding his long hair back.
Prepare for the traditional greeting of his people: a sup nod and a casual; )
Hey, man.
( He wheels away from his desk a couple of feet before standing and meandering over. )
Let's see what we're workin' with.
no subject
The machine is called a Gundam. It is a mobile suit which is made for for space warfare; Gundam is the name for its frame. There are only a few of it made in my world; this one is a modified antique, but it still runs well.
Now, I have confidence in its sturdiness but that was when I was .... not stranded in an alien planet with acid rain.
[ walking towards the edge of the base camp and the gundam is revealed, looming over them. at about twenty feet tall, black and blue in colour, it is certainly imposing. ]
This is Gundam Vidar.
[ yes they have the same name. ] The cockpit is in the chest, it's suited for one pilot. It is powered by three nuclear reactors, and the armor is something that's called a nanolaminate armour - I'm not ... the person to ask about its composition, but it's sturdy enough that in our world, beam weaponry was practically eradicated because it's ineffective against the armour.
no subject
That. He slows to a stop, hands settling on his hips and letting out a low, impressed whistle. Surprised as he might be, Ian's countenance almost never wavers from a steady baseline kind of chill, usually with undercurrents of amusement running through it. Right now's no different. )
Well.
( He starts thoughtfully, head tilted back to study the thing. )
I can build you a hangar out of that acid rain resistant metal in about... a day and a half. Or... maybe make some custom plating to attach over the exterior, but that would take... a lot longer. It might not even be necessary, nanolaminate is... a hell of a lot more resistant to degredation and corrosion than standard steel. I'd say... let me inspect it, then we can give it a week or two after a couple rains and I'll check for wear. I'm gonna, um--
( He heads over nearer to the base of one foot, and holds out a hand. )
Don't... freak out.
( Which is all the warning Vidar gets before Ian's chest starts glowing a pleasant blue, and about a square foot of the gundam's armor plating peels itself away from the whole. )
I'm gonna make a copy of the material to run some tests.
no subject
Certainly a hangar would be ideal. But that would count as hoarding resources, and we are at a precarious arrangement with our current .... neighbours. I'm in the discussions with the Captain regarding the third nuclear reactor, because it only needs two. I can afford to donate one to the populace; the third is really just used to camouflage its signature frequency from being identified readily by my enemies. But I'm not in a position to worry about such things right now, and I highly doubt there's any use for its camouflaging capabilities here when no-one cares about the fact that it's a Gundam to begin with. [ he pauses, and then adds, ] Or the fact that I, its pilot, am here.
For now, checking for wear and tear and having regular maintenance performed on it is more than I can hope for. [ he looks at the gundam fondly. ] This might be strange, but I do consider it as an old friend. And I've someone waiting for both of us back home ... I need it to be ready for that day.
[ he looks at ian's chest curiously as he does his thing. a person who has an appreciation for things will be careful with it, and he trusts that ian knows what he's doing. ]
no subject
( He murmurs, a little distracted. That single square of metal doesn't stay single very long — beside it, knitting into existence is an exact duplicate. Once it's fully formed, he curls a hand around that and uses the other to gently knit the first piece back where it belongs.
That done, he turns his attention back to Vidar properly. )
I can duplicate patches of the acid resistant material, but that's kind of... time-consuming. Hopefully it turns out we don't need it. In the meantime...
( He blows out a breath, shoots another glance at the Gundam. )
At that size, this is either gonna be way easier or way harder than I thought. We'll see once I can actually peel back some panels and take a look. Is there anything... particularly sensitive or anything I should know about it before I go poking around?
no subject
[ anyway.
vidar tries not to look like he's going to have a conniption at the whole 'poking' around thing, but yamazin isn't here and he isn't technologically proficient enough to not fuck around with the gundam and hope for the best that it'll be alright. ]
It has two operating systems. Its general operating system allows it to run, but the second one, I can't show you. [ a pause, and then he tries to clarify - ] It's more for combat use anyway.
no subject
Weapons systems aren't really my forte anyway, so that's probably for the best.
( He takes his metal scrap back under the covered workshop, and sets it on a workbench he seems to have claimed for himself. On it are long sheets of drafting paper, some blank, some already filled out with lines and sketches. He draws out a fresh sheet and sets it on top. )
I'm gonna be spending a lot of time crafting weapons and ammunition for the security team, then helping the construction of the bunker beneath the theater, but I should have an hour or two most evenings to start drawing out the schematics. You can leave it here if you want, or just bring it by a little before sundown?
( Over-extending himself? Ian? No, never. Why would he ever avoid all of his problems by working himself to death? It's fine. )
no subject
But do it carefully. I can't imagine anyone would be happy that we're spending it on what's essentially a vanity project compared to, you know. The overall security and well-being of the camp.
[ he's sure a lot of them see his friend here as scrap metal that can be used to reinforce the bunker he mentioned; that's really vidar's worry. ian will find out in small doses that vidar is more than a pilot, and has a bit of the politician in him. perhaps it's for the best that he's confined in a mobile suit as opposed to actually being in government. ]
Thank you for your interest; we're happy to be in your care. [ him and the gundam, which he speaks of in very fond terms; vidar pats it gently on its foot, even, as if to reassure it. ] I'd normally repay such gestures, but for now, you can count on me for favours that are within my limited capabilities.
no subject
The offer earns Vidar a mild, calm smile. )
No problem, man. I might take you up on that.
( His tone suggests he probably doesn't plan to. He doesn't really work for payment, not in situations like this. He does it because he can, and because people need it.
He raises up a screwdriver in a kind of wave; he's got it from here, buddy. You can go do something more fun than stand around watching him stare at paper. )
no subject
What kind of weapons have you been making for the security team? Not just guns of various types, I guess?
no subject
( He starts out, just an absent little filler word as he glances over at the disassembled weapon on one side of the workbench. )
I've actually mainly been duplicating the rifles they've already got on tap. I can't do the whole thing at once, the... copying part is actually pretty restrictive for me, but I can copy the pieces and then manually assemble them. The ammo, though, they're way more into that. Apparently it's harder to come by, and it gets lost easy.
no subject
Swords, spears, all of that is old fashioned, but have their own uses. Firearms should only go to people who are specialized with its use.
[ well, it makes sense to him, either way. ] I'm guessing you're not working on any alien tech, or whatever's alien to someone from your period in earth.
no subject
True, but close quarters isn't always ideal. Those rats from a few days ago had acid tentacles, they had a pretty long reach. We found an entire arm that had been burned off. As for alien tech...
( He absently touches a scar at the back of his hairline. )
I guess that kind of... depends. I— well, waking up five hundred years in the future last year skews my whole time period baseline a little. These guns are pretty foreign, your giant robot's pretty foreign, but so were cybernetic neural mesh implants at first. I seriously wouldn't mind getting my hands on something new, though, you know? Everything I've run into regardless of the universe or time period operates on kind of the same... stuff. The same principals, the same... physics, the same materials for the most part. I mean, everything aside from magic, but that's... a whole different story.
( Sorry man, he's a rambler. Get him on the right subjects and he'll talk fer days. )
no subject
In any case, isn't it good that everyone operates similarly? I wouldn't have been able to ask you for help otherwise if it's something impossible.
[ though he's hoping that there aren't a lot of systems that make use of someone's brain, or soul, or whatever you'd call it as a stand-in for an operating system. ] What kind of stuff do you want to see?
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He's way more passionate about the other portion of this conversation, though. )
Don't get me wrong, it's great that I have at least some idea of what I'm doing with most of this new tech at the start, and it's great that I can generally figure it out using the same... methods, but... I don't know, it'd just be really exciting to see some kind of science or system that worked in a completely baffling, non-intuitive way that I couldn't wrap my head around for a while. Like--
( He struggles visibly for a second, searching his imagination for an example that doesn't sound stupid. )
Liquid metal, or- or- some variant on magnetism, a completely new material or element, or... something. I don't know. Something cool. Some of that abstract science fiction shit.
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[ vidar can't say that he understands that drive, but he respects it. anyone wanting to pursue something greater than themselves is going beyond the amount of respect vidar pays his own life, but that's not really something for a lighthearted discussion. ] Then again, I suppose that's what defines scientists and poets alike. There's a certain romance in it.
[ or madmen, actually. ]
10-17 june event: OTA
A.
[ a feast is a welcome change of pace for the base camp, whose existence has been quite routine and dreary for a while. it doesn't take too long to find things tedious far away from where one should be and vidar certainly isn't immune to it.
with the arrival of the aliens, he's a bit concerned. he's never seen aliens before, and he's delighted to find that they are just as bizarre as he thought they would be, though peaceful. not really a problem, and more of a welcome disposition than anything else, however.
the food leaves much to be desired. vidar is content to eat the seafood; he'll touch some of the vegetables, but he also has no problems giving them away. when he's given a second helping - due to some good will he's done recently - he sighs at the amount of green in it. ]
I know I can't be picky, but I truly wish I was eating something else. Want some of mine?
B.
[ or maybe you're going to join the revelry, because he certainly will. whether or not you're up for it, if you're in the periphery, he'll ask - ]
Want to dance?
CRITTERS
[ following the opening of the sinkholes, a robot about twenty metres tall is seen lifting one of the critters, and spearing them right through with a sabre. it pushes the carcass off the blade with a kick and heaves it into a pile for disposal later on. ]
Watch your head.
[ careful not to get stepped on. or if you need a hand, just hail him over, and he'll help you out! ]
ANYTHING ELSE
[ hmu for plans, whether on discord (wrryypugnant#6666) or via PMs! ]
critters!
His abilities aren't exactly suited to fending off such beasts, either, aside from using raw brute strength, so it's a nice breath of fresh air when this giant robot comes over and takes care of things for him. Illumi's seen the robot around camp before, so he's not that alarmed to see it in motion, though he is a little surprised by that giant sword, as well as by the unceremonious way the carcass of that beast gets dropped. He doesn't look armed, despite being right in the thick of the battle-zone, choosing instead to shield his eyes with a hand as he looks up at the tower of metal. ]
...Are they telling us to kill them now?
[ Last he heard, quite a few others were trying to do find alternative ways of dealing with them... he doesn't sound accusatory, just curious! ]
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In any case, if you provide me a reason to let them live, I'm all ears.
[ because as it stands, he's lifting a wriggler in his robot hands and chucking it right back into the hole. it's quite the sight. when the critter tries to climb out of the hole, vidar has no problem kicking it right back in. gaslight, gatekeep. ]
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Hmm... couldn't we eat them? Oh, then we'd still need to kill them.
[ He's rambling, obviously with little forethought, as he's just throwing ideas at the board. Meanwhile, Illumi watches Vidar kick and throw the critter back down the hole with little sympathy, while also not offering any assistance or advice. This guy is gatekeeping quite fine on his own!! ]
Well, it doesn't really matter that much. [ So long as he doesn't have to pull more weight than necessary. ] You seem equipped to deal with them, in either case.
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[ is that actually a possibility. because that'd make them slightly more useful, than, you know. whatever it is they're doing right now. vidar stuns another one with the edge of his gundam's sword, lifts it, and chucks it off to join its other friends. ]
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Why not? They don't seem to be poisonous, [ He offers, lightly, continuing to search for any tell-tale signs of venom - well, "tell-tale" from the perspective of his own world, anyway. ] And the rations they have are finite. Wouldn't eating them be the logical solution?
[ The hard part of finding them and killing them is already done with! ]
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I mean, certainly.
But Remi seems utterly convinced that they have to be eliminated, and seeing as they've been here for a while, I'm inclined to follow that.
How about we take one for your experiment? [ if it can be eaten that'd be easy enough to find out, right? ]
I don't want you to die, though, but I am curious enough to see if it'll work out.
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[ He says this with a fair degree of confidence, his eyes boring into the animal's fatal wound. Alien animal or not, if Illumi is certain of one of his talents, it's his ability to ingest lethal and dangerous substances. Even on the off chance an animal like this can cause a negative reaction in humans, he's quite sure his body will make the reaction minimal, or he'll be able to endure any negative side effects of eating Alien Mole Meat™. ]
But, if we take one and prove it isn't dangerous, the rest will likely be more open to agreeing.
[ now does he want to be a lab rat... preferably no, but he gets the feeling the people around here will not be amenable to "hey lets cook up this gross rat thing that crawled up out of the ground" unless provided with some proof it'll be safe. ]
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[ is that an ability of his, is that why? or is this just childish foolishness. who knows. in any case the robot stares at him for a while, vidar trying to decide whether he really should push illumi's luck, and then finally decides to grab not one, but two wrigglers. he stuns them with a sharp thwack on the side of their heads and starts taking them an arm each. ]
Just in case you're successful.
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Sure. We'll need a big knife to clean them first, though.
[ Which means they're heading off to the kitchen! Illumi takes a few paces back away from the robot, wondering just how this guy will help with the gutting while in that huge machine... did more work just fall into his lap? ]
Unless that machine has some way of dealing with taking the organs out. And you have the know-how.
[ It's never good to judge a book by its cover... Illumi knows his way around anatomy (for nefarious reasons), but it'd certainly take less elbow grease from a giant robot than him. ]
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[ more like he has never had any sort of culinary knowledge because he eats rations in space and in his former life, gaelio bauduin had maids. ]
Maybe we can ask either Engineering or the kitchens if they can provide us with something. Having room to examine its body would be a good start.
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[ Because they probably have ... some?! Kitchen tools that would make gutting an animal a cleaner process? Illumi wanders back towards the winding pathways that'll lead them off to the basecamp's kitchen, peering sideways up at the giant robot - making sure not to walk too fast, keeping stride with the machine. On the way there: ]
Do the Adamant's people mind you walking around in that?
[ It's a blunt question, but an honestly curious one; he has to wonder whether people see the giant robot as cool or a big nuisance to the general flow of things. Personally, he doesn't see a problem, since anyone with two braincells should be able to stay out of its way. ]
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it does feel a lot better being outside of the gundam sometimes. vidar glances at their kill and at his question, shrugs. ]
When you do favours for them, they're more inclined to be kind to you and overlook certain things.
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[ He manages to send genuinely surprised... the one person on Camp Leviathan who wouldn't know that is this guy, who only pulls the weight he feels is most urgently necessary. As a result, he is Not popular with the locals, but it doesn't bother him - however, in the current situation, it does give him pause, before he meanders off to the kitchen. ]
They're more likely to hand over the kitchen to you, then. Shall I say you were with me?
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[ there are times he's actually useful, and there are times where he actually enjoys himself, and this is one of them, primarily because he wants to see illumi succeed in his little experiment. they're allowed in, of course, and given room thanks to vidar being helpful around for some time. that all done, he gets illuminated the sharpest butcher knife he can find to start with. ]