Beyond the Sea [Closed]

[cityship]

||Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck.

Howard Bassen
Allenby Beardsley
Jake Berenson
John Crichton
Kanoe Zouichi
Lash
Jamie McCrimmon
M'gann M'orzz
Erhart Ritter||

On the Obs Deck, the following mission information was displayed, for any who cared to see:

Planet Designation: Nereus IV
Status: Terrestrial, H-class
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna
Semi-sentient life: Yes
Sentient life: Yes
Water: 79.3% of planet's surface
Climate: Earth-like
Landscape: Variable. Much of the planet's landmasses are partially submerged.
Air: Normoxic concentration: 31% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, 2% xenon, 4% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon.
Air Pressure: 93.8 kPa (kilopascals) = 13.6 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue.
Sun: Class G yellow star
Warnings: Occasional hostile or poisonous sea life.
Mission: Assist the crew of the Saratoga in investigating the communications loss with the deep oceanic station, Deepstar 7.

Additional setting information for the station, including a list of available areas, is here.

[open for tagging now]

Comments

Minging on the Obs Deck (free for all)

[cityship]

As the crew filed onto the Obs Deck, a summary of the following information would also be available to them:

Nereus IV was a planet with vast oceans and rich mineral resources, but no native sentient life to speak of. For this reason, according to the Terrans that had begun sending their dropships down to the large southern continent, skeleton exploratory and mining teams had been sent down first -- people experienced in breaking new ground, who could get down to the business of setting up base before the real colonists could arrive with their families.

It was on a carrier ship off the coast of this southern continent to which the crew would now be sent.

[hadabrother.livejournal.com]

"Looks like we finally got off Earth," Jake mused, "At least in this universe. Back home the Andalites had been reluctant (to say the least) to share technology or build ships for the humans. The fact human beings were colonizing other worlds in other universes seemed like a good sign.

"Wonder what they want us for. We're not exactly deep ocean specialists."

Jake ran through a few of his morphs in his head. The orca whale might come in handy; the squid was probably the best for the kind of depths they'd be operating at. Then again, he didn't know how deep his squid-morph could really go.

Re: Minging on the Obs Deck (free for all)

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

"This is real fishy," Allenby said with a frown, either unaware of or not caring about any potential pun. "If they've got the equipment to build some super-fancy deepsea station, howcome they need people from off the planet to find out what happened to it?"

Yet another mission, she was sure, where they were being shipped off into some hideous situation without getting the least bit of warning for it, because apparently any effort Stacy made to try and treat the crew better resulted in a vicious alternate personality trying to kill them all.

"I ain't unhappy to get off the ship for a while, but we'd better be ready to fight our way back."

[thewunderkind]

"A...water mission?!" Lash wasn't a big fan of the ocean. "If only we had Drake, the fat pirate would be perfect for this," she added muttering, crossing her arms.

Re: Minging on the Obs Deck (free for all)

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

There is pretty much nothing Howard wants to do less right now than go on a mission. On the sea. With unknown factors, in places where exploratory teams were going because it's possibly too dangerous for civilians.

Joy.

Howard's got his medical kit and backpack, as always. At least Stacy's letting him bring that. He's wandering around the observation deck sizing up the crew that's going down - Zouichi, good, Lash, not so good - and keeping a little bit to himself.

Briefing on the Saratoga [subthreaded]

[cityship]

"Most of this world's resources are located under its oceans," said Kurtz. He was a tall man, thin -- with weathered features and an immaculately pressed uniform. The captain of the Saratoga, the carrier ship on which the crew had landed for their briefing. "So our exploratory stations are almost all undersea ventures. That's not a problem -- we have modular designs that get deployed for this sort of thing, tried and true. The Deepstar 7 is one of those. Thing is, we've lost contact with it, and we're miles out from the nearest mainland where the replacement crew was supposed to come from. They're on their way, all right, but it'll take days for all of them to get out here, and by then..." he looked grim.

"... If you are who the higher-ups say you are, there are some men and women down there who might sorely need your help. We've already prepped the carriage to take you down, if you're willing, and we've got a couple people here that'll be able to help you orient. I can answer some questions for you, but we're on a tight timetable. I need to know if we can count on you. If not, we'll try and scramble some more personnel for the dive team."

Man wasn't meant to live at the bottom of the ocean. If the Deepstar habitat had been structurally compromised, and the crew trapped down there under miles of seawater, then their time was rapidly running out.
[Subthreaded, feel free to ask questions or talk amongst yourselves]

[hadabrother.livejournal.com]

Jake raised his hand, brow furrowed, "I'm not sure how many of us are experts in repair or even medics. I know we're... all going to try and help, but is there anything we should know about before we go down there? Like secret research or science gone crazy or something? I'd rather not get down there and find out your people have created some sort of hideous half-man, half-shark that's trying to kill everyone."

He shrugged, "Just been tricked or used one too many times. Nothing personal."

Re: Briefing on the Saratoga [subthreaded]

[nobel-berserker.livejournal.com]

The uniform was just making Allenby more untrustful of the situation. "Hey, I got a question!" she said, sticking her hand up into the air. "I don't mind rescuing people who are trapped in an undersea station, but why did you call in outside help to do it? Did your whole submarine fleet break at once or something?"

Clearly Allenby had been selected for her diplomatic skills on this mission.

The Descent [subthreaded]

[cityship]

Once they'd agreed to the mission, the crew was ushered aboard the Killifish, a compact submersible transport craft built to hold perhaps twenty-five. It had some defensive weaponry, including some claw arms that could be used to grapple with hostile sea life, and an electrical 'skin' system, which could deliver jolts to organisms that might make contact with its hull. However, it was clear that the craft was older, probably refurbished. Apparently, this was the backup carriage; the original had already descended to the Deepstar 7, and could not yet be recovered.

That didn't mean the crew was completely unprepared. There were extra medical and repair kits stowed away in its storage containers, as well as harpoon and stun guns (the latter adapted for undersea use). There were atmospheric diving suits available, each containing twelve hours' worth of emergency breathing mixture.

Of the carriage crew going down with them, the following individuals were introduced:
K. Takagi (Carriage pilot): A private contractor who was rush-hired to man the Killifish, Takagi did have plenty of experience manning sea transports. But he was motivated by the pay and his own safety, not by the need to find out what happened to the station or the people there. He was an excellent pilot, though, so clearly the crew was in great hands.
Lambert (Mechanic): Part of the secondary crew that was supposed to switch out the current shift of personnel manning the Deepstar 7. Lambert knew the basic blueprints of the station but had never been down there herself. She was familiar with the schematics of the Engineering section in particular, and she seemed rather tense and a little snappish.
Omar (Medic): One of the Saratoga's medics, shuffled into the team at the last minute in case of emergencies. He had never been part of a dive before, and was actually sort of claustrophobic and afraid of water.
Mendoza (Communications officer): Also from the crew of the Saratoga, Mendoza was a petite woman with blonde hair and a friendly manner. Though she seemed competent, she was also visible apprehensive about the mission, tapping idly on the hull and occasionally chattering with the crew to keep her mind off of things.

Note: For NPCers, you should be able to use the meat_mooks or hark_a_monster account to do your NPCing. The password is the same as the one for the System Shock account.

[Subthreaded; interact, ask questions of the NPCs, talk, look around and touch things.]

Re: The Descent [subthreaded]

[swordofdorn.livejournal.com]

Erhart sits around in the Killifish, helmet off, quiet, and thoughtful. He is of course utterly heavily armed and armored, but there's an almost pensive look to him for the moment as he hunches in the submersible, trying not to crack his skull on the ceiling.

Re: The Descent [subthreaded]

[youmissed]

This was like a movie. He was pretty sure he'd even seen this one. This wasn't going to go full-on Event Horizon was it? The whole killer jellyfish and crazy Sam Neill thing? John remembered how that one ended. Or was that Sphere? But whatever he thought, he was in for this ride, drew the short straw and here he was, on a mission several thousand feet under the surface on an alien planet. Like nothing at all could go wrong.

Yeah, he didn't buy it either. Maybe he'd seen too many of these movies.

John kept his head down in the transport, having already banged it coming in and thinking he'd filled his quota there. "So is there a typical procedure for repairs or anything I should know about?" John had to say the tech didn't look too alien. It almost reminded him of Earth.

Re: The Descent [subthreaded]

[cityship]

Takagi has the appearance of a man trying to one-up Zouichi for the Lineface Championships. The man looks as if he hasn't cracked an expression since he was a child, and perhaps not even then; the only parts of his face that can't be described as 'stony' are his eyes, glittery and shrewd. As the crew's introduced, he's subtly eying them, taking everything in, though he comments on very little.

"If anyone would like to observe the final system diagnostic before we go down there, they can come with me to the helm. It might lay some fears to rest if you're nervous about the safety of this vessel." His voice does a better job communicating that he thinks the Killfish is a sad excuse for a sub than it does at providing any sympathy to the nervous members of the crew. With a wave of his hand, he leads any who wish to follow to the console.

[Feel free to jump in!]

THE ATTACK

[cityship]

There was a slight tapping on the hull at first, barely noticeable amongst the sounds of the clicking and creaking as the ever-increasing water pressure worried at the Killifish's structural integrity. But not to worry, right? It was built to last.

[Bill to NPC squid]

[cityship]

The tapping becomes more insistent, a moment later, making more of a WHUD, WHUD sound, and the hull of the Killifish groans slightly.

[cityship]

Eventually, the crew got past the squid and made it down to the station. It was a dark, gleaming mass of metal, anchored to the sea floor. Blue lights illuminated the station from the outside, casting a sort of eerie glow into the gloom of the surrounding water.

Once the Killifish touched down beside the airlock, the station's automatic docking procedures initiated, creating an airtight seal with the carriage so that the crew could board the station without incident. No one appeared to greet the crew; there were no blaring alarms or system malfunctions. Just near-silence, in which their footsteps would seem to echo down the halls after them.

Only the backup power seemed to be on at the moment. And many areas of the ship were blocked off by heavy metal shutters, designed to be closed during emergencies.



For a start, however, the crew could attempt to get into some basic areas...

[Threads are below for individual areas to explore. Tag in to look around/try and get in!]

Crew Quarters

[cityship]

The Crew Quarters were located on Mid Level I, consisting of several cabins all clustered around the lift. Or so the station map said, anyway; each of them was locked down. Keycard readers could be seen outside the doors of each of the multi-person cabins, but as to where the keycards for the readers were...

Medical Station

[cityship]

Supposedly, the Medical Station had plenty of supplies; enough to support the entire crew of the Deepstar 7. Unfortunately, it was also shuttered at the moment. The hallway was blocked by a heavy metal alloy bulkhead that seemed to have sustained some odd damage. There was a control panel glowing faintly nearby.

Engineering

[cityship]

Getting to Engineering was more a matter of unlocking the Lower Level via the lift; for whatever reason, access to the bottom portion of the ship had been temporarily restricted. The lift itself would currently go to Mid Level I and Mid Level II. There was an access panel on one of the elevator's walls, as well as a maintenance hatch up above the elevator.

Common Area

[cityship]

The Common Area, unlike the other areas, was closed only by a slender, sliding metal-and-glass door. Electronically sealed, of course. The walls looking into the Common Area from the lift were similarly comprised mostly of large panes of glass. Inside, a number of books, magazines, monitors, etc. could be seen...

The Galley

[cityship]

Howard and Zouichi had found a key to the Galley in Engineering, oddly enough, so the crew was spared the trouble of having to improvise a way to get in. It was a large kitchen, mostly stainless steel, complete with ovens, cooking ranges, microwaves, large standing refrigerators and freezers, and quite a few supplies. It was spotlessly clean, as if nobody had ever used it.

Dinner in the Common Area [free for all]

[cityship]

After a few hours of exploration around the station, the crew had some snippets of information about the crew... but not much. There was the stained Galley Keycard, the photos, the fat tabby cat (who would appreciate being fed, thank you), and the crewman they'd found in their search of the station, now sleeping in his own room in Crew Quarters. Of course, it was awfully hard to think on an empty stomach, so several of the team had put together enough dinner for everyone using the supplies they'd found in the kitchen.

There was beef stew, vegetables, and ingredients for sandwiches, all courtesy of the Deepstar 7's refrigerators. If they wanted, they could probably find someone's planned lunch or dinner, too, packed into a plastic container color-coded by the crew member it belonged to. Of course, stealing someone's lunch was totally wrong (but potentially delicious).

[thewunderkind]

And guess who was the first carrying a packed plastic color-coded container? Lash had found it and was opening eating from it. Not that she didn't like beef stew, but stolen goods always tasted that much sweeter. Besides, they weren't around, right? If they were going to be rescued, they'd have to do it on full stomachs! (And illegal food)

Nighttime/dreams

[cityship]

The station's heat automatically backed off during 'nighttime' to conserve energy, becoming uncomfortably (but not life threateningly) cold. And since they hadn't yet figured out how to access environmental controls, well... the away team either had to make use of the various blankets and comforters the missing crew had used (of which there were plenty in Crew Quarters), or figure out some other way to keep toasty.

Enjoy sleeping in strangers' beds, away team! Hope you're not afraid of silence and darkness and unfamiliar places!

After the crew drifted off to sleep, some of them would no doubt encounter dreams that were a little... unpleasant. Of course, they'd awaken again in the morning having forgotten a good deal of what they'd dreamed about...

[No real limits on nightmares. Feel free to tag into others' dreams, I'll be setting up a communal dream thread also.]

Ballroom dream

[cityship]

Some of the crew might find themselves in an oddly specific dream -- a large party that might have been taken from some bygone year on Earth. Men and women lounged about in plush chairs, sipped drinks at the elaborate bar, or took to the marble dance floor. Some of them wore masks over their faces, made with animal or abstract motifs. All, however, were dressed in formal wear, though they carried on as if the away team were nothing out of the ordinary.

Near the back of the room, there was a large grand piano, and a number of musicians, all dressed in smart tuxedos. A tall, captivating woman with curly dark hair was performing a few songs with the band as accompaniment; she was dressed in a long, flowing, close-cut dress that shimmered sleekly in the soft light.

[If you'd like me to NPC some dream-people for you, note it in the subject lines, please. Otherwise, have fun. You can interact with other away team members here.]

DAY TWO: Exploration

[cityship]

Rise and shine! Hopefully the crew's investigation would turn up some additional hints today.

Or at the very least, no axe-wielding crewmen!

[If you want to explore/revisit a different area, put that in the subject line and I'll NPC that]

Ops

[cityship]

Operations was on the uppermost level of the station and now that the elevator seemed to be working again, it was possible to visit the area without climbing a million billion metal ladder rungs. This was where the main communications apparatus was located. Perhaps additional information about the station's status and recent history could be retrieved from the computers...