epidemiology | EVENT ★ WELCOME TO PERDITION'S REST

ARRIVAL

Recruits leave Oska at midday, with about 10 minutes of final warning given from over jewelcomms. Then the white mist rises as rifts open, and Oska is left behind. When they arrive in the new world, they’ll find themselves aboard a train, specifically seated in the coach traveling compartments. The other passengers -- humanoids with muted skin tones and bright eyes -- have already been notified of their arrival, so although there will be a good deal of curious staring, particularly from children, no one is going to be very alarmed at the strange, eclectic assortment of aliens that suddenly show up on board.

It seems that, for once, recruits will enjoy a peaceful arrival. The dusty scenery flashes by placidly outside the windows, the rumble of wheels is constant and soothing, and there’s even a snack cart that makes its way around (the snacks aren’t free, though -- recruits are provided a modest sum of Qorral currency, and the locals are already interested in getting in on it).

BAD COMPANY

The first sign of trouble appears about two hours after arrival when there’s a faint BOOM and each of the train cars gives a little shudder. That would be the rear train car’s back wall being blown open. The other passengers know exactly what this means, and some lock themselves into traveling compartments while others haul out previously put away shotguns and pistols, ready to do what needs doing.

And what needs doing is to fend off the troupe of bandits that have decided that this train looks ripe for the plucking. They board from the gaping hole they blew in the last car and begin shooting their way up the length of the train, robbing as they go, but they also circle out on their horses (mechanical and only vaguely horse-shaped four-legged contraptions that easily keep pace with the train) to provide an armed and unfriendly escort. They’ll shoot through the windows if anyone looks like a troublemaker, and are old hands at ducking to the other side of their horses to use them as cover from any return fire.

The conductor and all present passengers would really appreciate a hand from any recruits who feel like stepping up. Those not quite ready to engage in a shootout can always keep the civilians locked into the compartments company. They, especially the children, might need some calming words (and the sage advice to keep away from the windows, and stop making faces at the bandits).

The bandits put up a pretty good fight, but will eventually be driven away (hopefully without having snagged too many ill-gotten goods from the hardworking citizens of Perdition’s Rest), and peace falls back over the train. The passengers will be a bit frazzled afterward, though, and no one can quite ignore that whistling sound caused by the missing back wall of the final train car. It’s a long two more hours before they reach their destination.

WELCOME TO PERDITION’S REST

A dusty wooden sign swings on rusted hinges overhead as the train pulls into the station: PERDITION'S REST. The engine finally stills with one puff of smoke, and as the passengers begin to disembark, recruits will find a small group awaits them.

The Mayor, his aide, and the sheriff are gathered just outside the train station, and once everyone is more or less off the train and conveniently gathered, the Mayor will clear his throat for attention.

"I'm guessing y'all had a long ride here, didn't you?" He addresses the crowd calmly, with the kind of voice that doesn't need to be raised much to be heard. "Heard about them bandits.They ain’t gonna trouble you here in town, but best mind your wanderin’. I'm Mayor Mordecai Jones, and Perdition's Rest welcomes your company. You'll find our businesses hospitable and our services ready. We're a quiet place, keep mostly to ourselves and don't bother none. You'll do just fine here if you abide that."

The aide waits quietly as the Mayor speaks, while the sheriff eyes the gathered bunch with a resigned wariness. She, and a few other locals who would be willing to speak up if asked, are of the opinion that they've gotten by just fine for 30 years without anyone's help, and they don't figure they need it now. But they'll tolerate the meddling, so long as everyone plays nice.

Mayor Jones's speech draws to a close with a last note that trouble can be brought to him or to Sheriff Rosamund Holladay, and he, his aide, and Sheriff Holladay break the meeting without further ceremony and head away.

Welcome to Perdition's Rest. It's recommended that you look around a little, familiarize yourself with the place, and find lodgings. It's going to be home for a while.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Mission: Perdition's Rest! This mission will last for around three months, currently slated to end in mid-December. Depending on developments, this schedule is subject to change at our discretion.

You can view the dossier here, which contains information that is ICly known to all characters, no matter their arrival time. You can find locations here.

Please direct all questions pertaining to the mission to the dossier page to keep questions and responses in one place for easy player reference. General game questions should be directed to the FAQ.

The Bounty Board will be updated this weekend, so keep an eye out! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lance had had his feet propped up against the opposite row of seats, leaning so far out of his own seat that he may as well be lying on the air between them. He's clearly bored out of his mind, counting the cracks and seams in the ceiling, dressed in his space suit but with the upper armor removed and set aside. When Serene arrives and takes a seat by his feet, he reflexively sits up a little straighter.

"Uh, sure?" He's not usually one to pass up free food, though he is a bit more hesitant about it than Hunk would be... who would have probably had half those snacks down his throat by now. He stares at the items in her hand, noting there's really only one of everything.

"You still wanna eat it even if I take a bite?"

She shrugs. "You don't look diseased. Are you?" He looks young enough and healthy enough that she's not so worried.

"No!Are you?" Lance responds a bit too quickly, a bit too defensively. Okay, Lance, chill, how many white-haired alien princesses (?) are you going to get petulant at in your lifetime?

He clears his throat, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm perfectly healthy." If lacking a little sleep at the moment. Anyway, he reaches over and picks up some candy licorice thing, and takes a tentative bite out of one end of it.

"Dunno, doesn't take like meat to me." But what does he know of food physiology anyway.

Her smile drops and she sits forward, fixing him with a serious stare.

"'Dunno' isn't good enough. Concentrate on the texture, on the flavour. Is there or is there not animal in that food?" For her, this is a deadly serious matter. "I will sicken if there is, so please pay attention."

He sits back when she leans in, which isn't usually the case when he's dealing with a pretty girl. But he's also getting the impression she could probably kill him right now, if she wanted to... so maybe he shouldn't give her any incentive.

"Uh..." Crap, how's he supposed to know? He doesn't have Hunk's tongue, nor does he have any real know-how when it comes to the composition of most food. And this is candy! All sorts of gunk's in candy!

He scans the assortment of treats in her hand.

"You're probably better off sticking to those dried fruits, there..."

She pouts expressively at him, vexed by that answer.

"Just the fruit? Really? What is wrong with you aliens that you are unable to cook a simple meal without tainting it with corpses?!"

She looks down at her wastes of money and shove them out at him again. "No, try everything just to be sure. I do not want to have misjudged so badly."

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't make this food." Childish petulance flares again, but Lance never did respond favorably to strangers throwing accusations in his face.

He leans away from her hand. "Listen, I'm no expert, okay? I can't be sure what's in what, so you're better off sticking to what you know. If you're so peeved, I'll buy the rest of this stuff off of you, and then maybe next time you can not spend your money on stuff you don't even know if you can eat, then take it out on someone you're asking favors from. How's that sound?"

She frowns at him hard for his tone of voice. His disrespect is rankling and she's biting down the urge to snap at him for his rudeness.

"That is... reasonable." She grumbles, for it is, as little as she likes the tone he's taking with her. She sits back and stares down at the contents of her hands, her belly giving out a little growl of discontent.

"I paid a coin for each of these items." She knows she likely got taken advantage of, but she's sure she can get more money easily impressing the locals.

He rummages in the little pockets attached to his suit's belts, fishing out some local currency to count in his hand.

"I'll give you a coin and a half for all of them, how's that?" They were all brought here with the same amount of money, and ruffled as he is with this encounter, it definitely didn't sit right with him to send this woman off without any means to actually get something she can eat. At least this stuff are things he knows he can digest.

He holds the coins out for her, exchanging them with the food.

She tucks the coins into a pocket on her bulky backpack and waits for him to free his hands before she offers her own out to shake.

"Serene Charlord. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, earth man." Now that the deal is done she's pushing aside her disappointment at her failure of an attempt to enjoy a new lunch. She's yet to live up to her first name but she's learnt that she can fight her darker moods by focusing one something or someone new. "You are an earth man, yes? Or have the minority of otherworlders gained a new member in their ranks?"

He finds the sudden shift in demeanor a little suspect, but he supposes she really was just incredibly put out by the food... He decides to shrug it off and attempt to be cordial, now that she seems far more amenable to it, and pops something that he hopes is cherry-flavored into his mouth before answering.

"Yeah, I'm from Earth. You can call me Lance, since there's a number of us."

He pauses in his chewing to make a bit of a face. Definitely not cherry-flavored...

EVENT ★ WELCOME TO PERDITION'S REST

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Sorry for the delay!

np!

Re: np!

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