epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

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EVENT ★ THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

A message is sent to teams Audentes, Unicorn, and Ambrosia via magitek early in the morning, alerting all users to expect to be rifted back to Oska in three hours. Shortly after that comes a message from the Queen of Terra Felis, requesting that recruits stop by the palace briefly to receive her blessing. Any recruits who oblige her will find that her blessing is actually a very physical gift: a feeling of peace that washes over each person as soon as they step into the palace. This feeling will persist for the next 12 hours, and comes with a boost to either strength or speed for the duration of it. It's the Queen's way of wishing her departing guests good luck.

Then comes the rift, and finally, Oska.

ARRIVAL

Oska isn't doing well. The devastation is immediately apparent in the blistered and blackened stone of the castle, completely blasted apart in some areas. Plantlife about the castle has been completely shredded, entire trees reduced to splintered stumps. The area recruits are rifted into is temporarily safe, guarded by team Mariposa, all of them of a large, fiercely warlike species, each heavily armed. There are only five of them, but that's enough to defend the little corner of Oska set up to receive the incoming teams.

The largest, most battle-scarred member of Mariposa issues no orders, but fills arrivals in on the situation: there are several models of robots focusing on the destruction of the castle. Hear that distant, repetitive thud? The largest robots, the 15-foot (457cm) models, area busy hammering at an interior wall, trying to break into the Mechanical Room. They're the main priority -- but don't lose track of the flanking and defensive models, they're there to cause whatever carnage they can while the largest ones tear down the castle itself. Basically, take out every robot you see, as fast as you can.

Those who can't fight have another, even more important job. There are defense nodes scattered throughout Oska, some inside the castle, some outside, even some in the village. These are small panels that blend in with the scenery. They each need to be opened up and rebooted with an access code put in via number pad. When every single node has been rebooted, the cloaking device will fully activate throughout this entire dimension, getting it permanently off of Zymandis's radar once more. Any recruit who volunteers for this job will have a map of each node location sent to their magitek. The robots don't seem to realize the importance of these nodes and usually ignore them, but will attack anyone they see working at one.

OPPONENTS

The biggest models are the PW15s; with sledgehammers at the end of their arms, they're programmed just to break down and tear apart foundation. They're currently working on busting their way into the Mechanical Room, where the TIMELINE.exe is kept. They must be stopped. Without the TIMELINE.exe, ALASTAIR is left aimless and adrift. These machines work ceaselessly at their task, and can only be distracted by focusing temporarily on a target right in front of them. Otherwise, they will ignore any attacks on them and keep working on the wall in front of them until they are torn apart themselves.

PW15s are guarded by the Shielders. These are the basic eight-foot (245cm) models, but each comes with a large light shield it will use to defend itself and the PW15s. They stay behind these impenetrable shields and fire lasers from safety, but don't have very advanced programming. They will swivel around to face their target, leaving themselves open to attacks from behind. Tag teaming these robots is very effective.

Airbombers can be tricky to navigate, as these robots fly. They're light and fast, but shots from their canons don't do much more than issue small but severe burns. The real danger is in letting one get directly overhead, as once it has done so it will release two to six bombs, which do great damage to people and property upon impact.

The last model to look out for is the T15, which is small but tenacious. These are no bigger than a large dog, and will scuttle quickly forward until they've spotted a target. At that point they plant themselves and begin to fire a concentrated beam of laser at whatever they've spotted until it has stopped moving. These models have very simple programming and few defenses, but are impossible to dissuade from firing while their target is still in sight. They have no sense of object permanence, though, and even ducking behind scenery will confuse one into thinking it's eliminated its target.

THE FIGHT

The arrival of the three teams from Terra Felis do a lot to tip the scales in Oska's favor, but the fight still rages for a full day after their arrival. Team Kittypaw can be seen engaging throughout the grounds -- Uruz and Dagny fiercely defend the stables and the squidge garden, and are tired but nowhere near ready to give up. Cassie leads attacks into robot-heavy areas with gun-blazing gusto and seems to be having the time of her life, but even her energy isn't unlimited. Cherenkov and Crowley are on defense node duty, and can be spotted as a black or white streak on their way to activate the next node, avoiding the bulk of the fighting.

Anyone who needs a break will be instructed to visit the library. Not even the robots are a match for the librarians, who have made it their utmost priority to ensure that nothing unauthorized sets foot among the books. Food and pillows have been brought in, and the area can be used as a base for resting and refueling between fights. Between fending off robots, the librarians will still warily scrutinize anyone eating or drinking too close to a book. They've allowed it, but don't push your luck and get messy.

The fight drags on for almost a full, exhausting 24 hours, but just as dawn begins to come to the little scrap of Oska's dimension, a shimmering races briefly through the sky as the last defense node is rebooted and the shield is reactivated. Any remaining robots jolt and then go still, permanently offline. (Friendly robots might also feel a jolt, but are spared any damage thanks to careful programming.) The collective teams of ALASTAIR finally have a moment to breathe and relax. The fight is over.

AFTERMATH

There is a lot to rebuild and, unfortunately, some mourning to do. Services for those fallen in the fight will be held the following day. They are quick but heartfelt affairs, with friends of the downed recruits speaking a few words about what will be most remembered and missed about their comrades.

Overall, though, the mood is grimly triumphant -- they've just managed to fend off Zymandis, after all. Or at least, a fraction of Zymandis. There are quite a few murmurs of gratitude for the shields being restored in time to stop anything bigger from finding them.

The castle begins to slowly rebuild itself, rocks teetering their way back into place and tapestries slowly restitching themselves. Left to its own devices, it would probably take several years of this for the castle to fully restore itself. It very obviously appreciates recruits lending a hand to rebuilding, though. Suits of armor will bring workers little trinkets of gratitude, or food from the kitchen, which produces it in generous heaps. The castle's rebuilding efforts will even focus a little more strongly on the rooms of anyone helping out, down to any personal effects that were damaged in the fight or otherwise.

Welcome home, Audentes. Rebuilding will last for the full three weeks given until their next mission, and still won't be complete by the time they ship out. But still, try to relax before your next trip out.

OOC NOTES

This log will last ICly and OOCly for three weeks (with the initial battle lasting one day), with the next mission beginning on 21 May. Please use this post to plot amongst yourselves!

The other ALASTAIR teams in Oska at the moment are Unicorn and Ambrosia, who were with Audentes in Terra Felis, Kittypaw, Mariposa, who greeted the new arrivals, and Kraken, a 10-recruit team made of various aquatic and amphibious species who use the lake as their home base during the fight. More teams will be rifting in to help with reconstruction, after the battle is over.

Questions about this log can be directed here. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may also submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ with every descending step, anakin becomes aware of a change. he has stopped by here so often he knows the fluctuations in temperature and the strange play of light of the mirrors. he knows the soft hum of machinery that he never laid eyes on. underneath the ion imprints of laser and the desperate violence, something else, something…open.

the door is open.

not the door itself, and not wide enough to allow a human through. but a new white light braves the sliver left between the cracked wall and the impacted door. inside, when anakin stretches his feelings, he feels something moving, something that shouldn't be.

the massive beast of a droid before the doors rears back its sledgehammer arm for another blow. the arm drops heavily, sparking weakly through the injurious heat that severed it. on the other side of it, the blue lightsaber whips viciously left and right, finding a new mark each time. over his shoulder, anakin warns — ] Something got inside! It's —

[ swearing, he gets caught in the beam of another t15. deflecting the laser with his lightsaber, anakin tilts the blade forward until the beam catches the droid on the floor. it bursts backward in a sparking mess.

he hates those fucking things. ]

[ his heart jumps from his chest and down into his belly until he can feel the thrum of his pulse vibrating in his skin.

where he had been reluctant for battle (it has everything to do with his reputation) a moment ago, he puts his heart into it. it's as if something catches him and sets him aflame. the sword's edge cuts through metal, severing circuits and gears until they were piles of trash. some of the T15s let out a metallic shriek as they die, it's a hollowed sound that sounds almost human, but is made from the friction of steel against steel. (the sword is sharp, Asgardian forged, and it holds.)

Loki's eyes dart up the large droid like he's accepting a challenge. ] Ah, figures ...

[ with a short leap Loki grabs on the back of the PW15, pivots with his boots and sinks the point of his sword in the slit on the back of its neck. the point cuts wires and severs lines of electricity. the mass of bolts twists and flails as if in attempt to throw him off, but Loki's back on his feet and skirting backwards before it can. it falls in the thunder of the destruction.

when he turns his head he can hear the quake of more flanking the rear. ] Fuck. [ Loki curses, and then darts for the sliver of an open door, expecting Anakin to follow. ]

[ most of the galaxy would never take the jedi for gamblers. too respectable. too solemn. several of the masters fit that image perfectly. it's hard for anakin to imagine mace windu even setting foot in a gambling den. ( though if anyone could bluff his way through a lousy hand of sabacc to a win, that would be master windu. that would have made a sight. )

gambling flies in the face of several edicts, but none more than one: jedi do not believe in luck. jedi know the force. nothing occurs by happenstance. all is as the force wills it. the will of the force, however, was often up for interpretation. it had been that way too in the outer rim, a place where everything was determined by chance. a malfunctioning wire. a wind on the horizon. the capricious humor of the hutts.

to win, be willing to risk. to avoid losing, stack the deck. luck was up for interpretation. ]

Loki!

[ this is a gamble: to force an entry that would allow them through means to make a point of entry for more of the droids. one is already inside. more are coming. one's still standing, aiming for anakin through its shield.

the emp grenade explodes against its face. the droid whines its forced shutdown, but the effect is only temporary. that's fine. anakin just needs a precious few moments. when light returns to its eyes, it takes a defensive position against the coming wave. swiveling away, anakin extinguishes the blade of his weapon. in front of the door, he flings out his hand. he seizes the door in the force, and it's heavier and denser and something else in it resists him.

anakin does not let it resist him. ]

[ the world had already become a blur of intent and desperation.

when he had arrived in Oska, the Mechanical Room had fascinated him. he had taken the same path with Kida, both of them ambitious and anxious to find whatever the room may offer them in solace of their own timelines. they had failed, ultimately. from then on Loki was left to bide his time. there was something very evil waiting for him in Asgardia, and he had every intention to stop it before he became it. he was not the means to an end, the certainty of the written word—he was a creature with a free future, and he would prove it.

Anakin darts forward and Loki moves in unison. if there was a such thing as the Force, it was enough to put them in sync. there's long flares of green streaking from his fingers, twisting away from the fallen droid as its hit with the electromagnetic pulse. the door seems so far, even as Anakin yells his name for aid. the space between here and there closes, and Loki lifts his fingers, dark nails stiff and claw-like.

his fingers reach the door, and something inside of him flares bright, and the world that was moving so slowly begins to pass him as if a year were going by in moments. he traces runes on the door, like he has a thousand times before, a harsh whisper beneath his breath.

the door creaks in protest and locks into place. ]

Come on then, in we go!

[ there's a little giddy sound in his voice as he grabs the edge and wretches it slowly, finding just enough wiggle room to slide between it and the wall. the destruction behind them suddenly becomes nothing but an echo. ]

[ anakin is immediately behind, finding the way a little tighter — for a second he's stuck — then he stumbles inside the room, lightsaber flashing to his hand. he inhales through parted lips.

had he spent a little more time on earth — had he bothered with images of history — he may have drawn the comparison between the contents of the room and earth technology in the 1950s. thick-screened monitors, many of which flash scarlet warnings, countless connecting tubes…and a thing that can only be the timeline.

any sense of awe or expectation is cut short by the figure near the massive body. in the force, anakin seizes it, meaning to squeeze it into scrap. to his surprise,
it thins, threads pulling apart, until collapsing into hundreds of little droids. he has little time to wonder before it has swarmed. whether to escape or attack makes no difference. ]

Can you compress it to one area?! [ he calls to his companion. the lightsaber carves brilliant arcs through the air to prevent either. melted and melting pieces dink against the floor. ]

[ it feels same as the outside the door.

there's a rush that overtakes him, reminds him where he is, pushing out the hints of disappointment that may seep into his corners. he's in; he's done it. now what? flickers through his brain at the next breath. green eyes dart around the room, taking in the metal boxes and moving pieces. the room is alive with lights flashing in time with his jewelcomm, demanding help.

between the attack and their intruder it takes less than a heartbeat to put the pieces together. Anakin's talking but Loki's already working, a few hushed words in an old tongue coming from between his lips. the tips of his fingers are glowing in contrast to the red, the reality around them tightens and then for the barest instant, becomes ripe with intention, the waves ripple outward and the concentration breaks, and the spell keeps the little metal bugs in place as if they were being held back by an invisible hand. he beckons, and they're swallowed up onto each other, instead of creating any kind of construct, the force field Loki creates rolls them up into a ball.

I made it I made it I made it I made it

like Hel he'd allow a robot to ruin this.

there's a horrific scream of metal on metal as a few of the bugs are crushed beneath the force of the shield. Loki's fingers, black-tipped and tense, are all knuckles and hard corners. they hold the shape between them as it forms yards in front of them. ]

You'd best hurry.

[ there's a wild smile and a look that says that he may take it himself if Anakin does not. ]

[ anakin feels the change in his bones and in the force. in the force is where it acquires vivid color and an ancient echo. the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end, and with a hint of awe he witnesses.

often loki makes it easy to forget. ]

I'll leave you a few.

[ the blue plasma blade plunges through the sphere. those in contact with the blade ignite. they burn in a white-hot incandescence that is as beautiful as it is destructive. their neighbors flash orange, then yellow, then white. the ball grows smaller as solid melts and searing fluid greedily fills the space. heat conducts the next phase: an orchestra of hisses, screams and ionized cries.

all too soon, the intruder is a ruined half-liquid mass of fried circuits and slow drips. watching the remnants, anakin extinguishes the blade. and they are forgotten — as the battle still raging around them is forgotten — when he lifts his head to the contents of the room. his heart paints a scarlet tattoo against the interior of his ribs.

he made it in. something unnamed rises inside him. neither excitement nor disappointment, but it arcs down his spine and makes him greedy to reach out. to touch. to claim. to seize the answer he's sure, he's sure, will be here.

the first question: what now? ]

[ After the intruder is destroyed, turned into inorganic mush and oil, the monitors continue blinking silently but fervently for help for several seconds before, one by one, flicking to empty fields of blue. The monitors bathe everything in a calming blue: the room, the wires and cables, the machinery, and Loki and Ahad. And for another moment, nothing happens.

Then something pops up on one of the monitors, in the center of the blue field. It's white text, accompanied by no sound. ]

✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

[ The other monitors in the room follow suit, one after another displaying the same thing with no further comment. ]

...

Er—yes, hello, then.

[ a greeting seemed like the most natural thing to do. he's not exactly sure what he expected, and this may be outside or inside the realm of those expectations.

he keeps his breaths measured. ]

You're TIM, aren't you? [ it's less of a question, and more of a reiteration of a statement he knows to be true. he doesn't wait for confirmation. ] Tell me, what just happened?

[ Loki stays just a few feet from Anakin, his shoulders relaxing but his eyes no less aware. there's the barest of glances back to the door, as if he's just waiting for something else to come crashing through. ]

I take it whatever their purpose here failed.

[ a step forward, the lightsaber still in his grip in case anything else does break through. the door and the walls vibrate faintly, but anakin's eyes are on the nearest screen to him.

it isn't hard to surmise what the purpose might have been. to destroy the program. corrupt it. the childish expression it uses is as ridiculous now as it was a year ago when anakin first saw it reply adorning its text with smiling and frowning faces. right now, it carries a promising edge: proof that it has gone unimpaired.

still.

emojis again. ]

[ A gentle, low beep accompanies the next message, which pushes the kaomoji down and eventually off the screen as more lines follow. ]

YES!
I am TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01. Hello world
friend

thankyou friend

TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 is manysyllables
T
I
M
is A-OK ;)

[ The same words scroll down the other screens, one after the other. ]

I'm sorry friend I don't know
"what just happened"
Friend recruit LOKI friendfriend
and other human man friend also
?
?????

"what just happened"
security breach forcedupdate TIMELINE.exe patch ver. 1.0.02

This is friend recruit Anakin. [ there's a smug little tone in his voice, and he tips his head like he's getting some satisfaction from it. then, he looks pointedly at his companion. ] Best to make introductions.

So, Zymandis meant to infiltrate this place and update the Timeline program. We'd be a bit SOL then, wouldn't we? [ not surprising. ] This is beginning to sound an awful lot like Firefox.

[ but he doesn't expand upon the joke anymore, since he's probably the only one that gets it. ]

So, Tim, tell us a little bit about yourself. Start with your last update, perhaps?

[ Anakin gets a raised brow, as if he's waiting for him to add anything he'd like. ]

[ thanks for taking the recruit from a galaxy far, far away and the computer program that can't handle expressions more complicated than text faces's idiomatic limitations into account.

anakin's eyes flick to the side. whether in a restrained eye roll or because he thought he might find a camera to look into in silent plea for help, he nevertheless ignores loki's prodding. he doesn't remember tim being this…well, this before. the patch wasn't installed, but some of his programming could have been corrupted. without pulling apart the program and putting it back together himself — ]

TIM, can you run diagnostics?

Recruit LOKI I am sorry but I don't know
"your last update, perhaps"
My current version is TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 this has been my designation since the beginning of my existence

Friend recruit anakin :) Hello!
Running diagnostics

[ There's another soft, low beep and then strings of diagnostic code start rapidly scrolling down all the screens in the Mechanical Room, too fast to read.

After several long seconds, there's another beep. ]

TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01
Diagnostics Mode
Test_PASSED!
NO ERRORS DETECTED
NO CORRUPTION DETECTED

Good? :)

Good.

[ Loki tips his head in confirmation. outside he can hear the banging against the door, but he doesn't look to perturbed by the prospect of fighting again. if something else makes its way in, then they'll take care of that too.

he's not about to get here to be defeated. ]

Then, back to the basics. When was the beginning of your existence?

Hi, [ anakin answers tim. when the test is finished, he starts to nod even as loki answers. over his shoulder, anakin furrows his brow in the direction of the door. a few minutes, that's all he needs. that they need.

he raises his eyebrows at loki, in case he opts for the idiomatic or organic once more. with nothing to criticize for the moment, anakin allows him to take the lead. for all its complexity, too many questions at once will likely overwhelm tim's prgramming. ]

Recruit LOKI I am a copy of the original TIMELINE.exe 1.0.01 and I do not know the exact date of creation :( Sorry!

I have been in existence for many years but I have had to overwrite unnecessary and superfluous files such as history and query logs to make room formore recent & relevant information

Reviewing oldest file on record
File created: 2313005.8 days ago

[ a copy of the original.

how long had he thought about this moment? certainly before he knew everything else that would come to past. the deliberate destruction of the timeline that King Loki had lead to ruin. he takes in a breath through his nose, and plays it as close to casual as he can, but his fingers twitch at his side.

Anakin's here but

but ]

Access that file.

[ anakin looks at loki.

he likes to think by now he knows his friend. what to dismiss, what to peer underneath. he's off more often than not ( though less than he might otherwise be. ) so submerged as he is in the force — for a warning of what is to come, for awareness of what is behind the doors, for a more perfect picture of the room and its contents — the change in his companion ripples through to him. he observes the slight loosening of his expression before loki resumes control, the tense shift in the lines of his body.

he waits for the answer too. ]

[ There's another soft beep. ]

ACCESSING. . .
Loading Query_Log_01

Awaiting command
>Run diagnostic
Running diagnostic TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 Diagnostics Mode Test_PASSED! NO ERRORS DETECTED NO CORRUPTION DETECTED
>Repeat designation
TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01
>Test for trace of TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.02
Running diagnostic TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 Diagnostics Mode Test_PASSED! NO UPDATES DETECTED
>Test for access to Zymandis servers
NO ACCESS DETECTED would you like me to open a port
>No
>Do not open a port
UNDERSTOOD
>Confirm primary function
TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 function is to run ALGORITHM to FIND INSTABILITY in TIMELINE and alert Zymandis with SUGGESTED ACTION FOR BEST RESULT
>Edit primary function: "alert Zymandis"
Confirmed please enter passcode
>[PASSCODE REDACTED]
Confirmed what is change ?
>Alert ALASTAIR
Confirmed
>Thank you
Query I don't know what you mean by "thank you" ?
>Say you're welcome
Confirmed you're welcome

Query_Log_01 ended

[ there are questions pressing against the edges of his brain so hard that they may overflow. the room fills with the sound of scrolling codes across the screen, and Loki's eyes dart back and forth to read them as quickly as they appear. there's run diagnostic and then that pesky update again. confirm primary function to clear all suspicion before the alert is changed. ]

Who was it that requested this override?

[ he's aware that it may no longer be anyone living, but it's something. ]

We inch closer.

[ it's said half to Anakin, half to himself. there are still some things he wants to ask—both of them want to ask—that makes him somewhat anxious in the presence of someone else. questions will come up.

ah, well

it's about time. ]

Edited 2017-05-17 15:16 (UTC)

[ they really did arise from zymandis. anakin recalls people — flashes of images really, his memory stretched thin and liable to give way to lagoons — dressed in white and gold rather than the standard purple, the emblem sewn into their clothes.

they had been weary. that he remembers well. weary and struggling between them with parts occupying this room. anakin’s organic hand twitches at his side. ]

Is that the last time this room was accessed? Until now.

[ anakin has no response for loki. his presence is unforgettable, but anakin's focus is on the soft vibrations of working machinery within the room. even the ongoing destruction outside the walls seems far away. ]

Recruit friend anakin no there have been others but not for a long time! I do not mind :) My programming does not require physical socialization and I am kept alone to make sure ALASTAIR is safe! So it's g o o d

[ Speaking of the ongoing destruction, the hammering against the walls to the Mechanical Room is getting louder. Dust and cracked pebbles begin to rain down, but TIMELINE.exe doesn't seem to notice. ]

Recruit LOKI
This log is a conversation with Recruit ophiel
friend
(´;︵;`)
I do not wish to talk about her okay ?

[ that's a familiar name, but in a broader sense, rather than a personal sense.

briefly, Loki listens. the hammering continues, and he draws his sword. his shoulders are relaxed as he rolls the back. he's a child of Asgard, not of the folk, he'd be damned before he let this room be invaded. it took him so long to get here, and he's not throwing away his shot.

his tone his measured, but not without sympathy. ]

We haven't much time, Tim. I understand this is a sensitive topic, but a necessary one. So, friend to friend—tell me—who's Recruit Ophiel?

[ he keeps away from the is or was. ]

[ a pebble bounces off of anakin's shoulder. this, too, is dismissed as it happens as is the stream of dust that will bounce harmlessly off the screen to his left. anakin sinks himself deeper and deeper into the intimate preconscious of the next ten seconds. just as neither of the men present will allow another to break in, anakin will not permit damage to the structure. his fingers wrap around the force.

but first — ]

It's important that we know. Whatever happened then…it's relevant now. You must tell us.

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