EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

[futurologists]

THE EARTHQUAKE One day, early in the morning before the mechanical rooster at Amos Zephyr's farm even crows, there's a sudden rumble in the distance. Perdition's Rest shakes and the ground roils, knocking things off shelves and startling the mechanical horses in their pen. Look out the window and you'll see Qorral locals blearily stepping out into the street, murmuring anxiously amongst themselves: Earthquake. Ever since the argecite mines started to dry up, the Qorral colonists have been turning to fracking in order to pull all available argecite out of the planet as quickly as possible. The technique has caused more and more earthquakes to shake the planet, though the fracking fields are far enough away from the town that damage is minimal. However, the fields and mines aren't as lucky. The mayor rushes out into the street, his assistant and Sheriff Holladay flanking him, and asks for any willing heroes and adventurers (that means you!) to venture out to the fracking fields and assess the damages. Though the tunnels aren't being actively mined, there were likely miners and other workmen inside, so there will be rescue needed as well. Get your provisions ready and hop on the train: you're going to work. THE FRACKING FIELDS The fracking fields are a wide open swath of land peppered with looming, iron machines going on for miles. These machines are the Qorral's final attempt at scraping the last remnants of argecite from the planet before abandoning the colony and moving on for good. This destructive practice is causing obvious instability to the planet, but they don't seem to care. This is what their species does: seeks out argecite, mines it, and moves on. The fields are dry and dead, with no plants around -- and now, after the earthquake, there are sinkholes. The iron machines are falling into the sinkholes, slowly being swallowed by the planet, with desperate workers trying to pull them back out. They could use the help -- but be sure not to fall in yourself. Grotesque alien birds circle overhead, searching for the dead or the dying, workers caught in the collapsing earth. Save them before they're swallowed by the earth or swallowed by carrion birds -- and if you're too late, the locals would be happy to have their loved ones returned to them intact. Also found in the fields is the Argecite Refinery, a massive factory filled with machinery meant for the refining of the crystal before it is to be shipped back to the Qorral home planet. The outside of the factory is surrounded by a 610cm (20 ft) tall electric perimeter fence, whose energy shorts out sporadically after the earthquake cracked the service box. If you're quick enough to make it through one of the gaps in electricity, don't relax quite yet -- there are malfunctioning guard drones throughout the facility, the earthquake rattling their sensors and making it impossible for them to tell friend from foe. The drones resemble dogs, though they are capable of folding their legs in for aerodynamic superiority when they take flight. They are equipped with energy lasers to destroy, sticky glue to slow trespassers, and a thin blade in the tail to poison attackers. The poison is quick-acting, causing hallucinations and fever, but it is not deadly. Inside the factory, the machinery has collapsed in on itself from the earthquake; electricity sparks from damaged wires, dangerously nearby spilled oil drums or pools of standing water. Fire can start at any second. There are factory workers here that need rescuing, but also a variety of inanimate objects, including barrels of argecite, machinery parts, files, computers, etc. Anything that isn't bolted down needs to be moved outside of the factory before it explodes. Of course, no one is really keeping track of what's inside... THE MINES The Qorral have been digging in the mines since arriving on this planet 30 years ago, but recent efforts have shifted to fracking after the argecite veins slowly became depleted. The mines are still maintained by a skeleton crew of workers, making sure there is no build-up of dangerously flammable gas and patrolling the tunnels to look out for cave-ins -- which, after the earthquake, have happened in spades. The tunnels are winding and deep, turning in on each other and ending in dead ends or sudden, steep drop-offs into the dark. There are workers trapped within, and some at Perdition's Rest have said that their thrill-seeking relatives -- typically teenagers -- have gone missing. It's possible that they have found themselves trapped in the mine, so it may be a good idea to look out for them as well. And even deeper in the mine, there is a writhing, pale danger: sand worms, blind and hungry, wait in the dark. The earthquake has begun to drive them further up the tunnel, their tooth-lined maws open as they slither through toward the surface. Those focusing on the fields above may find a straggling sand worm or two, thrashing wildly in pain from the unfamiliar heat of the sun. This will definitely put a damper in the rescue and recovery efforts, so take them out as quickly as you can -- with as little damage to the fracking equipment, please. OOC NOTES 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. If you haven't already, make sure you check out the Bounty Board for side missions! Remember you can also request bounty missions or submit player plots at any time.

Comments

anakin skywalker ( ota )

[apoptotic]

SINKING DRAMA.

[ this is exactly what he needed. action. and no time to consider anything but the emergency. when they arrive, anakin races immediately for the closest machine. shouts surround it as it tilts ever further over the edge. ropes and poles burn hands, and still it sinks, the ground beneath it crumbling like clay.

anakin stops abruptly near it. he throws his hand out, reaching through the force. the machine is heavy, impossibly so for any human. anakin is not any human. through narrowed eyes, he watches as the tipping slows…then begins to reverse. ]

Don’t just stand there! [ he yells when a few of the workers let their grips go slack in shock. ( and it may be aimed at any alastair recruit too unsure where to jump in. ) ] Pull!

INTO THE MINES.

[ the machines have been stabilized ( those that could be rescued ), but plenty remains to move. for a good portion of the day, anakin hauls rocks and stones from blocked tunnels, holding his hand out, focusing, and lifting them through the force. they’re dropped unceremoniously away from the entrance, and away from anyone.

once the way is clear, he calls to anyone nearby, ] Follow me! [ — and races into the mines. the lightsaber in his hand casts a pale blue glow over cracked walls and sloping floors and ceilings. he lets the force guide him — to those still trapped, away from potential danger. but sometimes there’s no way to reach the victims without first overcoming a particularly annoying obstacle.

like the sandworm slithering toward them. ]

When I think they can't get uglier.

[ and it's about to get uglier still. the lightsaber cuts a threatening arc in the air. ]

WILDCARD.

[ choose your own adventure!! or pm me at this account to figure something out/set up a starter :'> ]

( closed | olivia )

[apoptotic]

[ not for the first time since he started helping the injured to safety has he crossed paths with olivia. the first time, from a distance, he regarded her with a measure of surprise when he saw her closing a laceration on a qorral’s scalp. it answered a few questions he had, but he didn’t have time to ask.

subsequent times were also brief, barely a word passed between them unless it was to her that he turned over another. those capable of healing had quickly set themselves to the task. anakin had his own responsibilities.

it’s late — late enough that he has completely lost track of time — when olivia deliberately steps into his path. by this time, working nonstop since their arrival, he looks significantly worse for wear: hair and clothing discolored by dirt and soot, stains on his boots, his pants, his sleeves. but his appearance belies the gathering storm clouds that mark him in the force. he’s a building hurricane that has yet to make landfall. time will only tell the extent of the destruction.

when she remains before him, anakin lifts his eyebrows. ] Yes?

[winces]

[ she has been watching him work for the past half-hour. not that the rest of them are any better, any more idle, least of all olivia herself who has taken to flitting between injured person after person, taking advantage of her healing powers' advanced stamina allowing her to accomplish more in more time, with less exhaustion.

and while none of them are in any position to be expending themselves all willy-nily, anakin in particular has been on the forefront of her mind —

in no small part thanks to the wonderful little power the people of alastair have granted her recently. ]

I'm going to need you to sit down for a moment.

[ it is a surprisingly firm tone, one that he might not even be aware she could possess. but there is a discernible strain there as well, twisting at the corners of her mouth. ]

[apoptotic]

[ his eyes narrow. anakin looks past her, already dismissing her when he says, ] I don't need to sit, Olivia, [ and moving forward again. ]

[winces]

[ he does not get far before her hand reaches out, curling tight around his wrist. oh, he could very easily throw her off, she knows this. but that does not stop her from trying anyway. ]

You are going to fall where you stand at this rate. [ she takes care to retain her firm tone; somehow, it is not too difficult with all this anger and frustrating boiling inside her. ]

You need to breathe— [ because she very nearly feels like she's suffocating. ]

[apoptotic]

[ surprise alone stops him. anakin looks from her hand around his glove, the durasteel arm underneath unyielding, to her face. a sense of irritation bubbles to the surface, the only outward sign of which is the severe countenance he wears.

she's frustrated. he can feel it in the force. why, he doesn't know nor is he concerned by it. ]

I know my limits better than you do. I've been in worse situations than this and longer. Take care of the Qorral; they need it.

[winces]

[ olivia has no connection to this force, nor does she know a thing about it. but she doesn't need it to feel the irritation that flares within him, feeling a ghost of it flicker in her own gut. her jaws clench, and her brow furrows further in her attempt to separate her own frustrations from his. ]

I will take care of who I want to, when I want to, and I could take care of you all if you'd only just listen. [ she does not hold anger like he does — in her hands it burns, and on her tongue she strains around it. ]

[apoptotic]

[ a muscle works in his jaw. anakin looks ready to argue — or to push her out of the way if she refuses to move.

his eyes flick away from her. the most dire of the efforts were already mounted. what remains can spare a minute or so. taking a deep breath, he rolls his eyes back toward her, studying her expectantly.

his expression is the flattest what that has ever awaited an explanation. ]

[winces]

[ she tries not to buckle under the weight of that stare, but it is a feat in and of itself. he is kind, she knows that, she believes that, but in this moment, when he looks at her like that, she finds it difficult to remember just why.

eventually, she finds her voice. ]

There's... something happening inside you. [ it is a quiet voice though, and she struggles not to make it sound uncertain. ] I can feel it and... I'm worried for you.

[apoptotic]

— what?

[ his bemusement then is so obvious as to be comical. anakin blinks, and looks down at himself as if he will see the answer on himself.

as there is nothing, however — ]

There's nothing the matter with me, Olivia. [ assuming her concern is purely for the physical, ] I'm a Jedi Knight, trained in the Force. I don't tire easily.

[winces]

[ she huffs a bit, the first true sign of impatience. ]

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about in here—

[ she releases his hand just to press a finger to his chest. ]

[apoptotic]

[ his puzzlement continues. then it clicks, so obvious he knows not how he did not notice before.

anakin jerks away from her. ]

It's nothing. [ a lie. a lie so obvious it reflects in the tension that brackets his eyes, his mouth.

he turns away from her, and whirls back just as quickly. ]

Since when can you sense others?

[winces]

[ she flinches even before he turns away, feeling the full force of his surging anger like a slap in the face. ]

I— Only recently, [ she hastens to explain, holding her hands up somewhat defensively. ] I-It's still new, I don't really know how it works, so I can't control it just yet, but.

[ that's not the point here, is it..? ]

I'm right though... aren't I?

[gunah]

[ Shuyi has been just standing there, petrified by the choice before her. The mission was to stop these people from mining their home to death, was it not? And yet these people seem ready to fling themselves into sinkholes, leaving family and friends behind, just for their rusted machines. So which is right and which is wrong? But the man maneuvering the gigantic machine using nothing but air is almost charismatic enough to prompt her into action.

Almost. She stops herself after taking one step toward the sinkhole. ]

No! [ She wishes she can swallow the word back, how petulant that sounds. Not that it stops her from shouting some more. ] Let go, let it go! No machine is worth a life.

[apoptotic]

[ anakin could care less for the machines. it would be easier, far easier, to push upon it, any of them, topple them into the waiting maws the qorral's greed have opened in the earth. mission accomplished. planet saved — for however long it takes the qorral to get new equipment sent and finish the job.

the jedi dictum demands protection of the people. neither excluded the other, though one takes immediate precedence. if the qorral will risk falling off the edge of the world to protect their livelihood, that's where he must intervene. ]

I let go, they'll get dragged in! [ he snaps back, voice thick with strain. workers are closer still than he is, using whatever they have to save the machine: transports, weights, their own bodies. anakin spares a glare over his shoulder to find who had yelled stop. a girl. ]

You want them alive to argue priorities? Then help!

[gunah]

[ Shuyi is a child of the modern age with few, if any, understanding of the sayings repeated around the clans to ensure one always knows which is the right course of action. Her ideas are more muddled than that, less certain. Often, right and wrong don't seem so disparate.

She's clearly confused, quickly switching her glance from the sinking machine to the man and back to the machine. Her mind made, she runs toward the sinkhole, stopping short of stepping into it herself, and proceeds to fling blue-tinged fireworks from her empty hands. The sparks scorch and disintegrate whatever it comes into contact with: steel, argecite, flesh and sand.

If the Qorral would risk their lives to protect a machine, then she would destroy whatever ties them to such a futile endeavor. ]

[apoptotic]

[ a warning in the force comes as she dashes forward. then, the yelling: from the ones hurt, from the ones seeing their equipment destroyed. one moves to get in the way, a few to intervene with her directly.

the force flings her back before they reach her.

one arm outstretched in her direction, anakin keeps her trapped. her hands he presses to her chest; if she means to use whatever ability that was again, she will first have to burn herself. his eyes are dark and without pity. he continues to pull on the massive tower until the ground resists its weight. he lets it go. the qorral move slower, then run to examine it, but anakin can see the damage from where he stands. its own weight, the girl's damage, it won't be working again.

as he walks toward her, he releases her. his voice is cold. ]

You mind telling me what that was?

[gunah]

[ The thought that the Qorrals would fight back against her attempt to destroy her precious machine occurs to her much too late. Foresight has never been her strong suit. So it's fortunate for her that he tosses her back and stops her from incurring more of their wrath, not that she would so readily admit that he saved her from the worst.

She scrambles to her hands and knees as soon as he releases her, limbs trembling from nerves and fear clearly written across her face along with defiance. ]

Not to you.

[ She stands up, watching him cautiously like a prey retreating before a predator, then turns to rush toward the workers gathering about the broken machine. A few break away from the group to start berating her even as she tries to explain herself in a low voice, that a machine isn't worth dying for, that lives are worth so much more, that there are others still waiting to be rescued.

Her arguments fall on deaf ears. ]

[apoptotic]

[ really?

he watches her run back, more irritated than ever. anakin follows more slowly, listening as she tries to reason with them, already knowing they won't care for her any explanation. before the situation has further opportunity to escalate, anakin intervenes. he physically inserts himself between her and the qorral, meeting the closest one eye-to-eye. ]

Enough. Your equipment is still standing. [ his tone changes, taking on a hint of suggestion. ] You should see to your injured.

[ some remain. most, however, disperse with mutters of seeing to the injured, the unhurt helping those hurt, the hurt stumbling to find medical help. while the few are taken aback, anakin faces shuyi.

most people would opt for a request. an apology if pressed. anakin, however, says, ] Move, [ softening it only with, ] before they remember they have a fight to pick with you.

[ his boots exhale little puffs of dust when she strides past her. ]

[gunah]

[ Shuyi is all good intentions paving the road to hell, and she knows. But she would be the last person to back down, concede that there's nothing more she can do, even when the Qorrals start drawing in too close for comfort and their voices rise, hands in the air. She breathes in the anger and tries to take some comfort in the thought that she deserves it. Whatever happens, there's no need to fight back.

Only then that man with the terrifying power steps in much too close and her fear returns. The charisma he wields over the people was uncanny. No one could possibly be so convincing. It can't be.

Part of her wants to take the chance to leave, go the other way, but she doesn't. ]

You want to save them, don't you, and to achieve the mission. I can help-- [ She trails after him, reaching to grab his wrist so he would stop for her. ] But only to destroy what needs destroying.

[apoptotic]

[ anakin looks askance at her when she grabs him. the arm underneath the black glove is too hard, too unyielding to be skin and bone. the only warmth it knows comes from the sunlight beating on the black leather. the other hand, naked and living, curls into a loose fist at his side.

her fear hums electric in the dust-filled air. he knows panic. he's seen the mistakes an instance of it can produce. but being scared won't excuse her actions. ( it doesn't occur to him that it's him who frightened her so. ) ]

By painting a target on your back? [ he stops. he pulls on his arm in nonverbal gesture to let go. anakin skywalker, hero of the clone wars, once hailed as the hero with no fear, doesn't like it when girls not his wife hold his hand. ]

How long did you hope to last? There's a time and there's a way, but that wasn't then and it definitely wasn't how!

[gunah]

[ Shuyi flinches, releasing his arm too quickly and with too much alarm the moment he shrugs her off. His gesture was hardly threatening and he did save her just then, just like the time he threw her back and held her down with nothing but air. He was protecting her too. But as much as she wants to believe that he's on the same side as her, she can't help but feel that the slightest change in the wind could easily turn him against her.

That doesn't stop her from raising her voice at him. ]

I don't know how! [ She wouldn't be here if she did. She inhales then sighs, reining in her temper. ] I am asking you to show me.

[apoptotic]

[ her suspicion is truer than she knows, truer than he could ever acknowledge even to himself ( especially to himself. his is a divided self: in one hand, the familiar, the right, the shackles; in the other, the wild, the unknown, the freedom. and he, caught in the middle, unable to reconcile both. )

she flinches away from him. anakin realizes why. the jedi wishes to reassure, to promise no harm. ( something black and unnamed thrills in her fear: now she will listen. now she will heed. ) anakin turns away. ]

Follow me, [ he tells her over his shoulder. where is quickly evident: a collapse trapping equipment and people both. his lightsaber sits in his hand, the blade extinguished for the moment. her question is a heavy one, open to interpretation. time isn't on their side. neither has he ever been the most articulate. action is when he speaks clearly ( and even that grows more muddled by the day. ) ]

Can you target specific points? [ translation: if he points where to melt, can you melt that and only that? ]

[gunah]

[ There was a time when she thought good people were good and bad people were, well, bad. But she has done so much wrong that she must hold firm to the idea that everyone is made of hypocrisies in order to assure herself that there remains a chance that she stands on the side of good. That claim grows less substantial by the day.

Shuyi follows from a safe distance, heart leaping to her throat the moment she sees where he's leading her. A pile of rubble with who knows how many trapped inside.Sympathy takes the place of fear for her own safety, but she tries to cast even that aside lest her feelings lead her astray. Again.

She nods her head resolutely. ]

I don't have the best aim, so as long as I come close enough, yes.

[apoptotic]

I can get you close enough.

[ he extends a hand to her: the one clad in a black glove, the one he lost. ]

But you'll have to trust me.