epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hold on!

[The question of 'to what' is immediately answered as Meallan quickly edges his way as close to the sink hole as he dares. Fortunately he's light on his feet, since he can feel the ground threatening to give under his feet if he moves much closer. It seems he can't manage much further, so he leans out, extending his staff out towards the other man for him to get a grip on the ornate, carved head.]

I'll try and pull you up, are you ready?

[The worst part is precisely how embarrassing this happens to be. He recognizes the voice, and when he squints up from where he's landed, he's able to see some familiar stuff. But without being pulled out, it's hard to say for sure.]

One second! [he calls out, trying to kick what mud and dirt off of his boots before he climbs out. He still has his goal of making it to the refinery, but it's going to be much, much easier if he can fly for some of it.]

Okay, on my way. [While Keith is made heavier because of his paladin armor, it could be worse: he's a pretty skinny, light guy himself, and he's agile enough to hold on to the stick and do what he can with a sinkhole (which isn't much, sadly) to help himself out.]

[Meallan braces himself for when he can feel the weight of someone gripping and hears the confirmation, and then he starts pulling, leaning his weight back and heaving as hard as he can to help draw the other man up and out of the sinkhole.

It takes some effort and he has to scrabble with his footing on a few occasions but he manages to help drag the other man up and out of the pit and clear before dropping to the ground to catch his breath.]

Are you all right? You're not hurt at all?

Thanks, [he says, shuffling away from where he fell through in order to drop down and begin trying to kick the mud out of the place where his boots blast out. He's cautious about what he's doing because, if nothing else, he doesn't know if he might end up blowing off one of his hands. If only he had Allura and Coran here to help out.]

I think I'm gonna be all right, [he adds, looking up at Meallan with a strained expression.] The armor's good for a lot of things. I guess I ended up getting a little overconfident about my—well, my flight. [He smashes his palm against some of the quickly drying mud on the bottom of his boots, but it still seems to be shaking off.]

I might have something different to say tomorrow.

Edited (finish adding punctuation THEN send comment, self) 2016-10-12 00:03 (UTC)

Flight?

[The word makes him perk up a little in interest, and Meallan gives the boots a curious look, and then moves it to the entire set of armour in general. Nothing about it seems particularly capable of flight to him really, but that doesn't mean much. Creators know that many of them have skills that aren't easily visible.]

Is it magical? [He guesses.] Enchanted to allow you to fly somehow?

[A touch too late he realises he'd just rescued the other man and belatedly adds:] You're not hurt are you? I know a little healing if you are...

No, not magic, or I don't think so, anyway. [Altean science continues to baffle him. Shouldn't they need fuel? Is he going to run out of it one day with his boots? Is that what's going to happen? It occurs to Keith that Pidge might have a better idea of how to deal with that out of all of them, so he makes a note to ask. He might forget, given the chaos of everything around him, but ...]

Also no to the healing. I managed to keep myself from getting too banged up, but I'm afraid I would've ended up losing air if I stayed down there for too long. They didn't really set up this place to be stable, huh?

[He feels a little less bad about his excitement now that the other man is fine, although Meallan does try to remind himself to focus on the important matters now. He can always ask about the ability to fly later.]

No, they didn't. But I don't imagine they cared much about how stable it might be and for how long it might last, so long as they get what they're after.

[It's a sentiment Meallan isn't fond of, reminding him too much the difference between how Dalish clans like his own try to live and how many humans treat the places they live in. Without thinking he adds:] I suppose some humans are just like that.

[There's a pause before his gaze flicks back to the other man again.] Present company excluded of course.

They aren't human, though, right? [he says, and though it's phrased as a question, he doesn't expect a reply. After a moment, Keith crouches down, looking into the hole. He doesn't expect to find anything, but he does hope that he can get an idea when this is bound to happen again.]

Then again, you don't know that I am, either. [Keith's words are almost hollow, distant, like it's something that he hates having to reflect on. No matter what, he can't get away from it.

His gloved hands curl around the open hole, testing how stable it is.]

Back home, there are a bunch of people worried about the future of our planet because we're hurting it and living with too many resources. I don't know if this is really that different, but there are regulations there. I wonder if there are any here.

You look it? [Meallan points out, though it's somewhat dubious now. Honestly, trying to pick what's 'human' and what isn't is difficult at times with how many people come from entirely different worlds and are human and how many are the same but also claim not to be.

He supposes it could be like Evan as well, someone who looks human because they have to in their world, even if they're not entirely. He can't tell if the other man is implying he's not or if he's just trying to make a point though, so he doesn't push on the matter.]

I'm not certain the people here would use regulations. They seem like usually they'd mine the planet until there was nothing left and then leave.

Yeah, I do. But for what it's worth, my name is Keith. [He assumes that will jog up the right set of memories. He's dressed entirely different without the purple armor that awkwardly matched the purple fur and bad hair, but the bad hair ... seems similar enough, only in black instead of dark indigo.

He doesn't linger over the point for long, glancing down into the hole.]

Regulations don't really seem like a thing they can have, but I'm worried about what we'll be doing to these people if we stop their production. If some of them are determined to make this the end of the road, there's gotta be a reason for that, right? [Keith isn't the most inquisitive of individuals unless he's pushed, but he feels like this question is a fairly obvious one.

And one left off the mission briefing. At least directly.]

Keith? [Jog memories it does and Meallan's curiosity about the flying ability and other matters the man mentions falls aside in the face of that, his eyes widening and his gaze flickering over Keith, noting the similarities in the shape of his face and form if nothing else.]

I'm sorry, I didn't realise...

[His face is a little redder at the prodding that he likely should have been more considerate with, and is grateful for the other topic Keith offers.]

You have a point... And Creators know if we get all the information we really need from ALASTAIR.

[He shrugs at the realization, and it's clear that he doesn't want to talk about it. Remembering it is clearly more than enough, and he doesn't need to do anything else. There's a huff of breath as he looks out over the field.]

Is it that we don't get the information, or do they just not know? Apparently there's a whole lot of stuff left behind. [Keith had been thinking of looking into that himself, but he'd rather take on other angles.]

And if it did get left, why doesn't the current ALASTAIR have it? What happened to them? And why are they risking us by sending us back here?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

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