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

[yaomomo]

[It's not the most efficient method, but it's the only one she can go with as there's only two of them. So she does the job as quickly as she can without jossing him, even going to far as to give him a makeshift cast with bandages and a piece of plankwood in order to stabilize his leg before returning to Haise.

With the mask she had provided as well, he should be fine, but she can't help but worry.]

How many more...?

[ex_adept136]

[Despite his size, Haise still manages to heft two unconscious miners under his arms. It makes for an awkward image, especially the ease with which he's carting them along, but he makes his way toward Momo with no apparent struggle save for the cumbersome nature of the activity]

Just one more further back.

[He tips his head toward the stretch of tunnel behind him]

[yaomomo]

[It is times like this that she can't help but be grateful for people with abilities different that hers. On her own, that would've taken much longer, so she doesn't mind the awkward sight that it caused. Instead, she offers a relieved smile as she nods.]

All right, I'll get him. We can cart them back up with these equipment soon after.

[Please stay stable before then, cave.]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise nods, moving to deposit the unconscious miners in the cart along with their injured associate. It continues to be a cumbersome activity, but one he approaches with care]

Okay. I'll make sure these guys are ready to go.

[So long as they're quick about this, they ought to be able to clear out this stretch of tunnel without too much delay]

[yaomomo]

[She's quick to go back, but unfortunately, the moment she does find the man, the cave starts to rumble, throwing her off her feet and down to her knees.

It's a strong one, though nothing falls just yet, but it's enough to make the danger more obvious.]

Mr. Haise! Please evacuate those men immediately! We don't have enough time.

[ex_adept136]

We'll get all of them out.

[Haise isn't about to leave Momo behind, not when this tunnel might collapse. If it comes to it, he might be able to stall it just long enough for her to clear out...

In case that does become a necessity, he steps nearer, offering her a hand]

Let's get going.

[yaomomo]

[She looks conflicted, because the tunnel was unstable and she was worried about the rest of them. She shakes her head, understanding the risk but...]

I need to see if there's more. Please, bring them out first. I promise I'll follow.

[ex_adept136]

What happens if this place falls down around you?

[Because if she's alone... He's not sure if that 'quirk' of hers is enough in the face of so much earth crashing down]

Together we might manage better doubling back. We're a team, and we're stronger that way.

[Haise questions if his kagune alone would save them, but perhaps with their abilities working together]

[yaomomo]

[She hesitates, and she knows she should be decisive at the moment because there were others involved, and it shows on her face. The thing is, Haise seems to be the stubborn type, and she's... she's worried about the possibility of the men being flattened anyway in an open cart when they were here debating about this.

It's... really. The decisions is obvious.]

All right, but you start moving the cart nonetheless. I'll make something to help me follow.

[A compromise, because she can't wait for them to get back to the cart while she's still helping this man.]

I promise I'll follow, but we don't have the time to argue.

[ex_adept136]

Alright, just...don't be reckless.

[It's the same sort of speech that he gives to his subordinates. In this place, they're peers, so he doesn't go on about it as much as he could, but he hopes that Momo knows her survival is important too.

Although he's still reluctant, he'll return to the cart to attend to the injured men there]

[yaomomo]

[She works on taking care in pulling the man out, making sure to check for injuries before doing anything. After all, if she only manages to aggravate it, then it'll miss the entire point of rescuing him.

Once she's done with her assessment, she works on a plan. Something large and can be moved, but not too large but it'll take her too long to create. It has to be something that has wheels, but she can't make anything that could take too long either.

So.

Hopefully Haise expects a surfboard with wheels, large and simple ones, making their way over to them with Momo and the man on it.]

[ex_adept136]

[Nobody expects a surfboard with wheels, but that's the reality with which Haise is presented. He invests a few moments in staring at her before he reminds himself they don't have the time for it, unusual as the sight is]

Let's get going.

[Before the place comes falling down around them, because as they're aware, this place isn't stable. It's just a relief that she's caught up.

Not that he didn't have faith in her, but it's difficult for a man like Haise not to worry]

[yaomomo]

[Once she's close enough, she abandons the board, asking the man to join the rest on the cart before making her way over to Haise.]

That should be everyone.

[She's careful this time in her quest, making sure not to make it difficult for Haise to help move the cart along.]

[ex_adept136]

In that case, let's get out of here.

[Perhaps a little too easily, Haise pushes the cart forward. The fact that their path is an incline doesn't seem to be an issue for him, only having to pause to heft the rear wheels of the cart up when he means to turn]

Good thing we found this...

[yaomomo]

That's true. Most of the carts were destroyed, so even one working one was a huge relief.

[She says, and for a moment she stops conversing with him, focusing on checking on the miners. She seemed more at ease at it, reassuring them and checking for their health, as if he's prepared for this before.]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise lets her concentrate on the miners, sure that the attention is likely reassuring to them. For his part, he keeps his focus on guiding the cart through the tunnels, listening for any signs of sand worms or anything else that might impede their progress.

It seems their timing is relatively good, all things considered]

[yaomomo]

[Once she's done, she turns to look back, concerned, but hopeful that they were right.]

Seems like things are going well. I hope this continues to be the case.

[ex_adept136]

So long as we keep up this pace, we should be okay.

[At least, he hopes so. It's difficult to predict with the instability of this world, but he'd like to be optimistic]

[yaomomo]

My thoughts exactly.

[And end thread here?]

[ex_adept136]

[And so it was that they rescued several miners with a landboard and a mining cart]