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.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

One must steel themselves against what we will see --

[ Genji starts with saying -- perhaps, it is a rude way to suddenly interrupt a man's thoughts as he prepares, but he can almost feel the tense seriousness from a good distance away. His voice is noticeably robotic but there is a softness to it that one could almost sense an understanding smile beneath the visor. ]

-- but there is no reason to be so serious. This is to help save the world, yes? But we should not lose sight of ourselves in the process. [ It is one thing that he wants to avoid for everyone; people becoming all but weapons. That is what he felt like to Overwatch, even though they did not purposely mean to make him feel that way. He felt like a tool for war, for battle, for bloodshed. It is only now that he sees how foolish that all was to wrap himself in those thoughts. A means to protect himself? Maybe. ]

We are still human. No need to close yourself off. Or else, how will your teammates know to save you?

[ Too late Genji the fact of being a weapon is already deeply ingrained into his entire being?! He's just been a tool of war since he was born, actually he was only made for that specific purpose as all the other children of the sunlit garden were. Still he knows the other man means well enough, but Arima finds little comfort in those words. He tried being something else, when he had met Fura all those years ago, but it was a fleeting moment of normalcy for him.

Opening himself up is something he's not ever going to do, maybe. It's different here, he has less to hide after all. ]

The concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. [ He's not used to having people worry about him, mostly because everyone only saw him as the undefeated investigator, the grim reaper of the ccg. Of course he'd never need saving, so he's not really comfortable or used to this sort of talk. ]

I don't think so.

[ There is a very small shake of his head as he disagrees. ] We're here on our own for the most part. If we do not worry about one another, who is going to worry? [ A cheerful enough statement, but he thinks of how the others must have worried about him and how he brushed them off. The time in his early years of Overwatch was filled with too much anger -- he isn't even certain if he remembers a lot of what happened in such a haze. ]

I suppose that it's a bit much to say so... but I just ... you looked familiar and I couldn't stop myself from saying something. [ A beat. ] Right, right. I'm Genji. I should have lead with that, right?

You have a point. [ But Arima still doesn't think it necessary when it came to him at least. He looked familiar though, hm? Well there's only so many people here so he can understand that. ] Arima Kishou. It's a pleasure.

[ Arima isn't filled with anger or anything like that, but he does have a certain indifference when it came to his own thoughts being known to others. He never had that back home and he's certainly not used to it here. ]

[ His eyes widen beneath the visor. This is the same kid that he met when -- his shoulders drop a little as he remembers how serious Arima was when he was so much younger than even his teenage self. Embarrassing at that time that there was someone more mature than him, but now it seems like a worry. ]

... I see. You don't remember me? Ah, I suppose that I don't look the same. [ Pointing to his face, he says: ] I am that snot-nosed brat that happened to think that we might have been kidnapped. Thank you for putting up with me then.

[ Ah so he was that samurai he had met when he was little. He certainly changed quite a bit from that time. Arima on the other hand is mostly the same as always. ]

It's fine. We all grow and mature at our own pace. At the time...I thank you for showing me some concern as well. Even if I was a bit...standoffish towards the idea.

[ Arima wasn't without his own faults growing up either, so he had his own personality to apologize for. ]

Well, I wouldn't have felt particularly safe with me, either.

[ A cheerful voice in an attempt to laugh about the past. It's better to do that, isn't it? ]

So there is hardly any offense there.

[ He doesn't say anything in those regards. Though now that he's looking at the other, the stark contrast of his appearance is intriguing to say the least. ]

You're much more different looking then when you were younger. [ Even more so then what changes a normal person would go through. There's an unspoken 'why' to his look but he doesn't act on it. ]

So I apologize for not recognizing you sooner.

I went through some changes. [ A cheery enough statement. ]

I would have been surprised if you recognized me so quickly. My voice doesn't even quite sound the same, after all. [ He pauses slightly. ] I did not quite recognize you either. You seem a little too young to already have white hair.

[ Genji teases before tensing up like perhaps it is too soon to tease. ]

Change is a fact of life, it's to be expected to happen of course. [ Arima's changes are especially quick, given how he ages thanks to his upbringing. Though he doesn't really go into any detail about his hair. He isn't one for discussing it with anyone unfortunately. Much like every other aspect of his life it remains a mystery to most people. ]

Were you also looking for items to purchase before we're sent out?

Yes... I'm sorry. [ Ah, it seems like it really was too soon to make jokes. He smiles beneath the visor -- he knows the smile is awkward and a little anxious. But he isn't sure why he feels such anxiety. It's odd. But he shakes his head. ]

No. I only need my Dragonblade. That is all I'm going to need heading out. [ Patting his chest, he cheerfully says. ] That and ... well... actually... maybe some oil.

Dragonblade? [ Ah well he's used to weapons having names. After all he had Narukami, IXA and Yukimura 1/3 back home. ]

So you're a swordsman as well? I haven't seen many people with such things. But I'm glad to know that there's others who still use and practice it.

Yes, this... [ He lightly pats the hilt of the blade on his back. Yes, that's about all. No one has ever had a chance to get a good look at it and he'd like to keep it that way. The only ones that should see it up close are those that he has to use it on. ~~So edgy.~~ ]

It's the best weapon to use. Few people seem to see it as a threat and so it is always a surprise, right?

[ He nods at the showing of that hilt. Arima's own weapon looks alien and weird it rests at his side with a makeshift sheath. The briefcase it was stored in no longer a viable option here. The Owl quinque may be broken but its still effective for its designed purpose. ]

It's true that not many here know or seem to wield bladed weapons. I believe you're the first I've come across, aside from my subordinate, that does.

[ Perhaps they can train together in the future. ]

Your subordinate?

[ That's right -- Arima is a lot older than when he last saw him. It's surprising still to think that boy has a subordinate, though. But it probably is equally surprising to Arima that Genji is now a cyborg. Yet the man doesn't seem too surprised about any of that. Should he be worried about him? ]

Not only that but it has a bit of a kick to it. [ Right, there is no need to bring up any of that and just continue to talk on something that they are comfortable with. ]

Sasaki Haise. He and I work for the same organization back home. I taught him how to wield the bladed weapons that we use for our work.

[ Leave out what exactly that work is for now. ]

Bit of a kick? Quinques have various forms and functions on top of their standard uses as well.

Yakuza?

[ 'Cause his family is yakuza. Those are the type that he could see using swords and organization. But everyone's from different worlds so maybe he shouldn't think that right away -- bad, Genji. ]

Quinques? That is what you call bladed weapons?

No. It's nothing like that. [ Though honestly Arima has the look of a yakuza, tbh. Please learn to emote more?! He might actually smirk a little at the comment too. But it's short lived and he resumes his usual look. ]

It's an organization that deals with the extermination of ghouls. Human like beings that need to eat humans for food. [ It's...weird. He'll motion to the owl quinque resting at his side. ]

They are the only weapons that can harm and destroy a ghoul's kagune.

[ Saying this all very straight faced and stoic even if it sounds super crazy. That's how he rolls. ]

That sounds ... [ Terrifying, to say the least. ]

You're saying that they have some special ability? That makes them sound a little more like monsters, doesn't it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

1

Re: 1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject