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

[prodigism]

[ A minor slip of the tongue but its probably strange to hear that from him. It's not that Arima didn't care, quite the contrary, he cared more for Haise then he'd ever admit to the other. He just kept it under wraps because he had to. Back at home it was a matter of subterfuge. But he was starting to wonder if he really had to keep that up here. There wasn't any reason for it, was there? At least not that he could find. He didn't have to deceive the CCG or V anymore. However, being able to act normally was something he didn't exactly understand how to do yet.

But this minor slip up was probably the beginning of him letting go of these previous acts of pretending to be cold hearted towards the other. This wasn't back home...and he had a new life to begin here, another chance to live the way he really wanted to but never had the power or control to do so. ]

No. It's nothing. [ At least he can divert the attention by walking over towards something sticking out of the ground. It wasn't a rock, from what he could tell by where he was standing, so taking a look would be best. He'll kneel down beside the object and start brushing away the gravel around it. ]

I think I've located one of the pieces.

[ex_adept136]

[Though he hasn't known his superior to say anything for no reason at all, Haise lets it go. A show of concern like that, even if Arima won't claim it now, is warming in its way. Having others care for him, whether for even a small instant or not, means something to him. He doesn't take it lightly, but he does let the matter go for now. Later he can consider what those few words meant and why Arima had said them at a time like this.

For now he turns on his heel and approaches the source of his superior's voice, kneeling near him to get a better look at what he'd found. It definitely stands out among the rocks and dirt, an object distinctly broken and artificial]

It looks like it... [Carefully, he picks the shard up, holding it so they can both see its shape and size] I wonder what ALASTAIR can do with a broken piece like this.

[prodigism]

[ Maybe later on Arima will actually confront Haise on the reason why he said that too. For now the main focus was finding these fragments, and Arima never leaves a job unfinished. His eyes narrow slightly as he looks at the shard with some scrutiny. ]

I'm not sure. Perhaps they have a means of fixing it with whatever technology they have.

[ He turns to look around them then, standing up once more before he continues forward. ]

There's probably other pieces around here, so keep looking.

[ex_adept136]

[He hands the fragment to Arima, trusting that it will be safest with his superior]

You're probably right...their technological capabilities far exceed ours.

[Haise picks himself up then, smoothing a hand over his uniform and turning back to the tunnel ahead. It's possible that they could find more fragments, though there's no way of knowing how many might be here]

Do you recall how many we were asked to retrieve?

[prodigism]

[ He'll take said fragment and wrap it in an unused cloth he picked up from the church's linen closet. There was no way of knowing how many they could potentially find here, but Arima wasn't going to jeopardize both of their safety to do it.

Especially when they were given so little information to work with to begin with. ]

As many as we can. I don't think a specific number was given. But we shouldn't endanger ourselves trying to do this either.

[ They should retreat when and if they need to. There's no sense in dying looking for fragments of something that might not even be useful towards them. ]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise nods, only to pause as he realizes that Arima may not be able to see him in near total darkness like this. That's an oversight he should avoid, and so he's quick to correct it]

Understood.

[No matter their roles here, he will no doubt always acknowledge his superior. That's been so much a part of his brief existence that it may be impossible for him to cast it aside entirely. Even if it weren't deference to authority, Arima was also his elder.

He runs a hand along the tunnel wall, keeping track of the path and feeling for any other fragments that might be embedded along the way]

[prodigism]

[ He literally can only see a small portion of the other out of his left eye, his right being completely useless at the moment.

He'll do much the same as Haise in silence, sometimes it might seem like he's having difficulty with the terrain (because he was) but he doesn't say much on the matter. ]

Have you managed to locate anymore?

[ex_adept136]

I haven't, just yet...

[A low rumble shakes the tunnel then, showering them with loose dirt and bits of rock. Haise is quick to fall back to where he knows Arima is, though he has no doubt which of them is the stronger.

If there's a cave-in, his kagune might come in handy, though he doesn't know how much weight he can take]

We...might have to suffice with the one.

[prodigism]

[ The shaking does nothing but make Arima concede to this fact. Finding fragments of a an item they know nothing about when the caves were in this state was risky in general. He nods silently, turning back the way they came. ]

I think you're right. A cave-in is too much of a risk to continue with the investigation. We'll pull out for now.

[ex_adept136]

[Haise nods, and falls into step behind him. If more worms emerge, he expects they'd attack from the rear — coming from the deeper reaches of the tunnels. Between that and the hierarchy between them, he's got plenty of reason to let Arima take point]

Right.

[Better they get out of here safely than not at all. Even one fragment is a start]

[prodigism]

[ It's a start and that's all that matters. Their lives were more important then getting information that may or may not be useful to them. So even with the rumbling Arima will continue forward, heading back the way they came. Silent as usual as he works his way through the darkness. ]