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

[hardnosed]

[ As someone who is usually at least somewhat gratified by reactions to her size and strength, which should be universally terrified and/or admiring but have been less notable ever since she showed up in Oska, she would probably have reacted at least neutrally to Miles under any other circumstances. Right now, however, Jasper's size has become a liability! She does not care for this at all, and cares for unprompted loud noises even less. Her yellow eyes narrow and she hunches just a little, the better to loom over him while demanding he shut up, except he stops screaming and answers before she can do the last part. So she closes in on a screaming man after asking him a question, stares down at him like a giant owl eyeing a mouse, and then maintains the posture while responding casually. All of this is totally normal. ]

A map?

[ It's a decent reason to be here. Not that she's gotten lost, since she's a far higher order of being than the rest of these scurrying animals! Of course not. But, you know, for the rest of them. The papers he's assembling it on seem like a remarkably primitive way of doing it, but humans have remarkably backwards ways in general.

She backs up slightly and indicates her passenger with a single, extremely derisive flick of the eyes. ]

This one could have used it. So -- what have you got? There's no way you've covered the entire system in this little time.

[upshur]

I don't know, that one seems pretty okay from where I'm standing.

[ Miles has to crane his neck UP to check out the Qorral slung over her shoulder, the poor fucker who's got himself a free ride through the mines, but a shitty spot to be - considering he'll get bashed all over the place. If he's not pulp by the time she gets him out of here, Miles will be sorely surprised. He turns the pad of paper over in his hands, flipping back a layer and tracing his steps backwards, to gauge the distance. Math. The depth coupled with the placement of the mine's support beams gives him -- at least the two upper levels and a network of ugly dead ends to work with. ]

I don't know how deep it goes, but I've got a path that runs from one end to the other on the top level. Barring the worms and any future quakes.

[ He jabs a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction the other exit is. ]

You heading out with him? I can show you the way.

[hardnosed]

[ Jasper's interested enough to squint slightly when she scopes the papers out, trying to see what's on them more clearly, not interested enough to crouch and get a look up close. It's just nonstop looming. ]

I'm not lost, [ she snaps on impulse, even though he didn't actually say that! Congratulations, you played yourself. ] Gems have an excellent sense of direction.

[ That just means she can retrace her steps, not that she can magically divine the paths she hasn't explored. She's been more curious about delving deeper than seeing what the first level has to offer. After all, chances are the bandits or these idiot teenagers beat Audentes to scavenging the relatively safe areas. If there's anything worth her time remaining, she'll find it where people with weak ass excuses like "I can't move boulders with my bare hands" and "I need to breathe" fear to tread.

The point being: she can afford to say no to a possible shortcut, but she really shouldn't. Besides, if her cargo dies on her, she'll have sidetracked herself for nothing. So she quickly adds, trying to sound casually smug: ]

But if your way is shorter — sure. Let's see how accurate that thing is.