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

[upshur]

[ With his wrist seized, he whirls on the young man who'd - very kindly - broken his tumble and caused him to NOT break anything further. He jerks, immediately, trying to break the contact by throwing his weight back - it's a flinch, there's no doubt about it. Something reactive and ingrained by this point. Contact means hurt, and a grip like that means something more will be coming. Probably for his face. Not the face, not any part of him, not now, not anymore.

He gets a proposal, instead of a punch. It causes him to become conscious of the fact that he is leaning back, as far away as he can get. ]

I, [ am willing? okay with that? what miles -- ] didn't lose my fucking fingers.

[ His voice is sharp, all of a sudden. A baring of teeth, a psychological scrabbling for purchase as he jerks his hand free. They hurt now, both of them. A lot. ]

What the fuck. What the f -- fine. Fine. [ Sounds more like he's trying to convince himself. Overlook the weird commentary. Accept the help. ]

You see the column? The one still standing, kinda wobbly? I was just beyond that, I think.

[ex_adept136]

[That reaction really is impossible to miss, and it leads Haise to wonder what this man must have been through. It was surely rough, considering the state of his hands, and his eyebrows pinch together as he considers what might fit. None of it is good, but he smooths these speculations away in favor of addressing the immediate objective. The camera needs to be retrieved.

Haise follows his indication, casting a speculative glance in the direction of that lone column. The floor in-between is broken and collapsed in rough, inconvenient patches, but he'd crossed a frozen lake back in Zeta-12 that had fallen out from under a good number of his associates.

Surely, he can do this much]

Maybe it would be more accurate to say they were taken? Well then...

[It's an idle question, more musing than a prompt for answer, because he's already picking his way across what remains of the floor. His sharp hearing avails him in that he knows quickly when his weight is too much for a section of the floor, and so every so often he almost takes a step, only to correct himself and approach from a different angle.

As he draws closer to the pillar, he sees something roughly the correct size, but the dust that's settled over it makes him reluctant to announce any findings before he gets there]

[upshur]

[ Nail. Head. Direct hit.

Miles quiets, something vengeful and furious winding tight in his gut as he lingers in thought. No, not lost. 'Lost' implies they'd dropped off somewhere along the way and he'd never been able to find them again. No, no. His fingers were stolen from him, and he knew exactly where they were. Something works in his jaw, tense and brimming with the urge to lash out - a memory that hunts him down, still fresh, still malicious. He does his best, not to follow the young man with his eyes. There's something dead and bordering malevolent, hiding behind them. Instead, he waits. Waits while someone else handles the precarious clamber across the crumbling floor, and he twiddles his thumbs and stands by.

It's weird. Having company. ] I know you're focusing on not falling through the floor, but what am I supposed to call if you do?

[ex_adept136]

Given the lack of ambulances... [Ah yes, levity in a room that's hosted two explosions that he knows of so far] Haise Sasaki. Pleased to meet you, despite the circumstances.

[Once Haise steps near enough, he kneels and picks up what does look like a dusty electronic device. He turns it over, brushing it off with his sleeve. The brand logo makes it clear enough that it's nothing from this world or ALASTAIR, and he turns to carefully hold it up for Miles to get a good look at]

My bet's the Qorral don't have Sony products.

[He could be wrong, but he's fairly sure he's right, wry smile on his lips. It looks like this is what they're looking for. Still, he waits for confirmation, lest he abandon anything important]