epidemiology | 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

I can get you close enough.

[ he extends a hand to her: the one clad in a black glove, the one he lost. ]

But you'll have to trust me.

[ She doesn't trust him. Not enough to put her life in his hands, which is the only kind of trust that counts. But there are people under that rubble who needs help, and so, if that's what it takes-- She turns toward the disaster to remind herself, before taking his hand firmly. ]

I will, this time.

[ nor is his trust so easily given. right now is all he's asking for. he pulls her closer — ] We're going to jump — [ a warning before he takes the leap. the force carries them and softens their landing so it seemed but a step. anakin lets her go. ]

Disintegrate that! [ he points to a thick slab of rock. so close, the voices of the men trapped inside ring the air. ] I'll stabilize the rest so they don't collapse. Ready?

[ She hardly has time to let out a shriek before the world falls out from under her feet, but she fights the urge to shut her eyes, which lets her land with enough grace by the time he lets her go. But it doesn't help with her nerves or the constant fear that she will make another mistake. ]

Yes. [ She says before she is to force herself to be ready, gritting her teeth and positioning her still trembling arms to focus on the spot. ]

Just say the word.

[ his nod is a short downward jerk. she's frightened. anakin can see it. what's more he can feel it. but she's fighting through her fear. it earns her an ounce of respect.

anakin extends his hand. his eyes close, breathing evening as he sinks deep into the force. not only can he sense her then, but he can sense the terror and pain of the man trapped, the weight of the rubble, the way each ill-fitting piece supports the next. it is that support which he replaces.

his eyes open. ]

Now!

[ If nothing else, she is at least used to following commands from someone with sharper minds than her own, and his guidance reassures her. Better to follow another than repeat her mistakes again.

Her attack is difficult to see, but the rocks let out a loud crackle and hiss soon after she waves her right arm in a horizontal wave. Her palm turns slightly raw as if she rubbed them against sandpaper. Then, a moment later, the spot he marked earlier disintegrates without smoke or fire, solid turning into liquid and gas and light. ]

[ her attack registers in the force as heat and light. something elemental, and powerful for it. in his immersion, her hands are his. the ache is his, strange and unnatural. anakin need not look to find the proof. he feels it reflected in both skin and durasteel. ]

Help him out! [ anakin urges through gritted teeth, though he need not have bothered. the man yells in surprise, then for help, everything else lost to the thrill of being free. the rubble quivers softly, but it remains stable under the force's will — under anakin's will. ]

[ She works well with strong guidance, relegating the decision-making to someone more decisive, less prone to fatalism or recklessness. On command, she rushes toward the man to pull him out from under the rubble, speed over gracefulness. But that's when she spots an arm, still and mostly covered by dust, buried further below.

This is where all caution flies out the window as she doesn't even alert Anakin before jumping down amid the rubble to try and recover the buried man, alive or not. ]

— Hey!

[ a strangled shout. the rocks begin to quake. the force grabs the freed man and propels him away from the danger. he twists when he hits ground, shouting in surprise and pain.

anakin has already leapt. into the cavity through which shuyi disappeared. the rubble shifts and closes around them. darkness and dust choke the air. anakin crouches over shuyi, shielding her with his body. none of the rocks, however, touch them. right arm thrown over his head anakin grunts under the incredible weight threatening to close on them. ]

EVENT ★ THE FRACKING FIELDS

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