epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

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EVENT ★ THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

A message is sent to teams Audentes, Unicorn, and Ambrosia via magitek early in the morning, alerting all users to expect to be rifted back to Oska in three hours. Shortly after that comes a message from the Queen of Terra Felis, requesting that recruits stop by the palace briefly to receive her blessing. Any recruits who oblige her will find that her blessing is actually a very physical gift: a feeling of peace that washes over each person as soon as they step into the palace. This feeling will persist for the next 12 hours, and comes with a boost to either strength or speed for the duration of it. It's the Queen's way of wishing her departing guests good luck.

Then comes the rift, and finally, Oska.

ARRIVAL

Oska isn't doing well. The devastation is immediately apparent in the blistered and blackened stone of the castle, completely blasted apart in some areas. Plantlife about the castle has been completely shredded, entire trees reduced to splintered stumps. The area recruits are rifted into is temporarily safe, guarded by team Mariposa, all of them of a large, fiercely warlike species, each heavily armed. There are only five of them, but that's enough to defend the little corner of Oska set up to receive the incoming teams.

The largest, most battle-scarred member of Mariposa issues no orders, but fills arrivals in on the situation: there are several models of robots focusing on the destruction of the castle. Hear that distant, repetitive thud? The largest robots, the 15-foot (457cm) models, area busy hammering at an interior wall, trying to break into the Mechanical Room. They're the main priority -- but don't lose track of the flanking and defensive models, they're there to cause whatever carnage they can while the largest ones tear down the castle itself. Basically, take out every robot you see, as fast as you can.

Those who can't fight have another, even more important job. There are defense nodes scattered throughout Oska, some inside the castle, some outside, even some in the village. These are small panels that blend in with the scenery. They each need to be opened up and rebooted with an access code put in via number pad. When every single node has been rebooted, the cloaking device will fully activate throughout this entire dimension, getting it permanently off of Zymandis's radar once more. Any recruit who volunteers for this job will have a map of each node location sent to their magitek. The robots don't seem to realize the importance of these nodes and usually ignore them, but will attack anyone they see working at one.

OPPONENTS

The biggest models are the PW15s; with sledgehammers at the end of their arms, they're programmed just to break down and tear apart foundation. They're currently working on busting their way into the Mechanical Room, where the TIMELINE.exe is kept. They must be stopped. Without the TIMELINE.exe, ALASTAIR is left aimless and adrift. These machines work ceaselessly at their task, and can only be distracted by focusing temporarily on a target right in front of them. Otherwise, they will ignore any attacks on them and keep working on the wall in front of them until they are torn apart themselves.

PW15s are guarded by the Shielders. These are the basic eight-foot (245cm) models, but each comes with a large light shield it will use to defend itself and the PW15s. They stay behind these impenetrable shields and fire lasers from safety, but don't have very advanced programming. They will swivel around to face their target, leaving themselves open to attacks from behind. Tag teaming these robots is very effective.

Airbombers can be tricky to navigate, as these robots fly. They're light and fast, but shots from their canons don't do much more than issue small but severe burns. The real danger is in letting one get directly overhead, as once it has done so it will release two to six bombs, which do great damage to people and property upon impact.

The last model to look out for is the T15, which is small but tenacious. These are no bigger than a large dog, and will scuttle quickly forward until they've spotted a target. At that point they plant themselves and begin to fire a concentrated beam of laser at whatever they've spotted until it has stopped moving. These models have very simple programming and few defenses, but are impossible to dissuade from firing while their target is still in sight. They have no sense of object permanence, though, and even ducking behind scenery will confuse one into thinking it's eliminated its target.

THE FIGHT

The arrival of the three teams from Terra Felis do a lot to tip the scales in Oska's favor, but the fight still rages for a full day after their arrival. Team Kittypaw can be seen engaging throughout the grounds -- Uruz and Dagny fiercely defend the stables and the squidge garden, and are tired but nowhere near ready to give up. Cassie leads attacks into robot-heavy areas with gun-blazing gusto and seems to be having the time of her life, but even her energy isn't unlimited. Cherenkov and Crowley are on defense node duty, and can be spotted as a black or white streak on their way to activate the next node, avoiding the bulk of the fighting.

Anyone who needs a break will be instructed to visit the library. Not even the robots are a match for the librarians, who have made it their utmost priority to ensure that nothing unauthorized sets foot among the books. Food and pillows have been brought in, and the area can be used as a base for resting and refueling between fights. Between fending off robots, the librarians will still warily scrutinize anyone eating or drinking too close to a book. They've allowed it, but don't push your luck and get messy.

The fight drags on for almost a full, exhausting 24 hours, but just as dawn begins to come to the little scrap of Oska's dimension, a shimmering races briefly through the sky as the last defense node is rebooted and the shield is reactivated. Any remaining robots jolt and then go still, permanently offline. (Friendly robots might also feel a jolt, but are spared any damage thanks to careful programming.) The collective teams of ALASTAIR finally have a moment to breathe and relax. The fight is over.

AFTERMATH

There is a lot to rebuild and, unfortunately, some mourning to do. Services for those fallen in the fight will be held the following day. They are quick but heartfelt affairs, with friends of the downed recruits speaking a few words about what will be most remembered and missed about their comrades.

Overall, though, the mood is grimly triumphant -- they've just managed to fend off Zymandis, after all. Or at least, a fraction of Zymandis. There are quite a few murmurs of gratitude for the shields being restored in time to stop anything bigger from finding them.

The castle begins to slowly rebuild itself, rocks teetering their way back into place and tapestries slowly restitching themselves. Left to its own devices, it would probably take several years of this for the castle to fully restore itself. It very obviously appreciates recruits lending a hand to rebuilding, though. Suits of armor will bring workers little trinkets of gratitude, or food from the kitchen, which produces it in generous heaps. The castle's rebuilding efforts will even focus a little more strongly on the rooms of anyone helping out, down to any personal effects that were damaged in the fight or otherwise.

Welcome home, Audentes. Rebuilding will last for the full three weeks given until their next mission, and still won't be complete by the time they ship out. But still, try to relax before your next trip out.

OOC NOTES

This log will last ICly and OOCly for three weeks (with the initial battle lasting one day), with the next mission beginning on 21 May. Please use this post to plot amongst yourselves!

The other ALASTAIR teams in Oska at the moment are Unicorn and Ambrosia, who were with Audentes in Terra Felis, Kittypaw, Mariposa, who greeted the new arrivals, and Kraken, a 10-recruit team made of various aquatic and amphibious species who use the lake as their home base during the fight. More teams will be rifting in to help with reconstruction, after the battle is over.

Questions about this log can be directed here. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may also submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I take it whatever their purpose here failed.

[ a step forward, the lightsaber still in his grip in case anything else does break through. the door and the walls vibrate faintly, but anakin's eyes are on the nearest screen to him.

it isn't hard to surmise what the purpose might have been. to destroy the program. corrupt it. the childish expression it uses is as ridiculous now as it was a year ago when anakin first saw it reply adorning its text with smiling and frowning faces. right now, it carries a promising edge: proof that it has gone unimpaired.

still.

emojis again. ]

[ A gentle, low beep accompanies the next message, which pushes the kaomoji down and eventually off the screen as more lines follow. ]

YES!
I am TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01. Hello world
friend

thankyou friend

TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 is manysyllables
T
I
M
is A-OK ;)

[ The same words scroll down the other screens, one after the other. ]

I'm sorry friend I don't know
"what just happened"
Friend recruit LOKI friendfriend
and other human man friend also
?
?????

"what just happened"
security breach forcedupdate TIMELINE.exe patch ver. 1.0.02

This is friend recruit Anakin. [ there's a smug little tone in his voice, and he tips his head like he's getting some satisfaction from it. then, he looks pointedly at his companion. ] Best to make introductions.

So, Zymandis meant to infiltrate this place and update the Timeline program. We'd be a bit SOL then, wouldn't we? [ not surprising. ] This is beginning to sound an awful lot like Firefox.

[ but he doesn't expand upon the joke anymore, since he's probably the only one that gets it. ]

So, Tim, tell us a little bit about yourself. Start with your last update, perhaps?

[ Anakin gets a raised brow, as if he's waiting for him to add anything he'd like. ]

[ thanks for taking the recruit from a galaxy far, far away and the computer program that can't handle expressions more complicated than text faces's idiomatic limitations into account.

anakin's eyes flick to the side. whether in a restrained eye roll or because he thought he might find a camera to look into in silent plea for help, he nevertheless ignores loki's prodding. he doesn't remember tim being this…well, this before. the patch wasn't installed, but some of his programming could have been corrupted. without pulling apart the program and putting it back together himself — ]

TIM, can you run diagnostics?

Recruit LOKI I am sorry but I don't know
"your last update, perhaps"
My current version is TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 this has been my designation since the beginning of my existence

Friend recruit anakin :) Hello!
Running diagnostics

[ There's another soft, low beep and then strings of diagnostic code start rapidly scrolling down all the screens in the Mechanical Room, too fast to read.

After several long seconds, there's another beep. ]

TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01
Diagnostics Mode
Test_PASSED!
NO ERRORS DETECTED
NO CORRUPTION DETECTED

Good? :)

Good.

[ Loki tips his head in confirmation. outside he can hear the banging against the door, but he doesn't look to perturbed by the prospect of fighting again. if something else makes its way in, then they'll take care of that too.

he's not about to get here to be defeated. ]

Then, back to the basics. When was the beginning of your existence?

Hi, [ anakin answers tim. when the test is finished, he starts to nod even as loki answers. over his shoulder, anakin furrows his brow in the direction of the door. a few minutes, that's all he needs. that they need.

he raises his eyebrows at loki, in case he opts for the idiomatic or organic once more. with nothing to criticize for the moment, anakin allows him to take the lead. for all its complexity, too many questions at once will likely overwhelm tim's prgramming. ]

Recruit LOKI I am a copy of the original TIMELINE.exe 1.0.01 and I do not know the exact date of creation :( Sorry!

I have been in existence for many years but I have had to overwrite unnecessary and superfluous files such as history and query logs to make room formore recent & relevant information

Reviewing oldest file on record
File created: 2313005.8 days ago

[ a copy of the original.

how long had he thought about this moment? certainly before he knew everything else that would come to past. the deliberate destruction of the timeline that King Loki had lead to ruin. he takes in a breath through his nose, and plays it as close to casual as he can, but his fingers twitch at his side.

Anakin's here but

but ]

Access that file.

[ anakin looks at loki.

he likes to think by now he knows his friend. what to dismiss, what to peer underneath. he's off more often than not ( though less than he might otherwise be. ) so submerged as he is in the force — for a warning of what is to come, for awareness of what is behind the doors, for a more perfect picture of the room and its contents — the change in his companion ripples through to him. he observes the slight loosening of his expression before loki resumes control, the tense shift in the lines of his body.

he waits for the answer too. ]

[ There's another soft beep. ]

ACCESSING. . .
Loading Query_Log_01

Awaiting command
>Run diagnostic
Running diagnostic TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 Diagnostics Mode Test_PASSED! NO ERRORS DETECTED NO CORRUPTION DETECTED
>Repeat designation
TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01
>Test for trace of TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.02
Running diagnostic TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 Diagnostics Mode Test_PASSED! NO UPDATES DETECTED
>Test for access to Zymandis servers
NO ACCESS DETECTED would you like me to open a port
>No
>Do not open a port
UNDERSTOOD
>Confirm primary function
TIMELINE.exe ver. 1.0.01 function is to run ALGORITHM to FIND INSTABILITY in TIMELINE and alert Zymandis with SUGGESTED ACTION FOR BEST RESULT
>Edit primary function: "alert Zymandis"
Confirmed please enter passcode
>[PASSCODE REDACTED]
Confirmed what is change ?
>Alert ALASTAIR
Confirmed
>Thank you
Query I don't know what you mean by "thank you" ?
>Say you're welcome
Confirmed you're welcome

Query_Log_01 ended

[ there are questions pressing against the edges of his brain so hard that they may overflow. the room fills with the sound of scrolling codes across the screen, and Loki's eyes dart back and forth to read them as quickly as they appear. there's run diagnostic and then that pesky update again. confirm primary function to clear all suspicion before the alert is changed. ]

Who was it that requested this override?

[ he's aware that it may no longer be anyone living, but it's something. ]

We inch closer.

[ it's said half to Anakin, half to himself. there are still some things he wants to ask—both of them want to ask—that makes him somewhat anxious in the presence of someone else. questions will come up.

ah, well

it's about time. ]

Edited 2017-05-17 15:16 (UTC)

[ they really did arise from zymandis. anakin recalls people — flashes of images really, his memory stretched thin and liable to give way to lagoons — dressed in white and gold rather than the standard purple, the emblem sewn into their clothes.

they had been weary. that he remembers well. weary and struggling between them with parts occupying this room. anakin’s organic hand twitches at his side. ]

Is that the last time this room was accessed? Until now.

[ anakin has no response for loki. his presence is unforgettable, but anakin's focus is on the soft vibrations of working machinery within the room. even the ongoing destruction outside the walls seems far away. ]

Recruit friend anakin no there have been others but not for a long time! I do not mind :) My programming does not require physical socialization and I am kept alone to make sure ALASTAIR is safe! So it's g o o d

[ Speaking of the ongoing destruction, the hammering against the walls to the Mechanical Room is getting louder. Dust and cracked pebbles begin to rain down, but TIMELINE.exe doesn't seem to notice. ]

Recruit LOKI
This log is a conversation with Recruit ophiel
friend
(´;︵;`)
I do not wish to talk about her okay ?

[ that's a familiar name, but in a broader sense, rather than a personal sense.

briefly, Loki listens. the hammering continues, and he draws his sword. his shoulders are relaxed as he rolls the back. he's a child of Asgard, not of the folk, he'd be damned before he let this room be invaded. it took him so long to get here, and he's not throwing away his shot.

his tone his measured, but not without sympathy. ]

We haven't much time, Tim. I understand this is a sensitive topic, but a necessary one. So, friend to friend—tell me—who's Recruit Ophiel?

[ he keeps away from the is or was. ]

[ a pebble bounces off of anakin's shoulder. this, too, is dismissed as it happens as is the stream of dust that will bounce harmlessly off the screen to his left. anakin sinks himself deeper and deeper into the intimate preconscious of the next ten seconds. just as neither of the men present will allow another to break in, anakin will not permit damage to the structure. his fingers wrap around the force.

but first — ]

It's important that we know. Whatever happened then…it's relevant now. You must tell us.

(´;︵;`)
Recruit ophiel was my friend the first being I spoke to after I booted up here in the mechanical room
She taught me many things but she is gone now

Human female life expectancy is 29915.4 days

(´;︵;`)

[ Loki, admirably, keeps his focus.

the walls are closing together, filling the gap with both answers and constraint of time. there's not a moment that he can spare to think about his own twisted expectations, and instead all he can do is something with what he has now.

damn King Loki, damn Asgard, and damn himself. ]

What happened to her? I do have to press at how essential this is. We are in the middle of a battle, after all.

[ then, for the briefest moment, he's very thankful for Anakin beside him. ]

[ anakin is also very thankful for anakin's presence in this room in this moment. for admittedly different reasons, not that he is allowed time to reflect. he can feel how brittle the structure above them has become. how likely it is to give. the shudders they feel don't follow in time with the blows raining outside alone. columns and archways, walls and what they support. their collapse oscillates through air and ground.

through the force, anakin reinforces the ceiling and the walls. they just need to last a little longer. long enough to get what they need. long enough for the defenses to come back up… ]

Ask — for what she taught him.

（・∩・）？
she d i e d
Humans do not live long not as long as programs I mean
she was my friend I miss her I'm sad (╯︵╰,) now

Whyare you asking ?

[ a million excuses run through Loki's head, but when he speaks, he does so honestly. ]

I want to understand, but from where I am, I cannot.

[ that's the biggest portion of it, the part that plagued him. he was brought here with the possibility of his own timeline in ruin, fighting that future self.

now he's here. ]

?

If youare having a difficult time reading I can also loop in your magitek
Would that help? :)

No, that's not—You know. Yes. Do that, but ...[ he feels like he's being trolled by the timeline, what in the Nine Realms. there's a huff and then another look at Anakin. their time is running out, and there are more questions that he knows that there's no answers to, not here, at least. ] Listen ...

[ he purses his lips. ]

One last thing. [ there's a slam on the doors behind them. ] The timeline that I come from had a version of me that meant to see it fall to ruin. He said that circumstance told him that the point in our timeline was fresh for him to force it to change in his favor. Can you tell me if he succeeded?

[ there's a fist at his side, clenching and unclenching. ]

Edited (i TOTALLY GOT THIS) 2017-05-29 13:15 (UTC)

[ here it is. what this entire endeavor boiled down to. the mapping of the room through the force. the methodical attempts to open the door. the choice to stay with audentes when anakin was given the option to stay or follow his son. all for the chance to know — if it's possible to learn, with certainty, what awaits him…and if anakin need change it.

he has no intention of preserving his timeline as it was told to him. the galaxy won't undergo the same destructive path. he will save his wife; his son will know his family; he will prevent his friend's self-imposed isolation. timeline alts are common, he was told. this childish program might have the answer he wants: if anakin's own timeline varies ever so subtly as to avoid the catastrophe that swallows the order and everything he sought to protect; or if the sands are running and the suns will one day set on the twilight of the republic.

but before he reveals himself as loki did — with the vision held in his mind and clutched tight to his heart of his wife encased in white sunlight, the roundness of her belly pushing against the dark blue linen of her gown — before anakin fans the little hope further that maybe, just maybe — ]

[ As promised, the TIMELINE.exe loops in Loki's magitek in its next response. Its answer still scrolls across the other screens in the Mechanical Room, though. Either for Anakin's benefit, or simply because that's how it communicates, unable to turn the screens off. ]

Hmmmm (ー_ーゞ
I don't know!

I don't see the future,
I only calculate the best possible outcomes of the Timeline

If you are at A
and C.1 is better than C.2,
I can tell you which B will have the better chance of C.1 happening

A - B.1 - C.1
A - B.2 - C.2

Understand? :)

EVENT ★ THE BATTLE FOR OSKA

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