(open) mission: hit the beach

[aithinkthereforeaiam]

Date & Time: July 18th-24th, Exsilium Time
Location: Sea Shore during the Late Cretaceous Period
Characters: All! Oh those pesky mandatory missions.
Summary: In lieu of the success of the space shuttle's test flight, all of the Transports have been sent back to the Cretaceous period to gather mineral supplies and volcanic rock, while doubling as a sort of 'vacation' and chance to get Transports out of the Initiative's hair. With well stocked supplies, camping gear, and more burlap sacks than anyone could possibly ever use, the Transports have been set under a protective dome and told to collect what they can... and to enjoy the sunshine.
Warnings: Shenanigans!

The overflow log can be found HERE!

It's almost surreal, the quality of color, of light, of oxygen saturation in the air once people arrive. It's so rich that the Initiative sent people back with respirators, to help ease the transition, and warned those who would listen about the effects of too much oxygen on a system.

What they don't warn for is the sheer alien familiarity of the landscape, the warmth, the roughness of the sand on the beaches. This is not the fine, sandy beaches out of vacation dreams, but a rougher, larger granule sort, with shells that might be recognizeable as ancestors to ones those from Earth would remember washing up on familiar beaches, millions of years later.

Most striking is the lack of abundant wildlife found among the fronds and leaves and foliage, or underneath the surface of the saltier, much warmer waters extending off the beach. While acting as a permeable membrane to oxygen and water, along with the sorts of phytoplankton that kept sea creatures alive, all the larger animals had been pushed out by the Initiative's installment of the safety dome. Along the transparent walls, curious creatures would come close, peer in, tap against the barrier and run off if frightened, but very few were found inside at any size larger than that of a house cat. It was for the better in the long run.

Too bad that the Initiative didn't have ultra-violet blocking technology in their shielding. For all the atmosphere is in much better shape millions of years in the past, the sun is as strong as ever, and the unwary will be burned through and through if they're not careful.

Comments

[maskmaker]

[On the second morning after seeing him sitting there since the day before, Monica leans over his chair to peer down at him, taking in the upside-down image of his face.]

... You're like a statue!

[clinical]

[Jade's response is to open his eyes.] My, is this the greeting method of modern youths? I've fallen far behind the times.

[maskmaker]

[She then responds to that with a finger waggle.]

Unfortunately, I'm really behind the times, too. Most of the people I know are from centuries ahead of me.

[clinical]

Anachronism must be an interesting state of being. [Jade doesn't know; everyone is from weird worlds with video calls but no teleportation. Weirdness!] We'll have to be old and unhip together.

[maskmaker]

... This is the first time I've been called old, but I guess I called you a statue too so I'll pretend I didn't hear it.

[She straightens, walks around Jade's chair, and crouches by it, wrapping her arms around her legs.]

What kind of world did you come from?

[clinical]

[he can put up with that] What types of world are there to choose from?

[maskmaker]

[She picks up a stick and starts drawing in the sand.]

There are types? Like patterns in worlds?

[clinical]

I'm not certain how else you'd like me to explain what kind of world mine is.

[maskmaker]

Oh, I just wanted to hear some kind of description, I guess?

Like, for example... well, I don't actually know a lot about my world. I grew up in just one little city, but if I had to, I could describe it.

[She doesn't because she guesses Jade wouldn't be interested. If he was, he'd ask later, probably.]

[clinical]

continued here