(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

a!

[copia]

[ Kaede will wander over, the hood of her unzipped vest slipping off of her head as she shakes her head. ]

Find anything interesting yet?

[concealingeyes]

It's kind of interesting that shells haven't changed a whole lot.

[She takes a few out of her pocket to show Kaede. They mostly still look the same as normal shells.]

But... they're still nice. I keep thinking I'm going to step on a weird fish though.

[copia]

[ She nods in agreement, kneeling down to rake her fingers through the sand lightly. ]

I bet the cooler ones are a bit more out, like if we go waist-deep. And yeah, it's weird looking back or ahead and seeing the dinosaurs just...there. But this is a pretty cool way to spend my birthday, though!

[concealingeyes]

Eh? [Her birthday? Damn. How unobservant of her...] Ah... I can't make you a cake here but when we get home, whatever type of cake you want, I'll make it for sure. We'll make sure you have tons of fun on this mission, though.

[copia]

[ Kaede would disagree on the use of "unobservant!" More like she didn't really tell anyone it is this coming weekend, so it's no one's fault but her own. ]

The stuff to make a cake can be found in Exsilium? That's surprising. But yes, I thought the mission was a nice way to spend my birthday. It's better than sitting in the apartment with the dreary rain!

[concealingeyes]

It won't be anything too special but it'll be a cake.

[When Kaede puts it that way, though, she can't help stretching.] It's kind of fun here, isn't it? I almost want to go swimming.



[p.s. posted at the overflow log and put a thread for us here!]