MISSION: RELEASE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD

[initiates]

Date & Time: April 27th - May 1st
Location: Wollongong, Australia, 2464.
Characters: All voluntary transports + maybe a few drafted ones.
Summary: Make those stay-at-homes leave their nerdcaves! My god, do they even know what sunshine looks like???
Warnings: none planned, will be updated accordingly!

The city is old, dark, and very, very quiet. A good deal of the buildings are crumbling and old, but the ones that are actually inhabited glow like candles in the dusk the Transporter has dropped you into. All of these buildings are infested by wiring pouring in from every angle, ensuring that each inhabitant in his or her little block of a room has every modern convenience available in 2464.

There is no one on the streets, no public transportation, and even cars look scarce. But that doesn't mean there's no movement. Maintenance drones, controlled remotely, run deliveries or work repairs. Armed law enforcement drones patrol on rounds through the city, although their mechanized attention is mostly turned outward. Still, they might come to investigate a ruckus within the city limits. And if the persons causing the ruckus don't respond to peaceful attempts to get them to cease, the drones might attempt to subdue them with paralyzing technology and haul them in for a night in the city jail — another dark, unused place.

If you get hungry, there are entire warehouses dedicated to the production of foods. It can't be that hard to sneak in and collect a meal, right? Or you can hack into the system and order whatever you want, if you're good with that kind of thing. Or you can just scavenge—or fast for four days, maybe—if thieving and hacking aren't your style.

And somewhere around here, in those glowing, secluded towers, behind the legions of automated drones, live the reclusive citizens of Wollongong. The methods are up to you, as long as you can get them to come out and breathe the fresh air somehow.

[[ ooc; Mission details are here! This will run from 27th of April to May 1st, with those on the mission returning to Exsilium at the same time that the new arrivals show up. It's an optional mission, but if you'd like your character to go along that would ICly sit it out, feel free to say that the Initiative drafted them for this one.

There aren't any teams or structured threads to this one, so go wild! ]]

Comments

[clinical]

What do you mean? I love encouraging people to achieve their full potential.

[nope.]

[concealingeyes]

'Full potential' isn't what they call the sort of feelings you can bring up, I think.

[Though Kano being all hissy about Jade is funny.]

[clinical]

I'm wounded.

But I had hoped to witness first-hand some of how the Initiative handles Transports in missions.

[concealingeyes]

They don't. That's pretty much the answer. If there's supposed to be some leaders around here, they aren't doing their jobs at all.

[clinical]

So it seems.

[But Jade wanted to know more. What resources were they provided? What preparatory information? What directions, what guidelines for action? Was there any policing or discipline?

But as he had suspected, it is near anarchy.]

[concealingeyes]

You'd be good at it, you know. But I'm guessing you don't want a leader position at all.

[clinical]

I wouldn't want to risk my subordinates' lives with my senility.

[He says it easily, one of those silly littles lies that aren't meant to be believed. They're just meant to keep people away from the way he truly thinks.

Truly, he could not serve the Initiative. Jade had served Peony's father because Jade had been willing to do anything and use anyone to reach his goals. But Jade serves Peony because he trusts Peony. He believes in his ideals and has faith in his principles. There is a different kind of irresponsibility in serving something you do not believe in. Jade is too practical not to cooperate with the Initiative on necessary matters. And he is too bound by his self-imposed limits to offer them more than that.]

[concealingeyes]

[Of course, Kido remains unaware of his thoughts. Though by now she's guessed he's someone who hides a lot of things but somehow it's only mildly irritating. Jade doesn't owe her any explanations and she's not going to pry for them.]

Whatever the reason is, that's fine. Do you mind if I still ask for your advice sometimes?

[clinical]

I suppose I can afford to share a few secrets before this old man passes on.

[He means 'yes.' He likes her well enough by now, after a month here and another several weeks back in time. He can, perhaps, muster up the strength to share a few words for her.]

[concealingeyes]

How old are you anyway? You talk like you're way older than you look.

[clinical]

I'm at the ripe old age of forty now.

[concealingeyes]

Forty, huh...? That is pretty old. You're over twice my age, anyway. Well, it's kind of hard here to keep track. It was August back home but now that it's May here, we passed my birthday...

[clinical]

Given that the measure is not of a seasonal nature, but of the number of days since you're birth, I don't believe that skipping through the calendar will affect when your age moves from one year to the next.

[concealingeyes]

It's kind of hard to keep track of the matching days though. In my head, I mean. I guess... [She thinks for a moment.] There's twelve months in a year and they're all about thirty days so I could just guess a rough date. It's still irritating.

[clinical]

If you have a calendar, you can simply write the relative dates overhead.

[Jade can do the calculations in his head but that's not important. Not everyone has a robot brain.]

[concealingeyes]

Oh, yeah I guess I could. But I'll probably still celebrate Kano's birthday this month anyway...

[She pauses at the tree. Now she has to wake up the koala. But it's sleeping so peacefully even if its weight is killing her arms...]

O-Oi, little guy...

[clinical]

Alas. I suppose we'll have to leave you here.

[concealingeyes]

I'd need to eat eventually, you know.

[And go to the bathroom and shower and stuff like that.]

[clinical]

I'm sure you can wait at least as long as it takes until this young fellow wakes up.

[concealingeyes]

[She is suspicious.]

...So how long do they usually sleep?

[clinical]

They sleep approximately twenty hours a day.

[concealingeyes]

[She gives him an 'are you serious' look.] Get him in the tree for me, please.

[clinical]

I thought you wanted to keep him.

[concealingeyes]

W-Wait I never said anything like that! Why would I want to keep some wild animal?!

[clinical]

Because it's cute.