(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

[charming_jerk]

Head start? Are ya nuts? No way. [He is a pretty fast runner. That's one nice thing the demon genes gave him - a runner's build. He gets into a running stance.] 3...2...1... go! [And off he goes! He doesn't even cheat and run before he's done counting.]

[demonbloodblade]

[well, yeah, but Meliantha's a professional commando, trained to run. She counts another three, then takes off herself. She's just a moment behind him, as they hit the surf. And she's smiling.]

[charming_jerk]

[Good thing he was concentrating on not slipping on the rocky beach to not notice that. He gives her a grin right back as he hits the water.]

Damn, ya gave me a run for my money there.

[demonbloodblade]

[She shrugs a little, still smiling. Not a grin - she still thinks her teeth would scare - but a smile, yeah. This close, the long scar on her right arm and the puckered puncture one on her right thigh show.]

I'm a soldier. We learn to run, especially when things start exploding or lightning bolts rain down. Or, you know, we blow up.

[She looks over the water.] thankfully I can actually swim, too.

[charming_jerk]

[Meliantha plz. This guy's teeth are much the same. You can't hide them forever.]

My mom made me join a sport in school, so I did somethin' else besides just music. [He shrugs. He didn't really care.] So I joined the track team. Good thing I did, too, since it helped me get away from all the demons 'n' shit lookin' for me back home.

[demonbloodblade]

[yeah well, habits are habits]

Well, so far they haven't shown up here, so that's good. Back where I'm from, they'd be chasing you, too, but more to talk you into moving to a country where demon-blooded are in charge.

[charming_jerk]

Better than tryin' to kill me or drag me to hell. But even better than that is where none of that shit happens. The UE may be tryin' to kill us, but at least it ain't me specifically. [He flops back into the water and floats about, eyes closed. The Initiative sometimes did things like this for them, which was cool too.]

[demonbloodblade]

They tried to recruit me, but I wasn't sure I liked some of the requirements. Like demon worship, murder, cannibalism... No, no, I didn't like them at all.

[She tries to float as well, but doesn't do so well, ending up mostly treading water.]

I had to worry about people trying to burn me at the stake, which isn't so good either. But yes, I can see that - it's nice to mostly feel that we're not being hunted specifically.

[She watches Johnny float.]

[charming_jerk]

Demons are pretty much just assholes. Yer better off without 'em.

[Eyes closed, relaxing, he smirks a bit.] Yeah. We're just another set 'a weirdos in a big damn pile of weirdos in Exsilium.

[demonbloodblade]

In my line of work, I didn't have much of a choice. But then, I tended to kill them, or banish which is enough of the same from the point of view.

[She paddles some more.]

So I need to ask... if you could get anything from one of these missions, what would you most try to get?

[charming_jerk]

What, like in general? Huh... I mean, right now I'm tryin' to gather stuff to help out with the catacombs 'n' all. Whatever we can get to make our lives back in Exsilium easier, I'm willin' to do. Why? What about you?