(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

[velveteened]

Well, it'd be weird if I did. I really am fifteen, but in my world, I was born 25 years ago.

( you're in a time-travel game ahiru work it out )

1/4

[quackery]

[brb trying to reformat her brain so maybe this will make sense]

2/4

[quackery]

[processing]

[quackery]

[processing...........]

[quackery]

[yeah no this conversation does not compute ABORT ABORT]

Well, um, that's... Okay.

[#so done with ph]

[velveteened]

( he laughs, a little rueful, and pulls his legs in closer so he can sit indian-style.

patiently: ) Is it confusing...?

[quackery]

How could you just skip ten years? That doesn't make any sense!

[velveteened]

Ah! You did get it.

( he pauses; it's funny because there's not a person in pandora who doesn't know this story, and not a single person here who does. )

It's not a common thing, even in our world.

[quackery]

[frowns!]

So what happened?

[velveteened]

( how to explain this without getting into the worst parts.









.... )

Magic!

[quackery]

[she actually wasn't expecting him to be so hideous wow]

Oz!

[velveteened]

( well, it was worth a shot )

Gil's told you about the Abyss, right?

[quackery]

A little bit, but I never understood it that well.

[velveteened]

It's hard to understand even if you're from our world. What do you know about it?

[quackery]

There are monsters called chains, and they live there until someone decides to ally with them, right?

[velveteened]

That's right! But it's a strange place; things like time start to lose meaning. What might feel like minutes on the inside might be years on the outside, and vice versa.

[quackery]

So it's like this place in that way?

[velveteened]

( he nods. it's a thought that's occurred to him more than a few times. )

In theory, it's not that different. I - ( hesitates, then goes on ) - went there, but I didn't realize until after I was able to get out that a decade had passed.

[quackery]

So how long had passed for you?

[wait

wait]

You went there? Why would you do that?

[velveteened]

I'm not sure. I thought it might have been a few days at most...

( but he had no way of really telling. he props his chin up on a hand, fingers curling into his cheek. )

I didn't have a choice about it. ( raises his eyebrows like it should be obvious ) I was thrown in.

[quackery]

[THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER]

What?! Who would do that? Isn't it super dangerous there?

How did you get out?

[velveteened]

Those are good questions!

( he actually laughs. )

That's how I contracted with my chain - so we could use the power to get out.

[quackery]

But doesn't that - I mean, isn't that bad for the person who contracts?

[velveteened]

What do you mean?

[quackery]

I don't remember exactly, but he said it was dangerous! Anyways, you know what I'm talking about!