exsiliumlogs | (no subject)

Date: November 1st
Location: The Observatory.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Observatory after their initial briefings. The zombie plot will not spill over into this area, this area is safe and unaffected! To face zombies, characters must leave the area, and please move to the event log with those threads.
Warnings: None.

Your arrival here has been very unceremonious. One second you were somewhere else, and now, very suddenly, your feet hit the glowing white of the Transporter pad, and you're here. You aren't alone, either. There's a crowd of others around you, each seeming just as bewildered, angry, or confused as you might feel. At the head of the group is a woman in purple robes, solemn and taciturn. She hurries over a quick overview of your intended purpose here, and gives direct answers when asked for them, but to most things she simply shows you how to access the tablet you've just been given, or tells you that the DITR's greeters will explain everything. On the tablet, you can find the history of this place and a record of what your new cohorts have experienced — although it won't have Network access for another 8 hours. Someone stands on hand to give you a weapon, and though the armory is now greatly reduced, you should be able to find something to suit you.

You're shepherded down a walkway tunnel and into the Observatory, where you will find screens mounted on three sides of the wide room. It's night outside the great wide windows, and the lunar landscape isn't much to look at right now; the only lighting comes from dull red emergency lights, but there are… noises. Listen carefully. Over the voices of your fellow Transports, now and then you might catch the sound of a scrape, or a low and muffled cry. It doesn't sound human. Are there animals up here?

You're free to explore the base, visit and use any of the VR rooms, or discover your new room and roommates, but try not to step out of any airlocks if oxygen is a requirement for your system.

Welcome to the moon base, and to the remains of Exsilium.

[[ ooc; As a note for players of current characters: please keep your root comments confined to the various groups and organizations that set up root comments to greet new characters! We highly encourage tagging around here, but since it's a log meant for new characters specifically, we ask that they be the ones to set up root threads to the entry. Thank you, and happy playing! ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Although even armies are told when to fight and when to stand down.

[ It's probably clear by now that he doesn't have the highest opinion of the Initiative, but he feels a certain kind of sympathy for those like himself. The Transports. ]

What interests you, Doug?

Everyone always has to work harder when no one knows exactly what the hell they're doing. Who wants to be that person who fell asleep at the switch?

[ He looks surprised for a moment, considering the question. ]

... I'm not really sure. You mean here, or-- [ Nothing that is here, as far as he can tell. ] What interests you?

[ Thank god they don't have guard duties or he would be all for bloody murder. ]

Intelligence interests me. Strategy more than crude fighting.

Definitely... definitely. Strategy is one of those things that separates man from the wilderness, uh -- well, in a way. They can strategize but we can do it better.

[ Supposedly. One hopes, but. ]

You must be a chess fan, then.

[ Cesare watches him with curiosity, perhaps more so at the stumbling. ]

Chest? How can one be a fan of it? [ Is this some dirty joke or something. ]

[ He tilts his head. That wasn't the answer he expected. ]

Chess. It's a game... strategy game, each side gets a few pieces like a king, a queen, bishops, pawns and the point's to move across the board so you can capture the other side's king. [ He pauses, knowing he's not really explaining it well. ] ... Trust me, it's more interesting than it sounds. If you want I can show you sometime.

[ He has never had much time for games even since he was younger, but his description sounds familiar enough. ]

That sounds like the game of life, is it not? Capturing the other side's king. The Spanish call that game the ajedrez.

What is the purpose of playing such a game?

It just teaches you how to think ahead. Little bit, anyway. And--

[ He holds his hands up a little as if he's about to drop a bombshell. ]

Some people also think that games can be fun.

[ Wow, what is fun? Can you eat it? Cesare looks at him as if his skin had suddenly turned a weird color. Fun. Right. ]

Such as practice for real wars? [ He crosses his arms. His mother might enjoy games and Doug, whether a compliment or not, doesn't strike him as anyone dangerous. ] Can one put wagers?

[ F - U - N spells "fun." C'mon Cesare. ]

Well, couldn't hurt. Strategy's strategy, right? [ He puts his hands on his sides, but nods. ] One absolutely can.

[ Everything's more fun if it's also for money, right? ]

[ That's a big word, Doug, take it easy on him. ]

How many players do you need in a game? [ He's already counting his sister and Ellie and whoever he cares enough to want cheered up. ] I might ask you to play it for us. One does need fun in a place such as this.

Just two. But some people play with teams.

[ He smiles, mostly because chess is something that he actually knows enough about that he actually can teach it. ]

Yeah -- whenever you want. Maybe if we're lucky there's even a board around somewhere.

[ As busy as he tries to make himself, there really is few things worth doing here. Entertaining his mother ranks quite high up. ]

Can we not make our own?

[ He raises his eyebrows again; somehow that didn't occur to him. ]

Actually, yeah. We could. I've got a, uh... something to carve with if there's anything around to carve. If not we can use something else instead of normal pieces... coins, maybe, whatever'd be easy to remember. There's...

[ He has to count on his fingers to recall all the pieces. ]

... Six different kinds of pieces, sixteen altogether. We could figure out something.

[ There were trees to carve in the agricultural wing but god knows he's not going anywhere near that place again if he had a choice. ]

I have gold coins. Gold can be carved, yes?

[ He's really no expert on this. ]

I think so... never tried it myself. But gold's pretty soft, right?

[ Though if he knew about the trees he'd consider checking them out -- he never got that far, even with the zombies around. ]

Hard, but malleable.

[ Better to bend than to break, and all. ]

I will call for you when I find a suitable time.

[ He nods, smiling faintly. ]

Great -- yeah, do that, I'll see what I can get together myself 'til then. Maybe a board. It's Cesare, right?

[ He nods, even with a hint of a smile. ]

Cesare. A pleasure, Doug.