onemind: (Default)
THE N E S T ([personal profile] onemind) wrote in [community profile] station722016-05-16 10:16 pm

[MISSION LOG] BRAVE NEW WORLD

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: The Station + Concordia
WHEN: Day :000 - ???
SUMMARY: Leaving the Station; the arrival and first days on Concordia. Concordia pt.1.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.






IT'S EARLY IN THE DAY and something feels strange. It’s not unlike when a new Host - not one of your brood, but close enough to feel the tug - comes awake on the Nesting Deck. But it’s just the initial tug. There’s no noise, no hum of confusion or volume. Today, it’s just there: a sensation of presence that a moment ago wasn’t. Soon after follows a prickling awareness of urgency. A small electric bolt through the mind. Cathaway doesn’t use words in the mind, but her meaning is nonetheless easily understood: come to her on the hangar; your presence is required.

On the hangar there is a sleek, low profile transport ship. Before it stand Cathaway and Prince and in their company is a stranger: a short woman with warm skin and dark hair, wearing unfamiliar colorful clothes and a quick, pleasant smile. You’ve never seen her before, but you know she’s a Host.

“This is them?” Her voice is light and sweet. Prince, occupied by a databank, glances up at her then nods once. There’s a tension in his shoulder and through his jaw - a distinct contrast to Cathaway and the stranger who lack both.

“Lovely.” Her tone is breezy and easy, delighted. “Hello, it is so nice to meet you all! My name is Carata. My partner and I have been away on duty for a few months, but it’s become clear that we need backup on our assignment. We are hoping you can help.” Carata motions to the mission equipment in neat kits at her feet. There is one for each young Host.

Prince folds his pad down into its smallest form. His expression is set and serious.

“You will be joining Carata and Nirad on the planet below to assist them with their mission. Your datapbank will provide you with information about the planet and the city where you will be stationed. This mission is covert and the planet itself has no contact with other planetary races, so you will need to do your utmost to blend in.”

Cathaway sharpens slowly beside them: a dull pencil being sharpened to a point as her attention curves back to this place, this instance. She unfolds her hands. “You’ll be provided with an earpiece that should allow you to interface with the local technology and a fake identity for your cover on world. Please mind both carefully and be sure to keep your databanks offline. It would be inconvenient if they were networked while on planet.” From the way she says it, it sounds like ‘inconvenient’ might be an understatement. “This mission shouldn’t be inherently life threatening. Your primary goal is to investigate the anti-android movement. Carata and Nirad will be able to tell you what your databanks do not.”

“You should listen to them,” Prince adds. “Rely on their experience and knowledge to help you succeed in your task. Be mindful, and treat them with the respect they have earned.”

At this Carata laughs. It’s a bright, joyful sound, her hands coming up to clasp in front of her chest, “Please, teacher, you are too serious. I am sure they will do very well. Come along then! Gather your things; we must leave as soon as possible. I do hate to leave Nirad alone for too long.”

Turning her back to the Hosts, Carata takes Cathaway’s hand for a moment Nothing is said, but there’s the distinct impression of something passing between them. They release their grip, then Carata turns to Prince. She places her hands on his shoulders and goes up to her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. He doesn’t return the gesture, but those with sharp eyes will note he does lean down slightly to make her job easier.

Gather your gear, get anything from your rooms you might not want to leave behind. In two hours, everyone attending the mission will be buckled or strapped into the transport as Carata readies the ship for takeoff. She explains, neatly and concisely, what they believe the enemy to be doing in Concordia. Then, with a turning of the deck, the ship is freed from the embrace of Station 72.

It will be a long time before you see this place again.
     I. THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
The flight to Concordia is surprisingly short. By the time Carata's finished her explanation, you've passed into a new universe. It comes with a strange wave of something akin to nausea. Outside the transport's starboard viewports lays Opia in all it's glory: a beautiful blue marble speckled with sixteen landmasses and swathed in thing clouds like spun sugar. From this distance, clusters of light burn from specific points on the continents like a map of grounded constellations. As one of the great megacities of Opia comes curling from around the edge of the planet, the transport ship begins to descend.

Atmospheric entry is smooth. The transport drops at the outskirts of Concordia on what is, hilariously, some kind of large parking garage. It has engaged the most sophisticated of its cloaking technology to do this and Carata urged everyone to disembark quickly so the ship can return to orbiting the planet before it's detected.

"It will be back," she says flippantly. "When we've finished our job."

The ship departs. It's quiet and still for a handful of minutes; Carata seems unconcerned and gives little in the way of direction or instruction. The city flashes around them - bright lights and neon masking the fading of natural light - and nearby, a roadway hums. Eventually the sound of a car pitches louder. A set of headlamps shear from the long line of cars and in moments a long, squarish transport van pulls up and parks at the top of the garage. The side door slides open to admit everyone. In the driver's seat is an android - shining metal and cheerful as it greets every host by name. Beside the android in the van's passenger seat sits a tall, dark skinned man who - much like Carata - is obviously a host.

Welcome to Concordia.

     II. HOME SWEET HOME
It's a long drive into the city. The buildings get taller, the lights get brighter, the streets get busier. There are throngs of people on the street, dogged by endless rows of neon bright advertisements. Traffic is either miserable or flowing depending on the neighborhood and trams run on tracks fifty feet or more above the roadways. Streams of people files from the pavement to the subways, countless numbers of escalators leading down.

When the bus finally stops, it's in front of a building as tall as any others. The signs here mark this section of the city as BETA BLOCK and when you get out and into the building lobby you find that the door opens for you automatically. A chime rings through the interfacing ear piece and when you enter the elevators, the only floor accessible to you is NUMBER EIGHTEEN. When you disembark, a kind voice welcomes you by home in your ear. There are a large number of rooms here in Bearing - stake your claim, everyone! Nirad and Carata already have a couple of rooms in the Southwest corner of the building, but the rest are open. Time to settle in!

     III. FEET ON THE GROUND
You're given the rest of the night to sleep (or...whatever), but by 9AM the next morning everyone is awoken by Carata's voice in their head. She's clearly not shy of using her symbiotic connection.

( Good morning! I know this is quite a lot to get used to. I believe this is your first true assignment? But I have always believed that the best way to learn something new is to jump right in. ) The words are accompanied by the sensation of someone clapping their hands together, a cheerful kind of practicality. ( You’ve been given a credit card. I encourage you to go out today and learn what you can about this place. Talk to people. Listen to the news. Be sure to remember your cover identity, and don’t hesitate to call if you find yourself in trouble. )

There is nothing pressing to the suggestion, just the sensation- light. Airy. Fun. She switches track after a moment, a thoughtful addition: ( There is also a rally in town today. It’s being run by The True Children of Opia, some minor little hate group-- ) She seems to wave off the unsavory aspects as she forges ahead, ( They aren’t affiliated with Humans + Humans 1st, but they do have very similar ideologies and it is quite probable that there is overlap in their membership. If you would rather, it is also quite likely that there will be protestors there as well, both members of Mind Life and those who are adamant about pursuing digital resurrection. Please do be careful, though, sometimes those rallies can be a little... ) An image of an oily substance catching flame, quickly and hotly.

( Whatever you chose, simply do your best to get your bearings. ) She seems to realize the unintended joke there, given the name of their current residence, and a bright happy flash of color accompanies it. What a delightful surprise. ( Prepare yourself for what is to come. Nirad and I will continue our investigation in the meantime. )





((OOC Notes: This is the catchall log for the first stages of the Concordia mission. You'll notice there's no set ending date, so use this log however you like - alternatively, feel free to start your own logs in the setting! Don't worry; we'll be keeping a close eye on things, so if something big starts to happen that necessitates a new long, we'll make sure to keep our bases covered and all of y'all updated. Just be aware that dating forward farther than :010 may get a little dicey.

If you have any mission specific questions, direct them to the OOC post here.))




vocalis: (040 normal)

[personal profile] vocalis 2016-05-29 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Gloves on gloves on gloves. He smiles a bit nervously, scratching the side of his face with one finger, his own standard issue gloves on. The idea looked a little better in his head than that. Maybe he should've shared it. ]

I guess when you put it that way it sounds kind of silly.

[ He goes back to picking through the piles, listening while looking for something else. He absently picks up a black pair, maybe a little too big, but certainly less stand-out. At the mention of hoodlums, he looks up thoughtfully. ]

Hm? Um... no, I haven't really noticed.

[ But then, Aoba is probably one of the least judgmental of the small group of young hosts. When it comes to appearances anyway.

But he knows about the hate crimes; he'd read the debrief carefully and listened well at the rally. There's real danger here for certain hosts. He doesn't want anything bad happening to Angel just for having those plates on her head, and if he can help here too he absolutely will. ]


I'm just trying to think of a way you could use the gloves we were given and keep covered. Since...

[ He doesn't say more out load, but projects another mental image instead. A reminder that their gloves are also tasers. For Rhys, it's probably extra important he keeps them on. ]
dbag: (Default)

[personal profile] dbag 2016-05-31 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A click of the tongue as he points at Aoba, nodding. ]

I'm picking up what you're putting down.

[ Casual and offhanded, an attempt to hide the nerves the situation has given him. He isn't about to sequester away in his room all mission, not when there's so much to see, but the more people mention it, the more wary he becomes of the place. It's probably best he keeps the taser gloves handy. (Get it, hand-y.) ]

It'd probably suck for you guys if I died, right? Like, mentally. [ He waves his hand around his head as if Aoba doesn't know what he's referring to. ] So I'm gonna try not to do that.
vocalis: (002 worry)

[personal profile] vocalis 2016-06-01 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ If Rhys is trying to hide his nerves, it's about to get a whole lot more difficult. His words strike Aoba like stab wound being reopened, and anxiety pours over the connection like blood. He startles and drops the pair of gloves he was holding as if they'd suddenly burned him. Runs the palms of his hands flat down the length of his hips till they settle trembling at his pockets. Awkward, desperate to keep calm, keep casual. There are likely cameras. ]

Yes... it would. [ Said low, hazel eyes avoiding the other's dual colored ones. ] It would be worst of all for-

[ There's a time and place for everything. Here and now is not the time to be having this kind of conversation, especially out loud. It's too sensitive, too recent a wound in Adara brood, and their enemy could be anywhere, listening.

Aoba stares down at the gloves he dropped, brows knotting in concentration as he reaches out mentally instead. Hesitant as he can, to keep what feelings are his from spilling over too much. Worry for Angel, an emptiness that can't be filled, a recent loss. ]


It's probably better to not talk about host stuff out loud if we can help it... but yeah... try not to. For your brood.

[ He bends to pick the pair up again, sets it back among the pile where it belongs. ]

Maybe you should look for some... some glasses or something too.
dbag: (Default)

[personal profile] dbag 2016-06-03 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Aoba's intense reaction, unfortunately, hits him right in the gut — he hates this, having to actually feel others' emotions coming, as it makes it much harder to play it cool. He'd have noticed it anyway by the way Aoba wipes his shaky hands down the sides of his legs, an obvious sign of discomfort, but the wave wouldn't have crashed down on him the way it did.

It does, in fact, get more difficult with Aoba's anxiety bearing down on him. Dealing with his own is trying enough without adding to it.

His initial reaction when he feels Aoba's mind reaching out to his is to shut it down, tune it out; he's already uncomfortable with someone else's voice in his head and doesn't fancy dealing with that on top of all the emotions Aoba's radiating. Resisting the urge, he nods, the only acknowledgement the statement gets. There's a pause where he seems to have forgotten what he'd been doing, floundering around until he grabs the ugly yellow gloves from their place, finally remembering his purpose in coming here.
]

Like sunglasses? [ he replies, a little slow on the uptake after having to shake off the nerves. ] Yeah, I was thinking... maybe some shades and a cool hat, all dark and mysterious.
vocalis: (034 fake)

[personal profile] vocalis 2016-06-03 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ Internally, Aoba is doing his best to remain calm for both their sakes, but it's like picking up the pieces of a shattered plate. He tries to glue them back in place but there are missing fragments, and Rhys is getting cut by the shards he can't hold together.

Though Rhys continues the conversation out loud, and that helps take his mind off the missing pieces. He takes a breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth the way Ahsoka taught him, calming. Nods, looks back up and smiles, though it's strained.

He's not as good at hiding what he's feeling as Rhys seems to be, and for all he's spilled over, he's sorry. He'd apologize, but when he doesn't get a mental response, Aoba knows to back out. He would have to later, back at Bearings. For now, he simply agrees- ]


Yeah, dark and mysterious... not really my thing, but maybe you can pull it off.

[ He could look for something that Mink would wear. Not the best reminder of home, but he'd been intrigued by Mink. If anyone did dark and mysterious well, it was him. ]

I think I saw a hat store on the third level, if you want to check there.
dbag: ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴢᴇʀᴏ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ... ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴘᴀss. (pic#10209011)

[personal profile] dbag 2016-06-04 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Rhys smiles, pleased. Maybe you can pull it off. What a vote of confidence. (It actually is, considering what most people probably would've said in response.) In fact, Aoba is so accommodating and acquiescent that Rhys decides he already likes him. Not continuing the mental talk is a plus, too. ]

Yeah, okay, if you come, too. I mean, you're not doing anything right now.

[ Said more like a statement than a question; he assumes that, since he'd gotten pulled into Rhys's fashion bullshit, there's nothing more pressing for him to attend to. There could be — probably is — but it doesn't occur to him. ]

—Hey, are fedoras still unacceptable, or are they cool again yet?