voidtreckerexpress | Crashing Down: Preparation

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Crashing Down: Preparation

Voidtreckers. I have picked up a catastrophe mission coming from system #78961112094711. Voidtreckers have urged me to be open with you all these last months and so I shall be transparent. The readings coming from this catastrophe are very unusual and I cannot determine the threats. Indeed there do not seem to be any threats in the system that would result in a catastrophe level mission.

This has been encountered before, in the Month of Egret on system #27462947582. This voidcraft was unable to ascertain the threats that could lead to a catastrophe. Known risks were calculated and mission goals created, but the Voidtreckers were put in unnecessary danger from the world destroyers.

From the data available it is not unreasonable to believe that the catastrophe facing #78961112094711 comes from the world destroyers. We still have little information. We do not have any way to stop the destroyers. However we have advantages that Voidtreckers did not have in the month of Egret.

We know what is coming. System #78961112094711 is Void Active. Voidtreckers have allies there. Saving the system is not possible but with five hours it is possible that many many lives could be saved by evacuating them to the void.

This voidcraft is sending a forward message to the ministry stationed on System #78961112094711. Due to the nature of arriving at catastrophe missions they will receive it not long before we arrive. But it should mean they are ready for us. This voidcraft has calculated mission goals to help voidtreckers organise but it should be noted that the most important goal is to save as many lives as possible.

The announcement comes out of the blue on day twenty four of the month of Quicksand. Not too long after breakfast when people are getting on with chores or other morning activities.

It is followed quickly by a holographic message setting out their team goals. They do not have all that much time before arrival, an hour or so to be prepared for the huge task ahead of them. The dressing carriage is open with warm coats, hats and other team-coordinated winter accessories.

How to prepare for such a challenge? It's going to be a very difficult day.

[OOC: This is a bonus extra for those who want to play out the preparation and reaction to the forthcoming event. It is forward dated until day 24. The actual event will go up on the 16th April and a conclusion on the 23rd. Though IC the event will only last one day.]

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Rude Awakening
This was Soma's first time hearing the train give anything other than its regular announcements, and it was more than a little disconcerting. Having just finished washing dishes - he knew it was purest folly to trust himself with preparing meals for others, but he wanted to do his part regardless - he's half soaked with sudsy water. Cursing silently, he tosses his apron into the linen bin and heads for the nearest terminal - doubtless he's not the only one doing so. If he's going to help, he needs to know what this place they're heading to is like, first and foremost... and he needs information about those 'world destroyers'. Do feel free to enlighten the FNG to the dangers posed by these things, will ya?

Gathering Materials
It doesn't take a person long to get from one place to another when they can both move at incredible speeds and stop time for short durations. Those with the ability to resist such effects will still see little but a blur of purple and white rushing by as he makes his way to the luggage car.

The more perceptive might just hear the Doppler effect applied to a litany of curses as he passes.

Being familiar with magic, he was well versed in the concept of reality bending. Edging around the rules of causality, physics, geometry, and other such constructs was kind of the bread and butter of your average magic user, at least where he came from. Reality destruction on the other hand? That... that was the purview of gods, and godlike beings. Breaking the absolute bedrock rule, that energy can neither be created nor destroyed? That wasn't something he'd ever encountered personally before. And frankly, it scared him.

He's less concerned with clothing than he is with finding materials. Even the smallest scraps of crystal - not that there are many, if any at all, to be found - could prove useful, and once he's through here he's going to be heading to wherever they keep the healing supplies. Every erg of energy he can wring out, he's going to put to use. Lives are at stake.

Anyone paying attention can probably tell he's panicking...

.. well.

It's not too much of a surprise to be joined by someone else, sure, but it's a little more of a surprise when he realises that the guy standing next to him is.. a little soggy, somehow?

It makes Inigo glance up from the information, and instead over at Soma. He blinks in surprise, and then speaks up with:

"Is.. everything alright?"

Look, given the sudden mission and this mission information, there are a lot of reasons as to why Soma wouldn't be alright right now. But still, Inigo can't help but ask.

Hey, dishwashing is messy when you're not used to doing it. He'll improve with time. For now, that's entirely a secondary problem, though.

Soma looks pale - even moreso than usual - as he looks over the information. "A lot of people are about to die. There's no way in Hell I'm alright," he says, then winces as he realizes the tone he's speaking in is... pretty far gone from polite. "Sorry. Death and I don't get on so well."

"It's fine."

At least that reaction seems to come out of Inigo's mouth fairly instinctively. He's been in enough situations that had a lot of pressure on them - even before he ever got on the train - that he knows that moods can swing in all sorts of directions under those circumstances.

He won't blame anyone for not being able to stay quite as calm as he does.

"But I need you to first breathe. Alright?"

Especially with how pale Soma is looking. It's like a stiff breeze could knock him right over in this state.

"We have hours left to prepare."

So calming the other down can be a priority, rather than something they have to rush as well.

A stiff breeze would do something, but probably not knock him down. Soma does take the prescribed breath, but it doesn't help much. "Hours to prepare to save the population of an entire world. I hope you'll forgive me for saying that isn't a lot of time, considering."

He doesn't know yet that it isn't just a single planet the world eaters destroy, but their entire reality. Probably best not to mention that to him just now.

It's a difficult situation. And honestly, Inigo finds himself - once more - kind of mad at the train. Even though he gets that it's not like the train picked this timing for a mission like this, it's still.. a lot. For the people who were already on the train and already endured a mission only a week or so ago, maybe two. For the people who are new, and immediately have this to contend with.

It's not fair. But when is anything on the train?

"You're right," he says, trying his best to sound understanding. Maybe that's the most he can do for the other in this moment. "But preparing while you are overwhelmed won't do anyone any good."

Inigo knows that very well, having often been in these sorts of situations before.

"There are plenty of people who have been on the train longer who can take care of most of the mission preparation. All you have to do is.." .. He thinks back to the mentioned world. They've been there before. What stood out about it?

...

"Make sure you have warm clothes. The place we're going is cold. Other than that.. I know it's hard, but try to calm yourself down, even if it's just a little. You just have to do those two things, alright?"

Soma sighs, sagging a little. "I've only ever been able to rely on myself in situations where the chips are on the table," he admits. "Working with a group is... going to take some getting used to. I'd still prefer to do my own prep, at least what I can with the allotted time."

He considers the offered advice, but shakes his head. "Temperature doesn't really affect me. I can stand in the middle of a wildfire as long as I have a place that isn't actively on fire without much trouble, and basically the same goes for cold." The benefits of being the next best thing to a vampire...

..

Okay, wait. Hold on. Any and all thoughts about what Soma says first - and boy, does Inigo ever have a lot of those! - are wiped clean off the table when the other continues with that next part, making Inigo look at the other with a completely baffled expression.

"In the middle of a wildfire?"

Wouldn't you worry about burning, even if the fire isn't literally on you in that moment?!

Soma shakes his head. "It's part of what I am, as well as the magic I use. If I have the right spells active... I don't even need the 'clean' area." Truth told, he could achieve total invincibility for a short time, if he absolutely had to... but it drained the hell out of his mana to do so, and only worked in periods of about five seconds without re-applying the effect.

Inigo has thought this thought many times by now during his stay on the train, but it always bears repeating in his mind: the people here are so weird. Especially by his own world's standards.

"Well, I.. am glad for you then."

He sounds so unsure as he says that, like he has no idea what the heck to even say to that sort of power. G-Glad to hear Soma won't have trouble with the cold, he guesses? He's not even being insincere, he's just being a little overwhelmed by the thought of someone being able to do that!

"It might make it a lot easier for you to move around there and reach as many people as possible."

Trunks had likewise been doing dishes, as it was his way of giving back since he was one of the big eaters. He wasn't the only one to head to the terminal... He blinked though, managing to track the speed the other moved only because Trunks himself could be fast and via ki. One of the new purple team-members, and it wouldn't take much for Trunks to realize the other had gone to prepare.

Besides, he could track that ki as it was still moving. He followed at a more sedate pace, and finally found the other near the clothing car and not far from the armory. "Take a deep breath." It's said calmly, but with some authority. He's in the doorway, hair pulled back and in his usual train-uniform of purple.

There were a number of people on the train that had power of their own; Soma had sensed this in a general way as soon as he'd boarded, and even before, while on the platform. The one addressing him now was somewhere high on that list - he had no idea HOW high, as Trunks was masking his ki, but he was definitely on the list. And being a member of the Purple team, with seniority, he was technically Soma's superior, if one viewed things that way. Definitely a 'senpai' at the very least.

That order makes him pause finally, and... well, breathe. "People are about to die," he replies, a little wild-eyed still. "An entire world is about to end. I can't just... sit idle and let it happen." Is that a note of despair? It almost certainly is.

"We're not going to sit idle." Trunks said calmly, moving to lean in the doorway and cross his arms. "But you're new, right?" Trunks thought he was. "And you're panicking." That was something Trunks was familiar with--people panicking.

"You'll be more effective if you're not panicking. We're going to save as many people as we can."

Soma grits his teeth, biting back a retort. How can this guy be so... so calm? It takes a little while longer for the answer to hit him. "This... this isn't your first time, is it." It would explain a lot. Certainly, it would give him a lot better perspective on things - and if he's already been forced to make that kind of call, it would have left its mark on him.

Soma deflates, now looking much more like the frail human his body would have him appear to be. "Yeah. I'm definitely panicking. I know I'm panicking, and that doing so isn't going to help. But what else can I do? I've fought demons and men turned to monsters before, but the only lives on the line then were my own and my closest friends... this is so much bigger."

"I've been here about a year now, give or take a month." Trunks said softly. "My world also....had hard decisions to be made in it."

Trunks regarded the other, and they seemed to be of similar ages. "Well, start with a name. I'm Trunks. I'm also one of the inventory managers for Purple. Have you met Cassie yet? If I can't help you find a supply and we have it, she probably can. The second thing is you're not alone on this. All of us are going to be working towards this, doing what we can to help." That was perhaps the biggest and most comforting advantage. Trunks was used to fighting alone for so long...

Now that he's... if not calmed down, then at least no longer quite panicking, and he's taking better stock of his surroundings, he can make out a few more details about Trunks. He's got the eyes of a man who's lived a hard life, and if his apparent age was to be believed, he'd been in the thick of it a lot earlier than Soma had. Dracula's memories notwithstanding, he definitely had the edge on Soma.

"I'm... I'm Soma. If we're thinking of the same person, yes, I met her on the platform. She said she was one of the inventory managers for Purple; at the time, I didn't think to ask how many there were, or even how big the team was. I was more concerned with figuring out if my abilities worked here." He lets out a short, mirthless bark of laughter that still has a bit of a raw edge to it. "Like that means anything whatsoever. I'd give 'em up in a heartbeat if it could somehow prevent... this."

He sighs, taking another deep breath. "Okay. I guess the first question I should ask is... do we have any kind of magic restoring potions or gear in stock? Back home I had a ring that basically enabled me to go on forever without worrying about it, but long before I got that I learned my natural limits... and they're nowhere near up to trying to save even part of a world, at least without doing things that I really don't want to do. I can replace anything I use afterwards," he adds, "but right now I don't have time to brew any potions."

"There's only the one Cassie, I'm pretty sure." Trunks said with a wry smile that was also fond. "She's very good at giving you the info dump while you're still trying to figure out just what happened to you."

"We have potions and I'll have to check on gear." Trunks said simply. "Even better if you're able and willing to make more before."

"She is that, yes," Soma says, grimacing a bit. "At least she made some sense out of it all."

He nods at the revelation that there are potions available. "I can make more, but not in the time we have available. The full process can take up to a week, but it's just as easy to do dozens in one batch as it is to do one. Cassie already offered to help acquire the materials, so it's just a matter of getting it done... after this mission."

"Alright. So, we have some potions that restore health and mana, for lack of a better term. Some that just restore health, others that just restore mana. Being willing to replace and being able to make more certainly means we're more willing to give them out. We also have various other items available, like weapons, foods that help, etc." Trunks said, moving on to business.

"So why don't you tell me what you're most afraid of, and-or what you're thinking about this?"

"I should be able to handle healing on my own, so all I need are a few of the ones just for mana." He considered the question for a few moments, frowning. "First, we don't have nearly enough time to save an entire world's population, even with help. Even if we had some way to gather them all in one place, we'd still have trouble tagging everyone and putting their info into any kind of system. If there were some way to slow down the threat... but from what I saw, there's no known way of even making them pause briefly."

He sighs. "Second, there are going to be people who refuse to leave. If they're adults, that's... regrettable, but fine. It's their choice. But if they have kids... it's another story entirely. Kids shouldn't have to pay for their parents' choices."

"Correct. We don't know how to slow down or pause the threat." Although Soma's statement sparked something in Trunks' brain. He'd chase it down later. It was also correct that...that they likely wouldn't be able to save everyone. It hurt.

"I'm glad you're thinking about that--and you're not the only one who's concerned about that possibility." Trunks said calmly. "As far as I know, there is no specific plan to deal with that, and we won't really know the situation until we're all on ground. So...I suppose, just do what you think is best." Trunks planned to--and he was used to dealing with stubborn people.

"I'd try stopping time, but I can't cover a huge area like that - and I don't know who else would still be able to move, even if I did." It was frustrating, to be sure; his abilities worked pretty well for dealing with localized things, but anything on that scale would require a complicated ritual at the very least - something he had neither the time nor the power to prepare, just now.

Soma nods at the advice. It's what he had intended to do regardless - he was going to save as many kids as possible, even if he had to put their parents under Siren's spell to do it. "I should probably be able to manage something without causing physical harm."

"We can talk about stopping time later." Trunks said with an amused smile. Honestly, since it seemed like some people had their Diagad powers, he should see if he still had his own time manipulation.

"But here's what you focus on on this. You pick a job, and you focus on it. If you're putting SCAs on people, then JUST focus on getting the SCAs on them. This is all too big for any one of us, and you can rely on others to do their job. Believe me, none of us want to leave anyone behind. It's going to hurt, knowing we can't get everyone. But we are damn well going to get as many as we can."

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Crashing Down: Preparation

Preparing for the Worst

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