Crashing Down: Preparation

[voidtreckermods]

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.]

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

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.

[notquitedracula]

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.

[light_of_willpower]

"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."

[notquitedracula]

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."

[light_of_willpower]

"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...

[notquitedracula]

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."

[light_of_willpower]

"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."

[notquitedracula]

"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."

[light_of_willpower]

"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?"

[notquitedracula]

"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."

[light_of_willpower]

"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.

[notquitedracula]

"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."

[light_of_willpower]

"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."