each little clam here know how to jam here (OPEN MINGLE POST)

[tentaculled]

There's a very big, very important expedition happening - the base's first trip as a group to the Aurora to go salvage what's inside! Very big, very important, and happening... next month. They're not going anywhere until they've conducted some research on that downed ship and gathered a good base of intel on how they might take care of - and protect - themselves.



A: THE ACTUAL WRECK

Maybe you're a daredevil who's not afraid of a little bit of radiation/fire/falling debris/angry wildlife hiding in a burned-out chassis. Or maybe you're one of the lucky ones who's immune to the radiation and are doing your part for the team. Either way, the monstrous silhouette of the Aurora looms in the distant waters of the Safe Shallows. Available for use are three Seaglides and one Seamoth to get out there, if you desire - although you might have to compete for their use. If you're feeling athletic, maybe you can even swim out there.

The radiation leak has been plugged, but the radiation itself is still dissipating from the area, so you probably shouldn't spend too long out here if you don't want to get sick. The hull of the ship is pockmarked with holes and damage, but not all of them are fit to be used as entrances by the crewmembers. Some of them might even have already been claimed by Crashes mistaking the dark nooks for caves. If you do get inside, there are still fires burning within the ship. Be careful out there!

B: GRASSY PLATEAU
 

Gotta get out there and check that new biome for resources before our big adventure. The Grassy Plateau is still largely unexplored, with plenty of treasures (or, well, survival resources) to be found.

In search of food? Apparently, those sand shark eggs are good eating, if you're daring enough to go toe-to-toe with a mother predator. Or maybe you'd prefer more exotic cuisine. Has anyone tried eating a Mesmer yet?

Alternatively, the expansive caves of this area are chock full of vibrant and unusual plant life that might offer some tasty nutrition to the hungry diver. Or there might be some that are medicinal - or toxic. Finding metals is another goal set by Ursula this month, and there's ore hiding deep down in the cave systems.

C: PARKS AND WRECKS

The Aurora's explosion left plenty of scrap metal around, and although some of it was cannibalized to fix the radiation leak, there are still husks of ship parts lying around on the ocean floor. If you're out searching for food, weapons, or other resources in any region, it may be worth investigating them to see if anything useful survived. The life pods embedded in the sand seem like a good place to start.

D: OTHER

You don't have to go foraging in the Grassy Plateau. Feel free to assist in preparations by gathering things from any of the biomes! Or you can stay in the base working on making all that weird stuff everyone else is collecting into something edible/helpful/otherwise useful.

(ooc: this is an open post for everyone to participate in the mission, similar to fukami's mingle post earlier in the month!! post your own toplevels and do your thing.)

Comments

iii.

[upcard]

[She's still uncomfortable going out to swim in the ocean, but she can't just sit in the base all day either while the others risk their lives. So in the end... out she goes.

The telepathic message gets her to blink, but that sounds...safe-ish???

She'll try.]

I'm on my way...!

[maserannas]

[ On recognising who she hears, Ellana narrows her focus down to Mai and speaks again, attempting to likewise focus gratitude and a sense of reassurance into her mental tone. It's highly debatable how successful she is in her attempt. ]

Thank you! There's a good chance you'll be able to identify what's actually useful, instead of me guessing my way through this. I'll swim up to signal my location.

[ Which is more or less literal: she swims straight up over the odd pod of some kind, keeping an eye out for stalkers at the same time. They're a little too likely out in this area, but the pod isn't so shiny, and nothing appears to be particularly interested in it. ]

[upcard]

[No pressure or anything... but Mai will swim that way, as soon as Ellana does. Let's hope there aren't any stalkers, really; Mai wouldn't be ready for that--but thankfully they get lucky, and soon enough Mai is able to swim to Ellana's side.]

Is it down here...?

[maserannas]

[ Ellana gives Mai an exaggerated nod, indicating below them with her hand and a scissor kick of her feet. ]

Right below us. That mound — it looks like those kinds of materials we see at the base, or what I expect is out by the Aurora.

[ She curls in on herself, changing direction and kicking down toward the life pod. As they draw closer, the means to the interior becomes visible; a gap in the side. Nothing moves inside. No fish seem to have taken up residence, even just to flit through in the constant swimming of their lives. ]

[upcard]

[Mai follows as well, blinking at the scrap; it certainly does look like something along the lines of what they'd find at the base.]

Be careful...it looks like there are a lot of sharp edges.

[That's her first concern, before she shifts a little closer, peering thoughtfully at it.]

I wonder how we'll bring any of this back... in small pieces, maybe?

[maserannas]

[ Ellana makes her careful way inside the life pod, trying to make out what's inside. ]

There might be useable supplies inside. We can start with those, then ask to send out the metal golems if we want to bring more of the structure itself in...

[ She trails off as she disappears into the interior.

[upcard]

Right...

[This sounds like a good plan. Mai will tentatively swim closer, though she doesn't get in the way of the entrance, not wanting to trap Ellana in.]

We should try to find the most valuable things first, right?

[maserannas]

[ Ellana helpfully turns around to pop her head back out, looking at Mai. ]

Seems like an intelligent plan. Come help me figure out which those are?

[ She knows she doesn't understand what things are more valuable than others, aside from generally guessing "food supplies" or "maybe this is medical?" are useful by and large. ]

[upcard]

Okay!

[No hesitation here; Mai'll swim in to join Ellana, peering around thoughtfully. Granted, she doesn't know much more than her, but by merit of being a modern otome protag, there are things she can look for!

Like medical stuff mostly, but she'll also poke around for any electronics that she thinks could be taken back and repaired, her conversation with Mikleo about computers still fresh on her mind.]

Let's see.... I've never seen anything like this before.

[maserannas]

[ Ellana peers over Mai's shoulder, or more floats and manages to be higher than where Mai swims. ]

Coincidentally, neither have I.

[ Ellana ends up moving off to the left, reaching out to pick up a metal tube that has jammed itself between two pieces of the pod interior. She holds up what is actually a flashlight, turning it this way and that way. There are buttons on it. She hesitates to push them at this juncture. Who knows what'd happen. ]

Does this look like anything you recognise?

[ She asks, careful in how she holds out the metal tube (look at this amazing space age flashlight, Mai) to her companion. ]

[upcard]

Oh!

[Mai's quick to reach for the flashlight, holding it with the sort of familiarity that makes it clear she knows what it's for and what it's like.]

It's a flashlight! I wonder if it still works...this could be really useful. Um--it lets you see in the dark.

[For obvious (electrical) reasons, Mai isn't going to try turning it on, but it's clear she's prepared to bring it back with them.]

[maserannas]

[ Ah, like a magelight, only not one that requires magic to operate. She smiles, though it's not visible considering the breathing apparatus. Elves had keen vision in the dark, a trait humans did not share. Why this feels like a reminder of a silly little difference in physiological traits, she doesn't know, but it's a sign of something useful. ]

I'm presuming it does so by flashing light on to whatever it is you wish to see? Or is it more steady, like a torch, or a mage light?

[ Clearly everyone knows mage lights. Who wouldn't. It's mage + light = mage light right? ]

Perhaps there are others like it? Or... huh.

[ She reaches out with one foot to point toward a series of vacuum sealed energy bars. ]

What in the worlds are those?

[upcard]

[She has no idea what a mage light is at all, and she just looks puzzled at that; the ??? thought it almost audible.]

Um... it's a steady light... it runs on batteries.

[Either way, Mai's going to tuck it away and move towards the wrapped energy bars, brightening.]

Oh! Energy bars! These are food...they're supposed to be healthy for you, so this could be really good to bring back. Is there any bottled water or drinks too?

[maserannas]

[ Lacking any good receptacle for mage fire, she really can't show what she means. Though her own lack of understanding at the word "batteries" communicates, much like "energy bars" is an odd phrase. Food is good, however! Hearing that they're good, she uses her arm to leverage herself down closer, pulling out several of the energy bars and a few containers likewise present. These ones are cylinders. Some kind of drink, probably, though Mai is more likely to recognise that than Ellana, who is carefully settling them all in her lap, balanced as she holds her amputated limb out to the side. Hmm. ]

Are these what you were asking after?

[upcard]

[Bottled drinks! Mai swims over immediately, though she'll only take one from her lap to look closer after a tentative--]

May I?

[She doesn't want to invade her personal space without letting her know first, after all; that would be rude.]

[maserannas]

[ She leans back a little, making her lap easier to access. ]

You may.

[ The politeness isn't necessary, but it's appreciated. Ellana waits for Mai's verdict on what they've found! ]

[upcard]

[She'll pick one right up then, squinting at the label in the poor light. She can't make it all out entirely, but...]

It looks like maybe it's a sort of energy drink to go with the bars... the drink doesn't look clear. But maybe there's some bottled water here too. Either way, it's good for you, so we should try to bring them back.

[Also, it's a change from what they've been drinking, which is nice in general.]

[maserannas]

Hearing that, I agree. All this energy stuff... interesting.

[ Ellana ends up starting to pack them away into her pouches, carefully pulling up what she finds close-by. There are odds and ends she tucks away as well, turning them over in her fingertips before ferreting them away.

She can think of people who'd love this whole experience, minus the living underwater, to be utterly fascinating. At times, even she finds it to be so. At other times, she simply longs to walk in a forest above any waterline, under the lightness of air and sky. ]

If you notice anything else in specific that we should bring back, let me know. Otherwise I may start piching up whatever's easier to move for use by those more... technology minded like this than I am.

[upcard]

No... I think this is good for now. We do need to be able to swim back, after all.

[Mai's a weak enough swimmer that carrying too much stuff is going to make it real hard to get back.]

But we should definitely tell the others that this is here. It could be useful!

[maserannas]

[ Ellana just believes in the power of shoving things into pockets. And strapping things to backs. Beyond that, it'd be too much, so thankfully she's not trying to cart a ridiculous amount of anything back! ]

Agreed. See if we can't put it on the, ah, map, so to speak.

[ With that she's carefully checking that everything's closed and tied down to herself before moving toward the blown-open side of the lifepod. ]

[upcard]

[Time to head back with what they can carry... Mai's still wondering if this flashlight will even function. Maybe it was waterproof? She'll have to test it later...]

Mm! Let's go... thank you for finding this, Ellana-san. This should be really helpful.