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

ota (safe shallows, the aurora, kelp forest, anywhere)

[maserannas]

i | Bribing Stalkers for the Greater Good (of somebody, at least)

[ Ellana finally finished her prototype for sandshark shell armour, attached as it is to her wetsuit. It's different in design than what she'd be wearing on land; for one, there's no extra, flowing material, and she's made sure to not weigh herself down while covering the important, squishy bits. But it feels better than swimming around in just a skintight suit that helps keep her warm.

She heads into the water today with split goals: seeing if she can bribe a Stalker into towing her along to a specific location. Plus resource mapping and gathering once she was there, as well as marking any Aurora wreckage she may come across.

However, when she holds a fish out to you, it might not seem like the best idea in the world when she says: ]

How do you feel about bribing stalkers into towing us along with them?

[ They have limited mechanical means of getting them around, and the stalkers have proven receptive to bribery so far... in her personal experiments, at least! ]

ii | Storage is Nice, but so is Avoiding Sudden Onset Vampirism Swarms

[ Progress into the interior of the ship is slow and cautious. She left the sea glide outside, cutting down on any bulk she'd be hauling around, and has been cautiously mapping out stable routes toward the ship's interior. Pausing to work on helping secure metal, or cautiously moving pieces into more secure positions has turned this into more of a workout than she anticipated. She pauses to rest often.

It's right when she hits a larger area, looking like there might be items worth investigating in the boxes, crates, or... whatever they were, that she runs into the Bleeders. If she sights you showing up in the area, she'll call out, throwing up a barrier around both of you as she kicks off a surface overhead to swim down to your side. ]

Watch out! This whole area's infested with those creatures. Nasty little things — they're moving in swarms, like bees.

iii | Life Pods and Kelp Forests and (???), Oh My

[ She has no idea what it is: but it's large, interesting looking, and one of her short hitch-hike rides with a stalker has left her carefully swimming near the border of the Kelp Forest as it is. ]

There must be something worth salvaging in... whatever that is. Is anyone near the Kelp Forest and interested in a possible salvage attempt?

[ She "projects" the last part of her mental speech out, hoping to attract attention for anyone nearby. ]

iv | Wildcard at Base, in Any Biome, or Telepathic

[ Hit me up with any random scenario, or leave a comment asking for me to come up with a starter for us, and I'll be pleased to do so! ]

v | On the Telepathic Communication Net

I've talked about this before with some of you, but I'll ask formally now: anyone interested in testing the limitations of our mental speech? I want to safely arrange efforts for testing this, and I'll need your help.

v! (aka hi can i keep bothering you.)

[forsage]

-I guess it depends on what exactly you want to be test with the links we all have going on.

Like try and tackle the whole shebang or focus on an aspect of it that we never really touched on before?

(as if it were a bother at all!!)

[maserannas]

For starters, I was considering testing out appreciable distance limitations. Figuring out if anything runs interference before then, how effective relay lines would be, and so on.

(yeeeees. \ o / )

[forsage]

Oh. Testing it like a telephone line. That makes sense.

Where are you? I'm in the laboratory right now, testing out some plants we have as samples for smo- for testing purposes. [ yes. testing purposes. let's go with that until he finally finds a plant that's suitable for his needs. ] Do you want me to start moving further from the lab so we can start testing out the distance between us?

[maserannas]

Heading out toward the Plateau. I have one of the swimmer devices for the day.

[ She means the sea glide - for the most part she doesn't use one of their three, but today she'd nabbed it specifically to bring more back in from that area. ]

No idea what you mean by telephone line, but if you're fine being the central location back at the base, we can see how far this conversation lasts.

[forsage]

Exploring or scavenging?

[ he's getting the hang of life down here now. like knowing what to ask others if they mention certain things. the sea glide was definitely a device you used for only certain times.

while he makes his way to where she wants him to go, he tries to figure out how to explain a telephone to her because right. not everyone has that. plus it'll help test out the distance if he keeps yammering on about things he knows best: inventions. ] Telephone line is part of a device that helps people communicate with one another back home even if they're far away. Like a- Like a bird or courier. Except you didn't need to feed it or anything.

[ ... it was never mentioned he was good at describing things for others. ]

i

[tentaculled]

[ even without extra flowy bits, she surely looks graceful as a swan next to Korosensei, who seems like he's just barely treading water. You'd think someone that looks so much like an octopus would be better at swimming, but apparently not. At least he doesn't look as pale as he used to when he was out in the water. ]

Bribing the stalkers? You want to make friends with the fish?

[ that's an idea that hadn't exactly crossed his mind... Fish aren't known for their trainability and loyalty. Then again, these aren't the fish he knows. ]

Well, I don't see why not! But, um, maybe we should start with a smaller one... [ he says, accepting the fish with one tentacle. ]

[maserannas]

[ Korosensei, swimming with you is great for a woman's ego. Thank you, tentacle friend! Though her response to his question is to gently wave the fish at him until he accepts it, after which she reaches for another of her own and pulls it out of the makeshift container. ]

To be more correct, several of us have been making friends with the fish. Have you ever tried talking to them? They don't talk back, as it were, though the reefbacks will sing for you.

[ She sends out a mental call, the equivalent of a whistling tune following a simple pattern of notes. She pauses, then repeats the sound, continuing to tread water as the circling Stalker slows, then changes direction, heading directly for the both of them. ]

These ones are more like training hounds. When it gets here, try and feed it, yeah? It was waiting for our call.

[tentaculled]

[ he can't say he tried talking to the fish, no. He can't say he's even been spending much time with the fish, seeing how much he hates going out in the water - it makes him feel so vulnerable, being out here. Still, he won't get anywhere hiding in the base all day, nor will he learn anything... like how to tame a gigantic marine predator, apparently.

Korosensei isn't scared, per se, when it turns towards them, as much as he is... tense. Yes, tense. Because water removes his one great asset: speed. ]

If they're like hounds, they could stand to be a little more lovable. [ but whatever. it's not like he's about to get killed by a fish after surviving everything else he's gone through. Focusing on the big stalker, his tentacle extends outwards as it draws nearer, offering the bait and hoping it doesn't mistake his arm for an oversized worm. ]

[maserannas]

[ Look, after having seen a greater nuggalope tamed and ridden into battle, Ellana has stopped questioning the strange ways of the world. This was fostering a mutually beneficial relationship as long as both sides respected the other; most those here she doesn't believe will attempt to force control on what remains essentially a wild animal.

... And never forget that Ellana decided to embrace the insanity of talking at fish. Some of the results have been interesting! Most have been as one expects: nothing happens. Sera would possibly be offended at her potential elfiness right now. "Offended" while laughing her arse off. ]

Then less hounds, more... wolves. Lone sea wolves.

[ Keeping a certain bitter humour out of her mental tone is difficult, some of it probably underscoring her comment. She ceases speaking, switching back to another call to the stalker more slowly approaching Korosensei. The fish is easy to scent, and the right sounds are there, even one of the right shapes. The stalker hovers right out of reach, opening it's mouth expectantly. (Ellana had not been in favour of cultivating just hand feeding, not when stalkers had big mouths, sharp teeth, and moved too quickly for their own good at times.) ]

[tentaculled]

[ that doesn't make him feel better!!

Though he's clumsy and slow in the water, his body is still trained to tense and ready for a fight when the potential danger approaches him. He's good at hiding that, fortunately. Assassins have to be trained to detect that emotional wavelength, but animals seem to sense it instinctively. The fish not snapping at his tentacle is encouraging, at least. ]

Um... Here you go, fishy! As two slimy beings, let's get along, okay?

[ he tosses the fish into the waiting jaws of the stalker, looking hopeful, even if trying to telepathically communicate with a fish feels... odd. ]

ii

[logdate]

WHAT?

[ Peridot had already been very lukewarm about the idea of exploring a potentially deadly death-trap of a wreck, but the announcement of bloodsucking whatever-they-are really just reinforces the idea that she should've stayed in the habitat today. She's a few meters back of Ellana, letting her scope things out, and has been a bit distracted by the various salvage that they've been cataloging for retrieval.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to do much since Ellana has that nifty barrier thing. ]

We're safe underneath these energy fields, right? They can't get through them?

[ She has no idea if they'll even be able to take a chunk out of her, but she is not eager to find out. ]

[maserannas]

[ Peridot you're a holographic projection, Ellana is the squishy one here!

Holding the barrier, Ellana's look of concentration stayed outwardly focused. None of this is easy, but practice has made it easier. ]

No idea. I suggest we come up with a means of taking them out and getting out of their interest range.

[logdate]

[ A vulnerable holographic projection, thank you very much. She can still feel pain! ]

Oh, just "take them out". Why didn't I think of that?

[ Thanks for nothing, Ellana. Peridot scowls and tries to get a clear view of the monstrous little things through the water and the faint glow from the barrier. ]

I don't have a weapon. Do you?

[maserannas]

I have me. Which includes my wits, or what's left of them. The same should be true for you.

[ Keeping calm, and keeping her mental voice calm as well. ]

Look around. Do you see anyplace where they aren't? And is this all of them, around us now?

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. ]

v

[oneandmikleonly]

It's a good time, actually. I'm headed out from the base right now to gather more samples; do you need me to go further afield?

[maserannas]

Yes, actually. Which way are you headed out right now?

[oneandmikleonly]

I'm in the Kelp Forests right now, heading -- er, a bit west of the direct route to the Aurora.

[Directions are hard under the sea sometimes.]

[maserannas]

[ Just wait until they have to handle depths on top of compass directions... ]

All right. I was planning to head out later, but for now I can work on a few projects in base before heading out the other direction if we're still in contact.

i.

[upturning]

[Ellana's won "Haruka or Uranus Roulette": With her time as a Sailor Guardian dedicated to salvage and piloting the sea craft, it's the civilian girl who has more time for exploration, keeping notes on the animals. She needs something unrelated she can drive from base to biome, so her trips into the water are all with resources in mind.

When the fish gets thrust out at her, she takes a "step" back. Her hand goes to the back of her head in a show of awkward surprise.]

You're too pretty to accidentally get bitten in the face, don't you think? [The though carries with it a sense of uneasy laughter.]

Got a plan for getting back if they take us somewhere we don't want to be? [But in the back of her head, she's alert, nothing but suspicious thoughts and raised guards. She's not even human, right? It could be a trap.]

[maserannas]

[ She lifts one eyebrow in what might be amusement, offering the fish for a beat longer. ]

Of course. We swim.

[ Even if she weren't used to trekking long distance on foot alone, out of necessity, it'd still be an "of course." Depending on themselves first as their own vehicles of movement is a mainstay.

... Not that she'd mind being able to help facilitate those who can build alternative transportation, or even figure out how to consistently work with the stalkers, reefbacks, or any of the more responsive species in the region. It's why she's out here now, carting around fish. ]

This is voluntary only, so don't feel you need to deal with these particular fish if you don't like. Stalkers move fast, and they're predators, but aside from defending their nests, they're not aggressive without warning from what I've witnessed.

[ It is probably a trap. A trap of getting more people associated with the food call Ellana has, getting stalkers one at a time to associate people as a source of food when making that call. ]