subnautica | March Intro: Head First

March Intro: Head First

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Arrival!

It was supposed to be a routine mission. Maybe you think you’ve been here for a bit or maybe you just arrived. Either way, you know there was supposed to be a completely normal underwater mission, probably just gathering resources, unless you just arrived, in which case welcome!

Unfortunately, somehow you’ve been dumped somewhere you shouldn’t be. A woman’s voice can be heard, robotic in tone with hints of emotion. That emotion mostly seems to be mild surprise.

"Life signs detected. Life forms are non-native to this planet. They... oh. Oh dear, I wasn’t prepared after all. Please refrain from dying for a moment. Your things are incoming."

Your eyes open underwater. At least you're near the surface. But the moment you break through you'll notice one thing: the ocean, stretching out for miles around you in all directions with no end in sight and only a very distant gleaming metal structure in the far distance. You're not alone but this surely isn't what you expected. In fact, you really can't understand how you managed to get from where you were to underwater so fast.

None of your belongings are with you save the clothing on your body. And the depths below you offer no comfort, the light engulfed before it can reach wherever the sea bottom is.

Somewhere, you hear a sound shaking through the water, like something between a whale and a foghorn.

No turning back now.

Prompts!

A: WHALE OF A TALE
As it turns out, there is hope for those who can't swim or get help from someone who can. Something emerges from the depths, a massive bed of coral that makes that strange sound, allowing people to climb on top of it. Of course, that bed of coral is actually the back of a massive creature that moves how it pleases and occasionally dives back down underwater.

There is a pod of them around the area calling to each other. They're friendly, or at least they don't seem to mind any poking or hangers on. But one of their long tendrils may still give you a good whack on accident.

If you’re really lucky you can probably ride one all the way back to the base. Wouldn’t that be a fantastic entrance?

B: HELP ARRIVES
At least, some assistance arrives. Strange little robots on propellers arrive fifteen or so minutes later, rushing to the scene carrying a floating bin of some sort. They drop it into the ocean and buzz excitedly around it in the hopes of luring people over.

Inside the bin are goggles, breathing devices and knives enough for the new arrivals. The knives have a compass on the hilt that has a marker for the direction of the base. One robot will play a helpful recording from the robotic woman for those getting their gear:

"Please deposit any articles of clothing getting in the way of swimming in the bin. We will be sure they arrive safely at the base. Do not try to swim in anything that will bog you down."

A pause.

"Swimming nude is not recommended. There can be... unpleasant issues. For future reference, please consult me before going on missions like this."

C: UNDER THE SEA
Of course, there's no reason to rush right to the base. This place is certainly beautiful in its own right and has a few caves to explore - watch those stingers hanging from the ceilings - with an abundance of strange and wonderful fish eager to either play with you or dart away as fast as possible. Of course there's plenty of Reefbacks still calling to each other and a large amount of floating rocks with Floaters attached.

D: MATING SEASON
On second thought, maybe heading to the base is a good idea. Occasionally you might see plumes of dust near the ocean floor. Exploring these is a very bad idea. The moment you get close, a Sand Shark will explode out of the sand, ready to attack. They range from five to eight feet in length and will pursue you without mercy. At least they give up if you get near the surface or hide in the right caves.

Unfortunately, it's mating season. That means dozens of them can appear at any time trying to court a female with acts of aggression and skill. And you really don't want to be in the middle of that.

E: HOME SWEET HOME
You did it! You made it to the base. You are probably dead tired by now having swam quite a long distance—or somehow riding a Reefback all the way here—and the sun is beginning to set. Upon arrival, URSULA will welcome you and give you a quick rundown of the lockers (where your personal items can be found, as safe as if you stored them there yourself) and the base's layout if you’re new. She will also recommend that you put on your communication device and settling in. She will then just as quickly apologise by saying that she must finish preparing the base for the others.

"Please give me a few days to finish retooling the base. Oh, I'm so excited. We're going to make a great team, I promise. And don't go back to that biome yet until mating season is over. Sand Sharks are... troublesome."

F: WILDCARD
The ocean is yours to explore! Maybe your characters will find places to take breaks. Maybe they'll start gathering things. Maybe they'll murder fish! Or maybe they'll get lost in the dark and take a rather long time to find the base. Or just crash the kitchen for some of that delicious fish, more fish and seaweed! It's all up to you!

See the Biomes page for the currently accessible areas or details on current wildlife and the Base page for all your base needs. Direct any questions and plotting to the OOC post and have fun!

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

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Humans aren't really that good underwater though. That's why it's your expertise.

[If you have a question about, well, actually Shiro has weird areas of knowledge, but the point is, under the ocean is not one of them.]

I mean I want to hear what other people have to say too.

... I see.

[Fukami exhales a small sigh-- his tentacles have been busy this whole while, getting the water ready to boil some tea, preparing the tea leaves...]

Is there anything in particular you wanted my advice for?

Edited 2016-03-18 02:42 (UTC)

"You don't know what kinda stuff it's bringing for you?" Jamie blinks seawater out of his eyes, peering at Shiro. "I thought you said you agreed to come here."

And common sense dictates that one would pack before going someplace, so surely this guy should know what's in his own luggage.

"Doesn't sound very encouraging that it said it wasn't prepared, though. Doesn't that worry you a little?" It worries Jamie a lot, but there's not much about this mess that he doesn't find somewhat concerning.

"Uh - " That response just makes Jamie more confused. "W-wait, what's the Aurora? Did somebody send us here?"

Jamie sure doesn't remember anything about the trip here, but he's starting to think that maybe he blacked out or something and got here during some kind of fugue state. Could Wild Eagle make travel plans for him that he didn't remember later? It makes as much sense as anything else.

He paces along beside her, peering out the viewports as they go. "You've probably got a point about knowing what's out there, though. Getting the lay of the land. Or - water, I guess."

Jamie notices her momentary tension, but doesn't comment on it; she doesn't seem inclined to violence and he can't really blame her for being upset about this, if like him she wound up here more or less by accident.

"Yeah, it is kinda - " Scary? Intimidating? Uncomfortable? " - awkward being surrounded by people you don't know. Especially when you're expected to just bed down with 'em and go to sleep like it's no big deal."

He thinks on that for a second, and then adds, "My name's Jamie, by the way. Nice to meet you. Even if the circumstances are a little...weird."

[Sorey wasn't expecting--well, that--and though he is used to some pretty strange things happening back home, he still gaps up at Shiro as he levitates high above.]

Whoa! How are you doing that? --Wait, can you go higher? try seeing if you can spot a sandbar, maybe.

[He understands none of the technical jargon involved, but he's listening and doing his best to commit it to memory. Even if he doesn't know it now, that doesn't mean he can't learn it!]

--There's nothing stopping people from falling out? What about getting in? Doesn't that mean that someone could theoretically jump into a transit beam even if they didn't start from a warp pad?

"I'm Ellana." After the first round of introductions she's juggled today, simply using her given name comes easy. It's been a long time, closer to never, that she's gone by Ellana, but her clan name doesn't feel right. Inquisitor? No, she disbanded the organisation as a whole. If she's anyone right now, she may as well be Ellana.

Her lips hint at a lop-sided grin, not quite delivering on the promise. "Weird might be an understatement... but weird will do. I understand what you mean. It's nice to meet you. That much is normal, isn't it? Greetings amoung strangers."

Bedding down around strangers is, in some ways, but only in her recent life. Otherwise it'd been decades of being surrounded by the people she knew. Efficient, tightly run, often on the move or preparing to be. Nothing quite so anchored, until she'd been anchored herself.

"I suppose that leaves attempting to get to know each other to make the living situation a little less awkward. Or more awkward. Depends on how the conversations go." This time she manages the partial smile, letting the jest be known for what it is.

"Not all of us, to my understanding," she answers, "but I boarded a shuttle on Earth and woke up hitting the water. The Aurora is the crashed ship."

She tilts her head to look out the next viewport they pass. "The earlier you learn the landmarks, the less terrifying things will seem. Can you not swim?" It's idly asked before she pauses.

"Wait, this room--" she pauses to lean into a doorway.. "If I'm understanding correctly, there should be... ah. There's a ladder." She leans back out, pointing up with a single finger. "There's a room here, and above. Unless you'd like to change in an observatory?"

She's kidding. Probably.

[He already considers them friends, so it makes him glad that she seems to feel the same way!!]

I plan on it. --Oh, do you want to take a look around? We might be able to find something useful.

[Well, she's got a point. About setting out soon anyway, if you ask her.]

I would not be quite so pessimistic. If we are being sent all of this... [She nods at the bin.] Surely, it all came from somewhere that isn't... simply more water.

[Josephine doesn't let the tone bother her overly much, especially not outwardly, gosh. She has some experience with people like this, after all.]

As for keeping up, certainly. I may not spend quite so much time swimming, but I am not hopeless at it either. But you may lead the way.

[ thankfully they seem interested in everything they come across.

some swim over to sorey now that he's within their sight but the rest either linger at roderic's side or also inspect the minerals that catch their eye. curiously they seem to know a way to get the minerals out - nudge at the loose soil and blow bubbles at the little cracks they made before nudging. not effective but they seem determined to try.

huh.

that catches roderic's attention. much as he wants to swim on and rid himself of a few critters - he stops and tries to catch sorey's attention with a half-wave, pointing over to a group of them. he thought maybe it'll intrigued the other man seeing as how this is something they both might have never seen before. roderic definitely hasn't seen this in the past. ]

Sleeping in a room full of strangers is entirely new to Jamie, who's never been away from his team - his family - for more than a few hours at a time. They lived together, traveled together; not having them around is actually pretty unsettling, if Jamie thinks about it. Which is why he tries not to.

For now, he returns the woman's smile, still a little tentative but there's some hint that he's trying to shake off his apprehension.

"I guess that's kind of all we can do for now - try to get along until we figure out what's going on and how to get home. At least nobody's tried to wreck anything here." That Jamie knows of, at least. Yet.

"Wait, you came from Earth?" Jamie says this as though it's - not quite outlandish, but some kind of incredible feat. This could have something to do with the fact that his ancestors abandoned Earth generations ago to go colonize a planet full of robot animals and nobody's really thought much about it since.

He also can't swim, no, but he's distracted from confirming her guess by their arrival at some kind of secluded area that might afford him some privacy to strip out of his wet clothes and hunker down while he waits for them to dry. He chuckles self-consciously at her last comment.

"Uh - no, this'll probably be okay." He steps inside to glance around the room - currently empty, save for some pipes and other fixtures - then cranes his neck to peer up the ladder. "The one upstairs would probably be a little more private, I think, since it's kinda out of the way. Do you think there's any way to dry our clothes out other than just letting 'em air-dry?"

[THINGS ON PROPELLERS and Mai can only gape at them for a long moment... but they're apparently coming to help her???

She can't help the way she clings to Fukami a little more tightly, but... but she should trust in this, right?

........ yeah.....]

Okay...!

[Despite herself, she is curious; this is all brand new to her, of course. So she can't quite help the curiosity.]

I haven't gone this way yet... do you mind coming with me? I mean, if that's okay...!

From the way he asks, Michiru surmises that a home planet isn't all they don't share. An alien, then, though she doesn't get any read of the supernatural from him. Perhaps all that's noteworthy about him is his home?

She steps back to allow him in front of her, and pauses at the doorway. "I suspect privacy is going to become a premium in the coming weeks, so I suggest enjoying it while you can. As for the laundry... perhaps the laboratory includes equipment to dry out specimens? You may be able to repurpose it temporarily."

Edited 2016-03-20 01:07 (UTC)

She's a computer program, more advanced than I've ever seen. She's real enough, I think, but she doesn't have a body in the way you or I do.

I should think it can't be much more uncomfortable than a racing jumpsuit and helmet. [ She makes eye contact now, head tilted just barely to the side, and continues: ] Things will be easier in the water.

[ The apparatus slides into her mouth without preamble, and she moves to drop into the water knowing Haruka is with her.

As soon as she has her bearings under control, she reaches out for their newer avenue of communication. ]

There were caves in an alcove not far from here.

[ Her meaning, she assumes, is clear. ]

Edited (screams) 2016-03-20 02:49 (UTC)

Yeah, yeah. Good luck with your ambitions to help out this place kid. I hope it turns out well.

[Ib also seems bulkier and more solid out of the water. Hard to say by how much, since she's not moving about. Her skin gleams with slime, though in the breeze it dries to a damp, tacky texture]

It might be. I know it's mineral-rich, I've seen deposits lying around on the seafloor.

One of her huge eyes points at Ellana, the other scans the wide open horizon. Winged shapes, tiny at this distance, fly about.]

I hate to think of this planet stripped for resources. It's so full of life. I feel more at home than I have in a long while.

[Eager to explore, he's quick to take her up on the offer; he did suggest it, after all.]

I'd love to! I still don't know what this place has to offer, so we might as well find out together. How about this way?

[He picks a direction--the first hallway that he can find, really, and heads down it.]

-Angels?

[ huh. that's something.

he almost sounds amused by that. he and ackerly have never been called that before by anyone else back home. no siree.

definitely not in hell's kitchens. it was a mighty kind way to describe them. ] Well- Guess we're kinda similar to angels.

But not all of us have four limbs though. Metahumans I mean. Humans by default, yeah, but some of us metahumans can have a lot of limbs or no limbs. Depends on our powers. [ he? he was one of the lucky ones since his powers is all mental. ]

No, it is not. This is a new place.

...My understanding was that a new city for humans was to be built in this place. [She knew things would be wet but not like this.]

...I don't know.

[It's an honest enough answer. Fukami shifts his gaze to her, his own level, contemplative.]

I don't know all of my sea, of course. [That's too vast.] But where I lived... it's been a long time since I was born. I could not say for certain.

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March Intro: Head First

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