March Intro: Head First

[subnauticmods]

≡U.R.S.U.L.A. NAVIGATION

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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

Comments

[imsorey]

But we could try it!

[Look at how much he believes they can do it]

I'm not saying we'd get it right on the first try, but we could try manipulating the least amount of water possible to make it work. It might not be as much as you think.

[oneandmikleonly]

Fine.

...

[Wait.]

But not tonight!

[imsorey]

Tomorrow's fine! It'll be easier to practice if we can actually see.

[oneandmikleonly]

Good. I still want you to get some proper rest.

[They've been walking as they talk, presumably...Mikleo opens the door to open of the 'free' rooms with a little 'huh' noise.]

[imsorey]

[He pokes his head over Mikleo (sorry you're short, Mikleo) to get a better look at the room.]

I'm not that tired, but I can rest. It looks pretty cozy.

[oneandmikleonly]

[He puffs a little bit (just a little, though), before walking ahead of Sorey into the space.]

Hope you brought that mattress along with you, then.

[imsorey]

I may have left my mattress at home.

[He does have the supplies they were provided with, however, which includes the airless air bed. If he knows that it's a bed is another question entirely.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo only knows because he pestered URSULA, honestly.]

Not that one! There's one in the pack from those lockers.

[imsorey]

There wasn't anything in there big enough to be a mattress!

[To prove it he pulls out his supplies and shows Mikleo, like it's some kind of special proof and Mikleo doesn't have the exact same supplies. See, no magical bed.]

[oneandmikleonly]

She wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't there.

[He eyes the little pile, reaching in to sort it out -- there's not a lot of process of elimination here, fortunately, since the other items look like what they are. He'll pull out the tightly-rolled bundle of the mattress.]

It's got to be this one.

[...okay, it does look pretty flat and small, though.]

[imsorey]

It looks more like a pillow.

[But he takes a look at it, knowing that there are plenty of things in the base that are more than meets the eye.]

You think it gets bigger somehow?

[oneandmikleonly]

It'll have to, or you're sleeping on the floor. Unroll it and find out?

[imsorey]

Sleeping on the floor isn't that bad.

[But he doesn't particularly want to sleep on the floor if there's an alternative, so he obligingly takes the potential bed and unrolls it, looking for a way to make it...well, a bed. It takes him a few seconds of examination before he noticed the plug at one corner.]

URSULA mentioned an air bed, right? Maybe it's like a balloon and it just needs to be filled up.

[oneandmikleonly]

[He's so glad Zaveid isn't here. He wouldn't put it past the man to make an unnecessary dirty joke in response to that.]

I don't see how you're going to blow air in through there...

[imsorey]

There's probably some way...This is a lot of work for a bed.

[He just stares at it. Surely there's an easier way to make a bed. One that doesn't involve blowing a bunch of air into a big square balloon.]

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo just sort of...punches it a couple of times, then tweaks the plug in the corner. Is there some kind of mechanism?]

...huh.

[imsorey]

They should really put instructions with these.

[But, since the balloon comparison is on his mind, he uncaps the plug and experimentally blows some air into it. When the air remains inside of the mattress he knows that's the right direction, but...]

This is going to take a while.

[oneandmikleonly]

[Mikleo's mouth twitches at the corner.]

Well, I could probably make it a water bed in about ten seconds.

[imsorey]

[THINKS ABOUT IT]

If you're sure it won't leak all over the place and make a mess we have to clean up, I'm good with that.

[oneandmikleonly]

[Hmmmmmmmmmm.]

And what if I'm not sure.

[imsorey]

I don't want it to make a mess, so I guess that means I'll fill it up with air.

[oneandmikleonly]

[He looks at it again with a little frown.]

Why is it set up like this if you're meant to blow it up the normal way, though?

[It's a self-inflating assembly, though they don't know that, so it probably looks at least a little different from a manually-inflating mechanism.]

[imsorey]

[Sorey has no idea what those self-inflating mechanisms are, but he's taking another look anyways, poking at it to see if it gets a response.]

You think that's a backup in case it doesn't work on its own? I don't know how to tell if it's working properly or not.

[oneandmikleonly]

[IT PUFFS UP A LITTLE WHEN HE POKES AT IT MORE; Mikleo shifts back like a startled cat, shoulders stiff.]

There...!

[imsorey]

--Whoa, it works!

[This is a much better alternative than spending who knows how long blowing it up, so after a glance at Mikleo to make sure he's ready for it, he starts again. Now that he actually know what he's doing it's pretty simple.]