tushanshu_logs | open | event

Entry tags:

open | event | All Shook Up!

Characters: Teams Alpha, Beta, and Charlie; also, everyone!
Date: February 17th (through 28th)
Location: Tu Vishan's shell damaged areas (multiple locations), sewers
Situation: There are a number of damaged sections of Tu Vishan's shell and the kedan are working at repairs and, where the turtle's flesh itself has been damaged, healing. There are many convoluted sewer passages now open that Foreigners technically could access, if they can make it past the police that have been stationed around each exposed area.
Warnings/Rating: Medical examinations, blood & gore references, sewage; to be updated as needed.

Exposed Areas
The damages sustained during the dive event are not excessive in number, but are plentiful enough to require work groups of kedan to be deployed in a twenty-four/seven repair schedule. They are signed into each area through one of Evandau's direct reports and their numbers are counted throughout the day to enforce strict controls over those that have access to Tu Vishan, their most precious resource.

Those making it past the checkpoints or sneaking through gaps in the sentries find that the Emperor did not lie about the damages done. There are scars near each damaged bit of shell that shift into spider webbed stress lines and end with the jagged edging of broken shell. Kedan workers are busy trying to clear away broken shell and install metal-and-wood framing that will hold these pieces back in place when they are done.

Beneath the surface, some are working at dams and blockages in what appears to be an ancient sewer system. The walls are smooth and indicative of architecture done in concert with the natural growth of the turtle. Lanterns provide some pinpoints of light where dark mosses have grown over the bioluminescent shell itself, but the further one goes from the work sites, the more one must rely upon the natural lighting of the shell in order to proceed.

At the core of each operation are the best healers that the kedan population has to offer. They can be seen tending torn and blooded flesh of a momentous scale, mending the damages done directly to the turtle to the best measure that they can. These areas are the most stringently guarded, for Tu Vishan is most vulnerable beneath the armoured layer of its shell.

Sewage meets most that enter the tunnels rather than skulking about the sites, with an unpleasant smell lingering in the nose and mouth the longer that one stays there -- oh, and in the clothes, which may make a stealthy exit more difficult if one is not downwind. The tunnels twist and turn aplenty, crossing one another with a design more evolutionary than engineered. Those that wander in are at risk of becoming lost beneath the surface, with only a few doors and small closet-like rooms to be found where tools were stored once upon a time.

Be wary, Foreigners! There are many a kedan patrolling these areas and they will give chase in an unauthorised party is found. Evandau briefed a number of the teams himself, advising that Foreigners are all considered unauthorised. Parties subject to arrest are to be brought to the surface and handed over to either the police or, once it's in place, Raylan's civilian team for eventual escort to the palace prison.

OOC: Thread headers (and starters for the teams) are provided in the comments area of this post!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

At the eastern wall of Keeliai there is a series of small holes in the shell of Tu Vishan that lead into what appears to be a sewer. However, there is little fresh sewage here and what remains is dried into a mucky layer with twice the pungency of its fresh cousin. Those intrepid parties that brace the stench will find themselves in a convoluted series of passages.

The muck trails off after about fifty meters and there are cleared and caged-off sections of the shell that act as hall lighting for the next twenty meters before the passages come together into a room roughly ten meters by three meters. Laid about it are a series of metal tables and very old scientific equipment that appears to have come out of the forties. The exception can be found on the table furthest from any door, where five small boxes of very old blood slides reside. They are labelled with a numerical sequence and any testing of these slides would prove that the blood is very old and unlike the kedan.

Set next to the blood slides is a very, very old tome written in a very ancient form of the kedan language. While incomprehensible to the explorers, there are some interesting diagrams and what appears to be very old dates in addition to the text. The diagrams cover a wide variety of subjects, from unfamiliar constellation maps to rough sketches of large tubes and pipe systems.

Shepard is used to dank, dark, dirty places. She's seen it all, really, and she's okay with getting dirty. Once she gets past the police patrols, it's relatively easy for her to move around undetected - it's also not the first time she's done a solo recon mission. She kind of wishes she had some of her crew at her back - Garrus, of course. Tali, or Mordin, Wrex, Grunt. Anyone, really.

But that's not an option now, so alone it is, all senses on high alert, quiet as possible, just in case there's another patrol lurking around the next corner.

There's no patrol lurking around the next corner. In fact it looks like there's nothing at all because Victor Borkowski is in camo-mode. After he and Santo had been chased by some of the police and gotten separated, Victor's electing to play things safe and stay unseen when he hears someone coming. When it's Shepard that comes into view and not a police patrol, Victor relaxes.

"Excuse me," Victor speaks up as he becomes visible slowly. Hands up to show he's not armed just in case, he offers a little nod. "Did you happen to see a big guy made of rocks anywhere down here? I seem to have misplaced him."

At the sound of his voice, Shepard spins around, but she's got good training - the best, in fact, and she quickly points her sidearm away from the stranger. He's not a kedan, not one of the foreign volunteers to police the area.

"No rock-like people, no," she says brusquely. "You're the first person I've come across since I slipped the last patrol, actually." Her non-reaction to his sudden appearance, and his description of his friend, well. Shepard has known enough aliens not to be bothered by the idea of someone not being human.

"Damn," Victor sighs. His eyes flick towards the sidearm but he relaxes when it's not pointed his way. He rubs the back of his neck and glances down the tunnel for a moment before looking back at Shepard.

"I'm Anole since you're not trying to arrest me, I'm guessing you're down here for reasons like I am," he says. "Looking for anything specific or just exploring?"

"Shepard," she says with a curt nod, glancing about for anyone else before taking a few steps forward, down the tunnel. "They're hiding something. If they only wanted to prevent more damage to the shell, all they had to do was explain how not to damage the shell. I'm going to find out what they're hiding. The Emperor, the kedan, whoever."

Victor perks up slightly, glad to know more people were thinking the same thing. "I'm not sure we damaged the shell at all. Those zombie things could have done it," he remarks. "Mind if I tag along since we're both after the same thing? Two sets of eyes are better than one."

She gives him a quick once over, then another vague nod. "No knowing what might be down here. Do you know how to fight?"

Victor nods, moving to follow after Shepard. "I can fight. I'm hoping we won't have to though."

"I always hope that, but things don't often happen like that for me," she points out - almost as a warning. Seems like everywhere she goes, she's picking up people and they end up in potentially-deadly situations.

Victor can't help but give a faint, wry little laugh. "Guess we're screwed then. My luck is the same way," he remarks. He doesn't seem bothered by it though. "I'm surprised there aren't more people down here."

As if on cue, the one-eyed elf that at least one of that party should be familiar with rounds a corner, head, for the moment, tilted back behind him as he's mid-sentence in a conversation with his traveling partner. "We can at least thank Dana these sewers aren't infested with flesh-eaters."

And upon hearing the tail end of Victor's statement his head whips to the other two, scanning the mutant for a quick moment before settling on Shepard.

Aaaand a prompt snort and narrowing of eyes. "Oh. You."

And the said traveling partner comes trailing behind not a moment later - a turtle himself, in fact, wearing a blue bandana and two swords strapped onto his shell. He's just opening his mouth to respond to his companion's statement when his gaze falls on the two newcomers, and then he snaps it shut, regarding them in slight surprise.

He doesn't know who the woman is, but her company is definitely more familiar; it only takes Leo a second or two to recall his name. "Victor?"

At the sudden intrusion, Shepard is on alert again - but she recognizes the - well, she's not sure what his species is, exactly, but the very antagonistic person she'd argued with on the network, accompanied by - well, by a human-sized turtle.

You see new things every day.

She holsters her side-arm again, and glances between Victor and the turtle, ignoring Iorveth's snide comment for the moment. It's not productive. "If you two know each other, I'm going to assume I'm not about to be arrested."

Victor tenses at the intrusion as well, tensing. When he sees Leonardo, Victor relaxes a little. There's a quick glances towards Iorveth and Shepard but Vic doesn't say anything about that.

"Hey, Leo," he offers to his fellow green mutant. "I certainly hope no one's about to try to arrest us," Vic answers Shepard, glancing Iorveth's way again because he doesn't know about him.

Arms crossing, Iorveth pointedly keeps his distance. He doesn't recognize the mutant, but he has very little desire to keep the human woman's company for long. She's not trusted, nor is she particularly favored in the least.

"Unfortunately." Is tossed in dryly to confirm the not being arrested bit, and his glancing down the tunnel they stopped amid. "If this touching reunion is over, then I'll be on my way. Do mind the oversized sewer creatures. Va faill."

There are, of course, no oversized sewer creatures. He just wants to be a dick.

[[ ooc; Va faill = farewell. ]]

Leo's gaze bounces between Iorveth and the woman. It seems like both he and his partner are acquainted with someone from this pair - though in Iorveth's case, apparently not in the best way. Still, it's dangerous being lost in enemy territory, and he's not about to turn away allies if he can find them. He has no idea if Victor can fight, but he is a mutant...and the woman looks like she could be military.

"Hang on a second," he says quickly to Iorveth, looking at Victor and the woman in turn. "What are you both doing down here?"

Shepard keeps her face neutral - Iorveth is allowed his opinion, misguided as it might be, and she has no reason to harass or antagonize him if he'd rather leave.

"I'm trying to find some answers," she says bluntly to the turtle. "I ran into Victor here and we decided there's safety in numbers, since we're here for similar reasons. I won't turn down more help, if you're offering."

Victor just shoots a glare Iorveth's way. "Hey! We're mutants, not sewer creatures," he misunderstood, thinking he and Leo were being called the oversized sewer creatures. His attention drifts back to Leo when he speaks but he lets Shephard answer first.

"Yeah. I don't buy most of what the emperor said. There's definitely something else going on here and finding out what is a good idea," he adds in.

A kind of deadpan slanted towards Victor. Son, that is not even what he meant. "I was not referencing you. Do you consider yourself an overgrown sewer creature?"

You're both pretty tiny for overgrown. And while he'd much rather leave and be free of them, he had agreed to accompany Leo when they'd run into each other, and he's not prone to breaking his word. He's a lot of things, but liar is not one. He doesn't offer his own answer on what he's doing here, but it's much the same. With the added interest in exploring for places to hide if he needs it later. "If we're uniting, I'm taking point."

The bow is brought out of the sheath it's carried in on his back and an arrow in hand is motioned towards Shepard. "She can bring up the back." Basically he just wants her as far away from him as possible. Not for fear of an attack, because why the hell would he want her behind him, but mainly because he just doesn't like her.

Edited 2013-03-05 01:28 (UTC)

"Sounds like we all have common interests," Leo observes. Truthfully, ever since he'd gotten separated from his brother down here his attention had shifted to finding his way back to the surface - but they came here in the first place for more or less the same reason. And while he's still worried, Raph can take care of himself. It wouldn't feel right to just leave these people.

Iorveth seems less fond of the idea, but at least he's rolling with it. Sort of. Resisting a sigh, Leonardo glances at the woman almost apologetically, then gestures towards himself. "Leonardo. If you two are as lost as we are, I wouldn't turn down a few extra eyes." Or guns, fists, whatever. It's all pretty helpful in the long run.

Shepard shrugs a little, still ignoring Iorveth for the most part, because seriously, now is not the time to have petty arguments. And while she's not sure if she could trust the prejudiced - whatever he is - not to just shoot her with that - bow and arrow? - the other two seem reasonable enough, so she'll go with it.

She keeps her gun at the ready, though, and nods to the others. "We should move - there might still be patrols at this level, there's no information on the kedan security here."

"No. The insult's just been hurled my way before," Victor replies, still giving Iorveth an annoyed look.

He lets it go though. Since Shepard doesn't seem all that annoyed by things, Victor looks to Leo and shrugs. He'll walk alongside his fellow green dude.

"Yeah, let's get going. We don't need to run into either the Kedan or that Marshall," Victor remarks as he starts walking.

There's a snort from Iorveth, and he glances over to Shepard pointedly as he says the next bit. "By a human, am I right?" No, he's not done being twelve. And back to Victor, a nod of sympathy. "I've been called much worse. I wouldn't press it on another undeserving."

And he's turning to take point as he'd said, arrow notched in bow at the ready. And yeah, it's not a gun, but lbr, he's had a century with that thing - he's pretty much elven Hawkeye. "Agreed. Forward."

Edited 2013-03-05 05:44 (UTC)

Even though he doesn't chime in on the conversation, Leo knows all too well the feeling Iorveth and Victor are talking about - freak, monster, he's heard it all. It almost makes him wonder about Iorveth's world in particular; Leo and Victor are very obviously different, but he looks almost identical to a human. Then again, humans always did split hairs about any differences they could find.

For now, though, he sets all of that aside and follows along with his fellow green guy as they press forward through the tunnels. It doesn't take long until the passageways begin to arborize, spreading out like the branches of a tree, and Leo finds his hand reaching up to wrap firmly around a katana hilt, eyes darting from one darkened tunnel opening to the next.

"Keep your eyes open for an ambush," he warns quietly.

TEAM BRAVO

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