The Revival Project Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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revivalprojectooc2021-09-01 12:44 pm
trpmods) wrote in revivalprojectooc2021-09-01 12:44 pm
Ex Floor A Shun Ad Vent Tour! Buttons Were Pushed!
Exploration: in theory it was its own reward. In a way it was that for the He Rows, wasn’t it? Hadn’t they found lovely foods in Not Temba? Hadn’t they gotten new ships as a gift from the Agrii, wonderful ones with bright colors and good plants and all the red fruit drink they could hold? Those were rewards that had been handed to them on a metaphorical silver platter, gifts from the Agrii for going to explore the other place, to try and find answers. So in a way, the exploration was its own reward, even if it served to raise new questions.
What then of the caves? A mysterious hole, rusty doors, a room with unknown machinery. This is where the true exploration drama was playing out now. Children who were far less cautious than their elders gathered supplies and set off for an adventure, only to be come upon by a far more sensible man. Too bad the oldest person in the room was the sort to push buttons first and ask questions later.
For a long moment there was nothing, just silence. Perhaps there was no reward for this exploration. Perhaps-
In a room in the mines filled with children and one stressed out scientist, something began to happen. It did so with surprising smoothness. What seemed like a solid stone wall behind the machinery shuddered in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sort of way, before sinking back into the wall and then sliding aside. The false wall slipped back and out of the way, it was easy to see what had been hidden.
Monitors. A whole bank of monitors. More monitors than one person could easily watch on their own, many of which flickered to life. Some did not, their screens cracked and too damaged to show whatever secrets they might hold, others covered only with that tell-tale black and white static that supposedly came from the background noise of the universe itself. But those weren’t the important ones at all. No, the important ones came to life with images. Images of the front of a crumbling complex of buildings, or what might be the lobby of some large building, or a greenhouse, or a dark space with a spot of light that might just be a hole cut into an otherwise sealed building.
Enough time and attention, and perhaps a touch of familiarity or luck, might help those present or soon to be present realize just what it is they are seeing. For those a little less familiar with Not-Temba, perhaps it would help that the monitor with the dark space began to light up, starting from the center and spreading outward until light, perhaps from above, bathed the three new ships in light. But perhaps even that won’t be enough. The lucky might catch sight of someone familiar, someone they might know is over in the other town, but perhaps it will all just be a mystery.
Beyond the images on the screens there isn’t much to take information from except for a small series of shapes in the top corner of each functioning monitor, even the ones not seeing to return any image at all. A series of what might be characters, some strange symbols with perhaps unknowable meanings. Maybe they are the secret the Agrii were seeking. Maybe it’s the monitors themselves.
But back to that change in light in one of the monitors. That’s not important is it? Of course it’s important, because something is changing, and it’s not just in Not-Temba. The roof of the hangar in Temba also begins to open, slowly retracting in a way it had only ever done before when they were about to leave the planet. There is no call from the Agrii this time, though, no musical prompting, no waking up in your bunks. Instead there is just open air above the ships and a brief ping to the communicators of all captains and engineers in Temba.
Ship systems activated. New course beacon found. Awaiting instruction.
What could that mean? Well, anyone arriving on a ship will find that there is a change in the cockpit. The flight systems are active. They, as ever, will not respond to input from anyone who does not possess the Piloting or Engineering expertises. The former will find they are able to turn the ship systems on and finally, finally fly. However they will also find their course is slightly controlled. Temba and Not-Temba are the only current destinations, but there is still a new freedom of motion granted by the Agrii. One has to wonder why. Is this to make lives easier, is it practice for something coming for the pilots, or is it something else entirely? The Agrii don’t seem to be saying.
FAQ
What are the monitors showing?
Characters will find, with enough attention and study, that the views presented from the monitors represent live views of Not-Temba.
Can we find the cameras recording these feeds?
Yes, with enough careful searching and triangulation. They are quite small. And before anyone asks, no, they cannot be removed, they cannot be damaged, for each is wrapped in a small forcefield anchoring it to the surface it’s on, and all are very well camouflaged. The best way to end any specific feed may just be to cover up the area.
What is the point of the cameras?
That is a very good question, and not one the characters can be certain of. Speculation is of course allowed.
Can Communications/Engineering or any other knowledge tell me anything about the camera station?
With Communications one will be able to read the characters on the monitors. Each will have a slightly different label. They will proclaim a view as ‘Sh’Ka-#’. So each view is numbered. The word Sh’Ka does not translate.
With Engineering one will be able to determine that now that it is powered on, the machinery is broadcasting a signal that cannot be turned off without turning off the entire system.
The broadcast is being sent off in the direction of the unreachable blinking light visible in the distance from Temba. Engineers will also let people know that the system can be disengaged by removing the crystal rods (carefully, don’t shock yourselves). If any of this changes, we will let you know.
For those who went to the tower with the blinking light, the systems here are VERY familiar, and the language/characters used matches that encountered in the tower. These two systems are likely connected.
Wait, Sh’Ka? Is that, like, a name or something?
Indeed it is. Congratulations mining team, you’ve found the name of the Not-Temba. (All announcements going forth after this one will officially use the name Sh’Ka). That doesn’t mean all characters know it until there is an announcement. We ask that if someone puts it together IC, there is an announcement about it to the community.
Can we destroy these systems?
Yes. Do you want to? That’s up to you. What are the results? Who knows. Let us know if your characters decide to sabotage the system. But remember, you CAN just turn it off.
Why didn’t pilots and engineers in Not-Temba receive the notification?
Because the communications network is still down in Sh’Ka. That won’t change until at the very least, power is back on. Good thing there’s a team on that.
Why did Engineers get the notification as well?
While unable to pilot the ships themselves, Engineers CAN program the auto-pilot. They will find that now all ships have two auto-pilot locations locked into their computers: Temba and ‘Other’. Seems the Agrii didn’t know what to call the place. As an amusing note, Pilots can rename these two coordinates on their ship and so long as they are the Pilot of that specific ship, those changes will remain.
So can the Pilots fly the ships anywhere?
Yes and no, sort of. Ships can absolutely be flown between the hangars in Temba and Sh’Ka. Pilots can manage this course, giving them serious control, within a certain tolerance. If flown too far off of the general course, ships will automatically override pilot input to return to the course. The ships will also not allow for landing at any locations other than the two hangars, which will permanently have roofs now open for take-off and landing.
We can fly at any time?!
Unless otherwise noted by the mods during an event, yes. As a note, Mods do require an at least handwaved announcement from any pilots/engineers before activating flight systems, to allow for anyone on board the ship, or who desires to join for the trip, to board. This is more important OOC just to let people know if a pilot is going to kidnap someone’s living space for a while. If there is a reason for a specific ship to be spending an extended amount of time in Sh’Ka, please note this in the OOC forum for people’s reference.
That said, the handwaved (or actually played out) announcements aren’t to hamper fun, it’s just to make sure there’s some level of consent. We’re still cool if someone sleeps through an announcement and gets accidentally carried to or from a city. Sounds like a fun mistake to live through. If an Engineer enters a pre-programmed course, the ship will wait half an hour before take-off, and broadcast a notice to any shipmates to advise them of this. Pilots, they can just do what they want. Talk about power.
How long is the flight between the two cities?
Three hours to go from one city to the other. Yes, this does happen to put everything in the same time scale as the train. Here’s the advantage though: the pilots control WHEN these trips take place. This means it can be more flexible than the rigid schedule of the trains. In addition, the holds of the ship will tolerate far more items and of far different sizes, so the ships can be better for carrying supplies. All those things you wanted to take to Sh’Ka to assist in exploration? You can do that now, provided you’ve got a pilot to get you there.
Wait, these are space ships that go PRETTY FAST, why does it take so long?
Short version? The sheer amount of damage that can be caused by things moving in the atmosphere at high rates of speed is pretty intense. So there are limiters on all ships that prevent high speed in atmo. This CANNOT EVER be overridden, even by the Engineers.
Not all ships have pilots, what about that?
Other pilots (or engineers, or just anyone) can access a ship at any time provided someone assigned to that ship opens the door for them. So any ship CAN be moved by A pilot. While preference would be for the pilot assigned to a ship to handle any flying, followed by any engineers assigned to it, it is possible for others to do so.
Hey, that ship over there doesn’t have a pilot but we can fly now. Does this mean we will shuffle a pilot over there?
No. There will be no ship assignment shuffling at this time, or in the near future. If it happens again, we will let you know. For now, perhaps this new ability will encourage people to using piloting, as it is now an active skill.
Okay, now you’re totally going to tell us how physically far apart these two towns are, right?
They are far apart. Mods promise we are working on a thing to give you more detail than that, but it takes time. We understand you’re excited about this, but please bear with us on this matter. What will be very clear is that the distance is not insubstantial, and so you’ve really got to wonder JUST HOW FAST that train is going, right?
Does this mean we’ll have long term access to Not-Temba?
Indeed you will. In the next month Mods will be working to make a second locations page for Sh’Ka and all players have discovered about locations. Yes, this does mean you can even go and be a loner and live there, no one will stop you. Well, no Mods will stop you. We can’t promise characters won’t be opposed to the choice.
Questions?
Re: Questions?
Are there chairs and/or keyboards in front of them? Or any sort of user interface? A way to control them, change views, enter a BIOS screen?
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No BIOS screen. Most of the switches on the system do not seem to have an apparent use or cause obvious changes.
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