Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars - Mission #2: Deep Dive

[samurai-turtle]

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Ok then. Heroes, do any of you have any Ætherdiving experience? Mr. Mao, it sounds like you do, no?"

I don't. But I was wondering how you are going to hook, Miles and me up to the equipment. If I got to get in one of those "chairs" I might need a hand getting in. As for Miles...

/// I am sure we will figure something out. 

[Khorne]

20 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Hmmph, we'll see. For all I know you could just be street ruffians trying to make a quick credit."

Felix frowned at the statement and took slight offense. "Although to be fair, she might be right about looking like a ruffian", he thought and straightened his shirt and tie.

He took his nearly-finished cigarette from between his lips and pointed his clawy finger at the O'Kur'uk and sternly said: "Madame, I assure you, we are not those kind of people. We will uphold our word and solve this case."

2 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Ok then. Heroes, do any of you have any Ætherdiving experience? Mr. Mao, it sounds like you do, no?"

Felix regained his normal semi-careless posture from his slight lapse into anger. Several episodes of Ætherdiving flashed before his eyes as Oddsphere posed the question. 

"Yeah, I've got some 'dives on my name. Professional ones."

The Chimeran grinned. "Let's say I come from a similar background as all of youse here. I have to admit though, it's been a while since my last 'dive."

He expertly left out things went completely sideways the last time he went in with a team and he has only ventured into Ætherspace alone ever since. Felix felt somewhat nervous about the thought of taking a new team, but he was sure he'd do it better this time. After all, circumstances were way different now.

[Waterbrick Down]

1 hour ago, samurai-turtle said:

I don't. But I was wondering how you are going to hook, Miles and me up to the equipment. If I got to get in one of those "chairs" I might need a hand getting in. As for Miles...

/// I am sure we will figure something out. 

"Yes, you'll be in one of these units." The Quaarm indicates the open chairs near the sleeping Thudaal. "As for your unit, in Ætherspace you shouldn't be inhibited by your normal physical form, but if you so wish we can hard wire your assistant in as well."

1 hour ago, Khorne said:

Felix frowned at the statement and took slight offense. "Although to be fair, she might be right about looking like a ruffian", he thought and straightened his shirt and tie.

He took his nearly-finished cigarette from between his lips and pointed his clawy finger at the O'Kur'uk and sternly said: "Madame, I assure you, we are not those kind of people. We will uphold our word and solve this case."

"Just be careful with him. Please."

1 hour ago, Khorne said:

Felix regained his normal semi-careless posture from his slight lapse into anger. Several episodes of Ætherdiving flashed before his eyes as Oddsphere posed the question. 

"Yeah, I've got some 'dives on my name. Professional ones."

The Chimeran grinned. "Let's say I come from a similar background as all of youse here. I have to admit though, it's been a while since my last 'dive."

He expertly left out things went completely sideways the last time he went in with a team and he has only ventured into Ætherspace alone ever since. Felix felt somewhat nervous about the thought of taking a team, but he was sure he'd do it better this time. After all, circumstances were way different now.

"Excellent! I knew I picked the right crew for the task. Mr. Mao, I'll let you lead the team then considering your experience. Mr. Nastayo, are you an experienced diver or should I have Agent Molly give you the standard run down as well?"

[samurai-turtle]

19 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Yes, you'll be in one of these units." The Quaarm indicates the open chairs near the sleep Thudaal. "As for your unit, in Ætherspace you shouldn't be inhibited by your normal physical form, but if you so wish we can hard wire your assistant in as well."

 

I think you better. I don't want him missing out of the fun. 

/// Thank you, Polaris. 

[Khorne]

23 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Just be careful with him. Please."

Felix raised an eyebrow and used his insight to see if Molly's words perhaps indicated a special bond between her and the Thudaal. As honestly as he could, he replied: "I will. I promise, Agent Molly."

Quote

"Excellent! I knew I picked the right crew for the task. Mr. Mao, I'll let you lead the team then considering your experience. Mr. Nastayo, are you an experienced diver or should I have Agent Molly give you the standard run down as well?"

The Chimeran nodded in appreciation. "We will not fail you."

[Waterbrick Down]

38 minutes ago, Khorne said:

Felix raised an eyebrow and used his insight to see if Molly's words perhaps indicated a special bond between her and the Thudaal. As honestly as he could, he replied: "I will. I promise, Agent Molly."

Insight Check (DC 1): 2, 1, 2, 1 (0 Success, 4 Failures)

Felix assess Agent Molly's posture and while he figures that she and Agent Lars possess a bond, the nature of it remains unclear to him.

[KotZ]

"Yeah, I'll need the rundown of how this works. I'll pick it up quickly, I'm sure... Uh, are there any waivers we need to sign for this? Because if so, I want to look over and might send back a redline."

[Waterbrick Down]

"We'll say your acceptance of the mission was consent. Now, Agent Molly."

"Alright, Ætherdiving 101. We're going to be hooking you up to one of these dive units. They serve as a sort of conduit into the Ætherspace for your spirit. They'll ensure you stay anchored in the real world and we'll be monitoring your vitals in case anything goes wrong and we need to pull you out. You'll be able to pull yourself out if needed by the use of a "push", a trigger word or phrase that we'll code into your dive session. Just make sure you're not distracted or engaged when you push, otherwise your spirit will be tugged in two different directions and it'll feel like your brain is getting sucked out of your skull. You may notice upon arrival in Ætherspace everything smells like burnt popcorn for the first few minutes, that's totally normal. If that lasts for more than an hour we may need to send you to the clinic afterwards for further examination. Ætherdiving should not be done for more than 48hrs at a time, otherwise the push becomes much more difficult to enact. We'll scan your equipment in as well so you should have that available to you, however the interaction between the Ætherial sphere and our own is loose and you may find sometimes things such as consumables are not as predictable as out here. While you may not take physical damage, your psyche certainly can be shattered so try and avoid getting yourself killed while in Ætherspace. Any other questions?"

[samurai-turtle]

Will the pain be worst than getting ones leg crystallized? Or is that to weird of a question (or a really pacific question)? 

[KotZ]

40 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"We'll say your acceptance of the mission was consent. Now, Agent Molly."

"Eh, good enough for me."

Quote

"Alright, Ætherdiving 101. We're going to be hooking you up to one of these dive units. They serve as a sort of conduit into the Ætherspace for your spirit. They'll ensure you stay anchored in the real world and we'll be monitoring your vitals in case anything goes wrong and we need to pull you out. You'll be able to pull yourself out if needed by the use of a "push", a trigger word or phrase that we'll code into your dive session. Just make sure you're not distracted or engaged when you push, otherwise your spirit will be tugged in two different directions and it'll feel like your brain is getting sucked out of your skull. You may notice upon arrival in Ætherspace everything smells like burnt popcorn for the first few minutes, that's totally normal. If that lasts for more than an hour we may need to send you to the clinic afterwards for further examination. Ætherdiving should not be done for more than 48hrs at a time, otherwise the push becomes much more difficult to enact. We'll scan your equipment in as well so you should have that available to you, however the interaction between the Ætherial sphere and our own is loose and you may find sometimes things such as consumables are not as predictable as out here. While you may not take physical damage, your psyche certainly can be shattered so try and avoid getting yourself killed while in Ætherspace. Any other questions?"

"Why burnt popcorn? That an easily explainable phenomena?" Varen's hand brushed across his rifle, verifying it was there and real. "And this comes with me? Nice. Would consumables be more effective or less effective? Is it random?"

[Waterbrick Down]

11 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

Will the pain be worst than getting ones leg crystallized? Or is that to weird of a question (or a really pacific question)? 

"I've heard it compared to if a hangover had a hangover had a hangover."

4 minutes ago, KotZ said:

"Eh, good enough for me."

"Why burnt popcorn? That an easily explainable phenomena?" Varen's hand brushed across his rifle, verifying it was there and real. "And this comes with me? Nice. Would consumables be more effective or less effective? Is it random?"

"Neither, more like they may take a while to be effective."

[KotZ]

3 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

 

"Neither, more like they may take a while to be effective."

"Eh, it is what it is. I'm excited to get this thing started. Should we all take shots for good luck?"

[Khorne]

7 hours ago, KotZ said:

"Eh, it is what it is. I'm excited to get this thing started. Should we all take shots for good luck?"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead if you want, but I'll pass on that. I'll keep the potential hangover for afterwards."

"I believe the team is ready to go. Plug us in."

[Waterbrick Down]

"Let's get to it then."

Agent Molly ensures everyone is securely strapped into their diving rig before inquiring of each hero.

"Got a 'push' in mind?"

[KotZ]

7 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

 

"Got a 'push' in mind?"

Varen noticed the structure felt cold, at least to him. Perhaps it would warm up as he dove. Not that he would feel it, he figured. "Uh, yeah. Let's go with boat. Nah, that has too much diving connection. How about notepad?"

[Khorne]

1 hour ago, KotZ said:

Varen noticed the structure felt cold, at least to him. Perhaps it would warm up as he dove. Not that he would feel it, he figured. "Uh, yeah. Let's go with boat. Nah, that has too much diving connection. How about notepad?"

“That might work, but perhaps we need an even more completely random sentence, so we don’t use it by accident and get pulled out?”, Felix queried. 

Pausing briefly he flapped out: “Something like ‘I hate grapefruit’.”

He chuckled at the silliness of the proposition. “I bet we won’t use that one by mistake.”

[samurai-turtle]

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Agent Molly ensures everyone is securely strapped into their diving rig before inquiring of each hero.

"Got a 'push' in mind?"

How about "exit strategy", nah, "Beam us out", no, "escape velocity" I guess that will work. I think try casting like a spell... 

2 minutes ago, Khorne said:

“That might work, but perhaps we need an even more completely random sentence, so we don’t use it by accident and get pulled out?”, Felix queried. 

Pausing briefly he flapped out: “Something like ‘I hate grapefruit’.”

He chuckled at the silliness of the proposition. “I bet we won’t use that one by mistake.”

If you think that is better. 

[Waterbrick Down]

"You don't all have to have the same push if you don't want."

[KotZ]

23 minutes ago, Khorne said:

“That might work, but perhaps we need an even more completely random sentence, so we don’t use it by accident and get pulled out?”, Felix queried. 

Pausing briefly he flapped out: “Something like ‘I hate grapefruit’.”

He chuckled at the silliness of the proposition. “I bet we won’t use that one by mistake.”

"Well, then it seems I must use "I love grapefruit."

21 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

How about "exit strategy", nah, "Beam us out", no, "escape velocity" I guess that will work. I think try casting like a spell... 

If you think that is better. 

"Would you want to be the neutral grapefruit?"

[samurai-turtle]

19 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"You don't all have to have the same push if you don't want."

 

11 minutes ago, KotZ said:

"Well, then it seems I must use "I love grapefruit."

"Would you want to be the neutral grapefruit?"

Or we could make a really silly sentence using "grapefruit". I could use "escape velocity form the grapefruit". While you use "grapefruit" and "notepad"...

42 minutes ago, Khorne said:

Pausing briefly he flapped out: “Something like ‘I hate grapefruit’.”

While you use "I hate grapefruit" but add something to it. 

[Waterbrick Down]

"Alright, we're just going to go with each of your last choices. Settle in now, we'll be dropping you pretty close to the site."

"Good luck heroes!"

The heroes close their eyes and the dive rigs begin to softly vibrate and machines whir and crackle in the background. Similar to lowering yourself into a swimming pool each of the heroes feel their consciousness slowly drift away from their corporeal forms.

Felix Ætherdiving Check (DC 1): 6, 2, 5 (2 Success, 1 Failures)

Varen Ætherdiving Check (DC 1): 5, 2, 3 (1 Success, 2 Failures)

Polaris Ætherdiving Check (DC 1): 6, 2, 4 (2 Success, 1 Failures)

The heroes each feel the tug and pull of the terrestrial sphere like swimming against a current, but are easily able to overcome the resistance. Eventually a blue glow begins to brighten their mind's eye and in another instant they find themselves standing on a vibrantly colored path overlooking a large steel and glass warehouse. The smell of burnt popcorn wafts through their noses as their eyes adjust to the brilliant saturated hues of Ætherspace.

[Khorne]

OOC: Was I normally supposed to reconfirm everyone's 'push' before being able to continue? Wasn't sure about it.

Felix shook his head, cracked his neck and fingers, followed by a slight roll of the shoulders. "Here we are again."

"Y'all make it through the dive alright?", he asked his fellow team members.

His cat-like pupils morphed into small slits at the sight of so much light and bright hues. Blinking several times, he tried to get a sense of direction and his surroundings.

"I guess we'll check out the warehouse first, right?"

 

[samurai-turtle]

This feels like one of my fever dreams I used to have...

The next thing Polaris saw was a blizzard, barely able to see but their was a shadowy figure of a female. And she spoke "It is about time for you to 'awaken', I will even help you friend." Miles? Wait I seen you before. Who are you? Before she knew it her eyes open to the light of Ætherspace... 

What was that about?...Then she got a good look at Miles and herself. Miles what happen to us? 

/// I feel different...I was thinking "Will I look the same?" Then a thought came over me. "Roundabout a tool aching welp fool."...A sub program must of turn on. 

That sounds similar to something I heard in a dream. Plus I too feel different is it this place or something else? But this look and why green. 

/// I was checking out other Mech designs earlier and must of combined some together. As for green it must be a color we both agree upon. 

Wait is this my walking stick? Why do I, oh they must of thought I will needed it. As she playing around with it practice swinging it around with both of her new hands. I hope this doesn't break. 

2 hours ago, Khorne said:

"Y'all make it through the dive alright?", he asked his fellow team members.

@KotZ 

Aaamm, you guys might want to take a look at "us". 

OoC:

The others pictures I had of this Mech. 

 

 

And just because I made a square picture, for some people...

 

 

 

[KotZ]

Varen looked around at the foreign landscape. Certainly different from the real world. "Yeah, I think I'm good. What an experience. Damn, it might be better than drugs. And I love those." Varen then noticed the blue tint surrounding everything. "Da ba dee da ba daa, indeed."

"Uh, Polaris, " Varen started, "You sure you're fine? You look different. Nice get-up, though."

Varen walked up to the fallen object in front of the door and inspects it.

[Khorne]

8 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

Aaamm, you guys might want to take a look at "us". 

Felix looked baffled at his fellow Chimeran. "That's...peculiar. Why did your robot green? I've never had anything like that happen before."

Continuing he followed up with more questions: "What is it exactly, anyway? An exo-suit? Is it sentient?"

Meanwhile, Felix crouched and checked the surroundings for a possible trace of the missing agent, using his Survival skills. Perhaps there was something the team was overlooking on first inspection. Maybe there are routes, other than the warehouse.

 

1 hour ago, KotZ said:

Varen looked around at the foreign landscape. Certainly different from the real world. "Yeah, I think I'm good. What an experience. Damn, it might be better than drugs. And I love those." Varen then noticed the blue tint surrounding everything. "Da ba dee da ba daa, indeed."

The Chimeran chuckled. "That must've been one hell of a firm you worked at, Varen."