personalityquarks: (Default)
personalityquarks ([personal profile] personalityquarks) wrote2018-05-31 11:21 pm

TEAM STAY-AT-HOME: PART 1: GLIDER PARTY

The day after the main body of the expedition leaves, those who have elected to stay behind will find a message over the network -

Okay, guys, now that the expedition team's gone, we've got a surprise for everyone that we've been working on for a while, and we're ready to test some prototypes. If you're not scared of heights, come down to the hangar cavern under the Annex.

Prototypes of what? Well, better head down to the hangar and find out!

Inside, there's actually something set up within the previously empty cavern - a series of what look to be hang-gliders, six in total, each with different-colored sails and what seems to be an engine in the middle of the "back." They're fairly small for what they are, probably designed to carry only a single person, but what's most interesting about them is that they do not rest on the ground - instead, they hover about a foot off it, resting on a cushion of magically generated breeze.

Careful further inspection will reveal that the wide arms have a mechanism that collapses them down - in fact, the whole glider collapses down, to what would be the size of a very large backpack or so. At the far end of the line, Charm is repeatedly doing so with the final glider, a red one with a pattern of orange "gashes" in the wings and tail. Even at that size, they hover about a foot off the ground unless moved - and they weigh very little at all and are no difficulty to carry, in spite of all the metal that goes into them.

The secret is in the magitek engine on the back - glowing faintly green in the dim light of the cavern, they're heavy with wind energy for those who can sense that sort of thing. In addition to the basic levitation function, the steering bars of the gliders have an accelerator and brake hooked to the engine. There's also a sling for a person's torso (or... a less person-shaped person's whatever) and a set of foot supports.

When characters arrive, they'll find Top greeting them at the nearest glider to the door, a bit covered in grease but looking enthused.

[[OOC: This part of the Stay-At-Home event is a mingle for Glider Shenananigans! Fly 'em, fold 'em, stick 'em in a stew, whatever you want. Just, you know, try to avoid crashing them, and don't ruin the surprise by flying out over the reef, hmm?

And yes, it counts for points!]]
bulletnews: (well then what about this)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-06-05 02:09 pm (UTC)(link)
So what you're saying is they're making trouble for you, even though knowing what causes Fissures will probably be a net benefit in the long run.
superstylishsquid: (I don't know what to make of it.)

[personal profile] superstylishsquid 2018-06-05 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds more like they're working on the problem from opposite ends. These guys try to figure out how to close the Fissures, while the Lodestone group tries to figure out why they show up to stop more from appearing.

Though, from the sound of it, I'm guessing something isn't going as intended.
bulletnews: (let's make a correction)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-06-08 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah.

[Everything is a potential incident.]

In that case, they've opened one right on top of their station, haven't they.
superstylishsquid: (Oh yeah...)

[personal profile] superstylishsquid 2018-06-08 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't be at all surprised, with that kind of research. But I'm guessing the contents of the message are even more concerning than the interference?
bulletnews: (no need to be so aggressive)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-06-09 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
Just from the name, I might expect that level of thoughtlessness.

[Don't ask how that makes sense with the pronunciation difference.]

The fact that they could double up sounds extremely bad, though. Will it take twice as much work to stabilize them?
superstylishsquid: (I don't know what to make of it.)

[personal profile] superstylishsquid 2018-06-10 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
More like will it be twice as dangerous.

But it sounds like whatever happened to Neutrino is the big priority here. None of you are really combatants, right?
bulletnews: (ready for the pitch)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-06-10 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
So you'd like some volunteers to take unimaginable risks, figure out what happened, and save the other team?

[This is going to make a great headline!]
superstylishsquid: (Oh yeah...)

[personal profile] superstylishsquid 2018-06-11 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds like it. Not usually my thing...supervillains don't tend to go out for other people unless we get something out of it, y'know?

But...I guess I can consider 'a better chance of getting back home some time this century' benefit enough.