=>[META] Chittentown SRDPSL Ground Crew Operations Tent

[Sami-Fire]

[Dairah, Beta 2B]

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7. You’re tasked with hanging around the transmitters until they’re fully installed and covered with subtle hatches. If someone messes with these, that’s bad news.

Dairah's next stop in the launch site assistance tour was site Beta 2B. She was given a task that she thought was a bit too important for her: watching over the transmitters till they were fully installed and covered up. Couldn't a bigger, more tech-savvy troll do this job better? What was with all the ill-fitting jobs being thrown her way? This was getting a little ridiculous, and she was trying very hard not to pout or grumble. Ah, well, when one occupied the second-lowest caste on the Hemospectrum, there was only so much one could do when it came to orders from superiors. She had accepted that long ago. That acceptance was the core of her devotion to customer service, the "service heart." (She wasn't so sure she liked that term anymore. It felt too lofty for her station. Still, her pumpbiscuit beat for providing good service every day.)

In any case, Dairah kept her focus on the transmitters, to the point that she was trying to avoid blinking. What if some powered super speed troll swooped in when she blinked and grabbed a transmitter? Catastrophe! Fortunately, Moomoo was keeping watch too, though Dairah wondered how her lusus was able to keep tabs on her and the transmitters at the same time. Maybe she wasn't actually watching the transmitters. Who knew? Lusii could be so dang mysterious sometimes. Fortunately, over the course of Dairah's shift, no one even came close to the transmitters who wasn't supposed to. Sighing heavily in relief, she sought out her next task.

Wordcount: 258 (5 points)  

[Sami-Fire]

[Dairah, Beta 2B, part 2]

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1. An un-affiliated member of the ground crew asks what you’re doing, and you’ve got to weasel your way out of being caught with your 1) comeback 2) badge flashing 3) explanation 4) various scientific jargon.

Dairah went back to installing transmitters, as was her duty. After a while, the process became muscle memory for her, and her mind began to slip away as her body did all the work. This process went on unimpeded for a little while, but then Dairah became aware of a voice to her left. When the voice got louder, she nearly jumped in the air from surprise. She tried her best to compose herself and put on her best defusing smile. "Yes, hello? Is there something you need?"

The troll, who didn't seem to be affiliated with anyone in particular, was asking what she was doing and why her handling of the tech was taking so long. For a moment, Dairah froze, wracking her thinkpan for a decent response. Eventually, she came up with one, putting her best charming demeanor on. "Please, don't worry! I'm just making sure everything is absolutely fine before I pass it on. It would be bad if I passed on technology that wasn't put together right, right? I'll have this piece to the next in line very soon!"

That seemed to satisfy the inquiring troll, and Dairah heaved another sigh of relief. Sometimes, being small and cute had its advantages, even for a troll. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sit and bat her eyelashes to get out of things forever, and so she needed to work on some staple customer service responses to mollify future customers and busybodies. This was going to be tough for her, she had a feeling, but it was something important that needed to be done.

Previous Post
Word count: 265 (capped at 10 points)  

[Melancholies]

Emi was, surprisingly, similarly frantic. Not because of the fate of the lowblood, no; Emi could care less, she hadn't been privy to that.

No, she was worried because, unsurprisingly, she'd lost Masoal. It had only been a matter of time really. "Duuuude!" She called out, "Where arreee youuuuu?"

There was so much commotion going on, so many trolls scrambling to help, and Emiola hadn't lifted a finger. She didn't really know what was going on and she didn't really get the humdrum of everything. What was the rush? Why were tensions so high? Why did older trolls keep saying mean things to her? Everyone just like, really needed to chill out. A lot. Emi would chill out when she found her goddamn friend. Thankfully, her friend found her.

Or well, a friend. Which was to say a stranger and not anyone she really knew at all.

Emi oofed when she was suddenly assaulted with a shivering mass of frayed nerves and frantic emotion, "Wha--?" Okay, it definitely wasn't Masoal, because Masoal would never just cling onto her (sometimes he hid behind her, used her like a meat shield, or sometimes he was the meat shield but that was usually the extent). "Whoa whoa buddy, are you like? Okay? Hey man--"

She didn't understand at all. In the background, the hive was readily primed for demolition. Emi didn't get it. Was this normal? Or was this troll just having a Really Bad Time? Did that mean Masoal was somewhere having a really bad time too? Emi herself was kind of having a bad time too, and it was very unusual and very strange. Maybe this tealblood could help her, except they seemed pretty... not available for any sort of helping. Emi did the best thing she could think of, which basically amounted to acting like a ragdoll meat-puppet while Kerras got it sorted out.

Green Minuet

Beta 2B! Hi Kerras, you poor thing.

 

[Melancholies]

Muerte was doing good. He was laying low, he hadn't attracted any attention, and he deemed his sabotaging... worthy. He'd mussed with shipment labels, weaseled his way into pocketing some things that wouldn't be missed, taken note of a number of different things that he thought would be useful to know. So when he was called out by a highblood, he knew it had only been a matter of time, but... that still didn't mean he liked it. At all. Not when he had things to do.

"Well certainly. I'll have you know that we only get better with every dock that launches itself into the wondrous cosmos above us." Tete was looking more poofy than usual, his hair frizzed out everywhere, his sweater thick and over sized. "In a way, it's almost unnecessary for you to take any note of the advancements here, as they'll only been even more stellar in time. Now, even I'm impressed with how fast we've been setting up our sites. I have a feeling we'll run out of primed construction areas."

Okay, he was getting kind of tired of this.

Thankfully, there was a familiar greenblood that had just entered his line of sight, and Muerte absolutely took the opportunity presented to him. "Ugh," He rolled his eyes, "Sir, I really am sorry, but I have to excuse myself. Wrigglers are good for labor, but they also get in the way, you understand surely." No room for wrigglers in the military after all! Poor Floren. He did nothing wrong. "And I see a particular troublemaker ready to make his move. Oh, but until next time Sir, please seek me out again, I'd love to continue showing you our newest sites."

Thank ******** made his way over to Floren quickly, "You there! What did I tell you the last time." His voice was stern and condescending. The officer was still watching, but Muerte was trying to make quick work of hustling the jadeblood out of sight. Despite the harshness of his voice, his face almost looked... apologetic? Almost. You'd have to squint a little bit. "Play along." He hissed through closed teeth.

nepsah

1: A high ranking military official ropes you into giving them a tour of the site. You do just fine, but it's a little nerve wracking nonetheless.
working on site beta 2B
WC: 358

 

[nepsah]

Quote:

Beta 2B - 51-75%
4: You overhear two military trolls discussing how, somehow, a box of important and expensive wiring must have gotten misplaced. One smacks the other before they both notice you. It's awkward for everyone involved.

Floren was very, very bored. There was only so much glowing baton waving a troll could take before it got to be too much. Plus, his arms were tired. He was en route to find something else to do when the sound of two trolls arguing hit his ears. He slowed, turning a corner only to see two military trolls talking in harsh whispers about something having gone missing- one of them smacked the other hard enough to turn their face toward him. The smacked troll's eyes widened as they spotted him, quickly pointing him out to the other troll. Immediately the feeling in the hall grew thick with awkwardness. Glancing off to the side for a moment, Floren thought quickly - this was where they would get new assignments but- he'd have to walk by the two arguing trolls to get there...

Rather than stay in the weird atmosphere any longer, he simply raised his hands and backed down the way he'd come, then turned on his heel and walked out of the area to the main construction grounds as fast as his legs could take him. So. Awkward.

He needed something to do, though. He'd just... give it ten or so minutes, then try again? In the meantime he needed to find a spot to stay out of everyone else's way. A harsh 'You there!' caught his attention. He whipped his head around, looking thoroughly like an antlerbeast in headlights until he spotted who was approaching him. Was that.. Etet? He was looking frazzled. Wait, what was he talking about? Confusion flashed across his face until he spotted the officer behind Etet. Oh. The whispered 'play along' only confirmed the conclusion he'd jumped to.

Etet needed an escape, and Floren was a convenient pawn. He could play along, he had nothing better to do, after all! "Aww I didn't even do anything this time!" He retorted, putting on his best petulant child act. Complete with dramatically folding his arms across his chest, mouth forming a pout that clearly said 'you ruined my fun, you absolute stick in the mud', and shifted his posture to allow one of his feet to tap at the ground as if he were annoyed. "Etet, I'm boooored. They put too many people on the electrical stuff." He sighed dramatically - honestly, he should be an actor - and rolled his eyes. "You should help me get a better job to do... orrrr I could find something on my own!" At that he did his best to put on a mischievous grin - the kind Skoli hated.

WC: 430

Melancholies

 

[Hivestuck]

WITH A RUMBLE, AND A CREAK ... SITE BETA 2B HAS LAUNCHED IT'S DOCK INTO SPACE!

 

[Hivestuck]

WITH A RUMBLE, AND A CREAK ... SITE BETA 2C HAS LAUNCHED IT'S DOCK INTO SPACE!

 

[nepsah]

Quote:

Gamma 3A 0-25%
5: You witness a lowblood being dragged out of their hive, kicking and screaming, by a squad of drones. Your crew then moves in to rig explosives inside their unfortunately placed home.

Apibom felt sick. Absolutely sick. Normally they didn't think much of the other members of their caste (or the one caste below theirs) but this... this was a violent confrontation with the realities of being a lowblood. They couldn't bring themself to look away as the lowblood was dragged away, making an absolute scene. They were supposed to go in and rig the hive to be demolished. Did they have any pets inside? Special belongings? The fear that one day, their own hive might get demolished to make room for a government project seeped into them, making a chill run down their spine as their fingers and toes seemed to suddenly go cold.

It would totally happen, too. Even if they contributed to society as they were supposed to, stuck to the system as it was and out performed all other lowbloods in their peer group... it could still happen. So did it even matter? What was the use of doing a good job when it could all be taken away in an instant?

They were snapped out of their train of thought by another troll in their demolition group slapping them on the back. "C'mon we're going in." They nodded to the other troll, then trotted along at the back of the group while they all set to work rigging things together. The troll that lived here hadn't even gotten a chance to pack. Surely they'd be totally hiveless now- with no possessions or ways to care for themself.

No, no. They shook their head, refusing to continue that train of thought. There were options. Surely, the Empress would have realized that trolls lived in this area and would have options for them to move, right? Maybe this troll just didn't take it. Served them right for not moving when they got the chance. That was certainly the explanation here. They just could not believe that things would be as hopeless as the scene they'd just watched. Nope. Api was lying to themself but they weren't going to think too hard about it- don't think too hard don't think too hard don't think too hard don't think too hard!!!

They retreated from the hive with the rest of their group, and watched as another troll pushed the button to blow it up. Yes... clearly this could have been avoided if the other troll had just done something about it.

Now they needed a new task- something to focus on to keep the racing thoughts in their head at bay. What to do- what to do... Ah, they could go sort some of the supplies that came in. It seemed like it was a large shipment and offering a helping hand would be good! They made their way through the crowd of volunteers to the shipment area. They could be of use here. They could be a good cog in the machine, making troll society better than it was before.

Thoughts about spying for Chiara still lingered in the back of their mind, but they needed to focus on something else that would take all of their concentration for a little while. Just long enough to get rid of the mental image of the lowblooded troll being dragged from their hive.

WC: 536

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Apibom is open for interaction!

 

[Sami-Fire]

[Wallas, Gamma 3A]

Quote:

4. You read the documentation that Shenso has very carefully created about the inner workings of the transmitters and proper installation techniques.

On this particular night, Wallas made his way to site Gamma 3C. Even if the launches seemed to be occurring quite ahead of schedule, that was no reason to slack off. Who knew what could happen if people let all of these important materials and gadgets sit for even a day? The less the items were attended to, the more likely something was to randomly break down and send everyone into a panic.

As it stood, Gamma 3C seemed to be pretty fresh and empty. It didn't seem that everyone was needed to work right away, so Wallas pulled out the documentation from Shenso once more. Today he felt a little bleary for some reason, so the heavy terminology wasn't sinking through as quickly as he would have liked. It wasn't like he could take a snooze on the job, even with as many idlers as there seemed to be- or, perhaps, especially because of the idlers. He'd be caught and given a swift dressing-down for sure. Was napping on the job a cullable offense? Eh, for lowbloods, anything could be a cullable offense, really. He hoped the site would get set up soon so that he wouldn't feel so fidgety. If he was working, it would be harder to make him a target, wouldn't it?

In any case, Wallas shook his head to get some of the fog out, then resumed poring over the documentation. The technology in these transmitters was really something. He pinched himself to try to focus, and it worked, kind of.

Wordcount: 260 (5 points)  

[Sami-Fire]

[Wallas, Gamma 3A, Part 2]

Quote:

4. You read the documentation that Shenso has very carefully created about the inner workings of the transmitters and proper installation techniques.

Now, Wallas was not about to let a case of the sleepies prevent him from reviewing vital documentation. He tried to yawn with his mouth closed, which was easier said than done. He stared at the papers in front of him some more, and he felt his mind blurring together once more, which was really not a comfortable feeling. He shook his head again, but that was also uncomfortable. He hoped that he wasn't about to get a headache or some other wildly inconvenient malady. There was no time for headaches or whatever other weird things a body could do. Wallas wasn't really a biology type; he felt glad that robots couldn't get sick. Unless some Alternian whiz kid had figured out how to make robots sick, or something. That would be pretty awful for both the robot and the controller.

Ruminations on sick robots aside, Wallas was still trying hard to keep himself awake and focused. Periodically, he would pinch himself. Sometimes he'd poke or drum on himself to change things up. At this point, he thought he was exerting more effort on staying awake than towards actually reading the document. Grumbling to himself, he adjusted his position and tried to read some more.

Gah, he hoped no one was looking at him while he tried to stay awake. It would look really weird to everyone else, probably. Should have thought about that sooner. Things were starting to feel less hazy, though, so maybe it was working. Focus, focus, focus! Then work! Simple enough, right?

Previous post
Wordcount: 256 (capped at 10 points)  

[Sami-Fire]

[Dairah, Gamma 3B]

Quote:

7. You assist Malory and Loulah and the other ground crew members in determining the appropriate amount of explosives needed to detonate certain objects. Sounds fun, but is mostly math.

Tonight, Dairah went to the fresh site of Gamma 3B to help out. She had mostly worked at midway-complete sites before, so a fresh one was a nice change of pace. It felt awfully empty, though. That was all the more reason to get to work, then! She didn't get very far on her initial preparations to start working before she was pulled aside for a very different task. Two of the adult trolls in the Lightseekers (Malory and Loulah, right) required help calculating how much explosives were needed to detonate certain items. Not one to turn down a task like that (not openly, anyway), Dairah went over to help.

Dairah had a mix of disappointment and relief regarding her assignment. On the one hand, she was glad that she wasn't actually mixing explosive materials together. Who knew what could go wrong during that? She was not in the mood to blow herself up right now. On the other hand, however, all this math was a little mind-numbing. It wasn't like she was bad at math by any means; after all, math was a necessary part of a merchant lifestyle. Counting beetles to make sure no one was trying to rip her off was a vital skill. She felt kind of good about getting to flex her mental muscles like this, but after a certain point, she thought her thinkpan would start smoking. Figuratively at first, then literally if possible. When an opportunity for a break came, she promptly took it.

Word count: 251 words (5 points)  

[Sami-Fire]

[Dairah, Gamma 3B, Part 2]

Quote:

1. You’re in charge of mapping the various “landmark obstacles” that will need to be removed from the site.

Dairah's next task was to map out and mark down the various landmark obstacles that needed to be removed from the site. So, basically, marking natural terrain aspects for destruction. (And some not-so-natural ones.) Getting to walk around was a welcome reprieve from the heaps of math that had been slung at her before. Also, Moomoo would be able to help with this task to a degree. Maybe. Maybe she'd be able to draw attention to any landmarks that Dairah missed, or something. Either way, she had a feeling her lusus needed the walk as much as she did.

There were a lot of rocks that needed to be blown up. A lot lot lot of rocks. Also some trees. A hill might have needed to be leveled, too. It was interesting (sort of), and Dairah wondered if the explosives she had calculated for would be used to take out some of these obstacles. That gave her a small sense of pride; she had helped somewhere in the development chain. How neat!

The weather outside seemed pretty nice tonight, perfect for all the walking around and marking and mapping. Moomoo seemed to be enjoying it too, periodically issuing forth a low moo to keep her charge on task. That was helpful, because Dairah was fighting off the urge to relax a bit in the night air. Even if the number of obstacles that needed to be marked down was dwindling, she had to keep her focus. Anything could happen if her attention slipped.

Previous post
Wordcount: 253 (capped at 10 points)  

[DraconicFeline]

Sephos Arbola

Foundation... that was the root of a building, wasn't it? It was solid and sturdy and it was hard work, less so when he silently worked with others to dig it out. It would be filled in with concrete -- how something liquid could become solid... Sephos had no idea. It was amazing, and a little chilling - could anything grow on concrete?

Maku had once told him that cities could be broken. There were ruins in Four Fronds, of places that were once inhabited but were now reclaimed. Those were stone and concrete, broken through by roots and vines and leaves.

Life always found a way. His lusus had explained fondly, but neutrally. He was less neutral now - the last time Sephos had patrolled out to those ruins with him, he'd said the same thing - but darker. Angrier, even.

Life will always find a way. he had said, And the works of trolls crumble before it...

Sephos shivered again - though it was only just starting to get cool (Autumn being well underway, but the work warming him greatly.) One day, maybe, Maku would feel differently. By that time, Sephos would be long gone, raising a sapling -- or having raised her to tree-hood -- and on his own. He'd been scarred (figuratively and literally) by those robots, and perhaps both scars would heal in time.

Just like the scar he was making in the ground right now.

Would that heal too? Would plants take it back eventually, too? Would they bloom in this ground again?

If I have anything to say about it... he thought, They will.

[269/500]

[Rolling for Gamma 3b]
["You work with your teammates to swiftly dig out a patch of foundation - teamwork wins!"]  

[DraconicFeline]

Sephos Arbola


Sephos stared at the pile of dirt nearby, frowning at it. What was he supposed to do with this again? Take... pieces from it? And do something to it?

He knew that soil was different from place to place. Different plants grew in different places, and they needed different things from the soil. His lusus had taught him as such - how different soils held water, how different roots needed different things from the soil, how certain plants enriched the soil to be better for other plants...

He didn't know much else, though it seemed that the Lightseekers were interested. He sifted his hands through the dirt, not realizing that people were watching, or that they might be concerned. It seemed like pretty decent dirt -- like the sort he would grow stuff in, with a little bit of mulch. Maybe not even so much mulch...

Now, what did he do with it? He looked about him for a container, something to 'take a sample' with. A bag - yes, there one was - a bag would do. He scooped some of the dirt into the bag and sealed it up. That way, the moisture wouldn't leave it so fast - plastic was wonderful like that. One of, in his lusus' opinions, the few non-natural things that deserved to be in the world, with the plants. He stuck it in his overalls, oblivious to any strange looks that he might have gotten.

For whatever good it would do, he had a bag of dirt. Now off to more work.

[523/500]


[Rolling for Gamma 3b]
["You gather some soil samples from the many piles of disposed dirt outside of the military base."]  

[Buzzwulf]

Quella Fehtan

"Hey!" Quella said as she stumbled onto another partially-finished landing strip. This one had trolls everywhere, hustling and bustling like bees from a hive. "You need a leader, right? Someone fearless and brave, that can stand up for all of the weaker trolls and make sure they're pulling their fair share?" A few older trolls turned to her. They had a puzzled look in thier eyes. "Don't worry, Quella's here! Just let me know what needs doing, and I'll make sure it gets done!"

And that's how she ended up wandering around the site, digging holes with a well-used spade.

"Stupid... older... trolls... don't... know... what's... good for them..." Quella managed to grunt between shovel loads. it wasn't like they even needed holes dug. They'd just given her a stupid task because they were bigger than her, just to demean her. Just because she was so much cooler and brighter and had way better teeth than any of them did. She'd show them. She'd dig so many holes they'd have to ask her to stop!

"Whoa, Quella, wow!" she said to herself, imitating the older troll's silly voices. "Look at all those holes you've dug! They're the best holes too, so perfect... uh... hole-y. And deep! You're just the best at holes! But could you dig maybe a few less? Some of the other volunteers are wailing and pulling out thier hair cause they're just so bad at digging holes, and it just isn't fair to them for you to set suuuuuch a great example! how could they POSSIBLY live up to it! Plus, we're a little worried that the platform might collapse into the core of Alternia. You know, from all the holes."

She was just digging another hole (hole number seventy-three) when she noticed her little diatribe had caught the ear of some rustbloods who looked like they were playing in some cement. They glanced up at her with a caught expression, huddled around the wet sticky stuff and giggling. She gave them her best glare, and she was pretty sure it wasn't her imagination when one in the back fainted on the spot. "HEY!" the blueblood yelled. "Enough of all that giggling! Get back to work!"

The rustbloods scampered off into the construction site, oblivious to Quella's shouts of "You didn't hear anything!" and "I'll sic my lusus on you!"

"Honestly." Quella huffed to herself. "Some trolls just have NO respect."

It was on hole one hundred and twenty-three (near the tree stump, but closer to the wet cement patches than hole thirty five, and further away from the stump than hole seventy-one) that Quella finally met with resistance. As she sent the dull blade of her well-loved spade into the soft alternian soil, her hands were met with resistance and her ears a dull metallic clunk. Excitement suddenly coursed though the little blueblood! Buried treasure!

Quella's mind whirled with possibilities. Maybe a pirate's horde? Or the buried stash of some ancient beast? She scrabbled madly with her paws in the dirt, finally coming up with a small metal box. A sniff told her that it was old, possibly even older than Alternia itself. What treasures could it possibly hold? Her breath caught as she slowly opened the lid of the box with a rusty creak.

Pieces of paper?

She would find the one responsible for this prank. And then... Well, they'd be bruised for a good long time.

[588/500]

[Rolling for Gamma 3B]

Quote:

[6: As you dug, your shovel hits the telltale sounds of something metallic. With great curiosity, you unearth a small iron box. Inside? Coupons for a frozen milkbeast secretion place you know closed down sweeps ago.]