INTRO LOG - AUGUST 2014

[rekindlemods]

Who: Everyone
Where: The Welcome Center
When: 15th August, late afternoon
Summary: The new arrivals, freshly pulled from their worlds or others, awaken in a strange place...
Warnings: Inbox death may occur. System overload at own risk. NPC responses may be slow.

It's a shuddering breath, a sensation of being pulled to elsewhere and finding oneself pressed against something on the soft and some place cozy. However, before one can fully stir, there is and odd, warm stirring sensation that lifts you up from wherever you've been dropped, when you begin to drift off once more.

'I'm sorry for this... but we need your help.'

Yet the feeling -and the voice - pass quickly, and when you awaken, you begin to realize your surroundings. It's a small room with what some might recognize as a Far Eastern theme when it comes to decor, from the walls to the sofa (or bed) you find yourself on. Illumination is provided by carefully crafted lamps, and even a candle flickering on a nearby desk. The doors are made from paper and wood, with a thin frame; through them it's easy to hear other people stirring, talking, or coming to.

You are not alone...

On a small table beside you, there rests a note atop a manilla envelope. Unfolding the note will reveal some answers in the form of a letter addressed to all arrivals.

Welcome to Saeng Seong (it's pronounced sang see-oung if the name seems really strange)!

You are among a new group of arrivals to our city, from many far-apart worlds.
We have gathered you here because our city is in a crisis, and we are at our last resorts. The energy of the city is in a slow downward spiral, and is dangerously close to expiring altogether. Though with the help of other new arrivals like yourself, the situation is beginning to seem less dim. If you are wondering how this is, allow me to explain.

One hundred years ago, there was a terrible incident known as the Unleashing; an event that sent our world into what would have been a slow and painful end were it not for the quick response of a few. However in the process, our own energies have been left to maintain what is causing this energy crisis. We do not have enough to push back this plague on our own.

That's where you come in - you and everyone else we've brought to the city. Unlike those of us here, you have the potential to generate the energy the city needs, but you'll need to work together to do it.

Why? Because the energy can only be generated when two people touch each other. Any touch will do, but it must be between two of you who are new to the city. If you don't keep in contact with someone, eventually your energy will begin to drain as well, making you dangerously ill.

A few other things:

The closed-off sections of the city are closed off for a reason; approaching them will cause your energy to drain very rapidly. We're working to open the rest of the city to you as soon as we can, but for now, please remain within the first five districts of the city.

You have been given a key to a one-bedroom apartment in a complex set aside for you and the other new arrivals, near the riverside in the 1st district. You're free to change your living quarters whenever you like, and we encourage you to move in with someone in one of the larger apartments. When you want to change, just come back to this building to exchange your key.

We've also included a cash card with a living stipend; if you're unfamiliar with this system, or the network established for new arrivals, you can talk to Andi in the lobby for help. It's what she's here for. If you need medical assistance, contact Mai, one of our doctors.

Again, welcome, and thank you for all your help. Please come downstairs to the lobby for refreshments. If you have any questions, there will be others downstairs to assist you.

Irene
Arrival Liaison

Inside the manilla envelope , you will find: a ring with a key and apartment number on it, some kind of cash card, a map and informational guide to the city, and a second letter folded neatly on the top--

Honoured Guest,

First of all, I would like to second my colleague's welcome to our city with my own. Many have come to this world whether by choice or by our actions, and for my own involvement I humbly ask your forgiveness for potentially pulling you from your homes and loved ones. However, it is as Irene's letter states. We are in an energy crisis, and only you and your fellow new arrivals can aide us.

One hundred one years have passed since the event known as the Unleashing tore a rift in our world with Saeng Seong at its core. Ever since, we have had no word from the outside... until recently.

During the celebration of the autumnal festival last year, we were visited by spirits who perished in the Unleashing and demons. This was to be expected as in our world, the boundaries betwixt the living world and the spiritual wane towards the final day of the festival. However, the events to follow were not. As winter and the very rare snowfalls began, so too did snowmen come alive as bid by a dark magic. Some mages who align themselves with a faction named Rangar saw fit to seize the opportunity for mayhem, and the city suffered for it. However, in this and the following hackings into our citywide network, we have come to learn that there are still others who live outside the walls. Yet they too cannot sustain the energy levels needed to close this rift once and for all.

New friend, I cannot understate our need nor the truth in Irene's letter to you, but there are some in this city you should not trust. Who you do or do not trust is up to your own judgment (even mine is albeit clouded at times), yet I urge you caution. Every side has their own agenda, and even our different factions may be splintered into different parties like the individuals that make them. Though should you ever find need to seek solace or sanctuary, the temple doors are always open.

Rhea,
High Priestess to the Four
Arrival Liason

Odd... Neither were written in your own language, and yet you find it easily understandable. Soon enough, if you don't make an exit on your own, there's a gentle knocking on the door as someone comes from downstairs to usher you along.

"Welcome to Saeng Seong! I know you must be confused or upset as to what's going on, but we promise to explain ourselves further once you've had a chance to stretch your legs!"

Whether you go downstairs immediately or linger a little longer, eventually you must come on down to leave the small space, and sooner rather than later would probably be better. You'll find yourself in a well-lit lobby, filled with comfortable-looking couches and chairs. Along one wall are refreshment tables, loaded with all sorts of cool and relieving food and drink, including some you probably aren't familiar with. It's just as well they're in good supply, as the windows outside show a city well heated from a summer sun.

On the wall opposite are a pair of desks, each with a sign, and one person at her station-

Rhea, General Assistance
Andi, Technological Assistance

The plaques have a shiny semi-new look to them, as do the desks. Both lovely ladies seem eager to assist you, though one more.... self-contained than the one bouncing in their seat with anticipation.

Outside, and through the translucent glass you can see a banner hanging from the tiled roof of the building across the street. The cheerful colors on it match well against a bright blue sky:

WELCOME TO SAENG SEONG
(ENJOY YOUR STAY!)

Comments

[nerdica]

Nautica's there to keep an eye out for a friendly face - Windblade, Brainstorm, Skids, Nightbeat. Anyone on Team Rodimus that wasn't actually there already, although she thinks that Chromedome shouldn't count since he was behind her. But it's also a place to grab a few glasses of engex, and the high quality stuff, too. Which is what she's doing when she spots the other Cybertronian, not that it's very difficult. They might be shorter but they're still taller than all the rest.

"Hello!" A cheerful greeting and a friendly wave with her free hand. Dramatic entrances where something that Chromia did or they did together, and even then it had never really gone as planned. She makes her way towards him - carefully avoiding running into any of the organics - and when she's close enough, attempts to make smalltalk. Not that Nautica has been very good at it, but every day is a new opportunity. Or something. "Oh, um." He... definitely looks like he's seen better days. "Should I call Ratchet? Only if you've just arrived and already gotten into a fight you should prepare yourself for a lecture."

[buffthis]

Who the hell is this bot, and why does she keep smiling.

Knock Out flashes a sharp smile in return, but it's not nearly as friendly as Nautica's. Ah, an Autobot -- of course. They always do tend to flock together.

"Your concern is noted, but no, I didn't get in a fight here," Knock Out says smoothly but pointedly, his optics flashing slightly. The name she mentions rings a bell somewhere, but he's focused on the matter at hand for now. "And I assure you I can maintain my own chassis. And you are?"

[nerdica]

Because she is a friendly, well-adjusted individual, Knock Out. Don't they have those where you're from?

"Nautica," she offers with another smile, although her expression falters slightly. "No, I didn't mean to imply you couldn't, although I suppose that begs the question of why you haven't yet. It's just that after everything that's happened these past few months I think we've all come to expect the worst when it comes to new arrivals." That's putting it lightly, and she runs a fingertip around the rim of the glass of engex she's still clutching in her hand.

[buffthis]

"Well-adjusted" is relative, okay.

So she -- and others, apparently -- have been here for a little while now. No one, however, seems to be very concerned with the how or why so far.

"I only just got here," Knock Out points out with a slight sniff, and he rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "I haven't exactly had time to locate a buffer yet. Although -- if you happen to know where I could get one..."

Hey, it's worth a shot. Knock Out has his priorities in order.

[nerdica]

"I don't, actually. Sorry?" An apologetic twist of her lips upwards, smoothing out into a well meaning smile. "Ratchet would know. Or maybe Ultra Magnus? Er, or anyone that's managed to get themselves injured - which, hold on--" Nautica ticks off the names on her fingers: "Krock, Fulcrum, Chromedome. And anyone that's been sparing with Chromia."

She thinks that's it. Probably.

"Oh-- and you are?" Because don't think she missed the fact she didn't get a name, buddy.

[buffthis]

Knock Out isn't exactly reluctant to give his name -- he just doesn't until he's asked. Ordinarily he'd introduce himself straightaway, but the truth is he's still deeply shaken by his all-too-recent encounter with the D.J.D. -- it's made him paranoid, even more than before, and almost uncharacteristically close-mouthed on certain topics. Still, his optics flash when Nautica asks and he grins again, leaning forward -- probably a little too much into Nautica's personal space. Haha, personal space, what's that.

"The name's Knock Out."

[nerdica]

Yeah, that personal space? Something she likes having. So Nautica takes a step back, raising the arm with the wrench clamped in it up - not in a threatening gesture, but just to make sure there's some space between them. The corner of her lip twitches upwards in a very good attempt at a smile, thank you.

"Knock Out." Alright, that's progress. "Well Ratchet is going to probably want to see you anyway - check ups for every Cybertronian who arrives, no exceptions. Autobot, Decepticon, unaffiliated." With a pointed look at Knock Out, since she can't see any badge.

[buffthis]

Knock Out needs a lot of things, but a wrench to his already scuffed finish isn't one of them, so he concedes that one. He scoffs at that look, though he's not really offended. For whatever reason, Nautica doesn't offend him like most people do. It's cute that she thinks she can tell him what to do, though.

"Ah, that won't be necessary." Knock Out's grin only gets sharper, and he looks...awfully smug. "There's more than one doctor in this place, and I'm perfectly capable of checking my own vitals, thank you."

[nerdica]

Nautica relaxes slightly at that, letting the hand drop back down to rest on her hip. Oh yeah, she's got this.

"Oh. Three, actually. Including yourself." Because she can pick up on that hint just fine, even without the smug look. "Spinister is more of a surgeon than a doctor, but I've been told he's brilliant at what he does. I haven't seen his work personally." She hopes she never does, actually, because that would imply that things have gotten worse among the Cybertronians here, and they've already managed one murder in the past few months.

[buffthis]

"Fantastic. We can have a medical conference." Knock Out's voice isn't so heavy with sarcasm as it is a dry, uncaring affectation, although that's all it is -- an affectation, because in truth the fact that there are more medics here is of interest to him. It's always good to know those kinds of things. But Knock Out's attention is more on Nautica now, his optics roving over her frame like a second appraisal, alight with curiosity. "And what do you do, Nautica?"

[nerdica]

That look is one she's vaguely familiar with as well, and while the members of the Lost Light had accepted her without questions she's reminded of her first run-in with them. It's not a pleasant sensation in the slightest, grip tightening around that wrench just in case.

"I'm a quantum mechanic. I suppose I'm the quantum mechanic of the Lost Light by virtue of being the only one they've got on board rather than by qualifications or skill. But the ship is in possession of what I think might be the most advanced quantum engines ever. Actually, I don't think 'advanced' does them justice - it's beyond the scope of what anyone would consider normal. See, quantum engines rely on improbability to function at all; the continual tug and pull of impossibility is what powers them in the first place. But the Lost Light? Well, like I said - nothing I've seen before can even come close to matching the sheer amount of energy its engines produce."

Look what you've done, Knock Out.

[buffthis]

For a moment, it looks like Nautica is very much in danger of losing Knock Out entirely -- he looks to be on the very edge of total boredom, like his optics are about to go distant and glazed with disinterest, but...then his focus seems to sharpen and he actually listens to Nautica, and he lets out a little scoff, but he's still smiling. Normally some Autobot prattling on about things of no relevance to him would be incredibly boring, but...there's something about Nautica that Knock Out finds remarkably inoffensive. Engaging, even.

On some level he finds this deeply unnerves him.

"A quantum mechanic? Well, you certainly don't see many of those around." He glances at her wrench. Well, that makes sense. "The Lost Light is an Autobot ship, I presume?"

[nerdica]

It wouldn't have surprised her in the slightest if she had lost him - it happens more often than not, even when the bot she's holding a conversation with tries. But the look of interest, once she notices it, is encouraging even if she rarely needs a boost. Knock Out might not be Brainstorm but she's already come to terms that this place won't provide her with everything.

"Most likely due to the lack of demand for the creation of highly specialized, primarily noncombatant skill sets during the war. Not that both sides didn't have their fair share of technicians, of course, but I've gotten the impression that after a certain point specialization in a field was viewed as an impractical use of time and resources." If you already had someone who was a quantum mechanic and stayed away from fighting, then there's no use in training someone to replace them when their skills could best be put towards other aspects of the war effort. "That's right. Co-captained by Rodimus and Megatron."

[buffthis]

Knock Out's about to ask her why she keeps talking about the war like she wasn't in it when she's got an Autobot badge glaring on her plating just like the rest of them, but it's that last gem of information that commands all of his attention at once. He looks at her sharply for a moment, but then he laughs.

"Megatron captaining an Autobot ship, right. And here I thought you weren't the straight-faced type, Nautica. Oh, I'll admit -- you really had me going there for a minute..."

[nerdica]

She honestly should be used to this response by now, so she waits out the laughter and the disbelieving statement before extrapolating; it's hard to figure out where people are in time. Besides Chromia and herself, the only one anywhere close was Ultra Magnus, and even then he wasn't aware she'd joined the crew of the Lost Light.

"Did you-- you must be. Megatron's joined the Autobots, he stood trial for his crimes and everything."

[buffthis]

Knock Out watches her slowly, the sardonic laughter draining from his face. No, she's not joking -- and oddly enough, Knock Out trusts her not to fuck with him for the sake of fucking with him. Usually it'd be his first assumption, but...Nautica doesn't seem the type, for once. She's too...genuine.

"You're telling me Megatron stood trial for four million years worth of war crimes...and they let him join the Autobots?"

What.

[nerdica]

"Oh no, not at all. He joined the Autobots first and then they put him on trial." Nautica, that is probably not helping. "Megatron had his trial held on Luna 2, and there are ancient laws that dictate that only the Knights of Cybertron can rule on any case that takes place there. It was a very clever piece of legal maneuvering, actually - as claiming the right to be judged by them rather than Optimus prevents his immediate execution, gives him a relatively significant amount of free reign, and tests the Autobot resolve to see if they can keep to their word and their beliefs."

Nautica was impressed more than outraged, and it probably shows in the way she delivers the news with a half-smile. Megatron has been a fair captain, if strict and demanding and making no attempts to hide his displeasure at the overall state of the Lost Light. But then again, she approached him with the same amount of blank slate as she had the Autobots - reading about the war wasn't the same as living it, and her opinion of him is formed from a weird mixture of personal interaction and facts.

Nautica likes to think it places her in an objective position.

[buffthis]

Knock Out's expression only darkens at that, souring, and his lip curls in a disgusted snarl. Politics give him a headache at best, but this is positively nauseating.

"Well, how nice for Megatron," Knock Out drawls unkindly, his optics sharp. "Tell me, does every ex-Decepticon get to sit at the helm of an Autobot ship if they simply hold their hands out and say they're sorry, or is that offer exclusive to their leader? You're being awfully blasé about it for an Autobot. Don't tell me you didn't have any objections."

[nerdica]

"The Reintegration Act has been in place since before the war officially ended, if you wished to change sides. I'm sure it's still a completely valid piece of legislation, but you'd have to ask Ultra Magnus for confirmation," she points out, one hand back on her hip while the other gestures with her wrench - making sure there's still space between the two of them. Just in case.

But when he mentions Autobot, her free hand comes up to brush the badge below her neck. It had - at the time - seemed like the appropriate thing to do. A symbol of respect and acknowledgment of their support of the phrase that Thunderclash swore that the Autobot leader lived by: that freedom was the right of all sentient beings. Now? Now she thinks of Chromedome and of Ultra Magnus' reluctance to act against one of their own. Neither side was perfect, and the Autobots were not completely blameless - she knew that. But it was one thing to read about it and another to see it in action. "That would imply that we'd actually fought in the war. It wasn't our place; Windblade placed a large amount of emphasis in our roles as ambassadors to Cybertron and, well, we were more of observers than anything else."

[buffthis]

"The Reintegration Act," Knock Out scoffs with a heavily derisive laugh, practically a snarl. "Yes, because that certainly solves all the problems an ex-Decepticon might face, doesn't it?" Autobots. He doesn't want to be one of them, he never has. He just wants to put this whole fragging nonsense behind him. The Reintegration Act wouldn't have helped Breakdown, anyway.

But it's the last thing she says that really gets her attention and he looks at her sharply, optics flashing. None of that makes any sense. "Ambassadors to Cybertron? Mm, right. And from where, exactly?"

[nerdica]

"I'll admit that it won't protect you from existing prejudices, but it does provide avenues for justice should anyone act upon them." It doesn't solve the problem, not by a long shot. Nautica's shoulders sag, turbines dipping slightly. It's not a problem she knows how to deal with, and anything that she doesn't have an answer to - that doesn't have an answer to makes her feel useless and superfluous.

"Caminus." This, at least, she's used to explaining. "See, metrotitans aren't just a means from getting from one place to another, they also carried around hotspots to colonize the universe. And that's where I come from."

[buffthis]

"Not every ex-Con wants to be an Autobot," Knock Out snaps back, maybe a little too readily -- but he shrugs it off with a huff, his expression settling instead into one of minor bafflement.

"And now you've lost me. Since when did Cybertron have colonies? I've never heard of a Caminus."

[nerdica]

Her hands go up again at that, as if to make sure he knows she's not accusing or assuming that it's something everyone should be or want. "It was only an option. Cybertron itself has a sizable non-affiliated population, and a former Decepticon is in charge." But if it's her origin that has most of his attention, then she'll focus on that.

"Since millions of years ago." Most people tend to accept this part, and her lips turn down as she taps her wrench against her lips. "And you wouldn't - we lost contact with Cybertron ages ago; there was an agreement with Caminus. We needed him to survive..."

Which meant they dismantled him, used his parts to make sure their fragile society could continue without the help of their home planet. They took apart the one connection they had, and in doing so, severed themselves completely from the others of their race.

[buffthis]

Knock Out regards her with vast suspicion and skepticism for a long moment, giving her a sharply dubious look and keeping his distance, for once, but after a moment, he...seems to shrug it off and accept it. He decides it's not really worth arguing the point. If she's lying, he'll find out about it, he's sure...and it's evident that quite a lot has happened since the last time he was able to check in on the latest Cybertronian news. In all fairness, he and Breakdown hadn't been paying close attention for a little while, and Knock Out's been sorely out of touch since they --

Well, since the last time he saw Breakdown, anyway.

"Well, sounds like a joyful little reunion, then," Knock Out says, although his voice curiously lacks the heavy sarcasm that usually accompanies the drawl. He seems to be reexamining Nautica in a new light, a little more curious than before. His optics flit back to the badge on her chest. "So why the Autobots, then?"

[nerdica]

"It could have gone better, I think. Beyond the part where I, um, hit Ultra Magnus in the helm with the end of my line." In that it could have possibly not happened while the universe was in danger of ending. Still! That was all sorted and done and over with, and there's really no point on thinking about that. Because it makes her think of Windblade and how much she wishes the other bot was there with her and Chromia.

Knock Out's question is easy to answer, however. "We met Thunderclash first - have you heard of him? If you've met him then I think you'd know why we picked the Autobots. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."