driftfleet | Yaugur System Mingle

[ Later into their stay, enough suspicious things have happened that the need to investigate was fierce. Carefully outfitting a ship for deeper exploration took time, and Katara had to purchase better breathing gear, but here they were. Landed. On a surface that no one on the islands floating above seemed to believe existed.

She didn't like how thick the mist was. No matter how she strained her bending, it kept rushing back in. ]

My bending's not working right on the mist. It keeps slipping through like I'm losing my grip on it, except I'm not. There's something really weird down here.

[The heavy-duty gas masks were cumbersome but necessary. The density of fog down here was such that the lighter models had no hope of filtering it all out, and Thor's experienced enough of it to be wary of charging in regardless. This far down no amount of tornado-making would shift the stuff.

It's also why he brought a torch from the ship, angling the bright beam around in the gloom.]

I'd say it's unnatural, but it may well be for this place. I haven't seen this kind of atmosphere on inhabited worlds before.

[If it had been a gas giant with no real landmass, sure. This place however clearly does as they make their way across the very real ground.]

[ She took a deep breath and reached up to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She could feel the water, but it -- it's not normal. ]

It's not normal water, I'll tell you that much. But then - normal water doesn't cause hallucinations. [ So... she supposes she shouldn't be surprised. Except it's still water, she should be able to bend it. And she can. It just... won't stay. She takes that personally. ]

And yet they have normal water up on the islands, do they not? [Unless he's been drinking something hallucinogenic from the hotel taps all this time. He doesn't think so, though.] So it must be something in the mist causing it.

[Pointing the torch around at eye-level is proving useless, so Thor aims it at the ground ahead of them instead, shadowy rocks appearing suddenly under its light.]

Yeah, they do. It's almost like the mists are a completely separate part of the water cycle. [ She exhales heavily. ] I'm going to stop trying to clear this in case I need to later. It's only lasting for a few minutes at a time.

[ She'd be more use if she took out her own flashlight. She lets her hands fall to her sides and the mist immediately comes rushing back in. It's almost claustrophobia inducing, thick and unnatural, clinging to her hair and what little skin the mask leaves exposed. ]

[Thor's back straightens when the mist folds around them once more, staying alert. He knows the madness-inducing aspect won't creep in through their masks, but having it all around like this is stifling. Especially when they're so far below the surface that there's no simple way to get above it. He didn't bring his hammer on this expedition - flight is out of the question.

He takes a deep breath and continues on in silence for a few minutes. Soon enough though he slows to a halt, squinting through the shadows.]

I can see something ahead. Something large.

[There's an outline of something darker through the mists, a great curve that seems too smooth to be natural.]

[ She pauses and her light in that direction as well. ]

Well - it's not moving, so... want to go check it out?

Yes. [Without question.

It doesn't take much longer until the shape coalesces into something more easily identified. Crumpled and broken, but still obviously--]

It's a ship.

[Thor's voice sounds strangely flat under the mask, but the surprise is still there. No doubt about it. This was a spaceship, battered and decayed by time.]

Seriously?

[ Katara is far less used to looking at space ships. She takes a few steps forward, clips her light back onto her belt, and with a mighty effort temporarily bends the mists back away from the object so they can get a clearer view of it.

...well. That looks like... something she sees outside her window every day. ]

Is it just me or... does that look familiar to you?

[The clearer view confirms it. It also sends a wave of unease through Thor, seeing those familiar if broken lines. What was a ship of the same make as the Marsiva doing wrecked on this planet?]

It does. It looks like the Marsiva.

[There's a serious edge to his tone now, frowning up at the hulk of the ship. No wonder the Hosts were trying to distract them. He turns back to Katara, his doubts not yet showing in his eye.]

I think we ought to be sure.

[ She lets the mist go with a quiet pant. It was getting harder each time, and that had been a lot of mist to hold. She had a feeling it wouldn't have lasted much longer. She turns her flashlight back on. ]

What do you have in mind?

Edited 2018-08-09 04:28 (UTC)

I'm going inside.

[They may never have another chance to get this close to a ship of this model. Especially one that does seem to be dormant.]

[ She takes a deep breath; it sounds a little funny from behind the mask. ]

Alright. If you can get in, I'm going with you. But we don't know how volatile it might be, so no lightning to try and get in, okay?

[Both of Thor's eyebrows shoot up.]

I won't use it as a first attempt.

[That's ... all the promise he's going to make.]

[ ...yeah, she'll deal with that when it comes. ]

If your first attempt doesn't work, then let me try something next, okay? Let's see if we can find a door. Maybe we just need to knock.

I would hope no one still lives within it. [He plays his beam up the height of the ship, though it only amounts to a smudge of light in the shadows.] I wouldn't want to live down here.

...yeah. [ Her gaze follows the light to where it stops. ] Me either.

[ She takes a breath. ] Let's walk along the side of the ship and see if it looks like there are any openings.

[Thor nods and starts moving, striding forward into the mist towards the ship's hull. The closer they get, the better their lights are able to penetrate the fog and pick out details. This is no longer a sleek vessel like the Marsiva orbiting the planet above. This ship is truly wrecked; the hull is crumpled and weathered, jagged holes punched in the side from either time or circumstance.

It takes twenty minutes of walking beside the ship before Thor's torch lights upon an opening just about at ground level, large enough for them to enter. He glances back at Katara and raises his eyebrows.]

This should do.

[ That... is one big ship, and a lot of creepy mist. In fact, the ship itself was kind of creepy. This whole planet was...

Well, okay, it was creepy. She takes a big breath of filtered air. ] After you.

I wonder what did this? [ Crashed the ship. Tore it open. ] I didn't see any external damage that looked like it was caused from a weapon, did you?

[Thor needs no further prompting. He steps up into the opening, blinking a little as his eye adjusts to the darkness. But it's not total - the emergency lighting seems to pulse every so often. Strange.

He turns to watch Katara enter.]

No, but that does not mean the ship wasn't attacked. Laser or photon blasts might disable the ship without causing external damage, depending on whether they had defensive shields up or not.

I don't know much about those kinds of weapons. [ There's a bit of frustration at herself in that tone - constantly being out of her depth with all this science fiction stuff is not something Katara takes too well - she's going to have to spend more time learning about it.

She steps inside and freezes as the emergency lights pulse. ] ...if this thing still has power, I wonder how long it's been down here.

[ How long could the power on something like this last? She shines her flashlight up and down the corridors, trying to determine which would be the best way to go first. Because of course they're going to explore the whole thing, right? ]

[Thor merely nods. He's used to people around him not knowing about technology that seems commonplace to him.]

I would be glad to tell you about them sometime. When we are not in the bowels of a broken ship.

[A slight smile. It's no less than what he did for Jane, every time she had a question about advanced concepts. Her comment sets him back to a more serious frame of mind though, as he stares up at the ceiling with a creased brow.]

There's no way of telling without finding the power core. Some can last for hundreds of years - much like the one on Nariba Relia.

[Still functioning even though its people are long dead. Thor aims his torch at the path ahead and sets off at a steady pace.]

[ She nods. ] I'll take you up on that. [ Then she moves to follow him, not directly behind him, but to the side in what should be the very corner of his peripheral vision since she was careful to pick the side that still has an eye. ]

Then we should look for the power core. And any hint that we can use to tell for sure if this is from the Atroma.

It ought to be towards the centre or near the tail. As for the Atroma - hopefully it's a sign that will be obvious.

Obvious would be a nice change. [ She shakes her head and pauses as the lights flicker on and off again.

This is really creepy. It's starting to feel... really creepy. ]

Okay, let's keep going.

Yaugur System Mingle

into the mist we go, we go...

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