GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS

This time for real!WAKEY WAKEY.
As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has
changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice:
There are more stasis pods.
Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not
in it. Hurry and wake those guys up!
SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID.


With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The
"Seedlings" and
"Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered.
The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down.
Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with
a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone
how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times.
The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic.
DON'T GET LOST
And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good!
Lucky for everyone else, it looks like
finally there's
some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out!
OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO.
Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option)
OOC
The
Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for
Discovery, and The
Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings.
We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!
wakey wakey (in the pod no less)
When they don't blow up when the first of the pods open, she heads in to free the first she sees. Her eyes are suspicious as the door itself opens, and she steps back, body tense as she waits to see who (or what—it may be a what at this point) comes out.]
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For a moment there, he really thought he was going to choke to death, and his head's still a little light on his shoulders. He gets to his feet as soon as he can steady himself —a little before that, actually, so he ends up stumbling to the side a step or two—, then his surroundings quickly come to focus.
A little too quickly. Jim feels like throwing up a but, honestly, but he turns to the woman instead. ]
Where— where the hell are we?
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Just the same, she motions to the area around them.]
I can safely say that it's not Earth. Otherwise, it's difficult to say. It's difficult to guess whether you know what Earth is, too. Do you? [That is another thing that is uncertain.
There are so many uncertainties.]
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It's definitely not Federation technology, he'd know it if it were. And the suit he's wearing doesn't even remotely resemble anything Federation-issued. Wherever he is... he can only assume he's been dragged very far from home. ]
Yeah. Yeah, I know Earth. [ He nods. ] A number of other planets too. You mean— we all come from different ones?
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Many claim to be from Earth, but our information doesn't match up. [Her world burned, and many others haven't. Or if they have, they were obliterated. It's very strange, and she lacks a knowledge of the multiverse.]
But not all are. There are humans from other planets. And aliens, too. I've never asked their place of origin. [Truthfully ... Lexa didn't care. It might be partly because of denial. Actually, that wouldn't be far from the truth.]
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Different Earths, then. [ Said like it's a simple explanation. Well, to him it is. Even if it still doesn't explain how or why they were all brought here. ]
I might know some of them. [ Provided they're from his galaxy, and from his universe. He doesn't even know at this point. And besides, finding a Romulan might do more harm than good, so that's not necessarily a good thing. ] How's your Earth like?
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Or what still feels like it.)]
We had limited space travel. As such I doubt you know of ... my Earth. [This last fragment of a sentence comes out like it's strange in her mouth, like she can't fully conceptualize what it is that she's saying.]
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[ Their energy sources are much cleaner and harmless these days, not used with the specific intent to create weapons. Although they serve that purpose too (it'd be stupid if they didn't, really), it's not the focus. Jim, for one, is glad about that. ]
Space travel's also pretty developed where I'm from. You've got humans living in a number of different planets across the galaxy, not just Earth. [ He nods at her. ] What year was it, where you came from? [ If she'd even know that. ]
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For now, she only offers a faint shake of her head.]
I don't. We've kept a different calendar since my people began to follow the first Commander. [A beat.] It's been ninety seven years since then.
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Right. Worth a try. [ Not that it would make much of a difference, when it comes down to it. He offers a hand to her. ] I'm Jim, by the way.
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Still, she'll introduce herself:] I'm Lexa. [A beat. A beat more.] Regardless of the matter of space travel, I believe we have to assume it's happened here. [The hull of a backdrop and the pods themselves are likely proof of that.] But would you happen to know what could involve ... multiple Earths?
[It's the first she's heard of it, but hey—answers. He seems like he has an idea.]
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He nods when she introduces herself, eyebrows raising a little and head tipping to the side at the question. ]
I can't say how it happened in this particular instance. The only time I experienced it, it was when a friend of mine, from some good years in the future, traveled back to the past. But in doing so he altered certain events and the course of history enough that he created an alternate reality.
Theoretically speaking, though? You can have an infinite number of universes, and infinite possibilities so far as what might happen in each one of them. But traveling across said universes, that's just something else entirely. Not something that can be done in my world, at least not yet. But there have to be universes out there where that's a reality— possibly even commonplace.
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In her mind, the Flame works, too, contributing to some of the knowledge she needs to put together the pieces. Still, a lot of this technology never existed, so, as such, it isn't entirely available to her. But she manages. Thanks, Dead Commanders.]
It explains a great deal of things. Thank you. [Everything is a transaction, as far as Lexa is concerned.] And I believe you may be helping a number of us explain our discrepancies. In turn, I can offer you as much as I know—though we're still in the process of uncovering the mystery ourselves. For example, we don't know what the Atlas is, exactly. It may not be the typical definition of the word. [And thus, the transaction continues: give and take. He offered one possible (probable) answer to a longstanding question, so she'll begin to offer him what she can. It isn't kindness, exactly—it merely balances things out, and that's what she knows best.]
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Equal trades might not be how Jim always operates but he's no stranger to them, and he nods and gladly accepts the exchange. What little she can offer him right now in terms of information is invaluable, considering he knows next to nothing about why they're here. ]
I'd have guessed a map, among other things. [ Either a map to a treasure, to a trap, or just a means to get them out of here. Either of those options make him feel like all this is a little too much like some kind of game. ] Could be some weapon. I'm guessing you also don't know who wants us to find the Atlas either.
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[That they've survived what might be a crash of some kind says volumes. That means they had the technology to pull this together for multiple people.]
But if we're been here for a while, the investment may have passed.
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If we were on a ship, chances are we were headed somewhere. So it's likely that this planet wasn't our intended destination. The Atlas, whatever it is, probably isn't here. You ask me, we were supposed to search through a portion of space, not through a single world.
[ He looks to the distance for a moment, another unsettling thought bubbling to the surface. ]
I wonder if those responsible also survived the crash. If they're somewhere around here.
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[The hull is in bad shape, so maybe they did salvage it, but it looked like it was left to be a grave, forgotten years and years ago. It's haunting.
Though incredibly likely as the source of their arrival.]
If we were meant to travel, do you think there would be someone made aware of our awakening?
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[ He'll get a better notion of their situation once he starts looking around, and he'll likely draw similar conclusions. How it looks like the ship's been here for years. Jim happens to have a very vivid memory of something similar. That'll be an unpleasant memory to relive, yet at the same time a hopeful one. ]
It's possible that someone was meant to to know, but that link might've been severed when we crashed. Otherwise I think someone would've come for us or the actual crew of the ship by now.
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The suits we wear suggest that we're important. They evolve. Which means we can evolve. I don't want to be arrogant, but I do think we're important. We just may not be a lost set of leaders. Leaders are usually the ones who are sought after when they're lost, all in order to restore stability.
[And while Lexa is a leader—she believes she was born to be one—she doubts she has that stature among the people behind the A symbol.]
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[ Jim's not sure if he's sad or relieved about that. Granted, having people come here to get them could be a good thing, but on the other hand sometimes it's better to be left to your own devices rather than be captured and unable to set themselves free. ]
I have no doubt we are important to them. Or were. I don't know— they could be keeping us for a myriad of reasons. We might've not been more than just glorified lab rats.
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There are those with great abilities, and those who were leaders. And one boy, who may be nothing but a factor to show that the rest of us are special. Would you say that you're the same?
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Which isn't to say she's wrong... it just doesn't mean she's right, either.
But pressing his lips into a thin line, he drops his eyes and looks away for a moment. ] I'm the Captain of the USS Enterprise, a starship operated by Starfleet, and the flagship of the United Federation of Planets. [ So yes, he is... relevant, you could say. ]
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It's not a factor that is certain, but they can't overlook it.]
Whoever may have taken us may have wanted chaos. Or they may have wanted individuals competent enough to handle this. [But then there is Inui. He is still a sore thumb that sticks out regardless.]
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He's not sure if that thought is more comforting or unsettling, but he quickly decides it's best to not even think about it. ]
I'm more inclined to believe the latter. They wanted us here for a reason, not necessarily away from our worlds. At most they don't give a crap about how our disappearances might change things. [ He looks to Lexa. ] You're important too, in your world? What were you before coming here?
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Lexa is reluctant to share that prior to coming here, she met her demise. If anything, the true problem lies in the one place where she's met confusion: the Flame in her neck. Clarke spoke of using it later, of becoming the next Commander in all but permanence.
If anything, that will only come out if she's absolutely forced. It hasn't seemed important yet.
(But then, she's not against being selfish and deciding what is or isn't important.)]
It's not that my people aren't accustomed to me occasionally having to go into hiding, but as you can imagine, there would still be disruptions. One of my ambassadors is with me, too, and I believe that she'll be leading her clan before long. [Honestly, Lexa thinks she should be already. It's apparent that she's the best suited for it.]
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