Event: In Pursuit of Knowledge OOC

[voidtreckermods]

EVENT: In Pursuit of Knowledge

Our next event is here! The voidtreckers have been taken to a voidbase to learn a little more about their SCAs and their situation, as well as using the Ministry's equipment to piece together the fragments of memories they collected on Jema'grethy.

Information about the base itself is here, and voidtreckers will be allowed to do whatever they wish during their time there: be that relaxing, or helping out with research.

They will be at the voidbase between day 22 and day 29 of the month of Rabbit. (12th-26th June)

TL;DR: There will be tests for the Voidtreckers (health, tether, and combat related, and tests involving particular circumstances- being dead back home, etc), and there will be a test run on the train and with the Voidtreckers' help, to piece back together the train's memories. There is also an archive room for deeper research, such as finding out more on the World Eaters/shapes in the sky.

The voidbase will have training areas, recreational areas (shows, music, videogames, e-books), and sleeping quarters.

The train will be accessible at all times.

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VOIDBASE INFO ~ EVENT LOG ~ BASE NETWORK
SCA EXPERIMENTS ~ COMBAT TRAINING ~ REACHING OUT ~ ARCHIVE RESEARCH

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SCA EXPERIMENTS

There are a few experiments that the void scientists want to try. They will ask for volunteers, and will explain things as best as they can; voidtreckers can volunteer to help around the labs if they prove themselves responsible.

GENERAL HEALTH: They will be collecting blood samples and doing some basic scans of any voidtreckers who wish to be tested. They are most interested in brain scans, and will also ask for volunteers to wear a machine whilst sleeping to monitor brain patterns.

TETHER SCANNING: They have a machine that can scan the tether itself. It involves going into a narrow standing tube, which hums loudly - sounding very like the humming of the void and flashes bright colors. They will be warned that it is a disconcerting experience, and will offer ear defenders to help combat the side effects, which involve a headache and vivid dreams for the next few nights.

POWER TESTS: For those voidtreckers with magic or other powers, there are a series of tests that they can take part in. They will be taken to small glass isolation chambers and asked to demonstrate their powers in various ways.

COMBAT TRAINING: While not related to tests, there is space for training to happen and ministry workers who will happily spar or train with voidtreckers. They are all trained in using a powered baton- a collapsible staff which is roughly fifty centimetres fully extended. It carries an energy pulse, which means that those without a lot of strength can hit hard enough to push enemies back away from themselves. It also can deliver a non-lethal energy attack. They will happily teach any voidtrecker who wishes to learn. If your character is going to train with these, please reply to the training comment below.

STRANGE CASES: They are very interested in testing those who are not in normal circumstances back on their worlds- that is those who are dead, those who are gods or other beings that don't necessarily have a physical body or those with any other reasons that would make it strange that they are tethered to the train. These experiments include medical tests, various tasks whilst hooked up to machines and controlled testing of removing the SCA.

FURTHER MYSTERIES

REACHING OUT: Knowing that the voidtreckers who have vanished over the last year and a half are still in a way connected to the Voidtrecker Express the ministry are keen to help the Voidtreckers find their friends.

They have a lab at the top of the base with a glass domed roof. Here a couple of scientists will attempt to talk them through connected to their voidcraft through their SCA's and through that- to the strands of tethers that are lost in the void. This is exhausting work and they won't be able to try for more than an hour or so at a time.

MEMORIES: The train has been docked in one of their docking stations. The ministry have brought down the equipment needed to attempt to put together the train memories. As promised the train will open the engine door.

It looks much like any train cab. Though it seems the train has shut down all but the most vital of processes before it allowed anyone into this space.

Those who saw a snippet of memories will have to enter the engine room, hook up to the machine and focus on the memory they received. The process isn't painful, but they may need to take a rest afterwards.

NOTE: We are assuming all those who found a snippet will take part in this, but if your character will refuse for whatever reason please let us know!

RESEARCH: The ministry workers in the archives are trying to find any information about the strange world eating shapes or vanished systems. They will take all the help they can get. There is no central system of information, but a number of different ones from different systems. They will have to monitor various news feeds and information sources.

This will involve reading historical articles about strange void happenings, following leads about missing worlds and trawling through conspiracy websites about what Really Happened™ to system #78961112094711.

OTHER

Please feel free to ask questions below. If you have any particular questions about what is available on the voidbase, please ask them here so others can see the answers!

Comments

Questions?

[voidtreckermods]

Re: Questions?

[controlsthedie]

Does this station look like the space station Sebek saw in his train memory?

[flameinthedarkness]

If Idia attempts to go poking around on the systems, will he be able to access/hack anything interesting out of it? Or if he wants to be more direct, can he get access to results of the testing done on others?

With reading material or possible access to archives, would Idia find anything out about stops that affect a person's 'negative energy' or something similar to that? And if so, would he be able to get copies of whatever information he finds, if it exists?

And clearly the more important question for him: what video games are in the rest areas?

Vegeta wise; would any of the training rooms be able to withstand a Saiyan or two training within them without it damaging the room (if they are able to get a room to themselves to do so)? I guess to also expand this to the power testing, I assume the rooms would be able to take Vegeta at full power without damage? Or maybe a case of calling off the test if he is showing signs of damaging the room?

Thank you!

Re: Questions?

[theverymodel]

If Mordin makes really good puppydog eyes, will the researchers be willing to share some of their data?

Re: Questions?

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks would be interested in studying the powered Batons. Both how they work, and can they be countered by anything? (He's pondering for the future, going back home and arming the regular people so they might be a bit more effective against the Androids, and/or so HE can be more effective against the Androids.)

What I mean by counter is for example, the batons hitting against each other. Or if one were to strike/be countered by an energy-blast.

Meditation, connecting to the train

[blitzcheer]

While this might be different between people, how does this generally feel? Can a person imagine reaching out, trying to get a response from the train - in a mental sense - and in time feel the train answering their response?

What if someone told the Ministry about the experiment with the VR machines on the train, and the progress people made to 'visually' expose the connections people had? Would they be interested and think they could incorporate that into this experiment, to help with the current experiment?

Re: Questions?

[asheaveniswide]

Would anyone on the station be willing or able to share the holo-illusion technology for the train? I'm not sure how to phrase it OOCly, but like, with the goal of eventually having it installed there if the train was willing? Not necessarily just 'here, voidtreckers, have some tech!' but also with the possibility of having the Voidstation personnel do it if the train allowed it? Zenos is/will be asking around, with as much politeness and persuasiveness as he can, given how many people seem to be within a whisker of nervous breakdowns and how much he thinks it'll help them.

NPCs

[voidtreckermods]

If you wish to have a mod-controlled NPC in a thread please let us know here.

<b>What kind of NPC:</b> (scientist, combat etc) <b>What do you want out of the thread:</b> <b>Link:</b>

[blitzcheer]

What kind of NPC: Ministry worker helping with the meditation
What do you want out of the thread: To learn more about the process, how to 'feel it out'; what can be achieved by them doing this, and if that includes people other than the Voidtreckers finding the lost tethers
Link: Here!

Re: NPCs

[wewillwewill]

What kind of NPC: Voidtrecker Express
What do you want out of the thread: I did not see a shenanigans section, so placed this here. Elidibus after the assembled memories and the vision is talking to Molly and wishes to discreetly try and feel out the train's reaction in the chaos of the aftermath. He may be dragging Molly along. He is somewhat concerned on the train's reaction given the imperative of 'FIND THEM'. He also wants to do this before everyone else tries to do this.

Link: Elidibus is not kidnapping children why would you think that.

Combat Training

[voidtreckermods]

If your character is training in the ministry energy batons please link us a thread where your character is learning about these or practicing with them (you can NPC the trainers!) Anyone who the trainers consider proficient enough by the end of the week will be given a baton of their own. Anyone who links us a thread will be able to have their character given a baton.

Re: Combat Training

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks is training/learning about the batons in his II. prompt here.

Re: Combat Training

[knifewithnoname]

LO is learning about batons with Xue Yang here

Re: Combat Training

[controlsthedie]

Sebek is learning how to use the baton over here both as his top level but also the related threads

Re: Combat Training

[smithandwesson]

Genjo Is Mentioned To Be Lurking About The Training Facilities and Learning How To Use The Batons Here!

[unrecovered]

Wash has figured out the baton and is sparring with Xue Yang here!

SCA Experiments

[voidtreckermods]

Let us know here which of the experiments your character is taking part in. You can also tell us anything pertinent that you think we should know!

[redprayer]

Rezo will be participating in the general health, tether scanning, and power tests.

Rezo also qualifies as a strange case, both because he is dead and because he believes there's a possibility of Shabranigdu still being attached to his soul in some way. He will do his best to explain how that situation works (though he doesn't understand all the details himself tbqh), partly because he's afraid of how the tests might affect that and he'll want the ministry to be forewarned, although he'll ask that they keep this information confidential.

(I am not sure if the ministry will be able to determine that Shabranigdu isn't there anymore, even if the seal is still in place, but as a reminder that's Rezo's situation.)

Health-wise, by the way, Rezo's eyes themselves are physically in perfect shape- although the seal will probably complicate any attempts to examine them- but doing brain scans will show that his visual cortex is impaired and that his brain has clearly done a lot of rewiring over the course of his life to compensate. This probably isn't very useful information for the ministry but it sure is Neat(TM)

In terms of power testing, Rezo should be a fairly straightforward case of "overpowered wizard/cleric" (his healing powers are strong enough that he can do things like regrow people's limbs.) More potentially complicated is that he may also, if the ministry allows it, attempt to demonstrate black magic summoning and call upon a low-ranking mazoku. I'm just not sure if summoning would work on a voidbase.

[strings_theory]

'Sup, one of those weird situations here since, uh, she's kind of dead in her world and an alternate-ish version of her exists on the reset world. But she's more than happy to figure out more of what's going on with these tethers and how to strengthen them as, quite frankly, she would like to stay around one way or another.

The only thing she'll be a little weird about will be health screenings but can be talked into them with a bit of coaxing. Otherwise she'll also be into the power tests since Stands are weird (and she only had hers for a few months in canon oops), tether scanning, and combat training (keeps her skills up and she's curious what those batons can do to her/Stone Free).

[rolltoavoidpossession]

Ryou will be doing the tether scanning and general health tests.

He's also a weird case in that he was getting sent to another dimension when the train grabbed him, and he's not sure if he's got a tether or not. In the original canon movie, Ryou ultimately comes back just fine, but after some thought I've decided that his body being left comatose in the other dimension wouldn't go well and would likely leave him dead. Sorry Ryou.

Beyond that, he's pretty healthy, though he has some odd scars here and there. (His left hand has scarring from being impaled, there's a scar from being stabbed in his upper left arm, and there's a set of five small round scars on his chest. If asked he'll explain that the Ring Spirit caused all of those, but he doesn't have the Ring anymore so it's fine.)

Re: SCA Experiments

[another_moon]

Usagi's going in for general health and power tests.

General health would probably showcase that she's a healthy sixteen year old girl (if not just a tad overweight from sweets).

Power-wise, there would be a lot to be explored since she's a magical girl with incredible power - the ability to manifest an outfit out of nowhere, the incredible healing power of the Silver Crystal, the remaining crystals containing the powers of Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto (Earth, Water, Destruction, Time), so she'll be there for awhile.

[thawed_pride]

Vexen will be participating in tether scanning, power tests, and strange cases testing.

Powers-wise, he's a remarkably powerful mage with an incredibly strong affinity for ice. His dubiously extant nature also makes it all but impossible to injure him without magic.

As for strange cases...his body is literally made of the raw essence of Nothingness, and only exists because his will is imposing form and substance on it. Without his soul present, his body back home would have dissolved into loose magic and disappeared.

Reaching Out

[voidtreckermods]

Link us a thread of 'reaching out' here!

[invigorates]

https://middleofsomewhere.dreamwidth.org/34259.html?thread=29745107#cmt29745107

Archive Research

[voidtreckermods]

If your character is researching let us know here so we can give you a piece of information for them to find.

[redprayer]

Rezo will be participating in the archival research!

Hacking permissions

[flameinthedarkness]

Hello all!

After checking with the mods to OK this, Idia will be hacking into the systems towards the end of their stay to go through the testing profiles of people from the train. He will be looking for specific ones, but if anyone is happy for him to see/copy the reports, please do let me know. Right now it's mostly for handwaved purposes, and he will not be taking all of them, only those he's interested in (depending on what testing they did too). He is specifically looking for connections to blot/negative energies and anything related to souls.

So if you are ok with this, please let me know here and and what testing your character did. Thank you!

[redprayer]

Rezo may fall under the category of connections that Idia is specifically interested in? I wrote a bit about what he'll be doing over here but some specifics regarding negative energies and souls are:

Rezo believes he may have a creature called Ruby Eye Shabranigdu sealed in his soul.

Shabranigdu is the leader of a species called mazoku, which feed off of negative emotions.

Shabranigdu may have a corrupting influence on those who approach him.

The seal is the cause of Rezo's blindness, as it manifests as Rezo being literally physically unable to open his eyes.