MISSION 004 WRAP-UP

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: August 9th and going forward
WHERE: Returning to Etraya
WHAT: End of Mission 004 Log
NOTES\WARNINGS: N/A

⏵ there's no place like home ⏴ On the morning of August 9th, every Etrayan’s earpiece receives a message from Eos: FAIL or PASS in big, bold letters with no further context. Players are free to choose which response their character gets; if they were able to go through Moorecroft without letting on that they were from Etraya, or another city bubble in general, they will receive a PASS. Those whose identities as Etrayans were spoiled, will get a FAIL. This response has no bearing on whether or not they participated in the midnight breakouts, nor what condition they’ve managed to get themselves into. It wouldn’t be the first time some kids from Moorecroft tore up the town looking for answers, even if it is the first time in a while they’ve managed to get as far as they had and cause as much damage as they have. Regardless, any responses sent to Eos will bounce right back to the original sender, with a RECEIVER UNAVAILABLE error: it seems that, shortly after sending through their results, all of those from Etraya have been disconnected from Eos’ network, and reconnected to Aurora’s by the friendly companion bots stepping through another portal in the middle of Moorecroft’s park. They’ll offer waves of their hands, and usher everyone back to Etraya proper. They’ll offer explanations similar to what Aurora would give to newcomers arriving to those who were dropped in with Eos, as well as offer to assist them in getting settled in Etraya. The companion bots will allow Etrayans to step through the portal with items they can carry, minus the smaller android babies. If they insist, it will be explained to them that, much like the companion bots native to Etraya, these babies are meant to assist newcomers in settling, and they cannot take them from Eos. Welcome home. At the very least, everything looks normal on this side. ⏵ whispered secrets of the night ⏴ Or it seems normal enough. While previous excursions outside of Etraya have featured environmental changes, the city bubble now appears exactly as it had before everyone left. Buildings stand as pristine as ever, animals have been fed and cared for, and everyone is invited to return to their homes for a quick rest. But as you meander through the familiar streets and over bridges, an unsettling stillness clings to the air. The usual sounds of Etraya–the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the chatter from the companion bots– feel slightly off. Shadows stretch a little too long, lingering in the corners of your vision, and the light, although warm, seems to cast an unnatural tint over everything. It’s as if the city itself had been holding its breath in everyone’s absence. As days pass, the eerie stillness begins to ebb. The animals gradually resume their usual activities, and companion bots return to their routines, chatting with Etrayans as they wander the city and help set up new facilities. Yet despite the return of normalcy, a sense of unease lingers. The city feels different as if it’s been touched by something while you were away. There are no curfews on Etraya, unlike Moorecroft, but those who wander in the dark may be unable to help but notice that it almost feels as if something is watching you, waiting for you to let your guard down. Etraya appears to be the same, but something has changed, shifted. And it’s only a matter of time before that change reveals itself. Those who wander outside at night during their first several days back will feel like they are being watched, but will be unable to find what is watching them, regardless of the method they use to try and discern what it is. ⏵ sea la vie ⏴ The unsettling sensation of being watched gradually fades over the next few days. Etraya begins to feel more like the place you remember: slightly empty, but comfortably so. The weather shifts unpredictably, with cool breezes one day and almost stifling warmth the next. The companion bots, seemingly oblivious to any lingering unease, appear to be in full vacation mode. They spend a significant amount of time on the two small, sandy islands that are just south of the hospital, setting up for what looks like the perfect beach day. Chairs are arranged in neat rows, colorful towels are spread out across the sand, and a small shack has been built just off the side of the bridge that offers swimsuits and any other beach-related item that they could need - or most of them! The narrow river means surfboards are out of the question; instead, the bots provide massive tube floaties, perfect for lazily drifting down the currents. ⏵ polaroid pandemonium ⏴ Everyone receives an invitation to Corrine’s Cafe, along with a table number. The invitation may arrive via a companion bot delivering it to them physically, or as a direct message from Aurora via their earpiece. The invitation instructs them to meet at the cafe at a specific time and sit at a designated table. At each table, two envelopes sit in front of two chairs, each containing a collection of photos. These images capture significant moments from your history - events you may have forgotten or ones that have shaped who you are. On the back of each envelope, instructions for the task await: discuss the moment featured in the photo with your partner, and share what it means to you. Whether it’s a memory of a terrible ordeal, or one of your happiest times with your loved ones. The choice to participate is yours; however, Aurora and the companion bots make it clear that your place at the table is pre-reserved whether you show up or not - meaning, your photos may still be viewed by others, even if you decide not to show up. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ This log marks the end of their visit to Moorecroft! Characters return to Etraya on August 9th regardless of what shenanigans they were getting up to within the other city bubble. We'll be following up with the mission: breakout threads, as well as continuing to follow through with NPC threads and provide further information for those still participating in plotting. For any questions relating to the contents of this log, please use the mod queries thread. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[shabuir]

You're just... sleeping.

[ This said by the bounty hunter across from Ororo, whose own photos are being held out of view under the table. His tone is as inscrutable as ever, but that pause before the verb implies much: disbelief, perhaps, or exasperation. Maybe even amusement.

There is some amusement there, though of a rather grim variety. Fett's photos are comprised of such gems as him getting arrested and him lighting himself on fire... and she just has one of her sleeping?

Well, he's never been under the illusion that he's lived a particularly gentle life. He shouldn't be surprised that other's photos aren't as uniformly gruesome as his own. He says nothing more, simply waits for Ororo to explain why this photo of her sleeping is significant. ]

[agoddessonce]

Hmm. I suppose. [ Ororo knows where this photo is from, though. The locations scrawled on the bottom make all the pictures unmistakable.

She picks up the one Fett has spoken of to study it, thinking of how cold she'd felt then. Forge's high-rise was frigid, but maybe that's more because of how traumatic the experience had been. ]

... My body was recovering. I was shot from the sky - fell from a great height and into a river.

[shabuir]

[ So the circumstances behind the photo aren't as mundane as they appear. She hadn't looked seriously injured, but then, he doesn't know how durable her kind might be or how quickly they might heal. Still, it's hard to imagine that such an attack wouldn't have been intended as a lethal one. ]

Was it personal?

[ Someone had tried to kill her, after all. It feels like pertinent context to ask for. ]

[agoddessonce]

[ She shakes her head. ]

They were not targeting me specifically. [ Which... is not a yes, but not a no. Not really.

But since she's started talking, it's a little hard to stop. It's easy to get caught by the tide of memories. ]

They wanted a friend who had a... troubled past. She was with me as we were keeping a boat from capsizing in a sudden torrent, but... some authorities who wanted her came as we were distracted, aiming to neutralize her.

[ Neutralize; it's an intentionally chosen word. She taps the photo where she's lying listlessly in Forge's sheets. ]

They got me, instead.

[shabuir]

[ Fett's heard "neutralize" in similar contexts enough that he knows her true meaning—or thinks he does, anyway. From what he can tell, she's describing aiding a fugitive. It's not a wholly unfamiliar situation to him, though he's usually the one doing the hunting. ]

So you were captured?

[ Obviously they hadn't "neutralized" her—though, the setting of the photo hadn't struck him as a typical holding cell. ]

[agoddessonce]

In a manner. Someone working tangentially with those who shot us took me from the waters. He tended to me in his own home - [ She taps at the photo, where she's lying in what clearly looks like a comfortable bed. It must have been very comfortable - but in truth, she remembers little of those first days. ] - and made sure to nurse me back to life.

[ It's easier to talk about now, with herself so far removed from the experience. But her voice still trails off a little as she's caught in a riptide of memory. She told Forge point-blank that he should have let her drown. She'd wanted that alternative so badly over what he'd condemned her to. ]

I did not know it, of course. I believed he'd saved me out of the goodness of his own heart - I'd no idea how closely he'd been working with the government. But there was something so arresting in how he spoke of the past he allowed me to know - his own close brush with death and what those experiences took from him - that I thought we were alike, until... we were not.

[shabuir]

[ Capture through manipulation rather than force—when dealing with a powerful target, such a strategy makes sense. Better if you can convince your target that you're on their side than risk being overpowered. Still, Fett is dubious about this person's decision to keep Ororo in his own home; that's a dangerous enough proposition when the captive in question doesn't have mutant powers. ]

Did he intend to keep you in the dark indefinitely.