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robothell2015-03-05 09:12 pm
robotsatan) wrote in robothell2015-03-05 09:12 pm
Entry tags:
[ INTRO LOG #2 ]
You don't know how you got here. One minute you were walking, sleeping, maybe dead -- then you're here, your feet suddenly carrying you down an empty street. Where's here?
Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With other people relatively scarce, there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.
Despite its obvious ruin and aeons-long abandonment, the city and surrounding areas do bear some signs of recent habitation. There's a small but growing population of other people, Cybertronian and otherwise, and there's evidence of their presence -- areas of the city that have been cleaned up for use, intact rooms in ruins of buildings where people have set up to live, a few terminals here and there that have been restored to power.
A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.
B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.
The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, a few enterprising transplants have worked together to set up a working local network, which can be accessed via any one of the public terminals, any built-in comms systems your character might have (audio only), or a handheld device produced by one of the people who set up the network.
Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With other people relatively scarce, there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.
Despite its obvious ruin and aeons-long abandonment, the city and surrounding areas do bear some signs of recent habitation. There's a small but growing population of other people, Cybertronian and otherwise, and there's evidence of their presence -- areas of the city that have been cleaned up for use, intact rooms in ruins of buildings where people have set up to live, a few terminals here and there that have been restored to power.
A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.
B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.
The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, a few enterprising transplants have worked together to set up a working local network, which can be accessed via any one of the public terminals, any built-in comms systems your character might have (audio only), or a handheld device produced by one of the people who set up the network.
no subject
"'Mechanoid' is common," he says. "If I am to call you 'human', then 'Cybertronian' is more precise."
He notes the disappearance of the barrier with a narrowing of his optics, but doesn't otherwise mention it. He'll remain wary; this human may have some tricks up her sleeve.
"If you've encountered others, than it is likely you've been here longer than I." He gives another glance around the ruins. "But I would suspect war is the culprit."
The city is in better condition than much of the Cybertron he knows, following the war, but it still shambles compared to the Cybertron he loved. If this is some alternate timeline created by Brainstorm's meddling, then he aches to know that it is apparently destiny for Cybertron to be ruined.
no subject
It wasn't a question. Independent synthetics were uncommon, but not unheard of; the legal red tape stamping out artificial intelligence research were proof enough, even without the geth or Reaper threat, of the dangers of AI rampancy. Here, over the course of this brief and curt exchange, Miranda has gauged a nuanced ambit of emotion and rationale.
This was unprecedented and compounded with growing evidence culled from the environment that there was now creator species, Miranda is now staring down the uncomfortable possibility that her first impression was flawed. Pity.
"I see." She nods, coming to some other conclusion to herself.
Then, without warning, she leaps down off the catwalk through the guardrails with only a forty foot drop between her and the ground. Only a few feet before impact a timed application of biotic barriers slows her descent to a crawl and she lands deftly. She kept the cautious distance of a few yards distance between herself and Cyclonus, but her demeanor changes and she doesn't appear to speak as if she were addressing a computer.
"Miranda Lawson. If you'd indulge me any information you can provide would expedite my efforts to investigate why your planet has spontaneously evolved to support human life."
no subject
He actually looks startled when the human jumps from the platform, jolting a step forward and raising a hand. It was a long drop for someone her size and organics were hardly as resilient as his kind. She displays that strange power once again, however, and he straightens as she lands safely.
Definitely one to be wary of.
"Cyclonus," he offers in turn, then frowns down at her. "That is a question I have been asking myself. I am to assume that your people are not responsible, then?"
no subject
"No," She answered firmly, "Even I'm not this thorough."
That had her thinking, the sudden absence of an entire population was not dissimilar to something she had encountered before. The only variance was the targeted populace.
"You mentioned a war."
Miranda activated the haptic interface of her omni-tool and brought up a holographic projection roughly half the size of herself. It was clearly a machine; it superficially bore resemblance to a cuttlefish with two long tentacles and multiple limbs.
"Hold on - let me play the audio file."
She hit something on her omni-tool and suddenly a sharp, deafening horn-like metallic sound boomed before everything fell silent again. Even if it was just a recording a Reaper cry still put a chill in her blood.
"Is this familiar?" She asked.
no subject
He stoops down onto one knee to get a better look at the projection, one hand coming up to his chin as he considers it. They call to mind some of the creatures he has encountered in his travels, but none quite match. As the sound plays, he shakes his head.
"It's not Cybertronian in origin, nor is it familiar."
no subject
Miranda spoke a little breathlessly, surprised. While the Reapers had been a relatively in the dark entity that had only verged into total war recently, Miranda had been convinced they would have zeroed in on a planet such as this ages ago. Everything about this planet; the seeming sudden desertion of an entire population and limited resources was their M.O. - Cybertronians would be the perfect shock troops, she thought to herself.
"Is your species spacefaring?"
She still has to look up, way up, to look Cyclonus in the eye but she takes note of how he kneels to make things a bit easier. Thoughtful.
no subject
He answers solemnly, on behalf of the history he knows, "For the past ten million years."