TRAVEL LOG #5

[synfluxmods]

TRAVEL LOG #5

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, nightmares, gun violence, survival scenario

▶ 001. EYES WIDE OPEN.

"Angels of Lilith, report for duty in the DISPATCH."

The day starts off with alarms blaring and oculars shining bright lights in the Outsiders' heads, waking them up early for an emergency dispatch. Although the current Rift at Mt. Fuji needs to be explored and examined, the Rifts continue to appear in different parts of the world, and this Rift is no different. Captain Yamakawa continues,

"We have received a distress call from EGYPT. Much of the region fell during the first kaiju crisis. Now it is a desolate land that survives with the help of a generator called an ESSENCE which is currently malfunctioning. We assume the cause is Rift energy—according to our radar, there is a heavy amount of Rift energy coming from that area. We will move out immediately. Pack all the things you may need, but each Outsider will be supplied with a care package of their own containing essentials."

Even though it is 4:00 AM Tokyo time, LILITH hopes you all have slept well. It could be the very last good sleep in awhile. While the dataportal to Egypt is operational on Japan's end, because of the malfunctioning generator, Outsiders are unable to come out on the other side. The old method of using the flying cruiser will be used once again.

There will not be assigned seating for this other than by teams. Everlights will sit with Everlights, Brimstones with Brimstones, and so on. The Outsiders will be encouraged to rest on the flight, and a few hours before landing, an in-flight meal will be provided. The meal is surprisingly delicious and consists of chicken or pork katsu cutlet, but with the warning that all Outsiders will know about: it contains high amount of cyber caffeine. This sort of newly innovative caffeine can keep Outsiders awake for several days, but sometimes it may cause restlessness or hyperactivity, causing characters to have a jittery amount of energy but razor sharp focus. Other times, it simply keeps characters awake and they feel no different. The cutlet will be served with KAIJU™ Energy Drink. Any Outsiders that require a different diet will be provided with what they need, and the cyber caffeine will be added to it if they would like.

Yamakawa gives instructions again:

"We have received more information about the kaiju. Civilians have died in their sleep from horrible nightmares, and we are encouraging Outsiders to sleep together in pairs or groups, or disregard sleeping at all until we obtain more information. We are still receiving facts about this monster, but this meal will help with keeping everyone awake as a safety measure."

Those who do not want to have the highly caffeinated meal can have everyone's favorite: a ration bar that isn't spiked with any energy, but it doesn't taste good at all. Outsiders may be more likely to fall asleep and be in danger by choosing this meal. The balance of a dystopian society.

▶ 002. ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.

When they finally arrive, the air is temperate and dry in Alexandria. The Outsiders might have to check their clocks once more to make sure everything is right; everyone is expected to land in the late afternoon and every clock says it should be close to evening, but the city is already growing dark with the sun setting quite early. Because of the ESSENCE disruption, Alexandria is running on back up energy, which makes for spotty lighting and loss of basic power.

LILITH will be greeted by a small group of researchers at the airport and they will help take the Outsiders to their base: the Alexandria Institute which was once the University of Alexandria. They will give the Outsiders a quick run down of the situation and some background.

1. LILITH does not have a strong defense branch in the region any more. Instead, the branch here seems more focused on research, especially on the origin of kaiju and rifts.
2. This region is extremely prone to spontaneous Rifts. Many of them are small and pass quickly but this most recent one is unprecedented.
3. One evening, in the final week of March, the Alexandria Institute received a corrupt file from their fellow researchers in Greece. It shut down much of their research facility (including their warp portal) and all they have been able to recover so far are the words, "Do Not Go To Sleep."
4. The next morning, they awoke to find the sun rising later and setting earlier. It feels like the days are getting significantly shorter.
5. Many locals developed a fear of the dark and going to sleep. They would then die in their sleep within the next few days.
6. The autopsy of these victims have shown no cause of death, puzzling coroners.

Progress has been slow because the corrupt file shut down many of their facilities. They have not been able to track the source of the Rift or identify the kaiju responsible for it. They believe the answers may be within the corrupt file and will be happy to receive any help they can get from the Outsiders.

When they arrive at the Institute, Outsiders will be set up in the old student dormitories. Each room has 2-4 beds depending on the room, with a common shared area on each floor. Given the current threat, there is also a supply of energy drinks and bars boosted with cyber caffeine. Outsiders have two options:

1. OPTION ONE: Stay in Alexandria and help the researchers with the generators, while keeping themselves and teammates awake during the night by playing games.
2. OPTION TWO: Go out into the Egyptian desert on camel-back, spending time getting to know their camel before heading out.

OOC NOTE: While players may write prompts for both options, we ask that you submit for a clue only once per player (not per character, as we have a lot of characters in game now!)

▶ 003. LEARN & EXPLORE. (ALEXANDRIA RESEARCH.)

Times are hard in Alexandria right now with their generators malfunctioning and efforts being split. The researchers are trying to get the generators back up and uncorrupt the data they received from Greece. LILITH will instruct the Outsiders to help with the research but also warn that they cannot afford to just sit around and wait to crack codes. The researchers also agree. Sometimes the best way to get research data is to go out into the field, but they haven't been able to do it due to not having much protection. The desert is vast, and there have been sightings of other small kaiju lurking beneath the sand and in some smaller cities.

Outsiders can decide to stay in the city of Alexandria to help crack the codes, or they can opt to go out into the field. For the latter, they can choose to stay close to home and investigate within Alexandria.

Those who wish to help with the ESSENCE generators and researchers will stay in Alexandria, using any downtime when not investigating to try and stay awake, slumber-party style. Two Truths and a Lie? Maybe Spin The Bottle? Perhaps some games can keep Outsiders enticed so they don't doze off.

▶ 004. FEELING SANDY (DESERT EXPLORATION.)

For those who wish to explore the desert and smaller cities, Alexandria Institute will supply what they need, such as water, food, essential tools for digging, sleeping bags (no sleeping, but maybe for resting!) and anything else. To conserve energy, the researchers supply camels for the Outsiders to use. The camels are mostly tame, but have their own distinct personalities, so they may need a little more handling and can be coaxed to behave with treats like artificial carrots and bananas. Outsiders can spend time getting to know their camel if they are going to explore the desert or cities. A camel can seat two people on its back comfortably, but also carry any essentials that travelers need to bring along.

In the distant small cities and across the desert, Outsiders will come across Sand Crocodiles, one of the smaller kaiju that have been inhabiting the desert. These monsters are basically crocodiles but with a twist: they can spit fire if angered and they can camouflage in the sand. They hide strategically, and one wrong step will cause them to push their jaws out of the ground, harming a person or camel. The stubby quills along their backs or rounds of their horns aren't entirely covered while hiding, so watch carefully. Fortunately, Outsiders will be supplied with a shotgun. Aiming between the eyes or in the mouth will kill it, but also beating it with the back of the shotgun will also do the trick. And yes, they also taste like crocodile too, if anyone is hungry.

After exploring, Outsiders are requested to report their findings back in Alexandria.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our fourth travel log!

Welcome to the new and improved Travel Log! Below, you will see the link to the MONSTER DEBRIEF SHEET post that has information about the kaiju below along with RIFT EFFECTS. Fill out the form for RNG Attacks and whether you would like to receive a RIFT EFFECT. This should give characters some ideas for the status of their character in the next log, which will have more action and monsters in it. Outsiders may use the CHAT to report and discuss any findings.

We thank you in advance for your patience as we try out this new format!

All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards April AC.

EVENT BREAKDOWN/RECAP (CLICK TO EXPAND)

1. EYES WIDE OPEN: Outsiders travel to Egypt after receiving reports of their power generator, ESSENCE, being unstable and malfunctioning, leaving citizens in peril. They are instructed to "stay awake." They are supplied cyberpunk caffeine and told to try not to sleep or stay in pairs to be watchful of any danger.

2. ARRIVING IN EGYPT: Arriving in Alexandria, the Outsiders are confirmed that citizens have been dying in their sleep, with coroners unable to determine the cause. The days are mysteriously getting shorter and people are unable to stay awake.

3. LEARN & EXPLORE: Outsiders are given options to stay in Alexandria to help with the generator or find clues to assist the research team. Between researching, they are asked to continue to stay awake by any means possible. Those who will be exploring the desert and smaller cities for clues are given a camel for transportation. Outsiders are encouraged to get to know their camel before traveling.

4. FEELING SANDY: While looking for any clues out in the desert, Outsiders encounter smaller kaiju known as Sand Crocodiles. They hide in the sand and attack at the opportune time, snapping jaws and spitting fire. Shooting them between the eyes or in the mouth will K.O. them.

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Comments

[egraegis]

Mm... it has made everything here more difficult. Even the brief moments we've been able to catch for sleep has been... complicated.

[Athrun pauses again, taking in the air quietly as well, and wondering how the hell to approach this gracefully. There probably isn't a way.]

Have you had any strange or especially vivid dreams?

[not_laurent]

[Roland sighs deeply, nodding.]

They did warn us it was bound to happen, hmm? Can't stay awake forever though, no matter how many chemicals you get pumped full of.

[Thinking back on the dream, something is nagging at Roland. He swore he could have seen Athrun there, but how would that make sense? While it was a pretty vivid memory, it was also a dream... Perhaps his mind was play tricks on him, sliding Outsiders into the background?

He looks thoughtful for a moment.]

Though, it felt less like a dream, and more like... a replay. Don't usually have dreams like that...

[egraegis]

Enough days awake and it won't be dreams that kill us.

[The side effects of long-term exhaustion, or perhaps poor response time during a crisis... there are other ways that lack of sleep can get someone killed.

With confirmation that Roland remembers something, though, he sighs softly. No sense in delaying, then.]

I'm afraid I might've witnessed one of those replays of yours, against my will. I'm sorry.

[not_laurent]

[Roland turns to him, blinking in surprise before letting out a sigh.]

So was that-- Could have sworn I saw you there, but-- [He shakes his head lightly.] It didn't make any sense. Just dream stuff, I thought.

[He turns his eyes to the sky, rubbing the back of his neck a bit.]

Is this what kaiju can do? No need to apologize. If anything, I'm sorry you had to witness all that.

[egraegis]

Not your fault either. [Athrun shakes his head. Obviously what happened was no one's choice- that includes what happened within the dream itself, too.] I'd heard about the rift effects, but I didn't realize it could be like... this. It's cruel, for it to cause such invasions. Sharing things I'm sure no one would want shared of their own lives.

[not_laurent]

Playing mind games with us before we can even get to the fight. Pretty diabolical. Any easy way to demoralize us. Makes me wonder what we're going to be up against once we find it.

[Maybe they'd get lucky, and this is its best defense, only able to be done from afar. Trying to keep them from getting to it.]

Ha, well, guess this is good incentive in keeping awake, hmm? No peeking in on other's minds that way.

[egraegis]

That in itself is a problem. If we exhaust ourselves too much, we won't be any good in the fight against whatever is coming. I would... rather risk sharing uncomfortable parts of my history than someone's life in a dangerous fight.

[He pauses, then smiles awkwardly at Roland.]

Though in this case, since it was your memory, I can't speak for you on that point.

[not_laurent]

You raise a good point, there. A good way to prove we're stronger than it is to not let these sort of memories haunt us too much, hmm?

[He offers a smile back, faint but real.

The events Arthun saw only happened a few weeks ago, still fresh, still weighing on Roland.]

Things feel so... unsettled. I wish I could have worked things out more before being brought here. But, I think I had reached the limit of what I could do anyway. The rest is in God's hands now.

[Some people need hatred to keep them going, or so Olivier told him. Roland was part of that for Astolfo now.]

Best to focus on the fight here, ahead of me. Ahead of all of us.

[egraegis]

Mm... I would agree, but at this hour there isn't as much we're able to do. If we have to stay awake, there's no harm in visiting how we feel about what happened in our past. Some things ought to be talked about, with someone. And in this place all we have is each other.

[He'd be a hypocrite if he pretended he's never buried and compartmentalized some deep trauma, but this ain't about him right now, so.]

What happened with him? That young man...

[not_laurent]

Some discipline, some time spent praying, and most importantly, time resting. No matter how unhappy he was about all of that.

[Roland kept checking in on him, even if he was no longer Astolfo's mentor.]

Astolfo went through through unimaginable trauma before he became a Chasseur. He needed more time to heal and rest, not fight. My pleas were for such were ignored by him, as well as the other Paladins.

[He sighs quietly, shaking his head.]

Now he's a ranked Paladin too. It's only a matter of time until what he did happens again.

[egraegis]

[All of that sounds... very messy, and some aspects of it are uncomfortably familiar. Athrun knows he'd been a poor mentor for Shinn, who had carried his own trauma and rage for too long, channeling it into battle for a needless war, rather than getting the help he'd needed. And was Athrun so different, years ago? He'd joined ZAFT to avenge the murder of his mother and the fall of Junius Seven, fought against friends due to blind loyalty... nearly killed Kira, and might've even killed Cagalli at one point, had something in him not hesitated.]

I'm not at all privy to your situation, so I'm sorry if this is ignorant of me. But were those who recruited him so desperate for whatever skills he had that they'd willfully ignore that he needed help?

[not_laurent]

[Roland nods, because yeah, that's a natural question to have in this situation. the answer is a simple one.]

Because he comes from a family of a long line of Chasseurs. Wealthy ones.

[Big donors to the cause.

He sighs quietly.]

I'm no longer Astolfo's mentor, and he won't speak to me. What I did and said feels like a betrayal to him. I won't interfere on his behalf anymore, but... I won't stop watching over him, either.

[He smiles, sad as it is. Roland's an optimist, but he also knows what he's up against.]

[egraegis]

[While he doesn't know the precise meaning of "Chasseurs", he very well understands the implications of wealth and influence. His father was the leader of all of the PLANTs, at one point, and the path he led them all down nearly caused the destruction of everything they knew to be good and right. He understands Roland's frustration, the pain that comes with being helpless to change someone's mind.]

...He might not recognize it now, but in the future, he may be able to look back on what you did, and feel gratitude for it. The people who try to stop us from doing the wrong thing, when we're not ready to hear it, are the stepping stones towards positive change. You did a good thing. You still are.

[not_laurent]

I hope you're right. He's young, so maybe with some time...

[Astolfo's only a teenager, so one could hope that he'll mature. Roland only hopes he gets the chance to.]

... Sorry again for you having to see all that. But thanks for hearing me out, too. I guess it's been building up these last few weeks. Perfect for the kaiju to take advantage of, I guess.

[egraegis]

You really don't have to apologize. It isn't your fault, and I'm fine.

[A bit of a bad dream is really nothing, at this point. He's lived through enough of his own. If anything, it was a bit of a break to experience one that doesn't involve him at all.]

Has he been on your mind while you've been here? Or more like a build up of recent stress?

[not_laurent]

Just happened a few weeks before I arrived here. Guess it was on my mind a lot more than I thought.

Last I saw Astolfo, he had taken a couple of weeks to rest, and was headed back in to speak to the First Captain of the Chasseurs. Passing me by without a word. Is is strange to think I'd rather have him yell at me?

[He chuckles, an empty sound. Acknowledgement would have been better than being ignored, but that's how it is now.]

[egraegis]

[Oof, for it to be so fresh... at least he'd had months and months to mostly get over his clashing with Shinn, and the leftovers of their mutual antagonism.]

I don't think it's that strange. [If Shinn ignored him instead of yelling... he's not sure how he'd feel about it.] Even if you can't get along at all, at least you had a way to communicate. Silence is much harder to resolve.