|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 29, 2007 17:21:59 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron sulks a bit at Long Haul's implications. Since Long Haul has said that the cord won't be that useful, he just coils the cords and puts them on top of the pile of stuff in the truck bed.
He points out, "Or they could be hostile. We need more information before we can make any educated guesses. Good to know about predators." Emirate Xaaron frowns thinly at the dragon's wings. "I do hope that creature is not representative of the local predators."
There, they ought to be ready to set ought now. He prepares himself for a bit for walk.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Apr 29, 2007 17:30:39 GMT -5
When the others step back, indicating that they are done, Long Haul transforms and the load in his truck-bed seems to vanish. No point in staying in truck mode... he had already transformed earlier because the going had roughened up, and this time he has a full bed. The transport looks at the remains of the mecha-dragon carcass, then looks over at the green growy-stuff. "Don't see how it's been managing off these things, if it is." Cybertron does have a few robotic predators about, but generally, they require robotic prey of some sort.
Long Haul looks at Xaaron, then at Perceptor, then shrugs at them both. "Arguin' 'bout what we should do with what we find depending on this or that or whatever is kinda pointless, y'ask me. We ain't gonna find out anything here." With that he starts walking, heading in the direction they had been moving before the interruptions. "Don't worry. If something attacks, I'll shoot it." Well, shoot at it, anyway. The others have already witnessed the effectiveness of Long Haul's aim once today.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Apr 29, 2007 20:01:55 GMT -5
Perceptor follows quietly in Long Haul's wake, grateful for the other mech's willingness to break trail through the trees for them.
"At least considering potential contingency plans is preferable to being utterly caught off guard," Perceptor disagrees, although he fully understands the point Long Haul had been trying to make.
Through the trees ahead, Perceptor catches that glint of sunlight again. Sunlight on metal. He's certain of it. Quantities of metal set in unnatural reflective planes that would more strongly indicate a settlement. Not far off, he detects the sound of water, a quantity of it, such as an average sized river, and the further they travel, the closer it seems to draw to their position.
"There are structures ahead," He declares confidently, pointing towards the shine of light on reflective surfaces. He is intending to continue about his theories on what they might find when, abruptly, they come to the edge of where the river swings sharply towards their position and the tress fall away.
Before them, the river turns in a sharp S curve, and ahead, on the same side of the bank as they are, but at the far edge of the curve, buildings break out of the surrounding forest, a few taller ones stabbing into the sky a few stories above the trees. Like a brood of chicks huddled under the shelter of a few fat hens, lower, squatter buildings cluster about the base of the taller buildings, some built right up to the edge of the river itself.
The settlement continues around the curve of the river, how far it goes, however, is blotted out by the trees and forest on the opposite bank as one arm of land juts out to obscure everything beyond. The buildings and the engineering of the riverbank along the edge of the settlement speaks of advanced industrialization, yet the sky above the city is curiously... still and stagnant. Even from this distance, there is a faint, unkempt air about the collection of structures and roads and infrastructure that speaks of abandonment.
No way to tell that, however, until the draw closer to investigate. For now, however, he transforms and gets a good look.
"I am not detecting any signs of habitation," he observes, noting nothing more than avians flitting about the structures. "And several of the structures look in need of repair."
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on Apr 30, 2007 8:48:03 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron ends up taking the rear. He's not particularly fast, especially compared to all these whipper-snappers. He tries to remember the path that they take, in case they ever need to return the way they came. However, compared to the structured cities and tunnels of Cybetron, the scrubland and forest is a baffling place to him. These 'tree' things seem too changeable and are knocked over at the slightest shove. He settles on referencing based on far-off landmarks, like mountains. At least those don't seem inclined to fall over at the slightest touch.
The sound of rushing water stirs some memory, something from when he was younger, but he has trouble enough remembering exactly what it was. Something from before the war. Likely irrelevant, then. Actually seeing the river just tugs at him more. Emirate Xaaron has little time to try to remember back, however.
They sight the city, such as it is, and it is a welcome sight to optics sore of endless black, brown, and green. Metal! Now there are some real colours! Emirate Xaaron, civilisation-sick as he is, doesn't rush in, despite himself. Instead, he waits for Perceptor's verdict. At Perceptor's commments, he inquires, "Abandoned? That's a bit... disconcerting. Perhaps they're out for a stroll."
He squints. A very long stroll.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on Apr 30, 2007 9:39:09 GMT -5
"All of 'em? At once?" Long Haul asks, confused. He looks towards the river and tilts his head. Cybertron has rivers, of sorts; they're used as means of transportation when people aren't using him. They're not common, but that makes them all the more valuable.
He goes back to studying the city. "Musta missed the roads out there... something that size, s'gonna have 'em... ah." He points to a bridge. "There we go. Pretty squat... somma the stuff is falling, like you said, so either they been gone awhile, or they ain't built too sturdy. Short as the buildings are, maybe both..." The transport points again to the bridge, and to the way the river seems to have been channeled in the most densely developed area of the city. "I'd look for a bit of downward buildin' there... looks like they made some effort to keep the liquid outta some areas." Then he shrugs and looks back at the others. "Can't say much more til we get a closer look, though."
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Apr 30, 2007 16:05:56 GMT -5
Perceptor transforms back and nods.
"True enough, Long Haul," he agrees, picking out a route along the bank of the river itself to travel the last distance to the edge of the city.
"Given the advancement of the structures just from a distance, it is likely we may find energy producing equipment already in place. I am not detecting any visual distortion of exhaust or waste indicative of such equipment being in use at this time, however. If any such equipment is in place, it may be damaged. Or previously scavenged."
Perceptor sets off, hugging the verge between the trees and the riverbank where there's open space and the ground remains solid enough to support their weight. It only takes a few minutes to traverse the distance to the edge of the city itself, finally stumbling upon one of the roads Long Haul had mentioned that they much have missed. Its dark grey metallic surface resounds comfortingly under Perceptor's feet as he steps onto it from their trail of dirt and vegetation. One end of the road seems to vanish into the dark maw of the forest, while the other meanders through fallow fields of what appears to have once been rolling parks leading up to the city. There's no real sign of any agricultural cultivation this close to the city, more than the expanse of forgotten but once cared for greenery had been shaped for aesthetic reasons. A few hundred yards away up the road, the buildings spring from the land, solid but... unkempt.
"Be on your guard. If this entire settlement is abandoned, whatever drove them away may still be in residence."
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 1, 2007 17:34:09 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron says lightly, "I wasn't speaking seriously." He really must keep in mind his company better.
When is Xaaron not on guard? Indiscretion is for the dead. He follows along after the others. He could offer to go first to set off traps, but 1) he doesn't actually want to do that and b) they wouldn't let him do that, anyway. Quietly, he speculates, "Plague, sudden disaster, a trap..."
OOC: Bleh, sucky. Sorry, I can't focus, but I don't want to stall you guys.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on May 1, 2007 17:55:04 GMT -5
"Ah, okay," Long Haul answers Xaaron. Still, despite warnings from both Perceptor and Xaaron, the construction worker looks anything but on his guard. As peace-builds go, he's much stronger and tougher than most, and thus has developed a certain amount of fearlessness that serves him poorly here.
That, and he has a hard time turning down any opportunity to prove that he's big and tough and fearless, especially not when he's finally getting a chance to do something he's always dreamt of, and right after defeating a dragon, no less! While he doesn't move (far) ahead of the others, he does trot towards the nearest road with little heed to potential dangers. "You'd think plagues wouldn't be much problem, what with this being a waddayacallit, organic world... but it's got metal dragons, so dunno. Disasters tend to be over when they're over, but if a building's ready to fall on us, I'll be able to spot it."
Long Haul steps up beside the metal road and then kneels to inspect it. He rubs a hand over it; he may not be able to figure out it's composition or anything like that, but his training and background still provide him with certain basic information. "Trap? Like, you're worried the city eats folks, or something? Kinda a lot of resources to put into something like that." He lifts his hand away and turns to the others. "Looks normal enough to me. Cold an' dead." Then, the transport hesitates.
OOC: Looks fine to me, Xaaron! I appreciate the post!
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on May 2, 2007 16:37:32 GMT -5
"Plagues may affect only a certain species of life, or all life of a particular type," Perceptor explains as he catches up to Long Haul, carefully observing everything around them. "There is no guarantee that the intelligent life that constructed those structures was indigenous to this world; until we find remains or concrete evidence, we cannot know if they were organic like this world, or mechanical, like ourselves."
Perceptor pauses beside Long Haul, examining the road surface as well, before turning his attention up the road towards the town. It does, indeed, continue along the curve of the river; more of it is exposed now than they could make out before. This is a sizable city. No metropolis such as Autobot City, by any stretch of the imagination, but the settlement is certainly no small riverside village. Perceptor is feeling more confident about finding some manner of supplying their energy needs here.
"I agree that the city itself is a rather considerable investment in resources for such small prey. I believe Xaaron was commenting on the possibility that if the previous inhabitants had been driven out by an outside force, that certain elements of those weapons or dangers may still be present," he explains, continuing down the road towards the first of the structures.
The city proves no more occupied upon closer inspection of these fringes than at a distance. The structures appear well built - although Perceptor is no engineer or construction expert, and will leave that determination for Long Haul - simply... abandoned. There doesn't appear to be any weaponry damage, no significant damage indicating a geological calamity, nor any significant damage indicating a physical assault. Fir the most part, any structural damage that Perceptor is picking out could be easily attributed to an extended period of non-maintenance, exposure to the elements, and occupation by the various fauna.
It looks as if whatever creatures that once lived here, something on a scale just a little larger than human, simply walked away one day and never returned. Perhaps they might find more clues further into the settlement. Perceptor observes as much aloud to the others, turning to continue up the road towards where the highest concentration of structures, and the tallest structures, waits.
OOC: my apologies for the delay guys.
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 4, 2007 9:58:52 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron ends up pondering cities eating people, since Long Haul brought it up. It is the way that trainwrecks steal gazes, however unwilling the onlookers may be. He thinks about Trypicon, Metroplex, Fortress Maximus, and Scorponok. Scorponok was surprisingly decent for a Decepticon, but Emirate Xaaron wouldn't put past popping a few by him. Emirate Xaaron also considers the mass of Cyebrtronian lore, which contains, among other things, canine demons underground. Yeah, there could be some robot-eating cities in there. Might take him a millennia for him to actually find the reference, though. He and his database are not particularly well-indexed.
On a more useful track, he inquires, "Long Haul, do you have any experience at all in recognizing a sabotaged building or perhaps mined roads?" The metal panels that cover the roads are so smooth and deceptive. He has to wonder how easy it would be to just pry one up, slide a bomb and contact-trigger underneath, and bolt the panel back down to the ground.
Emirate Xaaron nods and agrees, "Something along those lines, Perceptor." He looks up at the structures, and a bit of homesickness hits him. The city is wrong, all wrong. The desert, scrubland, and forest were all so alien that he had no room for homesickness, but the city has just a teeny bit that is right to it, and it is that tiny familiar component that hooks into him. He doesn't fall to his knees, doesn't weep. He just continues on, pained by the thought that he may never see Cybertron, his Cybertron again, the only place he ever knew.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on May 4, 2007 10:23:40 GMT -5
"Not as such, exactly," Long Haul allows in answer to Xaaron's question. "I mean, you get the occasional idiot vandal," very occasional in Crystal City, with Cybertron's biggest bouncer, but that city is not his group's only achievement, merely their apex. "And sometimes accidents or whatnot'll leave a building so it looks right, but ain't. So, I mean... mines and sabotage and whatnot, don't have anything direct there, but I've dealt with enough stuff that touches close to it that I should be able to fake it arright."
Long Haul had often imagined what it would be like to be an explorer, but now that it was happening it tended to feel more along the lines of a particularly tedious outward supply run with an uncertain return path. Still, thoughts on how he might never see Cybetron again didn't enter into his processor; he was a builder. If he couldn't find an environment to his liking, he'll reshape the ones he finds himself in. The question that does hover just on the outside of conscious thought is, "Without the others, how?" but he forces such worries away with more immediate concerns.
He approaches the nearest building. "Hnh. Doubt this stuff'd stand for much a million years... I mean, s'already falling apart, right? I s'pose the question is how long it's been empty to get like this but..." he steps back and looks again towards the river. "Without regular maintenance, reapplying paints and protectants and stuff, liquids ain't on the best terms with metals over the long run. That thing hain't taken that big a bite outta the sides where it's been channeled yet... I s'pose that's a clue."
OOC: Wow. I am disJOINTED today. Can't brain.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on May 4, 2007 13:58:30 GMT -5
Having spent the last couple of decades on Earth, Perceptor is spared any homesickness. These organic worlds with the diversity of life forms and environments, in fact, intrigue him to such a degree that he feels almost at home here. At least, as 'at home' as he generally feels when not immured in his laboratory, at any rate. Even this city, as alien as it is, is familiar to him, having spent time amidst the human scaled towns and cities on Earth. Perceptor takes his experience for granted, not even realizing his intrinsic level of comfort as compared to the others.
"Cybertronian buildings, in addition to utilizing more robust construction methods," Perceptor observes with a nod of acknowledgment to Long Haul, "also are not subjected to quite the same high levels of environmental stressors as structures amidst such a biodiverse environment. Precipitation, invasive flora and fauna, potential seasonal variations of humidity, temperature, and extreme weather patterns. Such factors accelerate the decay of artificial structures back to a natural state. Without taking the time to conduct extensive observations, it is difficult to speculate on the pattern of any potential seasonal variations which would factor into the rate of decay."
Perceptor lays one hand against the side of the building Long Haul is examining, considering it.
"I base this speculation - and that is what this is, speculation only - upon climates I have observed on Earth which closely mimic this climate... however, I must agree with your theory, Long Haul. There does not seem to be enough damage to these materials for their presence in the environment I speculate we find ourselves in, to indicate that a significant passage of time has occurred since the last maintenance cycle performed on these structures. It raises the probability of finding energy producing equipment in a functional state. I suspect that such equipment would be located further downstream, if it is hydraulically driven... or on the farther edge of the settlement away from the river if not. We should continue."
|
|
|
Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 4, 2007 23:40:47 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron delivers, tone completely deadpan, "Then I dearly hope that we only run into fake mines, if you can only fake it."
He peers around a corner and finds himself looking at a rather large dish structure of some sort, possibly suitable for communications. Of both of his companions, he inquires, "Given the wear and tear due to apparent abandonment, what chances would you give it that this device is still operational?" Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. Give a man a telephone, and he'll have pizza delivered. Perhaps they can make contact with intact settlements, if there are any.
Unfortunately for Emirate Xaaron, this is not a communications dish, as he hopes. It's a power beaming dish that, when operational, receives power from a distant power plant.
|
|
|
Post by Long Haul on May 4, 2007 23:54:52 GMT -5
Hey! First Perceptor talks about increased chances of finding an operational power source, and then Emirate Xaaron actually asks about operational... somethings. Long Haul stops in his examinations of the nearest building and what they can see of the river and instead trots over to Xaaron. "I wouldn't put down energon on it, myself. But still, 'til we get a closer look, might wanna stay away from the dish... for all we know it's workin', on right now, and a transmitter. Might fry something important."
Long Haul plods closer to the dish, taking care to follow his own advice, and circles it. "Perceptor!" he shouts. "You know alien stuff! Y'know anything about sizes and conversions an' stuff like that? That stuff's a bit above my head, but somewhat what knows it should be able to figure out stuff like wavelength and power and... and... stuff from the size and what it's made out of and... and... and properties and stuff." He approaches what looks to be a service panel on the side of the base and puts his hand flat against it. "Ain't humming," he observes.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on May 6, 2007 11:43:51 GMT -5
Perceptor rounds the corner and examines the dish structure as he approaches it, frowning in concentration. Immediately he can tell that, unless they are significantly micronized and tucked away in the base, there are too many subtle components missing for this to be an operational communications array of this size. It doesn't however, look as if this device had been scavenged for parts, which is curious. He circles the dish, following Long Haul's path as he examines it, taking in measurements and running swift calculations as he does so.
"This is not a communications array," he declares as his calculations finish running and return a rather surprising result. "This is a structure meant to receive power transmitted in the electromagnetic spectrum from a distant generating station via the use, from the angle of its deflection, of a satellite relay system. The primary power generating station is either an orbital platform, or some distance from this location."
Perceptor stares up at the sky, starting to almost imperceptibly darken as the sun continues it's trek towards the horizon. It's too bright to detect the glint of a satellite here, even if her were to transform and bring the full brunt of his magnification abilities to bear, however he isn't actually trying to see anything; it's just a reflex action for his gaze to follow his thoughts as he runs more calculations.
"Given the angle of defection, if the station which this device receives power from is on the planet's surface, it would likely be found opposite the direction we traveled to reach this place," Perceptor explains, turning his attention down now to stare at the metal surface of the road they had walked to reach this point in the city.
"Such a power distribution source would lend itself quite nicely to an electrically driven, and rechargeable transportation system utilizing magnetic technology. That would explain the use of high ferrous content materials for the construction of transportation infrastructure. It would also explain the pristine quality of the air quality; industrialization of this level would normally result in elevated carbon levels in the atmosphere, even some time past any abandonment. Spectral analysis of atmospheric samples indicates the presence of some lingering levels of carbon, indicating the potential use of limited non-electrically and non EM spectrum transmitted power sources - fuels - however not elevated enough levels to indicate that the use of such fuels had been anything but supplementary at best."
|
|