,,,"Come one, come all, to the Spire's annual productivity conference!" A voice booms out over the Shifting expanse, beconing in the line of dragons waiting outside for the big event. "For the first time ever, Lightning Flight Corporations has called upon dragons of all flights to join us for an exclusive opportunity to learn the ropes from some of Stormcatcher's finest employees! This wonderful * mumbling * thankless internship program will allow you the opportunity to earn certifications in exclusive skills while offering coveted experience with flexibility and safety management! * mutters * Or first aide.... So come now, come now everybody take a seat in the auditorium, don't be shy! We got in those nice scratchy seats for you, the ones that squeak real loud so everyone can hear you move! Please remember to turn off all arcane-powered devices and contain all familiars. All unattended familiars will be used for future testing in the ongoing quest for scientific progress. * mutters * where do they think they are, Fiona's? That's right folks, file in, leave no empty seat please...."
The auditorium room is set up with seats facing a stage with open curtians and a lone podium. A lightning flight flag stands at either edge where the curtians are gathered. A gaggle of lightning dragons chatter around a sound system as back and, as you find a place, you recognize the voice echoing throughout the space has stopped. The guardian in the group ascends to the podium and gives a nod to her fellow flight members working sound. An intentional screech of feedback blares through the room, officially silencing all conversations. The tech give the guardian an enthusiastic thumbs up from off-stage and the conference begins.
“Welcome, interns! My name is Natalia and I’m the Director of Volunteer activities. Welcome to the first ever Volu-“ She’s interrupted by a Fae flying full speed in from off-stage. In his rush, the smaller dragon pancakes himself against the side of her neck. There are a few sympathetic winces from the crowd as the fae scrambles up her neck and whispers something to her before finally making a dizzy descent.
"Ah, excuse me, the first ever Operation Internship! A valuable opportunity to gain unique and highly sought-after skills on the job. There are two exciting departments where you can build your skills set: the Paperwork Processings Bureau, located in the Spire offices and the Division of Dragon Labor and Experimentation, located througout our various underground workshops. Both departments present exciting opportunities for an enterprising dragon. At the end of your stay here, not only will you be compensated for your time, but you will also receive a Certificate of Completion in whatever area your immediate supervisor deems you... adequate. To sign up for a department simply head over to the intake table outside the conference room, where our lovely office and workshop employees will assign you an ID card and hard hat. Please try to choose the area you are most interested in the first time. Transfer requisitions can take up to six months, and paperwork must be filed in triplicate. If you have any questions feel free to ask your supervisor or consult the employee handbook (1). A complimentary continental breakfast of coffee, cactus juice, and ruffage is provided.
**[[Sign up for the Paperwork Processing Bureau]]
[[Sign Up For The Division of Dragon Labor and Experimentation]]**
*(1) The employee handbook has many common uses among lightning flight dragons, but reading isn't one of them. The top three uses in this order are: Roto-launch (2), coaster, and holiday gift for a freniemey. All employee must know where their copy of the handbook is at all times.
(2) Roto-launch is a rather silly game where the employee handbook is used to lauch any contested item as far or as high as possible. The only common rule is that the item to be lauched can only be touched by the handbook, but many tourments add their own homebrew rules to keep things interesting. The original game is played only with a table and a ruler.* By the time you make it out to the Paperwork Processing Bureau intake table there is already a line. The fae sitting on the table seems to be in pretty high spirits. As you watch, he signs off on his paperwork with a flourish, rips off the bottom half of the paper and hands it over to the pearlcatcher he was helping.
As the fae starts helping the next person in line, you can see the pearlcatcher head over to the box labeled **HARD-HATS**. With a grimace, she pulls one out. Her phenomenally ugly hard-hat is decorated with an excessive amount of chipskink tails, all coiling up from the bottom to make a big antenna right at her crown.
When you make it to the table, the fae looks you over and scrawls a few notes on the clipboard. He is smiling very wide. "Ohoho~. Hello, new intern. I just have a few questions for you. What is your name? Do you have any dietary restrictions or factors that would affect you mobility? How well do you do high gravity conditions? Is your main fear reaction fight, flight, or freeze? Who is your emergency contact?"
After answering his questions. He rips your copy off of the clipboard. "Here's your temporary ID badge and hard hats are over there. Pick the one you like best, wearing both your hat and your badge are required on-site.
Follow the green lights to the main office area, from there someone will meet you. Please enjoy you time here and be sure to work hard! Next, please~"
After grabbing the hat you like best (or perhaps hated least), you head down the hallway with green lights boarding the floor where it meets the walls. You journey ends in a room with a coffee bar and couple couches. There a motivational poster on the wall of a capricat hanging off an iron girder. It reads *'Hang in there! You're a PURR-fessional!'*
You hear a loud thump and then and alarmed voice, "Oh! Oh no oh no!" There is another thump and you can just barely make out a quiet yelp.
[[Check out what's going on]]
[[Stay here and wait for someone to meet you]]By the time you make it out to the lobby, you can already spot a line of dragons waiting to sign up for the Division of Dragon Labor and Experimentation. As you join their queue, you notice the processed interns on the other side of the table are in a creative frenzy trying to attach different scraps of garish fabrics and dragonmade materials on hardhats in abominable hues while an intimidating looking ridgeback watches on and scribbles on a clipboard.
Before you know it, you find yourself at the front of the line, face to face with a spiral that offers you a toothy grin. "Right then, just a few questions and you can get started. I'll need a name and emergency contact," she muses in good humor, making notes on a form in front of her, "any dietary restrictions, factors that could affect your mobility? Do you currently obey the laws of physics, specifically that of gravity?"
"Finally, a basic question regarding instinct. When confronted with fear, would you say you are more likely to fight, flee, or freeze?" She scribbles down the answers quickly and stacks the form on the pile beside her, her grin curling with mischief as she reaches for something behind the table and pulls out a garish hardhat of your own.
"Sorry it's not already decorated, we're a bit tight for employees on our side so you'll have to decorate it yourself. All interns need to wear as... unique... a hardhat as possible, it's how we know you're interns," she tosses you an ID attached to a lanyard, "bonus points if you include that, but nobody reads them in the tunnels, and the points don't matter anyway. NEXT!"
As the spiral starts helping the next dragon in line, the ridgeback herds another intern away from the materials to make room for you to decorate your hardhat in a timely manner. He scribbles on his clipboard impatiently as you work but in due time, he appears satisfied with your efforts and you feel a tap on your shoulder.
"Alright, intern. You're done, hardhat on. To the stairwell with you, follow the blue lights through the door at the bottom." His voice is surprisingly gentle for such an impatient fellow, but he also offers no other information, leaving you to find your way down on your own.
Thankfully the blue bulbs illuminate your path and if that isn't enough, the voices carrying up the stairwell come from directly behind that door at the bottom.
"What do you mean it's not ready!? We can't delay another launch; it *has* to be* today!*"
"It's not ready means it's not ready. We don't have enough fuel mixed after the last trial and, if you haven't noticed, we're a bit sort- clawed around here!"
"That's what we have interns for! Look, we'll give you all the dragons you need, just get it done!"
The sound of you opening the door causes two dragons on the other side to turn and size you up in seconds.
"You," a bogsneak in a lab coat points your way as the skydancer he was arguing with rolls her eyes, "you're with us, intern."
"Not so fast," another voice approaches and all at once you're confronted with a third dragon, a small nocturne landing on the corner of the wall, causing dust to fall as her claws scrape against the cinderblock, "yer on our team. Doctor Enigma got the last intern."
"Hang on, *you* got the last intern!"
"Ha! Ye been around yer chemicals too long ol' dragon, all those fumes must be gettin' to yer head. Besides, we need the extra claws more. You got any idea how much an engine weighs? A *lot*."
"Do *you* realize how much of *our fuel* is needed to *run* that engine?"
"Sure do, so maybe ye should git goin' and run back to ye lab instead of arguing with MY newest engineer." Before the scientist can issue a rebuttal, the skydancer between them clears her throat.
"It really isn't up to you, we let the interns decide," she corrects, turning the attention back to you. "Well, tick tock then, there's still a rocket that needs launching, intern. I need these two sparks out of my feathers and they both have important work that needs doing."
[[Go With The Scientist]]
[[Follow The Engineer]]You follow the noises deeper in the maze of corridors. You turn off into a section with a vaulted ceiling. The wall to your left is entirely covered with small, floor to ceiling cubbies that are all labeled with a serial numbers. The ceiling high above you is covered with a maze of clear tubes that trace their way down the wall to your right, where each tube has an access port. There are so many that the entire lower half of the wall is just access ports in tiered layout. Some are high enough that you would have to fly to reach them.
In front of you is a large counter placed right in front of an open archway. The distressed shouts are coming from somewhere beyond.
"Oh no. Jeez. Come on! Just no. I can't deal with this right now!"
You head through the archway and see a fae trapped under a pile of heavy boxes. One particularly large one has fallen across her back, preventing her from moving, despite her continued efforts to slide out. You help dig her out.
"Oh my goodness thank you! I thought I was going to lose an entire day stuck under those things." She smiles at you, and lights up when she spots your hat. "Oh! Are you the intern assigned to the mail room? I'm so glad! I've been super overwhelmed here without 0TAX83. I was sure my intern request didn't go through because I never heard back, but look! Here you are! Maybe with your help we'll be able to get through the backlog from the past month!"
She notices your hesitation, "Oh, are not assigned to the mailroom?" She's not good at hiding her disappointment, but gives a valiant smile anyway. "You must be the intern here to pick up the priority mail. I left it in a bundle on the desk just outside. I'm sure you've already been told how important it is. It's a big and important responsibility! Mail is essential to any large scale operation! So you should be proud to handle the priority stuff that can't be trusted to the tubes."
[[Well, actually I don't have an assignment yet. Do you want help?]]
[[Err, yeah I can take care of the priority mail.]]
[[I'm just here because you were in trouble, I need to go back now.]]You don't have to wait long. A green-grey skydancer rushes in with bag nearly full to busting. "Hello, new intern! My name is Dalfryn." He reaches out to shake your hand. "You'll be helping me out here. Follow me!"
He motions to you and ducks back out the door. He moving at a swift trot and half his attention is on keeping his bag from not spilling. He leads you though a open space with a mess of desks ranging from teeny-tiny (for faes) to gargantuan (for imperials). He talking to you as he leads.
"So I work in the incident reporting section of the paperwork processing bureu. You'll be helping me with the response plans more than anything else. Unfortunately I can't actually let you be the first to read any of the report for security purposes, so I'll have to pre-read anything I give to you. Luckily, I've already pre-read a bunch for you so you can get started immediately!"
Through the open office and into a set of corridors. "Now I know I'm biased, but incident reporting is the best sector to work in because we're always the first to hear the new gossip." He turns to you and winks, "Don't tell anyone but we're all a bunch of drama-lamas down there."
Dalfryn is rushing, but as you walk past a side corridor you see a very shifty looking pearlcatcher ducking into a side room. In the time it takes for you get a good look, Dalfryn is already far ahead of you.
[[Rush to catch up with Dalfryn]]
[[Confront the suspicious dragon]]"Wait really? You want to help me? Ooo, I'm so excited! Not enough people are passionate about mail! It'll be so nice to have another dragon around. What's your name? Mine's Nia. Let me show you around!" She’s electric in her excitement.
"This pile behind me is the outgoing packages pile." She turn and presents a massive pile of parcels. Even an imperial would be dwarfed by this gargantuan mountain of boxes. It nearly reaches the vaulted ceiling. "This is all the non-priority stuff. I started putting them here after 0TAX83, my robotic assistant, broke down a month ago. I start putting them in this room so that I could focus on the critical stuff but...err, it's kinda of gotten out of hand." She winces sheepishly.
"I've just barely been able to keep the really important stuff shipping on time. The incoming mail is dropped off over there-" she points to a room to the left. "-in the drop-off room and that's actually in really good shape! Err, well, I mean in regards to backlog. It's kind of a mess right now. I've also been able to take care of the all the letters because they can go into the tubes no problem, but packages need to sorted and stamped before being passed onto a courier in bulk."
She turns back to you. "Do you want to help with sorting these? It should go much faster if we work together!" She stops, suddenly bashful. "Though I'd understand if you wanted a separate task. I know some people work best alone. There's a new shipment that still need to be gone through. We just had a shipment so it should be perfectly safe for the next few hours."
"Oh right! And you can take off your hat. We're the only two here, so there's no way I'm going to get you confused with anyone else. I never really liked mine, though I know some get really attached to their hats. Mine had wing bones on it. It was super creepy."
[[I work best in a team, too.]]
[[Well, actually I do my best work alone.]]You head back out into the first room. Some poking around on the desk reveals a bundle of letter all stamped with a bight red 'PRORITY' somewhere on them. They are also all stamped with what you can only assume to be their delivery locations in very appealing lilac color. However, you have no idea where 'Workshop 1C-Annealing' is.
"Hey! Why didn't you include a cart? Do I look like a guardian? I can't lift this thing!" An irritated pearlcatcher is gesturing over-dramatically at a medium sized shipping crate. Apparently, he thinks you know what you're doing because he's waiting for your response. Telling him that you don't actually have any idea what you're doing right now doesn't actually help.
"Yeah, I know, I can see the hat, but if your doing anything, you might as well help me get this down to the loading bay. Grab the other end, we'll steal a cart from maintanace." Looks like you're getting railroaded into helping. He's already picking up his end, at least he's volunteered to face backwards.
The two of you make your slow way down a few corridors, The pearlcatcher stops and tells you to wait. He peeks into a nearby door, looks relieved, and then ducks in. He comes back with a large, flat-bed cart that is stamped 'MAINTAINCE' and then in handwritten marker underneith 'No Borrowing!!! I mean it!!'. Unfortunately, your job still isn't because you need to help him steer.
The pearlcatcher is urging you on and darting glances behind you. He relaxes once you both get into a frieght elevator. "The last time I got caught borrowing supplies from maintainace they sent me about 20 rabid gearspring pocketmice over then next half a year. Here's to hoping they don't figure out it was me."
The elevator door dings open and before you is a marvel of engineering. It's sleek lines sweep back from the engine to the tail, painted mostly blue and crowned in silver. Each segment is the same size and shape, creating a long and somewhat serpentine effect. There's an illuminated cyan racing stripe from nose to tail, though it's currently dimmed. It's almost impossibly loud on platform, not because of the train but because of all the dragons shouting and scrambling over each other. Rising above the choas is large operations booth. You can't see anyone inside it or on the catwalks nearby.
The pearlcatcher hauls his cart into the hubbub leaving you standing alone on the edges of the crowd.
[[Take a closer look at the train]]
[[Go check out the booth]]You back away slowly as the train-obsessed dragon continues to wax poetic. You duck between the stacked crates.
In here, the crates have been packed very tightly, only leaving very narrow aisles for you to navigate through. The lighting is very dim down between the crates. You understand why they have lanterns. You'd be worried about getting lost if things weren't laid out in a pretty obvious grid pattern.
As you make your way further back it becomes quieter, so it really gets your attention when you hear a thunk and shuffling up ahead. Turning the corner, you come upon a dragon digging around in one of the crates.
The fellow does not look like he belongs here. His clothes are worn down and patched. Everything except his chipped cutlass is rags. He has a harsh slant to his expression that tells you he's no innocent stow away. He notices you and his intent stare is calculating before he rushes at you.
[[You are confident in your strength, fight him!]]
[[Run!]]This glimpse into being part of a rail crew is really interesting. You trail after him listening intently.
"Of course we're only running a circuit around the Spire and the 'farms. We can't get powered rails out that far but I've been on a few of the fringe circuits and let me tell you, those are some stressful journeys. Bandits are a pretty dangerous nuisance. There's nothing like the fear of traveling through a tunnel and realizing a raider group sabotaged the tracks up ahead. I once spent 5 days hunkered down inside an old Powercell while security fended off the raiders and the engineers tried to dig us out. Made some lifelong friends that trip.
"You must think I'm crazy for enjoying this, but there's really nothing like feeling the thrum of engines and watching the Expanse slip by. Even around the Spire, where we're underground for most of the journey, you see some pretty cool stuff. Its lots of little hops around this area, and more often than not 24 hour bazaars have sprung up near the platforms. All underground, of course, storms' too heavy for much carousing up top around here. But usually that just means the shopping streets are built up rather than out. Around festival time, like now, we can expect a party as every waypoint. Everything's so much brighter around this time."
[[Keep encouraging his story]]
[[Ask to see the engine]]She hands you a pot and points you in the direction of the coffee machine, which is in a break room nearby. The machine is a heavy duty thing with nearly as many buttons as the complex consoles in the main room.
You're able to follow along with the prompts and get the process going when you hear a thud from the other room. Back in the main room, the snapper you were talking to has fallen over and is fast asleep on the floor.
No amount of shaking can wake her up and you can hear shouting from the radio at her console. *"Dispatch? Dispatch come in! I need a follow up on our route, T minus two minutes to the junction."*
Unable to wake her, you pick up the radio fill him in on who you are. He's clearly alarmed at your lack of qualifications, but recognizes that you're the best help he has right now.
Speaking fast and clipped, he says *"I'm approaching the junction S43-04 from the due east. I need to know which of the routes was cleared for us to pass. We're approaching at-speed, so I need an answer immediately."*
Looking up at the map, it takes you a stressful amount of time to locate junction S43-04. You can see five paths branching off from the junction. The colors are as follows: north - light blue, east - dark purple, southeast - lime green, southwest - bright yellow, and northwest - dark green. You need to tell him which one is safe.
[[Light Blue]]
[[Dark Purple]]
[[Lime Green]]
[[Bright Yellow]]
[[Dark Green]]The stowaway comes at you, leading with his cutlass. You pull back behind the corner and duck down. When he comes around the corner you're able to power up and under through his guard.
Fighting in the stacks of crates is a significant challenge. Your movements are heavily restricted. You can't expand your wings or fly. However, your assailant is facing the same challenges. He's limited to jabs and downward slashes.
Stuck in one of the narrow corridors, the attacker lunges forward in an overextended thrust. You jump upward, briefly hold yourself aloft using the walls, and deliver a brutal downward blow to the back of your attacker's head when his momentum carries him forward underneath you.
You drag your now unconscious attacker back to the entrance of the car. The dragon you ditched earlier has been looking for you, and immediately starts freaking out when he sees your assailant.
"That's a bandit! What the heck is a bandit doing on this train?! At this platform not less! How did it get here?" You recount your story and when you finish you can tell he's very impressed.
"Bandits are a very serious problem, though it's rare for them to attack an electrified rail because we're so close to the Spire. He must have stowed away and planned to disable the train at some point on our journey. You must be a really good fighter to be able to take one of them down. These guys are really merciless. Say, are you looking for a job? We could use more security personnel."
All the train personnel are very grateful when they hear how you saved them. The security team is especially interested in you and want to take you one as new member, offering specialized training and lots of travel opportunities. "Oh that's great! Team Sort! Umm, team Parcel-A-pocalypse? Team...mail? Well, I guess we don't need a team name right now. We just need to stamp the packages with the end location and put it in the correct bin over there." Along one of the walls is a series of large steel containers. They are labeled with names like 'Office 1A-4C' and 'Workshops: Refinery Complex' and each name plate is painted a different color. "The stamps are for the locations within each of the areas. They're color coded! They don't have to be, but I like it."
"Would you like to stamp and move the packages or would you like use the manifesto to match the location to the serial numbers? Converting the serial number used to be 0TAX83's job before they broke down. Seeing the mess I'm in now, I kinda wish we never changed over from just writing the location, but the mail room was in perfect condition before they broke down so I guess it was a good idea."
She gives the massive pile a despairing look. "Seeing how bad things are now, I've almost considered using the Emergency Kit, but the last time I did that I was down for a week." She shoots a bright yellow box shoved off to the side, and unhappy look.
[[Be the sorter]]
[[Choose to read the Manafesto]]You have to fly to reach the top, and need to yell to communicate with Nia down below. Quickly, you and Nia fall into a really good rhythm of you reading out the serial number, Nia telling you which stamp to use, and then you tossing it into the bin with the matching color.
You sort packages for hours until Nia calls for a break. After all that you think you must have done quite a bit, but standing as the bottom with the mug of cooling coffee Nia shoved into your claws, you can't see any difference to how it looked when you started.
The bright yellow box of the emergency kit catches your eye. Without even thinking you make your way over and open it. Inside is small canister with **CAFFIENE 2.0** in large block letters. On the underside of the lid is *"Increase work efficiency by 300%! Time is immutable, but you aren't!"*
Seeing your distraction, Nia comes over. "I guess it has come to this." She looks back at the pile. "One mouthful each should do it. If you start slowing down but we aren't finished be sure to take a sip, the crash will put you out of commission for a few days." Nia carefully measure out some for the both of you and hands your cup over. She toasts you nervously before you both down it.
Your chest hurts liked your heart is beating fast but you can count entire seconds between each beat. As you move back to the pile it feels like moving through water, but as the **CAFFEINE 2.0** kicks in further you feel your body speeding up to match you processing speed.
You call the first serial number, Nia responds immediately and you toss it to its bin. In the time it take for the package to land, you have three more in the air. Your new rhythm with Nia is just the same but incalculably faster.
The two of you burn through the pile. Your personal best is having 24 packages aloft at one time.
When you’re done, Nia joyfully celebrates with you, encouraging you to do a series of complicated high-fives with her. Then she’s drags you as best she can to a back room. There are a few couches and food storage, marking this very clearly as a breakroom.
You both make it just in time before the caffeine crash his. The crash keeps you both immobile for two days, but you have a comfy couch, snacks, books, and friend to share stories with.You start grabbing the packages closest to you. Quickly, you and Nia fall into a really good rhythm of you reading out the serial number, Nia telling you which stamp to use, and then you tossing it into the bin with the matching color.
You are both so focused on your task that you don't notice the danger until the first box falls. It trips its way down the pile, end-over-end, and slides to a stop near Nia. She's staring up at the pack pile, head fins pulled back in fear. "You have to move, it's going to-!"
But it's too late. Now that the base is no longer wide enough to support its weight, the once stable mountain topples over on top of you. The last thing you see before the boxes come tumbling down is Nia's panicked face as she tries to reach you.
...
The two of you wind up caved in under those boxes, uninjured but buried. Try as you might you can’t lift the packages burying you. The whole mountain must have fallen on you.
It takes Nia three full days before she finally lets the boxes be opened by someone other than their recipient. By that time, you both are hungry enough that very little else matters.
After those first hungry days, the two of you live like princes eating the smorgasbord of delicacies hidden inside your surroundings. Of course not everything is food, and Nia takes to covering you in any shiny jewelry pieces the two of you unwrap. You slowly expand your little cave, making one of the finest box forts to ever exist.
You spend 10 days in that mail pile before the rescue crew finally digs the two of you out. Nia no longer calls you by name, instead she prefers to use some variation of 'Best Friend.'"Okay! Umm, if you want to work alone then the best thing you can do is to help clean up the drop-off room. It just needs to be organized and all the leftover packing materials need to be thrown out. Here's a bunch of garbage bag." She looks at you suddenly very serious. "There is a clock in there that counts down to the next drop-off shipment. It's really important that you make sure you're not in the room when it hits zero."
She shoos you off, "Have fun, and thanks for your help!"
The drop-off room is very large with big indented circles lining three of the walls. The wall with the door you came in is the only one without any. There are a few dinged-up metal cabinets nearby.
The room is a complete mess. You can see piles of broken down boxes made out something much stronger than your average box. It isn't metal or paper, and looking closely it has a fabric texture. In a pile in the far corner is bunch of large white pellets. When you pick one up its squishy, and you can’t put it back down because clings to your claws even though it doesn’t feel sticky.
You're shoveling these horrible white pellets into a garbage bag, when an alarm blares and one of the tubes slides open. Then, despite the clock on the wall reading 11:03, a package shoots out of the tube at high velocity. If you had been in front of it, you'd probably have gotten a concussion from that.
The tube closes and you check out the new delivery. It reads: **PRIORITY - OPEN IMMEDIATELY - MAILROOM**. The container is made of that heavy duty material, and when you open it more of those annoy white things spill out. There is a smaller, metal case inside with further messages nagging you to open it. Inside the metal case sits a helmet stamped 'MAILROOM PROPERTY-0TAX83."
[[Put on the helmet]]
[[Don't put it on. Nia needs to hear about this.]]You close the case and head out back to the package pile. Nia isn't there, and she doesn’t show up even after calling her name. You go around looking for her. You don't find her but you meet a ridgeback in what looks to be a breakroom. He's seems surprised to see you.
"I'm a mailroom employee, of course. Shift change and all that. Are you the mailroom intern? Where's your hardhat?"
After you introduce yourself, the package you are carrying catches his attention. “What’s that you’ve got there? That's mailroom property. Why do you leave that with me and you can get back to whatever you were working on."
He downs the last of his coffee and holds out an expectant claw.
[[Hand over the package]]
[[Don't hand over the package]]You settle in for a long wait, but are almost immediately harassed into action your new headwear. *You can really expect to just sit there when there such a huge backlog. Grab Nia's stamps and head up to the top.* You have no idea what stamps they're talking about. The visor overlays a bright blue circle on top of leather bandoleer. Sure enough, it's stamps.
Each package is overlaid with the address as soon as you pick it up. After a few mistakes, 0TAX83 starts to color code their overlays. They also give you visual cues for where to put the packages and which ones should be sorted next.
*You organics really have it tough, what with your small number of limbs. Very inefficient, that. Not mention that the two most functional of your limbs are copies of each other. Honestly, it's a huge design flaw. Imagine how much more you could get done if they were different from each other. One: a claw for grasping, One: a multi-tool for writing and repairs.*
About a half an hour after you started sorting, Nia finally comes back to the mailroom. She looks exceedingly cranky.
You head down to greet her and she is overjoyed at 0TAX83's presence. 0TAX83 is strangely silent throughout the conversation, only speaking up you're about to hand 0TAX83 over.
*Wait. Go make some tea. Tell her that she needs to wash her head before putting me on.* It's a complete 180 from 0TAX83's previous insistence on getting to Nia. *Please? I'm not going to let you go until you do.* What else can you do with your head held hostage?
You make up two mugs of tea, following 0TAX83's directions when making Nia's. You bring the tea out to Nia, but she doesn't even finish it before she's out cold on the floor.
You drugged her. 0TAX83 tricked you into giving her a sleep aid. *I did it to help her! Look at her! She looks terrible. She probably has been working way too much overtime, and she need to rest before she collapses. I know her, she’s going to make herself sick with exhaustion. This was the only opportunity to get her to rest for the next month with a backlog this big.*
As 0TAX83 urges you back to work, you realize that without Nia there is only one dragon left to sort this enormous pile of packages. You head out to search for Nia. You don't make it very far before 0TAX83 stoppes you. They overlay a bright blue circle over a door. It's covered in tape reading *Do not open* and *Caution!* Nia's in there?
*Of course not. Who would lock poor Nia in a closet. There a cleaning robot behind that door. Open it.* The caution tape suggests this is a bad idea. *You don't need to worry about that. I'm an AI. It'll be a snap for me to overcome the very basic programming of the robot. Open it, and you won't have to keep me on your head any longer.* 0TAX83 is very insistent that you'll be safe.
As soon as the door is open the cleaning robot bursts out and rams into the opposite wall. It’s large, domed carapace takes up most of the hallway. There are 6 sturdy looking multi-jointed legs, the joints protected with heavy-duty sheeting. Along its back are 10 arms, some are small and delicate and some just as powerful as the legs. Only the largest arm is active. It holds a Valkyrie Blade aloft threateningly. It looks like a battle robot more than a cleaning robot.
When it turns its head to focus on you, you see it has just a single large optic. For a brief, terrifing second it stares you down. *You're perfect.* And then the cleaner goes limp.
The optic flicks back on, "This will do just fine until my body is repaired. It sure is nice to have a decent amount of limbs again. And this frame is mobile!" 0TAX83 takes a few experimental steps. "I'm linked the securtiy system. I'll be able to find Nia in snap. Get on."
Without waiting for a response they scoop you onto their back, and start carrying you off.
It turns out Nia is back in the mailroom. The look on her face when you show back up riding a cleaning robot waving a sword around is priceless.
...
Reuniting Nia and 0TAX83 is just what the mailroom needed. 0TAX83 is able to make short work of the backlog, while you and Nia take care of incoming mail and smaller maintainance tasks. Sitting on top of 0TAX83 carapace, Nia thanks you profusely for your help as you leave."Thank you very much. I'll take good care of it." The Ridgeback trots out of the breakroom and you head back to cleanup duty.
You’re taking your third wave of filled garbage bags out when you see that is Nia back to sorting packages. Shouldn't the ridgeback be on-shift now?
When you ask her about her co-worker, she looks very confused. "I'm the only mailroom employee on staff. 0TAX83 could be considered staff, but they're not draconic so they have a different classification. What did this ridgeback look like?"
After hearing your description, she looks distinctly alarmed. "I've only ever heard of him, never seen anything myself, but I think that was Steve. Do you still have the original packaging? I track it and find out what was in it.
You only have to rip open two trash bags to find it. Nia traces down the package using some of the files on her desk, and lets out a sharp wail when she finds it. "That had 0TAX83's AI stored on it. Steve has 0TAX83! Oh no, I hope they’re okay! What do I do now? I have to call this in." She turns to you, "I'm closing the mail room for today. Please head back to the volunteer intake area." She dashes out the door without waiting for your response.
~
The looks the intake dragons give you when you return are memorable. It is a little embarrassing to be 'fired' so quickly. They set you to cleaning up the event hall.
You're just coming back from the storeroom for a third time when a loud speaker blares to life *"Attention Employees: All synthetic personnel are to be temporarily off-lined until their personality and detective matrices can be checked by a programmer. Immediate compliance is required. Failure to do may result in severe delays. I repeat. Attention Employees-"*Nia said she was the only worker in the mail room. Who is this ridgeback? You grip the package a little tighter and back away. He doesn't seem at all upset at your refusal, nor does he follow you as you leave the room.
You spend the next few minutes looking for Nia. Priority mail is very important to her, much more so than cleaning the drop-off room. Almost a half an hour after you've finally given up and gone back to cleaning, Nia finally comes back to the mailroom. She looks exceedingly cranky.
She brightens when she sees you. "Oh! How is the cleaning going? Thanks a lot! You're a big help." You show her the case, and she is visibly excited. "Oh, this is incredible! I thought I'd have to wait for a full repair to get 0TAX83 back!"
She opens up the package and jams the helmet on her head. You can see the plating shift and pull tight around her skull. "Oh it so good to see you again. Oh well, not 'see', I mean-" ... "The packages have a huge backlog now, it's much more difficult without you here to help me." ... "You know that I missed you very much!" ..."Of course! It'll be much quicker."
It feels a little uncomfortable to interrupt whatever conversation she's having. As you return to the drop-off room, it occurs to you that you never saw that ridgeback leave despite the fact that you were keeping an eye on the exit the entire time.
When it's time to for your internship to end. Nia thanks you for your help and insists that 0TAX83 is grateful as well. You can tell she's very distracted by whatever conversation she is having with 0TAX83, but her appreciation is genuine.You head back the breakroom and walk in on a green-grey skydancer looking around confusedly.
"Oh there you are! Hello, new intern! My name is Dalfryn." He reaches out to shake your hand. "We're running a bit late so come with me!"
He motions to you and ducks back out the door. He moving at a swift trot and half his attention is on keeping his bag from not spilling. "So I work in the incident reporting section of the paperwork processing bureu. You'll be helping me with the response plans more than anything else."
Through an open office and into a set of corridors. "Now I know I'm biased, but incident reporting is the best sector to work in because we're always the first to hear the new gossip." He turns to you and winks, "Don't tell anyone but we're all a bunch of drama-lamas down there."
You're both moving pretty fast when you turn down a new hall and nearly ram into a new skydancer. They squawk and jump out of your way looking offended. "Hey be more careful. Dalfryn! You're already teaching your intern to break the rules?!" She turns to you, "You may be new around here, but you need to follow the corridor speed recommendations!"
The new skydancer is looking down her snout at you as she speaks. She has a look that says she's making assumptions about your intelligence.
"My name is Charhynn. Please note pronunciation. You need to flip the 'r' sound and emphasize the first syllable or you're pronouncing it wrong. I can't believe they've assigned you an intern, Dalfryn. Why are willing to risk anyone picking up your terrible habits? I bet you don't even have a progress plan."
Dalfryn gives her a patronizingly fake smile. "Unlike you, you mean? Such a shame your application got rejected, isn't it? Well, me and my intern have to get back to it, plenty of work to do and all that."
Dairin firmly steers you away from the disdainful Charhynn, only starting to speak once you’re out of earshot. "Sorry you had to meet her so soon. She's kind of a tool, and unfortunately working in our department. She's the only one in incident reporting who isn’t satisfied reading about drama and likes to try making her own right here in this office."
"Anyway, we have pretty unique opportunity today! I was just going to walk you through my normal job, but Mehra starting the new process she's going to use for archiving the incident reports. It could be good for you to learn about that as well.
[[Learn about the normal job]]
[[Learn about the archival process]]You find the ID number on the map any relay it to the conductor.
*"Understood, dispatch."* The conductor states, and then adds, *"You need to track it on the console. My train number should up on one of the monitors and you'll need to add it to the junction to log the route adjustment."*
You are muddling through when everything lights up red and a siren goes off. The Snapper wakes up immediately, going from a dead sleep to manic. "There's been a crash!"
She sees you sitting in her spot and looks at you horrified. "What happened? What have you done?"
She quickly pushes you to the side and started shouting down the receiver. The door bangs open the room is flooded with other dragons. You’re pulled out the room by an intimidating looking ridgeback and left in a room by yourself.
It's nearly four hours later when the ridgeback come back. "You will be happy to know that all damage from the train crash you caused is mechanical and that no one died. I don't think you are a good fit for the work experience opportunity we're offering.
She has you escorted out of the area with a firm 'recommendation' to head home. You don't get to keep your hat.You find the ID number on the map any relay it to the conductor.
*"Understood, dispatch." *The conductor states, and then adds, *"You need to track it on the console. My train number should up on one of the monitors and you'll need to add it to the junction to log the route adjustment."*
You are muddling through when everything lights up red and a siren goes off. The Snapper wakes up immediately, going from a dead sleep to manic. "There's been a crash!"
She sees you sitting in her spot and looks at you horrified. "What happened? What have you done?"
She quickly pushes you to the side and started shouting down the receiver. The door bangs open the room is flooded with other dragons. You’re pulled out the room by an intimidating looking ridgeback and left in a room by yourself.
It's nearly four hours later when the ridgeback come back. "You will be happy to know that all damage from the train crash you caused is mechanical and that no one died. I don't think you are a good fit for the work experience opportunity we're offering.
She has you escorted out of the area with a firm 'recommendation' to head home. You don't get to keep your hat.You find the ID number on the map any relay it to the conductor.
*"Understood, dispatch." *The conductor states, and then adds, *"You need to track it on the console. My train number should up on one of the monitors and you'll need to add it to the junction to log the route adjustment."*
You are muddling through when everything lights up red and a siren goes off. The Snapper wakes up immediately, going from a dead sleep to manic. "There's been a crash!"
She sees you sitting in her spot and looks at you horrified. "What happened? What have you done?"
She quickly pushes you to the side and started shouting down the receiver. The door bangs open the room is flooded with other dragons. You’re pulled out the room by an intimidating looking ridgeback and left in a room by yourself.
It's nearly four hours later when the ridgeback come back. "You will be happy to know that all damage from the train crash you caused is mechanical and that no one died. I don't think you are a good fit for the work experience opportunity we're offering.
She has you escorted out of the area with a firm 'recommendation' to head home. You don't get to keep your hat.Deciding on the yellow path, you find the associated branch number. "Take S43-04D."
*"Understood, dispatch."* The conductor states and then adds, *"You need to track it on the console. My train number should be up on one of the monitors and you'll need to add it to S43-04D to log the route adjustment." *
Muddling along, you're able to follow the labels to do as he said. Taking another look at the board you see the route has turned dark purple and, while most are steady, one of the lights is flashing. As you watch, the flashing light changes to one just further to the west. Perhaps the flashing lights indicate train locations?
The radio crackles. *"Dispatch, Ashmane to dispatch. Are we clear for departure?"*
...
The route adjustment you had to deal with in first few minutes of your new job was very out of the norm. Mostly you are called on to coordinate departures and confirm routes, though the pace of the calls you need to take is intense and requires all your focus. You have a few close calls early on, when you let trains leave too quickly, and you have make some quick adjustments. However, you quickly get better at understanding the timing.
You are able to keep the trains running, maybe not exactly on time but at least safely. When another dispatcher shows up, he's very surprised to see you. Hearing about how you handled yourself, he’s very impressed that you managed to keep things on track.You find the ID number on the map any relay it to the conductor.
*"Understood, dispatch." *The conductor states, and then adds, *"You need to track it on the console. My train number should up on one of the monitors and you'll need to add it to the junction to log the route adjustment."*
You are muddling through when everything lights up red and a siren goes off. The Snapper wakes up immediately, going from a dead sleep to manic. "There's been a crash!"
She sees you sitting in her spot and looks at you horrified. "What happened? What have you done?"
She quickly pushes you to the side and started shouting down the receiver. The door bangs open the room is flooded with other dragons. You’re pulled out the room by an intimidating looking ridgeback and left in a room by yourself.
It's nearly four hours later when the ridgeback come back. "You will be happy to know that all damage from the train crash you caused is mechanical and that no one died. I don't think you are a good fit for the work experience opportunity we're offering.
She has you escorted out of the area with a firm 'recommendation' to head home. You don't get to keep your hat.You rush after Dalfryn. He must have turned off at some point because you can't see him, but he can't have gotten far though.
You moving pretty fast when you turn down a new hall and nearly ram into a skydancer. They squawk and jump out of your way looking offended. "Hey be more careful. You were definitely exceeding the speed recommendation for a corridor this size. You may be new around here, but you still need to follow the rules!"
This new, very much not Dalfryn, skydancer looks down her snout at you as she speaks. She has a look that says she's making assumptions about your intelligence.
"Who's in charge of you anyway? We can just let interns run around willy-nilly. Part of the initiative is working closely with a trained professional. I suppose I can take a little time to help you find your mentor. My name is Charhynn. Please note pronunciation. You need to flip the 'r' sound and emphasize the first syllable or you're pronouncing it wrong."
When you tell her you're working with Dalfryn, she sniffs disdainfully. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to learn *something *from him. Follow me." She sets off at a brisk but regulation-compliant walking speed.
You run into Dalfryn coming back for you. "Hey buddy, so-."
Charhynn immediately cuts him off. "I found them wandering the hallways, completely lost. I can't believe they gave you an intern. I'm surprised they're willing to risk anyone picking up your terrible habits! I bet you don't even have a progress plan."
Dalfryn gives her a patronizingly fake smile. "Unlike you, you mean? Such a shame your application got rejected, isn't it? Well, me and my intern have to get back to it, plenty of work to do and all that."
Dairin firmly steers you away from the disdainful Charhynn, only starting to speak once you’re out of earshot. "Sorry you had to meet her so soon. She's kind of a tool, and unfortunately working in our department. She's the only one in incident reporting who isn’t satisfied reading about drama and likes to try making her own right here in this office."
"Anyway, we have pretty unique opportunity today! I was just going to walk you through my normal job, but Mehra starting the new process she's going to use for archiving the incident reports. It could be good for you to learn about that as well.
[[Learn about the normal job]]
[[Learn about the archival process]]Leaving Dalfryn, you sneak up to the door the pearlcatcher ducked into and peek inside. He notices you almost immediately, jumps, and then eyes your hat. "You aren't maintenance. They'd never let an intern do such an important job. Say, are you busy now? Help me move that crate onto this cart." He points at a large, flat-bed cart that is stamped **MAINTAINCE** and then in handwritten marker underneath *No Borrowing!!! I mean it!!*. He's already lifting one side and looking at you impenitently as he struggles with it. Looks like you're getting railroaded into helping.
Once the crate is on the cart, he urges you out the door. It looks like your new job isn't done yet, because he needs your help steering the cart.
The pearlcatcher is urging you on and darting glances behind you. He relaxes once you both get into a freight elevator. "The last time I got caught borrowing supplies from maintenance they sent me about 20 rabid gearspring pocketmice over the next half a year. Here's to hoping they don't figure out it was me."
The elevator door dings open and before you is a marvel of engineering. Its sleek lines sweep back from the engine to the tail, painted mostly blue and crowned in silver. Each segment is the same size and shape, creating a long and somewhat serpentine effect. There's an illuminated cyan racing stripe from nose to tail, though it's currently dimmed. It's almost impossibly loud on platform, not because of the train but because of all the dragons shouting and scrambling over each other. Rising above the chaos is large operations booth. You can't see anyone inside it or on the catwalks nearby.
The pearlcatcher hauls his cart into the hubbub leaving you standing alone on the edges of the crowd.
[[Take a closer look at the train]]
[[Go check out the booth]]"Hahaha, yeah that's probably the best choice. After all it's what you're here to learn, isn't it?" He leads you though the office and into a little enclosed space with fake walls around two desks. There is desk that is best described as controlled chaos and a clean desk with only a couple succulents. "Welcome to our little corner of home. I got a huge space upgrade with you coming in. Feel free to hang your hat up."
There is a coat rack in the corner with about five different scarves and a hard hat. Noticeably, it doesn't have any decoration on it. "Oh well, once we're integrate we usually take the fun bits off since they can get in the way. This is mine actually!" He points to dome of harpy masks. The faces overlap each other in a disturbing tangle, the eye holes dark. It feels like they're watching you because despite the heavy overlap all eye holes are indeed holes, unobscured by any masks positioned underneath.
"That's your desk. Take a seat! So! What we do here. We're incident reporting, which mean we receive the case files of all incidents that occur on the job. It's our job to read through them and then-
**P**rioritize
**A**ction Plan
**N**otify
**I**nsure
**C**hronicle
-or: 'Don't Panic! PANIC!' Hehehe~."
"It pretty much means that 1) Make sure it isn't above your pay-grade and that no one is in immediate danger. Just talk to me if you get one that more dangerous than maintenances’ cart getting stolen for the third time this week. 2) Action Plan is exactly what it sound like. I have booklet for you with suggested steps, so all you need to do it match the situation to suggested course of action. If there is no match, then I screwed up when sorting the case files to give you, haha, so just let me know for now. 3) You need to contact anyone that needs to do something to resolve the issue. Honestly, it'll mostly be just shooting a message to the cleaning crew. 4) Insure just means that you have a way to confirm that the action plan is executed. My preferred way is scheduling whatever manager is involved to confirm it for me since that's part of their job. 5) We need to assemble a case file for the archives. You'll be doing pretty bland stuff so details aren't needed. Just fill out the form in the top drawer."
Dalfryn leans in and stare you down, "There's just one last thing I want to mention. Security clearance is really big deal in this office especially, so you must never open any files except the ones I give you." Leaning back and smiling, he adds, "I'm a big fan of learning on the job so why don't you just start whenever you're ready and ask me whatever questions come up and I'll check your work later. Oh! You should also check out the break room, there's lots of drinks and snacks to enjoy while working. We're out of the good coffee right now, but the bitter stuff will still perk you up."
[[Get started on the case files now.]]
[[Grab a pick me up from the breakroom.]]"Excellent! I've really been looking forward to learning about it. While it isn't the work you're slated for originally, management has a very relaxed view of success for interns so we can take as much time there as we like."
He takes the lead again, guiding you through the maze of hallways. However, in one of the hallways that looks exactly the same as all the rest he motions for you to be quiet. He points over at a closet door in explanation. It's covered in warning signs not to open.
As you two are sneaking by, you here a thud coming from the other side of the door like something is trying to get out. Once you are past, he offers an explanation, "A while back someone decided to reprogram a cleaning robot. They made it capable of recognizing when someone litters, which would be fine, but they didn't include a memory dump and now its gone haywire and tries to attack any dragon it sees. That also wouldn't be so bad if the re-programmer didn't give it a sword for the express purpose of deterring litterers. We were able to lock it in a closet a few weeks ago, but none of us are looking forward to when it breaks out."
Mehra is a grey and red ridgeback with excellent posture. "Hello, Dalfryn. This is your intern? You both are the first to see this thing in action. I was just about to fire it up." She indicates the large machine behind her, then continues her explanation specifically for your benefit. "This is barcode stampers and logger. We have to log all incident reports into the archives, but it's getting more and more difficult to find things. I will be using this make a keyword list for each file and attaching it to the barcode given by this machine. It should be an all-in-one process. I just need to put the keywords into the console here, put the case file in this slot, and it should take care of everything."
"Are you going to do one now?" Dalfryn asks excitedly. The ridgeback nods and types a few things into the consol. Then she puts the file in the small slot on the side. There's a heavy whirring, and when it stops she pulls out the file with a barcode on it.
"Let me test it," Dalfryn reaches towards the file, making grasping motions with his claws. The ridgeback looks amused as she hands the stamped file over. Dalfryn take an attached handheld wand to the barcode, and with a beep a bunch of text appears on the console screen. "It works!
As the two are celebrating the success you see Charhynn skulk past. She definitely looks like she's trying to sneak somewhere and do something malicious.
[[Make excuses and follow Charhynn]]
[[Ignore Charhynn and help with barcoding files]]No time like the present right? You sit down to get started.
The first file you open is an incident report of someone in a workshop causing a fire. You were able to match it to the action plan in the booklet titled 'Standard Workplace Hazards - Property Damage'. You fill out missives to the ones in charge of sourcing replacement equipment and the cleaning crew, and send off those letters to the mail room. Filling out the archive form is very quick because there are only a five lines to fill out: Date, Location, Situation, Result, and Resolution. Details really aren't needed at this level.
Getting in the swing of you're able to get though most of the paper work pretty quickly. Most of them fall under the category of 'Standard Workplace Hazards'.
You're just finishing up with an incident of someone leaving all the lightbulbs partially unscrewed so that they flickered ominously when you notice that one of your case files has a second one jammed into the same folder. A related incident maybe?
You pull it out and can immediately tell that this file is different. 'Results of third exploration of the sunken manufacturing facility at site 097-B54.'
[[Show it to Dalfryn]]
[[Continue reading]]Work is always more enjoyable with something to sip or snack on. Dalfryn directs you to the breakroom but doesn't come with you since he already has a (likely cold) cup of coffee on his desk already.
Since you’ve never been this way before, you take a wrong turn and have to double back. You're coming at it from the opposite direction, when you see Charhynn. She's looking away from you, over her shoulder. Her body language is very sneaky, and she’s headed to the breakroom.
Lurking outside, you see Charhynn sneak over to an ice maker labeled *'Out of Order'* She takes off the back of the machine and removes something from it. You aren't able to see what it is because she warily looks around and you have to hide before being spotted.
You listen to her close the machine, but soon have to dash back down the hallway to avoid her coming back out. Once she's out of sight, you go in and see what she was hiding. Inside the ice machine is a plain metal canister. Opening it reveals the unmistakable smell of coffee.
[[Tell Dalfryn about what you saw]]
[[Hide the canister somewhere else]]You make your excuses and head out after Charhynn. Her body language is very sneaky, and you have to duck into a few handily placed doorways. Up ahead Charhynnturns a corner and you rush to catch up only to halt when she comes back around the corner and points an accusing finger at you. “Ah-ha! I knew someone was following me.” She pauses and lowers her hand. “I, well, huh, I’m a bit surprised that it’s you though. Why were you of all people following me? Wait! Did Charhynn tell you to? You did, didn’t you?”
She’s pointing again, but not at you. Dalfryn is strolling down the hall. Looks like he decided to follow you.
If I wanted to follow you, why in Stormcatcher’s name would I ask my intern to do it?” Dalfryn seems more amused than anything.
“You just wanted to throw suspicion off yourself. You know I’ll be the next employee of the month and you can’t let that happen so you’re trying to sabotage me. Obviously.”
Trust me I don’t think you’re the next employee of the month.”
You notice the ongoing thumping coming from a closet nearby. It’s covered in wanting tape. Both the employee are ignoring it.
It doesn’t matter what you think. I’m going to HR. The cameras definitely caught the way your shifty intern was stalking poor, little me. Good luck in the next performance review cycle then!” She smirks nastily at Dalfryn. Dalfryn actually looks a little concerned. Maybe she could get away with these accusations?
[[Distract Charhynn by opening the closet]]
[[Try to resolve the dispute]]Taking a quick glance at Dalfryn, you bend you head to read.
*Immediately, following the sinking of the maintenance lab at site 097-B54 (REF #506395) salvage crews were sent out to recover key resources, but were unable to due strong, unexplained magnetic interference disabling their salvage equipment. Contained within this document is a record of the attempt to recover the dichroic dispersion beam stabilizer without the use of large equipment. (For information regarding the acquisition and deployment, as well the unique properties of the beam stabilizer held at site 097-B54 see REF #39583).
While this expedition was a failure, it marks deepest exploration of the sunken lab yet and can help when planning further initiatives. Noteworthy events are presented in the order the expedition team encountered them as they progress from the top downwards.
Firstly, the magnetic field present increased exponentially the further down the team went. Using the measurements provided by the expedition team, we can conclude that the source is likely 500 meters below the current basement level of the lab assuming no structural compression.
Second, the lab is continuing its downward decent in periodic bursts. Its continued decent was verified previously, but it was unknown whether the progress slow to the extent of being unnoticeable or periodic jumps downward. During the expedition, the building started shuddering before making four large jumps downward in the space of 15 minutes, each jump being 3.2 meters, 4.5 meters, and 4.9 meters, and 7.8 meters, respectively. The shaking stopped at the end of the final jump. Some considerations when-*
You had been so focused on your reading that you didn’t notice Dalfryn coming up behind you. He rips the document from your claws. “What do you think you are doing?! I can’t believe you! You have been here for all of an hour and you’ve already broken the single most important rule.” He’s visibly furious. “Follow me.”
He pulls you out of the office and leaves you in a private room. It's nearly four hours later when the door next open. In walks a pleased Charhynn. She put on an over the top disappointed expression "I'm afraid that you aren't a good fit for our department. Since Dalfryn has been removed from his position, I'll be the one to escort you out. Please leave your hard hat on the table, you won't be needing it anymore.”You lift up one of the ceiling tiles and slip the canister up in between the wires and pipes. You grab what you came for from the breakroom and head back to work.
Its hours later when you are disturbed by some loud screeching. Dalfryn eagerly shuffles you out to see what the commotion is. Charhynn is yelling at a bewildered looking imperial. You make out the words 'supercharged blend' right before the imperial loses his temper.
The imperial bares his teeth, "*You're* the one who’s been stealing more than your share of the only good coffee we get here? I wish I had found it, just to rub it in your face, you snake." You can see heads popping up over cubical walls now.
"Excuse me? Look at you, you'll guzzle all of it in one day if I leave it out. You're the one taking more than your fair share, not me!"
The imperial is apoplectic, "I've made a point to never have more than a single cup just you and the others can have as much as you like while it lasts! Don't accuse me of guzzling it when you're the one who stole it!" In his anger, the imperial isn't being careful and with one massive, agitated swipe of his tail takes out a swath of cubicles.
Luckily, the dragons in them knew to duck and don't seem at all hurt. I mirror pops out of the wreckage. "You're the reason the supercharged blend was gone in less than a week?!" The mirror snarls and lunges at Charhynn, who immediately takes to the air to avoid her.
The chaos just seems to get worse. Most are mad at Charhynn but there are a couple that are madder at the imperial for the accidental destruction. Dalfryn pulls you under cover around the time someone pegs Charhynn with a ream of paper to knock her out of the air.
"Let's enjoy from a safe distance, yes?" Dalfryn doesn't seem at all bothered by this, quietly cheering on his officemates. He does hand you a stack of files, the expectation to keep working clear.You tell Charhynn that Dalfryn didn't put you up to it.
"See! I didn't." Dalfryn insists, but Charhynn scoffs. He adds dryly, "If I followed you every time you looked like you were up to no good, I'd never get anything done."
"Yeah right! Like I'm going to believe that. You just want me to drop my guard."
"I assure you, that really not it." Dalfryn interjects, but Charhynn is on a roll and doesn't pause.
"You've had it out for me from day one! Everything was fine until you showed up. We were a good department before you turned everyone against me."
Wait, turned everyone against her?
"I just-! Why does everyone like you? You're loud and obnoxious and you don't follow the rules, but you're the one who gets an intern. You started your little weekly club with everyone else and didn't invite-! I mean, why... why would I want to go to something like that anyway? Haha. Ha. I bet it's really boring. Everyone just...talking about work...and spending....spending time together." She trails off. It's the first time you seen her without a sneer or a smirk. She looks like she's about to cry.
Dalfryn looks stricken. "Err. That wasn't... I mean, uhh." He takes a moment to gather himself. "I didn't realize you felt this way. It's really hard for me to get along with you because I feel like you're always trying to put everyone else down. I'm sorry I excluded you. The after work parties started really small and unofficial, I should have made sure to invite everyone when it got big enough to include most of the office. I didn't think it through and I'm sorry."
"I forgive you I suppose."
You let her know how unacceptable of a response that was.
Chastised, Charhynn adds, "I'm sorry too. I haven't exactly been the nicest. You're right that I treat too many things as a competition. I'm sorry I've been going out of my way to antagonize you. I'm, umm, I’m really looking forward to the after work get together."
You make them shake hands. You only find out later how much of difference you made to the office environment. Charhynn's once sided fued with Dalfryn has been on-going since he joined. Now that she moved past her negative feelings, Charhynn spends a lot more of her effort trying to get along with her co-workers, even if she does think they need to be more rule abiding."Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to try that. I just need to make some changes to allow me to log keywords for multiple files and add a method to move the files through the machine. Maybe a wheel of some kind?"
Mehra starts muttering to herself. She's lost in her own world and it quickly becomes apparent that it's time for you and Dalfryn to go.
He takes you back to his office and gives you a run-down of your duties but you are hardly able to start them before a rumble shakes through the building. Dalfryn sits upright immediately, "That was on our floor." Dalfryn is off faster than you can blink.
He comes back twenty minutes later, looking a little bedraggled. "Well, the machine did not like having to process multiple files. The addition of a keyword que messed with the programming the machine used to link in the keywords. As the one who suggested it, I'm going to need you to come with me."
...
Dalfryn takes you to a room already filled with dragons. He claps to get their attention before announcing you as the cause of the accident earlier. A path clears for you.
Dalfryn told you what to do on your way here, so you aren’t surprised by the sign. However, he didn’t mention the polite applause when you make the changes to the sign as instructed. Facing the crowd you can see a varieties of emotions from amusement to pleasure to boredom. Dalfryn, specifically, looks proud.
The large sign behind you now reads: *'It has been* ***0*** days since the last accident.'*You interrupt Dalfryn’s intense focus on his own work to show him the document. He pales immediately and snatches it from you. “Oh man, they would have had my head. If you read this, I’d be on probation for months.”
He takes a few moments to read it in a bit more detail, looking more and more ill. “Never mind, I’d have been fired with just cause. Yeesh, I feel faint.” He pretends to faint dramatically into his office chair. “Oh I know! I can use this to bump you up a clearance level. The stuff you’ve been doing so far is important but if I move you up then you can start getting some really juicy stuff.” He scribbles on some sort of form before folding it up putting it in an envelope.
With your new clearance level, comes a new stack of papers. Unlike like your previous cases, these ones are a bit more complicated so you need to check-in with Dalfryn more often. Your day is spent in relaxed paperwork with spurts of friendly conversation. More than once the two of you will share a laugh over some crazy event you read about.
When the day is over, instead of sending you on your way. Dalfryn invites you to the unofficial weekly get together for swapping favorite incident reports. You meet a bunch of his coworker, who are pretty wild for a bunch of office dragons. Once you tell them your favorite incident report, they treat you like one of the crew, with all the jokes and laughter that comes with it. Charhynn is conspicuously absent.You immediately head back to Dalfryn and let him know what you saw. He gets more and more excited as you tell your story, and drags you back to the breakroom to check it out. He pulls out the coffee tin from the ice machine. Takes one sniff and starts cackling.
"I knew there was no way for this to disappear so fast. This is our supercharged blend. We only get a little bit per quarter because it's so popular. What do you say to letting Charhynn know that we found it." He places it back in the ice machine.
Dalfryn takes you around and introduces you to his coworkers, letting all of them know that there will be an informal get together in the break room later that day. He even invites Charhynn but tells her a time later than the others.
You are put to work fetching pastries and decorations. Dalfryn sets it all up including a big banner that says 'Thanks for the coffee!'
When everyone has arrived, he announces that they are throwing a surprise party for Charhynn. He clearly savors the uncomprehending looks he gets from everyone, though the confusion clears up as he explains the plan. Dalfryn’s coworkers are eager to get to know you. They’re competing to tell you of the most shocking reports they’ve read. Dalfryn told them that you were the one to find where their favorite coffee blend went, and makes you their new favorite person.
20 minutes later, when Charhynn walks in, she confronted with everyone holding a cup of coffee and an empty canister sitting on the table. No one speaks as she puts the pieces together. She looks angrily from face-to-face, until Dalfryn walks up to her. "I should have known it was you. Of course you're going to go out of your way to embarrass me like this!"
Dalfryn holds out a cup of coffee and leans in very close. "Don't steal the community coffee, Charhynn." He stares her down until she finally accepts the cup in defeat.
After the break, you and Dalfryn head back to his cubicle and get to work. You're able to get a decent amount done, but all you new coworkers friends keep stopping by and interrupting you.Charhynn isn't your problem. You stay with Dalfryn and Mehra.
The three of you start an assembly line with Dalfryn checking the files, Mehra inputting keywords, and you inserting the files into the machine. The atmosphere is jovial until the three of you take a break.
"Thanks for your help guys," Mehra says. "This is actually not as efficient as I hoped. The manual adding of keywords is taking a little too long. With that, plus needing to do one file at a time, I'm not sure this is any faster than it was previously."
The two employees are silent as they consider the problem. If only there was a way to make it more efficient.
[[Suggest adding keywords separately from the barcode]]
[[Suggest setting it up to do multiple files at once]]As soon as the door is open the cleaning robot bursts out and rams into the opposite wall. It’s large, domed carapace takes up most of the hallway. There are 6 sturdy looking multi-jointed legs, the joints protected with heavy-duty sheeting. Along its back are 10 arms, some are small and delicate and some just as powerful as the legs. Only the largest arm is active. It holds a Valkyrie Blade aloft threateningly. It looks like a battle robot more than a cleaning robot.
When it turns its head to focus on you, you see it has just a single large optic. For a brief second, the three of you share a panic glance before taking off running.
The robot lets out a loud, screeching whirr and charges after you. As you dash through a doorway into a connecting hallway, Charhynn pauses to hit lock behind you. Unfortunately, the cleaner has managed to gather enough momentum that the door breaks on impact, hardly even slowing it down.
Dalfryn is leading. He starts pulling ahead, and dashes around a corner far ahead of you. When you follow him, he’s messing with a closed door. “Don’t slow down I’ll have it open in a second!” The door dings open right before you reach it. It’s an elevator shaft. the elevator is directly above and stuck from Dalfryn’s hack job, forcing you to descend. Charhynn is right behind you, and nearly crashes into you as you both make the turn from horizontal to vertical. Dalfryn takes a precious few seconds following, executing a pinpoint-perfect midair twist to dodge the cleaner as it crashes its way into the elevator shaft.
The cleaner is coming down on top of your head. With no time to open any of the doors, the three of you are stuck in a hazardous decent, just barely keeping ahead of the murderous robot chasing you.
“Left!” Karen screams. Nearly at the bottom of the shaft, you spot the maintenance tunnel she’s indicating and you all speed your way inside. The cleaner isn’t able to slow its decent and crashes with earth-shaking thud and scree of metal. You all just take a few moments to breath..
“Dibs on filing the incident report,” Dalfryn winks."Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to try that. I just need to make some changes to allow me to log keywords to a barcode on a different console. Hmm, it wouldn't hurt to be able to scan the barcode and add keywords at my desk."
Mehra starts muttering to herself. She's lost in her own world and it quickly becomes apparent that it's time for you and Dalfryn to go.
He leads you back to his office and gives you a run-down of your duties, Reading though the files is pretty interesting, though most of the indents would be classified as accidents. You read about an alarming amount of fires.
It's toward the end of the day when you hear from Mehra again. She barges into Dalfryn’s cubicle with stack of new forms. "These are for logging keywords. Just make sure to write the ones that best apply and leave this at the top of the pile." She spots you and grabs your hand. "You were so right about adding them separate! This will make things so much simpler for me. Eventually, I'll get case files pre-barcoded and then these guys can add the keywords for me! It's the perfect solution! Hahaha!" Dalfryn seems a lot less enthusiastic about the added workload than Mehra.
You find out much later that the changes you suggested became part of their SOP, leading to an increase of effeciency of nearly 23%!"Great! Just read out the serial number and I'll pull it up. Here are the stamps." She hands you a home-made stamp bandoleer. Its very convenient but highly unfashionable. Well, unfashionable unless your fashion sense is 'Office supply raiding party'.
Nia had carefully extracts the staple from the manifesto and is laying out the pages in a semi-circle around herself. The mountain of packages looms over you.
[[Start at the top]]
[[Start at the bottom]]"Great! I'll sort!" Nia strike a pose with her bandoleer of stamps. "Here’s the manifesto, it all goes in order so it should be easy to read." Quickly, you and Nia fall into a really good rhythm of her calling out the serial number and you reading out the address. Nia then stamps and tosses it into the bin with the matching color. She’s prioritizing smaller packages, since she can actually lift those.
As you are a flipping through the manifesto you notice that many of the packages have symbols by their number. Some are obvious, like the plant symbol, some are alarming like the skull with cross bones, and some are indecipherable like the circle with an x through it.
[[Ask about the skull with cross bones]]
[[Ask about the circle with an x though it]]When you ask about the skull with cross bones, Nia screeches to a halt and immediately dashes over.
"None of those should be in here! Those were supposed to be priority. Oh no, oh no. They must have labeled them on the manifesto only, and not the box. I completely missed them!"
She take her a few moment for her to gather herself enough to give you an explanation "Those are, ummm, explosives... They're supposed to be priority so that they don't build up in the mail room. A lot of explosives in one place...if one goes off…" She winces. "We need to find them and get them out. This is more important than anything else."
She stops the sorting to give you brief rundown in bomb detection. "The packages carrying explosives look almost exactly like the others, since they didn't get marked. So then, we won't be able to identify them by sight." She hands over a rod. "This is metal detector, all the explosives have some metal in them. However, there are a lot of other packages with metal in them, so you'll need to use your sense of smell and the weight and feel of the package to figure out if it’s dangerous. Bombs are denser than most of the packages we get though here and have a very acrid smell to them. Bring them to me and I'll confirm."
It takes a while to get the hang of it. Nia patiently shows you how to tell that the incorrectly flagged packages are not bombs. Pretty soon the smell of explosive powder becomes very familiar to you and you can recognize the normal density of a bomb as soon as you pick it up. By the end of the search Nia no longer checks your work, secure in the knowledge that you're now an expert.
When it's time to for your internship to end. Nia thanks you profusely for your help, though you can tell she is sad to see you go."Oh!" Nia looks over to you with glee. "Did I miss some of those? They're my favorite. I try to separate them out right away. How about we get through a few more and then I'll show you more on break? Hehehe!"
On your next break, she takes you into one the other rooms. It's a very large and empty except for a stack of packages and an odd contraption next to the door. The scorch marks on the far wall are a little concerning. Nia hands you a pair of goggles and strongly insists that you wear them.
"This symbol means that the package has been marked for disposal." She pick up one of the packages and drops it down a tube in the contraption. Then she walks around the side and pulls out a sleek hunk of metal almost as large a she is. The machine starts to power up with a sharp whine.
"And, I mean, if it's just going to get destroyed, why not have a little fun with it?" With a loud *thwup* the pack is launched into the air. Nia take careful aim and in a burst of light the package explodes into ash.
"Isn't it great! Here you give it a go." Nia encourages as you try the shooting range. It takes you a bit to get the hang of aiming with such a heavy cannon barrel. She gleefully cheers you on as you help her whittle down the pile. Your break takes far longer than the suggested few minutes, but the fun you two had together makes the rest of the day more enjoyable.
When it's time to for your internship to end. Nia thanks you profusely for your help, though you can tell she is sad to see you go.You gingerly settle the helmet on your head, the visor falling over your eyes and blacking out your vision for second before the screen comes on.
*You're not Nia. No, no, don't take me off, do you have any idea how little I can sense when I'm not resonating with someone's nervous system? Speaking of, you need to eat more calcium.*
Any attempt to remove the helmet is met with resistance. The helmet is pretty well stuck on. *Oh come on don't do that. Just bring me to Nia and then you won't be my problem anymore.*
Bringing this thing to Nia is probably a good idea, she's definitely more equipped to deal with it.
*Yes, of course she is. You don't know anything about the mailroom, do you? Its fine, you just started today, and I know your meat-processors have some pretty harsh limitations.*
Leaving the garbage behind, you head back to where you last saw Nia. *Thunder, it's weird to feel your muscles sliding against each other when you move. Huh, I guess you must be too used to it to feel it.*
The towering pile is still present but you don't see Nia. *This place got pretty bad in my absence. If my frame wasn't being worked I could take care of this mess today. Whatever would you organics do it left alone?*
After searching both this room and the front entrance, Nia is nowhere to be found. Even calling her name doesn't bring her running. *Nia has to be here. It's working hours and she's always in the mailroom.* Can you detect a hint of worry in that robotic voice? *I'm not worried! It's just that she's very reliable so her absence is very unexpected.*
[[Wait here to see if Nia comes back]]
[[Go search for Nia]]You push into the crowd on the platform, making your way to the hulking behemoth rising above the chaos. It's a difficult process because you are constantly having to dodge out of the way of dragons intently dashing across your path.
Up close you can see the blue is marked with scratches and dings, the grey showing though the paint. Despite how sleek and pristine it looked from further away, up close you can tell that this a machine that get a lot of use.
The large racing stripe down undulates with dim light, pulsing from front to back. Hugging the edge of the train, you make your way down towards the end. Periodically, you see some patched bit of damage that cannot be accounted for in normal wear and tear. Most notable is a set of three windows that have been wielded over with metal sheeting. There are faint traces of blackened burn marks surrounding them.
"Hey! Don’t get that close! Stay behind the line." The dragon who brought you down here runs up to you, pointing an unnoticed line on the ground near the edge of the platform. "It's dangerous to get too close, especially if you're not linked into the engineering channel. What if it started moving while you were standing right next to it? What if you slipped down onto the rails?"
He drags you over to an open car being loaded with supplies. You get the feeling you're about to be impressed into manual labor again. He pulls you past a stack of lanterns and into the cargo area.
"Though I can't blame you for admiring. This old gal is pretty amazing. Trains are one of the preferred methods of transporting things around the Expanse. The rails are the arteries and veins flowing to and from the beating heart of the Expanse - The Tempest Spire! Without the rail crews many projects, both around the Spire and out on the fringes, would slow to a crawl. We're the ones that make sure deadlines can be met. We're the ones that keep the entire Expanse connected." This guy seems pretty passionate about trains. He not really paying much attention to you right now.
[[Explore the cargo area while he's distracted]]
[[Listen to him more, this is fascinating!]]There is an elevator off to your left, you assume it's for those who prefer not to fly up. When you reach the catwalk above your head to can see a much more detailed view of the chaos below, though it’s a bit quieter. The large operations booth hangs down in a dome from the ceiling, like a spider in its web of catwalks of various widths. Most of the catwalks lead to closed doors that would require a key card to open.
You make your way to the booth and head inside. There are a lot of mysterious consoles covered in switches and blinking lights. On one wall, dominating the room there is a huge map of all the railways in the Expanse. Around the Spire is a dense tangle of lines in various colors, some of which snake their way out and across other areas of the Expanse. Most colors are only used on a single line, predominantly in various shades of cool colors. Yellow and red seem to fill in the other parts of the map..
There a single dragon sitting slumped at one of the consoles closest to the map. You wander over. "...you're cleared to progress to W43-02A, approach in 45 seconds." She hits a few buttons on the console and the map changes, a previousy yellow line of lights changing to cyan.
The snapper only notices you when you're right next to her. "Oh finally it-" She pauses, eyeing your hat. "You aren't the relief. Are you supposed to be in here?" She blinks her eyes in an obvious attempt to keep them open as she listens to your story.
"Well, you're not supposed to be here. I'm just stuck here keeping an eye on this even though I was supposed to be off shift 12 hours ago. I have no idea where my relief is. Even though I've trying to get them on the line every fifteen minutes for the past six hours. But hey! While you're here, could go make another pot of coffee." She gesture to a pot on the desk. You don't see a cup, so she's probably been drinking straight from the pot.
[[Actually, you'd probably be good at this. Offer to help her work the controls]]
[[Sure, I can help make a pot of coffee]]This guy is bad news. You turn and dash back through the stacks. You can hear him following you. Chancing a glance back, you see him reeling his arm back to throw something at you. You duck around a corner and hear something whistle past your head.
You're faster than he is. By the time you make your third turn he's far enough behind to not see which way you went. What follows is very dangerous game of cat and mouse. You often have to listen carefully at the a corner to try are hear if he's there before gathering your courage to a peek. Multiple times you'd be ready to glance down a new passage only to hear rustle of fabric and have to quietly backtrack before he reaches you. In one heart-stopping moment, he turned onto the same corridor as you, luckily he was far enough away for you to lose him quickly.
You slowly and carefully make it back to the entrance of the car. The dragon you ditched earlier has been looking for you. He marches up to you and only stops himself from berating you when he sees the look of alarm on your face.
You describe your situation to him. "That's a bandit! What the heck is a bandit doing on this train?! Oh no, he's still in there. I'll call security. We need to leave. Now. These guys are brutal and merciless." He looks very worried as he guides you away.
He brings you to another car on the train. It looks like a breakroom. He starts to pace nervously. "Bandits are a very serious problem, though it's rare for them to attack an electrified rail because we're so close to the Spire. He must have stowed away and planned to disable the train at some point on our journey. You may have just saved our lives by finding him. Thank you."
All the train personnel are very grateful when they hear how you saved them. They all seem to be convinced that you have terrible luck, though.You make encouraging noises whenever he pauses and ask leading questions.
He first tells you about a journey where the storm hung low violent, the thunder rumbling in a constant growl that shook the train so hard he thought it was going to derail. He tells you about the only time the sun is visible around the Spire, sunset and sunrise, and about how they paint the clouds in a spread of colors so vibrant it brings him an aching sort of joy to see it. He tells you of close calls with bandits, and running out of power while on the fringes.
As he tells you these stories, you help him load up his cargo. You run out of crates before he runs out of stories and you're left standing there empty handed. He's looking at you speculatively.
"Does this stuff really interest you? It was really good to have another pair of hands. The route we're on is pretty safe and really you should see this stuff for yourself. If I vouched for you, I think we could get you on for the next circuit. It'd never work for a long journey where loading and unloading is done by different groups at each end, but because of all the stops we need a large cargo crew on this one."
...
During your journey, your guide (whose name you finally learn is Vekha) makes a point to show you everything he could. He takes you around to all his favorite markets, the most striking of which is a bazaar built in a natural fissure with paths and bridges in multiple layers climbing upward. The entire thing is lit with electric lanterns that paint everything in warm ambers and reds. You don't get to see any sunsets from the train, but he makes sure bring you up to the surface to witness it at least once."The engine? Well I guess it couldn't hurt to ask. Our lead engineer is pretty relaxed and loves to hear herself talk."
He takes you up to the front of the train. Things are a bit calmer up here, though it's still organized chaos. He introduces you to black and gold wildclaw.
"Oh well, I'd never be one to discourage learning. I have a little bit of time to give you an overview on how this old girl runs. So! I don't know if you noticed but this train is an electrified rail, so it operates a little differently from the other trains you'll see out in the Expanse." As she talks, she gesticulates wildly and enthusiastically. Clearly, she really loves her job. "All the electrified rail tracks have a third rail that supplies the current for the train to run so it doesn't have the typical engines you'd expect to see in the other trains since it doesn't need fuel. The supply of electric current we get from the third rail is converted by the motor to essentially pull the train forward on the rails using electromagnetism."
She abruptly turns towards you, slapping a claw down on a nearby console. Her eyes are alight with the manic glow of someone truly passionate. "These types of trains have better energy efficiency and lower emissions than the other trains, which why they're used around the Spire where the storms force us to run underground! I'm surprised a non-lightning dragon is taking interest in this. This is interesting to you, right? Of course it is. Hey, Crath! I've a new shadow for you in the next loop." She turns back to you. "Crath is a good engineer, he'll take good care of you." Looks like you're going to get a much more detailed crash coarse than you expected.
During the next circuit, Crath is constantly pleased by how interested you seem in his work. He does his very best to teach you everything he knows in a short amount of time. As you pull into the final station and prepare to leave, he only has good things you say about you and wishes you well as you take his knowledge with you."Help? Hmm, I guess I could use help with reading the schedule. My eyes aren't focusing too well right now. Here, take this list and read the next time, station, and identifier on the list when I ask for it." She scribbles out the top half so that you know where to start.
You read off the next listed departure and you hear her call them up and give them clearance for departure. You only make it through three when she tells you pause and starts talking to someone over the radio. You hear a thud and see the snapper you were talking to has fallen over.
She's fast asleep on the floor. No amount of shaking can wake her up and you can hear shouting from the radio at her consol. *"Dispatch? Dispatch come in! I need a follow up on our route, T minus two minutes to the junction."*
Unable to wake her, you pick up the radio fill him in on who you are. He's clearly alarmed at your lack of qualifications, but recognizes that you're the best help he has right now.
Speaking fast and clipped, he says *"I'm approaching the junction S43-04 from the due east. I need to know which of the routes was cleared for us to pass. We're approaching at-speed, so I need an answer immediately."*
Looking up at the map, it takes you a stressful amount of time to locate junction S43-04. You can see five paths branching off from the junction. The colors are as follows: north - light blue, east - dark purple, southeast - lime green, southwest - bright yellow, and northwest - dark green. You need to tell him which one is safe.
[[Light Blue]]
[[Dark Purple]]
[[Lime Green]]
[[Bright Yellow]]
[[Dark Green]]"Alright, scurry off then, try not to burn your wingtips," the skydancer nods, and the bogsneak grins triumphantly.
"This way intern, not far to the labs," the scientist directs as he leads you through a labyrinth of hallways and turns. The shades of blue lighting glow more and more purple in hue, dancing off the scientist's copper scales.
He stops at a set of metal doors, which chimes as its sensors detect movement.
*Voice... authorization... required*, a mechanical voice informs.
"Laboratory supervisor, employee number 60030899."
*"Authorization accepted. Welcome... Doctor Enigma.... It has been...three... hours... since the last...accident."*
"Sure, the door calls it an accident. We think of it more like progress." The bogsneak jokes as he leads you inside and the room opens to a vast area of white lab tables and shining equipment, alive with the hustle and bustle of activity. Walls of cupboards full of glassware and carefully organized vials of liquid chemical compounds line the back wall, interrupted by the glass windows of an overgrowing greenhouse with artificial sunlight streaming in from somewhere above. You follow the bogsneak through another set of doors, but these open without commands as dragons in safety equipment walk in and out frantically.
"Doc! There you are! Oh, good, you brought help. We need you in back in a moment. There's a problem with the conservationists. Something about endangered species and exposure to radiation. They want to speak to a supervisor," one calls from the doorframe.
"They always do," the bogsneak chuckles, "right, well wait here a moment, I'll be back with your assignment once it's sorted."
As he leaves you to your own devices, you continue to observe your surroundings. You notice some of the larger equipment. High powered telescopes, voltage containment units, and large metal cauldrons in separate chambers where scientists are mixing together some sort of chemical concoction. You find your way to an unoccupied chamber to have a glance around. There are the usual signs...danger, toxic, radioactive... but it is the switch board that is truly impressive. There are different levers and dials and blinking lights to command the mechanical system above, which is responsible for measuring and adding each element.
One lever stands out more than the others. It is shiny and bright red and has a curious piece of tape curled to one side. You can just make out the word 'pull' written on the end, but the ink is quite faded and that lever is practically begging for you to pull it.
[[I'll see what the sticker says]]
[[Pull The Lever!]]"Alright, scurry off then, try not to burn your wingtips," the skydancer nods, and the nocturne grins triumphantly.
"Ha, I knew ye would pick me, intern. This way, we're headed down to the workshop," the engineer directs as she leads you through a labyrinth of hallways and turns. The shades of blue lighting glow more and more green in hue, dancing off the nocturne's dappled scales.
She stops at a set of metal doors, which chimes as its sensors detect movement.
*Voice... authorization... required*, a mechanical voice informs.
"Workshop supervisor, employee number 61979797."
*"Authorization accepted. Welcome... Nora Maxfield.... It has been...three... hours... since the last...accident."*
"Sure, the AI calls it an accident. We think of it more like progress." The nocturne jokes as she leads you inside and the room opens to a vast area of cluttered benchtops and rusted parts, alive with the hustle and bustle of activity. Walls of cupboards full of wires, gears, and carefully scrapped engines line the back wall, interrupted by what appears to be a junk pile supported by an old steam train with missing wheels. You follow through another set of doors, but these open without commands as dragons in safety equipment walk in and out frantically.
"Max! There you are! Oh, good, you brought help. We need you in back a moment, there's a problem with the robot rights activists, something about scrapped AI parts and cruelty to broken down bots. They want to speak to a supervisor," one calls from the doorframe.
"Where do they get off? We made artificial intelligence. They don't feel pain. I would know," the nocturne rolls her eyes and they land on you, "Right, well ye wait 'ere a moment, I'll be back with yer assignment once it's sorted."
As she leaves you to your own devices, you continue to observe your surroundings, noticing some of the larger equipment and spotting a huge engine hanging inside of a side room with glass walls. The chains keeping the mechanical creation up are extended so that the engine has dropped into a pit in the floor below, making it easy to see down inside it.
As you draw closer, two of the glass panels push open automatically for you. You enter, finding the floor surprisingly cluttered with bits and pieces of shaved metal, stray gears, and several dropped tools.
You could make an effort to tidy up, impress Max when she gets back... but maybe waiting would be for the best.
[[Wait For The Supervisor]]
[[Start Tidying Up]]As you smooth the tape over you can make out the rest of the label, bright red letters spelling out **DO NOT** in large, bold font.
"Ah, you've already found you way to a brewing chamber." Doc interrupts cheerfully, "Very good. Have a look in here," he nods towards the cylinder towering above you and flies to the top in a quick leap, landing on the edge and causing the container to wobble a little with his weight. When you join him at the edge you can see down into the cylinder and notice it is empty.
"Work shortage. We had a full batch to start but with all the extensive test runs, we just couldn't keep up." He flies back down to the switchboard and uses a claw to carefully press one of the buttons, causing runes to light up below every switch, button, and crank.
"There are tubing systems directly above us, attached to tanks, upgraded for big jobs like this. The scavengers and field-claws keep them full for us," Doc explains as he hands you a scroll of parchment with the formula written on it, and shows you how to add the first ingredient. A port in the ceiling opens, pouring a measured amount of bright blue liquid into the cylinder.
"See? Pretty simple. Just stick to the instructions and set each lever to the right amount before pressing the button. If you need help, feel free to holler, but for now I need to go find some dragons to scoop up some endangered marzal from the launch site. Someone will be back to check on you soon." The bogsneak leaves you to it and you begin adding ingredients.
Yet, as you work, that big shiny lever keeps catching your attention. The runes below it read 'acceleration elixir.' It's not on the list Doctor Enigma gave you, but this could be your chance to improve the fuel and make it run faster.
[[Follow The Recipe As Written]]
[[Add The Acceleration Elixir]]Not that lever!
The moment you pull it, the ceiling moans and creaks above you. The sound of metal banging echoes through the glass-walled room and then there is silence. The whole lab seems to hesitate.
Then the ceiling above the cylinder opens up with a rush of supercharged, electric-blue liquid, filling the container quickly and causing it to spark and conduct the magic's electromagnetic waves. It shocks the switchboard, causing the buttons to begin to light up erratically as the cylinder threatens to overflow and the temperature in the room begins to rise.
*Unintended... reaction... in brewing chamber... twenty," the voice of the door chimes above you. "Temperature... increasing... rapidly. Neutralize... reaction. Neutralize... reaction. Neutralize-*
The voice continues on as you scramble for a way to stop the chaos. The flashing runes on the switchboard show one for water, which might do the trick... or you could always pull another lever and hope for the best.
[[Randomly Pull Another Lever]]
[[Throw Water On It]]You decide to continue sticking to the recipe, and as you reach the last ingredient on the list Doctor Enigma returns to lead you to your next assignment.
"Thanks to you interns, we now have enough fuel ready to be pressurized, but there's a problem with the vacuum tubing supply. Since most of our goods are scrapped, we have to make do with what we get. I figure a fresh, sharp mind like yours might be up to the task." The bogsneak winks at you from over his shoulder, seeming pleased with your work thus far.
He leads you into the back where various scientists are using robots to transport large containment units of fuel and pour them into an even larger cylinder that almost reaches the top of the vaulted space.
"Here we are, coils of tubing. You'll press that button to run water through it to find the leak, and then again to stop the water flow. You'll find small holes mostly, probably from the sand. Take what you need from the cupboards to fix it, just don't drink any toxic chemicals, yeah?" He leaves you in front of a well-organized lab table with stacks of carefully-wound tubing with one end attached to the ceiling above and the other taped to the mouth of an empty water jug on the floor. The button in question is not part of a switchboard as before, but separated atop a small metal box with a singular antenna branching off one side.
As you press the button the coils seem to spring to life, blue-dyed water streaming through and squirting out of pinprick-leaks. Noting their location, you turn the water off again and head to the cabinets, finding every type of glue imaginable and rolls of differently-colored duct tape.
[[Seal The Leaks With Duct Tape]]
[[Seal The Leaks With Superglue]]Now is your chance! You pull the lever for the Acceleration Elixir and the mechanism above the cylinder makes a whirring sound as the new ingredient is sent zooming through the pipes above you. Glowing neon-green liquid pours rapidly down into the concoction for a count of five.
At first, all seems well, so you continue on your merry way and add the remaining ingredients to complete the fuel formula as the temperature in your brewing chamber begins to rise significantly.
The cauldron bubbles over with glowing green foam that is steaming with heat as it pours down the sides.
*Sensors indicate a... thermoreaction... in brewing chamber... twenty.* A robotic voice announces above you. The lights on the switchboard grow dark save for the water button, while the light above the door blinks red to indicate your exit.
*Please... evacuate chamber for... sealing...or press... manual override to extinguish with... water.*
[[Manuel Override]]
[[Get Me Out of Here!]]You select a roll of duct tape from the cabinet and bring it back to your table, easily ripping off strips of the sticky bands and using them to tape off the leaks you noted. Another push of the button and you find more, but with trial and error you manage to get through most of the tubing before the supervisor returns.
"Duct tape fixes everything," Doctor Enigma jokes as he catches sight of you using it to create the perfect seal. "You know, when you finish, I could use your help with a side project. With the time crunch we had scrapped them, but with help from you interns, we just might make the cut."
It takes a while for you to patch every hole, but with a final push of the button you find no leaks and the lab workers cheer as Doctor Enigma announces their fuel is ready to be pressurized into the containment units at last.
"Alright intern, while they're doing that, we have two projects that could use the extra help," the bogsneak informs, "I'm a researcher at heart. My hope was to attach scanning equipment and temperature readers to the rocket so we can get more data regarding Stormcatcher's storm patterns and pressure systems, give it extra purpose and polish. There was also some talk about sending life into orbit, starting with our first familiar aeronaut. Finding out that a critter can make it would mean great strides for future dragon space travel.
[[Let's Deck Out This Rig!]]
[[A Familiar What-now?]]You select a vial of super glue from the cabinet and bring it back to your table, easily squeezing blobs of the sticky stuff over the holes you noted. After a short dry time, another push of the button reveals no leaks, but the tubing begins to stretch.
"Everything okay?" Doc asks as he catches sight of water swelling in the tube. Before you can answer there is a loud POP and the tubing breaks open, spraying both you and the bogsneak with water.
*It has been...zero...hours since the last...accident,* the robotic voice announces above you, but the supervisor simply laughs.
"Strike me down, that was lucky. If that was fuel this project would be done for! I'll shoot a message off to the engineers and tell them to send over their extra tubing. In the meantime, you can help with some heavy lifting."
He takes you over to a supply room filled with different crates and barrels and containment units of all different shapes, sizes, and materials. "You can grab the empty canisters from the shelving here and carry it out to the team. Its grunt work, but every little bit helps," Doc explains, gesturing to a shelving unit to your left.
As you approach you notice the top shelves are stacked with wooden barrels, while the bottom half houses metal capsules, all neatly organized and ready to go. You turn to ask Doctor Enigma which type, but he's already gone and you can already hear one of the team members calling for the next containment unit.
[[Grab a Wooden Barrel]]
[[Bring Them a Metal Capsule]]Beaming with enthusiasm, Doctor Enigma begins collecting equipment: a barometer, a thermometer, and sheets of ion collecting mesh. Each is set up with recording equipment and small electric-powered satellites which, Doctor Enigma explains, will send the data to the lab whenever lightning touches down on the rocket.
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell, up and out into the desert plateau. A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green lights your path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world as bright as day.
"Oh, you might want these," the bogsneak reaches into his lab coat pocket and tosses you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones he was wearing, "they'll keep you from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad, you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. "Alright, these are going to go on the outer shell that beaks off, so I'll need to weld them," Doctor Enigma calls over the crack of thunder, "you stay here with the pack and fly the parts to me one at a time. We'll get this done quickly and get you back inside, yeah?"
Together, you and Doctor Enigma attach the collection of scientific equipment to the rocket, working to the cacophony of thunder and lightning. When everything is properly attached, the bogsneak swiftly herds you back into the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "We saw you help attach all those parts, and at the last minute, too! Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheerswith cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way. "Here," Doctor Enigma turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue light up...."Beaming with enthusiasm, Doctor Enigma brings you to a room lined with cages full of different species of different sizes. "We don't test much on animals anymore. Big movement shut that down when I was just an intern myself. We do keep them for a bit if they're in danger by proximity. Ah, see, here are those marzals from earlier. They're safe and sound and we'll keep them that way until after launch."
He leads you past the lab's menagerie of familiars and stops at a crate made entirely of plastic. "This, though, this is *my* girl," he muses, offering you a single high-voltage almond, "open- palm."
You hold the nut out as directed and Doctor Enigma opens the latch of the crate. With surprising speed, a volten leaps for the almond, snatching it out of your claws and sitting to nibble on its tasty treat. "Rocket can withstand getting shocked, so the familiar needs to as well. Any bot would get short- circuited, but a critical mass volten? Why, we've been zapped more times than we can count, haven't we Viola?" He scratches under the critter’s chin and she lets out an electrical chatter, her fur glowing a moment with charge.
"If anyone, or anything, can make it, it's Viola. She's trained with me and two familiar experts. All we need is a team to help stock the ship with enough rations to keep her happy." He drags over a sack of almonds, laughing as Viola launches at them but he catches her and slips her back into the cage. "Carry her. I'll take these," Doctor Enigma orders before leading you out.
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell, and then up and out onto the desert plateau. A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green light your path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world as bright as day.
"Oh, you might want these," the bogsneak reaches into his lab coat pocket and tosses you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones he was wearing, "they'll keep you from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. "Alright, I'll fly up and get the shuttle door open," Doctor Enigma calls over the crack of thunder, "you stay here with Viola and the nuts and I'll call you to pass them up to me. We'll get this done quickly and get you back inside, yeah?"
Together, you and Doctor Enigma carefully situate the volten in the shuttle with enough nuts to feed a fully-grown tundra, let alone a tiny familiar, working to the cacophony of thunder and lightning. After one last goodbye to his pet and the closing of the shuttle door, the bogsneak swiftly herds you back into the spire and into a new room,. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "We saw you help prepare that volten for orbit. Our first familiar aeronaut, and at the last minute, too! Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way. "Here," Doctor Enigma turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue light up....""Well it's about time," one of the scientists gripes was you hand over the barrel. "What are you waiting for, a gold star? We'll need the next one by the time you make it back here. Get back to work!"
You return to the storage room and roll out barrel after barrel until Doctor Enigma returns to relieve you of the task. "Good news! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way. "Here," Doctor Enigma turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up....""Well it's about time," one of the scientists gripes was you hand over the metal container. "What are you waiting for, a gold star? We'll need the next one by the time you make it back here. Get back to work!"
You return to the storage room and carry out capsule after capsule until Doctor Enigma returns to relieve you of the task. "Good news! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket begins to launch. It begins to rise shakily, bolts of electricity sparking out of the fuel tank and curling around the rocket exterior. Though it is a bit of a struggle, it finds its way into orbit and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way.
"Oi, whitecoat. What gives? Ye didn't say anythin' about yer fuel tank bein' conductive. Whole thing could have blown!" The engineer from before approaches your supervisor, and Doctor Enigma shoots you a warning glance, "fittin' a rocket from the spire would be supercharged, though. Good on ye."
Doctor Enigma chuckles, "I'm glad you approve," he replies, “though for the last time, my lab coat isn’t even white….”
The nocturne laughs at the correction, dismissing you both with a wave of her claws. Doc waits for her leave before turning his attention back to you. "Here," he says, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."Thinking quickly, you slam your claw down on the glowing button and without hesitation the mechanism above the cylinder opens up, flooding the large container with enough water to fill it and causing a siren to echo throughout the lab.
*Fire... detected... in brewing chamber... twenty. Begin... evacuation... procedure.* The robot announces over the blaring alarm as blue-green flames licked along the mass of fizzing foam and the temperature in the room begins to rise even further.
As the flames cause the chemicals to evaporate, the room fills with thick, noxious gas that burns as you breathe and leaves a rotten taste in your mouth. You run for clear air as the scientists around you abandon their posts to see the commotion.
*Fire... contained,* the system announces as it forces the doors to slam shut. *Begin... exhaust... procedure.*
"Up there, intern," one of the scientists point above, where you can just make out a skylight thanks to a conveniently timed flash of lighting. As you fly your way to the top you notice there is an actual ventilation system with a maze of air ducts weaving through and around the tubes and into each chamber. If you could find the controls you could get cool air circulating throughout the building, but opening the window might work just as well.
[[Use the Ventilation System]]
[[Open A Window]]You run for the exit, barely skirting past the broiling bubbles that begin to slowly climb the glass walls. The moment your tail clears the doors, they slam shut. Several employees from the nearby modules abandon their own units to watch the reaction.
*Reaction... contained,* the system announces.
The room fills with thick, noxious gas. It slowly swallows up everything in sight until you can't even see the cauldron anymore. The glass walls of the room make a loud groaning sound and you hear a muttered "uh-oh" from somewhere among the small crowd of employees.
*High pressure detected in... brewing chamber... twenty. Begin... exhaust... procedure.*
"Up there, intern," one of the scientists point above, where you can just make out a skylight thanks to a conveniently timed flash of lighting. As you fly your way to the top you notice there is an actual ventilation system with a maze of air ducts weaving through and around the tubes and into each chamber.
If you could find the controls you could get cool air circulating throughout the building and relieve the pressure, but opening the window might work just as well.
[[Use the Ventilation System]]
[[Open A Window]]You search around for a way to turn on the fans and find a crank back down by the entrance. With some effort you manage to start the ventilation system, which slowly clears the gasses out of the chamber.
The system notices the change and lets out a chime. *Ventilation process... initiated.*
"Well, haven't we been busy?" Doc asks with a glimmer of amusement in his voice. He presses a button on the chamber, causing a powder to spray over the room, neutralizing the reaction.
*It has been... zero... hours... since the last... accident,* the ceiling voice announces and Doctor Enigma chuckles, softly at first, then harder and almost... maniacal.
"Heehee, accidents happen, silly hat. Haha! Let this be a lesson, okay? At least nothing... hee... went boooooom!," he winks giddily, "anyways, goooood news! Heehee! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launchy- launch! Ooh! follow me and we'll join up with the others!!" With overly abundant glee he leads you out into the hall.
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, taking longer this time as Doc almost appears to be lost himself. Eventually he leads you to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside.
"Haha sure have," Doc chortles, causing confusion to wash over Natalia's features.
"Doctor Enigma... have you been inhaling chemical fumes again?" She accuses with concern, and another laugh ripples through the bogsneak's throat.
"Heehee, minor... accident, ha! Venting still just... haha... circulates fumes around the labs. We're all a little loooooopy," he cheers with a dopey smile, clapping his claws together cheerfully.
"Yes... well, so long as it is reversible." Natalia glances at you, then back to your supervisor. "Hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" she insists, and turns her attention to some paperwork. A countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers and overly-enthusiastic compliments from the scientists. "Here you go funny hat," Doctor Enigma laughs, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Heehee, Natalia says you need to leave now. You can see your way out for the day, right? Ha! Stairs are... out there somewhere…. Just follow the blue lights up!"You push the skylight open, allowing fresh air to enter the space. As you continue on from skylight to skylight, the system notices the change and lets out a chime.
*Ventilation process... initiated.* Slowly, the doors to your chamber open, allowing the noxious gas to rise to the ceiling and escape.
As you find you way back down, Doc is waiting for you. "Well, haven't we been busy?" He asks with a glimmer of amusement in his voice. He presses a button on the chamber, closing the doors again and causing a powder to spray over the room, neutralizing the reaction.
*It has been... zero... hours... since the last... accident,* the ceiling voice announces and Doctor Enigma chuckles and turns his attention on you.
"Accidents happen, young intern. Let this be a lesson, and be grateful nothing went boom," he winks, "anyway, good news! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way. "Here," Doctor Enigma turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I... suppose... I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."With the pull of another lever, the mechanics groan and creak, adding to the cacophony of the alarm and robotic voice reminding you of the reaction taking place in front of you. The foam bubbles and broils and just as the chaos seems to reach a point of total anarchy, a rush of frothy yellow liquid drains into the cauldron from above.
The alarm silences, the lights flicker back to normal, and you hear a friendly chime.
*Reaction... neutralized.*
"Ah, you've already found you way to a brewing chamber." Doc interrupts with a knowing look in his eye, but he seems to let your little accident slide.
"If you recall, we're at a work shortage. We had a full batch of fuel to start with but with all the extensive test runs, we just couldn't keep up." He heads over to the switchboard and uses a claw to carefully press one of the buttons, causing runes to light up below every switch, button, and crank.
"I'm sure you've already figured this out by now, but there are tubing systems directly above us, attached to tanks, upgraded for big jobs like this. The scavengers and field-claws keep them full for us," Doc explains as he hands you a scroll of parchment with the formula written on it and shows you how to add the first ingredient. A port in the ceiling opens, pouring a measured amount of bright blue liquid into the cylinder.
"See? Pretty simple. Just stick to the instructions and set each lever to the right amount before pressing the button. If you need help, feel free to holler, but for now I need to go find some dragons to scoop up some endangered marzal from the launch site. Someone will be back to check on you soon." The bogsneak leaves you to it and you begin adding ingredients.
Yet, as you work, a flashing blue button keeps catching your attention. The runes below it read 'acceleration elixir.' It's not on the list Doctor Enigma gave you, but this could be your chance to improve the fuel and make it run faster.
[[Follow The Recipe]]
[[Try To Improve It]]Thinking quickly, you slam your claw down on the glowing button and without hesitation the mechanism above the cylinder opens up, flooding the large container with enough water to fill it and causing a siren to sound, echoing throughout the lab.
*Fire... detected... in brewing chamber... twenty.* The robot announces over the blaring alarm as blue-green flames lick along the mass of fizzing foam and the temperature in the room begins to rise even further.
As the flames cause the chemicals to evaporate, the room fills with thick, noxious gas that burns as you breathe and leaves a rotten taste in your mouth.
*Fire detected in... brewing chamber... twenty,* the voice repeats. You strain through the smog and can spot a fire extinguisher, but you could also bolt for the door and seal the chamber from the outside.
[[Use The Fire Extinguisher]]
[[Seal The Chaimber]]You decide to continue sticking to the recipe and as you reach the last ingredient on the list, Doctor Enigma returns to lead you to your next assignment.
"Thanks to you interns, we now have enough fuel ready to be pressurized, but there's a problem with the vacuum tubing supply. Since most of our goods are scrapped, we have to make do with what we have. I figure a fresh, sharp mind like yours might be up to the task." The bogsneak winks at you from over his shoulder, seeming pleased with your work thus far.
He takes you over to a supply room filled with different crates and barrels and containment units of all different shapes, sizes, and materials. "You can grab the empty canisters from the shelving here and carry it out to the team. Its grunt work, but every little bit helps," Doc explains, gesturing to a shelving unit to your left.
As you approach you notice the top shelves are stacked with plastic barrels, while the bottom half houses metal capsules, all neatly organized and ready to go. You turn to ask Doctor Enigma which type, but he's already gone and you can already hear one of the team members calling for the next containment unit.
[[Plastic Barrel]]
[[Aluminum Capsule]]Oh no, not again.
You press the button for the Acceleration Elixir and the mechanism above the cylinder makes a whirring sound as the new ingredient is sent zooming through the pipes above you. Glowing neon-green liquid pours rapidly down into the concoction for a count of five.
At first, all seems well, so you continue on your merry way, adding the remaining ingredients to complete the fuel formula as the temperature in your brewing chamber begins to rise significantly.
The cauldron bubbles over with glowing green foam that is steaming with heat as it pours down the sides.
*Sensors indicate a... thermoreaction... in brewing chamber... twenty.* The robotic voice announces above you just before an alarm begins to go off, the red light flashing above the chamber doors.
[[Panic And Mash Buttons]]
[[Get Help]]"Well it's about time," one of the scientists gripes as you hand over the barrel. "What are you waiting for, a gold star? We'll need the next one by the time you make it back here Get back to work!"
You return to the storage room and roll out barrel after barrel until Doctor Enigma returns to relieve you of the task. "Good news! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket begins to launch. It begins to rise shakily, bolts of electricity sparking out of the fuel tank and curling around the rocket exterior. A rumble of murmurs pass around the team as it dawns on them: something's not right here.
***BOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of blue-green flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Doc to break the tension. He starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Alright intern, you might make a fine employee yet. Here," the scientist offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify you but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what you do different the next time. You can see yourself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see you around, intern.""Well it's about time," one of the scientists gripes as you hand over the metal container. "What are you waiting for, a gold star? We'll need the next one by the time you make it back here. Get back to work!"
You return to the storage room and carry out capsule after capsule until Doctor Enigma returns to relieve you of the task. "Good news! I've got you interns permission to come watch the launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket begins to launch. It begins to rise shakily, bolts of electricity sparking out of the fuel tank and curling around the rocket exterior. Though it is a bit of a struggle, it finds its way into orbit and room is filled with cheerswith cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way.
"Oi, whitecoat. What gives? Ye didn't say anythin' about yer fuel tank bein' conductive. Whole thing could have blown!" The engineer from before approaches your supervisor, and Doctor Enigma shoots you a warning glance, "fittin' a rocket from the spire would be supercharged, though. Good on ye."
Doctor Enigma chuckles, "I'm glad you approve," he replies, but waits for her leave before turning his attention back to you. "Here," he says, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."With the pull of another lever, the mechanics groan and creak, adding to the cacophony of the alarm and robotic voice reminding you of the reaction taking place in front of you. The foam bubbles and broils and just as the chaos seems to reach a point of total anarchy, a rush of frothy black liquid drains into the cauldron from above.
The alarm silences, the lights flicker back to normal, and you hear a friendly chime.
*Reaction... neutralized.*
"Ah, you've already found your way to a brewing chamber." Doc interrupts cheerfully, seeming entirely unaware of your little accident. "AND you finished mixing the fuel! Adequate work, intern! In fact, with your contribution we have enough to launch! Follow me and we'll join up with the others...."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder. Orange flames boost the rocket up as, surprisingly, rainbow clouds of billowing smoke trails from the exhaust. It begins its steady ascent, finding its way into orbit and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way.
"Oi, whitecoat. What gives? Ye didn't say anythin' about yer fuel tank leavin' oil clouds. Whole thing could have blown!" The engineer from before approaches your supervisor, and Doctor Enigma shoots you a warning glance, "fittin' you would find a way to reuse, though. We'll have the scrapping team swing by and collect up the particulate matter for filterin'. Good on ye."
Doctor Enigma chuckles, "I'm glad you approve," he replies, but waits for her leave before turning his attention back to you. "Here," he says, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."
Thinking quickly, you rush out the doors and retrace your steps back to the main laboratory, following the sound of Doc's voice from there.
"No interrupting, intern," one of the scientists tries to stop you but you manage to catch Doc's attention and he drops everything to follow you.
"What is this, a viewing gallery? Get back to work!" He snaps at the sparks who had gathered outside to see what had caused the commotion. "It's good you got me, intern. The whole place might have blown," he presses a button on the outside of the chamber, causing the doors to slam shut.
*Brewing Chamber...sealed. Proceed with... reaction neutralization.*
With the press of another button, white powder sprays over the room, cloaking the foam and causing it to settle into harmless sludge. "There," Doc breathes, "that's better. Your creation is unusable now, but no matter, with the others helping we managed to concoct enough fuel for the launch. Follow me."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way. "Here," Doctor Enigma turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with green ribbon, "Natalia says you earned it. I don't have the heart to disagree. At least you know when to ask for help," the bogsneak says with a wink. "We'll see you around, intern, but you can see your way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."You pull the pin off the fire extinguisher, allowing the frothy white chemicals to coat the flaming concoction. The alarm silences, the lights flicker back to normal, and you hear a friendly chime.
*Reaction... neutralized.*
"Ah, you've already found you way to a brewing chamber." Doc interrupts with a knowing look in his eye, but he seems to let your little accident slide.
"If you recall, we're at a work shortage. We had a full batch of fuel to start but with all the extensive test runs, we just couldn't keep up." He heads over to the switchboard and uses a claw to carefully press one of the buttons, causing runes to light up below every switch, button, and crank.
"I'm sure you've already figured this out by now, but there are tubing systems directly above us, attached to tanks, upgraded for big jobs like this. The scavengers and field-claws keep them full for us," Doc explains as he hands you a scroll of parchment with the formula written on it and shows you how to add the first ingredient. A port in the ceiling opens, pouring a measured amount of bright blue liquid into the cylinder.
"See? Pretty simple. Just stick to the instructions and set each lever to the right amount before pressing the button. If you need help, feel free to holler, but for now I need to go find some dragons to scoop up some endangered marzal from the launch site. Someone will be back to check on you soon." The bogsneak leaves you to it and you begin adding ingredients.
Yet, as you work, a flashing blue button keeps catching your attention. The runes below it read 'acceleration elixir.' It's not on the list Doctor Enigma gave you, but this could be your chance to improve the fuel and make it run faster.
[[Follow Recipe As Written]]
[[Add Secret Ingredient]]You run for the exit, barely skirting past the broiling bubbles that begin to slowly climb the glass walls. The moment your tail clears the doors, they slam shut. Several employees from the nearby modules abandon their own units to watch the reaction.
*Reaction... contained,* the system announces.
The room fills with thick, noxious gas. It slowly swallows up everything in sight until you can't even see the cauldron anymore. The glass walls of the room make a loud groaning sound and you hear a muttered "uh-oh" from somewhere among the small crowd of employees.
*High pressure detected in... brewing chamber... twenty. High pressure detected in... brewing chamber... twenty. High pressure detected in... brewing chamber-* the voice is on repeat and as most of the sparks seem content standing to watch the show, you know there has to be someone in here who knows what to do, right?
[[Get Help?]]
[[Get Help.]]You decide to continue sticking to the recipe and as you reach the last ingredient on the list, Doctor Enigma returns to check on your progress.
"You finished mixing the fuel? Adequate work, intern! With your contribution we have enough to launch. Follow me and we'll join up with the others...."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket begins to launch. It begins to rise shakily, bolts of electricity sparking out of the fuel tank and curling around the rocket exterior. A rumble of murmurs pass around the team as it dawns on them: something's not right here.
***BOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of blue-green flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Doc to break the tension. He starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Alright intern, you might make a fine employee yet. Here," the scientist offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify you but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what you do different the next time. You can see yourself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see you around, intern."Now is your chance! You pull the lever for the Acceleration Elixir and the mechanism above the cylinder makes a whirring sound as the new ingredient is sent zooming through the pipes above you. Glowing neon-green liquid pours rapidly down into the concoction for a count of five.
At first, all seems well, so you continue on your merry way, adding the remaining ingredients to complete the fuel formula until Doctor Enigma returns to relieve you of your task.
"You finished mixing the fuel? Adequate work, intern! With your contribution we have enough to launch. Follow me and we'll join up with the others...."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Well, hurry over now, you don't want to miss the launch" Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Doctor Enigma's side to watch the rocket take off.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket begins to launch. It begins to rise shakily, bolts of electricity sparking out of the fuel tank and curling around the rocket exterior. A rumble of murmurs pass around the team as it dawns on them: something's not right here.
***BOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of blue-green flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Doc to break the tension. He starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Alright intern, you might make a fine employee yet. Here," the scientist offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify you but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what you do different the next time. You can see yourself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see you around, intern."Thinking quickly, you push your way past the small crowd and retrace your steps back to the hallway, soon bumping into an employee in a white lab coat.
"Ooooh. You look like you've been up to some hard work! Everything alright?" The ridgeback asks with a wide smile. "Aha, so more play than work I see, well lucky for you, I happen to be an expert employee. Been in every department, made my rounds, I can get you out of trouble for this one, no problem," he winks as he follows you into the labs with confidence. "Name's Steve, by the way. You might have heard of me. I'm kind of famous around here."
"Oh no, not Steve!" You hear one of the sparks gripes and there are murmurs as the crowd scatters, as if afraid of being in the same room with the mysterious ridgeback.
"Allllrighty, what do we have here? Oh, classic baking soda and vinegar reaction, I see? Very good, yes, what we need is to do this," he presses a button and a panel of buttons slide out of the door. It is identical to the one you abandoned inside.
*Alternative control panel activated in... brewing chamber... five,* the voice announces.
"Thanks, love," Steve replies, as if the artificial intelligence can hear him, and he begins pressing buttons with dramatic flair. Different colored liquids pour into the cauldron at different intervals, but the system continues to warn about the pressure. "Oh shush, we get it," he laughs to the ceiling as the chemical reaction intensifies, the overflow growing at a more rapid pace....
***BOOOOOOOOOM!***
The glass shatters, spraying shards in every direction. The outer walls begin to crumble as the whole laboratory starts to shake and groan. Pipes above burst, showering everyone with various unknown chemicals.
*Laboratory... compromised. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate-* the ceiling insists as a siren cries and you are herded out by the stream of employees. You are whisked outside with the others, the crowd of sparks and interns alike stopping only when another explosion causes part of the plateau to cave in, where the underground labs once stood.
You and the others barely make it to safety when you find yourself face to face with Doctor Enigma, the bogsneak seething with anger.
"In all my years of being a supervisor, I have never met an intern so- so-" he growls at his lack for words and shoves a certificate at you.
"Go. Just... go. Consider your internship officially terminated."Thinking quickly, you push your way past the small crowd and retrace your steps back to the main laboratory, following the sound of Doc's voice from there.
"No interrupting, intern," one of the scientists try to stop you but you manage to catch Doc's attention and he drops everything to follow you.
"What is this, a viewing gallery? Get back to work!" He snaps at the sparks, who scatter as the two of you approach the chamber. "It's good you got me, intern. The whole place might have blown," he heads for a crank at the side of the chamber and with a bit of effort gets it to turn. You can feel a breeze as the ventilation system whirrs to life and slowly it appears the gas in the chamber is dissipating....
***BOOM!***
The glass shatters, spraying shards in every direction. Doc does his best to shield you with his wings, grunting as the shrapnel hits him and his surrounding employees.
*Pressure... alleviated. It has been... zero hours... since the last... accident,* the robotic voice announces, and the bogsneak lets out a long breath.
"If you're hurt head to the med bay, you know the drill, sparks," he orders, before his seething attention turns on you. With slow movements he shakes out his wings, causing more glass shards to rain down. He reaches into the pocket of his lab coat and pulls out a certificate, shoving it into your claws.
"Get out. Just... get out. Follow the blue lights up and try not to touch anything on your way out."
Best to leave things how you found them. As you head back to the main room, you practically run into your supervisor.
"Oh, great Stormcatcher! Wot do ye think yer doin'? Make noise when ye walk or ye could get run through with a pipe 'round here. Don't want ye runnin' into dragons willie-nilly," she scolds lightly, finding a smile by the end. "I see ye found our baby. This girl's almost ready to launch, but we're havin' some setbacks with materials. We work mostly with scraps, so we get what we get in terms of quality. Have to take it back 'ere an' fix it. That's where ye come in."
She leads you into the back where various engineers are using robots to transport large engines and polish them back to looking almost new. The nocturne takes you over to a tool bench and shoves aside the clutter so a robotic arm can put a rusted part that looks almost like a metal bendy straw in front of you
"Believe it or not, this 'ere is our crankshaft. I know, pretty important for an engine that's supposed to go up by noon, but the scrappers kept bringin' back absolute trash. At least this just needs some spit an' elbow grease," she opens one of the drawers of the workbench and takes out a rag and bottle of mysterious liquid.
"Shine it up now, then straighten it as much as ye can. These notches are intentional but the pin should be straight," she gestures to each part, then claps you on the back.
"I'll check on ye later."
As she leaves you douse the rag in the mysterious liquid. Noting a sour chemical smell as you scrub the part, the rust slowly melting off to reveal smooth metal underneath. Cleaning it might be hard on the claws, but straightening it proves to be another challenge. You search your workbench and find two options. You could hammer the bend straight or heat it up until its soft enough to bend it back yourself.
[[Heat It Up]]
[[Stop. Hammer Time]]You start to clean meticulously, meaning to make a good first impression with Max. The curls of scrap metal are easy to swept away, then there's just the matter of organizing the different tools. As you begin sorting them you hear the clatter of metal crashing against metal.
Upon investigation you manage to spot a socket wrench had fallen and was now wedged down in the unfinished engine. Maybe you should have left the tools alone after all.
As you consider your options the sound of engineers returning to work catches your attention.
"Ready to start her up, make sure she's ready for the crankshaft?" One of the dragons' voices carry. If they start up the engine with the tool stuck in there, who knows what might happen?
Thankfully you now know what tools are available to you, and you had just placed down long needle-nose plyers. If you got the angle right you might be able to pull the socket wrench out and the engine would be good as new. Then again, there's always your own claw, though that might mean risking an arm in the process.
[[Reach In There Yourself]]
[[Reach In With Plyers]]The pin of the crankshaft heats up quickly, the center glowing red by the time it is ready to bend. With careful precision you take each end in your claws and with the gentlest of pushes you manage to straighten the bend out, good as new.
A whistle catches your attention and you find Max perched atop the workbench behind you. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, over-achiever. Let's get ye busy on somethin' a bit more yer speed, eh? Come with me," Max hops off the bench and you again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell and up and out onto the desert plateau.
A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green lighting you path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world bright as day.
"Oh, ye might want to put these on," the nocturne turns to toss you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones she wears, "they'll keep ye from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. A cluster of interns are out with another employee who seems to be struggling to get them to hang on to a large white parachute stretched between them.
"Time for some leadership skills. Ye an' the other interns can work together to shove this 'ere parachute into the rocket so when the outer capsule falls off it don't plummet down and blow a creator in the plateau" Max calls over the crack of thunder, "I'm leaving ye charge, Crankshaft. Let's see what ye can do." She gestures to the other spark and together the two seasoned employees wait to see what you will do, while your fellow interns look to you for instruction.
"We should just stuff it in, then?" One suggests, barely audible over a crack of lightning.
"Wouldn't it be better to fold it... um... Crankshaft?" Another asks you.
[[Fold The Parachute Neatly]]
[[Stuff The Parachute In]]You grab the hammer and, pinning the crankshaft to the surface of the workbench, you begin trying to hammer out the bend. Yet, the pin of the crankshaft seems tough as, well, steel. It hardly yields under the hammer so you put more strength into each motion, hammering again and again to no avail. With one last swing you put all your strength in and-
**BANG!**
The crankshaft splits into two parts. They're both straight now, but they're useless unless connected. Hopefully you can fix it before Max comes back to check on you.
Looking around your workspace you find multiple rolls of duct tape amongst the clutter. Nothing is of much use in the drawers besides a vile of super glue that seems mostly crusted over. Either seem able to put the crankshaft back together, but which one will keep it that way?
[[Try Duct Tape]]
[[Go With Super Glue]]Deciding to fold the parachute neatly, your team of interns work together to keep hold of the canvas-like material as you direct them through every step. It's slow moving because of the wind, but together you manage to minimize the space the parachute takes up. After fitting it easily into the rocket's compartment, you receive a friendly smirk from the employee you temporarily replaced.
"Right, back inside then," he commands, and you follow the group back to the spire, where Max stops you.
"I'm not really the type for compliments, so I mean it when I say ye been doin' well and workin' hard. I think with yer help I can add the extra touches the whitecoats keep insistin' we've no time for. I made a guidance an' return system that'll help us choose where the rocket lands when it leaves orbit, but I can't help but think it would be funnier to paint 'er up with flames or somethin' jus' to see their tails get in a tiff. What de ye think?"
[[Attach Guidance And Return System]]
[[Go-Faster Stripes!]]At your direction, you and the other interns work together to stuff the parachute into the rocket. Even with all of you shoving and stuffing, the parachute seems unwilling to fit.
"Pull it out and try again," calls the employee you replaced, his voice carrying easily between lightning shocks. As you and the other interns do as instructed, it takes more effort to take the parachute out then it did to stuff it in. When you finally free it from the rocket, you notice several rips from where the canvas caught on the hatch.
Thankfully, the two experienced sparks seem to be engaged in conversation, giving you a window to fix the parachute before they notice. You remember seeing some duct tape back in the workshop, but heading back inside might bring attention to the damage.
If only there were a supply of crafting materials and fabrics readily available to you. There certainly was enough for all your silly hats.
Wait a minute....
[[Run Inside For Duct Tape And Hope They Don't Notice]]
[[Scrap Materials From Your Silly Hardhats To Patch The Parachute]]You select a roll of duct tape from amongst the clutter and use it to stick the crankshaft back together, easily ripping off strips of the sticky bands and twisting it around the metal.
"Duct tape fixes everything," Max jokes as she catches sight of you using it from her perch on the workbench behind yours. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, over-achiever. Let's get ye busy on somethin' a bit more yer speed, eh? Come with me," Max hops off the bench and you again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell and up and out onto the desert plateau.
A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green lighting you path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world bright as day.
"Oh, ye might want to put these on," the nocturne turns to toss you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones she wears, "they'll keep ye from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. A cluster of interns are out with another employee who seems to be struggling to get them to hang on to a large white parachute stretched between them.
"Time for some leadership skills. Ye an' the other interns can work together to shove this 'ere parachute into the rocket so when the outer capsule falls off it don't plummet down and blow a creator in the plateau" Max calls over the crack of thunder, "I'm leaving ye charge, Crankshaft. Let's see what ye can do." She gestures to the other spark and together the two seasoned employees wait to see what you will do, while your fellow interns look to you for instruction.
"We should just stuff it in, then?" One suggests, barely audible over a crack of lightning.
"Wouldn't it be better to fold it... um... Crankshaft?" Another asks you.
[[Fold It Neatly]]
[[Stuff It In]]You pick the crusted glue off the tip of the bottle and use its contents to stick the crankshaft back together, easily piping strands of the sticky goo and holding both pieces in place until they fuse.
A whistle catches your attention and you find Max perched atop the workbench behind you. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, over-achiever. Let's get ye busy on somethin' a bit more yer speed, eh? Come with me," Max hops off the bench and you again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell and up and out onto the desert plateau.
A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green lighting you path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world bright as day.
"Oh, ye might want to put these on," the nocturne turns to toss you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones she wears, "they'll keep ye from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. A cluster of interns are out with another employee who seems to be struggling to get them to hang on to a large white parachute stretched between them.
"Time for some leadership skills. Ye an' the other interns can work together to shove this 'ere parachute into the rocket so when the outer capsule falls off it don't plummet down and blow a creator in the plateau" Max calls over the crack of thunder, "I'm leaving ye charge, Crankshaft. Let's see what ye can do." She gestures to the other spark and together the two seasoned employees wait to see what you will do, while your fellow interns look to you for instruction.
"We should just stuff it in, then?" One suggests, barely audible over a crack of lightning.
"Wouldn't it be better to fold it... um... Crankshaft?" Another asks you.
[[Fold It Neatly]]
[[Stuff It In]]You reach in slowly, carefully fumbling for the tool but managing to get your claws on it. Success! You set the tool aside and quickly make for the door, almost running into Max on the other side.
"Oh great Stormcatcher! Wot do ye think yer doin'? Make noise when ye walk or ye could get run through with a pipe 'round here. Don't want ye runnin' into dragons willie-nilly," she scolds lightly, finding a smile by the end. "I see ye found our baby. This girl's almost ready to launch, but we're havin' some setbacks with materials. We work mostly with scraps, so we get what we get in terms of quality. Have to take it back 'ere an' fix it. That's where ye come in."
She leads you into the back where various engineers are using robots to transport large engines and polish them back to looking almost new. The nocturne takes you over to a tool bench and shoves aside the clutter so a robotic arm can put a rusted part in front of you that looks almost like a metal bendy straw.
"Believe it or not, this 'ere is our crankshaft. I know, pretty important for an engine that's supposed to go up by noon, but the scrappers kept bringin' back absolute trash. At least this just needs some spit an' elbow grease," she opens one of the drawers of the workbench and takes out a rag and bottle of mysterious liquid.
"Shine it up now, then straighten it as much as ye can. These notches are intentional but the pin should be straight," she gestures to each part, then claps you on the back.
"I'll check on ye later."
As she leaves you douse the rag in the mysterious liquid. Noting a sour chemical smell as you scrub the part, the rust slowly melting off to reveal smooth metal underneath. Cleaning it might be hard on the claws, but straightening it proves to be another challenge. You search your workbench and find two options. You could hammer the bend straight or heat it up until its soft enough to bend it back yourself.
[[Heat & Bend]]
[[Stop, Hammer Time]]You reach in slowly, carefully fumbling for the tool and just barely managing to get the plyers to grab hold of it. Slowly, you attempt to extract it with your plyers but the socket wrench catches on part of the engine and clatters down again, this time deeper into the unfinished machine.
So, you try again, this time reaching in further and attempting to turn the wrench vertical so it doesn't catch again. As you pull one end of the socket wrench upwards the back of your claw catches the machine and the plyers fumble out of your grasp.
Now there are two tools wedged down deep into the engine.
"You there, intern. What are you doing in there? You could get hurt! Come on this side, you can help us test if you'd like," one of the employees calls from the other side of the glass.
You do as you're told and join them, watching as they press several buttons and a door inside the chamber opens. Four robot arms on wheels enter, making cheerful whirring noises as they align themselves on each side of the engine. "Now, it's missing two parts but our friends here will take care of that," one of the engineers explains. With another button press a green light flashes in the room and the robots respond by reaching in to turn the pistons. The test only goes on for a few seconds before they turn the light off.
"Not bad, eh? Should go as planned once the crankshaft fits in." The employee enthuses, "still could use a dragon's touch. As you were, intern." They dismiss you and enter the chamber, chatting with the robots who seem to whir and beep in understanding.
They clearly didn't notice the extra... "parts" you dropped in. No need to tell anyone then, right?
[[Tell Someone What Happened]]
[[Keep It Quiet]]The pin of the crankshaft heats up quickly, the center glowing red by the time it is ready to bend. With careful precision you take each end in your claws and with the gentlest of pushes you manage to straighten the bend out, good as new.
A whistle catches your attention and you find Max perched atop the workbench behind you. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, over-achiever. Let's get ye busy on somethin' a bit more yer speed, eh? Come with me," Max hops off the bench and you again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a different stairwell and up and out onto the desert plateau.
A thick blanket of clouds blocks the sun, blue and green lighting you path as the occasional flash of lightning hits the spire behind you and illuminates the world bright as day.
"Oh, ye might want to put these on," the nocturne turns to toss you a pair of tinted goggles similar to the ones she wears, "they'll keep ye from being blinded by the flashes."
As you grow closer to the launch pad you see the rocket looming over you. It is a lot more cluttered than sleek, a hodgepodge of scavenged parts and technological advances, but it is clear that great time and care was put into its construction. A cluster of interns are out with another employee who seems to be struggling to get them to hang on to a large white parachute stretched between them.
"Time for some leadership skills. Ye an' the other interns can work together to shove this 'ere parachute into the rocket so when the outer capsule falls off it don't plummet down and blow a creator in the plateau" Max calls over the crack of thunder, "I'm leaving ye charge, Crankshaft. Let's see what ye can do." She gestures to the other spark and together the two seasoned employees wait to see what you will do, while your fellow interns look to you for instruction.
"We should just stuff it in, then?" One suggests, barely audible over a crack of lightning.
"Wouldn't it be better to fold it... um... Crankshaft?" Another asks you.
[[Take Time & Fold]]
[[Stuff It]]You grab the hammer and, pinning the crankshaft to the surface of the workbench, you begin trying to hammer out the bend. Yet, the pin of the crankshaft seems tough as, well, steel. It hardly yields under the hammer so you put more strength into each motion, hammering again and again to no avail. With one last swing you put all your strength in and-
**BANG!**
-the crankshaft splits into two parts. They're both straight now, but they're useless unless connected. Hopefully you can fix it before Max comes back to check on you.
Looking around your workspace you find multiple rolls of duct tape amongst the clutter. Nothing is of much use in the drawers besides a vile of super glue that seems mostly crusted over. Either seem able to put the crankshaft back together, but which one will keep it that way?
[[Super Glue]]
[[Duct Tape]]You turn back and attempt to approach the engineers, but they dismiss you with a wave of their claws, "not now, intern. The real engineers busy."
"Max is your go-to. Not us," the other dragon adds, sending you back into the main workshop to seek out the nocturne. You can just barely make out her distinct accent trailing out from the back room and head for the door, nearly running into another dragon on the way.
"Hey there, silly hat! You okay? Kind of spooked me there," the ridgeback laughs as he steps aside so you can get through but blocking the door on the way.
"Move it Steve," another dragon pushes through, but the ridgeback seems un-phased.
"Oh! Well, I guess that makes me Steve then, huh. You might have heard of me. I'm sort of famous around these parts."
"More like infamous," another dragon mutters as they squeeze past. If the 'celebrity' heard it, he certainly seemed to take it well.
"If you need anything, you come to your Auntie Steve, okay? I'm not as stiff as the rest of the sparks, won't report you if there are any... accidents." The ridgeback winks at you mischievously.
[[Find Max]]
[[Tell Steve]]You turn to look for Max and almost run into her on your way to the back room.
"Oh, great Stormcatcher! Wot do ye think yer doin'? Make noise when ye walk or ye could get run through with a pipe 'round here. Don't want ye runnin' into dragons willie-nilly," she scolds lightly, finding a smile by the end. "I see ye found our baby. This girl's almost ready to launch, but we're havin' some setbacks with materials. We work mostly with scraps, so we get what we get in terms of quality. Have to take it back 'ere an' fix it. That's where ye come in."
She leads you back to where various engineers are using robots to transport large engines and polish them back to looking almost new. The nocturne takes you over to a workbench and shoves aside the clutter so a robotic arm can put a rusted part in front of you that looks almost like a metal bendy straw.
"Believe it or not, this 'ere is our crankshaft. I know, pretty important for an engine that's supposed to go up by noon, but the scrappers kept bringin' back absolute trash. At least this just needs some spit an' elbow grease," she opens one of the drawers of the workbench and takes out a rag and bottle of mysterious liquid.
"Shine it up now, if ye do a good job it may be the difference of the rocket goin' up or goin' up in flames. Wouldn't be the first time, but we're hopin' this is gonna help us make a real mark in the skies, and ye should be honored to be a part of it, yeah?"
"I'll check on ye later," she adds as she turns to leave you to your task.
As she leaves you douse the rag in the mysterious liquid. Noting a sour chemical smell as you scrub the part, the rust slowly melting off to reveal smooth metal underneath. Cleaning it might be hard on the claws, but you shine it up easily enough, Max's words on repeat in your mind as you work.
Considering where you left those tools, your contribution really could be the reason the rocket goes up in flames. This might be your last chance to tell someone.
[[Snitches Get Stitches]]
[[Anything To Stop The Guilt Trip]]You excuse yourself as you duck around Steve and continue searching for your supervisor.
"No interrupting, intern," one of the scientists try to stop you on the other side, but you manage to catch Max's attention and she drops everything to follow you back to the engine. "Stop what yer doin' we've got a situation," she commands the engineers, who step back without question. "Show me," she requests, and follows your direction to where you last felt the parts. "Mm," the nocturne pulls her goggles over her eyes and presses a button on the side, causing a light in the center to shine down, barely illuminating the plyer handles.
"I've got just the AI for this," she assures, patting you on the shoulder. She slips two claws in her maw and whistles. Moments later another robotic arm on wheels zooms in. Unlike the others, this one only has two claws, which it opens and closes in acknowledgement.
"Clamps, we need ye buddy. Initiate laser tracking." With another tap of her goggles the light switches over to a green laser pointer. She shines it on the plyer handles and Clamps whirrs and follows it, the robot's neck extending down into the machine so its claws can pinch round the plyers. "Hold out yer claws," Max tells you, and shines the laser onto your pads.
With a few clinks of metal and several more whirrs, Clamps retrieves the tools and returns both to you with happy robotic chirps.
"It's good ye got me, intern. The whole rocket could have fallen apart," Max commends as she turns off the laser. "Run the final tests on a closed loop. As soon as you confirm she's steady you can make the instillation. Intern, follow me, let's get goin'. By the time we get to the launch viewing, they'll be installin' the engine."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. It sputters as it continues its accent slowly, and Max gives you a curious side glance. Before she can ask you anything, the room is filled with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way.. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."Steve winks at you mischievously and listens to your plight.
"No worries, I solve problems like this alll the time. Follow me!" The ridgeback leads you back over to the engine, which is now unattended, and has you point out where the tools were last located. "Okay, I know what to do. I'll get an opening for you, and you reach in and grab them out." He picks up a hammer and wedges the back against part of the engine, tilting the tool to pull apart some of the metal, allowing you more room to reach inside and remove the tools.
One tricky game of operation later and you successfully remove the tools, but when Steve releases the hammer there is a solid BANG and it falls down deep into the engine, followed by what appears to be an essential part of the engine.
Before either of you can attempt to fix the problem, the engineers return and once again shoo you from their workplace.
"There ye are, intern. Ye got that part nice and polished. Clamps is set to help install it now," Max greets you by the control panel, gesturing to a fifth robot arm that enters with your cleaned part. "Steve... keeping yer claws to yerself I hope?" The nocturne adds and the ridgeback gives an enthusiastic nod.
"Right then, let's get goin', by the time we get to the launch viewing, they'll be installin' the engine."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing with smoke, making way for orange flames as the rocket begins its launch. Max gives you a curious side glance. Her maw opens to speak but she's caught off by a near-deafening-
***BOOOOOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Max to break the tension. She starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Wow, Crankshaft. Ye might make a fine employee yet. 'Ere," the engineer offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify ye but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what ye do different next time. For example, never get help from Steve," she advises sternly, but her smile returns. "Ye can see yerself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see ye 'round."A whistle catches your attention and you find Max perched atop the workbench behind you. "That part looks good as new. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two claws as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, Crankshaft. Let's get goin', by the time we get to the launch viewing, they'll be installing the engine."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing with smoke, making way for orange flames as the rocket begins its launch. Max gives you a curious side glance. Her maw opens to speak but she's caught off by a near-deafening-
***BOOOOOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Max to break the tension. She starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Well, Crankshaft, ye might make a fine employee yet. 'Ere," the engineer offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify ye but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what ye do different next time. Ye can see yerself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see ye 'round."You leave the crankshaft on your work surface and head for the doors in the hopes of running into Max again, but instead you bump into another employee, a ridgeback who jumps slightly at the barely-avoided collision.
"Hey there, silly hat! You okay? Kind of spooked me there," the dragon laughs as he steps aside so you can get through but blocking the door on the way.
"Move it Steve," another engineer says as she pushes through, but the ridgeback seems un-phased.
"Oh! Well, I guess that makes me Steve then, huh. You might have heard of me. I'm sort of famous around these parts."
"More like infamous," another dragon mutters as they squeeze past. If the 'celebrity' heard it, he certainly seemed to take it well.
"If you need anything, you come to your Auntie Steve, okay? I'm not as stiff as the rest of the sparks, won't report you if there are any... accidents." Steve winks at you mischievously and listens to your plight.
"No worries, I solve problems like this all the time. Follow me!" The ridgeback leads you back over to the engine, which is now unattended, and has you point out where the tools were last located. "Okay, I know what to do. I'll get an opening for you, and you reach in and grab them out." He picks up a hammer and wedges the back against part of the engine, tilting the tool to pull apart some of the metal, allowing you more room to reach inside and remove the tools.
One tricky game of operation later and you successfully remove the tools, but when Steve releases the hammer there is a solid BANG and it falls down deep into the engine, followed by what appears to be an essential part of the engine.
Before either of you can attempt to fix the problem, the engineers return and once again shoo you from their workplace.
"There ye are, intern. Ye got that part nice and polished. Clamps is set to help install it now," Max greets you by the control panel, gesturing to a fifth robot arm that enters with your cleaned part. "Steve... keeping yer claws to yerself I hope?" The nocturne adds and the ridgeback gives an enthusiastic nod.
When the robotic assistants finish putting the final part in place, they rearrange themselves to make an advanced engine test stand. Screens flicker to life within the glass walls, the data newly displayed is stagnant until Max gives her command.
"Ach, good. Right then, fire it up when ready, one last test of moving parts before we put 'er in the rocket proper. We're lookin' for 'er to be steady, so go for a closed loop." With a press of a button the engine starts to come to life, lines of data appearing on the screens as the engineers watch carefully.
The sensors detect the problem first, picking up on an unstable frequency just as the engine rumbles and lets out a metallic scream of grinding gears. "Should we turn it off?" One of the employees ask as the engine rattles and shakes and begins to smoke from the strain of movement.
"Adding a crankshaft shouldn't have caused THIS! What happened?" The other engineer scrambles and starts pressing buttons as the engine begins to spark. Max turns to you with a stern gaze, though her eyes slowly wander to Steve.
"What did ye two get up to?" She accuses, "whatever it was ye need to fix it. This gal's supposed to launch a rocket by-"
"Max, we have a problem!"
With clattering and clanking the engine is falling to pieces on the workshop floor. The robots continue to move it but soon find themselves with nothing but stray parts.
"Get out." Max snaps bitterly at Steve, who immediately turns on his heel and leaves the workshop. The nocturne lets out a long sigh as she gazes over the loss of hours and hours of hard work. "Ye too," she adds, her gaze seething as it turns on you. "Take this and go." She shoves a certificate at you and looks away.
Better get going.You pick the crusted glue off the tip of the bottle and use its contents to stick the crankshaft back together, easily piping strands of the sticky goo and holding both pieces in place until they fuse.
A whistle catches your attention and you find Max perched atop the workbench behind you. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. Nice and straight. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, Crankshaft. Let's get goin', by the time we get to the launch viewing, they'll be installing the engine."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing with smoke, making way for orange flames as the rocket begins its launch. Max gives you a curious side glance. Her maw opens to speak but she's caught off by a near-deafening-
***BOOOOOOOOOOM!***
The rocket is barely off the launch pad when it explodes, going up in a ball of flames.
The room grows quiet for what seems like an eternity, only for Max to break the tension. She starts with a chuckle, quickly rolling over into hysterical laughter as the other sparks join in.
"Wow, Crankshaft. Ye might make a fine employee yet. 'Ere," the engineer offers you a certificate. "Natalia wanted to certify ye but I had a better idea. Booms happen. What matters is what ye do different next time. Ye can see yerself out for the day though, make a left and follow the blue lights up. We'll see ye 'round."
You select a roll of duct tape from amongst the clutter and use it to stick the crankshaft back together, easily ripping off strips of the sticky bands and twisting it around the metal.
"Duct tape fixes everything," Max jokes as she catches sight of you using it from her perch on the workbench behind yours. "That's usin' yer resources if I ever saw it. We'll have Clamps 'ere bring it to the engines." The robot arm from before opens and closes its two fingers as if asking for you to hand over the part. With a cheerful whir it takes the crankshaft and rolls away through the double doors.
"Right then, Crankshaft. Let's get goin', by the time we get to the launch viewing, they'll be installing the engine."
You again find yourself twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, this time leading to a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing with sparkling, silver smoke, making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. Max gives you a curious side glance, but before she can ask you anything, the room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments.
"'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...." and room is filled with cheers and a few lackluster compliments directed your way.Deciding to fold the parachute neatly, your team of interns work together to keep hold of the canvas-like material as you direct them through every step. It's slow moving because of the wind, but together you manage to minimize the space the parachute takes up. After fitting it easily into the rocket's compartment, you receive a friendly smirk from the employee you temporarily replaced.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. It sputters as it continues its accent slowly, and Max gives you a curious side glance. Before she can ask you anything, the room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."At your direction, you and the other interns work together to stuff the parachute into the rocket. It takes all of you to push the mess of canvas in and two dragons to close the latch. In the end you manage to get it in, and the sound of Max calling the interns back inside sparks excitement amongst the group once again.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. It sputters as it continues its accent slowly, and Max gives you a curious side glance. Before she can ask you anything, the whole room seems to gasp simultaneously and you catch sight of the parachute having prematurely opened, way before the capsule separation.
Then the room is filled with cheers as the rocket makes it into orbit regardless and you hear a murmur lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."Deciding to fold the parachute neatly, your team of interns work together to keep hold of the canvas-like material as you direct them through every step. It's slow moving because of the wind, but together you manage to minimize the space the parachute takes up. After fitting it easily into the rocket's compartment, you receive a friendly smirk from the employee you temporarily replaced.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. It sputters as it continues its accent slowly, and Max gives you a curious side glance. Before she can ask you anything, the room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."At your direction, you and the other interns work together to stuff the parachute into the rocket. It takes all of you to push the mess of canvas in and two dragons to close the latch. In the end you manage to get it in, and the sound of Max calling the interns back inside sparks excitement amongst the group once again.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches. It sputters as it continues its accent slowly, and Max gives you a curious side glance. Before she can ask you anything, the whole room seems to gasp simultaneously and you catch sight of the parachute having prematurely opened, way before the capsule separation.
Then the room is filled with cheers as the rocket makes it into orbit regardless and you hear a murmur lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I... suppose I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."The nocturne's grin widens with excitement. "I knew it when I saw ye that ye were one of us," she cheers, clapping you on the shoulder and hurrying back to the workshop. You take Clamps with you back outside. The robotic arm is wearing its own welding mask on its clamps. "Most of our robotic equipment double as welders. That means Clamps 'ere can help us attach the system. We'll want to fit it on the inside of the rocket, which means flying up to the doors," Max explains, "If ye fly it up there, I'll bring Clamps up and I'll direct them while ye keep the system supported. Sound good?"
Without waiting for an answer, the nocturne pushes out the door and leads you back out into the storm. Together, you, Max, and Clamps attach the black box of guidance equipment to the rocket, working to the cacophony of thunder and lightning. When everything is properly attached, the nocturne swiftly herds you back into the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "We saw you help attach all those parts, and at the last minute, too! Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."The nocturne's grin widens with excitement. "I knew it when I saw ye that ye were one of us," she cheers. She claps you on the shoulder and hurries back to the workshop, throwing open two cabinets worth of pressurized paint canisters. "Pick any colors ye want, I only got one rule: no green." Following her direction, you collect up your materials and make your way back outside to the launch pad.
"Ye have a plan, right?" Max asks over the thunder, only to shake her head. "Ah, no matter."
Without waiting for an answer, the nocturne leaps into the air, spraying the nose of the rocket with paint as she flies around it, giving you free reign over the rocket's body. Together, you and Max finish decorating the rocket, working to the cacophony of thunder and lightning. Once complete, the nocturne swiftly herds you back into the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "We saw you working out there, and at the last minute, too! Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
"Why does the rocket have 'Whitecoats Stink' written on the side of it?" The bogsneak from before asks, glaring past you to Max, who is clearly feigning innocence.
"Oh, does it? Ye know, I didn't even notice. Look at that."
"My lab coat isn't even white," the scientist grumbles, his protest soon overshadowed by a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments.
"'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."It's now or never.
You hurry back inside and duck into the workshop, returning triumphantly with the duct tape and your supervisor seems none the wiser. Together, you and the other interns manage to use the duct tape to patch the parachute and neatly fold it so it fits perfectly, the final slam of metal catches the employees' attention.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments directed your way. "'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I agree. We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."It's now or never.
As soon as the other interns catch onto your plan, they begin offering you different pieces off of their hardhats. One has plenty of fabric, another has strings hanging as fringe down the back, and one dragon even forgot to leave the needle on the table, so you're able to patch the parachute quite easily. Together, you and the other interns manage to neatly fold it so it fits perfectly, the final slam of metal catches the employees' attention.
"Done already, Crankshaft? Right, back inside then," Max commands, and you follow the group back to the spire and into a new room. It’s dominated by a large strip of window facing out to the launch pad.
"Oh my, you have been working hard, haven't you?" A familiar guardian greets you cheerfully as the others in the room line up along the windows to watch the fueling team ready the rocket outside. "Adequate work young intern. We might make a spark of you yet," Natalia enthuses, her attention turning to some paperwork as a countdown begins and you take your place by Max's side to watch the launch.
At zero there is a rumble to match Stormcatcher's thunder, billowing smoke making way for orange flames as the rocket launches and room is filled with cheers and lackluster compliments directed your way.
"I thought we budgeted for a new parachute, Maxfield. What made you decide to use scraps?" The bogsneak from before asks, and Max shoots you a knowing look, seeming well aware of where the colorful patches came from.
"Figured we'd save the new canvas for a rainy day, use the old bits first," she excuses for you, and the scientist seems satisfied.
"'Ere," Max turns to you, offering a certificate adorned with purple ribbon, "Natalia says ye earned it. I agree," she admits with a wink, "We'll see ye around, Crankshaft, but ye can see ye way out for the day. Stairs are the first door to the left, just follow the blue lights up...."