The Mod Journal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spaceshipit) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
driftfleet_ooc2016-03-06 06:23 pm
spaceshipit) wrote in driftfleet_ooc2016-03-06 06:23 pm
Event Update
About a month ago, the Atroma representatives left everyone with a pile of bizarre cargo and told them that they're now contractually obligated to deliver it to the HS Maldua, a ship that was supposed to be found orbiting the Starlight station. The cargo in question was a bunch of crappy Floot Loop brand gumballs. Most people left them alone (especially after reading about the huge fines they could be landed with for tampering with it), but a few people have investigated and found out that the gumballs are... kind of weird.
Everyone's monetary accounts are still suspended, Atroma isn't answering anyone's calls (not that they ever do, really), and there hasn't been any sign of this "Maldua" yet. Is this whole thing a bad joke, or is Atroma really serious about this exchange?
GUMBALLS.
Those who have broken into the cargo and experimented with the gumballs this month have found a few pieces of the puzzle, whether through scanning, science-ing, alchemy, or just plain chewing. It's very possible for these pieces to come together into an answer, so any passenger who has been investigating the gumballs is free to connect the dots, especially if they have a Lab Support augment or have been working with other passengers on the project. Even new passengers are welcome to get in on the action, through word of mouth or their own experiments. There are several different factors to discover, and they won't see the full picture until they start putting everything together--so here's an overview of what there is for curious passengers to find.
Heat (or acid, alchemical reduction, etc.)
When intense heat is applied to the gumballs, it becomes pretty apparent to even the most untrained observer that something isn't right. The sugar melts and all of the other candy-like ingredients burn away as they should, but it leaves behind a substance that doesn't react to heat (or acid, or freezing, or pretty much any other destructive force). Similar results would be found when exposing the gumballs to other chemicals or forces that would separate or burn away ingredients. When inspected or scanned on the microscopic level, it would appear be some synthetic polymer that no one on the Fleet would find familiar. It's stretchy and gummy and looks to have a strangely-regular chemical structure... but doesn't seem to be of much use beyond being a particularly impervious, flavorless gum.
Repetitive Mechanical Manipulation (aka chewing)
For those who have tried chewing the gum, they may have also noticed something odd, beyond the halfhearted flavor of the candy (which only lasts a few seconds anyway). With enough chewing, or any other kind of mechanical manipulation, the gum's consistency changes into something a little tougher and stickier. It is a subtle change, but it might be enough to clue the curious into the fact that something is happening, and prompt further testing.
The Whole Picture!
The real magic happens when both heat and mechanical activation are applied to the mysterious gumballs. So, if someone was to chew up a piece of gum, light it on fire, and then take a close look at the results, they would see the strange little secret that these gumballs hold.
Once the useless candy ingredients are burned away and the new substance is activated by enough physical manipulation, that strangely-regular tangle of chemical elements begins to organize. Manipulate it long enough, and the structure of the substance unwinds and then links up into a very specific molecular pattern. The microscopic latticework of material becomes so regular and organized that the pattern could conceivably be holding some sort of intentional information. If several gumballs are run through this treatment and then compared, passengers will find that they end up identical to one another. Whatever information is held in these blobs of material, they all "say" the exact same thing.
If anyone had any additional questions about the gumballs or gumball-related antics, go ahead and leave us a comment in the QUESTIONS section down below!
MALDUA SCHEDULED TO ORBIT.
Atroma hadn't specified a timeframe for when this delivery to the HS Maldua was supposed to take place, so passengers expecting the meeting have mostly been stuck sitting and waiting. Those who've gotten jobs in the admin sector, and who are clever or diplomatic enough to wheedle information out of traffic controllers about classified arrival schedules, will have gotten a few clues. Up until very recently, the HS Maldua has indeed been listed in the Starlight's register, but without a specific arrival time. As the new month dawns, however, these sneaky passengers can find out and spread word that the Maldua is scheduled to arrive in orbit on March 14th.
A post with more information about the Maldua will go up right before the encounter. In the meantime, everyone is welcome to run any last-minute experiments on the gumballs, continue to protect them from being tampered with, or lament over the fact that someone may have already busted open the crates on your ship to set the gumballs on fire.
Remember! According to Atroma, if the crates on a ship are opened, or the cargo is missing or damaged, the whole ship forfeits the monetary reward they've been promised and will be hit with huge fines instead. Those with Engineering or Lab Support augments may open the crates without triggering the anti-tampering sensors to get a look at the contents, but good luck trying to cover for something like missing gumballs.
You can use this post to discuss or check in with your crewmates about what has happened to the cargo on your ships after these developments, if you would like! And while it's helpful for everyone on a ship to be on the same page, if something is left ambiguous or if there are conflicting thoughts on how something has ended up, don't sweat it too badly; the rewards/penalties, as all monetary matters go, are just for roleplay flavor. If two characters' accounts of how things go don't match up at the end of the day, we can find ways to fudge things over, or assume that there was some kind of glitch in how the Maldua crew handled the transaction. With Atroma, anything can happen!
DRIFTING WEEK.
The week of the 14th - 21st will also be a "drifting week" where the Fleet moves away from the station and towards another event. Any details pertaining to that will be mentioned in the upcoming post as well. Enjoy your last week on thebankruptcy party station!
Everyone's monetary accounts are still suspended, Atroma isn't answering anyone's calls (not that they ever do, really), and there hasn't been any sign of this "Maldua" yet. Is this whole thing a bad joke, or is Atroma really serious about this exchange?
GUMBALLS.
Those who have broken into the cargo and experimented with the gumballs this month have found a few pieces of the puzzle, whether through scanning, science-ing, alchemy, or just plain chewing. It's very possible for these pieces to come together into an answer, so any passenger who has been investigating the gumballs is free to connect the dots, especially if they have a Lab Support augment or have been working with other passengers on the project. Even new passengers are welcome to get in on the action, through word of mouth or their own experiments. There are several different factors to discover, and they won't see the full picture until they start putting everything together--so here's an overview of what there is for curious passengers to find.
Heat (or acid, alchemical reduction, etc.)
When intense heat is applied to the gumballs, it becomes pretty apparent to even the most untrained observer that something isn't right. The sugar melts and all of the other candy-like ingredients burn away as they should, but it leaves behind a substance that doesn't react to heat (or acid, or freezing, or pretty much any other destructive force). Similar results would be found when exposing the gumballs to other chemicals or forces that would separate or burn away ingredients. When inspected or scanned on the microscopic level, it would appear be some synthetic polymer that no one on the Fleet would find familiar. It's stretchy and gummy and looks to have a strangely-regular chemical structure... but doesn't seem to be of much use beyond being a particularly impervious, flavorless gum.
Repetitive Mechanical Manipulation (aka chewing)
For those who have tried chewing the gum, they may have also noticed something odd, beyond the halfhearted flavor of the candy (which only lasts a few seconds anyway). With enough chewing, or any other kind of mechanical manipulation, the gum's consistency changes into something a little tougher and stickier. It is a subtle change, but it might be enough to clue the curious into the fact that something is happening, and prompt further testing.
The Whole Picture!
The real magic happens when both heat and mechanical activation are applied to the mysterious gumballs. So, if someone was to chew up a piece of gum, light it on fire, and then take a close look at the results, they would see the strange little secret that these gumballs hold.
Once the useless candy ingredients are burned away and the new substance is activated by enough physical manipulation, that strangely-regular tangle of chemical elements begins to organize. Manipulate it long enough, and the structure of the substance unwinds and then links up into a very specific molecular pattern. The microscopic latticework of material becomes so regular and organized that the pattern could conceivably be holding some sort of intentional information. If several gumballs are run through this treatment and then compared, passengers will find that they end up identical to one another. Whatever information is held in these blobs of material, they all "say" the exact same thing.
If anyone had any additional questions about the gumballs or gumball-related antics, go ahead and leave us a comment in the QUESTIONS section down below!
MALDUA SCHEDULED TO ORBIT.
Atroma hadn't specified a timeframe for when this delivery to the HS Maldua was supposed to take place, so passengers expecting the meeting have mostly been stuck sitting and waiting. Those who've gotten jobs in the admin sector, and who are clever or diplomatic enough to wheedle information out of traffic controllers about classified arrival schedules, will have gotten a few clues. Up until very recently, the HS Maldua has indeed been listed in the Starlight's register, but without a specific arrival time. As the new month dawns, however, these sneaky passengers can find out and spread word that the Maldua is scheduled to arrive in orbit on March 14th.
A post with more information about the Maldua will go up right before the encounter. In the meantime, everyone is welcome to run any last-minute experiments on the gumballs, continue to protect them from being tampered with, or lament over the fact that someone may have already busted open the crates on your ship to set the gumballs on fire.
Remember! According to Atroma, if the crates on a ship are opened, or the cargo is missing or damaged, the whole ship forfeits the monetary reward they've been promised and will be hit with huge fines instead. Those with Engineering or Lab Support augments may open the crates without triggering the anti-tampering sensors to get a look at the contents, but good luck trying to cover for something like missing gumballs.
You can use this post to discuss or check in with your crewmates about what has happened to the cargo on your ships after these developments, if you would like! And while it's helpful for everyone on a ship to be on the same page, if something is left ambiguous or if there are conflicting thoughts on how something has ended up, don't sweat it too badly; the rewards/penalties, as all monetary matters go, are just for roleplay flavor. If two characters' accounts of how things go don't match up at the end of the day, we can find ways to fudge things over, or assume that there was some kind of glitch in how the Maldua crew handled the transaction. With Atroma, anything can happen!
DRIFTING WEEK.
The week of the 14th - 21st will also be a "drifting week" where the Fleet moves away from the station and towards another event. Any details pertaining to that will be mentioned in the upcoming post as well. Enjoy your last week on the
QUESTIONS
no subject
no subject
no subject
(i'm asking because i am curious to know how annoyed davesprite's crew is going to be with him.)
none of the seals would be broken, because the gumballs would have been removed via jade's sweet teleportation powers. if that makes a difference. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
no subject
And whether the seals are tripped or not still entirely depend on the tamperer's augment. Even if things are phased or teleported out of a container, if the tamperer doesn't have a lab or engineering augment, they will trip the sensors... since those sensors have been installed with supernatural powers in mind.
SS RED FISH
Because Coil has some science to do, yo! And who needs money, anyway?
no subject
SS BLUE FISH
However, Allen did ask in a post last month about getting gumballs from any ship that did open up their cargo so they can test them. If they did, they'd be rewarded with money (though not nearly enough to cover the penalty fee- but hey every little bit counts!).
SO ANY SHIPS WANNA DONATE GUMBALLS FOR SCIENCE?
SS Paisley
That said, Stefan & Anakin will do a last-minute look into the crate. (Since its contents look and smell like gumballs, Stefan'll leave it alone.) Other last-minute stuff, crew? Or are we going to aim for that money we desperately need?
SS Paisley
no subject
Yes please, go and investigate!
SS VANQUISH
no subject