Vesuvius00
Alby47
TaintedMushroom
Theyra
xxjessicaxx
13org
Kjbivins
Crimson Flame
DeadDrop"We will be investigating the Sargasso as determined by internal analylsis and vote. As such, we will require specific preparations. Vacuum operations and ethereal irradiation countermeasures kit are mandatory particularly for non-void hardened squad members, of which we are receiving another addition.
The chorus of echoes emerging from the skeletal machine's voice drew the attention of the glowing eye of rot, the solid light within the ixaxxar shifting from a pinkish red to an almost egg yolk orange and yellow. As if funneled through a beaker the living light, akin to some sort of sludgy lava, its brightened core tapered itself forward into a pointed needle shape directly at the head of the Evenomed squad's leader. The robotic motions of the machine-human ceased as a digitized whirring drilled itself out of its head from the absorption of raw and tumultuous data.
Information would manifest a short half-minute later. The data-spool table lit up, the dimmed holographics blurring into a static cloud with the transmutation of digitized information into a three-dimensional perceptible shape. The dimness of the room increased, blacknesss contrasted by the growing shape transforming from amorphous digital light into something more... definine, albeit in a looser sense.
Space stations had been a common feature of most large organizations and arguably reflected in the natural world just as easily. Starfaring artificial debris, biological debris, ethereal or even abyssic waste ejected into realspace; even without sapient travel through the stars one would always find eventually enormous clumps of amalgamated matter sometimes not entirely bound to material reality. The designs of the various great powers of course had a far more aesthetically appealing design; the sharp and bladed appearance of Intransigence troop bases with their innumerable extendable multi-jointed arms, the smooth angling and gentle curvature of League economic hubs bustling with a constant outflow of vessels, one probably did not need to be reminded of black cities either.
What manifested before them was likely something Yrrkradian in origin. Rectangular like shapes emerging from a maddening body of overlapping geometric shapes; a gigantic series of motherboards layered into one another, connected via either large cubical shapes or jutting and occasionally angled passages that extended into slanted, blade-like towers. It was a harsh and some might say brutalist way of design yet it had a certain prideful, domineering arrogance to it. Industrial by nature but the way those metallic spires rose made them appear lord-like and prideful.
That is how most would have described this traditional, older form of Dominion design if it had not been so aggressively overrun. The densely packed consistency that defined it had long been tarnished by a nightmarish away of wreckage found both within realspace and the ethereal murk beyond. What had not been warped and transformed by the stresses of outer and void-space travel had found itself buried in a maddening slop of assorted elements. Withered husks of massive ships lay half crushed and melded into its bulk, frozen in place as if they were great sea creatures breaking through the water's surface. A mossy-layer of accumulated, discoloured debris and hardened bio-ethereal gunk crept over crashed ship and corroded exterior alike, ready to blow away and scatter if some large debris slammed into the bulk and sent them scattering in a foul flourish.
That was fairly minor compared to the two most unusual aspects of it. It was not buried merely under vessels and miscellanea. Gigantic patches of spore-like mass not of plant-like consistency but mushing bulk of rotted, moldering flesh had spread from ethereal infection across its body. Tendril-like "branches" trailed out of them, frozen in the holographic image but in the mind's eye begging to sway in dance in the stillness of space. Competing for roomm were enormous, mis-matched sections of bulk not cannibalized from other stations but forcefully jammed into its body. One could see the enormous cratering wounds or massive cuts in the body where their bulkhad crushed their way through, massive sections breaking off and jamming like darts into the infested mass.
The Sargasso, much like the old Earth saltwater plant it was named for, was the spitting definition of an utter mess.
The Invictoid's head swivelled off to face the team before it strode over to the holograph. Without need for motion or physical interaction, the holographic display spun and an array of additional data spread itself out. Data tags and figures silhouetted in contrasting primary colours against the cold blue of space either dotted the massive derelict or hung around its perimeters. Notable among them were afer-image ping-marks - presumed pirate vessels, suspiciously orbiting UFO's, and shoals of organisms, shimmering and indistinct as their twisting travel paths were marked.
Large, purple blobs on the holograph indicating some sort of large ethereal disturbances flickered and faded as timescales were reversed and forwarded. Some blinked in and out of existence, others grew more defininte and thicker in consistency. Whatever they were, the creatures appeared to avoid getting too close to them.
"There will be a second squad of the Envenomed that like yours, will have attached long range fire support and infil-exfil craft. The team is being briefed as we speak and will be operating in the same area; they will be moving to investigate a Yrrkradian control centre embedded deep within the structure, presumably connected to one of the spires. As such, they may be able to provide a degree of additional support with whatever systems they can seize control of. I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with them before the mission."
The diagram shrunk a bit as the pseudo-automaton's form became visible again, no longer obscured by the shaped light.
"I presume more than a few of you have questions."
The chorus of echoes emerging from the skeletal machine's voice drew the attention of the glowing eye of rot, the solid light within the ixaxxar shifting from a pinkish red to an almost egg yolk orange and yellow. As if funneled through a beaker the living light, akin to some sort of sludgy lava, its brightened core tapered itself forward into a pointed needle shape directly at the head of the Evenomed squad's leader. The robotic motions of the machine-human ceased as a digitized whirring drilled itself out of its head from the absorption of raw and tumultuous data.
Information would manifest a short half-minute later. The data-spool table lit up, the dimmed holographics blurring into a static cloud with the transmutation of digitized information into a three-dimensional perceptible shape. The dimness of the room increased, blacknesss contrasted by the growing shape transforming from amorphous digital light into something more... definine, albeit in a looser sense.
Space stations had been a common feature of most large organizations and arguably reflected in the natural world just as easily. Starfaring artificial debris, biological debris, ethereal or even abyssic waste ejected into realspace; even without sapient travel through the stars one would always find eventually enormous clumps of amalgamated matter sometimes not entirely bound to material reality. The designs of the various great powers of course had a far more aesthetically appealing design; the sharp and bladed appearance of Intransigence troop bases with their innumerable extendable multi-jointed arms, the smooth angling and gentle curvature of League economic hubs bustling with a constant outflow of vessels, one probably did not need to be reminded of black cities either.
What manifested before them was likely something Yrrkradian in origin. Rectangular like shapes emerging from a maddening body of overlapping geometric shapes; a gigantic series of motherboards layered into one another, connected via either large cubical shapes or jutting and occasionally angled passages that extended into slanted, blade-like towers. It was a harsh and some might say brutalist way of design yet it had a certain prideful, domineering arrogance to it. Industrial by nature but the way those metallic spires rose made them appear lord-like and prideful.
That is how most would have described this traditional, older form of Dominion design if it had not been so aggressively overrun. The densely packed consistency that defined it had long been tarnished by a nightmarish away of wreckage found both within realspace and the ethereal murk beyond. What had not been warped and transformed by the stresses of outer and void-space travel had found itself buried in a maddening slop of assorted elements. Withered husks of massive ships lay half crushed and melded into its bulk, frozen in place as if they were great sea creatures breaking through the water's surface. A mossy-layer of accumulated, discoloured debris and hardened bio-ethereal gunk crept over crashed ship and corroded exterior alike, ready to blow away and scatter if some large debris slammed into the bulk and sent them scattering in a foul flourish.
That was fairly minor compared to the two most unusual aspects of it. It was not buried merely under vessels and miscellanea. Gigantic patches of spore-like mass not of plant-like consistency but mushing bulk of rotted, moldering flesh had spread from ethereal infection across its body. Tendril-like "branches" trailed out of them, frozen in the holographic image but in the mind's eye begging to sway in dance in the stillness of space. Competing for roomm were enormous, mis-matched sections of bulk not cannibalized from other stations but forcefully jammed into its body. One could see the enormous cratering wounds or massive cuts in the body where their bulkhad crushed their way through, massive sections breaking off and jamming like darts into the infested mass.
The Sargasso, much like the old Earth saltwater plant it was named for, was the spitting definition of an utter mess.
The Invictoid's head swivelled off to face the team before it strode over to the holograph. Without need for motion or physical interaction, the holographic display spun and an array of additional data spread itself out. Data tags and figures silhouetted in contrasting primary colours against the cold blue of space either dotted the massive derelict or hung around its perimeters. Notable among them were afer-image ping-marks - presumed pirate vessels, suspiciously orbiting UFO's, and shoals of organisms, shimmering and indistinct as their twisting travel paths were marked.
Large, purple blobs on the holograph indicating some sort of large ethereal disturbances flickered and faded as timescales were reversed and forwarded. Some blinked in and out of existence, others grew more defininte and thicker in consistency. Whatever they were, the creatures appeared to avoid getting too close to them.
"There will be a second squad of the Envenomed that like yours, will have attached long range fire support and infil-exfil craft. The team is being briefed as we speak and will be operating in the same area; they will be moving to investigate a Yrrkradian control centre embedded deep within the structure, presumably connected to one of the spires. As such, they may be able to provide a degree of additional support with whatever systems they can seize control of. I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with them before the mission."
The diagram shrunk a bit as the pseudo-automaton's form became visible again, no longer obscured by the shaped light.
"I presume more than a few of you have questions."