A warning about the the chargers before packing a bag with a weight limit would have been nice.  All her stuff charged off DC adapters anyway.  Oh well, it will probably be dealt with soon.  and, it was pretty exciting to finally get to go in this thing.

Riley had taken a look at someone else's pack when they were inspecting it.  It looked like it was very generic military survival gear.  She'd thought about it all night.  At the morning briefing she asks, "Why not something in the pack geared towards what we know of the game world?  I know bringing mushrooms might be... problematic, but what about gold coins?"

She has some other ideas but well - it's best to get some sort of idea what to expect before asking what the space force guys will think are dumb questions.

"Short term exposure to the anomaly will not change the properties of what you're bringing in there. A mushroom is just going to be a mushroom, a gold coin just a gold coin. But the mushrooms and gold coins you find inside - things of this nature we call Artifacts - have properties entirely unlike mundane Earth objects.

We're fairly sure they are not normal objects that have become imbued with strange characteristics... the mushrooms are no Earthly fungus. The coins are the size of dinner plates but we haven't been able to apply a material analysis because nobody has been able to collect them - working theory is that they're some kind of temporarily solidified energy absorbed into the person of whoever "gets" them."

"That said, if there is anything you think would be of help, you are free to request it. But I'd encourage you to go in and see the puzzle before you try and solve it."

Dash was keeping a lot to themselves, playing their cards very close at this point, as overnight, a few questions he didn't like the answers to were beginning to rear their heads. Unfortunately for him, the subject he wanted to ask about involved the people he was working for, and they had surveillance everywhere in this place. He was getting the increasing impression they had been at this for longer than they were admitting and they knew a lot more then they were letting on.

So, he spoke about something else. "They aren't coins, at least not in the sense you or I understand. It's probably energy, and the side effect is likely to... clone you, or revert you to some safe and prior state, if you acquire a substantial number of them. We are going to be entering into a strange world, and I think it is someone or something's interpretation of our digital media. I don't know how to test the core part of my belief, unfortunately, so it is not a valid theory. It is speculation of a mind given to fancy, and there is no way to ethically test it besides. Yet."

"One of several theories floated by our xenobiologist," the Major General smiled. "Doctor Taylor. The science team feels that we're years out from concrete answers. But don't worry, you don't work for them. Any requests they have for you will come through us as part of the mission parameters."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:43, Mon 31 July 2023.

Jack had started to stare at nothing as his mind was trying to wrap itself around these ideas. "So... 'getting' a coin. You mean like touching it?" He asked.

He looked at Colonel Anderson. And then to the Major General.

"You've had people 'get' the coins? What happened next?" Jack shook out of his thought and realized he was talking to ranking officer, "um... sir."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:22, Mon 31 July 2023.

"Touching it. Operating a tool to try and take it." Colonel Anderson said. "As far as Captain Mitchel can tell - Captain Mitchel, that's our Chief Medical Officer - as far as he can tell, there's no physiological effect. But, as Doctor Petrovna reminds us, the Anomaly is likely giving off energies our instruments aren't designed to measure.

"You four, being naturally resistant to whatever it is the Anomaly does, should be able to handle the coins more safely. Doctor Bennette - she's our technological archaeologist - has a request in that you should see what happens if one of you "collects" one-hundred of these coins. I am not inclined to make that a directive. That said, we will be tracking how many you come into contact with during a given mission."

"Do we get gloves, bags, food and medpacks?" asks Charlie. "Do compasses work there?"

"You should have a first-aid kit and MREs in the pack left in your footlocker," Colonel Anderson responded. "But as far as compasses go - no. The anomaly does not have a magnetic north, and we won't be able to offer a navigational signal to help you home in on headquarters... there's too much interference.

"However, if you haven't already you will be issued a tablet, and there's an app that tracks your movement and heading. It'll keep you oriented... as long as the anomaly doesn't reconfigure itself while you're out there. It hasn't happened yet, but we've done what we can to supply you without overburdening you, just in case."

ooc: Each person's pack puts them at Light Encumbrance, which in GURPS terms means you're moving slightly more slowly while carrying it, and will be slightly worse at dodging. They each weigh 24.26 lbs. You could bring yourself down to No Encumbrance by divesting yourself of a few items - I'll add details on all this to your character sheets, but you'd need to get all party members down to No Encumbrance to move the group at a faster rate.

And yes, the uniforms do include gloves.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:38, Mon 31 July 2023.

Riley has no more questions at the briefing.  But later when she's looking through the pack, she pulls out a couple items.  The pack feels pretty heavy.

She places the paracord and coil of rope next to each other.
She does the same with the 3" knife and utility knife.
Then the wound closure strips and the first aid kit.

"These look like duplicate items, do we need both?  And do we need everyone to carry binoculars and the firestarter, or just a few of us?"

Obviously the water bottle is critical, and food makes sense.  The number of water purification tablets seems excessive but they weigh almost nothing.

She really hopes the gas mask isn't neccassary.

ooc: Later comes much later; after your briefing you're going to be heading into the anomaly, but you're free to leave behind whatever you don't think you'll need.

For comparison's sake, the paracord is an elastic and very smooth thin cord of about 10' length, the rope is a thick and sturdy 30 foot coil. The utility knife has a very thin flat blade like a boxcutter, the 3" knife is thicker and has a point like, well, a knifey-knife.

These of course may still seem superfluous to your character.

After divesting themselves of whatever equipment they didn't think they'd need, the group were escorted back to the airlock leading into the Anomaly. Waiting there for them were Morales and two Marines dressed in combat fatigues and carrying rifles.

"These are Corporal Baker and Sergeant Ramierez," Chief Master Sergeant Morales introduced them. "Their job is to keep you alive, but they'll be letting you decide where to go. Corporal Baker has final say on when things are too dangerous to remain."

The Chief handed each guide - Charlie, Riley, Dash, and Jack - a holstered pistol. "Really abbreviated gun safety lesson. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you want to kill something. Don't point it at anything you don't want to die. We obviously can't have you training here on the station, but the inner hull walls on the anomaly will stop gunfire so if you feel the need to practice, let Corporal Baker know."

"These are for your own safety, but everyone hopes you won't need to pull them out of your holsters. Let the Marines do their jobs."

ooc: Mention in your character thread if you want your character to have any degree of familiarity with the firearms. It will otherwise be assumed you know close to nothing about guns.

This is also your chance to use your character thread to specify what you're leaving behind from your backpack. Once everybody has posted to the effect that they're ready to go, and have no further questions, you'll move in.

Riley leaves the larger knife in her footlocker, and fills up her water bottle in the bathroom.
After checking with the others, she'll leave the binoculars as long as at least two of her fellow "contest winners" are taking them.

She sits through the little firearms training session, but makes it clear she doesn't want to carry one.  She asks if she can have a taser instead.

"The only weapons we have aboard the station are mission specific - the Five-Sevens for guides and the science team, and the P90s for the Marines," Morales said. "You're required to bring the gun, but not required to use it."

"'Sides, the turtles out there wouldn't care if you tazed 'em, and the electricity would probably only make those mushroom things faster," one of the Marines volunteered. "But look at it this way. Only way you draw your piece is if the Corporal an' me are dead. And if we're gone, you'll probably need it."

"Easy, Sergeant," the other Marine spoke up. "Ma'am, it'd help spread the burden of safety if you consented to carrying a firearm while in the anomalous zone. As Sergeant Ramierez alluded, if something happens to us, you'll only have yourselves to rely upon while attempting to return to base."

Mechanically, Dash was able to figure out how a firearm worked. The physics, the way the parts interacted, breaking, cleaning, reassembly, the means of operation - all of that was simple for him. Application, however, was another story, and he did not particularly enjoy shooting.

Still, one never knew when it would come in handy for unintended purposes, so he did keep it on him as he spoke calmly. "I'm with her, but for different reasons. These games encourage you to run and evade, only striking from positions of ambush and with either tremendous blunt force trauma, intense open flame, or literal star magic as opportunity and necessity demand. You may attempt your firearm usage if events in the field frightens you, gentlemen, but I'm going to be honest. If this area we are going to operates like I think it will, I don't believe your guns will help, and they may very well make things worse."

Dash was like a man preparing himself for his own funeral, almost ritualistic about preparing himself for this journey. Water would likely be required, and hoped the state of it would not be changed. Despite the crash course training, he wasn't liking his odds and knew this journey was going to be largely unpleasant punctuated by moments of wonder.

"Okay, I'll bring it."  Riley says, unloading it as she's just been shown.  She puts both the unloaded pistol and the magazine in the backpack.

With the preliminaries handled, the group headed to a secondary air lock while Morales departed. Corporal Baker stopped at the large door, activated an intercom, and spoke. "Expedition team ready."

An unfamiliar voice responded. "Acknowledged. Cameras activated. Good luck out there."

With the smooth sound of cycling hydraulics, the door behind them slid shut while the door ahead of them opened, revealing a vast space of cobblestone floors with patches of vivid green grass, platforms that defied gravity by floating in space, and walls painted blue with the occasional cartoonish green tree or white cloud decoration. Up above - say, thirty feet - was a sky painted the same blue with white clouds and not-entirely concealed light domes emitting ambient illumination.

It did not look like Super Mario Bros, so much as it looked like a miniature golf course inspired by the game - minus any balls or holes, of course. It did not look cheap, but it did look highly artificial. This was very clearly a manufactured space.

"Welcome to the zone," Sergeant Ramierez said, moving to take point, gunstrap over his shoulder. He took a long moment to survey the landscape. "Clear."

"Okay, people, move out. This trip is to get you guys used to this, so you get to call the shots, until I say it's time to head back. Ramierez will stay on point." She had her own firearm at the ready as well, pointed towards the ground as she kept her eyes on the terrain. "My suggestion would be to pick a wall to hug, unless you want to march right down the middle."



ooc: Consider this picture as representational but not literally what you're seeing. It looks *like* this. The area is quite open, with walls heading from the airlock at 45 degree angles until they're an estimated hundred yards apart. The span ahead continues as far as you can see, though there are enough platforms and occasional block pyramids so as to make that maybe another hundred yards.

"Woah" Riley says once she's immersed in the space.  She walks a few feet in, looks around to make sure there's no native creatures immediately visible, then looks up at the 'sky.'

"I guess there's no flying items in here.  Is it always the same height?"

Impressed though he is it barely shows on Charlie's face. "Does the direction of gravity change here? Like does a wall become a floor if you 'step' on it?"

"Yeah, sometimes you get a section that's higher or lower," the Corporal said. "Sometimes you hit some narrow tunnels."

To Charlie she simply said, "So far the artificial gravity has been a constant."

"I wouldn't try it, personally. But if you must, throw something ahead of you first if possible. If it sticks, you probably will, too." Dash was considering the room. "Normally, I'd look at something like this and ask myself what the designer was thinking. There is usually an optimal path in all levels. World 1-1 of Mario is brilliantly designed to teach you the game and its rules. If your team has been running into problems, it is probably because you aren't listening to the world. If it works like the game, it is a medium of communication between creator and player."

Dash studied what was in front of him. "And right now, I'm trying to figure out what this is trying to tell me besides 'go forward.' On the other hand, it might be saying 'stay back.' Defense design will put their most dangerous defenses first before you can mentally adjust, while a game designer would likely put those last after you have become comfortable."

"And if it is somehow natural, then it is telling us that it does not care if we live or die, only that it is. Those environments demand observation and a study of what is there."

Charlie looks on impassively.

"See, this is why they brought you guys in," Sergeant Ramierez said. "Well, that and the whole immunity thing."

It took a few moments for this new reality, as it were, to settle in his conscience. Of the many things that didn't seem right to his perception, it was the lack of ambient sound in this area or world. Granted the games weren't exactly known for their foley work, but his sense of surrounding in a similar-ish environment back in the real world would provide some noise.

He clapped his hands twice and listened for any report back. "Oh, that's weird!" he said when there was no return. "Ok!..." he said and tucked his thumb under the back strap in an unconscienced gesture, mind starting to settle in.