It's just past 8 and I'm feeling young and reckless
The ribbon on my wrist says, "do not open before Christmas"
The ribbon on my wrist says, "do not open before Christmas"
Cath
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- Last Seen: 2 mos ago
- Old Guild Username: Catharyn
- Joined: 11 yrs ago
- Posts: 2058 (0.53 / day)
- VMs: 0
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Username history
- Cath 1 yr ago
- ████████ 11 yrs ago
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Status
Recent Statuses
2 yrs ago
Need two more people for our Fantasy + Sci-fi roleplay - we have angry burning trees!
1
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2 yrs ago
New interest check is live, check it outttt
2 yrs ago
If i could go back now, i wouldn't change a thing
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2 yrs ago
You've got red on you
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3 yrs ago
Its just me, you, a pile of Chinese food and a couple of f**k off spreadsheets.
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Bio
New roleplay: https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/189457-the-eye-of-the-needle-where-fantasy-and-sci-fi-collide/ooc
Hey, I'm Catharyn! I joined the Roleplayer Guild on 2nd Feb 2011, then rejoined on the 17th Jan 2014 after Guildfall.
I was active every day until late 2015, accruing (i think) around 7k posts across dozens of roleplays. Then, I started working and had to gradually slow down my RP schedule. In 2017, I officially went on hiatus when other commitments got fully in the way of roleplaying.
This continued until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when I suddenly realised I had a lot more free time in lockdown! So in mid-2020, I returned to the Guild with a vengeance. I also managed to get The Cradle 1x1 off the ground - a story i've had percolating for almost a decade.
My posting schedule has slowed down a bit now that the world has opened up again. I still love science fiction, fantasy and espionage themes, and generally aim for around 300 words per post.
Hey, I'm Catharyn! I joined the Roleplayer Guild on 2nd Feb 2011, then rejoined on the 17th Jan 2014 after Guildfall.
I was active every day until late 2015, accruing (i think) around 7k posts across dozens of roleplays. Then, I started working and had to gradually slow down my RP schedule. In 2017, I officially went on hiatus when other commitments got fully in the way of roleplaying.
This continued until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when I suddenly realised I had a lot more free time in lockdown! So in mid-2020, I returned to the Guild with a vengeance. I also managed to get The Cradle 1x1 off the ground - a story i've had percolating for almost a decade.
My posting schedule has slowed down a bit now that the world has opened up again. I still love science fiction, fantasy and espionage themes, and generally aim for around 300 words per post.
Most Recent Posts
“We were trying to communicate with the object all through the recoupling. It didn’t respond…” Another researcher replied, ignoring the Rothian’s evacuation assurances. As per usual, Freyr’s eyes were darting all around the room, as they were all sat apart. A fair few sets of eyes landed back on her and Vreta, and she realised they were still waiting for a proper account of what happened inside the Cradle.
“The Navigator, as it's called, did seem more focused on internal struggles when we met it.” Freyr gestured to Vreta. “We know that the Cradle does absorb signals we point at it via the Vault, so it may just be a case of patiently waiting… Vreta’Sori, do you want to go through again what you discussed in your meeting with the entity? There may be something hidden that the wider group will pick up on.”
“The Navigator, as it's called, did seem more focused on internal struggles when we met it.” Freyr gestured to Vreta. “We know that the Cradle does absorb signals we point at it via the Vault, so it may just be a case of patiently waiting… Vreta’Sori, do you want to go through again what you discussed in your meeting with the entity? There may be something hidden that the wider group will pick up on.”
“Babylon should be evacuated.” A researcher from the sub-team tasked with learning about external influences from the object. He swivelled in his chair to address Nirann directly. “The Cradle has a historic integration with the stratum of the biosphere. We still don’t know enough about why this relationship exists - it's too dangerous to have millions of people inside.”
“That is our formal recommendation to the government. It's up to them how to proceed, as it's obviously not in our remit.” Freyr offered, then also turned to Nirann. “Locking down the Vault seems like a good move. But, that is an inflexible solution. How long would it take to reinstate automatic control if we removed it?” Freyr threw the question out to the room, and Dr Wetherall replied.
“Erm, a while? Everything is connected, so it wouldn’t be a case of flicking some switch.”
“So a problem arises if we find one of the Navigator’s colleagues and need to save them as well. Not an insurmountable problem, but one to put in the report.” Freyr kissed her teeth, weighing everything up in her head, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
Vreta’s remark silenced the room. Eventually it was Dr Kim who responded, standing up to one side of the room. “We brought it here foremost to save its life. We’re ensuring its own safety as well as ours by taking protective measures.
“That is our formal recommendation to the government. It's up to them how to proceed, as it's obviously not in our remit.” Freyr offered, then also turned to Nirann. “Locking down the Vault seems like a good move. But, that is an inflexible solution. How long would it take to reinstate automatic control if we removed it?” Freyr threw the question out to the room, and Dr Wetherall replied.
“Erm, a while? Everything is connected, so it wouldn’t be a case of flicking some switch.”
“So a problem arises if we find one of the Navigator’s colleagues and need to save them as well. Not an insurmountable problem, but one to put in the report.” Freyr kissed her teeth, weighing everything up in her head, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
Vreta’s remark silenced the room. Eventually it was Dr Kim who responded, standing up to one side of the room. “We brought it here foremost to save its life. We’re ensuring its own safety as well as ours by taking protective measures.
Tar growled and turned around when she heard Vael cut through the vines. The rest of the team were framed in the dark by the cave opening behind them. Sheets of rain gyrated in the air, buffeted by howling wind. The noise from outside was deafening, but Tar still heard a gentle *puff* from nearby. “The spores released if you cut are toxic, and might grow one of these inside of you.”
As her eyes adjusted to the gloom and the fog cleared for a moment, Tar realised this cave was familiar to her. The vines and overgrowth was new, but the way the treeline of the basin below failed to hide a mountain range far in the distance - jagged basalt peaks with sloping plateaus. That was ingrained in her memory. "I have been here before, as a child!" Tar failed to completely suppress her excitement, despite the danger they were now in.
"I think this cave winds up the mountain, to a high ridge. If we want to make progress without the spectre, we could take that route. It will probably mean killing the Tengmaa bulb though - not a task I take lightly. We'll need explosives and fire." Tar noticed a bit more movement in the boughs, and imagined just how much chaos they could cause if this plant realised it was under attack. The end of a thin vine tickled along the top of her foot, and she carefully but firmly lifted her leg to step on it.
As her eyes adjusted to the gloom and the fog cleared for a moment, Tar realised this cave was familiar to her. The vines and overgrowth was new, but the way the treeline of the basin below failed to hide a mountain range far in the distance - jagged basalt peaks with sloping plateaus. That was ingrained in her memory. "I have been here before, as a child!" Tar failed to completely suppress her excitement, despite the danger they were now in.
"I think this cave winds up the mountain, to a high ridge. If we want to make progress without the spectre, we could take that route. It will probably mean killing the Tengmaa bulb though - not a task I take lightly. We'll need explosives and fire." Tar noticed a bit more movement in the boughs, and imagined just how much chaos they could cause if this plant realised it was under attack. The end of a thin vine tickled along the top of her foot, and she carefully but firmly lifted her leg to step on it.
“We will try our best to avoid disappointing you.” Skopec chuckled drily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’d best go and help coordinate. You should begin your report - just ensure you record everything securely.” With that, the Sergeant turned and jogged away, making almost no noise. “Well…” Freyr began. “He seems nice. Come along. We should get this session started. There’ll be time for sushi later.” They were alone in the food court now, with the sub-team that had been perched by the food conveyor belt making their way into the conference hall.
“We think Navigator was able to exploit quite a simple flaw in the holding area system to open the door. After probing for a bit, presumably to learn about its obstacle, It temporarily convinced the internal sensory grid that it essentially didn’t exist.”
Dr Wetherall stood by his seat in the auditorium, pointing to part of a technical hologram of the Vault’s holding bay. His finger translated into a red laser point that skimmed over a variety of sensors marked inside the space. The rest of the scientists and some Institute observers were dotted around the hall in various states of entrancement. Freyr stood near the back, as was customary for her in these sessions.
“I learned today that the default for some forty years has been to leave that door open so we can use the equipment inside it on the Cradle. This meant once the Navigator blinked from existence, the doors came out of lockdown and could be hacked. The AI controller couldn’t code a fix fast enough, which is quite astonishing in itself. We’re talking nanoseconds here.” He licked his chapped, wrinkly lips.
“How can we be sure that little maneuver can’t work in reverse too?” Someone asked in the crowd. The feedback sessions always included questions, to stimulate debate and explore other avenues.
“We made the Vault team aware of our supposition before we left. And I believe they tasked the controller with auditing the process to look for other vulnerabilities. It's difficult to stomach the fact that this pinnacle of Outreman engineering was manipulated in such a way. But there was always going to be the possibility of new approaches no one had considered.”
“We think Navigator was able to exploit quite a simple flaw in the holding area system to open the door. After probing for a bit, presumably to learn about its obstacle, It temporarily convinced the internal sensory grid that it essentially didn’t exist.”
Dr Wetherall stood by his seat in the auditorium, pointing to part of a technical hologram of the Vault’s holding bay. His finger translated into a red laser point that skimmed over a variety of sensors marked inside the space. The rest of the scientists and some Institute observers were dotted around the hall in various states of entrancement. Freyr stood near the back, as was customary for her in these sessions.
“I learned today that the default for some forty years has been to leave that door open so we can use the equipment inside it on the Cradle. This meant once the Navigator blinked from existence, the doors came out of lockdown and could be hacked. The AI controller couldn’t code a fix fast enough, which is quite astonishing in itself. We’re talking nanoseconds here.” He licked his chapped, wrinkly lips.
“How can we be sure that little maneuver can’t work in reverse too?” Someone asked in the crowd. The feedback sessions always included questions, to stimulate debate and explore other avenues.
“We made the Vault team aware of our supposition before we left. And I believe they tasked the controller with auditing the process to look for other vulnerabilities. It's difficult to stomach the fact that this pinnacle of Outreman engineering was manipulated in such a way. But there was always going to be the possibility of new approaches no one had considered.”
Skopec laughed throatily, playfully slapping Vreta’s shoulder. Freyr realised they were pretty much the same size, when viewed close together. “You’re a funny one! No. We can’t have everyone talking at once - we are in a blackout. Do you understand? It's dangerous right now. Maybe tomorrow, we’ll be able to do more.”
“I need you to join this feedback session anyway.” Freyr explained, rounding on the Rothian. “You were there with me - it seems like you might even remember more. That’s the most important task right now, piecing together what has happened. We’ll need to file an official report soon.”
“I need you to join this feedback session anyway.” Freyr explained, rounding on the Rothian. “You were there with me - it seems like you might even remember more. That’s the most important task right now, piecing together what has happened. We’ll need to file an official report soon.”
Ooh, I like the idea! Colour me interested. Are you thinking of splitting us off in groups or throwing us all together?
“They have a right to be angry. We haven’t exactly been upfront with them about things.” Freyr muttered, still annoyed at Vreta. She looked over, and despite her annoyance sighed when she spotted him looking dismayed at his drink. “Put some milk and sugar into it.” She whispered, nodding towards the lizard’s steaming coffee.
“It seems most of the mainstream news focus is on the terrorist attacks, not the Cradle.” The late Dr Hou’s protégé, Dr Kim, commented. “A masterpiece of deflection.” He chuckled to himself.
Skopec regarded Vreta with a look of haughty disdain. “They will come, soon. Flights from orbit are locked down tight right now. We are negotiating for their release, and then they will land in a separate location. We will pick them up, to avoid them being tracked back here. Your Datius is organising it, along with the collection of your soldiers.”
“It seems most of the mainstream news focus is on the terrorist attacks, not the Cradle.” The late Dr Hou’s protégé, Dr Kim, commented. “A masterpiece of deflection.” He chuckled to himself.
Skopec regarded Vreta with a look of haughty disdain. “They will come, soon. Flights from orbit are locked down tight right now. We are negotiating for their release, and then they will land in a separate location. We will pick them up, to avoid them being tracked back here. Your Datius is organising it, along with the collection of your soldiers.”
“Be that as it may, you need to co-operate with me before making such an announcement. There is a time, place and manner for doing so, alright? This team is still my responsibility.” With that, Freyr brushed past Vreta, placed her cup in the auto-cleaner and left the conference centre.
She took a moment to calm down and look around the floor. The ceiling was high, and she spotted a whole mezzanine level she’d missed before. Putting the prospect of exploring it to one side for a moment, Freyr wandered across the main atrium to the sushi bar a half dozen people were gathered around. The rest of the place seemed empty, except for an Institute operator at the top of the gravity lift off to one side. Soft music piped in from somewhere.
“Hey everyone. We’re regrouping on our findings in thirty. Can you-...” Freyr trailed off on her approach when she realised everyone was transfixed to a holo above the rotating sushi belt. On it were chaotic scenes from a journo-drone of protestors throwing objects at rows of riot droids. Flames licked up into the sky from upturned cars and shop fronts, unhindered even by the rain. “Oh no! Where is this?” Freyr asked, nervously eating the bits of breakfast she’d stashed in her trousers.
“Babylon. But they said it was spreading.” One of the sub-team replied, gingerly maneuvering a piece of sushi into his mouth with chopsticks without removing his eyes from the holo.
“It is.” A voice said from behind Freyr. She turned, and saw a tall soldier with shoulder-length red hair, pushed back with a headband. He wore the same black armour as the others, but with no helmet. He had a sanguine scar on his otherwise pale face, across his left cheek from ear to mouth. “But you’re safe in here.”
“Sergeant Skopec.” Freyr affirmed, vaguely remembering him from the evacuation earlier. “Good afternoon ma’am. I hope you and your team are settling in.” His voice was gravelly, and accented.
She took a moment to calm down and look around the floor. The ceiling was high, and she spotted a whole mezzanine level she’d missed before. Putting the prospect of exploring it to one side for a moment, Freyr wandered across the main atrium to the sushi bar a half dozen people were gathered around. The rest of the place seemed empty, except for an Institute operator at the top of the gravity lift off to one side. Soft music piped in from somewhere.
“Hey everyone. We’re regrouping on our findings in thirty. Can you-...” Freyr trailed off on her approach when she realised everyone was transfixed to a holo above the rotating sushi belt. On it were chaotic scenes from a journo-drone of protestors throwing objects at rows of riot droids. Flames licked up into the sky from upturned cars and shop fronts, unhindered even by the rain. “Oh no! Where is this?” Freyr asked, nervously eating the bits of breakfast she’d stashed in her trousers.
“Babylon. But they said it was spreading.” One of the sub-team replied, gingerly maneuvering a piece of sushi into his mouth with chopsticks without removing his eyes from the holo.
“It is.” A voice said from behind Freyr. She turned, and saw a tall soldier with shoulder-length red hair, pushed back with a headband. He wore the same black armour as the others, but with no helmet. He had a sanguine scar on his otherwise pale face, across his left cheek from ear to mouth. “But you’re safe in here.”
“Sergeant Skopec.” Freyr affirmed, vaguely remembering him from the evacuation earlier. “Good afternoon ma’am. I hope you and your team are settling in.” His voice was gravelly, and accented.
There was a moment of stunned silence after Vreta finished speaking. Freyr sighed and massaged her eyelids with two fingers. She supposed it was this Rothian’s job to manage expectations to some degree. But even by their standards, that was a big gaffe. An unhelpful remark from a frustrated aide to a bunch of already very scared scientists. Freyr didn’t look around, but she could practically feel the looks of anxiety and in some cases, anger, burning into her from all over.
“Alright. Well, see what she can fetch. I’m sure anything will be helpful at this stage.” Freyr took charge again, nodding to Vreta.
“And I want a full workup of what we saw from the Cradle and Navigator’s coupling, ready to present by sub-team in thirty minutes. We’ve been in silos for long enough - it's time to come together again now.” Freyr looked around the room, pushing herself off from the table and downing the rest of her coffee. After another moment, everyone jumped into action. Sub-teams huddled up to decide what information was most pertinent to discuss. It was a slightly different approach to most departments, but Freyr found it useful for her own thought process.
Once she was satisfied, Freyr turned back to Vreta. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked.
"Turn down the rhetoric now, ok? Please? We've been through a lot, and I want to get back to how things are supposed to be." She spoke in a firm tone.
“Alright. Well, see what she can fetch. I’m sure anything will be helpful at this stage.” Freyr took charge again, nodding to Vreta.
“And I want a full workup of what we saw from the Cradle and Navigator’s coupling, ready to present by sub-team in thirty minutes. We’ve been in silos for long enough - it's time to come together again now.” Freyr looked around the room, pushing herself off from the table and downing the rest of her coffee. After another moment, everyone jumped into action. Sub-teams huddled up to decide what information was most pertinent to discuss. It was a slightly different approach to most departments, but Freyr found it useful for her own thought process.
Once she was satisfied, Freyr turned back to Vreta. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked.
"Turn down the rhetoric now, ok? Please? We've been through a lot, and I want to get back to how things are supposed to be." She spoke in a firm tone.
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