IC: Time to Visit other worlds (Alternity Dark Matter)

[CateranEnforcer]

Aleksandr raises an eyebrow at the older woman.

"Well, I did not think fun was a part of it. I was just thinking about efficiency in this situation. I did not mean to offend, whatever you think is best. So long as we do not become a permanent fixture here. When we are gone, you will need an excess of supply. We will work out the...er...details when the time comes."

Aleksandr doubted life in a harem or something like it would not be as fun as she suggested. He certainly did not intend to stay here forever as essentially a slave. This was definitely no dream come true, this was survival. He already worried their interference was too great as it was and these people could quickly become their enemies if they found out they could leave this hell.

[farothel]

"I can ask around to neighbouring clans to see if they have them," Ania said, "I'm not sure how long it will take."

"I will only need a few days to explain the artificial insemination techniques to your nurses," Leo said, "it's not that difficult to do. We just need some tools and a working freezer for the samples."

"I'll let you handle that with our nurses," Ania said, "I'm not sure what they all have in their ward. But I'm not sure if we have a reliable freezer. Power is a bit wonky here. You said you were a technician?"
She looked at Aleksandr.
"Maybe you can have a look at our generators," she continued, "a fresh view is always interesting."

[CateranEnforcer]

Aleksandr actually felt optimistic about this plan. "This sounds like a plan is coming together. I will l have a look at your generator. It is a bit outside my field, but if we can get you set up for the long run, there will be no need for us to remain here and we can find our associates. Does this sound agreeable?" He looked over at Cynthia and Leo for confirmation. It was more meddling than he would have liked, but they weren't bringing in higher tech than what already once existed right?

Aleksandr didn't want to think what might happen if they couldn't help.

[DataNinja]

"That sounds workable, if you have the skills to do it," Cynthia nods at the others. There... really isn't anything she can do, so, best to let them just do their things as they want. They know what they do best. In the meantime, she figures she'll do the best she can to get some alone time to fire off a report.

[farothel]

"Very well," Ania said, "but first let's have something to eat."

She guides you to a common mess hall where about twenty women of all ages and two other men were eating. They all look at you when you come in. She guides you to the counter where the food is waiting. It looks a bit like the cafetaria of the institute, but then underground.
"Oh, I have to go for a moment," she suddenly said, "just get some food and I'll be back soon."

With that she leaves you alone and goes to another woman at the end of the room.

[DataNinja]

Well, hopefully the food isn't bad. And compatible with their metabolisms. Cynthia figures if they were wanting to... poison them or something (well, her, probably, given they want the men), they wouldn't do it like this. They'd probably just have shot her. Or imprisoned her then shot her. Something like that. So, y'know... fun things.

She grabs what looks appetizing enough, since who knows when the next chance to eat may be, and then grabs a seat.

[CateranEnforcer]

While not particularly hungry, Aleksandr supposes that it would be best not to argue. He was more worried about getting to work and getting things back on track, but they had gotten so far off the first plan, that they mind as well go with it. When in Rome...

He follows the rest to the cafeteria to eat, not sure how to interact with the people here, but he keep his eyes down for now.

[farothel]

Leo also took something to eat and subtlely he brought them to a table at the side of the mess hall.
"So, what do you think about all this," he whispered as soon as they were all sitting down. Not that people could really overhear them with all the noise in the mess hall.

[DataNinja]

"I think it's gonna be hell getting them back, because it seems like they're literally the most valuable things in this world," Cynthia replies, quietly. "When I have a moment, gonna send a report back. At the very least, they need to know to be ready for testing and decontamination protocols to make sure that our world doesn't end up with the same fate."

[CateranEnforcer]

"I am thinking we may be meddling more than we should, but our options are limited. We should tread carefully. I agree with Cynthia that taking a handful of healthy males away will be difficult in a world where they are so valuable. It is why I think our own escape hinges on the success of our project. I fear, if we fail, that we will find ourselves needing rescued as well."

Aleksandr addresses Cynthia in a lower voice. "You may have the best chance to being given some free reign, I suspect that Leo and I will be closely watched. And perhaps otherwise preoccupied. I am not sure what the others here have come to expect or how they treat their males here. I am concerned that other women may not take no for an answer."

[farothel]

"Well, artificial insemination isn't that hard a technique," Leo said, "teaching them shouldn't be too much of a violation. And I think neither will be giving some 'samples'. Some contact is to be expected I think."

[DataNinja]

"They did say try for good relations," Cynthia says, dryly. "Anyways, I'll do what I can to get a message away. Might not be for some time, though. Probably going to be watching all of us pretty closely. Ania isn't stupid, I'm certain that she knows that something's up. Might be able to during, like... sleeping or something, though." She sighs. "Man, I never thought that this sort of stuff would end up with me feeling sorry for people on my assignments. Usually I just... greased the wheels of the stupid huge bureaucracies. Nobody's feeling any empathy for the people in charge there. Stupid red tape. This is... far more complicated than I ever could have imagined it being."

[CateranEnforcer]

"Perhaps I am being overly cautious. It is a strange circumstance we find ourselves in." Aleksandr looks up at the rest of the room. "We can only do the best we can. Hopefully, the the women who kidnapped our associates are as benevolent as the ones whi kidnapped us."

[farothel]

"I think that was one of the few things they promised us… strange," Leo said, "let's already make a preliminary report and have it queue up for as soon as the connection opens."

[DataNinja]

"I'd be wary about doing it in front of anyone," Cynthia says. "Since I don't want to give them the impression that we're trying to spy on them or anything. We're trying to not affect anything here, and doing something like that might cause conflict if they think we're from a different enclave or something."

[CateranEnforcer]

Aleksandr continues to keep his voice down. "I think protecting our home should be a top priority. They know there is something we aren't telling them, so I expect we will be watched. If we can be sure that we can contact them in secret, we should, but not before then. Perhaps we can try to keep some of them busy for you. I am not sure what Ania has in store for us, right this moment. I'm surprised they have left alone this long to as it is. Testing us, perhaps?"

[farothel]

"Maybe, but there she is," Leo said as he noticed Aina arriving. She also had a plate of food and two other women accompanied her. One was an older brunette and the other a tall, lanky blonde.

"Sorry it took so long," she said as she sat down, followed by the other two women, "this is Janice, one of our nurses (the brunette) and this is our engineer, Ginny (the blonde). They will take you to their own little 'kingdoms' after the lunch."

Then she turned to Cynthia.
"Do you have any specific skills that might be useful here," she asked.

[DataNinja]

"Charmed," Cynthia says, nodding at the new arrivals.

"Probably not," she admits. "I'm more of a people person. Just here to keep these two in line," she gives a wry grin. "They have the actual skills here." Certainly neither capabilities in corporate espionage nor bureaucratic leveraging will see particular use here.

[CateranEnforcer]

"Hello. Pleased to meet you. I should be finished soon, and eager to work." Work as if his mission and maybe freedom depends on it. Not unlike his time in Moscow perhaps.

"And I would not sell yourself short, Cynthea." Aleksandr wisely not want to qualify that statement and just left it as a friendly reassurance.

[farothel]

"You can help me with finding your companions," Aina suggested, "but first let's finish our lunch."

The lunch proceeded with some small talk, where it was clear that they were trying to get more information about where you came from. Then the group was split with Leo going with the nurse to the ward while Alex went with the engineer to their generators and Cynthia stayed with Aina.

Cynthia
"So, you have names and pictures of these companions," Aina asked as they arrived at the radio station of the group, "I'll circulate that to the nearby clans and hopefully they react."

Alex
Alex was brought to the generator room, where two large diesel generators were turning and one was standing idle.
"We only need two during the day and one at night, so we try to rotate them," Ginny explained, "but lately we're having some problems with this one and we're not sure were it comes from."

Leo
Leo went to the ward, where some women were waiting with small complaints. When they heard he was a doctor, they were quite happy to be treated by him. As soon as that was done, he started looking around for the equipment needed for artificial insemination, while also trying to figure out what had happened here.

[DataNinja]

Well, Cynthia's at least well-trained in giving pleasant non-answers to questions.

"Yes, I do," she says, nodding as they're seperated, before getting the photos from her pack, and giving a list of names. "We have an idea of where about they were supposed to be, at least in general. Don't know if they might have moved, but you might know about those who'd live or act around there." She gives a general gist of where they were headed before this group had picked them up.

[farothel]

Cynthia

"Well, that narrows it down," Aina said, "that means we can start with only four other clans. A lot easier than asking the whole bloody town."

[DataNinja]

"I expect that there's a lot of people, then, if 4 is just a small portion of it," she says. "Judging by what you have here. I imagine not everyone has such a potent-seeming fortress, though."

[CateranEnforcer]

"That may give us a good time to work on one while the rest sleep." Aleksandr observes. "What kinds of problems are you having here? You seem to have a working system here at the moment?" He continues to ply with increasingly technical questions as he makes a cursory examination of the power generators.

Spoiler

Show

Tech Knowledge 17/8/4 (1d20)[5] - (1d4)[2]

[farothel]

Cynthia

"It has its advantages," Aina replied, "there were of course people who wanted it, so it was difficult at times. But I hope that things will be better soon."
She brought you to the radio room where some old fashioned army radios were standing. Soon she was talking to a voice at the other side of the radio.


Alexandr

You look at the generator and the maintenance is well done. There's Always room for improvement, but in this case not that much. The main problem seems to be spare parts. While you can do maintenance, sometimes things have to be replaced and that wasn't done. When you ask about spare parts, you're taken to a storage room where you see some parts, but not the thing you need.

You do see something you're much more familiar with, although not in this way... solar panels. There's about 20 panels here.


Leo

After giving the basic care to the wounded of the base, Leo starts explaining how to do artificial insimination and also how to keep the sperm safe and refrigerated. They just needed a few extra machines and tools to get the job done.
When they took a short break, he managed to steer the conversation to what happened.
"Well, there was a virus that made most men go crazy," one of the nurses said, "Cosack-something-or-other."
"coxsackie virus," Leo offered.
"Yeah, that one," the nurse replied, "normally they don't do much, but this one did. CDC went crazy trying to figure it out. I don't know if they did in the end, but it didn't really matter. Those affected started killing each other and other people too and here we are now. I think we can be Lucky that their mind went and they couldn't remember the code for all those missiles they have lying around. So, where are you from."
"Far away," Leo said, "we have determined that there was no more virus where we were, so we didn't know that there was still here."
"I don't know if there still is," the nurse said, "men Always wear gasmasks outside of closed compounds."

Interesting, Leo thought as he went back to work teaching.

[DataNinja]

"That's indeed all we can hope for," Cynthia agrees. Man, this is far more stressful than anything said or done back home. The stakes are higher, the consequences worse, and everything is just so much more unfamiliar. But... they have to do it. IT's what she signed up for, after all.

She does her best to listen into what's being said without looking too intent on it. Any information is a boon in a drought.

[CateranEnforcer]

"Is there a reason you don't use those?" Aleksandr asked as he spotted the solar panels. It was hard to tell if they could put out the power needed to replace a whole generator even if they had all the correct parts for them anyways. He begin to pilfer through the storage room to see what other gems they had laying around. The great thing about electricity it that it works the same no matter what language you speak or if you are out in space.

[farothel]

Cynthia

Each conversation goes roughly the same way. It starts with the usual pleasantries, before Aina asks if they had any new males lately. On a yes at two of the conversations, she asks if she could come around one day to have a look for an exchange, which is granted. For one it's the next day, the other agrees for the day after.
"I guess that's even better," she said, "we can go and have a look while your two companions stay here."

Alexandr

"Oh those," Ginny said, "I've thought about getting rid of those, as we don't have PV inverters for them. So we can't use it and it's difficult to get those."

[DataNinja]

"Well, my schedule does seem to have a lot of openings," she says, wryly. "So I guess it's road trip time over the next few days."

"I do appreciate you being willing to do this for us, Aina," she adds. "I hope that my companions are able to successfully make themselves useful to help you out here in return."

[CateranEnforcer]

Aleksandr nods, "Still, I would not throw them out. We have the beginnings of a plan. What are the chances of salvaging some parts form the surrounding area? It is possible that some important parts can be found, perhaps that have been overlooked. Or maybe even traded for. If' you will forgive my ignorance of the area."