⇨ SPACE OLYMPICS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 30 - Day 44
Where: The carnival, Zargon, and Olympic Spaceship
What: Things return back to normal as the carnival performs for aliens of all sorts at the Space Olympics. Or at least, as normal as it can be when you've got an underfunded and falling-apart spaceship hovering over a deadly planet.
Warnings: Sports and people's inability to do them.

REACH FOR THE STARS↴ At first glance, the Space Olympics seem marvelous. Aliens from all over the universe, of all shapes and sizes have joined together in an intergalactic display of teamwork and sportmanship. What could be more inspiring than that? It's only when you hang around for a bit that you notice things aren't exactly in tip-top shape. ► OLYMPIC SPACESHIP: This is where most of the events are held. It's a massive spaceship spanning hundreds of miles and consisting of multiple floors. Teleportation discs and space public transport can take you anywhere on the spaceship in a blink of an eye. It has almost every amenity an athlete can think of: multiple gyms, practice arenas, saunas, etc. Likewise, there are plenty of things for civilians and spectators: merchandise stands, shopping malls, grocery stores, and television screens everywhere so people can watch the event. Shuttles to and from Zargon arrive on a regular basis. ► ZARGON: Facility wise, Zargon itself is less impressive than Olympic Spaceship. The carnival and the athlete's village comprise most of the habitable areas. Both are concealed underneath a large biodome, the main thing making the area livable. Enterprising Zargonites have set up stands that let people explore outside of the biodome. Rent a spacesuit and you too can enjoy Zargon's natural wonders, such as the distant red plateaus and the stunning solar winds. Just try and stay away from the toxic mold, naturally occurring pockets of hallucinogenic gas, and ten foot tall Zargon Death Flytrap. ► 1980s TRAINING MONTAGE: Since carnival members can only attempt to medal in one event, why not try different sports to see what that one event is? There's equipment for all sorts of sports: gymnastics, swimming, biathalon, snowboarding, etc. They've even somehow brought space horses up here for Space Dressage! There's also equipment for sports that carnival members might not have even known existed: Space Gymkata, Space Pooh Sticks, Space Limbo Skating, etc. The sky's the limit! ► A BIT OF A BUDGET SNAFU: The Space Olympics is kind of falling apart. After performance week, the carnival is drafted to help out and keep the Space Olympics running as smoothly as possible. This means fixing buildings, breaking up fights, helping in the kitchen, trying to sell merch, etc. If there's a feasible problem, the carnival members will be drafted to help fix it. The biggest problem of all is the multiple mechanical failures: artificial gravity stops working, temperatures on the ship rapidly shift from hot to cold, and the snow machines for Space Slopestyle won't turn off. ► PERFORMANCE: Performance week will start early this stop, to try and get everyone back into the swing of things after the chaos of Wismuth. Athletes from the village roam the carnival, taking in the sights and sounds. A lot of them haven't ever seen anything like the magic of the carnival and it's workers and will proceed to ask question after question about how all of this works: turns out that sci-fi and fantasy don't crossover as much as one would think. Still, don't be alarmed when you turn the corner and there's a Hutt trying his hand at test your strength.

Comments

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[atouts]

"This way," says a voice closer down to where Peridot's original height probably was, since the person there to show her the problem is, apparently, a three-foot-tall bird-like... thing. Person? Alien? Whatever. He's short and bird-like and sounds like a squeakier-voiced version of Childermass.

Probably because he is Childermass but. You know.

He's straight to business as usual, not even seeming surprised or even curious about Peridot suddenly being a massive Krogan. At this point, he's probably seen enough aliens that the shock has simply worn off and all there's left to do is carry on as expected. Hence him turning and waving a talon off in the direction he means to go.

"The north-end restroom has, apparently, had it's... AI?" He's not sure. He doesn't understand this crap, Peridot. He's from the 1800s! "Replaced with a combat... one. Of whatever that is."

[periphrasing]

"Its' AI?" Peridot repeats, upper lip curling slightly. "Why would a bathroom require Artificial Intelligence? And-- how do you accidentally install a COMBAT AI into one!?"

These are all rhetorical questions that Peridot doesn't expect Childermass to have an answer to. Mostly she is just continuing to be flabbergasted by the sheer incompetence of the Space Olympics committee.

[atouts]

Lucky for Peridot, he takes them as such, since he also knows he has no answer to that. So, here's a birdy little shrug before turns to take off down the space station hallway.

"From what I've heard, the hand dryers may be shooting fire instead of simply blowing out hot air, so if there is anything you want to go fetch ahead of time, I would suggest doing so now."

Guess who isn't going in there with her? That's right, this guy. Childermass isn't planning on wrestling with bathroom appliances.

[periphrasing]

Peridot gapes at him, which... Probably doesn't translate very well because krogan faces aren't as obviously expressive as human faces, but. She definitely looks some degree of dismayed.

"Did anyone happen to tell you where the control panel for the AI is? Because if I can just get at that, I can probably stop it without risking getting my skin singed off."

[atouts]

"Of course," Childermass answers. "I'll point it out to you once we arrive."

And there's definitely a good reason for waiting until they're already at this battle bathroom before he does, because once they arrive? The doors swish open automatically and within, there are several blasts of fire and a wildly flailing hover-showerhead on a long chrome hose to greet them. He'll point with one taloned bird finger into the room, across it, to the far side.

"There."

The panel is not even close to being convenient.

[periphrasing]

For a long while, Peridot can only stare at the scene with quiet dismay. Heat from the fire radiates out through the doorway with each blast, making her cringe. Her eyes move up to follow the frenzied movements of the showerhead next. And finally, she looks at the panel one more time.

How is she meant to deal with this? Surely this creature that she has become isn't fireproof. If she was in her normal gem body, she could just use her metal powers to pull the showerhead over to her and douse the dryers with that.

She is really starting to resent this body that she's stuck in.

"I don't suppose you can just use your weird shadow magic to just put me over by the panel?" she groans pleadingly, glancing down at the magician.

[atouts]

"That would call for me going in there as well," Childermass points out, obviously reluctant to do such a thing. He's not totally uncaring but he's also not stupid. That all looks dangerous and he's... small. Just for now, sure, but it's still going to be an issue, he just knows it.

Even so, he eyes the chaos in the room beyond for a moment longer before letting out a reedy-sounding sigh and tilting his head to look up at Peridot again.

"But yes... I could do that."

[periphrasing]

Peridot can't help but frown at his initial reluctance, because come on, he'll send her in there but he's not willing to stick his own neck out?

...But he concedes in the end, and that's enough for her. She nods, grinning weakly and looking relieved at first, before slipping back into a frowns. "So uhhh. How do we do that, then?" she coughs, fidgeting awkwardly. Shadow travel is new to her.

[atouts]

"It's like walking," Childermass assures her, even though the real difference is what they walk through. She'll have to learn that firsthand, however. With that incredibly vague description, he holds up a claw and looks up expectantly at Peridot, waiting for her to take it.

[periphrasing]

"Nyuuuuhhhhh..." Peridot grumbles, unsure how adequate that explanation actually is. But she trusts Childermass enough, so she reaches down and takes his bird claw in her gigantic krogan fist, and stands there waiting.

It's only a teeny little bit awkward.

[atouts]

From there, it's only a matter of leading her over a step towards the nearest shadow and walking into it. He vanishes and she will, too, once they hit it. Where they go is a mystery, because it's obvious that they do go somewhere, a plane between the shadows. No sound, no light, and then they're out again. Overall, such a short hop gives about a breath's worth of time to even realize that happened.

They're now on the other end of the haywire bathroom, over in the patch of shadows on the far wall near the control box Childermass had pointed out earlier. Definitely better than fighting through the combat AI, if potentially creepier. He'll let go of Peridot's hand at that point and eye the stall door that starts wildly — ineffectively — opening and closing at them.

[periphrasing]

Peridot is thoroughly disoriented, blinking around at their surroundings like a terrified cat. Shadow travel is like the opposite of travelling by warp pad, which is always inherently noisy and full of light, as gem things tend to be. It takes her a moment to get her wits back about her.

Once she does, though, she grimaces at the aggressive door, and reflexively lifts a hand as if to grab it with her metal powers... before she remembers that she uhhh. Currently can't. Use them. Dammit.

"This space station is absolutely the worst stop we've been to yet," she says flatly, outstretched hand dropping back to her side. At that moment, one of hand dryers on the opposite wall catches on to their presence, and tries to belch a stream of flames at the two of them. Peridot yelps and jumps backwards instinctively, and hopefully Childermass has the reflexes to get himself out of the way because otherwise, there's a big old krogan foot heading to crush his poor bird talons.

[atouts]

Too bad Childermass wasn't expecting that. Krogan foot meets tiny bird talons and he lets out a ridiculous squawk of surprise, feathers puffing out at the pain. The jet of flame falls short of them but he doesn't escape injury, so thanks, Peridot, thanks a lot.

"Off! Before you break something!" He smacks her leg with a feathery arm. "It can't even reach us this far over!"

[periphrasing]

The krogan winces sympathetically and immediately lifts her foot off of him, hopping backwards clumsily. "Sorry, sorry!" she babbles in apology. "Rrrgh, why did that stupid spell have to put me in this ludicrously over-sized sack of flesh!?"