character owner/attack recipients are @hollyisanonymous, @stardusttshowers, @captainshyguy, ShroomieArts on AF (also me bc nubnub is there lol), ahmwma on AF, and Kitsuvii on AF!
Curious aliens will find a way around locked doors and impostor scares. It just takes a bit of planning!
Among Us archive/askblog
Fic chapters post
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moar nubnub content, bc this is my comfort silly story to play with like a stress ball. also wanted to establish why nub’s so familiar with the concept of crews walking about- surprise surprise, they’ve snuck around the base multiple times!
big ol shoutout to @lightkrets312 and @fvaleraye for proofreading this for me!!!!!! y’all should check those two out, they’re really rad :>
###~###~###
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:06:02:35 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: NIGHT CYCLE [OUTER DOOR, DECONTAMINATION CHAMBER, LOCKER MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: SEALED, NO CREW ACCESS IN LAST [10] HRS
Lockers: SEALED, NO CREW ACCESS IN LAST [8] HRS
###~###~###
The world above the water was… loud. Bright. Heavy. The harsh cerulean void above had them yearning for the soothing abyssal blue below. But they couldn’t slip back just yet. They wanted to do some investigation of their own. So, to the surface it was.
The creature floated a small distance from the coral shore, eyes just peeking out from the surf. They’d positioned themself just inside the shadow of the roosting flight-house. Not only did it provide the familiarity of darkness, it kept them out of sight of… other things. Their first set of eyes scanned the horizon and lazy clouds warily. The skybound terrors still hadn’t returned. The strangers didn’t seem to care- or even be aware of any danger. But the creature knew better than to get completely reckless. They’d take their shelter where they could, thank you very much.
In any case, their second gaze was trained on the couple of strangers sluggishly scuttling about the coral. The day’s blazing light was still climbing out of the ocean. For some reason, these strangers needed light to upkeep their energy- it suited the creature just fine. It meant there weren’t too many around to notice in this early glow. Not too many to bump into. And if they really wanted to make a move, the best time was now.
When the coral finally cleared out, the creature bolted silently from their shelter. Desperate tentacles slithered between the cracks in living rock, sliding them up and out of the water. They didn’t have much time to lose- any second, a stranger could spot them. A soft schmuck schmuck accompanied their movements, tentacles carrying them swiftly to a nearby tide pool. The steam rising from it made their snout wrinkle and ears flick back, but they kept moving. The strangers’ house passed right over it, a metal sheet filled with long, thin slits allowing the steam to billow inside. It made the sides of the tunnel above billow out slightly- but nothing too bad. They didn’t care much for the tunnel at the moment. Their gaze was only for the slitted metal sheet. They knew one edge of it was loose- they’d wrenched it open many times before. So they moved there now, tentacles easily sliding between the metal and strange crinkly covering of the tunnel’s sides. One quick yank, and a decent sized hole opened before them. They slid in without a second thought, tentacles twisting around to wrench it shut again.
They stood stock still in the middle of a long, sagging tunnel. There were entrances on either end of the tunnel, but they needed to get in only one. The closest sported a familiar hatchlike chunk of metal. A thin line ran down its center- clearly sealed tightly closed. That was their admission into this strange house. Swiftly approaching, they spotted a squarish cluster of symbols against the right side. They’d watched the strangers jab at the symbols from the tidepool below more than enough times to catch the order. 2896468, their mind flashed, turquoise spots along their tentacles lighting up in an echo. Their sharp claws rapped lightly against the little symbols, the tingling amusement of how each bump depressed under their touch lasting only a moment. With a loud hiss, the entrance rent open, and the creature darted through the gap.
###~###~###
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:06:26:18 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: NIGHT CYCLE [OUTER DOOR, DECONTAMINATION CHAMBER, LOCKER MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: UNSEALED WITH SECURITY CODE BY [ERROR]
Lockers: SEALED, NO CREW ACCESS IN LAST [8] HRS
…
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: OCCUPIED BY [ERROR], CLEANING IN PROCESS…
Lockers: SEALED, NO CREW ACCESS IN LAST [8] HRS
###~###~###
A slippery, wet chamber greeted the creature, a small circle of pierced metal covering a hole in its center. Their lights glowed softly in fondness as a forceful mist began to filter in from the ceiling. It settled on them strangely- something in the watery substance stinging just a bit- but they didn’t mind now. It was wet. That’s all they cared about. They simply shifted to the side of the next hatch, waiting for it to heave apart. If they were lucky, there’d be no one on the other side. From their observations, there shouldn’t be. But… well.
Pays more to be safe than sorry.
When the entrance hissed open again, their eyes searched it with lightning speed. No vivid stranger’s coverings met their gaze. The coast was clear. As the entrance started to slide closed, the creature darted out, tentacles holding fast to the slippery floor. The lights made them squint more- why in the tides must it be so bright in here?! The harsh rays’ reflection against the pale gray and blue floor didn’t help matters.
Focus, they reminded themself, find a spare covering.
Their large ears swiveled around to catch the slightest sounds, and their smaller ears shifted backwards to keep attention on the sealed entrance. If anything close to the sound of entrance-hiss or stranger footsteps reached them, they’d jam themself behind the nearest large object. So far, though, the only sound was the schmuck of their tentacles against the ground.
The creature made their way through a room with a fabric hanging wall half obscuring a set of four raised platforms. The platforms had soft, rectangular padding- but now was not the time to curl up on them. They continued, sliding past strange icelike containers arranged on another raised platform, odd depressions and metal sticks marring one of its sides. The glint of the strange, never melting ice drew one pair of eyes- but only until they passed it. From there the floor shifted to something altogether different. Not as hard as the other floors, but not soft either- they recalled a stranger pointing to it, uttering some sound like ‘whoodun.’ It was completely foreign. Completely otherworldly. But there wasn’t time to ponder the ‘whoodun’ surface either. The slippery, cold flooring returned, and a line of rectangular metal containers sat against one wall.
The creature let out a pleased coo. Finally, the strangers’ covering storage. They kept one pair of eyes trained on the far door, the other eyeing the small gaps on the top half of the metal containers. Their dark-suited vision picked out colors immediately. And, to their dismay, only one of the containers yielded a different shade than the gaggle of strangers currently living in the house.
Oh tides. This wasn’t good.
Huffing an anxious sigh, the creature ran through the colors they’d seen scuttling about the strangers’ home lately, checking them against the array before them. Sure enough, all but one were taken- and twice over. But they only remembered seeing one orange covering- so taking it would have to do. After all, the strangers were very particular about their companions’ colors. They were just lucky an undoubled covering was left…
Might as well grab it while they could.
###~###~###
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:06:37:52 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: NIGHT CYCLE [OUTER DOOR, DECONTAMINATION CHAMBER, LOCKER MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: SEALED, LAST ACCESSED BY [ERROR] AT [06:26:18]
Lockers: ERROR, RELOADING…
…
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: SEALED, LAST ACCESSED BY [ERROR] AT [06:26:18]
Lockers: LOCKER [19] UNSEALED AT [06:39:43] BY [ERROR]
###~###~###
The container swung open without too much tugging. Its metal was much softer than the hatches on the strangers’ houses. The creature held itself off the ground with one pair of back tentacles as it shimmied its way into the orange covering. Their feet stuck out oddly from the leg sheaths, and their claws threatened to rip through the fabric wrappings around their paws. But they simply curled their digits inward, letting the soft ends of their paws rest against the fabric, claws tucked away. Now they reached for the foot shells at the bottom of the locker. They attached to the main covering with a soft ‘hiss’- the creature didn’t so much as blink at the sound, now. They just tried to lay their feet flat against the shell bottoms. Such a strange way to walk… how did the strangers do it?
And then, of course, came their least favorite part. After a moment of indignant glowing and chittering, the creature set itself on its feet, back tentacles retracting inside the suit. They reached carefully for the covering’s cap, which sat at the top of the locker. Putting the cap on over their snout wasn’t hard. It wasn’t! Their body was too soft for that sort of issue. Their snout and ears just- didn’t quite fit in their default shape. So they had to squash it all flat.
At least the thick, clear membrane before their eyes dimmed the house’s lights. A little, anyway.
Their lights flickered in resigned annoyance as they gave themself a once over. Foot shells attached, paw wrappings intact, cover cap locked into place… Seemed all was ready. Taking a deep breath, the creature turned toward the main door. A few colored bubbles stuck to the wall on its left. The top one, red, was glowing, while the lower one, green, stayed dark. They were still alone. Everything was still silent.
But they were one of the strangers now- at least from the outside.
With a little luck, they’d never realize one of the “eempostors” was walking among them.
There was no danger anymore.
With a satisfied chirr, the creature turned back towards the main building. It was finally time to further investigate those tantalizing objects… the ‘whoodun’ floor, the nevermelting ice, and maybe even those padded rectangles.
Oh, this was going to be fun!!!
###~###~###
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:06:59:59 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: NIGHT CYCLE [OUTER DOOR, DECONTAMINATION CHAMBER, LOCKER MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Outer Doors: LOCKED, [NIGHT SHIFT CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: SEALED, LAST ACCESSED BY [ERROR] AT [06:26:18]
Lockers: LOCKER [19] UNSEALED AT [06:39:43] BY [ERROR]
…
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:07:00:00 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: DAY CYCLE [ALL SYSTEM MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Outer Doors: SEALED, [ALL CREW] ACCESS
Decontamination chamber: SEALED, LAST ACCESSED BY [ERROR] AT [06:26:18]
Lockers: ALL UNSEALED BY [BASE - SYSTEM]
ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS LOADING…
…
PLANET [326-OCE-894 / SECTOR G] BASE SYSTEM LOG:
TIMESTAMP [SED:HR:MIN:SEC]: 85:07:10:29 AFTER ARRIVAL
System setting: DAY CYCLE [ALL SYSTEM MONITORING]
Location: PLANET 326-OCE-894 - SECTOR G
Base Setup Rationale: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, EXPLORATION
Connection to HQ: STEADY
Systems:
Decontamination chamber: UNSEALED, LAST ACCESSED BY [BASE - RED] AT [07:08:29]
Lockers: ALL UNSEALED, ACCESSED BY [show entire list]
show additional systems
NIGHT CREW CLOSING REPORT:
There were a couple more instances of our system clashing with the tracking software on the crew of SKELD D34-H120. Will consult SKELD D34-H120’s PINK about possible older software interfering with recent software updates. However, I must note again that these occasional glitches happened also with newer model SKELD ships at the last supply dropoffs.
My current hypothesis remains that SKELD ship software simply does not run well with BASE software.
At end of shift, an unidentified individual was moving about the base. The lack of identification is likely due to this glitch- there were two members of SKELD D34-H120’s crew on the night shift. We must get this lack-of-identity glitch fixed before we continue our exploration and receive further supplies.
