What's a Midworld Anyway? (Story)

Started by kclace, August 23, 2020, 10:13:28 PM

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kclace

[This is from my custom scenario, Midworld Suburbs, I never thought a game without raids could be so much fun, but I'm enjoying it. Vabilla Factions Events was a Must for this one)

Adams, Skye, Carroll and Gorn were visiting Carrol's house, sitting around a small wooden table and eating some simple meals that Adams had cooked up for them. Carroll was sipping from a beer thoughtfully.

Carroll: I'd say, it's been about, what, five years now since all the factions agreed to sign those treaties? That's five years without having to worry about one raid. I'd say that's some real progress.

Skye nodded: I just hope the peace will last. I know life is still really hard for most people, but with lasting peace, we'll be able to build a strong nation, may even have a united world government. Say, does this mean we're a Midworld now?

Gorn scoffed: According to the Ordo Historica, Midworld societies have mastered flight. We're still using donkeys and horses to get around. No this is decidedly a rimworld. Albeit a slightly more peaceful one. Like you said, it's not like we don't have problems. The national government is weak and corrupt. They only come around here to collect taxes. We're pretty much on our own.

Skye: Official historical nonsense. There's no raids, I say we're a midworld.

Adams nodded: I know how we'll settle it. If something terribly awful happens to our settlement within the next two seasons or so, we'll say it's a rimworld.

Skye grinned: Here's to being an optimist then!


kclace

They made it about one season before Skye lost that wager.

During that first season, the only dangers the planned small suburban community encountered were the ocassional wild animal and a drought. Although Gorn argued that no midworld had such problems, the community didn't agree, so it seemed like Skye was winning the bet.

Then the big danger happened. It was winter, and everyone was asleep when all of a sudden explosions starting lighting up the sky.

Gorn's house was hit with a massive artillery shell and bits of space debris started falling all over the place. Alexis Adams, the daughter of a rimworld colony administrator, was now serving as Community Association Director of this neighborhood and quickly took charge of the situation.

As soon as the debris had stopped falling, she ran from house to house to make sure everyone was alright. There was a lot of damage  to the homes, but no fires and no injuries. Some fires were however burning out in the forest. That could be dealt with later.

Alexis's plan was to rally everyone in front of the damaged community center. The plan was to assess what needed to be rebuilt and get started tomorrow. That's when she noticed the quiet groan of a man in pain. She crept toward the sound in the darkness as it became clearer. She was about to attempt a rescue when she heard another noise...MECHANOIDs, CLOSE BY!






kclace

At that moment, Alexis assumed that the entire community was dead. Alexis, as an informal Sheriff, had a wooden club slung on her belt, but that was it. The other inhabitants of the community were completely unarmed.

But then something curious happened. The mechanoids turned back around and went out of sight. After a few minutes of watching this, she realized that the mechanoids were set to perimeter patrol, not attack mode.

Once the mechanoids were out of site, she slinked back and quietly crept back to the damaged community center.

A few minutes later, she emerged at the center to greet the frightened residents beneath a flickering damaged streetlight.

Alexis: Alright, everyone listen up. I have no idea what happened, but we're all alive. No injuries either. But right now we have a bigger problem. Mechanoids have set up a perimeter north of our neighborhood. Don't panic. If they were set to attack we'd all be dead. As long as we keep our distance they'll leave us alone. So starting immediately, priority one will be to rebuild the northern perimeter wall. There are injured people and fires out there. Stay away from them. I know it may sound cruel, but any attempted rescue could set the mechanoids to attack.

Once the perimeter wall is back in place, we can rebuild our homes. Meanwhile as soon as power is back up, I will get on the comms and radio for help.

The villagers looked around in disbelief, but after a few minutes. They woke up to what was happening and set about the grim business of survival.

They weren't strangers too it afterall. They had all grown up on this formerly violent rimworld. Mechanoid attacks, while rare, were part of life. Even if their home wasn't quite the strictest definition of a rimworld anymore.


kclace

The Way The Story Ended:

Narrator: Now as it so happened, that group of mechanoids was quickly wiped out by a passing tribal caravan. But not long after that a defoliator ship part landed and slowly started to poison the landscape. The villagers tried to scrape together everything they could to bribe a local military leader to intervene so it wasn't enough. That's when Alexis, the acting village administrator, decided to awaken the occupants of the crypt.

An ancient soldier awoke and went on a rampage, killing four colonists including Alexis.

Soon therafter one of the surviving colonists tried to kill someone and was killed in self defense.

This left one woman alive, a former wanderer joined Marle.

Marle was about to leave when the military finally showed up to wipe out the mechanoids, though by this time the defoliator had destroyed much of the land.

That's when something really odd happened. A real estate agent showed up with a young family. The agent asked if Marle owned one of the home and, being the only survivor said sure.

So she sold one of the homes to the new occupants and left for a new community.

This new community was having the same debate, Midworld or Rimworld? Marle decided to weigh in.

"A rimworld to be sure. But a little better than it used to be. I'll leave it at that."