Team VSmgAB & Team Shift Happens
Prologue, Part 1
Prologue, Part 2
Prologue, Part 3
This post contains relevant info to everyone using campsite power.
March 31st, 2023, Shitbox Rally Starting Location, Nevada, 8:09 PM
With all participants now present, at least theoretically, Valentin once again shuffled through the stack of 31 contracts requesting power from the generator he was sat in. He felt somewhat bad, having to turn down one team’s third request due to lack of capacity. Nevertheless, he did not expect that each and every plug would actually be occupied come the start of the event. He got out of the car, turning down his nanites to select “Normal” mode to avoid coming across as overly agitated and or nervous once he would address the entirety of the starting area regarding power supply. By this time, it was already dark, but the lights that were set up earlier still provided ample visibility in the starting area.
With the loose stack of contracts in his hands and his phone in his pocket, he made his way over to Kaylie of Shift Happens:
“Hello there. Uhm… i may have failed to account for the need to gather the participants in order to hand over power supply equipment and such…” Valentin admitted rather sheepishly.
Kaylie smiled. “I can get everyone to gather up. If they can’t hear me over the music or conversations, well… I can make myself heard. If I make the announcement and people don’t respond, and you see me take a deep breath, cover your ears,” Kaylie admitted.
She walked over to the Home Unit, looking amusingly catlike as she crouched, then leaped up and caught the edge of the roof rack welded into the structure of the vehicle, pulling herself up onto the top of the metal slats over the fans.
Kaylie took a deep breath and yelled out, “Everyone, listen up! We need everyone who signed a power contract to come to the center of camp!”
When just a bit over half of the camp came over, Kaylie sighed. She took a deep breath, threw her head back a bit, then unleashed a full-and-proper tiger’s roar, echoing across the camp. “I said everyone!” Kaylie yelled a few moments later.
With Kaylie perched atop the Home Unit, it was very hard for Valentin to judge what she was doing up there. As such, he misjudged her actions and took her roar almost directly to the face, resulting in him curling up and covering his ears as best he could.
The attempt proved to be of little help, as he could be seen rubbing both ears in irritation after she was done rounding up participants via excess volume, complete with groans of discomfort.
“Oooowwww…” he moans, trying to reorient himself while noticing a distinct muffling to everything surrounding him acoustically.
“There go my eardrums…” he says, already speaking more loudly than usual.
Takaraya startled as Kaylie belted out a full-throated roar above his head, then stepped outside with a light grimace. As Val spoke up a bit louder than usual, Takaraya motioned to Val to speak a little quieter, then said, “You’re speaking louder than needed. Please try not to strain yourself.”
Kaylie, on the other hand, rasped out a quiet, “Sorry, Val. I’ve only ever done that once before, and it was by accident.”
“Goddamnit…” he mumbles quietly, in an attempt to not destroy his voice like Kaylie did his eardrums.
It took another long moment before Valentin had collected himself enough to actually start addressing the participants.
He then starts his public service announcement, Takaraya’s advice flying right out the window as he needed to make himself heard:
"This PSA only is relevant to the teams that have requested the use of power through the Valentin Schrant Mobil Generator AB. I shall now reiterate how the service will be provided as detailed in the contract.
At the end of each stage, i shall start the generator as soon as reasonably possible.
It being started will be announced by a blow of the whistle from the generator car.
Valentin then pauses a bit to elaborately point at Robert, stood in the middle of camp and idling away.
The generator will be ran continuously throughout the night until half an hour before departure the next morning. Any teams still plugged in by that time will be unplugged without further notice.
A 100m 400V, three phase extension cord and a 400V to 230V phase splitter will be provided by the VSmgAB for each registered plug.
The teams are responsible for transporting aforementioned equipment between locations during the day.
Lost or forgotten equipment will NOT be replaced and thus renders the affected plug number inoperable.
If anyone, either deliberately or accidentally, trips the plug-specific circuit breaker, they are to notify me directly if they want power supply to be restored.
Restoration of supply by anyone else is physically impossible due to the breaker panel being contained within the generator car, which will be locked unless access is required.
The same applies if the master circuit breaker is tripped, thus cutting supply to the entire camp, in which case restoration will take longer to accomplish due to more effort being needed to pinpoint the cause.
I shall now name each team and their respective pl… wait a minute… what the fuck? Please stand by…
Valentin pauses, looking around the crowd in front of him, spotting two cars within.
Realizing that they have no drivers and that they are moving about in ways very atypical for inanimate cars, he somewhat frantically shuffles through his stack of contracts, fishing out that of team Friendship! :D (@Edsel), which in turn is torn in two in front of everyone. He then pulls out his phone, frantically tapping around on it in an attempt to re-assign the now freed-up plugs to other teams he initially denied further capacity. He then pockets the phone and returns to the crowd, continuing as if nothing happened. At least he tried, but it was fairly obvious that he kept a close eye on what the two sentient cars were doing.
Due to no legal entity being present, the supply contract for 8 Kilowatts of power between the VSmgAB and Team
Friendship! :Dhas been voided.For the remaining teams, i shall name each of them by name and their respective plug numbers.
Each number corresponds to one extension cord and a three-phase splitter, to be fetched from the pile over there.
He then points to a neat stack of boxes near one of the green trailers, belonging to the military half of VSmgAB.
Valentin Schrant Mobil Generator AktieBolag! Numbers ONE, TWENTY-TWO and TWENTY-NINE.
Team Shift Happens! Numbers TWO, THREE and THIRTY.
Team M.A.D.! Number FOUR.
…
He then continues this pattern for the remaining teams as follows:
Teams and their Plug Numbers (in order of entry permission date; excluding those not drawing power at all)
- VSmgAB: #1; #22; #29
- Shift Happens: #2; #3; #30
- Team M.A.D: #4
- Team Sinesian Rejects: #5
- Team Not-So-Slow: #6; #23
- The Ambassadors: #7
- Team Mravolisnki-Chitco: #8; #24
- Team HETS: #9
- Team Flaming Gallahs: #10
- Team Sane Insanity: #12
- Faolan Industries: #13
- Team Taciturn: #14
- Team TrUnity: #15; #26; #11
- Team SpyKids: #16; #27
- Aeromad: #17
- Team Magdalena: #18
- Machinas Con Passione: #19; #28
- Basedworks: #20
- Team Gunship: #21
You may now collect the equipment in accordance to your allocated plug numbers. Any further inquiries are to be made at the generator car, where i shall be found shortly.
Thank you for you attention and have a nice evening ahead of Shitbox Rally 2023.
With the speech now over with, he turns back to Kaylie, still up on the Home Unit HD-GV.
“Thank you, i am going to get business rolling, i guess…” he calmly states before heading off towards Robert.
Once there, business went as usual as he helped the participants hook up their conumers to the “grid” as best he could.
OOC note:
The cable is about 80lbs (36KG) in weight and about the physical size of an automotive tire when coiled up.
The phase splitter box weights 20lbs (9KG) and is a little larger than a shoebox.
Kaylie smiled, then gave Valentin a thumbs up instead of trying to speak as he thanked her, as her throat was now quite sore after her “little” roar.
Takaraya, on the other hand, knocked on the door of the Carry All’s cab and told Kasiya, “Might want to get the Carry All plugged in. You’ve got a cable now.”
Kasiya got out of the cab, setting his notebook and pen on the bench seat before walking toward Val to collect the third cable.
Valentin did little regarding Kasiya getting the cable itself, since, all of the other teams were presumably doing the same, but did mention again that it was plug #30 where it belonged to.
Eventually, the camp, or more accurately those that wanted it, was powered up, made evident by a noticeable increase in load shown on the laptop screen acting as the ECU of the generator car.
He watches that panel for a while before concluding that everything was running as it should, at which point he left the car to do it’s thing, locked to avoid tampering.
Meanwhile at the military half of VSmgAB…
Not much was happening for them for most of the afternoon and early evening, until the roll call was made patently obvious by Kaylie, scaring the recruits.
“What. The. Fuck. Was. THAT!?”, Hans called out, looking in the general direction of the HD-GV home unit, followed by all the others, including Constantin and Norse.
“That is new…” Constantin said, “Let’s get over there. We are getting power, after all.”
The ‘speshul forces’ followed orders, their annoyance reignited by the fact that they HAD power but been unaware of it. Mary, however, seemed distracted.
“Giddy Up, Jacknabbit!”, Constantin repeated, prompting her to play catch-up with the remaining group.
Once there, Valentin’s speech started, which was of little interest to the recruits or Constantin. Mary, once again lost herself in different thoughts.
“That voice… hmmmmm…” she mumbled quietly, collecting an awkward stare from Jacques and William either side of him.
“You think she’s into him?” William whispered to Jacques across Mary, who was perfectly oblivious to them talking.
“Into who?” Jacques replied in confusion,
“Into Valentin. Look at her. She’s been practically staring at the guy for the past four hours, at least.”
“Everyone says that girls like tall, muscular men. Looks like she’s evidence number one.”
“You make a very solid point, hehe…”
By this time, the speech was over, they returned to their trailers, fetching the two additional cables on the way there.
Much to the dismay of Mary, who volunteered to get the power hooked up, Constantin elected to do that himself with aid from Valentin, as it was patently obvious that she did not listen to anything.
Regardless, the evening was nothing ‘speshul’ for the time being.