natha: (Default)
ɴᴀᴛʜᴀ orbiters ❰ mod collective ❱ ([personal profile] natha) wrote in [community profile] elnyan2018-08-26 01:27 pm
Entry tags:

❪ test drive #7 ❫

YOUR STORY BEGINS    

The Storm came. You remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that.

You don't know how long you slept, but the dreams were short. You remember the expanse of stars and galaxies in your direct view. Every world and solar system ever known to man was present in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You also witnessed the Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. Your Earth and similar planets were assimilated by the Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of your world. That was when she told you what happened. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new. The details weren't clear, but you knew it was a part of a deal with the entity known as Darma - once, you might have been able to speak to her, but now you are only met with silence.

When you awake, you will find yourself in Thesa Station. Your body is still cold, you're hungry, and the halls seem frighteningly bare somehow.

EMPTY HALLS    

Despite the absence of Darma and the rest of the Natha Orbiters, the station is still managing to sustain itself. Those that dig within the station’s log will find that it’s currently in some sort of Energy Saving Mode. While Thesa isn’t at risk of failing any time soon, people will notice that the ship will appear more dim and desolate. Malfunctions will be common, and while none seem to be life-threatening (yet), they are notably inconvenient. Fortunately, it seems the Orbiters were prepared for the worst, and in a potential response to these concerning turn of events, they've prepared some help.

Hi! My name is Yppilc, I will be your assistant on the station! It looks like you just woke up. Did you need help?


The virtual assistant takes a wide variety of shapes, from adorable animals to metal paper clips with googly eyes. Regardless of what form they take, their mission is clear: to help in any way they can. It’s unfortunate, however, that they just haven’t been calibrated properly. Hence, they will appear at the strangest times— in the middle of dinner or an important conversation— sometimes they won’t even offer anything useful. Apparently they were designed after a program that existed once, but who really knows....

However, while they may seem like nothing but trouble at first, there are many occasions in which they can actually help. They are equipped with a whole wealth of information on how to keep the station operational. They can offer tutorials and step-by-step instructions on how to fix various aspects of the station and beyond. Their knowledge is extensive, and if they believe the refugee they're assigned to needs a different kind of help (a lesson in smiling or how to have adequate small talk being some of the many topics they're equipped to teach), well ... they're not against supplying it. Expect some invasive teaching.

The virtual assistants are also all synced together. Meaning, if there’s a big enough problem, they can ping one another and assign refugees to help with certain parts of the ship. The only problem is that prioritizing may not be their strong suit. What seems like a simple issue could be exacerbated into a huge ordeal. What someone thinks is a fire in the main hatch could actually be a plumbing issue near the Mess Hall. They also seem to assign people arbitrarily. One can only hope all the refugees get along.

SEND HELP    

While no specific parts of the station are necessarily offline, a lot of the tasks the station would normally complete on its own will need to be handled manually. Fortunately, the main functions of the station are more than accounted for, however everything else will be up to the refugees. As there is no telling when the Natha Orbiters will return, perhaps it’d be wise to take this opportunity to learn to be a little more self-sufficient on Thesa Station.

1. There are some areas the Station can’t automatically clean without exiting its current emergency protocols. Each of these areas will be marked off on the map provided by Thesa's very own virtual assistant, Yppilc. According to Yppilc, one of the key places that would benefit from a good wash down is the airlock. As a fair amount of foreign matter travels through these doors, special suits will be provided for those cleaning the area. The suits will have a built-in communications system and will also include its own oxygen tank. A helpful feature to have, just in case someone may be swept out into space. Which happens more often than one would think! Cleaning too close to the controls can trigger the doors to open… they’re sensitive. The oxygen tank isn’t equipped to last very long, so you can only help comes soon.

On the bright side, in the event that someone is stuck outside and running low on oxygen, rescuers can easily share some of their air with them. The suits are built to be able to connect to one another like an adhesive. To activate this oxygen-sharing mode, refugees will be required to follow several steps. Hand on one another's shoulders, eye contact, helmets pressed against each other— each suit follows a slightly different set of steps, but they’re probably not any less awkward. While it looks a little absurd and while maneuverability might be a bit of an issue, at least everyone is breathing!

2. Space is unpredictable at times. It isn’t uncommon for the station or its pods to occasionally brush against meteors or asteroids. While Thesa is well-fortified, it doesn’t mean that these asteroids don’t need closer inspection. A lot of rare materials can be mined from them, and while this domain would normally be handled by the Natha, it’s now the job of the refugees to procure pieces of it. You never know when this alternate source of energy and fuel could come in handy, after all! Refugees will be provided two-person pods to go and retrieve these materials. While they can physically descend from the pod once they get out there, they can also control the pods to drill and pick up these materials. Though, the controls are a bit difficult.

3. Without the Orbiters to operate the the kitchen, the Mess Hall will also experience a steep shortage of food. All the ingredients used in the cafeteria were actually conjured up by the Natha, hence without them— people will discover that there isn’t enough food for the new refugees. Old refugees will be pinged prior to their arrival at Thesa Station and the message is clear: bring and cook food for the new refugees. With the errors on the ship, it seems that many of them woke up hungry. For those that lack confidence in their culinary skills&Mdash; they say food tastes better when you’re starving.

GIFTS FROM THESA    

The Natha have bequeathed their will unto the refugees, the burden of watching over their dear planet not given without a token of trust. Everyone, those newly awakened and those already settled, will receive periodic urging from Yppilc to visit the VR facilities. These messages will grow more frequent, more frantic, the longer they go ignored - for the sake of sleep, it’s best to indulge the request.

Load into the simulation, and the scene is mired by the confusion of battle. You and another stand on a low hanging precipice, overlooking a failing front line. The location and conditions of the fight vary, drawn from the memories and fears of the participants themselves. Olympia and Wyver, locked in a caustic war - and your new home is succumbing. Or your homeland, entrenched in conflict from the past, or from a dreaded future. While the scene laid out before you is chaotic, one thing stands clear; your allies are fighting a losing battle. Comrades fall, innocents flee, and the wounded cry out for help. The program has determined what could best spur you and your comrade to intervene, though the more stubborn refugees may need additional goading from their partners.

Your next action determines more than the outcome of the fight before you. Choose wisely - this message is conveyed mentally in a garbled voice that sounds familiar and ethereal all at once. Jump into action and fight. Save an ally - perhaps even your partner in this simulation - from certain death. Or help those who cannot help themselves. Act, and you will find yourself imbued with a new power. Use it, and the scene will soon come to a close. Despite returning to the reality of Thesa Station, you’ll find this newfound power still within your grasp. A gift from Darma, to aid in the battles to come.

OOC Note: Feel free to give your character any one power that would be classified as a ‘major spell’ on the ACP rewards table. These powers can fall under any category (Unaffiliated, Natha, Olympia, or Wyver), and must be reported by existing characters and new applicants here under the most appropriate header no later than September 8th 11:59PM EST. Please include a brief description of the power you’ve chosen. You will receive a response within 48 hours if there are any modifications required.

SOCIAL-LINKED(in)   
By some miracle, there are still some quieter parts of the hall. This may be an appropriate time to check out your smartphone. Aside from the expected "Omage" app, there seems to be a new one called Social-Linked. There, you may find a profile waiting to be posted. The app allows for the user to fill it in, but there is also an auto-function! upon pressing it, it will generate a shockingly-honest answer based on the Natha's observation of your history. Roman will be your only friend in this app, with his very own profile:

●●●●○ THESA
ROMAN
@romannoodles (∞), Thesa

I WAS A: Butler! I still am, and I'm happy to serve all of the new arrivals!

I'M SKILLED IN: Cooking, cleaning, anything that involves making your life better!

I'M LOOKING FOR: Consistency!

ALSO, I'M: Not entirely certain if the "auto" profile function is to your liking. Feel free to edit if it is not to taste!

So, have you decided on making your own profile? Perhaps you used the "auto" function on accident? Regardless, once your profile is out there, it's out there. And like the Omage app, it will match you with someone. NOTE: Please use the form below to fill out a profile! Whether it's auto-generated or filled by the character is up to you!

PROBLEMS IN STASIS    

1. The ship’s malfunctions have reached the stasis chamber, a long feared outcome finally dawning on sleeping friends and families. Yppilc will be quick to notify all refugees aboard that the pods will need close monitoring. Whether you’re visiting to keep an eye on things, or simply there to see the face of someone dear, be careful. Bumping a control panel, or drawing a hand along the glass could trigger an emergency ejection. Lights blink and a mechanism hisses, and then the pod is gone. With the pod thrust into space, you’ll be left with nothing but a small screen displaying the chamber’s position. There are ways to retrieve it— such as climbing into a suit from the airlock or following Yppilc’s instructions. Regardless of approach, it’s imperative that you stay calm. One error, and you could eject another pod or cut off the view screen entirely.

2. The newly awakened won’t find a moment of respite. The errors that pervade over the rest of the station have altered the contingencies for resuscitation in a majority of the pods. Some may awaken with gaps in their memory, or an old injury yet unhealed. Some may be afflicted with new ailments, such as loss of a sense or severe nausea. Anything could happen, with the computer systems processing so inconsistently. Interfacing with Thesa in any way, from entering the VR simulator to accessing the medical facilities, can cause the same range of side effects, so even established refugees should take caution.

FINAL OOC NOTES    
As always, feel free to wildcard prompts within Thesa Station!

These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose. Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below.

Players may submit an AC-length thread HERE from this TDM for 2 Natha REP. The due date for submission is September 16 11:59 PM EST.

For this application cycle, there will be a cap of 60 and no reserves. Applications will be open on September 2 12:01 AM EST and end on September 4 11:59 PM EST. Thank you!

quintessent: (and what can I sell?)

Lance's threads between Allura and Keith are like emotional whiplash.

[personal profile] quintessent 2018-08-29 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
[She turns from his goofy grin (is she still embarrassed? yes) and taps her finger to her chin like she's thinking hard about something.]

Table potaoes, perhaps. [The smile she gives him is apologetic,] That was meant to be a joke, but I'm afraid supplies are low on the ship.

[So it might not be so funny (especially not after she explained the joke, come on Allura). Unfortunately, with no Hunk on duty, the kitchen staff is left wanting for his brand of creativity when it came to thinking up ways to use limited supplies.

And speaking of floor potatoes and dinner,
] But I suppose I need to finish what I started if there is to be any dinner at all.

[Want to help a princess peel potatoes?]
quivers: wu. (38 ➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
oh come on!! play along!

at least pretend to be a little excited to find me instead of sighing super loudly in text form that there could have be worse choices.
manussanatiomea: (pic#12533971)

1

[personal profile] manussanatiomea 2018-08-29 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
[So much for getting his bearings. Tavis stopped in his frantic search for his boy prince to reach out and steady the man stumbling toward him. His right hand went to Robb's chest, his left stump resting around his back where the man hopefully wouldn't be disgusted by it and ask for another healer. Was there anyone else who could help around?]

Easy, I have you. I'm a healer. Do you hurt anywhere else?

[Because the blood on his torso made that wound kind of obvious.]

What's your name, friend? I'm Tavis.

[Tavis tried to keep the man talking as he looked objectively at him, wondering how much of the stumbling was his wounded abdomen, another injury or simply disorientation.]
quivers: wu. (60 ➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ The girl's nervous; the posture and the stammer is a dead giveaway, because it'd kind of been those steps that she tried to instantly skip over when she jumped into superhero mode at way too young an age.

It's a bit of a crisis moment with a bunch of baddies whizzing back and forth, but there's always room to spare for a quick pep talk. Better than your partner fainting in a panic in the middle of battle, anyway.

She steps in closer, putting an encouraging hand on the girl's shoulder, holding up a fist. ]
Hey, hey! Don't worry. Just take a breath. You got this! I won't let them get ya, okay? You got a superhero on your side, kiddo!
deadthenred: (77 ))

[personal profile] deadthenred 2018-08-29 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
This isn't the best place to be, you know.

[ He is glad to have found her. He likes Kate, he's always been impressed by her skills. But he's… you know, bad at admitting that, in words. ]
quivers: wu. (19 ➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
it's just yet another end of the world scenario.
i mean what else is new?

it's not like we weren't already in this particular predicament before.


[ Actually, wait a minute — ]

wait weren't you a baby before in here?
warhorns: (oh what a shame)

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
[He puts his hand on his chest- while the blood there is still wet there's little pain and no wounds to be felt there. It still hurts, he still needs to hold her so he doesn't collpase.]

That is an amazing skill, lady Swan.
deadthenred: (41 ))

[personal profile] deadthenred 2018-08-29 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
I was twenty.

That's not a baby. How old are you?
quivers: romero. (270➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ To be fair, Kate's not entirely sure how fake this is either. Because the tech is good, far better than even Stark tech, which is already miles ahead from whatever science do-hickey stuff she's ever been able to decipher (computers and formulas weren't ever really her thing).

Even the graveled texture of the dirt beneath her feet and the very scent of an uncomfortable battleground all feel a bit too natural for her tastes.

But she's quickly distracted. Probably not a good idea out here, but there's that flask and Kate has to squint a little. ]


Uh, probably not good to get drunk on the job? [ Unless it's like a super powered serum? Super-juice? Maybe? Heroes have all sorts of weird things at their disposal these days. ]
quivers: sorrentino. (109 ➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
uhh 22. older than 20. hence: baby.

[ That's not how that works, Kate. ]
warhorns: (oh what a shame)

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Can I see them? Where are they sleeping? [Her hands as much as the ache in his chest keep him on the bed, but it's clear he wants to go.]
warhorns: (runnin' till we outta time)

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
No- now. [He gasps it out, with effort straigtening his arm to try to hold the man at arm's length. Blood drips from his sleeve to the metal floor. His gaze wavers across Theon's face, unable to focus.]

Why are you helping me?

[personal profile] ayes 2018-08-29 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
[It's frustrating, honestly. You has prided herself for so long on being the rock for all her friends to rely on. She's the one who adjusts her dance to match her partner... usually. She's good old reliable You Watanabe, not the one in need of comforting.

So it's frustrating, and embarrassing, that she's having so much trouble keeping it together to the point where Riko's needing to hold her head to her chest. And that she's trying really hard not to just cry into it.

Still, You allows herself a few more seconds of that comfort before she pulls free, trying seriously to get her emotions in check. It's just that she's missed Riko so much.]
You think you could? It's not too bad, I-- I put it up sometimes, so--

[Okay. Deep breath. Take a deep breath, You. She pats herself on the cheeks a few times to get everything together.] Okay! I'm okay.

Sorry, Riko-chan. I kinda... thought I'd hold it together a little better than that. Especially since you must be all sortsa confused right now, right?
warhorns: (oh what a shame)

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Blood continues to spread across his chest, arrow and knife wounds not fully healed by whatever process the Natha used. Robb coughs, holding as best he can to the man next to him.]

Robb Stark. [His breathing is ragged. As he's about to answer the man's first question he realises he might not be in safe hands-] Are you a Frey?
quivers: wu. (57 ➵)

[personal profile] quivers 2018-08-29 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, this guy sure is huge. Not like Hulk-huge, but definitely the cool useful kind. When he barely even feels the smash of rubble against his body, Kate has to keep from doing a bit of a celebratory cheer, which she manages to refrain from when he opens up with the strategic talk. ]

Right. [ She gazes upward, hand held over her eyes to focus her vision. ] Seems a bit more dire than if they were just shooting at us. Has to be something bigger.
etiquettes: insomniatic (the final sacrifice)

[personal profile] etiquettes 2018-08-29 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
( she starts at her name - her name, said by someone she was quite certain she'd never seen before in her life. that and the fact that he'd caught her off guard. eyes darting around the passage and the space between them, she swallows hard, looking slightly green and searching for her courtesies.

nothing in her etiquette lessons could have prepared her for this. )


Have... have we met?

( she couldn't think of any other reason why someone might know her name - even if they were from westeros, they weren't likely to recognize her on sight alone. just by reputation, her father's scandal and her brief marriage to the imp. )

I'm sorry. ( she's not, but it feels like the polite thing to say. )
etiquettes: insomniatic (we raise it up this offering)

social-linked; un: lemoncakes (because how do u even work this thing)

[personal profile] etiquettes 2018-08-29 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
Yes? Who is this?
manussanatiomea: (pic#12533977)

[personal profile] manussanatiomea 2018-08-29 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Tavis eases the man to the ground because he certainly wasn't going to keep standing up the way he was now with all those injuries. It was a miracle he wasn't dead yet. For not the first time, he wished he had two good hands. It would make this significantly easier, if only in his mind. Before he answered, Tavis reached out, extending his healing abilities to control the blood flow ebbing from the wounds. That was one thing he couldn't fix. But it was easy enough to control. And once he had that, the rest could follow.]

What's a Frey? I'm going to start working on you, alright?

[Not that he thought the man really had much choice in the matter.]
warhorns: (to the beat of the drums)

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
It's been a few days. [He grins, relieved to find people who are as new as he is.] Is this as place as strange to you as it is to me?
etiquettes: insomniatic (the final sacrifice)

possum screeeeech

[personal profile] etiquettes 2018-08-29 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
( her name, but she doesn't recognize the voice - or the person that it belongs to. he looks like a fright; the sort of thing that old nan would tell stories about to arya and jon at night (with sansa grudgingly listening in, though pretending to be focused on her embroidery). a horror. years earlier, sansa would have recoiled or hid.

she was made of sterner stuff now. steel, not porcelain.

instead, she stares, openly, forcing herself to look until the face is no longer frightening, until he no longer makes her want to wince. )


How could you possibly know that?

( she's not in the mood to be kind, or in the mood to be told that what she wants more than anything (all she has wanted for these last years) was not indeed what she wanted. especially not by a stranger who looked like the sort of thing that came out of the gamekeeper's after a hunt. )

Who are you?
etiquettes: insomniatic (we raise it up this offering)

[personal profile] etiquettes 2018-08-29 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
( she's embarrassed - even more than that, she recoils out of impulse, nearly wrenching herself out of what was meant to be a steadying hold. almost immediately, she blanches, holding up a hand and then bracing herself on the wall to one side of the line. )

My pardons.. I was not paying attention. I should have been...

( glancing behind her as though to assess the person who had crashed into her, sansa uses the moment to pull herself a bit more together, insisting inwardly that her heart calm, that her mind clear. this man was a stranger. it was an accident. nothing to fuss over. )

Forgive me. Are you all right?
nineteenfortyfive: (SAIL)

1

[personal profile] nineteenfortyfive 2018-08-29 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[With people coming out of stasis not quite right, with injuries and jumbled memories, it's where Claire finds herself. Best she get to people here, before they bleed all over the floor or frighten someone in their search for help. She's one of the lucky few to have her family here, alive and awake and well, but there are still plenty of pods with closed eyes she sometimes wished would open.

Sansa is a new addition to that list, but not one she expects to see awake so soon. But there's no mistaking that red hair that first drew Claire to her in the first place.]


Sansa? Is that you?

[It is. She knows that. But she's wondering if this girl has any recollection of who she is.]
nineteenfortyfive: (WAX)

[personal profile] nineteenfortyfive 2018-08-29 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
In the place you woke up. They're not going anywhere.

[Hesitantly, she puts her hands on his shoulders to give him a push back. Bed is the best place for him now.]

It's been some time. They might look a little different from what you remember. And I imagine it's not just them from your family in stasis.

[Theon had given her the Greyjoy Tour, and she knows Ned Stark sleeps beneath the glass, but she's not looked for the other Starks herself.]
warhorns: (while you're here in my arms)

ii

[personal profile] warhorns 2018-08-29 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
[When a flash of orange hair catches Robb's attention across the mess, he thinks of his sister. Of course he does. He's heard things about his family being here before- though he hasn't found any of them himself.

He sees Jon's face in that of bearded men. A tall, broad-shouldered man had reminded him of Ned. A kind woman had made him recall his mother. Without a war here to distract him, he misses them. So he watches the girl- no. The woman. She has her back to him, but he can imagine how Sansa would hold herself similarly when she was older, shoulders back, head held high. Strong, like all the Starks were.

Not paying attention to her surroundings either, he notes as a group pushes up behind her. He gets to his feet when he sees her stumble, but he freezes as he goes to her aid. The woman doesn't just look like Sansa- she is.

He's across the room in an instant. He might have to push his way past a few people, but he needs to be sure. When at her side he puts a hand on her elbow to get her attention, eyes wide.]
Gods- Sansa.
beatupgrass: i'm so sorry (✘ oh my god i shot you in the head.)

[personal profile] beatupgrass 2018-08-29 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I'd say I am. I built it, after all.

[Is he bragging? He's most definitely bragging. Being three feet tall and cute and fuzzy means that you pretty much have to brag, otherwise people will think you're just doing stupid pet tricks... Or so goes the logic of the perpetually mocked.

He's about to say something else when he feels something burn in the middle of his chest, and he shakes his head, ears flicking. It feels not unlike the sensation when he uses the amulet the Natha gave him, which is... weird.]
Dammit. These simulations get weirder every d'ast time I get into one.