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.
Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station. Your body is still cold; it all felt like a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — Regardless of your will, you find your body doesn’t respond to you immediately. Instead, you hear a voice begin to resonate deep within you.
 I have seen much... But what I am not accustomed to, is being unable to see.
It was never our wish for those we saved to go through such an ordeal. People... are unpredictable. And you, Refugee, still continue to surprise us. That is why we cannot allow you to die just yet.
Refugee, I no longer have plans to intervene with this world — I have already done too much. Here on out, what happens below... must be resolved by you, its people, and fate. You and your friends before you have proven yourselves. Our eyes are upon you, and our hearts with you.
The Natha have become aware of how ill-prepared many of their new refugees are for the hardships below. While Darma has decided against direct intervention, the other Orbiters echo the opposite sentiment. With their homes destroyed and the ongoing trials that await them planetside imminent, they do not want refugees to descend without knowing exactly what they're getting into. Therefore, Roman and Zasere have set out to host a workshop in order to train the refugees for complex environment of El Nysa.
A new area has opened in Thesa Station: the Exhibition Hall. This vast open space has been configured to rival the size of the Hangar Station, with the north and south ends decorated accordingly. Refugees that have managed to return to Thesa will notice that the north end strongly resembles Olympia, while the south is a near replica of Wyver. Upon entering, you're given a goodie bag containing some postcards from either cities. There will be a variety of workshops available throughout this area. Each workshop is held in its own unique training room, separated only by high-durability glass for individual demonstrations to be observable to all in the vicinity. Workshops will focus on a few major topics that refugees should keep in mind when they reach land.
I — A HALL DIVIDED
The north side of the Exhibition Hall is fashioned to look exactly like a small section of Olympia. There are ghost-like projections of its people, seemingly going about their businesses as if to demonstrate their everyday living. There is even enough space for them to setup an example of a typical starter dormitory, and it wouldn't be a coincidence if it reminds you of room displays of the furniture stores back in your homeworld; Roman has been particularly inspired by magazines of various worlds.
Refugees who have been living or have visited Olympia will be highly encouraged to "sell" the Empire to the newly awoken. Until you find someone who is willing to do that, you'll find a fancy brochure inside your goodie bag, highlighting the benefits of choosing Olympia... however, there seems to be an earlier draft of it floating around, also.
Over on the south side is decorated will all kinds of tropical plant-life. Strangely enough, crossing the threshold of north and south, you'll also get a taste of the jungle heat, or is that only your imagination? Regardless, the presentation is to mirror the north: the Wyver people are shown as projections, making the space feel as populated as the canyons of Wyver. The sample living space is quite different here; all around, tents and wooden shacks are built to demonstrate what refugees might expect when living here. Similarly, refugee who are currently residing in the jungle city are also encouraged to talk about life there. The same brochure highlights this for the newly awoken.
On either side, you will be able to grab small trinkets from either cities; samples of food and wines, stickers, pins and buttons, and even photos of some of the more well-known natives. Wait, are those paintings of older refugees? Weird, but it's supposedly what you would expect from a convention for Darma's planet of El Nysa.
II — BLENDING IN
When you deal with natives, it's normal to feel a bit of anxiety. As far as you're aware, the natives don't know that you not only came from space, but other universes entirely. After this crash course, hopefully you will have the confidence to maintain a sane conversation with a native without getting any strange looks!
- A) One side of the demonstration room shows various scenes from Olympia and Wyver. They seem to be showcasing the day-to-day interactions of regular natives, but you might find that some of the projected individuals in the examples are strangely familiar, even under all the effects and filters. In fact, after taking a closer look, you'll find that these are relatively poor imitations of the refugees that have arrived before you, even though you're assured that they're just a coincidence.
 — This is Focket and Warrior 67. They were both refugees that were exiled from Olympia for a quest that resulted in all those involved being framed for a biological warfare attack! Focket and Warrior 67 decided to run off to Wyver where they currently live a peaceful quiet life allegedly. And that's the beauty of El Nysa! If you accidentally commit treason in one city, you may try your luck in another!
Before long, it becomes very clear that the instructional examples are meant to be the pre-existing refugees that arrived on the station to greet you. After all, there aren't many talking raccoons or white-haired soldiers with visors. Perhaps they're an early-riser from home, or a stranger that you met in the Mess Hall, or even in this very room with you. Makes you wonder where they got this from, doesn't it? At the very least, one thing becomes very clear: The Natha Orbiters weren't lying when they said they were watching.
- B) While there are ample 3D renders and projections all around the floor that anyone can have access to, you will immediately notice that there is an excess of them in the corner. These are renders that were wrongly coded or mistakenly conjured up, hence... you might notice "Koralle" is looking a little furry, or that one of the Wyvern Shamans look a little more fish-like. Either way, these renders still manage to serve a purpose.
In this corner you will be paired up with someone. Either you or them will be given a "role," and you must convincingly act and converse as such. For example, if one of you are given the role of "Wyver King," one of you must act accordingly, and the other must treat them with the proper respect. From there, the renders will judge.
If they give you a pass, you'll be allowed to the exit. If you don't, then you might be here for a while. As a general hint, things that seem to give people extra "performance points" are: mentioning certain landmarks, figures, or other key details relating to El Nysa (see: the brochure). This is a workshop for this purpose, after all.
III — PLANET NYSA EXHIBITION
Perhaps you've heard of this prior to opening your eyes here on Thesa Station: a promise of power in exchange for diligence and loyalty. Show them you are capable of "earning your keep," and the Natha Orbiters may bestow you with powers of your own.
In this workshop, the Orbiters are now allowing refugees to physically test these powers; this time, outside of the comfort of the virtual reality modules. From healing spells to the ability of flight, the sky is almost the limit with these newfound abilities. These powers are temporary, however, and do not last any longer than an hour. You're free to sample as many abilities as you'd like. But, once one is in effect, you cannot gain another without the first one running out its course.
Closest to the exit was the wildlife exhibition, summoning renders of both flora and fauna of Olympia and Wyver. This was meant to showcase the types of wildlife those heading planetside could expect. Don't let the promise of "projections" fool you! These renders are as poisonous, as dangerous, and as realistic as you might expect if you were seeing the real thing. In fact, they have become so unruly that some may have escaped their stations and are running amok, terrorizing everyone (Especially Zasere, who prepared them himself). On the bright side, you've still got those nifty borrowed powers, right?
Monsters aren't the only things you should be worried about. All over, the plantlife that found exposure from the chaos. From the broken glass that once contained them, some flora will have effects that may temporarily ail refugees in its vicinity. Be sure to check their labels if you are caught! Roman has begun handing out gloves and gas masks for this special occasion, being unwilling to destroy the specimen himself. He encourages all to contain them rather than kill!
While most of the flora and fauna have been handled rather quickly, the more agile ones can be seen around the station. One may have found its way to your meal in the Mess Hall, another may be hiding in the bathroom facilities. Wherever they are, it never hurts to practice some caution. Hopefully this gets cleared up before Darma catches wind... but even she would admit this is the most lively Thesa Station has been since that July many months ago.
IV — SOCIAL-LINKED(in)
By miracle, there are still some quieter parts of the hall. This may be an appropriate time to check out your smart phone. 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!
Far away from the chaos, you managed to find the massive section on the station known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to enter this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor — you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken.
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. An AC-length thread may be submitted for THREE (3) NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by April 17th. Network threads are not eligible.
We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for REP.
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i.
Peggy is weaving through the displays and bodies, observing but keeping interaction minimal. She isn't precisely a welcome walking advertisement of life on the surface: she's still recovering from the rescue op she'd led a week ago in getting back hostages, the burns on her right hand swathed in bandages, the skin peeking out of her tailored blouse a painful-looking red like sunburn. But her hair is immaculately styled in her signature curls and waves, her lipstick is a sharp crimson on a downturned mouth — because she's just spotted a portrait of herself and she's mildly irritated. ]
Good Lord, [ she exhales sharply. Then her eyes flick to the one a few portraits down and it's John Watson. There's a man considering it too, so she comments, ] Didn't exactly ask us for permission, did they? I doubt he'll be any more pleased than I am.
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[ Small talk is not one of his strong suits, not when he has nothing to gain from it. Talking about other people is, however, not so terrible, and talking about John easier than most. In the moment he barely questions it. ]
They've done him no favours. No favours at all. His - [ At which, Sherlock gestures to the portrait's face, then his own, hand moving in a circle that suggests every feature is being discussed ] - all wrong.
[ It's actually not a terrible likeness. Sherlock would say the bags under his eyes are too dark, hair the wrong shade of grey, and jaw a bit too square - but it's unmistakable.
Oh. But wait. ]
You're an acquaintance of his?
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Shaking that off, she crosses the short distance between herself and Sherlock, drawn by his question. ]
He's a good friend of mine. [ She means that sincerely. John Watson was one of her first friends here and they've been through enough together to make that friendship more ironclad than most. Peggy extends a hand to shake; her left, even though it isn't her dominant hand. The other is still healing. ] Peggy Carter. You know John?
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Clearly, the happy portraits are hiding a rather tough life.
Sherlock has no problem with adjusting the handshake to suit her. ]
Yes, he's a good friend of mine, as well. Sherlock Holmes.
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Mr Holmes, [ she greets politely. Her tone doesn't belie the shock she feels at meeting him — she'd been prepared for this somewhat, of course. She'd made the connection between names and literature some months ago but hasn't dared bring it up with John. The poor man has enough on his plate and quite frankly, as a woman who's learned she graces the pages of history books in her future, she understands wanting to keep all that at bay. ] It's a pleasure. John's mentioned you, of course.
[ She won't lie and say it was necessarily flattering. But it was vivid: "clever idiot with a tendency to get themselves into shit in pursuit of information," if she remembers correctly. And made as a direct comparison to the trouble she was likely getting herself into for the same reasons. Well. ]
A detective may very well be what we need downstairs.
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[ Don't worry - Sherlock doesn't need to imagine how flattering John's words were. He can pull up a few choice quotes of his own. But there is something inherently pleasing about knowing that John's been talking about him. ]
Conveniently, a detective is what I'm best at.
[ How modest. Of course he'd never take up any other occupation. Every place needs a detective. ]
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I'm sure it is. [ Cryptic, maybe. Or humouring him. It's impossible to say. Peggy inclines her head to the exhibit in general, but doesn't bother to gesture to it any more than that. It rubs her the wrong way, but she's curious: ] What have they told you?
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[ He glances the way of the exhibits, a brief look before his attention is back on Peggy. ]
Nothing unlike what a car salesman might say, or someone looking to sell their home. You replace a few key phrases but the buzz words are always the same. I suspect it's not as good as they paint it to be. It never is, is it?
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[ Because that's one of the more difficult pills to swallow, isn't it? Alien planet, faraway civilisation, people kept in stasis pods until they're ready to rejoin society — that's the stuff out of novels or radio programmes. Or even Howard Stark's wild imagination since she's sure space travel was one of the many things he'd hoped to accomplish someday. But the thought of having nothing to go back to, well, that's the piece that always grounds the whole mess into something nightmarish.
And the questions, too: why were they spared, why were people who were considered terrible spared? A man who tried to assassinate Steve Rogers is walking amongst them below. No telling who else more dangerous or nefarious. (Many of them are dangerous, possibly herself included and definitely Steve, but morals are a different matter. Maybe.) ]
The theories, of course, vary depending on who you speak with. Some people come from places where apocalypse is as commonplace as magic. And it doesn't matter whether or not you believe in any of it because what could be the stuff of fairytales for us is reality for others. The scope is enormous. I've been awake nearly a year and things still surprise me.
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[ Challenge accepted. The way Sherlock sees it, it'll simply be a matter of adjusting the way he looks at things. If there are fairies running about, then, to some degree, there's logic in that.
He just ... Has to find it. ]
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I find that so long as you accept the notion that there are hundreds of worlds different from your own, the surprise wears off somewhat. [ Somewhat. Not entirely, not ever. But a young man by the name of Edmund Pevensie had helped her see past her biases rather early on. ] Who are any of us to decide what is and isn't real, just because we haven't seen it for ourselves?
[ She is literally speaking with Sherlock Holmes and she's friends with John Watson. That should do it, really. ]
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[ He looks around again, at the variety of people here, people with stories to tell that Sherlock can't read yet. Infuriating. ]
At the very least, it doesn't seem it's going to be boring.
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[ She knows she'll hate the dull and dreary after a while, but given how everything had escalated — so quickly, severely — the break would be a welcome relief. She doubts anyone will be getting much sleep after what transpired below, but the city settling into some semblance of its new normal will need time. They'll all need time. ]
But I doubt that will last long. So you may be in luck.
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[ Seeing as the good doctor's been telling stories. Thank God there's no blog here. He pauses a moment, turning a bit before looking back at Peggy. ]
Might I have you as a companion? You've come to have a look yourself, and I'll find it much more informative to have someone with an honest point of view at my side.
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Er — [ Peggy clears her throat gently, brows drawn together. A companion. ] Meaning what, precisely?
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[ God forbid it's anything lasting. ]
I can go from table to table and listen to what they say, flip through their colourful brochures, and come, I'm sure, to a more than adequate conclusion as to what Olympia and Wyver are really like. But why go through all of that when I can save myself the time by going table to table with someone who seems likely to be a bit more honest.
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You're putting a great deal of trust in someone you've only just met. [ She quirks an eyebrow, her amusement mild and curiosity piqued. ] What about John?
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Ah, well. [ He looks around, making a vague gesture. ] Unless his portrait is going to spring to life, John isn't here. You'll have to do in the meantime. As for trust - I trust John's judgement of character.
[ Please do not tell John he's said that. ]
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Funnily enough, so do I. [ Although she and John do occasionally get into disagreements over all manner of things, big or small. ] But I'm not sure I appreciate the implication that you're simply settling for my company.
[ It's teasing. There's no indication that it's meant that way save for a flicker of a smile that's there and gone in half a heartbeat. ]
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Fortunately I never asked for your appreciation.
[ Which means, that, yes. He absolutely is settling. He may not immediately dislike Peggy, and he can absolutely see why John would choose her as a friend, but Sherlock as a rule does not do people. And he doesn't seem much to care if that offends her or no. ]
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No I don't suppose you need it. [ Idly, as she falls into step alongside him. ] You're more like a self-sustaining battery.
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[ If she looks close enough, she might detect the hint of a smile, gone as quick as it came. ]
How did you choose it? The city you decided on to live in.
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Olympia? [ She exhales softly, thinking. ] I was in the first wave of refugees — as they call us — along with John and it was the first place any of us settled after our... arrival. [ "Crash landing" would be a better phrase. ] People found jobs, homes, friends. When we were evacuated to Wyver for a time, some took a liking to it and remained; and although it was certainly interesting there, I chose to return north as soon as we were able. I'd already begun to build a life there and I wasn't keen on starting over.
[ She gestures to the displays, careful to use her left hand instead of aggravating the injury to her right. ]
It's more familiar. It isn't London or New York, but there's enough of a similarity that finding your footing isn't difficult. It has the structure of a proper city. Not that Wyver doesn't — it's not uncivilised but it is less rigid. What some might consider lawlessness, others might call a sense of freedom unparalleled by Olympia. [ She huffs out a breath and glances askance at him and admits, more lightly, ] But honestly, I couldn't abide climate. It's too bloody tropical by far.