epidemiology | EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

ASTERION PRISON

The white light is blinding. The weightlessness continues. The air thins into nothingness, though those who breathe won't feel the pain of suffocation -- in fact, they won't feel the need to breathe at all. The sensation continues for what may seem like a second or an eternity; it's impossible to tell.

And then the floor hits you. Or rather, you hit the floor. It's cold and metal and as your vision returns, you'll find you're not alone in this small room, though you're definitely not with anyone you know: standing in front of you is a brawny alien in a black uniform, its many purple eyes staring at you. The alien is flanked by a pair of robots, who take advantage of your dazed state and grasp you in their metal arms to drag you from the room into what appears to be a gigantic prison.

As the robots drag you past cells -- some containing other aliens, some containing humanoids, and some containing your teammates -- you'll catch a glimpse of the outside through a window.

You're in outer space.

If questioned, the guard will only tell you that you've been accused of conspiracy to commit grand theft, and your trial will begin soon. But in the meantime, you'd better get cozy.

YOUR NEW HOME

Asterion Prison is a dreadnought class spaceship with several different cell blocks making up a majority of its innards, with the rest of the space designated for day-to-day running of the ship and living quarters for the guards. Audentes is housed in Block 26, which has six tiers of cells situated in a circle around the main recreational area, out of which juts the Block 26 guard tower.

Each inmate, including Audentes recruits, has a glowing blue symbol emblazoned on their forehead. Though it's not immediately clear what the symbols mean, inmates who have been around longer will explain: it's a record of how many lives you've taken, a way for the guards to know who's the most dangerous. The symbol glows through any kind of attempt at covering it -- whether by makeup, clothing, hair, or something else -- so it's best to learn to deal with it quickly.

Speaking of clothing, whatever recruits were wearing upon their abduction has been replaced by a uniform orange jumpsuit. Similarly, any weapons are no longer present, though those with a special connection to their weapons will feel that they are being held elsewhere on the ship.

Luckily, the guards appear to have overlooked jewelcomms, so Audentes will be able to communicate with each other via magitek (text only is suggested, of course, unless you want to get caught!), though contact with Oska or any other outside ALASTAIR recruit seems to be blocked.

LOCKDOWN

As long as inmates keep to themselves and don't bother the guards, things run pretty smoothly. Two meals a day, five hours of sleep, and all the weights you need to get yourself swole. But on the sixth day in Asterion Prison, all hell breaks loose.

No one knows who started it, but there's suddenly a loud roar from the milling crowd in the recreational area. Most inmates scatter, but some rush in -- to see what's going on or to get a piece of the action themselves, who knows -- and then everything becomes an all-out brawl.

Super strong aliens with various powers fight each other loudly and violently while others cower and run for cover. The old alien ducks behind his chess board just in time to avoid a barbell sailing overhead; a six-armed being shoots lava out of its mouth, which does nothing to the metallic floor but severely burns a group of humanoid toads wielding shivs.

The fight goes on for a few long minutes before correctional officers and their robot guards pour in to try and get things under control. Those who are still around once the officers come in are in threat of being dragged off to solitary, even if they had nothing to do with the brawl, so make yourself scarce unless the idea of sitting in the dark for another six days seems appealing.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to space prison! We hope you'll enjoy your stay. There is a plotting write-up here with extra information about the prison ship, and please note that participation in the symbol directory is mandatory.

If you have any questions about the prison that aren't answered here, please direct them to the Leramzen dossier.

Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Even if it's a prison, the shower system is still more advanced than what Lucina's got at home. Whether or not that's a blessing in disguise remains to be seen ( there's nothing particularly great about being stuck in a prison, she's only getting more restless with each day ), but at least they can remain clean.

And apparently, also catch teammates in the in-betweens. Fiona's a welcome sight ( all their teammates are welcome sights ) in an otherwise dreary setting. Even if they're coming out of showers. Really, what's the worst that can happen??? ]

Fiona — [ She greets, a smile gracing her features, except the open surprise catches her off guard. ] Er, is everything— oh. [ At least, until she realizes where Fiona's staring. She's not ashamed of it, what she did was necessary, but ... well, her smile wavers.

A pause, and then: ] Is it unexpected?

[Whoops, caught. She falters a second, then laughs awkwardly and pushes her bangs back.] Uh -- no, sorry. It's...

[Well, it's unexpected. Actually. Lucina carries a sword, so she is obviously some kind of warrior, but dang that is a lot of people. She shrugs and messes with her hair again.]

Well, kind of. Not -- I'm not judging you or anything, it's kinda badass.

[ "Kind of badass" is probably the nicest thing Fiona could say on this subject matter, tbh. The lack of judgement lets tension out of Lucina's shoulders that she didn't know she had, finally shifting her expression into something neutral. ]

... Thank you. [ — That might not be the best response here, but hey, she's trying. She could also leave it at that, but that'd be rude. So— ] ... I assume you'd like to know what happened.

[ Despite the words, she's not resigned to the idea, or exasperated. An explanation is probably warranted here, anyway, as long as Fiona's open to the idea. ]

[Fiona is generally impressed by badass women since she has a not-so-secret desire to be a badass woman herself, so she's glad when Lucina seems to take this compliment (and it is a compliment!!) well. Some people are probably ashamed of their kill count, after all.]

Oh. Well, yeah. I mean, if you don't mind. [She moves toward the big communal mirror so she can comb her hair out; they might as well go about their business at the same time.] I don't want to pry or anything.

[ Wow please, Fiona's already badass??

But ah— so begins story time. Or at least, the short, shower version of it. The eyes moving away from her and to the mirror has her doing the same, though it's not long before she begins. ] My country had been in a war, for most of my life. [ Is the shortest version of it possible. ] There was a dragon — Grima — who sought to destroy the world. He was powerful, taking villages almost instantly— it did not help that he had the power to bring back the dead, and force them to do his bidding. So when people began to die... [ She doesn't need to finish that sentence. ]

... I took to arms the moment I was old enough. [ It wasn't that old. ] And I had fought ever since... at least, until recently. [ The Risen, bandits, Grima's followers. She pauses before she continues, a faint smile finally gracing her features. ] It took quite a bit of time, but we emerged victorious.

[That's... a lot to take in. Pandora is a place of insanity and violence, but dragons? The undead? Before, Fiona would have been skeptical -- but the things she's seen with ALASTAIR makes this story entirely believable, and her eyes flick to Lucina's in the mirror.]

So you're... a real warrior. Not just a soldier. [There's a difference in her mind; the difference between someone who fights for a cause and someone who fights just to follow orders.

Her eyes flick up to the marks on Lucina's forehead, and then she looks back to her own reflection again, smiling too.] Then it's nothing to be embarrassed about.

[ A warrior— is there a distinction? Her eyes blink up to meet Fiona's again, searching for some kind of explanation. Some part of her trying to puzzle out the pieces together ( but all she's reminded of are the Khans of Regna Ferox. Fine, strong warriors that were certain and direct when she needed it most ).

But either way — the acceptance has her shoulders relaxing, even just a fraction, as her gaze returns to her, instead. ] ... Still, it's hardly a pleasant number. [ ( That's a thank you, in its own way ). She may not apologize for it, but she's not blind. These are still lives she has taken.

But that's enough about her. ] If it's not too much to ask— will you tell me your story?

[Is there any death count that's a pleasant number? Maybe if it was some kind of "killing to save someone's life" situation, but Fiona very much doubts that applies to, like, anyone on Audentes. Just judging by some of the people she's spoken to.

The question catches her a little off-guard, but she shrugs and glances down.] It's not that exciting. The planet I'm from is... violent, to put it nicely. More accurately, it's a hell hole. I wish I could say I've only killed people in defense, but that'd be a lie.

[She's not exactly ashamed of it -- you do what you have to do to survive on Pandora -- but it feels lame and ignoble next to Lucina's reasons.]

Anyway, kill or be killed; same old story.

And yet you've survived. [ And who could fault anyone for that? Not Lucina, who's lived too many years of her life just barely doing that. Her reasons may be noble, but they're still the same actions at the end of the day. The fact that Fiona comes from a "hell hole", and yet is standing here ( figuratively, not literally, gestures at space jail ). That alone speaks volumes to Lucina.

A pause later, and she takes a step back — her hair is clean and brushed, and the guard outside is probably getting impatient. So, Lucina nods, speaking up again. ]

... I'd like to hear more about it sometime. [ When they're not stuck here, eager to escape. When peace returns to their team again, even for a brief moment. ] If you're open to sharing, that is.

[Though Fiona tries to downplay how hellish it is on Pandora and how her continued survival is no big thing, it's actually nice to have it recognized. Not that she's going to be open about that, but still. Lucina just went up a friendship rank, probably.]

Ha. Sure. I have a lot of stories. [Not all of them are true, but. She has stories.]

I look forward to them. [ True or not. She's grown up with some excellent story tellers of her own, which means she's grown up to be an excellent listener, too. The prospects seem brighter, somehow, with the promises made of a time after their stay here.

Not that she's eager enough to voice them, given how much work they have cut out for them before they get anywhere close, but— still. Lucina's nothing if not hopeful. ]

EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

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finally wraps this up a billion years later