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Speaking of clothing, whatever recruits were wearing upon their abduction has been replaced by a uniform orange jumpsuit.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

[ Maybe she should have seen it coming — it's been a trend, after all, with the Zymandis always working towards total destruction and Alastair stepping in to stop it at all costs. But it's different to hear it directly from the source, a clarification that she's not sure if she was ever ready to hear.

Destroy all of it. Her eyes widen, shoulders tensing at the implications. There's so much she wants to say, so much she wants to argue, but the only things that come out is— ] And who is to say that the Timeline is sick? What makes you so confident that you're doing the right thing? [ Because she's not convinced. ]

[ The woman purses her lips and shrugs, briefly looking down at her hands. She is not particularly fervent. ]

My superiors believe it, and I do not question them. The TIMELINE.exe tells us the multiverse has fractured too much, and not enough energy exists to sustain it in this state. [ She looks up again, leaning forward slightly. ] It is kinder to destroy it all and let it begin anew. The alternative is a slow, crumbling death.

[ She'd take a slow, crumbling, natural death over one dictated by others who dare play God ( but then, she might be a hypocrite, taking fate and destiny into her own hands; it's hard to make the distinction ).

Regardless, she's going to take the whatever advantage she can get, continue to press for questions. ] Isn't the TIMELINE.exe a machine, as well? A machine, created by another being... there is no way to guarantee that it is flawless. [ Or that a Timeline is capable of being reborn in the first place.

And then, quieter— ] Do you know who created the TIMELINE.exe?

Your own people have a TIMELINE.exe, no? An inferior version, from what I understand, but still -- a machine, all the same. How do you guarantee yours is flawless?

[ It's an idle question; she's not really looking for an answer, only to point out the hypocrisy in what Lucina's saying. Zymandis and ALASTAIR: they both trust the calculations of a machine created by a fallible person. Neither has the upper hand here.

At the quieter question, she furrows her brow and looks down at the timepiece on her wrist. ] I do not know, but perhaps... Ophiel. [ There's a chirp from her wristwatch. ] Who is the creator of the TIMELINE.exe program?

[ Another chirp, and then a voice, mechanical but still female, announces: ] The TIMELINE.exe 0.0.01 program was created by Theodor Arbatel, also known as "Leader." Later he created the patch update to 0.0.02, the version that we use today.

[ The honesty should unnerve her, much like how getting answers should make her uncomfortable. But here she is, asking questions anyway, because there's a source who will give them to her ( it's also what has her control her anger, because that's not productive ).

It's easier to focus on the question at hand, instead of thinking deeply about the question that's been thrown at her. Her gut response tells her it's because theirs does not spill innocent blood, and protects instead of destroys. And yet ... there's no guarantee that they're not just delaying the inevitable. This isn't home anymore.

So she bites her tongue, and moves on. Eyes the watch curiously before she pushes her luck with a— ] Why was the patch necessary?

[ The woman lifts her shoulder in a disinterested shrug, but addresses her wristwatch again.] Ophiel --

[ Another chirp, and the woman subtly rolls her eyes, almost as if she'd just been interrupted. Or perhaps she has been. ]

Because Leader deemed it "necessary." He deems a great many things necessary, the pompous -- bzzt LEASH ACTIVATED. [The interruption is in a different voice, a neutral computerized tone. Though it seems to have stopped Ophiel from continuing its thought, the blue-skinned woman doesn't even blink.

Instead, she leans forward, curiously. ] What is your name? Your rank?

[ The interaction has her expression twist in confusion, even for a brief moment. The disinterest in the woman's expression, the eagerness from the watch ( the watch! ) to answer, and the sudden, jerky way that access was denied. She wants to ask more, wants to get to the bottom of it—

But this is supposed to be an exchange of information, not an interrogation. So she backs off, willing the worst of the confusion away to answer. ] My name is Lucina.

[ If nothing else, she deserves the truth. ] ... We do not employ an authoritative scheme in ALASTAIR. All of us are of the same standing, although some teams are assigned to mentor the others.

... I imagine it's different than what you're familiar with. [ There's definitely a question underneath her statement, just underneath the surface. ]

[ Lucina's answer is also met with confusion, and the woman leans back again, brow furrowed severely. ]

How -- well, yes. [ Better to answer the unspoken question first before following up to alleviate her own confusion. ] I am under the command of the Special Operations Commander, who in turn is under command of the Field Commander.

How do your people get anything done if you have no commanders?

[ Special Operations Commander, Field Commander — they're names she commits to memory, even if she doesn't quite understand the need for so many. Her structure at home wasn't very complicated, either.

But then, ALASTAIR's way of doing things had been confusing for her, too ( still is, in some aspects ). ]

... We are still assigned missions, through the Timeline.exe. [ Otherwise... ] We are split into multiple teams, who carry out the missions at their own discretion— the ones you see here are my teammates.

[ And of course, the age-old— ] What is your name?

[ She shakes her head at the information, incredulous. The size of Lucina's team, direct assignment from the TIMELINE.exe -- all of it is so strange. Still, she doesn't pass too much judgment, or at least not verbally.]

I am known as Mavahari.

EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

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