EVENT ★ ROLLING 'ROUND THE BEND

[futurologists]

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 Speaking of clothing, whatever recruits were wearing upon their abduction has been replaced by a uniform orange jumpsuit.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

Comments

[dishearten]

What you can do will be a waste if you get caught at it too soon. ( practicing anywhere he could be spotted was a bad idea, as far as Graham was concerned. the best they could all do was pretend to be as meek as possible until the time was right. which was far from an easy thing to accomplish, especially for the young and the bold and the headstrong members of Audentes.

they hadn't been in a situation like this. they hadn't had to survive it, didn't realize the hard way what it was like to try and fail and fail. Graham wasn't quite that lucky, he hadn't been that lucky for decades. he couldn't make anyone take his advice to heart, yet he'd try and give it and hope that they'd listen. he couldn't do much more than that. )

I know you think that it's a waste of time. To say wait it out and strike when we're ready. But if you don't, you'll lessen our chances by miles. Keep your head down, keep your eyes open. When the time is right, we all will know. ( that was the absolute best advice Graham could give him. he just had to hope that the advice was heard. )

[armigers]

[ He has a point. His friend, Ignis, would have told him the same thing were he here, and Noctis doesn't want to draw that kind of attention to himself or end up getting stuck in a worse situation than he is in right now. That means having to be quiet and play obedient for the time being, which isn't his favorite solution, but he's endured worse before. ]

Got it, got it. You don't have to tell me over and over again. Look down, shut up, and work out.

[ He gets it, though it doesn't mean he's all that eager to participate, especially when it involves lifting weights. He picks up one of the small barbells once more and tries to act like it doesn't strain as much as it does to lift it up. ]

Let me know if something does go down eventually.

[ The lack of distractions is bound to get to his head at some point, and it wouldn't have killed them to leave him with his cell phone, at least. ]

[dishearten]

Keep your eyes open while you're at it. It'll do us more good than the rest of it.

( Graham realizes how frustrating the situation is, even if he can't feel it as cleanly as Noctis does. he's been imprisoned too long not to be aware of how wretched it is to be uselessly confined, hoping for any escape and not knowing where to look for it.

still, if that means he has to be stern, in attempts to protect both his teammate and the rest of the team, he'll do it. he's never had a problem with being stern. he goes back to his own work in silence, and Noctis might think that's the end of that conversation before Graham finally speaks up again, notably once a guard has turned to go inspect another part of the wing. )

We'll get out of here. I have no doubts of that. ( the how and the when, he's not sure about, yet the actual act? that he's confident in. )