EVENT ★ PREPARE FOR TROUBLE

[futurologists]

READY After two weeks en route, the Mothership (maybe you should come up with a new name for it?) arrives at the rendezvous point. ALASTAIR technicians rift aboard and get to work, scurrying about the captured vessel to fiddle with controls and levers and buttons. After roughly a half hour, there's a flash of light -- And the Mothership is moored to Oska, tethered to the fragmented universe by strands of magitek and now safely encapsulated in the cloaking barrier keeping Oska hidden from prying eyes. Though Zymandis at large is no longer a problem, there must be teams still out there who are undoubtedly angry about losing their home base, so keeping the barrier up is a matter of safety. Once they're ready, Audentes can disembark the Mothership via teleportation pads, beaming them directly to Oska's courtyard. There is already a line forming here of curious ALASTAIR recruits looking to teleport up to the Mothership and look around, and in fact, if you think Oska is a little more crowded than usual . . . you'd be right. Usually only occupied by support staff and the occasional off-duty team or two, Oska is bustling with activity, similar to the sort of crowds seen at the Nondenominational Winter Celebration or Recollection Day. Except now, there is no revelry nor merriment, only a lot of people preparing for something very big on the horizon. SET While Audentes was off capturing the Mothership, it seems as though the TIMELINE.exe has calculated the most likely location of its twin, Zymandis's Timeline machine. Rift technicians are double-checking his work to ensure it's somewhere that recruits can safely rift to, but they're hopeful that they'll be able to deploy teams shortly to make short work of Zymandis's mechanical heart. In the meantime, the technologically gifted are requested to help ALASTAIR scientists and engineers devise an upgrade for the TIMELINE.exe; if his calculations are correct and Zymandis's machine is where he says it is, it's important that its operating system is overridden with the new TIMELINE.exe 1.0.03 file. Otherwise there will be a chance that the universe-purging operating system that Zymandis follows will survive and all the efforts ALASTAIR has made through the centuries will be for naught. For those who don't know their way around a motherboard, there's plenty of things to do -- with how many teams are in Oska, preparing for what is hopefully the final battle against Zymandis, you're likely to run into a familiar face or two. If socializing isn't in your wheelhouse, hone your skills in the courtyard or, for a bigger challenge, in the training room. ALASTAIR support staff could also use assistance in the medical center or greenhouse, preparing vials, potions, and tinctures for use in the battle ahead. And if you're feeling really altruistic, stop by the kitchens to prepare some food for the one thousand Zymandis prisoners now filling the dungeons. You didn't forget about the prisoners, did you? Of the captured Zymandis agents, only a small portion of them have agreed to join ALASTAIR. The rest are either too deadset in their belief in the Zymandis Timeline machine, or they're too distrusting of ALASTAIR to even consider joining up. The dungeons of Oska castle have not been used for their intended purpose in centuries -- prisoners are usually given a simple, heavily-guarded room somewhere in the castle -- but with this many prisoners, there's really nowhere else to put them all. Perhaps if someone were to be kind to them, they might change their mind about joining ALASTAIR's cause. There's a lot to do and a lot to prepare for, so don't forget the relaxing opportunities that Oska has to offer: the baby squidges are due back on Zeta-12 soon for their maturation ceremony, so give them a warm goodbye while you can; the hotsprings is always a good place to relax one's muscles after a warm day; and the library is available for those who like to settle in with a good book in a dimly-lit room. Most importantly, take advantage of this time in Oska. You'll need all the preparation you can get. OOC NOTES Welcome back to Oska! If you have any questions about this log, please direct them to the game FAQ. You may also submit mission ideas or player plots at any time. Guest characters will be admitted to the comms until 14 October 23:59 UTC, so there's still time to sign up! We're excited to see some familiar faces and can't wait for you to be a part of the season finale. We're in the home stretch now, so if you haven't taken the time to review our updated schedule, please do!

Comments

02

[purrtagonist]

[of course Akira's door is ajar, although probably only because he forgot. . . to close it. good job, kid. it's probably no surprise that the room is mostly empty considering his status as a newbie too, save for the gifted tapestry (which is draped over the bedside table, the image of the quaint coffee shop in the center clearly in view) and Akira himself, who is perched on the edge of his bed, tying with a digital sports watch in his hands]

[his gaze snaps up as soon as Siegfried pokes her head into the room. gray eyes blink at her a few times, before he arches a brow, and. . .]

You should probably work on your stealth stat.

[he jokes]

[grunehexe]

[She meant to say something else, surely. To greet him properly, or curtsy, or come up with some sort of excuse for why she had poked her head into a strange man's room...

But then he says "stealth stat", and her expression turns confused, one brow arching as she turns to look at him, forgetting for a second she'd been caught sneaking.]

My what now?

[purrtagonist]

[his mouth quirks into an amused smile as he tucks the watch into his pocket]

Stealth stat. [alas, his rpg references are lost on her] Your ability to sneak around without getting caught.

[grunehexe]

Well-

[Well?

Despite Sieglinde's skill at making up stories and covers for missions she knows in advance they are going on, like Woodhurst, like Zymandis' mothership, she is all too easily unbalanced by the sudden. And she has no excuse for poking her nose into rooms that don't belong to her- so she merely grumbles, shrinking back into the doorframe slightly.]

It is not as if I am a spy by trade...

[Perhaps her impressive charms could get her off the hook!]

[purrtagonist]

[it's a bit of a stark contrast, to see her out of her element and actually flustered when she was so calm and composed on the Zymandis ship. he fights the urge to laugh, imagining that she wouldn't appreciate the humor he finds in the situation]

Suppose not. Mages are usually known for their high magic stats, anyway.

[his smile is a bit cheeky; he knows she won't totally get that reference, but the joke is funny to him. and he's changing the subject quickly, too]

Thanks, by the way. Is it supposed to be some kind of victory gift?

[grunehexe]

[Magic stat...

Well, she will have to just wrap her head around that some other time, (and she's sure she can master it, given time and inclination, she is a genius after all), because he's thanking her, and she...

Isn't actually sure what she's given him. Not the best manner in a gift giving, she's sure, but she doesn't know his room and person well enough to know what beside the tapestry might be new there... what does one do in that situation.]

You are welcome. I thought perhaps after that last mission that people could use a reminder.

[Something of home. ... But she can't help asking, in the end, even if outs her ignorance.]

... What did you receive?

[purrtagonist]

[he hums]

A surprise soft spot from someone so focused during our mission.

[he teases! because he can't help himself. and he just placed the watch into his pocket, but. nevertheless? he fishes it out again, holding it out in the palm of his hand so she can see it]

A gift, from a friend. It's just a sports watch. Nothing fancy.

[grunehexe]

[Is that teasing? Sieglinde isn't sure, so her eyes narrow a bit suspiciously, but she lets it go, peering across the room from the doorframe at his watch.

She hadn't known what they were when she was first recruited, but she'd learned since.]

... Being good at one's job does not disincline one to caring about things.

[Just so they were clear!!!]

[purrtagonist]

[he can't help it. he laughs, and the watch goes back into his pocket]

Fair enough. Don't worry; I'm teasing.

[in case she was uncertain about that]

I'm glad to see that you made it off the ship in one piece, though. Things got pretty exciting near the end there, huh?

1/2

[grunehexe]

[Tea... sing..............]

[grunehexe]

[But then he says "exciting" and her expression darkens before she can even be frustrated at all. The chaos of the mothership's battle, the beasts, how many wounds she'd had to patch up...

Dr. Mills' death mask.]

I would not say "exciting".

[purrtagonist]

[ah. . .]

[the way her expression darkens causes him to abandon any further attempts to keep the conversation about what happened on the Mothership light. he tilts his chin up, brows quirking upwards in curiosity, and continues]

Well. . . maybe not exactly. [the experience had certainly been "exciting" in one manner of the word, but definitely not in a positive way] Are you okay?

[which he only asks because of how her expression had darkened. he hadn't seen her once all chaos had broken loose, so. . . he hoped she hadn't gone through anything too difficult]

[grunehexe]

[Was she okay?

She could laugh. Was she laughing? (She wasn't.) Dr. Mills' contorted corpse still haunted her, twisted in pain from the poison she had forced into his lungs. Her own wounds, before they had been healed.

But what should she say? A hand moves to her forehead, briefly hiding her eyes while she tries smiling.]

As you can see, I am a picture of health. And yourself?

[purrtagonist]

[. . .]

A picture of physical health, sure. . .

[he responds, and then hesitates. there was always a careful balance in situations like this. the part of Akira that wanted to understand, to help, urged him to push a little further. but the part of him that was aware that they barely knew each other held him back. whatever had happened on that ship? and would she want to talk about it with someone as green as himself? hm. . .]

[he moves on]

The two weeks of rest we got as we traveled back to Oska was about all I needed.

[he links his hands together and stretches them above his head as he stands]

Bruises and cuts heal easily in that amount of time.

[grunehexe]

[She manages to get it together. Sieglinde has years of experience hiding her insecurities from the village women who relied on her, and she can hardly let such things show in front of a man she hardly knows.

What sort of first (second) impression is that?]

That is good to hear. You can always consult with one of Audentes' healers if you need more seeing to than that, of course.

[She points at herself for good measure.]

I am not the only one, I think.

[... she has to add "I think". There's been so many changes in their roster...]

[purrtagonist]

"You think?"

[he arches a brow at that uncertainty]

I guess there's no official Audentes Healer's Association Network for you guys to get to know one another?

["you guys," he says, referring to the Audentes' healers. as though he isn't capable of healing spells himself, geez]

[grunehexe]

No. Though I suppose I could chair such an association if the need came for one.

[With a slightly elite sniff, Sieglinde automatically puts herself in the top position.]

When the team was first formed I was the only healer here... we had a few come along and had quite a line up for a while, but.

[It reminds her how long she's been here. How long since she'd seen her own world.]

... Most of them have left.

[purrtagonist]

["most of them have left," huh]

And you're still here.

[another tilt of his head, another personal question]

Do you miss them?

[grunehexe]

[So she was.]

I miss their assistance, naturally.

[So she tries to dress it up, to remain professional.]

Even though many of them had never had true study in the healing arts, their spells from ALASTAIR were quite useful in the aftermath of ALASTAIR's battles.

[But before he can ask another question, she tries one of her own to head him off.]

Have you heard much of our previous missions?

[purrtagonist]

[cutting him off before he can call her out on her attempts to remain distant, huh? that's fine. he'll go along with it]

Not. . . really.

[HE'S A BAD EMPLOYEE]

But we were thrown so suddenly into the thick of things that I haven't had the time to study up.

[grunehexe]

Ah... that is true, I suppose it can be difficult.

[She had come into the thick of things herself, but it had been the beginning of the team that would become Audentes. It must be more difficult to come into things in the middle... let alone now.]

Have you interest? I do keep a record of our activities...

[purrtagonist]

[he nods almost immediately, perking up with interest]

Ah-- yeah, of course. I could use some "light" reading between now and our next mission, anyway.

bless

[grunehexe]

[Was... that an insult she heard just now? As only a diligent scholar could, Sieglinde presses a hand to her chest in slight horror at the very idea that any record she kept would be anything but thorough and detailed.]

It most certainly is not "light".

i have reading comprehension i swear. . .

[purrtagonist]

[THAT REACTION. . .]

[Akira doesn't mange to suppress a snorted laugh of amusement]

Right. My mistake. I suppose it is a little insulting to think that it'd be anything but heavy reading.

who needs it rly

[grunehexe]

A little?

[Akira stop just stop]