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OCTOBER + NOVEMBER TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 4
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
These are the words that ring in your ears, as a slowly growing red glow surrounds you in this dreamspace, filling you with an acute sense of dread — and whatever it is that you’ve just agreed to might have changed everything forever.
It is this sense of dream that startles you awake, and as it fades, and your heart begins to slow into something resembling your normal tempo, you'll notice something you should have picked up on immediately: you are not in your bed.
1.0 White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, dreaming the same dream as you just did, or a regular one after returning to the station just barely a week ago … or perhaps you wake up to the other person in the room watching you.
What you do is entirely up to you: yelping in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you is always an option. Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries will find themselves waking up in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.
White curtains surround the bed on both sides, providing an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? A set of footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention.
In fact if you’re very badly off, you might want to hold out hope for some company - you can’t stay in the infirmary forever. You'll have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Once upright, you might notice something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.
So what else is there to do but to explore, right? Best get to know your way around your new home.
3.0 When trying to decide where you go, you might find your way to the armory, where you can make attempts to work the machine and create a weapon for yourself — maybe replace the one that didn’t come with you to the station ... or maybe you decide to prepare something for the future. Any recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.
And speaking of weapons: why not put them to the test and head over to the training room, where the entire purpose of this space is to provide you with opportunities to spar and train to your heart’s content!
4.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself from training, your stomach will prompt you for something to eat. For that you should head to the kitchens and the mess hall, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, along with some more unusual ones (including an ... interesting-looking waffle maker and popcorn machine), as well as ingredients for most generic Earth-based dishes. For some reason, there are also some bags of now-cold popcorn left abandoned over the counters.
5.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds you can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion builds up around anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. The illusion has been programmed to reflect the seasons — the leaves in the trees are currently bright with all the colours of autumn: orange and red and yellow; and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, you'll be led to a bridge rising over a sparkling, babbling brook, a few fallen leaves floating on the water and falling around you like very bright raindrops.
Here, it's easy to forget (for a moment, anyway) that you are in space at all. Maybe that gives you comfort, or maybe it just makes you miss the real thing all that much more.
6.0 If you’d rather choose tinkering with objects over wandering through nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes filled with assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to!
7.0 Some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message. If it’s items you’re lacking, you may just be in luck.
Indeed, the platform located near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on top of it. There are clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books ... and in one pile, a varied collection of what seems to be Halloween decorations and costumes. So, sort through the piles and grab what you want before someone else does! (But don't forget: sharing is caring.)
Whether you’re a quick study and you’ve become settled into life on the station, or you want to get the full lay of the land (in a manner of speaking) first, if you decide to explore the hall past the control room, you’ll eventually come across the simulation room. It’s been equipped with a new simulation to show you the drill where the missions are concerned, so step in and see what it has in store for you!
8.0 The moment the doors slide shut behind you, the space goes dark and then quickly lights up again, but instead of the blank empty walls you initially walked into, you’re surrounded by colour and lights, the sound of music and chatter, and the smells of deep-fried foods and overly sweet beverages. Someone calls, ‘Step right up, step right up!’ while another voice from somewhere starts to cheer as an electrical sound of a buzzer goes off, announcing its winner for prizes.
It seems that you’ve entered the Carnival simulation, so come on in and have a little fun.
There are booths spread out across these simulated grounds, each one offering food, drink or games. As you wander past you’ll notice that there is a touch of macabre to everything — the colours are black and orange and violet and red, the drinks offered have strange names, some you recognize like ‘Witch’s Brew’ and ‘Eye of Newt’, and some you might not, like ‘Viole(n)t Breeze’ and ‘Undead Essence’. It’s as though all of the things strange and wonderful find themselves spread across the entire universe to unite here.
Once you’ve had your fill of food and games, you can make your way past the little market area to a brightly glittering ferris wheel with carts rotating in a cycle, enticing you to try it out. Or if you’d rather be spooked, there is a hokey little ‘haunted mansion’ to your left that won’t take more than a handful of minutes to move through. Creatures and ghosts will pop out at you when you least expect it, their masked faces exaggerated with paint and some fairly realistic prosthetics to get the adrenaline pumping. Take a friend with you, or go it alone — just try to keep your cool through it all.
9.0 Eventually, once you’ve had your fill of the festivities, you may notice a wooden sign pointing you past the haunted mansion. Pressed on it is a round mark, and you remember that this is simulating a mission — you’re not here to just have fun, but to try and retrieve a simulated orb.
As you follow the path, you’ll find the hustle and bustle of the carnival growing quieter. All around you, there is nothing but woods — and hold on, where did all that mist come from? It surrounds you slowly, the ground seeming slightly damp as you keep walking… and arrive at a graveyard.
So the orb… it’s there, hidden in one of the graves? There’s nothing else to do but to start walking and looking at the gravestones — but when you do, you’ll be shocked to find some of the names are terribly, terribly familiar.
They might be names of your loved ones, people who were still in perfect health back home; and yet here those stones bear their names, along with an epitaph that brings tears to your eyes. And if you move closer… you may experience a flash of colour and light, and a memory suddenly plays out in front of you: the death of your loved one, whoever that may be.
Or perhaps the name you see on a gravestone is something else even more familiar to you: your own. But ... how, right? Reluctantly, your heart pounding, you approach with tentative steps, and yes — the name does not change. It's yours right there ... and it's your own death that you witness when the grave’s spell binds you.
● ● ●
N O T E: The deaths witnessed are intended to be non-canon deaths, so feel free to go wild inventing them -- this also goes for characters who are canonically dead. These are “alternate universe deaths”, not canon.
Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.
A Find the grave of a teammate and witness their death.
B Team up with a fellow Orber win in one of the Carnival games.
C Scare a teammate in the haunted house.
F Y I
• This TDM covers both October and November, so there will be no new TDM for November.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open October 27 and will remain open until November 30.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
FOR SOME FUN:
Have a clue for your upcoming mission:
“I’m going to bed, where I may die.”
2.0 (sort of??)
He could just reach out through the earpiece, sure, but he might give the guy a heart attack. Not that showing up unannounced won't produce the same effect, but hey, at least they'll be in the infirmary already— which of course is the first place Jim checks, because where else would Dr. McCoy be.
So, uh, have a Starfleet Captain barging into the infirmary, practically ignoring anyone in his path as he crosses the room to where the doctor is— ]
Bones!
[ And he's just going to unceremoniously throw himself at the guy in a very happy, very excitable hug. Think Golden Retriever, that's about right. ]
You're here, I can't believe—
ahhhhh
( He turns in time to pretty much catch Kirk in his arms as they collide, all his gruff ire melting- briefly -for his old friend. )
Lordy, when did you--
( Alright, babbling excitedly at the same time's not gonna cut it, so Bones quiets, pulling away to clap his hands to Jim's shoulders. )
You first.
no subject
Shit, I don't even know where to start. Uh... well, I've been here for almost four months? Showed up just before the first mission, and we've just come back from the second.
I was looking for the directory, checking out new names, and— well, there you were.
[ He laughs nervously. ] Honestly, at this point I didn't expect anyone from home to just show up.
no subject
There I was. ( The corner of his mouth quirks into a wry smile, then smooths out, dipping into a frown. ) Hold on- four months? I just saw you less than an hour ago.
( Oof, there's the alarm creeping onto his face, his thumbs tucking firmly against Kirk's elbows. )
Jim, what happened to the ship?
no subject
We are in a different universe. Time ticks away at a different rate. Time's non-linear, et cetera, I'm sure you remember Spock talking about that at some point.
[ Which brings them to the next order of business. Jim presses his lips in, watching Leonard quietly. ]
You mean in Altamid? [ Or after Altamid? Or before? ] What's the last thing we were doing before you woke up here?
no subject
We were attacked, just as soon as we reached Altamid, yeah. Like a swarm of hornets on a dog, just- ( Nothing he's ever seen before, his silence says, before he continues, ) Something- someone -sucked the life outta what crew I found, the same someone out for that doodad you brought back from Teenax.
no subject
I'm from a little after that. After we made it back to Yorktown. [ He's not really sure that sharing the whole story is a good idea, but also he knows there's no way he can realistically keep it to himself for very long. So he continues, albeit with the smile gone. ] We didn't make it back with our ship, though. The Enterprise was totaled when we crashed into the planet, we had to leave her behind.
On the upside, we managed to stop the people who were trying to get their hands on the doodad.
no subject
He opens his mouth. Closes it, and looks defeated for a moment, a rare expression on his face. How many did we lose? won't make it past his lips so he just nods, and blows a breath out, wetting his lips. )
Well, good. ( He eyes him, full of wry sympathy. ) Kind of a rough birthday.
no subject
He lets out a dry laugh at the last remark, shrugging. ]
It's fine. I mean, I did get a surprise party back in Yorktown, that wasn't so bad.
no subject
Oh? Sounds like a pretty thoughtful guy to put that together.
no subject
[ He winks at Bones, cheeky little smile and all. And immediately proceeds to look around the infirmary. ]
Leave it to you to take up the infirmary five minutes after you got here, huh? Putting everyone here to work?
no subject
I dunno, he might give you a pass this time.
( He rolls his shoulders in a shrug, following Jim's gaze and remembering, yeah, he was in the middle of something. Time to walk and talk, Captain, while he scoffs: )
Why not. Place wasn't gonna run itself. No doctor for the past four months- the Hell is that computer thinking?
no subject
Hey, we haven't been doing too bad so far. Some people with basic field training, some healers with unique powers and abilities.
[ Well he does vastly prefer Bones, but he may be a little biased. Just a little. ]
Do try not to get too bossy. I don't think I need to remind you that these aren't Starfleet officers. They'll be happy to work with you for the most part, but you're not their CMO.
no subject
Don't worry, I'm not gonna make anyone cry, ( though, let's be real, anyone listening can definitely tell that's happened.
Very possibly more than once.
Tugging aside one of those innumerable white curtains, he reveals... an empty bed. And a nudge to Kirk's hip. )
Sit. I saw that wince, you're favoring your shoulder. Got any more advice for this place?
no subject
We'll see how long you're going to keep that up.
[ Wouldn't be surprised if he did make someone cry at some point, though in this particular case Jim is more worried about people reacting more abrasively, or even violently, to some random guy who just got here bossing them around.
He already knows what's coming when Bones draws one of the curtains, but he still roll his eyes and lets out a groan, even as he takes off his sweater. ]
It's fine. It's been healed, it's just sore now, so there isn't much you can do.
[ And indeed, the shoulder's been completely healed, leaving only a faint scar of a gunshot wound. The most Bones could do for it is give him painkillers, and he doesn't want them. There are also maybe a couple of hickeys on his neck and collarbone, but obviously those aren't injuries. ]
Well... supply drops only happen every so often, so it's best to ration your food and hygiene products, and take good care of your clothes. There are no replicators or similar technology on board. I'd say stock up on thick clothing just in case, and emergency items that can help if the station's power goes out again— yes, it's happened once, just before I got here, and there were flickers when I arrived too.
Looking outside, it seems that there isn't any activity around, which at least should mean we won't have any hostile ships boarding the station. For the time being, anyway. Oh, are you rooming with anyone or did you get a single?
no subject
Bones meets his flat stare with an expression of mild- if lightly exasperated -acquiescence: I'll be a team player.
He proceeds to make a face at the sight of that scar, brows knitting like a dark line of thunderclouds over his eyes. Where the Hell did he get that?
Listening, while he not-so-covertly turns that look at Jim's shoulder into almost a full body checkup, tricorder and reader humming away, Bones saves his questions for the end. )
With someone. No one else was there though, lucky for them.
( He lowers the reader, grumbling to himself, and gestures that Jim can get his sweater back on while he puts his tools aside. )
Whole place sounds like it's a hair from rattling apart. What do you think about our host? On the level, or full of shit?
no subject
There's still a small, selfish part of him that's so happy, so relieved to have a familiar face. Someone he trusts unconditionally.
Anyway, he figures Bone might irritate a couple people, but that's not going to be new. He' also not surprised when this turnes into a complete checkup, and he quietly lets Bones scan him from head to toe, until he's hopefully satisfied with what he got. ]
Tricky question. [ He tugs his sweater back on, leaning with his hands on the bed. ] I'd say full of shit, but it's hard to figure out exactly what he knows or if he knows what he's doing, and how much information is really being kept from us. We haven't even gotten a decent look at him, so he may not even be what we expect. He might not even be the one running the show around here, for all we know.