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FEBRUARY TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 5
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, an ocean-deep blue glow hovers in front of you. Transfixed, you reach out to it... only to hear a different voice, a distant echo of cruel laughter, and with a sudden certainty you know — whatever you’ve just agreed to has changed everything forever.
It is to this laughter that you wake, and as it fades and your heart slows into something resembling a normal tempo, you notice something you should have noticed 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 very much 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 to the other person in the room watching you.
What you do is entirely up to you: yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries find themselves awakening 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, giving an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? Some footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention... or you've attracted the attention of those with experience in medical aid, and they rush to your bedside, surprised about this sudden new patient.
It is not just for your injuries that you may want some company, but also for leaving the infirmary — you can’t stay there forever, after all, and will have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Once you’re up, you may notice there’s 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? Best get to know what is now your new home.
3.0 When trying to decide where yo go, you may find your way to the armory, where you can try to work the machine there to make yourself a weapon — perhaps to replace one that didn’t come with you to the station… or maybe you want to be prepared for the future. The recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.
And speaking of weapons: to put it to good use, head to the training room, where the entire purpose is to provide you with a space to spar and train to your heart’s content!
4.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, and ingredients for most regular dishes... and large amounts of chocolate. Weird.
5.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds 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. It seems that the illusion reflects the season — the leaves have fallen, a layer of white covers the ground, and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, it leads to where a bridge rises over a brook that has now iced over — but maybe don't try your luck walking on it, as the ice may crack underneath your feet and you'll find yourself plunging into the freezing water.
Regardless of whether you like the wintery atmosphere, it is easy to forget you are in space at all. Perhaps that gives you comfort, or just makes you miss the real nature all the more.
6.0 If you’d rather choose tinkering over 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 containing 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 make!
7.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
Indeed, the platform near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on it. There’s clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books… even a couple of CDs, and a few cute stuffed animals. So sort through what there is and grab what you want, before someone else does!
Eventually, you’ll find yourself at the doors of the the simulation room — it has been equipped with a new simulation to take you through possible mission-like scenarios so it’s best to prepare yourself and see what it has in store for you.
8.0 The doors slide shut behind you and the room goes dark. Small pinpricks of light will start to build on each other until you’re surrounded by grey skies overhead and grassy green lawns, a row of old stone columns lining your vision. It seems you’re in a courtyard of some kind, but that’s not all. Something tugs at the hem of your sleeve or nudges at your leg, a warm presence that feels comfortable and ultimately very familiar. They look up at you, or maybe they meet your eye-level, a creature that varies in size, shape, colour, and form depending on what reflects you best. This creature, known as a compalion is a physical manifestation of your spirit or soul and will stay by your side on this journey.
You can stay here and get to know your compalion, or you can take your new companion and explore the campus. Because, if you do move forward past the line of columns (a hallway it turns out), you’ll find that the small cluster of buildings forms an academic campus of some kind.
a) They cannot go any further than a few yards away from their person; the further the distance, the more painful the separation will feel.
b) Your compalion will shift into one form throughout this simulation and can be any creature that best mirrors your personality.
c) They can be as small as a flea and as large as a small elephant; get creative!
d) Whether they speak to you in your native tongue is entirely up to you (some speak, some don’t)
e) Basically daemon rules apply.
9.0 While it might seem like fun to spend hours just exploring the old buildings with your compalion and any Orbers like you that you might bump into along the way, it’s important to remember that you have a goal to achieve: follow the clues and retrieve the orb. Your compalion might offer an idea or two for where to go, or it may just be voicing the thoughts in your head, but it’s not a bad thing to follow your heart (or your gut) as it were. You might find that the rooftops of the campus buildings are easily climbable to get a good vantage point of your location. (Just be careful not to slip and fall! The height from here is quite dangerous.) A clocktower stands proud in the distance among a cluster of other campus buildings, marking the time.
Inside, you might be led down dark stone halls and into a series of classrooms: including reading quarters, study rooms with old leather couches and warm carpets covering stone floors; lecture halls with stiff wooden seating and individual desks to match, a chalkboard with indiscernible scribbles half-wiped away; and a laboratory that deals with something a little less modern than you might be used to, or perhaps with its twisty vials and bubbling potions, it suits you perfectly. There is the large library filled from floor to ceiling with books beyond imagining.
If you look out from the tall arch-shaped window from a classroom, or if you’re outside and you tilt your head up to the sky, you might notice that the sky appears to be darkening further, growing heavy with what is inevitably an oncoming rainstorm. If you’re inside, it might be best to stay indoors; if you’re outside, perhaps it’s time to find some shelter. Or if you’re determined to find that orb outside, risk you and your compalion getting wet.
● ● ●
N O T E: 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 Team up with another Orber and their compalion to find the orb's location.
B Climb into the clocktower and ring the bell.
C Explain your best theory regarding your compalion’s manifestation to a fellow team member.
F Y I
• This TDM covers the month of February.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open February 24 and will remain open until February 28.
• 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:
no subject
Don't be. It was pretty spur of the moment, during the last mission. People weren't even in the mood for celebrations so we didn't hold a ceremony or anything.
[ He pauses, trying for a small smile. ] Now that you're here, maybe we could do something. Just... a small party, something like that.
no subject
I don't suppose it would be a reasonable request to ask that you delay informing Lieutenant Uhura of this new development were you to see her in the near future.
no subject
If... that's what you want, [ he starts, a little unsure. ] But she's not really here now, Spock. Even if she were, I... why wouldn't you want me to tell her?
no subject
I believe it would hurt her given the circumstances of how things ended between she and I.
[ Empathy may not be his strongest skill, but he's worked hard to apply it where Nyota is concerned, even if it has been at her own coaching. ]
no subject
[ Realizing that last bit may cause some confusion, Jim adds, figuring there can be no harm in telling Spock that much. ]
You patched things up. Or you were working on it anyway, but you were together the last I remember.
no subject
I would not advise you to tell me of a future that may or may not come to pass at all. Right now, I cannot give her anything.
no subject
Nevertheless, it's a possibility you should prepare for. Just like we don't come from quite the same point in time, if she were to show up... [ He smiles faintly. ] Just keep that in mind, is all. But if that's what you want, then I won't tell her right away.
[ But he's not going to keep it a secret either, and they both know how perceptive Uhura is. ]
no subject
[ There's a finality to his words, but his focus moves back to the food he's preparing. He doesn't want to think about it. He's already hurt her. He cannot undo it. If the timeline remains unchanged, he will leave Starfleet and he will return to Vulcan. It is his duty and it is logical. The pain that causes him cannot be allowed to sway the decision any more than the pain of leaving behind Jim and the rest of the Enterprise. ]
no subject
So he falls into a strange sort of silence beside his friend, looking back down to the vegetables and for now focusing on finishing his task. Once that's all done, he adds them all to the proper piles, washing his hands again and slipping his ring back into his finger. ]
What next?
no subject
What do you expect to happen if the things we were brought here for exist at odds to each other? Whose goal would take precedent?
no subject
It doesn't matter, to me. I'm not here to fulfill my goal. I don't trust the orbs, and I don't want them to lend me their power, not for anything in the world.
[ He takes a breath, knowing full well that, to someone who's lost as much as Spock has, the next bit won't be easy to hear, but he says it nevertheless. ]
And I don't think any of us has the right to decide on what gets to be undone. Sometimes things seem to happen for all the wrong reasons, but we shouldn't get to go back and rewrite them. It's not right, and we're no more entitled to that than any other person in any other universe who might be living with regrets of their own.
no subject
[ His voice is strained at the name of his older counterpart. He turns to Jim, not really paying attention to the food at all. His voice only gets sharper as he goes on. ]
Where do you draw that line? How much loss of life is too much before you can no longer justify your inaction?
no subject
[ Disbelief taints his features when Spock's words seem to register to him as some kind of personal accusation, eyebrows knitting together tightly. ]
And what the hell is that supposed to mean?
no subject
Didn't he? I asked him about Khan and he answered. I would have continued to ask him questions in the interest of saving lives. I owe him. I owe our people. I cannot allow my own sentimentality to interfere.
no subject
[ He takes a deep breath, shoulders falling as he looks away for a moment. ]
And that's without considering what the end result will be. The more Orbs are gathered, the stronger they get, and we don't know what their true purpose is. Are you trying to tell me that you're fine with risking that uncertainty for the sake of your people? Is that the price you're willing to pay, then? Because if so, then I really don't know you at all.
no subject
Spock is compromised.
He closes his eyes and takes a slow, steadying breath. ]
No and I trust you to stop me if that changes.
no subject
For a painfully long and worrying moment, Jim panics that he's not going to get the answer he would expect from Spock, that he will be proven just how he really doesn't know the Vulcan after all. So when Spock takes that deep breath, so too does Jim let out a deep sigh, closing his own eyes and his whole body practically sagging when all the tension leaves him at once.
He says nothing at first, just nods and lets the silence linger for a while. Finally, he closes the distance between them, resting a hand on Spock's arm and letting it linger there. ]
I'm sorry, Spock. Truly, for... everything that you've lost.
no subject
I know. I know you are.
[ Were in not for Jim making the connection between the Kelvin and what they'd been heading towards, Spock's father would have been lost, too and perhaps the entire Enterprise as well. Spock has no doubt that Jim feels his own sense of weight where the fate of Vulcan is concerned.
Spock brings his other hand up to touch Jim's hand where it rests on his arm. ]
As am I. I should not have allowed myself to become so--I would not trade the lives of others for anyone else's. Not even for my mother's.
indecent things in public!!!
It's different when it's Spock initiating it, though. Jim looks surprised for a moment, but eases into it with a small smile, turning his hand to grip Spock's hand back gently. ]
It's understandable, Spock. Grief has a way to dig deep into us and grow into something unpleasant. We just don't know how to deal with it sometimes. [ His thumb brushes against the back of Spock's fingers, gentle. ] Just remember you don't have to deal with it alone.
no subject
He glances to their hands. It's not the gesture he had intended and the way Jim touches the back of his fingers throws him off enough that he has to take a moment to redouble his efforts to not reach out to Jim's mind through the contact. ]
I know I am not alone, Jim.
no subject
His gaze drops briefly to where their hands touch. It feels really nice, comforting even to him, but he's also well aware of how intimate it is, and the last thing he wants is to make Spock uncomfortable. Still, he doesn't quite want to let go, so he compromises by moving his hand to rest on Spock's forearm, just near enough the edge of his sleeve that one finger still rests against the skin of his wrist. ]
Good. Just come to me whenever you have something weighing on your mind. I mean it.
no subject
It is emotional. Illogical.
Still, he brings his eyes back up to meet Jim's with a gentle nod. He can feel the warmth of Jim's hand even now that it's mostly through his sleeve. It's not quite temperature but something a little more. It is undefinable with the words Spock has. ]
I will if I am able. I hope that you know you are welcome to do the same.
no subject
It might not be that much longer in any case, as Jim's gaze glances to the kitchen counter and is reminded of what they were doing. ]
Yeah. I know. [ He nods to the vegetables on the counter. ] Should we finish what you started?
no subject
Yes, we should.
[ He knows they're friends. He's understood that for a while now, even if he hadn't managed to voice it until he'd been watching Jim die. Still, he's not used to being the person anyone would actually want to talk to about something personal and he knows why. ]
no subject
He looks from Spock to the vegetables, and one could say he almost glares at them for having been the cause for the interruption. Well, technically he did bring them up. Damn it.
Stop being an idiot, Kirk, he scolds at himself, then turns back to the counter as well, helping Spock gather the already chopped vegetables. ]
Alright, how are we cooking them? A roast, a stew?
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