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SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER + NOVEMBER TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 7
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, a purple glow blooms, slowly enveloping you. It is not a feeling of comfort that surrounds you, though — as a distorted voice whispers in your ear, you feel it: cold dread, and a sudden certainty that everything is about to be irrevocably changed.
It is to this daunting realization that you wake, and as 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.
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.
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. 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.
With an illusion so authentic you can almost taste the pumpkin spice, 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 As you wander back towards the common areas, you may notice there seems to be a room there that hasn't previously existed... not that you, a newcomer, would be able to tell. The room takes up a chunk of the common area, and on its unassuming door is a little plaque that reads, 'The Ximusic room'. Should you enter, you will find a sound-proofed practice room that contains — yes, you guessed it, band equipment that even the most musically inclined should be satisfied with. So pick up an instrument, saunter up to the microphone to belt out your favourite tunes, or take a seat at the side of the room and enjoy others' playing.
8.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
But something strange happens, then — the message turns into an incomprehensible jumble of sounds: at first, it is just static; then, whirring noises follow, as if something rewinding... and then, there's a knock.
Silence.
Another knock.
A sweet, lilting voice poses the question, the words sounding as if through a filter — soon after, a woman's laugh follows, lingering as its echoes fade away slowly.
After that, some may decide it's best to not look at the supply drop at all, while others may be even more curious — but as you make your way to the platform, you'll see there is nothing amiss in the neat piles of items 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!
For those on the antsier side, maybe a trip to the simulation room is just the thing to address all that restlessness. Here you’ll find a preprogrammed mission to get those orb-snatching skills of yours in tip-top shape.
Fortunately, the simulation gods have decided to smile down upon you this time around; there’ll be no need to search for the orb, you already know exactly where it is: in the hands of the High King of Selrahines. The good news? His Highestness has already graciously agreed to part with the orb. The bad news? He requires a bit of a favor first…
Every year, High King Ghythih celebrates his awakening day with a party. But not just any party. For three days and three nights, the entire kingdom of Selrahines rejoices His Noblestness’ life with drinking, dancing and debauchery — the most anticipated and talked about party of the entire Gamga Galaxy. Everyone in the cosmos is invited, which is good because everyone in the cosmos wants to attend.
Now if it weren’t for that pesky assassination attempt, everything would be perfect! You see, just two weeks prior, His Royalestness received a warning that this year’s awakening day celebration would be His last. Obviously, that absolutely must not happen because talk about a killjoy. Be good dears and thwart His would-be assassins, would you? Then the orb’s all yours.
9.0 Even though you’re here for a job, you’re still expected to dress up for the occasion. Ghythih has offered you full access to the royal tailors, but if you don’t mind off-the-rack, Selrahines has many boutiques and shops in the merchant district. Go big! Go bold! Just don’t upstage the High King, or He’ll have you thrown in the dungeons. (No, really.)
10.0 During the three day celebration there is plenty to do. The first two days serve as primers, consisting of street celebrations that close down all four roads leading up to the capital. Up in the north you’ll find the carnival, where a menagerie of exotic and dangerous animals from neighboring planets are showcased and — should you happen to know the right people — put up for sale. Over on the west is for the theater crowd, where plays are put on depicting all of the High King’s conquests and achievements throughout his 800 years of being awakened. Across that to the east is for those who prefer to be part of the action; riches and fame can be won during tournaments of jousting, melees, spell-weaving and pageantry. And finally down south, by the lowlight district, are where the sinners thrive and the saints go to forget their values. Here, everything and anything is not only allowed, but encouraged.
11.0 The main event, of course, is the High King’s Gala. For the entirety of the third day, the castle’s expansive ballroom opens its gilded doors to all who wish to celebrate Him. Here there are live bands, delectable foods and a dancefloor that never seems to feel too crowded, no matter how many attend. The atmosphere of the ballroom is effortlessly jovial and contagiously hedonistic — literally. The High King hates a party pooper, see, so nearly every inch of the ballroom is enchanted to encourage celebration; sometimes it’s a melody in a song that gets your feet moving, or the bubblies in your drink that have you smiling wide, or maybe it’s that pastry you snuck a bite of in between polite smiles making you feel warm all over. Whatever it takes, the longer you stay in the ballroom, you will have fun.
(—but “fun” is pretty subjective, isn’t it? Hopefully your idea of fun doesn’t ruin the party…)
12.0 But hey, don’t forget you have a job to do. Enjoy the festivities all you want, but remember you have to ensure the High King’s survival and the capture of His assassin(s). As His special guests, you have full access to every part of the castle and all the authority you could want to question anyone and everyone. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone’s okay with that so you may find a couple of citizens and guests less than thrilled about being questioned when they’re just trying to have a good time. Remember, the High King isn’t a fan of Draduak Downers, so covertness is key here.
● ● ●
N O T E: Additionally, personal tasks are 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 from the following list for their character and run with it.
A Pretend to be (or become) inebriated and make a scene.
B Ask three strangers to dance.
C Reveal to a teammate an embarrassing story of your past.
For those looking to do something a little less involved, there is always the training room — though there’s something off about it this time around. What is normally a large, mostly empty room lined with benches and wall racks to hold weapons now resembles more of the simulation room upon entering.
Try to fiddle with the control panel as much as you want, but nothing seems to set the room back to the way it was. Seems like the only way out is to let the simulation play through, but rather than any of the preprogrammed missions the simulation room is known for, these simulations draw on all of this team’s previous missions, as if you yourself were a part of it.
Seems you’re on an unexpected walk down the orbers’ memory lane… Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone will act as your tour guide.
• MISSION FILE: BRASS DEVIL — Bright lights, extravagance, and liquor-soaked evenings keep the city of Braccia alive. Three crime families rule the streets, and if you want to get anywhere here, you have to make nice with them. They may play nice on the surface, but there's something tense pulling at the heart of the city... Can you figure out what it is?
• MISSION FILE: THE SLEEPER — To sleep is but to dream; at least, that's what they say, but the inhabitants of Kilnan may not agree. A strange sleeping illness has taken over the kingdom and no one can figure out why. To make matters worse, the royal wizard, Remi, is unresponsive. How will these sleeping beauties save their kingdom from ruin?
• MISSION FILE: BAD COMPANY — Welcome to Scorpion's Bend, the wild west with a curious and melancholy twist. Something isn't right about this place, but you can't figure out just what it is. There's bandits wandering around looking for some kind of fortune, so you might want to avoid them. Oh, and, be wary of the food.
• MISSION FILE: UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS — A tale as old as time: "good" vs "evil," up vs down. Giva is a world steeped deeply in tradition and culture, so it stands to reason that the afterlife would be, too. Taeum is where the "good" souls go, Sedorum is where the "bad" souls go... or so everyone's been told. But, it won't take long for you to realize something isn't quite right about that distinction.
• MISSION FILE: 4:50 TO VREFESEA — Productivity and innovation have been the hot topic of Novis Nox lately, as new and amazing things are being produced in a way that almost seems like magic. If that was even a concept the locals understood, anyway. Craemore and Vrefesea are separated by a vast ocean and traveled between by train, usually easily with no interruption. And yet, suddenly, you find yourself in the middle of a family whodunnit. Hopefully, you can make it out of the finger-pointing.
• MISSION FILE: THE FOX & THE HARE — E-23b is a city on the brink of mass destruction, and yes, it's because of the government. A revolution is set to break, and you can help them. There's something deeply personal about this mission, and best discovered by connecting with The Fables. Can you manage to assist and help them begin to rebuild? Or will everything fall apart?
• MISSION FILE: WISH FULL — Qruria City is one of the many kingdoms scattered throughout the world of Xrisora, a beautiful place with a well-loved monarchy. There are new things to learn, new things to meet, and hopefully, you're not afraid of the ocean...
F Y I
• This TDM takes place during the downtime between missions from the middle of September to the rest of the year.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves open on September 20 at 6PM GMT!
• Apps open September 25 and will remain open until September 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 October's mission:
no subject
Yes.
[ He responds, all the while throwing on his glasses that were attached by a librarian string (that probably aged him over by two decades). ]
Though I’m still new here… Haven’t a clue what the others are working on. Or what will I be working on, for the matter.
no subject
after a few minutes she asks, voice quiet and sleepy but the curiosity is unmistakable. ]
What were you working on? Before.
no subject
[ Too much if you asked him. Such is the life of being within the higher ranks of research and development.
But he continues on with a hushed tone, not wanting to add any more volume to the room. ]
But my primary experiment was to find the correct formula for a propulsion fuel that could send any rocket around the globe within a few hours.
no subject
Hypermatter. When solar radiation strikes the core of a planet it creates tachyonic particles that can be refined into faster than light fuel. [ she yawns. ] That can power hyperdrives.
[ all i am saying is that when jyn was eleven a badass rebel met saw's shuttle with a canister of refined coaxium and, since jyn was immediately in love with enfys nest, spent the entire flight back to wrea listening to saw explain how it could be used.
what a fucking nerd. ]
no subject
[ A beat. ]
…Bloody hell, that’s brilliant. And here we are, extracting from nuclear energy like a bunch of muppets.
[ On the side, he scribbles a note on a yellow sheet of sticky paper. Citing his source to be ‘young lady with a bun.’ ]
By ‘we’, I mean myself included. [ He laughs dryly. ] But I can’t say we are at a, um — hyperdrive stage just yet. It’ll be a miracle if we can get our species to travel safely outside the galaxy.
no subject
Thank you, I know.
[ that she's brilliant. her modesty knows no bounds. ]
no subject
[ Perhaps there is a hint of sarcasm in that statement. But it’s said with the most playful of intentions.
He continues on, typing away while cross-referencing previous reports. ]
Well, I’ve already told you about my piddly foray into aerospace engineering. Don’t suppose you can divulge in your previous endeavours.
no subject
[ one arm splays out expansively from her hunch over the tabletop as if to say ta da! there's no hint of sarcasm in her statement, but jyn's always found it easier to weaponise the truth than to lie. ]
'm not a scientist.
no subject
[ He doesn’t want to be flippant purposefully about being in a prison labour camp. But he isn’t sure, from gestures alone, that’s a conversation she wants to have in the first week. ]
And does this ‘not-a-scientist’ have a name?
no subject
Jyn. Erso. [ the hesitation over her last name is a couple beats too many to go unnoticed, but jyn has been out of the habit of using her real name for over a decade. it's only the the last week that it has come up, she wasn't even jyn erso in prison.
sitting up fully, she cracks her back. it's honestly disgusting how loud the crunches are. ]
Does the actual scientist have a name?
no subject
[ He assures jokingly. Though he is sure to make that name correction on his sticky paper. ]
It's Doctor Hermann Gottlieb. My specialities are applied engineering, computer programming, abstract mathematics, etcetera, ecetera. [ He continues. ] And while I'm working - I often have a hot drink with me which...
[ He starts to pull himself up from his seat. ]
I don't seem to have. Would you like something as well?
no subject
[ she licks her lips, fidgets with discomfort or nerves or both. ] My father was a doctor, too. Crystallography and energy, theoretical... something. Maths or physics or both, probably.
[ there's a little awkwardness in how she says it, like she has to reach back into her memory and even then she isn't entirely sure. she was a toddler after all and everything she read about her father on the holonet was either his actual work which she didn't understand and probably still won't or articles that put his work in layman's terms. ]
no subject
[ He supposed that might explain her finding comfort in a lab. The moment you find yourself asleep to the lulling sounds of chemicals bubbling and machines whirring, it goes downhill from there. ]
My father is — was an engineer as well. He’s long retired now. I used to sneak into his library when I was very little and solve equations on my own.
[ The tiny kitchenette is a few feet away. A pre-steeped kettle is already sitting on top of the burner under low heat. Using the handlebar of his cane, he pulls open the cupboard to reveal a small collection of ceramic mugs. He hooks two of them, one navy and the other green, by their handles and sets them down on top of a serving tray. ]
Milk? Sugar?
no subject
[ she's debating pulling the pillow sweater on too but that might hinder her arm movement too much to be comfortable so she draws it into her lap instead, like a pillow. ]
I used to do my colouring in on the back of his notes.
[ it's weird, talking about her father like there wasn't a chasm separating them, even before she lost him entirely. cassian said he would be proud of her — well, her father could have meant either galen or saw, but she didn't ask for clarification — but she isn't so sure personally. ]
He's dead now.
no subject
[ He wants to follow with a polite ‘my condolences’ or 'I'm sorry for your loss'. Part of him, however, is afraid he may be too presumptive. Chalk it up to a very tenuous relationship with his own father. Hermann and Lars Gottlieb never saw eye to eye on a majority of things. Later into his adulthood, their relationship had grown to be a terse one. Some things are just best left to be unsaid.
So, instead, he follows with a simple: ]
I’m sorry.
[ Two words that are courteous and poignant enough to not be too dismissive. With a steady hand, he pours their drinks. ]
no subject
Thanks.
no subject
Two cubes of sugar into her mug. A half a cube and a splash of milk into him.
There. All done. He carries the serving tray with both hands while the handle of his cane is hooked over his shoulder. ]
Tell me if this is alright. [ He says as he rests the serving tray at the workstation where she is sitting— ] I never know when someone's tea is sweet enough.
[ —and sets her tea mug next to her. ]
no subject
Thanks.
[ her fingers curl around the mug carefully, inhaling the strange but not uninviting scent of this foreign tea. she will drink caf if she has to but why suffer???
taking a sip and reminding herself not to chug it, her head bobs in a nod. ] It's good.
no subject
He can’t remember a time when he had people over for tea. Everything inside his lab became such a bloody mess. From over-stacked data reports to half-filled tea cups that hadn’t been touched in days.
Now, granted, this lab isn’t his personal lab. But Hermann makes it a concerted effort not to allow troublesome habits to get in the way. So when he sits back down, he is mindful that the supplies are back in their proper place; going so far as to return a pen to its drawer, only to be pulled back out seconds later. ]
no subject
What planet are you from?
[ dangerous question because she will have to return the answer which means she needs to figure out her own answer. what planet is she from? ]
no subject
Oh, I—
[ And it takes Hermann another moment to process the question properly. A hint of confusion layers on his face. Just hearing the word planet solidifies how far he is from Earth. ]
Earth. I’m from Earth.
[ The more he thinks about his home, the more he has to think about his home nearly being torn to pieces by Precursors.
It’s not a very pleasant thought.
He elects to turn his attention to his monitor, mindlessly typing some code into his note file. ]
It’s a wonderful place. Far from paradise, but it still has a very long way to go.
no subject
in her defense, earth is dirt and dirt is earth. she presumes it is a terrestrial planet with lots of land to be named after the soil itself. still a silly name, do they have another planet called ice? ]
I've only just heard of Earth, here. Ketchup and wizards. [ still doesn't know what condiment ketchup is. ]
no subject
And dirt. Heaven forbid we forget the dirt. ]
I can assure you it’s more than sauce packets and ring fellowships. We’ve amassed a population that has prospered for nearly 200,000 years. Not to mention how our planet has existed for about 4.56 billion years, constantly evolving with every turn of the century.
no subject
she tucks her chin into her hand. ] Tell me about it?