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AUGUST TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 3
… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
The words, when they die out, leave you in emptiness — despairing, all-consuming, the kind that invites only the worst thoughts. What have you done? What have you agreed to do?
But then, from the emptiness, a golden light shines, and as you reach for it —
you wake up.
1.0 Perhaps it was less the golden light in your dream and more the insistent feeling of something metallic poking your side repeatedly, making beeping noises… wait, beeping noises?
When you look down, you’ll see a small robot staring at you and looking less than happy (maybe it has something to do with your disheveled state, maybe it's still mad about having to clean up after a certain pizza-induced mess). When you get up, it unleashes a series of beeps — and then furiously starts to scrub the floor.
Yes, the floor — instead of waking up in a bed, you find yourself lying on a hallway, white walls and white floor surrounding you. You don’t have long to stare at the minimalistic look of everything around you before the little bot starts poking you again, the word MOVE blinking across its visor.
So better get out of its way! Perhaps you’re on the hallway on your own and leave on your own… or perhaps there’s someone else, sleeping near you. Maybe do them the courtesy of waking them up before this little angry bot does! Or perhaps you’re the poor soul still sleeping and needing a rescue before the beeps make it to you.
2.0 If you need a visit to the infirmary, the situation may be more dire — perhaps there’s blood on the wall that you wake up against, your clothes may be dirty or ragged… whatever it is that has happened to you before waking here and has left you injured, it sure doesn’t create a reassuring sight. Best get to the infirmary as soon as possible.... with some assistance, perhaps.
Once upright, 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 The most pressing question that you might ask yourself is: but where will I stay? The question is answered once you walk through the winding white corridors to the common area. Behind it, there are three types of rooms: those with one bed, two beds and four beds. The rooms are clinical yet clean, and sparsely-furnished — and most importantly, most are occupied. So be prepared to get some roomies!
4.0 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!
5.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which… seems to be filled with a lot of leftovers: takeout boxes with an assorted collection of pizza slices, kung pao chicken, lamb curry... not to mention the entire tray of chocolate brownies. Feel free to eat your fill — or if takeout isn’t your cup of tea, open one of the large fridges to pick fresh ingredients and make your own lunch.
6.0 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. A new addition is a flower garden where there once was a meadow — now, roses, camellias, lilies and dozens of other flowers sway in the wind, all varieties in their own flower beds, with a winding path of stones leading through them. The path leads to where a bridge rises over a sparkling, babbling brook.
Here, 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.
7.0 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!
8.0 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!
(CW: POTENTIAL BODY MODIFICATION)
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.
Step past the threshold and the doors will slide shut with a quiet woosh. Nothing suspicious; nothing to worry about. But before you can really get a sense of your environment (a grey, large-ish empty room, no furniture, no discernable objects to provide markers), the room goes dark, and then … there’s really no other way to describe it: the room transforms.
You find yourself in a club. The music is upbeat, loud, but not too loud. Down a short flight of steps flanking the bar and seating is the open floor with more tables and booths bathed in a warm, dim glow of light, and at the very end of the room is a stage with its bright spotlight showcasing its performers — though, at the moment, the stage is empty.
9.0 When you take a step forward, you’ll feel a presence gently push at your chest or your shoulder — a tall and jovial man resembling a well-dressed bartender from the top up (the rest of him appears to move along wheels) approaches with a tall flute glass in hand. Its contents are sparkly and blue.
Will you proceed? Please respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.”
There’s something a little strange about his voice, a cadence that doesn’t sound quite natural even when the simulation is so realistic otherwise. Once you’ve given your consent, the bartender continues.
10.0 It seems the bartender wasn’t lying. Once you’ve allowed the drink (tasty, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, effervescent, with light notes of your fondest childhood memory) to settle in your stomach you might experience a myriad of effects on your body, ranging from a change in skin colour (pink? green? blue with spots?), an additional limb or two (or three), a tail or wings, or cybernetic parts such as lie-detecting eyes or a tongue that can uncover truths and lies in others. If you happen to find another Orber within the room and both of you have consumed the offered drink, you might find yourself experiencing a full bodyswap.
None of the changes are painful; if anything, they might not even be noticeable until you look into a mirror, look down at your limb-in-question, or your companion points it out.
11.0 The moment you approach the stage, a performer will appear as if out of thin air and begin to sing, her voice strong and smoky and melodic. Her enthralling performance could put you into a trance, but you have an orb to find and a personal task to accomplish, so it’s time to put your best foot forward and do a little investigating.
Talking to some of the patrons might prove fruitful as some of them are convinced that the stage has never sounded or looked so good, like there’s something giving performers that extra oomph that no one can explain. It might be wise to wait until that last performance before you sneak up there — or maybe you want to do a little snooping around now, you know, while everyone’s distracted. Strategize with your fellow Orbers and uncover the location of this hidden orb.
● ● ●
N O T E: The effects of the drink and the level of changes your character experiences is entirely up to you. Patrons of this fine club won’t bat an eye if you look a little like them.
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 If you’ve been given a particular body change that might aid you in this mission, do not use it to your advantage.
B Team up with a fellow Orber to uncover the hidden location.
C Get up on stage and put on a performance during the simulation. Your song choice will determine the outcome of success in your investigation.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open August 27.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
FOR SOME FUN:
Have a listen for some clues about the second mission.
(Hint: there are four clues in total.)
cassian andor | rogue one
7.0// labs
9.0// club
0.0 wildcard
arrival 😍
Still, not comforting. Rather the opposite, it's very worrying. Jim's been hearing accounts of more people coming into the infirmary, new faces around the mess hall and the living quarters, and when he sees the man stretched out on the ground, looking like a complete mess, he knows immediately that he's new here. ]
Hey. Are you alright? [ He approaches, though cautiously, not sure how disoriented he might be. ] Do you know where you are?
slams into this
No. Not entirely. [ mostly because he still thinks it's a fucked up afterlife. he's not sure how much to say about the voice he heard and all those thoughts about regrets. ] I know I have woken up here.
no subject
My name is Jim. I can try to help you make sense of this, but first— can I help you get to the infirmary? It looks like you need it.
no subject
How do they handle broken bones here? [ not that he ever wanted to be dumped in a bacta tank, but it sounds pretty good right about now. ] I might need your help to get up.
[ he's speaking in complete sentences, but it doesn't mean his tone isn't a little off - it's quieter, jaw tight, because he is 100% speaking through how much hurt he's in. ]
no subject
He does look banged up enough for it, admittedly. Jim nods, reaching out to help Cassian off the ground. ]
They'll fix you up easily, don't worry. You need to tell me where it's worse, so I can avoid pressing into those areas.
[ If necessary he can just carry him to the infirmary. The guy's not exactly small, but Jim can handle the weight. ]
no subject
[ cassian takes the help but struggles for a minute to admit where he's hurt the worst. everywhere hurts, honestly, but he has to pick at least one spot. jyn had carried him all right by avoiding the worst of his spine. ] My back. Towards the middle. I think I can walk with the support.
no subject
Let me know if it gets to be too much.
[ He can tell Cassian's in pain already, but if it becomes unbearable, he'll find another way to get him to the infirmary. For now he starts them on their way down the hallway, steady and slow because any faster and Cassian won't be able to keep up. ]
no subject
[ he takes a moment to catch his breath once he's standing, but lets himself essentially be guided and carried. it's not like he has any sense of where the infirmary is, even with the earpiece and instructions. navigating this mystery ship while in utter agony does not seem like the best plan forward - so for now, leaning on this stranger for help will have to do. ]
Thank you.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
7.0 ;
[ The Doctor's come back into the labs, post-mission, looking clean, energized and very much like himself (thank goodness). It's with a quick glance around the room that he finds the hunk of junk he's been hoarding off to the corner of the lab, just where he'd left it. Good! Good. He's been working on a thing, you see, a thing of great importance, and while it isn't exactly perfect yet, it's getting there.
Well, in his eyes, anyway. What Cassian might find as he brings it to one of the working tables is a bunch of metal bits and bobs stacked on top of one another. There's a transparent cylinder in the middle of it all, seemingly holding it together. What might it be? Who knows. You could ask though, he wouldn't mind waxing poetic about his genius, if and when given the chance. ]
You know, all that stuff's going to be in complete disarray by tomorrow.
[ He means the meticulous clean-up job Cassian's working through at the moment. ]
no subject
[ tall, lanky, with a collection of his own toys to tinker with. he might be a good person to ask about this stuff, even if not today. he's gotta get a better sense of who the man is first. ] Do people actively mess it up, or do they just not care?
[ he expected that on some level, but he's still curious. ]
no subject
[ He allows this, speaking from experience or perhaps speaking from observing others come and go while he spends a fair amount of time tinkering here. He likes the machinery. He likes fiddling around with bits and bobs. ]
Organized chaos, perhaps, what with everyone having their own system of organization, hey?
[ The Doctor gestures to his own little invention and the box of gears and motors and long steely bits and screwy screws. ]
For example: what would you say of this?
no subject
[ he peers at what the man offers up. truthfully he doesn't really know what he's looking at, so the best step forward is questions and evasion. ] Are you asking me what it is, or what I think of your organization?
7.0
So Roger walks in front of Cassian as he works, staring for a second just to confirm that he's real.] Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but aren't you... dead?
no subject
[ he frowns, because it looks familiar, but he's known plenty of them over his life, even if most were in his youth. before he can dredge up his memories, the droid makes his proclamation. it's fortunate he's used to k2's similarly blunt statements, allowing cassian to keep his features mostly schooled. ]
It is a little rude. [ but that's how droids are. ] You know who I am? [ he just wants a little more time before he figures out how to reply to the dead thing. ]
no subject
But we met before that, too. On the Ring of Kafrene. There was a whole mix-up about a can of motor oil. I didn't figure out who you guys even were until I joined the rebellion. [He feels he should make that last point clear, that he is on Cassian's side. He's not sure how it's possible, on some level he even thinks that the sudden return of a long dead Rebellion hero is some kind of trick, but for now he's going to assume that this is somehow Cassian Andor.]
[And then, because Roger couldn't not shill his work if his life depended on it;] I even detailed our encounter in my autobiography, From Trenches to Wrenches: The Roger Story, now available on the HoloNet for an extremely reasonable price. [As he recites the advertisement for his work, he seemingly pulls a datapad from thin air, the title of his biography covering the screen.]
no subject
I remember that. You accidentally used the correct code phrase. [ cassian refused to admit that maybe k2 was right and he should have picked something a little less easily copied. ]
I am afraid I do not have any credits on me right now, but congratulations on your book. [ it is pretty neat to see a droid writing an autobiography though. ] As for how I am here, I woke up on board from Scarif, so your guess is as good as mine.
no subject
[R0-GR has more questions, but if Cassian really has come here directly from the Battle of Scarif, however that's possible, it's probably not a good idea to press further.] I don't think I'd be able to use credits even if you did. There doesn't exactly seem to be a use for any kind of money here, least of all New Republic- I mean, uh, Imperial credits.
no subject
[ at least he's had enough time to recover physically from scarif, but no, he's not particularly interested in talking about it. the drop of "new republic" catches his attention, but cassian doesn't quite react - he's trying to figure out how to proceed. though since the droid implies he's long past scarif, it's not hard to get suspicions. ] Have you been on this ship long then?
no subject
[He's slightly more relaxed, though, when he answers the second question.] Only a few days. [He arrived at the same time Cassian did, after all.] I'm still not completely sure what this station is or what I'm doing here.
01. arrival
he's explored a couple of the hallways when he makes his way back down the one where he'd woken up earlier only to see -- well, a somewhat familiar sight. he sees that the man on the ground is injured, badly too.
he rushes over, kneeling next to the other carefully.] Hey -- Are you alright? What happened? [did it happen here?]
no subject
Nothing here. [ he picks up on the question implied. ] Just a few broken bones.
[ he tries to sound light about it, but he can tell it doesn't quite work, mostly because it's difficult to keep his voice as upbeat as intended, the words spilling out through a tightened jaw. ]
1.0; arrival
Shinjiro lingers briefly a short distance away, hesitating for a moment before he sighs, inevitably losing the battle within himself not to get involved. He never could quite ignore someone in trouble in front of him, much as he'd like to pretend otherwise.]
--Jeez...they're really droppin' the ball this time, huh.
[It's half muttered, more to himself than the other man, before he reaches down and offers a hand to help the man up. There's no word of explanation here, but the hand will remain until it is taken or rebuffed. Sorry, he's just Like This.]
no subject
[ he hears the other guy approaching and watches him, half out of habit and half because he really does need the help getting up. an explanation isn't needed, cassian knows how he looks. he reaches out and takes the hand, but, well, standing up isn't going to be easy when he's not sure how much of his own weight he can handle. his grip is tight. ]
Sorry, I might need both. [ hands, that is. ]
no subject
Cassian asks for his other hand, and Shinjiro thinks vaguely that he might as well just carry this man if he's in that poor shape, but it's awkward to offer, and he's sure the guy has his pride, too. So--he offers his other hand. He's not exactly the bulkiest teenager, no champion boxer like Akihiko, but he is strong and solid, and certainly steady enough to take Cassian's weight entirely if he seems to needs it. Once the man is on his feet, Shinjiro speaks up, properly addressing him for the first time.]
Can you walk at all?