ximilialog | STATION LOG.02

STATION LOG.02

● ● ● S T A T I O N 2.0

GO NORTH, YOUNG MAN • UNDERNEATH THE MISSILE TOAD

// PART I. go north, young man  

A few days following the arrival of the latest batch of the new Orbers, Viveca’s voice filters through the communications devices across the station.

// VIVECA.AI

Hi everyone. I know you’re all assuming this to be another call for a mission, but it’s not. We’re doing some maintenance on the teleportation platform to adjust to the number of people we now have on the team, so you won’t be going anywhere for a couple of weeks, at least. But I’m still asking you to come to the control room as soon as you can. So… see you there.

As soon as you arrive at the round room in the middle of the station, you’ll find that Viveca in her robot body isn’t the only one there to greet you, but Degar is present too, this time wearing a leather tunic and what appear to be cargo pants under his ever-present hooded cloak.

// DEGAR

Great you could make it! Right, so, Viv tells me you guys have been having questions about the North Wing and all that, and we figured we’d show you we’re not hiding, like, bodies or a giant chocolate cake there. So! Consider this your very limited time offer for a tour in the North Wing! We’re keeping it open for about a week, give or take, just so you can come back and see we’re not illusioning it up or anything.

With fingerguns directed at those on the team who can see through illusions, Degar grins and then turns towards the door to the North Wing, waving his hand — and with that, the doors slide open with a hiss.

// DEGAR

Ladies first!

Degar bows to Viveca with a flourish and waits until she’s past the door before he waves his hand again at the team with the universal sign of go, go, go.

And what else is there to do but go?

1.0 The room you step into is long and rectangular, and without any furniture to clutter the space — instead, you’ll find a large sphere, almost crackling with magical energy front and centre and surrounded by open circulation, perhaps for its own protection — the barrier of this object is so powerful that even those without any magical talent can feel the way it feels, almost like static electricity. A (slightly) closer look will wield three different globes of light circling each other in colours of gold, red, and green.

If you choose to take a step closer, you’ll immediately sense it: there’s an awareness, a quiet whisper in your ear, or a chorus of indistinct words, reaching out to you.

// DEGAR

Oh, whoops! Hold on —

Degar, walking back to the room, directs his steps right towards the sphere of energy… and as he walks right up to it, something strange happens — his cloak begins to glow with the same energy as the barrier, allowing him to simply walk into the field of energy… and disappear.

// VIVECA.AI

"Don’t worry, he’s fine. This is what he does most of the time, here… he’s making sure the orbs are contained." Viveca, floating closer, smiles wryly at the team. "Come on, go and have a look at the other rooms. I’m sure you’re dying to know what’s in there… but I have to warn you, it’s not very exciting."

Should you circle back into the room when neither Viveca or Degar is there, you might be overcome with the urge to approach the energy sphere still situated in the middle … but touch it and you’ll be flung across the space like a rag doll. Maybe some of you will stick the landing, but those of you without a 'Poser' finishing move might need some assistance after.

2.0 As you leave the room, it turns out Viveca really wasn’t joking about the lack of excitement. After a sight like the one you’ve just witnessed, this next room appears to have nothing of note except for a set of chairs lined up along the sides of the room, and then one larger one in the middle — a mechanical armchair with several different wires running directly into it.

On both sides of this space you’ll find maintenance rooms directly adjacent: one for the station itself, and one for the AI. Both of these rooms are filled with advanced machinery and screens — and one thing to note is how … clean the one designated for station maintenance seems to be. Not a fleck of dust to be found anywhere. On the other hand, the AI maintenance room feels quieter, looks darker … but as soon as anyone walks in, they’ll find a little cleaning robot beeping at them angrily. Whoops, it seems as though you’ve located the robot’s home, so make sure to not trail in any dirt. (This room is also spotless.)

3.0 Connected to the station maintenance room is the power and life support, a room with a large engine at its back, and closed pods on its sides. Most of them have a blue, glowing stripe on them; only one has a red one. But no matter how you try to open any of them, they don’t budge.

On the other side, connected to AI maintenance, is a room that has clearly been used as sleeping quarters. If anyone were to check, they’d count twenty beds in the room, half of which are divided into bunk beds on either side of the room… and most of them still have some items near them: clothes, a few books written in a language that your translators can’t seem to decipher, a soft elephant toy, and a photograph of eighteen people — a diverse mixture of women and men, older and younger, of different races, and makes; a few droids among them, but all faces unfamiliar to the current team. The group are all posing with smiles across their faces — it’s a commemorative picture, that much is clear. The right upper corner of the photo has been torn away.

Only one of the beds seems to still be in use — everything else in the room smells slightly musty, as if none of it has been touched for a long time.

4.0 The last place to explore within the North Wing is a hexagonally shaped room that matches the ones teleporting food and other essentials onto the station. Indeed, in the middle of this one is an almost identical platform, though what it connects to is a little unclear — in any case, it doesn’t seem to be powered up right now. At the end of the room is circular cut-out and a heavy-duty latch, currently locked into place to seal whatever is beyond it. It’s a door, of course, but it isn’t just any door … for anyone wondering about exits on this station, you’ll realize now where it’d been all along. There’s a control panel on the wall next to it but it requires a passcode … unfortunate for anyone who wanted a scenic tour outside of the station itself.

Perhaps it’s a little less exciting than you were hoping for, or maybe it’s just what you expected — whatever it is, the mystery held above you for the last three missions has finally been revealed and you’ve now seen what the previously enigmatic North Wing has to offer. As most of you exit the wing, you’ll notice that there’s still no visible signs of Degar anywhere (and also no strange whispers in your ear, no awkward feelings of being watched) ... but if some of you decide to return to the orb room and watch for him, you’ll see him leaning against the wall, using magic to create different shapes out of a smoke he seems to have charmed into existence in front of him. Watching the little performance will demonstrate Degar forming a puff of smoke into a ship with many sails, moving through an orbit of several smoke rings. Pretty funny, right? Clearly word travels fast.

Throughout the week, whenever you return to the North Wing, you will find it unchanged.

TOP

// PART II. underneath the missile toad  

5.0 For those of you who often cross through the sunlight room to break paths into other areas of the station, you may notice some changes in the optics around you. Where the trees had once reflected images of a lush foliage of a typical temperate planet during its warmest season, now a series of various conifers (firs, spruce, cedars, hemlocks, pines) in deep greens and soft, spiky, needle-like foliage takes its place, scattered across your field of vision in no particular pattern. Snowflakes glisten and glitter at the tips like miniature crystals, catching the simulated wintery sunlight above from a crisp, cloudless blue sky.

Follow the path into the trees and you’ll find that the room’s detritus is now covered in a fluffy white blanket of snow not yet trodden over: perfect for your footprints. It even feels just a little cooler, brisker — each breath you exhale coming out in a cloud of fog, and yet it never feels uncomfortable enough to require any sort of winter gear.

When you’ve cleared the patch of forest, on the far end of the room is a snow-covered meadow just waiting to be populated with snow angels and maybe a family of snow-people. Grab some twigs for arms and a handful of pebbles for facial features, and you’re set to spend a couple of hours playing in the snow. The rest of the sunlight room has become something of a winter wonderland: the shallow river beneath the bridge has frozen over into ice, shiny and clear, leading into a small pond perfect for sliding across even if you’re lacking skates.

The atmosphere in the room makes for a pleasant in-between to the rest of the station’s rooms, or simply a pleasant space to chill (heh) for a little while.

6.0 During the early days of the festive month, Viveca’s cheerful voice will broadcast across every Orber’s communications device, announcing the appearance of a box to be left near the mess hall. The purpose, she explains, is for any Orber feeling the holiday spirit and wanting to spread a little joy and cheer by way of a surprise gift.

// VIVECA.AI

— we’ll be leaving this up just until the first supply drop arrives, giving us some time to make the arrangements, but we’d like to accommodate as many surprises as possible. No need to be shy about it — it’s nice to do something for your fellow teammates, right?

Anyone is welcome, of course, to put in a gift request for another Orber on the station. The intention is to spread good cheer and encourage team-bonding, and honestly? It’s just a nice thing to do. Once in a while you might come across another fellow Orber on their way to the box, or you might find someone already there, inputting their request onto the box’s screen. Don’t peek (or do, we’re not your mother) or you might ruin the surprise!

7.0 This month’s supply drop arrives like Christmas itself is here, in two parts and with a fairly obvious theme in both. There are a lot of reds, golds, greens, and blues, and the scents are unmistakably festive.

Part one arrives earlier in the month with a smattering of requested holiday goods: decorations in all colours of the rainbow (tinsel, streamers, bells, bulbs, and canes), a tree outfitted with a bright silver star at its top, and a small woven basket filled with sprigs of mistletoe tied in blue ribbon. There are also small bags of baking and cooking ingredients, as well as a modest array of equally quaint glass bottles filled with holiday-specific spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, to name a few.

Halfway into the Orbers’ reprieve at the station, a generous stack of completely concealed, gift-wrapped boxes will arrive on the transport, each one with a tag addressed to its recipient in bold black letters. They will have to be moved (some more carefully than others) to the tree that a few Orbers will have set up in the station by now, awaiting Christmas morning to be unwrapped.

8.0 As the month continues, anyone who stops by to visit the infirmary, either to visit patients currently in stasis, to replace some bandages, or grab something for that headache and the like — you might notice that the room seems to have changed enough for it to be noticeable even to the occasional passerby.

It’s bigger, for one thing, and some of the room has been sectioned off to include a pharmacology centre. Equipment to synthesize medications has been installed on one end of the new room, and adjacent to it are a couple of shelves with medical texts from across familiar and unfamiliar galaxies alike. Across from this are overhead cabinets to house a generous amount of first aid supplies, and similarly, stored in cabinets under a long counter space are more equipment: beakers, pipettes, meters, and basins.

Most of this will be foreign (and dare one say uninteresting?) to anyone who isn’t involved in the medical or chemical fields, but for those who are, it might feel like the Christmas spirit has spread to even the most practical ends of the station. Nevertheless, the upgraded infirmary room should prove useful in the future.

TOP

F Y I

• The events in this log take place during the month of December.

• Throughout the month, remember that all the locations in the two wings and the center of the station are available to use, even if they’re not detailed in the prompts in this log. So feel free to make your own wildcard prompts using the training room, the armory, the living quarters, the kitchen, etc.

• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.

• And finally, have a soundtrack for this log! ♪ ♪ ♪

TOP

▶ NAV

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Blue holds out his hand.] Just a hand up...and an arm to hold onto. [a slight pause, watching his reactions.] Will that bother you? Since I am a Mu.

[Right, no problem then - he offers a hand to help him to his feet, and while standing his arm might be a little high for easy grasping, it's there to take anyway if Blue doesn't mind reaching.

The question earns him a brief look of astonishment, though.]

Don't see why it would, no. I told you, right? All kinds of people in my world, not just humans.

[Unless just by touching there's some kind of mind-reading stuff he's implying - Rosinante considers that might be an option, and it's not one he likes much. But it's a short distance, and he'll just do his best to keep a wrap on anything he doesn't want to think about.

Easier said than done, sure, but. Maybe that's not the point of the question at all anyway.]

...

[the apprehension is easy to detect, considering it's precisely what Blue was searching for.

Blue retracts his hand, wearing an apologetic expression.]

I've been...trying harder. To keep from...encroaching. But touch makes thoughts and feelings much clearer to me.

I won't...subject you to that, then.

[So he's too good at guessing, and Blue is too good at detecting that. It's interesting, and sort of concerning. He's used to hiding his intentions through acting, rather than actually shutting off his thoughts.

Well, it'll be a new challenge to tackle. Not today, though. He watches Blue shrink back with a frown, but doesn't exactly try to apologize or tell him he's fine with it. This isn't the sort of thing he really wants to compromise on today, not after the dreams and everything Yamato told him about their world thirteen years later.]

Right... I get it. Don't feel bad. I'm just... not really sure about that sort of thing right now. Got a lot on my mind.

[Hopefully the explanation will smooth things over. It's all true, anyway.]

We'll go slow, will that work? I'm not in any hurry.

...We'll go slow.

[Blue pushes himself up from the sill, taking his time to stabilize on his feet and getting his hand on the wall for balance, nodding to affirm he'll follow along.

he has to carry fresh, hot discontent with him. it's not Rosinante's fault - it's not Blue's fault, either. it's just...nature. nature and circumstance and the tangle of different worlds and lives. he can't resent the people who are so used to the silence of their own minds, no more than he can accept blind resentment from those who learn he so yearns to be connected. it just...is.

it just hurts to have to keep compromising himself, folding in on himself over and over, when he's already compromised by his own failing body.

but he carries it, keeping these things to himself the way any human does, and focuses his primary attention on walking.]

[Meanwhile, Rosinante doesn't have to be psychic to tell that he's bummed Blue out, but it's certainly not the first time he's disappointed someone. It must be hard, being the only one of his people, though. Different than being the only person from his world here, as Rosinante had been for a long time. As content as he is to accept non-humans, he knows there will always be experiences he just can't fully relate to.

He'll just keep at this careful pace, one step at a time. Maybe he'll even fall over less doing it (no).]

What've you picked up about this Christmas stuff so far? Maybe we can compare notes.

[It's an almost-joke, an attempt to choose a lighter topic of conversation. No need to continually press about their differences when they do have things in common.]

[what he's picked up... Blue breathes out a contemplative sound as he goes, taking careful steps with pauses between them, trying to remember what Jim told him about how best to leverage his movement without as much strain.]

It has...something to do with...a spirit? Or a royal...their birth. But...I don't know...what the trees are supposed to...signify.

A spirit, or a royal? Someone told me it was a god. Maybe it's different in different islands. Er, kingdoms. [He corrects himself, considering Earth seems to have only a very few very large islands that are better termed continents, after all. Maybe it's those anyway, but maybe it's a kingdom thing.]

Dunno about the trees either. Maybe it just looks like the part of Earth most of them are from? Maybe they have lots of trees. I do know they say it's a holiday for winter, when it's dark, and that's why there's all the lights.

They may look...strange...in steel corridors. But...[speak of the devil, another corner with another tree! there are some very busy worker bees on this station.]

I think...they're nice.

[Blue's labored method of speaking while making his way along is almost enough to make Rosinante regret not giving him a hand.

Almost.

He shoves the guilt aside - another thing he's good at doing - and nods as they approach the tree.]

Lights and stars. They do bring life to the place. Better than, well, those.

[He nods up ahead to where there's another sprig of mistletoe tied in a doorway, which is at eye level for him and a pretty irritating hazard to duck under or try to dodge around, given his occasional mishaps with balance.]

[Blue lifts his gaze briefly to where Rosinante focused.]

...Ah. I was told...those are not a mandate. Only for those...comfortable with it. It's safe.

A... What do you mean, mandate? I just keep smacking into them, someone hung them right where my face goes.

[If there's some significance beyond being decorative, he's missed it.]

Ah...you weren't advised? [Blue isn't surprised; as far as he knows, no one made a public announcement about it! and that's perhaps so many already understood the convention, unlike the two of them.

their destination is in sight, and Blue can feel a small swell of relief, looking forward to a chance to sit down again.]

It's...related to an Earth tradition. Showing affection.

Oh. Well, I'm glad for them.

[He is, actually, more than he sounds, because truly most of these traditions are filled with kindness and generosity and all sorts of good things he appreciates.

But when he's face to face with plant matter that's on the prickly side, like he is right now, it's annoying.

He takes care to crouch under it with a hand against the wall to steady himself, mostly so he doesn't somehow accidentally fall on Blue in the process. And then yes, ahead, the kitchen smells of spices and baked goods. Someone has moved boxes of the stuff onto the countertops from the transportation platform, and he reaches in to one and pulls out a jar of ginger in syrup as a random grab.]

Smells good in here. You do much cooking?

I've been...learning, a little.

[Blue follows behind a few beats after, finding a stool and pulling it over so he can have his back against the wall as he sits, exhaling heavily.]

Soups and stews...but much more is beyond me.

Good place to start, though. That's been most of my cooking anyway. As long as you can come up with a pot to put it all in and a fire to cook over, it does the job. That or just spearing stuff on sticks and roasting it over the fire, if you don't have a pot.

[All about ingenuity when traveling. He rarely has the luxury of a kitchen like this and doesn't hardly know what to do with half of it, even though he's been here months now.

Someone already has something going in the oven, he notices - that's probably where half the smell in here is coming from. Baking spices will do that.]

I remember once I wound up in a tavern on one of the Sabaody islands that had some kinda spiced beef stew with things like these. Cinnamon, ginger, pretty exotic. Wouldn't know where to start trying to make something like that.

[Blue's head tilts, trying to glean some notion of an image from those words. islands? spiced stew...]

Ah-- Sabriel...she made a stew the other day. Perhaps it is similar...to what you're speaking of? There may still be some left... [he nods over to one of the ice boxes.]

Oh yeah?

[Now he's curious, and there's no harm in poking around in the refrigerators. Might as well have a look in there anyway to see if there are fancy ingredients like these ones that needed to be kept cold. An initial peek reveals a mix of leftovers (some labeled, some not) and the other usual ingredients on hand, but then -]

Oh, this is that stuff I was told about.

[He pulls out a carton labeled "eggnog" among other things, then slips as he's trying to back away from the fridge, sending a leg crashing into the door of the appliance with a hard rattle of jars and other containers. Barbecue sauce, of all things, tumbles loose of the shelf inside and cracks when it hits the floor, resulting in a slow seep of sauce against his knee that's definitely going to stain.

But he pulls himself away from the fridge backward with his arms, then closes the door with his other foot. The eggnog carton, thankfully, was still sealed and rests next to him.]

-!

[the slip is startling enough, but Blue feels the surprise twofold simply by merit of empathy. he nearly slips off the stool and to his feet, perched right at the edge with a hand held out and his frame haloed in pale blue.]

Are you hurt-?

Fine. Happens all the time.

[Aside from a bruise here or there, he really means it. And thankfully most here are good about ignoring it, as they've grown accustomed to his frequent stumbles. He glances over at Blue on account of his movement, but otherwise doesn't even react to the offer of help. It's a matter of pride, really. He can't take a hand up from everyone throughout his life when he can fix his own problems.

But Blue can assist in another way, just because he also knows people hate feeling ignored or useless when they're just trying to be nice.]

Mind getting that? Pour yourself some, if you like. I'll clean up the mess.

[He nods to the carton of eggnog as he pulls himself to his feet, then turns to track down a rag.]

[Blue just...stares owlishly as the extremely dramatic flail is just brushed off; it's definitely new to the Mu.

he looks bewildered for a beat more before he can take his eyes off of Rosinante and at the carton. huh? do what, now?]

...Ah... [blink.] Yes, of course...

[he gets off the stool, moving over to the counter the carton was left on. he peers at it briefly, needing a moment to recognize it (oh no...this stuff...) before searching for a glass to pour the man his drink. it's a little out of his reach, the cabinet above him, so he has to levitate a glass out and float it down to the counter beside him. not too hard...]

[Meanwhile his attempt at mopping up spilled sauce and the broken bottle quickly winds up with him on the floor again (accompanied by quite the heavy thud), but hey, it's easier to clean this up on hands and knees anyway.

Blotting barbecue sauce out of his pants doesn't work as well as cleaning it off the floor, unfortunately. He dumps the bottle in the trash and goes to rinse the cleaning rag in the sink when he looks over at Blue actually pouring him the drink. Only one glass?]

Oh, you didn't have to - you don't want any?

[Blue winces again when the man hits the floor once more, stomach clenching. Rosinante may be used to it, but he sure isn't! it seems almost nonsensical to be just...pouring a drink while that's going on, and yet...what else can he do?

he looks over once he's done, exchanging the look Rosinante wears before looking back to the drink.]

No, it's alright. I will get myself water.

Suit yourself. Thanks for pouring, in that case.

[Look, he's just curious. Maybe this eggnog stuff is actually awful, or at least a very Earth-acquired taste. Maybe, like he'd been told, it's best when full of booze. But how is he to know without tasting it?

He comes over to lift the glass and give it a sniff. Sugar, and more of those spices that have already permeated the kitchen. Next step then is to have a sip.

Which... isn't terrible, but,]

It's... thick. Like drinking glue. Is that normal?

[Does food go bad here? Is it bad? It doesn't taste rotten, just sweeter than most anything he's ever had, and so strange.]

When I had tried it earlier...it was rather unpleasant. Thick, yes. That must...be just the quality of it.

[and he's not much of a fan. he floats another clean class down to fill with water.]

● ● ● S T A T I O N 2.0

F Y I

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