⇨ POLARIS 2.0

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Days 110 - 114
Where: Polaris
What: After a mysterious explosion shakes the station, the staff of Polaris struggle to maintain order while the test subjects fight for freedom with the aid of hidden allies. Productivity info is here.
Warnings: More graphic experimentation.

THEORY & CONCLUSION↴ At the midnight between Day 109 and Day 110, something happens. For most people, it won't be clear what - yet, they are shaken by it just the same. Violent tremors appear out of nowhere, rattling the entirety of the Polar station, violent enough to throw sleeping test subjects off their bunks. The source is unclear, but there is a sudden flurry of activity from staff as power flickers and is lost in various parts of the facility. Subjects, for the most part, will be left to their cells while they try to sort things out. The next morning, the staff are late picking people up. It's more like 6:30AM than the usual 6AM when they arrive to take people to the farm, which is a bit of tardiness that is entirely without precedent. Any questions about the incident the previous night will be waved off with the explanation of 'technical difficulties' that have been 'resolved.' ► DELTA: The three new Deltas will be left in their cells for even longer, waiting to be picked up, instructed that they would be escorted elsewhere instead of to the farm. Around 6:45AM some unfamiliar technicians will arrive and tell them that they are here to begin their processing into Delta. They are led into a previously untouched section of the station, where they are invited into a somewhat more intimate medical room to be asked some cursory questions and given a check up. Then, their suits will be removed, and they will be provided with their new uniforms, which they can apply like normal clothes. Delta life begins there. There will be a top level for the initial parts of their processing to be played out. Ultimately, however, they will end up being given a tour of the new Delta facilities, which amounts to a waterfront area that borders the new apartments they'll be staying in, as well a small supply shop where they can pick up an allotted amount of 'amenities' per day, based on their level of productivity and other achievements. This includes luxury items like food, pleasant smelling soaps, or other hygiene related tools. There are even small things like decorations or pictures of other places available, though they are fairly expensive. The first day will mostly involve the processing, a tour, and some basic training regarding the new tools they will be using, such as the mandatory visors and basic computer access. The next day, observation shifts in the farm will start, as will participation in trials. ► FARMING: The Farm will continue as normal, though it seems like there are fewer staff observing it at the moment. The ones that are there seem a little bit more tense than usual. Power is still down in some places, but the Farm is thankfully still active. Sometimes the productivity turn-in scanners might be a bit glitchy, so try not to panic if it measures fewer points than you're due. ► TRIALS: Trials are continuing as projected, though with the most broad of experiments already under way, they may be more selective. If you have an idea for a trial you can be sure to share it with the staff, and they will take it under advisement! Any information you want to provide is encouraged, they will say, especially if it involves notable traits about you or your fellow test subjects - or perhaps behavioral patterns you've noticed. You might even be rewarded!

Comments

[npcarnival]

He could spill watering can water on the floor, that probably seems like the most obvious thing. There's nothing in cells or in testing rooms, for the most part.

[soft_focus]

To that, Reira just raises an eye brow.

"...Would Yuuya-niisan let him?"

So, she does know, and she knows Enough.

"...Right now, Yuuya won't take any help. I don't even think he wants to try," she adds a bit bitterly. "...I..." ...Hmm. Bit of guilt coming in with this, but the fact is... "...I tried to say, if he didn't try to work, I'd look at the trial board, and sign up if I could. ...but he just got mad and thought I wanted trials, so..."

SHE'S BAD AT THIS MANIPULATION THING.

"Umn. Gongenzaka went 'up' though," she notes, nodding. "...So...he's probably going to try and do something from there, to help." However that works. She knows it had been her own fleeting dream at least.

[npcarnival]

"I think we should recommend oral implants for Theta-701," Gamma-238 comments dryly. "It seems to expend undue energy that way."

[chronosynthesis]

"Locations?" A map? Blinking red was surely the issue at the core, especially given it's central.

He gestures to the leaf. "And that? Could you tell where you were on this?"

[whattaprick]

“Only because you haven’t given me anything better to do with it,” Lambert answers, smartly, mutilated tail waving behind him. He makes a vaguely obscene suggestive gesture with his fingers and tongue.

MORNING, 112

[betheman]

[When Morning comes, Gongenzaka spends the time in silence for a moment. For at least until the Technicians arrive, certainly.

What now runs through his mind is key however. Important, for everyone- so a soon as he's on the farm, he does what he did the day before.

He checks on Yuuya. It's usual- it's certainly the only person he can get away with rushing for in this place without drawing suspicion at this point. But once he makes it to him, he doesn't immediately approach-

Instead he concentrates- appearing to hesitate perhaps but doing something else at the same time.

A calm, and gentle feeling comes through a connection of souls. Good morning, Yuuya.]

DAY 112 | MORNING

[betheman]

It is at some point in the morning that he encounters Syrlya- he's been trying hard not to make it seem as though he was looking for the other after all, and that's tricky to do at the moment. Once he spots him though, he greets him easily. "Auh...as well as I, the man Gongenzaka, can be..." he starts slowly, clearly between tasks. If there is anyone he can trust some intell to, it's this guy- so he looks about for another 'task'.

...Harvesting the corn will do. "I, the man Gongenzaka, was on my way to another task for the moment- you?" It sounds casual. It looks casual.

But there is an edge of focus in Gongenzaka's eye, and something brushes against Syrlya's soul. A sensation of 'importance', perhaps. Contemplation, Thought.

Someone is planning something, and they need to work somewhere he doesn't need to focus too much on moving, in order to explain it.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya pauses at that, raising an eyebrow, then glances around the cell. No, he doesn't have any ideas (and isn't sure why Yugo's asking him, except possible desperation).]

Not really. [He moves to sit up, hunching over a little to avoid the ceiling.] There's... someone who can probably help us, but. I don't think they're ready to act.

[soft_focus]

...I guess that's true. [On all accounts! ...She decides not to confirm 'a lot', while they're at it.

But hey.] We're measured on 'Productivity' here, [Reira explains.] People who do well, go 'up', and become Technicians. People who don't...

[She puffs her cheeks- biting her lips with the teeth she has now just ends in a bloody mess- and looks to the side.] ...I think they go somewhere else, but it's definitely not here, and that's not good.

[For anyone, really.]

Depending on how much you work, you get points- but people in 'Eta' level have to get more points than the other two groups above them, to do okay. And getting points is really hard, so a lot of people have to take 'trials' with the Technicians to get them...

[She coughs.] It goes...Eta, and then Zeta, and then Epsilon. ...If you're in Epsilon, you can get picked to go to 'Delta' with the Technicians.

...That's what they said, anyway... ...They change the board every four days though- if you're doing really good, you get 'Outstanding'. If you're just 'okay' then it's Satisfactory... ...and if you're not doing good at all, it's 'Below Expectations'. ...I think those people are punished, but I don't know how...

[The gist though is that it's a progress board, and that Childermass is in a kinda shitty position. No one really explained that Below Expectations was making them hungry though.]

[whattaprick]

It sure looks like one, doesn’t it? Lambert uses a trowel to scrape out some more adjustments to make it look closer like it is in his head, carefully marking lines out in the dirt. The end result is pretty much this.

“I think it might have just meant where the lab was,” he frowns, looking down at it. No idea if it’s to scale or not, but one thing is pretty obvious: those major parts seem pretty segmented.

[anti_nonsense]

No talking to the others, and mandatory reporting of any propositions... That complicates things. If Rita wants to coordinate with the others, she’ll have to be cautious...

The fact that so many of them are predisposed to blabbing is a concern, too.

“All right,” she affirms. Training in research... It suits her, at least. But they can’t afford to spend much time acclimating before they have to act. For now, she’ll try looking around at her surroundings with this new visor to see if it provides any information about the people and devices in the room.

[reflash]

Yukio loses his glasses, and gains a HUD and a heavy amount of new information. This won't be too bad, even with the implant and the rules about fraternizing with the rest of the Carnival. They won't have a chance to share information, at least not yet.

But gathering information is something they can do, and he glances over the gathering to see if there's anything he can find out about the people or room.

[chronosynthesis]

Hm. Syrlya rubs his chin, committing it to memory. "You said you were in a cell by the medical, bay? That puts you still close to the farm and the rest of us, doesn't it?"

So that must put them all in the same general section... and Ignatius in a section further. It's possible the map doesn't show every connection, but it's also possible that they're using teleportation. Syrlya's seen both (Syrlya has broken into a lot of science labs).

[atouts]

Childermass made a highly suspect choice, that's what, but it's unwittingly paying off. He has to assume he couldn't use his magic at all before and now he can... or it could just be a coincidence. Bad timing. He's no way of being sure and so he'd rather focus on names right now.

"Syrlya," he repeats quietly to himself. It does sound familiar. Not surprising, seeing he could recall the man's face and other memories with him. "Nothing new... Just that you used to be red. You work under the Nightrider. You helped at the Prince's manor. Most of that I already told you, though."

[atouts]

"If I did have one, I certainly can't remember it," he says with a sigh before blinking at his question. "You mean on the farm? Of course. That's what everyone else was doing, so I just assumed."

[bananaspeedrider]

[Yugo knows enough about his own abilities that he's smart enough to attempt passing the lead role to anyone that's not himself.]

Eh? Really?

[He's surprised and intrigued, almost asking who it is before deciding against it for now.] ... How do you know?

[whattaprick]

"There's something else," Lambert says, grimly. "Being an Eta means ... working won't be enough to stay on top of everything, to keep yourself from dropping to Theta. You have to sign up for at least one of the trials they put up, on that board over there." He points at said board in question.

"Has anyone told you about those?"

[chronosynthesis]

"... Being red was a temporary accident," he mumbles, glancing sideways.

Then he shakes his head. "Anyway--your status is Eta, which means simply working in the farm is not truly enough. You may also need to take a trial every four days or so. If you find yourself needing any help, just tell me."

He doesn't know what happened with Lambert, but he doesn't intend to let more people slip through his fingers.

[npcarnival]

Right now all they're getting is that the cranial implant device is before them, and that they currently do not have access to it. Also, that the two technicians here are Gamma-481 and Beta-55. All the staff classifications are written in blue, while the implant device is written in grey.

If they focus on each other, they'll see their Delta classifications, as well as the label: "Status: Satisfactory". They get no such reading on the Gamma or Beta.

"Delta-701, please show the new Deltas around the facilities. Leisure areas and apartments only," Beta-55 says.

"Sure," Sans says, casually. He comes away from the machine, letting the Gamma shut it down. "C'mon, it's kinda neat."

The Beta and Delta-701 lead them out and away from the examination rooms, and into the staff leisure areas. There's a waterfront area with fountains, as well as what amounts to a 'tuck shop' for buying supplies with accumulated points.

Beta-55 nods and then departs, leaving them to it.

"That's us, up there," Sans says, pointing at some of the apartment doors on the walkways up above, overlooking the grounds. It's actually pretty nice. "You can buy luxury items over there," he points to the shop, "but it's pretty pricy. You pay with Productivity Points, go figure."

[atouts]

"Trials?"

That's a big no there. Childermass looks back towards the board when Lambert points. He'd seen it before but not much of interest seemed to be posted yet, apart from numbers and ranks. Even with his memory drawing a blank, there's a spike of fear he can't explain, enough that he won't look back towards the witcher just yet.

"They have, somewhat..."

[moonfang]

He'll spend some time walking the perimeter and investigating the wall -- tapping on it with his claws, with his farming equipment, looking for any sort of seam in the material or imperfections.

[hippocarnival]

Just... a feeling. [Gongenzaka's constant assurance to be mindful rings in the back of his head, and he puts his hand to his chest.] But I trust them.

[atouts]

And I'm in Eta.

[ Childermass says that grimly, knowing that much. He'd looked at the board before, if only because he was trying to figure this out. He feels the terror from realizing they were trapped by a Winter faerie crawling back up his throat, something about trials not sitting right. It makes his back hurt, his feathers itch, just wondering.

He should ask. He won't. He doesn't want to know, is the instinctive kneejerk reaction, and rather than asking he takes a deep, shaky breath and lets it back out. ]

I wish I knew what I did to even end up that low... So I have to work, more than the rest. I should be able to manage that.

[bananaspeedrider]

[There's a heavy pause as Yugo tries to take this hint of information in. And he can't help but check to be extra positive on one fact...]

And you're sure this place didn't make you go crazy already?

[hippocarnival]

"Lambert!" Yuya, when he sees Lambert early on 111, basically makes a beeline straight for him--equal parts worried and relieved. He stumbles just a little, exhaustion clear on his face, but somehow he's pushing his body past the pain.

He skids to a stop, looking him over. "You're back! Are you okay?!"