⇨ POLARIS 3.0

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 115
Where: Polaris
What: On the morning of day 115, a couple hours before the technicians would come to pick up the test subjects, the escape plan will officially come into effect. If your character has been left out of the loop up till this point, feel free that someone hastily explains the plan during the initial phase! The meat of everything else will be played out via megathreads and any private toplevels people want to make.
Warnings: Probably violence.

PEER REVIEW↴ The plan starts with getting everyone out of their cells. Childermass is going to be using his Gilded Mark to enhance his shadow movement abilities, unabling him to teleport himself and other people out of containment. If your character has other ways of escaping they are free to pursue that, but on a base level, it can be assumed that everyone gets out thanks to Childermass. (Thanks Childermass!) Once everyone has been removed from their cells by some means or another, they will be forced to split into teams as swiftly as possible, as the moment people start breaking out, negative attention from the staff will start building. The area is poorly guarded at first, but as people become aware of the breakout, more will arrive. Gild, speaking on behalf of her inside plant, will say that those that 1) want to get their stuff back, 2) want to find Ignatius, should get the assistance of their allied Deltas to access sector A5. From there, they will have to access Polaris's storage in A3, a neighbouring sector, and find access to C2, the station where Ignatius is being held. They should expect to be met with armed resistance, but with any luck allies will be there to assist them. In general, characters will be most effective if they back one of these major objectives: ► TEAM LOOT: This team is trying to get back the items and pets that were confiscated when the group was brought into Polaris. Their objective, according to their allies on the inside, is to get to A5, and then make their way to A3. The important thing is being able to locate their stuff among a sea of other items, and to make it through security in order to reclaim it. Gild's plant has said that they will assist with this. After getting these items, Team Loot may wish to merge with Team Rescue. ► TEAM RESCUE: This team's primary focus is to get to A5 and then make their way to C2. If desired, they may wait for or join with Team Loot, or they may strike out ahead in order to take advantage of the element of surprise. The key factors are obtaining a way to access C2, as well as being prepared for armed conflict with the technicians guarding it, as well as possibly the Mother of Invention herself. Though, the ideal is that Gild will be distracting here at that time. ► TEAM DISTRACTION: This team can do their thing wherever they please, as their main intent is to sew general discord and distract the staff from the teams doing more important things. They should be prepared for armed resistance, but what tactics they pursue beyond that point are highly variable. ► TEAM FORTRESS: This team is attempting to set up a protective base of operations in the original sector in order to survive the conflict and protect their noncombatant comrades. How they accomplish this is also highly variable. Other objectives may exist, of course, and can be made with their own separate top levels. Chunks of these megathreads will have to be played out in summary form, so when characters are simply trying to get from place to place and specifics aren't necessary, feel free to stick to that format. Assume that everyone is already out of their cells for the purpose of the megathreads. Here is a shitty map of how the sectors connect, from a side view of the central Polaris hub.

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

"That sounds better than charging in there, I suppose," Rita says, considering Zangetsu's suggestion.

"Make sure you remove their visors. Even if you restrain their hands, they could be able to use that interface to sound an alarm without moving."

[chronosynthesis]

"Only two?" Syrlya nods, hanging back slightly from the front of the group on account of his glowing, not being invisible, and not getting in Herbert's line of sight.

"Right. Just--" Syrlya makes a cancelling gestures. "Just knock them unconscious, Zangetsu, and try to remove their visors without damaging them. And be quick."

He doesn't expect quick to be hard for Zangetsu. Not bloody... well, he's trusting him. He's made it clear. He glances to Rita and Peridot at that. "If we can access their system, they probably have the ability to open the teleporter to C2."

[moonfang]

"Visors off, got it."

He doesn't even need to draw his blade for this. He cracks his knuckles and peers around the corner. The two technicians are still behind the desk, and there's no glass or anything between him and them.

But there's no reason to get right in their line of sight, either, just in case those visors are up to something.

The range of his sonido is limited, but with three bursts of it he clears the distance and gets behind them. Time to bash some heads.

Literally. He grabs them by whatever hair they have and bonks their heads together at the temples with brain-rattling force. And he'll be taking those visors. Yoink.

[npcarnival]

It seems to work basically as intended. The technicians smack together, one with a truncated gasp, and both collapse to the floor in a daze. He'll be able to yank away their visors as they topple over. So far, no alarms.

There's only one real path forward, beyond waiting for more technicians to come out. The hallway beside the reception desk is ostensibly empty, for the moment.

[chronosynthesis]

With the Technicians out of commission, Syr will direct everyone else to clear in. Peridot presumably binds the now visorless techs, while Rita will be handed the visors to see if she do anything with them for the opening the teleporter to C2.

[scientificist]

Herbert comes in and stops watching the walls for a moment to check behind the desk. Anything interesting there?

[npcarnival]

The visor doesn't seem to function any differently than the one Rita was already wearing. It just logs on as Delta-702 as soon as she syncs to it, and before syncing she's not able to use it period.

As for behind the desk, not really. It's pretty bare bones.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita tries on one of the visors, then sighs with annoyance. She'll explain to the others that in her initiation, some kind of chip was inserted in her head that allows her to use the visor's interface. The visor seems to draw user information from that, rather than storing it in the visor itself.

If they want to use a visor to progress to a highly restricted area, they'll have to either get their plant to help, or else they'll need to find a way to fudge her permissions, is what she'll basically tell them.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya will ask Rita what she can do for "fudging" the permissions. Like, hacking. Or if they plug the visor back into one of the techs, can they hold them up to bypass the access problem?

He doesn't know how this shit works, okay, but they can't sit and wait for someone to show up or wake up.

[scientificist]

Herbert says something shitty about how their group's primary hacker should have considered not getting demoted and will go back to watching the walls.

[npcarnival]

The rooms next to where they are now seem to be storage rooms filled with boxes of generic supplies, from looking through walls. There are other rooms further down the hall.

From Rita's visor, she'll see that there are equipment repair bays nearby, but that she should contact her supervisor before proceeding.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita will scoff at the idea of Peridot being the primary hacker here.

But that's neither here nor there, and she'll mention the equipment repair bay to the others, indicating where it is. Maybe they can make use of the tools there.

Her supervisor, of course, will not be notified.

[chronosynthesis]

Syr will ask for the exact direction, and then they can head off and see if the equipment bay can be opened without notifying anyone by Rita.

When they have the right room, he'll ask Herbert to check through the walls first and make sure no one's already in there.

I SWEAR TO GOD.

[periphrasing]

In direct response to that jab, Peridot will promptly point out that Herbert's logic is flawed, because even if she hadn't gotten demoted it would have been literally impossible for her to make it from Eta to Delta in the short time that they've been here. Ergo, he can go fuck himself.

5TH TIMES THE CHARM

[npcarnival]

As they approach, Herbert will get close enough for the walls to melt away, revealing a room filled with mechanical devices, and a chair that will match the description of the one that Rita sat down in to have her implant installed. Unfortunately, they are definitely two technician standing in there, one sitting on the chair and the other fiddling with some equipment.

Of course, when they get close, the one in the chair will bolt up, as if they hear something. They get off the chair, and lead the other technician towards the door - giving the group about fifteen seconds before they open the door.

[chronosynthesis]

Syr tells them to clear the immediate door quickly except Zan, who he indicates to knock one of the techs out and he'll handle the other.

As soon as they open the door, syr is going to try and ambush the first Technician, grabbing for their visor is possible while threatening them with his sword to keep quiet and cooperate.

U know, if they want to live.

[npcarnival]

The very second that the technician who opens the door peeks out, she will immediately swing back and shove her companion out through the door with a blast of steam from her hands. A second shot of steam dings the side of the shoved technician's face, knocking their visor partially askew.

Syrlya will be able to grab the visor from the technician that just got knocked through the doorway - to Rita, they will read as "Beta-78". The one behind the doorway, with the steam blasting hands, is Gamma-167.

[moonfang]

Ack! Too fast for Zangetsu to catch the Gamma. He draws his machete-sword in a flash and sticks it in the door to keep it from closing, then rushes and tackles the Gamma.

[npcarnival]

He can jam the door from sliding closed, but in the meantime the Gamma has backed into the room and swirled their hands around themself, creating a bubble of repelling, freezing cold steam. It'll be enough to keep him away, at first.

"Stand down," they hiss, "I'm helping you."

[moonfang]

Brave, talking to someone unseen, though the steam creates a sort of hazy outline of his body.

He speaks loud enough to be heard despite that;

"Prove it."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya over here is going to wrestle his fingers around the visor to disrupt its usage and continue holding the beta in a threatening hold while he peers down at her.

"... Are you the informant?"

[npcarnival]

They press a palm forward, and for a moment he'll see the flash of a golden symbol - it's one of Gild's Marks, the same that Rita and Childermass have.

"You really can't take a hint, can you?" they say. To Syrlya and Herbert, their voice may sound familiar - feminine, and just a bit devil-may-care.

"Call me Shimmer," she says. "We've met."

[moonfang]

Welp, that's enough for Zangetsu.

He retreats and helps Syr by taking the visor from the Beta.

[npcarnival]

The Beta is holding back from screaming, mostly because Syrlya has a sword right on them. Their eyes are wide and full of terror, their face exposed without the visor. Shimmer gestures urgently to bring the Beta forward.

"Bring them in here, would you?" Shimmer says. "We need that access chip."

[chronosynthesis]

Sorry for the trauma, Beta. At least he's not too rough as he nudges the Beta towards Shimmer with a nod.

"We'll let you go as soon as we get what we need," he murmurs to the Beta, which he's sure isn't remotely comforting but you know, if it makes them slightly more cooperative so he's not dragging them around.