⇨ 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

[npcarnival]

To his credit, Ignatius doesn't jerk around much more after his initial shock. There are ways that this is a logical conclusion, what he hoped for and was trying to achieve with the stunt he pulled before, but the days between then and now have felt like an eternity. His head is filled with pressure and noise that makes it hard to even process what he's looking at.

The gag does look like it could be removed, with pretty much anything that'd be capable of unwinding a bolt. Maybe even a really strong set of fingers.

He does flinch and tense up when Herbert removes the power cell - which would be very hot to human fingers, but thankfully Herbert doesn't have those right now - but the look in his eyes is more akin to relief that dismay. Like ripping off a bandaid, it's a step in the right direction, though there is a lot going wrong here.

The headpiece isn't exactly an implant - it's more like something that is set against his head, with a few different parts that penetrate the skull, as opposed to something that is entirely attached. The wire in the back of his neck is definitely more of an implant, with similar attachments going all the way down his spine.

[chronosynthesis]

Well, the faint relaxation stabilizes Syrlya's focus at least--that and the fact that half his team is yelling and clearly doesn't know how to not panic in a crisis situation, so he needs to really steel himself.

"Peridot," He draws his hands back from the mask, looking up. "You can control metal. Help me get this gag off of him. And--free the rest of his head."

Who needs strong fingers when you have magic?

[periphrasing]

Peridot jolts and looks up at Syr. "Nyeh? R-right! One moment-- Hold still, Ignatius--"

The engineer scrambles up onto the containment unit and hunches over the fae, working quickly to loosen those bolts. She looks a lot more confident now that Ignatius has calmed down somewhat.

[npcarnival]

The bolts loosen smoothly, and soon she'll be able to pull the gag off entirely. It peels away, and Ignatius gasps for air like he's been drowning.

"Cut it off," he pleads, jerking against his bonds again and sounding on the verge of tears. "I don't care. I just need it off."

What specifically? Everything, it sounds like.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita’s giving Herbert a look like she’s about to argue with him, but Ignatius ends up making the argument for her, and she turns her attention back to the fae.

“I’m on it.” She’s already on one side of him, next to the arm she just freed, so she moves to the leg on that same side and immediately sets about detaching that plug, too.

[scientificist]

A preliminary tug on the wires entering Ignatius' skull determines what Herbert had expected: they're hooked in there somehow. So, nothing for it.

"He's right. Open the storage space, Peridot, I need bandages. Once I'm back we're cutting him out. There's no sense in disconnecting him: the, void metal is preventing regeneration anyway. May as well remove the entirety."

[periphrasing]

Peridot doesn't need more convincing. The egg dimension is opened for Herbert to access. Then she reaches for the other arm, and starts working on that while he gathers what he needs.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's gaze drifts down to the metal caps on Ignatius' limbs. He's only got a sword, but Herbert probably has much better tools for separating Ignatius from this... thing.

But he makes an effort to try and disconnect the cap on his limb--it's probably bolted in, though, so he suspects they'll need to pry and cut it off more forcefully.

"Ignatius. They were siphoning power from you, correct?" He looks to his center chest cavity. "What is the best way for you to draw power back in once we disconnect you?"

To do something about regenerating limbs, maybe. How quickly an Ignatius recover from this?

[npcarnival]

The caps are completely attached to his limbs, built in like a permanent implant more than something that can be pried off. Ignatius knocks his head back against the surface of the bed, to what limited capacity he can.

"Stop," he says to Syrlya, his voice fraught. "Cut it. Cut what you have to. I can't... I can't reform like this. I need... to break the power cell."

[periphrasing]

Helpfully, Peridot floats the vorpal sword over for Syrlya. The quicker and cleaner the cut, the better?

"I picked up three more of those things from the storage unit just outside this room," she adds to Ignatius. "Just tell me when you need them."

[scientificist]

After having darted into the created door, Herbert rushes back out with bandages and one of his diamond scalpels.

"I'll bandage as you cut," he tells Syrlya and then as Peridot seems to be actually listening to him, unlike Rita, "Peridot, pull out that plug at the back of his head."

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya purses his lips in a thin line before taking the vorpal sword after he sets his current blade aside. Ignatius can reform parts of himself, so this isn't permanent... but still a little fucked up.

"All right." He levels the end of the blade with Ignatius's arm. "Then I'll cut right above the metal."

Ignatius gets a brief second to protest if he's going to, before Syrlya presses his crystal hand further along the hilt and then puts his weight into cutting down Ignatius' arm in as fast and forceful of a move as he can manage. Hopefully, it's enough to manage it in one attempt.

[moonfang]

Zangetsu, meanwhile, keeps his senses sharp and his blade drawn, guarding their makeshift entryways while his companions work hard to free the Conflagration.

He casts his senses out in every direction. Does he pick up on any souls coming nearby?

[anti_nonsense]

One all the tubes attached to the limbs are disconnected, Rita's attention returns to the rest of the team, who are working on cutting off the metal stubs and disconnecting the rest. There doesn't seem to be anything for Rita to do here, so she merely places a hand on Ignatius's shoulder and, perhaps ironically doing what Herbert wanted her to do earlier, tries to focus her magic to send some warmth into his body.

It might not amount to much more than a comforting gesture, but it's all she can do at the moment.

[periphrasing]

She's kind of grossed out, but Peridot pulls the plug as asked. After that, all she can really do is stay out of the way and watch.

[npcarnival]

The plug doesn't come out of his neck easily, but it does come out of she's willing to be rough with it - which seems to basically be what Ignatius is asking for, so alright. Then, it's a matter of the sword.

Ignatius chokes on a scream as Syrlya cuts off the rest of his arm, the Vorpal Blade sharp enough to slice through his arm and lodge itself into the bed beneath. He makes pained sounds through his teeth, breathing heavily, but when he looks at Syrlya he is not dissuade.

"Keep going," he insists, and tries to focus on healing and reforming that arm. The molten, ashy sludge that Herbert is familiar with bubbles from the open wound.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's expression remains firm as he draws the sword back out of the bed with a jerk. He spares Ignatius a look and a single nod, to show that he understands before he circles around to his legs. It'll be the same method for the rest of the limbs, since it seems to be working.

He hasn't heard any warning from Zangetsu, so they must be in the clear... but it's always a gamble for how much longer. He spares the occasional glance to Ignatius' arm to see how quickly he's regenerating.

"Rita, do you still have Lambert's glove?"

[npcarnival]

Zangetsu still sense some presences running around the floor above, but none coming immediately in their direction.

[anti_nonsense]

"Hm? Yeah," Rita answers Syrlya, still holding a hand on Ignatius's shoulder. She raises her other hand, showing the wristguard in question, hanging somewhat loosely over her wrist. Considering it was made for Lambert, it doesn't fit her at all.

[periphrasing]

"Hey... I made that!" Peridot interjects. What the heck is the point of my making magic armor for him if he isn't even going to wear it? Jeez.

[chronosynthesis]

"And it is still storing some--" There's a grunt disrupting his sentence as he takes off another end of stubby limb. "Some of Ignatius' power within it."

So hopefully Peridot can put together why he's bringing it up--if Ignatius can get that power back, maybe he can speed up his regeneration so he has the strength to deal with the power cells (without blowing things up). And, like, have an arm.

[scientificist]

Meanwhile, Herbert has been bandaging each limb as Syrlya cuts off the metal attachments. The wrappings are firm enough against the open wounds to hopefully stem the flow of blood but not so tight that he can't bust out of them if necessary. Which, honestly, Herbert is hoping he does. If Ignatius could just immediately regenerate all of his limbs and walk himself out of here, that would be ideal.

Once he's done with that, he moves onto the crown device, starting out by just cutting the wires going into it with his scalpel, and then trying to work out how it's actually attached to his head. Are there any visible bolts or is this something like Rita's implant?

[moonfang]

He'll keep a close bead on the presences above, but won't let it distract him from all the other sides.

"How's it coming in there?"

[npcarnival]

By the time Syrlya is done, Ignatius is looking pretty faint. He's now mostly free, besides the wired crown, though his body had been completely mutilated by the process. The crown is rooted into his skull with wires in a few different places, but otherwise not attached. As Herbert works on it, Ignatius rolls onto his side, breathing shallowly and trying to summon up enough energy to repair his arm.

Fiery energy swirls in a shape approximating a limb, but he seems to be lacking the strength to make it something solid. His skin is still an ugly purple, and despite being disconnected from the blue tubing, his eyes are still hazy purple. It's still in his system, and it doesn't seem like it's going to resolve itself quickly.

But he wants to get up. He wants to get out of here, but like this he can't even stand. He looks at Rita, whose had her hand on his shoulder this whole time, but he's only now finding enough clarity to put it all together. With jack removed from his head everything is quieter.

"You made it," he says foggily, like he's about to pass out.

[periphrasing]

Ohhhh that doesn't look good. Peridot stiffens in alarm. Rita needs to release the magic in that gauntlet, but she's confident that the girl is clever enough to put that together for herself. While they're having their heart to heart, she scrabbles over to the limb Ignatius is trying to regenerate and tries to help by adding her own fire to it, breathing a steady stream. Which probably looks really stupid? But? Maybe if she can help him regenerate this limb, it'll stabilize him enough to buy them some time while they figure out how to work the power cells.