⇨ 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

Peridot | Post Megathread, OTA

[periphrasing]

After the Mother went down and Papyrus pulled Peridot's ass out of the metaphorical fire, Zan had scooped her up and brought her to wherever the injured were being gathered and treated. Problem is, there's not a whole hell of a lot that doctors can do for soul damage. It's pretty much just bedrest or nothing.

In the immediate aftermath, she can be found near the tuck shop, resting in her bat form. Being smaller and fluffier makes it easier to get comfy. She's at least more responsive now, enough to check in on, but she looks gotdamn exhausted.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya's been equally weary, so he doesn't really acknowledge her when she's first brought in besides looking her direction. There's no need to try and rouse her, and he doesn't know the extent of how she's suffered either.

It's only later, when he catches her shift more aware that he calls out from where he lays. "Peridot?"

[periphrasing]

Her ears lift up slightly at the sound of his voice, and she turns to peer blearily at him.

"You're not dead," she rasps, sounding every bit as excited as she can muster despite her low energy levels at the moment.

[chronosynthesis]

"I'm not." Nobody except the Mother of Invention is, thankfully. "It takes a little more than that to do me in."

Just don't test how much. Luckily, like Steven, Syrlya is more resilient to raw pressure. "Thank you for getting the iron. You did well."

It's genuine, even if Syrlya is praising her in part out of an impulsive habit from his days commanding. Really, though, he's actually enjoyed working with her. They accomplished things, and those have put them all in a much better position.

[periphrasing]

She's quiet at that. Normally Peridot would be basking in that praise, but. After everything, she's really not sure how she feels about all this. There's a mental vacuum in the place of all that stressing and plotting and planning they've been doing for the last week or so. She's having trouble adapting, or even feeling proud of what they accomplished.

"She is really dead, right?" Peridot says warily after a moment. "I... Blacked out for a while after I got the iron in."

[chronosynthesis]

"She is. Everyone else made certain to destroy every piece of her essence." Which Syrlya knows by virtue of laying on the ground and overhearing it until they got him in here.

"There are a lot of injuries to tend to, but no one of ours perished." He pauses. "Or is permanently cripples, as far as I know."

[periphrasing]

She believes him, just as she believes everyone else who has told her the same thing. It's just... It still doesn't really feel real, that they actually succeeded. They actually killed a true fae. It's as improbable as and difficult to imagine as shattering a Diamond. It doesn't feel like it should even be possible, and yet, it happened.

"Mmm. I guess we're going to have to start devising a plan to get the Ringmaster back next, aren't we?" she muses aloud. Easier to flit from one topic to the next than to contemplate what just happened.

[chronosynthesis]

"Most likely. And, I suppose, what to do with the Winter Queen and the Huntsman beyond that."

He taps his fingers absently against the bed. "We cannot have them continuing to murder us indefinitely. Something will need to be done to shake them off of our trail permanently."

[periphrasing]

Peridot turns away from him for a moment, her tired gaze focused on some indefinite point in the middle distance. She grossly miscalculated; this topic of conversation isn't any more comforting than talking about the Mother was.

"...Yes," she says weakly, and without much conviction. "That is definitely true."

She seems extremely troubled. She IS extremely troubled, and is trying very hard not to show it. Why does it suddenly feel like her stomach is full of bees?

[whattaprick]

“Hey.”

The voice won’t be familiar since it comes from a Gamma, who wastes little time crouching down beside wherever she’s sat and giving her a little nudge right in her fluffy stomach with a finger.

“You hungry?”

Gems don’t need to eat, but bats do. Lambert doesn’t know how long she’s been like this.

[periphrasing]

After everything that they've been through, a Gamma being up in her face as she opens her eyes is just about the last thing Peridot wants to see. If she were a little more 'with it' at the moment, she might make the connection to Lambert's magic shapeshifting ring. As things are though, he kind of just succeeds in spooking the hell out of her. She sits up and wraps her wings around herself, peering over the tops of them spitefully.

"As if I'd accept nourishment from the likes of you, tyrant," she squeaks.

[whattaprick]

Lambert blinks. Then laughs.

“Big words from such a pipsqueak,” he grins. “Guess that means you’re already feeling better, huh?”

[periphrasing]

The tone of familiarity does a lot to clue her in on the mysterious Gamma's identity. That, and that bastard grin. Her body language relaxes and she lowers her wings, but there's still a sour look on her face. Her yellow pig-like snout is all scrunched up with irritation.

"First off: Hardly. I feel like I've been repeatedly run over by a stampede of angry Agates. And what's with that disguise? Why are you walking around looking like one of... them?" she complains, that last word said with extra disgust.

[whattaprick]

The bigger dead giveaway might be the metal skeleton under the illusion that she can likely still pick up, if she thinks to look for it under the rest of the visual illusion.

As for the question of disguise, Lambert's been asked that a lot, and he just shrugs.

"Because it's fun to see how people react." He crosses his arms, grinning at her. "Especially the conquering hero. You did a pretty good job out there, didn't you?"

[periphrasing]

Honestly she's been feeling wracked with uncertainty about the whole ordeal to the point where discussing it with most people has been giving her Anxiety(tm), but praise from the likes of Lambert? That's a different story.

"Yeah! I did!" she says proudly, perking up a little bit. Sure she got a bit messed up in the process, but, as they say: 'You should have seen the other guy'. "You know, I warned those survey technicians what I would do to their stupid Mother when we first got here. If they'd had any sense at all, they would have just put me into containment right then and there. Clods."

[whattaprick]

It’s hard to see, but Lambert raises his brows.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t, isnt it? Otherwise they could have messed with your gem like they did with Steven’s.”

[periphrasing]

That pleased looking grin shifts into a withering scowl. "Can you please not say things like that while you're wearing that disguise? Or better yet, drop the illusion entirely. I know it's you under there now, it's not like you have anything to hide anymore."

[moonfang]

Poor Peridot. Zangetsu feels very guilty about what had happened to her, even if it really wasn't his fault. Like Syrlya, it had been his duty to protect her, and he hadn't exactly succeeded with flying colors.

He crouches next to the resting fluffbat and tilts his head.

"Oi, stringbean. How're ya feelin'?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot cracks a weary eye, and makes a weird gurgling noise before she finds her voice to respond.

"Tired," she grunts. "I haven't felt this bad since they had to stab me in the soul for that ritual."

[moonfang]

He hums thoughtfully, examining her soul a bit with his sixth sense.

"Yeah. You're pretty roughed up. Nothing that won't heal, but it'll take some time. Souls are amazingly resilient things!"

He fidgets for a moment before continuing.

"Look. I... apologize, Peridot. I said I would protect you, and Syrlya, and I didn't do so hot on that front." Especially considering he came out fairly unscathed and both Peridot and Syr took heavy damage.

[periphrasing]

She almost questions how he can even tell that, but-- right. Soul sense. They've been over this.

At that admission, she cocks her head slightly, and then changes back to normal, sitting up and crossing her legs stiffly.

"It's fine," Peridot says with a slight shrug. "I mean. That is true, you didn't do a very good job covering for me. But it's alright. I'm not mad about it or anything. Besides, the soul injuries are honestly my own fault. I should have anticipated that mingling my raw spiritual energy with something as powerful as a true fae would cause me significant damage."

[moonfang]

When she changes back to normal, he moves to sit instead of crouch, crossing his legs himself.

"I'll do better next time. And it wasn't a terrible idea. In any other situation, it probably would have worked. ...That said, I have something that can make up for it. Maybe."

He has a bag slung over his shoulder, and he brings it into his lap. It's... honestly so cute?? It has cartoon cats with big sparkly eyes and colorful stars and cat toys printed on it. Very not Zangetsu. He opens it up and digs around before taking out what appears to be some sort of rainbow-colored hard candy.

".... Wait. You CAN eat, right?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot leans forward with interest when he takes the bag out, peering curiously at the bag. She leans back again and regards the candy with a slight frown, cocking her head to one side.

"Uhhh... I can if I turn back into a bat," she says. "Why? What is that?"

[moonfang]

"Candy! From the Ringmaster," he says, scoring the piece with his claw so he can snap it in half. He puts one half in his mouth and keeps the other. "It helps keep my hunger in check, because it's packed full of pure reishi... ah, soul energy."

He hands the half to her, somewhat reluctantly. He only has so many... but he does feel like he owes her.

"... I don't know if it will help restore your spirit faster, but it's worth a shot? If nothin' else, they have a good flavor -- kinda like honey."

[periphrasing]

That definitely has her attention. Soul damage is such a pain to get over that she'll try just about anything at this point, even if it means eating weird food offered by friendly murder ghosts.

"...Huh. Okay," Peridot says, and reaches out to take the offered piece. She holds it delicately between two claws, giving it a more up close inspection. "Sssso... Am I just supposed to swallow it, or..."

She's still kind of a food newbie.