ViewScream: future is now

[idolpro]

The bulkhead seals behind you; there is a brief warning buzzer before THEMiS’s A.I. pleasantly informs you that you have been “quarantined for your protection.”

A specialized room is arrayed before you, and you suddenly find you are aware of not only of the game’s rules, but also of a limited collection of specialized knowledge suitable to your team’s Role.

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ROLE: ENGINEERING

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Available solutions:

1. Photon Spiral Generator
2. Red Matter Inhibitor Coil
3. Antimatter Crystallization Matrix

To your right are a series of lockers containing changes of clothes to more Role-appropriate ones—though they still contain just enough elements to match your unit aesthetic. (Or, well, they would, if this whole situation weren’t already your unit’s aesthetic. But hey, free clothes.) You may use these if you wish (if so, they will not disappear after the game ends). To your left, there is what appears to be a comms station. It seems you’ll be using this to contact the other units.

It quickly becomes apparent, in fact, that you will very much need their help—

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Quick Links: How to Play | Rules | Bridge | List of Roles

Comments

PROBLEMS

[idolpro]

Xenobiology
THEMiS's A.I. echoes throughout your quarters, pleasant even in the words she says: "Alert. Barrier integrity compromised. Parasitic lifeforms detected to be beyond this door. Recommended suggestion: exterminate lifeforms with bioweapons."

Something that looks like a slime mold is creeping over the door, visible through the window in the sealed bulkhead. That definitely wasn’t there before. And you can hear scratching sounds—like the mold is clawing at the barrier.

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Weapons
Red alerts on your monitor are always a good sign, right? What about alarm bells? Warning signs with hazard symbols that say "ENEMY DETECTED"? Hmmm, no? Not into it?

Well, you can do something about that! ... If you had operational weapons.

You can see several dots on the radar rapidly approaching—in fact, they’re surrounding every path past the sealed bulkgate. You peer through the window, and see the first of the swarm: many-legged, chitinous, its carapace shimmering green and purple as it chitters its enormous, saw-like mandibles. At least it’s only about the size of a large cat…. but it seems to be bringing hundreds and hundreds of its closest friends.

Hey, maybe you should get those weapons checked out?

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Medical
There’s a prickling feeling over your skin, like an itch you can’t quite place, and


It starts with an itch, or a sneeze, or a cough. Whatever it is, it starts small—but it rapidly grows, in size and in seriousness. Itches spread, sneezes become more violent, and coughs become more frequent. Roughly around the time that your ailments pass the threshold into "moderately annoying and somewhat concerning", THEMiS's A.I. speaks in a pleasantly neutral tone:
"Space plague detected in air ventilation. Air quality has been compromised."

Then, completely unbidden, the A.I. continues to describe what this "space plague" is: "Space plague: a common form of airborne infection. The body's immune system is attacked and begins to break down with the introduction of this bacteria. Microorganisms grow at a rapid pace and consume the host, processing flesh into liquid nutrient until the bodypart is completely consumed. Fatality rate: 85%. Antibiotic recommended for continued survival."

The feeling's just getting worse. Hm!

DISCUSSION

[idolpro]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Let's go over what we know. We share resources with Taisho.

To fix the slime, we'll need Wild City or ZRAEL's help.

For the weapons, avante or bad end.

And to not die terribly, LiLiS or SensitIV.

[resonantblue]

[oh boy]

Do we want to split the mission of speaking to members of those units among the three of us?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

That would be the best. If they need our help, we could do an even trade. If not, we can negotiate.

Then we could report back and see if we need to sync up with Taisho to make sure we're not overgiving to any particular unit.

/2

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

It appears Taisho has opened a communication with all. We should just watch that then.

Re: /2

[resonantblue]

[scratching her arm]

Roger. In that case, let's not waste any time either.

[asonoficeandfire]

Who should speak to what team?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

I'll take weapons.

I'll start with avante. And then move on to Bad End depending.

[resonantblue]

Silence will speak with the leftovers after you and Intensity have settled your preferences.

[asonoficeandfire]

I'll take medical, then.

Re: DISCUSSION

[asonoficeandfire]

[... he's already itchy from the previous game still, so the medical problem won't bother him initially]

Figures we get this kind of role.

Re: DISCUSSION

[resonantblue]

[after turn-in's been handled, more or less, she's plopped in a seat and looking around]

Despite the horror of this situation, this setting is very interesting.

Re: DISCUSSION

[asonoficeandfire]

It's similar to our unit aesthetic. Futuristic and bright.

Re: DISCUSSION

[resonantblue]

What if our dorm were more like this?

[looks at the communication panels and the many buttons

and the windows into space

and everything else]

So. About ZRAEL

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

What's this now?

Re: So. About ZRAEL

[asonoficeandfire]

What's wrong?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Figuring out if we're getting the last component or not.

[asonoficeandfire]

Because we gave away one solution without a trade, right?

Re: So. About ZRAEL

[resonantblue]

Silence made a grave mistake. We do not have anything to trade them for the bioweapons against the parasitic lifeforms.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

It's not a grave mistake.

Are they willing to help us or not if we have nothing to offer?

TURN IN

[idolpro]

Bullshit Science

[asonoficeandfire]

We are providing assistance to the weapons facilitates and avante en garde by giving them a 3). Antimatter Crystallization Matrix to prevent their proton core from melting. The crystallization properties of the antimatter matrix should stabilize the core and crystallize the agitated antimatter variables of it.

Furthermore, SensitIV reported an energy core meltdown in the medical bay, and as such we are sending them a 2). Red Matter Inhibitor Coil to contain the problem. The inhibitor should in theory contain the meltdown and prevent any red matter escaping from the core and compromise other systems.

Heart Soldier Senshi at the helm requires assistance with their malfunctioning proton core. We can fix that by preparing a 1). Photon Spiral Generator to stabilize it. The generated photon spirals will make the core run a self diagnostic and repair when interacting with the system. It should get the core up and running again in a matter of minutes.

TECH RECEIVED

[idolpro]

Your fellow idols/very real space professionals have come to your aid, or at least tried to!

You receive the following Real Space Technology:

Problem type: Xenobiology
Tech received: Accelerated Gene Therapy Nanites
Description provided: The nanites enter the slime monster's bloodstream and quickly deconstruct it at the genetic level, dissolving the slime into dust and leaving behind only a cute kitten.
Result: FAILURE

Problem type: Weapons
Tech received: Force-Shield Generator
Description provided: By adding it to the engineering console, they can seal the portion with the bugs away, and perhaps vent the warp core to irradiate them--at any rate, the insects will be trapped and can be vented to space, beamed out, or irradiated with sound, plasma, or even the pre-meltdown proton core.
Result: SUCCESS

Problem type: Medical
Tech received: Vascular Nanite Reparatory Fleet
Description provided: The . . . the fleet will . . . Since it's a reparatory fleet, surely it repairs . . . Aaahhh, I don't understand - alright, let's say that it shoots some sort of - healing lasers? Uhm, healing over time . . . to grant them HP and a defense up over a number of turns, that should count, right?
Result: SUCCESS

RESULT: THIS IS GOING TO HURT

[errours]

But in the end, there’s still that one last problem…

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The door breaks down—you don't have any more time left. For what it's worth, the mold, now that it's reached you, looks lovely when it's oxygenated; it's like a bed of moss creeping through the room on the surface, and it's distracting enough to ignore the tendrils of vines underneath. There could almost be something delicately beautiful about those colorful, shimmering fronds.

They stretch out, grabbing the nearest food source—you—by your ankles, dragging you into the soft moss. The texture is unpleasant, slime is slime—and it's corrosive, harsh against your clothes and skin, but you can't move away as the mold completely pulls you into its slimy core.

...Then there’s a musical chime.

“THEMiS Trademark Nanite Immune System: Online.”

There’s a cloud of...something? presumably nanites venting in your room, now. The cloud descends upon the slime mold, eating it away from your limbs.

Aren’t you lucky that all you’re left with are large patches of raw and bloody skin—almost like acid burns (or, you know, like places the colony had begun to dissolve you)—all over your body?