ViewScream: Heart Soldier Senshi

[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.

---

ROLE: HELM

---

Available solutions:

1. A.I. Subroutine Access Codes
2. Navigation Wave Console
3. Four-Dimensional Arc Plotter v3.1

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. 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—

---

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

Comments

PROBLEMS

[idolpro]

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?

---

Psionics
There’s something at the corner of your eye—no, the other corner—no, it’s writhing beneath your skin—

Wait. It’s none of those things. All of this is just in your mind; there’s a creeping paranoia that borders on madness. Then you notice it: the broken canister in the corner of the room, its contents already dispersed. Whatever was in there is clearly beginning to work its way through your brain. The effects are easy enough to ignore, now that you realize what’s going on… but they’re only going to get worse.

---

Engineering
There’s an alarm klaxon like a tornado siren that extends for about twenty-five seconds than you wish it would have.

Once you can finally uncover your ears, you see the flashing alert:

PROTON CORE IN CRISIS MODE
IMMINENT REPAIR REQUIRED TO PREVENT MELTDOWN

Better find someone who can get you those repairs...

DISCUSSION

[idolpro]

[foolmetwice]

[not changing because FUCK THIS GAME!!]

[but he is suddenly jittery, jerking back and pressing a hand against the side of his head because aaaaah. after the demon possession that led to the trial, he knows when to tell that something is Not Right]

Shit--

Re: DISCUSSION

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Already changed into his clothes. God he would be SO STOKED if this was not a horror game, but even horror game is not stopping him from putting on these dumb space LARP clothes.]

[...good thing he changed before the problems became evident, because as soon as they are, he sobers right the hell up. And also is scratching at his wrist, almost absently.]

...so I guess first thing we better do is, let everyone know what role we got.

Re: DISCUSSION

[puzzlekeeper]

[ His eyes keep flickering between the window and everything else, like an anxious tic, but he's got a grip on it. Mostly. ]

... Yes. Hopefully others will do the same.

Re: DISCUSSION

[crossmyheartandhope]

And then coordinate with the other team who's got our role, to distribute the help to everyone who needs it.

[Flipping on the comms already]

Re: DISCUSSION

[dragonheartedgirl]

Don't they already know?

[ and if they don't



can they really be trusted?

--no wait. of course they can be trusted. right...? ]

We should start asking for the things we need.

Re: DISCUSSION

[crossmyheartandhope]

Ah--right.

But we better hit up pep!pep!, too, and figure out who all's getting what, to try and make sure everyone's covered.

Re: DISCUSSION

[mapsio]

[ im not ruining my clothes again so.

space suited up, and, looking like she might shake out of her skin. ]

I..oh no, what do we?

[ WHAT DO WE DO? ]

Re: DISCUSSION

[420blazeit]

[ she is doing her best not to lose her shit. looks around for, hm, something? it's something, right? takes a deep breath and just... no, this is fine. this is FUCKEN FINE. ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ yeah SO MUCH FOR THOSE SPACE CLOTHES

she's. god. itching at her skin. it feels like something got under there, but--there's nothing under there, right? Right? ]

What are those things?

[ rrrreferring to the monsters outside the fucking window.... p. probably. ]

[crossmyheartandhope]

Aliens, I guess.

VERY BELATED, feel free to drop--I just missed these tags

[dragonheartedgirl]

What's--an alien?

[ some sort of horrible bug?

she's. well. she's never really understood Haku's abject terror them--until now. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Sharply, ]

Don't look at them.

[ Who knows what happens if they see you staring??? ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

All right.

[ shheeee says that but she's having a hard time tearing her eyes off them. they're--disgusting and horrible? she's -- honestly afraid to turn her back on it... ]

Re: DISCUSSION

[crossmyheartandhope]

...sounds like LiliS needs helm, too.

That doesn't check out, does it?

Re: DISCUSSION

[mapsio]

...huh, you're right.

[foolmetwice]

[AGGRESSIVELY SCRATCHING HIS ARMS BECAUSE PARANOIA SUCKS]

. . . eh?

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ catching Mars's shoulder ]

Don't give Baritones our last item until we're sure.

Re: DISCUSSION

[dragonheartedgirl]

There should only be as many problems as there are solutions, right?

[ somethin. doesn't seem right.... ]

Re: DISCUSSION

[crossmyheartandhope]

But that gives us seven, and only six to go around.

TURN IN

[idolpro]

TURN IN!!

[foolmetwice]

- A.I. Subroutine Access Codes to BAD END=DEAD END
The A.I. works to fix their broken sensors so they don't have to jettison half of the ship away I GUESS???

- Navigation Wave Console to AlcheME!
The navigation thing makes it possible for AlcheME! to jettison the broken part of the ship safely, I THINK????

- Four-Dimensional Arc Plotter v3.1 to BARiTONES
The plotter prints some kind of cool tool to help BARiTONES fix their broken things. I THINK???

TECH RECEIVED

[errours]

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: Weapons
Tech received: Antimatter Blast Cannon
Description provided: A focused laser with enough force to blast both matter and anti-matter, it's a high-powered weapon often used for desperate measures.
Result: Success

Problem type: Psionics
Tech received: Remote Cerebellar Shield
Description provided: HEIR BRAINS ARE NOW SHIELDED FROM CHEMICAL OR PSYCHIC TAMPERING/MANIPULATION/TAINT
Result: Success

Problem type: Engineering
Tech received: Photon Spiral Generator
Description provided: 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.
Result: FAILURE

RESULT: THIS IS GOING TO HURT

[errours]

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

---

The good news is that, after shrieking intermittently for the last several hours, the alarm klaxon seems to have burned out its own wiring.

The bad news is that the, uh, proton core? Yeah, that thing, from its position at the back of your room (where it presumably does…. proton core things) is white hot. In fact, you can begin to see little vivid purple loops of energy sparking off it. And now the whole room is thrumming beneath you, the overloading energy venting any way it can.

As the proton core glows brighter and impossibly brighter, do you look away? Do you shelter yourself against a wall or behind your strange machinery? Or do you stare at it, as though directly into the sun, letting the incandescence sear you until your watering eyes produce tears of blood?

Just as you think you can’t bear it any longer, there’s a musical chime from THEMiS’s systems and… the sealed door of the bulkhead opens.

Run.

Behind you, you can feel the blast of heat and light more than you hear it—before your eardrums are blown out and the world erupts into silence. Plasma and shrapnel alike lash at your legs before you finally make it out of range and collapse to the floor.

Hey, it’s just like an action flick! ...Right? You consider the ruined backs of your legs; the still-silent world around you.