trans_9 | Podpop-ery

Entry tags:

Podpop-ery

[ooc: Newbie Helpers List | Instructions: Post your character with one post establishing them as being podpopped. Tag each other in groups of 2's, 3's, and 4's, to get some interaction to start with. If a thread doesn't already have 2 or 3 people tagged in, tag it with your character's podpop popping near the other people, rather than making a new subthread. If you would like to play out them talking to the AI, please send an email to the mods making the request--we do this only by request. Then move onto the big Newbie Meeting. Once your character has gotten the rundown from the old crew, you may start posting entrance posts and freely tagging.]

||Pod Release Protocols Initating|| Stacy's familiar voice sounds out to all the podmates through the ship.

In the Pod Caverns, there are the sounds of: Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There is condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in the pods, as the people inside slide out onto the floors, covered in slime.

--

There was nothing. You were going about your normal life, then there was a bright light, and then? Nothing.

Then the world lurches.

The chamber here is humid.

Actually, "chamber" isn't quite accurate. You're in a cavern, half-lit by an eerie greenish light, going on and on as far as the eye can see. The light is coming from what can only be described as pods, glistening, round greenish-yellow things, glowing with a pale inner light, outlining human -- and not quite human -- forms. Each is rooted to the floor, to the walls, with something black, twisted, and unidentifiable.

They line the walls of the cavern, go up in maddeningly high columns, curling and corkscrewing up into the darkness, until the light from them is like that of the stars, glowing pale and mournful in clusters in the darkness above. Twisted walkways and stairs crisscross, traverse the platforms in front of the pods, wending their way back and forth, up and down through the chamber.

You just came from one of those pods, broke free like a butterfly from a (slimy, nasty) chrysalis.

Now you stand alone but not quite alone, naked, not knowing how you got there, who took you, or why you were taken.

As your body heats up again, you realize the air is warm -- just a few degrees too warm to be comfortable -- and muggy; it smells acrid and organic, like freshly spilt blood and sweat. Your mouth tastes of salt.

The floors are pulsing under your feet, throbbing...

Wherever you are, this entire place...is alive.

Oh, and also you're naked and covered in alien snot.

When you call out, ask where you are, a voice speaks to you, in your head. She tells you:

||You are here.||

When you ask who she is, she tells you that her name is STA'C K'LTRRB'TXFT, but that you may call her Stacy. When she tells you who she is, there is a gush of emotion, love, maternal warmth. You are on a ship. She is that ship. Her name is Stacy and she loves you. Her voice is warm and motherly, even if these messages sound almost automated.

Glowing phosphorescenet lights appear in pustules along the floor. They lead you up a massive spiraling walkway that gives you a view of what are possibly millions in stasis. At the top is a room with moving vines that clean you and clothe you in a plant-like body-suit--soft, but durable. After that, the lights lead you to a great cavernous room with a clear floor that lets you see all the holes and tunnels in the walls of it. When you reach the center, the last thing she tells you before whisking you away to gather your belongings and meet the rest of the crew is this reassuring thought:

||You have been Chosen to accomplish a Great Purpose. You have been Chosen to help fight the Ohm, a race of insectoid beings that are the destroyers of worlds.||

||You have been Chosen as champions of life, as protectors of the worlds and peoples that are left. The others are waiting for you. They will explain everything.||

She will tell you nothing more. Your answers lie with these "others" she speaks of.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rein floated around, still fairly naked. Apparently the place was making a plantsuit just for her size and she really REALLY didn't like tentacles that much.

Then she heard it; a telepathic cry for help.

"I'M COMING DESU!" exclaimed Rein, shooting down the long hallways. Finding the girl being accosted by tentacles, she was torn. Her own experience with them told her that they were okay, but still...

Magic pooled into her hand and Rein called out, "It's okay, they're here to help desu! They're here to help!" And she tackled Kala in a reassuring hug.

Tentacles.

They were not nice. She did not like them and-- Kala forced herself to still and some of the wind died down once Rein hugged her. She bit her bottom lip.

"...what," she managed, shaking with the effort of making herself not lash out again, "They're going to help?" Her eyebrow twitched and she let go of the tentacle she was grabbing. Kala peered at Rein and her eyes widened in recognition. "You're...you're Rein, from the Time-Space Administration Bureau, right?"

"Yep desu!" exclaimed Rein with a little grin. "Oh, you're a mage! You know of me and Hayate?"

The little mage blushed and smiled at Kala. "I'm new here too, and what little I know could help?"

"I was going on a training mission with Audis Valia and then. And then well, nothing except goop and tentacles. I'm...this is just all crap. A big pile of massive gaft-crap. What are the...tentacles going to do?" There was relief in her face, despite the fact that she was still markedly pissed off about the whole swoop and snag procedure. And the lack of clothes.

...and the lack of everything.

She tried to frown, but it ended up looking like a smooshed sort of squishy smile.

"I know of both of you, which is...well, it's good. I almost got selected to be examined by you, but had to skip that exam because Tanji decided to slam me through a wall during practice. Out of the blue. He got yelled at, but it was my own gafting fault anyway for not watching out. I...don't like tentacles. At all. I suppose there are worse things out there than these." She flicked at the tentacle which was carefully approaching once more.

She didn't like being new all over again either, but at least she wasn't alone. Some of the steadiness was coming back to her and her eyes darted as another tentacle approached.

"Hmm," Hmmed Rein. "Oh yes, I remember that. I was rather dissappointed when I had to exchange your exam date. And yes, I just popped a few minutes ago so I have little knowledge of what's going on too desu."

Looking at the tentacles, smaller ones were snaking out to her. "Oh there we go. I think my outfit's ready now!" Casting a reassuring smile at Kala, she said, "They tried to fit me into this really large outfit but it needed to make a smaller one for me. Don't worry; they're not going to molest you desu."

Kala went an undignified shade of red for a few moments. Yeah, her first thought was actually molesting tentacles, which was probably why she was so...loud about it. If Rein wasn't bothered by the gafting things, then Kala knew she should shut her mouth and let the things do what they were going to do. There was a soft hrm and a determined look as the tentacles approached, cleaned her up, fitted her with her own suit.

When it was finished, her scowl was back as she poked and prodded it. The clothes had a pulse. Creepy. No. Way beyond creepy.

"I was disappointed about the exam date change, too," Kala said after she was finished studying the outfit. "I spent that whole week before training and training and then that gaft just-- Pft. Not that it really, really matters right now. I did make it to B Rank, which counts. I was training for A, but I guess...I'm not sure about any of that anymore. Maybe someone else knows what we're supposed to be doing and I really, really hope I can find Rising Phoenix. I'm...yeah. It'd be good if I could find her."

"Want to look together?" asked Rein, finally getting clothed in the tiny plantsuit. "If your device is close by, we could ask someone if they know where it is! And maybe my book or Hayate's Bag is here too! That's my home."

"That's a good idea," Kala said, her expression serious as she quickly knotted her hair away from her face. "Hopefully these people didn't take everything away. That would be..." her lips thinned for a moment, "pretty mean. That voice didn't really sound all that mean, though, but I suppose it might be some sort of trap. I guess, yeah. Two is better than one in any situation and you're about ten million times more able to deal with this stuff."

"Uh huh, and if all else fails, we could try unisoning too," said Rein with a little rub of her head. "I don't know if that works here or not but it would be better since I'd probably give you more protection, right?"

"I'm sure we can find your device. Let's go look for it desu!"

"Right now, protection is probably the best thing," Kala said with a sharp nod. "And it might work. I've...never tried to before." Mostly because it wasn't something just readily available, but the idea was definitely appealing considering the apparently dire circumstances. With another self-conscious swipe at her rear end, Kala was finished with the whole suit thing. "Rising Phoenix still needs to be fixed, but she works...most of the time." Her fingers tightened into a fist. "I'm ready to go. We'll find what we're looking for even if it takes a long time."

She closed her eyes for a moment and reached to see if she could sense the device.

There was something muffled up ahead.

"I guess forward is the only way to go."

"Right! Set forth!" cheered Rein as she floated along Kala with a cheerful little giggle. The little device was happy to have met another mage from her universe and was definitely willing to keep going as long as possible so long as she had friends.

"So what's Rising Phoenix like? Is he or she a nice device?"

"She's nice and really protective," Kala said after a moment of thought. "And sometimes she sounds odd, but...but she had to link with another device because they were both damaged pretty badly. She still had her voice at least, but had no offense at all, so..."

Kala shrugged lightly.

"She used the be Raging Phoenix and was all protective and summoning, but I can't do summoning at all. That was...Farliana's specialty. She gave Raging Phoenix to me when she died and I couldn't even heal her to save her life. Risingtide was other other mage's device and when it became clear that Phoenix wasn't going to be able to do what was required they linked so she could. It's really complex, I guess, but at least I can be offensive when the need arises, right? I just...can't use certain functions unless I have no other choice. And sometimes things don't even work at all, though she does her best."

We do our best to help people, every day, Kala thought, keeping her eyes out for anything else that might make a sudden move. Being caught unawares by tentacles was one thing, but being caught again? That was weakness and she wasn't supposed to be weak or afraid or...alotta other things.

"Hmm, a summoner was it? That's very interesting for a device to be inherited," said Rein, curious to the implications. Would the two devices work together in tandem or would one programming overlap the other? Rein knew a little of device maintenance having assisted everyone with it, but to have interlinked two devices.

"Your device must be proud of your actions desu, to have linked with another so willingly," said Rein, smiling widely at Kala. "I know I have trouble sharing Signum with Agito lately."

"I tried really hard to heal Farla," Kala said and her eyes teared as she tried to blink them away. "The most I could do was heal her body, but she was already gone. Raging Phoenix...thinks she failed Farla by not protecting her enough. It shouldn't have mattered if Farla was old or not, but I think she blames herself for Farla's death maybe as much as I blame myself. I guess all of us wanted so very much to be able to complete the mission Farla and Gabrel had started that linking worked the way it should. I'm not sure there's much of Risingtide left, to be honest, but I hope we can repair him at some point. I was even studying how to do that. I think that sometimes, in order to do the best you can, you have to let go of whatever is stopping you from achieving your goal."

Kala brushed a tangle of hair from her face and looked sheepish.

"I guess I ought to follow my own advice and stop being scared of heights."

"I know how that is. Hayate tries so hard in between the incredible stress of being a Commander. When the mission begins you focus so hard on it and try to figure out what you're going to do in the meantime." Rein sighed and smiled at Kala. "What you need to do is figure out what you're going to do with the time given desu, not just on the here and now. It helps in the long run."

"All I know is that I'm supposed to help people and that's what I'm good at doing, even if I mess up sometimes," Kala said as they found their way to Weapons & Possessions. "I've always wanted to, hopefully, be an Enforcer and I definitely want to push myself as far as I can go with my rank. Farla would have wanted me to do that, to be the best. She tried her best, after all, and taught me everything she knew, though I didn't actually touch a device until she was almost gone. I need to become stronger, to protect everyone from danger because that is what I'm supposed to do. No matter how hard it gets, I want to be able to stand strong...even if it's in the air where I'm least comfortable."

Kala paused to brush her fingers over a section of what looked like closed units.

"Are these lockers?" She peered into the room, which still had a few people gathering items and her expression changed from seriousness to bright joy. Rising Phoenix was sure to be here!

Rein smiled at Kala. Such an admirable goal, to become strong to protect people. It reminded her of Fate, Subaru, Nanoha... everyone.

"The road to becoming an Enforcer is hard work, but an obtainable goal, and to protect everyone the most powerful strength one can have." said Rein solemnly as she found the row of lockers as well. "I sense a device in this direction. Come on!"

And the little device flitted off down in the direction she felt the pulse of a device coming from.

"If everything was easy," Kala said, moving quickly after Rein, "there'd be no reason to become strong in the first place and no one would ever need protection." Rising Phoenix, I know you're here. And she was. She was there, she could feel the device straining to reach her. "But that's not a real situation, so, I am committed in the fact that I will become an Enforcer even here. Even if it takes me longer than anyone else, I'm going to do i--"

Kala cut herself off so she could run faster, dodging a person or two quickly as she homed in on the particular resonance that said it was most definitely Rising Phoenix. It was like being around the corner from home and she knew she never feel safer, despite everything, than when she had her device in hand.

Rein grinned. "And it's a great goal! You know? I can give you the exam if you want desu. When you feel ready since I am Sargent Major, I can test people for the Enforcer exam, make it official!"

Stopping near a locker, she pointed. "There! That's got to be it desu!"

That's when she noticed something to the side and gasped. "MY BAG!"

Flitting over, she opened it and squealed. "Everything's here desu! Except for my clothing BUT EVERYTHING'S HERE! Even my bed!"

With a little effort, she lifted the bag into the air. "Hayate's Bag Get-O Desu!"

"I'd really like," Kala began but was too busy with the locker and inspecting it to finish. There Rising Phoenix was, her chain curled in a little heap. Kala's fingers were quick ton inspect the device, her expression intense. "Rising Phoenix," she whispered. "Are you okay?"

came the slightly distorted voice of her Intelligent Device.

"No, not yet. Run a diagnostic first." She listened to Rein and managed a quick grin as she found her bag. The worried expression she kept trying to not let show flickered across her face. "I want to know how you're functioning since we're in some...strange place. Okay?"

Kala shivered and leaned her back into the wall after fastening Rising Phoenix around her neck. Her fingers never left it and when that minute was up, she remembered to breathe again.

Kala's fingers tightened slightly and she murmured a soft engage.

A moment later and she was clad in her white and gold armor, her hair settling around her shoulders as she checked over her equipment--the white jewels in her gloves flashed and then quieted to a soft glow. There was no telling what lie beyond this place and it was better to be prepared. She turned to find Rein and grinned.

"That's one good thing then," she said with a nod.

Rein nodded enthusiastically at Kala, grinning widely. "It's good you found your device! And your armor looks so good too desu!"

Floating up with her bag-house in her hands, she smiled at Kala and said, "Want to find out where everyone else is going? Seems like they're gathering and I could definitely learn what's going on desu."

"Farla had armor like this, only hers was more...decorated," Kala said with an answering smile. "It looks like Rising Phoenix is okay for the most part, so I think we're good to go. I think finding out what the hell's going on is one of the best ideas I've heard all gafting day. The quicker we know what's happening, the quicker we can deal with it. Just as long as I don't have to do any impromptu flying, I ought to be just fine."

Honestly, she'd be fine up in the air if she focused, too. It was just the coming down that would be horribly embarrassing. It always was, without fail, a terrible conclusion.

Rein giggled and said, "I'll do the flying for us. And it looks really nice! I'm glad you're so happy with your device."

She picked up her bag again and said, "Shall we?" gesturing towards the flow of people who were headed for the meet and greet areas of the ship.

"Mm," was Kala's positive response. The quicker they found out what was going on, the quicker they could adapt to the situation and she needed all the help she could get. "She's a good device and she puts everything she has on the line. If she's proud enough of me to do that, then I'm always going to do the same for her. You doing the flying is fine by me if it comes down to it, Rein. Rising Phoenix apologizes every time we go airborne, but we manage straight until the end."

She was already moving after the line, her jaw set.

"For now, I guess we need to make sure we know what's going on. Then we can figure the rest out as we go along."

Rein smiled, a half-sad, half-appreciative smile as she floated alongside Kala. "To this end, we keep walking. So that no one will suffer."

"All right, let's mingle. We should be able to find out what's going on first!" exclaimed Rein.

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