There's something to be said for finding a place to decompress. Normally, Jamie would go to the City and practice his bagpipes when he wanted to do so. But the city is in shambles, and he's still not up for his usual explorations of the ship. Instead, he turns to the Sensoriums, bringing up a familiar place - a peaceful and quiet location that holds a little bit of home.

There is no strange and interesting technology this time, no war torn battlefield, no people at all. What is there is a small loch, with a tree covered hill visible on its opposite bank. On side closest to the entrance are birch trees, with one standing quite close to the water. Greenish lichen covers a good deal of its trunk, and a faint breeze rustles the summer-green leaves. The hum of insects can be heard, as well as the occasional movement of some small unseen animal passing by.

Jamie rolls up his sleeves, then lies down on the ground next to a nearby rocky outcropping. Supporting himself with one arm, he reaches into the water with the other and begins to feel underneath the rock.

Perhaps it has to do with the silvery shapes that can occasionally be seen darting just under the water's surface, or perhaps he's just lost something. Either way, he has yet to realize there's someone here besides himself and the fish...

There was a problem with having big, massive battles that encompassed the entire ship, aside from the whole 'OMG We're Gonna DIE!' thing. The problem: Someone had to clean up after it.

After the battlefields of World War II had disappeared, after the Nightmare King had been destroyed, and after the pissed off bald kid had dropped a damn hurricane into the ship, the city was littered with rubble and debris. Broken sections of buildings lay on the ground, blocking entire streets. Shattered glass threatened to cut open the plant suits--of those still wearing them--and lodge themselves in people's feet. And then there was the dust that had been kicked up by the winds and still hadn't come down. It was a disaster.

But someone had to clean it up--or at least try--and someone was. Sawyer, equipped with shovels, some brooms, rakes, and a couple of wheelbarrows that he'd found in a garden shed in the Vatican, was down in the city getting to the business of cleaning up the mess. With the heat of the city coupled with the physical exertion and the dust in the air, he'd long ago ripped off the top of his plant suit and wrapped it around his nose and mouth in an effort to keep the dust particles from getting into his lungs.

It was a dirty business, but someone had to do it. Although, some help wouldn't hurt.

People say that war is hell. This looked it.

Buildings and cars and bodies are scattered like broken toys as far as the eye can see, stretching out toward a dirty horizon. Even the clouds seems streaked with mud and blood, and they're taking it out on everyone below with a constant stream of cold, soaking rain.

The sounds of fighting seem to come from all directions, but at this moment, there's no one else in sight.

A breather. The calm before the storm.

[[OOC: This is for everyone who was involved with "The Lurking Fear". Questions go to Milo or Kaylin.]]

Nightmare becomes reality....

_{[roster: Leader - Iron Fist, Erwin, Goliath, Lash, Robert Donovan, Seeley Booth]}

Erwin had spent enough time exploring the ship to discover the media library. At first he had spent so much time simply reading books he'd missed or reading new books he'd never seen or heard of before. That had taken time. Then, slowly, his curiosity had turned to visual media. At first he had been amazed and overawed by the pictures produced sixty years in his future - sharp color, focus. Amazing special effects. It all seemed so real to him. His attention had shifted again. His curiosity got the better of him. He began watching old newsreels - German, Russian, American, British - about the war. He'd never worked up the nerve to discover if what Robert had told him about the Jews as true. In a way, he didn't want to know.

Still, he'd eventually reached the end of the war. So he sat, stonefaced, as he watched Germany crumble. When he could, he watched the raw footage. When he couldn't, he watched newsreels. It was depressing in away - to learn how the war would've ended. How the Allies swept over France and the Russians raped and looted their way through Germany. How depressing.

He was watching one of the later German newsreels about Berlin. He sighed softly. Maybe he would never see his homeland again. Maybe that would be for the best. German divided into a communist state and an rump republic? Better then national death, he supposed. He flicked over to another reel of footage. The Battle of Kursk. He hadn't been there, but he'd heard about it. What an utter waste. He leaned forward, watching the black and white footage intently, remembering everything he'd ever done and all that he'd gone through.

As per the Chief's message, it was training time. Everyone who signed up for training (or was signed up by someone else) was ordered to an open square in the City.

Yes, the City, instead of the sensoriums. That meant that any weapons used would be real. And every bit of damage that they dealt would be real. As would the injuries. Though there didn't seem to be any weapons around, and there were no targets set up.

Interesting, that.

Anyway, in the square was the Chief of Security, who was busy marking off names of people who arrived early or on time. Anyone who figured that they could skip out, though, there is now an unhappy seven foot fully armed and armored Spartan hunting you down.

((ooc: READ THIS BEFORE TAGGING. EDIT: But the first subthread "Early/on time arrivals" is now open for tagging. Training has now begun!))

It is that time again, meatship.

Once again, the King of Nightmares has deigned to spread his touch to all of your dreams.

This time, however, he has decided to give them a much more personal touch, sending his very own children to visit each and every one of you, slowly sowing the seeds of madness within all of you.

Such a kind and loving king he is, isn't he?

[ooc: Alright folks, Nightmare King is ramping things up a bit. These nightmares are a good bit more dangerous now, and he's sending in his minions to make things a little more real. The nightmares will be of a much more serious nature this time, designed to start driving the crew slowly insane. Characters are more likely to run into nightmare minions in the guise of someone or something that will tug at the edges of their sanity. Also, this time, the characters can have joint dreams, as these nightmares are of a more mystical nature this time. Once again, tagging in isn't mandatory, but if you want to, go crazy (literally)!]

[Additional Note: Any injuries won't be carrying over to real life at this point in the plot but don't worry, we'll get there eventually!]

Erwin found himself on the observation deck again. He'd wandered the ship, seen the city, seen different places. It still took him time to adjust. It still took him time to fathom all of this. He'd ended up on the observation deck again - and luckily he had clothes now. A pair of jeans (relatively familiar to him - Americans wore them, not quite as popular in Germany) and a plain t-shirt. He kept his field cap on, though. It reminded him of home and where he came from. It kept him in the mindset that he was still a soldier and he would act like one as best he could, until he could go home. Or until everything here was resolved.

He frowned to himself, sweeping the field cap off as he walked inside (instinct, he supposed - there technically wasn't an 'inside' or 'outside' any more) and tucked it under one arm, staring out of the window at the strangeness outside. He couldn't contemplate all of it yet. It was too much. Well, he could, but it was still overwhelming. He sighed, speaking more to himself then anyone else around, "What do we do now?"

Nighttime.

Or, at least, what passed for nighttime on the meatship.

A time when most of the crew was already fast asleep, dreaming away pleasantly throughout the night.

...Or, perhaps not. For you see, tonight, something particularly strange is happening.

Now it is not all that unusual for someone to have a nightmare, especially not on the ship.

Yet tonight, no one will sleep easily, for the Nightmare King deems it so.

Everyone's dreams will have a tinge of horror to them. Nothing so out of the ordinary to rouse one's suspicions, but at the same time, no one is left out.

Pleasant nightmares, meatship.

[ooc: And thus begins the start of the Nightmare King's spree of insanity. He's starting out subtle, of course. The nightmares won't be anything more than your run of the mill bad dream, but he is giving them to everyone. Posting in isn't mandatory, but if you want to have fun with your character's nightmare, go right ahead.]

The new people will find themselves ushered out of Obs Deck, so it can be shot down to the planet again, to pick the crew up. Eventually, the crew members on the mission are brought back up, and the doors open to let the two groups meet.

The newbies are likely not expecting their new crew-mates to come back bearing presents--which some of them are.

[ooc: This time anyone can post in. REMEMBER TO TAG OTHER PEOPLE, THO. This is set after the mission so mission peoples can meet the newbies. Latecomer newbies, if you want, you can just tag your guys into this one to make things easier.]

Erwin was still in a state of mild shock after his arrival on board Stacy. The idea that his whole world and with it, everyone he'd ever known or cared about, his parents, his comrades, all gone. As surely as if they had been struck by a bomb. The very idea that there were weapons powerful enough to annihilate whole planets and universes stunned him. The fact that he, out of all people, had been saved seemed strange. He wasn't anyone important. He was just a footsoldier. An oberschütze from an infantry division in the German army. He wasn't an officer or a general or even a great politician. Why hadn't the ship saved Rommel or Guderian? Someone who was brilliant? As to why he'd been chosen, he had no idea.

After the breakup of the meet and greet, he'd taken the time to explore and poke around. He'd seen the cafeteria (the food there seemed even worse then army rations), the Sensoriums (which had spooked him, badly), and finally gone to look at the room he'd be staying in. He'd been pleasantly surprised there - a real bed, sheets, a shower. It was luxury compared to what he'd had in Russia or even in France. He'd returned to the observation deck, looking out into the stars. It was so strange to see them like this.

The strange, biological nature of the ship unnerved him even more. Still, he'd nowhere else to go. He pulled up a chair and sat down. He was rather glad his gear had come with him - he had a pack of cards in there, after all - and began dealing himself a hand of solitare, glancing up occasionally to see who else might wander by. Maybe he could interest someone in a game of skat or just idle conversation....

[NOTE: This takes place DURING the holiday plot. If your character is involved in that, then they're still on the surface and not on the ship at this time.]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies. The mission is still going on, so if your character is offship, they won't be around for this.]

[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... )