The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the battle with SHODAN the place looks a little worst for wear, but the crew and even Stacy are trying to be in good spirits. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, and the little stunt in trying to kill off the people in the pods, many 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. They are also told they must read information about their current situation and a survival guide with their new omnicom. New crew-mates might see a tall dragonish guy with wings (but don't call him that), a large afro attached to a smaller girl, and talking ponies among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in. But thankfully this time, there's a system that was set up to aid the new crew members with a few more experienced ones.

[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. Big brother/sister, there will be a thread for you as well!]

The dreamworld. The personal world that touches both the person's inner soul and memories of times gone past. the strange, the bizarre, the cruel, the comedy, it has a range of colors and emotions. Usually, very personal. Even the mind doesn't remember all of them.

But what if that soul is now shared with another? A windowed view into the deepest part of the body that possibly neither of them ever wanted to share, as one whose body they are currently drifts into sleep and gets carried off by nightfall, the other lives to see the dreams, one by one, even the ones the host body doesn't remember by morning.

How will this affect each other? Or will it just be a problem or things they'd rather forget?

[OOC - This is completely optional, and was a fun little idea that I figured if anyone else wanted to join in and have their characters see each others dreams or talk to them inside, are welcome too. Enjoy ruining each other's images. Again, if you don't want to do it, don't worry, it's all good. It's a good way of sharing innermost secrets and old memories. Ahhh, making out characters suffer for fun and profit.]

Let it never be said that Stacy was not benevolent toward her crew. Truth was, she loved them, to the point of risking her own life. And thus, she'd been busy for quite some time... silently she had worked, trying to get into her own archives and cross-checking references. She was going to help boost morale and give them a gift - show them people they cared about, wake them up for a single day as proof that, yes, they were there, close by. She was going to give them a day to awaken, to see their loved ones again and to go back, knowing that their time would come one day or another...

It sounded so beautiful and poetic on theory. In reality, it could become a true disaster. Spent of most of the energies doing this task, in complete secrecy to keep it as a surprise, Stacy's never-ending work was only stopped by its own Warden program, which pulled the plug on the ship's search to find everyone at least someone they cared about. That, unfortunately, left her not only spent of energy which was dangerous in itself - but it also meant that some of the crew would be deprived of seeing their close ones, no doubt leaving some of them bitter.

The road to hell has always been paved by good intentions.

Stacy's voice was decidedly more cheerful than normal as she spoke to the entire ship.

|| Transmigration Nine crew, please report to the Observation Deck. I have a gift for you. ||

She repeated the request, and waited.

Once most of the crew had made their way there, she continued.

||I have been working on a...|| she couldn't quite find the proper word and settled on the next one, || present for you. While many of your records are locked to even me, I have worked to find the pods which contain people close to you. I...apologize if some of you may end up with no one, it is not my fault I...|| suddenly Stacy's voice seemed a little less cheerful, ||The Warden stopped me before I could finish everything completely. Please do not feel like I targeted you specifically, I really did my best to get as many of your friends and companions awake as possible for today.||

Now was the hardest part to explain.

||And that is, unfortunately, all that can be given to you. Because their avia are not yet ready to be properly awakened, they'll be here for a single day. Please make the most of it, so you can feel better and continue our mission with renewed vigor . I hope that meeting those that care about you will give you a boost of energy that you all need.|| Spoken like a mother who put her children before herself. ||But if you can...look at it this way, it means that they are here, and one day I will proudly awaken them properly when they are ready.||

Her voice was becoming strange as she went on. Not static-like, but raspy, like someone who was running out of breath.

||And I am afraid that I must go offline for a few hours due to the strain this is putting on...me...|| It sounded really painful for her to speak, completely spent and only going because she wanted to at least give them a proper last word. ||I...hope...you...will...be...happy...a...lit--||

For the first time in a long while, Stacy was completely silent.

[OOC: GO FOR IT.]

The City didn't have weather as most people knew it, but it was nonetheless a beautiful day - warm weather with a nice breeze, Stacy's sun-equivalent shining in the sky... almost as if it was reflecting the emotions of at least one of the ship's crew. In the middle of the Park, someone had set up a little white lattice archway amongst the hedgerows, decorated with ivy and roses and lilies that looked remarkably real (if they were, in fact, synthetic). In front of the arch were several rows of white chairs, more than enough for anyone who cared to show up.

It was a beautiful day for a wedding.

And frankly, Nanoha needed it. After the chaos and confusion; the rage and terror on Galilee... she didn't think she could ever forget that horrible sense of loss and emptiness when she'd thought that Fate was gone, if only for a day or so. But this would go a long way toward exorcising those demons - a day that she'd dreamed of for years.

Of course, she couldn't go greet anyone yet. She was in her wedding dress, after all! These things needed to be proper.

(ooc: Tag the respective subthreads, please! Mingling is highly encouraged.)

Reviewing any mission is a critical step. Its important to note what went right and what went wrong so that adjustments could be made in the future. But the initial mission reports from Galilee seemed to indicate that everything went ridiculously sideways.

Granted, everyone came back alive, and with the technology they had been seeking. But this mission had clearly gone pear-shaped.

So after giving everyone on the away team a day to recover, say hi to the new arrivals, and get a few tattoos removed, it was time to get some more detailed answers. Leon started, privately, with the Command members on the mission: Nightwing, Fate, and Lash. The three of them were ordered to meet him and Nathan in one of the conference rooms in the Precinct. Kon would have been ordered to attend as well, but he was still in the Medbay, recovering from losing his hand.

When everyone arrived and got settled, Leon only had one question for the group.

"What the hell happened down there?"

A large group of crew members was gathered. In fact, given the mission briefing provided, it was curious that there'd be such a large number for a diplomatic mission.

Planet Designation: Galilee
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens. [Various translations of "human" appear here so everyone understands it]
Water: 69.5% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like [Click here for cultural equivalents for non-Earth cultures.]
Landscape: Varied.
Air: Normoxic concentration. Slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide.
Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue. Often overcast.
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.
Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous. Humans can be hazardous. A human cultural and legal database is available. [click here]
Mission: Successfully negotiate with the Galileeans in exchange for their advanced medical technology.

It was very little to work with, so the crew gathered there possibly had a lot of questions.

It had been a few hours since he had almost cautiously entered the room the young comatose woman had been in to find a quietly wiggling baby, tangled in medical cords that had formally been keeping her alive. She hadn't been crying, tiny hands waving quietly in front of her face, each gesture making her pause in confusion, as though her fingers were an alien thing not connected to her body.

He hadn't been sure if he should sigh in relief or feel more worried. She was moving under her own power, for the first time she was alive and not just existing. She was a baby, it had worked. But she wasn't crying. Which could mean any number of things, most of them not good and only a few of them tolerable. It could never be simple, could it?

She had been small in his arms when he picked her up, smaller than Conner had been a few hours ago, lighter than she should have been, he'd known that much.

It had taken hours to check for and repair any damage done to her. Tirelessly matching Mei-Xing's scans with the scans of the child until everything was as it should be. His head was throbbing; a low, constant ache that made him want to sleep for the next three days.

But she was cooing, soft and quiet in his arms, latching on hungrily to a bottle when it was offered and she seemed to have no problems eating. Everything matched. Just a normal, non-human baby. A beautiful baby girl. "Shhh...."

It had worked. Somehow, despite everything, it had worked.


ooc: Anything happening in this thread is assumed to happen after Amy's, no matter the order people tag in. The baby's name will end up being Molly.

If there was one thing Fate was glad about during her time in Quarantine, it was that it was easy to keep to herself. She had come a long way from her antisocial habits after the Jewel Seed incident, but it was still a little intimidating, (what she thought was) suddenly waking up on a ship full of complete strangers.

Well... there were some familiar faces. Sort of. What she thought were just weird dreams of herself, Nanoha, and Hayate several years older turned out to be memories, even though there was no way she could have experienced any of them. She had a hard time believing some of the things she could recall actually happened...

Like the dead coming back to life. She knew very well that something like that was impossible. But those memories of meeting her mother again on the ship were too vivid to be fake. And nothing bad had happened during those encounters, so... maybe nothing bad will happen if she paid her mother another visit now.

She knew Nanoha would be upset. Angry, probably. But she couldn't just let this chance pass her by. So instead of heading towards the apartment in the City where she remembered sharing with Nanoha, she turned down a different path, following that unmistakable magical signature...

Nanoha loved sleeping next to Fate. She loved the way she could snuggle up against the taller girl with her fiancee's arms around her and feel warm and comfortable and like she belonged there. Cuddling with the blonde Enforcer was one of her favorite pastimes, and it was something they did every night.

Which is why Nanoha stirred uncomfortably, noticing in her sleep that the figure in her arms was most definitely not her Fate. And one dark eye cracked open...

...and Nanoha sat upright in her bed with a loud yelp. This couldn't be happening.

(ooc: Beginning of Fate's time-rewind. Feel free to tag either Nanoha or Fate after they split. Castmates can just come in at any time, otherwise ping us on AIM).

The first thing Hayate did as soon as she was spat out by GLaDOS was to rush back to where Zwei had been so kind to set her up in the WITCH Bus.  Of course, being the WITCH Bus, it wasn't the easiest place to get around in, especially after a long absense.  She wandered in and out rooms and halls trying to find her place

A look to the left, to the right, and then over her shoulder.  Either this brunette was paranoid, or bewildered as she wandered about.

She did eventually find her own place ... such wonderful Knight she had, everything was just as she'd left it... weeks, and not even dust was allowed to collect.

Her family ... she was certain they'd be here any time now, but just to expedite thing she would start sending little mental messages.  To Nanoha and Fate as well.

((Feel free to pop in on Hayate or bump into her in the halls))

If there was one thing that Saber needed to do no matter what her circumstances were, it was to keep busy. But if there was one thing about her that remained a constant, it was her caution and reserve. Perhaps she should have volunteered for one of these missions on the various worlds, but the Servant remained suspicious of the whole matter... not to mention that she needed to find a long-term solution to her prana problem before she threw herself into anything like a serious battle. Her transient body hadn't dissipated, which meant she was anchored to the material plane somehow; it might have been that Stacy herself was Saber's temporary 'Master', as bizarre as the concept was. But she had no way of knowing what might happen if she pushed herself beyond her reserves.

She had kept her activities to a minimum as a precaution -- spending much of her time sleeping to conserve her pool of mana and searching out better meals than the unidentifiable (and inadequate, by the King of Knights's standards) mass Stacy provided for nourishment. However, she could not afford to let her skills deteriorate. She needed to practise. Fortunately, the Sensoriums were up to the task.

The plant-suit she had accepted as this reality's 'civilian attire' was replaced by the raiment of a Heroic Spirit: gold-trimmed blue dress and blue-etched silver cuirass, gauntlets, tassets, and sabatons. Yet, to the naked eye, she appeared unarmed; Excalibur remained hidden within Invisible Air: the Bounded Field of the Wind King. With her unseen sword in hand, Saber moved through training patterns with the natural ease of a veteran warrior who had known little but war her entire life... and even after her death. Out of all the mysteries surrounding her, at least she knew this. Perhaps things would become clearer with a little workout.

Their room here - an apartment they'd taken in the City - wasn't much. It certainly wasn't the home they'd made together on Mid-Childa, with its big luxurious bed and wide-open view of the skyline. But it was theirs, and theirs together, and that was enough for Nanoha. Their bed was small, but it was big enough for two people, and the sheets were warm, and there was plenty of room to hastily discard clothing when they were in the mood for that sort of thing, and sometimes Nanoha just liked to lie awake at night on her back, listening to Fate breathe next to her, and think.

And ever since they'd returned to the ship from their last mission to that planet... well, something had been lurking in the back of the mage's mind. This was the life she shared with Fate, and it seemed so natural to be like this with her, even on a giant living ship that traveled between realities. The more she thought about it, the more it only made sense...

"Mm, Fate-chan?" She said softly. "Are you asleep?"

This crew was certainly proving to be a fascinating one. And given their recent mission and said revelations, there would probably be a lot on their minds. On his as well, but right now his job was to pick the brains of the rest of the crew.

Speaking of which, his next appointment was arriving at his office now.

Not everybody wanted to go to the consummation huts straight off the bat. Which meant if they wanted to get cleaned up, they needed another spot to do so in.

Luckily, the city had just such a place: the great public baths. They were rather immense. And open, since the Moai didn't have much in the way of nudity taboos. There were private stalls around the edges, though, for those who weren't quite so open. Or just wanted to do a little 'private' bathing (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more). It's traditional for the baths to take a while. After all, pretty much everybody here has just gotten married! Enjoy!

(Oh. And your clothes are going to disappear. Nothing personal, the Rapa Nui just want to make sure you have something clean and dry to change into when you've bathed. Isn't that nice?)

((Yep, there are public baths in the city. Have fun with it! And Jono's still outside the city. I just want to be able to get notifs after I ask for no notifications on the main post.))

The city of Orongo had many strange and interesting sights to offer to the visiting crew. Numerous shops and sources of entertainment awaited them as they made their way through, and many interesting people filled the city.

Perhaps the most interesting thing, though, appeared to be some sort of festival being held near the heart of the city. Numerous beings--all of the same race, which was neither Moai nor Rapa Nui--were about. They were a graceful and lithe insectoid species, with large, clear wings protruding from their backs, and each wore bright, colorful garb. They seemed to be even more fond of color than the Moai, as just about everything they had seemed to be beautifully and artfully colored.

Some of them manned caravan-like stalls, while others were in the streets playing vibrant, energetic music with strange instruments. Some were even up in the air, using their wings to perform beautiful aerial dances. The younger members of the groups seemed to be going out into other areas of the city, directing people towards the festivities.

They seemed to be generally well liked, especially by the Moai, but some among the visiting crowds seemed to be purposefully avoiding them, some muttering something about "those people." Regardless, they seemed unperturbed by anything, vibrantly enjoying themselves and gladly accepting everyone in the festivities.

Transmigration 9, meet the Rom.

After the crew finished up with the Rituals of Judgement and Joining, they were permitted to enter the city proper.

Orongo was even more impressive than it appeared from outside the wall. Despite the primitive seeming architecture, the city was alive with lights and sounds and colors. The numerous stone buildings were covered in bright paints in beautiful swirling designs, each one a unique piece of art. People milled about the city in droves, many of them various examples of random alien species, though there were quite a few Moai and knee-high Rapa Nui moving about.

The priests that directed them into the city indicated to them to the Consummation Huts, where they would be spending the night, regardless of whether they chose to use them to their...eh hem...full potential, or not.

As they entered the city, each of them got the same message from Stacy.

||You will be spending the night in the city as per the Moai's instructions. Arrangements have been made to meet with the Moai Elders in the morning. For now, you are given leave to explore the city as you wish. I have transferred each of you an allowance of credits to purchase supplies or entertainment tonight.||

||Do try to have fun.||

[ooc: And they're off! Feel free to have them explore. You can also start doing open posts on-planet now, if you want. Have fun!]

Once Domalai made sure the crew was fully informed of what was expected of them in the upcoming rituals, he showed them over to where the Rituals of Judgement and Joining would be performed.

As they neared the gate that led into the city of Orongo, they could see many other people milling about, waiting for their turn to undergo the rituals themselves. The crew, of course, being a special case, are moved to the front of the line. Thankfully, everyone seems to be in a good enough mood that no one puts up a fuss about it.

The first area they were brought to had a simple stone circle, around which were three smaller circles. Two Moai priests were waiting there as they approached, and Domalai moved over to join them before speaking up.

[ooc: wait for subthreads to go up]

[ooc2: Ready! Tag away!]

Once those who decided to go along on the mission were gathered on the Obs Deck and had time to go over the mission briefing, the detachment procedures began.

As with the missions before, the doors to the Obs Deck closed before it detached itself from Stacy, tethered by a massive umbilical cord. Those who had been on missions before would find the experience familiar if still somewhat unpleasant, but for those of whom this was their first mission, the sudden lack of gravity and lurching feeling as they entered the atmosphere would come as a surprise.

Thankfully though, the ride was quickly over as they landed safely on the planet below, the gravitational dampeners of the Obs Deck gently dropping the crew members back on their feet. One of the walls opened up, forming a ramp to the ground below. There was a sudden, slight gust of air as the door opened as the thick air rushed in. Even so, the air felt quite warm and refreshing.

Looking outside, the crew would see the bright yellow sun looming overhead, quite close in comparison to the sun on most planets. A handful of small, silver clouds dotted the blueish purple sky.

Ahead of them stood a rather impressive looking plateau, surrounded by a tall, ornate stone wall which was covered in tribal markings. Directly ahead was a large gate through the wall, with several small stone buildings in front of it. Beyond the gates, a larger settlement could be seen. Surrounding the plateau and covering the surrounding region were numerous strange, blue and purplish trees and plants.

[ooc: hold up until subthreads are set up]

[ooc2: ready! feel free to tag!]

Fate hated moping. She very rarely did it, but when she did, she hated the feeling of just sitting around feeling sorry for herself, and possibly worrying the people around her. There wasn't really anything she could do about the reason she was moping in the first place, either; the problem wasn't going away anytime soon, so there was no point in sulking any longer.

Anyway. Time to get over her moping. And what better way to clear her head than to run a few simulations in the Sensoriums? She didn't like venting her frustrations through fighting, but it was nice to be so focused on one task, since it meant she didn't really have the time to think about anything else.

So! Anyone wandering into one of the Sensoriums will find themselves in a large city. The place seems deserted at first, until a yellow blur zooms past; Fate, closely followed by several Gadget Drones. She weaves easily between the large buildings, and the drones stay hot on her tail, until they reach a more open area of the city.

"Sonic Move."

In the blink of an eye, she disappeared. This clearly confused the drones, and they stopped in midair, scanning their surroundings.

"Scythe Form."

Fate reappeared in a flash, Device raised high. The glowing yellow scythe blade sliced cleanly through one drone, and easily made quick work of a second. In only a few seconds, the group of drones fell to the ground in a pile of scrap metal, and Fate was turning to face the next oncoming group.

When she made her contract with Alaya -- the part of the world that governed humanity -- the girl known to history as the King of Knights had understood that it would involve certain sacrifices. She had been pleasantly surprised to learn that in eras well into the future of her own, good food would not be among them. In fact, the cooks -- she was hard-pressed to call them that -- of her own time were so terrible that she had wondered if food was merely a form of punishment. It was only after she had been summoned as the Servant Saber in the Fourth War for the Holy Grail that she had been awakened to a new reality: eating could be a pleasurable experience. That is, if the food was pleasant to the taste.

Whatever this 'food' was that was foisted upon her was decidedly not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.

It did not seem to be an unreasonable thing: the little blonde was not especially picky about food as long as it tasted good. A simple but tasty (and large) meal was far preferable to a fancy but bland (and small) one. The indecipherable mass she was served was the worst of all worlds: unidentifiable, small... but worst of all, tasteless.

She accepted her 'meal' with her usual impassive expression, seating herself in silence. Yet, she made no move to begin eating, staring at the slop with no change in her stony mask. However, those sensitive to supernatural phenomenon -- or even those who were simply observant -- would most certainly feel the heavy weight of a killing aura surrounding the otherwise proper and elegant young girl as she sat in morose silence.