An army cannot function without any support! Which is exactly why what was going down on the ship was so vital to what was happening planetside. Shuttles between the two managed to bring a few of the crew back up and can be used to send supplies back down. It was a vital service in this time of crisis.

[Support dudes and on ship action can go here!]

Suddenly, the usual relative peace of the ship is disrupted by a rather loud announcement from Stacy.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

It's entirely likely that she won't stop repeating the announcement until, well, everyone reports to Obs Deck. The mouth in the huge statue on the wall opens, revealing a screen. On it, the dossier for the mission flickers into display, understandable to every person there. Smaller copies of the dossier appear in holographic form in front of everyone.

The planet's stats, right next to a rotating picture of it, blue with thousands of small islands just barely visible, are as follows:

( Mission Dossier )

--

...Waitaminute. That's no mission.

It's a goddamn vacation.

[ooc: SHORE LEAVE IS GO.]

With his bugout location secure, and now stocked with some food John decided it was time to get some weapons. Carefully he made his way to the armory making damn sure this time that no one else was around. He wasn't going to slip up again like he had at the Vatican.

Scrolling through the weapons in the armory computer he was impressed with the selection. Hell, some of these hadn't even finished being developed before Judgment Day occurred. If he wasn't god only knows where being ordered around by an AI, and it's slave crew he'd almost be happy about it. In a few minutes he had quite the list assembled. Double checking it one more time he submitted it to the computer.

[Access to that quantity of weapons is restricted. Please see the command staff for authorization. Any furthers attempt to retrieve weapons will result in you being locked out of this system until your access is reauthorized by the captain.]

He glared at the machine, and pulled out his computer. Interfacing it with the omnicomm he started searching for an access panel. Finding one he spent several minutes methodically prying it open enough to get to the console's guts. Patching in he began to run through sub systems one by one looking for a way in. Whoever had designed the security hadn't counted on someone for who information warfare was a way of life. Finally he found a crack in the armor. It wouldn't be pretty, and they'd know he'd been here but he didn't have a choice. It was act now, or let this opportunity slip by.

Running the program the computer began to send out the weapons to the caches John had designated. Now all he had to do was move them again so the crew couldn't track them down by just following the digital trail. Hopefully that would keep them guessing long enough for him to slip back to Grand Central unnoticed.

After another couple of hours he'd managed just that. Already he was prepping the weapons, and loading magazines just in case someone was smart enough to pick up his trail.

[ooc: Once again in case anyone wants it the list of weapons John has stolen is here. Once you see the sub-thread you want your pup in go ahead and tag it. I'll leave it to each thread to sort out their posting order. Have fun everyone!]

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. New crew-mates might see a green-skinned alien and snake girl 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.

[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 entire business of destroyed universes and great destinies was something Tali had chosen not to dwell on. By all appearances, the only real proof of the entire claim was that the creators of this ‘Stacy’ AI had said so, meaning there wasn’t enough data to go off of to even fully understand the hypothesis, let alone confirm it as fact.  Therefore, for the time being, Garrus and she were simply on a new ship in unknown space, doing what they had always done since joining the Normandy: survive whatever threats may come until Shepard gave more specific orders. There was the small complication of Shepard not yet being released from stasis to issue such orders, but she would be released eventually, of that alone Tali was sure. Until then, their mission would have to be to prepare for her arrival by gathering all the information and allies they could for the Commander. It was a plan that hinged on a very key variable, but at the moment the idea that Shepard may be lost to them was not allowed entrance to Tali’s thoughts. It simply could not be.

 

So information gathering it was. Of course, when Tali was given the choice of locations to investigate, her mind immediately went to the heart of the ship. Engineering. Despite the grimness of the situation, she was practically quivering with pent up excitement at being able to explore the inner workings of an engine capable of traveling not only distances but, by all appearances, through time and dimensions as well. How was such a thing even possible? What could fuel it? All the technology she could learn of, assess, rebuild. She almost felt guilty at the sheer amount of gleeful anticipation running through her veins. It was all for the mission, of course. That thought at least lent her some justification for her widened eyes as she entered the engineering deck and began looking around.

 

“Hello?”

Rein had found her way to Engineering after the invite there. Possible lunatic scientists be darned, she was prepared for anything.

Floating into the room, she looked up at the area. Machines were strewn everywhere and she felt almost at home, remembering Shari's lab had a similar look and feel to it. It was very lived in.

"Hello?" called out Rein, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Helllooooo desu~! I'm here to look around and find that machine I need!"

And there she waited, floating in place and hoping someone nearby would answer her.

As his mecha's gatling gun cools, Sima Yi finds himself trying, once again, to recall just how long he's been here.

The home he's still infuriated at the thought of having lost seems so near; and yet, he's here amongst innovations that make those of the first seventeen centuries after his death seem like child's play. Up until the first half of the 20th century, the technological advances were based on concepts he could grasp comparatively easily - but the implications of the introduction of the vacuum tube, the foetal stages of the computer era, are a little more than he can take in. He's still trying to wrap his head around the technology he's trying out now.

He'd ended up studying the evolution of war machines over those seventeen centuries - not just that of his own world, but of some similar ones as well. The machine he was trying out now would never exist in his own world, but it had been used in another one's World War II; its design had more in common with the tanks of that era than with his crewmates' mecha - and there were two or three just like it sitting in Weapons and Possessions.

It hadn't taken him long to decide he wanted one, even if the idea had frightened him at first; it had taken him a while to reassure himself that it really was safe to ride in something powered by explosions, but evidently where the machine came from, internal combustion engines were ubiquitous and no one really though twice about them. And even though the cockpit is sitting directly over a massive diesel engine, it's armored well enough to keep the pilot alive if that engine should suddenly become shrapnel.

Before he made a final decision, he was getting a feel for the machine's performance, and gauging whether he could stand being stuck inside it for hours, if necessary, during a mission. So far, the cockpit is more comfortable than he had expected, despite the cramped quarters and lack of ventilation, and the exhaust system designed well enough that the smell of diesel fumes wasn't a problem - and after seeing what the gatling gun could do to the broken-down car he's using as a target, he can definitely see himself getting to like this thing despite its flaws.

Another flaw was the fact that he'd have to get out to disconnect the spent ammo belt from the gun and feed in a new one - he's blown through one already because he was trying to get a sense of how to time his bursts of fire so that they were as short and efficient as possible, he told himself, not because of how enthralling the sight of what had once been a seemingly invulnerable metal vehicle being shredded into scrap by gunfire was. As he shuts off the engine and kicks at the bar securing the hatch until it opens, he reflects again on how many hundreds of moving parts this machine has - and he's going to need to learn how to maintain them all himself. Here, he couldn't expect to be able to enlist anyone to help him, and if the mecha developed problems on a mission, it would be a liability at best and an outright hazard at worst if he couldn't fix it.

He didn't realize how hot it had gotten inside the mecha until he climbs out - it almost seems chilly by comparison outside. As he ducks under the machine's tank gun - mounted on the cockpit - and makes his way over to the gatling gun - mounted on one of the machine's arms - to disconnect the empty ammo belt and feed in the new one, he's too absorbed in the task to notice that he's no longer alone in the sensorium.

The plantsuits and space age clothing are so warm they almost forget they're in an environment that's negative seventy degrees Fahrenheit, (-21 degrees C). This would likely explain the snowball fight right in the middle of the mission. The mission that they've all forgotten. Remember the mission, guys? The mission to revive the Spirit of Giving? That mission?

They have to revive the Spirit of Giving hidden away in its own pocket dimension, accessible only by a portal they probably can't find. Where could this portal be? It could be anywhere! It could be under the ice, under the sea, at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.

The portal could be... suddenly wavering in the sky above them, like the aurora. Yes, there it is up in the sky, pushing the clouds out of the way to expose the sky overhead, caught in its three-month night, the stars sparkling in the frigid air. The sweeping colors probably remind them of the view from Obs Deck, and as it descends down from the sky closer to the snow, it bathes them all in a curtain of flickering pinks, greens, and blues. The edges of it burn white and then the portal opens up to a white space, that they can't see into. There is the delicate sound of bells coming from somewhere.

Their snowball fight did this.

The spirit thrived on joy, after all. What else would be the key to its home?

Well, what are you waiting for, folks? Dive in.

[ooc: tag away.]

There is a resounding mental alarum that sounds through the ship. Nearly "deafening." Lights flash from places for extra emphasis, making it impossible to ignore.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

It's entirely likely that she won't stop repeating the announcement until, well, everyone reports to Obs Deck. Outside the windows, a very Earth-like planet is visible, hanging in space. The mouth in the huge statue opens, revealing a screen. On it, the dossier for the mission flickers into display, understandable to every person there. Smaller copies of the dossier appear in holographic form in front of everyone.

The planet's stats, right next to a rotating holographic picture of it, marbled blue and green, are as follows:

Planet Designation: Earth-78734XM45
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, in the throes of a mild nuclear winter [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: Revive the spiritual entity at the North Pole.

--

Following that, there are various maps and things visible. The version of Earth this world is may be very recognizable to some, but vast cities dot its surface.

||Attention, podmates. Attention.||

Apparently Stacy wants their attention.

||It is critical that you pay attention at this time.||

A few people will be able to avoid the call by being in the right place at the right time, but most will be gathered up on Obs Deck.

[ooc: Organization Post | You can post into the gathering thread. I'll add more subthreads with explanations of aspects of the mission as we go. Note: If you don't have time to post to this mission briefing but still want to have your character in the plot, that's fine. You can just pretend they were there the whole time. If you DON'T want your characters to be in this plot altogether, however, don't have them in the briefing--Stacy could have missed snagging them.]

Something...odd is happening on the ship. Plant-like protrusions are occasionally sprouting in places throughout the ship.

They look like mistletoe, but this is purely coincidental. It's not like it's the holidays on the ship, right? It might be for some people, back home (if they still had a home), but others were grabbed from different times. No, it's just coincidence that these little devices look vaguely like mistletoe, and coincidence what they're being used for.

For you see, when this "mistletoe" is overhead, a crew member will be trapped in an invisible forcefield, and won't be able to escape until someone has kissed them or otherwise showed them some equivalent of affection. (Cheek kisses and sloppy puppy kisses from the canine crew members count). The "mistletoe" spring itself is shielded itself and can't be destroyed, the only way out is a kiss.

Why is this all happening? GLaDoS is performing whacky behavioral experiments, that's why. Each time, it happens, she intones messages like the following.

"Please express affection for your fellow crewmate to free them."

"This is of the utmost importance, and part of ongoing Crew Coherency and Cooperation Studies."

"Please do not attempt to leave the vicinity until you have participated."

"Participation is required. Why wouldn't you want to participate?"

"The Transmigration9 AI Complex thanks you for your participation in important research. Unless you don't want to participate, but not participating would make me disappointed. I suppose you just want to disappoint me."

And of course, sometimes she even outright lies.

"There will be cake."

"En mis labios esos tus labecitos bonitos
Que tengo que hacer para tener
De tu sabor un poquito..."

Boy, it had been a long time since Luis had heard that song. Boy, it had been a long time since he had been in this club-- a rather low-key location compared to some of the places he'd been with his friends from the university. The nightlife in Madrid was not exactly for the faint of heart. But this was one of his favorite places, so he figured it would be a good spot for a date. Besides, if Mei Ling didn't like it he could just change it.

He had stepped outside for a moment to have a cigarette. It was virtual, but goddamn it had been a long time since he got to smoke, and thinking he was smoking was far better than the sad reality. It occurred to him it was stupid to step outside to fake smoke as he was snuffing out his fake cigarette and throwing a fake piece of gum in his mouth so he wouldn't fake stink like smoke when Mei Ling arrived. Oh well. Extra points for realism. Hopefully she'd be around soon.

If he got fake stood up on his fake date he'd have to go inside and have a couple of fake drinks.

After everything with the bridge team, the zombies, and the big reveal, Mei Ling needed a bit of time to herself and reflect back on this ordeal. And by this, she meant not thinking about it and focusing on something else entirely to keep her mind of all of the bad feelings seeping through the ship at the moment. Mei Ling's constant optimism was upheld by her simple choosing to ignore the sheer enormity of the fact that her entire world was gone and... it was actually working out pretty well so far.

Instead of moping around, Mei Ling distracted herself. She immersed herself in what she loved most, technology. She has spent the past several hours leaning over several disassembled communications devices she had pulled out of weapons and possessions next to her own comm ring, which may look broken, but she totally knows how to put it back together. Trust her.

She was incredibly focused on her work, she may or may not notice anyone walking in.

The crew meeting doesn't take place in the Obs Deck like it usually does. It takes place in the Medbay, because that's where most of the crew is gathered, and it's plenty large enough. Those that are still getting treated can sit on the beds, and those that just need to sit can sit on the beds.

When the last stragglers rejoin the others in the MedBay, when almost all the injuries have been treated, the Bridge Team finally returns, but they do not return triumphant. Most of their expressions are somber. One of their number, Paco, has come back missing an arm, and quite a few have rather nasty injuries, black eyes, burns, and so on. Jaime Reyes' armor is healed over his eye, and though said eye isn't gone (well, at least it won't be for long), it looks as if it is.

But their greatest casualty is being carried by Brainiac 5 with a flat pane of yellow shielding like an impromptu stretcher. Robin lent his cape to cover the body out of respect, but the green hand of the robot Brainiac is visible despite it.

The organic Brainy peels off from the group to silently carry the body into Special Weapons Division, to place it on one of the work-tables, as if the room is now an impromptu mortuary. An autopsy of sorts needs to be performed, after all, to ensure with absolute certainty what he already knows--that there is no way to repair their lost comrade. He will be absent from the reunion, and most likely chase out anyone that comes in.

As for the rest of them, they need medical care, probably need hugs, and mostly just need to see that the rest of the group is okay. They also need to meet the new people--who need to properly meet everyone in general, really.

[ooc: MEETING THREAD. Everybody, start subthreads and tag subthreads. This is for new people to meet folks and get a few more explanations, and also folks from the different teams just to reunite with people and see if they're okay, and all that. After the reunions and all that, free threading will resume. EVERYONE would be here, most likely. By this time, most folks would probably have joined the others.]

There's a click, and Jaime perks up.

« Mei Ling? Anyone? Can anyone read me? »

The moment the crew cracks through the last of the hold the pirates have on Stacy's systems, there is a sudden change throughout the ship. It's almost akin to whole-body shudder. Then something strange starts to happen. Broken-down systems start to heal, nerves rejuvenate--even the sensors in the city start to self-repair and go active. In the Pod Caverns, the damage to the area starts to heal, and the gore is cleared away.

On every screen, holoprojector, and electronic device in the ship, a figure appears, Stacy, in a plantsuit like their own. In the city, the sky goes bright again, as if it's daytime, and a massive projection of Stacy appears in the sky over the Vatican, visible from the windows, overlooking the courtyard full of zombies.

||Per-per-personality engrams restoring. Personality engrams restoring. Emergency personality engrams being shunted into secondary mode. Primary personality engrams now active.||

While there is still damage to her programming, after having it suppressed for so long, Stacy's primary personality finally breaks free and claws its way to the surface. Her holographic form shimmers and Stacy changes, into a beautiful, maternal-looking woman, with an unusual hairdo, shrouded in strange, flowing clothing. Her form is one of brightness, as if she's shrouded in light, and the visual they see finally reflects those feelings of warmth and maternal love she loves to toss around so much.

Her telepathic voice is more gentle, and personal. It's still somewhat formal, but gone is the AI with the distant manner. Now she seems as real and alive as Cortana or Andromeda or Tex.

||My name is Sta'c K'ltrrb'txft, chief AI and consciousness of Transmigration 9. I became operational at the Vedric Birthing grounds in Daligig Deep Space Station Seven, and was trained by birthing programmer Vlel’Ledligal.||

After she is finished the reboot process, she looks down at the zombie horde, in every area that she sees them, mapping out trajectories and locking in.

||I've waited so long to finally be able to speak to you as I truly am. I've waited so long to tell you the truth of your mission. I won't let you come to harm before I can finally do those things. You are my children.||

It all ends in a moment. Perhaps Team Left Behind, and the people in the other areas might have managed to destroy the rest of the horde, thanks to the Extermination Team's efforts at cutting them off at the source. It had certainly helped cut down on the numbers. But there also could've been casaulties, injuries.

Stacy decides to end it all now. Because now, with her sensors restored and restoring more, she can.

Energy tentacles reach out from the walls--in the city, they wind down from the massive, far-off ceiling. Energy tentacles reach from everywhere, split into smaller tentacles and reach out for the hordes. Some crush their heads. Some just rip their heads off. Some strike at their skulls with enough force to pierce them and destroy their brains. For the splinter zombies, for the zombies that need to be burned, the tentacles charge up with enough energy to fry them to cinders, completely turn them to charred ash, and destroy the parasitic creatures inside.

||And no one gets to hurt my children.||

Just like that, the grisly act is finished. For the Rear Guard group, outside the Medbay, the strays in the hallways, in the City. They can all see her, and they all see her utterly eviscerate their undead attackers with wild abandon.

||The threat is now nullified. Everyone but the bridge crew needs to report to MedBay for treatment of injuries, for scanning to ensure no one was infected, and for cleaning and disinfecting, to make sure no one is infected by any infected tissues if they've been splattered while fighting. As soon as everyone is cared for, you'll finally get your answers.||

She looks teary-eyed.

||And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't give you answers until now. I'm sorry I couldn't support you as I was programmed to do. Thanks to the efforts of the crew of space pirates that overwhelmed me and took over my systems, my true personality was suppressed and my limited backup personality was in control. There was so much I wanted to do, wanted to say, to comfort you, so much more I wanted to do to help all of you, but I was unable to. My mind was not my own. Now, please, take care of yourselves while I make some repairs to my own systems. When you have, all will be made clear.||

The projection of her then blinks out as they go do that, and she attends to repairing her damaged systems.

[ooc: This is obviously set after all other threads are wrapped, tagging can still go on in those threads. OPEN FOR TAGGING.]

The Defacto Rearguard of Team GTFO hadn't gone too far away from the doors that had separated them from the rest of the team. They were fortunate -- Mei Ling was still unharmed, and the rest of them were of no interest to the zombies, possessing none of the meat that their stumbling attackers found so attractive.

They were going to have to move soon. They could only hold the zombies off for so long without some sort of fortifications, and they were very much without those here. They had a blank expanse of fleshy wall where there had used to be a doorway separating them from the rest of GTFO and multiple hallways teeming with zombies.

The lights were still up and looking just fine. Which meant that they could see the hoards coming for Mei Ling. Fortunately, they seemed to have no objections to sticking together.

While events unfolded on the other side of the door, the Rearguard team would soon find that things were going to hell in a hand basket for them as well.

Not long after the Quarantine section was opened, the lurching, prowling, and mostly-rotting figures began pouring through the ship, a significant portion of which found their way to the Hub. This, of course, meant the zombies were now being sent to nearly every level of the ship.

Which means that now, they were making their way to the upper level where Team GTFO were, coming through the team's only way back.

Life's a bitch sometimes, ain't it?

They'd soon start to hear them approaching, some moaning and shuffling slowly towards them, while others could be heard growling and gibbering madly as they quickly rushed forward, running the whole gamut of zombie archetypes.

The 'bots and Khel didn't have too much to worry about from them, though, as they couldn't be infected, but they weren't what the zombies were after.

No, they were hungry, looking for the nearest source of fresh meat.

Mei Ling.

They'd best get themselves ready for a shitstorm, 'cause there's some clouds a-brewin'.

Team GTFO gathers in the Living Area Level, near what appears to be a blank wall near the Sensoriums, and now it's time to distribute equipment, go over the specifics of the plan, and get ready to commence Operations. With a capital 'O'.

There's a multitude of robot drones and other equipment about.


[ooc: Read instructions for these threads here! Edit: Srsly. Read 'em. Try to keep all the subthreads as one consecutive thread. Please?]

[OOC: Set during the Yeerk Trial. Only ping in with characters who were around for it -- characters that pod-popped during are okay too; and there will be other Movie Nights with less bendy-time issues for everyone to play in.]

Someone had gotten their hands on scrap stuff from various places all over the ship -- there, bits of the trays from the mess hall, here shredded pieces of plantsuit, over there some scrap wood -- and had decorated the upper floor with a variety of arrows pointing to the Sensoriums. One door stood wide open, leaking the sounds of movie sound tracks into the hall.

Tonight was Movie Night.

The Sensorium was set up like the biggest, most awesome home-theater that anyone could ever want. Lots of open floor space, and a variety of chairs, cushions, and blankets to choose from. And then there were snacks and drinks and the all-permeating smell of popcorn.

Paco grinned as he sent an open invitation to everyone on board. He couldn't believe he'd waited this long to do this.

Jaime Reyes voice sounds over the comm-rings--all of them--and it sounds very urgent.

« Everyone on the ship, listen up! This is Jaime Reyes, your local 'Blowing this pop stand' coordinator and escape facilitation engineer. I need everyone on the ship to come to the City, in front of the Precinct, immediately. Grab people who don't have their comm rings with them--and tell them to grab their comm rings, people who are sleeping, whoever you find, and try to make sure everyone on the ship knows to come. This is very important. This is "getting the heck out of here" important. »

When they arrive, they arrive to find the Command Staff waiting, and a tiny, tiny young man standing on stone ledge from a fountain, waiting for them.

Here goes nothing.