How long was it since she was released? A week, maybe more? For Vivio, it felt like an eternity. While she missed home and everyone around, having her mothers and Reinforce around made things seem less empty.

Even if she was from their future.

But, at the moment, she wanted to put everything behind her and have some fun. To that end, she took over one of the Sensoriums and pretty much had it recreate a large playground: just because they're on a ship didn't mean she couldn't act like a child!

Letting out a giggle, she ran over to one of the swings and hopped on, pushing herself to start swinging.

(OoC: It's open to all, but the children here are more than welcome to come in and join Vivio! o/)

Wedge had found himself a rather solid office building and busily converted it into an impromptu headquarters for the erstwhile Rogue Squadron he was building. A few private offices for himself, Luke, Admiral Spaurh and Wyn. A large meeting room for briefings, meetings and other important events, and even what seemed to be a break room where pilots and others could meet and simply relax. He'd have to see if he could get more furniture than the office stuff, considering it wasn't very comfortable. As it was, he'd posted his request and was waiting for his new squadron to arrive. Hopefully this would go smoothly.

But knowing his luck, things never went quite as well as he hoped, so he was planning for the worst. Besides, most of the potential pilots seemed solid. He'd already begun working out a training schedule. Now all he needed was the personnel...

Pikachu had been in here before to train. He'd fought Ridley multiple times and Primids as well. The grunts didn't faze him anymore, and even the ROBs, though dangerous, could be defeated. That wasn't why he was here. The lady on the thingy had said that everyone had to face their fears. So that's why he was down here. He was facing his fears.

At first, all Pikachu could do was sit and stare with an emotion that rapidly approached horror, as the surreal black and violet mesh landscape of Subspace formed around him. When a large blue humanoid appeared, glowing and floating in midair, it took everything the Pokemon had to keep his shaking from showing. There was no time wasted upon the simulation's start.

Tabuu pulled himself in tighter and then swung both of his arms out to the side. Giant wings unfurled, and with them came a massive shockwave of power. Pikachu knew what this attack did, and he didn't want to experience it again. He turned to run but it was too late. The wave struck him hard and sent him careening into a simulated Trophy of one of his other companions. Though the attack wasn't strong enough to Trophy the electric mouse, it was strong enough to hurt. A lot.

Pikachu had a lot more trouble getting up the second time, and Tabuu was already charging his second attack.

Pikachu trained quite often these days ever since his big breakdown in the Pod Caverns. When he'd learned about the crew quarters, he'd had no questions about the arrangements, moving in with Samus immediately. Still, her work with Security and around the ship as a whole meant they were hardly around each other twenty four seven. He might have gone to find her, but at the moment he was just tired. His last workout had exhausted him, and he came in to the room, climbing onto and then flopping down on Samus's bed.

Her bed was his favorite. He didn't really know why, but the small Pokemon did know he could still smell her after she left, and that was rather comforting to the little guy. So, much like a cat or dog with a favored person, Pikachu went for things that inspired the familiar. Like Samus's pillow, which Pikachu was now rolling onto in his sleep. Letting out a yawn that stretched his jaws almost impossibly wide, the electric mouse sighed softly and went deeper into sleep.

Bella's been exploring since she's been given freedom to roam a zombieless ship again. Lots of strange new places to investigate, to smell, to look at.

Mostly to smell.

The werewolf's wandering all over the ship, investigating new smells and refamiliarizing herself with the conglomerate scent of "crew", now that it has a few new members.

It's also helping her relax. They're here with her. She is not alone. They're like a sort of almost-pack, and that helps her hold on. Things will be okay as long as she isn't alone. Her thoughts are a little agitated still, but she's adapting and moving on.

To anyone else's eyes, there's a wolf wandering around without any sign of a collar or other restraint. She seems calm.

The Sensoriums were meant as a place to get away. To hide from the world and find somewhere else to be. But Obi-Wan didn't need elsewhere so much as anywhere.

Somewhere quiet.

Somewhere still.

So, the inside of the Sensorium is a simple cave system, a curving, undulating, twisting tunnel that continues for an implausibly long time, lined with luminescent crystals. And at the end of that tunnel an enormous, glittering crystal-rimmed chamber and Obi-Wan Kenobi on a dais, in deep meditation. It wasn't the Jedi crystal caves, because that nostalgic pain would have distracted him. It was...an approximation. Not the same, but similar enough to be restful.

With great care, Obi-Wan raised both hands, and the lightsaber before him rose with it, as smooth and perfect as if on rails. Slow click and twist, it came apart to it's component pieces, all save the crystal itself, and hung there. Realigning that key portion would take a lot of work, and Obi-Wan did not wish to be caught unarmed if he needed it before the end of this long, crucial lesson in patience.

Sensing another presence, he opened his eyes. Ben did not smile, but neither did he frown. Without moving, it was as if he beckoned.

"This," He murmured, for somehow this place demanded reverent quiet by it's very presence, "Is a Lightsaber's construction."

"Piiiikaaaaa!" Pikachu called out, glancing around. The pod caverns were huge, and he didn't quite understand how they worked. Actually, he didn't understand how they worked at all, but he was rather limited in options. Stacy took him. Stacy took other Smashers too, right? It made sense. She wouldn't just have left everyone else to ... die. Pikachu ignored the growing lump in his throat, wandering the caverns aimlessly.



"Piiiikaaaachuuu!" He wasn't using his power at all, only shouting, hoping someone would hear. Someone ... Samus, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong. His friends had to hear him. They had to answer. His friends wouldn't leave him all alone.



"Pika?"

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.]

The conversation between the bridge crew, Stacy, and the Admiral is broadcasted where the rest of the crew is in the MedBay, and gathered right outside. Even in the bridge itself, the sound echoes over the monitors so that anyone resistant to psionics can hear Elfangor's side of the conversation.

They have now been told why they were brought to the ship.

Their worlds are gone, destroyed by the Ohm. They are refugees in an unforgiving Omniverse.

Transmigration 9 is an ark.

While Stacy is partially restored, including her core personality (which is far more personable), she is still severely damaged, and running on automatic somewhat. Until the ship can be repaired, podpops will keep occuring and they will be forced to go on missions to undo the damage the Ohm have wrought to the Omniverse. The threat of the being in Escherville is still a threat, one with no immediate solutions.

But they have allies out there, they have an AI watching over them, they have the smallest glinting traces of hope. Their loved ones are (hopefully) on board, and even beyond that, there is may be a chance, however small, of restoring their home universes.

Stacy broadcasts to the entire ship when it's all over, when all has been revealed.

||The bodies of the individuals that died today are being prepared for funeral services. A list of their names will be made available, though I can assure you that none are individuals any of you know. The funeral will be on Obs Deck in several days, and will be announced.||

||Those that wish to have their memories of their rescues restored, as proof their worlds are gone, will have a chance to request this after the services, but without grief counselors on board, I strongly recommend against it.||

||In the meantime, all of us must heal and recover from our ordeal. New areas of the ship have been made available, such as the Crew Lounge, and I have opened up the Crew Quarters for use, and cleared out the belongings of--||

Here she falters, sadness creeping into her voice.

||--of my original crew, so that all of you may sleep more comfortably. These quarters fit two people to a room, and have actual beds and sonic showers. Dining will still be provided in the Mess Hall, with periodic days of real food in the Lounge--they must be spaced out until my food stores are replenished with fresh food products.||

After a moment of thought she says: ||And because I think you've suffered enough, fornicative activities are now allowed--however, both parties must stop by the Medbay for a Contraceptive shot or this will not be allowed. These shots will provide protection for six months and do not protect against venereal disease, but all of you, barring several individuals with certain conditions--|| Like those, say, infected with zombie viruses, Steve ||--are currently disease-free.||

||The ship is now open, and the bridge team can relocate back to the Living Areas. The doors will remain open after they leave the bridge. I must now engage in heavy repairs. My AI will not be quite as available as usual. Please, take time to grieve, rest, and have your wounds treated. We will discuss more when everyone has recovered from this ordeal.||

The undead were pounding at the doors -- all of them, and the windows, and the walls in general for that matter.

The front doors were going to be a problem, though. They zombies were actually breaking through there.

Battle stations everyone!

A mass of zombies has laid seige to the Vatican.

Time to fight for your lives!!!

Stacy jerks and shudders to a sudden stop, likely upsetting more than a few things already upset because the comms have stopped working. And deep down inside Stacy, on the first level, a little section thoughtfully titled "Contagion Containment and Quarantine" spilled open.

Hal 9000 had opened it up. And the things that had been kept there were still alive.

Or at least, they were moving...

Their groans echoed through the lower level as they spilled out of Quarantine 1, shambling and shuffling toward the Hub. The Hub would take them where they wanted to go. And what they wanted to do first was make some new friends.

So they went to the Pod Caverns. Then, after that, the zombies started heading up to the City...

[[OOC: Holy $#%&, Team Left Behind, ZOMBIES. Going to set up some subthreads, please wait until I do! INFO HERE, FIRST SUB-THREAD GO GO GO!]]

The Chief's got the sensoriums up with a shooting range. It's not the one he's called up in the past, this is an outdoor range. There are several different target distances, including the long, long rifle lines for things with considerable scope to them, at the end of the range are some somewhat chewed out hills deep enough to catch most impacts. There's plenty of open space off to one side with some practice dummies for melee training, and plenty of open space in general. It's relatively sunny and the air is fresh, but the weather's an after thought. They needed a range. Chief called one up.

They all have a lot of work cut out for them.

The Chief is in full armor, doing a little quick rifle maintenance before anybody shows up. It's holographic, but it serves his purpose for now.

[OOC: This is a FULLY OPEN post. Subthread all you want. Tag each other, teach each other, ask questions, branch off. It's like a big social thread with guns!]

([Also OOC:] If you need to talk to the Chief, just warning you that I'm a bit swamped right now. I'll get back to you but it'll be a slow process. @_@)

Meet n' Greet, smell my feet, gimme something good to eat! Unfortunately, the newbie meet and greet takes place the same time the command staff is congregating, so they might be a little late to the party.

But the crew is there to welcome the newcomers and explain their situation. At the end of the milling and spilling about, the command staff is going to start a general meeting to apprise everyone of their situation and discuss their next course of action:

Getting off the damn ship.

Even Smashers needed sleep, and Pikachu was no different. The small electric mouse was curled into a ball on one of the bench/couches on the Observation Deck, and a gentle hum could be heard from the Pokemon as he snoozed. Occasionally his tail twitched and his cheeks sparked, as though fighting in his sleep, but nothing major came from it, and Pikachu continued to sleep happily, eagerly accepting the first full sleep he'd had since arriving on the ship.

He couldn't bring himself to sleep in those holes in Stacy, not with the way they looked. Never mind the claustrophobic sensation of being confined; Pikachu just didn't want to chance being slimed again. This way was much easier, and more enjoyable as well. Grinning in his sleep, Pikachu rolled partly on to his back, his body still curled in on itself.

"Chaaa," he sighed, sinking deeper into his enjoyably restful slumber.

Pikachu was fighting for his life.

At least, that's what the simulation was. He hadn't bothered making a holographic Samus, not with the real thing on the ship. Even if she didn't know him, it'd just be creepy to make another version of her. Ridley roared out again, the force of his cry pushing the Pokemon backwards. It was hard hanging on, but Pikachu would rather take a little damage than risk falling off the platform. "PIKACHYUU!" he cried, releasing a massive bolt of lightning at the violet behemoth.

"Piiikachuuuuu!" he continued, the blast of lightning arcing across the sky to collide with the monster before him, knocking it backwards. "Piiika."

Another day, another podpop. The crew and command crew has gathered on Obs Deck to greet the newbs, but right now the atmosphere is tense. People are taking turns on rotations to alternately hunt for Sam--who'd been kept in prison during the trial to present his assassinating the Yeerk-- and guard said parasite so it can have a fair trial. The Jury is in recess, for the moment, but will be deciding the Yeerk's fate very soon. A bunch of new people thrown into the mix is tremendous complication.

Meanwhile, the newbies are waking up to a strange, new world, one unlike anything they may have ever seen before. In the Obs Deck, the light of stars--and parallel universes--streaks past in a sleek, transcendent sheet of multi-colored lights in the large, eye-like windows. (They're inside the eyes, looking out, it seems). The statue in the center of the room, going up the domed ceiling is intimidating--and seems to be looking at them.

The tension is palpable, though a few individuals are trying to cut through it with friendliness for the benefit of the scared and bewildered new people now waking up from their gooey slumber.

[ooc: Newbie Helpers List | Instructions: Post your character with one post establishing them as being podpopped. 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... )