When he had been sedated and placed into the pods, Daimon Hellstrom's heart felt as though it were on fire. When he woke the pain had spread to his entire body. He had been released into one of the halls but he couldn't stand again. He didn't even have the strength to stay on his hands and knees and collapsed onto the floor.

"No." He whispered.

Daimon heard Stacy's gentle, encouraging voice in his head but not listening. He couldn't make out the words.

It was impossible to focus on anything but the pain. He couldn't remember where he'd been before now. He tried to clear his mind and focus but it was useless.

"Months," the word kept running through his mind. Why?

You're dying. And with the realization came other memories. His weakness, his chest pains, all symptoms he had ignored for as long as he could until he saw Dr. Hussain. Somehow, he knew he was dying. He could feel it but until she said "less than six months" he hadn't realized how quickly it was all happening.

Now that time was gone. He had spent it in the pods as Stacy tried in vain to heal him.

Daimon clawed at the floor but even his attempts to crawl failed.

Not yet. God, please not yet. Patsy. Let me see Patsy one more time.

[[OOC: Bendy time back to Lirath during this thread]]

Daimon did not volunteer for the front lines. He couldn't in his condition and it was against the advice of his doctor. But he knew that there would still be danger and he was right. The Catastrophists (if they were on Earth Daimon would have wondered if they chose their name at the same meeting as the Legion of Nihilists) had been brought on board alongside refugees and now was when they chose to strike.

Dealing with the Catastrophists didn't concern Daimon at first. He quickly reevaluated that judgment. His soulfire was fading and he found it more and more difficult to control it. If only those accursed refugees would run faster out of the way.

 As the battle raged outside, those remaining aboard Stacy had their hands full preparing for the incoming flood of refugees.

Positioned near the Bleed-Gate orbiting Lirath, Stacy stood ready to receive the refugees. Ship after ship ascended as quickly as they could, some of them making a break for the Bleed-Gate itself while the smaller ships were forced to dock at Stacy, unloading their cargo of refugees before setting off again for the planet's surface again to take on more passengers.

Several small units of GIA soldiers were also sent up to help the Transmigration crew take in the massive amount of refugees, many of whom were tired, wounded, and scared. It wouldn't take long for the ship to begin filling with people.

With the battle raging outside, and the Ohm clambering outside, trying to get in, it would be a tall order to keep all of the refugees safe and calm, but the crew didn't have much choice.

[ooc: Open!]

The day had finally arrived for her big event, and Starfire couldn't be happier---or more nervous, actually. She was certainly not an expert on the inner workings of a prom, but it couldn't be too terribly complicated, right? As long as the people could eat, dance, and talk, it should be a reasonable success.

With that in mind, her decorations sprung from her mind into the large dome all around her, transforming a grey Sensorium into a beautiful underwater world, one with clear waters and free from the possibility of a shark attack.
( Diving into a underwater wonderland... )

Daimon fought with himself the entire walk to Medbay. He had put this off long enough- too long, really. If there was anything that could be done for him then his delay only hurt his chances. But if, as he felt in his heart, there was nothing...

It was easier, in a way, not knowing for certain. He could ignore the failings of his body, rationalize them away. He could continue his relationship with Patsy without fearing how it might end. He could make plans for the future. But inside he knew the truth, he knew what was happening, and he couldn't pretend anymore.

And so Daimon Hellstrom arrived in Medbay not early for his appointment but on time- or as close as you could come to it on Stacy.

Near the entrance to Hydroponics - she had actually never ventured deeply into it - Patsy Walker sat and concentrated on a single, pale yellow flower on a bush. It wasn't a flower she could identify, but it was pretty, and Patsy figured that this was a good flower to practice her fledgling telekinesis powers on. She narrowed her eyes, wishing that this was the sort of thing that she could have practiced in GLaDOS, instead of the stuff that GLaDOS had her doing. The flower budged, just a little bit, and then stopped. Patsy growled. She really had run out of practice since the time she'd been here.

Mostly because I've been busy doing other things, she thought to herself. Other things, beyond the whole GLaDOS thing, namely meant one Daimon Hellstrom. Who I haven't seen since we did...that...some time ago. Gotta fix that.

She sighed, stood up, and ran a quick hand through her long, red hair. She stretched, plucked the flower from its stem, and tucked it behind her ear. She'd fiddle with that later. For now, she was going to go hunt down Daimon.

"And hear this, woman: your tyranny will be brought down some day, as all tyranny should!"

That's being broadcast into the immediate air by the Chancellor's transmitter as the dragon-man himself suddenly finds himself deposited back into the normal passageways of the ship.

He had fed and cared for the animals. He had spent some time on the machine -- there were still pieces missing; he would have to talk to engineering.

Now the Chancellor was back in the basilica and surrounding 'Vatican' areas, cleaning and repairing. At the moment, he was fixing the wall near the statue of St. Michael. He had his bed ready in one of the peripheral buildings near the basilica, but he was not tired yet. He could get a great deal done today.

When Daimon Hellstrom was finally released- or rather spat out- by GLaDOS, he took it rather well.

"Wretched harpy!"

Relatively speaking.

Daimon grabbed his trident, which had fallen a foot away from him. "After all you forced me to do, you still will not give me ca- aaugh." With no further warning he was overcome by a sharp pain in his heart- a pain so severe it caused the son of Satan to fall to his knees, clutching his chest. "Nnn..." He closed his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to steady his breathing. And then, just as quickly, the pain was gone.

He opened his eyes and looked down at his chest, as if that would somehow give him a clue to what had happened. His birthmark was gone, as was his darksoul. Had its departure taken a greater toll on his body than he realized? Or was it more of GLaDOS's machinations?

To Buffy Anne Summers, it seemed like the only reason she'd been podpopped in the first place was to have been placed in GLaDOS right away, forced to run mazes and the like. It was an experience that had somewhat reminded Buffy of her eighteenth birthday, when Giles had secretly sedated her powers away so that she'd have to fight a vampire all on her lonesome. The Cruciamentum, the Council of Watchers had called it.

Okay, so it wasn't that unfortunate of an experience, but still. Forced testing does not a happy Slayer make.

She brushed back her hair and stared up at the statues in the art hall. As much as she did not want to be, she was mystified by them. Buffy hadn't run across them before, but she was quickly figuring out that they depicted the scenes from one's life. At the moment, it was showing Buffy when she was powerless and running away from some thugs, on the night of her Cruciamentum.

Because that's something I definitely wanted to be reminded of, she thought dryly.

Finally, though, the Slayer forced herself to turn away from the statues. Enough taunting. I need food. Or something.

Cargn, having been part of the crew for far longer than anyone else, knew a lot of useful secrets the ship held.

For example, it was a little known fact that the Sensoriums were the best place in the ship to perform psychic research, as psychic energy flowed more freely within their walls.

"Stacy," he said, walking into one of the Sensoriums, "Initiate program 788-291-Primaris."

The room changed, becoming a featureless white room, and the tall robed figure of Cargn placed the blue wooden box in his hands on the ground in front of him. He knelt down, opening the box and retrieving the crystalline sphere that was the Map, obtained during the previous mission.

He lifted the Map up, allowing it to float in mid-air thanks to the invisible force field provided by Stacy.

"Establish a psycholine and begin monitoring any changes. Make sure to record all the data as well."

Numerous holographic screens suddenly appeared, surrounding Cargn, each one displaying a dizzying array of data. Satisfied his preparations were complete, he placed his hands on either side of the Map, and began to concentrate, establishing a psychic connection between himself and the sphere before him.

Lines of energy, like miniature bolts of lightning, jumped from the sphere to Cargn's fingertips, causing him to wince slightly. Blood began to slowly drip from his nose, but he paid no attention to that.

The serious look on his face as he delved into the secrets of the Map mirrored his conviction as he pressed on despite the pain. He knew that this one task would bring him one major step forward towards his own goals. He would not allow himself to fail in this.

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!]

Stacy's voice came over the comm, blaring across the entire ship.

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

The mouth in the main sculpture on Obs Deck opened, revealing a screen with the image of a mottled blue and purple planet, rotating slowly.
( Read more... )

Time for another mission, then.

[[OOC: Closed to the people on the exorcist list but please do not comment until Daimon sends for them.]]

After possibly hours of chasing after his darksoul, Daimon came to a stop in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. He could sense its presence inside but why? Why return to a site that, though uprooted from its world, still held strong spiritual power? Daimon could think of several reasons. The darksoul might have returned to mock his faith- highly likely. There was another possibility, one that was not precluded by the other.

The darksoul chose this place to take a stand, to exercise his full power. In which case he was now in the Vatican to show that he had the power to withstand any future attacks. It was a warning- enter at your own risk.

Daimon opened the door and stepped inside. He thought he was prepared for whatever faced him next. He could not be more mistaken.

[[OOC: This right here is required reading if you're going to tag. OOC organization is here

For too long the firstborn son of Satan's demonic soul had been trapped, denied his rightful control over Daimon's body. Now, thanks to Mei-Xing, he was finally free. The next course of action was obvious- he would have to take control of one of the beings on this ship. He could start with the vulnerable and move on to the more powerful. He had to act fast before that fool recovered. Fortunately he needn't go very far. The city was full of potential victims.

Now, now. Who to possess first?

Daimon was taking his dog for a walk in the city. The young puppy had grown, although he was still small. He hadn't taken well to Daimon's disappearance during the Fairplay mission. To be perfectly honest, the feeling was mutual.

For now, Daimon let the pup wander off as some scent caught its interest. He was standing there, clad only in the bottom half of a plantsuit. The inverted pentacle birthmark on his chest, the symbol of his unholy heritage, plain for all to see.

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 tall man in green armor 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.]

They had all changed back. They had their memories again, although they still remember most of their fake lives, but those memories now seemed as hazy and false as they were.

They were themselves again. The problem with that is that it meant much of the group transformed back into draconians, Vikings, mutants, and other people that just generally did not fit into Fairplay at all. Even those that looked normal, their families and the people they interacted with every day now realized their minds have been altered by something and that the meatcrew hadn't always been there.

While some of their fake families still wanted to help, others recoiled in horror, and the townspeople had started to turn against them, terrified of the strangers in their midst. These people were something other, something that had been planted in the town right under their noses, obviously aliens or some other horrifying thing. Shot guns were being grabbed out of cabinets, people were snagging flashlights, and the night air around the town rang with cries of anger and panic.

The authorities had been called and the police were amassing the entire town police force to try to control the situation while they waited for the National Guard to come in--yes, the National Guard.

All the while, the group was almost drawn by instinct to a place in the woods, that could be reached by crossing some fields, a clearing, that somehow they knew would lead the way home. They might straggle in by themselves, or paired up with others, but in any case, somehow they all knew that was where they were supposed to go...

And then they got there, they found a fire burning right in the middle of the clearing, ringed with blue, and with no source of fuel, just floating the in the air, spreading a glow through the clearing. On the one hand, it was a horrible floating, deadly fire. On the other hand, some instinct they all shared, some indistinct notion was telling them this was somehow the way home.

Whatever they decided to do, they had to do it soon, because the angry voices were getting closer.

[ooc: More subthreads will be added, but since the reaction of the townspeople kinda depends on what the group is like when they arrive, I'm letting those subthreads happen first.]

It was inevitable for all of them. Something would push them, there would be cracks, and then the truth would find its way in.

How it changed for each of them would be different, but the end result would be the same.

The world would change.

Because they would change.

[ooc: I figured out a really good way to organize this with help from chat rather than a big messy communal post or spamming the comm with individual posts. Post each character with a blank tag with just the character's name in the subject. Underneath it, run as many subthreads for events as you need to set up for your specific character's change back. Hiccup's will be up as an example.]