thisavrou_log | ( april intro log )

Entry tags:

( april intro log )

Who: Everyone
When: April 1st and on
Where: The Moira + Del Pascia
What: The crew finds themselves visiting the correctional facility of Del Pascia.
Warnings: Mentions of blood. Please label your content!

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slammed & counted
"I feel liberated when I'm doing it, and I want other people to feel liberated through it."

The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay.

Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. This process consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters.

With the combined efforts of the crew, the terror plaguing the ship has been successfully removed from the Moira. Yet, it doesn’t come without consequences. Aside from the overall state of those aboard the ship, the Moira itself has taken considerable damage across various sections. Overall functionality seems stable for now, but with necessary repairs to be made and few supplies to actually make them with, the Captains have set a course for any nearby planet with the hope of finding what they need. However, that is much closer than it appears. As new arrivals begin coming through the Ingress, a message is received by those in the Tower and broadcast to everyone:
Please be advised. Your vessel is now entering Restricted Space. As per penal code 65208-A, only authorized personnel are to be admitted beyond this point. If necessary, further assistance will be provided once docked.
As there is little choice, the Captains instruct Navigation to proceed with caution. All transporters will be required to assist in taking those who volunteer to the main hub.

WELCOME TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITY DEL PASCIA

Del Pascia is one of many facilities across the universe built to maintain and rehabilitate its inhabitants. With a combined populace of both prisoners and employed civilians, it functions as both prison and living quarters. The central section of Del Pascia is divided into multiple floors that branch out into subdivisions of the facility—clearly and precisely labeled. For those contracted to work in the prison, Del Pas Main is home. There are cafeterias, common areas for exercise and general downtime, divided residences, and work stations. Beyond this area, each remaining wing of Del Pascia separates into cell blocks A through F with similar facilities available to the inmates. Varying degrees of criminals are brought to Del Pascia, ranging from maximum security to juvenile offenders, and security differs depending on which block is visited.

Yet, there is something peculiar about this prison upon further investigation: there are no living persons within Del Pascia. The AI, which runs and oversees all of Del Pascia, has made arrangements with the Moira so that those who wish may board and take what is needed to begin repairs. This program, while generally polite in nature, goes simply by the name D-E-L.

☄ ENJOY YOUR STAY ... IN PRISON

Those who choose to go to Del Pascia will find themselves greeted by D-E-L. It has already agreed to terms with the Captains, allowing crew to strip nonessential supplies that aren’t needed since the station’s crew and prisoners were relocated due to funding cuts. The only condition placed upon this agreement is that any crew wishing to explore must undergo a mandatory decontamination before proceeding through the rest of Del Pascia. This process takes only minutes and is guaranteed to cause no physical side effects. Following this simple procedure, exploration is open with only warnings to be careful about damaging key systems. It is important to note that there are various security cameras located throughout the correctional facility, and it is not uncommon for D-E-L to comment or show concern for those exploring parts of Del Pascia.

☄ DEATH BECOMES YOU

There is salvage to be found in all parts of the facility, including the cell blocks and infirmaries of the prison wings. However, there is something odd about these sectors, a strange charge in the air that follows you as you search for anything useful to bring back to the Moira. Perhaps it is the eyes of D-E-L watching? But then, after an indiscernible amount of time, it's like a switch is flipped. Suddenly, you are wearing your sins where anyone but you can see. For however much death you have wrought or committed, there will be blood on your hands—perhaps even further than that. This bizarre occurrence will appear as an almost digital skin and will not vanish until outside the cell blocks. If exploring the infirmaries for supplies, any and all health stats throughout your life will be visible and easy to read by anyone who happens to take an interest.

For those who have killed once or twice, they might find a red stain on their hands, but the higher the kill count will result in larger proportions of blood covering their arms and, in extreme cases, perhaps their entire body. The blood will vanish once you have left the prison wing, though you may occasionally see a flicker of the image while anywhere on the station. The same goes for health stats viewed in infirmary sections of Del Pascia.

☄ WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?

Del Pascia is a very large station and has been abandoned for quite some time. D-E-L will regretfully inform anyone who asks that some nonessential areas have fallen into disrepair. It will warn that exploring these areas can be risky as it has no knowledge of what damage these sections have taken. Regardless of that, if you venture in, you’ll find that these sections are in rather bad shape. Exposed wiring sparks in the walls, a great variety of broken tools are thrown about, and it seems that every camera has been purposely broken. Venturing in further will yield valuable components for salvage, and yet... as before, you suspect you aren’t alone. It isn’t often, but sometimes, you might hear a step falling moments after yours or a rattle coming from the vents. Every time you go to investigate... whatever made the noise is gone.

Should the AI be queried about this, D-E-L will emphasize that all personnel and prisoners were removed and that there is no one on board except crew from the Moira.

( ooc; For questions, go here. All players, please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Maskless, a hell of a lot less groggy and freaked out than she was the last time she was in the med bay, Tali's in the med bay partly to see if anyone needs help with the equipment...but mostly because she's apparently still a hypochondriac and she wants someone to tell her to go away and stop worrying. Hearing that officially is always good, especially when you just got dragged out of stasis a few days early by toothed-robots.

Anyway, she's passing by the curtain when Shepard walks right into her, and at first Tali has almost no reaction at all.] Sorry, Shepard. Hey, I was wondering if--

[And then, giving the commander the once-over,] Why the engineering uniform?

[Because Shepard's worked in the med bay for months...right?]

Edited (i accidentally a few words) 2016-04-02 17:07 (UTC)

[Shepard freezes, caught completely off guard — and for a rare moment, at a loss for words.

She fumbles momentarily with her bundle, finally shoving it under her left arm, using the right to wave her hand over her own face slowly, her expression a combination of joy, confusion, and complete exhaustion.

After about a microsecond of this, she realizes it is completely stupid, stops, and instead manages to choke out:]

Tali... no mask?

[Tali blinks at the gesture, brows furrowing a little - then she squints at the commander.]

No, of course not - I mean, I wear it in Engineering, but only because of the...

[...noise, and what makes her trail off is looking closely at Shepard. She looks wiped out, and there's a mix of emotions playing across her face that Tali can't quite pinpoint.]

What's wrong? Are you OK?

[But she's looking at the bundle Shepard's holding now, and a realisation is slowly, slowly starting to take form in her mind.]

[She shakes her head, mind running a mile a millisecond.]

No—I mean, I am. But this is taking me a minute, I'm sorry. [She laughs shortly, but there's no humor in it, just confusion.] It's been a long day. [And it's time to start asking some Shepard Questions©!]

Tali, how long have you been here? I just arrived.

[She has one more question, but it's trickier to phrase, because it doesn't actually make any sense:]

So I wouldn't know the answer to your questions. [beat; a shadow of worry rests on her brows as they furrow.] Would I?

Edited 2016-04-04 04:14 (UTC)

[...Turns out she was right. Well, she's seen more than one version of other people before. Why wouldn't it happen with Shepard? Why wouldn't Shepard be unlucky enough to beat all the odds?

She can feel herself go cold then hot all at once looking at Shepard. She tries to speak. Stops because she doesn't know what to say exactly. Then,]

I've been here for seven months now. [She can't help sounding apologetic. In one sentence she's just told her exactly how much there is to catch her up on.

And some of it can't be put off.] There's, ah... There's a couple of things I need to tell you before we go anywhere.

[Before they possibly leave the room and run right into Shepard's other-universe self.]

[Seven months? Half her mind folds in on itself, attempting to comprehend the incomprehensible, while the other half waves the "Arrival FAQ" desperately over its head.

Different points in time. Suspended time theory. It's one thing to hear it, it's another kettle of fish entirely experiencing it first-hand. She runs a hand across her forehead and eyes, finally letting it drop down by her side.]

Okay.

[She inclines her head towards the curtain she just changed behind, slips back behind it, and takes a seat on the chair she'd been previously using as her dressing table, bundle carefully placed beside. There was something in Tali's voice that had her on edge again, but how, she couldn't quite pinpoint. How did the old saying go? "You'll probably want to sit down for this."

Leaning back in the chair, she lets her hands rest on her knees, and tries to will her body to relax as much as it can, with limited success. Her expression is unguarded, exhaustion shown clearly, but sharp regardless.]

Okay. Hit me.

[If anything, this has driven her mild hypochondria right out of her head. It's the little things she has to be grateful for.

When Shepard sits, Tali stands before her for a moment, bouncing on her toes nervously. The commander looks more vulnerable than Tali's ever seen her, here, on the Neheda or at home, and it puts her on edge even as she mentally steels herself. She's going to have to play the strong one here. Or at least, the one who knows what she's talking about.]

You read Bruce's leaflet, right? [She's Shepard, of course she did.] It talks about the many universes theory and there being different timelines and versions of ourselves. So there's a version of me where you're from, a version of you where I'm from...

And a version of you here already.

[Shepard blinks, looks Tali in the eye (Tali's never been a difficult read, but there's no hint of a lie in her unmasked expression), blinks again, and tilts her head to the side, like a dog listening for a distant sound.

Like, a punchline, or something.]

Hold on.

I was with you until the last part. Tali, are you saying there's another me on board this ship? Right now?

[Alternate universes. Alternate Shepards. It wasn't impossible. But...

And I thought I'd seen the last of this with my clone...]

Are you positive?

[One day Tali might master the art of lying, but it certainly hasn't happened in her year-and-a-half away from home. She can see Shepard looking at her searchingly, and she's not sure if the...other commander is looking for a lie or a punchline.

She wishes she could offer up either one.]

Positive. She's been here for a while, now. Not as long as I have, but a few months.

[And... because she's told the other Shepard that the Neheda at least existed:] I was on another ship before this. Unless you remember a ship called the Neheda, you're the... Ah, you're the third Shepard I've met since I left home.

[The words don't feel as bizarre as she expected they would. Not as wrong. But this Shepard clearly doesn't remember the CDC either, and Tali's glad for it. Maybe she'd once hoped her best friend would have been here with the same memories as her, but now she doesn't want Shepard to ever have to think about the CDC. It's destroyed part of Tali, and that part of Shepard is still intact. And should stay that way. If she can help it.]

[Shep nods, taking in the information, expression carefully neutral as she rolls it around, digesting it, dissecting it.

"Not as long as I have"...]

I've never heard of a ship called the Neheda, so I guess that locks me in as lucky number three. [She answers genially, despite the statement itself sounds absolutely ludicrous, but skates over it. She continues easily, fixing her eyes on the middle distance just beyond Tali's left shoulder.] I came here directly from—

[And here, there's a clear catch. But in the half-second it takes her to correct course, there's a glimpse—a look of incommunicable quandary—that clouds Shepard's vision momentarily, threatening to swallow her—

—before she's back to herself again, tired, but ever-tireless, Shepard.]

—our universe. [It's a lame finish, but true, without a hint of a quiver in her voice. She turns her eyes back on Tali's face, searching her expression.]

How long have you been away?

[She can't suppress the relief that passes over her features at hearing for sure that Shepard didn't come via the Neheda, just came straight from...

...She can't read the expression on Shepard's face, only that just for a moment, something is preying on her mind, but just as quickly, it's gone, leaving Tali to watch her carefully, that spark of worry in her gut building up slow momentum.]

To tell you the truth, I don't know for sure. Days on the Neheda were 72 hours long, and I lost track at some point. Then we landed on a planet where they were 48 hours long, no ship contact, and I had no idea anymore.

I was on the Neheda longer than I've been here, though, I think. I'm pretty sure. [Her sudden scoff of laughter is a little sad.] I lost track of birthdays as well. I've started guessing my age.

[Shepard nods as she listens, her face softening considerably. Tali's bad days had a habit of bringing out a protective sibling side of her (despite her status as an only child), and not being able to help her, support her in any way through them, was a thought that didn't sit well. It wasn't as if Tali couldn't support herself—she was an adult, after all, a fully-fledged pilgrimage-accomplished member of the admiralty—but a shade of guilt sat in her stomach nonetheless.

I hope the other... me? has been helping. But even that felt like cold comfort. Exhausted though she may be, it was time to stop wallowing, and start moving.

She rolls her shoulders, taking a proper look at Tali, a small smile cracking on her lips.]

Guessing your age, huh? Have you been rounding down, or up?

[By all accounts, she doesn't look much older than she did when Shepard had last seen her, mask-less, on Rannoch. Could she be from a different time...? She puts her elbows on her knees, and lets her head rest on her hands, mulling the situation over.]

This is a lot to take in, Tali. I have a lot of questions, to put it mildly. But I know this place has us working jobs, though, and I don't want to get you into any kind of trouble, if you're busy.

Edited (I FORGOT A TITLE) 2016-04-12 02:45 (UTC)

I'm off duty, don't worry about it. [She waves a hand dismissively. Even if she had been on duty, she wouldn't exactly be going back now.] The engines are fine without me for a few hours at a time.

[Then she grins, briefly flashing sharp canines.] If anybody asks, I'll be 24 forever.

[...And speaking of...] By the way, ah... I don't know what the last thing you remember from home is, but I was on Haestrom, in geth space. I've found out - from Garrus, Joker...you... some of what happened after that, but I didn't live through it.

[She breathes out a laugh, and nods.] Thanks, Tali — and your secret's safe with me.

[That answered the time question — and replaced it with about a dozen more.]

Garrus and Joker? Was this here, or the other ship?

[And Haestrom? It felt like a millennium had passed since then. Tali had been... what had she been doing? Something about its sun, and how strangely it had been acting. She remembers the radiation, at least, ripping through her shields like wet paper. Shepard had been working with Cerberus at the time. But that meant...]

So as far as you know, you never joined us aboard the Normandy SR-2. [She'd wondered about Tali being from a different time, but the reality of it, beyond stated age, blindsided her.] A lot has happened for me since we got in contact with you on Haestrom, Tali. It's been more than a year. How much do you know? Maybe I can fill in the gaps. We could trade questions.

I saw you on Freedom's Progress, and then I went to Haestrom right after we dropped off Veetor and the others. We'd been there for a couple of weeks. [She pauses with a small laugh.] You probably know that already.

But I haven't been on board the SR-2. Joker - back on the other ship, yeah - tried to requisition it, but he hadn't got it when I came here.

Actually... I didn't even know you contacted me on Haestrom. I just assumed I joined you once we were done. [She stops to consider this for a moment.] There's a lot I don't know - and a lot I just didn't get to piece together.

[And here they are talking about it in a Medbay.] Do you want to go somewhere else? The mess hall, or I can just give you a tour.

[Talk about playing catch-up.] Yeah. I'm happy to tell you anything you want to know about, especially if it'll help connect the dots of some of the random things you've been told already. [Thanks, big-mouthed unhelpful squad that she loves.]

A tour sounds good, actually. Let me drop this stuff off at my room, [She pats the bundle beside her] and we can meet up after for a look around. I imagine this ship is a little bigger than the Normandy.

"It's a little bit bigger." It's a glib understatement, but it's from someone who never set for aboard the SR-2.

The tour takes them to Shepard's room and then up and down the decks, and as they walk, they talk. It's the most Tali's talked with Shepard - any Shepard - in a long time, she realises with a sad sort of jolt. But it's a sadness that doesn't last long, as she talks more and more freely - chatters, even - about the ship, the trouble it can't keep out of.

She skims over Cadacus Primary, steers the conversation on in a way that has to be obvious, but right now it's for a pretty good reason.

And Shepard manages to fill in gaps that she's gotten used to just having in her knowledge. The Collectors; the end of the Haestrom mission; the batarian system; what's happened to Earth.

And...

"Garrus tried to explain the heretic geth, but I don't remember him doing a very good job." Or maybe Tali just didn't want to listen. "That... It makes some sense. It explains why they finally came out from the Perseus Veil, anyway."

Even in difficult situations, talking to Tali had always come easily. Now, with the displacement of coming through the Ingress, Shepard finds that talking to her, filling in all those blank spaces, is one of the best normalizing panacea she could have hoped for.

As they walk and chat, she wonders why no one bothered to tell her most of this. Not important? Sparing her the details, to save complications? If she's reproachful, she doesn't let on. There's too much to cover, even with only the bare-bones details. She tells Tali of her role in the suicide mission against the Collectors, how she'd been their duct crawler, and a pivotal part of the team. Her memories of Haestrom, their valiant stand, Kal'Reegar's command especially impressing her. Talking about the solo mission on Aratoht is a halting conversation, one she doesn't tell much herself, although everyone knew the outcome. But it feels good, somehow. Good to talk — and better, talking to Tali.

"It explained a lot. Reaper code indoctrination not only explained the sudden appearance beyond the veil, but also their mindless loyalty to Saren and Sovereign, as well as the husks being seemingly connected to geth appearance. Meeting Legion really turned things upside down for a lot of us, including you." Shepard shook her head, thinking about their first meeting — and their last. "Made me feel like a fool for ever doubting Admiral Zaal'Koris' stance on their sentience."

It's only the barebones, but it helps. It's not just scattered details anymore; she has an order of things in her mind now. It all fits better. That's something to be grateful for.

"I heard about Legion, a little," she said. "I just didn't get that either. A geth platform with over a thousand programs on board. I heard about them and didn't know what you were thinking." She looks at Shepard a little sheepishly. "Sorry."

But then she purses her lips. "But Zaal'Koris thinks we should just surrender, give up. I didn't even think he really thought peace would be possible."

Shepard waves away Tali's apology almost immediately. "I didn't know what I was thinking myself at the time, but I knew he'd defended us, and I wanted to know why. I've put myself in trickier situations for less reward. Legion was a big chance, but I'm glad I took it."

Listening to Tali, her eyes cloud over briefly, a moment of reflection before she answers.

"It's funny you say that. First time I met him, I was pretty shocked to meet — what I thought — was a Quarian Geth sympathiser. It seemed ridiculous. I'd been under fire from Geth so many times at that point, my first reaction was that he just wasn't being realistic with the situation." She shakes her head. "But hearing Legion's side of things changed that. What Koris wanted wasn't to give up, or surrender — it was reparations, and treating Geth like fellow sentient beings that Quarians had wronged, not just mindless machines. And that was before he ever met a Geth not filled with Reaper coding."

"He was no coward. After all, it's no mean feat to hold on to and truly believe in a minority view against the opposing majority for so long — and he did it while still commanding the respect of his ship and peers. I think, more than anyone else on the Admiralty board, Koris was the one who dreamed of peace between your two races." Here, she nudges Tali, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "Well, except for you... Madam Admiral."

She nods along with Shepard. She'd never thought Zaal'Koris a coward - not to the extent of Han'Gerrel, whose vitriol grew along with the number of objections Koris made to to all of Gerrel's more aggressive ideas. He's certainly not a bad leader - he's more popular than Gerrel by a long way. She just doesn't agree with him - or didn't, though her personal opinion has never been one that's mattered. She's been able to keep her own opinions of the geth and never have them affect anyone but--

"Huh-- what?" She double-takes almost comically as she looks around at Shepard, squinting uncertainly, like she's trying to see what exactly Shepard meant by that. After a second, she realises it was just a joke and scoffs. "Keelah, can you imagine it? That would work out terrible. I don't know who'd hate it more, me or everybody else."

She's laughing, shaking her head. The idea is something so far out of her imagining it's never even occurred to her. Her father's the admiral - she's the daughter who doesn't match up. It's just how things are.

"It's more you hating it, on account of all the other Admirals acting like... well, themselves," She continues, smile unabated, "but it's not working out so bad. Under your assisted command, we disabled the Reaper's signal, won back Rannoch, and made peace with the Geth."

Shepard reaches out, putting one hand solidly on Tali's shoulder, looking her in the eye. "You make a good Admiral, Tali'Zorah."

Tali's laughing, but Shepard's still smiling like she's serious, like Tali leading the quarian people isn't the ridiculous concept Tali herself sees it for. Her own smile fades, and for a moment it leaves in its wake a hurt that feels like picking an old, scabbed over wound.

She can still remember so many things about back home so vividly she's woken from dreams expecting to be back in the old converted cargo bay she grew up in. Sometimes in those dreams, the shadow of her father is so deep as to be a real physical presence - the only presence he leaves at all. She remember the shadow of Rael'Zorah better than the man sometimes. But what she knows for sure is that she's not him - and only being away from the fleet has given her the chance to stop caring about that anymore.

"Maybe that happened where you're from, Shepard," she says finally, and there's still that ghost of an incredulous laugh in her voice. "But it's not me. Not... I don't know, not this version of me."

But for a shining moment, she can see herself growing to fill that shadow - matching her father. Being just as good as him, or even, perhaps - a thought too dangerous to keep for more than an instant - better.

"Really?" she says, though, betraying herself after an uncertain pause. "I was really going to be an Admiral?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( april intro log )

1 hoarse screaming

come to my arms sweet bff

runs across a field of flowers

slow motion embrace

PHONE TAGS LIKE AN HTMLLESS BOSS

ROLLS ALL OVER THIS TAG LIKE A HAPPY DOG

ROLLS ON TOP OF

picks ur wedgie

but the exploding buttocks!

like two imperium crystals, they can never touch

it's poetic, in a way

YOU'RE POETRY IN MOTION BABY

HOW COULD YOU, TITLES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT

PUNISHMENT WILL BE SWIFT (also I read titles as something else)

a better reading tbh

Titties ARE the most important

MOBILE PROSE yeeaaahh

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