∞ 03 28 ∞

[cruciblemods]

[static. just a short burst over the Sphere Network. it's almost an hour before anything else happens.

but it comes again. static. longer this time. about thirty minutes pass before it returns, but when it does, it doesn't stop this time. the picture wavers, bending and distorting, but through it all a figure can be seen, sprawled in what appears to be the wreckage of one of the rooms within the Crucible.

it's difficult to see who it is through all the interference, but the voice is unmistakably Commander Orion's]

T-They...they're all...

They're all dead, and it's--...I tried. But he...the murderer...

[the prone figure attempts to move, to stand, but collapses after only a few moments of effort. there are dark stains on his suit, and the helmet is cracked. the voice cracks with it]

It's all his fault! He deserves this! That stupid, egotistical, self-serving old man--[coughs cause the body to shudder. he moans, pain clear. for a time it seems he won't speak again, until:]

If...if anyone can hear me. I-I...I'm the...pilot of the...

If you can find me, you can...try and save yourselves. The ship just needs a sample. Everyone else is dead. You're the only ones left. You're different, so you might be able to...survive, somehow. There are theories that say you could. Guesses. Hopes.

It's the only chance you have.

[the strenth seems to go out of him, and the commander's voice fades]

All his fault...


Details

No beating around the bush this time. Characters have one chance to save at least some of their number. When the game resets this number will be in possession of something very special, which I will reveal at the new cycle's start! The way to do this is as follows:


• Find Commander Orion. He is somewhere in the housing section of the Crucible. The wreckage can now be entered, through I warn you now, it's a very trecherous place. Flooding, electrical fires, chemical contamination, and dangerous structural collapse make it a very scary place to travel in. Many of the hallways are inaccessible, pitted with holes - both made by the crash and by whatever mysterious force is causing the planet to disappear - covered in debris, or otherwise made exceptionally dangerous. However, characters can still try to find the commander by any means possible. However! There is an extra risk involved.

• Characters have only one chance to find the commander. He's in one of the rooms listed in the Locations/Housing post. This is a guessing game of sorts; a character may check one room, but the second one they attempt to enter will be nothing but empty black space, which they will then be sucked into. They will be effectively taken OUT of the game until the new game starts, which will be on Wednesday, the 25th. There are no exceptions to this rule. This basically means that a failed first guess makes the second guess automatically wrong! This also means that the location of the commander may change in the event that someone's second guess happened to be the one he was originally in. All this amounts to is that he's going to then be in one of the as-yet unchecked rooms. The commander will not be moved to any room that anyone has checked on their first or second guess. So if you keep a running tally of which rooms have been checked, you have a better chance of finding him!

• All checks must have the label [Best Guess 1 OR 2] in the subject line of the journal entry. Entries that are not labeled will not be taken into account! If an entry does in fact find the commander, I will reply to that entry with the mod account in-character as Commander Orion, with further details as to what is to happen next! For those making attempts, a few things you should keep in mind: the possibility of losing your character until the reset, which five(5) people you would like to bring along if you DO manage to get on the ship (making for a grand total of six). Why not twelve, or more? The reason why will be revealed if anyone can guess the right room!

Characters can, of course, make only one guess, then give up, or not make any guesses at all! If no one finds the commander, then the game will reset in the normal fashion. If someone does, then there will be six characters that will have an extra something when the cycle begins again. What this something does for the game is, at this time, a secret, but much like the last Quick-Time Event, whether or not the commander is found will alter the events of the game from this point on. Just remember that 1) the interior of the ship is very dangerous, so injuries and deaths are entirely possible, 2) you need to label all attempts, 3) the second guess will result in the loss of your character for this cycle, and 4) you do NOT have to do this if you don't want to!

As for the rest of the planet, the area that characters have to work with is getting steadily smaller. Black can be seen on each horizon and there is no longer a day or night; just a continuing, ominous dimness. The black hole remains completely visible in the sky and particles and very small, light items, just as bits of dirt and dust and paper, have started to lift off the planet and towards the sky. It's possible to feel the tug of gravity and the howling wind that has started to blow seems to tilt upwards.

The stipulation on death stated in this post remains in place, with the only new exception being checking a second room, which will automatically remove your character from the game. Things you'll be wanting to think about are still up in this post, so I advise everyone to have their plans for next cycle thought out before Tuesday!

Also, this is my official return from vacation! o/ I will be getting back to the usual duties, which include opening up apps come Wednesday as well!

If you have any questions about the endgame, the quick-time event, or anything else, please ask them here!