∝Transmission 014: A Matter of Taste

[gauntletmods]

[just like before, all lights in the First's base cut out and the Alliance crew all collapse to the ground.]

[and just as suddenly, all of the crew members awake to find themselves in the ships (and some, back in their mecha) again, precisely where they were just before their capture. disorienting as this is after two weeks of captivity, it's as though they never left. the only evidence that they were ever gone, aside from the odd injury or two from collapsing to the ground, appears scant minutes later as the red, grinning DIVA appears on the Sphere network]

Congratulations, you've just completed--

[the image crackles, a static buzz breaking up her voice as the image flickers to blackness. after a pause, the image of DIVA is restored, once more in the soothing blue she originally had been]

Attention all non-commissioned and field-enlisted personnel. This is DIVA. The malicious virus that had quarantined me in a small sector of my own memory has been purged from my systems at last. [if one is listening closely, DIVA's normally neutral tone may carry a hint of annoyance there] Apologies to all personnel. In the future, such mistakes will not occur again. All data acquired since the fleet's arrival at the Tilriz needs to be analyzed for any remaining traces of the virus and shall be done as the crew of the IACC-Gauntlet inspects the surrounding area for the transmission originating from this sector.

All engineering crew members are report to the docking bays, as are any able medical officers. The Admiral has just informed me a handful of field-enlisted personnel have been returned to the docking bays and require immediate attention and extraction from their crafts. Crew members assigned to the supply and systems check operations are to report to their duty stations on the double. Any crew members requiring a duty may ask their commanding officers for tasks or help those who are in need of assistance.

Thank you.


DETAILS

It turns out that the last two weeks, in essence, was a vivid, shared dream. As a result, any physical wounds you might have incurred while in imprisoned will simply not be there now, though that says nothing of the psychological effects... The data collected, however, was real and how the First will use this data in the future will remain to be seen, but oh, they were greatly entertained. In another life and time, they may have offered the crew a chance to star in their own reality TV show.

In the wake of their false imprisonment, there are some very real effects that the crew may undergo. What's caused these status changes is a mystery; perhaps it's from the anomaly they'd experienced coming out of the wormhole--or it could be something else entirely...

The entire crew is experiencing a few oddities, particularly concerning their senses of taste and smell. This varies from person to person - for some it might be barely noticeable and others it may be a royal pain. For some things might simply taste or smell a little off, or maybe everything tastes the same, but smells like something else entirely, or vice-versa! Of course, it might be that everything smells completely off or same, or you might not taste or smell anything at all. Just what what exactly characters smell or taste and how mismatched those senses are seems to depend on the person, so anything goes as far as odd combinations of perceived scents and flavors. Maybe the air constantly smells like tuna fish, or all foods smell the same but taste like garlic no matter what, so who knows!

Alas, it's not just this that the crew wakes up to. Contingent upon the actions taken during that mass dream, some additional sensory problems may befall the crew. Depending upon which version of Commander Menaeus they listened to, there are a number of possible outcomes:


• For those who listened to the First Menaeus, who wanted them to escape and board the ships:
• If you escaped from their cell and helped out a few people. → Lose ability to hear things for a three days.
• If you escaped from their cell, helped out a few people and/or tried to get into the ships/explored the area. → Lose ability to hear things for four days.
• If you escaped from their cell and tried to rescue more than a few people (i.e. everyone). → Lose ability to speak and hear for five days.
• If you escaped from their cell and helped no one. → Lose ability to see for five days.
or


• For those who listened to the Second Menaeus, who wanted them to stay right there and tried to warn them that it was all fake:
• If you listened to the Second Menaeus and stayed in your cell. → Lose ability to feel things for a three days, but retain full your sense of taste and smell for the entirety of the plot. (It's a small reward for guessing correctly!)
• If you listened to the Second Menaeus and stayed in your cell, but helped those who did escape in some way. → Lose ability to feel things for three days, but only recover your full sense of taste and smell after you've recovered your ability to feel things.

It should be noted that when those extra sensory deprivations hit, it could be immediately, or it could strike while you're in the middle of the mess hall a couple days later. If you're one of the unfortunates who are affected for five days, those will hit in a couple days' time since this plot will last only a week.

Plus! For those of you who are now without hearing will find that a handy new closed-captioning option for the Sphere communications is now available to you!

Oh yeah, and if that weren't enough, the volunteers from the space whale operation? You'll feel a bit ill and experience a bit of that whiplash just like before--but don't worry, with proper medical attention, they should be feeling back to normal (sensory mix-ups aside) in about a day! They are the only ones who will have moved physically since the blackout. The Gauntlet got the mecha back into the docking bay, so no worrying about having to pilot while your senses are all mixed up! However, they are still inside their respective mecha.

This will, unfortunately, affect any new characters as well, but they will only experience the taste/smell mix up and nothing else since they weren't privy to the First's trials or the shared dream.

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As we announced last week, we were looking for a new mod, and it's our pleasure to announce that Tophie is to join the mod team! Congrats, we look forward to working with you!

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As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments on anything, please go ahead and ask here! Have fun, everyone!