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The Mnemosyne Crew ([personal profile] mnemosynecrew) wrote in [community profile] thememesyne2025-01-27 07:56 pm
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TDM 04


TDM 04


WAKING UP
WARNING
WARNING

cryo bay malfunction
cryo bed error

loading



emergency override accepted

It's nothing like it was in training, waking up from cryo sleep. The sterile, cold quiet you were conditioned to expect is shattered. Alarms blare violently, ricocheting off the walls of your pod as if they're trying to crawl into your skull. Red lights pulse like a failing heartbeat, and for a moment, your entire body refuses to obey you - can't breathe, can't move, can't think.

...and then, with an almost violent shudder, force rips through your diaphragm. A brutal jolt, like being kicked from the inside out. You cough, heaving for air as the cryo pod's systems drag you unwillingly out of torpor. There is no slow, gentle awakening - this is an emergency wakeup.

When you stumble out of the pod, your muscles heavy with the dull ache of cryo-stasis. It takes more effort than it should to move; even in the low gravity of the massive cryo bay, it's like you're fighting against the weight of your own body. Your hands tremble as you grab the tether, using it to pull yourself forward, toward the revival room. Everything feels too slow. Every movement, every thought, is tangled in webs of lethargy and confusion. Your brain is... wrong. It feels like it's leaking memories - images flickering and fading, like you’re seeing through a sieve full of holes.

...this is not the start of your 5-year shift, is it?

A voice comes through from a speaker, disturbingly calm, cutting through the chaos around you.

hello, [crew member]
there was an issue with your cryo pod
please join your crewmates

L3TH3 sounds unbothered by the alarms that blare around you. The AI has likely been running diagnostics for hours, while your body and mind were frozen in time.

The doors to the revival room slide open with a soft hiss, revealing dim, sterile lighting and the harsh stench of disinfectant. What awaits you are not only crew members as confused and groggy as you are, but also people ready to greet you. Do you ask them what's going on, if they feel the same gnawing wrongness clawing at their brains? Or do you just grab your gear and get ready to go, trusting the training that suddenly feels so irrelevant in the face of whatever's happening here?

One thing is clear - something's definitely off about this wakeup call.

TROUBLE WITH TRI... FLOATY THINGIES
Unbeknownst to the crew, a cluster of those bubble-like creatures from the planet had attached themselves to the shuttle's hull, camouflaging their presence by dimming their inner glow. These creatures were remarkably resilient to environmental changes, which allowed them to survive the sterilization process designed to eliminate any potential contaminants. Once aboard the Mnemosyne, the creatures drift free, spreading throughout the ship's maintenance shafts.

Eventually, they begin appearing throughout the ship, floating gently through corridors, the mess hall, and even restricted areas like the engine room. They are harmless but incredibly curious, drawn to light sources, warmth, and movement. They interact with the crew by chirping, glowing in vibrant patterns, and mimicking sounds they hear, including voices and alarms. However, more importantly, the sounds and their presence have a very calming effect on the crew. Crew members who encounter them notice an immediate sense of tranquility, with tension headaches easing, irritability fading, and sleep quality improving. Some crew members even report vivid, pleasant dreams after prolonged exposure to the creatures. If studied, the calming effect is due to a combination of electromagnetic pulses and bioluminescent patterns that subtly synchronize with human brain waves.

However, this means that effort to contain the little aliens are complicated by their calming influence. Crew members tasked with herding or isolating the creatures may find themselves distracted, content to simply watch them float rather than complete their work. Combined with how fast they seem to be breeding, there's a chance that it will get out of control...

THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM
As nice as the creatures are, their lifespan proves to be tragically short. Within a few days, the original stowaways begin to drift gently to the floor, their translucent forms losing their glow and disintegrating into harmless mist. Their offspring and subsequent generations follow suit, leaving behind the glowing inner cores that once sustained their radiance all over the ship. These small, orbs hum faintly with an unidentifiable energy, warm to the touch and pulsing in a mesmerizing rhythm.

While seemingly harmless, these cores soon cause unexpected disruptions across the Mnemosyne. Their energy fields interfere with the ship's electronics, creating a cascade of malfunctions. Doors randomly lock or refuse to open, trapping crew members in or out of key areas. Communication terminals glitch, projecting garbled transmissions or flickering holograms. Environmental systems fluctuate, causing lighting to dim or brighten unpredictably, and climate controls to oscillate between freezing cold and stifling heat. Even the ship's navigation system experiences momentary lapses, throwing off minor course corrections or issuing false proximity alerts.

To make matters worse, the cores seem to be magnetically drawn to high-energy areas, clustering around critical systems like the engines, the power generator and even personal devices carried by the crew. Their accumulation amplifies the disruptions, making diagnostics and repairs increasingly difficult. Attempts to move or contain the cores prove challenging, as they occasionally emit bursts of energy that short out nearby tools or cause mild static shocks to anyone handling them.

Should the crew throw them out an airlock or try to use them as batteries?

Welcome to our TDM! Please direct any questions about the game to our FAQ and check out our AU WORKSHOP. If you have questions about the prompts, you can ask below.

PLAYLIST

THIS TDM IS A GAME-CANON EVENT, SO CURRENT CREW CAN TOPLEVEL AS WELL.
ANY CHARACTERS THAT DO NOT END UP IN THE GAME HAVE GONE BACK TO CRYO SLEEP.




tarakan: (jfc i don't know how funzo works)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-08 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hilbert frowns for a moment as he looks at Jack. It's obvious he's debating if this guy really needs any help or if he can go back to what he's doing. But as a whole, vomiting is easy enough symptom to deal with. Besides, if he gets this out of the way, he can go back to ignoring everybody and staring at the floaty alien thing!

So with a sigh like he's the most oppressed person in the world, Hilbert turns to Jack.
]

You have recently come out of cryostasis, yes? Any other symptoms?

[ Hilbert's tone is grumpy, his voice is remarkably deep, and his accent is fake Russian Uralian. ]
thehandsomejack: (questioning)

[personal profile] thehandsomejack 2025-03-08 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
[it's weird being the New Guy on the ship when you're used to corporate anonymity and being just another haircut at a desk. Here people notice him and know about him even if he doesn't know them. Not a bad feeling, honestly, even if it is just because the crew is so small.

Jack sits forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees.]


Yup, cryosickness and a freakin' migraine. I swear, they make those pods worse every generation.

[he shakes his head at what he considers bad design, then a glint off the scalpels catch his eyes. a pause as his attention shifts between the floatie and the selection of implements. Then as if he's discussing the weather:]

So, you planning on murdering that thing or what?
tarakan: (can't be helped)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-08 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Dissection will happen after further visual study, [ he says in just a casual, boring, normal tone, like dissection is a totally normal thing that happens. Doesn't everybody jump to dissecting weird aliens when they first meet them? ]

But symptoms of cryosickness and said migraine can be easily treated. Anti-nausea medicine for cryosickness, basic painkiller for migraine. Any allergies?
thehandsomejack: (hmm)

[personal profile] thehandsomejack 2025-03-09 08:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Jack nods slowly though he cocks a brow. The dissection part makes sense to him, but he's pretty sure Hilbert was just blankly staring at it. Everyone has to have hobbies though.]

Nah, no allergies. [back to the more interesting thing here, honestly] What do you think you're gonna find when you take it apart? I mean, other than if it's blood matches the color of it's body, I've been wondering that for a bit. Or if it even has blood.
tarakan: (looking over to the side)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-09 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I do not know, [ he admits, as he goes to the medical cabinet and starts to dole out drugs for Jack. ] Isn't that exciting?

[ maybe???? Most people wouldn't use that term, buddy. ]
thehandsomejack: (questioning)

[personal profile] thehandsomejack 2025-03-11 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[he purses his lips as he thinks about it, and then gives another nod. you might've found your people tbh.] Kinda, yeah. Not as exciting as the finding out part with the guts and the answers, but the not knowing's cool too.

[a pause as he watches the Dr work.]

You think there's some practical application to these things? I mean other than as pets.
tarakan: (well that's a weird choice)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-11 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Emotional regulation? [ He shrugs! ] Can be used to stabilize moods in crisis situation. Multiple times someone is panicking, losing themselves in crisis situation, when what would be best is for them to sit down and shut up.
thehandsomejack: (simpering)

[personal profile] thehandsomejack 2025-03-11 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[you get a giggle for that.] You- you're not wrong, heh! Shoving a bubble alien into their hands is much nicer than what you want to do with those idiots.

[oh, now he's regretting laughing a bit. He puts a hand on his head with a wince.]

I definitely could have used one of those back home, would've saved me a lot of hassle. [and a lot of calls to security]

tarakan: (can't be helped)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-11 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Right? Oh no, patient is panicking about massive blood loss thereby making medical procedure harder. Now they are not. Thank you, small glowing thing.

[ Hilbert returns to Jack with two small paper cups. Inside one of them are three pills, two of which are the same, one of which is different. The second paper cup has a little bit of water inside. ]

Two for migraine, one for nausea. Take pills, check back in few hours if symptoms have not abated.
thehandsomejack: (annoyed)

[personal profile] thehandsomejack 2025-03-12 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
[yeah, Jack's gonna bask in the image Hilbert's created there for a sec with a grin. That right there is a good one, especially if there's screaming cut blissfully short.] Talk about endless possibilities! Man, I would've made mine a permanent office feature during disciplinary review season.

[He takes the two cups and barely bothers to look at the meds he's taking before swallowing them down. Then the company man crumples the cups in his fist and gets up.]

Hey, you think you could send me what you find out about them? I wanna compile any information that might be useful to us out where we can all find it easily.
tarakan: (looking over to the side)

[personal profile] tarakan 2025-03-12 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course, [ said with a smile and a nod. ] Simple enough request. Besides, compiling all information in one place is good idea. Happy to be of assistance.