there's always a lighthouse. there's always a beach party.

[wheremst]

[ Welcome to... a very nice beach, actually! It's very pleasant here. Carmen has set up a couple bonfires, there's some barbecues with meat to cook... and a lot of beach to hang out on! ]

Welcome to California's Pigeon Point Light Station State Park! Between Santa Cruz and San Francisco, just south of Pescadero, this lighthouse gets it's name from the Carrier Pigeon, a ship that wrecked here in 1853! ... Sorry, old habit. Go party. We have the whole place to ourselves. Most everyone here's been through something like this, or knows someone who has. And... the vending machine's bringing in some friends of yours, too.

[ It's a warm late summer night - not too hot for bonfires, but not too chilly that you need to stick by them to survive.

You've made it to the end. There are fellow survivors to meet and commiserate with, friends to meet or catch up with, and... it's over. For those of you returning, it's been about a year since the end of Round 2, and Carmen's gotten the word out to as many people as she can between trying to help this round and tracking down Round 0. If you'd like to play a hostage from the first motive, just know that they will remember it, but it's up to the player in the main round if time has passed since then or not so... it may have been a day or two ago or it may have been months! And hell with it, if you want to play a Round 0 character you suggested back in r1, come talk to us. Why not?

EDIT: Asher has gone to the trouble of making a toplevel directory for anyone intimidated by the number of pages!

Enjoy the last log of Unknown Seas! You've earned it. Love meme will come later tonight in the ooc comm. ]

Comments

[ltcommandroid]

[This very pale guy in what's definitely some sort of military-ish uniform is here! He's looking around at everybody with a lot of little head movements, obviously curious if you aren't a weirdo about android emotions. He pretty quickly starts walking around to make introductions.

To anyone from r2, he'll say:]

Ah - it is good to see you again. Have you been well?

[And - well, Data obviously remembers all the r1 folks he met the last time, so this time he's specifically seeking out r3s.]

Hello. My name is Data. [He offers a handshake!] I was involved in the previous iteration of this concept.

[pairtner]

I apologize for not reciprocating the handshake -- but it is good to meet you regardless.

[Aiba catches on pretty quickly this isn't a human. Part of her almost wants to ask what he is, but she's already getting some suspicions, given the name]

I assume the person responsible for yours has been...taken care of already?

[Cipher did hint something along those lines, but Aiba feels she must ask anyway!]

[ltcommandroid]

[okay yeah in this case he probably crouched down but yeah he gets it]

Yes. The originator was a man called Handsome Jack, who was killed partway through. He was then succeeded by a ghost called LeChuck, who has been banished from this plane of being.

[He says that all like, so normally, exactly like he says everything else pretty much.]

May I ask about the person responsible for yours?

[pairtner]

[Aiba displays the usual diamond background for exposition, showing Cipher]

A woman named Cipher. She received no retribution despite her actions, so you're likely to see her somewhere -- if she hasn't escaped yet.

[Fact Aiba is very bitter about. What can she say, she's almost an officer of the law, she's supposed to care about this]

[ltcommandroid]

While I am an officer of Starfleet, I am afraid that I have no jurisdiction in this matter.

[Given that we're like, in a whole different dimension and all.]

However, if you are struggling with this experience, my colleague Deanna Troi has asked me to tell you that she is available to provide counseling services.

[pairtner]

I figured so. It's frustrating -- I'm adjacent to law enforcement, and of course there's nothing I can do. Knowing this doesn't make me feel any less slighted.

[Not that she wanted Cipher to die, of course, but...geez, to Aiba it really feels like Cipher got away with a slap on the wrist. Part of her is considering not to tell her partner about that part or else he'll try to take matters in his own hands and search for Cipher through the multiverse somehow]

I'm not sure I need them. While my thought processes are close enough to human level, it's...would I need therapy?

[........

Would it hurt to get some, Aiba?]

[ltcommandroid]

I cannot answer that for you. But I believe Counselor Troi would say that it is best to err on the side of caring for yourself.

[pairtner]

...I suppose I can take some time off before going back to work. It's unheard of for an AI to get therapy, though...that will be difficult to explain.

[Her partner will approve and support her, but she's not sure about anyone else. Her superiors probably would think she's malfunctioning, she thinks]

[ltcommandroid]

I have spoken to Deanna in a professional capacity before. I do not experience emotion, and thus have no need for counseling, but she does provide excellent advice in other matters.

[i_em_legion]

[well she was TECHNICALLY in r2... as a gacha item...

Emily (Doll) is sitting right beside Emily (Child), a girl who looks like a living version of her only with a slightly off skin tone and weird facial marking, and who has also grossly misunderstood the point of a burger and just put everything onto the bun, including side dishes. This burger is 10% coleslaw by volume. She smiles and waves at Data like she knows him.]

We've been having lots of fun! It's kind of scary too, but we're living in this big fancy school and they have all kinds of food and nice people!

[ltcommandroid]

[Data was probably addressing someone else entirely, but he'll turn to her at that. And...hm. Well, that's weird, but he sees weird shit all the time and also presumably has no emotional reaction to things anyway.]

That is good. [...] I see that you are in possession of the "Emily" doll.

[?????]

[i_em_legion]

Uh-huh! They were gonna leave this me with a babysitter, but I want to see everything! [She smiles, as if this makes any sense as a segue.] There were a lot of fun things on that ship, even if the memories came from that me to this me all at once after it was over. And there's so much here! Like this burger! But you don't eat food, right?

[ltcommandroid]

I do not.

[Data considers this!]

You have received memories from the doll?

[i_em_legion]

We're both me. We've always been me.

[She scuffs her feet on the sand.]

There used to be more of us.

[ltcommandroid]

...you are a hivemind.

[i_em_legion]

Uh-huh. That's how our planet was. Do you have those too?

[The living Emily starts innocently stuffing her face with this monstrosity of a burger.]

[ltcommandroid]

There are several species known to us who operate in similar ways, though it is impossible to say for certain without more understanding of your own nature.

cw vague reference to child experimentation

[i_em_legion]

We were always like this.

[She puts her plate down and hugs the other Emily protectively.]

You're not gonna try and take us apart like the other ones did, are you?

[ltcommandroid]

No. It is against the laws of Starfleet to interfere with another species in that way.

[I mean the Prime Directive is probably shot all to hell just by his involvement in this murdergame shit anyway but also we fuck that up all the time so! don't worry about it!]

If you are not in distress, then there would be no reason for it regardless.

[i_em_legion]

'Kay.

[She cautiously relaxes and starts to pick at her burger again. Kicks the sand nervously.

There used to be a lot more of them.]

Are you and your friends having fun on your ship?

[ltcommandroid]

We are not. The Enterprise was recently destroyed in a planetary collision.

[HE SAYS LIKE TOTALLY NORMALLY]

The crew is on extended leave until the matter is resolved.

[i_em_legion]

What? Why would it do that?

[aaa?????]

[ltcommandroid]

It was not intentional.

[like???]

[sharddrive]

Back at you, bro.

[Shard is looking none the worse for the wear, though he's still keeping to the edge of things here.]

Been pretty chill, you know. Runnin' around, going fast. You?

[ltcommandroid]

The Enterprise was recently destroyed. I have been very busy with the recovery efforts.

[YOU KNOW, AS YOU DO]