ARRIVAL LOG 009

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Tokyo
WHEN: October 10
WHAT: The ninth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #009

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A sharp, cold breeze that blisters your cheeks as you walk through a thick, cold snow. That soon fades, replaced with warmth. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see four people in black body armor seated opposite you, as well as a man in dark gray scrubs.

You realize there are others next to you. All of you in heavy winter coats, water-resistant pants, and snow boots, hair recently cut but at various stages of growth and haphazardly tucked under warm winter hats. You're all restrained by straps across your chests, arms, feet, holding you to the bench under you. To your left, an armored interior door, two more people visible, though due to the storm there's hardly any visibility through the windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle stops, landing gingerly in the snow. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, there's the sound of a high howling wind and that same blast of cold that signals at being somewhere else, combined with a sea of white as far as your eyes can see. The nurse moves to stand at the back, checking each passenger over one by one just before they're helped out of the vehicle, quick and methodical. He doesn't climb out after you, moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick, firm, but not entirely unkind. Once all the passengers are out, most of them climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. One stays behind, pointing you and whoever else is near you to one of the closest buildings. "In there," he orders, just before he interfaces with the doors and they slide open. "Stick around until your buddies come to find you. You'll know who they are."

Snow comes up to your knees on this city street, and you're left with no idea of where you are or why you've been brought here. But you'll feel compelled to move toward the building that the guard pointed at and step inside. In fact, you'll have no choice but to follow that order. Once you're in, he closes the doors behind you and hops back inside the vehicle. The engine powers up again, and then the large truck lifts up slowly and flies off.

Inside you'll find the lobby of what seems to be a corporate building. After taking note of the fact that there's a small group of other people dressed in similar clothes who are also confused about how they got to this place, you'll be able to warm up and try to figure out what's going on. For now, it's impossible to exit the building. The same door you came in won't open no matter what you try, so you're all stuck for now.

But don't worry, help is on the way.

◉ Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request.

> WATANABE CORPORATE BUILDING

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

I know you all were wondering what would happen if we had a batch of new arrivals while you're all out on your little field trip, but it turns out that they've all landed in New Tokyo too. They're holed up in the lobby of a corporate building, so make your way over and escort them to the PRESERVE dorms. Try for a warm welcome, okay?

At the lobby where the new arrivals have been dumped, they'll find that there's a check-in desk which is currently unmanned, and on the wall behind it there's a logo mounted which reads "Watanabe Corporation." There's no one to be found here and no one to greet them. The good news is that the building is heated, meaning that those heavy coats can probably come off for now. Further in on the ground floor, there's a set of six elevators that presumably lead up to the many floors of the skyscraper, but they're non-functional, and there don't seem to be any accessible stairs either.

For now, all the newcomers can do is make use of the comfortable chairs in the lobby and commiserate among themselves about what's going on. There's a water cooler and some cups to make use of as well, all of it made of biodegradable material, but there's only so much. Try to share.

The Displaced who received a message from El will have also received a GPS pin showing the location of the new arrivals. At this point, the promised supplies (which includes clothing appropriate for the harsh weather, along with additional foodstuffs to stock the dormitory kitchen) have come in compliments of PRESERVE. Everyone will be allowed to leave the dorms where they've been cooped up for the last two days to explore the city or go help out the newcomers.

Getting around a city covered in snow is a little more of a challenge. Going by foot is an option, although most of the streets haven't been shoveled yet and it will be slow-going. It's more feasible to make use of a hover bike. There's a garage connected to the dormitory that's stocked with twenty-some bikes. While they don't function perfectly well over snow and reckless driving with such poor visibility could easily lead to a cold and painful crash, it has to beat walking. If you don't how to drive, guess you'll have to find someone who does. (The bikes can seat two.)

> PRESERVE DORMS

With the help of the current Displaced, the new arrivals will be brought back to a dormitory building managed by PRESERVE. PRESERVE is a world-wide relief organization that focuses on environmental conservation and disaster relief. While a good number of Morningstar agents have joined up with PRESERVE thanks to their charitable activities and because they're UN sanctioned, it is not an organization that's affiliated with Morningstar. As a group, they are entirely pacifistic in their ideals – they believe the world can be saved through being conscientious.

The Displaced are here because they agreed to help PRESERVE with a very different disaster, but that's now a very severe and uncommon snowstorm. This is where they're all staying during the trip, so while this isn't anything close to home, it will have to do for now. A representative from PRESERVE by the name of Nico has been hanging around the dorms, ready to answer any questions from any of the Displaced, new or old. Nico is also a member of Morningstar, as well, though she'll be very hush hush about this fact when around her fellow PRESERVE members.

Newbies will be allowed to pick out additional clothes and gear from a cache of supplies (there's coats, thermal underwear, boots, scarves, hats, gloves, and anything else that would be needed to survive the intense cold), and they'll also need to figure out which of the rooms has an opening where they can sleep. It's four people to a room, with the use of two sets of bunk beds, and space was already limited before the newcomers got added to the mix. Hopefully peace can be maintained and there won't be too much fighting over who gets top bunk.

Other than the rooms, the dorm building has a kitchen, a large common area with comfortable couches and chairs, communal bathrooms, and a small, modestly stocked infirmary. There's also a viewing room which is a large space furnished with bean bag chairs and other comfortable things to lounge on, and a large blank wall that's meant to be used for group viewings of movies, shows, etc. This requires one character to "throw out" their feed from their neural implant onto the wall, and anyone who wanted to watch with them would need to sync up with their ID to watch along. Anyone not synced would just see a blank wall – and unfortunately, that does include anyone new.

There are other PRESERVE volunteers staying in this dormitory and milling about. Many of them already had supplies, so they've been in and out since the Displaced arrived.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the dorms before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival to the dorms, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ Normally, new characters are confined to a safehouse for 4 days before they can leave and explore the city. Given that these newbies have arrived under unorthodox circumstances, that won't be the case for them. They'll be able to come and go from the dorms, but given that it's a frozen tundra outside, they'll at least want to prep first. At some point during this adjustment period, you can assume that El will contact them and work on setting up their IDs. There is no law enforcement around in these conditions, so anyone wanting to head out can.

◉ New characters won't be able to abscond to somewhere else in the world, as a lack of ID means no tickets or travel papers.

◉ While most businesses in New Tokyo are shuttered, a few convenience shops remain open near PRESERVE's dormitories because they know they can make money off volunteers. New characters won't have any means of paying, as they don't have a registered ID. They'll have to see if a kind soul will spot them the credits if they want something.

> RELIEF EFFORTS

With the new arrivals successfully recovered and supplies delivered to keep everyone warm in the harsh conditions, it's time to set out and fulfill the reason for everyone being here: to offer support and relief to the population affected by the harrowing storm. Nico will provide the Displaced with the information they need to get their boots on the ground and make a difference. There are a number of ways that she'll suggest to help out.

◉ First, she'll deliver a word of caution. While New Tokyo is a large, entirely steel city that runs deep underwater, most of its citizens have evacuated to the upper levels and are huddling down in various locations hoping for some relief. Heading deeper in the large city structure could prove dangerous. In this emergency, heating is centralized on the upper levels of the entire man-made metal city structure, while the lower levels are frigid and dangerous at this time. The only heating revolves around the trains coming and going, and their schedules have been largely delayed thanks to the storm.

◉ Delivering food, clothing, and medical supplies. With power cut off from most homes and all of the citizens having been cautioned to stay indoors and conserve warmth, there are a lot of people running low on food stores. Those who live in impoverished areas are even worse off, with little insulation in their homes. The threat of some people freezing to death is real, so getting the needed supplies to those people could allow them to hold out until power is restored or the storm has passed. Nico encourages people to travel to these neighborhoods in pairs for safety reasons, and again, the hover bikes will come in handy here. Supplies can be carried in heavy-duty backpacks or in a side-car attached to the bike, and all of this is provided by PRESERVE.

◉ Shoveling snow. For those of the Displaced who aren't opposed to grueling manual labor, one of the largest concerns is getting the major streets cleared of snow so that transportation is easier. The train lines also need to be cleared off so public transit can eventually be reinstated, so assuming they're not afraid of heights, the Displaced will get access onto the train tracks that crisscross above the city to clear the snow off. Some homes are also completely snowed in, trapping the residents inside, so those will also need to be cleared. There's no shortage of work to be done. PRESERVE will provide the snow shovels, and they have access to a single snow plow that can be used in shifts by anyone who's got a driver's license (also found in the garage). Nico will also hand out hot packs. Everyone should be bundling up, but in the event that someone takes a fall or ends up with too much snow-to-skin contact, the hot packs will help stave off the cold and prevent frostbite.

◉ Missing persons. There have been multiple reports of missing persons sent into PRESERVE, and the Displaced will be assigned particular people to go look for, if they let Nico know they're interested in this task. She'll give them the description of the missing person and their last known location. This could be anywhere within the city of New Tokyo -- a shopping district, a residential area, a park, etc. If they manage to find the missing person, they'll be instructed to take them to the closest PRESERVE relief center so they can receive medical attention and be reunited with their families.

◉ Restoring power. Turbines are jammed due to ice build-up past any conceivable norm, and need to be carefully thawed and given a jump from a backup battery pack. This is a highly dangerous, but necessary endeavor. The turbines are located offshore due to the fact that New Tokyo primarily generates energy through tidal power. When working correctly, these offshore turbines then feed energy into local sources within the city. For those who have any sort of experience with electrical work, they'll be directed toward areas in the city where covered electrical boards interconnected with the city's branched power source have been buried. They'll need to be cleared of snow, checked, reconnected, and made ready for when the turbines begin to flow again.

While the new arrivals are welcome to help out with these relief efforts if they wish, it certainly won't be expected, given that they're still getting adjusted to everything that's going on. They're allowed to stay in the warm confines of the dormitory building until everyone returns to New Amsterdam, if that's what they would prefer. As for the rest of the Displaced, there will be some expectation that they're going to contribute. That's the whole reason they came all this way, isn't it? And it's not like Nico knows that some of them didn't actually sign up for this.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes until October 14th (OOCly, April 25th). All posts they make on the network until that point will be anonymous. During this time it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our April/May calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in April will be 10 comments across 2-4 threads, while current characters will need to provide the full AC of 20 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will be posted on May 1 and close on May 8 at midnight UTC. If you do not reply to AC, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game. We will not post a warning list.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[kgbs]

[ that would be a lot to remember, cassian. he tries to imagine the disparity and variety of the world that he knows only spread over multiple planets and just shakes his head. ]

The Empire?

[ there's a nice, deep can of worms you've opened, cassian. ]

[evasives]

[ is it cassian who opened the worms or illya??? cassian will talk shit about the empire any moment of the day!! fuck the empire!!! eat shit palpatine!! ]

They call themselves the Galactic Empire. [ when you say it out loud like that it sounds dumb but cassian will carry on. ] They have been taking over planet after planet, stripping them of their resources and crushing all who would object, all in attempts to grow their own power. They leave many victims in their wake if they do not kill them first, which necessitates more movement between planets.

[kgbs]

[ it really does sound dumb but he was also from soviet russia so some of this might sound uncomfortably familiar if thought of in terms of his time and his technology. ]

So, you are at war?

[ that's what you did to people and powers like that, did you not? you fought back despite the discrepancy in power that might exist. you didn't just turn and run.

you never did that. ]

[evasives]

[ that's a weirdly tricky question to answer. it isn't open warfare, but there have been consistent acts of war on all sides. ]

Essentially. [ to people like him, it's always just sort of felt like an extension of the clone wars in some way, minus the abundance of droids and jedi. ] They have immense power throughout the galaxy, but it has not stopped people from fighting back.

[kgbs]

How long has it been going on? Your war?

[ while he has never been involved in one, you couldn't really escape stories about wars and battles and victories and losses when you lived in russia. specifically, russia wanted to be see as the superpower of the world so anything that they could do to prop themselves up was done and illya bought into it easily. ]

Is there a path for a clear victor?

[evasives]

The war that put the Empire into power was when I was a child. The Emperor has held his position for about twenty years since. [ his whole life, it's terrible. he barely remembers not existing outside of war. ]

Imperial influence is strong everywhere, but before I arrived, it seemed as though things stood a chance to turn around. [ so. that's a no? it's not clear, but cassian cannot possibly fathom the idea of rebellion losing. ]

[ a beat. ] You sound familiar with this sort of thing.

[kgbs]

Somewhat.

[ he's careful about saying too much because he is, technically, still trying to maintain some sort of cover even if he is not doing a very good job of it. ]

There have been wars in my country for some time. Nationwide and globally. Russia is a superpower and you only stay that way if you continue to show your strength.

[ russia was totally the empire but with swooshing capes, lightsabers, lasers and spaceships. ]

[evasives]

[ SQUINTS. ]

I have found demonstrations of strength rarely do much for the actual people. [ demonstrations of strength often involve, you know, killing the people it claims to be working for. ] Power should not come through force.

[ he's not out there preaching democracy. he'd probably hate america in the cold war too. it's the people who are most important. ]

[kgbs]

Perhaps not. But it does not hurt to have that type of power either. That sort of power is the type that will protect the people from those forces that want to conquer or kill them.

[ he's aware that there are upsides and downsides to physical strength and brute force but he does not think anyone can deny that it is an asset if you have it. ]

If you have nothing like that, are the people not vulnerable?

[evasives]

And what if that power is the one doing the conquering and killing? The protection is not worth it when you need to subjugate others to keep it.

[ middle school mantra: absolute power corrupts absolutely. ]

The people are vulnerable but they are not helpless. There would be no need for protections if there were no forces trying to crush them in the first place.

[kgbs]

There are always going to be forces trying to cause chaos and conflict. It is just a fact of life.

[ there would never be a utopia, never be world peace, never be harmonious living. ]

I don't think that is a fault of the power as a whole. I think I would place the blame on greedy leadership.

[evasives]

I would not deny that. Conflict is everywhere. But if you are killing people for their resources and disobedience, you do not deserve power.

[ cassian doesn't believe in a utopia, exactly, just that people and planets should be able to govern themselves, without a senate or an empire telling them what to do. ]

I have seen power corrupt time and time again, whether through ineffectiveness or tyranny. Finding the proper leadership is important, just as I think it is important they listen to the people they claim to be leading. And if they do not, remove them.

[ or kill them, that's okay too. ]

[kgbs]

But you cannot please everyone. We can agree on that, can we not?

[ those in charge could say they were listening to one group of people and were catering to their needs and their desires but what of those that didn't agree? that wanted something different? was there a way to balance that or was someone always going to be seen as the villain? ]

You cannot say in that instance that they are not listening because they are. But, no one is ever going to be completely pleased.

[evasives]

No, you cannot. But an outside power thinking they know best for a planet they have never even been to? Unnecessary and unwanted leadership. [ cassian is talking in the extremes, simply because that's all he's had. first the republic invaded his planet, then the empire continued along the same path everywhere. fest just wanted self-determination, it didn't want to be beholden to a corrupt senate who didn't care about the outer rim. the empire leaves only slaughter in its wake. ]

Murdering people for a show of strength pleases no one except that corrupt regime. Forcing a population to work until they are nothing but skin and bones or dead is not in their best interest. Governments show they are listening by supporting a people, not oppressing them. Authoritarianism is not the answer.

[ a beat, and he steps back from the snow pile, dusting off his hands. he made a lot of progress! ] Your turn.

[ there's still a person in there!! ]

[kgbs]

I am not arguing for the total dictatorship of countries and planets before you think me that kind of person. [ but he can see the logic and desire behind being a powerful physical force. if you wanted to be taken seriously in the international playing field, you had to show that you were capable of handling yourself.

he switches places with cassian dutifully, wrapping his hands with something to protect them and crouching to start digging snow from around the building. he can just barely hear someone moving around inside so at least their conversation has not put the person to sleep. ]

Extreme cases, to be sure. [ ignoring that there were definitely aspects of his country that fit that bill. ] And what do you suggest if the people are unhappy? If they are already being oppressed and hurt, would a rebellion be worthwhile? They would be put down easily.

[evasives]

[ there is no international playing field in space. it's just the empire and the fake senate. it wields no power, it's just for show for all the planets who aren't completely subjugated under imperial rule. ]

No, I did not. [ he was maybe suspicion after the superpower comment, but he didn't actually think illya was into space fascism specifically. ]

[ cassian moves away from the snow pile, unwrapping the blanket and rubbing his hands together through his gloves. ]

It is always worthwhile. The Rebellion against the Empire has been going on in some form for its entire existence. Arguably even before that. It has yet to be put down. [ so many separatists are still fighting what's essentially the same people and powers. it might be tiny and scattered, but people across the galaxy haven't stopped rebelling. ] If people are being oppressed, it is only a matter of time before more and more of them realize they must fight back to change it.

[kgbs]

It is asking a lot of people, to fight and fight and fight when there is no guarantee that it will bear fruit. [ but he has seen the resolve that so many people have, the will to live and survive and how it drives them to do extraordinary things.

he digs at the snow, quiet for a few moments before he glances over at cassian. ]

You have never thought of giving up? [ it is not a question of judgment. it is merely curiosity. ]

[evasives]

It is not a lot when there is nothing left to lose. [ people who have nothing, whose families and homes have been ruined by the empire - it's much easier to bring them into the rebellion, into the alliance. ] For some people, the fight is all they have.

[ he isn't talking about himself!! haha that's silly. ]

Everyone does. Just because it is right does not mean it is easy. The important part is not letting those thoughts win out. Even if it is difficult, the idea of creating a better life - even if it is one you never get to see - is hopeful enough to keep the flame alive.

[ god illya it's like you don't know rebellions are built on hope. ]

[kgbs]

[ he has never had to participate in a rebellion, cassian! in his time, his country was the one doing the oppressing even if he'd been far removed from that sort of activity. aware but not involved. still, did that make him complicit? ]

It sounds like it is a lot to ask of people.

[ to fight for something that they might never see. to die for a cause that might be crushed in the next instant. ]

If they do not agree with you, does that automatically make them bad?

[evasives]

No.

[ he might have said yes in his younger years, maybe even as short as a few months ago. but he has literally become someone who died for a cause they'll never get to see, he's come to know people who just wanted to survive. ]

There are people who lose everything who can only manage to keep themselves above the water. I never said it was not a lot to ask of people to fight. It is often signing over your life.

There is a difference between those who support the oppression and those who cannot fight back. [ and it's the former who are bad, obviously. ]

[kgbs]

I think you give too little thought to those that might support something they have known all their life. If it is what they have been brought up into, taught is right, seen in action then why are they terrible people for following their way of life?

[ this poor woman trapped in the building. ]

I do not think it is as easy as you make it seem.

[evasives]

I was only six and I knew what the Republic was doing to my planet and others was wrong. [ he didn't understand the nuances, and maybe his household was biased, but the republic killed his father for peacefully protesting. even children can understand how wrong it is. ]

I do not believe people who are brought up under tyranny are completely ignorant in what is happening around them. Maybe they are kept unaware, or maybe they simply do not care as long as they have what they need. I did not say it was easy either.

Actively supporting oppression is also different from ignorance. I knew a man who was an Imperial pilot. When he realized what kind of system he was complacent in and realized what terrible thing they were trying to do, he defected. I do believe it is always possible to learn to be and do better.

[kgbs]

What is right is very different for each person. What you think is right might not be what I think is right because of our upbringing.

[ and in their cases, it would probably be radically different because of the time differences as well. he grew up in soviet russia, under communism, and he's getting the feeling that cassian would not be comfortable in a system like that. ]

It is not easy and I do not think there is one completely right answer either. [ even if he had no problem with the russian way. that way had worked well for him. ] Not here. Not when people are so different.

[evasives]

I would argue that some things are objectively in the right, regardless of upbringing. If someone supports mass killing, I would hope we can agree they are in the wrong. The person doing the killing would not believe so, but it does not make them correct.

[ communism in theory would probably sound great to cassian. stalinism on the other hand could go fuck itself. ]

Differences do not mean moral values are always on equal footing. [ (space) fascism is bad objectively!! ]

[kgbs]

We can agree on that. I would hope mass killing wouldn't be needed by any sort of good leader but I know our time differences might have exposed you to more of that than me.

[ there was more history for cassian to study than there was for illya. he knew there had been wars, bloody and brutal, but they hadn't had anything like an empire just yet. they'd gotten close though. ]

I think another thing we can both agree on is that I would probably not survive very well in space. [ he says it wryly though he believes it as well. he was doing all right with his adjustment in this world but space would be a little too much, he thinks. ]