E.S. Berkhard---1st Mission. "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...."

[proxy_explorers]

Each crewmate had woken up in a cabin assigned to them, with their name and role on the door outside. It was a pretty nice little cabin, private and with a private bathroom. Like a basic hotel room honestly, in shades of deep blue and rich brown wood and steel. Clean sheets on the bed, clean linens on the desk waiting for use, and a closet full of uniforms for their use. (Each consisting of dark blue BDU pants and jacket with rank and name, a black undershirt, and black boots. These uniforms are modified for non-humanoid wear as needed.)

A small note was on the desk, on top of the linens. "Welcome Explorer! For your first mission, you are to proceed to the Waystation's VR deck. There is a map accessible on your Omniband, which will also be used to lock and unlock your cabin. Each Omniband is individually designated. It is recommended Omnibands be worn at all times." Indeed, there is a small blue, silver, or grey band that looks like a circular smart-watch on the desk. The 'band' itself will expand to fit over any width, or can be unlocked and flipped to form an 'S' type shape with the screen, to act like a traditional phone.

Explorers can explore their ship if they want. Although they won't be able to undock or leave the Waystation. Heading out further into the Waystation, they're free to explore there as well. They will be prompted by their Omniband though, to gather in the VR Holodeck. The longer one takes to get to the VR Holodeck, the more insistent the prompts will get--starting with a beeping, that will only get worse the longer it takes. There is no way, short of hacking the Omniband, to disable this beeping. This is the first 'mission' after all!

Once there, the sliding doors will open to reveal what almost looks like any good 2010's employee conference room, although the table has been moved to the side and laid out with snacks and drinks. Stepping in will prompt a "My name is ____" badge to appear with the person's chosen name on their clothes in an appropriate place. Also on the table are various ideas for Ice-Breakers! A big banner spans the room and says "Welcome Explorers!"

It appears your first mission is for everyone to get to know each other!

OUT OF CHARACTER
This is for your chars to get to know each other, since you'll all be working as a crew. The MDSOBs have tried to make it welcoming and easy and encouraging. Below there will be a thread for some different Ice Breaker Activities. Please respond there for threads.

Comments

[fourglasswalls]

"Okay, but no, I said it was because you're standing in the corner. And for sake of argument, that standing in the corner was not somehow responsible for death and destruction!"

What, was that supposed to faze Glass? NOTHING fazed Glass! When punches come your way, bite your tail like a hoopsnake and roll with them!

[pilot05]

Wufei shrugs, as if the argument is irrelevant. "Not today," he concedes that particular point. "But it is actively preventing harm." He's being a surly jerk for your protection, apparently.

Why is there always someone like this in every group? He sighs, and tightens that frown back up.

[fourglasswalls]

"Oh, I get it. You only know how to relate to the world through violence." Glass nodded, sagely. Normally this was a problem you'd expect to see in a suchid-breed, or more likely, a lupus-breed werewolf! But humans were wacky like that. "But you know what, that sucks. You can live a happy and healthy life instead!"

[pilot05]

Well, that was hitting the nail on the head a bit more firmly than Wufei was comfortable with, but it wasn't wrong.

But the idea that he could live a happy and healthy life takes him so much by surprise that he actually lets out a huff of laughter. "That's the stupidest thing anyone has ever said to me." Color him impressed.

[fourglasswalls]

"You just stick with me and we'll defeat that record in no time." Glass nodded firmly, then stuck up a finger to make a point. "Besides, that's self-reinforcing! If it's truly stupid you'd prove it without the attitude!"

[pilot05]

"No thank you," he replies quickly, and gives his head a shake. "I'm here to do a job, nothing more. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours, that's the closest you'll find I ever get to 'nice'."

[fourglasswalls]

"Time-out." Glass quickly popped his hands into a T-shape, as was appropriate. "Are you here to do a job or are you here to avoid people? They're mutually exclusive! At least if you want to do the job well."

[pilot05]

"You're underestimating me," he replied, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I primarily work alone, and I am highly effective." Never mind that he wasn't the only person assigned to engineering. If he was lucky he would be the smallest and could just wedge himself into an inaccessible location if he really got tired of people.

It seemed extremely likely.

[fourglasswalls]

Wait till he saw how small Glass could get if need be. "Whether or not you're literally working alone, you're part of a team! No matter how effective you are it doesn't matter if we don't know what's going on or can't approach you. Right now you're just like, 'leave me alone, I want nothing to do with anyone' and that means people will end up working around you instead of relying on you!"

[pilot05]

It was going to blow his mind entirely. The man's word actually get a smirk out of Wufei, but it's not a very friendly one. "Good," he replied lightly. "Then they won't be completely incapable of handling things when I die." He really thinks he's just won the argument.

[fourglasswalls]

Glass blinked. Then blinked again.

"...okay, dude, planning on dying is like the ultimate form of doing your job poorly. I mean, come on, imagine how that's gonna go. 'Hey man, breakfast is gonna be five minutes late--' 'CHOKE ON THIS LOSERS!'"

Glass mimed stabbing himself in the stomach, then teetered backwards, letting his tongue loll out as he flipped double birds to the world. "Do my job... for meeeee...."

[pilot05]

Wufei lifted a brow, taking in the antics and snorting softly. "If there's anything significant enough to actually kill me, you won't feel that way," he replied dryly. "Death is an occupational hazard that I became comfortable with long ago. I'm not going to commit ritual suicide over breakfast," and he rolled his eyes.

[fourglasswalls]

"If it's HARD for you to die, you probably shouldn't PLAN for it. Because whatever happens is going to mess things up so badly your plans won't matter afterwards. So maybe focus a little more on LIVING? Just a bit?"

Call him crazy?

[pilot05]

Yeah, that... that was where a lot of his plans had fallen apart, actually. But he's not going to just say that. It's enough to get Glass a real glare, though. "For what exactly?"

[fourglasswalls]

Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhh. It's like that.

"Because whatever your goal or goals are, you can't keep going for it if you're dead. Also, if you're dead inside they already won, because they took your life away even if your heart's still beating!"

[pilot05]

It was like flipping a switch. He went from relatively relaxed to tense, straightening up a little as his hands curled into fists. He'd been annoyed before, but now he was angry. "If you'd like a demonstration on just how dead I am already, I'll be happy to show you," he replied. His voice was soft, perfectly level, and completely at odds with the fury in his eyes.

[fourglasswalls]

Sheesh, touchy! Glass registered this not as a threat, but as an attempt to be threatening. (Which was good, considering what might happen when his actual Rage began to manifest. It had a capital letter for a reason.)

"Okay, seriously, are you really cool with living a life where a couple sentences can set you off that bad?" Glass said, trying his best to convey how baffled he was. "'Cuz that's like getting punched right through your guard. Form needs work. You should wax off more, as I understand it."

[pilot05]

"You don't even know what you're talking about," Wufei replied in that same tone. If he weren't still so angry he might've been annoyed that Glass wasn't at least taking a step back -- most people did. Then again, most people who could get him angry knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. "I am a warrior. The purpose of my birth, my life, is in my death. Everything that I do is a means to that end. You can think whatever you like about the path that I walk, but I will not tolerate insults to those who have gone before me."

[fourglasswalls]

...man. This guy sounded like more than a few werewolves Glass knew. To the point that he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Okay, look. If you die, you stop fighting. If you stop fighting, you're not a warrior any more. So if you're a warrior, you stick around and fight as long as you can, because isn't your goal the day people don't have to fight any more? You can trust me," and here Glass folded his hands behind a head with a grin, "because I'm a remember-er, that's the purpose of MY life. So I remember a lot of warriors, and I remember which ones were real heroes and which ones were real zeroes!"

[pilot05]

He scowled at Glass, jaw flexing a little as he reined in his temper a little. "My goal is to make my death honorable, as improbable as that may be in the current state of my world. We have already achieved peace," he should've died in the battle that brought their peace but here he was, alive and obsolete. And really pissed off about it all.

[fourglasswalls]

"...uh, if you achieved peace, doesn't that mean you already achieved honor?"

Now he was totally confused. Imagine a world where they'd brought balance back to the Triat and health back to Gaia! Would anyone really --

"...are you a werewolf?"

[pilot05]

"Honor is not determined by a single moment, unless it is the moment of your death," he replied firmly, but when Glass asked if he was a werewolf, the surprise dumped all the wind out of his sails. "What?" He looked at Glass like he had two heads. "No. Those are fictional," at least on his world.

He glanced over at the dinosaur that was in the room with them. "At least where I'm from." But now he was just unsettled. "Are you?"

If werewolves were real, what else might be? Vampires, zombies, witches? Dragons?

[fourglasswalls]

Uh.

"Pfft, no," Glass said, entirely seriously. Honestly, he wasn't! "But hey, hold on. I'm confused. So if you were a warrior who lived a good life, were decent and kind to people, held onto the strength to fight but the willingness to embrace peace, and then unfortunately kicked it due to choking on a fish bone in your 80s, you'd have less honor than some guy who plugged a cannon with his face?"

[pilot05]

He frowned at Glass. "No, of course not. But if one cannot embrace peace, then the only honorable death is one in battle." He feels a little bit like he's being talked in a circle here, and it's making him suspicious.

God help him if there's an empath on this ship.

[fourglasswalls]

"Soooooo embrace peace...?"

Like, the answer was RIGHT THERE!