[GA] Time After Time, Part 3

[Dark Lord]

Something’s different. Only one voice now. Female. Still distorted. Laughing, horribly. All around you. There is a malevolent intelligence behind that voice that chills you to your core. It surrounds you, penetrates through you. You feel so alone. Like you’re naked in the arctic, and a chill wind pierces every inch of you, down to your very soul. An age passes, as you struggle to comprehend your surroundings. Eventually, you forget everything- your home, your ship, your crew, even your very identity. Eternity stretches for you like an endless, suffocating blanket, smothering everything you are beneath the slow but inexorable accumulation of the endless expanse. It is enough to drive a being mad, but instead you snap back.

The morning dawns painfully early (about 0700 hours), as Draggor awakens on the bridge of the Dime Store Magic, right where he was sitting, to the full-throated sound of Datephus alarm klaxons and the AI shrieking, ”RED ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT ON MAIN BRIDGE! ALERT ALL CREWMEMBERS!” Kar and Kaedras are quite rudely awakened by the noise. If you check later there is no sign of Mara, Aoife, Metri, or their possessions- and Datephus has no record of them every being on the ship. Over in the bar, Juan and Icky begrudgingly stir to life at the same time as Datephus chimes on the group’s communicators. There is likewise no sign of Mara.

Meanwhile, at about 0730 Starchief awakens when Commandant Torrigan’s own communicator chirps. Exhausted from the previous night, the Seeronian needs no prompting to roll over and go back to sleep, but something keeps rest at bay for a few moments. Torrigan slips into the next room, and Starchief barely hears her as she answers in her native

”Yes?”

, followed by a pause, then more

”That’s correct, in fact I’m with their leader now.”

Then another pause. One last statement in

”As you wish, Priestess.”

If Starchief wore his ring of tongues to bed the previous night, he will understand the unfamiliar language. Either way, the sense of danger that comes over him afterwards is all too familiar. Better wake up, Andra, and try to remember where you left your weapons.

What are you doing?

GM Instructions

• Everyone, post a save vs. insanity. Normal bonuses apply, but if you did not die in the old thread then you are subject to a -10 penalty, if you did you get a +2 bonus. Draggor, you automatically make your save, see below.
• If you make your save, your character’s memories will completely return within the hour, including both loops. For now you’re just disoriented.
• If you fail your save, your character won’t remember anything starting with the morning scene in this post, in the first loop. It will take a little persuasion or other effort to convince your character of what’s going on, but at this point anyone who mentions a detail from one of the past loops will trigger a feeling of deja vu.
• All equipment posts and character sheets (including the Dime Store Magic, group equipment, and insanities) revert to their state as of my above-linked GM post. Backup copies of everything are being stored in the GM forum and DSM can coordinate anything you want retrieved. If this method proves too cumbersome, let us know.
• Icky, your powered armor is right where you left it.
• Juan, Joan is still inaccessible.

The Morning After

The following penalties last until they are cured through rest or other means.
1) Well rested: You got a good night’s sleep, no penalties (Kar/Kaedras/Draggor). You are awake by 7am.
2) Sleepy: Tired and a little cranky- today is not going to be a good day, -5% to all skills and -1 to all combat rolls (Starchief). You are awake by 7am.
3) Death: Never again, -10% to all skills, -3 on all combat rolls, -1 APM (Juan, Icky). You are awake by 7am, somehow.

[Juan Echo]

Perception (33%) 1d100<33: [49] = 0
JiC 1d20: [12] = 12 / 1d100: [66] = 66
Save vs. Insanity: 1d20+3: [12]+3 = 15

Juan dreams of flying, or rather of crashing through the sky, fire everywhere. He flails his arms in an vain attempt to have some control over where he is going. He looks around him to see a pair of metal wings flapping in the sky, then separating, pulling apart below a blue sun in a red sky, and then dissolving. He remembers! And as he plummets back to consciousness, he has an epiphany, the same one he had before he started flying through this burning sky...

"PENGUINS CAN'T FLY!" Juan shouts jumping from the pile of passed out pirates sleeping on the bar floor. "PENGUINS CAN'T FLY! PENGUINS CAN'T FLY?" He kicks the Wulfen next to him. "Hey, urqos. What's a penguin?"

Presumably, the Wulfen's answer is less about penguins and more about how he will grant the Wandering God the ability to fly if he stays in the bar. Taking the hint, Juan quickly grabs Icky and looks for Mara. Unable to find her, he assumes that she crept out of the bar earlier and they will meet her on the Dime Store Magic.

Speaking of headaches, he feels like a spaceship crashed head first into a spaceship, the long heavy throbs making it possible to maintain more than 5 seconds of linear thought. Just as he is about to remember what a penguin is, his head feels another low thrumb and he has to start over. He cannot even muster the energy to reach his sister. Is my hangover so bad that Joni is napping it- he stops to steady himself, leaning against the wall of a pirate barracks. Where's Joni? Is she hungover too? He shakes his head and starts to walk again.

As they get closer to the Dime Store Magic, Juan starts to get flashes of being on the ship. He sees the wreckage around him, the bloody smear that was once Mara, the new guy co-piloting, (we have a new guy? Ouch, my head again) the necrol dropship, and the explosion.Juan begins to remember it all. It doesn't get rid of the hangover, but the overwhelming pain in his head seems appropriate. He stares at the Dime Store Magic, and he has the epiphany a third time. "Peguins can't fly! No wait, space whales don't have engines... so that's not a penguin! No, wait, that mean's the space whale isn't a space whale! Wait! That means it's happening all over again."

[Draggor]

Perception: 1d100: [65] = 65 | 21%
JIC: 1d20: [13] = 13 | 1d100: [34] = 34

...the being is preparing for one hell of an energy absorption, if it'll even work. It's always painful to some degree, and as the ships detonate, the searing hot flame and plasma washes away to...

...a voice. Cold. Everything is white, yet it is an illusion. The best and worst life has to offer is behind, with the distance ever growing. It is The Void. Infinite nothing, no sounds, no feelings, no thoughts. What was once a conscious being is now reduced to only an observer, a fixed position camera aimed at a blank canvas.

...but instead you snap back.

The sudden rush of existence is overwhelming, and that's true WITHOUT the blaring alarm going. This is agony. Draggor gets out of the chair while holding the sides of their head, practically screaming out, "DATEPHUS STOP!" If there's a control that looks anything like a "CANCEL ALERT" button, Draggor is going to try pressing it. Why do I know that name? Stumbling through the bridge, the beast just wants some peace and quiet to understand what just happened. You MUST remember! Snapping out of The Void is never easy: before it was a near death experience allowing all those voices to have a lot more volume. This time, ALL of them are so... distant, it's hard to tell which was the most recent. Right up until the image of Juan at the controls flashes in Draggor's mind, and they're calling out, "Juan! Juaaaaaaaan!"

At some point Kar, Kaedras, or both will run into the creature, hands still holding the head in a feeble attempt to drown out the alarm, "You... you are not Juan..." Flashes of Draggor's first loop continue, and unlike the near death experience through the rift to get to this planet, these images produce more outbursts, "Didn't work! Again! Again for you!" Sensory overload drops the being to their knees, and then pleads, "Sssssstop the alarm..."

[Kar Fallax]

Perception: 1d100: [64] = 64 vs 24%
JIC: 1d20: [19] = 19 and 1d100: [46] = 46
Save vs Insanity 1d20+2: [11]+2 = 13

The morning dawns painfully early (about 0700 hours), as Draggor awakens on the bridge of the Dime Store Magic, right where he was sitting, to the full-throated sound of Datephus alarm klaxons and the AI shrieking, ”RED ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT ON MAIN BRIDGE! ALERT ALL CREWMEMBERS!” Kar and Kaedras are quite rudely awakened by the noise. If you check later there is no sign of Mara, Aoife, Metri, or their possessions- and Datephus has no record of them every being on the ship. Over in the bar, Juan and Icky begrudgingly stir to life at the same time as Datephus chimes on the group’s communicators. There is likewise no sign of Mara.

Kar jumps to attention when the klaxons go off, What the hell? Did that awful godling bring something home with him? Kar grabs his rifle and heads to the bridge. On the bridge he sees Draggor and yells, "Who the hell are you?!" He drops to a knee and trains his site center of mass on the creature. What is Draggor doing on the bridge? The initial thought passes over the simian almost unnoticed.

"Who invited you? Did Juan take you home from the bar?" Is Draggor female? Does that matter to Juan? As Kar considers if Draggor is an overnight guest of Juan he starts to catch on to the fact that he knows him from somewhere. I know this thing! But, from where? Confusion settles in the apes mind as he begins to look around, the barrel of the rifle dips slightly as his focus seems to lessen. He. Is. Draggor. I think.

Kar feels a pang of fear run down his spine. I don't like this feeling! What is going on? His eyes open wide as the fear disapatess and is replaced by anger. He raises the barrel back to center of mass, "Why do I know you? What the hell did you do to me?"

[Chef Icky]

Perception: 1d100<55: [54*] = 1
JIC: 1d20: [12] = 12 / 1d100: [81] = 81
Save vs Insanity: EP purchased crit (yes, again. Screw you, this is too important to forget)

Icky awakes with a start to Datephus' voice in his ear and the lingering scent of sausage with shrimp in his nostrils. Gumbo. What the frell is 'gumbo' anyway?

"Alright, alright, Red, I'm up..." he waves Juan off from his attempts at rousing him. "Lissen, I gotta bad feelin' 'ere. Datephus ain't into wake-up calls-- hold up. Where's Scribbles?" He looks around with an ever-increasing sense of concern. "Feetal's gizz..." he mutters under his breath. "I hope ta Big D I'm gettin' jumpy over nuthin." He grabs Juan and half drags him towards the exit, carrying him if he gets too unsteady. "So tell me, chum, what's da last thing ya remember? Gettin' any feelin's o' deja vu, or ya just hung over?"

Once they're back on board the ship Icky breathes a sigh of relief to see Sarge right where he left him. "Oi, chum, I'll be back fer ya in a minute. Right now we got some stuff ta figure out." He rushes up to the bridge where he sees Kar staring down Draggor. Again. Again? Yes... again. But not here. Gorrammit, heifer, focus! He shakes his head to clear away the swirl of memories (or what might could be memories, visions, or just plain after effects of too much bad booze. The gift of hangovers. Lovely.

"Alright, all o' ya stand down already. Datephus, cut out dat frakkin' alarm an' gimme a complete roster o' who's part o' da crew an' dere last known locale. While yer at it, get Quan on da comm. I gotta feelin' da felgarcarb's about ta smack da turbine. Again."

[Starchief]

Perception: 1d100: [11] = 11 /62%
JIC: 1d20: [15] = 15 / 1d100: [9] = 9
Save vs Insanity: 1d20-1: [1]-1 = 0

Tired and a little cranky- today is not going to be a good day, -5% to all skills and -1 to all combat rolls (Starchief). You are awake by 7am.

"Ugh... so tired..." Starchief's ears perk up as he hears his unassuming magical ring of Tongues translate the Atorian's speech. Priestess? Oh frak... Andra leaps out of bed and reaches for his clothes first, then his gun, sword and anything else he brought with him. Why is my Star Alarm going off?!

If Torrigan comes in to the room while he's getting dressed, he makes sure he at least has his sword in hand. If questioned about it, he responds "I always get dressed sword first. What good leader doesn't?"

[Dark Lord]

While Kaedras blissfully sleeps through Datephus’ alarm, Kar rushes to the bridge to confront the intruder. There, the Thropo finds an alien he doesn’t recognize- or does he? The figure makes no hostile moves, just some awkward attempts to shut down the alarm, but all Draggor gets is ”ACCESS DENIED.” Datephus repeats the phrase anytime Draggor attempts to access information from the AI, or get it to do something. Kar watches as Draggor reacts to the prospect with obvious distress, and charges onto the bridge with his weapon drawn. Datephus quiets the alarm without being asked, and Kar begins peppering Draggor with questions- naturally suspecting Juan, but Kar feels an increasing sense of déjà vu, which he demands the strange alien explain.

Meanwhile, Juan and Icky are startled awake. Juan emerges from a particularly vivid dream screaming about penguins, whatever they are, for some reason. The godling’s initial attempt to resolve his confusion involves kicking a nearby wulfen (and none too gently)- but few beings can boast the ability to consume divine quantities of alcohol, and Juan’s companion is still dead to the world (but not completely dead, as is confirmed by the muttered imprecation when your foot connects). He notes Mara’s absence but thinks little of it, however when Icky comes to he immediately begins to recover his memory, and the minotaur knows in his bones that her absence has far more serious implications. The two of you walk back to the ship- as you do, your memories begin to return, and you begin quizzing one another about déjà vu. The effort itself promotes a renewed sense of déjà vu, almost as if you’ve had this conversation before. Very meta déjà vu. It’s a short walk back to the Dime Store Magic from the bar, once you arrive Icky orders Sarge to stay put, and heads for the sounds of voices coming from the bridge. There, he confronts Kar and Draggor (again), and tries to defuse the situation (again). Somewhat ominously, Icky tells the crew that they have bigger things to worry about. And figure out.

And then there’s Starchief. Too distracted and disoriented to spot the silent alarm from Datephus, his attention is currently focused on what Torrigan said- and wondering why in all the hells his danger sense is going off. The Seeronian plays it cool, and nonchalantly starts to get dressed- starting with his sword. Just then, Torrigan walks back into the room, spots Starchief, and smiles. ”Just what do you think you’ll need those for?” Thinking she means his sword, Starchief answers, to which she replies, ”No. Silly male. I mean your clothes. Keep the sword if you wish, but I’m not done with you yet. Just let me finish one piece of business.” She taps her communicator again, and speaks directly in front of Starchief (again in her native

”All units. Find the torchbearer and kill him. The same for any visitors from that magical ship. Execute order five if necessary.”

). Then in a flash, she’s all smiles as she moves in for an embrace. If Starchief doesn’t physically stop her, as she reaches up he’ll feel a small prick on his chest- Torrigan will play it off as being a little rough, but if Starchief doesn’t successfully save vs. non-lethal poison (16+) he will start to feel groggy (and additional penalties will be forthcoming on my next post).

What are you doing?

[Juan Echo]

Perception (33%) 1d100<33: [82] = 0
JiC 1d20: [6] = 6 / 1d100: [89] = 89

"So tell me, chum, what's da last thing ya remember? Gettin' any feelin's o' deja vu, or ya just hung over?"

Juan shakes off Icky's questions as they walk back to the Dime Store Magic. He is too hungover too remember the night before, any sneaking suspicion of deja vu, or even make sense of the surreal dream that broke through the icy sleep of death. He is only shook from his stupor by the sight of the ship, which shakes back his last thoughts before his most recent trip to the great beyond. It slowly comes back, a series of huge revaluations that are too much to comprehend even for a divine mind. Juan wishes he could summon Joan to help, but he knows she is gone though he cannot explain why. Before stepping aboard he says to Icky, "The ship, the space whale, I mean, I remember flying it into orbit with the pirates. And it exploded..."

"I need to go to my room and meditate. Something powerful is altering reality." Juan is about to go to his quarters to shake off his hangover and make sense of his garbled memories, but the noise from the bridge gets his attention. He hears Kar and someone familiar, Draggor, arguing. The sight of the immortal monster triggers another flashback. He was on the ship's bridge with me. What was his name?

"Ivan!" Juan shouts. Assuming Draggor does not respond to the name, he tries again, "Drago? I'm sorry my memory is severely compromised at the moment. We've met before haven't we?"

Juan will work backwards with Draggor to recreate the events of the last cycle. Crashing the Dime Store Magic on to the Necrol drop ship, the invasion, and how they waited in space. "It was as if they were waiting for a signal someplace on the planet." He shakes his head, the memories still coming back. "Does anyone else feel we may have gone through this cycle more than once?"

[Ghast]

Perception: 1d100: [26] = 26 /21%
Just in Case: 1d20: [19] = 19 ; 1d100: [62] = 62
Conditions: None... That he's aware of at the moment.

Intelligence 1d100: [14] = 14 /50% (Attempting to discern if the folk onboard the DSM are Friend or Foe.)
Streetwise 1d100: [36] = 36 /40% (Does Ghast recognize any of the DSM crew, or know anything about the ship?)
Tracking (People) 1d100: [69] = 69 /55% (Keeping tabs on the comings and goings around the DSM.)
Prowl 1d100: [74] = 74 /50% (Trying to blend in with the background to quietly observe the ship and crew.)
I.D. Undercover Agent 1d100: [81] = 81 /47% (Seeing if any of the crew is agents or acting like they're undercover.)
Surveillance 1d100: [20] = 20 /55% (Long range observation of the DSM)

Ghast sits across the way watching the ship, his eyes wary of traps or gods forbid agents of the organization. They likely would be your best chance to escape this rock... But they're likely in league with nefarious groups... How could we know that before investigating? Well It's what we did to kill that chancellor... That was a different time, and what are the chance that they're assassins... The thoughts go back and forth for a while, seemingly without stopping from the task at hand, investigating the FTL capable ship across the way.

Maybe we can wait for one of them to leave, follow them and find out more by acting as a potential employer... Have you looked at us lately, we're a mess, no one would believe we're worth a sandwich let alone a potential employer... Mmm, I could go for some food, I'd rather not bleed someone for their essence... Maybe later. Ghast thinks as his stomach growls quietly.

Running a hand through his messy hair, Ghast continues to think on what he could do.

[Kaedras Starfall]

Perception 45% 1d100: [9] = 9

JIC 1d20: [5] = 5
JIC 1d100: [76] = 76

Save vs. insanity: 1d20+4: [3]+4 = 7

Kaedras yawns, and rises, well-rested, oblivious to the goings-on outside his quarters. Aldón, his clockwork wolf, a gift from his beloved, whines at the door. He smiles at scratches it behind it's cold, metal ears as he walks past, gathering clean clothes from his locker and putting them on.

he sits down on his bed to pull on his boots - missing, however briefly, the feel of grass under his feet - then stands and looks in the mirror. Running a comb through his preternaturally long, white hair is all it takes for it to fall into place. He spies the glint of light playing on the surface of the water diadem, adhered firmly and inextricably to the center of his forehead. Nothing could take that from him. No sir.

Not yet knowing what the day has in store, Kaedras suits up in his armor, as Aldón watches him curiously.

"Good boy, Aldón. Would you like to come with me today?"

As the door to his chamber opens, Aldón bounds out of the room and heads to the bridge, barking in Draggor's direction. Upon arriving, he sees Kar and some stranger.

What's this... a stranger on board the Dime Store Magic? Juan... what did you do this time?

"Who invited you? Did Juan take you home from the bar?"

"You... you are not Juan..."

"Indeed I am not. Who might you be?"

"Didn't work! Again! Again for you! ...Sssssstop the alarm..."

"Why do I know you? What the hell did you do to me?"

Concerned, Kaedras says "Datephus, cancel alarm. Please call the crew to the bridge." Looking at Kar, he thinks One problem at a time. "Hold on Kar... Let me help this one first if I can." He kneels down to Draggor's side. "It's clear Juan brought you aboard friend. Let us see what is going on... see if I can assist you in some way."

As he does, Icky arrives.

"Alright, all o' ya stand down already. Datephus, cut out dat frakkin' alarm an' gimme a complete roster o' who's part o' da crew an' dere last known locale. While yer at it, get Quan on da comm. I gotta feelin' da felgarcarb's about ta smack da turbine. Again."

"... again?"

Kaedras then triggers Telepathy: Superior, and touches Draggor's head, to try to see what is troubling the being. (-8 ISP)

[Draggor]

Perception: 1d100: [12] = 12 | 21%
JIC: 1d20: 1d20: [10] = 10 | 1d100: [22] = 22
Save vs Psionics: 1d20-4: [5]-4 = 1 Telepathy: Superior

"Why do I know you? What the hell did you do to me?"

Getting yelled at sure isn't helping the sensory overload situation. Even with the alarm dropping down to silent status, the throb and echo overwhelms the being still for their first loop reset. That a weapon centers lethally on Draggor either is unnoticed or ignored, but probably the first, lest this be an astounding act.

"It's clear Juan brought you aboard friend. Let us see what is going on... see if I can assist you in some way."

"Juan..." the being feebly points to the other chair where Juan was piloting from.

Kaedras then triggers Telepathy: Superior, and touches Draggor's head, to try to see what is troubling the being. (-8 ISP)

There's no physical resistance, or even real acknowledgement of Kaedras's presence or touch until the telepathy kicks in, at which point Draggor falls silent, frozen, possibly even comatose. Thoughts are jumbled and memories are intertwined, even at the most surface level: a miasmic psychic cloud thrusts itself into this probing, with great gaps of nothing segmenting the mess. Those gaps, The Void are neither pleasant nor harmful, but the rush of Datephus exploding, followed rapidly by being near torn apart in a rift, to surface violent memories from centuries past, only for another gap to appear. A scene of Draggor's first meeting of this troupe on the ship melds with what must be first contacts of several different species. The dark passage that the being woke up near on this planet gives way to deeper caves of darkness, the only light source granted by glowing, malevolent eyes and glimpses of grotesque creatures similar to the one before you now.

"Drago? I'm sorry my memory is severely compromised at the moment. We've met before haven't we?"

Hearing the voice last heard before this reset seems to help focus thoughts produces images of the tentacle ships, most notable the large one that was crashed into, but even that pairs against a gigantic, seemingly dead beast, decaying over countless cycles and gradually buried in rust colored sand and dust. Eventually, language enters into the mix. We're not alone. We're never alone. External, another. We met them. I met them. Last time. This isn't right! I saw The Void. I REMEMBER THE VOID! TELL THEM THE COORDINATES!

The coordinates! While Draggor was most likely unable to actually read any symbols right before the crash, Juan was doing the piloting, and hopefully that can be pieced back together. A shape not fitting is that in this loop, Draggor started on the ship, not awaking on the planet.

[Kaedras Starfall]

(Rolls carried over)

Kaedras sends his consciousness into the alien's mind - a feat he has practiced but not used extensively. The feeling is surreal - he is not seeing the alien's memories as much as he is remembering them as if he had lived them himself. Even the most foreign memories probed this way have a personal quality to them, almost a deja vu sensation.

In his previous uses of this ability, he has never encountered a mind like Draggor's. Segmented - almost fractured - with each segment markedly different in sense, in quality, in... personhood. It is, the elf guesses, like probing multiple minds simultaneously, and he struggles to make sense of the division. He attempts to navigate the memories, which come - not chronologically, but arranged in some other order.

A scene of Draggor's first meeting of this troupe on the ship melds with what must be first contacts of several different species

Kaedras sees himself, clearly. His bow, at the ready but pointed floorward. The water relic diadem sitting proudly on his brow. Hears himself speaking.

"You have wandered onto our ship, friend."

We know each other - or did know each other... or... will know? Is this being from the future? Or have I forgotten our meeting somehow? That can't be our meeting because I have jsut met him now. This must be something I have somehow forgotten?

The memory shifts, Kaedras' memory - this being's memory - of himself/Kaedras - slides away. Kaedras finds himself immersed in battle. The memory feels old; interminably old, the years stretching out before him in a yawning infinity. This being is on a battlefield, alongside others of his kind. Ahead were demons. Another being calls out this one's name:

"Draggor!! To your right!"

The view jerks right, and Draggor's hand raises, a mighty blast of pure energy emanating out, blasting the demon creeping up on their position backward and away. Time slips away.

The alien - Draggor - is now on the bridge of the Dime Store Magic. Is this now? Am I in here? He looks to the side, and sees Juan Echo, the Wandering God.

Draggor speaks.

"If you remember what happened before, then it's still a single path. One we, I, wish to keep walking."

Juan replies.

"Sometimes there is a path to follow, sometimes you are treading through unknown lands. And even if I am reliving today, this feels like the latter. ... This what we encountered last time. And we need to stop it from reaching the planet, again. There's a good chance we won't survive this. Weird as it sounds, if you wake up and you find yourself reliving this morning, remember what happened and prepare to find a new path."

Before he can analyze this cryptic discussion, the moment is wrenched away as time slips by Kaedras once more, implanting him in another memory.

No! Not Yet! I must see more!!

The being - Draggor - lay on a field, dying. A sucking chest wound causing blood to gurgle in his throat with every attempt at a breath. He knew his time was over. Kaedras remembers a deep sense of uncertainty. Is this really the end? Is this how you die, Draggor?

All goes black. Time, however, does not slip away. Draggor's eyes open. He breathes, coughs up some blood clots, now hardened into black globs. He sits up. His armor, he sees, is destroyed. His chest, however, has healed.

Time slips away. Draggor is back on the bridge of the Dime Store Magic, Juan at his side. Back - is it the same time?

Datephus' voice intones a warning over the shipwide PA.

"ENGINES OFF LINE, LIFE SUPPORT OFF LINE, WEAPON SYSTEMS OFFLINE, DEFENSIVE SYSTEM OFF LINE..."

"If we get stuck in another time loop, we're not repeating it."

"Agreed, let's crash someone else's ship next time..."

"REACTOR CORE OVERLOAD IMMINENT IN 10, 9, 8, 7... I don't want to go."

"I'm sorry Space Whale. I don't want you to die like this either."

This memory ends in the brilliant flash of an explosion. Time slips. Kaedras pulls himself into the void between memories, trying to orient himself to this fractured creature's mind.

Kaedras hears a thought - not a memory.

We're not alone. We're never alone. External, another. We met them. I met them. Last time. This isn't right! I saw The Void. I REMEMBER THE VOID! TELL THEM THE COORDINATES!

"Draggor... friend. Can you hear my thoughts? I need to make sense of what I am seeing. Are you from the future? What is happening?"

[Kar Fallax]

Perception: 1d100: [38] = 38 vs 24%
JIC: 1d20: [19] = 19 and 1d100: [68] = 68

Kar steps aside and lets Kaedras do his thing, I feel like, this thing. I know it. Don't I? Kar looks around the ship his mind in a daze as he tries to figure out what is going on, we landed, met people, Juan got drunk, they raced, the min cat kicked my ass, then I died. The thought comes with minimal understanding at first, then realization starts to set in. I died! Those things killed me! Kar starts to focus on the memory and another materializes, but I came back, we tried to stop it. We did stop it. No! WE didn't! Kar's eyes grow large as a memory of Quan's head being severed fills his mind. I died again!

"I died again!," he yells at the thought. "Again! We didn't stop it. It changed. Maybe worse!" The simian's eyes start flitting left and right as he assesses his surroundings. "We need to leave! She is going to take the stones! She wants the stones. We need to leave!" The simian panics, overwhelmed by the memories of two gruesome deaths. His next thought is to warn the team. He keys the team radio and with out thought or rants to the team, "WE NEED TO LEAVE! She is coming! She is going to take Quan's head. She wants the stones! I died! I died! They killed us! And! the Atorians! They Blew themselves up! They F***ing blew themselves up! What the hell is going on?! WE need to leave! NOW!"

Kar releases the radio channel and looks toward Kaedras and Draggor, panting he continues quietly, "we need to leave, now. We can't stop it. We can't. We just need to leave."

[Draggor]

"Draggor... friend. Can you hear my thoughts? I need to make sense of what I am seeing. Are you from the future? What is happening?"

This clear, fully formed thought, no, message, acts as an anchor point for the chaos in Draggor's mind. Thoughts, and urges, converge on it, even if it's external, and downright intrusive. "We are not from the future. I jumped through a rift, and ended up on this planet. When I met you, this was already a loop for the rest of you. This whole planet repeats the cycle. I don't know why I remember better than others. It seems dying makes remembering... easier?" A montage of death wraps the mental visions of both Draggor and Kaedras, a tour of many of the times the being has "died" yet come back.

"Began this loop on the bridge. My first appearance was near the building that Juan walks out of. So far, each loop begins different." An undercurrent of discomfort wraps every thought, everything this being "says", until erupting as a psychic scream of defiance. "WE DID NOT ESCAPE SLAVES JUST TO GET STUCK HERE AND DIE AGAIN AND AGAIN! WE WILL DESTROY WHOEVER IS DOING THIS AND BASK IN THE GLORY OF VICTORY! COMMAND US! DIRECT OUR HATRED AND BLOODLUST SO WE MAY BE AT PEACE!" To everyone else watching, the being's eyes increase in glow, malevolent red being a fine descriptor, and suddenly Draggor shoots to their feet, practically snarling, and then taking several deep breaths before calming.

"I am Draggor. I met all of you on your previous loop. This is the first time I have repeated this day, and it is the second for you. This ship, Datephus, has died twice, most recently with Juan and myself at the helm, crashing into a giant ship with tentacles that emerges from a rift in orbit of this planet. As I did last time, I pledge to serve this crew to defeat whatever forces are causing this." It's not hard to feel the frustration, anger, and other strong, negative emotions this creature has for the situation and whoever is causing it.