exit, stage e a s t

[ The video starts without words, or introductions. What people can see of it, Jim is in a dark room, cold and almost cavernous, no windows to let any light in. Paint is peeling off the walls, and furniture is scant, what little of it is there falling apart and thrown across the dark, blood-stained floor. There are chains, needles and ropes surrounding a table in the middle of the room, but none of it is quite as scary as the figure lying down across the tabletop, seeming like a human strapped to the table. It's eerily still now, but from the wild look in Finn's eyes, standing some good feet away from the table, that probably wasn't always the case. ]

We can't get it out of here, are you insane?! We can't—

[ Finn's voice is quiet but panicked, and silenced by Spock's swift and quiet interruption. ]

We will need to be swift and careful if we do not wish to be seen. It will not be long before someone comes back—

[ And there is Finn's voice, panicking yet again. ] Are you crazy?! No, I— no!

Captain, [ Spock interrupts again. ] I suggest that we do this now, if we do not wish to be discovered.

[ Jim huffs from behind the camera, taking a deep breath. ]

Alright. Let's get to it.

[ Finn's eyes widen impossibly, seen even in the dark of the room, but before he gets to say anything, the feed cuts.

Along with the video shared, there is also a text post. ]

This is a room in the Remembrance headquarters. It's kept locked at all times, with strange noises coming from it on occasion, and we decided to investigate. We had the key all along to open it, thanks to the work of another group among our own.

This what it looked like on the inside. We didn't have a lot of time to explore, but there was definitely something wrong in there. Blood, signs of torture, a broken dollhouse. An overall sense of stillness and dread.

The mannequin on the table was moving, before I shot that video. It tried to grab our throats as we picked it up. We brought it with us anyway, but we have it locked up in a room right now. It's not moving for the time being. We're not sure how to proceed from here on out, so I'll take any suggestions.

I also got my hands on a music box. The song from it was warped, and the room itself reacted strangely to it. Finn could sense something strange from it. If anyone here is sensitive to supernatural things, I could show you. It might prove useful.

We didn't have a lot of time to explore the room otherwise. A few minutes in there at best, but we didn't want to get caught, and we really wanted to get those things out of there. So we kind of had to rush. If anyone else is able to get in there and have a better look, explore more of it, I think we might be onto something.

Study the walls. there was something wrong with them.

[ Unlike certain pointy-eared aliens out there, Jim appears on the broadcast looking perfectly normal and wearing no funny hats or accessories. His shirt and hair are maybe slightly rumpled, but that's to be expected. Given the nature of the announcement, he looks serious too. ]

For those of you who I haven't met yet, I'm Captain James T. Kirk. [ Yes, the T. is important. ] Recently I was part of a group who visited the Concord, and I personally got to talk to her Captain, Maximilian Hawk.

He shared a few things, though I don't know how much of it really will be news by now. Long story short, the Company wants to get their hands on some rare item, something that's either been lost for a long time or is only mentioned in myth. They discovered Samuel Vane, or Quicksilver Sam, was already looking for said item, so they hired him to find it for them. They gave him the ship, the crew, a set of coordinates and a fragment inside a small box that supposedly reacts when close to aforementioned item.

The so-called 'gifts' we were sent to deliver were half of that coordinate, and the empty box. Which leads me to believe that the gesture was meant as anything but a peace offering.

Considering Vane's mental state at the moment, it also makes me wonder if he was the one sending those gifts, or if Kreil is the one behind the gesture.

[ He takes a slow breath. ]

Now, regarding the rest of our conversation. I managed to avoid a conflict in the moment by explaining we were refugees here, and not part of either crew. He believed me. He also offered a deal for us: we take the fragment and the coordinates and we find the item ourselves, effectively taking up the job what was given to Vane, and we'd be rewarded with supplies and funds to carry on with our trip or find somewhere to settle, as Hawk put it. Part of his conditions is that we hand over Vane as well— and the remainder of the crew, I imagine.

I am not in favor of this, just to be clear. I have no interest in handing over Vane, but I'm not on my ship, and you aren't my crew, and I can't make that kind of choice for the group at large. As much as it goes against what I believe in, I thought that it was necessary that I share this with you all, so that everyone can weigh in on what they think we should do.

That said, I'll take no part in a plot to capture and deliver Vane, not when we have so little idea of what's the story behind all this. Hawk has shared what is convenient to him, what makes him look like the one in the right, the one who was tricked and lied to, but there's a lot we don't know too.

Anyway, I figured I'd open this up to a vote. At the very least we'll get some idea on where most of us stand regarding this.

That's all. Kirk out.

((ooc: for the sake of organization, I ask that everyone go to this comment and vote on what your character would want to do (plus with any wild plots/ideas they might have suggested). Please hop over there and vote, even if you don't want to or don't have the time to reply to this post!))