I, Trailblazer (Honkai: Star Rail/Disco Elysium)

>Endurance has been enhanced. (+10 Maximum Health)
>Physical Instrument has been enhanced.

…You're awake. No dreams or strange visions, no long periods of comforting blackness. It feels almost wrong. One moment you close your eyes and the next you're here. Back at the aid station, in the Master Control Zone.

"Ah, finally awake?" March is here as well, sitting on a nearby box. "Pretty impressive performance back there. I'd dock points for you fainting, but…" She looks down at the floor.

<Perception[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> There are bags under her eyes, and her clothes still have blood on them, yours, that is. Either she's had trouble sleeping and the Space Station has poor laundry machines or…

<Empathy[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> She's worried about you. A lot. It's likely she hasn't left your side since you blacked out. It may have been different if you were mainly unharmed, but you look awful.

You glance down, and see about a third of your body covered in dark red bandages. Most of the fight has blended together but you do vaguely remember getting bombarded by lasers. It's a testament to your endurance that it's not half of your body needing bandages right now. (+10 Health)

"I suppose I should just be happy that you at least woke up. This better not be a common occurrence though, Stelle!"

<Pain Threshold[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 11> You're almost certain it will be.

More importantly… "'Common occurrence'?" You ask, as she seems to be assuming something.

"Well, obviously you'll be joining us on the Astral Express, right?" Oh. Well then, it seems that the resume you were planning out won't be needed. How unfortunate. "I won't be accepting a no either, you owe me for that last stunt!"

"I wasn't going to decline… but wouldn't you normally be the one who owes me?"

"As if! While I'm appreciative of course, you also had me worried sick! People aren't supposed to be unconscious for a full day!" She's being rather tyrannical, but you'll accept it. The 'payment' is something you were going to do anyway, after all.

"I'll make sure to heal faster next time." A full day, huh? Not ideal.

"No! There shouldn't be a next time- ugh, whatever, I feel like you won't listen to me on this anyway…" Oh no, back to sad March, you need to find a way to fix this. But how…?

<Empathy[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 12(Roll: 9 + Empathy: 3)> Just give her a hug, apologize, and tell her you'll at least try not to get hurt as severely.

You sit up from the rather uncomfortable makeshift cot and follow Empathy's advice. "I'm sorry March, I'll do my best to limit future injuries…"

She returns the hug and mumbles into your embrace "You better…"

<Electrochemistry[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 11> Quick! Throw in a flirt of some kind.

<Suggestion[Challenging:Critical Success] Challenging: 12 vs Your Total: 15(Roll: 12 + Suggestion: 3> It could most certainly help her feel a bit better, ignoring any possible ulterior motives Electrochemistry has.

"I suppose step one would be to stay as close as possible to you, then."

"Wha-" She jerks her head up to look at you, "What do you mean by that?!"

"Because of your shields, of course. Unless you have another reason we should be sticking together all the time. If you do, feel free to share."

"If you have enough energy to tease me I guess you're fine…" She pulls herself out of the hug. "I'm going to go get some sleep, Himeko wanted to talk to you, she should be somewhere around here…" She starts to walk away.

"Who said anything about teasing?" You call out to her.

"I SAID I'M GOING TO SLEEP! IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, I PUT MY NUMBER ON YOUR PHONE!" She's quite flustered now, and walking away quickly. She's quite fun to tease, huh?

Wait, you have a phone!?

---

Said phone is almost completely empty, other than March's contact information. You're rather uncertain how you didn't notice it in your pocket throughout all the fighting and running. Better yet, how is it completely undamaged?

<Logic[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 8> Most importantly, there's nothing to hint at a past you've forgotten. But you must have gotten it somewhere, right?

Putting aside the many mysteries of your phone, you find Himeko very quickly, not surprising considering how much she stands out with her bright red hair.

"You're awake, and walking around as if you didn't just take a Doomsday Beast's attack head on. How intriguing." Before you can say hello, someone else speaks up behind you. A quick pivot and you find yourself face to face with… a doll? Rather short, with brown hair and piercing purple eyes, the latter of which are currently inspecting you from head to toe. She looks pretty familiar… have you seen her somewhere?

<Encyclopedia[Medium:Failed] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 8(Roll: 6 vs Encyclopedia: 2)> Perhaps you saw her when you were last in the Master Control Zone? That seems quite likely, there were a lot of people there.

"That look of confusion in your eyes, you don't know who I am, do you?" She sounds almost… clinically offended? As though she doesn't really care whether you do or don't recognize her. "My name is Herta, of the Genius Society. This space station you rampaged through and that sword on your hip? Those are both my property."

"Her property!? As if. She's just a kidnapper, if anything." You start to note that not many people would consider taking a sword as kidnapping, but quickly stop that line of thinking as Nameless starts to pulse, clearly taking offense to that.

"While I'm sorry for any damage to the station… I won't be giving back my sword." You prepare yourself for an argument, an expected one, admittedly. March did warn you back when you first grabbed Nameless that Herta was known to be uncompromising.

"Sure. I don't mind." Or not. Perhaps March got the wrong impression of her. "You can take it as a payment for any future experiments. That Stellaron that is somehow inside you is also mine, so I have the right to experiment on it."

You will never doubt March's opinions on someone again.

"Now, hold on, Herta." Himeko finally decides to cut in. "There's no need to be so aggressive, I'm sure Stelle would agree if you explain yourself a bit."

"Fine. There has never been a living being with a Stellaron existing inside them, and research done on this could provide immense insight into Stellarons as a whole, helping people affected. It is also, most importantly, incredibly interesting. I am willing to accommodate basically anything you could ask for. Unless I get bored, then off you go." That is certainly a course of action you could take, but, well… being a test subject doesn't sound very appealing. Either way, you made a promise to March to get on the Astral Express.

"If you'd prefer, I have another option. Join us on the Astral Express. We have quite a bit of experience with Stellarons… and while it isn't every day, we do end up fighting things like the Doomsday Beast every once in a while. It wasn't hard to see how much you enjoyed the fight." She already has your personality down to a T, doesn't she? "Besides, this space station is one of our most frequent stops. Herta can experiment all she -and you- wish."

This is clearly the better option for you, in fact, not a single part of you prefers the alternative. "I'll go with the Express." So there's no need to think it over.

"Well, that was quick. This is better for me anyway, I wouldn't want to have to keep track of you all the time. Before you leave, make sure to come to my office. I have something I need you to test." Herta doesn't move, but you can tell she's no longer here, somehow.

<Shivers[Medium:Success] Medium: 10 vs Your Total: 11> 249 dolls, activating and deactivating when necessary, a single consciousness drifting between them at will.

"I welcome you aboard, Stelle. I expected you to take a bit longer to make your choice, but being decisive isn't a bad thing. We'll likely be leaving as soon as you finish up your business with Herta, so I'll be waiting for you on the railway platform. See you soon."

You return Himeko's wave, and make your way to Herta's office, while ignoring the fact you pass three other Herta dolls on the way over. As you enter, you see, well…
Calling it an office feels like a misnomer, as it's empty of a desk, books, even any standard computer terminals. There are holographic portraits along the walls, and at the opposite side of where you entered, an ominous glowing machine, looking like a pyramid tipped on its side and pried open. Another of Herta's bodies is standing next to it, and quickly turns to you.

"Oh, there you are. We'll be running you through a simulated universe I and some other members of the Genius Society created in order to interact with the Aeons. We haven't had much success so far, but perhaps the Stellaron will make a difference."

What a flashbang of information. Is she going to elaborate on that at all?

"Well, in you go. No time for chit-chat, we have research to do."

No, it doesn't seem like she is going to do so at all.

---

The Simulated Universe was quite possibly the strangest experience in your life. Meeting digital versions of Qlipoth and Fuli… not how you expected the day to go. You also don't really understand how it works, all you did was fight some digital members of the Antimatter Legion and then Aeons showed up? How utterly confusing.

Nevertheless, you've made your way back to the platform where you fought the Doomsday Beast. It's already looking much better than the last time you saw it. The maintenance team must be top notch.

It's your first time seeing the Astral Express, too. As soon as you laid eyes on it, Nameless started shaking in anticipation, but wouldn't respond to your questions as to why. It certainly fills you with a sort of… tension. A wonder of what's to come.

"Ah, Stelle!" March is looking much better now, clearly rejuvenated by her nap. "You kept your promise!"

"Of course I did, we need to stay close, don't we?" A huff from Nameless.

"Back to that already, huh? I'm ready for it this time, so don't expect a repeat of earlier!" She giggles a bit, "You should say goodbye to everyone before we leave though, it may be a while before we come back." She stops for a bit, thinking. "Though I guess you only really met Arlan, huh…? Easy enough!" She pats you on the back before running off to say her own goodbyes.

You find Arlan easy enough, talking to a lady you've meant to talk to multiple times but things kept getting in the way.

"Oh, Stelle, it's nice to see you again." Arlan bows lightly, "Thanks again for the original save, and the one at the elevator… and for defeating the Doomsday Beast. You've done quite a lot for me in one day, and I can't thank you properly with just words… next time the Express returns here I'm sure I'll have thought of something to repay you."

"As I said before, it's really not a problem." He shakes his head at your answer, his mind has already been made up.

"I would like to thank you as well, for all that you have done for those here." The person Arlan was talking to says, "It's unfortunate there wasn't any time to talk before you left, but my name's Asta, I'm the Lead Researcher of the Herta Space Station."

She extends her arm for a handshake, and when you return it you quickly notice there's something in her hand. Before you can ask about it, she winks and lets go, leaving it in your grip. It's… a credit chip, of a rather large amount, you think. You realize you don't actually know how much money is a lot… but 100,000 is a pretty big number, so...

<Empathy[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> It's a thank you gift in Arlan's place, she's both looking out for her employee and thanking you for his safety.

You stealthily put it in your pocket without Arlan noticing, and reply, "It's nice to meet you Asta, hopefully we'll get to talk more the next time I'm here."

"That would be lovely, Stelle, right?" You nod. "I wish you luck with the Astral Express crew, they're quite the bunch. It was a pleasure meeting you!"

"Goodbye, and I'll make sure to have a thank you gift the next time I see you." Arlan says, before he bows once more, and walks away with Asta.

Well, it's good you finally got to talk to her, even if only briefly. You contemplate saying goodbye to Herta, but you quickly rationalize that you've barely talked, and it would only annoy her, anyway.

---

For a space-faring train, it's quite a smooth ride. You guess that's the power of an Aeon… you spend a while staring at the shrinking space station, before-

"Hey! Over here!" Some strange bunny-like thing starts talking to you. "Yes you, the one with that dumbfounded look on your face. I'm Pom-Pom, the conductor." This rabbit is the conductor of the Astral Express…? Really? "I'm only going to say this once, so listen up! Since you chose to board, you'll be abiding by the rules. Also, you're not the only 'special' one here. You'd best remember that. Other than that… come find me if you have any trouble. It's the conductor's job to make sure his passengers have a pleasant trip."

You aren't quite able to get your thoughts in order to respond before he walks -more like waddles- away.

"Ah, it's you." An older looking man has taken his place. Brown eyes and brown hair, with a white streak. "We haven't met just yet, I'm Welt Yang, it's nice to meet you as a new Trailblazer, Stelle."

"Oh, nice to meet you too, Welt."

"If you ever have any questions, you can ask Himeko or I. We're here to help." He pauses, seemingly embarrassed by what he's about to say. "Saying that… we don't actually have a room for you. The Express is made from an Aeon's power, so it's rather complex in origin. We should have more passenger cars, but they're… missing, somehow."

That's… a problem. Where exactly are you going to stay then? The couches here in the parlor car?

"Not a problem, you can stay with me!" A wild March 7th appears. "It'll be like a sleepover!"

<Empathy[Easy:Success] Easy: 8 vs Your Total: 9> She is incredibly excited about this, it's likely she's never had one before. In fact, it's likely she's tried a few times before with one of the crew, but they've always declined.

<Esprit de Corps[Trivial:Success] Trivial: 6 vs Your Total: 9> It was Dan Heng.

"It would be rude of me to not at least offer the same, due to your circumstances." Where do people keep popping out of? This is a fairly wide open space! "I do stay in the archives, though. Might be less comfortable compared to March's room."

It honestly surprises you that Dan Heng would offer such a thing, considering what Esprit de Corps and Empathy just mentioned, but you suppose he's sympathetic to your plight.

[] It's alright, I can stay on the couches.
[] Maybe staying in the archives will make me smarter…
[] Hell yeah, sleepover!

Also, there will be some time before you can make the warp jump to the next planet, how should you spend it?

Off-Hours

The three actions with the most votes will be selected:
(If you'd like to do an action twice, just write (again) at the end of the action. If you'd like to do something thrice, first of all: why? Second of all: (again (again)). Third of all: I lied, I understand, I love over-specialization.)

Bonding:
(Increase your relationships)
[] Spend time with March
[] Spend time with Dan Heng
[] Spend time with Himeko
[] Spend time with Welt
[] Spend time with Nameless

Enhancement:
(Increase your attributes, the amount of actions needed to enhance is the current level of the stat plus one. So, if you wanted to level your Psyche, it would currently take 4 actions.)
[] Peruse the archive.
[] Socialize with the entire Crew.
[] Do an intense workout.
[] Train your flexibility.

Recovery:
[] Rest, and let your wounds heal up. (+Health)
[] Calm your mind and meditate. (+Morale)

Special Actions:
Currently none.