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by the inquest
"Arguments on their nature are refuted by those who return to shore, wide-eyed with tales of their savagery."
All Moirans are woken to the sounds of the ship coming to a rather grating halt some time in the early morning cycle. It’s no faster or slower than any other stop, but it is unexpected as the captains didn’t mention an upcoming disembarkment. Shortly after, a message is sent to every MID:Navigation has informed us that we’re approaching bad traveling conditions: an overactive star. Instead of stopping on Liant El, we’ll be docking here on Ceta. Please exercise caution while gathering supplies and during excursions. Follow their safety guidelines. If the chance allows, we’ll also be signing new crew on the planet. Please greet them first and show them to the ship. Thank you. The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar.
For those few who come through Ceta's Ingress, there will be crew of the Moira there to greet you. They tell you of the Ingress, how it is broken, even on this planet, and that the ship is headed back to the origin of this technology. This planet’s Ingress is set precariously atop a floating rock formation, the only way from one area to the next is on small air-propelled boats. Crew members will guide everyone back to the Moira and take them to the Medbay; contracts will be signed posthaste.
WELCOME TO CETA
At first glance, Ceta seems mostly inhabitable, and that's because it is. The atmosphere around the planet is surprisingly thick in most places, sometimes thin in others, and without some way to filter the air, it is mostly unbreathable; it's a giant gas planet, its core made of various molten metals and the atmosphere a mix of oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrous. Ceta's gravity is also uneven, meaning that some areas will have stronger focal points than others. The terrain, when it is visible, appears rather rocky—hardly the best conditions for life and stable living. What's more unusual, however, is that despite this fact, there is, indeed, a small populace "living" among the mist and clouds, but it's clear they do not live here year-round. It's hunting season, and they are there for the bounty.
These visitors have built small platforms that are hooked together by ropes and swinging bridges, which they call "temporaries". Unstable buildings are rare, dangerous, and spread out over these temporaries to prevent damage or accidents. The temporaries float along, swaying and shifting with the planet’s atmosphere, and posted at every point of entry and all open surfaces are a particular set of rules that everyone must abide by. They are written in dark ink and large block letters so that all passing by will stop and read them:
NO FIRE. Flammables, ignition sources, matches, lighters, and anything that creates a spark is prohibited. The atmosphere has higher levels of hydrogen, and the smallest spark will create a problem.
AIR BREATHABILITY. Monitor your vitals. Wear masks or re-breathers if needed.
WATCH THE EDGE. All walkways are the only thing from you and falling. Be cautious and watch your step. These signs should be given their due attention. The edge is just that: the end of where it is safe to walk. If a wooden plank gives way beneath your feet, you will plummet through hundred of miles of atmosphere before hitting the planet’s thin surface. The captains reiterate that crew should be careful and stick to the main temporaries, gather supplies, visit at their leisure, and then go back to the ship.
☄ IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE!The organisms that have evolved on this planet are unintelligent—a fact that is told to you by the other visitors. As there is no solid materials or ways for them to interact with their environments, these giants float along within the atmosphere, though it appears that they are flying when they are merely navigating through. They travel in groups of three or more and sometimes come close to the outskirts of the temporaries. Because there is an invisible filtration dome around the temporaries, this allows the creatures to pass through without harm and return again into the mist as they please. They are difficult to see at night and are rather skittish in the presence of sudden light.
☄ @ THE MUSEUM Every evening when work is done, artificial light sources illuminate the streets of the temporaries. There is one bar, if you can actually call it that, but the main attraction is a museum. The support structure appears to be made out of the skeletal system of the giants that "swim" and live on Ceta, and though the outside seems rather unassuming, the inside is not for the faint of heart. As it's considered informative, there are displays of the internal structures and functions of the very creatures that seem harmless and as unintelligent as the visitors claim. There are sections of the museum dedicated to their anatomy and what makes them so valuable: inside their air sacs, which is what gives the illusion to flying through the atmosphere, is a mineral that, when harvested, attunes and sharpens the senses so that brain capacity and function excel over one-hundred percent efficiency. Likewise, aside from these informative areas, there is also a history of how and when the visitors began to hunt them for this valuable, unnamed resource.
☄ HARVEST SEASON Are you looking for work? Or perhaps you're bored with your duties aboard the Moira and prefer to see just what it is these visitors do during the day? Hunters will often pay for menial labor to help with the killing and retrieval of the giants of Ceta. It is by day, not by hour, and once aboard one of the many ships, you will be put to work handling equipment or being on the lookout for "signs" of the creatures. Once they've been spotted, the real work isn't in capturing them or even trying to subdue them—though they give a good fight. It's in the harvest, done below deck once they have been safely brought into the ship's cargo areas by the tethers, that can get quite gruesome. As a defense mechanism, cutting into the skin creates a rather noxious emission that can cause disorientation, hallucinations, or unconsciousness. Worst case scenarios can often result in death.
☄ WORD LIMITS As things are beginning to wind up (or down), something seems to have gotten into the MID systems and caused a malfunction. On the morning of 03.13, it suddenly becomes clear that communicating with others who are not from the same universe or similar timelines seems very difficult. Understanding each other becomes rather hopeless as the day continues, and these repercussions can be felt across the entire ship. The Captains send out another MID message that appears as a jumble of unusual letters and symbols. However, there is one word that can be read by everyone and (hopefully) understood: RATCHET. Figuring out this problem shouldn't take long if everyone can leap the language barriers and work together.
( ooc; All New Arrivals: you have the choice of coming through the Moira's Ingress OR Ceta's Ingress. For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-03-01 02:40 pm
no subject
He places his other hand over the spot he was touched as if a great sin as been committed just now, looking over at Peter. He crosses his arms over his chest as some sort of lame defense mechanism. "Kidnapping and forced servitude". Fine, maybe that's what it is, but Andrew isn't going to complain about it.]
I'm going to go ahead and guess no, they don't.
[Dry response with a hefty helping of salt right there.]
no subject
Boo, dude. Could have at least gotten a show, right? Would have been a cool story to take home.
[He gives the other guy a quick once over. New face, young face. About time really, after they'd dropped off the refugees earlier in the month Peter had felt the lack of teenagers around the ship.]
You some of the new blood? Heard we were picking up some people here.
no subject
He watches Peter from the corner of his eyes for only a brief moment before returning his attention to the whales.]
New blood. Yeah, I guess that's me. [He still can't believe he's even alive right now, much less the "new blood" anywhere.] You're part of the crew then.
no subject
So I guess you've been on crew for like, five minutes. I should ask you how you're doing with it. If you've got any questions, give advice, blah blah. [He waves a hand, dismissing the idea.] I mean, I'm betting they already gave you the run down, right?
no subject
[Oh god he's already overwhelmed with this conversation. Does he even have any questions? Yes, about a million of them.]
Yeah, I pretty much got the gist of it. Work on the ship, other planets, all of that...stuff.
no subject
[He smiles, knowing that's a lot to dump on someone. But it's all worth mentioning and Peter would have liked someone to have given him a warning first.]
There's a lot they don't put in the welcome package.
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...Someone told me they died before they got here. [Which is complete bullshit but shut up.] Can they...can they really do that? Is that like, something that happens?
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I've seen people die on this ship and come back a few weeks later all good as new. So I'm not surprised if that's true. The laws of nature don't really seem to apply when it comes to our ship. If you need a minute for that, I totally get it. It freaked the hell out of me when I walked right into someone who's murder trial I'd voted jury for.
no subject
[Andrew's head snaps in Peter's direction with a clear look of dude what the fuck written clear across his face.]
Murder trial? Dude - [A hand goes to his forehead as he pinches the bridge of his nose.] - just slow down for a second...
Can you just explain that last bit and nothing else?
no subject
By the way, everything is apparently recorded on the ship.
no subject
[A flat response, not entirely concerned with murderous being on board. Not as much as he should be, but that's more of an over confidence thing.]
Umm, I guess that makes sense? [He rubs at the back of his neck.] But when you say everything, like, our rooms too? Do they record audio?
[That thought honestly makes him feel more uncomfortable than the murder trials. When he gets his hands on a camera he doesn't want anyone hearing his private musings or recordings. Being a private person aside that's creepy.]
no subject
[Which was exactly what Niko had been telling him. Peter sigh, gives a shrug.]
But it's the system we got until someone fixes it.
I don't know about the rooms. All the footage they showed was from out in the public areas. Apparently people like to get bold with their murders. Sometimes there's audio. So I guess they get it but don't always let us listen in.
no subject
It's Andrew's turn to sigh. He drags a hand down his face, starting to feel the existential crises creeping up on him. Is all of this really happening right now?]
What the hell, man? All of this is really, really, messed up. Jesus.
no subject
Yeah. You need a minute? Like, not making fun or anything. I know it's kind of heavy when you're new and everything's already weird.
no subject
Yeah, okay, I do kinda. But last time you asked me that you totally dropped another bomb on me so...can you not this time?
[ That is to say, please don't info dump him anymore or he might start freaking out again. ]
no subject
[He sighs, thumps Andrew on the shoulder in a way he thinks is comforting.]
You need something? Like, water or something? I can be back in, like, two seconds.
no subject
[And he actually does appreciate it? Before now he knew almost nothing outside of what was told to him back on the ship and it really wasn't enough to prepare him for all the other stuff he was unaware of.]
No. I mean - maybe, I don't know. I don't know.
[He may have wanted to be alone when he arrived injured and angry, but right now this guy knew what was going on and he was totally lost. He didn't want to be standing here alone at the moment.
He also has no idea how literal Peter is being when he says that.]
no subject
[Peter emphasizes the words, holding his hands close together like a measurement. After a moment, he just shrugs and takes off anyway, figuring it's easier to show than tell.
True to word he's back within the space of a few breaths, a glass in hand.]
Okay, that might have been more like three or four but I'm blaming these old bridges everywhere. They kind of freak me out. But yeah, here. Water.
[He holds the glass out to Andrew, still forgetting that since Andrew was new that the other boy wasn't used to seeing Peter zip around the halls.]
no subject
--except he is literally back in two fucking seconds, Andrew's hands only halfway down his face, eyes peeking over his fingers as he's frozen there in surprise.]
-Dude. [His hands drop to his sides, staring right over the glass of water and right at Peter.] How did - you just - dude!
[Okay he has seen a couple of people with abilities so far but what the hell?]
no subject
Oh, dude. Dude! Right, you got me talking about serious shit and I totally forgot! [He grins, excitement starting to buzz through him.] So I guess you got a free show. Ugh, I should have done something cooler to show you instead of just getting water. Lame.
[He extends the glass again, trying to get Andrew to take it.]
So. Yeah. I'm fast.
no subject
It's just - I'm not - I haven't seen anyone do something like...like that. [Once the shock of it all simmers down there's an excitement in his eyes as well. He's not sure when, or if, the novelty of being in a place with people like him will wear off but right now he's just kind of basking in it.
Because Andrew has always been better with actions (regarding powers anyway) than words, he lifts his hand as if about to take the glass, only he doesn't make a move to grab it. Instead Peter may feel a tug on it as Andrew pulls the glass towards himself with his power. And if Peter lets go it will float over to Andrew.
His way of saying, "hey, I've got powers too!"]
no subject
Very few people here have. [And god, Peter is so proud of that. He loves being this unique thing that manages to both freak people out and excite them. Even better when it's the latter. It makes him less of the freak who had to hide back home and feel more like something to be appreciated.
Peter might not have much experience with a true telekinetic, but he has experience from this last month with whatever Wanda and Billy are. He lets the glass go and grins as it floats across.
There's one thing the boys can boy agree on; being around all these other powers is cool as hell.]
Whoa man, that's pretty cool. I'd say it's groovy, but I'm getting the idea lately that it's a little outdated. But the sentiment is still the same.
no subject
[Andrew grabs the glass out of the air and takes a sip. He's already starting to feel a lot better, though. The panic has subsided and he suddenly doesn't feel like he's going to drown in all the information he just got.
Also compliments. It's not something he's really used to so he can't help the tinniest smile his lips form.]
Thanks. [It's a shy 'thanks'.] The speed thing is pretty awesome too. Like, really awesome.
no subject
[He grins, gives Andrew another friendly slap on the arm. It will never get old hearing people here think highly of his abilities. After a life time of hiding from everyone not sharing his surname, it's incredible to have so many know and not care.]
I know, right? I mean, thanks and all. But, right?
no subject
Um, I'm Andrew, by the way.
(no subject)