thisavrou_log | ( march intro log )

Entry tags:

( march intro log )

Who: Everyone
When: March 1st and on
Where: The Moira + Ceta
What: The crew finds themselves on the planet of Ceta
Warnings: Potential sci-fi creature death. Please label your content!

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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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All right, so Lando's not at his most polished. His hair is a bit less of a mess, maybe, but there's still a fair bit of sand on him, and the dirty attire isn't something he'd normally be caught in even if it hadn't just been dragged across the sand in a few different directions. Clearly, he's been through something.

Something that he would expect the man he's just caught sight of down the hallway to know about, though he's clearly not versed in the abilities of that malfunctioning portal that brought him here. Last he'd known, though, they seemed... okay. It would take a while for them to be better than that, of course, but he did help save Han. Han had even saved him. And now it seems they're both here, where the sight of a familiar face is too welcome to not act on.

And so he calls out, down the hallway. "Han?"

The natural response to hearing your name called in any universe is to turn around and see who's calling you, right?

It's not so easy to place the voice, with the echo in the corridors and the simple impossibility of that many people who know him being around. He's thinking he can't be right as he does turn, but-- Lando.

From what Leia says, he owes the other man some gratitude. If not for Lando they'd have been trapped on Cloud City, within Vader's grasp. He believes her-- if only because the admission was so grudging. Han and Lando have a long and complicated history, and in fairness, this isn't the first time they've screwed each other over.

But it's definitely the worst, and fresh from months of suspended animation, Han is not feeling particularly grateful.

Scowling down the hall, he doesn't walk away, but doesn't answer, either.

Well, it's not as if he can really begrudge Han the reaction; it's certainly warranted, if a little inconsistent with what he's just been through. But then again, they hadn't had much time to actually exchange any words on the matter, and the fact that Han didn't let the sarlacc devour him isn't setting the bar all that high.

Still, he's come this far, and if he's ever going to try to make things right then he's going to have to do this sooner or later. So, after a deep breath, he steps closer, hands up with his palms out. He's not looking to fight, though he wouldn't necessarily blame Han for taking a swing at him. He's spent a while now coming to learn what his old friend's been up to, what got him into that much trouble in the first place, and realizing just exactly what he'd done.

Which is, of course, nothing to be proud of.

"I know it doesn't just make things right. I can't ever do that, I just... did what I could."

This really is the more difficult part. "I'm sorry."

Knowing Lando is sorry, knowing (from Leia) that he's trying to make amends, isn't enough to keep Han's hands from curling reflexively into fists at his side. Taking a swing at the other man would be really satisfying, but it's not going to help matters. He's better than that. Han will be the bigger man out of spite.

But he doesn't have to like it.

"You oughta be."

That's maybe a little colder than being the bigger man should encompass, oops. He stalks a little closer, weirdly conscious of how closely this mirrors their arrival in Cloud City, the strange and uncertain tension between them. It's not going to be resolved with a hug, unfortunately. (On the other hand, Han hasn't made secret plans to have Lando tortured and sold off to a bounty hunter, so maybe that's not a bad thing.)

"Leia says you got them out of the city."

That might be a thank you? It doesn't sound like one. Maybe he's just looking for confirmation.

A punch would be simple, at least. Straightforward, the sort of thing he was accustomed to dealing with and reacting to. This... all of the uncertainty is terrible and the power is completely tipped against Lando here. He's the bad guy, as has become clear in the ensuing time among rebel forces. It didn't even matter that those were not the plans as sold to Lando. Functionally speaking, it makes no difference. He's done arguing his role in them, or denying that he'd been wrong.

Which is why the initial retort, cold as it may be, doesn't get much more than a small, resigned nod of acknowledgement. Han's not wrong. He ought to be sorry, and he is.

After a breath, he confirms, "I did. Took them back to the Falcon, got Luke, and brought them back to the Alliance..."

It's the abridged version, but if he's gotten the story out of Leia already, he probably has the details. "Then I went with Chewie to find you."

What's strange here is the lack of arguing. Lando is the sort of man who's always got something in the wings, some explanation or good excuse, some way to spin things so it isn't his fault. He's the kind of guy who can screw you over and have you end up thanking him for it. Han isn't going to pretend he's been any better-- he'd been half-expecting Lando would still be holding a grudge over something or other when they showed up. But this... He's not sure what to make of this.

Funny being on the other side of it. Han's been getting tired of having to tell people yes, he's serious about not having an angle this time. Noble self sacrifice and all that junk doesn't come so easy to men like them, but that doesn't mean they're not capable of it.

He lifts his hands, forcing himself to unclench his fists. Almost a shrug.

"Here I am."

You found him, congratulations.

The lack of arguing is the definitive thing here, really. This is the thing - the one thing - he's not trying to find some way to excuse himself for. His only concern with it is to fix it and try to move on from it as fast as he can.

He's not sure how exactly he wound up at this point, but here he is. Trying to do the right thing. It's almost confusing to him, but the point of clarity in all of this is that he can't bear being an active party to the Empire's brutality. That was never unclear.

"Yeah, this part wasn't exactly in the plan." Funny how often things like that happen, but this is a whole new level of complication. "And I thought being stuck on Tatooine was bad."

At least that backwater hole is in the right galaxy.

It's pretty strange for the two of them to be talking like this, without having an angle. It might be the kind of thing that could be nice someday, if they can get over it.

He pauses a moment, mulling it over, thinking of everything Leia had said. Right now he has no real reason to mistrust the other man. Whether or not he can manage that kind of faith is another story.

"I thought maybe Jabba sold me off somewhere," he says wryly. It's sort of a start to having a real conversation about something other than how (rightfully) angry he is. Waking up on an unfamiliar ship had been confusing and jarring but he hadn't been prepared at all for just how far he'd gone.

"Leia's surprised I wasn't sick."

It's not as if Han not trusting him is a new and exciting development between them. He's never had any illusions about where they stand, and he's hardly made that ground any more stable.

Not that it's the immediate thing on his mind when the threads of their conversation seem to suddenly depart. His brow furrows and he frowns.

"You were sick when we got you out."

It seemed like it was getting better, at least enough that he wasn't in the early stages of being on the bad end of an incredibly long digestion process, but this is totally different. Was this some kind of delayed short-term memory issue?

Maybe it could be worse. If you keep going lower and lower eventually you hit rock bottom, and the one good thing about rock bottom is it's a stable foundation.

But before he can find himself musing on the question of whether or not there's anywhere to go from here, Lando drops that bomb, and Han's face twists in confusion.

"When you what?"

Something to build on, maybe. If they can get that far.

His head tilts backward a little as he responds, "Got you out? We were just getting the hell out of there." At least until the Ingress decided to snatch him up.

"No we weren't."

There is absolutely no doubt in Han's tone. He narrows his eyes, looking for some hint that Lando is lying-- though what kind of angle he could be working, Han doesn't know.

"Leia said you've been looking, but..."

But so far, nothing. Definitely no getting the hell out of anywhere. Wouldn't he remember that part? It was just the carbon freeze chamber, then the long, indistinct half-awareness of hibernation, and then this.

He's clearly just getting more confused, frown pulling a bit more intensely.

"We were, and we found you. I was undercover for months at Jabba's palace while we were working out a plan."

But the equally earnest conviction on Han's part isn't coming off like a symptom of anything, nor does it make sense for it to be happening now.

"Han. Look at me." Because really, this is not clothing he'd choose to wear and he's clearly not properly put together. Just to make the point more clear, he extends an arm and gives it a jostle, sprinkling the floor with some loosened sand that he tilts his head to indicate. "That's freshly imported from Tatooine."

That's a fair enough point. Falling in with a bad crowd (good crowd?) can have a pretty pronounced effect on a guy, but it's hard to imagine Lando willingly running around like that, now that he stops to think about it.

Which means-- if that's true-- he stares at the scatter of sand on the floor, head spinning a bit, dumbstruck.

"I don't remember anything. Leia doesn't--"

And she hasn't just come out of stasis, so there's no excuse there. This can't be right, can it?

"Leia's here." That, he didn't realize. It would have made just as much sense, from his perspective, that some information may have been conveyed before they'd gotten snatched here.

All right, though. Then they're here, but Lando's... the only one who remembers this? He's from their future? He takes a breath, frowning as he considers this possibility. It seems improbable, but so did winding up in another galaxy, and allegedly that's happened. Not that he's yet convinced of all that.

Hell, maybe that thing that brought them here just messed with their heads. Or his head. Hard to argue with sand from the sarlacc pit, though.

"Yeah."

Leia's here, that's one simple fact, at least. And her memories match up with his own-- more or less. To the extent that he remembers anything, because it's impossible to know how long it was.

As insane as this is, it's at least a distraction from the tension between them. Call this a common enemy, maybe. Or just the fact that really, he does understand why Lando did what he did. It just kind of takes some work to get over it.

"So time travel and a different galaxy."

He raises an eyebrow.

He arches his brows and shakes his head, there, letting that consideration settle in. "Apparently."

There is that much to be said for it, that it's taken the focus off of his own actions. Maybe he'd consider explaining it, where he was coming from, what was at stake, how little idea he had of exactly how horrible things were really going to go, but it doesn't seem like it matters right now. A lot of that speaks for itself, and he'd rather not delve into the details of it so much as put it behind him as rapidly as possible. Calling more attention to it is the opposite of what he wants.

Of course, there's also another thing to be said for the concept of time travel being introduced.

"Does make the different galaxy aspect easier to buy into."

"Overachiever."

What, just being flung across intergalactic space is too pedestrian for Lando Calrissian? Figures.

(And just like that, even if he's still pretty angry, even if he hasn't entirely shaken off the odd disorientation of being unfrozen and ending up somewhere so impossible-- for just a second, it's like old times. At least enough to make it clear that he's not going to be hanging onto a grudge for long.)

And in that moment, he can't quite keep the little smirk from pulling at the corner of his mouth, or reign in the mischievous quirk of his brow.

"You know I couldn't miss a chance to raise you one."

Maybe it still doesn't come quite as easy as it once would have, but clearly, it will again.

So maybe things aren't exactly all right, but they're definitely going to get there. Probably sooner rather than later. It helps that Lando has made an uncharacteristic attempt to turn over a new leaf here... And that someone else told Han about it first. Some things don't sound quite as good when you're bragging about them.

"I'll have to think about how to answer that," he says breezily. Time travel is a hard one to top, if it's true. (True seems unlikely but at the moment anything else seems pretty much impossible.)

"So... Everyone pulled through all right?"

This alleged Tatooine escape attempt. He could use a little reassurance. Bad enough to think they're risking their necks.

"Everything went exactly..." Well, he can't truthfully say it went according to plan, and Han would never believe that anyway. But, within the realm of actual honesty, "Not as disastrously as it could have."

Stressing the most important aspect of things not going as disastrously as they could have, he elaborates, "We all got out fine. Thanks to you, actually, I'm not being digested by a sarlacc right now."

A plan that goes not as disastrously as it could have is, by their standards, a pretty damn good plan. Even some of the disastrous ones turn out pretty well, come to think of it.

"Yeah, well don't say I never did anything for you."

With news like that, it's hard to stay angry.

It was a pretty damn good plan. Mostly because it had so many failsafes built into it, and because they had a bit of narrowly good luck on their side. (And doesn't that always have quite the part to play for them?)

"Wouldn't dream of it, General Solo."

Hey, you hang out with the Rebel Alliance a while, you pick up some details.

"Hey. You'll ruin my reputation."

He's lying. He's ruined his own reputation, long since. Pretty soon people are going to start believing him when he tells them he's part of the Rebel Alliance and not running some stupid con.

Given the circumstances, Lando's pretty thoroughly convinced, at least.

"From what I've been told, it seems like you've got that pretty well handled all on your own."

Let's not even discuss what he's doing to his own reputation. Just when the hell did Han Solo get to be a good influence, anyway?

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straightouttacarbonite - 2016-04-05 22:51 (UTC) - Expand

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( march intro log )

Some corridor between the Ingress and Mero Deck dude who cares the point is Lando just got here

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