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)! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Robin's expression sours as soon as the Moira is mentioned. It isn't the woman's concern that bothers her - although, to be honest, Robin doesn't quite trust that either - but rather that everyone seems to want her to board the Moira, as if she has any reason in the world to trust them.

The best case scenario here is that they're telling the truth and that it's the Moira's fault she's stuck in this place anyway. She doesn't really have much reason to believe that that's anywhere near the truth, though.]

I need to get back to work.

[There's a brief pause, and the arms go back to their work rummaging around inside a dead whale.]

All right.

[ She feels a momentary helplessness, an annoying feeling. She shakes her head. ]

You work like this where you came from, too?

Not often, if I can help it.

[She says. The copies of her arms are elbow-deep in whale guts now, but they don't seem to require her complete attention.]

But I want to eat tonight, and food costs money.

[ Something that strikes her as a bit wise for a child to say. ]

If you're planning to stay on the planet. Yeah, it does.

[ She moves to a position not far off, resuming the work that needs to be done, moving considerably slower with her lack of extra limbs. She's efficient though, and soon tosses the proper parts in the collection tray. ]

Just so you know, the Ingress won't let you stay on the planet when the Moira leaves.

I'm not. I just don't see any reason why I should leave with you people.

[Honestly she wouldn't be pushing back so hard if everyone in this place weren't so insistent on bringing her aboard the ship. It reeks of ulterior motives to the paranoid girl.

The comment that anyone or anything is going to force her onto that ship - and toward her inevitable execution, as far as she knows - earns a scowl from Robin.]

I'm not going aboard that thing without a reason or a fight.

[Ordinarily she'd just run away rather than be so confrontational, but... Well, there aren't exactly a lot of places to run to on this godforsaken planet.]

I'd say suit yourself, but I'm also serious about how you won't be able to stay.

[ She discards the waste and draws another hunk of whale carcass to herself. Her armor has a rebreather on it, so she's not at all cautious in how she tears into the hunk. ]

Just as a heads-up, I'm planning to take the money I earn here and start a system of currency on the ship. Right now there isn't any.

[ Why this kindness? She doesn't really know. Tex likes being the one on the top of the heap when it comes to riches. But there's something about this girl, something older than her years, and Tex doesn't intend to condescend to her in any way. ]

[That earns another glare from Robin. Her hands are working a lot less efficiently now, as Tex's statements are taking up more and more of her attention.

She takes note of the currency comment, and files it away for later. She doesn't say anything about it, though, because she's got more important to ask. ]

What kind of ship is the Moira, anyway? What do you people want from me?!

[Spoken louder than she'd intended. The other hunters look up from their work to see what the child is shouting about, but they're met with a harsh glare from the child. To those that continue staring, few sets of arms sprout from their shoulders and redirect their faces back towards the whale carcass before disappearing.]

Just want you to be aware of what the reality is, I suppose. But it's no skin off my back if you don't want to listen.

[ As far as her actions go, she's as cool and collected as ever, continuing to work at the same steady pace. She's a bit agitated about being doubted, though. ]

Just remember that everyone on the Moira had about as much choice about being brought here as you did. And that's where we're coming from.

[No, she definitely doesn't want to listen. She doesn't want to be told that her choice in things has been removed, that this is a problem she can't escape from, or that she's utterly helpless in the face of the Moira or the Ingram of whatever force brought her here. These are things she explicitly doesn't want to hear.

So she isn't going to be particularly grateful to Tex for telling them to her, even if they are the truth.]

Everyone?

[The disbelief in her voice is palpable. Not in a "completely shocked" sort of way, though. More in the "literally does not believe it" way.]

So you all got brought to the ship and it won't let you leave, and you're all just okay with that? There's no one making you stay?

[It sounds fake, is all she's getting at here.]

Look, kid. I don't make a habit of bullshitting newcomers. Do what you want. But it won't let you leave, and that's all there is to it.

[ She yanks an air sac out firmly and tosses it into the tray. All with an air of control. ]

As far as it being everybody, the captains claim they were brought in the same way as everyone else. But I've never quite believed it.

Then why the hell haven't you all sank the stupid thing?

[That's the thing that she doesn't get. Clearly the ship is causing some serious problems, and if it keeps bringing in more and more people, then it makes sense to cut your losses after a certain point.]

If it's keeping us all prisoner, then destroy it. I know there are other... Ingresses... because the one I showed up at wasn't even on your stupid boat.

[Her extra arms have all but stopped working entirely now. The girl's voice isn't raising, but her hands are clenched at her side - she can't help but be angry at the fact that she's been brought here. While it's true that the situation she was taken away from was outstandingly shitty, she was also taken away from the only thing she really had to live for.]

There are other ships out there - there have to be. Fine a different one and take it, if you need one so badly.

[ Mutiny. That's what the girl is talking about. And it's a good question—why have they all settled in so easily, working and living with their captors? Assuming the captains are the ones arranging all this, anyway. ]

Planning an operation like that would be a pretty delicate thing. You'd have to have other people on your side. [ She tilts her head, very slightly. ] You'd have to have a good leader. And a good plan.

[ Is it really a mutiny if you've been kidnapped and are being made to work against your will? Because that doesn't feel like mutiny to Robin.

Even then, it doesn't even have to be a mutiny. The captains can stay on as captains if that's what the crew wants - Robin just wants to get rid of the ship that seems to be the source of a pretty major problem.]

What I want to know is why you haven't already done it. If you were all brought here, the same as I was, then why would anyone be on the ship's side?

[ Granted, she's not a leader and she doesn't have a plan, but it's honestly a little hard to believe that this isn't a more popular train of thought. ]

I think most people are convinced by the thought they'll be able to get back home at the end.

[ That's not a consideration for Tex, though. She's dead back home, and doesn't have a body available to her there.

She pauses and then returns to working. ]

I might think about sending some feelers out. I don't have a lot of friends or connections yet though.

Edited 2016-03-04 18:00 (UTC)

[ Robin let's out a disapproving noise at first, lamenting the naivety of such a thought.

The scowl on her face fades fairly quickly, however, when she realizes that she's speaking to a potential co-conspirator. A look of interest dawns on Robin, as she looks the armored woman once over.]

Thank you. [Granted, it's an act in Tex's own self interest, unless she wants to be bound to that spaceship forever, but Robin is grateful nonetheless. ]

What's your name, by the way?

[ No indeed, Tex doesn't relish the thought of being constantly bound to this ship, unable to do the work she prefers and helpless to move on. She's had enough of that sort of thing, thanks.

She turns her head to look at the girl when she's asked her name. ]

I'm Tex. What's yours?

Clover.

[That's definitely the truth and not a lie at all. Yep. Definitely.

Robin keeps a straight face as she says it, though. She's got a good bit of experience in lying about her identity to people, and this isn't any different.]

...what do you do aboard the Moira? What do they want me to do?

[Because she's definitely suspicious as hell about that thing. But if she's gonna hear about it, she might as well hear from the one person she's met that doesn't seem sold on the entire idea either.]

[ Tex isn't phased by being lied to, though of course she doesn't know she has been. She just needed a name to attach to the child. ]

They have me teaching school. Well, except for while we're on the planet, since I'm working down here. I have no idea what they'll want you to do, but your assignment should be listed with your information on the manifest, if you look it up.

You're... a school teacher?

[The disbelief in Robin's voice is clear. Really, it's mostly just the armor that's throwing her off so much. Wearing all that, Robin never would have guessed that the person before her had any capacity for teaching.]

I'll... think about it.

[If what Tex is telling her is true, and she really doesn't have an choice in this matter, it might be best to keep her head down for a while until there's an opportunity to really escape. It's something to consider, at the very least.]

I wasn't a teacher where I came from. I'm kind of...learning on the job.

[ She gives a half-shrug. ]

There are things I enjoy about it, so I'm sticking with it for now.

[ What a strange choice, then. Robin obviously doesn't know Tex well, but she hardly seems the teaching type.

Maybe that's just because of the armor, though. ]

...what were you, then?

A mercenary.

[ At least, that's what she was doing at the end, before the Meta captured her. She doesn't want to try explaining Project Freelancer to a kid, even if it's a kid that seems pretty street-wise. Mercenary covers it well enough. ]

[ Robin just nods at that. It's along the lines of what she'd expected. A mercenary or a knight or something that might utilize the armor she's wearing in combat.]

...did you ever hunt bounties as a mercenary?

[She's trying pretty hard not to seem tense about the question. Like its an innocent question being asked by a curious kid, rather than a wanted criminal testing the waters to see if she's in any danger. ]

I never picked up any contracts like that, no. Not that I wouldn't have.

[ She answers casually, her bin of whale parts nearly filled. Once she tosses in one last organ she straightens and goes to get one of the carts that they needed to use to move them. ]

I get this feeling wherever you're from you've seen a lot of shit.

[ She also feels any censoring of her language is unnecessary. ]

[Robin isn't sure how she feels about that answer. On one hand, it's a lot better than it could have been - on the other, though, it was still pretty worrying. Her own bounty was remarkably high, after all.]

...what makes you say that?

[That definitely isn't a no, for the record. ]

( march intro log )

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