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deep in the murk
"It comes first and follows after. Ends life, kills laughter."
With the outcome of the battle against the Caducans and the Moira having twisted together with their ship to form a strange combination of glass, metal, and organic parts (both across the ship and among the crewmembers), there is still the matter of the Ingress not functioning “properly”. It hasn’t worked correctly since the very first person arrived on the Moira through it, and there is little the Captains themselves know about its functions. However, now, more than before, it’s even worse than that. The Ingress malfunctions yet again. This time, though, it doesn’t simply combine time and space and objects around it—it encompasses the entirety of the ship and sends it far off into a completely different universe. Welcome to:
( click text for a rough map/layout )This puts the Moira closer to its final destination, and most of the glass has disappeared as the Caducan ship has been left behind aside from small things here and there (i.e., some of the walls in the corridors, random furniture in the rooming decks, the rooms themselves). Even the mess hall has permanently changed. Yet, there is some bad news that comes with this transition. The universe the ship is in is so terrible that it has been given its own name so that travelers avoid it altogether. Even the Captains themselves are aware of just how Bad News this universe is and had originally planned to take “the long way around” to avoid it. Anything shady or unsavory can be found in the Runoff, and while it might not appeal to the majority, it is simply second-nature to those who inhabit it. From arms trafficking to drugs, whatever one might think is illegal somewhere else is suddenly very legal and very dangerous.
Through the transition, some of the crew will accidentally end up on a nearby outpost specifically used for slave trade. It is a covered, temporary establishment used only for this purpose, meaning there are no open markets, hotels, or businesses of any sort. Stalls and tents line dirty streets, and ships litter the space around the outpost. This is a slave trade zone. People come and go but do not stay. Various lifeforms can be found here, and there are many different forms of slave trade happening. The motto “honor among thieves” does not exist in this place either. Crew who end up here will be “free”; however, this means that there is the potential to be taken and sold or kept by those of the Runoff. The Moira will not be close to this outpost, but the signals given from their MIDs will alert the crew to their location. Rescue, obviously, is imminent, but those who choose to help their fellow crewmembers must keep to small stealth missions using transporters or other crafts with one important detail in mind: they cannot bring attention or notice to the Moira itself.
Almost one-third of the crew has found themselves on the slave trade outpost, leaving the rest to plan for rescue. The Captains will immediately divulge all information that they have about the outpost, which is unfortunately very little outside of the stigma associated with the Runoff. The Captains will ask any MID techs or those with skills to create a program that allows person to person location; this function will allow crewmembers to search for those on the outpost via their MIDs. Rescue efforts are encouraged, and all the ships and transporters in the cargo bay will be available for public use. Crew will be told to be careful and quiet, bringing no attention to the Moira’s location, and most importantly, do not stand out. If crew look and act like they don’t belong there, others will notice. Stealth is the name of the game, and blending in is a necessity. ☄ time goes by slowly The unfortunate crewmembers who ended up on the outpost have now found themselves pursued by those looking to make a profit through slave trade. The standards of hard labor vary from owner to owner, but it is what it sounds like. Rough, hard work that will last as long as the body performing it can endure. If purchased, owners might examine their new property to determine what type of work they’d be best suited for and then split them up into holding areas until they are done with their purchases. Others might have their slaves begin work by cleaning their ship or holding stalls or packing up their tents and gear. The owners, and their needs, are as varied as the universe. Did you manage to escape? Or were you forced to work before you were rescued? ☄ and it seems to last forever Like the crewmembers taken by general labor owners, the murdersport slavers buy and take whomever they believe can last the longest in the pit. Some take those who appear to be strong or have great stamina, and some take those who are light on their feet or are quick-witted. Some crew are chosen simply based on appearance and how good they’ll look in their gear. If pursued, the slavers will do everything they can to capture the Moirans, and if captured, crew might be taken to a holding stall or a testing pit so that their skills can be witnessed by the public and tested. Some slavers want to show off their new property by throwing them into small roped off areas with other slaves, various creatures, or machines. Some make them stand up in front of groups and simply show them off, boasting that, at the next big event in the Runoff, they’ll surely win the grand prize. What kind of slaver has taken you? Will you be forced to fight before you rescue? Or will you not make it to the Moira before the Ingress pulls you back? ☄ but then it starts to fly ( cw: sex ) As is typical of this universe, slave trade comes in various forms. The most notorious being its illustrious sex trade. Slaves are bought and sold quickly and often, with no notable preference for appearance or species. Buyers come from all over to find slaves to work in their brothels, for personal use, as in-house entertainment, and much more. While the other two most popular type of slave trade don’t care as much about the physical well being of their property, these specific owners usually do. They might try to incapacitate first, so that the slaves aren’t bruised or cut, and if necessary, use binds until they can get them back to their ships or holding stalls. Some owners have their slaves cleaned and dressed in the finest attire, while others shove them into uniforms and tossed into stalls. Were you captured? Did you escape? Or were you rescued before something untoward occurred? What's more, events of the past always have a way of coming back to haunt you.
Months past, a monster terrorized the crew and left a very literal mark upon those that it touched. Those scarred by encounters with the Ploiatos will find their minds drifting as they work and go about their day. They may also find themselves in a different part of the ship than intended when they come back to themselves. It happens slowly, these small moments of lost time. But both before and after these events occur, one might notice that the scars seem to shift slightly. Where the patterns have been stable for months, suddenly the branching arms of the scars appear to be in a slightly different position than before. More often than not, those who lose time will regain awareness and find themselves in Navigation. When this happens, oftentimes Captain Manasseh will herd them out with a quiet, but undeniably firm, suggestion to visit the infirmary. More unsettling are the moments when they awaken in the I.L.R. standing outside the one door that should never be opened. As for those who were lucky enough to avoid encounters with the creature locked within, they must figure out how to deal with their friends and fellow crew who seem to walk around in a fog with no control of their actions.
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-07-19 01:11 am
no subject
She's not safe. She might already have been cuffed and collared, but Leia refuses to believe it until she sees it.]
You.
[She crosses the makeshift street slowly, cutting in between people and keeping her eyes down. She has to clench her jaw to get through playing the demure slave girl, but the alternative is putting the girl in greater danger than she's already in.
Behind a stall, they'll have a moment to talk. Leia kneels down, beckoning the girl close. They won't have to speak in more than murmurs that way.]
What're you doing here, Bee? Are you all right?
no subject
If she didn't have to worry about Leia getting into trouble, she'd be tempted to hug the woman.]
They took Kobra. [She lets that hang in the air a moment, taking a deep breath to keep away the panic the thought wants to put her in.] I came to get him back.
All right? Why ya askin' me that? [She shakes her head, eyeing Leia's collar.] You're the one who's in a mess. What have they went and done to ya?
no subject
[The answer to the girl's first question is on the tip of her tongue--because you're in danger here--when she asks the second one. Leia's eyes darken a moment.] You don't want to know.
[If the girl can guess, so be it, but Leia hopes fervently she can't. Even if she wanted to try to explain, this is the wrong time and place. They have minimal time here.] Do you know where Kobra is?
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It's not like she didn't have an inkling, really. But maybe it was best not to hear it confirmed.]
Okay.
[She shakes her head to clear out lingering thoughts of what Leia was going through. She has to stay on track.]
Ain't seen him yet. But I've been hearin' about some fights goin' on, people makin' people they bought go at it. I was headin' there. Kobra's a fighter. Whoever got him must have saw that, he wouldn't go quiet, so I bet that's where they took him. [She pauses.] I'm gonna find him.
no subject
Fights, she says, and Leia knows what she means immediately. KK's in Zam's world.]
I can help you look. [A pause, as she tries to decide how to do it.] Not with you--but I know where some of the fighters are. I can get you a message if I see him.
[She can't bring herself to say the people you mean own me, too. It's not necessary. Now's the important part.] What are you going to do if a slaver realizes you're free, Bee? Tell me.
[If she hasn't thought that through, Leia's going to have some answers for her.]
no subject
Really? If you can do that I'd owe ya everythin' and more.
[She pulls the piece of metal from her pocket, the one she'd taken from the prison post those months ago. She's tried to sharpen one end of it, wrapped cloth around the other to keep from cutting herself. She shows it off a moment before hiding it back in her vest again.]
And I know how to run and hide, when I have to. I didn't live this long out in the Zone's by bein' stupid Leia. I've had worse than people tryin' to sell me.
[Because everything and more always holds true for family, she softens her tone and keeps going.] It doesn't matter if somethin' happens while I'm gettin' to him, anyway. He didn't let fear stop him. I can't let it stop me either.
no subject
[The girl deserves that much, and the way her eyes light up says more than words how much she needs KK.]
They can do worse than trying to sell you here. [Grim, serious. If something should happen to the girl, she'll never forgive herself. But this homemade dagger is something, and she doesn't doubt the girl is fast.] Whatever you do, don't let them catch you.
[I should stop you, but I'm not going to. Leia knows what it looks like when someone won't be kept from their goal, no matter the cost; often enough, she's felt the way the girl looks.]
no subject
[It's tacked on a little, but no less sincere.]
I've seen worse. [She thinks of death, of the masks, of Korse. Every fear she's had since she was old enough to know why they never stayed in one place long, why Dr. D read off names at night. The kind of nightmares she knew came true.] They won't. I'm fast, Leia. And I got reason to be faster than I've ever been.
[She smiles slightly, trying to be reassuring. Leia doesn't need to be worrying about her, not when with the woman's situation being as it was.]
What about you?
no subject
All right. [Agreeing is hard. Knowing it means letting the girl disappear back into the teeming crowds of slavers, private buyers, and their chattel makes her chest ache. If she could only get the girl out of here--but if she does something hasty, she'll only put her in greater danger.]
I'll be fine. [And even if hugging the girl seems like too much, she has to do something. Leia puts her hands on the girl's shoulders for a moment, squeezing gently.] I know how to defend myself. [Darkly, with a wry look.] One of them already learned that.
no subject
[Don't die, she wants to say. A promise is what she wants to wring out of the woman. But she knew those kind of promises were easily broken.
She reaches up to circle Leia's wrist, holding for just a second. Her expression is grim, but not surprised or scared.] Good. You make sure they won't do it again?
no subject
It's one of the best things about her, and the worst.]
Not to me, and not to anyone. [She leans in and pecks the girl on the cheek, the most affection she can afford without drawing attention, and then she stands back up.] Don't worry about me, Bee. I'll see you again soon.
no subject
But she doesn't, she just smiles a fearless smile and steps away.]
Stay shiny, Leia.