E
V
E
N
T
|
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.
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-07-19 01:11 am
no subject
I didn't— she wouldn't come. She wanted to... to stay, do undercover work to help get the others out.
no subject
[ Okay, she knows that Jessica is an adult with free will and the right to make decisions about her own life, but so often those decisions are stupid god damn it!
She also knows that there isn't really any way Bruce could have forced Jess to come with her, so while her words may sound like an accusation, it isn't really. She is just... well, she's freaking out a little. ]
I'm going down to get her. And anyone else I can find who needs me.
[ She still has captive friends and she's not just going to sit up here and wait for the rescue missions to happen. ]
no subject
[ Pretty sure that wouldn't go well, not even if he turned into the Hulk. But more importantly, Jessica is an adult, and as dangerous and stupid as her decisions might be, they're hers to make.
Bruce had been content to know that she could just contact him if she needed an impromptu rescue mission. But of course Trish isn't— and of course he should've known that. ]
What? [ Somehow he's surprised to hear that, as he gets up and walks over to where Trish is. ] Are you crazy? No you aren't. You won't even make it to her before someone gets their hands on you.
no subject
[ She folds her arms across her chest, the look on her face the definition of stubborn defiance. ]
no subject
[ He also doesn't care about either Jess or himself nearly as much as he does about Trish. so he's a lot more adamant about keeping her safe. ]
Please, Trish. Rescue teams are being put together already. You can help me here, gathering information and monitoring things, but please don't go down there. Let other people handle that.
no subject
[ It makes her sick to her stomach just thinking about it. ]
She's going to fall apart down there, and I don't know if she'll be able to pick herself up again. So I'm going.
no subject
His gaze falls to the ground, glancing away from her. ]
I'm sorry.
[ It's too difficult— he knows he can't get Trish to drop this any more than he could convince Jess to come back with him, but just sitting idly by can't be an option. Knowing that if something happened, Trish would be virtually helpless there. ]
I... can't go with you. It's too risky, I... [ Nearly lost control at one point, is what. He can't let that happen. ] Find someone, please? Someone to go with you. I can't— I can't stand the thought of you alone down there. Please.
no subject
With Jess it's a natural part of her, built into her very core over many years, and while it still hits her sometimes just how much she loves that idiot it's in a different sort of way.
With Bruce it's still relatively new, and a little shocking in how fast it has become something so vital to her happiness.
She quickly closes the distance betwen them to give him a tight hug. ]
I won't go alone. I promise.
no subject
It only scares him more— knowing what's going on down there, what some of the people are going through, what the slavers would do to someone if they found them poking around and trying to "steal" their "slaves"; knowing there's nothing he can say that would make Trish give up on this insane plan.
He could do something, sure, but certainly nothing that she'd ever forgive him for. Nor would he forgive himself. So he tries really hard to focus on the fact that she's an adult who's free to make her own choices and he respects that fundamental right.
It's really very difficult. So he exhales shakily, and his arms tighten around her, like that alone will somehow transfer whatever he has inside of him onto her, so it'll keep her safe from harm, no matter what happens down there. ]
I can't go on— not without you. I won't. [ Please don't go, please don't go, please don't go. ] Just be safe.
no subject
She leans back just enough so that she can look at him, wishing that she could somehow swear to him that she will be perfectly safe and nothing bad will happen. ]
You can go on. You have to.
no subject
But she could be, he knows she could be because he's been there before, he's gone through that exact same thing. And she says that, but God, she has no idea what he went through the last time. She really has no idea. ]
No. No, I can't. [ His voice comes more like a quiet sob, though he's not crying— yet. He might live, but that's only because he can't die. But to go on is a whole other matter entirely. ]
no subject
She does still know plenty about being broken, from personal experience and from having a severely traumatised sister, so she's not completely in the dark here.
She strokes his hair and gets up on tip-toes so that she can kiss his forehead. ]
You are so strong, Bruce. And you can't lose me. No matter what happens.
[ As cheesy as it sounds, she will always be with him. ]
no subject
But then things go back to normal and Bruce continues to bottle up all those memories and feelings and keeps them locked up in some dark basement in his head, and pretends like they're better off in there than all poured out onto her feet.
He's not strong, but she's sweet. He swallows dryly and leans back so he can look at her, his smile weak, brief and not at all genuine.
It's not losing her he's worried about the most, honestly. She could very well die down there and the Moira could bring her back to life. But some of the people on the outpost could do a lot of things to her that this ship could never take back or fix. He doesn't bring that up, not wanting to make her even more afraid than she probably is already, and instead he tries to focus on the more practical side of things. ]
Do you have anyone in mind? Anyone to go with you.
no subject
I was going to ask Daisy.
no subject
Daisy? [ It takes him a moment to remember she actually has impressive powers of her own. ] Right. Uh, that's— good choice, I think. Good.
no subject
And you can keep an eye on me from here, right?
[ Which may or may not be good since if he does see anything happening he just might hulk out on the spot. ]
no subject
[ He can certainly hop onto the nearest available transport, rush down there and beat up whoever tried to so much as touch a hair on her head, so there's that. ]
no subject
[ She knows him well enough to know there is no way in hell he would let that happen, even if it did mean crushing the whole place. ]
no subject
You better not.
no subject
Yes, sir.
no subject
Good. Think of it as a superior officer's order, that works for me.
no subject
A superior officer, huh?
[ This might not be the time for vaguely flirty teasing but things are scary and we all have ways of dealing, alright? ]
no subject
Well, what with the whole 'yes, sir' thing, it seems appropriate.
[ And not at all serious, obviously. Bruce has a particular and understandable aversion to anything even remotely military-related, but thankfully this is a different context. ]
no subject
[ When she comes back. She knows that no amount of confidence on her part will make Bruce feel okay about this, but she's going to try anyway because she knows what it's like to live with chronic worry. ]
no subject
[ To her returning safely and in one piece more than anything else. Maybe once she's back, maybe once she's by his side again and there's nothing more for him to worry about, maybe then he'll actually think of and mean all the potentially kinky things that that remark could lead to, but right now that's pretty far from his mind.
Right now, he just wants all of this to be over, and for her and everyone else to be safe. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
/WEEPS ABOUT OTP