( august intro log )

[hownkai]

Who: Everyone
When: August 1st and on
Where: The Moira
What: New “guests” join the crew on their journey and implement some changes.
Warnings: None for now. Please label your content!

I N T R O L O G

old but unfamiliar faces "We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once." 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. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay. Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. Any questions you might have would be answered in a straightforward manner as well as an explanation about how the Ingress, the thing that has pulled you onto the Moira, is broken and bringing people here unintentionally. This process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand or wrist with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters. At first, this month seems no more unusual than the previous one for those who have been aboard the Moira for any amount of time. The crew who had landed on the slaver outpost were rescued, and with everyone aboard, the ship has pushed forward into the darker parts of the Runoff. Anyone arriving through the Ingress follows the same routine—moving from the Ingress room into the Medbay for their physical and contract before being assisted by seasoned crew members and helped to their assigned decks. But all familiar things must eventually come to an end: two final travelers come through the Ingress. The first, and most noticeable difference between them and all the others, is their clothing. Both are dressed in standard Moira uniforms, though they bear the insignia of one sharing the same rank as Captains Cúrre and Thán. After a moment to take in all the people on the platform ahead of them, one of the two latest arrivals approaches one of the Ingress panels and begins to manipulate the controls. The Ingress completely shuts down. Unlike before, however, there isn’t an imbalance felt across the ship; everything remains normal and stable. Utilizing the computer systems located in the Ingress room, they send out the following message to the crew via the MID: To all those aboard this vessel: I am Ira Phirun, assigned captain of the Moira. First Mate Egan and I will be commandeering all rights to the ship as soon as word is sent to those currently in charge. Expect a more detailed report as soon as all records and logs in Navigation have been reviewed by myself and the First Mate. All questions will be answered in a timely matter. For now, there will be no interruption of daily routine or reprimand if conduct among ranks is broken. Thanks for your time. Heading to Navigation, the Captain and First Mate, for seemingly unknown reasons, approach Navigator Manasseh and have her show them all records and logs of the Moira. Those working in Navigation when the Captain and First Mate arrive will see Mana greet them in a professional manner. Oddly, the Captain and First Mate act very familiar with the Navigator. They review all documents, but when they come upon news that the Ploiatos is on board, their mostly friendly demeanor shifts quickly. The Captain issues a sharp order, unintelligible to those who are close enough to overhear parts of their conversation, and without any warning at all, Mana loses consciousness and collapses right there on the bridge. Within minutes of this happening, the ship as a whole falls into a low power state with basic functions only. Mana’s MID alerts Medbay, and without hesitation, Captain Cúrre places her in cryo with strict orders to those who work there not to disturb the unit. As promised, the Captain and First Mate soon address the crew. ☄ lights down low The lighting has dimmed in all the rooms and halls, the normally crisp air that is pumped from the vents low, and all machines and tech are running at half-speed. These effects can be found throughout the ship. Water in the showers remain hot for only a few minutes before reverting to cold. Recreational equipment powers off not long after it has been turned on. The sanitation and water filtration systems require an hourly manual reboot, and all unused areas of the ship have no power allotted to them until a crew member steps inside. Even then, most functions are not optimal. It’s as if the Moira has been transformed into a dark house with only a candle flickering on the window sill. ☄ reuse & recycle The Captain and First Mate are quick to establish that this is a new regime and go about making the ship and its crew more efficient in the wake of their change in course and the low power state of the ship itself. This means they will systematically inspect each occupied barracks room and leave notes for what needs to be disposed of or stowed away. Unlike before, this is no longer a pleasure cruise, and each member of the crew is a guest on board; they will not tolerate useless clutter. Anything seen as unnecessary will be either placed into storage in the Cargo Bay or disposed of through the airlock. This new need for efficiency also extends to the need to conserve resources until they reach their destination. The showers are set to an automatic timer to minimize water waste. Those few minutes of hot water are all a crew member is now given. Meals are smaller, bordering on ration sizes, and luxuries are done away with entirely in order to preserve supplies so that the ship can go longer before needing to dock at a planet. ☄ new jobs, same faces The Captain and his First Mate, as expressed in their addressing of the Moira, explain that work efficiency is a priority. Applications for a head of the following departments will be accepted for a short period: Navigation, the Tower, Medbay, Defense, the Hold, Sanitation, Ingress work, and the Galley/Mess Hall. (Here.) After reviewing what they receive, one head of department will be chosen and tasked with helping crew find positions relevant to those departments and their own skillsets. They will be allowed to retain any positions that they held before that aren’t ship-functional jobs, but they will have to be done in leisure time. In two weeks time, they’ll be accepting department position applications which will be approved, and all those that do not apply will be assigned in accordance with their initial work application. They will also choose three individuals to act as guards of Ploiatos to ensure that there is a rotation available at all times. Will you choose to follow this new decision and promote yourself into a position of responsibility? Or will you simply wait for a reassignment?

( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )

Comments

[alterplex]

[ Why not look extra suspicious while handling lethal firearms, why not.

Thankfully, Venom'd sensed Boone's arrival before either of them ever decided to speak up, so he doesn't look too alarmed when he's addressed. Still mildly exasperated, but not for the questioning. ]

...Yeah. Doesn't look like space travel is too reliable.

[ A gloved hand pats at one of his many, many pockets. Still no dice. ]

[ascendit]

I don't want to do nothing.

[Not that his to do list is particularly accomplishable while he's here.]

What do you need assistance with, anyway?

time between AOU and cap3 seems wonky but the wiki puts Vision at 1yr old...so I went with that :/

[copycape]

[Vision understands that he has made a miscalculation precisely 1.67 seconds after he finishes speaking. The look on Pietro's face changes multiple times over the ensuing moment of silence, and Vision logs a new and very unpleasant feeling in the back of his mind. The feeling of a heavy weight settling in the pit of one's stomach. It is not unlike the emotion he encountered after he mistakenly shot James Rhodes out of the sky...but there is a tinge of helplessness and loneliness to this that had not been there before. It is only the two of them in this room. There is no one to save him from this mistake.

So, when Pietro lunges forward and grabs hold of him, he doesn't move or phase out of it. He looks Pietro in the eye and lets him cling. He deserves that much.]

I--[The words do not come easily. How does one tell someone they story of their death? He is ill-prepared and it likely has little to do with the brevity of his existence.] I was not there, at the exact moment of... I was told that you saved Clint, and a young boy. They would have been shot. One of Ultron's drones, I believe. You--you were fast enough to save them, but you were unable to get away.

[He cannot maintain eye contact any longer and instead stares down at the space between them.] It has been over a year. For me, at least. I get the impression that time is not precisely linear here.

[He gently places his hands around Pietro's wrists but makes no attempt to move away. He sighs.] I am so very sorry, Pietro. I thought...I don't know what I thought.

[whatshisname]

Fffff, he's honestly just barely keeping himself together. He he can't help the soft shudder that moves through him when that hand settles on his shoulder. Really, though, he already knows that running is useless so, he doesn't even try.

"I can't say I'm surprised, either by who you would consider useful, or the fact that you consider Starscream useless."

OMG, TRAN, PLEASE JUST LET HIM GOOOOO. Honestly, the only reason he's managing such a calm mask is the millennia spent as a psychiatrist; reacting much at all to some of the things patients might tell him isn't a good thing and can often result in a patient shutting him out. So yeah...he's has a lot of practice with schooling his expressions and reactions.

[alterplex]

Badly managed, with a tendency to stumble into unnecessary situations.

[ Relayed without much in the way of discouragement, because this is exactly what he expected from a spaceship that 'accidentally' kidnaps people.

After a beat, he adds to this with one of those sardonic half-sighs that should convey: get a load of this bullshit, but perhaps a bit more maturely. ] —Also managed to destroy an entire planet, apparently. [ yeah ]

[worn_wings]

Long as it ain't raisins.

[He's kidding, he'll eat anything. Taking the candy bar, he looks it over without making any immediate move to unwrap it. Still, the bald man gets a nod of thanks.]

Meant more things goin' dark like this.

[democratically]

[Her assumption is that most are kept within the same general space, although she has no scope for the numbers of people who are here. In fact, the thought hasn't crossed her mind to question just how many contracts are signed. It has all been surreal, and only more surreal with each passing minute. A part of her still expects everything to vanish any second, but the ship doesn't- he doesn't. Yet even now, walking as they are, there is something about it. Rarely in public is such contact given, and even then, it had always been in privacy when out in the open.

Her head tilts, curious, and now she is thinking about the size of the vessel they are on.]

There are multiple housing decks?

[It isn't as if she has stayed on ships that were extremely large for too long. Even when traveling to Naboo with him as her protector, it had been different. They hadn't been Jedi and Senator, but simply two people and a droid, traveling. Yet his laugh does touch her, both in joy and in sorrow as she cannot help but wonder if he will ever laugh again... But she blinks, as if to vanish those dark thoughts, and she finds her lips slowly curling in to a tiny but genuine smile in turn.

She can remember telling Obi-Wan so long ago (but truly, not that long ago) that she would end things with Anakin. Padmé isn't too certain that he won't ever mind, but he is a dear friend, and Padmé knows that despite everything, this has never been wrong.]

Anakin...

[That gentle saying of his name (and how marvelous it does sound rolling off her tongue), but there is also a soft chiding there. Brothers... Not being a Jedi and not having the ability to use the Force, Padmé cannot truly understand their bond, but she knows enough, recalls the look Obi-Wan had given her. She had once questioned his love for Anakin yet she wouldn't again.]

I'm fairly certain Obi-Wan likely has enough to do without questioning your daily jaunts.

[Or so she would hope.]

[worn_wings]

[Names make things a lot easier. If she wants to stick with 'hey, you,' he can deal with it, at least for the moment.]

Guess I dunno much.

[And that's the honest truth. He can't bother feeling bad about it, not when he's never seen anything like these ships. Clearly whoever's in charge isn't thinking things through-- or maybe they're desperate.]

You ever done work like that?

[Shit, she's just a kid. Job like that sounds dangerous. Flat as his tone is, his expression makes it clear he finds it a dubious prospect.]

[iseedeadbees]

I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure you must be very busy. I can manage on my own, Ultra Magnus.

[clericals]

Uhm...I don't know.

[Karen laughs, laughs at herself, laughs at the thought that he might not want to know. She doubts Matt would want to know. He'd probably try to talk her out of it. But sometimes she needs to run things by someone.]

Got any ideas?

[Like she hasn't done this sort of thing before, girl please.]

[two_jedi_sticks]

It's instantly clear that Jaina is dubious, though the young woman should know to handle this reaction with more care and tact. Little Anakin has some developing issues with the name as he gets old enough to realize what he's been saddled with, but...Ben?

"No, I mean Anakin. Mom, I thought you never even met Obi-wan." The way she says it is, well, matter-of-fact. The Force runs strong in their family; it may be a heavy burden for Anakin, but a reminder of that heritage makes more sense to Jaina than a man who meant more to her uncle.

[sparkwhisperer]

[Tarn squints down at the skates.] That's not nearly as interesting as I had hoped, but I appreciate your honesty at the very least.

v'll make adam a mixtape with that song on it, dw

[alterplex]

[ Please, Adam, don't make him have positive feelings about you— everyone he's had even slightly good emotions about have died terribly or gone on a similar path of destruction.

Too late, though. His barely-there exhale would be considered a chuckle from a more amiable person, and as he brushes past Adam's desk of colorful knickknacks, he has a twitch of his lips upwards to spare. ]

Beats some other tests of faith I've been through.

[ Murder, it's always murder.

But he leaves it at that, prone as he is to entering and exiting without any real explanation. He's remembered Adam's face, though, so chances are he'll say hi in the halls. ]

[decepticonpeacemaker]

There are two Starscreams aboard this ship, our location in relationship to each other hardly matters to the Ingress.

A little over five months.

[two_jedi_sticks]

Expression falters momentarily, and then she's moving to help collect the fabric that's escaping her father's grasp. Even if she has some reasons not to expect recognition, it still has to hit close to home. Jaina likes to think her future is caught between her mother and father, that she'll have to choose which to follow. Honestly? She takes more from Han. The man used to give her spaceship components as gifts to make up for not being able to give her a whole ship, after all.

"I'm Jaina." A beat, and as an afterthought, she adds, "Solo."

To her, the family name should be obvious. Considering her dad, maybe it needs to be driven home just a bit.

[snipard]

[ she's just taken a bit to eat when he asks about the multiverse theory. shepard freezes, fork still held up near her mouth, mid-chew. she sighs through her nose and finishes her bite. ]

Enough to know this is going to be a headache.

[snipard]

A well-run ship with clear duties for everyone would make crises easier to deal with.

[ she speaks from experience there. but this screwy ship isn't hawke's fault. shepard can cut her some slack. ]

You know anyone who does do their job?

[imahologram]

"Obi-Wan saved my life," Leia answers, a little absent, as she stares at her daughter. Her breath is cold and heavy in her chest.

Anakin. Anakin Solo. That can't be right. She would never--could never--surely every time she looks at that child, she thinks of the man who could never be a father to her. Even imagining a little boy, dark-haired like Ben, with Han's angular features, and naming him after a remorseless murderer seems impossible.

(All right, all right, Luke thinks there's still good in Vader. And however furious she is with the Anakin here, he's not yet Vader. That doesn't change how horrifying the thought of a son named for Anakin--for Anakin, not for Bail--is to her.)

But right now, Anakin Solo is a theory only, while Jaina Solo is standing here before her. Leia forces herself to focus on that fact and, a little dryly, asks, "Just how many siblings do you have?"

[snipard]

[ she clenches her jaw for a moment--her background isn't exactly something she likes talking about. but if she can't mention it to herself, well. that's something weirdly psychological she doesn't want to think about. ]

I grew up on Mindoir. [ thats all she's saying about that though. and she's not touching akuze. ] I'm an infiltrator. You?

[two_jedi_sticks]

"There's a lot of things that should get adjusted each time the ship picks up new passengers," Jaina says, with the hint of a frown. She does tend to assume aliens that wouldn't breathe the same atmosphere as humans would have to be the ones wearing gas masks, because that's just the norm of life in her culture, fair or not. But there's more than just ship quarters to see to.

"It's more than that. Dietary needs, gravity settings, making sure maintenance is adjusted to accomodate the things people expose equipment to." She makes a face. "Not that it matters too much. It looks like they finally took care of the Ingress. Just in time for us, right?"

She appreciates the opportunity for an adventure, but come now, the timing on that.

[straightouttacarbonite]

So, that was obviously not the response she was hoping for. It doesn't come as a surprise-- if he'd thought a moment before opening his mouth maybe he'd have found a nicer way to phrase it. Too late for that, now. Maybe someday he'll get the hang of this fatherhood thing.

"Sorry," he says, a bit more gently. Jaina Solo. So, he's got a daughter. In the half-light of the corridor he can't really look at her the way he'd like to, seeking some sense of familiarity in her features. He doesn't doubt her, but it's gonna take him a bit to get used to the idea. The years of familiarity she's calling on are still years ahead of him, presumably.

"I didn't realize-- look, we're gonna have to sit down and draw a family tree sometime, okay?" There's kind of a joke in the tone, but he's pretty serious about it. He tries and halfway manages a reassuring smile.

"You think you could give me a hand with some of this?"

It's not child labor, it's unexpected family bonding time. Really. And in the Falcon at least he can turn up the lights.

[two_jedi_sticks]

"Two brothers." She loves them, even if they're also incredibly exasperating sometimes. Jacen probably would have found a way to start an all new menagerie on the ship already, and it'd be up to Jaina to find a way to let him actually keep them in spite of the ship's spartan new direction.

"Jacen is my twin. You'll probably know if you ever see him." He'd been putting a little height on her lately, but the resemblance is still strong. More important questions are starting to come to the surface. Nothing too terrible, just a bantha like "The brother you mentioned. He's named Ben, isn't he?"

Blaster bolts, life of the ship is going to get complicated.

[redshitlord]

Yeaaaah... you might not get that, dude. Sorry.

[He grins, and holds out a hand, all friendly-like.]

Sideswipe. Who're you, ghost-bot?

[ex_forcechoke292]

He knows. [It feels so strange to admit this aloud, let alone for a second time, but freeing in a way that the rest of his future doesn't seem to be. The admission is rushed, more defensive than he intends, but it's there. There is no questioning, and in return, no more lies.] Everything. He knows everything.

[More than brothers, he would push in response to that question. Support when there is none otherwise. Family too, in a way that makes more sense than what he's found here. Save for this. For her.]

About us, the twins, about-- [it's only here when his voice gives out and cracks for a moment, and he wonders idly if that pain ever goes away] --about Tatooine.

[A deep breath later, and he's stopping her in the corridor again. He needs this to be understood, and moreover actually said.] No more hiding. No more lies. I can't promise the same about politics or war or--that doesn't matter. I can promise this.

[imahologram]

"I'm sure I will." Three children, then, perhaps four. Is this why Ben is so obsessed with Darth Vader? Did they name him Anakin and call him Ben, and then--but it doesn't feel right, somehow. She's not sure where it falls apart, but something seems wrong.

Ben might be younger than Jaina and her brothers, but Jaina's a teenager. Just how long will Leia be having children? Even if they started within a year, that would still mean babies into her thirties, and frankly, that just seems exhausting.

"And that's right--Ben. He's very tall, darker hair than yours, looks like your father?" If that's Jaina's Anakin, then maybe Leia understands what's going on. If not...