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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?
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thisavrou_log2016-08-01 12:13 am
no subject
[Blah blah blah, old habits and how they die. Liquid taps at his own forehead as if to indicate the horn, and then he glances down at the dog, who seems absolutely thrilled that this new friend is petting him.]
So, when he tires himself out, then. That'll take some time.
[He's still a puppy, even if he's getting big.]
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The puppy scratches at his leg, disappointed. Sorry, buddy. ]
Familiar. [ So, either Liquid's noticed their strange facial similarities, or there's something else at work here.
That one word is definitely all Venom says about it (please use your words, V), slight upwards inflection the only thing betraying his subtle request for elaboration. ]
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Well, judging by all that, I'd say the last time you saw me I was about this tall.
[He holds a hand up to about his twelve-year-old height. No need to get too cryptic about things.]
So, yeah, a bit familiar.
no subject
—Well. ]
...Eli?
[ There we go, "Who Was That Kid That Always Tried To Stab You" for 500.
He breathes a soft exhale, verging on just this side of disbelieving. ] You've grown.
no subject
I know Nyoka ya Mpembe can be hard to pronounce, but honestly.
[He snorts.]
Not that it matters anymore. It's Liquid, now. Liquid Snake. I've grown a bit, yeah.
[Well, at least nobody'll have to worry about him trying to stab them now. He's kind of learned a little thing called restraint. Mostly.]
no subject
Perhaps it's misguided of Venom to be heartened, but he finds his body language relaxing.
(Still the same old fool who told Eli to hate him, despite everything.) ]
Enough to earn the title. [ 'Snake' is a big name to live up to, after all. He should know, being Faker McFakeSon— the slight downturn of his brows should speak to the complex feelings he has about this. ]
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Runs in the family. Someone probably would've foisted it upon me no matter what. But, you know what, it's got a nice ring to it.
[And he'd done enough to get 'Eli' reasonably buried, which is a nice bonus.]
It's served me well, I suppose.
no subject
Nothing good, Venom figures.
So he doesn't ask, and shifts on the balls of his feet. ]
Looks that way. [ He says, as if that's enough (it is), as if that's really all that needs to be said in the end, this stupidly obvious sentiment.
Is he disappointed to know that Eli didn't break this cycle of shitty Snakes being questionable? Maybe, but there's only so much a Phantom can do, huh.
So what he does is put his hand on Eli's shoulder if he lets him (please don't stab it, or, well, HE IS FREE TO TRY), and brush past. V, why can't you ever stay in a conversation for more than 5 sentences.
Feel free to stop him, though. ]
no subject
[Liquid keeps a knife on him at all times, and he's still not a big fan of the whole friendly touch type thing. But thanks to the whole learning restraint thing, he doesn't stab Venom. Doesn't mean the instinctive urge isn't there, and it doesn't mean he doesn't clench a fist before realizing what he's doing and relaxing it.
Look, he's trying.
The dog barks as he goes past, apparently disappointed in the amount of pets he's received. Either that or he wants to chew on that metal hand of his.]
I think you've insulted Mantis.
[Name your dog after your best friend why don't you]
no subject
When he's called to, via bark and biting words, Venom turns on his heels and glances down at the little guy yipping insistently at his foot.
His expression goes a bit soft. Almost reflexive, at this point. ]
He's got you. I've got my own dog to find.
[ where is DD, where is his son ]
no subject
He should win an award. He reaches down to scratch his dog behind the ears. There there, it's okay.]
You mean DD?
[He can't think of any other dog that he'd be on the lookout for. Liquid had often found DD to be one of the most tolerable parts of Mother Base, and, well. He still pets him when he gets the chance.]
Last I saw, Ocelot had him. Have you run into him?
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[ DD was definitely the highlight of Mother Base for a great majority of people: DD and the Animal Conservation Platform. The two greatest achievements to Venom Snake's name.
If he doesn't sound surprised about Ocelot being here... well. It's difficult to be, when Ocelot always seems to be two or three steps ahead of everyone. ]
Not yet. Knowing him, he'll find me.
no subject
Liquid's not surprised that Venom doesn't seem surprised. Ocelot just seems to be a constant presence. Hell, the thing he'd been most surprised about himself when he met him here was the fact that he was from when he was a kid.]
Yeah, most likely. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows you're here.
[That's Ocelot for you!]
no subject
And still, there's that misguided relief that Venom feels about Eli and how he seems to be doing well for himself (an illusion that'll last until someone fills him in on the whole, you know, terrorism thing). He's alive, for one, which is more than Venom can really ask for. ]
You think that highly of him?
[ He says it without expecting much in the way of glowing praise, but. You know. ]
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...I wouldn't quite call it that.
[There's a lot of things he could say about Ocelot. And while he does appreciate him helping him escape from the slavers when he got stuck on that outpost... he's still Ocelot, and he's still responsible for a hell of a lot of shit.
And he doesn't even know the half of it.]
I just know what he's capable of.
[Or, well, some of it, anyway, but it's enough.]
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A low puff of air, and he lets up. He knew that that question would likely rub Liquid the wrong way. ]
I'll put him to the test.
[ See how long it takes for those spurs to jingle in his general direction, he means.
The ensuing silence is a question: anything else? ]
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Doesn't mean Liquid has to like him. Or trust him.]
Oh, are you imposing a time limit?
[He snorts, pets his dog again, this time avoiding his teeth, and stands up straight.]
Better hurry then.
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Start hedging your bets.
[ He's sure it won't take Ocelot more than an hour or two, at most— but Liquid is free to speculate on his own, at his own time. The kid's an adult now.
Breezily, silently, the Phantom disappears to go who-the-hell-knows-where. Will he come back??? Was he ever even here??? Find out next time, on wacky space adventures 2: electric boogaloo. ]