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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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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-08-01 12:13 am
no subject
What good, indeed. I take it you've been enforcing laws for some time, then?
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I take my career very seriously.
What do you do, Thane?
no subject
...Somehow this guy strikes Thane as far, far too serious to indulge in hyperbole.
Well then.]
Janitor; here I've been assigned to maintain the ventilation ducts.
[LOLOL an assassin is kind of a janitor, right? Totes. That's his story and he's sticking to it.]
no subject
I trust you will be doing so in accordance with the new efficiency policies set forth by our captains.
no subject
no subject
[Huh, they've been talking for awhile and no one seems to be coming.]
...If you don't mind my asking, are you in need of medical assistance?
no subject
[There must be a pretty big emergency back there or something.
He pauses briefly before answering Magnus' question, tilting his head slightly when he does.]
Nothing immediate, no. I actually came through here to ask a few questions, but it's beginning to look as if I've picked a bad time.
no subject
I'll have to look around to see if I can find anyone that can assist you.
[With that, Magnus takes a step back and transforms. The driver's side door swings open.]
If you'd like, feel free to accompany me.
no subject
Yeah.
Yeah, he really did. He sure did just transform into a large terrain vehicle. With wheels and everything.
Today sure is an interesting day.
He hesitates briefly, weighing the pros and cons of accepting the invitation of an enormous, million-years old AI who he's only just met, and...]
...Thank you.
[He steps up and takes a seat.
YOLO.]
no subject
[Magnus goes about adjusting his mirrors and checking all of his signals.]
[Which must seem really weird to see all of the mirrors moving of their own accord.]
no subject
Millions of years old, clearly synthetic, obviously independently intelligent...
...Maybe Thane's just having an incredibly bizarre dream.]
Of course.
[He reaches for and fastens the seatbelt as requested, and wonders privately to himself why Magnus needs to adjust the mirrors. Does he need them to navigate? That seems like a serious design flaw if so.]
I'm ready when you are.
no subject
[The mirrors shift again, checking for any oncoming pedestrians or traffic, before he pulls out and away from the Medbay.]
I have to admit, this ship is very large. Even larger than the ship I served on.
no subject
This is so surreal.]
It's far larger than any I've traveled aboard, as well. The number of native crew members does not seem sufficient for a vessel of this size.
[Which might well explain why they immediately recruit newcomers pulled in through the Ingress.
Although that seems like a highly impractical way to staff a ship.]
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[He stops at an intersection, hits his turn signal, then turns to the right down another corridor.]
This place is almost like a city...perhaps it's a Titan.
no subject
[He's pretty sure Magnus is the most conscientious driver he's ever encountered. The total, complete, polar opposite of Shepard. Although Thane has only heard horror stories about the Mako, thankfully, but he has had the opportunity to ride shotgun with Shepard at the wheel several times on the Citadel.
It had certainly been an enlightening experience.]
A Titan?
[Please elaborate, new friend.]
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Apparently there are twelve more in the galaxy.
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[Curiouser and curiouser]
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If I hadn't seen Metroplex rise and fight with my own two optics, I'd be a skeptic as well.
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I imagine such a thing was quite the sight.
[One viewed from a very comfortable distance, he thinks. Or perhaps on a view screen after the fact.]
Forgive me if this question is out of place - I'm afraid my experience with synthetic races is somewhat limited. Are you a common height, for individuals of your species?
[Because while Magnus certainly is not city sized, he's still freakin' enormous.]
no subject
I've recently undergone some...upgrades. They were necessary as we were about to march into a battle with very marginal odds of survival. Since my spark is a loadbearing spark, I alone have the ability to sustain multiple frame augmentations.
I suppose the short version is 'no, I'm not usually this large.'
no subject
[Very. Also, what is a spark? He's definitely curious, but thinks he may save that particular question for a later time. Or, as sometimes happens, the nature of the thing will come to light simply through further conversation.]
...Were you pulled here just prior to the battle, then? Or after?