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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
cortana | ota
[ Interesting as this month has in such a short time already proven to be, Cortana can't help but be a bit frustrated with the shift in functionality of the ship. Given that she resides in the Moira's systems, its power affects her ability to function. When it slows, when it's power lessens, she slows and her power lessens, too. Her own functionality has taken a hit, and it is, admittedly, quite aggravating.
The lack of ability is more than simply annoying, however. It also makes her struggle with rampancy more noticeable than it's been since she arrived through the Ingress. With less power and thus less capability to handle several tasks at once, it's clearer than ever that her abilities have deteriorated some on their own, and the more she has to wait around for processes to complete, the more time there is for thinking, thus more time for problematic trains of thought to appear and the harder it is to reel them back in.
It messes with her emotions a bit, too. The annoyance she feels surges when a process takes longer than it should, moves straight in to anger on the rare occasion. Cortana's doing her best to catch herself when this or any other symptom of rampancy show themselves, and she does a pretty good job, all things considered. Thankfully, the Ingress seems to have done a lot for her somehow when it pulled her through, sending her back a few stages than where she'd been, but that doesn't mean the rampancy is cured. It's still there, just been quieter up until now.
Understandably, she's been looking for distractions from the state of things wherever she can find them. Right now, it takes shape in the form of crewmembers. When she spots someone having difficulty with a ship controlled function that's running slowly, Cortana doesn't hesitate to project her small, blue hologram in their general vicinity. ]
Frustrating, isn't it?
[ With the power halved, her hologram flickers here and there as she fights to keep it running. ]
With everything that's been going on, the last thing we need around here are power problems.
wildcard
[ find cortana anywhere else on the ship at any other time! she's very available and interested in talking with anyone. should you be interested in something specific though, hit me up via pm or on plurk at
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Tony hadn't considered how these power cuts might be affecting anyone residing in the system, but the moment Cortana pops up, it seems like an obvious oversight on his part. Her projection doesn't normally flicker like this, for a start. He can only imagine the havoc it is on her more complex processes - and an AI of her complexity has a lot of those. ]
For you more than most, I would imagine.
[ Yeah, Tony's been frustrated, but at least he doesn't have to live in the thing. ]
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[ At least, she assumes. It can't get more frustrating than relying on the ship's power in order to function properly and not being able to, right? Sure, it's an inconvenience to everyone else aboard, but it's not hindering their ability to run or perform most tasks. There is a pretty big gap. ]
I can't run at even half my normal speed. You'd almost think this ship would run out of surprises to throw at us at some point.
[ Shaking her head, Cortana crosses her arms. Granted, she could save a fair amount of power by simply speaking with Tony rather than interacting via hologram, but she so prefers the latter... Makes her feel at least a bit more like she isn't just some voice in the system. That feels particularly important right now, while she's trying to avoid thinking in circles. ]
And yet, I'm surprised. Power consumption hasn't been a concern at all, so this is sudden, to say the least.
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[ Tony looks and sounds exactly as impressed as one might expect. He puts down whatever tool he was using, opting for a brief break. Cortana's arrival came at the cusp of what must be his fourth hour of working without pausing or even looking up, so some conversation with an agreeable conversationalist is actually a welcome change of pace.
His concept of 'agreeable conversationalist' is a computer program, of course, but. Whatever.
Despite the reprieve, his annoyance balloons the more he thinks about the topic at hand. ]
None of your protocols have been damaged, have they?
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Whatever the case, she's happy for some conversation, too. Some distraction from the unpleasantness she's been stuck putting up with. ]
Oh, no. Nothing is damaged Everything is... as intact as usual.
[ Refraining from any talk of her malfunctions and the more noticeable effects of her rampancy, she offers an appreciative smile. It's sweet of him to be concerned about such things. ]
It takes a bit more than power fluctuations to damage me. Although I have gone ahead and written a backup to store in my chip, just as a precaution.
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[ They can all sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but at least a computer program is much easier to salvage than an organic should something go sideways. Still, being trapped in a system that's locked in (utterly pointless) power saving mode, with no outlet and sluggish command executions...
He gives her a long, considering look. ]
So. How do you feel about a field trip?
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[ The lady of blue light on the Navigation bridge is the person most like home Yori's seen so far on this ship, even if she can tell the figure isn't quite solid. Would programs like Yori have some chance of learning that trick in the future, or is it only for systems designed to communicate?
Either way, Yori hopes she can make an ally and not a new enemy of her assigned task-partner. ]
Excuse me, are you Cortana?
[ In her Moira uniform it probably isn't obvious she's only a program, and the blue glow at her wrists blends in pretty well with the flicker from the holograms of starfields. Just as well, for the moment. If Cortana is an entire system, Yori's more than a little intimidated to imagine what she'd look like from within the computer. ]
I've just been assigned to Navigation. If you're not too busy, I'd be grateful for some help learning the basics.
[ ...like how to find any data around here without making a mess for every poor program involved. ]
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Turning to face Yori, Cortana smiles and nods. Her hologram is small, but perfectly detailed and very human in appearance aside from the translucence, the blue hue, and the lines of code that run up along her form. ]
That's me. You're Yori, correct?
[ Having run through the updated directory, it's easy to match the appearance and the job assignment to a name. It would have taken no time even if she hadn't collected all that new data the very moment it had been edited.
Aside from those three bits of info, however, everything else about Yori is unknown, and as it always does, that intrigues Cortana. She looks perfectly human, but the AI knows better than to let appearances tell her everything. Here especially, appearances can be incredibly deceiving. ]
I'd be happy to help. It's hard for me to be too busy.
[ There's some amusement in her voice, a joke that's practically private given that most here aren't familiar with AI capabilities from her universe, such as the way they can multitask like masters. ]
Do you have any experience with navigation? A history with spaceships is, of course, the most useful, but we can work with just about any prior skills here. Or lack thereof, as the case may be!
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I did learn to pilot simulated ships, some of them quite large, as the sole navigator.
[ Not much chance to practice, but she'd learned every ship design the Master Control Program sent through her factory. She'd error-checked a number of designs too, in order to make sure the wireframes from various games and simulators would work as war vessels for the planned invasions. That's even less relevant. Programs transiting a network don't need to worry about little details like air. ]
I'm sure they don't have much in common with space between stars.
[ Yori tries not to make it too obvious she's overwhelmed by the view from the bridge. Actual stars! Tiny little lights that might hide entire User worlds! Do Users feel as shocked by that as she was the first time she understood a computer from the outside? If not, they should. ]
But I'm delighted for the chance to study everything related to the task. This ship's amazing! Processing new data isn't difficult for me.
[ Analysis is her purpose and function. She'd prefer not to phrase it that way until she has a better idea how her fellow navigators feel about independent programs. ]
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[ Simulated ships, some quite large? That should definitely translate some to navigating a massive spaceship. It's not the same as piloting, exactly, but they both share some principles. Teaching Yori some of the basics shouldn't be too difficult, Cortana doesn't think. ]
The enthusiasm toward the job should only help. I'm always pleased to have interested, fast learners around. I have a feeling you'll pick it up in no time.
[ A broader smile is offered, even friendlier than before. She isn't lying, she really does love the enthusiastic ones--they're the most fun to work with, and it usually means they'll actually be around to do their job. Yes, Yori should be a good addition to the department, though Cortana doesn't miss a couple subtle hints here and there that Yori probably hasn't seen a sight like the one before her now. It's a safe bet, too, considering a good portion of the crew hadn't seen stars like this before arriving on the ship, either. ]
Is this your first time in space?
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Thank you. I hope to prove that.
[Before arriving on the Moira, Yori had never seen a single actual star nor expected to. As beautiful as her home system could be given a chance, its lights had been close and well-known. She turns a rueful smile toward Cortana.]
Not hiding it very well, am I? You're right. I never imagined I could be out here like this.
[It's as true of standing here next to Users as of watching the incredible field of stars, but in either case Yori is determined to do her best with the chance.]
How objects affect each other out here may be quite different than I learned them before. I hope you don't mind starting me with simple patterns.
[Not being able to store data and then rez a ship or an outfit when it's needed still feels awkward, like she's wasting power by keeping several entire sets of clothes visible all the time. Energy doesn't pool as a liquid or pulse visibly through the ship. There are probably a lot of things that do happen that Yori hasn't worked out from one month of a questionably accurate high school science class. She'd like to know the rules binding this universe before she needs to worry about whether the ship is going to run into anything.]
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A month ago, this wouldn't be an issue for Robin. She would have just shrugged and taken the stairs.
Now, though? Stairs are a far more intimidating prospect. She stands in front of the elevator, bored, leaning slightly on the cane provided by the medbay, when Cortana shows her face.]
...it's not that bad. Where I come from, ships don't have power at all.
[And even then, it wasn't always that bad. The loss of a few luxuries isn't the end of the world to Robin - although Cortana's appearance makes it clear that the same can't be said for her.]
Are you alright, though? Don't you... need power?
[At least, she's fairly certain that's how it works? She's still only sort of aware of what it means to be a hologram.]
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I do need power, yes. I'm alright, my processes just aren't running at anywhere near optimal speed. I'm incapable of doing as much as I normally can.
[ Which, for an AI, is more annoying than it may seem. When one second feels like an eternity while not working on something, it's a challenge to not be irritated when you're forced to slow your normal work rate. Things have been agonizing, though Cortana does a good job of not showing it in more than some disdain. ]
The ships you're used to, I must assume watercraft? Built of wood, I have to guess, if no power is involved at all.
[ She's just going to distract herself from the situation by asking questions and hopefully learning some more about her crewmates. ...Assuming she has the power to store the received information properly. ]
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That's one way to put it.
[ Tapping on the surface again —because that always works, sure—, he gives up for now, sighing as he rubs his face and turns to look at Cortana's flickering projection. ]
Must be even worse for you.
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[ Her smile is wry as he turns to her, perhaps even edging on bitter just ever so slightly. When the whole system is behaving about as well as the holotable and she's stuck inside said system, yes, it's pretty awful. ]
This is better than no power at all, but just barely. When you're used to working quickly, it's agonizing to suddenly be stuck with half of the usual processing power.
[ Boring. Painfully so. She's so used to running multiple processes at once, all functioning quickly, that's how she's supposed to be, but low power hinders her abilities as well as her efficiency. ]
It's certainly one way to kick off a new month.
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[ But he is glad that the failures and reboots haven't damaged her permanently, and that even if the systems all went down she'd likely still be in there, somewhere. Though a thought comes to mind. ]
I've been thinking of setting up a small generator. Since the last time we've had some power issues I've kept some power reserves around, just in case. I can... if you want, I can hook it up to something smaller. Just one computer, or this table, for instance. You can hang around, if you want to. It's kind of small, but...
[ Better than constantly flickering on and off. ]
Ideally I'd suggest a synthetic body but I think that would take me way too long to build. [ But, you know. Just throwing that idea out there. ]
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[ There's amusement in her voice, but the sentiment is honestly appreciated. Not a lot of people take the artificial intelligences into account when there's a power shortage, so it's nice when someone does.
Cortana perks visibly at the mention of a generator and nods, glancing around the room and down at the table thoughtfully. ]
Well, I certainly wouldn't turn down the idea of a synthetic body, but I don't want to add on to your workload.
[ But, you know. A body? That would be helpful in more times than just ones like these. Not to mention... how amazing that would be, to actually have a physical presence...
There are more important things than her own whims, however. She wouldn't want to pull focus from those. ]
A generator would be plenty. Perhaps a bit cramped, yes, but I'd rather be confined and have full processing power than free reign and not enough power to do more than two tasks at once.
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And you can't even be standalone can you? That's so dumb.
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[ If she were capable of sighing, Cortana would heave one right about now. The Moira hasn't been problematic in terms of power before now, but this change? She's not a fan. ]
All I can do is hope that the power to this one is restored. I have to assume that it will be, given that the current functionality of the ship is extremely inefficient, but it's hard to be sure of anything around here.
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What about kinetic power?
[ He knew it was possible, but he didn't have a disk for his entire life until he hit the Grid. Having Cortana overwrite everything and essentially make it her disk would give her another possible power source. The problem was how to communicate.
As well as having another lifeform fused to your spine.]Or at least kinetic energy. Having trouble trying to maintain a hologram like that can't be good.
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It's not damaging me in any way, it's just taking more effort than it normally does to project an image.
[ The explanation feels necessary, though she doesn't go in to the fact that she could much more easily be talking with him without the hologram. Using it, however, is a decent distraction, and makes her feel less... like nothing but a series of numbers and code. ]
What are you thinking? I haven't ever had a way of using kinetic energy.
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What's been goin' on?
[Because hell, that sounds alarming. The question probably proves he's a new arrival, but he could care less if it means getting some answers.]
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[ She hadn't meant to startle--sometimes she forgets that some people aren't accustomed to holograms, much less having them appear out of nowhere next to them. The smile Cortana offers is apologetic, though her expression soon takes a turn for the more curious.
The question does peg him as a new arrival, but as she keeps track of the crew directory, she...may have already known that he was new. She likes to keep close track of the crew as they come and go. ]
Ah, you aren't aware of the happenings of last month, I take it. [ Or...literally every month prior. ] Let's just say that things have been... hectic. They're calmer now, of course, but in the last month we've dealt with an attack from hostile aliens, as well had a sizeable chunk of the crew accidentally transported to a nearby outpost where things were far from pleasant.
[ The details of it all, she doesn't go into. She will if he inquires further, but she certainly doesn't want to worry a new arrival so soon, even if it may be best for them to know what sorts of things to be prepared for now that they're here... ]
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[His tone is perfectly flat, but the sarcasm must be obvious. Daryl isn't sure if this counts as going from the frying pan to the fire or... What. All he knows is none of it makes a lick of sense, but there's really not time to dwell on it. He's survived this long by throwing himself into impossibility, over and over again. No different in space.]
Are you... [he gestures rather vaguely in her direction as he starts to ask, trying to encompass the whole flickering-bluish-projection-of-light state of being.] Somewhere else?
[It's like a cheap sci fi flick here. He's trying to get used to it.]
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[ No stranger to sarcasm, even the flattest kind, Cortana responds with her own. Hers, however, holds a touch of humour and is paired with a smile. She's not quite as sour about things as most of the crew seems to be.
At his question, her smile only widens. ]
Sort of. You're not incorrect in your guess, at least. I'm just about everywhere, technically.
[ She offers her own semi-vague gesture, spreading her arms wide as though to elaborate on what she means by that. ]
I'm within the ship's systems, so I'm spread out through all the accessible areas of the Moira.
[ Welcome to the sci-fi world, Daryl. ]
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