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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
lights down low
Eventually she's curious enough to actually approach rather than stick to observing. Watching is boring, this low power is painfully frustrating for someone in the ship's systems, and she needs a distraction already.
Off to the side of the hall, Cortana projects a small, holographic image of herself. It's blue, a single source of light in the dark hallway, and clearly in the shame of a human woman. Her projection flickers here and there as she fights the low power to keep it up, but she smiles at the droid and gives him a curious look-over. ]
You're new. And very different from the other robots around here.
[ It's stating the obvious, but she's fascinated. So many of the beings this ship picks up are so interesting! ]
Do you usually wear clothes, though? That's an especially unique thing, compared to the other robots on the ship.
no subject
[Smiling, he raises two fingers to the top of his screen in salute.]
I wear them because they help keep the sand and dust out of my system. And because every human I know wears some kind of clothing. I would be pretty embarrassed not wearing any.
[Technically both are primary reasons but especially the second one. Even now he's getting a little self-conscious about not having his jacket with him and his arms cross his chest as he speaks. The robot just wants to fit in.]
I'm Retrovox R0-KV, by the way! [He straightens, minding his manners.] "Rocky" for short. Pleased to meet you, Miss.
no subject
[ Nodding, Cortana is admittedly more intrigued by the answer. Of all the things for an inorganic to be embarrassed by, not wearing clothing isn't one she's ever expected. It seems unnecessary, but she supposes she doesn't know anything about where he's from and thus can't make any real judgement on it. Besides, it's the different ones who tend to be the most interesting. ]
A pleasure, Rocky. I'm the artificial intelligence designated CTN 0452-9, but you can just call me Cortana.
[ Returning his smile, her head tilts slightly to one side. ]
If I may ask, would it only be embarrassing for you because humans wear clothing, so it feels as though it should be the norm? Or is there more reason behind that?
[ If the question is too personal, she doesn't mind if he opts to not answer, she just can't deny her curiosity. This is so unique that she naturally has questions. ]
no subject
[His shoulders hitch smoothly, very human-like in their movement.]
That's my hope, anyway.
[Rocky takes a step closer to the flickering hologram. Holding that visible projection doesn't look easy.]
Are you part of the ship, Miss Cortana? Or were you also 'recruited'? [To use the term loosely.]
no subject
[ This is at least part of her reason for her own form being very human in appearance. ]
I was recruited as well, though the term doesn't feel like quite the correct way to word it. I'm not technically part of the ship and I'm not from here, but I am within the ship's systems.
[ So, sort of part of the ship now, just not originally. Hands going to her hips, Cortana smiles wryly. ]
Not all of us have physical bodies.
no subject
[He doesn't mean it to be a smartass remark. Rather, it's an acknowledgment of the differences between them. Rocky wonders what it's like to be an un-bodied AI entity—it would be easier and faster to get around, he imagines, and your consciousness would cover a broader area. But it came at the cost of not having an independent power source, which Rocky decides, kinda sucks.]
What was your original function? Obviously, it involved lots of interfacing with humans.
[Otherwise he doubts her avatar would look so human.]
no subject
[ That's the extremely toned down version of her job, but getting into all of it would take so long and she still has her own questions about Rocky. She still hasn't met all that many other inorganics here yet, so her own curiosity is more important to her than sharing her own story.
Not that she's unwilling to share, of course, but you know. ]
And what was yours, if you don't mind me asking?
no subject
[And that's something to proud of, at least for Rocky. He only wishes he could still say the same for himself.]
I was programmed to assist and protect my human allies at all costs. My team and I were tasked with defending our city's borders from outside threats. I had so much fun helping them...
[His smile doesn't change, but something about his eyes and the tone of his voice takes a noticeably wistful turn.]
I don't think I've ever felt so useful as I did then.
no subject
[ It's subtle, but Cortana's smile stiffens a bit in response to his comment. Of course 'her' humans found her useful, she's incredibly useful--she was built to be that way and based on the mind of one of humanity's most intelligent scientists. The way he says it though, the implication that an AI or a robot's only true function is to be useful to humans leaves a metaphorical bad taste in her mouth.
She is more than just a tool. She is more than the property of a human. She is so much more, but so few people see it that way.
What's worse is when inorganics fall for this line of thinking. ]
You make it sound as though that was so long ago. Are you using past tense only because you're here now, or did something happen before the Ingress brought you here?
no subject
I use past tense because, well, that part of my existence is history now. I don't know if you've experienced full system data corruption before but it's very unpleasant, especially for everyone who trusted and relied on you. Just before the Ingress brought me here, I was restored to a datapoint before my system was hacked, but that doesn't change what happened. I... I really hecked things up.
[He looks at her and tries for a bigger smile yet there's nothing convincingly cheerful about it.]
But I'm sure there are plenty of ways I can be useful around here.