Twelfth Cycle - Season Premier!

[thespaceopera]

[Everything is quite dark as the passengers regain consciousness, with little lights and panels on the walls just now beginning to wink to life. It seems as though everyone and their new homes are rising from slumber together. Even the air is sleepy, and it tastes stale--it must have been a long time since it's been anywhere other than recycled endlessly through this space.

And for a few minutes, the only sounds that aren't coming from the passengers themselves is the omnipresent hum of electrical and mechanical parts surrounding them on every side, and the occasional scratch of vermin-feet in the walls. Then, regardless of where each passenger wakes in their ship, a short musical tune and an exuberant female voice crackles to life over speaker panels in every room.]

--Good morning, honored passengers! My name is Diamond, and on behalf of Atroma and our entire audience, congratulations on being selected to participate in the twelfth cycle of Drift Fleet! We are all eager to get to know you, and I just know you must all be eager to get started, so let's get right to it!

[And with that, whoever happens to be on the bridge of their ship at the time will be treated to watching the solid panels slide away from the windows, revealing infinite black and uncountable stars... and whether or not they've ever been capable of comprehending the concept before, they immediately recognize outer space.]

In a few minutes, the HS Marsiva will come into view through the windows to my left. Please familiarize yourself with her presence.

For more information on your new roles, and of the Drift Fleet itself, please refer to the helpful information files already uploaded to the network. And from here on out, it shall be up to you to refer new cremates to these information files and to make sure that their stays on your crews are pleasant and rewarding!

...Also--speaking of your new responsibilities as crewmembers--I expect captain forms to be filled out and submitted by the end of the week.

[The smile practically drips from her voice at that last point, and there's a little pause before she continues]

And finally-- we won't be approaching our first system for a few days yet, so you are all encouraged to get to know each other and enjoy the ride in the meantime.

Welcome to Drift Fleet, and remember... the worlds are watching!

[and the voice cuts out, but the lines are still open. the network is live and listening.]



((ooc: the Fleet is now live! dive in and tag around! it's a good idea to put whether or not your thread is open to the network, and what ship you're on, in the subject of your reply. to see who is on which crew, please refer to this sheet! have fun!))

Comments

[aberrant_type]

[Nunnally, meet... your lab tech! Hange comes to the bridge and spots Nunnally before she speaks to her. She takes a moment to size the girl up. She looks slim and harmless and she's in a wheelchair. While it may not necessarily always be true, the last point, of all of them, seems to indicate that the girl won't be dangerous. After a moment, Hange comes closer.]

Hello there. Admiring the stars?

[blindoptimism]

Ah-- [the chair is motorized, and she uses what looks like the ball of a mouse to move it with minimal effort. As she turns the chair she tries to give a polite smile. The edges might look slightly strained, but she does a decent job of being cordial]

Yes. They're beautiful... although this all seems surreal. [she pauses] Is it right to assume that we will be crew mates?

[aberrant_type]

I expect so! [She comes closer, looking down... scouts sometimes use wheelchairs, when they lose one leg or both outside, but Hange doesn't spend much time with people in that situation. Should she crouch down, or would that be condescending? Hm, she's not sure.]

I'm Zoe Hange. How about you?

[blindoptimism]

[ah... Nunnally arches her back slightly, it feels a bit odd to be examined.]

My name is Nunnally Lamperouge. It's a pleasure to meet you. [she pauses]

Is my... wheelchair of interest?

[aberrant_type]

Pardon me, but it is. We use things like this at home for soldiers who lose one leg, or both, but I don't see them often. [A small pause.] Is it comfortable for you if I stand, or should I crouch?

[blindoptimism]

[ah. The question is so direct it throws her off but she smiles slightly before waving a hand]

No, it's quite alright to stand. It would be very uncomfortable for you to crouch constantly.

[aberrant_type]

Well! It's nice to meet you, anyhow. [What is this girl doing here-? Hange extends her hand for a shake. If Nunnally accepts, Hange's grip is strong and rough with calluses.]

How old are you?

[blindoptimism]

[Nunnally gladly accepts the handshake. For many years it was her primary way of discerning a person's true intentions. Her own handshake is more dainty in return, but her smile grows]

Fifteen. I know I must seem... immature in term of years. But I will do all I can to not only pull my own weight, but contribute to the ship. [nooners... calm down]

[aberrant_type]

You're a little younger than fresh recruits I'd see, but only by a year. I'm sure you'll contribute to our progress. [At least she seems like she wants to.] It's a pleasure to meet you, Nunnally. What's your area of expertise?

[blindoptimism]

Ah, I'm not quite sure what it would be called. [she gesture over towards a console that she had been examining earlier] But I believe with that, I could observe the status of the ship. Then with this-- [she points down to a set of control] I think I could use those to send people to and from the ship.

[hmm, she looks a little put out that she can't explain in better] It's a strange feeling, thinking that I could do something but not quite knowing how...

[aberrant_type]

How interesting. I take it you haven't actually been trained in this at all?

[blindoptimism]

Not at all. You wouldn't... [how to phrase this] do you know of any method through which someone would implant someone with knowledge that they didn't have before?

[because this sure as hell smells like Geass to her :(]

[aberrant_type]

Let's do a small experiment, Nunnally! Have you noticed that there's something on the back of your head? Feel for it. It feels about the size of a bottlecap to me.

[blindoptimism]

[she tries to hide her skepticism, but nonetheless reaches up through her massive piles of hair to touch the back of her neck. Ah...! Her eyes widen immediately and she looks very disturbed]

W-What? [a lot of her attempts to be the most polite person on the planet drops] What is that?

[aberrant_type]

Perturbing, isn't it? I have one too. How did you feel when you touched it, Nunnally?

[blindoptimism]

[aaand.. yeah she has less trouble hiding a 'wtf' look this time around at the question]

Afraid... why, what did you feel?

[aberrant_type]

The same! Now, let me try to take it off. I promise I won't hurt you.

[blindoptimism]

But isn't it under the skin? Would you be able to-- [putting a slight hold on the conversation] do you know how?

[aberrant_type]

I don't expect to be successful. After all, you flinched away and you barely touched it. I just want to see your reaction.

SENRI I HAVE NO ICON APPROPRIATE FOR THSI TAG ALKHDGLAHD

[blindoptimism]

[Han...ge............ Nunnally like, doesn't even know how to react to that]

That sounds... unsafe.

LAUGHS I FEEL ACCOMPLISHED

[aberrant_type]

Well, you can do it to me if you'd like. I'm willing to take the risk, for science!

[blindoptimism]

But I don't know how to do something like that either! [she feels like she's loosing he composure, hnnng]

T-There must be a doctor somewhere. Perhaps they could not only remove it, but repair the would afterwards

[aberrant_type]

It's intersecting with the brain! It would be far too dangerous to try and remove. Just try and touch it.

[blindoptimism]

[there is a flicker of frustration. She had assumed that Hange wanted to remove it earlier, and now she's thinking she might have misunderstood. So, she attempts to touch it for longer this time, but it just feels so... wrong. The first time it was surprise at its existence in the first place, but this time it's more an aversion in the pit of her stomach]

And because it is intersecting with the brain, our body has an aversion to disturbing it?

[aberrant_type]

I'm not sure. I'd like to see if there was a different reaction if a different person got near your implant. Or mine!