this is too long

[twocomplex]

Who: Mattias, Oren & YOU!!
Broadcast: Fleetwide!
Action: Starstruck
When: 6/5

[The camera peeks into the Starstruck’s bridge to a flurry of papers. They drift across the floor before the view shifts and the scene expands. Mattias has his back to the camera, plastered against the second half of a large circular map that he’s in the process of pinning to the wall. Arm pressed against the paper, he balances on one foot, using the other to stop a pile of other segments from falling while his hand grapples with a piece of tape. Whoever’s behind the camera holds up a finger for quiet as they creep towards him, stopping only when the camera is nearly touching Mattias’ neck.]

Mattias. [In a feat of grace, Mattias yelps, jumps and slips in a matter of seconds. He crumples to the ground as the remaining sheets snow around him, ignoring them as he looks up past the camera.]

Oren? [He’s going to say more but his brow furrows.]—Is that on?

Tell me, how many hours of sleep have you gotten in the past two weeks?

Uh—[He pauses too long for it to be a sane amount.]

None. He means none, you see. [He doesn’t wait for whatever thought Mattias may have been trying to form, brushing past it smoothly.] This map has taken a majority of our time, and while most people would have the sense to sleep... Mattias just can’t rest until it’s complete. So, with that in mind, we’re looking to enlist some help! [He extends a free hand just enough for it to appear on screen, rolling in the air to encourage Mattias.]

Go on.

[Mattias looks about to protest needing people but Oren must shoot him a look because he quiets immediately. Glowering at the camera, he points up at the map.] That is a star chart. Or a star map. Or whatever the correct terminology for it is. I don’t know. I only know that we can work off navigating from radar for so long. Now, I know there are others in the library. But they don’t help. They cover a section of space [he holds up a single sheet] this small when we’re flying through something [He slaps the multi-sheet map behind him. Another paper falls loose. He tries to ignore it.] this big. We need a broader view. With this, we can adjust as we go. Make edits, additions, have the most accurate information possible to move forward. We can chart courses, analyze our past patterns, maybe even find out where we are.

[He runs a hand through his hair and shrugs.] I don’t know. But it makes more sense than flying blind, at the whims of the Atroma.

[He glances back at it.] Right now it’s about eighty percent done on the first draft. [Pointed stare at Oren.] If people want to help, fine. All it really involves is copying the radar’s data from various degrees and directions. I can tell you what parts we’re missing. Is that satisfactory, Oren?

Near perfect. [He lets the camera take one more sweep of the map.] What would truly be useful is if someone were able to transfer this digitally to each ship’s controls. A paper map would be of no help to us while piloting. [Again, the camera shifts, focusing on Mattias. Minutes stretch. Mattias waits for something else to happen only to finally say:]

Shut it off.

[ooc note: did you know they’ve been flying half-blind the whole time?? anyway all characters are free to help out and make a map they all can use! they could use anyone in some way, but feel free to hit us up for any questions. we've actually both dropped the game now sorry!]

Comments

voice;

[interspace]

[ She doesn't even pause or really seem put off by the reply. ]

If they even pretended they cared about keeping us up to date, this wouldn't be a problem at all. There's rudimentary tools back home that I could use to try and do this, and even more advanced stuff that couldn't possibly be too difficult for these guys to reproduce.

Basically, they're keeping us on a short chain. We'll basically have to go homebrew.

[noctiphile]

Well, that's obvious. It's probably some part of the appeal of whatever sick show we're performing. For all we know, this very conversation was engineered to happen.

[Which is... another problem entirely. For a man so used to performing the unexpected, the idea of falling into someone else's accidentally through even the smallest act of rebellion is disturbing. He waves it off.]

So we have to make it ourselves. That's fine. That's expected. The question is, how do we do it?

[interspace]

That's a... fairly easy question considering all the others we've got around here. There are engineers that either had the stuff put in their heads or ones who know how to build stuff from home. Find them, figure out what we need to make this stuff, then acquire the stuff.

It isn't like we're trying to reinvent the wheel here.

[noctiphile]

Then perhaps that's what I'm missing.

[That's wrong. There is no "perhaps".]

What exactly is the "stuff" I need? You threw a list at me and failed to explain what any of it was. I am a cartographer, a researcher, a doctor from a world far younger than most people here. I'm not an idiot, but I will need certain things clarified.

[interspace]

That's just it, I'm not an engineer. Not an inventor, not a person who puts the things together or anything. You'd have to talk to a specialist about that, about what parts you'd need. What I can do is take down data and maybe help keep it in order until we can put it on a proper map that someone else can help you make.

[ If shrugs could be audible, man. ]

I'm just a pilot.

[noctiphile]

[Flatly:] Insinuate this isn't a proper map again and you'll be stuck with radar. Forever.

[interspace]

Take your ego somewhere else. You're putting a lot of work into that and it's great, but not something we can use until it's on a three-dimensional plane which you yourself have said. Right now it's just the parts of the map. Do you want help or not?

[noctiphile]

[HE HAS A LOT OF GRUMBLING ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL MAPS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACES but whatever he'll just rant about that off-camera. "Proper map". What an insult.]

Fine. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have another pilot's radar readings. I'll have Oren talk to you about it.

[YEAH THAT'S HIM HANGING UP WHAT ABOUT IT PUNK]

[twocomplex]

Ah, hello.

[And back on with video, this time it's Oren.]

I'm afraid I'll have to stress once more that he's had practically no sleep! Dimensions are being applied to various layers of paper as best as we can manage, so the main issue is extra data for the last sections and digitizing it.

[He smiles all too calmly.]

So it's just the first you're capable of?

[interspace]

Maybe you shouldn't put someone on the spot when they've had no sleep, huh?

[ Despite Oren coming in on video, Misha's sticking to voice. Maybe it'll be easier to avoid confusion with Claudia or distraction from other things this way. ]

Yep, all I'm good for here. Might know someone who can help with the latter, might not.

[twocomplex]

It's his lack of sleep that leads me to ask for help to begin with, actually.

[His smile stretches the slightest.] Do let me know if your memory sparks with information of that person.

In the meantime, I can assign you a part and explain the details of the data I've been collecting. We only have the radar to work off of, so it's rather tedious, but remember: the more details the better. I'll message you the specifics once we've finished here. Any questions?

[interspace]

How very kind of you.

It's less memory and more I'd need to talk to them first, but hey. We'll figure it out.

That is so cut and dry, there's really not much else to ask. Well, okay, that's not true. You guys trying to map out the asteroid field in the meantime or are we just ignoring that for the bigger picture?

[twocomplex]

The... asteroids, was it? It's the stars we're concerned about, as those are what seem to stay the most constant in space. No... moving from collisions, you see.

Making note of the presence of asteroids and how far they stretch is fine. You won't need to map it yourself. I'll explain how to transfer your data.

[interspace]

[ Makes enough sense. She isn't gonna fight on that or anything. Her own ship is well-enough equipped to deal with the field just fine. ]

Go ahead. Let's get this show on the road.

[twocomplex]

[AND SO HE DOES explain it in great, technical detail. The use of the radar, the best way to record data, angles key in collecting information, all that good stuff. Thanks Misha!]

[interspace]

[ SHE'S GOT THIS. Expect regular enough reports with good detail and not much else. She'll help with the project, sure, but she's also going to ask for a return of their own findings to essentially make backups. ]