video ► somewhere in time

[fujibayashi]

Who: Sheena and whoever
Broadcast: Yes, and it's open.
Action: SS Vanquish
When: Mid-morning (and definitely not 2am when I'm posting this)

[video;]

[Sheena's taking a break. She's dressed in purple clothes that are a bit more casual than her usual kimono-like fare, and she is cradling a cup of green tea as she leans across the table.]

So, that big ship we're digging into... We have technology on my world, but nothing like this. I've been beating the snot out of bugs for days, so I'm curious.

Has anyone found anything interesting? Or are we just wasting our time down there?

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[stickupherforehead]

[here's your newbie! Pearl looks more than a bit lost, but she's trying her best not to show it. The people seem...relatively decent, despite the situation.]

What's that about bugs? [at least fighting monsters is something familiar.]

[fujibayashi]

[Sheena hasn't seen Pearl before but she heard about the new arrival. Her ship feels like a revolving door sometimes.]

Oh, hello. You must be Pearl. I'm Sheena.

[She scoots over a little to let the gem sit down if she wants.]

The huge ship outside-- not the Marsiva, but the other one-- is crawling with giant bugs. Ant people, basically.

[stickupherforehead]

[Pearl will take a seat, but she clearly isn't relaxed, judging from her posture.]

Oh? [and if you've been clearing them out...] Is the ship salvageable?

[she definitely seems interested in that, however]

[fujibayashi]

[Sheena keeps that in mind. Her own posture is loose and confident. She has her own anxieties, but she doesn't like to show them off.]

I don't know, really. There's a lot to look into and my augment doesn't really help with anything.

The question is... if we can salvage something, do we even want to?

[stickupherforehead]

[blink]

Why not? They have no use for it anymore and we could do with some spare parts. Or a spare ship.

[building things from scrap is second nature to her, even before the augment.]

[fujibayashi]

It's still dangerous. They sent out a distress signal, but we don't know what happened up to that point.

[She can see Pearl's point, but Sheena is always focused on her people.]

But if we manage to make it safe, then yeah, we should totally use it.

[stickupherforehead]

[Pearl just nods at that.] The logs should help with that. [which...would involve making it safe enough to work. Which brings it all back to the beginning.]

You said you were fighting the bugs? Are they really that difficult to clear out?

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[onlyanapple]

If I were a betting demon, and I'm not, I would say that this whole thing will turn ugly in no time at all. Hope you're ready for the zombie bug army-slash-portal to hell.

[fujibayashi]

That... seems a bit much, doesn't it? I mean, I expect we'll hit their nest sooner or later. If we haven't already.

But... portal to Hell?

[onlyanapple]

That's the thing, it can turn on you in a second. One moment it's all fine and creepy bugs, the next it's "OH NO IT'S EATING MY FACE!!!"

Yes. That happened, once.

[fujibayashi]

Oh, jeez. I thought I'd seen everything, having lived on the moon and all. Let's just say there's a reason I haven't been down there alone.

[She shakes her head.]

I'm a little more suspicious of magical books, personally. One of those definitely was a gateway to the demon world. I have the scars to prove it.

[onlyanapple]

Yeah, magic books are definately dodgy. But I've found a lot more suspicious weirdness in seemingly downed ships that somehow need the help of strangers but yet are mysteriously absent. If you see any big rocks that people are worshipping, get the hell out of there. Trust me.

[fujibayashi]

[She's seen some awful things too. Still... he has a point and she definitely won't stay longer than necessary.]

And if the dead start walking... yeah, I'm out.

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[hearsthesea]

Based on what I've gathered from speaking to others, some have discovered that it used to be a merchant ship whose crew experienced strange behavior before their records stopped. The ship can be repaired, but it will take time and effort before anyone can get it running as usual.

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[fujibayashi]

Thanks. That's... really unsettling, though, all things considered.

[She leans back, thoughtful.]

What happened down there?

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[hearsthesea]

I don't know, but it can't have been good. It's possible that the bugs on the ship are related...

[fujibayashi]

You think they did it? As far as I can tell, they're the ones that damaged the ship.

[hearsthesea]

That's probably what happened. The strange thing is that I haven't heard anybody mention any record of the bugs in the logs...but I don't think their presence here is a coincidence.

[fujibayashi]

Maybe the destruction happened too fast for anyone to log it?

I dunno. I'm afraid whatever happened to them will happen to us if we don't figure it out soon.

[geonomy]

[Clay's on the other side of the table, absolutely tipped precariously back in his chair while he listens to her broadcast. Thankfully, when she finishes, Clay leans forward to get all four of the chair's legs on the floor again.]

How's it been on that ship? [He looks concerned, as the real question is "Are you okay?"]

[fujibayashi]

[Clay no, don't hurt yourself.

She tucks a bit of hair behind her ear.]

It's been... busy. And creepy. It reminds me of-- the last place I stayed in, and not in a good way.

[Zombies. Ah yes.]

[geonomy]

[He glances away and purses his lips together - This isn't really something he can "You're fine!" away right now. So he leans over, a bit closer, though not enough to touch or anything, but so that he can convey that he's listening.]

What was that place like, if you don't mind me asking?

[fujibayashi]

[That's a hard question. She shifts uncomfortably. Immediately her body language gets defensive; not in an aggressive way, but she pulls her knees up onto the bench and rests against the table. Her eyes stay on the table.]

... It was awful. So many people died-- all over some stupid war against an enemy we couldn't even touch. And if we failed, they'd invade our worlds.

[This is the part that bothers her the most. Beyond the plagues, the bombs, starving in space, the kidnappings, and dropping a fucking nuke on all of Britain, there... was this. This sense of hopelessness, like she'd die there and no one would ever know.

She remembers huddling in the labyrinth with native children crying beneath her. It was terrible, but fighting a pointless battle was worse.]

Once, they actually did invade someone's world. It was a version of Earth that probably looked like yours. We jumped in and tried to push the United Earth back, but they overwhelmed us. All of us fought so hard. And all we could do was run.

[She lowers her face into her hands.]

Every single person and living thing on that planet was destroyed. Six billion people dead. Just like that.

I don't even know if that many people exist on my world. I can't wrap my head around so much death. I never could.

[geonomy]

[Six billion people. God. Clay can't even imagine that many people. It's like thinking of the size of some things in space; the mind just can't imagine it. Every single person who had a future ahead of them, dreams and goals, friends and family, all of it destroyed... and Sheena had to go through that.

He gives a little wince as a result. He feels for all those lives, and he feels for Sheena, too. So he scoots a little closer and sets his hand on her shoulder before leaning over to ask quietly:]

Can I hug you? It's okay if you say no, but it sounds like you need one.

[fujibayashi]

[The whole physical contact thing is... easier to tolerate now that she's been around him a while. She doesn't stiffen, though she doesn't lean in at first. She's not sure where the line is when it's someone you aren't dating. This is what happens when you're shunned by your village for years.]

Yeah. It's fine.

[She loosens up a fraction. No, it's not fine. Or rather, she's not fine.]

Sorry for... shoving all of that onto you.