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]

Poor girl, are you an orphan?

[amarant]

Yes...it's fine, you didn't know.

[ Kind of a preemptive "it's okay" in case Hange feels bad about that. ]

[aberrant_type]

[it's hardly unheard of to be an orphan at home. humanity's territory is crawling with them, really.]

It must have been difficult carrying on without them! How long were they there to teach you?

[amarant]

Until I was thirteen. I learned a lot during that time. I learned everything from them.

[aberrant_type]

So you studied until you were gone and then carried on without them... that's brave.

[amarant]

What else could I have done?

It doesn't take any bravery to continue living.

[aberrant_type]

Well, there's continuing to live and there's shutting yourself away from the world or giving up! I'd say there's some courage involved in carrying on, especially since you were young.

[amarant]

[ She's done all of those, at some time or another. A bit more of the latter. ]

...have you seen many people give up?

[aberrant_type]

I've seen my fair share. Lucky for them, sometimes someone with the will to carry on comes along and takes them with.

[amarant]

And what about you? Were you someone that helped, or was helped?

[aberrant_type]

I like to think that I've been both!

[amarant]

So you have more experience than most. That must be nice.

[aberrant_type]

Why would it be nice? It's just what it is. Experience is something people will inevitably gain.

[amarant]

Some people may only get to experience one side of things. The more you've experienced, the easier it is to feel as though you've done what you need to do in life.

[aberrant_type]

I suppose that's true. Mostly those I know know that we've hardly even started what we need to do.

[amarant]

Mm, some things take longer than others.

[aberrant_type]

Haha, in some senses I suppose it's good to have important work to do for a lifetime!

[amarant]

That's true...

It's important to stay busy.

[aberrant_type]

Yes it is.

[Ha.] You have quite an adult perspective on all this.

[amarant]

[ Yeah...it's been a long time since she's had any actual contact with someone that wasn't also hundreds of years old. This is not easy. ]

It must have been how I grew up.

[aberrant_type]

That's certainly a possibility! Let's speak again, Emblica.

[amarant]

...that would be fine.

[aberrant_type]

Take care! Make sure your shipmates treat you right.

[amarant]

You too, Miss Hange.