Who goes there?

[thespaceopera]

[After weeks of relative silence, our intrepid passengers finally travel within visual range of a blue planet. Marsiva's slow-and-steady course makes it clear that this is the Drift Fleet's next destination--but just as your ships come within scanning range and your computers begin to gather data, a fleet of quick little watchdog ships zip out of the planet's atmosphere, heading straight for you!

They do not swoop in for an attack, but hold their positions between you and the planet. They look close enough to cause some trouble, and any working Communications Officer can tell you that they have weapons locked on the Fleet in warning.

The tell-tale sound of an incoming hailing frequency chimes over your ship's alert system. Someone would like you to pick up the phone. Thanks to their augment, all passengers instinctively know that they'll be looking for the Captain or the Communications Officer of the ship--but no one says someone else can't pick it up first.

On the bridge, the hailing frequency can be viewed on screen, along with the attached subject: "Identify yourselves." The notification chime goes off every seven seconds. These ships don't look like they're going anywhere, but they don't want to be kept waiting, either.

What do you do? Will you accept the frequency?]


ooc → see the July Star System post for details about this event! there is no real rush in this post (we won't even be around to begin responding to it until Sunday afternoon), so take your time, feel free to tag each other in this post (maybe try to get your Comms officers off their asses), and there is no time too late to tag into this post. the element of urgency is all IC, and there is no OOC pressure at all.

Comments

A

[thespaceopera]

[funny, they seem to be following a similar set of goals.

the short-tempered response comes in over an audio channel, after a short delay. the voice sounds like it could be human, a woman, and she does not sound pleased.]

We are asking, Caprine. Am I speaking with the captain of this vessel?

State your purpose and intent immediately.

Re: A

[experiencepoints]

[She's muttering to herself in the background, assuming she won't be picked up, since she doesn't actually know how these hails work.]

"Our purpose and intent", they say, like they're not part of the show.

[thespaceopera]

[apparently, the signal is clear enough for them to catch some of it. oops!]

--Excuse me? Please repeat.

[experiencepoints]

Shit.

I'm a cook, not a captain, you sure you want to hear it from me?

[thespaceopera]

...What?

[she sounds pretty confused for a moment, pretty thrown off guard by this.]

Caprine? Who am I speaking to? ...Where is your captain?

[experiencepoints]

I just said, I'm the cook. My name's Nightingale, if you're really curious.

I dunno. Does she count as a captain if I don't think she has any real power, and we're all prisoners or hostages or something anyway?

[deshabille]

That's very rude.

[She is a real captain, hdu.]

[experiencepoints]

You described your job as "captaining".

[deshabille]

That's my job. Like a soldier's job is soldiering.

[experiencepoints]

And like a carpenter's job is carpenting?

[deshabille]

Exactly.

[Now you get it!]

[experiencepoints]

... No, see, that was something I made up to highlight how ridiculous you sound.

[thespaceopera]

Excuse me.

[--cutting in over the banter, quiet annoyed.]

I don't care who does it, but someone needs to provide some answers. Right now.

[experiencepoints]

Okay, fine, the short version: We're all hostages kept here for the entertainment of distant voyeurs watching us as a 'reality show'. The big ship, the Marsiva, appears to be the one in charge, except also not, because the one really in charge is something called the 'Atroma', which I've never seen before. We have no control over basically anything here. Shit, we don't even get real food.

If you aren't part of the show, I suggest you leave quickly before you end up like us.

[thespaceopera]

--Is that a threat, Caprine?

[because the only part that made sense out of all of that, was some of that last bit.]

Explain your intent concisely, including why you have a Nunnilis ship drifting silent in your company.

[experiencepoints]

Do you think it's a threat if someone strapped to a bomb yells at you to run?

I just told you, we're hostages.

[thespaceopera]

[they may not be buying it.]

And is the Nunnilis ship a hostage as well?

[experiencepoints]

Fuck if I know, I just got here. I remember something about some kind of disease? Nervous system damage made them go insane, or... something?

[thespaceopera]

What?

[this woman had sounded irritable before, but this is shock--turning quickly to indignation.]

Are you saying that ship is infected? We cannot let you into our airspace with a diseased vessel in tow!

[experiencepoints]

Well, take it up with the Atroma, because we have no power here to go anywhere. Believe me, I would really like to go home right now.

[thespaceopera]

Ugh-- [there's a bit of a scuffle on the other end. you can hear the woman complaining, from further away, about how this person is of "no help". after a confused moment or two, a male voice steps up to the transmitter instead.]

I, uh... Please hold, Caprine.

[experiencepoints]

Take your time. Like I said, we can't go anywhere.

[thespaceopera]

[the line is quiet while they rearrange. soon, a middle-aged woman picks up the line, and she already sounds much more patient and level-headed than the last girl.]

Caprine, may I please speak with your ranked captain?

[deshabille]

Well, clearly it didn't work.

[experiencepoints]

Look, the assholes on the line are getting mad, we'll deal with your lack of knowledge about your position later.