warning! warning!

[thespaceopera]

[The nebulas are beautiful in this region of space, at the very least. They gleam as great distorting clouds of space-stuff that your scanners don't even want to attempt to analyze. They affect the ships' instruments much like other areas of disruption have in the past, but these are actually visible as large swathes of light--like giant flames frozen in their swirling shapes, suspended across impressive stretches of space. For once, there's something like scenery to look at, out here in the black...

And then, the proximity alarms begin to blare.

From a gap between the two nearest clouds comes an assemblage of ships! Familiar to some and new to others--they do not respond to hails or communications of any kind, and they're gunning straight for the Fleet without slowing. Their weapons are locking on and firing as soon as they are in range.

Many passengers have been through this before, and many of the ships are bigger and better than they'd been in the previous skirmish. Today, the Drift Fleet will put up a better fight, even punch a few holes in their attackers.

Your augment knows where you need to go! Do you run to your station? Do you dodge your job? Are you unsure how to help? Are the captains giving orders or panicking, and are their crews paying attention? Everyone's got a chance to fight back before the enemy fleet runs them into the nearest nebula--and things suddenly take a bad turn.

As soon as each Drift Fleet ship hits the nebula, its systems overload and short-circuit before going dead. It stays silent for minutes, no radar, no comms, no network. Stubborn stragglers are ganged up on and forced into the cloud, followed by the poor ships on autopilot being bodily hauled into the nebula with tractor beams. Once the entire Fleet has been set adrift as sitting ducks, before the Marsiva can get too close, the attacking fleet... turns and flees through the cloud, seemingly untouched by the nebula that scrambles your ships.

Eventually, the systems flicker back to life, blinking on one by one. It will be several hours before any other effects of the attack will be noticeable. The network shows up as live again, but Atroma never shows up to explain a thing...]


ooc: the out-of-character event post is over here! respond to this post any way you like; you can have action, comm messages, play during the attack, being stuck in the nebula, checking in after the network comes back online, or whatever else seems fitting.

Comments

PATHSTONE

[heresyandlace]

[During the attack]

[it's not that he thinks his co-captain isn't going to jump in as soon as she can, or that she can't handle it. no, Tek pounces on the chance to act first because he just happens to be up and around when the attack hits (after quite the weeks-long nap)... and he just isn't in the mood to be told what to do, right now.

the timing is just very good. because he does have the capacity to lead, somewhere in there, but goodness knows that he rarely has the will to try. but now, he's restless and motivated and itching for the chance to do something out here in such a dead region. so... as soon as the alarms blare, the lazy beast snaps into action.

it's a very different Tek than they usually get to see around here.]

Wake up! [--it's an educated guess, and it's shouted over the Pathstone comm]

Our friends are back.


[After the attack, during or after the blackout]

[once the battle is over, he doesn't run around to check on his crew. he assumes that someone else is handling that part--he'll just stay here to brood on the bridge. because, oh, the wheels are busy working in his head.

standing at one of the windows facing the enormous, gleaming curtain of nebula before them, Tek is somewhere deep in silent thought. maybe, if he tries hard enough, he can just glare a hole right through the thing...]


[BROADCAST; after the attack]

[as soon as the comms come back on line, he calmly calls out to the rest of the fleet--]

This is the captain of the Pathstone. Are all of the other ships accounted for?

Audio: during the attack

[onlyanapple]

[Is there whining? Sure sounds like whining. ]

Again? Well, I'm not bloody hailing them this time. It's the verbal equivalent of chucking a snowball into an active volcano, and it's really not worth the effort.

[heresyandlace]

[and oh that whining sure isn't helping his current attitude. he snaps right back at him.]

There is more to your job than just talking. So, get to your station before I decide that we need to jettison a little extra weight.

[--either meaning the demon or his stockpile of booze. either would work.]

[onlyanapple]

[He isn't worried about himself, he can survive in the vacuum of space just fine. His booze on the other hand... ]

Ugh, fine.

[He's just gonna head to his station, and rather spitefully give a swipe at the screen to get the radar array up. ]

Happy now?

[heresyandlace]

I'm not going to be happy until I know what's going on.

[and he heads across the bridge to glare over Crowley's shoulder at the monitor that he only half-knows how to read.]

--Who are they? What do they want?

audio; after the attack

[dawnwillcome]

One of the captains.

[There is a long suffering sigh here. Fucking Tek.]

during the attack

[dawnwillcome]

Well, at least we can avoid the ships shooting at us this time.

[Jove falls in just behind Tek, on her way to the bridge but not quite willing to push past him. Clearly he intends to do his share of the work, which is a nice surprise after all that napping, so the only thing beating him there would accomplish is likely upsetting him which is entirely pointless when they're under attack.]

[heresyandlace]

[yeah... throw off his game while he's being cooperative, and watch how quickly he slams the brakes on. so, as it is, he only shoots her a glance. his voice is still sharp, though.]

Oh, can we? Excuse me if I have my doubts.

Last time we needed a little cooperation in the air, we ended rolling belly-up like a dead fish.

[dawnwillcome]

That was different.

[Her defense of Cole is immediate and aggressive. Don't you talk shit about her spirit son, Tek.]

This is a fight, and Cole doesn't like people being hurt. He'll keep us safe.

[heresyandlace]

[he sighs because, well... he doesn't have a whole lot of evidence to be reassured by.]

I hope you're right.

[and as another wave of frustration hit him--the concussion of a nearby explosion rumbling through the hull of the ship like thunder--a growl seethes between his teeth.]

...If I could just reach them, we wouldn't be having a problem.

During

[killedwithlove]

[Cole is already in the pilot's seat. He's often there, so when the alarms go off, he's already bringing up screens and throwing them out of the line of fire.

Cole is actually a very good pilot. And he really doesn't want the ship to be hit.]

I don't sleep...

[heresyandlace]

[Tek is still not quite convinced. as someone who is used to flying himself, he has quite the case of backseat driver. crossing the bridge, he finds somewhere near the helm to brace himself as the evading begins.]

--No, but you're problematic while awake.

[killedwithlove]

[Cole pouts a little. He knows when he's being insulted, and for once, he's deciding to take mild exception to it.]

I'm a good pilot. Pilot Augment makes sure.

[And then, despite the fact he's not really watching the radars, he flings them to the side of a volley of attacks and spinning recklessly between enemy ships with total confidence.]

[heresyandlace]

[he'd had something to bite back with, but the pitching of the ship--velocity outrunning the gravity drive just enough to throw off his balance--forces him to focus on keeping himself upright.

and he hisses, snarling to himself through his teeth. at least the venom isn't actually aimed at Cole this time.]

Watch out--

[it's just a reflexive response. he can practically feel the phantom sensation of missing wings flexing to compensate, and that's bothering the hell out of him.]

during...the blackout!!!

[openhands]

[That could have gone much worse than it had. Cassandra doesn't leave the bridge either, although she is far less broody while she is thinking than Tek is. She breaks the silence first.]

We should be dead.

[killedwithlove]

Shooting, sharp, sheparding, darting in and out, edge closer, but not too close.

[Cole leans back in the pilot's seat, fingers stroking over the darkened panels and controls thoughtfully.]

It was deliberate.

[openhands]

[Cassandra agrees with a small nod.]

So what is the purpose of this?

[killedwithlove]

I don't know. I don't know why, I just know that it was deliberate. I don't work that way.

[heresyandlace]

[hello there, newest friend. Tek doesn't turn from his glaring while he answers.]

"Should" is not the word.

[openhands]

Then what would you use?

[heresyandlace]

"Should" implies that our survival goes against some design-- either the universe's or our enemies. And instead, I think this is exactly what they'd intended.

...It also implies that the danger has passed.

[audio - after the attack]

[lord_wizard]

[He's not even communications but that's not going to stop him from replying (don't mind the static)]

No crash landings this time, so that's an improvement.

[Meaning yes, they're still alive.]

[heresyandlace]

[he raps on the comm anyway, as if that will actually help improve the reception.]

--You think so?

[lord_wizard]

The alternative being that death is preferable?

[Seriously, would it be?]

[heresyandlace]

Oh, if that's the only alternative on your mind, you're not using your imagination.

[but hey, he's in a bad mood... so, he'll elaborate beyond one cryptic phrase, for once.]

This was deliberate, and it's not over. I am absolutely not calling this an improvement until I know what they're planning.