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

[delincuente]

... Yeah. Yeah, alright... Listen, I hit my head when the alarm went off, can you check it?

[She puts her fingers on a small knot just under her ponytail. It's nothing serious, she's sure, but better safe than sorry. And maybe she just doesn't want for Stefan to move on from her quite yet.]

Even if we weren't alright... I wonder if this place would just bring us back, like Paradisa.

[stefanged]

Sure.

[He goes ahead to check, lifting her ponytail so he can look at it better. He doesn't smell blood, so there's that. It does take him a moment, though, to realize that this check-up may be for more than assessing physical damage.] You feel okay otherwise? No headaches or nausea...?

[Her question comes at the end of his assessment - while he can't exactly look straight at her, the color disappears from his face rapidly.]

I don't know. Back home, if you died, you kinda stayed dead for the most part. [There were exceptions: him. Other vampires. And of course, the douchebag with immortality. The idea of something fully reviving a person? Not something he dwells on, because it means in another world, he could've stayed human, and grown older.] Maybe? I've never really thought about it.

[delincuente]

Just a little headache.

[She removes her hair tie to get at the sore spot more easily, but otherwise she remains rigid and tense.]

Do you think... If this place never sent us home, and everyone just came back after they died - would we just all be immortal, or something?

[stefanged]

[Under these circumstances, rigid and tense is to be expected - their ship took some damage, and they DID just get hit by a nebula. Stefan can't exactly blame her. Letting go after a moment, he turns toward the hallway.] Possibly? It's hard to tell in a place like this.

[Nor does he want to think about it. He clears his throat.]

Except for some swelling, you're okay. Power's out, so I can't grab ice - but lemme get some acetaminophen for the headache.

[He rushes there and back, in what feels like forever for him but is probably a few seconds, with a pill in one hand and a small glass of water in the other. Don't ask how he managed getting water, because he's not even sure he knows.]

[delincuente]

[Alex takes the pill with a little nod, and swallows it in silence.]

Thanks. Um... everyone else is all fine? Have you checked on the new engine kid?

[stefanged]

Not entirely. He's a bit preoccupied with the engine.

[Stefan can't exactly blame him, and the empathy is loud and clear in his voice.] Everyone else, yeah, thankfully. Some minor bumps and bruises, but nothing major.

[delincuente]

Sounds like that's the case with just about everyone. Worst I've heard over the radio's a concussion.

[stefanged]

Then they really weren't aiming to hurt us. [While he's relieved, he doesn't like the sound of it either. They've gotta have a bigger endgame in mind.]

Not much use in worrying about it now, but... I'll finish my assessment and get back to you.

[delincuente]

[She forces a smile, and tucks her legs up into her chair.]

Yeah. See you later.