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

[alwayscomeback]

Huh. I never thought of it like that. That's...a really good point.

[dancingmd]

It's just a theory, but...

[She sighs and leans back on the lab table.]

It is the only one I can think of. Not that it does us much practical good right now.

[alwayscomeback]

No, but it is something that might help us in the future. If you turn out to be right.

[dancingmd]

Hmm... If they can interrupt the broadcast... I'm almost afraid to say it out loud. Done want to jinx it.

[alwayscomeback]

I think it'll be jinxed no matter what we do. They can see and hear everything we do anyway, remember?

[dancingmd]

Well, if I'm right, they can't hear us now... But if I am wrong, I suppose all I am accomplishing is creating some dramatic irony for them. I was just going to say, if we find that later this did interrupt the broadcast, what is to stop us from doing it ourselves down the road. A protest of sorts.

[alwayscomeback]

...I do like the idea of a protest. I mean, it probably won't do a whole lot. But it'll make us feel better.

[dancingmd]

And a little privacy would be nice too... even if it's only for an hour. I hate being reminded that there's always someone watching us.

[alwayscomeback]

I try not to think about it when I was doing something private.

[When he was sleeping with Suki. ]

It's just creepy otherwise. Noone would get anything done.

[dancingmd]

No, that's best, really. But every once in a while I just suddenly remember, whether I want to or not.

[alwayscomeback]

I hear that, it's a weird crawling feeling up the back of your neck, right?

[dancingmd]

Something like that.

What about the other ships? Have we heard from them?

[alwayscomeback]

Bishop is doing the rounds, making sure everyone is safe.

[dancingmd]

Good.

What do you need me to do?

[alwayscomeback]

Keep the lab as good as you can. We've got the blood, and probably the best equipped one on the Fleet, if we get injuries, they might end up here.

[dancingmd]

[She nods.]

Will do. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need me anywhere else.

[alwayscomeback]

I will, thanks Beverly.