001

[housepartyprotocol]

Who: Tony Stark and anyone!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Still on The Marsiva
When: Now

[ The video feed crackles to life, and on the screen is a man looking equal parts composed and annoyed. He settles into the frame and smiles wryly.]

I'm not going to waste time here asking where we are, since I'd like to think we can all recognize space, but fair warning: you've got about [ he looks at his watch ] 2 minutes before I start taking this place apart. Not a threat, just making you aware that without a pretty impressive explanation, I will cannibalize your lovely and expensive ship and fly myself home.

[ He smiles briefly and with no humor before sitting back in his chair and tapping his watch. ]

Comments

[experiencepoints]

That's... a very good and worrying question, but also not important right now.

It's not what the ship's made out of, it's more the thing hooked into your brain that can forcibly stop you if you do actually make any progress.

[housepartyprotocol]

Excuse me.

[ No one has told him that little detail yet. ]

[experiencepoints]

... Excuse you?

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Makes a sort of rewind gesture with his hand, then indicates the hardware on his neck. ]

These things can do that?

[experiencepoints]

Probably.

[Even she can tell that requires more information, though.]

We know they can cause mood swings, and attempting to damage them causes a strong fear reaction. And earlier, while everyone was trapped on the Marsiva, everyone just fell asleep at the same time- I'm pretty sure that was the augments knocking us out for the... what was happening at night there.

[housepartyprotocol]

Come again? ...'what was happening at night'? Definitely need some details on that one.

[experiencepoints]

Merry romps through the memories and hearts of everyone else.

Do you want me to just send over the guide for new people I've been working on? That might be easier.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Puts his hands up like 'yes, why has no one offered that yet'. ]

Obviously, yes.

[experiencepoints]

[The camera starts jerking around as Nightingale has to actually fuck around with her comm for this, but soon she's sending over a document.]

It's still a work in progress, but it should have all the important details.

[housepartyprotocol]

[ Glancing at the file. ]

How long have you been here?

[experiencepoints]

Since... June 23rd, I think. So about five months, by this place's calendar.

[housepartyprotocol]

How do we mark days? Still 24 hours?

[ He's starting to feel like he's getting a grasp of his surroundings, and it shows. He's much less agitated. ]

[experiencepoints]

Yeah, that's right. Are you from Earth, then?

[housepartyprotocol]

Guilty.

[experiencepoints]

You're lucky, then.

[housepartyprotocol]

You'll understand if currently I'd beg to differ.

[experiencepoints]

At least you understand the calendar here.

[housepartyprotocol]

Are there many people here who don't?

[experiencepoints]

My world's calendar works a lot differently.

[housepartyprotocol]

How so? Different sun? Or something that makes lease sense than that?

[experiencepoints]

Well... It's not Earth, so yeah, it has a different sun? It's ten months in a year, thirty-six days in a month.

[housepartyprotocol]

Makes sense. You know, theoretically. So where is that you're from?

[experiencepoints]

The world itself doesn't really have a name. But the continent was a place called Ashvara.

[housepartyprotocol]

There was a continent and not a planet?

[experiencepoints]

Of course there was a planet. The planet just doesn't have a name.

Speaking of names, I haven't gotten yours yet.