002. telling the tale.

[imahologram]

Who: Leia Organa
Broadcast: Video; text
Action:
When: February 1

[Video]

Good afternoon.

[This feels so much more formal than her first, pretty much accidental broadcast. Leia's sitting at a table she found in a quiet corner of a Starlight restaurant, hands folded on the surface before her.]

I'm interested in any information you might have on past escapes from the Fleet, whether successful or not, or on people who have been sent away by the Atroma. If we pool our resources, my hope is that we'll have a better chance of finding ways to send home those Fleet members whose priorities lie elsewhere.

I've attached my own experiences below, in the interest of adding to our current knowledge base. Any intelligence you can offer, however small, has the potential to be of use.

Thank you.

[Text]

[It's the executive summary of a report, because of course it fucking is.]

Timeline: First three days docked at the FS Starlight
Location: FS Starlight, SS Lornlo
Contact: Leia Organa, Windrose

Mission goal: Begin journey home using local transport

Highlights:
‣ Made contact with beings (both human and alien) of various ships
‣ Demands from many for payment up front for
‣ Traded work for passage on the SS Lornlo
‣ Completed menial tasks aboard ship for Captain Graatix
‣ Duration of trip: several hours
‣ Transported back to the Fleet immediately upon leaving Fleet area of influence

Notes:
‣ Evidence in favor of the augment's primary role in tying beings to the Fleet
‣ Ship quality outside of the Fleet appears to be as good or better as within
‣ Multiple alien races present on the FS Starlight,
‣ No additional details on location gainned

Next steps:
‣ Investigation of potential for disabling augment
‣ Purchase of ship parts (local equivalent to hyperdrive?) to patch into existing Fleet systems
‣ Further questioning of locals for information regarding area
‣ Discuss experiences with Fleet members for further insight

[ooc: Interaction around/during said escape attempt can also happen here if you're interested.]

Comments

video

[bryces_pup]

So how does that work, anyway? They have some kind of technology that can drag us back like that?

[Now that she thinks about it, it's probably not dissimilar from however they bring them to the Marsiva from their worlds.]

video

[imahologram]

They must. It's a little beyond what I'm familiar with at home, but if they can kidnap us here in the first place...

It must be connected to the augment somehow--I wasn't on an Atroma ship when I was transported back.

video

[bryces_pup]

It's far beyond anything I know. I'm still acclimating to the whole "being in space" bit.

[She frowns, rubbing the back of her head.]

Maker damn those things, I swear. If there was just a way to get them out... wait, has anyone tried?

[imahologram]

That must be rough. Have you been doing all right?

Apparently, they have. It sounds like it's a painful risk to take.

[bryces_pup]

It's... been up and down, honestly. Just when I think I've gotten used to it, something new springs up. And I haven't quite gotten used to sleeping in the ship. Too many odd noises for me.

[Well that sounds lovely.]

I expected they had some safeguard in place for that. Cutting open someone's head doesn't seem too wise, all around.

[imahologram]

It has to be a big adjustment, if your planet wasn't as technologically advanced. You seem to be handling it well.

I'd be willing to make the effort, if it was likely to do much. But it looks like we'd be better off figuring out what controls the augments and sabotaging that.

[bryces_pup]

I'm used to dealing with crazy. Not this particular brand of it, but apparently I have a tolerance for it in general.

[A necessary requirement for any Bioware protag.]

Then you're a much braver person than I am. But I agree; it's typically more effective to attack the problem at its source. If only we could get into the rest of the Marsiva.

[imahologram]

I think most of us are. They've pulled in some very capable people.

[And some very uncapable ones, but that's not the point.]

It's not bravery so much as necessity. But you're right--the Marsiva looks like the next step in any investigation we do.

Now the trick is to get aboard.

[bryces_pup]

[And some whack jobs. But yeah. AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DISCUSSION.]

There is no place to dock, right? And the area the newcomers are put in is completely cut off from the rest of the ship. If only we had equipment that could pierce the hull and the walls in there. It is... messy but I cannot think of a better way to get inside.

[imahologram]

That's what I've heard--in both cases. Cutting our way in would be a tough prospect, given the vacuum [you know about the vacuum in space, right, Riona], but if we could find a way...

I'm sure there's plenty of intelligence we could use in the rest of the ship.

[bryces_pup]

[Sure, she totally knows what that is. Yep. Of course...]

Ah yes, a difficult prospect indeed. [Faking it totally faking it.] But it might be our only one. Perhaps then not so much cutting as... exploding. If only we had an empty vessel and enough gaatlok to fill it. [Because what are lasers? Or even TNT?]

There has to be. That thing is enormous. And there has to be people in it somewhere, running the ship.

[imahologram]

Gaatlok? Is that a weapon where you're from?

[Without a little more information on what Riona's thinking of, it's hard to be sure what her explosions would look like. Leia's first reaction to them is still but the vacuum, but she doesn't want to dissuade the woman before she understands.]

Exactly. One way or another, finding them is vital.

[bryces_pup]

It's an explosive powder. I'm afraid I know nothing more than that; the Qunari peoples guard the secret to its formula very closely.

[It wrecks shit and that's all she needs to know, quite frankly.]

[imahologram]

It could work, but it might cause more problems than it solves. I wonder if we could find any here--have you looked around for it?

[bryces_pup]

Ah, no. Honestly I don't even know what it looks like. And I fear they may call it something different on the station if they do carry it. Everything else seems to have a different name.