driftfleet | 002. telling the tale.

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.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Are you quite all right?

[Sorry, nothing useful as far as escape attempts from him.]

[THAT'S ALLOWED. Leia gives him a little smile.]

A little disappointed, but otherwise unharmed.

That is a relief to hear.

The augment appears to be completely resistant to my abilities, but perhaps someone else will have something to offer.

Leia? [Don't look now but it's someone on the Marsiva recognizing you. Kitty figures there's only a tiny chance that Leia recognizes her back, and even if she does the last time they spoke Leia was so angry she was hurling furniture around with her mind or the force or whatever. It looked telekinetic to Kitty. But she'd still be glad to see someone who remembered the prison too if she did. And if not it looks like their priorities align.]

That's correct. [Sorry, Kitty--there's no recognition in Leia's eyes, though she has a pleasant enough expression.] And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?

Thank you, Vision.

[His offering might not solve the problem, but she does appreciate it.]

I haven't had much luck with it, either, but pulling apart technology isn't my strongest skill. We might have to consult an engineer.

[Yep, still disappointing.] Kitty Pryde. I knew a version of you.

[That gives her pause. Leia's encountered any number of strange things here, most of them time-travel-related, but no one's shown up and referenced knowing elsewhere and elsewhen.]

...A 'version' of me?

I am an engineer, but they give us little knowledge of how to bypass their technology. I can't imagine why.

Perhaps I'll consult with Mr. Stark, if he's available.

Before I was mysteriously abducted for a space adventure I was mysteriously abducted for an undersea prison adventure. Same kind of deal. People from different realities, worlds, and times. You were one of them, and you don't remember me so either your memories of it were wiped or different version.

My apologies--I didn't realize. [And a little more dryly:] It sounds like we're going to need to kidnap an engineer who does know their augments.

I don't think I've met Mr. Stark. Is he a friend of yours?

Ma'am, if you try to stay behind, you get teleported back.

I admit, most of my work on our ship is invisible. [Which he means literally - cyberkinesis is difficult for most others to detect, he's found.]

One of my creators, actually. He's a brilliant inventor from my timeline.

I noticed.

And 'Leia' is fine.

[Newbie here has nothing useful to offer, but she can't help but comment anyway.]

Bravo for making the attempt. I'm sorry it failed, though. Were you harmed?

Leia. I'm James. I've been here seven months.

As long as you know the same might happen with the ship.

Thank you.

[She appreciates the answer, even if it doesn't hold particular insight.]

I wasn't--I'll edit that into the report later. As far as I can tell, it was the same thing that happens if one of the ships moves too far from the Marsiva.

Well, there goes my plan to rent a ship and hightail it out of here.

Thanks for the info. Really - knowing that saves me some time. I wish I had much more to add, but all I can say so far is that an acquaintance and I tried to approach the Marsiva a couple of weeks back and it... didn't work. There's no conventional way to board her.

It's a pleasure to meet you, James. I'm sorry you've been stuck here so long.

[Her words are a little less wry this time.]

I thought an unsuccessful attempt would be more satisfying than no attempt at all.

Pleasure's all mine.

Agreed. You never know, it might have a better chance of working. They haven't been paying us the attention they usually do.

Edited 2016-02-02 02:41 (UTC)

I see.

[WELL, THAT'S NOT UNSETTLING AT ALL. The thought of other Leias somehow existing in other realities--or worse, the possibility that she should remember this underwater prison of Kitty's and doesn't--is up there with Captain Romanov's theory that everyone here could be a clone for creepiness.]

Let's hope it was a different version. [That's mildly less eerie.] It's nice to meet you, anyway. Did you just arrive?

I suppose this is something of note, though I do not think it's necessarily new information: I possess abilities that would let me escape the fleet, or any place, if I so desired. Of course, something here is preventing them from working properly.

[Which might be good and bad.]

Really? [That's...pretty unlike anything Leia's seen or heard of before.] How would they work, if they hadn't been tampered with?

Any time, Hera. I wish it were better news--we both have places to be.

[Leia's smile is pretty humorless.]

And that's something. I wonder what we'd find there if we were able to get back in--now that we have a better idea of where we are and what's going on.

[Oh Leia. Beverly's entirely sympathetic with her goals of course, and it's not that she herself has given up - never that, there's always Wesley, always home to strive towards - but after being here almost a year, it's impossible not to face the reality of how truly difficult it will be to escape Atroma. Nothing so simple as getting on a ship and leaving.

But first things first:]

You should know, Leia, that all attempts to disable or remove the augment have resulted in failure. Extremely painful failure.

Edited 2016-02-02 02:49 (UTC)

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