driftfleet | Let the games begin!

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Let the games begin!

[several days late, as has been the trend lately, the Shuffle's transmission plays for the Fleet.

...or, it tries anyway. the music doesn't even make it--just a punch of static with sad, scattered pieces of musical notes trying to struggle their way through.

when Diamond's voice is finally heard, it's only intelligible in three little bites.]

--Three disappearing from-- ... --new faces, so-- ... --Captain Halliwell--...

[and then the music blends strangely with other sounds, like someone flipping idly through broken radio stations. it takes some time for anything to come in clear, and every frequency turns up the same interference. it isn't until several minutes later that one signal suddenly stutters into clarity, and music begins to play.

wherever you are, they are playing your song! and if there are multiple people in the room, maybe the speakers nearest to each person are playing different songs, each specific to the closest passenger. and after the signal connects, the speakers will continue to play whatever song they started with, even if different passengers move toward or away from them, and will only play something else when the controls are messed around with. and the signals and machinery will continue to behave in this way sporadically, all through the month.]

ooc: the musical madness has begun! feel free to use this post as a mingle for interactions relating to shuffle day and the ensuing musical chaos. if you have any questions, please post them to the January ooc post!

→ Shuffle ooc post
→ January system ooc post

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Varric nearly calls Shirley a spoilsport, but he decides a long-suffering sigh is probably just as well. He's not about to give her shit when it's a potentially serious situation, not if he doesn't know her that well yet.]

Nope. I didn't want to blow anything up.

[Hey, it worked! Will would be proud.]

Me neither. I've spent most of my time in the lab. You haven't either, Chris?

[ Chris offers half of a grin for the question. ]

I never said that. Was just wondering if you guys got any further than I did. Looks like that's a no... so we'll see what happens when we get there.

[They reach the bridge again eventually. Varric's mostly tuned out whatever weird lullabies he's heard on the way.]

All right, which one of these ominous-looking buttons tells us where we are?

I'm...not sure.

[She's trying to read everything, but the whole control panel doesn't seem very user-friendly.]

We shouldn't just press things at random, but I don't see where to begin either.

[ Chris looks between them, then goes up to the console and begins pressing a few buttons. Maybe it's just easier for him because he actually knows technology or maybe it's because he's something of a perfectionist but he has messed around with the bridge and after a moment he pulls up a relatively simple map of their location. He steps back to let the others see, too. ]

Huh. You see that?

Well, shit. I knew you were good for something.

[He squints at the map.]

Looks like we're in range of another world. Does it look like someone broke off a piece of it to you?

It looks...artificial.

[Maybe not the best word, but it certainly doesn't look very natural.]

And what are all those things around it?

[ Such a look, Varric. He's also beginning to tune the music out but mostly from necessity. At least what's playing on the bridge isn't his own soundtrack. ]

That one, I can answer. Those have to be satellites. But... it looks like nobody would live down there, so why keep an eye on it like that? Especially if it was made somehow.

My guess? There's something important down there. Could be resources, could be an artifact of some kind. You don't set up heavy surveillance on something unless you're an amateur. It just screams for thieves to break in and steal it.

[He examines his gloves, not volunteering his personal experience with that one...]

Maybe it's because somebody made the planet like this that they want to keep watch over it. Like if they made it into something they didn't want anybody else to change.

[Changing the world's geography. That's familiar.]

[ Chris is silent for a while, staring at the screen before he begins hitting more buttons. Those satellites are coming in clearly by the moment as he finds the CSI ENHANCE button. ]

That's not security... Those are advertisements.

[He glances at Shirley. There's a story behind that...]

That could be it, too.

[But then Chris does something with the screen, and Varric has to look at it twice before he understands what he's seeing.]

Advertisements? That's crazy. Who's even here to see them besides us?

[Shirley's eyes widen when Chris brings up the close-ups. She's never seen satellites before, but they're so...loud. Could there be a reason for that?]

Well, there's everybody on the other ships. And we're being watched, right? So maybe whoever's watching us can see this too.

Right, like sponsorship. [ That gets him thinking. ] Maybe this place is like some big scheme to show off what kind of cool stuff is down there. They paid for air time or something.

[Varric scratches his chin.]

I wonder where I can get a satellite...

Why would you want one of those?

[Shirley isn't quite following everything, but she's pretty sure that they probably don't need a satellite unless they can use it to ask for help or something. Although if they could...]

[ He gives Varric an aside glance. ]

Thinking of showing off a new book? Those things are probably as big as our ship, you know.

[He shrugs.]

What? I'm just trying to keep up with the times.

[He has priorities.]

[Well, that's new.]

Varric, do you write books? I didn't know that.

Then buy a commercial, not an entire satellite.

[ C'mon now. Don't go overboard, Varric. ]

[He grins at Shirley.]

That I do, Roses. I'm a bestselling author in addition to being a sharp-eyed businessman.

[He glances at Chris.] It was just an idea. Transporting and upkeep of something that large probably isn't worth the rent.

[Huh. Varric's quite the guy! But that said--]

Um...the satellites won't be dangerous, will they? If we head that way in the shuttles, then it would be good to know if they are.

Definitely isn't. Those things take millions to keep operating.

[ Which makes their number and focal point (the mysterious planet) even more confusing. What is the point? ]

No. I mean, some satellites have weapons on them but I don't think those are that kind. They don't look like it.

I guess that's out.

[He rubs at his chin.]

It might be worth checking out. Or, you know, we can stay here with the creepy singing and slowly go crazy.

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