audio

[ancillary]

Who: MIRANDA and OPEN
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: Saturday (edited pre-shuffle)

AUDIO:

This is Miranda Lawson and it must be [ There was a rustling sound as she toyed with her ersonal communicators to check the time and found the task not really worth exhausting what little energy she had regained since her arrival. ] damned if I know. I'll keep this brief - airing my grievances about Atroma to any of you is one more voice preaching to the choir.

Before I'm randomly assigned a ship I would like to know now which if any vessel in the fleet is in dire need of lab support. Even without these...unfortunate augmentations [ Even without the video feed the word could be heard thinly pressed through her teeth. ] I'm hilariously overqualified for the position. Still, I would like to know where I stand and make myself useful.

Comments

video

[experiencepoints]

Short version? Doesn't matter which ship needs it, they put you wherever they like. And with the ships all at capacity, you can't even transfer to a different one that does need it.

audio:

[ancillary]

How dreadfully unorganized.

audio:

[experiencepoints]

[She shrugs, but having switched to match Miranda, it's not visible.]

I don't think they particularly care about organization, no.

You're taking this surprisingly well.

audio:

[ancillary]

Despairing over something outside my control to complete strangers in the same situation would be tasteless. Panicking would be ill-considered.

So I've opted to adapt.

audio:

[experiencepoints]

They're understandable reactions, though.

Miranda Lawson, you said?

audio:

[ancillary]

And not helpful ones.

Yes - I don't believe I caught your name.

audio:

[experiencepoints]

I've been here half a year, and this is my second interdimensional shithole, so... I can tell you, there's nothing helpful anyone can do here.

Nightingale. Nice to meet you.

[ancillary]

Well, whatever interdimensional shithole you can walk away from. Or words to that effect.

A pleasure.

[experiencepoints]

Less 'walking away from', more 'getting abducted halfway through'. But, close enough.

I have put together a guide for the new people, though, if you'd like it.

[ancillary]

Really? Prudent.

[ She hums approvingly. ]

That would be helpful, thank you.

[experiencepoints]

[She messes with the communicator, and a few seconds later, there's a link.]

Figure it's a good idea to have a central document of compiled information in this kind of a situation.

[ancillary]

"What the hell is going on."

That certainly gets the point across, doesn't it?

[experiencepoints]

[that gets a slight snicker out of her.]

Well, that's the goal, isn't it.

[ancillary]

I really do appreciate this, thank you.

[experiencepoints]

No problem. I'm just glad to help. I know how much it sucks to be new to these things, after all.

video

[percolates]

Space is tight on all ships now, it seems. You might be better off on the Marsiva.

audio:

[ancillary]

I don't mind rubbing elbows with strangers if it isn't here.

[percolates]

Not fond of the open space?

audio.

[intelligently]

Hilariously overqualified in all aspects?

( She sounds interested. And hopes it's going to be a yes )

audio:

[ancillary]

Not all aspects. Biochemistry and a few experimental sciences with applications that would be eyes only in any century are where I shine but primarily in the role of project oversight. Even still I'm more comfortable in field work.

[ With a decent budget she can raise the dead. ]

Believe me, even I find myself incongruous.

audio:

[intelligently]

At least you've been placed in an appropriate role, although you could probably learn anything else that came to you.

( Maybe she'd be decent at engineering, being so smart )

What century did you learn it all?

audio:

[ancillary]

No, I suppose that could be considered a silver lining.[ Not that she believes she needs to expand her repertoire but it couldn't hurt. ]

Twenty-second century.

audio:

[intelligently]

Then I suppose you're probably more suited to all of this, too. Space?

( It's a lot closer to one space universe she knows of than her own )

audio:

[ancillary]

Yes, actually. Though never outside the Sol system so there's a first.

[ Color her begrudgingly impressed. ]

audio:

[intelligently]

Has no one explored past the Sol system or did you just not have a reason to go anywhere else?

[ancillary]

The galaxy is very large - people tend to forget that when looking at universe as a whole. A single system contains sometimes upwards of hundreds of garden planets but like with anything else making them actually inhabitable is costly in both time and resources.

In a galaxy of dreamers and stargazers you need someone who sees the trees along with the forest.

[intelligently]

I didn't know you could make a planet inhabitable if it already wasn't. Is that part of what you do?

[ancillary]

Terra-forming is a complicated and not a sure thing. For example, we've only partially terraformed Mars and that took years. Anything can make a garden world uninhabitable dangerous from fauna to an unpredictable atmosphere the conditions to support human life is a delicate balance. I've personally been involved in although I have a solid understanding of the process.

You're a curious one, aren't you?

[intelligently]

You never know what could be important to know. Terra-forming could be something relevant to our situation. If we came to a planet.

[ancillary]

In the unlikely event we come across a planet that meets garden world criteria then - yes, I suppose I would be inclined to offer my expertise.

[intelligently]

Hopefully we'd be stopped long enough to let it finish.

[ancillary]

That's certainly one thing to hold out for.

video

[forsometimenow]

Overqualified in what sense? Are you a scientist?

audio:

[ancillary]

In a sense. One way of putting it would be that I'm a career project manager.

audio:

[forsometimenow]

Ahh, I see. Unfortunately, they don't seem to care about balance when assigning people to ships... but maybe you'll get lucky.

[ancillary]

[ She sighs. So very put upon. ]

What waking logistical nightmare have I found myself in.

[forsometimenow]

"Waking logistical nightmare" is pretty much the Drift Fleet in a nutshell. I'd say "blame Atroma", but they don't talk to their captives very often.

[ancillary]

Oh, goodie.

[ She was in hell. ]

[forsometimenow]

Yeah, they bring us here and leave us to our own devices, pretty much. You know they're there, but they're smart enough to never send people in person.

audio;

[firstrebel]

You can always request to be transferred later, though I'm not sure how viable transfers will be for the foreseeable future considering how overcrowded all the ships are getting.

But I don't see what difference it really makes, anyway.

[ancillary]

Truthfully? There really isn't. Suppose I'm just obsessing over the finer details. Not as if there is much else to keep me occupied.

[firstrebel]

Unless you want to examine the gumballs in the cargo bay of the ship you get assigned to. I know one or two people have been.

[ancillary]

I'll be driving myself up the wall in no time.

[firstrebel]

You should try the station once you get assigned to a ship. There's plenty of work to be had there You can earn a bit of money.