a blip

[thespaceopera]

[the fleet has been clear of the musical signals for a day or so... but things still aren't quite right. signals occasionally fail, there is static in the wires. and, apparently, the ships' scanning equipment hasn't been as sensitive as it should be.

it isn't until the fleet is far from the last planet's range that some kind of invisible cloud clears... and several blips show up on every ship's radar. those ships that have a communications officer on-board will actually hear a little alert. and those that don't may miss it entirely, if no one else on board happens to glance at the monitors.

--you aren't alone.

for the first time, there is something showing up on the scanners that isn't the innocuous signatures of local traffic between stations, or the lone, short-range ships out doing their jobs. this is something else.

the communications officers and pilots can attempt to scan them, maybe try and hail... but they lie at the absolute far edge of the equipment's range. just hovering--maybe watching, maybe waiting. maybe not realizing that the drifting fleet is unblinded enough to see them. and there's no telling how long they may have been there.

and once noticed, they only remain for a few minutes before disappearing again into the black.]

...

ooc: this is an entirely-optional mini-event. you can reply or not, and there is no rush to do so. the ships on the radar cannot actually be reached, and will disappear regardless of what is attempted. but if you want to try anyway, post reactions, etc., go ahead and knock yourself out here. they won't answer, but maybe they are listening regardless. this can also be used as a mingle, if anyone wants to talk to each other, or try to bludgeon their communications officer into getting off their butts to actually do anything.

this is just a small event, or clue, and can be played with or ignored as you all wish! enjoy!

Comments

SS First Breath

[proteusmoon]

[ Normally, Tim would be on the bridge more than she, but it's a bit late by now and she thinks he might be off preparing to sleep. In her typical insomniac fashion, that leaves her wandering around the ship alone and the bridge is often where she ends up because it has the largest view of the outside and because it's where she's used to lingering from when she was captain of the Wonderduck.

When she catches sight of the spacecraft, she furrows her brow and leans in closer to the viewport, as though it will help her see the thing better. She tries to adjust the ship's controls to enable her to see it more closely, but she's neither a comms officer nor a pilot and so she doesn't really know how to work it well. She doesn't keep trying for fear of seriously damaging something after her first couple attempts. Instead, she just continues to watch it quietly before turning to opening the network. ]

( Open network video; )
Hello, this is security officer Cecil Harvey of the SS First Breath. I'm sorry to disturb the fleet at this hour, but is anyone else picking up the unidentified spacecraft in the distance? Has anyone managed to establish contact with it?

Video;

[serpentis]

Ah, hello there, Cecil. This is Dorian Pavus, of the Three Twins. I've attempted to open communications, but it would seem they are not swayed by my charms. I've received no reply.

Video;

[proteusmoon]

Mmm... I'm sure it's not personal, Mister Pavus.

[ She offers him a small smile, but, really, this is of course a mildly more worrying occurrence than she's letting on at the moment. ]

So they're just watching us? That's all? Hm... that's a familiar concept. Any ideas?

Video;

[serpentis]

Not in the least, I'm afraid. I'm certain it's nothing to do with myself- I have no doubt of my charms.

Still, it's curious, and a bit concerning.

Video;

[proteusmoon]

[ She nods in agreement, her eyes flicking back to the strange ship floating not far from them. ]

Quite. I wonder if it's Atroma or our "adoring fans".

Action

[treasureling]

[ He's awake, too - difficult to sleep here. The bed's a little bit too comfortable, which is laughable, and definitely too cramped. There's not the scorching heat of a fire on one side. His daughters aren't there, and it seems all the lonelier in the middle of the night, listening to the hum of the ship's systems.

So he rises and wanders around, fixing little things, examining wires and conduits, trying to put it all together in his mind. He has the knowledge, but not the experience, not the muscle memory, and that will be a long time coming.

He thinks he hears a voice from the bridge, and he moves that way, slipping inside. ]

Unidentified spacecraft?

Action

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil turns, a bit surprised to see Malak awake, but she waves him over with a nod, turning off the broadcasting so that their conversation isn't sent out to the rest of the fleet. Even though she doubts the strange, ominous ship out there can hear them, her voice is quieter than usual and a little tense. ]

Look.

[ She gestures. ]

Just showed up earlier. No one's been able to reach them so far, it seems.

Re: Action

[treasureling]

[ He steps closer, adopting the same low tone and furtive attitude that she has. ]

Strange.

Watching us?

Should I try to make the sensors better?

Action

[proteusmoon]

I think so. I can't decide if it's Atroma or just other travelers. They seem to be listening though when others try to open a channel to them.

Action

[treasureling]

[ He's not even sure he can make the sensors better. But he does have a pretty good idea of how they work, so he could try. ]

Can we listen?

Action

[proteusmoon]

[ She leaves a channel open to the whole network, but keeps the feed muted, so no one can hear them. ]

That's about the extent of my ability when it comes to the communications. We don't have a comms officer to help us along.

Action

[treasureling]

[ The controls might as well be in a foreign language for how much he knows about them.

He takes a seat near her. ]

Do you think it's dangerous?

[proteusmoon]

[ She can't help frowning deeply, furrowing her brow again as she considers what this could mean. Dangerous? Well... ]

It's hard to--

[ And the rest of her words die in her throat as more of the same ships begin to shimmer into view seemingly out of thin air. Her breath catches in her throat at the sight and she grips the rail separating the captain's chair from the rest of the seating on the bridge. ]

[treasureling]

[ He catches her alarm before he sees the readout, and moves to his feet, moves closer to see. ]

Oh, gods.

[proteusmoon]

[ They're clearly outnumbered now and that is so far, far more unnerving than seeing only one. ]

...In answer to your question, yes, I believe they are dangerous.

[treasureling]

They're not responding to anyone? What are they doing? - That was in our sensor range, they have to be able to become invisible or travel incredibly fast.

video;

[limitstorm]

[ a tired yawn answers her for a moment--riku tries to cover it with a hand, but then he sort of bleary-eyed looks into the feed. ]

Security officer Riku of the Bloodsport. Activity seen and recorded, but no response given to the fleet, over.

[ he might look like he's about to fall over from lack of sleep. ]

video;

[proteusmoon]

[ Oh my. He has her sympathies, poor thing. ]

Good evening, Riku. It's good to see you again.

We've not caught wind of any sort of response ourselves here.

video;

[limitstorm]

Either they're not talking to us, or they can't. Maybe they don't have communication systems.

video;

[proteusmoon]

It seems that they have advanced technology enough to cloak themselves. Communications systems should be a step below that, I'd think, but it's possible.

video;

[limitstorm]

Maybe it's for something... like... just for stealth. They wouldn't need communication systems if the only reason they're there is for that.

video;

[proteusmoon]

Then why reveal themselves now...

My crewmate and I considered it being a threat.

video;

[limitstorm]

Ran out of battery? Or maybe out of fuel...

[ a pause; his brows furrow. ]

Maybe they're disposable.

video;

[proteusmoon]

[ She doesn't think so, Riku. But he's like, more than half asleep at this point, so she won't argue the point more. ]

You should go back to bed, all right? I'm sure I'm not the only one having problems sleeping, so others are bound to be watching them as well. Thank you for responding.

video;

[limitstorm]

[ there's an edge of irritation to his gaze to what she says (he's been trying) but he clicks the feed off. ]