oo1 / video ; action

[mysterzie]

WHO Aaron
BROADCAST Fleetwide video
ACTION aboard the Marsiva
WHEN February 17th
WARNING actually a twelve year old, also please check permissions

This is all some kind of trick, right?

[ Hello, Drift Fleet. There's currently a very comfortable-looking young man on one of the Marsiva's hospitality couches eating some of the bland processed food and looking at the communicator that is obviously placed next to his plate on the coffee table in front of him. Comfortable-looking, maybe, but twitchy. ]

We're on a television show, in space, and that is very cool, yes. But it's a trick. Maybe we're actually in space, but we're stuck and I don't get stuck. So this is obviously some kind of... master plan by the government trying to cage people in. Forced labor or something.

[ The last part is mumbled as he eats more, chews, swallows. Takes a long drink from his cup. ]

What's the catch?

Comments

Video

[alwayscomeback]

And which government would that be? We're all from different worlds.

video forever;

[mysterzie]

All of the governments. Probably American...

[ He's going to ignore that "different worlds" comment because no. Nope. Nuh-uh. ]

But I guess maybe it could be some kind of joint effort.

[alwayscomeback]

...I don't know what American is.

[Give him a moment of consideration.] Nah, if the Fire Nation had the power to kidnap people into space, they would have brought way more important people than me here.

[Like Aang, for a start. ]

[mysterzie]

You... don't know about America? Do you live inside of a space rock?

Fire Nation? The hell is that?

[alwayscomeback]

Uh...no? I live here, and before then, I lived on my world. Which doesn't have an anything called an America.

They're bad news, is what. We were at war with them right when I got pulled here. Like I said different worlds. As in, not the same.

[mysterzie]

Different worlds... [ Such inquisitive squinting. ] Really?

[alwayscomeback]

Yep. We've got people from all over, here.

[mysterzie]

What kinds of worlds? How many? What kind of war? Tell me more than just that.

video;

[unconfines]

Well, of course it is.

[A trick, he means. Or if not quite a trick, then at least something with an ulterior motive. That seems obvious to him, and strange that people might think differently.]

Everything has a catch. I'm not certain anyone would just pluck dozens of unsuspecting victims for giggles, do you?

video forever;

[mysterzie]

Well, obviously. But what is it? What do they want from us and how do we make them happy so we can go?

[ Part of him is terrified that this has something to do with dealer training. Being in space was actually never part of his fantasies about how terrible it would be, but he's going to give props for the isolation and creativity at least. ]

Or... how do we make them so unhappy that they'll throw us away?

video

[howcanihelp]

I wish I knew what the catch was, to be perfectly honest.

Though I don't think it was any plan by any government.

video forever;

[mysterzie]

[ Ugh, ugh, ugh. Hidden catches make his skin crawl, especially when he can't just leave. ]

What else would have enough pull to put us all in space?

[howcanihelp]

There's no power in my world that could do this, even in Tevinter. And we do not have space travel.

If it is a government, it must be a government here, not where we come from.

[mysterzie]

Uh... we do have space travel. [ Wait. Ohhh. It's like that guy was saying. ] What's Tevinter?

That just makes it worse.

[howcanihelp]

It's a country in Thedas, where I'm from. The Tevinter Imperium used to stretch over most of Thedas, but it's lost much of its power and reach since then. They still have strong magic, though.

[ wrinkles her nose ] I agree. Though I think it's bad any way you cut it - we've been dragged here for entertainment, with no estimation of when they'll send us home or any guarantee that they actually will.

[mysterzie]

Magic? [ What. Magic isn't real. People don't have magic. ] That's real where you're from?

Entertainment? What's going on here?

[alwayscomeback]

I don't know, ask yourself, do a survey, or something. We've got a lot of people in the Fleet, now. I don't know everybody's life story.

The war I'm dealing with is just in my world. Long story short, one nation decided it was better than all the other nations and had a hostile takeover. We're trying to reclaim the balance. [There's so much more to it than that, but Sokka's applying some caution, until he knows the guy better.]

[mysterzie]

That's pretty lame. You don't have any idea the kind of people that are here? They could be from anywhere.

What kind of balance?

[unconfines]

You'll never make anyone happy enough to let you go. You do what they tell you, and they use that as an excuse to hang on even tighter. Like a grimy teddy bear.

[a beat]

Property damage is usually a good place to start, but I've been informed that that's probably not the best choice in this particular situation.

[Space, man.]

[mysterzie]

You know, that's what I always figured too. I've got a real life example walking around back home.

[ Poor Jace, forever under the thumb of The Man and thinking he's got the best he can make of it. Maybe he even does, but Aaron's not going to let himself get that far. ]

Ugh, no. No air in space, we'd all die. I'd just not play their game but what is the game?

[howcanihelp]

Mm-hmm. [ Stephanie grins crookedly ] If we ever meet off the ships, I could show you. I don't have a staff to help focus it, so my control is a little worse than usual and I'm a bit afraid of damaging the ship, or I'd just show it off now.

Well... that's what I was told. We are part of something called "reality television", and people are watching us all the time as entertainment. That's all I know, unfortunately - I don't really understand the concept of this "reality television", but I'm sure I'll understand it eventually.

[mysterzie]

I'm stuck here. [ That's still terrible and awful and Aaron wants to stop thinking about it but can't. ] You need a staff?

Reality TV? That's so stupid. We're on TV right now?

[howcanihelp]

You won't be for long. They'll assign you to a ship, and there are shuttles so you can get other places.

[ she smiles a little ] Staffs are specially treated to act as a focus for magic. Like... a lens in a telescope makes far away things sharper and clearer. I can do magic without one, but other than my healing spells which I'm just not all that great at to begin with, I have less control over the effects.

And... yes? I think? Assuming TV and television are the same thing...

[alwayscomeback]

I know who my crew are, that's what's important.

As in, everyone living equally. No more war. No more terror.

video; finally tagging this oh my god

[ladiesss]

Oh, man. Government. I'd kind of been assuming aliens, but government is a good one.

[there's some teenage girl speaking quietly and nodding at the screen.]

Hi, new person. We're still trying to figure out the "catch" part.