driftfleet | 002; video

Who: Hank McCoy and Erik Lehnsherr
Broadcast: fleetwide
Action: crashed ship
When: today!

[when the feed opens, the network is gifted with the bickering of two men]

I don't see why you can't do this.

[Erik is the one visible on screen, and he doesn’t look pleased about it at all. He jerks his chin towards the wall next to him, irritated.]

Because it’s your idea, and I don’t want to.

[the huff that follows is a little on the growly side]

I’m here to open paths, not send out messages. [As if to punctuate this point, Erik turns away from the camera and swipes his hand through the air. The metal wall crumples to the side with a shriek, curling up on itself like a ringpull.

The camera shifts off of Erik with a muttered "show off" to the plant life spilling out of the side of the hull, and a clawed, blue foot comes into frame to poke at a nearby pumpkin]

In any case - Erik and I are at the crashed ship, if anyone would like us to bring some of these back. If you're interested, feel free to message one of us.

As for the ship - if anyone else is planning to come out here, be careful. There's ways into the ship, but it has been here a while, so it's falling apart. We'll try to get some information about the signal while we're here, though so far we haven't had much luck.

[the camera moves back to Erik]

Do you have anything you want to add?

[Erik’s mostly occupied with pointing his flashlight into the gloom of the area beyond the wall. He does give a curt response.]

No requests for pumpkins bigger than the usual Earth-size.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A few hours later - after the other call Hank had made, to relay the strange coded message to Charles - Erik calls again. He waits as the communicator rings, staring up at the dimly lit core. He can hear every last drip of water, and rustle of leaves. Very little of it. It's deadly quiet, in the middle of the ship.]

[ Charles answers it promptly. ]

Erik?

[Charles's voice seems loud in this space, almost jarring. Erik waits until the faint echo dies down before he speaks himself, his own words intentionally quiet.]

You ought to see this. [He turns the communicator around, aiming it at the core. It's a massive space, though most of it is lost to darkness. The core itself is glowing faintly... working.]

[ He inhales sharply. ]

So there is something on the ship affecting the planet.

[Erik points the camera downwards, at the tiny bank of controls clustering around the base of the core.]

I don't know. The power is coming from the planet. [He shakes his head, though he knows Charles can't see it.] At least that's what it seemed like from the systems I could read.

But what is it powering? The core? That message?

This seems too coincidental to our last Atroma broadcast.

The message wouldn't be broadcasting without this here. [It's technology; it needs power to work. This is the only place in the ship they've seen that has any working power source.]

Best to save theories for later. [This call is on the communicators, after all. Atroma tech.]

Yes, of course.

Are you heading back now?

We're going to check the outer walls of this chamber, first... it's still going to take hours to even get out of the ship. [Even finding the path in here proved harder than he thought. He couldn't slam his way through, with the corrosion and rickety structure. And the ship is huge.]

Maybe you should go.

[ Staying on the ship for hours seems like a bad idea. ]

It won't be so bad, on the way out.

. . . All right. If you're sure.

[He finally turns the camera back around to himself.]

I remember the path we took, so. It should be all right.

Hank's taking plenty of notes.

At least someone is enjoying themselves.

[He opens his mouth to reply, some comment on Hank's geekier tendencies... then closes it, expression growing more pensive. Erik's been quiet this whole conversation, out of consideration for the cavernous space. Now it's more due to what he says.]

I've liked it. Making the trip out here.

[ He blinks before smiling. ]

I'm glad.

[Though he hadn't been enthused at first, having something to aim for and work towards had been gratifying. There's little he can do to fill time on his own, and he knows he suffers for it.

There's still a trace of hesitance about him when he talks about such things, coming from a place of such shaken foundations. As though he doesn't really trust his own feelings.]

I don't know if anything we've found will be worthwhile. But I think the journey itself has been ... [Bracing.] educative.

[ He nods slowly. ]

I think that's enough. We never know what we find in the end. There might not even be one in sight.

But the journey is worthwhile.

[No end in sight. He swallows a bit, feeling his own end stretching off into darkness ahead. Behind are a hundred other endings, false starts... and paths still being walked. It's hard to tell the difference between some of them. But he's still on that road, despite everything.

He manages a faint smile.]

Yeah.

It sounds like you've found something at least.

Enough to be getting on with. [He lets out a breath.] I've decided on berries. For the ship.

Aurae said flowers might be good from a decorative standpoint but herbs would be a decent option as well.

The choice for the second pot is yours. If you can't decide, we'll find a place for both.

[ We. His smile deepens. ]

Are you sure?

I've gotten rather good at making the things now. I already have spares.

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