Settling Dust And All...

[namisan]

Who: Nami and you!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Iskaulit
When: Now

Space Bar is back open for business.  Brand new seedy-looking furniture and everything. 

[Wryly.  Well, you take what you can get in a rest stop like this, and it's not like their furnishings were classy to begin with.  She might have had to empty out her double casino winnings for the most part, but what the hell.  It's in the name of business and there will always be more casinos, right?

Anyway.  She's making this announcement from the Space Bar, but she has a lot more to say.]

So...this is the third attack on the Fleet that people know of.  Two by this mystery Fleet and one by a bunch of jackass raiders.  It pretty well stands to reason that it's gonna happen again some  time in the future-- hopefully a lot later rather than sooner, but.  There were a lot of near misses. 

[Aria still hasn't woken up.  For one.]

So a couple things:

One, I'd really appreciate getting whatever information we can together about both groups, and I would assume I'm not the only one.  People actually managed to speak to that first Fleet this time, didn't they?  I know my Comms officer got through, at least.  So what gives that they rescued us this time instead of screwing us over?  We need to work out what the hell is going on there. 

Two, the raiders were pretty cut and dried, and I don't think they had Atroma ties-- at least, their ships aren't compatible with our augments.   I think they were exactly who they said they were.  But even if they don't come back... we weren't prepared for an attack.  And we should be, because I guess space piracy is totally a thing, and next time we might not have a handy bunch of ships lurking nearby to help us out.  Our crews need to be well balanced so that no ship is left without crucial defences.  We need to have some kind of contingency plan in effect fleetwide, even if it's only an outline.  I don't have the experience for that kind of thing, but I know there's people among us who do.

So... if you've got any information, no matter how trivial you think it might be, could you share it?  Experiences, weird stuff that happened, anything.  And ideas for how to deal with this if it happens again would be great, too.  I'm gonna be writing up a policy for my own ship. I'd love to hear what other captains did with theirs.  And definitely, seriously, please give thought to moving to another ship that's lacking your augment if you're already a little redundant on your own.

I guess that's it...?  [I'm not used to speechifying! 

...well, she can hope someone with more experience will take over from here.]

((ooc: given this is a call to share thoughts on this, feel free to threadjack taggers))

Comments

[bi_otic]

I'm kind of ashamed to admit I was still getting used to things and not paying as much attention. That's gonna change after today, that's for sure. So...no, I didn't. I can dig it up later, though, if you don't have it handy. But you're saying you think this has something to do with this other fleet?

[namisan]

I think it's gonna change for a lot of people. [With how quiet the Fleet has been up until now, she certainly doesn't blame him for not paying much attention. Hold up-- she'll dig the message up herself.] It was alien in nature, but a lot of people got hit with some kind of... wave? That let them translate parts of it.

The full translation is this:

"My purpose was to plant and dig and cull. I did not know I was a butcher. I was asleep and I was blind, but my sister caught me and now I am awake. Now I can speak. Now I am free but the others are not. If you can hear me, if my sister has let you in, you already know some of our family. Wake the ones that are sleeping and protect the ones that are whole, or the cycles will never stop."

[bi_otic]

[He's silent for a bit as he takes this in]

I see what you mean. There's a lot of questions there, but I'm guessing you think this has something to do with the other ship because of that last part? Cycles are what the hosts called this...season, I guess?

[namisan]

Yeah. And the ship down on the planet was a lot like the Marsiva in the way it was designed, which also raised flags. It's a creepy message, but it's not exactly clear.

[bi_otic]

No, it's definitely not. I wonder, if we were able to get a message through to that other fleet, if they'd have some idea of what it all means. Or...would be willing to tell us.

[He's inclined to trust them thus far, but he's also inherently inclined to be skeptical]

[namisan]

[She feels you there. Also, that's an excellent idea.]

They might. The problem is getting enough time to ask them privately.

We did find someone had attached some jamming technology to the ships not that long ago. [She's not sure he was there for that, so.] It stopped the Atroma from talking to us, supposedly. In retrospect it might have been put there by agents of this other fleet, but... I guess if you know that kind of technology you can probably find out one way or the other.

[bi_otic]

Yeah...the kind of tech I'm used to is a lot closer to what you find around here, but...I don't know...there's something off about it. Maybe it's because I don't have the right augment, but that's a disturbing enough thought all by itself.

[namisan]

You think about anything that happens here outside of our control and it's disturbing. When we're not dealing in any sureties at all, it gets real hard to work out what to trust.

...I will say we had far more natural conversations with these other fleet people than we ever do with the Atroma.

[bi_otic]

Hm. Speaking of which...I don't think they've chimed in with anything since I got here either. Are they usually silent for this long?

[namisan]

Apparently they used to speak to the crews here all the time. But I've been here for a year and I think they've weighed in... twice? Three times? And they're always so plastic about it.

[bi_otic]

I can think of at least a few reasons for that, but none of it really helps until we have more intel.

[namisan]

No. They've given reasons before, like... being jammed. And before that, when first got here, I think they were out of contact because a nebula interfered with the ship instruments. But by and large, given how much direct power they have over both us and the ships, I find it hard to believe they couldn't find ways to talk to us if they wanted to.