#002 [Video]

[everydayhero]

Who: Hiro Hamada and YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide video
Action: SS Bishop!
When: 3/8, in the afternoon



[What's that sound? The sound of an alarm going off. What's that video feed? Well, right now the camera is set on a bobblehead that is rattling like crazy. Its base has been elongated, and from under said base flashes (slowly) a red light. Then it turns blue after two buzzer sounds from the alarm. Then yellow. Then orange. Then green. Then purple. Back to red. It continues to cycle as Hiro turns the camera to face him, and he's bobbing his head with the beat of the buzzer while standing at a control panel of different metal than the ship that has been welded onto the wall by the door to the main deck. Every time he presses a button on said panel, the light changes color. Then he hits a small green button above a large red button on the side, and the whole thing stops.

[Yes, the entire Bishop was just subjected to that without warning.]

Pretty cool, huh?

[Hiro looks like a cat who just caught his very first bird.]

It's all hooked up to our control panels, but I can't program it to do everything I need it to until we have a pilot and a communications officer. Right now, we have fire, gas, and the latter half of the collision alarms. I still need to program one for docking and to hook up another to the radar so we can know when we're headed dangerously close to something that could damage the ship. Right now, we've only got one that tells us we've been hit.

[SHRUG.]

But since, for some reason, everything under the control panel looks like gibberish to me... [he takes a moment to look into the camera like he's on the office] ... we get to wait until we have someone more "competent" [airquotes!] than I am.


[VOICE EDITED IN LATER]

P.S., if there are any communications officers who wanna hop ship over to the Bishop for keeps, let me know. It'll work out best if you're one of two on your current ship.

Comments

[howcanihelp]

[ Wait what? She was KIDDING! ]

Truly? It's so small! How does it play the music, is it like a music box?

[everydayhero]

[lifting up the earbuds]

With these. Hold still.

[Let me just... reach up and put this in your ear, and the other one in mine so we can both hear. There's nothing playing yet, though.]

[howcanihelp]

[ It's probably for the best they're the same size. Minimizes the awkwardness. Steffa is curious about how this works, and calmly lets him put the earbud in for her. ]

Is something supposed to be happening? I don't hear anything.

[everydayhero]

Just a sec. Check it out, see this screen?

[Holding it up and sliding his finger along it slowly to scroll through the list.]

It shows a list of the songs. And when you hit play...

[Pressing the play button next to one of the songs, and boom, music starts playing.]

[howcanihelp]

[ Steffa's following, nodding in acknowledgement, but then--

Then.

The music starts.

She gasps audibly, the hand she'd absently rested on Hiro's shoulder tightening, and then really it's just a lost cause trying to get any reaction from her for 4 minutes while it plays. This is nothing like the music she's used to, and yet... and yet it's wonderful. She's not much of a musician herself, but she loves music of all sorts - from the Chant of Light to bawdy tavern songs.

This reminds her of the former much more than the latter, making this almost a religious experience for her. Which is cheesy when your holy texts aren't sung, maybe. ]

Oh, Maker. That. I. It was like having a band of instruments I've never even heard before, and-- are they all like that? The songs?

[everydayhero]

The ones from this band sound like that, yeah. But there are a lot of bands, and I have a pretty awesome collection of music on here. It's all recorded, so people really played these songs like this, but they did it into microphones and a machine kept a recording of what it heard.

[howcanihelp]

[ Breathlessly ]

I don't have any idea what any of that meant, but I am glad that your world has these things. That's amazing!

[everydayhero]

[Now he's grinning.]

You can listen whenever you want. I can teach you how to work it, and I have the charger for it.

[howcanihelp]

Really?

[ It is very apparent in this moment that Steffa is still a kid in some ways. A kid who had to grow up WAAAAAAY too fast, perhaps, but... Lookit that smile. ]

Thank you! So much, this is wonderful.

I don't have any music players, and I can't sing worth much, but I'll gladly teach you some songs that I know.

[everydayhero]

[look at that smile indeed. hiro is proud of himself for causing it and he is super happy she loves this so much.]

Hey, I'd love to hear them. Maybe they'll get stuck in my head when I'm working, give me something to hum when I'm in the ducts around here.

[howcanihelp]

I'll have to think about it. A lot of the songs I remember off the top of my head are... less than appropriate.

[ ie Zevran or Oghren taught them to her and they are exceedingly dirty and she may've been only 16 but 16 is better than 14 for learning those sorts of songs in her book.

Unless Hiro can talk her into it, but in that case that will be on your own head, sir. ]

[everydayhero]

... [He looks like he really wants to talk her into it.]

Hey, we'll see. I've seen battle, don't forget it. I'm mature for my age.

[howcanihelp]

I don't care how much battle you've seen, once you've heard the one about the Antivan prostitute, you can't unhear it.

[everydayhero]

... But you realize this means I have to hear it.

[howcanihelp]

[ She considers this for a moment ]

All right, but if anyone ever hears you sing it, you did not learn it from me.

Do we have a deal?

[everydayhero]

We can pinky promise.

[HOLDING UP HIS PINKY hiro she probably has no idea what that is]

[howcanihelp]

[ She doesn't, and it shows on her face as she looks from his hand to his face a couple times, but she holds out her hand in the same position hoping he'll take the lead and show her what to do...? ]

[everydayhero]

[oh she looks confused ok]

It's a ritual we have on Earth. We make a promise, link our pinky fingers, and if whoever makes the promise breaks it, the other person is allowed to break their pinky.

[WHICH IS WHY HE'S GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SHE RESPONDS TO LINK THEM because let's be real he'd let her do it if he ratted her out but explaining it to someone who doesn't understand it has made him realize it's a little brutal.]

Usually it's kids that do it, but they don't actually break their pinkies. The point of it is acknowledging that it's a promise that would be worth breaking somebody's finger over if you were... y'know. Inclined to do that.

[howcanihelp]

Children can be vicious sometimes. All right, then! Pinky promise.

[ She is not at all fazed, which is probably good. Pinky-linky! ]

And I will absolutely collect on that if you break it. [ She is very bad at sounding threatening, especially when she's trying not to grin. She wouldn't actually collect. ]

[everydayhero]

I would absolutely expect you to.

[pinkysqueeeeze, then letting go.]

[howcanihelp]

Okay. My singing isn't very good, and it's better when a whole group is singing it while drunk, honestly, but...

[ She clears her throat and launches into the song about the Antivan prostitute. It is witty and extremely not work safe.

Her voice is pretty average, and she's being a little quiet in hopes no one else on the ship hears. It's an earworm for SURE. ]

There. You've heard it, and I have done my part in the corruption of an innocent. Zevran would be so proud of me, I'm sure.

[everydayhero]

[His face is probably priceless right now, and his face is a little red.]

Oh my god. That is incredible.

[Aaaand now he's laughing.]

[howcanihelp]

[ Steffa is now very red, herself, and she sticks her tongue out at him when he laughs. ]

Don't laugh! I should've made you promise that, too. Brat.

[everydayhero]

I'm not laughing at you, it's--... th-that song!

[howcanihelp]

[ Stephanie covers her mouth with her hand, trying to hold in her own giggles ]

Isn't it awful? I don't think some of that is anatomically possible.