[ incoming message: encrypted. ]

[thespaceopera]

[Filtered Message to the Blameless, Bloodsport, Blue Fish, Heron, Paisley, Red Fish, Starstruck, Twin Roses, Vanquish]

[After a month of waiting and glitches, the ships who turned on the bugging devices may have begun to feel it was a waste of time. But patience truly is a virtue, and a couple days before the fleet leaves the Rew system, a message from that unknown frequency is sent:]

This is the Interceptor Fleet, Drift Fleet 12. We’ve received your message.

Atroma’s surely trying to crack this encryption, so we’ll keep it short. We’re not your enemy. Our enemy is Atroma.

We’ll be in contact again, but it might be awhile. We’re still making repairs from that last fight. Sam can tell you how fast some of our crew work. So for now, keep those devices off. Only turn them on if you got a message to send. We don’t want to give Atroma time to hack into this feed and it should stop the glitches you’ve been getting.

Bloodsport, we got your attachment. We got a few ideas of what it could mean, but we’ll have to get back to you on that.

Paisley, thanks for the emoticons. Some crew were delighted and have been using them non-stop. Some of us, less so.

You’ll hear from us again. I promise.

Keelah se'lai.

[The message ends. There are no further messages, and no replies.]

[ooc: This message is filtered to those who turned on the devices, but crews are strongly encouraged to spread the message to other ships! Also feel free to use this post as a reaction/mingle/whatever you'd like.

Characters can also send messages back! There will be more about this in the OOC comm in a couple days.]

Comments

Heron

[stabsbothways]

[ Summer headed straight for the bridge once the message came in. ]

Well then.

Any of you lot know what Bloodsport sent them?

[shockjock]

[Somebody isn't physically on the bridge, and the response comes through the nearest speaker instead.]

I've been searchin' since this got dropped in our lap, haven't found anythin.

[Of course she was in the consoles. Again. Oh well, at least her own curiosity meant she was actually being productive.]

[stabsbothways]

I suppose we should ask. Should probably ask not over the broadcast, in some attempt to keep this out of Atroma's attention.

We should probably also be as boring as possible when discussing it.

[shockjock]

Got a point there, sister. Don't need the studio brass interferin' in our business. One sec-

[Nothing good can follow that, and of course, nothing does. She's soon blasting her voice over every possible speaker on the ship.]

HEY, CAPTAIN SUNSHINE AND ASSOCIATED CARGO! Get your stuffy butts up to the bridge pronto! or I'll be electrifyin' yer bunks! MOVE IT!

[She has such a way with people.]

[axiomed]

[ Why was that necessary. Charles finds himself wheeling towards the console with a frown. ]

There are other ways to get one's attention.

[exothermia]

[Erik comes striding up to the bridge a few minutes after Charles, wearing his irritation far more openly.]

You'll do no such thing.

Blue Fish

[save_the_souls]

[Allen had practically forgotten about the message Sokka sent out at the beginning of the month. So when the message comes in, he's caught very much by surprise]

What is-

[....]

Someone actually responded to us?!

[THIS DOESN'T USUALLY HAPPEN TO HIM. He turns his head and shouts down the hall]

Hey Sokka! You got a message!

[alwayscomeback]

[Sokka is used to getting messages, but they usually come via his communicator. So this, this is something that warrants investigating. He heads up to the bridge, confusion on his face. ]

From who?

[He forgot too, honestly, what with all the insanity that followed and whatnot. ]

[save_the_souls]

Uh...Good question.

Take a look.

[He points at the screen where the message is still displayed]

[alwayscomeback]

[He'll lean in to squint at it. Confusion makes camp in his expression before it clears into something resembling insane delight. He grins, turning to look at Allen. ]

It's them!!!! They actually replied!!!!

Paisley

[huaaaaagh]

Wh... it actually worked?

[HE DID NOT EXPECT THAT TO HAVE ANY SUCCESS]

...If I knew there was a chance, I would have sent something more substantial... geez.

[continuousgroaning]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

[Tina's a bit lost here, since this happened not long after her arrival.]

[huaaaaagh]

Oh geez, sorry. You showed up kind of in the middle of things, didn't you.

[Poor kid must be so confused.]

[continuousgroaning]

[Tina nervously wrings her hands, trying to suppress a further groan, then she rereads the message on her communicator.]

What IS this? A secret message? Atroma is their enemy? What's going on?

[stoccado]

[Asuna's made her way to the bridge, too, just in time to hear Kirito's comment.]

Eh? Kirito-kun, what are you talking about?

[huaaaaagh]

[He turns halfway in his chair to face her, pointing to the screen.]

Oh, hey- remember when I told you about the attack that happened recently? And the fleet that saved us? I sent them an encrypted message back then, and they actually responded!

[stoccado]

Really? [She leans over his shoulder to get a better look at the message, eyes scanning from one side to the other. Her brows knit together just a little before she straightens and looks at him curiously.]

Emoticons? That's what you sent?

[reek]

[ Despite spending the last couple of months a bit out of it, Theon has the basic idea of what went down, but there is still a very important question to be answered here. Stand back, people. He's about to blow your minds. ]

What are...[ He squints at the word on the screen. ] Emoticons?

[huaaaaagh]

What, seriously, you've never heard of them?

[Clearly they have their priorities straight. Kirito turns back to the screen and starts typing, pulling up a set of characters- first a basic ":)" and ":(" and then "(¬_¬)" for the advanced class.]

They're text faces.

[stefanged]

Seriously? Of all the things you could've sent them, you went with emoticons?

[W o w. And here Stefan thought that it had been a message of actual importance.]

[huaaaaagh]

I didn't see you doing any better.

[DON'T BE JUDGIN' HIS TACTICS, BRO]

[stefanged]

Because I couldn't. I'm freaking Lab Support!

[ . . . they're seriously going to do this, aren't they.]

Bloodsport

[namisan]

[Welp. Gamble paid off, she hopes.

Nami takes a record of the message and then shuts the device down. If you didn't manage to hear that live, crew, she'll make sure you hear the recording later on.]

Twin Roses

[wolfehawke]

[Fantastic! So it paid off to send the message, and he's relieved to find that all the hyperactivity and hallucinations were in fact glitches and he's not actually going crazy. Bonus.

He debates risking trying a return message, but considering he doesn't have much of substance to add and he's incredibly gunshy after that last round of glitching, he just goes about shutting it off instead, though not before taking a local copy of the message to pass along to the crew. Which he does post haste.

Anyone got something to send back? He'll compile a reply and send it back if they have anything they want to add, but only all at once. He's not going to turn that device back on for individual messages.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash won't have anything to add or send to the mystery fleet just yet, but he will say that Hawk did a good job and he's glad he tried to get a message out there.]