video, 01

[unbridles]

Who: John Laurens
Broadcast: Fleetwide video
Action: Aboard the Marsiva
When: Right the heck now.

[He wasn't expecting a bed. More to the point, he wasn't expecting to wake up at all; did someone wake up when they were dead? He's not sure. Well. At least he doesn't hurt after dying, though John can't remember it hurting much before, either. He sits up anyway, still clad in his continental uniform, now with a mysterious lack of bulletholes. In doing so, he jars the communicator nearby, and it falls to the floor with a clatter.]

Shit, what -- [Oh. Okay. There's a thing on the floor, he's surrounded by mysterious silvery walls, and he's trying not to panic. This is great. Maybe the thing will have some answers. So he picks up the comm and pokes at it, tentatively. That manages to activate the video, and behold, there's one seriously perplexed lieutenant colonel onscreen.]

--Um. Can anyone maybe tell me what the hell is goin' on? Is anyone there?

Comments

[Video]

[english_dignity]

[Oh, he knows that uniform. He knows it far too well. But manners are manners, even if he kind of wants to reach through the screen and hex John's uniform. Not him, particularly, doesn't know him, but just what that particular outfit represents. So he does his best not to glare outright. The frown's staying, though.]

You're a long way from home, lad. And earth, for that matter.

[Video]

[unbridles]

[John's not one to hate the British. Sure, he doesn't like them much when they're shooting at him, but his wife is British. So there's that. He doesn't quite appreciate the frown, though, and so this British sounding person will be greeted with a cheery smile and that Southern sweetness that carries a bite with it.] Don't recall bein' your lad, sir. And I've kinda gathered that from what everyone else is sayin'.

[Video]

[english_dignity]

Clearly. You look nothing like him Alfred.

[Manners, Arthur. Growling isn't going to change the past. Coughs.]

I try not to eavesdrop into too many people's conversations, so forgive me if I repeat any of their information. You've been kidnapped for the entertainment of an unknown alien people. The food is bad, the tea is worse. Bit like war rations. The ship you're on is called the Msarsiva. All new arrivals wake up there, but you should be assigned to a crew within a few days.

[Video]

[unbridles]

Who's Alfred?

[He purses his lips a bit.] Ain't much of a fan of tea, but it can't be worse than eatin' horse.

[Video]

[english_dignity]

The young man I knew who wore the same uniform as you.

There's not a lot that's worse than eating horse. Snail, maybe.

[Miss a chance to take a dig at the French? Never.]

[Video]

[unbridles]

Oh yeah? What state's he from? [Maybe he didn't know the guy personally, but. He read a lot of papers, his name might have come up.]

Snail's not terrible if it's cooked right. [Bro. Some of his best friends are French. So is he, a way back.]

[Video]

[english_dignity]

All of them. But I found him in Virginia originally. His name is Alfred F. Jones, if you happen to run into him later.

[Makes a face.]

I've been fed snail before, no thank you. You're welcome to it all if the fleet comes across some.

[Video]

[unbridles]

...All of them? [That makes no sense, buddy.] Can't say I know the name, an' I've read a lot of correspondance.

Eh. If we run across any I might, but it ain't somethin' I'm gonna actively look for.

[Video]

[english_dignity]

It's a long story. If you'd met him, you'd remember.

[Very long story.]

Not that he'd want to hear I was asking after him anyway. We... weren't on the best of terms at your point in time.

[unbridles]

Right, so I'm guessin' he had a command of some kind, if that's the case? So did I, an' I know our army is big, but it ain't that big. ...Especially not now.

[He'll keep poking til he gets an answer, probably.]

Yeah? 'M sorry to hear that.

[english_dignity]

Not a formal one. We... don't. I've been a ship captain a few times, but otherwise we leave ranks to others and just go where we're needed.

[Well isn't really keeping it a secret anymore. Just didn't broadcasting it everywhere.]

[unbridles]

...Okay, but what's this 'we' you're talkin' about? I ain't followin'.

[english_dignity]

[Coughs.]

Right, sorry. Perhaps I should clarify that Alfred and myself are not quite what most would call human.

[unbridles]

...Uh-huh. You sure look human. [The skepticism, it burns.]

[english_dignity]

Naturally. But humans don't generally live more than a thousand years.

[Sighs, is used to this.]

[unbridles]

....What the fuck?

[english_dignity]

As I said, not human. But we look like our people.

Alfred's a good bit younger. Especially when you're from.

[unbridles]

Okay, well what do ya mean by 'our people'? [This is getting a little too weird for him, but hey. He's in space. Today is already weird.]

[english_dignity]

Well, in my case the English. To a lesser extend those of the rest of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They're more my brothers' though. In Alfred's case, you and the rest of your countrymen.