001 | Video/Action

[norwaysown]

Who: Signy Mallory and Open
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Wonderduck
When: Just after shuffle

[ Signy has paid the confetti and pudding no mind at all, and if the transportation was jarring, she’s still relieved to be somewhere else, with people around. With a view she can take in and maybe start to do something with. Her posture is pure military commander, and if she’s wearing rather and repaired clothes, there’s a Captain’s patch on her jacket. She looks mid thirties, other than her eyes and the silver-gray of her hair. She should really do something about that, since Norway isn’t part of Earth Company any longer. Then again, she’s not part of Norway at the moment.]

This is Signy Mallory. Formerly Captain of the Norway in the Merchanter’s Alliance. If there’s anyone here from Union or Mazian’s fleet, I’m sure we can find a way to get along.

[ It hurts to say ‘former’ more than she expected. Damn her pride, and, too, her worry for her crew. Di can handle it, of course, but until she believes why she’s been taken, there could easily be some greater threat that her abduction is a part of. ]

I have to say, from what I’ve seen of this fleet so far…I’m still waiting to be impressed.

I’m given to understand that the Atroma are controlling us. What resistance attempts have been made to date?

What other active threats are there?

Comments

[forsometimenow]

I appreciate the offer, but, uhm, I'm not sure that's going to be necessary. I don't want to regiment my crew too strictly. We've gotten along just fine thus far without formalized policies.

[norwaysown]

You'll get further with clear rules and clear expectations.

[ 'Just fine' is almost certainly not good enough. ]

[forsometimenow]

Further...? You mean against Atroma, right?

[norwaysown]

Against Atroma and as a coherent crew.

[forsometimenow]

It's not that easy. Believe me, people have tried, but Atroma's infuriatingly hard to touch... and they have a way to control us, if they so choose. [She taps her augment.]

[norwaysown]

Yeah, so we figure out a better way. We don't give up.

[ They give up, they may as well be already dead. ]

[forsometimenow]

We've been trying, believe me. It's going to take a long time, but they're going to show a crack some time.

[norwaysown]

Strategies and fronts which have been tried?

[ Signy's a strategist, and if she's not going to get orders to follow then she's going to try to get a better sense of the bigger picture. ]

[forsometimenow]

Several people that I know of have tried a few different ways to remove the augments. It's proven impossible, because they resist attempts to remove them and leave the subject with such an intense feeling of dread and even physical pain that they have to stop trying. Surgery, powers, technology- the augments are resistant to everything that gets thrown at them.

[norwaysown]

What about people who are knowledgeable about the content of that sort of thing? Have they had any success in altering the programming?

[forsometimenow]

[She looks thoughtful at that.]

I'm not sure anybody has tried that angle yet, actually. I'm not familiar with programming or hacking, myself, but it'd be worth asking around for someone who can.

[norwaysown]

I'll see what I can do, unless you'd prefer to.

[forsometimenow]

Please do- and I appreciate the initiative. Not a lot of new arrivals hit the ground running.

[norwaysown]

[ A frown. ]

People who don’t have a tendency to end up dead.

[forsometimenow]

There have been very few deaths in my time here, actually. Atroma doesn't seem to like putting us in mortal peril, I guess because it upsets the supposed audience.

[norwaysown]

Somehow I'm not certain that being alive but living to the dictates of another is all that different from being dead.

[forsometimenow]

Well, I can't really disagree with that. From the audience's perspective it makes sense, though... if you believe there IS one.

[norwaysown]

I can't imagine this kind of thing as entertainment. I would expect fiction to hold much more interest.

[forsometimenow]

Or at the very least that they could find volunteers. That's always bothered me- surely somewhere out there they could find people who would jump at the chance for an opportunity like this.

[norwaysown]

Yes. It certainly seems safe enough, which would appeal to some other people.

[forsometimenow]

And others might like the idea of being famous. Shows like this one are pretty popular back in my world, and some of the people on them can get pretty big fanbases.

[norwaysown]

Instead they got me, and you. I'm not sure about you, but I'm not known for being amusing.

[forsometimenow]

Nor myself. Sick and injured people aren't very entertaining.

[norwaysown]

So how'd a doctor become Captain of a ship?

[forsometimenow]

Captaincy seems to be randomly assigned- I got it when the previous Captain left, not too long ago, even though I've never expressed interest. The position has largely been symbolic thus far. We don't seem to have any real authority or any privileges over our crewmates besides slightly nicer accomodations.