driftfleet | everybody's starstruck in june.

Entry tags:

everybody's starstruck in june.

Who: starstruck crew & visitors
Broadcast: n/a
Action: aboard the ship
When: june

[ another month; another mingle. but there are changes in the air! the starstruck has some fresh crew to boast of, as well as a spiffing new lounge. things have been difficult, lately -- the common area might make for a great place to decompress and socialize with your fellow starstruckers.

after all, it seems the captain's gone and requisitioned max's record player. for the first week in june, it'll be returned again and again to the new lounge. good luck hiding it from her, rockatanksy.

ready steady go! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Natasha would like to believe that there's a fairly strong likelihood Steve talks to her when things go sideways. Even if he pretends it's for her benefit.

I knew going in it was possible we were being played. Not that I like it any more, but I was prepared for the possibility. You?

The closer we got, the more and more likely that seemed to be. [ a conversation with aizawa had as good as cemented the possibility in her head days before they went in. ]

Fool us once, shame on them. [ flippant, but she needs to be. ] But now we know. Nothing is secure.

Some of us knew that was always a risk. Or should have. [Barnes and Natasha agreed on that much. Neither of them had quite been able to muster the same moral outrage as Steve.]

It was a strong play. Getting us to steal that AI for them.

[Whether intentional or not, that's what it amounts to. And Natasha sees no reason to believe it wasn't intentional.]

Doubt that was just for ratings.

You don't doubt alone.

[ hell, the whole thing might have been a lie bent toward cultivating them as something else. peggy won't put anything past them, now.

she grabs an empty mug from the cupboard. ]

No, I didn't imagine.

[A pause as Natasha considers what, or if, to add to that. She's sure Peggy has been over everything she has, considering whether or not they should let themselves be baited again.

She wonders if they reached the same conclusion, but there was only one way to say for sure.]

I know you're not much of a fan, but there's enough coffee for another cup.

God, no. [ a beat. ] I'll have tea.

[ and she's already reaching for a box of a delicate white variety. a gift, maybe, for how posh it appears in its box littered with elegant alien writing. ]

-- You've been over the hard copy?

Figured. But it'd be rude not to offer.

[Natasha's smile thins at the question, though doesn't fade entirely.]

I have. A couple of times. Maybe something in there will be useful, if we can corroborate it, but most of it...

[She leans back, cupping her borrowed mug in both hands and sighs softly. Information is something Natasha values, but she hasn't found the trail of bread crumbs in this mess yet.]

Seems a little like a strip tease. Show them just enough to stay interested.

We both know how it goes with redacting work.

[ quiet; frustrated. peggy's been quite prim and optimistic about the whole thing in public, but there's a shard of something unhappy yet to be uncovered beneath that act. perhaps it's harder to swallow what little they've received for someone -- anyone -- who understands the scope of the iceberg missing below the surface. ]

We do. [Though that might be too straight forward of an explanation. Of course, now Natasha wishes she had searched for different information, but hindsight is 20/20. Dwelling on that won't do them any good.

There's sympathy in Natasha's response, just a little color on her words. Neither she nor Peggy is the type to come out and admit to feeling beaten.]

If it really is redacted, then we have to assume the whole thing was staged.

Indeed. [ and now an unhappy sigh puffs at her cheeks. peggy leans against the counter, just a few feet from where natasha sits. ] And we have to assume it's been so as far back as the first time we encountered the other fleet.

We have to at least assume it's a possibility. [Not a very pretty one, either.] I wish we could get some real answers out of the other fleet. Right now, all we know is that they're still here.

Even if we did get answers, we've got no way of verifying them. [ peggy shakes her head; crosses her arms. ] Personally, I think we need to ignore the other fleet for now. Or -- at the very least -- prepare ourselves to ignore whatever we get from them. It's the star systems we need to pay attention to. They're where the Atroma has the least influence over what we see and what we hear.

[ a beat, because: ]

I hope.

We don't know we'll have no way of verifying them. It's possible we would be able to find sources in the systems we visit, and there's no way of knowing what future opportunities we'll run into. The intel might not be useful in the short term, but going forward...

[Natasha leans back, but her gaze remains fixed on Peggy.]

That's the thing, isn't it? We just don't know. And without any idea where to start, the best we can do is get as much information as we can. Anything we can get our hands on.

-- And to that end I don't think I've left the communications console for longer than a quick kip or a cuppa.

[ and, to that end, she pours herself a mug of brewed tea. ]

Is that a hint? [A pause, because this has been something on her mind lately. And she still can't say where her final decision might lie.] I figured by now you would have convinced someone else to back you up in the job.

Oh, no. I've been far too busy poaching everyone else. Haven't you heard?

[ she suspects natasha's learned a thing or two about that already. peggy smiles over the rim of her mug -- preening, possibly. proud at how she's been able to fill the ranks once more aboard her ship. ]

I may have heard a thing or two about that. Wouldn't rule out that you had other projects on the side, though.

[Natasha would never rule out the fact she doesn't know something, especially about Peggy.]

Not holding out for a particular person to fill the role?

I know any ship will be stronger with you on it. Better. [ perhaps the social atmosphere might change; secrets become trickier. but that's a price one might willingly pay to have the best on their roster. ] So perhaps it's not fair to deprive the Vanquish of your service. Or any other ship you might prefer, for that matter.

[ -- almost an implication. peggy draws back, quickly, and doesn't let it settle for too long. ]

I'm not holding my breath, Natasha. You'll make your decision when you're ready to; I'll abide by it. After all, I only asked you to consider the possibility.

[ she's not allowed to feel disappointed if she's refused. ]

I realize that. And believe me, I am. But there's a lot to consider.

[Natasha considers if she should say more about the matter. It's been on her mind, and there's a part of her that might be hoping that Peggy will dazzle her with some compelling argument in favor of changing ships that will minimize the arguments against.]

It'd be easy to say yes, but in the long run... I can see it causing problems.

Stark-shaped problems, [ she guesses. it's not a difficult line to follow now that she knows a bit more about what happened. not every detail; far from it. but she knows enough to be recognize where certain lines must be drawn and other lines negotiated. ]

I suppose I can appreciate your foresight. Yet another enviable skill, destined to serve well whatever ship has you.

That is one of the biggest. If he comes back... There are optics to consider.

[And Natasha's own perspective. Keeping a little distance would be the easiest way to make sure she didn't lose sight of the big picture.]

One might argue that considering those optics too slavishly will only give them both a crutch to keep on bickering. [ the balance must be tipped -- at some point or another. ]

One might. It's not always that simple, though.

[A pause while Natasha considers if she wants to play out that argument. She's already been over the sides in her head, though, and the ways that both of them might be hurt have impressed her more than the potential of tough love to help Tony or Steve see reason.

So instead, she says:]

Has one considered she might not have quite as much privacy as she's used to with me underfoot?

[ aha.

one certainly has.

peggy's answer is as careful and curated as ever: ] I doubt I've got any privacy aboard this ship to begin with. I'm not too worried.

[ off the ship, however? well. that's another story. ]

You say that now. [She sounds amused by it, and perhaps not entirely convinced.]

Well. It is still under consideration. I do like my privacy too.

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