Calibration Post 1, "Daytime"

[thespaceopera]

[ Not long after the shuffle, there's a ripple of static over the network - loud, sudden, and seemingly with no origin. It's puzzling, but there's no indication that it's going to happen again...

Until a minute later. Another surge of static comes in over the speakers, and then a voice - one some may find familiar, though not necessarily welcome, after all of this time... It's Diamond. Long time no speak, hmm?

Clearly, not all is well. She sounds very far away, for one. For another, she sounds... skeptical, almost alarmed. There may actually be real concern in her voice. ]

Again? Twice in one c--

[ Her sentence is cut short with a strangled gasp, followed by a moment of silence. What follows may be the sound of metal dragged across metal, but it's hard to place. When she speaks again, it's uncharacteristically monotonous. ]

... Bring them in.

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome, but this set of rooms has only been used once, and for the very same purpose that befalls the fleet contestants now.

As for their hosts, there is no immediate sign of them, though some may recall a series of hideous, half-electronic screams before their memories begin to blur upon arrival...

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round two of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

Comments

Living Space

[mongoosecrow]

[Honestly, everything just getting more and more weird by the second, and this is from someone who literally abandoned his entire galaxy and woke up 600 years in the future voluntarily.

That said, at least shelves on entertainment seem familiar-ish. Even more surprising, though, is the fact that there are titles that look familiar to him.]

Blasto Saves Christmas. [He reads has he takes it from the shelf.]

Oh come on, you guys couldn't at least have any new Blasto they made after we left the Milky Way? New Blasto films would be a galaxy wide treasure. [He's speaking to no one in particular. Don't mind him. He's still a little weirded out by this entire situation]

[onlyanapple]

[Oh hey, a newbie. What a shitty-arse time to come aboard. It's like winning the worst raffle prize when, in fact, ALL the raffle prizes are pretty terrible. Poor fucker. Crowley's sympathy doesn't mean he'll not be a snarky shit though, can't expect miracles here. ]

I have no idea what that is, but if 'Blasto' is considered high cinema circa space-travel, I'm afraid I need a lot more alcohol than what currently exists to get myself through it.

[mongoosecrow]

I don't know if I'd consider a silly action flick starting a hanar 'high cinema' but it's good for a laugh.

[onlyanapple]

Yeah? Like that one with the airplanes and the wingmen?

[mongoosecrow]

More like the ones with the hard boiled detective who works outside of the law. Only the detective in this case is a hanar.

[onlyanapple]

Oh right, one of those kinds of films. I never understand why those people don't just get arrested at the end.

[mongoosecrow]

Well, Blasto is a Spectre. They're outside the law.

[onlyanapple]

I-

Like James Bond?

[mongoosecrow]

Yeah! A bit, only he was pretty old school, right? The Spectre answer only to the Council, Bond was the type to only answer to the queen if I remember correctly? It's been a long time since I looked into classic vids.

[onlyanapple]

He's pretty popular in the nineties still. I think.

[He lets out a soft, annoyed groan.]

So. You're one of those ones from the future then? [He does sparkly finger hands when he says the word 'future' and everything. ]

[mongoosecrow]

I guess that depends on your date, doesn't it?

[onlyanapple]

I'm from 1990. Well, it was when I was last there, anyway, I've been away from there for nigh on a decade so-

[mongoosecrow]

Oh. Well, that's a ways in the past from me. It's 2819 for me.

Living Space

[pb_n_jocular]

[Are you expecting a tacklehug, Gil? Because there's a blur of blue and purple as Peebee hurls herself at the first familiar face.]

GIL! Buddy, pal, engineer extroidennaire, what the hell is up with you?

Seriously, what's going on? I haven't the foggiest idea.

[mongoosecrow]

[Gil freezes for a moment, almost as if he was expecting an attack, but then relaxes when he realizes it's someone he knows. He chuckles a bit.]

Neither do I, honestly. Some kind of surprise abduction? At least it's nice to see a familiar face.

[pb_n_jocular]

[She leans back to settle against the shelves behind her and cross her arms.]

So, I'm the only other Tempest member you've seen? No one else, no one from Nexus even?

[mongoosecrow]

[He shakes his head] Afraid not. A lot of very beautiful people, but no one I recognize.

You're also the only asari I've seen. That's... really strange, actually. Now that I think about it. [Usually blue and purple are everywhere, even back on Earth asari are used in a lot of marketing and media]

[pb_n_jocular]

None? At all?

[A long pause as she thinks. She hasn't really seen any other Asari either.] Not even Lexi?

That is weird.

[mongoosecrow]

No sign of any of the Tempest crew.

[Then, after a moment] This ship we're in doesn't even sound right.

[pb_n_jocular]

It doesn't look right, it doesn't sound right ... it doesn't even smell right. No wafting essence of Drack. Kinda miss it.

I did a little exploration but I couldn't find anything useful. Okay, I found booze, but besides that; nada. You?

[mongoosecrow]

I found Blasto Saves Christmas. [Gil offers, holding up the vid case.] Though I think you have the better find.

And, I don't mean that it doesn't sound like the Tempest. I mean it doesn't sound right at all. I don't know how it's flying, but it doesn't use mass effect drive cores to do it. Maybe they use something like what the Remnant builders did? I really am itching to get into the engine room.

[pb_n_jocular]

Maybe we could combine the two. [She wagggles her eyebrows at the idea.]

[She frowns and shakes her head,] It's not Rem-tech, I'd know. Whatever it is, I don't like it. I mean, I might like it, if I could find out what it is.

I haven't seen anything that even looks like it might lead to engineering. Or bridge, or anything even remotely related to operating a spaceship. If you can find it, I'm right there with you.

[mongoosecrow]

So far, no luck with that. I'm guessing they have it closed up tight to stop us from messing with it. Wouldn't want us to figure out a way to point the ship back home, I'll bet.

[pb_n_jocular]

We'll just have to find a way to pry it open. [Because that's what you do when people don't want you places, obviously.] Where should be start first?

[mongoosecrow]

[Gil looks around thoughtfully and eventually gets up to put a hand against one of the walls.] That's a good question, isn't it? Since everything about this ship feels wrong, how would I be able to tell which walls lead to engineering and which lead to the very uncaring and cold vacuum of space?