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

[onlyanapple]

Huh. That's...quite a long nap. I assume you're well away from Earth at that point. Why leave at all?

[Earth is the BEST, come on. ]

[mongoosecrow]

For the adventure, obviously. That was the siren's call, anyway - the sales pitch they got us with. The thing is, once we got to Andromeda all we found at first was a huge death trap and a whole lot of really good people fell right into it.

Things are starting to turn around, but that's all thanks to Ryder and her AI. She's, uh, a friend. We call her 'The Pathfinder'. Fancy name meaning it's her job to fix the whole mess. At least she's doing a decent enough job at it.

[onlyanapple]

Sounds about right. Promises of great adventure, surprise, you're on a shittip going nowhere.

Hope she's getting paid plenty to fix it. Unless she's one of those 'the reward's in the experience' types. Never get those, personally.

[mongoosecrow]

Well, the economy is shit right now isn't it? Not sure there's anything for her to buy with those credits if there's no infrastructure and shops.

[onlyanapple]

Give it a month and we'll be by a waystation or something again.

Incidentally, I take credits in my bar...which I currently can't access, but still.

[mongoosecrow]

Bar?

[That makes him a bit more interested.] What bar?

[onlyanapple]

Málum. It's on the Iskaulit- when we can actually get to it. Not to be confused with the Space Bar, of course. That's Nami's.

[mongoosecrow]

There's more than one bar? My kind of place.


They play poker in this bar much?

[onlyanapple]

Exactly. Me and Nami cater for different occasions. Mine's more a nightclub hers is more...pub-y. Depending on your mood, I suppose.

We have cards with which to play poker. Not like we have a team or anything.

[mongoosecrow]

Many people play it? [He asks like a man gauging what is competition is going to be.]

[onlyanapple]

Eh, a few. When the mood takes them. Why?

[mongoosecrow]

It's the best way I know how to take your mind off things.

[onlyanapple]

I know several much more entertaining ways to do that, but true.

[mongoosecrow]

So what are your top ways to do that then? [There is a bit of a flirt in his tone, but it might just be that he's naturally easy going.]

[onlyanapple]

[He chuckles at the tone, but doesn't rise to it, poor Gil. ]

Drinking, people-watching, some good, solid theology talk, nature shows. Things like that.

[mongoosecrow]

Theology talk is entertaining? [That gets an eyebrow raise.]

[onlyanapple]

Of course it is, it's fascinating.

[mongoosecrow]

I guess that depends on your preferences. Like most things.

[onlyanapple]

Suppose so, but I've lived through most of it, so it's always interesting to try and second guess Him Upstairs.

[mongoosecrow]

Lived through most of what? Religion? [That causes his brow to raise a bit.]

[onlyanapple]

Yes. Or at least the Jeduo-Christian one. I'm a demon.

[mongoosecrow]

A what now?

[onlyanapple]

A demon. As in-

Okay, do you have Hell in your world? Like a place where you go when you die if you've been a generally terrible person?

[mongoosecrow]

People certainly believe in it.

Never thought it was a real place myself, but one of my crewmates back home believes in God, Heaven, and all of that.

[onlyanapple]

There you go, then. I come form a world where it's real. I've been to both. Heaven, Hell, met the Big Guy. The whole deal.