driftfleet | This Is What I Come Back To

Entry tags:

This Is What I Come Back To

Who: Nami and you
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Bloodsport, Iskaulit, ze planet
When: 10 September

---------

I'm back. I don't suppose there's any good news?

[Short and sweet. She already caught up on all the disaster shenanigans afoot.

If you want to catch her in person at all, she'll be either:

a) on the Bloodsport going through the network entries and being in a generally shitty mood;
b) at the Space Bar taking inventory and catching up on business;
c) organising and purchasing new supplies planetside for the bar like nothing is wrong; or
d) taking her waver out to sea at various points, for scouting and her own peace of mind.

Or wild card me up. Take your pick.

EDIT:

Actually, she does come back to the network the next day. She skimmed far enough to look at the dreams, and nearly lost the reference to Eleven's post. Sister. Waking up.

That's a dream to do with what's going on...?]

...hey.

Who remembers the message we got from that last singing planet?

[Because there are some awfully relevant parts to it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wish. I've been hit with all kinds of great news on my return I could probably do without. Most people seem to think the dream stuff is a warning that something bad is about to happen here. After what I've looked through I'm inclined to believe it. What messages have you been hearing?

Sorry to hear about that.

I haven't heard it personally, just what you can see posted here. Not sure what my personal thoughts are on the matter considering I've never experienced something like this before. Can't draw from experience and being here in general seems... I don't know. There's a lot of misleading going on, I believe. The problem is separating that from the reality of what will happen or what Atroma plans.

If the Atroma really are all about ratings, then there's no mistake we're here because our actions will please our viewers. That being said, even knowing that, if disaster does come down on this place we're not gonna sit on our hands just to spite them.

[Well... most of them aren't. She already saw the post by that one guy going well, guess I'll just enjoy the planet while it's here. Ugh.]

So, does that mean we're here to help? Cause greater panic? Or is this some kind of traumatic "episode" for them?

No, I definitely won't. Assuming I (we all?) can figure out a way to help, of course.

[ She doesn't say more on that "traumatic" part but it might just be that they're here to see it all fail, to watch things go south and not be able to do anything about it. That was a kind of entertainment, too, although Jill personally prefers her entertainment (that kind or otherwise) to remain fictional. ]

[Her answer to that is a small time coming, because it's also occurred to Nami that yeah, they might have been set up here to fail. An audience loves a good tragedy, too. And she doesn't like thinking on that too long. So after a bit, she replies.]

We'll act according to our natures, right? That counts for something. [Even if that skirts close to platitude, but people who keep fighting is a good thing. Most of the Fleet is full of those types. They can't deal with something on an apocalyptic scale, but they can at least get as many people out as possible beforehand. That's something.]

It's hard to know what's coming. Most people are confused on that score. All we can do is keep our eyes peeled and move when we see the slightest hints of something incoming. That's what else we have going for us-- generally, we're pretty smart.

[ Even if they're meant to fail, knowing early might help curb some of it. The only problem is, even if she lived in a place where space travel like this was possible, is that Jill knows she wouldn't be easily convinced of any of this.

For all they know nothing would happen. Still, it's a welcome scenario. ]

I think it does. As much as something like that can, of course.

The only thing is, if it's as dire as these visions are making it out to be, where can we put all these people? I guess if we have a way to travel through space they must. I'll try to keep my ears to the ground and notice if anything stranger than normal happens, of course.

The Iskaulit can take a few thousand. [Which is a drop in the ocean when it comes to the population of an entire planet, but it's a starting point.] It may be that we remove people from zones that can't be saved and do our best to combat disaster in other places. Fire can be put out. Floods diverted. That sort of thing. It would be way better if we could call in some kind of... space marines? That could evacuate the planet more officially. But yeah, I would hope these people at least have some methods of leaving planetside themselves.

[She put a message through to the renegade Fleet, actually, in the hopes they could help. But she doesn't know if they even have the numbers right now.]

Didn't even think about that. I would've thought there would be some kind of failsafe that wouldn't allow anyone but members of the fleet to board it? Guess I'm thinking more in terms of safety measures back home.

I feel like there must be something like that, right? I'm not sure how common it is that huge disasters on the scale that seems to be possible are, but I'm sure it's more common on that level than where I'm from.

Wonder if there's some sort of planetary phone book I can find?

[ She likes that Nami seems to have it together and already has plans piled on plans; that kind of confidence is inspiring and will definitely be needed in days to come. Jill can be a leader if she's pushed, but she prefers being the right-hand, less credit and more work behind the scenes. ]

[She's smart, but she's also behind the times-- the suggestion that people might not be able to enter the Iskaulit is a pretty flooring one. Has it ever been tested...? She should have thought of that earlier, given there's an obvious failsafe that stops Fleet members from getting too far away...]

I'll have to test that theory. [Shouldn't be too hard, but she has a sinking feeling.] Invite some of the locals in for drinks. See what happens. What's a phone book?

[ Jill thinks in worst case scenarios, so it's not necessarily that she's behind the times. She hasn't seen anyone else suggest trying that or mentioning it, either with the Iskaulit or individual ships. ]

Definitely a good idea. Even if it's not something that can be done, it means we'll know for certain or not.

A book of phone numbers. They're kind of obsolete where I'm from. Sort of like how we can talk individually to people on this thing, you don't need to really input anything you just look for a name and it does everything for you, you just give them the message after that. Sorry if that doesn't make sense!

No, that makes perfect sense! Thanks. I'm still learning about technology from all over, really. The more I know, the better.

You're welcome. I wish I could be of more help, but I'm not exactly the best when it comes to tech. I know enough, but it's my partner who can really mess with it.

You'd never guess, though. People just think he's a meathead.

Anyway, if I can help any more with that, let me know. I know it's hard to know what to ask when you don't know where to start, though...

Mostly I just learn as I go. My comms officer is teaching me about computers and a friend taught me star charts-- if anything comes up in between, I'll be sure to ask.

[Honestly, the more she knows the beter, but everything is very overwhelming. But when stuck in a high technology prison...]

Star charts, huh? You've mentioned navigation before, how's it compare to what you're used to?

[ You adapt to your surroundings. It might be jarring, but the more you know, the better you can handle it. ]

It's a headache! There's an extra dimension to take into account and navigation at home isn't just reliant on maps or stars but what I can see and feel on my own, which I can't do here. But I've been learning a while now. I've got the hang of it, more or less. I like to think I'm pretty good for a pirate who'd never seen space before.

Guess the best way to learn is just be thrown into it, right?

There must be maps and charts that exist and better ways to learn them, though, if the fleet exists and all these planets do, right? They have to get around sometimes and some way, but I guess that would also include figuring out who to talk to locally and I wouldn't doubt if some of those people are behind clearance codes.

You probably understand it better than some people who exist in worlds with space travel.

Oh, absolutely. I've been collecting pre-existing charts all this time, but I suppose being a navigator I feel more comfortable if I know how those charts are made and can make them myself. It's also of interest to compare my charts and local ones and the ones the Atroma has on file. But so far, they match up, with just a few variations in star names.

I think that's important, especially when we've been kidnapped. Anyone could just throw something at you at the behest of the Atroma, couldn't they? Glad you're on our side. :)

Do you think it's more a local variation or intentional misinformation?

Variation. Most stars are labelled with a sequence of numbers and letters, and sometimes a letter or a number will be different. Or sometimes it has an actual name instead of the sequence, but when I ask it's because the locals have called it that. So I guess it's a difference between local and universal charts?

Too much to ask for something to be glaringly obvious then, huh? It would be too convenient if answers were right under our noses.

Thanks for answering my questions on that, though.

I wish it were that simple. It's why I started comparing to begin with, but I guess we're on a legitimate course through space. You're welcome.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This Is What I Come Back To

text.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject