► 00_01/.

[fallbythesword]

Who: Jacqli and YOU!!
Broadcast: Yes - fleetwide
Action: If you want - aboard the Marsiva
When: RIGHT NOW!

[ New kid on the hospitality deck! After establishing that she can't simply disappear from this place and reappear in not actually space the Astral Plane, she really only has one thing she even wants to bother to ask of the network at large.

She turns on the video feed, and looks very, very unimpressed - bored, even. ]

If anyone knows about The Machine as it relates to the Astral Plane, or a very specific shop, respond to this.

[ There's a long pause. ... Okay, okay, fine, she should probably also say something borderline nice. Ugh. ]

... In the absence of such knowledge, I guess someone could tell me what planet that is outside, and why it sounds like a nervous pop star.

Comments

Video

[brothersboots]

[It's really a shame that the communicators don't have any resonance, because Jacqli is missing the look of annoyed resignation on Edna's face.

But empty voice and video works, right.]

I don't know what a pop star is but the stupid planet is supposedly crying out for help. From us.

[fallbythesword]

[ Yeah, that's an empty video feed. But she picks up on the tone, and she can appreciate it, honestly. ... Still weird that she can't see anything... ]

From us? How stupid. What can we do? We don't even live there. [ She shakes her head. ] Panic makes everything throw logic right out the window...

[brothersboots]

[ Eh, she'll get used to it. It's not like Edna's the only seraph running around the ships, after all. ]

That doesn't matter. In fact, not living here is the reason it wants our help. It's not like the Atroma picked a bunch of powerful beings to have them braid each other's hair all day.

[fallbythesword]

I didn't realize being powerful was a qualifier for getting dragged here. Typical. [ She shrugs. ] If the planet decides to be more specific about how to help, then maybe it's possible. Otherwise, it might as well just be yelling at nothing.

[brothersboots]

There aren't any normal people here from what I can tell.

[Not that she pays attention to what normal is for humans.]

As for the planet, it's a gigantic rock, basically. I don't think it knows how to be more specific.

[fallbythesword]

Interesting.

[ Humans are boring tbh. ]

Where I'm from, in ancient history, there were ways to have conversations with the Will of the Planet. Guess that's not possible here.

[brothersboots]

I mean, if you were going to use people as entertainment, the normal ones would be the last people you'd pick right? At least the Atroma aren't stupid in that regard.

[Not that Edna will remark on how smart they are otherwise.]

Not every planet we visit is smart enough to have a will. This one just happens to "sing".

[fallbythesword]

Some could derive entertainment from throwing normal people into abnormal situations, but no, I agree. I wouldn't pick normal ones either.

[ She approves of this woman's line of thinking. ... Even if she can't see her on the comm thingy. Weird, but whatever. ]

I didn't know planets could exist without Wills. That's... very different from my own world. [ She tilts her head to one side, clearly curious. ]

[brothersboots]

I'm sure you could, but then the normal people would die and you'd just have a higher turnover rate. At least with all the abnormal people around here, we have ways to either come close enough to dying for the dramatic effect but healing anyway or reviving. There's less of an overall investment in choosing people with powers than otherwise.

[Edna might not like humans, but she likes logic. And that's just common sense.]

This place is different from my own world as well. It happens.

[fallbythesword]

[ Hey, true enough. Jacqli nods, agreeing, but doesn't say much else about it. It's not like they're the ones setting up a universe-wide TV show that kidnaps powerful people and makes them float around doing whatever... ]

Then I guess I'll have to pay closer attention, if we keep visiting worlds that are so different.

[brothersboots]

[Hey, if Edna did, that's exactly how she would do it. Because she wants to be amused.]

The last world we were at was full of tall buildings and the farms were in space. It was all very artificial. Like these ships.

[fallbythesword]

[ Artificial doesn't bother Jacqli so much. Given the state of her planet, most things kind of really need to be artificial. But... still. ]

Farms in space? What, did they run out of land?

[brothersboots]

[Okay, but being a nature spirit makes it irritating to Edna if everything is fake. It's hard to stay grounded, as it were.]

Yes. It was literally a planet full of buildings and little floating farm bubbles so the people didn't starve.

[fallbythesword]

[ Okay, that? Deserves one (1) very exasperated eyeroll! ]

Humans. Of course they would do something like that. Typical.

[brothersboots]

[Jacqli might not be able to see Edna, but she is also rolling her eyes.]

The humans here aren't that bad. I've met worse over the years, that's for sure.

[That's not to say that she isn't biased in favor of her humans but that's besides the point.]

They have gardens here too, but that's mainly because the food we get from the Atroma isn't exactly what rational people consider food.

[fallbythesword]

That sounds fair. I'll reserve judgment until I've been here a bit longer, I suppose.

[ There are some humans that are maybe okay a little bit. .... Maybe. Big maybe. (Jacqli doth protest too much, honestly, but hey, no one has to know that here.) ]

The food on this flagship seems like generically decent food. Is it that much worse on those smaller ships?

[ Oh boy now she really can't wait to be shuffled. :| ]

[brothersboots]

[Edna also protests a lot but she still leaves room for humans to screw themselves over.]

We dock enough on other planets and depending on how "entertaining" you are, I think the losers that watch us give you special things. No accounting for actual food from home sadly.