► 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

action

[echovocation]

[There are heartbeats; some of them feel odd, and there are noises of things moving around that don't have heartbeats at all. When nothing comes gunning for him and when his shoulders finally relax from their fight-or-flight (probably fight lbr) bunch, Matt fumbles for his glasses and immediately sits up on the cot upon which he'd been dumped. No wounds (well, none that he didn't already know about), no strange tastes or smells. He hasn't been drugged or restrained. He's in his normal clothes, not the suit.

So, the tried and true methodology of Matthew Murdock, when faced with an alarming situation that he doesn't understand, is to go completely still and listen to fuckin' everything until he gets a better idea of where he is and what the fuck is going on. After that, he meditates. Focuses on one particular sound and follows it; a heartbeat, quick but not panicked, with just that strange little whir of electricity or machinery behind it. He listens until he feels more centered, until he's sure he can search out some answers without being overwhelmed by the urge to punch everything.

There's...something feeding him knowledge already, which he is far from comfortable with, but if he can corroborate this with someone else's experiences, he'd feel a little better. So when the owner of that heartbeat starts speaking Matt feigns a jolt, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and feeling around as if searching for his cane, leaning nearby.]

Excuse me? Are you still there?

video;

[aetherflows]

[This was him literally three days ago. But.]

Pop star...? I admit I do not have the hearing of a hunter but I should think the sound of stars popping would be very noticeable. Unless you meant a star in the entertainment sort of capacity, in which case I must still ask what you are listening to.

[He's heard the voice of Hydaelyn, or at least heard it delivered through Minfilia, and Minfilia sounds nothing like a nervous idol before her Little Ladies' Day debut.]

[fallbythesword]

[ She looks up when he speaks, that same intensely unamused look on her face - until she very quickly realizes that he's blind. In which case, she doesn't even bother with maintaining any sort of expression. What would be the point?

She slides off of her own bed, walks evenly over to his cane, and holds it out toward his reaching hand. ]

Yes. There aren't many places to go, for what it's worth.

video;

[fallbythesword]

[ ... Ah. Terminology mix-up. Should have expected that. She shakes her head. ]

I did mean the entertainment sort. I'm listening to that planet, and its constant humming with enough anxious energy that it may as well be a beacon. [ Beat. ] If there were literal stars popping anywhere near us, we would have bigger problems.

video;

[aetherflows]

Absolutely, hence my alarm!

[He knows a little about astrophysics, thank you... though it wasn't his course of study.]

Now that you mention it, humming is a very apt descriptor. I've noticed the din coming from the [it's not a linkpearl, don't call it a linkpearl] -- communicator seems almost melodic, but I thought it was my imagination...

There is something much larger at play here, but what that thing is, I cannot confidently tell you. Suffice it to say that the uneasy feeling is not a figment of your imagination. A few others have written about it already if you browse the archives.

[echovocation]

So it's- ah, thank you- So we really are on a ship. In space. [Matt rests his cane against his shoulder.]

Re: video;

[fallbythesword]

[ god that's a lot of words ]

I did browse the archives. I wasn't satisfied with the answers, so I asked again. [ SHRUG ] But if there really are no new developments or information, then whatever. I'll look for myself when I get off this boat.

[fallbythesword]

For better or worse. [ she still sounds bored. ] Never been in space before?

[echovocation]

Can't say I have. Haven't really been kidnapped either, experimented on...never heard of 'The Machine' or the 'Astral Plane,' either. Or at least, probably not in the context you're referring to.

[fallbythesword]

[ "Experimented on" makes her cringe, a bit - and she doesn't really care if he can somehow pick up on that, whatever - but for the rest of it, she shakes her head. ]

Consider yourself lucky. [ She pauses for a brief second, considering. ] If they were interested in The Machine's secrets, they would have grabbed more than just me. This must be entirely unrelated.

[ Still weird, though. UGH. So many problems in her life, god... ]

Where are you from?

[echovocation]

New York. [Which obviously everybody knows.] Don't suppose that means anything to you, does it?

[fallbythesword]

[ obviously. Also that's amusing. ]

I knew a man named after the state. [ Well, codename. Project name? Whatever. ] That's all that means to me.

[echovocation]

[Matt sighs, bowing his head and chewing the inside of his cheek. He doesn't know which he preferred: them actually being kidnapped by aliens or him going insane.]

Do you also have knowledge just floating into your head too?

[fallbythesword]

Actually, I do. I was wondering if that was just me, but it's happening to you, too?

[ She does NOT APPROVE of being experimented on!!! ]

[echovocation]

[That's the first time her voice has taken on a tone that wasn't bored or annoyed/bored.]

Unfortunately. [He feels behind his ear for the small lump he'd noticed when he'd woken up. He'd just assumed it was a tracker of some sort, but...] My guess is it's the result of these things.

text.

[torsion]

Can't help on that first part, but the planet's called Lyuku. I've heard there have been other "singing" planets, but I don't know why or what it means, sorry.

I believe you'll be able to travel down to it once you've left the Marsiva, though. Unless you can now? It was on lockdown when I arrived so I'm not sure if it's standard to be stuck on it any other time.

[fallbythesword]

That's pretty likely.

[ Her hand goes to her own augment, but only for a second. Even just thinking about it there makes her skin crawl and her temper flare. She does her best to keep it out of her tone. ]

Someone has probably already tried to remove theirs by now. I'll check the network.

[ Because if no one has tried that yet, then they're all stupid. ]

[fallbythesword]

[ Ah, text. Just as well. ]

Where I'm from, the planet sings, so that's pretty typical to me. But this one sounds like it's having a panic attack. [ And she is concerned, even if she's acting all flippant about it. ]

It's on lockdown now. I've read I'll be moved to another ship. Do people get moved between ships against their will often? Because that sounds ridiculous and annoying.

[echovocation]

[Network, must've been what she'd been speaking to earlier. A network for the people who've been kidnapped? Seems awfully accommodating of their kidnappers, letting their captives organize like that, but like Matt's going to ignore a potential resource.

He fumbles for the thing that feels like a phone he'd found near him at the beginning, feeling over the different buttons and keys. Maybe there's an audio function.] Considering I'm thinking about it now, I wouldn't doubt it's been tried, [he says dryly, testing buttons for a text-to-speech function.]

[torsion]

[ It's not true anonymity, but it allows her the freedom of not having to be careful in tone (or misheard) and not have to worry about how she looks. Or, more importantly, she can wait and see if she wants someone to know what she looks like. ]

The only sounds mine has are from the life on it, I'm afraid. Not sure how to help with this directly, unfortunately. Or if we can.

You should be, yes. To my knowledge it doesn't happen too often and you can shuttle between ships at will, so you're not even stuck on the one you're technically assigned to. We aren't always close to planets, though.

I've only been here a few months so I'm not necessarily the most well-informed but I'll try to share anything you may want or need to know to make it easier on you.

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.

[aetherflows]

That is the best recourse, I'm afraid; I am forced to do the same thing. Asking rarely delivers detailed answers. And something like this cannot be anything but detailed.

Do they have ships like this where you are from? I admit I've never seen the like.

[fallbythesword]

[ Well, Jacqli very quickly stumbles upon a particular pair of Winchesters, one of which did indeed try to yank the thing out, and the other of which started screaming about it. ... ... That'll suck for text-to-speech. Oh well. ]

Looks like it ended in disaster. Of course. [ She sighs. ] Not that they seemed like skilled surgeons. Maybe they just didn't do it right.

[fallbythesword]

Details are good. The details I found on the network were severely lacking.

[ SHRUG. ]

Not... quite. There are a few really small ones. Maybe. People aren't supposed to know about them. We don't have any ships this big. So you've never been in space at all?

[fallbythesword]

[ why are you being so nice and forthcoming with info. what do you want. ]

I doubt I have anything to give you in return. I'm only here with the clothes on my back, after all.