it's gonna rain - and it never ends

[thespaceopera]

[ It's midday, or close enough to it that the sun is blazing red hot above the planet. Everything seems ordinary - for disturbing, red-tinted values of ordinary, anyway. But the normalcy doesn't last for long.

Without warning, an explosive sound shocks through the jungle. It doesn't come from any one central point, but rather several points, scattered throughout, strategically placed to the advantage of someone. And from those massive shocks rises a wave of missiles - large, fast, and apparently, freely flying. They're guided, and they've locked onto their target: any foreign ship that is currently within Lato'li's atmosphere.

There's no way to mistake it. They're headed right for the Fleet.

The first wave feels a bit sporadic - timings might be off, but the missiles are still deadly, and if they hit, they hit hard. Shields might withstand this wave, but ships without shields will take direct hits. The ability to stay airborn is very, very quickly lost.

The second wave is much more precise, expertly timed and executed by whomever is firing from below. Even smaller shuttles get caught in the crosshairs, and those ships that lasted through the first volley will take a few more shots. If shields saved you before, they will fail here, giving out under the strain.

And the third wave comes, a little bit longer after, to finish the job. There are more of them, and they are far more advanced - they make the previous two volleys look like warning shots. This time, it's all missiles launched, all targets acquired.

Seven Fleet ships - and many, many shuttles - fall out of the sky, headed straight for the surface at alarming speed. Only four ships manage to escape the assault and exit the planet's atmosphere, retreating to orbit as fast as possible. Those lucky enough to have been in orbit can only watch as all of this happens.

But the missiles aren't the only thing up their sleeve. Just when the dust settles, while the network is surely lighting up with activity, attempts to contact one another and check on the status of fellow ships and crew, A loud, quick, terrible screeching noise shocks the network. It drowns out all communications on any connected devices - ship or personal. Ships in orbit will see all on-board systems flicker, then fizzle out, all non-emergency systems have gone completely down.

And with that.. there's silence. Perhaps too much silence. No matter what you do, no matter which buttons you press, which channels you try, there is no connection. Those who have dropped to the surface are entirely radio silent, and those in orbit have been reduced to the barest of abilities and life-support, with the bare minimum of contact.

So... What can you do now? ]


(( ooc: Feel free to use this post as a mingle for all your crashy or missile-dodgy needs!

• The following ships have been shot down: Bishop, Bloodsport, Blue Fish, Goldstone, Heron, Tourist, Twin Roses.
• The following ships are now in orbit: Blameless, Caprine, First Breath, Huntress, Iskaulit, Red Fish, Starstruck, Vanquish, Wonderduck

Good luck, Dear Fleet...~ ♪ ))

Comments

[asphodels]

That doesn't mean I should just - [ But she purses her lips. Ignore it is what she wanted to say, but... If this is what she's going to hear when she tries to commune... Shaking her head, she breathes out, reaching for Cloud instead. ] I only wanted to help.

[moseyin]

I know. But jeez Aerith, think micro instead of macro for once. You don't have to fix a whole Planet to help. [Cloud pulls her into his arms to rub her back. He'll pick her up and carry her back over to that log he vaulted so she can have a proper sit down, too, if she'll let him.]

[asphodels]

[ It's easy to settle into Cloud's arms, to slump against his strength, just for a moment. She remembers when she had first learned about her true nature, when he had told her she wasn't alone anymore, and how long it's taking her to really understand that. ] I'll be more careful, okay?

[moseyin]

Please. [Cloud cups her face for a moment before holding her against him again, hands rubbing her back. Hopefully she's not nauseous anymore...Holy, it's creepy to think about the Planet doing that to her. Back home she always seemed to struggle to make sense of what was being whispered to her, so if her reaction was that strong here then how bad is it?

He doesn't dare ask. She might take it as an invitation to look again.] With Zack down and all this- everything happening, I just- I couldn't stand it if something happened to you. I really couldn't.

[asphodels]

[ Something hits her, then, and she remembers - oh, I died, and the reminder is enough to have her arms sinking around Cloud to hold him close. She can remember praying, she remembers Cloud being there, coming up in front of her, the sudden, sharp shock of pain, collapsing, and then nothing, and she thinks, oh.

Tilting her head up, she kisses his cheek, draws her hand through his hair and clings back, nodding her head. ] I won't do it again. I promise. [ She squeezes him gently and closes her eyes. ] Don't let go of me.

[moseyin]

[Cloud finally exhales, shaky and rushed, but he holds her tight as she asks him to and buries his face into her hair. He can do that, for sure. He can hang on probably even longer than she wants him to.] I won't. Don't go running off without me either.

[asphodels]

[ Her hands keep stroking through his hair, her fingers gentle and soft, and her attention is on him and nothing else. The planet is in the back of her mind now and when she turns her head it's so she can kiss his cheek, his jaw, little presses of her mouth that are meant to soothe and comfort. ] I'm not. I won't run away ever again. [ She knows what haunts him - her fleeing to pray, leaving them behind, her death, and she only holds him tighter. ] I don't want to let you go.

[moseyin]

Good. [Cloud holds her tighter as her kisses fall against his jaw, closer to his neck, and he pulls back suddenly to take her face in his hands, pull her into a kiss deeper than the sweet little presses she'd been giving him. Desperation and the shaky relief of finding her unhurt push away the last of his hesitation, fingers curling in the locks of hair near her ears before he pulls back slowly, sucking in a swift breath.] Don't. Don't let go of me, ever again.

[asphodels]

[ Aerith leans into the kisses, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him closer, squeezing at him gently. She doesn't want to lean away, doesn't want to move back, and her breathing comes out in a soft sigh as she draws away, moving so she's practically in Cloud's lap. When she looks up at him her expression is soft and gentle; there's no hiding it. ] I love you, Cloud.

[moseyin]

Aerith, [Cloud chokes out, burying his face in her hair as his arms tremble. He knows it's the same for him, knows that he loved her back home, loves her now, but the word sticks itself in his throat. Like he's not allowed to say it, either because he'll curse this somehow or because he doesn't deserve the privilege of telling the woman who loves him that he loves her back.

Hopefully she can tell anyway by the way he clutches her, the way his hands make fists in the back of her jacket, or maybe in the way he pulls back again to smooth the hair sticking to her face back, kissing her again.]

[asphodels]

[ It's alright, she thinks. She doesn't need to have Cloud tell her it in response; she's known for a very long time. She's loved him with a depth and passion that she can barely put into words and it fills her with awe and wonder. She loves Zack, too, and she knows it, with so much of her heart, and Cloud takes up just as much - the way she feels for these two men... It overwhelms her.

Carefully, she tilts her head into the kiss, wrapping herself around him completely. When she leans back, she nudges her nose against his. ] Mhm.

[moseyin]

[His thumb finds a smudge of dirt on her cheek, rubbing at it until it comes off. Their surroundings come back to him, but he still can't peel himself away from Aerith to get back to work. She's the sole point upon which all of his attention is focused, his whole world; if she's okay, then he's okay.]

...we shouldn't stay out here, [Cloud murmurs, still stroking his thumb against her cheek.] It's dangerous. Come inside with me?

[asphodels]

[ It's hard to remember what happened to them, that the world literally crashed around them, that they're lost on a planet - because she feels so safe with Cloud at her side. Her bodyguard, her boyfriend, her sweetheart, and she adores him so desperately that it's hard to ignore the tug of her heart.

Leaning into his touch, Aerith breathes out quietly. ] Okay. [ She kisses him again before she moves to stand up. ]

[moseyin]

Hey. [Cloud stops her with a hand to her shoulder. Look, you kind of like...collapsed a second ago. Plus you're the one with the healing materia; if anybody here should be taken care of, it's Aerith.] You need to rest. Lemme carry you.

[asphodels]

[ She just blinks at him for a moment before - oh, the urge to scold him is impossibly strong, because she can definitely walk back to the crash site, but... Leaning against him, her legs do feel wobbly and she feels a little uncertain. ] Hmm... Okay. Just this once.

[moseyin]

Thanks. [Because this really is mostly for his own sake; to feel like Aerith is okay, is cared for, isn't going to go running off into the woods. She promised of course, and he trusts her...but his mind's tricked him before. It's hard to trust anything.

Cloud scoops her up into his arms to carry her into the ship, stepping over debris to find the nearest chair for her, shoving it back up onto its legs with a boot before setting her down on her feet.] We need to go through the rest of the wreckage. Make sure there's nobody trapped inside. Are you good, Aerith?

[asphodels]

[ She's not an idiot and she knows what he wants and what he needs; she wraps her arms around his neck and leans close, humming happily. Cloud's not wrong; she is tired, and she feels a little bit like she might fall to pieces, but she's managing, somehow. Ignoring the planet makes things better; focusing on Cloud helps.

Looking out over the wreckage, she bows her head, suddenly sad. ] I'm okay. Let's go - lead the way, bodyguard.

[moseyin]

[He will, and he'll keep hold of her the whole way, as promised.

No letting go. Not this time.]