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

2

[scanninggaydis]

I think you could use this more than I do.

[To his credit, when Felix comes across Anders struggling along, he doesn't actually tell him to stop or sit down or rest or any of that. It's not really his place, since he doesn't know the man. (Has only talked to him once or twice in passing since they crashed on the planet.) More than that, he's kind of....sensitive to being told what he can and can't do, personally. He wouldn't put that on another person.

...But he has a cane which miraculously survived the crash, and it's what he's holding out now. Without it, he leans a little more heavily on his left leg, but he appears to be steady enough.]

[apurrstate]

[Anders had seen and spoken with the man only in passing before, making a mental note to pull him aside and ask after the limp once they'd all been able to gather a breath after the crash. Unfortunately, it seemed that breath hadn't come and now things were a touch more difficult. Even if the limp were something newer, something Anders could fix, he certainly couldn't heal it right now.

The healer hesitated and glanced from the offering to the other man.]

I...perhaps, but don't you need it? [He nodded to Felix's leg.] I will manage, I wouldn't want to take something someone else could benefit from, even temporarily.

[scanninggaydis]

[Despite Anders' protests, Felix continues to hold the cane out. He shakes his head a little as well.]

As long as I don't have to run anywhere, I can get around the ship without it until we get back up in orbit. It's not a necessity, it just makes things easier.

[Which, okay, he's definitely been limping a little worse since the crash because unfortunately his bad leg got banged up a bit. It's not a lie though.

His expression changes from vaguely neutral to a little bit wry.]

You, on the other hand....

[Anders looks like he's going to fall over any minute.]

[apurrstate]

[There's a moment where it seems like Anders might outright refuse, but then he thinks better of it. Felix did have a point, right now, Anders was a little worse off.

At least Anders could offer something small in return.

He reached out to take the offered cane, but his hand brushed Felix's first, sending a brief burst of healing magic through the other man. New wound or old, the small burst of mana couldn't do more than ease any discomfort, but it was the best he could offer right now when his reserves were having trouble replenishing themselves.]

Thank you. It's very kind of you to offer. I swear I'll have it back to you as soon as I can.

[scanninggaydis]

[Felix's eyes widen slightly as he feels the result of that little spell. It really isn't much, but all of a sudden his leg aches less than it did before, and he's a little less conscious of the myriad bruises he acquired in the crash.

You'd think that that would be a good thing. Except Anders hadn't given him any warning, no indication of what he was planning. Probably because healing is second nature to him and that's all well and good. But Felix is touchy. He wants to know, wants to have a choice. Even if that choice is to continue suffering.

Felix draws back a step. When he speaks, he doesn't sound angry, but there's a guardedness to his tone.]

You could have said something first, at least.

[....He knows it was kindly meant. He'll probably say thank you in a moment. But his point is valid, godsdamn it. And he needs to make it, first.]

[apurrstate]

[That guardedness is like cold water in his face, a snap to reality that whips up an age-old guardedness and edge of his own. He'd gotten used to people accepting what he could do and that he could help them, accepting magic in this place, that it had pulled wool over his eyes. There would always be those who regarded him as evil or a trap waiting to spring and tear everything down, no matter what else he might do.

And regardless of Felix's true motivations, that's what Anders sees in the other man's step back.

Thedas. Mages treated as slaves and animals instead of people simply because of their gifts and the fear others had.

But Felix didn't sound angry and that was something that didn't escape him despite the swirl of long-set instinct and thought. He wasn't cursing Anders or threatening him and there was no Justice sharing the healer's thoughts to drive him into conviction that Felix was.]

I'm sorry I didn't ask, it's not something I've had to do in some time. [Even with Fenris, Anders simply healed the elf instead of waiting for permission. That was easier for them, but everyone was different. Either way, one thing he wouldn't apologize for was the actually healing.] I simply aimed to soothe muscle aches and regain stamina, nothing mean to be overly invasive.

[scanninggaydis]

[Recognition is mostly what he wanted. (The fact that it was magic didn't necessarily....help. But it's honestly secondary. Surprisingly.)

Having received it, though, Felix relaxes. He doesn't step back in but that's mostly because it seems unnecessary. (Or even potentially threatening.) He nods, too. When he responds, if his tone isn't warm than at least it isn't suspicious. It's neutral.]

...I get that. I appreciate the thought. [Just not the surprise and the lack of any say in the matter.] Thanks.

[apurrstate]

You're welcome. [It's like stepping around broken glass with bare feet now, the feeling in the air hasn't lost the tenseness that had been there a moment before, though it was less.]

Thank you again for this, as soon as you need it back or my wound heals a little more, it will be yours again; whichever comes first. [He nodded, both for a sign of respect and dismissal. He wasn't sure he could hold the conversation any more diplomatic and courteous than that, not just now, at least.]

[scanninggaydis]

[...This wasn't at all what he wanted to happen. But he's also not necessarily sorry for standing up for what he feels was right. That's something he's been learning not to regret. For the most part.]

Keep it for as long as you need. I doubt I'll be going outside much.

[He makes for an easy target, and he's not a front-line fighter.

The dismissal in Anders' tone, his little nod, is clear though. Felix dips his head a little in recognition and then turns to go.]