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

[wolfuncaged]

[Allen, who is gone. That's...concerning. Still, Fenris is sure there are magically inclined folks who would want to help out. Fenris doesn't know them, of course, he might be miles better than he was back home, but he's still pretty damn leery of magic in general. He doesn't seek people like that out.

He lets out a noise that's almost a laugh. Not quite. He's not there yet, with Anders. It's something, though. ]

No. Avoiding one another will only make it fester all the more. We tend to be...explosive when we let that happen.

[That was unintentional, but he's not taking the wording back. He frowns, staring at a spot on the wall. ]

I am still not thrilled, but I am glad you are here. We need a healer, this...mess is proof of that. I would not like to imagine the state of the crew if you were not here currently.

...And I suppose Wolfe is- well. He just does what a Hawke does. [Which is equally helpful and unhelpful at the same time. ]

[apurrstate]

[He's not sure that choice of wording was an accident or not, but it hardly matters in the long run. Fenris wasn't wrong.

He's quiet, actually waiting out whatever time Fenris needs to say whatever he was going to say. It felt strange, not wrong, just not...the same. Before, talking with Fenris at length would end up with some force in his chest, an overwhelming urge to fight back against every little thing the elf said, especially if it seemed unjust. Then he could barely wait for Fenris' words to form before he was ready to argue back and say whatever barbed thing came to mind, all in the interest of being right.

On the fleet, that same stirring had been there but slow to respond, as though time and the tiredness he always felt had made that fighting force forget it wanted to fight the man. Now, that was gone and all that was left was his own stubbornness and all the exhaustion that had piled up over the last four years. Their mutual stubborn streaks now seemed the source of their fights, but Anders was just as tired of them as ever and nothing pressed on the back of his mind to urge him to be right except being stubborn. That was something in his power to control. Waiting, listening, that's what he'd have to work on and maybe smother some of the stubborn with all that tired to make this work.

His silence is broken by a laugh that strangled itself off on the end as his wounds protested the use of those muscles. But even with the wince the laughter caused, Anders is still grinning.]

I feel 'does what a Hawke does' is both a compliment and a curse.

I already asked Pavel to help Wolfe learn whatever Communications things he can...but I get the feeling Hawke might also attempt to shirk those duties since there's already someone who knows what they're doing. Feel free to utilize your rank if you catch him on that...and take a picture, I'd love to see his face.

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris absolutely has noticed that Anders isn't trying to talk over him- something he found absolutely infuriating about the man. It's one of the many changes he's seen in him since Justice was extracted. He's still a pain in the ass, yes, but...less so. He didn't feel like a ticking time bomb to Fenris any more- he had his beliefs, yes, but he didn't seem like he was willing to create whole-scale slaughter for them. It was comforting to see. That Anders wasn't completely hopeless.

A rumbling chuckle escapes him before he even realises it.]

That would be very likely. I will have to be poised and ready for the inevitable. If we were not in a hostile environment, I would consider handcuffing him to the communications station. As is, I may have to settle for putting Pavel in charge of following him around and guilt-tripping him into remaining safe.

[apurrstate]

Maker. [He's amused at both of those mental images, but there's a definite line of respect at the thought of Pavel simply taking control of the whole thing. Anders didn't doubt he could manage it, even with Hawke.]

He'd be successful, that man knows how to wield guilt as a weapon; it's very impressive.

[Chekov had guilt-tripped Anders right off his blighted feet the other day and it had left a lasting impression.

His expression sobers up a little and his brows raised in question.]

...what do you think? Can we manage this?

[Had he ever asked Fenris' direct opinion before? No, he was fairly certain they'd both only ever offered their own unprompted and unwanted opinions in the past. Neither of them had cared enough to try and ask the other what he thought.

This whole thing...it was definitely both of them that caused it and both of them that would need to fix it. 'It takes two to make a fight' Wolfe was fond of saying. He was right.]

[wolfuncaged]

It is. I think he has had plenty of practise from being on the Enterprise.

[Fenris absolutely wants to go there, once all this is over. But, Maker, that place sounds insane. Though probably less awful than Kirkwall is, so.

Fenris hesitates at Anders' question- surprised the man even asked. It's another one of the many telling things that show he's a changed man. He's silent, mulling over his answer, actually giving it some thought, instead of spitefully blurting out the first thing to come to his mind.]

I doubt it will be easy, we are exceptionally good at getting under one another's skin. But I am willing to try.

[apurrstate]

Oh I'd say we're the best at it. I don't doubt that we'll continue to do just that, but if we can try to keep it to just that, then...who knows. I'm willing to try as well.

[The irony of this conversation didn't escape him, he'd only just asked Justice and Wolfe to try and not be overly antagonistic to each other only about a week or so ago, though it seemed a lifetime now.

And now here he and Fenris were. Hawke had been trying to ask this of them for years...but it seemed only time and an entirely new placement had finally managed this uneasy...truce, he supposed. Well, all of that and removing Vengeance. Anders would never condemn him, but he was not so foolish as to be blind to what affect Vengeance had on him and how that affected his relationships with others.

Marian's reveal of her blood magic was evidence enough, this only added on top.]

I should head back, before Hawke starts trying to hunt me down.
Should...should you see anyone of the crew starting to drive themselves into exhaustion, send them my way.

And there are some elfroot potions in the med lab, should you need them yourself.

[His words were like walking on ice that might be thin underfoot and you wouldn't know until you'd placed your weight there, but it was better than rough dismissal or sneers or outright aggression.]

[wolfuncaged]

[It was not going to be easy, and he already knows they will likely fall off this wagon of theirs a few times yet. They get at each other too much for it to be otherwise. Still, so long as both of them were willing, it was a step in the right direction.

He nods, glad to let Anders go. In the grand scheme of things, this was an exceptionally long time for them to be speaking to one another without being spiteful and bitter. Best not tempt fate. ]

That would be wise, and I will.

[Potions are good, though. They don't hurt the same way healing does, they don't twist and pull at the lyrium like the magic required for healing does. He manged a ghost of the smile.]

I shall remember that. Should I need them.