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

[apurrstate]

[Anders doesn't respond immediately, his mind taking a moment to trace the thoughts from their source to that conclusion. He meant what had happened between himself and Justice. They'd joined together because they'd cared about what happened to the other and what they believed in. In the end, it became only about the end goal and reaching it and then, when ash and fire rained down on them, Vegeance had been beyond placated. He was willing to stay quiet and allow Anders the death a vengeful person demanded. What justice would call for.

He couldn't say there was no love between them even then, but what warmth had been in their relationship couldn't be felt. Maybe because it had been sapped out for all the hate Anders held for himself and they'd become to closely intertwined, believing in the same cause for so long.

His hand came up to Hawke's hair and stroked through it in a way he knew his love would find comforting.]

My heart, you could never do that. Justice, Vengeance, they're hard, sometimes cruel and cutting concepts even though one comes from a desire to do good and the other comes from a place of pained love. You aren't hard, Adalwolfe. You're gentle and loving and I know you. You would never have me do something you thought was terrible.

[And that was the difference. Vengeance didn't see the lives lost as terrible. Punishable? Yes, but not without merit. Wolfe didn't see it that way.]

My heart, look at me.

[Anders pulled away enough to find Hawke's eyes himself.]

I adore you more than life itself. I would choose you over the Maker if it was a decision called upon. You're absolutely everything to me and you always will be. But, at the end of the day, you are you and I am me. You have not -cannot- posses me in the way you're implying. If I ever do anything, terrible or otherwise, it will be because it was my choice to do it and nothing else. You can't force me to do something that goes against my beliefs. [He smiled gently.] I'll give you all the credit in the world, save that much.

[wolfehawke]

[He disagrees. Yes, he tries to be gentle and loving but he can be hard. He can want nothing more than to burn down the world out of ire and spite and spit on the ashes. He never shares those thoughts, preferring to pretend they never occur but that doesn't mean they're not still there...

Anders is right that Wolfe wouldn't push Anders to terrible things intentionally or willingly, but this isn't about willingness. This is about a perversion of ideals, something that Wolfe may not even see happening before its too late. He knows he carries so much weight with Anders, knows he could probably dictate the healer's behavior in a myriad of ways that he would be change never consciously set out to affect. Anders sometimes is so much the kind to be impressionable that Wolfe worries he's already done damage.

But he's stronger than he was in Kirkwall. Or not stronger, but more... even. More himself than Adalwolfe ever saw him. He wonders if this is because Justice is no longer inside him or just because his goals had been reached. There's a peace to be found in wreckage, even if the acts before were heinous. A calm in everything at least being over.

Anders is stronger and Adalwolfe doesn't have the energy to argue. For all he knows, every word of what his love says is truth and he's fooling himself to think he has so much influence. And maybe that's better.]

Alright.

[He relents and eases his head back onto his partner's shoulder, more exhausted than when he'd first laid down. He'd set out to make Anders rest and yet here he is, the one who needs to sleep until Summerday. At least he can achieve Anders resting too in this state.]

Just stay with me for awhile to nap, alright?

[apurrstate]

[He could probably come up with some reason for him not to stay, just like old times, really...but he didn't want to. He wanted to keep busy and be useful and help, but he selfishly wanted Wolfe in his arms, loved and protected.

The ship wasn't exploding. Even just for himself, he wanted to stay here with the man he loved and pretend they had some measure of peace.]

Of course. I suppose we both need the rest.