Alert! Alert!

[thespaceopera]

[bright and early one Sunday morning, proximity alarms begin to blare. could it be another set of disorienting malfunctions?

no... this one is for real. the Drift Fleet is under attack!

any ship with a scanning array will pick up a small swarm of ships--roughly the same caliber as the ships in your fleet--swooping in fast from distant space. any pilot, engineer, or communications officer who remembers those strange blips in the radar over the last several months can confirm that this is that very same group that's been following them. this time, they're not leaving room for negotiations, and they will not respond to any hailing or threats. they are on a mission.

within minutes, weapons are live, and the fleet is fired upon. suddenly, the casual drifting of the fleet turns into something much more real, and much more dangerous.

do you follow your augment's call and run to your station? do you flee your responsibilities? do you wish you could help and can't? are the captains leading or floundering, and are their crews even listening?

for a few terrifying moments, the fleet will be hammered, and Atroma is silent. you are all on your own, dear passengers. your little ships are not prepared for this, you have not been trained--and your enemies have no such trouble. a few ships are even shot down, forced to make crash-landings on nearby stations.

things look grim as the terribly-outmatched little fleet fights to defend itself... until the attacking fleet suddenly turns and bolts back into the darkness without warning.

maybe the attack was a warning. maybe they were just testing you. maybe something frightened them off.

whatever the reason, you are all left beaten and confused, without explanation at all.]


ooc post → here
this is a little event to kick off April! and it is essentially a glorified themed mingle, so there is no rush to reply to this immediately. the outcomes of the ships have been predetermined, based on the augments of the crews. all of that information and more (including info for people on hiatus and who wish to opt-out) can be found on the ooc post as well.

flourish or buckle under the pressure, help or hinder, and most importantly-- have fun!

Comments

[lord_wizard]

[Flatly] Perfect.

[He winces a little at the prodding, the most at the movement of his arm]

My shoulder...a little. I don't think anything is broken. A few bruises when I fell, most likely. I'll be fine.

[noctiphile]

I'm going to remove your shirt. Do you mind?

[Too bad, he's already doing it, lifting part of it and sliding the arm out. Before Felix can protest, he's running his fingers over the bruises, gently testing to see how deep they go. Make sure there's nothing worse.]

[lord_wizard]

[He does make a sound of protest but Mattias has him at a disadvantage, and the sound gets lost in a pained gasp. It occurs to him to be thankful for the dim lighting. It's harder to see the scars on his back.]

Mmf...must you?

[It's plain that he landed rather heavily on his right side, and the forming bruise on his shoulder is definitely the worst, where he probably collided with one of the consoles during the sudden stop.

It turns out he's grateful for the darkness for another reason as the touch brings to the surface a little of the desire he's been repressing weeks now despite, or maybe in part because of, the pain. Mentally he curses himself and tries to think about other things]

What do you think they will do if the ship won't fly any longer?

[noctiphile]

They'd give us a new one, wouldn't they? I doubt they'd bring us all this way and then simply leave us. Particularly when they're the reason we didn't have shields in the first place.

[Thankfully, Mattias is blissfully ignorant of Felix's misfortunes, scrutinizing the bruise with clear concern.]

We should get ice for this.

[He stands, dusting himself off.] I'll be back.

[And, in a matter of minutes, he is, with a bag of ice and a thin bit of fabric. He wraps the bag with the fabric and sets it on the bruise, holding it there as he resettles beside Felix.] I'm sorry. For how I acted earlier on the bridge. I'm not—I get brusque in situations like that.

[lord_wizard]

[He's at least collected himself a bit by the time Mattias gets back. He lifts a hand to hold the ice, rather than forcing the man to keep playing nursemaid]

Implying you've been in situations like that before.

[noctiphile]

[With the removal of his only distraction, Mattias pulls back. His gaze falls, landed at a spot between them.]

Only recently. [But then he's looking at Felix, smiling reassuringly.] Life has been tumultuous these past few months, but that's what life does. It ebbs and flows and all we can do is ride the current.

[lord_wizard]

As long as it keeps going, I'm sure we will manage. [He smile back, attempting to not feel quite so self conscious, though after a beat he does switch hands and slip his arm back into his shirt, bruises be damned]

[noctiphile]

[Mattias says nothing of the return to his shirt, though he does watch intently. He's too caught up in thought, mulling over Felix's words. When he finally speaks, it's softly.]

And if it doesn't continue?

[lord_wizard]

[His answer is just as soft]

I try not to think about that.

[noctiphile]

[It's the way he says it that has Mattias smiling, ducking his head to hide it. Then, he's back to Felix's arm, though only with a mere touch. A comfort, rather than a necessity.]

Luckily, you seem quite close to the land of the living.

[It's meant as a joke and he shows it with a quirk of his lips.]

[lord_wizard]

[This time, he doesn't shy away. Doesn't even flinch.]

Thank you. I intend to keep it that way.

[He smiles back, weakly, feeling wobbly in a way that isn't entirely from the head wound.]

[noctiphile]

See that you do. I'd hate to drag your ass back from the realm of the dead.

[He offers a lopsided grin, pulling his hand away.] Now then. Should I let you rest?

[lord_wizard]

Please. I'll just...stay here until you can locate our dear captain. Make sure something heavy hasn't fallen on her...

[noctiphile]

But of course. [He smiles and stands, glancing back only when he's at the doorframe.] You're not the only damsel I have to save.

[And, yeah. He's going to peek his head back in a minute or two later.]—Don't her I said that.

[Then he's gone.]