[Open]

[shroudedsecrets]

Who: Haggar (and you!)
Broadcast: n/a
Action: SS First Breath, Planetside, Iskaulit
When: probably up until the 13th? Or later for the Iskaulit threads, if needed! Should be flexible!

A.

[First Breath]

[...She'd had barely enough time to examine the Marvisa after her disoriented waking up, in an attempt to figure it out before she found herself on the bridge of The First Breath instead. Cloaked and hooded of course, eyes glowing a bright yellow as her gaze flits around the area, seeming altogether too tense for some supposed celebration.

The music and confetti is unamusing, of course. Haggar's first instinct is to examine the bridge, and question the first person she sees if they don't approach her first.

Otherwise most of the time she'll be poking about the rest of the ship, seeing what it has and doesn't have available, observing the other crew with some suspicion, sometimes giving withering looks to the exposed wires and pipes, and, coming across her own supposed "station", trying to compare what she knows--what she thought she knew, to the new information that she had overriding it in her brain. Disorienting. She hates it already.]



B.

[Planetside]

[ After the first few days of acclimating to the ship and the situation, as much as it displeases her, well, there's a whole unknown planet with secrets down there to explore. Or at least to study and see if it can provide any clues to anything.

Most of her time ends up being drawn to going through books in the library, and after that, briefly checking out the other areas which seem to have drawn particular extensive attention. If someone's around, she might inquire as to what their investigation showed... or simply just watch and see what she can glean from listening and observing. The old fashioned way.

She likely draws some attention, wherever she shows up, garbed up as she is. Sometimes, though, she might be distracted, trying to find places to meditate or discern the nature of the planet herself. ]



C.

[Iskaulit]

[ After doing enough examining of the planet, and finding herself tired out from the process, she decides that regrouping and learning more about the fleet itself again is the higher priority. Besides, there are some other pressing concerns she has to be wary about...

In any case, the best way to do that seems to be by examining this ship that seems to be the main area for the fleeters to gather. Too many people, frankly, most of her time is spent skulking in the shadows, observing when she can, unless she happens to get caught. Which is certainly possible. She's not infallible.

But there are other times when certain rooms catch her interest. The lecture hall, the library, the labs, those seem to be where she gravitates toward on her own, whether to read or find clues. In one instance she finds the study room, where in a point of... some agitation, she sets a few of the globes rotating all at once and glares at them. How completely unproductive. ]


*[CR meme and permissions just in case, otherwise let's YOLO and see how it goes!]

Comments

[shroudedsecrets]

Perhaps you ought to continue researching other sources once we reach other planets, to guarantee a variety of nutrients.

[If Katara was that concerned about it, might as well make it a goal.]

[watermarks]

I probably will. [A small smile.

It would be something to do, anyway.] The problem will be finding what is resilient enough to grow here... but I guess I've got time.

[At least until it's no longer her problem, so... yay?]

[shroudedsecrets]

You have something to start with. The rest is trial and error.

[Like science. Or something. There's a vague hint of an upturn to her lips, at least. Productive thought was nice, even if it wasn't a project she was involved in.]

[watermarks]

Yeah, I guess so. [She doesn't mind the process. It'll be something productive to do, anyway.

Here, have a glance back up and a small smile, mysterious woman whose name she still doesn't know.] What about you, what are you up to?

[shroudedsecrets]

[One day she'll get used to your conversational shifts, Katara.]

Studying this ship and seeing what I can learn about this reality.

[No need to be secretive about that.] When the time is right, I'll see about some projects of my own.

[watermarks]

[POTENTIALLY, yes. Before you know, she gets warned off about who she's talking to, but until then, good luck with Kind Sincerity, Haggar.

Katara nods, this is a perfectly acceptable answer.] What have you learned so far?

[shroudedsecrets]

Mm. [Just what can she mention here, let's see, not going to talk about anything personal-]

I've learned that there are more efforts being made than I had believed to discern the true nature of this situation. Quite a few finds, if one knows where to look. [Thanks Keith.] It's not too satisfying, but it's a start.

[watermarks]

[Well, that's good news. Katara stands to address her.] What kind of efforts? What did you learn?

[shroudedsecrets]

Well, there's a location on this ship with written records... far too many to recite now, but I can point you in that direction later.

[The lecture hall, that is.]

There's also apparently a fleet made up of those who escaped previously... even if their efforts seem geared toward assisting us rather than finding ways back to their homes.

[watermarks]

[She nods slightly.] The interceptors. I heard about them.

[Nami was skeptical, but still, it was at least a different element than the Atroma's absolute control.]

I'd appreciate the direction to the written records, thank you.

[shroudedsecrets]

I see. What have you already heard?

[Haggar's skeptical about everything, but information was information, even if sharing it and obtaining it in this was was unusual.

As to the direction, she nods, but figures Katara wants a chance to finish up her work first before heading to that area.]

[watermarks]

[She shakes her head.]

Not much more than that - well, that, and that the spokespeople who interact with us from Atroma are [...in fear of their lives, Nami had said, but she couldn't quite bring herself to repeat that whole story] - very, very low in the organization's command. They have no true authority and they're seen as -- disposable.

[There, that was the best she could do.]

[shroudedsecrets]

That makes sense. It's just how a chain of command works.

[And given they were at the lowest level of it, that didn't seem likely to change soon.]

It sounds as if their survival depends on how little they divulge.

[watermarks]

It can be, if that chain of command is cruel. [It doesn't have to be.] People are not disposable. I know commanders who like to say that 'sacrifices must be made,' but I've noticed that the people saying it are often not the ones actually losing anything.

[HELLO Third Party members, and how are you today?]

And that's possible. [Sigh.] Although if the Atroma are really as powerful as everything seems to imply, and they really are no where near us, it makes me wonder why they have to be so careful.

[She hates smart enemies, they're so annoying.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[Oh Katara.

Oh, oh Katara. One could almost feel called out by remarks like that. Almost. ]

It's likely they weren't always organized like this. Something could have changed, if these so-called cycles of "broadcasting" had gone on for as long as has been implied. The question is what sort of benefit do they gain from it... and perhaps, what do they have to lose.

[Everyone has something to lose.]

[watermarks]

That's a good point. [She sighs a little.] Money and power, right? That's why people produce things, usually, beyond just basic necessities. I think it's pretty safe to assume they're making a profit off of this show, considering all the resources they're putting into it...

[But if that's what they have to gain... she wonders what a people who would use others like this would have to lose?]

[shroudedsecrets]

If anything, one would think that they were losing resources by keeping the ship indefinitely on this path. If they were looking for something, they wouldn't be so fixed. Why involve others at all...

[It was curious. The empire had never really hid their purpose from anyone.]

There's definitely a hidden objective here. If only there was an effective way to draw it out...

[Well, she can think of methods that she could use, but the inital results did not do her any favors.]

[watermarks]

[Katara frowns a little. She honestly was willing to accept 'pointless evil' as an option, due to years of the Malnosso laughing at their experiments.

...though the Malnosso'd also had a reason for their experiments so... maybe.]

...I mean, maybe. That'd almost be better than just being used for entertainment. At least that way, we might be able to find a lever.

[shroudedsecrets]

[If there's one thing she's perplexed by in all of this, it's that entertainment angle.]

It's worth looking into. If they didn't have a weakness somewhere, they wouldn't be so careful to hide. So it's a matter of waiting for the moment they do slip up...

[watermarks]

Everybody has weaknesses. [Even multidimensional "teennappers".] And everybody makes mistakes. [There's a hard glint in her eyes that indicates these statements, which could be encouraging platitudes offered to a child, have quite the opposite meaning. Katara is accustomed to watching and waiting; waiting is not giving up, waiting is living with anticipation.] It's just a matter of being able to recognize it and take advantage of it when it happens.

[shroudedsecrets]

[Katara understands patience. It's interesting to note that in her. In another reality, that might have been... quite the quality.]

Indeed. The more of ... us, who have eyes open, the better.

[Even if she'd rather be working than waiting, she certainly understood the benefits of patience as well.

...Also coming from a woman about to have a staring contest with a cat, but there you go.]

You've had experience with it.

[watermarks]

[Yeah, the hesitation on 'us', along with certain other aspects of this conversation are raising Katara's Creep-o-Meter. She thinks she'll find her own way to the archive, honestly.]

Too much. [But she doesn't intend to share that with a woman who has yet to tell Katara her name.

She sighs a little and glances back to her garden.] And unless I get taken home sometime soon, it looks like I'm about to get more.

[shroudedsecrets]

So it seems.

[She wasn't asking for details, really, as someone who didn't like going into her own. It was more observation. She glances up toward the entrance of the garden, and back over to Katara. Hmm.]

Perhaps it's time for a little direction.

[watermarks]

[Not from you it isn't was her immediate, reflexive thought. Because it takes her a moment to realize that Haggar is talking about giving her directions to the record room, and not going to attempt to give her direction.

And when she realizes Haggar's intent... she decides to stick with her gut.] I think I'd like to finish up here before moving on to anything else. Which way did you head out to the records room?

[shroudedsecrets]

Of course.

[She understands, really; she's seen the despair and desperation of many a person, and never quite empathized with them given her position. Even now, it was still difficult... but the situation made some things necessary.

Besides, she doesn't have a plan in mind, nor is she quite certain of Katara just yet, herself. However she wasn't certain what to make of this garden, she was very out of her element, there.]

If you wind yourself down the inner rooms, it's known as the Lecture hall. The paperwork is concealed there, but with a careful eye you should be able to find it. Digital records apparently have been erased before, so they no longer rely on that method.

[She still finds it difficult to get used to, but considering the monitoring that's going on, it makes more sense to rely on physical copies.

And look, she's helping a mutual effort by sharing intel, does that count for anything, regardless of her own desire for privacy?]