driftfleet | [ audio ]

Entry tags:

[ audio ]

Who: Clark Kent and you.
Broadcast: Fleetwide.
Action: Aboard the Marsiva.
When: The week of his arrival.

I don't suppose I could click my heels three times. . . [ Only Clark gets his little joke. ]

I'll keep this brief. My name is Clark - I'm from Kansas.

[ He's been the new guy at work often enough to sound chill about this, but he is feeling a little shaky having woken up here in the middle of his workday. To top it off, not being able to hear his mother's heartbeat is jarring.

There's some stress baking in Clark's future. ]

What do you make of this place? I'm curious to know how it compares to where you come from.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[he'll switch to audio too ~~for player convenience~~]

I mean, we go to the Moon and Mars, but that's like - newer. And only folks with money to spare. [a hum] I'm from Earth, yeah. Detroit. Hear Kansas is real nice this time of year.

We haven't reached Mars yet.

[ He's going to avoid the nasty first contact situation he was recently involved in. ]

I hear the same about Michigan. What's your name?

You're not missing out on much.

[he was never into space as a kid, and as an adult he just doesn't care. At least, until now - and that's only because he has to]

It's all right, I guess. Name's Ben - nice to meet you, Clark.

[ Clark can't see how anyone is really missing out when they get to travel in space, but he can find out the story behind this later. ]

You too, Ben. Have you been here long?

Me? Nah, only been here a month and a half or so. [he's still pretty new, even if it's felt like a long time] Showed up right in the middle of the last place we stopped.

Anyone else you know from home here too, or just you?

Just me. How about you? Anyone you know come calling yet?

Not that I know of.

Ah. Sucks, but probably for the best. [less shit to worry about, honestly, or at least that's how he feels about it]

I suppose so.

[ He can't really stand the thought of Lois or Ma going through this.

Time to change the subject. ]

What did you do at home, Ben?

[don't worry, he doesn't want to think about it on his end too much either, so he goes happily with the subject change]

Private investigator. A certified one, if that means anything. [it hasn't so far, but you never know] What about you?

It does.

I'm a journalist.

Yeah? For a newspaper, or - ?

Yeah, The Daily Planet, if you've heard of it.

It sounds vaguely familiar? I dunno, might have heard of it if you guys distribute in Michigan or Ohio - where I grew up.

It's a global paper. . . but I realise we might not be from the same Earth.

I don't - uh, read the global ones. But that's a good point, for all I know I'm remembering wrong.

How's being a journalist? Got a friend who does the journalist thing, too.

I just started. . . I think it's going to work out.

How're you finding your job?

That's good. Better than thinking it's gonna go to shit. [...] I'd wish you luck but it's kind of pointless at the moment.

I've been doing mine for five years now - I like being my own boss. I was a cop before that, but it didn't work out.

You could anyway. I don't think I stop being a journalist or you stop being a private eye just because we're in space.

I mean, if the circumstance pops up yeah, I'll do my job, but there ain't a lot of crime going on here. Y'know, aside from the mass kidnapping of everyone.

Yeah, I don't see a newspaper around, either.

Could start one. Might be 90% gossipy bullshit, but I bet it'd be popular.

I'm not one for the BuzzFeed clickbait.

Still. . . if it's worth a shot.

What, you're not into top ten lists full of stupid gifs? [...] See now I gotta ask what year it is for you back home, 'cuz Buzzfeed is still around in my time.

But in all seriousness, it could be. Could poll the masses and see what other folks think.