video;

[unbearablynaive]

Who: The Vision
Broadcast: Video from the planet's surface
Action: Locked to Wanda
When: Now

[This video opens up with a view of a sea of dunes stretching out as far as the eye can see, lit only by the stars above. Some of those stars are moving about in a lively fashion - space traffic, though even the large stations are no more than points of light from this distance. Then the camera pans over to view some shadowy but dramatic rock formations - sandstone or a similar sedimentary rock, though it's hard to tell without more light. The voice narrating the scene has a gentle tone and a British accent, almost like a nature documentary. It's only very slightly muffled by the helmet he's wearing.]

A desert planet is hardly unusual. It's the most common type of rocky exoplanet according to the science in my time. Yet here we see several signs that this was not - and need not always be - the case. Look at the gentle curves in the rocks and the way the sand forms dunes. These are signs of more wind and water than the planet has. Did it have a stronger gravitational pull when it was younger? Did its atmosphere bleed off over time? Are these problems that could be fixed, with the right resources and engineering?

And would that effort destroy the view of the stars above? [He focuses the video a little more on the sky. Granted, they can see the stars any time from their own ships, but there's something about being on a planet that makes it different. The perspective, perhaps? A field of infinite stars is enough that the mind loses its focus unless there's something to compare it to, something to give it context.]

It might. Or it might allow even more people to see their beauty.

It's worth a look if you, like me, find the walls and ceilings too enclosing at times. But do wear your protective gear or you won't make it far outside a shuttle. This planet isn't for the unprepared.

[The view sweeps back to the dunes again, where it rests for a few moments before blinking out.]



[The Vision clicks off the communicator feed and smiles over at Wanda. He's in a full exosuit - he wouldn't need it if he decided to stay intangible throughout the trip, but then he wouldn't be able to grab a couple rocks as souvenirs. Or hold her hand through the gloves as they fly, because here is a space meant for such things.

And he really has missed flying.]

Shall we go to the top of that spire? It looks broad enough for the both of us.

Comments

action!

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda is...not a fan of the exosuit, to put it lightly. It's heavy and constricting, it makes her clumsy, and if not for her powers she's pretty sure this wouldn't be half as enjoyable an experience as it is.

Because for the first time since she was brought here, there's room to fly.

She hovers instead of walking, keeping hold of Vision's hand as a tether. Neither of them are really at risk of floating away, but it makes her feel better and Vision doesn't seem to mind.]

All right. [She turns a little, and she hopes he can see her smiling through her helmet.] I'm ready when you are.

[unbearablynaive]

[Oh yes, he sees that smile. And he can hear it in her tone, even if he has to look elsewhere for some reason.

He gives her a nod as a signal and then they're off, zipping through the thin atmosphere and into the wild black yonder of a planet at night. The air pressure is much less than Earth's, but the Vision doesn't have an issue with it - it's not different from decreasing his own density, in a way. Wanda might need a little bit to adjust, so he doesn't speed as fast as he could otherwise.]

This is far better than floating in the cargo bay.

[There's the top of the spire, and he perched on it to see if the view is any different.]

[seeingscarlet]

[The only thing that could make this better is the feel of the wind in her hair, Wanda thinks. The view of the stars (and the various ships passing by) is stunning, and even thought the exosuit feels confining the overall freedom of movement is exciting.

...maybe a little too exciting. Between the differing gravitites and her own exhilaration Wanda stumbles when she lands, instinctively reaching out with her free hand to steady herself against him.]

S-sorry.

[She'll get used to it eventually, it's just going to take a few times before she gets the landing force right. But the view from here...]

Oh. This is... [halp what are words]

[unbearablynaive]

[The Vision catches her easily (it's easy when half your attention is on the person you're with instead of the sights you're supposedly here to enjoy) with an arm around her waist, steadying her on the perch.] It's a bit uneven here. Be careful.

[But then he smiles warmly at her reaction and looks out at the view for himself. Almost anywhere on this planet would give a dramatic view, but this spot where the dune sea and the rocks meet is particularly breathtaking.]

It's strange. Every time we look out of the windows on a ship, we're seeing into the infinite. But here, with something for the eye to focus on, it seems so much larger.

[He's also not removing his arm from steadying her until she's ready to move again. Definitely for stability's sake, and not because he feels warmth even through the exosuits (it's psychosomatic, he's pretty sure).]

Now let's see--ah. [He points up to a slowly moving speck in the sky.] I believe that's our ship.

[seeingscarlet]

We aren't drifting. It feels...different. More grounded, less like a dream.

[All the sights here take her breath away. Wanda's only 'vacations' have consisted of the Avengers trying to coax her out of her room (often to the city) or incidental sightseeing after a mission. It was nothing like this, and this is how Wanda knows this isn't all some bizarre nightmare - she could never have dreamed up anything this wonderful.

When he points out one of the ships, Wanda forgets and almost tries to rise onto her toes, but the thick boots of the exosuit prevent her. Luckily she doesn't wobble this time.]

I wish I could see that well. Most of them look the same to me. [Aside from the lights that are very obviously differently-colored, of course.]

[unbearablynaive]

[He chuckles. His sight is better than a human's, but not by that much.] Oh, from this distance, they all do look the same. But the shuttle is sending a signal to a specific location, and I can extrapolate based off that.

[His gaze drifts back over to Wanda. It's so good to see her happy like this, and the extra buoyancy granted by having the freedom of a planet below their feet isn't hurting, either. He squeezes her hand enough to feel through the suits.]

Would you like to stand here and look a little longer, or go visit a few of the other rock formations?

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda laughs lightly and squeezes Vision's hand back.]

It's so wonderful. I want to see all of it.

[Even if that's not a physically attainable goal...as much of it as possible will do. And it's always nice to spend some time doing something fun together.

Some odd emotion stirs in her chest and she has to look away from him back out at the scenery. There's another spire across an impressive valley they could easily fly to.]

What about that one?

video

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha, when she appears on his comm, is looking a little better than before. A little. More rested, at least. More collected.

Not less sad, though she has it tamped down better.]

Seems like you're feeling especially poetic today.

video

[unbearablynaive]

[For his part, the Vision is just happy to be on a planet again, even if it's a desolate one like this. He loves the ships, but he's much more used to having full run of a place nowadays.]

Planetary geology will do that to a person, I'm afraid. I don't suppose you'd care for any souvenir rocks, or perhaps some sand?

[No, Natasha's more of a space station kind of person, he thinks. All those people to get lost in and around suits her better than this kind of desolate landscape.]

[outstandingbalance]

I'll take your word for it. It's never done that for me, but could be I'm just not much of a poet. [Or a geologist, planetary or otherwise.] Sounds nice, though. Sounds like you're enjoying the system.

[He's not wrong about Natasha preferring the station. Both the crowds, and also the atmosphere. Being able to breathe without a containment suit.]

[unbearablynaive]

I find it more likely you're inspired by different things. I know there's poetry in you, Natasha.

[Just, sometimes it gets expressed by choking someone with her thighs instead of by cinematography.]

I am, I think. Though nothing will top my memories of the hand-holding planet, if you remember that one. [With the giant wishing tree and all the forest life and the fluff slugs. Because the fluff slugs were great.]

[outstandingbalance]

That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

I do remember that one. [Natasha has less fond memories of the slugs. The trees weren't so bad though, and the people.]

Don't suppose we can get you back off the planet for a little face to face?

[unbearablynaive]

I am in a rather good mood.

[He looks down from the camera to check...something or other.] We've a few hours of energy left in these suits, but I'll be returning to the Fleet once that runs out. Where would you like to meet?

[Video]

[padadin]

[Shiro watches the video from start to finish, curiosity obvious in his eyes. While his bedrest is over, he's still getting used to his new body, so he's taking it easy for now. Which means no exploring a planet that requires some safety measures.

That means Vision's streaming is more than welcome, especially when he starts to narrate. That sure hits this astroexplorer's heart!]

Thank you for the view. It truly is wonderful. [A smile! This is such a nice thing in the middle of the pirate mess.] The locals said that terraforming of this planet has been attempted before with no success, but I don't think it's impossible. It probably requires more effort than some people are willing to put on a desert planet.

[Video]

[unbearablynaive]

It is my pleasure.

[He swings the camera back around, so now there's a maroon-skinned man in an exosuit with the planet's landscape in the background.]

I must say, I don't know the details of the terraformation projects as well as I could, which makes it difficult to know for certain. If it's the kind of process that doesn't have results for decades or centuries, every planet would be worth converting to build for the future. But if it's the sort of thing one can reasonably expect to finish in one's own lifetime, easier projects would take priority. Humans in particular are very focused on seeing results rather than incremental progress.

[padadin]

[The man's looks don't shock him - Shiro has seen enough not-humans by now, both at home and here. It's still curious, though, how he comments on human behavior. This will be an interesting conversation.]

The amount of time required depends on the environment of the planet of your interest, how much work it needs and the resources available to do such work. From what we've learned around here, most of the time, powerful companies are the ones doing the funding. So you're correct in that aspect, they expect results soon. [He watches Vision for a second, thinking if that is a comment on human needing things done quickly, and it makes him wonder-] Is your race long lived?

[unbearablynaive]

[He nods along with the explanation - it makes plenty of sense, especially if it's corporations in charge.]

For example, it would be easier to introduce water if there are several comets already in the system? Though even so, I would imagine one would need a powerful motivator to terraform a desert planet. Some rare resource, perhaps, or a favorable location served better by a planet than a series of stations.

[He tilts his head and grins a little.] If there were more than one of me, I might be able to answer that for you. I'm afraid I'm quite unique.

[padadin]

That is, if the comet's water matches the kind the terraformers need. In my solar system, from all of the Jupiter-family comets, only Hartley 2 has water like Earth's. [Someone is a space nerd and this conversation is watering his crops and cleaning his skin, really.] Terraforming for new territory isn't unheard of, but resources are usually the main reason.

[Shiro raises his eyebrows at that. For a moment he wonders if he's unique because of bad reasons - is his race extinct? But considering the grin and inability to answer, it seems that's not the case. Now he's curious!] Is it okay to ask what are you?

[unbearablynaive]

Is that so? What other kind of water might it have? Deuterated, or perhaps a great deal of contaminants of some kind? It's almost entirely theoretical on my Earth, but there are other sections of the galaxy that are far more heavily populated. I'm sure they'd know more. [Look, nerds are the best. He can ramble on forever about science.]

I'm an android. [For once he doesn't preface it with "if you've ever heard of that".] That in itself might not be so unusual, but between the vibranium infusion and this stone [he taps his forehead, and the yellow gem set there glows briefly] it allows for a far more complex program than any other current system can handle. Vibranium is our Earth's rarest material, and the Mind Stone is unique.

video;

[rheecon]

[ He hasn't spoken to Vision before - he hasn't been here very long and has been a bit overwhelmed, so there are plenty of people he hasn't spoken to yet - but this on his feed is fairly remarkable. So he stops to watch it, and eventually reaches out in response. ]

You're right. Once you get past the shock, it is enclosing, being stuck on ships and shuttles.

And that view is... like nothing I've ever seen.

[ In a good way, really. ]

video;

[unbearablynaive]

Not everyone has the pleasure of taking their homes with them when they travel, it's true, but we need to stretch our legs now and again. I'm certain that's why they allow us to visit other systems so often.

[His tone is dry at first, but it warms up as he gives another sweeping view of the dune sea.]

It's beautiful, isn't it? The light is truly fantastic. Though I admit, I generally prefer a plenet full of life, it does one good to have this sort of endless vista about, to remind us that there is more space to spread about in.

video;

[rheecon]

Yeah... I mean, I'd never been off Earth before, so all of this is new.

[ He falls quiet a moment, watching the pan, eventually speaking up, softly. ]

There's a lot of beauty to be found in unexpected places, I think. And I agree, I'd definitely prefer some life too, but it's pretty incredible to see a world so... different.

video;

[unbearablynaive]

Welcome to a foreign planet, in that case. I hope you'll have the opportunity to see many more.

[His tone is warm - he likes sharing this kind of thing with people.] It's worth a visit, if you get the chance. The camera doesn't catch nearly the subtlety of the light here as the eye does. It makes me wish I could paint it.

video; ahh I'm so sorry for how late this is, I just got sick for a while there ;;

[rheecon]

Well, thanks.

[ There's a warm amusement there - it just isn't something he expected, exactly, to be welcomed to another planet. ]

You could always try, if you wanted to? At least to capture to colors, maybe.

video; no worries!

[unbearablynaive]

I'm very much a beginner in the field, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. At the very least I could do some color mixing, and perhaps some of the native rocks here could be processed for pigments. I do intend to sample a few of them before I return.

[If only he had more of a teacher than a few archived episodes of Bob Ross. What are you supposed to do when you can't fill the landscape with happy little trees?]

Regardless, it is breathtaking down here.