Dumpster World Mingle

[passingthrough]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Always possible one will sneak in
Action: TRASH PLANET! aka The Baruut System
When: October 2018

[When life gives you garbage, make projects of varying scopes and sizes! Site see in the lovely trash-covered vistas. Make a racing pod thing or go gambling. And remember the first rule of arena fighting is... not the face? Actually, I'm not sure if there are rules, but you can talk about it. It's pretty public anyway.

Enjoy your landfill of a system!]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

I'm sure they would be. Makes sense that just because something's rare on Earth, that doesn't mean it's rare on other planets or for other cultures.

[Not that Natasha's especially concerned with the monetary value. She follows his meaning, the value of the information.

Information he's in a better position to access than her, for the most part.]

It's quite an investment.

[unbearablynaive]

I still have yet to find any vibranium, however. [Honestly? Probably for the best.]

It has come to my attention that my ship has been without a security officer for entirely too long, and that would put us at a distinct disadvantage in a space battle.

[There's a bit to unpack in there: it's still his ship even if he's not the captain, there's no mention of being at disadvantage in a hand-to-hand situation, and--well, he was in part developed by Stark Industries. The Vision has all of Tony's practical and theoretical data about weapons systems.]

[outstandingbalance]

[It's a step to the side, but one which Natasha follows. She can understand the concern, certainly.]

Are you thinking you're going to do something about that? Try to recruit a security officer from another ship.

[unbearablynaive]

To do something about it, yes. Though I would feel a bit guilty recruiting additional people to the Twin Roses when so many other ships are even more understaffed.

[He smiles a bit.]

I'd rather not be at the whims of the Atroma when it comes to defending ourselves.

[outstandingbalance]

No, why would you. [Why would anyone?] I've been wondering about that—how many ships seem to be short of crew now. More than when I first got here.

[unbearablynaive]

I remember when there were so many passengers, the Blameless appeared to house the extras. As for what's different between now and then?

[He shrugs.]

The Atroma's motivations and actions are even more opaque to me than that of humans from our own society, I'm afraid.

[outstandingbalance]

You're not wrong about that. Still... puts me on edge. There's a lot here we don't understand.

I'll try not to get to antsy at you about it.

[As though Natasha gets antsy at anyone.]

[unbearablynaive]

[He smiles a bit, because she really doesn't seem to get antsy at people.]

No, and I agree there's still too much we don't understand. As always we cannot predict with any level of certainty what will happen next.

[Just like in real life back home.]

Though I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying this odd vacation at the dump.

[outstandingbalance]

Words I never expected to hear. The way you talk about it, though, it starts making sense.

[Which is sort of sweet, actually.]

And who's not going to like donuts?

[unbearablynaive]

[He, so she's heard about Vash's donut machine? He's not surprised.]

They'll make excellent trade fodder, if we can replicate the recipe for donut powder. And, I suppose, if we can distract Vash from them for long enough.

[outstandingbalance]

[That gets a chuckle out of her.]

Always nice to add another luxury to the fleet, for the drift.

[unbearablynaive]

We've not been subject to any particularly long drifts since I've returned. Has there been one recently, that you recall?

[outstandingbalance]

Not especially long. For the most part, the drifts haven't been especially notable. [Which doesn't mean there hasn't been some action or drama, just that they haven't seemed pivotal or abnormally long.] At least not that I've noticed.

[unbearablynaive]

[He nods and then lets out a rueful huff.]

We must be traveling in some sort of faster-than-light bubble during a Drift, I think. Otherwise it would take us entirely too long to get to another system, even in the densest part of the galaxy. And yet even as an engineer, I couldn't tell you for certain how it works. I know how to repair the engines, should they go on the fritz, and I can tell if they're working properly or not. But as for the mechanism I'm completely befuddled.

[He gestures to the pile of junk he's gathered up.]

Hence, the drive to make something I do understand completely, which is under our direct control.

[outstandingbalance]

It's comforting to have something to work on that plays by the rules you're used to.

[Natasha can sympathize with that. She felt like that sometimes facing off against spies and politicians—nice break from aliens.]

Well, there's plenty here to fix.

[unbearablynaive]

Precisely. I'll take whatever control I can get.

[Natasha's skillset isn't one that comes into play terribly much here, is it? They may encounter alien spies and politicians from time to time, but it's not the same.]

Do you miss it? Having rules you're used to.

[outstandingbalance]

All the time. But I try not to dwell on it too much.

[unbearablynaive]

[As expected.]

No, you're very good at taking the situation as it is rather than as you wish it were.

[It's one of her qualities he admires most, actually.]

[outstandingbalance]

You miss a lot if you do it the other way. I don't have enough time to waste it wishing for things I can't have.

[unbearablynaive]

[He looks a wee bit rueful at that.]

Yes, well, I think I have that covered for the team most of the time.

[Says mister hey-wouldn't-it-be-cool-if-I-were-human.]

Though I'd like to think I have it better managed here than I do at home.

[outstandingbalance]

Honestly, I don't have any complaints. Here or at home.

[unbearablynaive]

I'm glad to hear it.

[And he's damnably sincere about it, too.]