action + text.

[coinstability]

Who: Connor + you
Broadcast: Yes, fleetwide text
Action: Marsiva and the Starduck
When: November 2nd - 4th

the marsiva - action.

[Connor can't say that he likes waking up with no idea where he is or how he came to be there, but he'll concede that it's something different, at least. He rolls that concept around just long enough to get a look out of the viewing windows at the unfamiliar planets below before he gets to work.

The communicator is the obvious place to start, though Connor quickly realises that he can't bypass any of the security systems in the network. All he can do is scan through what's available. He does that over the course of a minute, frowning down at the device in his hand, before he pockets it and starts looking around the hospitality deck instead. Anyone coming across him there will find him in the process of placing his hand on various electronics and robotic equipment - the skin of his hand sliding away leaving only white plating - with an ever increasing look of mild frustration on his face, the LED on his temple spinning bright yellow.]

the starduck - action.

[Well, he knew it was coming thanks to the network information, but it's still startling when the sudden jump to another spaceship happens. Connor blinks with surprise, then takes a moment to brush the scattered confetti off his hair and jacket. The plate of pudding nearby gets only a passing glance before he leaves the bridge. He can't eat it, after all.

Instead he seeks out the other crew members of the Starduck, checking the other rooms until he finds someone.]

Hello. My name is Connor. I'm-- the newly assigned Communications officer on the ship.

[Nearly said something else there for a second before he caught himself. That's a habit he needs to break.]

fleetwide text.

I understand from going through the network that these communication devices sometimes activate on their own. Is there a pattern or cause for when they do this?

[He's got some theories himself, but the network isn't the full story. Best to get an idea from the actual people trapped here.]

Comments

[coinstability]

[The scoping out of the network was taking longer than Connor had anticipated, unfamiliar coding and staggering amounts of encryption making it far less simple than accessing a CyberLife network at home. It would take a lot more than a cursory look to get past the basic network - and he wasn't about to press his luck just now. When he investigates the Twin Roses and actually gets a ping back, he stops. So, someone's paying attention.

Connor's response is almost immediate in the way a human's can't be, not tied to physical keystrokes.]

My name is Connor. I'm a new passenger.

[He doesn't sign off with anything himself for now.]

[unbearablynaive]

[Oh, excellent. That explains the curiosity, and the Vision sends a quick burst with the basic information about his ship - current roster, capabilities, and the interesting fact that it was once two different ships that managed to combine into one. Nothing one couldn't get from poking around, but he offers it up in an easy-to-find format. His reply is likewise very quick.]

Welcome to the Drift Fleet, Connor. Did you receive the Communications augment, or are you naturally curious about networks? Or both, though I'm the latter alone.

[coinstability]

[This must be another android, a thought that does relieve some small bit of stress. Connor's relationships with other androids at home have been ... tumultuous, to say the least, but they're still his people. He chose to stand with them. The idea that he might have been the only android in this Fleet was disconcerting.

The information is parsed just as fast, and Connor takes it for what it is: helpful information on one specific topic.]

It's both. The system here isn't one I've ever seen before.

[True, he hasn't routinely needed to break into networks in Detroit, CyberLife usually giving him the access required. That's all in the past though.]

It would make sense if it's truly alien in nature.

[unbearablynaive]

["Naturally curious about networks" means either a hacker or a fellow computer person, either of which is welcome as far as he's concerned. Could be an AI transplanted into a human body or a cybernetically enhanced human, though. Hard to tell with this place.]

The encryption coding here has nothing in common with any Earth systems I've encountered. I'm from New York in 2018. Yourself?

[coinstability]

[In real time, Connor's brow furrows as he stares at the communicator. 2018 could be an activation date, but "I'm from" implies something else entirely. Something which should be beyond the bounds of possibility. As he looks around the spaceship he's currently trapped on, however, Connor has to accept that his knowledge might be limited in this area.

Not a feeling he's all that familiar with.]

Detroit, Michigan. The year is 2038. Are you saying 2018 is the year you were taken from?

[This feels like such an absurd question to ask. But there's another way to check that, Connor realises. If the other is telling the truth, then Cyberlife would have only just been founded and the first RT600 was still years away.

So this time Connor appends his model and serial number to the message:
RK800 #313 248 317 - 53.]

[unbearablynaive]

[He's pleased to see the serial number, confirming his earlier guess as to this one's nature. Not a format he's familiar with, though.]

Yes, that's correct. You may have seen something to the effect of different timelines that passengers are pulled from?

In mine, New York City was attacked by aliens in 2012. A piece of technology found in the rubble was used to create AI more advanced than anything the world had yet seen; I am its ultimate result.

[coinstability]

[No outright recognition. Any android from his own home would know how to read that number, even if they were from the past. It's not confirmation... but it's a start.]

I've seen some references to it, though believing it is another matter. It shouldn't be possible based on what science has achieved so far.

So the course of your world's technology was changed by outside interference.

[This is wild. The only reason Connor's entertaining this as a scenario is because ... well, he's already in space through unknown means. His frames of reference have been left back in Detroit, it seems. All this coming a mere day after becoming a deviant; itself a huge shift in perspective.

It's going to be a long day.]

[unbearablynaive]

Yes, that's it exactly. All the phenomena unique to my timeline can be traced directly to outside interference. [Between the Infinity Stones, the Asgardians, and probably other galactic forces that aren't well-known (look, he's hacked the old SHIELD servers in his spare time, it's a thing), the only example of something developed entirely by humans without some kind of exterior influence he can think of is the Pym particle, and even then Dr. Pym was so secretive there might have been something else there as well.]

It's easiest to accept if one looks at the multiverse explanation - that the barriers between worlds are thin, and can be traversed with enough power. Wormhole theory, advanced quantum physics - what's holding them back on my Earth is a suitable environment for study and an efficient power source. Consider the size of the Marsiva and the advanced state of technology available here, and imagine what might be accomplished if those barriers had been surpassed by previous research.

[coinstability]

I'll admit this isn't my area of expertise. [Quantum physics rarely comes into play when investigating murders.] I do agree though that the matter of available resources can hinder progress in those areas among others.

What you're saying then is these Atroma have succeeded in breaching these multiverse barriers and use this ability to abduct people from different universes.

[There's a very short pause before he follows that up with:]

For the purposes of a reality television show in space.

[That's the part that beggars belief, when put in contrast with everything else.]

[unbearablynaive]

That's the most likely explanation, yes.

[And yeah, it sounds real dumb. But consider: the things humans do for entertainment normally.]

Though it's generally best to ignore the "reality" aspect and do our best in the situation regardless.

[coinstability]

[Super dumb. Just like human entertainment, yeah.]

And what is your assessment of how best to handle the situation?

[unbearablynaive]

[Once again, the text comes without hesitation.]

Take everything from the Atroma with a grain of salt. There is no evidence they're being truthful with us.

The other passengers tend toward sincerity; treat them as you would any human when in doubt. They can be wonderful and they can be dangerous, but all have been taken from their home and most wish only to return. The most important thing to remember about the other passengers is that all of them are considered extraordinary in some fashion. Do not discount them.

[coinstability]

[He's not entirely sure what to make of treating any human like he would in normal circumstances. Right now, that invokes caution. Given the android rebellion he's just participated in, Connor would be wary of just about any human he came in contact with, except for Hank. And before that, every human he knew was dismissive of him at best, and hostile at worst.]

I understand. I have no doubt I will encounter them soon enough once I'm transferred to one of the other ships.

[unbearablynaive]

[Caution is not unreasonable, and is definitely better than trusting them outright. But then, there are some AI who are programmed to automatically help any human who asks, and who is the Vision to tell those types to go against their programming?

...A more advanced AI who can help them alter that programming, that's who.]

Don't be surprised if you encounter nonhumans as well. There are many worlds represented here.

[coinstability]

[A short pause while Connor cross-references some of the videos he's seen on the network.]

In theory that's not surprising given we're in space and far from Earth. In practice I think it will still be surprising to see.

[Aliens and fantasy creatures. Beings that he has absolutely no information on at all. That's honestly... a little exciting, if also unnerving.]

[unbearablynaive]

[That's fair enough. All he can do is give a heads-up.]

Even so, the majority of passengers are humans form Earth. However, they are rarely from the same Earth, and even then it's unlikely for them to be from the same moment in time.

If you come up with any questions about all that, I'd be happy to answer based on my own experiences.

[coinstability]

As is the case with you and me.

Thank you - I appreciate that. I'm sure I'll have more later, once I've been able to investigate more thoroughly.

[unbearablynaive]

Precisely so.

You are most welcome. I've quite missed having another "computer person" around, to be perfectly honest.

[coinstability]

Are there no others in the Fleet?

[unbearablynaive]

Not currently, no. Although I suppose there could be if they were hiding it extremely effectively.

There have been others in the past, however. One particularly sad example was someone who had been a disembodied AI at home, forced into a human body here. It seemed terribly inconvenient and restrictive for him.

[coinstability]

I can't imagine how that would work, and I don't think I want to.

[It sounds downright horrible.]

I'm glad I'm not the only one here though. I've never been in a situation where other androids weren't present.

[unbearablynaive]

With a great deal of unhappiness for everyone involved, I think.

[Yeah no, it was the worst. But better Connor should know it as a possibility before another round of augment glitches strikes. The Vision has (luckily) never been turned into a human himself, but other nonhumans certainly have.]

May I ask how widespread it is in your society? I am a novelty and stand out in any crowd, though less so here even without other androids; there are many others who are visibly nonhuman, each in different ways.

[coinstability]

Androids are ubiquitous in the United States. They're present in most industries and many homes. I can't give an estimate on their numbers however.

[In the wake of the android demonstrations, many of them had been imprisoned and destroyed. Only the efforts of Markus had prevented a complete annihilation. How many survived through to the day Connor last remembers being at home is unknown. It sits unpleasantly enough with Connor, without going through the task of explaining it to another so soon afterwards.]

[unbearablynaive]

[That gets a pause of a few seconds - very noticeable.]

I would imagine there is some change in the manufacturing process to drive the cost down, then. I know for a fact several billion dollars were spent in my creation.

[coinstability]

[Plenty of time for Connor to wonder if he's said something potentially awkward or unfortunate. Of course, Connor knows the unfortunate parts of his statement. But he has no sense of what might give Vision pause over it, other than surprise at how prolific androids are where Connor is from.]

Does Thirium exist where you're from?

[It's a critical factor in android production for CyberLife. They wouldn't be anywhere near as advanced or numerous without it.]