driftfleet | the white noise is deafening silence

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the white noise is deafening silence

[In the very early hours of January 20th, as the Marsiva and her captives drift nonchalantly through the depths of the universe, there is a call. Every single personal communicator and console springs to life, spitting out a stream of indecipherable static and showing only gray snow on screen. It continues like this for a few seconds longer, going black and then going staticky, and then the signal switches to the encrypted channel generally used for speaking to the Interceptors when something big goes down.

This is a little more successful. The voice may be familiar to some, at least through the static.]

Zhade here! I trust I ███ your attention? I'm having some ██▓▓ble ██tting through. Some of the ░▓██▓█ are missing. I can't ░▓▓▓ read on their loc█████ns. [A particularly long burst of static.] ███stening. I'll s█▓▓█ more inf██▓▓▓▓▓█ I get it.

Stay sharp! [There's the sound of someone actually doing the fingerguns wink noise, and then static.

Any messages sent back won't get through, and Zhade isn't there to answer.]

[ A blip of lost time passes right after those words, before every passenger mysteriously wakes alone in their own unfamiliar room. The style of decor resembles that of the Marsiva's Hospitality Deck, if any passengers should remember what that's like. It sounds and smells the same as the host ship as well, all clean and chrome.

Welcome back to the Marsiva, dear passengers. It's time for round three of calibrations. ]

[ This mingle will cover all non-calibration room interactions. Please continue to come back to it for the duration of the plot! You are, of course, free to post any other mingles/posts/etc. that you'd like. ]

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I think it's a disease?

[He's heard the term, knows it's something you get on a boat, but maybe it's a fish? He's not a sailor and he's never slept with one or cared to talk to them about their jobs if he had. But honestly, he's just as in the dark as Thor on that point.

Taako shrugs and reaches a hand out to flick the water lazily, smirking as Thor relaxes. He's seen the god in his swim clothes before, but the view never gets any less impressive no matter how many times he's been able to catch a glimpse. Bless Darkvision. Even in grayscale, Thor's hot as hell.]

Well snap - we have Sirens in our world too. They're, uh, related to merpeople, I think? Fuckers can't get me because they're all women, but I hear they're vicious as hell. You might wanna be careful if you ever come up against them, handsome. You're basically a full course luxury meal to them.

[Thor just snorts.]

They wouldn't ensnare me. I'm mightier than they are.

[Might isn't how a contest against Sirens is measured, but Thor's bullish on his own abilities regardless.]

I've not heard of them before, so at least it's interesting to read about. Most of the other books here are awful.

If you like women and have ears, they can 'ensnare' you, m'dude.

[Although maybe Thor's Wisdom stat is high enough, who knows. Maybe he'll roll really well when it comes to his saving throws. One can hope because he isn't sure he knows anyone who can stop Thor from getting where he wants to go.

Taako reaches into the water and lazily flicks his fingers across the surface of it, sending ripples out. With a smirk, he leans in and lets the sarcasm drip off his tongue.]

And you mean you don't like all the goopy romance novels and children's books? Come now, they're "high literature."

On some planets, maybe. Not on mine.

[He may not be the biggest book reader around, but his standards are still Asgardian. They're very high. And 'Hop on Pop' doesn't make the cut. He waves a hand dismissively, cutting an arc through the water.]

[Come on, Thor. Goodnight, Moon is a masterpiece!!!

Taako snickers and then looks mildly offended.]

And if I tell you it is on mine?

[Leaning back on his elbow, Thor considers Taako with deep seriousness.]

Then that is very unfortunate for you.

[Maybe not that serious.]

Savage. I knew there was a reason I liked you.

[Taako grins and gives Thor a thumbs up for his answer. Stamp of approval, that was a good one.]

But I wouldn't have pegged you for the reading when bored type. [At least, he hadn't had a lot of books in his mindscape, unlike Loki.] This just because there's no gym here on this dumb ship and you're tired of throwing things around, or there some deeper meaning to it?

It's not my favourite thing to do, no.

[He'll readily admit that much. Books were much more Loki's thing than his own. He shrugs, a little ambivalent.]

I have occasionally. There is little else to do here, waiting for that stupid timer to run out.

Pfft yeah, that thing.

[He tries, and fails, to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He's seen a lot since this whole thing started and knows it, but remembering it? That was another thing. His memory has always been tricky, but since Refuge, Taako's become all too acutely aware that something is terribly wrong with it. He's generally able to ignore it and move on like a champ, but in this place, it's like the whole kit-n'-caboodle was laid out bare. He has no idea what people have been seeing in his head or who's been there, but he knows that there have been visitors and he doesn't like it.]

You ever been through this shitty song and dance before?

[Honestly, Thor can't blame the elf for the bitterness. He's less than impressed with the situation himself. What he's seen, what he's learned, and what others have seen of him - some of it's patchy, but he remembers a fair bit of it. It's upsetting to think that there could be other things that he doesn't remember, can't control. Thor's pretty open as a person... but he has his limits. Many of them related to his own failings.

Blowing out a breath, Thor turns to look in front of himself again, staring at the lines of the bathroom.]

No, and I swear I'll blow up this cursed ship before it has a chance to happen again.

Yeah, can we wait on that?

[Taako is cool with blowing it up, but not when he's on it. Or when he isn't sure there isn't going to be immediate retribution from their invisible overlords.]

Taako's not so cool with blowing up the place he's currently living.

[Which? Considering what he did on the Iskaulit is...probably pretty fucking rich coming from him, so he very quickly adds:]

Again.

I'm not going to blow it up while we're all on it.

[Thor would probably survive it, but almost no one else would. And however reckless Thor may get in his quests for vengeance, it's never at the expense of innocent lives. Those come first.]

After, though, no one's going to tell me otherwise.

Oh well after? Yeah, you go hog wild, my dude. Zap it with electricity, punch it into submission, uh, do whatever it is that gods do to smite the shit outta things.

[He's good out here though. No matter how much he hates what's happening? He's had his brush with the Atroma's power and until he finds a way around their blocks, he's not trying again.]

Tell me how it goes. I'd love to see the show.

You won't be able to miss it, I promise.

[There's a beat of silence then as Thor puts that frustration aside for later. There's still something else they should discuss, instead of just barely glancing off it.]

I was in yours, you know. Your dream thing.

[Taako had mentioned not knowing who saw what. Given what Thor already knows, he's not about to hide that fact from his friend.]

[He's about to laugh about the promise, make some snippy comment about how duh he can't miss it, the Marsiva is huge. But Thor's admission kills the mirth in his throat. He knows that people must have visited. The Atroma were too big of a dickbag organization to let him go scot-free, but a deep heavy dread collects in his stomach at meeting one of them.

He's already shared some stuff with Thor before in order to get his Pocket Spa, but the idea of not knowing what was exchanged bothers him. Taako barely catches himself before he frowns, flicking his fingers through the water of the jacuzzi idly. Time to play this smart - make it seem like not a big deal.]

Yeah? [That sounds casual, right? He hopes it sounds casual and not at all panic-stricken like he's trying not to be.] Well, full disclosure, I partied it up in yours, too.

Mm, I know. I remember bits of it.

[He shakes his head, frowning up at the dark ceiling. Still no lights. What a terrible operation these Atroma run. Shifting a little in the tub he returns his gaze to Taako.]

Nothing about what mine looked like, just conversations I had.

[Lucky him. Taako has the vaguest recollections of what was happening, but can't recall what or if people saw anything. He has a feeling it was with the traveling wagon though and that makes him uneasy. Nothing good could come out of that, not when the Atroma are involved.

Taako's very quick to look away when Thor turns to him, flicking the water idly like it's the most interesting thing in the universe. He's more than happy to talk about Thor's room because his? Yeah, he knows his was probably a big clusterfuck.]

Uh, yours was a big ol' throne room looking thing. Some kinda throne? Um... [He pops his lips a few times, thinking.] Some stairs. A, uh, big pool of black. Nothing too weird.

[There are aspects of what he can't remember that itch at Thor, moreso than what anyone saw. As far as he can remember, most didn't see anything too terrible. He hadn't thought much about what the place looked like - until this very moment, when Taako starts describing it.

He twists around fully again, bewilderment creasing his features.]

A what? A big pool of black isn't weird?

[What the hell is something like that doing in his mind? Even as he thinks that, though, some unconscious part of him flinches in recognition. It's unsettling in a way he can't fully understand.]

[Taako leans back when Thor whips around to face him, hands held up in mock surrender.]

Hey, my dude, it wasn't me who said it wasn't weird.

[Thor hadn't been pleased with it being there, but he also hadn't been all that bothered with its appearance either. Whatever it was, whatever darkness lay in his memories, he'd been rather fine with it, all things considered.]

Obviously you weren't happy with it being there, but you didn't seem all that concerned either.

[It's true, Thor doesn't remember being all that perturbed by anything. If that counts, within a dream state. He sighs, pushing it to the back of his mind.

Where it technically already exists, he supposes.]

Doesn't sound like something to be pleased with, no. But a throne room makes some kind of sense.

Yeah, you seemed pretty at ease with all the gold and glitter.

[And weirdly okay with all the death and violence in his memories. Thor had shrugged off Hela and those memories, not necessarily at peace with them, but just... nonplussed? He'd been pretty chill the entire time, despite what was being shown.]

You got one of those back home then? The throne thing, I mean.

[All he can do is shrug. Ostentatious showings of wealth never strikes Thor as strange, given his heritage.]

I grew up in Asgard's palace. Perhaps it was mimicking that.

[The throne, though... that conjures memories of a different sort. Shutting his eyes for a moment, Thor takes a breath and releases it, willing the images of fire and death away for the time being.]

I... no. I do not. Not anymore.

[That doesn't bother him so much as how it happened. The throne was just a stupid symbol, one that was darker and more twisted than he had thought as a child. What Thor had wanted was to start over, build that sort of thing up again without the history of war and conquest woven into the frame.

It had been a short-lived hope.]

[....That's...weird. Thor closes his eyes and takes a breath, like he's trying to center himself and Taako watches for a moment, coming back to the edge of the hot tub to lean his arms on it. There was a lot of bad shit going on in Asgard as he remembers. The details are hazy, but he recalls Hela, the eye thing, the fight - all of it pretty unpleasant - but he'd assumed Thor had won.

When he admits that he doesn't have it anymore, it's concerning. Thor wasn't supposed to lose.]

Uh, yeah, no doubt, must've been that.

[He arches one eyebrow slightly, but manages to bite back the frown itching to crawl up on his face.]

You uh...okay there, my dude? You look a little, mmmm dare I say? Muffled. No, that's not it. Miffed? Unsettled. That's it. You look unsettled.

[It strikes Thor that this isn't the most ideal place to have a conversation like this... but at the same time, he really couldn't give less of a damn. There's never a good place for this conversation. As if to rub in the irony, the ship chooses this moment to turn the lights back on.

Thor blinks a couple of times, then scowls up at the brightly shining lights.]

Took them long enough.

[Shaking his head, he settles back against the tub again, turning to look at Taako.]

If I am, I have been for a while. You saw Hela, right? [Thor has a clear enough idea of what memories people saw, at least.] That throne room, if that's what you mean - it's gone now. Asgard itself is gone.

[The lights flicker back on and Taako glances up at them instinctively, blinking owlishly in the sudden light. Adjusting his vision from the dim gloom to this stark fluorescent glare is hard, but at least when he's left blinking, he has an excuse for his weird expression when Thor goes and says that his home is gone.

How does an entire planet - because he's assuming it's a planet - just disappear?

And that's when something Lucas said - or rather that the creepy Red Robe had said comes back to him. A hunger that devours all life, a thick black tendril-like disk that slowly devours all of the planes, a cacophony of screams echoing in his ears from that horrific vision. Thanks for that, Red Robe.

He shakes his head slightly, and then rubs the back of his neck, averting his gaze from Thor.]

I'm gonna guess that when you say "gone," you don't mean "temporarily unavailable 404 error" type of gone...?

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