( tdm 12 )

[hownkai]

T E S T D R I V E

leavin’ on a jet plane "Don’t know when I’ll be back again." ABOARD THE MOIRA The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay. Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. Any questions you might have would be answered in a straightforward manner as well as an explanation about how the Ingress, the thing that has pulled you onto the Moira, is broken and bringing people here unintentionally. This process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand or wrist with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters. Whether adjusting to space travel has been difficult or not, there is always something to be done. From working to leisure, the Moira offers a multitude of opportunities to get to know your crewmates a bit better. Exploration of the ship is highly encouraged. You may notice a slight change in the artificial gravity every once in awhile; however, more noticeable changes can be found in overall morale of those of the crew. ☄ on your own There are plenty of other communal areas on the ship to explore! Pick a place, and see where it takes you. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) The day begins normally. Or almost. The Moira has accidentally fallen along the trajectory of an asteroid barreling its way through space. While most things like this are not uncommon, and the ship is far from any potential danger of collision or risk of debris damaging the exterior, there is something particularly odd about this specific occurrence. The rock itself appears to give off a strange light that is both eerie and alive. Often, if looked at in just the right manner, it will shift colors; so, while one person sees one side of the spectrum, someone else could see something entirely different. At first, things continue on as they usually do aside from the glowing asteroid alongside the Moira, but as the hours go on, that does not seem to be the case. ☄ the hours are breathing resignedly beneath the sky the melancholy waters lie With a rather open view of stars and space, thanks to the skylight above, the pool in the rec area suddenly comes alive beneath the light of the asteroid filtering in. Perhaps it’s some natural response to the chemical composition of the water, or perhaps it’s magic. Yet, regardless of the explanation, those who happen to take a dip suddenly find themselves plagued by despair. The depression and melancholy are not subtle changes either; it slams into you with great force, like a punch to the gut. The longer you remain in the pool, the deeper it grows, like an all-consuming paranoia that settles into the back of your mind and causes your heart to grow heavy. These strong feelings will eventually fade if you choose to leave the pool and dry off, but as long as you remain damp from the pool, those emotions will continue to linger. Even after you’re completely dry, there will be no mistaking just how intensely you felt or why. There is no explanation and might not be. Would you dare a second swim to test whether or not it was a fluke? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ those who have crossed the eyes are not here, there are no eyes here The walls are shrinking in. Every room you step into feels much too small, like there isn’t enough room to even breathe. A crowded place becomes startlingly empty, and no matter how much you run, how much you explore, there is no one there to comfort you or answer your calls for help. Hallucinations run strong between the lulls of obscene loneliness or claustrophobia, and exposure to the glow of the asteroid is really the only thing to thank for that. You’re desperate to claw your way out of the ship—open the emergency hatch in the Cargo Bay, bust the glass of the Observation Deck. What’s worse is that it’s not just you. It’s catching, and the fear of being next is very real. It feels like you’re being watched, that everyone around you is looking and seeing everything you are. Or are not. The only way to make it stop is to admit that you’re afraid of being seen, but who, in the deep madness of the self, has the courage to ever admit the truth? ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ the sun in flight rage, rage against the dying of the light Something has drifted its way onto the Moira from the outside. Unlike the faint luminosity they give off, they suck up all the light around them, making them the only source to see by. From far away, they are just flitting balls of light, but if you get close enough to inspect them, they are mean. And have sharp, sharp teeth. Go poking, and they will bite you before trying to fly away while taking that only light source with them. The option to avoid them is quite easy if you’re not the curious sort, but without them around, it will be impossibly dark. As the asteroid moves on in the opposite direction of the Moira, these light creatures begin to dissolve and fade away with it. However, a word of caution: their bites glow. If you don’t manage to find the one that bit you and capture it between your hands, the bite will become a permanent glowing fixture of your body. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) OUT OF CHARACTER INFO FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION For mature or graphic content, please label. For questions, please direct them to the FAQ. As always, be kind and have fun!

Comments

( aft observation deck )

[caelus]

[ Jim may not like this situation or this place much at the moment, but the company doesn't look half-bad. Neither does the view for that matter. A void with a generous scattering of new stars just waiting for someone to reach out and touch them. He stops a few steps off, so as not to encroach too far on the other person's bubble of space, and can't help a grin at the question. ]

Not a single one. Guess that's one good thing this place has going for it in my book.

[ Explorer at heart, whether he wanted to admit it at first to himself or not. Just pick a direction, point his cycle and go, back in the day. It's a little different with Starfleet's flagship, but it's still got the same principle. ]

[avicula]

( the company doesn't look half-bad, and dutch acknowledges him with a brief once-over and a slight smile. there's something in his grin that reminds her of johnny during some of their better missions, when the two of them were about to find some big treasure or get their hands on a lot of joy, or when johnny sees some tech he likes.

it's a good grin, that. )

Like looking at the stars? ( the question is casual, but she's hoping for more information on him. there's nothing to indicate that people in this place are hostile, but that doesn't mean none of them are responsible for getting dutch here, no matter what she's been told. she's going to reserve judgement for a while longer. )

[caelus]

[ Most days, he's got plenty where that one comes from. Apparently even on weird ships in a nowhere galaxy he's ever heard of. Whatever it is, and whatever the hell he's gotten himself into this time. ]

Always have. Used to climb out on my roof when I was a kid to look at them.

[ Course that had a sad bit attached to it, mostly in the case of he was usually doing that in order to get the hell away from his Uncle Frank and his ma fighting. ]

Now it's mostly me trying to get the new Astrometrics lab put in on my ship.

[ He can appreciate the need to know who it is you're dealing with, and he'd like to have words with whoever pulled him off his ship, himself. ]

You?

[avicula]

What kind of ship you got?

( dutch's words with whoever pulled her off lucy are going to start with shoving her gun in their face, but that's not something she's going to mention right now. her gun remains strapped to her thigh, and she isn't reaching for it now. if this one turns out to be hostile, dutch is pretty sure she can take him.

his question is answered with a shrug first, before her actual answer comes. ) Never was one for stargazing, myself. ( being raised in a royal harem to dance, kill and marry into royalty doesn't leave much time for stargazing. not when you're groomed the way dutch was — and by the time she had the opportunity to look out of lucy's windows and see the stars for however long she wanted, dutch was really only thinking about getting away. )

[caelus]

Federation Constitution-class. The USS Enterprise.

[ Jim is very, very happy he is not that person, then. Not that he'd be happy with her way of dealing with things. Shoot first, ask later isn't his thing, even if he did nearly shelve it one time for the sake of revenge. He's glad he didn't follow through. ]

Everybody's got their own thing. [ Wouldn't imagine it did. Jim was a wanderer and a fuck up before he was an explorer and captain with his own ship. He spent his time driving all over Iowa and getting himself into fights that ended with him being banned from countless fine drinking establishments, then getting shoved in a drunk tank overnight, usually. He likes to think he's come a long way from that. ]

I'm Jim, by the way.

[ He doesn't offer his hand because basic Interspecies Relations and the last thing he wants to do is wrongly assume that she's human, fuck that up, and make an enemy in an unfamiliar place. He's got enough of those in regular places. ]

[avicula]

What Federation?

( dutch knows there are systems outside of the j. she might operate only within the quad these days, but she's been outside it. never outside the j — as far as she knows, at least. apparently, what she knows and what is true might be two different things, but she isn't going to let herself dwell on that. she's not ignorant enough, at any rate, to think that the company is all there is.

what a terrible universe it would be if that were true. )

Dutch. ( he doesn't offer his hand, so dutch doesn't either. instead, she smiles: slow and warm, more warmly than she really feels right now. still, he doesn't seem hostile at all, and he's cute. that's something. ) I'd say pleasure, but I'm not too pleased to be here.

[caelus]

The United Federation of Planets.

[ First time Jim has run into anyone that didn't know. Of course, there were other groups with different affiliations. Klingons, Romulans, and Orions were just a few to start. Their Empires and Syndicates didn't fall under the purview of the Federation, and in a lot of ways tensions were high. ]

Maybe not pleasure to be here, but the company isn't half bad, Dutch. [ Yeah, he means her. ] I've never met anyone who hasn't heard of the Federation before.

[avicula]

( dutch knows a great deal about the politics about the quad, and still quite a bit about those of the j cluster as a whole. her training means she's well-read and informed. and yet, she's never heard of the federation. maybe that means he's from outside the j. maybe it means something else entirely. ) Guess I'll be your first, then.

( and yes, she's more than happy to take refuge in the familiarity of flirtation. )

[caelus]

[ Well, if she was being forthcoming about things, he would say that he'd never have heard of where she's from either. ]

So, Dutch. Where are you from that these stars aren't familiar to you either?

[avicula]

( dutch isn't an open book kind of person. even her best friend, someone she calls family, doesn't know all of what she's done, all of what's been done to her — and he knows more than most. )

Ever hear of the J cluster?

[caelus]

[ Jim isn't exactly the most open book there is either. He can be open about some things, but others he plays close to his chest. Kind of an always have and always will sort of thing. Because of that, he's not one to push.

Of course if it were putting people in danger, that'd be different, but it isn't here and now, so that hardly matters. ]

Can't say that I have. [ A little helpless shrug. ] Sorry.

[avicula]

( his answer suggests that the intel dutch had gotten before signing the contract might not have been inaccurate, but it's not enough for her to believe it much less trust the captains just yet.

that isn't on kirk, though, and so dutch answers his little shrug with a grin, deliberately lopsided. ) Only fair, since I haven't heard of your Federation.

[caelus]

Guess that means I'll have to spring for the mess hall and ask you more about it if you're willing, right?

[avicula]

Guess so. ( the tilt of her head and her grin indicate that she's willing — though really? she's more willing to let him buy her a drink than she's willing to answer questions. depending on the questions, that is. )

[caelus]

It's a date, then. [ He likes her. She may not be willing to share the nitty gritty about her life, but she's at least willing to talk about anything, so that's something. Everything needs a starting point. ]

Doing anything later? Or do I have to fight the stars for your attention?

[avicula]

( there are parts of her life she'll gladly share — but the things that go beyond the surface, beyond her work as a killjoy and her team, that touch on khlyen and her past, those things dutch won't mention. even johnny doesn't know the full extent of what she's done, though he knows more than most. d'avin managed to grasp a lot of it without her telling him, because he knows a trained fighter when he sees one, because he can put two and two together and come up with six.

some things, dutch doesn't know how to share without cutting herself open. she'd rather not bleed all over the handsome fella offering to buy her a drink. )

I'd like to see what you'd come up with. ( a beat. ) But no. I'm free.