tdm 5

[hownkai]

T E S T D R I V E

ABOARD THE MOIRA 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, but as another planet grows closer to being docked, things start to get a little hectic. You'll notice a slight change in the artificial gravity as the Moira is pulled into a gravitational field; however, more noticeable changes can be found in the overall morale as you prepare to descend. ☄ 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. ) ERIS — 6578 Welcome to one of the sister Eris planets. This one, unlike many of its counterparts, is incredibly high dollar. For visiting individuals, it is mandatory to wear clothes befitting of such a status. For those aboard the Moira, it means discarding work attire for the formal wear they have been provided. Characters will find the temperature moderately cold, a late fall to early winter feel, and their outwear must reflect the prestige Eris—6578 is universally known for. Any sort of trading is strictly done through computers and electronic orders--nothing hands-on as it's considered beneath the inhabitants to indulge in such outdated means of interaction. Unlike most systems, money is needed to purchase things on Eris. The captains have given the crew unlimited credits; with each transaction, simply "pay" with the MID. ( These scenarios can be used as in-game canon. ) ☄ lavish living Fine dining? The movies? Or perhaps gambling? Whatever your tastes, Eris caters to everyone and everything—the more expensive, the better. There is no limit to what can be done when one has the money to spend, and this lifestyle reflects in the people and surroundings. Even sex is a very ornate process held to the highest discretion. Feel free to indulge, but know that it isn't without its consequences. ☄ taken In its underbelly, Eris—6578's main function is the trade and trafficking of bodies for one of two purposes: to be placed in a situation where you are made to kill for another's enjoyment or are tortured and killed based on the client's personal tastes. Each scenario is designed to fit the paying customer's predilections and is often carried out in places secured and private. Remember, money is no object. Therefore, the extent of what they do or make you do has no boundaries either. 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

[handing]

True; in that case, maybe they already have one. [It might not hurt to try and find a personnel directory in that case. If whoever is in charge had any level of competence, they'd at least make assignments based on the individual's skills and talents. Assigning someone like Bruce to any sort of non-scientific post, for example, would be a waste of talent.

Or Tony. Pepper's carefully maintained mask slips at the mention that like Bruce and Steve, Tony had been a captive aboard this ship for a time. She'd assumed his present absence just based on the fact that Bruce hadn't pointed her in his direction, but knowing that it hasn't always been that way--

Well. Pepper doesn't really get much time to decide how she feels about that before Bruce drops another bombshell.]

There were two of them? [God, even on his best days Tony could be a handful, and Pepper's in love with the guy. Thinking of having two versions of him in a relatively confined space against his will leaves her a little surprised they didn't destroy the ship in some sort of contest to figure who was the superior Stark.

Thank goodness for small favors.]

Wow. That's---wow. [She laughs a bit, shaking her head before tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.] You know, I'm sure you're right about the whole alternate universe thing, but that's still pretty out there.

[She nods at the mention of the job, Pepper's smile lingering in the wake of a joke Bruce hasn't heard just yet. She does indeed have an assignment, one that, under the circumstances she can only look at with humor. Clearly someone has lost their mind.] Oh, I have a job. Chief Morale Officer.

[Aka the person in charge of making people were not only comfortable, but content aboard the spaceship where they were all being held prisoner for an indeterminate amount of time.]

[hyperkinesia]

Possibly. [ Bruce, surprisingly, hasn't given that a good look yet. He should probably try and get that information too. After all, learning all about the ship includes learning about the people currently in it, and having a list of everyone's names, jobs, among other useful information, will only help having a good grasp on their situation.

He's sure Pepper will do that, too. What little he knows about her, he knows she's organized and a hard worker, she'll know the entire crew back and forth before he knows it.

He nods, smiling a little lopsidedly at her. ]

You know, I like Tony a lot, but one's more than enough. So that was... special. [ Even though he never did have a lot of contact with the one from that alternate universe. Probably for the best, too. He imagines having the two of them around at the same time would test even his patience. ]

Oh, are you? [ His voice lilts in clear amusement, eyebrows arching as he nods slowly. ] Well, that's... I guess we do need a lot of morale boosting.

[ Well what they do need is to be back home, but he's obviously not serious with that remark. Sounds like an important job in just about any company, but seems like a slap to the face when aboard the ship who's pretty much holding them all captive. ]

[handing]

[Bruce isn't wrong; the one way she knows how to handle all of this, an entire existence beyond her imagination, is to parse it into fragments she can manage. Things like researching the workers, the positions, the history she can do. Networking, getting in touch with those in charge, even negotiating should she somehow find a chance. Her experience as a businesswoman may not serve her well in every scenario, but hopefully the traits that have made her successful at it would work in her favor here.]

You really do like him. Most people wouldn't be so gentle. [Then she grins a bit more honestly, because often Pepper would be in that number. Maybe Bruce is trying to hold back because of who she is to Tony, what they meant to each other, but he doesn't need to. Pepper's bluntness had been one of the first things that impressed Tony, back in the days when they'd been employee and boss. She cares for Tony, but she isn't often blinded by him.

Pepper dips her head in confirmation, yes indeed, she's been given a truly terrible assignment.] It's pretty tempting to just laugh in their faces--but you might not be wrong. [Although it's clear he hadn't been serious, Pepper can only imagine how the time Bruce has spent here has already worn on him. There are likely others as well, people who have been here longer, who might be feeling the weight of being away from their homes and their loved ones.

Besides, Pepper's never been one to simply stay still.]

What about you? What's your assignment?

[hyperkinesia]

I'm not most people. [ It's surprising to everyone, how well he and Tony get along. No one would guess from looking at them both. Tony, always on the spotlight, loud, eccentric, with a clear disregard for people's personal space - and then Bruce, quiet and distanced, keeping always to himself, and with a distinct issue that often relates to people pushing a little too much, getting a little too close.

It's surprised even Bruce, honestly. But he doesn't question it, not when he enjoys having the man as a friend so much. And well, they do say that opposites attract. Maybe that's played a part in their friendship too. ]

Things tend to happen a lot here. You'll see. I'm not sure having a morale officer will help, but if it does work...

[ He shrugs. It won't really make them feel alright with being here, he doesn't think, but at least it might help some of them recover from some tougher times. ]

They put me as a weapons technician at first. [ It's obvious that he didn't like that one bit. ] I'm a cryo repair tech now.

[handing]

Which goes a long way to explain why he likes you. [After all, the friendship runs both ways; Tony had been impressed with Bruce from the start, both as a man who could match him in genius, and as a superpowered potential hero. Bruce might not yet realize it, but Pepper's had the opportunity to see just how much Tony already trusts Bruce, which is a rare thing. For all the personal space he invades with such relish, Tony's careful to keep those around him at arm's length. The man in the spotlight is the public image, the playboy who acts without a care in the world, to guard the fact that Tony cares so deeply and so much.

Maybe more than anyone else Pepper has ever known.]

Well, the worst that happens is that I get ridiculed for attempting to take my job seriously. I'm not unfamiliar with that. [She knows it's an uphill battle, and that in the most traditional sense Pepper can't succeed. But she can try to make the office her own, to turn the joke of a job into something of value and merit.

She's got sympathy when he mentions being a weapons tech; considering the history of Stark Industries, Pepper's naturally inclined not to be a fan either, even as she can understand the need.] Cryo--as in cryogenics? Is that a real thing here?

[hyperkinesia]

[ He knows well what about him got Tony's attention from the start. His mind and knowledge, that much was clear, and the way they both immediately slipped into such a comfortable rhythm working together, despite having just met. And well, Tony never made much of a secret out of how fascinated he was by the Hulk. Bruce never took offense in that - he knew what kind of interest it was, and that it wasn't that Tony took pleasure out of seeing the monster going rampant and out of control. ]

It might not be the worst or toughest job on board. You might get a lot of people reluctant to cooperate, but I don't think you'll get ridiculed.

[ People here cope with their situation in whatever way they can, after all, and if Pepper's way is focusing on whatever job she's given, no one can really fault her for that. Sure it seems a little pointless now, but who knows? She might just come up with some changes on board to make this trip more bearable. ]

Oh, yes. There are cryostasis units in the medbay. Fully functional, capable of freezing and suspending a living human and bringing them back just as they were before. [ Not something Bruce has had any previous experience in, of course, but he's a fast learner, smart enough for the job, and it's far preferable to being a weapons technician. ]

[handing]

Aren't you the optimist? [Pepper appreciates it, even as she teases him for the gentle encouragement. She's been through too much to be dissuaded by a bit of mockery or even stubbornness on the part of those who don't see the point. But Bruce's assessment about her is right; her way of getting through this is to break it up into pieces she can sort and control, to find her foundation before truly delving into things that are so much bigger.

It's just a difficult thing to manage when that bigger thing happens to be an approaching planet.]

It's almost a shame that we don't seem to remember what's here in that case--that sort of technology could help a lot of people. [Take the CEO out of the business, as they say, and Pepper's gaze goes distant as she naturally thinks of what might have to be altered or put into place to implement production of such things.] But there's probably quite a few things that could be said for here. Regardless, I'm glad they transferred you. I'm pretty sure all of the Avengers have had enough of weapons development.

[Particularly Tony; Pepper can only imagine the anger he would have felt had he been put in Bruce's position.]

[hyperkinesia]

Sometimes silver linings are all you've got. [ And he's lived a lot of his life without even those, so whenever he can, he will find what good he can take out of a situation. In this particular case, that her job here might actually do some good for all the other people who have been taken here against their will.

As for the approaching planet... well, Bruce is yet to get used to that, himself. He doesn't think he ever will, but who's to say. ]

I know. But then it might have been a little universe-shattering-- taking this kind of knowledge back with us. [ Kind of like traveling in time, just on a multiverse scale. No one can know for sure how something like that might affect their reality. Hell, their presence here alone might just do that too, in this place. ] But I'm glad too, yes. I really didn't want to work on weapons.

[ Even for "defense purposes" - or so they claimed. ]

[handing]

Then I'll count you among mine. [Because as mind-blowing and terrible as all of this is, she's not here alone. Pepper would never wish for anyone to be stolen as they've been, or for their suffering, but she can't say she isn't on some level thankful that there are people she knows she can trust, and who share at least some of her experiences.

And who can remind her that science has laws. Pepper grins as Bruce brings up that small point about breaking the universe.] I suppose that would be a pretty big consequence. I'm not sure how the PR department could spin that one. [Tony makes their lives hard enough most days; she doesn't want to be responsible for stamping his name on something that might shatter existence itself.]

If they try and force you to do it again, let me know. We can stage a boycott. [Or hopefully something more effective, but that comes with time and trust. Pepper would like to come to a point where she can negotiate with whoever's in charge on behalf of the captives, but the sad truth is she's simply too new for that.] And thank you, Bruce. I'm glad I ran into you first.

[hyperkinesia]

Likewise. [ He really doesn't take it to heart; he's been here with people he knows, and he got a couple of weeks where, save for Wanda, he was on his own, and it's definitely different having someone around whom he knows, or knows of, back home. He might have not gotten the chance to meet Pepper before coming here but he does know more than enough about her to know she's someone good to have around. Even if he wouldn't wish this fate on anyone - at least not anyone he likes. ]

Hopefully you won't have to worry about that. [ Though let's be honest here, SHIELD would be all up on it. And they do have an extensive track record when it comes to keeping secrets. ]

You'll b the first to know. [ Said jokingly, because no one here is going to force Bruce into doing something he doesn't want to. And even the captains should know better than to try, at this point. 'Don't mess with the guy who can turn into an indestructible monster' is a pretty solid guideline to live by. ] It's no problem. If you need anything, just get in touch. Will you be alright on your own, or...

[ Leaving that open in case she wants or needs to know the way somewhere on the ship. Otherwise Bruce will go on his way. ]