MARCH ARRIVAL LOG;

[freezers]

⬡ WHO: Everyone!!
⬡ WHAT: Waking up in space, naked and... not actually that alone. Also, a hull breach, also, some fuckery in the AC room.
⬡ WHEN: Day 001 - 004
⬡ WHERE: Kostka IV, all over.
⬡ NOTES: WARNINGS: Body horror, scary monsters, creepy invisible things, rude naked people, Mass Effect Banshee Screech, 2% Cannibalism.

Please send all QUESTIONS here!

GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE

⬡ [ DAY 001 - 003 ] A spark of electricity convulses through your body, and you jolt awake - underwater. Or, at least, that's most peoples' first guess. The color is more vibrant than water should be, and heavier, your body feeling sluggish against the weight and drag of it. Or perhaps you're just slower to respond, distant, limbs and mind still drowsy and reeling. The bright fluid doesn't sting when you blink, if anything, it's soothing, healing, calming. Fortunate, that, because you're going to need it. As the pod-like chamber you're held in starts to drain of the liquid, your senses begin to flood back in. Awareness filters in like a window curtain holding back the morning sun, gradually easing away with each inch the water line lowers. There's something on your face - a mask, strapped around the back of your head, and other thinner tendrils against your cheeks, your ears, your neck. Narrow tubes are channeled through in your nostrils, and cables have slithered in through your ears, plugging into God knows what on the inside of your skull. There's a click that you feel more than hear, and the tension on them slacks, disconnected from somewhere inside you. Pull - up, back, to the side, whichever way you want - and they start to drag free. Far from the most pleasant feeling (likely leaves you wanting to crawl right out of your skin), but it doesn't quite hurt or burn, yet. That's for the inch wide tube shoved down your throat and held in place by the mask. It's also what's keeping you breathing underneath this blue space-goo though, so maybe don't go yanking it off until the lid of your pod opens. As the fluid drains, a voice crackles in over the sound of water oscillating around your ears. Not something played from a speaker anywhere, nothing projected on a screen, and whether the cables are still in your ears or not, you hear her all the same, as if she's more inside your head than she is broadcasting over a speaker inside the pod or coming muffled from outside. Even still, it's stuttered and interrupted, like the connection is weak, interference like static white noise buzzing through and covering up parts of sentences. ❝ I don’t have a lot of tim— RIP can’t spare the power to run this more t—, so pay attention. No one knows where it came fr— out of radio contact when it happened, whatever it w— Everything in its path. There is no fighting it. Only surviv— Droids handle most of the maintenance, but she’s getting wor— Take the load off. Whatever happe— just keep Ripley running. If the ship stops, we’re all dea— —’re bodies are new, still adjusting. You’ll be on unsteady legs for a while, so take it slo— might end up face-planting, and there’s only so many replacemen— Mess hall’s lock— so make do. The cryo pod fluid’s the most nutritious thing around, just don’t think about wh— —’s all I can tell you. Good luck. ❞ » » » READ MORE HERE « « « At the end of the long lines of cryo pods, the halls meet at a small medbay. It seems some merciful someone has left a stack of thin, cloth sheets on one of the medbay tables, so it's best you pick one up, towel off a bit, and then toga it, until you find something more durable. Hopefully, at some point, someone will discover a door leading to a storage room is unlocked. There, you'll find some very stylish, bright orange jumpsuits. With luck, you'll make it there before you freeze. [[ OOC CONTENT WARNING (2% Cannibalism): This is OOC knowledge only, but given the sketchy nature of this, we wanted to make sure you guys are aware of what's coming ahead of time, so if you'd like to avoid having to RP the fallout from it, you have that option. The blue goop in the cryo pods that the NPCs have been telling characters to eat in order to expedite their acclimation to their new bodies/get over their Bambi Legs syndrome? It's 2% people. That's actual people, not recycled HOST bodies. This 2% is largely what aids the organic part of HOST bodies to work seamlessly with the synthetic part, but drinking the goop is not actually necessary to HOST body survival after emerging from the pods. Foregoing it will leave your character in a weakened state for a longer period of time (think more like 1 - 2 weeks of varying states of bambi legs rather than 1-3 days), but do have another option for sustenance worked into the O2 Garden prompt below if you'd like to avoid dealing you character realizing they ate People Soup in the future. Again, this is OOC knowledge only. Definitely don't feel obligated to have your character eat People Soup if you don't want them to, but please come up with a reason for your character to seek alternate food sources rather than "you know, I think this might have people in it", as we don't want to go into info-modding territory. Thanks, homies!! ]] MAINTENANCE ⬡ [ DAY 001 - 003 ] We're hoping you had time to get over the Bambi legs and get your space legs under you (as well as some space pants onto your body), because Ripley expended a lot of processing power to waking you up. That means it's up to you to make up the difference and get to work cleaning this place up to make it habitable for you and your new crewmates. It's been nothing but RIP and her droids for the last who knows how long, so those things that need to be functioning for the continued survival of organic bodies need to get working. Here's the chores on the docket: ⬡ Water Filtration; Hydration - always a must for you squishy, fleshy things, isn't it? The canal that runs through the Ring atrium is a large part of the reserves, and at one dark innocuous end an uncomfortable grinding noise can be heard. Beneath the surface of the water where there should be wall, there is instead an enormous fan about ten feet in diameter. It's grinding so loud the sound escapes the water barrier, and the cause is pretty clear. There's something wedged between one of the fan blades and the circular housing it's contained in. Someone will need to dive down ten or twelve feet and unstick the human skull stopping the filtration system from running. Beware, though — the second it's free the fan blades will begin spinning, sucking gallons upon gallons of water down into the depths. Hope you can swim! ⬡ O2 Garden; Oxygen - another must. The up-side here is that the facility has been virtually untouched, yielding unchecked growth for the time no one's been tending to it, so there's no need to worry about a lack of oxygen for the time being. The bad part is more about the chaos that's left behind. The garden is nearly a jungle at this point, and if crew is to make their way around easily, manage the hydroponics, and set up the vegetable gardens again to provide food outside of the cryo soup, there's some major work to be done. It likely doesn't help that some of the more volatile samples have broken free from containment and mixed in with the rest of the garden. One hostile species will spit acidic venom at things wandering close to its roots while others just chomp down on anything that ventures within reach. Ripley advises boots and protective gear when taking on this task, but getting rid of those weeds is up to you. Here, crew can also find their alternate food sources here, if you're OOCly wanting to avoid dealing with the People Soup reveal later on. If crew can slay some of the hostile plants, then find a means to make a fire and fry them up, the weirdly chewy salad your left with won't taste great by any means, and you'll be left with Bambi Legs for more like a couple weeks rather than a couple days without the cryo soup, but you can keep yourself fed this way. We recommend the little bitey ones over the big, venomy ones (they give a bit of indigestion). Those that explore the garden may stumble upon what looks like a miniature altar placed carefully on the ground: a shoebox sized box, made of metal and encircled by a ring traced deep into the dirt. A hexagon marks the top of the box, and when touched it reads on the HUD as ‘EDIBLE’. Inside are what looks to be clear packets and packets of dead seeds. At the bottom, however, is an opaque packet that initially lets out a puff of white dust when opened. It might freak you out, but it will prove to be harmless-- and the reward might be worth the minor scare: the hexagon on the packet, acting like a QR code, similar to the one on the outside of the box, explains that these are seeds for genetically altered potatoes. They might not taste great, but with a little extra care they can grow within 2 weeks. There’s a hundred seeds at least, and most of them appear to be viable. ⬡ Assist the Droids; The won't talk, but they do beep and boop and shove things at your person to hold. If you're unwilling to help with anything else going on, you'll be assigned as a glorified pack-mule. Hold whatever the droids give you, hold it right there, hold it steady, and if you get shocked because you moved too much to the left, well, you really only have yourself to blame. Keep a mind to where your feet are falling as well - stepping on a droid zooming past will not only be likely to get you knocked on your ass, but probably earn you an short, sharp, electric shock from them as well. Good luck, have fun, try not to die because Ripley's exhausted from waking you up, and the droids suck at first aid— not to mention, very stiff bedside manner. SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS; ⬡ [ DAY 001 - 005 ] Currently, there is no access to any proper crew quarters or barracks. The Ring is likely the best place to sleep, given the space and the various park benches scattered around, though not the most comforting, as it’s large and shadowy, with unsettling echos bouncing off the walls and traveling all throughout. A VIIK spontaneously malfunctioning could jolt a person awake with violent screams, or invade their dreams with creeping, hissing whispers. If you happen to hear something tapping along in the dark corners of the massive Ring in the night, surely it’s just a droid going about its work, or another glitchy kiosk, right? Right. Ripley recommends returning to the cryo pods for sleep. They’re very ergonomic, well insulated, and perfectly out of the way of all foot and droid traffic. Just a little bit slimy, but as we’ve discussed, that slime is the most nutrient rich substance you’ll find on the ship. Easy midnight snack, right? If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night and think you spot a human-shaped shadow hovering over you through the glass lid of the pod, just blink hard a time or two, and it’ll be gone. No worries at all, safe and sound. Otherwise, find a nice little corner and curl up. GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM; ⬡ [ DAY 003 ] While Projection is not yet available, all HOST bodies share free access to a neural network through which they can communicate via text, audio, or video. One of the first things the HOST platform will prompt the new mind housed inside it will be to set up a sequence of finger taps to open up the network HUD. The system is fairly intuitive, and all one need do is reach up a hand to touch the option they wish to select. For text, a keyboard overlay will appear in the HOST's visual perception, and, dy default, all messages will show: a name, a username, and an ID code. Feel free to make these up as you like. These can be adjusted, and a HOST can post anonymously to the network as well (no guarantees Ripley can't trace it back to the origin, but she's not going to tell). There are no real rules on the usage of this network, aside from don't try to hack your friends, or your not-friends (just don't hack anyone, okay, it's rude). Ripley does understand the human need to socialize, especially in trying and stressful circumstances, so have at it kids. On the third day, once everyone’s woken up, Ripley will be making one quick announcement that she will not be capable of replying to just yet - waking you jerks up took a lot out of her, so give her some time. The voice that you hear doesn't come through any speaker or intercom around you, nor is it originating from any of the bodies or droids nearby. You hear what sounds like a young girl speaking as if inside your head, and she sounds exhausted: ❝ ATTENTION ALL CREW: This is Ripley. While I realize abduction and consciousness displacement is frowned upon in many human societies, please understand this was an emergency protocol enacted at the last possible moment. You have questions. I will answer as best as I'm able, as much as I'm able, but much of the data you're looking for has suffered massive corruption, held in a type of quarantine. The most important thing you need to know is that you, and all organic life within the multiverse, are being hunted. The mission of this vessel is to protect and preserve what remains of that life. Take time to acclimate to your new platforms. We'll talk more later. Ripley out. ❞ BLOW OUT IN THE SHIP HULL (NOT A SPACE PORN TITLE (THIS TIME)); ⬡ [ DAY 004 ] Somewhere around three am (according to the time listed on your HUD, if you pull it up), an explosion rocks the ship, jolting the crew awake. A rapid, whooshing sound can be heard for a second or two, like wind whipping passed an open door, but it’s shut up quickly, with a metal door dropping down somewhere in the halls, a metallic thud echoing. Those choosing to sleep further into the ship, in the halls past the Ring, likely feel a sharp chill pass through the air around them, frigid. Seconds later, Ripley’s voice comes on through the network. ❝ EMERGENCY ALERT, ALL CREW: Hull breach detected in Level 16 Maintenance Hall Airlock. Droids in the area are... unresponsive. No external threat detected. Please report — ❞ Is that a tinge of fear and fatigue in her synthetic voice? Directions are given to the maintenance closet holding the gear for space walks, but every question directed to Ripley about the cause are only met with “inconclusive” and further repeated instruction to seal the breach for the safety of the ship. Questions about the droids will be redirected the the same answer: please check the hole in her side ASAP, Ripley currently has no eyes in that section of the ship. The closer crew gets to the damaged site, the colder the air seems to grow, and the more the shadows around everyone start to flicker, lights buzzing weakly overhead. The droids that initially responded to the threat all appear to be having some issues, either banging into walls or shut down entirely. Attempts to manually break into their system to get them functional will unintentionally force them into an internal security scan loop, which leaves them useless. Stop by the gear room, grab some pistol grip lasers (there will be a handful of these, enough if everyone buddies up) or the larger laser-saw and get ready to do some space welding. Something brushes past your shoulder in the dim light, and you glance to the side, expecting to see another crewmate there, only to find empty space. Maybe you were imagining things? Stepping out of the makeshift airlock Ripley has made out of the hall section just before the breach, gravity immediately shifts, first a vague suggestion, than nothing at all. The door opens, and you’re released into the open space surrounding the ship - coincidentally, your first real view outside of Kostka IV. Yep, sure is a lot of space. All the typical things you’d expect - blackness, distant stars, no planets of note nearby. No one will recognize the star patterns here, as they’re in a completely foreign dimension. There’s also no sign of whatever breached the original airlock. In fact, there’s no sign of the Level 16 Maintenance Hall Airlock at all: beyond the emergency doors of the hall that led to the airlock is nothing, as though the airlock never existed in the first place. Close examination will yield that the internal walls are now covered in the same metallic material as the outer shell, the whole area an almost perfectly shaped indent in the side of the ship. Almost. There are some cracks in the metal, enough to question the stability of the outer hull. Observant folks might notice that it looks like the damage blew outward rather than inward. If you followed the instructions in the gear room and were able to find a safety cable to secure to the makeshift airlock door. They should provide a lifeline back to the ship-- especially for those that swear they see another suit exiting an airlock from an upper level, about 80 meters away, their safety line hanging uselessly in the void, disconnected from the ship. You might point this out to whoever is close by, though there’s no guarantee that they see it too. Turn your head or blink and the figure is gone. Those unlucky enough to spot the lone spaceman will find their tethers suddenly snap, broken by some unseen force. If you’re especially unlucky, you’re not particularly close to the airlock when this happens. The suits do have small jets to aid in propelling yourself back to the ship, if you’re confident in how to use them without making the situation worse. Otherwise, it’s up to your crewmates to give you a hand. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS HOSTILE TAKE-OVER; ⬡ [ DAY 004 ] While the breach in the hull is being repaired, things are going wrong elsewhere on the ship. Environmental Control has locked itself down, the room apparently empty of all crew at the time. Putting an ear to the door, you can hear something or someone moving around inside the room, feet shuffling, a clatter as they bump into tables, a tapping at the keyboards. There’s perhaps even mumbling, but it’s too indistinct to make out any words, or maybe you’re just imagining it? Regardless of who or what is on the other side of the door, the controls start to go awry. All through the ship, the temperature fluctuates, from a brisk chill to a deadly icy cold, or even a heat that feels like boiling. On top of that, air is thinning, starting to slowly suffocate the rest of the ship. You have roughly five hours to get that door open, deal with whatever’s inside, and right the control settings before people start to pass out. Ripley is entirely out of touch during this crisis, and the droids are unresponsive, caught in a loop of internal security checks. You’re on your own. There’s a few options here: 1) Climb through the vents. There is one that a small, skinny person or two could wiggle through that drops out from the east wall of the room. The problem here is the fans, which seem to be turning on and off irregularly. Disabling them is possibly by wedging something strong in between the blades, but you’ll have to carry enough for the four fans you’ll have to pass through by to get to the room. Each blast of air from them is powerful enough to knock anyone inside a few meters back and will greatly impede travel, if not completely toss you out of the vent. Fortunately, the pattern isn’t as irregular as it seems at first: anyone inside the vents should be able to count out a two minute interval between each blast that should allow them just enough time to get from one safe section of the vent to the next, squeezing past the fans while they are temporarily immobile. Should you miscalculate your time and end up stuck between two fans, you’ll end up caught in the blades of the fan behind you. While that may not kill you, there will most definitely be blood. 2) Override the keypad. ( CW: BODY HORROR ELEMENTS ) If anyone had been feeling chafed by Ripley cramping their techno-wiz style, now’s your time to shine. Break that bitch open and start fiddling. What you’ll find inside the keypad is… odd. The original, fairly mundanely designed wiring for the keypad is appears to be overgrown with what can only be described as a rat’s nest of extra wires that don’t seem to do anything in particular. You’ll have to cut past them to get to the wires that actually control the doors, but just like weeds, if you chop them off at the middle without pulling them from their roots, they’ll grow back with a vengeance - and in real time, and will start to overrun the keypad. They may even take a liking to your new body, latching on and trying to dig beneath your skin. While physically alarming, as far as you can tell they don’t do any damage to you. If you’re a patient and careful gardener, you should be able to eventually prune past the unruly wires and get to the actual controls beneath. 3) Lastly, you can try laser-sawing through the door. In the same gear storage room the space walk suits came from were all the tools used to repair the breach in the hull. Some of them are capable of cutting through the kind of steel the interior doors are made of, so it’s a matter of figuring out which ones. Try not to blow yourself up. This option will take the longest, nearly four hours, so maybe start early and use it as a back-up in case all other options fail. Regardless of which route gets you in, when the door is finally open, or you get a glimpse down through the vent grate, crew will spot a vague shadow of something humanoid hovering over a console, though distorted, as if blurred at the edges, or like pieces of it are fading in and out. Whether or not the observing crew has made their presence know, the shadow seems to realize they’re there, and its “head” jerks up, before letting out a piercing, inhuman sounding scream that’s somehow so loud and violent that characters have to cover their ears to protect against the pain of it, while their vision blurs, fading in and out for a small handful of seconds. Once blinking it clear, the shadow is no longer there, and the room is free. Get in there and put the settings back to default, please. THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING; ⬡ [ DAY 005 ] Ripley will be making an open network post that all characters will be able to respond to for questions, conversation, shooting the space shit, you know, whatever you fancy. She’s finally done being busy and has decided to pay attention to you squishy little fleshbag things. This will be done in a separate network post, not included on the intro log. We just wanted to let you guys know that it’s coming. Please send all QUESTIONS here! » NAVIGATION «

Comments

zoya nazyalensky ( grishaverse ) ota

[tempestes]

( a ) - 𝔾𝕆𝕆𝔻 𝕄𝕆ℝℕ𝕀ℕ𝔾❟ 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕊ℍ𝕀ℕ𝔼

( applicable TDM PROMPTS still available )

( b ) - 𝕊𝕃𝔼𝔼ℙ𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔸ℝℝ𝔸ℕ𝔾𝔼𝕄𝔼ℕ𝕋𝕊

( there is no way in any world that Zoya is sleeping in one of those pods. they're claustrophobic at best, but the slime is a non-starter for her. she's already irritated that anyone saw her covered in it before, she won't be caught again with slime in her hair. the mere thought makes her nearly shiver in revolt.

the Ring is only slightly more preferable to the pods, but it'll have to do for now. she's not certain of what time it is or how long she's been up since the pods, but she has refused to have any contact with that slime sense. thus she feels exhausted. her body still feels weak, an unsettling thought she dismisses as soon as she considers it rather than dwell on the truth. regardless of the time, she needs rest now.

settling next to a VIK unit seems like a decent option. the flickering light that turns on when she approaches is better than the dark, cavernous corners of the ring that give one the unsettling feeling they might be dragged into those shadows at any turn.... making a makeshift pillow of an extra jumpsuit, Zoya doesn't bother much with other comforts for sleep. this place has few to offer, anyway. instead she lays curls next to the flickering light... and dozes...

until the screaming.

she bolts up right as the screams echo through the Ring, the VIK unit flickering worse than before. in her bleary state, it takes longer than she prefers to admit to realize the screams came from the malfunctioning terminal next to her. her eyes narrow at the machine with the realization. )

Is that wholly necessary? ( she groans to herself, complaining to the terminal or herself or anyone who might be nearby. )

( c ) - 𝔼ℕ𝕍𝕀ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕄𝔼ℕ𝕋𝔸𝕃 ℂ𝕆ℕ𝕋ℝ𝕆𝕃𝕊

( the heat is unflattering on anyone, and Zoya wholly dislikes when the temperature turns up to scorching. a sheen of sweat splatters strands of her hair to her forehead and her hair has never suffered more than in this place.

she loosens the collar around her jumpsuit, making her way away from the breach where the others have already departed to take care of one disaster. guess there's another to handle inside. as she moves towards environmental controls, the temperatures sharply drop and suddenly she's bundling her jumpsuit tighter. ) Make a decision. ( she snaps at no one in particular.

eventually she reaches the door outside environmental control. she's not much use, but she'd rather try than be useless entirely. ) Is anyone inside trying to fix this?

( d ) - 𝕎𝕀𝕃𝔻ℂ𝔸ℝ𝔻

( ooc; open to any other prompts as well! pm or pp me at magickal )

with jack (cont)

[tempestes]

( thread found here )

( that's strange. it half registers in her head how strange that is that he's been through something similar to this, and that he's so accustomed to having things taken. at least he seems to have some idea of what's occurring, though, which means he has more experience than her. as prideful as Zoya can be, she understands a valuable resource when faced with it.

that and Jack doesn't seem the worst company in the world in a situation like this. she's been with worse company in a situation similar to this, after all.

she takes his hand, needing it more than she expected to stand. she tries not to let it show how much that scares her. not only are her powers missing, but her body is physically weak as well. so much for her protection. )

I've been through something like this. It wasn't as bad as this. ( close, but not quite. )

My name is Zoya. ( she adds once she feels more stable. ) I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but no offence this isn't that pleasurable of a moment. ( a second before adding. ) Though your company is helping.

[cicatrize]

[ what jack is is angry. what he's been through, he's been through recently, and it was a deep wound in him, with salt rubbed in, infected still. he wants blood, but without his powers and only CQC to work for him, it's practically useless if there's Duplicity guards around watching them.

as zoya's struggling to stand, jack's eyes are casting around the room. everyone else waking up looks about as lost as them, and none with submissive marks. it's not unusual to separate them, though. he'll need to find peter as soon as he can. ]

It can get worse.

[ he murmurs, grim. not trying to scare her, really, but he realizes it comes out that way, and looks back to her with a flash of an apologetic smile. reaching out, he puts another hand on her arm, trying to help her stablize, as he moves to push off the pod, hobbling to the next, and the next. ]

Zoya. I'm Jack. Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to be pleased. [ slowly but surely, they can make their way to the medbay and hopefully figure something out. escape, maybe, but not until he finds bucky. this girl isn't doing well, and with her screaming the way she did, jack's not willing to abandon her to deal with this alone yet. ] Stay close.

[tempestes]

( of course it can get worse. this isn't Ravka, but she is Ravkan still. things can always get worse for a Ravkan. she doesn't even question what he might be referring to, and she's not the least bit scared of his words. at least he's honest and not trying to coddle her through this experience.

she appreciates that. )

I can muster up some gratitude at least. ( she offers coolly in response. she may not be in the best of moods currently, but she can do that much.

he starts to move and asks her to stay close. she wants to say she can handle herself, she can handle herself, but her fingers pull for wind that doesn't answer and it makes her feel vacant inside all over again. she may handle herself just fine, but right now... maybe she doesn't want to a moment.

she presses forward with him, wary of her weak ankles, as she glances around them. )

Where are we? ( then a thought occurs to her that almost stops her. ) You don't sound Ravkan. Or Kerch, or Fjerdan. Definitely not Shu...

with nikolai (cont)

[tempestes]

( thread found here )

It's Ravka. ( Zoya responds flatly. ) There's always more. ( so who's that surprised that not only have Ravka's enemies on the homefront increased, but now there's yet another on a larger scale than before.

she pauses briefly, though, as she considers Ravka's current enemies. )

You don't think... the Darkling had anything to do with this, do you? ( it seems impossible. but as Nikolai loves to say, people often say impossible when they mean improbable. and before, she would have said that living saints in a desolate other dimension was impossible.

the world grows more each day. )

[sturmhond]

[ It's not a completely crazy idea. The Darkling has proven himself capable of things that no one else could even imagine.

But in this case... ]

It's not in his usual mode. Far too much orange, for one thing, and if it were his doing I doubt he'd have left me this handsome. No, his creations are all considerably more dark, and evil beyond all reason.

This is something else.

[ He looks around. This place is so much. He's desperate to get his hands on it. He's got to understand it. ]

I do look forward to finding out what.

[tempestes]

( she rolls her eyes at the orange. he has a point. the Darkling wasn't fond of the color either, loathe as Zoya is to give that man any credit.

but there's that spark of excited curiosity that makes Zoya want to put a leash on her king. and not in the way he'd likely enjoy. )

Do try to remember, your highness, that you need to return to Ravka. Preferably in one piece.

I know how difficult it is for you not to endanger yourself, but a little effort would make my day considerably less worse. ( good. she needs her bite back. not that screaming, vulnerable, weakness Nikolai stumbled upon moments ago.

that she'll contain to more private chambers next time. )

[sturmhond]

[ Nikolai smiles brightly, not in the least bit chastened.

He does, however, hold up his finger. ]

That's Captain to you, Nazyalensky.

[ Not your highness. Not here, in this strange place filled with strange people. Just because Nikolai doesn't think the Darkling was behind this doesn't mean he wants to play fast and loose with his secrets. There's absolutely no reason any of these people need to know his real name, or what role he plays back home. ]

Though, I understand the confusion. I do have a princely demeanour. Fear not, we shall return. We simply need to find the way, and I have no doubt that we will.

Until then, I counsel patience. And to learn as much as we can, obviously.

b!

[nadezda]

[ There's a trick one learns eventually: how to fall asleep despite a thousand and one fears and regrets churning in one's belly. That she is constantly worried is a given. That the walls forever feel like they are closing in on her, her family, is an accepted fact of life.

And so Elizabeth tells herself that her lack of sleep is a decision grounded in intent, and not inability. She doesn't let her mind veer too far into ideas of life and death anyway, space or otherwise, organic or synthetic. Those uncertainties can wait. Instead she focuses on the flickering images on the VIIK in search of a pattern or a purpose, which she can easily convince herself is to watch over the sleeping woman. Someone should be on watch.

She's seated by the display when the screaming starts and stops just as quickly, grip tightening about her knees before she relaxes with a sigh. ]

I've been listening to it. For clues. [ There's something apologetic in the way she smiles at Zoya, her voice barely above a whisper. A parent is always begging their child's forgiveness for the way things are. ] But I don't really -- maybe we should just go back to sleep.

[tempestes]

( they should likely sleep, spend time recovering. Zoya refuses to be near the goo, so her recovery is taking more time than it likely should. she doesn't care. it's not touching her hair and it's not sliding down her throat.

but sleep is elusive. her dreams are strange and foreign to her. she tries to grasp at them as she wakes, but she's only left with the feeling of emptiness and fear. a reflection of her reality, she doesn't doubt it.

so she doesn't crawl back to sleep as she should. instead she brings herself to the woman by the machine. she picks herself up on bare, soft feet, and crouches low as she takes the few short steps to her side. she sits beside her and looks into the terminal that had just screamed her back to consciousness. )

Did you find any patterns? ( there's an edge of hope that this machine carries some clue to the past of this hulking craft, but it's minimal at best. )

b.

[tornadoed]

[ dorothy had been asleep —until the screaming. she'd chosen a spot further away from the vik unit, but the screams carry through the ring, jolting her awake, getting her to her feet.

running toward the screams is instinctive. people don't scream like that unless they're hurt. so moments after zoya's figured out that it's the vik unit, nothing else, dorothy comes running, hair wild and eyes wide. there's nothing graceful about it, but at least her legs don't give out under her as she comes to a stop, looking around.

there's no injured person here. ]

What was that?

[tempestes]

( brave of the stranger to run toward the danger. Zoya admires that briefly when the woman shows up, wild and confused as she looks for signs of danger. in response, she shakes her head. )

The machine. ( she gestures at the flickering. ) It's been flickering all night and producing strange sounds. I guess the last one you heard was just another fun piece for us.

( she glances back to the woman, softening only so slightly. ) It's all right. There's no real danger it seems.

Unless this thing starts to attack. ( she frowns back at the vik )

[tornadoed]

[ brave is one word for it. reckless is another -- and lucas would have called it reckless, not brave, but dorothy refuses to think of him now. the man she knew as lucas doesn't exist anymore, anyway. ]

Right. [ the machine. okay.

dorothy takes a breath, letting it out slowly. ] So no one's hurt?