ELEVENTH WAVE

[astrogate]

CHARACTERS: any and all
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond
WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Keeping up with the tradition and copy pasted like always from the last one


You wake up in darkness.


There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.


There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

[talkstoengines]

Lucrezia! [Kaylee has a bright smile for her friend today, because, well. She hops over to her locker and opens it up, which causes the dress to come spilling out in all its frilly glory.] Look what I got!

[mansuetus]

Sweet Kaylee.

[ That is a dress like...nothing she has ever seen before, certainly. But styles change according to cities and worlds and so she blinks but smiles. ]

A gift from the ship, then?

[talkstoengines]

Guess so! [She sort of ineffectually shoves at it, trying to get it back into the locker. It's really too big for the space it's shoved into, so this is kind of a fruitless exercise.] Cap'n bought it for me a while back, when he got invited to a fancy shindig on Persephone. Never had nothin' so fancy before.

[mansuetus]

Perhaps we best take it to your room. The box would not do grace with the fabric. If there ever is a dance ball aboard the ship you would want the fabric to be without wrinkles so you may wear it and not fuss about it.

[talkstoengines]

Back home, I kept it hangin' up. [She tilts her head at all the frills.] It's just so pretty to look at, and it reminded me of that shindig. The food was real good, and the music!

[Now Kaylee starts pulling the dress out of her locker, as carefully as she can manage, though she's obviously not used to handling all that lace and delicate fabric.] You have a lotta dances where you come from?

[mansuetus]

We have many, yes. For victories in battle, weddings, birthdays and other celebrations or simply when my Holy Father wishes to please his cardinals and they hold a banquet or a dance ball.

[ She takes a few steps forward, helps her with the gown. ]

Perhaps we shall have one here.

[talkstoengines]

Wow. I don't really got much time for havin' parties a lot, I just went to the one.

[Kaylee is fascinated by this, she wants to know all about parties in Rome!]

I was tellin' Chuck, I think we should do that. Have a fancy party, let people have some fun. After what happened - we could use some fun.

[mansuetus]

Wine and dancing are fine ways to make people forget of their troubles. Even if their troubles are quite a horror as the ones on this ship. Perhaps we must consider this.

[talkstoengines]

I think we should. Maybe give people some time, then see if there's anybody wants to join us.