eighteenth jump;

[mathematically]

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

Talia Malak-el-Dahshat || OTA

[nonsomno]

[She does not know where she is.

There are people who have told her things, stories about ships that fly in the air, about being kidnapped and unable to return, but Talia refuses to believe them. She doesn't know where she is, but she damn well knows she's not in the air; the floor is far too stable for them to be flying.

She'd pushed her head under the water, bathing quickly, and thrown on the clingy outfit they'd given her. At least they'd given her her weapons back; she's strapped them on her legs, arms and hips, forgoing subtlety for looking as dangerous as possible.

And now she waits, glaring fiercely at every person who passes, hiding her terror beneath her constant anger.]

[jurisimpudent]

[There's no mistaking a new arrival. They've a certain look about them - fury mixed with confusion, despair, and resignation, in different proportion for each person, but all there to some degree. Beyond that, though, one cannot count on consistency from them: some will be aggressive, some miserable, some violent, some passive.

This one does not look to be passive.

And that's why Edgeworth approaches her. He doesn't want any incidents, and even if he's not good for much at the very least he's usually able to talk the new arrivals down from lashing out at others.]

Good day, ma'am. Might I request a moment?

[nonsomno]

[Quite pointedly, she slips a dagger into her hands. This man doesn't look like a threat, but that says nothing. He could have magic; he could be an assassin specializing in subtle poisons.]

Talk, then.

[jurisimpudent]

[He raises his hands to show himself to be unarmed - though he does so with a raised eyebrow. It's not unreasonable for her to suspect malice from him, and privately, he doesn't think her a fool for suspecting him. He wants, however, to give the impression that this is the sort of place where threats of violence are looked upon with astonished disapproval.]

My name is Miles Edgeworth. Might I ask yours?

[nonsomno]

[She hesitates for just a moment. Should she be subtle or impressive? But her weapons have already given her away, so:]

Princess Talia Malak-el-Dahshat of Arathea.

[A beat. Her mouth twists just slightly.]

Deposed.

[jurisimpudent]

[The other eyebrow had joined the first as Talia spoke. That was...an impressive title to give, certainly; but he tries to be unconcerned about it, asking:]

I see. How shall I refer to you?

[nonsomno]

Talia is fine.

[Princess, and she doesn't say that, though the urge is there.]

What is it you want, Edgeworth?

[jurisimpudent]

To speak with you.

[He nods to her hand.]

I would like to request that it be without that pointed at my face, if possible.

[doggedly]

You're a bit overdressed.

[He nods to her weapons--arms legs hips, meaning more or less every bit of her is armed, which, all right, so there are dangers aboard this ship (the execution in the brig comes unfortunately to mind), but this is a bit... much. She's like an armory all on her own.

Sirius stops and leans against the locker bank opposite her, his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a little smirk. Not unfriendly, exactly, but--after every exhausting jump, there's always new people milling around, and Sirius always does the cursory check for people he knows. James is here now, so who the hell cares about anyone else-- but anyways, once he knows that there's no one of interest here, he always head off to his room.

Except these weapons have distracted him, and he looks her over, his head cocked.]

[nonsomno]

[And it's an unfortunate fact-- one snow Snow has teased her over again and again-- that Talia simply does not like men. There are some that are all right, some who have proven themselves-- but on the whole, when a strange man approaches her with a cocky smirk and a smug demeanor, Talia is not so inclined to trust him.]

I'll consult you before I dress next time, shall I.

[doggedly]

I didn't say it was bad, I only said: overdressed.

[He shrugs, not at all put off by her clipped tone.]

Or maybe not. They've told you about all of the monsters and things, right? Terrifying. Perhaps you'll prove to be the most prepared of us all.

[nonsomno]

Monsters, and yet you carry no weapon.

[She raises an eyebrow.]

Fairy or sorcerer?

[doggedly]

Fairy.

[So unimpressed. He stares at her a moment, waiting for her to--possibly--take that back.]

Do I really look like a fairy.

[nonsomno]

You look like a jumped up little brat who's never heard no, actually. Sorcerer, then. Fantastic.

[doggedly]

[Well that was uncalled for! Sirius is more taken aback than he is offended--he stares at her a moment, and then abruptly laughs.]

Wizard, actually. Is it the jump that's got you all worked up and feisty, or are you normally this charming?

[ryuuzaki]

[L doesn't recall having seen the woman before, but there's always the possibility that he could have missed her somehow -- if she came later to the jump than he did, awoke earlier, kept her face off of the network as he did, and managed to keep to herself otherwise. It's a scant possibility, but it exists.

However, he tries to stay alert to possible threats, and she looks like one. Armed to the teeth, shooting daggers from her eyes. That would have been hard to miss. He glances, looks her over. He has to assume that not everyone always finds their own clothes in their locker, so they might wear the jumpsuit for a while if they have to, or if they prefer it... but it's more typical, he thinks, of new abductees. And if she were this put out by someone she had seen, she probably wouldn't be standing here like this. She would be looking for the person, or maybe in her own cabin... wouldn't she? Her attitude might be defensive... or she might just be very ill-tempered. And one doesn't preclude the other.

In any case, if she knows how to use those weapons, it might be better to learn more about her.]

It was your first jump?

[He's astute, but not necessarily empathetic. Still, he remembers that, months earlier, he was as angry as she looks.]

[nonsomno]

Obviously.

[It's a cold and curt answer, and Talia glares at the boy-- man?-- as she says it. He looks pale and sickly, more like an invalid than a threat, but that doesn't mean he isn't one.]

And not yours. What do you want?

[ryuuzaki]

[He inclines his head to acknowledge her statement: no, it's not his first jump. The curtness of her answer could be defensiveness, could be an unwillingness to tolerate fools gladly. If it's the former, it's understandable, and if it's the latter, it makes it seem possible to him that he may grow to like her. It could be both.]

A cup of coffee, but not Petrelli's, unless you want some.

[A beat, a half-shrug of one shoulder, and then,]

You reminded me a little of a friend.

[Had Seven been a friend? She had been an acquaintance he had liked; he had appreciated her help. This woman didn't seem to have her open curiosity, but more caution, he thought, would have been better in Seven's case.]

[goldshirt]

[he has to do a double-take because at first glance, he'd assumed she was Uhura. on the second glance it becomes more clear that she isn't, not by the pinched look on her face— but by her weaponry. his linguist doesn't wear weapons like that. those things were meant for offense, not for handling a variety of situations like a phaser would.

Jim himself is dressed in the black slacks provided by the ship and a green wrap-around shirt. he stands, and walks, like a man in charge, even though the only thing he heads on this ship is the gunnery department. Kirk was a captain, and it wasn't a part of his personality that he intended to compromise at any time.]

Peppermint. [he says, gesturing with his datapadd but remaining unoffensive when he stops near her]

[nonsomno]

[A king? A general? Someone in charge of something, anyway; no peon walked like that. Talia isn't certain whether that's good or not; this can't be the captain, and she's never had much luck dealing with people who liked power but who didn't have much of it.

Talia tilts her head back, regarding him coldly, her fingers brushing against the handle of one of her knives (just in case).]

What?

[goldshirt]

[he doesn't flinch when she goes for the knife, and in fact doesn't even glance at her hand. he can see she's doing it, even looking her in the face.

he smiles]

Peppermint. It'll help with the nausea.

[nonsomno]

[Her eyes narrow for a moment, uncertainty playing over her features, before she nods once.]

How many times has it taken you to learn that?

[goldshirt]

I think that was the fourth or fifth jump. [he says, gaze angling upward thoughtfully for a moment before coming back to her.] We're on eighteen, now.

[nonsomno]

[Her face pales, though she doesn't lose her hard expression.]

And still no way to return. I see.

[She exhales.]

Who are you?

[goldshirt]

[ he shakes his head because if they'd found it, he wouldn't have the number 001 tattooed on his arm.]

Name's Jim Kirk, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. [he holds out a hand, though its up to her to take it or not] This is the Tranqulity. You know anything about it yet?