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

[jurisimpudent]

Then we'll train you in that.

[nonsomno]

[An incredulous laugh.]

I'm not a scribe. I work in the field.

[jurisimpudent]

You'll do both here. We keep records of what we have done and what needs to be done. Is that not acceptable to you?

[nonsomno]

I don't mind reporting what I've done. But I'm not going to be trapped behind a desk.

[jurisimpudent]

Nor would I propose that. I'm perfectly aware you'd not accept such a thing.

[nonsomno]

[She quirks an eyebrow up, but eventually nods.]

Anything else?

[jurisimpudent]

That is all. I'll speak with the head of the team and then get back to you. She'll most likely want to see your skills herself.

[nonsomno]

[She sighs softly-- more delays-- but nods.]

Very well. Is that all?

[jurisimpudent]

Yes, ma'am. Unless you've something else to ask.

[nonsomno]

[A beat. She raises an eyebrow again.]

What about you?

[jurisimpudent]

Er - no. I've no other questions.

[nonsomno]

[She waves a hand impatiently.]

Who are you? Where are you from? What did you do there? What did it entail?

[jurisimpudent]

Ah.

[He clears his throat.]

I'm an attorney. Are you familiar with what that entails?

[nonsomno]

[She shakes her head as she leans back-- not relaxing, per se, but at least not as tense as she was before.]

[jurisimpudent]

[He nods.]

Quite. Well. Justice, in my land, is naturally administered by the state, according to the law of the land. When someone is accused of a crime, it is not a foregone conclusion that he or she is guilty; instead, a trial is held, in which the evidence is examined to try to determine the truth of the matter, whether or not the accused committed the crime.

There is one person who speaks in defense of the accused, and one person who speaks for the victim, who argues the complaint. I am the latter.

[nonsomno]

And then, what, your king decides?

[jurisimpudent]

A judge. Someone learned in the law, given authority by the people.

[nonsomno]

And what if he or she becomes corrupt?

[jurisimpudent]

[Strange leap to make.]

Then he or she is removed.

[nonsomno]

By whom?

[jurisimpudent]

By the people themselves, or by others in power. There are legal procedures in place by which it is possible.

[nonsomno]

[She nods. It sounds like an interesting system-- better and worse than their own, depending on who rules. Beatrice's justice is swifter, but then again you run the risk of having a queen or king far crueler or corrupt.]

Why choose that job?

[jurisimpudent]

Being a judge, you mean?