ataraxionlogs | twenty-sixth jump;

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: Your average, run-of-the-mill jump—except some characters don't seem to be waking up from stasis like they should.

Don't worry.

THEY NEEDED THE REST.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's sort of an understatement. I'm just hoping I'll wake up in the real world again.

[Please, please, PLEASE let this be a dream. She has enough crazy to deal with as it is already.]

This is quite real, I'm afraid. [He pauses, gives her what might be a reassuring look. (It's tinged with regret and sorrow, so it might be of very little help.)] I am Elrond. If you have questions, I will answer them.

[Her brows raise visibly when he gives her his name.]

Elrond?

[Now that she's not so engrossed with her confusion, she's giving him a once over and... Huh. Ears. Pointy. Weird.

She probably won't point them out. It'd be rude.]

Um. Abigail Mills. Just call me Abbie.

[Perhaps rude but understandable enough. He takes most things in stride.]

Welcome then, Abbie.

[Might as well ask because she doesn't want to be left in the dark so to speak. So she points at her own ears making a halfhearted gesture.]

You... You're not from around here?

[Awkward.]

[He's amused more than anything. No. I am an elf, drawn to this ship just as you have been. My home is called Arda.

Oh.

[She throws her hands up in the air and lets out a deep breath.]

I didn't think I'd ever meet an elf. First time for everything it seems.

[Demons, witches, evil dream spirits? Yeah. Elfs? Nah, totally not supposed to be real.]

You find yourself in good company. There are others who know naught of elves.

[And he's not really bothered by it.]

I would say it's more accurate that the name is familiar, but otherwise where I'm from it's definitely a "know naught of" state of affairs.

I'm from Sleepy Hollow. From planet Earth. Sound familiar?

[He's run across that before too. It hasn't fazed him yet.]

I do not know it. My apologies.

Ah. Great. That's all I needed to know.

[Her frustration and exasperation isn't being concealed all too well. Incredible restraint here.]

[He nods in the face of her frustration. It's understandable. He gestures to one of the long benches against the wall.]

Come. Sit. I will tell you of this place.

[Sitting sounds good so she complies.]

How much do you know?

As much as most others. [Which, really, is not saying much.

He sits next to her, leaving some space between them. It's a conscious thing; he does not want to make her uncomfortable in any way.]

This is the Tranquility. It is a ship that travels through the stars. Why we are brought here or how it happens are unknown.

[She nods. Abbie knows that much already, but it isn't enough.]

I'm trying to think of the last thing I remember... I was having a drink. But right now I'm 100% sober, so this isn't a rum induced hallucination.

[He gives her an almost-amused look. No, not rum induced.]

There are many dangers aboard this ship. We hold a few pieces to an explanation but none have been able to put them together.

I saw a lot of people besides myself. How big is this ship exactly?

[Big enough for dangers apparently.]

[Now that's a very good question.] I cannot tell you that. We are not cramped and the hallways...

[He trails off for a moment.] If one wanders too far, one will continue to wander for some time.

[She glances around and then up at the ceiling.]

We're not hurting for extra room then? Huh.

[There's a small sense of awe in her eyes.]

There is plenty of room, yes. What other answers do you seek?

What kind of dangers are we talking about here? Space pirates? Aliens with laser guns? Meteorite showers?

[Is she going out on a limb or just asking for the hell of it? WHO KNOWS.]

I have heard that pirates attacked, but that was before my time here. Other creatures have attacked. Sleep has been taken from us. Some of us were trapped aboard a station that nearly killed us.

[And all that he takes in stride. What really bothers him has been the invasion of his privacy, the swapping of memories, and the breaking down of barriers in his own mind.]

[Her lips are pursed before she remarks.]

Sounds promising.

And I was told we don't know who to point the blame towards for all of this?

No, we do not. [There's a hint of steel in his voice; an underlying determination that that state of affairs will not stand for long.]

Well.

[She stands up.]

I don't know about you, but as long as we're free to walk around the ship, at least that gives us a chance to explore and see what the big deal is.

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