twenty-sixth jump;

[ataraxites]

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.

Comments

[parallels]

Alright then. I'll mark my calendar.

[She runs a hand through her thick brown hair, suddenly feeling nauseous again.]

So where are we jumping too. Why are we in those pods?

[servant]

They protect us, otherwise we'd never survive it. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to be awake for it anyway.

[He remembers something...someone's cow left outside a pod during the jump. He imagines it wasn't a pretty sight.]

As for your other question.

[Merlin presses his lips together and shakes his head.]

I'm sorry I can't be of more help with that. I just know we've traveled a great distance.

[parallels]

[Clara sighs through her nose. She feels frustrated at the lack of answers but she tries not to let it show. Merlin has been helpful and she shouldn't seem ungrateful.]

Any idea why we're here? What we're supposed to do?

[servant]

Survive.

[He starts to smile before realizing just what a terrible joke that was.]

Erm. Maybe we're meant to be settlers? There's plenty of exceptional people on board.

[parallels]

[Her heart flutters at the idea of being someone exceptional. It's like she's proven herself or something. But that quickly dies as logic sets in.]

Have we actually settled anywhere? Or just gone about in space?

[servant]

We stopped at a space station once.

[Except half the ship was suspicious of it and refused to leave the Tranquility. The words seem strange to him still.]

Wherever we're going, I'm sure we'll look out for one another.

[parallels]

But not usually?

We're just-[She waves a hand]- flying about?