twenty-eighth 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: It could just be the standard sensation of air on wet skin, but if you bother to check, you might notice the steam rising from your body, barely there and gone within a minute. By the time you get to the showers, it will be clear that it's not just taking you time to adjust. The room is cold — colder than usual, but no worse than the last jump. While it's nothing dangerous, it's certainly motivation to hurry through the usual routine and get dressed quickly.



It's getting closer.




YOUR EYES ARE OPEN.

KEEP LOOKING.

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

[woodlander]

And taking the Bridge was one such action.

[ That had been clear enough, though she felt they had known that before they attempted it. Perhaps Nathan had merely assumed. She shakes her head. ]

Yet they were allowed to live. Lord Elrond, why do you think that is? To kill them would have made martyrs of them, this I know, and it is no sensible way to treat those whose actions may inflame others.

But such an act implies a kind of mercy, in their release. I am surprised our captors would make allowance for that.

[summerlord]

I do not think it was mercy. I see in it a show of power. A statement.

[He falls silent and waits to see if she follows his thought: they were shown that they could be killed at any time, that their lives were forfeit should the power that holds this ship decide it.]

[woodlander]

Because we belong to them, or to the ship. [ Or to whoever runs the ship. She’s unclear on that point. ]

You believe that failure now will make Nathan and his band less likely to try again?

[summerlord]

[He nods, solemn.]

I would hope that they have learned to proceed with a sense of caution.

[woodlander]

[ She watches him, her gaze quite intent. ] Yet if they did nothing, they would have failed without trying. I thought it reckless to make the attempt, without knowing what would happen.

Yet, for taking action, I thought them brave. I hope this does not break their spirits. A better attempt could benefit every one of us.

[summerlord]

They were quite brave, but it was not tempered with much wisdom. What would they have done after taking the ship? Who among us has the skills to take it where we wish to go? Have we even some direction in which to take the ship, had the bridge been taken? There were too many questions that none could answer. A better attempt will be made, when we can answer such questions with more certainty.

[woodlander]

That is what I asked him, what we would do if he succeeded. It let me to believe that failure may have been more of their intent.

[ She glances up at him, thoughtful. ]

Though I do not think so now. I am glad of their safety. I hope that your word holds true, my lord, and a better attempt can be made.

[ One she'll help with, the next time it's spoken of. She's more or less decided on that. ]