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

[wheeloffire]

A ship that sails among the stars...it sounded so heavenly. But at the same time, Frodo hardly felt heavenly at all. His neck was aching, and he was just so tired... Unless Galadriel literally meant on the stars. But how could that be possible? "...sailing among the stars, Lady Galadriel?"

The thought of walking was actually very calming. Hopefully the Tranquility looked a lot more peaceful, rather than dark and dreary. It was a garden; how bad could it be? "It would be a pleasure to accompany you."

Frodo started to follow, but only after she took a few steps first. Speaking of gardens..."Oh! I must find Sam first. I have yet to run into him here. May I wait until I can find him?"

[inafadingcrown]

"As does Eärendil himself, Master Baggins." It's decidedly less heavenly than it sounds, alas, and she would hardly recommend it. But their preferences had little to do with their current circumstances, it seemed.

Including their preferences for company. Oh, Frodo. There is little he could have said to break her heart more than to ask to wait for Sam. They had undertaken a great burden together, she knew, and to have them parted before their task was ended seemed terribly cruel.

"I am afraid that you will not find him. We are, most oft, brought here alone."

[wheeloffire]

...Sam wasn't here?

Frodo frowned as his stomach sank to his feet. How could he not be here? Samwise had been right by him before...He looked up to Galadriel, stopping there on the spot. A horrible feeling overtook Frodo then. Could it be possible that he left Sam there? Sam and Smeagol both...?

It look a lot for him to muster up the words. If Sam was left in Minas Morgul, he would never be able to forgive himself. "Have, have I left Sam? I must go back to him! Please!"

[inafadingcrown]

Her brow furrowing, she kneels down to Frodo's level, so that she can better meet his eyes.

"Were it within my power to return you now, I would, without a second thought."

[wheeloffire]

Frodo could only look into her eyes. His own stung as a few tears started to well. He left him. Poor Sam, all by himself with only Smeagol to be his guide. They had gone through thick and thin together, and at their greatest need, he left him for dead.

It makes him feel awful. Like nothing but the scum of the earth.

"I didn't mean to leave him." Frodo whispers. "Please, is there anything I can do...?"

[inafadingcrown]

"I know of know way to return you to him." She repeats, her voice soft and gentle. "I am sorry."

But she can offer him a little comfort- it's not much, but it's all she has herself.

"Time flows strangely here; some are present from days long past- and I did not note their absence in those days. It may well be that Samwise will not note yours."