thirtieth 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: If this isn't your first jump, you might notice that something's different: You wake to a strange sense of silence. For once, it feels like you're truly alone. There's no sense of being watched, no lingering impressions other than those that come naturally. Instead it's just the rush of the blue fluid and the sounds of your fellow passengers as they're released from the pods.

All characters who entered Engineering during February's plot will continue to suffer more extreme side effects from the jump, same as last month.


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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

[foundafamily]

[He winces, feeling like a jerk for bringing that up. He knows what it's like to go hungry and it's not something that's fun to have brought up.]

Sorry. But, at least for now, you're fine here, right?

[jondrette]

There is food here. I have clothing to wear, and it is fine. [She gestures to the dress she has on, placed in her locker.] and there is no such thing as money. My brother is here, and new friends, who claim themselves old friends. Yes, m'sieur Firo, I am more than fine here.

[foundafamily]

[He smiles.]

I'm glad to hear it. Sucks that you had to come to a place like this to get all that.

[He knows he was incredibly lucky to find all that as a kid. If he'd never decided to rob the wrong guy, who knows where he'd be.]

[jondrette]

Excuse me- sucks?

[foundafamily]

Sorry.

[It occurs to him that he probably shouldn't be using language like that in front of a lady anyway.]

It, uh, just means it's bad. Like, it woulda' not sucked if your life hadn't been horrible back home.

[jondrette]

Sucks is bad. Not sucked is positive. [She nods.]

I'm learning all of these new phrases. Strange as they are.

[foundafamily]

[He smiles.]

You got it.

Are they really that strange?

[jondrette]

M'sieur, the year I died was 1832. Most everything here is strange to me.

[foundafamily]

1832--?

[And then the rest of that sentence registers with him. He blinks, then shakes his head quickly.]

W-wait, you died?!

[jondrette]

Did my other self not tell you? Yes. I died. Here, this place, I am sure, is hell, or something like it.

[foundafamily]

[He shakes his head slowly, still trying to digest this. He'd like to think he's grown used to death after everything he's seen in life, but learning that someone he considers a friend is dead... That's not something he's prepared for. As such, he's only really half listening when she continues.]

...You wouldn't deserve that. And, anyway, nothin' like that even exists.

[He says that with confidence, despite having no way to prove that.]

[jondrette]

I do deserve it. Do not argue with me otherwise, for you will lose, and will be very disappointed in who you find me out to be. It is best to let it rest.

[foundafamily]

[From both her warning and past experience he knows it's futile to argue, even if he wants to. He sighs and scuffs at the floor with the toe of his shoe.]

You know, people don't usually like hearin' their friends talked about that way.

[And he'd argue that by saying she deserves this hell, she's implying they all deserve it... But, yeah, he can see how he'd deserve this.]

[jondrette]

Friends of mine shall have to get used to the truth.

[There's a smirk in her words as she looks at him. There will be no arguing on this subject.]

[foundafamily]

[He spends a moment trying to think of a reply, but, coming up empty, just sighs and slouches more.]

Fine. Damn, you're stubborn.

[jondrette]

You are not the first to tell me that.

[foundafamily]

I'm not surprised. But it's good to have a spine, at least.

[jondrette]

Sometimes.

[foundafamily]

Hey, even if other people don't like it, I don't see why it'd be a problem for the person who's got it.

[It's gotten Firo into plenty of trouble, actually, but he prefers to blame that on other people.]

[jondrette]

Perhaps you are on to something.

But, come. We appear to be some of the last few here. Perhaps we should follow the instructions. I should like to make sure Gavroche is still here.

[foundafamily]

I'd like to think so.

[He glances around them, seeing that, just as she said, there aren't too many other stragglers. He nods and starts to move for the lift.]

Right--sorry if I've been keepin' you.

[jondrette]

Oh, no, it is quite alright.

I shall see you soon, then?

[foundafamily]

Sure thing. You stay safe, all right?

[jondrette]

I shall do my best, but I promise nothing.