ataraxionlogs | thirty-first 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: There is something very easy about waking from the gravcouches this month. The sensation of being watched is absent, and so is much of the sickness - even for those characters who entered Engineering in February. Instead the jump feels comfortable, the stasis fluid warm on your skin, the medbay lights not too harsh as you emerge amongst your fellow passengers. The sensation may be unnerving in its strangeness, but there will be a deep feeling of being well-rested, calm and content, that will not be completely lost no matter how much you question it.

----------------

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

[ Once they've shaken hands, Robin's falls away, though the smile remains for just a moment. He's more amused than he probably should be; in Storybrooke, he hasn't really experienced this, since everyone there is a fairytale character like him.

Except for Emma, and Henry. The young lad's reaction to him is still quite amusing to recall, though it simultaneously fills him with an ache for the moment, since he has no idea if Henry or anyone else is alright. ]

At your service, m'lady.

[Pepper can't help feeling abashed at her own reaction. She should know better then that after being here for so long. Sometimes people show up that you thought were once only storybook characters. It happens; you're not really supposed to make a big deal of it; that's just rude. She presses her lips together with a slight look of abashment.]

I'm sorry, I'm Pepper, and I'm guessing you're a new arrival?

[ The good thing is that Robin is far better equipped than most to handle such reactions, though since she hasn't said anything outright, he lets the matter rest. A wan smile crosses his face for just a moment as he nods. ]

Unfortunately.

My thoughts reside with my son at the moment. I hope he's safe where I've left him, but I worry nonetheless.

[Well, at least she can sort of assure him of that.]

As far as we know you shouldn't miss any time with your son. Time is weird here.

[ His eyes close for a moment, relief palpable on his face as he smiles slightly. When his eyes open and focus on her again, he nods his head in gratitude. ]

That's one worry off my mind, at least.

Have you been here long?

A few months.

[She presses her lips together tightly.]

A lot of people have been here longer; some for years.

Years?

I'd likely go well and truly mad.

[ Not really, as he's a much stronger person than that, but he can't imagine that, regardless. ]

[And there's the sympathetic smile. She understands; well, not about having a child back home that you miss ... well, Tony is close enough to a child sometimes.]

Apparently you get used to it.

[Which is actually true. It's when you lose people that you break down like a house of cards.]

I'll take your word for it.

[ He doesn't want to inundate her with questions, but there are some things he needs to know. ]

What else can you tell me about life on this strange vessel?

[She offers a soft shrug.]

It isn't much different from life anywhere else. Most of us pitch in to help with running things; some don't. You need to be careful when going anywhere alone though. Apparently people have been known to go missing.

Missing?

That's troubling to hear.

It is, but that's why we have security. I'm pretty sure some people have been going on exploratory missions too.

[ He's not sure how he feels about an organized security team. In theory, they should be a force for good, helping to protect others, but he's seen so often how that kind of power can corrupt others. ]

I might like to be a part of these exploratory missions. Have you done anything like that?

I haven't.

[She offers an apologetic smile.]

I'm not exactly the exploring type.

thirty-first jump;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject