ataraxionlogs | thirty-fifth 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: You wake feeling cold and alone. There is a strange sense of emptiness, and the jump holds no surprises for you. There is nothing buffering the jump sickness and disorientation for you this month, and those still suffering the lingering effects of August's plot may find it more difficult than usual to get through the post-jump routine.

New arrivals will find messages spraypainted across their lockers telling them not to follow their tattoo numbers, and instead to find a room on Floors 001-010.

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[emily was slowly making her way past the lockers when she spots caroline sitting against the locker and approaches her out of concern. she recognizes her vaguely from talking to her over the network once but she never managed to catch her name] Are you doing okay?

[ Caroline sighs softly before looking up, trying for a smile. It's not her best and brightest, but it's an effort. ]

Just adjusting. [ Among other things. She stays seated just a little longer, fidgeting with the communicator in her hands. ] Got all my freaking out done with for now. Kinda just thinking about...

[ Her friends. Her mom. Everything. Too much to get into, anyway, and she shakes her head. ]

Too much. [ And she finally stands up, pushing herself away from the lockers. ] I'm Caroline. Brand new and totally weirded out by the space thing.

[Emily nods, listening as Caroline continues to talk before she finally introduces herself and mentions that she is new here] I know how that is— it's a lot to take in, that's for sure.

[She gives her a reassuring smile, deciding not to mention that they talked before or that she was here before because it wasn't like she knew her all that well either] I'm Emily, it's nice to meet you, Caroline.

Same, considering the weird circumstances. [ She's not gonna let herself mope too much about said circumstances. Too much to figure out, like what to do next. ]

So, space. Totally not my area. [ It's said lightly, but seriously - not her jam. Caroline likes planet Earth just fine. ] How long have you been on here?

[Emily can definitely understand that since she prefers being on Earth instead of how long she has been here. She hesitates at the question because her answer to that would be pretty overwhelming to hear but it was part of the explanation process too even if it felt weird to actually say] Ah, well it's been a while for me— just over two years. It seems to vary for everyone on here though.

[ The length of time Emily has been there takes Caroline by surprise. Oh, God, this isn't gonna be just some short two week trip, is it? ]

Two years? [ Not that Caroline has any idea what to expect for the length of her own stay. Still, two years is forever, even if she is a vampire and all immortal. ] Okay, kidnapping I can totally deal with. Being stuck here for years, not so much.

[ Then she sighs, reaching up to rub at a temple. ]

Not that I feel like I have a choice. Sorry, still adjusting.

[Emily nods, gives her an apologetic look in response] Yeah, unfortunately.

It's okay— I know it's hard to hear too and I still can't quite believe I'm been here that long myself but from my experience things back home kind of on pause while we're here.

Seriously?

[ It sounds impossible, but then again so does this involuntary trip into space. She's been worrying a bit about how those back home would react about her disappearance, but if they're never aware of it, that's just one more problem off her plate. ]

I guess that isn't too bad, then. So, is it like people don't even realize we're gone?

Mm, yeah that's right along going right back to where we left off and having no memories of being here either. [In all her time here, she has only been back once to witness that herself even if she was pulled back here yet again]

Whoa, whoa. They take our memories away?

[ NOT COOL SHIP. If she's being forced to endure some kind of crazy space adventure, she should be able to remember it. Even if it's only to complain about it once she's back home. ]

What, do they inject us with some kind of memory erasing serum or something? That's what happens in sci fi stuff, right?

[ It's not really her jam. ]

[She nods at the first question, not looking too pleased by that fact either] Yeah, I'm not exactly sure how it's possible but I figure it has to do with the fact that we can be pulled from different points in time when we're brought here.

[ She feels incredibly out of her element here, but there isn't much she can do about it right now. Even if she can feel the urge to freak out rising. ]

Great, that's just awesome. I can get a refund on my trip ticket? [ She huffs out a soft laugh as she says this, shaking her head. ] I should probably go do the exploring thing. Or maybe check back there - [ She glances over her shoulder, toward the pod area. ] Maybe I can find someone I know or something.

[She smiles somewhat sheepishly in response because for as honest as her answers are, she knows it can be a bit much] If only it was that easy but anyway I'll let you get back to exploring and searching for your friends. The thing about coming from different times is probably something to keep in mind since I know a few of mine who ended up here were from my past.

Anyway, if you have any more questions I can try and answer them. The communicators we get our sort of like our phones which correspond to our tattoo numbers— the same applies to the rooming we get here too.

[ Caroline gives a small nod at that - the time situation would be tricky, if she did find someone she knew. ]

I'll totally keep it in mind. Thanks for all the info, Emily. I seriously appreciate it. [ The fact the people have been nothing but helpful, even to a stranger, has made her feel a little bit better about the whole situation. Not completely okay with it, but better. ] I'm sure you'll hear from me sometime, because I'll get to my room and questions will just hit me all at once and I'll feel like a total doofus for not asking earlier.

thirty-fifth jump;

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