Long time no see, Tranquility. [ Smiling ruefully, Pepper offers the camera a little wave. ] Looks like I've missed a couple of months, if my numbers are anything to go by, which - of course - they are. I don't think I would have even noticed otherwise, to be honest. One more thing to the list of everything else I'm sure people wish we had some say over, though I'm still not sure if I'd rather have here than in whatever limbo that was.

[ She makes a brief, dismissive gesture as if to wave away the thought from floating around her own head. ]

In any case, it's not quite good to be back, but I guess it's not completely awful either. Welcome to space, for the new faces, and as for the old, I'm sure some of us have some catching up to do.

[ And this she finished on a bright note, because positivity!! is something that Pepper is into right now. It's better than moping or complaining, and besides, she thinks that some people could probably do with seeing more people who aren't pontificating, mourning losses or bemoaning the ship - it may not be great, but it's what they've got. ]

[The feed turns on, after a short bout of fiddling and brief flashes of video, to reveal the furrowed and somewhat wary face of a teenage girl. When she speaks though, it's with a tone for one much older and queenly than her appearance depicts.]

Greetings. My name is Susan Pevensie.

I would be very grateful if anyone would be willing to explain to me the mechanics of this so called ship. [A beat.] It's just that the idea of... space travel... seems like complete lunacy if you ask me. Especially since no one seems to even know where we're going! Why can't people just keep their feet firmly on the ground?

[She fiddles once again with the device, and lets out a huff.] Perhaps someone can also tell me just how this device functions. I can't seem to figure it-

[The feed cuts off. Somebody must a pressed the wrong button.]

[She has a deep voice, with a slight hint of a Mexican cadence to her words - not an accent, just a musicality to the words that isn't exactly 100% middle America]

I didn't think that space would be this climatic, honestly.

Who ever thinks oh, I'm going to space to fight going crazy, to find a place where people die by monster attacks and red emotes? I don't know when you grew up but when the kids in elementary school said I want to be an astronaut I think they thought I want to go to the moon and pee in my spacesuit and not I want to fight against the next thing a hellboat throws at me. But I'm just guessing.

[A pause, and a laugh, pleased]

I never wanted to be an astronaut.

I always kind of wanted to be a pirate.

It always sounded much cooler.

[ The very first shot is the view outside of the shuttle bay windows, stars and space and nothing else. Carolyn leaves the camera there for a bit before clearing her throat -- yes, there is more to this post than stars. ]

For those of you who were doubtful, yes, we are in space. The shuttle bay has the only windows on the ship, and now you've seen out them. If you want to come take a look for yourself, go ahead, but don't touch anything down here, don't bring any firearms, and don't show up drunk or high because we'll kick you out.

[ After a few more moments focused out the window, Carolyn turns the camera toward herself. ]

For those of you who are new, I'm Carolyn Fry. This has a few purposes other than showing you all the stars. For starters, the flight crew's always looking for new members. If you're interested, let us know -- we'll train you if you need it. However.

[ She'd cross her arms here, if she weren't holding the camera. Instead her gaze just narrows. ]

We do not have enough fuel for anyone to take a shuttle and try to get back to wherever they came from. If you want to try that, you might as well just walk out the airlock, because the results will be the same -- besides, this is probably a completely different year than the one you left. Likewise, if you just want to joy ride around outside, then you're out of luck. If we need to abandon ship, we need power. Since we have no idea when we're going to get more fuel for the shuttles and don't have as much as I'd like anyway, we're conserving it, so for now we're mostly repairing and maintaining them. Either way, my team doesn't really appreciate people trying to steal shuttles. We can and will stop you. You will be sent to the brig.

[ Her voice changes now from somewhere between 'stern' and 'frustrated' to 'I have said this next part a thousand times', one hand coming up to slide through her hair. ]

If you're brand new to space travel, I've been holding some space survival training classes. It's not necessarily "how to kill aliens trying to eat you" but it includes ways you can keep yourself healthy and the evacuation procedures we'll be using if we ever need to. [ A few button pushes and a link to the videos is added to the post. ] I'd obviously recommend watching them. Again, if you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to hold another session this jump.

[ Pause. ]

Last but not least, I'm going to remind everyone of a few things. Get in the gravity couches each jump or you will die. Don't wander out into the ship alone or you'll either die or come back crazy. Try not to kill each other [ she is really unhappy about the fact that she feels like that needs to be said. ] because honestly, the ship doesn't need help in that department. If you want something to do, there are plenty of departments that could use help.

Also, if anyone on board needs cat food, I have a recipe. [ Because that's not out of tone with the rest of the message at all...

There's a slight, forced smile at the camera. Mostly it just makes Carolyn look more tired, but hey, she tried. ]

Stay safe, Tranquility.

[ The feed cuts, but a few moments later, some locked messages go out. ]

[ LOCKED TO RIDDICK ]
I want to talk to you. In person.

[ LOCKED TO SPOCK ]
You still want to help with space survival training?

[ LOCKED TO THE FLIGHT CREW + FLIGHT CREW TRAINEES ]
I was thinking we should all get together for a little bit. Just... try and relax a little before diving back into work, get to know each other a little better.

Uh, this is Stormtrooper ... zero, fifty, zero, omega (that works, he supposes) we have a situation here, requesting backup. We have a wookie on the loose, I repeat, we have a wookie on the loose. Warning, warning, warning, warning he's loose in sectors four, five and seven. Probably.

Possibly.

We aren't sure, but that's why I'm requesting backup because how am I supposed to scout this entire facility for him?

(there's the sound of a laser shooting something) Also, cancel that reactor leak. I think I fixed it. Uhm, you never answered how you were doing?

[The video comes on, and the only thing anyone watching can see is a shock of black hair and part of a bright blue eye.

She's had the communicator since her arrival, of course, but it's so far out of her realm of understanding that it took her a while to decide whether she should actually touch it, or if she should just throw it out. Of course, eventually her natural curiosity won out and so she's inspecting it now, obviously unaware that the video is recording. Hawke jostles it again, and more of her face comes into view.]

-box, if there's nothing shiny inside it? [She's either talking to herself, or talking to someone off-camera, who knows?] Unless it's some relic with magical powers. The last one I encountered drove everyone who owned it mad - I think I'll pass on that.

[ sulu's fresh out of the shower, hair sticking up in damp spikes. he's not wearing his command gold, just the black undershirt and pants, sitting by his locker. he holds up a toy car, a quiet smile on his face, amused and a little wistful. ]

You know, these are antiques. Or they were antiques, where I'm from.

[ nostalgia. sulu hesitates a little, flipping the car in his fingers. ]

Of all the things for me to get, it's these. You'd think I'd get...

[ there's a pause, like sulu's thinking better of what he was going to say. then he shrugs a little. ]

Just a weird souvernir, I think.

[There's a clicking, and sudden light before Nora's face in on the screen, blinking. She dislikes this-- hell, she dislikes anything remotely modern. If she could remove the pasta arm in her kitchen, she would. It's ghastly. Frankly, the whole thing is.

She's dressed in a simple gold dress, beaded around the neck. Her hair is pinned up as it usually is, and she looks like she just walked out of the 1920's.]

They tell me I am on a ship. It is none that I have ever seen, though the last ship to make any sort of headlines sank. [A faulty smile, disapproval is written on her face.]

This isn't my home. No aged wood or fine cushions, no. Just-- this. [Her head turns, but not enough to see the bullet wound in the back of her head.]

Suffice it to say but at least my pathetic husband isn't at the bottom of it. This time. No. Surely the blasted thing would have sunk itself. [There's a frown. She half wonders where Charles got to, but it doesn't matter. Not really.]

[It's not very often that Asato makes a post to the network, preferring to read and hear what others have to say, offering bits of awkwardly-worded input when he thinks it could be useful. He's not one to draw attention to himself, and though it might seem difficult for a relatively big guy with cat ears and a tail, he tends to manage it too.

He's just a quiet guy minding his own cat business, part of which he's spent in the gardens, carefully tending to something each and every day. The result of nearly a year of watering, trimming, checking and double-checking, is what he moves the video feed to quickly after he sees the feed is on, offering only a quick glimpse of his face.]

I have--these.

["These" being a little pile of some kind of fruit. They're somewhere between a peach, an apple, and a currant, the size of a baseball at their largest, ranging from magenta to purple in color. He can't show it through the feed (much as he wishes he could!), but the scent that's coming from them is a strong mix of sweet, sour, and spicy.]

Kuims. Is what they're called. I planted them. I can't eat all of them, but I don't want them to go bad. [Which is why he's happy to offer some to whoever wants to stop by in the gardens and try them out.]

They're really good. In my world, lots of people like these the best. [A great advertiser he is not, but he's trying, and his enthusiasm is genuine.]

Please come have some. I don't need anything in return for them. Um... They're good in cakes, too. [That...should wrap things up, he figures, so the feed gives a shake, comes back to his face one more time, and clicks off.]