[ ZOOM IN. INT: THE SHIP. There’s something not so dark about the video feed, actually, but it does feature only the back of a chair. Slowly, s l o w l y, it turns around--

And it’s Veronica, with one hand petting an imaginary cat and one twirling an incredibly imaginary moustache. ]

I’ve been expecting you, Tranquility.

[ Too much? Veronica grins, the screen shaking a little as she reaches to pick up the communicator. There’s a whine from somewhere in the background -- definitely doggylike, definitely her dog, since there’s a brown-fur head that bats gently into her other hand that no longer is preoccupied with villanious imaginary pencil moustaches. ]

But seriously folks. Hi, I’m Veronica. I might make this announcement again, but for now, there are a lot of floors and not a lot of security folks. Trust me-- I’ve done the math, crunched the numbers, and sooner or later we’re all going to be putting pig heads on spikes.

[ Out of the corner of the screen, Backup, her dog, apparently seems to be content to chew mildly on her fingers. Veronica…. looks a little disgusted, but love is love, and her nose wrinkles then un-wrinkles in distaste. ]

If you want to make yourself useful, consider this, me, Veronica, poaching you, the citizens of the Tranquility, to change departments and sign up for Security.

[ Sing-song: ]

We have Tyke!

[ One hand -- the hand not currently getting chewed on lovingly -- makes a tiny little paw and claws. ]

Very grr, arrgh.

You’ll love it, I promise.

[The video feeds opens to show Taylor, stripped down to a tank-top, slight sheen of sweat on her skin and dampening her hair from some recent exertion. There's a small frown pinching her brow, but it isn't the usual annoyance that might be expected of her announcements to the network - this one's a little more like nostalgia, something bittersweet, slightly painful.]

Don't know if we've been here long enough to really call anything a tradition, but I'm resurrecting this one. Fight club, Holodeck 3. Participants and spectators welcome.

[She moves the camera to pan out over the space behind her, the holodeck space cleared, mats laid down, benches set to one side for seating. It's an arrangement that might be familiar to anyone that's been on the ship long enough to remember the last time; intent clear to anyone who hasn't.]

No weapons, hand-to-hand only, no abilities unless agreed upon by both fighters. Someone taps out or goes unconscious, fight is over. We don't need more medical situations than we already get.

[She pulls the camera back to herself as she finishes listing the rules.]

If you've got a combat, military or policing background and you're interested in getting on Security, I can take a corner for assessments. Rest of the time I'll be here making sure things don't get too bloody.

[[ooc: accompanying mingle/fight log over here!]]

[ anderson has come to terms with her presence here in as much as she can. there's a minimum level of information she's gathered from the guide, the network, peoples' minds. accept that which you cannot change, prioritize, move on; those are the principles she's been operating on for the time being.

so she faces the screen now, expression and voice even. ] We’re all from different worlds. I know that there are different justice systems in many of them. [ there’s a brief pause, a swallow. the hall of justice has been her home for a long time, being a judge is what she’s always wanted. the role of judges in her world is important, it’s necessary. she doesn’t want to see their reputation sullied by a comparison, but she wants to know this. ] Tell me about them?


[ ooc; annd a permission post for her too! ]

[ joe's not so much ill at ease on camera as he is just happier off, and the lack of desire to throw his metaphorical hat in to this particular ring bleeds through into his slumped posture. he's got his actual hat off and set to the side, because this calls for company manners which means your nicest flannel and no hat, as you do. ]

Name's Joe Davis, based outta Pernambuco. [ a beat. ] That's just about on the far edge of the farms on Pasiphae, right. [ since as it's been made abundantly clear, he's the only one who knows that sort of thing off-hand. ]

Nobody's wanted to tell me too much, but I get the sense something about this whole thing makes me look dangerous. And I understand that, and whatever questions you gotta ask I'm ready to answer them. [ in part because there's only one of him and a lot of everybody else and it's the smart call, but that can go unsaid. ] I guess I just wanted to say this is all new and confusing to me, too, and seeing as I'd rather not end up pistol whipped, if it's all the same to everybody-- [ yeah, dean, he saw that-- ] I figured maybe I'd make the first move, since it's seeming like maybe I've landed in a tight spot without meaning to here.

[ he looks down, rubbing at the back of his neck with a thumb, a little uncomfortable. ]

I'm not much for speeches, but it seemed like the thing to do-- think that's about it, anyway.

[ and with that, he's out. ]

[the post is made some hours after the jump. it's video, strangely enough for this passenger. light skin, pale hair, bright eyes. a curious expression at first, then a flashing, shy sort of smile once he realizes the feed the communicator is recording.]

Greetings, Tranquility. My name is Legolas. Some of you may know me, some may not. Regardless.. in light of some-- recent events [pirates. pirates being killed. bodies being strung up. his father being put in the brig. you get the idea.] my acquaintances and I have seen it fit to settle down with a few drinks.

Unfortunately, we.. seem to have brought too much. [video pans to show a few bottles, ale and whiskey, and then backs away to show a rather large barrel (three feet tall, to be exact) with dark red liquid inside. it spins around back to show legolas.]

Therefore, by unanimous agreement [...or just his agreement.] we would like to extend this courtesy to any who wish to join us. Our party may be found on the second floor of the Oxygen Gardens, near the lifts. There will be glasses provided, though I do recommend bringing your own flask or cup. We ask only for company in return, and that the drinks be put to good use.

[he takes a sip from a glass of wine and raises it in a toast before the feed cuts out.]

((ooc: log is up here! legolas will be replying to this post.))

[Jim doesn't address the ship with a hello this time around, instead cutting to the chase, the only warning the somber look on his face and the fact that he's sitting down. he isn't at a desk and there's a dirty scuff mark on his jaw, so it's clear that wherever he's making this broadcast from, it's in the middle of repairs on the ship.]

What happened with the pirates was a tragedy. [a beat] In my own universe, if we could we'd send the deceased back to their home planet for their relatives to handle. Barring that, we would opt for a space burial by jettisoning the body into the stars, whether through coffin or cremation.

[it's a little romantic, especially for Jim, but while he might not personally be very spiritual or religious, he understands that there are many who can't stand the dead being spoken of as just another body to get rid of. he, himself, still sees the dead as people— individuals he couldn't save. the dead deserved respect, because once upon a time, they'd been living and breathing and thinking.]

I know the final say will fall to medical, as it's their facilities that will need to be used in either case— [and he nods, an acknowledgement to the medical staff on board] — but I believe a funeral service should be held and would be good for all of us. A loss of life this huge can effect people in ways we might not initially expect, and we've had losses of our own number that deserve a proper goodbye.

[he's speaking of literal losses, yes, but he's also speaking of the figurative. a loss of innocence was just as tragic as the loss of a life. Kurt's post, speaking of the girl at the end of the play, came to mind, and the loss of Gingersnap was a startling blow for anyone who knew Tyke and her dogs.]

There's an outdoor chapel in the oxygen gardens, should anyone want to make use of it, or should anyone elect to hold an official service. Enterprise, we'll be meeting at Chase's apple tree on the second level at 18:00 hours. Anyone else wishing to attend is more than welcome.

I realize we have our work cut out for us with the jump only a few days away, but we need to remember to take care of ourselves and our own. We're all we've got up here, whether we like it or not. Taking a half hour of one day won't hurt.

Kirk out.

[When the camera turns on, Marty's adjusting it before plopping down in a seat clumsily (grumbling 'fuckin' jelly legs' or something to that effect); he's got dust and oil on him, a little toil and trouble with the clean-up assistance he's been performing on the Tranquility (after pilfering a gun from the Scylla, of course). He's bone-tired and there's a bit of sweat on his brow, but in that weariness he finds temporary redirection from the shitty stuff. He's noticed, of course, people fighting plenty. People looking very tense and unhappy. The halls are even quieter, somehow. And he doesn't fuckin' like it, not one bit. Now, he's not particularly attached to this ship--duh, he's only been here a month and it's a horrible place on top of it--but like hell does he enjoy misery as company. That saying can just go shove it.

I mean, he's barely even smoking it up, lately. In fact, he's stone cold normal right now and empty-handed. They're just clasped in front of him as he leans into his knees.]

You know what I need? A break. A cigarette break, but with more words 'n shit. We've been working our asses off. Keep up the fantastic work, and all that jazz, but how about something else for a second? Juuust a second. I know we've all been stressed out, what with the pirates and the freaky-ass murdering specter captains and the--uh--ship clamped on us like a tumor. So just... Hey, I haven't--really indulged in the fact that we're all from every corner of time and space and universes and all that cool sci-fi stuff.

[He licks his lips as he considers what to say, hands motioning in front of him like he's trying to catch his own thoughts.]

You guys, we have all kinds of worlds on board! Tell me some cool shit about your world. Or about you. Whatever. Can I get some cool facts? Some jokes? Stories? Hell, it doesn't even have to be anything outside of good ol' planet Earth. Or even directed at me. No serious or traumatic stuff needed, just... stuff. Hell, if you're a connoisseur of movies or you have a thing for panda facts or you wanna tell a story about your crazy family reunions.

[He suddenly seems a little more excited, a little less tired, shifting in his seat.]

This entry is now Marty's Share Fair. I'm stuck on a funky space ship and all, so I might as well know more than the bleak stuff.

....

Just don't pull a TMI, okay? I'm sure everyone sees enough floppy nethers after each jump. We don't need to know anything about them other that the promise that you'll find a towel posthaste. Thank you in advance.

(ooc: threadjacking heavily encouraged! it'd be fun to have people find common interests or things to relate to, and I just wanted a kinda free-for-all for the S.S. Solemn Worrywarts)

[Godric has been scarce during the invasion by the Scylla's crew, and for good reason. But he's been paying attention. He's in the emergency shuttle bay when he turns on the video, and evidence of the pirates is immediately apparent. There are supplies and equipment, some of it packed away, some of it scattered on the floor in disarray. But more concerning are the devices attached to the walls, the floor, and even the door -- clearly explosives of some sort. An escape plan, or a defensive perimeter. It would be more alarming, but for the fact that all the devices look still and quiet, void of frightening red lights or ominous noises.

Perhaps most eye-catching of all is the message written above the two tubes protruding from the outer hull of the Tranquility:

MAKE IT QUICK...

Godric turns the video onto himself, and addresses anyone watching.]

It seems our friend has left us a note.

[Usually, this would be locked to Security. But with Tyke out of commission, it's probably a moot point.]

[ the feed opens up on, well, nothing actually, the unfortunate consequence of being on audio. you don't get to see tony's face, but what you do get to hear is something akin to a robot moving around and the sound of machinery being fiddled with. there's a moment where there's also an exhale like tony's getting ready to say something before there's a clang. and a few muttered curses, before tony actually says something. it regrettably not the original thing he planned on starting this with. ]

I wanted you to come along and be helpful, Dum-E, not drop things on my foot. I will take you apart don't think I won't. [ ah, and yes, the feed was on, forgot about that. ]

Not actually how I wanted to start this. Disregard any of that, by the way, I'm fighting with something from home. Anyway. You know for all we have a bunch of hero types, leaders, take charge alpha males and females, you think we could have prevented that. I know, we're all displaced people and what, the pirates thought we were insane because we all shouted and threatened to kill them or hurt them and I don't like people taking my shit as much as the next guy, but did you notice that we're forty years behind, according to them. I don't think any of them were forty, I haven't looked at all the dead bodies of course, I'm not that morbid, but this is something they knew about. We're a ghost story to them. We're a ghost story that shouldn't exist. [ a pause and more noises on his end are heard. ] I don't know about you, but I feel pretty solid. No one was supposed to get down to the brig, and yet, how in the fuck do you think we got to hear dead bodies falling down. I'm not advocating law, because guess what, martial law, also known as what you heard but shouldn't have heard, is the only thing you could pull off. And can you guess who's in charge of what your punishment is, who would be your military tribunal. I'll give you a hint, it's not Kirk, it's not me, not Nathan, not Tyke, it's not any of the captains who came or insert military rank here, etc.

Yeah, for those of you listening at home, that leaves Ward. And Resnik. What I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, and I am and I am hoping you are actually listening, is that we're stuck fending for ourselves here. And unless we get our fucking shit together, we're gonna be like sitting ducks. And I'm not a big fan of being a duck. So, you know, maybe you might want to pull your heads out of your asses and stop acting like this is a vacation and, oh I don't know, maybe make sure the next time someone decides to board us or we stop at a hell port, we're not looking like insane idiots and maybe we might learn something. But, hey, what I know, maybe I'm just making this situation worse. Yeah, something tells me I'm okay.

[ there's a beat and another muffled curse before he continues. ]

Oh yeah, in case any of you are not nursing wounds, funny thing about pirates ripping things off the ship, you kind of need to fix them and/or find the parts they took. Those of you who have any sort of actual ability when it comes repairing mechanical things, could use your assistance or maybe the ship will break during a jump and that means we're dead. So, yeah, get in touch now, I don't care about your grieving at the moment, you can grieve later, trust me.

And no, I'm not bothering with a lock, our pirates, our now dead pirates, got into every lock including mine and every other tech person's. And may have pointed out that Ward and Resnik could see it all. So, I'm not bothering with a lock against those two that won't work, because there's always a backdoor they can see through. 

[ stark encryption 100% to pepper potts ]
You're not gonna kill me in my sleep if I spend way too much time trying to fix all of this right? And not exactly sorry about the PR mess this is going to be right now.

[ axvengers encryption 100% ]
I would go on an adventure to their ship, but I'm stuck doing this. Do a bit of recon and steal some loot. Not that you really need the order, but I might as well say it anyway. Stash it 100, and we'll talk when I get a chance. In person. About all of this.

I cannot decide whether to find this rather unexpected set of circumstances to be fascinatingly new or simply very aggravating. [No, that's actually a lie. He's very annoyed--mostly because it put a kink to his current on-going bid for power plot to usurp his brother's ascension to the throne.] However, that is not the point of this message. I am merely pointing out that I am obviously new to this ship and as such I would endeavor to enlist some form of aid for but one problem worrying me; one that, at the least, could be addressed immediately.

I am looking for someone. To be precise, I am looking into the possibility that one or several persons may have have arrived or awoken at the time that I did. Their names:

Thor
Sif
Fandral
Hogun
Volstagg

If you have met any of these individuals or have any information concerning them: I apologize for any uncultured behavior quite probably displayed by them and I would like a word. Preferably about their whereabouts. If you are any one of those individuals: I am blaming you for this folly and, as usual, I am certain I will be the one to fix your unfortunate mistake. [Because it never failed to occur in such fashion. According to his own view-point.] Be patient, and contact me through this network.

Oh come on! Why isn't it gone yet?

[there's a couple of distinct thunks and Francis turns his device to show a certain mask on his door, now with complimentary arrows sticking out of its mouth and eye sockets

he turns the camera back towards himself, and he's looking ... well, he's looked better. Francis has his black and white clothes now instead of the ship uniform, but they're rumpled and slept in and he looks pretty tired and high-strung himself]

It was bad enough when it showed up before the jump, and then it was still there right after, but it's been like a week. Has anyone even figured out where the heck they came from?

[he glares, then sets the device down to retrieve his arrows, putting them back in his quiver]

Whatever. I'm going back to the Oxygen Gardens until it's gone.

[Tony is sitting in a chair, feet propped up against a table with a drink in one hand. He's still avoiding those dreadful jumpsuits so he's dressed in one of his fancy suits instead although it's a little rumpled as he has no idea how to iron. Looking at him, you wouldn't be able to tell that he's barely keeping himself together.]

You know what I miss?

Good alcohol. Scotch, whiskey, a martini. This stuff is good enough to get drunk on, but still disappointing.

So let's barter. I'm sure some of you out there have something decent in your possession. I can build you a personalised nanite fleet, portable teleporter and/or force field, dimensional gate, super-soldier exo-suit, Thor's hammer-- actually scratch the hammer, weather manipulation in an enclosed space is just stupid, for the really good stuff and in large quantities.

For the lesser stuff you can choose between a weapon of your choice provided it's not something like a nuke, your very own pet Wall-E or some other small trinket, coffee machine, whatever.

Everything is negotiable and if you have something specific in mind feel free to ask. I also reserve the right to not do business with you for whatever reason.

[It means anyone wanting something that could be used as a weapon beyond a simple gun or sword will be scrutinised heavily. Also any of the big stuff will have built in safety mechanisms so he can shut it down remotely if the need arises. He doesn't really see anyone actually fulfilling his criteria for the big stuff, but he's crossing his fingers.]

The offer is open indefinitely and I'll probably have something up on that noticeboard.

[filtered to the Ultimates; encrypted 100%]

And just as an addition. I realise with the whole different timelines and all, not all of you would know about this. Clint knows already, but I'm sure you've all wondered at one point or another why someone like me is in this business.

I'm dying. [He looks incredibly relaxed as he says this and taps the side of his head.] Brain tumour, inoperable. Blah blah blah. I figured I'd go out with a bang. It's gone into remission a couple of times which is the only reason I'm still around, but it's back right now.

This isn't the important part.

[Speaking off camera.] Come over here.

[A young boy walks into view dressed in a suit just like Tony, basically imagine Tony as a child. The important thing to note here is that he is rather ghostly.]

This is Anthony, he's my tumour. Say hi, this is my team.

[Anthony smiles and waves at the camera.]

He's also a technopath. So any questions?

[ tranquility! you were totally missing tony. or at least some of you were from the state of his communicator when he came back into a place where he could read it. whatever, there's some noise in the background that sounds suspiciously like the medbay when tony actually starts the feed up. there's a reason for this kids, but tony, being tony, isn't particularly up for explaining what it is beyond a select few. but hey, if you're feeling lucky, you'll actually be able to see what really happened hidden in this post. ]

I know what you all are thinking, how dare you disappear like that and worry half of the ship or at least random parts of it who were crying about it. Lost is actually the technical term for what I did, since I meant to just take a small stroll and then suddenly I took a bad turn it wasn't that bad. My bad, though, next time I'll take a map or something to show me around not just the communicator. Left the nonexistent map in my room clearly, which yes, I know, Tony, that was incredibly idiotic of you. But hey, it's not the worst thing any of you will or have seen me doing by  a long shot. And I have a thing about making interesting life choices like that. I could have disappeared during a time like the plague we had. Or during the lockdown. At least now it's shockingly quiet minus a few things. [ or disappearances, but hey, no one needs to know he noticed alayne was gone. he'd like to personally forget he ever saw that. but you know, he sees too much and he can't really take that back now can he? ] I'm not typically one to give little messages about how we should pay attention so nothing bad happens, because really, I'm pretty sure some of us keep watch enough so a number of you all can rest easy and not spend every waking moment monitoring the network. But I think, when everyone is wandering around, you might want to make sure you're watching where you step. You don't want to be like me coming out feeling gross and like you could eat a horse.

There's an old saying about that, I think. Eye or eyes have it.

Anyway, I'm not dead, rejoice or cry into your space food, either one is really fine with me actually. And you know, because I'm feeling generous after coming out of the hellish hallways, I know we have some engineers on here and I know we have people who randomly build things, I don't care about them, technically, but I do care if some of you might actually need something say built for you and are wondering god, who would do that for me, well as it turns out, I do actually have a lot of free time to do various projects and I seem to be lacking in them right now and for the foreseeable future. So, to rectify this, consider this me asking all of you to come to me if you're dying to have something done in the vein of building things for you. I could do encryptions, but people can be weirdly fussy about those. Whatever, you know my number. Call me if it sounds good to you maybe.

[ avengers encryption | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

Meeting as soon as I get out of medbay. Just with the four of us. Christ, we're down to four again. Awesome. Pepper sitting in, obviously, if only because I'm a little worse for wear as it turns out. 

[ encrypted to listmates | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

What are we down to now? Eighteen? Nineteen? Caffrey and I just randomly disappeared only to come back just a bit fucked up. I think this calls for a list members meeting. Just for kicks. And I don't actually care if you're rolling your eyes at this, any of you, because personally, I'm just a bit tired of wondering if one of us is going to magically get killed or disappear at a jump. Or, as Caffrey and I have demonstrated, just randomly get lost in a ship we've been on for months.

[ encrypted to neal caffrey | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

And it seems as if I'm not the prodigal son any more. Separate talk, you and me. Or do I offend your hipster sensibilities too much still?

[ encrypted to spock | stark encryption 100% | unhackable ]

...Can I trust you to keep a little secret from someone? You know who I'm talking about, I imagine, but if I do tell you something, it needs to stay extremely hush hush.


[ ooc | okay, two things! one, bare with me on any slowness with this post since i put it up now as opposed to monday for a very specific reason. and two, there is actually something wrong with tony, but he's not as crazy as neal was when he came back. what happened to him was more physical with a tiny bit of crazy added in that i might sprinkle in this post. this does not mean mr. stark will be dropping metaplot hints, because i don't really have any to actually give! beyond what we already know because of spock's misadventures in melding with the ship. 

what is hidden in this post and will be mentioned for sure is what exactly happened to tony and the "why" of what happened. so yeah, that's the end of this grossly long note. ]

[ York's clearly at ease with this type of technology--it's not precisely what he's used to using, but the principles are pretty easy to figure out. He's also a lot more relaxed than a lot of the other newcomers who have made appearances on the network so far; at least here, he has shelter and food, and it seems like he's out of reach of the people who were pursuing him, so really, it's the least stressful his situation has been in quite a while. 

The weird angle of his face on the screen is easily explained by the way he's sitting with his feet kicked up on the table, and the way the comm device sits propped up on its surface. He knows his most striking feature, of course, and so he's set it up so that the comm unit is to his right, but the observant viewer will notice the scarring on the left side of his face whenever he turns his head to speak more directly to device, especially the fact that his left eye is milky white. He knows it sometimes shock people when they meet him for the first time, but it doesn't bother him enough to avoid using the video stream, especially when what he needs to talk about is something so important to him. ]

Hey, there, folks. I know all of us who are new have had some time to settle in--oh, yeah, I'm Garrett, by the way, but you can call me York if you want. I'm happy with either one. Anyway, I hear that for whatever reason, AIs only come on board in their own bodies, and I didn't know about that when we first came on board. So I'm just hoping...if anybody's met a guy who just goes by Delta, or if you're listening, D, I'm down in room 161. [ The pensive crease on his forehead only lasts a fraction of a second; he means to make a good impression, and he doesn't want to burden anyone else with the way D's disappearance has left him feeling more than just a little bit lonely. After all, D's lived in his head for quite a while. It's strange to have his thoughts to himself. ]

Other than that, I'd just like to let everyone know I'm offering my services as a locksmith. I'm not sure how these room locks work, seems like they're linked to our ID tattoos, but if anyone ever has any kind of trouble with 'em, I'd be able to help. [ He cocks his head back with a grin. ] Mainly I'm just looking for stuff to do that'll keep me out of trouble. You have no idea what kind of mischief a bored infiltration specialist can get up to. 

[ For someone who often prefers to address the network by video feeds, it's rather odd for Pepper to instead to choose voice, this time around. She sounds a little weary, like she's been awake for days at a time, but it's only a side effect of the monthly routine, and the in part just the mere thought that she's spent so much time back home just in the space of one jump. One jump. It feels like she should have missed months of being here, but she hasn't missed a thing. ]

It's been a bit of a while for me, now, but at least these aren't quite as bad as I remember anymore. [ To clarify: ] I don't really know how or why, but during the last jump I went home - or something like that. It's been... a while, let's say, but I'm sure I'll ease back into it. [ She pauses, a little uncomfortably. ] I don't think that anyone has stated this officially yet, but it looks like Bruce Banner and Betty Ross are gone. I can't find or contact them. I'm sorry, to those of you who know them. They were a really wonderful pair, and they'll be missed, but at least one of them hasn't left the other behind here, and we can be thankful for that.

[ The next pause she makes is heavier, highly indicative of her concern even though she desperately wants to sound casual. Her words are just too flat, too stiff, to pass as normal. ]

Lastly, if anyone sees Tony Stark, please ask him to give me a call- or whatever it is you do with these things. Thank you.

[ And with that, she ends the feed, abruptly. ]

( ooc: AND WITH THAT tony stark is officially missing! feel free to join pepper in her unpleasant levels of concern :c )