We will stay here now, yes? Because the ship is broken and we cannot go home.

[And chances are low that they will manage to get off planet, but Muscovy doesn't really see a point in that - the planet is warm and while, like every other place, it has its dangers, it seems like a fertile place that one should be able to make a good living on.]

So everyone should get married and have children, yes? Because unless you're immortal you will need them to take care of you when you get old, or ill. And it will be less scary to live here when there are children around, because it will feel more like a place that is home to everyone, yes? And it is a warm feeling to be with family and home, so it will make everyone happier.

If you know whom you want to marry but you don't know how to tell them, you can write them a letter and I will bring it to them!

And if you don't know whom to marry yet, you can tell me and I will tell you who else is trying to find someone to marry and then you can look at each other and talk about it. And then you can have children and be happy, yes?

Attention, citizens.

I have located a perpetrator of criminal larceny.

Her appearance: seemingly human, not quite two meters in height, lean, ill-shaven; a fringe dweller, outside the settlement density perimeter, likely an arrival from a more recent jump. [ More recent than herself, she means. ]

When confronted she pretended compliance before affecting a transformation into a mammalian monster. Teeth, claws, pelt, accelerated healing. Increased sized and strength. She fled after I fired my sidearm, wounding her leg.

I have pursued her to a ridge some distance from the river. [ coordinates are provided ] I am having trouble keeping pace. If anyone with combat experience is nearby, backup would be beneficial.

We should take her alive, if possible. Justice must be served.

(( OOC Note: This post refers to an encounter with Flint Deckard, not the ongoing modplot about thefts in the camp. So much crime, so little time! ))

[Hello, fellow planetfall survivors. Today a rather reclusive individual is accessing the network for... well, probably the first time since the digital network was re-established by the resourceful group involved. Having his ear up against a whole bunch of human chatter was not something Algidus had been interested in; he'd, in fact, let his phone run dry and had to charge it at a hard line just for this occasion.

But it was an important one. Though Algidus didn't want to admit it, he was beginning to become worried--it had been a long time since he'd seen or heard from the one person who had actively agreed to help him in this place. And while mild discouragement normally wouldn't have been enough to keep him from using the bandwith-devouring video function of the phone, today he's opting for voice because he's having a hard time completely masking the concern in his expression. He doesn't want anyone to see even a trace of weakness.]

This is a... humble request for information. I--has anyone seen or heard from AJ recently? [And then, just in case a name doesn't ring any bells, he adds on:] ... Human. [Well, that probably goes without saying.] Woman. Tall, lanky, uh... long, dark hair. Sharp features. Often came into camp with me to make trades. [Then, just to attempt to mask the fact that he actually cares even a little for a human:] She and I were working together on something. Something important. If she's not here any more then I will need to... pursue other avenues.

[He pauses, tries to think of anything else to say, and finds himself not only coming up short but feeling an unfamiliar emotion welling up inside of himself. Rebelling against it takes up his focus, so for now, he's cutting his broadcast and waiting to hear from others.]

 
Umm... Do you think...

Are last names -- important?

I was, was thinking maybe... I dunno... My real mom had a last name, but I never used it... Lots of people got last names, though.

Maybe I could have one, too...?

[Not that he has one in mind. Only -- he does, but he's not sure if it's allowed. Is it? He wishes he knew.]

[ jax is leaned back in one of the seats on the gunnery observation deck, twisting his heavy rings round his finger. the comm is propped ostensibly on his monitor while jax slouches back, ill at ease. ]

While we're chewing over Odessa's offer, I got something else to put on the table.

[ more like a heads up. jax's expression is serious, the twist of his rings a more clear show of anxiety than he's displayed on comms in his entire stretch on the ship. ]

Our rescuers've got us surrounded. Sensors are picking up a mess of ships out there. I figured that's about as worthy of discussion as everything else she and her new best friend are puttin' on the table.

This is Shepard. Further investigation into the empathetic connections, etc. seems to suggest consistent results throughout, with strength increasing in--

[ Crash. Shepard looks up, alarmed, then swears under her breath. ]

Hold on. [ She sets the comm device down, then calls out: ] Hey! That isn't for you to eat! ... Ah, shit. [ More grumbling, then a strange, definitively alien, bark-like cry. ] Going to have to get that replaced. [ Beat; cue thumping that increases in volume. ] Wait a second--

[ The device tumbles from its surface, seemingly held in the mouth of something that breathes loudly as it runs laps around the small room. With a few more curses, the redhead commander can be seen in flashes trying to get it back, then manages to tackle the offender with a series of struggling grunts.

Finally, Shepard again. She looks wearied and apologetic. ]

Sorry. I was going to say, with strength increasing in the manifestations, especially. Though, I'd guess it's equal across the board with these new abilities. Can't say for sure. If you've got more experience with the others, the... memories and telepathy, I'd like to hear about it.

[ She gives a few of the creature behind her, who is tearing her pillow to shreds. ]

It's a Varren. Should be harmless, but I'll keep him in here in case he gets hungry, and... uh, violent.

[ The Varren in question yips happily, clearly pleased with itself. ]

Shepard out.

[When the feed switches on, it shows Hiro flushed, breathless, and clearly ducked into a small, dark hiding place with a hand pressed to the side of his head and his eyes shut. He tries to keep his voice down when he speaks so that he won't be easily found, but who even knows what someone might be able to hear. Keeping his voice low also helps with the headache that started pounding behind his eyes; which had happened so suddenly that he'd stumbled into things and gotten him into the mess he's in at the moment.]

So-- here's a question. Totally hypothetical... but let's say you got caught sneaking into areas you shouldn't be in or touching things maybe no one wants you to touch. What would you say is the best way of getting out of it?

[He only asks because his usual tactic of "play the totally innocent/dumb kid card" doesn't seem to work so well on the few staff members he's run into in the engineering area, and even the "I'm so sorry, my head's been hurting and I got confused" angle failed. All of which has ended up with him kind of backed up into a corner. He wouldn't bother asking a whole bunch of strangers otherwise. Hiro bites his lip, glances outside of his little hiding spot, then turns back to the camera with a slightly sheepish look.]

It's not as bad as it sounds. I swear. I just... needed some things.

All right. I’ve got two things.

So if gettin'... um... close to people makes us bleed less, it seems like now would be a good time to get people together to spar. So I’m offerin’ now, if anybody wants to meet in the gym or whatever.

[Because that should work just as well as holding someone’s hand or hugging them, right? And it’s much less weird and embarrassing--Firo's sure that the ship's intending to torture them even more with the "solution" to their problem and he'll do his damndest to get out of it.]

And the second thing I got... Well, it’s kinda gross, so I won’t show it right here. You’re welcome.

[He hesitates, realizing he really should have rehearsed this at some point. How the hell does he explain this?]

I got an eye in my locker. Thought I’d ask around and see if anybody wants it, ‘cause I sure as hell don’t want this thing hangin' around and watchin' me sleep. Somebody said Medical might be interested.

And no, it’s not all gross from sittin’ around. I’ll show you if you want.

[By all rights, it should be kind of gross, given how long ago the jump was. This eye is a bit... special. As most immortal eyes are.]

[The feed shows a boy of maybe six or seven, sitting in the gardens with a sheet of paper lying before him - the list of things that he wants to address. He's wearing the ship's uniform and his long hair is braided in a complicated pattern and adorned with little red, white and blue pearls.]

If there is someone who always comes when we call them, and they don't come here, is there a way to make them come? Where I was before, you could do a task and get a reward, there should be something like that here as well, yes? Even though there are no regents, but we are still pulled to this ship, so it has to be similar.

[He tried to call the General because one of the other residents of the ship, Glacius, would have liked to meet him and he didn't come, and as much as he doesn't like the cold, not having General Winter at his disposal means a pretty major loss of safety and that would be a lot of loss of potential "fire"power to make up for. It makes things a lot scarier.]

And I have a few other things, too. [He holds up a hand, four fingers stretched out.]

Are there any people from East of Poland and Lithuania and west of Mongolia here? Or who feel like they belong there in one way or the other. [One finger is bent down, and he giggles when it is a bit complicated to keep the other three up - but it works out in the end.]

I need to talk to William Tsang, but I don't know what he looks like so I couldn't find him. [Asking might have gone a long way but the scary looking old woman that he saw around in the med bay when he stalked it made him continue stalking instead of taking heart and asking someone, and when you don't know whom you're looking for...] So you should tell me what he looks like, yes? [Another finger goes, and this one needs to be held down by the thumb so the remaining two can go up again.]

Does anyone have a set of balanced daggers for fighting that they don't need? I can offer customized knitted products for a trade, or maybe something else if that doesn't work.

[And then he stops abruptly, his eyes going wide before narrowing and tears appearing in the corners, and he raises both hands to hold his head. When he lowers them again a bit later, a trickle of blood has started to run out of his nose, but he isn't noticing it yet, looking left and right with a nervous glance (is there someone who did this?) before snuffling and fixing the smile back on his face and continuing, though his eyes are still a bit onfocused.]

We looked in the kitchens and there are good knives, but they aren't balanced right. [He suddenly remembers that he was showing the bullet points on his hand and raises his hand, only his little finger pointing up now.]

And I want to learn things. I can play the harp a bit, but I want to learn more about it so it gets nicer. So if you know how to play the harp, you should teach me. And I want to learn how to shoot a firearm because they work everywhere here, yes? And I want to get better with the bow and my daggers, too, so if you are very good at fighting with them you should teach it to me, too. Because children should learn things, yes? [So adults obviously have the duty to teach them. He peers down at his cheat sheet and then nods and lowers his hand, clasping it together with the other in his lap.

And just smiles at the camera for a little bit before reaching out to turn the feed off - at which point he stops abruptly because blood has dripped from his nose onto the back of his hand and he reaches up in shock to touch his lip and wipe at the blood with hands and sleeves.]

I could use some help.

[Sam is sitting on the floor, and he looks distressed as the feed starts. A little lost, perhaps, and it's clear that whatever is going to come out of his mouth isn't good news.

The fact that there's smears of blood on his clothes don't help matters. Though the vast majority of whatever gruesome scene he's found is left out of the frame, likely on purpose, there's a body laying nearby, bloodied, shredded clothes draped haphazardly across what is barely recognizable as anything previously alive. It's as if he pulled her there to check if she was still alive and then things just started to...fall apart.

He's no stranger to death, but this is particularly brutal, made worse by the fact that he considered her a friend.

A chalkboard lays nearby, and though something is written on it, from this angle it's nearly impossible to read.]

It's Seraphim.

[The words choke in his throat a bit. He didn't know her well, but they'd talked, and he knew people who were close to her.]

I'm not sure exactly how long she's been like this but...I think this happened before we woke up. During the jump.

[Though not in any advanced states of decay, the blood is still long dry. He swallows, his throat rough as he reaches for the chalkboard, lifting it up so that it fills the scream.]

She left us a message.

[It reads, "It's out there and it wants us alone, we can't be alone."]

[John turns on voice because he looks too much like a wreck to turn it on video. He's fine. His voice doesn't even sound too bad.]

I'm alive. Dealing with shit. Not the point of this.

I'm struggling with nightmares and insomnia. If someone would be willing to help me with that, I can pay you back somehow.

I also need some clothes patched up, if anyone's good at sewing.

[He's about to leave it like that, just quick and business-like, but he sighs, continuing.] You know, my mom was a good person. So was my dad. He was a cop, and he always fought for justice and the right thing, and he's the reason I'm a cop myself. Sometimes whoever or whatever's in charge gives us horrible things in our lockers. But sometimes... sometimes, it leaves nice things.

[He flips on video for a second, and all that's visible are his fingers holding up a photo. The photo has a woman and a man with a small boy, all smiling. Yes, that's John's family. And yes, John looked like a dork as a child. His hands move a little, but just to turn it back to voice.] Tell me about your families, if you'd like.

[ the comm is propped up, resting on the edge of the workstation. jax and firo are in the frame, jax leaning forward on his elbows, gaze focused on the screen in front of him rather than the comm itself. ]

Hey, everyone listen up. We got a reading on some incoming shit.

[Firo shakes his head, biting his lip.]Really fuckin’ weird shit.

And, yes, that is the technical term. [ She’s hanging back, just barely off frame, one eye still on the sensors. She looks casual, for what you can see of her, but her tone is pretty serious. ] Something pinged the arrays a few minutes ago and then vanished, likely when they hit the deadzone.

This is a heads up to everyone, though I’m betting SEC is gonna want to take point on this.

It ain’t all that big. There’s people on it--er, well, live things. 14 by our count, so not, like, an army or anything, but still enough to cause trouble.

No weapons were detected, but-- [ She leans into frame, smirking just a little. ] --I think we all know that people don’t need weaponry to be dangerous on this ship. Anything else, we don’t know yet.

Keep your eyes open.

[ ooc: natasha is red, firo is blue and jax is green! answers will be coming from the three of them and any other members of gunnery around!! ]

[The video snaps to life. Ai is in the gardens under a tree, she has...a stack of paper next to her and a few paper cranes on her shoulders. She's getting better at this social thing which is why she's alright with asking.]

If anyone would like to learn origami. I can show you. It's not very hard and you can make animals.

[so this face has been a bit scarce since his arrival, but he's finally decided to suck it up and stop hating change. or well. he still hates change, but he's not sulking about it any longer. wes has decided to start acting like a grown up.

and what do grown ups do, except get a job, amirite?]

My name is Wes Mitchell and back home I'm a detective with robbery and homicide in the LAPD. I'd like to thank everyone who has been helpful and patient with me since my arrival. Also I'd like to ask who I need to speak to if I'm interested in joining Security.

[small pause.] Or Agriculture.

Lastly, because it has come up once already: fair warning to those on the ship that involve themselves in recreational drug use, there is a trained narcotics dog on board now. Try not to smoke in front of him. [for god's sake people.] He's not going to attack anyone, but the barking does begin to get on your nerves after awhile.

... that's all, I think. Thank you all for your time.

[ jax is wearing his sweatshirt, hood tucked up around his neck and ears, wet hair tied up in a bun. he's missing his customary cigarette, though he looks like he could probably do with one as he settles back in the chair at the main gunnery console. his expression is tense, but he flashes a smile for the camera as he begins speaking. ]

So that was an interesting wake up call. Not the way I'd wanna do it, but I figure the longer I stay up here the less picky I get about dropping out of a fucking stasis tube.

[ no, that doesn't get any less weird to say, but jax is working on it. ]

Anyway, anyone who doesn't know, I'm Jax Teller. If you're Gunnery, check in after you towel off. If you wanna be Gunnery, come down and see me. You got another department in mind, speak up, and they'll snatch you up. If you're new and you just got questions, fire away. I don't promise I got all the answers, but I can probably point you in the direction of someone who does.

[ there's a pause, jax balancing the comm on his knee while he punches a few buttons, then settles back. ]

Anyway, anyone who wants to bend an ear about current events, come on by. I got nothing but time.

[ and a healthy distrust of talking about anything important on the network, but a little paranoia is excusable, right? ]

And Ilde, lemme know when you got a minute.

[ and casual disconnect is go. ]

"People tend to believe in something, whether it's gods, a god, some sort of afterlife or nothing at all. Nothing can be something, can't it?

"In any case, the belief in the soul and that it goes somewhere after the body dies has surprisingly been a subject of interest these last few years. Is the soul a thing that is natural, and can it be created out of something that is unnatural?

"What happens to the vessel once it's no longer occupied by whatever makes you you?"

['You are a vessel. You are born to die.' Those were among the first words she's ever heard, and yet the connotation behind them are unsettling for her now.]

"Is there any place like a Heaven or a Hell for a thing that's not born but made by a person, or is it more likely that we just disappear entirely once the vessel dies?"

[Death had never been a scary prospect for her before. Not when she had something that she wanted to live and die for. She almost misses being empty, when she didn't have to worry about the things she would leave in the likely events of her eventual demise. Everything has an expiration date, after all.

[DEEP THOUGHTS coming from the lounge with booze.]