[HAL's voice is calm and contented, and despite everything he has to say, it never changes its tone.]

Hello. My name is HAL 9000; I am one of the passengers of this ship who was placed into a human body. I was only wondering if anyone has any more information on this particular phenomena? There are more important things to focus on, of course, but all the same, I am interested in finding out how this happened. For example, were these bodies scientifically grown, or are they bodies of previously deceased passengers? And, of course, will there be any way to replace our previous, artificial bodies?

[Aaaand he starts to ramble.] I think I would be all right if we found that there was no way to restore us to our previous selves. This body is quite interesting, and being able to experience things I was only programmed to understand as a third-party makes for an unique experience I do not think I would get anywhere else. Though that would make sense, as I don't think I would be able to experience tactile sensations in any sort of body without nerves, for example, or fingers I suppose, though your upper arms and the underside of your wrists are also fairly receptive to feeling, and my previous optics were much more accurate than these but they hardly gave the depth of color or the strange emotional reaction to specific sights, such as certain lifts, or-

[He runs out of breath - or, more accurately, he ran out of breath a little bit ago and was running more on vocal chords than actual oxygen for the last bit of that. He takes a few moments to catch his breath.]

I am, still having a bit of trouble, with the breathing part. Though not as much as the first day. And blinking.

Also, I think I should ask about the feelings of unease one of us experienced earlier? Or was it more than one of us? May I ask that anyone who is sensing some sort of danger please try to define the danger, or at least how you are feeling it? I believe these things should help us in case there does end up being a threat.

[Good evening, Tranquility, have one (1) astrophysicist]

I'm Jane Foster, and I am one of the two astrophysicists on this space ship. My subject area is wormholes, to put it simply. Of course coming here means all my equipment is back home. I've spoken with Connor and Dr. Capa already, but I'm willing to allow more interested parties in if they wish, to help me replace my equipment, and perhaps figure out how we got here, and what happened to the other crew members. Oh, and go home, of course

[she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and continues]

So, if you're good with tech or engineering or any of the sciences, let me know and we can plan more. Seriously, if I accepted a poli sci major as an undergrad assistant back home, I will not be picky now.

[ The broadcast comes from the interior of the medbay - many will probably recognize the grav couches off to the side. There are three men here, among the machines vaguely resembling metallic stretchers, but one specifically speaking to the camera. ]

Good afternoon, Tranquility. I'm Doctor Watson, and these are my colleagues, Doctor Ratchet and Caleb. We're your medical staff for the time being.

As it happens, it's been about a week since we all woke up. I trust everyone is working to settle as best they can, given the circumstances. Us three have been working to familiarize ourselves with the equipment and inventory the stock so that we can help you with any medical needs.

What we need now, however, is to speak with anyone that may have special conditions to uphold so that we can best be prepared to treat you, should the need arise in the future. Primarily, we're looking for any non-humans aboard the ship to present themselves at this time. Secondarily, anyone that has the need for medication should come consult us to see if we have anything that can help. People with known medical conditions should at least report them to us - I'm speaking of allergies, heart conditions, diabetes, joint troubles, and etcetera.

We're open for check-ups for the rest of today and possibly tomorrow. Schedules beyond that will be subject to change, as we're still arranging to have someone in the medbay at all times. This is quite possibly your only chance to meet us all at once.

Those of you who are recently human: I have spoken with a few of you regarding the conditions you'll need to uphold, but I highly recommend every one of you to check in so that we can see that you're healthy. Don't make us come and find you.

That's all.

(( OOC: In this thread, you have the potential to be speaking to one or three med staff at once. ICly, all three of them are here and will be monitoring the feed/patients coming in, though you may only be actually threading with John. Ratchet!mun is here, but Caleb!mun is on hiatus and may respond little to none. There's no posting order. Open to action, text, and video! ))

It's incredible...

[ The video feed of the comm unit jumps to life - a vibrant mess of abundant green flooding the screen. The graphics jumble as she walks, feet a little unsteady on the overgrown soil of the Tranquility's untended oxygen garden. While the camera woman is off-screen, behind the device, there’s a laugh, a bit of disbelieving joy in her voice. An edge of teasing. ]

Whoever was left in charge of this was apparently fired for good reason. It's a mess in here. [ A pause, a bit of awe in her voice ] A beautiful mess...

There’s a lot of work to be done, which I know some of us have already started, but lucky for you I've got a life's worth of experience plus a couple degrees in weed-pulling. Not to say a few extra pair of hands wouldn’t be welcome.

[ She turns the camera to face her, Cory's bright smile taking up the screen. ] My name is Corazon - botanist formerly of the Icarus II. If anyone would like to help tending to this jungle, meet me in the oxygen garden whenever is convenient for you. Mace, Capa - for you it's required.

[ With the laugh in her tone slowly fading, sobering and being replace with a slight hint of unease. ]

The oxygen garden is the heart of this ship. It is our life support. It requires care and attentive hands. [ A pause, and she nods, a hand rested on her hip. ] We can’t have it forgotten like this.

[[ooc; feel free to respond with action or whatever else you please! /o/ FYI, I'll be a bit slow tonight ;; ]]

[ sup, fellow space kidnapees. a considerably more relaxed jenna, here. ]

Okay: so here's a question that doesn't have anything to do with your spaceship related skills or why we shouldn't wander off by ourselves.

If we're all stuck here together-- the together part is key-- doesn't it make sense to get to know each other a little? I'm not saying we need nightly family dinner, but maybe one time so everyone can meet, exchange names, mingle, develop basic connections?

...And make a roster, maybe. Because asking if 'that really taciturn guy I met by the elevator' is okay doesn't have the same ring as a name. [ sup spock. ] And not to be looking at the negative already, but that way people without someone they already know here don't end up slipping through the cracks.

[ she spreads her hands wide and grins, teasingly. ]

So, are we in? Because if we all have to shower together, we should probably have dinner first.

Oh, and one more thing. [ jenna holds up an iPod, waving it a little. ] Can anyone in the science club tell me they can recharge this? I have an almost full battery, but that's not going to last forever. I can trade... I don't know, something for it. We can work it out.


( filtered to alaric saltzman | private | hackable )

[Heatwave's first post opens with him talking excitedly and very fast, as though worried that if he doesn't blurt this out immediately he'll forget it. He keeps alternating between clipped briefness like he's trying to give a mission report and...well...babbling.]

[So it's like he's trying to give a really bad mission report.]

I remember how I got here.

[Yes, he sounds horribly pleased about this. He doesn't hold much hope out for his memories, okay.]

It was the Autobots. They had a Stellar Spanner - which is impossible technology. They shouldn't have had it, which is why I had to go talk to it even though it was a glitched thing to do. Sorry, Blitz. Long story short, they caught me and decided to use me to test it. I can't exactly blame them. There is always a danger of finding yourself at the far reaches of the universe if something goes wrong with one, and that's if you're lucky. Or that's what we think, anyway. This is all theoretical. The only mech who had a Stellar Spanner before this was the Old One and he was...well, crazy's putting it lightly.

I freed myself, but it was too late by then. I couldn't get the Spanner to shut down once it had started. Rude, stubborn guy. I was sent through and the next thing I remember, I'm here.

The Stellar Spanner is transwarp technology. I don't know much about it; I'm not a physicist. Part of what I do know I'm not sure I can translate appropriately into any human language. I either don't know enough of human sciences or there is no translation yet, not helped by how the majority of my knowledge isn't from a fellow Cybertronian but solely from what I heard from the Spanner before it attempted to transport me, and my memory isn't as clear in this form. I'm not sure how much I've already forgotten.

[He dissolved into muttering toward the end there, but now he takes a deep breath and speaks up]

Simply: A Stellar Spanner is a method of teleportation across space and time - kind of like the Warp drives that were mentioned earlier, except it involves the..."spaces in between realities." [He hesitates] Not...subspace. It was talking about something else. Sorry. That's a rough translation at best and the Cybertronian glyph it used has fictional connotations, so I'm not sure how to best describe it. The Spanner wasn't exactly clear, either. No one is certain of how it works. I don't think even the Old One did. Slag, I don't think it did, and a machine that doesn't understand it's own function isn't the most stable of sources.

One consistency is that you need two Stellar Spanners to travel, or at least two very similar points; one at the beginning and one at the end. I'm not saying this is the reason for our existence here, but I obviously didn't make it to my intended destination.

[and obviously getting out is of MUCH MORE IMPORTANCE NOW thank you chase.]

( LOCKED TO RATCHET )

[ The video screen shows a little girl of about 11 with shoulder length brown hair. You've probably seen her reading a battered book, maybe waiting by the blue lift or following Robert Capa around (and occasionally even holding his hand). She's wearing the standard uniform, but right now? Right now she's more than a little spooked. ]

Anyone who's listening, this ship...

[ She's been exploring. And maybe a bit of the panic is because she's a little lost, too, and it shows on her face. ]

This ship. Something's not right. Something's going to happen but I don't know when or why--

[She closes her eyes, trying to breathe evenly. ]

Something is wrong.

_{[ Hi Tranquility. Are you ready dor a mouthfull? Cause you're getting it. Feed clicks on to show America, apparently just out of his jumpsuit and in his boxers. He's just seated on his bed, hair tousled a bit, evidently not very concerned about his appearance even though he's addressing who knows how many people. He's too lazy to get up. He's eating out of a bag of chips that he found aboard the ship when exploring the facilities; that is what he spent all day doing.
Giving the communicator a bit of a salute, he says something incoherent with his mouth full before flashing a grin. ]}

HEEEEEY YOU GUYS. EVENING, DUDES, THIS IS YOUR HERO SPEAKING. GOT SOME IMPORTANT TO SAY. You better listen up, I've also got a surprise for you all! _{[ He adjusts his posture, throat clearing. ]}

Hahaha, righto! SO! If you are unfamiliar with EARTH, or whatever, I've been awesomely awesome as usual and drew myself a map for you dudes so you can understand the very, VERY, important things about the Earth I've graciously drawn out for you. Yeah, I'm a nice guy! Hahahaaha! So, here we go! It looks something like THIS, are you ready?? Tony, bro, if you will please!

_{[ A little grey alien jumps into view, holding up a piece of paper which looks like this: ]}

( Cut for stereotypes )

HAHAA. RIGHT, so that totally accurate cause I drew it! Everything circled is MINE, and I pointed out my dick cause it has the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! This is for you slackers that didn't pay attention to American geography class for whatever reason!! Hahaha, so! On the subject of my dick, _{[ pointing to the map as he say all of this ]} I'll just segway as to why THIS IS MY DICK. If you don't know what the shit I'm talking about, I'M GONNA EXPLAIN. _{[ A brief pause to stuff some chips in his mouth and he speaks, lips smacking before swallowing. ]}

( Cut for large-ass shitty explanation!! )

Alright, well, I thought -- given that everyone else is doing their, their own little polls, I thought I would put up another one. Very easy, nothing strenuous, I promise, just -- where you come from. Your home, I would say, but not everyone must've been living in their home when they were taken, and -- well.

Planets would be more useful, maybe, now that I think of it. Since the point is, given that we have -- nonhumans, and all sorts of people... and, well, I was thinking we could at the very least see the range of planets that it has to have visited or... been able to mysteriously take people from, before we were brought here. A gauge of its abilities. Obscure as they are.

I can't say I'm from anywhere especial myself -- just Earth. I never thought that that would be only an option.

[a text ETA;] Alright, it's been brought up that this falls a little short, so here are some extra questions. Granted, this isn't mandatory, but if you're aware of any of the answers, having a list may help us in the long run.

Time (and calendar)
Planet
Star system
Relevant cluster

[The video feed clicks on in an odd little space, that may or may not be a storage closet or such somewhere in the ship. The view changes once more as a face takes over as the main focus. Please ignore the scruffy look, blood shot eyes, and slight pallor to his skin. Maintenance of this body is not a big priority with him right now as he holds up what looks like an odd sort of computer table/ipad/futuristic notebook depending on your time and era. He fumbles with it for a bit and seems to be using a finger to write something on it. Stopping and fumbling as if it’s either complicated or he can’t get his hand to move just the right way yet for the process. Or possibly it’s both, either way he finishes and turns it towards the screen showing a very alien script on it.]

( OOC cut for image )

[After a bit he removes it from view and looks expectantly at the camera before he decides to speak.]

Has the central command of the ship been found or explored, or even the security and communication rooms? I do not believe that these devices are the only way to broadcast messages, especially as there would need to be a way to communicate with outposts and other ships that may be sharing the same space as us. How easily defendable would we be in such a case of hostility is completely unknown at present because of these missing facts.

Not to mention chances for civil unrest as well if there isn’t a structured command in which to field any problems.

[He doesn’t elaborate on such anymore, as the real goal of the post has already been accomplished. So the feed clicks off.]



((OOC: Translation: If you can read and understand this, what is your designation and appointed field of duty?))

[ It takes some time and positioning, but he finally gets the com-device to where he wants it before double-checking that he's posting to the network at large.

The video starts and others will be able to see a small, blonde man settled in a chair, brows furrowed with a hint of mild concern. ]

Right, yes, hello.

I've been hearing a lot of talk on the network regarding those who have recently been altered to human bodies.

[ His lips pinch a little - to be honest, John is still having a hard time believing this is all real. ]

This is a real issue, especially concerning robotic, um, persons. I understand that those of you who have been affected are pushing for getting your original bodies back, but until that's possible, if that's possible, you need to be able to take care of the one you're currently inhabiting.

My name is John Watson - I'm a medical doctor with twenty years of experience. I'm offering my help to anyone who needs help getting accustomed to their new bodies. Again, I think this is especially important to those who formally had no need to eat or sleep, and may or may not be aware of the particulars of human hygiene or diet.

[ Some humans are this way, too, to be fair. Looking at you, Sherlock. ]

Since this is a personal issue, I'm open to making an individual appointment to see you. You can come see me at my flat or I can come to whatever venue you're comfortable with. Just please contact me and we can figure something out together.

Anyone else who needs medical assistance or advice may also contact me; I'll do what I can to help.

[ He cuts the feed and leans back in his chair to wait and see if good sense overcomes pride. ]

[There's a young woman looking at the screen, her stare calm and determined. And despite what the icons say, she doesn't have makeup on, sadly.]

It's been a couple of days since we've arrived on this ship and, besides having one discussion with what's left of the crew, we're no closer to figuring out how to go home or what to do around here. I'm stating the obvious here, of course, but several people have already spoken up about a need for us all to actually meet now that we have a slightly better understanding of what's going on.

Like it or not, whether we were brought here for a reason or because of some fluke in the system, we are stuck here until further notice.

We need to actually make an attempt to work together. If we can find out how this ship works and how to take care of one another - to provide support, medical assistance, and anything else - then we have a much higher chance of survival out here and we can find a way home. [A beat.] Somehow.

[She leans back, crossing her arms over her chest. It's more obvious now that she's sitting on a couch in one of the common areas.]

As others have proposed, we should meet in one of the common areas in the passengers' quarters to speak and gain some semblance of group ethic. We all have skills; we each have something unique that we can bring to the table. It will be easier to see how we can help one another and how we can contribute to our situation if we can see each other, face-to-face, and decide where to go from there.


[ooc: I...will be putting up an open meet-and-greet log shortly, so bear with me, please! here is the log!]

( Narration. )

[Sup, Tranquility. Today we bring you the eerie but oddly soothing sounds of an old, old man. Doesn't he look silly with that cravat on over his jumpsuit.]

So it would seem that not all of us are human. How curious that you should all be so open about it... One has to wonder what sort of worlds you were all transported from. I have had more than a passing interest in the idea of traveling between worlds.

[More like he's devoted HIS ENTIRE LIFE to doing it, and most of it trying to get back home.]

Tell me. Do any of you non-humans possess any supernatural abilities? I wonder if perhaps they could be of use in our current situation.

...Ah. I nearly forgot. My name is Alexander. These devices are not my usual style of communication... I look forward to being able to meet you all face-to-face whenever possible.

[GREETINGS, NETWORK. Some loser's got his coke-bottle lenses way too close to the camera. Back up, bro, you're fogging the screen, and that is gross.

Turns out he's just trying to make the device stay upright. After a few moments, success! Wheatley (who looks extremely nervous) takes a step away, hovering over the communicator as if he expects it to fall, like it did the past seventeen times.

He is not wearing any clothes.]

Hello! If anyone is there and I'm not just--not just talking to this little black box, which, by the way, could stand to be a little clearer in the "what does this button do" department...

Not that I had any trouble figuring it out. Fiddled around for a bit, and boom, there we go, video feed on. Not a problem. But, you know. Instructions. Just in case anyone's a little...technologically impaired. Couldn't hurt.

[Wait. Where was he?]

Right! Uh…show of hands, if you would, seeing as we've all got hands now. Who's an AI? That's Artificial Intelligence for the aforementioned technologically impaired. Robots count too, I am also a robot.

And--and I know what you humans are thinking; Wheatley, you're not a robot, you're squishy and inefficient just like the rest of us but that, humans, is where you're wrong. One hundred percent robot, right here, just as soon as I get my body back.

Point is, if you see someone in an orange jumpsuit or...or a lab coat, maybe hear them talking about Science or Apertures, or some combination of the two…go ahead and let them know that Wheatley's looking for them and also that...it is important.

[A small pause as he fidgets, suddenly looking that much more uncomfortable.]

Actually. Don't tell them that. Tell me, instead! If--if you meet anyone with that description and. I will go. Find them.

Is this working...? I think I'm getting the hang of these little things!

[Dainty clearing of the throat!]

Well! As long as we're all stuck on board for who knows how long, this would be the perfect opportunity for all of us to get to know one another, hm? We have to look on the bright side of this and embrace our chance to make new friends from... all walks of life. [She's trying to give a convincing smile here, never mind that she made a HUGE DEAL out of everything at first.]

Let's all introduce ourselves, shall we? I'll go first. I am Rarity, and I come from Ponyville in Equestria. I am a fashion designer back home, and I know there have been several complaints about these outfits we're made to wear, so the sooner anypony finds a sewing machine and perhaps some fabric the sooner I can solve all of our fashion woes!

[Cybertronian encryption]
This is Ratchet. Who else hails from Cybertron on this ship?

[Open voice]
How many here woke up organic? I've made a perusal of the activity on the network already and I am quite curious.

[ There's small click as the feed begins transmitting. Nothing shows up except staticky black, but there are muffled noises in the background that faintly resolve themselves into hurried words—two voices, one male, one female, pitched low. ]

—id this—

—ell is goin—

[ . . . ]

—et’s just … over with.

[ There’s a noise that might either be a sigh or a quick burst of static. ] Fine.( Q & A UNDER THE CUT. )