Something happened.

[there's a moment's pause. It's taking a lot to make this post. More than he thinks he's capable of. But after all that happened with dean--]

During the recent…invasion.

[okay. Right. He needs to just get it out and deal with the fallout afterwards. His voice sounds more certain when he continues. As though he's simply reciting a few facts as opposed to potentially gaining a ship full of enemies.]

Those who have been here for some time are likely aware of the existence of a creature from my world called a Hellhound. They are invisible beasts capable or tearing souls from the bodies of the living in order take them to Hell.

A number of them arrived during the recent invasion. But without passage to Hell available to them, they deposited those souls in a place they considered safe. Here, that meant the room assigned to me.

[and that's…where it gets difficult again.]

Souls are one of the strongest sources of power in existence, and my Grace had been depleting for some time. I didn't…think. I—

[okay. Let's try this again.]

There are those here who people may have noticed have been behaving differently since the invasion. They may not be sleeping as much, or they may be capable of pushing their bodies further than they should. They may be less empathetic than they once were.

There is a possibility that they are a victim of this. If that is the case, their souls are with me.

I need to return them.

[another pause, and a final--]

…I'm sorry.

Hello, everyone.

[ Snow's voice is cheerful, though she sounds a little awkward. She's not used to addressing the network publicly. ]

I've been spending a lot of time in the library lately, reading a lot of mythology and... tales. [ Shh. ] It made me wonder about what everyone's favorite stories from back home might be. I'd like to hear them, if anyone's willing to share.

Thank you.

[Someone's bored, sitting in one of the kitchens (on a counter in fact) and just looking bored. So she grabs her communicator and flicks it on.]

I have been here for some time now and I have realized that I really do not know so many people as I would like. And so many of you here are Secondborn- ah, humans. So I have a few questions.

[She smiles pleasantly enough but-]

Does having round ears affect your hearing?

My people consider long hair important, a standard for beauty. Many of you do not have long hair, what do you consider beautiful if not that? I know that dwarves find beards beautiful but most of you are bare-faced.

And your lives are so short. Is that why most seem in such a rush? Is that why you cannot hear the trees or animals? You are in too much of a rush to listen?

[Lúthien no.]

[Some things never change. ANd one of those things was crises interupting attempts to plan anything. He's been wanting to ask about this matter for a while, but then they'd had to decide what to do about Van Rijn's people and then that thing had gotten loose. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

So he's asking now before anything else can come up.]

Is there any place on board that I might be able to find rings? I can manage without, but if we have the option, I'd like to do this properly.

[Call him old fashioned, call him a hopeless romantic, it's all probably true. But in the end, the important thing is that he's going to marry her. And it's important enough to overriding his feelings about network communication.]

Hello, fellow residents on the Tranquility. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Leia Organa.

[She's not even bothering to waste any time here.]

I don't have anything majorly important to say, but if anyone here knew Han Solo before he left or is inclined towards engineering projects, I have a lot of his abandoned and half-finished projects in my room. I will be putting them into boxes and leaving them in Media Room on the first floor of the residences. If you're interested in them, they are free to take.

I'm not sure what half of the things are, but I'm more than happy to give them to someone who can actually use them.

[And so they aren't taking up valuable space in her room for...anything else.]

Also, Lúthien, if you want to start those lessons we discussed a few months ago, I'm ready to do so.

[Video.]

Hi, I'm Takeshi; I was gone for a long time!

[Best way to re-introduce yourself: name, followed by exclamation of your absence. It seems legit.]

I didn't know, I swear, pinky promise; I woke up and it was all kinda different, but not that different. I, um, I dunno who left like me, so I wanted... I wanted t'see who was still here. I didn't say goodbye to anyone... and... it's really important to get to say bye. But at least I get to say hello again! Hello! [Wait no, we already did that. Been there done that. He smiles, a bit more confident.] If I never met you before, though, we should talk! It's good to know everyone here, that way you can be friends and help each other and be happier. And being happy is really important, and... I like having more friends. An' my brain is kinda fuzzy, because... I feel like I can't remember things as good...

Did everyone get friends yet? Make sure you're with your friends a lot. And don't be in the halls by yourself!

I learned that from before. The halls are bad. Baaaad news! Plus it's dark, and some people are scared of the dark.

[He puffs out his chest a bit.]

But not me!! M'not afraid of the dark, because it's not a real monster! There's bigger worster monsters anyway. But, um — [where was he going with this... ah, yes!] I have a list... It's a list of all my old friends! I dunno who came back and who stayed and who is gone, so... I copied the names. If people rec'nize them, lemme know! Cuz a lot of them were gone, but maybe they came back...

[They're important names. They're some of his friends — you gotta' look out for your friends.]

[TEXT]

kazama
casTiel
frodo
betty
mattie
dean
reapEr
edgeworth
nathann
robb
seraphIM
rIver
Roy
CID
yorkk

[IT WAS A NICE ATTEMPT. Too bad most of them have left, but you can't blame a kid for trying.]

[Once she has Artanis back in the Gardens, Lúthien goes through the trouble of finding things they need from the kitchen, making sure they have all the things of theirs they might need and then pulls the ladder up into the flet.

She had considered sending this message anonymously but... Well, someone’s still fuming that her friend, her sister in many ways, had been wounded.]

I am Lúthien, daughter of King Thingol and Queen Melian the Maia of Doriath. And this message is to the woman that shot Artanis: I would recommend you stay away from the houses in the Oxygen Gardens trees. You are not our favorite person, currently.

[Not Lúthien’s anyway. And she can’t imagine she’s Artanis’ favorite.]

And the last thing I think you want is for the garden itself to turn on you. [Take that how you will. Some people that know her though will know exactly what she means by that.]

I will not stop anyone else but do not think I will be allowing just anyone to visit our flets before Artanis is recovered. As such I have raised the ladder. Do not try to force your way up. I have ways to keep people out even up here.

[Bilbo appears on the video feed looking a bit worn around the edges but otherwise cheery and none the worse for wear. What do you expect, though, he's Bilbo Baggins? The world could be falling apart around him and while he would be concerned for his home and his friends, he'd be taking it in stride all whilst fussing about the state of his waistcoat and how much trouble the cleanup is going to be afterwards. Because that's who Bilbo Baggins is - an indomitably positive person through and through.

And so while quite a number of folk are bemoaning their situation at the moment, Bilbo Baggins is looking forward. And Bilbo Baggins has a plan.]

I say. This is quite a spot that we find ourselves in at the moment, eh? Dreadful business, this sickness stuff. I tell you what though, whenever I'm feeling under the weather, I find that there's nothing better than a good spot of tea to help clear the sinuses, soothe the throat, and cheer the spirits! Well, that and sitting in front of the nice warm fire back home in my hobbit hole with a good book - who knows what has happened to my nice little house in my absence. [Get to the point Bilbo.]

In any case, while I cannot extend an invitation for quite such an affair, I can at least offer some comforts! [He claps his hands together, and then proclaims:] I have made tea! A great deal of tea. And it is going to go to waste if I don't find at least a fair number of you to share it with. Misery loves company, yes? I can make deliveries! Who's up for a cup?

[Despite working in Comms, Leia hasn't tried to address the rest of the ship since her arrival. But things have been steadily getting worse and she can't ignore it anymore.

Her cheeks are unnaturally flushed and she alternates between shaking and wanting to strip down to nothing from hour to hour. The slight cough she'd disregarded as leftover stress from her arrival, it's gotten worse. The overall picture is of someone who's miserable and ill but is trying to deny it.]

Excuse me, but is there something wrong with the environmental controls on the ship? Who do I talk to about having my room checked over?

[She coughs harshly, a wet sound that quickly turns into a harsh gag. She has to get off the communicator now.]

Help would also be appreciated with opening my door. It's been stuck for the last three hours.

[She turns the comm off just as she starts coughing again.]

[Charlie looks tired. Her skin is a bit paler than usual and there are faint circles under her eyes. She's still smiling, though.]

So. I heard some rumors [she almost said 'a little elf told me' - be grateful she has at least some tact, you all, seriously though] that Christmas might be coming up. Anyone want to fill me in on if that's true or not? I'd check but the calender on my tablet didn't update to, uh, space time or dates.

[A slightly awkward pause as she realizes that's probably not the best way she could say that but, well, there it is. She shrugs then smiles again.]

Anywho. So. Christmas. On a spaceship. [No, Charlie. You will not reference Doctor Who. No. Instead have another awkward pause then her smile fades to a 'really, folks, really' kind of look.]

Is this something that's actually happening? For serious?

[Heavily filtered like whoa to all those in Communications]
[As soon as she has the filter set, Charlie refocuses on the screen and she smiles lightly.]

Hey there. For anyone who can see this that I haven't met, hi. I'm Charlie, you better be in Comms because if you aren't I'm going to find out and we're going to have a problem and, well, if you are in Comms... I need your help.

[A breath as she starts to explain.] See, I was tweaking the coding that lets us know if key words are mentioned in posts and, well, after way too many cups of coffee and definitely not enough sleep, I'm pretty sure it's done. Still needs some tweaking and I'm pretty sure nobody else wants it to start yelling at you in a faux human voice when you don't react fast enough so that'll have to be worked on, but yeah. I totes made this coding my bitch.

[A pause to draw another breath.]

Problem is, there are a lot of variations of 'I need help' and unless you all want me to give this coding some kind of sentient understanding [she leans a little closer to the screen] which you don't want me to do, bee tee dubs, because it won't end well [she clears her throat and gets back on topic] then we need to figure out a way to let the coding recognize all possible word choices.

[Her eyes widen as something occurs to her.] Oh! And any ideas on how to make it know the difference between things like 'I need help because the ship is about to explode' and 'I need help to bake this cake', that'd be super awesome too. Unless you all want to be bugged whenever someone is trying to make desserts, in which case I guess we can leave that last one in. Who doesn't like cake, right? Except Dean. Dean's all about the pie.

[Have that awkward pause again, and another clearing of her throat.] So, um, yeah. Help and stuff. [Cue a hopeful smile.] Please?

I didn't have much of a chance to use this the last time I was here.

[Aurora doesn't sound particularly sad about that. In fact, the sooner she leaves the Tranquility the second time around, the happier she'll be. Nothing personal.]

My name is Aurora. I know it must be magic that took me from my own world, and I know that there's no deal that can send me back to it. Even if there's no price I wouldn't be willing to pay.

[Her voice is softer at the last, before she lifts it and her chin once more.]

But is there really nothing that can be done for those who still sleep? No one who can wake them? I know what it is to be under such a curse. It's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.

[ No exceptional rants or helpful PSAs from Nathan this month. He put off talking to Peter, and now he can't, and as much as he knows that this has happened before, he can't help but feel like it's something different this time, something more sinister. He's worried, and his natural defense is to work it off. ]

Departments check in. Let's see what we've got to work with.

[VIDEO]

[Filtered AWAY FROM Jaina and Han]

I'm looking for some rather strange advice. If someone's daughter they never knew they had showed up as an adult. How would you advise her to handle the situation. 

And before you ask, yes I'm asking for myself.

[Filtered TO Han]

We need to talk

[Filtered TO Padme and Anakin]

All things considered I think it might be best to meet now before things get even stranger. The gardens seem as good a place as any, I will be there if you wish to talk.

[Action

[And true to her words. You can find Leia sitting in the gardens, waiting to see if her parents show up, and more importantly trying to practice calming techniques because yup this is going to be stressful. Feel free to talk to her until they show up.]

[There is an orange-skinned girl on the feed with white facial tattoos. Please do not adjust your communication devices, she is actually orange. Since her arrival she's shed her many layers of clothes and right now she appears to be in the lift.]

I'm Padawan Ahsoka Tano. For those of you who are wondering, I am an alien. A species called a Togruta. I'm also a Jedi apprentice and helping out in the shuttlebay.

[She hasn't been sleeping well for the last six days but that shouldn't give her hallucinations already. Which means what she saw was real. Plus hallucinations don't try to lock her in her room.]

Master Kenobi, Skyguy. We've got a bit of a problem. There's this droid, an R3 unit that's sort of out to get us on board the ship. He's a Sep spy and a stubby, little back-stabber. I can catch him but I don't have the skills to reprogram him.

Everyone else should be on the lookout for a gold and black droid - he looks exactly like Artooie except for the color. Don't let him near anything he can sabotage. If you see him electric shocks work best to put him out of commission. Try not to shoot him or slice him in half. Stubby can be a big help once he's not working against us.

[so about that insomnia. no, okay, anakin looks pretty much the same as always when he starts the feed (bar the fact he's down to his inner tunic and has a few smudges of grease on his face. and there may still be a few remnants of stasis fluid in his hair. this is what happens when you have a sudden brainwave and forego your usual rituals in order to follow through.]

Has anybody here ever received something in their locker that they know belongs to them, even though they've never seen it before?

[yes, that might be a strange question to ask, normally. but in a place like this? not so much. he's referring to the lightsaber he's currently inspecting (again). one almost identical to his own, bar the larger size and the abundance of black. (and that sith-like blade he isn't going to mention to anybody. nbd)]

Did any of you ever find out how you got it in the first place?

[because seriously. synthetic crystal. red blade. this is not a good thing.

there's a few pings now; ones sent to those from his world, past, present, and future. (or at least those he's already met). it's left open though because he knows there are more of you out there.]

So, how many of us does that make now? How many people who are familiar with Jedi, back in your home galaxy?

[and then a moment's pause before-]

Luke, I know you're here again.

[there's more he wants to say. there always is when it comes to the matter of his future son. but this one feels different. he knows he isn't the same man who was here the last time. and so he also knows he needs to play this carefully.

a slow exhale, a half smile, and then he's locking down the feed for one last transmission.]

[locked to carolyn; viewable to flight crew]

It didn't work.

[okay, no. perhaps some context]

The power cells do hold a charge, and that should be enough to power a shuttle. But it doesn't work. Every time they're plugged back in to the shuttles, the charge disappears completely, and even Artoo can't track where it goes.

Maybe it's... [huff] I don't know. It could be because we're leeching power from the Tranquility, so maybe we could try charging them some other way. But right now, this whole plan isn't working.

[but! he's anakin skywalker. giving up isn't in his vocabulary.]

I'll come up with something else.