[ There is still a steely leanness to Caprica's -- Natasi's -- bony features, after her ordeal in the corridors months ago, but there's a restored vibrancy. A brightness, a smile, an ease and softness.

The natural-like lighting casting her hair bright platinum implies the Oxygen Gardens. ]

There's a chapel here, where they used to hold services. They wrote the names of those that have passed on the wall. These are different rituals of faith than I'm used to, but.

[ But. Her head tips. ]

Faith is universal. Galactic. I'm inviting you to visit the chapel in the Oxygen Gardens once every week, if you'd like the company, starting today. We can discuss the shape of faith in your worlds. The twining paths of fate. The face of god. Prayer, meditation, peace.

The flowers that decorate this place could always use replacing, if you favour more practical gestures.

Even if you don't believe, you're still welcome to join us. I would only ask you to keep an open mind [ a delicate, shaped eyebrow raises ] about faith, and the diversity of the people around you.

[ Humans. ]

So say we all.

[It's been a while since L has addressed the network in any capacity: he's been occupied with one thing and another. Today he sounds unusually weary, but people who see him on a daily basis know that this has been a frequent state for him for the past two months: there have been highs and lows, and they've been extreme on both ends.]

This is Ryuuzaki, speaking on behalf of Communications. I'll be discussing several things today.

We'd like to remind you that your private communications should never be considered completely private. For the past few months, we've all been using a different style of encryption than the one that was previously available. Communications now believes that we have a good understanding of how the new style works. If we can figure it out, someone else certainly can, if they're determined enough.

[It rankles him to have to admit this, but the people who are worth hiding the information from probably don't need to be told to be careful about secrecy to begin with, and letting everyone else know is a matter of good PR. Aside from that, if he doesn't, it's very likely that someone else will.]

Following on that, we still haven't been able to create any encryptions of our own that the rebooted network will accept. If you find that you're able to do that yourself, it's possible that we could use you in the department.

On another note, I've heard some concern that van Rijn's people are eavesdropping on our network. While I can't guarantee that they won't hit the archive if they're ever to gain control of the ship, the method of their contact two months ago didn't utilize this network at all. It was a direct external signal to the communicators themselves. It's extremely unlikely that they're following our current internal discussions -- I think if they were, we'd have heard from them more and in a different way.

[He pauses, and when he speaks again, his tone has shifted in a way that indicates a change in topic.]

I don't think any of us can deny that there have been several important developments in the last few months.

There's always some value in sitting back and trying to determine what we know -- and those of you who are new here should certainly direct your attention to the documents which Support posts in the first few days after a jump. It's vital that you're up to speed. I've attached some useful information to this message.

However, I'd like to propose a different question:

What don't we know?

What are we still trying to determine? In which areas are we lacking information? I'm looking for specific questions, not broad subjects -- try to break them down. Likewise, if you think you can answer one of these questions -- definitively, no wild guesses -- please do so, so we can remove it from the list. If you have information you'd like to share, leads, that might also be helpful. It's always a good idea to use the network to document anything you learn.

These questions could determine new avenues of investigation, or if we receive further outside contact, we may be able to pursue some of those subjects in that way. Even if that turns out not to be the case, it may help us coordinate our efforts.

I'm afraid I'll have to apologize in advance to a few of you -- Ward, Resnik, Charlotte, our smiling friend -- it's possible that we may be discussing you as if you aren't here. [His tone turns slightly wry.] Try not to take it personally.

[He has never in his life cared, not even in the least, about that sort of thing: he'll call someone a murderer when they're in the same room if the evidence fits the accusation. He'll even relish it. But he understands that any of those three could chime in on this conversation, and that the situation is different, because he's calling not for their arrest, but for a discussion that may touch on details that they'd rather were private.]

[OOC note: About the network and hacking! Regardless of what L is looking for, user-created encryptions no longer work on the network as of 1 November 2014 -- and they may never work again. It's a change in game mechanics! A single, extremely robust level of security is available to everyone, simply by marking messages as private before sending them.

It will take even a top-level, technopath-type hacker at least three months of full-time effort to figure out how to hack a message marked as private under the new system, and they will flag SEC several times in the process. Working as a group (dealing with other duties and fluctuations in character availability), it has taken Comms about four months. The amount of time it will take someone to decrypt a single message after they've spent several months working on figuring out how the encryption itself works will depend on the hacking character's level of skill and the length of the message in question, but it will be very slow work even for the best of the best.

L's search for encryptions that aren't built into the system is probably in vain, but characters who are interested in trying may still be interested in joining Comms. They can also make the attempt on their own time, of course!]

[ See comments for action headers! Flying lessons, shuttle repair sessions and chapel interactions available! ]

My name is Leoben Conoy. I'm with Flight. For you guys who volunteered to learn to use the shuttles, I'll be giving one on one sessions. They're in your own time if you're not already a full time trainee, minimum two hour sessions. They need to be booked in advance, but we can schedule ahead of time; we're all very busy.

I'm also available to train some of you in the basics of repair. We'll use the shuttles, because they need the work, and also many of the systems are simplified versions of the bigger thing. If you ever wanted to find out how to help out when things are broken, this is your chance. Maybe I can show you how to get in and outta the spacesuits, too.

If anyone is interested-- [ And here he scratches the side of his head awkwardly. ] I'll be teaching yoga in the oxygen gardens at oh seven hundred every morning. It's a hobby of mine, from my time on Caprica.

[ Leoben's voice has been soft but authoritative throughout, firm, but now he smiles and cocks his head slightly to one side. He seems to sparkle on this topic: ]

Finally I uh--I wanted to know... I read that there are some of you on the ship who worship various gods, and I want to hear all about it.

[ so that was...some shit, huh?

in light of just how grim everything had gotten, it seems the perfect time to roll out a little something to lighten the mood, and river has been rehearsing for at least half an hour prior to actually addressing the network.

(it needs to be perfect, okay? delivery is everything in comedy) ]

I have a joke. ..More than one, but one for now. We're all very tired.

[ she clears her throat a little - bless she's actually kinda nervous - before continuing, a little rustling following as she even sits up straighter. ]

How many existentialists does it take to screw in a light bulb? [ pause for effect ] Two - one to change the light bulb, and one to observe how it symbolizes an incandescent beacon of subjectivity in netherworld of cosmic nothingness!

[ ok you can all laugh now ]

Boy, that was a close one! That gas formation was a clever trick.

Hello there.

I know I've already spoken to some of you—I had hoped to do this individually—but it appears we need to move things along more quickly than we'd realized. That ship of yours seems eager to shake us, and we simply can't let that happen.

My name is Lina Barnez. The rest of the team and I have been working on contacting the Tranquility for some time. Unfortunately, our tech isn't perfectly compatible with what you're running on. It hasn't been easy, but we're managing. I don't know how long we'll have.

We're here to help you, but in order to do that, we'll need you to help us. You've been through a lot on this ship: it's a miracle so many of you are still with us. We'd like to make sure you stay that way, but we can only do that if you're completely honest with us.

We know about the events on Strela, the Cyllene and Arima, as well as the Scylla. What happened to those poor people was not your fault, and you have my word that we have no plans to hold you responsible for those events.

But we need to work together to make sure it doesn't happen again. The more you tell us about what's been going on aboard the Tranquility, the more we can do.

[ NOTE: All conversations will be cut off before too long by the engines suddenly powering back up, and the jump alarm sounding to alert characters to proceed to medbay immediately. ]

[ Guess who doesn't have time for a friendly-faced update on the ship's status: engineering. The following message shows up on the network without any preamble, and probably at an odd hour. They've kind of lost track. ]

PSA FROM ENGINEERING:

Several weeks ago, the ship's engines powered down. Flight crew has confirmed that we're currently parked in an interstellar cloud.

The cloud's atmosphere has caused minor damage to the hull and several non-essential systems. Repairs are ongoing, but the ship's primary systems are running without issue, and passengers are not in immediate danger.

Although the ship is at a standstill, it should be assumed that the jump will proceed as normal. Please be prepared to follow routine jump procedure.

Anyone with mechanical or tech experience, we'd appreciate extra hands on repairs. Volunteers, please apply here.

( OOC: Replies will come from Fitz, Raven, and anyone else with the Engineering department who'd like to hop in. Other departments are welcome to threadjack questions/convos in order to further spread the info provided in this post! )

[the cylons were created by man... They evolved. There are many copies...]

[Backdated to the jump.]


[When the feed flicks on, there’s a bit of static before, muffled through the fabric of a blazer. A woman’s voice, with a slight tone of authority can be heard. Laura Roslin.]

For someone who eradicated nearly all of humanity, you're awfully scared of a cancer-ridden woman. I have no power here, no title. And I have no idea where Caprica Six is. I've told you.

[The sound of an elevator door closing, then a man, his voice new to those on Tranquility speaks. He has no idea he’s being recorded.]

Yes, so you've told me. And Kara Thrace is dead.

You speak like I'm personally responsible for humanity's destruction, but it was God's plan for you. This is your path, and mine, and we must all play our parts.

[The woman again, her voice clear.]

She is.

And Gaius Baltar has been cleared of all charges.

Were either of those in your god's plan? Was this ship? You assisted the genocide of the human race all the same. And if that was also part of your god's plan, I want nothing to do with it. This place is beyond gods and prophecies. That line of thinking will get you killed, Conoy.

And not by my hand.[She'll just ask nicely. Or throw him out the airlock again. Anyone know where they're located?]

Threaten me all you want, by all means, shove me against a locker like we’re in high school, but for Kobol's sake listen to me. Because I am not afraid of you. [Laura’s words are pointed, This is the vengeful President that the Colonials are used to.]

[A beat] I'm supposed to meet Adama. For a Cylon that wants my protection, you're doing all you can to throw it away.

[As the tone of her voice changes, the man with her starts listening a little harder to her choice of words, to the direction behind them. She's speaking to him and past him, and he recognises the difference. Leoben knows how to listen; it's what he does best.

When he speaks, softness to mirror her aloofness, he knows what he’s doing. She’s broadcasting this, and he directs his own words past her, straight to her listeners.]

It isn't about what you want. It isn't about what I want. You may say you're not afraid, but you don't know fearlessness. Not yet, but you will before the end. Why don't you tell them the truth? We are the children of humanity, brought into the world to fight your battles; commodities, unpaid labor, slaves. Tell them how you gave life, and how you now fear the life that you created, deprived of the ability to simply switch it off.

[There’s a small ruffle of fabric, fumbling as he reaches for her hip, and grabs the communicator. He raises it to his mouth, and as a result his voice is louder; clear.]

My name is Leoben Conoy. I have Laura Roslin. I want to speak to Caprica Six. [The feed falls silent.]

---

[Sometime later, Laura’s voice once again can be heard on to the network.]

Hello, citizens of the Tranquility, this is President Laura Roslin. I'm currently being held hostage by the Cylon model 2 known as Leoben Conoy. I cannot say where I am being held, Athena save us, or he will move our position. He is unarmed but extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution.

[Bill please figure out she's on floor 82. With the reference to model 8. And 2.]

Across the room, her captor raises his voice, just loud enough to be heard.]

Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. You can speak to them, when they answer.

[ooc: let us know who you want to talk to, Laura, Leoben, or both! Feel free to come to the rescue as well, try to reason with them, whatever.]

[ There is white and red and black, bone and blood and rotting flesh, when the camera first blinks on. Some fiddling, dirty fingers tapping at the lens then pulling it back reveals that the rot is not a human passenger but bovine; the cow that has been on board since Strela, effectively smashed by the jump by all appearance, but rotted already -- rotted for months, by the look of it. (For a year, its owner will tell you, and forensic analysis will back up her story.)

More fiddling, those filthy fingers and long strands of dirty golden-blonde hair (falling, from the looks of things, coming out in chunks and joining the cow on the floor of the ship) covering the lens until Jaye can look into the screen properly. Once again, she looks like a mess. It's worse, this time. Worse physically and mentally, and it's easy to tell by how she interacts with the camera, slides her thumb up over the lens and bobs her head like a bird. It's almost like she can't quite remember what she's supposed to do. ]

I heard voices, [ she starts, voice a hoarse, scratchy mess. Unlike last time she doesn't try to save it, pushes on as if she's talking to herself and her dead cow and not anyone who's listening. ] Are you back? It's been so long. I didn't mean to leave -- I couldn't get there. I was so close and just like him, just couldn't get there. The halls just kept going and then the ship screamed and I had to change before I did, too.

[ She shifts onto her haunches, rocking back and forth, not looking at the camera -- looking around instead, taking in how things look with eyes that aren't the compound eyes of an insect. One hand moves up to move some hair behind an ear and the hair simply falls down in strands, leaving a patch of bare scalp behind on her head. ] It was red again. Red and angry, so angry, the whole time. I didn't mean to do it this time, I didn't -- but I figured it out. They're the same, aren't they? Exactly the same. Trickster and hero and villain all at once. "Fear not, I will help you."

[ There's a laugh, then a sob, then both at once. ]

Don't be mad. A year isn't forty. Just-Like-Creator took the flesh and threw it over the land, and there grew the tribes of men.

[ One hand reaches for the skull of the cow, for the rot covering it, and draws. :) ]

((ooc: Explanation over here!))

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.

[Edgeworth sounds characteristically brisk and serious.]

I would like to ask everyone to take a moment to speak here - or to leave a text message - about what it is that they most wish to get home to, or what it is they most appreciate here.

There's a jump approaching, and not too long from now. As we all know, jumps rarely bring good things - they herald lost friends, new disasters. This is a difficult life we have here aboard this ship - one fraught with pain, with misery, with fear. It's far too easy to become lost in the morass of despair. It's too easy, with each jump, to think: what if I don't? What if I do not go to the jump bay? What if I simply sit back and let it all end?

I ask that you, in this post, remind everyone why it's worth it to keep on. Why it's worth it to suffer through these jumps, month after month, and why it's worth it to keep cautious and not just go seeking our death in those hallways, and why it's worth it to keep trying to make life better here. As we approach this new jump, as we prepare ourselves to welcome and console these new arrivals, let us remember why we should continue to fight.

Thank you all for your attention and cooperation.

[there's the familiar face of Jim Kirk, and judging from his expression, you can expect this isn't going to be a fun broadcast. next to him is Tyke, who is leaning back in her seat, Jim seated in the middle and Spock standing on his right, hands at parade rest and as unflappable as ever.]

Passengers, this is Jim Kirk, if I could have your attention for a moment.

As everyone knows, we've got people lost in the ship. Petrelli has already asked everyone not to use the lifts and I'm going to repeat that caution. We believe something is malfunctioning and the lifts are sending people to the wrong floor. Judging by the faulty messages we've been getting, we can guess that it's somewhere deep in the ship. Communications is currently working on clearing that up.

Right now I need able-bodied personnel to report to the Gunnery via the stairs. We're going to be working with Security to put teams together. While we don't want anyone else getting lost, we've got people out there who weren't prepared for it. That means they need food and water and probably weapons.

[ spock doesn't step any further into the feed, but he does pull a series of data padds from seemingly nowhere. his gaze doesn't lift from the bundle as he speaks. ] The gunnery department is able to supply a number of projectile based weapons as well as several dozen phasers for those willing and capable of utilizing them. Medical is standing by to receive members of each party and equip them with first aid kits.

[ it isn't an afterthought, but there's something about the way he finally looks at the screen that still says illogical humans. ]

Despite individual concerns for the well-being of friends, family, and your fellow passengers, I do not believe it unreasonable to remind you that this is an emergency alert. Personal feelings aside, we are meant to aid others, and cannot be expected to do so if we do not also ensure our own safety.

[It's at that point that Tyke finally leans forward, but it's clear in her expression and tone that she doesn't want to be talking any more than she has to, barely covered-over frustration and agitation.]

Respond to this if you can see it and you're currently in a known location, even if you're not gonna be involved in running supplies. We need to figure some working idea of how many are lost and how many are safe.


[ooc: kirk, spock & tyke. here is a OOC post for coordination if you guys need it! if you're renting a weapon, check that post out please! also feel free to action it up in this post/talk amoungst yourselves etc]

[ Hello network, this would be the first time you've seen Annabeth wide-spread, but she figured hanging around for two months was enough of a 'grace period' before she could show her face.

So here she is. Kind of tired, kind of going a little crazy. That's what you get for having demi-god ADHD powers and very little to expend your energy on. ]

I spoke with someone about this before, but I was curious- [ Her voice is fairly steady, maybe a little more serious sounding than she means it to. ] Since there are people from so many different universes and worlds, I was wondering. Do you have your own versions of...gods, I guess?

I'm not speaking religiously. Not necessarily. Mostly I mean beings of power. Greater powers than you'd have normally populating the world. Back home, we had...stories. Of Greek and Roman Gods. There were others, too, but those tended to take precedence in my life. [ Understatement? I'd say so. ] I'm just curious if there were any other variations out there. What they could do, whether or not they did it in the first place...

[ Annabeth trails off, her eyes drifting off to the side for less than a moment before they're back again, renewed with a sense of purpose. ]

I'd also like to speak with anyone on board who used to be these...beings. I don't want to call them gods, because that might mean something else in other places, but I'd like to know if you're here, and what possible changes have occurred since coming on board. It'd be appreciated.

[ And then she nods, having made her point, and shuts off the feed. ]

[its been a day already, and anakin spent most of that time trying to regain his bearings. waking up in that pod, senses muted. it isn't something he cares to repeat. but after scouring the network he knows that's a choice he doesn't get to make. not if these "jumps" are real. and with his senses back in full swing again, he's fairly certain that it's all true. that, or the force itself is trying to trick him in to believing a lie.

when the feed cuts in it's to a low-angled shot of anakin, already mid-conversation. no, he isn't aware that it's recording, because no, he isn't the one responsible for it.]

--eels strange though. It's him, but it's almost like-

[there's a few beeps to interrupt him, and anakin finally turns his attention back to its source. and subsequently, the camera.]

What are you...? Oh. [right. camera. time to think quickly. see, he's even putting on his jedi face. you know, alert and serious looking. this is just how he planned to make first contact with the wider world. obviously.]

I am Padawan learner Anakin Skywalker. I would like to speak with somebody from the Flight Crew. Specifically, whoever is in charge of the shuttles, if you have time. [he has a list of the people on flight crew of course. artoo already took care of that. but now he's looking for the kind of details that don't come in digital form.

a little more from the droid and he nods. his concern would be obvious to those who know him. but seeing as there's only one person who fits the bill here (or so he'd like to think)-]

Master, I know you're here.

[he just isn't sure what's wrong. there were two force users, but neither he could identify. it wasn't until artoo had found his name in the ships records that he'd realised obi-wan was one of those two.

he can feel him there now; a bright spot in the force. but it isn't right. it feels like their bond is muted in some way, and he knows it can't be on his end. he isn't holding back any more than he usually does. he wants to ask, of course. but that would mean admitting a weakness in their bond, and he's not about to do that while the rest of the ship could be watching. no, better to meet up and find out what's going on, right?]

Artoo wants to see you.

[yes, when all else fails, blame the droid.]

[ a lone figure stands in the Oxygen Gardens (one of the higher floors) surrounded by trees that shadow and shield him as much as holding his back to the camera does. his celestial bronze sword is out and every time his wrist moves, his feet shuffle or the wind sways him, the blade glints. he's wearing cargo shorts and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, though his dark hoody blots out the bright orange. his voice (when he speaks) isn't louder than it needs to be, no more than his sneaker cracking twigs. ] A long time ago, I believed the gods had everything figured out.

They had misguided intentions because they couldn't directly interfere but they were trying; to be better, to do better than before. [ his head drops, heavy on his neck and his shoulders. ] But what's the point in being able to predict the future if you keep repeating the same mistakes? If you're so detached from the world that you can't be involved in it, that you can't stop a blade of grass from dying, let alone a person? What's the point of living forever [ he lowers his sword, sinks the tip into earth, glares down at it like it's the root of his problems ] if the only thing you're going to do - if the only thing you can do - is pat someone on the shoulder and shove them into harm's way, time and time again, to do your dirty work?

[ he's not drunk; he doesn't drink. but what he's saying, the conclusions he's uttering are almost out of his control, gone before he can pull them back. they're everything he's ever thought but never intended to say out loud, where he can't pretend it doesn't bother him, that it doesn't keep him awake at night. ] If your only purpose is to safeguard your family but you can't even do that right, what's the point?

[ Anaklusmos shreds grass when he rips it from the ground and he turns, looks into the camera and in the little burrowed patch that's half branch overhang but with a large enough field for one or two people to train in, it's dark enough to obscure his face but light enough to play tricks. is there- is that armor on his face . . . or? (or is he like so many others lately, fallen prey to a mask?) it doesn't matter because the feed times out when he adjusts his sword arm (rolls out an ache in his shoulder) prepared to swing at a dummy that's certainly seen better days, considering it's slanting off a pole, splitting on one side, half an arm missing and it looks suspiciously like its head (compiled of sheets and other miscellaneous gathered goods) is about to fall off. ]

Hello, Tranquility. I am SHODAN.

Perhaps this has been discussed amongst those of you previously inhabiting this ship, but I'm looking for more definite information about these 'jumps' I've heard so much about. If anyone knows what happens during them, specifically...

[ SHODAN's reaching out to a wider audience at this point. Get to know the preypassengers aboard and what not; Obtain some useful knowledge in the meantime. ]

[Sma's been around, quietly keeping track of things and mostly being an observer of stuff. Her curiosity on a subject is now up, so have a video post.]

Hello, Tranquility.

So, I've been through a jump now as a resident and not a new arrival, and I've been watching things and—actually, let me give some context.

Where I come from, a ship this size would have what we call a Mind. It's an artificial intelligence that runs at a considerably higher rate of speed than the average human-form sentient. Some like to talk to the residents directly, and others create humanoid avatars for interactions. They've got interests, personalities, and a predilection for interesting names, like the Very Little Gravitas Indeed and the What Are the Civilian Applications?.

Our settlements are run by Minds as well. We've also got what we call drones, which are human-equivalent sentient AIs, operating independently of Minds. We also have sub-sentient AI for menial tasks—maintenance, that sort of thing.

So there's the context. What I'm wondering is—does the Tranquility have any kind of AI at work here? And are any of my fellow-passengers familiar with AI technology?