Arrival | OTA

[major_egret_msfsod]

Jackal was always a little reluctant at accepting even mandatory leave. Still, she knew the reasons for it, and could defend the policy as needed, whether she liked it or not, and as an officer she had an obligation to serve as a good example. Although the FMS Viking remained at its post in the Belt, high-speed transports ferried personnel and special-order supplies, and it was aboard such an interplanetary shuttle she was traveling back to Mars. The visit home would be trying, as usual, but seeing her militia unit again would be good, as well as her mother.

Resting her eyes momentarily, she didn't notice the bright light. Other changes, however, she noticed: the tone of the nearby conversations, in particular, and although it was subtle, something was definitely not quite right about the feel of the shuttle. Scowling, she opened her eyes again--then scowled more so, looking around. She was definitely not in the shuttle. She was still in her red-tone camouflage fatigues, with a holstered device (most likely some kind of pistol, at a glance) at her side, and a duffel bag rested at her feet.

She stood abruptly, wary, but of all the people in the room--judging by its size and the totally open view of starscape, most likely aboard a large ship--none showed any signs of hostility. In fact, most barely even showed much interest in her presence. Whether they were aware of the situation or not, though, it was unacceptable. Resting a hand on her sidearm, but not drawing it, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of someone who might be in charge. No explicit threats--yet--but she couldn't make any assumptions under such circumstances.

"What the hell's going on, here?"

Comments

Btw, Kaylin is from the series I AUed Tiamaris from. Though she knows Tiamaris as an adult.... >.>

[kaylinneya]

Kaylin's permission post/trigger warning
The thread didn't have to be explicit. Kaylin had taken to making this part of her unofficial rounds, this lounge. Of course, her authority here was also unofficial. But it never hurt to have a few more trained Hawks around, even off duty.

Well, unless those trained Hawks were Teela and Tain and they were drunk, but that was a whole other mess.

And Kaylin, as part of her unofficial vigil, watched those who arrived, tried to size up who would be trouble.

And someone who rested a hand on a weapon... could well be trouble. Kaylin should know... hands on her daggers was her rest position. She slid to her feet and closed the difference between them, a palm resting lightly on the pommel of the dagger on each side.

She certainly was a noticeable person, despite being almost child-like in height and figure. Her messy black hair wads pulled back with a well chewed stick, and the creature that did the chewing - a small translucent thing that looked like a cat sized dragon, was resting atop her head, nibbling her hair in its sleep.

On one cheek she bore what looked like a tattoo of a flower, some might recognize it as deadly nightshade, others might not. She couldn't care less.

She wore, today, a thin chain mail shirt under a tabard with a hawk in flight and over a thin linen shirt. She wore leather pants - as in armor not fashion - and sturdy boots. Over the cuff of one long sleeve rode an expensive looking antique bracelet that tapped lightly against the pommel of her dagger - she wore one on either hip.

"Can I help you?" she asked, coolly and professionally. She looked young, early twenties at oldest, but she held herself like a veteran Hawk - a veteran cop - from her world.

[major_egret_msfsod]

The newcomer eyeballed Kaylin in the most skeptical manner imaginable. Daggers. Chain mail and leather. Was this some kid playing around in a costume, or what? ...still, even a kid in fancy dress might know something useful. The combination of seeming childhood and what certainly appeared to be military training was rather off-putting, though. The ways in which the situation was wrong just kept stacking up.

"Depends if you can tell me where the hell I am, and what I'm doing here."

[kaylinneya]

"This is a ship that sails the night sky, it's called the Enterprise. A not-magic creature has been somehow bringing us here. The crew have been doing their best to make it up to us. There are rules and laws to follow, but follow them and there is food and protection and a pillow under your head somewhere safe."

"Not the worst deal ever."

[major_egret_msfsod]

...sails the night sky. She only looks more skeptical at the answer that's somewhere between poetic and nonsensical (what does "not-magic" even mean?). If any of it seemed to make sense to her, it was the part about rules.

Then again: knives and primitive armor. Doesn't seem at a glance like any of Earth's groups who've resisted modernizing, but then she's really no expert on the subject, so it can't be totally discounted. Really, who knows what kind of crazy nonsense people get into on Earth?

She shakes her head, eying the girl appraisingly.

"...figured it was a ship. I need to speak to someone in charge."

[kaylinneya]

"I can take you to Tasha, she's one of the ones in charge of security. She'll know who you have to speak to from there."

[major_egret_msfsod]

Aha, ship's security personnel, now that sounded like progress. Jackal nodded to that suggestion, not exactly smiling, but at least looking less aggravated and tense, and perhaps even slightly relieved.

"I'd appreciate it."

[kaylinneya]

She nodded and started leading the way. Of course, since she was Kaylin, she was not heading towards Tasha's quarters, as intended. But then until Kaylin knows a route half asleep at a dead run... she can get lost anywhere.

Doesn't mean they wont encounter Tasha anyway.

"You're law enforcement?" she guessed, from the way the other reacted.

[major_egret_msfsod]

Jackal picks up her back and follows quietly. It's not as though she has a better way to find this Tasha person, herself. At least, not that she knows of.

"Military. Major Egret, MSFSOD."

[kaylinneya]

"I'm a Hawk. Private Kaylin Neya." She cave a crisp nod as she walked, hands resting easily on her dagger pommels.

"So military is like the army, yeah?" All she knew was she wasn't one of them, and they were annoying in that they got a way with more and only had to work when the Emperor decided to have them work, but it was still better than not having another trained and armed protector around.

**** at this point she'd be glad to see a Sword or a Wolf. Somewhat less happy to see Samaraaan or Andellen, and well... she'd prefer all of them and their master to Mallory, and HE actually WAS a Hawk.

She still had no clue how the Hawklord tolerated him. She tried to ignore the memory of how fast the man busted through paperwork.

[major_egret_msfsod]

...weird question, but not the craziest thing she's heard today. Definitely strange to hear from a private, though. At least they were talking about something she could discuss comfortably, although she was tacitly aware of Kaylin's hands.

"...for example, 'though that's more the role of the MGS. MSF serves as an interplanetary analog to a navy and aerospace cavalry. MSFSOD's the Martian Space Force, Special Operations Division. Elite unit, mostly charged with counterterrorism and antipiracy in peacetime."

She pauses a tick, there, eyes narrowed slightly.

"...not sure what you mean by a 'Hawk,' though."

[kaylinneya]

"Inter..." she started swearing viciously, and in several different languges, which the universal translator happily translated. It was creative, inventive, involved teeth and feathers in a way that sounded painful, and possibly physically impossible.

When she finished, she shook her head, irritated. "In Elantra, there are three Lords of Law, Swordlord, Hawklord, Wolflord. Then there is the army, and hired guards. I follow the Hawklord, so I'm a Hawk," she said, puffing up a bit. **** proud of it, too."

[major_egret_msfsod]

Jackal raised an eyebrow at that reaction, although she seemed more peeved than alarmed. ......who the hell reacts like that to the mention of what the space force does?

...................and what the hell's Elantra Some inconsequential European backwater, from the sound of the name.

"......right. You have a problem with spaceforces?"

Of course if it was the UNSF with which she had a beef, that would be fantastic, but Jackal wasn't quite sure what to make of her, just yet.

Apparently the voices in my head are angsty tonight. Sorry.

[kaylinneya]

"Look, until about... oh... two years ago, as far as I knew there was one world. Of that one world, all I had ever seen was Elantra, and a few fiefs. And that was FINE! Then there are other worlds, and the grey space of the roads between, and El.... and places I'm not even supposed to talk about that are somehow in Elantra but NOT in Elantra because of ******** magic!"

She said the word magic as though it was the worst of the curses she had yet uttered. She managed not to spit. Just.

"And then I'm here. And there are even MORE worlds, and MORE people from even MORE worlds than that."

She turned to face Jackal.

"And this place?" A mix of anger and sorrow on her face, because she was trying to hold onto anger to keep from letting herself be sad. Kaylin stinks at lying... even to herself.

"This place... it's huge. And there is food here. All the food you want. No matter who you are. If you follow the laws, you get fed, you have a safe place to sleep. This place..."

She closed her hands around her daggers tightly.

"And I can't bring anyone here. There is space here for every little kid growing up hungry, or maybe not getting to grow up at all in the Fiefs. All of the orphans, and Marin and Amos could move here, and they wouldn't notice the lack of space. We could save so many ******ing people. And I CAN'T!"

She managed not to punch a wall, or anything else.

"And then you're here, army but not army, and I thought *****, that could be fun. Someone who at least gets it... and you're also from one of thee worlds that spans lots of worlds... and...."

She shook her head and spun on her heel. "Forget it. Let's go find Yar."

Poor Jackal, she was so close to being able to have a sane conversation.

[major_egret_msfsod]

Jackal never would have thought a day would come when she wished someone had just been a self-absorbed Earth-native who couldn't acknowledge the rest of the solar system even existed. Which is what "one world" sounds like, at first. But then it gets so much crazier, and just keeps spiraling down that rabbit hole. If she hadn't seemed so damned emotionally invested, Jackal might have dismissed it as some kind of prank, and was still tempted to.

Some kind of Bedlam Station. That might explain it. Not how she wound up there, but it was a start. Also wasn't clear why people would be thrown in with weapons, though, and those daggers were obviously not just improvised, but crafted. Still, that made more sense than the story she was hearing, and jived at least with the manic reaction, and more than a few of the comments, and indications of past trauma.

Jackal scowled a touch warily at the outbursts, but just nodded--particularly at that last part.

"...let's."

Of course she wasn't sure if this Tasha-a.k.a.-Yar was going to be a hallucination or another nut or what, but it was the nearest thing she had to a lead on her situation. Might as well follow it... but remain alert, just in case.

So of course now I have to do this...

[kaylinneya]

That was when the translucent dragon-looking thing decided to wake up. It yawned, showing off impressive silver teeth, then leaned forward and sniffed at Jackal.

"Do not breathe on her, do not bite her. I like this one," Kaylin growled up at it.

The familiar lazily swatted Kaylin's with its tail.

[major_egret_msfsod]

Pff so what there are like a billion different animals on Earth, as small as Metatron microcells or as big as Orbital Frames, with everything from built-in sonar to chemical weapons to active optical stealth. Sure, she had no idea what the hell that thing was, but she never claimed to be an Earth-biologist. She narrowed her eyes, though, at the injunction not to breathe on her. ...some kind of aerosolized toxin, probably.

"...flattered."

Jackal eyeballed the familiar. She couldn't think of any winged lizards on Earth, but it really wasn't her area.

"...cute. Whatever it is."

She didn't seem that invested in the "cute" remark, either, so much as that it seemed like the sort of thing people liked to hear said about small pets. She certainly made no attempt to pet it, or anything.

[kaylinneya]

"They say it's a familiar, mostly I just say it's ***** annoying as ******."

Kaylin tried to glare up at it. It yawned, unimpressed.

[tasha_yar]

"Kaylin?"

Tasha had been on her way back to her quarters when she encountered the woman with the dragon, plus someone she didn't recognize, plus it looked like the pair were trying to find something.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

[kaylinneya]

"Ah..."

She walked forward and saluted, with the wrong hand, tilting her chin up.

"Sir. She wanted to meet with you."

[major_egret_msfsod]

Sounded like this was the one, then. At least she looked credibly enough the part, serious, sensible hair for someone who works for a living. Jackal addressed her as soon as Kaylin had explained that much. ...she certainly had what looked to be some kind of rank insignia, at a guess, but not one she recognized.

"You're Tasha Yar, I assume. Major Egret, MSFSOD. I don't mean to be rude, but I need some straight answers about what the hell's going on here."

[tasha_yar]

Good luck. she thinks. That shows outwardly as well, as much as she tries stifling it.

She forces herself to straighten. "I will answer whatever I can. Just be aware the situation is - difficult."

[major_egret_msfsod]

Jackal does pick up on that. She's noticed a few of those rank insignia on others they passed by, as well. Full and empty pips, probably means the empty ones are like half-steps, so this lady's most likely either O3 or O4, herself, depending on where they start. Either way, it suggested she could at least be taken more or less seriously, and Jackal nodded.

"I can imagine. Last thing I knew before I found myself here, I was on a fast shuttle back to Mars from the FMS Viking for regular leave. Then I'm here. Hearing... fanciful stories from the kind of sources you avoid using in intel reports."

It sounds like "fanciful" is about the most polite word she could come up with for it.

"Now. I get this is a ship, that's clear. And I'm told it's called the 'Enterprise,' credible enough, there've been plenty of them. That's about all I've heard so far that makes any damn sense."

Which really means she needs to get answers from someone who can put things in less "it's aliens and interdimensional trek wars!" genre savvy kind of talk. Hopefully an officer and a member of the crew can help out, there.

[tasha_yar]

Tasha drops into report mode. "There's an entity - a very powerful one - who has us, this ship, I mean, and maybe you, under some kind of test. To that end, Q will take people from their normal timeline in their normal worlds and just send them here. Why, we don't know."

Complicating matters is that half the senior staff are now Displaced. Not that anyone needs to know that.

"You may be here for another minute. You may stay indefinitely. To that end, we're assigning you quarters after a routine medical exam. You'll have access to some of the ship's public areas while the crew continues its mission."

[major_egret_msfsod]

"...an entity."

Awfully vague term, there, but she has a feeling it was chosen because it refers to something too strange to be spoken of more plainly. She's obviously still deeply skeptical about the story, but there comes a point when if everyone's telling the same crazypants story, maybe it means the truth is crazypants.

Not that she's quite ready to take that plunge into madness. And some of the terminology is just excruciatingly frustrating.

"...'normal timeline.' What does that even mean..?"

Welcome to one of those rare people who's not from a setting with time-travel stories and who's not even a bit genre savvy about scifi tropes. She may need to be walked through this a bit.

[tasha_yar]

Tasha purses her lips, shook her head and tried again. "A very powerful being who can just take you from wherever you are, whenever you happen to be in your life and teleport you from there to here; for however long he wants you to be here."