Shiala | Video | Day 81

[purplishgreen]

Is this... recording?

[She thinks so. Whatever this device on her wrist is, it might as well be a spear, a bow and arrow, a flint knife for all she knows what to do with it, but it's the only thing she has at hand that might be able to send a message. She'll try this, at least. She's calm, but frowning faintly.]

My name is Shiala, from the Zhu's Hope colony on Feros. I'm currently on an unknown planet and may require assistance, as I've been brought here against my will. My last known location was Illium. If you receive this message, please send help.

[She pauses, staring at her wrist for a moment, looking vaguely frustrated.]

Goddess, how do I turn this off?

Comments

[bluesrat]

[When a face appears on the screen, it won't be a familiar one. But it's concerned and a little apologetic.]

There's... it's, well, the people here are okay, and we're all lost together. I'm not sure where the place you mentioned is, but this is Cape Kore.

[purplishgreen]

The Theseus system, in the Attican Beta cluster?

[That's beside the point. 'Cape Kore' doesn't sound familiar, beyond her initial welcome message, but she can hardly be expected to know every colony in the galaxy. Shiala purses her lips thoughtfully. If she's only contacting people who are here, she must have the settings on this thing wrong.]

Nevermind. Do you know how to make this... [She struggles for a word, gestures vaguely.] This primitive omni-tool on my wrist. It must be possible to access the extranet through it, at least?

[bluesrat]

Sorry, I barely know how to operate that thing, but we all have one. I think the point is we're cut off, here. I've been told there's some scientists who've trapped us here, and access to wherever we come from is cut off. [He looks sorry to be telling her all this.]

[purplishgreen]

[Her eyes go wide. Scientists?]

Is it Baria Frontiers behind this, do you know?

[She didn't think they would go this far. It's unthinkable. They couldn't possibly have done something as crazy as kidnap her.]

Do you know what system this is, at least?

[bluesrat]

I really don't know, I'm sorry. This place seems earthlike to me, but I'm biased, because I've never been anywhere else.

[Is he really talking to an alien? Things here just get weirder and weirder. It's like he's hit his head and landed in an issue of 'Weird Tales'.]

[purplishgreen]

[She sighs, looking a bit put out. No answers to be found here, but that's not his fault.]

Let me see if I'm understanding this. We're trapped, there's no transport off this world, wherever it is. [It can't be Earth, in that case, and probably not any world she would have heard of. Excellent.] Who is in charge here?

[bluesrat]

I'm sorry if it sounds bad, but you've got that about right. I've heard there's a mayor, but I've never seen or heard anything from him. People seem to band together here, though, it's pretty democratic with no specific leader.

[purplishgreen]

[Democracy is all right. She understands that, approves of it. With humans, one can never tell, although Zhu's Hope had managed rather well.]

No one has managed to get a distress signal out, I assume. I see.

[She frowns a little.]

My name is Shiala, as I said. I can see I have much to become used to.

[bluesrat]

"I'm not sure. Somebody pretty powerful escaped recently, I guess. I'm sorry I don't really know or understand the details.

[He's a little under-equipped to talk to a space-lady, when nobody's even set foot on the moon yet, where he's from.]

Markus Rathbone. Or just Rat. This isn't an ideal situation, but most of the people here are nice!

[purplishgreen]

Then perhaps there is hope for the rest of us.

[She smiles at him. Even if he's underequipped, she wouldn't hold that against him, and he's at least trying to be helpful.]

That's encouraging to hear, at least. Thank you, Markus.

[bluesrat]

Maybe.

[If only he knew how wrong he is about the escape part, but he smiles to give her hope.]

You're welcome. You can always call on me over the 2-way wristwatch thingy if you need anything.