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'.]

video

[hung_garian]

[Oh, he could be helpful. He really could - should, too. But messing with the newbies is just so much more fun.]

Shiala. This is the Klingon outpost on Betelgeuse V. Sorry to break it to you, but you're past one hundred thousand miles from Illium, and you're preeeetty much stuck on Cape Kore. We can't get any ships through the atmosphere. Guess all you can do is hope the locals take to you - last person who got stuck there was the ambassador from Tatooine, and he ended up in a loooot of hot water. Literally. They ate him. Here's hoping you have better luck.

Re: video

[purplishgreen]

[She peers at him a moment. She's heard of a lot of planets and systems, but none of those names are familiar in the least.]

What species are the locals, then?

[Because she can't think of any race that would eat another sapient.]

Tell me more. What sort of situation is preventing ships from landing?

video

[hung_garian]

Ghouls. They may look human, but don't let 'em fool you. They're dangerous. Shapeshifters, the lot of 'em.

[He's not sure how far he plans to take this. As far as he can get away with, probably.]

There's a lot of turbulence in the upper atmosphere. The windspeed's too high to get anything bigger than a shuttlecraft down, and then it wouldn't be able to get back out again. And the ionic storms are interrupting the transporter beam. Too many... particles. Negative ones. It's all very science-y, I don't wanna bore you with the details.

Re: video

[purplishgreen]

[She inclines her head slightly, regarding him critically. What he describes isn't... impossible... but it's definitely unusual. As far as shapeshifting goes, that sounds extremely improbable. The vorcha are... highly adaptive, but that's still a long way from actual shapeshifting.]

What is a transporter beam?

Re: video

[hung_garian]

It's a beam that transports things.

video

[nedofpies]

[ That is just - it's just a green lady, isn't it? Ned's gonna try really hard not to geek out here or make her uncomfortable, but it's kind of awesome. ]

We all were. Brought here against our will, I mean. You're not gonna be able to get a message out, these things only broadcast within the town, as far as any of us know. And while escape is theoretically not impossible we certainly haven't had any success so far.

I'm Ned, by the way. It seems a bit wrong to say 'welcome' since you've been kidnapped and all, but I don't really know what else to say, so, welcome.

Re: video

[purplishgreen]

[She looks at him a moment, not sure how to take this news. She has far too much to accomplish to waste her time in a place like this.]

I'm Shiala. I would normally be glad to meet you, but it really is essential that I get to Illium as soon as possible. I have a colony on Feros that's depending on me.

[She's firm, very much so. There's no room for debate. Zhu's Hope is relying on her.]

Is Cape Kore a human colony?

[nedofpies]

[ To Ned, Shiala seems like exactly the sort of name that a green lady from space ought to have, just like Ilium sounds like the exactly the sort of name for the kind of planet or region she'd have disappeared from. ]

Sort of? It's not really a colony, because we're prisoners, not settlers. Strictly speaking, not everyone here is human, either. Most people are, but there's a robot, and a Time Lord- [ He pauses with a pang as he remembers that there was a Time Lord ] -and some people who prefer to go by other names than human.

[ He wonders if there's really any polite way to ask what he wants to ask, leads up to it obliquely ] ...you're not human, I take it?

[purplishgreen]

[The question is... surprising to her. Obviously she isn't. Who doesn't know an asari when they see one? Granted, she's green, and that's unusual, but for a human to be green would be even more outlandish than an asari. They tend to be sort of pink or brown.]

No. I am not. I'm an asari.

[There are a lot of questions that raises, but something else he says catches her attention. Not that there are other non-humans here -- even in human colonies the odd salarian or asari settles down -- look at herself, for one. It's rare, but it happens, and if this is some sort of penal colony, well, the mix is even more likely. But a robot? The term is not a comfortable one, especially when listed off with other types of people.]

What do you mean, a robot? You have some sort of VI mech around? How sophisticated is it? Even a standard LOKI mech should be salvageable for some parts to dispatch a distress signal.

[nedofpies]

[ Ned wants to know everything, is about to launch into a million questions about what asari are like, about this woman's home planet and culture and life, but those questions die in his throat unasked. The delighted half-smile has vanishes from Ned's face, replaced by open suspicion and tightly-controlled anger. He tries to remember what Daneel had told him the last time about snapping at people in his defense, but Ned doesn't care. This is a thousand times worse than what Buffy had said. ]

'He'. Not 'it'. I don't know what VI or LOKI mean, or what kinds of robots you're used to or how you're used to treating them, but let's get one thing clear right now: no one is using anyone else for parts. [ He grits the word out between clenched teeth ]

( v i d e o )

[mentis]

[ Charles can't help but be instantly fascinated by her. Everything from her appearance to her formal way of speaking drags him in. ]

I'm sorry, I doubt the message is going to whoever you intend it to.

Re: ( v i d e o )

[purplishgreen]

This is unfortunately becoming clear to me.

[She sighs, but she gives Charles a small smile.]

I couldn't truly expect this. Can you forgive me being a little overwhelmed?

( v i d e o )

[mentis]

Of course. Anyone who tells you they weren't upon arriving here is an awful liar. [ She seems just like the rest of them, lost, confused, tired. ]

It is rather hard to adapt.

Re: ( v i d e o )

[purplishgreen]

Frankly, I don't have time to get used to it. I have a colony of people relying on me. If I don't sort out this issue with Baria Frontiers...

[It doesn't bode well. Shiala puts a hand to her head, distressed despite herself.]

I'm Shiala, as I said. Who might you be?

( v i d e o )

[mentis]

I'm afraid that won't be possible from here. Not one of us seem to have managed to find our way out successfully. We're rather stuck.

Charles Xavier, unfortunate bearer of bad news.

[audio]

[burnburnburn]

[He is so, so happy to finally see someone else who isn't from Earth. He keeps the recording on audio, but it's obvious in his voice]

So what are you?

[A pause, and then he responds to the rest of her message]

You're recording, but I doubt you'll reach anyone. Our captors wouldn't be stupid enough to give us radios that would have a range out of this prison.

Re: [audio]

[purplishgreen]

You've never seen an asari before?

[That's strange. Even if someone hasn't seen an asari in person, and doubtlessly many humans haven't, it's unthinkable that they would be unfamiliar with the asari as a whole. Certainly the extranet is home to enough fetish sites featuring asari.]

Where exactly are you from?

[audio]

[burnburnburn]

There's tribes who look similar to you on my world, but not quite. Are the Asari one of the lizard-kin?


My planet's name is Gaia.

Re: [audio]

[purplishgreen]

I'm afraid I have never heard of Gaia. The asari are from Thessia originally, and we are not lizards.

[She's just slightly arch about that. Does she look like a drell? Or a krogan?]

[audio]

[burnburnburn]

Just asari, then. [He was going to say something about that tone, but then it occurs to him he'd be offended himself if someone thought he might be a distant relative of the gecko-folk. If she's not going to tell him what kind of kin she is he's not going to bother trying to guess.]

No one's heard of it here. Have you heard of the Ispano? There's a better chance you'l know them, since they live in the void between worlds.