MINI-EVENT: RENDEZVOUS

[returnjourney]

MINI-EVENT: RENDEZVOUS

March 9th, 2022
Tasked with picking up some emergency botanical supplies, the Peregrine stopped in Meodriotope in February and is now making haste towards another ship, for a rendezvous and hand-off of the supplies. In late morning, the view out of the windows on one side of the Peregrine will be blocked almost entirely by another ship — the Feather, also from the Admiralty's fleet. The hand-off will take place here, between two ships.

In the afternoon (local Peregrine time), a mini transport from the other ship docks in the Peregrine's loading bay. Three passengers disembark to assist in the loading, have some brief conversations, and then be on their way.

If you have any questions about the event, please ask here.

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1. Observing the Feather

The Feather is one of the oldest ships in the Admiralty's fleet, a fact that is perhaps less known than intuited, simply by looking at it. While the Peregrine's sleek helices and centre spire move through space like some deep-sea organism, the Feather is a great drifting whale, its broad and boxy body speckled with simple portholes. The sides are painted with murals — abstract swirls of colour, flowers the size of houses, massive birds flitting between them. There's text that must have taken quite the ladder to paint: "Hope is a thing with feathers!" The murals are patchy and worn, but there's a lot of love there.

But despite how massive it is, it floats weightless in space. It comes so close to the Peregrine's side that it almost seems like they could brush, and the ships' respective force-fields thrum as they "merge", blending into one large bubble. In the distance, one can see quite a number of passengers on an outside deck, gathered at the railings to watch. Too far to shout across, but certainly close enough to see tiny limbs waving hello!

In the observatory, the computer monologues:

"The Feather. Currently on the 18th year of its current mission. Current population consists of 295 wardens, 306 inmates, 5 graduates in-transition and 53 supporting staff. Most passengers are from Earth Variants. The Feather is currently headed by Navarch Margaret "Old Lady" Lloyd, a Navarch with 45 years of experience..."

2. Loading the Materials

Want to lend a hand? The more the merrier. The crates of Lover's Kiss must be brought to the loading bay, checked and then loaded into the waiting transport ship. Caution is a must; we can't have the flowers crushed or damaged when they're sorely needed for medicines at their final destination.

Helping, of course, are the representatives from the Feather: two wardens and an inmate. (They'll have their own top levels below!)

3. Rewards

Passengers identified to the Navarch as having assisted in the gathering efforts will have a delivery bot stop by with a clear plastic container fogged over by steam. The container is warm to the touch, and opening it reveals a lusciously greasy cheeseburger with all the fixings, a mound of thick-cut salted french fries, and the fattest, cheesiest, richest-looking slice of pizza known to mankind. The food is cradled by red food-wrapping sheets with a white PIZZA PLANET logo. Enjoy!

(Or kill someone for a french fry after weeks or months of eating processed food substitutes. You do you.)

4. Oops, Caught Red-Handed!

So there was that thing the Navarch said — the flowers are fragile and must be handled with care, as they are only useful intact. And sure enough, on the surface of Meodriotope, dutiful flower-pickers had discovered that if you plucked them too roughly, they'd explode, leaving red stains that take weeks to wear off skin, even with dutiful scrubbing. It's been weeks and they're just starting to fade, fortunately, but there's a second phase.

Passengers stained red might discover they're having trouble sleeping. The redder they are, the longer their minds refuse to rest. In severe cases, this results full-blown insomnia. In mild cases, the body may shut down while the mind remains completely alert. These effects could last anywhere between a few days to a full week.

Good luck!

Comments

[n0ught]

"Yeah, eighteen years older." Technology depreciates at an insane rate, especially in the 22nd century, so looking at Feather is basically like looking at a Betamax tape for her.

"I wonder if anybody ever asks for transfers."

[dealwiththe]

"Sometimes classic can be good," he murmurs, thinking vaguely about his precious Corvette. He did love that car.

"But I think the better question would be if transfers are ever allowed to happen."

[n0ught]

'Classic' is just another word for 'outdated,' but she feels like this is a personal subject. Not that this is what's stopping her from continuing this tack, but she is filing it away for later.

Jack frowns, glancing back out the window. "What do you mean? They're prisons. Prison transfers happen."

[dealwiththe]

Lucifer shrugs. “This is a pretty unique prison. Besides, I doubt anyone would know what to ask for when asking for a transfer. What would you get? More wardens? Fewer wardens? I doubt the conditions would be better than they are here.”

It’s a pretty cushy prison.

[n0ught]

"What if you wanted to get away from someone?" she says, and there's a very slight shift to her demeanor. She's usually aggressive and flippant, but the words leave her mouth in an almost hesitant way.

[dealwiththe]

Lucifer blinks - a little surprised by the shift from Jack. Her question sounds surprisingly earnest, given he was expecting more sarcasm, more aggression. He doesn't know her well enough (yet) to make a guess as to what it means, if she's talking in pure hypotheticals, or if she's actually referring to herself or someone else - so all he can do is what he would normally do, which is answer her question as honestly as he can.

"I suppose it would depend on who you wanted to get away from, and why," he ventures. "If it was a problem that couldn't be solved by, say, working with your warden to move into private quarters."

[n0ught]

And the small crack of vulnerability disappears as quickly as it surfaced: Jack laughs derisively, leaning back with her arms folded over her chest. It appears as though Lucifer didn't give her the answer she was hoping for.

"Working with my Warden? You think I'm stupid? I know none of you really care about us."

[dealwiththe]

"That's what you know?" Lucifer tilts his head curiously in her direction. Not sarcastic, not defensive. Just thoughtful. "I'll tell you what I know. That trusting another person - any other person, can be one of the hardest things in the world to do. It'd be just as hard on another ship as on this one. It's just as hard anywhere. But there are trustworthy people here. I sincerely hope you come to realize that."

[n0ught]

Wow, this after-school special realness. If Jack knew what an after-school special was, anyway.

She sneers. "No fucking thanks. Trusting people just opens you up to getting a knife in your back."

[dealwiththe]

"Well, yes, it's risky. That's why it's so hard," Lucifer says bluntly. "Have you never taken a risk before?" He suspects she has.

[n0ught]

"Yeah. And look where that got me."

Dead, she means! She is a dead person.

[dealwiththe]

"Another chance at life," Lucifer says easily. If she was just dead, well. This isn't where she'd be. "I know how betrayal feels," he adds. "I suspect nearly everyone here does. And telling you that you can trust me, or anyone else here, isn't going to convince you. The only thing that works is actually being trustworthy."

[n0ught]

"Nobody's ever been fucking trustworthy," she spits, looking Lucifer up and down, "so why should I?"

Hurt 'em before they hurt you. It's worked so far.

"This place is bullshit. You all can hold hands and sing, but leave me out of it."

[dealwiththe]

"I'm not asking you to be," he says simply. He was talking about himself. "Well, eventually, the point is to learn to be, of course. But there's no point trying to get you to do something without first setting the example."

He smiles faintly. "Luckily, I'm not really the hand-holding sort."