trans_9 | Mission 02 - Stacy Says Follow the Yules

There is a resounding mental alarum that sounds through the ship. Nearly "deafening." Lights flash from places for extra emphasis, making it impossible to ignore.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

It's entirely likely that she won't stop repeating the announcement until, well, everyone reports to Obs Deck. Outside the windows, a very Earth-like planet is visible, hanging in space. The mouth in the huge statue opens, revealing a screen. On it, the dossier for the mission flickers into display, understandable to every person there. Smaller copies of the dossier appear in holographic form in front of everyone.

The planet's stats, right next to a rotating holographic picture of it, marbled blue and green, are as follows:

Planet Designation: Earth-78734XM45
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens. [Various translations of "human" appear here so everyone understands it]
Water: 69.5% of the planet's surface.

Climate: Earth-like, in the throes of a mild nuclear winter [Click here for cultural equivalents for non-Earth cultures.]
Landscape: Varied.
Air: Normoxic concentration. Slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide.

Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue. Often overcast.
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.

Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous. Humans can be hazardous. A human cultural and legal database is available. [click here]

Mission: Revive the spiritual entity at the North Pole.

--

Following that, there are various maps and things visible. The version of Earth this world is may be very recognizable to some, but vast cities dot its surface.

||Attention, podmates. Attention.||

Apparently Stacy wants their attention.

||It is critical that you pay attention at this time.||

A few people will be able to avoid the call by being in the right place at the right time, but most will be gathered up on Obs Deck.

[ooc: Organization Post | You can post into the gathering thread. I'll add more subthreads with explanations of aspects of the mission as we go. Note: If you don't have time to post to this mission briefing but still want to have your character in the plot, that's fine. You can just pretend they were there the whole time. If you DON'T want your characters to be in this plot altogether, however, don't have them in the briefing--Stacy could have missed snagging them.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Absolutely," Tim says, grinning. "I think we all need to blow off a little steam, and this is a pretty good way to do it." And that's enough of the tactical 'this is good for the team' talk. "Besides--it's fun! Haven't you ever just messed around and had fun with your friends?"

"No." Damian didn't really have any friends. Not that he needed any. He was perfectly happy focusing on his training. "'Blowing off steam' is a waste of time. Don't we have a mission?"

"Sure, but... you have to have fun sometimes, too," Tim says, giving him a bemused look. "Isn't Dick around when you're from?" Dick has always been the one on the family that reminded them all to have fun on occasion.

"Grayson's around. And he would probably encourage the fun too. That doesn't mean I have to listen." He scowled at the snow. "It seems a waste of time."

"It's not, though. Fun times make the hard times a little easier to bear."

Damian scowled a little. "Not all of us need that. I get through the hard times just fine."

Tim just gives him a bemused smile. Damian... really is a funny little kid. "You know. I don't think I've ever heard anyone argue so hard against having a little fun sometimes. ...Except maybe me. And occasionally Bruce. Okay, yeah. You really do fit in."

Damian gave him an appraising look. It had been clear from the start, of course, that Drake didn't know who he was or their history. And Drake had not acted with revulsion or jealousy. Not even when he learned Damian was Bruce's real son.

It was impossible to deny that Drake was... nice. To Damian. Not humoring him, not condescending, but nice. He might even like Damian. Not that Damian cared what Drake thought of him. But he might.

He cleared his throat a little. "I am my father's son," he said, keeping his face expressionless.

Tim laughs a little and gives Damian a quick hair-ruffle. "No kidding," he says with a grin.

Damian stiffened a little. He didn't like people ruffling his hair, it was demeaning. When Luthor had done it, Damian had held a sword to his throat. But instead of threatening Tim, he just smoothed his hair back down and glared. "Don't do that."

Tim pulls his hand back and gives him a little grimace. "Sorry. I hate it, too, so I know how you feel."

Edited 2010-01-10 08:35 (UTC)

Damian looks at him curiously. "So why did you do it?" Though doing things your enemies hate is a fairly intelligent strategy, hair ruffles are no more than a minor annoyance. Oh, and Tim isn't his enemy.

"I'm your big brother, right?" Tim asks, shrugging a little and giving Damian a slight smile. "I think it's my job to be a little annoying."

"We're not brothers," Damian snaps before he remembers he's trying to make nice.

Well, it's true.

Tim's eyebrows go up. Prickly little thing, isn't he? "Well, no, not really. I mean--technically--I'm an only child, but since we're both Robin, I'd say that kind of puts us in the same 'family,' right?" And Dick has called him "little brother" since... forever, and even Jason had said that, so...

Fraternity of Robins, right?

Damian makes a frustrated noise. "Why must you insist on seeing familial relations where none exist?" It isn't just the brother thing, though Tim, perhaps, does not know about his future insistence on being called "Tim Wayne."

"...I'm sorry?" Tim shrugs a little. "I don't really have a lot of actual family." Well--any family at all, really, but that's not Damian's problem. "I can lay off if you want."

Oh, now Drake wants him to feel sorry for him. Not much actual family? So what? Damian had lost his father (even though now he'd found him again) and his mother was... well, he isn't sure what to feel about her at this point. Drake can have Grayson, for all Damian cares. But he can't think of Drake as family. He's trying to make nice but that isn't... he can't discuss this right now.

"Shouldn't you be throwing ice shrapnel at your friends?"

And that's a definite yes to backing off. Tim shrugs a little, determined not to get offended by this prickly little kid. "I think it's winding down. As you pointed out--we do have work to get to."

"So we should do it." Damian stalks off, scowling. He's not sure what to think about Drake now. But burying himself in things that need to be done has always been a good way to distract himself, if not really a solution.

Mission 02 - Stacy Says Follow the Yules

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