trans_9 | Snap, Crackle, and POP

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Snap, Crackle, and POP

[ooc: Newbie Helpers List | Instructions: Post your character with one post establishing them as being podpopped. Tag each other in groups of 2's, 3's, and 4's, to get some interaction to start with. If a thread doesn't already have 2 or 3 people tagged in, tag it with your character's podpop popping near the other people, rather than making a new subthread. If you would like to play out them talking to the AI, please send an email to the mods making the request--we do this only by request. Then move onto the big Newbie Meeting. Once your character has gotten the rundown from the old crew, you may start posting entrance posts and freely tagging.]

||Pod Release Protocols Initating|| Stacy's familiar voice sounds out to all the podmates through the ship.

In the Pod Caverns, there are the sounds of: Pop. Pop pop pop. Poppuhpoppoppop. KASCHUNKhiiiiiiiissssss.

There is condensation and mist spraying out from cracks in the pods, as the people inside slide out onto the floors, covered in slime.

--

There was nothing. You were going about your normal life, then there was a bright light, and then? Nothing.

Then the world lurches.

The chamber here is humid.

Actually, "chamber" isn't quite accurate. You're in a cavern, half-lit by an eerie greenish light, going on and on as far as the eye can see. The light is coming from what can only be described as pods, glistening, round greenish-yellow things, glowing with a pale inner light, outlining human -- and not quite human -- forms. Each is rooted to the floor, to the walls, with something black, twisted, and unidentifiable.

They line the walls of the cavern, go up in maddeningly high columns, curling and corkscrewing up into the darkness, until the light from them is like that of the stars, glowing pale and mournful in clusters in the darkness above. Twisted walkways and stairs crisscross, traverse the platforms in front of the pods, wending their way back and forth, up and down through the chamber.

You just came from one of those pods, broke free like a butterfly from a (slimy, nasty) chrysalis.

Now you stand alone but not quite alone, naked, not knowing how you got there, who took you, or why you were taken.

As your body heats up again, you realize the air is warm -- just a few degrees too warm to be comfortable -- and muggy; it smells acrid and organic, like freshly spilt blood and sweat. Your mouth tastes of salt.

The floors are pulsing under your feet, throbbing...

Wherever you are, this entire place...is alive.

Oh, and also you're naked and covered in alien snot.

When you call out, ask where you are, a voice speaks to you, in your head. She tells you:

||You are here.||

When you ask who she is, she tells you that her name is STA'C K'LTRRB'TXFT, but that you may call her Stacy. When she tells you who she is, there is a gush of emotion, love, maternal warmth. You are on a ship. She is that ship. Her name is Stacy and she loves you. Her voice is warm and motherly, even if these messages sound almost automated.

Glowing phosphorescenet lights appear in pustules along the floor. They lead you up a massive spiraling walkway that gives you a view of what are possibly millions in stasis. At the top is a room with moving vines that clean you and clothe you in a plant-like body-suit--soft, but durable. After that, the lights lead you to a great cavernous room with a clear floor that lets you see all the holes and tunnels in the walls of it. When you reach the center, the last thing she tells you before whisking you away to gather your belongings and meet the rest of the crew is this reassuring thought:

||You have been Chosen to accomplish a Great Purpose. You have been Chosen to help fight the Ohm, a race of insectoid beings that are the destroyers of worlds.||

||You have been Chosen as champions of life, as protectors of the worlds and peoples that are left. The others are waiting for you. They will explain everything.||

She will tell you nothing more. Your answers lie with these "others" she speaks of.

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Slumped on her hands and knees, Reyna Kam gasped for breath as she tried to orient herself. One minute she'd been disembarking from the shuttle that had brought her home to Alderaan after a lengthy off-world assignment and the next she was sliding to the floor covered in slime. This combined with the strangely pulsing ground beneath her and the warm, humid air around her quickly convinced her that she was no longer on Alderaan.

She pushed herself to her feet and looked around, blinking to clear her eyes as some of the disgusting green goo sloughed away from her body. The sensation was a tad revolting but she decided that she preferred it to being completely covered in the nasty stuff. As her vision swam into focus she saw other people emerging from pods all around her, their similarly slime covered bodies staggering upright as they they slowly recovered.

Tipping her head forward and dragging her fingers through her short brown hair to in an effort to try and get some of the bigger chunks of goo out of it, Reyna was shocked to discover that she was actually quite naked under said goo. There wasn't nearly enough of the foul stuff left to cover her generous curves, and she felt heat blossom in her face from a blush that she was willing to bet was not confined to her head and neck. The comforting thoughts projected into her mind by the ship's AI - Stacey? - did little to ease her embarrassment, but she was able to take at least some comfort in the knowledge that everyone in the cavern seemed to be in the same awkward situation as she herself was.

Speaking of which...

It wasn't exactly the sort of grand entrance that the Rogues generally got when they were somewhere. There weren't explosions, there were no Imperials, and the young man had found he was quite naked. Stacy hadn't been to informative on what exactly was going on just they were there for a 'great purpose' that 'others' would explain. So far no one that he had seen had been able to explain anything.

Walking along the path that took him by the other pods, Gavin wouldn't help but wonder just how many others were in the same position that the ones now awake had just been. From the looks of it there were billions if not more. And that sort of bothered the young pilot. When he came across the young woman he nearly stopped and turned the other direction. Instead he tried to play at least somewhat modest and lock his gaze only on her face. Face only- right. "Ah... Hi. You okay there? I mean aside from being from whatever that stuff is from the pods."

"I'm still a little unsteady but I think I'm alright other than that." She couldn't help feeling even more uncomfortable than before, what with a handsome young man standing in front of her and the both of them wearing little more than slimy residue. She appreciated his efforts to at least try and look only at her face though, and she gave him an awkward smile in return.

"I'm Reyna Kam," she said as she tried to return the favor and not let her eyes wander too far down. "I wish the circumstances were more, um, conducive to conversation, but it's nice to meet you all the same."

[ooc: Gavin Darklighter! Awesomeness!]

"Likewise." Oh yes- being covered in enough snot that would rival any bantha or nerf was exactly the best way to start any conversation. The stuff smelled like bacta and not even on the biggest of dares from his squadmates would he even dare taste it. "It's nice to meet you as well, Ms Kam. I'm Gavin Darklighter." Yes he would have offered his hand, but, well, currently he's trying to save them both some embarrassment. "From what I understand there is clothing or something down at the end of the walk. Seeing as in how we're both in the current situation I would hate to leave you alone."

Hey the kid didn't know what sort of things were going to come along! Just ignore the slight red that was starting to dust the tops of his ears a little please.

[ooc: Heee! Thank you!]

"Please, call me Reyna," she said, her smile getting a little less awkward and a little more relaxed. It just seemed wrong somehow to be so formal in such a situation, especially with someone as nice and good-looking as Gavin. She felt her gaze starting to wander and snapped her eyes back to Gavin's face, her checks flaring with fresh heat. The red tips of his ears seemed to jump out at her, making her blush even harder.

"Your offer is most generous," she said quickly, trying to hid her nervousness, "and I most definitely accept. Some fresh clothing would be nice... assuming we can get cleaned up first of course... I wonder what they wear here... some new boots would be nice..." She was so nervous that she was starting to babel, and she clamped her mouth shut as soon as she realized what she was doing. She motioned silently with her head that they should go, and without another word she turned and marched off, following the path of the glowing lights and apparently oblivious to the fact that she was giving Gavin a nice view of her swaying hips and well-rounded backside.

[occ: Reyna can read body language, and since she's still a bit disoriented she's occasionally doing it without realizing it. Let me know if that's a problem.]

At that Gavin couldn't help but give a slightly sheepish smile. How could a guy not in a situation like this? Corran would have cracked a joke, Tycho would have kept right on going, and the Force only knew what Wes would do. Gavin though? all the young man could do was smile a little. "I couldn't even start to guess what it might be, but I'll take it over nothing." Clearing his throat he nearly chuckled as the woman started to ramble a little though he never said a word of complaint. If he hadn't been in Rogue for the short amount of time he had there was no telling how much he would have been going on as well.

When Reyna started to walk away a little his eyes couldn't help but notice that sway of her hips though he refused to let himself look further south than that. He swallowed, hard, and moved to catch up with her. It would be easier if they were walking side by side with the less likely chance of looking. "So did the talking ship give you any more insight other than some 'glorious path' or mission we're supposed to be doing?"

"Unfortunately not," Reyna replied once she felt she could do so coherently. "Perhaps we'll get a more detailed briefing from these 'others' Stacy mentioned. If we are truly expected to battle a race of beings capable of destroying entire worlds, then we will need all of the information we can gather on them." She couldn't repress a shudder at the thought of the terrible destructive power implied by such a statement.

"I hope the Republic never has to endure such an attack. The thought of centuries of peace being shattered like that is abominable!" The idea that her beloved Republic could be torn apart by such devastation appalled her. If fighting these "ohm" Stacy mentioned could prevent that then she'd willingly lend her strength and abilities to the cause.

There was a flash in his eyes when he first awoke, an orange glow resonating, but it faded nearly as quickly as it came. It took him a moment to realise what was going on - and it wasn't as if there was a lot of information at hand. A female voice, announcing her name, a pitiful feeling of 'love', nearly completely foreign to him. It took him a moment to completely register his physical state, bare and foul, but there were more important things. If he was here, without his dagger, without his portable 'DHD', he had been removed from his plans and his imminent victories. To add on top of that the complete lack of information and control in this situation...

Ba'al was very distinctly not happy with it.

It didn't help that it appeared that most of the other people emerging were just as clueless. Clueless, and largely human. Bumbling idiots.

Nearby, at least, there was a woman who seemed much more silent than all the others, something that he appreciated greatly. He was quickly feeling an ache in the body's skull, and he frowned. He resented the fact that he may appear powerless before anyone - and especially a woman - but he needed to find information and quickly, to gain himself so leverage and control, here. There was no other way he could get back in control, after all, though he was still quite angry.

"I suppose this... Stacy is responsible for our kidnapping, then," he said, taking a sidelong glance at the young woman beside him. The statement was half a joke, half testing the waters for reactions. Either way, it was still perhaps too calm for most people in such a situation.

Reyna turned her head to study the man standing rigidly beside her. She couldn't help but notice the anger and arrogance in his posture despite his lack of clothing. Something about the inflection in his voice when he said the word "kidnapping" seemed off as well, as if there was no mirth whatsoever in even such a half-hearted attempt at a joke. He didn't seem to be overtly hostile however, so Reyna decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. It could simply be that he was more annoyed than most at finding himself ripped from his home and deposited on a strange ship naked and covered in slime .

"Perhaps," she said evenly, trying to maintain her poise in spite of her rather... exposed condition. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions however. Stacy may indeed be the one responsible for bringing us here, or she may be nothing more than the ship's AI. We should gather more information, perhaps from these 'others' Stacy mentioned, before trying to formulate a hypothesis. Knowledge is always the key to any situation." She cocked her head at the man.

"To that end, I believe a little information exchange is in order. My name is Reyna Kam. Yours is...?"

[ooc: Just FYI, Reyna can read body language, and sometimes things just jump out at her even when she's not actively looking for them.]

Ba'al rose one eyebrow at the woman he was speaking to, surprised at her insight into the situation. Adept, for her species, he felt, and surprisingly she seemed quite confident in herself, or at least competent. And quite to the point - a genuine smile quickly found its way to his lips, and he nodded curtly to her. "I completely agree," he said plainly. He found the presence of an AI pointless, but this ship also seemed to fit that description. Whoever created it obviously was not one for practicality. "We should hope to be so... fortunate that they are willing to be liberal with their information."

"Reyna," he repeated, offering no pleasantries to go with the title, before he offered his own, plain and simple, "I am Ba'al."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ba'al," Reyna said, his sincere smile easing her wariness a bit. "I only wish the circumstances weren't quite so unpleasant. This is setting is far from optimal for a first contact situation."

"One would hope that since we have apparently been chosen to be 'Champions of Life' and are expected to battle these 'Ohm' creatures that the 'Others' Stacy spoke of would be willing to share whatever data they have on them with us." She crossed her arms under her generous breasts and cocked her hips, her posture exuding confidence as she added, "If not them I'm confident we'll be able to negotiate some kind of deal with them. They may have the advantage of technology and information, but they obviously need us to aid them in their struggle or they wouldn't have bothered to release us from those disgusting pods."

"I extend the same sentiments," he said, now that she had done so. It was more of a privilege for her to receive his trivial greetings, and thus the delay. "But we should make use of what we can, however unfortunate it may be."

Ba'al did find that he could likely grow to respect this woman. She seemed a fine specimen, all things considered. Far from admiration, but a sort of respect was due, it seemed. And she was right - they had a certain amount of leverage, in this situation, though 'how much' still needed to be determined. "Of course. I'm certain there are some among us who are capable of being quite persuasive, should the need arise." He, of course, would be one such individual - but he would prefer not to get his own hands dirty, just yet. In such a position as this, he would have to be careful for a time. But at the same time, it was true that he was likely needed, somehow. "But the complete nature of the situation is yet to be seen."

((ooc: Sorry for disappearing for a few days!))

Her lips twitched at the emphasis Ba'al put on the word "persuasion." She had to admit that he was a rather imposing man, so for him persuasion probably meant the physical kind, or at least the threat of it. She preferred verbal persuasion herself, but she knew the value the promise of physical violence could have on the right person in the right situation.

"Your point is well taken, athough personally I would prefer to use the less... shall we say, aggressive means of persuasion we have at our disposal first. One should never reveal the full extent of their arsenal unless absolutely necessary after all." She flipped her short, slime-sodden hair out her eyes and gave Ba'al a knowing look.

"I think it's high time we sought out these 'others' and encouraged them to be more forthcoming, don't you?" With that she walked off with her head held high, apparently unphased by the stares her hourglass figure drew from several of the men she passed and even a few of the women.

[ooc: Not a problem! It happens to me more often than I'd like. :P I have to say that I'm surprised Ba'al and Reyna are getting along as well as they are. It's probably helps that Ba'al's natural arrogance really brings out Reyna's fiery spirit. :) ]

Ah, so she wasn't naïve, either - even better. He was fully aware, though, of her point - he always preferred to keep his true intentions, abilities, etcetera, hidden from all others, while allied or not. Violence or threats therefore were not necessarily a full display of strength, after all. But still, Reyna was evidently wise enough in these matters. "But there is always the promise of reward as well," he commented, perhaps a little slyly. "For cooperation."

"But your assessment is true, all the same. There are certainly preferable methods, to begin with." He returned the look, though it was perhaps more severe than her own.

He could certainly agree about it being time to get out of that wretched place they had begun in. "I couldn't agree more," he said, somehow akin to friendly as he said it (or as close as he would come, really). He gave her something of a final once over, before he took began to move out, from there, stride confident, as if he felt he owned the place.

((ooc: Yeah really. XD It helps that she's stronger and smarter than he feels most people are, too. :P So it works out, somehow!))

Reyna glanced up at Ba'al when he caught up with her. He seemed equally uncaring about the stares direct his way, and her respect for his resolve went up a notch as a result. Anyone who had such determination would make an excellent ally or a formidable foe, and Reyna was glad that they seemed to be on the same side.

"What's the last thing you remember before finding yourself here?" she asked Ba'al as they followed the path of glowing lights on the floor. "If our experiences are similar than perhaps a pattern can be established that will give us some insight into our abductors."

[ooc: As long as Reyna doesn't find out that Ba'al is a ruthless dictator who likes to portray himself as a god they might actually form a weird kind of friendship! XD ]

Ba'al's pose remained confident, his stride steady as he followed along beside her - or rather, if he could manage it, just a step ahead of her. An important position, perhaps. He folded his hands behind his back, while he considered her question for a brief moment. Considering what he had been doing, he had to be careful about his response, but could not show any hesitance, either.

"I was on my way to a business meeting," he lied calmly, drawing on his normal 'human' persona of CEO for the situation. "And yourself?"

((ooc: Yay! He'll be playing it cool, luckily... at least for now. :'D))

The next pod over cracked open, and a woman clambered out, looking at first just normally disoriented, as any of them are. A moment later, though, her eyes slammed shut and she staggered sideways, hands flying to her temples. All of the could drained out of her skin, dramatically enough to be visible even through the goo, and she swayed as if she might faint.

It's obvious - even to someone without Reyna's powers of observation - that something is very wrong. To someone who can tell these things though, this is a woman on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.

Even if the enticingly slender lines of the woman's body hadn't drawn Reyna's eyes like a magnet, her obvious distress would have. She didn't need her keen powers of observation to know that the poor woman was teetering on the edge of collapse, both physical and psychological. Something was clearly wrong with her beyond the shock of suddenly finding herself naked and covered in goo in unfamiliar surroundings.

Not caring about modesty for the moment, Reyna rushed over to steady the other woman and hopefully keep her from hurting herself if she lost consciousness. She placed a calming hand on the woman's shoulder while her other hand clasped the woman's elbow.

"It's okay," she said soothingly. "Just take deep breaths and try to relax. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you." She wished she could do more than just offer comforting words, but they were the only resource she currently had at her disposal.

What with the shock and disorientation of finding herself in the weirdly biological cavern, and the violation of Stacy in her mind, Iliana had no barriers up whatsoever. So when Reyna, mind open with compassion, touched her her mind reached out and latched onto the other woman's. It was against everything she had been taught, but in this stress she reverted to childhood and the comfort of another mind in hers.

She wasn't forming words, her mental contact was just that. Her mind was pulled into itself around a hard core of disgust and violation - she could not have felt more invaded if Stacy had raped her body.

The words percolated into her consciousness along with the calming touch of the other woman's mind, and she did as she was bid, breathing in shakily and looking into the other woman's face.

-Thank you.-

For a moment Reyna was worried that she wasn't getting through, but when the woman took a shuddering breath and really looked at her for the first time she breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled encouragingly, and the hand that had been resting on the woman's shoulder slipped down her back to better support her while she found her equilibrium.

When she once again heard a voice speaking directly into her mind Reyna's soft gray eyes widened and her mouth opened with a small "Oh!" of surprise. The mental contact was different than when Stacy had communicated with her earlier though - this time she could actually sense it, almost feel it in a way, and it made the experience far more... intimate.

She refused to pull back from the woman though, either physically or mentally. The poor thing was clearly still reeling, and if the extra contact could help her recover more fully than Reyna was more than willing to give it. She tried to focus her thoughts on images of warmth and reassurance in the hopes that the other woman would be able to draw strength from them.

-You can sense my thoughts, can't you?-

Feelings of exhilaration and curiosity accompanied the message Reyna tried to project. If the woman had forced her way into her thoughts Reyna might have felt revolted, but since the contact had been born of a simple need for human comfort she bore her no ill will.

It did help - both the physical and mental contact. Because Reyna seemed to be welcoming Iliana's touch in her mind, she didn't pull back as soon as she realised what she was doing. Unauthorised scanning - that was almost as bad as what Stacy had done to her. But it had been an accident - it wasn't that horrible, inescapable intrusion. Her mind was very soothing - like a warm bath, or a hug, and the fleeting images that accompanied the feelings made her smile a little.

-Yes.-

A long pause, and then.-

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. "

She was forgetting everything she'd ever been taught. Never enter another's thoughts without their permission.

"It's okay," she assured her. "Somehow I sensed that you weren't trying to force your way in. You were obviously in great distress and your mind must have instinctively reached out for help in much the same way that your body did." The experience had actually been rather pleasant, with the soft feel of the other woman's thoughts brushing against her own filling her with a pleasant warmth.

"My name's Reyna. What's yours?" The introduction seemed like a mere formality after such intimate contact, but Reyna felt that it was important to follow protocol regardless. She gave the woman a warm smile, her eyes roving over her face and lingering on her beautiful blue eyes and delicate cheek bones.

Suddenly very much aware that she was wearing little more than a few gobs of alien goo and standing very close to an attractive young woman who was just as naked as she was, Reyna felt heat blossom in her cheeks as she started to blush furiously. She took a step backward and removed her hand from the woman's back. She kept her grip on her elbow though, not wanting to completely break contact with her until she knew she was alright.

Edited 2010-04-03 13:19 (UTC)

Iliana gave her a shy little smile. She wasn't used to such solicitude - especially from someone who wasn't a telepath themself. Although Reyna wasn't entirely without unusual skills, she felt. There was something. . . bright about her.

"Iliana," she said, "Iliana Maier. It's good to meet you, Reyna."

When Reyna stepped back a little, Iliana caught the edges of her thoughts - inescapable, really, with them in contact and Reyna's mind so wide open. She blushed herself in response. Not because she was ashamed - she wasn't. Nudity really meant nothing to her, not after growing up in a society of telepaths.

"Don't be shy," she said, with a little smile. "No-one's really looking - were all too busy wondering what's happening to notice anyone's body."

"What a lovely name!" she said brightly, then mentally groaned at the childish comment. Her protocol instructors would have severely chastised her for saying something so utterly inane!

"I certainly hope the others are too busy to stare at us," Reyna said, trying to changing the subject. "Normally it's not a big deal... I mean, with a chest like mine I'm used to it... It's just normally not so exposed..." She moved to cover herself but stopped when she realized that it was pointless. Iliana had already seen it all and more, and she had been so sweet about it that Reyna found herself feeling less self-conscious about being naked around her.

"I know you can't help looking... And it's okay, really... I just hope you'll forgive me for looking as well... It's rather hard not to, given the situation and how pretty you are..." Reyna's soft gray eyes widened in embarrassment when she realized what she'd just said, and the blush in her cheeks slowly spread to her neck and chest. Mortified, she anxiously awaited Iliana's reaction, scanning her expression for signs of irritation and sincerely hoping that she hadn't offend her.

Iliana merely smiled slightly at the comment about her name - she thought so too, and it was a fairly common comment, so she didn't see why Reyna shouldn't say so.

"Well, if anyone does stare - just take it as the compliment that is is." She grinned. It was hard to keep being miserable, when Reyna was so cheerful. And adorable. The shock would set in later, and she would deal with it then. For now, the distraction was much appreciated. "To be honest, nudity isn't a big deal for me."

When Reyna tumbled over her words, and blushed even further (and very prettily, Iliana couldn't help noticing), she chuckled. "Thank you." There was no way she could interpret that as anything other than a sincere compliment - even if she hadn't still been in contact with Reyna's mind, the adorable blush and stuttering would have been enough. "Although how you can call me pretty when I'm covered in this disgusting goo, I don't know. D'you suppose there's somewhere we can get cleaned off?"

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fierce-diplomat.livejournal.com - 2010-04-05 10:56 (UTC) - Expand

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