( open )

[retrorsum]

» WHO? river song + open
» WHEN? september 1
» WHERE? observation deck, bar, medical
» WHAT? arrival + investigation
» WARNINGS? tbd

observation deck

( stars could tell you a great many things. stars gave you locations, they gave you time. stars told a story.

to river these stars were silent. it wasn't just that they were unfamiliar, a part of space or time that she hadn't visited, but that she can't tell anything about them. her sense for that sort of thing wasn't as refined as the doctor's, a man that could sniff the air and tell you everything around you. river could to an extent but here-- it was strange, an almost repulsive feeling. a fixed point in time?

it didn't stop her lingering, fighting against the feeling to try and find out something. there was always some way of finding out where you were )

the bar

( there was one thing that seemed to be certain wherever river went -- bars were a good source of information. people drank, people talked, sometimes they traded information but always there was something to get... or overhear.

she'd taken a seat at the bar, left hand by the drink that she'd gotten, right resting lightly on her legs. she was starting to feel the pain from the break even more now and whilst river was good at putting it off, focusing on something else, it was distracting. working with one hand, trying not to jostle the other was difficult.

but her mask was solid. to anyone that passes she'll ask, with perhaps a hint of flirtation ) So, how long have you been here?

( she'd gotten a lot of good information from clara. now it was time to find out her own )

medical

( she'd been putting it off for as long as she could. the pain was bearable (it wasn't but she was very good at lying to herself) and river felt like she had more important things to do -- like escaping. but it was a hindrance. only having the use of one hand was slowing her investigating down which was not going to help anyone.

she'd seen the location of medical when she'd been looking at the map, begrudgingly making her way there.

the lab looked a little impressive, fairly modern for the century that she'd noted though how long ago that century was river didn't have an answer for. though it would be just her luck that the place would appear to be empty. she didn't know which of the equipment would be useful to her or how to use it, though it didn't stop river from looking around just in case something happened to be labelled )

Comments

( medical )

[resleeves]

( ever since that whole thing with being sick, kovacs has had a bit of a bum leg. it's gotten better gradually but he still stops in to the med bay every once in awhile to see if there's anything he can dig up to take because he fucking hates the pain. quell had taught him how to compartmentalize that, to put it aside and deal with it later but he's gotten weak.

soft.

and it's gotten harder to do that. so, in the absence of his fucking drugs, he's turned to things like ice and anything that looks like it might provide relief. he's not proud of himself but sitting there and just feeling his leg ache isn't something he wants to deal with either.

today, he hears someone come in behind him. he doesn't turn though. )

No drugs here. Fucking out of luck.

[retrorsum]

( not as empty as she'd believed. they're on a space station. ordinarily, river wouldn't be surprised that someone was in a medical bay but this place had less than 100 people, and she trusted clara's information, which made the likelihood less so.

unless you were trying to steal (or get) supplies. just someone like her then )

What makes you think I'm looking for some?

( other than being in a medical bay. but it wasn't the only conclusion, she could think of at least two more herself. thankfully the sleeve of her jumpsuit was just long enough to hide the damage to her wrist -- for now. if she moved her arm too much it would show, or the sleeve would rise )

[resleeves]

( kovacs doesn't immediately turn around and that's mostly down to the fact that his speed is about as affected as his gait. but, he eventually gets there, leaning against one of the beds and eyeing her critically.

he doesn't recognize her which means she's got the privilege of being brand new, he guesses. lucky her. )

It's the only good thing that'd be in a medical bay. Unless you need a bandage. Suppose that might be something someone needs too.

( he was still guessing drugs. )

[retrorsum]

( hmm. injured, unable. she was considering his own state, trying to determine the reason why he'd be there, a distraction from herself but perhaps also a way to throw attention off herself )

Some people would be interested in the technology.

( theft, black market. personal use )

There's some still here.

[resleeves]

True.

( he could give her that one but she was missing one relevant fact. )

But what the fuck you gonna do it with it? Last I checked, there was no one in the market for the shit in here and if you're thinking about that planet below? It's fucking dead. Nothing there.

( so unless you were just gonna horde it for fun, kovacs didn't see the point in wasting resources. )

[retrorsum]

Oh, I was thinking of more personal uses.

( and she gives him a few seconds to think that she means an injury, which she absolutely does, before bullshitting-- )

The components in them could be used to create another device. There are things here that I would expect to see in a station that are either missing or inaccessible.

[resleeves]

A device?

( is it a bad thing that his mind immediately goes to a bomb? because it does. )

Planning on making things explode?

observation

[kanyounot]

[ The observation deck has quickly come to be Kanan's go-to spot for meditation. It just feels right - about as "right" as any place here can, anyway. Which isn't saying much, but in a sense it's the closest he can get to those who aren't here.

And it seems someone else here is feeling the same - or, well, something, anyway, and he doesn't say anything aloud for a few moments, merely reaching out through the Force to try and figure out what's wrong. She feels sort of different. Not a non-Force user, but not the same as someone like Ezra or Ahsoka, either. ]

Ah, sorry. I don't mean to pry, but I can't help sensing some inner turmoil going on. Are you all right?

[ Which is a silly question, because no one is "all right" here. But. ]

[retrorsum]

I was attempting to gather information on our location.

( it's as much that river is going to answer his question without actually answering it. she's not all right, and there's more than one reason why, but she's also practical, and far more willing to do something about the situation than her own worries )

Though it's more difficult without my equipment.

( though her scanner could only tell her so much. if her sense wasn't as off-- but perhaps she's just too far from anywhere familiar to know her location. even the doctor sometimes had no idea where he was )

[kanyounot]

Yeah, whoever or whatever brings us here seems keen on not letting us have much of anything from home. Nothing useful, anyway.

[ Someone's a little annoyed at not having his lightsaber! ]

All I can tell you for sure is that we are far, far from any place in the universe that I'm familiar with. Far enough that I can no longer sense my - family.

[ Which should be impossible, but there you go. ]

[retrorsum]

Yes, that was the impression that I'd gotten.

( looking at the stars had confirmed the feeling that river had or the lack of feeling. there were a few things that didn't add up, a few things that felt almost lacking, but nothing that she wanted to discuss. she didn't have enough answers to properly approach them even if she wanted to )

The power that brought us here is great enough to reach not only across the universe but also across time.

( she'd met someone that certainly wasn't from the same time zone as her, though with both of them being time travellers it complicated things somewhat. still, she'd been in 1938 clara had likely not been )

I've encountered such power before but this doesn't feel familiar.

( whether it's the tactics or the location it's nothing that she knows )

[kanyounot]

The time thing is especially weird. Someone I know from home is here with me, but he's from my future, talk about disconcerting.

[ Kanan's mouth twists a little at the thought. ]

I don't know of anything that can do that.

[retrorsum]

Most dont.

( she just happened to have the distinct advantage of being a time traveller. it was almost as if it was in her blood )

Usually it doesn't happen on a scale like this. It makes more sense for people to be taken in larger groups from one place or time. This isn't supposed to make sense.

[kanyounot]

Well, I'm glad we're agreed on the not-making-sense part.

I mean, obviously something is wrong with this whole station, it's just up to us to figure out what. Presumably doing that will help us get home.

(bar)

[veristitalian]

I don't know if I can do the conversion simply. Roshar's months aren't the same as Earth's.

[Says Jasnah, glancing up from her drink.]

But I arrived in the early days. I haven't seen you here before?

[retrorsum]

( roshar. considering that they were talking about a time frame river assumed that this was a planet rather than a city or country. somewhere she hadn't heard of before but that was starting to become a familiar feeling. river didn't know where this place was but, other than around one hundred people being kidnapped from different points in space and time, it felt very wrong.

very wrong )

No, I arrived only recently.

( arrived. making it sound as if they had a choice in it all )

What would the time frame be on Roshar?

( maybe with a point of reference she'd be able to work it out. something timey-wimey )

[veristitalian]

A month and two weeks. But- there are ten weeks to a Rosharan month, five days to a week, and twenty hours to a day. Here, I've been on board maybe a hundred and ten days, but I think those days are longer. The clock has twenty four hours, and the hours feel close to true.

[So, she shrugs. Timey-wimey indeed.]

I don't focus on it often. Not thinking about it helps me adapt to the new length of the day.

[retrorsum]

Four months.

( or round about. it's said without too much of a beat and though river had been working with the numbers it was also a similar time frame to what clara had given her. she'd been here for about four months, it made sense that that that was 'the start' )

Do you know which system or galaxy Roshar is in?

[veristitalian]

No. My people weren't aware that space travel was possible, beyond being vaguely aware that humans had come to the world many millennia ago. We aren't the indigenous sentient life.

[And that's as much information as she has, really. But, backtracking slightly;]

Jasnah Kholin. Good to meet you-

[retrorsum]

River. ( and, though awkwardly, river offers a hand to her. left, rather than right, hence the less smooth motion of it ) River Song.

( it wasn't surprising to her to find people that were unfamiliar with space travel. she'd visited many times, some more technologically advanced than others, though considering her parents were from 21st century earth where space travel wasn't possible it was a very common answer )

Was the other species still present on your planet?

( she hopes that jasnah can forgive the questions. she has many though she's controlled enough to not ask them all. just those more curious or, perhaps, that may help her most )

[veristitalian]

Yes, to the detriment of both. We'd been at war for millions of years- and finally losing.

[Says Jasnah, shaking her hand, adapting to the new angle, and then reaching for her drink.]

I would very much like to go back. Ishar's eyes, I have no time to linger in this tin box doing nothing but being toyed with.

[thefaulty]

[As a rule, Arid does not frequent the bar. As a synthetic being with neither an interest in alcohol nor an ability to consume it, the venue is mostly useless to her.

Mostly.

Ever since she met the human Alex here, she’s come to the conclusion that the bar may be a convenient place to observe trends in organic social behavior and morale—and perhaps to identify both potential allies and threats. Whether it’s the atmosphere or the intoxicants, it seems that humans in this space are more open about their views and their pasts than elsewhere.

So Arid sticks to the sidelines and watches, making no move to approach any of the patrons. Still, it isn’t a complete surprise when one approaches her instead.]

I have been on this station for approximately 114 days.

[Any hint of flirtation goes entirely over her head.]

[retrorsum]

( an android. it's certainly the first that river has seen on the station but not her first experience with androids in general. she's dated them, that was a little rubbish but they've had uses before.

information is certainly one of them. river nods at the respond, fingers tapping lightly on her glass )

A similar time to what I've heard. ( no one yet seemed to have been here longer than four months ) Everyone hears the same message, has the same information. Even if they arrive more recently.

( she'd heard that same opening message still )

np!

[thefaulty]

Affirmative. Reported experiences of arrival on the station have been unanimously consistent, regardless of timeframe. [It’s almost as if it’s an automated process, though there’s not enough data to confirm such a theory. And even if it is an automated process that brings them here, that doesn’t mean that the same process is deciding who to bring.]

The only recurring variations are the universe individuals occupied before being transported here, and the area of the station in which they awaken.

[retrorsum]

Which are both unusual and not so unusual at the same time.

( because there was never one answer with river. it was strange that people were being brought from all over time and space but then again if there was a reason behind it, which she assumed that there was, then it wasn't so strange )

I suppose that it'll all be cleared up when we finally open that last door.