intro log

[ceoqueen]

who. everyone!
what. entering omega.
where. landing pads
when. today
warnings. none for now

You’re not sure how it happened.

A minute ago, you had somewhere to go, someplace to be. Maybe something important to do, or maybe you were just going out to buy groceries. Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter anymore.

You’re in some kind of transport -- a shuttle, given the turbulence and the sounds outside. You’re surrounded by strangers, some of whom might not even be the same species you are. There’s no point in asking. They don’t know how they got here either. The cockpit’s blocked off, like someone forgot to put in a door, and not even a glance at your omni-tool -- a holographic interface accessible by merely tapping the sensor on your left arm -- is any help.

You’ve only got a minute or so before the shuttle starts descending. There aren’t any windows -- this doesn’t look like a shuttle meant for long trips. When it finally touches down, the doors open automatically.

Before you are landing pads, abandoned equipment scattered about. There are other shuttles landing, and whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to get off before yours dumps you out the door. Turn around, and you’re met with a hazy skyline, only half the buildings seem to be coming from above.

Welcome to Omega.


ooc notes
You’re free to expand past the landing area, but please start all threads here. Please remember that your character will not have housing until Aria makes a post granting it; it’ll be on outsiders and linked here when it goes up.

Comments

open to all

[neverknocks]

[ This is definitely not Sacrosanct, and York's still not sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, a place with actual people. On the other, a place full of dangerous people, because she knows enough to know what she's seeing. Granted, she's not yet sure the place is any more dangerous than Sacrosanct was. She'll have to see about that.

For now, at least she's blending in all right. Except that her armor's a little bulky, and she's definitely never seen most of these aliens before. She'll be making her way around the landing zone, trying to fit in and simultaneously gather a little info on where the shit she is now. If there are others here like her -- and there have to be, if she knows anything about this universe-jumping bullshit -- then maybe Wash is, too. But she can't count on it.

Best bet now is to try and figure out where she is, and what the immediate danger might be -- beyond the whole host of unsavory-looking types around here. But those guys, she's not as worried about. ]

AND IT BEGINS i hope you're ready.

[airraid]

[.. well hey there. normally, he's not particularly attracted to ladies in armor, but this one stands out a little more than others have. it might be the fact that it's hard to not notice that color considering how drab omega is, or it might be something else entirely - either way, joker's shuffling over to her, grinning a bit cheekily to himself all the way there.]

'Scuse me, miss .. [ahaha AND HERE WE GO WITH THE CHARM, MOREAU.] You look like you're a little lost, and it just so happens that I've been appointed as Omega's official welcome wagon. Welcome to hell - can I give you a tour? Buy you a drink? You're lucky you don't have to worry about that batarian bartender in Afterlife anymore .. he thought he was slick, poisoning humans. What a dick.

IM SO READY YOU DONT EVEN KNOW

[neverknocks]

[ York's not sure what she was expecting to happen in this place but "immediately getting hit on" was, honestly, not that high on the list. Maybe it should have been, though. Maybe she'd been stuck in that mostly-empty space station for way too long. Maybe she's slipping.

Still, it's kind of funny. The guy's got a humor about him that's familiar in a weird way, and maybe that's why she can tell he's full of shit the second he starts talking. Or maybe it's just that obvious. Either way, York lets him talk, her eyebrows steadily going up as the spiel goes on. When he's finished, she just looks at him with a half-quirked grin that suggests barely contained laughter and shakes her head a little. ]

All right, I've gotta know -- does that ever actually work?

YES GOOD.

[airraid]

[hey hey hey now .. he's not hitting on her. at least, not yet .. but he does know a fine-looking woman when he sees one, and he'll be damned if he misses out on an opportunity to at least talk to her.

and if he somehow manages to get somewhere, well .. points for him. but he's not holding his breath, just because he never has that kind of luck. ever. this would be why he has his own personal stash of fornax and when he gets some alone time -

oh, wait. that's not exactly ice-breaker talk, is it? moving on.

he really is expecting her to laugh at him, but when she doesn't outright, it gets him thinking that he still has a chance.

except for when that question comes out, and he just rolls with it.] Dunno, never tried it on anyone before. So I guess the next question has to be is it working on you?

[neverknocks]

[ All right, that does get a laugh out of York. Even if York's not exactly looking for a date right now, this guy's pretty all right. ]

Tell you what. You tell me where the hell we are, and you can buy me as many drinks as you want.

[ Okay well it's not like she couldn't use a drink. ]

[airraid]

[well, that's better than nothing, he guesses, and he might as well roll with it.] Now that, I can do. You're on Omega - the Terminus Systems' finest bed and breakfast. Except I'm pretty sure the beds are worse than what we got in flight school and the breakfast is probably something you don't want to eat.

So basically, you're stuck in a place you're gonna hate in about five minutes, and lemme tell ya - the aliens around here aren't the nicest towards humans. So just be careful.

[he pauses, smirking at her.] I'm Joker, by the way.

[neverknocks]

I think I already like this place better than the last place I got stuck at. And I think I know a thing or two about unfriendly aliens, thanks.

[ You think batarians are bad, Joker? Try the Covenant.

York's admittedly not in the prime mood for fucking around, but that doesn't mean she doesn't grin back. Tight situation or no, she can already tell she likes this guy. Plus, this is valuable fuckin' information. Omega...doesn't sound familiar in the least, but that doesn't surprise her. She extends a gloved hand for a shake, one corner of her mouth quirking up. ]

Joker, huh? Cute. You can call me York.

[airraid]

Yeah? Where were you before?

[because for some reason he expects it to be somewhere he's heard of before, even when it isn't going to be. still, it's a way to make conversation, and to keep it going.

though he doesn't want to meet the covenant, thanks so much. he doesn't know anything about it but he's pretty sure he'd hate it.] Oh, yeah, real cute when you're the only kid in your class that doesn't joke around like everyone else. Jerk thought they were being clever.

[and they weren't.

but look at him now.

best goddamn pilot in the alliance.

what now bitches.]

[neverknocks]

Yeah, 'cause you seem like a real somber guy to me.

[ It's a sarcastic remark, but it's made in good humor. She likes your sense of humor, okay, Joker. And you seem like a pretty okay guy. She's already decided she likes you.

She shrugs at the question, knowing how crazy it's gonna sound. ]

Space station by the name of Sacrosanct. But I'd be pretty damn surprised if you've heard of it.

[traitortwin]

[South recognizes that armor. She's surprised, but that surprise is easily superseded by the need to stick to what she knows. If there's one thing she's learned from being thrown into weird environments, it's to not take any chances.

York looks... very different though.

... Yeah, she stops in her approach and just... stares for a second, unsure.

Oh, what the hell.] Hey! York!

[neverknocks]

[ It's been eight months since York's so much as seen South -- any South -- but it's not like she could forget that voice. York turns on her heel to respond almost before she remembers that South, this South, probably knows York as a guy like everybody else she's come across from her universe. South had to have noticed that she's not a dude by now. And yeah, okay, the armor's a dead giveaway, but -- just for a second, the thought that South might be from her timeline crosses her mind.

Still, there's a look on her face that suggests that might not be the case, and York hesitates, raising an eyebrow. ]

South?

[traitortwin]

[The fact that she recognizes her just makes it sink in. Okay, first a Washington from the ~future~ who spent time in some weird-ass city, and now a female York? Jesus.]

You-... It really is you?

[Give her a second to wrap her brain around it okay.]

[neverknocks]

The armor's a dead giveaway, huh?

[ York cracks a smile, though it's wry and a little sheepish. South has never been the easiest person to explain things to, either. ]

Let me guess -- the York you knew's a guy, right? Man, I swear, every time.

[traitortwin]

Yeah. Just a bit.

[She nods, slowly. She's still a little stunned, but uh... it'll get easier. Right? Right?!]

I-- Yeah. He is. So you're from... some other version of everything. Isn't that how this goes?

[neverknocks]

Generally speaking.

[ York offers her a sheepish half-grin, trying to make this a little less uncomfortable. South is obviously, uh, thrown by the whole thing. ]

You okay? I mean -- it's weird, gettin' thrown into someplace like this all of a sudden.

[traitortwin]

I'm fine. [... she says all too quickly because she's kind of not. Oh South.]

This happened to me before. There was a spaceship. The Tranquility. North and Carolina were there. And Wash, for a little bit. But he said something about some stupid city, and said he was from the future. [She rolls her eyes.]

"Every time," huh? So you've been thrown around before too?

[neverknocks]

[ York can tell South's far from okay, but she doesn't think it'll be particularly helpful to call her out on it. She just nods, with understanding -- taking it in stride, like York always does.

She rolls her shoulders in a shrug, nodding in response to South's question. ]

Yeah, me too. Spent about eight months on a giant space station. It was all right, except for the part where it was run by a rampant AI. Not exactly a friendly vacation spot.

carrying over cr from the test drive meme y/y okay good.

[noscope]

[this time, he doesn't mistake her for the wrong person - or rather, the person he thinks she should be in that armor. when he reaches out to touch her shoulder, he's expecting the fact he sees when she turns around, and since he isn't wearing his helmet this time around, he can smile at her in greeting.] Hi again. Having any luck finding your way around here?

[because he isn't. he very much isn't.]

BUT OF COURSE

[neverknocks]

[ York gives him an easy smile, although it's not like she's totally at ease here, either. She nods at him, shrugging one shoulder. ]

Hey, funny thing runnin' into you again. I'm...y'know. I'm gettin' by.

[ And she looks at him almost critically, cocking her head slightly to one side. He might not be familiar with her, but she definitely knows North. ]

You look like you're...not so much gettin' by.

[noscope]

[neither of them are going to be at ease here - for a while, at least. but he supposes that goes without saying, because this is such an unfamiliar place.

and while this might not be the york he's familiar with, it doesn't surprise him that she picks up on how he's acting. this is york, after all, and even if she's different from the one he knows, it doesn't mean she's not still the same person.

just .. a different gender.] That obvious? Sheesh .. I'm just tired, mostly. Theta's been worried. Restless.

[a pause.] You .. know about him, don't you?

[neverknocks]

[ Ah, shit, that's right. Theta. York can't help but frown, even momentarily. This has to be tough on the little guy, and okay, she's always kind of had a soft spot for Theta.

His question gets her attention, though, and she raises on eyebrow. ]

You're...gonna have to be more specific, man.

[ There's a lot she knows about now. North could be talking about anything. ]

[noscope]

[he only asks because if things are different from wherever she's from - just for the simple fact that she's female - he doesn't know if there's a difference in the ai. if she has delta, or if he even exists.]

I mean .. has the Project started assigning AI to the agents where you're from?

[there's a pause, and a hopeful:] Do you have Delta?

[neverknocks]

Oh -- trust me, man, I know about the AI.

[ She knows all about them, thanks to Wash. But she's not surprised he asks -- he has no way of knowing, and hey, she doesn't even have the bad eye.

His second question, though -- ouch. York's had eight long months to come to terms with a lot of things, but she's never really been able to resolve her guilt about Delta. Her Delta. Her expression flickers, her mouth twitches, but she forces a tight smile at North, though she doesn't really look at him. ]

No, I -- I don't have him. Not anymore, anyway.

[noscope]

[he's momentarily relieved - because at least that isn't something that they're going to have to go over in great detail. if she already knows about them, it's one less step they're going to have to take to get to know each other.

as they should, anyway.

but whens he says she doesn't have delta - anymore - he has to ask:] What do you mean, not anymore?

[neverknocks]

[ York's definitely not looking at him now -- looking at anything but him, her eyes settling instead to fix on a rapidly blinking neon sign a couple hundred feet away. It's a little astonishing, really, how her chest still gets kind of tight whenever this comes up with somebody new, somebody who doesn't know. She's never been able to get closure on that, not when the Delta on Sacrosanct had held it against her for so long. ]

I, uh... I -- I had to give him up.