( open ) i'll fly you to the moon and back

[initiates]

Date & Time: September 21st - September 30th, 11:59 PM
Location: The Hold, the Moon Base
Characters: Any/all.
Summary: The Transports are evacuating to the Moon Base. Those on the Moon Base try to settle in and figure out their next move. Setting info can be found here.
Warnings: Talk of nuclear warheads and reference to immense loss of life. Please contact the mods should any individual thread get graphically violent or anything else of the sort.
Note: Use date and location tags in your subject headlines! Such as "On the moon, 23rd onward" or "On the spaceship, 25th" or "down at the Hold, 29th."

The Hold is a flurry of activity, grim faced members of the Initiative group directing supplies and people with the subdued air of people facing their own doom, and wondering at how to process the knowledge. None of the Initiative appears unaware of what will happen; their eyes linger on the Transports, expressions pleading, hopeful, doubtful, or immeasurably sad in turn.

Every eight hours, the space ship is sent back up with a load of people and supplies. The pilots are worked until they can't; the AI stolen ages ago by the Initiative greets and corrals people and supplies at both ends, and in the middle step between.

The network continues to broadcast on narrow channels between the Moon Base and Exsilium, up until the time that all connections are lost, with the carrier located en route to Exsilium. The first airship will pass by without dropping anything, but it's too early to celebrate. At a six hour delay from behind, the second airship arrives, and with it, the dark promise of the Black Code's nuclear weaponry.

The six hour window allows for time for those left behind, either by choice or circumstance, to be pulled to the Moon Base with the successful activation of the Transport Pad. New characters will ultimately arrive with the remainder of those not yet on the Moon Base, all in time to witness the explosive contact of the nuclear warhead with the ground of Exsilium live on satellite.

But until then, there's only the hurry, the silence, and the potential for full out rioting should the Transports spread word to the Exiles inevitably left behind to face this fate.

Comments

23rd - 30th, ota

[sweetling]

Earth, till the 26th
[Nukes. God. She'd thought she was done with that ten years ago, once the holy war drew to an abrupt and terrible close. When she finally fell into Beezal's clutches and was even grateful because hey, she was alive.

At least with the bombs that had peppered cities when she was a teenager, people had been able and ready to evacuate. Life on her Earth still exists because human beings had the ability to run like hell.

The fact that the Exiles don't breaks her heart, no matter how little love she might have for them. So much so that she still goes to work at the brothel as long as she can for the last week of life in the city, and doesn't even charge. Just uses her Weapon to soothe as much as she can, and wanders aimlessly around the shitty red light district she's going to miss way too much with a perpetual sort of puppy-eyed stricken look on her face.]

Moon base, 26th-29th
[She won't bother to disguise her wonder at the base, even if she still looks pretty sad the whole time. Halfpipe can be found wandering the hallways, standing transfixed at the windows, or ranting angrily about the cold showers.]

Observatory, 30th
[She doesn't know why she's here. It's masochism at best. But Halfpipe can't help it, either. If she was the one getting blown to pieces, she'd want somebody to watch her last moments if they could, to remember her. Even if it's form millions of miles away.

She's paying way too much attention, even if there's still a pretty dazed look on her face.]

Wonder if there'll be a traditional mushroom cloud.

30th, shortly after

[highfrequency]

[Raiden is drifting about in a daze. Everything around him feels surreal, almost dream-like and it takes all of his focus to be cognizant of his surroundings. When he sees Halfpipe he offers her the feeble smile of a man who doesn't want anyone to know he's bleeding under his clothes.]

29th

[100hearts]

[There hadn't been much going on in the medical bay, but Law had taken the time to make use of every single organ he collected. The benefit of his ability had allowed him to drain a person of their blood numerous times without actually causing them damage--so long as he could find an artery on a body-part he took from them.

With actual hearts, that business had been even easier. He spent the time before they were forced to evacuate purifying the blood--making sure there was nothing left over that could be transferred to anyone he transfused it to--whether it had been small trackers or genetic modifications. That process took too long and wore him down. So, as he came across Halfpipe in the hall, it might have been obvious that he was extremely tired from his work as indicated by the slouch in his back and the somewhat wider gait he took, his feet moving slower than he would have preferred.]

[sweetling]

[She wants to believe, for a moment, that Law's shuffling gait and slouched shoulders are there because he is just as upset about the nukes as everyone else. She knows better by now, but she still draws up beside him, arms crossed awkwardly as if she's trying to protect herself from something invisible.]

Hey. You okay?

[100hearts]

My ability drains me. [Law didn't mind admitting it. It wasn't as if he believed Halfpipe was going to shank him in the hall. Even then, he wouldn't have found it unfounded. Law couldn't really blame anyone who have wanted to shank him numerous times.]

I just need to eat.

[sweetling]

[ :( ]

D'you mind some company? I should probably grab a bite, too.

[Even if everything's gonna taste like ashes in her mouth.]

[100hearts]

If you want. [Law let out a sigh, tense and tired more than he was used to.]

Let's use the transporter.

[sweetling]

[It's the kind of smile she's seen before, coming from Outer City as she does. But to see it on someone like Raiden, who's always seemed to have a gentle word or a faint but real smile for her or an eye to look out for her, is heartbreaking.]

Raiden.

[Her expression crumples from careful composure to something painfully despairing and she closes in on him, feeling almost suffocated.]

[highfrequency]

[He wishes he could have a way with words, just once. Just once he'd like to be the one with an inspirational speech, but any reassuring words he tries to conjure up die in his throat. He simply offers a spiked, metal shoulder to lean on. It's not much but it's something.]

[sweetling]

[Metal arms aren't new to her either, even if this one is a little more precarious than most she's known. She wraps her arms at his elbow and leans against him as much as she can without getting a spike to the face.]

Just... don't worry, alright. We... we can go back and we can...

[It sounds hollow to her own ears and she stops abruptly.]

[highfrequency]

[At first he doesn't respond, then he slowly puts his arms around her. His is a body built for killing, not hugging, so he does his best to not make this situation any more uncomfortable.]

Halfpipe...

[Then, with a soft growl]

...We'll make it right...

[He's not sure if he means fixing the destruction back on Exsilium or cutting a bloody swath through the United Earth Empire. Maybe both.]

[sweetling]

Yeah... we will.

[She breathes in deeply and then frowns as something with a hard edge pokes her, drawing back slightly.]

Jesus, you need hug-pads or something.

[Because changing the subject always helps.]

[highfrequency]

[He draws back and loosens his arms with a soft, throaty chuckle that lacks any true humor.]

Sorry. This chassis wasn't exactly built for hugs.

27th

[candystar]

[Yeah, hard not to miss the ranting coming from the bathroom right now. Ally kind of pokes her head in. She was going to take a shower, but...]

Ugh, are they freezing again? It's almost worse than not showering at all.

[sweetling]

[Halfpipe practically hisses.]

For God's sake--we've got a fucking moon base and a ship that can get there in hours, but no fucking water heater?

[She is butt-ass naked, but soon clutches a towel to herself, though it's more because she's freezing than because she's got an aversion to Ally seeing.]

[candystar]

[Ally makes a face of annoyance aimed straight at the showers because no]

I mean, I guess space is cold and shit, but seriously, cold showers are the worst.

27th

[taggeda0]

[You know, Nic's not one to comment about someone's brooding ways, but if you could maybe do it in some other place where Nic's not trying to catch some shut eye, that'd be nice. Or if you explained your fixation on the showers. Either would work here.]

[sweetling]

[She finds him staring at her, wrapped in a towel and standing indignantly outside the bathrooms, and gives him a scowl.]

What?

[taggeda0]

[He signs, clipped and a little annoyed:]

If you don't like them why are you doing it?

28th

[moralperil]

Halfpipe!

[Mahdi recognizes his friend from down a hall, and bolts all the way down to see her, offering her a quick hug.]

You made it here!

[sweetling]

Mahdi?

[She pauses, returning the hug briefly.]

Yeah, I did. You too, apparently.

[moralperil]

Yeah. I... I had to make sure I brought Caramel and Truffle. [His kittens. Mahdi does look a little guilty for it.]