( 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

[5055034455]

[Saul wouldn't call what he's doing "patrolling," but it kind of is. He even has his weapon slung across his shoulder — his electroshock gun, the one he still hasn't used on anyone and hopes he never has to — just in case.

There's never been such a thing as "too careful" in his book. With the impending nuclear strike hovering over all of their heads, he's being especially careful.

People are crazy.

When he spots Ahiru heading in the direction opposite the ship, he yells:] Hey!

[It's not so much a greeting as it is an attempt to get her attention.]

[quackery]

[She stops, looking back at him, wondering if she should run or wait to see what he wants. But - no, if she makes him worried, she's certain he'll just alert someone else to help him stop her. So she turns around.]

What? [It's harsher than she means it.]

[5055034455]

[If she makes him worried? Duckling, he's already been made worried and then some.

He closes the distance between them with a few long strides, eyes narrowed slightly. He's not glaring, but he sure doesn't look pleased.]

Where are you going?

[quackery]

I need to get something.

[She does her best to sound casual.]

[5055034455]

Yeah?

[After Jesse's little stunt, Saul can't help being suspicious.]

What?

[quackery]

Something of mine. Why is it your business?

[5055034455]

Running around alone out here isn't safe. I'll go with you.

[quackery]

[She shakes her head.]

No, it's something personal. I want to get it alone. I'll be fine.

[5055034455]

Nah, I'm gonna go with you.

[He straightens a little, glancing around.]

Better safe than sorry, right?

[quackery]

No. It's safe no matter what. What are you even going to protect me from? It's not supposed to happen for at least a few days, and even if it did, what would you be able to do to stop it?

[5055034455]

I can't stop it. But what I can do is make sure you're safe as soon as possible, which means you need to turn around and head for the ship right now instead of trying to do... whatever it is you're doing.

[quackery]

[Try as she might to keep her voice calm, there's a note of desperation.]

No. I have to get something. Shouldn't you be going to the ship? I'll meet you there later. We can do another pinky swear or whatever.

[5055034455]

No.

[Try as she might, it's not going to work. Saul's expression is serious, voice stern.]

You're coming with me. Let's go.

[quackery]

[She just stares at him a moment, thinking - and then turns and starts sprinting in the opposite direction, praying she won't trip. This is too important.]

[5055034455]

[Damn.

He knew it.

Saul considers shouting, but he knows it won't stop her. So what he does instead is take a few running steps before leaping up and over her, twisting in midair so that he's facing her when he lands.

Thanks for the anime powers, Coby.]

Ahiru, don't. You can't take anyone with you.

[quackery]

[She has no actual clue what happened, so she skids to a halt, staring at him in shock for a moment and then looking back to where he had been a moment ago. She can try and process this later, though; after those few seconds of surprise, she turns and starts running the opposite way.

Because that's obviously going to work.]

[5055034455]

[It so totally is!

Except not.]

Damn it, kid —

[This time, he simply runs after her, making a grab for her arm once he catches up.]

[quackery]

[She keeps running until he grabs her, and tries to pull her arm free once he's got a hold of it.]

Let go!

[5055034455]

[Stupidly, he does. It hurts to do this to her — it was one thing to ask Steph to drug Jesse, when Saul wasn't there and didn't have to see it, but he's not going to wrestle Ahiru onto the ship if he can help it. He doesn't need someone else to hate him.

He crouches in front of her instead, holding his hands out in a surrendering sort of gesture, a silent plea for her to just give him a minute to talk.]

I know you're pissed off. I am, too. But you can't — Ahiru, what makes you think you're gonna be able to sneak anyone on board, anyway?

[quackery]

[She pauses, but shakes her head.]

I'll figure something out! I will.

[5055034455]

You're smart, I know. You're smart and you're brave, and I love that about you, but this isn't gonna work; the ship's employed by the Initiative, they probably have a list of names — they'll know. And there'll be consequences.

[Saul's sure she'd be doing more harm than good, even if leaving everyone behind to die is literally the most harm that can be done.]

Please, Ahiru. Just come with me to the ship.

[quackery]

I don't care about consequences! They're all going to be killed!

[And she knows that she can't stop that, but - she has to believe she can save at least person.]

I'm not just going to leave them.

[5055034455]

And we're gonna fix it. Okay? That's why we're going up to the moon. We're gonna do the time travel thing and stop the United Earth. We'll save the city.

[He doesn't know how true that is, but he sounds like he means it.]

[quackery]

[That's not how it works, she thinks. It's not that she doubts that they can fix it, but she knows if you change something so huge it can bring back thousands of people, it's bound to change those people somehow, too. The people here will be gone. When they bring them back, they'll be bringing back thousands of people who might look the same and sound the same, but she's certain they won't be the same.]

That doesn't make it okay to not try to help them now!

[5055034455]

[Saul's voice drops to a harsh whisper and, even though he doesn't quite realize it, he reaches for her arm again.]

What happens when we bring whoever's been saved back down here, after it's all been fixed? What happens when they run around telling everyone how we let the rest of them die? It's bad enough the United Earth wants us dead — we can't just save a few people without risking something much, much bigger. It's all or nothing, everyone or no one.