( 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

[maddeninghatter]

[ Whenever Gilbert finally manages to return, he'll find Break grouping his purchases according to...

10-lb bags of things, variously sugar, flour, and rice. And another bag of sugar.
Boxes full of things that rattle satisfyingly and might be cookies or crackers, or dried rhubarb berries.
Boxes full of things that rattle in an unsatisfying way, and might be pancake mix, baking soda, or washing powder.
Boxes of tea (all Collette's)
A string bag full of fresh (-ish) fruit.
Cans full of complete unknowns; he has them stacked up in a tower. They contain soup, tomato sauce, stewed apple-peaches (very mutated), water chestnuts, maraschino cherries, tofurkey, pineapple chunks, and various other assorted things.

...by some unhappy coincidence, the top-most can has "HAPPY CAT GOURMET CUISINE" stamped in bold letters on the front label, with a picture of an appropriately gleeful kitty, with fork and knife, and a pink bow on its head. ]

[retraced]

[He returns once Break has set everything out, slumped over even further from humiliation and defeat. The sight of all this food cheers him up, though, if only because it means that Oz, Collette and Elliot might have something to supplement the food here for a while until missions back in time become available once more. His own stomach isn't quite ready for something like tofurkey, but maybe another day or two will change his mind.]

You really did bring a lot...

[He mumbles from the doorway. The cat food happily goes unnoticed for the moment.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ There are so many things he could say. But after having (mostly) unintentionally reduced Gilbert to tears and... okay, yes well, he could hear that retching even several doors down.

He is still kneeling on the floor with his back to the door, so he simply turns over his shoulder and says mildly: ]

I didn't think there'd be much use for Marques anymore, so--

[ A shrug. He'd spent everything he had (and everything anyone else left behind, oops). ]

[retraced]

[Right. Because the world below is set to be destroyed any day now.

If he hadn't just vacated his entire stomach, he might feel up to doing it now with that reminder. He'd selfishly abandoned everything quickly in order to get everyone who would have any trouble out safely. A coward running from things in order to protect what was precious, as always.]

...Thank you, Break.

[He mumbles weakly before finally stepping into the room and sitting down on the bottom bunk.]

1/2

[maddeninghatter]

[ An entire city about to be destroyed, and four hours on a spaceship with an agitated angel spewing divine aura all over him...

These experiences have adjusted his perspective. Rejecting Kevin's heavenly gift he recognized as being petty. Therefore, recoiling from Gilbert's sincere thanks and gratitude would be.... ]

[maddeninghatter]

[ He shoves Emily into Gilbert's face. ]

KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE KE!

[ Some things have to remain constant, no matter what. ]

[retraced]

[WHY DO OUR PRECIOUS MOMENTS ALWAYS END THIS WAY.]

Gaagh-!

[He twists his head away, reaching out to try and shove Break's arm out of his face.]

Stop that! Just - give me those crackers you were talking about!

[maddeninghatter]

[ Emily returns to her perch on Break's shoulder and he returns to the floor. A moment's scrabbling and then he returns with several boxes that probably contain crackers, if the rattling is any indication. ]

Here you are!

Now see if you can keep these down, 'kaaay~? Cos if you fall over, you won't be any good to anybody. People will have to take care of you.

[ He hands the boxes over, then sits back on his heels and drawls smoothly: ]

Like I'm doing now.

[retraced]

[He reaches out and takes the one that looks more like crackers. Even though Break can't see it, he's outright avoiding looking him in the eye as he takes it and pulls the box open.]

You don't have to tell me that.

[It's not like he's happy puking his guts out in space, okay.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ He keeps fiddling with the packages, even though he has organized them already, as best he can. He isn't facing Gilbert, either.

You don't have to tell me that...

It's a weak sort of protestation. Gilbert took the coffee and now the crackers. It's testament to how desperately he needs help that he's actually accepting it.

...

Break stacks up all the boxes in a tower, end to end, before he finally murmurs: ]

You're welcome, by the way.

[retraced]

[Ugh, he can't just say that now. It's more embarrassing now.

So he keeps his eyes down and continues eating crackers. Best meal he's had in days, actually.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ He'd felt something inside him, so tightly bound, unwind during that trip on the spaceship. And not only that...

He leaves off building box towers and flops down, next to Gilbert, on his bottom bunk. ]

It's not such a bad thing. Letting someone look after you.

[ It has occurred to him how much more effectively he can torment Gilbert by being nice to him. ]

[retraced]

[Honestly, he's starting to sort of wish that Break would make fun of him for enjoying the hell out of these crackers.]

It's terrible. [He grumbles between bites.] The only thing that would make it worse is if Oz were here to see it...

[maddeninghatter]

Don't say tha~at~!

[ Is that a pleasant, encouraging pat pat pat on your shoulder, Gilbert? Why yes. Yes, it is. ]

I think Oz would like nothing better, than to see you looked after. Or look after you, himself.

[retraced]

I can't...let myself be a burden to him like that.

[He tenses up at the pat to the shoulder. When he was a child he didn't realize that it was mostly just Break being condescending to him when he'd give him shoulder and head pats, but now he's fully aware of it.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ Yes, condescending. And not, for example, awkward attempts at behaving like an actual human. ]

Tch! How egotistical~!

[retraced]

H-how is it egotistical?!

[Break is the boy who cried wolf. Except the wolf was a pack of cigarettes and/or an awesome beard.]

[maddeninghatter]

Why, it's because you think your opinion of yourself is more important than anyone else's~!

[ Helpfully: ]

That's not only egotistical - but stupid!

[retraced]

I don't! He's just suffered enough through all of this! He shouldn't have to suffer for my -

[Ugh.]

- stomach as well...

[Amongst other things.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ A twitch of a smile - a real one. ]

Exactly for that reason. You ought to know better than anyone: it lifts a person's spirits, to feel useful - and needed.

[retraced]

[...Damn it all, now Break is just playing dirty.

He doesn't reply to that because he can't think of a single thing to say. Except 'you're right' and he definitely isn't going to say that. The sound of cracker eating fills the silence in the meanwhile.]

[maddeninghatter]

Not only that, but....

[ He trails off. When he speaks again, his voice is grave. ]

But I think it's going to be a bit more difficult, up here. For everyone.

[retraced]

[He stays silent another moment, but he also stops eating. It isn't their world down there, but the loss of life is sure to be felt by everyone; not just the ones who had called it their 'home'. There were nothing but innocent people left behind to feel the damage inflicted by the UE.]

Mm. This can't be easy on anyone.

[Even more reasons, though, why Gilbert doesn't have time to let others fuss over him when there are so many others who need it more.]

[maddeninghatter]

[ Limitations on air, water, food, and space.... the ever-looming threat of the United Earth (which is sure to have noticed them by now)... not to mention the threat from other Transports, particularly if supplies run low or some problem crops up with the time-travel technology. ]

That's why we need to help each other.

[ He forces himself to sound upbeat. If he betrays his worries, Gilbert will... ]

A mutually beneficial arrangement, just like always~!

[retraced]

[He quirks one eyebrow and turns to look over at his boss. It might be an innocent statement from the outside, but Gilbert knows better than that.]

And what would you want in return?