(OPEN | Mutiny Log) Well it's been so long

[alittlesweptup]

Date & Time: Nov. 16 ~0300 through Nov.19th ~0230hrs, 3133
Location: Housing, Cafeteria, VR rooms, hallways etc (read: everywhere)
Characters: YOU!
Summary: Mutiny on the moon base! Vital systems are offline, mutineers are making PA announcements, and there’s conflict and turmoil brewing in the halls. Dun dun duuun!
Warnings: None yet (possible violence?)
Notes: Specify a date and location in your top comment. You may specify multiple dates/locations. A timeline for the plot and the IC PA announcements made during are available HERE.

[In the dead of night - or as close to ‘the dead of night’ as is possible to have in moon base - a small group of transports finally make the move they’ve been planning for weeks. Pre-determined teams, maintaining radio contact throughout, simultaneously take control of the Transporter Room and take multiple systems offline.

One moment things are normal; they next, they’re not. With a last message flagged as ‘maintenance’ left on the network, the network cuts out. A moment later, Transports across the base find themselves losing contact with the ground or shifting in their sleep and gently floating out of their beds from the force as the gravity drops. Lighting flicks over to emergency only: bathing corridors and rooms in a desolate, lonely red. Doors work - and then they don’t. Transports will find themselves confined to housing (and washrooms), the VR rooms, and the cafeteria; it’s plenty of space to be comfortable and largely covers most Transport’s basic needs (unless you’re fond of cheery light or having your feet on the ground in which case you may be out of luck).

Hours later-- Click-HHHSSSHK-click!

A woman’s voice speaks over the moon base’s PA system, echoing through the dark corridors and off the odds and ends gently floating through them thanks to the lack of gravity regulation. The voice is rich and accented, with a certain practiced ease to it - one that sharpens to a point the longer she talks:]

Testing. Testing-- are we good? Christ, I'm not echoing, am I? No?

All right good. Listen up, fellow transports. As you might have noticed, some of the base's general systems have gone offline: this, I assure you, is absolutely intentional. There's no need to panic.

So moving on from the understandably frustrating to the even more frustrating, I'm sure you all have also noticed the fact that we're currently all stuck-- starving and defenseless-- on the bloody moon. In a base that was, up until a few days ago, overrun with zombies. And before that, thousands of lives were bombed right out of existence, and before that, an entire world-- and before that we were all still being thrown at the United Earth for the sake of dying off repeatedly in a war we never stood a chance or had a say in. Transports have been treated like pawns since day one, and I'm sorry, but we don't deserve it.

If we're giving up our lives and our freedom, I'd say it's about time we earned ourselves a little equality.

We deserve a say in what goes on in this fight, and with that in mind, a few of us have decided to hold onto the transporter for a while. Just until the Initiative agrees to treat us like people instead of ammunition. Trust me, we’re not here to hurt anyone; none of this has to end badly. But it does need to end. Things have got to change. And if this is what it takes? This is what it’s going to be.

We need your help; please don’t make it any harder for us.

[The PA clicks off, pitching the base once more into complete radio silence.

Near the end of the first day, gravity regulation is re-established. The network is brought back online the following day, allowing everyone to communicate more freely. Lighting doesn’t come back online until the 18th and the door regulation isn’t normalized or operable until the 19th. Throughout the four days, the mutineers make multiple PA announcements.

In the mean time? Keep your friends close, come to the aid of your neighbors; help with reconnaissance and choose sides - are you neutral in this mess? Are you trying to help bring systems back online and root out the mutineers? Are you sympathetic to the mutiny and trying to sabotage those Transports standing for the Initiative?]

Comments

[trustycrowbar]

In Gordon's case, it was a cockroach; He'd had just enough time to snort and reflect upon the fact that even in space you can't get away from the damn things, but before he could lift a foot to have the meeting reach its logical conclusion, cockroach had morphed into girl. Gordon stares, baffled with one foot an inch above the ground.

"...Collette?"

[crocodilesmiles]

Collette makes sure all of herself is safely gathered and out of the way before she smiles up at Gordon, giving him a little wave with the arm not supporting her seated position. "Hey Gordon," she said, sounding fairly chipper. "How's your day been?"

Play it casual. Play it cool. Play it like this wouldn't have been your death warrant sometime else.

[trustycrowbar]

"Did you just... yes, of course you did."

He steps back with an embarrassed cough. The scientific curiosity of changing forms aside, he sure DID just almost crush her. Yup. He starts to say one thing, then stops, then another, then stops again.

"The hell are you doing up there?" He finally says, voice quiet. No, it's not the first question that came to mind, but it was the least insane.

[crocodilesmiles]

"Cleaning," she said innocently. "With everything else going on, the last thing we need is for a filter to go all out of whack on us!"

Not to mention knowing where the fans, exhausts, and entirety of what goes where in the ventilation system in order to spy on the mutineers and coordinate a way to cut down on potential bloodshed.

Minor details.

[trustycrowbar]

"..."

He raises an eyebrow.

"As a cockroach?"

[crocodilesmiles]

"They have an amazing capacity to walk straight up walls. It's really useful!"

Yes. Totally.

... Look, Gordon, it makes sense, she promises!

[trustycrowbar]

"It would take you twenty minutes to move a single dust bunny. You wouldn't be trying to use those airducts to get around these security doors, would you?"

[crocodilesmiles]

"Does it count as trying if you've succeeded?"

One does not tell an Animorph where they cannot go. One simply suggests and watches them try to figure out the way in and out again!

[trustycrowbar]

"It sure does."

...He smirks.

"If you've hypothetically succeeded I'd say good job; I only hope you intend to use that knowledge to help get this madness under control."

What, you think HE'S going to vilify her for crawling around in air ducts?

[crocodilesmiles]

She grinned, holding back laughter. "Oh, you could say I've got my eyes on things, theoretically. And that I'm the kind of girl who doesn't like seeing people hurt each other when there's another way."

They are working on a plan, it's just slightly more slow moving than she's used to.

[trustycrowbar]

Well, you know. He's not exactly quick to leap up himself. He's used to situations that can't really be resolved by words anymore, and he's no orator...

"I'd also say that this space station needs more people like you in it with some common sense."

[crocodilesmiles]

"That's just flattery," she says with a snort, thoroughly amused. "And I'm not so sure all my friends would agree!"

Still, she's arranged herself to be nicely seated, taking the moment for some downtime now that she can't be squished with a foot on his part. "It'd be nice to have people cool tempers down."

[trustycrowbar]

"Ah, see, that was never my strong suit." He admits quickly. It's true; the last time he tied to talk down a hostile, shots were fired, and they weren't even his at first--

"It's easier to outsmart them than negotiate with them."

[crocodilesmiles]

"Except they're part of us, and if we spend all our time out-thinking each other, we're going to get even less done than we have." Collette sighs, shaking her head. "We need to negotiate. Better yet, actually listen to each other! They say no one's doing anything... do they see what Caesar's been doing? Blue? Jaime? Or is it just because results take time and people are gathering up information before charging off into anything that they think it's nothing?"

Because a rover sitting outside, dead or alive, isn't the threat to her that it seemed to be used as. Why would it be surprising? Nothing about their leaving the atmosphere had been subtle.

[trustycrowbar]

"..."

He gives a sigh of his own.

"Alright, you want the truth? I've been trying to negotiate with them ever since I got here. Every new batch of Transports had their little spat of newbies that thought the best idea in the world would be to rise up against the Imitative. Going against the people who brought us here and have the potential to send us back, is suicide. The Initiative isn't the enemy, at least not as long as the United Earth exists. This is what I explained to them. Every. Time. I'm frankly sick of reiterating the obvious."

[crocodilesmiles]

"Sometimes that's exactly what you have to do, over and over and over again, until people start hearing what you say, and stop glossing over it." It's a facet of life she knows, and doesn't exactly enjoy, but has dealt with in her own way over time. Outstubborning others, or learning to laugh off and redirect what she can, these are the ways she helps herself.

[trustycrowbar]

He goes silent again, but it's obvious she's put syllables to things he'd already been aware of.

"The only thing that would really teach them is the consequences of their actions." He replies, after a lot of fidgeting and a shrug.