(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

[the_array_team]

[To Vennett, the eyerolling was little more than a fluttering of eyelids, but the tone conveyed what biology fell short on. While she talks his face is taunt mask of anger, but when she hits the taunt about the thousands slaughtered, it smooths out into cold, simple hatred.]

Fuck. You.

[He looks past her, as much as her stance allows to the other hijackers. Neither tone nor expression lightens.]

What do you want?

[totallytrustworthy]

[On second thought, it was probably a massive mistake to let Seviilia come in for the start of this. (Still, it's not like they had any idea there'd be staff on hand, so...) Chloe's quick to take the offered glance.] Sev, sweetheart? Do us a favor and make sure that door behind you's still secure.

[And getting right to the heart of the matter isn't exactly ideal when they've not had a chance to set up a situation that's anything less than hostile.]

To be entirely honest, you lot weren't supposed to be involved.

[miscreant]

I think some folk around here would have something to say about blatant necrophilia in such an instance.

[That's fine with her. She got her word in. She gives Vennett an entirely-too-pleasant smile (and a wink) before backing away from him, conceeding to Chloe's request with relative ease. She claps her on a shoulder as she strides passed her, leaning against the doorframe.

Her tall ears flick. She's obviously still listening (and is also probably one of the few light sources all on her own).]

[the_array_team]

[It earns a disgusted look in Seviilia's direction, but he doesn't rise to that or the good cop routine. Just keeps a mantra in his head to keep calm, just for a little while.]

A'right. Lets say that adds up.

Lucky us, this is a misunderstandin'.

How bout you let us out?

[totallytrustworthy]

Would if I could but considering you're sort of the why in this equation, it's a bit too late for all that. [She reaches up, scratches idly at her temple in something of a silent gesture that yeah-- yeah they know they screwed this one up.] We need your help.

[the_array_team]

...

I'm listenin'

[totallytrustworthy]

[Chloe stops. Sits back on her heels to give him her full attention. Serious discussions merit serious eye contact.] I'm not new to this war: I've been here well over a year now, okay. I watched it escalate-- between the United Earth and us, between transports and the Initiative-- I watched lines of communication prove to be just as ineffective as transports that'd rather sit around holding parties and eating fancy cheese.

Honestly, for a long time I was one of them.

Maybe less parties, more vacation getaways, but you get the idea. I didn't want to be used. Don't do well in enclosed spaces.

[the_array_team]

[He doesn't interrupt. There's little he can say to it. He hasn't been on the front lines of anything in years, most of what he hears is gossip, rumors.. but the confession certainly fits.. so has the greater majority of his work requests.

There's no nod, but he makes a gesture to continue, without comment.]

[totallytrustworthy]

I didn't live in that fancy housing, you know. Charlie and I [She cants her head off in his direction.] we got a flat in the city. Rented it from the people there instead.

It wasn't the life I'd wanted to lead but god knows it felt more my own than living off of handouts like a lapdog-- no offense.

A while ago we went off on a mission. Simple enough, no fuss, no mess to be bothered with. But the trip back never happened-- and when it did it came late as anything. Too late, actually.

[Which, for Chloe, is one hell of a lot of honesty. Makes her itchy and keep on focusing her attention elsewhere, but her days of avoiding direct confrontation are long, long gone. Have been since before she left Syria.] Look, I don't know what it is to have lost what you lot did, okay. I don't. Never will and that's a fact I won't insult you by trying to argue. But I know how we got here, I know that so long as we're not all on the same damn page we're going to keep losing ground.

[the_array_team]

[He waves dismissively at the 'no offense.' When she finishes talking he rubs at his face, wearily.]

Same page, huh. Y'know, since we got up here? I had exactly two people even ask my name. [He doesn't bother to hide the glance at Tess.] For what that were worth.

Exactly one come an' talk t' us about what's goin' on and how t'make things work.


How about we get t'the page that requires the showy entrance and the guns?

[totallytrustworthy]

[There's a sharp tug at the corner of her mouth at that: clearly it's a welcome change in subject.]

Glad you asked. Too many lines separating us means nobody wants names. They don't want anything but pats on the asses and parties for holidays that-- for the record-- would be impossible to track without these tablets telling us what day of the week it is. Or day. Or night.

Or anything. [Space???]

No information's being shared and no one cares. And I could give you the daring, dramatic speech about why that is but I think we're both a little done with the emotional side of things right now.

This, darling, is a fire right under their asses. [And yours, but that doesn't make for a very persuasive argument, does it.]

[the_array_team]

So. You aint workin' with a majority. Small group, showin' off y'got power.

What's next?

[totallytrustworthy]

The illusion of it, anyway. Mostly. [Seviilia gets a peripheral glance for that bit.]

Next they stop being lazy assholes and realize something needs to be done, or they agree to step up and go along with us. [The third option of 'nothing changes' is ignored. Denial's not her thing but this is a sales pitch, after all.] Where you come in is what happens afterwards: once we're back on solid ground and the Initiative's ready to take the reins again.

Because without a sense of control in regards to what decisions are made-- decisions like going to a zombified moon base, or... oh I dunno, stealing a ship from the United Earth for fun-- they're going to keep tugging at the leash. And throwing barbecues. And shopping trips.

Transports need more say in what goes on when we get back. And you're the ones we need arguing for it.

[the_array_team]

Here's t'flaw.

You're outside of my history. It's why you remember shit that gets done and shit that aint happened in the timeline that keeps going.

We get this fixed? There's a fat chance none of this ever happened for me. Sometimes I keep it, sometimes I don't. Notes don't hold, an' who the fuck listens t'dreams?

You want me to promise? It aint goin' farther than this reality right now.

[totallytrustworthy]

[That? That she hadn't expected. And it's obvious for all of a few seconds while she moves to cover that expression up. Toss out the fact that it's absolutely a shit way to live with a forced grin and a shit joke.] Guessing that means no badass tattoos, either.

[the_array_team]

I fancy t'ones I already got.

You want this t'last? Convince them out there. I aint like t'play strong arm for you.

Like yer colleague pointed out, there's good hundred more a them than me. Way I figure it? At least one of em's stupid enough t' try an' kill me.

[totallytrustworthy]

Oh so they do stick. Good. Roll up your sleeves and we'll prison tat this memo out. [There's a half beat, and then:] Kidding.

Mostly.

--I mean unless it'll actually work.

[the_array_team]

[That gets a half smile.]

Think yer shit outta luck, lady.

[totallytrustworthy]

Then it looks like some things never change.[He earns a short scoff of a laugh for that. Smile settling in a bit easier before it goes soft again. Before she lets herself think about how right he is-- and just how screwed up that makes it all. ] Anyway.

Can't be that hard to get everyone riled up, can it?

[the_array_team]

[He shrugs.]

Lights 're out, felt like gravity went and fucked itself for a minute there, network's shot.

Think y'got a start on it. [How they hung themselves after that wasn't really his concern. He didn't put much stock in their sense of persuasive diplomacy... and the one person who DID come and talk to them talked Vennett out of pushing for restricting supply missions in favor of more important ones... likely driven, ironically enough, by a fear of mutiny. As it stands, they weren't at leisure to kill him and his coworkers. It gave him some breathing room.]

What I do want? Is t'get the teams out there back in. I'll be a good lil hostage after that, right?

[totallytrustworthy]

Uh-uh. Doing that means you'll be dragging them right into the middle of this and we haven't got enough supplies as it is. [Sorry Vennett, Chloe's the self preservation sort-- or she was before she felt like her back was to a wall. Some old habits don't shake easily. ]

[the_array_team]

Then let em out. Y'got more than enough weapons in this fuckin' room t'keep us playin' all nice like.

[totallytrustworthy]

We've set up barriers to protect us from everyone else out there. Letting them out either cancels what we've set up or leaves them trapped somewhere else. Or both. I'm sorry, but I can't.

Besides, it wasn't all that bad when I got stuck in there for nearly a month. They'll be fine where they are.

[the_array_team]

[Vennett's expression sinks to a disgruntled air.]

Fine. Yer runnin' it.