First Shot | Video

[erranthero]

[After she'd gotten herself out of that stasis pod and dressed, holstered, and strapped up, Kerra Holt took a moment to have a look around. This was definitely not where she'd intended to wind up when she'd made that last jump. Hell, where was this? And...what freak had shoved her into a tube naked?

Of course, when Kerra found the commlink, she was definitely going to poke at it. And set off the video thing accidentally.]

Oh. OH! Hey. Video? That's...different.

[Not Sith-tech, unless it was from Calimondra. No way any of the others had that sort of thing. Or Republic make? Or...the Hutts. Either way, it was broadcasting.

Kriff. Broadcasting. That wasn't good. People could see her face. Well...time to put on a smile and ask some questions then, Kerra.]

Right. So. If you can hear this...I guess I'm the new girl around here. And I've obviously got a few questions for anyone with the inclination to answer. Starting with where the hell am I? What system? What Quadrant, even. I don't even know if I'm in the Core Worlds or out on the Outer Rim. Last I knew I was making a Hyperspace jump and now I'm here.

[And just to be safe...but polite at the same time, may as well give the other name.]

Oh, and the name's Mercy.

Comments

[video]

[hypospraying]

I'm not sure what system this is. From what I hear, the stars don't match up to any known charts. Anyway, this planet is Verdana, and I'm Christine.

[video]

[erranthero]

Don't match any known charts? So this is...great. I'm the luckiest girl in the Galaxy, aren't I? Accidentally wind up in uncharted space.

[Kerra snorted in amusement. At least she's got a sense of humor.]

Well, nice to meet you Christine. Any idea how I got into this stasis pod?

[There's a loud bang and the image of her kicking something, though slightly off center.]

[video]

[hypospraying]

Well the story is something like we were collected to help in some periodic war Verdana has with another planet, but I don't know if that's even true.

Um, everything okay?

[video]

[erranthero]

Story according to who? Who runs this planet?

[She laughs and gives the comm a sheepish look]

Yea, I just...stubbed my toe.

[Okay, note to self, don't kick them again. OW.]

[video]

[hypospraying]

Well out here in the Old City there's Nem. I guess he's in charge. And there's Roni, the leader of the military. But there's this city under a dome nearby too, and from what I hear, they sometimes launch attacks on the Old City. So I guess they run the planet overall. I'm pretty new myself; it just so happens a friend from home was already here, and he's been filling me in.

[video]

[girlworthfighting]

Greetings to you, Mercy. My name is Mulan. Sounds to me as you're in the same place I was just a few weeks ago.

The world we're in now is a place called Verdana. No one I've spoken to thus far seems to know how we got here, or have any memories of what happened to us. I'm afraid I might not be able to answer too many of your questions, considering how dissimilar this land is to the one I came from. Some of the others should be able to help.

[video]

[erranthero]

You too? Well, least I'm not alone. Nice to hear the voice of experience , and to meet you Mulan.

I take it it's not just you and me? Are there natives at all, or is it all just survivors from...whatever this is?

[video]

[girlworthfighting]

I just wish it could be under better circumstances.

It isn't just us, and from what I've seen there appears to be a mixture of both many natives and newer arrivals. The local village is something of a ruin, but the people there make do. There's some sort of ongoing war with the inhabitants of the nearby domed city.

[video]

[erranthero]

War with a dome. What's the reason? Are the locals rebels or something?

[video]

[girlworthfighting]

That would be a not inaccurate way to put it. The so-called 'Outer Authorities' from within the dome either want to oppress or destroy the people out here; reports vary. I haven't seen them acting much like rulers but they do seem to consider the outsiders a threat. At times they patrol the wastes out here. They're dangerous and should be avoided.

[Video]

[kettchmeifyoucan]

[Wes appears on screen, clad in a flightsuit that would be familiar, if only Kerra had been born several centuries later. As it is, it is simply... very orange]

The planet is called Verdana. We're way beyond the Unknown Regions though. There's only two of us who have even heard of the Core Worlds or the Outer Rim.

[Well, three with Luke's girl, but that was complicated]

[Video]

[erranthero]

[Kerra gives a start at that. Beyond the Unknown Regions? How was that...how'd that happen? That meant...she'd gone outside the Galaxy?]

Only two? Sithspit, this just gets worse and worse.

[She scrubs her face and gives Wes an apologetic look through the camera.]

Who are you, and what planet are you from?

[She can't quite place his accent, but if she had to guess...he's not a Rimmer.]

Re: [Video]

[kettchmeifyoucan]

Wes Janson. Tanaab born, currently stationed on Coruscant.

[It's the simple answer. No use going into the more complicated version right now.]

[Video]

[erranthero]

A pleasure, Wes. You a pilot?

[Those flightsuits aren't that different from the ones in her time, but the coloration is just a little eye-searing.]

I take it that means you're with the Republic, and not Sith?

[Hope thats the case, anyway...]

Re: [Video]

[kettchmeifyoucan]

Republic pilot, yeah.

[He frowns. After all the timeline shenanigans, he's learned to pick up on the signs of a disparity. Other than... he's talking to someone. That seems to be a pretty good sign as a rule.]

This is going to sound strange, but what year is it for you?

[eternal_protector]

[Jarael's stoney face will appear on the viewscreen and she replies in a fairly factual tone. There is a hint of sympathy there, though, and perhaps a hint of appreciative recognition. It's nice to actually hear mention of places she knows.]

Mercy... You may have been captured like the rest of us after your last jump. Apparently that's what happened, anyway. I haven't been here very long either. But we all got onto the ship somehow.

[erranthero]

Yea, it happened somehow. I don't...guess it really matters now, since I'm stuck here.


But when you say captured, you mean you think we were taken?

[eternal_protector]

[She nods. Tone ever-so-slightly sarcastic - yes, what else would she have meant by 'captured'?]

That is what I have been told. I don't recall it happening either... but here we are.

[erranthero]

[Kerra rolls her eyes at the sarcasm]

Yea, like I said, don't guess it matters much how we got here, at least not yet. Though it's certainly the...most liberal definition of capture I've ever seen. Letting us keep our weapons and wake up on our own. Damn sight better than a Sith prison, for sure.

[She shrugs, another bridge to cross when it comes down to it.]

What should I call you then? And where're you from?

[eternal_protector]

[Her eyes go wide - with surprise and perhaps a hint of sympathy.]

You've been in a Sith prison before? And you're still alive?

[Shaking away the multitude of awful thoughts which spring to mind at the very idea of that.]

My name's Jarael. I was on Taris before I was brought here. Where are you from?

[Video]

[genoshas_general]

It's good to see you've woken up, Mercy. By now you'll have gotten the regular explanation, but what too many of my comrades seem to de-emphasize is that we are war.

[Video]

[erranthero]

War? With who, and why?

[And without saying it...who's side am I on?]

[Video]

[genoshas_general]

The Outer Authorities. For survival. They don't much like us refugees. Or anyone outside the Dome.

[Video]

[erranthero]

I heard about the Dome. Some sort of environment dome. Any idea why?

And...how are we fighting back?

[She knows she's already jumping in headfirst...]

[Video]

[genoshas_general]

[Wanda smiles at that. Good answer.] It protects them. From us, or something else, I'm not sure.

We're working on a few things. There's a Militia, but it's pretty half-hearted.