001 (video)

[jumpiness]

[ Maybe Independence Day is Coach Finstock's favorite movie for a reason. All Stiles knows is, at first he was in his jeep, dropping Scott off at home - and then he was in a shuttle, with some nasty-looking dude with six eyes staring at him.

He may have shrieked in a totally manly way and sat on the bench furthest away from him.

Anyway the shuttle - space shuttle, space ship - had set down, and he'd been herded out and dumped on a launch pad in some serious need of scrubbing. Some dude with actualfax fucking mandibles had tiredly told him that he was supposed to go to Zeta district and help with repairs if he didn't have anything better to do. He did not field any other questions. Stiles has been flying by the seat of his pants for the last few hours.

That first hour may have involved hyperventilating.

Regardless, he knows how to work this omni-tool thing now and he's using it thanks to ingenuity and possibly some passerby help. His face fills up the entire screen. ]

So aliens are real. Big, giant huge wrinkly aliens that look like they want to eat my face, and blue space babes. Okay, that's cool, we respect all of the species in human-land. Totally cool bros here.

[ A teenager's very determined expression of resolve goes here, though. ]

What we don't respect is kidnapping. Which I'd say is what just happened, you know. But I've got questions. If any of you see a five foot three girl with fair skin, green eyes, and strawberry blonde hair, or a five foot ten dude with tan skin, brown eyes, brown hair and an uneven jawline, you're gonna tell me, okay?

And if any of you touch a hair on that fine lady's head, I'm going to go Will Smith on your butts.

[ Scott can handle some heat. Stiles turns the video off, then switches it back on suddenly. ]

And the dude you're telling is Stiles!

Comments

[jumpiness]

[ A hollowed out asteroid. At least it isn't hurting towards Earth. Stiles has seen how that movie ends. ]

Oh, wonderful. I'm on a rock full of murdering psychopaths, and most of them are aliens. That's comforting to know.

[ Nevermind, he wants the commune of werewolves. ]

Uhh - which ones are the batarians? How many eyes do they have?

[sucking]

A list of what we need to find out, acquire - everything we need to do so that we don't forget something vital.

[She's thinking they need to find out about employment, food supplies, who to pay for this 'protection' and anything else that might come up.]

A list of questions and then we'll just go down the list and find the answers. [She shoots him a glance.] We won't starve. [She can always sell her jewelry. It's possible that they are valuable one some level. They're minerals or gems. Diamond earrings (that her father gave her) are at the very least good for cutting things.]

[jumpiness]

[ Somehow, Lydia's steady tone helps Stiles calm down, just a little. ]

Well, we do repair work, according to the angry purple woman. [ Saying that physically hurts. ] There seem to be a bunch of her guys around here, so we can ask one of them. I think that's who we pay for protection, too.

Gonna have to talk to them to make sure about that, though. Does this thing have a notepad function?

[ He's already looking for it as he speaks. It seems like he can save files of text, at least, and even share it with Lydia. ]

[airraid]

So I'm assuming your ride isn't a remastered Mako or the Hammerhead.

[he swears if he has to hear vega ramble about that shit any more than he already has he's going to hire somebody to kick his ass for him.

and this place doesn't have museums, so you're shit outta luck on that one.] The blinking one should be you, yeah. What's it look like where you are? Maybe I can try to help you figure it out.

[because he has nothing better to do with his life right now, let's be real.]

[techburst]

[either with bruce willis blowing it up or it crashing into the ocean and flooding half of the northern hemisphere.

what.

she's watched a few ancient earth vids with her sister when they were kids. they were kind of fascinating.] Hey, it just means you have to be careful, that's all. [she's .. at least trying to be reassuring? she isn't entirely sure it's working, though. hrm.]

The ugly ones with four eyes. Generally the more .. unfriendly bunch around here.

[jumpiness]

Careful? I can do careful. Careful is my middle name.

[ No okay his middle name is "befuddle authority", really. And he snorts loudly after a moment. ]

So there's the unfriendly four-eyed ones and then the unfriendly triangle-headed ones?

[ Those are krogan, Stiles. ]

[jumpiness]

Hammerhead or mako... shark? No.

[ Stiles figures that those are probably vehicles, but he's going to play stupid for now. Also, picturing sharks with wheels? Totally helping de-stress him a little. ]

It looks like one of the launch pads. But it's definitely not the one I arrived on, that one had a guy with a mandible hanging around.

If I'm the blinking one, I just need to figure out how to get to, uh. [ He repeats the bar name that Lydia gave him. ] I dunno if that's even in this district, or how to look for it.

[sucking]

[She nods and wonders if the wandering protection providers are unionized.]

I'm not sure... [She starts to fiddle with the device, trying to locate - oh. So apparently it does.] Did you find it?

[jumpiness]

Yeah, it's right over - [ He leans over to show her, fiddling with it further and typing in some words. Just to make sure, he hits enter to make sure they're not command lines. They stay in place, so he shares the file. ] there, I think.

[sucking]

[She makes a pleased hum of sound and then continues to flip through the other functions of the device. She sees archived broadcasts, which will be important to learn more about their surroundings and maps.]

Should we explore or stay here? [Lydia votes explore, but she also doesn't want to get kidnapped by hostile residents of this place, either.]

[jumpiness]

[ The archives Stiles has found - it's how he found Aria's posts to begin with.

Stiles exhales. ]

Do we even have food here? Becaus food's a priority, and if there's nothing here, we need to go figure out how to get that. And jobs.

[sucking]

[She stands up straighter and nods.]

So, we explore.

idk up to you if you want to handwave the rest?

[jumpiness]

[ He sighs a little, turning his omni tool off and scrubbing his hands over his short hair. ]

Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.

yes, that sounds good to me.

[sucking]

[She nods.]

Good. We'll just have to deal with whatever happens as it happens.

[airraid]

.. Never mind. Sometimes I forget some of you dopes don't know what the hell I'm talking about even if you come from Earth.

[sigh. stiles you're killing him man. please stop thinking about sharks with wheels.

even if that would be pretty cool. just saying.] Oh, I know that place! [NO HE DOESN'T.] It's in the same district as you, but you're gonna have to go through a shit ton of back alleys to get there. Probably have to step over a few dead bodies on the way. You sure it's worth it?

[trolololo.]

[techburst]

.. Somehow I find that hard to believe.

[you don't look like you could keep yourself out of trouble if someone paid you. come on now.

and she has to keep from laughing at that.] Triangle-headed ones .. I don't suppose they go around headbutting people, do they?

[jumpiness]

You're the dope. Stop talking space and be straight with me.

[ Master of comebacks 2011: Stiles Stilinski.

Also, Joker's attempt to possibly gross him out... succeeds, really, but Stiles has his determiend face on because Lydia. ]

Yes, it's worth it. Compared to what I'd go through to get to her, some back alleys with killers is business as usual.

[ Actually that last part is true lol. ]

[jumpiness]

Wipe that dubious look off your face, because I'm a master of it.

[ At her other question he makes a face, vaguely sickened. ]

Yes, people and each other, possibly they've also been eating metal nails.

[airraid]

I can't stop talking space, smartass. Have you noticed that's where we are? [seriously. he's not good at dealing with kids. he never has been.

yes, you're a kid to him, stiles. not a teenager. you're a baby.]

but stiles seems serious about this chick, so .. maybe he'll start actually being helpful. for once in his life.

but he's still going to be a sarcastic little shit about it.] Is there something worse than back alleys with killers?

[jumpiness]

Just because we're in space doesn't mean you need to be like, oooh, shark vehicles and flux capacitors and dilithium crystals!

[ Okay he made the last part of that up. Possibly all of the parts. ]

Having to actually hold conversations with killers? That's pretty terrifying, in my experience.

[techburst]

I'm sorry, what face?

[wow stiles you're fun.]

Ah, those'll be krogan .. they're big babies, you're fine. Unless they've been drinking ryncol .. then you might wanna watch your ass.

[airraid]

Are you comparing Omega to Back to the Future? Kid, you're way off the mark. FTL travel is waaaay more complicated than getting a beat-up car to eighty-eight miles an hour.

[shut up don't judge him he does what he likes and watches what he likes you can't stop him.

and now he's squinting a little bit at that.] Do you make a habit out of holding conversations with 'em? That's kinda weird, man.

[jumpiness]

Considering I don't know what FTL travel involves, Back to the Future is actually my best reference.

[ Though Aria is a terrible Doc, let's be honest. ]

Be my guest at explaining it, dude.

[ At the question, Stiles looks distinctly uncomfortable. ]

I don't make a habit of it, but it seems to keep happening in my life. Almost daily. Maybe I'm murder bait, who knows.

[jumpiness]

That's right, you don't have a face. You are a face lacker creature.


[ no, u. and he makes a face at benji after a moment. ]

What the hell is ryncol, and why do those [ what did she call them ] krogan drink it?

[airraid]

Mass effect cores, mostly. Much more interesting than flux capacitors.

And I'm more entertaining than Doc Brown.

[YEAH HE JUST SAID IT.]

I don't think your simple, teenager brain would be able to comprehend it. Thanks for trying, though. [read: he doesn't feel like explaining it right now thank you have a nice day.]

.. Murder bait. Man, I think you ended up on the wrong damn station.