【 VIDEO 】un: paladin

[bayarm]

[ yet another new face. but someone familiar with it might recognise that shiro is presently inside the castle of lions. ]

We’ve all been told about the anomalies; I got the welcome package same as everyone else, I assume. But I’m wondering — is this still the same galaxy? The same universe? Before I came here, I was falling through a wormhole.

[ for a moment, his expression shifts from neutral to something sad, almost pained. it doesn’t last very long. he wishes he knew where the rest of his team was, whether they’re all right. at least allura is here, but pidge, keith, hunk and lance? he can only hope they're okay, and the forced inactivity doesn't sit well with him. ] I come from a planet called Earth, but I recently learned that there are a lot of space-faring races in the galaxy and that most of the galaxy has already been taken over by the Galra.

Does any of this sound familiar?

[ from what he's seen on the network so far, the question will likely be answered in the negative, and so a moment later he adds: ] If it doesn’t, and this is another universe, — any ideas on how to get back?


( ooc; and for all your ooc plotting needs, shiro on the intro/cr meme! )

Comments

[bayarm]

[ shiro's answer is immediate and firm: ]

That's a good thing.

[yokunaru]

What are the Galra like? There...aren't too many people from the same world or galaxy here, but it's still possible.

If the Galra are that bad, we should keep an eye out for them.

[bayarm]

Tall, purple, cruel, exploitative —

I hope you never have to meet them.

[yokunaru]

Let's hope none of them end up here, if that's the case.

[A pause--] Wait, did you say purple?

[bayarm]

I did say purple. Why?

[yokunaru]

Oh. Just--I guess the diferent skin color's what I would've expected from aliens before the anomaly brought me here. I watched a couple Sci-fi movies with my old roommate.

If they stand out that much, at least they'll be easier to spot.

[bayarm]

I've also met aliens who look very similar to humans. The Galra don't, though. They're still humanoid, but you wouldn't mistake them for human.

[yokunaru]

Doesn't sound like it.

[There's a note of uncertainty in his voice when he asks--]

Um...is your Earth alright? You said you recently learned about the Galra. It isn't because they've been trying to attack, is it?

[It's the first thing he jumps to, knowing now that the Galra have taken over a lot of places already.]

[bayarm]

My Earth is fine. For now, at least. The Galra came close to it twice, but they haven't been since as far as I know. Most people don't even know aliens exist.

[ he just got lucky, if by lucky you mean he got captured by the galra and was their prisoner for a year. that's a fast way to learn about the existence of all kinds of aliens. ]

[yokunaru]

That's good. [He sounds genuinely relieved that Earth isn't among the Galra conquered.]

Wait...if they aren't aware of aliens, then how did you find out?

[bayarm]

I was on a mission to Kerberos. The furthest any human has ever been away from Earth. [ his tone takes on a slightly distant note, like he's just reciting facts instead of talking about something that happened to him. ]

The Galra captured and imprisoned my team and me.

[yokunaru]

[Quietly, after a second of shocked silence--] I'm so sorry.

Was that...where you were when the anomaly caught you?

[bayarm]

No. That was over a year ago.

[ don't ask him how long he was imprisoned, please. ] I escaped, and together with some others, I'm now fighting the Galra. Or I was, before I arrived here.

[yokunaru]

I...[A quick inhale to steady himself.] I'm glad you were able to get out of there.

I don't know how likely it is that we can find our home...worlds and galaxies again, though. They've been telling us that it's impossible.

[bayarm]

[ shiro's glad, too. but even more so about the change of topic. ]

That doesn't have to mean that it is. Maybe so. Or maybe that's what they want us to believe, or maybe they haven't tried everything. Who knows?

Private

[yokunaru]

[Oh, hey it sounds like the perfect time to use the encryption feature Cassian had written into his device for him.]

Um, actually, about that. The older crew members are a little weird about the people the anomalies have been bringing in. Apparently it's been going on for a long time, but they don't seem really concerned.

∞

[bayarm]

[ fancy that. shiro hasn't figured out how to encrypt anything; he isn't pidge. ]

Weird how? I noticed they don't really answer questions.

[yokunaru]

That's exactly it. They tell you the same thing as the orientation video, but they don't really tell you more beyond that.

[He pauses.] Some newer people have been here for weeks, so they've had some time to ask around. One of them told me that we're the only newer crew members around now. Everyone who got snatched by the anomalies before us is no longer on board.

[bayarm]

The video wasn't that informative.

[ and that - is interesting information. ] So maybe there is a way out.

[yokunaru]

Maybe. The thing is--the crew says that the people like us from before either stayed behind in other worlds or...died. Nothing about going back to where they came from.

[Softly, he continues.] I don't know if there is something going on, or if they're just used to the anomalies now, but either way it sounds like we're on our own for this.

[bayarm]

How many of us are there? Do you know?

[ that doesn't sound great, admittedly, but it's still not impossible. shiro refuses to believe it is. he's managed to escape from galra captivity, and plenty of people would have said that's impossible. this may not be captivity, or not the same kind, but the point stands. ]

[yokunaru]

I don't have an exact number. [There's a pause as he mentally tallies up.]

I think...there were about 20 people at the New Year's party we had. Not everyone showed up, though. And there's been a lot of people showing up in the past week or so. We might have somewhere between thirty to forty people?

[Though he'd quietly gone through the list, he still doesn't sound certain.]

[bayarm]

In the time that you've been here, has anyone asked? Tried a census or a survey of sorts.

[ shiro doesn't like statistics, but pooling their resources is more likely to lead to success in getting back, isn't it? and if an estimate is the closest they have to knowing how many people actually want to get back, that's only a starting point. ]

[yokunaru]

No... I don't remember anyone asking that before. We should take a census, though.

[He hums softly, in thought.]

It might be a little difficult to keep up if there's no end to the anomalies bringing people here. But it's definitely do-able.

[bayarm]

Maybe they'll let us add a message to the orientation video.

[ he doesn't want to get his hopes up, so this is just thinking out loud. it would make it easier, keeping track of who gets pulled in, or how many. ]