001 [video]

[dogsanddaughters]

[Have a wide-eyed teenager fussing with her phone. The video is a little shaky. She's sitting in one of the apartments, Barnaby's head in her lap, and seems to be sincerely cheerful despite waking up someplace far from home. Miriam waves.]

Hi! Looks like we're all stuck here for a bit, so I figured I'd introduce myself and what not. It kinda sucks right now, but that doesn't mean I don't wanna meet you guys! Anyway, I'm Miriam, and this handsome dude is Barnaby.

[Barnaby sneezes.]

He's my guy, so don't shoot him or anything. He won't do anything bad.

Two things.

First, uh, I know it's a long shot and all, but anybody seen a lady named Bethany? She's really tall and she's got brown hair and she's my mom, so it'd be really cool if I could find her. Maybe she's not here, but I gotta ask.

Secondly--

[Miriam holds up a crude drawing to the phone. It's the logo for the Sons of Plunder - a human skull with blue roses for eyes.]

--anybody walking around wearing this? Asking for a friend.

Comments

[tongueamok]

Something like that. We didn't have space ships in Bear Den, either. Just, ah... Something I saw once I left home.

[dogsanddaughters]

Guess that was pretty different, huh?

[tongueamok]

Very.

[Unfortunately.]

[dogsanddaughters]

Is the Tranquility nice? I heard the big ships are supposed to be nice.

[tongueamok]

It was in some ways. At least compared to when the ship crashed.

[dogsanddaughters]

I'm sorry. [She's quiet for a moment, just petting Barnaby.] But you lived. So it's okay.

[tongueamok]

Hah. If only.

[Yeah, that's going to require some explanation.]

Not that it's bad that I survived, along with many others, but where we crashed was less than ideal. A dense jungle, full of hazards. We couldn't stay in the wreckage, either. It was unstable.

[dogsanddaughters]

[Miriam blinks.] But you didn't die. You make it better if you don't die.

[tongueamok]

I can't say some didn't try, but there's only so much you can do in a world like that.

[dogsanddaughters]

Is Hadriel better, then?

[tongueamok]

I haven't been here long enough to pass a fair judgment, but by the virtue of it not being a dense jungle, I'd say yes. At least there are some signs of civilization here.

[dogsanddaughters]

Yeah, they got houses and stuff.

[Miriam pauses.]

What's a jungle like?

[tongueamok]

Trees. Bugs. An endless landscape of things looking to kill you. Even the water was hostile, where we were.

[dogsanddaughters]

But there were trees? They had roots and stuff and they weren't just growing out of pots?

[tongueamok]

Who would try to grow a tree out of pot?

[dogsanddaughters]

'cause they don't have any dirt? [Miriam pauses.] Well, I guess they did one time. There was a park. But the Sons burned it down.

[tongueamok]

Why would they do something like that?

[dogsanddaughters]

'cause they're assholes, that's why.

[tongueamok]

Who are they? Aside from that, obviously.

[dogsanddaughters]

Oh. I guess you wouldn't know. [She's quiet for a moment. Barnaby whines and bumps his head against Miriam's legs until she starts petting him.] The Sons of Plunder. They're slavers. And other things. Bad people.

[tongueamok]

Slavers? That's... that's awful.

[dogsanddaughters]

Yeah. But I don't think they're here, so that's---something. I guess.

[tongueamok]

And if they were, I supposed they'd be as trapped as the rest of us. I suppose there's not much to be done about it either way.

[dogsanddaughters]

Guess not. At least not right now. Maybe we'll think of something. You look smart. Any ideas?

[tongueamok]

Me? Ideas?

[He looks horrified by the prospect.]