Lost in Space

Mass Effect OC: Andromeda & Original Trilogy Compatible Non-selective with fairly lax rules but please pay attention to the ones I have. Always open to new interactions!

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

His mandibles gave another soft flutter. “I’m glad that she does,” He murmured, realization starting to sink it. He’d be lost without his sister in more than one way.  He looked at Tavi again. “You are, but… you’re welcome to stick around even longer.”

Tavi nodded, smile growing. “Good to hear it - we oughta head inside though. Stickin’ around out here with all the things that could kill us is probably a bad idea. I don’t know how much the metal will help, but can’t hurt to put another layer of effort between us and the teeth, yeah?”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

Crassus glanced through the ship too. He knew Taren had curled up in the pilot’s chair. “I’ve missed her too,” He said quietly. “Taren’s very capable on her own but… but I’m glad she missed me enough to come looking for me.”

“Think it don’t matter if she’s capable on her own, she still wants you there.” He smiled, mandibles fluttering faintly before his eyes darted away. “...Kinda makes me wish I was better on the family front, but I’m glad that you guys are letting me stick around for a while. I know I’m just some random guy that showed up and got in the middle of shit.”

[crassussativum]

tavianalvia‌:

“Well lucky you were asleep for most of the going to shit then.” He almost could honestly envy him. He’d much rather have slept through everything that had gone on since he’d been defrosted.

“I’m starting to wish I was still asleep,” He said, running his hands over his face. Gone to shit. He bet that didn’t even cover it. He looked over at Tavi. “Is that everything I need to know?”

[tavianalvia]

“Everything I know at least. Which probably doesn’t mean much but...” He shrugged, then glanced to the ship. “I know it sucks to wake up to all this but I’m glad you’re awake. Taren missed you y’know. Lotta worrying. She’s really needed you back.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“It’s certainly terrifying in its own way, yes,” Crassus hummed, keeping his subvocals soft and calm in response too Tavi’s. “That’s one way to look at it. We- Taren and I- came here for things to be better. Not to watch it all go to shit again.”

“Well lucky you were asleep for most of the going to shit then.” He almost could honestly envy him. He’d much rather have slept through everything that had gone on since he’d been defrosted.

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

Crassus ran his hands over his fringe. “Spirits,” He muttered. “There can’t be just one species of life out there…. If the… exiles are saying they’re seeing more, then we need to consider it.” He took a deep breath to get his head working again. “We should swing back by the Nexus, get some more supplies. Then… then I’ll stay with you and Taren, of course.”

“Even with everything I just said that now that I said it, I’m realizing it all sounds fucking terrifying?” He chuckled, even though his subvocals kept an anxious tinge. “...I’m glad though. Cause if this galaxy is gonna be terrifying, there’s no reason to hang around and wait to die because the people in charge aren’t gonna listen, right?”

[crassussativum]

tavianalvia‌:

Well when he laid it all out like that it sounded even worse. Tavi let out a short little noise of confirmation. “That’s the gist. And it ain’t even covering the hostile aliens. Andromeda’s kind of a wreck.”

“Hostile aliens…. Sentient life?” He asked, sitting back a little, trying to take it all in. “There’s other sentient life in Andromeda?”

[tavianalvia]

Tavi nodded, look shifting into a more sympathetic one when Crassus had to lean back to process the information. It was a lot for someone that had been in it all this time - it was more for someone just popping out of cryo. “...We’ve lost a few settlements to ‘em. They’re called Kett. And... yeah, they’re not happy to see us.”

He paused, almost looking like he was divulging a secret, even though no one was around to overhear. “I heard people that’ve talked to exiles though. They’re saying that there’s other aliens. Besides the kett. Dunno if the upper ranks on the Nexus are ready to acknowledge that yet. They don’t wanna believe information that came from exiles.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“A couple of weeks ago,” Crass repeated, dumbfounded. “Not the original…?” He wasn’t comprehending the details, he realized, which only forced him to conclude he’d probably suffered a decent head injury or things really had gone all FUBAR. Either was plausible, Crass decided. “I need to… my understanding here. The Nexus leaders are gone, the arks are missing but for the human ark and we already have rogue factions fighting us for resources. Is that the gist?” 

Well when he laid it all out like that it sounded even worse. Tavi let out a short little noise of confirmation. “That’s the gist. And it ain’t even covering the hostile aliens. Andromeda’s kind of a wreck.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“Please try,” Crassus said, watching him, listening as Tavi did his best to put things into words. It wasn’t hard to tell that he didn’t have to explain situations often and Crassus wondered just how much of civilian Tavi, he didn’t appear to fall on the same level of civilian student that Taren did but maybe his forte lay elsewhere.

His mind had wandered while he thought about it and the only thing he really picked up was- “We have a pathfinder now? What does that mean?” He tapped his omnitool. “They should’ve all reconvened months ago, it should….” He stopped. “The pods. Something happened to the turian ark to force the pods to jettison…”

“None of the pathfinders were recovered until... fuck, more like a couple weeks ago.” He snorted, but there wasn’t any actual humor in it, just the exhaustion of a year spent expecting to die at any moment. “The human one. Ryder’s their name - except they’re not the original pathfinder either, it’s his kid or whatever. Everyone else...”

He raised one talon up to lightly gnaw on it, letting out a quiet, distressed subvocal. “We don’t know where the turian ark is. We’ve been finding pods but... no ark.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

He’d probably knocked his head around pretty decently on re-entry and that was why Tavi’s words were taking a while for him to understand. And to draw conclusions. “Is there something wrong with the Nexus?” He asked when he got his thoughts together. “I… I’ll go wherever Taren goes to keep her safe but…. Is there really need for it? To be… out like that?”

“It’s hard to explain what’s wrong with the Nexus.” He frowned, letting out a short huff of air as he tried to find the words he wanted. It had been a while since he tried to explain to people that hadn’t had to live on the Nexus for the past year.

 “...Things didn’t go well for the Initiative, not any part of it. The Nexus is... doin’ better, but most of the people that were supposed to be in charge are dead and no one who’s in charge was supposed to be there. It’s kind of a wreck. Buncha people already did a whole fucking thing, tried to take control, got thrown off. If you ask me the only thing keepin’ that from happening again is we got a pathfinder now. Dunno how long it’s gonna last though.”

[crassussativum]

tavianalvia‌:

Tavi sat for a second, then tilted his head. “So this might be a stupid question…Wanna do it again?” He only paused for a second, piping up again before Crassus had a chance to respond. “Just not alone? Because I was talking with Taren and we don’t really wanna go back to the Nexus. Not for good anyway.”

“…Do it again?” Crass asked, his mandibles drawing in a little. “Ah… not here, maybe.” He said when Tavi outlined him and Taren not wanting to go back to the Nexus. “But I’m… not sure what you’re asking exactly.”

[tavianalvia]

“Go out places we don’t know how it’s set up is all I mean.” His mandibles fluttered. Explanations clearly weren’t his strong suit. “We’re playing scouts right now, that was how we got out here to find you. Just think... you know, maybe we could keep doing it. Just it’s gonna be kinda dangerous probably. Hopefully less than what you just did, though.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“Yes, it is,” He agreed quietly. “Luck and training and more luck.” And he hadn’t wanted to die here but there was no point in saying that.

Tavi sat for a second, then tilted his head. “So this might be a stupid question...Wanna do it again?” He only paused for a second, piping up again before Crassus had a chance to respond. “Just not alone? Because I was talking with Taren and we don’t really wanna go back to the Nexus. Not for good anyway.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“Four miles to the west,” Crassus said confidently. “I saw no tracks, no disturbances in the flora or soil other than what was caused by the pods landing. I think… and you’re not going to like it… but I think this creature, whatever it is, is a bird of prey of some kind.”

The noise Tavi made proved that he indeed did not like that at all. Not enough that they had to be terrified of what was on the ground, they were going to need to look at the skies suspiciously too. “It’s amazing you made it so long.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

“No, it’s not good at all.” He said. “I fashioned armor and a weapon from what scrap and supplies I could find when I saw that, but thankfully I never ran in to whatever did it. All the same, I don’t want to.”

“So uh... how far was this?” He was suddenly very aware of the precarious thinness of the walls around them. Sure it was good enough for space but so were the pods that they’d all traveled 600 years in and that still wasn’t enough to protect from... whatever that thing had been. “Should we like? Move the ship?”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

He nodded his head a little and then kept it low at Tavi’s question. “There….” He cleared his throat. “There were four other pods. Two, for the most part, burned up on entry. One was cracked open but…. It wasn’t pretty. The other looked like it was…torn open. There was a lot of blood.”

That clearly wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for. His mandibles flicked and he brought one hand up to chew lightly at a talon. “...That’s not good. The tearing open. What could do that, those pods are built solid. Even if something’s big it’s gotta have something like... claws.”

[tavianalvia]

crassussativum‌:

Crassus considered that, soaking in the information Tavi gave him and still trying to figure out his own sense of time passing. “Well, without water- and I did stumble across a few little pools here and there- that really only gives me three or so days, doesn’t it?” He asked. “To not have died from dehydration…”

“Mhm. So three days or so is probably a pretty good bet. Any longer than that and we wouldn’t of found you, y’know... so uh. Functional.” For various definitions of the word. “No food and barely any water and no sleep. So I think three days is a good guess - were there any other pods? Y’know, other ones that looked like they worked? Or just you?”

[tavianalvia]

solesentinel‌:

Ellie smiled faintly. “It’s homey,” she said with a shrug. “At any rate, we were following Kira, who was following Henley. I assume now that the offer’s been extended, Henley will know better for next time?”

Henley nodded firmly. “Sure thing. Next get together will be at the big place. And sorry again about the intrusion, Tavi. I just… didn’t give it much thought.”

“Homey is just another room for tiny, you can’t trick me with that.” He tried to make it sound stern but only held it for about half the sentence before ending with a snort of laughter. “Still. I’ll be glad to show up somewhere bigger, even if it’s just to eat your food. I ain’t picky.”

[tavianalvia]

andromedadreamer‌:

Lily smiled faintly. “Just keep believing in us, Tavi,” she said. “If we’re crazy enough to fly six hundred years to a different galaxy, we’re sure as hell stubborn enough to survive whatever the hell it can throw at us.”

“Crazy and stubborn gets people through a lot.” He’d echoed her words but without the same amount of certainty. “Just kinda worry that’s all we got sometimes.” He fidgeted again, then let out a short sigh. “I didn’t actually think we’d make it this far when I decided to come. I wasn’t ready to like, make decisions.”