shipmaster | (no subject)

[ So it is the ship draining their energy. That's good to know - if they can get back out again. Miles cries out in pain as Bel's weight instantly draws him back down, nearly toppling him over again. Synth bones or not, he's still weak from his recent cryorevival. It's only stubbornness driving his grip right now. ]

I'm - holding - dammit --

[ He resettles his grip on the outside of the gash and hauls back with all of his diminutive weight. ]

Hold harder!

[Miles gets a few inches, enough for Bel to swing and grab his hand with their other. Hand over hand, they ... sort of climb up Miles, scrabbling at the lip when they have a good handhold. Their suit is beeping wildly: 5%]

[ That works. Miles holds still while Bel does that, fearing that any twitch would send both of them falling back down and freezing inside their suits. ]

Captain!

[ He turns just enough to give Bel one last push towards safety. ]

[They just drop where they are, arm held up to watch the power ... not ticking down any further. They are just going to lay here a moment, breathing out some of this adrenaline.]

Yes. Thank you.

[ Oh thank god. Miles flops down into the sand next to them, just grateful to still be functioning. Despite being right back out in the sand where they started. ]

That .... is a problem.

[Their own readout sits, alarming, at 2%. They watch it a little more, feeling cold from the nerves and the near miss. Is the weakness their imagination or...?]

More than a little one. We're going to have to warn the others...

[ Miles sure isn't letting his gaze stray from Bel for a moment here. He needs to make sure they're going to continue to be all right. ]

Yes, agreed. I need to warn them. [ A pause. ] You need to rest.

I'm fine, just shaken. [Probably. Or will be as long as nothing else happens. They look over at Miles, not getting up yet, but frowning.] Everything whole there?

[ Miles turns a bit, checking himself over. Nothing wrong here. ]

I'm perfectly fine. Thanks to you boosting me out, I still have more power than you do.

Edited 2016-10-31 01:42 (UTC)

[There's a long moment, weighing just how much trouble Miles can get into...

Versus Miles on a really specific mission.]

There is that..

Fine. Just be careful. [They close their eyes, as if for patience, ... or maybe just to nap for a moment.]

[ Poor Bel. Miles' expression softens for a moment before he gets up. ]

Ten minutes, I promise.

[ He hurries off. ]

[In the bright, punishing heat of the nearby star, Miles' suit quickly begins to recharge as he scrambles back up the walls of the sinkhole and onwards.

In the dimmer comfort of the sinkhole, and perhaps the proximity to the ship, the recharge is much slower... but persistently there. In those long minutes, Bel began to feel better.

Then bored.

Then REALLY BORED.

By the time Miles returns, Bel is up, moving around at a safer 30% and searching around the ship for debris to throw down the gap for an easier time getting back out.]

[ It doesn't help that Miles appears to be taking his sweet time about it. But eventually he does return, grinning from ear to ear. ]

Captain! I have a surprise for you.

[Which means, by the time Miles actually saunters in, Bel is sitting on top of the ship, legs swinging, their task ... relatively done.]

Admiral... should I be worried?

No, no. This is a good thing, truly.

[ He tosses up one of the small white orbs that they had found in the Queen's abdomen. ]

Try applying that to your suit.

[Bel catches it, and turns it over in their hand.

For a moment, they take the more literal meaning, first pressing it to the suit, then attempting to scrape it over the surface. With a look back at Miles to make sure the Admiral wasn't taking a piss at them, they FINALLY break it. The light flashes, and the suit beeps: 100%

Instantly.]

... Where did you get that?

[ Miles is very proud of himself, okay. He grins as Bel's suit lights back up. ]

From our usual benefactor. The belly of the Queen herself.

... Survey would all but wet themselves to get a crack at the ecology here, you know.

Dear god, yes. Perhaps we can sell all this info to them once we get back.

What a price too! New world, breathable atmosphere, and if you hurry right now, you can meet sentient aliens.

We'll be millionaires by the end of it all. If we can get there.

What's this if? Planning on building a mansion made of killer ships and bug shells?

If I must. Though it's hardly my first choice.

Hopefully not the only. [They slide down the small embankment and back towards Miles.]

Any other good news?

[ Miles shakes his head. ]

Nothing specific. Everyone's looking to explore the ruins at this point. Certainly with the help of these spheres we ought to have fewer problems.

[ He brightens as another thought occurs to him. ]

Or we could hook up our signal to one directly.