PILOT'S LOG 1.03 ✈ AUDIO; CONSOLE

[merb]

So when the information on this place said that people you know could appear... and then disappear... without warning? There could have been a subsection about it only lasting two weeks.

[ A silence, just a shade longer than a subject change would have necessitated. ]

What kinds of metals are commonly used in your worlds? I'm having some trouble finding comparable materials.

Comments

audio

[backwordscompatible]

[Believe it or not, Zatanna had experienced a similar fleeting glimpse of old faces and familiar sentiments. Even if it didn't show; she was far too used to the comings and goings, and since Korra had gotten a grand farewell the first time, there wasn't too much sadness in realizing their reunion was to be short-lived.]

To be fair, it doesn't usually happen so quickly.

Friend from home, I'm guessing?

Re: audio

[merb]

What's the normal duration?

Yeah, my squad's navigator, Piper.

audio

[backwordscompatible]

[An eyebrow rose at the name. It couldn't be a coincidence.]

Normal is a really, really relative term around here...but usually, people last at least a few months before leaving. Beyond that, it's a toss up--my boyfriend and I've been here for years, remember?

What's Piper look like?

Re: audio

[merb]

[ Stork makes a face at the thought of being stuck here for years, even though it's an audio feed and Zatanna can't see it. If he's away from his ship that long, he'd probably just... die, or something. ]

She's a human. [ this is a relevant distinction to make for him ] Dark blue hair, brown skin. She wears a flight suit like mine, but in blue and yellow colours.

[video]

[bigdamnhiro]

Titanium. Aluminum. But carbon fiber's way more common anymore - it's not a metal, but it's just as durable and more lightweight. It's also a manufactured material, which means, yeah, they don't have anything like it here.

[He sounds tired. Maybe not as peppy as the last time he invaded one of Stork's network posts, but it's been...a day. His Aunt's gone and Tadashi's still upset. He needed a distraction. Still, he feels compelled to ask to be sure:]

So it's true? They're gone for real?

Re: [video]

[merb]

Both of those metals I recognize, yeah. Sometimes we denote if it comes from a specific terra, like Tundras steel. What's carbon fiber made of?

There aren't a lot of textile producing terras left in Atmos, and Cyclonia controls almost all of them... pretty much everything's reused.

[ That's actually an understatement, and even clothing is often heavily patched. His own flightsuit is clear evidence of that, and his teammates' are likewise designed. ]

... Just back home, apparently.

[video]

[bigdamnhiro]

I mean, I guess it's okay, as long as they're safe. But...kinda a shock when you didn't know it was gonna happen.

[It's not really okay. But now that he knows for sure, he's gonna try to avoid talking about it too much more. As long as Aunt Cass is okay....

Still sucks, though.]

Carbon fiber's not really a fiber, it's...I guess it's a composite polymer made up of a bunch of different stuff, but the primary ingredient is carbon filaments. Stuff diamond's made of. So yeah, it's pretty tough, but it's also light enough for practical uses.

My brother built a robot with a skeleton made of the stuff. He looks like a stiff breeze could blow him over, but he can also lift up to a ton, so...yeah. It's cool stuff. Wish we could make it here, but it takes equipment we don't really have.

Re: [video]

[merb]

[ It does suck, he'll agree with that much. Instead, he'll listen with interest as Hiro describes the carbon fiber, and he's right, it's not like anything they have in Atmos either, where metal is the primary building material. ]

It sounds versatile, but how is it for re-use? At least with metal, you can just smelt it down and recast it.

Video

[seismometrics]

It's not exactly the usual -- unless it's something new. But you can't expect this place to have rules it sticks to.

That's the one thing that is consistent.

[How she feels about that is unknown.]

Iron. Copper, bronze, silver, gold, steel. Tin. Lead. [Her shoulders lift.] At least in my world, anyway.

Re: Video

[merb]

Did someone you know show up too?

Good, all of those I recognize.

Video

[seismometrics]

I guess? Didn't really see them, though. I take it someone did for you?

And yeah, I think they're pretty common -- they seem to be around here too, from what I can tell. We've got a lot of people from other places, though, so they may have different stuff.

It kind of ends up like that whole "why are there humans and no Merbs" question you were talking about. Some things seem to be pretty common between all of us, and some things just aren't at all.

Re: Video

[merb]

Piper, my squad's navigator.

Metal isn't in huge supply here, though. Guess it's harder to dig for ore when it's not real ground under your feet...

audio;

[needmetoo]

They're all really gone? All of them?

[Her voice is quiet, miserable. She'd already noticed Roxas' absence, and that's what she's really mourning, more than anything. And yet...]

Re: audio;

[merb]

[ Aaaand now Stork feels bad. Cue awkward attempt at reassurance. ]

Just, uh... back to where we left them. No harm done.

Re: audio;

[needmetoo]

[There's a sad sort of sigh there.]

Yeah. Like they said, like no time's passed... and they don't remember.

[That... somehow stings. A lot more than it should.]

Then again... maybe it's better he forgets some of what happened, anyway.

[Her voice cracks a little. The very idea is like kicking herself in the gut and yet... that is one of the clear things she does remember, how upset he'd been. How protective he'd been afterwards. If her being careless had hurt him, maybe it was better he didn't have to remember that.]

Re: audio;

[merb]

It's not.

[ The reply comes surprisingly quick, and in a very different tone than the unsure awkwardness of a moment ago. ]

Getting forgotten, even... partly, or for a few years, is bad. Being remembered means you made a difference.

[Audio]

[wolfstrike]

If there is, I'd like to know about it.

[Some people he knew had decided to appear and then vanish again too.]

Most of our metals are the same as most everyone else's. It's the rare ones that are different.

Re: [Audio]

[merb]

You and me both.

What are the rare ones? I'm not a mind reader.

[Audio]

[wolfstrike]

Rare metal.

[And he's not even joking. That's actually what it's called.]

(Audio)

[stonebird]

I don't think that holds true for everyone. (But she is sorry he suffered that way.) Iron is used most often in my world, but gold and silver are used for jewelry. There is even something called Valyrian Steel, which is said to be the strongest of the metals.

Re: (Audio)

[merb]

Silver and gold are pretty rare anymore, in Atmos. There's some, of course, but even for jewelry, it's almost always been re-melted from whatever it's original form was. Or, if it comes from Vapos, it just turns back into mist.

Valyrian Steel, hmm... sounds interesting. I don't suppose you have any?

(Audio)

[stonebird]

Metal can become mist? How? (She wonders about that process. Is Vapos exceptionally hot?) I'm afraid I do not. It is mainly used for weapons.

[video]

[theideaguy]

Oh, did we forget to mention all the provisos and the exceptions and subparagraphs about how all kinds of strange this place was and that we still don't know how the thing bringing us here works?

[Yeah.]

As far as metals, mostly iron, copper, silver, gold. Platinum is kinda rare.

Re: [video]

[merb]

Those are all familiar. We use platinum for fine mechanics.

[video]

[theideaguy]

Not too surprising, though we haven't really gotten to that point yet. All of our technological things seem to like iron best.