VIDEO

[biotically]

Hello? [ A beat. ] I'm not just...talking to myself, right?

I think I remember hearing about the Cold War in the history files they used to give us to read growing up. I don't think it was supposed to last this long though, if I remember right. So either I'm really that bad at my history, or something's wrong with this place. [ His tone seems to suggest that he knows it's not him that's wrong. ]

The problem is that I'm in the middle of my own war, and it doesn't seem that they really give much of a damn about that, no matter how many times I tried to tell them that I have someplace more important to be. [ A pause. ] There's no place to make my case, is there? To go home?

[ It's just wry enough that it's obviously a joke, but just serious enough that there's an edge to it, the desperate hope that maybe something will come out of it. ]

If I'm stuck here, though, I suppose this is where I'm going to go for company, right? No extranet message boards, no videos posted everywhere? [ A pause. ] It's almost the technological dark ages, isn't it? Or almost, although this is pretty close to doing it with letters and a pony express.

I don't know if this means anything, honestly, but this is Major Alenko of the Systems Alliance, and they told me that this was the place to go to talk to people. So since I'm assuming I'm going to get a response to this, and assuming that everyone else has been brought in like I was...

What kind of places are people being pulled from? Is anyone else kind of in the middle of something important? Or a war? What kind of people were they looking for with this kind of kidnapping?

Comments

permavid!

[heartlessglitch]

You will grow accustomed to the technology.
Some of it is very nearly quaint.

[biotically]

Quaint's a, uh, good way to put it. [ A "nice" way to put it. ]

I feel like I've stepped back into some sort of retro book, or fantasy.

video;

[caladrius]

You'll get used to the technology in time. [After a fashion...] Of course, it wont be easy, but it's what this world has.

video;

[biotically]

I'm adaptable, don't get me wrong. I'm not looking down on them, either. [ A pause. ] This is so far back in the past, I'm impressed their cars fly.

It's still pretty behind, as far as I'm concerned. It's weird, thinking of living life without my modern conveniences.

text : private

[ancillary]

Kaidan Alenko. Served aboard the Systems Alliance vessel the SSV Normandy in 2183 CE.

Stop me if I'm wrong.

text : private

[biotically]

So far so good.

I guess that means something to someone.

video

[youbastard]

[Ellie's favorite people are the ones that also agree that this technology is dark ages stuff.]

I think I might have actually died if it'd been letters and a pony express. [Really, she might have just given up there. She does badly enough with hundred year old technology from her time.] What year is it for you?

[She pauses for a second before going on to answer one of his other questions.] About your other questions, a lot of people say it's random. Who gets pulled here I mean. Personally, I guess you could say I was involved with something important. Not exactly a war though.

video

[biotically]

I couldn't imagine doing without modern conveniences, or... well, at least plumbing.

[ A pause, even so, while he collects himself. He was starting to wonder what kinds of people were around. ]

How important, if you don't mind me asking? It a little inconvenient to pull us away from something like that, doesn't it?

( video )

[abadidea]

[Have an older gentleman who looks pleasantly amused that someone else thinks this technology is terrible. He nods at the man once the feed initializes damn having to wait for it.]

Nice to meet you, Alenko. I'm Isaac Clarke. I, uh, I've never heard of the Systems Alliance. Personally, I'm a citizen of EarthGov.

[He chuckles though.]

This thing's a far shot from a holo-vid, definitely.

( video )

[biotically]

Or much of...anything that I'm used to using. [ Half grumbled.] No extranet either.

Sorry, that's probably a little negative. I'd say its nice to meet you, but I think I'd prefer better circumstances.

Permavid

[governorkang]

Technological dark ages for you, leaps and bounds for some of us.

[Kang smiles wryly, his wings making a dry rustling sound.]

I'm not sure what the criteria is, if any, for people brought here. No matter what our professions at our homes, most of us are not happy about it. Myself, I am the Lord-Governor of a fairly new nation on my world.

[biotically]

So someone important, then?

[ Sounds like a politician... ]

I'm more concerned that they're looking for something in particular.

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Major Alenko.

[The Porter's bringing in dead heroes now. What the heck do you say to someone you've seen on the news posthumously, but never met? Jacob keeps his face neutral while nodding a greeting.]

I'm Jacob Taylor, former Alliance. I've been here about a month now. I can fill you in on some things, but there's still a lot we don't know.

You're right about the dark ages, though. We've got no extranet, no heat sinks, no omni-tools or haptics. I know some people are working on more advanced tech, but for now you're stuck with the old stuff.

Video

[biotically]

[ So, he's read the reports, and he kind of recognizes the face from Horizon.

So. One of Shepard's. ]

Or adapting my stuff, it seems. [ He's hesitant. Isn't this guy with Cerberus? ]

I get it working well enough.

[incendere]

While they seem to have no control over who they're bringing in, they are also under the impression that everyone is willing and capable of fighting for them. Regardless of any experience or what may be occurring back in your own world.

[biotically]

Which is probably their problem.

I'm all for telling people to jump and how high, but this is an extenuating circumstance. This place looks fine.

voice;

[taselikeabee]

You sound a little like a friend of mine. He said that gleaning information from the internet was bogging down his processor - like he could feel his IQ dropping.

voice;

[biotically]

[ Is this another AI? Does nobody have any sensitivity for the "recently almost killed by an AI club? ]

I'm sure the "internet" is no different than the extranet, where stupid things are concerned.

What kind of friend do you have that has, uh, processors?

Video;

[kegflipped]

I'm from Colorado, and I wasn't in the middle of anything super important.

I don't know if that tells you anything.

Video;

[biotically]

I think you're the first person who can't say that they were in the middle of something.

[ A pause. ]

It changes the scope of things, at least. What were you doing? Anything?

Video;

[hoboagogo]

[Sup, roomie- Not that... Shinjiro knows yet.]

I feel like pretty much anyone gets pulled in. Got a good mix of kids, military types, and who knows what else. And I wasn't doing anything important before getting pulled here.

What sorta war were you in the middle of?

Video;

[biotically]

Kids? [ He sounds disgusted with that one. ]

And they're tattooing them?

[ He's had his own problems with having things installed as a child, he can't imagine this is much better. Sorry Shinjiro, get back to him with the war thing later, he's stuck on this. ]

permavid

[you_tried]

Little bit of a culture shock, huh?

[biotically]

[ A pause. ]

Just a bit. Does anyone else, ah, go through this sort of thing?

[transuniversal]

Almost the Dark Ages. They are making an effort to improve.

[Which is a lot kinder than what Noh-Varr would have said some few years ago, when he tried to take over Earth and succeeded in so many alternate dimensions.]

I am Noh-Varr of the Kree, from an alternate dimension with an Earth not dissimilar to this one. Which systems were in alliance?

[And are they ones he would recognize?]

[biotically]

The Kree? [ A pause, because he supposed that shouldn't matter. Although he looks awfully human-like. ]

The Systems Alliance is a human organization. Earth, and the colonies through the Attican Traverse, as well as any of our space stations, of course.