This One Just Became a Leadership Conversation

[prettycoolguy]

This is Spartan One-One-Seven broadcasting on an unknown communications array.

[ A few members of the team have seen the Master Chief around, but he hasn't made major contact before now. For most of the group, it's the first time they've seen this scarred face. And for one of them, it's far from the first. ]

I understand that this is a different world than the one I come from, and we have no way to return until we accomplish an... objective.

[ An objective that they all have only vaguely heard about from a weird hallucination. He doesn't have to say that part. They already know. ]

This being the case, I'm offering my skills.

I have significant experience leading teams on a variety of ops. I can work longterm on terrain like this. You can count on me in a fight.

But first of all, I do need to know who's in charge of this outfit.

[ Bless his entire heart. ]

Comments

[prettycoolguy]

[ Oh boy. ]

The air. The clouds. All the gases that surround a planet are the atmosphere.

[okayimin]

[ She gives the sky a deeply suspicious glance before looking back at him. ]

So gravity keeps them trapped here? Is that what makes it rain too? Is lightning the gasses in the sky catching on fire?

[prettycoolguy]

Alright. Couple pieces, here.

[ On the bright side, his mind is fully occupied with this. ]

The planet's gravity keeps breathable air and clouds around it.

Hot water evaporates. Clouds are made of the water vapor. When they get cold, they turn back into water and it falls down.

Lightning... is complicated, I think.

[ No offense Sawbones but he is a billion percent sure wherever you're from has probably not figured out electrical charge, and if they have they haven't deigned to tell you about it. ]

[okayimin]

[ All electric items are powered by magic rocks in her world, so like he's not wrong. Her knowledge of vapors is very accurate and up to date and not related to the four humors at all. ]

Clouds are made from water? That would explain the rain...

[ She gives the sky another look and surreptitiously moves closer to a nearby tree. ]

So snow is made from clouds as well. Why do they fall down in little pieces... Unless that's where the thick snows come from overnight. [ She shudders. ] I knew there was something wrong with having things in the sky. The sun was bad enough, at least it can't fall.

[ There is a slowly dawning look of horror. ]

Right?

[prettycoolguy]

No. If the sun falls, you have problems I can't explain for you.

[ He is actually sort of relaxed now. And probably wandering around in the woods again. It's an ideal combination of activities in this very non-ideal situation. ]

Why would things in the sky be wrong?

[ He is almost afraid to ask. ]

[okayimin]

Because there ain't nothing over them. Not properly. Not like underground where you can have a proper sense of where you are and where everything is. I've a theory that's why surfacers are all a bit touched, the lot of you seem to think it's very normal for giant celestial bodies to just... move around. And! The night time ones change shape!

And don't even get me started on all this weather business.

[prettycoolguy]

[ Honestly, this is kind of charming? He is charmed. He appreciates this doneness with the universe's nonsense. He's felt it himself. ]

I feel like if I gave you more details, you would like it even less.

[okayimin]

[ Primly: ]

Not likely. I already hate the very idea of space. The surface is unpleasant enough without even considering jumping off it to live in the sky.

[ She maybe doesn't have the full concept of atmosphere and gravity full grasped, but her expression turns speculative. ]

Say, I never got around to asking any of our space lot this, but... The reason you lot left the ground... Was it the Blight?