An Accident In Space | Video, via drone (CW: Existential damage, kidnapping/abduction)

[boldlydanforth]

"This," Michael says, in a classic EVA suit, panning the drone around a black expanse, with a station under him, "Is the world's first space port. It's not a secret. You can't really keep something this big in geosynchronous orbit a secret. As for what I'm doing up here, they gave me clearance to be a welder a few days ago, so I'm aiding in construction after a brief crash course in EVA."

Behind him, as he starts working, another light appears on the orbital horizon, briefly, before flickering out. "It's something that requires a lot of visual acuity and hand-eye coordination, because the arc doesn't make as much of a sound, as you can probably tell. But I love being a part of this. I want to be part of the first humans to really go faster than light--"

There is a sudden blur.

Michael is gone.

The drone follows the motion and attempts to accelerate to catch up with the strange pod which now has Michael flattened through its front, collapsed on to a pilot who is obviously not of this world.

The pod grows arms, and catches the drone, and Michael, and the feed cuts off.

The feed cuts back on with someone new? A woman, about 5'9", in a body suit and an iridescent skirt, with green hair with brown fringes. The eyes are of a light green and in perfect focus. The body suit is tight to, and thick enough to stand as protection in a pressure escape situation. "Uh-- Hey everyone. So-- you probably saw the accident. Turns out, extraterrestrial intelligent life, is a thing??? Although I guess that-- that was probably inevitable. We've looked through so little of the sky and we thought we could just, find gravitic engines, I guess. The pilot's fine. Uh-- apparently they hit some space junk and careened, and at that high a speed, well, if it's fast enough to be interesting, it's fast enough to be dangerous. But uh-- their doctors say-- after a brief translation through Badgernet's speech-to-text-- that most of my body got liquefied, and uh-- this is what they did to help."

"I, I'm gonna talk with them about constructing something similar to my original body, once I'm not tripping over myself in this one. I don't know exactly what the issue is, but that's my second priority after physical therapy so I'm sure I haven't lost any motor control. That'd be a death knell for sure, I barely made it with my vision requirements--"

Michael pauses. "Vision... requirements. Oh fuck, how am I going to prove I'm me once I'm back? Uh-- advice, please? Too?"

Comments

[nijistaryume]

Uhhhhhhhh, that went from cool to concerning to really concerning to glad you're allive but also kinda gross.

[boldlydanforth]

Yeah I'm not happy about my situation either but like...

Right now it doesn't look like there's a lot I can do about it. And they did save my life, though why escapes me.

... Weird fae shit is what it is,

[nijistaryume]

I thought you didn't believe in weird stuff, though.

[boldlydanforth]

Believe in? No.

Understand? Have read up on? Yes.

Bluntly I would have considered another nation before I considered aliens, but unless someone has spent an awful lot on practical effects and conlang to fool one welder who isn't even that important and knows nothing about plans, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say for now this is...

[They? She? He? Wipes their face.]

Fuck. This is real, isn't it.

[nijistaryume]

Kinda. I mean, I'm not hallucinating, so I'm pretty sure you're not, either.

[boldlydanforth]

I've been trying not to think about it, I really don't want to panic.

[nijistaryume]

Guess it would. I mean, I kept my body and it's still weird for me sometimes.

[boldlydanforth]

-- Yeah, at least they're helping out with that.

Wonder if they still have joining...

[nijistaryume]

Uh... joining? Is that some thing?

[boldlydanforth]

Metal joining-- my, uh, my usual job, in the widest sense. sticking metal to other metal.

[nijistaryume]

Oh, the welding thing! I bet they do, it's probably, like, an eternal profession or something. Might have different tools, though.

[boldlydanforth]

Ha, yeah.

But think of the work experience! 8V

[nijistaryume]

Guess so. Grownups' obsession with what looks good on a resume kinda scares me.

[boldlydanforth]

Same, bad jokes are a lifeline when all other lights go out.

[nijistaryume]

I feel kinda called out, given how many memes I post.

[boldlydanforth]

I'm sure you'll be able to unpack it all eventually but yeah I bet it's been a lot

[nijistaryume]

The IDF are all pretty nice to me now, so at least there's that? My home planet probably considers me a hostage or something, but not one they care about getting back or anything, so it's all good.

[boldlydanforth]

Your home planet has a relationship with your planet of residence?

[nijistaryume]

I mean... they're called Invaders for a reason.

[boldlydanforth]

Wait, they're actually intentionally invading, you think? Hmm. That...

... Hm.

[nijistaryume]

I mean, yeah? We're in a war over territory.

[Given she's also affected by the space AU virus.]

What are you thinking?

vidya

[lightnovelexperiences]

...did you just got hit by a warp-9 Truck-Kun.

Re: vidya

[boldlydanforth]

.... FUCK!

[Incredible amounts of laughter hit them just then.]

Re: vidya

[lightnovelexperiences]

LOOK

GIVEN MY CIRCUMSTANCES I HAD TO ASK

Re: vidya

[boldlydanforth]

[In between fits of laughter-- fuck it feels good to laugh-- Michael continues.]

I. I mean. You're not wrong? I didn't even think of it that way, but?

That's? I can't even say you're wrong, the only reason I'm not functionally dead is they preserved my brain,

[The camera switches to the drone, and then slowly the point of view moves back.]


Level with me, how ridiculous do I look right now?

Re: vidya

[lightnovelexperiences]

You don't? I mean, not really. It's a zeerusty look but it kind of works.

Probably would work better with casual wear, really. If you're really that embarrassed by it... well if I could get you glamours for your clothes and bottles of Phanta for the rest of you I would.

If those aren't just... game constructs that no longer exist in Mundus, anyway. With Heeks' mustache gone, I'm not sure.

vidya, post-dated

[boldlydanforth]

Well it's definitely not much different from what everyone else on this-- ship? I guess?-- wears.

So uh that's-- that's good.

I was gonna have a giggle about it but now I'm nervous all over again?

Anyhow--

Video

[fashionable_yapping]

That sure is a weird sequence of events. Leaving aside the sheer odds of getting hit by an alien pilot, giving you a body like that was either a guess on their part or they did a brain scan and gave you a body based on that but that's a plot straight out of the transgender stories I sometimes read online.

Well whatever, I hope you're coping okay. Being in the wrong body can suck. Stuff feels off and all.

Re: Video

[boldlydanforth]

I... think it's based on a sampling template? Its what I would do if I had limited knowledge of a biology and something that can just 3d-print according to genetic instruction.

Mind you I'm sure the real answer is dumb and way more complicated.

I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. At least well enough to work.

... wait am I first contact?

oh hell

Yes it is that Ancient Aliens meme

[fashionable_yapping]

[Well whatever. She showed the required sympathy. Time to shitpost.

A while later, she posts an image of someone holding his hand apart with the text ALIENS below. It's a different person than Michael might recognize but a very recognizable meme. Michael's original head, taken from an earlier video, has been copied and pasted over the person's head with added text in a Comic Sans like font reading "Oh no! I made first contact!"]

Re: Yes it is that Ancient Aliens meme

[boldlydanforth]

PFFFFFFT

[fashionable_yapping]

So, yeah, expect a lot of people to want to talk to you.

[boldlydanforth]

[Michael definitely isn't as stiff as when the welding video came up. The quarters, such as they are, are less of a mess. The butterfly plush has somehow followed behind, and the camera captures the angle so that the wings frame the body.]

Man, with a picture like that, I'll bet. I'll be 'the alien meme guy'.

[A brief pause. Michael shakes their head, nods their head, then continues.]

Now that I remember-- you mentioned having trouble with your 'new' body?

I realize that might be a bit personal.

[fashionable_yapping]

Eh, the dog ears and tail was a bit weird but I got used to them. Only thing I don't like is the sharp teeth.

[She smiles, showing shark-like teeth.]

See? But I got some cool stuff like superstrength and fire breathing later on. But literally being able to smell yesterday was really weird, I knew dogs' sense of smell was really good but it's ridiculous how much I can smell and that's the one last thing I'm still not 100% used to. Hell, I can smell magic for some reason, that's real freaky.

Also, like, I was taking HRT and stuff. Now I don't have to. Got the body of a cis girl out of it, though I still identity as a trans girl. But, yeah, it's hella great not having a dick anymore. Not to knock that stuff for the girls who're cool with theirs, it's just not for me.

Really, this body is mostly an upgrade.

[boldlydanforth]

[The camera zooms in on Michael's face as the reactions pass through-- Confusion, a little interest as Nina mentions her strength and sense of smell, sudden nerves as she mentions HRT and getting the body of a cis girl out of it, the faintest hint of a nod, then--]

Huh. Well, that's good to hear.

... Kinda want to find a mirror now. Like, a proper one.

I've been asking people how I look now-- I dunno, I think I have weird hair?-- but nothing's really going to replace, uh, actually reflecting on myself, is it?

[fashionable_yapping]

Hmm. I know most guys would hate to see a girl's face staring back in the mirror. You aren't worried about that? I guess if you're just curious, you aren't most guys.

[boldlydanforth]

[SUPER confused, suddenly.]

... Why would anyone hate that? Anyway, mirror.

[The drone follows as Michael walks out of the small room and into what appears to be a habitation ring. At least one wall is rotating as the camera keeps steady behind them.]

[Some of the aliens are pretty wild, and it's clearly them that the various concourses are built around being accessible to, but there's also plenty of humanoids. There's a bunch of insignia and colors leading places, with little apparent rhyme or reason to them.]

[A few exchanged words while Badgernet is open allows Michael and another alien to understand each other.]

"Thank you"

[fashionable_yapping]

[Okay it's not Nina's job to sort out... whatever this person's shit is. This site's mostly to her a way to spend time and occasionally show off.

...Eh, she might as well continue the conversation.]

Well, you could just be the kind of person who's indifferent to what you look like, but most people like to look a certain way even if they don't know that. Just get to the mirror.

[boldlydanforth]

[Looks like this is some sort of shared bathing space.]

[Cabinets of combination carefully sealed showers and fold out sinks are here. There's no luxury to it-- every bit is functional-- but apparently there's a lounge nearby; the air is full of conversation in languages unidentifiable.]

[Some of them look at Michael, because new person.]

[Michael decides to scrub their face while they're here, and--]

Oh. That's pretty.

[LOOK AT THAT SMILE.]

That is a prettier face than I ever remember having. It still feels ridiculous I have green hair but it works? holy shit it's pretty????

[fashionable_yapping]

[Okay, yeah, this narrows things down somewhat.]

Okay, this explains a lot about you. Congratulations, you like looking like a pretty girl.

[boldlydanforth]

[SHIT, RUMBLED.]

-- Yeah, yeah I do.

[Beat.]

Just in case I didn't say before I really admire you went all in on it.

[fashionable_yapping]

I'm lucky enough to have supportive parents. I was able to go on HRT instead of having the puberty I normally would have.

[Sometimes it's good to be rich and spoiled, even if it sometimes gets your less lucky friends yelling at you about privilege when you say the wrong thing. Not that Nina blames them, really.]

But yeah it's harder for many people to do that.