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[shiro2hero]

--ome in! Anyone!

[Yikes, man, tone down the yelling. The voice is frantic. Rightfully so, considering the last thing he remembered was being ejected into space. This is not the planet he thought he'd wind up on. There are humans here, and it looks like Earth.]

[But there's weird animals here. And no one seems concerned about a yelling, very upset man who just appeared out of nowhere.]

I don't know what's happened! I -- I need pickup, immediately!

[Yeah, he maybe only half listened to the explanations, but seriously, things were bad a minute ago.]

Pidge! Coran! [And then, almost grudgingly:] Lance -- someone pick up! This is Shiro and something's gone wrong! I don't know where I am -- I don't know what's happened, but I need someone to answer me now!



[Give him a few minutes to calm down. To pace and refocus himself. To listen and read up on the situation. Anyone who happens by the area sometime after the basically panicked broadcast can find him in New Bark Town. Under a tree, just...]

[What is he supposed to do now?]

[There's an Aron huddled up by his leg, but he doesn't seem to pay it much attention, right now.]

Comments

[usedlightscreen]

Oh- no, no. Before I was brought here I served in the UNSC- United Nations Space Command.

[Explains the At ease, soldier, anyway.]

Nice to meet you too, Shiro. Has anyone given you the explanation about how things back home get put on pause while you're here?

[shiro2hero]

[Oh thank god.]

I've never heard of that organization.

[But, then again, different worlds, apparently.]

A few, yeah. It's -- I'm having a hard time believing it, unfortunately.

[usedlightscreen]

I'm used to people not having heard of it.

...Yeah, it's pretty hard to swallow. Especially when you have important things left unfinished back home.

[shiro2hero]

One of those 'other worlds' things?

... "important" is sort of an understatement, to be honest.

[usedlightscreen]

The people you're looking for. Your team?

[His tone implies he knows a thing or two about having an imperiled team.]

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. Four of them.

[He grimaces. He tries to make it a fond grimace but...]

Four... teenagers. So you can imagine how that's going.

[usedlightscreen]

I take it you're the Commanding Officer, then.

[...by dint of the fact that...you're the only adult, possibly]

[shiro2hero]

[Is he an adult?? we just don't know??]

[Well. Yes. More or less -- forays into laser noises notwithstanding.]

You got it in one.

[usedlightscreen]

What happened before you got here- if you don't mind my asking?

[shiro2hero]

[Deep breaths. It's. Not fun to recall. Even if it's on pause -- and he just has to hope that's true. Because otherwise...]

Myself and -- [How does he even describe Allura?] -- I guess you'd say she's a co-commander. [Even that doesn't seem totally right, but it's as close as he can get in a few syllables.] We were infiltrating an enemy ship. Getting data.

It started to take off. We'd tripped some system alarm or were out of time. I don't remember clearly. Either way, we were discovered. Tried to get to an escape pod, and...

She wouldn't let me hold the door. She threw me in the pod and held them off.

[Then I was here.]

[At least he kept his voice reasonably steady, even if the sudden memory of Allura's face as the pod closed is sharp and digs into his chest like claws.]

[usedlightscreen]

[...Sounds familiar.

It reminds him of taking three bullets to the chest, reminds him of buckling his sister into the seat.

Take care, kiddo.

God, how long ago was that? It feels like it happened in another lifetime. Which, he supposes, it kind of did.]

I'm afraid there's nothing much you can do from here.

[He sounds understanding. Sympathetic. His tone is measured and careful, thinking about what he would say to his own past self.]

But from what I've heard, at least there's no way the situation will get worse while you're here.

There's also the chance that she'll end up being brought here, too.

[shiro2hero]

... That's what I gathered.

[He doesn't. Sound very happy about it, though. He can accept it without liking it, right?]

[He pushes both hands through his hair, letting them linger there for a while, to process.]

It's our only hope, right? Things really don't change while we're gone.

[usedlightscreen]

Right.

[He doesn't bother to add that he's only heard that's the case. After all, reassurance would ring a little hollow coming from someone who it hadn't and couldn't happen to.]

Just to warn you, if anyone else from your team does come here, they may have different memories than you do. Both of my partners were brought from different points in time than I was - one of them much different.

[shiro2hero]

Different points in time?

[Wow, that would complicate things. Like having to explain what they'd missed, if they asked.]

[He doesn't know if he'd have it in him not to tell them.]

How is that even possible?

[usedlightscreen]

I'm not entirely sure. But think of this like some kind of nexus. Whatever or whoever brings us here can draw anyone from any time. One of my partners came from helping to liberate a small planet colony.

[He allows himself to sound proud of her. Braggin on his fierce wildfire of a girlfriend.]

My other partner and I both came from the, uh. The...end of our timelines.

[shiro2hero]

An entire planet colony? Of humans?

[He's a little more blown away by the prospect of humans making colonies on other worlds. It sounds fantastic -- ]

[You know. If not for the Galra.]

Must be nice to have your whole team here. Timelines or not.

[SHIRO THAT'S NOT WHAT THE NICE MAN MEANS BY 'PARTNERS'.]

[usedlightscreen]

There used to be a lot more, but the war cut off quite a few and...destroyed some others. I think the biggest one that's still active is probably the moon colony.

[North says it like it's the most mundane thing in the universe. Just manifest destiny at its finest.]

...It is. I don't think I'd have made it this long without them, honestly. I hope your team shows up too.