rocks fall everyone dies

[golemized]

[ The communicator comes on deep in the darkness of the ship, having been jarred by the movements of its owner. There is only one person on the ship whose footsteps are this heavy, the glinting of crystals and white runes revealing Shale's identity to anyone who may recognize them. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the golem is not walking, not running, but fighting -- her large, stone arms are swinging, her targets making loud, inhuman noises of pain. Still, they keep coming, claws scratching along the floor of the ship.

Shale bellows and some of the creatures hiss in pain. There's just enough light from the magic in her crystals and the screen of the communicator that the next time Shale takes a swing, a creature is reflected, caught on camera. Despite the golem's heavy assault, she's being pushed back by the pack of manticores, close quarters making it more and more difficult to fight the way she's used to.

Then, quite suddenly, the camera angle tips. For a moment, it catches the ceiling, then the manticore that's attempting to leap onto Shale. Something bright is knocked off and away by the claws reaching toward Shale's shoulder -- a crystal, perhaps, and it falls clattering away into the darkness. Then, all three -- golem, communicator, and manticore -- fall.








And fall.
















And fall.




























And fall.


























And, eventually, land. The camera stays on for a few moments longer, but nothing is moving save for a blinking red light, illuminating the now-crushed bodies of the manticore and the golem. Shale is hardly in as bad of shape as the creature, but both look like they've fallen into a singularity and couldn't get up. There's no movement, and the runes etched on Shale's stone dim, then flicker out completely. After a few moments more, the communicator times out as well -- and the red light, presumably, shines on. ]

((ooc: Quick explanation: deep within the ship, Shale accidentally found herself some manticores that some of you may remember from the stasis sickness event! While fighting them, she managed to fall down one of the creepy holes and, ahaha, remember those black holes from the maze and how they'd crush you? Well, that happened to her (and the unlucky manticore that fell with her). Congratulations, TQ, you've found one of the few things that can quickly kill a golem! Also, you know, everyone's probably going to die horribly. Yeah. That too. Much love to the mods for giving me a way to kill Shale in a horrifying manner, and I'll still be around with my other characters! ALSO: Quinlan has dibs on the crystal that fell off her.))

Comments

[jurisimpudent]

Might I have a word, Mr. Wheatley?

[testgasm]

a word

singular

[jurisimpudent]

[...ugh.]

I know you're upset having witnessed this. Might I presume you were close with her?

[testgasm]

she was my friend sorry if i'm a little put off that people are talking about her like she's an inanimate object

are you some sort of counselor now is that what this is

[jurisimpudent]

No. I'm just someone who works for the team who's going to try to recover her and at the very least restore her to this place. That team is led by the woman you're currently keeping from her job.

We want to do well by Shale. I don't think you want to interfere with that, do you?

[testgasm]

if tyke has a problem with what i'm saying then tyke can tell me herself

having her lapdog screen her calls is very professional btw

if SEC was doing their job we wouldn't even be having this conversation

[jurisimpudent]

I'm her secretary, Mr. Wheatley; I'm relatively certain that a secretary does screen his superior's calls, yes.

But that's ultimately neither here nor there: what exactly are you proposing? Was it our job to cage her in?

[testgasm]

lapdog/secretary seems like a matter of semantics to me

that broadcast came in loud and clear fairly certain she wasn't wandering

all those things were supposed to be dead good job on that one SEC

[jurisimpudent]

Security keeps people safe, but we've made it clear repeatedly that we cannot help those who choose to go off wandering by themselves. We have a certain small percentage of the ship secured, but we do not have the manpower to secure anything beyond that. You know this; she knew this. When Jaye went wandering lately, she also did so at her own risk.

None of us are remotely happy to see this, Mr. Wheatley. But she took a risk, and it ended in disaster.

Would you prefer to discuss this in person? It will go faster.

[testgasm]

why so you can shower me with your human platitudes face to face

also thank you for ignoring my main point here which is that

those things

were supposed

to be dead

[jurisimpudent]

Do you think we overlooked them? Or perhaps you assume we just forgot to take care of them - is that it?

There were clearly more in a yet-unexplored part of the ship. Tell me, Wheatley: what is it you're expecting we possess? Omniscience? Psychic powers? There was no point at which any one of us said "And you'll never have to worry about them again"; indeed, I for one have warned new arrivals to stay out of the unexplored parts of the ship for precisely that reason. My deepest apologies if it did not cross your mind that there might possibly be more of the damned things out there.

[testgasm]

the monsters are back

chase is off being glowy and cryptic and she's probably going to blow something up

the head of security calls my friend a bunch of rocks and lets her unqualified lawyer secretary field complaints

kirk sits on his arse and licks ward's boots meanwhile people keep dying

so to answer your question i don't expect psychic powers just competence

[jurisimpudent]

[Fuck you buddy he'll show you who's unqualified

...At another time, when he doesn't need desperately to calm you down so that they can move ahead with things.]

You know full well she wasn't dismissing her as "a bunch of rocks"; she was saying that Shale was formidable. You're simply trying to instigate because you are upset.

But very well. Are you angered by all of this? Then meet with me in person. We'll review the actions security has taken to this point and you can point out the specific steps which you think incorrect. I can give you a complete activity log stretching back four months; I can make an appointment for you in two hours. Do you agree to this?

[testgasm]

[we can't stop here this is bad coping mechanisms country]

tyke can tell me what she meant she shouldn't need you to speak for her

try me i've been here since day one i don't have to see your log to know what it says

[jurisimpudent]

She already did tell you what she meant. You just pretended that she didn't.

But very well. Two hours. I'll schedule you for at least three hours total, since you're clearly full of good ideas and not simply idle hatred.

[testgasm]

no she attempted to correct me so i re-phrased my point using a direct quote and that's when you stepped in

and i never agreed to this meeting you can take your crap logbook and shove it up your arse

provided there's enough room what with the stick and all

[jurisimpudent]

Mr. Wheatley, am I truly to understand that you think we're going about our jobs incorrectly -- but that you're not even willing to take the time to tell us how? Are you so uncaring for the welfare of your fellow passengers?

[testgasm]

i told you how it's just not what you want to hear so you're giving me the runaround

typical

[jurisimpudent]

No, you did not. There is no instruction so useless as "do better." Therefore, if you have nothing better than that, your comments are completely useless.

As I have said: we take no joy in this whatsoever. Her death was eminently preventable. But there was only one individual who could have prevented it.

I hope that you are able to come to terms with this.

[testgasm]

i mean if you want to get technical SEC is in charge of passenger safety and if people are dying you're not doing a very good job but who cares about that nothing could ever be your fault right edgeworth

so how's that spotless record feel

anyway maybe i'd come to your stupid meeting if you didn't have a track record of dismissing everyone else's ideas before you even hear them

[jurisimpudent]

Mr. Wheatley, we in security are constantly in contact and open to suggestions and complaints. It is and has always been our policy that we protect within the secured boundaries of the ship; it is and has always been that we cannot protect those who go off on their own.

I don't know how to explain this more clearly. I suspect, however, you do not want me to, as evidenced by the fact that you're just trying to antagonize and enrage rather than trying to address this situation.

I am sorry for your loss. I will suggest, however, that you would do best to get off the network as soon as possible until you have regained control, as your current antagonizing and insulting is only hindering the retrieval of her corpse and efforts by relevant teams to get things done.

[testgasm]

what the flippin hell are you even on about the only thing i'm impeding is your afternoon of sitting behind a desk and filing paperwork while people get killed

what an absolute tragedy

[jurisimpudent]

Of course, Mr. Wheatley. You could not possibly be more correct.

[testgasm]

yeah who am i to keep you from recording all these deaths in your logbook

stick em right between 'made derogatory marks about nonhumans' and 'ironed my cravat'

[jurisimpudent]

[Cravats are starched, not ironed, you ass, and I've never made a derogatory --]

You're completely right.