ataraxion | audio

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So, most 'a you already know that a few of us did some exploring of the deeper parts of the ship last month, and found a painting that seemed dead set on stalking us through the hallways. Jaye put up pictures of the thing if you missed that somehow. If anyone with chemistry skills has some free time, I've got a bottle here with some of the paint, or whatever it is, that I flaked off of one instance of the painting, since we thought it might be helpful to know what exactly a moving mural is made of. Lemme know if you're interested.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...Oof. A direct hit.]

It is - nothing more and nothing less than what I have told you, sir. Crimes committed at home are not prosecutable here, because there is no evidence, nothing. Nothing but the word of three - if you'll pardon me for being blunt - extremely shady individuals put up against one another. Each one clamoring for someone else's death.

So tell me - you say he's evil; he says you're evil. Shall we just execute all three of you and be done with it?

Of course not, 'cause crimes committed at home should be subject to the customs an' laws that exist at home. Hell, what if I'd been here before you, started my own security department, an' was from a place where pompous assholes were illegal an' to be executed on sight? That'd mean I could shoot you an' it'd be completely legal under my own code of laws.

What's a crime an' what's not, to you, isn't the same for everyone. Let us handle this our way, 'cause unlike you, we've seen the evidence firsthand.

Give me a moment to think about it. It's such a tempting proposition, after all. Stand back and let you slaughter someone with no interference...My God, it sounds completely ideal. Good lord, my job is suddenly so much easier now that I look the other way when blood is shed.

[Another scoff, even more venomous than before.]

The day the people here are unhappy with this security team, they'll depose us. And the day we start allowing vengeance-hungry maniacs to do as they will and go unpunished will be the day they're unhappy with us.

You kill that man, and you're a murderer, Mr. Mordecai, and we deal with you accordingly.

Heh. Wouldn't expect anything less from you.

But, you know, I get the feeling you weren't comin' in here to talk about law, originally. Unless exploring the ship's illegal, too.

No. Just stupid.

If I went by myself, without any gear, an' didn't have any experience with that sort of thing, then yeah, it'd be pretty damn stupid. Instead, I went with two other people, an' we all have combat experience. Not goin' in at all, now, that's stupid, 'cause how will anyone ever learn what's going on in there if nobody looks?

We know what's going on in there. Some possibly sentient creature coming up with new and creative ways to kill the curious. Fascinating.

There's a lotta words in that sentence that tell me you don't know the kind of details I went in there to try an' find out.

What makes you think I give a damn about your intent?

Thought maybe if I tried to explain it to you, you'd stop whining. My bad.

Of course. Because why wouldn't nattering on about something irrelevant assuage my concerns?

Oh, now you're concerned about me. Ain't that a turnaround.

[Ugh.]

I am not concerned.

[He is concerned.]

Funny, let me replay that last voice post- yeah. Yeah, you said you're concerned. Well, luckily for you, I've handled some pretty serious situations by myself just fine. Wouldn't want you to have to worry 'bout me, after all.

Sir, I could not possibly care less about you!

Good. Stop wastin' your breath, then.

What I do care about, however, is the example you're setting.

It's a damn good one. Don't go in there unless you're well-armed, well-stocked, an' travel in a group. I definitely don't think most'a the people here should even try it.

No. You can go in there even if you don't have two brain cells to rub together and somehow - by dumb luck - make it out alive.

While I'm not gonna dispute that, the fact we survived in there for a whole month without any incident at all isn't just coincidence. Who else has gone in there for that long an' come out completely unscathed? Anyone?

My God. You're right. Probably because you took all those guns, wasn't it? You fought off many ravenous creatures, didn't you?

Look, pendejo, I get that you're risk-averse an' think everyone else should cower in a corner with their head in the sand whenever things get a little dangerous. So you go do that, an' those of us who can handle a fight'll keep you nice an' safe. Wouldn't want you to have to live in fear the rest of your time on this lovely little party cruise, after all.

...Tell me, Mr. Mordecai: were any of us afraid of any of you when we subdued you and brought you to holding?

Of course not. You're used to dealing with people. It was a well-lit area, a known part of the ship, an' you knew where all three of us were at all times. You go out into the rest of the ship an' none of that's true. The unknown's a scary thing. Which is why you don't want people goin' out an' getting themselves hurt or killed; I get that. I really do. But if you don't go out there, you'll never learn a goddamned thing about it, will you?

[Quite losing his temper:]

Right. I've been out there, and I've faced those things down with nothing save my bare hands. Do you want to keep talking to me about how I'm scared?

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