ataraxion | [voice]

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[voice]

Tranquility - the last transmission on the network was not a hoax. We have been boarded.

All non-combat personnel should keep to their quarters at the present moment. Further instructions will follow.

Note please that the boarders are able to hack all transmissions, including those which are highly encrypted. Do not discuss tactical information over the network. Do not discuss extraneous things. We do not know what will be of use to these brigands, and we need to deny them as much information as possible. Keep silent; keep vigilant; updates to come.

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Pretty sure it falls directly under the abuse of authority, which more than a few people around here should know the definition of.

At least I had the decency to do it in secret. If I hadn't the country would have rioted. They'd have wanted my head.

But you're doing it for their safety.

[ He's actually not mocking you this time. Go Figure. ]

He's young, Peter.

[ excuse him while he clears his throat for a moment -- this should be touching. ]

'But that's not how it'll come at you in a game, Pete. You gotta be ready for anything.' [ ahem. ] So we get to go easy on him?

[ He twitches, but. ]

A game is a bit different to trying to prevent all out war against space pirates, when what you've got is a rabble, half of which want order and the other blood.

That's not baseball, Pete. We weren't having it easy at twenty, but I'm pretty sure we weren't doing this.

[ .......... and now he's pissed. Well, more pissed. Missed your opportunity there, Nathan. ]

Glad to see you're just as good at missing my point, but i'll let you two work it out. Might try to throw a little more latin in there this time, just for fun.

[ disconnect. ]

What the hell, both of you. I am talking about ensuring that people don't walk into the line of - Yes, a grand violation of civil liberties, making sure people don't walk out there amongst murderous pirates!

You're proposing martial law, Miles.

No I am not. I'm proposing keeping people out of gunfire.

By dragging them 'kicking and screaming', if needs be. By exercising force to squash any freedom they have of getting shot if they want to.

If they don't want to go, you propose to force them.

Oh, God, am I preventing their freedom to get shot? I feel quite the monster.

They know the risks. People still walk downtown at night, you don't see cops bundling them into cars to whisk them away to safety.

Civil liberties, Miles. You agreed to uphold those first, before any promises you made here.

People need to live. I - for the love of God, Petrelli, it's a pirate invasion. This isn't goddamned martial law; this is organizing a response to people who are coming to kill us. You pick some fine goddamn times to get squeamish!

Then stop acting like it is. Take the help you're offered and go out there and stop them, don't waste your energy trying to manipulate people who don't want to go. It's a fine line.

Trying to manipulate them? What I am doing is ordering them to not go out there and get themselves killed. Sir, I respect you, but right now you're being a self-righteous idiot for all the stupidest reasons.

Not me, Miles. You have no rights to order them. They're civilians. You have the right to make the suggestion--not drag them kicking and screaming.

You don't deny you said it, but you don't stand behind it either. Say it again, say it to me.

I one hundred percent stand behind it. I am going to keep everyone alive. I don't give a damn if they want to faff about in the line of fire. If I need to physically carry them on my shoulders, so be it.

It is an immediate response to an invasion, Petrelli. For the love of God. And it's Edgeworth, not Miles.

No, Miles. It's Nathan, not Petrelli, and you never were any good at remembering.

[ And that's all he wanted to know. You can dress it up, but if it comes to taking people against their will, Nathan can't condone it. ]

No. It's not. You think I didn't hear you to your brother just now? Saying that oh, I'm young - like what I believe can just be written off because I wasn't a Senator? I'm glad to hear that you think of me and my priorities as being so inconsequential, sir.

I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, which is something you're not prepared to give anyone else. You accused my brother of wanting to kill you. My brother.

I like you, Miles. I liked you because on this ship I thought you were one of the few people whose morals I could line up against my own. But you are young, and you have a temper, and you have an attitude where the only thing worth snot to you is getting to the top and making people listen.

Oh, you'll be a Senator one day. It takes Senators to make hard line decisions, and you certainly have the bite for it. You have the talent, too, of hiding how much making enemies hurts you. That'll help you when half the country wants to see you crash and burn.

I called you my brother, but just now I defended you to the brother that is my own flesh and blood. And you thank me for it? No. Why would you? It was a slight on your pride to be called young, when all it was was the god's honest truth.

[ And now he's done. He disconnects, devastated. ]

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