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I understand that there have been injuries and losses throughout the ship during the last few days. I'll make this brief. Security reports Tyke's injury, but I'd like to hear reports from the other departments: their injured, dead, and with time a list of items stolen or destroyed in the firefight, if it's come to that. Communications was below most of the fighting, so we got off light. Medbay - Jenna - you make it through alright?

Damage has been done to the kitchens on the upper decks. Since there's no specific department that deals with that, and it's likely to remain that way, I'm looking for a group of civilian volunteers to clear them up. It's not a glamorous job, but I'm pretty sure Security is too busy to deal with it. Despite all this, we'll be jumping in a little under two weeks. It's important everyone is accounted for before then.

I want to reassure everyone that Security has all the pirates contained. [ He's not sure about it himself, but he says it with conviction. There's a pause, and finally he opens his mouth to say more. Before he can his expression darkens, and then he settles on something else, something simple, eloquent, and brimming with uncertainty: ] God help them.

[ This is dated yesterday, plot wise. And no, there's not a mention of communication's bungle in here. ]

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It's like the end of a police chase, where the cop gets out and lays down fire cause the adrenaline's got his blood up.

[ Nathan sounds exasperated. Tired. When did he last sleep? ]

It makes us no better than them.

Course it doesn't. But nobody's gonna worry about it when they're gone. We all need to get back home, remember?

[ He really doesn't feel like he has a stake in this one way or another. ]

I'd rather keep myself and get home than give away my honor, my pride, my common decency and do it. If this is all a damn ruse, I won't let it make me less than human. We both know where that would lead.

[ He might just make Peter nuke the ship. Game over. He rubs his face. ]

Would you do something for me, Pete? Just this once?

[ .... He's just giving you a look because this can't lead anywhere good. ]

What?

[ Rude. ]

Take Izzie? It wouldn't be for long.

[ Oh. ]

Why? [ This might make living in the forest difficult but no, really, he actually wants to know. And because if you make this about him, he'll punch you. ] Tired of her eating your shoes?

I don't know if I'm gonna have time for her until some of this gets cleared up, that's all. Not like there's a doggy day care on board; she's been stuck in Comms for three days.

Fine, i'll take her.

Thanks, Pete. Come pick her up when you're ready. I can wait.

You can't just send her on her way?

Only if I want someone to walk off with her as though she's their personal booty.

[ Sigh. ]

Still in Comm's?

With all my worldly possessions, yes. I've got her collar and lead if you were wondering.

I'll be there in a few minutes.

[ aaaaand disconnect. No need to walk and talk. ]

[ Nathan is busy talking to Izzie and rubbing her behind the ears when Peter arrives. His paintings are stacked up in a corner, and the room is still a little bit of a mess. He's trying, though. A little red faced, a little tired, but he still has time to pet the dog.

Just not walk her. He walks her to the door to let Peter in, stepping back, in no rush to get rid of him. ]

[ Peter's still not entirely sure this isn't some kind of ruse to get him to remember how to be a human all over again. He's fallen distinctly into place with his mindset, somewhere between impassive and hollow, attempting to be bored simply because he'd rather not think about what he still believes to be true.

Standing at the door, Peter wasn't overly interested in making this a social visit, but Nathan turns it into one and he takes a few steps inside, only acknowledging Izzie after the fact. ]

So you're still alive, huh. [ Remember that text you sent once, Nathan? How's it feel directed right back at you. ]

[ Nathan's happy to see Peter, but he knows it's a little like wrestling with a lion. He's bound to get scratched the moment he lets his guard down. He smiles despite himself, because Izzie goes crazy at the sight of Peter, tail wagging fiercely. Save me she seems to say. There may or may not be a ball in her mouth already. ]

For now, as it happens. I just made coffee?

[ Peter's half inclined to ignore her, and half invested in just doing it to make some kind of point. I'm more human than you think I am, but he's not here to prove much of anything, except that the dog is a dog. Whether or not she's Izzie. He drops a hand onto her head, scratching for a few seconds before he glances up towards where he might expect a coffee pot to be. ]

I'd take some.

[ No surprise. And while Peter takes the ball, he doesn't toss it, despite Izzie's whining. Like he really needs to break things just to entertain her. That'll have to wait a little longer. ]

[ Izzie doesn't want to be ignored. When Peter takes her ball she bounces around and barks loudly and excitedly. Bark bark bark! Nathan is pleased enough, though, and he guides the way down to the coffee room, which has been a dog pen for a while and has a bed in the corner.

The pot is hot, and he pours two cups out, putting sugar and powdered creamer in Peter's and pushing it toward him. ]

You can roll the ball out the door. You won't break anything, so long as it doesn't bounce.

[ Peter exhales a hefty sigh as Izzie practically slams herself around, frantic to get the ball. Once upon a time he'd loved this-- once upon a time he'd had a dog that was not this dog, and Peter swallows hard as he pulls the cup of coffee towards himself. He'd usually take it black but he's not inclined to argue for the time being. Coffee is coffee.

Instead he lifts an eyebrow at Nathan before telekinetically setting the ball down at the toe of his shoe. Its just a swipe of his foot and he's rolled it under his shoe, effectively shoving it back out past the door, sending Izzie skittering after it. ]

Whatever they're doing's already done, Nathan. You can't stop it. [ He takes a sip of his coffee, staring at Nathan over the rim. It's a dramatic subject change, but the point remains. ]

[ The smile Nathan sends after Izzie vanished a moment later, and he looks his brother in the eye, then drops his gaze away. ]

Whatever they're doing it isn't right. There was no right answer when we started this. [ Nathan shook his head. ] But I can't hold my tongue. If I do that, I'm not better than them.

[ He expected Peter to understand; Peter knows that inaction isn't the answer, and that's what he refuses to do. He won't sit still. ]

Not gonna make many friends either way. Might need to knock a few heads together.

[ Of course Peter understands, but that's not the point. It's not as if he rose to action on either side of this battle, and watching from the sidelines always gives one an entirely different perspective in the matter. Peter doesn't feel as if he had anything to lose -- it makes it difficult to give a shit one way or another.

But he still understands. It's like looking down a board game: you can rationalize the moves, but do you truly care if the pieces get broken? ]

I didn't say you should shut up about it. [ Glancing back over his shoulder, Peter's no more distant than he was a millisecond ago. ] Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to make a point. Morality's one of the first things you give up. I think friends come next.

But who needs to be a good person when you can get what you want? [ Molding ideals and histories together, Peter's trying to make this about both of them and neither of them at the exact same time. He's not telling Nathan he killed all those people; he doesn't need that fight. But Nathan can still take it all any way he wants. ]

[ Is his brother really berating him on being moral? On having friends? Nathan stares at him for a moment longer, not sure what the right words are, then grumbles and picks up his coffee, taking a sip. ]

I've given up my morality before, given up my friends too, then my family--done it over enough damn times. Sooner or later I have to draw the line. Of course that makes it difficult to stop other people going over the same lines.

[ At the root of it is the fact that now he's not sure he wants to go home. He has to get others back, but his world is better off without him. Maybe that's why he's not prepared to do what it takes, when everyone else, even the softest of them, seem to be crossing their lines left, right and center.

He puts his coffee back down and wrings his hands together. ]

I sold myself up that river and so have you. We don't usually get to come back from it to start again.

[ Peter snorts as soon as Nathan starts talking about himself -- of course he'd take it all to mean him, and only him. It's more complicated than that, and Nathan's still stuck taking it all as if Peter's thoughts circle around only one thing. And while that might be true to a certain extent, it's not always true, and Peter shakes his head slowly, uninterested in Nathan's grumblings. ]

Thing is, people don't get to learn that particular lesson until the fuck it up themselves.

[ Glancing back to his brother and pulling his coffee closer, he gives Nathan a particularly bemused stare, waiting for Izzie to come trotting back. ] And your morality's not what I was putting under a microscope.

[ Nathan shakes his head ever so slightly, but of course Peter is right. Then again, he knew that Peter wasn't talking about him this time; not really. They were getting on, this was no time for real snarking at each other over that. ]

At the very least it lets me say 'I told you so.' I like saying 'I told you so.'

[ He rolled his eyes. The only way you got to say those words was by telling them so in the first place. And then Nathan would use it as a fulcrum by which to lever more pressure on them the next time things went wrong. Or that was the idea.

Izzie came bounding back with her ball, giving it to Nathan this time. He rolled it away. ]

At least someone's happy.

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