004. voice.

[sorrycharles]

My name is Erik Lehnsherr.

[ His voice is rough, still raw from the scrape of the breathing tube up and out through his trachea. Blood from his nose is clagged thick down the back of his throat, the taste of copper on his tongue soured further by bile. ]

For the complacent -- for those of you content to shelter in place gumming canned corn while this ship bends you to its will: you need only ask if you crave the added comfort of certain death.

For the rest of us: we do what we must to survive so that we might live. It’s true that no dead prisoner has ever escaped captivity.

But neither has any man who hasn’t tried.

If you have a chance, take it. If you’re afforded a choice, make it. Fight, and suffer, and die screaming before you pass on an opportunity to break this cycle.

If no one else will take up the mantle of Commander Shepard’s mission, I will.

[ A pause, then: ]


An entity with nothing to fear from the truth has no need to kill to protect it.

[ The feed ends. ]

Comments

audio;

[brassbucket]

[ Rich's response is a little delayed, as he needs to find out what he's talking about, also, hello, long list of reasons to have trouble with Erik Lehnsherr taking up leadership of anything, Rich still remembers when he took over the X-Men, for one thing... ]

[ That said. ]

Death's pretty certain, anyway. Unless you're Deadpool. Or Wolverine. Or Thanos now, I guess, since she won't take him back.

That said... always fight, here. Though, sorry, gonna work at it in a different way than she did. Think you can handle keeping those who'll fight by your side together, if nobody else takes up the position?

[private audio 0% encryption] hello i am also a bucket

[sorrycharles]

[ Erik is even longer in answering back. Long enough for him to have an idea of what the general response looks like, give or take five minutes to mix a drink. ]

Someone else will, if only to keep me out of it.

Have we met?

» voice

[starbuckslord]

Are you going to make sure people have a reasonable chance of surviving? [ He's not naive; death comes in all forms for everyone, but he's bristling at this kind of talk when there are kids on board this ship. Kids he's spoken to and that he knows belong nowhere near a fight. ]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

I see that you're new.

Would you like me to lie to you.

video;

[anybodies]

[Raven's eyes flash yellow, only for a split second before her features conform again to the Monroesque blonde ideal. She looks upset.

More than a little. He's seen the look before.]

You're going into the fucking halls? [She's in a lounge, from the looks of the backdrop, and not apparently concerned by who might be eavesdropping.]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Blonde.

[ He sounds offended. ]

video;

[cabins]

Mr. Lehnsherr, my name is Laura Roslin.

[She hadn't known Shepard well, but her loss was still one that she felt. She'd been kind and helpful when Laura had inquired about the nature of the ship, and those on it.]

I have no skills that could be considered useful, in any sort of firefight, and my last venture into the halls is not something I am eager to repeat, but I am dedicated to helping those of us trapped on this ship.

If there is any way I can be of assistance, let me know. I assure you I am much better from a clerical prospective than anything else.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Madame President. [ President of the Humans.

Erik does use the network for things other than angry texting about killing the fantasy scifi future president while hopped up on pain meds. ]

I'd hazard to guess that it takes more than clerical prowess to maintain in that particular office.

[voice]

[jurisimpudent]

[Directly:] I think there are people far more competent and trustworthy than yourself to take over that leadership.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

I'm sorry to hear it.

As you well know, I hold your input as a representative of our local security force in high esteem.

text;

[puppydogeyes]

Shut the fuck up.

[not here]

[sorrycharles]

[ wish granted ]

video.

[ex_striking429]

[ is it raven as a brunette? no, it's katniss everdeen. her eyes are narrowed, her mouth wry. she's interested in what he's saying, or at least the concepts behind the words, but she's not sure she's buying what he's selling. she doesn't trust people who want to step into a power vacuum. ]

Are you a politician?

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Now you're just --

[ Erik looks from her face to her number, and then back again.

...

He checks the number one more time. If she listens closely, she might hear the gears in his head grinding. ]

No, [ he says. ] I'm not.

[cargojet]

[ There's always an inevitable moment where the people you think you have control over do something infuriatingly stupid.

But Nathan is tired. ] You don't ever pay attention to subtleties, do you? Taking on Shepard's mission when you weren't really even listening to her.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Subtlety isn't my strong suit.

voice;

[prehendere]

[ - because texting is Hank's bane until he crafts himself a reactive touch-pen. There's also a low growl, before he answers, just in case Erik wasn't sure who it was:]

Before you decide to play martyr and march off with anyone equally idiotic to get yourselves killed, how about consulting with anyone involved with the pre-existing mission. Unless they're too human for you, in which case I'd say try a mutant on board with evolved intelligence. So far that seems to include any of us but you, your past winning ideas including 'any and all mutants can withstand an apocalyptic level of radiation, see my mail order PhDs in nuclear physics and genetics.'

[Yeah he's going there.]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

[ Bone dry: ]

Why petition for a consult when you offer your services so readily for free.

[ Narrowed eyes translate in the bile-rough edges of his voice without benefit of video. ]

voice.

[brainsqueeze]

Dying won't help anyone get out.

( They'll be dead. It's what brought them to this conversation originally - someone dying )

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

I suppose you're in favor of best laid plans.

No amount of caution will save you from a master who doesn't have the common courtesy to adhere to something as simple as cause and effect.

video;

[axeyou]

Nice speech, hot stuff. But where's the option to not die screaming.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

In your being capable, fortunate or cowardly enough to avoid it.

Alternatively, decapitation.

[voice]

[circumitus]

Bad idea. Will only make things harder for yourself.

For everyone.

[She's been there -- seen it. Yet somehow, she's not dead.

[Can't say the same thing for Shepard and her comrade.]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

What makes you think so.

[nightblogs]

nice knowing you

[private 0% encryption]

[sorrycharles]

the offer of certain death was made in earnest

let me know if you're interested

[kutte]

You couldn't fucking fill it.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Do you expect me to argue with you.

( voice. )

[overthought]

You're serious about this, aren't you? Poetic calls for justice aside, you need more of a plan than "rise up and defeat them all".

[in that she's in.]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

I know what I'm doing.

[ nope. ]

[mindtricks]

There has to be a balance between the two.

[ between complete complacency and reckless uprising that is little more than suicide, she means, and doesn't bother with any encryption because she doesn't mind anyone seeing. ]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

Yes, [ says Erik: ] homeostasis. It's what we've been doing.

[forcing]

[The feed is video, but it may as well be voice for all that you can make out any images on the screen.]

Already missed your chance.

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

We have that in common, then.

video;

[skjalf]

Is there any rhyme or reason in exchanging one prison for another?

[ because she'd really like to know. ]

[voice]

[sorrycharles]

What other prison.