ataraxion | 012✖; (video)

"Recently, you've all been told that there is a traitor.

"So you should probably know what it was I did."

[She pauses, searching for the words while she lets that sink in for a heavy moment. One might note that her tones are different; she doesn't sound like her usual robotic self when she speaks. Quite the opposite, actually. Rey sounds almost like-human. In her own way, you could say that this her one big "fuck you" to Smiley. You think she wouldn't tell everyone? Well, now she is. Full disclosure. So there.]

"I entered the dark corridors shortly after the DUPRR crew had docked the ship. Before long it became apparent that the things infesting the hallways weren't approaching me with any hostility. Because they weren't attacking, I was able to reach the secondary shuttle bay more or less without much incident. During that trek I made an effort to avoid others, not knowing the extent of the compulsion and whether it would also drive me to harm anyone who stood in the way." [Well, it's mostly the truth she speaks. You're welcome, William.]

"All that remained was the DUPRR pilot, Neson. Needing his trust, I tricked him into coming with me by pretending to be a person who was trustworthy. It's something I've become rather good at, actually -- pretending to be someone else, much like how I am right now. Despite the fact that something wanted me to kill this man, I decided to will against it.

"It didn't work as intended.

"Instead, I took him to the White Room. I opened the door. And I led him through.

"He's likely still in there right now, where it's kept him."

[She stops, still dizzied from the jump. The more she speaks, the more hoarse her voice gets. She hasn't been using it that much lately, and it's clear from her shadowed eyes and worn features that she's been neglecting more than just sharing this information.]

"Apparently, doing this has-- 'stopped the clock', whatever that means.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It seemed out of reach and like a worthless inkling until Sirius and Remus tried to finish their map of the ship. I don't know enough about future technology to quite understand how a massive mechanised structure could almost take on a nature of its own, but in my time here I've learned that biology and cold machinery can intersect.

As I said, it's a theory, and a rough one.

Anyway, do we really know so little about him? I'm sure some have considered his helpfulness to be a ruse.

It's really not the worst first impression honestly. Far from it, if you'd like to know. You're not trying to set me on fire or screaming obscenities or anything.

[For a Victorian, he has some pretty conflicting and... strange standards.]

it's not such an uncommon notion that there is something about this place that seems living. at the very least there is something living here that has direct influence of the ship itself that we have no control over.

possibly, but his helpfulness has also saved our lives more than once.
some believe he's an artificial intelligence. personally think he's something else entirely. have no evidence to back this possibility, it's just a feeling based on all that's happened thus far.

...

[Excuse her while she stares at that last part for a while, while thanking to fuck-whatever that he wasn't around her when the setting-people-on-fire part was actually a thing with her.]

fair point.

[if his friendship with heather and budding friendship with remus have taught him anything, it's that first impressions sometimes really count for shit all and maybe it's better to stop trying to force himself to conform to strict Victorian standards. of course he's a gentleman and always will be, he thinks, but--]

I used to be a pirate. Since you were designated as "treasonous" it's only fair I admit something similar.

If :) is neither human nor artificial intelligence from some advanced machine then he must be related to both in some way, or some alien entity able to contact us and with a personal investment in all this.

As much as I endorse the ways of progress I'm increasingly disturbed by the negative aspects of technological advancement.

[oh]

well that's

[um]

unexpected.

[Whether she's talking about the honesty or the pirate part, she doesn't care to elaborate. She's actually more surprised by the upfront candor, though.]

additionally he seems to possess increased knowledge regarding our backgrounds, implying that he either has access to that data wherever he is or there's a less explainable method of how he's able to obtain that information.

think he may have once been a person, but whatever he is now he's definitely not who he was before.

[hey, fair's fair.]

... That's unnerving. You might be right, then. His behaviour is certainly enigmatic, and erratic, indicating an inability to communicate more clearly. Whether it's because he is restricted by his own limitations or ones put on him, I guess we can't say for the moment.

he's not the only one who has exhibited similar limitations either.
seems to be whatever influence that this ship has on them
and is starting to have on some of us.

possibly.

012✖; (video)

text

text

text

text

text

text