† 009 [31 july, shortly after fitz's post]

[klutziness]

[even though the feed is garbled, rikkus' frustration and something akin to fear are clear in her voice]

Don't be ▒▓▒▓ing idiots. Get to medbay or somewhere not en▒▓neering! Trust me, you don't want a▒▓ of what's here.

[there's a short pause]

I need my engineering cr▒▓ on deck though. Stay together, stay safe. Find Fitz, stick with him. He'll ▒▓▓▒▒▒

[the feed abruptly cuts to white noise]

Comments

[forgodssake]

I understand the limits of our knowledge.

[ His patience is showing signs of breaking, but hasn't yet, his tone controlled. ]

And I understand that we're facing down normal humans, that we have powers beyond their comprehension, but they are one hundred thousand normal humans, manning multiple fully functioning space craft, aiming missiles at our life support. Unless you have any idea as to how we combat a lack of gravity, heat, and oxygen, I think we're running out of time to allow this debate to go on much longer.

[alsohawkeye]

We surrender and we try our luck against them on their own turf. How hard is this to understand?

Your plan's absolute best case scenario involves us trapped on this ship for another god knows how many years, still getting toyed with by this thing, still getting toyed with by Smiley, still getting dicked around by Wardnik, but maybe being able to push it around occasionally if we all try really hard and get really lucky and it doesn't get any smarter or more powerful. More likely we all die, or we survive and it jumps us right back here the next second and what, we do it all over and over again until our brains explode? This isn't a real plan, Charles!

[forgodssake]

[ A slight edge of a stress-laugh-- ]

This is what it wants, Kate. It wanted us to be here, it wants us to play into Van Rijn's hands, it doesn't want us to take power over it, and what's happening now in Engineering is sure sign that it's trying to stop us. You're abandoning the plan we've been working towards since Odessa made contact -- delay them at all costs until we find a means of escape.

And now we have it, and you want to throw it away.

[alsohawkeye]

I want to throw it away because it's a shitty plan!!

[ Kate's voice can take on an edge too, losing its usual low cool and cracking higher in frustration. ]

You haven't thought past the first step. Say we manage to get power and we make the jump happen, then what? We can't keep power over it constantly forever, we still don't know where we are or where anything else is, so even if we can make it jump again we can't make it jump us somewhere safe. We'll be in the pods or completely wiped or dead from the effort-- what's to stop it bringing us right back here? You're acting like forcing one jump solves all of our problems.

after a few minutes;

[forgodssake]

Observable evidence suggests it takes a month for it to gather the energy to jump. I remember, when we first started gaining control, how it withdrew its influence over trying to escape us in the days leading up to the jump.

[ Which he can only articulate now that Charlotte's revealed that connection, them through it to the jump drive. ]

It wants us here, Kate, and it wants us fractured and weak. That's why you and William are acting this way.

[alsohawkeye]

Seriously, Charles? Just because we disagree with you we're clearly not in our right minds? That's fucking low.

[forgodssake]

Now, now, that doesn't sound like me. That sounds like something I'd check before stating it on public network.

[alsohawkeye]

Jesus, you are a seriously patronizing douche when you don't get your way, aren't you? Your "plan" is full of fucking giant holes and pointing them out before people throw their own and everyone else's lives away on your telepathy-biased whim does not make me mind-controlled!

[forgodssake]

[ Well, he honestly can't defend against that first part-- ]

No, what made you mind-controlled was your visit to the white room. I saw it in William's mind moments ago and the sheer bullheaded animosity you're displaying is in exact accordance with that.

I know you'd at least give me the benefit of the doubt if you could -- so try. Time is running out.

private audio;

[anybodies]

I'm going to strangle your little friend. Do you think they're still brainwashed when they're unconscious?

[Typing requires too much concentration, apparently.]

private audio;

[forgodssake]

[ Rough huff of not-laugh. ]

It wouldn't be very politic, darling.

[anybodies]

At least they won't get in the way.

[Her voice has this grinding, gravelly quality that she'd like to pretend is just annoyance.]

[forgodssake]

I won't let them steer this, regardless. If anything, their inclinations will be a signal for others to do the right thing.

[anybodies]

He'd be as bad as Trask.

Maybe worse. [She knows he knows; it doesn't require saying out loud. Better in than out, though, especially with this, and where Charles is concerned.]

[forgodssake]

He's not going to get that far.

[ It's the sort of quiet, earnest conviction of someone who still thoroughly believes it's his job to protect the other person, instinctively narrowing the scope of concern from 'everyone' to 'just her' without even thinking about it. ]

Not nearly.

[anybodies]

I hope not.

[Van Rijn is starting lightyears ahead of Trask, as it is.

She's quiet for a very long time. And then--]

Promise.