keeps_a_cool_head

Log 0007

[In Zero, Scorpius does what he does best: he plans. Giving him space and time to think through what he wants and how to get it is one of the unintended gifts of his cell space, and he appreciates every moment of it.

After several days, he addresses the Barge]

A question to my fellow shipmates;

When an inmate commits a grievous crime, who is to blame for it? Obviously the inmate must share some, but what percentage is attributed to them and what percentage is attributed to their warden, who may be unfit to command them? A warden may fail just as easily by not admitting to something that could be most assuredly out of their control.

And what of inmates who aren't paired and no one has taken the time to explain to them the rules?

My apologies to Alex Summers. While it was certainly my intent to hurt him, he had done nothing to harm me and was simply in the correct place at the correct time.

[Private to Crichton]

Of course, John, we all know that you are the one fully to blame.

More like Alex will follow. You cannot hope to save them all.

In a few days' time they will be forced to release me. What has changed between the time of my entering this cell and the time of my leaving it? As a deterrent towards behavior, Zero leaves much to be desired.

I am willing to entertain ideas of a deal between us.

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[He shrugs.] Not especially. But I'm quite familiar with the complexities of antagonistic relationships, and although I don't believe he had reason to lie, I still think it's only fair to at least attempt to understand the perspective and motivation of both sides.

To what purpose? I have harmed a child of yours, Doctor. I have forfeited my privilege to be heard by you.

Maybe. [And he is still angry about it, as any half decent parent would be. The reminder doesn't exactly help keep his calm intact, but it doesn't seep through in a particularly noticeable way. Being furious isn't going to change that it happened.] But surely you can understand why I'd be interested in knowing exactly what I'm wandering into the next time you and the commander cross swords.

It's whatever. But it makes me wonder who else you're miscommunicating with.

[ She's super defensive of John ok ]

Then I suppose I owe you at least that.

....John is a tool. A means to a greater end. He is the key towards eliminating a race of creatures in my universe known as the Scarrans. They are vicious, exceptionally strong and durable, do not believe in mercy, feel that other races that are not useful to them as tools for work or breeding should be eliminated, and are the dominating force of my galaxy, outside of the Peacekeeper army.

But John is reluctant to assist me for a multitude of reasons. He believes that the Peacekeepers are little better than the Scarrans - a stereotype I must admit is not unfounded. He also does not believe in weaponizing what he knows. He may in fact be unable to assist me due to the nature of his implanted gift. And our first meeting was...how can I put this...

I do not make a good first impression.

Edited 2014-03-02 20:24 (UTC)

I have not spoken to John since my imprisonment, if that is your concern.

Are you planning to? You did leave the creepier equivalent of a dead bird on his doorstep.

Yes. If he answers.

And what do you want to use it for?

I want to weaponize it, in order to eliminate the Scarrans.

A single stable wormhole was discovered in the Alpha Quadrant not long ago, linking it to another part of the galaxy.

It caused more than one devastating war, made a backwater planet one of the most powerful in the galaxy, and destroyed the regional balance of power.

So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say - you're probably not going to get that here.

The discovery of wormholes is an inevitability. Stabilizing them, making them safe for travel, is quite another story.

John Crichton holds the key to this in his mind.

[Again, it's more complete information than he's expecting. It could be a lie, but something -- his new brain? his luck? -- tells him that it's not, or at least mostly not. The funny thing is, it really does make sense, for what little he knows about the situation. He gets, now, why Alex was beaten, why others are being threatened. He wouldn't be surprised if Scorpius had sent Crichton a more... direct message, too.

The real question will soon become, who does Crichton care more about: his friends or the Scarrans?]

So why them?

And maybe that's where they should stay.

Why who?

And then the Scarrans will overrun the galaxy, trillions will be slaughtered, more enslaved, and eventually their reach will extend so far as to reach John's homeworld of Earth.

But yes. Maybe he should keep the knowledge, if it will make him feel more comfortable.

[Well, that much is obvious. It's still an interesting story, and he appreciates that Scorpius still doesn't seem especially interested in lying to him. It's a pretty nice change of pace.]

And what are you hoping to accomplish on the Barge, if you don't mind me asking?

The Scarrans.

[Not that it really matters. There's some reason, obviously, and it's one Scorpius must think is a good one. The Scarran army killed someone, or a lot of someones, or they're going to in the future. Or they're protecting something Scorpius wants. Or maybe he's like Hinata used to be, and he's doing it because he just can't stand to see their society go on. The reason doesn't really matter, but it matters to Scorpius, and that's an important piece of the puzzle if Hinata wants to work on this particular challenge.]

[Scorpius closes his eyes, thinking over the question. Because it's all of the reasons Hinata is supposing and more, and it's something he hasn't even shared with Crichton. Not really, anyway. It likely does not matter to John, matters to no one except Scorpius]

Many reasons. But I suspect you're interested in the most personal and pressing.

I am half Scarran, by my father's side. My mother was Sebacean.

At the time of my birth, the Scarrans were curious about whether Sebaceans made for good breeding stock. Sebaceans are cleverer than Scarrans, but they suffer from a condition known as the Living Death, wherein if they are exposed to extreme heat, they fall comatose and eventually die. Scarrans are a species that produce and love heat. Their idea was to create a hybrid race that had all of the brains of Sebaceans but did not suffer from heat delirium and had the strength and loyalty to aid the Scarran army.

During this process, many Sebacean women were kidnapped and impregnated. But the results were not as the Scarrans had hoped: no children or mothers survived the incubation or birthing process. Infants roasted their own mothers from the insides and then suffocated. Mothers due to the stress and the agony of birthing larger children simply perished by the dozen.

Only I survived, out of 91 attempts. The project was scrapped and it was decided that Sebaceans had no value even as breeders for Scarrans. An ambitious project but ultimately foolish and deadly.

They kept me alive for experimentation purposes and at the age of 12, I escaped.

That is why the Scarrans.

To escape the Barge with both my goals and this knowledge intact.

But I suspect by the nature of graduation, I will be forced to give up my lifetime's goal. And that is simply...unacceptable.

And you think that's a good idea, do you?

To my end? Yes. I enjoy my talks with John, even if they are less fruitful than I'd hoped.

Not necessarily. If your primary goal is protecting other people, I don't think anyone is going to try and tell you you're entirely, unforgivably wrong for wanting to do so. There have been plenty of inmates who have simply had to alter their methods slightly in order to graduate.

Well, I know a thing or two about John, and he really doesn't enjoy your talks. So it would really be best for everyone if you could just not.

So you use it to beat a first-class enemy.

What about when a third-class enemy gets their hands on it, and suddenly can inflict more damage than the Scarrans could?

You might want to try finding another solution first.

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Log 0007

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