Log 0007

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[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.

Comments

[gard]

And you object to the label of "rapscallion"? Really?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

If you insist on the terminology, I will find a way to live with it.

[gard]

How about if I insist on not psychologically dismantling any passengers?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

How would you go about enforcing that insistence?

[gard]

Guess there's my answer.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

You fail to provide convincing incentive.

[gard]

I don't know you. Or what you want.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Do you have an interest in knowing?

[gard]

Sure.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I want the wormhole technology housed in John Crichton's mind.

[gard]

And what do you want to use it for?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

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

[gard]

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.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

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.

[gard]

And maybe that's where they should stay.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

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.

[gard]

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.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

You misunderstand. My preoccupation is not with any enemy that comes after the Scarrans. After they are defeated, I will cease caring about the rest of the galaxy. Let it take care of itself.

Or, to use your progression of thought, why should I hold off destroying a very real, prominent threat in the idea that a hypothetical one exists?

Or what makes you think that once the threat is destroyed, I will not simply destroy the weapon used to end them?

There are a thousand futures. But there is only one current reality.

[gard]

If your only solution is to unleash a weapon that could be devastating used on anyone, I think you may want to think broader.

We always owe a duty to our descendants. Above all else.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

It is the only viable solution. Extreme measures for an extreme threat.

[gard]

Then why isn't John leaping into your arms?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Because Peacekeepers are also known for their extreme measures.

And because I have been hunting him as long as I have known him. He fears me.

[gard]

Then - I have to say, you probably could have handled that one better.

Have you thought about making amends?

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I have. But I believe that time passed when I began to torture him.

[gard]

I'll be honest: your ploy for sympathy, right there, strayed right over into ridiculousness.