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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Correct.

There are things you can do here, that you can't do alive?

Also correct. The Barge affords me time for planning and has even gifted me the one person I would most like to have sharing my term of imprisonment.

And you figure the best way to get his help is hurting his friends.

Are you content to state the obvious facts throughout the entirety of our conversation, or are you going to ask more intelligent questions?

Okay, here's one.

Do you know any ways of getting what you want that don't involve intimidation and fear?

I do.

Unfortunately I don't have the tools to enact them here. And when I tried to use one in my home universe, John extracted it.

[Somehow. He's still pissed about that, thx]

So find some new ones.

The way you're used to doing things ended with you dead on a prison ship.

I died because my body chemistry in its natural order decided to cook my brain inside my skull.

Not because I intimidated or terrorized any creature.

This prison ship is a second chance I do not intend to waste. But nor do I appreciate having my path dictated by those who only seek to condemn.

[She's about to snap back, but then it hits her - she's being a hypocrite. He's probably hurt a lot of people, but so did she; she's only mad because he hurt Alex.

He's here to change, and she's not being fair.

Her expression softens, a little bit.]

You're right.

[She shakes her head.] But I still think you're going about things the wrong way. This kind of thing - even if you get what you want from John, what will it matter if you can't go back?

[By degrees, Scorpius calms too. By which he means, not being so snappish or condescending. His fingers flex once, as he leans his head back]

That is the puzzle I am struck with time and time again.

One piece at a time.

Maybe you haven't made the right space for it yet. The next piece.

John always comes first. Will always come first.

It's more than his knowledge, isn't it?

I admit to a sort of...fascination, towards him. Yes.

Maybe you need to figure out where it comes from.

Crichton is a being that refuses to be kept, captured, studied, subjected, measured, controlled, or categorized. Break him down and he will find a way, no matter how hopeless.

I admit I have to admire that about him.

[A soft, sudden smile.] That's the thing about humanity in general, I think. Overall, we're pretty resilient. [But there's something wistful to the words. She's not human any more, not really.]

Not having known other humans, I thought it was a trait unique and specific to him alone. Perhaps I can draw better conclusions in my coming days aboard the Barge.

It's not all of us - there's not a lot we all have in common. But it's...encouraged, I guess. Needed.

The more I learn of humans, the more I recognize how diverse a species they can be.

[Perhaps this is what makes them perfect wormhole guinea pigs]

[Priorities]

Maybe it's because of Earth's size, or how we've spread across it. [She thinks of the Shi'ar, and how monolithic they seem to be.

She thinks of a young officer, screaming as fire consumes her, and her fingers twitch in her lap.]

I'll have to research more of Earth before I come to a definite conclusion, but perhaps.

...I've got some books on evolution.

Human evolution?

...Yes. I'll take those.

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