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

From:

wedonot

I'm less confident. You wouldn't be here if there wasn't potential for you to adjust your world view, and I'm afraid I'm exceptionally patient. As are plenty of the other wardens on board.

[Iris, for example, seems to have taken an interest in him, and while they don't always necessarily get along, Charles has seen her wear down the defenses of other inmates, and he's seen plenty of others do it, too. Even someone like Arthas eventually has been worn down by the Barge.]

And I'd be more than happy to take you up on that offer, but as I'm sure you've discovered by now, the cloaking that dampens any supernatural abilities you possess while in your cell works both ways. Fortunately, as I've said, I'm patient.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

I too can vouch for my own patience. I suppose we'll need to leave it up to the Barge to determine who is right and who is overconfident.

So am I to expect a mentally-driven incapacity the moment I step out from Zero?

From:

wedonot

[He knows it would probably read as cockiness to point out that he's been here for far longer than he has, and that it's not really fair to rub his experience in his face, so he lets the topic lie and chuckles again at the question. It's still not unkind.]

No. Not unless you've done something to infuriate one of the other telepaths on board, anyway. As I said, I'm not interested in torturing you. I'd also be perfectly happy to hear what you have to say now, rather than waiting for Mr. Parker to let you out again. I'm curious.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

What John has likely told you of our struggle together is undoubtedly the truth. I've never known him to lie except in order to protect something or someone, and despite our being enemies, he is reasonably fair in his assessments.

[Minus the Looney Tunes references]

Do you have a specific question in mind?

From:

wedonot

[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.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

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

From:

wedonot

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.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

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 Date: 2014-03-02 08:24 pm (UTC)

From:

wedonot

[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?

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

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.

From:

wedonot

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.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

Protecting the rest of the galaxy, unfortunately, comes as a side-along allowance of my desire for revenge. This is not to say I don't want to protect others, but I have been seeking revenge for far, far longer than I have even known some of the people who would end up sheltered under my plan.

Some of whom, ironically, would be John Crichton and his friends and allies.

From:

wedonot

And revenge is ultimately worth more to you than the well being of anyone else.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

Yes.

I suppose that is one of the reasons why I am on this side of the bars.

From:

wedonot

Probably. You're certainly not the first.

But you also wouldn't be the first to eventually realize your energy might be better spent towards other endeavors.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

I realize this.

But the nostalgic part of me resists it.

From:

wedonot

It's not exactly a fast process, [He's still very aware of the fact that it took two years for Erik to basically say one sentence that would have let them leave, and while he's not resentful of him for it, it's still sort of hilarious in retrospect that that had been the thing to seal the deal.]

But I can say from experience, it's much better on the other side.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

And whom did you take umbrage against, Doctor? For what reason?

From:

wedonot

How familiar are you with Earth's history? Specifically the mid twentieth century.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

I don't know any Earth history, save what I gleaned from Crichton's brain; even then, there are only flashes of memory.

From:

wedonot

[Then this is going to be a long ass story. u__u]

About thirty years ago, a powerful political leader named Adolph Hitler instituted a plan that he hoped would secure him and his country complete dominance over the rest of the globe. One of the tactics he and his followers hoped would secure them a more perfect world order was to eliminate any minority that didn't fit into their image of the perfect man - religious and ethnic minorities, homosexuals, political enemies. The Nazis systematically stripped them of their rights, rounded them up and committed government sanctioned genocide. Millions of people were killed. I don't know if that means anything to you, but it's the most heinous act of violence ever committed in human history.

My closest friend was fourteen years old when he saw a man fatally shoot his mother because he couldn't move a coin the same way he'd bent the gates of the death camp when they'd tried to separate him from his parents. He spent the next year being tortured and experimented on by the same man, all while watching people like him starved and beaten and disposed of like garbage, after years of watching the escalating violence, the denial that things could go this far, and the way neighbors and friends turned a blind eye to all of it. After the camp he was at was finally liberated, he devoted his life to hunting down the man responsible for his mother's murder and killing the others responsible for what happened to his family and people like them.

I met him years later while he was still hunting for the man responsible. He hadn't realized there were other people out there with gifts like his, because the existence of mutation - having a supernatural ability like my telepathy, or his ability to manipulate magnetic fields - isn't commonly known in our world. People tend to react with fear and alarm when presented with something "unnatural" like that, so most of us spent our lives in hiding, feeling alone and consumed with fear about what would happen if someone were ever to find out of what we were capable of. Discrimination didn't end after the Holocaust, and if people were willing to commit murder over worshiping a different God than theirs, or for having a different skin color, what would their reaction be to someone born with wings, or the ability to walk through walls? Erik was afraid that humanity would react in the same way the Nazis had, and after he killed the man responsible for the death of his mother, he almost instigated a war between us and humanity. A war which we would have had no hope of winning, and would only have made matters worse for anyone out there like us.

Fortunately, [Although there's some amount of irony in that, because he's still vaguely torn about saying being here had been a good thing. The outcome was better than he ever could have hoped for when he'd been bleeding, injured and abandoned on a beach wishing things had turned out differently, but he's still got the scars to prove that this hadn't been anything close to easy.] We were both brought to the Barge, and once Erik graduated, we returned home and were able to lay the foundations for a much safer future for people like us, and the world in general.

I never held his fear or concerns against him, [And it's obvious that he means it. It's also blatantly obvious that this is someone Charles loves, supports and understands no matter how different their philosophy was.] But he let revenge almost destroy his life and the lives of countless others. He'd effectively become what he'd spent so long hating, and once he was able to let that go, we both had opportunity to do everything we can to prevent that sort of thing from happening again in our lifetimes.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

[Scorpius listens with an attentive, calm patience that doesn't allude to the darker turmoil brewing underneath.

Because he hadn't realized how old a story it was. A conquering regime bent on annihilating anyone not specifically of use to them. Systematic torture and experimentation. Being an outcast for gifts or traits you were born with. The desire to instigate a war to prevent the atrocities from ever happening again.

The death of a mother.

In some ways their stories are different, but the fundamental underlying principles ring true, and not for the first time does he wonder if Charles was lying to him when he said that Zero inhibited his telepathic ability]

Do you think his chances for letting go of his revenge would have remained the same if these Nazis were still in power? Or if they were on the verge of taking over your entire world?

From:

wedonot

That depends on a number of factors, especially considering there's a difference between revenge and doing what's necessary to stop injustice or protect those who can't protect themselves. But honestly, I think it would have just made it more difficult, not impossible.

From:

keeps_a_cool_head

I think I should have liked to know your friend. We seem to have had a few things in common, despite the radical difference in our species and upbringing.