Post by kime on Jun 14, 2009 1:21:01 GMT -5
Day Four
"What kind of nonsense is this?" the sergeant growled.
The officer stood there, stiff-lipped and staring straight ahead. "Appears to be a friendly fire incident, sir. Can't say much more since we, uh, don't know yet who did the shooting."
"But you know who was shot, eh?"
The officer nodded. "Fatally, sir. It was Officer Houn, sir."
"And you think it was friendly fire because...?"
"Calibre of weapon, sir. Non-civilian grade."
The sergeant sighed. The remains of the Arcadian military were proving to be more of a hindrance than an asset. "Try to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, who's the next unlucky winner of the Arcadian popularity contest?"
One of the Legionaries glanced at his wrist computer. "Looks like someone named Thelaw Inator."
"Bring him down and get it over with," the sergeant said. "Then we'll break for tea."
"Not as simple as that, sir. There’s been a city-wide alert- the PO raised the alarm before he went missing."
"The P…? You mean Nocturne, the psi operative? The specialist?”
"Yes sir. He didn’t report in, which isn’t like him at all. We’re taking his distress transmission very seriously."
"The Renegade, Lesson 2. I hope you've been taking notes."
He waited as if for a response, but of course his prisoner was unable to speak, given the recent relocation of his tongue.
"You know, there are exactly 3 things in this universe that I truly love," he said. "Time, Religion, and Death. The big three, I call them. Why, you ask? Well allow me."
He began to pace back and forth in front of his prisoner, who dangled upside down in midair as if held by a rope. The unfortunate fellow was, however, simply levitating, his limbs painfully contorted and frozen into place.
"Time is one of the few things that will be around even after the universe is devoid of humans like us. Even when nothing lives, nothing stirs, still the seconds will turn into minutes. The minutes will turn into years. The years will turn into millennia, and it will all keep going in the beautiful cycle it's been travelling since before we existed. Have you ever just stopped to listen to the time?" he asked. Naturally, there was no response, but this seemed to suit him. "It's a symphony in silence," he said, pausing again as if to contemplate that silence.
"Poetic, really, much like Religion. There's just something that gets me choked up whenever I think about it. I mean, bear with me here." As if the man could do otherwise. "Hundreds of stories written so long ago we can't even write history documentaries about them, and they're all about people running around getting themselves killed for no reason. But the catch is, people today, and every day since they were written, have been reading them, and deciding to go get themselves killed, or even better, other people killed, over those very same stories. It's magnificent. The most brutally effective form of population control imaginable. Honestly? I couldn't have come up with better myself. Such an elegant way to convey death to the masses." He rubbed his chin as if lost in thought, then turned his gaze to his hovering audience of one.
"Oh, and Death," he said casually. "My final and favourite thing."
He gave Nocturne a gentle push that set him spinning like a top. "But, let's just not get me started on that, shall we? I could go on for hours, and honestly... You don't have that kind of time."
Neither do you, said Nocturne.
"Oh, you can broadcast still? How impressive."
You’ve taken me out, but you’ve got no idea what you’re up against.
“I rather think I do. You people usually travel in pairs, so there’s something else out there. Those things you have… EMs, is it? I’d like to meet one in person. Really."
Nocturne smiled. He was dying, but he really didn’t care. You think we’d send an Enforcer Mech after a class 4 threat?
Oh, if you’d like to meet an EM… you’re going to love what we’ve got in store. Especially because you're so, so fond of death.
Casualty report
TheLawinator – Arcadian Psychic, an Empath- democratically executed by the forces of the Legion
Nocturne – Domarian Military, the Specialist- slowly disassembled by telekinesis
SpectralSpork – Arcadian Military, a Soldier- obliterated by unspeakable psionic energies
Houn – Arcadian Police, a Police Officer- hit by a photon burst from an assault weapon
"What kind of nonsense is this?" the sergeant growled.
The officer stood there, stiff-lipped and staring straight ahead. "Appears to be a friendly fire incident, sir. Can't say much more since we, uh, don't know yet who did the shooting."
"But you know who was shot, eh?"
The officer nodded. "Fatally, sir. It was Officer Houn, sir."
"And you think it was friendly fire because...?"
"Calibre of weapon, sir. Non-civilian grade."
The sergeant sighed. The remains of the Arcadian military were proving to be more of a hindrance than an asset. "Try to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, who's the next unlucky winner of the Arcadian popularity contest?"
One of the Legionaries glanced at his wrist computer. "Looks like someone named Thelaw Inator."
"Bring him down and get it over with," the sergeant said. "Then we'll break for tea."
"Not as simple as that, sir. There’s been a city-wide alert- the PO raised the alarm before he went missing."
"The P…? You mean Nocturne, the psi operative? The specialist?”
"Yes sir. He didn’t report in, which isn’t like him at all. We’re taking his distress transmission very seriously."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"The Renegade, Lesson 2. I hope you've been taking notes."
He waited as if for a response, but of course his prisoner was unable to speak, given the recent relocation of his tongue.
"You know, there are exactly 3 things in this universe that I truly love," he said. "Time, Religion, and Death. The big three, I call them. Why, you ask? Well allow me."
He began to pace back and forth in front of his prisoner, who dangled upside down in midair as if held by a rope. The unfortunate fellow was, however, simply levitating, his limbs painfully contorted and frozen into place.
"Time is one of the few things that will be around even after the universe is devoid of humans like us. Even when nothing lives, nothing stirs, still the seconds will turn into minutes. The minutes will turn into years. The years will turn into millennia, and it will all keep going in the beautiful cycle it's been travelling since before we existed. Have you ever just stopped to listen to the time?" he asked. Naturally, there was no response, but this seemed to suit him. "It's a symphony in silence," he said, pausing again as if to contemplate that silence.
"Poetic, really, much like Religion. There's just something that gets me choked up whenever I think about it. I mean, bear with me here." As if the man could do otherwise. "Hundreds of stories written so long ago we can't even write history documentaries about them, and they're all about people running around getting themselves killed for no reason. But the catch is, people today, and every day since they were written, have been reading them, and deciding to go get themselves killed, or even better, other people killed, over those very same stories. It's magnificent. The most brutally effective form of population control imaginable. Honestly? I couldn't have come up with better myself. Such an elegant way to convey death to the masses." He rubbed his chin as if lost in thought, then turned his gaze to his hovering audience of one.
"Oh, and Death," he said casually. "My final and favourite thing."
He gave Nocturne a gentle push that set him spinning like a top. "But, let's just not get me started on that, shall we? I could go on for hours, and honestly... You don't have that kind of time."
Neither do you, said Nocturne.
"Oh, you can broadcast still? How impressive."
You’ve taken me out, but you’ve got no idea what you’re up against.
“I rather think I do. You people usually travel in pairs, so there’s something else out there. Those things you have… EMs, is it? I’d like to meet one in person. Really."
Nocturne smiled. He was dying, but he really didn’t care. You think we’d send an Enforcer Mech after a class 4 threat?
Oh, if you’d like to meet an EM… you’re going to love what we’ve got in store. Especially because you're so, so fond of death.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Casualty report
TheLawinator – Arcadian Psychic, an Empath- democratically executed by the forces of the Legion
Nocturne – Domarian Military, the Specialist- slowly disassembled by telekinesis
SpectralSpork – Arcadian Military, a Soldier- obliterated by unspeakable psionic energies
Houn – Arcadian Police, a Police Officer- hit by a photon burst from an assault weapon
That didn't go as planned.
SkyCaptain, did you guard him?
So what do we do now? Make SkyCaptain almost invincible (barring guard-breaking kills, role-blockers, and busdrivers.... all of which I see as likely), or make him a target and see what happens when we all die?
Also, 2/3 nights one of us dies
. We need to get better at that.
