driftfleet | 8. [video]

Entry tags:

8. [video]

Who: Simon Tam and you
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Bloodsport, if you want
When: Right now

[It had been a while since Simon had addressed the network, but he felt like it was important. He realized when the planet visit had come around how little he'd actually been interacting with people since River left, and it was taking its toll on him.

Time to fix that.]

Ah- hello to everyone, especially our many newer arrivals. I have been quiet lately, but I figured it was time to introduce myself- I'm Simon Tam, medical officer on the Bloodsport. I... [He hesitated.] I've been keeping to myself a lot over the past few months, and I'm wanting to change that. I would like to learn something new- how to garden so I can help grow medical plants on the Iskaulit, perhaps. I would also be up for brushing up on my self-defense skills, since I am quite rusty at best. And if anybody has any other suggestions, I am willing to listen.

Thank you.

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[Gardening, she can't help much with. Now, the self-defense? That's a bit more up her alley.]

What sort of self-defense did you have in mind? Just basic hand to hand?

Hand-to-hand would be good, yes. I'm not very comfortable using weapons.

I may be able to give you some pointers and lessons in that, if there is no one else you'd prefer. I'm not an expert but as a warrior I learned it before I ever picked up any weapon. You never know when you might not have it.

I will gladly accept help from anyone who wants to offer. And I have to agree with that feeling... I want to be as prepared as possible for anything Atroma might choose to throw at us.

Then I'll gladly teach you. It's a wise attitude for you to have. I've heard we've been attacked in the past?

We have... fleets of other ships have fired on us twice since I have been here. We have yet to be boarded by anybody hostile, but who knows what may happen?

And I would not count on them not boarding in the future. They may not be content to just fire on us forever.

[What else would be the point of just attacking and not following up with boarding?]

Precisely. It seems like not everything on this show is under Atroma's control, but I would not put it past them to deliberately have us attacked and boarded, either.

Yes, I've heard they're not terribly concerned about our safety and well-being. What makes you believe not everything is under their control, though?

As an example- a few months ago, we were pushed into some sort of... area of interference by another fleet of ships that seemed to damage our augments, so Atroma forced all of us onto the Marsiva to recalibrate them. It seemed as though that was not part of their script, because it took some weeks before they were able to fix everything. If it was part of the show, I would have thought we would have been repaired right away.

That does seem rather inconvenient. Unless they particularly enjoyed herding all of you like sheep into one ship. [A pause.] Wait, were you all shoved into that area that newcomers arrive in?

No, we were given sufficient room, thankfully. Our own individual rooms, plus a spacious common area, a kitchen, and a gym. But we weren't pulled there til several weeks after the augment glitches began, which implies that they needed time to make arrangements for us.

Then that is very suspicious, yes. If nothing else, if they planned it, I would think they would have had the accommodations ready as soon as it happened.

Exactly. So they were forced to take time off from whatever they had planned to deal with this problem. They are not as in control of things as they would like us to believe, I think.

I don't know if that's entirely comforting. On the one hand, it suggests that there may be a way to free ourselves, or at least imply weaknesses in their infrastructure and plans. On the other... we're in space. If something unforeseen and beyond their control goes wrong and Atroma has no means of helping us, that could be disastrous.

[Simon nodded.]

It's a tricky situation... we will require a lot of study before we can come up with ways to fight back. And the fact that they have some control means we must be extremely careful if we do find a way to act, lest they try to squash any rebellious ideas.

Has any effort been made in that endeavor? Relevant information gathered, that sort of thing?

I heard people discussing finding odd things on the Marsiva - but the problem is, the information was gone after we awoke the next morning. Like they were wiping out anything they didn't want us to know.

Gone? Did no one write it down or make a note of it?

They did, but that was gone, too. Granted, most of us tried on our communicators, and since they are of Atroma issue... you can see the problem.

Indeed. Damn, those bastards are thorough.

It is because they have apparently been at this for years and years before the current "cycle" began, from what I understand. They, of course, do not tell us exactly how long a cycle lasts, but when the Marsiva incident happened, it was the year anniversary of some peoples' arrival.

There is no trace of those that came before us? But of course, if they can wipe out information so quickly and efficiently, they can easily wipe evidence of previous captives' existence.

If they have been at it for years, then I imagine a cycle lasts a considerable time.

There is none, no. Granted, I have not looked too deeply, but I am sure others have and not found any sort of record of the previous participants. It would be nice if we could glimpse them, but then, it may tell us how we can win, beat them at their own game. And Atroma cannot have that.

If there is such a thing as winning. I'd find it more believable if people were not sent home without warning. Nonetheless, finding out about these participants and Atroma's past would be invaluable. It may just be a matter of waiting for them to make a mistake and striking when the opportunity arises. [Waiting games are awful, but sometimes one simply didn't have a choice.]

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pompous_today - 2016-02-09 00:56 (UTC) - Expand

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