let us bow our heads

[thespaceopera]

[it may be too optimistic to hope that it has something to do with respect, but Atroma has been very quiet. in the wake of the growing stillness on the Iskaulit, neither of the fleet's hosts have broken the peace with their chipper voices.

if the passengers are being watched as closely as they always claim, it is being done in silence.

whether or not the remainder of the living bugs are being kept somewhere for observation, and regardless of the fact that the discussion of what to ultimately do with the ship is still ongoing, it has been generally agreed that something respectful should be done with the dead, and that the remaining spores should be washed away.

so, this will all be done through a combined effort of vacuum and fire, and the time for this purge has been set.

feet on the ground are needed to prepare the foreign ship for purging--securing anything that could be damaged, and safely packing away delicate data-storing instruments and anything belonging to the fleet itself. anyone willing to help could surely find something to do.

and for anyone wishing to bless, reflect, honor, or pray... now is the time to do so. whether aboard the Iskaulit itself before the purge, offering a voice over the network, or simply watching from nearby shuttles and ships, this is the fleet's moment to help send off the crew of the Iskaulit with dignity.]


ooc: this is the final IC mod post for June! the purge itself will be implied for the most part, but anyone with skills in mechanics or fire-controlling may assume they were involved.

this post specifically is for any interactive threads involved in the final days before the Iskaulit is cleaned, and anything funerary, including broadcasts. even if you just want to put up a closed comment describing what private way your character is taking part in this makeshift 'ceremony,' go for it.

an OOC post summarizing and officially wrapping up the rest of June will go up as soon as we're able.

Comments

[proudlywehailed]

Which means you should be anywhere else. Like your own ship, wherever that is.

[redactions]

[ With some amusement, ]

Why, are you feeling particularly homicidal?

[proudlywehailed]

Are you feeling particularly suicidal?

[that sharp wit sure hasn't gone anywhere.]

[redactions]

[ He barks a laugh. ]

Nah. Reckless, maybe. Somebody rubbed off on me.

[proudlywehailed]

Can't imagine who.

[there's a level of truth in that; a warning. i don't know you.]

[redactions]

No, s'pose not.

[ It's not a concession. Just castling the king while waiting for the next move. ]

[proudlywehailed]

... Guess you have it in your head that I'm this "Steve" guy, too, right?

[the name holds venom, on commander's tongue.]

[redactions]

You might've been, once.

[ He can't remain neutral on this — it'd be inhuman — so grief sinks the tone. ]

You could be again if you wanted. If you don't, it's not going to stop me from talking to you.

[ or wanting to be your friend, but he locks that away. ]

[proudlywehailed]

... I still think you're all out of your minds. I'm not him.

[as far as he's concerned, he never was.]

[redactions]

We invented swing and we fought the War; we're all a little crazy.

[ a pause, then, ]

I'm still not going anywhere. Not [ without you ] voluntarily anyway.

[proudlywehailed]

If I'm not him, and I'm not going to be him, why?

[the way he sees it, he has nothing to gain through this.]

http://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY

[redactions]

[ Simply, ] You look like you've been carrying the weight a'the world long enough.

[ Just like one skinny little madman, long ago. ]

THAT'S IT I'M LEAVING

[proudlywehailed]

[that makes him tense again. he still hasn't looked over at him, not that bucky could see behind those goggles.]

My world's not here to carry.

you can't quit me

[redactions]

[ Bucky gestures lazily to the lines of tension across Steve's shoulders. ]

Still there.

╥﹏╥

[proudlywehailed]

... S'from you bein' here.

[he's not lying, technically.]

:>

[redactions]

[ Soft, ]

Give it to me, then.

[ It weighs as much as the shield. ]

[proudlywehailed]

Stop.

[He says it louder, more firmly.]

I'm not Steve. I'm not your responsibility.

[redactions]

I'd do the same for any man.

[ It's a sergeant's duty, and a captain's responsibility; it makes his mouth twist that those are the only two words left he can use for himself. ]

[proudlywehailed]

I never asked for your help, and I never asked for your pity.

[he still sounds rigid, like he's holding a gun to someone's head, and he hasn't decided whether or not to pull the trigger.]

[redactions]

No.

[ His instinct has always been to prop Steve up and treat him like he's whole, even with an arm, a missing friend, and a lost world — that instinct stays. It can never be wiped from him. ]

We don't always know to ask. Doesn't mean it's not needed.

[ a beat ]

It's not about pity. It's about having someone there in the trenches with you.

[proudlywehailed]

I have that. I don't need it forced on me by you.

[he's prickled hard, suddenly feeling the need to bare his fangs and strike.]

You're not from my world.

[redactions]

No.

[ When cornered, he chooses the response that's smoke. A trick the Winter Soldier uses, in another world. It came from Bucky first. ]

Doesn't mean the offer can't be there. Like I said. If you want me to leave, I will.

[proudlywehailed]

Then go.

[he's gotten offended; time to take him up on the offer.]

[redactions]

[ There's no protest or rejoinder. Bucky simply slips out of where he is, crosses the room, and slowly his footsteps fade as he returns to the docking bay. ]