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Who: Wrath and anyone!
Broadcast: Fleetwide, video
Action: SS Windrose
When: 7/11 ~~oh shit get her a space slurpee~~

[Wrath's a lot more cheerful than she was in her first broadcast, just because she now knows what the heck is going on. And really, the situation isn't that bad at all! ~~No zombies!~~ So she just about radiates warmth and a good, can-do attitude. It's almost eerie, really.]

Hi everyone!

Everybody has been working super hard, and this place is weird and doesn't have an actual command structure so I thought someone who isn't weird and creepy and involved in abducting people should say, good job! I'm really excited to be working with all of you now.

[Yes, on Planet Wrath, the job is king.]

Um.

I have to ask for a favor now, though. Sorry, it feels like a total dick move.

[She holds up the sad, flimsy cane that Dr. Crusher was able to find for her.]

I need something a lot sturdier than this so I can keep doing an effective job. If someone could make something for me, I'd really appreciate it. My old cane also had a sword blade in it and the sheathe had a good enough spring that I could like knock people out with it if I aimed right, so it'd be cool to get something with combat usefulness, but not necessary.

Also, I should probably get a pedometer again so something electronic will yell at me when I've been on my feet too long. Sorry, my back is all FUBAR because of that time I got thrown out a window, but I want to do a good job at being security and protecting everyone!

In exchange I can... uh. Well, I've instructed all kinds of basic combat training and I was number one for close combat for a couple decades so I can offer that. I can also draw and paint but that isn't so useful. Oh! And there's money, maybe? But I'd need some help figuring that out because numbers are... I'm not good at numbers.

Thank you, and good job everybody! [Enthusiastic thumbs up. Yes, she is for real.]

[On the Windrose, she's just doing what Wrath do, which is basically living in the armory at this point. Well, and looking out a space a lot, because it's space! And that will never stop being exciting.]

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[Julian looks... unhappy? Worried? Concerned? His face is doing a sort of not happy thing at Wrath.]

I think we should have a meeting with Beverly and possibly the other doctors and see about some proper treatment for you. I thought your back problems were from the ports not.. not...

Horrific trauma.

[Oh god Julian what is even wrong with your face.]

Oh! Um. Well, Dr. Crusher looked at it like... a week ago? [It gets hazy, sometimes, and she didn't write anything down, which she should have.] She said it was the ports? But I think maybe the reason the ports are all fucked up is because I got thrown out that window and Whiskey had to regrow most of my bones and... I don't know? Like I was fine before and then I got out of traction and everything sucked.

Sorry? I've walked away from everything else before now, so it was a real pisser.

[Well done, Wrath, that almost made sense.]

Okay, one thing at a time. You need a new walking aid. I can try and weld something together, something stronger than what you've got.

Then we're going to see Beverly and we'll try and make some decent medical equipment so we can start treating your back, okay?

[She makes sense so rarely, you should feel special.]

Okay. That would be really nice of you. If it's heavier, it can definitely do double duty as a weapon too. [Priorities, Julian.]

Okay. She scanned my back and stuff. And... yeah. You'd probably understand what's going on with it a lot better than I do. But you guys should definitely talk about it.

No, don't use it as a weapon. Use weapons as weapons. It's for helping you to move with minimal pain.

I'll talk to Beverly and see what we can do. We really need some decent osteo-generators but I don't know if we have the parts for it.

Julian, you're being really silly. Everything is a weapon. But yeah. I mean, I only hit people with the cane if I don't have a decent primary armament.

My bones are all nano-composite now so you probably need to talk to the nanobots about that.

No, I'm being sensible, don't use your walking aid as a weapon, you need it to walk.

... that's going to be more difficult. I'll get the data off Beverly. Between our implants, we might be able to work something out.

Yeah, but see, what happens if you're out somewhere and your taser has no more charge and you're out of grenades and you're not allowed to own a DMR or handgun and you had to leave your combat knife in the apartment because people were chasing you? You just have to use what you have at hand or the kitten is going to get hurt. [Real life situations, Julian. You have to think of these eventualities.]

Sorry, I know it's probably weird. I don't have many of my original parts left, but the bones were kind of... a thing. They were supposed to grow back right, but I don't know what happened. I was in a coma for like three days, and then Whiskey said if I ever did full combat again my back would explode and I'd die.

Though it hasn't yet. Just kind of hurts sometimes.

... the kitten.

[His brain doesn't want to deal with the rest of it, so he focuses on the kitten statement.]

No, not that strange. Not actually surprising that you have a lot of cybernetic replacement, given you line of work.

Have you tried simple pain relief treatments? Exercises and massage?

Jellybean. Technically she's Maine's kitten, but we pretend she's mine because of the hurfdurf factor. It's apparently a space marine thing. They're all emotional retards.

[Welcome to the rabbit hole.]

The synthetic muscle fibers, I signed on for. The rest was just kind of... attrition. It's what you get when you live hard and go fast.

I had a physical therapist that was working with me, back home. His name is Julien too, actually, but he spells it differently. I think. Mostly I was just on exercises and chems. I... didn't trust anyone in the medical system to get near me for shit like massages.

[She likes touching people as an active participant. But that stuff makes her feel helpless and she can't quite explain it.]

[The kitten is an actual kitten. That helps clarify some of it, at least.]

Okay. Well, I can help. One of my friends, I'd call him a friend, anyway, he has a bad back and shoulder. Not like yours, but I learned to deal with a level of consistent injury.

Would you let me try a massage?

[Wrath: overly literal in the most useless ways possible.]

You'd call him a friend? [...that sounds weird, when he puts it that way.] Would he call you something else?

[She thinks about this more. Sure, it's not like they haven't been physically (very) close already, but this is different. This is letting someone have her back. Letting a doctor have her back. And there's this strange conflict in her head, where she doesn't trust doctors because... because.

But she also feels like she automatically should trust them. Because they're there to fix you and make you better. It makes her head hurt, trying to sort that out.

So instead she tries to focus on the fact that this is Julian, and he's adorable, and she's also pretty sure she could take him if she had to. Maybe. That's about as good as it gets.]

Okay. If you think that'll help, okay. I'd do a more effective job if my back wasn't such an asshole.

I'd call him a friend. I can't say if he'd do the same. [He thought Miles was his friend, but Miles did friendship in a weird way that involved a lot of teasing and mocking.]

You don't have to let me do that. It's your body, it's your choice. I just want to try and give you some viable pain relief.

Oh. Does he have a hurfdurf problem too? Some people are like that.

[Like most of her close male friends except Orion.]

No, it's okay. I... think you're okay to have my back. [Not really sure if she can say he's got her six. She barely knows him. But it's not out of the question either. You have to start somewhere, though. She certainly doesn't have a reason to mistrust Julian, other than the whole him being a doctor thing.

And it's probably unfair of her to hold that against him.] I think I can trust you to have my back.

[...please?]

... I don't even know what hurfdurf is. He has a shoulder that dislocates under strain, it causes problems for his upper back.

[He isn't the most empathic person, he sometimes has trouble reading people's expressions but he can see she's uncomfortable and doesn't want to be.]

I'll never do anything to hurt you. I wouldn't hurt any patient, especially not a friend.

Hurfdurf is like... people being dumb for dumb reasons. Like oh I can't have a kitten because hurfdurfdurf I'm a super manly space marine and being around something cute will make my dick fall off, even though I totally like kittens. [Not that her best friend is just like that or anything.]

[Doctors say shit like that all the time. Doctors are generally liars.

No, doctors are there to make you better, Wrath. You don't want to be broken and useless, do you?

Well, Julian hasn't lied to her about anything yet. She needs to stop being so paranoid.]

I know. You're a good person. So it's okay.

Edited 2015-07-13 18:54 (UTC)

I think I understand what hurfdurf is now...

[But there's still something on her face. Something he doesn't like.]

I promise. I wouldn't hurt you.

Good. I don't know how else I could explain.

[She hesitates.]

I believe you. You're a good guy, Julian.

Just...

That's what doctors always say.

[He understands. Doctors made him feel that way when he was younger.]

If they did otherwise? They were terrible doctors and you deserved better.

[If anything, she's feeling more uncomfortable on this topic, because half of her is white-hot angry, and the other is filled with guilt for questioning the authority of Bifrons and the militia doctors in such a way.]

I think they were the best doctors in Proles. They were.

They said.

Um.

They were making us better. I think.

I don't really remember.

[Julian pales slightly. It's a brief reaction, not expecting to hear those words and it's gone a moment later, replaced with just genuine empathy and feeling.

And tiny hints of anger at however said those things.]

Better from being unwell? Or better, better more useful?

There weren't many of us left. After the Line. 864,000 dead and... and. They needed better soldiers, I guess. We had so much work to do. We live to serve. The Wolves were the best, so we had to lead the charge. You have to finish the mission. Only the mission matters.

[Is this making sense? The more she tries to think about this, the less sense it makes. She can only think around it in circles, not look directly at it.]

And it keeps you from getting sick. You have to keep going. You have to be stronger and faster and--

And then. Then it's. It's... its... everything breaks down, and they have to fix you, because something's wrong with you, you're noncompliant and you've got a gun and--

[Not you. Him. He's got a gun. She shakes her head.]

I don't really remember. It's not really important.

[Julian doesn't interrupt her, just focusing on the way she reacts and the things she says the horrible, obvious damage of reprogramming from people who were good at blunt force psychology and didn't give a damn.

He needs to talk to Beverly. Badly. This is well outside his experience and field.]

It's all right, you don't have to go over it again.

[He doesn't want her setting off anything hidden in her mind. Particularly when he's not there to help if it goes bad.]

[Little sigh of relief there. She shifts over to a bright smile. ] Okay! I'm glad I answered your question well enough.

You did great, Wrath.

[He's starting to realise how important praise is to her well being.]

And between Beverly and I, we might be able to get your back feeling much better.

Thanks! I try to do a good job.

I really hope so. That would mean so much. [And she really could do a good job then.]

I don't believe we've spoken before- I'm Dr. Keller of the Wonderduck. I'd be happy to take a look at your injuries if you'd like, since it doesn't hurt to have too many eyes on it.

Hi, Dr. Keller! [Uh oh a doctor. But she seems... nice? She has nice hair, that's for sure. Wrath's a sucker for nice hair.] Um sure, if you want? Dr. Crusher's looked at them too, but yeah definitely good to have lots of people on a. Uh. Problem.

[She just wants it fixed, and now that she's got an inkling that it might be fixable...]

I'm sure between Dr. Crusher and myself, we might be able to come up with something. If nothing else, we can work on building a better cane or a crutch to help you walk.

I think Dr. Bashir might be helping too, so that's three doctors! You'll figure out everything fast.

Something that'll help me walk better would be really good. I mean... I've been kind of figuring it out, but I want to do a good job and security is my job...

I'll have to speak to him, then, definitely.

[She nods.]

If you don't mind me asking, was this an injury you had before you were pulled here to the Fleet?

Apparently my back's a fucking mess so it's really interesting? That's what my physical therapist said back home anyway. I'm a fucking jigsaw puzzle.

Yeah. Like three months ago I got thrown out of the 99th story window at the hub during a minor insurrection action, it was fucking stupid. Whiskey said I was basically meat paste in a bag when they brought me in. They had to regrow most of my bones and the spine came in all fucked up. Dr. Crusher said that's because of the ports.

[Jennifer can't help it- she has to stare a little bit.]

I'm sorry- you said regrow your bones? And you survived a 99-story fall? Your world has to have some extraordinary technology- more advanced than I've seen.

Oh yeah, they're an advanced nanocomposite.

Well like I didn't fall all 99 stories. Like... I bounced off some window cleaner units. And I got my plasma arc sword jammed into the side of the building and rode it down a lot of the way. So I probably only really fell like... I don't know. Less than thirty stories total?

Still, that's... pretty impressive. Most people aren't up walking after falling even thirty stories. Though... nanocomposite doesn't mean much to me, though, unfortunately.

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I feel like I should say sorry for this.

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