9. [video]

[pompous_today]

Who: Simon Tam and you
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: N/A
When: March 23rd

Others have been doing experiments on the augments, but I'd like to know something else. Has anyone encountered someone on a planet or waystation with an augment who isn't part of the Fleet? Or anyone who has even heard of the Drift Fleet program? I've asked around, but nobody seems to know what I am talking about. So I'm curious to know.

Comments

[pompous_today]

I do... but the problem with that theory is, a cover story for what? If the reality show is all a ruse, what other purpose are we serving? That I cannot figure out. Either there is an audience and Atroma is not as willing to exploit them as they are to exploit us, or there is no audience and we are here for some other mysterious purpose.

[passingthrough]

Gets to be a complicated mess when you know you can't necessarily trust anything they say. [She knows that pain well. She was from a prison in virtual reality complete with regular mind games.]

So, why lie to us if we can't do anything about it either way? Either it's because the truth would give us some leg up on escape or because they want to generate the behaviors this lie would generate. Or it's the truth. [She looks to him, wondering if he sees any other options.]

[pompous_today]

Exactly. And when they speak to us so infrequently, toss us so few crumbs, it's harder to assemble what we do know into the bigger picture.

[He then nodded agreement.]

One of my working theories right now is that they are not as in control of who comes and who goes as they want us to believe- they simply found a way to take advantage of it. That way, they can reassure the audience that anybody sent home was simply doing poorly in the ratings, while anybody who has stayed is doing well. Because you must admit, bringing in certain combinations of people from home could spice things up.

[passingthrough]

That would make more sense. As good a theory as I've heard anyway. I haven't been here that long, but it all seems a little random. I doubt Leia's ratings were too low considering the stabbing.

[pompous_today]

Indeed- there are plenty of people who have randomly vanished whom one would think are doing well. And many people here are without anybody at all from home. I am one of them. Some of the participants are without spouses or significant others, without siblings or mentors or even their enemies... and since they seem to know a lot about us, picking and choosing whom to bring to maximize the drama would make sense. And yet they don't.

[passingthrough]

Someone from my world arrived not too long after me. I wasn't expecting that. [X-Men from other realities, sure, but she really didn't think it would ever be someone from home.] But you're right, for pure ratings they could have chosen better. [Like Piotr.]

[pompous_today]

My sister was here for a few months, but other than that, nobody else from home has shown up. It's strange, though- a few people who look a great deal LIKE people from my home are here, but we are not from the same world at all.

[passingthrough]

I've seen something like that. No one from my home, but I've known people to look the same and not just be different versions of the same person. Who are your world's lookalikes?

[pompous_today]

A man called Mr. Castle looks a lot like the captain of the ship I traveled on, but the two of them are complete opposites in personality and demeanor. Mr. Castle is older than Mal, too. And my colleague Dr. Keller greatly resembles my girlfriend, but she has blond hair and Kaylee's is brown. Kaylee is a mechanic, as well, not a doctor, and again, their personalities are very different.

[passingthrough]

Oh, [The sound of recognition here] you know Mal. Probably Inara too then?

[pompous_today]

I do! All of us are from the same world. None of them have shown up here since I arrived, though.

[passingthrough]

I met them both in the prison. [Is that suspicious sounding?]

[pompous_today]

Prison...? [Well, then again, it DID make sense that some of the crew would end up in prison eventually. They WERE criminals, even if they did have a gift for staying one step ahead of the law.]

[passingthrough]

It's the multidimensional trap I was in before this one. MarinaNova Asylum. It wasn't a very prison-y prison for what it's worth.

[pompous_today]

Ah, I see! [Simon nodded in understanding.] I've known several people here who are in a similar situation- they've already been through the whole ordeal where they woke up in a strange place and lived there for some time before being brought here. I've even met a scant few people who have known other versions of me in such places.

[passingthrough]

I'm actually starting to feel like more people have been somewhere else than haven't. It wasn't like that at the prison. I only knew one person who had been somewhere else like it. [She knew two but never realized it of the second.]

[pompous_today]

I have gotten that impression, as well. It seems like a very cruel move on Atroma's part to me... instead of getting to go home, you end up here instead. Not only not home, but on a space reality show of all things.

[passingthrough]

There could be worse things. Like...actually going home in some cases. No one needs to have their lives controlled by unseen overlords enjoying the show though.

[pompous_today]

True... not everyone has much of a life to go back to, from what I understand. Some even see this place as an improvement. Myself, I just want answers. I want the truth of who brought us here and why. Of how things work.

[passingthrough]

What if the reality show is the truth? I mean, how would you know the truth when you saw it?

[pompous_today]

I'm not sure, to be honest. They could show us some of the footage they've been allegedly showing us, but that does not definitively prove the existence of the show or the audience. And at this point, I'm not sure I can trust anything Atroma tells us.

[passingthrough]

Right. Makes learning the truth harder when you're just going to deny it anyway. [She doesn't just mean him. She'd do the same thing.]

[pompous_today]

Precisely. When Atroma's entire... thing is secrecy and vagueness, it's hard to separate what is truth and what is 放屁.

[放屁 = fàng pì = bullshit]

[passingthrough]

[She understands that and she wonders for a second if it's just knowing enough mandarin and being good with languages to pick it up or if it was the augment.]

At a point you just have to choose what you're going to believe until more evidence is available I guess.

[pompous_today]

And I intend to gather as much evidence as I am able.

[passingthrough]

Anything you want me to keep an eye out for?

[pompous_today]

I mostly want to know if anybody else in this entire galaxy has heard of this supposedly popular program. That would sway me more than anything- we have to have fans SOMEWHERE. And if we don't find any, well... it adds another layer to the puzzle.

[passingthrough]

It's a big galaxy. Maybe they're just flying us away from the fan base. But I'll ask around and let you know if I hear anything worthwhile.

[pompous_today]

I would appreciate that a lot, and I will continue doing the same myself. ... I only wish I was a computer hacker, but then, it's likely they have all of that tightly monitored as well.

[passingthrough]

I have been, but I have the augment of a pilot and things are more complicated without the corresponding augment. [It doesn't mean she hasn't been working on hacking things here.]

[pompous_today]

[Simon nodded.] And even with the augment, it can take some learning. Despite having similar technology to what hospitals and labs have back home, I still had to learn how to work everything here.

[passingthrough]

[She nods. I had some piloting experience back home, but same for me. Then again that was all jets and helicopters and not so much space craft so I figured there'd be a learning curve. [And she is good with learning curves. Fast study. Intuitive. She finds the other systems frustrating because she's used to picking things up faster. But she also likes a challenge so, frustrated or not she's been trying to push through.]

Did you have something in mind you wanted to try to access? [After all, she does know people like Winn who might have a faster path to success with hacking here.]

[pompous_today]

I'd like to know if they keep records on the passengers- specifically, if we'd be able to find out things about some of the contestants on past cycles. How long they lasted before "winning", who they were, what their appeal was. That sort of thing.

[passingthrough]

Sounds reasonable. {Which doesn't necessarily mean obtainable.] If you find anything worthwhile out let me know and I'll do the same.

[pompous_today]

I shall keep in touch. Thank you again.