driftfleet | A call in the dark

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A call in the dark

[It won't be long before the Marsiva leaves the system. Not once has the fleet's Host Ship gone near the green, mysterious planet, choosing instead to keep it only at the far edges of her reach. All the while, the party deck has remained open and welcoming, tempting passengers to stay and try their luck for last-minute prizes.

And just when it seems like the fleet may leave the Lagan system without incident- a sudden rush of energy flares out across the green planet's surface and beyond, rippling far past its atmosphere until it reaches every ship in the fleet. The energy buffets the hulls and scrambles the instruments for one or two very dramatic minutes - just as it had before, but much more powerful in its reach. The wave is still invisible, save for a confusing warp in the way light describes shapes, but those who are sensitive to various energies--psionic, magical, life-force, or otherwise--will be able to feel an overwhelming force comb through their entire being, before the phenomenon passes over and ends.

However, unlike last time, this wave of energy is not silent. Across both the speakers of every communication device and console, and in the minds of anyone sensitive to the energy, comes the message:]

Yei equoa seh ouat ti unduo ti akun. Yiat deht quoi yiat seh kiskhan. Yiaht seh yesui ti yiat seh enduan, tal yei vissai atuav yei ti esat yiat lehir hanui. Esat yiat lehir evess. Esat yiat lehir illua tal giskat deht. Wes sahat lehir enila yei, wes yei vissai seh nan sahat ista, sahat yayet quoi adaht woru vitsahn. Hanui gisketi ideht yesui ti tokia gisketi ideht uaru, tal adrifa deseht adtah.

[Those who had been investigating the wreckage's systems may notice that this message is the very same as the one coded in the distress signal. Perhaps the Virsua was trying once last time to communicate.]

[OOC: Feel free to use this post as a mingle--either for broadcasts over the network or in-person interactions. The Marsiva is still within range of the planet for another day or two, so any in-person threads can be on the planet's surface, aboard various ships or stations, or in the Marsiva's party room.

For those who had learned a translated word before, now is a great chance to put that knowledge to use!

While the mods continue to sort out the upcoming happenings with the Drift Fleet, we thought a final themed mingle would be fun to play with in the meantime. Enjoy!]

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I won't let him beat me.

[ His voice is steel. ]

I don't care how badly I react to it. I won't let him have this.

That much was never in doubt.

[Not by Erik.]

[ He subsides at that. ]

No. I suppose not. This is an aberration . . . a moment. Not the sum of you or me.

[It helps that he knows En Sabah Nur wasn't really behind it. It helps to know that sudden flood of energy, that hollowing out, filling up was brief. It doesn't help to know it will feature in his nightmares tonight, where the mutant reaches into his chest and takes hold of his heart as easily as Systems wielded his scalpel. Easily taken. Easily used.

Erik lets out a huff.]

No. It isn't part of the equation at all.

. . . Why did you do it, Erik?

[The question comes not from out of nowhere, but at least a little out of left field. The mild confusion on Erik's face doesn't take long to change to comprehension - they've been talking about En Sabah Nur all along, and yet not.

He looks down at his hands, taking a moment to regroup. Once, he might have found this question daunting, and he's a little surprised to note that he isn't afraid of answering. It's a question he's turned over and over in his own mind in the months since then, on his own and with others... and in the end, his reasons are obvious. He can hardly be more reprehensible than he already is. So when he replies, his voice is steady, if quiet.]

I was angry, and wanted to hit back. [Only there was no one left to strike at, once they were all dead.] I'd spent so long trying to do things differently... change myself into something better. I even thought I'd succeeded. But... I made a mistake. And that was all it took for them to rip everything apart again.

[He worries at the skin on his knuckles, roughened from years of work.] I asked myself if that was all I was. If that was what the universe wanted from me. If all I was good for was killing and destruction. I didn't understand what else I could possibly do. [To improve, to stop things collapsing no matter what he tried.]

[After a moment, he looks back up at Charles.]

When he took me back to the camps, I thought I understood then. ["This is where your people were slaughtered ... You don't know your own power, but I do."] I understood suffering, tearing things down. ["So we unlock your gift with anger. Anger and pain."] After that ... once he'd put that power in me, there was only the use of it.

[ Charles is silent before he moves closer, prying Erik's fingers away from his knuckles. He knew that answer. ]

Were you angry with me?

[ Did you want to bury me too? he had wondered. Charles has stopped believing that he has some special connection to Erik, that he could change or make Erik do anything he didn't want to. It had been fantasy in his mind and the problem with the mind is that it conjures all kinds of beliefs that never hold up. It's tempered now.

But this . . . he still stumbles with. They had dealt with false gods and inhuman creatures. En-Sabah-Nur had just been one that came to their home. ]

[He glances down as Charles moves his fingers, letting the question sink in. Was he?]

No. I was angry about a lot of things... even some of the things you said. [That he won't deny, though he's as much at fault for how he handled Charles's attempt to reach out after his family's death. Especially knowing where it lead.] But I wasn't angry with you.

It seems stupid to say I didn't realise he intended to destroy you. But I didn't. [He had been blinded to so many things, caught up in that vortex of power and despair. Thank goodness for Raven's efforts.] When I realised what was about to happen, that knowledge was what let me break out of his hold. I didn't want to lose you.

[ Wordlessly, he presses them to Erik's knees before lifting his hands away and steeples them over his lap. ]

There's nothing to lose. I'll always be here for you.

[ But it sounds like verbatim, a script that Charles has followed dutifully for years. He sighs. ]

I know you never meant for it to get that far.

[ It says so much about them, though, he thinks dimly, that they only ever talk like this in the library, Kyriakos . . . the spaces between the real world. Maybe it's the same for their relationship. ]

I'd rather not speculate on how far I meant to go. [He might not remember all the details of that period, but he's certain if Charles had been in the middle of a city when he began his world-wide disintegration, he wouldn't have given it a second thought. Erik curls his fingers against his knees, rings bright against his skin. It's past now. He went as far as he did. No more.]

Things can always be lost. [It's that knowledge that keeps him awake at night, haunting his dreams.] But some can be found again too.

[His expression settles into something a little more at ease, if still a bit raw. The two sides of the shoreline don't seem so far apart anymore.]

I'm sorry it took so long to say.

[ He shakes his head. ]

You had a lot of things on your mind.

[ Charles hesitates briefly before adding a little more, quietly. ]

And I was afraid of what the answer might be.

I can understand why.

[It's why he won't say anything so trite as "You didn't need to be." It would have been rank foolishness to think there was no risk of it, with things as they had been.]

[ Charles meets Erik's eyes. Erik understands and he knows that. But it still seems to fall short.

But that's not on Erik, but Charles and his own complicated feelings. ]

I'll be fine.

[ He knows Erik hates that expression, but he uses it regardless. Charles will make it real, through sheer force of willpower if need be. Not Erik, not his feelings, not anything will stand in the way of that. ]

I already knew the answer.

[Erik watches Charles for a moment, and yes, it's that phrase he used to despise. His first thought is that it's not his place to push anymore, that it's an unwanted and unwarranted intrusion. Bound up in memories and emotion. Except...]

I think if you were certain, you wouldn't have been afraid to ask.

[Even if it is a slight challenge, it's not said with any ill-intent. It's more of a prod than a push. Charles's roundabout ways of talking haven't changed much over the years. Erik sets his shoulders back a little, running a hand through his hair.]

Do you need anything, to put that [...] energy wave out of your mind?

[ His lips twitch, though the affection there is scant, it's still there. ]

Well, a lot has changed.

[ At the question, his brow furrows as he gives him more thought and he finds his hands drifting over his welts, rubbing them. ]

I don't know. It all depends if it comes back. I could take some of the serum to be safe.

[The movement makes Erik frown slightly, and he wonders if there's anything in the medical supplies for minor skin grazes. Some kind of salve, perhaps.]

There's also your other form. [While it is a genuine second option, Erik knows it's also what he'd prefer over the serum being used. He won't say as much; everyone already knows his opinion on that front, and they've discussed it for this very purpose before. His brow creases momentarily as something occurs to him.] If you can still use it. I haven't tried to use mine in nearly a decade... I have no idea if I can still change.

Neither have I, but I can't say I'm particularly keen on trying it and finding myself locked in that form. The otter is hardly the most defensible animal.

[ Even now, the lack of hair feels odd and his fingers brush his marks, making him wince in irritation. ]

You have a point. [Erik gets to his feet, moving over to the doorway.] Wait here a moment.

[He exits, heading down the corridor to the medical bay.]

[ Charles blinks, confused. ]

[It doesn't take him long to locate what he's after. Erik steps lightly back into the room, descending the gap less heavily than before. He holds out a tube of medical gel to Charles, labelled for skin irritation and minor cuts.]

From the lab.

[ Oh. Charles' expression softens, touched by Erik's gesture as he reaches for the gel. ]

Thank you Erik.

You're welcome.

I'm going to check the network and see what the others are saying. You'll be all right?

Of course. Go on now.

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A call in the dark

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