driftfleet | [broadcast] it will come for me

Who: Mantis and All

Broadcast: Yes

Action: On a smuggling ship

When: Today

There's a figure lying on the floor, just within the bottom portion of the feed. Mantis tilts the communication device upwards, putting him into full view. He has a knife in his hand and is wiping it off with a damp and somewhat dark cloth. For a few seconds, he says naught and simply cleans the blade. Then he has a seat and takes a deep, deep breath.

"It looks bad, and for some of you, this is going to be unforgivable regardless of what justification I can muster. Allow me, then, to say this much:

Yes, I decided to try my hand at a bit of piracy. No, I didn't start this mess. Yes, I damn well finished it. No, I have no regrets. The crew I found was attacked by a rival of theirs and I took the opportunity to take down both sides once shots rang out. As far as I am concerned, this is two birds with a very violent stone."

He points the knife at the camera when he finishes his speech. Then a small bit of laughter begins to shake his shoulders. His volume does not increase much, but a certain flavor of unhinged joy manages to take it over. Mantis tosses the knife into the air and it makes a sharp turn before flying off behind him. A dull sound is made when it lands in something.

"Almost like being home again. I'll alert the authorities in a bit."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm sorry for your loss."

[Which loss out of all that he means, even Flug isn't sure, but it feels appropriate to say.]

"This one is fairly basic, I modified it using the casing from a model I aquired on Yadrolla and some of the scrap from Drade. Since their aircrafts utilize a lot of steam, I thought it might reduce issues with overheating."

[He sets it back down. ]

"Back where I'm from, I built things like this daily. Many, many things."

[It almost hurts to think of the manor now. Its long sprawling halls and black and red decor are cast in a nearly ominous light, when Flug thinks of how he may never be allowed back and live to tell the tale. Although the halls are lined with portraits, bizarrely, its nearly impossible to make the subject out.]

"I've created robots [a flash of a hat-bot sentinel], weapons [The manor's defense system springs to life at the touch of a red button ] devices most Universes couldn't hope to crack on their own." [Among other things.]

[There may be a bloom of an ego popping up in there, but between all he has shown, it is at least a little deserved. He stares Mantis down, cautiously awaiting judgement.]

"I could invent for you too. There must be a way to amplify that power?"

[Mantis nods his head and makes a quiet noise to the condolences.]

"You're a real scientist. Never stopping in creating one new machine after the other, even if just to test if a vague idea might work."

[A manor. A man in the manor. In the painting? Mantis leans forward a little as he tries to pick out any kind of feature about the man, but it's a blur hidden with deeper thoughts. There are easier ways to figure out a name.]

"A jack of all trades. You don't specialize in a kind of machine so much as machines in general." [He laughs.] "I would like to meet this man that you build them for. As for my powers, I already have a way to amplify them. I wrote a hymn ages ago to saturate the thoughts of others from top to bottom while using my telepathy. Unless you have a better idea?"

"Many think they do. Meeting him is, ah, s-something else entirely."

[He chuckles somewhat nervously; it's both exciting and startling to realize Psycho Mantis can probe even deeper than he already is. And indeed Flug does appear to thinking about his employer... at least it seemed like that at first. Strangely even outside of the portraits, it's hard to make him out. A few memories flash through the Scientist's subconcious but the person he is speaking to remains just out of focus, like garbled, corrupted footage. Only one detail sticks out: a B̷̢l̴̨͡͝͏á̵ć͟͠ḱ̕͘͢ ̨͡H̡̢a̸̢͘͠t͢͡. It's turning to look now... Does it see you?]

"I was thinking more something along amplifying the range. If Atroma is unaware you can access their thoughts, we could focus our efforts on getting you closer."

[They have so few chances but it was something to work with.]

"Once you're in someone's head can you, um, alter.. change things?"

"If he commisions someone like you to create weapons for total destruction, his personality isn't far from my own. You must be one of those 'mad' scientists."

[Mantis sits back suddenly, surprised and slightly alarmed. A memory so vivid it nearly seemed real... Right? As familiar as he is with the concept of adapting even the smallest part of another's mindset, could Flug really not be completely aware of what is in his head?

Fascinating.]

"Hmm. I have managed entire buildings before with minimal difficulty. Music has worked in the past, but what you are suggesting might take a level of control that I don't think I've ever quite attempted. It would come down to how far the distance is between me and the target."

[You have his interest and attention, skinny man.]

"Changing small memories, forcing them to do and say things as I desire. If I try hard enough, I can induce a psychological break or the beginnings of madness."

"Yes, certifiably!"

[Got his Evil Doctorate and everything!]

"That's quite the array of options."

[And really reinforces the mixed sense of trepidation and relief Flug feels when he considers everything Psycho Mantis could and has willingly chosen not to do to him, at this very moment.]

"Plenty useful."

['And if you read thoughts like this... we have ways of speaking outside of Atroma's reach. One way, at least?' It will mean Flug has to guess responses, of course, but at least he can be assured the other man might get whatever intel he is trying to send him.]

"You used music to channel your power? Interesting. Has Atroma tried anything to restrict you in the past?"

[broadcast] it will come for me

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