eastbound | [handmaiden of unsheathed swords] audio posted:

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[handmaiden of unsheathed swords] audio posted:

[ There's a businesslike voice on the network that only some of you will recognize -- clearly filtered through the translator, and fortunately not interrupted by too many moans. ]

So I imagine I probably know the answer to this, but hope springs eternal: Did anyone else come here with technology?

Not all of my things are useful at the moment, but they do appear to be working. We should continue to keep proper tabs on our collective supplies.

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[ He can't help but squint a little, even if that's... obvious. ]

Sometimes it's hard to look away. [ Verbal shrug! ] Is that part of your power then? Something about a force.

[ He wrote down more than that. You talk a lot. ]

[ Five can probably already gather that he's bored, young, and not very cautious. And mouthy. Not completely dissimilar to spending time around the rest of the Hargreeves siblings, really. ]

Not a. The Force. There's only one. Electricity is something I'm fairly handy with, yes.

If you've been eavesdropping, I imagine you already know my name. Yours?

[ He might have said it that way on purpose, so that reaction is just a little satisfying. Yeah, he has him pegged by now. ]

Five. [ Whatever, he gives his name to everyone. ] I'm sure that will come in handy, around here. You can drag them into whatever century you're from.

Five, hm...you too? [ A wry note in his voice again. ] I'm starting to think this warlord also has an obsession with beings named after numbers.

But I can't say I quite follow. Mining me for information is all well and good, I can understand the impulse -- [ still that same wry drawl ] -- but if you want today's date, you can just ask like a normal person. Or surely you're not entertaining some outlandish theory that we've traveled backward in time?

[ Yes, he knows about Eleven. Apparently an only child, so don't ask him where that comes from.

He sucks in a breath, smile tight on his end. There's a reason he prefers to observe rather than engage, but fine, he'll pursue this. ]

Only if you're expecting time to be linear. [ He's not committing to anything, but it's fair to say it's more complicated than that. ] We're too far down the rabbit hole now.

So you are, then. Hmmm. [ A long, thoughtful hum from the other end of the line. ]

Well, that's one more hypothesis. Another I've met is convinced we're all of us from different dimensions, or something along those lines. As for me, those both seem vanishingly unlikely compared to the obvious explanation that we're all from separate planets and the rest of you simply come from worlds not yet contacted by the wider galaxy. Very common with the billions of them out there, and -- frankly, if time travel does actually exist, I can't imagine why certain charming customers of my acquaintance haven't made use of it to wipe every last one of us from creation yet.

But there are certainly strange and unexplained phenomena aplenty in this galaxy. Perhaps it's possible some power really does exist that can escape the notice of gods.

[ He really doubts anyone talking about other dimensions really has any concept of what they're saying. Or that any of them could ever hope to grasp what happened that brought them here, as much as he enjoys watching them try. There's a reason he saves those conversations for himself. ]

Go with that. [ "Unexplained phenomena" is simple enough for the masses. ] It doesn't really matter from your perspective, does it? You'll be here until something comes along and sends you back, or you die.

Of course it matters. Delightful a fairy tale as it would be for my crew to simply fly right over and start shuttling us all offworld, since that's not going to happen, we can only seek out solutions ourselves. I don't know about you, but I didn't survive this long by standing around with my thumbs up my ass hoping for some magical rescue.

[ Two nerds who are both extremely sure they know what they're talking about. This probably can't end well. ]

[ Kids these days yadda yadda. Five can appreciate the enthusiasm, but... well, he's got more experience, what can he say. ]

I wasn't talking about me.

[ He keeps busy. ]

Do you want to pool resources and trade notes or not? If I wanted to listen to people being uselessly smug to the ultimate benefit of no one, I'd get straight off this call and go try to patch into the Dark Council's frequency.

[ Actually, that's not a terrible idea. So far he hasn't picked up any usable frequencies, but if he can't raise his crew the next best bet would be Darth Marr and the fleet. Not like he cares that much if this hellhole of a planet gets glassed. ]

I'm just the peanut gallery. You're doing great on your own.

[ He might just leave him to that, since all he really needs to do is listen to the answers. ...Except he really thinks he'll keep going if he asks. ]

They call themselves the Dark Council?

Oh yes, someone chose that name in all seriousness. Presumably they then executed everyone who laughed. That's usually how these things go with the Sith. [ His new best buddy here presumably knows what that is since he's been eavesdropping plenty and all. ]

So did you end up here with tech or not?

[ Eavesdropping and taking very detailed notes, don't forget. He tries to make a new friend every day, really.

He's silent a moment after that question. Brace for something that isn't an outright lie. ]

Nothing you could use.

Fair enough. If that changes, do share with the class. Should there be need, I don't mind serving as a glorified charger here and there for our collective benefit.

If you're only interested in getting yourself off this rock, however, I don't think we have anything else to discuss.

[ Probably nothing he hasn't already gleamed, but that last statement grates him. Now he really is reminding him of his family, always getting distracted from the One Important Thing. ]

You're interested in something else?

[ he's gone from vaguely-pissed-off to drawlingly dry again. ]

It's not proper revenge if everyone doesn't make it out of here.

[ If that's not an exhausting way to put it.

Another one of those people who want all of them banded together through some sense of undeserved loyalty. It'll probably come down to him again, like always. ]

Revenge. [ Strange use of the word. Well, anyway -- ] Enjoy your new found friends, then.

Friends? That's cute.

I'm sure you'll do precisely what suits you regardless, stranger, and fair enough to that as well. But if you're only in it for yourself, don't get in my way.

[ Nobody ever sees the big picture, but sure, call him selfish.

It's actually been a little while since someone threatened him though. Maybe they're catching on. ]

I wouldn't dream of it. [ Unless it comes up. You know. ] Don't worry, I'm rooting for you.

[ drawled out slowly ] Oh yes, I'm sure you're just a sweet, harmless little mouse.

[ The transmission cuts out, since this probably can't go anywhere else useful. He's not all that eager to go around picking extra fights or anything. Unless it comes up. You know. ]

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