Productive?

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

Jack's not sure what he should be doing, he just knows he wants to be left alone to think. In an effort to look productive he's making good on his volunteering to try to get some kind of exploration drones going. First things first, he needs to plan.

He's sitting on the floor in the obs deck with his helipack open next to him, having taken his sketchbook out of it. He has a pencil, a ruler, and a few stencils and is hard at work doing technical drawings. He's getting pretty close to finishing with his current idea, the page is covered in neat, clean sketches and has a few small, square-lettered notes crammed in at the margins.

Jack's pretty absorbed in his work, and as a result he seems happier than any of the crew have seen him yet. This is something he understands and knows how to do.

Comments

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Oh Jack. Remind Ax to tell you about the girl he likes who could probably talk science with Brainy.

< I won't, > Ax said, focusing his main eyes back on the sketchbook. One of his stalk eyes remained fixed on Jack, while the other scanned the room. It was probably a little disconcerting.

< I do not believe I learned your name, > he said after a moment or two. Hmmm. These ideas were actually quite good...

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

"Jack Spicer. Evil boy genius, prince of darkness. Working on world domination, and on first name terms with THE Chase Young." He brightens a bit at all these invented or dubious honors. Ax, looks like you've found yourself a weird one.

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax's main eyes narrowed and his tail arched high over his head. He didn't put it to Jack's throat -- he had no desire to have Stacy slam him into a wall -- but this was not a happy funtime Andalite.

< World domination? > he repeated in a manner suggesting he had heard very well what Jack said and would like Jack to either repeat it or cower and take it back.

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

Jack takes this the wrong way, he shrinks back and flinches but his interpretation of Ax's meaning isn't really as intended.

"Okay, okay! So I'm not really making any progress. But I'm still learning!" he admits. "But I do know Chase Young, I've been in his evil lair!"

Really, he has photographic evidence at home. Autographed, even, because it was the quickest way to make Jack get out.

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

< I am glad to hear that you are not making any progress, > Ax said coldly. < I do not care for world-conquerors. >

And he had no idea who this Chase Young person was supposed to be either, aside from apparently some famous evil person. With an evil lair.

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

Jack gets it now. "Oh... Don't tell me you're a hero, right? You're probably in league with the Xiaolin Losers... Look, okay, I'm not down on that ten-thousand years of darkness thing. That was WUYA'S FAULT. I just want to be top dog, okay?"

Jack, did it ever occur to you that the big blue centaur alien as no idea who the heck you're talking about?

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax hadn't been this confused by a human talking since before he had gotten a television. He didn't let it show on his face though, since it would be counter-productive.

< Are you incapable of earning the position of 'top dog' through legitimate means? >

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

"Uh, yeah. I'm kinda fifteen, a little scrawny if you haven't noticed... I'm real good with the robot armies, though!" Jack babbles a little nervously, flashing a thumbs up on the subject of robots. They never argue with him, he can even build them to be supportive. There was that clone that went wrong once buuuuut he thinks he nailed the flaws in that design and could do it again no problem.

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

Ax scuffed a hoof against the floor in a gesture of contempt.

< So you would rather take power than earn it, > he said. < Surely you do not expect to be able to hang onto it? >

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

"I'm working on it. I mean with all the sweating and hard work and planning I've put into it it's hard to say I'm not earning it. It's still a long way off. And Chase is probably going to beat me to it anyway."

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "And before I did that I'd have to think of a way to make it work out. I mean, I don't want to hurt people but still."

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

< You would have to keep working on it as long as you had it, > Ax pointed out. < If your world is anything like the Earth I know, people will fight. I read a book of famous human quotations, and one was "Give me liberty or give me death". You are going to have to fight those people when you try to take over the world. Those same people will defend you if you are working within the system. I know which side I would rather be on. >

[helipack-jack.livejournal.com]

"The trick is you use the system to your advantage. Sure there are some people you'd have to take out first, but that's what the robots are for. You need strategy." Jack, as it happens, is rather bad at strategy.

"There are ways to get to the top of the system without getting people to hate you. It's just really difficult and it's going to take some work. I've definitely had enough of the supernatural garbage that's supposed to work." No more pacts with ghosts, really!

[mynameisax.livejournal.com]

< It seems as if it would be less work to work through the system without taking what is not owed, > Ax said, flipping Jack's sketchbook closed and holding it out to him. He would much rather work with Dox to construct any robots than risk actually breaking the law of Seerow's Kindness. He had taken responsibility for the Animorphs possessing the ability to morph, but he didn't think that they'd use it to attempt to conquer the world.