trans_9 | Mission 01: Recovery [Briefing]

The Meeting is interrupted.

There is a resounding mental alarum that sounds through the ship. Nearly "deafening." Lights flash from places for extra emphasis, making it impossible to ignore.

||Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. All personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention, all personnel...||

They can hear it through the meeting bubble and Jaime drops it.

It's entirely likely that she won't stop repeating the announcement until, well, everyone reports to Obs Deck. The mouth in the huge statue opens, revealing a screen. On it, the dossier for the mission flickers into display, understandable to every person there. Smaller copies of the dossier appear in holographic form in front of everyone.

The planet's stats, right next to a rotating picture of it, marled blue and green, are as follows:

Planet Designation: Earth-534A342Z
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: No.
Water: 82% of the planet's surface.

Climate: Similar to Earth's Mediterranean climates/desert climates in some areas. [Click here for cultural equivalents for non-Earth cultures.]
Landscape: Varied. Lightning storms plague the plains and mountain plateaus. Tectonic upheaveal.
Air: Normoxic concentration: 28% oxygen, 62% nitrogen, 5% xenon, 5% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon.

Air Pressure: 14.543 pounds per square inch.
Sky: Blue with orangeish-gold clouds (clouds ride rather low in the sky due to gravity being stronger and therefore reflect the colors on the surfaces of the plateaus.
Sun: A class M5V, a red dwarf star.

Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous.

Mission: Track escape pod vessels with the scanners provided. Manually activate recovery processes. Return to Main Planet Pod.

--

Following that, there is a table displaying the escape pods--they looked like little bugs or maybe giant beans. Something between plant and insect.

||Attention, podmates. Attention.||

Apparently Stacy wants their attention.

||It is critical that you pay attention at this time.||

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I would really appreciate it if the both of you would stop the game of one-upsmanship." Superman said. "My world has four different Green Lanterns and two Flash's that work side by side without feeling the need to compare the size of their...contributions" Superman said. "It's...not what a hero does."

Yes, he was irritated, and yes he went there.

He bites off a 'He started it.' (He did). It isn't so much that he cares about being smarter. (Well, maybe a little.) It's that he wants to at least be as smart. Querl feels...threatened, though he can't even grasp what he's feeling well enough to put words to it, and would certainly deny it. A great deal of his self-value is placed in his intellect and the contributions he can make to heroic endeavors because of said intellect. If there's someone else smarter, more inventive, a more valuable fighter--well then, what use is he? Therefore, he does have difficulty not firing barbs back when they're thrown or digging in with his own cutting remarks in retribution...but he also understands why their ongoing conflict is distracting and unproductive.

Therefore, he considers Superman's words and, for lack of a better word, tries; The inconceivable happens, and Brainiac 5 swallows his pride.

"Perhaps, it's for reasons such as these that two of us were selected. While your valuable skills are called for on the mission, I can continue working in the lab. Our intellect and skills can be used to the benefit of others in two places simultaneously."

A deep breath. "You requested to look over my ongoing projects. For--for flaws. When you return, you may do so."

It kills him. It feels like acknowledging defeat or inferiority. It will take everything he has to bite down any future insults or subtle verbal prods.

But Superman is right. And he's not agreeing with him to look good or curry favor with him. He's just right. Querl has changed his own behavior for the good of the ~~Legion~~ group before; he can do it again. The question is whether or not his counterpart will do the same or whether he'll have to quietly suffer through insults and humiliations after this and simply bite his tongue. He's sincerely hoping for the former.

Edited 2009-05-11 17:10 (UTC)

His face falls instantly and he glances away. "I am sorry, Superman. I'll try to be less..." He winces slightly but there's no avoiding it. "...petty."

It would be too difficult for him to explain to his hero, of all people, that he's just feeling out of place. Waking up in a new and unfamiliar location is difficult at the best of times, but finding that there's another version of him here already, one that's organic and has been here for longer? He knows people will compare them without even meaning to and he also knows that humans feel more comfortable around people who aren't comprised almost entirely of cybernetics and nanotechnology. So he automatically goes out of his way to try and prove his usefulness in the hopes it will outweigh the other's experience and their intrinsic differences.

Unfortunately all it's done so far has been to get him on his hero's (he'd like to think of them as friends, but he doesn't feel like he really knows this Superman as well) bad side.

He nods at the other's suggestion and is all too aware of how his 'offers of assistance' must look now. "You're right," he agrees, albeit reluctantly. "The presence of two of us would be of more use to everyone if we agreed to work together."

He hesitates and struggles with the words for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry. For everything I said. And for what it's worth, I believe you could also offer considerable insight into matters that I'm... inexperienced with."

Now that it's said, he finds it strangely easier to manage a smile and continue. "But some friendly competition never hurt and I had been complaining about the lack of decent opponents for chess."

Perhaps they're more similar than he originally thought?

"I...apologize as well. For the verbal barbs about your inorganic nature. It's not as if you're the first cybernetic sentient that I've met--or even created. When you return, I should elaborate more on my version of Computo. One thing I discovered during Computo's growth and creation was that many organics feel...threatened by sentient AI and robots. They fear replacement. I had thought myself above such petty fears, but perhaps I am less so than I thought."

He rubs his neck awkwardly, but then lets go of the awkwardness and finally meets his counterpart's eyes.

"I had hoped to someday meet an intellectual equal. Consider your challenge met. Provided we complete our work for the benefit of the crew quickly enough, I would certainly enjoy a battle of wits where a battle of wits is meant to be."

Edited 2009-05-12 05:45 (UTC)

The smile becomes more genuine at the offer. "I would be interested in hearing more about your version of C.O.M.P.U.T.O. and the Legion. Both sound fascinatingly different."

There's a moment more of hesitation, then he offers his hand in truce. "Perhaps having a challenge will also result in betterment for the crew as well as intellectual stimulation."

Brainy takes his hand, if hesitantly. He's much less prone to physical contact than his counterpart.

"Perhaps."

The slight smile says he thinks challenging one another--without insulting one another or trying to one up one another--might be to both their benefits.

And just behind the two, Superman smiles. Even if it's two people at a time, he was going to do his damnedest to get folks on the same page.

Mission 01: Recovery [Briefing]

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster

Re: Detailed Briefing - Mission Roster