Buy a Little Mercy [Open; Potentially Graphic Material]

[cityship]

Less than an hour after the ship leaves Agrestic's orbit, an announcement is broadcast throughout Stacy.

|| Attention, crew. Your crewmates, Howard Bassem and Charles Merriman, have been apprehended attempting to desert. They will now be given Punishment. According to established guidelines, you are all requested to report to the Observation to witness the Punishment. Attendance is not mandatory, but highly suggested. This will serve as a reminder of the consequences of treason and desertion. ||

On the observation deck, Archon Yavek, Archite Rekkti, two other Daligig and a handful of Kessek soldiers stand outside a spherical force field. Inside the bubble, Orc and Howard are suspended by tentacles looping around their wrists. Orc's ceased thrashing around and struggling against his restraints; rust-colored fissures have developed around his shoulders and forearms from the strain, but now he simply hangs there, looking defeated. Howard's nose is bleeding, and every time a drop falls to the bottom of the forcefield there's a small sizzle. He's weeping and begging the Daligig with every plea possible, but they act as if they aren't listening. Instead, they wait for an audience.

Comments

[bequiet_hescreamed]

If Clef hadn't been sort of on drugs, he would have managed to be offended at that first statement. Or things would have at least been a bit awkward. As it was he simply smiled and bowed his head a bit in embarrassment.

"I don't think anyone was expecting that," he agreed warmly. Gratitude and awe didn't even begin to describe his feelings about Stacy right now.

"It's staggering, the amount we don't know. I wish I knew more." He paused, and there seemed to be some thoughts that didn't actually make it out of his mouth because the next thing he said was, "Not that anyone could take Cephiro's place in my heart, but... I think I need that - to be that much in love again."

[monster_san]

Fuu nodded. But while she wanted to know more, she felt that they had also learned a great deal today. Now they knew for a fact that their supposed allies had no regard for the crew whatsoever. The most that could be said was that Archon Rekkti found torture distasteful, and distasteful was miles away from wrong. Yavek had been positively sadistic.

And Stacy could lie. She had very clearly chosen to do so and had stopped anyone from blurting out inconvenient questions. The way she had covered everyone's mouth could have been comical in hindsight if the situation hadn't been so deadly serious. She had lied to protect the crew.

Fuu sat next to Clef, surprised to hear something so close and emotional from him. She knew how devoted he was to Cephiro and how devastated he'd been to lose it, but to hear him describe it that way--she wanted to restore Earth as well, but she didn't think of that as love. It was just... her world. But Clef's feelings towards his planet seemed much deeper, so personal. "Maybe you can, with Stacy," she said. "I remember the affection I felt in her when she released us from podsleep."