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

[encourage]

"Unlike certain members of our faction, you had the ability to be informed that this was a conscription. I don't know what sort of organisation you expected to be in place on this ship, but I assure you, these regulations the ship's AI has mentioned have never been presented to us. Nowhere in the documents we do have is there a clause stating we're not allowed to leave. We're informed when we wake that we're Chosen, and that is all."

She tilted her head a little toward Tim.

"Retroactive, excessive punishment doesn't instruct. It needlessly horrifies, and creates friction none of us can afford."

[meat_mooks]

"It is not our fault that the pirates damaged the AI so greatly that she did not explain the rules to you. We can see your pathetic Neuropathy department has done nothing to repair the problem."

Yavek glares at Tim, and then at Sakura. "Do not lecture me on how to lead. I am fighting a war much greater than this tiny crew can envision. I do not have time to bend the rules to your whims."

[battorch]

Tim's fist clenches at his side.

"Something that should be improved," he says, flatly. "That will be rectified. But also a problem that could be greatly expedited by improved resources and information. Most on the ship come here unfamiliar with this level of technology." Now that he's in charge there-- meagre crew or no-- he has to dedicate all of his time to that. But that is all an issue to be dealt with later, if another among many.

He takes a small breath. "And yet this is a crew that has been left to manage its own devices. If we are expected to self-govern then we should be allowed to enact our own disciplinary action. This serves nothing to further any cause."

[encourage]

"Nor does it excuse the Daligig," Sakura said flatly, barely inclining her head toward Yavek, "From properly informing this crew of the standards when they initiated contact after the pirates were driven out of the ship. There have been failings on all sides. I'd like to see attempts made toward improving cooperation on both sides. We're willing if you are, sir."

Granted, people were willing to jump into the fight immediately. Sakura wanted to know what kind of reaction the Daligig truly wanted.

They were fucking with the wrong people thinking these kinds of blatant abuse strategies would truly stop this crew from doing anything it needed to in order to be in control.

The Daligig weren't learning from history. Despite appearances right now, Sakura knew this crew already had.

She kept her eyes focused on Yavek, not glaring, but level.

[meat_mooks]

Yavek's eyes narrow. He towers over Sakura and Tim, disgust written all over his features. "And you're going to blame me because your populace is too selfish and greedy to contribute to the war effort? You would have let these two escape had our Kessek not retrieved them. That you can't cooperate for the greater good and insist on your paltry rights is evidence enough that you are all too narcissistic and self-absorbed to see the greater picture."

[battorch]

Tim looks up at him but he keeps his expression clear from the rage he's feeling, mouth pressed into a thin line.

"I didn't assign blame, you're taking that upon yourself. We are contributing, we're making sacrifices. And while we are well aware that all sides are doing the same, we will stand by this: your actions here are drastic and unprecedented. All it will serve to do is cause needless psychological harm to valuable members of the effort, where we would have been more than capable of taking punishment into our own hands."

[encourage]

He was one to talk. Sakura barely stopped herself from retorting with exactly that. "Each is responsible for their own actions," she said at last. "You agree?"

[meat_mooks]

"Do not tell me how to manage a war." Yavek sneers. "Yes, we are each responsible for our actions. But you say that as if you're expecting me to renege responsibility for this one."

[battorch]

"She is doing no such thing," Tim said calmly, looking sidelong at Sakura as he spoke. "Only arguing the necessity for our being self-reliant. It is hardly beneficial for us to have the responsibility for transgressions taken out of our hands, and certainly does little to establish the power and responsibility of the crew. Don't you run the risk of the crew expecting your team to take matters into your own hands, when you already have far more than just us to manage?"

[encourage]

She let Tim's words address Yavek's initial response. It was the only real warning she'd given him, and all he was going to get. "I expect nothing of the sort. Only the assurance that you believe as we do."

[meat_mooks]

"We did leave the responsibility for transgressions to the crew, and the result was attempts to disable the Warden and letting these two cowards escape. Until your unit proves themselves capable of governing themselves we will continue to intervene."

[battorch]

"Clearly we have different standards about how things like this work-- I don't think you're in the right to judge how we choose to punish crew without even allowing us the opportunity to rebuke our would-be-escapees."

[encourage]

"Continuing to intervene doesn't allow our unit to prove themselves capable of governing." She kept her voice level still, if her gaze was flat, and she stood absolutely still. Almost smiling.

Dangerous indeed.