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

[bonnypiperlad]

"So why not have a squadron of yon Kessek, then?" Jamie retorts, just as angrily as Carson. He flicks a glance back at the other Scot, and nods in agreement. "Howard's no fighter, and he's certainly no coward for doing what he's done."

While he's not quite to the point where he's going to take a swing at Yavek, he's close, and he takes a half-step forward. "Or do ye have some excuse for that as well?"

[atadiscoverer]

"Aye! Fate doesnae have a thing t'dae with it!" Carson's squaring up with Jamie. He's with you on this one.

"We didnae bloody ask for this! None of us did. If yer gonnae be havin' children fightin' in this war, and then bloody punishing them for bein' a wee bit late? I dinnae want to see a universe that lets something like that happen!"

[meat_mooks]

"We did not ask for this war either!" Yavek growls, turning his back on the two of them. "We would have a squadron of Kessek but we need you Chosen. Believe us, we'd rather not."

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye?" Welcome to the Angry Scotsmen corner, Yavek. Jamie isn't deterred by the motion, and moves around so he can still address Yavek face to face. "And is that why you're going to rip them limb from limb and put them back together, then? Because ye need them? Never mind that we've not ever been told that we couldn't leave before."

He makes an attempt to finish closing the gap between them, fully intending on totally disregarding the Daligig's personal space unless stopped. "No, I'd say ye could care less about our well-being. There's words for people like ye."

[atadiscoverer]

Carson follows Jamie. Like hell is he going to let the guy face down the Daligig alone. Carson might not be the best fighter in the world, but he was no slouch when the pinch came. Besides, he could always patch Jamie up afterwards.

"Aye, and they're words our mothers would be disappointed to hear." He tacks on. "Show me where it says in th' bloody rules that being late constitutes the mental and physical trauma of a punishment like this?!"

He then points to Howard and Orc. "If you think this'll bloody scare them back into line, then ye've got another bloody thing coming! Yer more likely to lose two of yer precious Chosen by doing this."

Trust him. He's a doctor.

[meat_mooks]

"Tell me where in a war it is acceptable to desert your cause. Almost all militaries punish it." Yavek turns his back on the two. They are no threat to him.

[bonnypiperlad]

Those last words barely register with Jamie, as the anger he's barely been holding in check boils to the surface at the dismissal. "Turn your back on me, will ye?" he snaps, then lunges towards the Archon, intent on making him hear sense - with his fists, if he has to.

He doesn't get there. Even before the Kessek can move to pull him away, a tentacle snakes down and wraps around him, bodily lifting him off the ground and out of reach of any possible attack - and it's quite clear Jamie doesn't care for this at all. "Hey! Put me down this instant! Do ye hear me?"

Thoroughly incensed by now, he tries to break free, and when it becomes clear that he's not about to calm down anytime soon, there's no choice but to sedate him. He slumps into unconsciousness, twitching slightly in Stacy's grip before growing still.

[atadiscoverer]

"Bloody-!"

Okay, this was Carson's first time seeing stuff like this, so it's a bit of a shock. The Scottish doctor runs over to his fellow countryman, pulling out his medical scanner to make sure he's still alive.

"Thank god..." He mutters. Sedated. All the readings were showing up fine...

Whilst he hasn't forgotten about the Daligig and their spectacle, there was someone who needed his help right in front of him. He's going to wait until Stacy lets him go, and cart him off to the medbay.