[Video]

[uncalled_for]

[There's a bitter 'tch' as she turns the tablet on. Her eyes hold an underlying, anger that just seems to be slowly seeping outward. But beyond the look of her eyes, her face seems mockingly relaxed. This is all some horrible sour joke. Every word is laced with venom and sarcasm. Tread lightly.]

Obviously, no one here likes this Maker forsaken rock we've found ourselves on. I wasn't present while the chaos was occurring, but I understand getting us here came at a great cost. I won't even say it could or couldn't have been prevented. At least we're here, aren't we?

But does everyone truly think we're safe simply by running and hiding? If those Initiative bastards can send us here then what is stopping any other force from trying? We're safe, for now. But then what? We simply wait and send all our hopes to those bastards who dragged us here in the first place?

Oh, I'm sure the Initiative is just full of what they believe to be brilliant schemes of how to fix this. But I doubt I need to remind anyone how beneficial relying on their genius has been in the past.

So. Anyone here actually capable of thinking on their own or shall we simply wait and see?

Comments

[Audio]

[strategic_guile]

[wryly] Still just as acerbic as when you left, I see, but there are no poor bastards for us to send out hopes back to so if there's any wait and see it's us waiting on one another, not the Initiative.

[uncalled_for]

[She grumbles that her point was missed, but lets be honest. She didn't exactly explain it well. As always.]

And you don't think they'll ever be back? That this is just it for them?

[strategic_guile]

No, it's not it for them unless we decide not to go back in time and try to prevent it from happening.

[uncalled_for]

And then from there on?

[For a moment that's all she plans to say and then she picks up again with more determination.]

Don't you see? We bring them back, and we will, what happens then? We allow this to go over looked, fall back in line until another catastrophe occurs?

[strategic_guile]

The months of silence and then suddenly shit hitting the fan got old after the first time.

[Filtered to Fiona.]

This is a conversation for off the network.

[Not that there's much privacy anywhere else.]

[Filtered nyahnyahnyahbooboo] /I'mMature

[uncalled_for]

[Hah. Privacy is a figment of the imagination around this place. She'll give him a wary look. Those weren't words she expected from him. Wasn't he that mellow guy that just sorta tagged along because he was bored. He's never cared. Or so she assumed.]

And why is that?

[Filtered] The most mature. /bunnyears

[strategic_guile]

[He is tempted to make a joke out of it, but doesn't.]

Because I want to talk to you face-to-face. Some things should be said in person.

video

[highhealplz]

Oh, there's a lot of thinking on our own going on, actually. I'd highly recommend a talk with Donny, Ibin, Kanaya, Saul, Billy, Meliantha, Caesar, Ella, or... well, there's a lot of people working on organizing things. They have to, since we don't have much of an Initiative left.

[uncalled_for]

[She just doesn't trust them to stay gone. Her tone softens just barely. But it's a decent difference than her previous bitterness.]

For the time being, perhaps. If sending us through time again and again has proven anything it's that things can change with consequences, don't you think so?

[highhealplz]

I don't just think so, I hope so. If we managed to bring back the population of Exsilium without the Initiative, I don't know that we'd be very well off for it.

[uncalled_for]

[Even with the video focused mostly on shoulders and face, it's easy to see the exasperation in her expression as she readjusts to cross her arms over her chest.]

So they'll come back and then what, do you think?

[highhealplz]

Then we strike back at the UE for killing five-hundred thousand innocent people, and destroying an entire other world.

[uncalled_for]

And do we allow them to make such decisions or do we finally make them on our own?

Video

[walkingarsenal]

In the past? [The phrasing of that entire statement catches his attention.] Did something else happen?

[uncalled_for]

[She snorts. It wasn't her intention to answer questions.]

You must be new. Unfortunately, as am I. The only difference is that I've been here before. So defining what else has happened before is going to be a long explanation, most others hardly know of or perhaps even forgotten. So do you mind being more specific with your question?

[At least she's not telling him to figure it out on his own...]

[walkingarsenal]

[He shakes his head, undeterred, but there's surprise on his face when she mentions apparently being brought back here after leaving.]

I'll do my best - it's about the Initiative. What were the brilliant schemes they've tried so far?

[Video]

[trustycrowbar]

[Oh god. It's HER again.]

The Initiative comprises maybe ten percent of the population of this station right now, and those are skeleton crew technicians who don't have time to do much more than run the station. The moment those missiles hit that island we essentially BECAME the Initiative, and all those brilliant schemes you mentioned? They have to come solely from us.

But hey, look at it this way: you got what you wanted. We're in charge, now.

[uncalled_for]

[If there was a way to mix disgust, sadness, and pride, Fiona's found a way in her words.]

So it seems I did.

But they will be back, won't they? Can you deny that others will hope to bring back those lost before? My question stands as what will we do then?

[trustycrowbar]

If we're lucky, intelligent and actually cohesive for a change they will be back, yes, along with the other millions of other native people that died.

If we accomplish that, we may very well suddenly find ourselves back in Exsilium as though nothing happened. Without the nuclear strike, there would be no need to send us up here in the first place. They may not even know what we did to save them, although I doubt it would be difficult to convince them since they'd been altering causality for years, and are probably used to it by now.

What we do then, depends on what else we've changed along with bringing Exsilium back.

[uncalled_for]

Things may change, but I highly doubt the Initiative's attitude will. We are their army. They'll not be satisfied to let us out of their grasp, even with reassurance of how cohesive we've been without them.

[trustycrowbar]

"Let us out of their grasp?" Millions of people DIED in one of the the worst possible ways imaginable down there! The Initiative had been building this base for months prior to this, with no clue of the imminent strike--why the hell do you think it's half-finished?!

And when got that alert, that friendly reminder that everyone on the continent would be burnt to a goddamn cinder in a few hours, they COULD have saved themselves; a few chosen officials, technicians and all the portal tech they could carry and just let us fry! If we're just their army, they could always make more, right? But they didn't. They sent us.

Now you can paint that in as Machiavellian a light as you want, and I'm sure you will because you seem to enjoy it, but as far as I'm concerned we're not their army; we're their last hope.

[uncalled_for]

[The anger ebbs out of her tone but her face is still twisted in narrow eyes and a twist in her jaw. She'd consider herself cautious, not heartless. But she can see how easily it can turn toward that direction. ]

Amazing that you would misunderstand me this often. The now is not my concern, it is the later I am speaking of. These events only prove the worries to come.

[alittlesweptup]

Problem is the Initiative's told us not to think for a bloody year and now we've been cut loose in a dark room without a fucking torch to see by

[uncalled_for]

[A snort and a just audible enough mumble.]

Yes, well unfortunately some of us could have seen that coming.

I'd hardly call this cutting us loose.

[Wow Fiona get off your high horse.]

[alittlesweptup]

Really. Then what would you call this train wreck?