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I don't care.

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I don't care.

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Total Members Voted: 0

Voting closed: January 04, 2021, 02:28:47 am

[19_EgarAlnis]

It is my firm belief that if you get enough humans together in one spot, they will form culture. What would space miners do when they get home -- if not watch some schlocky drama about a man who kept plague beasts as pets?


"Mint chocolate chip." You murmur, and the AI listens -- and fails. Cephie bursts out into giggles when the automaton brings you a bowl of warm green cream, spotted with chocolate chips. You almost bust through the mesh across your chest when you do the same -- its only Cephie's willpower that stops it from turning into a severe medical emergency.

"Two bowls of mint chocolate chip ice cream served at [eight degrees Fahrenheit]." Cephie calls when she recovers from her laughing fit. The AI obeys, and two, perfect bowls of ice cream are brought out to you. It's soft enough to scoop and tastes like heaven. By the end of it, the automaton is carrying away all the bowls in the ship, while you lounge heavily in the cushions. And you, daresay, are now a connoisseur in all manners of molecularly crafted ice creams. Chocolate, vanilla, apple, peach, even cotton candy.

Alphira never ate ice cream before -- I feel like she never really left her ship to explore the worlds she conquered with Alphias.

You opine as much to Cephie, who gives a nod, picking up her data-pad and tapping a few buttons with her long fingers. "She didn't. I read an article when I was doing research to hunt her that the bounty posting was the first time a lot of people actually saw her face. It's kinda sad, if you ask me. She burned her entire way across the galaxy but never truly realized what she had."

A monitor forms across from you, panels lifting away into the ceiling, "We've got two hours left -- want to watch a movie? I've got all of the Galaxy's greatest hits from twenty years ago loaded up on this thing. Tragedies, comedies, comedy, romances, sagas, horro-- that one is off the list. Adventure, historical, slice of life, animated..." She lists them off.

Another thing she never experienced...which is best, o' wise elders of ancient wisdom?

[ZBridges]

Perhaps a comedy would suit you best? It helps to take one's mind off of other events, I find.

[The Canadian kitten]

Perhaps Historical? We can learn something about the past.

[Eschar]

It is a good idea, but we can learn history from Cephie herself as well. That alone isn't a strike against your choice, but taking our mind off things via comedy is a valuable chance too, and rarer.

[Superdorf]

Comedy's good fun-- but a little dangerous at the moment, hm? Carbon-fiber torso and all.
History is fine. I doubt there'll be much history in the history... but history is fine.

[19_EgarAlnis]

"Historical."

Cephie nods, leaning back on the sofa, fingers drifting across the data-pad, and you watch the mirrored screen on the wall instead. It's amusing to note that several of them are related to your line."Now, I'm going to filter out the ones that involve your Line, if that's okay."

"Is...is there a lot of them?" You question, confused, slightly embarrassed at the thought.

"Oh, gods yes. A lot of them are so horribly dramatized though. Your Ancestors would be offended. And don't get me started about the so-called documentaries about the Pirate King...all of them are propaganda hit pieces. He ate babies, he was a cannibal, the pirates only followed him because he was a Plague Lord..."

"This ones pretty good -- its about the pirates before the Empyre. They love their gore and sex in it, though." The title she's hovering over is one titled 'The Time of Chaos: Pirates of The Void.'

[Eschar]

Tragedies? But we already live in one, dark times. And - romances... are most certainly out.

"Why not."

Another note on comedies: try as I might, Phoenix, I cannot picture you laughing. The image seems absurd. No offense. Certainly Cephie has no trouble doing so, though she seems to snicker often at ignorance or inexperience rather than in true mirth.

Hmph. Cephie is someone I want to like, but she herself is the main obstacle to that trust; she puts me on guard. I will have to settle for not underestimating her knowledge.

Oddly, Cephie never elaborated on her alarm at the thought of us constantly listening through you. Despite her apparent agitation.

[ZBridges]

"What's a plague lord?"

[Eschar]

"What's a plague lord?"

+1

Better idea. Curse my tendency to ramble.

[Naturegirl1999]

Didn’t we come here for the behavior pods? What are we doing getting drunk and watching movies?

[19_EgarAlnis]

"Oh. The Plague evolves, constantly, to kill humans, to match their wits. The number one advantage humans have is creativity and intelligence." Cephie explains, "So how do you fight something like that? Well, you make yourself more creative and intelligent." She sips her wine, "The damn things are a pain in the ass. Smart. Nasty. Concerned only with wiping out humanity." She gives you a significant glance, "Now hush. Show time."

You grin and nod. The video is good -- its really interesting. It shows the life of 'pirates' in the ages before the Unification of Time. Fierce honor systems, a culture based on pillaging and slavery, and brutal infighting. That to maintain their culture and nation against the rigors of time dilation, that they brought everyone with them. Their fleets were massive, carrying the entire population of these isolated nations leaving none behind to be separated from. But the rest is very similar to the lives of pirates these days; Corpses were recycled into food. A strict honor system, lest it all fall into anarchy, with harsh lessons if it failed.

The dramatization ends with the female lead and male lead meeting in one of the throne rooms. The man sits on the throne, unarmed, and does nothing while the female lead, an elevated slave, kills him to avenge her family. Unknown to her, he had rigged the entire room to depressurize. While their daughter watches on, the two kill each other and end up getting sucked out into the Void.

The engine dies down -- just as the daughter in the video is made the leader of the fleet -- and it seems like she will be a more brutal ruler than her father.

"Well, that was depressing." Cephie states.

"It was actually accurate." You murmur, rubbing at your bleary eyes.

"Yeah, I forgot I was watching it with the Pirate Queen."

You grin.

"Why -did- they continue to be pirates though? They found a SEEDworld without any inhabitants. They could have had a good life."

[-]"Freedom. Adventure. It would have tied them to one world -- why do that, when you can have hundreds?"

"I guess, yeah. That makes sense." Cephie nods, stretching to her feet. "We've landed if you want to head out. If you want to sleep over, you could grab breakfast before using the pod."

[5] "Sure."

"The guest bedroom is just down this hall. After I get out, you should try the bath -- it's amazing."

You nod, picking up the datapad and scrolling through the library of videos and books. Eventually, you rise, heading into the fully furnished bathroom to run a fresh bath for yourself -- you keep your torso dry, but wash everywhere else. The water is actually hot for you and stays hot, small bubbles rising up from the bottom. You dry off, dress, and head to bed. You crawl into the silk sheets, and drift off, comfortable.

[10][14] You don't dream.

When you awaken the next morning and stumble out of the spare bedroom. Cephie is nowhere to be found.

"[Good morning Pheonix, guest of Cephelia. You have been registered for this landing craft's access. It is a balmy mountain day, with high temperatures reaching [-10 degrees Fahrenheit]. What would you like for breakfast this morning?]"

Yeah, I guess you're right...I just...really haven't had a chance to relax...I need to focus on the job though, yeah. Sorry. You feel slightly guilty, murmuring, "Can I just have some nutrient paste."

You eat the bowl of dull, bland food, returning it to the automaton, and approach the pods.

"Do you have any cognitive-behavioral modification therapy programs, for conquering fears and anxieties?"

"I have three. Gentle, Normal, and Rapid."

[Eschar]

No dreams. Refreshing.

I'd go with Normal.

[Naturegirl1999]

Normal sounds good. Gentle might take too long, and Rapid might not do as good a job, so Normal seems like a good compromise

[King Zultan]

Normal sounds like the way to go, as rapid might be to much to handle in our fragile state.

[19_EgarAlnis]

You peel off your clothes and climb into the machine. It fills with a liquid, and you have to fight the instinctive panic of drowning that these machines always instill. It fills your lungs, your nose, your ears -- everywhere. The pressure changes and your feet lift off the floor.  The view on the front of the machine fades, and you're left in darkness. There's a sharp pain in the back of your neck--

--and the world stretches out in white. A soft chair settles behind you, and a woman appears, sitting across from you.

What follows for the next hour is a discussion of your life. The simulated therapist is...incredibly accepting as you describe it to her. Her prompting questions are gentle, but she doesn't let you wander on to tangents from the line of questioning. She keeps you focused. With a nod, she eventually begins to ask you questions about your previous experiences with the Plague.

[18] You're honest. You explain, hesitantly, at first, each of your encounters, when you're finished, and feeling drained, the AI asks you a question.

"Would you say each of your experiences with the Plague has caused you physical and mental trauma?"

"Y-yes. I guess so." You murmur, fidgeting awkwardly.

"You view these as defeats?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

You take pause, looking across to her as it begins to explain, "You've survived more encounters with the second most dangerous form of life in the galaxy than perhaps anyone else. You've won, each and every time. You survived -- or is that not enough?"

"W-what? Of course, it's enough."

"Is it?"

[20] "It isn't." You admit, quietly. "I...I want to be perfect. I want to be the strongest. I need to..." You trail off -- Pheonix trails off, then fidgets.

"Go on. I already know what you're thinking."

"I need to make my Ancestors proud." Unbidden, tears begin to drip from her face, and your connection to the visual-audio feed waivers, "They've done so much. They were so powerful -- I need to live up to that. And I can't --"

"Not yet."

"W-what?"

"The amount of Willpower suppression dust within this system is immense. Based on your potential, you could easily overpower that if your emotional state was compromised." The therapist shows you a graph -- and after a point, it's exponential. "You may feel you have to live up to their standards, to their strength, but, as I'm sure they will tell you, you are already stronger than they possibly could have been in their first three year--" It leans back, pausing, "I do not agree with your self-diagnosis. You do not fear the Plague any more than a human should. Judging from your brain scans, however, you have a mild case of memetic Plague exposure. It's an echo, and it reacts to certain stimuli. Nearness. Hostile intentions towards the Plague."

"C-could you explain?"

"Yes. During combat with the Plague, you interact with what you call their 'willpower'. Certain strains inject information through this field, that, when they interact with an Ascended or nano-augmented individuals, they infect them. The data eventually forms enough will and intelligence that it acts as a parasite, affecting neurotransmitters to cause hallucinations, nightmares, even, as you mentioned, stroke and hemorrhage."

"How do I remove it?" You ask, eager.

"You cannot. Eventually, when you reduce your exposure to the Plague, the data will become corrupted. Then inert. Eventually, your body will recognize it as a foreign body. If you do not limit your exposure, however, it will become worse. Rage. Anger. Hallucinations. Self-destructive tendencies. Wishing for further exposure through combat. The individual that you know, Eric, has all the symptoms of such a memetic Infection. This 'Nightmare'."

You give a slow nod, relaxing in your seat.

"You do, however, have an intense fear of failure, one that affects your decision-making capabilities to a harmful degree. I would recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for that. You're also beginning to manifest the symptoms of a Messiah complex."

[12] "I'm trying not to let that last one happen."

"It is not what can be called a full-blown mental illness, as it does not interfere with your day to day existence, especially on this world -- but it could become a social issue when you begin to interact with the wider Empyre. But as for today -- our session is at an end. Madam Cephelia has returned, and we've diagnosed the damages to your mental state. Any further questions from you or your Ancestors?"

"I'm good --"