mental link; it's a catbus!

[wille]

[ It's an ungodly hour of the night as these things go, with both Misato and Gildor's minds flickering to announce their presence to all. Forceful and unapologetic, for her part, while urgent and unsettling, for his part. They insist on your attention. ]

( Everyone. We found something out there beyond the barrier. It was too dark for us to see much-- )

(Or anything, for some of us, but-- )

( But it's massive-- )

(Big as the shuttles that brought us-- )

( And predatory. At least, it seemed pretty clear that it wanted to take a chunk out of us. Some of you found tracks the other day, right? Let's talk. )
 

Comments

[deployed]

( And then what? Kill it? )

[wille]

( I don't know that yet.

Why do we have to kill it? )

[deployed]

( What's the alternative? We let it hang around outside the barrier and hope that whoever's pet it turns out to be is a faction we can make a strong alliance with? )

[ but also: they might not be able to kill it even if they tried ]

( What do you want to do after we find out what it is, Misato? )

[wille]

( It could be anything at this point.

We could follow it back to the Enemy, if it belongs to the Enemy. We could turn it into a bait, or a hostage. We could capture it and gain everyone else's respect. We could kill it and achieve the same.

The possibilities are endless, Bellamy! )

[ It's painfully clear how little fear she allocates to this beast, and how much excitement she feels instead. ]

[deployed]

[ Misato's excitement is comical compared to Gildor's reaction. ]

( You think we could hold something that large as a hostage? If it even belongs to someone in the first place? )

[ There are limits to what even Seviilia can accomplish. Killing it seems even dicier than trying to hold it at bay. ]

( It seems more likely we get someone injured or worse pursuing this thing. That isn't any kind of advantage. )

[wille]

( Living carries with it the risk of dying. )

[ So she won't live in fear of death, or so she tells herself, her grand gestures as much a bid for immortality as a man securing himself against every possible risk in hopes of a long life. ]

( It is dangerous. Everything we do is dangerous. That shouldn't stop us from grasping our advantage when we see our chance. )

[deployed]

( Except we don't know that this is an advantage. )

[ It'd be easier to deal with this on Earth, Bellamy thinks. There's so much about this planet that no one knows. ]

( We should see what other factions know before we start rallying for a fight. )

[wille]

( No, and we shouldn't assume it's a disadvantage.

Do you think it'd be a bad idea to ask around? Maybe say . . . we spotted it through the barrier, or something. )

[deployed]

( If there's a way to ask the Hyrypians without drawing suspicion, they'd probably be the ones most likely to give us an idea of what it is. If it's native to the planet, they'd know. )

[ But Bellamy can't help but think it's a mistake to admit their interest, or to draw attention to the creature at all. ]

[wille]

( The beast would be visible through the barrier if it comes close enough. We don't have to admit it to anything incriminating. )

[deployed]

( I'm more worried about how it's going to be perceived. No one else is asking that we know of. )

[ Though admittedly, gathering info is a better approach than rolling in guns blazing talking about capturing it. ]

( You should ask Kaji if he found any mentions of it in that book he was looking at back in the house we stayed at when we arrived. )

[wille]

( Books? Huh. I'll ask him. )

[ No, she isn't aware of Kaji's books or much of his dealings out of her view. Some things stay the same. ]

( Do you think it's a bad idea to pursue this? )

[deployed]

( Yes. )

[ Why pretend otherwise? ]

( But you're right. We should at least find out what it is. )

[ What concerns Bellamy is the step that comes after that. ]

[wille]

( Running away isn't an option here. )

[ It's not an option anywhere, as far as she's concerned, but well, that's not quite true either. ]

[deployed]

( I know. But that doesn't mean we need to go pick a fight we aren't sure we can win. )

[ On Cocordia or Waypoint, he'd likely have been more tolerant of the idea. But there's too much incentive to be cautious on this planet, so far from the Station. ]

[wille]

[ There are many truisms she can throw his way in reply. Namely, you'll never know until you try, or even only cowards pick fights they're sure to win. She bites these words back. ]

( Let's not pick fights. Let's just find out what this assumed enemy is capable of.

You'll help me ask around? )

[deployed]

( Yes. I'll help you. )