Taxor_the_First
Well-Known Member
In Her Prime
Medical Ward, Battleship “Arkbird”
4:15 PM, January 5th
Samantha rubbed her head tiredly. “So you’re saying I’m psionic now?”
The doctor across from her shook his head. “What? No. You were psionic before, the device simply awakened that potential. What’s more, if my ideas are right, you’ve skipped those early stages of generating your psionic pool.”
The door whirred open, and Isaac poked his head in. “Samantha, glad to see you’re up.” He frowned at the doctor. “Who the hell are you?”
The doctor bristled slightly. “Why does nobody know who I am?” he lamented. “My name is Dr. Mordus Solin. I work in the more theoretical areas of many of the sciences. Everything except environmental. Right now, I’m working on your friend here.”
“Who’s suddenly been told she has mind powers,” the Huntress said, shaking her head. “Do you know what colors at least?”
Mordus frowned and checked his clipboard. “Green and blue. You’re not quite majoring in either, but there isn’t enough power left over for a minor. They’re somewhere in between.” He noticed the blank look on both of their faces. “Which is rather unusual,” he elaborated.
“Hang on, hang on,” Isaac butted in, “I feel like I’m missing something here. When did you –“
“When I shut off that device,” Samantha answered, anticipating his question. “Remember how all that glowy shit poured into me? That’s what did it.”
The doctor gave her an irritated look. “That’s not to say it gave her psionics,” he corrected. “One is born with psionic potential. That device merely awakened that potential.”
Isaac felt a chill run down his spine. That could have been me. “If that device had worked the first time, would I…?”
“No.” Mordus said. “From what I’ve been able to work out, that device only reacts to psionic users. Hence why it didn’t work with you the first time.”
“You what?” Isaac frowned. “Why would it only respond to psionic users?”
“Think about it,” the doctor said, getting up and beginning to pace. “Why would the Ethereals design a device that worked for those without psionics? Such an individual would either be a failure to them or not Ethereal. Also, there’s the practical matter of the shut-off switch causing any leftover energy in the device to transfer to the one who shut it off, which would fail on a non-psion.”
Samantha and Isaac shared a glance. “Can we get back to the ‘I have mind powers’ thing please?” she asked.
“Oh! Of course,” Mordus said, seating himself again and folding his hands together. “Like I said, you seem to be a blue-green psion. Aside from that, you appear to be fine. Might get a few bouts of light-headedness for a few days while your body tries to accommodate the extra energy, but aside from that you are healthy.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, though whether it was due to the prognosis or the fact that she could finally go was anyone’s guess. Rising, she beckoned to Isaac to follow. “Come on,” she said, brushing past him and out the door. Shrugging to the doctor, he followed her out into the corridors.
They walked in silence for a while. “The Tribe won’t recover from this,” Samantha said at last. “We’ve lost too many people.”
Guilt for having brought them here in the first place panged in Isaac’s chest, but he quickly dismissed the feeling. “I’m sure the Overseer will find something for you to do.”
“I don’t doubt it,” she replied, smiling. She kept walking, not noticing Isaac had stopped.
“Samantha,” he said, causing her to turn.
“What?”
The Judge hesitated. “When Minos had you held up… while he was taunting me. He said something.” He folded his arms. “’Perhaps as much as you mean to her’, I believe it was.”
Samantha’s eyes darted to the wall. “Did he say that? Really?”
Isaac’s eyes hardened slightly. “I thought you said you’d gotten over that,” he said coolly.
“Says the man who’s spent over fifteen years hunting his wife’s killer,” she snapped, suddenly defensive. “You of all people should know that we have no control over what we get over and what we don’t. Besides, what was I supposed to say? 'Yes, I still have feelings for you, now lets spend a month just on our lonesome in some random hotel room?'”
“Don’t you dare bring Helen into this –“
“She’d dead, dammit!” That stopped him. Swallowing, Samantha continued. “You’ve been hung up on her for too long. You should be happy, but you’re wasting your life making yourself unhappy.”
“This ‘Lester’ asshole messed with my daughter,” Isaac said. “And he was behind Helen’s death. Killing him will be my happiness.”
“Then let me help you,” she said, almost pleading now. “The Tribe’s done. I’m useless to anyone otherwise. Let me help you put this to rest.” Noting his suspicious gaze, she hastily added “I swear I won’t use the stripper cover again.”
“You better not,” he muttered, “I don’t think you’re young enough to pull that off anymore.”
“Meanwhile you’re old enough to walk into one of those clubs without raising any eyebrows at all,” Samantha said, shaking her head. “Circumstances have conspired against me yet again.” Isaac merely scowled, causing her to laugh, the situation defused. “Come on,” she said again, “I’ll get you a ride off this ship.”
“How would you…”
“We came in our dropship,” she explained. “Now that there’s less of us, we can take an extra passenger or two. You and your daughter.”
“Your dropship?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you still have Moreau.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s a jackass.”
“And a damn good pilot.”
“With super osteoporosis,” he said. “What happens if one day he needs to bail? He’s boned.”
Samantha frowned. “Very funny.”
“The point stands.”
“And is ignored,” she said, walking away again. “You can come or you can stay here when the officials start doing their thing. Your choice.”
Isaac considered for a moment, then sighed in defeat, and started following again. “Rock and a hard place…” he muttered.
Medical Ward, Battleship “Arkbird”
4:15 PM, January 5th
Samantha rubbed her head tiredly. “So you’re saying I’m psionic now?”
The doctor across from her shook his head. “What? No. You were psionic before, the device simply awakened that potential. What’s more, if my ideas are right, you’ve skipped those early stages of generating your psionic pool.”
The door whirred open, and Isaac poked his head in. “Samantha, glad to see you’re up.” He frowned at the doctor. “Who the hell are you?”
The doctor bristled slightly. “Why does nobody know who I am?” he lamented. “My name is Dr. Mordus Solin. I work in the more theoretical areas of many of the sciences. Everything except environmental. Right now, I’m working on your friend here.”
“Who’s suddenly been told she has mind powers,” the Huntress said, shaking her head. “Do you know what colors at least?”
Mordus frowned and checked his clipboard. “Green and blue. You’re not quite majoring in either, but there isn’t enough power left over for a minor. They’re somewhere in between.” He noticed the blank look on both of their faces. “Which is rather unusual,” he elaborated.
“Hang on, hang on,” Isaac butted in, “I feel like I’m missing something here. When did you –“
“When I shut off that device,” Samantha answered, anticipating his question. “Remember how all that glowy shit poured into me? That’s what did it.”
The doctor gave her an irritated look. “That’s not to say it gave her psionics,” he corrected. “One is born with psionic potential. That device merely awakened that potential.”
Isaac felt a chill run down his spine. That could have been me. “If that device had worked the first time, would I…?”
“No.” Mordus said. “From what I’ve been able to work out, that device only reacts to psionic users. Hence why it didn’t work with you the first time.”
“You what?” Isaac frowned. “Why would it only respond to psionic users?”
“Think about it,” the doctor said, getting up and beginning to pace. “Why would the Ethereals design a device that worked for those without psionics? Such an individual would either be a failure to them or not Ethereal. Also, there’s the practical matter of the shut-off switch causing any leftover energy in the device to transfer to the one who shut it off, which would fail on a non-psion.”
Samantha and Isaac shared a glance. “Can we get back to the ‘I have mind powers’ thing please?” she asked.
“Oh! Of course,” Mordus said, seating himself again and folding his hands together. “Like I said, you seem to be a blue-green psion. Aside from that, you appear to be fine. Might get a few bouts of light-headedness for a few days while your body tries to accommodate the extra energy, but aside from that you are healthy.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, though whether it was due to the prognosis or the fact that she could finally go was anyone’s guess. Rising, she beckoned to Isaac to follow. “Come on,” she said, brushing past him and out the door. Shrugging to the doctor, he followed her out into the corridors.
They walked in silence for a while. “The Tribe won’t recover from this,” Samantha said at last. “We’ve lost too many people.”
Guilt for having brought them here in the first place panged in Isaac’s chest, but he quickly dismissed the feeling. “I’m sure the Overseer will find something for you to do.”
“I don’t doubt it,” she replied, smiling. She kept walking, not noticing Isaac had stopped.
“Samantha,” he said, causing her to turn.
“What?”
The Judge hesitated. “When Minos had you held up… while he was taunting me. He said something.” He folded his arms. “’Perhaps as much as you mean to her’, I believe it was.”
Samantha’s eyes darted to the wall. “Did he say that? Really?”
Isaac’s eyes hardened slightly. “I thought you said you’d gotten over that,” he said coolly.
“Says the man who’s spent over fifteen years hunting his wife’s killer,” she snapped, suddenly defensive. “You of all people should know that we have no control over what we get over and what we don’t. Besides, what was I supposed to say? 'Yes, I still have feelings for you, now lets spend a month just on our lonesome in some random hotel room?'”
“Don’t you dare bring Helen into this –“
“She’d dead, dammit!” That stopped him. Swallowing, Samantha continued. “You’ve been hung up on her for too long. You should be happy, but you’re wasting your life making yourself unhappy.”
“This ‘Lester’ asshole messed with my daughter,” Isaac said. “And he was behind Helen’s death. Killing him will be my happiness.”
“Then let me help you,” she said, almost pleading now. “The Tribe’s done. I’m useless to anyone otherwise. Let me help you put this to rest.” Noting his suspicious gaze, she hastily added “I swear I won’t use the stripper cover again.”
“You better not,” he muttered, “I don’t think you’re young enough to pull that off anymore.”
“Meanwhile you’re old enough to walk into one of those clubs without raising any eyebrows at all,” Samantha said, shaking her head. “Circumstances have conspired against me yet again.” Isaac merely scowled, causing her to laugh, the situation defused. “Come on,” she said again, “I’ll get you a ride off this ship.”
“How would you…”
“We came in our dropship,” she explained. “Now that there’s less of us, we can take an extra passenger or two. You and your daughter.”
“Your dropship?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you still have Moreau.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s a jackass.”
“And a damn good pilot.”
“With super osteoporosis,” he said. “What happens if one day he needs to bail? He’s boned.”
Samantha frowned. “Very funny.”
“The point stands.”
“And is ignored,” she said, walking away again. “You can come or you can stay here when the officials start doing their thing. Your choice.”
Isaac considered for a moment, then sighed in defeat, and started following again. “Rock and a hard place…” he muttered.
