EVENT: SPACE PIRATES ▒ OXYGEN GARDENS

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: Oxygen Gardens
WARNINGS: Camping.
SUMMARY: Hanging out in camp, discussing pirates, etc.
NOTES: Open to all!

Camping may not be an expected activity on a spaceship, but the gardens are large and have clear, grassy areas for people to gather together. You can help set up tents, inventory supplies or guard the perimeter — just keep an eye out for any strange faces trying to sneak in...

Comments

[godofthemachine]

AM wasn't particularly scared of the pirates. However, he didn't have any long-range weapons to fight then, so he had to stay cautious. Besides, he was more concerned with preserving his life and his precious items, so it would be better now to hide out and quietly observe.

His research notes were packed away in a tote bag, along with some of his favorite tools. One of his cattle prods was also with him, and his knife was sheathed in his belt as usual.

He mostly kept to himself for part of the time, but occasionally got up to stretch his legs. So he should hardly be surprised when he saw Cibo standing by that stream, the one where her coelacanth lived. It was a beautiful fish, AM had to admit, but really, why would pirates want such a thing?

"Hello, my dear Cibo," AM greeted, coming up behind her like a creeper.

[watashinonamaewa]

Maybe the pirates will eat Dhomochevsky and die by his toxins as a final fuck you. yours truly, the old man fish.

As like few other times anyone has approached Cibo, maybe she isn't as quick to respond as it seemed she normally had. It seemed the longer she remained on the Tranquility, the more easily her mind wandered into other situations or memories. The need to live in the moment no longer seemed necessary at all hours of her consciousness; There was plenty of time to simply think and exist.

Instead she remained steadily standing to watch Dhomochevsky. Almost keeping as still as the coelacanth left the water—

Ripples of breathing swayed her minuscule amounts with each inhale and exhale.

[godofthemachine]

It was a change AM had noticed in her - she didn't seem quite as devoted, not quite as quick to respond. While Cibo always held a sort of aloofness to her, it seemed exaggerated lately.

But no matter. AM wouldn't get angry at her for such a thing, at least not yet. She just cared more about her ridiculous fish than her companions. (But then, humans were deplorable creatures. Fish probably were better, but not as fun to play with.)

So it was with soft footsteps that AM walked toward her, closing in their personal space as a hand gently rested upon one of her shoulders.

[watashinonamaewa]

Her shoulder jerked briefly from his hand. A reflex which she controlled in almost the same instant her brain registered it. Something still hadn't clicked in her mind to tell her that this was AM, but she knew whoever it was was more likely harmless than a threat. It was the moment after when she realized.

Except there wasn't a smile or joyful greeting beyond a slight nod and stare in his direction. Dhomochevsky definitely had some sort of priority in the situation. Maybe just ease of not worrying where Scout was (since she hadn't seen him in a few days) or if the pirates were going to come into the gardens to harm anyone else she might know.

Oh, what a life of a carefree fish must be. actual thoughts of yours truly And then.

"Have you seen any of them yet?"

[godofthemachine]

It was still slightly disconcerting to see Cibo not give AM the loyalty that she used to. But it was a stressful situation, he supposed. No, she wasn't smiling at him or greeting him, but but she was still speaking to him. Confiding in him.

"The pirates? No. Either there are very few of them or they are cowards. Or both."

She was scared, perhaps. "My dear, I doubt they'll hurt you." A beat. "Or your precious fish."

[watashinonamaewa]

She wouldn't call it fear, though it may have been translated that way. Exhausted seemed to be the description she would use. Not physically, but mentally. There was a sort of limit to her processing capacity since she had been brought aboard the Tranquility. Every time she tried to exceed that boundary, it would only wear her out physically. So she learned to work just beneath the limit at a constant, steady rate.

Being away from the Genetics Department, where she had been working for several days now, felt oddly relaxing. Focusing on Dhomochevsky's movements stimulated brainwaves in a way she almost couldn't understand. god, she desperately just wants to be a fish right now

"No. They won't. I decided that I would help fight if they attacked the gardens— There are too many humans who would not be able to handle themselves."

[godofthemachine]

Cibo's exhaustion wasn't something AM was unfamiliar with. He had seen her in the genetics lab, seemingly on the brink of it, barely able to focus on anything other than her work. How he envied her ability to stay awake for several days! he could get so much more done if he didn't have to sleep. But still, even Cibo's different sleep pattern didn't mean she didn't get exhausted, and it was plain to see.

"Fighting? You seem too exhausted to fight, my dear." The hand on her shoulder crept around her neck, coming to rest on her other side as AM put his arm around her.

"I'm sure they won't attack the gardens. They're sneaky bastards who don't seem to congregate where so many people are."

[watashinonamaewa]

"There are creatures in the City which hunt in small groups and are still able to pick off larger collections of prey." Matter of factually. Predators will attack anything depending on the desperation. Though the pirates approach to the situation actually seemed logical and understandable; They needed supplies and they were taking them. No one would get hurt if no one got in the way.

That didn't mean some of those pirates weren't more desperate than the others. Or that someone in the gardens wouldn't try to attack them first and start a small war against the two groups. Cibo had witnessed simulations of both in various forms during her sociological studies of several of the levels within her City. Anything could happen. That's all she really knew.

So it probably wasn't too much of a surprised that AM's words were much comfort. He never seemed to actually support violence or participate in the act, though she had a few distance memories that he might have once before. She knew he trained and kept fit, probably just for that reason, but she didn't think to question him about it.

"It is smart to just be prepared for it."

[godofthemachine]

How strange and rather amusing that AM had somehow convinced Cibo that he was against violence. Well, he was against violence in a way, but at the same time reveled in it. It was the core of his programming, and every single action he took was motivated by a promise for violence in the future.

Of course, he knew all that Cibo thought - not in the sense that he was reading her mind, but he knew that pirates could easily break in the garden and a war could be started. In some sense, he looked forward to it. Easing Cibo's mind was just a ploy to keep her trust in him.

"Of course." He squeezed her shoulder slightly from where his arm had wrapped around her. "You're an intelligent woman, Cibo."