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ninth. voice (when the system's wrong, you gotta tear it down).
[Mello is all business today - it's Door day, which means new arrivals are likely scanning the network looking for answers, and those who have been here may be looking for signs of those they know who have just arrived. No time like now to make his appeal to his fellow captives.]
We need better documentation. I know this isn't the first time I've said this, and it's maybe even more true now than before - the Null's recent contact with us and the information we've been able to glean from them makes a compelling argument for this, I think.
[He pauses, collecting the words for the rest of what he has to say.]
Frankly, we're not very well organized. We can do better than we have been. What I'm proposing is this: I want to assemble a team to collect and maintain information about our circumstances here - the entities responsible for bringing and keeping us here, their enemies, this war in which we've found ourselves caught in the crossfire. It's not an exaggeration to say that our survival could very well depend on these efforts. Now, I don't care if you have special qualifications or prior experience with this sort of thing - all I ask is that you agree to work as a team, and that if you say you'll do the work, you follow through reliably. If you're new here, familiarize yourselves with the introductory guide and the historical record. Ask questions. Bring us your ideas. If you uncover relevant information, you can contact me, Mello. I'm in the directory, under M.
We need better documentation. I know this isn't the first time I've said this, and it's maybe even more true now than before - the Null's recent contact with us and the information we've been able to glean from them makes a compelling argument for this, I think.
[He pauses, collecting the words for the rest of what he has to say.]
Frankly, we're not very well organized. We can do better than we have been. What I'm proposing is this: I want to assemble a team to collect and maintain information about our circumstances here - the entities responsible for bringing and keeping us here, their enemies, this war in which we've found ourselves caught in the crossfire. It's not an exaggeration to say that our survival could very well depend on these efforts. Now, I don't care if you have special qualifications or prior experience with this sort of thing - all I ask is that you agree to work as a team, and that if you say you'll do the work, you follow through reliably. If you're new here, familiarize yourselves with the introductory guide and the historical record. Ask questions. Bring us your ideas. If you uncover relevant information, you can contact me, Mello. I'm in the directory, under M.
[Voice]
For that matter, do you think the parasites will even let you die when you're old and grey? Or will you get to spend an eternity suffering at their hands instead?
You'd think that someone who supposedly would have a degree would be able to use his head and think ahead.
[Voice]
[If it's going to come to insults, he'll be pedantic about it.]
I'm not sure why you think it would be forever, since people seem to come and go here frequently. You're also assuming that the Null would win a conflict, even if we refuse to help them.
And no, I don't think it's better for them to just kill us, no matter the situation.
[He's also somewhat concerned if she does.]
[Voice]
[said just as flatly. The last statement goes unresponded-to, because that's his opinion.]
[Voice]
[He's thinking logic is the best tactic to take with Marian.]
Perhaps we're interpreting the evidence differently, but the conversations I saw when the Null made their announcement indicated they don't have nearly as much of an advantage as you seem to think. Even if they did, I don't think giving up just because the odds might be against us is the best strategy.
[And he definitely noticed she didn't respond to his last comment.]
[Voice]
That's a good point. Regardless of the number here, these parasites have already interacted with countless others, actually increasing the scope of the damage they've caused across multiple worlds.
I didn't say that I'm giving up, or that any of us should. But as things stand now, actively trying to help the parasites is only harming more innocent people.
[Voice]
Although I don't think we know enough yet to say that for sure, you're not necessarily wrong, either.
[He's reserving judgement on that area.]
But even if you're totally right, I don't believe trying to help their enemies is a good choice for any of us.
[That much he's sure of. He'd much rather take 'alive and with a chance' than 'dead and with no hope.'
Maybe they can just play all the warring overlords against each other.]
[Voice]
[Voice]
[Just saying.]
Those here will be a lot more interested in listening to your arguments if you're willing to consider theirs.
[Voice]
[Voice]
[The unsaid comment of 'even yours' is pretty obvious.]
[Voice]
If you think I'd rather look to the Null for aid based on feelings, you are completely mistaken, and may want to reconsider your profession.
Let me guess, one of those degrees was in additional social sciences fluff, like philosophy.
[Voice]
[If they're gonna go there, he'll really go there.]
And your guess is wrong, by the way, as well as completely unrelated to what we're talking about.
[Voice]
As you can clearly see from the other conversations [that you butted into, thank you], some people have no respect for rational behavior. It's not my job to change their mind, but I'm not going to let them ignore the facts, either.
[Voice]
[He's very sure it had been more a jab at his qualifications than anything else, mostly because he gets that a lot.
Also, fortunately this entire conversation is just voice, because he can roll his eyes a lot and in a very childish manner and no one can call him out on it.]
It isn't a matter of rational versus irrational behavior; it's a matter of different rational interpretations. Even in the hard sciences people don't always agree, whether or not they're being purely logical.
But I'm pretty sure you know all of this.
[And again, it's more about an emotional reaction to being disagreed with.]
[Voice]
[If not everybody's. But let's realllllly not dig too deep on that one, because for all the things she's been right on in her life, there was one that was very very horribly wrong... better to focus on other things, here.]
This is just more wishy-washy hand waving like your 'different people have different responses to injustices', in the end.
[Voice]
[But he's beginning to lose any interest in arguing with her over this, both because he doesn't think she's listening and because he feels like his own part in this is becoming childish and defensive, and that means he should back off.]
All I'm saying is not to be so certain you're right that you refuse to consider otherwise.
[Voice]
Mello's right about one thing. We do need to collect more complete and detailed information. Unfortunately, I don't trust that it'll be complete or openly available, considering the level of detail in his existing files.
[Voice]
[He doesn't say it judgmentally, despite the previous tone of their conversation, just sounding interested.]
[Voice]
[Voice]
Are you concerned enough about the effects of the lack of information that it's more important to you that your other projects? Or is it not that serious of an issue?
[Either priority-wise, or the actual amount of availability or lack-there-of.]
[Voice]
[She hasn't exactly made a secret of it before, but given the way things are heading, she's a little bit less sure about sharing that on the network. But too late now.]
[Voice]
I did talk to Sorrow briefly about it, although it's impossible to say if he was being truthful or not.
Do you think it's a physical thing you can find?
[Voice]
[Voice]
[His implication is probably pretty clear; hiding the Door in the confusing and dangerous caves seems like the most logical idea. Although--]
I presume you've already concentrated some efforts on the arena.
[Since that's the other logical choice, considering it's where people show up.]
[Voice]
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[Voice]
[Voice]
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[Voice]
((playing a time traveller means never worrying too much about thread continuity oddities))
((that's always useful!))
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[Voice]
If you actually have anything useful to contribute to my existing files, I'm all ears. Otherwise, frankly, you can just shut the hell up.