hadriel | fifteen ✤ voice

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fifteen ✤ voice

I am sure you have seen the ships, as have we. It is time for a decision. Thanks to your efforts and knowledge, we have options - they are few, but I think any of them could succeed. But each has unknowns and possible dangers. Please take all of these into consideration before you make your decision.

First, we could use the Door to send the Null away to another facet of this wide multiverse. This would keep us safe, and allow us to stay here, in our home, in order to rebuild and restore our people. However, while we have more control of the Door, we only have so much. We can't choose where to send the Null, so they could end up anywhere, including in a universe that one of you is from. Also, while we would try our very best, it would be difficult to ensure that each and every Null scattered across the worlds is caught in this. It is possible we may miss some.

Second, we could use the Door to transport ourselves to another universe. Like the first option, we cannot be sure where we would end up. We would be safe from the Null, but possibly find other dangers. In addition, only those of us gods currently in the city would survive - there would be no option to resurrect our fallen comrades or hosts. With the hosts you have restored to me and our own essences, we could rebuild, but it would take a very long time.

One additional note for the first two options: after carrying out either one, we would need to shut the Door down permanently. To leave it working would be to invite the Null to find a way through it to us. We would send you all home first, of course, but you would never be able to return here or leave the worlds that you return to.

Finally, we could use your skills to infect the Null with a sort of virus. I will admit that my unfamiliarity with technology makes the details of this difficult to understand, but the essence of it is that a group of you would return to the communications relay found on the previous world and use it to broadcast a program that would alter the Null themselves. There are two options here, as well: use it to shut the Null down and therefore kill them, or use it to alter them and imbue them with emotions so they would no longer need or wish to destroy us.

These last two options are the most dangerous for you, and I would ask for volunteers to carry this out if it is chosen. It would allow us to stay here and rebuild our species, and it would potentially allow the Null to survive, though of course that may also be a danger someday. It would also allow us to maintain the Door, which would give you the option to come and go as you pleased. However, the ethics of destroying or permanently altering another species must be considered. Do we have the right to do this against their will? Do we have the right to commit genocide?

Please take your time to consider these options. I believe we can hold out long enough for an educated decision, rather than one made foolishly and in haste. And thank you, all of you, for everything that you have done. None of these options would have been possible if not for your hard work and ingenuity. You have accomplished incredible things and given us a chance when we had none.

Poll #22106

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 31

View Respondents

What shall we do?

View Answers

Use the Door to remove the Null
2 (6.5%)

Use the Door to move ourselves
2 (6.5%)

Upload a program to alter the Null
9 (29.0%)

Upload a program to destroy the Null
18 (58.1%)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Honestly, he's also pretty uncertain about all of this shit too despite all that shit he'd just said to Hope.]

I think... there are still too many "maybes" and "what ifs" to really say for certain. Like, maybe altering their programming is a viable strategy, but what if it's only a short term solution? We have no way of knowing if it'll work the way they think it will, that giving the Null emotions will make them decide that they don't wanna slaughter us after all.

[He goes silent for a few seconds before sighing, sounding more exhausted when he continues speaking.] Tinya, I'm probably not the right person to look at for a... a moral compass right now, I guess. I already failed to save one universe, I'm not willing to take risks with this one.

[and where she's from, annihilating an entire species is considered anathema. or it was, until the White Triangle wiped out the population of Trom. over eight billion beings and no one lifted a finger to do anything about it.

she sighs again] It could . . . maybe even make them worse? Because sadism is the enjoyment of someone else's suffering. And from what I've heard about those experiments in the bunkers, those were pretty awful and that was when they didn't have emotions.

[she tries to sound reassuring, but likely fails] From what you've told me, you did everything you could have done.

That's a possibility too, for sure. There are just too many unknown factors, y'know?

[He's not really all that reassured, but it's not because of her. Don't worry Tinya, he's bumming himself out.] Y'know, you're probably right. I keep thinking of things I could have done different, though. Trying to like, remember what mistakes I made then so I don't make them again now.

[her voice turns a little bitter, but it's not directed at him] While death is a certain end to the problem of what to do about the Null.

[and she's turning herself around in circles between the notion that anyone can be redeemed (which is what her world and her upbringing tell her) and that maybe not everyone can be redeemed (which is what her own experiences are telling her. but this isn't about her, is it?] Okay. Maybe . . . talk me through what you did then, so we can figure out how to avoid any problems now?

I mean, they're robots, so technically isn't it less a death thing and more like, just permanently putting them into sleep mode? I'm not honestly sure how this sort of thing even applies to machines. Either way, they could probably be repaired and like, brought back online after all this. Not us. They wipe us out, and that's it. We're just dead. [Is that helping or just making all of this even more confusing? Yeah that's probably not helping.]

Um... Jeez, I don't even know how it would apply here. What I needed to do was hold on tighter.

That's not exactly reassuring, that somebody could come along after us and reactivate them. And. [she bites her lip] I already died once. I don't want to do it again. [she sighs heavily] I'm . . . thinking about changing my vote. Where I'm from, there's the theory that everyone can be redeemed, but after what I saw of the White Triangle and what I've heard of the Null, I'm kind of rethinking that.

[a weak laugh] No, that probably wouldn't do much good here, under the circumstances.

...Yeah, that really isn't reassuring, is it.

[Ugh man it feels like no matter what they do, there's a way it could backfire. He's not going to say that part out loud, because it definitely won't help the whole morale thing at all, but he's thinking it.]

Just speaking from personal experience? There are people out there who are irredeemable. The ones that think that what they're doing is right, the ones who think that what they're doing is for the good of everyone else. They think they're the "good guys". In their eyes, we're the ones who are irredeemable, because we're trying to stop them from doing something that they think is right.

Maybe destroying the Null would make us no better than them. I don't know, but even if the Null are machines, wiping out a race is a huge deal. I absolutely wouldn't blame you for not wanting to vote that way.

No, it's not.

[the idea of the Null reawakened and harnessed for someone else's purpose is horrifying, thank you.

and it takes her a while to respond]

That--it sounds like the White Triangle. So convinced of their genetic superiority, they were willing to kill anyone who threatened that. So convinced that Earth needed to be purged, they were willing to kill anyone who stood in their way. They--they thought they were right. That they were protecting their planet and their heritage. They were. Wrong. But [a sickly laugh] have fun trying to convince them of that.

But there might be no choice. Because they're absolutely willing to wipe us out, if it gets them to the goal they're looking for.

And we had Thanos, who thought that wiping out half the life in the universe was a good way to make sure we wouldn't exhaust our resources. Like I said, some people really are jut irredeemable.

[This is definitely the last thing he wants to be talking about. He sighs, already exhausted by all of this war business.]

Not to be all dramatic, but this is really looking like a big "kill or be killed" sort of situation. I don't like it, but I'm gonna do whatever it takes to protect everyone.

And Thanos was wrong. Thanos was evil. Thanos deserved to die. He didn't--think about presenting alternatives to the masses, he chose. For everyone. He had no right to do that. He was delusional to think that he did.

[it's not easy for her, either. the White Triangle had a goal: survival of the fittest. which just happened to be them. funny how that works out, isn't it?]

...all right. I'm changing my vote.

Edited 2019-06-08 03:28 (UTC)

I'm lumping all these guys into the same category: Irredeemable bad guys. It's probably oversimplifying it, but, y'know, whatever. I just wanna get this all over with.

Honestly, so many people seem to be on board with destroying the Null that you probably don't even have to change your vote.

[in a slightly far away voice] Sometimes . . . there's an evil so great that it all is simple. It's a matter of survival. Either theirs or ours. [a pause] I choose ours.

Maybe. But maybe it's also time for me to take a stand. That my world's way of doing things isn't perfect, as much as it likes to pretend that it is. That if we'd responded in kind to the White Triangle, they'd have never destroyed Trom. And never have attacked Earth. How many lives could've been saved, but weren't?

Yeah, I'm a big fan of our survival, I'd say that's a good choice.

There's not much we can do about the things that happened back home, but at least we have a chance to make a difference here.

I have to say that I'm a little worried about . . . actually fighting the Null. I know how to use a katana now and Harlan taught me magic, but my powers aren't exactly great for going on the offense.

Well... Okay, let's see. Maybe the best use of your powers wouldn't be to go on the offensive at all. You can fly, and the Null can't hurt you when you're all incorporeal and stuff, right? I think the best place for you is in the air, you'd be able to keep an eye on the Null's activity and direct people on the ground where to go. Being able to give people a head's up like that would be huge.

Nothing can touch me when I'm phased. And that's a really good idea, but is it enough? I don't want anyone to think that I'm not pulling my weight.

I guess pop in and help out wherever you can? Help the injured evacuate, stuff like that? But I definitely think having eyes in the sky is gonna help us all out in a major way.

I hope it'll be enough.

[a pause]

Anyway. I kind of killed somebody recently. So I can do it, if I have to.

[Wow dude that's pretty heavy. Peter definitely sounds concerned, if something bad enough happened that Tinya literally had to kill someone, that's kind of a big deal.]

Wait like, a person? Who? When was this?

[it is a big deal. it's a huge deal. she knows she had to do it, but it still bothers her]

It was . . . during one of the things the aliens did. They brought over someone who was hurting a friend. I didn't think he'd stop, so I--so I killed him.

Jesus. If that's the only way you could stop him, it must have been really bad.

[He's curious, but he's also sure that this can't be easy for her to talk about. He's not going to press her for details, but damn.]

Is this friend of yours doing okay now?

It was. Really bad. [a pause] I did something that's . . . forbidden by my world's customs to kill him. I wouldn't have even known it was possible if mother hadn't stressed the importance of not doing it.

[it is hard to talk about, but she's afraid that this will fester inside her if she doesn't talk about it]

He's [a weak chuckle] seen better days.

Oooh, I don't know if I wanna know. Do I wanna know?

[He figured the whole killing thing itself was forbidden enough, is there something even more forbidden than that? He's kind of curious, but also MMMMMM that sounds like some BAD SHIT.]

[another weak chuckle]

...maybe? It's. Pretty gruesome.

[He can't picture her doing anything "pretty gruesome", she's like the least gruesome person he knows.]

If you want to talk about it, I'll listen. If not, I can roll with that too.

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