Rescue Me! (from a journalist) OPEN

[splendid_roman]

Who| Ian and open
What| Ian wakes up after his death in the arena and is reminded of what he did there
Where| Training centre - central commons
When| During the last week of the arena
Warnings/Notes| None so far

Ian woke up, which was a surprise in itself. An assessment of his injuries revealed he had none, which was the second surprise. After lying in bed for a while, looking up at the ceiling, he could only conclude that he'd been taken out of the arena before he died from blood loss. Either the technology here was very good or he'd been kept asleep for a long time. He hoped it wasn't the latter and was curious about the former.

He ventured out, feeling tired, but not feeling any of his former injuries. The central commons, it turned out, wasn't the best place to choose. He'd barely got through the door when a journalist shoved a microphone and camera in his face and asked, "We loved your sword fighting. Can you tell us where you learned it?"

A screen nearby was showing one of Ian's fights. One where he killed someone. He'd fought before and he killed before, but for good reason - generally because his or someone else's life was in danger. But there were people he'd killed in the arena for no good reason. There had felt like one at the time, but now those reasons seemed petty.

He went pale and shook his head, looking around in the hopes of seeing someone who could rescue him from this interview.

Comments

[morethathityou]

"Is there a reason for that? Is it that he doesn't want to stand out?"

[splendid_roman]

"He did say something about the ship being camouflaged." Or supposedly, since it was only really camouflaged somewhere where police boxes were common. "I think he just genuinely looks human though. Or is human, I'm not sure which."

[thefemaleson]

She nodded. "Very little is accomplished by rushing off without planning." She paused, a sudden thought occurring to her. "Planning and teamwork. And the latter seems to be exactly what the nature of these games seeks to destroy." She shook her head, feeling a sense of rising frustration. "I just wish I could figure out the point!"

[morethathityou]

"There are several planets inhabited by humans in my galaxy."

[splendid_roman]

"It's difficult to plan when you don't know what you're going to be facing." And teamwork was hard to come by when there could only be one winner.

"The point is to keep us in line, I suppose." It didn't sound like a very good reason, though.

[splendid_roman]

"And non-humans too?"

[morethathityou]

"Yes. The Empire favoured humans though, and set to suppress or murder the other species in the Galaxy..."

[splendid_roman]

"That's awful!" Ian was horrified. That was a terrible thing to do to another species just because they were alien.

[morethathityou]

She nodded in agreement. "There was a Rebellion that overthrew the Empire," she explained. "We weren't all like that."

[splendid_roman]

"I'm glad to hear it. The Empire sounds a little like here," he added, lowering his voice so no one would overhear.

[morethathityou]

"Most despotic governments sound the same."

[splendid_roman]

"I suppose so," he said thoughtfully.

[morethathityou]

"This topic is just a little depressing," she pointed out. "And dangerous." She glanced over at the guards around the room.

[splendid_roman]

Ian looked up at them too and sighed. "It's hard not to think about when we're confronted with it every day."

[morethathityou]

"I know what you mean," she said. "You want to do more to fix this."

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "But it's the sort of society where fixing things is clamped down on." He was already wary of saying too much.

[morethathityou]

"It is," she agreed. "In part because so many people don't see that there is anything to be fixed." After all, there were citizens here, dancing and having the time of their lives.

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "That's probably the best way to avoid the rebels starting a revolution - make sure there are fewer of them." As it was, the number of contented residents seemed to outnumber those who were not.

[thefemaleson]

It was something she'd thought of before, but she still nodded emphatically at Ian's words. "Of course. Keep people divided and at each others' throats, and they can not unite against the system."

[morethathityou]

"There are always fewer," Callista pointed out. "They need to be strong to win."

[splendid_roman]

"You probably need a critical mass of them. Or one idealist that all the rest of the rebels will follow." They didn't have either of those here, and with the capitol watching their every move, they weren't likely to have those either. "I suppose anyone likely to rise up and try and overthrow the system they're not likely to bring here."

[splendid_roman]

"Well, it's working." He sounded unhappy about that, but it wasn't as if it was something he could change either. "Maybe the solution is just to drink more." Saying so, he finished his drink. "Would you like another?"

[morethathityou]

Callista nodded at that, thinking it over. There had been people that the Rebellion had rallied around, and they had been strong enough to carry it through. She wasn't sure how much of that she wanted to share with him just yet though. "People need something to believe in," she said. "Or at least something that lets them think they'll succeed."

[splendid_roman]

"They do," he agreed nodding. He'd witnessed similar smaller events himself. "We don't have that. Yet." But hopefully one day.

[thefemaleson]

Oscar frowned at that, but nodded. "More wine if you please," she said, handing Ian her glass. She's hoped he would be the type to want to fight against what their hosts were trying to do, but it appeared not. Still, that was no reason not to be polite.

"Thank you," she said when he returned. "If nothing else we can use the time outside the Arena to have friendly chat like this one, no?"