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

[splendid_roman]

"I suppose he must be," he said thoughtfully. "He looks like an ordinary old man and the ship doesn't stand out. Or look like a ship. So he wouldn't be noticed if anyone else had met him."

[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."

[morethathityou]

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

[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.

[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."

[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.

[morethathityou]

"Maybe we should be looking for it then?" she suggested. She glanced around the room, as if the answer would be somewhere within it.

[splendid_roman]

"Everywhere else I've been there's always been something or someone that I can believe in. But here, I can't see a way out." Usually it was the Doctor, but he wasn't here and Ian should be able to think of something on his own. That he couldn't made him frustrated and it showed in his face and his voice.

[morethathityou]

"It might the case that you could be the key?" Callista suggested, though she knew that was a lot for one person to take in.

[splendid_roman]

He chuckled. "If only. But I don't have a foolproof plan."