Video| UN: NavySpear

[charlieoscar]

[The camera is set a few feet away, so both Mike and the Command Deck video screen fit in view. He speaks with an easy authority, a man used to leading meetings.]

As many of you have probably heard, after the door to the Command Deck was breached video logs of the previous crew were discovered. Many of them are corrupted, and a lot of them that aren't don't seem to have any real substance - they're just the day to day operations of the station - but we have found one that's different.

[He leans, reaching out to something just out of view, and suddenly the large video screen comes to life. Mike turns slightly to watch with the camera.

A woman orders one crew member to contact mission command. She then informs mission command that they are about to begin test zero-zero-five and to stand by. The crew clearly knows the protocol for running this test; various crew members call out their tasks, from slowing the rings to a stop (after which gravity ceases on the command desk and presumably everywhere on the station) to initiating drive.

There is a tense moment. A crew member keeps calling percentages: “Drive at five percent. Drive at ten percent.”

Eventually: “Drive steady at 60 percent. Steady -”

Several consoles beep. “Drive failed.”

The woman contacts mission command again: “Be advised. Test zero-zero-five failed after a climb to 60%.”

The video comes to and end and the screen winks to black. Mike looks back at the camera.]

As best as we can tell, the woman giving the orders is the same "Ghost" recently recorded and posted to this same network. Clearly, they were running experiments here. For what end? The videos don't say. But given the state of things.... Bets are they didn't end well.

Comments

[pampa]

It all matters. We're sitting on the puzzle pieces, or at least - the corners of the picture. [ miller wipes a hand over his face and sits back against his chair again. he feels like he could sleep for a thousand years, but he's not leaving until he has a better picture of what was going on here. pitching forward again, he finds the files from the week preceding the drive footage and starts at the top. none of this haruto-speeding-through-the-tapes nonsense. he's missed something, he knows he has. ] All we have to do is put 'em together in the right order.

[charlieoscar]

In that they weren't careful enough? Were too eager, or egotistical, or both.... [He falls silent, watching over Miller's head. For several long moments it's only the sounds of the long gone crew echoing hollowly on the deck. Then, lowly--] I swear, if it turns out we're here because someone didn't carry the decimal....

[pampa]

[ it gets a dry huff of a laugh, tipping his head back briefly and lacing his fingers across his middle. ]

Wouldn't that be a treat. Human error is a beautiful thing.

[charlieoscar]

[Mike looks sidelong at Miller.]

Is this were I'm supposed to wax poetically about the wonderful symmetry of people being people across time and space, because you don't have enough booze for that.

[pampa]

No one's got enough booze for that, partner.

Yet you wouldn't be wrong.

[charlieoscar]

[Another long, low sigh through his nose, his arms folding heavily across his chest.]

Damn it.

[pampa]

You don't have to get upset every time I make a point, Slattery.

[charlieoscar]

Just because it's right doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

[pampa]

Is there anything that does make you happy, Earther? [ he's one to talk ]

[charlieoscar]

[There were a lot of ways he could respond to that. After a beat, he decides to follow along with the sarcastic tone of their relationship thus far. Deadpan, he silently reaches into his jumpsuit and pulls out a slim, black case. He pops the top and taps free the cigar he's been nursing since he'd found it. He sticks the decidedly chewed end between his teeth and the case disappears from whence it came.

The end of the cigar wags as he speaks.]

Yes.

[pampa]

[ it gets a genuine laugh out of miller, shaking his head. ]

Earthers and their cancer. [ which is double funny because he technically has cancer. he pats the chemo port on his arm idly, though it's hidden from view under the long sleeves of his jumpsuit. ]

[charlieoscar]

How's your cirrhosis? [He fires back without missing a beat, enjoying himself. Whatever the outward appearance, he's decided he likes Miller. Whatever his faults, he holds his own and is sharper than one would expect.] We can schedule our treatment together.

[pampa]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for jaundice by next week. [ he sounds just as sincere, thinking of himself and holden getting their "treatment" together as it were. ]

[charlieoscar]

I'll keep my dance card open. [He reaches up and takes the cigar. He gestures to the console with it.] Again?

[All the jokes. But still the job too.]

[pampa]

...One more time. [ he might say that five more times ]

[charlieoscar]

[Mike sticks the cigar back between his teeth and leans to tap the console again. As the footage starts over, he settles back, kicking his his feet up against the board.

One more time.]