re_alignment | [Broadcast to all]

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!npc | liege maximo

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[It had started. If the strange electric feeling in the air hadn't clued him in, the fact that Dark Convoy had found him and talked with him would have cemented it. It had also given him an idea.]

Brothers...sister. Be ready. The time is soon.

To all those lacking Glyphs, I extend an invitation to you.

When the dark touch of chaos touches your minds, come find me. I may not be able to cure you of your ills, but at least in studying your descent I may find the tools to understand it.

[He has no more to say, and so he waits to see if there are any takers.]

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Why, I know.

They were sent by the Lambda, and hence they will return.

[He likes that you are theorizing yourself, though.]

What I need to understand is how. How to prevent it, how to neutralize it, and specifically how to neutralize the dark energy that they contain.

A disease would be a sufficient parallel.

A disease with...unfortunate results.

Could the glyphless be manifestations of the dark energy contained within the Lambda? Or, perhaps, those infected on their way through? The latter seems more likely, I guess, unless the dark energy is intelligent enough to create duplicates. But, then again, perhaps these people never existed in the first place...

Their bodies and minds would eventually collapse beneath the power, maybe. Or a reality lied subconscious that they're not real finally rears its head, causing an accelerating insanity as well as release of the dammed energy.

Cliffjumper and the acolytes briefly mentioned someone by the name of Unicron. Could he be using these glyphless as shadow puppets? Agents, ticking time bombs; spies, perhaps? And when their lives finally pass, would they return with the information they've collected to whatever intelligence placed them here? If that were the case, then neutralizing it...

But.

Whether they're real or not, they still feel real, and... You won't experiment on them like they're lab rats, right? Nothing like lobotomies or the like. You're not going to use torture by means to heal and or find the answers? If they come to you for counsel, you will treat them like a doctor would a patient, right?

And... if they don't come... If they should run and finally lose their minds, you wouldn't... hunt them down like wild animals?

If they can survive, we - you can help them all the while helping yourself.

[she gives a breathless laugh] Wow, I can't believe I'm even having this discussion. It's like a science fiction roleplaying game on crack cocaine.

[Those are a lot of conclusions that you're jumping to. However, he sees the lines of reasoning and he is, for the most part, impressed. You've managed to take a small amount of data and work it into a hypothesis that is almost correct.]

They are real. [He says, after a moment of confirming it to himself.] Tainted when they arrive.

You're all real, however, and you are all here because of Unicron. The effects that they are feeling, now, are the same effects you would be feeling, yourself, if not for the Glyphs that mark you. The Glyphs that draw upon our own power to protect you.

This marks a rare opportunity for me to study this taint.

We Firstforged are not able to approach the badlands to procure samples, so, in a way, these 'Glyphless' are small samples come to us.

Would you care to come and see my procedures?

[He was no doctor. Once his subjects began going crazy, he'd collect data from them by any means necessary.]

I see. That's... a little scary, actually. [She touches her glyph] Knowing this is the only barrier between sanity and madness.

It...

[frown]

I don't know.

Before... Before I arrived on this planet, I had to make a very hard medical decision. It was... It's still a fresh wound. I did what was right for the patient, and yet at the same time, it didn't feel right. Just... hollow.

That's not important, no, but I'm what I'm saying is... I want to help you, if I can, in making your patients comfortable. If the madness overcomes them and they become a threat, we can restrain, sedate them. Right? They're scared and confused, and if they come to you willingly, you can't treat them like frogs being vivisected for a science project.

[She bites and chews her bottom lip] I can't stop you, I know, but I fear if I were there to watch, and you did something... I don't know. I don't think I could stop myself from trying to intervene. I know it's... It's never easy when you're a doctor and you deal with conflict like this, but there has to be other ways if push comes to shove.

If there is in no way to save them - that doesn't mean they have to die. We can take care of them and keep searching for a cure, if possible.

And...

If there's nothing left... Would you consider medical euthanasia? It's complicated, and I'm not sure how I could personally handle it, but here... Here, I just don't know. Everything's been flipped upside down and inside out, it's... so confusing. You get lost, sometimes.

[Martha's obviously conflicted, and it shows. Her eyes are kind of misty.] It's never easy, is it? One of the worst conflicts a doctor can face - someone who works to save lives, forced to take one.

Even though you may not be a doctor, I'm sure you understand to some extent. We are all scientists, playing in different fields, after all.

You wish to help?

[One of the ridges over his optics rises, in inquiry.]

I shall not stop you. What you will witness will not be pleasant, however. We will have to restrain them, when they fall too far. When that time comes--you will listen to me, or you will be removed from my laboratory.

Until that point, however, you would be welcome to observe, and make your own deductions. [He'll value your input, he thinks. You've already proven most insightful.]

I would prefer not to kill them. As some have...requested, there may be a chance at saving a few, if I can test what I learn on those who remain.

[Martha swallows] I understand.

You've promised to take my input into consideration, and I'll promise to respect yours. I know in the end I probably couldn't stop you, but I trust that you are doing what is best for the patients as well as your research.

Even if everything seems to point to tragedy, I still want to believe the people who are stopping me from falling to the same fate with their own powers would show the same compassion and consideration for those who have not been so lucky.

Compassion?

[Hm. This word. It is not...sciencey. It is, however, a very intriguing idea.]

And this would make you feel better?

Simply for me to show compassion?

[Ah, the emotional states of beings. They are fascinating.]

Yes. [No hesitation, no moment's repose] But not necessarily for me. More so for your patients. For the people who have willingly put their lives in your hands. I expect that you will take this to heart, and show some compassion when you treat them.

There is no harm in showing compassion. People... People may tell you otherwise. That emotions make you weak or whatever. But there is nothing weak with allowing yourself to be above those that would rather live so hollow. You don't have to necessarily connect with your patients, so much as you should understand that certain things you do and say can wound and hurt, and in many cases, are easy to avoid. Being honest doesn't mean being cruel.

[she sighs] I just hope you understand, that's all. I really do want to help make this easy for them, even if... even if there's no saving them.

[He's found it easier to let her talk until she's done, and then glean what he can from her speech. This time...he's gotten something interesting, indeed.]

Very well.

[He nods, once.] I shall attempt to do as you suggest. [To show compassion would be an experiment on top of his experiments. A way to manipulate those emotionally who he already was manipulating physically. It would be a true test of his purview, as well.]

They can be...comfortable. [The monsters.] And their sacrifice will not go unrewarded.

[She smiles, though it's nothing perfect. She can sense the clinical undertones. Knows this will be much harder than it looks and sounds.]

Thank you. That's all I ask of you.

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[video WEEEHH MORAL AMBIGUITY]

[video TEMPTING moral ambiguity!]

[video - well her last episode was "the last TEMPTATION"]

[video - HAHAHAH how ironic.]

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