outer_divide | [002

[Lyall is up and awake, dressed and fed, but not much else. He's checking his aethographer for missed messages from during his stay in lockdown, before planning on going out to hunt, and this one pops up right as he's about to put the device away.

He blinks and stares at it in surprise, registers the tone of her voice and the magnitude of the news, and then after a moment turns on the recording part to reply. While he doesn't know Shepard all that well, he knows Liara does. He even skips the social niceties of an opening call, heaven forbid.]

Doctor T'soni? I'm terribly sorry to hear it. Are you all right?

I am fine, Professor Lyall. Merely concerned. Of those who awakened in the first wave, Shepard was one of only a small number who was still active. That this is no longer the case may point to a greater pattern.

[When in doubt, bury oneself in a puzzle.]

[Lyall doubts that very much, but the puzzle is a bit worrisome. His brows furrow a bit in thought.]

You think that there is some sort of time limit for us, as to how long we might be "allowed" to exist outside the statis pods? Who else is left, from that first wave?

It is possible. Or someone has tampered with the pods, or - there are a thousand reasons, and we would need to be more certain of how the ship functions to be able to be sure.

I - there have been a few people who appear to have cycled in and out of stasis, but I believe Wing may be the only one left.

Perhaps she will be one of those, who is merely cycling in and then out again.

[They can hope, right? He does hope so, for her sake, and for the Major's sake. Even the doctor, whose name he still hasn't managed to ascertain despite their identical faces.]

All the same, perhaps one should keep an eye on Wing, to make certain nothing tries to convince him to go back into the ship. How long has it been, since that first wave awoke?

Unless my count is badly off, it has been approximately 90 days.

[She's just...not addressing the possibility of Shepard coming back out. Waiting and hoping and doubting during Cerberus' procedures had been bad enough - she can't afford that a second time.]

[He isn't three hundred and observant for nothing: he notes the avoidance-- the lack of even an expression at the possibility. So he doesn't bring it up again. Instead:]

Someone should perhaps speak to Wing, then, at least to ascertain how he is. Do you know how she was doing? I'm afraid I don't know her very well, and only ever saw her in passing working with Major Alenko.

She was healing from her injuries, although the collar grafted to her spinal column was...incredibly troubling. Had the recall come sooner, I would have assumed it was related to the trauma inflicted on her within the dome, but the timing does not line up.

I believe you are correct, though - monitoring Wing's status might give us valuable insight.

It could have been something related to the collar, I suppose. Did anything untoward happen with the others, before they were recalled to their stasis pods?

[He's actually not looking at the screen now, he's reaching for pen, ink, and paper to jot down a few notes. It's possibly something that affects them all, after all.]

A few have been injured prior to their recall - just a moment. It would be so much easier if I could simply transfer the lists.

Indeed.

[If it's even safe to do, over this network. Not for the first time, he wonders just how well it's being monitored. If the technology came from the ship, how does the dome even understand it to listen in?

He sighs and, his papers in order now, adds,]

Though I do at least have the means to write things down, on my end, if you cannot.

I can. Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this further in person, however. Even secured, this connection can only be trusted so far.

[Pretty much exactly how he'd prefer it, as well. Meeting in person is much easier than over these things, and he'd feel better seeing her face to face, knowing whether she really is all right or not.]

I would be happy to meet you anywhere you feel comfortable having such a discussion. It seems relatively important.

[And he wants to see you, anyway. So.]

The workshop seems appropriately secure - and unlikely to have anyone present who might be inclined to jump to rapid conclusions.

[And it might even contain Kaidan, though one of them at a time might be easier to handle.]

I will be there at your convenience, then. And I will bring tea.

[Her smile is faint, but present.]

It is good to see that some traditions still cross interplanetary barriers. I will see you shortly.

A world without tea is not one I would like to contemplate. I'll be there soon.

[And indeed he will, with the promised tea, though not yet boiled. They can do that in the workshop.]

((continue in action, or fadeout? ^^ ))

[The Doctor just stares, for a moment, clearly stricken.]

...I see.

[He glances down, forcing the raw emotion from his features. She's not dead. He might even see her again, if they work out how to open the pods.]

Does your crew need anything?

No. There is nothing we need.

[Nothing, at least, that she'll admit to an unknown, even if he resembles unnervingly well someone she's beginning to consider a friend.]

[A slight nod. Then he attempts a strained smile.]

We've not really spoken, have we? I'm the Doctor. Commander Shepard and I - well. I don't know if she'd use the word friend, but I like to think we are. [He's very determinedly using present tense.]

She's mentioned you. I believe Major Alenko has as well.

[There's the briefest of pauses; it's awkwardness rather than any hesitation to give her name, though carefully neutral as her expression is, that doesn't quite translate through the video screen.]

My name is Liara T'Soni.

It's a pleasure to meet you, despite...the circumstances. [He runs his free hand through his hair, sighing.] You've been studying the pods as well, yes? We may yet find some way to open them.

Edited 2012-09-02 04:15 (UTC)

We may. At this juncture, it seems incredibly unlikely.

No. [The soft, strained word escapes her lips before she can stop it. No. Not again. Not her.

She takes a breath.]

If you need anything, I'm here.

That will not be necessary.

Understood.

...I'm sorry. Perhaps I could - [She cuts herself off. No, it hasn't worked before, why should it work now?]

Could do what?

[It's muted interest, but interest all the same.]

Attempt to communicate with her psychically. But I doubt it would work. [Through a slight, wry smile.] Or that she'd appreciate it, even if it did.

It...would not be wise. We do not know enough about the stasis mechanism to know what altering her brainwaves would do.

Well... shit.

That-- Well--

[Use your words, Kaidan. He at least sounds more frustrated than distraught. After a huff of breath, he even managed a sentence.]

Do you know how long she's been in there for?

[She'll see your filtering, and add a level of encryption.]

I am not certain. It - I am certain it cannot have been more than a few days. I did not notice anything amiss until after the hunting expedition.

[Unspoken is the fact that she's been keeping very close tabs on both her crewmates.]

[He's totally going to have to compare notes on that later.]

Right. When we were both occupied, and she's been chafing at the bit to get out and do something despite that collar and both of our very best disapproving looks.

Hell.

I made the same assumption.

[She sounds guilty. Because clearly she has space wizard magic that would have allowed her to keep Shepard out of stasis if only she'd known, right?]

Liara, this is not your fault.

[And, in the course of delivering this reassurance, Kaidan trips over the logical conclusion, and there's a pause while he processes it.]

--And so, therefore, it can't be mine, either. Professor Lyall needed us, and trying to appoint Shepard a babysitter would've gone over, um, badly.

Edited 2012-09-04 02:19 (UTC)

And would have been futile. Still, it feels like there should be something we can do.

Although there's Dr. Banner's work studying the pods, I don't see much practical application coming from there immediately. It does make working out this power reserves thing even more critical than it was in the abstract, though.

And then we've got the Shepard-shaped hole in the structure around here...

Edited 2012-09-06 21:29 (UTC)

It is the latter that worries me the most at present. We have time to solve the energy crisis, if not a great deal of time. But establishing reasonable leadership is critical.

And the question is who's available, with Shepard gone. Whether or not 'Erik' is the same one as before, he seems to be staying under the radar, at least, which is something. The professor's an organizer, as is Ms. Potts, but they don't seem to be leaders...

[He trails off thoughtfully, not so much oblivious to his own potential, given he's been leading a SpecOps company, as trying to find someone not him.]

I've been mapping out a few potential paths for information gathering on what's going on inside the dome. I guess I could... expand that. If nothing else comes up.

Unless one of the people stranded here has very well-hidden talents, I do not believe anything else will "come up".

[It's almost sympathetic. Almost.]

[Both hands scrub across his hair, as Kaidan parts with a noise half inevitable and half pained as he stretches. Hand pinching once at the bridge of his nose, he drops it and looks up with a nod that concedes to inevitability.]

Guess I'd better get started. I'll need to compare notes with you over encryption protocols for network posts. And I'm going to pull some people in to start working on designing a robotic probe, I think. I need more intel.

If I could offer you use of my network, I would do so. [It's half apologetic, half frustrated. The Shadowbroker doesn't like being so low on intel.]

I am of the opinion that finding an alternate method of remote communication would be in our best interests, but I will be happy to work with you on encryption in the meantime.

Unless your network had information on previously unknown planets that might or might not even be in our galaxy, at some nebulous future date, I don't think it would've help much anyways, but the thought's appreciated.

[Kaidan's smile is slight, but appreciative both of the spirit behind the offer and of the frustration as well.]

I want to see a separate method too, and I have a few ideas that I actually came up with when we first showed up, but they'll take some time to implement and I'd rather not have to rely on passing notes in the meantime.

I didn't know her, but I'm sorry to hear she's been returned to her pod. If you need a distraction, I have a few tasks you could help complete. [it's really the only way he knows how to deal with stuff like this]

I would appreciate the diversion. Thank you.

[What, do you mean there are other coping mechanisms out there?]

Any time. Feel free to drop by the ship whenever you want to.

[Not that Bruce has ever tried. :|]

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