002 ⌥ VOICE

[femshep]

[In sharp contrast to her professional tone the last time she addressed the public, this time she's most definitely pissed. In a more level voice than she'd like to use:]

I don't know who you are or what you want, but stay the fuck out of my head.

[Yeah, Charles, this means you. Years of being mindraped by ancient alien beacons of doom and then a dozen curious asari have made her profoundly sensitive to when someone's poking around inside her head.

She's not going to put out any threats. She's hoping she doesn't have to. Her point's been made.]

[ ooc: sorry for posting again so soon, I'm done spamming the comm after this one. |D She just. Wouldn't have let this slide, and this is the only way to make sure whoever it is (cough charles cough) hears it.]

Comments

text ; anon ; locked

[radars]

I'm not in your head. Strictly speaking, it's a generalized emotional broadcast without targeting any specific individual. For instance, I may be speaking with you now over this network, but in actuality I have no idea which mind in this city might be yours, nor do I know any of your personal details or secrets.

Frankly, I'm quite surprised that you noticed. It speaks well to your psychic sensitivity -- or perhaps you are a psychic yourself?

Unless, of course, you are speaking of a particular psychic intrusion, in which case I am most certainly not responsible and I apologize for taking up your time.

text ; locked ; 1 of 2

[femshep]

So is that kind of shit considered okay, where you're from?

text ; locked ; 2 of 2

[femshep]

[Sent a couple of minutes later--you'd be proud, Charles, she's attempting diplomacy.]

No, not a specific one. What you described sounds about right.

And I'm not psychic. Just had enough people in my head for one lifetime.

text ; anon ; locked until indicated otherwise

[radars]

Yes.

Well, to be more specific, few people have ever noticed it before, but it constituted a significant morale boost at a time when it was desperately needed. People felt better.

text & charles!anon until indicated otherwise too?

[femshep]

You can't force people to feel better. That's just not how things work.

[By 'can't', she means 'that's not kosher'. She definitely knows by now that he's physically capable.]

I've been raising crew morale for almost ten years now, and I don't have an ounce of psychic power.

If you want to help people, use your goddamn words. This is cheap. So knock it off.

[radars]

It hardly has any more effect than a rousing speech would; however, it's subtle and people believe it comes from within. The end result is that they believe in themselves, not in a leader, and I believe that end is worthwhile.

[voice; locked]

[cametohissenses]

Shepard, what's wrong?

[voice; locked]

[femshep]

We've got psychics here. At least one, maybe more.

They've been putting out-... Shit, what'd he call them, broadcasts.

['He' is just a general term--she has no idea the gender of the psychic in question.]

Blanket-sweeps to make sure everyone's finding their happy place. The way I figure, that should be our choice.

[voice; locked]

[cametohissenses]

[Oh, that is SO not what he wants to hear. Basically, all the alarm bells in his head go off.]

Son of a bitch.

[When he answers his voice his tight with controlled anger but the underlying rage has a personal note to it. He's had his fair share of brainwashing and mind-meddling and he is not going back there.]

You in contact with them?

[voice; locked]

[femshep]

Vaguely. [If she had her crew, or even just Tali or Legion, she'd have Charles pinpointed in a second, but as things are she's stuck talking to an anonymous text.

After a minute, her voice drops just a little:] It's personal for me too. I'm ending it, take my word.

[voice; locked]

[cametohissenses]

[There's a silence. Not neccessarily uncomfortable, just a pause at being called out on it. He's not used to talking about this.

Then he exhales, the words coming out somewhere between a huff and a humorless chuckle.]

Yeah, you didn't sound too thrilled about it. You need a hand?

[truth_is_cold]

What's going on?

[femshep]

Psychics. ['Psychics who don't know how to stay the fuck out of where they aren't wanted' is the full sentence there, but she's swallowing the rest of it.]

[truth_is_cold]

I can't tell what they're doing. [And this makes him extremely nervous. He prefers to know what's going on. Here he has no sense to compensate, he's at a loss, and it's making him edgy. There was no reason for Nietzscheans to develop psychic resistance of any sort.]

[femshep]

[She exhales slowly, because as much as she hates to admit it:] They're not hurting anyone. I just want them to stay the hell out of my head.

voice

[destinytobehere]

Ah. That would explain a few things.

voice

[femshep]

And here I thought I was the only one. [Because so far, the overwhelming reaction's been 'THERE ARE PSYCHICS?' rather than 'oh that's what I'm feeling'.]

voice

[destinytobehere]

Seemed quite obvious. People who previously refused to leave their shelters suddenly venturing out.

voice

[femshep]

Figured they realized we saved their asses and decided we weren't half bad. [Obviously that's not the case, though, at this point.]

voice

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin listens to the public replies and is going to continue to pretend that he's totally human and totally not psychic.]

Psychics? Are they...dangerous?

voice

[femshep]

The running verdict so far says 'no', but there's a pretty good chance that's a 'not yet'. It's like anything else in a place like this: It all depends on how they decide to use it.

Re: voice

[timesbureaucrat]

So we're helpless to the whim of their continued good will? [His voice rises to a shrill squeak.] Oh wonderful.

voice

[femshep]

Not entirely helpless. They might be dangerous, but so are we.

[voice]

[ihearcrickets]

[quiet and confused] It isn't me. Someone is meddling.

[voice]

[femshep]

[A little quieter and less authoritative than with most of the others so far:] Who are you?