ladyofgotham

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[Barbara's not looking her best. Her clothes are dirty and torn, her face is scratched. Her hair is a tangled mess.

But there's no pain in her expression. No fear, no distress, no timidity. When she speaks, her voice is steady and sharp.

She's not putting on any airs, not any more.]

I'm sure most of you know by now that this world isn't safe. The Vanquish have conquered and enslaved the humans on this colony, and they don't care if some of us aren't natives - or aren't usually human.

I'd like to know if anyone else has had encounters with them. If we can pool information, we can better prepare ourselves for future confrontations.

The group that attacked us were - vaguely reptilian. Tough scales, long tails, sharp claws. About eight feet tall. They had four eyes and long snouts, full of sharp teeth. I don't know if the bite is venomous.

Don't bother going for the eyes unless you have something sharp - they seem to have nictitating membranes. ...Transparent, protective eyelids.

From what I could tell their stomachs were the most vulnerable, but it won't be an easy hit. They're fast, and they know what they're doing.

[She stops, then, and a flicker of - something crosses her expression, tightening her mouth and creasing her brow.]

I know some of you are intent on charging the Vanquish stronghold.

[It's a ridiculous, reckless idea.]

I hope you can get something useful out of this.

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Arrogant too. [They didn't even take her comm.]

[The stunned relief is only visible for an instant, but it's there, and there's an echo of it in her voice.]

Faith.

[She's not sure what to say, really. How to thank her.]

How are you holding up?

Five by five. [The smile she gives is weary, though; she's battered and sore. But no one's paying attention to her right now, and it's too big a relief to see Barbara's alright.]

Right. [Her voice is flatly sceptical, as she studies Faith, but there's a hint of a smile on her lips.]

What have you found out?

[If they can communicate with people on the inside - maybe they do have some chance of staging a rescue.]

So far? They aren't paying attention. [Though only because they know Faith can't escape. But she doesn't know that.]

Definitely arrogant, then. We can use that.

Figured; just gotta get them distracted long enough to stop paying attention.

If you can coordinate with the ones staging a rescue attempt - you can at least buy each other space and time.

Gonna need a place to run to. [The barge was too far away to make in one dash; they needed someplace to hide.]

It would be best to scatter.

I can scout for human camps - I'm sure there are at least a few - but I don't know how willing they would be to take in escapees.

Know where to find me. [There's a faint smile there. She's trusting Babs not to get caught. But she's already decided she'll die if she has to - deathtolling's better than leaving people slaves.]

...Yes. [She returns the smile, after a moment.]

Take care, Faith.

[Another moment and she speaks again, quietly.]

Thank you.

Keep safe.

[There's a little smile on Faith's lips - accidental, unintended; but definitely there.] No drama.

Scales? [Jesse's whispering, and his voice is strange, oddly thin and hoarse, like something hit him in the throat or lungs.] Ain't no scales on the ones that got me.

Scales. Or an approximation.

[Her brow furrows, and her voice lowers.]

Where are you? How badly are you hurt?

[He swallows, which seems to take an effort.] They got some of us locked in some kind of... some kind of slave cave, outside town. These big, mean guys with grey skin and these dog faces...

[She keeps her voice quiet, now, just above a whisper.] Do you remember how many there were? Are any of them guarding you?

No. [Pause.] Yeah.

Damn. [She'd been hoping some of that arrogance would come into play.]

How many of you are being held there?

A few... I don't know for sure. There's, you know. Civvies. Mixed in.

Good - they've been dealing with this much longer than we have. Talk to them, see if they know anything useful.

Maybe... you think we could get them out, too...?

[Her voice is firm with a conviction she doesn't feel.] If we try for anyone, we try for everyone.

[He nods to himself, too, although he's not so sure he knows that's the truth. What would they do with the ones they got out? Leave them in the wasteland? Stow them in the CES?] Good. Good. I'll... I'll see what I can find out.

Be careful, and don't give up.

You too.

I've seen four races. [He's close to the microphone and trying to be quiet in between breathing hard; this might not be the clearest transmission.] Yours, tailed ones with some kind of carapace, barbed snakes - their stomachs would probably be weak too - and the little winged ones that look like pyramids.

The tailed ones have rifles. I'm going to steal one, I just don't know how yet.

[Barbara listens carefully; she's used to deciphering muddled messages.]

It would be best to lure one away, but they might be trained too well for that. Same applies to distractions.

Their abdomens might be vulnerable, depending on the carapace.

If it's anything like armor, the leg joints are weak too. How did you do with your group? Clearly you lived.

We annoyed them, mostly.

[She's silent for a moment. Then, quietly...] I'm only free because my Warden bought me time.

[Oh. Ok.

This isn't a game now.]

Who?

Please be careful.

Always.

Where are you?

Disprove?

[Because yeah. Not so much charging it but. Absolutely trying to take down things from inside. Because he refuses to be someone else's entertainment.]

I understand the sentiment, but I don't think success is very likely. Not at the moment, at least.

Irrelevant. Better to try and fail than do nothing. At least tried.

If you die in the process you're no help to anybody.

If results in escape of some, would be worth it.

Enough dying already. Would rather die trying to improve situation than from cowardice.

And if no one escapes, which is currently the most likely scenario, you'll have died for nothing.

There's a difference between cowardice and pragmatism.

Edited 2012-08-14 12:03 (UTC)

Will have died for nothing if inaction continues.

Death isn't a question either way. Die in the arena, fighting for entertainment of masses, or die trying to prevent it.

No choice.

[It hits her like a slap in the face, the fact that he was taken too. For a moment she has no retort, and it galls her.]

There's another choice.

Stall.

They've got... beast things, too. Not sure if they're natural or genetically altered. They throw them in the ring with the rest of us.

They made you a gladiator? [Her tone doesn't shift, but her brow furrows in concern, just for a moment.]

How many of you are there?

Yup. Just my luck, right? I've seen six others I recognize from the barge already, and that's just the people they've thrown in my cell and the ones next to me.

[It's a wry, dark mutter.] Dammit.

[She disdains reckless impulses, generally, but - ]

Have you seen Faith?

Not yet, no. [ Not until tomorrow anyway. ]

She was planning to try a rescue, wasn't she?

Yes. Might still be futile, but if you can coordinate with the rescue attempts from the outside...

You won't get everyone out. But you might get a few.

It's worth a try, anyway. But it's hard to coordinate when I'm dragged into the ring every couple of hours.

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[private; video - sometime later, so that Barbara can worry properly about her warden?]

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