Ricki Tarr (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rickitikitarr) wrote2015-03-08 10:47 am
rickitikitarr) wrote2015-03-08 10:47 am
1. video
[Ricki Tarr, latest inmate arrival, is still getting his feet under him. He's been on board for a little while now, but let's face it, he's a field agent from the 1970s, getting used to graphical user interfaces of his messenger has put up a bit of a roadblock in terms of his making contact.
By the time he's confident enough with the flimsy, cheeping little device to make a video post, his stomach is growling, so the very first message is a simple video shot.
It's poorly framed, he has no real idea of how to centre himself in the lens, and the light in his room is dark and low and terrible for any sort of filming. But from the dark, what's visible of his half-in-the-frame expression is still and steady;]
The first living creature to orbit the earth was a little Russian mongrel named Laika. She was a pretty thing, with a clever cast to her eyes and pricked up, pointed ears. On the fourtieth anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution they flung the little thing into the sky.
In fact, the Russians had been launching dogs into suborbital flights for a few years before, but none attained the notoriety or captured the imaginations of the world like little Laika. I was rather young when she was sent to space, but recall thinking the entire proceedings terribly inhumane.
The Soviets say that she was euthanized before her oxygen ran out. The British and Americans question whether that is true. The Russians question whether that questioning is deliberately spread propaganda meant to make them seem monstrous. In the time since, I think both sides have lost track of the original truth of the matter. But the question of her ultimate cause of death aside, I wondered whether she might be hungry, thirsty or afraid, uncomprehending of how it was possible to see stars all around her... I actually can't recall reading whether Sputnik 2 was like this ship, with windows or not. Laika may not have seen stars spinning in the sky, but I'm sure the sounds and sudden lack of gravity must have been rather frightening for such a little dog.
[His voice is low and steady, the pictures his paints are matter-of-fact and vivid. He accent is an odd, old one, London tempered by a childhood racing through Penang streets and other colonial holds. He takes his time with the story before concluding;]
Which is all to say, given the apparent flexibility of space and time on this vessel, if we see her while we're out here, I must simply insist that we make a stop.
By the time he's confident enough with the flimsy, cheeping little device to make a video post, his stomach is growling, so the very first message is a simple video shot.
It's poorly framed, he has no real idea of how to centre himself in the lens, and the light in his room is dark and low and terrible for any sort of filming. But from the dark, what's visible of his half-in-the-frame expression is still and steady;]
The first living creature to orbit the earth was a little Russian mongrel named Laika. She was a pretty thing, with a clever cast to her eyes and pricked up, pointed ears. On the fourtieth anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution they flung the little thing into the sky.
In fact, the Russians had been launching dogs into suborbital flights for a few years before, but none attained the notoriety or captured the imaginations of the world like little Laika. I was rather young when she was sent to space, but recall thinking the entire proceedings terribly inhumane.
The Soviets say that she was euthanized before her oxygen ran out. The British and Americans question whether that is true. The Russians question whether that questioning is deliberately spread propaganda meant to make them seem monstrous. In the time since, I think both sides have lost track of the original truth of the matter. But the question of her ultimate cause of death aside, I wondered whether she might be hungry, thirsty or afraid, uncomprehending of how it was possible to see stars all around her... I actually can't recall reading whether Sputnik 2 was like this ship, with windows or not. Laika may not have seen stars spinning in the sky, but I'm sure the sounds and sudden lack of gravity must have been rather frightening for such a little dog.
[His voice is low and steady, the pictures his paints are matter-of-fact and vivid. He accent is an odd, old one, London tempered by a childhood racing through Penang streets and other colonial holds. He takes his time with the story before concluding;]
Which is all to say, given the apparent flexibility of space and time on this vessel, if we see her while we're out here, I must simply insist that we make a stop.
[video]
[Mentally tagging.]
Who else should I watch out for?
[video]
[video]
[Something about that is faintly comforting, somehow, and that sort of worries him.]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[And he's lucky her caught her while she was in a good post-port mood.]
It feels nice, being nice to people. I do it a lot.
[No she doesn't, but she's at least getting better at doing it more often.]
[video]
[And he isn't even mocking her. He is aware that it would be easy to; she seems so credulous, so straightforward, and Ricki is mean on a sort of bone-deep reflexive level when he lets himself be, fucks with people compulsively, but right now he is very tired and very disoriented and just... likes her for trying. He flicks her a quick salute.]
My last, most important question... can we get our hands on cigarettes, here?
[video]
-- Still wanna know how to get to the cafeteria? 'Cause I could show you; I'm going there.
[He'd complimented her, which endeared him to her immediately.]
[video]
[Since he's down in the depths of the place.]
[video]
[And out she'll head, mentally patting herself on the back over how nice and helpful she is. The Barge is great! She's great! She's turned over a new leaf! It may very well not last, but for now, getting through the last port the way she did has done wonders for her.
She'll meet him eventually on the stairs-- and recognizing him from the video, she'll just start talking, not bothering to reintroduce herself.]
Another thing you gotta do is make sure people know you're not a weakling. You don't got to go around threatening everyone-- trust me, that ain't the best way here at all. But just because lots of people are all peaceful and hippy-dippy don't mean everyone is, and we got a lot of inmates with chips on their shoulders.
[video]
I don't intend to let myself be walked all over.
[But he does grab the door for her, because that doesn't mean he can't be polite, thank you very much.]
[video]
[And up the stairs they go!]
Ain't far now. We're almost there.
[video]
[On the one hand, prison. On the other, space-ship-health-spa. He wouldn't really be surprised either way.]
[video]
[video]
[He says, sudden and bitter, and then with a quick, sorry laugh.]
I just. What on earth am I going to complain about?
[Because it's perfect, and he's pissy and angry and miserable, and if the food and been shit then he could have at least coped. He scrubs a quick hand over his eyes and looks at her again, tries to smooth quickly;]
I'm so sorry, I'm really- adjusting, still, more than I thought.
[video]
She'll let someone else handle that explanation. Right now, she'll just raise an eyebrow.]
Yeah, so maybe you don't got to complain at all, 'cause this place is real nice.
[video]
I died on a few things I'd rather not have left undone, that's all. I'll get over it.
[A shake of his head, a straightening of his spine, and he's mostly fine again, though still chagrined looking and apologetic.]
One of those days, I'm afraid.
Re: [video]
[She twists her fingers, uncomfortable. It took her a while to accept that death didn't work the way she thought it did-- at least, not here-- and being reminded of it is still unpleasant.]
-- You pissed off right now?
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[He's got a handle on it now, and looks even more sheepish.]
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[She tries to sound casual about it; it half works.]
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[He says, completely startled out of his self-pity for a moment, because that's dreadful. His gaze snaps to hers. She's so small, it's hard to associate her with that kind of violence.]
I'm sorry.
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Did you die right before you came here, or a while before?
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[Miming a gun with his fingertips.]
But I suppose there's little way of knowing.
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You got shot? That's how you died?
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[He isn't sure he's ready to talk about this, so does.]
I remember hitting my knees, and thinking about the state of my trousers on the muddy ground. I knew it was about to happen, but I still had a flash of worry for the stains. Foolish thing to think, come to it.
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