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How've you been holding up?

I've been better. But hey, life. You?

The ship's not counting down to self-destruction, so I'm thinking better than it has been in the past.

Sure, except for how people are dying and vanishing in hordes.

Hey. I've wanted to talk to you and Carolyn. Now that we have enough shuttles for everyone are you making an evacuation plan?

They have every jump. That's not changing.

[ Just that it matters to Libby who's going. ]

With the numbers as they are, we can get something figured for short distance mass transit. The problem still comes down to people with training for systems that can autopilot without end coordinates to autopilot toward. If we can get a communication system up that talks to each ship's navigation controls, that won't be as much of a problem. Not as long as we have someplace to go, or some way to keep people using minimal resources.

Could we freeze people or something? With fewer of us I bet we could fit in some of those sleep pod things. We'd need science department and engoneering to collaborate, but we never have a problem with that anyway.

I'm talking to Uhura about the ship systems. I don't think we're getting anywhere. Have you ever talked to Dr. Baltar?

Anything closer to what we use for cryo-sleep in my section of the universe would help. Which means yes, freezing people for transport.

Dr. Baltar? I don't think so, not in person. What can you tell me about them?

I'll ask around. See who wants in, maybe.

He's the guy on the network asking to talk to Resnik. President of something. Whatev. The point is he says he knows ships like this. I figure we give him a shot at rewiring the shuttles so we can tell the autopilot to fuck off.

That'll be a big help. Thanks.

There's no reason for him to not give it a go, let alone after what happened with the last stop. I don't know if it's just the part of the universe we're running through or our 'luck.' There's good reason to not want anyone to be able to touch the programming in any given system, but having the access limited to people who don't trust us in the first place, or to not be able to trust manual overrides? Too dangerous. Not to mention stupid.

We can start on one of the more shakey shuttles. It needs work still, so any fuck ups won't throw us entirely off schedule.

No problem. You and Carolyn are the only people actually thinking about this, and I sorta want to live.

Yeah, good idea. We don't need it to even be flight ready, just to have the computers up with autopilot. I think I know the one to try it with.

Should we call in flight crew? You know. For programming star charts or whatev they do. I don't know flying. I just build things.

If they have star charts, or have pulled any out of the systems here. If everything's as squeaky as people've been complaining, I don't know how much we'll have to work with, but we won't know until we try. It's worth pulling them in to make sure they know what and how to get information into the system to keep up with whatever we collectively pull in.

We don't have access to what course Ward's got Tranq on as far as I know. It'd be nice if we did, maybe help us predict what prats of the galaxy we're leap-frogging through so we wouldn't be as blind as we are now. We'll deal.

[Libby is taking meticulous notes: after the Jump, she thinks, and with their names behind it--she's really just synthesizing information, and she knows for a fact she can't mangle that too much.]

We'll deal for sure. At worst we'll have to throw out beacons, right?

I can't be the only one who thinks it's strange that we're supposedly in inhabited space belonging to this Alliance and nobody has ever checked up on the ship. It's not small. Everybody before us disappeared and no one who knew them is wondering why?

I don't think we're in anywhere like what they're saying we are. Especially not after Strela.

Right.

Chances are, we aren't. Or if we are, there's a reason no one's touching us, not even the salvagers. We're moving too far with the jumps to be easy to keep up with, but in any available sector, and with decent transmission relay systems we should at least have people on alert and looking out for us.

We might even now. Nine months, ten months isn't that long to catch up with a derelict craft, especially when it's leapfrogging over known space.

[ Still. She doesn't want to discredit what Libby's saying, anymore than she wants to make it seem like this couldn't happen even in the heart of inhabited space.

Because it could. And it had, before. ]

[Libby is more than willing to entertain the thought Ripley knows more than she does--pride is subjected to her desire for her own survival, and the survival of people she cares for.]

How bad do you think they want us dead?

[Because for her that's still the thing. To hell with pride. Libby wants an answer from someone smart enough to know the truth.]

[Why Libby, is that a message from your pretty much boyfriend on your communicator?

Spoilers: Yes it is.]

So um. I wasn't sure, but. I mean, I know I don't have to worry about it, that's stupid. And it's not like I didn't know going into... stuff. But.

[Ugh] Do I have to do something about cooties?

[Oh sweet infant Siddhartha, she's corrupting the most innocent creature in the world. It's like groping a unicorn.

To her credit, when she calls back she keeps the panic out of her voice.]

Uh--no. You don't have to--they're not real.

[Is this what being a molester feels like?]

James, has anyone ever like...given you the talk?

[The sweetest baby unicorn who just so happens to have grown up in a grimdark blood and murder fucking nightmare]

Wh- of course they are. They're things that people have. Like the chickenpox, but you can't see it. But once you have it you always have it.

[WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT LIBBY?]

Of course I've had talks. What do you think we're doing right now?

[He is such a contradiction.

Libby literally has her face in her hands, hunched over her comm in her vent nest.]

I am ruining you. I am lit ruining--

[She takes a deep, slow breath.]

Cooties so do not exist and I mean--like--the birds and the bees.

[There is the longest pause on his end.]

I know what birds and bees are, Libby.

[Have a pause right back, James.]

Sex.

[Ha

ha

ha

ha

ha

ha

ha.]

What, like gender?

[yeah]

[She is jumping out the airlock.]

Can you--just hang on a sec, I have to call--you're chill with Howard and Bucky, yeah?

[HE DOESN'T GET WHAT'S GOING ON]

... Yeah? They're okay.

[DON'T WORRY YOUR PRETTY HEAD.]

'Kay.

[A few minutes and frantic messages later, Libby returns.]

Cooties dont't exist. I know this. That's just--no.

[But he's so confused.]

But they're- that's what people get when they, y'know. Kiss.

[And sometimes it's okay but other times you can get sick from them. And James has a sinking suspicion that they're what causes that whole baby mess.]

No.

[Please don't tell her that, James, if she thinks you think you can knock her up with kissing she may actually perish.]

Just--trust me on this, I've kissed way more people than you.

[Annnd now it's even more awkward, because she vaguely suspects telling the guy you're sort of hanging out with you're a tramp is bad.]

What do you even think they do?

[He doesn't even know about pregnancy so. Uh. You're... safe?]

... You have?

[Not that he's judging, he just... suddenly feels a little nervous, now. No wonder she ran, then. He didn't even do anything and she was... kissing him, probably expecting something and he didn't do anything other than sit there.

Wow he's stupid.]

I don't- they give people rashes, make them sick. Tony said they can even give sores and kill people, if they're the bad kind. [In other words: how Tony Stark explained STDs to a curious child before he set the search limits on JOCASTA's databases.] There are ones that are okay, though. And since I don't... I mean, I'm not sick, so you probably have the good kind. Or something.

You're the best person I've kissed.

[Because she's possessive and protective and fierce, and that note of James' hesitation triggers all of that--he doesn't get to feel unsure, she won't let him.

And then, so help her, she softens.]

Oh. Well--thanks, um--that's rad. If--I have the good kind. Yeah.

Do you want to watch a movie with me?

[Hey, gurlfraaaaaand.

Answering him would be super awesome right now.]

Hey, baby.

[She's holding an ice pack to her face, but answers fast all the same. Priorities.]

Edited 2012-09-21 03:47 (UTC)

Hey, I- [Oh. Wait. No. She's holding ice to her face. Consider him a little taken aback] What happened?

I fought Arrows. [Libby shrugs.] I won. Whatever. What's up?

Oh. [Okay, that makes him grin a little] Good, he was being a jerk.

[hrrrrrrrgh yeah this is when he's just going to start fidgeting awkwardly]

Nothing, just-... I don't know... who else to talk to.

Well, I'm--right here.

[She knows she has the sensitivity of a rock, but James is like Miles or Jesse--different, special. She looks concerned as she sets her ice pack aside.]

Where are you?

I- yeah, thanks.

[He lets out a breath of air, relaxing a bit just from her reassurance, and lets a shoulder rise and fall. He's sitting down somewhere. A corridor, not really... looking to move right now. At least not yet.]

Somewhere on level ten, I'll find my way back eventually, just-

[He stops, runs a hand through his hair, tightens his jaw]

I messed up.

What happened?

[Not for the first time Libby reflects on the gulf of her inexperience. This would be so easier if she didn't care; but she does care, more than she knows what to do with, and James makes her feel so safe. She might as well try to return the favor.]

It's probably not as bad as you think. You've got this huge self-criticism problem, you know that? You're like, worse than me.

[That, at least, gets him to quirk a slight smile, even if it falls from his face pretty soon after]

I dunno, it's pretty bad. [He sighs] Tony- the first Tony here - asked me if Ultron was his fault before and I... said no. I didn't want to let him know he'd created him, that... what happened had been because Tony created him. Because what Ultron did wasn't Tony's fault.

... Francis didn't know that. And Tony saw what he said. [His voice is just getting more and more tired as he keeps talking, losing strength near the end. Almost wavering, sounding even younger than it normally does.] He called me a liar.

...he doesn't know anything.

[She took a moment to process that, but when she finished her jaw was tight and her eyes were hard. Not for the first or probably last time she considers punching Tony Stark right on the face.]

What, you're a liar for trying to protect him? That asshole--James, you don't--I wish you didn't listen to him. You don't owe him anything. Every time you talk about this one I just--I cam see it messes you up.

[Jer voice goes soft, almost plaintive.] You didn't mess up. He's the messed up one for not seeing that you're trying to look after him. And you shouldn't...you try so hard and he's a stupid motherfucker for not noticing.

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call; during that Franny beeswax

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