riverview | @r.mckay; video

Entry tags:

@r.mckay; video

[As the video feed turns on, Rodney is rearranging his hair a little, brushing it into place with his fingers, and then he squares his shoulders, takes a breath, and looks into the camera. Rodney is an average-looking guy in his late-30s and wearing a jacket with a Canadian flag patch on the shoulder, and he's sitting in front of some kind of holographic display with bright neon lights, schematics of some sort.]

Hi. [A beat, and then.] Hello, residents of Riverview Quarantine. My name is Dr. Rodney McKay.

[Another pause, and he takes a deep breath looking directly into the camera.]

As you may or may not be aware, a power relay station deep in the jungle was recently reactivated on minimal power thanks to some massive electric shocks. After seeing how I responded in that situation, I was, well...

[He ducks his head in a show of humility or shyness before looking back at the camera.]

Well. I was honoured with a request from the city representatives to be the new Chief Science Officer of the Wall Research & Development unit. Which means I'm in charge, in a way.

[There is zero trace of shyness now, he just looks smug.]

Which is, frankly, an excellent decision, because this place is a total mess. Who was in here before? Seriously, it looks like a tornado went through here, how could anyone find anything? What use are fancy holographic displays if they're just... [He waves a hand.] Anyway.

What is the purpose of this post, you might ask? Well. The team they've given me here were mostly completely useless and I'd like to reach out. See if anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together might be willing to join my team so we can forge ahead with getting this place in order.

I'm particularly looking for Engineers of pretty much any variety and anyone with high-level computer skills, knowledge of Astrophysics is a major plus. Really, anyone with a degree in science and an ability to think outside the box. Full-time or contract...you know. Whatever floats your boat.

[Lifting his chin, he exhales heavily, and claps his hands together once before rubbing them together.]

I look forward to your replies.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, y'know. Melon harvesters, runyip feeders, bantha chutes.

[ He smooths a hand over his face, trying and failing to hide a smile. ]

Okay, melon harvesters makes sense but what is a runyip or a bantha?

[Rodney's brows raise pretty high.]

I'm guessing cows? Sounds like cows.

Never heard of a cow. [ Which doesn't seem to bother him, because lbr there are about ten berjillion animals in the galaxy he's never heard of. ] Herbivores, though, meat and pack animals. Banthas are good for just about everything.

[ Not having heard of banthas is pretty weird though, dude. ]

Still sounds like a cow. Probably some alien variant that's close enough.

[He waves a hand.]

Anyway, what about building farm equipment makes you think you can help with Wall Defense?

[ A soft laugh. ]

Sounds like you might need security personnel. Commander Poe Dameron, New Republic Navy, for whatever that's worth here.

[ Gives him a slight pang to use his former affiliation, but the Resistance is a foreign entity. "Navy" at least seems to be a familiar term for people here. ]

[He almost says he has John so he doesn't need anyone else, but the fact is, he doesn't have Teyla or Ronon either. For a moment, he bites at the inside of his lip, feeling the lack of them very, very keenly, then he replies again.]

So you're a soldier, then. You said ships...pilot?

Starfighters.

[ Since that seems to be something that needs saying, here. He almost starts to list the hours he's logged in various models before remembering that, too, is largely meaningless to anyone outside his own universe.

(His own universe: still not a phrase he's used to thinking.)] I'm good on the ground, but I'm better in the air. If it's got wings... [ He shrugs. ] I'm the best.

Well, that's a more impressive name than Puddlejumpers, at least.

[That whole 'my own universe' thing is at least a little more familiar to Rodney. Enough that his head isn't spinning.]

The best might be going a bit too far, but I'll give you the best from your universe.

[A pause, while he brings his fingers up to his mouth, brows furrowed in thought.]

I'd definitely welcome your help in the field, if you want to give us a hand. What level of tech are you used to, relative to what the standard seems to be here?

[ There's a little spark of challenge in Poe's eyes at the idea that he can't outfly anyone on this rock, but he'll let it pass. For now. ] Might be.

[ Okay he'll mostly let it pass. He has his pride. Most of the time he doesn't show it, but it's definitely there. ]

Generally? More advanced. They have some medical advantages, but that's about it.

[Rodney sees that spark and it reminds him for a moment of John and Ronon when they're beating each other up in the sparring room. It's familiar and reassuring and for some reason it makes him feel a bit safer.]

Well, I do know a guy who's pretty good at the whole flying, piloting...thing.

[When will he learn that he's incapable of sounding cool?]

Huh. That's good to hear. I'm used to something around the same, but very different. I'll adapt pretty quickly, though, I always do. It won't be the first type of new tech I've picked up.

[ Poe's lips twitch, but he'll refrain from making fun.

Barely. ]

Seems we're both good at what we do.

[Raising his brows a bit, he offers a crooked little grin.]

When it comes to physics and saving the day with five minutes to spare, I'm the best. I can handle a gun too, mostly. I've taken out at least a dozen Wraith.

[Nevermind everyone else is in the hundreds and that's an exaggerated number.]

Best in your universe?

[ Poking aside, though: ] Never heard of cows or Wraith. I'm guessing the latter isn't friendly.

Definitely in my universe. As far as being the best in this one, that remains to be seen, but I don't doubt I will be.

[A pause, and Rodney looks visibly relieved.]

Cows are herbivorous creatures that we generally raise to eat or provide milk. Wraith, well, let's just say the Wraith consider humans the same way humans consider cows.

Oh, yay. Sentient or no? [ The look on his face suggests Poe has encountered species like that, enough predators to not be fazed by the prospect of being a meal. ]

Cows definitely sound like banthas. [ That's the more important thing ok. ] Big shaggy things, 'bout two meters tall, spiral horns, quadrupedal?

Sentient, yes. They're some kind of hybrid between humans and a bug from one of the planets in the Pegasus Galaxy. They suck the life force out of you with their hands. Not a pleasant way to go.

[Raising his brows, Rodney shakes his head.]

That sounds more like a buffalo or something. Cows are smaller, one and a half meters, maybe tops. Only the males have horns, usually short hair.

[ Okay, that's worse than the human-eating sentients he's heard of. ] I didn't think that kind of crossbreeding was possible.

[ Clone armies, sure. Human-bug hybrids? NOT SO MUCH. But hey, different universe, different rules?? ] They sound like fun.

It wasn't exactly crossbreeding. More like a really twisted evolution. The bugs feed on human life source so eventually the genetic material from the bugs corrupted the humans they fed on and it just went on from there until they'd developed into some kind of nasty hybrid thing.

They're essentially committing genocide on the Pegasus Galaxy. My team and I were doing our best to stop them.

[ When Rodney says genocide, Poe's jaw twitches. Wouldn't it be nice never to hear that word again. Wouldn't it be nice if the universes they lived in didn't have monsters focused on destruction or control.

Murderers, warlords, fearmongers, syndicates, genocidal maniacs. There's too much stacked against those who just want to live in peace.

Poe shakes the thought off, straightening. ] So I'm guessing you need to get home, too.

[It takes that twitch of the other man's jaw to remind him how loaded a word genocide is. But he can't really say that's not what it is. It's almost a little more disturbing when Poe says that he guesses that Rodney needs to get home too.

Disturbing. Guilt inducing, too, because he hadn't really given it much thought. Going home. He's been thinking about literally everything but that, though certainly not because he doesn't care about the inhabitants of the Pegasus Galaxy.]

Right. I don't know how likely that is to happen, considering I took a look at their tech surrounding the portal already and if I can't make it more efficient, no one can.

[ Not what Poe wanted to hear. That's clear enough from the look on his face, the way he shifts in his chair. For a moment he looks a lot more like Commander Poe Dameron and a lot less like someone ribbing a genius with jokes about building farm equipment.

Then the moment's passed, and Poe drags a hand through his hair. ]

Yeah. I keep hearing three months, six months, eight months. People who've been here that long and don't expect to go anywhere any time soon.

[Rodney's mouth purses, and he shrugs a bit.]

S'pose that's to be expected. I mean, apparently this thing locks on to people who are supposed to want to leave the place they're at. Have you heard from a lot of people who want to go home?

[A pause, and he shakes his head.]

Not a surprise that someone screwed it up. They were kind enough to give me the specs for the tech they're using to try to navigate the thing, so I'll keep going over it at the lab.

Me and my team.

[ Because that's what Rey and Finn are: his team, which means they might as well be family. And all three of them want to get back to where they belong. They have a war to fight--a war to win.

Poe thumps his fist lightly on his desk and sighs. ] You'll let me know if you find anything?

No desire whatsoever to get away from where you were before you showed up? I'm trying to formulate some theories on how widespread the errors are with this thing and where they lie.

[A blink, and then a nod.]

Yeah, of course. I'm sorry, did I get your name?

None. We're in the middle of a war. We need to be there.

[ ~~Those two statements......... together...... tho........... Poe............~~

He blinks. Because didn't he-- Oh well. Doesn't matter. This guy clearly has things on his mind. ] Poe Dameron.

@r.mckay; video

i would say i'm sorry but i would be lying

I'm not sorry either.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

Private;

Permaprivate;

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)