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Hi all — Shepard here, just a quick couple of questions.

First, I know the mail system can be all over the place, so I wanted to reach out to everyone. Last month, I received this-- [And here, she holds up a hypospray with this label affixed to it. She rotates it slowly, showing off the entire label as she speaks.] --in my mailbox. Not sure what kind of medicine it is, but if you know, or know who it belongs to, please let me know as soon as possible.

Second, I wanted to ask about the Ingress. From what I've read and been told, it opens once every month, at the beginning of that month. Now, I've only been here a month — can anyone with more experience tell me if it's normal or not that it hasn't opened by now?

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Now is fine, actually. I'll make my way to you.

[After a handful of minutes, there's a professional rap at Miles' door, and two beats before she enters.]

Miles Vorkosigan? [She crosses the room in long, confident strides, hand extended to shake.] I'm Shepard. Nice to meet you in person.

[ miles is probably not what shepard was expecting from a fellow military officer, but then, he rarely is. standing at only a meager height of 4'9, the crooked spine and leg braces over his uniform hint at the underlying brittle bones he's had all his life. his head's a little too big for body, mismatched with the short neck, and though he's only twenty-six, the lines on his face make him look some indeterminately older age.

miles gives her a proper salute before reaching up to shake her hand with a sure grip. when he speaks, it's with something that sounds like a russian accent. ]

The pleasure is all mine, Commander. It is Commander, isn't it? [ he gestures at the chairs in front of his desk. ] Please, have a seat.

[The salute catches her by surprise, and when they finish shaking hands, she pertly returns it. While she's never met anyone quite like Miles, if he's career military, he must be good. Disability of any kind, in the Alliance at least, seemed to be a mark of expertise, rather than disadvantage — as if to underline a point to anyone who might judge them otherwise. Joker was a prime example, and a quick lesson in never judging a book by its cover.]

Yes — Commander Shepard. But there's no reason to stand on ceremony here, unless you'd prefer it. [She slides into the seat offered, sitting upright on it, back straight and nowhere near the back of the chair itself. Whether she could actually ever relax into a chair is questionable.] What were you hoping to discuss?

Fast-penta. We need to talk about the hypospray you received in the mail.

[ he winces a little. ]

I wish you hadn't publicly posted about it, but given the total lack of any information or context, I understand why. Cat's out of the bag now, anyway. The drug originates from my world. I don't suppose you've figured out what it does yet.

[ a weak smile grows out of that wince. alright, time to spill the truth, as it were. no sense in keeping it a secret from someone like commander shepard. no, the best approach here is the straight one. she seems like she'll appreciate the directness.

it is odd, though, talking to a familiar face attached to a stranger, especially in light of the text conversation he's just had with her clone. ]

It's a truth drug, frequently used in interrogation. Not a real truth drug in the sense that it magically forces anyone to tell the truth, but the nature of the sedative loosens inhibition and heightens free association such that the subject tends to talk freely about whatever's on their mind, with no inclination or thought to lie. Its effectiveness is well-documented, and it's frequently used for interrogation -- harmless to the subject, provided you're not allergic, and with no lasting effects -- and the information extracted is much more reliable than some other, less humane means. [ he tents his fingers, his face growing serious. his gray eyes are intent, belying the weaknesses of his small body. ] But you can see why the presence of such a drug might rouse, er...some concern with a crew this large, not to mention the dubious character of some of our shipmates. I'm hoping to avoid mass hysteria.

[ which may take a miracle at this point. miles tilts his head at shepard. ]

You didn't happen to bring that hypospray with you, did you?

[There had been enough assent on the initial post to confirm the spray's formula as a truth drug, but confirmation, as well as the true nature of its form and function—especially with its regards to how it was used in Miles' society—was information she'd only theorized on. The insistence (and complete lack of forthright information about the drug) of another from his universe that she pass her find on to the med bay without delay .

And mass hysteria? It seemed unlikely, considering the Moira's vast and motley crew. She wondered how many held fear for the truth. Unless he was talking more about people from his own universe.

Unless there was more out there than just hers and Elizabeth's. Shepard shakes her head, both a reaction to her own thoughts and to his question.]

No, I didn't. [In turn, she folds her hands on the desk, fingers entwined.] But since you're being open on the matter, do you mind if I ask a few questions of my own? Seems like there's more to this spray's history than just security interrogations. [Her face is calm, tone, almost relaxed, but her eyes are as sharp and serious as her fellow officer's.]

[ damn. harder to hopefully negotiate its return if she doesn't even have it on her. miles pushes that thought aside; shepard, at least, seems trustworthy so far, by what little he knows. he doesn't have much choice but to run with this now. ]

Not really, but I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. [ no sense in lying -- he's only told the truth so far, and it's trust he wants to establish here, lest she think him some madman who intends to retrieve the drug for his own nefarious purposes. no, miles would really rather it all stay locked up where he can keep an eye on it.

besides, he has questions of his own, and if he's patient, he'll get to ask them. her clone had called her -- well, herself -- the butcher of torfan, and that piques miles's curiosity on top of a general interest in hearing about her military career. after all, one doesn't earn the notoriety of being the butcher of anything for small deeds. the son of the butcher of komarr would know. ]

[Questions? She had a few, and if Miles was offering...] Okay. Then, besides my own, do you know how many hyposprays there are loose aboard the Moira? I spoke to another individual who mentioned that she'd acquired one through her mailbox, as well. That's two, so far.

The individual also mentioned having accidentally used it on themselves. In a case like that, is there a way to neutralize the drug? A cancelling agent?

[After another moment of thought,]

Could someone with a strong power of will still fight the effects of the spray?

[ miles's ears perk up at that. yeah that...sounds like elizabeth, alright, but there are fifteen fast-penta hyposprays out there, and he'll play this on the safe side. he tilts his head at shepard with an inquiring look and a slight wince. ]

That's...an unfortunate accident, yes. Would you mind giving me the name of that individual?

[ he's happy to confirm if it's elizabeth shepard's talking about, but if it's someone else...well, this is sensitive as hell and he really needs to know. ]

There is an antagonist, yes. [ he hesitates just a moment, weighing the options in his mind, then blows out his breath. best be straight with her about it. ] Seventeen. There are seventeen of these hyposprays on the ship, and two of them contain the antagonist. [ he mutters under his breath. ] Really wish it was more than two.

[ he does smile faintly at that question, though there's a wry tilt to his mouth. ]

Ah -- no. Generally speaking, anyway. I've seen people put up resistance to it, but it rarely lasts more than a moment or two, and I don't think anyone's ever managed to keep themselves from talking. It's a very powerful drug -- it wouldn't be very effective if it weren't. I've found it's possible to derail an interrogation, although that, ah -- [ he clears his throat delicately ] may have been due to an, uh, abnormal reaction to the drug.

Have you had anyone in contact with you about it already? Otherwise, I'd prefer to ask them before I give you their name.

[She nods at the numbers.] Of the 15 main fast-pentas, how many have you located? Any of the antagonists?

[And there's no missing the tone, there.] Abnormal reaction? Was it the allergic reaction you mentioned, or another interfering factor?

[ miles smiles sardonically. ]

Not that kind of allergy, no. That one's usually fatal. More along the lines of an idiosyncratic reaction. An outlier, if you will.

[ miles considers the problem of mutual exchange of unknowns at hand. he'd studied game theory as part of military strategy courses back at the academy, but he's spent enough time in the field before and after his military education to understand the pitfalls and nuances of making decisions when the outcome depends heavily on the unknown decisions of others. miles tents his fingers and taps them to his lips thoughtfully. ]

...You understand the situation is fraught, and a delicate one. Damage control is the aim here, and by corollary, careful security is paramount. If I am to share more sensitive details of this matter with you, Commander, I must know they will go no further than this room. May I have your word on that?

[ his eyes are quite serious. he's barrayaran, and barrayarans take the spoken word with even greater gravity than a written contract. ]

[When Shepard meets Miles' eyes, her expression is equally as grave, serious — but it's her eyes that particularly intense. After a beat, she dips her head in agreement.]

You have my word. Anything you say here will remain between us, and only us.

[ miles nods in response, then sits back with an air of relief, letting the breath he'd been holding trickle out slowly through his lips. ]

Thank you, Commander. [ he drums his fingers on his desk restlessly, but ultimately, he can't handle sitting still -- he gets off his chair so he can pace, rubbing his forehead. ]

I've located two hyposprays, besides yours. The one who dosed herself was my good friend Elizabeth DeWitt, as I'm sure you already know. [ his mouth twitches into a sardonic smile. ] I was there, thankfully. The other is in the possession of Luke Skywalker, though I highly doubt he knows what he's got his hands on. Obviously neither you nor Elizabeth have the antagonist, but Luke, I'm not sure.

[At the smile, she almost smirks back. Instead, she taps a finger on Miles desk, turning her body to watch him pace. Just watching him almost makes her feel on edge sympathetically.]

What's the plan? As you said, you weren't too keen on asking everyone directly. But on the other hand, there's people who already know what the medicine is, truly. You could ask them for help recovering them.

Well, depending on what you planned to do with them when you did.

I think calling it a medicine isn't...entirely accurate. It's certainly not used for medical purposes.

[ he frowns slightly. ]

If you're worried I intend to use it for my own purposes, then you'd be mistaken. What I want to do is lock that stuff up so no one can get into it for their own purposes. I'm not saying I can't envision a scenario in which it might come in handy, but mostly I just want to keep it out of the hands of the crew. [ miles taps a finger to his lips. ] Asking you and Elizabeth for help isn't the worst idea, either. I can trust both of you to maintain your discretion.

I don't doubt you wouldn't use it, Miles, but honestly? If you're gathering it up, it should be to get rid of it completely.

[Leaning one arm on the desk, she gestures with the other as she talks, still seated.]

You mentioned people getting worried — imagine how fellow crew members would feel, beyond just the threat of being made to reveal their secrets, if they found out someone they were supposed to trust was keeping a--a drug like that around, "just in case"?

I'll help you track them, and I've already made my promise not to say a word of this conversation outside this room, but if you have any concerns about it being abused by other crew members? You'll destroy them.

[ it isn't as though she doesn't have a point -- miles's concern about crew paranoia easily extends to the reverse, and then he'd be the target of...well, he doesn't really want to think about the kind of angry mob the crew of the moira would make. miles gnaws on the side of his thumb, brow knit. ]

But we might need them sometime. Not to use on our own crew, for -- [ he exhales sharply. ] You haven't been on this ship quite as long as I have, Commander. Del Pascia was one thing, but that was a computer we were dealing with. Our usual troubles usually come in the form of things much more humanoid. God knows I could've used some fast-penta back on Emiri...

[ his voice descends into a contemplative mutter, and he rubs at his chin, looking troubled. he's trying to think twelve steps ahead, but he doesn't even know where they'll be two weeks from now. ]

Give me some time to think about it. I think we can agree, at least, that these hyposprays are far more dangerous in the hands of people who don't even know what it is, let alone scattered across the ship.

Edited 2016-06-29 21:01 (UTC)

[She drums her fingers on the desk lightly, a low hum of disagreement on her lips. It wasn't exactly insubordination to disagree just because he'd been aboard longer, but it was close enough to bite back any further thoughts on the matter. She'd said her piece.]

Understood. Let me know what you decide. I'll keep an ear to the ground for any more traces of the spray — at the very least, they should be collected.

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