Communications Officer Doug Eiffel (
littletonoidea) wrote2022-03-02 01:29 am
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IC Inbox

"This is the audio log of Communications Officer Doug Eiffel of the-- previously of the U.S.S Hephaestus, leave a message and I'll see if I can bear to drag myself away from whatever utterly engaging task I must be doing to not notice my comms--"
BZZZZZZZ
Action | Text | Voice | Video
no subject
“I just got one message. But so did Jacobi. When did yours come in?”
no subject
no subject
“Channels? What channels?”
no subject
Eiffel is not good at schooling his expression.
"Come on, colonel, I'm a communications officer. I can find channels on a toaster."
no subject
“You want to try that again, Eiffel?”
He’s not angry… yet.
“A Time Lord can’t change channels on our communicators, Eiffel. So. Do you. Want to. Try that. Again?”
no subject
"Can we-- double back real quick to what the Authority is so I know how badly I gotta plead the Fifth here?"
no subject
“The Admiral is… something of a fugitive. Not because he did anything bad: because he takes on riskier cases, riskier wardens and riskier inmates. The Authority is his employer-“
He pauses.
“The Admiral is you, Minkowski, Hera. The Authority is…Cutter.”
He breathes in and refocuses.
“So. Tell me what you don’t want to tell me. Now.”
no subject
He takes a long breath, to brace himself for it, but even then his voice strangles towards a nervous high pitch at the end.
"Soooo, uh... what if- someone, hypothetically, built a- a bargain-bin deep space radio receiver in the Engine room...?"
no subject
Oh.
…he can’t help the low, dog-like growl at the bottom of his chest, that leaves no question about how. pissed. off Colonel Warren Kepler is.
“You…what?”
no subject
"J-just the receiver! It can't actually transmit, w-with the way we keep jumping around I didn't think anything could trace it either-!"
no subject
“Eiffel. Are you telling me. After everything that happened. After everything that your-“
He snarls out but stays put-
“After everything, what possessed you to do that? Even without knowing about the Authority, what happens if the Listeners find this place, the people here? What happens to all these people then?”
no subject
That whole thing where he hasn't met SI-5 back home yet, Kepler? Still relevant.
no subject
“The fact that the two people you’ve met here died, that our third died, that Cutter wanted to deal with them- that doesn’t make you think twice before doing something like that?” He does step forward now. “It didn’t make you think of asking before this little project of yours?”
He steps forward again.
“Did a single goddamn thought go through that furry little head of yours before you did exactly what got you in heaps of trouble the last time?!”
no subject
"I-- I-I wasn't transmitting, I wasn't phoning home! It was just- sifting through noise, seeing what was there!"
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His arm gestures out to the rest of the ship.
“When you are a warden? When you’re responsible for the inmates here?” He clenches his fists tight in frustration in front of him.
“We talked about this! You have responsibilities. You can’t ‘just’ do things like this!”
no subject
"Alright, colonel, understood. I can-- I-I'll fix it, pronto."
He knows he screwed up, but if he destroys the antenna they'll lose the lock, right, so it's fine, he hasn't completely irredeemably screwed the pooch. Right?
"Resonance frequency complete." Eiffel jumps and turns to his device at the unexpected voice. "Unauthorized vessel remains in operation. Manifold locus detection underway."
no subject
“You were saying?”
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no subject
“Get it done. Yesterday. But the damage? Clearly already done. I?” A breath out, “am going to put out an announcement. We need to prepare. All of us.”
He steps a little closer.
“But I swear to God, Eiffel. If I lose my brother? If I end up dead? If Jacobi. ends up dead?” Another step. “If I? lose my chance. to save Ulla? Or Maxwell?”
He is very close now.
“There is no power in this? Or any universe that will save you from me. Do you. understand, Officer Eiffel?”
no subject
The only reason he hasn't dropped eye contact since he stood up is because he's sure that'll happen if he does.
"Sir, yes sir." There's nothing even remotely within the realm of defensive or anxious in his tone now; he was given an order, and a threat, and he's not so stupid that he's going to give Kepler, right here and now, any damn cheek.
no subject
He nods.
”You have your orders. Report back when it’s done.”
A sigh… and all the rage drains out of him. He runs a hand through his hair and turns around, clearly at a loss. He needs to get his shit together and start things rolling. He scrubs at his face a few times, stops, smooths down his hair, and finally looks back to Eiffel.
“You’ve gotta do better than this, Doug. You’ve really… gotta do better. If not for yourself? Then for everyone quite literally in the same boat as you.”
He just… shakes his head, then? And he’s going to walk.
Away. Off.
He has work to do.