{ one. dictated }

[nihilo]

Assuming we know where the human parts go, where did the cat parts go?

[ She sighs, like a loving but frustrated mother over her brood. ]

This is relevant, because when-- if we kill this feline, will all the respective limbs go back to where they belong or will we be in need of surgeons and, or, prosthetics? Because if they do, miraculously, return to their rightful owners, one must be careful where to aim.

Make sure to blow up only the cat parts, now.

Comments

[encryptedlock]

As gross as this all is, we do at least have a prosthetic specialist here in a worst case scenario. But we'll probably need someone to magic South's tongue back in, if that's the case.

[nihilo]

If magic can give her tongue back, why not do the same for the other limbs?

[encryptedlock]

Well, I don't actually know if we have anyone who can magic a tongue back, is all. And from my understanding, it takes a lot more juice to rebuild, say, an arm.

[nihilo]

What about the prosthetic specialist?

[encryptedlock]

That's technology. I know we can make them without too much trouble, just some time for the building.

[nihilo]

Are they made of plastic?

[encryptedlock]

Metal and ceramic, made to be able to withstand high pressure, velocity, impact, and both ballistics and plasma weapons. And fully integrated with the nervous system, so it works like a regular limb.

[nihilo]

And how do you know so much of this?

[encryptedlock]

I'm military. My friend Kat, Noble-Two, lost an arm in an assault before she came here and she's been responsible for maintenance and upgrades on her prosthetic ever since.

[nihilo]

A pity. I'm sorry to hear that.

[encryptedlock]

Not really? I mean, yeah, it kind of sucks, but--there are people who lose a lot more than that every time we're attacked.

[nihilo]

Then why do you fight?

[encryptedlock]

Because we were attacked. Because the Covenant has declared genocide on humanity. Because we've already lost thirty billion lives by the last official count, and because I'll be damned if we're going to lose any mroe while there's anything we can do about it.

[nihilo]

Hm. Heroic. [ She's awfully blase about it... ]

[encryptedlock]

[She probably doesn't believe him. She wouldn't be the first.]

It's better than doing nothing.

[nihilo]

How many people have died in this war so far?

[encryptedlock]

Far as we know? Thirty billion human lives, and no idea on alien lives. that leaves about three billion of us left, so that's more than ninety percent of us.

[nihilo]

So the fighting has served you well.

[encryptedlock]

[He snorts a little.]

Everyone knows we've been losing for the past thirty years. But that doesn't mean we'll give up.

[nihilo]

The last gasp of a dying civilization?

[encryptedlock]

Not quite. I hear we make peace in about a year after I was brought here.

We're not that easy to stamp out.

[nihilo]

Do you never wonder if at least one out of that thirty billion might have lived had you made peace sooner? And wouldn't that be worth it?

[encryptedlock]

What the hell makes you think we didn't try? Of course it would have been better if we had peace sooner! But every single goddamn advance we made was not only rejected, but had the messengers' heads sent back on platters - and the rest of their bodies eaten.

They didn't want peace. They wanted genocide.

[nihilo]

So what will change this next year?

[encryptedlock]

We find proof that their religion that declares us abominations was a lie, and some of them actually pay attention.