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it's a question of morality, leo knows. as the others go back and forth, he can feel it settle in his belly like a lead weight. if they take this man's life, is it truly justified? his mind whirs, flitting through archive upon archive, text upon text, consciousness flickering at light speed, the words of a saint flashing to the forefront of his mind. is it ever truly justified? a question leo has struggled with since he first heard the steady blink of a monitor at his bedside, since consciousness first truly took hold on that lab table in dr. wyndham's basement. what is it, to have life?

what is it to take one?

the alliance owns, all of you. to take one just as this man has taken so many, in more ways than six feet under and ashes and urns can afford, and yet still permanent. leo's life will never be the same — should he escape the alliance somehow, after what's surely to be considered treason, should he not be broken down for parts, studied and reverse engineered? as if nothing more than a trial that resulted in error. and the others — they too have been changed at the hands of this man, to varying degrees, but all of them now. war criminals to be hunted, just as they were sent to hunt ordair.

but he is meant to help, not hurt, and it's what he tells himself over and over as the others argue, as dunne steps into the brig. help / hurt, it's a juxtaposition he has felt precariously close to falling off the precipice of in these past nine years. to walk such a fine line, to turn a blind eye. to struggle, always. to struggle.

leo hovers as they talk, shifting his weight, pacing not far from the doctor. precarious. a precipice. all it takes is the push.

your previous owner was dead. the push.

he moves to crouch at the doctor's feet, watching him with curious, unblinking eyes. count yourself lucky i didn’t take you from that fragile old fool before then.

and something in leo snaps, launching himself from the ground with all the ferocity of a tiger, wounded and wild and snapping its jaws; he strikes tlaloc across the face, holding back none of his unnatural strength. that same hand shoots to grip the doctor's throat, still burning from the last, but this time is different; it's unhinged and unchecked, and as tlaloc strains to breathe it grows tighter and tighter, the android's eyes devoid of any previous sentiment of mercy as he snarls, teeth bared, looking down his nose at the man.

the trachea is a cartilaginous tube that connects the pharynx and larynx to the lungs, and leo is crushing it without a thought to remorse or a backwards glance at the others; feral and violent and acting out in pain, he's finally become what dr. wyndham intended.

human.

the last ragged vestiges of breath drawn from tlaloc's lungs are cut short by the sickly sound of a neck snapping before the thud of a limp body falling to the ground, unmoving.

leo straightens himself out, brushing his hands on his shirt, as if to rid himself of the warmth of tlaloc's skin. "no need, captain." he can't seem to draw his cold gaze away from the body. "it is finished."

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the sound of retching pulls his gaze away, if only for a moment, draws a dip from his brow as he falters. there is a fleeting moment when leo thinks of pax, making his chest tight, the phantom feeling of a hand around a phantom heart, clutched tight with claws. but as the body is dragged away, leo's face is placid, returning zero-ten's look with a nod — acknowledgment, solidarity. he wonders if there are decisions they are meant to make, things they are meant to do so that humans do not have to. call him a monster, but the guilt no longer needs to rest on any of their shoulders; a necessary evil taken out of their hands so that he may carry that weight himself. and there is still one burden left, lying sprawled on the floor, unmoving and unseeing as if like the dead. leo steps forward as the others seem glued to the floor. there is hesitance that speaks of uncertainty and of fallibility, but leo thinks of nothing but mercy as he kneels beside the prone body of ordair, eyes scanning over his limp form. the claws clutching at his heart pull on invisible strings, a chasm filled with pity that writes itself in the downward twitch of the android's lips, in that same dip of his brow. the room is quiet, but leo can hear zero-ten's footfalls as they fade, and their implications are loud. monster, he wonders idly, knows he showed wicked savagery not but moments before; but if it takes a monster to show mercy, a monster he will be, and he draws his gun from the holster at his thigh, reaches a hand to gently cradle ordair's head at the back of his neck, fingers twitching. pressing the muzzle to the man's forehead, he fires.

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#finale.#to commemorate

closed starter / @rckins

leo is quiet in his approach, faltering only once as he had picked is way through the ship to find him. and he finds him, somewhat predictably, by the coffee machine. ❛ rokin, ❜ his voice is gentle, kind and coaxing. with the mission over, and with everything that transpired, he’s not entirely sure if checking in on the others is in any way his place anymore ; but rokin had exhibited such great distress, and there is still that want in him, that need to help the others. ❛ how have you been faring ? ❜

#rokin.#rokin / 002.#post finale.#thread.#location / space.

closed starter / @captainlvna

❛ captain, ❜ leo approaches, steps cautious and slow, footfalls unnaturally quiet. ❛ i wish to discuss a ––– ❜ he pauses, unsure of how to proceed. instead, he cuts quick to the point, ❛ did you mean what you said ? in the brig ? ❜

#juan.#juan / 001.#post finale.#thread.#location / space.

rckins‌:

rokin’s been trying to put good energy into being back. he hates it, and he knows there’s no point to him being back. but it is what he makes it, and he’s not going to spend it being a complete mopey dick. but leo’s energy isn’t much help, either. so he slumps down next to him and sighs. “yeah, totally is. and i want no part of it.”

leo’s eyes carefully track the man as he moves to sit, flicker over the broken line of his shoulders, cataloguing his posture. rokin, it would appear, is in need of being treated a bit more gently than the manner in which leo first greeted him. a fleeting feeling of shame washes over the android ; with everything that’s happened, leo sometimes forgets his intended purpose –– to help. ❛ no part at all ? ❜ he teases, decidedly more friendly, ❛ but where’s your sense of adventure ? ❜

#thread.#rokin.#rokin / 001.#plot drop / 007.#location / roame.

closed starter / @corinnv

❛ corinna, ❜ there’s something leo’s been wondering for quite some time, never quite finding the right moment. ❛ you are telepathic, yes ? ❜ he asks because george would’ve said it was the polite thing to do, but he read her file, he knows. ❛ what limitations might that entail ? ❜

#thread.#corinna.#corinna / 001.#plot drop / 007.#closed starter.#location / roame.

rckins‌:

> @therelay

“well, i don’t really want to go to the giant ship of doom, but hey, you wanna get smited to the next dimension, be my guest.”

the comment grates on leo’s metaphorical nerves in a way he doesn’t expect, shouldn’t react to. ❛ smote, ❜ he corrects smoothly, unaffected and without blinking, as his eyes flicker up from the files he’d been swiping through on his data pad before the other man had disturbed him. still, he affects a sigh, having a soft spot for rokin. and he agrees, to an extent, ❛ the ship does seem––– ❜ his mind searches for the right word at the speed of light, bionic irises snatching it from the air between them, ❛ ominous, doesn’t it ? ❜

#thread.#rokin.#plot drop / 007.#rokin / 001.#location / roame.

paxrinne‌:

@therelay

Pax feels more at ease on the base than he does on the spaceship.

He’s never really felt like part of the military hierarchy—the medics tended to be in a class of their own—but he’s accustomed to the system, so being on A9 isn’t quite nice but it’s certainly familiar.

His eyes slide off one officer after another, obviously unconcerned by the heavy military presence they run into as soon as they’re off the ship. He shoots Leo a grin. “It’s not Hybrov, that’s for sure,” he says and for a moment he allows himself to picture sand beaches instead of grey metal and flat lighting.

He opens his mouth to quip again, but he’s cut short by the sudden approach of an officer. A piece inside of him whispers that this is odd, but he decides to give them the benefit of the doubt and smiles politely. “Can I help you, officer?”

there is something rigid in the way A9 is, as if the base is not teeming with living, breathing things, but mechanical and methodic, like a well oiled machine. in a way, leo isn’t entirely unaccustomed to it –– his years with the alliance exposing him to a lifestyle of a similar nature, after qualas –– but there is still a tinge of unease thread through the lines of soldiers’ shoulders as they pass him by. unnaturally blue eyes flicker and flit from man to man as they pass, his visual interface picking up small details here and there ; shed hair on shoulders, residue from that morning’s meal speckled on a cuff of a sleeve.

his gaze is intent and curious, even as he listens to the doctor, before leo’s eyes move back and catch on pax’s smile and, momentarily, he forgets to breathe ; the soft blue circular LED light at his temple flickering, processing, before he’s blinking ( metaphorically –– and physically –– shaking himself out of it ). ❛ no, doctor, ❜ he says, a furrow dipping his brow at what seems to be an obvious observation. ❛ it is A9. ❜ but he pays no mind to the officer approaching them until pax does, steps slowing at the doctor’s side, eyes unblinking, intrigued.

#plot drop / 002.#thread.#pax.#pax / 001.#location / A9.

ontilmcrning‌:

@therelay

Leti never thought that she’d be working with Leo in such a capacity. It wasn’t quite jarring so much as it was different, but it was still necessary for her to adapt to their new roles. Seeing him again brought her back nine years, no matter how she tried to stop it from happening. She stood near, metal fingers curling and uncurling as she studied him carefully. It was remarkable how little he changed. Her tongue pressed gently to the roof of her mouth behind her teeth as she forced her hands to busy themselves with smoothing over her uniform.

“Good morning, Officer Wyndham.” She greeted after a long pause. She knew he was likely aware of her presence well before she spoke, but it would be impolite to keep observing without making herself formally known. “I do apologize that we’ve not more plentiful opportunities to reconnect with one another.” At the mention of their shared past, she couldn’t help but glance briefly at her arm. He’d seen her learning to use it, and suddenly it felt too large for her.

Shaking the thoughts, she moved further into the room so that she might look at him properly. “I do not intend to interrupt any of your work, I simply wondered if there was anything you require that I might assist you with?” It was a soft question, though her shoulders straightened and her stature was quite stiff. Truthfully, she just wished to occupy herself. There were many tasks to be finished, but she did not feel she could complete them all without first ensuring the well-being of every member aboard the ship.

there is a moment’s pause, an unnatural stillness in the line of his synthetic spine before there is a twitch to his fingers, hovering over a collection of sets of data, articles, files on the desk of his quarters. there is stillness, an idle curiosity at being disturbed in what he had considered a private space, a simple awareness of the volume her form presumes to preoccupy even before she speaks ; and then there is breath, artificial and forced for the sake of ease of organic company ( breathe, george had always told him, it makes you seem more human ).

at the quiet good morning, the sound of his name, he turns from his work to take her in fully, hearing something edging on timid in the way she speaks, eyes catching the brief glance to the curled fingers of a mechanical hand. ❛ morning, ❜ he greets, though the way the sun’s relentless light has been slanting in through the ship’s windows the past two weeks is enough to remind leo that morning is relative. ❛ i require no assistance. ❜ it is spoken plainly, but soft for the way his eyes flit over her frame ; she is stiff, perhaps uncomfortable for their shared history –– he recalls the curl of her cybernetic fingers –– and truthfully he wonders, ❛ is there anything i might help you with, commander ? ❜

#thread.#leti.#leti / 001.#plot drop / 001.#location / eden.#i love them already ty

nofugitive‌:

@therelay

“You are the one in charge of communications and relations, correct? Could you relay a message to Pax for me?”

❛ yes, ❜ he says, a simple affirmative in regards to both questions, though there is a curious flicker of his eyes as he turns his gaze from his data pad to her ; tilting the screen to press to his stomach. no one needed to know that as communications officer he was continuing to brush up ( and, at this point, re-brush up ) on what necessary information he had access to in the crew’s files. leo often found organics to be–– tetchy about their privacy. ❛ what is the message you wish to relay, agent cathrax ? ❜

#kitra.#kitra / 001.#plot drop / 001.#thread.#location / eden.

007, 035, 061, 076 & 090 !

007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist ?

leo would like to say that he is arguably neither, and simply prefers to call himself a pragmatist. because of this, his leanings waver between optimism and pessimism heavily depending on his statistical analysis of any given situation. any fraction of a percent, no matter how small, leaning in the team’s favor and leo would be the first to give a small, hint of a smile at their chances. he is also, however, just as likely to assess a situation and inform the team that their proposed plan has a statistical likelihood of succeeding at 4.23%, and is unafraid of challenging whoever proposed it.

035. What is the most important rule your character lives by ?

growing up on qualas as the son of one of the topmost engineers in all of the quadrant, if not beyond, leo read vast stores of ancient and modern philosophical, often theological texts that have stuck with him in ways he can’t quite shake. there is a praxis he came across that originated in st. augustine’s de civitate dei called just war theory, that st. thomas aquinas expounds on in his summa theologica. ultimately, the theory is a theological question of the justification of war vs. violence against man and flesh as one of the highest sins. aquinas posits three principles: ( 1 ) proper authority, ( 2 ) proper purpose, and ( 3 ) right intention. it is these three principles that leo reminds himself of over and over again, often late into the night, when he struggles to find the meaning in all that he has done and is expected to do for the alliance.

beyond these principles, both augustine and aquinas insist that the one true justification for violence against man is for the purpose of self-defense ; aquinas positing that even then, self-defense is only justified when a knife is but a hair’s breadth away from cutting skin, and not a moment before. this is the one true rule leo lives by: to avoid doing harm unless it is absolutely just. but even then –– if leo cannot truly bleed –– is it just ?

061. Does your character prefer adventure or safety and security ?

for much of leo’s life he was hidden away, tucked between shelves, or kept in the dark of a lab, never to see the light of day for his father’s fear of others, should they discover him. in this respect, he has wanted nothing more for much of his life than to feel free. if someone had asked him this question ten years ago, he would say adventure, without hesitation. however, after george’s death, there is something in him that was set adrift, untethered. for this reason he seeks safety and security in human connection above all, perhaps even without realizing it himself.

076. How do they express anger ?

there are certain, more extreme emotions that leo very rarely allows himself to give in to, anger being one of them. because he often is expressive in only subtle ways, he typically shows more small signs of irritation than of true anger. however, these things can build gradually, or certain events can shock him into violently emotional displays. the last time he lost himself to such a display was when george died, ten years ago.

090. How bodily expressive is your character ?

leo’s expressions are often such minute, subtle shifts, that if you didn’t know him, you might not think him to be expressive at all. however, there are small tells –– excessive tapping, biting down on his lip, the inside of his cheek, down on his knuckle, the split second of a furrowed dip in his brow –– there are small tells. until, that is, they build up to big tells ( see above ).

#captainlvna #answer.#hc.#muse.

leo wyndham ( L-EO-003A ) | tag dump.

#thread.#aesthetic.#edit.#meme.#visage.#hc.#visual.#muse.#playlist.#audio.

whenrpmemesattack

See into my muses past! Send 🔮 and I will write a drabble of a memory that your muse gets to see into.

#meme.

xleafyheartx

100 Random Character Development Questions

001. When is their birthday? 002. Do they do anything to celebrate their birthday? 003. Does your character like coffee better, or tea? 004. Do they prefer being alone or with others? 005. Are they in good health? 006. What sense do they most rely on? 007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist? 008. What is their favorite fairy tale? 009. Do they believe in happy endings? 010. Do they believe in love at first sight? 011. How would your character court the person of their dreams? 012. What makes your character embarrassed? 013. Have they ever been bullied or teased? 014. Detail one secret shame your character feels. 015. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? 016. What is their choice of weapon? 017. When does your character think that violence is justified or deserved? 018. Your character wakes up to find that war has been declared. What do they do? 019. If they could have a superpower, what would they choose? 020. What are their hobbies? 021. How do they display affection? 022. What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? 023. What do they consider beautiful in others physically? 024. What do they consider ugly in others physically? 025. What do they consider beautiful in others personality-wise? 026. What do they consider ugly in others personality-wise? 027. What is their idea of perfect happiness? 028. What makes them laugh out loud? 029. What sort of sense of humor does your character have? 030. Do they believe in the afterlife? 031. Are they superstitious about anything? 032. Does your character believe in ghosts? 033. Do they keep their promises? 034. What’s their view of lying? 035. What is the most important rule your character lives by? 036. How honorable is your character? 037. If your character saw someone drop a large sum of money and knew that they could probably take it without anyone noticing, what would they do? 038. What bad habits do they have? 039. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? 040. What is their obsession? 041. Are they comfortable with technology? 042. What is their greatest achievement? 043. What will they stand up for? 044. What disgusts them? 045. Does your character have any chronic medical conditions? 046. How do they handle getting sick? 047. What was the last medical problem your character had? 048. Do they have any allergies? 049. How does your character feel about growing old? 050. How does your character feel about their own mortality? 051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today? 052. What is your character’s worst flaw? 053. What is your character’s greatest strength? 054. Does your character want power or authority of any kind? 055. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? 056. Has your character ever struck someone in anger? 057. Has your character ever killed anyone? 058. What is your character’s idea of a perfect day? 059. List several phrases your character is fond of uttering. Where did they pick them up? 060. What is your character’s attitude toward education and learning? 061. Does your character prefer adventure or safety and security? 062. What sort of legacy does your character wish to leave behind? 063. How well does your character handle difficult people? 064. In what ways does your character annoy others? 065. Is your character better at leading or following? Which do they prefer? 066. Does your character prefer city life or being out in nature? 067. Does your character believe in fate or destiny? 068. How strong is your character’s sense of responsibility? What kinds of things trigger it? 069. What about your character is heroic? 070. What about your character is cowardly? 071. How kind is your character? 072. In a Dungeons & Dragons game, which class would your character be? (wizard, fighter, bard, priest, ranger, etc.) 073. In a novel, what plot role would your character fill? (hero, anti-hero, sidekick, villain, etc.) 074. What is your character’s favorite game? 075. Is your character ticklish? 076. How do they express anger? 077. How often do they cry? Over what? 078. How emotionally stable is your character? 079. How easy is it for them to read the emotions of others? 080. How easy is it for others to read your character’s emotions? 081. Is your character religious? 082. What are your character’s sleeping preferences? 083. What is the first thing they say and/or do when they wake up? 084. Describe your character in one word. 085. Describe your character in three words. 086. How would your character describe themself in one word? 087. How would your character describe themself in three words? 088. Is your character quiet or loud? 089. How vocally expressive is your character? 090. How bodily expressive is your character? 091. What type of music does your character like? 092. What emotion does your character evoke in others? 093. What is your character’s goal in life? 094. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to know. 095. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to do. 096. How do they move and carry themselves? What energy do they project? 097. How well do they adapt to change? 098. Does your character like animals? 099. Do they talk to inanimate objects? 100. Does your character dream? If so, what do they dream about?

#meme.

ofhotheads-blog

Send my muse “👀 + a question” and they’ll have to answer with 100% honesty.

No deleting questions, either!

#meme.

nofugitive-blog

THEIR MISSION : TRACK & DESTROY

#ft. the crew #aesthetic.#visual.#OOF

nofugitive-blog

“ i refuse to believe i hurt you / i refuse to believe you feel. ”

#icb this #i'm deadass gonna wEEP over these two #visual.#aesthetic.#ft. kitra

And it came to me then, that every plan is a tiny prayer to father time

❛ Life with George was a tender thing; slow & unfolding. DATA became both a student and a caretaker, drinking in all Qualas’ vast libraries had to offer during the day, but always returning with George no later than supper time, to begin the task of turning in for the evening ( medications to be administered, clothes to be laundered, dishes to be washed, a meal to be prepared ). They grew together as George grew older, DATA becoming more of a son to the aging engineer than a vain project. They grew together, DATA tethered to his father & creator until the tremor in his hands was swept by the relentless tides of time, DATA’s ties to humanity cut one night while George was sleeping, the synthetic son curled up in the chair by his bedside.

#edit.#muse.#visual.#george fc: william hurt #coloring some of these was a nIGHtmare but go off i guess #blame courtney 4 this

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