| Annoying is Annoying |
| Summary: | The ChEng is annoying, Magnus is too. They both are….annoying. |
| Date: | 10 Feb 2042 AE |
| Related Logs: | TBD |
| Players: |
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| Recovery Room |
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| A much more quiet area of Medical, this elongated room is also lined with beds. Each is similarly outfitted with privacy curtains as necessary and even the paint on the walls has been lightened in an attempt to help lift spirits. Chairs are readily available all over the place so that visitors can pull one up to talk to the patients during their recovery. Near the entrance, visiting hours are posted with a very conspicuous 'No Smoking' sign. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #349 |
Magnus Dekker was to be released from the Recovery Room, about 2 days ago. However, when he was almost done with his packing, he started coughing again and having some difficulties to breathe so he was moved back, so Doctors could take care of whatever was going on. Turns out, it wasn't anything major so right now, he is back in the process of getting things ready to move out, and potentially see if he is actually getting into OCS or not. Now the man idly moves his things into a small backpack that was given to him.
Most of the people in here are rather clean and sterile. So when an orange-clad snipe covered almost head to toe in grease and black smudges walks in, he is given a wide berth. He asks a few questions and people keep pointing him closer to Magnus. Eventually he narrows it down to the guy with the backpack and Mark heads over to him. "Hey. You Doc Dekker?" The snipe looks serious.
"That'll be me, yes" says Magnus with a completely neutral tone of voice, not yet looking at Mark. He moves some last pieces of clothing into the backpack and zips it up, finally turning around to look at the dirty snipe. "Doctor Magnus Dekker" He looks at him a little more and then nods "And you are, mister?" He drags the backpack a little closer to himself and adds "By the looks of you, someone who works in Engineering. Perhaps you are the one Mr. Kincaid mentioned he would contact, yes?"
"Right. Like I said, Doc Dekker." Mark glances around and motions to the bed. "Take a seat. We need to have a chat." The as-yet unidentified snipe rolls a stool over and sits, putting him on a lower plane. "My name is Captain Makinen. I'm the Chief Engineer on board the Cerberus. I am the one Mister Kincaid said he would contact and I have a few questions for you, myself, before I go making my own recommendations to command. I'm not hostile to who you are and what you have done, but I am concerned for the welfare of my team - whom I love dearly."
"Like you said" says Magnus with a nod. Now, he looks around the specific spot in which they are and finds no chair, so, he takes a seat on the bed and leans his back against the top frame. "Captain Makinen" repeats Magnus now and "Ah, yes, Mr. Kincaid mentioned he would be contacting you" Now, he tilts his head at this and says "Not hostile to who I am and…what I've done?" asks the man, pressing his lips together for a second "I am no Criminal, Captain Makinen" He drags his backpack and places it next to him on the bed, just going silent as to pay attention to what he says next.
"That depends on how you view the term criminal, Mister Dekker." Mark keeps his eyes locked on the man. "As I understand it, you were attacked on the Elpis through no fault of your own other than just speaking to a truth of an opinion. Fine." The ChEng leans forward resting his elbows on his knees. "But as I recall you also put time into banned research like artificial intelligence which defied colonial guidelines. These guidelines were there to establish a protective barrier against the creation of another Cylon race. What prompted you to look into this area?" No, the Captain does not look like he's going to relax.
"Everything depends on views, are no view is equal to the other" says Magnus, shrugging at this. "Yes, you understand correctly" offers the man now, nodding at that. "I put time in a banned research field, but made nothing that could come close to what the Cylons are. And, what prompted me to look into that area?" He rubs his fingers over his chin and says "I was born during the aftermath of the first Cylon war, prohibitions were coming into play and I was a curious kid, and I am still…a curious person by nature. Try to stop people from doing something and someone, eventually would do it anyway. That someone was me. And who knows, maybe others…but I know what I did." He clears his throat and says "Our society Mr. Makinen is not peaceful, we have been destroying eachother since well before the Cylons, a clear example of that are the wars between the Colonies. So we made the Cylons in our image and well…you can't really expect another outcome. However, the fields of Artificial Intelligence holds much more potential, and the lecture I gave…the lecture that pretty much ruined my career, was on the possibility of recreating the human brain through Artificial Neural Networks."
"Captain Makinen, Mister Dekker. I also have a Doctorate and was working towards a second but that piece of paper burned up a year ago." Mark doesn't even blink. "Doctorates might get you rank these days but the only people I'm going to respect the title to anymore are these people in here." Without looking, his hand gestures back and forth to the medical doctors. "So you defied bans because you thought that you could do something safely and simple curiosity." Maybe not, but that's what Mark is boiling it down to in his mind. "Look me in the eye when I tell you this next part, Dekker: We are in a world of shit because someone thought they could do something safely - like control the ability of a computer to learn. Thirty billion people are dead because of it." He snaps his fingers. "Bang. Wiped. So if you were sitting in my position talking to you about this, what would you say to me? Would you be a bit curious why you would want someone under your command who lets curiosity get the better of him despite things like laws? Especially when laws are what back up our requirement to obey orders."
"Sure, Captain. No need to get offended by it" says Magnus, nodding again "And did you now? What field? And yes, my burned down to, which doesn't mean you are not…what you are" He shrugs again casually and says "So what exactly /are/ you trying to tell me, Captain. Are you letting me know that I have to respect everyone else and etc etc? Because I have not shown disrespect for anyone." To this, he shrugs again "I defied bans because I wanted to, and because I knew I was able to conduct safe research, which I did… the curiosity was triggered when I was a child, but I already said that. And like I said, I believe the field of A.I. has a lot of potential but I guess the Cylons beat us to the punch, I understand that they look like us now, is this correct?" Marvelous is marvelous, regardless if it's evil or not. "Well, to be more precise, we are in a world of shit because they wanted to create a powerful organism, in our image. If we can't stop destroying eachother, what stops an intelligent organism want to destroy us if they think like us?" He shrugs at this and shakes his head "I'm not with the Cylon, I'm not a supporter or anything like that. I just say that one of the biggest mistakes those scientists made, was to make them in our image. And of course, humanity is paying for that mistake now." He clears his throat now "I'll make it simple for you, Captain Makinen. Do I think that A.I. still has solid potential? Yes, I do. Am I going to be doing something to endanger what's left of mankind? No, I won't. So you can ask as many questions to me as you'll like, and I'll gladly answer them but that is as far as it goes, if you think that because I think A.I. has potential, I can't be of help to what's left of mankind…well…you know, you are Captain. Your opinion is worth more than mine."
"What I am is a man with a rank. I could give two shits what these pins on my lapel say, but that rank means responsibility. My responsibility to my people is what matters. Not my Doctorate." Mark doesn't comment on what it was just yet. He just stares at Magnus while the man talks. "We didn't create skinjobs, Mister Dekker. They did," he deadpans. "The people who invented Cylons thought they were doing safe research, too. That's defense. You know what a lifeform does when it feels threatened? Typically it attacks. It looks for ways to overcome. Defenses are reactionary by nature and eventually an attack for its life is going to succeed. That's why we have people dead. Simple arrogence." Marks words are not bitter but there is a distinct sharpness to them. "So are you telling me that if you think something is stupid, like bans on research, you're going to ignore it? And you better think long and hard about your answer, Dekker, because its going to make or break your future."
"No, what you are doing is acting on a defensive-agressive way even if you stated that you were not going to do that." clearly states Magnus to that, looking at the man straight in the eyes "My Doctorate matters to me, but it doesn't mean I get the chance to boss people around, and it doesn't mean that I don't care about people. Don't be confused Captain. Your Doctorate might mean little to you, but mine does mean a lot to me because I worked hard to get it. /And/ I do care about others, because after all, it was people that saved me down in Tauron, and I worked with them. So if one of your concerns is that I can't play in team, you can forget that one and realize that I can" Just like Mark, words are not bitter but are sharp. "And no, we didn't create Skinjobs, but Centurions were based on pretty heavy A.I. subroutines, they were the ones made in our image Captain. We enslaved them, they revealed. They did exactly what we would do. Perhaps these are not easy words to hear but think for a moment and tell me it doesn't make a whole lot of sense? Of course, it was a mistake made by arrogant people, and like I said, we are all paying for it now." As for the last "What I'm telling you, is something I thought was already clear. If I get to join, it's going to be to /help/ I don't need to think long and hard in an answer that is pretty damn obvious. If I want to join OCS, it's because I want to use my expertise, to help, not to harm….think on that, /Captain/."
Mark looks as if he's getting tired, as if his patience is wearing. "I said I was not overtly hostile to you or what you had done, Dekker. What I'm trying to do is establish whether or not I should entrust you with access to my people and materiele. I'm not asking you if you care about other people. We've got our share of selfish people. And I'd watch your assumptions, Dekker. Especially about what may or may not be hard to hear. There are intelligence reports at there that wouldn't just shock you, it would send this fleet into hysterics. Do not attempt to lecture me. I'm not your student." Mark's stoic voice never wavers. "I'm going to ask you one last time. If I don't get a straight answer out of you, I'm going to walk away and you're going to board a Raptor back to the Elpis and your friends." He certainly looks serious. "Are you going to ignore laws and regulations put down by the colonial government or Navy?"
If Mark thinks he is the only one that looks tired and with patience loss, he gotta be dreaming. Magnus rubs his fingers over his eyes "No, you are not one of my students, that's true" Now he takes a deep breath and sighs heavily "I will answer more directly what I did answer before" Now, he looks into his eyes and says "Captain Makinen, I am /not/ planning on ignoring laws and regulations." And just to clarify "So no, I'm not" He coughs a little and covers his mouth "I bet there are, Intelligence Reports. The shock part…well, can't be certain on that one but I'll take your word for it."
"Thank Gods," Mark sighs, sitting back on the stool. He rubs his hands at his face, smudging the grease and grime. "Not planning on it. That's rich." He grumbles and finally looks back to Magnus. "Look, the other issue is that the Marines believe you're looking for an officership simply so you can avoid going back to the Elpis." He holds up a hand as if to stave protest. "Yes, you want to help people. Fine. I get that. There's no correct answer here, Dekker. I'm just looking for what you have to say about that. Anything in your defense - other than about helping people."
"I'm not surprised that they believe that, because I did say…that I didn't want to go back to Elpis, this is true. But, however, that is not the complete scenario, no" says Magnus, a little surprised by what Marines are thinking when he already said that was one of the reasons. "When my company was running, I did several different jobs for the Colonial Fleet, most of them working with CIC and Raptor ECM systems. More directly on Communication Protocols and Data Security." He clears his throat and nods "Because of this, I'm familiar with the Military and I'm familiar with the rules and regulations. While, I could enlist…that's true, I wanted to join the OCS? Why? The truth is that I could very well help as a Petty Officer as much as I could help as a…" he stops himself "Lieutenant, if I'm not mistaken..given education background and all that." He nods at this and adds "So they why is because, I seek it as a goal for me now /AND/ it's what I know….it's what I had to deal with. I had to deal with Commanders, I had to deal with Captains, Colonels… It's something familiar and it's something I know I would do well" He shrugs at that and adds "That good enough for you?"
"Considering I'm the one person standing between you and the Elpis, Dekker, it might be a good idea to be more polite to my requests. And yes, that's 'good enough for me'." Mark reaches into his pocket and produes a piece of paper and a pen. "This is my letter to Command for admitting you to OCS. All it needs is my signature." He keeps his eyes on Magnus. "So before I sign this, I want to make sure a few things are understood by you completely. Make no mistake, the only response I better get out of you is a 'Yes, sir' or a genuine question on clarification. No retorts, nothing." He taps the paper once with his finger. "I run a loose department, Dekker. I don't stick my nose in other people's business. I let my people work with as little direction from me as possible because I trust them to know their jobs. They're all good people and I love them all dearly. But so help me, if you make waves we will have an issue. If you ever disobey an order of mine or another officers, if you ever break regulations, you won't like what happens. If you ever touch AI research again without mine or commands explicit instructions to do so, I will see you charged with treason. And these days we shoot people for that. You don't have to like me, Mister Dekker. But you will have to listen to me. Is all that understood?"
"Well, I can obviously tell that you /don't/ like me" says Magnus to that last and then takes a deep breath "Yes sir, I understand what you say." Simple, effective.
Mark stares at Magnus with that reply, letting him know that wasn't what he was looking for. Slowly, though, the paper is unfolded and he uncaps the pen. "Whether or not I like you, Dekker, doesn't matter. You're also going to find that whether or not I like someone is irrelevent because I give people the respect they are due according to my view. The only thing that alters my view is what keeps my people safe, happy, and working." He signs the bottom line and then looks back up. "And now that your ass belongs to me, that makes you too." The pen capped, he refolds the paper and pockets it. "If you complete OCS, you'll report directly to me. Until that time I expect you to conduct yourself as an officer. You will salute mine and all other officers. You will listen to the enlisted. They will teach you. Until you complete OCS, you are a recruit. You take orders from everyone. If you have problems, you come to me. I may request your consult and assign you to projects at my discretion in the meantime. You will report to Ensign Ximena Alteris for OCS training tomorrow morning at zero-nine-hundred." Mark seems to be wrapping up. "Any questions?"
This guy is an asshole. That much, Magnus knows. "Questions? No questions, sir" With that said, he looks at his backpack again and adds "Well, one, actually. Where would I be sleeping?" See, not much to say at this point in time.
"I'll set you up in the enlisted berthings for now. Pack your things and I'll forward this to command. I'll send a runner to find you in the galley when this finishes. Also keep in mind that the completion of OCS is subject to your completion of a background check with the Marines. Their ruling is final and there is nothing I can do about it." Mark nods once to the man and rises. "Best of luck to you, Mister Dekker." He then turns to go.
"Sure" offers Magnus to Mark as he hears that last bit. He takes a deep breath and takes his belongings "Captain" adds the man with an easy salute and then he leaves, almost at the same time Mark does.