maskormenace | 2nd Oration / Voice

[Dooku's voice on the Network is difficult to miss: deep, resonant, rich, and inexplicably British despite him being from space.]

Good evening, my friends. As his probation officer, I feel it is my duty to inform you that Death the Kid has departed from this universe.

[Pause]

A pity, really. He only had a few days remaining on his sentence. I was looking forward to recommending his freedom from government supervision.

Now then, there is another matter I wish to discuss. I have been considering the role of emotion in the matters of power. ImPort abilities often seem tied to how we feel. Passions such as anger and fear can threaten our control, yet they can also spur our powers to greater heights in times of need.

In my Galaxy, there are two philosophies which have debated these issues for many thousands of years. One believes in the denial of passion. They insist upon tranquility and harmony. It is their belief that only a calm heart, without attachments, can attain true wisdom in serving others. They do not even allow themselves to fall in love...

[The Count's voice drops slightly, becoming a touch darker.]

The other perspective calls this a lie. It accepts passion as the truth of all living things, and draws power from it. It teaches that even the strongest of emotions can be embraced, and disciplined, and used to great effect.

I would be interested to know what my fellow imPorts think on this matter. Are our feelings to be repressed, or embraced? Which path do you believe will lead to greater fulfillment?

[Talk to the Sith Lord about feelings, Network. Also, if you're tagging him for the first time it's a good idea to check out his permissions post!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You perceive correctly... on both counts. Those who follow passion are often led into an abyss. But those with strength can tame it, and make it an ally.

Tell me this, if you please: what would you envision as a healthier compromise between these two poles?

To not fear our feelings, and accept them, but to have the prudence and discipline to recognize when they need to take a step aside.

Such a sensible solution. I think there are few intelligent beings who could find fault with an approach of that sort.

[Aside from most of Dooku's galaxy, that is. Which is probably one of the reasons there's so much war and such questionable dialogue.]

And yet I imagine it is a principle more easily stated than followed. Moderation is a difficult master to please. All paths can lead to a boundary marked 'too far.'

[Which is more restriction than a man like Dooku will ever accept in his life- or on his power.]

[ Not that he's wrong. She follows it as well as she can, but that doesn't mean she always succeeds. ]

Well, I think most life philosophies are easier stated than followed. But I don't think that it's difficult should mean it should be attempted. Just because one doesn't succeed, doesn't mean they shouldn't try.

[ Yoda would have words with her, but she lived five years without hope. She's used to trying without succeeding. ]

[Yoda can go to hell. That senile old troll should have listened to his wiser and more powerful former apprentice about the folly of the Republic, damn it.]

Indeed. I take it then that you are one who does not shirk from life's challenges, even when they may appear unending?

I don't believe in giving up, even when success is beyond reach. [ She's made that mistake before, but she never will again. ] I believe in surviving in the best manner possible from the circumstances available, and in helping others do the same.

[ At least, unless that means surviving all on her own. She isn't totally sure that would be worth it. ]

I see. You have strong convictions, Kanaya. And an admirable willingness to aid others. Would it be accurate to call one of the 'super-heroes' of our community, then?

Not hardly! I've been a costumed crimefighter every now and again, but a superhero? That's something different entirely.

Is it really, now? I would have thought that acting as a 'superhero' overlapped significantly with being a costumed crimefighter. How would you describe the difference between them?

There's plenty of overlap, but I would think a superhero being a type of costumed crimefighter is more true than the inverse. But perhaps it isn't, a superhero's concern may be more specialized to large-scale crises than actually combating crime.

Either way, superheroes generally operate under specific ethical codes. Their conduct needs to be above board, that they can inspire hope and heroism within the communities they protect. They deserve the love and admiration, because they're a little purer than the rest of us.

Ah, then 'superheroes' are figures for inspiration. Something that the masses can take hope from, and rally around.

That appears to have been the status of the imPorts that came before us. They inspired many and earned the trust of the natives... that is, if the official histories are to be believed.

Mm. It's easier to revere and deify people who aren't here to be imperfect.

Even then, from what we know of the situation, their circumstances weren't comparable to ours.

Yes... the Porter was under control in that time, as I understand it. Troublesome characters could have been sent home. And the government was a police state to be struggled against.

I imagine that made it far more simple for the populace to support the imPorts.

Only at the start. But that it was only at the start is just one more reason they revere and deify them. But the people who do include all 25 years of the first wave in that, when a much smaller percentage would have been directly involved.

And, if the police state had persisted until 2010, I can't imagine any imPort would be able to elect to return to their source world at will before that.

Edited 2016-05-24 17:19 (UTC)

One wonders if that implies that our predecessors were also more well-behaved than our present community... or if the natives were simply more accepting of our foibles in return for the benefits we bring to this world.

More likely that they're just remembered better because they aren't what the people have now. Nostalgia always clouds the memories to remember the past more fondly.

Though it is probably that the people who were here during that time, being that they remained of their own accord and could leave whenever they liked, were better motivated not to act out as some of our contemporaries so often do.

2nd Oration / Voice

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