2nd Oration / Voice

[dun_moch]

[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!]

Comments

[dun_moch]

[This is so far beneath Dooku's dignity he would probably injure his neck if he tried to look down on it.]

The answer to that question carries the same price as the answer to the first.

[He remains composed and aloof. He will wait this bullshit out.]

voice!! (cw drug use)

[pillz]

What's up my geriatric homes.

[kavinsky's voice splashes in. jersey accent, slightly louder than need be. slightly pressured, because: cocaine. do you have regrets yet, mr. dooku, do you.]

Besides your geriatric dick move. Did the Roomba overlords promise to make you immortal? Just guessing.

voice (cw classism)

[dun_moch]

[The voice is almost as hard for Dooku to hear as the textspeak was to read. Why must he constantly surround himself with degenerates? Regardless, his own voice remains what it is: measured, cool, polite, and sonorous.]

I serve no overlord, 'Roomba' or otherwise. My only interest is in the welfare of the imPort community I have found myself a part of.

[And now making this PRIVATE because it's getting good]

Now, then. You wished to know my intentions regarding LACKEY?

im irl laughing, hes so put upon, good job :')

[pillz]

[kavinsky watches the conversation tick over into PRIVATE, with more curiosity than objection. this does seem to be getting good, even if he finds dooku's airs approximately as ridiculous as the older man finds his.]

Yeah all right, man. Remind me to get you a Roomba some time, though. You don't sound like housekeeping.

[it's a compliment? sort of?]

Talk.

:)

[dun_moch]

As I said, that wretched machine was able to subjugate all of us for weeks. It was created to be the ultimate weapon against us, to ensure that imPorts remain controlled.

And now the government has it. We know nothing of their intentions. It could be they merely intend to keep it well-guarded and safe... or perhaps they are even now adopting its power against us for their own use, to make their dominance of us absolute and permanent.

I mean to find out. ImPorts must learn the truth of how LACKEY is being contained, and what research the authorities are conducting with it.

[pillz]

Man, big oil sounds creepy enough. Big robots, that's some next-level shit.

[to people who are not kavinsky's contemporaries, he often sounds like he's just yelling random words. but this is probably true of kavinsky's contemporaries too, actually. his exact age and demographic. people who went to school with him. and honestly, most of the time, he yells garbage because he doesn't care.

but he might care about this. freedom and survival and all.]

You tried asking? Or the Feds are stonewalling you?

[dun_moch]

[He definitely sounds like he is yelling random garbage... yet the more Dooku becomes accustomed to his odd patterns, the more the Count begins to realize that there is sense under the jargon.]

I have not, for two reasons. The first is that the government has a long and well-established history of lacking transparency. Any question I asked would surely not receive a useful answer.

The second is that if I were to ask, they would know of my interest in this matter... and that could easily draw unwanted attention. They already have reason to be displeased with me, you see.

[pillz]

[kavinsky pauses for longer than he strictly needs to. he is actually surprised that count "underground railroad" dooku has run afoul of the feds, which is probably stupid if you seriously think about the particular historical events that that silly pseud refers to. he's just young and dumb. he forgets that the vast majority of rebellions are waged in truly righteous fury, by people who think that the ends justify the means.

rather than, you know. knowing and deliberate creeps, by himself.]

Well shit. What'd you do to piss them off, gramps?

[dun_moch]

[The Count chuckles darkly.]

I sang, if you can believe that. The government assigned me a performance career upon my arrival here. I decided to use my music as a platform to remind the world that this nation was once a police state, and that it was the imPorts who saved democracy.

The authorities and the media were most displeased with my... artistic decisions. It seems that even the most justified criticism can be treated as subversive by those in the mainstream.

[pillz]

[with literally anyone else, kavinsky would laugh. say something offensive, mocking. declare such a thing effeminate. even if it were a joke. it'd be part of the joke.

but this is serious, as much as he's wont to keep it light.]

I gotta look that shit up. Everything's forever on the Internet. Believe it when I see it, man. [he sniffs loudly. kids are always getting sick, you know, you know.] Sounds like somebody suck ass at lying low. This rate they're gonna see you coming a mile away.

[it's not just a series of taunts and insults. it's a setup because what kavinsky really wants to know is:] You got a plan?

[dun_moch]

[Helpful old soul that he is, Dooku discreetly passes along a link to relevant media coverage of Countdown's debut.]

It is true, they will be watching me now. And so will certain imPorts looking for an ally in their discontent. In political matters, all publicity can have its uses.

I have many plans, boy... and I do not share them lightly. Only with those who have something to contribute to my goals. I wonder what it is you might offer me, other than your... unique sense of humour?

[pillz]

[this is clearly the most singularly important piece of media coverage kavinsky has ever been exposed to. some gettysburg shit right here, downloadable from the native equivalent of itunes.

to which his response, predictably, is:] Countdown? Sounds like an astronaut-theme rentboy, man.

[but even kavinsky's aforementioned dubious sense of humor must eventually give way to real interest. there's only the briefest pause, and then—]

Hardware, man. I can handle fabrication if somebody got the concept. And anything I can't build, I probably know someone who can. [a kawaii lil brunette magician, specifically. but that seems needless to say.] You hear about that angry blonde bitch stockpiling weapons? Against the Russians?

[dun_moch]

[Dooku allows himself a snort. There aren't many imPorts who would so flippantly describe the leader of RISE. He wonders if Kavinsky would still be so bold if this was still a public exchange.]

Major-General Armstrong. Yes, I am aware of the role her stockpiles played in our resistance. What of her?

[pillz]

[well he did make a total ass of himself in the war room, but by his measure, his choice of words hadn't been especially bold or disrespectful.]

Plenty of that shit was me. The power null nulls, too. Half-hour was better than nothing.

[dun_moch]

[Well, that clinches it then. If the boy can make an arsenal like Armstrong deployed- especially one with defenses against nullification- the Count simply must have him.

His resolve doesn't show, though. Dooku pauses a few seconds before responding, letting Kavinsky hang for a moment, as though weighing the pros and cons.]

I think it would be a good idea for us to meet. It appears that we have much to discuss.

Ah, but we haven't been properly introduced, have we? I am Count Dooku.

cw mention of drug use

[pillz]

[kavinsky waits. he does grow impatient waiting, which is largely a function of dooku's manipulation, but also influenced by the fact that he's on quite a bit of cocaine, as usual. his mind goes afield for a moment. anti-government movements, in general, sound a little too organized and big picture for him, but hey.

learning and growing, for better or for worse. then his attention snaps back, when he hears dooku's voice and--]

Yeah?

[there's an idiotic note of amusement in his voice, like he is actually waiting for a punchline. dooku will have to forgive him-- or not; that would be considered a deeply unusual, perhaps even farcical name in the world that this particular idiotic teenager comes from.]

[dun_moch]

[Yet again, Dooku resists the urge to sigh. Why do so many of the fools in this world not respect the old and famed name of Dooku? No one in his Galaxy associates the Count's name with excrement.]

And you are?

[Showing that he is not in any way joking about being Count Dooku.]

[pillz]

[the silence lasts a bit longer than it ordinarily would. and under any other circumstances, it'd end with a goat laugh and another word for excrement spoken aloud. maybe more than one word.

but this once, there's just a hilariously immature silence, and then:]

Kavinsky. [slightly raspy from suppressed laughter.] Nice to know you, man.