7th Oration // Video

[dun_moch]

[The opening shot is exactly the same as Dooku's interrupted last post. Same bookshelf, same lighting, same Count Dooku casually brushing some dust off his shoulder as he addresses the camera in his deep voice. It is as though he is continuing the previous post without missing a beat, refusing to be disrupted by the Porter, which is exactly the impression he wants to convey.]

Now then. As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted...

[Something is subtly different now, though. There's a touch of strain in the Count's smooth voice that wasn't there before, a note of tension in his face and the way he carries his body. Nonetheless, he carries on as though nothing has changed.]

It appears that the Porter's vengeance against imPort inquiries has ended, for now. But do not make the mistake of thinking that we are now safe. We remain bound by mysterious and cruel entities.

Many of us wish to be sent home. But at the same time, how many of us fear to be Ported out at any moment? Hurled away from our lives here and the friends we have made, sent back to the grim fate that may await us: conflict and humiliation, betrayal and death?

[Dooku's voice rises a bit on those last two words. He maaaaay be projecting a little here. He takes a breath.]

So let me ask you this: what does freedom mean to you, my friends? What is the heart of that word? Is it choice? Is it the ability to command your own life? If so, can we truly be called free today?

A new year is about to begin, with new challenges and opportunities. I urge you all to think carefully about what freedom means to you... and how you will seek to achieve it as we move into the future.

Comments

video;

[lempereur]

I do fear being Ported out. Not because there is any sort of trial or tragedy waiting for me where I come from, but because there is not. My skills are more useful where I am.

[ That and his big dumb puppy love. ]

Are you feeling alright, Count?

video;

[dun_moch]

A wise answer. Great events are transpiring in this world, and your skills are most valuable here.

[A somewhat weary smile.]

I am fine. A trifle disoriented, perhaps.

Audio

[cantwalkwithoutit]

[ Ohh he's willing to bet somebody saw something grim on the other side, didn't they? ]

Welcome back. And here I thought we'd lost you for good.

Audio

[dun_moch]

Not quite yet, fortunately. Thank you, Mister Gold.

[Video]

[generalgrievous]

.... My Lord....?

[Hesitant words at first. Is the Count truly back? That had been unsettling to see him vanish. He straightens up with more confidence to pointlessly add the obvious.]

You have returned.

[Video]

[dun_moch]

[The Count nods coolly, betraying nothing, standing tall.]

Yes, I am back. Just in time, it would seem.

Report, General. What has transpired in my absence?

video

[h2no]

I think that line of questionin' is a good way to go real crazy real fast.

video

[dun_moch]

[A tight half-smile.]

Some questions simply must be asked, even if their answers can be distressing.

text;

[cognitivism]

I suppose it depends on what you define as 'freedom' so to speak.

I doubt anyone is truly 'free'. Politics can confine us behind red tape, and free thought can easily be distorted by the perversion of words. Considering we are invested in a government system who may view us as a disease I fear that Freedom is not as simple as we believe.

text;

[dun_moch]

A disease can never be granted freedom, only destruction. If that is truly how this system views us, then we are in terrible danger.

But I believe freedom can be made possible, if only by creating a better form of politics.

video;

[9544]

Droppin' down some truth bombs tonight, huh?

[ For a guy being asked about freedom, it's really to Jake's credit that he hasn't spouted out the Braveheart speech.

... for now.

But also this guy looks really familiar and all jokes aside, he does bring up some pretty good questions. He does want to go home, but what'll that mean for the cool people he's met here so far? If he's trapped here, is he really free?

Ugh. ]

video;

[dun_moch]

[Dooku tilts his head slightly.]

I beg your pardon... 'truth bombs?'

[Guess what piece of slang doesn't exist in a Galaxy far, far away.]

video;

[dejerate]

Eh? You're back! Are you okay.....?

[Because. Well. He's not sure if that had happened before. It must be disorienting. Being in the middle of sharing something with the network only to end up Ported out during it. Still, Yuu considers on the question of freedom, gaze lowering behind his mess of bangs, lips pursing.]

I prefer it here to back home. Probably not the only one. And I'm.....not sure if I can really say I was ever free. I mean, at times I felt like I was, but...

[The virus, the vampires, the military and experiments done on him as a child, the consequences of that all.]

video;

[dun_moch]

I am well, Yuichiro. Thank you.

[Spoilers he is not well, but doesn't show any weakness of emotion through his iron self-control.]

You are hardly alone in your experience. For all its dangers, this universe is a refuge to many. You should be able to remain here for as long as you wish.

voice.

[functusofficio]

[ It's beneath her.

That doesn't stop her. ]

I hope your return home was fruitful.

voice.

[dun_moch]

[Beat. Then:]

It was a very brief return, from my point of view. Little of consequence happened.

[This is a lie.]

video

[journalkeeper]

I've been interrupted during a speech many times, but I don't believe I've ever been so drastically pulled away with such a... immediate recovery.

[ She's somewhere between impressed and incredulous. ]

The freedom I desire is the ability to break out from the cycle of destruction and death we seem inevitably caught up in.

[ In more ways than one. ]

video

[dun_moch]

Well, when you have made as many speeches as I have, you are forced to learn how to handle almost any interruption.

[And the value of projecting aplomb in the face of obstacles.]

Such freedom is a worthy cause. But to break out from that cycle would surely require an overwhelming amount of power.

Anon Text

[notayoungman]

Men like you are incapable of understanding real freedom.

Text

[dun_moch]

[Gee, who could this be...]

My understanding is far greater than you can imagine.

[ Video; private ]

[ghoulking]

[ ........... ah... ]

Is everything alright, Count? [ LIKE, REALLY, WHAT WAS THIS ]

[ Video; private ]

[dun_moch]

[There's a pause. For a moment, just a moment, Dooku looks like he might say something else than:]

I am fine, Kaneki. Thank you for your concern.

It is... good to see you again, my friend.

voice

[cleptes]

I'm afraid I missed the beginning of your previous address. Due to being in space.

[Bela isn't sure if he knew that's where she was, but she tells him anyway.]

Sometimes, I do fear being Ported out - I think it's a very valid fear. But I also understand that it is a very real possibility.

voice

[dun_moch]

Hello, Bela. I was watching your show, before my departure. I suppose I will have to catch up on the episodes I missed.

It would be easier to bear this possibility if there were steps we could take against it. As it is, we have little defense, do we?

video, private

[song_of_ice]

There are some that think we don't have a choice in what happens. It's fate that decides.

[He's not saying he believes that, only that he's heard it enough times in his life that he feels as if whatever choice he makes is not his own.]

What would do with your freedom, if we had it here?

video, private

[dun_moch]

There are many who believe the same in my own Galaxy. But I have never been among them. We can craft our own fate, if we have the strength.

[And Dooku thinks of himself as very strong indeed, and expects to become stronger still. He now has no choice, in fact. Nothing waits for him back home but death.]

I would share that freedom with all my fellow imPorts. And I would carry knowledge and power back to my home to set right certain wrongs. And what would you do, Jon Snow?

private

[exceptionalthief]

Welcome back.

[Betrayal aside, everything else the Count says about being sent back to a grimm fate might hit a little a bit of a nerve for Hans; as much as he'd like to hold onto being in denial as to the likely outcome of his master plan for the Nakatomi Plaza job, his logical mind is finding it harder to do so as the passing months serve to give him more perspective. Perhaps it's just as well he didn't find out what happened on his own deportation a few weeks ago.]

You don't seem as though you had a very pleasant trip, if I may take the liberty of making an observation.

private

[dun_moch]

[The Count suppresses a wince, keeping his face carefully neutral.]

Your powers of observation are quite keen, Mister Gruber. But perhaps you should keep your insights to yourself, in this situation.

video;

[art_of_war]

I suspect that what "freedom" means to me is not what it means to most.

[...which doesn't really answer the question. ]

You pose the question, but short of making speeches - interrupted or otherwise - you haven't given an answer. So I return the same question to you; what does freedom mean to you?

video;

[dun_moch]

Hello again, Admiral. I'm afraid I've observed that you have a habit of asking much from others while revealing little about yourself. So I am going to have to insist that you reveal your own perspective on freedom before I offer mine.

text; private

[devoutish]

Welcome back. Let's meet.

- A. S.

[Alfie does it this way on purpose, rather than going with his usual audio or video. This isn't an attempt at a chat - this is business. Cordial enough, but official.]

text; private

[dun_moch]

[Interesting.]

Of course. Name the time and place, and I will be there.

[No signature, not over text.]

video;

[looseleaves]

If freedom is choice... mm, I'm not sure if I could agree with that? I'm sure even in your world there are things you think about a certain way, because that's how you were raised... so your choice isn't really that "free", is it? You're still picking something you think you should, or because you think it's the "right" choice. I guess... to me, I think freedom is more being able to be safe in the life you choose.

But, um, I think you have a point... even with my definition, we might not be very free.

video;

[dun_moch]

[Interesting. Dooku scrutinizes this youth through the video, peering at him with dark eyes while thinking about how long it took for him to break free from the Jedi teachings he had been raised with.]

Our past always informs our present, it is true. But we can choose to reject it if we are strong enough, and create a new path for ourselves.

Safety is of great importance to almost all life-forms, however. Perhaps the real questin should be: what does being safe mean to you?

[ video ]

[nightmarist]

You want freedom from fate?

[Did Lachesis not just demonstrate how impossible that goal would be?]

[ video ]

[dun_moch]

Precisely.

['Impossible' is a word for little people. Not Sith Lords.]

Video

[itcanwait]

I'm scared to be ported out of here, but only because I'm afraid of what I'll see back home?

Freedom means having the potential to do what I want when I want, if I want. It's not having any chains on me. It's definitely choice. I don't think we're entirely free here though. I'm stuck here with no space travel, they gave me an organic form because being myself is such a burden apparently.

Video

[dun_moch]

[Dooku nods, a sympathetic expression on his face.]

It is trying, is it not? Being trapped on a single primitive planet, having your body reshaped and altered beyond your control. Fearing the stroke of return that might fall at any instant... This is no way to live.

Choice. A lack of chains. That is something to work towards, I would think. It is even something to fight for.

[am_i_a_monster]

Freedom is relative. We're never going to have total freedom. I have more freedom here than I did where I'm from.

[dun_moch]

For now, you do. But what if you are Ported out? Or if more miscreants who hate imPorts attack?

Your freedom is relative, but also fragile. I suggest you think carefully about what you are willing to do to defend it.

text;

[aberranthubris]

Is a person ever really free as a part of a society? You can be lucky. But hardly completely free.

What are the acceptable limitations to a person's freedom, though? That is a question that's hard to answer generally. I doubt that many of us imPorts would choose to call ourselves free in this place, however.

text;

[dun_moch]

There are different forms of society Professor, some of which offer more freedom than others. All of them set boundaries for the sake of holding back chaos, that much is necessary. Yet as you have observed, many of us feel the bounds around our lives are too tight. With good reason, in my opinion.