Oh, I see! In brief, I am attempting to determine whether or not resurrection on the Serena Eterna causes detectable physiological change in those subjected to the process.
Forgive me for asking, but you are aware that deaths occurring aboard this ship are very often impermanent?
There have been a few recoded instances when people have died and not returned. It happens rarely, but remains a reminder that resurrection is not automatic. Besides, the Captain is flighty enough that believe him fully capable of stopping the practice someday, if he had a mind to.
Largely, yes. I have also collected samples from people who died immediately before their arrival aboard the Serena Eterna, and a few from those who have not experienced death at all, as a control.
Has anyone investigated the permanent deaths, to see if there's a variable differentiating them from the impermanent ones? It could all be the random whims of the captain, but I wouldn't want to rule out other possibilities automatically. I also don't want to step on any toes, or repeat work that has already been done.
[She's not a scientist, but her early education was very thorough, and science was a priority, so she knows a few things. This is of particular interest to her, too, even if not for the most savory of reasons.]
I'm fully in support of your efforts, but my contribution would be likely to muddy the data. I'm human, but my genetics are unusual.
No immediate pattern has presented itself, though I confess that I have not done a close study. If you wish to take on such a project, I would be very interested in hearing what you find!
Some additional context to consider: when people disappear, through death or otherwise, their souls become part of the ship. They remain as the ‘staff’ who clean up messes and serve meals, and they act as fuel for the Captain’s power. At least, that is what he tells us. While I am not inclined to believe our captor unconditionally, other evidence suggests that this may be true.
But back to more pleasant matters: I assure you, Lieutenant, you would not muddle my data in the least. Many of us have unusual genetics, myself included! Naturally, though, participation is entirely up to you. I would be happy to update you on my progress, whether or not you serve as a subject.
[There's a long delay before her response, because she doesn't want to antagonise him, but she also doesn't see how anyone can calmly accept what he seems to have.
She should ask for the evidence. She's spent weeks telling anyone who would listen that she won't believe things without evidence. Yet she can't bring herself to type the words. It's primal self-preservation, really. If Arilanna Tayrey truly believed that she'd die and instead of going off to the oblivion of the black, she'd be forced into the slavery of menial work on this ship while being drained like a power cell? Torture, infinitely, as she'd put it to Nobunaga? She'd fall into a deep dark pit that there might not be any getting out of.]
I'll certainly consider the matter. Do you know if anyone has kept a record of deaths here, and their causes?
I think it would be a mistake to believe anything told to us by our captor, especially given his ability to shape this reality and place what he likes in front of us. It's very much in his interest to keep us afraid and in despair, and I doubt he'd have ethical qualms about it.
I can provide you with a sample. The genetic modifications are proprietary, but that's likely not relevant given what you are testing and the technological level of this ship. My only concern is for privacy - that my data should be anonymous, and that the sample itself should be kept somewhere safe, so that only you have access.
Not that I know of. The nature of resurrection aboard the ship makes it a rather difficult prospect: a person could easily die and wake up a few hours earlier without anyone realizing that something had happened. Any study would only capture volunteers; that said, I certainly think even imperfect data would be worth it.
I agree with you entirely about the Captain. When it comes to the ship’s ghosts, though, we have proof that they are all former passengers. So in that instance, at least, he has been truthful.
Understood. [And Palamedes does, indeed, understand, even if he does not entirely like it. The Houses are known for keeping secrets from one another, and that certainly includes genetic research.] I will anonymize the sample to the best of my ability and will only run the tests necessary to gather the information I need.
[Some people on the Serena Eterna say that that is the fate awaiting all of them, but Palamedes refuses to believe it, and he isn't about to entertain the notion now.]
[Well, at least that will make things slightly easier to explain.]
Then you know something about the possessions, I gather. From what I have been able to glean, every ghost had some familiarity with the Serena Eterna. They had been brought here by the Captain, and they have been trapped here ever since—some for decades, even centuries.
Despite what they did to the ship, and to many of the passengers, they are to be pitied as well as feared. They are victims, as much as we are.
That might be the most awful thing I've ever heard. Trapped here for centuries?!
Is there a possibility that they were created by the captain, recently, and he simply wants us to believe these things about them, and so programmed them to say what they did?
That's a terribly good question, and I will not deny that anything is possible. But the Captain has shown no sign that he is interested in such a complex ruse--he may not even be capable of it. He is a powerful and ancient entity, but he has the motivations and temperaments of a lazy child. Time and time again he creates elaborate stage sets and forces us to play deadly games, but he has never shown any interest in the complex psychological manipulations required to even come up with a plan like that. Call it a gruesome corollary to Occam's razor: the Captain will also seek the least complex method he can to torture us.
You have my full agreement there. That is one of the goals of my study, in fact--I hope that by understanding something of our deaths and resurrections, we can begin to wrest control of our lives and deaths without him ever knowing.
Then I'll help however I can. I want to get home; I've made no secret of that, but until that time anything we can do to take some control over this situation will be to our advantage.
I have a slate computer with me. I can't pull anything off of datanet, obviously, but if you need computing power for complex calculations, I'd be happy to lend it.
That is my ultimate goal as well; it is my hope that gaining a deeper understanding of our situation will help us discover a way to escape this reality and return home.
Excellent! You are extraordinarily useful, Lieutenant. I’m grateful to have your assistance.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Oh, I see! In brief, I am attempting to determine whether or not resurrection on the Serena Eterna causes detectable physiological change in those subjected to the process.
Forgive me for asking, but you are aware that deaths occurring aboard this ship are very often impermanent?
PS
no subject
I was under the impression that deaths here are always impermanent. Is that not the case?
I take it that the samples are from the - lately deceased, then?
- Tayrey
no subject
Largely, yes. I have also collected samples from people who died immediately before their arrival aboard the Serena Eterna, and a few from those who have not experienced death at all, as a control.
Are you interested in contributing?
PS
no subject
[She's not a scientist, but her early education was very thorough, and science was a priority, so she knows a few things. This is of particular interest to her, too, even if not for the most savory of reasons.]
I'm fully in support of your efforts, but my contribution would be likely to muddy the data. I'm human, but my genetics are unusual.
no subject
Some additional context to consider: when people disappear, through death or otherwise, their souls become part of the ship. They remain as the ‘staff’ who clean up messes and serve meals, and they act as fuel for the Captain’s power. At least, that is what he tells us. While I am not inclined to believe our captor unconditionally, other evidence suggests that this may be true.
But back to more pleasant matters: I assure you, Lieutenant, you would not muddle my data in the least. Many of us have unusual genetics, myself included! Naturally, though, participation is entirely up to you. I would be happy to update you on my progress, whether or not you serve as a subject.
PS
no subject
She should ask for the evidence. She's spent weeks telling anyone who would listen that she won't believe things without evidence. Yet she can't bring herself to type the words. It's primal self-preservation, really. If Arilanna Tayrey truly believed that she'd die and instead of going off to the oblivion of the black, she'd be forced into the slavery of menial work on this ship while being drained like a power cell? Torture, infinitely, as she'd put it to Nobunaga? She'd fall into a deep dark pit that there might not be any getting out of.]
I'll certainly consider the matter. Do you know if anyone has kept a record of deaths here, and their causes?
I think it would be a mistake to believe anything told to us by our captor, especially given his ability to shape this reality and place what he likes in front of us. It's very much in his interest to keep us afraid and in despair, and I doubt he'd have ethical qualms about it.
I can provide you with a sample. The genetic modifications are proprietary, but that's likely not relevant given what you are testing and the technological level of this ship. My only concern is for privacy - that my data should be anonymous, and that the sample itself should be kept somewhere safe, so that only you have access.
no subject
I agree with you entirely about the Captain. When it comes to the ship’s ghosts, though, we have proof that they are all former passengers. So in that instance, at least, he has been truthful.
Understood. [And Palamedes does, indeed, understand, even if he does not entirely like it. The Houses are known for keeping secrets from one another, and that certainly includes genetic research.] I will anonymize the sample to the best of my ability and will only run the tests necessary to gather the information I need.
1/2
2/2
Evidence that all ghosts are former prisoners. Not that all prisoners become ghosts. Correct?
[She hits send before she can chicken out.]
Re: 2/2
[Some people on the Serena Eterna say that that is the fate awaiting all of them, but Palamedes refuses to believe it, and he isn't about to entertain the notion now.]
When did you arrive aboard, Lieutenant?
no subject
no subject
Then you know something about the possessions, I gather. From what I have been able to glean, every ghost had some familiarity with the Serena Eterna. They had been brought here by the Captain, and they have been trapped here ever since—some for decades, even centuries.
Despite what they did to the ship, and to many of the passengers, they are to be pitied as well as feared. They are victims, as much as we are.
no subject
Is there a possibility that they were created by the captain, recently, and he simply wants us to believe these things about them, and so programmed them to say what they did?
no subject
[There is a pause before his next reply.]
That's a terribly good question, and I will not deny that anything is possible. But the Captain has shown no sign that he is interested in such a complex ruse--he may not even be capable of it. He is a powerful and ancient entity, but he has the motivations and temperaments of a lazy child. Time and time again he creates elaborate stage sets and forces us to play deadly games, but he has never shown any interest in the complex psychological manipulations required to even come up with a plan like that. Call it a gruesome corollary to Occam's razor: the Captain will also seek the least complex method he can to torture us.
no subject
Or at least there should be a way to prevent ourselves from sharing that horrible fate./span>
no subject
no subject
I have a slate computer with me. I can't pull anything off of datanet, obviously, but if you need computing power for complex calculations, I'd be happy to lend it.
no subject
Excellent! You are extraordinarily useful, Lieutenant. I’m grateful to have your assistance.