[Video]

[la_belle_rogue]

[Rogue doesn't look happen when she turns on the feed. In fact, she seems grim and pensive. She's sitting at the island in her kitchen, arms folded across the counter top, leaning over them heavily. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before she starts speaking.]

Ah wanna talk about choices for a minute. This place is very unique, in that it offers up an option that should be the hard choice, and makes it look like the easy choice.

Killin' someone should never be considered the right thing to do. Sometimes it's the necessary thing. Sometimes it's the only thing we can do, when faced with an extreme situation. Life or death. Kill or be killed. But the Barge warps that into an easy go to and it shouldn't be. Not every option is life or death, kill or be killed.

Sometimes we find ourselves between rocks and hard places. And in those times our choices are either bad or worse. But just because a choice might not be a good one, doesn't mean that it's not the better one. Just because a choice leaves a mess behind, doesn't mean it's not better than the alternative.

Now before ya'll start in on how death isn't permanent here, let me just say this: Ah. Don't. Care. Wardens are here ta help people get their lives back, and actin' cavalier 'bout takin' someone's life is pretty counter productive ta that, from where Ah'm standin'.

We've got a lot of extraordinary people here, who can do amazin' things, but we have become frighteningly dependent on one lone miracle. We're treatin' death like a time out. Death should be the hardest choice we make, no matter what world we're from, no matter how many reset buttons the Admiral is willin' ta press for us. It never should be treated lightly. Even in a place where it doesn't stick. And we certainly shouldn't get angry at someone when they choose not ta take a life, no matter what mess comes with that choice. Don't ya see how backwards this is? And we've been doin' it for a long time here. Ah imagine a lot longer than Ah've been around, and Ah can honestly say Ah'm ashamed for not payin' attention t'it sooner and speakin' up about it before now.

[She shakes her head, sits back. What else can she say on this?]

That's all Ah've got ta say.

Comments

[to_dust]

No. Even a permanent death is better than what he did.

[surfaceshine]

You keep talking like death is the ultimate price and the shittiest option.

You know it's not, right? Or maybe you don't.

[routemistress]

I've been guilty of it meself. I'm not a killer by nature. I've killed two people I love 'ere and that's not counting me 'aving rabies or being me evil alter ego at the time.

Not ready to say them two times were wrong choices, mind, not this late in the day. But it doesn't 'urt to say it out loud.

[americasdirtiest]

I don't even know what everyone's all worked up about, if the dude's really as bad as it sounds like he is. If it were me with the gun to my head, I'd sure as shit do the same. Boo fuckin' hoo -- psycho acted like a psycho and got zapped in the brain for a minute. At least he's feeling happy.

[codename_duchess]

How about for work? Is it okay then?

[youwill]

Is that all you have to say.

[He's furious. What he portrays now is calm anger, civil and careful. That is the veil. The reality is an anger so deep he has to struggle to keep his heart rate even.]

[deshabille]

Have you considered the possibility that someone might prefer death to indignity?

[video]

[theresalwayshope]

...I'm new here. I don't know if I'm qualified to weigh in on this? But I...died as a result of the breach. Someone killed me, under the influence of that gas on the second level, and someone I love would have been killed if I hadn't stepped in. It was my first time.

...and not knowing what was on the other side...not really, not having died before...it was a very easy decision for me to make. The choice to die.

In my normal life, I'm a hunter. I have to make those choices: to kill or not to kill. I guess I have to make those choices here, too. I do agree that the decision to take a life should never be made lightly...but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be easy.

The man who killed me meant to kill one of my best friends. If I had time? My murderer would be death tolling right now instead of me. And it would have been the easiest thing in the world for me to do.

I can see where the reset button you mentioned might make it easy for some to kill? But...I guess I just wanted to point out that some people here will never take that free pass into consideration. In my case? It's three individuals on this ship I decided to kill for, to die for, long before any of us got here.

If I kill for them? I kill assuming they won't wake up...and when I die to protect them, I do so believing it's the end for me.

And either way, the choice is always easy.

[video]

[notsoneedy]

Do you really think that? About it being the hardest choice?

[Needy doesn't give a damn about what happened to Hannibal, she doesn't have an opinion on it or know any of the people involved. But on killing in general; this she has questions and thoughts.]

[voice]

[hearrrtofgold]

[Duke sits on his response for a long time. Of course they could always debate intricacies and exceptions and each possible manifestation of the situation, but why bother? He sees her point. He's always agreed with that point.

It's just hard to bring himself to say why.]

Where I'm from, families inherit these superpowers called Troubles. They're usually dangerous, deadly, sometimes uncontrollable. Sometimes people use them to harm others, sometimes people can't stop them from harming others. Mine is that... [He hesitates. There's still time to back out of this, but he's gotten this far.] People in my family can kill a Troubled person, and the Trouble stops - forever, for everyone.

My father hunted the Troubled. My grandfather had his doubts, but so did he. So did everyone in my family, for generations. To keep everyone safe, he said. And sometimes they did. Sometimes they saved lives by killing people and ending their Troubles.

I've done it once for those reasons. It's bullshit. It sucks.

There's a woman from Haven, Noel, with a resurrection Trouble. Her sister would murder rich people and have Noel bring them back for cash. Nathan died - got shot - the day they arrested her. He came back, and he couldn't feel any of it. But he still died.

[He pauses pensively. Duke can roll with the punches in any given situation, but Rogue's point can't be ignored.]

My personal experience, observation only? You're right. Death should be a last resort, even if it can be reversed.

[fridgetothefire]

[She considers, solemn, thoughtful.]

I used death to reset myself, once.

During the rabies. I was losing my mind - gradually, by inches, but I could see where I was going. It was a way to stop myself from killing someone else.

I'm grateful that the price for that was as low as it was. But it started a habit of selling myself cheap that ended up hurting people who cared about me.

[mistconduct]

Yeah, dickheads. Stop killing each other.

God, it's like fucking toddlers and tiaras over here.

[godsays]

No. It can be right. It can be clean, and it can save lives.

Even here, where people come back, it can be right.

[punched_hitler]

I think you're absolutely right. And you said it far better than I ever could have hoped to.

Private

[fireincarnate]

[She talked to C'rizz first, and a desperate ache remains in her chest; she hasn't thought about it, what Mastermind did to her. The violation, the corruption - it was easier not to think about.

But she should. She should face it, and deal with it, and maybe she'll be closer to finding peace.

That's not where her smile comes from, though. It's soft and warm and proud.]

You're doing the X-Men proud, Rogue. Charles couldn't have said it better himself.