God, Steve misses getting drunk. It does make a lot of things easier - or at least less sharp-edged - to deal with.
He huffs a soft laugh at that, though; "I guess it depends on what we wanted. But maybe not," he has to admit. "I don't really believe that shit about the best defense being a good offense, though."
"Far as I know, it is, yeah," Steve agrees, with a nod.
"Loki was just after power. We were just some backwater planet his army could snatch up easily - or so he thought."
His wry smile says it did not go as planned. Still, lusting after power is about as common as lusting after gold, so. Not much of a leg to stand on there.
"If there's one thing I've learned, people are usually just people. Even when they're from other planets. Or different times."
Steve blows out a breath. "Hard to say. My memory's better than most, but even I lose some of it after a while."
Which isn't helpful, he knows, so he tries for a more concrete answer: "The feelings fade first. After that, it'll be something you remember, but a lot more objectively. Usually just in time for something else to go to shit, but that's the life you had no idea you signed up for around here."
"It's what I gotta do," he tells him. "I ain't here to...save anyone. Not the people here. I don't even know what that looks like. But if that means I figure it out and get what I want, then so be it."
"Well, that's the beauty of the system," Steve says, in a too-flat tone of voice that indicates severe dislike. "It doesn't matter why you came or what you want out of it. You'll either get it or not, but the odds on that will change by the day."
He hears that tone but he is very used to it, so it doesn't really faze him much. "Maybe you're right. But I...came on for what I came on for. And I'll get through whatever I can if it means those people don't end up like me."
He...may be a little too drunk to recall that he hasn't actually told Steve about that.
He has definitely not told Steve about that. But there's maybe enough there, even in the lack of context, for Steve to guess at something. He's been here a long time, after all. He's heard about all kinds of deals.
"I've seen him save entire worlds full of people," he says softly, of the Admiral. "And then I've seen him turn around and leave people he once promised a chance to by the wayside."
But even so, "I hope whatever you need, you get. But you keep in mind that you're not the one who's gotta get through it."
Steve hums, mouth twisting into a frown. "People disappear off the ship as readily as they come aboard. No warning, not because they want to - hell, I disappeared right in the middle of a conversation, once. If an inmate disappears that way, they're dead to the Admiral. You ask for a deal to save them, or even just bring them back for another chance, he won't even agree to it. He can save whole planets of people, but one person that he decides isn't worth it, he won't do it."
Jake frowns. That sort of casual cruelty doesn't really sit right with him, though it wars with the part of him that really doesn't care much for people he isn't invested in.
Steve has to shake his head. "I don't know what it is. Trying to get a straight answer out of him is like trying to get sense out of a drunkard. I just know what I've seen, and I don't like it. If he wanted me to sympathize, he could do to tell me the truth."
But until such time as Steve gets real answers, he's not inclined to feel sorry for the guy.
"All I'm saying is, I had a hard time working for the guy. So I made my choice. I can't make it sit right or wrong with anyone else." He's learned that, to be sure. "But if you can stick around, against whatever sends people away or knocks them loose, then you don't have to worry about getting your deal."
Maybe just about whether it's a deal you need or not, but that's another argument he's stopped trying to have.
Jake laughs at that. "Want you to sympathize. That kinda man don't care about you or any of us. He's probably got somethin' else goin' on. Checkin' off a list."
He doesn't quite have his footing here yet and he's not quite sure when that might happen, or even if it will, but he is starting to figure out a few things here and there about the place. Not all of them are nice things, either.
"You don't seem like much of the inmate type," Jake says. In fact, he's pretty sure that he's probably robbed a guy like Steve before.
Steve makes a noise that's clear agreement; whatever the Admiral wants, he's clearly not all that fussed about his passengers and how they feel about him. As long as none of them rebel, at least. "He's on the run from someone up the chain from him, I know that much. We're just along for the ride."
Of course, the next point makes him huff out a soft laugh. "No? I can cave a guy's face in with one really good punch."
He's pretty sure that's not what Jake's talking about.
He leans across the table slightly. "Yeah? Well, I stole this hat after I shot the guy wearin' it," he tells him. "Coulda been the guy I dragged off the horse, too. Can't really remember."
He rolls his eyes. "Point is, this Admiral doesn't seem to know the difference between the two."
"Sounds like you had a busy day," Steve murmurs, with just a bit of a wry grin.
But, "No. He doesn't, always." He thinks of Bucky, and his fingers curl into a fist on the table, before he realizes it and flexes them again. "But there's a line. If you cross it... it makes things pretty clear."
Which, he realizes, is vague. "Don't kill any inmates. No matter what. Only way it won't get you demoted is if you're not in your right mind, in which case, the advice probably becomes pretty moot."
"Killing's bad business," Steve murmurs. "People still do it here. Even though the victims get back up again after. Not that they have an easy time of it. Even wardens have to death toll."
But that's not the point. "People are still people. They still get angry and violent and people still end up dead."
Killing is not always bad business, but Jake mostly knows when to keep his opinions to himself. "That's how people are. Especially when you got all kinds of different people here."
Steve lets out a quiet laugh. "I meant mostly the death toll, yeah. But a little bit of the other thing, too. Sometimes no one knows. Sometimes their warden just... doesn't do anything about it."
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timeasmymeasure
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-28 05:32 pm (UTC)"Would we leave them alone, if we were in their place?" he grumbles.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-28 06:43 pm (UTC)He huffs a soft laugh at that, though; "I guess it depends on what we wanted. But maybe not," he has to admit. "I don't really believe that shit about the best defense being a good offense, though."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-28 07:39 pm (UTC)He gestures to Steve. "Gold still valuable where you're from?"
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:38 am (UTC)"Loki was just after power. We were just some backwater planet his army could snatch up easily - or so he thought."
His wry smile says it did not go as planned. Still, lusting after power is about as common as lusting after gold, so. Not much of a leg to stand on there.
"If there's one thing I've learned, people are usually just people. Even when they're from other planets. Or different times."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:42 am (UTC)"This breach shit. How long before it goes away?" Because he does not want these feelings anymore, thanks.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:48 am (UTC)Which isn't helpful, he knows, so he tries for a more concrete answer: "The feelings fade first. After that, it'll be something you remember, but a lot more objectively. Usually just in time for something else to go to shit, but that's the life you had no idea you signed up for around here."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:51 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:54 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 02:56 am (UTC)He...may be a little too drunk to recall that he hasn't actually told Steve about that.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 03:01 am (UTC)"I've seen him save entire worlds full of people," he says softly, of the Admiral. "And then I've seen him turn around and leave people he once promised a chance to by the wayside."
But even so, "I hope whatever you need, you get. But you keep in mind that you're not the one who's gotta get through it."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-29 03:03 am (UTC)"What do you mean? Leave 'em by the wayside?"
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 12:06 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 12:18 am (UTC)"You sure it's out of spite? He ain't a god."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 12:25 am (UTC)But until such time as Steve gets real answers, he's not inclined to feel sorry for the guy.
"All I'm saying is, I had a hard time working for the guy. So I made my choice. I can't make it sit right or wrong with anyone else." He's learned that, to be sure. "But if you can stick around, against whatever sends people away or knocks them loose, then you don't have to worry about getting your deal."
Maybe just about whether it's a deal you need or not, but that's another argument he's stopped trying to have.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 12:53 am (UTC)He doesn't quite have his footing here yet and he's not quite sure when that might happen, or even if it will, but he is starting to figure out a few things here and there about the place. Not all of them are nice things, either.
"You don't seem like much of the inmate type," Jake says. In fact, he's pretty sure that he's probably robbed a guy like Steve before.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 03:34 am (UTC)Of course, the next point makes him huff out a soft laugh. "No? I can cave a guy's face in with one really good punch."
He's pretty sure that's not what Jake's talking about.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 03:37 am (UTC)He rolls his eyes. "Point is, this Admiral doesn't seem to know the difference between the two."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 04:04 am (UTC)But, "No. He doesn't, always." He thinks of Bucky, and his fingers curl into a fist on the table, before he realizes it and flexes them again. "But there's a line. If you cross it... it makes things pretty clear."
Which, he realizes, is vague. "Don't kill any inmates. No matter what. Only way it won't get you demoted is if you're not in your right mind, in which case, the advice probably becomes pretty moot."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 04:07 am (UTC)"Killin' inmates seems like bad business," he points out. "What would be the point?" Other than it's wrong, but maybe it isn't? Jake isn't certain.
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 04:15 am (UTC)But that's not the point. "People are still people. They still get angry and violent and people still end up dead."
Re: spam
Date: 2021-01-31 04:18 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-02-01 12:24 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-02-01 12:32 am (UTC)He raises his head. "Unless you mean that the person who did the killin' doesn't get punished?"
Re: spam
Date: 2021-02-01 12:49 am (UTC)Re: spam
Date: 2021-02-01 01:06 am (UTC)"Yeah. And what would you do?"
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