thenine: (Default)
The Nine ([personal profile] thenine) wrote in [community profile] overjoyed_logs2017-02-11 04:11 pm

Chapter 3

Who: OTA
Where: Quad
When: Week IV, Day VII - Week VI, Day VI
Summary: Chapter 3 prompts!
Restrictions/Warnings: Violence, blood, et cetera. For anything surpassing 'R' on a rating scale, please create your own log.
Notes: Please title your subject line in the following format -- Open / Closed | Date. OOC event information can be found here. Calendar information/dates can be found here.

Quick Navigation
The Nine
The Company
Westies
True Leithians
Leith
Resistance
The RAC

The Nine: Promises Unmade



Using the increase in unrest, as so many opportunists do, those within the Nine who seek to pursue their own agendas - whether that be family prestige, personal gain, or systematic upheaval - will find bountiful footholds to secure their positions. Land Kendry continues to assert itself as a leader in these troubling times, with Land Derrish falling in tow. Their first target, Land Hyponia, is shaken, careful not to make any mistakes that could crumble the already cracked mortar holding them together with the nobility.

Aggressive though Land Derrish may have been, their sights have moved elsewhere, now focusing on driving forward oppressive legislation to replace the Seventh Generation Accords, rather than further eroding the power of Land Hyponia. Kendry is looking to control a functioning oligarchy, not cause a war over the territory that would be up for grabs should Land Hyponia fall.

With the announcement of the Seventh Generation accords confirming already widespread rumors, those within the Nine are careful to place blame for the decision on the activities of the Resistance. For many, this is a believable conclusion, as the attacks by the True Leithans shook society at its core on both Westerley and Leith. Being a radical group, their intentions have been conflated with those of the Resistance in the eyes of many. Discourse on the subject isn't uncommon, but any within the Nine who seek a different target of blame best do so quietly, as dissent from within could quickly have one labeled a sympathizer of the unjust cause of the Resistance.

On the surface a harmless placating measure taken by the Nine, the new PDDs being distributed through the Quad are touted as the pinnacle of communication technology. While some higher ranking Company officials and members of the nobility may already have access to quick and reliable network connection, these capabilities are now universal with the installation of the Meshwork.

The Meshwork will enable all characters to interact in real time via text, video, or voice, but it isn't without side effects. For some reason, characters who frequently use their PDDs or who are in areas of heavily concentrated network use may suffer from headaches, nosebleeds, blurred vision, and/or dizziness, with more severe side effects including temporary blindness, loss of balance, short-term memory loss, and hallucinations. Connection of these symptoms to the PDDs is not the most common diagnosis, as many think the afflictions are a result of the aftershocks of P43X.



The Company: Balancing Act



With clean up from the P43X attack not yet completed, all Company officials should expect to have no singular responsibility, and little time for sleep, as they find the expectations levied upon them to only grow. Frayed nerves can create a hostile working environment, though anyone could be on the receiving end of any outbursts.

The streets have returned from their throes of death with new life, but the city's usual clamor is being overtaken by the roar of protest. Some are peaceful demonstrations; some are violent riots, every display a reaction to the repeal of the Seventh Generation Accords.

…At least, that’s what it says on paper, the docket that many Company officials receive outlining simple but brutal crowd control and suppression tasks. Whether a bar has been taken over as a hub of dissent, a street corner filled with unmoving protestors, or a Company affiliated storehouse raided, there's plenty to do for those tasked with keeping the peace. You may simply wish to make arrests, or you may welcome the chance to get your hands dirty - the law is on your side, and all voices daring to oppose the order of things need silenced.

Those who don't take to the streets will likely find themselves on border control duty, checking the identification and supply dossiers of all incoming and outgoing ships. No one gets in, or out, without the proper clearance. Ship-wide searches have become standard practice, producing storerooms overflowing with contraband. Some may welcome the chance for banal organization, while others may take some 'bonus compensation' for themselves. With the tightening of rules comes the increase of bribery, and Company officials looking to line their pockets will find their opportunities in surplus.

Get caught, however, and there's no second-chances. Although the Company audits have concluded, tensions only grow, and anyone found helping those with diverging agendas will be punished swiftly, cast in with the rest of the dissenters.



Westies: Tidal Force



Bereavement weighs heavy in the wake of the P43X attack on Westerley. Burdened by being both the last location of infection and the last to receive medicinal aid, Westies are entrenched in the solemn task of burying their fallen while the merciless machine of the economy marches on. Whether it’s the result of a lost loved one or the continued illness of primary caretakers, the end result is the same: families all across Old Town struggle to feed their children and make ends meet. It’s always been a guiding principle of Westerley—if you can’t work, you can’t eat—but with so many who can do neither, the situation in Old Town begins to grow dire.

But there’s hope, albeit in the form of a double-edged blade: with the newly distributed PDDs and Meshwork installation, nonprofit organizations are able to conduct themselves on a wider scale, drawing in more donors from outside of Westerley. While their efforts are ultimately but a drop in the ocean, the renewed spirit of community and altruism provides relief—as well as nourishment—for many who might very well die without it.

That same tool which allows the people to come together is also used to rend it; rumors begin to circulate through encrypted bulletins about the emergency meeting held on (Week IV, Day VII). Some of the rumors are wild speculation and fanciful daydreams, but in the mire of them, a grain of truth slips through.

The Accords have fallen, they say. Be ready.

Most people disregard the rumors, writing them off as the idle machinations of conspiracy theorists. They cling to their hope that soon their children will walk a planet that is bountiful in food and sunshine, that the land promised on Leith will deliver them from the hell they current endure.

It’s those people who shout the loudest when the official announcement confirms the rumor. The Accords have been repealed. (Week V, Day III)

At first, protestors gather in small, grumbling groups, little more than angry drunks. But as more and more people take to the Meshwork, the wrath of the few awakens the desperation of the many, and over the course of the night, the peaceful protest swells into an unruly riot. Workers strike, but without any legal protection, they swiftly find themselves rebuked by unemployment. Now with nothing to lose and everything to gain, the riots expand, filling the streets of Old Town with anger and tension. Company personnel become popular targets, and within the next day, all travel permits to and from Westerley are temporarily revoked. The moon closes its docks in an attempt to smother the flames of the rebellion.

What starts as a movement for change shifts into a violent cataclysm, homes and businesses burned down, families torn apart by dissent within and outside of themselves. The Company seems content to let Old Town destroy itself, to let them “get it out of their system”, but all too soon that stance changes as well. With the death of a distant cousin of the Derrish, Company orders shift. Lethal force is authorized, and all too eagerly, used.

Once the death toll begins to climb, the protests decline. The riots soften, though they do not disappear outright. Company and Westie optimists take to podiums in a desperate attempt to bid their fellow compatriots once more into peace.

But something else awakens in the fires of those riots. Something far more dangerous than the chaos of anger: something controlled, methodical.

They call themselves Hyperion, and they are the new faces of the Resistance.




True Leithians: Rested Laurels



For this faction, the time to scatter is nigh. Their work is complete: the Accords are no more, and the militant leaders order the reintegration of their soldiers into civilian life. Leith’s rightful owners retain the precious land that was once threatened, and although their methods were extreme, they are justified by the end result.

But while the True Leithians see this as only a rested pause in their work, their benefactors—those who provided the resource and information that allowed their wicked deeds to see fruition—see this time as the closing of a chapter. Loose ends that might later lead to Qreshi officials or even potentially the Nine themselves are dealt with severely and harshly, albeit quietly. Several prominent figures of Leith’s highest echelon of society simply disappear, and curiously, those around them don’t seem to remember that they were ever there in the first place.

Their benefactors are not the only group that would see the True Leithians burn. Among the first wave of missions delegated beneath the Resistance is the assassination of known True Leithian sympathizers. Unlike the Company, the members of Hyperion are ordered to perform their tasks loudly, to send a message written in the blood of the True Leithians.

The citizens of Westerley will no longer be the gutless pawns of the Quad. They will strike back, and they will uncover the source of the True Leithian’s funding and information.

If the True Leithians thought themselves ruthless, they’ll soon learn a new measure of savagery when Hyperion converges on their trail.



Leith: Olive Branch



The atmosphere of Leith is one of both hope and mourning. Recovery on Leith proceeds more efficiently than that on Westerley, their infrastructure and resources better able to accommodate those that were felled in the P43X attack. But although agency has the streets of Leith cleaner and the surfaces shining, the spirit of the moon itself suffers a devastating blow in the wake of the attack, the people of Leith unprepared and unseasoned to deal with the psychological ramifications of so much death.

But they are not yet hardened by the experience, drawing together in the spirit of cooperation to restore not just the physical aspects of their homes, but the mental fortitude of their people. Charity drives and galas proceed in extravagant fashion, as if by the display of their assets they might rebel against the somber circumstances on which they’re hosted.

For most on Leith, the fall of the Accords arrives as welcomed news, the citizens of the moon long since opposed to sharing their land with those of Westerley. But although the sense of satisfaction with the ends is high, there’s also an undercurrent of regret for the means which provided it. Unlike the True Leithians, most of the citizens of Leith are not radical or extreme, and they offer their sympathies—but only their sympathies—to those Westies in their midst.

News of the riots results in tighter security around the Westies still stationed on the moon, and for the days that the violent storm on Westerley builds, Leith in turn becomes markedly quieter and more conscientious. Moderates come together over the Meshwork and propose a Peace Summit, a meeting of both delegation and charity, once the riots and dangers of traveling have passed.

The summit is sanctioned by Leithian officials, as well as the allocation of surplus resources to aid their sister moon in her recovery. While many citizens of Leith eagerly await the news of lands once lost to their families for the Accords, many more donate their time and hands as part of the newly created Good Will Corps, a coalition of both political pundits and regular people devoted to strengthening the connection between the moons rather than sowing division.

Volunteers—and some individuals who are voluntold, join the Good Will Corps on a trip to Old Town where the Peace Summit is scheduled (Week VI, Day III), lending their time, their labor, and their technology as a gesture of good faith.

But whether or not that’s sufficient to see the Peace Summit garner any steps towards system stability is another matter altogether.


Resistance: Sacred Grove



The people of the Quad barely have time to remove the packaging from their new PDDs before a new voice of dissent begins to worm its way down the feed. Encrypted messages, quick flashes of imagery begin appearing at random on open networks and closed channels alike, pitting the harsh realities of the suffering, suffocating Westerley against the excess and decadence on display by both Leithians and the Nine, showcasing the disparity in the starkest of lights.

All of it aimed at one purpose, to spread one solemn truth: the branches of the Mother Tree are burning… and the Nine seem to be holding the matches.

The name whispered, the one goading dissent, echoes through the Quad - Hyperion - followed slowly with the murmur of hope. Of an intellect so profound that not even the Nine themselves will be able to stop it.

With an artful ease, this new force begins to reach out, to commandeer the discordant efforts of the Resistance and reforge it into something stronger, faster. Deadlier.

It starts with a select few receiving instructions directing them to safe houses already stocked with equipment and supplies, each with tech tailored to that cell's purpose and loaded with dossiers far too complete to have been compiled by the average citizen.

Some of the background information appears to come directly from the records of the Company, or the Nine themselves, while still more from planets outside the Quad.

Some even hint at records long since sealed by the RAC.

Nothing points to one faction over another. Nothing reveals the how or why this Hyperion has decided to play these particular cards now, but one thing is quite clear. There's a deep laid plan being set into motion, and neither the Company or the Nine will see it coming.

All these leaders have to do is gather their forces...



The RAC: New Grade



The citizens of the Quad were not the only ones affected by the P43X - the upper ranks of the RAC's field agents is notably thinner - and with tensions shifting yet again between the moons, they cannot afford to be ill-prepared and understaffed. In order to bolster their ranks, the decision comes down the pipe of a new assessment system:

Peer Evaluations.

Many of those that have been in their current ranks - those between Levels I - III - will be eligible to receive a two-part assessment of their capabilities to operate efficiently at the next level through successful completion of live warrants. These field evaluations can be conducted by any Level IV agent and turned into Central Command for compilation and rank change approval.

Unlike the lower level agents, Level IV assessments will still be conducted by RAC's Central Command, once all of the subordinate assessments have been completed and processed. These agents should take note - part of their own evaluations for Level V will be the efficiency with which they're able to evaluate those below them.

During this time, warrants will still flow in and agents sent to answer - especially once the travel bans go into effect on Westerley, as those agents alone bearing active warrants will be able to enter and leave the atmosphere, though their docking point will be limited to the Prisoner Intake facilities.


ofobedience: please do not take (1987374 (11))

[personal profile] ofobedience 2017-03-08 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[His smile, it's slyly amused.]

Some of them are all right.

[Just...not many...]
eggplanting: (glory and gore go hand in hand)

[personal profile] eggplanting 2017-03-08 12:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll believe that when I see it. Which I won't, 'cause it's fake.

[Now she's just playing it up to be ridiculous.]
ofobedience: please do not take (pic#11048276)

[personal profile] ofobedience 2017-03-08 12:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[He sees that. He does, but--]

I'll introduce you to Mr Visconti sometime. He has a strange way of seeing things. A little like you.

[You know, subscribes to the radical notion that Giovanni is a person rather than a thing.]
slotted: (ɪғ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ)

[personal profile] slotted 2017-03-08 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ look, he can't help but develop a strange sense of humour! he sets the tray he was holding down on the table, though, as he lifts his arms up in surrender. ]

I'm innocent, though.

[ of course he did nothing! ]

oneirism: (I've got nothing clever around you)

[personal profile] oneirism 2017-03-08 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[Considering the pollution in Old Town? Wearing a mask is the best option anyway, even without Badlands toxin seeping in.]

Every few months, and it only lasts for a couple of hours. So not too often, luckily. [It's kinda hard to be positive about the "yeah we have acid death rain like six times a year, no biggie" thing. Which is why she then sighs softly, shifting to lean back in her seat now.]

We're warned in advance when it's approaching, at least. So it's not like "surprise, here's some death from above".
rhygret: (little sullen I guess)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
I...I don't know. [ Rhys is honest about that as he accepts the offered drink with a faint nod of thanks. But that's about all he manages before his gaze turns downward into the clear fluid swirling about in his glass, brows knitted together with regret.

The scans themselves might prove to be useful, but he's not sure he would feel getting them is worth what happened to Lavi. He wouldn't want anyone he cares about to get hurt for something like this, something so small and...mundane. It's just scan data. It isn't vital top-secret information or even particularly useful to your average person.

It it were someone he didn't know, some Westie or faceless Company lackey...he might've answered yes without hesitation. ]


It wasn't supposed to go like this. No one should've been out there.
rhygret: (Default)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ He really does... Rhys needs to stop collecting them and switch to stamps or something. Anything else really.

But the lean gets a slight squint from Rhys as he draws up, shifting his weight on his elbows a little. ]


...I've had a few bites. Why do you ask?
rhygret: (guess so?)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
They're all supporting the weight, technically? It's just that some are looser and easier to move than others.

[ He's from a game where physics are sometimes optional okay SCIENCE ISN'T IMPORTANT. ]
rhygret: (just listen to this guy)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ Leo u gotta walk the walk and talk the talk not walk like ur a suspect. ]

Right, totally.

[ he's still letting everyone else get to their drinks before he touches his though, just in case. ]
rhygret: (Default)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, well that's...I mean, that's good at least? It'd be way more of a problem if it did that. [ That's actually a rather terrifying thought and Rhys is, yet again, immensely grateful that he doesn't live or own property on this moon of waste and death. ]

What do you guys do about water after that though? Doesn't get get...into stuff?
rhygret: (affectionate and bruised so monday)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-09 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well...technically she isn't wrong in her assumption. He doesn't get a lot of kisses from people.

Unless you count Vaughn sometimes, but when you cosider that Vaughn was his only positive emotional influence growing up....yeah. It's. Yeah. It's fine, he can buy all the emotional dependency counselling he needs at anytime. ]


Hmph. I wouldn't...expect anything else, honestly. [ And he both says and means that with incredible fondness. ]
eusford: (pic#11113075)

[personal profile] eusford 2017-03-09 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Well I'm certainly not a God, but I wouldn't say that I'm that bad.

[ So did she? Did she not? She can decide that for herself. ]

I'm not a very trusting person, but I'm sure soon enough I won't care whether or not it truly is your name.
eusford: (pic#11113064)

[personal profile] eusford 2017-03-09 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ At least he's aware... even if it still makes him stupid. ]

If you say so. Actually do well and I'll even consider throwing a congratulations party for you.
slotted: (ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ)

[personal profile] slotted 2017-03-09 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ he was born this way! ]

Do whatever you like. [ leo shouldn't be caring, really. he just can't help but act a bit defensive this time around. ] And if you enjoy the drink, just ask for more.
shikomizue: (pic#10459360)

[personal profile] shikomizue 2017-03-09 07:45 am (UTC)(link)
No one... but you? [The implication that if Rhys had cause to venture into the badlands, he shouldn't expect to be the only with such purpose. A momentary cruelty, subtle and not reinforced - Takasugi drinks silently before continuing.]

Your companion was in good spirits when I spoke with him. [He changes the subject, levying a heavy glance to the untouched alcohol in Rhys's hand.

A loss of appetite is a common symptom of regret - most men saved from the brink of death wanted to bring themselves right back to it in celebration. He's surprised, in small measure, that the spineless man can manage such depth of emotion.]
shikomizue: (pic#9306703)

[personal profile] shikomizue 2017-03-09 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, who knows, maybe those tickets will be worth something someday.

Everyone thinks their efforts will pay off, that they'll 'make it' in the end, an affliction Rhys is clearly grappling with now.

Takasugi isn't merciful enough to try and spare him of it.]
Because I'm interested. [Stating the obvious-] I'm eager to see how far such a bold idea gets.

[He orders a drink - but only one - shifting to settle into a seat.]
rhygret: (hey there hot stuff)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-10 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
You do that and I'll know something is wrong with you.

[ Crowley is like, the worst friend ever. He doesn't do nice things for him!! If he's throwing parties he either wants something or he's become an alien body snatcher. ]
eusford: (pic#11057442)

[personal profile] eusford 2017-03-10 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Please, I'm nothing close to evil so you can at least give me some credit. I'm already doing something quite generous by helping you, aren't I?

Besides... I think the maids need some more social interaction. [ So this isn't all for Rhys... fucking asshole. ]
sunderings: (doubtful of mind)

[personal profile] sunderings 2017-03-10 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
… I do not know.

[ Well, the answer is candid.

A difficult thing to ascertain, what chemical might have saturated the cloth. Something too potent, perhaps boasting a potential to be lethal, if otherwise administered by way of either syringe or dart. But what might require so gentle a touch? Is it the paralytic compound which Saber would be none too pleased to encounter? If it were some manner of neuromuscular-blocking agent, then surely he would have experienced involuntary muscle contraction—

(Like the way his arm jerks, the dress box and accompany bag falling to the ground, then slackens.)

—by now, but even if such is the case, the drug wouldn't effect him in its full capacity. Or rather, it would not effect him as it would a civilian, like the shop-owner who turns to fetch something in the blink of an eye, her skirts whispering about her feet as the remainder of the employees gesture in urgency toward the back-door.

(And there is a sound, from afar, a breaking in and splintering of wood which reverberates through the entirety of the store.) ]


To protect those present, we should hold our ground. [ The words can't come out fast enough, nor can Sion seem to move quickly enough to take hold of his PDD with the intention of calling upon his team of subordinates for back-up. ] I will give summons to the team of Enforcers stationed at the docks--

[ There is a sound (the cocking of a firearm) but it is from an unlikely (?!) source:

"Yᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜɪs ᴇsᴛᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ Lᴀᴅʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀᴛʏ?"

A-ah... So the shop-owner has triumphantly returned, living up to every Leithian stereotype (and in a way which might have made the Director blush, were it any other day).

"Yᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴋɪᴅs sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀᴇ."

(What.) ]

mayora13: (pic#9068582)

[personal profile] mayora13 2017-03-10 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[The jug of water hits the floor with a characteristic 'flub' before exploding absolutely everywhere.

Luckily, there is a wall of line between Hijikata and the spray, but many a pantleg are now soaked.]
That's right! [He turns back to the clerk, hitting their water bottle off of their desk - unity of theme is important? - and taking it upon himself to call up the next person in line.

With caution, the individual approaches, but the second their paperwork touches the desk Hijikata shoves them aside-]
Alright, you're done. Next! [Let him show you how efficiency works.]
rhygret: (SWOL....len)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-10 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's okay, so is Rhys: ]

Yeah, they probably need time away from you. I mean I'd definitely go crazy if I had to see you every day.
rhygret: (Default)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-10 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Rhys doesn't mind. People actually buying drinks for him is still a strange phenomenon since he's normally the one paying for everything when he hangs out with people. That, and he doesn't really feel like drinking right now, instead regarding Takasugi with a blink. ]

...Yeah? You want to help out? Because honestly we could really use it right now. [ Rhys isn't going to pretend like he doesn't; right now support and people getting involved is something he needs a lot. Being coy isn't going to help him here. ]
mayora13: (pic#9135750)

shes so cute

[personal profile] mayora13 2017-03-10 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
[As the question leaves her mouth Hijikata is already flicking his screen off, lowering the device with narrowed eyes. He doesn't like the new addition to their kit - it's too much tech to lug around, in his opinion. But the need is understandable, even if the method for fulfilling it is annoying.

Or distracting.

He scoffs.]
No, I'm not - it's not a toy. [Okay it's kind of a toy but they're on the clock-] That's right. I'll take care of any paper work, so you're free when the shift ends in three hours. [Technically, some of the reports fell to her, but he'll always be first to take on extra, especially when his partner is a tired woman with cute bear socks.]
rhygret: (that's a big hole)

[personal profile] rhygret 2017-03-10 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
He was--? [ Rhys drops the other subject entirely in favour of sitting up straighter when he hears this, latching it onto like a man water amidst a desert. It's the first real good news he's heard (aside from the...whole being rescued thing) in regard to Lavi, and his expression is leagues less guilt-laden than just a moment prior. ]

He's awake now?? Is he okay?

[ Rhys may not be a great person or even all that great of a friend sometimes, but when he cares about you...he cares. A lot. And he worries, and does all the sorts of things normal, non-awful people do. ]
Edited 2017-03-10 03:06 (UTC)
lacuscular: <user name=sasscons> (Default)

[personal profile] lacuscular 2017-03-10 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
That's the problem!! You notice things just fine!

[ She needs someone who doesn't even bother to look her in the eyes! To completely dismiss her! ]

Juvia wants the opposite of that!