Chapter 3

[thenine]

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.

Comments

[lotusmesenpai]

Best kind from Leith.

[In other words, what would normally be a week's supply of his favorite kind: spicy orange sesame soba. This holds out, offers the bag to her before stepping into her apartment.

It's automatic, the way his gaze slides over the people holed up inside, recognition flaring once or twice before he turns to look at her, his expression flat.]

I've seen two of their faces on Company wanted boards.

[A beat, to let the warning set in, before he shrugs and nods towards the kitchen. After all, Company targets do not mean Reclamation targets unless an active warrant happens to be involved and this isn't the case, for either.]

Those are best cold, but they're not bad warm either.

[valr]

[Kara takes the bag with a thanks on the tip of her tongue, before Kanda decides to be rude as hell, instead, and she has to hold up a hand to placate the panicked looks that cross her guests' faces.]

He ain't a snitch.

[Or he better not be, if he ever wants to have polite words with Kara again, but that's probably a conversation better left for private. His nod towards the kitchen echoes her own thoughts, so she leads him there, closing the door behind them.

Her guests aren't going to eavesdrop, but - still.]

Was that necessary?

[She's still getting out bowls for them both, setting the soba on the bench, she just has to ask.]

[lotusmesenpai]

At least now they’re a little warier.

[Shrugging at that, he begins pulling containers out of the bag. Two he leaves out and the rest go into the fridge. If she wants to share with her guests, that’s entirely up to her, but he’d brought them for her. As he shuts the door and turns back to face her, however, he does lower his voice a bit more, chin lowering to angle his words for her ears alone.]

Not that it’s any of my business, but I saw a notice board… it looks like the Company plans on sending their Dogs after those two. Old Town isn’t the best place for your friends right now.

[And then he reaches out to open a container, artfully pour the pile of fragrant noodles into the center of the bowl before offering it to her.]

[valr]

[There's a I'm not stupid and neither are they on the tip of her tongue, because they're already wary, they're already planning to move, but what he says about Company Dogs catches her attention, and she frowns.

When the bowl is held out, she takes it, but the gesture is purely automatic.]

That blond thing? Sharp teeth, red eyes?

[So she's met Giovanni.]

[lotusmesenpai]

He's one, though I've heard there are others.

[Shrugging, he starts to add the same to a second bowl for himself, though he does cut her a sidelong glance.]

So you've met that one. Fucking psychotic as he is now - he'll think it fun to tear them apart. If... hm.

[Turning back to finish emptying the container into his bowl, he continues with a slightly exaggerated dismissal, as if it's clearly not any of his business and he doesn't want to know the details, but all the same--]

Looking on Westerley is one thing. I didn't see any contingencies posted for, say, Utopia. Or Eulogy... yet.

[It's a thought muttered out loud, that's all. Doesn't necessarily take him outside of the range of 'neutral' when so far as he's concerned all he's really doing is giving the two sides something closer to an even playing field. ]

[valr]

Putting it nicely.

[Her arm is still a little tender where Giovanni took a chunk out of her, because even her healing baulked at the amount of flesh that needed to be grown back.

And though Utopia and Eulogy are already on the table for considerations, Kara understands what Kanda is trying to do, as well as what it means for him to step slightly outside those bounds of neutral, so she gives a nod to show she understood.]

That thing ain't natural, someone oughta put it down. If that's even possible.

[She watched him cut himself off a sword, she's not entirely sure he could be killed.]

[lotusmesenpai]

Mmm. I captured the bastard during the riots a couple of days ago - caught him trying to rip a woman's throat out with his fucking teeth.

[Shifting to lean hipshot against the counter, he lifts the bowl in salute (and to silently ask for either chop sticks or a fork!), his customary scowl slipping into place once more.]

Shot him point-blank, just shy of a lethal setting, and all it did was knock him out for a few hours.

Anyone else, they'd have been out for days after a hit like that.

[A warning, and a means of potentially at least temporarily neutralizing him, if she ever faces Giovanni again. ]

[valr]

[Kanda you know how draws work (but no, Kara gets out chopsticks for him and a fork for herself, because she's too tired to fuck around with tiny sticks).]

I ain't fucking around with shy of lethal, I see that thing again, or any of it's buddies, it's dead.

[It's not wounded pride or anything, Kara isn't so full of ego that she can't take a hit on occasion, but letting the Company have creatures like that is dangerous, so much worse than just Enforcers. Killing one or two won't make a huge difference, but she can't just let them run around wreaking havoc on innocent people.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[He's not going to go poking around in her drawers until he's been there a few more times, thank you very much.

Still, as he begins to catch some of the noodles, he frowns at her, then down at his bowl.]

...I almost did. Had him in custody, almost pulled the trigger, but. Fuck.

[He pauses, the scowl darkening.]

He's not much different. [From me... maybe you.]

[valr]

[It's probably the only thing that could be said to make her pause, and Kanda is probably the only person she'd hear it from. Her frown softens, not replaced by confusion, necessarily, but she's listening.]

Not gonna say my hands are clean, they sure as shit fucking ain't, but I don't relish it.

[Not the way Giovanni seemed to.]

[lotusmesenpai]

I don't think he does, either. At least, not when he's not bat-shit berserk.

[Frowning at that, he shakes his head as if to negate his own words - because while it's the right direction, it's still not quite right. ]

Or rather, I think his conditioning is too deep. He wasn't just broken, he was disassembled and partially pieced back together. Sick fuckers.

[Another scowl as he lifts noodles to his mouth, then taps her bowl with the tip of his chop sticks to remind her to try it.]

[valr]

Shit.

[The word is quiet, almost something sad in there as the reality of it sinks in, Kanda's words striking a chord. He's a weapon, not a monster.

It's only the tap of his chopsticks against her bowl that makes her eat, though she's a little grateful for the time it buys her to put her thoughts together. The noodles are good, but she's kind of zoned out.]

You know how many there are?

[lotusmesenpai]

Like him? No fucking clue.

[Shaking his head, he just shrugs, chopsticks idly poking at his own bowl.] But if I had to guess... probably more failures than successes. If he's any indication. Afterwards... hm.

[He pauses long enough to take a bite himself, to gather his thoughts on what it had been like after Giovanni had awakened in his holding cell. ]

[valr]

[Her instinct is to consider breaking Giovanni away from the Company, but if he's been raised like a weapon, like an animal, then without any structure he's probably more dangerous.]

Afterwards?

[She's curious.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[Shaking his head, Kanda sighs and lowers the bowl down a bit, frowns up at her.]

He was like a lost kid or a kicked dog. Or both. He was just... eerily subdued. He just wanted to be returned to his 'master'.

[valr]

Fuck.

[Kara is lucky in this, she realises, that none of the things done to her where mental. They didn't want to break her or control, because they already thought they had her full loyalty.

Stupid mistake, on their part, but at least it means she's kept herself. She thinks about what it would take to make someone so violent but so easily contained, and it makes her feel sick.]

There's no fixing that, is there?

[Kara's no psychologist, but whatever they've done to Giovanni, it must run very deep.]