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

[oneirism]

[Lapis was about to nod in agreement, only to then freeze when he has a coughing fit - stepping closer to see if he's okay, before freezing when she sees that mark.

She can see why she has his hair down now, and her brows furrow as she lets her hand rest on his back. Patting gently to help him ride out the rest of the coughing fit.]

What's that mark, Julius?

[tousei]

[ Ah, he's busted.

There's a bit of silence before he replies, voice fainter than before. ]

I don't know.

[ Well, he does, but he doesn't know how to summarize it so succinctly. ]

Please don't touch it... I don't know if it'll do anything.

[oneirism]

[So very busted.

Her brows simply furrow at his response, listening to him quietly for a moment. Not saying anything in response yet, instead gently using the hand on his back to nudge him towards a seat - her voice softer than usual.]

Sit down, Julius. Drink your tea, too.

[And once she sits, she'll sit down next to him. Part of her wants to press about what's wrong, but she holds back this time - if he wants to say something, she'll know he'll say it.]

[tousei]

[ It's a good thing that she's so patient with him - without much expectation for immediate responses, he's able to do what she asks him to without much mishap.

How best to explain? She probably already knows from what Sion would have told her - that he felt he did not have much time left. What else does he say?

The silence is filled by him stirring his tea. ]

I'm sorry. [ And, after a pause: ] I don't know what will happen to me.

[ The marks, his body failing, all of it. ]

[oneirism]

[It's something Sion did certainly share with her - of course it was distressing to hear, and she wants to just argue and insist that there's no way he's running out of time. But acting like that towards Julius won't help at all.

But she doesn't want to lose him either. Her hands tighten around her cup, head ducked down as she listens to him stir the tea. She's quiet for a moment, then she shakes her head.]

Don't apologize... [Her mind drifts back to their previous conversations, gold eyes then flicking to glance up at him.]

Is this part of that transformation you told me about? [Or is it something different from that? Her fingers only tighten around her mug once more, anger spiking towards those that have done this to him - so she quickly ducks her head down once more, taking a deep breath to calm herself.]

[tousei]

[ It won't help, especially since he's already made peace with his own death. What matters more is to use his time more productively. ]

I think so. They've been increasing in number, slowly. [ It started over his heart, then spread up to his neck and some parts of his chest. The topmost one of the chain is the only one she can see, for obvious reasons. ] They are not painful by themselves.

[ Coughing is another matter. ]

[oneirism]

[She has a feeling that he has made peace with it. Not that it sits well with her at all, and she can't stop the swirl of distress and outrage inside her. Lapis has always accepted death was something that comes to everyone, but not like this. She can't accept this.]

What about the coughing? [Since Sion also mentioned the coughing blood thing. And there was that coughing fit earlier too.]

[tousei]

[ His fate was sealed from the very beginning, that was what it would say. ]

I don't know.

[ Translation: He doesn't know how to say it to her without making her feel worse. ]

They haven't been... debilitating, no. [ He tanks them. ] I can still work.

[oneirism]

[Well, she's never been one to accept fate. Which is what she's stubbornly doing right now - even if it's futile. And at least he can still function, around his coughing fits. That thought doesn't cheer her up much though.]

I hope you're able to rest in-between work. [Of course she still has to fuss. She doesn't lift her head yet though, ignoring how her vision blurs as fingers still stay tightly wrapped around her cup.]

... Is the tea helping at all?

[tousei]

It is.

[ He doesn't reply to her first statement, each passing second burning regret and guilt deeper into his mind. He shouldn't be burdening others with his problems. ]

Thank you.

[ What else can he say? ]

[oneirism]

[Her eyes stay focused on her own tea, quiet for a few moments. How she's acting isn't fair to him, she knows that. So she takes a deep breath, sitting up straight as she rubs her eyes with her hand, clearing her vision once more.

With that, she turns towards him, placing her cup down for a moment as her focus turns to him.]

Would... [She hesitates. It's a selfish request, and it's something she would do regardless half the time without even asking. But she pushes on, her fingers clenching into the fabric of her skirt.]

Would it be alright if I hugged you, Julius?

cries

[tousei]

[ If this was anyone else, he would have immediately turned down the notion - but it's her, and she's someone he would trust with her life. ]

Okay. But... don't touch the mark, please.

[ They don't look at each other, and it's a good thing, because the sentiment is shared. ]

accept the love julius

[oneirism]

[Once he gives the okay, there's no hesitation. Making sure not to touch the mark, her arms wrapping around him warmly as she leans closer, letting her chin rest on his shoulder.

Despite her hesitation before, there's nothing hesitant or awkward at all at how she hugs him. The hug is one that's full of warmth, and unlike the spontaneous one from before, she doesn't immediately pull away. He said it was okay, so she wants to be selfish, just this once.]

IM YELLING

[tousei]

[ Julius smells clean, mostly - a faint whiff of shampoo that might actually be cologne; but underneath all of that is the lingering trace of dried blood, sweet yet rough. It's not something that's easily washed off.

He stiffens a little when she hugs him, but wills himself to relax. It's by no means a hostile action, so it's not that difficult to shake off his reflex. He'll also stand there for as long as he needs to. ]

HEHEHEHE

[oneirism]

[Lapis, mainly thanks to her flower-filled apartment, mostly smells just like flowers. It's not too overpowering, but it still comes through over whatever may be underneath.

How he stiffens isn't a surprise, and neither how he stands still. But doesn't stop her from huffing softly, resisting the urge to start playing with his hair. At least some of her usual attitude is shining through now.]

... You know, you can hug me back.

[tousei]

Ah, yes.

[ Gingerly he tries to put her arms around her, every bit of the contact unfamiliar. He has to fight the urge to let go.

It's almost as if he's holding her like she's some porcelain glass that could break at any moment. ]

[oneirism]

[She can tell that he isn't used to this - a feeling she can sympathize with. It's why she doesn't say he can hold her tighter than that, instead letting the hug linger for a moment longer, before pulling away.

There's silence for a moment, Lapis clasping her hands together in an almost sheepish and shy gesture - gold eyes glancing away, before she focuses on him once more.]

Sorry, I know that was a bit of a selfish request.

[tousei]

[ He doesn't know what to say. ]

No... it's alright.

[ It's not a bad feeling, but it...'s unusual, really. ]

I'm sorry. No one has hugged me before.

[ Rachel did, when he was very young, but that doesn't count. ]

[oneirism]

[It wouldn't be Lapis if she didn't put Julius in some sort of awkward/new situation.]

Why apologize for that? It's understandable it would feel odd at first. [There's a tilt of her head once more, blinking at him for a moment.]

If you want, I have no problems helping you get used to hugs. I imagine Sion might pull you into one sooner or later.

[tousei]

[ Oh dear. ]

I... see. I should prepare myself...

[ He looks hesitant, but there's a slight edge of amusement to his voice. It's all he can muster right now. ]

[oneirism]

[She regrets nothing.

And she catches that edge of amusement, giving a soft, but amused, huff in return. Even if it's slight, she's glad she can get that reaction from him.]

You make it sound like I'm going to make you do something awful. [The playfulness is clear in her voice though, and her expression soon softens.]

And it's only if you want to.

[tousei]

He is very... intense.

[ The fullness of Sion's presence is blinding, sometimes. But it's not a bad thing. ]

I suppose I can try it.

[oneirism]

Intense is a good way to describe him.

[Not that she minds, either. It's a nice contrast compared to how she acts.]

Alright. [Since he's agreed to this, she opens her arms - ready for another hug.]

Ready, then?

[tousei]

[ sweating... ]

Right now? Alright...

[ He'll try to mirror her gesture, though it's still awkward. ]

[oneirism]

[She believes in you, Julius...

But okay, she'll not be mean and giggle at how he still seems to be awkward. Instead she'll close the distance and wrap her arms around him in a hug once more.]

This a bit better than before?