overjoyed_logs | Chapter 3

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Week 5 - Leith, Qresh

[ The Accords fail, Westerley riots...and Rhys stays as far away from all of that as possible from the safety of both his mansion on Qreshi, and his cushy work position on Leith. Lesser Company workers and officials are charged with dealing with the violent outbursts, and Rhys is already grateful that he doesn't have to be involved. Not in any meaningful way--some of it will surely make its way to his desk as paperwork, but that's about it. The problems of all the many put-upon people aren't his, he tells himself. It's not his fault they ruined things for themselves.

...It's still not an ideal situation though, especially if all of Westerley turns against The Company and The Nine. There has to be a better way to handle this while still making a point of the insurrection. A way that the Westies stay complacent on their gross, toxic little moon and he and the rest of the upper class continue to lead their cushy lives.

The idea circulates around in Rhys's head as he goes about work that week, pouring over old reports and data logs both in his office and in some of the local Leithian tea houses. His lunch breaks are spent with a PDD in front of his face even if he doesn't rightly need it, nose buried in reports. Evenings are spent much the same way, even when visiting some of the finer bars Leith has to offer.

Rhys is so absorbed in what could possibly be done that it's like he's, you know. Actually doing work for a change. Shocking right? He's so engrossed in fact that he might ether walk right into you in the halls or streets, or just ignore you completely. Maybe both? ]

Week 6 A - Westerley

[ Peace Summit time.

Rhys hates it. Or that is to say, he hates being in a room full of people who obviously don't like him much (on account of being both a Kendry and from Qresh), on a moon where most people would rather see him dead than alive, which only has the bare minimum of comforts and refreshments. It's utterly bare bones and not at all what he's used to.

But it's also the best place he currently has to pitch his idea, test the waters around it and see if maybe there's some way he can come out on top from all of this. Or well. More on top that he already figuratively is. It's not like his own well-being or position has been put in danger by any of this. And he might even find backers here! People interested in lending aid or funds or manpower, maybe even a little support? Or at the very least not so many death glares. So far he's mostly just been getting those in between watching the banter of the summit go back and forth over what can be done, what should be done, what people want to be done.

Eventually it reaches a point where Rhys inevitably opens his mouth. ]

If the prob;em's the land you guys were promised then if you had some wouldn't that solve the issue? It's not like Westerley doesn't have it. It's just...a little radioactive and toxic is all. A-and I know how that sounds but hear me out alright?? What if we...you know, cleaned it up? Got rid of the waste and the black rain so that people could actually live there instead of these honestly pretty terrible mining towns? No offence. [ They are dirty and gross but they've also got poor infrastructure, the mines are basically a death sentence, and it's not exactly up to a decent standard of living. That's what he's trying to express there. ]

We [ "The Kendrys", a.k.a Rhys a.k.a the agents he hired to steal some of the technology ] actually have tech to deal with that stuff. So...we could do that, maybe? Solve things that way.

Week 6 B - Westerley

[ And when Rhys isn't trying to Talk His Way Into/Out Of Things? he can be foudn listening or standing at the summit same as anyone else. His quarters are perhaps a little better than most, maybe he has a proper security detail--but he'll still be out and about either at the peace talks trying put on his best face, milling about the Company quarters, or against his better judgment?

Bumming at one of the nearby bars, sans Kendry colours. Just in case. Most commonly he can be found yet again with data screens in front of him as he pinches the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache, an untouched glass of Hokk in front of him. But on the very rare chance one happens to be up and about in the later hours of the evening, Rhys will up and leave so he can make his way further into the belly of Old Town, looking for something in particular.

And unguarded. ]

[ It's not an ideal trip to make considering how little Rhys cares for Westerley in general, but it's a necessity in this case. He needs up-to-date readings and information that he can't get from the safety of his office, and more importantly he doesn't want anyone to know about it, exactly. Not yet. And not officially. This is a side project for the moment, an idea at best, but if he can get it off the ground...well. It's worth the risk.

So he outsources for his guide and takes Giovanni for protection; the Badlands aren't called that because they're pleasant after all, and who better to bring that someone who a) loves danger and b) happens to heal absurdly fast? Plus they've watched Sean Ex Machinus together now so they're basically best friends.

Their guide he hasn't met before but that isn't very strange when it comes to the RAC. It's always a pretty mixed bag when it comes to dealing with them. But this needs doing, so Rhys arrives with his escort for once not via one of his personal ships, but a generic Company vessel to Old Town. ]

Alright, sooo... [ Rhsy exhales, checks the stun baton clipped to his belt for the umpteenth time. ] Our RAC agent will meet us here, then we'll get a ride out to the Badlands and be in and out before anyone has a chance to get radiation sickness or grown any extra limbs. Easy.

[ Rhys wishes he felt and looked more confident about this than he's trying to sound. ]

[Best friends with a Dog. Of course.

But regardless of the particulars of their relationship, there has been a certain level of loosening in Giovanni's usually carefully blank demeanor-- he's more accustomed to the man and his idiosyncrasies by this point, feels a little less uncertain in the face of his lack of adherence to the usual protocol for dealing with his 'kind'. Knows him well enough, too, to discern the discomfort the member of the Nine is currently feeling despite his attempts at outward calm, can see it in his mannerisms, smell it on his skin.

As such, Giovanni turns toward him when he speaks, and though there's a part of him still alert and attuned to their environment, waiting for signs of this RAC 'guide' to make themselves known, he smiles in a way that's intended to be reassuring. Even if its edges remain just a little too sharp, too pointed.]

Hahah. Not to worry, Mr Kendry. You're in safe hands. No doubt everything will run according to plan.

[ It doesn't take Peter long to figure who he's meeting, once he gets there (in addition to the info the RAC provides Rhys and Gio are ....not exactly inconspicuous) and makes his way over, amicable enough, if not in a no-nonsense kind of way.

Amicable, no-nonsense and enormous. This is being mentioned specifically because it is hilarious, especially in contrast with Rhys. His entire body and Peter's forearms are probably about the same circumference. ]

Rhys Kendry? [ He does that semi-diffident head nod people do when they're almost sure they have the right person, but not quite, then extends a hand to shake, probably more informally than most people would greet a member the Nine Families. Do Cerebus shake hands? Are they like, allowed? Or are there rules about biting, who knows. Either Gio gets the same offer, because, you know, bare minimum standards of common decency, we have them! ]

Peter Burke. I'm your Reclamation Agent. [ His mouth quirks to one side, wry. ] Not that you couldn't've guessed. You ready to head out?

[ Most people don't try to shake hands with a Kendry, it's true. Most don't even try to get too close to him, actually? So the handshake is a bit of a surprise. Not off-putting though, and Rhys actually moves a little hesitantly to try it? He's never actually been offered one before and it's...it seems nice? So awkward half-handshake is a-go. ]

Ready as we'll ever be.

Just call me Rhys though, it's easier. [ With RAC agents, especially since they're less annoying than Quad-dwellers and actually fairly neutral all things considered. Better than Westies for sure. ]

Rhys | OTA

Closed to Peter & Gio | W5D1

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Closed to Itsuki | W6 sometime

leith!!

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6B - let me know if I need to change anything!

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6A

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6B

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