olympus-summit

[olympus-summit]

Nesting Owls | Carmen + Nemesis + Shinobu | Epilogue

[ General CWs for full document: Dehumanization, PTSD, unwanted romantic advances, victim-blaming (both internal and external) ]

When the illusion imprinted upon them finally comes crashing down, another family takes root in the wreckage of what was once their reality. It takes a while for them to truly bloom, but after over a hundred and fifty years, what’s waiting a couple more years gonna hurt? They finally have a future ahead of them.

- - -

In a rare moment of rest among the hours of tireless work - dutifully studying over a century of information, with as much skill and precision as she did in her collegiate era - the Doctor decides that she really ought to decide on this new name.

Her new moniker is one of practicality, one forged for survival - she could not bear to be falsely referred to as Adelina any longer, and she needed a replacement. So she found some justice, in asserting her title. After countless colleagues looked down on her and refused to acknowledge her work, after they echoed the years of dismissal she got for factors beyond her control, they would now be forced to respect her title or not refer to her at all. It was almost poetic.

But she’s never been one for poetry. It served its purpose in the moment, but the moment has passed - she does not live out of spite. She does not wish to be defined by those who despise her, not in any way shape or form.

She’s decided on a new first name, at the very least. Carmen. After Carmen Rivera - who is her own mother, in a sense. She is not Adelina, but she did live with her for 24 years - she maintains her memories, until their paths diverged. She still remembers Mama’s work ethic, her grit and determination, her ability to get through to even the most problematic students. She still remembers Mama’s off-key singing voice and her gentle kisses and her kind words. She still remembers loving and being loved.

She’ll need that energy, in the long years to come. She’s long dead - but she can still honor her, still keep a piece of her with her.

Eventually, she comes up with a middle name - also to honor a woman she loved who has passed. Carmen Grace. After her late sister-in-laws maiden name. A connection to the past she’s lost without dwelling on it.

But then there’s the damned last name. 

And she’s just not sure. And she’s been stuck there, because she really can’t justify to herself trying to research last names during a time like this. 

Conversely, Nemesis had decided on a last name immediately. He hadn’t announced it right away, there were other things to focus on, but even on that first day when he’d realized he wanted a new name, the ideas had come to him. It felt almost natural, inasmuch as anything about this situation could. And so when the topic comes up with Carmen, he mentions casually enough what he’s chosen - Lechuza. Like the story he’d shared with Setsuna all those days ago, like the one Evren’s mother used to tell him, that had stuck with him for so many years. It felt like a nice compromise of the new while acknowledging the old.

She asks to take his last name - which would sound like a pickup line if they weren’t so no hetero. But she likes the sound of it - Carmen Grace Lechuza. She and Nemesis - he’s her best friend, he’s like a brother to her. She quite liked it. Sharing a last name with him.

So she began her new life.

- - -

Just as Shinobu had promised, they take on the job of supervising Team Prometheus throughout their stay on the airship, acting as both a communication proxy to keep different parties from coming into direct conflict, and a wedge to separate people when tensions do boil over. That isn’t to say Shinobu is perfect: They can’t be in every conversation at once, of course. Shinobu also quickly learns that having to relay everyone’s requests and grievances recenters much of the stress onto themself – even worse when it turns out there are matters that can’t be compromised on and that trying only makes everyone more upset.

Shinobu de-stresses by splitting their free time between the pool and gym, and the library. The former because they are familiar pastimes, and because some strength training might come in handy if a fight actually does break out (and maybe a few extra pounds of muscle will finally shut up Montgomery if he starts on his gamer bro b.s. again). The latter because… because at the end of the day, Shinobu doesn’t have any practical skills to offer to either the Councilors or the world as a whole. Their sociology education is not just incomplete, but obsolete, and if Shinobu ever goes into that field again it will have to be by starting from square one, after it’s safe to land the airship for good.

Plus, there are gaps in the Council’s knowledge that aren’t covered by doctors and programmers and revolutionaries. If they’re going to distribute all of Titan Production’s agricultural secrets to the public domain, then someone here’s gotta learn how to grow a damn potato. When Shinobu supervises Team Prometheus as they prepare themselves for farm life, they make sure to take their own notes. They wouldn’t dare call themself an environmental expert, but at least they’ll have some idea which suitable climates to raise Titan’s proprietary crops in without destroying the local ecosystem already there. Besides, being an ambassador to the real ecological experts will probably be less stressful than being an ambassador to their own torturers.

Until the day comes that they can return to society, Shinobu continues to work, cramming studies in not just the environment but in language, hoping to one day be fluent enough in Spanish and English to not rely on auto-translation devices. While they aren’t certain yet if they even have a place to call home anymore… Right now, home feels like Room 2. Home feels like Carmen commenting on her discoveries about the present-day world and how she plans to reclaim her life and education when she returns. Home feels like Nemesis grumbling about the complications in reverse-engineering Titan’s technology. Home feels like bringing them both some fried rice, because someone here’s gotta make sure they’re both eating well and Shinobu’s getting used to making low-effort bulk meals now.

If this is the sort of home Shinobu can expect in the future too, then the least they can do is make sure they’ll fit in.

- - -

Much of Nemesis' remaining time on the ship is spent closing the hundred and fifty year gap in his technological knowledge, a task made easier as much by the decades of stagnation as his own genius, and on coding and coordinating the takedown of Titan. It goes remarkably smoothly, so much so that even for weeks afterwards he continues the systematic dismantlement and erasure, making sure he leaves not even a scrap for them to work with long after the public has learned too much for Titan to ever re-stabilize anyway. He goes through their servers with a figurative fine-toothed comb and bricks everything he gets his talons into. 

It's not quite as satisfying as it would have been to see them burn, but Nemesis isn't who he used to be. The people he's formed connections with have made him better. No less angry, but now with a reason not to give into that anger - several reasons, in fact…

There isn't a lot of free time in the early days, but Nemesis fights his innate workaholic nature to make room for talks with Shinobu. Being around them is the closest he can get to feeling relaxed. There's no pressure, no sense of obligation, no concern about how they'll handle any particular truth about him, because they already know it all. It's unlike any relationship he's ever been in before, though the discussion over what their relationship is only seems to make it more ambiguous. They agree to take their time, to let things happen naturally, to get done the more pressing matters that need attending to and then see where that leaves or leads them.

Mostly, Nemesis finds, it leads them to keep sharing a room, and collapsing into the same bed at the end of a busy day. Even after the airship has landed and they've all received asylum in Castanea, when there are more than enough rooms to go around, the only times he gets any sleep at all are when he's curled up next to Shinobu. And he thinks he's alright with that.

They’re alright with Nemesis, too. More than alright. Even if they’re often too exhausted from work to do more than curl up together to share a meal or a nap, it’s moments like those that reassure Shinobu that they can be a normal person living a normal life, and that there’s a more personal reason besides vengeance and justice to fight for a better future.

The truth is, though, it isn’t just the current priorities that make Shinobu want to slow the pace. Knowing everything about Nemesis means knowing about the impact left on him not just by Titan and the Summit, but by Evren’s memories. Shinobu never wants to make him feel like he is obligated to be with them just because they’re the only guy here he can date. Nor do they want him to think they only care about the solace he offers.

Shinobu refuses to make Nemesis ever feel used and discarded again. They won’t dare allow themself to promise a future together before they’re absolutely sure their feelings are genuine. Shinobu’s found that a lot of things about themself they assumed were genuine had been manipulated by the Summit, after all. Their slow-burning pace is as much for their sake as it is for Nemesis.

Still, though. Still, their heart flutters every time they see the way Nemesis’s face lights up whenever he makes a new discovery about modern technology. Still, their breath catches in their throat when they wake up and find he’s still sleeping peacefully by their side. Still, their stomach churns with anxiety over whether or not they’ll be able to stay together after their work is done. Still, they’re overcome with a wave of relief when the airship lands, no one dies, and Nemesis embraces and asks them where they want to go next, together.

Still, Shinobu thinks they might be falling in love. (And they’re not the only one.)

- - -

And life continues.

#chapter 6 #adelina #evren #shinobu #submission

[olympus-summit]

Thank You For Being Born || Sabine || Epilogue

“Uggggh… How come I have to study history I lived through…” Sabine groaned as she pressed her forehead to her desk. Her actions got a quick laugh from across the room, where her sibling was working on making themself a throne of books.

“Technically, you didn’t live through it. The other Sabine did,” Florien commented flippantly, judging between two hard covers for the top of one of the arm rests.

“Technically, I hate your face.” Pout all she wanted, the former princess knew that her sibling would not care. “But, I mean, some of this I do have some memories of. How do history writers manage to make these things super bland?”

“I mean, they mainly just wanna get the point across. Anyway, you’re the one that wants to be a politician… again. You gotta put in the work.” The former princen shrugged. “At least we don’t have auntie for a tutor anymore.”

“Technically-”

“I know what I said, Bine.”

The siblings let out a shared laugh. It had been strange for them, ever since the fall of Titan Administration. At first, Sabine had been treated with absolute admiration and devotion, as her original self had been so instrumental to the vast changes that had swept through Castanea since her first term in 2055. She had taken advantage of that admiration to get sanctuary for herself and her fellow AIs. That had taken most of the good will the people had to her. For all that she was loved, Titan Administration and all of its creations were understandably feared. 

The video of her attack on Nezumi also didn’t really help her case either.

But things had calmed down in the five years since the final trial. She’d spent most of that time working and helping this new world find its stability. She was grateful for the fact she already had experience with politics. It was a rough ride for all of them, but it had turned out in the end. When the dust had settled and both Titan and Team Prometheus had been dealt with, Sabine had returned to Castanea. It was there she reunited with Florien.

It had taken time for them to come to terms with one another. Sabine felt guilty over the fact that this was her perception of her sibling, not the original she longed to see. Florien struggled with the fact that there were holes in them, things they felt they should know but didn’t. It was Florien who forced Sabine to realize she was being foolish. She had not asked for them to exist, and they liked existing. There were missing bits and they missed the people of the past, same as she did, but they would never have been born without her.

It was an odd, bitter truth. They existed in their foreign world without the strings of duty and kin to connect them. But hand in hand as siblings, they sought to find their own place. A place where they could both be happy.

Sabine ended up enrolling in the University of Castanea, where she was studying to become a politician. It was the only life she had ever known, or rather the only life that her original had ever known. Florien was stuck somewhere between books and horses. The original Florien had never been big on horses, but the current one, well…

(“You did this to me!” they accused their sister after the realization hit them.)

“Do you think a horse historian is a thing?” Sabine asked from her desk.

“Bine, does that have anything to do with your homework?”

“No, but listen… A horstorian.”

“...I mean, I could probably make it work.” It was so easy for the siblings to lose track of time.

Castanea had become a prosperous place. With the increase in technology over the years the implementation of Titan’s food production services, everyone had enough to eat and a roof over their head. They didn’t live luxuriously, but each person was given what they needed to survive.

Being a thirty year old university freshman wasn’t the easiest thing Sabine had ever done, but it was still something. She would have to make her own way through the world from this point onwards. Sighing onto her desk, she flopped to the side so she could look at her sibling.

“Flori?”

“Bine?”

“...Thanks for being my sibling.”

“I mean it wasn’t my choice, but you’re welcome.”

Sabine rolls her eyes, feigning irritation. “Great, you ruined it. You didn’t have to stay, you know. You could have gone anywhere, could have travelled the world or moved into a librarian like the sneaky bookworm you are.”

“I mean, if I was gonna ditch you, I would have totally gone farming with that hot British dude,” Florien teased.

“Flori! He’s married!”

“Correction, he’s technically a widower.”

The resulting argument led to Sabine getting a poor grade on her history midterm the next morning. But, as bad as things got, they’d always be brighter than they had been aboard the ship. Whether they succeeded or failed, Sabine was just happy to be at home with her sibling.

#submission #chapter 6 #sabine

[olympus-summit]

New Horizons || Team Prometheus || Epilogue

Tucked away in a quaint little section of what was once the state of Vermont, the ranch had been part of the spoils from their little cyber-war against Titan Administration. Once everything had finally settled down, it ended up being where the six full-time members of the revolutionaries had been exiled away to, and where they would likely spend the rest of their mortal lives. 

Referring to their new place as a retirement home had gotten an icy glare from the three sisters, but Monty decided that it was absolutely worth the scandalized look on their faces.

In all honesty, he probably should’ve bargained for a bigger villa or mansion, but Elliott decided not to press their luck any more than was otherwise necessary. Even if some of their friends and allies were sympathetic to their actions and cause, others would justifiably remain antagonistic. That none of them ended up dead was pretty cool in itself, but it was like Shinobu and Mitsu had reasoned out: fanciful house arrest was about the same kind of treatment the hosts had afforded the ex-councilors, and would now be the kind of treatment afforded the hosts in return.

Minus the outside motivation for killing each other, but it wasn’t necessary, given that he had to weather every passing day with Claire. Sure, there was still Elliott, and Menai, and his roombas, and Mina and Leland came visiting very often, but being trapped within thirty feet of Claire at all possible times was still a major letdown. Ah well, Monty couldn’t win them all now, could he?

Personally Claire thought that it could have been worse. Somewhere along the way, they had bargained for Mina to have her own little house, and though it was Mina’s in name, it was mostly used by Elliott and Leland, as living as a couple with the rest of the gang? It could be difficult. And Claire was... tolerant of sharing a house with Monty, even if her occasional suggestions to build him a dog house out back to live in might have indicated otherwise.

Farming was hard work. While they were able to submit a list of what they needed every season or so, for the most part, they were self-sufficient. The Fates knew the basics of farming from years of tending to the Summit’s Orchard, but it was different when they didn’t have the ship roombas to assist. Montgomery may have retained his lot of roomba children, but it wasn’t as if they had unlimited supplies to maintain or repair them all, so they had to be careful with what work they were assigned.

---

For Menai, the whole experience was more or less quite relaxing. It wasn’t as though they didn’t have to work, but it was an easier workload than what they had become accustomed to during their time as a royal retainer (and a revolutionary, which added  years of stress to their life). While there was, of course, an adjustment period, Menai could admit to loving the lifestyle that came with the farm. Menai Eires (because, honestly, why be family in all but name?) had friends, a real family, and time for themself. Even if there were some conflicts, sometimes, Menai looked forward to talking to everybody on the ranch. The other, unofficial members of the team were great for support, and she always looked forward to whenever Mina or Leland or whoever else would visit would show up.

The animals were the best part though. Sure, Menai had the muscle to handle the heavier work, but anyone could tell you they would be found more often than not socializing with some of the animals while taking care of them, and Zunshayn was right by their side, trying to blend in with the local fowl. It was frankly adorable, especially with how enthusiastic about the whole thing the roomba seemed. 

Plus, there was more time for baking, something which Menai really had to thank Mina for. Without her, Menai never would’ve really understood how rewarding and relaxing the whole thing was. It was... still refreshing, knowing she had access to food whenever she wanted, and she was sure as hell sharing that fact with everybody by producing as much food as she could any time she entered the kitchen. 

It could’ve been worse. Maybe it should’ve been, but Menai was content. Zunshayn was content. It seemed like everybody was content. Really, Menai thanked the Council for this punishment, because for once Menai could just be a regular person with a (somewhat) regular family. 

---

Elliott wasn’t exactly used to the hard labor required for farm work, and his ability to build up muscle was nearly non-existent. Initially, he’d spent a few months actually attempting to help with building and caring for animals on the ranch, but found himself needing to take too many breaks to actually be of much help to the others. After some rearranging of jobs, he ended up settling in the position of governing their inventory and finances, making the trade connections that were needed for actually running one of these. Playing to his skills worked out in his favor.

Though he didn’t feel it was deserved, his relationship with Leland rebuilt and they held out strong in the end. His demeanor and penchant for gifts and quality time hadn’t changed, and it did take time for that trust to reestablish itself, but the two did remain together.

Elliott’s familial relationships with the sisters, Monty, and Menai couldn’t be stronger, however. Having mostly just each other to speak to, you’d expect arguments to arise, of course, but the end of every disagreement solidified their companionship like how a broken bone grew stronger with each fracture. After all, they’d been through hell and back together.

Visitations might have been limited, seeing only the occasional Izar, but the doors were always open as long as Elliott had anything to say for it.

---

“...And that’s everything that’s been interesting since you’ve been gone, Mari.” 

It was the end of yet another long day, but this one was spent by the small altar near the woods. What had possessed him to recount the days of their lives was beyond him, but it just felt like a right kind of night to do such a thing. The shrine represented a good many things to the team, and to Monty it was where he came to talk to his wife whenever he felt like it needed to be.

“Strange thing is, I feel like I should be more torn up about this.” Monty confessed, leaning on the wall next to where his lantern had been placed. “But the way I see it… I’ve had my happy ending. The other me is up there partying with you, and Cassie, and our kids, and our kids’ kids… It’s not like me being here has changed all that. With nothing else to lose, I tried to change up the world, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t at least pave the way for some sort of success. What a legacy, huh?” 

Obviously, there wouldn’t be a response, only the soft whispers of the wind. It was enough for the blonde ex-technician though, who got up with a nod.

“Tomorrow I’ll write a letter. Mina got in touch with our great-granddaughter, and I hope for her sake just as much as mine that she doesn’t blame me for getting named Zelda. That was all you, old Monty me.” Chuckling a little, he waved goodbye behind him, walking out into the moonlight.

“The future’s not as cracked out as it ended up being, I guess.”

#submission #chapter 6 #atropos #lachesis #clotho #charon #ellliott #menai #leland #mina

[olympus-summit]

Titanomachy || Endgame || Titan Administration

“Oh, come on!” 

Lana Burahk IV, the current technician for Titan Administration's headquarters, cursed as her computer shut down. She hadn’t saved her progress within her game in hours. She should be doing her job, in all honesty, but it wasn’t like anything else ever went offline here. She pushed back her hover chair and stomped over to her  co-worker’s desk.

“Flowers, what the fuck man? I told you to stop bringing coffee into the office if you’re gonna spill it every time you get spooked. I mean, fuck’s sake, man.” The technician paused, however, when she saw he looked as confused as she was.

“I didn’t-” Peter ‘Butterfingers’ Flowers managed to stutter out, gripping his shirt. “I promise I didn’t spill this time, it just turned off on its own.”

“Fuck.” Lana ran a hand through her hair. “Must be an issue with the central computer then. We weren’t supposed to have a shut down, but maybe it has something to do with losing one of the swarms. Ananke has been finicky since... Fine, I’ll get it fixed. You stay here and don’t fucking spill anything.”

“I-I don’t even have anything...” the man mumbled, but Lana paid him no mind. She headed to the exit of their shared office, pressing her hand to the door.

...

“Flowers...”

“It wasn’t me!”

“Then why is the door not opening!” The technician cursed, pressing her hand to it with more force. It should have scanned her and let her through. “Fuck it, Ananke! Override!”

Silence was the only answer she got.

“Ananke! Can you hear me?” Lana called out to the AI. Ananke ran the majority of the Titan Administration systems these days. Even if the door scanner was broken, she should be able to open things from her side.

“Could the AI be down?” Peter asked nervously from his desk, only for Lana to scoff at him.

“The systems haven’t ever gone down, not since my great-grandma’s time running the controls. She’s probably just busy subduing the Summit.” Despite her confident tone, Lana wasn’t so sure. The AIs always answered her call. Just as she was getting worried, her computer and that of her co-worker crackled back to life.

Before either could express their relief, a familiar song began to play over the computers. Then, the lights turned off, and a very familiar dancing man twirled his way onto the screen.

“Oh come on, Ananke! You’re gonna rick-roll us in twenty-two-fucking-thirteen?!” was all Lana could yell before the actual attack began, and all hell broke loose.

Across the rest of their main headquarters, and in several other key buildings across the world, Titan Administration experienced a simultaneous cyber-attack, restricting or outright deleting most of their critical digital infrastructure while negating much of the rest. Voice activations failed to go through as commands were delayed, altered or ignored, and attempts to override it manually were met with error pages featuring a white-haired humanoid with red ears sticking out their tongue towards the screen.

Having grown too complacent and reliant on their artificial intelligences, and not expecting that an attack would come from the Summit of all places, the offices of the Titan Administration went offline within two hours. They had been completely blindsided and played for fools, courtesy of all of the brilliant minds that had been laid low and underestimated for over a century.

Titan Administration had relied far too heavily on technology, to the point where, without it, they could do nothing. They were vulnerable, with the majority of people getting stuck in their offices and cubicles, and in one unfortunate man’s case, the bathroom. Without any access to the core systems that ran the office, something as simple as opening a door became impossible.

The higher-ups at Titan Administration could only gnash their teeth in horror as the airship of the Olympus Summit descended upon the Greek Isles, an army of FURIES flanking their arrival. As the automated, cheery voice ordered them to cease all activity and await further instructions, the councilors who had made up the Summit of 2213 took their first steps upon the new Earth. Monty had even brought an old-fashioned torch, lit with the fire of the Eternal Flame, and then planted it on the ground like an open brazier.

It was as heavy-handed a metaphor as anyone could have guessed, but it was a sign of the future. Not a single life was lost in the swift coup, and the only major casualty was a technician by the name of Peter ‘Butterfingers’ Flowers, who had slipped on the fire exit stairs and wasn’t able to hold onto the railings on the way down. He is expected to make a full recovery.

#os plot #chapter 6

[olympus-summit]

Exile Election || Endgame || Montgomery

Whilst everyone else continued to debate and speak, the four hosts had all conceded the floor in favour of silence. Whether appreciated or otherwise, it was a refreshing break from the norm for however long it lasted, and it seemed like they were all content not to contribute until it needed to be necessary for them. All they did was affix their gazes to their screens, watching the tally.

It was Monty who broke their self-imposed silence first. The technician had kept his glasses on, but his expression betrays the genuine surprise in his eyes. “Y’know, I was toggling for leniency to Elliott, Menai and Mina only, all things considered, but I wonder if the vote would’ve ended up quite so united if you were voting separately on us and on them.” He pauses, before shrugging. “Eh, more’s the pity, you won’t catch me complaining about the outcome. Give me a hot minute.”

Some fast fingerwork later, and the results of the council vote were displayed on the far wall for all and sundry to see.

Monty hums a little, before turning to Elliott. “Mind if I get rid of some of the votes? I know that the three of you also voted, and it would be mildly disingenuous if we kept those in.”

Elliott nodded slowly, a bit too tired and tipsy for his usual enthusiasm. “Of course. I’d refrained from voting on my punishment as it stood under the same thought.” That in particular really wasn’t his decision.

The three outliers were removed with a quick edit, and the new, less biased results were displayed:

“Still a relative supermajority, innit? We’re more or less in agreement over a cyber attack and sending us off to IRL Animal Crossing. All in all, okay! We can work with that.” He focuses on the results of voting for editing the footage. “Mina’s the clear favourite for heading the editing team, and with both Elliott and Mitsu garnering over two-thirds of the votes from the councilors left, they’ll be on the team as someone representing us and you all respectively. Any objections?”

Without missing a beat, he continues. “And fine. Let’s talk hack shop, and we can start with how massively problematic Titan Administration might be. I’ve had to seal away this airship from any outside interference - and no, that virus didn’t come from the outside, Pandora released it from her operating system as a final fuck-you to us on the ship - so while I don’t have any data on their cybersecurity protocols, they also won’t know jack shit about ours until we begin our attack.”

Monty crosses his arms. “They got careless by outfitting the Summit with the same impenetrable local-area network that they currently can’t break into, but allow Titan Administration even an inch of unrestricted network service, and they’re going to take the whole fucking country mile. With all that you’ve seen fit to discuss, I’m pitching a couple of ideas incorporating everyone else’s.” 

Because as much as he would rather be deliberately unhelpful, they had a bigger fish to fry first.

With a proper endgame in sight, and with the rest of the hosts being much less unproductive as they had been before the vote, decisions were made quickly and plans were drafted. They had even exited the room when the final decision to implement those plans was made. Test runs on existing programs in the Summit were carried out, and the results refined, argued and discussed until everything was as perfect as it needed to be. 

The ensuing plan ended up being egregiously simple.

#os plot #chapter 6 #voting results #charon

[olympus-summit]

XIV - Temperance - Upright || Izar || Post-Trial 6.2 || RE: Nemesis, Shinobu

There were a lot of things that were being said, and though in the past he may have reacted abrasively, with confusion or maybe even with simply ignoring it, this time he knows he simply can’t let things slide. He knows that if they are going to continue on performing future endeavors together, then he needs to acknowledge things, analyze them in an objective manner, evaluate them in comparison to himself, and then offer a proper response… But a lot of what he’s trying to break down here simply doesn’t make sense to him? It almost feels like a certain someone’s painted a target on his back and is trying to break him down at every corner.

(cw: discussion involving attempted gaslighting)

“Nemesis. I know I’m not the moral authority, and I am more than aware in that I do not speak for everyone, I even acknowledged so with what I said last by stating that it may sound like it, but I was merely offering my point of view. Let me repeat that: I said that I "may be mistaken as if speaking for everyone” but I wasn’t. I was not speaking for everyone and even now I am not, but rather simply explaining the situation and why they may not be the monsters some of you think they are. I never said or even implied that I should dictate the way anyone should feel. I openly said that many of us wouldn’t forgive them, and already harshly criticized the methods and actions they took. At this point, frankly, it just feels like you’re looking for any excuses to attack me. You talk about ‘moving on’ yet you seem unable to move on from targeting me or pointing out my flaws, so I’ll tell you the same: move on. Even if they’re guilty of doing unreasonable things, which we’ve all agreed they are; I never said they weren’t, I was only explaining things from their perspective. After all had they never done such things to us, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion now. Actions have consequences, and they are about to experience theirs… And in turn, we’re about to earn true freedom and ensure the Titan Administration pays their dues. As much as you’d want to hate them, the truth is, we all owe them a great debt.“

(cw: end)

Frankly, he didn’t even want to address Nemesis. The only reason he decided to speak up again is to focus on the true person of his interest: Shinobu. After all, the things they were saying were true. He could’ve relied on others, he could’ve been honest about his motives, but at the same time… Well, maybe it’s better if he actually explains his thought process instead of trying to justify his actions? After all it did cause grief to some and that much he knows he has to take responsibility for even if it makes him look disfavorable in the eyes of others… But unlike the stern way he spoke to Nemesis, his tone when conveying his next thoughts to Shinobu are much gentler and kinder.

"You speak the truth, Shinobu. I should’ve relied on others instead of engaging in such a risky plan but… At the time, we were all fragmented. I didn’t want to unnecessarily endanger anybody other than myself if I could avoid it! That was part of the reason why I also hinted in my letter that I was hoping Leland would 'get away’ with my murder; I didn’t want him to experience the agony of an execution. It honestly was not because I’m some two-faced monster though some may see me that way. But at the same time I… Couldn’t trust anyone to even carry out such an action other than someone that could truly see the task through to the end and, at the time, I thought Leland was the perfect choice. I didn’t… Want to place such a heavy burden on half the group, and the other group I was… Unsure if I could even trust since at the time we were still on the hunt for Epimetheus and Prometheus.”

The truth was that he wasn’t sure on who he could even trust and who he was even on speaking terms with considering all the tense and strenuous events they’d all experienced as part of the Olympus Summit killing game! It was a myriad of negative experiences that soured his view of not only himself but everyone else around him as well and ultimately, that caused him to distrust of everyone who still surrounded him except for the one person he knew would see the act through to the end… Or mostly to the very end. While he understands that he did things that hurt others… Just like how Team Prometheus is remorseful yet don’t regret their actions, the same could be said about him regarding the course of action he took since, even in the long run, it was the path that affected people the least than if he confessed that he’d be committing such a risky plan.

“You’re right though, I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone other than myself, and the fault of that falls squarely on me. As for my surprise..? Well… I guess it was because… If I’m being specific? I wasn’t expecting for my injuries to have been entirely healed. I was expecting to be brought back with my death wounds or to still feel the impact of my state but… I felt as if nothing had happened. That’s what I was so truly in disbelief about. Of course, at the time we didn’t know that we were quite literally being brought back good as new. It was a shocking experience. I just thought there was some sort of highly-advanced medical process but… The truth was much more shocking than I was bargaining for! If that makes sense? It’s hard to recover from seeing someone you thought was stabbed to death being as good as new as if they’d never been wounded, for example.”

With a smile though, he nods and is genuinely elated that they’ve chosen to accept his offer for help rather than denying it! Though he may not voice it just yet, he does regret having never once connected with Shinobu before and though it may be impossible to become his friend now, he’s glad to at the very least be on speaking terms with the other and maybe get to know him a little better during their efforts working together in the future. Or at least he hopes things go down as positively between them as he’s envisioning! 

“I promise I’ll do my best to aid you in whatever you need. Planning cyberattacks and revolutions, like you said, is not something I’m good at either so… I want to devote myself to at least ensuring things happen as smoothly as possible. I think that you and I are both tired of secrets, of hiding things away and of… Well, all the covertness taking place. I’ve no more things to hide so… I’ll be glad to be of service, and I’m looking forward to working with you! Thank you.”

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #sol #submission

[olympus-summit]

VIII. Strength, Upright | Shinobu | Post-Trial 6.4 | re: Doctor, Izar

[ CW: Discussed suicide, discussed murder by cremation, blasphemic language (in the context of the councilors being seen as gods) ]

Shinobu’s happy with the compromise on the photos, judging by their nod. They’ll still have to make physical copies for when they finally cut ties with Monty, but for now making several backups should be enough. The same idea applies to all the other conspirators too, of course, but Shinobu doesn’t know if they have any digital mementos they’re holding onto.

And speaking of the long term fates of the team…

“…I don’t know if there is anything that will ever be penance enough. Not in life nor in death. So I… I just want them far away from anyone they can hurt again. Exile or imprisonment, I-I don’t… I think I might be okay with either of those, as long as we don’t leave them to die to a prison assassin or in the wilderness.”

Shinobu wonders if they should have a stronger opinion on this, of all things, and yet… Yet even with the metaphorical sword in their hands, they can’t find it in them to put down the people who either provided or enabled their suffering. Is this what their past life that lived though the 2000s had felt? Having all the power to ruin the people who had ruined them, and then just… not?

Izar seems to believe that’s the ideal they should all aspire to, and… Shinobu agrees with that part, they think, at least for themself. Shinobu thinks that given resources and security, they’d always opt for being lenient. But a lack of grace and leniency is not a moral failing, not in this context. The condemnation of the anger that many Councilors feel doesn’t settle right with them.

Shinobu would love to have the inner strength to just let go of all their bitterness so easily. They’d love to not feel so furious at just how profoundly they’d been manipulated and abused, and they’d love to not feel shame at their own emotions! But Shinobu’s got emotions and so does everyone else, and there is only so much detachment and repressing one can do.

They don’t comment on what most of what Izar says to the Doctor. It’s a very personal topic that would honestly do more harm than good to debate publicly. Nemesis’s rebuttal is also mostly personal considering who and what he brings up. Shinobu tries to keep their focus on only some of what’s said, first on clarification of some information.

“There a-already is organ-printing tech out there – that’s actually one of the predecessors to the Forge… and one of the inventions that makes Titan Productions so important to the world. I don’t want them monopolizing that anymore. I don’t want anyone monopolizing it. Either we steal info directly from Titan or we reverse-engineer it here. I don’t think it matters as long as it’s done. Ideally we’d get citizens all set up before hitting Titan, but… W-We’ll have to adapt as we go.”

But even when Shinobu tries to tune out the personal callouts… There is something not meant for them to hear that still stings. The insistence that everything Izar did that day was to seek information and confirm his suspicions about there being another floor.

“…I told you all during lunch I suspected there was a hidden area. I-It was buried by the arguing. But I still said it.”

Ultimately, Shinobu had been powerless throughout the meeting they themself had called. They could not stop the long-burning bridges from collapsing. They could not dissuade anyone from taking a reckless path. For a week now the ill-fated meeting has been festering in their chest, because for once Shinobu did everything right and it all still blew up in their face.

And then Izar told everyone in the basement that Shinobu had become part of a clique, as if they hadn’t spent 36 hours doing everything they could to salvage consensus out of the divide.

“I-If anyone, literally anyone had just – had just followed up after we cooled down, I could have explained myself. 'Things change' – what if that could have changed it further? I could have talked about the hampers! I c-could have snuck more items into them, o-or snuck myself into one… a-and it would have been a bad idea! We’d have gotten in a lot of trouble if and when the Fates caught us.

B-But it would have been better than a suicide pact for a plan that… that e-even you had doubts in, Izar. In chat, you were… in disbelief, a-about being alive. E-Even though you insisted in your letter you thought the others were alive…? I… I don’t understand. I’m trying, but I can’t.

…It wasn’t you putting information above everyone else that hurt me the most. I-It’s that you… you didn’t trust a-any of us to come up with another way.”

Shinobu shivers, sucking breaths sharply between their teeth, shutting their eyes to block out the vivid light of the tribute pyre. They don’t want to throw any further fuel into the tensions. They’ve finally admitted, to themself and to everyone else, just how much their brief but tumultuous tenure as council president had affected them.

There’s still something Shinobu wants to make clear, though. Frustrated and hurt as they are, they do not want to reject an offer of support.

“Yes,Izar, I still want you helping me w-with guard duty. Please. Neither of us should do this alone. And I’m not cut out to plan a… to plan all of this, cyber-attacks and revolutions and all that. I know there’ll be decisions that I… don’t know if I can make. I-I’ll stick to what I can do: Being a proxy to protect us from each other.”

They don’t just mean protecting themselves from Team Prometheus and vice versa, either. There are a lot of people who aren’t on speaking terms anymore, but Shinobu as a messenger provides a line of communication.

Shinobu doesn’t comment on the subject of who should process the raw footage. Several people have already volunteered themselves, and all that’s left is trying to figure out a combination of people that actually can work together, but not so closely that their biases turn into blind spots. Of course that’s what they’ll have the group feedback session for, but the fewer drafts they all have to watch, the better.

Besides, there’s the issue of retraumatizing themselves by watching the fighting, the murders, the executions, and… and there isn’t a good solution to this, is there? Regardless of who’s in charge of the first pass and who gets involved in the review sessions, people will suffer. A lot. With a resigned sigh, Shinobu notes down their own preferences on their tablet, pending change if someone raises another objection. The subject still weighs heavy on their mind, however.

“…I… F-For the footage, I only have one request. Actually, it’s not footage that already exists, I think. I hope. So I want to record something.

I want th-that camcorder in the capsule hotel and a tripod. I want to film the i-incinerator. I want the world to know exactly how our past lives have died.”

Suffocating emotions continue to swell in their chest. Guilt and catharsis and anger, anger that even Shinobu has been denying to themself. They have spent the past two months being scared of their own emotions, and now that they’ve vented off some of their frustrations it feels like their words just won’t stop bubbling forward – not violent and overflowing, but a gentle boil that burns all the same.

“O-Obviously it’s just going to just…  j-just be trashbags in there. But if they have the imagination to call us gods, they have the imagination to know how their gods burned to death.”

Even in their wrath they still cling to their aversion to violence and suffering – they won’t ask if there is footage of previous councils’ deaths, and they don’t want to know. Shinobu, personally, doesn’t feel like it’s their right to broadcast that even if footage does exist. (If others feel differently, so be it; Shinobu’s just gonna have to leave the room during that segment of the reel.)

…Is that enough? What about for the second broadcast, to discredit the councilors themselves? Is there more Shinobu can do…?

…There is one more request Shinobu can make. But not now. They need more time to prepare themself. There’s a story they have to tell, over a hundred years too late for it to matter.

They want to do something that matters. Something that no one – not the Titan Administration, not their fellow Councilors, not the whole world – can overlook and ignore.

(Shinobu doesn’t understand why they haven’t stopped shaking yet.)

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #shinobu #submission

[olympus-summit]

Please Stop Playing Devil's Advocate This Isn't Philosophy 101 | Nemesis | Re: Shinobu, Mina, Izar, Mitsu

"Transferring some files to his iRis shouldn't be a problem." Nemesis nods to Shinobu. He hasn't seen the personal photos but he can at least venture a guess as to why Shinobu's asking, and the iRises already had a camera function and a place to store photos on them, along with the capability to download and store ebooks, so that was practically a non-issue. And he also nods, after a moment of thought, to the suggestion regarding Pan's Grove. The animals at least don't deserve to suffer just because their people did a lot of shitty things.

Part of Nemesis wants to suggest that the Doctor should probably pick her battles, but he knows her too well. She has picked her battles, she has picked all the battles, and she is not going to put any back, and it's not like he can even blame her. 

"I wouldn't mind helping with the footage too. Sorting through surveillance footage was actually part of my... well, Evren's job back in Silicon, so I have some experience with it. I didn't want to offer outright since I doubt I'd be a popular choice, but if it helps take some of the burden off then like, just let me know, I guess." He addresses that bit towards Mina, mainly, though presumably if there's going to be a team that'd have to be ratified by the majority as well.

"As for the cyberattack - maybe? I'd need to get a good idea of their operations but yeah, generally speaking the two big things would be taking out their communications and taking out their weaponry. If we can do that, we've bought ourselves enough time to hit them where it really hurts - their wallet. Figuratively speaking. Take away their access to their finances and that's it, game over, they're done. Communications, weapons, money." Nemesis ticks the three items off on his fingers. "It sounds simpler than it is, but a properly staged cyberattack can do that, especially since it sounds like they rely heavily on their tech. Everything afterwards will just be mopping up."

And that's how you stage a coup! At least in a dystopian cyberpunk universe. Nemesis is starting to feel pretty decent about how this discussion is going. They've made progress, they're actually on productive topics, he's more or less accepted that Team Prometheus isn't being ushered out, despite how every time he catches sight of one of them it makes his stomach clench and his head throb again. All he can think of when he looks at them now are the worst moments of the last two months. 

But he can bear it for a while longer, and just try not to look in their direction too often, so this is going well...

Until Izar just has to speak up again. Nemesis feels his headache worsen immediately and intensely, as if someone had turned a dial, and he groans, pressing the hand not still holding Shinobu's to his forehead and hoping the pressure can alleviate some tension.

"You're not the moral authority, Izar," Nemesis says in dully exasperated tones, "And you really need to stop telling people what they would or wouldn't do, or how we're supposed to feel. No matter what you or they say, at the end of the day, him and his little team hurt us. They fucking hurt us, badly, over and over, for months. You can have whatever reaction you like to that, if you want to play the benevolent forgiver, go ahead, but don't you dare tell me that I "must accept" their bullshit justification, don't you dare tell me what they did wasn't heinous. I had to relive one of the most traumatic moments of my life. I had to witness grotesque theatrical executions. I had to see the dead bodies of people I consider friends. I had to face my worst goddamn fears. I had to discover everyone I care about is dead, and that these people desecrated my sister's memory by making a copy of her just to torment me with. You don't get to decide that's okay, you don't get to tell me or any of the rest of us how to react to that. You see them however the hell you want, but it is my fucking right to be pissed at them, and to call them what they are. Stop acting like this is a moral debate. It's not. They're guilty. They did this. They did evil shit they did not have to do, even by their own fucked up standards. Period. The end. Discussion over. Move on."

Bold of Izar to take the stance that running a killing game and creating life for the sole purpose of torture isn't insidious and villainous even when some of the people he's defending have already admitted it was. Nemesis doesn't even know what point he's trying to make anymore, but Izar seems to have a habit of changing his tune whenever he's getting a bad reaction or to make himself sound better, and he also has a habit of repeating what other people have said as if it was his idea or something he conveniently came up with at the same time and just hadn't mentioned yet. 

As far as Nemesis is concerned, Izar is just a Wildly Unlikeable Guy. 

"Anyway, if we can stay on the like, actually helpful topics. I... can agree to Mitsu assisting with the footage. With or without me, whatever Mina and the majority are comfortable with."

He's not super thrilled about it, but he's still more comfortable with Mitsu than with Elliott. Honestly all the bullshit disagreements he'd had with Mitsu before seem totally inconsequential now, after everything else that's happened.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #evren #submission

[olympus-summit]

It's Time to Stop || Mitsu || Post-Trial 6.2 || Re: Just generally everyone

cw: dehumanization

This whole trial was really just reminded Mitsu of why she hated some of these people. Time away had dulled the disgust, but now that she was there again, around them, it started to come back in full force.

“Ugh, just…” Mitsu really didn’t like this. “Can everyone stop fucking arguing about Team Prometheus being here? Like seriously, what are they gonna do? Manipulate us into choosing what they want? Brainwash us? Jesus Christ, this is a waste of time. We’ve been standing here arguing about them and the stupid footage for ages now instead of focusing on goddamn Titan Administration. Just good fucking god, yeah, they’re criminals and they suck and I hate them, but they have a right to express their opinions on how to proceed. Arguably it’s actually a fucking good thing, because, uh, hello, they know more about it than we do and they’ve known for longer?”

Mitsu shook her head and rubbed at her temples. She was looking forward to moving somewhere quiet so she wouldn’t have to deal with obnoxious, self-righteous idiots anymore.

“Obviously the criminals over there don’t get to decide what we do with them, but they should have a say in everything else. Good god, I can’t believe you’re making me defend their right to be treated like people, since all of this shit affects them too.”

With that out of the way, Mitsu looked at Mina. There seemed as though there was a note of...sympathy? Or maybe just pity.

“Mina, you don’t have to look through the footage just because some people thought it was fine to elect you without asking first. Yeah, I trust you, but I don’t want you to be retraumatized either. And...ugh, if you need a partner to help you look through the footage, I’d be willing to do it. I just wanna get this shit over with.” And as though she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, she just had to keep going.

“Getting back to Titan Administration, I’m pretty sure I’ve made my opinion clear. Fuck them up. They’re doing far more harm to the world than any semblance of good, so we need to get rid of them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Considering what they were willing to do to us for centuries, I wouldn’t be surprised if they dragged innocent civilians in if we’re too cautious and give them time to retaliate. That’s just my opinion on it, but I’m not the most merciful here.”

She looked at Elliott and Menai, The Fates, and Monty. She really, really hated them after everything they’d done. She still didn’t have any forgiveness left in her, but…

“I don’t think we should do any worse to them than they did to us. An eye for an eye, and all that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still royally pissed, and like, obviously we can’t give them shitty motives like they gave us, but maybe just occasionally giving them no food or something could replicate that experience, but regardless, the accommodations here weren’t the worst. We had access to food, clean water, amenities, entertainment, comfort. Personally, I want them to suffer a bit for what they’ve done, but I don’t want to torture them. It’s more of like...I just wanna make them feel pain in one fell swoop, not a long term thing. So...I agree with the plan to isolate them. What happens after that I don’t care. I never want to deal with them again.”

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #mitsu #submission

[olympus-summit]

Somebody Wake Me From This Nightmare || Izar || Post-Trial 6.1 || ATTN: People

There was so, so very much happening here. So very much he wanted to just ignore and move on from everything, and for a moment, everything seemed to be going smoothly! But of course, there was going to be opposition from certain individuals, and the more this trial occurs, the more he realizes just how messed up certain arguments are. Some people are demanding for far more than they have the right to, and it’s troubling. 

“… Would you ask a defendant or a criminal to leave a court of law that is deciding their eventual fate? Would you let go of one you’re admonishing and keep them from learning their upcoming judgment? No, you wouldn’t. Elliott, Menai, Mina, Clarice, Calista, Iris and Montgomery are deserving to remain here and know what we, as a proper Council for one, choose to do with them. Do you not understand? This is how they’re demonstrating their repentance. Sure, they aren’t groveling at our feet and asking for forgiveness; they’re doing something far more meaningful: they’re letting us decide what becomes of them." 

It was a mercy, as well as an execution, all at once. Just the thought that he could effortlessly walk over to Elliott and, should he wish to do so, snap his neck without consequences? No person should ever have that much control over another’s life.

Was that so difficult to understand? Was that truly so selfish? Though certain words do trigger certain responses from him, and though he only looks forward, still away from his throne and lying against one of the back walls, there’s conviction in his voice. 

"I don’t have much to add, but I will say the following: I’ve no interest in forming part of this Council once Titan Administration has been usurped, and I agree with Mitsu and Shinobu. While this facility doubled as our personal misery chamber, the benefits it could provide to a broken world are immeasurable, just the relief aid it could provide is more than enough to keep it… Of course though, regarding the A.I. and the cloning, that is another topic that is likely too heavy a burden for us to discuss alone. Proper advisors, consultants, therapists and all manners of professionals are needed before a ruling can be reached. After all, think of it: if whole bodies could be cloned, then why not body parts? Organs? Cells? Anything that could benefit those whose bodies have unfortunately turned against them as well as the food this place provides. It’s a sanctuary for those in need, and yet… Titan Administration keeps it to themselves for their own seflish use." 

Consequences be damned, as much as this ship will be the stuff of his nightmares, it comes with blessings that outweight their collective personal issues. 

"It’s ironic that some of you claim that no one should toy and mess with someone else’s life the way these seven have, yet you’re all eager to do the same and judge them based on actions that while they can be justified, they cannot be excused… But that’s just something that cannot be either proven or disproven. Nemesis claimed that Montgomery or Elliott could’ve simply approached him and he’d have sided with them… Well, can you prove that? At the time, we were all under the control of Pandora, and if they are saying you couldn’t be convinced, then it likely is because at some point they’d have tried. Whether it was with us or with others? Matter of the fact is, all of us clones were essentially used to further Titan Administration’s goals. We can scream, yell and shift the blame all we want, but we must accept that ultimately, something this enormous needs to happen to destabilize us. Don’t forget, just because Elliott and his associates are the antagonists that we faced, it doesn’t make them villains." 

After all, nothing they’ve done is truly insidious and villainous.

"I will likely be accused of speaking on behalf of others again, but frankly? I don’t care. I want you all to listen because while most of us cannot and will not forgive them for this, it doesn’t mean they are the scum of the Earth. If they truly were villains, they wouldn’t have surrendered and given us full control, they wouldn’t be discussing with us what to do next, they wouldn’t be helping us catch up to speed, and most importantly, they wouldn’t let us control their lives. But the moment some of you gain a smidge of power, you’re already wishing to abuse it the same way they did. This is why the Olympus Summit on its own has never, has not, and will never succeed. A small number of individuals who have risen to fame should never have this much sway in their hands." 

He feels kind of silly now, having to explain this to the audience… He really was hoping they’d all be able to put their emotions aside, and listen and think logically… Some are, of course! But not everyone. 

"The general populace thinks of us as gods, then fine. Let us dispel that notion then, I’m not just in favor of the information being leaked, but also in favor that Elliott himself decides what footage is to be selected.”

With his arms crossed, he nods in the direction of the one who once donned the codename of Prometheus. 

“… And whatever footage he selects, we as a collective will decide whether it goes through or not, and we as a collective, democratically, will also elect what footage is cut, if any at all, and replaced with other recorded material, if any at all. No unreasonable demands from any single one person. If the majority votes the video is okay, then it goes through. If the majority decides the opposite, then it’s back to the editing room for Elliott. Furthermore, I suggest someone else associated with him to help him select footage in a non-biased way. All of our flaws must be exposed, and I truly mean all of us." 

He doesn’t speak toward anyone in particular, but generically. For once since this nightmare began, the words are finally much more easily coming out of him. 

"I, in agreement with Nemesis, Sabine and Shinobu, also vote for the plan of leaving them in isolation with little-to-no contact with the outside world rather than outright imprisonment, and while we are stuck at the ship, I agree with Shinobu. They should be offered the same commodities we were and kept under watch. Like them, I offer myself to stand guard and ensure no funky business is conducted by them. It’s the least I can do.”

Yay for house arrest! 

“… Elliott is not our leader. That had been made clear forever ago, he is only offering to take responsibility for his actions, and that should speak loudly of how remorseful he is for his methods. However you also seem to not understand… They are victims of Titan Administration just as much as we are. None of us asked to be reborn and serve as different versions of our bases, and the same is true for them. Claire, Calista and Iris did not ask to be made into unwilling overseers to watch their fellow Council members perish on a yearly basis, and neither do I think Montgomery exactly enjoyed working on a program to psychologically torture individuals and make them feel as if they’d been gruesomely executed in real life after learning that he’s just another copy and his beloved has been gone for over a century. Similarly, Elliott and Menai never asked to become terrorists just to guarantee we’d oppose the Titan Administration. Without them, we’d all still be serving them dutifully without a speck of doubt in our minds and await to be discarded only months later. Things in here aren’t as black-and-white as some of you would like to think. It’s not that simple.”

(cw: perceived victim blaming)

Sighing, he finally turns to The Doctor and says one last thing. 

“You haven’t learned anything, have you? You’re not as objective as you think. What you’re suggesting is the definition of exploitation. You are trying to lump Elliott into a personal ethics box and deeming him a villain when his actions are morally ambiguous. You’re demanding footage of me being used out of context to justify your own suffering. I watched the trial, and I watched how you, upon learning the truth, didn’t focus on the fact I avoided telling you my plans to ensure you weren’t targeted as an accessory of murder and attacked by the others for your silence, you glossed over how in my letter I stated I had an idea of where our ‘deceased’ pals were, a critical piece of information, and instead made the trial about you. A trial about my death, my suffering, about my plans, all about yourself; just because it was planned it does not mean I looked forward to my very slow, very painful death. I hid the truth from you once, and you labeled me an abusive, manipulative and toxic individual and constantly attacked me and even now continue to do so long after the events that took place and then demand footage of your own suffering be used in conjunction with out-of-context footage of me so you come out looking innocent. Our relationship wasn’t meant to be, and while I am sorry that I hurt you, I made that promise prior to learning of the existence of our compatriots stuck at the basement. Things change, Doctor. Accept that. I’m ready to move on, and you should as well. All Leland did was point out how quick you were to turn on me. I second Mina’s choice; Doctor should not be allowed to have her demands be met simply because she says so. If we’ll do this, we’ll do this as a collective effort between all of us.”

God, he had so much to say… Regardless. 

“I vote to regain control of The Forge as well as to allow Mina, Montgomery and Nemesis to operate on it how they see fit and stick it to Titan Administration in any ways they can. Now, what to do with ourselves and the world..? That’s… A much more complex issue, and not one we can hope to answer anytime soon, I’m afraid. Not by just ourselves, at the very least… And also, call me Izar from here on. I think that’s much more fitting than 'Sol’ at this point.”

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #sol #submission

[olympus-summit]

Look At These Photographs | Mina | Post-Trial 6.7 | RE: Footage Discussion, Nemesis, Sabine, The Doctor

When Sabine spoke, some of Mina's posture relaxed with her suggestion. It seemed like a fair compromise and she was fine to let them discuss the logistics of banishment to a farm. She's surprised to hear her name come up through Nemesis and she takes a deep breath. The others continue to talk as she takes the time to think of a response.

"...I'm willing to sort through the footage. I-It'll be a lot, but at this point that's something I think I can handle. Truthfully, I already have some portion of the security footage organized thanks to rebuilding Monty's memories, s-so that's already a big step out of the way. Also I don't mind working with another person if people are afraid of my bias but," the roboticist takes a moment to weigh her words, "I'm uncomfortable with trusting The Doctor with editing, nor will I ever work with her. I-I think there are plenty of other people who could be of help there."

The social roboticist does look to her former roommate, the expression she wears still difficult to place.

"Like I've stated before, you haven't shown me basic respect and never apologized once for your behavior towards me -- though I have apologized to you plenty. Nobody's obligated to accept apologies I've offered for stupid things I've done, but I also need my own boundaries respected. I know you're capable, Doctor, but I personally wouldn't want your help." she looks back to the Councilors, "Regardless of who does it, the final footage should be a group decision."

Mina puts a hand to her chest, sighing. There was a lot on her mind, as was everyone's, but she didn't take joy in being so decisive on those matters. But, she knew it would only end in disaster if she didn't make her feelings clear.

"I'll work with anyone else, b-but given that The Doctor and I couldn't even sleep in the same room... I don't think we can be trusted to work together. Having a partner would be appreciated, s-since reliving most of this is going to be... a lot? Though we don't have to decide a-all of the gritty details right here and now. Maybe just... big picture stuff?"

KIT nudges their master as she begins wringing her hands, having her focus her movements on petting them instead. It seems to help keep her calm while she continues in an even tone. It doesn't seem like she cares to harp on the prison vs. farm debate right now.

"...Anyway: do we have an idea of how we want to handle Titan Administration? I-I think we're more or less reaching an agreement with larger matters on the ship a-and all of that but... we can't really do much of anything until they're gone."

She remembers Shinobu and Nemesis's conversation from earlier and turns to them.

"Nemesis: would a cyber attack be enough to defang them...? I-It's genuinely not my area of expertise, but I'm really okay with doing whatever it takes to destroy them. I just prefer the path of least damage to innocents." The woman rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, turning her attention to the room. "Eh... The FURIES do exist. That seems like the most clear-cut but destructive method. I-If we want to try sabotage and a coup, w-where do we even begin?"

Technically she led her own little coup on board, but Mina didn't consider herself clever enough to pull off something on a larger scale. It's nice to be able to ask the question aloud to people who may have more of a clue.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #mina #submission

[olympus-summit]

#LeakTheTapesJensen || The Doctor || Post Trial 6.2 || ATTN: Elliott, RE: Sabine, Nemesis

The Doctor votes to retake the Forge, first of all. But then Elliott talks, and… 

She blinks in disbelief - foolish, really. She ought to stop being surprised by this point.

“If nobody else will point it out, then the responsibility falls to me - jesus christ, Mr. Eires, literally ignoring me entirely and not acknowledging my criticisms of you is not what the youth call a ‘good look’. You could manage responses for others, but when it came to my issues - your gross overgeneralization of human opinion that was made to suit your own needs, the arrogance of presuming that you could be in charge of filtering the footage even after claiming you do not wish to be a leader, the plain fact that your behavior indicates that you’d cover up for your friends - nothing to say, I suppose. How interesting.”

She rolls her eyes.

“I’ll wear it as a badge of honor - let it be clear, my issue is not that you have hurt my feelings. I truly do not put any stock in your opinion. My issue is that you’re flagrantly disregarding the rules of civil debate. You’ve put me through countless torture, you - I thought that the entire world was going to know my secrets. Maybe they do? I confess, I don’t truly understand how much of that farce was staged. Not that it matters, since the woman whose secret I sought to protect has been dead for years, but - I risked my safety of my family, emotionally and socially, because I thought your life was worth protecting. And you can’t even be bothered to address my criticisms. Some man you are.”

“I cannot support the idea of allowing them isolation from society as some form of penance - that’s ridiculous. They don’t deserve to live a domestic life of bliss, shielded away from all those in the world who seek answers. Fuck that shit, fuck this apologism - prison. Obviously, we’ll need to remain adaptable. It seems that temporary imprisonment in the airship, followed by permanent imprisonment on the ground once we rebuild society is the best option. But lock them up, throw away the key. Solitary confinement is unethical, so I must insist we refrain from that - but I also will strongly advocate that all of our criminals be sent to different facilities in the long term. I do not feel comfortable allowing them to continue to interact.”

“As for the footage… I still do not think we should have one singular person in charge of it. We can’t - we can’t allow such power in the hands of one. However, given her competence in technology, I can support Ms. Choi heading up the effort - so long as there are others working with her to ensure that her selection of footage is unbiased. I would be willing to join this team, though I do not propose that I be the only other to assist. I think we ought to have at least one other party involved.”

“As mentioned earlier, I will be insisting that the dissociative episode I experienced during our fifth trial, as well as the mockery and verbal assault that led up to it, be included. Ah, off the top of my head - for context, there is at least one other conversation that should be included prior. Directly after our third trial, Sol and I went to the underground theater to have a conversation. You will find plenty of footage of him insisting to me that he would never willingly die without talking to me first, and him promising up and down to never lie to me ever again - hollow words that must be included for my reaction to gain context.”

“Hm… I suppose clips regarding my decision to go against the popular vote for our first motive would also be beneficial to our cause? I do insist that we include the discussion prior to my election, where I made it quite clear that if elected I would be exercising my executive privilege - but still, I believe it will do a great deal to humanize my public image and expose my flaws.”

“I’m certain there are other instances involving myself specifically that should be released to the public, but those are the primary events that seem relevant at this time.”

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #adelina #submission

[olympus-summit]

Cucco Revenge Squad | Shinobu | Post-Trial 6.3 | re: Nemesis

It’d be quite the sight, Shinobu getting picked up by Nemesis and cuddled throughout such a grave discussion. But Shinobu really doesn’t think expressing such shameless intimacy in front of either of the two widowers in this room is a good idea. Especially not when there’s one issue with taking away all computers from Monty.

“…He’s got some personal files on his laptop. Is it possible to… to open it up, physically remove every part that can be used to connect to other devices and networks, a-and let him use what’s left offline? Would that be safe enough? I-If if isn’t, then… then, can we move those files elsewhere? Put them on his iRis, a-and on some backup devices just to be safe.”

It’s a strange thing to request, but… but Nemesis might be able to catch on that by ‘personal files’, Shinobu means ‘photos of his dead wife’. Even now, the topic of Maribelle is one Shinobu doesn’t feel safe speaking out loud about, especially now that Monty remembers just what they said to him several weeks ago.

…Out of everyone here, he’s probably the one who’s kept the most mementos of his previous life. Even things like the autographed poster in Shinobu’s bag and the game console in their room – all of that was manufactured, too, wasn’t it? To build the illusion? And maybe Monty’s laptop is an illusion too, a prop brought out every time MPI2076 wakes up for another year on the council. But even fake mementos count for something, and he’s got a whole ass laptop with photo galleries and personal projects, and it feels so goddamn unfair that Montgomery gets to have so much more than the rest of them.

Shinobu pushes for his sake anyway. There is punishment and justice, and then there is being cruel for the sake of cruelty. They refuse to become the sort of person who’d dangle photos of long-dead loved ones over someone’s head. Besides, if they’re going to act as ambassador between the factions, they want to try and ease whatever resentment Team Prometheus still has over any number of slights Shinobu’s done.

How funny, that even over a century since Hiroki Katsumori finally stopped blighting the world with her existence, Shinobu still feels the instinctive need to apologize to their tormentors.

“Ah, b-besides that, I won’t interfere with whatever you think is best. I do agree he shouldn’t have unrestricted access to computers, if possible. A-And if Elliott does end up editing a video – and I think I-I’d feel better if someone else was viewing the raw footage, too – but if he’s still involved th-then we’ll have to take that into account if he’s also roomed with Monty.”

Maybe they could just activate the parental controls on all the computers and call it a day. Sorry, Monty, you must be more than a year and two months old to play video games.

“…As for the Fates… If they are willing, a-and if people are comfortable with it, I’d like them to take a shift caring for the animals in Pan’s Grove. The other three as well, if it doesn’t cut into their other work researching and advising. Some of the animals are bonded to the Fates and Monty anyway, a-and for their sake they should be able to see their humans. We can schedule specific times the team is there, so that people know when to avoid them.”

The questions of why Titan had put animals here in the first place, where they had all come from, and where they all go when they’ve grown old are… not something Shinobu wants to explore right now. There’s been enough horror and heartbreak for one hour.

Those additions aside, Shinobu stops to let others discuss the terms of how best to isolate Team Prometheus. There are so many logistics going into this, and Shinobu’s done what they can to advocate for something better than just putting them in the basement jail. They expect that the others are going to ask for more restrictions, and who could even blame them for it? But… but Shinobu hopes their suggestions are at least considered.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #shinobu #submission

[olympus-summit]

Old McMonty Had A Farm | Nemesis | Re: Mina, Elliott, Sabine, Shinobu

However mixed his feelings may currently be, Nemesis is still relieved when Mina speaks up. She's talking sense, and she's the one person it seems like both the victims and their tormentors will listen to. 

"I'm not comfortable letting Elliott do that. I don't know how much of the footage he's already seen, or what all's been recorded, but I know there's personal stuff in there. It's not just a matter of what he might want to release to the public, there's private moments I'm not comfortable with him looking at. The idea of him filtering through the last two months of our lives... it makes my skin crawl." It doesn't have anything to do with his image or reputation, he's just trying to avoid increasing the sense of violation here. It's already pretty high. And Elliott giving his word makes him let out a bitter sound that's not quite a laugh. The word of a liar, great, that was reassuring. Nem shakes his head, not deigning to respond to that, and moves on.

"I also don't like the idea of Charon having his computer. Keeping an iRis, maybe, if we can lock the accessibility to certain apps and functions for him, and if he wants some gaming devices fine whatever, but I don't think he should have access to a computer without supervision. I recognize we're going to need to have them give us information and maybe even guidance in some things, and I do think that if they can help in this fight and they're willing to then they should, but we cannot trust them. Or at least I know I can't."

Charon with a computer was dangerous. That was just a fact.

"Alternatively... I'd like to suggest that Mina compile the footage for release, if she'd be willing to. And then we can all collectively go through it, I agree with that part completely." 

It was a compromise, but one that didn't turn his stomach, so hopefully it appealed to everyone.

"I realize that arrangements need to be made for the hostages, but since we've already recognized that they're people and deserve to decide how to live their own lives, can we please not negate that by talking about what to do with them without them present? It's cool if Sabine can offer them safe harbor in Castanea, but it should be just that - an offer. We should wake them up and explain things to them, give them some suggestions, and see if they have any of their own. Elliott, if you have any beef with Diamond, who might I reiterate is a whole person and not someone we're going to control or make decisions for, then you can try taking it up with her. You should talk to her anyway, you're going to be the only person she recognizes from the life she remembers. If that idea doesn't appeal to you, too bad. Shoulda thought of that before you made her. Consequences."

The concept of the six guiltier members of Team Prometheus getting to go live on an isolated little island farm seems better than they deserve. However upon brief reflection, the thought of Elliott having to learn how to milk a cow or a goat and Monty getting regularly attacked by chickens while Claire yells at him in the background brings a flicker of much needed amusement. God it would be even better if they had no contact with the outside world and Monty had to run all his games on the oldest PC they can dig up. Now that would be punishment.

"Okay, isolated farm plan, sure, I can support that." Nem returns Sabine's thumbs up with his free hand, starting to look like some of his anger might actually have died down. 

And finally he looks to Shinobu at his side, giving their hand another gentle squeeze. It feels so natural to be holding hands at this point that the gesture was purely instinctive. It's good, having that point of contact, knowing they're close, a living, breathing reminder that not everything in the world sucks right now. There's a considerably strong urge to pull them onto the throne with him so he can just hug them for a good long while, but that's probably not conducive to professional council business, so Nem will just have to keep the thought of being able to hug them after the meeting in mind as a light at the end of the tunnel. 

"...I trust Shinobu with that role, if that's what they want to do. Though they shouldn't have to be the only one handling it." He doesn't think Shinobu should have to be doing it at all, but it was their own suggestion, and he's not going to disrespect that. 

"I'm fine with being a technician. Not too far off from what I am anyway. Historically speaking I've got a pretty good track record of figuring shit out just by taking it apart and putting it back together, and I'm comfortable working with Mina. I'm... much less comfortable working with Monty, but I'll do it if I have to. I'll share any insight and knowledge I get with the rest of the council, and in case it wasn't already clear I'm more than willing to offer my services as a hacker as well when it comes to Titan. I'm good at data retrieval, so if they left anything on the ship's servers anywhere I can probably recover it now that I'm not being nerfed," He shoots a sharply acidic look in Charon's direction, "And if they've been trying to get into the onboard systems at all then I can backhack them so fast their heads will spin. Dunno what that fucked up weapon they used that gave us all seizures was, but if it was anything like a virus then they had to have a connection to launch it, and if there's a connection I can use it. Anyway, in addition to that, I've got experience with engineering, politics, and societal reconstruction, so like. Feel free to tap me for that if anybody wants help with something related or has questions or whatever."

Nemesis is just itching with the desire to get at one of the computers now that he can actually use it without Charon or one of the Fates getting on his back about it. If there's a decent set of tools on board then the thought of doing a more thorough investigation of the Forge and a number of the other tech on the airship also makes him a little weak in the knees with excitement. Identity crisis or no, he's still definitely a goddamn nerd.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #evren #submission

[olympus-summit]

just let them play stardew valley irl | Shinobu | Post-Trial 6.2 | re: Nemesis, Elliott, Sabine

Shinobu pays careful attention to the advice everyone gives. They’ve known since the beginning of this cycle that they aren’t as knowledgeable or skilled as their fellow councilors, and they’ll defer to the experts on certain fields. They’re grateful to see their idea about leaking technology has gone over well, and Nemesis brings up a good point.

“O-Of course, we do have to be careful with what’s released. Not the Forge – we learn what we can about creating organs and skin grafts and such, b-but we don’t share how to make a whole body o-or how to implant memories. I… don’t know if it’s safe to make anything from the neural scanner public. I can see some good uses from it, but it’s also ridiculously easy to abuse. Obviously.

…If we, uh, do get communications back, could we just hack into Titan Productions’ server and steal their formulas directly? The texts here d-don’t really have that sort of info, but if we got it directly from the source…?”

Does… Does hacking even work that way? It’s not like they have a server with a folder labeled ‘organ blueprints here!!!’, right? Shinobu has no idea how to perform corporate espionage. Worst case scenario, their attempts to break in might tip Titan off to what’s going on. It’s still worth considering, but if the tech here can be reverse-engineered, then it might be safer to go the slow route.

Which brings Shinobu to a contentious topic: Who to trust as a technician.

“…I’m alright with Mina being an active technician as well. Monty… would be a little more difficult to slot in, e-especially if people want him jailed  – I think… I-I think I’m fine with him researching and giving advice to the active workers, but I’d rather not let him near anything unsupervised. Or near the Forge computer at all.”

That’s still only two people. Is that really enough to maintain and research everything here? Sabine’s right that they need more support. Shinobu looks over to Nemesis. They’ve learned from the mess with the last presidency and don’t want to volunteer him without asking first, and they hold his hand between theirs, wanting him to know they support whatever choice he makes.

“Nemesis, you spent time t-taking a pod apart, right? And figured out some things? I… don’t want to pressure you into this. But I would be happy with you being head technician. U-Um, also, in that case I’ll let you decide the terms of how to…”

They languidly nod their head at Monty. Ultimately, how much involvement he should have is going to be up to whoever’s on the team of researchers. Shinobu can state their comfort and discomfort, but it isn’t their call to make.

“I-I’m, um… I don’t actually know anything about mechanics or agriculture. I-I’m not a doctor of any sort, and I’m not a spy or a revolutionary… I-I’m willing to learn what I can, though. W-What I’m trying to say is, yes, of course I want to help! I’m not sure how to help, but I’ll do what I can.”

Shinobu pauses to input a vote for the override, listening to Sabine’s advice as they do. They still don’t trust that Castanea isn’t being controlled or monitored by the Titan Administration, but  everything else she’s suggested is something Shinobu’s willing to take into consideration. Even the part about self-contained farms.

“I… can agree to something like that, yes. I still don’t believe it’s safe yet to do that, but as a long-term solution once we’re off the ship? Admittedly, I… I suspect that if we turned them over to a non-Titan entity, they might be executed anyway for what they’ve done to us. We’ll likely h-have to take this into our own hands, when we get to that point.”

When Shinobu said they wanted even the main instigators to live, they meant it. They want them to live out what remaining natural years they have fully, and they want them to live each day knowing that the people they victimized are living their own fulfilling lives, far away and without them.

Something bubbles in Shinobu when they imagine it. Guilt? Catharsis? They don’t know how to navigate such emotions. They’ve always been bad at muddling up the bad with the good.

“Short term, though… I-I still don’t want them anywhere near the controls for the ship or the Forge. If people insist on isolating them now, let’s do it right. Someone needs to bring them meals and medicine. Let them keep their computers and their tablets, let them out for exercise when possible, a-and if they’re needed for advice or research they’re going to need to leave for that, too. In those cases, we’ll need someone to escort them from place to place. Even if we don’t do house arrest at all, I want someone watching them. I think that we…”

…This still feels wrong, though. Like they can only do one extreme or another: Be merciful, or be cruel. Shinobu will always err on the side of mercy – their attempts to spare Ryu and Elliott proved that much – but they know not everyone will be happy with this. Of course people aren’t going to be happy, walking past their torturers in the hallway when they’re just trying to move on with their lives! But the airship is only so big, and there are only so many people willing to subject themselves to the strain.

Is this the true duty of a Councilor? To suffer for other people? To spend so much time healing others that they never get a chance to heal themselves? In an ideal world the Councilors wouldn’t have to even consider interacting with their abusers and could just go live in peace elsewhere and focus on recovery. But in an ideal world, this wouldn’t even be happening.

Shinobu nearly chokes on how dry their throat suddenly feels. They clear it out, then speak up. They know what their duty on this ship must be.

I’m… I-I understand there are people who don’t want to get near them ever again. And I won’t make you. Make me the middleman for communication, or a guard to supervise them. I… I-I won’t presume they like me, and I’m… I’m hurt, of course, s-some of them know exactly how they hurt me and I will never forgive that. But if… if this is all I can do, then I’ll do it.”

Not everyone can be a brilliant mind cracking the secrets of code and neurons. Sometimes the best one can do is keep the ones that tortured them alive.

At least Shinobu’s already proven they can make meals in bulk.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #shinobu #submission

[olympus-summit]

Princess (insult) | Sabine | Post Trial 6.1 | Re: A Lot, Hostages ATTN: Mitsu, Nemesis, Team Prometheus

Sabine hadn’t been to a trial before, so this was a little scary for her. It was much more intense than anything she had ever endured in person. Even her ‘fight’ with Nezumi had been considerably more tolerable. These were the people she was meant to work along side, and frankly, she was starting to understand the deep flaws of the council. Most of them had never been rulers. They were young adults, AI in human skin, who knew so little of the world as a whole. A puppet council.

But a puppet queen was still a queen, so it was time to take up her role. She quieted her nervous heart, coating her spine in steel before speaking up.

“We must make our decisions with logic, not with anger. Anger is natural, it’s natural for us to hate those who tormented us. It’s natural for us to hate those who put us here. But what is natural isn’t what’s most intelligent. Let’s for now let our grudges go aside. As it stands, I fear we will ignore proper solutions in anger. So, kindly, if you’re gonna get pissed, zip that lip.”

There was a venom to her tone, which regained its happiness toward the end. Oh, Sabine was fucking pissed.

“Let’s start with the hostages, shall we? I’ll take responsibility for all of them, and care for them as I would my own people. I looked into the life I would lead, as well as the current state of my country. My original, that is how I shall call her, was known as a hero in Castanea for putting in a number of reforms and turning most of the monarchy’s power over to the people. Even now, they celebrate whenever my previous incarnations have reigned on the council. I’m reasonably sure that they will listen to me and allow them to live in peace there. I extend that offer to the rest of you as well. As soon as I am sure they will shelter us, if you want to get off Mister Prometheus’ Nightmare Circus, you are welcome in Castanea. I, of course, am an idiot who insists on staying til the job is done, so I’ll join you when I’m sure everything is fine here.

“I do not believe we should hand off any jobs to one person alone. Neither in releasing the footage, nor in managing the forge. I do not believe it should be open source, of course, but I do think we should decide who can be trusted with it. Mister Nemesis, I think is someone who should lead the Forge team. His repulsion to the very idea of abusing it makes me believe that he can be trusted to manage it properly. For the editing of the footage, I suggest that we allow Mister Prometheus to work on it, but collectively do a pass through of it.”

She managed to keep her clam through this long explanation, sounding almost sweet and pleasant. This was why she had been selected to be the next queen, after all. It was a role she would never hold now. Her life was completely off the rails, but she would grasp her straws and make a new future, a brighter one. 

“As for punishment... Well, I would like to offer an alternative to simply locking the group up. I outright refuse to say we should just kill them. That’s repulsive, and same on you all for thinking we would just execute you.” She gives each of Team Prometheus very irritated looks. Well, except Mina. Mina gets warmth from her, as always. “Instead, I believe we need to weigh the scales. If they had not acted, we would have been executed. So the scales of life as equal. However, the scales of pain are far off. You all have caused far more pain than you have any right to, so punishment must be enacted.

“There are two things we should take into account, recompense and further harm. First and foremost, they can not be allowed to commit further harm. That is why imprisonment was the suggested option. But locking people in a cell is cruel in it’s own way. My suggestion is work then isolation. They have offered to help us fix things, so I say let them. Of course, never put them into a position of trust, they’ve lost that right, but we would be fools to pass on the knowledge and skills they offer. When we’ve reached a point where we believe that the world can flourish without our guidance, then we make sure they can never harm anyone. I suggest isolation. Perhaps house arrest on a small plot of land? That is what I would do back home. Just find them a little farm where they can sustain themselves, and forbid them to leave. If they need further resources to live, those can be provided, but do not allow them to interact with the people of this world outside of that.”

Her speech given, Sabine places a hand over her chest. She was anxious and nervous, but she did what she could. She wished she had her original’s knowledge. With that, maybe she could have found a perfect solution, instead of her haphazard one. After a moment, she picked up her iRis.

“Oh, and I’m for the override thingy.” She give Nemesis a thumbs up.

#sabine #trial 6 #chapter 6

[olympus-summit]

Feedback Survey: Just Listening | Menai | Post Trial 6-1

Menai didn’t really want to engage much either. Knowing everybody, that’d just be disruptive, and lead to more fighting, arguing, and yelling that got them no closer to their current discussion goal. The sooner this was over the better. They sort of just hugged Zunshayn close still, eyes darting around very quickly.

“I don’t really have much say in the footage, nor do I have much say in this conversation as a whole. In my opinion, Madam Han’s suggestion is the most reasonable as of now, however. I don’t exactly plan to not be blamed. I never really planned to leave to begin with. My end goal was just to stay, at this rate, because I did not consider myself of possessing any other home, or having any people who would care otherwise, and did believe most of you would want to keep an eye on me and the other members of this team.”

There was a reason Menai wanted to speak, however. They run a hand through their hair, Zunshayn making soothing honks of encouragement to just have them speak and end this rather than drag it out because of their anxiety.

“In the event of the hostages, I still…I consider David or Carlos…Whoever he is claiming to be, because I apparently have no clue what David did after he fled it would seem, know he is still like an older brother to me. It should hopefully reassure you that I don’t harbor any ill-will towards the hostages either. Not that I…actually played any part in their creation to begin with, but just in case that should hopefully let you know that I would not act in regards to them without the Council speaking further. I would….Please do not point out the irony, because I understand, but I don’t want any more pointless bloodshed.”

With that Menai falls silent, continuing to allow herself to be hid by the curtains. She’s pretty much fine watching the rest of the proceedings and seeing the final vote, finalizing her approval of the decision to retake the forge via her iRis. The people have spoken, from what they got.

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #menai #zunshayn #submission