audio; un: PARTY.

[wardance]

Three things.

The first. I'm requesting if you know anyone of our group that was transferred during this mission at any point, whether it was already announced or not, to list them here. If you knew anything about them, particularly unique to them—information, capabilities, whatever—I'd ask you disclose the information, as well. [ he may be able to get the first part, at least, by looking it up but it helps to have confirmation from files that are not documents provided by ALASTAIR. ]

The second. I'd like to know of any of you that are of leadership status back where you come from, particularly if you are responsible for the lives of others. Militarily, politically, socially, whatever. [ not the time to be picky. ]

Lastly, what's the value of a life to you? Both your own and others around you and how far does that value extend? They say there's a time to kill and a time not to kill: what're yours? [ it'd be nice to know who the self-sacrificers are versus the kill-happy. and then everyone else in between. ]

...Allow me to introduce myself, if you don't know me: I'm Date Masamune, a daimyo from the north.

[ yes, he's got a different tone to this from the last time he addressed the network, but the serious nature seems necessary, if not because of the content but because of what they're all sitting in the middle of while they wait to leave chantes. might as well be somewhat productive. ]

Comments

video; username: adlantisag

[adlantisag]

I remember some names.

[ Thinking back on it, it feels distant, and yet it was barely a half-blink ago. ]

video;

[wardance]

Whenever you're ready. [ he's got the paper in hand, although he is pointedly looking down at it. while he's asking for this info, he's still really unhappy about a few disappearances in particular and he knows they'll be eventually mentioned somewhere.

but masamune also doesn't feel a need to keep things audio with her, either, to hide any of that if it arises, so... ]

[adlantisag]

Ushahin. Fenris. Lewin. [ His real name was Lief, but he never gave it to her, the liar. ] Fai. [ A beat. ] Muneshige. Clarke.

As for what they could do--I could not say with any certainty. I did not see them all at work. Fai and Ushahin were mages. Lewin and Clarke, just a boy and a girl. Muneshige you know.

[wardance]

[ he does. and his hand stiffens just slightly when he has to write muneshige's name, but that's all. ]

Clarke—she was in the prison with us? [ he's trying to recall if he knew any of the others... ]

[adlantisag]

Yes. [ She remembers Clarke sitting next to her, working through the passages of that hideously dry textbook with her. She remembers fighting with her over confronting the king. ] She was brave.

[wardance]

Yeah, she was feisty as hell. I remember helping her relocate her shoulder but it seemed pretty obvious she knew how to do it on her own. Any knowledge about where she comes from? I would have guessed she must have had survival experience for a reason.

[adlantisag]

[ Kida shakes her head. ] She said she was from the sky. [ A pause while she considers, then: ] Do you know what a 'space station' is?

[ Kida doesn't. ]

[wardance]

[ well. he pauses before glancing up from the paper. ]

Never heard of it. But, I guess it's some place in the sky... [ apparently? maybe. ]

[adlantisag]

[ Shrugs. ] In any case, it seemed to have taught her much.

[ People who clearly need to watch The 100: these guys. ]

Do you miss him?

[wardance]

[ i hope they get a tv in one world. they can just watch movies all the time... ]

I don't know. [ it seems better than jumping to a no in defense. besides he misses a lot of people if he's honest :( ]

[adlantisag]

[ Netflix and chill tbh. ]

What is the purpose of keeping these names? Do you think it is connected, that these people should be taken but we left behind?

[wardance]

Yeah, it might be. I have a hunch but it's pretty far fetched with just one mission and so little information.

[adlantisag]

What is it? Your idea.

[wardance]

Regulating how a mission proceeds by taking away or adding recruits of particular natures. Basically, missions aren't meant to be solved earlier than expected or later than planned. While we are told our ultimate goal, the question becomes do we actually have any ability to change how things proceed. Could we have prevented Michel from summoning the demons, from killing the king? Or was that just how it was intended to go from the start.


[ he's pretty free to talk about this sort of thing at the moment even on a device that ALASTAIR has access to since, he doesn't believe ALASTAIR to care but also he hasn't gone to the point of getting rebellious. just openly curious as to their tactics.

...also, to be fair, he's always been quiet brazen against things he's opposes back home. ALASTAIR will be no exception if he finds actual reason to push away from them. ]

[adlantisag]

[ Maybe ALASTAIR chose him because of his rebellious nature. Maybe they knew he would challenge, would incite. Maybe they're all just playing their roles. In any case, it's doubtful that an organization that specializes in planning the future not have contingencies for rebellion in its recruits.

Who knows, really? ]

I do not believe that to be far-fetched. [ It makes sense. ] If they are truly in the business of saving universes, their sight must be farther-reaching than ours, yes?

[wardance]

[ it's very true. ]

Absolutely. I just guess the question is who decides the fate of a universe. The client or ALASTAIR. [ and then, who exactly are the clients. ALASTAIR obviously gets paid to do this stuff. ]

[adlantisag]

The King asked for us to be brought here.

[ And now look at him. ]

[wardance]

Is that what he said?

[ y...eah...and he's used to seeing the results of beheadings and yet that was.... something else. ]

[adlantisag]

[ She nods. ]

He thanked us, do you remember? At the festival of illumination, all those months ago.

[ A beat. She remembers presenting that letter to him like an accusation. ]

He said he brought us here so we could take care of the 'goblin problem'.

[ Yeah. Yeah. ]

[wardance]

I remember the letter. I had wondered if it was from him at all with the way we were treated. Why would someone relatively hostile and uncooperative to those you sent for?

[ if there was a speech while there at the festival though uhm... he was... fighting with... gilgamesh ... ]

[adlantisag]

[ Fighting............is that what they're calling it now ]

Because we did not eliminate the goblins as he had hoped we would.

[ ALASTAIR's instructions, in fact, were specifically the opposite. Foster peace. ]

[wardance]

[ uhm he kicked him in the face, it was A+ plus fighting in Masa's eyes for reals!! ]

We were never allowed on the grounds or treated as I would imagine one would treat individuals they want to side with them... are you saying that and then the rising hostilities are because he was told we would not eliminate them?

[ DID YOU TELL THE KING THAT KIDA? ]

[adlantisag]

[ Shaking her head. ]

The hostilities had been rising long before we came. [ Graldia had already assembled her forces before ALASTAIR came onto the scene. ] Our rebellion only served to make us targets for his ire, as well.

[wardance]

[ are u seriously telling a warlord about rising tensions building up to something like this kida. ]

That's obvious, you don't get like this unless both sides and everyone on it are crazy. But that isn't what I mean. Initially, we would be assumed on his side if summoned; the letter suggests as much about the "problem". But, even at arrival, we were granted nothing. If we weren't, why thank us to begin with?

If you ask for assistance in my country and it is accepted, you treat your allies with the highest of value and care until you have reason to do so otherwise. You do not find his initial treatment of us odd—sending letters but not inviting us to speak and thank us personally in the castle? If you will not even meet with them on a personal basis, already the trust link is severed. [ where he comes from, anyway. ]

Are these actions the common manners of western monarchs, then? [ yeah he's looking at you, princess, how do you treat YOUR GUESTS IN ATLANTIS... ] Maybe it's too foreign for me.

"Our Rebellion" was... not eliminating them?