voice; un: eliasainsworth

[thornydisposition]

I believe I have some information that might be of use, or at least to consider.

[The voice is low and very even, having only the barest hint of a conversational cadence.]

My companion, Shuyi, and I managed to locate and capture Miz Poppy. We captured her and two of her Deemer companions, and as we began to take them back to Perdition's Rest, she had some very interesting things to say.

She reaffirmed that there was no way to safely separate a Taraxa from its host without the destruction of the latter. What is more troubling, however, was that she insisted that hers and her compatriots' mission of destruction was something which the TIMELINE.EXE asked of them.

Before we could deliver her back here, one of the other captured Deemers sacrificed himself so that she may escape in the confusion.

It is not my intention to offer this information in order to incite mass confusion or doubt, as it is quite possible she was lying. But I do not think we can completely discount that she might be telling the truth—or that she and her fellows are somehow deluded enough to believe that they are. It is, as I originally said, something to at the very least keep in mind.

Comments

[gunah]

It could all be a lie.

[ Everything would be simpler that way. ]

Both of us, Zymandis and ALASTAIR, believe ourselves to be the ones standing on the right side. We are no better --if she spoke the truth.

[twinpeak]

Sure, that's possible, but why would they need to lie about having a similar program to ours?

[gunah]

To have us question ourselves. Divided, we will be easier to defeat.

[twinpeak]

Usually, yeah, though isn't that kinda... weak? I mean, we've collectively argued about way worse and made it out okay. If you ask me, it'd be a bigger bomb to drop if it were true.

[gunah]

She was captured, bound, on her way to certain death or worse. Perhaps she was only buying herself some time, looking for chances to escape.

I would not trust her. [ She doesn't want to trust her. ]

[twinpeak]

[ He makes an exhausted exhale. ]

I guess arguing about it would be pointless. We need some sort of proof to know if she was telling the truth or not.

[gunah]

We will get proof, either soon enough to make the right choice or too late. Much, much too late.

[twinpeak]

[ —Er. ]

Iiii think we'll be okay either way! We're not doomed, and that's the important part.

[gunah]

Are you so sure?

[twinpeak]

It's going to take a lot more to bring us down for good. Trust me, I've been doing this for a while.

[gunah]

Have you? [ He seems so young!? ] How long has it been?

[twinpeak]

Uh, let's see... [ Dipper trails off briefly, counting off his fingers, then: ] About a year? Almost. Going by a normal Earth calendar, that is.

[gunah]

That is not long enough to cease caring for those others whose fates are tied to ours.

[twinpeak]

—Wait, what? This isn't about not caring! I'm just saying whatever happens from this, we'll make stuff work, and, y'know, survive.

[gunah]

Surviving isn't enough.

[twinpeak]

We're not going to get very far in what we do if we don't manage that much.

[gunah]

If you could save every single Qorral for the price of your life. Would you?

[twinpeak]

I—no? What're you getting at?

[gunah]

I would consider it. Would it not be worth the sacrifice?

[twinpeak]

I'm not going to start considering dying.

[gunah]

And why not? To live is to slowly die. It is inevitable.

[twinpeak]

Yeah? But I'm also only thirteen, kinda want to make it back home at some point, aaaand this conversation has officially turned weird.

[gunah]

Children younger than you have died.

[ But she thinks he doesn't want to hear that. ]

Let us choose the right ally then, the one who will keep their promises.

[twinpeak]

[ Oh. No, he really doesn't. ]

... Sure thing, lady. I'll get right on that.