[ Jim may, at a later date, remark on the encryption; he hasn't really been bothering, but he's had a few conversations with people where he's noticed them in use. Almost-engineer that he is, maybe he should join the party.
Well. [ Oh is this a serious inquiry, Miss Carter. ] They're acolytes of a cult, I'd call it, I don't think it's an actual religion given the lack of any code to follow or figure to worship. Maybe some of them worship the dragons.
But they're all fanatics. When I first showed up dirtside, the only things I heard about them was that they mostly stay up on the mountain at the 'Altar', and that there are rumors they do mysterious experiments. And we know what those experiments are, now, with the abductions during the riots in Wyver, the chimera creations, the tainted blood. The majority fled, and plenty of them showed up as culprits during the mass kidnappings we all went after. Some stayed behind and attempted to help investigations and begged off on 'ignorance', but I don't trust a single one of them, frankly.
I've been in the Altar's labyrinths. Nothing good comes out of that place. There's no way their noxious influence isn't a significant factor in the tendency towards violent cultural fanaticism found in Wyver civilians.
[ Peggy exhales inaudibly on her end of things, sitting back in her seat and closing her eyes to consider her next line of questioning. The man Cree has asked her to go after is elderly, a former shaman, but no less of a fanatic judging by reports. So there's no telling how difficult that assignment will be or what sort of target he presents. ]
So most of them have gone into hiding. [ She wonders if they've linked up with the group responsible for the kidnappings in Olympia, too. Likely. ] I don't suppose you know whether or not they deal in magic?
[ Jim's not ashamed about doing anything he did, during the rescue mission, though he does think of it in an abstract way, sometimes. Their deaths are permanent, while the refugees get to be resurrected on the station above. ]
They do use magic. That's their whole shtick with the Altar. I've fought ones hopped up on tainted dragon's blood and I've fought ones determined to escape or die trying, and didn't encounter anything on the level of the-- projectile-like, combat magic I've seen out of some refugees. But they've got access to and knowledge of enhancements, toxins, that sort of thing. Maybe more.
[ She hums softly at that. She knew they engaged in magic but not the extent. Her only brush with the Volkkran shamans had been when she engaged in that Pact with Steve Rogers — back then, it had seemed harmless, something that could only help rather than hinder (if it worked at all). And it's proven itself now; she's recovered from injuries in a few short weeks when it would have taken months, thanks to her link to Steve and his supersoldier healing. But the more she learns about the people behind that bond, the less she's inclined to mention it.
Especially here in Olympia. ]
Similar to the people working at the Institute up here, then. They have a potions division right alongside robotics, I wouldn't be surprised if they're dabbling in the — mystic arts, for lack of a better word. [ She pauses. ] I saw you not long after the rescue operations. Your injuries were from the shamans?
Yeah. [ A beat. ] Well-- my arm was the worst of it, and that happened getting another refugee on the rescue team out down the side of a tower after she'd been effectively crippled.
[ Even a tiny Final Fantasy elfgirl is not great on ye olde rotator cuff. ]
They're inventive as hell. Even with the technology deficit, they're able to pull out some deeply weird shit, like the chimeras. Effective combatants and very smart. I'd be interested to know what their training is like.
Yes, well, scaling a building can be tricky, even with both arms.
[ What, like she has experience in that? Certainly not. (unsure) ]
That makes two of us. The more I hear about Wyver, the more I feel I should simply travel south to see it all for myself. One visit in the mess of an evacuation isn't exactly ideal for soaking in the local colour. And if we're going to engage in any sort of diplomacy as members of this council, I'd rather be better prepared.
Don't dress like an Olympian, change your makeup, and wear a hat? [ It's not like they've got FaceSpacebook facial recognition software scanning everyone on the street, and there's a distinct lack of celebrity culture. ] Too bad you don't have a doppelganger. Everyone just thinks I'm Steve Trevor when I fence-hop.
I don't think I fancy the idea of having a lookalike.
[ What a nightmare. Helpful, but still. She knows how to disappear when she has to, that won't be too difficult. Not that anyone in her life is aware of how comfortable she is with that sort of thing. ]
We'll see when I can manage to get away. If anything, it may be slightly easier now that the hostilities have died down a little. [ A pause. ] Although I may have spoken too soon. But thank you for the offer, and for answering my questions. The shamans have always been something of a mystery to me and I knew asking any native Olympian would yield unsurprisingly biased results.
That's not ominous or anything. [ P e g g y. ] If I ask you what's with the very specific questions, which I have graciously answered and would regardless, will you tell me or is it topic change time?
[ His casual tone is sincere; this isn't an interrogation, and he's not annoyed. ]
I'm trying to get a better grasp of who's running things in either city, officials aside.
[ Not... a lie. Really. But changing the topic outright would be too telling. ]
It's no secret that the Institute is engaging in some unsavoury activities behind closed doors and I figured the shamans in Wyver would be their closest equivalent. And you're just as curious as I am about these things — I don't think anyone else I could have asked would have answered with the same level of detail.
[ It's not the first time she's done that - say something indicative of having information about future events. Though the last time she told him deliberately, and a little more obviously shifted away when he pressed. So Jim decides to roll with the appearance of letting it go, because he'd rather she continue to speak to him. Mysterious information is better than no information. He's a flexible guy. ]
The Institute employs a bunch of refugees over there, though, doesn't it? I've heard that a couple refugees do work up at the Altar, but I've never caught anyone in a robe passing out mutant juice.
[ She's reading the room, Jim. "The room" being... this entire damn mess. If something goes south, she'd rather her friends were ahead of it, and she's working to ensure that — even if it means dipping her toes into some murky, murky waters. ]
Let me know if you do. They're bound to know more about that place than any of us on the outside. [ Then - ] The Institute was one of the first places to offer positions to the new arrivals, along with the Sanctuary and the Guard. And all three places were guilty of holding people captive — whether the people working there were aware of it or not, I can't say. But it doesn't bode well for the bastions of Olympian and Wyvern society to be tangled up in that sort of thing.
Huh. In Wyver, they were all taken to remote locations. None in any kind of institution.
[ An interesting cultural note to reflect on, perhaps, that the terrorists felt they could successfully hide among everyone in Olympia, but not Wyver. ]
If that happens again, one of the kids with the giant robots is going to flatten half a city, probably.
[ There are two things she'd like to unpack in what he's just said, but the first takes priority over the mention of giant robots. For now. ]
Yes, in my time here, most incidents seem to happen within Olympia's walls. My patrol route takes me to the outskirts and that's often where I am when something happens inside.
[ You can imagine her frustration in being helpless to stop most things. ]
Not precisely the picture-perfect society touted in the Natha's brochures, is it? If it wasn't for the weather, I'd say I'd almost prefer Wyver for how cut and dried it seems to be in most proceedings.
Then again, a government unwilling to engage in total transparency with its citizens is nothing new. I knew Olympia felt familiar but that's a little too close to home.
[ Though he thinks of Dutch, from a world with tech like his, who lives in space like he does, living in Wyver and saying it's because Olympia isn't free. Maybe all revolutions start with peasants. ]
That's always the way, with government. Even the Federation's had ups and downs.
In my time, countries have their hands full and many can't quite manage. With more than one planet under its jurisdiction, I can only imagine how your Federation must operate.
Most planets out there aren't anywhere near as population-dense as Earth was in the twenty-first century.
[ ... Earth included. ]
And most humans are split up between Earth, Luna, deep space, a few other colonies. Living as offworlders on other planets. It helps that everyone's deeply committed to making it work. War with other planets, with self-styled empires, is beyond nightmarish. Nobody wants it.
[ EXCEPT KLINGONS, like, calm down, m8. Anyway. ]
I have to hope most of the people of these cities don't want war. They have families, futures.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
∞
Anyway, ]
They're dicks.
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Positively enlightening. [ So dryly said. ] You're welcome to elaborate.
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But they're all fanatics. When I first showed up dirtside, the only things I heard about them was that they mostly stay up on the mountain at the 'Altar', and that there are rumors they do mysterious experiments. And we know what those experiments are, now, with the abductions during the riots in Wyver, the chimera creations, the tainted blood. The majority fled, and plenty of them showed up as culprits during the mass kidnappings we all went after. Some stayed behind and attempted to help investigations and begged off on 'ignorance', but I don't trust a single one of them, frankly.
I've been in the Altar's labyrinths. Nothing good comes out of that place. There's no way their noxious influence isn't a significant factor in the tendency towards violent cultural fanaticism found in Wyver civilians.
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[ Peggy exhales inaudibly on her end of things, sitting back in her seat and closing her eyes to consider her next line of questioning. The man Cree has asked her to go after is elderly, a former shaman, but no less of a fanatic judging by reports. So there's no telling how difficult that assignment will be or what sort of target he presents. ]
So most of them have gone into hiding. [ She wonders if they've linked up with the group responsible for the kidnappings in Olympia, too. Likely. ] I don't suppose you know whether or not they deal in magic?
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[ Jim's not ashamed about doing anything he did, during the rescue mission, though he does think of it in an abstract way, sometimes. Their deaths are permanent, while the refugees get to be resurrected on the station above. ]
They do use magic. That's their whole shtick with the Altar. I've fought ones hopped up on tainted dragon's blood and I've fought ones determined to escape or die trying, and didn't encounter anything on the level of the-- projectile-like, combat magic I've seen out of some refugees. But they've got access to and knowledge of enhancements, toxins, that sort of thing. Maybe more.
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Especially here in Olympia. ]
Similar to the people working at the Institute up here, then. They have a potions division right alongside robotics, I wouldn't be surprised if they're dabbling in the — mystic arts, for lack of a better word. [ She pauses. ] I saw you not long after the rescue operations. Your injuries were from the shamans?
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[ Even a tiny Final Fantasy elfgirl is not great on ye olde rotator cuff. ]
They're inventive as hell. Even with the technology deficit, they're able to pull out some deeply weird shit, like the chimeras. Effective combatants and very smart. I'd be interested to know what their training is like.
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[ What, like she has experience in that? Certainly not. (unsure) ]
That makes two of us. The more I hear about Wyver, the more I feel I should simply travel south to see it all for myself. One visit in the mess of an evacuation isn't exactly ideal for soaking in the local colour. And if we're going to engage in any sort of diplomacy as members of this council, I'd rather be better prepared.
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[ Were you a ninja, Peggy? Maybe she was a ninja. Maybe that's it. ]
My door's always open if you want to make a field trip.
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I may take you up on that. But it would have to be discreet. For better or worse, I am still part of the Royal Guard.
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FaceSpacebook facial recognition software scanning everyone on the street, and there's a distinct lack of celebrity culture. ] Too bad you don't have a doppelganger. Everyone just thinks I'm Steve Trevor when I fence-hop.no subject
[ What a nightmare. Helpful, but still. She knows how to disappear when she has to, that won't be too difficult. Not that anyone in her life is aware of how comfortable she is with that sort of thing. ]
We'll see when I can manage to get away. If anything, it may be slightly easier now that the hostilities have died down a little. [ A pause. ] Although I may have spoken too soon. But thank you for the offer, and for answering my questions. The shamans have always been something of a mystery to me and I knew asking any native Olympian would yield unsurprisingly biased results.
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[ His casual tone is sincere; this isn't an interrogation, and he's not annoyed. ]
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[ Not... a lie. Really. But changing the topic outright would be too telling. ]
It's no secret that the Institute is engaging in some unsavoury activities behind closed doors and I figured the shamans in Wyver would be their closest equivalent. And you're just as curious as I am about these things — I don't think anyone else I could have asked would have answered with the same level of detail.
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The Institute employs a bunch of refugees over there, though, doesn't it? I've heard that a couple refugees do work up at the Altar, but I've never caught anyone in a robe passing out mutant juice.
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Let me know if you do. They're bound to know more about that place than any of us on the outside. [ Then - ] The Institute was one of the first places to offer positions to the new arrivals, along with the Sanctuary and the Guard. And all three places were guilty of holding people captive — whether the people working there were aware of it or not, I can't say. But it doesn't bode well for the bastions of Olympian and Wyvern society to be tangled up in that sort of thing.
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[ Hm. ]
Holding people captive - like, in the recent kidnappings, or something else?
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[ She'd get bored of a holiday but sometimes she sure would like one. ]
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[ An interesting cultural note to reflect on, perhaps, that the terrorists felt they could successfully hide among everyone in Olympia, but not Wyver. ]
If that happens again, one of the kids with the giant robots is going to flatten half a city, probably.
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Yes, in my time here, most incidents seem to happen within Olympia's walls. My patrol route takes me to the outskirts and that's often where I am when something happens inside.
[ You can imagine her frustration in being helpless to stop most things. ]
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[ Said in a wry tone of voice that clearly illustrates he knows she knows that. ]
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The call is coming from inside the house.]Not precisely the picture-perfect society touted in the Natha's brochures, is it? If it wasn't for the weather, I'd say I'd almost prefer Wyver for how cut and dried it seems to be in most proceedings.
Then again, a government unwilling to engage in total transparency with its citizens is nothing new. I knew Olympia felt familiar but that's a little too close to home.
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[ Though he thinks of Dutch, from a world with tech like his, who lives in space like he does, living in Wyver and saying it's because Olympia isn't free. Maybe all revolutions start with peasants. ]
That's always the way, with government. Even the Federation's had ups and downs.
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[ ... Earth included. ]
And most humans are split up between Earth, Luna, deep space, a few other colonies. Living as offworlders on other planets. It helps that everyone's deeply committed to making it work. War with other planets, with self-styled empires, is beyond nightmarish. Nobody wants it.
[ EXCEPT KLINGONS, like, calm down, m8. Anyway. ]
I have to hope most of the people of these cities don't want war. They have families, futures.
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