hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 3.3: a belated meeting

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moves: chapter 3

Chapter 3.3: a belated meeting

At 0800 local time, Ashari sends out a notice that everyone [= all the PCs and associated NPCs] should assemble for a planning meeting at 0830 in Conference Room A (the ballroom from last night).

At the same time, Ashari specifically messages Dar and asks her to set out a quick breakfast for the meeting, "nothing elaborate necessary, sorry about the short notice." [Dar is free to argue with this over the messaging system.]

Ashari will be in Conference Room A at 08,00 themself, pacing around and muttering and looking agitated, for anyone who shows up early. Among the early birds are Gerae, who keeps checking a nanny-cam app on his slate that keeps an eye on Fluffy and the baby Vraselian pseudo-dragons, and Istradez, who is looking around wistfully for non-sweet food.

ETA:
When most of the group has assembled, Ashari, still clearly ill at ease, says abruptly, "Some of you may be aware of the staggering emptiness of this timeline. I have decided that we need to evacuate, and soon, even though it means abandoning the base. Discuss."

[Please feel free to continue/wrap up threads from the previous move, Ch. 3.2. I will be responding to some threads there shortly.]

[Jedao's report to Sasha and Reshad will be forthcoming in a comment to this post shortly, once I remove a certain catten from my desk.]

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[Sorry, it’s been a really rough week at work; I will try to get replies out to everything else this afternoon or evening.]

Xiulan listens with avid interest to what Alaric says; regardless of whether monitoring here is feasible, this is great information to have for many other reasons. The news Sasha imparts about moth predators is just as interesting, striking in a way that causes her attention to sharpen noticeably.

Starfish and sharks, she thinks. Are the moths somehow related...?

”I need an estimate from your people as to how soon that will be, so that we can coordinate with the other groups."

A few taps on her tablet and Xiulan sends the evacuation plan drawn up to Ashari [whether their augment or something else, whatever makes sense]. “I just sent what we have so far - time estimates are in the first section. Sounds like we can ignore the third option.” Her mouth pulls over in the dry half-smile that showed several times the evening prior.

[The timing estimate options:

1. Timing for an outright emergency evacuation (aka, under attack scenario)
2. The option they’re discussing now: planned evacuation, taking what supplies they can, getting out quickly.
3. If the base needed to be destroyed.

Player is distressingly terrible at coming up with time (or money!) estimates without lots of data, but Xiulan is not*L* so if we can assume something reasonable here, based on what she would know of the base and likely supplies that need to be loaded up, I would very much appreciate it.

The estimates would be on the more aggressive side than laidback, but achievable.]

Sasha displays the summary page of Xiulan's report on one of the conference room screens. Sulen's lists aren't hard to find; she displays those as well.

"Just wiping the base grid would take about half a shift. But that would still leave clues about when and where we're from, and how many people were present. It might be possible for someone to recover our files, though they'd still have to decrypt them. It would be better to overwrite the nodes a few million times with junk data, where we can't arrange their physical recovery or destruction. Of course, at that point we'll see significant degradation of the base's capability." Sasha grins at her own understatement. "We have a tradeoff between speed and noise, here--say another half shift to a shift if we're quick, and if we aren't worried that something out there might notice the nodes grinding away."

"The other tradeoff is the moths." She holds Ashari's eye contact, though it might be more accurate to say she doesn't know how to look away, not when the stakes are this high. "We don't know much about the moth predators. The Cantata says the moths wondered why their enemies aren't seen in the heptarchate, though I doubt they would have heard about a ship lost here or there. It's possible that alert moths seem tastier. But a moth that is awake can sense predators, and run. The Cantata says they're faster than the things that eat them. We should unharness the moths on the Typhoon and Sedulous Eel, as soon as we can."

Ashari considers for a moment. "I appreciate the reports," they say to a point midway between Xiulan and Sulen. "We'll go for speed when it comes to wiping the grids, and hope that we can get away before anything notices."

Meanwhile--"Tell me," Ashari says to Sasha, "do you or your people have contingency plans if something goes wrong with the moths on the Typhoon and Sedulous Eel? If unharnessing causes one to fall into a coma, or run away, or turn hostile?"

Reshad shows interest at the mention of Hexarch Mikodez, and her gaze sharpens at the name of Zehun. How many timelines can have both of them in positions of power?

It touches the central question, doesn't it? How much is a person themself, when in another time. When something or everything may have gone different.

"I'm from a timeline where Mikodez is Hexarch," she offers. "If there are substantial deviations in history from mine, I might be able to help spot them." Whether those are effects of rebellion activity or not, that's another question.

She's never thought her hobby would come in so useful.

The conversation about evacuation plans is of interest, and she nods respect to Xiulan's evident preparation. "If movement of matter is attractive to the predators, what if we jettison a data core after its wipe? Let it draw the hunters, and if they destroy it..." she slants one shoulder in a shrug, and sips her tea.

If the problem isn't moth predators being able to read the core, then let them help in disposal.

Edited 2020-02-29 03:05 (UTC)

[responding both to Reshad (above) and Sasha's comment here to consolidate]

Ashari nods sharply at Reshad's remark. "Your expertise will be appreciated. Keep Sasha apprised of your observations." To the rest of the team: "We can afford to sacrifice a data core, unless there are scientific or security considerations I'm missing?"

Ashari's answering smile at Sasha is a mirror to her own. "I am thrilled," they say, drawing the word out, "to hear about your contingencies. Since time is a consideration, please be specific about the 'appropriate response' in case of a moth emergency. After all, the other two moths are not, strictly speaking, here as volunteers."

"The moths do not have control over the weapons with which they are equipped, nor can they directly affect internal life support. A hostile moth could ram the base, but at that point they are effectively doing our work for us. If they decide to flee while our team is still aboard, it might become necessary to restore the harness for the protection of our team members. I don't fucking like that option, but we have the technical capability."

"But everything we know about the moths suggests that they are sociable and care for each other. And they are innocent of the heptarchate's crimes. So the question is, Ashari"--Sasha leaves a little space, where their faction title might have gone--"how many beings would you bind and enslave, because of something that you fear might happen?"

Sasha sips her tea. She wonders if she would notice, if Ashari's eyes flickered to blue, or if she would only become more aware of the stark planes of their face.

"I've got a question, too," Alaric says, raising his hand. "The dubious ethics of complaining about ill-timed slave revolts aside, how sure are we that the moth drives are reliable in the first place? The entire reason for this discussion is that this is apparently a dead universe. The moth harness relies on the high calendar. If there's no people around - or at least no living humans - then the calendircal environment should tend toward invariant conditions, or at leave very unstable ones due to rift-leakage. I'm no a professional stategic planner, but it feels like it'd be preferable to shut the harnesses down in a controlled manner instead of having them fail while running from ravenous space monsters."

With everyone else focused intently on Ashari, whether or not her eyes are doing things to force it, Ione—who may or may not be particularly affected by Andan enthrallment, it's not been tested—lets her glance wander for a moment.

If she's also reaching out a tiny, tiny tendril of power, an attempt to read at a distance, despite the fact she promised her mentor of childhood she would never ever do that? It's because she likes Sasha and Sulen, and thinks it would be useful for them to know ...

She looks over at moth advocate and expert Remi, to try to make out his face, and maybe what's on the surface of his emotional spectrum if she's lucky, as this conversation unfolds.

There may be some mild interference from Sulen, who is sitting very still and radiating extreme frustration and a strong desire to kick Sasha in the shins under the table.

Ashari's eyes start to flicker blue at Sasha's response, then shift back to their normal color, in a perhaps predictable sign of temper. "I understand that you feel an emotional connection to the moths," Ashari says, their voice biting. "Kindly remember that you have a job. I'm not saying we should bind the moths lightly. I'm saying that, since they are aliens who rather understandably have motives we can't entirely predict, and since they owe us nothing, it behooves us, for the sake of the team's safety, to be prepared for worst-case eventualities."

Their voice becomes milder as they address Alaric: "Nevertheless, the point you make is a good one. Shut down the harnesses, then, and we'll have teams on standby in case it's necessary, as a desperate resort, to re-engage them."

A wrinkle forms between Ashari's brows: "I also understand that the Cantata is low on personnel who can man the weapons?"

Meanwhile, beyond Sulen's frustration, Ione senses a flare of alarm from Remi: he's very concerned about the moths, but he's also keeping a low profile in this meeting (well--he hasn't reckoned on Ione) to see how the decision-making shakes out.

Jedao is leaning back in his chair, watching the interpersonal conflict playing out with interest. He's very relaxed.

This isn't about emotions, it's about the path of the fucking righteous. But Alaric has won the point.

Sasha makes herself taste her duck bun, which is weirdly spongey, and chew it as if she enjoys it. "Seyli and Jedao are fully capable with our weapons systems. I've run through the simulations. Xiulan and Mafyyil have the reaction speed, but may not be familiar with our instrumentation. Deyna would also require a tutorial." She smiles at Ashari with the inner joy of a person who has just imagined Fyedlet at a laser turret and is still eating breakfast.

Jedao stirs slightly. "I'm familiar with warmoth weapons instrumentation and can take that role," he confirms, "but do we know whether use of those weapons causes harm to, or is objectionable to, the moths themselves?"

EDIT: [Alaric in particular should feel free to answer this; otherwise, I'll have Remi speculate. Or someone who's contacted Cantata could ask it, etc.]

Edited 2020-03-03 16:55 (UTC)

“I’ve used weapons systems on - and piloted - craft of comparable size, but haven’t had the chance to learn on a moth,” Xiulan supplies in response to Sasha’s comment. “More than glad to learn. It’ll be good for us to have the coverage options.”

She looks over at Jedao’s question with interest. So many things to consider now, knowing what’s at the heart of the ships.

Reshad's experience with weapons is limited nto the personal, but the conversation gives enough room to think of something else.

"Cantata," she says aloud, as well as passing information via grid, "Can you hear me? There's a couple of questions best directed to you."

"Hello!" Cantata says via the grid, and hums/sings a pleasing low chord, which the mothlings warble back at it. "I don't know if the weapons on the carapace hurt to use. I do think I had some very weird dreams the last time the ship was in combat, but I don't know if that happens when the weapons are used while I'm awake. Perhaps I will have some exciting dreams!"

Jedao murmurs, "If only all combat had side-effects as benign as a minor drug trip..."

Deyna tries not to visibly perk up at the mention of weapons systems. She's much more comfortable with action -- even potential action -- than waiting to plan out logistics. She's looking forward to learning this new set of controls. It won't be anything like driving a refuse trailer, she's certain, but it can't be too difficult. She misses having a specific task.

Ashari's gaze flicks to Deyna. "After the immediate exigencies of the evacuation are handled," they remark, "I trust the team will train backup weapons officers. The more redundancy the better, I'm sure. Any other considerations?"

"The weapons we've got are almost entirely invariant," Alaric adds. "Missile racks, coherent light weapons, a couple sandcasters and missile countermeasures. It's possible the jammers might affect your senses, but the rest should be a matter of mechanical stress on the ship's structure. Not even much of that since missiles and beams don't have the kick of a coilgun or heavy particle beams, I doubt you'd feel it in the drive bay. My guess would be that the dreams would be the result of the extra manuevering involved. We can do some controlled tests later."

"I would love to be involved in tests!" the Cantata says. "After we do some good sprinting, of course. I was told there would be sprinting because we need to leave this place behind. How hard do I need to sprint?"

Ashari coughs, looking nonplussed by the Cantata's enthusiasm. "We'll let you know what the timetable is. The sooner the better, really."

[EDIT: Ninja'ed, shifting this up to Sasah's reply.]

Edited 2020-03-01 03:13 (UTC)

Dar listens to the arguments about the moths. She can understand the importance of not keeping intelligent beings in servitude. On the other hand, none of them are going to get out of here and stop the He*archate if they can't use the moths.

That's all above her paygrade, though. She focusses on the other quartermaster she'd met in the past week, and the servitor situation. She'd worked with a few of the robots when she was transferring party supplies around, but she's not sure how many are available and how many of them are heavy duty, suitable for hauling large flats and crates of supplies. She taps into the Grid to check this out.

The grid claims that approximately thirty servitors are available around the base, but only ten are heavy-duty, and that they would require human supervision by aa quartermaster type to authorize moving Important Things. The grid asks if she would like to delegate any tasks at this time.

Dar puts in whatever the equivalent of of a reservation is for 3 of the heavy-duty servitors for the next full standard day.

She decides to wait for the moth discussion extravaganza to die down before raising the issue of whether the other quartermaster folk have been briefed on the need to evacuate.

"I have considered the appropriate response if any of our team members turns suddenly and unreasonably hostile," Sasha tells Ashari, with a smile that is not a smile.

She should have worn the fucking feather pin.

[see above for response to this as well as Reshad's comment]

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Chapter 3.3: a belated meeting

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