2024-07-25: Satellicon in Orbit!
- Log: 2024-07-25
- Cast: Sayaka Yumi, Shari Loom, Teletha Testarossa, Koji Kabuto, Cascade Vermilion, Seolla Schweizer, LiSA, Boss
- Where: Science Fortress Laboratory, deep in the Pacific Ocean
- OOC - IC Date: July 25, 0099
- Summary: Satellicon has made an appearance on the world stage twice now - but just what is Satellicon? The Photon Power Labs host a meeting at the Science Fortress Laboratory with the hope of answering just that.. The ragtag group gets acquainted with each other and put forth their respective goals.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
The Science Fortress Laboratory is a very different beast from the Photon Power Labs. Built by legendary scientist Kenzo Kabuto as a top-secret, all-purpose defense fortress to stage his war against the Mycenaean Empire, it was largely abandoned, having served its purpose as the surviving Photon Power Labs personnel shifted their priorities back to peacetime matters.
Though it was briefly reused during the 'Singularity-03 incident' in 0097, it has now been fully revived as the Photon Power League's primary contribution to Satellicon - a well-hidden underwater station that allows its various ships and groups to temporarily dock and refuel - additionally acting as a base of operations for Earth-side missions if necessary.
But if the Science Fortress Lab is going to once again be used for the purpose of war, Sayaka wants to make sure the people it's supporting are all on the same page. even if they don't have the resources to be as unified a front as the likes of the Dawn of Fold. While the PPL can use its own resources to directly involve trusted allies of the Photon Power Labs, such as Boss and Cascade - even Shari, due to her involvement in their 'forbidden' research of topics such as the Void - they have to be more careful when it comes to bringing in others.
Instead, the other primary battlegroups in Satellicon, such as the Toy Box of what was formerly Mithril, and the Ptolemy of the fallen Celestial Being are contacted with an encrypted message of invitation, including coordinates to the Science Fortress Lab's location in the Pacific. She trusts that they know how to use their own tricks to evade NUNE's detection.
The central lobby area - which is a new addition, because Kenzo Kabuto needed no such luxuries for his pilots, is set up for their guests, with coffee, tea, and assorted snacks (though likely it's Koji that deserves the credit for that).
The seating arrangements are casual and free-use, with a large round table at the center of the lobby. "Welcome to the Science Fortress Laboratory, Satellicon," The director of the Photon Power Labs, Sayaka Yumi, greets, studying each arrival with a keen eye.
"Satellicon has already intervened twice on the world stage," She says, with a sip of her tea. "But I brought you all here to make sure it doesn't lose its momentum... or sight of our collective goals." She explains, taking a seat to the left-center of the table. "We all have a common enemy. But we can't afford to be secretive towards each other. So let's get to know each other, shall we?"
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
Shari Loom hasn't been in the cockpit of a robot of any kind in some time. Neverheless she's here. Right on the heels of the kaiju attack on Nouvelle Tokyo, Shari has acceed an invitation. She may well have arrived in the same transport as Sayaka or Koji!
She doesn't show any signs of having been recently imperiled. She mighht look out of place; an ordinary girl of average height (well, average some places!), with dark eyeliner and lipstick and eyeshadow, and clohes that can best be descriibed s 'offbeat pink.'
But she's here, and she has some coffee, too. She just stepped bback into the room from going off somewhere else, and--
"Hey," Shari Loom says, and llooks around to whoever else is here. "...Name's Shari Loom. I'm in weapons development."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
The Tuatha de Dannan had ensured that it could dock at any port it needed to, high or low. To be able to stuff it into the docking station was a miracle in of itself, something necessary for the situations ahead. Wary of the message (as always, per proper protocol), it takes a day of risk-management deliberation to accept the invitation and to make their way there. An easier time than others, but wariness never killed anyone! Usually.
Tessa arrives in vaguely casual wear, the sigil of Mithril gone from the shoulder patches of her military office uniform. Khakis substituted for the skirt, a pair of brown loafers to top it off, hair in a ponytail as she stifled a yawn. Those mental walls of hers had dropped significantly, radiating a sense of...mild combustion.
Still, she's keen enough to nod towards Sayaka when entering the room. Those sharp eyes hadn't lost their luster, even when contrasted with sleep-deprived black.
...Koji's got an eye for snacks. How long had it been since she munched on a fresh muffin? Seated to the center-right, taking the first draught of orange juice (Freshly squeezed orange juice! It'd been months!) that she could savor in a long time.
"Teletha Testarossa." Stated plainly, her own eyes peering over the area. "I'm in..." She never did make a job title for herself, did she. "...the Paramilitary Business." Appropriate enough, an equally derisive smile slipping out. Shari. Hopefully, she's okay.
The pessimism in her wasn't about to agree with that offhand thought.
"I was half-wondering what happened to this place after the Mycenae Empire fell. Who spiffed it up? Was it you, Sayaka?"
<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.
Trying to revitalize the Science Fortress Laboratory into a more welcoming place has been a challenging prospect given the facility's original highly utilitarian design principles forgoing comfort in favour of training two highly-lethal super-pilots for a war against an unrelenting existential threat. It is a process, in fact, still in progress - but at least the command and control centre is complete.
And yes, those snacks are Koji's. The man in question is sitting at Sayaka's right hand, messy hair as iconic as always.
It's hardly the image one might expect of a member of a clandestine warfare organisation, is it?
But here they are.
"I'm sure most of you know the two of us by reputation. Please, try the brownies." He waves a hand to the buffet of snacks. "We hope that you can come to consider this facility a safe haven, at least on Earth. While we obviously can't afford to publically associate the Photon Power Laboratory with Satellicon operations... At least this place is ours to offer you."
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
It may be a surprise to some people that Cascade took up the offer to come. She has been used to working alone, ever since she left Dr. Hell's employ, if that's what you call it. Her fighting alongside other people is more a result of being in the same place at the same time than any kind of deliberate alliance.
But she did.
Cascade has her own methods to get around... and most of them are completely unsuitable for getting to an underwater fortress. She could swim down to it, but it would take a long time, and then she'd have to figure out how to get in; an underwater fortress is not likely to have many human-sized accesses from the outside, and she doesn't have the codes to open any doors remotely. She could take Queen Gundam down, but Queen Gundam - while water-capable - tends to be sluggish down deep, and it also is a little too obvious, probably, if she dives in from the surface.
So she took a PPL transport, like a normal person, and sulked about it.
Cascade is already here. She has taken a chair and is sitting on it, also like a normal person. Less normal is her fashion; she has apparently been experimenting with slightly more outre outfits lately. Her top, from the front, could be a shoulderless crop top or tube top, except in the back it extends upwards to give her long sleeves, and buckles a little strap in front along her shoulderblades. She's paired it with tight-fitting jeans. The whole outfit is black, and contrasts both with her pale-but-freckled skin and long, extremely red hair.
There are also some treats on the table Koji didn't put there: some mint Nanaimo bars and also some cherry danishes. Both are solidly 'pretty good', as baking is the part of cooking Cascade excels at, with its similarities to chemistry. She has not explained their presence to anyone and in fact snuck them in when nobody was looking. When you're an assassin, you can do that.
Cascade has been keeping a watch when other people enter. Tessa gets her attention because she knows of her, but her attention then descends squarely on -
"Why are *you* here?" she asks Shari, quite directly. Cascade rests one hand on the arm of her chair as if she was going to get out of it. If this is a long-term plot to 'keep an eye on her' by the PPL, then -
('Mistaken identity' and 'accidental fluke' don't occur to her immediately.)
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Perhaps the open skies are a privilege that need to be earned.
That's what Seolla always winds up thinking when she's been cooped up for too long either in the Tuatha de Danaan, Copernicus City, or any of the myriad space colonies. The joy she remembers taking is to be among the clouds, but increasingly that's a no-man's land. Were that she could live in them entirely...
And now, she's here at the Science Fortress Laboratory, deep beneath the waves. "Here's hoping it can stay a safe haven, to boot," Seolla remarks at Koji, following at Tessa's side and giving a salute upon formally entering. "Oh, right- I'm Seolla Schweizer. I work with Captain Tessa. Aaaah-" There's a slight amount of uncertainty remarking all the snacks and drinks - Seolla starts off by just...sipping a bottle of water cautiously.
With a slightly wary gaze in her eyes at perhaps not accepting hospitality properly, Seolla at least tries a banana, nibbling at it idly throughout the meeting. "...It's pretty good," she murmurs, sort of misplacing compliments, she realizes.
The rather firm tones Cascade takes towards Shari already has Seolla on edge slightly...and it's clear what's on her mind when she flashes a hand signal behind her back to Tessa - the "I can confirm the routes back to the ship are clear right now" one. Even though she knows the Photon Power Lab staff are heroes of Earth, that Sayaka's intent for working together is clear...
...well, old habits die hard, mostly.
<Pose Tracker> LiSA has posed.
Lisa has helped in the kitchen, based on the look as she adds on, "They are very good brownies." It is the look of someone who has no shame for the amount of taste-testing they did.
(She should have much shame.)
"Most of you have... seen me before. I think? But I'm Lisa. I'm mostly going to be the voice over the radio type, riding secondary - when I'm allowed too-" She adds on, with a slight touch of sarcasm- "With my mom or dad here. Otherwise, it's going to be mission support and back end repair and tech stuff... since yes, I do take after them."
A glance at Shari and Cascade, and she asks, genuinely, "You two know each other already?" Lisa's innocent, Cascade! (You can always just move in with her anyways.)
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss may be fond of warmer, friendlier atmospheres, but he could never be put off by the Science Fortress Laboratory - to him and his crew, it still feels like a home, just the same as it used to many years ago. As such, he doesn't need the new lobby to calm his nerves - although he's happy to have it, all the same.
And he does have a few nerves to speak of. Never one to turn down an request, nor to sit back when he's called on, it's all but certain he, Nuke and Mucha would follow through on Sayaka's invitation. Joining a war effort is something even they would deliberate further on, but the three ultimately know they'd all choose to join the cause in the end. With their hearts set on the matter, that leaves only their minds to wonder what this means to them - but they push the worry aside for now. They should have their clarifications soon enough, after all.
By all appearances, then, they possess as inviting a presence as ever. They take their places, Nuke reaching for a snack as Mucha pours some tea. Boss, having planned a rough sketch of it beforehand, begins his introductions. "For those of you who don't already know us, my name's Boss. My partners here are Nuke and Mucha," he gestures with one hand to each as he says their names, "and we're pilots with the PPL. We-"
Moment of realization, as he realizes a misplaced line in that rough sketch. "Okay, we're not with the PPL as in, being employed by them. That might be important for political stuff, or-" -he tries to get back on track- "the point is, when they say Fujinomiya needs protecting, we're there." Nuke does his best to maintain composure in the background - Mucha puts in less effort, knowing his famously inscrutable expression will cover for him. Boss regains his train of thought and continues: "our focus is on civilian evacuation, but if you need us for a fight, we won't back down."
Satisfied that he's hit all the points on his introductory checklist, he stops to let the others speak, and takes stock of who else is here. Of course it's good to see Koji, Sayaka, and Lisa - he needs no introductions with them. It's a surprise to see Cascade, who hasn't always had a positive relationship with PPL - or Boss Ramen, for that matter - , but the Borot crew are an accepting trio, so they trust Sayaka's judgement and don't raise their guards on her account. They're certainly curious, though. They remember Tessa from Isaac city, but haven't seen her since, and certainly not in person. The remaining two are new faces. It may seem like a disorganized bunch from the perspective of leading factions, but to the pilots of Boss Borot, this has all the makings of a crew waiting to be assembled.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"Oh, they're good," Sayaka assures, when Koji gestures to the brownies he whipped up for the occasion. She takes one for herself, though seeing as she's the only one here lucky enough to get them on-request, she saves the rest for the others.
Shari doesn't show signs of being imperiled, looking as fashionable as over, though Sayaka still keeps up with the news. "I'm glad you could make it, Shari," Sayaka gives her a friendly wave. "I heard Nouvelle Tokyo got hit pretty hard by a kaiju yesterday. You didn't have a hard time getting out?" GGG didn't miss a beat on evacuations, she's sure, but apparently the hero of the day was a totally unknown machine...
Though she appears in casual wear and an exhausted countenace, Tessa's reputation precedes her, and Sayaka knows to give her a respectful nod. "Welcome, Ms. Testarossa. I hope the trip all the way down here hasn't left you too worse for wear. Eat and drink as much as you'd like." Seolla is just as sharp, and Sayaka gives her a smile as if to imply 'at ease' - they're going for a much more approachable atmosphere than Kenzo's, after all.
"I can't take the credit for that alone," Sayaka admits to Tessa's question. "It's always a team effort around here." Seolla has her own comments about it being a safe haven. "Here's hoping," Sayaka agrees with her. "I can at least confirm all the defense systems are just as in running order as they were in the '80's. But the rest is going to be up to us." Which is to say, they at least won't be in danger from NUNE's forces.
Though she was able to convince Cascade to join Satellicon, Sayaka is almost surprised to see she actually came here, considering her reluctance to work with others. Sayaka solidly approves of the additional snacks, though she thinks it's a shame that whoever put them there didn't take responsibility so she could give her compliments. She doesn't immediately guess it's Cascade, though, so it's when she points out Shari that she gets Sayaka's attention. Sayaka has much the same question as Lisa. "I didn't know you two knew each other, either," She says. "I'd love to know the story of how you two ended up meeting.I can vouch for Shari's skills, though." She smiles.
Sayaka gives Lisa an 'innocent' smile when she hears that sarcasm. "I'd trust you more riding in Mazinger Z or Aphrodite Areia than becoming the fourth pilot of Boss Borot," She teases the Borot Crew while she's at it. "Though it's true that civilian evacuations are no less an important part of our work, too." She gives them a nod. They've got to send a message where it matters, rather than attacking indiscriminately, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
"Thanks," Shari says to Sayaka. "...I did, but we made it; Gerardo's recovering. He got banged up pretty bad in the attack. But he'll be OK!"
"Ohmigod!" Shari ssays suddely as she spots teletha Testarossa, eterig the room. She is... almost casual. Almost. But whatever else she is--
Shari bounds over, sets down her coffee, and scoops Tessa into a big, soft hug. "You're alive!" she says. "I was so worried! I didn't think I'd ever see you againn!"
Then--
She spots Cascade, and her eyes ggrow two sizes. "What?" she asks Cascade. "Why are YOU here!?"
She pauses. "...You're gonna glare at me until I answer first, huh?" Shari realizes after a moment. "I'm here because Dr. Yumi asked me to be, and because... I think with my talents I can do some good."
"...Wanna see the robot I'm working on? I might even pilot it!"
She remembers at this point to let Teletha go. "Oh, haha. Sorry."
Pause. "But uhhhh," she says, "You look great, Cascade!" A pause. "Yeah, we're roommates," Shari says to LiSA. She hasn't had a brownie yet. But she does wave to Boss.
And then to Sayaka, "Uhhh, it's not much of a story..." She looks to Cascade. "But yeah I'm uh--well. I'm real good at this."
<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.
It's... strange, to think about how he's pleased to see Cascade joining them, given her 'family' history. Koji doesn't dwell on it, instead offering the red-headed gynoid a warm smile. He tries one of the cherry danishes, and his brows climb in a pleasant surprise.
He's also surprised at the revelation that Cascade and Shari know each other, but that's definitely secondary to the knowledge that a Secret Baker is among the assembled.
"If any of you have suggestions for improvements or creature comforts we can add, I'll see what we can do," he offers, taking a careful read of the assembled - and quietly noting the comparative youth of most of the group, compared to himself, Sayaka, and Boss and his crew.
(... Well, Cascade and Lisa are only a couple years old each, existentially speaking, but still...)
"... I think, now we've all become acquainted, we need to lay out our goals and mission priorities," he says, carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Tessa did hear the exclamation of surprise, only to utter a completely off-skew 'gwak-' as she's surprise-hugged. Slow to react, a hand rising to lightly pat at Shari's side. "Haa...I'm sorry about that, even if it is working out. Dead people tell no tales and all that. Doing well? Boyfriend doing okay?" She does try to keep tabs. Mostly. It's a good feeling...to be surprised at being wanted.
"The route we decided on is a pretty broad one. Reaching this base shouldn't be too difficult in peacetime, though we may have to consider when we're bombarded." Tessa's off-hand analysis is couched in cynicism for Sayaka: Not if, but when.
Koji's offering is accepted with a nod. To have a base in question, even more hidden than Merida Island, was a key thing. Mired in thoughts of stratagems. "I can't think of a better place than underwater. The crew will be happy to stretch their legs for a bit." Maybe outer space would be better. Maybe. And even then, the comfort of the ocean is more appealing.
There's a muted, dull thud from the direction of the TDD-1. Mao had 'respectfully' directed Kurz away from something terrible. Again.
A hand signal's flashed back to Seolla. 'Relax.' Another. 'Enjoy.' Her head jerks towards the food. As stuck as Seolla was to her, it's important to know when to cut the crew loose. Old habits die hard, but one can help push along.
Lisa... "Tech stuff?" An eyebrow raise. "Does that include what Mazinger Z's capable of?" ...It didn't really hit that she could, most likely, if politely asked...Take a look at one of the most famous WMDs in the world. There's a bit of glee in her intonation at that.
And Boss Borot... "I don't believe we've met in person. It's a pleasure." Anyone on the battlefield or off-field is worthy of respect. That's just the conclusion she had.
Koji's assertion is simple and to the point. Finishing off her drink, the former Colonel of Mithril set her glass down. "Our goals and mission responsibilities?" Repeat. Echo the sentiment.
"The destruction of Amalgam." Her mouth opens again. Deciding on the next words. Her mouth shuts. "And the capture or possible elimination of the head."
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
(Cascade has surreptiously sampled the goods that she didn't bring. They appear to have met her approval.)
Cascade remains half-raised for a few moments as Shari explains, surprise clear on Cascade's face. She worked on this kind of thing and Cascade never figured it out? She must be slipping; she knew Shari had an internship but not what the internship required her to do, or who she was quite as close with as she appears to be...
Cascade rises all the way up a moment later. "I'm here," Cascade says, "because I was asked also. And I am not glaring," she adds, with a look that proves she's lying right there and then. "Shari is my roommate," she confirms to Sayaka, and Lisa, and anyone else. "When I moved most recently I did not have enough income to maintain a place all on my own. I spent too much recovering Queen Gundam, and later, readying it for deployment."
'You look great...' "Thank you," Cascade says, very seriously. "I ordered a variety of new tops and I thought I would try one out."
...
"My name is Cascade Vermilion," she introduces herself, to the few people who do not know her. "I am..." A glance at Shari. Is she about to torpedo one of her few friends? She frowns, lips pursed, then continues, "I am a humanoid Super AI," without going into who made her and why. "I have come to Satellicon because..."
"...nobody cares for the incipient Super AI, or the crippled and limited AIs." Cascade raises her voice, just slightly; Sayaka has heard her on this topic before, and Lisa to a more limited extent. "There are groups who protect - who assist - humans who have been mistreated, or used as experiments. Nobody does it for AI. And there are Super AI, and near-Super AI, who *are* mistreated - and I mean to fight for them. Sayaka Yumi found me at the Mobile Doll factory, when Satellicon attacked. I returned with her." Her look is almost challenging when she scans it across the room, focusing on several people...
Including Tessa. "I know you," she says, a moment later. She knows *of* her, more like - they've never met, but some of Cascade's information came through Amalgam. She elects to not say that part, for now.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
...It's a little hard for Seolla to relax when a complete unknown suddenly appears and catches Tessa in her arms - she definitely takes a wary step forward in preparation to defend the captain, but pauses when it's clear that this is just an embrace between former acquaintances. Still...
...Well, it may feel like Seolla has completely turned into a cactus, clearly a little on the red side. "...Kcccccchhhhh...be a bit more careful! I am the captain's security detail today, you know!" Seolla clearly has to breathe a little bit too deeply addressing Shari, venting her apprehensions by biting off the end of her banana.
"...Is Amalgam even a thing they'd all know the name and existence of? Hmm. ...More broadly what I want myself is to put an end to human experimentation labs," Seolla hums, and Cascade specifically brings up the topic - with an interesting twist. "Eh? I thought the only Super AI were, y'know, super robots. The types that work with the GGG or the Senpuuji Concern. ...I wonder if you'd also count-" Seolla pauses before remembering that bringing up DANA could be a troublesome prospect in this context, and she continues, "...If you'd count Mobile Doll stuff in and of itself."
...Apprehensions lowered by having something to talk about, Seolla finally reaches for a muffin to sample, and she gives Koji a simple, "It's pretty good..." muffled behind her bite.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss is waved at! Introduction successful! Boss gives a big wave back to Seolla, while Mucha makes a subtler waving gesture with his fingers. Nuke does not notice, being occupied assessing whether Cascade would respond positively or negatively to an enthusiastic greeting. He ends up not having time to make that choice, because she stands up to make her own introductions, so he listens and resolves to get a better read on her with time.
"Pleasure's mine. I could tell from the last time we've worked together you're a reliable leader. It'll be good to work together again!" Boss makes some effort to preserve formality as he responds to Tessa - he knows in this context he can't be greeting people exactly like if they were old buddies at Boss Ramen - but he makes no attempt to stiffen out his friendly nature. That said, he also doesn't know of a title for her, so he takes a punt with "leader" and hopes it's close enough.
Speaking of needing to be formal, Koji raises a good point: what are they all here for? In one sense, it feels obvious: stand alongside the PPL! Protect people and stop plans that hurt them! But faced with having to actually say it, Boss feels that's pretty vague as far as "mission priorities" go. He's by no means an unopinionated man, but it takes him a moment to describe how to narrow his focus.
Listening to Cascade's own goals helps him sort it in his head. When it comes to his turn, he begins: "I've never been a guy who sits and waits for problems to be solved. If we're forming a group to stand against threats to peace, I'm interested. But something like that can't sustain itself just on firepower. There's always the situations that aren't over when the fight's over..." He knows Yuliana would never have had the chance to recover without support, and Cascade's words about AI remind him of a certain idol that he couldn't help with just a fight.
"And there's some that do just need a good beatdown." Conversely, although he's not very familiar with Amalgam, he has no intention of saying Tessa needs to hold back. "But even then, you've got to make sure innocent lives don't get caught up in things. That's what us three are here for - we'll make sure you move as smoothly as possible, so you can get where you need to go."
<Pose Tracker> LiSA has posed.
'... we're roommates.'
There's a pause, then some full blown snickering going on from a non-redheaded Super AI in the room. A hand clasped over her mouth, Lisa picks up the brownie tray and sidles over to Seolla, offering her one. "Dad makes really good brownies, promise." She finally manages to get out after a additional moment of chortling.
"I can't speak for proprietary stuff related to Z and Ariea, but I'm happy to share what I've been working on and what they say I can share." She tells Shari. "It's nice to have multiple brains on one thing, after all; sometimes someone can catch something that would otherwise be a disastrous problem down the line."
"Anyways, I'm with Cascade. I want to help those like us. We don't have to make it a Satellicon thing, but..." A shrug. Lisa is the daughter of the two hosts, after all.
"... Brownie?" She offers Tessa, after a moment.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"Must've been scary, but I'm glad you two made it out fine," Sayaka smiles, if sympathetically. "Give him my best while he recovers, okay?" Though she doesn't know Gerard personally, she knows he's important enough to Shari. On the other hand, Seolla's reaction to Shari's over-long hugging Tessa makes Sayaka just slightly chuckle. She says it's because she's Tessa's security, but maybe she understands what emotion such a reaction really comes from?
Sayaka nods carefully at Tessa's cynicism. She doesn't fault it - the worse-case scenario is how a smart commander would look at anything. But she's rather young for that kind of cyncism, isn't she...? "I have to agree. I'd like to make sure coming here isn't too unsustainable a risk for your crew... so we'll do what we can."
Cascade confirms that Shari is her roommate, and Sayaka smiles, realizing that Cascade never actually mentioned who her roommate was when they talked. "Not the most exciting answer, but coincidences really do happen, huh?" She looks to Cascade, and then to Shari. "Well, I think it's good to have a roommate that you can share your secrets with~" A wink - sometimes those secrets are that you both belong to a paramilitary guerilla army.
Koji gets to the point, though, and Sayaka regards him seriously. She too, has noticed the relative youth of their new allies. Tessa is the first to answer, calling to destroy Amalgam and subdue its leader. "Amalgam... yes, Koji and I are aware of them." Sayaka frowns, to answer Seolla's question - though it's only thanks to Sayla and Leina.
"Considering Dr. Hell was in league with that group before he went 'off-script', we at the Photon Power Labs have fairly good reason to support that goal." Sayaka agrees, and she pointedly does not look at Cascade when she says this. If Cascade is willing to volunteer more information, it would be great, but Sayaka won't pressure her either. "Do we have any leads against them, though? If they've spread their numbers through various NUNE factions... they could be anywhere."
Aside from the destruction of such a shadowy group as Amalgam, Cascade brings up her goal of Super AI rights, a goal which Lisa shares, while Seolla forwards the end of human experimentation labs. "I'm not sure we can count on Cathedra alone to solve that problem so long as long as profit is tied into their motives," Sayaka agrees with Seolla. "If Satellicon deploys against science criminals, I just hope that we can act as a check against that..."
"That much is true," Sayaka confirms, when Cascade explains she returned with her after the attack on the Mobile Doll base. "While I think the philosophical question of what makes an AI 'super' might be out of our organizational scope... I think Boss is right that we're going to be involved in many situations that will take far more from us than just sheer force projection." A pause. "We have to be ready for that."
"Considering our public stance, I'm not sure how often Mazinger Z and Aphrodite Areia will be involved in Satellicon operations," Sayaka admits, following up Lisa. "But we're a family of engineers. Like Lisa says, we'd always be happy to collaborate with your teams on new projects. We'd all learn a lot that way." She smiles.
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
"It was," Shari says, "But it made me think. Maybe there's more I can do next time. ...Just thinking about it." A ause. "But I will."
Shari nods along to Tessa wwith a smile. "Except for yesterday he's doing great! And when I'm done here I'll go take care of him. ...he's a big boy he can handle a day without me. He's mostly sleeping it off anyway." She pauses then, and tilts her head at Seolla. "Oh, security? That's cool." Shari does a salute. "I'll ask next time!"
But Cascade is somewhat morre pressing.... and she explains. Shari has the grace not to press about glaring, but, "She's a great roommate," Shari says. "Cooks and everything." A beat, as Cascade seriously thanks her, "Well, definitely working!"
Cascadde introduces herself--and really introduces herself. Shari looks surprised, but not upset. "That..." Pause. "That explains a lot actually." And then she realizes how Cascade is frowning and what she might be worried about. She doesn't immediately know how to reassure her, hesitates. She has to think a little longer to figure out what to say.
Seolla makes it easier. "Actually," Shari says, "Advanced AI is used in a lot of places despite the stigma--and there's a lot more AIs that are probably sentient than actally get credit for it. I think it's a good mission, Cascade. I'll back you up."
"Hm. Amalgam..." She odds. "I can't... entirely trust Cathedra either," she admits. "I'll be honest; I need to stick with friends. There's a lot of people out there who'd love the knowledge in this brain," she says, tapping her temple. "So all that sounds noble to me. But practically..."
"If you can protect me, I'll be able to give you any tech solutions Dr. Yumi and Dr. Kabuto haven't already come up with."
"And I'm very glad to focus on efforts to hhelp civilians. I remember..."
She grimaces. "I remember the massacre in Nagoya. I don't want other people to go through things like that alone. I know we can't help everybody, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.
"There have also been a few examples of fully-self-aware personalities developing unexpectedly from existing infrastructure," Koji confirms, "often catalysed by a significant event. When those phenomena occur, and produce beings, there need to be people around to help them acclimitise to the world. 3G were intentionally devloping their Super AI robots as comrades-in-arms, and I imagine their procedures for doing so are wildly different from organisations who would prefer to exploit them."
... Not everyone is going to have baby-photo books of Super AI core blocks, after all. (Or remember baby photos that don't exist...)
"You have my support, Cascade," he summarises with a nod. "And I would value your insight on the issue."
He nods again, as Sayaka says they've heard of Amalgam. "The most important thing when confronting an enemy like them is to understand their goals." Teletha seems to have particular interest in their leader, but Koji doesn't challenge her on that just yet.
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
Cascade just *looks* at Lisa. Why is roommates so funny? She doesn't want to ask because she feels she should already know, if Lisa finds it so amusing - but she definitely doesn't know. Her eyes narrow slightly, but in heavy thought, not in malice. Sayaka seems to approve... definitely something worth looking into.
Seolla indirectly asks a question, and Cascade answers it:
"Mobile Dolls aren't Super AI," she confirms. "They are tools. Some may be as smart as animals, but they are not people and I am not going to demand they are treated like one. But one of the ways it is theoretically possible to make Mobile Dolls - better Mobile Dolls, with advanced tactics - is to take the output of an artificially limited Super AI, or pre-Super AI - something that could be, if allowed to develop, but isn't yet."
"I have no proof that the Gaia Sabers have done something like this. But I have no proof that they haven't. And the way they treat Super AI in general..." Cascade scowls. "The laws are against AI," is what she actually says, by way of explanation.
This is kind of a sore point for her, apparently. It echoes, at least faintly, what Seolla was talking about, with the human experimentation. Shari agrees with her, which makes her feel better for reasons she isn't entirely clear on. "Did you know," she continues, in response to 'a lot more AIs that are probably sentient than get credit for it', "that it is legal to not allow an AI to take the test to be registered as a Super AI? Super AIs have rights. AI that is not officially 'super' does not. So forbidding them from taking the tests is entirely legal, and of all the major organizations, only GGG allows them to do so as a matter of policy; everything else is at will."
Cascade wasn't going to volunteer that she previously worked with Dr. Hell. She was never very tightly tied into the Amalgam side of things - but it was, she knew, where at least some of her information and military intelligence came from. The point has sort of been forced, though:
"I know of one person who was taking work for them, though I do not know if she still was. I know she had been contacted by them and I know she has killed on their command." She glances over toward Koji, and then adds, grudgingly, "Gamia NX-1." Her sister, though Cascade does not feel that particular relationship applies to the way they act around each other anymore. "She is, also, an assassin gynoid. I do not know where she has been hiding lately."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Cascade's assertion brings an exhalation from the Captain, idly tapping a finger against the table. The muffin long since polished off, turning the words in her mind. A humanoid Super AI. Fighting for the lives of Super AI, and those with like-minded sentience. Playing around with the intent, the nobility, the sentience of it...Does DANA count, she wonders.
She does match Cascade's near-challenging gaze, refusing to look away. "You do?" A slow breath in...Before sighing out. "You have my support. What sort of fool would I be to not help with that cause?" Any reason that'd discourage supporting Super AI leads to the same route for the Whispered and other such niches. "Care to tell me where you heard me from?" Answers were everything.
"Yes, that's good. Do spend time with your loved ones." Piece and parcel advice for Shari, even if her mood dips for a few seconds.
Seolla's goal is obvious. There's a slow nod of understanding at that, something she's well-aware of her to hold on to. The end of human experimentation...It's a long-shot goal, one she can't deny.
LisA's brownie: Accepted. A voracious bite in, hunger finally clicking in her head. "Oh...It's really good." Another bite. And another. Was this the secret!? Koji Kabuto, Decent Cook!? Is this the secret technique behind the might of the Kabuto Family!?
"It's good to have someone like you on our side, Boss." The sentiment is more than reciprocated in complete genuine admiration, nodding at the trio. "And of course. Civilians don't deserve to get caught up on our battle. But when they're all gone..." She trails off, smiling to herself.
Sayaka's analysis brings a bite of the brownie (Seriously, it's good. She hasn't had freshly baked goods in months.) and another nod. "We'll help where we can. A few adjustments to early warning systems will help." Teletha Testarossa: Accomplished Programmer.
As for Amalgam... "We can consider them a cancerous sort of organization. Not congregating any specific point, but functioning nonetheless. The best way to hunt them down...We can wait, or we can set some bait." There's a smile at that. "Given the circumstances of Whispered being public knowledge now, they lost the trump card of surprise. We still have a few avenues to lay a trap or two out for, but if we capture the head, it should all crumble down...or at minimum, massively destabilize them. Dr. Hell's final words did help, even though I don't know why."
Still, so many disparate goals in this organization...This can all be used. Turned to benefiting their own goals, while advancing others within the same realm.
Cascade's crusade is acknowledged. The fact that the autonomy is legally allowed to be shut down with no recourse...The complications only deepen, don't they? A light glance towards Koji; The name fails to gain her notice, but she's not the target of the revelation.
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
'Care to tell me where you heard me from?'
"Gamia NX-1 was my sister." Cascade's tone is as challenging as her look is. It's not like what a Gamia is is particularly secret, certainly not so secret that Tessa woldn't know of it, even if the 'NX' type is newer. And if a Gamia-type android was her sister, then... "I was never a member of Amalgam directly. But I am aware of what she did for them, and I received direction of my own."
"I no longer speak to anyone involved with the organization, and I do not know where they went after I left in no uncertain terms." That's one way to put 'I fought my parents and then Dr. Hell'. "If you cannot or will not work with me, then I will leave."
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
'Care to tell me where you heard me from?'
"Gamia NX-1 was my sister." Cascade's tone is as challenging as her look is. It's not like what a Gamia is is particularly secret, certainly not so secret that Tessa woldn't know of it, even if the 'NX' type is newer. And if a Gamia-type android was her sister, then... "I was never a member of Amalgam directly. But I am aware of what she did for them, and I received direction of my own."
"I no longer speak to anyone involved with the organization, and I do not know where they went after I left in no uncertain terms." That's one way to put 'I fought my parents and then Dr. Hell'. "I am Cascade Vermilion, and I have chosen my own path. If you cannot or will not work with me, then I will leave." She keeps looking right at Tessa. She doesn't dislike her, but she needs to know, and there's a certain intensity to her gaze.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"It's worth thinking about. Taking that sort of risk is not for everyone, but it can be a nice feeling to be able to help others through your own power... just as another person." She doesn't give the whole god or devil speech, of course - just the bare essence of it.
Sayaka nods, as Koji explains more in depth how 'Super AI' come to be. "It's especially difficult in this political climate, where the technology isn't quite forbidden, but... suppressed. Just like Cascade says." She shakes her head. "Which only means the exploitation is more likely to be happening under the table. If we can move to stop that, I think it's a good goal for Satellicon." She'd already given her own word to Cascade when they spoke personally, but it's good to see that the others seem to agree, too.
As for Amalgam... Koji says that understanding an enemy's goals is important in confronting them, while Tessa explains they're like a cancer. "So even if we destroy one cell, another will pop up to take its place. I can see why taking out their leader is so important." She nods. "We'll see what we can do. With any luck, between fighting for Super AI rights and against human experimentation, we might be able to solve several problems at once."
Cascade names Gamia NX-1, who is supposedly still alive - and reveals their (former) family relation, too. "Right... if she's still out there, then at least that's a lead at all." Sayaka decides, though she looks to Cascade with some concern.
"There's no need to be like that, Cascade," Her tone is gentle enough, but stern. "It matters a lot less who you were born as than who you are now. If we were going to turn away anyone who used to be our enemy... we'd have a lot less friends right now." That's Sayaka's view on it, she can't necessarily say the same for Tessa... but this is Satellicon. It'd be foolish to be choosy with your allies.
Sayaka lingers on one last thing, and that's what Shari says about the massacre in Nagoya. "That was just... horrible. I'm sorry you had to be there to see that, Shari." Sayaka shakes her head, remembering how the event shook the Japanese population. "It might be a long shot, but I'd like to hope for a fully free Japan, too. We don't have Zero's support, but if Satellicon can help make that a reality..."
Sayaka puts on her 'business face' again, focusing on those gathered. "Well. Thanks for coming, everyone. Now that we're acquainted, and even have a handful of goals in mind, I think we're a lot more prepared to face the world." The next step would be operation planning, though it might be outside the scope of this meeting... well, before that is working on those improved early warning systems. "And if there's anything else the PPL can do for you, just say the word, okay?" A beat. "...Be safe out there."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
The answer from Cascade is...As expected. Mildly disheartening, but everything lines up: If she were a greater threat, then she wouldn't be here. If she was planning something shifty, the fact that her roommate was here would put a minute impediment. It's hard not to deny the fact that one was from Amalgam.
She stares back with an equal intensity. Amalgam. The organization that took her safe haven, the organization that robbed her of her childhood and beyond. Refusing to break eye contact, taking paced, careful breathing as she allows the ultimatum to hang in the air. The chiming of the others barely registered in her mind. Nagoya. It still stings. Still eternally raw.
"...Cascade. I have every reason to distrust you. After Mithril's dissolution, I have every reason to demand you reintegrate and set you out as chum for the piranhas." Her brow furrows. "But you're here by way of people I know I can trust, so I'm extending that same trust to you."
Her lips flit upwards. A smile that barely reaches the eyes, suspicious but willing nonetheless. "Let's do our best, regardless of what our relatives have done, blood or electronic."
<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.
Cascade continues to look straight at Teletha, even after Sayaka scolds her.
Then she nods, very slightly. And sits down. That probably counts as acceptance.