2024-09-01: Making A Difference

• Cutscene: Making A Difference
• Cast: Leina Ashta, Kenanji Avery, Rajan Zahi, Delling Rembran
• Where:
• OOC - IC Date: 09-01-2024 - August 30th-31st, UC 0099
• Summary: Cathedra handles a dispute with an unhappy employee. Did you think he was going to say 'Because I Said So'? Ha!

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Leina Ashta's rapid gait was halted by a man in a suit stepping in front of her, only to have her press her handgun and holster into his hands, "Let me through."

The man seemed momentarily off-kilter from being handed a gun. "They're in conference."

"Even better." She uttered icily. "We have orders not to let anyone in- Hey!" That's the sound of Leina simply pushing past him, and he misses the grab due to the gun in his hands, while his fellow misses it for a simpler reason of her being a rather small young woman.

She was greeted to the sight of Kenanji standing up behind Rajan's desk, as they both looked at a computer, and she was rather certain she knew who they were looking at.

"Why! Tell me why!" She shouted across the room at them. Kenanji looked up and could guess what was coming, and took that tone of deescalating his subordinates, "Hey Leina - I was just about to contact you, if we could just talk outside?" The two security followed in of course, grabbing her arm, as they looked to Rajan for guidance on whether to eject her or not.

The middle-aged man, if anything, looked much older. "Ms. Ashta... this isn't the time." She interrupted him, "Magallanica has given their consent! I can still be there in time to make a difference! So tell me WHY my authorization to use Singularity-02 was rejected!"

"And you believe you have the standing to question my decision?" The question was announced, stonily, even before the image of Delling Rembran appeared behind Rajan's desk, enlarged by the screens, staring at her as if she were merely an unruly child.

For just a moment, she was taken aback, before her eyes narrowed, she stood straighter and she replied back in a self-assured manner, "Yes sir. Mister Zahi has told me time and time again that Cathedra was founded to ensure that the decision to take a life always remain in human hands, and always be given the weight it is due. If you are choosing to allow this to happen to the people of Earth without using every means at your disposal to stop it, then I need to know your reasoning behind it, or else I'll always question whether this decision was made merely in your own self-interest."

Kenanji gave Leina a look like she had gone too far, saying that, but Delling's expression did not change. "I would have thought you already understood my reasoning. Mankind requires not the power of this curse, save to eradicate those who would use it to change humanity itself."

Now Leina's confidence seemed to break some as if disturbed at this inflexible, hardline stance, "But-! The people-! How many could die because you wouldn't make-" Now he interrupted her, sounding like his patience was at an end, as he looked away from her at something else. "An exception? The rules exist for a reason, reasons which you agreed to abide by. Humanity will find another path forward. My decision is final."

Stiffening, she stared at the enormous presentation of the Benerit's President on the screen, before turning towards the door, "Then I'll deploy without it."

"You will remain." The President pronounced, now looking at her again. "On my authority." She turned back halfway, "I'm not staying on standby when my brother is out there!"

Kenanji and Rajan's eyes met, and then Kenanji stepped around the desk, as Delling's image returned to being on the computer, Kenanji looked at the security, who took a step back, as he gave Leina an awkward look leading her out of the office, past the doors, as the security guard handed him a gun, "Your brother kind of does his own thing doesn't he? You have to understand, we can't make decisions based on who's family is or isn't in the field, Leina." Discreetly he tried to wave off everyone, as he led her out and around the corner to an alcove, trying to get them some semblance of privacy.

"I know that but-" Kenanji turned her around, putting a hand on her shoulder, as he gave her a more serious look, "Leina, listen to me. We're in the middle of a major crisis, and that was a command meeting. You can't just burst in there and question the President in front of his subordinates. You've helped us do great things here, but you keep saying you don't want special treatment - then stretch us to our limits and beyond again and again. If we're going to put our faith in you, you've got to show us that you can think rationally, keep a cool head in a crisis, and play by our rules, not yours."

"I /am/ thinking rationally." She replied back, with a steely look, "You aren't." Avery told her bluntly, "You're not in Command here. We make decisions that are based on more than what's in front of us." "Then what's this decision being based on?" She asked him, before pointing it out, "You know I've done intelligence work in the past." "Then act like it. You're smarter than this. Sure there's a big crisis going on, but what's behind it?"

Part of her abruptly eased up, as she asked in surprise, "What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?" Kenanji stared at her for a while, before looking over his shoulder, then lowered his voice as he murmured something to her quietly. Her green eyes went wide with shock. "You can't be serious. /Witches/?"

"I am. We need you on standby just in case they pull something far worse than this."

-=-=-

"I think it would be naive of us to discount how cancerous Patrick Zala's leadership truly was. Two years of this so-called peace has only given time for his viewpoint to metastasize within the PLANTs, and now they're beyond savi-" Click, "-vey of the damage shows that casualty reports in Italy are in the tens of millions. The grand city of Rome, ancient seat of Western culture is completely go-"

It was the morning after, and the only TV she could reach were stations on the Ring. Against the wall, half draped in blankets with her Haros encircling her on the bed, she watched, hating every moment of this sensationalized news of one of the world's greatest tragedies in recent history, unable to sleep between anxiety and the onslaught of feelings that came at her throughout the night.

Click, "-lite images of the Gobi desert show an ecological disaster of unprecedented proportions. We go now live to our Zoological expert to discuss the possibility of extinction of multiple species-"

On the bed was a phone, with it's screen blaring light.

>i miss u
MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND
>i love u
MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND
>pls dont be on earth
MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND

A final message among so many others she tried to send, to all the people in her life.

She joined Cathedra to try and make a difference. Most days, she could convince herself she had, that it was the right decision.

Click, "-take, Chairman Durandal is a snake in the grass. Peace? Ha! Peace for Coordinators. The man was merely biding his-" Click, "-wants you! Are you the right person for the job? VTX Philosophy Number Ten, Clench bravery in one's fist and dive right in to GAINFUL EMPLOYME-!"

Click, "-go live to Pittsburgh, where base camp is being set up for disaster relief for the strike in Phila-"

Click.

Click.

Click.

Most days.

Maybe not this one.