2024-09-17: Different Worlds
- Log: Different Worlds
- Cast: Eight Orlodhari, Tavelle Adzvin, Van, Yurika Misumaru, Daba Myroad, Priscilla
- Where: The Orlodhari Home, Magallanica
- OOC - IC Date: September 17, 0099
- Summary: After a meeting between Tavelle and Eight, a visit is arranged: some of the Yaman Rebellion will meet with Eight Orlodhari and another leader of Terminal. They share stories, and find things in common.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight Orlodhari has heard about the Yaman Rebellion by now, thanks to one Tavelle Adzvin--and the two of them have arranged a meeting. After careful thought (and pondering specifically how on edge the political state of the Earth Sphere is) Eight decided to make this an unofficial meeting, off the books and off the base.
That could have been at any number of places, but the safest, most secure, and most welcoming place to these visitors from beyond the Solar system is Eight's home. Her security team know to expect people, and will not be making themselves obtrusive or noticed unless absolutely necessary.
The house is a lovley little number, one story with a nice fence and cheery paint, a nice sidewalk outside. This part of Magallanica is lovely, though not so idyllic as the PLANTs' communities.
The house itself has a small entryway and foyer before the living area to the left of the entrance, which has a couch, a loveseat, and a chair, as well as a couple of additional chairs for the event. There are photographs on the wall of a smiling family and friends; anyone who glances at them will notice that one of the children and the man beside Eight in the photographs are both green-skinned, and all but Eight have the pointed ears of the Zentradi.
The kids and the husband aren't visible at the moment though; Eight is relying on Yurika for company instead. She's set out some drinks (mostly sodas and water) and some cookies for snacks.
But while it may look like a nice Visit, her expresssion is serious enough to remind most that this is an important meeting. For her part, Eight is not in uniform though; she's in a red dress with a white overlayer, and it would seem that the guests are expected to leave their shoes at the door. Unless they're RUDE.
When the first arrives: "Welcome," Eight says. "Please, have a seat. Once everyone's here, we'll get started."
<Pose Tracker> Tavelle Adzvin has posed.
Tavelle Adzvin was not expecting this to get so...
Well, 'big' isn't the word, there's only going to be a few people there, though they are going to a major colony (as far as her outsider's perspective can tell). 'Significant', maybe. The Zuvorg regularly meet aliens, but it's certainly never fallen to her, a late teenager, to set up some kind of meeting like that.
And of course she's not representing Zuvorg. She's representing the Yaman Rebellion. But she's *also* representing Zuvorg, because everyone else who's coming is from the Pentagona system or Terra. It's enough to make Tavelle worried about what's going to happen, even though she knows she shouldn't and it's not her business to run this kind of thing anyway. She's just the mechanic! She just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
What does she even get out of this, anyway? She should have left it to the experts. But she didn't, and now she feels responsible for making sure it comes off okay; inviting Daba (who was also at the colony drop) and several others who were able and willing to come along and probably wouldn't make it worse or more awkward. (She deliberately did not invite Amm, which she will pay for later.)
As a result of all this Tavelle spent the whole flight down being nervous for reasons she either couldn't or wouldn't admit and being escorted into a place like this is not helping matters. This is a *house*. An ordinary, ordinary house.
Tavelle did not particularly dress up because she simply did not have much to wear, as her clothes situation is pretty dire these days. She has black slacks, a somewhat loose top in a a dark red approaching burgundy, and no grease marks from working on equipment. (She at least picked colours that compliment her pale green hair.)
She also removes her shoes when she realizes that is the going thing.
"Uh, hi," are her first words on arrival. Not a great look! She leads the others in, prepared to make introductions if they don't beat her to it, but she gets out at least, "Guys, this is Eight Orlodhari. She's an admiral, handles the colony defense. Admiral, these are who were interested enough to come and able to."
<Pose Tracker> Van has posed.
Under normal circumstances, Van might think that meeting with Eight was kinda pointless and that the Earth Sphere's problems aren't really his thing to get involved with.
... Most of what Van's eaten in the last year-odd has been on Daba's dime, though, and for some reason people keep telling him he has a relevant perspective on what they're doing in the Earth Sphere.
So he's here -- and not here alone, either; also in tow is a girl around age 14 or 15 with yellow-orange hair in elaborate braid-tails. She removes her shoes upon entry; he stares dully at the discarded shoes and boots for several seconds while she does so.
Taking half a lanky step in, Wendy says, "Van, take off your shoes."
"Eh?"
"This is a shoes-off house..."
Van pauses for several more seconds, evaluating. "Not sure why you'd do that one... It's not like I'm sleeping here or something."
Visibly annoyed, Wendy explains, "It's so you don't get mud on her floor!"
"There isn't any mud!"
"That's -- that's not the point, it's the polite thing to do! Take them off."
Uncomprehendingly, Van nevertheless reaches down and kicks off his boots.
He lets Tavelle handle the preamble. "Name's Van," he offers, pulling out a puzzle consisting of a cross-shaped key and a series of combination lock tumblers.
"... I'm Wendy Garret," Wendy adds, still faintly exasperated.
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
Given that this was an Important Meeting with a mysterious but potentially useful party, Yurika Misumaru wanted to coordinate as much as she could to give off the right impression. To that end, when Yurika appears (and takes her shoes off), she is, unlike Eight, wearing a BLUE dress (with a white overlayer).
...The idea may have been to present like matched members of, like, some sort of council, but as members of the Yaman Rebellion filter in, Yurika can't help like this gives off more 'one of us tells only truths, one of us tells only lies' type of vibe.
In this interim, the myriad decorated pillows on the couches have stopped being on the couches, and have congregated on Yurika's lap, and she wonders if that makes her the 'only lies' girl?!
Yurika's hands find Yurika's cheeks, and Tavelle gets a merry "Hi there! I'm Yurika Misumaru! V!" and the obligate v-sign that comes with it. "I'm the captain of the Nadesico! We actually went out to a planet called Gallia IV about two years ago...I even met with a few members of that Zuvorg Alliance who showed up to keep tabs on us...they seemed friendly enough, but from the sound of it, they're a little up to no good here in the Earth Sphere...?"
As Van gets to endlessly clicking that little puzzle, Yurika can't help but lean over to Wendy's side, whispering, "Is he...is he just gonna be...doing that this whole time? ...It's like...somehow worse than those habitual pen-clickers...ahahaha..."
<Pose Tracker> Daba Myroad has posed.
One of the major problems of trying to fly under-the-radar in the Earth Sphere is the idiosyncratic design sensibilities of much of Pentagona-System technology compared to this distant, foreign solar system.
Fortunately, the Turner has a tech expert of its own aboard, and access to a holo-field projector. While back home this was used to disguise it among a rock face, Mirao Kyao has managed to retool it to create a localised disguise for the craft based on similarly-sized civilian vessels.
In short, it's not the long-nosed and square-backed ochre craft that docks with Magallanica, but an otherwise-ordinary Orb transport shuttle. Don't mind how it appears slightly fuzzy around the edges of its fuselage sometimes.
Anyway.
Daba has brought along the aforementioned mechanic, who is staring slack-jawed at the way the colony section of Magallanica is laid out. "It's completely different, Daba! Even in Theart Star, they didn't have this much open space!"
"So you prefer here, then?" Daba quips, and Kyao considers the Pentagonan independent colony, populated exclusively by women, and concludes: "Welllll, I wouldn't say that."
Daba chuckles knowingly and elbows his friend in the ribs. "Stop looking like a drowning fish before people start staring, we're nearly there."
Whatever Eight and the other Terminal operatives present might be expecting based on Tavelle, Van and Wendy's manner of dress, the Pentagonans somehow manage to be completely different than either. While Kyao, having just run his hands through his blond pompadour in an attempt to look halfway presentable, is clad in a sleeveless black, v-necked top with a popped collar and blue undershirt, with matching mechanic's slacks, the dark-haired Daba is wearing some kind of navy-and-green poncho. Taking that off, along with his black boots, reveals a powder-blue tunic matching his own slacks - also sleeveless. At his belt is hung what looks for all the world like a beam saber scaled down for human use. There's no way that actually works, is there?
He raises one hand as Tavelle introduces them. "Daba Myroad, of planet Mizun. This is Mirao Kyao, of Koam."
"'Sup," Kyao offers, putting both hands behind his head in an extremely casual pose.
"Thank you for looking after Tavelle," Daba continues, to Eight.
<Pose Tracker> Priscilla has posed.
Connections are few and far in between for the Yaman Rebellion - Priscilla considers herself lucky enough that Koyomi was willing to let them use his place occasionally. But apparently, a rather big-name connection just happened to fall into Tavelle Adzvin's lap... and Priscilla is kind of interested in seeing what these Magallanica people are all about, even if her own name doesn't mean much outside of Terra.
Besides... the colony drop thing is something to worry about. To her, using a space colony as some kind of weapon is unthinkable... especially when it looks like some of the Rebellion's enemies were likely the culprits.
She is a fairly friendly person though, so even if she's no political diplomat, maybe she can help when it comes to just making friends. She'd say more than Van... but she'd go as far to say Van is almost infuriatingly good at making them. So he's here too! ...With Wendy to watch him.
And perhaps thankfully this time, the meeting wasn't over a meal, so Van's... dietary preferences won't be Eight's first impression of them. Instead, Priscilla just kind of rolls her eyes as Van and Wendy argue over whether this is a shoes-on or shoes-off household. She's just happy to be here at all, kicking off her own shoes. She's dressed in Earth Sphere fashion thanks to her outing with Tavelle - a red plaid jacket and skirt combo - as well as her usual leggings.
Priscilla just makes herself comfortable and lets Tavelle handle introducing the groups. "Hey there! I'm Priscilla! I'm Duel Park's longest standing champion... but I guess that doesn't really matter around these parts." She waves - and she's certainly got a lot of energy to spare compared to her companions.
"So you're all... colony defense? That sounds pretty important... I get the impression these things are fragile as they are beautiful." She looks to Yurika, with a hint of recognition, then. "Did you say the Nadeshiko? Huh... I think those guys from KISS might've mentioned a ship with a name like that."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Yurika and Eight match! Eight thinks it's cute. ...She's not sure it makes for a Council vibe, but as a mother of twins, she appreciates a good set of matching outfits.
Meanwhile, a reminder of what they can share might be just the thing for such a meeting. ...But Eight isn't so calculating as to have decided this place on that alone. There's a lot of reasons she opened her home to the Yaman Rebellion, and one of them is simple interest.
She appreciates that people remove their shoes. It's important. As for clothes, she isn't super formal herself--this is casual for a woman like Eight.
Tavelle starts the introductions, and Eight nods. "You can call me Eight," she says. "It's good to meet you. Wendy, Van." A nod. She glances at Van's puzzle, lifts an eyebrow, but doesn't otherwise bother him about it.
She has toddlers. This isn't weird.
"I wasn't at that particular outing," Eight explains of Yurika's talk of the Zuvorg. Thens he smiles at Priscilla; she appreciates her energy. "Duel Park?" she asks, guiding everyone over to the seats. "I'm not familiar, but I'm a fan of competitions. I did sports when I was in school. Hockey, mostly--if you have that where you're from."
A nod to Kyao and Daba. "Of course," she says, and looks to Tavelle, "She helped us out, too." A smile.
"I'm actually not from Earth; I grew up on a colony called Winter Wonderland. ...It's basically a theme park devoted to our winter holidays."
Beam saber for human use. Interesting. But Eight is not particularly concerned about safety, though she doesn't carry any weapons of her own. Instead...
"And that's right," Eight answers Priscilla. "A colony can be very fragile... And ours in particular hass a lot of people out there who'd rather we didn't operate independently."
Eight steps around the chair, and says, "But as Tavelle found out; we're interested in more than just our own security. We're part of a secret organization devoted to peace in the Earth Sphere... and apparently we have some enemies in common."
"So please, make yourselves comfortable. Have a cookie--my husband made them. And..."
"Well. If you're up for it--Tell me your stories."
She nods to Yurika. "The Captain here is someone I trust implicitly; if you think you can trust me, you can trust her too."
<Pose Tracker> Tavelle Adzvin has posed.
Tavelle gives Kyao a look. Maybe she should not have invited him either, but Daba gets to bring someone and it's a lot easier to handle Kyao than deal with Amm blowing up because Eight happens to be a woman and Daba is talking to her (even if she is married, with children). And as for Van, Tavelle doesn't have *any* kind of pull with Van. She's honestly glad Wendy and Priscilla are here, and gives them a thankful look.
Tavelle at least *tried* to blend in. Her clothes were bought on the Moon - Earth's moon, the same trip as Priscilla. Part of her wishes she was there right now. Then her feet would probably annoy her less. "From what I see, most colonies aren't built like this one. Or at least they don't have the big builder part," Tavelle clarifies. "So this one's pretty unique. Some of them look like hourglasses, instead."
"I don't need to be looked after," Tavelle says, before blowing air and making her cheeks puff out a little. She look at Eight with an emotion halfway between 'help' and 'I am so, so sorry', and while it doesn't *entirely* show on her face, she is momentarily (and not intentionally) very 'loud' about her feelings.
Though with Yurika here, she's not sure they won't fit in better than she first assumed... and she's a captain? She really, really does not feel like a captain.
"I've never been to Gallia," Tavelle says, while trying desperately to remember anything about it. She fails. "But the Alliance is pretty big. There's a whole bunch of member states these days. Pentagona's one, technically," though given Daba is introducing himself as part of a rebellion that may not be a firm thing. "But there's six or seven or maybe eight, depending on how you count them. Which one was out there?"
Tavelle drops into a seat with a soft whump as she sits on one of the pillows, perhaps not realizing it's not part of the cushion. She looks slightly confused a moment later and half-rises to pull it out from under her, tugging a couple times so she doesn't have to get up all the way.
'Tell me your stories...'
Tavelle freezes up for a moment and arranges the pillow the way Yurika is - in front of her, on her lap - to cover for it. "I'm a freelance mechanic and salvager," she says, once she's over her first surprise. "I work with the Rebellion - they picked me up in the system, I wanted a job and they wanted salvage. I came along for the ride because I wanted to see alien gear, and when we went in a hurry I was on hand." We, not they. "But I'm from the Zuvorg system proper, originally."
That's not a lot of detail, though none of it was, technically, a lie. Tavelle reaches for one of the cookies and takes an unhesitant bite out of it, again to cover awkwardness.
<Pose Tracker> Van has posed.
Well, this is more weirdos. On the 'makes any sense' scale that places Daba highly and the El Dora Team firmly at 'weirdos,' Van at least kind of gets Eight but is instantly mystified by Yurika.
On the other hand, the people in his life are often kind of weird. This isn't a value judgment, just a vibes calibration.
Click click click. Click click. Click click click click. Click. Click click.
Wendy leans toward Yurika, whispering, "He might. ... He's probably going to forget your name in a couple of days, too, so be ready for that."
If Van hears this comment, he doesn't acknowledge it. Click click. "Sure," Van replies, at 'It's good to meet you.' Priscilla gets a, "Hey, Priscilla," which in turn prompts a momentary wide-eyed look from Wendy before proceeding.
(Van? Remembering a woman's name???)
Click click click. Tavelle goes first, with very little; that doesn't bother Van. It's his turn after a few moments, though. "I'm after the man with the claw," he answers Eight, picking up a cookie and looking at it for several seconds.
Wendy gives Van a look like she's pleading him not to do something with that cookie, and is tremendously relieved when he doesn't ask for any condiments. (It isn't an entree, after all.)
When Van doesn't volunteer any more information, Wendy does her best to handle actually explaining. "There's a man with a clawed prosthetic who moved onto Neo-Britannia and got involved with the government there. ... He killed Van's wife on their wedding day." She glances down, adding, "... My brother is traveling with him."
Van cuts back in with a, "... Oh, and I'm helping him out, too," gesturing to Daba.
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
"Kiss...?" Yurika wonders aloud. Is that a familiar name? (No, but she would be able to identify the people in question.) "That sounds kind of like a boy band of some sort!" (Maybe.)
The idea that Van might just forget her name, after Yurika went to all the trouble of such a memorable introduction, makes her almost throw a pillow at him, but she just settles on, "Just say 'Yurika' over and over to yourself until you remember it, okay?~"
Tavelle and Wendy explain a little more about the nature of the Rebellion's enemies, and it's still a bit tough for Yurika to fathom. Though looking between the six members present, she can at least put together a broad vibe that these are all people who go through the rough often. (Even if Van does so in a tuxedo.) "A man with a claw, who came back with Neo-Britannia, and they're working with an interstellar alliance...hmmm. Do you have any idea what they're going for on Earth, and why they're being so shady about it? Is it just normal power-grubbing or whatever?"
"If the talk that they were party to what happened at Junius Seven is true...they're really ruthless for how secretive they're being..." Yurika muses aloud, and to keep the gears of her brain turning, nibbles on a cookie. ...It's probably for the best, of course, that Amm weren't here, given Yurika's aggressively perpetual-bachelorette status - the two would likely be an incoherent dust cloud of flailing limbs by now. She's even giving Daba her big courteous accomodating smile (that she always has)! Surely marking her as competition!
<Pose Tracker> Daba Myroad has posed.
Daba and Kyao settle in on couches - Kyao flops down unceremoniously, crossing one leg, while Daba leans forward to prop his elbows on his knees and fold his hands under his chin. He's heard his comrades' stories before, of course, but it's always useful to hear how other people telling a similar story changes the details.
So far, Tavelle's mentioned the broader scope of the Zuvorg Alliance, and Wendy has explained about the enigmatic 'man with the claw'. That makes it their turn, and Daba speaks up when Van gestures to him. "Pentagona is a star system in Zuvorg-controlled space, and Oldna Posaydal rules Pentagona after overthrowing the previous ruling dynasty, the Yaman Clan. Under her authority, the Regular Army live their lives in luxury at the civilians' expense, throwing their weight around."
Kyao clicks his tongue. "On top of that, each planet's division of the army's competing with the others. Even their special ops team the Extra 13 are constantly trying to tear each other down to win their own glory."
Daba nods. "We ended up here after following one of Posaydal's intelligence ships, the Epsilon, aboard Neo-Britannia before it Fold jumped out of Pentagona. We're not sure how many other agents Posaydal has here."
<Pose Tracker> Priscilla has posed.
"Armour arena battling!" Priscilla exclaims, in basic explanation as to what goes down at Duel Park. "I heard your planet has a similar sort of thing down on Huffman Island... but I did it in honour of my mother, and to help out my sister's orphanage. I'm proud of that... but it means I'm pretty good in a fight, too~"
"Hi, Van!" Priscilla beams, without surprise that Van actually remembered her name. They made a pretty good impression, didn't they?
These two leaders of Terminal strike a pretty contrasting picture, but Priscilla is a fan of both of their speeds. Eight seems like a dependable rock to lean on, while Yurika's free-as-the-wind attitude must get her crew out of a lot of binds...
Priscilla nods at both Eight, and Tavelle's explanations - she's found space colonies and their culture is one of the really interesting aspects of Earth. "An hourglass... I bet that'd be pretty, too. And..." She looks to Eight.
I think I get it... as far as I've read up on it, sounds like the people of Earth and space didn't always see eye to eye on your planet." Perhaps they still don't - if they witnessed one of those very colonies being hurled down to the surface. "I bet that makes your job extra hard," She smiles, sympathetically. Winter Wonderland sounds like a cool place, all the same... but she's not sure she's cut out for that kind of climate.
"A boy band, huh? Yeah, actually I can totally see it for those guys." Priscilla answers Yurika with a laugh. It's a shame the group broke up once Array got captured by those people from NERV... but she feels like they'd know if something really bad happened to him.
"Well... I ended up following Van here," Priscilla admits, when Eight asks for their stories. "Once the orphanage was secure, I wanted to travel the world with one of the most interesting opponents I've ever fought." She looks to Van, and back to Eight. She doesn't introduce herself as a 'partner', simply an opponent. "And I want to help him get the Claw, too."
"But that's not the only reason I'm fighting. I believe in a fair fight, but there's lots of things in our world that aren't fair... people like the Claw, and people like Posaydal and her army of jerks. And it sounds it's similar in yours, too." She has a surprisingly fierce look for her cheerful demeanour. "So if your group is telling the truth... it sounds like your cause might be worth backing up."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"That's true," Eight says to Tavelle of the builder. "Magallanica's colony builder is unique that way. It's an asset... but it also makes us a target." She can feel that 'help' expression as much as see it, and Eight for her part emanates a certain calm despite all the strangeness. And there is a lot of strangeness. But armour battling doesn't sound so strange. "Oh, yeah--we do!" Eight answers. "If you did it for those reasons, it sounds like you had good reason to be proud. I'm not much for mobile weaponry myself... For reasons i'll share in a little bit."
The Alliance is big. Much bigger than the Earth Sphere, considering that they aren't even in contact with their farther-flung colonies. She notices the pillow arranging and is pleased. Pillows are important. Eight likes her little pillows.
The cookies, as it happens, are double chocolate chip and are delicious. Lavnadim is a good baker! He's had a lot of practice.
Eight nods to Tavelle; she knows a bit about her already. "Right," she says. Then Van and Wendy. Eight does not look that weird, though she si in fact fairly weird. "The man with the claw?" Eight prompts, and Wendy handles that. "I see. My condolences. ...I don't know of him, but Neo-Britannia's been gone a while. But with NUNE they're likely to get involved in our business sooner or later."
Helping him out...
Yurika has a good question. A good set of questions, even. Eight waits for the answers to those, too.
"a familiar story," Eight says to Daba. "People living at the expense of others... we have similar problems. The people of the Orbital Ring and the wealthy of NUNE live at the expense of thos they can exploit. We get a lot of refugees here from other places--and there's only so much we can do. But we do what we can."
Following Van... "Seeing the world. That always interested me, too. It's one of the things that got me into the military!" Well, not the main thing. But much like Tavelle, she doesn't have to tell the whole truth yet to tell a truth.
"It sounds to me that we at least have common enemies, and we have room to maybe be friends. Junius Seven threatened the whole Earth Sphere; this 'Company' is something I don't trust at all. And Posyadal sounds like he's a threat to your homes and ours."
"...But. I asked you to tell me your stories, so it's only fair that you hear mine before you make any decisions."
"...I was born to a single mother in Zeon. Her partner was a soldier, but he died. I ended up in an orphanage when she died, too, and from there, I was taken by a lab. I was raised by the Newtype labs of Rhella Kan Zeitun as a weapon. A 'Cyber-Newtype', we call it--enhanced strength, my mind forced open to psychic signals and impulses, and I was put in a mobile suit to kill the enemy before I was ten years old."
"I was rescued from that life by the Yorks--my adopted parents. I got to grow up fairly normal on Winter Wonderland, to build a sense of 'self' and a life... and then, when I got older, I decided to get involved again--but on myh terms. I joined Londo Bell, a group here that was meant to keep the colonies safe."
"I rebelled against the Earth Federation when they tried to invade an innocent country, Orb. And my rebellion outlasted that Federation. Now, we've settled here in Magallanica, and I see the same battle lines being drawn again."
"...We have a lot on our plate. We have wars approaching, and quickly. It's not the best time to welcome new friends to the Earth Sphere..."
"But if you're interested in keeping people safe and free, and sstopping the kind of people who do the things that were done to me and many others--then I think we have something to talk about."
<Pose Tracker> Tavelle Adzvin has posed.
The cookies are surprisingly good. Tavelle looks surprised, and takes another. She thinks better while chewing fiercely.
Yurika brings up Junius Seven. Now Tavelle doesn't have to! She loses control of her mouth and responds to Priscilla: "Less pretty when it's broken in half and being thrown at the planet," and then regrets saying it. Her cheeks redden slightly, but she pushes through.
With the topic well and truly raised, Tavelle runs with it: "That's a group called the Company. Their actual name is... uh, I'm trying to think of how to translate it, call it the Military Union, I guess. Or just stick with the Company, we'll know who you mean."
"I told Eight this already but they're a private military company, like some of the ones you've got. They're mercenaries, and weapons designers. Very effective." Tavelle leans forward slightly, squashing the pillow now on her lap against her stomach. "And they don't do anything without a good reason or a payout. I don't know what they're getting out of things like Junius Seven, but if they're acting, they're getting something, or think they will."
Tavelle glances toward Daba and Kyao. "And they're on bad terms with some of the other parts of Zuvorg, anyway, so... we're not any more unified than you guys, I guess. It looks like everybody's crawling out over here and I don't *get* it!"
Tavelle lowers her voice from the brief 'not quite a shout' it ended at. "Sorry. ...Pentagona's one of the other member states," she adds, though she already said that. Newer information, though: "Some of the other Zuvorg groups are ... interested in keeping that war going, I think. It certainly helps their army push people around, as long as there's actual fighting. If they run out there they might come here, I don't know."
Eight speaks up. Parts of it are more familiar to Tavelle than she wants to admit; there's a pang of something (guilt?) which, fortunately for her, Eight is less likely to pick up on than her previous outburst. At least, not in depth.
Other parts aren't. 'Cyber-Newtype'... "I thought Newtypes were, like..." Tavelle trails off, not sure how to express herself. "...I don't know. I read the web pages, same as the ones about Coordinators, and half of that was bullshit. But they weren't something that came from a 'lab'. But if there's 'Cyber-Newtypes - "
Tavelle trails off again. Sucks to be Eight, part of her thinks, but another part is a lot more sympathetic. She puffs out her cheeks with a sharp breath again. She also doesn't answer the implied question: she'll let the others do that, but no matter what they say, she's made up her mind about several things already, and she doesn't think Daba or Van would answer the same way she would.
<Pose Tracker> Van has posed.
Click click click. Yeah, he's not stopping, and indeed he seems to be pretty equally splitting his focus between the puzzle and everyone else, which means he's not entirely paying attention -- but when Yurika asks what they're going for on Earth, that does get his attention... but what he says isn't that useful.
"It doesn't matter," he says, and there's a subtle shift in the way he speaks. "He's dead the next time I see him anyway." There's a viciousness in that tone -- a genuine excitement.
The instant Daba starts explaining his own background, Van returns to his puzzle. Click click click.
When Priscilla explains that she's following him, explicitly, there's a moment of half-surprise. It's something he knew, of course, but never had spelled out quite so plainly.
... He doesn't engage it.
Wendy gives him a slightly reproachful look for not engaging, but doesn't say anything. ... They seem to have a pretty well-established dynamic. Eight explains, and Van half-listens -- though he does look momentarily surprised when Eight explains her enhancement. "Huh. They reinforce people to ride Armors here, too?" He does seem slightly more engaged, hearing that. ... the rest of it kind of sounds like busybody talk, though, which Van isn't particularly excited by.
So again: back to the puzzle. Click click click.
'Newtype' is a word he remembers, though, even if hazily... from the tail end of his life with Elena, and reinforcement surgery. It doesn't sound that different in this context, either, even if the tone with which it's said is different. While Tavelle speaks, he spends... more than a little time, mentally, in that place instead.
Wendy nods to Tavelle, and looks curious. "Why would everyone decide to come here? We just kind of got dragged along..."
<Pose Tracker> Daba Myroad has posed.
"I'll have to confer with the crew of the Turner," Daba says, as Eight suggests potentially moving forward with their conversation, "But if more attacks like Junius Seven are going to happen, our Heavy Metals will try and help stop it."
"Even though repairing L-Gaim after that mission was a nightmare," Kyao complains - and then Eight mentions her childhood, and Kyao blinks, before nudging Daba. "... We should tell 'em about you and Olibee."
"Oh. ... Yeah." Daba sighs. "I said that Posaydal took power in Pentagona after wiping out the former rulers. ... I'm actually a surviving heir of the Yaman Clan. The intelligence ship, the Epsilon? Their job is to find other survivors, like me, and take them into custody."
He takes a deep breath. "My adoptive sister, Quwasan Olibee, is the captain of that ship, and... something's been done to her."
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
"...So even out there beyond the stars, the same old messy conflicts are going, even with people who've got technology that might be better than ours..." The thought alone makes Yurika slump in her seat a little. "I'd kinda hoped one day we'd get over some of that stuff ourselves if space did become our oyster..."
A big long sigh escapes Yurika's lips, and the vague idea of this 'Oldna Posaydal' as this stereotypical dark brooding caped warlord emerges in her head. "That mess in Pentagona sounds -especially- old-fashioned...it's not any better than back when raiders would cause total self-serving messes way back in the day here on Earth...conquering a bunch of planets and then letting your goons bicker about it? What was this Posaydal jerk even trying to accomplish?!"
Another cookie finds its home at Yurika's lips, before she washes it down with a glug of water as Eight recounts what's brought her to where she stands today. "Oh, if I ought to tell my story - well. ...I grew up on Mars, the next planet over, but wars started breaking out that dragged my papa in, and after I left, I found out the whole place got overrun by some 'Jovian Lizards'. Except it turns out, they were exiles from the Moon all along and we were all lied to! I'm still...uh...thinking about that one, but I'm kinda mad at everyone who covered it up, to say the least!"
At Tavelle, Yurika considers, "So they're using mercenaries for this kinda dirty work, got it, got it. It's still pretty extreme measures! Though part of me is wondering if they've been skulking around the Earth Sphere for longer than we think...aaah, I wish we could find some of these Alliance people and shake them for answers!"
<Pose Tracker> Priscilla has posed.
"I'd agree, if it didn't freak my sister out so much, haha..." Priscilla admits, as to being proud of what she did. If one pays close attention, she clutches onto an amulet, the one she always carries with her. "You're taking a huge risk every time you climb in an Armour. I find that kind of risk thrilling... hut I don't blame you if you aren't really a fan of them, Admiral." A sheepish little smile.
Priscilla gives Tavelle an uncomfortable look at her remark about the colony drop. "It's horrible what happened, but I mean... it used to be so many people's home, right? No one wants to see their home become a weapon." It doesn't make the fact that people gathered there once any less beautiful in Priscilla's eyes... but perhaps she's naive to the fact that it was a tombstone to those who dropped it.
She gives Van a lingering look then, wondering if he'll have anything to say to her reasons for tagging along. But he doesn't engage... well, she did say he wasn't the only reason she was fighting. Instead, she takes a cookie... and eats it.
Eight gives her whole story, and Priscilla is attentive to it - a lot of it doesn't mean much to her. Londo Bell and Orb are just names to her, so the weight of Eight's series of defections is somewhat lost on her. But the horror of being turned into a weapon, to have her mind forcefully opened... Priscilla can try to wrap her head around that, even with only a layman's understanding of 'Newtype'. "I'm sorry to hear all that, Admiral... that's awful." She gives her a sympathetic look.
"Jovian Lizards?" Priscilla tilts her head at Yurika's story. "We had these big ugly monsters back at Endless Illusion, too." She... kinda misses them, some of them were cute, but the Earth has these 'kaiju' instead. "But it sounds like your story isn't so simple as that... I guess it's the same no matter how many worlds you travel."
As to Yurika's suggestion to go hunt down the Zuvorg Alliance members on Earth... "We kinda tried that. We had pretty good evidence that this big organization called NERV was housing some of their superweapons... but actually attacking them didn't go so well." A touch quieter, she adds, "Some of their Armours were really scary..."
"That's why we're trying the 'make friends' approach, but I'm sorry to say... there's not much we can really offer in return." She concludes, honestly. "But I do think that if some of the villains from our solar system are making trouble in yours now... it's going to be both of our problems, eventually."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Risk-taking, hm? ...I think it does sound pretty thrilling." Just not for her. As for home, Eight nods. "That's true. It's... monstrous, to use a colony that way."
"'Newtypes' are a natural phenomena that is not actually limited to ace pilots or indeed warfare at all--but the militaries of the Earth Sphere prize us for our abilities in combat. So, some people have found a way to artificially induce the phenemonon." She nods to Van. "Yes. They do. In a lot of ways; mine was only one." Enhance people, that is.
"They might," Eight says of attacks like Junius Seven. "And even if not like that one, a lot of innocent people are going to be threatened. ...But by all means," she continues, "Discuss things with your people. This meeting is just to determine whether we have anything to talk about. And I think we do."
To find survivors,,a nd take them into 'custody'. Eight frowns at that. And then she frowns in a different way, sympathetic, about Daba's adoptive sister. "... I see," she says.
Yurika's words get a nod, too. "I'm not giving up on us," she says. "Of the idea of us getting better. But this proves to me that it won't just 'happen' one day on its own--that if we want peace, we're going to have to fight for it."
Then she looks at Priscilla. "Thank you," she says. "But I really did recover; I have a family now, the things I really wanted in life. I'm proof that sometimes, life gets better."
A pause. NERV.... Eight grimaces. "I see. Yes, that would go poorly. NERV is... very anti-alien; their main mandate is stopping a particular set of alien kaiju. They have very frightening capabilities."
Another reason it's better not to make this little friendship 'official' on paper, then.
"Maybe," Eight says to Yurika of them skulking around longer. "As for why they'd come here... I assume we have something that they want. We do have a lot of resources in our system. Maybe they're interested because we're the world that befriended the Zentradi, even. I couldn't say."
Eight doesn't notice the guilt from Tavelle. Instead:
"Well," Eight says to Priscilla, "Information on these threats is a lot to offer already. If we're willing to share some intelligence with one another, that's a lot as it is. ...because I agree. They're going to be our problem sooner or later."
"So, think about it. Talk to your crews. I'll talk to mine," she says, nodding to Yurika. "...It's better if we keep this relationship quiet, considering the tensions in the political sphere right now... But I think your cause is worth keeping an eye on."
<Pose Tracker> Tavelle Adzvin has posed.
"No, the Company *is* the mercenaries," Tavelle clarifies. "They might be working on their own. They're actually - well, their home system is - one of the Zuvorg members. They're the one that's messing up the count, some people count them and some don't since they're a company rather than a government. And Gorainkel doesn't count."
She pauses, as she realizes she has dropped another proper noun. "Another company," she grumbles, reaching for another cookie.
Tavelle chews. She doesn't speak again until the bite is gone, and then another; she seems to be thinking very hard while the others lay out their grievances once more. "I don't have a crew," Tavelle says. "I'm independent. But if you don't want an official relationship..."
"Hire me."
Tavelle reaches as if she was going to push up glasses. Since she doesn't wear glasses (anymore, having grown out of the need to) it ends up being a little awkward and she tucks her hair behind her ear instead. "I'm a freelancer," she says. "Kyao can get by without me hanging around the Turner. Nobody's going to think of me as an alien ally if you tell them I'm a Vulture or a scrapper or something."
"Then you've got someone who can get ahold of - " Tavelle tilts her head at the others she came with. "Everyone else. And you've got someone who can answer questions about aliens on the sly. In the meantime, I get to figure out some of this Sol tech. It's not too bad. I can even pilot a Mobile Suit. ...I think. They don't look that hard, though, and I managed the Zectar against the goose; you can tell anyone that me doing that impressed you if they want to know why you hired some rover."
And, Tavelle privately thinks, it will put her in a much better position to see what the Company - or anyone else Zuvorg - is up to. She can learn about Newtypes. And if she *does* have to bail, it's easier to do it from the inside.
"So, what do you say? We can talk about payment later. Or if you need to think about it," she adds, offhandedly.
<Pose Tracker> Van has posed.
The situation with Olibee is something Van either hasn't fully heard yet or wasn't oriented for when he did hear it, so Kyao's prompting half-rouses Van. (One of the easiest ways to get Van's attention: tell him there's a woman in a complicated situation.)
The clicking stops. Van actually is listening, now -- something that persists through Yurika's talk as well.
(He does eat a cookie though. Even if it's bland.)
Wendy is also engaged, and a little relieved to see that Van has activated, too -- if only because it means that his involvement will require less push-pull from her. Hearing the full depth of Eight's story makes her turn her gaze down, concerned; she knows that her own brother is piloting a mobile weapon on the behalf of the man with the claw, too, so the topic makes her wonder to what extent Michael is in control of his situation.
... lots of sibling talk may be drawing her in there as well.
"Long as you don't try to keep me here to wait while you find any information on this stuff, I'm fine," Van eventually says. "Don't really mind keeping an eye out for stuff myself, either..."
(... Van, perhaps, has concerns about people who live in nice, isolated houses and offer intel that never materializes.)
Priscilla's lingering looks get a brief shrug. "Cookies aren't bad, but not really feeling 'em. You an' her" brief half-handed gesture to Wendy "can take my share."
<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
"...That's not a bad idea," Yurika considers to Tavelle. "I think we're clearly all on the same page - like we're fighting similar battles... but it's also difficult for us to work together openly. After all, if we're up against a group able to sneakily help drop Junius Seven, they could probably work against -us- under the table too."
Rearranging the pillows that have swallowed her lap whole, Yurika listens carefully to Eight, and taps her chin once. "...I may have to keep this under the table from the bigwigs with Nergal, won't I? Given they kept the Jovian situation from us, who knows? Maybe they'd do the opposite and blab about helping out people from these Polyhedron and Astragius places...maybe they'd even say -we're- the ones making something up. That'd be rude, and ironic!"
"We never saw them as outright -monsters-, was the thing," Yurika recounts to Priscilla. "Like, they always sent out these hordes of drones, and the occasional unmanned ship. For all we knew, these 'Lizards' were always robots. It was...a weird cover story, but one that I guess worked cause we have had kaiju running around space here..."
<Pose Tracker> Priscilla has posed.
"Right? Like I wouldn't say I'm some meathead who only cares about fighting..." She considers, as to Eight's interest in her risk-taking tendencies. "But it's one way to not feel so powerless in this world."
When Eight says she's doing better, though, Priscilla nods enthusiastically. "I mean, yeah! You've been through a lot, but now you've got this warm comfy home, and kids of your own. Really does feel like you're living the dream now." She smiles a little melancholy, but mostly she's just happy for Eight..
A grimace of her own as it sinks in to Priscilla that the people they picked a fight with at KISS's advice were like, THE primary anti-alien organization in Earth. "No kidding..." She nervously laughs. "It's not like we're monsters, but that one angry girl sure kept acting like I was some tentacled freak."
The Jovian Lizards apparently weren't monsters, either. "It does sound like kind of a weird story, when you think about it... a robot's got to be built by someone or another, right? They don't just show up in thin air unless you're Van." She looks symathetic to Yurika's situation. "But it sounds rough, fighting your hardest only for it to all be a lie. I'd be super mad."
And once it clicks that Daba's sister is with the enemy... Priscilla frowns. Even if it's adoptive, she knows that bond is no less strong. "Fighting against your family is the worst thing... no one should have to do that. If there's anything Van and I can do for you," Yes she's volunteering Van automatically, "Just let us know."
Information is a lot to offer, and it seems Tavelle is willing to offer exactly that. Priscilla thinks she supports it, Tavelle's a freelancer, so she has the least to lose by working with Terminal, and the most to gain. "Hey, that sounds good to me! As a special request, just give our little group a call if you pick up any info about that Claw, okay?"
"Huh? Oh, um... sure!" Priscilla gives Van a look, as if to say 'I totally wasn't staring!', before reaching for one of the offered cookies. She has to admit... the homemade, if imperfect kind of cookies are nostalgic for her own reasons.
<Pose Tracker> Daba Myroad has posed.
Daba nods as Tavelle volunteers her services. "It's a smart plan. If you can't afford to commit to a public alliance with aliens, then we need 'unofficial' ways of contacting each other. Plus, you're already familiar with Tavelle, and that makes her a better choice than anyone else on the Turner or in the KISS crew."
"Especially Hasha Mosha," Kyao grumbles, and Daba nods in agreement. "If we can figure out why the Epsilon came here, we might be able to figure out what Posaydal's interest in this system is. And maybe we can find out if the ship chasing us made it over, too."
"Oh, yeah, there's no way Gablae would give up on that," Kyao agrees with a nod.
It's something of a relief to have his disquiet about Olibee understood by the others here - Daba sits up straighter, nodding. "Thank you. I don't know why she's working for Posaydal now... but I think she's in pain."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"That... makes a lot of sense," Eight answers. Not feeling powerless. "I see, yes." Then she smiles. "Thanks," she says. "I feel that way, too." Living the dream...Hire Tavelle. Eight looks thoughtful at that. "Not a bad deal," she says. "I'm interested, but let me think about the details," she agrees. "We can talk later. But that may just be a good idea."
Van is listening! And Eight watches him as he speaks up--and then shakes her head. "No, no. I don't know you well enough to want you to be a long-term houseguest," she says plainly, and while it might be a joke it's also definitely true. The cookies... Hmm. Not a chocolate man, then...
She looks to Yurika. "Quite," she says of not working together openly, and then nods again. "That's best. Nergal doesn't need to know everything, not at this stage. That might change if our relationship changes. But we're not talking about sharing bases, we're talking about sharing information."
The Jovian Lizards... Eight scowls. She doesn't elaborate for now, though.
As for one angry girl, well. Eight can't be sure that it's Asuka. This isn't some kind of Newtype flash. But she really wouldn't be surprised if it were Asuka.
"Right. Unofficial means. And... Well. I agree. Having to fight with family... It's not good."
"But we'll share what info we can--especially if we learn more about this man with the claw."
"...But that's about all I had, for now. It seems like the rest of what needs doing is just talking to our various crews. So, in the meantime..."
"Why don't you tell me more about your planets? My colony was snowy all the time--and had a lot of hot chocolate. Ski resorts, too. I'd be interested in hearing even little things about how people live across the galaxy."
"It's important, I think, to think about what we have in common, when we're coming from such different places."