2024-09-26: An Uphill Battle
- Log: An Uphill Battle
- Cast: Eight Orlodhari, Naoko Suzuki
- Where: Admiral's Office, MDF main offices
- OOC - IC Date: 0099-09-26
- Summary: Naoko schedules an appointment with Eight, with the sole intention of sharing an important, previously undisclosed detail regarding the battle of Junius Seven. They end up discussing matters a little more in-depth than that, however...
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
At an office in the central colony of Magallanica rests the Magallanica Defense Force's main office. On the fifth floor of that building is the Admiral's office, and this is where Eight Orlodhari sits at the moment, at her desk. She's in her teal and white uniform, tapping at a console with her eye on a datapad.
It's a lovely day, well into the 'light' cycle of the artificial timing of the colony. The building itself is like a miniature Magallanica spiral, but is not so hard to navigate if you know the trick. And this is where people tend to go to deliver reports personally to the Admiral, if that needs to happen. In this case, it would appear that it does.
The twins are in daycare in the building; the receptionist has buzzed her next visitor in. It is time...!?
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Naoko Suzuki, reporting in, Admiral Orlodhari!"
A voice that's a bit too cheerful to come off as very serious rings out as soon as the door is opened, not helped by the smile on Naoko's face as she delivers a practiced salute. She realizes this herself, chuckling as that hand is lowered again rather quickly.
"Thought I'd give that a try, but nope, just isn't me. Doesn't sound right at all. Makes it sound like I'm making fun of you, doesn't it?"
Good thing it's not actually expected of her that she follows military protocol. Or the dress code. The denim suits her fine, thanks.
Starting over, she instead gives a casual wave. "Hi, Eight. Hope you're doing well." The smile fades a margin. "You know, under the circumstances. I imagine you're pretty busy with... all of that, so I'll try not to take up too much of your time with my report. Or, the details I have to add to the reports you've already gotten, anyway."
She's not expected to deliver reports, either. If she's chosen to, there must be a special reason for it. As for the topic... "It's about Junius Seven," she states, now with all due seriousness.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Heh," Eight answers, and smiles at Naoko when she walks in. She salutes back, though, because some things are just ingrained. "It's not," she admits. "And it does a little. But I don't mind. If you can't make a little fun now and then, you forget who you are."
She gestures to the seat across from her desk. "Take a seat," she offers.
"I'm fine," she says. "Busy, as you say. But things are going well personally, even if the world is still in danger more by the moment. So I'm confident we can at least do our best."
"I'd ask how you're doing... But you did bring me something serious," she says. "So forgive me if I move on to asking you what you have to say."
"What's on your mind about Junius Seven?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Eight may not mind, but it does bother Naoko a little, that she can't manage to even convincingly pretend to be all official-like. Although that probably does have a lot to do with the circumstances. Try as she might, she just can't look at Eight and see a military authority figure. All she sees is the friendly face who helped her when she needed it most. Might be too late to do anything about that, at this point.
"Ehehe, yeah, that's right, good attitude to have," she laughs it off as she moves to take the offered seat. These surroundings aren't as familiar to her as the ship's, but her eyes don't wander, not this time. Despite the goofy greeting, she's here on serious business.
"That's good to hear," is her response to hearing that Eight's holding up well. She can't even imagine the pressure of having to delegate such a large organization's worth of proper response to the fallout of a crisis like this. She has a hard time figuring out the full extent of her own feelings on any given day.
She thus nods, thankful that she doesn't need to go into that. Best to focus solely on the matter at hand. "That's fine. I'm sure you've got extensive reports on that matter already, so I won't bother with the details you undoubtedly already know. This is about something that, well... of the people who were present, probably only I could have noticed."
Naoko may be exceptionally perceptive where it comes to technological matters, but phrasing it like that... it may not be difficult to guess what this is about.
"There was a Whispered there. Among the Jovian forces. And when I consider every variable... I can't help but conclude that things wouldn't have happened the way they did, if it hadn't been for her involvement."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight could've leaned harder on military discipline in the first place, of course. But that wouldn't have given Naoko the help she needed, or the environment she needed. It's a worthwhile sacrifice, in this case.
...Though Eight can't have that relationship with everybody, or the whole 'Admiral' thing breaks down.
There's the same knickknacks and displays there were in Eight's office on the Ra Mari II--the hockey sticks, a model of the old Ra Mari, pictures of her family.
It's a lot of pressure, of course. But she does have good things going in her personal life that help. She doesn't go into those for now...
Instead she listens. And she has had many reports. But the reports didn't include--
"A Whispered?" Eight frowns sharply. "Among the Jovian forces," she repeats for confirmation. "...So it's not a phenomenon limited to Earth, then..."
"Captain Maina," of the RMII, "And others have told me there was a 'will' in this event. I couldn't sense it as clearly, but they were quite clear that something was opposing the efforts to stop it."
"Do you think it's related?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Almost certainly," is Naoko's immediate response. And this, of course, explains her focus on the matter, why everything else about personal circumstances, as well as the familiar and unfamiliar elements of the surroundings don't matter so much to her at present. Why she initially struggled to try and and keep the mood light.
It's a Whispered. That makes it personal. It makes it her responsibility. Even if she's not personally acquainted with this particular Whispered, she can't help but see it that way.
"That Will was a specific counter to the power of Miracles, as granted by mental ability combined by technology. Knowing to expect it, and how to oppose it. Combine that with a Distortion Field of such massive size and strength... it has to be, it has to have been her."
Her hands ball into fists, pressing down on the armrests of her chair. The self-blame is likely easy to tell, even without being able to sense it. There's no way she could have expected it in advance, she knows that, but... it still feels like she should have prepared for this sort of eventuality. She's the only one who could have, so she should have. Too late now, but next time...
"...I've been trying to work out a way to bypass a Distortion Field, or turn it against itself. Though I doubt they'd try the same thing twice, best to make sure that they can't. We wouldn't have needed a miracle if we could've forced a course change early on." As much as she trusts in the power of miracles, it's easier to come up with a technological advantage than to figure out how to combat a Will. It's... something she can do right now. The closest thing that can make her feel like she's making amends.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, recalling the moment as it happened, back then. "...I briefly made contact with her, at the time." Her eyes open, and she frowns. "What I heard was... I couldn't make sense of it at the time, but with what we know now... I think I've figured it out, bizarre as it is."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Naoko responds immediately, and Eight nods, waiting for her to continue. Her red eyes stay focused on Naoko; she has her full attention. And...
The will... Hm. "I see," she says. "So it was this individual behind it." She sees the self-blame, but Eight doesn't tell her not to blame herself yet--she's not going to interrupt her getting her thoughts out with platitudes that may not help. That time can come after.
"I agree. Best to be sure," she answers. "But you made contact?" she asks.
"Well, this is helpful information already," she says. "Knowing what we're up against goes a long way."
"...So what have you figured out, then? Any details are useful."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
As Eight asks that question, having past the greatest hurdle, more of Naoko's usual self slips in, scratching her cheek in faint embarrassment. "Well... you say that, but you haven't heard the details yet. I, uh, I may need to ask you not to laugh. This is serious, okay? I'm not making this up. This is really what she said."
Not much more she can say to preface this. She'll just have to quote the words, verbatim, and see how it comes across to someone who isn't her.
"I'm the embodiment of Miss Nanako. I'm every young girl's role model. I'm a woman worth dying for. I am a symbol for everyone. That's all."
She pauses, after that, half expecting laughter or some other expression incredulity to happen. It's fine, she won't judge. Probably. Will the details she has to add help? Only one way to find out.
"...So, you're probably wondering, 'who the hell is Miss Nanako?' I didn't know what this was about either at the time, but then I heard people were asking about Gekiganger in relation to all this, and, all things considered... I gotta assume that's the Miss Nanako that she's claiming to embody."
...Hang on a second, she's saying this, but does that really explain anything? Feeling ever less sure of herself, she hastily adds, "I-It's an anime, if you didn't know. I basically know it by heart. It's uh, it's pretty dated in a lot of ways, but still, it's a classic must-watch if you care at all about the history of--"
Stop. Stoooop. You're going into nerd mode. Stay on track. There was a time when her Friends needed to intervene at times like this, but these days she can see the signs well enough to stop herself.
"...Ahem. Well, never mind that, point is, I think they're trying to be the damsel that everyone goes crazy for in the series? That's what it sounds like. I couldn't tell you why, but, I mean... I can't accurately describe how it felt, but when I contacted her, there was so little resistance, and yet, such a... a conviction, in those words. Honestly, if I had to describe it, in a word..." Perhaps there are many words that could fit here, but as for the one Naoko chooses...
"...Brainwashed. It feels like she's been totally brainwashed."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"...All right," Eight says dubiously. She is willing to commit not to laughing, but not reacting at all is a much taller order. Naoko gives the quote and indeed--there is incredulity. Eight opens her mouth, closes it, and tilts her head. "...Wh?"
Who is Miss Nanako? Eight is wondering. "...Gekiganger. Isn't that that show that Omoikane likes...?" She doesn't really know much about it though. She just knows she's heard the Nadesico talking about it before. Naoko knows it by heart, but--
"I'm not a big anime person," the Admiral says, and has the grace to be a little apologetic about it.
"No resistance, but conviction.."
Hrm.
"Well, the question of Miss Nanako aside... that's disturbing. I remember she said those words to me, too. 'Worth dying for'. And her people will. So will ours."
"Brainwashed... That could be. You can't be a 'symbol' without... something deeper going on."
Eight frowns, putting her hands together thoughtfully. "...So, we have a Whispered, with all the abilities we're used to, plus she's convinced of the rightness of her cause to the point of being a 'symbol' of it."
"That's... something."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It's... it's something alright. Naoko knows the way it all must sound, but... well, let's be honest, it only sounds that way to other people. To her, it's already a well-known fact that life imitates anime. But how on earth do you explain that to people who haven't already realized this immutable fact? Who aren't a big anime person, to begin with?
All things considered, Eight is taking it better than she thought. And she learns something interesting in the process. "...Omoikane likes Gekiganger? Huh. ...Good taste." She might need to follow up on that one. As dear as her Friends are to her, they are sorely lacking in interests beyond her well-being, and it's started to gnaw at her.
What she hadn't fully considered was the implications of those words. When Eight lays it all out, that people actually will die because of what this Whispered has come to represent... it's sobering, and she looks down. Feeling... guilty? That's definite guilt to be sensed there. The reason for which becomes clear in short order, when she meets Eight's eyes again.
"So... I'm sure that people who've heard the way she talks, or figure out her involvement with all this in some other way... I imagine there'll be a lot of them who'll be after her for this. Wanting revenge, to stop the atrocities committed in her name... and I get that, I totally get that. But I..."
'I am a Whispered, too. I know how isolating it can be. How you can get stuck into feeling like you have no choice but to be a certain way, just to be more like everybody else.' She doesn't say those words aloud, but it's known well enough to Eight exactly what would motivate her, to speak the words that she does say aloud.
"...If it's at all possible, then I'd like to save her."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Eight is regularly baffled by anime. She's not completely unaware of it of course, but her youth was spent touching grass. ...Well, so to speak; Winter Wonderland didn't actually have a lot of grass...
"A lot of the Nadesico does," Eight admits of Gekiganger. "I never gave it too much thought. A crew has to have hobbies, after all."
But Eight lays it out, and Eight notices that... guilt, there. And the reason for it is...
Eight watches Naoko silently for a long few moments before she straightens, her back against the chair back. She folds her hands.
"My top priority has to be ensuring that she doesn't repeat that atrocity," Eight says seriously. "Redemption, justice... These take a back seat to saving the lives of the people of the Earth Sphere. And she's set herself in opposition to all of those lives. Ours included."
She speaks gently, but firmly. And only then does she add...
"...But if it's at all possible to take her alive, we will. I can't even begin to promise she'll go free, after what she's done, though if it turns out she has been brainwashed like that... it might make a difference, when the time comes."
"I'm the last person to tell you not to try. So I won't."
"...But if there's someone behind her," Eight says, "Like behind so many youths in our own wars..."
"Then I can promise that I'll seek justice there, too. For her, as well as from her, if it comes down to it."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Conversely, Naoko is regularly baffled by life. The parts of it that don't imitate anime so much, anyway. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, one supposes...
"Buh," is Naoko's eloquent reaction to being told the Nadesico is apparently Gekiganger Central, and by extension, Super Nerd Central. Is she on the wrong ship??
Such thoughts quickly take a backseat as the more serious topic is broached. And, although there is some measure of concern in Naoko's eyes... she'd be lying if she said that it came as a big surprise. Knowing where Eight's priorities must lie, as the Admiral in charge... but also how she must personally feel about cases that involve manipulation in order to use a person as a tool. There's no way that it wouldn't add up in the way that it does. And so, she doesn't speak until Eight makes it clear that she won't stop Naoko from trying.
"...Thank you. That's all I ask. I know you'll do everything you can, as long as the circumstances allow for it. As long as everything was done that was reasonably possible... I'll be able to accept the outcome, no matter what it may be."
So she says. She can't actually be sure how true that will be. But, for the moment, she believes that to be the case. The thought of there being someone behind her, though... a deep frown and a nod indicates that she's entirely in agreement of seeking justice towards whoever that might be.
Even so... there has to be some nuance to all of this. With the full truth having been broadcast across two of Terminal's ships, a lot has been recontextualized. Before, this seemed like a black and white, good versus evil kind of fight. Now, it would be difficult not to acknowledge the unfortunate circumstances that drive this entire conflict. And Naoko would feel remiss not to share how she feels about that.
"...To be honest, I didn't used to know anything about the related history, about the Lunar Independence War and all that, not even the fabricated version. But now that I know what really happened, it's... kind of hard to feel like they don't have a right to be angry. They're just... not directing their anger properly." Of course, that may not be a comfort to everyone who's been impacted by the... well, impacts. But, in her estimation, multiple wrongs will never equal out to a right.
"Maybe it won't help, maybe this is just being naive, but I hope... I hope that we can convince them of the truth. That their existence was suppressed. That the majority of the people on Earth aren't even aware of who they are and what was done to them. That it's unfair to hold so many innocents responsible for the crimes of a few assholes at the top. ...uh, excuse the language."
Not normally that big a deal to her, but Eight's still the Admiral, and this is an official meeting.
"What I'm trying to say is... we need to clear up the misunderstanding, right? Break the cycle that led to all this in the first place? I know, there's only so much any of us can do, but that's... my hope."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Buh!!
"I hope that's true," Eight says. "It's harder sometimes to live with the reality, when you think there's more you could've done that you didn't. But we all do what we can."
Nuance... Eight remembers that nuance, of course. So when Naoko talks about it, Eight remains thoughtful, because she's been thinking about it over and over since it happened.
"That's just it. In war, there's rarely one side that has all the right to be angry. Zeon had plenty of reasons to be angry, after all. And we still opposed them, back then."
"I think you're right," she says. "That the truth is that the people of Earth aren't responsible for the actions of a government dead and buried. ...But I think those 'assholes'," she says, and Eight does not usually use such language, "Exist still on both sides. The people who were behind this. Who decided that this was the best course of action."
"...But people believe in their causes. It's not as easy as sharing the truth and that being that."
"...The problem is this," Eight says. "If I come out publically with this information now, people won't believe it. The tide of public opinion is strong, and people like the Gaia Sabers have everyone believing that the PLANTs--and Spacenoids in general--are really at fault for this."
"...On top of that, we have no proof. No proof except a recording of our own backers admitting the truth."
"...Maybe you can do something," she says. "Something in your place, as a private citizen, as your own person, that I can't as the Admiral of the Magallanica Defense Force." She sighs.
"But it's an uphill battle. Do your best, Naoko."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Beating yourself up to an unreasonable degree over not having done enough? Naoko has no idea what that's like. Surely it'll be fine. No need to read anything into her lack of response to that point.
Instead, she scratches the side of her head, sheepishly admitting, "Back in Akaigawa, I only ever really heard about Zeon and such through the news. I didn't really question anything about the way it was reported, it didn't seem like anybody else in town was doing that either. I can't say any of it even felt particularly real to me. This is... probably the first time I've really thought about stuff like this."
That's how she started off in the Three Ships Alliance, too. Considering herself part of 'good', and so logically, anyone her side chose to fight had to be 'bad'. At the time, she didn't see why it needed to be more complicated than that. When you're fully aware of the facts, though... she finds it significantly harder to ignore that sometimes, ignorance causes horrible mistakes to be made.
She grimaces. "So, what you're saying is, the way I was before... that's actually normal, then. Which means there's a lot of people like that, getting angry over the news just like all those people in Akaigawa, or just not caring either way." She's only ever had a limited perspective in this regard. She's not sure whether she regrets that more than she regrets knowing better now. What can she say but, "This sucks. Why's everything always have to be so complicated?"
Grousing aside, she can't argue Eight's points. There's little they can do... as a group, that is. But maybe, as an individual? Naoko's face lights up at that.
"Really? You think so? That's... well, I'm always happy to try and make a difference! I've been thinking about that actually, to maybe go out and act on my own a little more... it's just that, um." She rubs her neck. "Iiii don't really know I could be very... discreet, about that. If it comes down to a fight, I kind of have to use Sukeban Kiseki. Which is fine by me, but it's not exactly a secret that's it's allied with the MDF. Last thing I wanna do is get you all in trouble for something I decided on my own."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
It's surely fine.
"Yes," Eight answers as to normalcy. "That's just how it is for most people; they have a lot going on in their own lives... and they have no reason to disbelieve what they're told. That's even more true now, with the Gaia Sabers in control of more of the media. Once, we were able to challenge the legitimacy of the Federation with the 'truth'. ...I don't think we'll do it again the same way."
"I agree," Eight says. It sucks.
But she smiles. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it... but you just live here, and work with us. You're not, technically, under the MDF's command. It might be enough deniability, depending."
"Do what you need to do. We're reaching the point where diplomacy can only take us so far, after all. If it comes to open war between NUNE and the PLANTs..."
"Well. I won't be expecting us to sit on the sidelines, that's for sure."