2019-11-05: Far Reaching Consequences
- Log: 2019-11-05: Far Reaching Consequences
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Arleph Ardan, Ethius Hesiod...?
- Where: The Cape of Breath
- Date: November 05, 2019
- Summary: Through her journeys as a Drifter, Jay has gone beyond the world of Filgaia itself... and has come to find that the story of her very world may yet extend beyond even further out. Following her discovery at Fila del Fia, she consults the only person she knows who could give her further leads - Arleph Ardan, a man from a long, long ways away from here. Even this latest discovery gives him pause, speaking with reticence as he comes to grips with the weight of her findings. Things that cannot be said in ordinary circumstances are shared... and there may yet be others involved by proxy.
================================================<* The Cape of Breath *>================================================ Stretching from the edge of the slowly-spreading northern desert, the Cape of Breath is the lush southern region of Meria Boule. Farmland and livestock take up much of the hilly region, dotted with the estates and castles of Merian nobles, often at the height of elevation, but across temperate land to the west great forests begin, still part of the great resources of the Merian nation. In places the badlands of the north find mirrors here, hotter regions with accordingly sparser populations... where people could move. To the farthest south and east are the wide coastlines, each marked with large cities. Only the fortress nature of many estates at the hearts of settlements recalls much of Meria's more warlike history, after the great efforts of the late Queen to ensure peace for all Meria Boule, and the spread of knowledge. Nevertheless, the increasing spread of monsters can make travel without caravan or guards a perilous undertaking indeed. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_gmgvAz8Ks
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline had found something not too long ago that made her curious - and, perhaps, just a bit concerned. A weapon belonging to a 'Pangalactic Federation', powerful enough to put a hole in the side of the structure they found it in. It was currently in the hands of one Seraph Ragnell, which was something Jacqueline was a little unsure about.
She didn't know what this Pangalactic Federation's deal was, but she did know someone who possibly would.
Today, they've parked out on the Cape of Breath, in the countryside. It's something of a sensitive matter, and so she's waited until everyone else is out on business. She takes a moment to catch her breath and the she approaches Arleph's door and knocks.
"Are you there, Arleph? There's something I'd like to talk to you about." She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
It takes a moment for Arleph to answer the door. There is no sound at all coming from within the room -- that's nothing new. Jacqueline do know that he's put sound-proofing enchantments in his room a little while ago. The door, however, seems to bring noise IN as the Symbologist opens the door, peeking out.
"Is that so, Jacqueline?" He asks, his hat off with his red-brown hair off and free on his head. "Come on in, come on in. I've got some tea freezing up."
He pulls the door open more fully, letting her come inside and sight of his room. It's, obviously, still something of a cluttered mess but an organized cluttered mess, trying to make use of every inches of room and wall that he possibly can with some containers, a desk and, obviously, a small partition off for his own beddings.
In middle of the room, there IS a tea kettle. That's looking pretty cold and getting colder. A symbology rune is glowing beneath. Arleph takes a seat, motioning her to do the same to another chair. "What is it?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline's aware of the sound-proofing enchantments - that's one of the main reasons she's comfortable with doing this here, rather than taking it to somewhere more remote.
"Oh, thank you." Jacqueline says with a polite nod, as Arleph mentions the tea. She steps into the room after him and, once she makes sure the door is shut firmly and the sound-proofing enchantment is back in operation, moves to take a seat in the chair gestured to by Arleph.
She spots the tea kettle, looking over it for a moment - she seems to be studying the Symbological rune underneath it. She can enjoy a good iced tea, thankfully - but, that isn't why she's here.
She takes a second to gather her thoughts.
"...I was out adventuring the other day, and a few of us decided to explore Fila del Fia - you might recall that we brought it up as a potential source of information on the ones that abducted Lydia." Jacqueline says. "Well...I'm less convinced of that now, but we did find something unusual there."
She takes a second before continuing.
"We found a weapon labeled as property of the 'Pangalactic Federation'. Is that something you've heard of?" Jacqueline says. "I don't have the weapon itself to show you, unfortunately - it's in the Seraph Ragnell's possession now."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Arleph busily pick himself out two glasses as Jacqueline get herself comfortable and begins to speak. The Symbologist nods slowly as he begins pouring out the iced tea. It looks pretty iced: the liquid itself seems to have nice little shards of ice into it, almost slushie-like. It's unusual but hey, it should be very refreshing!
At the mention of the Pangalactic Federation, however, he stops, glass in hand, about to drink some of it. His brows furrows as he slowly lower his glass, looking at her hard.
"You'll want to get that weapon away from her. That's some dangerous technology and powerful weapons she is dealing with. As for the Federation..."
Arleph lets out a brief sigh, taking a swig out of his tea before he continues. "Remember the civilization I said I came from? That's the one. The Pangalactic Civilization. It's not just a name, either -- it does span several galaxies. Three, last I've heard. It is massive. A galaxy is... well, really freaking huge. I can't emphasis this enough."
He looks back at her. "Describle to me the weapon. It's a sort of handgun, I presume?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It is unusual, but Jacqueline's okay with that - she assesses it for a short moment, but seems to find it to her liking.
"That's easier said than done. Ragnell is...a bit of a rascal, to put it likely. I think the illegality of it makes her like it even more, beyond the ridiculous firepower - she's not likely to part with it easily." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head.
She pauses, then, as he explains. Jacqueline frowns slightly, rolling this about in her head.
"That's...positively staggering." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head. It was a little hard to grasp the scope of. Not just planets, but galaxies - which to her was already something only rarely spoken of or conjectured. She pauses, then, when he asks her to describe the weapon.
"That's...about right, yes. It was powerful enough to put a hole in the side of the facility, with this ray of energy."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Arleph slurps on his slushie iced tea, leaning back as he looks up at the ceiling. The light, a small sphere with symbology orbiting around it, shimmers a soft, warm light.
"Big, long bright ray that just punch through anything? Yeah, that... sounds like a phaser, or a photon-based pistol of some sort."
He drums fingers against the side of his glasses before shaking his head. "Weapons aren't really my specialty but that sounds about right." he gives her a small smile. "Yeah, that's... why I've omitted that part last time we've talked about this. I figured one hard to swallow truth was enough for then."
Arleph pauses, furrowing his brows. "Who else knows and have seen this? What's worrying now is how that thing got there."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"That's right." Jacqueline confirms, and then frowns as he explains it. A phaser, or a photon-based pistol... She nods to herself, and to him when he says weapons aren't his specialty.
"I suppose the specifics of its nomenclature aren't as important as what it's capable of." She says. She nods, then, as Arleph explains why he omitted the matter of the Pangalactic Federation.
"Iii think you might have made the right call there..." Jacqueline says with a nervous chuckle. "If you tried to explain that to me immediately after telling me you came from a whole other planet entirely, I probably would've been out of commission for at least a day. That's a lot of scale to have to grasp in a single day."
She shakes her head, then, listening as Arleph asks who saw. Her brow furrows as she takes a moment to think back.
"Let's see... Ivan was there, and so was Kaguya." Jacqueline replies. "...I don't know how much the Veruni would know about the 'Pangalactic Federation', come to think..."
That was something to think about some other time, though.
"Other than that...Talise and Lanval were there. Josie, too - Josephine Lovelace." She concludes. "So...seven of us, in all."
That is a good question though...how it got there.
"...Do the letters 'HILA' mean anything to you? We spotted it on one of the creatures that attacked us while were there - they were like...corpses, that were being animated by something in the ruin itself." She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
"Eurf." Arlpeh answers, rubbing the side of his side, frowning. "That's a lot of people, to be sure." He takes another drink, thinking on it as she explains what she know. "The good news is, it's probably not a self-recharging model. They're pretty rare, last I've heard. So, it's probably got a handful of shots left in it, if I were a wagering man. The bad news...
He pauses. "That IS a lot of people that is now potentially aware of a 'Pangalactic Federation'. Fortunately, that's just one weird piece of a large puzzle that this world constantly offer, so I'm not that super worried about THAT. I am, however... worried about someone else, if my hunch is correct."
Arleph tilts his head, furrowing his brows. "Not off the top of my head... did it sound like some kind of acronym? Neither are corpses, animated by something like that."
He shrugs. "The Galaxies are pretty vast, I'm afraid. I don't know how much the Veruni know about the Federation. I guess it depends how long they've been stuck here."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline nods as Arleph explains that it likely only has a handful of shots left. Still worrying, but not worrying as it could be.
"That's a relief, I suppose..." She murmurs. Thankfully, Arleph doesn't seem too worried about the amount of people who know - if he isn't, then she probably shouldn't either. But...
"Someone else? Who?" She asks.
She pauses, then, when Arleph says he's not familiar with what the letters might mean. She nods.
"I see..." She murmurs. And he doesn't know how much the Veruni might know, either.
"That's a good question, but I don't know enough to answer it..." She admits with a shrug. She shakes her head, then. "...Well, I suppose it's alright, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Arleph sets down his glass, changing his posture to leans forward a little, crossing his hands. "It's only some theories but... It's Ethius. There is some strong circumstantial evidence that tells me that he is, also, not from this world. I don't think he knows it himself, yet and, frankly, that's probably for the best for the moment."
He leans back, frowning. "You know how he is with technology, dismantling it. About how to be careful -- and rightfully so! -- when we were on Lunar and Spira about our knowledge and technology we've brought with us from Filgaia." Arleph shakes his head, wriggling his fingers to levitate the glass to take another drink. Mages, go figure. "Yet he remembers nothing and he's clearly amnesiac of some degree. Still, he follows some of the rules of the Federation, like the P3, as if instinctually. His Symbology's also pretty telling. It's weird, comparatively to here."
Arleph shrugs, leaning back. "It's observations, really. I'm worried how he might react if he hear of the 'Pangalactic Federation'. IF, IF I am correct."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Ethius?" Jacqueline repeats, surprised. She's not sure where Arleph is going with this, and then he starts to explain. She doesn't interrupt as he explains his reasoning.
"...I see..." She murmurs, with a frown. "That's...pretty convincing, to be fair - it would explain a lot of idiosyncracies..."
She shakes her head.
"But...I don't know. Whether it's true or not, though, I can't imagine he could be too pleased to hear about this. It's probably best to keep it between us for now." She decides.
"What's that 'P3' you mentioned, though?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
"Plus, there is the confrontation with Mother. He knew to take care of the Star Drive before she jumped away." Arleph adds, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I believe he is some sort of Galactic agent that... has lost memory or some kind. He's worried about the food -- that's why he burn things to a crisp, by the way. Disgusting but safe -- because of germs. I did that for a while, too, in the early days."
Arleph takes another drink, nodding. "I doubt he'll be. Ah... the UP3, sorry. The Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Plan. It is the law that prevents people to come to young worlds with developing cultures, races and civilizations and muck them up with advanced technology, knowledge and contaminating their own progress with worlds that have not researched Faster Than Light Travel by themselves yet."
He waves, briefly. "Like here, at first glance."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Ah...that thing." Jacqueline replies with a nod. She had thought it was just Ethius being Ethius, but if a part of him knew what it was... And there was the matter of his food preferences, too.
"...I'm starting to wonder if that's just what he...likes. I've seen some of his more recent...concoctions." Jacqueline replies with a shudder. She pauses, then, as he explains the UP3.
"I see...well, I'm glad they're considerate enough for that, at least." Jacqueline replies. "I really wouldn't want anyone coming here, thinking they knew what was best for us - even if they were trying to help."
Of course, Filgaia already had all sorts of strange, out of place technology...which he was probably referring to.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
"I guess with three years of eating that stuff, he probably ought to like it or else he'd had stopped eating it a WHILE ago." Arleph answers, flashing her a grin. "Whatever the case is, that's my observations. I'm not sure what it means fully for him and who he was previously, but it's things to remember."
He nods, leaning back and finishing off his glass. "There's some conflicting schools of thoughts on that, obviously. It's fine and dandy to leave a civilization there alone, not intefer and not, you know, drop in with spaceships and be worshiped like gods. But what happens when they are a danger to themselves? That they might blow themselves up?"
Arleph shrugs. "Some world's been saved by intervention of people. Some were endangered by other entities and nations interfering with younger races. It's... not a easy subject, really."
He nods at the room. "Me being here, at first, is something of a violation of the UP3. Until I've learned there's, like, five different alien species just hanging out here and bloody colony cities from the Federation itself that turned into full, real, covered cities."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
He adds, lowering his glass. "I figured I've earned a bit of leeway, vis-a-vis such things."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I suppose so." Jacqueline admits with a smile and a chuckle. "But you're right - it's something to keep in mind."
She listens, then, as he muses on the UP3 and the conflicting schools of thought.
"I can understand doing if there's no other option... but how do you tell? How do you tell when doing so is the only thing that will save them?" She asks. She nods, though.
"Yes, I can understand how there'd be a lot of discourse about it..." She says. She chuckles, then, as he mentions that his presence here is a violation itself...except for all the other blatant violations. She laughs.
"Well, unlike them you've kept a low-profile, at least - if you wouldn't have told me directly, I don't think I would've known that you weren't from around here." Jacqueline replies. "I don't think you have a problem."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
"Well, I do appreciate you saying that. I HAVE tried to keep a low profile but... well, I found it impossible to ignore the problems here. Even more when they came to be of other worldly."
He leans over, pouring himself some tea again, nodding at her. "Do you have any other questions about what I've just told you?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Well, your help has been invaluable - it's been nice to have a good Symbologist onboard, and one with engineering knowledge to boot." Jacqueline says, with a polite nod toward Arleph. "A lot of the problems we faced would have been a lot more difficult without your help."
With that, she finishes off her tea.
"Hm...no, I don't think so. I thank you for being so straight-forward with me, and on such short notice." She says with a smile, and then starts to stand. "I'll leave you to it, then, unless there's anything else?"
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
"You are most welcome, Jacqueline. Thanks you as well for your own open mind on the matter." The Symbologist replies, standing up to noddinga t her. "i do not think I have anything else to add on the matter for the moment. Just keep in mind in what I've said about the weapon: it is rather potent, even if it STILL a man-size pistol. It should have some different settings as well. Some are... less lethal than others."