2021-09-19: A Dilemma
- Log: A Dilemma
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Leon Albus, Riesenlied, Noeline, Elhaym van Houten, Emeralda Kasim, Lily Keil, Fei Fong Wong
- Where: Deku Isles
- Date: September 19, 2021
- Summary: Leon has discovered the location of one of Heoh Rott's facilities, but such a discovery has come with an added wrinkle. He discusses it with the rest of the Black Wolves.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It's been more than a week since Doctor Uzuki set foot on the Karlsefni, having traveled back to Shevat and other places besides. He'd had some matters to attend to, he'd said, and that had been true. Some things could only be resolved in the proper fashion, in the proper order.
Still, that hardly means he doesn't have things to do here, as well.
With Heimdall securely docked, then, Citan heads into what the Wolves have been using as their meeting room, perhaps to see if anyone is in here.
He'd announced he was incoming ahead, of course -- it wouldn't have been possible to have gotten in otherwise.
What has everyone been doing in his absence, though?
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
In the last week, Leon found something vital: the location of another of Heoh Rott's satellite facilities. He hasn't been quiet about this, but a busy and thoughtful Leon is a distracted Leon. Responses have been short -- answering 'yes' to questions that aren't yes or no, responding thirty seconds after addressing him, and taking up a whole table in the common area of the Karlsefni with maps, a few books, and a tablet that is linked to its computer network.
He is in the meeting room now, with reading glasses perched on his nose. His hand runs through his short beard, as he looks down at it, and then he jots some notes down.
He notices the doctor's arrival a few moments later than he should.
"Ah! Doctor Uzuki," he says. He looks up and smiles. "Welcome back. I hope the business in Shevat and elsewhere went successfully."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is looking, for once, kind of depressed.
She's been to Taben's Peak and back and met Nall and the children -- she even has some souvenirs from them and a penned letter with signatures and crayon drawings from all of them wishing the Wolves all the best -- which was great, but...
She's still doing battle with her current eternal nemesis: the Amazing Telescoping Telescope!, which sits on a metal coffee table in front of her in many pieces with the attractive box art propped up to one side as if to indicate what she bought this for.
The dread marker of a scam is on the box itself: AN O'AKA GENUINE PRODUCT
"... I may be at my wits' end," Riesenlied admits deflatedly, her horns flopping. "I do not know how to do this..."
She might need her blood sugar fixed... still, she can't do much since Leon seems quite distracted and she doesn't really want to disturb him.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline is staring at Leon's table with quite a glum look on her face. "This is... rather a nostalgic sight," she notes to herself, thinking back to the days where she more or less rented out a corner of the Starfall Saloon daily, only to cover it in newspapers and almanacs as she absorbed information about the region.
She looks away from that sight to offer her partner a laugh. "Really... you shouldn't let it get you down too much. Surely you've gotten enough feedback about it to suggest that it needs some extra components along the way?" she gently reminds Riesenlied in hopes of de-wilting her a little, pairing it with a pat on her head between the horns.
For her own part, she's looking remarkably chipper, freshly rejuvenated by time around her children and some of their web of adoptees. She is even humming as she watches over Riesenlied's shoulder, wondering if she should offer to lend a hand but still trying to keep up the pretence of actually paying attention to the book open in her lap. There are telltale signs that she has been folding the corners of it down as she stops and starts, the monster.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly van Houten flew her ancient, potentially sorcerous Omnigear back to the Karlsefni and parked it for some time. She sat in the cockpit for like forty-five minutes before she got out. Maybe she was checking something. (She actually fell asleep - or passed out - from, perhaps, nervous exhaustion.)
But that was a while ago.
Lately Elly has been fishing. She like, saved Spira or something and averted some sort of psycho-frantic super-atomic devastation from destroying a sacred place (and, not incidentally, everyone who was contending with Seymour). She earned fishing time.
Elly is right now still wearing her tackle vest over her more typical daywear of a denim one-piece dress with a high skirt.
"Are you having trouble assembling it?" Elly asks Riesenlied, even as she moves to take a seat.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
In the last week, Emeralda:
* Finally fixed Crescens's left wing, which had been giving her problems for a while
* Signed up with the Adventurer's Guild, for real, now that she was 'old enough'
* Took her first Adventurer's Guild job
* Got into a fight over a golden-ish tree
* Received reward chocolate
Emeralda is still kind of recovering from the last two and for that reason has been fairly quiet today. So quiet that she followed Citan into the meeting room without causing too much of a fuss, since it wasn't like she wasn't *allowed* to go to the meeting room. She just didn't know there was anything happening in it until she did.
So she doesn't walk in so much as stick her head around the corner and suddenly appear in the doorway while she tries to figure out people are doing in there. Her head is higher up than it used to be, which is probably not a surprise to anyone but something still worth getting adjusted to.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil has been out on mission for a lot of the week, out doing things in Meribus and Aquvy mostly, until Leon found that certain something. Then she was likewise consulting maps, and books, and the computer network... and perhaps more to the point, has made sure that food finds its way into the workspace for herself and Leon instead of forgetting about it.
"Doctor," Lily greets, and nods to the others while she's at it. But Riesenlied... has...
"Hm." She is kind of occupied herself with a particular bit of reading she's doing, standing against the wall leaning there, but she does look up.
"Don't feel too bad."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong is starting to worry he might actually have to get his gear to Spira and fight a giant whale.
He hasn't changed his attitude around Emeralda (teenager) much. He hasn't offered to PICK HER UP or anything but he loves her just as much as he always has. Maybe more so. "Heard you signed up with the guild, Em!" Fei says. "Congratulations!"
He throws a wave over to Citan since apparently he mostly came over to congratulate Emeralda on her NEW LISCENCE.
"Woah it's pretty busy here." He adds, finally noticing after some glancing around. He looks at the Amazing Telescoping Telescope for a moment with trepidation.
"Hey don't give up Riesenlied." He says. "And don't be afraid to ask for help. Science is a cooperative field."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Leon was distracted, Citan had noted on arrival. That, to him, suggests the captain has found something of interest.
A lot can change in a week.
In fact, a lot can change in a single night.
In time, he may need to talk to Leon and Lily about what he's learned about Xantia. The only question is, how much? How far before he could potentially jeopardize the situation they're in?
For now, though, he smiles, inclining his head as if to thereby greet Leon and the rest of them.
"It is good to be back, Leon. Everyone appears to be well," Citan says, taking in the occupants of the meeting room (he might frown slightly when regarding Riesenlied's... dilemma but doesn't intervene or comment currently). His gaze lingers on Fei longer than the others, as if to more carefully assess the young man and how he's doing.
Has his own journeys abroad gone well? "Yes, I believe so," he says, which is not entirely accurate, but also not inaccurate.
He pauses a moment, approaching close to one of the maps he can see and readjusts his spectacles as he inspects it. "Now, what is all this? Have you found something of interest, Leon?
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied whines terribly softly at Noeline and nestles against her, sighing softly and also nodding at Elly and Fei.
"I do not even know where to begin asking for extra parts it needs... it feels like a very big leap at the moment." A pause, as she murmurs, "But yes... I need help at this point."
There's a pause, as she pouts and idly tries to un-dog-ear the poor book Noeline's savaging. Some things will never change, like they're locked in an eternal battle between dog ears and... ... something. Riesenlied probably would use a bookmark, but she's not very good with books.
Riesenlied tangentially knows Emeralda's been out for a big adventure! She feels pretty proud of her, and has maybe also been fussing with her clothes if allowed since she's a growing girl now. "Hehe... a guild badge is a pretty exciting time," she chimes in.
Lily tells her to not feel too bad, and there's a quiet nod... though the lingering feeling is a bit hard to deal with. Maybe it's time for snacks.
A bob of her head as Citan talks about Leon's maps, and she tilts her head. "Hmmm... another ruin?"
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
It does surprise Leon a little, still, to see how Emeralda has grown. It was all at once, rather than gradual, and that defies expectations. He smiles at her, and then he looks about -- first at Riesenlied, then at Noeline. "I would... confirm that all of the parts are present. Sometimes those kits are lacking in them."
He stifles a yawn, then. "I can have a look in a little bit, if you'd like."
He looks at Fei, then smiles and waves at him. "Fei. Good to see you as always. Have you been helping Elly with her fishing?" He may have missed parts of the last week. Fortunately, Elly's clothing gives him a clue as to her activities.
He looks back at Citan. Leon nods to the doctor, and then he looks down at his maps. "Yes," he says. "I found Wec Stann's location. Some Drifters found it three years ago but didn't manage to enter -- no great surprise. It's in the mountains of Celesti. Curiously, some of the records here reference it. I was surprised, but..."
Leon hesitates. "...Ah, there is no easy way to say this. Wec Stann presents us with a moral dilemma." He glances at Lily. They went over this. He admitted that, when it comes to moral dilemmas, he should reach out to others. After all, like Riesenlied and her telescope assembly, sometimes the Black Wolves make up for each others' deficiencies.
"It may be a cold sleep facility for several thousand citizens of the Zeboim Federation," Leon says. "If the facility is intact."
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Emeralda has let Riese fuss with her clothes... a little bit. She seems to like the ones she wears, which are technically things she made the same way she makes everything else; they have the critical advantage of moving with her when she changes her shape.
Plus, they always fit, even if her style appears to go toward cutoff shirts and either skirts or shorts. And the scarf looks cool.
"Thanks!" Emeralda beams as she steps into the room proper. She's glad to be a real adventurer, on real adventures. Not that she wasn't before, going places with the Wolves... but it's not quite the same.
She has apparently decided she's going to listen in, because she swings a chair around and lands on it, tilting it back dangerously. Emeralda wasn't going to actually say anything about it until Leon says some little words.
Emeralda almost tips her chair backwards so far that she falls over. Instead she wobbles ominously for a moment until the chair thumps upright, with her leaning forward. "Really? Really truly? People who... were there?" She's not sure what she feels about that. She feels...
...something, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly looks towards Emeralda as she comes in, raising a hand to wave with a smile. She is probably mere hot seconds away from asking something gentle and caring such as 'how did the mission go' or perhaps 'did you have any trouble with the Guild' but THEN
Leon speaks.
The first part isn't too enormously shocking, because there are probably dig sites or their candidates every few square miles on Filgaia, and between their assets and the advantage of their knowledge, of course there would be some they can work with that J. Random Drifter and his buddies, Jackass McGee and Pobrecito Jones, could not.
But then:
"-Emperor's name-," Elly says, in a tone of saying a hecking cuss. Her eyes go wide. "Several... several thousand? I... oh, my, I see what you mean. I..." She settles back in her chair, briefly and completely agog. (She looks at Fei as if for validation of this.)
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"It is having trouble providing the relevant pieces to assemble it," Noeline responds primly to Elly, turning the words around to try to point out that she doesn't put any blame on Riesenlied here and giving her partner a light hug of support to underline that. The sight of the green-haired girl makes her raise her eyebrows, but she chuckles nonetheless. "Nothing a little help with wouldn't hurt, I imagine," she invites. "At the very least, we can always resort to improvisation."
To make space for the others around the telescope, she gets up to her feet, and this is in no way a chance to allow herself to move alongside Citan and take several not-so-sneaky looks at the maps and other effects laid out. It does mean that she cedes her poor beaten-up book to Riesenlied with a soft laugh, but she looks genuinely pleased about that more than anything. It's one of a dozen little rituals between them, and Noeline doesn't mind at all. To her, a used book is a loved book, however it's maintained.
Her nod to Leon says it all about O'aka's standards of sale, but then she's fallen silent over Leon's news, digesting it for a long moment. "How much of a 'may be' are we talking, exactly?" is her first question, before she frowns and thinks it over further. "It's hard to imagine them doing anything to wake up any potential inhabitants - but it's also a little hard to imagine those inhabitants still being alive and well, given the other remnants we've seen."
She doesn't show any relish in saying that. Rather, there's a note of sympathy in her voice.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
"I was alive," Emeralda says, quietly. "Just sleeping, in a tube. I remember that, it was like a dream but I remember it! And if it's me, it might not just be me... Kim might have done something else with other people! Or someone else," she finishes, a little more lamely, because Kim is not likely to have other nanomachine daughters running around the place. (As far as she knows.)
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
For her part, Lily glances back at Leon when he mentions the big news. She looks to the others.
"Right. So you can see why we need to approach this carefully." She moves out towoards the others, and indeed perhaps it is time for snacks. She smiles at Emeralda--she doesn't seem to have made too much a Thing of her surprise at Emeralda's growth, but she sure has noticed.
"But that's right, Emeralda. It would be people who were there."
She doesn't know, though; thre's a lot she doesn't know here.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong looks to Emeralda for a moment. She's probably the person who would have the best idea of ... their condition. As far as he knows. He might not be RIGHT. But he does cup his chin to think about what Leon has to say. It's a strange thing to think of, people who might've survived the Fall...
"Well," Fei says. "If we can release them while ensuring they'd be safe to do so... Then I think it wouldn't be right to leave them in there. I know we don't really know what kind of people they were but.. WEll, that's just it. We don't know. Though I guess this might be thinking too early, we might know better once we actually uh--visit."
He looks to Riesenlied sheepishly. This sort of took the wind out of his sails for telescope discussions but he does add, "Well... if you need help... Maybe Jay or Doc could lend a hand?" They're the smartest people HE knows.
"Alternately I guess we could try releasing one, if we can, and asking them what their deal is...and then decide? Not foolproof but..."
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon looks at Emeralda for a moment. He nods his head, once. "Yes. If... it works. It's been thousand of years. We should not get our hopes up. A great deal may have happened," Leon says. His voice is quiet, before he looks back down. Elly expresses her shock, and all he can do is nod.
"I don't know," Leon says. "I know what the facility was designed for. I know it was meant to provide continuity of the human race on Filgaia, in the event of a catastrophe. And that, together, suggests... there could be several thousand people there. But you're quite right, Noeline."
He hesitates, and then looks at Emeralda. "Do you--were you ever... awake, during that era? Did you go any place? I wonder if you might have been to one of these."
Then, he looks sideways at Fei. He hesitates, before he nods. "I agree. We... can't leave thousands of people in there. We might be killing them, essentially." He hesitates. "I find myself hopeful, which concerns me. I can't help but see opportunity -- and wonder if this gives some answers. I've often wondered... what the point of this is -- of the strange weapons we've found, what is in the ruins, and the things Gryndille said before we dispatched the automaton. I've wondered why I'm digging into these things. If it's just some... selfish impulse."
Leon shakes his head, then closes his eyes. "But if it's saving a slice of the past, then maybe there is an answer that I can accept."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's face droops rather abruptly as Leon shares the dilemma, and she twiddles her thumbs in thought for a moment. She doesn't answer right away; she's very much deep in thought, however.
"In the most dire circumstance... we may be facing a mass grave, and need to steel ourselves, if the facility output has failed in the many years since. Yet another conondrum faces us if it has not..."
A pause.
"To be honest, I... am reminded of the Hyadeans. Many of our kin were asleep in cold storage for a long time, in the journey the Photosphere endured from Hyades to Filgaia. And I do not need to allude much how a thousand folk, possibly armed with advanced ARMs and weaponry, may react to a world that is no longer theirs..."
... it's surprisingly cynical and sober for Riesenlied, maybe. Maybe it's just her current mood.
"... and even if they were peaceful... none of us have the resources to relocate, shelter, and reacclimatise a thousand people. It would become a long-term project that demands a lot of time and energy," Riesenlied continues. Oh, she's devoting a lot of brainpower into thinking... it's like steam is escaping from her horns now.
She slumps a little, and decides to distract herself by looping back to answer the questions: "It was-- ah, a... 'scam', Leon. I feel disappointed in myself. Many of the parts are missing, or never existed with, to achieve what I want... so I have been sourcing parts to try to invent it."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Wec Stann? That was the facility you were seeking, correct?" He may be asking this question for the benefit of others.
Leon confirms the discovery, but that's not all there is. There's the matter of what Wec Stann is.
Most tellingly, Citan is silent for a good moment or two, a sure sign that he's been surprised by what Leon has just told them all.
"A... cold sleep facility? You are certain about this?" Citan echoes, as if he cannot quite believe his ears. "Then, if that is so..." He's bowed his head, one hand lifted to his chin as if he were in deep thought.
"This is... not a question with an easy answer. If the facility is intact, and if those who were kept there yet live... then we must make a decision whether it is right for us to bring them into the current world." He pauses, only to shake his head. "If, indeed, we are able to do so."
He shifts his attention over to Fei, apparently listening to the younger man's thoughts on the matter and considering them carefully himself.
"This world will certainly be different from the one which they were used to, if they still live," he remarks, folding his arms over his chest. "Agreed, Noeline. There are too many unknowns, including whether or not we are able to revive them should they still be alive. Still... that does not mean we should not discuss this matter."
He raises an eyebrow as Riesenlied says something that he, apparently, hadn't quite expected. "That is... correct. Are we prepared to cope with the needs of so many people, should they still live? To add to that, such a long sleep may leave them debilitated. The long-term side effects of suspended animation are not well understood, even in Solaris..."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily is quiet, when Leon mentions his thoughts--his hopes. She watches him, and she has herself expressed some of those same questions... Of the weapons they've found, of the things Gryndille said. What was Sharon Wyatt really doing?
"If the facility's intact, there might be resources for them there," Lily points out to Riesenlied. "But you're all right--there's a lot of unknowns."
Debilitated.. Hm.
"...Well, we have a couple medical professionals at least. Maybe Fei's right, that we should wake them slowly, if they're there--not all at once, but a few first, who might know their people well enough to help us with the others. If there's that many people in the facility..."
"They must have a leader, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
Was she ever awake then?
Emeralda slides downward in her chair, just slightly. It looks like a rather expressive slouch. "I don't think so," she says. "I don't remember... I remember being in the tube, with Kim in the room. And I remember... I remember..."
Emeralda flinches. A flash of insight, almost, but quickly lost. Even thinking too hard about it is painful, and not quite in the physical sense. But really... "..I don't remember," she eventually says. "But I think I was just sleeping..."
She does straighten up again afterwards. "When I woke up, I was fine," she objects, though if she's being honest that might not exactly be generally true. And even now, she can't remember everything from before.
"I want to come," Emeralda adds, suddenly. "When you go."
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly's eyes turn towards the table. She folds her fingers together before her, looking up at Leon as he speaks, then at Riesenlied.
"... They'd be targets, too. For their knowledge of the ancient technologies. Even if they lived ordinary lives in the old days, they might know astonishing things..."
A moment passes.
"And," Elly says, diffidently - as if she does not like the fact that she had the idea - "it's possible that they were a military force, or some sort of elite corps, instead of just survivors. But..."
Emeralda's hurting. Elly can't push the idea out any further, her attention resting on the young woman. She smiles, as if in concurrence with the idea.
"I suppose now that we know of the place, we're a little obliged to investigate it, no matter what. If it is some kind of a military station... well, the people deserve to live, no matter what. But if there's some sort of dangerous weapons cache, we can at least disarm that..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei is mostly startled by Riesenlied's initial answer. "Hey Riese..." He pauses a moment and then adds, more softly to her. "If...there's something you need to talk about..."
Then more loudly, "I think starting with one or two would be smart. Even if they were equipped with ancient weaponry, well, we've beaten back ancient zeboim weapon tons of times and they aren't generally in the best working condition anyway. Especially if they'd been frozen for several thousand years I'd think."
He considers Citan and nods to him, "Well...Yeah that's true. But... Shevat isn't really too different. Maybe they could take them in..? I suppose it wouldn't be as advanced but it wouldn't be like..." He shrugs bother shoulders. "Completely alien like Adlehyde might've been?"
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Ah, a scam," Leon says, gamely. "That could be difficult, then."
He grows more sober after that -- and he nods his head. It is more cynical than he might expect from Riesenlied, but it is also a fair point. His eyes turn towards Citan, and he listens as he contemplates the matter at hand.
"I can't say for certain. It would stretch our resources beyond their limits," Leon says. He swallows, then. His eyes turn downward, as he considers Lily's question.
"Aye, they must," he agrees. "If only we knew that leader's character, it would be easy."
A sigh. Then, he glances at Emeralda -- trusting the doctors to figure out what debilitation might occur -- and he tilts his head for a second. "Of course," he says. "We wouldn't turn you away, Emeralda."
He looks to Elly, then. Leon nods in agreement. "I think we have to. We would, even not knowing this may be here." He shakes his head. His eyes turn to Fei. Then, he nods. "I agree... one or two, to start."
He frowns. "We should--ah. We should reach out to Shevat. But Elly's right. Let's investigate. We need not wake anyone up, beyond a couple. Then... based on what we find, we can talk to Shevat."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
That note of sympathy in Noeline's voice only notches upwards after Emerelda speaks; she takes a little care in what she says next, nodding her head lightly. "... I'm just checking how certain Leon is," she promises. "The more we know, the better prepared we can be. Of course, I'd be thrilled if they were still safe," she adds with a faint chuckle.
Leon's introspective moment earns a faint chuckle. "It's alright to be doing things for their own sake. No-one expects a perfect, altruistic saviour," she points out, which might be a little rich given how she and Riesenlied have aligned themselves - but they're doing a lot better on that front themselves, nowadays.
She's back at Riese's side quickly as the other Hyadean shares her thoughts, and puffs out a breath. "At the very least, we can offer them a warmer welcome than we had ourselves," she adds. "We had the wool pulled over our eyes for so long - and a leader who was more than willing to keep it that way. We can, at least, make sure that does not happen to someone else."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does look a faint bit startled as well, as if she's drifted off on a tangent and is only now realising it for the faux pas her own brain and anxiety tells her it is.
She nods very softly at Citan, and looks pained for a moment as Emeralda struggles -- and as Elly comes to her side. She looks genuinely lost for a moment, drawing her arms into herself, palms at their opposing elbows.
"S-sorry, Fei," she blurts out. "Um--" She hesitates a little, and listens to Elly as she brings up other possibilities too: they could be military. They could be an elite corps. ... the cynical thought of technology selfishly being appropriated by military and then being used to only save their own flashes through her, but she doesn't answer it.
Noeline comforts her, and she tries to suppress the negativity flowing through their rings. What is happening to her right now? Is she just scared?
Lily points out that there might be resources for them there... "Yes, that is true. ... I can only hope it can provide a reasonable quality of life, as well."
She sucks in a breath, and looks back to Leon. "... I do not wish to dash any hopes... they are entirely reasonable, and ..." A little pause.
"It is true. There is entirely the hope that these people had no choice but to sleep to avoid a world-ending calamity and held out hope that they may once again live, somewhere, in peace... New Kasim showed us that these people were forced into beyond extraordinary circumstances, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"If it were one or two... then perhaps," Citan answers Fei, bowing his head a touch as if considering the matter himself. "But, I do not think they would have the capacity to handle all of them, should the systems have been successful in sustaining them all these times. ...Of course, I am not the one who should be making this decision," he says at last and sighs, shrugging his shoulders. He's silent a moment or two more.
"...First, let us go and assess the situation. Then, if need be, we can contact Shevat for their support. Perhaps they might have some ideas." He glances over at Elly, then towards Lily and finally Leon.
"If... there are still living on the ship... we cannot let them fall into Solaris' hands."
In fact, the thought towards which he is arriving is... something he cannot speak aloud to this room at large.
Particularly not when Riesenlied say something like that.
"Agreed, Leon. Once we understand conditions at the site," Citan says, pushing off again for a more comfortable neutral, "we can proceed and plan. At present, all of this is mere speculation."
Perhaps there are no living there, anymore. Perhaps that might even be the kindest outcome of them all.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Hey you don't have to apologize. You didn't say anything wrong. I was just worried--" because it wasn't really the way Riesenlied usually goes about things.
It'd be just like 'humans' to only save the lives of its killers.
Sush, Fei thinks at himself. I'm stressed out enough about it.
"That sounds like a plan," Fei says. Or starts to say until Citan says that Shevat couldn't support a thousand people.
"Hm... Well, maybe one or two then--and then we can figure out about the rest later." He shrugs both shoulders. "Course they might not be what we're expecting, but... well, when we find out then we have some ideas on how to proceed! Maybe they're aliens."
He smiles happily.
<Pose Tracker> Emeralda Kasim has posed.
It's possible they're a military force.
But it's also possible they're just people. And if there are other people who slept away the centuries - the millenia - the way Emeralda did, she wants to meet them. It's a sudden decision, but not really a surprising one. She knows they might find something she doesn't want to find out, but...
...didn't she tell Kim that she was going to look? Even if Kim couldn't hear her, she knew he could in her heart.
"Okay," Emeralda says, apparently back to enthusiasm, having convinced herself that what she's doing is the right thing. "We can go look!"
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly breathes out. She feels guilty even to raise the idea, but it had to be said. "Yes, of course. We may even be able to choose an ideal contact point..."
"I suppose if they're stable, we would have time to figure out a place for them to live... I imagine Adelhyde would be glad to take them in, or any of the countries in Aquvy," Elly muses, but the plan is reached, and the tension seems to pass, and this is when Elly shifts back in her chair.
And turns it (since it's a conference chair, IT SPINS) to face Riesenlied.
"You know," Elly says to her, "you should show this kit to Hammer. I remember being confused by it while you were trying to set it up on the mountain, but now that I think about it, it kind of resembles a Gear's camera. He may be able to locate and procure any parts that are missing, or tell you how you could order them at the Thames or something like that..."
("Even if they're just as human as any other... human," Elly answers Fei, "They'll be a little 'alien', no matter what...")
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I'd hope they wouldn't expect an altruistic savior from me," Leon says to Noeline, with a smile. "But I take your point. No need to ignore my own desires." Though, he thinks, that may be easier said than done.
He nods his head to Riesenlied. "It's quite the case," he says. "We can't know for sure--but there's every chance they were seeking to escape calamity. At the very least... going there will answer some questions for us, I think."
Then, he looks down. His eyes narrow when Citan brings up the question of Solaris. His gaze hardens, as he thinks of them; his fingers curl, slightly. "Agreed. Whatever's in there... we can't let Solaris have it."
He looks at Fei, then -- and cracks a smile. "Aliens," he says, with a laugh. "Well, at this point, it wouldn't really surprise me."
He looks at Elly, then nods. "Mm. If it's the case... we'll have a lot of people we'll need to talk to, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
HAMMER THE SUPPLIER
sneezes and gives a Chimera no-longer-pup a mango to chew on.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"It's alright," Noeline promises to Riesenlied. "It's important to think about these things, I'd imagine. The last thing we want to do is push buttons and make things even worse for them. I understand where you're coming from," she chuckles quietly. "It's just the voice of experience talking." There's a faint worry to her tone as she searches her partner's face - then smiles gently, and offers the support of a hand.
There's silence for a beat, then she puffs towards Elly. "Personally, I am still waiting for Jay to string the merchant up by his ankles. It does seem like that is how far you have to go in order to extract a refund from him," she grumbles openly, folding her arms.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Y-yes, thank you..." Risenlied stammers quietly in response to Fei, a pause as she senses another thought inside -- but right now, she's kind of swarmed in with her own thoughts to really be conscious of that other level.
Contacting Shevat, as both Citan and Leon have said, is a very good idea. The idea of resuscitating one or two... they'd have to make sure they're really up to the task -- the amount of pressure that'd be before them is undeniably huge. To take care of a thousand or more people that they might not even personally know...
There's a fond smile to Emeralda briefly, as she shows her enthusiasm. And... Elly has an idea -- showing the kit to Hammer! "Oh... to be honest, yes, that would be a great idea. And--"
She doubles back a little, thoughts out of order, "Wayside may also be in a position to take more refugees in... and they would have some similarities in their experiences which may be of consolation."
Citan also brings up how whatever they do, having Solaris obtain the run of it would be even worse... and she quietly nods at that.
"I will contact Val and the others, back in Wayside. I am sure they can ready for the occasion, should we need it..."
There is a delicate sigh as she shuffles just a bit closer and plonks her head down on Noeline's shoulder. A 'BATTERY LOW' sign might as well be hovering over her.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
If there are too many survivors -- if there are survivors -- then perhaps there might be alternatives to Shevat as a place for them. Wayside would be a good start. Adlehyde is not a bad plan either. It's a more optimistic approach than potential alternatives. But... if the worst-case scenario were to come true...
It's his business to consider the things that others would rather not.
"Indeed. We must take care to not reveal the location of this site to Solaris... or any others." Odessa would be quick to exploit a site like that, even if there are no survivors. The same is true with the Veruni. "We must use caution when approaching the site. We should take steps to disguise our approach, if at all possible." Whether or not there are survivors, they can't risk anyone else gaining access to it after they have.
Assuming, that is, that no one else has ever been able to breach the site prior. Leon doesn't think so and Citan does not doubt his sources.
But, he is always given to worry. It's in his nature.
But, still...
"Aliens, is it...?" He smiles, if faintly. "Very well. Let us see who may await us in Wec Stann!"