08-25-2018, 01:07 PM
Resistance HQ, Elopolis
"You will accompany us to Sanctaria, and remain in constant contact with the computer people back here. The moment they get something, you tell us," Laura Moore instructed Jae Chung. Chung nodded.
"Understood. Should I just... interrupt, or...?" Chung asked. She knew nothing of diplomacy.
"Depends what's on it. Use your best judgement. I'll be leading the negotiations for the Resistance, along with Juárez. We'll have Nico Alfaro and Ethan Marks there as well, as a secondary team should we need them. I want you to accompany our security team, but your main purpose will to be to keep us informed about the progress around the decryption."
"Of course," nodded Chung.
"We'll be announcing our team later tonight. Thank the stars for this ceasefire, though. The Kerlians were causing us real problems in the north of this province."
"I met some kid on my way here who thought I was a Kerlian. Looked terrified."
"Yeah, they kept creeping in here, spreading propaganda. Terrified the local children, especially the boys. A couple kids disappeared, we suspect it was Kerlians. Something else we have to deal with."
"Sounds like you'll have your hands full at these negotiations."
"You have no idea."
Kerlian "˜Alternative Education' Camp
"But I didn't. I swear! I never gave them a name!" Leonie repeated.
"See, now why don't I believe you?" Jessica sneered. "Here you are, with edible food and no requirement to attend "˜sessions'. And you expect me to believe you didn't give the Kerlians anything?"
Leonie half-wished she'd never recovered. Truthfully, she didn't know why she was suddenly exempt from the others' torture.
"Jess, I swear to you, I would never, ever give them anything."
"Look, Bennett, weakness I can understand. Lying just makes it worse," she shrugged, taking a bite of her blue cheese and immediately gagging.
"I'm not lying! Look, I swear on my life I didn't tell them anything," Leonie pleaded. She only had partial memories of what happened in the hospital, but she knew deep down that she hadn't told the Kerlians anything.
"You'll regret that someday, traitor. If you didn't give them anything, then why are you still alive?"
"I don't know," Leonie said truthfully.
Jessica scoffed, then stood up and walked away, leaving Leonie sitting alone.
"Leonie! Come and sit with us," Helena called from across the room. Jessica turned around and raised one eyebrow, waiting to see how Leonie responded.
Leonie knew that if she joined Helena and Myriam, that she might as well defect to Kerlile right now in the eyes of Jessica and the others still holding out.
"No, thank you," Leonie said glumly, and continued to eat alone.
Funeral Home, Kerlile
Councillor Rebecca Arnott sat in the empty row, dressed all in black.
"W... we can wait a little longer," the minister said, nervously. Arnott had given general permission for her to speak throughout the funeral, but she was still worried Arnott would suddenly have her shot.
"No, nobody else is coming," sighed Arnott.
"Your sister..." the minister began.
"Is off at war. And my biological brothers have disappeared. Patel's doing, no doubt."
"I'm... sorry?" tried the minister. Arnott smiled sadly.
"That is of course the correct response, but nevertheless, I would not let any members of the Patel family know you said that. They are male, and therefore they are not part of my family in any legal sense."
"But?" the minister prompted.
"You are living dangerously today, asking such things. You are right, though, there is something there. My mother raised us daughters alone, of course, if you were to ask anyone. My father raised my brothers, which was frowned upon by the other families. Still, they never did anything about it.
Anita Patel's father was killed when she was seven. If you ask her about it now, she tells you he deserved it. Maybe she even believes it. But however frowned upon it was, I was raised by two parents, with brothers. Legally, they were not related to me. Biologically and emotionally, they were. Fathers are meant to play no part in the raising of Council Daughters. They do, though, more often than one might think. So, Patel can go to hell. I will attend my father's funeral if I want."
"That is your right."
"There is one question I want to know the answer to, though."
"Of course."
"Just how did Patel find out? I hid my father and brothers away from the other Councillors after my mother's death. I was careful, very careful. And when my father died, I called you, because I trusted you. And now my brothers are nowhere to be found. So, just how did Patel find out where they were?"
The minister froze like a rabbit caught in headlights.
"I assure you, I..."
"I did some checking, and there are records of contact between you and some of Patel's household staff. I suppose you thought she could get you some reward. Never trust a Patel, is the first lesson every Daughter of the Council learns. You are clearly not one of us."
"Please, Councillor, I never meant..."
Arnott held up her hand to indicate that she wanted the minister to be silent.
"If I had you sent to the restricted region for this, the other Councillors would never take me seriously. Defending men in such a way is unthinkable."
The minister looked visibly relieved.
"I am so glad you feel that way, Councillor!"
"And so, I will have to deal with this betrayal in a different way," Arnott shrugged, then drew her concealed pistol, something most Councillors carried. She pointed it at the minister.
"Please! Councillor, I swear I will never betray you again!" she begged, dropping to her knees.
"No second chances in Kerlile," Arnott said, and then shot the minister in the head.
She felt a sting of regret as she did so. It had been a long time since Arnott had killed by her own hand. It was harder to ignore the taking of a life that way than when she ordered others to kill for her. She turned away, gesturing for the security in her direct employ to deal with the body. She walked over to her father's casket.
"I am sorry, father. I failed you. But I swear to you, and to all our family, Anita Patel will suffer for this."
"You will accompany us to Sanctaria, and remain in constant contact with the computer people back here. The moment they get something, you tell us," Laura Moore instructed Jae Chung. Chung nodded.
"Understood. Should I just... interrupt, or...?" Chung asked. She knew nothing of diplomacy.
"Depends what's on it. Use your best judgement. I'll be leading the negotiations for the Resistance, along with Juárez. We'll have Nico Alfaro and Ethan Marks there as well, as a secondary team should we need them. I want you to accompany our security team, but your main purpose will to be to keep us informed about the progress around the decryption."
"Of course," nodded Chung.
"We'll be announcing our team later tonight. Thank the stars for this ceasefire, though. The Kerlians were causing us real problems in the north of this province."
"I met some kid on my way here who thought I was a Kerlian. Looked terrified."
"Yeah, they kept creeping in here, spreading propaganda. Terrified the local children, especially the boys. A couple kids disappeared, we suspect it was Kerlians. Something else we have to deal with."
"Sounds like you'll have your hands full at these negotiations."
"You have no idea."
Kerlian "˜Alternative Education' Camp
"But I didn't. I swear! I never gave them a name!" Leonie repeated.
"See, now why don't I believe you?" Jessica sneered. "Here you are, with edible food and no requirement to attend "˜sessions'. And you expect me to believe you didn't give the Kerlians anything?"
Leonie half-wished she'd never recovered. Truthfully, she didn't know why she was suddenly exempt from the others' torture.
"Jess, I swear to you, I would never, ever give them anything."
"Look, Bennett, weakness I can understand. Lying just makes it worse," she shrugged, taking a bite of her blue cheese and immediately gagging.
"I'm not lying! Look, I swear on my life I didn't tell them anything," Leonie pleaded. She only had partial memories of what happened in the hospital, but she knew deep down that she hadn't told the Kerlians anything.
"You'll regret that someday, traitor. If you didn't give them anything, then why are you still alive?"
"I don't know," Leonie said truthfully.
Jessica scoffed, then stood up and walked away, leaving Leonie sitting alone.
"Leonie! Come and sit with us," Helena called from across the room. Jessica turned around and raised one eyebrow, waiting to see how Leonie responded.
Leonie knew that if she joined Helena and Myriam, that she might as well defect to Kerlile right now in the eyes of Jessica and the others still holding out.
"No, thank you," Leonie said glumly, and continued to eat alone.
Funeral Home, Kerlile
Councillor Rebecca Arnott sat in the empty row, dressed all in black.
"W... we can wait a little longer," the minister said, nervously. Arnott had given general permission for her to speak throughout the funeral, but she was still worried Arnott would suddenly have her shot.
"No, nobody else is coming," sighed Arnott.
"Your sister..." the minister began.
"Is off at war. And my biological brothers have disappeared. Patel's doing, no doubt."
"I'm... sorry?" tried the minister. Arnott smiled sadly.
"That is of course the correct response, but nevertheless, I would not let any members of the Patel family know you said that. They are male, and therefore they are not part of my family in any legal sense."
"But?" the minister prompted.
"You are living dangerously today, asking such things. You are right, though, there is something there. My mother raised us daughters alone, of course, if you were to ask anyone. My father raised my brothers, which was frowned upon by the other families. Still, they never did anything about it.
Anita Patel's father was killed when she was seven. If you ask her about it now, she tells you he deserved it. Maybe she even believes it. But however frowned upon it was, I was raised by two parents, with brothers. Legally, they were not related to me. Biologically and emotionally, they were. Fathers are meant to play no part in the raising of Council Daughters. They do, though, more often than one might think. So, Patel can go to hell. I will attend my father's funeral if I want."
"That is your right."
"There is one question I want to know the answer to, though."
"Of course."
"Just how did Patel find out? I hid my father and brothers away from the other Councillors after my mother's death. I was careful, very careful. And when my father died, I called you, because I trusted you. And now my brothers are nowhere to be found. So, just how did Patel find out where they were?"
The minister froze like a rabbit caught in headlights.
"I assure you, I..."
"I did some checking, and there are records of contact between you and some of Patel's household staff. I suppose you thought she could get you some reward. Never trust a Patel, is the first lesson every Daughter of the Council learns. You are clearly not one of us."
"Please, Councillor, I never meant..."
Arnott held up her hand to indicate that she wanted the minister to be silent.
"If I had you sent to the restricted region for this, the other Councillors would never take me seriously. Defending men in such a way is unthinkable."
The minister looked visibly relieved.
"I am so glad you feel that way, Councillor!"
"And so, I will have to deal with this betrayal in a different way," Arnott shrugged, then drew her concealed pistol, something most Councillors carried. She pointed it at the minister.
"Please! Councillor, I swear I will never betray you again!" she begged, dropping to her knees.
"No second chances in Kerlile," Arnott said, and then shot the minister in the head.
She felt a sting of regret as she did so. It had been a long time since Arnott had killed by her own hand. It was harder to ignore the taking of a life that way than when she ordered others to kill for her. She turned away, gesturing for the security in her direct employ to deal with the body. She walked over to her father's casket.
"I am sorry, father. I failed you. But I swear to you, and to all our family, Anita Patel will suffer for this."
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax