open to Investigators; (slightly backdated to) the beginning of week 2 of the digital frontier jaunt

[betrayedblade]

[So (with mod permission) Giovanni managed to sneak into the Partition with a little magic (no, literally, he got Zatanna to give him red circuits to get inside) and from there learned a few interesting tidbits of information that he would like to get out to the rest of the Investigators. He also stole some Defender armor and a baton or two but that's completely besides the point.

Thus, as Giovanni makes his way back out of the Partition with his stolen goods the Assassin sends out a quiet message on the psychic network. His mental voice is calm and controlled, but it would be hard to miss the undercurrent of excitement and import in the words as well.]

I have managed to find out a few things about our dear 'friends' the Defenders today.

In case you did not get the chance to meet him on our first day here, there was a one-eyed program watching critically over the proceedings. That is the Defender known as JORD1 and he is their leader. Talk around the fortress--or Partition as they call it--indicates that he is a very dedicated program when it comes to his function. It quickly became clear that he will do whatever it takes to defend the system no matter the cost. That cost could be quite high, I fear, if given the chance but I'll come back to that point in a moment.

The Partition itself is a curious place. For any of those interested in such information the fortress is composed of four quarters: the barracks, the armory, the Ports, and the Administration Tower. (If anyone would like an actual map of the area I could provide a sketch should you wish for one.) The former two places I mentioned are self-explanatory; the latter two are quite important. The Ports have something to do with a network of communication and only two programs have access to them apparently. JORD1, naturally the Defender leader would have control over this vital process, and a program known as ROSE, a Miner I believe. It would seem though that ROSE never uses the Ports. Whether that is a recent development or not, I could not say for certain.

[After a small pause he continues.]

The Administration Tower is full of the Defenders' more critical functions. It houses not only the higher key figures but several detention cells full of programs waiting to be processed and rooms dedicated to [he speaks this next carefully, slowly:] the re-purposing of programs. [It's clear from his tone he doesn't like the sound of that. It's possible he witnessed this from a hiding spot, or at least heard enough from a dark corner somewhere nearby to figure out what it entailed, and Did Not Like.] I also made a trip to the scrupulously guarded dungeon of the Tower and found a very interesting item there. Like most things here it glowed with a bright current of power, however, I had a feeling it was more than just a trinket considering the circumstances and waited long enough to discover its name and purpose.

[He swears he did not put a pause to his words here for dramatic purposes but it occurred anyway as he collected his thoughts carefully before proceeding with the business end of his tirade.]

They called it 'the Bomb.'

I do not think I have to explain the implications of such a device. Least to say, I fear what may be done with it if it is used and--not to cause any alarms--but from what I gathered I have little doubt the Prime Defender would think twice to use it if he felt the need to do so.

On a further note, I do not suggest trying to get into the Partition to steal the device. [Or the Recognizer. Guys, seriously, do not try to steal the Recognizer without including Giovanni in the very brief joyride that would entail.] It was heavily guarded and even I had some small difficulty getting out once the illusion upon my ..circuitry.. wore off. [Although getting in and out was the only hard part for Giovanni; sneaking around inside had been a relative cake-walk for the stealthy Assassin.] Besides, the consequences that would likely incite would be devastating to this Grid. The Defenders could easily obliterate the other programs in the System. I suggest instead a different route to prevent its use: let us simply make sure events do not unfold to make it a necessary evil for the Defenders to use it. That means waiting, of course, and keeping a sharp eye upon things while we are here. It may not be ideal but I urge to err on the side of caution.

[There is a considerably more lengthy pause here this time, purposeful, an allowance for everything he just said and implied to sink in with anyone listening. Hopefully, he hasn't started a panic or encouraged an overzealous individual to take things into their own hands. But he wanted to get the information out there so everyone could be aware of the potential danger should it come to pass.]

I am open to further discussion upon any matter mentioned just now. I will try to answer as many questions as I can to any that may have them.

Comments

[betrayedblade]

Agreed. I am not certain why they operate the way they do. [Though it certainly reminds him a bit of Templars...]

...I am not certain. I thought they seemed fine, that they would heal. But--

[He just learned about some of the other types of infection out there and he's worried now. :c]

I do not know. It seems a poor choice to make even if there is a grander scheme out there unseen somewhere. I wish I knew more for certain.

[leftbehindagain]

Then don't lose hope yet. They might still pull through. [This is worrying him, though - it's not a kind of illness he knows how to counter. He really needs to ask Naoto who they can get supplies from before they move past C10 - the next threat might not be as easy to deal with as the monster was.]

And it'll probably be hard to find out exact details without someone shouting 'Priority' and shutting the discussion down - maybe fatally. We probably have some time to work out a good strategy, though.

[betrayedblade]

[He nods though Naoki cannot see it but he is too distracted to realize it this time and comment. After a silent moment, he responds to the latter half of the conversation however.]

That does seem to be an oddly favorite phrase of theirs. I suppose it has something to do with computers that I am not entirely knowledgeable in. [beat] We will. We will have to do something. And hopefully not blunder about. I have several suggestions from 'keep a close eye on the Defenders at large' to 'fight the infection to ensure the Defenders do not use fatal-for-all means in the end'. I am fond of both. [At the same time. Though it may be a given to do both he is just going to clarify anyway. However, he does also have a faint worry at the back of his mind that if they continue their searches into the Wasteland they may come up against a component in this equation that may force the Defenders' hand and cause the Prime Defender to wreak all havoc.]

[leftbehindagain]

As far as I can tell, Priority somewhat parallels social class. Who has access to the best resources and the most ability to give orders. It's... a little stricter than in human terms, and I can't decide if no Priority is better than the best or worse than the lowest rung, but it's as good an analogy as any.

They're both good ideas. If not for the Priority hangup, I'd suggest some diplomacy, and I might run the idea past people anyway, but I'm not sure standard negotiations are going to work here.

[betrayedblade]

[Social classes are totally something Giovanni has an understanding of! It is a good comparison.]

Ah! Of course. A ranking system. It seems more than a little stricter than human classes but I know more about that than computer and their code. [He may not be thinking of 'code' in the right manner but you'll have to forgive him; he's from the Renaissance period. At least he gets the gist of what's going on.]

I understand. If you wish for help in addressing the Defenders I can offer my services. [He has spoken on the behalf of others on more than one occasion and knows the games played by politics. Being a public defender in court and making negotiations with the Pope tend to be great experience for such things.]

[leftbehindagain]

[It carries across - well, most of time and space, anyway. It'll do for now.]

Well, how flexible class systems are depends on when and where you are anyway. But this one's pretty exceptionally rigid, yeah. Someone with a higher Priority gives a suggestion and it's taken as an order until they correct it. [He got to see that one in action.]

I'm not about to try coordinating the Defender end of this. I have my hands full trying to keep an eye on my friends, even if they're both... indisposed. But it's a good idea for when we do figure out who's handling that end of things - we can't just ignore the Defenders until the end or this'll only get worse.

[betrayedblade]

...I see. [How unpleasant.]

Well now. Are you planning on trying diplomacy or not? Typically, that means talking to both parties until an agreement is made. Or are you only making the suggestion so that someone else may attempt the diplomatic approach?

[leftbehindagain]

Yeah, I know what it means, but I don't know if it's worth making any kind of formal suggestion. I'm throwing things out there to see what sticks.

Besides, I think one of my friends might be plotting a rebellion, as far as I could untangle the verbal gymnastics. It came up at the Games and we haven't had a chance to talk about the idea again, but there was a lot of 'something ought to be done.' Where that conversation goes might help determine whether diplomacy's worth a shot.