[jaunt] [mid-week 2 or so] More perspective-reading for... definitely not fun and profit

[razorblade_empress]

So... about 'David Texxant' or whoever the hell he is here. I did a perspective-read on the guy a little while ago and found out a couple of things:

One, he's telepathic. I know there are some of you who can telepathically poke at Infiltrators, but it's not a good idea here. The only reason I didn't get caught was because I was using Questing Country Magic Bullshit instead of actual network skills.

Two, whatever language he's thinking in is definitely not anything from Earth.

He was genuinely curious about me when we were talking, but it was from a much more analytical place than he was pretending. And the genuine worry he had about the damage to his mech was a distraction from something much darker that I couldn't get a read on. And that bright and happy-go-lucky exterior is definitely for show.

So yeah, I'm thinking spy.

Comments

[desperate_times_right]

There’s telepathic aliens up here, the elf ones. They have a bunch of cultural rules surrounding it but I’d imagine those are relaxed for spies. Not good, if we want to keep what’s going on there from getting back to the princess.

[razorblade_empress]

Yeah, that's potentially a big problem, especially if AEGISCorps and the ESDF are up to something really bad.

[That they're up to something bad to begin with seems like a given, but Yukino's never been all that fond of authority - often with good reason - so she'll admit she's bit biased on the subject.]

[desperate_times_right]

Pretty much everyone up here is barely keeping it together as it is.

What’s that guy do? Texxant or whatever.

[razorblade_empress]

He's one of the mech pilots. I'm pretty sure his mech is Rodeo.

This feels like it could get real messy real fast. More than it did already, I mean.

[desperate_times_right]

Okay, he’s not piloting the mech that maybe has a person in it, then?

[razorblade_empress]

No, he's got his own.

[desperate_times_right]

Can you tell if he’s got the virus? They’re really starting to get a weird attitude toward anyone who’s had contact up here, like they’re already dead.

You’re right, I think. This is all going to go to hell without warning.

[razorblade_empress]

I can't tell offhand, but honestly I wouldn't be surprised.

I did notice that he wears gloves under his flight gloves - black leather, with only the second and third fingers fully covered.

[desperate_times_right]

That’s weird but also with the way people have been describing his presentation maybe he just thinks they look cool.

[razorblade_empress]

Maybe.

[She's not sure she's entirely convinced, though. Maybe an advanced prosthetic of some kind?]

You know, if he's got the virus, and their attitude up there towards it is that bad, then he's likely stuck here, or at least unable to safely go home, wherever that is.

[desperate_times_right]

The general gave a big speech offering self destruct “upgrades” for all the mechs to prevent capture. Most of the pilots are interpreting that as contact with humans means you’re good as dead. If he’s a spy he’s probably already got that mindset.

[razorblade_empress]

...Is everybody up there like that?

[Because that is really, really not good.]

[desperate_times_right]

Not all of them, but a lot of the people in power here lost someone in the initial ‘bioweapon’ assault and early fighting. And everyone’s terrified of the virus - I’ve heard crazy stories but you need really high clearance to see the people in quarantine.

[razorblade_empress]

...Great.

[Yukino really doesn't have a good feeling about this Jaunt.]

[desperate_times_right]

I think there are people in quarantine, like they didn’t secretly kill them all. The doctor here isn’t as hardened as most of the military guys. But maybe that’s where the spies come from. They’d be diplomats and stuff.

[razorblade_empress]

Makes sense. They can be "useful to the cause" and also be sent far away so they don't infect anyone else.

[desperate_times_right]

I’ve heard stories about people’s limbs twisting into monster forms, and electronic devices exploding around them and things. If he’s got control of it he’s got a really strong will.

[razorblade_empress]

Monster forms could be Tiresias or Audiocaudal Syndrome, depending. Not sure about the electronic devices exploding around them, unless that's involuntary use of S. Tech.

...You know, I'm wondering if we're going about this the wrong way. Maybe we should be looking at working with him, assuming he's not going to want to turn the planet into so much slag for this.

[Which, honestly, she wouldn't blame him for, if Earth is doing what it's starting to look like they're doing.]

[desperate_times_right]

Do you think you’d be able to safely get another read on him? See if he’d prioritize fixing this over revenge.

[razorblade_empress]

I should be able to, yeah.

[desperate_times_right]

It’d be great if we could share knowledge with someone like that. I’m just a bit invested in no one blowing up the earth.

[razorblade_empress]

Yeah, same.

If AEGISCorp and the ESDF are doing even half the bad shit we've been theorizing about, we're probably going to need help from people on their side to keep things from spiraling once that starts coming out. Because even if the "bioweapon" thing was an accident, that shit wouldn't be.

[desperate_times_right]

I don’t know how that’s going to work. The two guys at the top military-wise are both out for blood; there’s the self-destruct guy and this guy giving me this colonizer speech about how we’re going to subdivide your territory if we win. The princess is reputedly the most level headed of the bunch but if they really do have her wife...

[razorblade_empress]

...Fucking hell.

[desperate_times_right]

Gil’s overlay has an in with the general, I think, but I’m not sure that’s enough.

[razorblade_empress]

We know anyone that's got an in with the princess?

[desperate_times_right]

She’s always covered in bodyguards so I doubt it, but I’ll ask around.

[razorblade_empress]

Thanks.

God, what a fucking mess.

[breakaleginhalf]

...

I might be entirely off-base, but Montrev told me that a shitload of our spies are getting bad information from Mars, and like all of them are saying their informant is tall, lanky and always wearing gloves of some kind.

Like, if this guy's wearing gloves under gloves, maybe there's a link.

[razorblade_empress]

...Huh.

What's the political situation like up there? Is there infighting at all?

[breakaleginhalf]

It's not in-fighting, but I feel like there's a very big yet dangling there. General Hacet - that's Thace - he lowkey super does not like Aurigans, but I don't think my guy's noticed through all his ass-kissing.

[razorblade_empress]

...Fun.

[By which she means the ass-kissing overlay. If she was in that situation, she knows she'd want to strangle them.]

So he hates Aurigans, and he's a direct subordinate to them. That's gotta get under his skin.

[breakaleginhalf]

If it does - which, let's be real, it almost definitely does - then he's got a hell of a fucking poker face. Like, my guy barely even notices he's being manipulated by him into thinking less of Montrev - Delaunay's the Aurigan spymaster guy, it's just subtle undermining shit that I only notice because I've seen some grade-A gaslighting in my time.

Hacet's playing a long fucking game.

[razorblade_empress]

...Great. He's one of those.

Does he have any opposition up there, or is everyone in power snowed?

[breakaleginhalf]

I don't think the Princess likes him, and there's some pretty solid dissent among the rank and file for his whole "better to be dead than captive" thing. Also I'd assume anyone loyal to the princess is gonna side-eye his bullshit, but for obvious reasons I don't have a complete list.

But he's got a pretty solid following in general. And like, a 100% approval rating among the Xuil on-board. The Mantoids too, but that's mostly 'cos he lets them kill shit indiscriminately, everything's a hunt to the fucking Clickers.

[He pauses there.] ...wow, okay, um. I didn't realise that would stick.

[razorblade_empress]

["Clickers"?]

...There usually a lot of bleed-over when you're sharing a brain like that?

[Because if so, then guess what skill she thinks she doesn't want to learn.]

[breakaleginhalf]

I would like to not be space-racist.

At least I'm not X-press-ified. I think. There's a very big question mark there when he's spent so much time around Montrev, who is, but like. Fingers crossed.

[razorblade_empress]

Understandably.

...Wait, what happened with Montrev?

[breakaleginhalf]

Locked himself in his room last week, got sent to quarantine not long after. Growl didn't see him, but it sounded to me like he was a lot girlier than usual. He thinks he caught it at Tharsis, it finally manifested two fucking years later. What's the gender swap one, Tiresias? Probably that.

[razorblade_empress]

Yeah, I think that's Tiresias.

So if he caught it at Tharsis, then how much of the fleet's been exposed?

[breakaleginhalf]

And that's the million dollar question. Everyone who knows is losing their shit, Growl is so fucking mad at him about it. Feels like it's an utter betrayal of everything they had together, ugh. Peak anime bullshit.

[razorblade_empress]

This whole Jaunt world is peak anime bullshit.

Has he traveled home at all in the interim, or has he been stuck in this solar system for the duration?

[breakaleginhalf]

He's spent most of it mourning, I think. And training Growl while he was recovering from almost dying at Tharsis himself, my guy's got a gimpy leg now.

I don't remember him leaving, but I'm not his bodyguard. He's almost definitely spoken to the majority of the fleet, though, and he likes eating in the mess halls with everyone else.

[razorblade_empress]

...Fucking fabulous.

[razorblade_empress]

[Some time later, Yukino is back on the network. Her mental 'voice' has the tone of someone who is trying to be deliberately cheerful through firmly gritted teeth.]

So now I've had a chance to meet Professor Doctor Asshole. Guess who else is telepathic? If you guessed That Guy, you're right! Apparently he's some kind of S. Tech mutant or something. He's been using that particular skill for a long time now, and is currently trying to use it to find an Aurigan spy, because he's worried about them getting too close to his work, with the implication that they really wouldn't like what he's doing. He'd also really like to be able to see the results of his project; actually winning the war might even be secondary to that.

So yeah, if you've got any kind of psychic protection at all, you'll probably wanna keep it up around him. The only reason he didn't try to pick at my mind was because he didn't think the paperwork I was shoving at him was worth the effort.