Post "The Hope Of Winter"

[themomentoftherose]

[1/Network]

Hello White Chalice. I'm very happy to announce several things to you right now, the results of our mission against the mountain base.

First of all, The Stalker Fang is dead, permanently this time. Unfortunately it took her original personality, as Anna Fang, reasserting itself for this to happen. For a little while, she was the kind person the history books tell us she was. She rammed Requiem Vortext into Harrowbarrow, saving us and killing Wolf Kobold.

Second, Harrowbarrow contained the enormous, city-powered beam gun MEDUSA. It has been taken aboard.

Third, it also had plans for quick conversion of a large static city to a mobile one, derived from observation of the Yapan Exodus.

Fourth, both of the above were to be sold to an interested third party who would then have taken one of the world's greatest cities mobile and spread Municipal Darwinism at MEDUSA-point. Fortunately that does not seem like it will happen now.

Fifth, more secret documents were recovered from the base. Apparently they were developing a mag-lev system large enough for cities to use. We will be broadcasting this to any city that will listen. With mag-lev, there will be no need for cities to devour each other for fuel. Municipal Darwinism will soon pass into history.

White Chalice, I want to thank all of you for helping us get this far. General Naga has ordered that everyone who accompanied us is to be awarded the Wind Flower's Petals, Crimson Class, one of our more prestigious medals, and a cabin and forty acres of farmable land within our territory, if you ever decide to retire.

[2]

After sending that message, Oenone sits back in the arboretum, leaning against a tree trunk, her head tilted back. Something wet spills over and traces a line down her cheek, then another. It's tears of relief, for something that she'd been fighting for most of her life. And now it's over. Her brother and Stalker Fang can both rest in peace.

She feels lightheaded, empty, sweet. Where next? There are so many possibilities. The net is wide and infinite.

Comments

2

[zetahatsudo]

[Kamille's on the approach, Doctor, relieved how things turned out.] Oenone. [He smiles to her as he crouches down next to the good doctor.] Do you know what you'll do next?

[themomentoftherose]

"Kamille..." She looked over at him with a smile and wiped one of the tears of joy away, though she didn't attempt to hide them. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about anything besides surviving and my immediate goal. I think I'd like to use my skills to develop new medical technologies instead of Stalkers from now on. These wars have caused so many wounds..." Hearts broken, limbs cut off, you name it.

[zetahatsudo]

I can understand that. [He looks around to make sure there's no one else listening] To be honest, when all is said and done... I kinda want to go into toy design.

[themomentoftherose]

Kamille. Kamille that is adorable, if surprising. "I think that would be great. You already fixed up that Haro, right? So you've got some experience."

[zetahatsudo]

[blushes. Damnit, this is embarrassing.] Hell, It's not that big an accomplishment. Really, after designing mobile suits for over a year now, and seeing all the robots around us, it occured to me that if you made them in miniature, they'd probably make fairly decent model kits and such, you know?

[themomentoftherose]

"I'd love to see what you come up with." A few Lost Boys went running by, laughing and trying to tackle each other. "...And I think you might have a ready made test audience."

[zetahatsudo]

[Blink. Kamille chuckles in realization] Mostly boys of ranging ages, some girls thrown in for flavor... That's damn lucky. Thanks for pointing that out to me, Oenone. [A thought crosses his mind.] ... Would you like to help me make the first batch? You know, as a test?

[themomentoftherose]

"Absolutely. But don't give me design credit. Noone will want a toy designed by the vice head scientist of the Resurrection Corps, semi-retired or no." A bit of humor that's surprisingly not bitter. She knows what she does...did, until recently. It'd be as absurd as a guerilla writing children's books.

[paladin_robot]

[And one possibility... is making his way over towards her. Richard clears his throat a bit as he stands there, before extending a tissue to her.]

Hey, um... I needed to ask a question, if you're okay. Hear that last mission got kinda rough...

[themomentoftherose]

Oenone looks up at him and accepts the tissue, wipes away the tears with no small amount of embarrassment. Her smile is, for once, neither nervous nor artificial.

"Of course. What did you want to know?"

[paladin_robot]

Well... its less what you know, and more what you can do. You're a skilled Doctor, right? Heard around you know... um... Brain related technologies?

[Richard hadn't understood all the technical terms, so his mind was flubbing it a bit.]

[themomentoftherose]

She nods and tries to keep it simple. "I specialize in the interface of the nervous system and technology."

[paladin_robot]

So if I were to say that I'm working on a replacement arm, for a certain Mr Joz that we both know...?

[Richard crosses his fingers a bit.]

[themomentoftherose]

Her eyes light up. A project! One that helps someone and has nothing to do with undead abominations! "I'd be delighted to help in any way."

[paladin_robot]

Basically, whilst I'm pretty sure I can build the arm itself based off my knowledge of Knightmare Frames... making sure it'll work with a human body is far from my expertise. So if you could work with me... I'd be totally in your debt!

[The young man extends a slip of paper, with a great big 'IOU' on it.]

Raynor's helped me with so much, so... its more than high time I pay him back!

[themomentoftherose]

"Well, you're in luck. I built Stalker-style legs for General Naga when he was wounded. Building an interface to attach that to Mister Joz's arm can't be any harder than that." She stood and motioned for him to follow. "I'll show you what we're working with."

[paladin_robot]

[Fistpump for success.]

So is this sort of thing your usual work, or just something conveniently put to use?

[Richard's kinda curious as he follows.]

[themomentoftherose]

"Ah, well..." She leads him towards the hangars, where her airship, Shortening Of The Way, is parked. "Do you know what a Stalker is?"

[paladin_robot]

...I'm going to guess that you're not talking about the creeps who follow women like you around?

[...There is a bit of unspoken irony there...]

[themomentoftherose]

She shook her head with a weak smile as she opened the airship's door. Inside was a miniature workshop/MASH unit, with many obscure instruments and machines.

"Stalkers are mechanical soldiers brought to life from...from the recently deceased. Their nervous system is used in lieu of of an AI system, meaning that elite soldiers can serve again. It's...it was often all that could be done against the predator cities."

Two of them are propped against the wall.

[paladin_robot]

I... see. It... is pretty desperate to bring back the dead themselves to keep on fighting...

[And something Richard would rather not see with any of the crew here if they could help it.]

Are they... effectively alive again, or just acting on old instinct?

[themomentoftherose]

"Exactly. Facing the Predator Cities, we were desperate." She's glad he said that, instead of having a freakout.

"The definition of 'life' can get very blurred at the edges. Consider Tardigrades, which enter a state of..." She shakes her head. Her good mood and the technicality of the question had started her science babbling. "But if you mean are any of parts of the brain that make up consciousness alive, for the vast majority of Stalkers, the answer is no. What we're using are deeply ingrained reflexes."

[paladin_robot]

So it really is making the dead fight, instead of giving them rest...

[And given there appears to be some form of life after death, by all he's seen... Gah, too philosophical.]

But the body retains those reflexes without needing to 'think', right? So even if he's lost his arm, Raynor still knows how to use it?

[themomentoftherose]

"Yes. It was a sin we had to commit. But that doesn't lessen its magnitude." Unconsciously, her hand went to the cross around her neck. God could forgive all, she thought, even if one didn't deserve it. "Exactly. It's for that same reason people experience phantom limb pains."

2

[poorgirlsarcee]

Mira doesn't say anything as she walks up, two bottles in hand. She holds one out to the doc.

"After that mission, you probably could use something stronger..." She notices the tears as she sits next to her. "Doc?"

Re: 2

[themomentoftherose]

She wipes the tears away with some embarrassment and takes the bottle. "Thank you. I'm OK."

Re: 2

[poorgirlsarcee]

Mira chuckled. "Yeah if things went that way for me out there, I'd be cryin' tears of joy too. Don't worry I won't tell Kensuke."

[themomentoftherose]

"Thanks. I suppose that would make me one of those embarrassing parents people are always talking about." She holds the bottle up to examine it. "What's this?"

[poorgirlsarcee]

"Just root beer. Wasn't sure if you'd drink real beer so went the carbonated route." She grinned a little. "Naw, you're not that bad. Trust me... My parents were worse on the embarrassing scale." She pulled a leg up to her hest sipping her soda. Though doesn't elaborate on her parents.

[themomentoftherose]

"I..." She unconsciously fingered the cross around her neck, perhaps wondering what ol' JC would think. "I never got a chance to try. Do you think that would be alright? It is an appropriate time to celebrate..."

[bloodedsakura]

"If you want sure. With the tea, I just thought you didn't drink." She grinned. "Though you know it's not a party until there's good music playing right?"

[themomentoftherose]

"I never have, but i'd like to try and I trust you to make sure I don't get into...trouble." She stood, all smiles. "I don't know, you're the expert."

[bloodedsakura]

Mira chuckled. "I'll make sure you don't get too drunk." She laughed a little more. "I'm no expert."

[themomentoftherose]

"That is, ah, an expert at parties, not on drinking." She said, a little embarrassed. "It'll be just like having a hanami picnic." She remembered for a moment the flower picnics of her childhood. During the brief Alaskan spring, they'd picnic under the wildly blooming trees.

[bloodedsakura]

"Flower viewing right?" She grinned. "I prefer cookouts myself."

She took another drink. "Give me an hour and I'll bring lunch and booze."

[themomentoftherose]

She waits that exact hour, contenting herself with reading TS Eliot in the grass in the meantime. Hopefully nothing happens in that hour...right?

[bloodedsakura]

When Mira returns she has snacks and a cold bottle that's red at the bottom and gradually shifts to blue then white.

"Brought fire and ice and ham sandwiches... That's okay isn't it? Because really you should eat first before drinking, helps so you don't get as bad a hangover."

1

[wardeninexile]

"Is it possible to station a small dropship at the farmable land?" Ranna will ask a bit later when she runs into Oenone.

[themomentoftherose]

She looks up at the statuesque blond who was piloting the largest mech on the mission. "I, ah, well that...would depend on its emissions."

[wardeninexile]

"Emissions?"

[themomentoftherose]

"Ah, yes, the chemicals that are emitted when its engines fire. Their effect on the local environment must be taken into account." Frankly she wants to just up and give Ranna whatever she wants. She has an intimidating aura. But if she lies it could come back to haunt her.

[wardeninexile]

"That should not be an issue then, we can construct a runway for a aerodyne dropship."

1

[mecha_eihwaz]

I knew we'll be able to solve this matter peaefully sooner or later!

[themomentoftherose]

All it took was a change in material conditions. Of course there will still be rogue cities that prey on others, but most will begin the conversion process as soon as the test cases are finished, I suspect.

[mecha_eihwaz]

There will always be bad apples, but they operate outside the system now, not within it. The vicious system has crumbled!

I'm sorry that some of your Stalkers are gone. I liked them.

[themomentoftherose]

In the pre-spaceflight era, there was a philosopher who thought that the means of production were the most important thing to change if society as a whole were to be changed. It looks like we're about to prove him right.

They are finally getting to rest as well. In fact, i'm glad that we will not be forced to create any more and I can focus on using Stalker technology to heal people instead.

[mecha_eihwaz]

That's why you became a doctor, right? To heal people. Help those who need your help. I'm sure there's a lot of lives you will be able to ease with your skills.