Voice; UN: Oracle

[codeoracle]

[Oracle is on your airwaves, using a voice distortion to make a call on all imPorts.]

Seeing the posts here, we have all received some form of message. A cipher. I want to decode it. We need to.

What message have you received?

[OOC EDIT: Per the recent OOC Mod Post, and a response to my question to them on plurk, the thread that previously held the solution and discussion about it has been deleted. I apologize to those that had commented in these threads, but this post's aim is to begin the IC discussion process. I look forward to future posts that will reflect the solution in game!]

Comments

[hatestrashcans]


It depends. What information were you trying to prevent spreading and for what purpose? All decisions have positive and negative repercussions. Which are which and whether the positive outweighs the negative depend on the point of view.

':p' is an emoticon that's meant to convey playfulness or teasing. It means I'm joking around.

[privatepurchases]

Oh.

[brain. fizzing.]

...What has me worried is I don't honestly remember. You don't think about those sorts of things but it must have been important. There comes a point where you just obey and trust in Her will.

It was a military operation in it's own way. I'm a military commander, one of them. We got our orders from the general.

I would do it again. I just find myself wanting to remember what we were specifically attempting to stop. Or rather what Caesar ended up stopping when he burned parts of it down. Perhaps we could have done things better or perhaps it wouldn't have needed to be destroyed at all.

[hatestrashcans]

That's concerning on its own. That you don't remember it, I mean. Because it means there's a reason you don't remember it. But you're an obedient guy. So why erase your memory of it unless you wouldn't approve? And if you approve of anything that follows Her will, then why wouldn't you approve? It doesn't make any sense.

If you were human I'd be asking how much you trust your general.

It's understandable knowledge to want from a tactical point of view. Not just to know how you could have done better, but so that if a similar situation comes up in the future you know how to respond to it (or how not to respond).

That's my read on it, anyway.

[privatepurchases]

I'm sure it's not malicious. I'm 6000 years old. I've forgotten more then I can comprehend I think. Some of it I've wanted to forget. Somehow that stays.

What concerns me is that I let myself forget. I'm-

I'm done pretending to be something I'm not. I'm a soldier, which is fine. But I want to be a good one and understand why I'm doing what I'm doing.

[This kid gets it.]

I appreciate the reading. And the advice. I will consult Aziraphale and Crowley on it as well.

[hatestrashcans]

Maybe. I don't know how your memories work.

It's understandable. Also a good idea; even if nothing malicious is going on, understanding why you're doing what you're doing will help you make the proper decisions if you're cut off from your command for any reason.

[ Like, say, being here. ]

Probably a good plan: They know more about your situation than I do.

And yeah, no problem.

[privatepurchases]

[Something about how this kid is behaving feels wrong. He doesn't like that. It's easier to obey but if he wants to be a good leader then he should care about people right? Even if this kid is a little shit?

He glares at the phone.]

They know more about all our situations. That's why this is ridiculous.

Whatever it is. I recommend you do the same. I suspected this might be an imPORT but if this was sent to all of us - it's them. The locals.

[hatestrashcans]


Everything about this entire situation is ridiculous.

I wouldn't assume it's the locals. There's always the option of it being a third-party. Like that OTO group or something.

Or something new entirely.

[privatepurchases]

OTO?

[hatestrashcans]

I guess there's an organization here that really doesn't like imPorts and has tried to mess with things before. I don't know that much, honestly. I haven't been here long enough. But it's a possibility.

[privatepurchases]

Any information is helpful. Thank you.

Rest assured. No matter what happens, if this turns out to be something negative it'll be better to have considered all options before forming a strategy of engagement.

This is what I do. Marco. Things like this. Once the wars were over and you move into management. Take my advice. Never move into management.

[hatestrashcans]


I agree.

Too late for that, I'm afraid. But it's worth it, as long as Jake doesn't have to do it.

[privatepurchases]

...Jake is your commander?

[hatestrashcans]

He was our leader, yes.

He's also my best friend. And he's done enough and has earned the right to be left alone.

[privatepurchases]

Is it because you care about him?

[He really wants to know because honestly God would fall into that category. She deserves her peace, she made him and everyone else but he is so angry that she left-

Staring at his phone he frowns.]

He saved your life? Helped you make plans? You love him?

[hatestrashcans]

Yes.

We saved each other's lives. Yes.


[ He pauses before answering the last question, but...]

Yes. All I want is for him to be alright.

[privatepurchases]

...If he's your commander he led you into all the terrible things you did. Why would you still care.

He knew things you didn't. You've made calls boy and I respect you for it, I just don't-

Understand.

[His head hurts]

You chose to do all the things you described to me when you first met? For him and the greater good?

[hatestrashcans]


He led us because we needed somebody to lead. We put that on him. Every single decision he's made weighs on him every minute of every day and it's eating him from the inside out.

Jake didn't know any more. Or at least not much. He just ended up making the call. Because somebody had to.

I did. Honestly, most of the things I did, I did for Jake more than the greater good, but don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of not being enslaved.

I've known Jake since we were both babies. He's stuck with me my whole life. Like hell am I abandoning him after everything he's been through.

[privatepurchases]

I don't understand.

[He pauses]

No. I I think I might. Maybe. I'm not sure. I have only a very small frame of reference for this. Please bear with me. I need to understand this. Please.

You were friends. You have known each other for years, and in a moment where he needed you you were there...and he was there for you. Right?

Have you ever thought he made a mistake?

[hatestrashcans]

[ Okay, Marco's starting to think he broke the angel. Which is amusing and concerning all at the same time. ]

Yes. We've always been there for each other. Even when things were terrible. Which was quite a lot of the time.

Of course Jake's made mistakes. Hell, half of my job was pointing out mistakes before they got worse.

[ What a weird question, Gaby.]

[privatepurchases]

...so.

You used your own judgement. To help make his judgement better. Because you had more experience?

[Broken? No. It just hit a cord. A big one. He has free will. He thought his actions were hers and therefore righteous but the truth was - he made those decisions himself. So. Did he help her? Hinder her will?

His love for her is eternal but she...lied to him. Free will was supposed to be bad. But he had it.He had been an idiot. Okay sure, but how was he supposed to go back and still want to obey after that? Even if he wanted to?]

[hatestrashcans]


Yeah. In some things, anyway. I was better at planning and figuring out angles on things. Strategizing. But I'm too cautious. I'm not good at doing things when they need to be done. I never have enough information. So he had to be the one who got me out of that.

We worked together even though he was the leader. He's the only other person I trust.

[ Well, his mother, but she's not really relevant here. ]

[privatepurchases]

That's the kind of relationship I have with my team, but not with a commander. You make it sound like you care about him.

I need to know if human beings care about people in power. Even if they betray you. Or just keep things from you.

If Jake did not give you a piece of essential information that would have made things easier to judge how to handle a situation you wouldn't just - leave him?

[hatestrashcans]

I do.

It's a bit more complicated with us since we were friends before Jake was our leader, but yes, we care. That isn't a given for all human beings, however. It's dependent on the human and their relationship.

[ Then it's his turn to sit and stare at the phone. Seriously? Gabriel has to ask that? Now Marco knows how people feel about his questions, sometimes. ]

Never.

I might yell at him later, in private, as his best friend, but of course I wouldn't leave. I'd want to know why he did it, mostly. It'd probably be out of some stupid desire to protect me.

[privatepurchases]

[It might have been out of some stupid desire to protect me. He wants to cry. Of course. Of course. She wouldn't have said anything because she'd want to wait until she was ready to tell him. Because he had to prove himself. Or perhaps This was her telling him that he had to learn this new thing.

She was loving, but to love was to be merciless upon occasion. To teach a wayward child. As to yelling in private...well. He could cross that bridge when he came to it - but even then. How could he claim to know what her plan was? He is a child to her will. She tests what she loves the most.

She just - she just -]

That I can understand. Or at least I think I do.

I probably don't. I have only the barest reference for human things but I do know what it is to care about someone who often does things out of a "stupid desire to protect people."

[There is a very small light of hope in his chest. It glows. So it wasn't out of malice. Human beings did everything first, even though he was the oldest.]

I would assume that out of such a flood of information you might have questions about why I am asking about it. However I know that you dislike me, so I will instead offer to tell it to you and if you do not wish to hear it then I shall keep it to myself.

Still.

...You have given me a powerful favor.

Wait. no. That's not right. Gift right? I owe you a favor.

[hatestrashcans]

[ Yeah, Marco has no idea what's going on. He's so glad this is a text-only conversation, seriously. ]

It's fairly common with humans. The 'doing stupid things out of a desire to protect each other' part.

I don't dislike you, dude. I think you're a little unhinged, but if that's all it took for me to not like someone I couldn't be friends with any of the other Animorphs. Hell, I'm a little unhinged. I think you're a little weird, but you're not human. We all have to seem plenty weird to you.

I am sort of curious, though, yeah.

[ Since he obviously wants to talk. Marco does the same thing. Admit HE wants something? Never. Twist it into something he could do for someone else? Sure. And he is curious, it's not a lie.]