010 ✿ Video

[flowerette]

[ The video begins with Raina sitting in her garden, reading off a sheet of paper: ]

Mary Watson, Loki Laufeyson, Betty Ross, Elsa Brandt, Hemali, Harrison Wells, Gazelle, Harvey Dent, Jeff Winger, Kitty Jones, Dorian Gray, April Ludgate, Will Graham, Sam Merlotte -- [ And she looks up from the list. ]

To many people, these names don't mean a lot. But they are names of people I had known well. Names of people who once graced this world and have since returned to their own. I've been here for three years. Three years to meet people, three years to lose people -- three years to become invested in this universe, only to know at any moment I could return to my own. I could be forced to leave my soulmate, the only happy life I'd ever had and head toward my inescapable death.

[ A saddened smile. ]

For those who don't know me, my name is Raina. I'm a scientist who works in the field of imPort cellular research. You would think working in such a field for so long, I would have more answers about us than I do. But the truth is, as many imPort scientists can attest, we are highly limited in the things we can research. We are not allowed access to nanites or continuum or any top level information. And our funding is not what it should be to make real progress in our fields. I wanted answers. I wanted to find a way to be able to stay within this world. And I made mistakes as a result of it.

[ Gravely: ] I joined the Constellation under Count Dooku's guidance in the hopes I could find a way to control my destiny. In my desperation, I thought I had no other alternative. And so, I headed the science department. I served as the star Maia. I did not involve myself in the group's affairs. The thieving, the data breaches, the killing. But I used their resources, I studied things that were brought to me, and I made great strides in understanding nanites.

But for my breakthroughs, I still served as a part of a criminal organization. I knew what I was doing was wrong. And once the Constellation fell, I turned myself in for my part. I served my time and more than that, I was filled with shame. I was weak and hopeless at the time Count Dooku found me. My biggest regret is falling for his promise -- that I would be able to escape the death that awaits me back home and find some form of happily ever after. Even though it felt like a dream come true to have found Frederick, life is not a fairy tale. I have no control over the ending, and so I can only do my best to do what's right from this point on.

[ There's a pause, a weighted pause before she speaks up again. ]

I ran for Nonah Ambassador roughly two years ago. And I lost to Francis Urquhart, another name that has likely been forgotten. But I've decided to run once again for De Chima -- the city I've worked in for years, the city I've always loved the most. The goal isn't so much to win. It's about reform. Reform not only for myself -- but for the way funding is handled in the scientific and medicinal research fields, for my scientific peers who want answers and find themselves facing roadblocks, for stronger and more trusting relationships between the government and imPorts as well as imPort and natives, for the poor men and women who find themselves pushed to the streets with the influx of technology. De Chima is a strong city -- always growing, always evolving. But in that evolution, some things simply fall to the wayside. It doesn't have to be that way. We're brought here to be heroes. And being a hero doesn't necessarily mean running into a burning building to save a family or fighting a war. Being a hero means doing what's right for the people who need it most.

I'm not a politician. I won't pretend to be. But if there is one thing I do know...it's that it takes the right touch to really see something blossom and bloom.

[ Raina sinks to her knees in the garden, digging well manicured fingers in the dirt. A vine of strawberries flourishes on camera right before their eyes. ]

All of us have powers, and I'm convinced all of us can do something to help people with them if we put our minds to it. And that is what I advocate. Better use of powers. Better use of our time here. A better future for the citizens of this world. A better tomorrow for those of us who will have one.

Comments

private;

[slightlyoffchilt]

You did well.

private;

[flowerette]

Of course I did.

[ What is modesty? ]

But is it well enough to win? I'd like to hope the trend of female ambassadors continues. But it was risky to drop the Constellation's name. You know me though, darling. I can't help but play things a little dangerously.

private;

[slightlyoffchilt]

I know, I do.

Dooku is still... Toxic. People might interpret your honesty with suspicion.

[Video]

[generalgrievous]

The Count used and manipulated many. You may be thankful if this was only through his deceptive words.

How do you yourself determine who is most in 'need'?

[Video]

[flowerette]

[ Raina's expression is a sympathetic one. ]

You experienced such a thing first hand, didn't you? I'm sorry. I hope you can find a better path in this world in the aftermath of all this.

[ She pauses. ]

As for determining who is most in need, it really depends on the situation. In some, it's obvious -- anyone who lacks what is necessary for survival should be tended to. Not a single imPort is lacking in food, water or shelter. But the same cannot be said for our native counterparts. So for that, we should help where we can.

But in other situations it's not so black and white.

[Video]

[generalgrievous]

Yes. He named me Mars in Constellation then proceeded to use me as he had back in the war. I was unaware as to how much until his confession.

Heroics can depend upon perspective. I was a hero to my people, so much so I was regarded as god-like. To our enemies I was a dangerous monster and that perspective later caused my people the greatest harm. It is something that Dooku exploited.

In a powerful position you would need to take care not to alienate one side over another, lest they use it against you.

[Text]

[ghoulking]

It looks like many were under Dooku's wing.

Did all members of the constellation turn themselves in? Or just you?

[Text]

[flowerette]

It was fairly evenly divided. There were some members who chose to turn themselves in, just as there were others who opted to not say a word about their involvement. And then there was a third group who got arrested alongside Dooku.

I can't blame those who don't want to speak up. There is a chance speaking up could ruin their lives and reputations. And no one truly wants that.

[Text]

[ghoulking]

Naturally, but the Count might be willing to speak up himself, once the effects of whatever made him confess go away. [ a scorned man, perhaps? ]

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

You joined them?

[Jacob looks betrayed, and disappointed. He and Raina may not be personally close, but he liked and respected her. Enough to expect better than this from her.]

I have to say, I thought you were smarter than this. I get it. I did something similar once. And I'm glad you got out. But you're still not going to get my vote. Not this time.

Video

[flowerette]

I understand entirely, Jacob. Like I said, I'm not necessarily doing this to win. It's to do something better with the rest of my time in this world -- to start the chain in motion and find others who might have had similar experiences so that together we can grow past it and do better in the future.

But I am curious about what it is you find yourself unable to forgive. The fact that I was involved with the Constellation? Or the fact that I made a poor decision for selfish motivations?

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob answers without hesitation.]

Definitely that you joined the Constellation. Your reasons, I can understand. Hell, it isn't anything I haven't thought about myself. The Porter gives a raw deal here, we all know that.

But the Constellation tried to blow up everything we've built since we started coming here. The natives trusting us, our backing from the government. You should have known they were poison.

1/3 [not here]

[dun_moch]

[Interesting. Interesting, and not wholly unexpected. Raina had made it clear in their last conversation that she had no attachment to the Constellation, that she would burn it down to protect herself and Chilton without Dooku's vision present to provide a center of gravity holding the group together. And he hasn't forgotten her words to his contemptible, broken self in the prison, when he had been twisted by the hateful Phantom Thieves.

He decides to help her, and see if she will still accept the aid of a fallen ally.]

2/3 Voice

[dun_moch]

You treacherous, weak fool. How dare you.

[Dooku's voice booms over the communicator, even more dramatic than usual.]

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this. You never truly did believe in the Constellation. You were always too timid to really commit to our work. You refused to harm others or dirty your hands, as though our cause could be advanced only by peaceful research.

The truth is, Raina, you were never truly involved in the full extent of my designs. You were only ever a scientist, tinkering away in your little lab, blind to the reality beyond your experiments. I never allowed you to become fully aware of what you were involved in. You were so much more useful when you had limited information.

And now even that limited use is ended. Your star is fallen, Maia. We no longer have any connection... and I will do all that is in my power to ensure your so-called 'reform' campaign fails as it so richly deserves.

3/3 PRIVATE, Video

[dun_moch]

[With all that done, Dooku switches over the connection to PRIVATE and heaves a deep breath. Then, he turns on the video.

When she sees him, he will be smiling faintly, a total contrast to the artifice he has shown the public for her benefit. And he will look a little older, a little more tired, and a little more subdued than their last real exchange, when he held forth with his bold plans to seize technology and shift the balance of power.]

Well, now. I hope that display provides some small help to you in distancing yourself. There is little I can do to support your campaign in my current circumstance, but at least now others may think that you were only... misguided in joining the Constellation.

[As opposed to being one of its founders.]

video

[khajidont]

...did you know about everything Constellation was doing while you were in it?

video

[flowerette]

I did not. The way things ran was mostly up to Dooku. He headed the missions and the communications, and decided who he wanted on board. Most often, I was left to research. There are certain things I did know about, though. The dream, if you recall, when many imPorts were forced to experience a shared alternate reality dreamscape? I found out about it during the fact and actively went out of my way to stop it.

[ With a smile that's equal parts rueful and solemn, she confesses: ]

I was the one who gave the tip to The Doctor.

video;

[bespin]

[ Lando can hardly judge a person for their criminal past. He himself has been on the wrong side of too many laws. As a smuggler, a gambler, a thief. He knows the choices that lead to that sort of lifestyle. The need to take care of your interests, damn what the law may have to say about it.

More than that, he respects Raina for not hiding her involvement in the dirty work. She's trying honesty, which can be a risky play. ]

Well. You'll have my vote, for sure.

video;

[flowerette]

Your support means the world to me.

[ It touches her. Genuinely. Raina's far too used to a world where people brush her aside, where they find out what she has done and then never give her a chance to do something good. So because of it, she's tended to stop doing good things. But imPorts are a much different breed... ]

I know many will look at what I've done as a point against me, but those who give me a chance -- it means so much more than I can express. I will be honest and say I don't expect to win. But the campaign will at least get my intentions across with luck and start me on the path toward something better.

[Video]

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi was silent, listening carefully to everything she had to say and letting it mull over in his head. It took a moment, before finally summing up how he felt about her speech in the simplest way possible. ]

Bullshit.

[Video]

[flowerette]

I obviously can't make you believe me. But at least I've come out to both the government I plan to serve and the imPorts about my part in the Constellation.

[ Raina won't out him. She's not a snitch. But the look in her eyes says it all: can the same be said about you, Mr. Adachi? ]

video;

[lempereur]

[ Hey, it's that young guy that fucked over Dooku! Usually, he's more composed and dignified than this, but even Yusuke can't hide his deeply, profoundly unimpressed he is. He even almost rolls his eyes. ]

You were a 'star', who knew nothing, and was involved in nothing?

What a delightful bit of theater, if it were not such obvious nonsense.

video;

[flowerette]

I didn't ever claim I knew "nothing" and was involved in "nothing." I played my part. I researched things that were acquired illegally. I took money that came from dubious sources. But my main contribution was me in my lab working to figure out nanite technology. If you think Dooku consulted with me on matters that did not directly involve that aspect of his agenda, then you clearly do not know him as well as you think you do.

voice

[hellrisen02]

Those you've lost... That's right, you like flowers, right, Miss Raina?

[So this one he had spoken to once about lost connections and the nanites was "Maia" all along, huh. Not for a moment is he totally convinced of her uninvolvement, considering the R&D interests Constellation had on a large scale. Considering the things he knew imPorts were capable of, in the despair of their loss, firsthand. Of all the quiet little things the group was up to, he had never managed to quite find much out about the scientific side. Not really his expertise, after all.]

[But if his position, so to speak, with Dooku was still secure... It would be good to maintain a connection with anyone that might, also, circle back to him. Especially with regard to the nanites- and he couldn't deny his personal interest in that subject. Alright.]

...Those who have been here the longest certainly know this- the pain of losing, over and over again. There's no helping it, in any case. I suppose even if I must question your judgment to trust in a group like that, I can't possibly fail to sympathize with your motivations.

I hope your future attempts at remembrance are more fruitful. You have another chance, now.

voice

[flowerette]

It's a chance only as long as the porter sees fit. Considering how many of the people who arrived around the same time as me have since ported out, it's easy to feel like the days are numbered.

[ With a sigh: ]

But you're right. And I do intend to make the most of as little or as much time as I have left. The impact I want to leave behind on this world is a positive one.