Revision [26886]
This is an old revision of GameChatTranscript-2012-09-15 made by JonahPetri on 2012-09-19 17:31:10.
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Devi: I am wanting more information on your facility. What is making you think it is so secure when the last one was not?
Nemo: "AMAZING. I CANNOT BE CERTAIN BUT I BELIEVE SOME OF THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO STORE THE MATERIAL. IT IS REMARKABLY SIMILAR TO...." he seems to cut himself off there, swallowing his words.
(Nemo is just talking over you Devi, you are not sure he hears you)
Fio, suddenly interested, pokes Nemo and says, "Well, similar to what, man? Similar to what?"
Nemo: ALAISTAR YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. Nemo says pulling off his goggles and handing the tiny shard of bloodsteel and the goggles to Alaistar.
Alaistar looks.
Nemo turns to Fio,
Nemo: "IT, AH, UM...RESEMBLES....”)
Alaistar: "Wow. Interesting. "
Fio: "WHAT TZE FUCK IS SO EEINTERESTING?"
Santiago takes the goggles from Alaistar, and peers though them.
Alaistar: "Go ahead, Sebastian. Tell him."
Fio: YES SEBASTIAN TELL ME
Nemo: "I WOULD OFCOURSE NEED ADDTIONAL TESTING BUT YOUR BLOOD RESEMBLES THAT OF THE...."
Santiago finishes the sentence for him pulling the goggles away
Santiago: “the Lifespark,” the last said with an intake of breath and awe.
Fio looks confused.
Fio: "Ahhh, I am not completely certain what you mean by tzat... is tzat like Radley?"
Nemo: YES, RADLEY IS THE CURRENT LIFE SPARK, SO...HMMM THAT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT’S CLEARLY NOT HER BLOOD, AND SEVERAL KEY STRCUTRURES ARE DIFFERENT.
Alaistar: "Fio...are all of your abilities? Do you have conscious control over them?"
Devi: Maybe this is being why so many people are trying to get your blood?
Fio's eyes twinkle
Fio: "Well I sometimes I can't control how much tze women love me."
Santiago: "What is the state of your scanning spectrometer Sebastian?"
Nemo: TOTALLY DESTROYED, AND NOT LIKE I HAVE ADDTIONAL LENSES, TO SAY NOTHING ABOUT THE RESNOATING CRYSTAL.
Virgil: "But you believe that this material will be able to safely store the shards."
Nemo: I AM NOT CERTAIN, BUT THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBLITY, BETWEEN MI-YEN HERSELF AND THIS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE SHARDS WITHIN THE GUILD.
Virgil nods.
Virgil: "That handles that at least. We should focus on what our next move is," he says turning to the Alaistar.
Elana: "Might we consider containing the shards outside the Guild, in a place that has not been broken into?"
Alaistar: "What did you have in mind, Elana?"
Fio asks Nemo and Virgil, "So, if Radley is tze Lifespark, and tze laws of tze universe say tzere can only be one lifespark, what does tzat make me?"
Elana: "I know of a place, in Paris, that has long long safeguards. Tests must be passed - not one person alone, but several together. Protocols must be followed. I would vouch for its security, to the best of my knowledge."
Nemo: FRANKLY SIR, I HAVE NO IDEA. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO FIND OUT.
Devi to Elana: You were vouching for the safety of the last place too. I am wanting more information.
Fio looks to Virgil and Alaistar. "What do you two tzink?"
Virgil nods. "One mystery at a time." He turns to Elana, where is this place?
Alaistar: "An agency stronghold?"
Elana: (To Devi)” Yes. I thought the Agency would be safe, and it proved not to be, in that case. It would be Fio's blood, and perhaps something of Radley's as well, so clearly we would need their consent. Fio knows the place I am talking about. (looks at Fio) Would you agree?"
"It is unrelated to the Agency"
Fio : "I tzink I need some questions answered about myself... if my blood is special somehow, and Vlad knows it, tzen I am possibly in trouble."
"Tzough I tzink tze place you talking about is very safe, da"
Virgil frowns, "Can we be less cryptic. We are among friends."
Virgil looks at Elana, waiting.
Elana: Radley, Fio and I found Eiffel's lab. Many artifacts have been stored there. Are still stored there. The three of us managed to alter the protocols so that we - and only we - and only together - can access it. This required a significant amount of teamwork and not a little luck and skill as well. I believe it to be secure, not only because of the various skills and insights required to alter the protocol, but because the door (not just the backdoor we created) opens extremely rarely (Court thinks not again in our lifetimes, but does not remember off the bat). That, combined with the fact that I don't think that thoughtful teamwork is a strength of many of the ones we are up against... makes me think it's a good bet.
Santiago nearly falls down. "Eiffel's lab? It still exists?"
Alaistar: "Elana, how did you find it? The statue?"
Elana: "No. It was a lead from a friend."
Virgil nods, "An option to be sure, but with the danger of these things I would rather not place these things somewhere we do not have an active guard."
Alaistar nods at Virgil’s remark: "Then the statue at auction is an ugly coincidence"
Elana: (to Santiago). Yes.
Elana: (to Al), I'm not sure, but it seems so.
Santiago: "Dios mio. And you can access it?" Santiago says looking at Elana.
Elana: (to Virgil) "It's true you do not have active guard at the lab. But this place has been breached even with guard. Is there something we could do to monitor that area that would make you feel better about it?”
Elana winks at Santiago
Alaistar: "Now, Santiago," Alaistar says smiling, "remember...you can't get distracted...Pappas is still running amok"
(Elana, picks up that Virgil is microexpresssion wise deeply hurt by her talking about the guild being breeched but he is doing his best to keep it from showing)
Alaistar looks at Elana. "Can I ask you the same question, Elana Virgil was not here before now. With Captain Belmont at the guild, I am confident it will not be breeched."
Santiago says, "And I would bet by left eye that the old Bastard is looking for Eitfel's lab if he even has a sniff that it’s still around. What of this friend of yours who lead you to the lab, who is this?"
Elana: "I apologize, but his is not my story to tell. Nor does he have access to the lab."
Devi: I am thinking that no place is truly truly safe if Pappas or Vlad or whoever decides to put 100% of their resources into breaking in. Enough time and enough effort and any facility is vulnerable. Says the professional thief.
Virgil: "I will have to think on it, but I am not comfortable putting the shards outside of our control, no matter how secure the facility is."
Alaistar: "The other concern is that should there be a problem with the shards we might have another break out of the wraiths. That is something we would need to know immediately."
Virgil: "It appears there are many more questions to be answered. Let’s tackle them one at a time. We can deal with the lab first. So we can determine if that is indeed where we will put the shards."
Elana (to Devi): "If any place is vulnerable, where would you store something?"
Virgil holds his tongue waiting for the ladies to finish up their conversation.
Elana:(to Virgil - I think we spoke at the same time) "Apologies -- I agree, you're right, we should tackle things one at a time."
Virgil nods, "So who beyond you and Fio knows of this location?"
Elana: "Radley"
(While all this talking is happening Nemo is continuing to examine the bloodsteel, everyone else is paying attention to the conversation)
Elana: "And, as we were trying to access the front door of this lab, we encountered one other - a mercenary - trying to access the moment when the door opened. But we knocked him off, and as far as he knows, the window of opportunity is gone. It will not open again soon."
"And the friend who gave us the lead. Though he does not know the backdoor protocols, or even that there is a back door. That's all, to my knowledge."
Alaistar: "But if the opportunity is gone...how would we get in to store the objects?"
Virgil: steps in to moderate, the conversation, holding up his hand if too many people try to speak at once.
Elana: (to A:) "As I explained, we created a backdoor, unknown to anyone else, that requires all three of us, and protocols that we put in place."
Alaistar: "So there are two backdoors?"
Elana: "No. One. Ours.”
Virgil says, "And beyond your back door, how does one access the front door?"
Elana: (to V:) "One must wait for the window to open again, and then access protocols that I believe Eiffel put into place long ago -- that appeared to have not been breached in the interim. The window will open only once a month, 'at the doctor's request.' I am not sure if that means it will actually be monthly, or only sporadically, as I'm not sure how the doctor requests it. But it would mean that if we put guards on the place once a month, for the 11PM opening, we should be able to safeguard it against anyone trying to get in. AND, as I said, WE can get in any time. It still might be better than a place that can be accessed anytime, especially since we would know when to guard it."
Alaistar: "The doctor? Meaning Eiffel?"
Elana: "The protocol did not specify. I assume so."
Alaistar: "Well, if that's the case, how did he request it open this time? Is the man not really dead?"
Elana: "The text in that explanation may be outdated. It was delivered electronically. However, that seems to be the way it was set up when he was living. I could not comment on his current state, except the the lab was empty."
Santiago looks confused, "But you said it was full of artifacts? Was that incorrect?"
Elana: "No, sorry. The lab was empty of any living beings, such as Eiffel. It was full of stored artifacts that seemed undisturbed."
Santiago: "Ah and where is this lab? exactly?"
Devi: I am not being clear on why someone else cannot be coming in to make another back door.
Elana: "Well, they could only come in at an open window, which is once a month, at maximum. Which is what we did. It would require cooperation, a specific skill set, and for them to meet all of the protocols. It would be difficult. I suppose it could happen, and that is why we could guard it, but it would only have that vulnerability once a month instead of always."
Devi: Is the protocol saying that it opens at the same time every month, or is it only saying that it opens monthly?
Elana:: "It opens monthly, I believe on the 7th of the month, at 11PM precisely."
Alaistar: What is the nature of the back door you created?"
Fio: say no more.
Elana: please ((transcriber notes: ???)
Santiago mumbles under his breath to no one in particular, "There is no lock that cannot be picked."
Elana: "The three of us are required - specifically, not any three people - and we must satisfy specific protocol."
Fio: "To be sure, it could be. I tzink I have an idea how... but it's tough. Why not give it a try?"
Alaistar frowns, "have us try to break in?"
Elana smiles at Fio. "Good idea." dfn
Alaistar: "Seems like a waste of resources. We either prove it can be done and it's not safe or it can't be done by us but brings attention to it by others… And us failing doesn't mean others would. "
Elana: "And this with you having the knowledge that the back door is there in the first place, and knowing a bit about the three of us who created it. Imagine if you didn't."
Alaistar: "What about the mysterious mercenary?"
Devi: "Or your mysterious friend."
Elana: "I would be happy to give you a file on the mysterious mercenary." (Elana punches buttons on her phone)
Virgil says, "This is an interesting line of thought, but let’s address practical matters before we fixate on the safety of this lab. Where is the lab located? Our first difficulty will be moving the shards from here to there. France, is a large place."
Alaistear: 'Without drawing attention."
(Santiago throws up his hands, and points at Virgil with a smile.)
Elana looks at Fio. "I have to say... I know we are among friends. But I feel the skepticism is high. And I am hesitant to divulge all of the specifics without specific intent to access this as a resource, simply because the larger the pool of people who knows, the less secure it becomes."(she looked at fio at the beginning but speaks to the group)
Fio: "I tzink you're right. Let's leave it for now. We can find sometzink else to do witz tze shards."
Alaistar smiles. "It's all healthy skepticism, I hope. Yours for the guild and ours for this place which is new to us. We all have the same goal - we will find a solution to suit us all.:
Virgil nods, "Alright, then, it seems we will, at least for the moment store the shards in the guild. Santiago, assist Nemo in any preparations that can be done before Mi-yen and Renji arrive."
Santiago nods and head over to Nemo immediately, Virgil looks about to continue speaking but pasues long enough for someone (fio) to interject
Fio, to Nemo, "Excuse me, if you're all finished witz tzat piece of me... I would like it back. Tzanks." He extends his open hand.
Nemo looks up, "I COULD USE ADDITIONAL TIME TO STUDY, AS IM NOT CERTAIN WHAT SORT OF STRUCTURE WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE TO NOT HAVE THE SHARDS SIMPLY DESTRoY EVEN THIS.'
Devi: Fio, you are usually turning your blood to dust when you are leaving an area, yes? Are you being sure that your blood will be staying not-dust when you are being far away?
Virgil is waiting for the conversation to resolve but clearly has more to say, (
Fio says, "Da, I'm pretty sure. I've seen pieces of me from a long time ago still sticking around."
Nemo: THERE IS NO REASON THAT THE STRUCTURES SHOULD NOT BE INFINATELY SELF SUSTAINING, WITHOUT OUTSIDE INPUT.
Nemo turns to Fio: "SO MAY I HAVE A FEW MORE HOURS WITH IT, AT LEAST UNTIL RENJI AND MI-YEN ARRIVE?"
Fio: "I suppose, but here's tze deal. Tzis shit is me. So you're going to tell me EVERYTZING YOU KNOW about it. Otherwize I'm keeping my shit to myself. We have a deal?" He looks at Nemo & Alaistar
Nemo: CERTAINLY, I HAVE NO REASON TO KEEP SECRETS FROM YOU.
Alaistar nods solemnly.
Nemo looking awkward offers Fio his hand.
(Elana is also looking twitchy, like she has something to say, but will defer to Virgil's twitchiness first)
Fio takes his hand. They shake hands.
As they shake Virgil says, "Alright with that sorted, we should discuss where to put our resources to work. Perhaps we can start with a threat list."
He walks to Nemo's chalkboard and pulls it over towards the group.
He begins to write in clean block letters, "Tiger, Snake, Pappas..."
Elana: "Excuse me, before we go with the Guild as the best option, do you mind letting us know where you plan storing the shards here?"
Santiago says, "We will most likely use lab 6, I can show you if you want?"
Fio: "Tze Lost. Tze Alliance. Tze HOGs."
Elana: "Is that where you store most things that you keep securely here?"
Virgil adds Fio’s names to the list.
Santiago says, "The whole guild is secure, the lab is metaphiscally stable, and should be the best place for creating rune structures that would maintain the shards, not, well boring though the floor."
Elana: (to S:) "Thank you, I'd love to see it." (to Alaistar) "Is that where you have the other artifacts that you are storing here for me?"
Virgil says, "I assure you, m'lady, on my life, that while the shards are here, until we determine a final resting place for them that they will not fall into other hands."
Fio says: "Tze Grey Cloaks, mebbie."
Virgil adds the Grey Cloaks to the bottom of the list
Alaistar looks regretfully at Elana. "That is where we kept them. I'm sorry, but I was hoping to speak to you about this in private."
Elana looks suspicious: “Did you move them?"
Virgil lists the Alchemists on the bottom of his list.
All eyes on Alaistar...
Fio mutters "The Agency"
Alaistar sighs: "Nicodemus came to our door. And demanded them back. I returned them. I felt I had little choice. He said, and I believe he would have followed through, he would have you all killed. And if you proved too elusive, then those you love and care about, they would have been killed. We could not have protected all those he would have taken his wrath out on. Nor could you" he says as fact - without any judgment. "I' sorry but that currency was all i had to bargain with for all those lives. He also got the coldsteel from Rovere's sword."
(Elana shoots Fio a dirty look)
Elana: "And. You. Did. Not. Tell. Me?"
Alaistar: "It was not an option or I would have."
Elana is trying not to yell. "While we are discussing a safe place to house important things, you DID NOT MENTION IT???"
Alaistar: "Because it wasn't relevant," Alaistar says calmly. “Nicodemus is power mad, but he lives by a code. He didn't break in, he asked. He asked for what he thought he was due and was prepared to exact a price he thought he was due because of what was stolen from him. This was not a fight...it was a bargain. We might have fought...and I think we could win. But that's here. As I said, we could not protect all the other lives. You'd all have a deathmark on your heads...forever...until he succeeded. As would those dearest to you. No objects are worth those lives."
Devi: Regardless of where we are putting the shards, what is stopping him from making the same threat when he is knowing that you are hiding them? Or someone else when they hear he is being successful with such a ploy?
Elana nods emphatically in agreement with Devi.
Elana: "So -- first -- you made the choice for me, rather than contacting me. And, second, people do not even have to break in here; they know to come to the front door and ask! They know where you are, they KNOW you! They can manipulate and threaten you, OR they could break in! Or both!"
Alaistar: "First, with regard to the shards...he has no claim on them. His people were killed by wraiths. We collected unattended property. He won't ask for them. As I said...a code - however strange."
Second, as I said, contacting you was not an option. Would you honestly have made another choice? How many lives would you have sacrificed for that property?"
Elana: "I'm annoyed, but we'll put that aside for a moment. I'm still concerned with the second part of Devi's question. If not Nic, what if somewhat else comes to the door? What if someone else has a slightly different ploy?"
Alaistar: His people were being killed by wraiths that we accidentally let loose. He is not seeing this as our fault?
Turning to Elana Alaistar says, "I can't lie, Elana, I will always consider giving someone one objects, things, if it's to save lives...for the greater good. But remember this...Nicodemus had the power to carry out his threats...few do. Also, he only really got back what he already had. Things he possessed before you took them...so they are a small threat to other lives. But the shards are different. They threaten the world....there could be no bargain."
Fio says, "Why did you give him tze coldsteel from tze white sword? Tzat was mine, as much as anyone's. He has no claim to it."
Alaistar: "For Jacob. We returned everything taken except him. If Nicodemus had not accepted the cold steel in exchange - you would have had your answer about how secure the Guild is," he says darkly.
Jacob looks sad.
Fio: But he stole Jacob to begin witz... Tzat is bullshit for him to claim it. I'd ratzer save tze kid, of course, but tzat's some fucking weird logic.
Alaistar: "Well, I don't know how he came to get Jacob. I can't say."
Elana: I still take issue with the unilateral decision-making about things that have to do with the rest of us. Of course you are not going to hand over a person. You are not "storing" a person here. (She looks at Jacob supportively). That is not what I am talking about.
Alaisatar: "We all have to make decisions, independently, unilaterally, all the time...in the field, when the decisions need to be made. We will have to trust each other to make those hard decisions when there is no other choice." He looks at her sadly, "You'll have to trust me when I say, contacting you was not possible."
Fio says, somewhat incredulously, "So tze conversation went like, Nic says 'I want Jacob back.' You say 'I can't do tzat, cause of my principles. But here's someone else's stuff tzat we have tzat you might like.'"
Alaistar smiles – good-natured amusement. "Something like that." He shrugs. "I'm sorry, I have no better answer, but please don't think I did it easily, or with a light heart."
Fio is awkwardly silent and stares at the corner.
Santiago says, "I am happy to show you the lab if you still want senorita."
Elana: "I guess I wish you'd have mentioned that you have business relationships with the people we were up against... might have colored my decision to trust you with things here." Then she too stares stonily at the corner.
Santiago offers his hand to Elana.
Serena growls. "It’s not a business arrangement."
Elana tries not to look annoyed, thanks Santiago, and nods, getting up.
Alaistar: "I understand you're angry, Elana. I understand you are frustrated, but that's not fair."
Elana does not respond.
Serena says, "Maybe next time well hold your stuff and we can show it to your corpse." She stands up aggressively.
Alaistar shakes his head at Serena...as if "don't"
Elana: "I am capable of making my own decisions. If I knew I was giving up that right, I would have not involved the Guild."
Fio brightens up, claps Nemo on the back, and says, "Well tzis is all fascinating, but aren't you more interested in seeing what's inside tzat glob you got tzere?" He gestures towards the exit.
Alaistar: "And you might have had your chance to turn the man down. Or not."
Serena swallows some words, but her whole body flexes and twists she’s fighting herself not to speak.
Nemo starts to head off Santiago offers his arm to Elana.
Elana looks at Santiago. "I apologize, if your offer is still open, I would be interested in seeing the lab." She looks at him to see. She takes his arm.
Santaigo leads her down the corridor following Nemo and Fio.
Following involves only Devi and Alaiastar PCs
Devi: You should have been telling them immediately after it is happening. There would be less anger now, I am thinking.
Alaiastar: "Before I could there was the attack in Baghdad. And then we were here. They were Elana's things. I sought to address it with her privately. I did not know if she wanted others to know of the items or her request."
Virgil says, "We have been from emergency to emergency lately."
Devi shrugs. "I am knowing this. But before I am going to see what Nemo is doing to Fio, is there anything else that you are not saying yet?"
Alaistar: "Are you referring to something specific? I can think of nothing I have kept from you.”
Devi nods and leaves the room in the direction of the lab.
"Devi," Alaistar says as she start to walk away, he pauses to make sure she stop/listens, assuming she does he continues "I meant no offense earlier when I remarked on whether your perceptions were accurate during your experience with the shard. It was not a reflection on you, but the fact that Nemo has long theorized that the physics of that place is different...that our senses there - no ones senses there - can be trusted because the rules are different."
Devi raises her eyebrows. "Are many people coming back from this space to talk about the physics?"
Alaistar: "I cannot say precisely where you were - not to a certainty. But if it was shadow...we have all been. If it was the deeper darkness...no, but I expect it's physics would be no less problematic than shadow."
Devi: That is making sense. Maybe when your friend Hugh returns we can be comparing notes." She smiles slightly and then leaves.
Alaistar solo time
Virgil say to Alaistar, "We have been on the defense for too long." He frowns, and adds "Recover the weapons" to his list. Though I do not know where to direct our offense."
Alaistar nods, "Well, Raven is on the weapons. Lucas on Tiger. We need to track the other wraith."
Virgil says, "Well we cannot act on the wraiths or the weapons until we receive more information."
Alaistar: "And so we must let Raven and Lucas do their work."
Virgil nods: “but I do not believe we can sit on our hands while they do so. But I also believe it would be a mistake to send us piecemeal at these threats." He indicates the board. My suggestion is we pick a single target and wipe it out."
Alaistar: "Pappas. I've had the same thought for a while. He may have answers as to the weapons, but also, it will show we are not weak. It may deter others from attacking us again in the near future."
Virgil nods and circles the name. "Alright, we will need to separate a bit, some of us will remain here, and the others will go after the 'old bastard' he says in his best impression of Santiago.
Alaistar: "Santiago should continue his recon so we can devise a strategy. I understand he's already created a source for himself, he need only tap it.
Virgil nods, "It would be good to spend some time now to determine who will act with him and who will remain on defense, as much as I would like to get out there I feel I will be best served remaining here."
Alaistar nods, "I agree. As should Chen and Sebastian. Raven and Lucas are busy…Renji should probably continue with the Alchemists to keep them busy for a bit.
Virgil frowns, "I know it’s what he would like best, but I do not want to lack a ranged defense here."
Alaistar: "The question becomes who we will need to assure victory against Pappas. Santiago should be consulted."
Santiago: "Speak his name and the Saint shall appear" Santaigo says returning with the others.
