Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)

Did they think about it and deliberately chose not to mention anything? (Or at least did Piggot do that? Her internal monologue wouldn't have shown up here)
They also know about an attempt to impose a restraining order on Sophia, which is not something you do to someone who isn't involved: I think she knows and Hannah knows and it didn't need to be spoken.
 
Just something I had to get out of my head regarding the latest omake.

Lisa's New Glasses
Dental Plan!
Lisa's New Glasses
Dental Plan!

It was instantly in my head. Now it's in your head. Bye!
 
I agree that those do seem to be the state of things… Which I find ironic, because it implies that Scion, the Warrior, has a more subtle approach to memory manipulation than Eden, the Thinker.
That'd be becouse Zion set up his shards for human use at the start of the Cycle, meanwhile Eden gets killed before she can do this to any of hers shards (except for PtV and possibly that one shard that allows them to make avatars).

Plus, we don't actually know the extent of Slug's shard's abilities, only how Slug used it on C53s.
 
That part makes me lean towards willful ignorance, conscious or not; even with everything going on city-wide, it seems incredibly negligent at best: Hess is known to be a problem, under probation, with "deliquent" oversight
... yet Piggot didn't even wonder what kind of additional disasters they caused, if only from the perspective of PR and their relationship with BBPD (getting the locker case transfered, now trying to shut down part of the assault case to hide Hess' identity, etc.)

Definitely don't forget something they very conspicuously didn't mention is that Emma and her dad were Sophia's character witnesses and literally the only reason she got the probational deal at all.

As i read the chapter the only part that really surprised me was how there was no move to push every and all blame on Piggot herself.
I mean, her career is completely and utterly dead, she's inevitably going to face criminal charges and likely spend the rest of her life in prison, a normal prison since she's not a Parahuman, so adding to it would change exactly nothing for her while allowing to save many people (and maybe even the PTR itself).
Besides, the faster she's removed and the issue of who's to blame is solved permanently, the faster the situation can begin to improve.
Wow, Piggot isn't just staring down the barrel of a gun, she's outright blindfolded in front of a firing line.

I'd feel sympathy, particularly since I know full well she was left out to dry by Cauldron machinations... but so very much of this is still entirely her fault. She set up the hyper-micromanaged control system. Actively stripped out safeguards, checks and balances. Yeah Cauldron fucked her, and Coil probably helped, but the former didn't actively do anything, just stop doing things, and the latter could only manage it because she set up everything for him to easily do so.

It's not generally a good idea to assign malice to what could just be incompetence or negligence, but in this case? It was a decent heaping of all three. If she hadn't demanded authority over the wards out of her distrust of the protectorate. If she hadn't been so willing to send wards instead of troopers out of prioritizing normal people over parahumans. If she had been more detached about Aperion's 'accusations' on her, and reacted with less spite. If she had just delegated her paperwork more so oversights weren't misses as often...

This is a bed of her own making. All others did was buy her the sheets.

Eh we saw with Uppercrust that Piggot is actively screwing the city and the local prt over in order to kick problems down the road until they aren't her fault when they go wrong even though it makes them worse so they won't be her fault and focusing a lot of the prt's resources on doing that and mitigating how much she gets blamed for. Remember she even was going to get Apeiron who she considers highly unstable a presigned kill order just so she could have the media reveal it to try and shift blame to him so I also have no sympathy for her.
 
Maybe. But consider this. The Slug does targeted deletion. Aisha does global AOE. One's a scalpel, one's a nuke.

Additionally, you'd kind of expect 'The Warrior' to need the option of 'everyone just forgets what happens' more than someone labeled 'The Thinker'.
Honestly, I would consider both shards to be CAPABLE of both options, but their current CONFIGURATION would be one or the other. It is canon that every shard that Zion put out is intentionally crippled and limited, and all of Eden's unreleased shards are damaged and in storage to the point they are equally if not more crippled. So Aisha can only do "Information X on all repositories in range", while the Slug can only do "All information on Repository X in range", but the Entity would be able to do everything from "Information X on Repository Y" to "All information on All repositories".
 
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Piggot: Apeirons continued campaign of being himself and not acting like a deranged lunatic is a direct attack on my past actions! He is making me look like a control freak!
That could be the conservation of persecution complex: Taylor seems to be letting hers go, so it had to go somewhere. 😜

If the way those two agents were treated gets out, PRT ENE will complete its mutation into a joke in the eyes of other branches.
Yeah, IMO that was a very good "this, right there, is the problem" moment

PRT ENE: *fucks people over for doing the correct and smart thing.*
also ENE: ... wonder why our organisation is full of idiots and people who know they are doing the wrong thing?

In a way it feels a lot more real to me: the PRT ENE isn't dysfunctional just because, there's a consistent dynamic causing it in-story.

the place is being run competently for once (at great cost) and it directly counters him
I agree that the over-the-top information manglement would stop information leaks... at least assuming they are followed:
my experience is that if the security measures hinder getting things done, there's ~always a point people will choose to work around the security measures so they can get their job done.

Even assuming the PRT ENE is full of people who somehow comply perfectly with information management guidelines, crippling the organisation's ability to do anything in order to stop further leaks isn't what I'd call "run competently."
It makes them even more ineffectual than normal at a time they are most needed, and it does nothing to fix the actual issues (moles and compromised information systems).

Plus, compromised information systems can be exploited in other ways than intelligence collection: for instance, faking messages from the console, or selectively blocking legit messages, could cause massive chaos in the short time until it's discovered (and hopefully fixes) and could lead a cape directly into an ambush etc.

In Joe's words (ch. 95.5) :
Information leaks should really have been a bigger concern for the department. Things are only slightly more secure now than they were before everything fell apart. I really shouldn't need to point out why that's a serious matter that would make a person reluctant to reach out regarding anything sensitive. [...]
I know [efforts are being made.] It was easy for me to know. And the fact that I know so easily should show that they aren't working. This is the kind of thing that should have been dealt with at the first sign of trouble, not pasted over until it fed a crisis, and then crippled the department through a half measure.


the only part that really surprised me was how there was no move to push every and all blame on Piggot herself.
No such efforts are needed, Piggot is doing a perfectly fine job grabbing all the blame 😜

More seriously, I'd assume they are happening, but in the broader PRT and at too-high a level to be visible from Miss Militia's viewpoint.
To be clear, I don't think Piggot alone is to blame, for all there's a monstruous amount of damage she's responsible for:
there's a lot of very-uncomfortable questions to ask about the PRT's overall structure, policies, and oversight, given they should have prevented turning the local branch into her personal, dysfunctional fiefdom
... which is exactly why I expect she'll get thrown under the bus instead, especially since enough digging would reveal Cauldron's machinations to cripple the PRT ENE.

Though it would be hilarious (and interesting) if someone (Survey or Joe?) were to find and leak evidence of those machinations, especially if they show Costa-Brown was involved.

IMO the main issue is that Piggot has proved herself to be actively detrimental, even a newbie fumbling around for some time would be a net improvement.
I suspect a large part of that is timing: replacing the local PRT director is most likely not something that can be managed in a day or two, especially if there's a risk Piggot would be petty-enough to not brief her successor, or even not tell anyone where all the files are (given how tight a grip she kept on the branch's information manglement)

Anyone stepping in would need days or weeks to just learn the information they need to make decisions, and the local PRT can't afford to be paralized for so long, even when the alternative is a control freak crippling their ability to respond to the crisis.


They also know about an attempt to impose a restraining order on Sophia, which is not something you do to someone who isn't involved: I think she knows and Hannah knows and it didn't need to be spoken.
Thanks, forgot to mention that part. I honestly don't think Hannah knows, because it would show up in her internal monologue:
The entire situation with Taylor Hebert was the last thing the department needed to deal with, a disastrous oversight thrown back in the department's face in the wake of a disaster. [...]
And when dealing with that the last thing they needed was for Taylor Hebert to be attacked in her school, assaulted by another student brutally enough to cause other students to place calls to emergency services, allowing the police department to swoop in and lock down the case seemingly out of retribution for the perceived slight of the PRT's handling of the earlier assault.

Assuming she realised Shadow Stalker was one of the bullies and behind the locker murder attempt:
  • She wouldn't explain the case being locked down, as the BBPD being petty because the previous case was (mis)handled by the PRT; she'd know they are likely trying to nail Shadow Stalker down as well.
  • She'd presumably be freaking out over what evidence the BBPD might find that incriminates Hess in the whole abuse, not worry about the assault case in particular; IIRC, Hess wasn't even in Winslow for once.
Definitely don't forget something they very conspicuously didn't mention is that Emma and her dad were Sophia's character witnesses and literally the only reason she got the probational deal at all.
My read was that either Miss Militia might not be aware of that detail, or that was part of what was hinted at in her reaction to Sophia covering up for Emma, as she could be compelled to protect the person who let her avoid jail (regardless of whether she was herself involved in the abuse)
"Incidentally, Shadow Stalker described Taylor Hebert as a 'Weird loner who probably attacked Emma first'."

"Which likely speaks to their relationship." Hannah said. "And there was nothing about this from her assigned officer?"
 
I didn't mean to imply she inferred that Shadow Stalker was directly involved in the locker assault specifically, just that Shadow Stalker was involved in bullying Taylor in general.
I'm not following how anyone could infer that Shadow Stalker was involved in the bullying campaign, but not consider she might be involved in its single most horrific event. Especially since her powers would be quite handy in the setup.
 
I'm not following how anyone could infer that Shadow Stalker was involved in the bullying campaign
Fact 1: Emma was arrested for assault.
Fact 2: The assault was recorded together with testimony that it was the end of a longer bullying campaign.
Fact 3: As part of the legal proceedings associated with the assault, Taylor's representative filed for a restraining order against Sophia Hess even though she wasn't present for the assault.
Conclusion: Sophia Hess was one of the perpetrators of that bullying campaign.
 
[...]
Conclusion: Sophia Hess was one of the perpetrators of that bullying campaign.
Sure. I agree they have no excuse not to come to that conclusion.

What I was saying in the previous message was that I don't get how someone could ride that train of thought, and get off before realising the locker was part of the bullying campaign and thus Sophia Hess was likely one of its perpetrators as well.
 
Because they don't have evidence yet that Sophia was involved in the entire campaign, rather than joining in at some point after the locker.
 
Thankfully, she was experienced enough in not showing sighs, particularly for public events.
Thankfully, she was experienced enough in not showing signs, particularly for public events.
I really hope Piggot and the PRT don't do anything stupid.
I think it's a little much to hope they don't do anything intentionally stupid much less incidentally stupid. In fact, they are currently doing something stupid, and official policy is to be stupid. I'm not even joking on that last part, current official policy is known to be a bad idea and actively detrimental. They are still doing it because following it is the rules.
 
The actions the Director is taking with regards to Taylor's case are further prove of corruption. Independently of Taylor being a cape, she is the victim of an assault and attempt of murder and they are protecting a suspect for no other reason that Sophia is affiliate to the PRT.
 
If Sophia goes into a killing spree in the middle of the street while on her civilian id will the PRT protect her and make the crimes go away to protect her secret identity?
 
Apeiron: No! I would never! Even if I would be able to make absolutely incredible things out of their corpses!
Yeah, I'm waiting for the aftermath of the big Butcher fight when everyone realizes that Joe stole one of her dismembered limbs.


Kid Win: Dude, you let Apeiron take her leg?

Clockbocker: No, I handed him her leg and asked if he could cure cancer. Then he promised to cure everyone with cancer in Brockton before midnight tonight.

Kid Win: *eyes the arm Clock is hiding behind his back*

Clockbocker: Think about it! It would be unethical of me not to!
 
Yeah, I'm waiting for the aftermath of the big Butcher fight when everyone realizes that Joe stole one of her dismembered limbs.


Kid Win: Dude, you let Apeiron take her leg?

Clockbocker: No, I handed him her leg and asked if he could cure cancer. Then he promised to cure everyone with cancer in Brockton before midnight tonight.

Kid Win: *eyes the arm Clock is hiding behind his back*

Clockbocker: Think about it! It would be unethical of me not to!
It's good to have a leg up over your issues.
 
Something else I just thought of, isn't RCB showing her hand with her refusal to give Piggot a Lethe proof cape here? If I knew there was a person who demanded certain types of people as a specific counter in place, the first first thing I (or I would assume the prudent person, which is where the burden of law comes in) is assign one of those people to the area where that person is based out of, so the local area can respond to any problems.
 
Something else I just thought of, isn't RCB showing her hand with her refusal to give Piggot a Lethe proof cape here? If I knew there was a person who demanded certain types of people as a specific counter in place, the first first thing I (or I would assume the prudent person, which is where the burden of law comes in) is assign one of those people to the area where that person is based out of, so the local area can respond to any problems.
Alternatively, sending a rare and valuable resource into a volatile climate is a good way to lose that resource. Not least if they just refuse to go because the Bay be like that. Plus, she already has one; MM is not affected by Aisha's "basic" power. Though either she never heard of borgles or she was affected by the gem-enhanced version.
 
Something else I just thought of, isn't RCB showing her hand with her refusal to give Piggot a Lethe proof cape here? If I knew there was a person who demanded certain types of people as a specific counter in place, the first first thing I (or I would assume the prudent person, which is where the burden of law comes in) is assign one of those people to the area where that person is based out of, so the local area can respond to any problems.
Not in this case because the PRT at large cannot support, officially or not, the PRT ENE with all the leaks and decisions it made nor trust them to behave in a productive way.
Not only that but one of their thoughs is that Apeiron could analyze them to build countermeasure against their immunity or the power would be stronger depending on distance.
Finally these Capes are people with their own lives, libes that they may not want to uproot to go to the Bay, a poor city that is full of dangers and threats with a team led by an "unstable Mad Tinker".
 
Something else I just thought of, isn't RCB showing her hand with her refusal to give Piggot a Lethe proof cape here? If I knew there was a person who demanded certain types of people as a specific counter in place, the first first thing I (or I would assume the prudent person, which is where the burden of law comes in) is assign one of those people to the area where that person is based out of, so the local area can respond to any problems.

Not really considering the current wider attitude towards Piggot's leadership but also why does she even need one since they aren't wanting to fight the forge and the wider prt wants friendly relations which sending a counter to Lethe could interfere with because of the message it sends.

Alternatively, sending a rare and valuable resource into a volatile climate is a good way to lose that resource. Not least if they just refuse to go because the Bay be like that. Plus, she already has one; MM is not affected by Aisha's "basic" power. Though either she never heard of borgles or she was affected by the gem-enhanced version.

Or it could just be that in the brief time the meme was erased which I'll note Miss Militia was probably travelling back from the charity event during that she never came across a place where something had obviously been removed since she hadn't had a chance to check her notifications to learn about Battery's testing either.
 
So I'm wondering when the PRT is going to realize Sophia's involvement in Taylor's trigger. I can't remember this is story went with the idea that she kept the identities of her bullies secret. Even if she did, since they know that Taylor is Lady Khepri, it seems pretty likely they will want to investigate her trigger even more then they did before.

On another note, Hanna's introspection pretty clearly outlined that Piggot is making things worse in order to avoid the repercussions of her bad decisions. I mean we knew that, but the fact that Hanna basically outlined it here in her thoughts, and doesn't have a problem with it, is a bit confusing. I know Hanna is a bit over the top with following instructions, but this isn't maintaining policy, this is Piggot delaying reversing a series of bad orders because she will be called to task for them once she does. I struggle to see how that would look like anything except Piggot trying to sacrifice others to cover her ass.

this is worst since it could come in the form of an interview since Taylor is getting national attention

"the people who did this were Emma barns, Madison Clemens and Sophia Hess"

Hess assumes her identity has been leaked and tries to assassinate Taylor

or just runs away
 
Yeah, and I suspect the supernatural levels of luck will continue making "interesting coincidences" happen, at such a rate it will be seen as deliberate action.

To my understanding, part of the reason that the prediction Shards work so well is that they coordination and communicate to some extent. But thinker shards are still known to interfere with each other. Given that Apeiron is broadcasting the equivalent of a Nice Guy vibe ('Who me? I'm not messing with your predictions! You know exactly what I am going to do.') then one of the thinker Shards in BB is probably being blamed.

You know how you pound on the wall and yell at that one inconsiderate and noisy neighbor? Every time Marche spasms and twitches in place I am imaging her Shard recieving a data packet equivalent of [SHADDUP!]

Joe's luck/probability manipulation has been very apparent in recent chapters. Which would have a progressively larger impact on the rest of the world. Which would result in increased and hostile inter-Shard communications. ('Your moronic stumbling about ruined my experiment!')

Be interesting to see if all of that communication might affect Jack's mindset as he approaches BB.🤪
 
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