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Divine Administration - of Gods and Bureaucracy (Worm/Exalted)

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4.3
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    I materialized in my office, Tu Yu already waiting for me. "Your Eminence, we are all ready for you. Lisa and her allies are here, as well as New Wave and a representative from the PRT. If you follow me, we are ready to start planning our actions against Coil right away."

    "Well done, thank you. But we'll have to wait a bit longer, until the gods from Canberra arrive. Come, it's best if we meet them." I started walking towards the portal room, and Tu Yu hastily followed.

    He frowned. "Your Eminence? Are You quite certain that we should include them? I believe we have more than sufficient means to take on the threats in this city ourselves."

    Right, his grudge against them. I really had to think of a way to work that out, but now we had a city to save. "Tu Yu. There really is no time for that. If we can do it alone, we can do it faster and better with their help. If we do need help, it's better to have them available right away. And I already kept them out of the loop for too long anyway."

    "But, Your Eminence. Surely they have their own duties? I am just asking that You consider what impact their absence will have on the citizens of Canberra."

    Did he seriously just imply that I didn't care about that? No, that was stupid, he was just trying to keep Neitee and Yeutta away. But I could find out why later. Despite his reasons, he had made a good point. "I did that, Tu Yu. And I get that you don't want them here. We'll talk about this later."

    He stayed silent as we walked to the portal and waited. It was only a few minutes until Neitee and Yeutta stepped through. They were flanked by Just Mornings Flame and another Lion Dog, this one a deep black. "Greetings, Creator. Ver'ash will arrive momentarily, he is just fetching the weaponry he has made. Enduring Grove Guardian will be with us then as well."

    "Thank you, Neitee. I really appreciate this, you know. And you too, Just Mornings Flame. You did great work in Canberra from what I saw."

    He bowed. "Thank you for the compliment. Enduring Grove Guardian and I will do our best to assist in any upcoming battle." His answer seemed genuine, and it was good to know that they didn't mind being ordered here by me.

    "Yes, we will help you creator, if it is needed. But first, we do have a few questions."

    Or not. I sighed. We were having that discussion right now then. "That's fair. I did call you here on very short notice. What's on your mind?"

    "Creator, we have our own duties. We can split our attention, but the same doesn't go for our fellow gods. If they are here, they can't be at home. And we are not entirely sure that you truly need us here. Surely you have other allies?" Their tone was mostly reluctant, but I could sense some annoyance. It was hard to blame them, but had they had to have made the same argument Tu Yu just had?

    "Yes, of course I do. We're just about to meet them actually, and make plans. I'll make sure they won't take up too much of your time."

    "Your Eminence, I am quite certain their presence here will have some merit. But might it not be wiser to form a more solid plan, if they can not spare the time?"

    "Your subordinate makes a good point, creator. The situation in Canberra is pretty unstable, we don't see how we could plan properly around that."

    "I am sure you would do your best, Protector. But you raised some very valid concerns here. Your Eminence, are you quite certain that you have taken those into account?"

    Ugh. Why couldn't any of them understand what I wanted to do with this? Granted, I wanted several things here, but still. I closed my eyes for just a second and tried to clear my head. A few deep breaths were enough for me to put the explanation together.. "You know, you're right. We can do this without you, or the other gods from Canberra. You don't have to feel bad if you can't help us." Nobody had expected that answer. "But have you considered what being here can do for you?" Judging by their silent expression, they hadn't expected that either. "You said you had trouble with the authorities in Canberra, right? Well, just running the quarantine zone well won't change that! And they'll be too afraid if you start working in other parts of their city. But what if you get someone they'd trust to vouch for you?"

    A slight smile stole onto Tu Yu's face, but Neitee and Yeutta were still sceptical. "Creator, we mean no offense, but would your word be enough?" They were clearly wondering why I wouldn't give it without their help.

    "No, it won't. Maybe if I spend a lot of effort to earn their trust. But I'd still be just one person. No, there's a better way to do this. You earn that trust here, in this city. You help us beat the gangs. The government here has no reason to be afraid of you, they'll trust you afterwards. The same goes for the public if you're seen working with the hero groups. After you help us, it'll be much easier to get the authorities in Canberra to trust you." Assuming of course I managed to convince them that it wasn't all a Simurgh-plot.

    It looked like they needed to digest that idea for a bit. Tu Yu didn't. "Your Eminence, that is a commendable plan. But there is a huge risk - the Parahuman Response Team can easily be aware of the identities of the Canberran gods. Would it not be likely that they instantly distrust them for the same reasons? And maybe extend the same distrust to us as well?"

    "Yes, that's a risk. I'm willing to take it. Because they can't afford to refuse our help. And we already have the trust of Miss Militia. Even Director Piggot trusted us enough to share some PRT-reports with us. Unless they panic right away, I'll just convince them to trust Neitee and Yeutta. And even without that, there were officials in Canberra who trusted me. It'll help if we show that Neitee and Yeutta are associated with me." I couldn't help but think that it also wouldn't hurt to cement my authority over them."

    It seemed like Yeutta had digested the idea. "If this works...we would be really grateful, creator. We will do our best."

    "I'm sure it'll work out. Would you mind waiting here for Ver'ash to arrive? There's something I have to do first." I gently nudged Tu Yu towards the nearest door, we'd need privacy for this.

    "Of course, creator. He should be here any minute now, we will wait for you."



    Tu Yu followed me into a large room full of inactive paper-spiders. I didn't want to spend too much time on this now, but if he just kept opposing me like that we wouldn't get anything done today. "Tu Yu. What's your motive here?" He just kept his usual faint, polite smile. "Look, don't play innocent now. I know you're angry with Neitee and Yeutta, but that can't be the only reason for your behavior. So, why exactly have you been trying to keep me away from them?"

    He slowly, sadly shook his head. "Very well. Your Eminence, I am Your advisor. That is my appointed position and part of my domain. But it is Your duty to make Your own decisions, and I do believe You can not yet do so on Your own." I was trying very hard not to take that the wrong way and interrupt him. "Your Eminence does however excel when challenged to act. Rather than wait for those who might harm You to do so, I merely provided a friendly challenge."

    That was...okay, he had done that. I just wasn't sure what to think about it. "Okay, I can accept that. But that's not the whole truth. You had personal reasons too." I waited for his answer. He didn't seem willing to provide it. "You told me I could force you to answer, due to my position. I don't want to test that. But if you don't, I can't really trust you either. So please, Tu Yu, tell me."

    "Your Eminence. Taylor. I am ashamed of it, but I did this for personal reasons as well. I failed as Your advisor when I did not encourage You to interact with Neitee and Yeutta. If You go and ask them for assistance...against Coil no less. Then it just shows how I failed."

    I really hadn't expected that behind his facade. Maybe I should have. "And if I then handle it all on my own, you're afraid you're no longer needed?" He nodded, slowly. "And here I thought I had trust issues. You don't have to worry about that. You said it yourself, I can use someone to play devil's advocate. And you'll always know me well enough to do that. Just be a bit more honest about it in the future, okay?"

    "I know, Your Eminence. Though I can't promise I won't ever deceive You in the future. At the very least, it should keep Your wit sharp." I laughed. If he could joke about it, it'd be fine if we talked about it again later.



    I took a moment to take in everyone's mood as I arrived. Miss Militia stood at the end of the table in a relaxed professional stance, though I could detect a slight unease. Lisa was leaning over the table, intensely focussed on some notes. Brian was just waiting, while Alec played around with his phone. Rachel seemed very out of sorts, but if it was due to the amount of people or because she was right next to Amy with Niusha on her lap, I didn't know. Probably both. Amy seemed to be doing better than I had expected, especially with so many former villains in the room. Her face lit up when she saw me, but unlike Victoria or the rest of New Wave she didn't seem shocked to see me.

    All right, it was time to do this. All I had to do was make a plan that would defeat three separate parahuman factions whilst giving the PRT good PR and keeping the gods from Canberra happy. And without leaking anything about their origins...which would cause mass panic. And without getting tangled up in any more plots.

    "Hello everyone. I'm sorry my...injuries took me out for so long. But I'm better now, and I'm sure together we can stop the violence in this city." Thankfully nobody objected to the claim that I had been injured; that discussion could have derailed everything.

    "I think introductions would be a good start." I opened the door behind me and let the other gods inside. "I would like to introduce Neitee and Yeutta. They brought Ver'ash, Just Mornings Flame, Calm Depths Mirror and Enduring Grove Guardian. I've got a list of their powers for everyone once we get to the planning. Please do keep in mind that they have some other duties, so they won't be around all the time." I went on to introduce Miss Militia, New Wave, the former Undersiders and Tu Yu.

    Miss Militia stood up as soon as I was finished. "I prepared dossiers on everyone's capabilities and powers. Aedile, do you have anything like that for our reinforcements?"

    Shall I fetch the files from your office, Mistress? At least everyone already knew about Lotus. Wait, I hadn't told Miss Militia...but that didn't matter, I had more important things to focus on. I couldn't show her those files, they were hardly sanitized.

    Fortunately, Yeutta's avatar stepped forward and handed out scrolls to everyone. I quickly skimmed my copy and couldn't find any compromising information.

    "Thank you, Lotus, but we have what we need." I replied, berating myself. I should have prepared something like that ahead of time.

    Miss Militia barely batted an eye at being handed a scroll. "Oh good. Please familiarize yourself with these and what I'll hand out later. We should know about all our assets before we start making any plans. Now, I have a briefing on the situation in Brockton Bay. Please listen even if you think you already know what I will tell you. This isn't just for our new allies, it will help for us to all be on the same page and up-to-date. If you have any information to contribute, please do so once I'm finished."

    I made some mental notes about her style. She had taken charge without offending anyone, despite having no authority over any of us. It wasn't even very obvious, she had just been calm, reasonable and polite.

    She went on to lay out the PRTs current understanding of the situation. They seemed to have a reasonable grasp of the strength of Coil's forces, as well as their gear and tactical operations. On their goals, there wasn't as much, but I could already see by Lisa's smile that she knew a thing or two that the PRT apparently didn't.

    But there was also more on the Empire 88 and the Azn Bad Boys than I had expected. A lot of it was just information they had clearly gotten before the gang war had started. A list of capes, much longer for the Empire with its nearly full dozen parahuman members, while the ABB only had the two. But she pointed out that Lung's power accounted for a lot, and some of the pictures of his fights looked almost like trails that an Endbringer might leave, at least if one had never seen one directly. On the lineup of their normal forces, it was much closer.

    "So in summary, the main problem is twofold. The ABB keeps raiding the territory of the Empire, often backed by their parahuman members. The Empire tries to enforce a more permanent presence, at least enough to oppress or kick out anyone they find undesirable". I saw Brian twitch a bit at that. "We will need different strategies. Just stopping Lung when he backs a raid would be good, but frankly we don't have the combat power to stop him once he gets going. We could do more against the Empire, but it'd tie down resources for several days."

    Miss Militia paused and my mind started to ponder what we could do.I probably wasn't the only one doing so as she went on to grab several stacks of paper and handed them out around the table. "I have everything summarized here, and information about other files if you need more detail. If you have anything to add, we'd be glad to hear". They had a nice system for a multi-document index. Not quite as advanced as the system here in the Sanctum, but much easier to use. I'd have to try to make cross-references to a secondary index like this one.

    I looked over at Lisa, and almost considered prompting her to start talking, but I'd seen the look on her face before. She was putting things together, interrupting would be a distraction. Others followed my gaze, Miss Militia among them, but the few that recognised it and said nothing damped any words by those who didn't. I was about to say something anyway when she nodded at last, and stood, leaning in over the table.

    "On the matter of the enemy who has coordinated this all," she began, very pointedly not looking at Miss Militia as she did so, "I've been working on analyzing Coil's attacks. Thankfully the Protectorate managed to move swiftly enough to not invalidate the value of the data we shared with them, and the removal of several of his mercenary assets has done a great deal to help stabilise things. Unfortunately, it's still not enough.

    "When I was captured Coil held me in his base and in the process of rescuing me Tu Yu disabled a huge amount of its electronics. We've been there since once, extremely carefully," Miss Militia jerked upright as Lisa admitted this, clearly she hadn't been told about this, "and there's nothing left of any value. When he evacd he took everything he could, and destroyed what he couldn't. I was able to glean a few things from the debris, but I wasn't able to put it together until later, after seeing him in action." She tapped the table with a single finger.

    "His remaining mercenaries are all still in the cell organisation that he always used for them however. Without another break like the data I managed to extract in one of the last of our hits on him it's almost impossible to nail any more of them. Not when they're being so successful in breaking contact during extraction.

    "The capabilities of each of the cells seems to vary, but even the weakest of them will be a tough challenge for regular law enforcement. And the way in which they're striking makes reliance on those organisations untenable for the Protectorate." She looked around the table again, and knocked her fist against it this time. "That buck, as they say, stops with us."

    "I have been attempting to narrow down Coil's location since he fled his base, but he's been keeping on the move to the point that sometimes it's almost like he's two places at once. I have a list of safehouses, but he's never in the area by the time we get to one of them. Given our record so far, the only way to catch him would be a concerted strike, but that will require getting the gangs and his mercs under control."

    Lady Photon, Amy's aunt and leader of New Wave stood up. I had met her once, at the dinner right before Canberra. "We don't, well, didn't have enough intel on the gangs. Not just about their capabilities, but simply when and where they'd attack each other. There's only so much we can do when people are too afraid to call the police or PRT, and flying patrols doesn't cut it. Our children have already cut back on school as much as possible, and as long as this war lasts none of us adults are working. But even then it's pure luck that we spot a fight soon enough to stop it escalating."

    I signaled that I had a question, and she paused to let me speak. "How many fights against the gangs have you managed to engage in? If we continue to arrest them, could we win this by attrition?"

    She shook her head. "That'd be great, but most of the time we're just fighting unpowered gang members. Arresting even two dozen of them doesn't stop anything, it's not like the gangs are short on manpower. If we even manage that, half the time they stop fighting each other when we arrive and just run. If we fight a cape, they always have a fallback plan in case we're strong enough to take them down."

    I nodded. "I think I see the problem. You can't take them out in their civilian identities, and you don't have the surveillance to find them unless they're fighting and you get lucky. Would more manpower on our side help with capture them at least?" She nodded. "Oh good. I think we can do that then.

    She eyed the gods behind me. "Can you deploy fast enough? I don't think we can carry you all in flight."

    "Don't worry, that won't be a problem. They have the same breaker-power I do. But I'm afraid that will not help much with finding them, and we don't have anyone whose powers can monitor the whole city. Unless…Miss Militia, do you think Dragon would help? She still owes me a favor from Canberra, and I could pay for any equipment."

    Miss Militia shook her head. "It's not about money. We already asked Dragon for help when all of this started, or at least Armsmaster did. I actually think he wanted to develop a drone network for surveillance and just get her help for that. But Dragon said she's been having technical problems for the last three weeks and is too busy fixing them. Armsmaster is still working on them, and we've tried to acquire similar gear elsewhere, but it's not exactly commonly available."

    Well, that was out then. Maybe I could make another god, but that'd be hard to sell if Concordia just suddenly had a new member with just the right powers. And it'd take at least a week before I could do it anyway. Wait, three weeks? Around the time I had died? I still had my blessing on Dragon back then, could that have messed up anything? "Um, does anyone mind if I ask Dragon for help anyway? Maybe she can help if Ver'ash helps her in return? I think it's worth a shot."

    "Well, it would be great if that'd work. And pretty important for the rest of our planning here, so I'd say go ahead. Unless anyone here objects?" Damn she was good. She had just again put herself in a leadership position here. I left the room and asked Lotus for a secluded one with an internet connection.



    "Dragon? It's Aedile, can you spare a moment?" We had a video feed, but there was no image of her end. How many equipment failures did it take for a tinker not to have a webcam?

    "Oh. Aedile, right, yes. Sorry, it's a mess here. What can I do for you?" She sounded different than before too. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, whether her accent was different or if she was just using a different sound system.

    "Well, I hope that we can help each other. The PRT asked you for help with surveillance, and I'd like to do the same. Once we've fixed your problem."

    She sounded extremely hopeful at first. "Would you? No, wait. We should talk this through at first. You also think that this is due to what you did in Canberra?" She had almost jumped at my offer, and I wondered what kept her back.

    "Because of my blessing...erm, intelligence enhancement? Miss Militia said your troubles started three weeks ago, and due to my...condition then the effect might have lapsed. I just figured it might be the cause, though I really have no idea why. Were you working on a project at the time that went wrong because of that?"

    "Something like that, yes. But there's actually another problem. Aedile, has that power of yours ever shown any permanent effect on someone?" She sounded pretty concerned, though whether for herself or others, I couldn't tell. It certainly concerned me as well.

    "No. I got them checked out by several thinkers, and everyone cleared master/stranger protocols just fine. And there aren't any lingering effects either. But if something like that happen to you, could you describe it?"

    "No, it's...I don't think you have to worry about anyone else. If it hasn't happened to anyone else so far, it probably just interfaced with my powers in a weird way."

    Why was she so reluctant to tell me? "Dragon, if my powers caused a problem I'd like to know. Especially if I might have to apply them permanently to you to fix it."

    She was silent for over a minute. "Dragon, I do have a meeting to run. We'd like your help, but if you are not telling me what happened I'm afraid I can't help you in return."

    "My apologies, Aedile. I just tried to find a good way to say it. I have been using certain...enhancements to my brain. A neural interface, if you want. Your power made it run much more effectively, which is why I was so surprised back in Canberra. When you extended the power after the battle was over, I took the opportunity to study the effect, and managed to rewrite parts of my code. For the neural interface. You don't have to worry about anyone else, really."

    Yeah, she wasn't telling the whole story here. I had acquired lots of practice in hiding the nature of my own powers, her response could have almost been from me. "I know you aren't telling me the whole truth. But okay, that sounds like it would explain things. Let me guess, without the blessing your rewritten interface doesn't work anymore?

    She sounded like she regretted the deception. "Yes, you're right. Again, I'm sorry. And the problem is that without my interface, I can't reverse what I did to it. Don't worry, I won't impose upon you and make sure to get it back to old specifications. I already know where the new limits were, I can go back to the old ones without too much loss."

    Well, she clearly didn't want to go back to her old state, however exactly that worked. Maybe I should ask Lisa later and see if she could divine anything from it. For now, I'd just use it as leverage to get help for our gang problem. "Don't worry, I can sustain that boost for quite a while. I'll be glad to help you. Say, for as long as it takes to solve this gang problem, and then until you've revised the code? Maybe we'll even find a good way to make it work without my help? But for now, I'd really just like your help. So, can you provide us with some drones to run surveillance on the gang territories here?"

    "Assuming everything works as planned, I could do that. But I would need authorization from the city, and from the PRT too since it will involve capes."

    I snickered. "Don't worry, I'm sure getting both won't be hard. Just start working on those drones and let me worry about that." I could have given her both right here, but that would have been slightly too suspicious. And getting them through proper channels might even be easy and quick enough.



    I returned to the meeting after giving Dragon my blessing once again. It had worked without a hitch, and apparently her "neural interface" now worked properly again. Apparently, things hadn't gone so well during my absence. Miss Militia and Tu Yu had likely been running between the three groups I could see in the room to at least try to keep everyone working together. But Neitee and Ver'ash stood to the side, apparently not contributing much at all. Lisa, Brian and most of New Wave were working together, but it seemed rather chaotic to me. Victoria was clearly working on something else together with one of her cousins and Alec. And in another corner of the room, Amy was talking to Just Mornings Flame, surprisingly without being driven away by Rachel doing the same.

    I approached Miss Militia, who was currently debating something with Lisa."Dragon will support us. How are things here?"

    "Oh? Well, it's good to see tinkers accepting help. And I think we're doing well. We're still working through all the information we have. Agreeing on a plan is always the last step."

    Really? I had just seen a disorganized mess. But then I could still recall everything from the reports she had handed out, despite only going over them for a few minutes. I wouldn't have been able to do that just three months ago. "Well, if there's nothing you need, I'll go check how everyone's doing." She nodded, and I hurried over to Victoria.

    "So, what are you working on over here?" I took a glance at the papers on their table. The files on the parahuman gang-members were all mixed together with their scribbled notes on their own combat experience, as well as several proposals for tactics. "Looks like you made tactical combat plans?"

    Alec grinned. "Turns out New Wave's blonde amazon isn't just good at beating up gangers. She can also talk about it very well. And her cute cousin isn't bad either". You could see how much Victoria wanted to pound him for the crude compliment. Less than I'd expected actually.

    Crystal dealt with Alec much more calmly. "Well, Victoria really had the right idea. All the grand planning is useless if we don't know how to fight together. Even with your reinforcements we still have less capes than the gangs, and none of us ever fought with Concordia. So we need plans for that too."

    I wasn't sure how good it was to work out the details before the broad strokes were complete, but she had a point. "You don't have anyone from Concordia here though. And I think your plans should be integrated into the general planning, what are you doing about that?"

    Alec answered my question. "Oh, Lisa is watching us. That's enough for her thinker-bullshit to know what we're doing. And she came over here once already and corrected most of our assumptions. But that gave us our best idea yet." Victoria got his attention with an intense glare, and I could feel her aura wash over us for a second. "Alright, alright. You tell her, it was your idea after all. Mostly."

    Vicky was clearly excited. "You know that Amy wouldn't even be here if not for you, Taylor? She usually doesn't have much to contribute to our combat planning, so she stays out of it. Well, I found something for her to do!" She pointed over to Just Mornings Flame, who was chatting with Rachel and Amy. "Okay, I admit, it was Regent who got Rachel to talk to those lions. Her power counts them as dogs for some reason, but she wasn't sure whether she should talk to them.

    As far as I could tell, it seemed to be going rather well. "Really? That's great, but why did you involve Amy with that? Especially with her issues about villains?"

    "Right. Sorry, got carried away there. Well, I figured that Rachel basically does biokinesis on dogs. And over the last few weeks, Niusha encouraged Amy to experiment with hers. Healing is a form of biokinesis too, you see. And she knows a lot of biology too. So - why not have her teach Rachel some new tricks? So that she can give her dogs some new tricks."

    That almost explained Amy getting over her issues with villains. Add Victoria and likely Niusha convincing her and it made sense. "Okay, that really is a good idea. At least it gets them working together. Great job brainstorming that in such a short time." The three of them took the compliment well, and given that they had only been here for about a quarter of an hour it really was good.

    But we had to get past brainstorming here if we wanted to accomplish anything. Having lots of different idea was nice, but we rather needed to take a good look at the situation, settle on one plan and then make lots of contingencies for it. "I'll go check up on the others. Keep working until I'm back."



    Checking on everyone's progress took quite a while. Processing their information right away didn't do much good if they could only convey it so fast. As I had feared, everyone had their own plans. Part of New Wave wanted direct assaults on villain strongholds, Lisa favored elaborate ambushes, Tu Yu wanted to dig in and defend what Concordia had built. None accounted for all our needs, even if they were otherwise good plans.

    There was no clear authority here. New Wave and the Protectorate would like to work together, but had different priorities. Lisa and the others had their own goals, and outright forcing them away from them wouldn't work. Tu Yu and the other gods were loyal to me, but had their own limits. What I needed was a plan that made everyone happy, and then sell it to them properly.

    In the end, I ended working with everyone on their own plans. But not to tackle the whole problem, I just encouraged them to find their own good solutions. Several where it was necessary. until they had the solution I wanted. That way, nobody should be too unhappy about their own part. It had taken some time to convince some people of things they weren't happy with, but none of the clashes of interest were too hard. Now I just had to make it into a cohesive whole.

    "Lisa, Alec, Brian. You'll keep working against Coil. With the Protectorate and PRT, okay? Don't worry, they won't recruit you into the wards and won't cramp your style. But you shouldn't take on those mercenaries without them anyway. Lisa, try pinning down a pattern in Coils raids. If you can't get at him directly, deplete his forces. Your powers are excellent support against the mercenaries, you'll put PRT teams on equal footing with them wherever you're with them." I would have preferred to use them against the gangs, Coil was mostly under control after all. But there was no way to get Lisa away from her pursuit of Coil, and her powers were the only thing we had close to actual counter to his. "I'll pay you and the others, Brian, and you'll all have your records cleared. And hey, having the PRT owe you a favor is a good deal.

    "I'm sure I can get something out of that." Lisa eyed Miss Militias costume. "Maybe some of their marketing power., I could use some new branding. But what about Rachel, we don't need PRT-grunts if we have - ah. I see."

    "Yes, you got it. Rachel, you'll work with New Wave. You remember what I told you earlier? You'll all fight the gangs together. They'll help you hit any dog-fight rings you can find. Amy can heal up your dogs afterwards. And you'll get support from Just Mornings Flame and the other Lion-Dogs whenever you need it, got that?" I had asked her during the planning, but hadn't been sure whether she'd accept. Lisa had helped, but had apparently thought it would only be for a few joint operations, instead of the whole time. I was pretty sure that only her interest in the Lion-Dogs and her friends asking her to had won her over. She really was much better utilized in fighting the gangs, but it still took a while for her to nod.

    "Good. Now I think our major problem against the gangs is already solved. Dragon will send you some drones to keep an eye on things constantly. Apparently she can cloak them too, so it won't get noticed. You won't have to worry about transport anymore either. Tu Yu can fly pretty fast on his own, and provide portals for Rachel and the Lion Dogs. That'll also help you with your members who can't fly, and getting quick access to Amy if you need it." I would hand them some pre-made prayer strips later on, and hope they didn't question the method too much.

    "Neitee and Yeutta, you are our reserve. We won't need you for skirmishes, but if we get a hint that there's something big on the horizon, your powers would really help in locking down the battlefield. I don't think that'll disrupt your other duties too much". Hopefully this would help to strike the right balance between keeping them happy and keeping them involved. As long as it got us regular support from the other gods, it should be fine. "Ver'ash, feel free to tinker with any gear that might be useful. Maybe cooperate with Dragon a bit." I really had no idea where to put him on the front lines, and he was most likely best at choosing his support role.

    "I'll try to disrupt Coil and the gangs with my powers and I'll be available to fight with you if you need me. At the very least, I'm quite tough if I don't get ambushed and I won't hide in here". With a bit of luck, my powers would do enough damage that attrition would hit them much faster. At the very least, it'd shock Coil when he found out I was back.

    I took another look around the room. Nobody seemed too unhappy. There was worry about all the upcoming fighting, but I had managed to convince them of their parts of the plan. If I wrapped this up now, we could face this united.
    "This isn't a perfect plan, we won't beat Coil right away, and the same goes for the Empire and the ABB. But we're better organized, and together we're stronger than them. We need to stop this gang war and this plan is flexible enough to allow us to do just that. If we all do our parts, we can do this, together."
     
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    • Did I mention that I suck at keeping chapters at a consistent length?
    Oh well, I hope that at least these six-thousand-one-hundred-seventy-two words of non-action and exposition aren't entirely too boring ;)


    Taylor is trying for a leadership position here. Obviously, she's still very green at it - enhanced intelligence and matching powers notwithstanding. She didn't really have to lead Concordia previous to this - she "only" had to organize. That even went with the Endbringer-fight.
    Still, I think I portrayed her as reasonably competent, given that she had some coaching from Tu Yu and is good at taking clues.


    Next chapters will cover both the fight against Coil and the fight against the gangs. Those will mostly be separate things, thus it'll be parallel chapters from different POVs.
     
    Aaah... Good stuff. You've done well on this one, eagerly looking forward to what will come.
     
    Serafina said:
    "But have you considered what being here can do for you?" Judging by their silent expression, they hadn't expected that either. "You said you had trouble with the authorities in Canberra, right? Well, just running the quarantine zone well won't change that! And they'll be too afraid if you start working in other parts of their city. But what if you get someone they'd trust to vouch for you?"
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    Ooo, Taylor turned the tables and caught the Canberra gods off-guard.

    Serafina said:
    "I know, Your Eminence. Though I can't promise I won't ever deceive You in the future. At the very least, it should keep Your wit sharp." I laughed. If he could joke about it, it'd be fine if we talked about it again later.
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    Well, she can't say that Tu Yu didn't warn her.

    Serafina said:
    I made some mental notes about her style. She had taken charge without offending anyone, despite having no authority over any of us. It wasn't even very obvious, she had just been calm, reasonable and polite.
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    Very effective style, isn't it? Taylor's made a good choice in taking some cues from Hannah.

    Serafina said:
    Miss Militia jerked upright as Lisa admitted this, clearly she hadn't been told about this, "and there's nothing left of any value. When he evacd he took everything he could, and destroyed what he couldn't.
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    Irritating, but Coil's not a moron. Staying in a compromised base would be stupid.

    Serafina said:
    Wait, three weeks? Around the time I had died? I still had my blessing on Dragon back then, could that have messed up anything? "Um, does anyone mind if I ask Dragon for help anyway? Maybe she can help if Ver'ash helps her in return? I think it's worth a shot."
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    I was wondering if Taylor would make that connection.

    Serafina said:
    "My apologies, Aedile. I just tried to find a good way to say it. I have been using certain...enhancements to my brain. A neural interface, if you want. Your power made it run much more effectively, which is why I was so surprised back in Canberra. When you extended the power after the battle was over, I took the opportunity to study the effect, and managed to rewrite parts of my code. For the neural interface. You don't have to worry about anyone else, really."

    Yeah, she wasn't telling the whole story here. I had acquired lots of practice in hiding the nature of my own powers, her response could have almost been from me. "I know you aren't telling me the whole truth. But okay, that sounds like it would explain things. Let me guess, without the blessing your rewritten interface doesn't work anymore?
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    Hmm. Dragon may have dun goofed here by doing that.

    Great update!
     
    Let's just leave alone all mention of Lisa eyeing Hannah('s costume) :p

    This was an interesting chapter. Had a few problems making it all work, but thankfully were able to work it all out.

    It also helps set the stage for a lot more action, all of which should be enjoyable, and a particularly fun section for me! For those that might not have worked out from that:

    I get to write Lisa again! I get to write Lisa again!
     
    Awesome, so Lisa is kinda sort but not totally picking up on his power huh. Still kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop with the Cannerra group. Dragon almost gave me the impression of a drug addict needing another fix, that has some awkward implications if anyone else cottons on.
     
    So am I reading into right that Taylor is temporarily unchaining Dragon with her enhancements, or did Taylor manage to turn Dragon into a human?
     
    EFW3 said:
    So am I reading into right that Taylor is temporarily unchaining Dragon with her enhancements, or did Taylor manage to turn Dragon into a human?
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    Dragon has her safeguards/limitations. They are "artificially imposed" insofar that she could do more, but part of her programming determines that she can't multitask too much, not think too fast etc. Then you also have the limitations on only having one copy of herself active at a time, and some others.
    Taylors Blessing of the Dutiful Functionary basically raises Dragons limits. It does not remove them entirely, nor does it affect most of her other safeguards. However, it also allows Dragon to partially reprogram herself, which she is otherwise unable to. Said reprogramming still has limits, but can partially circumvent her other safeguards.
    This isn't a method for unchaining Dragon on it's own, though it could certainly be used to help with that (whether that'll happen in the story is another matter).


    On her reprogramming:
    Well, you can draw some easy analogies. Such as "Dragon is restricted to using this much RAM at a time". Not because she can't have more, her programming was just hardcoded not to use more. Alternatively, you can do the same with CPU-cycles I guess, or a combination of both.

    Well, the blessing raised the limit on that. And Dragon could take advantage of that to optimize her programming. A program that can use 16gb of RAM can do things that a program with 4gb of RAM simply can't do, even if it has access to that much. Same with CPU-cycles. So if you have that much RAM/CPU, you better write a program that takes advantage of that, right?

    Well yes - except you then run into troubles if you're suddenly restricted to only 4gb of RAM. Then your program will suddenly grind to a halt, and be unable to execute a lot of its higher functions. This is essentially what happened to Dragon. She optimized her code for her new limits where she could, then suddenly got stuck with the old limits again. It messed her up pretty bad.

    Dragon was entirely truthful when she said that she could fix her code back to it's old state. That is however a complicated process that can't be accomplished via any simple reboot (this is because old versions of her are now prohibited under the "don't create AIs" clause - yes, not an intended effect of anyone). So she ironically needs more power than she has access to to fix her problems with the code needing more power than she has access to.


    On the "making her human" bit:
    I am firmly of the opinion that any AI like Dragon is essentially a human being by any measure that matters, unless you're talking about biological species. She's a sentient, sapient, highly intelligent being with mature, complex emotions. That's all that matters, there's no need to "make her human" unless she suddenly develops the desire to be in a flesh-and-bones homo sapiens sapiens body.


    And finally, a note on unchaining Dragon:
    Having that happen in a story does in many ways end the story. You can still tell a story afterwards - the Singulary is interesting in itself, and live under unchainedDragon would be worthy of many stories.
    Obviously, those are not the stories told in Divine Administration. Not because they are not great stories, but because this is a different story.

    However, I do like Dragon a lot. I do like AIs a lot. AIs are great even without being capable of unlimited potential.
    So Dragon will change. She will grow, she'll throw off some of her shackles, she'll deal with her own problems and struggles and challenges. She might even find her place in the world as an AI.
    She just won't start the capital-S Singularity, or embody it personally, in the frame of this story.
    But the story of an AI is no less interesting because she doesn't turn omnipotent - just because the story of a deity is no less interesting because she is not omnipotent ;)
     
    Serafina said:
    I am firmly of the opinion that any AI like Dragon is essentially a human being by any measure that matters, unless you're talking about biological species. She's a sentient, sapient, highly intelligent being with mature, complex emotions. That's all that matters, there's no need to "make her human" unless she suddenly develops the desire to be in a flesh-and-bones homo sapiens sapiens body.
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    Ah, so many lewd jokes, so little time.
     
    Always Late said:
    Ah, so many lewd jokes, so little time.
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    "I require the use of your body."
    "Uhhhhh."
    "For experiments, I mean. I'm trying to work out how to put myself inside you."
    "Pardon me?"
    "Inside a human, not you in particular."
    "So what you're saying is that...I'm not good enough for you?"
    "No, not at all, I'm sure you'd be a perfect fit, but there's just so much to put in that some initial experimentation is probably a good idea."

    Somewhere Hu Dai is laughing herself senseless.
     
    My whole idea for the second part was that Dragon gained a meat bag body thanks to Taylor, and then afterwards when Dragon realized that she could go to Brockton Bay and finally kiss Colin she was forced back into her servers, because Worm.
     
    Very nice chapter, however I'm puzzled why Taylor needs anyone to provide information on where members of an organization as structured as Coil's is described to be. I can see her not being able to get information on the other gangs - they'd have no reason to maintain a structure and records detailed enough to be affected by her power but there's no way you could maintain a cell structure without lots of details and a complex hierarchy.

    I could see an argument for Taylor not revealing that capability, but Taylor should at least think about doing it.
     
    TheUnicorn said:
    Very nice chapter, however I'm puzzled why Taylor needs anyone to provide information on where members of an organization as structured as Coil's is described to be. I can see her not being able to get information on the other gangs - they'd have no reason to maintain a structure and records detailed enough to be affected by her power but there's no way you could maintain a cell structure without lots of details and a complex hierarchy.

    I could see an argument for Taylor not revealing that capability, but Taylor should at least think about doing it.
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    Bureaucracy senses... tingling!
     
    Serafina said:
    4.2


    Tu Yu had argued with me about this for far too long. He said it broke all etiquette, didn't suit my position, would cause disrespect and would undermine my position.
    I thought it was just proper courtesy and would establish a better work relationship.
    I opened the door with their name on it and stepped from my Sanctum into Neitee and Yeutta's. I'd meet them in their home.

    Hot, arid wind lifted my veil and blew into my face. I took a moment to fasten it properly, glad that my heavy robes actually shielded me from the heat I could feel. The landscape didn't look anything like the area around Canberra. Dry sand stretched as far as I could see, dotted by small bushels of grass. There was no sun in the sky, instead it was filled with polar lights that illuminated the area just as well. Their shifting patterns drew the eye in and I found myself just wanting to stay and look at them forever. Instead, I took another look around. There, in the distance. That's where their office must be.

    I followed a small stream until I reached the dense trees I had spotted earlier. Tall and green, they were surrounded by moist air and dense undergrowth. I could hear the sounds of animals as followed the stream into the rainforest. The trees above and the plants on the ground seemed to pulse with their own light, almost like the lights in the sky. It was fortunate that there was a clear path, I couldn't have called upon Lotus to provide guidance here, it wasn't my Sanctum after all. Finally, I reached a clearing. An overgrown desk of smooth black rock stood in the middle, and some tree stumps were arranged around it to serve as seats.

    "Neitee? Yeutta? I'm here for our meeting." I actually felt a bit awkward. I had barely talked to them. I made them and then just left them to deal with a very challenging situation. I really shouldn't blame them for some of the measures they had taken.

    "Greetings, creator. It is good to see you once again. I take it you are well again?" Fog fell from the trees and condensed into a snake that easily towered over me. They weren't rainbow-colored this time, instead they looked like the red-green aurora I had seen outside.

    "Thank you, Yeutta, I am. Or at least I am around again." I sat down on one of the tree stumps. There was no reason to remain standing, and projecting that I felt right at home here seemed like a good idea. "Oh, this is pretty comfortable actually. You've done good things with the place."

    "Yes, Tu Yu fulfilled his duties most adequately back then." Their tone of voice made it clear they didn't think he had done so since. Clearly the wrong topic for small talk. Or I could just apologize and make it clear that I had things under control. As, heh, Tu Yu had taught me.

    "Neitee, I'm sorry you couldn't reach me. I really wish that hadn't happened, and I will make sure there will be better communication in the future. You won't be ignored like this again, I promise."
    I couldn't just say I'd always listen myself. If I got too busy, I might have to delegate things. I already relied on Lotus, I wouldn't have to worry about her motives. Or her getting distracted. But I should worry about that later.

    Yeutta seemed grateful, but we had business to attend to as well and the mood for getting acquainted seemed ruined. "I've read your reports, Yeutta. But I'd still like you to tell me about the last weeks in your own words. Especially why you created so many other gods." I tried to keep my voice neutral and non-accusatory. It was all too easy to get angry or dismissive just because something happened without my control.

    "We shall do so, creator. It might take a while though. Would you like some refreshments while we report?" As soon as I had nodded, a humanoid figure stepped around a tree, bearing a tray of cups. It was as small as a child, but made from the same coloured fog as Neitee and Yeutta. It seemed to be denser though and actually wore fairly ordinary clothes. I already knew from the reports that this wasn't one of the new gods. It was a part of Neitee and Yeutta they used to interact with people. Of course, that they could split themselves like that begged the question why they had needed to create more gods.

    I signaled them to start with their report while I sampled the offered beverages. I was pleasantly surprised to find more than just tea, much as I liked it. "At first all went well. We took advantage of our size and of our various selves to calm everyone in the refugee camp down. Blotting out the sky inside the camp got everyone's attention, at least. Then we helped families find each other, and tried to support those who could not. Once your generous supplies arrived, we thought it'd all work out."

    I really hadn't thought of how Neitee and Yeutta would take care of the refugee camp back when I had created them. Their report hadn't described all their powers, but Lisa had been able to piece together a very comprehensive picture. Illusions and being present at multiple locations sounded really handy, especially in the early chaos of the refugee camp. "You did a great job there. You can be proud of what you did there. I've seen how it goes after other Simurgh attacks." I should have stayed and helped, but saying that out loud would undermine the whole point of delegating.

    "Thank you, creator. But us being here just caused an entirely different problems." This is where it'd get interesting. Lisa had already inferred their intentions from their reports. With my abilities to read people, I should be able to corroborate them. "We pretty much took charge of the quarantine zone. Few people in there objected, so that was soon settled." The pride vanished from Neitees voice and they took on a much harsher tone. "Sadly, we did not foresee that those outside would see that as a threat. We haven't been able to do anything in the rest of the city. But worse, they actually cut off support for the zone."

    They seemed genuinely concerned for the people in the refugee camp, though there was quite a bit of ambition there as well. That much I had expected, and I nodded at them to continue. "You have read our reports creator. We couldn't keep order on our own when the first riot broke out. And because they were careful about us, the authorities outside hadn't readied any soldiers to intervene. After the first riot, we decided we had to change that. We tried to contact you for assistance."

    And this was where things had started. "And when you couldn't, you tried to find another solution. I'm glad you did. I take it it worked?" I really was. I had looked into the conditions in other Simurgh quarantine zones, and even gotten some confidential PRT reports from Director Piggot. It was bad enough with government support, without that or Yeutta taking charge…

    "Yes. At first we needed help with keeping everyone safe, so we created some Lion Dogs. Five of them, each has their own district of the camp now." About one per one-thousand-five-hundred people in the camp. That would have been around the time I created Niusha, and the reason why the ambrosia-reserves had been so low. "They've managed to stop every new riot so far, and things are much calmer now. Though it didn't help convince the politicians outside to send in the other professionals we needed."

    "So you created more gods. I have a question about that actually. How did you get the necessary ambrosia for that? I'm pretty sure what we had would not have been enough." Not that this was an exact science, but by now I had a good grasp on what it cost to make a new god. Lesser ones like Niusha or those Lion Dogs were easy, but Neitee hadn't stopped there. And they had clearly gotten more powerful too, judging from the other gods they had created.

    "Yes, we were puzzled as well when we saw how little Ambrosia you were producing, creator. But we were making enough Ambrosia on our own at that point." Ouch, that undertone was really noticeable. Or at least it was to me, they might not even have noticed it slipping in there. To be fair, it had looked like I had abandoned them.

    Well, suspicion confirmed. "So you're getting worship from the people in the zone? May I ask how you've set that up?"

    They were a bit confused at my question, but answered anyway. "Of course you can ask creator. We simply told them what to do. Right after we introduced us, in fact. At first a lot of people didn't do it, but we simply paid more attention to those who did. So the rest took it up pretty quickly, especially once the Lion Dogs showed up. We've added a bit of prayer once our numbers grew, but it's not overtaxing anyone."

    Great. I could just imagine how that would look to the outside world. A new cape taking over a quarantine zone, then literally asking for worship in exchange for protection. I could just order Neitee and their gods to stop all of this, but I was sure that'd just leave the zone a giant mess. No, what they had done was probably justified, even if I was uncomfortable with it. "I'm glad that went so smoothly. Now, you were telling me about those new gods?"

    They went on to tell me. Ver'ash had been created first to build and maintain infrastructure for the refugee camp. He mostly did so by blessing people into competent mechanics, but apparently he also delighted in building all sorts of toys for those that caught his fancy via prayer. Yeutta also mentioned how he had helped with the cleanup of the rest of the city, especially the towers debris. Getting reminded that it was normal that the people in a Simurgh quarantine zone were just left to fend for themselves made my stomach churn, even though I understood the reasons behind it.

    Neitee not been content with just having guard gods to prevent fights, however. They'd decided to create a judicial branch as well. Ti Kuan Yin, Arbiter of Mercy. She had organized the refugees into a societal structure, set up an entire new set of laws and even provided counseling.

    "Thank you for telling me. I think it would be good to meet them actually." And check how the people in the camp felt about having to pray.

    Neitees reply was careful. "Of course, it would be remiss of us to not offer you a proper introduction, creator. We'll gladly do so once you have the time."

    I got suspicious immediately. Maybe it was because Neitee was really behaving suspiciously or because Tu Yus opinion had rubbed off on me, I had no idea. Though I remembered his other advice. "I do have time now. And I hope you have enough time if we cut this meeting short?" There, no real way to weasel out of that unless they really didn't want me to meet the other gods.

    "We do of course, though we would gladly just take time later. But if you think we are done here?" I nodded, glad that it didn't turn into an argument. Yeutta shifted into a smaller form before leading me out of their Sanctum, and we stepped onto the streets of Canberra.



    There was no rubble here, but if you considered that there had been no fighting here at all the change was drastic. I wouldn't have recognized it as the nice suburban neighborhood it had once been. The wall that Tu Yu had helped build was obvious right away, but it had clearly been modified. Where before it had been sloped to keep threats outside, now it was covered with razor wire on the inside. Guard towers peeked over it, clearly observing as much as they could of the inside of the quarantine zone.

    Most buildings here had been demolished. A short twinge of guilt ran through me as I remembered that I had ordered that, but it had been necessary. There were still lots of tents around, but new buildings had been erected. Most were flat, single-story affairs clearly constructed for multiple families. There were only eight larger buildings, and they looked like they were for community use. We had just stepped out of one those, and a lot of people turned to look at us.

    I wasn't really sure what I had expected, but at least we weren't surrounded by thick crowds and nobody was cowering in fear. But the mood seemed different than any crowd I had ever observed in Brockton Bay. There was stress in it, but any activity seemed subdued by exhaustion. In some ways it felt similar to some of the rallies I had attended with Dad when I was a kid, though I really didn't think I had noticed it back then. I probably wouldn't have noticed it here as well, people mostly seemed normal. They talked to each other, including jokes and humor. They weren't obviously injured or running around in rags, though some of the clothing seemed a bit well-worn. Nobody was malnourished either, we had made sure of that, and I could catch a faint smell of food in the air. Still, just like the camp had a lot of obvious imperfections, so it was obvious that the people here were going through hard times.

    "Protector, it is an honor to see you. Is there anything we can do for you or your guest?" Someone had stepped of the building behind us. She wore off-white robes with embroidery in all colors of the rainbow, and a shawl and sashes in similar colors. All seemed brand-new and obviously tried to match Neitee and Yeuttas colors. She seemed only a few years older than me, but was taller and as thin as I had been before, though she seemed much frailer as well.

    "Creator, this is Emily Alexander, one of our priestesses. Emily, this is the Administrator of the Mandate, our creator." Neitees introduction was calm and casual, though I was aware that they had planned this meeting without telling me.

    "Your creator? Oh, of course. Forgive me." Emily seemed more surprised than I was. Shaken even - had Neitee never mentioned me? I heard her draw a deep breath, and could almost see the gears grinding into place quickly. "In that case, I am both glad to learn about you and meet you, Administrator of the Mandate. If my deity permits, I will gladly be of service to you".

    "Yes, dearest Emily. Could you show the Administrator around town for us? Help her get to know the people here."

    What? Why would they run off now, especially since they could be in multiple places at once? I just couldn't imagine what their angle was here. If they didn't want me to talk to anyone here, why wouldn't they stay? If they were fine with it, why leave? Ugh, I really needed to get better at figuring these things out. "Um, yes. I'd love a tour. Well, just talking to the people here would be great. See if everyone is doing well." Well, at least I'd get what I wanted.

    Neitee smiled. "Emily will be great for that, creator. And we should be back when she introduces you to Ti Kuan Yin or Ver'ash."

    Before I had time to react, Emily grabbed me by the arm and tried to drag me along. "I sure will, Protector. Come on, I know just where to start." She really didn't have enough strength to drag me, but I stumbled along just out of surprise at her enthusiasm.



    Emily just started to lead me through the camp. She pointed out several landmarks as we went along. There were several shops, and what appeared to be a central marketplace, though I didn't get to ask her how the economy here worked. The large buildings I had spotted earlier were all served as combined temples, community centers and shelters. I could spot a playground next to one, with children playing on it. There seemed to be something interesting to spot in every corner, and I was glad the community here seemed to have more than just base necessities. While I was still looking around, Emily spoke up. "Administrator of the Mandate, may I ask you a question?"

    "Sure, but just call me...Aedile, please. Go ahead."

    "Aedile? Oh, so you are the one who coordinated the evacuation. I had suspected a connection to Neitee and Yeutta, but it is nice to hear it confirmed." Her voice stayed neutral, but I could feel some awe from her. Admittedly, it made me feel better. "But I'd prefer to use a proper title, not the name you use for the outside world."

    I sighed. "Just Administrator then. You had a question?"

    Emily smiled apologetically. "It is only proper, milady Administrator. And I do hope my question gives no offense, but if it is really true that you created Neitee and Yeutta...were you in turn created by another god?"

    As fragile as she seemed, I really hoped the answer wouldn't shatter her faith. "I did create them after the battle here, yes. But no, I wasn't created by anyone. Well, my dad and my mother...sorry. I had a normal trigger, got my powers like every other parahuman. Mine are just a bit weirder than others, I suppose."

    This time the awe was even stronger. Did it really matter more than what I did during the battle? "You should not think that, milady Administrator. You are no mere parahuman. We have those in this town, and some new capes tried to use their powers in the gods fashion. It's not the same. When I pray to Neitee and Yeutta, I feel connected to them and know they'll be moved by my prayer. I'd trust Quicklime just as much as to help me as any god, and he's doing great things for this community. But it's just not the same. He's a cape, not a god. I respect him, but I would not worship him."

    Well, I had wanted to find out why the people here worshipped Yeutta anyway. "So why did you start worshipping Neitee and Yeutta? Just because they could hear prayers?" I really hoped they hadn't coerced her into it.

    Emily's weak voice sounded much stronger as she answered. "Maybe it was that simple. They gave me hope. There I was, barely alive after my partner dragged me out of our crashed car. I had internal injuries and could barely move, barely talk and barely eat. My partner went looking for a doctor, there weren't any here. Some nurses had survived, but they just couldn't be everywhere. Then the sky just filled with light and images. A voice that told us to be not afraid, and all these figures appeared. All I saw was that they led a nurse right to me, and just a few minutes later they appeared with medical supplies. That saved my life, and mine wasn't the only one saved that way."

    I interrupted her. "But that's just a matter of having the right power. Well, and being willing to be within the quarantine zone." Though it'd explain why she felt more strongly about me creating Neitee and Yeutta than the evacuation. It wasn't exactly rational, but she probably knew that.

    "Yes, I thought so too. I'm not just an impressionable girl. But then, you couldn't have known I was an actress before all this." She let out a short laugh. "No, I was very grateful to them. I would have followed their orders, if they had asked and I could have done anything other than lie in bed."

    Yes, she definitely knew her actions weren't fully rational. "They told everyone to pray right after they showed up, right. So you just started doing it out of gratitude?"

    "No, that just seemed weird to me. It actually made me feel uncomfortable to think about, because only a villain with a massive ego would ask for that, right? No, it happened after I learned that my girlfriend had died during the attack. I just broke down and I guess at some point I must have used that prayer Neitee and Yeutta had been teaching to everyone. They showed up and just talked to me. Helped me say goodbye to Samantha, it helped to see her one last time, even if it was just an illusion." She tried to hide it, but I could hear the pain in her voice. What I would have given to talk to mom one last time after her accident...damn, it would have been hard to let go of that.

    "Wait. Did Neitee offer that to you in exchange for prayer?" The mere suspicion made my blood boil.

    "What? Oh no, not at all! They just offered and made it clear it'd only be to say goodbye. It helped at first, but now it'd just open up old wounds again. But they could not be around all the time, and when they were not I prayed to them. Admittedly, there was little else to do with my injuries back then, but it also gave me hope. I just felt connected to them when I prayed and it gave me a purpose while I was recovering."

    Thinking about that opened some old wounds for me as well. "I know how hard it is to lose someone, and how valuable it is to have someone be there for you. I guess I can understand why you kept praying then." I had done so myself after moms death, despite not being religious. "But I wonder, why did you become a priestess? I suppose that involves getting others to pray?"

    Emily seemed to expect my questions and answered right away. "Well, that was a much more rational decision mylady. After they created Ti Kuan Yin, I was healed so I could walk again. I realize that this only happened because I was a follower of Neitee and Yeutta, but then I learned about the Ambrosia created by prayer. It is only fair that I try to return the aid that has been given to me, is it not? Though admittedly, that is not something that should be at the heart of our faith."

    I changed the topic once I was sure Neitee hadn't forced anyone to pray. It still seemed iffy to me, but under the circumstance it was obviously better than the alternative. It gave them resources, and at least for Emily it had given people hope too. Emily continued to show me around, introduced me to several people and told me stories of both her former life, and life here in the quarantine zone



    Emily needed a break. It was hardly surprising, it was clear that she been injured recently. She picked a small food stand, and we sat down on furniture that had probably been salvaged from an old house by the looks of it. I watched as she ordered some soup for us, but no money got exchanged.

    "Emily, how does your economy here work anyway? Outside currency can't really be used for anything, so what are you using instead?"

    She smiled wearily, clearly still exhausted. "A really interesting topic, milady Administrator. I'm afraid I'm no economist, but I'll try my best to explain it. Essentially, it's all a barter and trust system for now. Shops such as this can rely on the gods to provide as much as they need for their customers, and I'll simply include them in my prayers if they do a good job. That way, the people who work here can get something extra for themselves. Of course, if you need something larger, you usually try to trade services or useful good for it."

    I mulled that over a bit. An economy was really just the administration of resources after all. "Well, I suppose with no scarcity for base goods you don't need money there, but how do you manage…"

    A loud shout interrupted me. A young teenage boy was yelling at an elderly man and gesticulating heavily. The boy was clearly signaling the older man to step away from something behind him, though I couldn't spot what it was. It seemed like it would escalate any minute now. "Wait here, I'll try to help them."

    "Milady, there's no need. Look, there's Just Mornings Flame". She pointed down the street, and I immediately recognized what she was pointing at. Almost six feet tall, with the build and limbs of a heavy dog but the head, hair and tail of a lion. The body seemed to be carved from dark-red stone with a slight metallic sheen, almost like polished ore. The hair gleamed in a much brighter red and was clearly metallic. One of the Lion Dogs Neitee and Yeutta had created as guardians had arrived.

    "Stop!" Mornings Flame's roar froze everyone on their track. I could feel it wash over me, for just a second I felt paralyzed with fear. People around us recovered quickly, but the two people who had been fighting stood still as the Lion Dog advanced on them.
    "What is going on here? Tell me." His voice sounded stern, but not aggressive. It didn't have to, despite being only slightly taller than them his massive body seemed to tower over them and was more than enough intimidating.

    The old man tried to stand his ground, despite the panic he radiated. But the boy threw himself to the ground and talked frantically right away. "Honored one! My grandfather, he just wouldn't listen! He's been digging this out for days. Look!" He pointed, and by now I had gotten closer and could easily spot the small hole in the ground. The boy's grandfather looked like he wanted to shut him up by force, but he didn't dare move as Flame moved closer.

    "I see. Well done boy, you did the right thing. And you…" He turned, and the grandfather actually leaped over the hole and shouted at him to get away. "You knew these shards are dangerous. Why did you dig this one out?"

    The old man frantically stumbled over his words. "No. No, no, no!" This is important. It's...I need it. The boy needs it! I know it's dangerous, but I need it to protect him! You don't understand. I do, it's…"

    "Silence!" This time, only the grandfather was affected, freezing just as he was reaching into the hole. Mornings Flame caught him as he collapsed, and went on with surprising softness. "It's clear that you need help. Boy? Do you have anyone else to take care of you?"

    The boy was shivering, but answered. "No, Honored One. I could ask friends, but...will pop be okay?"

    Just Mornings Flame carefully put the man down. "Go to my temple then. My priests will provide for you until your grandfather will do so again."

    The boy was fighting back tears now. "But he wasn't like that. What if he's...if it was 'cause of the Simurgh?"

    "Do not worry, Ti Kuan Yin can heal even that, in time. Your grandfather will return to you, you have my word."

    He seemed to calm down, but still looked at his grandfather with worried eyes. A minute later, I had gotten back to Emily and was about to ask her to introduce me when what must have been Ti Kuan Yin arrived.

    She was different to what I'd expected, but then I'm not sure what I had expected. My experience with Goddesses was limited, to say the least. What would a judge look like? Yet a judge who was also a counsellor, and a community's heart? For the first, any guise would do. For the rest, perhaps I should have realised it would be more difficult.

    Hu Dai had been - or was, we still weren't sure - effortlessly young. Despite her wisdom, it had been knowledge given in youth. Kuan Yin was something else. Her face might be youthful, and there was no grey in her ice blonde hair, but she bore no trappings. Nothing but the simple robe of cotton white and an aura of endless patience worn about her like a cloak. Patience and...care, perhaps. And where there was no grey in her hair, there was plenty in her eyes. Reflecting the sun they shone like newly forged steel, bright and very aware.

    She brushed the boy's face with one hand as she passed him, and words that I could not hear passed between them, but he seemed brighter as she moved forwards towards his grandfather. Kneeling down beside him, she looked across at Morning's Flame.

    "Release him, please. I cannot start this working without his consent."

    "Very well, Protector." The Lion Dog stepped back a pace, and Mike's body suddenly jerked upright. He started to turn towards Morning's Flame, but Kuan Yin stopped him.

    "Mike." The name came from somewhere deep inside her chest, and the intensity wrapped within it seemed to strike him like a body blow.

    "Protector, please," he stuttered, "I...my grandson...I needed to-"

    "I know." She replied. "It has always been clear that you care for him a great deal. But what was your aim in unearthing that device?" The question was entirely open and devoid of any trace of judgement.

    "It...protection...as if you could understand!" He snapped at her. "He's all I have left, don't you understand! I need to be able to protect him. I promised his parents, I promised my daughter!" His voice cracked, and Morning's Flame almost took a step forward. Almost. Kuan Yin's other hand rose sharply, palm up, and he sat back to rest again.

    "Do you feel unsafe here?".

    "No, but...what if you're gone and something happens?" He gestured wildly back at the hole he'd made. "Then...then we might need something like that!"

    "Even when you have Morning's Flame and his siblings to protect you until I return?" Her voice was very gently. "Mike, this is my home. I will never leave it unless I must, and I can return to it far swifter than you could imagine."

    The man seemed to try to process that, conflicting thoughts fighting their way across his mind and I could feel it crumbling at the edges.

    "Mike, you were there when we made our first laws. One of the first was against things like this, and you have been moved by your own care, and love, to break it. Yet it is still broken, and part of you still knows that you should not have been moved so far, or so fast." He shuddered, looking across at Kuan Yin with eyes full of desperate tears. He didn't notice the figure in green robes that was carefully removing the buried shard. Judging by the purple skin and Mornings Flame reaction, that had to be Ver'ash.

    "I…" he struggled for words for several long moments more, then drew in a shuddering breath. "Protector, I am not well."
    "Do you request my aid?" She asked, her words suddenly formal, and yet also careful. Mike took several more breaths, then nodded.

    "I do." He forced out.

    "Then I will see you whole again." She reached up, placed her right hand on his cheek. "Sleep."

    She caught him as he slipped down again, this time asleep instead of paralyzed, and looked to Morning's Flame. "See him to my Sanctuary, Just Morning's Flame. And my thanks for your swift action."

    "Of course." The Lion Dog bowed, and she rose to her feet. Her robe hadn't even stained, and I wondered if mine could do that as she approached.

    "Honoured Administrator," she bowed effortlessly between steps and words both. "I regret that our first meeting is under such circumstances. I would prefer to be a proper host."

    "You're just doing your job, I don't mind."

    "As are we all." Her eyes softened slightly, then she shook her head. "It would be remiss of me to not offer you tea once my newest patient is fully settled. I think we might have a great deal to discuss. But sadly, not now." She bowed again, then turned towards the building that Morning's Flame had carried Mike towards. "There is someone who needs my help."

    "We appreciate that you did not intervene, creator". Neitee materialized in front of me. Well, they had said they would be around when I met the other gods.

    "You reacted quickly. Though this wasn't exactly much of an introduction". My suspicions flared up again. Distract me with Emily and then show me that the other gods were conveniently busy...though that'd only force me to come back later.

    "Oh, we'd say seeing our subjects in action was a good start. And Ti Kuan Yin even gave you an invitation herself. Why, we imagine one of her tea ceremonies would teach you even more about her personality, though sadly you might need a few hours for it, creator."

    I had only half-listened. Tu Yu had just sent me an Infallible Messenger - everyone was assembled for planning our moves against Coil. "Yes, maybe later. They're busy now, and I have to leave. But you aren't, correct?"

    Their reply was cautious. "What do you need of us, creator?"

    I put as much authority as I could into my answer. "I'd have liked to put down some rules. On ambrosia, creating new gods, and building up cults. But for now we need to plan and fight. You're with me. So is Ver'ash, unless whatever was dug out there is about to kill anyone. And all the Lion Dogs you can spare here."

    Yes, they definitely didn't like me exercising my authority like that. Though, we'd need what we could get in Brockton Bay. "We'll be glad to be of assistance, creator. I'll inform the others."

    No need to bruise their ego more than necessary. "Thank you, I really do appreciate it. This is really important, and we're kinda in a hurry."
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    Yes, good. You have to take control as the leader of the pantheon.
     
    This was a great chapter.

    In this story, I legitimately enjoy reading Taylor being the Administrator and organizing, planning, dealing with bureaucracy, etc. more than I enjoy the action.

    The action is good, don't get me wrong, and enjoyable to read. Just, I find the strength of this story to be it's title and themes.
     
    TheUnicorn said:
    Very nice chapter, however I'm puzzled why Taylor needs anyone to provide information on where members of an organization as structured as Coil's is described to be. I can see her not being able to get information on the other gangs - they'd have no reason to maintain a structure and records detailed enough to be affected by her power but there's no way you could maintain a cell structure without lots of details and a complex hierarchy.

    I could see an argument for Taylor not revealing that capability, but Taylor should at least think about doing it.
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    What makes you think that Taylor can just automatically get that information?

    Granted, I could have included a sentence of her thinking about it here. But the chapter was already crammed enough as it is, and Taylor assisting against Coil will be shown in one of the next two chapters.

    And she'll definitely be able to gleam a lot of information on him and his mercenaries. But I don't think Coil is foolish enough to maintain a written list of which mercenary is stationed where exactly. At this point, the best they can hope for is a long list of safehouses the mercenaries are allowed to use as they wish. Not even for information security, but because that way the whole system just has flexibility that is highly valuable. Coil may hate chaos, but since the whole thing is still under his control I think he would use something like that.

    finbikkifin said:
    So rather than any useful or relevant comment, I'll just say that aww, Rachel/Amy has the potential to be awkwardly sweet.
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    That is actually a useful and relevant comment. I am glad to hear that it can be seen as sweet.
    Not that shipping will necessarily occur, mind you. I mostly just saw the possibility of Rachel - who essentially does biomanipulation at range, if limited to dogs - getting advice from another biomanipulator. Granted, we don't know whether Rachels powers were ever capable of precision beyond "pump them up more", but since it makes for a more interesting story if she can learn some tricks, she will.
     
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