3.2 Initiation
"Ordis, what do you think of this," I asked.
"Can the Operator be more specific?"
"This, ugh, this assessment!" I said. "'Untrusting,' 'mild paranoia,' 'likely to test acquaintances for the possibility of betrayal,' I can't believe they're jumping to all these conclusions from some bullshit paper test!"
"Perhaps they could have been more careful in their wording," said Ordis.
I froze.
"Their wording," I said.
"The Operator may want to consider that she may not be entirely objective in the matter of self-assessment," said Ordis
I… I knew that was true of me inasmuch as it was true of everybody, but it still grated.
"Fine!" I said.
I was silent as Andrea returned to collect her files. I didn't speak as a faceless agent collected me and brought me to another room where another agent waited.
I wasn't in the mood to be tactful, though I knew it would make things harder for me later.
I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"If I may make a suggestion," said Ordis, "I would recommend conducting power testing before beginning your negotiations."
My mouth closed with a snap.
A little destruction sounded like what I needed right now.
"Anything else?" I asked.
The wide room was littered with bisected objects. A paper target, a length of wood, a pig carcass, strips of leather, even some sheet metal.
The loudspeaker failed to answer me.
"We haven't even gotten to the other stuff," I whined.
It had been over an hour and we had only tested my Void beam, which honestly didn't do that much damage. If I could construct a better amp I could make it more respectable, but I had no clue how or when I would get the parts.
"You have additional powers to be tested?" the speaker tried and failed to hide a note of incredulity.
"Um, yeah!" I didn't even try to keep the flippancy out of my inflection.
"Please exit the testing area to discuss what additional materials will be needed," it said after a moment.
Most of my Void abilities were relatively simple to test. My beam and blast just needed various targets. Void walking was a little harder on them since they kept trying and failing to detect me. I had told them that it was like walking in another dimension, but different, since the Void wasn't really a dimension, but the emptiness between, but they still thought I should register on pressure plates, air displacement tests, and whatever they labeled as exotic energy detection. Even my ability to alter my appearance was simple, if slow.
Now, though, things were a bit more difficult.
The room I was in was covered in shelves brimming with junk. Broken appliances and toys, random batteries and tools that looked like they belonged in a museum or a dumpster, but not in anything called a 'workshop.'
"What do you expect me to accomplish with this junk?" I asked.
I found the hardest bit of metal in the room. Blunt impacts from a hammer easily scratched and deformed it.
"I can't make anything useful out of something this heavy and weak," I said, "or without proper tools."
There was silence for several minutes.
The door opened with a hiss and a familiar armored figure strode in.
"What tools do you think you need?" he asked.
I took a moment to consider my answer.
"I need to see what the state of your metallurgy, polymer development, and individual fabrication technologies are," I said.
"Come with me," he said, "I'll brief you in my workshop."
He turned and walked at a brisk pace. My legs were substantially shorter, so I had to jog to keep up. Soon we entered a much more orderly looking workshop with glimmering armor and weapons in various states of construction.
There was also a monitor on the wall displaying Pendragon's human avatar. When he walked past it, she winked at me before the monitor went blank. As Armsmaster settled in at his desk, various images started coming across the monitor.
What I saw shouldn't have shocked me. I knew what this world's technology was capable of producing, so the state of their production technology was only an inference away. Yet it still felt different to see overly massive forges that reached pitiful temperatures and shaped metal and alloys so inexpertly and a polymer production process that seemed like a series of uneducated guesses, and '3D printing' that hadn't been integrated into either process.
I sat down heavily on the floor.
After a moment, Armsmaster stopped speaking and cocked his head to the side.
"Too much information?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Too little," I said, "but I think I know how I can help."
Ordis turned out to be right, which wasn't all that surprising. I had the feeling that interacting regularly with other Cephalons, ones that weren't absolutely insane, was helping him even out his own temperament.
Anyway, after demonstrating my abilities, there was hardly any negotiation. Armsmaster had decided to attend my meeting and cleared his throat significantly when an agent had attempted to push back on me opting for an open identity.
It felt good, seeing both him and Andrea start to look after me. Though I now felt a little guilty as he and others were panicking at my 'disappearance' from my bed. It was necessary for my story to be consistent and for me to have some time to operate in my warframes, but putting him through this didn't feel good.
"Operator, you have unread messages," said Ordis.
I turned from looking at an intact Lua, hanging in the window before me. A mental twitch brought the hologram up before me. It was a request for a chat from Jabberwock, the one of Pendragon's brood in charge of operations. After a moment's thought, I initiated the call.
The screen remained on my inbox, as Jabberwock apparently didn't bother with making an avatar.
"Thank you for contacting me, Opera," a voice said.
"You're welcome, Jabberwock, what is it that you wanted to discuss?" I asked.
"Ordis mentioned that you were looking for ways to help each member of the Round Table. I imagine most have requested a technological upgrade of some sort, but that isn't what would help me the most," it said.
I blinked.
"What is it that would help you the most?" I asked.
My screen was replaced with a number that was constantly ticking up.
"That's the number of people being killed by threats that are within our ability to handle," it said. "These aren't governments exchanging lives of citizens for overall peace and control. These aren't nigh unkillables like the Endbringers or Sleeper. These are threats that could be handled but aren't.
"What I need is a teammate, a partner. Someone that is just as dedicated as I am to protecting humanity from the monsters.
"I don't want your technology. I want you."
I looked at the number and watched it grow before my eyes.
I gave him my answer.
"Operator!" said Ordis. "I've detected another Void Fissure, though there may be a problem."
"Yes?" I asked.
"The territory in question is occupied by a governmental entity known as the CUI," said Ordis. "They have taken an isolationist stance towards the rest of the world and ban unauthorized entry, even during emergencies where foreign aid is needed. If you are discovered it could set off an international incident and make you some powerful enemies."
That was problematic. It couldn't have been as simple as providing help to those who wanted it.
Vote #1: Does PRT stand for Pathetic Rudimentary Technology?
[] Help by advancing metallurgy (lighter and stronger alloys)
[] Help by advancing polymers (more specialization and diversity of materials)
[] Help by integrating existing technologies
[] Help by focusing, instead, on the use of your Void abilities
Vote #2: Team Jabberwock?
[] Join with Jabberwock
[] Do not join with Jabberwock
[] Get more info or set conditions or limits (Write-In)
Vote #3: Little Trouble in Regular Sized China
[] Honor CUI's wishes, but send an anonymous tip
[] Intervene but prioritize remaining unseen (Ivara)
[] Aid locals directly in combating the threat (Trinity)
Vote #3a
[] Take Jabberwock
[] Go on a mission with Jabberwock instead
