oo5 ⊗ video ⊗ fifth move ⟹ backdated to oct 5th.

[oxfordian]

[ charles is visibly distressed when he appears on the screen, this time. he's in what seems to be some underground facility, and there are other faces behind him—notably collette, emma, galadriel, raven, and others. his eyes remain closed for a second and you can hear him take a deep breath. then: ]

We have... borrowed a gentleman by the name of Richard Lawson...—from the United Earth. He is a cabinet member of the President's. Yes, the President of the United Earth. [ charles clears his throat, steels himself. ]

We've learnt a great many things about the United Earth from his head, and we feel it best to share that information with all of you, here on the Network.

[ charles states the next words with a heavy voice. ]

The President of the United Earth is not human. "He" is—artificial. Artificial Intelligence, or what you would call an A.I.. The United Earth... has never seen his face, as far as we have deduced.

We will try to answer questions about what we have learnt to the very best of our ability, but do be patient. Ah—[ he closes his eyes again, considering. then he nods as though he's made the right decision and he knows it. ]

That is all.

( note: wow i knew i forgot something like a winner. THIS TAKES PLACE DURING/AFTER these linked shenanigans: [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] )

Comments

[oxfordian]

I am a telepath. Ah... that is the simple explanation. [ he smiles, a bit. ]

[uncalled_for]

Unfortunately, not simple enough. [She'd love to hear more but now is hardly the time...]

So you have information of this president of theirs so now what do you plan to do with it?

[oxfordian]

Share it as we had, of course. Ah, honestly—it has been shared with the Initiative. It is only a small piece of a larger puzzle, with many of its pieces still missing.

[uncalled_for]

The sharing is appreciated, however it may have leaked. It should be a warning if anything.

[A short pause.]

Do you not think it odd, though? That the Initiative may not have been aware of this? Or if they were that they didn't share it with us when this is the very thing we are here to help them be rid of.

[oxfordian]

To be quite honest, I don't think they knew—I'm confident in what I have learnt from them, rather.

[uncalled_for]

So they have had no idea what they were putting us up against. [Oh, joy.]

[oxfordian]

It is something like that, I suppose; though they were as ignorant as we.

[uncalled_for]

That's not comforting. They put us up against this leader they are trying to overthrow without knowing anything about it. We're nothing but experiments to them. Throwing us from different angles to see which works best.

[oxfordian]

[ Charles takes a deep breath, then quietly begins; ] They placed us up against this massive, oppressive world power—a world power whose greed is not bound only to this world of Exsilium, but of all of our worlds. While I do not agree with their methods, I will not hesitate to say that with them, I sympathize.

It had been... before your time here, I believe; [ After a few seconds, Charles links this post from the Network archives ] in which their desperation became better clarified.

[ charles y u gotta sympathize w basically everything ]

[uncalled_for]

[Well, that's disturbing.]

So it is before I came here, almost a month. Regardless, that doesn't justify their mistreatment of us up until now. However desperate they may be, we are blind in this.

[oxfordian]

[ Charles nods, quietly. ]

It requires a great deal of trust, I'm afraid—and it seems I will always be the optimistic fool in that position. [ charles............... ]

[uncalled_for]

And if this ends up hurting us in the end? If this UE can harm our worlds, how do we know they won't when they're done with us?

[oxfordian]

Well—ah, well, the idea is that we shall be the ones that are subsequently done with them by that time. We are working to topple the United Earth from its pedestal, with the Initiative—ah, what I mean to say is, I should hope that we'll have been successful before that point!

[uncalled_for]

I meant the Initiative. If they can take us from our homes from varying times, what's stopping them from destroying our own worlds? If a power has an army, do you honestly think it's going to give that up? Especially after it's crushed another it had such difficulty in doing so.

[oxfordian]

Having spent a great deal of time reading their minds, I can assure you that they've no intention of doing so—they've no desire for power. That is not their gain, here. I suppose in a fairy tale way, they are only attempting to save the world.

[uncalled_for]

[She's not buying it.] A very fairytale way. So if you know what their intention or gains are, then what are they?

[oxfordian]

[ It takes Charles a few moments to compose his thoughts into something, well, understandable. ]

It is what they say it is, without a doubt; they mean only to lead their resistance against the United Earth and repair the world to its former state of, ah, free will. While the United Earth's manipulation of their own citizens is not a threat to them, the very notion of their totalitarian control is—they intend to fight and free the minds of all those generations of enslaved citizens.

They intend to right the world so the monumental greed and arrogance of the United Earth does not consume itself and its people and bring everyone—other worlds alike—with it.

I do apologize, for I have been here for a very long time; I've learnt quite a bit in that time, and they've.. though not all of them... opened their minds to me in our previous agreement wherein I staffed their library. I don't believe that all of their choices are morally correct, but I sympathize with their need to make the choices they have made.

[uncalled_for]

[A noble act enough, if that's what it is. She's well aware enough of sacrifices for a greater goal but...]

Very well, so once this problem is fixed, they end this rule, then what? If you know them so well then you must know what they plan to do afterward. I can see what they are doing now but once this is finished then what? They lose their defenses when we are sent home, is whatever leader they establish truly going to approve of that?

[oxfordian]

[ Swallowing, Charles just frowns. It's a very valid question, and he doesn't have a good answer for it. ]

Only time will tell, in that case. I know that perhaps I'm foolish for my trust, but in some way I find myself just wishing that—ah, that in our two questionable options, there is at least one with which I may place my faith.