tushanshu_logs | open audience;

open audience;

Characters: The Ironwood Emperor and anyone who came to speak with her!
Date: November 15th.
Location: The Palace of Landed Sky
Situation: The expected holding of an audience for any that care to speak with the Ironwood Emperor.
Warnings/Rating: N/A; to be updated if necessary

The hall is still and white, strung with softly glowing lanterns that are strung up high beyond reach. Outside, the sun is at its zenith, and it filters down through the cloudy glass roof to create a brilliant, nearly blinding ambiance.

The floor is marble, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ruby quartz. It catches the light, and casts strange patterns on the walls.

The Emperor is painting today, broad sweeps of colour across canvas. She's dressed very simply, with no ornamentation, and every once in a while she'll stop to wipe her brow with her arm, which has resulted in more than one smudge of paint on her cheek or forehead. She seems to be in a decent mood today, at least?

[Actionspam or prose are both acceptable!

Characters will only be admitted into the hall one by one, so there won't be anyone present for anyone else's conversations, and there won't be any 'mingling' in the chamber itself.

By popular demand, we will continue to allow mingling for those waiting for an audience in an antechamber. There is a thread header below to allow for that!]

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[She's wiping her hands free of paint on Shockwave's entry, and the woman gets a curt nod.]

Speak your piece.

I only have a request - that I might be allowed to take a look at one of your consoles without it melting. As you are no doubt aware, Jor-El and I only wish to use our knowledge to help. Any concerns about an unfamiliarity with technology coupled with an organic system are valid, but irrelevant when one considers what I am.

( Even if it doesn't function completely like Cybertronian technology due to the whole organic thing, Shockwave is certain that actually examining it will prove to be invaluable. )

You have brought us here to fight a war, but that is not where my talents lie. Let me use them in a way that can benefit everyone.

[A roll of her eyes.]

It's not a security measure. The consoles are, as you've noted, partially organic. When they're taken apart they are in essence 'killed'. Of course they don't have nervous systems or brains, so I doubt they feel pain, but. The fact remains.

But they've been upgraded before without 'killing' them, so it stands to reason that you have some means of preventing their self-destruction for a given amount of time.

( But interesting all the same. )

You can give a human being a piercing without killing it, cutting it open from stem to stern to examine its innards are quite another story. It's easier to add than to examine.

[And it was a minor enough alteration to begin with.]

( The fragility of organic life, Shockwave supposes. How inconvenient. )

And the network is dependent on the consoles? ( Not that there's any sign in Shockwave's expression of simply giving up - there's always an angle, always something worth trying. ) If an addition is all it can take, then I will work with that.

It is, yes.

[She shrugs.]

What would you be looking to do, and why? There's no point in any further upgrades. They serve their purpose. I'm not interesting in fostering luxuries for the foreigners to the point that they become useless to me.

But leave them with little and they'll become just as useless, and a danger to yourself should anyone decide they are better off without you. Trying to crack down on insurrection will only make you look worse.

( Talking about politics is not why Shockwave is here, as much as there's a deep desire to want to try. Instead Shockwave unwraps the package - revealing a small, book-sized piece of glass with metal around the edge and behind. )

It's only a model of what I wish to do ( Holds it out for the Emperor to take, if she wants. It won't do anything except for light up - as if the pane of glass should be a display. It's not much, but it's something. ) but it would simply make the network more portable. You must admit that ease of communication would be a valuable asset in a time of war.

Or an easier way for Malicant to learn what people are doing. I'm sure you noticed its grand introduction across the Network.

[And no, she doesn't take it. Eshai is a bonafide technophobe, thanks.]

It was impossible to miss.

( Tucking that back under Shockwave's arm, then. )

If you are worried about someone careless leaving it unattended or lost, there are ways to corrupt the data after so long or if accessed by anyone but the owner. The Network is already compromised if it can announce itself in the way it did. Pretending otherwise is foolish.

( There's a change in Shockwave's tone - annoyed and frustrated at what Shockwave sees as a reluctance to even consider the possibility for scientific improvement. )

I haven't pretended otherwise.

[A sigh.]

Listen. You weren't here for the satellite, unless I miss my guess. I've long speculated that Malicant is -- what you might call technokinetic. Why do you think Keeliai has had so few advancements? When I was a girl this planet had already achieved faster than light travel. And when Malicant came, it used that technology against us in all the worst ways you can imagine. Perhaps I'm being suspicious for no reason. Perhaps not. I'm not going to risk it. If you make any attempts at significant technological advancement, I will put a stop to it. Immediately.

( That causes Shockwave no small amount of pause. )

Understood. ( Just one more limit, then. For Shockwave won't allow the endangerment of others even at the price of science. It's always been that way, and the warning of Dai Atlas rings in the back of Shockwave's mind. Do not become the student of Jhiaxus' cruel sciences I was warned of. ) If I might ask for any information on how Malicant managed to use it against you--

( An almost sad smile. )

I've no wish to inadvertently bring about the ruin of what you've sought to protect simply because of what I am. And Orion would say the same, if he were here.

[She frowns.]

We had orbital satellites, to protect from-- invasion. They were fired on a country with which we'd never had pleasant negotiations. Several of our floating cities fell out of the sky - they had anti-gravity technology to keep them aloft. Boats sank without a trace. Our communications systems would shut down at random. We had a... how shall I say, a 'ghost in the machine'. At the time, our technology was just that - technological. I had hoped the organic compound to the Networks would disallow any tampering. Obviously I did not succeed.

I don't suppose there was a sign-- some trace of its presence in it before it announced that it was there. You might not have recognized it as such then, of course.

( Something, anything. Enough for Shockwave to have something to go on to prevent what seems like inevitable disaster. If Orion was concerned about what they might do without influence, if Malicant found some way to control them... )

There's no need to tell you the reason behind my sudden interest in preventing it from gaining a stronghold here, at least one that would allow it to exert control over technology of that scale. No matter how complicated it might be.

Edited 2013-11-17 06:45 (UTC)

Nothing that we noticed. I was not involved with the areas that would have picked up on such interference, and much was lost in the war.

[She sighs.]

It's only speculation, of course. It could be that it had possessed a man or woman in a high-ranking position and used their knowledge, but I'd rather be safe than sorry in this case.

And the satellite that crashed? What became of any technical part of that - beyond an upgrade, that is.

( SO MANY QUESTIONS. )

I take your caution to mean you have no contingency plan for those of us heavily reliant on technology to survive from day to day.

( Or. At all. )

I have some of it. I've been... conducting my own research.

[She gives Shockwave a sideways look.]

No. Frankly, I'd rather send such individuals back.

Would it be possible to assist you? Even you could see the advantage of having someone more familiar with technology around, and I have more years of experience than anyone else.

( Not even going to try and hide the excitement at the prospect of poking around what's left over. )

But you can't, or else you would have already.

It may be possible, although I wouldn't consider it as an option unless I were truly desperate.

[And she isn't. Not yet.]

Mn. Yes.

Why not now? There's nothing for you to lose, and it's far better to have a plan of action before desperation sets in rather than hope for the best.

( Shockwave knows plans. Shockwave's thing is plans, except for the one time that one didn't exist and was needed most. )

And what- are we to simply accept the fact that we're to be a liability?

[She sets her mouth, a firm and unhappy line. Count the ways she doesn't like being called on her bullshit, Shockwave.]

And what would you hope to glean from such a thing?

( Shockwave's political career was built on calling people out on their bullshit. It's a no-regrets robotic life. )

Anything. ( because that's going to go down well, Shockwave extrapolates. ) The similarities in those systems with your own version of organic technology - if there's any trace of Malicant's own tampering with the systems, I'd want to know what it is and try and determine if there's any way to defend against it.

[BUT HER PRIDE THO.]

Very well. I will grant you limited access to what I possess.

( DEAL WITH IT.

But she does get a wide smile from Shockwave. )

Thank you, your majesty. Whenever you'd like me to begin--

( Now. Beginning now would be good. )

[SHE HATES HAPPINESS SO MUCH she actually grimaces at Shockwave.]

I will arrange for the less sensitive bits of debris to be delivered to your quarters. I trust [note the stress on that word] that you will look after it.

(no subject)

tomemyoutliers - 2013-12-07 05:45 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

ironwood - 2013-12-15 16:12 (UTC) - Expand

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