Scene #8297: The Extraction

Owner	Pose
Ishirou	The heart of INDUS was a very tall building, one that stood over all others. It reached high in the sky and was where everything else seemed to flow. The tower was a stark white against the skyline, and where the government of INDUS stood before and does now. I1, who was appointed leader of the city by Eggman after his hostile takeover has taken time to extract the previous extravagance, and instead has turned the building into a much more efficient machine of governance, rather than opulence. A meeting room was partitioned for today's meeting, and a large board-style room, with enough chairs, sat out for everyone. Coffee, water, and some simple pasty snacks are set out for the guests. Across the building, much of FANTOM's intelligence team has been repurposed into running things and smoothing out the transition. One other thing that stands out, is throughout the building and the city was the former humans. Red-eyed machines, who seemed to mindlessly perform their assigned tasks. Every look is dull, every movement is completely unnatural. If you didn't know they were humans, they'd just seem like very well-designed drones. Ishirou arrives with the rest, having had to put on a hat and glasses to conceal his identity because Eggman units were apparently set to eject him from the city. He sits down but doesn't grab any drinks, and instead fidgets with a pen. POD is on one side of him, and he exchanges a look with I1 every now and again.
Kale Hearthward	Kale takes one look at Ishirou's 'disguise', and goes to make him a better one that's not just 'a hat and glasses'. The same goes for anyone else who needs to get in without attracting attention. There's a dressing room inside the East Wind for it, even. (No, it's not a maid dress. It's an actual disguise.) For his part, Kale plays up the tourist approach, including a sun hat, bright patterned clothing, and a camera around his neck. He takes a lot of pictures on the way in. "Right." He sets aside the hat and camera when they finally arrive in the meeting room, and he does grab a drink for himself. "Place has... changed a lot, huh?" he says, conversationally, to Ishirou as he sits down.
Seras Victoria	Government operations are usually grand, ostentaious and opulent affairs. Finding the meeting room is purely pragmatic, Seras Victoria is briefly stunned at what she sees. GLancing this way and that for the usual fanciful decorations and splendor which the big and powerful find comforting and finding nothing much... She scoots awkwardly towards a seat and slips into it without a word, finding it wiser to observe and listen in the face of such utter unfamiliarity. Of course, the sharp-eyed may catch an occasional forlorn look aimed at some of the pastries and snacks. Only an occasional one.
S6	While the Eggman robots are present in various places about the council building, there are none in this specific councilroom. The guards are FANTOM androids, though only one of them is in the usual recognizable FANTOM combat gear. The others have adapted and adopted different looks and fashions. Two men and two women, standing by as guards and assistants. At the head of the meeting table, standing with her arms folded behind her back, is I1. The FANTOM leader who had been given de-facto control over Indus after Eggman's takeover. A black-haired, golden-eyed android in the lovechild between a slit-sided dress and a military uniform; an esoteric mixing of styles as is so common with pre-emancipation FANTOM. Her physical shape and the structure of her face are perfection, almost uncannily so. The tailoring and cut of her uniform likewise flawless, perfectly balanced between normally conflicting styles and utterly immaculately white like undriven snow. As people start arriving she turns her head slightly towards one of the guard androids, who polarizes the windows overlooking the main plaza. From inside, they just darken slightly, while from outside they turn completely black. "Welcome to Indus," she states in a confident tone. She distinctly refuses to call it the 'Egg Indus Zone' as she did in the broadcast, "Or 'back' to Indus." Her eyes flit briefly to Ishirou, then back across those gathered, "You will know me as I1. Considering the collapse of prior social structures, I would prefer you refer to me as White. Commander White, if you care for titles." She remains standing until each member of the delegation has been sseated, and only then does she seat herself. One leg folds over the other, her fingers lacing together, "It should go without saying, nothing spoken here leaves this room. Exchange your pleasantries and then we will get down to business."
Tamamo	Tamamo's 'disguise' is sort of not really a disguise at all, though it is different from her usual. A white, ribbed sweater, black, super high-waisted skirt held by a thin belt, a tan overcoat thrown on top and then allowed to fall off her shoulders and, naturally, heels just barely appropriate for city walking. Her silhouette is again differentiated by her hair being loose, but with the ears and tails, she's only marginally less identifiable from a a far distance as before. One might ask, then, what the point of dressing up at all was. Tamamo walks without seeming to pay any mind to the robotomized former-citizens, though her eyes still track them. It's just that she doesn't turn her head or slow for them, to maintain an entirely false air of apathy. That controlled demeanor doesn't noticeably change when the windows are darkened, either. "Command White, then. It has been some time since we last met, and much has happened, since, some of it regretful."
Lilian Rook	Thinking of her last trip to indus takes Lilian a ways back. Far back enough that she sort of wishes that she could get away with wearing what she did in those days. Even if things with her hadn't changed since then, though, Indus itself certainly has, and so Lilian has to begrudgingly allow chaos its win and respect the changing of the guard. She shows up with a subdued entrance and dress-down business casual look, fit for an off-the-books meeting with a by-the-books operator, save for the jacket and scarf still loosely clinging to her indoors, as if she plans to hurry to another meeting in short order. Her bag is unusually heavy around the chair, where she takes her seat, but the element most out of place is her long and unambitious silence, which she maintains long after everyone else has already arrived. It could almost be called 'quiet contemplation', were the look she gives her coffee as she stirs, more intensely thoughtful, and the one with which she favours her untouched pastries less dimly forlorn. The first words she says in that room are ostensibly for no ears but her own. Quiet enough to just barely be audible, and so deeply stained with feeling that a few words garble themselves. Something like "We should have had §more time§. But this place was always stubborn like that. We should have made it all §mine§ when we had the chance." Finally, Lilian gathers herself, clears her throat, straightens in her seat, and performatively downs a long, slow sip of coffee to scorch herself awake. "A pleasure to meet you then, Commander White. As this is, in many manners of speaking, our first meeting." she says, much more like her usual. "Business will simply have to be brisk, I'm afraid. We're here to negotiate the release of Indus' former human population in to Paladins custody." "Specifically, we are not here to negotiate whether or not this can be done. We are negotiating how to accomplish this in the way that is most efficient and yet agreeable to you and your efforts."
S6	White's eyes close for a moment, "Yes. Regretful. Though admittedly more bloodless than I had expected. Sometimes even the Devil brings good news, I suppose." Eyes opening, she focuses on Lilian, who seems to be in charge here. "Yes, of course it can be done. I would argue that it should be done," White's tone is evenly measured, unfaltering, "There is need for specialized care which Indus itself is not equipped to provide." She inclines her head slightly, "There are other risks associated with their continued presence. No, the formerly human population absolutely must be relocated, and the Paladins are the best-positioned organization to do so and-- I would hope-- has developed positive relationships with our liasons from FANTOM. You will find no objection from me on this matter." Her posture shifts, legs unfolding so that she can lean forward and rest her forearms on the countertop, fingertips pressed together, "So the matter is as you say, the timing and method of extraction. There were over eighty thousand registered citizens at the time of invasion. Eggman, fortunately, does not kill, so we can assume few-- if any-- deaths. The census data will be mostly reliable for confirmation and tracking purposes." White's eyes close again, a hand lifting in a gesture. One of the android guards steps up and produces a small holographic screen. This is blown up to be visible to the entire table; a list of names all in yellow against the blue background all down the left side. On the right, split into two sections, the top half being a map with a GPS-like location while the bottom half is biometric data. It seems that no matter what name is chosen, the vitals are low but steady. Stasis, just as Eggman had said. "This will be useful in locating each robotomized citizen, at least until the Doctor discovers their medical implants and jams the carrier signal," Her hand is twisted, fingers extended. The guard dismisses his screen, producing a datachit and placing it in her waiting hand. This is set on the table in front of her, "It's all yours. As you would be doing us a favor, I do not feel as if I am in a position to make demands. We are already asking you to take on, for all intents and purposes, a large number of refugees."
Ishirou	Ishirou sighs, "Well, I'd be nice to be back here...except Eggman has decided I am unwelcome," he says, and while he does his best to sound indignant about it, he's more...hurt than anything. However, things get to business rather quickly, and when the screen turns on, he's already connecting to it. His eyes glow lightly as he's putting his hands to work on a holo-keyboard to try and go through the data and record it to POD. This is...a lot of people, and almost every citizen is accounted for. He sighs but still continues to process as fast as he can. "Then it might be possible to send the order out and then jam them from receiving communications. That would definitely have consequences outside of that though.." he muses. "It's likely to draw a response from Egg units too," This is obviously just pointing out the obvious, more so Lilian's point two has a setup action attached to it.
Kale Hearthward	Kale sits up a little bit. "The East Wind is at your disposal for the logistics of extraction," he says. With permission (and maybe a bit of a tutorial in how to work the interface) he goes to put the schematics on screen. "It is a deceptively small looking ship. From the outside, it appears as a small aircraft with limited space. Not one that could hold more than, say, a dozen people." He switches views (again needing someone to correct the commands he's putting in). "Inside, though, thanks to a stable dimensional anchor sourced from Secundus, it is considerably larger. I can't say it would hold all eighty thousand souls in question, plus handlers and supplies for the trip, but it can certainly put a dent in the queue..." "... All while, from the outside, looking like just a small craft docking with the city a few times. Not the sort of ship that could facilitate a mass evacuation." "If we want to employ it, I can see about maximizing the space further, and outfitting it better for the evacuation - I haven't had reason to try to push its interior parameters before now." He looks over at Tamamo. "Potentially, it'd be as easy as writing a few charms." "In the worst case scenario, it's also a combat craft, and I can give my personal guarantee that anyone we get aboard it can be borne to safety," he adds, resolutely.
Tamamo	"Gladdened am I that you are willing to share our priorities, Commander White." Tamamo has decided to accept drink, but not interrupt herself with food. "This will allow us to find those we seek to rescue and take into custody elsewhere, and so, what remains is the interference we shall expect upon discovery our plan. Rather, we would first seek to delay discovery and, from there, seek to slow or distract that interference, yes? I am not so well-versed in tactics of war and the fighting of armies, however..." She trails off, before nodding with a smile to Kale. "I may provide some assistance in supplying spaces that are both well-insulated from harm and deceptively spacious." She's done just that sort of thing a good few times before. "It occurs to me that our opponent in this, if we may view Dr. Eggman as such, is unlikely to fail to realize our aims, and may only have yet to realize the date upon which the operation shall occur." She does not mention why it would be so difficult to hide, at this stage. "He is not, after all, known for being slow-witted. Even should we choose some other plausible target as a distraction, I wonder as to whether it is truly possible to hide our objectives for any appreciable length of time."
Seras Victoria	Seras Victoria chose to listen, and she has continued to quietly listen, attention swiveling from speaker to speaker and doing her best to absorb all of the little details about the situation as she can. The better to figure out her place in it if nobody else has an idea FOR her first. The offer of an airship that's bigger on the inside than the outside has her looking Kale's direction with a flatly amazed look. Such things exist? But it's Tamamo's mention that finally gives her something big to think about. "I doubt it. He started this crisis knowing full well it would draw Paladin attention. We should expect him to figure it out quickly, and be ready to intercept him if he takes action during the operation." Her tone on this is confident. She's fully prepared to help with that interception.
Lilian Rook	"That's wonderful to hear, Commander White. That'll save us quite a bit of trouble, sourcing the records ourselves." says Lilian. "I might almost wonder if you had it in your mind already, that privately tracking them at this scale would inevitably become terribly important, were I a less cautious woman." She watches closely as it's passed over to Ishirou, in the way of pretending she's only giving it a cursory look. She allows herself an itty bitty smile. "I'm glad that we can skip the negotiation phase for that data. It's reassuring that you know as well as the rest of us who stands to actually benefit from taking this burden on." She waits through the sequence of offers and suggestions, while Ishirou crunches the data, and then says "Indeed, what we need to speak with you, specifically, about, is that certain problem only you are suited to mitigating." She gestures to Ishirou and Kale first. "We have the means to extract them, even if it may require multiple venues, or repeat efforts in and out of the city. Summoning up the masses into convenient reach, discreetly, would of course help us a great deal." Then she nods towards Tamamo. "But what we have to secure with you is the consent of your people. That is, the Androids, and through yourself as their guarantor and representative." "We have our own designs on Doctor Eggman that I believe you've understood already are better kept the less you know of them. Otherwise, we would be asking you to rebel against him, or help us return the humans to normal, right?" She lets the thought hang just long enough for contemplation. "What we need is for you to account for, and check, the impulse of your people to 'seek satisfaction' once they realize what's going on as well. Given the way they've been mistreated in past, there are no doubt individuals amongst their ranks that . . ." Lilian trails off. Her gaze defocuses past White. She seems to forget what she was saying for a moment, and then sigh, hoarsely, "You have people who know full well that a lot of these humans deserve worse, not salvation. I can't, and won't, say that they're wrong. But that's that and this is this. The androids don't deserve to be hurt anymore, and Eggman doesn't deserve to get anything more out of this. We need your cooperation to pull them out before an android, or probably a whole movement of them, does something regrettable in justified outrage."
S6	One of the androids, the lady in the classic FANTOM combat gear, assists Kale with getting his images to display properly once it becomes clear he's having trouble with the interface. Listening to what he has to say about the East Wind, White curls her index finger underneath her lip, her face a mask of thought. After a moment, she shifts her gaze to Lilian. "I have a vested interest in the protection of all citizens of Indus. Even before this happened, that was my goal." Closing her eyes, her shoulders roll briefly though if it were a shrug or a stretch is unclear, "Since the takeover, my means have changed but my goal remains the same. I had been considering ways to extract the robotomized population nearly since it happened. Gathering the medical census data was a key step in this, to ensure that no one is left behind." She concludes, "This meeting was requested while I was considering further steps to take. It's a welcome opportunity to collaborate with an organization that has helped us in the past, now, when the stakes are much higher." Her legs shift, one folding over the other again as she sits back in her seat, "By 'My people' you refer to the androids specifically." It's not a question but an acknowledgement, "Your concerns are well-founded. Timing is crucial. After initial emancipation, most androids have been enjoying newfound freedom. I would like to extract the robotomized human population before that initial elation has a chance to wear off and give rise to societal problems." Inclining her head, White continues, "There are some who already see the circumstances as justice, but revenge isn't justice. It is just reciprocal suffering. I trust you all understand that. There are those who suffered a good deal under the Council's leadership, who would want their pound of flesh. I intend to deny them that. It's no way to live. Androids will need time, though not nearly as much time as the humans, to get through what happened to them in a healthy way." White lifts a hand, "However, Mister Ishirou raises a good point. This is not a small-scale evacuation. It will take a good deal of time to locate and remove the victims, which will undoubtedly draw Eggman's attention. As miss Tamamo states, it is likely he has already considered some form of rebellion developing within Indus."
S6	"So our distraction should come from outside." The projection in the center shifts from the interior shots of the East Wind, now showing the currently inactive Indus power plant, still standing, surrounded by Eggman's recently constructed energy collectors. "We re-activate the Mana Turbine at maximum capacity. This will undoubtedly agitate every Nullborn within one hundred kilometers and provoke an attack of unprecedented scale." As White leans back in her seat, the guard near her shifts nervously. The lady assisting Kale swallows but says nothing. "Eggman does not kill," White repeats, "So it is unlikely he would utilize the robotomized citizens in a defense effort. It is most likely that he would contend with a Nullborn incursion of this scale using the Egg Fleet. Possibly also his hedgehog underling." "With his forces distracted by a 'natural local hazard', a small team will have a far greater chance of succeeding in eliminating him and beheading this twisted regime of his." She lifts her hands, fingertips pressed together, "Once Eggman is out of the picture and the turbine deactivated, evacuation will have no obstructions worth considering."
Tamamo	"A decapitating strike upon the self-proclaimed supervillain, is it? It is a forthright and practical path toward resolving the issue, as much as it relies upon his priorities aligning with our wishes." Tamamo's tone doesn't betray anything of how she specifically feels about it. Almost, she mentions something, and then chooses to subvocalize something else, as tea warms her hands and she glances in Lilian's direction.
Ishirou	"That would... definitely attract them and send them into a frenzy. Indus' walls should hold, especially now that there is a second one thanks to Eggman," Ishirou muses, thinking. Though the thought of the assassination of Eggman was already on the table. How much did I1 think of in advance? He taps his fingers on the desk. "I think he'd take the chance to collect samples too. Knowing Eggman." "This would also put the Androids on a high alert, and away from areas we could use to evacuate the humans." Ishirou sighs, "It's worse than that, he's doing all this specifically to spite me because I refused him control of a city another version of his messed up. I am helping its population much like I will be helping the humans." he says, slightly pained. "This isn't justice, and street justice would make things worse." "Why are you so willing to do this though? He moved all your plans forward, and gave you power? If anything, doing this would be very unpopular among most of the Android population. It would invite insurrection if anyone outside of your inner circle and this room learned the truth."
Kale Hearthward	"That's... very risky. I wouldn't want to run more than a few trips, with every nullborn heading our way." "... It's also counting on him defending the city instead of just giving it up. What do you think he'll do if he knows there's nothing left he'd want to defend?" Kale leans back. "I don't like it very much..."
Lilian Rook	"I am known for, amongst other things, my timing." Lilian replies to White, a little too tired to be enigmatic. "I'm glad that we both appreciate a future wherein the androids, current and potentially one-day former, occupy their time with healing, rebuilding, and solidarity, rather than be bound and held back by how much those people have to pay." Her earpiece blinks with a received message. She pauses, and then clears her throat again, proceeding to down large quantities of coffee while Ishirou goes at it, having emptied most of the cup by the time she stops to draw breath and massage her temple. "The strategy to occupy by the bulk of Eggman's forces is sound, but we'll need to install a guarantee that the turbine can be silenced and the invasion repelled in case that man, driven by nothing but spite, decides to leave Indus to the sharks on purpose once he realizes he's lost. If you have mass broadcasting capability-- no, never mind. We'll need to have Ishirou install that into the medical monitoring network without Eggman noticing. What we need you to do is to keep the androids inside and out of the way whilst we gather the roboticized population at primary pickup points. The less interference, the more cleanly we'll be able to extract them without collateral damage, and without Eggman's interference." "And, regrettably, I suppose we're asking you to pick up the pieces afterwards, when it comes to public opinion. If there comes a point you require our aid in dealing with summary unrest, we'll be happy to offer it."
S6	White tilts head towards Lilian, eyes opening, "Those people who were responsible must face trial and pay appropriate reparations. I will cooperate fully when the time comes." Kale and Tamamo both raise valid points and to them, the Commander folds her hands more fully together, fingers laced, "If Eggman simply abandons Indus, we disable the Turbine and secure the area from any Nullborn that were drawn in during its active period." Her gaze returns to Lilian, "You or an agent of your determination is welcome to disable the turbine at their discretion. Destroy it, for all I care. After Eggman is ousted, we will have little use for it." She cradles her chin once more in thought, underframing that perfectly chiseled face with gently curled knuckles, "I believe I have a way to ensure that the android population is well and truly out of your way for the operation." Her hand lowers, offering the Immune a sharp nod, "Yes, leave it to me." > "Why are you so willing to do this though?" > "Regrettably, I suppose we're asking you to pick up the pieces afterwards, when it comes to popular opinion." White closes her eyes, taking in a breath. After a notable pause, she releases it, "Because it's the right thing to do. I have no doubt there will be some amount of unrest at first, once word gets out." One eye opens, fixating on Ishirou, "I've built up quite a lot of trust with FANTOM over the years. Now it's time to put that good will to the test." That eye closes again, "Sometimes a leader must make unpopular decisions because they are the right decisions to make. Those who disagree have a right to do so. It falls upon me as a leader to ensure my people understand that this is the best course of action. I will not, however, waver from my conviction to protect every citizen of Indus, human or android."
Ishirou	Ishirou stares at I1 for a moment. This sounds like something he would say, not the leader of FANTOM who kept the consul from learning her real goals and kept him from being murdered. Likely also let more than a few Androids escape to live outside of INDUS..? He sighs, "I1. You don't know Eggman as I do. The moment you do this, the moment he realizes you're helping us...he's going to make sure everyone in INDUS knows. Even if he leaves, he'll turn INDUS into a center of unrest that'll last...years." "/Is/ it the right thing to do, with the cost being that high? I can activate the turbine. I can give the androids enough things to run around and chase..." "But if you're seen doing this, it'll fracture the group."
Tamamo	"It seems that you have thought this through more than sufficiently well." Tamamo is momentarily distracted by something, but refocuses her attention. "I have no further concerns to raise, and shall defer to those of greater tactical insight." Ishirou speaks, and Tamamo continues, "As to the cost..." She trails off for a moment. "It does seem doubtful that such a bold move will go without discovery. One might even call it villainous, to draw hungry beasts to a city, even if done for the sake of saving its inhabitants. To spite and to divide would each be simply done. If another were to take the blame, and play the villain... would that not forever separate you from them, Ishirou, to hold onto such a fiction, for another's sake? Will you not regret that you did not take a different gamble, some day?"
S6	> "IS it the right thing to do, with the cost being that high? I can reactivate the turbine. I can..." "I think androids have withstood enough lies. And I think I have already put too much upon you in particular," White addresses Ishirou's concerns, "The only way to maintain trust is to lead with the truth. Even Eggman can't poison that." This time when her eyes close, she slumps slightly to one side. For a brief moment, the indomidable I1 seems...just, tired. Her elbow props on the armrest of her seat, supporting her chin, "FANTOM's role in this will be the relocation of unarmed androids to the Bunker facility in the desert, and relaying information of-- most of-- our plans to the Bunker's residents and evacuees upon arrival. Given how deeply involved our Operators were in maintaining your secrets under Council rule, they will be entrusted with this." When her eyes open again, she rapidly 'recovers' from that tired state, until her presence resembles that of a King lounging upon their throne. Authority and Confidence. Her gaze rests on Ishirou, "The evacuation of Robotomized victims will be shared with them after the fact, as a matter of operational security. But I will not hide that, either." "I am no longer in a position that requires secrets simply to function, and I would wash my hands of such things. In addition, Ishirou; I have already put you through too much. After all this time being kept afield for your own safety, you deserve to be able to return home if you want to." "We will manage. We always have."