Scene #6070: Frozen Aether-6

Owner	Pose
Priscilla	There is more than just unrest in the streets of Ghirapur. It is just about a riot. The roads that had very recently been host to commuting pedestrians, market stalls, sweaty architects and craftsmen, floating magitech automobiles, strange beasts of burden, and all manner of unique and quirky automatons, are now completely blocked in the junctions surrounding the Aether Spire district. Whereas the Renegades had swelled in number behind closed doors and moved in small groups at a time, these malcontents have all but packed themselves in shoulder to shoulder, without room for anyone or anything else. Business has packed up and moved somewhere safer, traffic has either had to go around or sits stubbornly waiting to go through, and the previously inescapable sounds of hammers and torches have been replaced with the steady, composite roar of an unhappy crowd. These people aren't the Renegades, or more accurately, most certainly aren't; some of the Renegades may very well be amongst them, further agitating the crowds. All the same, it falls to Enforcement Bureau to deal with it, avoiding the issue of being stretched too thin across the city by simply blockading the central government district that surrounds the Spire, very recently the same grounds of the Inventor's Fair. All ways in are barred by ranks of men with overlapping shields and further lines of automatons stacked triple thick, with posts on rooftops and in alleyways to make sure nobody gets opportunistic. Gilded emitters have been set up at corners and across roars to raise additional screens of shimmering magical force, which flicker blue where the odd hurled stone or bottle strikes them, forestalling the necessity of Enforcer retaliation. It's not a foaming-at-the-mouth molotov cocktail disaster. People have come with signs and banners and angry words, for the most part. It might not stay that way. Given a little time to read and listen to them, the impression is very much not that people are upset about what the Renegades were up to last time, and largely superficially upset about the retaliation from the Consulate. They appear to be furious about, of all things, the alternative power sources that were only just wildly successful at the Fair, and recently approved by the so-far trustworthy Dovin Baan.
August Kohler	August Kohler, wearing a hoodie, exhausted enough to have bags under his eyes, and armed with a pistol, knife, and mirrored bracelet, isn't against a riot. He told the people that if they wanted to stand up, to do it. Protest. And that's what they were doing. What he's confused about is /why/. As he slips through the crowds, he reads their signs and hears their words, understanding that they're mad about the alternative power sources...but why? Isn't that a good thing? There's renegades here. August is hoping Renegade Prime is here as well. He's going to navigate through the crowds, listening to agitators and trying to find the Prime, so he can ask her what the hell is going on (and if she needs any help if something serious might happen, because August is team Renegades all the way). If the government did something with the new power sources...well, there's certainly going to be a problem if they're still screwing over the people, that's for sure. If Renegade Prime isn't here, though, August will be satisfied enough to look for a renegade, move to them, and go 'hey what the fuck's happening'. Especially if it's one he recognizes. They've got to have information, right?
Theo Morrison	Theo commutes to and from Ghirapur and the Consulate Spire without much issue. Being able to teleport helps. Theo appears out of thin air in a secluded little nook nominally for government officials to come and get some fresh air at just outside the Spire itself. It's much more useful for his comings and goings than the relaxation of some bureaucrats. People tend to freak out when you peel back reality and sort of step out of the gap like it was no big deal. He sidles on out of the outside nook and heads for the door, a piece of identification pinned to his coat and his badge turned outward. The field emitters are nice, but he's not going to count on them staying intact all day... Theo intends to head inside and find either Dovin Baan or... well, or anyone with actual authority. He'd prefer Baan, who is on the level -- though, actually, now that he thinks about it, isn't there some new Consul that he has yet to meet? How very strange. Maybe one of the officials inside could direct him to this mysterious figure's office? No reason. Just wondering. Might have an idea. You know how it is.
Yuuki Kuran	A riot due to the power grid's change. The arrangement of actors, of peoples, and of the disparity between hope and reality. Well, this was a sort of endgame. It wasn't the endgame Yuuki Kuran had hoped to engineer, but it was an endgame. Her movement through the city mostly unhindered by things like 'blockades of people' thanks to slipping butterflies and wolves in through the cracks or melting out of the shadows, moving with purpose past the cordon towards the Spire. Her smartphone is out, thumbtyping one-handed in a number. "Minister Baan. Are you at the Spire? We need to talk. It's about the power grid solution." Her wake is possibly haunted by the Grumpiest Bishounen, but Yuuki needs to get a number of things done very quickly if the situation is escalating this quickly. And, as she approaches, she spots Theo. "Morrison!" She calls, her quiet voice elevating to a clipped 'buddy! hey, pal!' tone. "Your information was good." She taps her phone and points it at Theo's direction, the magic of SMART TECHNOLOGY forwarding a smartphone snap his way. Oh hey it's That Guy, what a coincidence. "He came out last time. What's your play?"
Staren	Staren is... with the onlookers that have gathered to see what the police barricades are all about. The Renegades's strategy of disrupting things and making an illegal fuss accomplished nothing except to play right into Tezzeret's hands. They started fights at the fair and accomplished nothing. And if they couldn't see the problem with that, he's done with them. Maybe he can get in on the investigation Concord-side. Starting a protest that impairs commerce in the city and that most people are just going to remember as 'ugh some people were blocking the street so I was late today' seems like more of the same. He expects the Consulate will even /point out/ the disruption to the citizens -- not to the Consulate -- as a reason to criminalize gathering in groups like this. Right into Tezzeret's hands. And word is that they're protesting electricity, of all things? Now THAT'S just out of left field. Why? WHY? He worked with the Concord to help get electricity set up to help them, and now they're complaining about it? Ingrates. Doesn't change the fact that there's still a real problem out there, though. "Hey." Staren asks one of the bystanders who's been there longer. "Why are they protesting /electricity/? Did they say? I thought it was supposed to be a good thing!" He's still in a hooded, garishly-colored cloak over his armor.
Riva Banari	Something's gone weird here. Judging from the occurences of the Fair, it seems impossible for the efforts of the Renegades to have touched things off to THIS degree. This is beyond Riva's wildest expectations. Maybe she doesn't understand the local culture well enough and missed the triggers that would focment this kind of discord.... Or something changed radically since her last visit. What is it about the power sources that make them so unpalatable? This is a thinking problem, and while Riva's senses are sharper than they were when she began meddiling in multiversal stuff, she's still not nearly as clever as some other agents. Yeah yeah, laugh it up, Wuyin. Riva perches on top of a nearby building, keeping an eye on August and the others while seeing if she can see anything of interest. Also, to keep someone from dumping on Renegade Prime or August, because they seem to attract prettyboy cyborg problems.
Zero Kiryu	There is color in Zero Kiryu's face, still. If he stopped taking care of himself again in the recent days, it doesn't presently show. He came here with Yuuki, but at the moment he's occupying the get-some-fresh-air patio that Theo Morrison uses as his entry landing. This is mostly so he has an opportunity to sit still and assess the situation. There is a faint glance from the hunter towards Theo, a nod, and then he resumes staring off into space. He is not staring off into space. The smells of the familiar and unfamiliar alike fills his nostrils. The little blips of powerful beings moving hither and yon echo in the back of his mind, setting the hairs on the back of his neck towards standing on end. It would be a mistake for Renegade Prime to be present-- maybe. But all these other people that he doesn't recognize are a bigger problem. What the hell happened? The snubbing that Yuuki got as the fair wound down runs through the back of his mind. It was something that he didn't appreciate in the moment, and intensely dislikes after thinking on it for a little while. Yuuki is extremely good-natured. It goes without saying that Zero doesn't like it when people take advantage of that. He heaves a great sigh and exits the rest area, sweeping back to Yuuki's flank in short order. "The usual array of dissidents, including extraversals." He informs the Director as he falls in next to her, "They might use it as a platform if an opportunity presents itself. These people will get bored after a while, but this is enough to justify further consolidation of power whatever they do."
All-Seeing Eye	All-Seeing Eye wears a black waistcoat with a white business shirt, patent leather dress shoes, black slacks, and a matching tie. He appears to be simply standing there, assisting the enforcers in making sure no one gets 'too opportunistic.' He also appears to be doing so with a smile. In truth, he's engrossed in controlling his Mobile Sensory Drone. The ambulatory, mechanical eyeball crawls through the crowd, avoiding the shuffling and stomping of many a foot. It occasionally pauses to listen in on a conversation. Though he can plainly see without the drone that the protestors are angry about the alternative power sources Baan seemingly approved, the reason why remains a mystery. Crowds don't just angrily assemble for no reason. Ideally, they wouldn't angrily assemble at all, but not every place can be as enlightened as Claslat, he supposes. Floating the 'protest should be illegal' idea to everyone else has so far been met with surprising resistance. Forced to work within such constraints as Ghirapur's legal system, he searches for agitators amongst the crowd rather than disciplining the lot of them. His goal is to find out what's been said so far to rile the crowd up, and who's saying it.
Starbound Flotilla	"Any chance we can justify getting down there and rioting with them?" "Wh--... We're pro-electricity." "Yeah, but it's been years since I got to rabble-rouse. I wanna rouse rabble." "This is too delicate a matter to rouse things. Seft, can you lock on?" "Hopeful. I'll try to. If there's any correlations, I'll find them, I promise." "Wonderful. If we cannot strike at the heart, let us see from new perspectives." "Floran wantsss to know why electricity isss bad???" "We're not in any position to find out. Keep frequencies open." "Ehhh, suppose someone else might find out, yeah." The Flotilla are not present, but rather, drifting in orbit above. Working together at an array of consoles, they're busy trying to monitor the flow and shape of the crowd's movements from above. Seft is trying to cross-reference and overlap this with information she tried to gather before: She meant to set down a beacon in some of the confiscated technologies from the Fair. If she can get its signal, and if its position happens to coincide with anything meaningful in the movement of the crowd, she's going to try to make the connections. They're also just standing on-call for call-ins from their allies here, ready to miniboss should the tensions between the crowd and the enforcers break badly and necessitate a more violent intervention, or should Tezzeret tip their hand in this moment of heated conflict.
Theo Morrison	Theo returns Zero's nod, because it's only polite, and because Zero is creepy enough to warrant the respectful acknowledgement. Otherwise he'd probably just watch him all creepily, and then Theo would have to find a new place to planeshift to. Nobody wants either of those things. Someone is trying to get his attention. He slows his step and looks towards the source, smiling faintly when it turns out to be the Concord's Spooky Boss (as opposed to Murder Boss, who is also Spooky, but Different). Theo calls up the SMART TECHNOLOGY-forwarded snap on his glasses' ecto-enabled HUD, glancing at it and then setting the image aside. "I was really hoping it wasn't," Theo tells her with a sigh. "Might be a good time to go knock on his door, though." Theo's hand settles on his belt, thumbing a couple odd metallic emblems and widgets affixed to it almost reassuringly. He doesn't touch the grey hard-case affixed where a weapon should be within easy reach. "Any idea what's got the crowd so fired up this time?" Theo asks Yuuki, while en route to interrogating poor middle managers about the location of their bosses.
Thomas Alva Edison	Thomas Alva Edison was not told anything, given any clues, or informed about any alternative plans. Instead, he was informed that people were angry /because/ of his intentions bringing alternative energy to the people. This caused him to open and close his mouth for a solid minute or two, before shaking his head and coming down to see things for himself. This was maddening, he thought because he had done so much to make sure the power got into their hands, giving them the opportunity to use power in ways that did not rely on the main grid until such time they could figure out what was really going on. Likely, this was another distraction, but when people are like this, he had little choice but to respond. Edison did not stay behind the forcefield, he could take any rocks or barbed words from people, raising up a bit so he could be properly seen, he raises his arms up to try and bring attention to himself, and he speaks. "People of this fair city, I am Thomas Alva Edison, Presiking of America, and King of Inventions. I have come here today because I am told you are dissatisfied with the alternative methods of power and have come today as a representative of said power so that I can better hear your issues, and bring an amicable resolution to them," He says, in his best statesman voice, as he attempts to cool the crowd down. "So please, good people, share with me what is bothering you, and I; Thomas Alva Edison, will help bring a quick resolution to this! So that you can go back to living good lives, and the city can go back to running as it had before this whole thing started."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki heaves a big sigh as she Moves With Purpose, coming abreast of Theo. "I have no actual idea, but if I were to guess, it'd be that the new power solution for life's necessities was pushed out - it won the fair - and then used as an excuse to ramp up whatever project needed Aether. That, or all the invention 'inspection' at the Consulate. You know, this all started because the Concord's project was seized?" Yuuki gives a tiny smile. "But it's fine. With Alva's help, we're in a good place. If you can't get to the Grand Consul, if I could ask a favor?" She leans close to whisper in Theo's ear. "But as for the cause... I don't think it matters. It's happening. The Renegades are happening, the City is happening. We just need to take control of things before someone else does... or sets everything off." She gives a little thumbs up to Zero and Theo. "Cape Deem!" Yuuki that's not the saying.
Zero Kiryu	"Carpe Diem." Zero corrects dully from Yuuki's side, because despite having the worst attendance of any student at Cross Academy, he still did his goddamned homework.
Priscilla	It is Renegade Prime that catches August out of the crowd first, when he goes looking for her. This is understandable, since a gloved hand claps down on his shoulder, and when he turns to look, only her eyes are visible through the heavy shawl and hood she's wearing, though the finger over the lips gesture is obvious enough. The crowd here is dense enough to hide in plain sight at this point, but it'd be bad if one of the guards stuck standing around for hours picked her out by plain luck. "I'd say you have good timing, but I bet you came here because you already caught wind of this happening." she says, pulling him closer. When he asks what precisely in the actual hell is going on, she laughs in an almost sardonic way, gesturing left to right with her eyes. "More than we'd hoped for. Didn't you hear? The Renegades' problem is now everyone's problem. When the Inventor's Fair shut down under 'emergency circumstances' and all the entries were dragged into the Spire, the Grand Consul announced a winner a few days later, and surprise surprise, it turned out to be that offworld project. A week later, the Consulate is installing that DC alternative power nonsense in whole districts, hooking people's homes up to it, and then cutting their aether flow down three or four fifths in return." "He overplayed his hand." she states quite confidently. "He saw a chance to repurpose even more aether, and he hit it too fast and too hard. Sure, you can argue that if the people have power, they don't need that /specific/ kind of power, and try to justify the government redirecting more of it for their constant 'matter of national security' issue. When you do it to so many people at once though, well, it gets really hard to ignore. People finally fear worry that they're next." Staren mostly gets a look like he's grown a second head. The protestor he's pinned down asks to be in formed if he is in fact retarded, before someone else pushes him out of the way and takes over. Most of what he's told is the same as what Pia informs August of, but with a much more unhappy bent. "Yeah, real good! Now I went from a whole working house and business, to a working stove, heating, and a radio! Amazing! Revolutionary! Who's idea was this?!" Since this is overwhelmingly the topic on people's minds, All-Seeing Eye gets about a hundred different shades of the same take, until a couple of movements out of the crowd very suddenly interfere with his drone, and a powerful mana shock is sent through it with the stomp of a boot, followed by a scoop into some jar or another. Either the Renegades were expecting him to show up again, or a certain well-equipped backer is in play. When Thomas comes to the fore, he immediately takes the aggro. The handful of dickheads in the crowd throwing things now focus on him instead, though at least none of it is on fire and nobody comes at him with a bat or a picket sign. "How much did he pay you?!" "I can't believe I bought into your crap!" "You were out to screw us from the beginning!" "How much did /you/ pay to get that garbage first prize?!" "I thought you weren't even in the running!" The general state of anger, and the steady stream of accusations of swapping money under the table with the Grand Consul to have DC power installed everywhere to the people's detriment, continues. From above, the crowds are all clustered around the six major 'spokes' that lead into the circular Spire district/fair grounds. There isn't really sufficient space to get in otherwise, though that doesn't stop a few hapless idiots getting caught at the really small checkpoints, climbing over rooftops and whatnot. As far as the Flotilla can tell, /none/ of the inventions from the Fair are present in the crowd. In fact, it seems none of them have left the Spire. It'd been weeks by now, and winner brackets were apparently already declared, which makes that an unusual sticking point.
Priscilla	When Theo tries to get into the Spire, this time his badge is deflected. Personnel have been informed not to allow the Paladins in this time (albeit, they probably couldn't stop him if he really wanted to go past them), and politely but firmly inform him that no Consulate staff will be seeing him, due to 'present circumstances'. They clearly know who he is specifically, at least in the sense of having been shown a name and picture or something. Yuuki shows up. Zero too, but the shuffle Yuuki gets is mostly of recognition, rather than the shuffle they make around Zero which is largely just uncomfortable. They try not to talk to either of them at all if they can help it, and are equally unhelpful. A few minutes later though, Yuuki's phone buzzes, and she appears to have gotten a return text from Baan, in helpful Japanese no less. "Correct on three counts. I am, we do, and it is." The guards have their radio helmet sets informed in alarmingly short order, and begrudgingly (if with some relief) move aside for Yuuki and entourage. The wheels of bureaucracy are some Formula One shit when Baan is involved, apparently. Even so, they're still not allowed near the upper floors, where Theo wants to go. Yes, the Grand Consul is in. No, you're not allowed to see him. Still no, he is involved in urgent business. The messaging system is over here, and the complaint desk is there. So on and so forth. Even still, the entire building thrums with energy in a way that is almost infrasonic ambiance, as if the coursing of tremendous amounts of aether through its ground lines and up through it spine were an audible hum of electricity or a palpable quivering of the earth. It feels like they should be able to smell something chemical about it, though Ghirapur's love of scented and spiced things means the ground floor is still water lilies and sandalwood. Baan has to meet them at the ground lobby, smoothly descending through a glass elevator shaft on a glowing platform and through electroplated gold doors. His posture is stiff and subtly urgent, even for him, though he doesn't dispense with the usual formalities before going ahead and explaining roughly the same situation. "If I may be honest, you and yours are exactly who I was hoping to see around this time. I believe you may have some success in having the civil engineering council see reason, or ideally, our chief of architecture and lead designer of the Aether Hub from turning in his keys in protest. I regret to inform you that this occurrence came out of the Ministry of Inspection co-signing a veto order with the Ministry of Allocation to reject an allocation plan that would have drained the city's aether reserves dry inside of a week. This appears to be the Grand Consul's alternative decision."
Zero Kiryu	"Renegade Prime is present." Zero says, to Yuuki. The smell of her is distinctive enough. He's pretty certain near everyone around her is an enemy as well, though he's not actually inclined to go out there and find out. He's not certain that it's particularly beneficial to attack her anymore. His eyes flit towards the Consulate personnel as they come into contact with them. His impression of the situation is hard to read-- but he doesn't like the fact that there's a nervousness going around. Sure, he's not an easy guy to get along with, and sure he's pretty nasty in a fight. But he's been pretty restrained around here-- why are they so worked up? Can they tell that his thoughts towards Tezzeret are suddenly unfavorable? Or... In response to some of the ongoing stonewalling adjacent to them (more in Theo's direction than theirs), Zero simply turns his head in Yuuki's direction. This, he would understand them being uncomfortable with. Because it's a pretty easy-to-interpret bodyguard signal that neatly communicates only one thing: 'Do you need these people moved?'
Thomas Alva Edison	Thomas Alva Edison takes a few rocks to the head, a can or two to the chest, and various other detritus to the body. Luckily, being a magical ghost with really developed abs makes one increadibly hard to hurt, but their words were far more painful than anything else. Edison looked utterly flabbergasted, "Citizens, it was my hope that your entire homes would work on this, removing the need for an aging and obviously, inefficient power system...but your homes are NOT being entirely ran..?" Thomas does not look happy...infact he frowns. He holds up a hand, and turns to walk back into the shield. And heaven help any guard that gets in his way. Edison is not happy, Edison is /very/ not happy and he does not do anything to hide it. Infact, he is marching up towards The Grand Consul, and again, heaven help anyone who tries and stop him. To take his invention, and smear his good name?! AGAIN!? NOT ON MY WATCH TESSLA!
All-Seeing Eye	"Idiots," mutters Eye under his breath. His smile appears a tad strained now. Though his human guise is on, his knuckles are nearly white when the drone's feed is cut off. He can't simply open fire on the crowd and force them to leave. He certainly can't wade into it looking for the culprit. Not without 'unacceptable' casualties. Addressing the root cause seems similarly hopeless no matter how one approaches it. Expecting Edison to come up with a timely solution for an entire city's worth of power seems unrealistic. Expecting the Consulate to relax their grip on the aether supply seems doubly so. His fist slams against the side of a nearby building in frustration. It makes a muted metallic sound. There is only one option--and it isn't a savory one. It is, however, technically a responsibility of his. He presses his hand to his temple and speaks into his radio. It's time to mediate.
Staren	It seems the people in the crowd Staren picked to talk to are fervent supporters. Well, at least they told him what he wanted to know. He nods and disappears into the crowd. So, Tezzeret got even greedier... but how can he approach this problem? And then the Presiking of the United States shows up and everybody tells him off. Staren feels a little bad for him, it's not HIS fault. When he strides off to do something, Staren decides to follow him. Or join him, more of. "Hey." Staren comes up alongside him after he makes his way back through the police shield. "I know we've had our differences, but I wanted to see electricity do good things here too. And I have information I don't know if you're aware of..." he pulls a tablet out of his bag and hands it over -- it's displaying +bbread 26/36. And yes, it's a DC device. "I'm sick of the renegades making things worse and sick of whoever's behind this making things worse. We need to cooperate."
Theo Morrison	"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Theo walks and talks with Yuuki on his way to the door. The idea that the inspection turned into mass seizure does not at all fill him with alarm. It makes him feel kind of... grimly resolved. "Oh, I can get to the Grand Consul. The question is if I can get to him without putting any holes in the building." It sounds a little bit like he's joking. He's probably joking. Right? The halting at the door totally ruins his Purposeful Stride, which puts him in a mildly irritated mood. He wishes he'd brought Kickotron around again instead of sending him off to be Myr-sat. The odds of a mechanical lifeform not native to Kaladesh being noticed by the Grand Consul when he finally meets him face-to-face is just too high, though. Best to keep that super brief element of surprise if he can manage it. At the moment, all he manages to do is to wait around until Yuuki's importance and more productive contact gets them through the front door. Theo doesn't seem willing to just force his way in, though. When they finally get inside, he's more irritated at the delay than ever. Baan showing up himself is a point in his favor. Theo relaxes very slightly, then nods at his explanation. "So what you're saying is there's a problem that needs to be addressed." He starts to say something else, but then stifles a laugh for some reason, clears his throat, and asides to nothing in particular, "Okay Google, set timer thirty seconds." Then, he takes a step back, crosses his arms, and watches Yuuki and Zero for some equally inscrutable reason. Precisely thirty seconds later, Theo takes a step forward, passes through a gauzy hole in space only he seems to be able to see, and vanishes from the lobby. Yeah, he's skipping the red tape and planeshifting straight into the Grand Consul's office. Good luck with the rioters, Baan!
Yuuki Kuran	Zero is ready to clear the way for her, but as the way is cleared by Dovin Baan's expert specialization at bureaucracy, he's not needed. Things calm down. Everything is under Yuuki's control. The nth dimension hyperchess she had been playing would come to fruition, and she would reap every benefit. She would sit upon the throne and all the dominos would fall perfectly into place. Nothing could stop it. Not even door guards. Such was her power. Being ushered through into the room, she beams at Dovin Baan's personal arrival, and the text she had recieved before entering only added to the pleasure of everything going Her Way. "Baan, I'm so glad you're well. If you'd like us to talk to the Senior Artificer, I'd be happy to. Him handing over the keys to someone lesser would be terrible." And then Theo gives her thirty seconds. Ok. That's ok. Everything's OK. "Dovin Baan, please lead us to where the Senior Artificer is. He's outside the spire, at the city's grid room? The one we were at before? Let's go there. Right now. We're leaving." "Zero, clear the way. Don't kill anyone." She orders, her thirty seconds timing up just as she starts impatiently moving back towards the door. "We're in endgame now, so, Minister, I hope I have your trust in these matters. For the sake of Ghirapur, we need to... walk quickly."
August Kohler	As August is grabbed, he reaches for his knife, sleep-deprived paranoia setting in, but he quickly realizes it's a friend and listens. "Jesus christ, what a dick. Good thing he's getting what he deserves soon enough." And then, he moves to speak himself. "So, you guys have any sort of top secret plan, or should I just go grab a picket and make sure the Consulate doesn't try anything?" And then,a n interesting alert over the radio. August moves for a lower whisper. "So, All-Seeing Eye, one of the Paladins who works with the Consulate, wants to talk with us to figure this out. Riot's probably getting to him. I absolutely understand if you don't want to tag along, but thought I'd give you the offer. If not, anything you want to me to pass along?" Either way, whether or not Renegade Prime comes along, August begins to move, but before he does. "Ah, right, know anywhere secluded that's unlikely to have an ambush? I get to pick the place." And then, if Pia knows something, August will transmit it to All-Seeing Eye. As soon as he's closer to it, at least.
Zero Kiryu	Zero vocalizes a vague affirmative response to Yuuki's command. He draws his gun from his coat, but it hangs lifeless at his side as he advances forward. The thorny vines of Bloody Rose wrap around his body, hardening it against attack-- for that matter, making it hard to attack him at close range without being hurt yourself. He does not raise the gun, nor does he direct the vines outward. The order not to kill people takes priority over this, and he doesn't want to kill these people anyway. He surveys the Consulate personnel sharply, momentarily considering giving them an opportunity to just walk away without a hospital visit. Instead he simply moves towards the nearest guard with astonishing speed and precision. Ordinarily, he's sloppy-- he was even sloppy with the renegade he captured last time. Right now, Zero is not sloppy. He's right up next to the nearest guard without a word, reaching for that person's wrist and twisting their arm out of socket if he manages to get ahold of them at all. His warning comes after this. "Anybody who isn't out of the way before I get to them is getting hurt." He states, plainly.
Starbound Flotilla	"Mmmh. I'm not likin' the looks of this." "Anxious. These readings... I think they're intending to take enough to spark something dangerous. We need to protect everyone!" "Gah! Bessst way to help defend everyone isss let them defend themssself." "You're suggesting the Crowdpleaser Project?" "It is perhaps the most fitting to this situation. How do we protect the Spire?" "Ehhhh... Deploy just the stun ones?" "That will have to be enough. Let us begin this storm. Are all in agreement on this matter? Do we truly want to engage so directly?" "Yeah." "Ssstart!" "Might be the only way to make money off this." "Optimistic. The Director said we should help these people, so..." "Hmph. It'll get everything disorderly. But fine." The Flotilla craft -- a large, sleek steel construct in Concord colors, a city block or two long, sweeps over the six spokes of the circular Spire entry grounds. And they deposit clusters of hefty drop-pods around the crowd! They slam into the ground and begin to beep ominously. Bombs? No! Robots? Not quite... No, they unfold into... Vending machines. Shock batons. Stun pistols. Impact rifles. Barrier-breaching disruption emitters. Combat drones. Heavy protective semi-powered armor, even, for those who really want to get into it. Project Crowdpleaser is a simple war-profiteer mechanism designed to let the crowd overwhelm and disrupt those guarding the Spire and break in, while performing minimal murder. It's a simple and direct invitation, a straightforward incitation, and an attempt to drive the crowd directly. It is a straightforward message: "Take back your power with your own hands, then." The holo-HUDs and fancy AR displays on all the gear provide simple objectives and direct information: It shows the levels of the stolen Aether, the potential thresholds that it could breach according to what little the Starbound Flotilla knows, the directions to the grid areas that the Flotilla know about, and its functional wordless invitation to anyone -- including the Spires guards -- to draw their own conclusions and make their own assumptions about the probable danger. Oh yes, the defenders are invited as well. The Flotilla is trying to invite and incite /individual heroism/ among the city. The Flotilla beams down hard, impacting the ground heavily in tight formation at one of the six spokes, and immediately head for Yuuki's objective. Moonfin, the fishman, is in elaborate full-body durasteel armor that looks like a powered cross between a diving suit and a samurai's armor, glowing cyan at the faceplate. Biteblade, the humanoid plant, is in durasteel plating with elaborately carved wood and bone ornaments over glowing powered components that glow an intense green. Pavo the bird-girl wears a divine-aesthetic set of mesoamerican-style armor, with yellow runes and inscriptions lighting up on stylishly gleaming golden armor and robes. Albert the monkey-man is wearing what looks like lab technician gear with extensive sets of tools and chemical protection, which integrates thin, resilient plates of durasteel, and lines of bright white. George (just plain human) wears a futuristic combat EVA hardsuit that glows a gentle red at the flat faceplate. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, is wearing full-on medieval knight armor with a soft energized blue glow below the plates on her body, and especially around the eyes. Each has a heavy industrial-yellow two-pronged plasma-cutter-like tool strapped to their side, a Matter Manipulator.
Priscilla	Edison (and Staren) wish it were that easy. Yuuki had pulled all the strings to have her special exception made by playing politics for months. The noble king of inventors and the meddlesome catboy scientist spent their time inventing and meddling respectively. They are blocked anew at the doors. If they insist on forcing their way through, Tesla at least is most certainly capable of it, even if he has to drag a guard along on each bicep, but visible from the door, a secretary in blue hits a silent alarm under a teak desk, and the elevators are alive with Enforcement officers shuffling down from the upper levels, starting to fill the lobby with enough bodies to suggest that security was tripled again . . . very very recently, as if in anticipation. The previous three are long gone, however. All Dovin Baan needs to do is 'be Dovin Baan' to be let wherever the hell he pleases. He doesn't really question why Yuuki is in such a rush. "To speak candidly, so far, you are the only one who has consistently done what they have said they would do and what I have asked them to." he says. The destination is indeed the Aether Hub monitoring room, where Sram is indeed present, looking at perhaps a 3/10 on the inebriation scale, and being extremely vocally unhappy. There are Enforcement officers on station pretty much just there to make sure he doesn't shut off anything that needs to be running, and escort uncooperative assistants out of the room. Several of the stations previously occupied by his understudies have been replaced with vedalken in technician's robes, while he sulks at the central map, loudly swearing at anyone who asks him to update the district map and draw power from an area that turns green for DC power, and telling them they can do it themselves. According to his ranting, Kambal has already come in threatening to fire him, and Sram has likewise already put the gun to his head and gone 'do it then', resulting in a tactical withdrawal, to nobody's surprise. When they actually arrive at the situation room, even Baan is blocked by the Enforcers on post, told that Allocations is currently off limits to Inspections personnel. Given that this is where Zero then has to act on his orders to remove obstacles, the unlucky guy who tries to aggressively bodyblock them goes down howling with a dislocated shoulder, immediately ceasing all activity in the room. Most of the rest of the guards rush to intercept, while Baan takes seeeeveral steps back. The dwarf laughs derisively, yelling something particularly rude about the guards' chances, and something about how his mother is tougher than them.
Priscilla	Outdoors, Pia Nalaar looks understandably extremely unhappy about the idea of meeting All-Seeing Eye in particular. She does, however, eventually say "Yes, I know of a place.", and leaves it tersely at that, adopting a grim, creased expression. That place, several streets away, in a newly darkened and crowded market cul de sac, happens to be private because the aether lamps are cut off (and Sram is currently being extremely uncooperative switching the electricity on), and happens to be what Pia considers secure, because several masked aetherborn have posted themselves around it, silently leaning or seated on various pieces of architecture. No prizes for guessing who these guys belong to. It's perhaps understandable she'd pick a place watched by rougher men than her idealistic, soft-hearted compatriots, for this particular meeting. It's probably about time too. There is understandably a length period of confusion when /orbital vending machines/ crack the pavement, but there are just enough ornery assholes and deliberate Renegade shills in the crowd to break the ice in immediately accessing them. Enforcers rush from their posts to try and block the crowd from the machines, and when that doesn't work, the heavy robots begin clearing a way through and physically carrying them away or breaking them, but they don't have enough for that /and/ the checkpoints. Pretty soon, all of the crowd incited to violence are locked in street brawls with Enforcers, in various levels of successful armament, while the ones who aren't keen on fighting are just pushing through the depleted checkpoints through numbers, or slipping around it in the chaos. The panicked captains on site obviously request reinforcements. For the second time in as many months, the emergency barracks in the inner district are activated, but additionally, the Starbound Flotilla's ship picks up several aerial contacts on its radar, warning of the inbound presence of what appears to be half a dozen airships rapidly approaching from the east, the largest of which is even bigger than their ship. From further in, a handful of extremely large machines, easily building-sized mecha, begin moving towards the front lines. Where the Flotilla is posted, the hulking titan of gears and blue mana lines opens up with a pair of gigantic riot hoses, literally pressure washing away protestors and blasting them back through the checkpoint.
Priscilla	Lastly, Theo skips straight to what is believed to be the metaphorical boss room. There is a really solid chance he wouldn't be able to just planeswalk into the Grand Consul's inner chamber, given the magitechnology to prevent that kind of thing happening is entirely within Kaladesh's grasp. He is rewarded on his guess, because those inner chambers are not equipped with it. After all, it'd inconvenience the Grand Consul planeswalking out. The winds up amidst about what he'd expect, extremely high up, where enough floor space to host most kinds of sports has been dedicated to a single, extremely ornamental 'office' with a massive window and overlook over Ghirapur. The floor is etched and filigreed with a sprawling array of concentric, radiating patterns, channeling gold and silver into its geometric center, and certainly a much larger collection of bookshelves and artifacts have been moved in since the office was handed over. It's almost like a museum exhibit, with the way small airships are hung from the ceiling and bipedal automata are stood around like statues or suits of armour. Exactly the man he is hoping to see is present, but not sat behind a desk or over a pile of papers. Metal claws clasped behind his back, he's standing at the window, turning to face Theo with an appropriately imposing lack of startlement. "Of course. I knew immediately that it'd be someone like you. This would be all too convenient otherwise, if there wasn't one of your kind somewhere in the mix, hoping to spearhead it all --to lead the charge into something you think you know all about. Amusing. Very amusing --but you aren't. Not even close. I would suggest you turn around and walk out of my office, while I still feel inclined to pretend this never happened, but you wouldn't meddle this far into it if you didn't think you had something over me. Go on then. Let's hear it! You've come all this way with some kind of plan! I want to laugh at it." More concerning than anything Tezzeret says specifically, is the absence of that harsh, high-strung, almost coked up intensity and feverish energy from before, when he was micromanaging the chaos of the Inventor's Fair into a shape that suited him. He doesn't have any other personnel up here. He's not on the radio. He isn't exercising any direct control over events right now. Either they're going exactly as they suit him, or he no longer needs to care.
Zero Kiryu	The hunter dislocates a man's shoulder and everybody else in the room assumes that they can do better. Zero doesn't blame them-- it's a natural response and what a soldier's training tells them to do in a situation like this. Even his fellows would respond in such a way, and most of them would rise to an occasion like that until it was blindingly clear that nothing was going to go their way by being present for the beating that would follow. He pushes the shoulder-dislocated guard to the ground and steps over him. Although he towers over Yuuki, Zero is a man of fairly average height and while his build is reasonably muscular he simply doesn't look like he can produce a lot of force. The average guard here is probably burlier than he is. But. Zero Kiryu was taught to fight from a position of weakness, which he does well even when he's not really in a position of weakness. He pushes forward with an angled strike that momentarily resembles a soft-style martial art blow and immediately transitions into just straight up stabbing his next target in the testicles with foot-long jagged claws. Heedless of whether or not this makes contact, he twists to one side and angles a kick into a second sentry's kneecap. With the jabbing arm, Zero gives a twist of his wrist before retracting his claws and drawing the arm up into a readied fist.
Yuuki Kuran	The enforcement guard getting arm-locked is exactly what she ordered, and thus, exactly within her needs. Everything feeds into her need for dominance. The heady rush of plans coming to fruition. War in the streets is dodged with the ease of having every iota of necessary authority. "Minister Dovin Baan, I'm genuinely glad my efforts have been noticed. Now, let me give you back your beautiful city." Zero works in the same way a scythe works on wheat. He moves with purpose, and what once stood strong falls before him. It is a poetry of dominance. "Sram. It's good that you're here. You are an invaluable member of this machine of industry, invention, and reclamation." Yuuki raises her hand, pointing at Sram. "That man, the Senior Artificer, now has absolute command of this room and all power services. With the Minister of Inspections as my witness, please comply with this temporary emergency seizure." Yuuki steps forward to the table, leaning over it. "If my reports are correct, this city has experienced a revolution in necessary city infrastructure. Homes run on clean, non-aetheric power. Until the riot is over and emergency situation lifted, Senior Artificer, I'd like you to shut down central power. Bring the non-aetheric grid fully online to compensate, to prevent any unfortunate accidents." She runs her finger along the completely hypercharged central spire. "I'm sure there's an emergency shutoff. Would you care to flip it? If I know you, Mister Sram..." She gives her prettiest smile to the dwarf. "Releasing the aether of this density is possible due to your genius. We wouldn't want the riot to set off the whole grid, would we?" As if it's a done deal, she favors Baan. "Minister, could you contact the Consul of Allocations and other political officals and urge them to get to safe, secure locations escorted by enforcement personell? The safe recovery of the city depends on it. If it's you... I'm sure everything will fall into place."
All-Seeing Eye	Thanks to Zero, Eye is able to pinpoint Pia and arrive with eery punctuality. It's as if he already knew where she was, followed her, and simply waited for August's go-ahead to appear. "Alright," says All-Seeing Eye in the dimly lit cul de sac. He hangs his waistcoat up on a decorative embellishment which sprouts from an unlit aether lamp. Despite the lack of proper illumination, he doesn't seem to have much trouble finding his way around. They probably expect that, given the name. He drags a crate up to serve as a chair, and has a seat, rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt up. Each person present is given a polite, but curt greeting. His patience with this entire situation has worn to a single strand. "You, presumably, want uninterrupted and equal flow of aether, or at least power. If you can't have that, you want transparency. Feel free to correct me if there's anything left out." "What /I/ want is the exact opposite of what's going on in that square. I am... concerned that your influence here will poison these people against the rule of law. Apparently, the Grand Consul is some sort of renegade." He shrugs, frowning slightly. "Morrison knows more about it than I do. To be honest, I don't care. For one, deposing world leaders tends to look bad for peacekeeping organizations. And for two, he's very clearly on his way out, as we speak. Everything that's happened today will make it that much more difficult for a better ruler to see to their needs." "What you've done today has given dangerous credibility to the idea that you can get what you want simply by throwing a tantrum. You think you've done this for good, but what you've really done is set a precedent." He sighs. "There is simply no way to undo it. You have planted the seeds of societal collapse, and they will grow deeper than any of you could ever hope to dig. You see, if you get what you want, the unrest dies down for a time, but the precedent is set. If you don't, the unrest only continues. Do you see the situation you've put yourselves into, now?"
August Kohler	August nods to Pia when she says she knows a place, even if he feels bad for suggesting the idea, since obviously it's not a great one. When they arrive and Eye arrives eerily soon, August sighs, but doesn't say anything. He listens to the Autocthonian's spiel. And then, August's reply is impatient, quickly after Eye finishes speaking. "Are you here to discuss what's going to happen to the city, or just scold us? Because all I hear is you bitching that people are actually standing up for themselves against a tyrant. What would you rather them do, send politely worded letters that never get answered as their power continues to get siphoned from them?" August paces a little, clearly anxious, but then turns back and stops, facing Eye. He needs to be ready to potentially intercept a crossbow bolt, just in case. "I agreed to this meeting because I thought you might be thinking about a compromise. For the sake of the people, I'm willing to compromise on what happens, if the Renegades agree. Let them have their power, let them actually be citizens who can live as they need without the government stealing from them, and the fighting stops. Right?" A glance towards Pia to see if he's on the ball at all. "I don't think anyone here wants a war." But, August actually sneers a little. "But I'm not going to compromise on my belief that what the people are doing here is right. This is the fire of change. They're making a stand, fighting against those who hurt them. The only other option would be to submit. Is that really what you want?" August expects a yes, honestly.
Priscilla	While the Enforcers appointed to the hub are indeed bigger and burlier guys than Zero, who also have weapons, they're also personnel who were appointed to Big Brother at Sram. All the meanest and nastiest ones are either at the front, or no doubt moving out at this very moment. Zero doesn't have much trouble taking down the first couple of sentries that come after him. He doesn't have much trouble with the next three either. The remainder are less brave about getting potentially stabbed in the balls, and when the bodyguard is ringed by six of their writhing fallen, they back up to the central map hub with spears held outwards, not daring to advance any further. "God damn right I am!" Sram yells, slightly too loud, when Yuuki addresses him. "You hear that! Hah!" he then yells at the guards. One of them turns around to say "Senior Artificer, that woman isn't even part of Ghirapur, never mind the Consulate. She doesn't have any authority to-" whereupon Sram then enthusiastically smashes him upside the head with a surprise blow from a heavy brass wrench, knocking him to the floor. "I thought you lot were supposed to be trained that authority comes from whoever has the biggest muscles! Isn't that the whole reason you /exist/, huh? Or are you pissants really just the washouts Baral tries to keep out of his sight?" Actually, that's a good question. Where the hell is Baral in all of this? The remaining guards look to Baan for the part where he denies the legitimacy of these arrangements and calls for backup, but the vedalkan just remains completely impassive. "I have received no formal notification that the Ministry of Inspection's entitlement to inspect the city's critical infrastructure at any given time, under plausible cause to believe there to be a threat to the public, has been revoked. I am thus forced to conclude that these Enforcers have been engaged in dereliction of duty by obstructing a ranking city official." he says, gesturing to the guards on the ground. Caught between getting the shit beaten out of them and getting thrown in jail, the rest finally back off.
Priscilla	When Yuuki makes her way over, the first words out of her mouth immediately draw a sour frown from Sram, his brow scrunching up with the visible effort of attempting not to be disillusioned by another person claiming it's necessary to shut off aether flow. When she brings up the very salient point of someone causing something to explode (especially given the likely presence of Renegades), he concedes the point by sticking a fountain pen between his teeth, and giving orders slightly muffled by his usual habit. Areas on the burnished and gleaming model map begin going dark, in a circle around the Spire and its government areas, though not extending for more than a few blocks beyond the crowds; it's more or less a fire gap, insulating the uninvolved majority of the city. He then takes some pleasure in disabling power to several Consulate facilities, especially Enforcement ones. "Greedy bashtardsh din't bother to inshtall any DeeShee pow'r in their trumped up lil' playhoushes. Sherves 'em right." he opines through a mouthful of bronze pen, when the extremely entitled aether-fed complexes go dark. When it comes to the matter of the Spire though, he has to shake his head, removing the pen for a second. "Releasing that much aether back into the grid takes a lot of time. The Spire has huge amounts of static storage, so it can run independently in wartime or emergencies. I can siphon most of them, but the pipes aren't designed to handle that kind of pressure all at once. All of the emergency vent are manual; inside the Spire for good reason. Those disperse it back into the atmosphere. I start withdrawing power anyways, but you know the Grand Consul is going to notice damn quick. It's a triple shift operation, and I doubt he'll wait two days to come down here." Baan is already on the wire at least. By the sounds of it, various Consuls are all too glad to run away from this mess. He only has to give them an excuse by effectively saying 'it's me, you should go home'.
Theo Morrison	Theo steps out of the Blind Eternities into a place that would make any self-respecting artificer drool with envy. He almost does himself. Kaladesh has style. Tezzeret... well, he does too, to an extent. He'll probably never tell him that, though. Tezzeret turns and begins his villainous pontification. Theo lifts his hand from his side with a short, sharp motion, uncoupling the top half of the grey case at his waist. He deftly removes the contents, dropping the lid to the floor with a metallic clatter. He passes portions of a stack of matte black rectangles back and forth between both hands in what looks very much like the idle motions of someone who just has to have their hands doing something. Theo gives Tezzeret a long, thoughtful look. "Have you ever heard of the KISS principle? There's probably an equivalent where you're from." Theo holds out his hand, stack of black rectangles held between his fingers. The two halves of his case abruptly turn semi-liquid, the metallic mass reconnecting and then flowing upwards into a spiralling shape topped with a flat surface. He puts the stack on it, peeling a few off the top and glancing at them with the ghost of a smile. Then, he shrugs his shoulders. "My plan is pretty simple, Tezzeret." Then he starts laying them out, face up. The pieces of normally-colorful cardstock inside are largely grey and brown and black. More pieces of the mutable table(?) stick out to make room for it. He says words which, in conjunction, are so much nonsense to someone expecting a 'typical' planeswalker. "Lotus Petal. Mox Opal. Shield Sphere. Sol Ring. Tolarian Academy." A single black flower petal materializes on the array of small pedestals. An opal of unsurpassed perfection flickers into sight next to it, and a band of golden, trapped sunlight joins it. Theo slips that one onto his free hand, where it sizes to fit over the brown leather gloves branded with a dragon's silhouette that he put on at some point. A short distance ahead of him, a dull grey sphere appears, hovering silently in mid-air, rotating gently. Theo looks back to the claw-handed villain across from him. "Kick your ass so thoroughly that Bolas feels it from here to Amonkhet." He drops something else. "Mycosynth Golem." A monster appears. It's larger than a man, six-armed and made of nothing less than some kind of dense lattice of metallic mycelium. It has a humanoid shape, but its limbs are too thick, too armored, and too numerous to be really human. Six arms raise four different heavy blades and hammers; eight eyes like a spider's above a wide mouth that bears a viridian glow click and refocus. It walks heavily towards Tezzeret, the unhurried stride of a purpose-built machine. It stops when it reaches the hovering sphere between them, looming dangerously. "In the spirit of the Jacetice League," Theo adds somewhat magnanimously from his side of the room, "I feel like I should offer you a chance to lay down your claw and surrender peacibly." It is definitely not because his golem has summoning sickness.
Starbound Flotilla	The Flotilla has a pretty solid air superiority, but it sure isn't that solid. They remotely pull the ship out before it gets in too much hot water. It's served its purpose, after all! Now for the brutal part. The mecha are something they can take on. "Grapplers! Formation, cut pressure!" "The seas themselves shall turn against them." "Star Five, I want guts broken!" "Floran isss gonna tear!" "Can we find the top dog?" "We don't have time to focus on--" "Pressuring. Every moment we spend on this fight is worse for the city!" "...Fine. Star Four, try to find a breaching point for Star Six." "Aye! Let's bring 'em in!" The Flotilla rushes into action. The plan is simple and straightforward. They swarm the anti-riot thing with their grappling hooks, unloading blasts of heavy anti-armor rockets and grenades, trying to dive into the armor's joints and force dramatic overloads and reboots on crucial limbs by slicing with heavy blades, and most specifically they try to take advantage of the limits of water-pressure systems to try to slice apart the massive hoses used to brutalize the citizens. They don't know exactly where the Grand Consul is, but they do know two specific things: Theo Morrison is a summoner, and Theo Morrison is probably closest to him right now. Which is why Seft tries to scan around the thing as she swings for a spot George can use his mechanical engineering knowledge to break in. The tactic is an effort to hijack the thing! They wanna get this thing on-call -- and when someone gets into the Grand Consul's office, they intend to have something under their control that they can suicide-ram into it to drive the riot a little more precisely, and interrupt when they get the call to interrupt. This also, hopefully, can prevent the aerial superiority from targeting anything easily! That's the idea anyway.
Zero Kiryu	At the end, Zero emerges with some spear wounds. A light scattering of blood flecks the surrounding floors, but the injuries stop bleeding nearly as soon as contact is broken and are in the process of sealing up by the finish. The actual follow-ups were all obnoxious attacks on vulnerables-- not another testicle shot, but he gouged out one eye (not two, as he appears to have been avoiding doing permanent life-altering injury) and deliberately tore eart cartilage on another. He regards the remaining spearmen analytically. They're not presently in his way, but they probably WILL eventually. He bends over and seizes the spear of one of the injured, resting it across his shoulder. "Get them to a hospital. Go home." He says. Then he walks away, returning to Yuuki's side. The smell of his blood is fresh and abundant-- the smell of other men's blood is less so. As Yuuki takes care of the political angles of all of this, he twists the spear over in his hand, inspecting it thoroughly. He's not a spearman and won't be keeping it, but it's good to know your weapon even if it's a temporary one. "Where do you want me?" He asks.
Priscilla	Pia pulls down the cloth obscuring her face, and then cocks an eyebrow at All-Seeing Eye with a daring look of contempt. "/My/ influence? That's funny. I remember being told that my influence wasn't amounting to anything, that nobody cared. I might just be going deaf and blind in my age, but for some reason I thought those people out there were complaining about /your/ influence. The part where you decided to intervene without being asked, take matters into your own hands, and tacitly aid a despot and absolute cretin in violating the legalities we're supposed to be entitled to. If it weren't for you and your people, those people wouldn't be rioting. Funny how that works. You've helped us more than anyone else." Full well knowing who All-Seeing Eye is, Nalaar smirks anyways. "I hope I have planted those seeds. When people pay taxes and work jobs and obey orders and laws for their leaders, and get none of what they were promised in return, a precedent /should/ be set, that if the Consulate won't hold up their end of making Ghirapur run, neither will we. We suffer consequences for breaking that arrangement. If there isn't a precedent for them suffering consequences for doing the same, then the arrangement might as well not exist. It's worthless. If the people are taught that absolute emergency power being handed to a single 'Grand Consul' is unacceptable, and to fight back when they're abused, nothing could make he happier. The only reason for you to fear a precedent where it's acceptable for us to retaliate is that you plan to exploit people in a way that justifies retaliation." "Don't expect me to buy that the idea of revolution itself is somehow dangerous. That fighting back is wrong because it encourages people who'd defy the Consulate for less noble ends. It's too late for that. Look around and you'll see that the idea of enforcing law and order is just as dangerous for exactly the same reasons. The Consulate has /already/ set the precedent that it's okay to have a make demands of /us/ by force. To 'throw a tantrum', like you put it. We've already reached the point where /they've/ been encouraged to push the envelope and use the apparatus of law, just like rebellion, for their selfish, ignoble ends, and we can't concede anything to /them/." Renegade Prime takes a deep breath and pushes back her hood. "So if you're willing to cease being a hypocrite, and trying to talk me out of the fundamental rights and benefit of a doubt you're willing to arbitrarily give to anyone wearing blue and bronze, tell me what it is you actually want. Like my friend August says, we're not sticking around to be lectured like children. I didn't get this far by not being secure in what I believe." "As far as I'm concerned, you and that little girl from the Concord are the same thing wearing different masks."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki leans over the board, things well in hand. Sram gets an apologetic 'sorry' under the breath. "As you ramp down the power grid, use your discretion, Senior Artificer, to bring back online emergency services - fire fighting and the like. The board is yours." She offers, shoving off the table lightly as she heaves a breath. "When this is all over, I want to ensure a clean return to business. With that in mind:" She beckons a large black wolf out from under the table (that certainly wasn't there before) and points the wolf at Sram. "This isssss... ffffido. He's a good boy. Senior Artificer, just treat him like a big puppy and point him at anyone giving you trobule. Okay?" With some insurance policy in line, and the Enforcement officals cowed, it's on to the next objective. "Minister Baan, I'm sorry for taxing you like this, but the Senior Artificer needs to be here, and we need to be elsewhere. Can you accompany us back to the Spire? Your critical eye will be necessary - and I'm sure you know where the power release is." "Zero, we're going to be linking up with Staren and making a push for the emergency releases. Shutting the Spire down may not help, but it probably can't hurt. If we can stop whatever criticality Tezzeret wants to reach with his projects, we win." She moves to sweep out of the room, back to the spire. "This time, if the officals are moving to secure places, treat anyone getting in the way as unknowingly hostile." "I think Moonfin just flew a plane into the spire, so I'm glad we made those calls."
Staren	The captains rain down nonlethal weapon dispensers. Staren is impressed and envious, he needs to learn to pull stuff like that! At the moment though, he's given up on the Renegades -- Hopefully, the rioting outside will keep consulate forces busy while actual competent people put an end to things. Unfortunately, that doesn't sistract the guards that are /in the spire right now/ getting in his and Edison's way. And unlike Zero, Staren would prefer not to hurt people who are just doing their jobs because their chain of command has been deceived and subverted. Staren considers his options, reaches into his bag, and starts throwing grenades and vials into the guards. They explode into fast-hardening foam and clusters of instant-grown vines, respectively, hopefully preventing guards from fighting. If they force the issue anyway though, he must not be captured here. If he has to kill them, he'll leave a note on his automap to come back here and haul them off for revival after. Further inside, STUFF HAPPENS. A new objective comes up for grabs: Release the stored aether. That sounds doable! Staren attempts to make his way towards the release controls, directly. Using the matter manipulator and explosives to cut through walls, flying up elevator shafts with magic, and so on. he doesn't have time to try and clear through the mess he just made in the lobby, after all.
Riva Banari	The situation is spelled out, and Riva grumbles as pieces click into place. The problem accelerated far, far faster than it could have been. The logic path is fairly obvious. Someone needs Aether. A /lot/ of it. But for what? and why? But the number of people in the city who could repurpose the energy grid like that are practically nil. Which points directly at someone responsible for this. Unfortunately, Riva is way, way out of position to do something about it, ... Or is she? As All-Seeing Eye cleverly pulls most of the Watch out of position under the excuse of talking to them, Riva comes to a decision. Time to interfere. This time, Riva produces... A bullhorn. "PEOPLE OF GHIRAPUR!" She calls out over the riot, standing up. "You have all assembled here to show your anger! You have come here to cry out against your unjust treatment. You contribute to the glory of this land, you work to keep it a shining jewel, and for what? For LIES! For ABUSE! To be told nothing, and denied what is yours by right! For the very city you have created to begin falling into darkness and madness! AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?" She points to the Spire. "Corruption has set into the core of your shining city, people of Ghirapur! A rusty rod will not bear weight, and there, in the center, the very people you have trusted to protect you now raise up arms against you, to deny you! To unperson you, just as they have the Renegades! BUT IT IS TIME TO SAY NO MORE! TOGETHER, WE CAN BRING PEACE AND PROSPERITY BACK! I STAND WITH YOU! THE RENEGADES STAND WITH YOU!" With an Anima-boosted leap, Riva launches herself off of the building, flipping to impact at the frontline, hitting hammerfirst with a shockwave impact meant to break up and scatter the checkpoint. Turning, she points at the Spire. "FORWARD, GHIRAPUR! FORWARD, AND LET THEM HEAR YOUR VOICES! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!" She cries out, marching forward towards the center of government, preparing to bust through anything in her path as she works to tip the balance. Over and over, she chants, "POWER TO THE PEOPLE!", trying to unify people under those words.
All-Seeing Eye	Diplomacy isn't really Eye's... thing, no. "Yes. Today there actually is a tyrant. What about tomorrow? The shift supervisor says the construction workers have to put in extra shifts. Is he a tyrant, now? Is the chief of medicine a tyrant now, asking her doctors to stay later?" He throws up his arms in an exaggerated shrug. "Why not? They're doing something that makes their subordinates unhappy in the here and now, so clearly, it must be tyranny and it must be intentional. It doesn't matter that the workers now have to repair damage from the riots in addition to the projects they already have. Nor does it matter that there are wounded in need of treatment, on top of the hospital's current patients. No, the people are inconvenienced in the here and now, and they say it's tyranny!" There is no crossbow bolt from Eye, however. Just more bitching. "/Ideally,/ a government conducts itself in a manner not easily compared to cartoonish, mustache-twirling villainy. It does so efficiently, and quietly, so that the citizens scarcely realize they're being governed until they need something--and at that point precisely, their needs are provided for." He crosses one leg over the other. "Had you let us handle this our way, the discomfort would have lasted longer, it's true. Inquiries would have to be made, investigations launched. But it would have happened /within/ the system. There are rules to this, August. They exist for a reason. If everyone on my world just did what we wanted, we would have suffocated--literally run out of air--thousands of years ago." "Every person on /every/ world has their place in society. Skillsets, dispositions, combined to make them more suitable for certain lines of work, and less suitable for others. What happened here was merely a defective part of an otherwise functioning whole, which you now threaten to entirely dismantle. Our way is meticulous, it is slower, but it is /orderly./ I know you won't compromise now. When you lose control of your fire of change--when it starts consuming the very air around you--you'll understand." He extends an arm, checking his fingernails for scratches or other unsightly elements. "I /did/ come here seeking compromise, and I still want it." His golden eyes level upon August, then Pia. "We might as well settle on the least-awful way of proceeding. For the sake of the people. And for the sake of the people," he says specifically to Pia, "I was asked--by the authorities of your world, in good faith. And I am not, nor will I ever be, ashamed of offering my assistance to people who I believed had your best interests at heart, and do, with one notable exception. That, to me, is not hypocrisy, it is /duty,/ and it is duty I will see done whether it pleases you or not." Eye rises, clearly annoyed now. He slaps the back of one hand against the palm of the other, three times, puncutating each word. "To. That. End. Stop the fighting, NOW, and I will use every bit of leverage I have, and very much leverage I don't have, to ensure you and your people never have cause to throw this world into chaos again--to ensure that the treatment you receive by this government from now on is equitable, that it is transparent, that it is expedient. I will do these things if you do your part to get those people out of the street and out of harm's way."
Priscilla	Tezzeret laughs. That's kind of what his type do in situations like this, but it's short, sharp, and nasty. "'Keeping it simple' is an idiom for craftsmen. For simpleton labourers who need to be reminded not to insert more variables than their small minds can keep track of and lose their grip on the equation. Do you take me for an 'artisan'? Do you think artifice is my calling, rather than a means to an end? Let me teach you a particular lesson here: simple and direct thinking like that is for engineers. Putting more variables in play than plain, average men such as yourself can keep track of --that's something shared by politicians, strategists, and planeswalkers who /know what they're doing/." The floor lights up under Tezzeret. Specifically, the myriad grooves and channels go from gold and silver to blinding blue. The air suddenly fills with raw aether charge, permeating the atmosphere to the point it develops into a thick, crackling cyan mist, just as a complete oversaturation of moisture does. Tezzeret's Etherium arm is exposed as the aether rushes into its metal, burning away his right sleeve in the disgustingly concentrated cloud of mana he is suddenly tapping into. "The Aether Spire's emergency power resources are technically supposed to be used to power wartime artifacts of extreme potency, but it turns out a mage with a little foresight can make use of it too." With double digits of colourless mana on turn one, Tezzeret activates every artifact in the room. They aren't wired to anything; he simply has the power to do it himself. Ranks of showpiece golems, thopters, and lifecrafted creatures whirr to life, swooping in on Theo. The airship hung up from the ceiling lights up on all ports, and fires its energy cannons. Even Tezzeret himself joins in, summoning a cluster of extremely un-Kaladeshi automatons of his own, very distinctly from a plane Theo has been to before. He basically has the overflowing batteries of the supercharged Aether Spire to himself, in terms of how much magic he can throw around.
August Kohler	"And sometimes, the rules hurt people, and need to be broken. If you follow them without considering if they're actually harmful, they're just chains." That's all August replies mid-talk as he listens, clearly unhappy with the idea of stopping the riot. However...Eye is searching for compromise, and Pia is the local here August respects most. So, he turns to Pia. "This is your world, your people. If you want to go with this, say the word and I'll go stop the fighting myself. Focus on the big guy causing all the problems in the Spire. If you have other plans, well, I'll do whatever you need." August is tired and impatient enough that he'll just let Pia decide this. She's a reasonable leader, and like Eye said, everyone has a role. August's is being a chainsaw.