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S6 Forward Anti-Nullborn Tactical Operations Measure - F.A.N.T.O.M.
Central Command Office

    Were this the office of a human commander, no doubt the shelves would be lined with awards or books or photographs. Memorobilia and acknowledgements, maybe a model of a nostalgic vehicle or a tank of colorful fish. As it is, the bare walls and empty shelves, the immaculate desk, and tidy floor makes it look more like a vacant space waiting for an occupant. Except it is occupied.

    Introductions were brief, if polite. The data has already been provided. It is now that, with a serious expression, the blonde commander I1 thumbs through its contents on an opaque datapad. Her free hand supports her chin, and save for the occasional breath she is silent. Absorbed in the distressing findings from an excursion to the city-tomb of Norte.

    S6 is present as well, on the opposite side of the desk. Her arms are folded primly behind her back in a rigid At-Ease posture, eyes concealed behind her characteristic black visor. Patiently, the Striker simply waits for her commander to properly digest the data. But S6's behavior hardly informs the actions of anyone around her. Others present are free to interact or bring each other up to speed while I1 is occupied.
Ishirou Similarly, I4 is here, and unlike I1 is on the same side of the desk as S6.  He stands in a slightly less perfect at-ease stance, hand behind his back.  He does a great impression of someone trying to be emotionless, while also being nervous and also trying to pretend to be emotionless and failing.  

A black visor rests over his eyes, but it's not hard to read his face.  He's got really bad news to deliver to a VIP.  On the 'shaking everything we thought we knew' level, and that's probably not going to go over well.  Worse case, they'll be targeted for destruction for technically disobeying orders.

Best case scenario...well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, he thinks to himself.  He takes a few calming breaths, waiting for others to show up.
Reiji Arisu This whole situation is a can of worms that some powerful people presumably do not want opened. That is, of course, one of the reasons that he had suggested that they perform an entirely off-the-books trip to an visit an ostensibly unfriendly nation-state. And so they went off without a word, and in so doing discovered something that strikes at the very foundations of the status quo.

Honestly, Reiji was expecting at least a couple assassination attempts by now. He's still not quite sure that this /isn't/ part of an elaborate plan to draw them in and silence their discoveries.

But, S6 and I4 vouched for I1's integrity, and so here they are.

"Seeing data on a page is a little different from experiencing the matter first-hand," Reiji says, standing at-ease alongside the two subordinate androids, "But I trust that it's sufficient none-the-less."
Tamamo     Tamamo no Mae has chosen this time to visit more or less by coincidence. She has no particular relation to the data being presented, except for having heard something of it prior. She arrives in her customary dress, the obvious inhuman entity in the company of the more subtly inhuman (plus one). The *degree* to which her nature is obvious depends more on one's ability to sense what has been stubbornly called (by at least one) 'exoenergy.'

    I4 has, of course, already met Tamamo the once. For the others, this is a first meeting, and so she gives a greeting, "It is my pleasure to meet you face to face, S6. And, Reiji Arisu, is it not?" Her tone is formal, her manner archaic, though she (notably, should one recognize her language) does not bow in the slightest. "I have heard of the matter in passing, but might you explain it once more? Does it remain this dilemma, without solution? It is the link between the city's power and its enemies we now prove, yes?"
S6     "Nn," I1's response to Reiji is muted as she continues flipping through images, text, and graphed data. For a moment, her eyes narrow, and then she places the pad down. The hand cradling her chin moves up, rubbing at closed eyes for a moment, "There's no denying it. All of this has gone through multi-factor verification. I17, I21, and I38 all came to the same conclusion; This data has not been falsified." Her hand shifts so she can peer beneath it to the tablet again, "Which makes these findings all the more disturbing."

    Hand lowering, she presses her palms on the desktop and pushes herself to her feet. A boxy droid floats up beside her, turning to the windows when she does. The glass flickers, turning opaque, and with a gesture she flicks the information from her tablet onto this new screen. Cycling through images and text, it settles on the graphic plot of Null Zone growth periods.

    "I'll overlook /how/ you acquired this recon. You were off duty, after all. What you do with your time isn't my business. But I can't overlook the severity of /what/ was found."

    After a moment to consider the graph she pulled up, the Commander turns back to her guests, "I need solutions. The Council is going to fight tooth and nail to keep the mana turbines in operation. Indus is a city built on magitech, and they aren't going to give up their conveniences and indulgences without a fight."
Ishirou I4 gives a small wave to Reiji, though more surprised with Tamamo as she invited herself directly to the room.  Well, that's not all bad, he guesses, she seems to have a good head on her shoulder and seems to want to help out.  Questions are asked, and I4 starts summing things up, for at least Tamamo.

"So, we're androids created to fight a threat to our world called the Nullborn.  They are various animal-like or mythical creatures that feed on mana anyway they can.  There were several great cities left in this world, and they blinked out one by one...and it appears this is because they are all destroyed."

"The reason, as we found out is the source of each city, the mana engine.  It draws in mana from the planet, but our readings seem to indicate that the drives are the cause of the null zones, and every so often a threshold is passed...and the zones grow."

"Right now, if what we think is true, with this being the last city...if this isn't stopped soon...well within a year, maybe two a final null zone will grow.  Here.  In Indus itself.  Everything will die, humans, androids..."

"The Nulls aren't the source of the nullzone, but I believe a symptom of it.  The issue is if we just take everything offline..." he pauses, "Then not only do the defenses for the city go down, then all the ease of modern living for the people goes with it.  Major unrest would wash over the citizens, and if the nulls decide to attack during this time..."

"Well, it'd be just as bad as the null zone." There is a beat, "But Reiji has found a way to heal nullzones.  So that leaves trying to find a replacement for the power sources.  Which may not be easy because we may have to completely rewire everything."
Reiji Arisu     "Your radiance," Reiji inclines his head deferentially in Tamamo's specific direction. His tone is abruptly noticably more formal, even through the translation effect associated with the Multiverse. "Not quite, though I suppose its enemies have ever been the Null Zones themselves, rather than what emerges from them. We made a trip to a city called Norte, and discovered there that the mana turbines that powered it- and which still power Indus- are responsible for sapping the land of its mana and the creation of Null Zones."

He looks to I1 then, and nods. "I was expecting that they might respond that way. The simplest solution would be to leverage Paladin resources to supply alternative energy sources in the short term. Though with recent events, I'm not sure how much aid might be readily available, and I'm sure that some of the city's amenities would need to be deactivated for at least a short while. This might just buy us time, however, if we can't solve the underlying issue."

He glances at I4 at the mention of his seal, then shrugs. "Sort of. I can plug the hole, but the reason the Null Zones are forming in the first place is that the world's mana stores are dangerously low, and only getting lower. What we'd need to do is find a way to replenish that resource in a big way. That's one of the reasons I wanted access to Indus' stores of magical lore. At the moment, I do have an... idea, though."

"Like on most worlds," Reiji explains, "The sun is a source of life and energy. Plants use it to photosynthesize, it warms the atmosphere, and so on and so forth. Much of it is lost to the void of space, or simply reflected by the land and sky, but what if we could harness some of that energy and convert it into mana? It might be possible with a large enough geomantic array. Of course, this would probably only be a solution in the long-term. Right now, we need to stem the bleeding."
Tamamo     Tamamo nods appreciatively to I4, giving him a "Thank you," as the explanation concludes. This shifts her attention to Reiji, still passing over I1 without giving any answer to her question. Most likely for not having yet a fully prepared solution. A fan appears from within her sleeve, unfolding to cover the lower half of her face, at about the point that Reiji greets her. She still might have smiled.

    "Drawing mana from the planet, and creating 'zones'... I would think that these are areas 'without mana,' but they must have some power so as to create these monsters you face, no? Ah, but perhaps it is merely that the world is suffused with yet another energy, one inaccessible by the people thus far, but which serves to at once feed and form the 'Nullborn.'"
S6     "You can relax," I1 directs to the two other androids in the room. S6's reaction is subtle, as she remains in her at-ease posture but somehow looks less stiffly attentive. The Commander re-takes her seat, resting her elbows on the tabletop and lacing her fingers together, "Your stunt at the CARI institute didn't go unnoticed. Although the Council's response ran the gamut from 'Interesting' to 'Dangerous'." A twinge of amusement enters her voice, "The Minister of Magecraft refers to your method as outdated." Eyes closing, she shrugs, "My primary mission is to use FANTOM to protect this city's inhabitants, so whether the method is fashionable or not is meaningless to me. Even a small success on your part has a positive impact and I thank you for it."

    Tamamo susses out the definition, and I1 nods to the fox-eared woman, "Correct. What we call Null Zones are regions where mana has become so depleted that they no longer sustain normal life." She gestures, and the report contents behind her minimize. A series of images start scrolling past. Photographs, all of them, each one of an inky black animal-like shape. Some glistening, some more gooey than others, the only indications of where the head is on each one being deep-set glowing eyes, "These are the Nullborn. The only lifeform that seems to thrive in that environment. They regularly venture out of the depleted territory to consume sources of mana elsewhere. Such as humans." A gesture, "or the battery systems of us androids."

    S6 finally speaks up, "When slain, the Nullborn's body degrades first into a toxic substance, and then a mana-rich fluid, which in turn gives rise to rapid plant growth. Arisu brought forth the theory that they may be some attempt at recovery. Hence, as I4 stated, a symptom of the infection. We initially thought the Nullborn to be the infection itself." Her head turns towards Tamamo, "That the Null Zone formed around whichever mechanism they used to invade our world. Part of me still wants to believe that simple truth, but I can't deny what I've witnessed."
Ishirou "Wait..." I4 thinks about something for a moment, "The zones are without life?  But where does that life energy go?  More than that, the zones killed before the nulls came right?"  There is a thoughtful look, "POD, run projections."

He says, sending his pod numbers based on the lives lost in a zone, versus what would come back in a nullborn.  He runs that again in what would happen should one die, and release that energy.  

Once he runs those numbers, he has the POD project the results.
Tamamo     Tamamo continues, "In any case, the present problems remain, as I see." She gives Reiji a nod. "As you say, the Sun is a source, and quite nearly the ultimate source, for life upon a planet. Such may be used to useful ends, should the appropriate preparations be made. How unfortunate, then, that a year is little time for rebuilding a city within normal means. I am some six tails short," the named feature seems to have the ability to sway in nonexistent, indoor breeze, "of immediately resolving the matter of recreating civilization with naught but mine efforts alone."

    At I1's further explanation, Tamamo stops to observe each image in turn. Her eyes narrow, then widen, then tremble in barely contained, silent laughter, until she stops once more. "Ah, but how callous. How pushed to desperation this planet has become. It is not merely 'recovery.' It is a more complete solution. And, for this city being the last, clearly one that has very nearly, truly, 'completed.'" She lets out a breath, then snaps the fan shut, crossing her arms. "I now understand the matter. It remains to pass that understanding along to this city's rulers. I should like to meet with some of them, both to take their measure, and to assist in their persuasion. They may know nothing of myself, and trust nothing of my words, yet that is no high obstacle. I need only find those most like to cooperate, and urge them to buy us the necessary time. One may have, rightfully, faith in my powers of persuasion."
Reiji Arisu     "Sometimes it turns out that people did things the old-fashioned way for a reason," Reiji smiles, evidently not entirely unpleased that Indus' mysterious and shadowy council seemed to take notice of their work in the field. One way or another, they ARE paying attention-- even if it's not the most helpful kind of attention. "The interesting thing is how the parasitic Nullborn reacted after I sealed the zone. I think S6 and I4 could tell you more about that particular experience, but they didn't seem to react positively at all. Even more interesting is that Norte seemed to have no Nullborn in it at all- like they had stopped being interested once there wasn't anything left alive to consume."

I4 seems to have caught on to something, possibly. Reiji arches a brow in his direction for a moment, before nodding toward Tamamo again. "It's possible. Hard to create something from nothing, after all. But the fact that they release their accumulated energy on death makes me wonder what their actual function may be."

"I think looking into the nature of the Nullborn might lead to meaningful results. I still don't know if it'll be enough to restore the planet, but they do seem to be very good at converting what they consume into life-force. Maybe there's something we can do with that...? We might want to see if we can track down someone with more knowledge about their behavior. Like that rogue Android, maybe?"
S6     I1 cants her head towards I4 when he seems to reach an epiphany. When the POD chirps its completion, she turns in her seat. The Nullborn images minimize and a new series of graphic data appears. Raising a hand, she rubs her chin as she considers the projections provided, "Surveys indicate rapid die-off during Null Zone formation. And this line-- would be the surveyed abundance of Nullborn appearing after formation. There does appear to be a corrolation."

    "They do contain skeletal-like structures," S6 offers, "Although the 'bone' is stone. It may be fossilized... I hadn't thought to retain that data from my encounters." She nods once, "I will from now on."

    "See that you do," I1 directs to S6, before returning her attention to Reiji, "D4 has an extensive distrust of FANTOM units. Approaching her will be risky, but any renegade android still active in the wild is going to have far more data on behavior through observation." Lifting a hand, she presses it to the side of her face, tapping her temple with her eyes closed, "As it so happens, I was ordered to 'prioritize' the elimination of deserters. So perhaps the Council can be paid some lip service while we pursue this clue."

    An eye opens, fixated on Tamamo, "Mm?" The other follows, I1 lowering her hands and leaning forward, "I can arrange a meeting with the Council, though I'm uncertain how they'll react to you. What precisely do you believe is going on, having seen the face of our enemy?" Her head inclines. She clearly suspects she knows the answer, "What is 'nearly completed', exactly?"
Ishirou I4 sighs a little, he hated being right in this sense.  The life that was killed by the nullzone was being converted into the nulls.  He looks confused by this for a moment as if trying to piece something together. Though he is distracted by I1's question towards Tamamo, "She good a talking to people.  I'd vouch for her trying to make our position better."

With a sigh, he looks towards Reiji, "So when you do your think the nulls go mad and try and stop you, right?  And you said you saw SOMETHING on the other side of the null zone, like a hole?"

"What if the nullborn are just a way for the spirit of this planet to try and reclaim what was wasted, and trying to preserve the planet.  What if it knew what the source of this all was, and considered it a threat?  This would make sense, that the spirit of the earth would use the nulls to prolong itself?"
Tamamo     "Oh, is it not obvious?" Tamamo asks, brows raised in surprise. "There is the matter I4 has touched upon. If the number and strength of the monsters so created are limited, fixed upon the creation of the zone, then it may be certain that there is no new source of energy for these creatures than the life upon which the zones and its creatures prey. That is one matter of interest, and their purpose is another."

    She continues after a moment, "A body that is starved does not merely consume itself, hollowing bone, withering muscle, thinning skin. A body that seeks to heal does not merely mend its torn flesh. It must destroy or, all the better, consume that which seeks its destruction. Every living being acts in its own defense, or else, perishes. Only the unassailable can think otherwise." Tamamo peers at I1, as if testing her with, 'Do you understand?'

    As I4 speaks again, Tamamo gestures her folded fan lightly in his direction. "Near to it."
Tamamo     Tamamo follows her answer by returning to the earlier point. "Finding a new source of power, moving people, and reducing the need for the current source, any and all of these will require time. I shall begin with this path, should these humans not disqualify themselves of my interest." Her tone and demeanor are almost lazy in how relaxed she is, now.
Reiji Arisu Reiji... Actually does not look too overly surprised by the revelation. Rather, the expression he wears is one of resigned acknowledgment, as if he were affirming an unpleasant but not altogether unexpected truth. "When we first encountered the Nullborn, I had considered that they acted as some kind of antibody, fighting something that threatened the planet's life-force. Hearing that it might be hunting and killing humans specifically is... Not entirely a shock to me."

"But if that is true, then I would like to believe that consuming humanity is the planet's last, not first, resort," he gestures in the vague direction of Indus. "Those reactors are drawing mana from the world, depleting it more rapidly than it can naturally replenish. Wouldn't you think that the most immediate solution would be to strike hard at the source of the decay? And yet the Null Zones have opened up all around-- but not yet within-- Indus. When I sealed the Zone at the CARI institute, I made contact with an entity that expressed sorrow and frustration that someone had come too late. I think the world was hoping someone would come and discover its plight sooner, so that it wouldn't have to eradicate humanity to save itself."

The exorcist shrugs, then. "But that's, admittedly, an optimistic view of the situation. And doesn't help us solve the imminent problem. I think that we should take a multi-pronged approach to staving off the end. We can try to make contact with D4 without an android escort, to see if she can't be convinced to tell us what she knows. Meanwhile, we can begin trying to convince the Council to deactivate the reactors, maybe provide incentives for them to do so. This should buy us time to figure out a more permanent solution."

Reiji considers for a moment, and then: "...Do you think, perhaps, that we might be able to shut down reactors still in use in other cities as well?"
S6     I1 rewards Tamamo with a serious expression, her hands folded together on her desk. She hears out the fox maiden's full explanation without interruption, only closing her eyes when she's clearly finished. And all the commander has to offer is a simple, "I hoped I was wrong. But with the data right in front of me, I could only say you're wrong if I were blind. As far as theories go, it's pretty well supported."

    She nods once, "I'll see to the meeting. It won't be today. Getting the Council together is always a pain, due to their other obligations. This gives us time to prepare alternatives. Arisu," She looks his way, "Your solar array. Look into it. Your Geomancy may provide a solution, but incorporating it into a device that can be manufactured will go a long way towards winning the Ministers over. If we're able to devise a solution that still supports the local culture of magitech, there will be less resistance to adopting it."

    Shifting her attention, "S6 and I4 will be placed in charge of locating and questioning D4. I'll forward her most recent sightings through your Operators, but as I recall it she has been spotted near that cult village more than once lately."

    I1 pauses, raising a hand to her chin in thought, "...On the subject of the other turbines. I'll send Inspectors to recon the other city-sites and determine if a proper expedition will be necessary. If they're abandoned like Norte, this might be something a single android can achieve. But, on the subject of travelling long distance..." Her gaze shifts to I4 again, "Forward your scans of the Norte flight units to R&D. Hopefully it will take only minimal adjustment before we can start manufacturing them for our own use."
Tamamo     Tamamo gives her clarification only after Reiji's comment. "A last resort, is it? You likely have the right of this. Consider how a body behaves when starved, the practice of self-cannibalism. The 'good' is broken down into the 'necessary,' merely as this last resort, so that life might continue. How else might you describe the destruction of animal life in favor of greenery? Trees make comparatively few demands, and a forest might someday spring forth with varied life and a host of spirits." She gives a muted shrug of her own. "Perhaps it is so."

    I1 receives a nod. "For the immediate future, they must agree to slow the drain upon the land. Whatever may be given to me to begin as offerings should prove useful in that regard. Ah, additionally, I need not meet with the entirety of the council so soon. It would do just as well or better, for my purposes, to meet with one or few of them before their meeting. A council decision is much like a battle, no? Perhaps you have not this particular proverb, but know that this is true: A battle is best won before it has begun."
Ishirou I4 nods to I1, not surprised that they were being put in charge of this.  However, also knowing this it was super dangerous and likely to put them in great danger.  Fortunately, S6 was here, so he was feeling a bit less anxious about it.  

"Combined with the recovered units, it should be easy..." he says, and then stares at the numbers and hears the words again.  There was a tinge of memory.  Something like a forgotten dream that eats at the very edge of his awareness.  

"What if we made the first sacrifice," I4 says, calmly, "We could find a way to power us without using devices that also drain the land.  It'd hopefully buy the planet time, as well as make us less ripe targets in the field.."
Reiji Arisu Sending androids to recon the android-hating android? Reiji makes a sound of mild concern, but ultimately offers only a shrug as answer. "Alright. I'll focus my efforts on the solar harvester. Your Radiance," he turns to Tamamo with another bow, "If I might be so bold as to ask for your assistance? I'm sure anything I create will only benefit from the aid of your august presence."

Then, to I1 again: "We'll probably have better chances of convincing them if you can provide examples of local magitech techniques. It's not like the Council will be bothered if I examine some out-of-date designs, will they?"

Something I4 says does pique his interest, then: "That might not be a bad plan. Right now, the only Nullborn that seems specialized in hunting androids are those parasites. But that doesn't change the fact that you could be next on the list of targets. And every little bit helps, besides."
S6     "We have something similar, yes," I1 notes, "The truest form of victory is to win without fighting. It's a rather old proverb." Eyes closing, she gestures, "They usually insist on speaking with me all at once, but I'll make the inquiries on your behalf. We'll proceed from there regarding power management proposals." Her eyes close for a moment, filing away the theorizing regarding the Nullborn's probable true nature.

    Eyes open again to regard I4, "Hm... The idea has merit, but I am going to require at least the same effeciency as our current power systems. I can't afford to sacrifice anything in Indus' defense, you understand. Ultimately, FANTOM's power demands are rather low, so we'd be coming down on the gesture itself."

    Regarding Reiji, she comments, "The Type Myraina hasn't been sighted since the incident at the CARI institute. You do make a good argument, but my position remains firm on retrofitted power supplies." She gestures, "I'll have some devices provided for examination for the collector project, though. Meeting the aesthetic will probably also help. People here care about appearances to a fair degree."
Tamamo     "I shall, of course, be willing to oversee your efforts." Tamamo says to Reiji. "I may have some old knowledge that would be of use, and may at least see to it that your prayers are properly constructed, if you are to beseech Her for power, for the sake of this world's salvation." Not explaining how the presence or absence of a Sun Goddess in this particular world affects any such plan, she continues instead with "It must be as something these people can construct by their own means, no? Let us also keep this in mind."
Ishirou I4 nods, "I think it's possible.  I will have to get with my allies in the Paladins and see if we can't come up with something.  I wouldn't think of testing this without making sure it wouldn't keep up our efficiency." he says.  

"I guess this means I don't get to slack off anytime soon," he says, with a sigh, "What a pain."