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+--- Thread: Musings [Escher] (/showthread.php?tid=102108)
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Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 07-19-2013
A bronze-colored Surveyor with an impossible cube painted on each wing touched down in the hangar of the Metropolis. From its cockpit came an attractive blonde in a red flightsuit. Without taking a second look at anyone she passed, she set off for a specific part of the ship - auxiliary control, which housed Escher's office.
"He's still talking about Octavarium," she said immediately upon entering.
"Can't say I'm surprised, Combs. Kane's always been a bit... odd," Escher replied from his desk. He had been busily looking up information on the movements of the pirate factions of Liberty. One group in particular he hoped suffered a very quick annihilation.
"Think anything will come of it?"
"No, but we're still going to help. If we pull the Hackers and a few others into it, this will still expand our influence and lead to bigger things. And it won't be difficult to ensure an escape route."
"'A few others'? Any ideas?"
"Those that fight a corporation. Hackers and Ageira, LWB and Synth..."
"Mollys-"
Escher quickly cut her off. "That won't be happening. Gaians maybe. The Mollys are too volatile, too violent, too unreliable, and too shortsighted. They cannot be trusted. But you have the idea. Keep an eye out for anything interesting from any possible partners."
"Understood. I'm going to the mess now."
"Alright, you're free to go. I've got work to do."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 08-02-2013
Freeport 2, Public Observation Deck
Escher stands near the window, staring out into the void as Kelly Combs approaches. She takes a position directly to his right, and finds him lost in thought.
"Bretonia agreed."
"Mm. You sound surprised."
"We're pirates, Combs. We've never had a cause to fight for. We've never been out for anything but ourselves and our wallets. So yes. I'm surprised."
"Bretonia needs more allies. If we're willing to change-"
"This is not a simple change of hats, Combs. This is asking us to change our nature. I ask you, what can change the nature of a man?"
"Time and desire. It starts with a different hat. Then a new name. Eventually, a new life. You've done this before, Delacroix, you can do it again."
Silence.
"Think about it. I need to get back to work."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 08-11-2013
Leiden Base
"Mom. Dad. It's been a while, I know. Sorry I didn't call... guess it doesn't matter now. Maybe you heard, the Raiders are starting their own country. Pretty sure Kane's crazy, but... I suppose it's worth a shot. You always did want me to run for office."
He took a deep breath, shaking slightly before continuing. "I... got your message. I can't pick it all up today, but I'll bring someone with me next time to help. I know, you always wanted me to have that Bayonet when you retired."
Another shaky breath. "Kelly. Don't try to sneak up on me."
The blonde Raider stood next to Escher, silently watching as he dusted off the memorial in front of them.
VINCENT & MARIE DELACROIX
Taken too soon by the bastards from Deshima
Taken too soon by the bastards from Deshima
"I... didn't know your parents died."
"Until a few days ago, neither did I. They were moving a load of stolen Ageira equipment from Alberta... a couple hunters caught them in Kepler."
"I'm sor-"
"Spare me. It's part of the life. One day, you're doing your part to destroy Ageira, the next you're killed by a hired thug so the corporate plutocrats can live in luxury. It's happened to dozens of Hackers. It'll happen to dozens more. And somewhere down the line, it may happen to us too."
"Then we make the most of our time."
"We think alike."
"Good," she replies as the two start to leave. "And while I'm thinking about it, don't go after those bounty hunters. I know you don't want to draw more attention to yourself right now."
"I won't lay a finger on them."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 08-12-2013
Seasons Base
Two Raiders peeked around a corner and saw two other men talking to each other about the base.
"It's them?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Is their room prepared?"
"Yeah, the one you set aside."
"Very well. Get to your post then, Matsuda. I'll entertain our guests." Escher was dressed in his typical dark grey knee-length coat, black slacks, and a white shirt - about as close as he ever got to proper formal attire. It would be sufficient. "Hello, welcome to Seasons. I heard you earlier, sounds like you're having some trouble getting around."
"Well, yeah. Half the halls are closed."
"Yes, there's a lot of work still being done. If you'd like, I can show you around."
The two looked at each other and shrug. "Yeah, why not?"
"Great, then let's get started," Escher replied cheerfully. As the three started down the hall, Escher pointed to the right. "If you go down this hall and turn left, you'll get to the Razor's Edge Pub. They've got some good garlic fries. But let's continue on." A left turn to detour around some construction equipment, then a right to loop around an incomplete passage. "You don't want to go in this door here," he said, pointing to the right after another left turn. "Setting up a factory here, right now it's just got some robots doing the work. Problem is, they were designed for environments humans can't handle, so they're... difficult around humans. But let's continue."
The maze of passages led past several facilities that were still under construction, including a secondary hangar,and eventually ended in a wing with a great view of a dark matter cloud.
"And here's the temporary living quarters. We've already set aside a room for you - all our guests are noted upon arrival. So let's open it up and see how you like it," Escher said, pushing a button on the wall. Inside was a reasonably well-furnished room; nothing extravagant, but comfortable and well-stocked.
"Haha, see Dale? This is why we got into the life. VIP service! Hey, bellhop, didn't catch your name."
Escher smiled as the crew of Come As You Are flanked him, weapons drawn. "Of course. I am Victor Delacroix." Stunned silence.
"With a name, recognition. And with recognition, understanding... and fear." He drew a pistol from his coat. "There it is, I see it in your eyes. That same fear my parents felt when you ambushed their freighter. I believe it's time ot say goodbye, Hunters." Escher closed the room with the wall panel, and opened the other side of the well-furnished airlock. The screams of the Hunters were a symphony Escher regretted his inability to hear through the thick walls of the base.
"Main Engineering, this is Escher. We seem to have some debris stuck to the primary hull; could you pulse the shields quickly?"
"You got it."
A fading hum, then a rising one signalled the shield cycle completing. Escher checked the monitor on the wall to confirm; the two hunters were drifting toward the dark matter cloud.
"You said-"
"Yes, Kelly, what exactly did I say?"
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 08-23-2013
Seasons Base, Aquila Defense Systems Factory Wing, Office of Johnathan Jones
"So, Jones. Your employees have a history of doing a lot with little. I've got two ships here I need dismantled, AP series. Think you can use them?"
"How'd you get your hands on Hunter ships? Pretty sure most of Octavarium is blacklisted from Hunter bases..."
"Not important."
"I disagree. I'm not putting my people in danger again because I don't know what's going on."
Johnathan Jones was not a small man. At 6'1" and a well-built 165 pounds, he had several inches both vertically and horizontally on the spymaster. But still, Escher didn't blink. He was not normally one to back down, but he knew better than to take unnecessary chances - and keeping a shipbuilder was more important than keeping his secret, this time. He sighed and explained.
"Fine. Their pilots killed my parents. Said pilots are now dead."
"So what you're sayin' is, we're covering up a murder."
"Technically, I'm saying you're covering up two. But it wouldn't be hard to send them into a debris field; I simply don't like wasting resources."
"Whole damn sector's gone insane... Alright, what ships?" Escher handed him a datapad - a Manta and a Hammerhead. "Hmm... Yeah. We can work with these. Won't be hard to turn them into a pair of Crows."
"Glad to hear it. Do what you will with th-"
"What. The. F*ck?!" Kelly demanded, storming into the office. "Not only did you kill them, you're trying to rope civilians into cleaning up after you? You conniving, degener-
"No, it's fine," Jones calmly interrupted, completely unfazed by the remarkably angry blonde's sudden entrance. "Look, I'm not exactly happy about it, but we need to get some product out, and the materials are here. Don't count on it happening again, though. We're not your personal janitors." Escher silently stared into the distance in response. "Anything else, or were we done here?"
"... No. No, that will be all," Escher replied, walking out of the office. He wasn't quite accustomed to this kind of direct resistance. But his parents had a saying - "Adapt. Success follows." He'd just have to change his approach.
"I'm sorry about that, he's just... ugh, he-"
"Hey, relax. It'll be good practice; the Raiders will be getting into a lot of fights, I'm sure. We'll just make sure my people are trained in reclamations."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 09-08-2013
Deep Cove, New Westminster. Planetary defense installation, under construction. Early spring.
Escher was angry. Visibly angry, which was a rare sight indeed. Even the tell-tale click of someone entering the room didn't slow down his ranting.
"Useless, the whole lot of them. Goddamn useless."
"Esch-"
"Never should've even tried to work with those worthless f-"
"Victor." His ranting stopped immediately. "I already heard. Kane's dealing with it from here."
"Shouldn't bother. They're not going to do a damn thing."
"So, this is how you react when a plan falls apart?" Complete silence. "Fine. The Hackers are useless, Ageira's just as bad, the Rogues are as far as I can tell actively trying to screw us, and the Liberty government is a bureaucratic morass that takes months to get anything done." She paused, waiting for any objection to her summary; there was none. "Some people have been helpflul. Focus on them."
'I... don't think Eris's bunch is going to be particularly helpful for what we need."
"Bretonia. Look, they may not be the greatest technicians, maybe their technology's a few years out of date, but they're quick and they're not going to turn on us like some people would. We just need to start doing something in the area. Give them a reason to help us. Which, incidentally, we should've done with the Hackers."
"Wouldn't have mattered anyway. Can't trust anyone at Mactan."
"In case you hadn't noticed, Victor, Phate and Moriarty aren't there anymore. Haven't been for a while. You need to drop this grudge." She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "Now, are you going to be alright here? Or am I going to come back in twenty minutes and find you passed out on the floor surrounded by beer bottles?"
"I'll be... actually, I think I'll go with you."
"Good. You're not normally like this..."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 10-26-2013
"Picking up a signal... subject has arrived in Ile-de-France."
"Then it's time for Operation Gamma to begin. I do hope that Zoner's intel was accurate... we'll confirm soon enough on our own."
"Can he fly Gallic ships?"
"You underestimate Proteus. He will adapt."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 11-03-2013
"I'm surprised, Victor. Admitting error?"
"I did no such thing," the black-coated man said, looking directly into Kelly's eyes.
"I figured as much. It's always another scheme. Plots within plots," Marauder Combs replied, clearly exasperated.
"You give me far too much credit," Victor replied with a cold smile. "The condemnation was targeted at Kusari, to reveal how far Gallia will go to conquer Sirius. The guards... everything about that part is exactly as I said."
"And the... 'retraction', we'll call it?"
"It's known in corporate circles as a CYA maneuver - think about it for a moment, you'll figure it out. It functionally negates any legitimate claim the bulk of Royal forces would have to support an attack. The Punishers won't care - all the better, really. While I'm thinking about it, how do you feel about the Gallic Brigands?"
The sudden topic change threw Kelly off her guard, and she took a second to think about her response - and what Victor was plotting this time. "I don't really know enough about them."
"Then I believe it's time to correct that. That's your next assignment, agent. You see, the problem is that this is all reactive. I don't have any contacts in Gallia, which makes strategic planning considerably more difficult. The Brigands seem like the best route... room for us to profit, and a willingness to overlook some of our more objectionable tactics. Corse are too secretive, Council too 'honorable', Maquis too volatile."
"Understood. Any other topic changes?"
"Of course not. I already did what I needed to."
"Damn it, Victor..."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 11-19-2013
"This is working well."
"Hm?"
"Us. I do the planning, you keep the Raiders from looking bad."
"Yes, we're going to call that me having a conscience. You should try it."
"Already have. It's overrated, really."
"Of course. A question?"
"Hm?"
"Why did you save that log of Mortier?"
"Oh, that. It's a useful tool, because it's the record of a useless tool. Propaganda backed by fact is far more effective than propaganda alone, Kelly. 21st century history bears this out; consider reactions to the Obor Massacre in 2049. Completely destroyed support for automated weapons platforms."
RE: Musings [Escher] - Thexare - 01-14-2014
Seasons Base, Razor's Edge
"Hey, over there, it's Kelly," Jones said quietly, looking over his mug.
"So it is. Remember, you're gonna owe me," Escher replied, taking a big gulp from the glass in front of him.
"We'll see about that," Jones muttered as the blonde approached the two.
"Escher, what are you roping Aquila into this time?"
"Ah, right on schedule, here's my little clockwork shoulder angel," Escher said, his words slightly slurred. "You know, maaaybe I'm just tryin' to relax after dealing with those LSF bastards, thoughta that?"
Kelly was shocked at the display, for obvious reasons. "Uh... Escher? You... you alright?"
"Yeah, m'fine, m'fine," he said, swaying slightly on his stool. "Just need'a take a li'l time off s'all."
She glanced at the now near-empty mug in front of the Taskmaster and sighed, "Right, well, I'll... check on you in the morning then. Try not to pass out." With that, she left.
Immediately, Escher 'sobered up' and looked over at Jones with a smirk. "Wasn't that hard, she'll believe basically anything about me." he said.
"You're a right bastard sometimes, you know that right?"
"So I'm told. Tell you what, you can pay off the bet by buying a real round, not this near-beer crap."
"Hell, I'll drink to that. Anne, 'nother round over here!"