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Edinburgh at Night - Victor Steiner - 08-29-2022
Planet New London
Blacksite Alpha
0800 Hours
Ongoing investigation into Oracles and Nomadic occurrences within Bretonia
Blacksite Alpha
0800 Hours
Ongoing investigation into Oracles and Nomadic occurrences within Bretonia
James had a headache that seemed to increase in intensity as he walked down the corridor of the SIS facility. He didn't like the implications of what his recent trip into the Taus had revealed, Oracles and Nomads were not words he ever wanted to hear and yet they kept on turning up in increasing frequency for some reason. His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as he rounded the corner, another officer passed him as he drew closer to his destination, a standard interrogation room.
The Oracle was far too willing to be taken to New London and even though the man seemed harmless, Skirka didn't buy it at all. If anything, he reckoned the man wanted to gloat. Lord the fact he had information over the Bretonians and that he would be demanding quite a price for his cooperation. James sat at the bland metal table and waited as the security team brought his prisoner from the holding cells.
When they finally arrived, James dismissed the others so that they could be alone. His headache grew, but he ignored it through gritted teeth.
Right. As per our little conversation in space, we seem to have a problem and you seem to have the solution. So lets start from the very beginning. Who exactly are you?
RE: Edinburgh at Night - HanCloudstone - 08-29-2022
That was surprisingly civil and uneventful. Isaiah expected worse from the intelligence but certainly didn't mind the reserved treatment. He spent some time reading a non-fiction about Zoner geologists working on Gran Canaria and felt calm and collected.
He wondered if he needed to think this whole meeting through. Tsk. James will be terribly disappointed, won't he? When the guards finally came, he simply nodded and followed them. Skirka... He didn't look well at all no matter how you looked at him. The man needed rest and couldn't afford it, the classic. What was the source of pain, anyway? He would probably be disturbed if former Oracle tried to figure it out himself.
– Isaiah Ingram, a Zoner enterpreneur. Born in Liberty. Former freelancer and member of Forlorn Hope. Former Exarch of now-defunct Oracles. Pleased to meet you, sir.
He was a witness and a suspect once, so the situation was not particularly worrying if not for the fact he was now in hands of BIS. Even that didn't seem to move him, though he demonstrated no disdain or arrogance either.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - Victor Steiner - 08-29-2022
Oh good. A Libertonian and Zoner. was the thought that went through his mind. Two groups that of course want as little to do with Bretonia as possible. He predicted that this was going to be an unpleasant conversation, even if the man before him was keeping a civil tone. Ingram you were spotted in Newcastle in the restricted zone where you met someone you know as 'Caliban'. I'm going to keep this as.....too the point as possible. What is your connection with him and why were you there?
James did not expect a straight answer, especially how there seemed to be things afoot that even the oracle wanted to avoid. Yet it was becoming increasingly clear to Skirka that events were surpassing the agency, and they had to catch up, if that required dragging a highly suspect zoner off into a location that didn't exist then so be it.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - HanCloudstone - 08-29-2022
How does he even begin to not compromise the entire thing? Information about involved people could harm them a whole lot if BIS tries to take over and solve the problem themselves. Isaiah closed his eyes for a moment, sighed and answered:
– Would you believe me if I told you I missed being able to just have a look at a Nomad or Dom'Kavash structure without having my ship blown up? Nostalgia is important for me, no matter how turbulent my past was. That's for the Newcastle part.
He put his hands on the table and interlocked his fingers.
– My relationship with Caliban is technically non-existent other than me getting on his nerves a couple of times and being extremely curious about what his exact role is. It was rather displeasing to learn that he became quite important for the resolution of... – he paused before clearing his throat, giving up on finding a better term. – "Utterly uncontrollable deathsquad" problem I mentioned earlier. I have a bit of a grudge with him but but it doesn't really justify interference.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - Victor Steiner - 08-29-2022
No I wouldn't believe you. But then I would rather you tell me how you know if it? He rapped his fingers on the table. The prior conversation in space regarding ''deathsquads'' seemed like a childhood nightmare at best, the result of a damaged mind at worse. You also seem to know more about his actual involvement than you let in on, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. When did you first meet Caliban? He had to do this logically and in order, madness was only ever a stray thought away when dealing with anything alien related and this seemed like a stranger tale than most, so an ordered approach seemed to be the best approach.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - HanCloudstone - 08-29-2022
Israfel shrugged.
– I knew about it for years. As you could potentially learn from the Order or some other Omicrons denizens, Oracles served Nomads before fading into obscurity. They had the means to see a lot of things, and access to Nomad-enhanced cloaking technology played an important part in it. Asking Nomads themselves for information was also an option, especially for those of higher rank. Very few were aware of Newcastle object. Now all of them seem gone.
Alas, he was not satisfied. Trusting nostalgia to be the reason was something you could only do if you knew the person well. Skirka didn't know anything about him.
– Yes, – Isaiah nodded. – I can't say much because it can negatively affect the operation. I've met him... – he was clearly unsure how to answer. – Well, before he took on his current codename and became the man he is now. Half a year ago, I think?
RE: Edinburgh at Night - Victor Steiner - 08-29-2022
Tempted as he was just to have Israfel shot against the post the unfortunate reality was that this course of action wasn't going to help him at all. He sighed, his headache coming back before being forced into a corner once more. The Service and the Order are....at ideological odds it seems. Regardless, tell me a little of the man before he became who he was. Was he stable? Generous? Ruthless? Clever? What did he do? Who were his friends? Things like that. Paint me a picture.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - HanCloudstone - 08-29-2022
Isaiah closed his eyes, doing his best not to smile. He was losing concentration and it always led to small-scale disasters. Houses always had trouble getting recent information about Omicrons and Oracles were probably too obscure to make note of even in their better days.
– Sorry, it was definitely a faux pas, – he said and moved on to the next question. – He was a completely different man. A scientist. The awkward type, seemed stable enough compared to certain outstanding examples, – he smiled dryly. – Can't really say much about his character, we never had extensive interactions so I can't shape a profile. Friends with other people involved in research. At some point he had a bit of an explosive exit that jumbled his personality to the point I can no longer recognise him and he doesn't really recognise himself as the man he once was either. His past life is hardly irrelevant to what he is now but the old him is definitely gone. Unless someone extremely dedicated starts working.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - Victor Steiner - 08-30-2022
So what changed? Trauma of some kind? And what is this business with Auxesia? Are the the two related? Tail ends of the same secret war that's being waged by forces unknown? If he sounded cynical, it's because he was. The idea that there was something beyond the human plain of existence wasn't something he believed, furthermore the secrecy of what was happening gave the whole situation an air of....make believe almost. Still, Caliban was real enough and so whatever he fought, or at least whatever hurt him must also be real.
RE: Edinburgh at Night - HanCloudstone - 08-30-2022
James asked the right question. Alas, Isaiah still had to avoid direct answers.
– He hates them with a passion. Ask him in your spare time, I don't think he will be too secretive about it, – he leaned back and fell silent for a moment, arms crossed. – Trauma is an understatement for what he went through, I think. More like a near-death experience, – Zoner closed his eyes and rubbed his eyelids. – Hmm. I was once forced to become a walking life support machine, so I can definitely relate, – he frowned. – All the damage went to his psyche instead of his body, though. He's suspiciously good at space combat.