(11:56:46 AM) ***Claire is sitting nervously with the others that agreed to come along on the train, bound for the BSAZ, hoping against hope that they've managed to get the edge this time and actually are ahead of Sara. She's aware it's a dim hope, but any hope is better than none. She twiddles her fingers, glancing out the window but too distracted to appreciate the scenery this time...
(12:00:00 PM) Ikiryo: The Enforcer is sitting nearby, quietly staring out the window herself.
(12:00:39 PM) ***Altea is napping on the train.
(12:10:00 PM) Claire: She gets up from her seat...but instead of nervously pacing, like she seems about to start doing, she heads over to Tia. "Excuse me, Enforcer Maddalen...can I ask you something?" In spite of the politeness, it seems obvious from her demeanor she's just looking for a way to pass the time without being nervous...
(12:10:01 PM) IterationDrive [thermophil@C39C36EA.E0850A40.1801A703.IP] entered the room.
(12:17:02 PM) Ikiryo: The Enforcer raises an eyebrow "Yes?"
(12:18:23 PM) Claire: "...Stop me any time, but...you knew both Aynfean and Lieutenant Strømmons from before, right? I mean, she said you were 'reminiscing' when I interrupted, and Aynfean used your first name and all that, so..."
(12:20:58 PM) Ikiryo: "I do, yes. Aynfean was my partner before she joined the diplomatic corps. Linnea? We've known each other for a few years at this point since..." She frowns and sighs.
(12:21:53 PM) Claire: "...Her first name is Linnea? I never bothered to look." She smiles tentatively. "I thought it was just 'Lieutenant,'" she jokes weakly.
(12:22:56 PM) Ikiryo: "She was a captain then." She smiles.
(12:35:56 PM) Claire: She nods along--then seems to register the old rank compared to her new, and winces. "...Ouch. What...what happened?"
(12:37:29 PM) Ikiryo: "A very bad situation with Aynfean and another diplomatic envoy. You want to hear the story?"
(12:38:34 PM) Claire: "Well, given Aynfean, I can't imagine it wouldn't have turned out poorly...but if you don't mind telling it, sure, I'd like to hear it. Maybe Ainlinn could listen, too..."
(12:39:08 PM) Ikiryo: The enforcer sighs. "Ainlinn was there."
(12:40:16 PM) Claire: She blinks. "...Was this... It might be the one she mentioned briefly, then..."
(12:40:23 PM) ***Altea stirs. "A bit ago, the Lieutenant told me to ask about the time she failed. Is this it?"
(12:41:51 PM) Ikiryo: "This was several years ago, just after Aynfean joined the diplomatic corps. She asked me to act as security for a Hyperion diplomatic delegate as there had been rumours of an attempt on his life."
(12:42:31 PM) Claire: "Who was--no, sorry, I'm interrupting, sorry."
(12:42:53 PM) Ikiryo: "Please, go on."
(12:43:05 PM) Claire: "...Who was the delegate? Anyone we'd know?"
(12:44:11 PM) Ikiryo: "No one you've met...for good reasons." She sighs. "Altea is right. This is when we failed."
(12:45:07 PM) Claire: "...Oh. Sorry..."
(12:49:55 PM) Ikiryo: "We met up with Captain Strømmons, the leader of the TSAB squad assigned to guard the diplomatic meetings. She was an up and coming ace at the time."
(12:56:02 PM) Claire: She nods, perching on the edge of the bench across from Tia, listening intently.
(1:01:00 PM) Ikiryo: "We met at the hotel with him and were going to escort him by motercade. Aynfean would be with him and myself. Linnea was up front keeping watch..."
(1:03:53 PM) Claire: Something seems to occur to Claire, but she keeps silent about it for now, nodding along to the story.
(1:05:01 PM) Ikiryo: She raises an eyebrow at Claire.
(1:05:16 PM) Claire: "It's, um, not important right now."
(1:08:58 PM) Ikiryo: "Please, feel free to say."
(1:10:25 PM) Claire: "...I just was wondering if maybe this experience was why the Powers That Be decided that the LT was the best person to have the new girls from Hyperion under," she says shyly. "Really not important, sorry."
(1:15:40 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "We started up the motercade...and then half way across town we came under attacks. Mass based weapons, rockets..."
(1:18:50 PM) Claire: She frowns at that. "Odd choices...but permanent..."
(1:22:17 PM) Ikiryo: "Linnea stopped most of them...but a sniper took her in the shoulder." She taps her own shoulder. "Without her shield...one got through my defences and hit the limo..."
(1:26:16 PM) Claire: "Aren't they supposed to be armored, too, just in case?"
(1:39:47 PM) Ikiryo: "It was, which is why Aynfean and I survived. The other delegate, however, was sitting right where it hit..." She frowns.
(1:41:54 PM) Claire: "...That's awfully lucky. Hey...can I ask what the delegate's stance on things was?"
(1:42:49 PM) Ikiryo: "It was peace talks." She rubs the bridge of her nose. "...he was also dating Aynfean. She...didn't take it well."
(1:44:17 PM) Claire: She sniffs. "Was this before or after she joined Section 31," she quips quietly.
(1:45:47 PM) Ikiryo: She shrugs "I...don't honestly know. I didn't know she was part of it until recently." She sighs again. "Aynfean blamed us for not making to save him..."
(1:46:25 PM) Claire: "..." She blinks. "Wait--you...you know what Section 31 is?"
(1:47:21 PM) Ikiryo: "Officially, no. Unofficially...with all that's been happening I've been digging."
(1:50:22 PM) Claire: "Haha, we're not crazy!" she cheers, then goes serious again. "Alright, sorry. Anyway...I don't know if Ainlinn knew before then, but she's always suspected that her sister's job involves taking out targets that 'clog up' the 'process.' If the current diplomat doesn't work...
(1:50:32 PM) Claire: "...get rid of him and put the one that does in charge."
(1:52:12 PM) Ikiryo: "From what I've managed to find out...it's a group dedicated to protecting the TSAB by any and all methods required. There is rumours they were connected to the Book of Darkness incident but I havn't managed to find anything concrete."
(1:53:51 PM) Claire: "Yeah. That's what Alexa said Aynfean told her...right before she completely neutered Alexa's brain."
(1:54:19 PM) Claire: "I just...I don't get how provoking Hyperion into a shooting war is 'protecting' us."
(1:57:57 PM) Ikiryo: "I'm not sure either. However, the replacement diplomat for Hyperion? Was Mneme."
(1:59:08 PM) Claire: "...What." Her tone is absolutely flat. "Agh...she makes even *less* sense. Unless she's really stupid enough to believe that they could WIN...but she hasn't really been all that stupid so far."
(2:00:13 PM) Ikiryo: She shrugs "I do not know. I've got pieces of a puzzle without knowing what the overall picture is."
(2:01:20 PM) Claire: "Yeah. Did you hear that we have circumstantial proof that the two were working together? There was one of Aynfean's hairs in Mneme's cabin on the Strategos' little sneak ship."
(2:06:05 PM) Ikiryo: "I had not, no. Interesting." She sighs again. "...I cannot work out why though."
(2:12:39 PM) Claire: "Neither can I, that's why this just still makes no sense. Unless Aynfean knows of some other bigger threat and she thinks helping them fight us so we win and annex them and steal all Hyperion's tech and soldiers and stuff to be ready for it. But she doesn't like to share."
(2:17:22 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "The cause of the assassination was never conclusively proven..."
(2:21:21 PM) Claire: She echoes the nod. "And since it got Mneme into position, like you said... Hey, the starport bomb recently--the one that Achilles threw himself on. There's still no indication who planted that, right?"
(2:22:52 PM) Ikiryo: "None that could be found, no. It was a proffesional job."
(2:26:24 PM) Claire: "Thought as much. Anyway, um... Hey, do you know why the LT was so awkward when she found out Altea got a job at that Kitties place?"
(2:29:33 PM) Ikiryo: She coughs. "I cannot officially state. On pain of electrocution."
(2:30:12 PM) Altea: "Oh, I know that one! Sergeant Dufort said that she and the Lieutenant got conned into working there to pay off a tab."
(2:31:24 PM) Claire: She giggles. "Electrocution, is it? Well, it's not like she's around to enforce it..."
(2:31:35 PM) Ikiryo: "...or Altea can tell you."
(2:33:02 PM) Claire: "Well, that's a bit less exciting than it sounds. Too bad there aren't any blackmail images around~"
(2:33:26 PM) Altea: "Oh, my boss has a big file of images she thinks nobody knows about. Want me to check it?"
(2:35:06 PM) Claire: "YES"
(2:35:11 PM) ***Claire claps her hands over her mouth.
(2:35:33 PM) Claire: "I mean, uh. Sure, Altea. If you can manage it and not get caught, you know."
(2:35:51 PM) Altea: "I bet Tazzari will help. Just remind both of us when we get back."
(2:38:28 PM) Claire: "Sure." She nods. "Um...any other stories you'd like to share, ma'am?"
(2:50:37 PM) ***Altea was checking something idly. "Oh, these aren't even hidden."
(2:51:35 PM) Claire: Her head jerks to the side, staring at Altea. "What?"
(2:51:46 PM) ***Altea sends a file to everyone nearby.
(2:52:44 PM) Altea: "All it said was 'TOP SECRET EMPLOYEES DO NOT LOOK'."
(2:53:51 PM) Ikiryo: Tia ponders...then opens it.
(2:55:55 PM) Claire: "That's like...not even trying..." She does the same, though, spawning an AR window to look.
(3:12:10 PM) Altea: There's a lot in there. The file is huge. Isolating it to timeframes comes up with the Lieutenant and Sergeant in...fairly revealing catgirl outfits. The Lieutenant looks pissed, while the Sergeant looks like she's having fun. That one is in a folder titled 'GOOD BLACKMAIL MATERIAL'.
(3:13:02 PM) Altea: The rest looks more like promotional material. Happy customers and employees, training events, the like. A few are noted with things like 'KEEP AN EYE ON' or 'WILL HIT IT BIG FOR SURE' under people's photos.
(3:15:45 PM) Claire: She giggles her way through them. "To have seen these in person...oh well, this is good too. Altea, your boss is scary--remind me never to forget my wallet when I visit you there, okay?"
(3:17:10 PM) Ikiryo: "...That I will agree with."
(3:23:27 PM) Altea: "Okay!"
(3:24:51 PM) Ikiryo: She sighs. "But yes, that is when we failed. If I'd been less distracted...perhaps..."
(3:26:24 PM) Claire: "And if I'd been smarter and seen through Orryx's ruse, that wouldn't have happened either."
(3:30:13 PM) Ikiryo: "I was distracted. He'd..." She bites her lip. "He'd just given an engagement ring to my best friend and..."
(3:32:43 PM) Claire: She nods in sympathy.
(3:40:44 PM) Ikiryo: "Linnea was demoted and assigned to training regiments as a result."
(3:41:32 PM) Altea left the room (quit: Quit: ).
(3:41:37 PM) Claire: "And...how long ago did all that happen?"
(3:42:50 PM) Ikiryo: "Eight years ago. Ainlinn was ten and  Aynfean was eighteen...Linnea and I were a youthful twenty."
(3:43:43 PM) IterationDrive left the room (quit: Quit: ).
(3:44:06 PM) Claire: "...Wow. And...she's not been up for promotion since then? Is she...stuck?"
(3:45:25 PM) Ikiryo: She shakes her head "She was busted down to NCO."
(3:45:56 PM) Claire: Her eyes go wide. "Saint-King..."
(3:46:30 PM) Ikiryo: "None of us came out of it unscarred in some way or another." She nods.
(3:48:04 PM) Claire: "I mean...I understand the consequences, but...that seems WAY too harsh..."
(3:50:54 PM) Ikiryo: "I cannot say why she took the brunt of the occupational fallout...I do not know."
(3:55:56 PM) Ikiryo: She holds out her arm sliding up her jacket and showing long white scars that have faded with time. "My physical losses were not as bad as the loss of my friend."
(4:01:35 PM) ***Claire winces, but says nothing for the moment, not really sure how to answer that.
(4:03:14 PM) Ikiryo: She gives a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Any more questions?"
(4:05:12 PM) Claire: "Ah...no, ma'am. Thanks for sharing, though--I can't imagine how hard it is even still..."
(4:06:46 PM) Ikiryo: "Seeing the corpse of my best friend telling me that she hates me? By this point I am more numb to it than I thought I could be." She shrugs.
(4:11:47 PM) Claire: Her mouth sets in a line, but she nods anyway. "Oh, um...can you tell me how you found Ivory? She's talked about it a bit, but..."
(4:13:25 PM) Ikiryo: She smiles "I can, yes. We were called to investigate an odd power draw in a Mid-Childen suburb. Significantly more power was being drawn from the local grid than was being registered by the local buildings..."
(4:14:30 PM) Claire: "Which suburb, if I may ask? I mean, I'm just curious...maybe my parents knew about it, maybe not..."
(4:16:21 PM) Ikiryo: "Red Hill." That's a good distance from where her parents live but they might have heard about it...
(4:18:51 PM) Claire: "Okay. Unlikely--it's outside of Mom's jurisdiction--but maybe she heard some office talk...anyway, sorry to keep interrupting."
(4:21:47 PM) Ikiryo: "We tracked the power lines and eventually found an old bunker hidden away under a few warehouses that had been supposedly abandoned for years. We accessed the systems from the outside and found it was something called 'The School'."
(4:22:27 PM) Claire: "Thaaaaat's creepy..."
(4:24:48 PM) Ikiryo: "We got it open and..." She pauses slightly. If she blanches, it's impossible to tell with her ivory but not quite Ivory pale skin.
(4:24:52 PM) Ikiryo: "...it was a horrorshow. There were none there at the time...but according to the internal logs on many of the computers, it had been a...processing...plant for hundreds of kidnapped children. Most were listed as failed and terminated."
(4:27:42 PM) Claire: The little smile she'd been carrying dies quickly, and she goes pale--and on her it's very obvious.
(4:28:43 PM) Ikiryo: "I still don't know what the 'processing' entailed. It was abandoned. We found Ivory, five years yonger than she is now in the kitchen, eating a MRE. She had no idea who we were, where she was or even who she was. Despite that, she was rather articulate."
(4:34:19 PM) Claire: The smile returns, slighter. "She does kinda show off, doesn't she."
(4:36:15 PM) Ikiryo: "A little. She had no idea how she had come to be there and we could not find her either in the systems or in the missing person's database...though some servers were missing." She shrugs "So I still don't know exactly where she came from before I found her."
(4:37:55 PM) Claire: She nods. "Neither does she...but I don't think she's looking very hard either, right now at least. She seems...happy."
(4:39:11 PM) Ikiryo: She nods "She doesn't seem to really mind. There is something to be said for never having parents to not worrying about having lost them." She pauses "If she even has parents. Without an original for comparison, we can't tell if she's an Artifical Mage or just has Amnesia."
(4:42:28 PM) Claire: "Not that either circumstance would change anything," she adds primly, smiling wider. "She's very good at her job, you know."
(4:43:05 PM) Ikiryo: She smiles "She is. She works very hard at it."
(4:45:35 PM) ***Claire nods, then cocks her head to the side. "Do you think someone like me could do that? Could be a candidate for joining the Enforcers?"
(4:47:04 PM) Ikiryo: "Never." She smirks slightly.
(4:48:43 PM) Claire: "Ouch." Her smile turns into a smirk. "I guess that's that idea, then."
(4:49:40 PM) Ikiryo: "I mean, compared to Ivory and Enforcer Halouran...you don't even have a mysterious past connected to monsters against society."
(4:51:12 PM) Ikiryo: *Harlaown
(4:52:17 PM) Claire: "No, you're right, disgustingly normal and completely divorced from anything twisted. But I do have a rack like Enforcer Harlaown's," she offers, obviously joking.
(4:52:56 PM) Ikiryo: She rolls her eyes but chuckles.
(4:55:22 PM) ***Claire smiles. "Anyway...thanks for taking the time to talk. Now off to prevent an honorable-to-the-point-of-stupidity girl from having her mind erased and rewritten."
(4:57:47 PM) Claire: "...I mean, *another* honorable to the point of stupidity girl," she amends after a second, glancing at Alexa's sleeping head.
(4:58:28 PM) Ikiryo: She nods "I will do what I can...but Enforcers have very limited authority in the Belkan Non-Administered Zone so I cannot stop her if she has crossed the border."
(5:00:44 PM) Claire: "Yeah, I understand. It means a lot that you'd help anyway, though."
(5:03:04 PM) Ikiryo: "It's my duty to do so. Enforcers do have authority to make on the ground decisions."