Flowers That Grow On Scars (Gear)

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#1
September 1st
Endymion Territory
The Moon, Artemis Palace
10:06


Three individuals approached the grand door, no that statement was incorrect. Though two may bear the appearance of individuals their appearance, the crest on their garb and most notably the giant 'earmuffs' worn by the two marked them as different. Identical twins, one ignorant of the products made by the Vendolius family could call them, technically this was closer as they were identical and they were twins but there were more than two of them and they were a lot more than two.

They were Covella model secretary androids, the latest in Personal Assistants. Designed before the incident early Febuary and since then having aided the Vendolius family manage the rebuilding effort as well as their schedules. During that time much and more had changed, Ashford's failed insurrection the restoration of much infrastructure after the destruction of more yet to be restored. That was without even mentioning the crisis on earth, of which there was a refugee flood going upwards into and beyond the atmosphere to be here on Luna.

The independence of Everglory had been lost, to both be the financial backbone as well as shelter of Endymion. A fate not dissimilar to being conquered one might believe, yet who was to say such a thing out loud? Not the man in front of his two assistants, their red hued gaze laying on the door before them while his greyed out eyes did much the same. Even when the incursion happened his family stayed out of the matters then, and such political statements benefitted them little. Whether he thought them was another matter, but not one for today. There however was a political matter to be discussed on this day, the rebuilding effort.

Simultaneously it was time to see if the Queen agreed to the line of logic that was to be presented. An inhale, he was expected and it would do poorly to be late, as well as present himself improperly. The two beings opened the door for him as he stepped through, one of the two remained behind as the other followed.
"Your highness." He spoke in formal tones, bowing as he presented himself to the royalty. The robotic addition to the room following what could be called 'proper protocol' at the same time. Remaining quiet and to the side as it too bowed to the regal figure. Like any other Personal Assistant it was there to take notes and be a collection of useful information to have at the ready. Unlike those of flesh and blood it required no tools for either.

"I've come to present the progress made on the restoration efforts." He continued, this was not the first of such meetings likely not the last either but the past months had been a busy time for every single institution on the moon. Theirs was no exception but certainly one more tailored to the civil recovery effort than the knights or soldiers that also visited the palace. One aided by the fact that unlike some of the other options available at the time, the metaphorical hat had not been thrown in the equally metaphorical ring during aforementioned incursion.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#2
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"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

She'd heard that, once. Apparently, it was from some old Terran play. From the times when men played as the divinely ordained rulers of their lessers, bedecked in finery, wrapping themselves in myth, in legend, so as to hide the very human ugliness that lay beneath.

Had they any idea, she thought, of what it truly meant to have the blessing of what amounted to a "God", they would have gradly traded their riches for peasant's smocks, and never looked back.

These thoughts and more swam through Queen Selene's mind at her desk, as a slender few sheets of paper were placed upon it. For this matter, she had insisted on analog, not digital means of delivery. Sometimes, the old ways were best. Her eyes opened, regarding the file skeptically as her delicate fingers picked through the sparse pages. As if sensing her displeasure, the aide gave an apologetic bow.

"We followed your request, your highness. This was all we could find- No, excuse me. All we could verify. Discretely, of course."

Selene looked at it longingly, as though wishing it were both thicker, yet simultaneously regretting that it needed to exist at all. After a tense few seconds, she gave a sigh.

"Thank you. That will be all."

The aide nodded... but, lingered momentarily, uncertainty in his eyes. Finally, and with great hesitancy, he spoke once more:

"Forgive me, but... Is this really necessary, your Majesty?"

She Of The Flawless Mirror leaned back in her chair, looking up at them wearily. How strange it felt, she thought, for her expression to no longer be hidden behind the ceremonial makeup. The very same pale exterior that had been used to hide the debilitating effects of the Sphere on their lineage, as it gnawed away at their very essence.

Could they see them, she thought? The wrinkles in her brow, that belied her youth?

"You'll understand if I'm slow to trust, after everything that's happened. I'm hoping it isn't." She said, playing gently with a pen between her fingers.

Peeking over the lip of the front page was the hint of a regal metal crown, the unmistakeable adornment of the Lunarian Super Robot, the Granteed. The reconstruction had consumed much of her time, focus, and energy... but she had not forgotten, no.

"But some questions demand answers." She added, softly.

"No matter how ugly or unexpected they may be."

(Chethan Sullivan. Who are you, really?)

Her eyes narrowed - and for a moment, just a glimpse, perhaps a trick of the light, it seemed as if the spirit of Ganeden had never left - and the battle mask, with its thin gaze and harrowing features, remained set on her features.

The inviolable certainty of the monarch.

But, she was jolted from her focus by a knock at the door. Hurriedly, she swept the dossier under her desk, and waved to the aide as she rose from her seat, trying to look as if she were every bit as prepared for this meeting as she ought to be. However, at the sight of the figure making his way through the door - and his attendants, she breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Yes. This one she could manage.

"Lord Vendolius." Said Selene, stepping out from behind her desk to grasp his hand as she gave him a warm smile. It was a complete departure from the cool, distant, professional Queen he was, perhaps, used to.

"It's a pleasure to see you. I can't thank you enough for all you've done during the reconstruction efforts. All of Luna is in your debt."

She gestured towards a chair at her desk, occupying what had once been the center of the extravagant Lunarian throne room, now having been reconstructed into something that, while lavish, remained more... tempered. Well, she added mentally, as tempered as Lunarians could stand.

"To what do I owe the honor?"
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#3
It was unclear if the man had noticed the slight sigh, however the two aside from him who were literally made to perceive such things could be assumed to have taken note of this behavior. Even if they did not react in any way to it.

"The pleasure is all mine and there is no need to thank me." He replied, moving up to the chair she gestured towards. The attendants following some paces behind as to not intrude on the conversation while still recording it for clerical purposes. This room, he noted was as much a resemblance of the state of Lunarian politics as anything. Perhaps the most clear one of it he had encountered so far. It was still grand, that was for sure but now there was this aspect of integrated bureaucracy.

"It is actually because of our progress with the reconstruction efforts that I wish to discuss something. First, I am glad to inform you that repairs to our facilities are nearly complete. Which in turn will allow for other reconstruction efforts to complete post-haste." First of course, the unambiguous good news the thing all would rejoice in. After the tragedy a return to normalcy has been gradual. "It is because of this, that a sight from just after that tragedy has come to the forefront of my mind. One of the Terran crew. Caught by surprise with the things we took for granted."

"Currently, we stand at a crossroads where we can choose from my observation, one of three paths. One where this difference returns and two where it goes away." He paused for a moment, "Of those two, one will see us reduce the quality of our own autonomous forces. And the other, where this standard of living would be normalized for all within Endymion." By the tone of his voice it was evident this was the preferred future for Valeri that much was clear. Obviously, a future like that would have clear beneficiaries, like those who produce the machines required to make it a reality. One such man sat across from her highness after all, hanging behind him the walking and currently not talking evidence thereof.

"While for those who lived on earth this would be a leap into the unknown, the groundwork for it has been there for ages already. Automated crop harvests conducted by machines for example has been conducted there for years on end. Before such a suggestion is brought before the council as a whole, your highness as the Lunarian among them. What do you think of this proposal?"
It was on this that he remained quiet, awaiting the thought of She of the Flawless Mirror on this matter.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#4
"And you, of course, would be presiding over both such paths. A glorious future, built under your very own brand, to exact specification."

Selene tilted her head sideways as she sat, propping her head up with a gently closed fist. There was no flinch in her stare, no hesitation in her words. Only a faint smile on her mouth, as she returned the man's gaze levelly. He was not the first, nor would he be the last of those who demanded their fair share of the coming prosperity, or who were attempting to maneuver themselves to be indispensable to its function.

Still. It was not an unfriendly, not unapproachable face that looked back at the Lunar Lord. Politics, after all, was seldom pleasant work, even behind closed doors.

“I try not to think in such limited terms. There are always more doors open to us than would seem.” She said, bringing her hands together onto her lap with a light shrug.

“I have no intention of barring your access to the Terran market. We would, of course, vastly prefer it to be one of our own leading innovation in that field…”

She paused, as if ruminating on the state of play, gaming out future scenarios, her brow creased in thought, before continuing.

“However, you’ll understand that what support we can offer outside our immediate sphere of influence is, at this time, limited. There is no guarantee of success.”

She tapped an inlaid glass panel on the desk’s surface, bringing up a holographic display of the day’s news. Hidden away in one corner was an article, displaying a blonde man with an anxious-looking grin on his face, titled “DEI: Setting The Record Straight on Dimensional Power”.

“Terrans have innovators as well - ones who will not be content to play catch-up forever.”
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#5
The man gave a smile in equal measure to the one given to him, neither of them were foolish enough to disregard the obvious benefits for him and his company. That much was obvious and had been obvious before he walked in here but at the same time having it named out loud was amusing. Yet none of the words she spoke were in opposition, quite the contrary in fact.

His gaze fell on the hologram, DEI, a long time beneficiary of Lunar policy and research and one which has expanded into many fields. Energy production, weapons, music, pharmaceuticals if some tales were to be believed as well. Who knew how long it would take for them to make something to make his life miserable one way or another especially with their what seemed to be nigh infinite stashes of money.
"We would be most grateful to you for merely voicing support among your peers your highness." He humbly said in affirmation "And any support we may receive will be repaid in full."

The nature of this reimbursement, purposefully, was left vague. After all in that sense both parties wanted the same, a loyalist as leader in the field be that a Lunarian or Endymion loyalist who was to say. He held his hand to the side, one of the feminine machines stepped forward as it retrieved a small disc from its garments.
"Of course as you showed we are not the only ones in motion. Our formerly exiled peers working at the DEI have made quite the innovations in cooperation with their earthborn contemporaries." Valeri took the disc from the assistant who took a step back. "If only for that reason we would not be content to remain idly by." The man flipped the page on the hologram back slightly closer to the front.

Middle Eastern Refugee Crisis 9 Months Later

A few days shy of the 9 month anniversary, and those not killed by the fallout were displaced by the thousands if not millions. The message highlighting this was clear, far from everyone wanted something as.... Genocidal as Dimensional Power near them. He clicked the device in his hand, placing it down on the table for the queen to take as she wished. An image was projected upwards, two humanoids projected. One clearly borrowed design philosophies from the woman that stood a few paces from the desk and her further away twin but much of the extra, even excessive, features that were normal to the Lunarians were removed.
"Aside from developing a model that skirts on some of the traditional luxuries to both ease on the costs and simplify use our good people have been hard at work innovating as well."

A different model, one that had more in line with a Bioroid when it came to purpose yet still retained the aesthetic appeal customary of the Lunarian people with its almost human nature. Not quite bringing along the uncanny valley but still different enough to reveal inhumanity just like the static woman besides the desk. Combat specifications appeared around it, showing performance levels, and how they were better than normal AI while still retaining the regular support functionalities of other models.
"One inspired by the times we find ourselves in. Which removes the need to remove an entire cockpit block to autonomously use a machine."
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#6
The Queen watched the presentation, head still propped up on one hand as she idly tapped some notes on her screen. Her expression was carefully masked at all times, but not even she could conceal a blink at the mention of the refugee crisis. Sullivan had made much the same point, she recalled. It was one of the issues upon which they had agreed to disagree - the matter of Dimensional Power, and its necessity. As the two models were presented to her, she suppressed a laugh.

"Surely there are those more qualified than I for a focus group?" She asked coyly, eyes flicking back and forth between the two with no small amount of amusement.

"As for repayment, well..."

She leaned back in her chair, and looked at the ceiling. In the past, such a comment would have been met with the most severe of reprimands. The man before her would have been lucky to avoid spaced for his insolence... but, this was a new era, after all. She preferred it this way - that people should be able to speak to her so plainly, so openly.

"I'd be impressed if there was something you, or anyone else, could offer me. All my heart desires now... Is peace for our people."

There was a pregnant pause, before she continued, gesturing to the two figures, her waffling seemingly done.

"...Is there not room for both?" She asked, finally.
 

MKR

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Aug 19, 2018
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#7
Peace in our time, a perplexing puzzle that was as thousands of kilometers below them the contest for control of what used to be the Directory continued. And what of their neighbors among the stars, would they be content to sit by and observe now that they had their own nation? There likely were enough people who felt the strangling hand of the directory, or who felt like their oppression continued due to the absence of Luna's own direct rebellion all those years ago and then there was Terra Sentinel, what peace could exist as long as they remained a notable player on the world stage.

Peace as a result was something the vast, vast majority of everyone needed to agree upon to both claim and maintain. Even a small minority could upset peace, shatter peace and destroy it. He ruminated on this desire as she paused, far from opposed to the ideals of peace for the people, her final statement caused a brow to raise however a moment of contemplating what the queen had brought up before the facial features returned to normal.
"Ah, these are not competing models your grace." He answered afterwards "Both are slated to enter production. Not vying for which will walk out of our factories."

He took the disc in hand once more, looking over both models.
"Made to work hand in hand towards the course the people of Endymion desire of them." After this meeting was done he should consult his assistants, get an answer on which Council members of Endymion would be receptive to these ideas in one way or another. The queen arguably was the biggest unknown as for most it was an easy assumption who was for, who was against and who was for but with a few dozen caveats in the way. Hearing her support was pleasing as a result.

"But that is talk for after it has been approved, not pre-emptive celebrating." The images on the disc vanished "Still, I will aim to impress." He affirmed, not a blatant statement that her goals of peace were priority but one indicating as much all the same.
"In the meanwhile I shall make sure this will be in a presentable state for the council."