tverin 001

[dislinked]

It's been a long day, so I'll keep this brief. Dust is clearing on the ground, and this is what we know:

1. 2 of the 3 large drones dispatched for the Sterilisation event has been shot down, along with numerous patrol drones. Instead of the total eradication of Xitang, it's only been partially leveled. This is a win.

2. There were no fatalities, although we had 90 injured. I want to commend our ground teams (Ground Forces, Espionage, volunteers) for your efficiency. The Veiled are being taken to and integrated into surrounding Pres Cities courtesy of Recruitment agents stationed in the area.

3. We have commandeered an additional freight plane which will be vital in future relocation efforts.

We still do not know what triggered this, but I want to stress how big of a win this is. We prevented a devastating loss. We've been a nuisance to the Architects, but this changes things.

Take this win. Celebrate it. And then get ready to double down. We're showing them we're a major player, and I can't imagine them taking this lying down.

LEADERSHIP.

Kudos on the rapid coordination. Expect blowback.

[...] Aldana, Payne. Present your case. I need you to get everyone on board before we go to the rest of the resistance with this.

Comments

Leadership

[adrii]

You mean such as one of yours benched for doing this on their own?

Leadership

[humanityresource]

Yes. That should be more than enough reason for me to not support you.

Leadership

[adrii]

You don't get to decide what personal risks they do or don't take, Singh.

Leadership

[humanityresource]

I already told Taryn I wouldn't stop any member of Recruitment that was determined to lose their faculties, but I'll be honest with my agents.

Leadership

[adrii]

I'm not intending to keep any of the risks from them. They should know what they're getting into and the risks of it, same as anything else, but if we can successfully reduce the impact and potentially find a safe removal process, some may agree the risks are worth it.

Leadership

[humanityresource]

How sure are you that this will work? How many lives are you willing to risk? I'd like a specific number.

Leadership

[adrii]

What do you consider a life, Ishaan? Paralysis? Chronic pain? Or death?

I'm not in the business of killing people, but I'm not going to shy away from a potential path because of squeamish sensibilities.

Leadership

[humanityresource]

You know this is cruel. If someone you love volunteers, I hope they survive it.

Leadership

[oneirophrenic]

Adrían.

Leadership

[adrii]

Nikola.

Leadership

[oneirophrenic]

You will no doubt get volunteers. However, we should ask ourselves whether it's truly fair to allow psychologically vulnerable people to place themselves in that position. Yes, we have all volunteered to be part of an organization that puts our lives in danger. But this is something else entirely. And who do you think will sign up for these experiments? The people who feel expendable. The ones desperate to prove their worth. The ones grappling with survivor's guilt. The ones who believe that whatever pain or side effects they endure will never be enough to repay the debt they think they owe.

The volunteers will be the most desperate among us, Adrían. And I'm not convinced we should be feeding their self-sacrificial impulses.

Leadership

[stayonscript]

Oh, please. Everyone here has a martyr complex. That's hardly disqualifying.

Leadership

[oneirophrenic]

You don't.

Leadership

[stayonscript]

I'd volunteer if I could. I've more or less outlived my usefulness as a field agent anyway. If I were really sane I'd just retire.

Taryn/Niko.

[oneirophrenic]

How did he talk you into this?

Leadership

[humanityresource]

You know perfectly well that most of them are just survivors, desperate to make a difference. I don't like the idea of weaponizing that against them.

Leadership

[stayonscript]

More than anything I think we all believe in an individual's right to autonomy. I'm not suggesting we mislead or manipulate them in the least.

Leadership

[adrii]

We ask people to get in a plane and shoot at things that have the capacity to level cities the likes of New York, Moscow, and Shanghai. There is a higher risk of death every time we deploy a squadron than there is with looking into this avenue.

Leadership

[oneirophrenic]

How high is the risk, Adrían?

Leadership

[adrii]

Of death? At current calculations, 7%. The highest risk is chronic pain at 31%, with partial paralysis at 17% and full paralysis at 9%.

Leadership

[humanityresource]

Thank you, Mr. Novak. I'd rather that my people not be brought up as a punch line.

Leadership

[oneirophrenic]

Yes, I agree. And it's irrelevant to the situation at hand.

Leadership

[humanityresource]

He should aim his low blows a bit better.

NIKO.
This is insane.

Nishaan.

[oneirophrenic]

I understand the reasoning. God, I even understand why it feels morally defensible from a distance. When you're staring at the scale of the threat, it's very easy to convince yourself that this is the responsible choice. But personally, I refuse to accept a solution that treats our people as expendable variables.

Nishaan.

[humanityresource]

I consider myself a practical man. I've argued to leave behind people who [...] were too far gone. I'm not sentimental or particularly generous.

But I bring people to our cause to fight, not to die in some basement.