explosivecombat | 017. [Locked Audio/Rocket Frequency]

017. [Locked Audio/Rocket Frequency]

[AUDIO / PRIVATE - TEAM ROCKET FREQUENCY]

Good evening.

[The voice that comes over the 'Gear tonight is calm, at least; soft and open, a bit high-pitched perhaps, but generally not unpleasant to listen to. Confident, in a bit of a self-satisfied way. So it goes.]

My name is Solf J Kimblee; I hold the rank of Beta within this organization. I suppose I owe you all an apology for being away from the organization itself for so long.

I think it's time to remedy that a bit.

As one of the field agents in charge of assisting with the training of the new recruits, I would like to extend an invitation to all of you - particularly the new ones that I have yet to meet, although I would like to see those I'm already acquainted with as well. It isn't an order; again, it's just an invitation to talk. I would like to get to know all of you, and to have a fuller understanding of your talents. Should you require orders or simply want something to do, I may have a proposal for you; we'll see.

I would prefer meeting you in person; I'm in the Goldenrod base for the time being, but if you're currently elsewhere, neither time nor money is a problem for me. Let me know where you are; I'll meet up with you.

I must say that I'm pleased with the work I've seen so far, however. Do keep it up, hm?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[And for a moment there, Logan looks absolutely appalled. He manages to get his expression under control after a second but dear god, man! Have you no shame?]

That's--!

[...rendering him incapable of coherent speech, hang on.]

That isn't any of my concern. I don't care what they do in their spare time.

[...you spend time with Reaver and Barry, and you're asking him if he has any shame.]

Forgive the forwardness of the question, King Logan. It just seemed to be bothering you quite a bit, last we spoke.

[He isn't sorry. At all.]

[Oh come on, he's not the one running off in search of hookers!]

It doesn't bother me at all.

[Overly defensive? Overly defensive!]

If you say so.

[He doesn't believe you.]

Personally, I'd find it bothersome simply because I dislike being surrounded by such things in general; outside of the fact that it's sharing far too much, I find it to be highly unprofessional. But that's just my preference, really.

Well of course I'm bothered by that aspect of it. It isn't professional and they do share far too much.

[Ugh. But that does get him to calm down a bit!]

[Good man.]

Would you like me to see if I can get you assigned to work with someone else entirely? If you're having that much of a problem...

[He's honestly interested to see what the answer will be here; really, every time he's told Logan to find someone else to work with, he finds some sort of excuse to dodge the suggestion. But if he's not responsible for finding the other person himself...

He wouldn't be surprised if he gets more of the same, but curiosity compels.]

No, it's fine. I prefer to keep a close eye on the two of them. They're troublesome and if they don't have someone to keep them in line, I hate to imagine what they'll do.

[A slight pause, then he continues.]

They're citizens of Albion. It's my job as the reigning monarch to ensure their safety. I'm more worried about them than Page - another citizen of Albion - because they'll get themselves into trouble.

And that's very noble of you. But at risk of pointing out the obvious, you're no longer in Albion; all three of you are strangers to this world, aren't you? And you all hold about the same amount of authority - which, at this point, is likely to be approximately none. This world places the same expectations on you as it does anyone else; should they be unable to adapt to those expectations right away, they'll have to learn eventually.

Your obligations to them aren't nearly as great as you believe them to be. Not here, anyway.

I... suppose that's true.

[There's a good deal of hesitation there; Logan doesn't like admitting that he doesn't have any power here. He doesn't like admitting that he's on the same level as everyone else. But most of all, he doesn't like the idea that he doesn't need to look after those from Albion. It makes him feel like he's accomplishing something if he's doing that (even though his Pokemon are too weak to actually do anything to protect them...)]

It's not something I had really thought about.

[He smiles a bit at that; the expression isn't a cruel one.]

Don't misunderstand me, King Logan; I admire a man that holds firmly to his own ideals, whether those ideals are held in high regard by others or not. It takes a certain degree of strength to do what you feel you should do, rather than what others would expect of you; I'm not mocking you when I say you're being noble.

At the same time, there comes a certain point where one must accept that things have changed. Do what you think you must, but don't disregard the ways of this world, if that makes any sense - at least take them into consideration, before you make your choice.

[Logan is silent for a moment, considering that. He definitely is pleased with Kimblee's words - it's something he's known for quite some time, that it requires strength to do what he's done, but it's good to hear that confirmed. Kimblee doesn't even know the extent of all he's done and why he's done it. For a brief moment, Logan considers telling him.

But that moment passes and he finally nods.]

I understand. I believe I'll remain with them for the time being, but I won't forget your words, Kimblee.

[Should he finally find himself incapable of dealing with them, then he'll leave. Kimblee is right; he doesn't need to look after them here. They'll adapt. Hell, he's sure they've already adapted better than he has.]

[Kimblee tips his head a bit in acknowledgement of that, though he doesn't reply to it verbally; there's something else that he's admittedly a bit curious about.]

Does the idea of them being able to adapt while away from your guidance bother you?

[Logan never has expressed surprise very well. His eyes widen a bit, but that's about it. His expressions never quite match up with his tone, after all. He sounds more surprised than he looks when he speaks.]

A bit, yes. I'm used to having some degree of control, after all. Any adaptations were a result of changes I made to Albion. I don't have that control here; seeing them change and adapt to the environment while I stagnate is... troublesome.

[...that's...mildly unsettling there, Logan, but he can at least work with it; Archer was largely the same way when he first arrived.]

There was a Major-General I knew once, by the name of Olivier Armstrong; she was the commanding officer in charge of a fortress on the northern border of Amestris, often said to be the only thing keeping our nation from being invaded by the army of a country called Drachma. Between the constant threat of war and the inhospitable nature of the terrain - often below-freezing temperatures, very prone to storms, up in the mountains a long way from the nearest patch of civilization in North City - the soldiers at that fortress were said to be the most formidable in the country; Armstrong herself was often called the Northern Wall of Briggs, implying that she was both the strongest soldier out of all of that elite force, and that she was the only thing standing between Amestris and Drachma - should the Northern Wall fall, so would the border and potentially the country. Obviously, she was held in very high regard; from my experiences with her, she deserved that respect many times over.

There came a time, at the onset of last spring, where she was removed from her post and brought to Central City, following the death of a high-ranking officer. At this point, a traitor to the country that had been planted inside her fortress notified Drachma that the Northern Wall of Briggs had, indeed, fallen - that it would be the perfect moment to attack, while the soldiers were lacking command and the general state of affairs was in disarray.

The Drachman army attacked Briggs; they were annihilated within minutes by the Amestrian army still stationed there.

What Drachma hadn't taken into account was the fact that Olivier Armstrong didn't teach her men to depend on her; she was fully aware that she may be killed in battle at any moment, or something may happen to remove her from Fort Briggs. Should that happen while her troops depended on her, the border would fall. Instead, she taught her men to work as a unit - to think for themselves and rely on each other, to adhere to "survival of the fittest" but not use that as an excuse to refuse to defend each other, and to be able to hold strong without requiring someone to hold their hand when faced with adversity. I didn't get along with her - I suppose you could say our personalities were a bit at odds with each other - but I'll acknowledge that she was a rather inspiring leader.

Do you understand why I'm telling you about this?

[He listens, silent as Kimblee tells the story. It doesn't take Logan long to figure out what the point is, but he doesn't interrupt.]

...Yes, I understand. My duty as a ruler is not to defend my nation on my own, but to prepare my people to face any threat, in case I am incapable of defending my nation alone.

[...Well, he's kind of close!]

She sounds like quite the impressive woman. I can only hope my people are prepared to face an oncoming threat like her soldiers were.

[He knows they aren't. He only has a year and no one would believe him about this--

Logan sighs and runs a hand back through his hair. He looks momentarily stressed before he controls his expression properly.]

I appreciate the story, but I am aware of the message. I don't stand a chance of defending my nation on my own. My people must learn to protect themselves.

[He's not even aware that he's no longer discussing the situation in Johto.]

[Logan may not be aware of it, but Kimblee is; let's see where this goes, shall we?]

Do you doubt that they can?

I haven't prepared them properly. Had the situation been different, I certainly would have tried to prepare them but...

[He trails off there. He's not going to go into detail about this. He hasn't gone into detail about it with anyone. Reaver knows more than anyone else, but even he doesn't know everything Logan experienced in his battle against the Crawler. Logan runs a hand through his hair again and glances away toward Prince. This is obviously agitating him. The Snivy glances up and frowns a bit; he's not exactly the most perceptive creature, but he does recognize that his trainer is stressed. He hops off the chair and tugs on Logan's pants to try to get his trainer's attention. He's ignored. As if anyone was surprised.]

Edited (UGH I CAN BRAIN I SWEAR) 2012-10-03 01:17 (UTC)

[...needy little thing, isn't he.

Kimblee is quiet for a moment, however, before he responds - considering, not stalling.]

Is there something preventing you from doing so? You've mentioned the threat being someone who can use methods similar to the Psychic-types of this world, and I imagine there's a valid reason you aren't fond of Ghosts...

[...there's really only one conclusion, isn't there.]

Are you dealing with some sort of supernatural entity, perhaps? One that the public is largely unaware of.

[He's... trying to help in his own way... orz

Logan is silent for a moment before he answers, finally stooping down to pick the Snivy up awkwardly. It's obvious he's not used to holding his Pokemon, but the Snivy doesn't seem to mind. He snuggles into Logan's arms easily despite the breastplate.]

...Yes. They'd think I was crazy if I tried to tell them about it. There's only one other person who has lived through its attack, and they're hardly a reliable backup.

[Thanks, Reaver.]

Though... I suppose there are a couple more who have faced it and lived now. I had hoped to prevent anyone from having to face it, but...

[He trails off again, shifting Snivy slightly in his arms. The Pokemon settles easily again; he doesn't seem to mind just how awkward his trainer is.]

[Things are definitely starting to fall into place now; if nothing else, the comment about the sole other person being unreliable backup is almost painfully obvious.]

I assume that's why you continue to associate with this...individual that you don't like very much. Reaver, I believe it was - he knows, doesn't he?

[But that's neither here nor there, is it?]

Well, at the very least, I don't believe you to be insane; I've had some fairly extensive experience back in my world with such things. Some of it was positive, some of it was...decidedly not, but I'm not going to question your sanity.

...Yes, Reaver encountered this... thing as well.

[Not exactly from the sound of it, but it's close enough.]

Thank you. I really appreciate it.

[He still doesn't make eye contact though; he falls silent and continues to stare at the Snivy in his arms. He's really not sure how to take that; Kimblee doesn't think he's crazy. Of course, it's entirely possible that Kimblee is from a world where things like the Crawler are a normal, every day occurrence. But it's something at least, and while he can't really express it properly, Logan is very relieved to have at least one person think he's still sane.]

Of course.

[He glances over at Dorian, who, for the time being, is -

...actually playing with Ruby over there, from the look of it. Good lord. Dorian is usually a tremendous killjoy; Kimblee supposes that next he should be preparing for the horsemen and the end of days.

That said, he can only ignore the awkwardness for so long without commenting on it; it's just how he is. Sorry, man.]

Something on your mind?

[She told you Dorian was awesome!!

Logan glances up then - his expression is blank, but his tone makes it clear he's surprised to be yanked out of his thoughts so suddenly.]

Are supernatural things like this common in your world?

[The question seems to come from nowhere and he knows it; he's quick to amend it.]

This sort of thing isn't exactly common in my world. The closest thing we have is Hollow Men, but not very many people believe in them until they've faced them. Is it the same sort of thing where you're from?

I'm not entire sure what these "hollow men" you're referring to are, but we don't have very many supernatural entities, no. I've told you before that we have alchemy, which you've mentioned as being close to what you consider magic, and that's...reasonably common, to some extent; when it comes to purely supernatural beings, however, there were only eight of them in the world that I know of - all very powerful, incredibly formidable beings, capable of things that most humans wouldn't believe if they were told.

At the time that I was brought here, I've verified that two of them are dead. I don't know the whereabouts of four of them, but I assume they're also deceased; one of them has been nullified as a threat, I believe, and I have it on good authority that the final one is killed sometime in the near future.

Did they threaten your nation?

[He tips his head a bit, obviously curious. Logan seems more relaxed now that the conversation isn't about his own country.]

What were they capable of?

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