Reroll

Ms. Cho Areum is left open-mouthed at the ship.  I have a Pilot do an orbital hop to the city in Hawaii she chose, and make plans to visit once I have the cash.  Short term, we figure out where she's staying, and I take down the address for the ID delivery.  A few minutes by a computer specialist, and Areum's ID is on the way.

I have my ship head back to the mothership for topping off the tank.  The ship has plenty of fuel - they're designed for interstellar trips and planetary exploration - but it doesn't hurt, and I should sync up with everyone anyway. I flag Ed and Betty on my com as we travel.

We meet up in an empty cargo bay on the mothership, and go over recent events.  Betty apparently spent the last few days using magic to Fabricate spell components; it’s an Instant spell that turns raw materials into finished products, with the raw materials being the material component of the spell.  She combined that with the False Focus feat, which allows her to use a reusable gold holy symbol to skip material components worth less than the symbol.  Which means she's making something out of nothing, as long as it's not too expensive.  As most spell components aren't things like ‘a single diamond worth…’ and more ‘diamonds worth…’, she's been stockpiling the results, and using them to Permanency any spell she can (there's a fixed list), so we have plenty of diamonds, incense, and others materials for specialty castings.

Ed's been trying out Divination spells, fueled by Betty’s casting.  Commune is apparently hard to use, as it only gives yes or no answers and you have to know what to ask. The spell Divination (as opposed to the school of the same name) is better when you don't know where to start (it gives a phrase for a goal), but is unreliable… but at least you know when it doesn't work.  Scrying is pretty good, but you need to have a connection to the subject… but that includes pictures. He's apparently been having fun checking up on his favorite musicians, effectively getting an on-stage seat at their concerts.

We go through the notes from Ms. Cho Areum together.

“Oh, wow,” Betty starts, “He has a list of addresses here, with what purpose the facility serves. Guardian storage, training facilities, weapons manufacturing, and such.  Looks like his hand was shaking when he wrote ‘Evaluation Facility’.”

“Given what we know of the ‘evaluations’,” Ed pipes up, “that's understandable. This USB stick actually has the results of one… including video of the live dissection when that poor, poor giant managed to survive the gauntlet.”

I look up from what I'm reading, an executive summary paper titled, ‘An analysis of the rise of pseudotech from modern myth,’ and respond myself, “If you can get past the rampant human superiority complex, there's some interesting things in these reports.  Like… they have some captured tech guns.  While they're not magical, and do not respond to things that negate magic, they are not bound by the normal laws of physics, and atom for atom duplicates do not function.  They must be created by a… well.  Let's go with ‘member of the associated myth’, shall we? Much better than the term they used… in order to function, although once created they follow the rules of the myth regardless of who’s using them.”

Betty rolls her eyes, “I could have told you the physics of our spaceships are laughable.”

Ed considers, “They use captured Supernaturals…” he flips through the notebook he's looking at, “Here, ‘Production Facility, Corrupted Hardware’.  Given the college spread, I expect we will see Guardians with guns from science fiction soon.”

Ugh. Joy.  I check the time, ah, it's Monday. “Okay… well, I need to meet up with the Resistance today to see what they say. I refuse to let humans be left out of the 'happily ever after' plans.”

Ed nods, “How about we keep going through this stuff... maybe pick a good raid target... while you check in with them?”

I nod, “Sounds good.”

I use my ship to head down, and use some Alteration talents (via my library) on my Wild Cohort as I go, turning her into my social form on a permanent basis, and elevating her to low human intelligence in the process… plus giving some nice things.  She's less durable than my other non-illusory minions, but isn't a soulless robot like my Companion Vessel, and doesn't get the forehead symbol like my Eidolon. And I can wear my Companion Vessel when I'm wearing my Wild Cohort. Heh.  Eh, I have full sensory selective invisibility… why not?  I layer up as we travel, possessing my Wild Cohort and wearing my Companion Vessel, using illusion to be invisible to most eyes, and more to seem like a normal woman to those I choose.

Before I press the doorbell, I pause: It's probably rude to wear power armor to someone's house.  I mean, I don't think it's properly written down anywhere, but I imagine Ms. Manners would agree.  So I put the armor away.  It should be fine for wearing outside, though.

Before I actually ring the doorbell, an Elaine opens it… she has the same rosy cheeks and dirty blonde hair.  They're all very similar, but I don't think I have met this one.

“Ah, you're here; walk with me, toots,” she doesn't let me I'm, and doesn't wait for me to acknowledge, just pushes past and grabs my hand as she shuts the door behind her.

I follow… it seems odd that they aren't holding the meeting in the disposable meeting house.

“Sorry about the verbal tic, toots; I'm first gen too, and don't have as much of a handle on it as my descendants… who also don't hold quite as much oomph,” she sighs.

“She's working her way up to bad news.  Let her.” My Sense Motive ‘Al’ volunteers.  So I do.

“So, toots… my daughter filled me in on your meeting, including your presented reasoning.”

I continue to let her take her time.

“She followed through, and actually presented that argument to leadership.” She shakes her head as we pass a fire hydrant, “it didn't go great.”

I hear a bird in a nearby tree… a robin, I think? “Stellar Jay,” my Knowledge(Nature) ‘Al’ corrects.

Elaine continues, “Officially, the resistance rep is going to tell you that we got it covered.”

A truck drives by on our walk.

She shakes her head, “Unofficially, toots? The question prompted a three hour shouting match over who is supposed to make the rules once we, and I quote, ‘kick those stupid humans off the hill.’”

Hmm… I can hear a dog barking pretty far away.

“In the end, the only agreement was that they’d deal with it once it actually mattered… which means they didn't actually agree to anything but kicking out the humans. Every one of them wants to be king.” Elaine sighs, “They're all so certain they'd be better… and in their actions, make it clear things would really only be better for them.”

Huh, the sidewalk ends here… grass now.

“There's essentially no violence at all in my Myth, and I have a Fate, so I'm an ideal choice for meetings with uncertain allies…” I raise an eyebrow, and she explains, “Part of my Myth is that I'll die at the ripe old age of two hundred fifty: My Myth won't let me be seriously harmed before then.   Point a gun at me, and it will misfire or just plain miss.  Slip poison in my drink and I'll get it all over my dress. Try to cut the ropes to the bridge I'm crossing and the half-rotten hundred year old rope will be unbelievably stubborn about holding together… until I'm safe on the other side. Every. Single. Time.  But I WILL die when specified, too.  I have about another hundred and sixty years to go, give or take…”  She chuckles, “... and despite being unkillable, I can still stub my toe, scrape my knee, catch the flu, or throw up because of normal food poisoning… I just can't be seriously hurt.”

I see a squirrel climb a tree to escape us.

“So, toots…” she takes a breath, “The resistance wants your backing, and could certainly use your power.  But they don't remember being human like we do, because they never were.  They have only ever been what they are now, and have only ever seen humans as predators or prey, never friends or family… they can't afford to, not when we're hunted like we are.” She stops, turns, and looks me straight in the eye, “Which means they will NEVER go through with any agreement that keeps the muggles safe too… whether due to hatred or a need to feed.”

“But they want me enough that they'll tell me they will.”  I'm not actually asking.

“That's right toots” she closes her eyes a moment and takes a breath, “They will lie to your face to get the job done. I like your stance. I don't like the current situation with the Inquisition on top. I don't like what I expect will happen if the Resistance of today wins.  Here, toots…” she hands me a card, “This one has my personal cell.  Anything I can do for you, I'll give it my best shot.  Because I want YOU to be the one that wins, toots.”

“Now come on, toots,” she turns around and starts heading back, “time to meet the official rep….”