hadriel | 010✖; (voice|PRIVATE|backdated to the 10th)

[Probably the most audible sigh in the world.]

Yeah. We do.

[Henry, for his part, sounds like he does not want to have this conversation; his tone is sharper than usual and carries a hint of simmering anger. But honour demands they must.]

Would that it were otherwise. Fine; let us.

[Rey senses that anger. Doesn't blame him for it, either.]

Don't want to have this conversation any more than you do.

[Sigh.] Meet up at the HQ? Unless one of you has a better spot in mind.

Edited 2017-11-18 16:36 (UTC)

What are the chances she's at the headquarters?

[Flat:] Likely.

It's going to be inevitable, but there's something you guys need to know first. So, um. Maybe rendezvous somewhere first, just in case.

[While she knows that Nick isn't stupid, and Henry doesn't seem like a bad egg himself, confirmation and deciding where to go from here as a group is better than taking matters into her own hands. No, she needs their input.]

Edited 2017-11-18 19:40 (UTC)

[Nick had a feeling that'd be the answer, given he's on patrol at the moment. He turns back, hoping this won't be the one time something does happen on his route.]

The park, by the river.

It will do. I shall be there anon.

[Rey doesn't waste time with more words. Not on here. Knowing how bugged up the network is, she isn't inclined to take unnecessary risks if she can avoid them.

[Not long after she hangs up, Rey is on the outskirts of the park, where the river rushes.

[Once the three are together, she is quick getting to the heart of the matter.]

You've both talked to her recently, haven't you?

[She knows about Nick's concerns -- especially after his talk with Sweets -- and she's aware that Henry has had trouble communicating with Maketh as well. The problem is more immediate now with the Null imminent, though. They have to know that.]

Edited 2017-11-18 20:38 (UTC)

This morning.

[Nick sighs from his spot near the bench, his eyes on the ground, arms crossed. It's rare to see Nick uncomfortable, but here they are.]

Edited 2017-11-18 22:01 (UTC)

[Henry frowns, dipping his head and setting his hands on his hips.]

Yes. She was loath to say aught freely.

[She draws in a sharp breath, rubbing her forehead.]

Maybe you've seen it too, but I'm going to say it. [God, she hates this.] I... don't think Maketh should be allowed to remain in the Guard. I'm worried that more people will be hurt with her having any idea of authority here.

[Hell, she talked to Rey like one of her lackeys. The implications of that is not something she is going to let slide.]

Edited 2017-11-18 23:50 (UTC)

[Nick's eyes remain on the ground as Rey speaks, fixated on a spot as though he hopes to burn a hole in it; they flick to Rey when she's finished, but he remains impassive, despite his honest surprise.

He turns his attention to Henry, wondering what he'll have to say, wanting to take it into account before he speaks his mind.]

[Henry grits his teeth and begins to pace restlessly, shooting Rey and Nick a hard look.]

We built the Guard together. [He says harshly.] From the beginning we were prepared to fight the gods to win the people of this wretched city freedom from their torments.

[But that was when they knew nothing of the gods and the Null. What was a righteous crusade then is no longer simple nor moral.]

Yet new truths have come to light that we cannot ignore. There was a time when she understood that tyranny and hypocrisy were evils that we, as the Guard, must never enact!

[Most tellingly, it was before the Empire had a presence in Hadriel. Even he cannot deny that Maketh is backsliding. With Hux around there is always someone to tell her that her worst instincts are correct, regardless of whether they are right. She dishonours their guardsmen with her willingness to sacrifice their integrity and make fools of them for their trust. What is hardest to admit is—]

Now she champions the murder of innocents for the sake of her weapon.

[Does that not make her unworthy? How can they throw her out? If they do not, will she ruin them all? He cannot stand this situation that she has placed them in.]

[Rey is very familiar with the Guard's origins. She was there to see its conception when Maketh first asked for her help when it was still an idea. Over time, that idea has shifted, been misunderstood, its meaning lost is miscomunication to be a corrupt, tyrannical force that's here to oppress the people's freedoms. Ironic, all things considered.

[Still, she knows what this means for Henry. Nick, too, who worked tirelessly for this cause.

[Even after her encounter with Maketh, the truth laid bare into words is hard to hear.]

Afraid that last part is true. [Rey winces, looking away as she hooks her hand over the side of her neck.] I told her about the weapon. Something from my world came in, and it had Sorrow worried. Thought we could use it to our advantage. We didn't know what killed the gods, or that they were... what they are. She mentioned Hux back then, but it seemed that she was aware of his nature so not to be influenced by him.

[Her head hangs, guilt wracking up a knot in the pit of her stomach. That was her mistake. She has to correct it. Rey has every intention of making good on her bitter promise to Maketh, even if she is hated in the end.]

Maketh... said that she knew about Hux's intention to carry out his deal with the Null. That he will kill for them. But says that he'd "know better" than to target the Guard. [A sourness fills up her mouth.] Like that was supposed to be fucking reassurance.

That's when I knew, and told her. She took it about as well as you'd expect.

[Her eyes lift to Henry.] You created the Guard with her. She isn't going to like hearing it from you, too, but -- I stand by my decision.

[Nick remains quiet, listening to them both. He's been with the Guard since day one, even if he's always been a little uncertain of his position as second-in-command. He's worked as much as any of them to maintain their purpose, to keep the city safe. Within the past week or so alone, he's spent so long at his desk, rearranging patrol routes and trying to protect as many people on the Null's list as possible.

So to hear what Maketh said -- that Hux would 'know better' than to target the Guard, as if that were the point at all, or as if their lives were somehow more important than those they've sworn to protect -- nearly puts the old synth over the edge. His eyes flare, their glow vibrant; his metal hand curls, joints clacking from the sudden, sharp impact.

It's only the look Rey gives them that pulls him back from the precipice of ire, that reminds him what's important. His frustration and anger are not: the city, his friends, and his family who resides there, are. That includes Maketh.

If it's our word or Hux's, we know who she's likely to side with these days. Ironic, given how she warned us about him when he first showed up in town. Pretty sure she sees him as an asset, a tool to be used. Looks to me like it's the other way around.

[And given how synths in his world are built to be used, tools to be destructive and discarded, he doesn't like that at all.]

I know we haven't always gotten along with Dr. Sweets, but... he said the same thing. Came into the office wanting to talk several days ago. Knew he couldn't talk to Maketh, and figured you —[he nods to Henry]— might be too close to her to listen. Guess I was the next best thing.

[Nick sidles up to Rey; how this is affecting her, and no doubt affecting her relationship with Maketh, is too much to ignore. His hand finds hers, giving it a subtle, but reassuring squeeze. He's no stranger to how hard it is to stand up to someone you care about -- neither of them is.]

He was sure Maketh wasn't going to stop anyone who wanted to do whatever it took to get a hold of the Null's weapon, even if it meant murder. And frankly, with how she's been lately, I found it hard to disagree.

Edited 2017-11-19 03:02 (UTC)

[Henry listens, even if he doesn't want to hear it. Still pacing, he shakes his head.]

There was a time when she was open with us. When she was willing to heed our concerns.

[Stopping abruptly, he turns to face Rey and Nick with a grim determination.]

She is better than this; I know it. Do you truly believe that she cannot separate the Guard from the Empire?

[Of all the people she knows would be the most rattled by Maketh's sudden shift in priorities, Nick's she looked forward to the least. She can barely even look at them anymore, even as Nick takes her hand in support. She appreciates it. Doesn't even let go. But it doesn't make the pain any less.

[Her shoulders tuck inward, hearing them both speak. Nick, reminding her what she had told Maketh already. That she's being used. That Rey would rather tear apart the one who has caused her to think this way. Anger and hurt meld together in a confused concoction, as Rey tries to keep her vision focused. Stay on task.]

I think... [Rey pauses. Struggling to keep her voice steady.] I think Maketh needs to take some time from the Guard. Indefinitely. If she's going so far as to make plans behind our backs, then... she shouldn't be trusted with the lives of the people in this city.

[Her free hand balls into a tight fist, knuckles turning white.] We can't risk her secretly running things the same way her Empire would. It's bad enough that so many have trouble trusting the Guard as it is.

[Maketh's might've made plenty of unorthodox decisions during her tenure, but making "necessary sacrifices" that could result in permanent harm is not one that they would have able to recover from, or get behind.]

She is better than this. [Nick meets Henry's determination with his own, somber insistence.] We all know it. That's half of what makes this so damn difficult.

[But they have to do what's right for the people. It's not just about the Guard's reputation, or their ability to do the job. It's about the safety of the citizens of Hadriel, those they've sworn to protect, about right and wrong. They can't let Maketh reach a point where she can't turn back, that moral event horizon toward which she's been pushed further and further by people she, at one time, seemed so glad to escape from. She had a second chance here. They could make this city a better place.

They still can. Standing against someone he respects isn't what he wants to do, but Nick refuses to let her slip any further. It's easier to go with one's instincts, especially in a place where uncertainty is as common as a cold. But if those instincts have been honed in a specific way by a life of militarization... Well, he's seen the Brotherhood of Steel. They, too, take their duty to an extreme, even if they have the best intentions for most of humanity. It's when one isn't human that problems arise.

And to some, the Brotherhood are the enemy. He cannot let that happen to Maketh. She has good in there -- of that he's sure. The trouble is making her see it and foster it rather than falling back on what's easy, what's familiar. She might be used to taking orders on one end and expecting people to follow them on the other, but that isn't how things work around here. That isn't what the Guard is about. That isn't the way they should do things.]

I think Rey is right. Maketh helped build the Guard into what it is. We can't let her destroy it, even if she thinks she's doing the right thing.

I heed your fears.

[Maketh did not even care when they argued about the god killer. Henry remembers the outrage they shared at being falsely labelled tyrants. Yet she would knowingly let her chosen ally murder an innocent and have them use his prize, as though the fact that it was not done by their hands absolves them of the moral crime.

It is not the first incident of her extreme lengths showing — the fact that he had to talk her out of torture was another telling example.

A preudomme would not allow it to go unchecked, and he meant his vows of knighthood.

Perhaps it is time to admit that none of them can talk her out of bad choices. The truth is that despite the past year or two, she refuses to turn away from the Empire entirely. For all the good she has done she remains willing to abuse her power. Perhaps it was a mistake to think she could without removing her from all temptation.

Nick and Rey's readiness to take a stand against her heralds her end regardless. Unlike certain members of the public, he has no doubts about their intentions. If even they cannot implicitly trust her to be just... and were he to ignore the deep and valid concerns of their staunchest guardsmen...

In the end, they must do what is right by everyone.

He knows that Maketh will regard it as a betrayal. She has grown distant since the Empire gained presence in Hadriel; it may be that this will be the blow that severs her end of their bond.

Even if people think the worst of him for it and consider it nothing more than a power play, something needs to change.

Maketh is not, and has never been, the Guard's sole leader.

This is his responsibility, however unhappy, and he has been called upon to take charge. Henry straightens up, steeling his resolve.]

Very well. I will name her unfit and charge her to step down.

[This isn't easy at all for any of them, least of all Henry Percy. Rey recalls his fairly recent warning to her at the Speakeasy, about what he would do if Rey ever hurt his family.

[But this is different. He knows the problem just as much as she does, and the risks of doing nothing. They've all been with the Guard since the start, and have heard the criticisms that they get already. There's no need to perpetuate that by turning the other cheek to the head's poor choices.

[Rey then remembers what Henry had also said about his concerns for Maketh. That's why she feels that they can have this conversation, though she feels a pang of guilt and relief when he confirms his decision nevertheless.]

Thank you. [Her eyes shift to Henry.] She'll see it as a betrayal, but it needs to be done. She can't be an Imperial officer and lead the Guard at the same time.

["It doesn't work that way," Rey had told her. And it's hard enough that Maketh has deemed Rey a traitor as it is. Not that she gave them much choice.

[Her nails dig into her palm, her fingers over Nick's hand tightening as she grinds her teeth together.]

In the meantime, I will take care of Hux and that weapon they've been working on.

[Nick is quiet a second or two longer than he normally would be, fighting with himself inwardly. This has to be done, he reminds himself. It's for the best, both for the city and for Maketh. It's going to hurt her, sure, but... hopefully, in the long run, she'll come to understand.]

We'll need to tell the others. The Guard, maybe even the city. Explain that they'll need to go to someone else if they're looking for information on joining us. We can keep the details under wraps to the general public.

[Once committed there is no turning back. Perhaps one day Maketh might rejoin them. He would like to think so; he must hope that this action spurs her to better herself and not return to the darkness the Empire preaches.

Only she can make that choice, however.

Henry nods once, sharply, in response to both of them.

The weapon could have had a use; though it grows less and less likely, there remains a chance that they may have no choice but to fight for their freedom. Yet if the cost of it's existence is to rot Maketh's immortal soul... best it is gone entirely. Though Maketh will doubtless resent Rey for that. Said weapon has been a long time in construction.]

The Clinic too, as our allies. But let us begin at home, so to speak.

[Even if Maketh hates them for this, Henry believes that she will not try to sabotage them. They should be able to control this without costing the Guard or Maketh herself a public loss of dignity.]

I see no reason to delay enacting this sentence.

[If Maketh holds it against her for the rest of her life, it's a risk that Rey is willing to take. She has no illusions to the consequences of this.

[But Nick brings out the next order of business.]

Transparency is good. We keep it hidden, it'll look like we have something to hide.

[When it becomes clear that Maketh did not voluntarily step down from the Guard, neither did the Door take her, people might start to wonder. Come to their own conclusions on the Guard. Some will probably do just that regardless of what they say, but it's better than saying nothing at all.

[She nods at Henry.] I'll leave you to that, if it's all the same to you. My being there probably wouldn't help, considering that I, um. I knocked her out when she got violent. She didn't really give me much choice.

[At least, that's what Rey wants to think. If she left Maketh to her own devices, didn't leave her with a watchdog of some kind, who knows where she would end up. They can't have her making contact with Hux again, either.]

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