hadriel | video; Sept 15 near dusk

[At least, it's dusk where the Corazon is presently sitting, anchored at a tiny island that barely qualifies for the name so they can make post-storm repairs. Thus, the only real light casting gold tones and wicked shadows on Law's face comes from a nearby (but not too nearby) lantern. He is all business, stern and blustery, holding the phone like he's speaking into a den-den mushi, so it's a little too close and makes the shadows leap across his face like he's some kind of ghoul.]

This is Trafalgar Law. Hopefully my signal reaches the city.

We are on our way back with no less than two fragments. I want to know how many others have been collected, in case there are any still unrecovered. We must get those fragments quickly. Thanks to our experiences abroad I have reason to believe that our time in this world is limited and we'll need to move again. [BIG FROWN] Our fleet encountered three Null sentries lying in wait to ambush our diver on the sea floor. We destroyed them all, but the fact remains that this planet isn't as inaccessible to them as we would have liked to think.

My intention is to deliver these fragments to the laboratory for Alphys-ya to study. I strongly recommend that all fragments are kept in the same place. They cause irrational bursts of unstable emotion in anyone who handles them, so if any are scattered, there is a good chance someone could haul off and turn homicidal before anyone can stop them. And if there's someone out there who thinks they're going to be sneaky and hide a fragment from the gods or from the researchers, they had better think twice. Our mutual survival hinges upon discovering how these fragments can restore the Door and what happens when they do. [is he smirking? he might be slightly smirking, because he's here to make a public call-out post so that no one can hold the fragments hostage. Malicious compliance, indeed.] Like I say, if any are missing, speak now and I'll personally see to it that they're all recovered.

We're probably only about three days out, but we just suffered through a week-long typhoon and the ships have taken damage. We've landed to make repairs, if all goes well we'll return in just a few days.

Interested in your reports. Law, out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Okay, there's all sorts of weirdness to unpack from this broadcast, but some of it is being covered already and so Connor decides to focus on something that hasn't been brought up yet. As usual, he's wearing a hat that covers his LED, so as to look as human as possible.]

Wouldn't concentrating all the pieces together amplify the risk?

[Of someone suffering the effects of them, of the gods just taking them before anyone can study them, of someone else stealing them, of the Null finding them if they attack after potentially hearing back from scouts, and who knows what else.]

[good eye, Connor]

Potentially. We don't know that for sure. But separating them likewise raises a risk that multiple people could be affected simultaneously. Or, in the other direction, increases the likelihood that any single one of those fragments could go missing, be destroyed, be hoarded by someone with ill intentions, or open up anyone guarding or researching said fragment to the vulnerability of being attacked, coerced, or otherwise compromised by those with the wrong idea.

[he really has gone over all the contingencies and chosen his plan based on the least amount of risk, not zero. But this is all he'll say about it, openly.]

[Connor considers all of that for a few moments, frowning a little; he still doesn't really think this is a great idea, but he also can't argue that it's any worse than the alternatives. This whole thing just seems off to him.]

What are you planning to do if others don't agree to turn over their pieces?

I suppose that depends on their justification, and whether they're willing to discuss it reasonably.

[he's cruel, but he's also smart enough to exhaust the more logical routes before he starts yanking body parts out of people. Public call-outs and guilt are great tools for the susceptible.]

I feel like few people here would be so cold and dead inside as to tell Alphys-ya that she can't have their cooperation.

[That... Is not really an answer, and Connor's negotiator side is very much warring with his direct, blunt side. He has no real personal investment in what happens to the pieces, since he doesn't have one, but he doesn't like the implicit suggestion that this is the way things are gonna be or else.]

Who decided the pieces should be brought to the Lab?

[Was it a group effort? Were the organizations here in on it? Was it just a decision made by one or two people?]

[fair question, easy answer]

A while ago Alphys-ya and Kate-ya posted a message requesting it. I decided after observing the fragment we picked up that they were right and their idea is the best for our mutual survival.

[ahem pardon his nickname-suffix thing, he does it reflexively]

Kate and Alphys, that is.

[Connor had arrived after that post, and so had no idea about it; it explains some things, but without seeing it he still has questions.

Not about the suffix thing, though. That's weird but harmless and therefore unimportant as far as he's concerned.]

So they requested it and you agreed, but it wasn't a wider group decision? In that case enforcing--in some way--that others agree with your decision seems like overstepping.

[He's not objecting outright and can't say he wouldn't decide to turn over a piece to Alphys and Kate if he did have one, but he's still trying to get a sense of how things work here and this is kind of a big point to work out.]

Think that if you like. My only intention is to make sure that we have all the pieces of the Door and put them into the hands of those who can figure them out. I'll do whatever it takes, and I don't care what others think.

I really only want us to have the means to get home, nothing else matters.

I'm sure that's true.

[Maybe. Possibly. For as sincerely as he says it Connor isn't actually sure, but it doesn't really matter that much because it isn't the point.]

I'm just trying to get a better sense of how things work here, and what conflicts might arise if people disagree on what course of action to take.

[fair 'nuff, new guy]

Who's to say? We could spend a day sassing each other over the phones, or we could start a civil war. Anything's possible.

[The latter of those options is particularly unfun and he knows that from experience, so he'd prefer to avoid it. But this is also more of a hypothetical, and so--]

And in this case, if someone steadfastly refused to agree to add their piece to the collection, which would it be?

I wouldn't be able to say that until it happened. Some plans require fine-tuning in the moment.

[He wants to keep pressing, but he doesn't think he'll get anywhere and he has enough of an answer anyway.]

Are there any plans for security at the Lab? People enter and leave often.

[And so who knows who might have opportunity to cause trouble with a bunch of pieces of the Door there.]

I don't work at the lab so that isn't my job. But I would like to hope so.

[and if not, several of those in charge of the research effort are listening in so, hey. They should know.]

[He should really should've expected this answer. Humans.]

I'll speak with Alphys about it.

[Since Connor can be quite effective security and is around the Lab a lot. He's still quite unsure what he thinks about the entire situation, but he doesn't want Alphys getting hurt because some idiot wants to steal a Door fragment.]

Sounds like a good idea to me. I've got a ship to repair and an ocean to cross.

[He carefully decides not to say any of the several things that come to mind at that response, instead just nodding in acknowledgement and farewell before disconnecting.]

video; Sept 15 near dusk

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