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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
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imeanforever
imeanforever
"I didn't think anyone wanted it left to Nilbog's judgment whether something constituted a sufficient threat or when during the proceedings to start or what exactly to use his power on, and I couldn't work any of that specificity into the pretense."
wormcan
The Chief Director, or someone speaking for her, replies to her email, "Does that mean we can't maintain the pretense past the next Endbringer attack? Any such change would have to be along the lines of saying that the tradition permits power use in emergencies at the request of the host, and from what you've previously expressed that might be more than you want to leave to our judgment."
imeanforever
Promise replies: "I'd probably say something about diplomatic traditions being suspended in the event of an emergency for foreign heads of state lending combat assistance, then not actually lift the order until he was on site and phrase the limits as tactical suggestions. At any rate, the pretense doesn't actually need to last now that he's not with his creatures; I'd sooner keep it if we can but it was mostly important to avoid problems with the unvassaled critters."
wormcan
"He is more likely to cooperate if we do. Though I would prefer a solution less dependent on your permanent involvement, especially at such a detailed level as on-site tactics. That is unlikely to be the most effective use either of his powers or of yours. But we almost a month before the next Endbringer attack, and Nilbog has not even agreed to help yet."
imeanforever
"I can't directly master Endbringers and I'm not an efficient healer of people I haven't had some time to study first. If you have a better idea for things I can do besides direct otherwise-dangerous capes against them I'd be happy to reconsider my plans for assisting, but I don't have anything."
wormcan
"Even an inefficient healer would have one of the most valued abilities on the field. And if you can learn to block wavelengths of light other than the visible, or make people transparent to them, that would be extremely valuable against one of the three."
It's common knowledge that radiation is what kills anyone who gets too close to Behemoth.
It's common knowledge that radiation is what kills anyone who gets too close to Behemoth.
imeanforever
"Well, I can study up on the radiation and see if I can develop a spell, but it sounds awkward to test. I can give orders while studying injured people, though."
wormcan
"What do you anticipate ordering him for, other than the easily done ahead of time things he might not care about such as collateral damage to allied forces?"
imeanforever
"What things he's allowed to turn into creatures. What he should do with the creatures afterwards, especially since at least some of them are people."
wormcan
"Both of those are also easily proscribed in advance. If he makes nothing more intelligent than a dog, and never out of anything human, you could merely direct him against appropriate targets."
imeanforever
"I'll see if I can come up with some appropriate order sets and formatting for them in plenty of time for the next attack, then."
wormcan
"You have time. And thank you for your assistance."
Her force field generator will be completed in a matter of days.
Her force field generator will be completed in a matter of days.
imeanforever
Then she'll make another gatepair for it. Now there is a gatepair above the Confluence of a Thousand Rivers. (There are actually only eight hundred ninety four even if you count the little streams. That's just what it's called.)
In her copious spare time she does research and eventually comes up with an order set in which she informs/"reminds" Nilbog that his majesty is invited to join battle against the Endbringers, which would suspend his (ever so gracious) agreement not to use his powers, though certainly everyone understands that (in spite of his obvious diplomatic immunity; isn't that an interesting concept?) there is no call to make other heads of state feel inadequate to their task of protecting their people by using those people as raw materials, and also it would desperately confuse any questions of citizenship if he created any creatures smarter than dogs outside of his own realm.
In her copious spare time she does research and eventually comes up with an order set in which she informs/"reminds" Nilbog that his majesty is invited to join battle against the Endbringers, which would suspend his (ever so gracious) agreement not to use his powers, though certainly everyone understands that (in spite of his obvious diplomatic immunity; isn't that an interesting concept?) there is no call to make other heads of state feel inadequate to their task of protecting their people by using those people as raw materials, and also it would desperately confuse any questions of citizenship if he created any creatures smarter than dogs outside of his own realm.
wormcan
A few days later, after there's more or less normalcy in Brockton Bay, she gets a file from no discernible source. Just on the mortal side of the gate in the PRT building, labeled as being intended for her. Leaving books and similar there isn't in itself unusual, since she never did start using a predictable schedule.
When she reads it, it turns out to be detailed information on some of Brockton Bay's villains.
Cape name: Kaiser. Power: creates metal objects from any solid surface. Leader of the Empire Eighty-Eight, a gang dedicated to the proposition that someone's value as a person can be measured by the whiteness of their skin. Directly or indirectly responsible for quite a lot of crimes in support of driving the undesirables out of the city. (A selection is listed, along with his involvement. Mostly assaults and robberies, some murders. The drug dealing is emphasized less, since crimes that are nonexistent in Fairyland might be less likely to offend Promise.) But, for fairness purposes, Kaiser himself does not agree with this goal and is only in it for the power. With him gone, there would be no single obvious successor and the Empire would fracture. Real name: Max Anders.
Krieg, James Fliescher. Power, known crimes, position in the Empire, expected consequences of his removal.
If she decides to continue reading, there is similar information for all the rest of Empire 88's capes, over twenty of them. Purity, Hookwolf, and on down the list from most to least important.
When she reads it, it turns out to be detailed information on some of Brockton Bay's villains.
Cape name: Kaiser. Power: creates metal objects from any solid surface. Leader of the Empire Eighty-Eight, a gang dedicated to the proposition that someone's value as a person can be measured by the whiteness of their skin. Directly or indirectly responsible for quite a lot of crimes in support of driving the undesirables out of the city. (A selection is listed, along with his involvement. Mostly assaults and robberies, some murders. The drug dealing is emphasized less, since crimes that are nonexistent in Fairyland might be less likely to offend Promise.) But, for fairness purposes, Kaiser himself does not agree with this goal and is only in it for the power. With him gone, there would be no single obvious successor and the Empire would fracture. Real name: Max Anders.
Krieg, James Fliescher. Power, known crimes, position in the Empire, expected consequences of his removal.
If she decides to continue reading, there is similar information for all the rest of Empire 88's capes, over twenty of them. Purity, Hookwolf, and on down the list from most to least important.
imeanforever
She does not keep reading. This is alarming.
She emails the Director:
"I got an anonymous message from someone with real names of Empire 88 capes. I didn't read the whole thing, but I have two now."
She emails the Director:
"I got an anonymous message from someone with real names of Empire 88 capes. I didn't read the whole thing, but I have two now."
wormcan
"Which two? How? Forward it to me immediately, if anyone got you an anonymous message it means we've got a hole to plug in our security."
wormcan
That is both good and bad. Whoever compiled it was correct about those being two of the most valuable members, if they decide to have Promise take in the ones whose names she knows. But they also have some of the more common mortal names, and now everyone named James or Max is potentially at risk.
She reads the rest of it. It claims to have been delivered by Faultline's Crew, on behalf of someone who wants the Empire gone. Faultline's mercenaries were last spotted relatively recently, but the group has probably left the city if they did somehow break into the PRT HQ.
The Director contacts Promise. "The writer is hoping you'll arrest some of their enemies' key figures. Tempting, since the reason we didn't try this earlier no longer applies to those names. But to do it now would be playing into the hands of an unknown party with unknown goals."
She reads the rest of it. It claims to have been delivered by Faultline's Crew, on behalf of someone who wants the Empire gone. Faultline's mercenaries were last spotted relatively recently, but the group has probably left the city if they did somehow break into the PRT HQ.
The Director contacts Promise. "The writer is hoping you'll arrest some of their enemies' key figures. Tempting, since the reason we didn't try this earlier no longer applies to those names. But to do it now would be playing into the hands of an unknown party with unknown goals."
imeanforever
"Yeah, I was afraid of something like this happening. I can certainly try not to entertain the hypothesis that other people I meet are named those things but it's a little hard to control, and for all I know going after them now would destabilize some structure that's preventing worse than what's listed."
wormcan
"That part I can back up. If the Empire were to fall apart, the obvious villain groups to benefit are the Undersiders and Coil's organization, and the Travelers if they plan to stay in the city long-term. Merchants as well, but they don't plot at this scale. Or any scale, really. All plausible outcomes are less bad than the Empire, with the exception of an all-out war between factions, benefiting no one.
But the removal or weakening of the Empire is very definitely a step in someone's plan, and that's enough reason to think twice."
But the removal or weakening of the Empire is very definitely a step in someone's plan, and that's enough reason to think twice."
imeanforever
"Especially since I think unless there are much paler mortals around somewhere which I haven't seen I probably don't have anything to worry about from the Empire on my own behalf in an immediate sense, so this wasn't sent to me as a gesture of goodwill. ...At the risk of belaboring the point, people I'm commanding don't need to be in jail to be safe to have around. If I read the rest of the names I could curb the Empire's activity while leaving them able to operate in a power-balancing way otherwise."
wormcan
"The reason I didn't ask you to use as many names as possible earlier does still apply to the others.
But that might be a good idea in this case. Though jail would be better, this can avoid giving the enemy of my enemy what they want. And Krieg and Kaiser are important figures in the Empire. If you order them to do everything in their power to make the Empire commit less crime while preventing others from the same, the end result might be better than simply arresting those two. Can you give such an order while making them keep it secret?"
But that might be a good idea in this case. Though jail would be better, this can avoid giving the enemy of my enemy what they want. And Krieg and Kaiser are important figures in the Empire. If you order them to do everything in their power to make the Empire commit less crime while preventing others from the same, the end result might be better than simply arresting those two. Can you give such an order while making them keep it secret?"
imeanforever
"I can tell them to be inconspicuous, but I need to know more to balance conspicuousness and efficacy, or I need to let them do it themselves, which might not yield a balance anyone but them likes. And there's a question of how I'm supposed to get to them to tell them to do anything at all if I don't have enough names to just walk safely into wherever they normally keep themselves."
wormcan
"That second one is easy enough. You couldn't walk into one of their gang's bases, but they presumably answer their phones. If it doesn't work over telephone, we could still get you in a room with their civilian identity more easily than the cape one.
For the former, secrecy would have to be absolute. Otherwise they would simply lose their status as leaders and their replacements would have no such problem."
For the former, secrecy would have to be absolute. Otherwise they would simply lose their status as leaders and their replacements would have no such problem."
imeanforever
"It should work over the phone but I haven't tested it. I confess I still don't really understand how the whole 'civilian identity' thing works, but insofar as I know what you're proposing won't I run into bystanders' names on the way?"