"So Americans tend to be good people, but is it a good country? Are there great evils on Earth? What is America doing about them?"

"Not - like Golarion does. There are evil rulers who treat their people cruelly. America sometimes starts wars about that but it doesn't usually improve the situation when they do - and it's always, you know, a little unclear whether they really thought it would - and there are the torture farms, and the complicated Evils of ignorance - they have so many abortions - there's a history of World War II I read in which the leader of an allied country says of the Americans, they always do the right thing after they have exhausted all of the alternatives, and there's something to that. But even given all of that they have done far more to make the world Good than a place dedicated to it that wasn't as free, or rich, or inventive, because you can purchase so much good when you are free and rich and inventive."

"I see. Is there anything you think America is doing right, that we're doing wrong - morally speaking?"

"They - as a consequence of not knowing what Goodness is, have to teach people how to try to figure it out instead of teaching them the answers. I think that captures something of the Good, and I think - well, it was a skill that was needed in this world too at some point and I guess I doubt that my first self solved it and it's no longer needed. 

Perhaps relatedly I think they are more - tolerant of nonconformity. Though that might just be that I can only talk to people cleared to know about me and America doesn't grant its weird people security clearances either. 

You're …not as Arodenite as I would really have expected. You do not take very much - joy in the achievements and strength of human civilization. You do not act like it is your birthright to surpass your gods. But it is. Even if She's the best possible thing She could be, She clearly can't do it alone, and - not all of the strengths we'll need to win are represented, in Her - She's not a god of invention and technology -  And Americans aren't even sure if they have any gods but they have much more of the attitude that one ought to personally grow up to improve on them."

"I think our half hour is just about up - I don't see anything where it seems like your purposes and the Goddess' seriously diverge, though that might just be me not seeing things. I can't say it's a question I'd only want to spend half an hour on, in your boots."

"I can talk to a priest." She still feels strange about the idea, and she isn't sure why. Maybe because it'd be obviously incorrect to go to a priest seeking reassurance that she should trust the goddess, and yet that feels like more the kind of thing to expect from a priest than a clear-eyed assessment - is that unfair to priests? Probably. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And thank you."

"She says they just legitimately don't have very much power to get Mendev's priests to stop doing what they're doing. And that they really do have a very serious demon cultist problem. Which -" Iomedae flops unhappily on the bed. 

"- Seems like it's missing the point? Or, the second part is."

"I mean, it's not entirely irrelevant, it's worse to do witch burnings if there aren't even any real witches. But yes. It felt like they agreed it was unfortunate and would do something about it if they saw something to do about it but did not feel like it was a colossal betrayal of everything their goddess stands for that they should immediately all go on the radio and vocally denounce - though maybe when I get a magistrate they will feel that way, I was advised to get a magistrate."

"Why a magistrate, did Valentina think you could get the convictions overturned or something?"

"No. Different legal system, and anyway if they're dead it wouldn't help that much. Just to speak on the radio about how the law's supposed to work and what they're doing wrong if that's what they're doing in Kenabres. I am tempted to go to Kenabres myself and ask questions pointedly, though - many possible ways of doing it are an unacceptable risk - and if I talk about it on the air it implies a lot about the resources of my organization-."

"Yeah. Risky to go to a war zone for interviews, and it tells the world that you can afford to teleport to a war zone for interviews." Probably it would be good - for the radio show, for her sanity - for Iomedae to leave Vigil occasionally to do some reporting, but it doesn't seem very safe, and 'the border of the worldwound where people get executed for not reporting their friends to the inquisition' seems like a particularly unsafe place to go.

"The fact it's risky is why it'd be such good radio, though," Iomedae says dreamily. "I could confront the corrupt priest - I am aware this is stupid and reckless and the same part of me that wants to go to Hell and duel Asmodeus -"

"No dueling Asmodeus. I veto."

"If you say so… I'll save my intrepid reporting from Kenabres for when the war starts, and Cheliax has bigger problems. I assume we'll be even busier but it could be done in a few hours and it'll be good for me and someone's got to take it appropriately seriously. …I guess I do need to confirm that the plan is for me to remain here for the war's duration. Most of the order's empowered paladins are, you know, participating in the fighting."

"Mm." Alfirin holds her tight. "You're probably still more useful at the radio than on the front lines, I imagine? For morale and stuff."

"I think so. I am a mediocre rifleman and unparalleled at making fun of Abrogail Thrune."

"You know when we were planning all this back on Earth I never imagined that when it came down to the actual fighting they might want you sheltered away from the front and me at it - They don't, I expect, but if we'd had the tanks and artillery out sooner they might've."

Iomedae's turn to hold Alfirin tight. "I don't want you at the front lines. You might die. I am a tremendous hypocrite here, I know."

"You are. I don't want to die either, though. Even if they tell me to go I won't."

"I don't think it makes any sense right now. They need bullets more than they need field engineers, they're going to be giving up on anything a Mending doesn't fix and we could only with difficulty improve on that… if we had ten years we'd have such a good army. I don't think it's worth waiting but I was definitely imagining we'd have more time before it was directly engaged in the most important fight."

"It doesn't seem worth waiting, no. We'd have had such a good army, though… Maybe it's for the best. If we decide when it's all over that it doesn't make sense for Lastwall to be holding all the guns, we'll probably be glad they don't have planes or howitzers." Or nuclear weapons, but they don't speak of those anymore.

Iomedae asks her secretary to find her a priest who can teach her about her religion. Ideally one who is allowed to know who she is, though she can probably also work with one who isn't so long as they're not imaginative enough to guess.

…Any priest, or does she need someone senior or a theologian or something?