[Closed] Along for the research paper.

[pactfulfilled]

Date & Time: Backdated to July 4 or thereabouts.
Location: The Library
Characters: Asbel Lhant (pactfulfilled) and Hubert Oswell (omurice)
Summary: Asbel and Hubert continue their research into Exsilium's history and the various different Earths. Plus some brotalk.
Warnings: Possible spoilers.


[Asbel fights back a sigh, reaching up to pluck yet another book down from its shelf. He hadn't expected the library to be chock full of this many history books, but here they are - him, Hubert, and more books than he cares to read for the rest of his life. And apparently even more of the library's collection is electronic - which means it's stored on discs and chips and things Asbel doesn't even know the names of.]

[He makes his way back to the designated study desk, setting the stack of books down and sinking resignedly into a chair. This is bound to be a long afternoon. He just hopes he can stay focused long enough to actually pick out some of these patterns Hubert's intent on discovering.]

So. Find anything yet?

Comments

[omurice]

[Hubert on the other hand has already delved into the history of this world. With a note pad on the side, he's writing down what he deems to be important in the patterns of history. War always seemed strong in this world, which is no surprise considering their own world was always filled with fighting of some sort. Just never to this degree.

And the fact that the Initiative wants to change the history from the past 1200 years is quite the feat they wish to succeed. Even Hubert is having a bit of a hard time wrapping his head around it. Closing the book he was reading, he adjusts his glasses and turns to his brother.]

Nothing as of yet. All that I can see is the obvious -- we're living in what most people would consider an apocalypse.

[pactfulfilled]

I'm guessing that means a war-torn land where it rains all the time?

[Asbel fetches the topmost book in his pile and cracks open the cover. Mmm...this one seems to be a bit more recent than some of the others. It talks about how Exsilium used to be part of a place called Britain, and how after a bunch of things happened - more bombings and so on - the city became uninhabitable, was evacuated, and then basically used as a dump by the UE.]

[Asbel's already heard a bit about all that, so he transfers the book atop another miraculously neat pile and reaches for the next.]

It seems like there're plenty of books about Exsilium here, but not so much about the United Earth or their possible motives.

[omurice]

It's hardly livable by all means. If it weren't for the technology, everyone here would be as good as dead as none of the land can really be used for farming.

[The constant rain would destroy all harvests, let alone drown the food they even attempt to grow. But yes, there's really nothing on the UE, and to Hubert that makes complete sense. Why would the enemy even allow such documents to be in this library? It's like inviting them in to attack.]

Likely it's because their motive may be something they don't want us to know about. Considering they've gone as far as going to another world and destroying it, I am rather curious about it myself.

[pactfulfilled]

So in other words, it's like another Fodra.

[And yet Exsilium seems different somehow. Both places have obviously struggled and faced unbelievable hardships, but here there are still people actively fighting to survive. To live.]

Except that on this world, the thing that led to the destruction of the environment...was a direct result from all the fighting? Or did it start even before then?

[Asbel flips through the next book, although it's clear he's not actually reading the pages.]

Yeah. I guess that would make sense... I don't know. It's too bad we can't just take a shuttle over there and find out what's going on for ourselves.

[omurice]

You could essentially say that, yes. Just the technology of this planet allows humans to survive, while on Fodra there was no possible way someone could live far too long.

[The climate is illsuited for living on both planets, but yes, even Hubert can see the desperate struggles here. But he can at least answer Asbel's question.]

What occurred on this world was a nuclear winter. Weapons made of such technology that it destroyed the ecosystem entirely. It appears in earlier texts that scientists predicted that if those weapons were used it would essentially destroy this planet, however such hatred blinded the people...

...and this is the aftermath.

[So kind of like Fodra with their own weapon... with Lambda. His focus shifts to his brother as he can tell he's not even reading the book he has. Really, some things never change.]

Wouldn't that be convenient.

[There's a sense of sarcasm in his voice... but he shares his brother's sentiment.]

[pactfulfilled]

And even after all that, they're still fighting each other...

[That's kind of troubling. What if that technology breaks or malfunctions or gets lost. Then what? Will everyone on this world die? Asbel ignores the sarcasm, hand resting on the next book in the pile, but not yet moving it towards him.]

Don't you think it's kind of weird, though? I mean, even from a tactical standpoint? I know they can send us wherever they want, and we're definitely not defenseless, but for the most part we're all situated on a tiny island. If the UE has the capabilities to destroy entire worlds with their weaponry, then how come they haven't managed to take out Exsilium yet? They've had centuries' worth of opportunities, right? So what's stopping them from wiping it off the map completely? That attack earlier...

[Well, it had been bad - really bad, but not entirely crippling. They'd managed to divert some of the missiles and even get lots of people to safety. There had been clear targets.]

Do you think that maybe the Initiative has something they want?

[omurice]

[There are times when he's absolutely floored by his brother's conjecture, and this is one of those times. But yes, he's absolutely right. If they can destroy worlds, why is Exsilium still standing? He raises his fist to his chin, thinking over what the possibilities could be...

...and he does have something of an idea.]

Perhaps it is due to the fact there are different kinds of people here. Different worlds appear to possess different powers, and the combination of them seems to make an invincible fort. While I would debate as to why they haven't been able to annihilate Esxilium before they have taken us from our worlds, I suspect that time travel may have helped them create what there is now. It might not be far off to speculate that this present could have been in worse condition at one point.

I feel bad tagging back after FORESHADOWING but.

[pactfulfilled]

[Asbel quietly watches his little brother think.]

So they might have used those machines to somehow loop back and improve the situation here?

[That's... He's not even sure how to feel about it - if that's the case. And if it is, was the current state of the city the best they could do for its people? How many adjustments and modifications would a person have to go back and make in order to get Exsilium in proper working order - in a state where it looks and acts more like a living city than the skeleton of one?]

I suppose that much is true. The people who grew up here don't seem to have any special abilities aside from the technology and weapons they've created. Whereas, a lot of the Transports have unique powers, special skills...

[Not all of them, but a lot. Still, their numbers are small compared to the native population... If the UE attacked them directly, would they be able to hold them off?]