EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (VENERA)

[aionmods]

Sovereign Citizens

VENERA

In contrast the Aion's last visit, they now arrive in Venera on a completely average day... or so it seems. Unlike Godsblood, Venera has been given no warning as to what's about to befall it; the Kenoma are simply authorized to arrive and begin their bloody work without fanfare. Even their entourage of Achamite soldier don't stick out that much; in the time since the plague left, the city has refilled with occupying forces. Notably, the Hylician ones seem to be keeping out of the way, almost as if they've heard some things and would rather not be involved too closely in what's to come.

As opposed to the ghost town it was during the plague, Venera is now reasonably active, with most attending to their usual business. Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers. Initially, the targets of the Kenoma hit list will have no way of knowing what's coming for them, but after the first couple attacks word will begin to spread. Those that have recently been engaging in seditious behavior will become harder to find, leaving their usual homes and workplaces to stay elsewhere, and making other attempts to escape the Regent's attention.

Once those alerts have been raised, the Kenoma will have to engage in more detective work to find their targets, questioning other Venerans and seeking out fugitives in the homes of their family and friends. In the meantime, some of those who believe they are in danger may become desperately enough to seek out the Pleroma directly, imploring them for aid. Unfortunately, seeking out one sect may just as easily draw the attention of the other. Most uninvolved Venerans will be too terrified to intervene one way or another, reluctant to aid in the persecution of their neighbors but fearful of consequences. If your Aion travels openly, it will take some effort to pin them down long enough to hold a conversation.

SEEDS OF DESPAIR

Several days into the culling of Venera, the Aions will have witnessed the city gradually withdraw into itself. The streets become vacant as more and more people decide it isn't worth the risk to be seen outside, abandoning work and play alike to hide out in their homes, refusing to answer their doors to all except the most desperate pleading. Those that can't avoid their daily obligations are quiet and morose, trying their best to remain unseen and unremarked upon.

If your character has been observed as a Kenoma, either now or in their previous visits to the city, the citizens will look upon them as if they are the messengers of death. If you are seen as a Pleroma, they will resist your gaze, as if fearing your presence alone might leave them marked. In rarer cases, you will see those with stronger spirits, with glares of hatred or determination. They are powerless now, but seeds have been sewn, and whether they are the seeds of despair or of action are yet unclear.

By the time the Kenoma's hit list has been fully addressed, several have been killed and several more have been rushed from their homes to flee the city entirely. There have been holes left in the tapestry of the community they were once part of. One way or another, their absence will be felt keenly by those they left behind.

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
Estinien has plans to get an early start for the Pleroma by teleporting to the Lover's shrine and flying somewhere closer to set up a portal from the ocean caves near the Godsblood Lodestone to a spot of farmland closer to Venera. Paul will be setting up a portal directly from Achamoth to one of the Achamite outposts in Venera.

How much force can the Kenoma use while interrogating Venerans?
While they are generally not permitted to kill Venerans who haven't tried to physically fight them, they will be permitted to apply both physical and mental pressure upon those that refuse to provide them with information regarding the whereabouts of their targets. This duress should be proportional to the resistance the Veneran is offering. The Regent is not inviting them to terrorize Venera on a level to a level they cannot reasonably blaim themselves for.

Comments

[zauneyete]

[ His dual-tone gaze noticed, but didn't comment, that he'd picked up his plate. Silco wasn't much of an eater -- too many years of lean living -- but he'd gotten the plate anyway, and let it sit there, to at least look like he was doing something.

He did however, have a drink, and he picked that up, lest Gen try to steal his liquor from him.

The detail, that Gen wasn't eating any more than he was, wasn't lost on him. He didn't remark on it, but filed it away. That looked more... active, certainly, but the food didn't really disappear, when one fiddled with it like that. Nervous energy, perhaps? ]

Somewhat. I normally didn't... do the act, however, I've arranged for plenty of people to disappear before. It takes a few days, mostly observation. I've read the updates, made the call... [ He shrugged. ]

Sometimes, some people, just don't know when it's best to take their fortunes, or their families, or their lives, and be content with what they have. Some of them just want to... rage at something, whether it's the harbinger of their misfortune, or not.

And sometimes, those loud types need to be taken care of, before others start to listen, and disrupt everything.

[epiprocta]

[ The ease with which Silco discusses these matters, like he's talking about what bus route he takes to work, makes an uneasy feeling settle heavy in the pit of his stomach, and Gen's frown deepens. Though he takes a small bite of the now-thoroughly-dismantled salad, he barely tastes it; the food feels like sand gritting between his teeth, and it takes effort to force himself to swallow. ]

Taken care of.

[ He repeats those words at a quiet deadpan, just barely loud enough for Silco to hear. As brash as Gen is, he's not about to say such things loud enough for any passersby to cotton onto. ]

You know saying things like that doesn't make it feel any better, right. When you get told to 'take care of' someone, it doesn't make it any better than just being told to just kill'em. Or abduct them. Whatever.

[ But even that low gripe of his peters off into a grudging huff before long, and Gen stabs a piece of meat on the end of his fork. Not to eat it, but to stare at it as he slowly twirls his fork between his fingers, desperately trying to vent some more nervous energy. His gaze remains fixed on that meaningless piece of food as he speaks again. ]

... d'you think this is the best way of going about this whole thing?

[zauneyete]

[ Silco's eyes go wide, in mock surprise. ] My, I hadn't thought of that. Do you think all those people the Enforcers -- sorry, I suppose here they are police -- "take care of" go through the same treatment? [ Silco was, after all, single-minded in that the reason Zaunites had to be monsters was because they had no other choice. He had no shame around it, and wouldn't. It was a fact of life, a fact of how the world worked. ]

I don't think there's any other way. [ He said, his tone turned serious again. ] They clearly don't want to support the Regent, and since they've decided to actively fight the Regent, what choice do they have? Let them continue? Ignore the fact that they are outwardly, actively opposing the Regent and their goals? If the seeds of revolution are not... appropriately snuffed out, you'll find a bigger, and meaner monster waiting.

[ Oh, and Silco would know. The Enforcers had tried to snuff out Zaun, where he'd been. They'd tried hard, but when all was said and done, had they succeeded? No, they'd left them alive, and yes, they had warred, but...

Well, they'd grown bigger, meaner, and more destructive. Zaun was its own beast now -- was its own beast.

He should not dwell. ]

You must cut the head off the snake, or else you'll find plenty more little ones slithering about later.

[ He concluded, trying to draw his thoughts away from the one place, that could have tempted Silco away from this Sect. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Gen's gaze slides up from that piece of meat to fix on Silco for a moment, studying him in silence. Because while he's not that surprised to hear that Silco seems to have plenty of experience in dealing with these affairs, there's a subtle edge to those words that suggests it wasn't simply a 'business matter' for the other man.

What, did his gang -- or operation, whatever he wants to call it -- take a hit because he let something like this slip before? Because he didn't squelchy and resistance the moment it started up?

He wants to believe that's the case. That maybe Silco's decisive attitude is only because of a personal grudge. Not that the Regent's proposal is actually the most effective way of going about things. ]

... they're just people. Not even Aions. [ Gen drops his gaze back down to the food, sullenly studying the fibers of cooked meat. ] They're ... this is all going to go away eventually, isn't it? And they'll go with it. So what's the point. It's not even like they can do much.

[ Because the reservations he has about this job are not because he cares for the lives of those people named on the list. They'll die sooner or later. Whatever. It's simply that he doesn't want that burden on his shoulders -- not again, not when he doesn't even know any of these people or care about their crimes. He'd been prepared to fight and kill the other Aions, but ... it's different, if it's simple Veneran citizens who'd caused him no direct offense, who he doesn't even know. Gen restlessly twirls the fork in his hand once more, glancing aside in discomfort. ]

Just fighting the Pleroma again would be easier.

[zauneyete]

Are they? "Just" people?

[ Gen's on the right track...ish. Silco's operation was never done in by letting something go -- at least as far as he knew, and as far as his time was concerned. Of course, when the one problem he didn't know had resurfaced, he did everything he could to snuff her out, to no avail.

No, Silco was actually thinking of the perspective of the Enforcers. The people who'd slammed the butt of their guns into his eye, squashed their revolution, and thought they were all quiet, and compliant. Vander had struck his deal with Grayson, and the undercity was left to fester, weak and poor, left to be nothing to Piltover, other than the source of their labor.

Silco himself was the problem they hadn't snuffed out. Vander had tried, too, tried to choke him, drown him, and Silco had lurked, and waited.

A normal person wasn't a threat, until they were. ]

It would be easier, but what's to say that's the most efficient? If one leaves the people, and takes out their soldiers, do you not think that the people would move on, and sign to take their place? Inspire others to do so? They infiltrate levels of Achamoth, or any other locations? They start to work themselves into other areas of Venera, or Godsblood, and they find ways to work against us Aions.

No, the Regent's right. Take them out, before they become a monster.

[epiprocta]

-- I get it.

[ Gen stabs his fork into another piece of meat just hard enough for his plate to rattle against the table's surface and make its legs scrape against the ground. Thankfully it's not quite loud enough to garner the attention of Silco's target, who doesn't even blink, but it does draw a worried glance or two from the people sitting at the neighboring table.

Something Gen tries to make up for by meeting their eyes briefly, then looking awkwardly back down at his plate with a half-hearted 'whatever' muttered under his breath. He's quiet for a long moment afterward as he chews on that piece of meat (it tastes like rubber against his tongue), and even when he speaks again his voice is lower. Still ironed flat, still hard at the edges because he can't stop feigning strong, but definitely more subdued than usual. ]

... I get it. I'll do it. ... I was prepared to do this shit anyway.

[ It's not that he's lying, not exactly. He really is resolved to doing whatever he has to do, as he always has. It's just that being prepared to carry out this task doesn't neutralize the uneasy feeling sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach.

Gen continues to pick the food apart as he mutters, ]

M'just not as used to this kind of shit. I can do it just fine. I've done it before.

[zauneyete]

[ Silco almost feels pity for Gen.

Almost.

He knew what it was like, to become a monster. He hadn't started out like this. He hadn't started out as a man willing to kill or maim for Zaun, but he had wanted to make the world different. Change Zaun for the better, and that had led him to fighting. Fighting came at a cost, though. Lives that had been taken by the Enforcers, and Silco had wanted to fight more. He'd learned, quickly, that even ones allies would stop fighting, as soon as they found something more important to them than Zaun was. Silco had never found that -- he thought -- he would give everything for Zaun -- he thought. Silco, of course, had not had this tested yet -- and his conviction would eventually be found wanting.

He nodded, at Gen. ]

It takes time, of course, to be comfortable with it.

With time, I think, you'll be more willing. [ A sly pause, and then: ] When I was younger, I didn't get to say no to such things. I suppose it will be the same for you, here.

[epiprocta]

[ He scowls down at his food as he listens to Silco's words, letting them settle heavy over his thoughts. And in some strange way, they do help. Like the way a heavy snowfall muffles all sounds, it helps dampen the doubts that have been prickling at the back of his throat since his arrival in this city.

Still, there's a limit to what they can do. His stare is distant, the focus of his eyes a little show and his thoughts obviously dragged somewhere far away for a moment; his voice is a low murmur when he next speaks, almost like he's asking himself rather than Silco. ]

How many more times before I get used to this ...

[ Those hoarse words hang in the air for just a moment. Then he squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head. Huffs out a hard exhale to try and clear his head, then focuses on Silco once more. ]

-- that drug you mentioned before. You have it with you here, right?

[ Given how confidently Silco had spoken about it, he has to imagine the man always keeps some of it on hand. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Silco couldn't help but smile at Gen. He'd almost asked a very silly question, since Silco could hardly predict for how soft of heart Gen was. He'd been forged in the fires of revolution and then chilled and made hard by betrayal. He had always been different than Vander, of course, or Benzo, or the others in their gang.

That did not mean that Silco was the spiteful, hateful man he was now. No, that took time, and effort, and nearly half a decade of isolation and planning revenge.

Silco took a long sip of his drink, and made Gen wait for him to didn't respond. Milked it, really. ]

Of course I do.

However, I can only provide so much in one day. You'll have to be in need, for me to provide it.

[epiprocta]

[ Silco relishes in that question, dragging it out before deigning to answer it and Gen ... waits in silence without so much as a hostile snarl. Which in and of itself says plenty about his current state of mind. So stressed out and anxious his thoughts are a mess, Gen's barely even conscious of that long pause before he hears Silco's words -- his gaze had slid away from the other man to stare into the middle distance, and only snaps back into focus at Silco's words. ]

... sure, whatever.

[ Somewhere at the back of his mind it occurs to him that Silco's wording is a little strange. 'Provide so much in day.' Like he's formulating this stuff on a daily basis? -- whatever. That's not his business, and he's distracted enough that he doesn't want to make it his business.

Gen takes another bite of that food, feeling it grit tastelessly between his teeth as he deadpans, ]

I'll do my job. But I'm keeping an eye out for the Pleroma -- bet getting'em out of the way sooner would be smarter. I'll contact you if I think I could use the boost.

[ He says it so confidently, like he's at ease with the thought of relying on some mystery drug to carry him through such a high-stakes fight; too bad the pale-knuckled, twitchy grip he maintains on his form betrays him. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Silco leaned back in his chair, and nodded. ]

Oh yes, please do. Or, just hope I'm around, if you run into too much trouble.

[ Well, how could he be that close? Don't worry about it Gen, you'll find out in a few days. ] I don't doubt that our...opponents will be here, waiting for their chance to strike. The Regent promised as much, hadn't they? We'll need to be on our guard, all while we do what the Regent asks.

[ It's a heavy request, really. Do all that they can, to take on what the Regent asks of them, and also take out the Pleroma. Silco didn't doubt that there were more like Gen, who were straining at the seriousness of the Regent's orders. That weren't going to be able to Follow Through.

He would have to work harder, to make up for where they lacked, and convincing even one seemed fruitful.

The target stood from his table, and started to leave. Silco watched him, with a pair of mismatched eyes. After a few moments, and when the target was halfway down the road, he stood. ]

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to be on the move.