Reaching Out

[ghost_shield]

Who: Nicholas Reeve and all interested in his Native/Visitor Diplomacy group
Where: The Nadeisico
Summary: Nick proposes a group which can help mediate some of the tensions between the Visitors and the natives. But he may have a few side goals in mind too...
Warnings: Presumably none.

Nick's been through a lot of different things in his life, but he has to admit it's the first time he's ever been in a space battleship, let alone hosted a MEETING in one. Hell, it's the first time he's hosted a meeting, period. But something has to be done, and he knows it.

He'd seen the anger. Real or manufactured, something was threatening to explode unless they as arrivals -- voluntary or otherwise -- confronted it face on. To ignore such a thing during a period in time like this would be to invite disaster, and quite possibly this great and terrible danger the people who had disappeared had been sent to confront. Whether or not this world was truly his own, that just wouldn't cut it. After all, he's all too familiar with the notion of destroyed worlds...

He looks around at the setup. It's sort of weird, hanging out in a place with giant robots to conduct business. He hopes people don't get too distracted by that. At the same time, this is really the only place to do this. Some of Nick's ideas might be a bit, well, controversial. Still, even if people DON'T go along with his secondary objective, hopefully they'll still be amenable to the primary.

Still, his plans would work better with help.

Comments

THE MEETING

[ghost_shield]

Nick goes up to the front and, clearing his throat, tries to make himself heard. "Ah, if I could have your attention, please? Thanks.

I want to thank each and every one of you for making it here today. I'm sorry for the slightly, uh, unpolished setting of our first meeting, but there's a lot of ways in which this place is ideal, for reasons I'll explain later. Still, I'm glad you could make it, and I hope for a lot of good things out of this."

He walks a bit. "As I'm sure a lot of you are aware, the natives, as they say, are restless. More specifically, many of them are beginning to perceive us at a nuisance at best, and a trouble magnet at worst. It's pretty obvious we've been so wrapped up in our own problems that we've been neglecting our relations with the town we're ostensibly supposed to be defending. Between the Anoli and this... Nyarlathotep we're apparently now up against, we need to deal with this ASAP.

To that end, I propose we form a group. We need to research the situation with the natives, figure out the best way to help them within the best of our abilities, and more than anything else prove we're not just a bunch of slackers, leeches, or menaces. That way, we'll be in the best possible position we can be to deal with the problems ahead of us."

He pauses for a moment, thinking. "There is... one other thing I want to accomplish with this. I'm going to be up front with you guys about it. If you agree with me, that's fine. If not, I will not hold it against you to walk away from this and develop your own group. This situation isn't something that requires competition."

A deep breath. "I am hoping... that by opening our lines of communication with the natives, we can start getting some information on this world that the government apparently decides is too dangerous to share with us. A backdoor, if you will." He turns his head. "I am on the side of people, both living and dead. I do not appreciate having the truth kept from me." He turns back to them. "This is only a secondary objective. The most important thing is our relations. But if we can somehow uncover more of the truth this way, so much the better."

He sighs. "I will understand if anybody wants to leave, after hearing that."

[genkibot]

So, the main goal of this group is information gathering? Because I'd love to help with that! If the data I find can help others, that'd be great!

[ghost_shield]

Enthusiastic, at least. "Just don't forget our first objective is to connect with the people. Don't be blunt in your questioning. Extrapolate the information you DO get as you work with people. Critical thinking is going to be key in the secondary objective, and you can never forget the main reason we're doing this."

[genkibot]

Oh, okay. I'm more use to gathering info covertly, but interacting with people to gather info sounds fun! Maybe it will help show how we're trying to help as well?

[ghost_shield]

"That's the hope, yeah." He sighs. "I know it sounds like I'm being opportunistic, but I really am concerned about the state of affairs right now. I mean, WE certainly think we're here to help, and it'd be nice to get everybody else on board too."

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

"I think they're as much in the dark as we are," Pit says, a little uncomfortable. Even if it's a secondary objective people could still tell when you wanted something out of them.

[ghost_shield]

Nick shakes his head. "Even their complaints have already revealed things we had no clue about. If it's true they're basically ignoring the public just to cater to our needs, then I want to know why it's so important for them to try to keep us comfortable... and in the dark." He crosses his arms. "Sometimes information is just as much obtained through listening as it is through asking."

He paces a bit. "I'm not asking us to go, 'Here, let me help you, and oh by the way what do you know about what happened around here.' I want people to keep aware. Listen to things people tell you when they're comfortable with you. Get a better feel for the ground. Sometimes the first step is just finding the roots of discontent."

[hetried]

"...Governments keep all kinds of secrets," Daichi interjects after a moment of hesitation, a reluctant grimace on his face. That was basically the case with JP's...entire existence, right?

"I don't know if it's for good or bad, but even if they're in the dark too, there's stuff they know that they're not sharing. It's just a really bad situation."

[ghost_shield]

Nick raises a finger. "That's true. Governments keep secrets, that's for certain. Sometimes very important ones. And yet they expect us to work for them, and these secrets are hurting us as much as anybody."

He crosses his arms. "When it comes down to it, the biggest problem we're having is a lack of trust all around. The natives don't trust us. The government don't trust us. The Anoli sure as Hell don't trust us, and want to make sure the lack of trust stays that way. Information is at a standstill unless there's trust -- and with it, any hopes of anybody functioning smoothly." He sighs. "It's nice to view everybody getting along as just everybody getting along, but diplomacy is a matter of getting along and moving TOGETHER to boot, if that makes sense."

Re: THE MEETING

[acapriciousthing]

"If they trust us, that will probably happen naturally. People talk, after all." Death had been dealing with people since... well, since there were people. Unlike some personifications she knew, she did manage to pick up a thing or two.

[ghost_shield]

He nods. "That's what I'm thinking. The more we reduce the amount of distrust the populace have towards us, the more relaxed they'll be. Even if they don't have the same level of information as the government, little bits and pieces are bound to pop up organically. We can figure out how to go about things from there." He frowns. "It's obvious there's some discontent here, more than just a simple matter of the Anoli. I want to see how deep it goes, since it's obvious the media is too controlled to give us the full story right now."

[acapriciousthing]

"On the ground is definitely the place to do that. I think... rumblings in bars are popular." Not really her specialty, but she has picked up a few things in Mayfield. There was usually something to be heard in Olney's.

[ghost_shield]

He nods. "Could be a plan. We'll definitely need to keep an eye on gossip either way, if only to make sure we're fully informed about what we need to tackle."

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Meetra shakes her head. "No, I agree with you completely. We can't just blindly trust in the government, not when there's so many people here that need protecting."

"And let me just say I'm glad to be in a group that's proactive about public relations, for once," she adds.

[ghost_shield]

Nick actually looks embarrassed. "Ah, thanks. Well, I just didn't think sitting around and waiting for the situation to resolve itself was a good idea. We're here for the long haul, so we might as well make sure things go smoothly for everybody involved."

[echo_of_a_jedi]

"Exactly what I like to hear," she says. "Especially when it doesn't involve full-scale war."

She pauses and thinks about that. "...before you ask, it's a very long story."

[ghost_shield]

He waves a bit. "I'm used to long stories. We'd get them a lot back home, especially down at the old First and Last Stop. That, uh, was a pub a friend of mine ran." He grins. "Still, glad you're on board with this."

[pastalishe]

Cloche listens quietly to what Nicholas has to say. She agrees with a great deal with what he's talking about: the situation between the Visitors and the Citizens is growing tenser each and every day. Without something to alleviate that tension, one day, the line of communication between them will snap--and the results won't be pleasant.

And yet, when he speaks of using this effort to uncover information, she can't help but disagree. Cloche frowns and, after he is finished, clears her throat. When she speaks, her tone isn't angry or confrontational; instead, it is calm and insightful.

"I find the goals that you propose to be commendable. Ideally, there would be complete transparency between leaders and their people... unfortunately, the situation in Hinoto-Ri is far from ideal." Cloche raises a hand to her chin, expression thoughtful. "A government's first responsibility is to its people: to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. Information, when misused or mishandled, can be dangerous--especially in a city where rumor can become reality.

I don't doubt that Hinoto-Ri's government is keeping secrets from us. But I believe that, in a time of global crisis, the government is obligated to keep dangerous information out of the public eye. Some secrets are kept for good reasons. If you propose to uncover information, what do you plan to do with it? Are you prepared to take responsibility for it and the consequences that may come with it?"

[ghost_shield]

Nick cross his arms. "I understand the government may have its reasons for doing what it does. But I think it's up to us to decide whether or not this information is really so dangerous that exposing it properly will cause problems on a catastrophic level. Right now, I'm more concerned about what they'll be willing to do to suppress it if we're too open about asking. We've already established that they're willing to censor even communications among ourselves asking these questions, and quite frankly that worries me. Besides, the less we know about WHY things are how they are, the more likely we are to bumble into things that'll just make things worse ANYWAY."

He looks away. "And... the less we know, the more power the Anoli have. Because they seem to know something we don't too, and it irks me that they know more than we, the supposed government agents, do."

He purses his lips, then looks back at her. "In other words, yes. I'm willing to accept the responsibility and the consequences. As I said, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. This is my own philosophy, however, and one I choose to abide by."

[pastalishe]

"I believe your heart is in the right place, Nicholas," Cloche says. "But, I must respectfully disagree. I feel that uncovering and exposing information that the government wants kept out of the public eye undermines a structure that, despite its flaws, appears to be doing its best to serve the people of the city. Moreover, it is dangerous to be swayed by the words of a group that uses murder and fear tactics to try and force change."

Cloche's eyes haven't left Nicholas' face since he began speaking; she doesn't flinch or waver. She's very passionate about what she's speaking about.

"I believe in the government of this city; I have faith in what it means to its people and the work that it does to keep Hinoto-Ri functional. I respect your philosophy, but I cannot follow it." She bows her head in deference for a brief moment. "I am happy to contribute to the other aspects of this group... and I will not reveal your actions to the government. I will have faith in your words; I ask only that you act responsibly within the scope of your investigations."

[ghost_shield]

Nick's eyes do not waver themselves. His passion is the same. But it's a passion tied to no one government, no one person. He's heard too many stories, seen too many things. The voices of the dead have told him of the crimes of the living, some of them members of their trusted leaders. The government of Gran Frontier hadn't been infallible; at least some of the elected officials there had been openly anti-refugee. Anti-HIM, in that respect. He almost envies her dedication to the law, the ability to believe in a cause regardless of the darker actions taken to protect it. Or... perhaps she simply doesn't acknowledge them. Who could say.

He looks away, finally, a mysterious little smile. "I hope your faith pays off, then. I apologize if we cannot see eye to eye on that." He looks back at her. "And I'll hold you to your word on that. At least you understand the risk I took admitting my views in the first place."

He crosses his arms, brightening. "And in the meantime, even if our politics don't coincide our desire to do good is the same! So let's do everything we can in our abilities to help the people, okay?"

Re: THE MEETING

[greyerrant]

"There are truths too dangerous to share. I should know. I keep several of them to myself."

Loken pointedly doesn't elaborate on this point.

"That being said, there is a clear undertone of mismanagement amongst the government at present. And our problems with the Anoli and the Daemon are quite obvious. However, I'm not sure the natives aside from the government have that much more information than we do. Quite the opposite, in fact. They seem to be somewhat ignorant of some of the realities facing them, which could be a conscious act of information control on the government."

Which, to Loken at least, seems fairly reasonable in a crisis environment.

[ghost_shield]

He frowns. "To be perfectly honest, those truths are just as dangerous being withheld right now as they are being told. Mainly because the lack of truth is being used as a wedge issue, something the Anoli can use to cause a division. Furthermore, there are some things I simply don't understand WHY they're hidden. If they're as self-explanatory as they're made to sound, there's no reason why they should be hidden in the first place. I'm not talking about divulging security secrets or anything like that. Just a few little things, like why things are as they are to begin with>'

He looks around. "Which is why I want to talk to people to begin with. Something within the collective memory of the survivors of whatever caused the situation here, whether they consciously remember it or not, is bound to give us at least some better indication of why WE'RE here. Even if it's just finding the depths of how little they know, that in itself can be revelatory in and of itself."

He pushes his glasses. "After all, they've all lived through a very terrible situation... which begs the question not what they don't know, but why they don't know it."

[greyerrant]

"It strikes me that the problem is the ANoli, then, not the lack of knowledge, and while I am a man who favors secular truth and enlightenment... this wouldn't be the first time mankind has forgotten what brought it low before. In my time, no one knows what started the Long Night either."

[ghost_shield]

"It's not THEIR lack of knowledge I'm worried about, it's OURS." He sighs. He's not sure how to explain himself on this; it's not as if he trusts the Anoli, but he doesn't like being kept in the dark. Are they not government employees themselves? Then again, Garviel has the look of a man who does not reason why, but do and die, so to speak.

"Well, as I said. I'm not holding people to that route. The primary objective is to help the people, and we're going to do just that regardless of political differences."