[ In a way, it's strangely helpful to tether a conversation like this with the domestic. It's grounding. Yu pours out glasses of orange juice and brings them both over. (Yes, Dipper, it's too early for soda.) ]
I'm betting that depends on the planet. Each spirit has their own natives, right? Those definitely seem related, and they're all tied to the planet. CERES had to make a deal with the spirits to build Cerealia, so that was probably something they had to do in order to work with this planet. Maybe each planet they build on is different. So something about this one made it a good place to build Cerealia...
[ He trails off on that thought. They just don't have enough information to answer why that is just yet. He lets Dipper continue, and looks mildly interested (even though he's actually very interested) by this talk of traits and alignments. He takes a seat at the table. ]
Traits?
[ He gestures for Dipper to sit, and also explain. ]
[ Dipper takes a seat at the table, even if it's a moment after Yu signals for him to. He's deep in thought - both about what Yu just said about the planet, but also about what he'd discussed with Hiro's about traits. ]
Yeah. We drew up a list of people who got sick and tried to draw some similarities between their personalities. We didn't have a complete list of everyone in the colony that got sick, but everyone that we talked to were genuine, selfless people. Kind of broad, but it was consistent across all cases. Hiro mentioned something similar happened before we got here. Groups of people were affected in different and consistent ways, but he didn't have any idea what was separating them. Just that it wasn't spiritual alignment.
[ He leans forward to take a bite of his toast. He needs some breakfast brain power for this. ]
It sounds like how you'd set up an experiment. Group subjects with similar characteristics and then test how they respond to different stimuli.
[ It's not the first time he's wondered if they're lab rats. ]
[ Yu sets to work on an omelet as he listens to Dipper talk, absorbing the idea. Dual ideas, really. Not just one, but two different sets of traits that everyone could be split up by other than elemental? But it does make sense... it seems like their elemental alignments are chosen by the spirits. However, maybe these other sets of traits... Yu takes a sip of orange juice. ]
What if these other alignments are different because they're alignments set by CERES, rather than the spirits? They could be coded into us. Our elemental alignments are because we've been chosen by a spirit, which can't be useful to CERES, but these other traits might be more deliberate. Then, we're sorted into groups for testing.
[ It certainly makes sense. Yu's outlook on CERES has been much darker ever since the library and the revelation of the chips in the library books. They are lab rats, and the idea that they have alterations directly into their code to group them differently for each... "experiment" that comes along wouldn't surprise him. ... experiment? ]
Testing... maybe that's really exactly what these strange events they put us through are. Just odd experiments.
It wouldn't surprise me at all. [ Some of the things that happened seemed so erratic - the library books were a perfect example. Even if that set of events wasn't specifically tied to any alignment that he could discern, it could still have easily been an experiment.
After taking a sip of juice, he continues. ]
And then there's VIVID. With everything else we know about CERES, it doesn't line up that they'd just pay us for basically playing video games. I think it might be something more like a test chamber where they can study us. Collect data on us. Especially those who can fight. If they really are in some kind of war, what better way to wage it than study the best techniques from different worlds and then - I don't know, code it into a robot army, or something?
[ Though there wasn't a lot of evidence to suggest there really was a war going on, that didn't mean CERES couldn't just sell the information off to the highest bidder. That seems the more likely possibility, honestly. ]
[ Yu huffs a breath through his nose as he eats and lets Dipper work through that particular theory. There's a reason he doesn't spend much time in ViViD, something closer friends of his may have noticed. He bothers with it very little, in fact, except for the regular sweep of new arrivals. It's not that he's not good at it - he's got plenty of skills that help him excel at the combat levels, in fact - he just doesn't like it. Dipper's hit the nail on the head for the reason why. It never quite felt right to him. ]
I'd always wondered about that myself. There has to be some service we're performing if they're paying us for it, right? I don't like to spend much time in ViViD if I can help it. [ A beat. ] A robot army?
[ Curiously. CERES does build robots to come get them, after all... but that option seems a little unlikely to him. ]
Maybe not that so much as selling information. To a robot army, or alien army, or whoever. I don't think CERES cares who it deals with as long as it makes a profit.
[ They definitely didn't seem to have any moral compass guiding them. CERES wasn't good, but Dipper didn't see them as outright evil, either. They were a corporation with stakeholders. And like any large, greedy corporation, they needed to make money, however possible. ]
Considering just how many different worlds and styles of fighting and magic are represented here? That kind of information could be extremely valuable.
[ For a moment, Yu is quiet as he thinks that over. It's not that he disagrees - it is very valuable information, there's no doubting that, and he feel as if CERES must at least be analyzing them. Somehow, though, he can't help but feel there's more to it. He just can't quite place his finger on what, though, or how. Not yet. ]
I don't doubt they're using ViViD to monitor us, that's for sure. Whoever or whatever they're using that information for is harder to say. Whether they're selling it or something else, that's what we'll have to try and find out, if we can.
[ That gets Yu thinking about his own ideas. Ideas he hasn't expressed much, especially because he knows how dangerous they are, but, well... ]
I've heard that in the past, people have gone into the CERES headquarters for information. I've been wondering if it might be time to try that again.
[ The look on Yu's face is level and serious. In front of him is one of the people hurt the most by his decisions - and failures - as a leader the last time he tried to take on a challenge of this scale. It wasn't just a physical hurt, either. It was a mental and emotional hurt. In a real and physical way, Yu will carry scars from the jungle for the rest of his time in Cerealia.
Reminders that he can never make those mistakes again. ]
Nothing concrete just yet. But I've been thinking that we're hitting a wall out here. CERES has the answers we need, and if we want them, we'll have to be proactive.
[ Yu sets down his utensils, sitting back in his chair and sighing as he folds his arms over his chest. ]
I haven't made any decisions. I'll let you know when I do. Right now, it's just a consideration.
You're right. There's only so far we can get by trading theories. If we really want to learn what's going on, we might have to get in there.
[ Unless circumstances change dramatically, it's the clearest way he can see that they can learn about this place. It's a risk - a big one - but it just might be one they have to take.
And honestly, if there's anyone he trusts to take it, it's Yu. Even after what happened last time. Especially after what happened last time. ]
It's something we have to keep on the table, in any case. For now, I think it's about time I talked to Mosley again.
[ That gets a look of mild surprise. Mosley? The name is enough to get him to set aside his other considerations, at least for the moment. They've talked about Mosley before, and share roughly similar opinions about the man. If Dipper is considering approaching him, it must be for a good reason. ]
I want to see if we can get a better picture of what CERES actually does. If I can get a better idea of their scale, we might be able to figure out if there are other colonies. And if there are, we have allies.
[ And those are few and far between around here. ]
That, and...I want to get a better read on him. Some things I heard about him from Hiro and Korra...I think he's more on our side than he seems. Maybe.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cryptologic) wrote2009-09-09 09:39 pm
no subject
I'm betting that depends on the planet. Each spirit has their own natives, right? Those definitely seem related, and they're all tied to the planet. CERES had to make a deal with the spirits to build Cerealia, so that was probably something they had to do in order to work with this planet. Maybe each planet they build on is different. So something about this one made it a good place to build Cerealia...
[ He trails off on that thought. They just don't have enough information to answer why that is just yet. He lets Dipper continue, and looks mildly interested (even though he's actually very interested) by this talk of traits and alignments. He takes a seat at the table. ]
Traits?
[ He gestures for Dipper to sit, and also explain. ]
no subject
Yeah. We drew up a list of people who got sick and tried to draw some similarities between their personalities. We didn't have a complete list of everyone in the colony that got sick, but everyone that we talked to were genuine, selfless people. Kind of broad, but it was consistent across all cases. Hiro mentioned something similar happened before we got here. Groups of people were affected in different and consistent ways, but he didn't have any idea what was separating them. Just that it wasn't spiritual alignment.
[ He leans forward to take a bite of his toast. He needs some breakfast brain power for this. ]
It sounds like how you'd set up an experiment. Group subjects with similar characteristics and then test how they respond to different stimuli.
[ It's not the first time he's wondered if they're lab rats. ]
no subject
What if these other alignments are different because they're alignments set by CERES, rather than the spirits? They could be coded into us. Our elemental alignments are because we've been chosen by a spirit, which can't be useful to CERES, but these other traits might be more deliberate. Then, we're sorted into groups for testing.
[ It certainly makes sense. Yu's outlook on CERES has been much darker ever since the library and the revelation of the chips in the library books. They are lab rats, and the idea that they have alterations directly into their code to group them differently for each... "experiment" that comes along wouldn't surprise him. ... experiment? ]
Testing... maybe that's really exactly what these strange events they put us through are. Just odd experiments.
no subject
After taking a sip of juice, he continues. ]
And then there's VIVID. With everything else we know about CERES, it doesn't line up that they'd just pay us for basically playing video games. I think it might be something more like a test chamber where they can study us. Collect data on us. Especially those who can fight. If they really are in some kind of war, what better way to wage it than study the best techniques from different worlds and then - I don't know, code it into a robot army, or something?
[ Though there wasn't a lot of evidence to suggest there really was a war going on, that didn't mean CERES couldn't just sell the information off to the highest bidder. That seems the more likely possibility, honestly. ]
no subject
I'd always wondered about that myself. There has to be some service we're performing if they're paying us for it, right? I don't like to spend much time in ViViD if I can help it. [ A beat. ] A robot army?
[ Curiously. CERES does build robots to come get them, after all... but that option seems a little unlikely to him. ]
no subject
[ They definitely didn't seem to have any moral compass guiding them. CERES wasn't good, but Dipper didn't see them as outright evil, either. They were a corporation with stakeholders. And like any large, greedy corporation, they needed to make money, however possible. ]
Considering just how many different worlds and styles of fighting and magic are represented here? That kind of information could be extremely valuable.
no subject
I don't doubt they're using ViViD to monitor us, that's for sure. Whoever or whatever they're using that information for is harder to say. Whether they're selling it or something else, that's what we'll have to try and find out, if we can.
[ That gets Yu thinking about his own ideas. Ideas he hasn't expressed much, especially because he knows how dangerous they are, but, well... ]
I've heard that in the past, people have gone into the CERES headquarters for information. I've been wondering if it might be time to try that again.
no subject
After taking a moment to swallow, Dipper finally responds, thoughts swimming at the mere mention of such a mission. ]
I've heard that, too. Hiro's been more than once. I've also heard it's pretty dangerous.
[ Dipper is sure Yu knows this, and he's certain his older friend wouldn't take unnecessary risks for the sake of getting information.
Not after the jungle. ]
What did you have in mind?
no subject
Reminders that he can never make those mistakes again. ]
Nothing concrete just yet. But I've been thinking that we're hitting a wall out here. CERES has the answers we need, and if we want them, we'll have to be proactive.
[ Yu sets down his utensils, sitting back in his chair and sighing as he folds his arms over his chest. ]
I haven't made any decisions. I'll let you know when I do. Right now, it's just a consideration.
no subject
[ Unless circumstances change dramatically, it's the clearest way he can see that they can learn about this place. It's a risk - a big one - but it just might be one they have to take.
And honestly, if there's anyone he trusts to take it, it's Yu. Even after what happened last time. Especially after what happened last time. ]
It's something we have to keep on the table, in any case. For now, I think it's about time I talked to Mosley again.
no subject
What about?
no subject
[ And those are few and far between around here. ]
That, and...I want to get a better read on him. Some things I heard about him from Hiro and Korra...I think he's more on our side than he seems. Maybe.