abraxaslogs | [open] july catchall

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[open] july catchall

Who: Viktor and special guests and you
When: throughout July & August
Where: Cadens, the Horizon, Nocwich
What: ah oh no we were indirectly responsible for bombing the castle
Warnings: war crimes

[open and closed starters in comments! If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. full horizon details are here for any and all wildcarding needs. For everything else, I’m on plurk at

whitticus and on discord also at whitticus.]

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I didn't. I would never--

[He's angry, having to suddenly assert that he never wanted his technology to be weaponized. There's still a great deal to sort out, with those he knew better in the imagined centuries than he does in the real world, but he wants to think that Cassian believes him.

If anything, the nature of this conversation is evidence enough that Viktor trusts Cassian enough to ask for help--or advice, at the very least.]

I don't know. Beg them to reconsider. [Which seems foolish, but what else can he do? They can break through Thorne's wards now. Why would they stop?] I could try to interest them in shielding technology instead, or--

[ Something akin to understanding flits across his face at the outburst. He understands how easy it is for him to jump to his own conclusions; he's seen first hand what technology and innovation can do to a place and people. Whoever had designed the giant mines that sucked dry planets of their resources probably hadn't intended for it to ruin the lives of a whole people.

Rationally, Cassian knew that his anger or whatever lingering annoyance he had towards that shouldn't be directed towards someone like Viktor. Still. It's hard not to see. the echoes of that ripple out here. Separating what happened on Kenari from what had happened in Thorne is more difficult than he'd like to admit.

Cassian cuts him off before Viktor can continue down a rambling path that he can only read as a man trying to reconcile something that he'd inadvertently had a hand in. ]

Is there a way to take back the designs they took from you?

[Even saying it out loud feels useless. They both know this won't accomplish anything, and might in fact open Viktor up to further abuses of his technology. Still, he isn't sure what else he's supposed to do. They know how his theory works, now, so nothing will stop them from expounding on it further, even if they're finished with these particular bombs.

Cassian doesn't necessarily strike Viktor as politically savvy, but it's clear he needs a sounding board for what he should do next.]

No. Once they understand the theory of it, and have a working prototype, who knows what they might build next?

[ Stealing the designs of something that they've already used can only get them so far. And Cassian understands that. He may never have spent any time rubbing shoulders with government officials - nor does he have any intention to - but he knows that there has to be something to be done. ]

It would help if you knew how far along they were. Is there anyone in their research and development department that would know?

[ He's not suggesting that they just straight up destroy all of it but...well. ]

You need some sort of bargaining chip to go up against them though, don't you? Offering to build a shielding system is still offering to help them. I get the feeling you don't want them to have any more of your work than they already do.

Yes. Unfortunately.

[Viktor doesn't particularly want to talk to Klingel. Beyond the fact that he now knows the man has no integrity--stealing and repurposing another scientist's work--he imagines he'll only say he was following direction from the military. Loath as he is to involve himself in those workings, he understands he needs to go above the Academy, in matters such as this.

Not that he thinks the military will be particularly sympathetic towards him begging for peace, not when they already have what they want from him. He manages a defeated shrug.]

I'm not sure what else to do. I have no leverage.

[ Viktor not elaborating suggests that that too is a dead end. Cassian lets out a breath feeling annoyed on the man's behalf. He chews on the inside of his cheek trying to formulate any other kind of potential solution to Viktor's problem. He knew enough from Istredd's recounting of the events thus far that while the Summoned held some sway (enough for those in charge to think that tossing them into a kriffing crater was a good solution to stopping the storms), it wasn't enough to dissuade the territories from fighting altogether.

And if they as a collective couldn't achieve that then one man with a brilliant mind was unlikely to move the needle either. Seeing Viktor slump defeated across from him stirs something in him. There had to be something that they could do. If trying to walk in there and destroy the plans and whatever tech they did have was out of the question then - ]

What if you build something to counter it? You know the designs best. They're yours.

Build something else?

[Viktor says that with a bit of a scoff. He understands he's not being very solution-oriented right now, but he genuinely feels backed into a corner. The thought of continuing to build things that the government can take and misuse sickens him.

But all he's ever been able to do is work. How is he supposed to move forward?]

So they can steal that, too?

[ Given the circumstances it's understandable why Viktor shoots down the suggestions he offers up. And while Cassian is by no means frustrated, he still offers the man somewhat of a wry look. ]

If you don't want suggestions then you should say so.

[ He lets out a sigh, a look of understanding flitting across his features. ]

Being upset about something is a valid response to what's happened. But I don't think continuing to be upset about it later is the answer either.

I know. I--

[He's defeated and frustrated all at once. Cassian is right that none of this is productive, but he isn't certain what else to do. He has to think more creatively than this, which is easy when he's in the workshop, but not so much when it comes to politics.]

I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not necessarily...adept, politically.

[ Viktor deflating doesn't shift Cassian's expression, but there is something a little bit firmer in his voice. Like he's trying to steer this conversation away from the downtrodden tone that it had taken on. ]

You must have friends who are who can help.

[ He can only assume that Viktor is well connected. The dream they'd all experienced hadn't just showcased the best of their traits, they had shown the worst of them too. Viktor's workshop and his lone figure hunched over his creations is a difficult thing to rid from his mind even if Cassian wanted to forget everything that had happened in there. ]

Even if you don't, you know your strengths. If you build something does it have to be kept in the Free Cities in your workshop? Can someone else that you trust look after it for you?

Yes. Perhaps.

[He doesn't say that it would be unfair to ask--because they'd do it for him, if he did. This is something, however, that he knows he must do himself as part of taking responsibility.

That's not solution-oriented, however, as Cassian seems to want, so he tries again.]

I can move things to the Horizon. [He thinks of Kyle, who more-or-less demanded it.] But notes, prototypes. I'd have to destroy it all.

[Automaton is already a known quantity to the Free Cities government. If they want that, well. Very little will stop them from seizing it.]

[ He nods. ]

From what I've seen the Horizoin retains the things Summoned put in there regardless of medium.

[ Istredd's library is a testament to that. But while that solves the problem of written text and mediums, that doesn't quite feel like a solution either. Not when it's clear to him that Viktor is the sort of person who enjoys working with his hands. Who needs to build as all engineers do. Even with notes, creating prototypes still took time and effort and destroying everything after building it isn't the most ideal way to continuously improve on designs. ]

If there are prototypes you think are worth keeping, and you need them out of the Free Cities, I can see what I can do.[ Cassian's dealings with the black market weren't widely known nor did he know the full extent of what could be smuggled save for smaller ideas that could fit into a bag, but they're in the spirit of problem solving. Or at the very least trying to brainstorm a solution. ]

You looked after Bee for me when I couldn't remember him. If I can do the same for you, I will.

[ Granted Bee was - is - nothing more than a figment of his imagination. But that didn't make him any less important. Horizon Bee was something conjured in the Horizon to fill a part of his heart that dearly missed the droid and everything he represented. For Viktor to look after him - accelerated friendship or not - isn't lost on Cassian. ]

It does. I've used it for those purposes.

[But the point of innovating is to help others, not to squirrel away his knowledge where only few have access to it and even fewer understand it. Viktor has always known he's been walking a thin line between what he can do for these people and what the government can take and misuse, and now it seems like he's finally crossed it.

Saving his own life, even. Because of course it would be that.

He wants to say that it's dangerous, to even try smuggling the prototypes--and who knows what might happen to Cassian, if he's caught with his work?]

I can't ask you to put yourself in danger in that way. And you don't owe me anything, for what we imagined.

[Even though he knows he would take care of Bee in a similar way, should those events come to pass.]

But if it comes to that, I will let you know.

[ Cassian knows what he's offering up and the risk that it could possibly entail. He should be more cautious. He should weigh the risks and reward more especially now that he had people that he cannot deny caring for in Thorne. But old habits of putting himself on the line for someone else's sake, for something that he believes in, haven't seem to disappeared. ]

I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to do it.

[ The statement is said with enough quiet conviction that it's clear there's nothing Viktor could say that can sway him in this moment. Privately Cassian has his own watchful eye on what could come from the technology Viktor creates, all too wary of what damage can be done if it falls into the wrong hands. But for now, the man is simply someone in need of support in any form that can be found whether he wants to accept it or not.

He nods again. ]

You can only plan for so much. BUt you aren't alone in trying to solve this, Viktor.

I know. It's kind of you, regardless.

[More than he deserves, at this point. He's endangered them all, and will continue to pay the price for choosing to save himself. Viktor has already known that--but Cassian reminds him that he doesn't have to do it by himself.

Even after all these years, it's still hard to swallow--but he likes to think he's getting better at it.]

Thank you, Cassian.

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[open] july catchall

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