abraxaslogs | [closed]

[The last time Viktor came to Portam Hall, in the aftermath of the bombing, he'd waited patiently, certain he was going to be ill. Though he was not, in fact, sick all over the floor, he did lose his nerve upon reaching the front of the queue only to be told that Reiner would not see him. He knows what he should have done--what other people, like Steve or Sam would have done--demand an audience, refuse to leave until his request was met.

But Viktor is not versed in politics, nor did he have the fortitude, in that moment, to do much of anything. He slinks away, intending to reconfigure, but then the fighting in the badlands begins and it becomes an excuse to stay away.

When it subsides (thankfully without word of further misuse of his technology), he tells himself he can't wait any longer, and returns to Portam Hall to wait. He's passed around for a bit, before it seems like they're going to grant him some kind of audience, and then he's left to his agita in a private room, where he waits patiently and again tries not to be sick.

For all of his prowess in the workshop, when the door opens Viktor feels neither intelligent or notable or even presentable, gloved hands clutching a folio, the creases in the surface of it betraying both his grip strength and his desire to be literally anywhere else.]

Edited 2024-09-04 21:29 (UTC)

[Considering the Free Cities is embroiled in open conflict, it's a testament to Viktor's prominence that he's been seen to at all by someone holding a higher office. Captain Reva Hymn may not quite be a general, but her recent promotion appears to have placed upon her the duties of attending meetings.

Thus, she arrives to speak to the Summoned scientist. From their records, she knows he's a skilled engineer with a small mark in his history regarding certain poor decisions and improper protocol. Rather nervous, isn't he? Poor man.

Reva straightens her uniform and politely doesn't remark on his current state. She extends her hand. He will discover that her grip is remarkably strong.]

Dr. Viktor. I understand you've been kept waiting. You'll have to forgive us, we're short on, well...a lot of things.

[Doctor, without the accompaniment of a family name or house, sounds just as ridiculous as it did the first time. His lips pull tight, somehow making him look more nauseous than he is, and her grip far outmatches his, when he returns her handshake. His hands are gloved, thankfully, so she doesn't have to feel how clammy they must be.]

I appreciate your making the time, when you must have more pressing matters to attend to.

[The war, certainly, though Viktor is not necessarily sympathetic of that. He can be polite, at least.]

But I was hoping we might discuss my work. What you know of it.

[There is a fragment, in his messenger bag. He hopes that he doesn't need to pull it out--hopes that even the hint of what he's saying here will resonate with her, and she can extrapolate. There's a reason he's here, instead of demanding to speak to Klingel, after all. Viktor knows, however, that he won't be so lucky.]

[That she does, though Reva considers this as much a part of her duty as the war. The Summoned are important.

Ah. His work. That would be an expected discussion.]

You'll have to be more specific. You've done a lot of work.

[Including, of course, unsanctioned work.]

[Expected, yes, and she's right that he's done a lot of work--but not all of it of interest to the government. His eyebrows pinch together at the realization that yes, he will have to be specific about why he's here, and for the first time it perhaps occurs to him that she might not know where the means to break through Thorne's wards really came from.

All the more reason to straightforward. He wishes, not for the first time, that Sam or Steve were here. Even Jayce, who even with less than a week on Piltover's Council, would certainly know what to do or say.

Better to rip the bandage off, he thinks. Even if it reveals that he knows things he's likely not supposed to know.]

I have reason to believe the recent attack carried out on Thorne's castle made use of my proprietary technology, and theory of the arcana system. Do you know anything about that?

Edited 2024-09-20 23:11 (UTC)

[ Revan's expression remains unchanged. She shuffles through a few of her papers. ]

I do, yes. The attack, as you put it, was necessary after Thorne's second unprovoked strike upon the Free Cities. Our design was guided by Aleksander Klingel...from what I hear, he took a shine to you and recommended you to the Academy, leading to your position today. Quite an accomplishment. He's not an easy man to impress.

[ She returns her attention to Viktor. ]

Is there a reason you've chosen to speak to me instead of him?

[She's right that Viktor owes...some amount of thanks to Klingel, for recommending him to the academy and beginning his scientific trajectory in this world. The less charitable part of him is still embittered that he'd been made to jump through those hoops, especially when Klingel had, apparently, been all too ready to steal and repurpose his work as soon as he had the opportunity.

Not that he's going to harp on scientific integrity with someone like Reva, who likely isn't interested in it, but it does inform why he's here, and not at the Academy offices.]

I thought a conversation with you would be more productive.

[He doesn't expect either of them to apologize, exactly, but he assumes Klingel will be more immutable, on the matter.]

I can't discount the fact that he was following orders.

[Orders that, presumably, may have come from the military, if not Reva herself.]

I see.

[Reva flips through her paperwork.]

Our records indicate that your design relied on the discoveries of well-respected Free Cities scientists over many years and decades, down to the refinement of scribestones so that they could hold an enchantment. Klingel, as I'm sure you know, contributed heavily to the development of New Magic.

[A legal officer might argue that the theft went both ways if one were to judge by those standards but Reva is a Captain, not a barrister. In her opinion, this honestly should be someone else's job...she supposes it's on her shoulders for now. She recognizes she's been called in because the situation is relatively off the books. Otherwise, the clerks at Portam Hall could handle it.]

Now, let me be straightforward: since you've mentioned 'proprietary technology,' is this a legal complaint or are you seeking an alternate form of compensation?

[Viktor opens his mouth, but stops short of actually saying anything--part indignation, part disbelief that this would be her argument. He wishes, again, that he'd brought Sam or Steve, or that Jayce was here, someone who could offer charisma and a snappy retort.]

My understanding is that most of the technology here relies on New Magic. Is your argument that any inventor who utilizes its established principles is a plagiarist?

[He finds this offensive enough, apparently, and he has half a mind to dig the fragment out of his messenger bag, As tempting as it is, he might put River at risk, and he hasn't quite reached the point where he feels it's necessary to show that he has it, though he has little patience for lawyering.]

I don't want compensation. This theory of arcana was meant to restore, not to--to harm.

[Viktor has always sort of held a grudge, that he was brought here while actively dying, made to navigate the Academy's red tape to save himself.]

It is...unconscionable, that I should see it used this way.

Edited (sorry changed my mind abt the bomb fragment in this moment!) 2024-10-11 02:54 (UTC)

[Reva looks surprised. She blinks once.]

Of course not. Our citizens know to obtain those valuable stones through official channels. Contracts are signed. Oversight committees are established. You went under the table, didn't you? We overlooked it due to your status and because no one was harmed in the incident, but let's not pretend you filed any paperwork for your project.

[Now, do they always crack down on unsanctioned projects? Also of course not. They can't very well waste their resources on every stray inventor. However, Viktor happens to be the owner of such a project who saw fit to approach the government about it which means they must now address its nature.

Perhaps she's being too blunt. She really is much more comfortable on the battlefield. Reva clears her throat, as if reassessing the direction of the conversation.]

Regardless, I don't want to open a case that's closed. We can both agree that bear is best left sleeping, I think. What do you want if not compensation? I can assure you, no one would hold you responsible for the actions we're forced to take to defend our home.

[She opts not to note that they don't make this type of decision lightly. Thorne attacked them unprovoked, a fact she is sure Viktor, a logical man as he is, must understand.]

I did not have the time.

[That's said with some amount of venom, not that he expects her to know the exact circumstances of his health and the urgency with which he needed to work. Viktor likes to think he indulged their bureaucracy for as long as he could. Maybe there's something in his dossier about his condition (bedridden) at the raid of his workshop--he doesn't think it's worth elaborating further, otherwise.

Having said it, though, his posture shifts, and he shrinks back into himself like he's fully aware he's expended most of his capital.

No, his friends don't blame him for what happened, even the ones in Thorne. They've been emphatic that none of it was his fault--that doesn't make him feel any less guilty. That doesn't make it right.]

I hold myself responsible. I need to know it won't be used that way again.

[He expects this to be an unreasonable request, one he has no real leverage to make--an impasse. But he has to try.]

Of course.

[Reva is moved by neither the argument nor his displeasure.]

I can't make assurances on behalf of an entire nation. However...I suspect a man of your station could do better than merely plead his case. Have you considered, Viktor, the possibility of working for the Free Cities? Portam Hall functions strongly on clauses. If you have the papers dictating the terms of your service, there would be fewer...dissatisfying outcomes, on both sides.

[That is what the Summoned is seeking, no?]

[It seems this is not the solution that Viktor expected--though if he's being honest with himself, he's not sure he expected any kind of solution at all. Surely she realizes all of the reasons why Viktor chooses to be an occasional collaborator with the Free Cities, rather than working for them directly.As such, he looks a little gobsmacked, not sure what to say.]

What are you implying?

[This feels slightly tangential to blackmail--surely working directly for the government will only give them more direct access to it.]

Legal protections aside, my work has already been appropriated and misused. It follows that providing more direct access would invite a similar result.

[Unless the legal protections are the assurance--but Viktor speaks in a way that indicates he doesn't put much stock in such things.]

I'm not implying anything. I'm telling you.

[Hadn't she made herself clear?

Well, she can't begrudge the poor man for glazing over the bureaucratic details. She sure as hell can't stand them, either.]

As I mentioned, your work lacked a paper trail. It lacked protections. If you want your protections, you'll have to put your name and signature to it. You'll have to make a deal with us. We give you what you need, you give us something we want, and you have a piece of parchment that says how we're allowed to use your work. Do you understand what I'm saying now?

[She makes a gesture with her hand.]

You can even consult your own legal council, if you want. If I'm not mistaken, there's at least one of you in the lot.

What is it that you want?

[She's being direct, certainly, but Viktor wants it spelled out. She must know that he doesn't put much stock in their legal protections, nor does he think he might win out in a Cadens court of law, should something like this happen again. Her offer, too, is secondary to his real concern, which is the technology that already exists.]

And what about the bombs?

[If his signature on Free Cities paperwork is what it takes to prevent the weapon from being deployed again, well...that's something he might have to consider.]

[She has certain things in mind, of course, that Portam Hall would agree to, but Viktor is obviously not a man of war.

That's alright. There are other scientists eager to develop other projects. In the interim, they need protection as much as they need weapons.]

I don't always believe a good offense is the best defense. Thorne has a nasty habit of attacking innocent civilians from above. If you can help us better defend our nation, we can retire your bombs. And...the generals would probably be amenable to those terms.

Edited 2024-11-12 18:43 (UTC)

[Viktor goes quiet, gaze dropping to his hands. He nods, not necessarily in agreement, but in understanding--he thinks he knows it had to come to this, given how little power he has in the situation. Your bombs bristles against him, because he didn't make them and he never would have wanted the Hexcore to be use that way. They aren't his--except they are, and he needs to atone for that.

It's a moment before he speaks again, still staring at his hands.]

I have, in the past, worked on...shielding technology. To prevent mining casualty. Rockfall, collapsed shafts. Accidents of that nature.

[It all still feels a bit like blackmail. He's not certain what else he can do.]

You want it larger. Industrial-scale.

[She nods.]

Yes. You can have our assurances - in writing - that it will be to prevent casualties alone. I can talk to my superiors and make that happen.

[She sounds confident that these are terms she can see through, though it can be said Reva doesn't seem to openly lack confidence in much at all.]

Do we have a deal?

[Assurances in writing. Her word. All meaningless, but Viktor isn't sure what else he can do. He'll take this chance, and might regret it, but Reva is right that there will be a paper trail this time. What good it will do in the end, he can't be sure--but at least he can build something to protect the innocents of the Free Cities from another attack.

And, he might want something else out of it, too--]

I want to be able to use it in the mines. As intended. Then, we have a deal.

[Ah, the mines. A source of concern for the Summoned, Reva has learned. While not under her jurisdiction, she can't see the foremen getting uppity about some protective equipment. It would do well for Portam Hall to be seen protecting all of its vulnerable citizens, too.]

Done.

[She extends her hand for a different type of handshake this time.]

Anything else?

[He nods, trying to gain some manner of solace in that, at least, though he doesn't seem to want to meet her eyes. Her hand extends into his peripheral vision, and it's another moment before he manages to accept it.]

No.

[It is difficult, not to sound disappointed.]

If you send the papers to my workshop, I will review and sign.

[Since that seemed to be of import.]

[As promised, the papers arrive via courier to Viktor's workshop with surprising efficiency for Portam Hall - about two weeks later. Though the terms are longwinded and the details precise, it will effectively lay out the agreement as they spoke of it: in exchange for aiding the city's defenses, Portam Hall will retire the explosives used on Thorne and further agree to allow Viktor sole proprietorship over the new defenses' design.

A final document is from the Farhill Mining Camp, where the foremen have agreed to allow the installation of the shielding technology once completed.

Attached to papers is a stipend, worth enough to get Viktor started on his new project. The attached letter notes that should more funds be required, Viktor may apply through Portam Hall using standard channels. He will find that should he do so, his documents will be processed ahead of the queue over others.]

[closed]

reva hym

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