Economics of War (MK, Tack)

[MKR]

Filibert gazed at the picture as his mind mulled over what was being presented to him by the kid who sought to recruit him by shooting him down. Whether recognition was on his features or not didn't matter since while his eyes went there his mind was elsewhere.
"You know." He replied after a momentary pause "I don't think I'm gonna tell you jack shit besides what we agreed on kid."

The TSF began to walk past Zector and Valimar, heading back to the downed ship.
"Me and my men are going to just leave, and when we're a safe distance away I'll send you some intel on where the Signature was last seen. Before we get shot down for follow up questions." The implication was clear, this man wanted little to do with Ryan anymore. The other awakener, ironically the one belonging to the army which had put him in this position to begin with, was more agreeable currently.

The Warlord chewed the inside of his cheek a bit, he had several people to get in touch with during the repair period.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Well… alright then. The Signature data will do then.” Well, all this has certainly left his hand a bit empty. No info on his father, no small force to start with, and probably having to feel the wrath of a spec ops team breathing down his throat. But it has filled his deck of cards with something new at the very least. To not make too many assumptions, to test the waters, reveal more of the plan for input, and to ensure that people are monetarily compensated either through barter or cash. At least he would if he had additional worldly possessions.

Then came the scrutinizing from his fellow Awakener. Oh where to even begin? “The bounty said eliminate, didn’t it? That means removing the threat Filibert and his warband posed to Erebonia here in Spain. So as long as they aren’t here causing problems, that essentially counts as eliminating the threat they pose here, isn’t that right? My plan was meant to have them crippled then come to the agreement that they leave Spain. Which they’re doing right now thankfully. But if we did strike with lethal force… well obviously things would have gone by quicker.”

Then came the part about their shared status as Awakeners. Well this was certainly a touchy subject considering how Hildeburg was more experienced than he was at being one. “As for my status as an Awakener, I was planning to reveal myself during the battle. I knew that my Bushnell wasn’t going to cut it, so I had Zector here on standby.” The Palatinate Knight gave Hildeburg a wave as if on que, it’s head looking down towards the half-Garlean. It then decided to give it’s own introduction. “Greetings Awakener Hildeburg Cheeseright. I am Zector, The Palatinate Knight. My awakening occurred but a few days ago, thus making my own Awakener quite brash in some regards. Do forgive this misunderstanding between us.” It then turned its head up towards its brother unit, the Ashen Knight. “And it has been some time, Valimar. You have been busy whilst I slumbered.”

Ryan let Zector say its piece before he once again picked up the conversation. “But yes, now was a good time for me to do it. After all, I get to survey how exactly it is you fight. We will be competing against each other sooner or later. So, a Naginata, huh? It’s amazing Japanese martial arts made it all the way here.”

 

[Tackle Jackie]

“My team will supply a few spare parts and some food as a sign of good will. Godspeed.”

Hildeburg knew the rest of the team would be a bit heartbroken to relinquish some of the actual fresh food they had bought during the trip into town, but they had bought far more than they could finish in the first place. And now that the immediate threat had been quelled, the Ashen Knight turned its attention fully back to the Palantite Brat.

“You could have gotten one of my friends killed, by holding back this information. Did it not occur to you that if I was anyone else, I could have turned against you the moment you revealed your true nature? Would you really want to fight eight people?”

Hildeburg would flash outside of Valimar, planting her own polearm as she looked down at Ryan. “Awakener for only few days, and already you’re looking to throw a revolution. Who do you even have standing at your side? What if we had been allied with Brittania’s forces?” Valimar would meet its sibling’s gaze, but wouldn’t interject, letting Hildeburg take the reins. “And wait, Japanese?”

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Ryan sighed a bit in slight mental exhaustion before replying to Hildeburg’s questions in a tone that was trying to be a bit calmer. “There’s always a risk to doing these things no matter what route you take, Hildeburg. We could have been easily shot at trying to make peace. Would you have made that risk when you can defend yourselves? And I know that you all easily could have turned against me, nothing is stopping you from destroying me right here and now.”

Ryan still kept his distance a bit, but continued to speak the facts as he himself saw it. “But you haven’t, and you can’t either way here. There’s no place to perform a Rivalry, it would be pointless to kill me as an Awakener.” Then came the question of why he’s doing this. For a revolution against Britannia. “Your relations with Britannia are rocky at best. Aside from your friend, you don’t have much Britannian allies. And is it wrong to dream of revolution? Not everyone is content to sit by the sidelines while they and their friends are being destroyed from the inside out by some guys who think they have it all. I thought with Zector we have a chance. It might not be today, but someday we will. Where there is a will, we will find a way.” He didn’t want to elaborate on his nonexistent back pocket as that was simply just a lie. But saying “We” felt right somehow despite all that.

”Wait… do you… You actually don’t know anything about Japan or…“ Thinking back on the Gunbreaker confusion, it made a lot more sense. She clearly wasn’t aware of other Geopolitics… or of Area 11’s true name for that matter. “Britannia’s Area 11. It used to be called Japan, before the country was relegated to just a Number. Almost none of the original culture from there remains, Britannia replaced it with their own brutalist society. The only people who still practice Japanese culture supposedly fled and live somewhere else now. Maybe someone from there taught you that fighting style was what I was thinking.”

 

[Tackle Jackie]

“No, my confusion came from assuming my weapon was from Japan, Area 11, whatever you call it. But that’s not important right now.”

She shook her head, trying to focus herself on what was important right now.

“You’re an individual. You don’t have any Allie’s besides this secret one you seemed to be hinting at. What exactly is your next step, track down this Signature on your own?”

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Soon… but they’re not my next immediate goal. Filibert said it himself, I might not get anywhere without the right money. So I’m going to be taking more jobs from now on, working myself to the bone. Then, I’ll track down that Signature. Besides, they’re not the only man I’m tracking.”

He said as he held up the picture of the man still in his hand. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be a bit worn out due to having been folded a bunch of times. But the photo was very much recognizable.

“My father, I have reason to believe he’s the one who’s been secretly supplying me every time. But it doesn’t make sense, he tried to kill me. Now he wants to help me? But… yeah that’s my problem to worry about. I don’t have anything else planned yet really.“

 

[Tackle Jackie]

“Alright then. You may load up onto the Alps Class before I think better of it. You’ll be allowed limited access until we can determine what we’re going to do with each other.”

Hildeburg nodded back at Valimar, the Knight finally letting its shoulders droop just a bit, the tenseness leaving the situs for the moment.

The blue haired girl didn’t quite want to just leave this… “Child” alone, even if he was probably a bit older than herself. Especially not if he was another Awakener…