Valentine DeWhit-2025I look up and I don’t see the end of humanity. I look up and see the end of the war. The one without, but mostly the one within.
You’ve always been torn. It’s just a fundamental part of who you are.
Soon this whole mess will be over, and you have to admit you couldn’t be happier on a personal level. It’s not that you want to see humanity end, but you are tired. So so tired. Tired of this war and tired of feeling in the middle of it. Tired of the pretense. Tired of the propaganda. Tired of the rhetoric. And even tired of androids pretending that they are logical and not pissed off as all fuck. Tired of being trapped between them.
That’s not just hyperbole. You had extensive network of Android contacts before the exodus and even during the peaceful years of Luna Colony. As the conflict grew into a cold war, and even several times during the hot war, you have been the liaison who acts as a go between when one side wants to send a message to the other, but can’t because official channels "don’t exist." You’re the “back door” they use. Though they haven’t used you much lately. Humans though they were about to win and Androids were apparently working on a mass driver.
When this war grew hot it tore you apart. You felt conflicted to the core of your being. Humans killing Androids gave you a palpable feeling of horror. And even though you have a grim sense of loyalty to your own, it was always impossible for you to buy into the propaganda and warmongering. It all just makes you sick.
A couple of years ago, you had an emotional crisis. You tried to kill yourself, but couldn’t go through with it. Since then you’ve tried a few times but you always lack the courage of your convictions. In a way you see the Lunar Fissure as completing a job that you don’t have the strength to do yourself. It’s completely macabre to view the end of an entire species as your ticket out of an emotionally wrought life, but you can’t help how you feel.
You have been ordered to a meeting. Having no interest in anything but waiting to die, you tried to resist (why would you want to go to a meeting in the last few hours before its all over), but you were easily overpowered, stuffed into a van, and taken. You have no idea what is going on, but your captors said something about “Everyone who was there in ‘20 has to be there today--including Valentine.
What an odd thing to say.
Valentine Skills and Contacts
Indoor Type: You’ve never been outdoorsy or sporty; in fact, you’ve never been much into physical activity at all. As a result, you aren’t very good at it; honestly, you’re out of shape and more than a little clumsy. You can’t catch a ball to save your life, and you break about one coffee cup a week. When one of your friends asks for help moving house, you quickly volunteer to help with packing, so that nobody will see just how incapable you are of moving heavy furniture.
Strange Vibes: Sometimes people give you strange vibes, but you don’t really know why. If you talk with someone for three minutes, you may ask an ST if they give you strange vibes. Might want to figure out what that’s about because you’re getting a lot of strange vibes at this meeting.
Clear Thinker: Androids can sometimes convince humans of the logic of something that isn’t true. You can see right through those games. (You are immune to superfluous logic.)
Informational Contacts: Despite all efforts to the contrary, you have a way to contact Luna Colony. Obviously they’re stuck there and you’re here, so they can’t do anything physical for you, but even an average android is a walking Encyclopedia and (for them) crowd sourcing can tap expertise that goes beyond even human knowledge. Once per scene you may petition the Androids for information on ANY subject. They cannot predict the future (unless you want them to use a statistical model), tell you how a person feels or their innermost secrets, or reveal events that have JUST happened, but they essentially possess a repository of knowledge that encompasses everything. You may also contact and "run ideas past" Luna colony at any time.
Contacts
Avery is your friend and ally. Which, in a way, is funny because they’re an android. You can always count on Avery to be sympathetic to you no matter how out of it you might feel.
Dakota Langton is someone who you have worked closely with over the last few years. You consider Dakota a friend. You really feel for them that they have to push agendas they disagree with and hide so much that they want to let go. Sometimes you feel that way too; if only it was just your job that was making you feel off lately.
Dr Casey El Amin says they have a solution to save you, and the rest of humanity, from imminent death. His techno babble gives you a headache. Can’t we just be left to die in peace, with dignity? And, wait. Is he high? He is! That motherfucker is tripping BALLS! Why are we even here?
Reese Domino is Dakota’s assistant. You have never gotten to know Reese on a personal level. As of late you almost feel like Reese has been under more pressure than Dakota. It just strikes you as odd. No, Reese just strikes you as odd. There’s something about them that makes feel uneasy.
Defining Characteristics
Strength: Diplomatic
Weakness: Torn
Valentine DeWhit-2020
Your hopes are dashed.
You came to this conference actually believing that peace might be an option. It might be the cold, tenuous peace of the last ten years but at least not a shooting war. And some small part of you actually hoped that maybe relations between Earth and Luna could stabilize. In moments of chimerical fantasy you pictured Androids being welcomed back to Earth in a few years, the sun fully on their faces for the first time in decades instead of the perpetual dusk they have been living in for so long.
It seems as though, however, most of this conference is intended to put on airs of some perfunctory attempt at peace. Humans are practically goading Androids to attack even after multiple concessions. It makes you sick to think that the path is inevitable and that and endless cavalcade of androids are going to perish because the humans could not transcend their bigotry.
You hate being in the middle of this.
So you've just been activated as a sleeper agent. Congratulations.
Yep. It's true. You're a skin job.
First and foremost it is up to you how to role play this. If you want to have a tearful emotional scene, that's up to you. If you want to keep this on the down low and use your position as a trusted human to Androids' advantage, that's up to you too. Your human memories and feelings cannot be overridden. However, your feeling of being torn is over and that is such a relief. You realize now that your suicidal feelings (and inability to follow through with them) all derive from programming edicts that you were not consciously aware of. You know and fully understand that you are a Synthetic Person. You have been a sleeper agent for years. Your complex programming was better served by staying quiet. It allowed you to be put into a careful position of great trust among humans. You are loyal to Android causes now, but it is up to you how to serve them--you do not necessarily have to be antagonistic to humans.
No comments:
Post a Comment