IC Inbox: cerealia

[shacklebreaker]

"You've reached Simon Blackquill. Leave a message if you are so inclined -- but be brief."

[ AUDIO | VIDEO | TEXT ]

Comments

[swordboning]

[Inviting him in.

Thankfully, this place is pretty safe. Having a super hacker as a Master and girlfriend really helps out this process.]

Thanks for coming by on short notice. I got approval to work with my idea so I'd like to hear your take on it too.

[shacklebreaker]

[He enters, relaxing once he's inside.]

This idea differs from fighting her this time, I presume?

[swordboning]

It does. I'm going with a more indirect route here. What I want to do is provide enough fake data for those monitoring us that they end up having to waste time parsing through the outlying data and hopefully having that cause them to eliminate actual, legitimate data as a way to explain what's happening.

Does that make sense?

[shacklebreaker]

Yes, though it sounds easier said than done. How do you propose to go about providing this fake data?

[swordboning]

With my own abilities. For those who plan on venturing into ViViD, they can see me and I'll create a Noble Phantasm for their use temporarily. ....a weapon of legend.

[Because that literally needed a description.]

In short, it'll grant players power well beyond their means and definitely send alert to whomever is watching. With Rin, I can hopefully keep out of sight so the methods aren't discovered and we can keep those who are 'above us' guessing.

[shacklebreaker]

Is that wise? CERES already seems keen to control the population here with heavily armed robots. Throw around data that the otherworlders are more powerful than they actually are, and we might start to be perceived as a threat that needs to be brought to heel.

[Which could have its uses... But it could also backfire horribly.]

[swordboning]

I've already accounted for that. No, they know what people are capable of when they enter. That's why some arrive without certain abilities. They'll be looking for cheating. If there's one thing that would be difficult to judge, it's how well people are at messing with coding.

If they start assuming that multiple people can bypass their own systems, through one over-compensatory step or another, they'll reveal themselves, all the while thinking they're misjudging people on things that are difficult to track.

[shacklebreaker]

I see... So you would like to fool them on our supposed technological prowess, rather than based on our true abilities. Very clever.

Quite frankly, I would rather enjoy seeing CERES flounder as they have a taste of their own medicine. I'm all in support of such a plan.

[swordboning]

I am a little at a crossroads, however. This needs to be spread by word of mouth and I'm not exactly someone who gets along well with people. I'll bring it up at my food stall during opportune moments but that doesn't cover too many people.

[shacklebreaker]

Then you've come to the right person. Simply give me a date and time for when you would like to organise this little excursion, and it shall be done.

[Blackquill might not be a social butterfly, but he's good at making connections if they'll prove useful to him. He wasn't the prison gossip for nothing.]

Whoever I recruit, I will not mention your true intentions for doing this. The less people who know, the less likely CERES is to catch wind of it.

[swordboning]

Hopefully, soon. Arranging a pre-determined signal would probably be smart too.

[shacklebreaker]

Yes. The less indication we can give of our intentions beforehand, the better. Then our observers truly will be caught off-guard.

... I have just one request.

[swordboning]

I'm listening.

[shacklebreaker]

Don't tell Athena any of what we're planning.

She is trustworthy, as you full well know, but if we're to provoke the authorities here, I'd rather she not get tangled up in it. She's already been very determined to have more involvement with this LILITH, and it does not sit well with me.

[swordboning]

I can agree with that. But I want to warn you, I've already given her the proper equipment to fend for herself. Including an armor made from a metal not quite yet discovered in the world. If you catch her with anything like that, it's not because I spoke with her about this.

[shacklebreaker]

As long as she uses it only for self-defence, and does not try to do anything silly or rash, that should not be an issue.

[swordboning]

Whether she does something silly or rash is up to you but I won't make any suggestions to her.

[shacklebreaker]

Hmph, very well.

With that out of the way, perhaps we should do it like this: I'll tell people to try playing ViViD over the course of next week, rather than a specific date and time. If it's protracted enough, there should be enough data for CERES to be unable to dismiss it as a mere glitch. Would you be capable of that?

[He has no idea what kind of limitations Archer has to his powers, if any, so it's worth making sure.]

[swordboning]

My stamina, you don't have to worry about. People will have to see me directly before they start playing. Creations on a legendary level only last an hour or so.

[shacklebreaker]

Is there a way for you to meet with them discreetly to give them the weapons, without CERES' eyes and ears detecting it?

[swordboning]

I'll have Rin set up an area around my food stall that escapes digital surveillance for trading. Or they can come here, I'm rarely anywhere else, unless I'm in ViViD itself.

[shacklebreaker]

Very well. And if you or she could show me how to encrypt messages on the Cerevices to avoid any snooping, that would make my task far easier.

[swordboning]

That's out of my skill set so I'll have her show you.

[shacklebreaker]

My thanks. [It could be a useful skill to have going forwards, too.]

I believe that covers everything, unless there was aught else you wished to discuss?