Scorched Earth Policies

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze tends to treat the Plaza as one stop on her patrol route through the Nexus - and usually the last stop, at that. Today, however, she’s not going anywhere else. She didn’t even stop to repair the burns and blade-marks that mar her white armor before she showed up, and she doesn’t sit now. When her boots hit the paving stones she strides a little way further in and just stands there, metal face locked in a frown. Her tiny silver Ghost materializes beside her shoulder, shell spinning as he studies his troubled Guardian.

"If you found out someone erased part of your history from the records, how would you deal with that?” she blurts out, never one to hold back on her thoughts. Her helm’s gripped in her left hand, and she taps it against her leg uneasily. “You think there are any stories that just shouldn't be remembered?"

Comments

[magnetite_plz]

"Isn't the mortal saying 'Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it'?"

Angel hasn't been formally summoned, but the demon still offers a small bow as she flutters down next to the Titan's side. Though her expressions are always subtle there is no mistaking the worry that shows on her face now.

"It is not my place to judge, but I would think from observation that all history is worth remembering. Even the bad." A pause while Angel wrings her hands slightly.

"Are you hurt, m-ah. Are you hurt, Blaze?"

[rekindledtitan]

"Yeah. That'd be my instinct too." She wants to think there's something she's missing here. A logical justification for what she and Ghost have found. Something she can agree with.

She lets out a low 'hnn' before she turns her attention to their demon friend, free hand lifting in a quick salute. Her voice is a little softer when she answers, "Nah, I'm fine, Angel. It's all right. Just kinda mad about something we found out. I'm glad to see you again, though. It's been a while. You holding up okay? Got everything you need?"

[magnetite_plz]

Angel is quick to return the salute, having learned quickly that this was Blaze's way of greeting others. It feels a bit odd to be saluted by one's master, but if its what she prefers then Angel is happy to accommodate.

"I am patrolling the Nexus districts daily while you are fighting in your world." She confirms. "There are skirmishes between the machines and crow, and between elderly mortal shoppers and the proprietors they seem so keen on arguing over prices with. Aside from that, there has been no trouble."

[rekindledtitan]

"Huh. Guess we've gotta let the civilians have their fun." Okay, she's a little amused despite her mood. "Long as the elders aren't picking on the youngsters too badly. It's good to know you're watching over this place, Angel, even if it's all quiet. I hope it's not boring for you."

She's always been inclined to protect Angel; surely their friend deserves to be safe and as free as she knows how to be. Even so, Blaze knows she would be bored...

[boldygoing]

Welp, Jim is certainly not going to answer that first question honestly. His own personnel file is classified in several places, and while some might consider that erasing it from public view, he's not about to talk about it, even if he wanted to. Which he doesn't.

Fortunately, the second question is much easier to talk about in vague generalities. "I don't think so. Even the shitty stuff can stand as an example of what not to do, or teach how to stop something like it from happening again. You don't have to learn from your own mistakes if you learn from someone else's, and never make them in the first place."

[rekindledtitan]

Huh. The captain's changed his look a little since last they spoke. Well, it's been a while. Something else a little different about him, too. Body language, maybe. It's not a a priority concern. She gives him a salute all the same, a sharp, hardwired motion. Exo greeting.

"Can't learn if you can't remember," she summarizes bluntly. There's a soft synthetic edge to her voice, but otherwise it would be easy to take her for an organic woman in a suit. "Yeah. That's what I figured. Just trying to figure out a good reason why someone would wipe a whole group from our City's archives."

[boldygoing]

Jim's not very used to being saluted. It's not something commonly done in Starfleet, and while it could very well be a part of her culture - whatever that is - it does give him pause for a second, unsure of what the polite response would be. He errs on the side of not saluting back, nodding in acknowledgement instead.

Still, he's paying attention for behavior that would hint she's familiar with him, or thinks she is. Can never be too careful in this place, now that he knows there's another one of him running around. And it seems bad form to start every conversation with a disclaimer before he even knows whether there's a need to clarify in the first place.

Jim frowns a little at her answer, considering that. "What kind of group? Military, political, scientific? Were they doing anything that someone would wanna keep buried?"

[not_the_question]

It was an interesting question, but really, when you've done just that, it's hard to have the same point of view as anyone else.

"I once went across all of time and space deleting myself. The only one who seemed to mind was my wife."

He shrugs. "Now, deleting things from history in general. That's far more interesting and more dangerous. I don't recommend it."

He lived through it.

[rekindledtitan]

"Personal history's a whole other kind of terrain," she says, making a sharp dismissive gesture with her free hand. Not that she's biased there. She's giving this man some consideration all the same. "Going that far to hide yourself sounds pretty suspicious, though."

[not_the_question]

"I got too big. Attracted the wrong sort of attention. Endangered the people I cared about."

He shrugs. Same old story, really.

"But, having your history erased from records is still easier than having your history erased from your mind."

And he's been through that too, so there you go.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia happens to be in the Nexus again, fixing herself a cup of coffee. She looks... well, not better since Blaze saw her last, but no worse, either. Some of her nervous energy has returned, energy that's focused on Blaze when she turns and notices the damage to her armor. Forgoing another shot of cream in her coffee, she grabs a lid and fixes it atop the take-away cup as she hurries over to her friend.

"What happened?" she asks, her gaze traveling up the marred armor to Blaze, and then Ghost. "I'd, um... I'd try to see if I could restore the information. And find out why someone decided to erase it in the first place. And no, I don't. In fact, the worse the story, the more it should be remembered, so people won't make the same mistakes."

She knows what a Cylon would do -- start a civil war. She hopes that isn't what happened in Blaze's case.

can't believe it just hit me how this is all going to sound to Adia...

[rekindledtitan]

Ghost spins a little in greeting, but Blaze just nods, short and resolute. She can't see any good reason this should be hidden.

"We found out there used to be another order of Titans in the City." Blaze's voice drops a little, discontent simmering beneath it. "The Sunbreakers. They used a kind of Light the rest of us can't. Don't know how to. I've been trying to find out for a while. I don't know how many people remember them, but no-one wants to talk about it. I wound up asking our commander and he told me they existed. Said they severed ties with the City after some kind of falling out with him. Wouldn't say more than that."

"He is sending us to look for them," Ghost points out meekly.

eerily familiar? :D

[chiron_survivor]

Well.

Well, damn. That's not the answer she was expecting. It's also way too similar to how things went down in her universe for her liking. "Were they erased from the records because they stopped protecting the City?" she asks, her surprise turning to concern. One would think that their memory would be kept as a lesson in loyalty.

Unless they had good reason to cut ties...

She nods a little at Ghost's addendum. That's good, that her commander is at least letting Blaze pursue the matter. "How many years ago was this? And there's been no sign of them since?"

[juststeverogers]

Blaze's question has Steve shutting his sketchbook without a second glance.

He never thought he'd be even considering her question. The man who went into the ice in 1943 wouldn't have. The man who came out though...?

"I think it depends on how it was done, and what was hid." Steve's got his arms folded. He can't force a smile here. Not with all the wounds Blaze's concern brings to mind. "I know I don't want to remember what it was like being frozen alive. And what about people who've been made to do something against their will? SHould they be forced to remember all of the actions they couldn't control?"

Barton still doesn't sleep well. And Bucky? Steve shakes his head.

"I wish it was as simple as a cut and dry 'absolutely not'. But when I see my friends suffering for memories that weren't their doing, I wonder if it would be better that they forgot."

[rekindledtitan]

His answer damps her anger a little: her eyes are still very bright, but her voice has quieted somewhat when she turns to Steve.

"Memory's something else," she says. "I'm not much for holding people to memories that aren't theirs. You know that, Steve." Better than all but a few people here. Which isn't to say she fully agrees. What he's saying gives her a whole new reason to look troubled, but she'll have to pin that down and get back to it in a minute.

"We've found evidence that a group of Titans was erased from the City's archives," Ghost explains, trying to smooth things over a little. "And the implication that our commander might have been involved."

"He knew about it. Had to have given the okay. I just don't understand why he'd hide them."

[juststeverogers]

He nods, expression grim. Blaze understands what he's talking about better than most. Considering how many times she's been well. 'Rebooted' or something similar. The sketchbook is tucked under his arm when he reaches the duo.

Steve's jaw is set, gaze flitting to Ghost when the little bot speaks up.

"Criminals? Secret operatives? It's not uncommon to disavow certain knowledge of agents. Whether it's right or not...I couldn't say. "Why erase their data? I"m not sure I understand the benefit of it."

Did they want to leave? Start their own base?

[farmboyjedi]

"I don't know, maybe.

I'm not sure it's ever happened to me, but it's possible to erase memories where I'm from. I guess maybe there are circumstances when it might be best, but other times, it would feel strange...I can't say if I'd want it or not."

[rekindledtitan]

"I'm not worried about memories. Don't exactly get to throw stones about people getting themselves wiped." There's a very good reason her name ends in a thirty-seven. "I'm talking historical records, belonging to my city."

[farmboyjedi]

Luke was familiar with that, too. The Empire had done a fair job of it, that was for sure. "I've seen it done, but I don't really know much about how it was done. All I know about the situation back home is that it makes things tougher for me and others living after what happened."

[bestdadinamestris]

Tuned out of conversations that are going on in the Plaza as he is while he works on paperwork on an out-of-the-way bench, hearing Blaze's voice from nearby catches Hughes off guard. He looks up at his friend from the paper sprawled across the bench, brow furrowing at the question.

Boy does that sound familiar.

"If you're not given the choice to forget something, then it doesn't matter if they should or shouldn't be remembered. Taking away that choice negates any gains that could be made from having made it."

He quickly shuffles all of his papers into a few manila folders and stuffs them into a messenger bag. "That said, I wouldn't deal kindly with anyone erasing history for their own gains." He's not dealing with it well now, given what he and his friends are working so hard on back home. Shouldering his bag, he stands and walks over to Blaze. "I don't think anyone should be allowed to forget the past, no matter what's there."

[rekindledtitan]

Hughes knows her well enough to notice her eyes dim ever so slightly as she looks at him.

"Think I'm gonna get upset over lost memories, Hughes?" She shakes her head. "I'm talking about history. There's a whole order of my brethren missing from the City's records, and I'm trying to figure out one good reason our commander would go along with that. We need our history."

[bestdadinamestris]

That's never a good look. Especially from Blaze.

"Memories are what become history, Blaze," he reminds her, using the most patient voice he can manage. This is a tough subject, which means both it and his friend are getting his full attention and care. "There's no reason anyone should choose to go along with a plan that erases a part of a world's history, because those who disagree can only remember and pass on so much before it's truly lost. But they should disagree with the decision, and they should fight to get back what's been destroyed."

[smartass_captain]

"I'd do some digging to figure out exactly what was covered up and more importantly, why. Then I'd try to figure out who authorized it and for what purpose."

The captain has his arms folded, clearly not comfortable with the subject matter Blaze is bringing to the Nexus table today.

"Covering up the past is how we ended up with Khan in the first place. I don't think anyone should be allowed to just pretend it never happened."

[rekindledtitan]

Hey, it's Captain Kirk! Seriously, Nexus, knock off the deja vu, she gets enough at home. Or rather... a Captain Kirk.

"History tells us who we are, the good and the bad." Which pretty well spells out her agreement. "We need to know both. Heh, speaking of which..." The Guardian leans closer to peer at him with exaggerated scrutiny. Even Ghost scoots closer to circle around him, joining in the joke. "Are you the captain we know, or is there a whole crew of you running around now?"

I forgot i had him here too oops

[smartass_captain]

"Wait, what?"

Jim's discomfort at the sudden scrutiny only lasts a moment before he's caught on to what she must be referring to. It's been a while since he's seen his counterpart around the Nexus. Jim's been a bit busy, after all.

"I'm definitely the one with the questionable taste in Halloween costumes and I definitely know who you and Ghost are, don't worry."