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?"

[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."

[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]

"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?"

[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.

[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."

[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."

[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]

"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.

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.

[rekindledtitan]

Saluting hasn't been standard practice for her Earth's military in centuries, either. Blaze just goes back a long way. The programming is hard to shake, even if it's become a more general respectful greeting these days. They don't really do ranks any more, either.

"Military. They were- are, Guardians, like me. An order of heavy troopers using techniques the rest of us can't. Seems like they used to be pretty important in the City, too. They had some kind of falling out with my commander, ended with them severing ties. He won't share the details, but he called them mercenaries. That doesn't sound good, but it's not enough to explain erasing them."

[rekindledtitan]

"Got rebooted, huh?" Her voice and expression have softened a little. She can sympathize. Oh Light, can she ever. It seems worse for an organic though - less of a clean slate, more of a loss. "Looking to get it back? Or did you find it already?"

[boldygoing]

Well, that does sound... kinda fishy. "Sounds like maybe they went rogue? Or it's cover for some kinda black ops thing." Jim has rather uncomfortable firsthand experience with the dark underbelly of Starfleet now, something that hadn't even occurred to him might exist before. Doesn't mean he agrees with any of it, of course. Getting tangled up in that almost got his whole crew killed, all to keep it a secret.

Although... the public doesn't really know what happened with Admiral Marcus, either. And as much as Jim absolutely hates having to keep his mouth shut about it all, classified is not the same thing as erased, at least. And information like that has a habit of leaking eventually.

"Could be someone's trying to cover up criminal activity, too," he adds, crossing his arms over his chest as he thinks on that. "What do, uh, Guardians usually do?"

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?"

[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."

[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."

[not_the_question]

He smirks a little, but it's not an amused sort.

"No way to get it back. It's not everything, just one specific thing." A person, actually. "And there's no way to get it back. You could say it's been permanently deleted."

Because that tends to be how things go in his life.

[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...

[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."

[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."

[magnetite_plz]

"I...worry sometimes. That I am not doing enough to aid yourself or Sir Jesse."

Angel's admission comes reluctantly. She doesn't want to look ungrateful for her station. It's not her place to judge what Blaze or Jesse think is appropriate for her to be doing with her time.

"But I know you would be patrolling had you more time to be here more often, so I endeavor to take it on in your stead." And what if she found danger? What then, Blaze?

[rekindledtitan]

"I can't buy that the commander would cover for criminals." She wouldn't have thought he'd countenance editing their history like that, either, but. "Protecting the City is his life. All our lives..."

Sssspeaking of which. Both machines are giving him a definitively surprised look. Blaze laughs then. "Hold up a second. Have we met?"

[boldygoing]

Hmm. Well, he doesn't know this commander person like she does. So if she thinks it's not likely, scratch that answer.

The surprised looks hint - rather strongly - that they're probably familiar with the, uh, other Jim. It's not really a big surprise, but better to remove any doubt as soon as possible. "I don't think so," he says, although he doesn't offer his hand to shake just yet - a lot of species don't do that, so it's usually better to wait and see if they've got some different kind of greeting gesture first. "I'm Captain James T. Kirk. I'm guessing you've met the other one of me before."

[rekindledtitan]

"Sounds like something you didn't want to lose. I'm sorry for that." She's of a mind that things like that aren't to be dwelt on, though. "Our problem here's not that bad. It's not about lost memories, just records. A whole group of people taken out of our City's history."

So... lost memories. Just collective ones. And therefore the kind she feels happy to kick up a fuss about.

[not_the_question]

He doesn't either, unless someone else brings the issue up, which she did in a way.

"Oh, is that all? Just recreate the documents. Unless those people wanted to be deleted, then they can just create any new life they want. I've done that dozens of times."

Bringing humans along when he travels in time and space and leave them in tricky spots.