Ellen - Faith
Jun. 14th, 2015 06:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aaaaaaaagh_skyThe Blood Prince isn't the only power in the city of Philadelphia, according to Painless. Dr. D was kind enough to confirm the dentist's statement. There are other ice gangs and they all have their own leaders, and any one of them could probably take control of the city in the next year's tournament if they had a little assistance. The Royals are supposed to have the strongest membership and the best chance; they cost the Flyers an awful lot of good blood last year. Bring in some better equipment, maybe an outside team member or two-
Ellen put up a hand and stopped the discussion right there.
Philly's a city, and one that's working, at least as far as she can see. Its system of government isn't the most stable, but... it's working. It's a mess, but it's a more unified mess than the Capital, which is more of a super-loose confederation that more or less views the Brotherhood as a de facto government of sorts. It's got a food supply, and a water supply, and it's largely kept the raiders out. And while there's a hell of a lot of internecine violence in the areas where ice gangs demand tribute and payment from the residents, it's not nearly as bad as the Pitt. Not to mention that she's yet to see any slaves captured or bought or sold, which is a big thing. It's a mess- but it's a mess that works. They've been in the city less than a month. Everything they know about the place, they know from either Painless or Dr. D. Intervening now, on anyone's behalf, would be the equivalent of chucking a grenade down a fire ant tunnel. Mission or no mission, Outcasts coming or no, they don't interfere with anything until they have a better picture of the situation.
The next few days are going to be busy. Tomorrow they're going to make contact with the Friends, and find out how people with a reputation for never engaging in combat can walk the streets of a city like this without being slaughtered out of existence. There's supposed to be a Vault in the area, too, and a trade delegation from another Vault somewhere nearby; they're part of why the city can eat, apparently, so it's probably wise to meet with them and find out how they've managed all this time. There's a meatface- apparently that's what the locals call ghouls- who's supposed to have his finger on the city's pulse better than anyone else, but he doesn't much like outsiders, so it's going to be tricky getting to talk to him. There's an exhibition match coming up on the Arena's ice- not that Ellen particularly wants to spend Brotherhood time and resources watching grown men and women beat each others' heads in for sport, but Painless swears it's a good way to meet everyday Philly dwellers en masse, and Dr. D reluctantly agreed with him. Plus, well, it seldom hurts to get a look at potential enemies' or potential allies' fighting styles. There's a lot to do.
And the Outcasts are coming, somewhere in all of that, looking to blow past the Blood Prince and grab General Atomics for themselves before she can make her move.
And the reinforcements are coming from the Citadel, looking to her for orders.
This isn't RobCo. RobCo was easy, by comparison. RobCo was just- well, it was her idea to begin with, and then her pet project, and by the time it was her responsibility she'd already laid the foundations and then some. There was no sense of everyone breathing down her neck and every eye being on her. If she'd failed to get the RobCo plant working again- well, it would've been a waste of time and resources, but that would've been it. Nobody would've died for it. Nothing would change except her reputation.
If the Outcasts take General Atomics somehow, it'll restart the Brotherhood civil war in the Capital. If they fail, but she doesn't succeed in securing it, they'll just keep trying. Casdin might order them not to, but given that this bunch slipped out of Fort Independence without his okay, she doubts orders from him will slow anyone else down. They won't be likely to bother if General Atomics ends up in Citadel Brotherhood hands. Reclaiming the place is, after all, reclaiming pre-War tech, and not even the most reactionary Outcast could fault Elder Lyons for doing exactly what the Brotherhood was supposed to do.
Theoretically- theoretically- they could remove General Atomics from the equation. The area's a suicide zone; no one in the city would be particularly stricken if the plant were to be somehow wiped off the face of the Earth, either by orbital death ray or by some more conventional means. Given what Ellen's seen of the robobrain population in there, that would be a mass mercy kill- but it would also be sacrilege of the highest order. Lyons and Casdin might have different priorities, but they both hold to the same core Brotherhood belief that the technology of the ancients is both vital and necessary to the rebuilding of the human race. Destroying General Atomics to keep it out of Outcast hands might spare the Citadel Brotherhood the mess of a new civil war, but only because it would bring both the Citadel Brotherhood and the Outcasts together in arms against her. She's dead sure of that.
The other alternative- which the Outcasts may be considering, or not, she doesn't really know- is the polar opposite: remove the city from the equation. Take out the leadership and gut the power structure of all the major ice gangs and force the surrender of the survivors, then install a puppet leadership scheme in their place. The Blood Prince isn't the only one who knows history; Ellen's history texts talked about America's long-ago acquisition of Hawaii, and about power struggles in half a dozen South American nations. If the existing power structure isn't congenial to your liking, overwrite it all and cut down anyone who stands in your way until there's no choice left but to accept the outsiders- it's happened before, and it could probably be done again. The thing is that Ellen has a conscience, and while she's called down fire from heaven on her enemies to cleanse the world before, plain old slaughter and the breaking of backs doesn't sit well with her. She's all too aware of how close she stands to the Red Rider of the Apocalypse. She's not about to throw in her lot with the White.
So.
Convince the Blood Prince to give them permission to access the place on an ongoing basis, or come up with an alternative based on what works for the locals. And do it fast.
( "We believe in technology, in the triumph of the creations of the ancients over the horrors and evils of the Wasteland. We believe in trust. Trust in technology. Trust in our fellow Brothers. Trust in our elders. Ah, and we believe in victory. Our forces have dwindled, but still we fight on. Super mutant, Enclave, it matters not. Surrender is not an option." )
And believe, with all her heart, that it can be done. If nothing else, Elder Lyons believes she can do it. So... she'd better live up to his faith in her.
Ellen put up a hand and stopped the discussion right there.
Philly's a city, and one that's working, at least as far as she can see. Its system of government isn't the most stable, but... it's working. It's a mess, but it's a more unified mess than the Capital, which is more of a super-loose confederation that more or less views the Brotherhood as a de facto government of sorts. It's got a food supply, and a water supply, and it's largely kept the raiders out. And while there's a hell of a lot of internecine violence in the areas where ice gangs demand tribute and payment from the residents, it's not nearly as bad as the Pitt. Not to mention that she's yet to see any slaves captured or bought or sold, which is a big thing. It's a mess- but it's a mess that works. They've been in the city less than a month. Everything they know about the place, they know from either Painless or Dr. D. Intervening now, on anyone's behalf, would be the equivalent of chucking a grenade down a fire ant tunnel. Mission or no mission, Outcasts coming or no, they don't interfere with anything until they have a better picture of the situation.
The next few days are going to be busy. Tomorrow they're going to make contact with the Friends, and find out how people with a reputation for never engaging in combat can walk the streets of a city like this without being slaughtered out of existence. There's supposed to be a Vault in the area, too, and a trade delegation from another Vault somewhere nearby; they're part of why the city can eat, apparently, so it's probably wise to meet with them and find out how they've managed all this time. There's a meatface- apparently that's what the locals call ghouls- who's supposed to have his finger on the city's pulse better than anyone else, but he doesn't much like outsiders, so it's going to be tricky getting to talk to him. There's an exhibition match coming up on the Arena's ice- not that Ellen particularly wants to spend Brotherhood time and resources watching grown men and women beat each others' heads in for sport, but Painless swears it's a good way to meet everyday Philly dwellers en masse, and Dr. D reluctantly agreed with him. Plus, well, it seldom hurts to get a look at potential enemies' or potential allies' fighting styles. There's a lot to do.
And the Outcasts are coming, somewhere in all of that, looking to blow past the Blood Prince and grab General Atomics for themselves before she can make her move.
And the reinforcements are coming from the Citadel, looking to her for orders.
This isn't RobCo. RobCo was easy, by comparison. RobCo was just- well, it was her idea to begin with, and then her pet project, and by the time it was her responsibility she'd already laid the foundations and then some. There was no sense of everyone breathing down her neck and every eye being on her. If she'd failed to get the RobCo plant working again- well, it would've been a waste of time and resources, but that would've been it. Nobody would've died for it. Nothing would change except her reputation.
If the Outcasts take General Atomics somehow, it'll restart the Brotherhood civil war in the Capital. If they fail, but she doesn't succeed in securing it, they'll just keep trying. Casdin might order them not to, but given that this bunch slipped out of Fort Independence without his okay, she doubts orders from him will slow anyone else down. They won't be likely to bother if General Atomics ends up in Citadel Brotherhood hands. Reclaiming the place is, after all, reclaiming pre-War tech, and not even the most reactionary Outcast could fault Elder Lyons for doing exactly what the Brotherhood was supposed to do.
Theoretically- theoretically- they could remove General Atomics from the equation. The area's a suicide zone; no one in the city would be particularly stricken if the plant were to be somehow wiped off the face of the Earth, either by orbital death ray or by some more conventional means. Given what Ellen's seen of the robobrain population in there, that would be a mass mercy kill- but it would also be sacrilege of the highest order. Lyons and Casdin might have different priorities, but they both hold to the same core Brotherhood belief that the technology of the ancients is both vital and necessary to the rebuilding of the human race. Destroying General Atomics to keep it out of Outcast hands might spare the Citadel Brotherhood the mess of a new civil war, but only because it would bring both the Citadel Brotherhood and the Outcasts together in arms against her. She's dead sure of that.
The other alternative- which the Outcasts may be considering, or not, she doesn't really know- is the polar opposite: remove the city from the equation. Take out the leadership and gut the power structure of all the major ice gangs and force the surrender of the survivors, then install a puppet leadership scheme in their place. The Blood Prince isn't the only one who knows history; Ellen's history texts talked about America's long-ago acquisition of Hawaii, and about power struggles in half a dozen South American nations. If the existing power structure isn't congenial to your liking, overwrite it all and cut down anyone who stands in your way until there's no choice left but to accept the outsiders- it's happened before, and it could probably be done again. The thing is that Ellen has a conscience, and while she's called down fire from heaven on her enemies to cleanse the world before, plain old slaughter and the breaking of backs doesn't sit well with her. She's all too aware of how close she stands to the Red Rider of the Apocalypse. She's not about to throw in her lot with the White.
So.
Convince the Blood Prince to give them permission to access the place on an ongoing basis, or come up with an alternative based on what works for the locals. And do it fast.
( "We believe in technology, in the triumph of the creations of the ancients over the horrors and evils of the Wasteland. We believe in trust. Trust in technology. Trust in our fellow Brothers. Trust in our elders. Ah, and we believe in victory. Our forces have dwindled, but still we fight on. Super mutant, Enclave, it matters not. Surrender is not an option." )
And believe, with all her heart, that it can be done. If nothing else, Elder Lyons believes she can do it. So... she'd better live up to his faith in her.