Hidden Truth [Log]

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

What: A log for everyone to gain the information in the Hidden Truth video tape.
Where: The Observatory.

There had been a flurry of letters sent out from Jack and Chiaki, first to Zelda to ask to borrow the Observatory, and then to every Hero of Light, alerting them that they had uncovered some intelligence received in the Heran Empire before the Capital had fallen to Crystal, and that everyone needed to see it immediately.

Jack, Chiaki, and a few others brought in a screen connected to a machine that some would recognize as a VCR. "With our peace mission to the Imperial Capital over Christmas, we returned with a recording made on 20th-century Earth technology, the kind that doesn't have an analogue on Crystallis. It took us time to build a machine to be able to play it. This information comes from Kalki, recorded what appears to be years ago. We obtained it from the Imperial Spy, Jenni. As of right now, we still have no reason to believe that Kalki is alive. But this comes from her, and I apologize to everyone who might be upset by seeing her again."

With that, Jack plays the recording. He stands by the screen and repeats the words for everyone to hear, for those who cannot understand English. Since Kalki's first words are to explain why she is recording it this way, it makes sense why he has to do this. He keeps his own emotions in check throughout, until the explanation of the Bard song that everyone gets to hear. That seems to upset Jack.

Once the recording is over, Jack pauses. "We will need some help from any other English speakers to create a written transcript of the recording so that anyone can access this information at any time. The tape and player will remain here for any Heroes to review. We ask that you please be careful with the machine."

Finally, Jack sits down to let the room descend into the inevitable chaos.

Comments

[neverfirstclass]

"That's true I guess." He never really thought about the Calamity as a living thing in that context. Clearly it grew and it had a mind according to all they'd been told. But he'd never thought to think of it as something that needed 'food'. It wasn't a thought he was thrilled with either.

"Isn't that what resetting this world does then? Push everything back and let it start over? But we can't just let it continue like that. And I mean, what can we even offer it that would make it stop?" It was all just too big. Too cosmic. And how does an apple ask the farmer not to pick it? To ask a city not to eat it?

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza shook his head. "The cycle does not solve the problem. It only places the burden on the Heroes of the future. We can no longer shirk our responsibility to protect this world."

He sighed. "I do not know precisely what it wants. That is why we must speak with it, to learn more. But we must have something that interests it, else it would not have reached out to learn more."

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud sighed and looked at the ceiling. He admired Ramza's idealism but sometimes he wondered how he could hold it up in the face of everything they had to deal with.

"You're right about the cycles. We need to do something about it or it's just going to keep going or get worse." His eyes followed a small crack for a moment longer before he looked back to Ramza. "When you want to try, count me in. I want to hear what it has to say myself."

[zodiac_brave]

"Once I figure out how to get back to the rift, I will call a meeting," he promised Cloud. It was stupidly optimistic, he knew, but he knew no other way to be. If he abandoned hope, he feared he would lose what drove him to do what he thought was right.

"I am glad we are in agreement. I think it will take many voices to be heard by the avatars, not just one Hero."

[neverfirstclass]

"That makes sense....I just don't want us to lose anyone if we try to go to the rift again. That's what happened....that time, right?" His had a worried look on his face but quickly forced it aside.

"You're right though. If this works it would take more than just a few of us."

[zodiac_brave]

"I...think so?" Ramza was still uncertain about the whole affair with the Rift and the girl they had spoken with there. But he had a feeling she knew more than she had been willing to part with before. The plan was flimsy at best, and likely more dangerous than it was worth, but it was the only way Ramza figured they even had a chance.

"Well, we certainly cannot give up searching for some sort of solution. But we can do it, all of us together." Without doing something like 'becoming a God' or destroying all of existence.

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud was more referring to the incident in the lab with the crystal creatures that had killed Sephiroth and Vincent. He didn't know everything about what was going on there and what caused it felt like a simple jump of logic to put the two points together based on what he remembered seeing.

That was of course assuming any of the vision can be trusted.

But he had faith in Ramza, and he gave the other Hero a tight smile and a short nod. There wasn't much more to be said on the matter without them going around in circles.