seventeen. text.

[goryteller]

Once upon a time, there were two kings who lived in two separate kingdoms and sat upon two separate thrones; one kingdom was in a valley bathed in light and had bountiful harvests and green, green grass for all the livestock to live on, whereas the other was on a mountain bathed in darkness and suffered drought and famine and so forth, and many of the animals were sickly and the residents were poor. One day, after many weeks of rainfall, a powerful storm hung on the horizon, and the king in the dark kingdom offered the other king and his residents shelter on the mountain with them, for while life was difficult there, their height lent them protection from the dangerous flow of the river below, the same river that allowed the light kingdom to flourish so easily in better times.

"And why should I do that!" cried the king. "We are so comfortable where we are. How could you ask us to give that up, to live life in suffering like you?"

And when storm came, the river overflowed and swallowed the light kingdom, choking the life out of all those bountiful harvests and green, green grasses, and those who didn't drown succumbed to illness and starvation soon after.

|

Comments

[goryteller]

The people who are pulling the strings, they matter the most, but they're not the only ones that matter. Do you follow? I can't trust the other members of MAJESTY. I'm not going to hurt them, but I can't trust them either.

[hacktivist]

My imperative is to crack the command structure from the top; I won't pursue the employees.

...but I won't ask you to trust anyone. I don't, myself.

I haven't asked you what's wrong, because I don't think you trust me, either. Is that correct?

[goryteller]

Am I really so obvious?

[hacktivist]

I could be wrong.

I've been told I'm not the best at gauging emotion. But I am a good listener.

[goryteller]

No. No, you're not wrong. I'm doing lousy. [Pause.] But you weren't wrong about the first thing either. Trust.

[hacktivist]

What can be done to win your trust, Mr. Katurian?

[goryteller]

Not much. Not much.

[hacktivist]

Hmm.

[Encrypted]

None of the others from the base attack do, either. [strange...] Perhaps a matter of ideology.

We could talk about something else.

[goryteller]

No. No, you're not wrong. I'm doing lousy. [Pause.] But you weren't wrong about the first thing either. Trust.

[hacktivist]

What can be done to win your trust, Mr. Katurian?

[goryteller]

Not much. Not much.

[hacktivist]

Hmm.

[Encrypted]

None of the others from the base attack do, either. [strange...] Perhaps a matter of ideology.

We could talk about something else.