She shot him with her finger

I have to go back now that a sufficient time has elapsed and concentrate on various things---one of which is Audrey O'Hanrahan. I think what we have here is what is often called "A True Believer". Sure, she is probably is exactly the great investigative reporter she is billed an and she hasn't done the political expedient things or sold slanted perspective to various interests but she is not a stupid person.
So she both know a lot about the Alignment and has struggled with some of what she has encountered. Then there are those two "little" things that happened. 1st she got information from a source she trusts implicitly that she she had to move from her rental location on Mesa to another very specific location and "just do it"....and survived all sorts of unpleasant things that wold have happened to her. But she had "people" she trusted looking after her. Then there was that assassination attempt on her when she was going to cover the Convention for the SL.....and she KNEW, once she had woken up, that the whole thing had been planned and stage managed to solidify her status and bonfires (and that her bodyguard was also ok with having gotten shot up in the process....just part of the rather important job) and that she was being PROTECTED to continue her good work as an unflinching muckraker and voice of truth. So she is now being told by yet another agent ,that comes in with bonfires, that there are (and have been ) TWO outgrowth of the Detweiler movement (beyond the now-Engagement) and one is very dark and evil and ugly and the other- which now much shrink back under cover of anominity - is trying to continue the grand plan despite the poisoned evil twin.
Humm. I guess I can't really it a psyic-break but she BELIEVES in the Alighment and given all the hate and destruction and callous treatment of the people (including the Engagement) on Mesa and elsewhere, she HAS to grasp and enfold that Her Alignment would never have done these things.....and so it must be that evil divergent group.
She isn't an idiot, but she really had no (that we can determine by what we have been told) understanding and inkling of what Her Alighment has been doing to keep itself secret and out of public eye while advancing the plan. That Mesa is and always has been meant to be a scapegoat and diversion, to be sacrificed to obliterate the trail to the Alignment and it's Star Line Gods. What was done with Mesa is ever so much more than culling experiments that didn't turn out right. Her Alignment is clean and rational and scientific and focuses on the uplift of humanity, not charing out genetic slaves in any vast number of horrific experiments and deliberate manipulations for horrific results even when they were successful.
So she - to herself- KNOWS that what the GA has tracked to Galton isn't Her Alignment and that to keep Her Alignment from being destroyed with the twisted ,deformed and abhorrent creature that that Thing at Galton had become .......she can think with a clean conscience that she knows the TRUTH and that what she knows as Her Alignment can never really hurt the GA and the rest of humanity......also known as Drinking the Koolaid.
Wonder if there are some nanites involved in this as well............so messy,

Brigade XO wrote:So she is now being told by yet another agent ,that comes in with bonfires, that there are (and have been ) TWO outgrowth of the Detweiler movement (beyond the now-Engagement) and one is very dark and evil and ugly and the other- which now much shrink back under cover of anominity - is trying to continue the grand plan despite the poisoned evil twin.
[cut]
So she - to herself- KNOWS that what the GA has tracked to Galton isn't Her Alignment and that to keep Her Alignment from being destroyed with the twisted ,deformed and abhorrent creature that that Thing at Galton had become .......she can think with a clean conscience that she knows the TRUTH and that what she knows as Her Alignment can never really hurt the GA and the rest of humanity......

Here's the problem: there actually are two alignments, in addition to the Enlightenment. There is an offshoot of the evil MAlign that knows about its abhorrent behaviour and is trying to combat it. It is hidden, from both the Galaxy at large and from the evil MAlign.

It just isn't the one her handlers have come from. It's much smaller and much less capable than her handlers have led her to believe. They don't even know it actually exists.

PS: "bonafides"

Brigade XO wrote:So she is now being told by yet another agent ,that comes in with bonfires, that there are (and have been ) TWO outgrowth of the Detweiler movement (beyond the now-Engagement) and one is very dark and evil and ugly and the other- which now much shrink back under cover of anominity - is trying to continue the grand plan despite the poisoned evil twin.
[cut]
So she - to herself- KNOWS that what the GA has tracked to Galton isn't Her Alignment and that to keep Her Alignment from being destroyed with the twisted ,deformed and abhorrent creature that that Thing at Galton had become .......she can think with a clean conscience that she knows the TRUTH and that what she knows as Her Alignment can never really hurt the GA and the rest of humanity......

ThinksMarkedly wrote:Here's the problem: there actually are two alignments, in addition to the Enlightenment. There is an offshoot of the evil MAlign that knows about its abhorrent behaviour and is trying to combat it. It is hidden, from both the Galaxy at large and from the evil MAlign.

It just isn't the one her handlers have come from. It's much smaller and much less capable than her handlers have led her to believe. They don't even know it actually exists.

There are branches of the Malign at Galton and Darius (the source of Audrey O'Hanrahan's handler), but neither of them is trying to combat "abhorrent behavior". Then there is the Enlightenment that was left behind at Mesa. Now you are saying that there is still another Mesan Alignment that is hidden, but I know nothing about it. Please give us more information about this branch, including where it is located (both in the books and in the stars).

tlb wrote:There are branches of the Malign at Galton and Darius (the source of Audrey O'Hanrahan's handler), but neither of them is trying to combat "abhorrent behavior". Then there is the Enlightenment that was left behind at Mesa. Now you are saying that there is still another Mesan Alignment that is hidden, but I know nothing about it. Please give us more information about this branch, including where it is located (both in the books and in the stars).

I believe he's talking of the small secret group of dissidents on Darius; the ones that were talking of trying to protect [edit]Gail Weiss[/edit] from being purged after she was done wargaming out the fruitless and hamstrung defense plans for Galton (without being told there was a MAlign system of Galton)

That was a tiny part of TIEF.

Jonathan_S wrote:I believe he's talking of the small secret group of dissidents on Darius; the ones that were talking of trying to protect Zack's wife from being purged after she was done wargaming out the fruitless and hamstrung defense plans for Galton (without being told there was a MAlign system of Galton)

That was a tiny part of TIEF.

Trivia point - When did Zach and Gail get married? I don't remember any mention of a formal relationship beyond co-habiting.

But there have been several things mentioned here that I don't remember from reading the EARC. 'Tis a puzzlement.

Fox2! wrote:

Jonathan_S wrote:I believe he's talking of the small secret group of dissidents on Darius; the ones that were talking of trying to protect Zack's wife from being purged after she was done wargaming out the fruitless and hamstrung defense plans for Galton (without being told there was a MAlign system of Galton)

That was a tiny part of TIEF.

Trivia point - When did Zach and Gail get married? I don't remember any mention of a formal relationship beyond co-habiting.

But there have been several things mentioned here that I don't remember from reading the EARC. 'Tis a puzzlement.

Actually they may not have (probably haven't?). I couldn't remember her name and remembered them being close, his love for her, and just unthinkingly assumed marriage and said "wife".

Jonathan_S wrote:I believe he's talking of the small secret group of dissidents on Darius; the ones that were talking of trying to protect Zack's wife from being purged after she was done wargaming out the fruitless and hamstrung defense plans for Galton (without being told there was a MAlign system of Galton)

That was a tiny part of TIEF.

Fox2! wrote:Trivia point - When did Zach and Gail get married? I don't remember any mention of a formal relationship beyond co-habiting.

But there have been several things mentioned here that I don't remember from reading the EARC. 'Tis a puzzlement.

Jonathan_S wrote:Actually they may not have (probably haven't?). I couldn't remember her name and remembered them being close, his love for her, and just unthinkingly assumed marriage and said "wife".

Of course, thanks. But how is that a problem for Audrey O'Hanrahan? Or isn't that what Thinksmarkedly meant? It may eventually become a problem for Darius, but not at the moment.

I know they were talking about switching the nano-assassin code to standby from active for Gail; but what good would that do? If the powers-that-be want Gail dead, they would certainly notice if she did not die on cue.

tlb wrote:Of course, thanks. But how is that a problem for Audrey O'Hanrahan? Or isn't that what Thinksmarkedly meant? It may eventually become a problem for Darius, but not at the moment.

It's not a problem for her. I meant that, as incredulous as the story of a dissident group that knows about the MAlign's abhorrent behaviour is, it's actually true. So the story she was fed and believed is true. It just happens that the person who told her doesn't know it is true.

I know they were talking about switching the nano-assassin code to standby from active for Gail; but what good would that do? If the powers-that-be want Gail dead, they would certainly notice if she did not die on cue.

To be seen, I guess. This is clearly an area that RFC will explore so he's given us some hints but not all details.

tlb wrote:I know they were talking about switching the nano-assassin code to standby from active for Gail; but what good would that do? If the powers-that-be want Gail dead, they would certainly notice if she did not die on cue.

Yeah, I had the same thought. I see only one solution: Kill her in a fashion that leaves no body behind. (I'm thinking of perhaps one of those sailplanes going down at sea.) At that point she has to live off the grid. We don't know if they have the capability to do that, though.

tlb wrote:I know they were talking about switching the nano-assassin code to standby from active for Gail; but what good would that do? If the powers-that-be want Gail dead, they would certainly notice if she did not die on cue.

Loren Pechtel wrote:Yeah, I had the same thought. I see only one solution: Kill her in a fashion that leaves no body behind. (I'm thinking of perhaps one of those sailplanes going down at sea.) At that point she has to live off the grid. We don't know if they have the capability to do that, though.

If she does not die on cue, that implicates the medical team that performed her last physical. When they are found with nanos disabled, then the hunt for dissidents begins in earnest. Perhaps a new nano-tech that inflames the nerve endings? There is no telling what biological terror could be applied to "enhanced" interrogation.