You frown a little at the argument.
'She did what she thought she had to, and it seems like she succeeded, but we can't really know that. What did she find though? How can we use it?'
Feeling some of the frustration that your Dad no doubt is feeling right now, and recognizing that Jackson can't run off and do something like that again on her own, hearing him speak so sharply doesn't feel great, even if you weren't the one receiving it. Regardless, it has been a long time since you've heard Dad like this.
You decide to go the rest of the way down the stairs and to the second floor, stepping lightly out of reflex, not wanting to draw all the attention to yourself as you round the end of the stairs. You could see everyone gathered near the kitchen, with it appearing like that every member of the gang was able to make it with your Dad and Jackson facing each other near the middle. You could also see Winter, Nocturne, and Nickle standing to the side, watching everything in silence for the moment.
"I know that it wouldn't have been good if I did," Jackson continues, "I am here though, and like I said, along with a treasure trove of information from the inside! Things that Hermes keeps from everyone on the outside!"
"And sadly, there is a reason they keep it from everyone," Your Dad sighs, "And all of this information, we can't really do anything with it."
"You know that Jackson has a lot of secure channels that she can share this information through." Stonewall jumps in a bit.
"I remember, you guys have showed everyone. Even through those channels it is risky, hell, even having any of this is a risk. We are all strong and resourceful, but Hermes is still a one of the biggest companies here with backing from the government. When they catch wind of this they will be hunting for whoever did this like dogs."
"And so we're just suppose to sit on all of this?" Jackson asks.

What do you do?

>>43130748
"No."
It's scary, speaking up in this tense crowd, but we try to cut through it.
"My dad is right. Hermes isn't just another gang. Engineered Supers, bioweapons, being sold to foreign parties, built off the lives and suffering of who knows how many. That is what we know, the tip of the ice berg when it comes to these guys. And because of you, because of me, because of Darwin, and because of those two upstairs, we're in their crosshairs, even if we drop everything right now. Sticking your neck out for someone you don't know? It's risky, but Supers have to look out for our own. You put everyone in danger, Jackson, for a bit of data."
We click our beak, only the knowledge that Echo might hear us keeping our voice low as we shake with adrenaline and fear. We look to our Dad.
"But, we can't ignore the ticking bomb on our claws. If we hand it off to someone too, we're responsible for whatever it is we gave them. An air gapped terminal, with a killswitch, in an isolated room. That's about as safe as we can be with it."

>>43130838
"No."
You feel several eyes turn to you and it is scary, speaking to a tense crowd like this, but you push through it.
"My dad is right. Hermes isn't another gang. Engineered Supers, bioweapons, being sold to foreign parties, built off the lives and suffering of who knows how many. That is what we know, the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these guys," You continue, "And because of you, because of me, because of Darwin, and because of those two upstairs, we're in their crosshairs, even if we drop everything right now. Sticking your neck out for someone you don't know? It is risky, but Supers have to look out for their own. You put everyone in danger, Jackson, for a bit of data."
You click your beak a little, only the knowledge that Echo might hear you keeping your voice low as you shake with adrenaline and fear. Eyes still on you, your Dad and Jackson both looking over at you with unreadable expressions.
"We can't ignore the ticking bomb on our claws though. If we hand it off to someone too, we're responsible for whatever it is we gave them. An air gapped terminal, with a kill switch, in an isolated room. That's about as safe as we can be with it."
"...And I assume a computer like that would be expensive to get." Your dad guesses.
"For a specialized one, yes." Nocturne's own dad comments.
"...There are also older systems that are cheaper," Nickle adds after a moment, "Also, any computer can be turned into one as long as you completely remove any access it has to a network."
"If we get a computer for that purpose how long would it take?" Your Dad asks him.
"A bit, but it shouldn't take too long at all. A kill switch would take a little setting up, especially if it is remote. Can't help with an isolated room."
"I don't think any of us can," Dad agrees, "The best we could likely do is a secure safe of some kind. We do still have a lot of the money from the bank robbery so all of it is doable."

What do you do?

>>43131031
"Maybe a moderately sized faraday cage would suffice. Better than a safe, I think. Don't want to find out there is some super tech that can hijack Codexes without a wireless connection the hard way. And ideally it would be something older, until we know whether the information needs to be process or rendered or something."

"Did you get any specific vibes or names on what you gathered, or was it purely smash and grab?"

>>43131031
"How much data are we talking about? Couldn't a ghost laptop simply work and connect it to a Tor public network?"
I think everyone is overthinking this. A ghost laptop only runs on RAM and doesn't have any internal storage. Just fill everything on a jump drive and make the computer post everything on WikiLeaks or whatever. Once it's done, make the drive self-destruct. We don't need the laptop, heck, it could just be a raspberry pi that can connect to the Internet. Just make sure wherever it's executed isn't close to where we are.

10

>>43131114
>>43131193
"Maybe a moderately sized faraday cage would suffice. Better than a safe, I think. Don't want to find out there is some super tech that can hijack Codexes without a wireless connection the hard way."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Dad shakes his head.
"Ideally it would be something older, until we know whether the information needs to be process or rendered or something."
You take a few moments to think.
"How much data are we talking about? Any specific vibes or names on what you gathered, or was it a smash and grab? A ghost laptop connected to a Tor network could also work."
"I tried to be thorough, but it depended on how populated an area was," She says, "Still, there are a lot of names from what I got, both Ponies and projects."
She then looks over at your dad.
"And I've used Tor to put up stuff before."
"I'm still worried though that someone will still be able to trace it back to us."

What do you do?

>>43132466
"That only happens if we share it with someone. Which we haven't decided on yet. If they know there was a data breach, they'll be monitoring every channel they have for someone trying to sell it or use it. We can worry about finding a fence for the data later. Smashing it before we know what we have won't change anything at this point."

>>43131193
Agreed that we probably don't need much to safely access the files, and should probably dispose of whatever machine does it. But this is also a sci-fi setting with magic and Supers that defy physics. Having cognitohazards and stuff that defies explanation isn't that far fetched.

>>43132536
"That only happens if we share it with someone. Which we haven't decided on yet. If they know there was a data breach, they'll be monitoring every channel they have for someone trying to sell it or use it. We can worry about finding a fence for the data later. Smashing it before we know what we have won't change anything at this point."
"The damage has already been done," Dad agrees, "Jackson, what did you get from this?"
"A lot, though the biggest thing is more information on the Supers they've been making," She starts, "Millions and millions of bits on making these Ponies, subjecting them to awful tests and conditions for so many things. One of those things being sold to foreign parties like Griffonia, who aren't the only ones getting them. All of that money obviously goes to the company, but a lot of it is also going to various politicians pretty close to the top."

What do you do?

>>43132688
"Okay, sound like it's gonna be too hot to handle for a while then. Maybe we could leak some of it and sell the rest? What exactly is being sent to Griffonia?"

>>43132688
"Money talks more than information. If only there was a way we could rob them blind like hack into their crypto accounts. A pipe dream I know."
"What if we take this info to princess Luna herself? J-just spitballing... I don't think she would like knowing the government funding is going to the highest bidder."
(I imagine all eyes glaring Gael's way from the subjection)
I think Nickle explained that she isn't in complete control of government affairs at one point.

>>43132748
>>43132811
"Money talks more than information. If only there was a way we could rob them blind like hack into their crypto accounts. A pipe dream, I know," You sigh before getting an idea, "What if we take this info to Princess Luna herself? J-Just spitballing... I don't think she would like knowing the government funding is going to the highest bidder."
Most of the group glaring at you makes you shrink away a bit, also making you realize how farfetched your suggestion is.
"Yes, I'm sure she will take time out of her day to listen to a bunch of Supers," Jackson replies sarcastically, "Her name isn't here, but I bet she is getting a cut of it as well."
"Sadly that is a pipedream." Dad agrees.
"M-Maybe we could leak some of it and sell the rest," You suggest instead, "What exactly is being sent to Griffonia?"
"The Supers themselves," Jackson explains, "To fight in their civil war there."
"To just one side?" Dad asks.
"From what I found it looks like they are selling to all sides. Zebrica is there as well as a close second, along with some other places."
"Either way, we can't leak or sell any of this without Hermes breathing down our necks," Dad shakes his head, "And unless we have an extremely secure way to do that I don't want to consider it."

What do you do?

>>43133088
We ponder this for a moment.
"Jackson, how many connections do you have to conspiracist?"
"What if we just physically give the information anonymously to as many conspiracy theorists as possible? That way there is no contact between the informant and informer. We can just leave it in their mailbox or doorstep."

>Her name isn't here, but I bet she is getting a cut of it as well.
To think we all think of our princess in such a dim light. It's a miracle she's not assassinated already, or perhaps this suggests she's in such a binding, weak state that the governmental powers are taking advantage of her.

Up

>>43133088
"We have a list of corrupt, morally bankrupts individuals that all know Hermes' secrets. Maybe we could stage a leak, make it seem like one of them did it, and let everyone tear each other apart? Or wait for one of them to die, and pretend it was on a deadman's switch. Not that we have to do it immediately. It's like the bank money, we can sit on it for a bit. Is there anything, 'useful' in there? Medicine, remedies for toxins, enhancements that are actually safe? Schematics for tech or access codes, even."

>>43133246
I could see the noble seizing power from Luna following Celestia's assassination.
Also, Gael being a Luna fangirl when she was young crossed my mind.

>>43133246
Just had a thought. She loathes Supers, so maybe she turns a blind eye to the experimentation on paper. How would she handle videos of the experiments, in all it's gory detail? Then again, she fights nightmares, so she might be desensitized to a lot.

>>43133246
>>43134581
"We have a list of corrupt, morally bankrupt individuals that all know Hermes' secrets. Maybe we could stage a leak, make it seem like one of them did it, and let everyone tear each other apart? Or wait for one of them to die, and pretend it was on a deadman's switch."
"Maybe," Dad mutters, "We would need to choose someone though and pretty much copy them."
You nod a little as you think, which gives you another idea a few seconds later.
"Jackson, how many connections do you have to conspiracists?"
"A few," She replies, "Don't really like working with those types. Why?"
"What if we just physically give the information anonymously to as many conspiracy theorists as possible? That way there is no contact between the informant and informer. We can just leave it in their mailbox or doorstep."
Your watch your Dad open up his beak, likely to refute what you just said. Nothing comes out though as he instead closes his beak with a soft click. There is a similar reaction on some of the others gathered.
"...One of the contacts I have does run a conspiracy podcast. Gotten really big in the last few years from what I heard," Jackson mentions, "Takes credit as easily as he breathes, so he'll say he found it. Just haven't spoken with him in several years."
"Is there a reason for that?" Dad asks.
"Whole taking credit thing and just being a massive dick in general," She shakes her head, "Still an option..."

What do you do?

>>43135616
"I think it'd be better if we didn't put a crosshair on a single conspiracy podcaster. Even if he's able to take some heat, he might flip on us just to get them off his back if he could. If we could circulate it out via a few different avenues, that might be best. The public needs to know about this stuff, at the very least."

>>43135916
"I think it'd be better if we didn't put a crosshair on a single conspiracy podcaster. Even if he is able to take some heat, he might flip on us just to get them off his back if he could. If we could circulate it out via a few different avenues, that might be best. The public needs to know about this stuff, at the very least."
"So multiple people in multiple ways," Dad nods, "Which leads back to getting it out safely."
"Like Gael suggested, Tor could work for getting it out there." Nickle adds.

What do you do?

>>43136169
"Or we do it old-school and deliver it through the mailing system. We can send them the information via letter without a return address. We can spread out and deliver each letter through different postal boxes to spread out our tracks."

>>43136169
"Could we, I don't know, hack in somewhere and leave it to be found? Let someone else deal with it?"
Something crosses our mind.
"Does it talk about control methods for the engineered Supers? You don't make a weapon that you can't aim... usually."

>>43136271
Seconding. Feel creating a few dead drops from disposable media would be the simplest thing to do.

>>43136271
>>43136302
"Could we, I don't know, hack in somewhere and leave it to be found? Let someone else deal with it," You ask, "Or we do it old school and deliver it through the mailing system. We can send them the information via letter without a return address. We can spread out and deliver each letter through different postal boxes to spread out our tracks."
"That... maybe." Dad mutters.
While he thinks a thought crosses your mind.
"Does it talk about control methods for the engineered Supers? You don't make weapons that you can't aim... usually."
"For the ones they send out, though they are giving it to the more recent ones they have made," She nods, "They called it a Mindhack, which is made and installed by a different company. They don't go into too many details about it, but the name alone makes it sound unpleasant."

What do you do?

Up

>>43136476
"Feels like that is the sort of thing we should be actually concerned about, especially since we don't know the nature of it. Supers being mass produced and straight up mind controlled. They could be making fake gangs, causing chaos, and establishing control for all we know. Considering Darwin's abilities, Mindhack probably isn't a mechanical or purely biological thing, requiring time and effort to 'reprogram' someone, but the process will be made more efficient in any way they can. And eventually? They're gonna start abducting Supers off the streets to 'expend their product line.' We can't just sit on this."

Up

>>43137676
"Feels like that is the sort of thing we should be concerned about, especially since we don't know the nature of it," You say, "Supers being mass produced and straight up mind controlled. They could be making fake groups, causing chaos, and establishing control for all we know. Considering Darwin's abilities, Mindhack probably isn't mechanical or purely biological, requiring time and effort to 'reprogram' someone, but the process will be made more efficient in any way they can. And eventually? They're gonna start abducting Supers off the streets to 'expand their product line'. We can't just sit on this."
Your Dad is silent for several moments at this, clearly deep in thought. You watch him look over at your Mom, who gives him a smile before he turns to look back at Jackson.
"Will it be possible to dead drop or mail this out, Jackson?" He asks.
"It'll take a bit, but yes it is doable." She nods.
"That'll likely be the best way to get it out there," He finishes, "Unless there are any objections?"
He looks around at everyone, including you.

What do you do?

>>43139173
"When it comes to making the dead drops, I could help. My power isn't super subtle, but I can deal with cameras without having to hack or damage them at all. The less evidence, the better, right?"
We smile at our Dad.

>>43139296
"When it comes to making the dead drops, I could help. My power isn't super subtle, but I can deal with cameras without having to hack or damage them at all. The less evidence, the better, right?"
You smile at him as you finish and he smiles back and nods.
"I trust you with that."
After a few seconds of waiting for any objections and hearing none, he nods again.
"Once Jackson has everything ready everyone will get something to mail out," He announces, getting affirmations from everyone, "And Jackson-"
She looks over at him.
"Please don't do something like this again. Or at least tell someone about it."
Jackson just silently nods at him which seems to be enough for him.

What do you do?

>>43139649
With that out of the way for now, we can relax a little. Not for very long though, as we recall what brought us down here in the first place. Give Dad a quick hug.
"I'm gonna make sure Echo is settling in okay. Kinda rushed down here when I heard yelling."
Going out of our way to give Mom a quaint hug as well. If we make eye contact with any of our herd, smile and flick our tail in a little wave at them.

Wish I could think of a way to reinforce to Jackson to take our Dad seriously here for our sake, but it would be a little redundant.

10

>>43139809
With all of that settled you feel yourself relax a little. Not for too long though, as you remember what brought you down here in the first place. You go up to Dad and give him a quick hug.
"I'm gonna make sure Echo is settling in okay. Kinda rushed down here when I heard yelling."
"Yeah," He nods, patting your head with a smile, "Please check in on her."
You give your Mom a hug as well before heading off to the stairs. As you go you past by Winter who gives you a little smile as you go. You smile back at him and flick your tail in a little wave as you head up.
Returning to their room you open the door and poke your head in, though thankfully Echo and T-2's attention are still on your Switch. Both engrossed in whatever is going on.

What do you do?

>>43141801
Setting that they haven't been disturbed by the racket and aren't stressed about the meeting downstairs, some of our worries fade. We look around for D-10 though.
'T-2 and Echo are both foals, but D-10 should be kept in the know on this stuff. Safer for her to be in the know than not. Echo might overhear if I tell her now though."
Entering the room quiet as we can and settling in behind both of them, we watch them play.

>>43141879
>Setting
Seeing
>"
'

>>43141879
Seeing that they haven't really been disturbed by the racket and aren't stressed about the meeting downstairs, some of your worries fade.
'T-2 and Echo are both foals, but D-10 should be kept in the know on this. Safer for her to be in the know than not Echo might overhear if I tell her now though.'
You step inside as quiet as you can, quickly finding D-10 on the bed like she was before. She looks over at you as you come in.
"The yelling didn't bother either of them after the beginning of it." She explains.

What do you do?

>>43142116
We head over to D-10, hopping up on the bed beside her and quietly filling her in a little.
"That's good. Jackson did something risky without backup. Should be handled now, but you may want to ask about it later. How are you doing?"
'Hate that they have to be cooped up here, but depending on how old D-10 is, she might find the outside to be overwhelming, having grown up in isolation.'

>>43142196
You head over to her, hopping onto the bed beside her and talking with her.
"That's good. Jackson did something risky without backup. Should be handled now, but you may want to ask about it later. How are you doing?"
'Hate that they have to be cooped up here, but depending on how old D-10 is, she might find the outside to be overwhelming, having grown up in isolation.'
"I'm doing fine," She nods, "And I heard bits of it. It is brave of her to do that, but still..."
She looks away at the floor.
"Not exactly wise."

What do you do?

>>43142443
"If you heard it..."
We turn to look at the back of Echo's head.
'Then she probably heard the whole thing. Not that there was too much bad stuff mentioned, but it's kind of an adult talk.'
Looking back at D-10, an embarrassed smile works its way across our beak.
"She's emotionally motivated, and doesn't always think before she acts. Kinda has the sense that she's invincible about her. Which Winter has too in a different sense, funnily enough. He puts everything on his shoulders. That whole family is stubborn."
Smiling a bit wistfully for a moment as we think about Winter in particular, we slowly cover our beak with a claw in embarrassment as the moment drags on.
"Sorry."

>>43142518
"If you heard it..."
You turn to look over at the back of Echo's head.
'Then she probably heard the whole thing. Not that there was too much bad stuff mentioned, but its kind of an adult talk.'
You look back at D-10, an embarrassed smile moving over your beak.
"She's emotionally motivated, and doesn't always think before she acts. Kinda has the sense that she's invincible about her. Which Winter has too in a different sense, funnily enough. He puts everything on his shoulders. That whole family is stubborn."
You smile wistfully as your thoughts turn to Winter. As it goes on though you cover your beak with a claw.
"Sorry."
She looks back over at you and smiles.
"You're good," She tells you, "Kinda sweet to see you care for him. And hear everyone try to care for each other down there."

What do you do?

10

>>43143078
We blush a little embarrassed, but nod in agreement.
"And we're doing this because we care about you and everyone else who's been subjected to the same horrors. I just hope there's enough public outcry for all of this to end."
>>43135325
Been meaning to reply to this for a while.
Nightmares are dreams, but this nightmare is a reality. If she lives up to her reputation, she wouldn't allow this living nightmare to stand.

>>43143078
"Y-yeah..."
A few of our feathers begin to fluff up in embarrassment as we lower our head, but it doesn't diminish our smile. Our thoughts aren't limited to Winter as we think about how our herd makes us feel.
"The point I was trying to get at is that she cares. Everyone cares, about each other, and themselves, but..."
We look over at T-2, then back at D-10.
"It's hard to ignore reality when it's staring you in the face. And, I think she might be invested in all this now. I don't know how to phrase it."

>>43144778
Seconding!
In a way, this reality is her nightmare: Celestia is gone. I'm kinda curious to explore this, though I don't know if we ever will, by virtue of who we are, who she is, and her feelings on Supers.

>>43144778
>>43144886
"Y-Yeah..."
You blush a little in embarrassment as your feathers fluff up, but it doesn't diminish the smile on your beak. Your thoughts aren't limited to Winter as you think about how the rest of your herd makes you feel.
"The point I was trying to get at is that she cares, and we all care about you and everyone else who's been subjected to the same horrors, but..."
You look over at T-2 and then back at D-10.
"It's hard to ignore reality when it is staring you in the face. And, I think she might be invested in all of this now. I don't know how to phrase it," You sigh, "I just hope there is enough public outcry for all of this to end."
"Same," She nods, "If not, I guess I can try to look into other escapees."
After saying this you hear the door creek open slightly, looking over to find Darwin poking his head through. D-10 looks over as well, a big smile growing on her face.
"Speaking of..."
Darwin takes this as permission to come in, a similar smile crossing his face as he trots up to D-10.
"Nice to see you in a good spot."
"You as well," Darwin agrees before nodding a bit to T-2, "Both of you."

What do you do?

>>43145146
Seeing how they're smiling at each other, gears start turning in our head, and our tail flicks.
'Oh dear Luna, these two are so cute!.. Don't read too much into it, Gael, they might just be friends, and happy to have each other...'
We can't help it though. Patting the bed, we give up our spot next to D-10, hopping off of the bed and circling around Darwin to nudge him forward with our wing against his fetlocks.
"Hey, have you told her about your plants?"
(A vine and a Venus flytrap, afaik)

We lay on the ground behind Echo and T-2, pulling out our Codex to message Nocturne.
"D-10 and Darwin. Am I crazy or do they have something going on?"

>>43145216
Seeing the two of them smiling at each other makes the gears in your head turn, your tail flicking behind you.
'Oh dear Luna, these two are so cute! Don't read too much into it, Gael, they might just be friends, and happy to have each other...'
It is hard to stop it though. Patting the bed, you give up your spot next to D-10, hopping away from the bed and around Darwin to nudge him forward with your wing.
"Hey, have you told her about your plants?"
"You finally got plants?" D-10 asks.
"Awhile ago, yes." He nods, moving forward to take the spot you were just sitting in.
As they start to chat you leave the two of them there, moving to lay on the ground behind Echo and T-2. After watching for a moment you pull out your Codex and message Nocturne.
"D-10 and Darwin. Am I crazy or do they have something going on?"
It takes a minute to get a response back.
"Darwin does seem to appreciate her from the way he talks about her. Not too sure though, it is hard to read him."

What do you do?

>>43145321
"Don't want to make any assumptions, given what they've been through, but Darwin just walked in, and the way they smiled at each other, omg! D-10 heard most of what was going on though."
It's tempting to take a selfie with the mare and stallion in frame behind us, but we resist the temptation. We do check how T-2 and Echo are fairing in their game though, before looking back down at our Codex.
"How are you doing though?"

>>43145342
"Don't want to make any assumptions, given what they've been through, but Darwin just walked in, and the way they smiled at each other, omg! D-10 heard most of what was going on though."
It is extremely tempting to take a selfie with the mare and stallion in frame behind you, but you manage to resist that. You do check in on how the two foals are fairing with their game, which they still seem to be going through the start of it.
"How are you doing though?"
Another minute goes by.
"That isn't great, but hopefully she isn't too concerned. The rest of us are doing better, though things are still a bit awkward in the room. Guess I finally know how my parents feel during press conferences lol"

What do you do?

>>43145550
"Lol should I come on down? Echo and T-2 seem to be having fun without me, and I'm not going to interrupt the lovebirds rare chance to see each other. That way we're all bored to tears together."

Might be nice to bond with Echo a bit, but I've got nothing.

>>43145608
This.

10

>>43145608
>>43145619
"lol should I come on down? Echo and T-2 seem to be having fun without me, and I'm not going to interrupt the lovebirds rare chance to see each other. That way we're all bored to tears together."
Her reply takes a little less time to come through.
"If you would like to we would be happy to have you. Whatever you want."

What do you do?

>>43147070
"See you guys soon <3"
Putting our Codex away and scooting closer, we ruffle Echo's mane.
"You two keep having fun, I'll only be a message or a holler away. I need to go rescue Nocty and the Colts from boredom."
Getting up, we glance over at the two on the bed before making our way out, taking flight as soon as we're in the hall and flying leisurely back downstairs.

Would've had this posted a while ago, but coworker kept me busy

10

>>43147177
"See you guys soon then <3"
Putting your Codex away and scooting closer to the two, you pat Echo's mane which gets her to look at you.
"You two keep having fun, I'll only be a message or a holler away. I need to go rescue Nocty and the Colts from boredom."
"Have fun!" Echo smiles.
You get up, briefly glancing at the two on the bed before making your way out. You take flight as soon as you're in the hall, flying leisurely back down the stairs and over to the group.
"There she is." Nocturne greets you, getting Winter and Nickle to look over.
"Echo and the others doing okay?" Winter asks.

What do you do?

>>43150122
(Assuming we aren't obviously interrupting something)
Skidding along in front of Nocturne, we throw our forelegs around her before we've even come to a stop, spreading our wings to full span to pull our stallions into the hug as well.
"Mm, they are, T-2 and Echo are playing on the Switch. Though i think they might've caught some of the conversation.."
Lifting a claw, we 'whisper' conspiratorially.
"I think Darwin and D-10 might like each other."
With that out there, we nestle up in the grouping we've made of our herd.
"Did I miss much? Can't think of the last time the whole gang has been in one place."

>>43150209
Seconding this.

>>43150209
>>43150223
You skid along in front of her, throwing your forelegs around her before you even come to a stop, spreading your wings to fully to pull your stallions into the hug and finally stop your movement.
"Mmm, they are, T-2 and Echo are playing on the Switch. Though I think they might've caught some of the conversation."
Moving on from that a bit, you lift a claw to 'whisper' to everyone.
"I think Darwin and D-10 might like each other."
"That's exciting~!" Nocturne giggles.
"And interesting." Nickle adds.
"Did I miss much? Can't think of the last time the whole gang has been in one place."
"Just seems like everyone is settling down from the meeting," Winter shakes his head with a sigh, "I'm not sure how it would've gone if you didn't speak up."

What do you do?

>>43150450
We speak softly so that the others in the bar don't overhear.
"Was kinda scary, but they were getting too loud with foals around. Doesn't hurt that I know they both care about me. Mom would've intervened if Dad went too much farther, but Stonewall or Jackson might've taken a swing if things kept going. I just happened to speak up is all."

>>43150450
"End up in a tavern brawl maybe? I would have payed good money to see that." We joke, attempting to lighten the mood a little, more for ourself than anyone else.
"I just had to speak up. Jackson found a way to help oppose Hermes and stop whatever nightmares they put Ponies like Darwin through. She risked herself to obtain this information. It would be a shame if it was all in vain."
Struggled with this post. Originally wrote it like a heroic speech, but the title of this quest is "No more Heroes" so I had to tone it down like 50 notches.

File: message-in-a-bottle-21st-(...).jpg (48 KB, 640x622)

48 KB JPG

I know we have a plan, but I just saw an interesting post about USBs in a bottle. Not a bad way to spread this information anonymously.

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>>43151025

>>43150511
>>43150550
You speak softly so that the others in the bar don't overhear you guys.
"End up in a tavern brawl maybe? I would have payed good money to see that." You joke, trying to lighten the mood.
"Not for our parents." Nickle shakes his head with a snort.
"I just had to speak up, they were getting too loud with foals around and Jackson found a way to help oppose Hermes and stop whatever nightmares they put Ponies like Darwin through. Mom would've intervened if Dad went too much farther, but Stonewall or Jackson might've taken a swing if things kept going. I just happened to speak up is all."
"I'm glad you did," Winter thanks you, "My Dad wouldn't have done that. Jackson though... not too sure."
"You really think she would've tried to punch Gabriel?" Nocturne asks.
"If she thought he was disregarding what she found, maybe," Winter shrugs quietly, "She can be... passionate, sometimes."
He pauses and frowns as he finishes, trying his best to find the correct word there.

What do you do?

>>43151796
"Headstrong. Stubborn. A maverick. Hotheaded might be a bit much. Those sound about right? I think she knew he was right, about taking unnecessary risks and going lonewolf. She just couldn't let him destroy what should be a good thing."

"My Dad isn't a control freak either, for not being happy about this. He'd be upset if any of us brought a metaphorical bomb to him and said 'I did this, deal with it.'"

>>43151824
"Headstrong. Stubborn. A maverick. Hotheaded might be a bit much. Those sound right?"
Winter smiles a little and nods.
"I think she knew he was right, about taking unnecessary risks and going lonewolf. She just couldn't let him destroy what should be a good thing," You say, "My Dad isn't a control freak either, for not being happy about this. He'd be upset if any of us brought a metaphorical bomb to him and said 'I did this, deal with it.'"
"You're not wrong," Winter sighs, "I can see why she did it, but she still should've spoken with everyone else at least."
"We have it now though," Nocturne points out, "Just need to get it out there."

What do you do?

>>43152017
"We'll figure it out."
Leaving it at that for now, we relinquish our herd and make our way over to a booth table, so that we're not crowding any open space.
"So, any plans? I'm tempted to go talk, since we haven't had everyone together in so long, but the mood is probably wrong for that. I've got stuff in the workshop I was hoping to work on, maybe mess with some of Pixel's code, the usual."

(Been so long, I can't remember what the emergency meeting interrupted, or what is going on. I recall something about the ASTOR AI being cracked)

>>43152064
"We'll figure it out."
You leave it there for now, relinquishing your hold on your herd to make your way over to a booth table, just so you're not crowding any open space. After a moment of lingering the three of them join you.
"So, any plans? I'm tempted to go talk, since we haven't had everyone together in so long, but the mood is probably wrong for that. I've got stuff in the workshop I was hoping to work on, maybe mess with some of Pixel's code, the usual."
"If there is time today probably see if I can finally crack the ASTOR." Nickle replies.
"How is that going?" Winter asks.
"I think it is almost done which is why I want to try to get it done today."

What do you do?

>>43152385
"Anything we can do to help with that? Don't even know what types of systems or AI the ASTOR had. If we're lucky though, we could use this stuff to figure out how to get backdoor access into other ASTORs, once they start hitting the streets. Maybe shut them down peacefully. I remember you said the encryption and defenses on it were pretty good, but do we have any sort of idea what to expect once we crack it open?"
'Would Pixel be able to help? He might be an AI, but he's not exactly built for infiltration or AI warfare. Would be nice to set him up with some software and hardware that let's him take on a larger support role... really should ask him before I do that though.'

>>43152461
"Anything we can do to help with that? Don't even know what types of systems or AI the ASTOR had. If we're lucky though, we could use this stuff to figure out how to get backdoor access into other ASTORs, once they start hitting the streets. Maybe shut them down peacefully. Do we have any sort of idea what to expect once we crack it open?"
'Would Pixel be able to help? He might be an AI, but he's not exactly built for infiltration or AI warfare. Would be nice to set him up with some software and hardware that lets him take on a larger supporting role.'
"That is what I'm hoping for, and I'm sure. Probably everything that makes it tic and keeps it in control," Nickle shrugs, "I don't think I need help with anything so you guys are good for whatever you need to do today."
"Just lets us know if you need anything," Winter says, "And tell us when it is ready."
"Yes, sir!" Nickle salutes at him, leading to the two chuckling a bit.

What do you do?

>>43154010
We can't help smiling just a little sweetly at the two stallions as they get along, reminiscing over how worried we were about them getting along when the idea of having Winter in the herd first came up, and with how cute Winter was when he was nervous about going on a date with Nocturne.
We stretch our hindlegs out until our paws are brushing against their hooves, we glance over at Nocturne, letting ourself tip over in her direction to snuggle up against her side. It's like a dream...
"... Hey. You want to share those dreams we had?"
Whispering to Nocty.

Sorry for the ramble, half awake

>>43154264
You can't help smiling sweetly at the two stallions as they get along, reminiscing over how worried you were about them getting along when the idea of having Winter in the herd first came up, and with how cute Winter was when he was nervous about going on a date with Nocturne.
You stretch your hind legs out until your paws are brushing against their hooves. You give a glance over at Nocturne, letting yourself tip in her direction to snuggle up against her side.
"...Hey. Want to share those dreams we had?" You ask.
"Right, we didn't do that this morning," She whispers back, "Do you want me to start it?"

What do you do?

>>43154451
"If you don't mind. We're both gonna share them anyway, I just need a moment to remember some details and figure out how to phrase it with our current company."
'I might be bolder than I was, but detailing exactly how I was riding Winter's dick somewhere that my parents might overhear, it's a bit too risky. I could send him the more graphic details over Codex though...'
Feeling some of our feathers puff up in embarrassment from the thought, we bury our face in the crook of Nocty's neck and exhale.
"Plus, I think Nickle will really appreciate yours. Not that I think Winter will complain, but I know he'll think it's cool!"

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