Everyone seems to be OK, following the seeming mass-link by the Bahro. The City seems to have taken a hit, though, with Michael reporting signs of seismic activity.
And, of course, there's those who have started right into the "DRC is TEH MAN! TEH MAN is keeping us down!" crap. One explorer whined "I don't like being treated like a child!". Well, then, quit
acting like one! Protesting "You ain't the boss of me!" makes you sound like a surly teenager, not an adult. An adult makes informed decisions based on the information at hand, and that they learn from reputable sources, and in this case, that means the DRC. They've been down here longer, they've been assessing the space longer, they've got more resources than we do.
Guess what, legaly, the DRC
is in charge down here. They'd take the hit if one of the Called gets hurt or killed, unless you all want to sign a waiver? And what about some of these 13 and 14 year old kids who've gotten Relto books? Can you imagine the firestorm if something happened to one of them?!? D'ni is a legal and media firestorm waiting to happen, and I'd love to know how they've kept it from the government this long.
There's a sadistic part of me that would like to see an explorer who's been proclaiming that they can go where they want, when they want, and how they want, and damn the torpedos, I want to see them break into an area the DRC has said is unsafe, and get really hurt, so I can stand there and say "Told you so.". It's like people who refuse to leave a danger zone when an evacuation order is given.
The Called were never part of their projections. They had a timeline for exploring, a system set up to check out ages, research artifacts, dig deeper, when all of a sudden people started showing up in waves. Just imagine if Howard Cater had suddenly found Tut's tomb full of tourists, all poking and prodding, and telling him he had no right to keep them out. Might be disconcerting, at best, and downright infuriating at least.
Just because Yeesha's given us all a free pass, doesn't mean we should automatically reject the knowledge and experience of the people who, up until we started trickling in, were doing all the work. They've taken the risks, and who knows if there were accidents besides Loftin and Phil. Have we all forgotten the story of Atrus, who, when exploring D'ni, sent people into books using Maintainer Suits? And the suit that came back, in seconds, melted? Even Atrus wasn't stupid enough to just go traipsing about.
Groups like The Great Tree serve a purpose, in asking the right questions.
Why is this closed off? What have you found? Why is that dangerous? Their original direction may have been Sharper-influenced, but they, like the DRC, have had a span of years to regroup, and start down new paths. It does everyone a disservice to jump right into the DRC SUCKS! or GREAT TREE ARE DRC HATERZ! camps, because the values that those camps were based on may or may not even exist anymore.
Should the DRC be more forthcoming with explanations and informationthan they have been in the past?
Heck yah.
Should they respect what knowledge and experience that the Called explorers bring?
Yes.
Do they have the right to keep us out of places?
Maybe not the right, but I would say they have a responsibility to let us know what's safe and what's not, and responsible adults would respect that warning, at the very least.
As a Liaison, I'm going to do my best to keep the DRC from sitting on information like they did before, and get them to enlist the help of qualified explorers. But I'm not going to support reactionary views, and belligerant behavior.
