the difference in population Alan began but he was interrupted
LIkely it would not be so much of a factor as you think As people grow stronger in the System they become not only more efficient but also gain a higher window of operational efficiency Let me lay this out in terms you can understand If we were to place these Squad Leaders Kayle and Paolo onto the Tier system they would be Tier 6 citizens That is simply the Skill they have shown Based on observation I estimate them to truly be something near to a Tier 7 citizen
These are individuals that are worth as much as a few hundred well trained men And people below Tier II will likely by of little to no use in handling these characters In addition through conversation and inferences my analytics suggest there are at least 20 of such Tier 7 individuals And one Tier 8 this Alana Randidly Ghosthound is also somewhere between those two Tiers We do not have anyone above Tier 5
Further our weapons were created as tools not as enhancements due to your predecessorÆs shortsightedness We have not developed equipment to provide stats it solely adds more of a barrier for the wearer They are better equipped better trained and have better Skills Their Classes are diverse and effective Although they fight in an archaic manner
AlanÆs eyes opened The decision wasnÆt just made by the former President It was also heavily influenced by Dr Karman
Ghost fell silent
Sighing Alana asked You havenÆt thought more about Father Foster
Your concern is amusing but rest assured I have every processor at my disposal carefully analyzing data regarding his murder If I so much as find a hint of a clue
If you are using all of your processors trying to catch the killer how are you making these grand predictions about Rawlands
For the third time Ghost fell silent and this time it was a silence that continued to stretch It seemed that the robot truly didnÆt know how to respond to its figurative speech and AlanÆs literal criticism Alan shook his head this is why machines couldnÆt speak in Congress Aside from not being an elected official
so you recommend the political route Peaceful trade And in the meantime we engage in an arms race for control of the danger zones Alan said slowly
Affirmative
Shaking his head Alan stood That was the expected outcome It seemed that not all things had changed with the arrival of the System As always individual power took a backseat to the strength of an entire nation Although each Zone was powerful in its own right they were ultimately working together against the System There was not yet proof that it was worth it to waste their resources fighting each other
All was not lost however EzekielÆs reports indicated a rift between the different cities in Rawlands There was no monolithic authority just the long reach of power
Chapter 527
Senator Firefly the floor is yours the Speaker said sitting down in his chair as Gary rose Gary flashed a smile to the room and took his time slowly walking to stand at the podium in the center His suit was charcoal with a maroon shirt and a crimson tie After an offhand comment from Randidly Ms Terrygate had spent an increased amount of time sewing as she attempted to raise her Skill
At first Gary had been dubious whether such effort was worth it and whether sewing would be a Skill worth having But his current suit was a testament to the amount of improvement that was possible over a month when there was a concerted effort Plus it had the strange side effect of increasing his Reaction and Focus by 5 stat points each Gary had never heard of such a thing
It had been so shocking that Gary hadnÆt quite figured out how to use it to make a profit yet which was quite unlike him
President Howard sat with folded arms watching Gary walk up towards the podium The System had done away with parties as a concept and there hadnÆt been enough time for new ideologies to emerge but Gary Firefly and Alan Howard had always been opposed Mostly on the issue of where funds should be allocated
Gary wanted the money to go through the military first with more emphasis on training and hardeningÆ the Tier System Meanwhile Alan poured money into West Providence like he was giving water to a fish bleating weakly on land President Howard also argued against defining the Tier System too rigidly in fear of creating a caste system
DidnÆt the fool realize it was far too late for that If they were going to have the damn thing they might as well make it clear and not rely on the mysticism of an AI to determine It would give the lower class workers hope to rise Right now there were so many damn probationary citizenship applications coming through that the Bureau of Citizenship was in shambles They needed money too
Everyone did
But todayÆs agenda concerned two issues one of which was at least ancillary related to citizenship the rising number of refugees and their new neighbor Rawlands
“Ladies and gentlemen thank you so much for letting me be the first speaker today as we discuss these critical issues facing our great nation ” Gary said knowing full well that most would love for him to not to possess the dubious honor of starting with the floor Yet here he was mostly due to the extra clout that Gary had from Randidly
“We are here today to talk about whether to recognize this Zone 32 this Rawlands as an independent nation Obviously this is a point of contention as it was a nation that was previously under the umbrella of the United States of America the predecessor to the UHF But of course like us this Zone dragged itself up by its bootstraps through every trial and tribulation thrown at it to arrive here This is an accomplishment deserving of our admiration They were not prepared as we were They were not warned They could only struggle against each new threat that arrived before them in turn doing their utmost to survive “
Gary smiled “You might be wondering how I know these things That is because a traveler from Rawlands stopped into my orchards a few weeks ago and we’ve become very good friends His name is Randidly Ghosthound and he is a great warrior Although the technology of there Zone was practically stuck in the stone age they were still able to leverage the System to receive significant benefits I might also wager that these benefits are superior to our own The Classes they have access to are different than ours both in focus and diversity Mr Ghosthound told me once that over in Rawlands they believed that your Class does not just come from the criteria given to us by the Village Spirits but also is shaped by your understanding of the world
“When is the last time we saw a Class not related to our chosen profession Why do we lack this diversity
“I cannot speak to the undoubtedly compelling that President Howard will soon present for us today but I would like to make my stance known the commune of knowledge and connection of trade between our Zones can lead to nothing but benefits I believe that Rawlands should be recognized as a sovereign nation “
Now Gary paused looking at the bored and glazed eyes arrayed before them There were enough briefings and secret meetings prior to this that Gary didn’t doubt most knew how they would vote What he needed was something to stir the pot Not that he believed that in the end Rawlands wouldn’t be recognized but his sights were set further afield and this was just one round of a grand game
” in the interest of giving my fellow congress members a clear picture of how things stand I have brought Mr Ghosthound to today’s session He is currently waiting outside If there is a majority who shares my feelings perhaps it would be best if we question him directly “
Randidly’s eyelid twitched “Ma’am there has been an attack at the power plant Power is out We’ve been sent to escort civilians to a disaster station until we can apprehend the culprits “