week 4 - monday morning

[refactor]

[ As with any of the newly unlocked areas of the ship, Jack takes his time to explore them. Alone. He's actually surprisingly careful in making sure that he's alone when he's doing these explorations, because he knows he's working with more information here. As such, he's keeping a tight hold on it, and all things considered? He's unlikely to relinquish even a piece until his death is truly imminent. Of course, even that would be meant to screw over everyone here, but... That's Jack for you.

So the archives certainly catch his attention more than a little once he steps inside. He looks back at the door behind him, and he considers taking his time to bar off the door, but he decides against it. It would be a bit too suspicious if someone were to stumble upon him, or if Alice were to take that gesture a little too seriously.

He takes some time to look around what's gathered in the archives, but everything about Earth history is passed over fairly quickly. It takes some time, but once he gets a hint of it, Jack is going straight for that data on the crew of the ship. ]

Comments

[refactor]

[ It's only the second entry and Jack is already quite glad that he's taken a look at these files, though it's definitely making this situation all the stranger. He's been much more fixated on his own little project here that the Cradle Project as a whole has fallen in priority to him, but if it would cause duress enough for psych evals, well. It's definitely going to rise a bit more.

He taps at the book/ipad/whatever this is on idly, then continues on, now for the Yeoman.

Though, to himself, he's also thinking about how he might destroy this information. Frankly, he thinks it's better to keep to himself, lest the rest of the ship panic if they found it. Also, he's a dick. ]

[al2955]

[ None of the others are particularly interesting. The meatiest is the captain's, and the rest seem to fall in line before her. It seems only the doctor is not a member of 'Harlan'. ]

[refactor]

[ At least he picked the fun ones first! He reads through the rest, but ends up shrugging, since they're not as interesting. However, if there's a way to search more efficiently than picking up random shit, he's definitely going to be looking for Harlan. ]

[al2955]

[ Looks like there's an entry on one of the datapads. It's dated February 12, 2950.

Hello, and welcome to Harlan!

As you are well aware, we are a collective of likeminded former Earthers. Depending on the sect you find yourself in, you may find yourself in a multitude of roles — we have operatives who act as paramilitary forces, exploratory teams, research crews, and shelter vessels. You likely will know what role you have been thrust in once you have been assigned to a particular mission. We have one ultimate goal, and we will do whatever it might take to achieve it — a solution for the Pelagic Genesis of 2930.

There are two proposed solutions to the Pelagic Genesis.

1. The terraformation of a new planet. The methodology of this solution is still being researched. It is likely near impossible to truly terraform a planet. Before colonzation can occur, the climate must be altered and adjusted for human habitation, a sustainable plant culture must be located, a reliable source of water must either be found or manmade, renewable energy sources must be created.. this is only the tip of the iceberg of the issues that come with terraforming a planet.

2. The Cradle Project. The details of the project are under lock and key. Only those operatives who are assigned to work on the project are aware of what it entails. If it is a success, it could be the savior of humanity as we know it. The team tasked with carrying out the project currently are researching the ethical, psychological, and epidemiological issues that arise from the project's nature.

Each Harlan operative will, in some way, contribute to one of these possibilities somehow. I trust that you will carry out your mission with humanity's sake in mind.

- Your Friends at Harlan ]

[refactor]

[ Now that part? That is both interesting and worrying. First of all, apparently this Earth place is more fucked up than Jack realized if they're looking to abandon the planet, but mostly, his attention is focused on a single word here: epidemiological. The rest doesn't bother him as much, since it's just information to take in and process. None of it is uninteresting, but considering his own role here, it's naturally all secondary.

For a naturally suspicious person like Jack, this implies that this "infection" might not be accidental. And really, to himself? He can't help but wonder again if his own role here is complete bullshit too. Hell, Harlan isn't the only one to do epidemiological studies. Hyperion did the same. It was hardly his area of expertise, and he left that sort of work to people way more into the medical stuff than he was, but he understood it well enough to know (or to think he knows) that if you're studying epidemics, you don't let someone try and work against it.

Granted, his own solution to that problem tended to be murdering any medical professionals within a few square miles of the infection site, but. Still. It's strange. This datapad he'll be holding onto, but not for very long. This one he wants other people to read, because without saying so explicitly, he'd rather task people with looking into this where he can reap the benefits from a distance. If they get to thinking about the problem, even from a word, it's only going to help him root out the infected.

But, before that.

Jack lowers the pad, and he looks up. He won't ask her about hardly anything he's found, but he is interested to see what Alice knows about one topic in particular. ]

Hey-- Alice. Got a quick question for you from my light reading here.

[ Though he doesn't waste any time, and he gets right to it. ]

Anything you can tell me about "Harlan"?

[al2955]

[ Alice doesn't actually appear, no — but her voice does come. It's strange this time, though, as if Alice is talking directly to Jack but not to everyone else. Like her voice is filtered. ]

Harlan is the organization that created me, Jack. As the file says, their ultimate goal is to find a new course for humanity, by whatever means possible. Congratulations on unlocking this information.

[refactor]

[ The way Alice's voice sounds gets Jack's brow to knit together, and he looks around for the source of her voice, though presumably he won't find it. It's a bit disorienting, but he ends up dismissing that feeling with a laugh. ]

Y'know, getting harder to tell when you're being sarcastic or not, Al.

[ He just has to comment on that, but he'll continue quickly: ]

The "whatever means possible" is kinda the part I'm concerned about here, considering one of them is this, apparently. Pretty damn sure that at least where I'm from? Humanity's not in need of a "new course." Sure, having a little order is nice, but this makes it sound pretty dire. So, what happened to humanity to prompt it? Or do I need to do more light reading?