9 hours ago
“It’s foolish to criminalise this power. Genocide only ever insights war, and hatreds that will last for generations to come. The world will not be saved, it will suffer – and I dare say its perpetrators will ultimately be remembered on the wrong side of history. I wonder, Mr Lagueux, which side of history you will choose to stand on.”
He was correct to understand that the Almaz was a resource that was on the table. A controlled environment for destruction was a valuable tool, and accidents sometimes happened in the ring. Helena was certainly not suggesting that everyone with the power deserved to live. In fact she had very little moral feeling either way – what she wanted was a world in which she could live freely, without fear of shadowy assassins at her door simply because she had been born different.
“Sheep follow the grass,” she said with an offhand gesture. She expected he would recognise the words as Nikolai Brandon’s. Whatever else the man might be, he had certainly proved his capacity for control. “Use your wealth and status to provide structure – education and guidance, but most importantly a natural order to follow. Punish dissidents – and ensure it is seen as such – but not those who are simply born with a power they do not understand.
“These changes will happen anyway. They already are. You or I cannot change it, but it is our responsibility to be at the heart of these changes, to shape them in the right way. The Custody has already taken control of the narrative – and it has cast the role of shadowy villain. Who do you think the people fear more? Those with these supernatural gifts, or the men and women who might come for their children in the night?
“Survival depends on reinvention. That is the alliance I am offering, assuming I have found the correct man to offer it to.” A sharp brow rose.
He was correct to understand that the Almaz was a resource that was on the table. A controlled environment for destruction was a valuable tool, and accidents sometimes happened in the ring. Helena was certainly not suggesting that everyone with the power deserved to live. In fact she had very little moral feeling either way – what she wanted was a world in which she could live freely, without fear of shadowy assassins at her door simply because she had been born different.
“Sheep follow the grass,” she said with an offhand gesture. She expected he would recognise the words as Nikolai Brandon’s. Whatever else the man might be, he had certainly proved his capacity for control. “Use your wealth and status to provide structure – education and guidance, but most importantly a natural order to follow. Punish dissidents – and ensure it is seen as such – but not those who are simply born with a power they do not understand.
“These changes will happen anyway. They already are. You or I cannot change it, but it is our responsibility to be at the heart of these changes, to shape them in the right way. The Custody has already taken control of the narrative – and it has cast the role of shadowy villain. Who do you think the people fear more? Those with these supernatural gifts, or the men and women who might come for their children in the night?
“Survival depends on reinvention. That is the alliance I am offering, assuming I have found the correct man to offer it to.” A sharp brow rose.
![[Image: helena.talin_.klotho-scaled.jpg]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/helena.talin_.klotho-scaled.jpg)