11 Conifer Village / The Order of the Lunar Schismatics

Previously, on Usagi Days: The girls adjust to life in the village, working various jobs. One morning, a mysterious cult shows up at the village gates. They demand to see the Professor …

- 11.1 - Professor Kay Greets the Order at the Gates -

Prof K: "Delia! Long time no see! (Not long enough, apparently …)"

Delia: "Professor Kay. I trust you've been well. Though I appear to be hearing things, as I could have sworn I heard a rather unflaterring remark just now."

Prof K: "Oh come Delia, you know you're my favorite dogmatist. You're imagining things. Now then! Tell me, how can I be of service to the Order today?"

- 11.2 - The Usagis Join the Crowd -

A crowd of villagers and SOLA9in3 tourists had gathered by the gate. Some were actively booing and jeering the cultists ("GO HOME, FREAKS!"), while others were simply curious about all the early morning commotion.

Among them were the four Usagis: Anemone, who had come down from the warehouse; Ivy and Violet, who had stepped outside the inn to watch the scene unfold; and Ruby, who had been busy playing with a stray cat between deliveries.

The Usagis now stood in a row next to each other, watching the professor and the strange silver-haired lady.

Anemone: "They seem to know each other."

Ivy: "Are these the cultists everyone keeps mentioning?"

Ruby: "I love their cloaks. Really brings the whole 'brainwashed' vibe together."

Violet: "Eimi says they're not really dangerous. They've never hurt anyone. They don't even really have anything against the village. Just the machine the professor is building."

- 11.3 - Delia Has a Gift for Prof K -

Delia: "Oh, you misunderstood, Professor. Today we've come to be of service to you.

"… As you no doubt already realize by now, given that you've made time out of your busy schedule to meet me."

Prof K, arms folded: "Yeah, sure. I'll believe it when I see it."

Delia nodded to one of her companions, who brought forth a leather briefcase. Delia took the case from him, and holding it up in one hand, unclasped it with a sharp snap. She tilted the contents of the open briefcase toward the professor.

Delia: "Trust me when I say, these were not easy to find."

Prof K reached in and with great reverence, pulled out the stack of papers. Schematics. Diagrams. Blueprints. She flipped through the stack, her eyes wide in disbelief as she took in this treasure trove of data.

Delia: "And these are only a taste. There's a lot more where that came from. Who knows? You might be able to solve that issue you had with the branch prediction module now."

Prof K looked up slowly, eyebrow raised.

Delia: "Oh, do try and not look so shocked. I know you think of us as a bunch of ignorant fanatics. On the contrary, we understand the technology better than anyone around here.

"It is in our very understanding that our beliefs are made all the firmer. As much as you would like to imagine us as cavemen cowering in fear at the sight of bright lights in the sky, I assure you that we are anything but.

"Ah, that reminds me—how did you manage to implement persistent memory in the SOLA9in3's cache registers? I would love to hear about you've accomplished the seemingly impossible."

Prof K's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Prof K: "So what's your game? Your cult's—"

Delia: "Not a cult."

Prof K: "—entire raison d'etre is to rid the world of technology. And here you are, handing over entire microprocessor schematics from the 20th century on a silver plate. Instead of, I dunno … burning them? Or whatever it is you guys do? I mean, you understand I'm going to use these to further the SOLA9in3?"

Delia smiled. "Consider it a wager, Professor."

Prof K: "…?"

Delia: "Perhaps once we're done talking, you may no longer even want to pursue this … path of ruin of yours."

The professor scoffed. "Yeah, seems likely."

Delia: "You know well that the Order does not believe in opposing free will. It goes without saying that, if you wish to continue your work, by all means, feel free to use our gifts as you see fit. All we ask for in exchange is a single conversation before that."

Prof K: "…"

Delia: "So, should we continue standing out here in the open? Or should we sit somewhere nice and talk over a cup of tea?"

- 11.4 - Delia and Prof K Move to the Evergreen Lodge -

Prof K: "Eimi, do you think you could clear out the hall?"

(The Usagis had also followed the crowd into the Lodge's dining room.

Ivy, to Ruby: "Ruby, don't you have deliveries to be making?"

Ruby shrugged. "Meh. This is more interesting.")

Eimi: "Well, er, I—"

Delia, waving her hand: "There's no need for that. Everyone here is entitled to hear what we have to talk about. Neither of us has any secrets we wouldn't want the public to hear? Unless I'm mistaken. In which case, kindly let me know, Professor."

Prof K eyed Delia for a bit. Then: "No, of course not. If the crowd wants to stay, they can stay. We're just talking."

Delia clasped her hands and set them on the table. "That's right. Just a conversation between old friends."

- 11.5 - The Order's Stance on Technology -

Delia: "Technology is a monster, Professor Kay.

"Without the Orcs' intervention, humanity was headed for ruin.

"Because the single most insidious characteristic of humanity is our disdain of satiety.

(Violet, whispering: "I understood like, three of the words in that sentence."

Ivy: "Were they 'the', 'is', and 'our'?")

Delia: "Humanity's trajectory toward progress is ever upward. An exponential rush toward hell. We developed ways to kill ourselves as efficiently as possible. Sometimes as painfully as possible. Other times as painlessly, but as quickly, as possible. We were truly frightening.

"We saw no reason to preserve the world around us. We stopped living together in harmony with the planet. Instead we tried to conquer it, and poisoned ourselves in the process.

"And when we discovered that everything down to the tiniest particle could be represented by data, the thirst to encode everything was irresistible. It became an obsession. And somewhere along that path even we ourselves became nothing more than data. We saw no difference between the four letters that we determined were the fundamental building blocks of our existence, and the words in a book."

Prof K: "Gotcha. So that's your beef. You hate books. Great, understood. Well, that was a great talk. Loved it. We should definitely get together again some—"

Delia, unbothered: "But we are more than the sum of our parts. Sum of our data. We are each one of us a Gestalt, Professor Kay.

"It is wonderfully fitting that you and your rotten, progress-obsessed brethren call the breakdown of complex systems 'Gestaltzerfall'.

"Why do you think we humans are immune to Gestaltzerfall, even though we, too, live under that invisible field that vexes you so?"

- 11.6 - The Order, on the Stochastic Disruption Field (SDF) -

Delia: "That very field itself is nothing more than a divine gift from the Orcs."

(A chorus of boos from the crowd.)

Prof K: "Hear that, Delia? Not a very popular opinion. But please, continue. Do explain."

Delia: "What you call the SDF, we call the 'Superlunary Mandate'."

(Scattered, mocking laughter from the crowd.)

Delia, unphased: "The Superlunary Mandate, as you know, inhibits the proper operation of most forms of human technology. You, among many others, attribute this to the probabilistic inteference that the Mandate imposes on all matter in our planet."

Prof K, gesturing for Delia to get to the point: "Yes, yes, we're all aware of the rules of the world we're living in."

Delia: "But if that is so, how do you explain the fact that human beings continue to exist? We can still reproduce. Our bodies heal, our children grow. Each cell in our body is more complex than the most cutting edge microprocessor at the time of the Orcs' arrival.

"The Orcs cured us of our innate obsession with progress. Punished us for it. Whenever we feel the spark of creativity, for innovation, for progress—as you have been afflicted by it—the Superlunary Mandate humbles us. Reminds us where our place is."

- 11.6 - The Order, on the Orcs -

Delia: "In essence, they saved humanity from ourselves."

Prof K: "Sure. They just care so much about other species in the universe. They come here, they burn our cities to the ground, they slaughter us by the billions—because they want the best for us.

"You know, you'd probably gain more supporters if you didn't worship the alien species that caused us so much pain and suffering."

Delia: "We do not worship them. We do, in fact, fear them. The Orcs were terrible. That much is true. And we suffered greatly at their hands.

"The Order acknowledges that.

"Moreover, the Order embraces that.

"The Order accepts that what they have afflicted upon us serves as a punishment—punishment we rightfully deserved."

This statement drew more boos from the crowd, the loudest so far.

It was also the last straw for Ruby, who had heard enough. Out of the crowd she stepped forward, fists balled in anger.

- 11.7 - Ruby Interjects -

Ruby: "Deserved!? Did my parents deserve to be killed by them? Did my village deserve to be burned to ash? Orcs took my childhood from me. They took everything from me."

Delia, unperturbed by the sudden outburst of this random girl, eyed her up and down, and then said: "… I sincerely doubt that, unless you are much, much older than you look, dear. In which case, I am just dying to know your skin care routine, darling."

Ruby glared at Delia, and seethed for a bit. Then she stormed off, exasperated. Violet and Ivy went after her.

- 11.8 - Delia's Conclusion -

Delia, continuing: "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted …"

"The Mandate is not only a lasting reminder of that punishment—it keeps us in check. Its continued existence ensures that none among us will ever try and reach those same depths of depravity ever again.

"So you see, Professor, your SOLA9in3, your creation … The Order simply cannot abide by its existence.

"Its further development and continued existence are a profaning of the Orc's Mandate.

"Any technology that fails because of the Mandate fails for a reason. It crosses the line in the sand that the Orcs have drawn. A line they have drawn for our own good.

"If you wish for mankind's salvation, then you will cease your foolishness."

Professor Kay stared blankly across the table at Delia. She had no more jokes, no more wisecracks.

Delia sipped her tea. She set her cup down on the saucer, and said, "I will leave you with a warning, Professor. Any further development on the machine can only end one way. And that would be, in fla—"

Before Delia could finish that last word, she was interrupted by the sudden sound of the Lodge door slamming open. Misa staggered inside, her chest heaving as though she'd run straight from the warehouse in a hurry. Her eyes were wide in panic, and her voice was hoarse as she shouted: "FIRE! FIRE AT THE WAREHOUSE!"