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Edgeworth? [Well that was certainly a startling 'how do you do'. But, he recognizes that tone.]

You've been talking to Margulis, havn't you. [He knew this would have come up eventually, the friction between the Foundation and U-TIC was just too great for it to stay quiet with one of the other faction members about. He can only guess at what Commander Margulis has told the poor man, what a clever trap has been laid.]

[A sigh.] I will answer your questions as fairly as I can, though whether you choose to believe me or not is up to you.

[Easy questions first...] I understand that you were both involved on opposite sides of a war.

[Yup, Edgeworth has definitely been talking to Margulis.] War would be simplifying things a little bit, but yes.

And definitely opposite sides.

What would you call it if not a war?

A conflict born of pettiness, stupidity, religious fervor, and mechanisms of centuries old beings with nothing better to do then further their own plans.

Not to mention insanity.

[Clearly someone is rather unhappy with it.]

(He did refer to the Zohar emulators as "relics sacred to his people"...)

Calm yourself. I only wish to understand the truth.

[And make sure the truth isn't that he's wound up trusting a clever villain again, but...]

Sorry...[and he actually does sound sincere.] As of late that subject has become a tad touchy with me.

It was, is, a complicated situation that both sides didn't understand the true meanings behind.

[And that declaration prompts the same demand Edgeworth made of Margulis:]

Elaborate.

On which part, Edgeworth? The politics? The misunderstandings? The people pulling the strings? It's a big story so I need a place to start.

Edited 2012-05-24 00:52 (UTC)

[A brief moment's thought, then:]

The political situation would be the best starting point.

Alright. Feel free to stop me if you're confused about anything, I can keep a train of thought fairly well.

In the universe where I'm from, there are two Major factions, each divided up into smaller ones. Ormus and the Galaxy Federation.

Ormus is a religious based organization, headed by a Patriarch and call themselves 'the people of the Zohar', though some call them the 'Immigrant Fleet' because they treasure their connection to the fleet that left Lost Jerusalem long ago.

The Galaxy Federation is the political body that controls over half a million planets, and is structured on a council like system with representatives from the major planets that they control.

These two groups do not get along, partially because Ormus is a little bit 'holier then though', and the Federation does not like things that are not under their direct control.

(So far, their testimonies fit together...)

What other sources of conflict existed?

Factions. Ormus I have to admit was a little bit more cohesive, or at least could present itself as so.

In the Federation, as in many governments, there were civil sources of conflict. Second Miltia, and thus my Foundation as a satellite of said planet, were an autonomous planet under the protection of the Federation, which some didn't like because according to them we had 'too much autonomy'. Then the Salvatore faction gained prominence which caused friction and hostilities to continue.

And then there was Vector...a corporation that mostly worked with the Federation, but they were big enough to be a force in the Universe in their own right.

(So Mr. Kukai's situation allowed it to be a side of its own in a conflict, making Margulis's claim of being a victim of aggression a possibility.)

You claimed that the reasons you cited for the poor relations between Ormus and the Federation were only some of the issues. What others were there?

Here's where it gets a little...odd. I'm afraid you'll have to forgive me, some of the things I'm explaining I didn't even understand until certain...events.

I'm sure Margulis mentioned the Zohar, right? What did he tell you that they did?

He referred to them as reproductions of a gateway to unlimited energy, which were regarded as sacred by his people -- people whom he also claimed were unique in their ability to take full advantage of their power.

All of which is true, but that explanation is not exhaustive. It also serves as a way to communicate with a being called U-DO, which for most intents and purposes, is 'God' in our universe.

U-DO is the generator of that energy that Margulis spoke of, and direct contact will either kill, or drive insane the person who communicates with it. Mostly. It all has to do with 'fear' and obsession. He doesn't mean to do this, it's just that people and 'God' exist on different planes of existence. As such, it's highly dangerous.

Unfortunately, the Zohars, both the Emulators and the Original, are pawns unto themselves, and have been used as a catalyst by certain people into continuing the conflict in order for certain events to arise. They can be combined with other things, such as Abel's Ark, to bring about the end of the universe.

The Zohar have been scattered throughout the Universe, and the Foundation has been collecting them to keep them out of Ormus's hands. We succeeded in collecting them, but learned too late what they were actually for. Even without being pushed by the Federation, this alone would have brought us in conflict with Ormus, and thus Margulis.

Hell, I still don't know if I know the whole story about that mess.

Edited 2012-05-24 02:25 (UTC)

(I had assumed that the "U-DO" Mr. Ridgeley had claimed was partially responsible for Albedo's insanity was some sort of experimental substance, not a supposedly godlike entity...)

Why would anyone wish to intentionally stir conflict or destroy the universe?

[Another sigh, here's where it gets tricky. He is also very reluctant to say the name he is about to say]

My father, Dmitri Yuriev, wanted to transcend God, and as such he needed certain things in place. Some of which could only be produced through long term conflict. There were other factors at work but I don't know much about them.

[Fortunately for Gaignun, three things jump immediately to mind for Edgeworth: the injustice of punishing a son for his father's crimes, the fact that Gaignun might also be a pawn in the schemes of someone like that, and just how firmly Gaignun once echoed the sentiment that perfection is a lie. Years ago, Edgeworth might have assumed that Gaignun guilty on the spot. Now, though, his questions simply start growing more incisive...]

You claim that your organization was unaware of the Zohars' true purpose. Was that universally true?

I believe so. I don't know how much Ormus knew, you'd have to ask Margulis that if you can get him to give you a straight answer. [Alright, so he can't resist a dig at Margulis.]

[Also, Gaignun was Dmitri's biggest pawn, he got literally possessed by the man.]

Still, what we did know was enough to bring us to blows, causing the death of many people on all sides of the conflict. [Here a sad note enters his voice and it gets a little distant, the signs of someone half getting lost in memories.]

I had no reason to ask him to define the true potential of the Zohars. He did, however, mention the death toll on his own side. (And I wouldn't be surprised if I'm now about to hear of your own losses.)

Hah, I bet he tried to make out that his own hands were lily white. Ormus, and the inner organization of U-TIC has killed as many, if not more, people on our side. Planets full in fact. Ormus is no cowering child in the face of the big, bad, Federation. [Can you say, 'Bitter'.]

(Planets?!)

He... claimed to have taken unethical actions that our own situation reminded him of, but didn't hint at having caused destruction on that scale.

[Yeah Edgeworth, planets.]

Ah...well, actually that does make me feel better that he said that. Maybe he has a decent bone in his body. Huh, never knew. [He's silent for a moment.]

I'm sorry if some things I say sound out of line, I have been used to fight against Ormus since I was little, and with the events of late my ability to remain unbiased is severely weakened. [He actually does mean 'used' as one uses an object.]

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