@kate.bishop

[fledges]

hey guys. clarke and i have been trying to figure out more about the una soldiers. where they come from, who recruits them, that sort of thing.

so, a couple of things. it seems like most of recruits are young. 16 at the youngest, and never any older than mid twenties. a lot of them are also poor. the una apparently focuses their recruitment efforts on lower income parts of the city, trying to rope in kids who might not have much of a family or a place to live. clarke also found out that a lot of the kids were the kind whose families were given retroactive approval for a pregnancy, or whose families had serious issues with addiction or illness.

i've been working at a coffee shop, and as you can probably guess, our clientele is very rich. as you can also probably guess, most of our customers don't seem to know of anyone who was recruited by the una, unless those recruits did really, really well and rocketed up in social status. so, super predatory and super gross. most of those kids probably felt like they didn't have any other choice. i don't know where that leaves any of us, but i think it's important to keep in mind.

Comments

@clarke.griffin

[strove]

That means that the soldiers weren't cloned and made. There's a way to trace where they come from. It shoots down some of our theories, but we may want to stop assuming everything is cloned at this point.

[It's pretty much the third time they've run with a theory like that, as far as she can tell.]

Another thing. The soldiers aren't discharged. They join up for life.

@katelin.philips

[covertness]

i tested the blood of one

[ thanks, prompto ]

and it came back completely normal human
which confirms your point

@eugenides.attolis

[kleptocratic]

Do you think they might be turned?

@hafid.alghul

[batricide]

It's a common recruitment tactic for most militaries. A seemingly easy out for poverty, meaning a lot will sign on with no questions asked to either provide for their families or escape the same fate.
Are there recruitment drives at schools or education centers?

@clarke.griffin

[strove]

Schooling is all done online, so it may be through intermissions for specific types of kids.

[fledges]

[Oh, Damian.]

what clarke said.
i'm not ruling out the super gross possibility that recruiting is done at hospitals or by social workers too, but i don't have any proof of that.

@loki.odinson

[selfimage]

Ah- the stench of exploitation.
So, is there any idea of what happens when they do get older? Joining for life and all, I'm aware that there's only so long one can remain in fighting condition.

[ from a mortal standpoint, anyway. ]

@clarke.griffin

[strove]

My impression is that no one really knew anyone to ask. To see how they're doing.

And we've seen them. How often do you think anyone actually does do that?

[fledges]

apparently once someone joins up, they cut all contact with their friends and family, so i have no idea.

@heine.rammsteiner

[whitehair]

yeah no shit
evil mastermind always uses poor kids didn't you know that

[fledges]

point
but we weren't really sure how complicit the soldiers were.
i guess you can argue they still are, but i think a little more sympathy is in order, considering the circumstances.

[strove]

Or those they've kept beneath them. It's a common tactic. They're the ones always willing to sacrifice themselves.

@x'rhun.tia

[verflair]

'Tis a common tactic, insofar as recruiting goes. I have seen similar in my own world, right down to the altered behavior.

[fledges]

really? what sort of altered behavior have you seen back home?

[strove]

I know it well, too. There was a way to "rescue" some people from it there. But it involved chemical dependency. Something tells me these people are beyond that.

@giovanni.rammsteiner

[ofobedience]

Nothing unusual there then, though the 'kids' seem a bit old for recruitment. I'd be surprised if they lived to see their thirties.

[fledges]

16 is old?

[strove]

All of this world is gloss. They like to pretend that everyone has a good thing.

@ignis.scientia

[cheffeur]

It's not altogether unimaginable. After all, who would choose to sign up? Certainly not someone who sees themselves as able to achieve something more on their own.

Of course there are likely instances of those attracted to the idea of power or combat itself, but more often it's likely seen as a means to secure a livelihood. There's plenty of people here in New Amsterdam who even lack residences. I'm sure the promise of a stable living arrangement, no worries about food, and a taste of authority was plenty enough to tempt those who had never felt secure in any of those things, as you said above.

However, you mention 'keeping it in mind'. What do you mean by that? Because as unfortunate as the situation is, if there's another raid on a group of people and we take action, any hesitancy or pity given for your enemy's circumstance will likely not be returned in kind.

[fledges]

i don't mean anything that extreme.
i just want us all to remember that we're all people here, and these might be kids who felt backed into a corner.

[strove]

You're right, but we should choose our enemies wisely. It may not be prudent to go after them in a way that humanizes them, but it also shows their lack of power. Strategically, they may not be anything more than a tool of our real enemy.

Unfortunately, I don't think pitying them could help us. They're a part of the system that's made this world what it is.

@nill.klein

[culver]

They are recruited, not just taken?

[fledges]

yep
it's less force and more coercion

[strove]

They like to dress things up here to look nicer than it is.

@matches.malone

[reneger]

sixteen, huh
so they give them enough time to develop a sense of self before going ham
least there's that

[fledges]

i love your glass half full attitude