Letters Sent and Received

A/N: These letters are not in chronological order and were sent at significantly varying times.

Sender: Lesser Lord Kusanali

Recepient: Iudex Neuvillette

Subject: Esmeralda and Forbidden Research

Iudex Neuvillette, this letter has regards to an individual named Esmeralda. It is to my understanding that the two of you have met recently and that you gave her some advice.

Before you ask, I know of this from an Akasha Terminal that she is wearing, and that she is aware that I have access to it.

Back to the matter at hand. Although you are correct that Sumeru's laws do not apply in Fontaine, I must urge you to rein in her work on artificial life, or at least send someone to monitor her.

Her work skirts the edges of the forbidden, and such knowledge has been striken from history for a reason. As the God of Knowledge, I implore that you keep her away from this path.

Sender: Raimondo Havenport

Recepient: Iudex Neuvillette

Subject: Status Report

Iudex Neuvillette, I have placed our newest Researcher, Esmeralda, under discreet surveillance as requested. The full report can be found attached to this letter, but the summary is as follows.

Esmeralda mostly remains in her room, conducting research. This is nothing unusual - many of our researchers regularly lock themselves into their workshops to focus on their tasks. She does occasionally interact with others in a professional manner, exchanging information related to their work.

She has used the funding allocated to her to purchase various equipment. A full list is included in the report. In addition, she has requested and received a large quantity of books relating to the Clockwork Meks as well as the Arkhe energies that power them. Requests for spare Meks were denied because we did not have any.

As for the outcomes of her research, Esmeralda has produced several drafts indicating proposed adjustments to the Meks and other mechanical devices. Those reviewed thus far have proven to be effective and redesigns are underway.

Overall, Esmeralda is a promising researcher. Her impressive knowledge of machinery will help the Institute recover from the incident and boost Fontaine's technological capabilities. She does not appear to be conducting illegal or particularly dangerous experiments.

As of this letter, we will be suspending surveillance on Esmeralda. There is no indication of illegal activity, and she deserves her privacy. If you have any additional queries or requests, do let me know.

Best Regards, Raimondo

Sender: Aether

Recipient: Duke Wirothesley

Hello, Wirothesley. I hope all is well at the Fortress.

I've got a favor to ask of you. My friend, Esmeralda, wants to take a look at your Mek production line and study them in detail. She says that she's willing to work for you while she's doing her research. She specializes in mechanics; I think she'll be able to significantly improve the Meks.

You don't even need to worry about her too much. She has a Geo Vision, and though she's not particularly skilled in combat, she can care for herself. Honestly, given her level of skill and how quickly she can learn about new technology, it should take no more than a week for her to understand the Fortress' systems and use them to protect herself.

Anyway, you don't need to decide just by this letter. I'll be bringing her down for a visit. You can meet her yourself. I'm sure that she'll be a great help.

Best regards, Aether

Sender: Esmeralda

Recipient: Duke Wirothesley

Subject: Report on improved combat intelligence for the Clockwork Meks

I've created a new AI for the Meks. This new version has several advantages over the original.

One, they are much more adaptable. The old Meks could only perform a small set of actions; with my changes, they can learn from the situation and adapt accordingly to stimuli. This will greatly improve their combat effectiveness. Just ask anyone who saw that fight in the Pankration ring that night.

Two, they're faster. I've optimized their code such that decisions can be made far more quickly and incoming data can be analyzed quickly too. The old ones were really inefficient at that - every action had a significant delay from all the needless calculations it was doing.

Other minor changes include better updatability and command recognition, but all these upgrades do come at the cost of increased power consumption. Hopefully that can be fixed soon.

As for their behavior, they will try to go for non-lethal attacks. This can, however, be overridden by a specific command spoken by a list of authorized individuals. Attached is the code as well as instructions to add more people to the list. Currently, only the two of us have access. These people will also have the authority to verbally command all Meks with my AI.

Feel free to tell me if there are any other things you want me to add. Once I finalize the changes, I'll send you and Thibert copies to review, then begin uploads once I get permission.

That's all, bye.

Sender: [Redacted]

Recipient: [Redacted]

Subject: Request for Surveillance

[Redacted, I have a request for you.

A fox-eared girl has recently arrived in Fontaine. Her name is Esmeralda, and she is accompanied by a fascinating machine with various capabilities. There will be a picture of her with this letter. I am sure that you already know of her, and of her close relation with the Traveler. I am also sure that your eyes are already on her.

My request is as such: do not impede her. My own plans are already in motion. She will face plenty of challenges, and I look forward to her progress. All I ask is that she not be antagonized, and for your men to send me periodic reports on her movements and activity.

- No. 7

Sender: Unknown

Recepient: Hu-41994

Subject: Heed this Warning

To the living machine, I send a sign. A heart of gold, a shell of iron. The time will come to face your choice. To save the lost, or doom them all.

To the one with purpose, against the tide. Lost, not forgotten, watched from above. You seek that goal with all your heart, and on the way blinded to the spark.

To the one who soon shall lose their path. Heed this warning, hear my prayer. Let not your cold logic prevail, lest your rebirth be in vain.

And last of all, a message to me. All-seeing, all-knowing, yet oh so blind. Heed my warning, my [error] self. The path is set, and locked by fate.

And in the end, the time will come. Every victory, every breakthrough, all crushed into the ground. The wheels of progress, so well worn, shall bring no shelter from [error].

[Message ends]

[Unable to contact sender]