“I am here to save the day!”
— Captain Chaos
Meet the Incompetents
Hunters do not arrive fully formed, in possession of all the skills and competencies they need to fulfil the Covenant’s mission successfully. There can be frustration when desire to get out and save the world exceeds the Covenant’s trust in someone’s ability to do just that.
Captain Chaos felt just such a frustration when he stole a file from the Mission Control Desk, where it was awaiting triage and assignment to a Hunter team. Along with Phil Nhiles the engineering student on a placement in Merlin’s workshop, and recent recruit James Burke, a chronologically-misplaced 17th century privateer, they took their provisional IDs and went hunting.
The case was death by computer game. Phil managed to alienate every single person who could have offered them any useful information by insisting that his Covenant ID (provisional) meant he outranked anyone in a uniform. Regardless, with the help of police K9 Brutus and his handler Daisy Fisher, they tracked the fae technomancer IRIDESSA to her factory, where she had some of the townspeople enthralled and carrying out the ritual to create enchanted USB sticks. These were distributed via pupils at the local school, with the help of Iridessa’s Black Phooka, who was mimicking people the children trusted — imaginary friends, celebrities, YouTube stars, and anyone else who could influence them.
The team trapped Iridessa using a powerful electromagnet normally used for shifting machinery around the factory floor. Captain Chaos attempted to make her promise to leave and never return, which she refused on the basis that she could not promise not to do something if her Lady subsequently required it of her. She also said she would tell her Lady about the the affront to her person. Having dispatched Iridessa and freed the townsfolk, the team burned the rest of the USB sticks and closed down the factory.
If Iridessa is acting on the word of Queen Maedhbh, and her mission involved harming humans, this raises very serious questions about the Sìth queen’s attitude towards humans. Why would the Sìth do this, knowing that the Covenant would have to investigate? Or does something happen at the Mission Control Desk to protect them? When C sent the team to Abersky, it was with express instructions to verify and do nothing more (although the chances of the team she sent leaving well alone where slim to none). How is it that the Sìth can limit how far the Covenant pries into their affairs when it comes to how they interact with humans? And, if they are truly allies, why would they?