[quote=@Thanqol]"You know this facility doubles as a spaceship, right?" said Professor Gears. "Or - [i]technically [/i]it doubles as a submarine, but I reckon I can get it up to spaceship functionality. They're basically the same technology. Anyway, what I'm saying is, do you want to go to space? Mars is terraformed, albeit occupied by hostile robots. I can set up a dimensional internet port. It'll be great!"

There's definitely a little waver on that final note. She's more trying to convince herself than you.
[/quote]

"Is Mars more survivable than the Aegis-Blacksun merger? Probably." She agrees cheerfully. "But that'd mean we'd be over there, and not over here, helping fix the problem. Which is going to be an issue if nobody else fixes the problem, and they come after the Gears projects on Mars. Which they would, by the way, with that much power they're going to consolidate everything under one roof within two decades and then we and Sylvanas are the two groups that aren't under their control, and anybody who's driven to do this to themselves for more power," she gestures out the window, "isn't going to stop with one planet, not while there's somebody else out there to rule. SO, that's the first reason not to run."

She takes a deep breath. "The second is that I want to help. My friends are out there dealing with something. Sara's had a run of all of her doubles going at her, Euna's gone dark, Victor's on the run. And disregarding the personal aspect, there's about to be the worst version of a totalitarian society seen, ever, and I don't think I could walk away from that and stay myself. Halfwoman asked me if I wanted to leave, too, and I would love to see Mars, and I'd have loved to go with her and see the multiverse too. But I have to try to help people here, first. If you want to go still, that's understandable, if a little disappointing. If you want to help, however... a flying lab with all of Gear's defense projects, that's going to be a bit of a nightmare to deal with." She grins, vicious.