>>5436380The agents of Catcher Corporation and members of Red Winter have waited a long time for a chance to destroy their competitors’ public image.
With a portion of their security forces acting as ‘advisors’ for the bandits tonight, it becomes easier to breach previously secure locations.
The rivalry between birdmen and sea serpents is as old as Sablestream itself, due to Birdmen being chosen over the serpents as messengers for deities. Because both have unique byproducts and specialties, it’s not uncommon for knowledge to be shared.
However, any goodwill goes out the window when trophies commemorating defeats of past wars are being worshipped.
Smear campaigns and misinformation have always been an essential part in those two kids’ success, anyways, so they are naturally suited to it.
Trinkets, statues, and artwork depicting sea serpents triumph and celebrations of avian death are carefully planted in rarely used lockers and desks.
For unsuccessful infiltrations, they frame it as vigilante action against sea serpent supporters, by damaging the objects they brought.
For the next following months, a few news publishers and well known figures are nudged into talking about the situation, making sure that rumors of Owl Eyes and Forked Spear employees being serpent supporters are not easily forgotten.
Of course, certain things are also fabricated to increase vitriol amongst the people. Sexual misconduct? Corruption?
Disloyalty towards the monarchy?
The public readily believes them due to the naturally shady behavior of slave firms and this recent revelation.
To keep the public on Catchers Corps side, they nudged news publishers to write about the corporation positively, portraying them as the underdogs, struggling against crime and fixing the damage done by past members.
Within half a year, Forked Spear had to turn to security work and private investigation to keep the company afloat.
Owl Eyes manage to survive, mainly due their primary customers being foreigners, who don’t really care about the politics of laborers.
However, this shift has some consequences towards those adjacent to the companies.
(Cont)
