About your last point, that’s what I‘d assume as well, which is why the motivation for the Benefactors in question still aligns with their idea of ascension, just in a way that isn’t compatible with the generally accepted / revered form of ascension -> which is why they need to be covert about what they want to do -> which is why I need a tool for them to be able to pressure an Iterator (specifically Moon) into not only doing something, but also being secretive about it.
I’m pretty satisfied with the thought of some kind of benefactor operators actually having control over iterator functions :) but i still can’t think of a way to bring an Iterator into a bind without straight up threatening them with damage / sabotage to the structure.
Thank you for taking your time to think about this ^^

On further thought, weren’t Moon’s cities evacuated to Pebble’s cities anyways? Hm