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IcePickLobotomy

Rhinestone Days: Envoy Meeting Pt2 and Talking with the Muhi

IcePickLobotomy
Feb 15th, 2016
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  1. [22:13] IcePickLobotomy "You have heard correctly, our security forces clashed with a group calling themselves "the Children of Seth"." Polzin pours himself a glass of water "We drove them off and destroyed their carrier, at the moment we are considering the merits of further action against them."
  2. [22:19] Arkalest Waverider does something rsembling a wobbling nod. "Yes."
  3. [22:19] Arkalest "They kind of /are/ useless human refuse."
  4. [22:20] Arkalest Muhir smiles apologetically at the two Unionists, but nevertheless nods. "Well, that is....A somewhat impolite way of putting it, but yes. As you may have guessed we did have some problems with them."
  5. [22:22] IcePickLobotomy "Considering how long they appear to have been active, I would be surprised if they hadn't run afoul of everyone in this region by now."
  6. [22:23] Arkalest "Which brings me to the topic at hand-" The woman joins her hands. "i am afraid they may be sponsored by someone with interests."
  7. [22:25] IcePickLobotomy "I see." He steeples his hands.
  8. [22:39] Arkalest "This region was never stable, and the natives have been colonizing it en masse only for two centuries or so." She tilts her head forward- Speaking Martian with a soft Anglican accent
  9. [22:40] IcePickLobotomy Polzin nods, carefully paying attention.
  10. [22:42] Arkalest "But the Sethites are a....Recent problem. Now, mind you..." Her hands folded in her lap, Muhir quirks her lips. "This is what I have found out by sifting throug the local data streams. They appearently entered the scene 30 years ago."
  11. [22:42] IcePickLobotomy "Older than rumor's indicated."
  12. [22:44] Arkalest She opens her hands in a shrug. "Those are not wrong."
  13. [22:45] Arkalest "As far as I could tell, ships with golden and red paintjobs and no IFF or comms matching the description of some of the Sethtite machines were spotted fairly regularly, starting 30 Rhinestone years ago- But they were never hostile, and fled upon being detected."
  14. [22:45] Arkalest "Scouts", hisses Waverider.
  15. [22:46] Arkalest Her voice is incredibly melodious- Like a modulated song sung by an alto. Her accent is..:Weird, but there are traces of Anglican pronnciation there.
  16. [22:48] Arkalest "Scouts, or an attack vanguard. "The Sun Surya tilts her head forward as well. "See, those methods. They are similar in nature to these we have seen in similar enclaves of pirates in the origin system.
  17. [22:48] Arkalest Her mouth barely moves when she speaks- And she has joined her spindly hands together in a sort of praying motion.
  18. [22:50] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@369B0C48.7BC8BA85.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  19. [22:52] IcePickLobotomy "There are rumors that they are renegades from Sol. If they were pirates there, then the similarity in tactics could be explained that way."
  20. [22:52] Arkalest "Ah, but see- That's the problem."
  21. [22:54] Arkalest Sandra crosses her legs. "Pirate groups are often bankrolled by other factions- Either that, or they are born out of disperation or a desire fore freedom. Pirates tend to choose more....Plentiful hunting grounds. So why come to Rhinestone, of all places?"
  22. [22:55] Arkalest "If the quality of their machinery is anything to go by, they don't need to constantly raid us in order to accrue provisions- And as you probably heard, they only hit high-tech targets."
  23. [22:55] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 124 seconds)
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  25. [22:57] Arkalest "of course" she adds with a shrug. "They may be complemeting their economy by selling their loot to other factions."
  26. [22:57] IcePickLobotomy "Or are looking for something, or attempting to augment their own technological base."
  27. [22:58] IcePickLobotomy "But they quite clearly have a degree of self-sufficiency and established infrastructural base."
  28. [22:59] Arkalest A nd from Muhir. "They feel like me. People on a mission."
  29. [23:00] IcePickLobotomy "The construction of their carrier is clearly military in style." he nods "We can't reject that feeling out of hand either."
  30. [23:00] |<-- Yezara has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  31. [23:02] Arkalest She nods again. "We as a whole would like to help."
  32. [23:05] IcePickLobotomy "A generous offer. We had planned on reaching out to the others in the area, if we decide that further action is required." He smiles "Considering the Union's history and thoughts on piracy, it is very likely that further action will be taken."
  33. [23:09] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 127 seconds)
  34. [23:11] Arkalest "The Suryas can offer their expertise when it comes to ships and other aereospatial matters, and I have contacts with people who may be abloe to analyze any Sethite technology.2
  35. [23:13] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@DF2AECBC.62481F5A.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  36. [23:14] IcePickLobotomy "And the Union will contribute it's military and industrial efforts to destroying the Sethites in such a arrangement."
  37. [23:19] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  38. [23:19] Arkalest "There is also the matter of, ah, proselytism on my part." y.SHe smiles apologeticall
  39. [23:21] IcePickLobotomy "Oh?" Polzin sounds curious "That sounds interesting, I assume you wish to explain?"
  40. [23:23] Arkalest Muhir leans back on her chair. "I am interested in..How do you say? The....ah, yes..The "proper" usage of Builder technology, and in campaigning a more moderate, thoughful way of interacting with it in generl."
  41. [23:24] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@B88F4C14.62481F5A.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  42. [23:25] IcePickLobotomy "Considering the risks involved with Builder technology, a healthy respect for it is only prudent."
  43. [23:26] Arkalest She taps her fingers together. "The....Spiritual aspects of such an approach is something I would not want to bore you with, but yes. We both have seen that at length."
  44. [23:26] IcePickLobotomy "Ah, but such aspects are what interest me personally. Perhaps later when we are done with buisness?"
  45. [23:27] IcePickLobotomy *business
  46. [23:30] Arkalest Another nod, and a thin smile.
  47. [23:30] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  48. [23:37] Arkalest The Sun Surya raises a hand. "Speaking of our own interests, we'd wish to place some of our experts here."
  49. [23:39] IcePickLobotomy "That can be arranged without trouble. There is a small fee, dependent on the size of the facilities you request, but it just to cover the cost of installation." He forwards the application file outlining the process and requirements.
  50. [23:41] Arkalest There's a split second in which the posthuman analyzes the file- And then she does her canting nod again. "very well."
  51. [23:42] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@D9781634.7BC8BA85.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  52. [23:42] IcePickLobotomy "However the matter at hand, on proper usage of Builder technology?"
  53. [23:44] Arkalest "Yes?"
  54. [23:46] IcePickLobotomy "What exactly do you envision when you suggest a more moderate and thoughtful interaction with the technology."
  55. [23:48] Arkalest "First of all, a more....Moderate approach to the m atter of retrieving Devices from Builder ruins. Secondly, the idea that some sort of initiative based on the study of long term effects of builder technology should be founded."
  56. [23:49] IcePickLobotomy Polzin nods thoughtfully.
  57. [23:49] Arkalest "There are some things not even our current technology level can map...Or at least, not without the help of Builder technology itself." She joins her hands. "I am talking about ineractions between physical forces, changes to DNA and the like"-
  58. [23:50] Arkalest "Things the effects of which we will see i hundreds, thousands of years. "
  59. [23:51] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  60. [23:53] IcePickLobotomy Polzin leans back and closes his eyes. He listens to the eternal humm and murmur of the Union's Network, letting himself slip into it for a brief moment, submerging himself within the society as a whole. He opens his eyes and takes a breath "While I would need to put it to a vote, the long term effects of builder technology upon people is something that the Union should be rather concerned with."
  61. [23:55] Arkalest "We seldom remember the true scope of Builder technology." She closes her eyes as well, hands still joined. "We seldom remember that we are dealing with something that may or may not predate the human race as a whole."
  62. [23:55] Arkalest Waverider doesn't seem to be too interested in this- She has taen to scanning the room with her eyes, blinking slowly.
  63. [23:56] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@C268BA42.62481F5A.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  64. [00:00] IcePickLobotomy Polzin hums in agreement. "As for our recovery and treatment of Builder technology, I cannot promise anything, nor agree to anything binding at the moment, but if you would like to forward me the details for review I can pass it on to the relevant parties within the Union for further consideration by those better suited to that than I."
  65. [00:03] Arkalest The woman sends poltzin a hefty package, containing several dozen proposals- All revolving around Builder technology studies.
  66. [00:04] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  67. [00:04] IcePickLobotomy Polzin forwards it to the public network, and ensures that the other department heads get a copy personally. "Thank you, I promise that we will review it and consider the merits of changing our own protocols in light of your suggestions."
  68. [00:15] Arkalest ----------
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  71. [00:17] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 124 seconds)
  72. [00:18] Arkalest Trotsky's Trough was the kind of place you went to when you were tired of being able to taste things with your minds. Low ceiling with antique neon lights- Some said they hd been pilfered from one of the first Martian watering holes ever- Fake smartwood walls, covered in pictures and holos of WU ships- A counter made out of some metal- Some say it's titanium, othes think a melted-down Soyuz...
  73. [00:18] Arkalest ...spaceship.
  74. [00:18] Arkalest Trotsky's Trough was, in fact, /the/ place to get smashed in, or so the network had told Sandra.
  75. [00:19] Arkalest And after two glasses of something that tasted, smelled and went down as easily as nanogel mixed with antifreeze, she was inclined to agree with the general consensus.
  76. [00:20] Arkalest The barstool under her wasn't exactly ice-cold, but it was almsot certainly not as warm as..Well, a lot of things. She sighed, swallowing another finger of bluish, semi-cold goop- And one of the orange mechanical arm of the barista swung into view.
  77. [00:22] IcePickLobotomy Polzin wanders into the Trough having dealt with a long discussion with the other committe heads, and after a particularly heated exchange with Epsilon, he was looking for something strong. He slumps into a stool. "Strongest rot-gut you have Comrade. It's been a long day."
  78. [00:24] Arkalest The barista swings around- Twelve roboarms clacking as she mixes something that looks like ocean seawater mixed in with raw petroil and smells about as good. She plops the liquid into a durastell pitcher, sliding it across the bar to Polzin.
  79. [00:24] Arkalest Muhir blinks at the sight of the man, and casually coughs.
  80. [00:25] IcePickLobotomy He downs it without hesitation and sighs, feeling the buzz of inhibition begin. " . . . Ah hello! Didn't expect to see you here Mz. Muhir, but it's not a unpleasant surprise."
  81. [00:27] Arkalest "Evening." She doesn't bother to open up her profile- Merely ushering him closer with a sweeping gesture. "So."
  82. [00:27] Arkalest "You wanted to know more about the, ah, Contemplation?"
  83. [00:28] IcePickLobotomy "If you do not mind. Part of why I hold the position I do is a love for leaning about other cultures and societies."
  84. [00:30] Arkalest The woman looks down into her drink and slams it down in one go- Throwing her head down. "MMh." She licks her lips. "so...Where do I start?"
  85. [00:30] IcePickLobotomy "Perhaps with the importance of Builder technology? It appears that has some spiritual aspects to you."
  86. [00:31] Arkalest "It's....Do you mind if I switch to Anglican? I am more comfortable with that language"
  87. [00:31] IcePickLobotomy "No not at all."
  88. [00:32] Arkalest "Mmmh-mmh."
  89. [00:32] Arkalest "It is.......Kinda hard to /not/ see a spiritual side to it." She taps the glass. "Have you ever been inside a builder ruin?"
  90. [00:33] IcePickLobotomy He shakes his head. "No, access to them is heavily restricted. I don't have the qualifications to enter one myself."
  91. [00:34] Arkalest "Lucky you. "
  92. [00:35] Arkalest Muhir leans back on her stool. "It's.....An experience. Do you have places of worship here?"
  93. [00:36] IcePickLobotomy "A few, but they are mostly private affairs. Faith and spirituality are not very common within the Union, and those that have either tend to keep it to themselves."
  94. [00:39] |<-- ckk185 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  95. [00:39] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@B677A3C.7BC8BA85.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  96. [00:41] Arkalest "I went down to Earth, once. Nearly..A century or so ago."
  97. [00:41] Arkalest "To London- And...I saw a place of worship, there- An abbey. Sweeaping, tall ceilings. Columns. The light pouring in from glass windows. "She shakes her head.
  98. [00:42] Arkalest "Acoustic and visual tricks that trigger specific parts of the brain- Architectural choices that make you feel small..."
  99. [00:42] Arkalest "Now.." Sandra silently orders another drink." Imagine that."
  100. [00:42] Arkalest "A thousand times more."
  101. [00:46] IcePickLobotomy He swirls his drink. "Some of our comrades in the military helped secure a builder ruin recently. I will to have to ask them about it and see if it is the same." He nods to himself "It is perhaps a bit beyond my means of imagination, but I do not doubt that it is a powerful thing."
  102. [00:46] Arkalest "A thousand times more, and a thousand times more ineplicable. It's the angles, the way light streams in, the way your inner ear is influenced by subtle gravitational shift and inclinations."
  103. [00:47] Arkalest She nods. "And they would have experienced something even if they had altered sensors....And in fact, having extended sensorial capabilities makes the whole experience more harrowing."
  104. [00:48] IcePickLobotomy "Harrowing?"
  105. [00:49] Arkalest "Well, yes. It depends on the ruin's composition. I....Merely was struck by awe."
  106. [00:49] Arkalest She lowers her head. "Well, one of me did. "
  107. [00:50] Arkalest "And to be clear: I don't think the builders are gods. It is just......They had to have some sort of....Insight into the universe to.....Create such things."
  108. [00:50] IcePickLobotomy "Something that is more than just the material they created?"
  109. [00:51] Arkalest "Yes. And what is more harrowing than looking into their creations is that we have no idea of their culture."
  110. [00:52] IcePickLobotomy He nods. "And all that implies about how they conducted themselves, about how they would view us."
  111. [00:52] IcePickLobotomy "Or if they're technology is a gift, a trap, or nothing more than ruins."
  112. [00:53] Arkalest "Or a test. Or simply a fluke- Nothing more than a happy accident we stumbled upon."
  113. [00:54] IcePickLobotomy He nods again and considers his drink a moment before drinking a fair measure of it.
  114. [00:54] Arkalest The woman sips her drink again. "And that's where my belief comes in. I think that in a way, there's.....Far more than we can think of to be gained from contemplating our relationship wit the Builders."
  115. [00:57] Arkalest "Moreover, if this technology /is/ a gift or a test, we need ways to find how to use it....."
  116. [00:59] IcePickLobotomy "And a way to use said technology responsibly." He nods "That at least, will find very little objection within the Union. We saw first hand the horrors of Sol."
  117. [00:59] Arkalest "Is thre anything more about this I can tell you? if not.." The barista refills her drink, and you see Muhir nod gratefully- Reaching for a pouch o her sai.
  118. [01:00] Arkalest "Nah. 'S on the house, ma'm."
  119. [01:00] Arkalest Sandra nods yet again, and waits for you to speak up.
  120. [01:01] IcePickLobotomy "Yes actually. Why are you so sure that this insight is a positive one? All that is left of the Builders is ruins, what's to say that this insight lead to their doom? A uh, truth that they were never meant to know, so to speak."
  121. [01:01] IcePickLobotomy "I don't mean any offense, I'm simply curious."
  122. [01:03] Arkalest "Even if it was something that led to their doom- And let's be frank." She lowers the glass. "There is no reason to not think that, especially considering....."A circular gesture. "Everything so far.."
  123. [01:03] IcePickLobotomy "True."
  124. [01:03] Arkalest "It does not mean that we can not yet learn from their experiences. Sure, it may be a...Well....Bit." The woman subtly cringes. "Too..Late for a lot of us, but still.."
  125. [01:05] IcePickLobotomy "As you say, there is no real reason to think that it will lead to doom, madness, etc." he chuckles to himself "And even if it does, it's not as though anyone would notice at this point."
  126. [01:05] Arkalest "And trust me." Another swig. "I have it on good authority that if they did wipe themselves, they did so in a rather understated way."
  127. [01:06] IcePickLobotomy "My understanding is that you are rather authoritative when it comes to the Builders, so I have no reason to doubt you."
  128. [01:08] Arkalest "I've been studying them for more than a century and a half now, and I am.....Somewhat sure that I am one of the oldest authorities on the subject, barring Selenites."
  129. [01:08] Arkalest She looks down. "..........Mostly by dint of all the rest of us dying.."
  130. [01:09] Arkalest "But...Anyway, the Contemplation was founded on the idea of trying to find a sort of....Peace in the act of looking at the Builders."
  131. [01:10] IcePickLobotomy He nods. "If nothing else, the universe would be a better place if more had similar ideals."
  132. [01:11] Arkalest "Right now, I am in talks with the Demetrians."
  133. [01:12] IcePickLobotomy "Oh? I'm not familiar with them."
  134. [01:12] Arkalest She says this apropops of nothing, and then looks down. "They are a bit....More receptible to the spiritual side of things."
  135. [01:12] Arkalest "That's not your fault. They are a posthuman civilization living on Demeter. Builder-tech rejecters, with a knack for commerce.."
  136. [01:13] IcePickLobotomy He nods, unoffended.
  137. [01:13] |<-- scya has left irc.systemnet.info (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
  138. [01:15] Arkalest "And that's the thing. The Contemplation didn't exactly get many members in Sol and Tajira."
  139. [01:16] Arkalest "In fact, I am still the most numerous part of it, I think'"
  140. [01:18] IcePickLobotomy He nods again, not quite sure what to say.
  141. [01:19] Arkalest She looks at him"You are not familiar with distributed intelligences, are you?"
  142. [01:21] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
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  144. [01:22] IcePickLobotomy He shakes his head.
  145. [01:24] Arkalest "But you do have a constant network, do you?"
  146. [01:25] IcePickLobotomy "Yes, all members of the Union are networked together, though to what extant we interact with it varies based on the individual's comfort."
  147. [01:26] IcePickLobotomy "Very few of us actually interact with the entirety of the network at once."
  148. [01:27] Arkalest "Well, I am always......It's..Kind of hard to explain. It is basically shared consciousness, in a way. We all are equally Sandra Muhir."
  149. [01:28] IcePickLobotomy "I suppose it would be as hard for you to explain to me, as it would be for me to explain to someone what being apart of the Union is like if they had never been networked with something larger than themselves."
  150. [01:29] IcePickLobotomy "Or harder."
  151. [01:30] Arkalest A slow nod. "Networed intelligences and...Mmmmh...You do have sentient and sapient AIs, do you?"
  152. [01:30] IcePickLobotomy "Yes. Two of my fellow department heads are AIs."
  153. [01:32] |<-- ckk1857 has left irc.systemnet.info (Ping timeout: 123 seconds)
  154. [01:33] Arkalest "I also worked and networked with some of them- Even helped nurture a few.2
  155. [01:36] IcePickLobotomy He nods, and dismisses a message from one of his clerks. He's off work and in the middle of a conversation.
  156. [01:36] =-= Spucklefutz is now known as Shinaobi
  157. [01:38] Arkalest "In fact, my original field of research was related to the Builder ruins'......Mmmh...You probably don't know what they are made of, do you?"
  158. [01:39] IcePickLobotomy He shakes his head and smiles ruefully. "No, my experience with Builder technology mostly pertains to negations revolving around it."
  159. [01:40] =-= Pale_Wolf is now known as WolfieBed
  160. [01:42] Arkalest "They are made of quantum matrices- A self-replicating material that ca slowly rebuild itself into things like circuitry."
  161. [01:46] Arkalest "it's one of the things that kickstarted the development of true strong AIs, in a way. The ArchAItects are partially derived from such a technology, and so is the current ship I use, the Contemplation."
  162. [01:46] -->| ckk1857 (AndChat294@8AD023F5.7BC8BA85.8C0EBC76.IP) has joined #Adeva3IC
  163. [01:46] Arkalest She runs a finger across the rime of her glass. "We built it by creating a matrix of smartmatter based on the evolutive patterns of trees"
  164. [01:46] IcePickLobotomy "Ah, so that's why it was able to morph the way it did."
  165. [01:49] IcePickLobotomy (Redacting last line.)
  166. [01:50] IcePickLobotomy Polzin nods slowly, not quite sure what that actually means but listening attentively all the same.
  167. [01:52] Arkalest "Basically it layers one strata of computing matter over another.2
  168. [01:52] IcePickLobotomy "Ah, ok."
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