Life2.0 - a Broken Shackles Narrative

[CBR JGWRR]

"The Sinews Of War, Part 3"
27th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

"I do like the dress Rivkah."

I laugh, I hadn't changed out of it. "So do I actually, I'm getting used to it. Look, I've been consulting with my engineers. I need to know some specifics on power generation and usage for your ships."

"I'm supposed to say that's classified."

"I'll get you a nude of my Mum."

At first her eyes light up. But... "As much as I want it, I know your mother wouldn't approve. Besides, your uncle warned me you and his wife were thinking of using an animatronic of her to seduce me." She's still smiling.

"And?"

"I'm told it convinced your father?"

"Yes."

Her hand lingers over her middle, eyes closed. "Oh I could have a lot of fun with that..." She sighs. "No, I mustn't. Breathe. In." Her nose sucks in, she exhales out her mouth. "Ok, let's focus. What exactly do you want to know?"

"We've got ideas for taking down his strikecraft and his carriers. But we need to know shield energies to work out how big we have to scale the weapons to be. We also need to know the power ratings for your ship-board zero point reactors."

"The numbers are big enough that we use a separate scale for them... I'm just thinking through the conversion factors." She walks around the room, stroking her chin. Looks back at me. "Help a sister out. What do you guys use again?"

"The Human SI units and scales."

"Ok." She fiddles with her wrist tablet. "So, the zero-point reactors don't scale down very well. They can extract a huge amount of energy, but the control systems are extremely sophisticated, so they aren't really a benefit in terms of power produced."

"So why use them then?"

"No fuel required. Only maintenance to ensure everything is at the correct tolerances. They are much safer than other reactors."

"How much energy?"

She does a few more taps. "Our service reactors for ships are around three gigawatts up to fourty gigawatts or so. I think."

"We could do that with nuclear fission."

She looks at me. "And irradiate yourselves? Are you that desperate?" She suddenly looks horrified. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"You're forgiven. Mum's on record as saying she'd rather have no hair and win."

Her eyes dart around the room, her body recoiling slightly. "Did I treat her that badly?"

I decide to twist the dagger a little. "I haven't asked about you specifically. I do know you were doing the sixty nine thing with her when you dumped Valerius, so I think you aren't as bad as some."

There's a long pause. She looks at her feet. "Did she tell you, or him?"

"Mum. After it was discussed that Valerius thought of you as his first Mrs Albanius. I asked what happened."

Appia's face is a very weird shade of purple. She gulps. "I... Never thought I'd end up discussing that recording with her daughter." She looks at me, and smiles. "Still, she was so good at it that I knew I'd never want a man again."

I smile back. "Yet Mum and Dad have gone on a romantic break, and well, having grown up with my parents, I know very well the sound of a Human woman enjoying her husband's tongue..."

She laughs. "Well played, I walked right into that."

I laugh too. She stops. "Being serious for a moment, thank you for telling me the information I need."

Her head tilts. "What exactly are you guys planning?"

I smile. "That's classified."

She unclasps her dress. Her skin is very smooth. "Please?"

"Appia... You are... Way too hairless for that to work on me."

She bursts with laughter.

 

[Macavity116]

your uncle warned me you and his wife were thinking of using an animatronic of her to seduce me." She's still smiling.

I think Appia is secretly cursing Thando and wishing he kept his mouth shut.

Mum's on record as saying she'd rather have no hair and win.

There's that "win at any cost" mentality again.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

I think Appia is secretly cursing Thando and wishing he kept his mouth shut.

Not that she'd ever admit it; she knows what he's capable of.

There's that "win at any cost" mentality again.

Yes. Can she really be blamed for that though?

 

[HistoryDude]

Well, that was an amusing update.

How much uninhabited land is left on Unity? Could they use that to make those reactors via nuclear fission?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Well, that was an amusing update.

How much uninhabited land is left on Unity? Could they use that to make those reactors via nuclear fission?

Initial population was only about a million, so even with Naomi's extremely pro-child policies - parenting treated as a full-time career for worker dividend if you homeschool and pro-rated if they attend a community education program while you work, abortion banned, contraception banned, IVF free at point of use, Gene Clinic hybridisation development free at point of use - they'll be at best around the ten million mark, overwhelmingly children or young adults in the case of the fastest growing species.

Cloning is legal, but subject to the restriction that a clone is considered legally and morally a person in their own right, which has discouraged private development of cloning technology.

Population of Neumanns is harder to estimate of course as those have different production constraints., but the current bottleneck for them is Engenerator time.

Unity had survey data available from the slave ship, so resource exploration has largely been checking MSI's work. It's time that is their critical limit more than anything.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"The Sinews Of War, Part 4"
28th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Mei Hua​

Osshi and I look at the egg beneath the warm orange glow of the heater. He caresses me gently, then kisses me. "Our child."

I smile as I soothe my body. "I love them, but I am glad it's just one egg."

"How did it compare to giving birth?"

"I had an easier time than Naomi, so I can't complain. But this egg is still pretty big." I kiss him. "I never thought this would happen for us."

He cradles my head. "This is what I expected from Life2.0."

I nod, thinking of Rivkah's announcement of the Megaton Casaba Howlitzer program. "Not thermonuclear weapons."

My husband sighs. "Sharpbeak is a strong opponent."

"Tell me."

"His people perfected the art of strikecraft combat. He took it to the galactic stage."

I try to remember the history. "It always seemed strange that the Nalynoids took him on."

"Don't forget that they started the war with conventional forces, not the Ether Drakes they became infamous for. At the time, he was tasked with organising their own strikecraft efforts. It was only as attrition set in and they needed more than Alloys to send into battle that they began releasing monsters."

"What happened to the Drakes?"

"They were freed to wander space. The Galactic Community resisted Prikki demands to destroy them in favour of adding them to the Tiyanki and Amoeba protection legislation."

"Why?"

"They were sentient beings. It was argued that they were enslaved by their makers."

"Grepp ranted for hours when Skrand's involvement was announced."

"He lost quite a few batchmates to Skrand."

"Batchmates?"

"The Prikki Clone Vats produce Prikki in batches who are raised communally with natural hatched Prikki like Grepp and his sister."

"Do you know them well?"

"I knew Nooki well. She was a good person, and not just good for a Prikki. Grepp not so well. Grepp and Nooki are Starborn. That's the governance and command caste of Prikki society. Not as vicious as other Prikki as they have a much more long term view."

I look back at our egg. "Do you think Grepp wants revenge on Skrand?"

He looks at me. "If revenge is best served cold, then Starborn have ice running through their veins."

 

[HistoryDude]

Life 2.0 is going to use nukes, then? That'll be fun...

I look forward to seeing the Prikki's revenge on MSI's Traditionalists and Sharpbeak. How close is it to coming to fruition?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Faustian Pact, Offered"
28th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Appia Flavonius​

I'm a little surprised when Grepp takes the stand in the afternoon. It was supposed to be Caeso... Odd. I mean, he had asked Rivkah for permission to address the conference, but not this early...

Still... It'll be interesting.

I stand. "In an unplanned alteration to the schedule, we have Grepp-Schnepp Rikki, brother of the late Nooki-Schnepp Rikki."

He licks an eyeball. "Thank you, CEO Appia Flavonius. I am Grepp-Schnepp Rikki, Starborn of the Immortal Prikkiki-Ti. I have been conferring with the Prikkiki-Ti since my sister's murder, keeping them up to date on developments within Life2.0 and MSI. I have been authorised to give a proposal. Skrand Sharpbeak is a wanted life to the Prikkiki-Ti for the deaths in battle of several Starborn in the Last Great War, and for his attack on our Sentry Arrays, authorised by your predecessor." He looks at me. "The Prikkiki-Ti recognises that there has been a substantial change in MSI since that error in judgement that would have recieved greater attention were it not for the actions of others meriting priority."

He lets the words hang in the air.

"In exchange for Skrand Sharpbeak, the Prikkiki-Ti is willing to overlook that mistake. We recognise however, that Sharpbeak has a superior naval strength to the Reformist MSI. This is something we wish to correct. Gateway access is currently prohibited to the Prikkiki-Ti, an impudence we note is not your fault. If MSI opens their Gateways to the Prikkiki-Ti, we shall deal with Skrand Sharpbeak."

I weigh the implications.

 

[HistoryDude]

That is a nice offer, but I can already tell it would harm Appia's reputation in MSI. Would that be worth it, though? How much of a dent would it make to her credibility to the Reformist faction?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Life 2.0 is going to use nukes, then? That'll be fun...

Yep. City-killer warheads that can be mounted on a 12m Orion to attack the target, harnessed and fired as lances of nuclear fire that can burn a hole fifty metres wide and half a metre deep through Aluminium at several thousand kilometres range.

I look forward to seeing the Prikki's revenge on MSI's Traditionalists and Sharpbeak. How close is it to coming to fruition?

I was actually typing that up before you posted this.

That is a nice offer, but I can already tell it would harm Appia's reputation in MSI. Would that be worth it, though? How much of a dent would it make to her credibility to the Reformist faction?

Appia isn't worried about the other Reformers; they'll understand the pragmatism. But if she accepts, then it's political hell with the Galactic Community, who condemn the Arishkan-Prikki conflict and are imposing severe sanctions on anyone who opens Gateways for them; it would put losing Designated Uplifter status back on the agenda.

 

[Macavity116]

Political consequences are always a possibility, sure. But if Sharpbeak gets wind of the machinations against him, what would stop him from turning his fleet against the Olinbar capital? I could see an alternative timeline where Sharpbeak overthrows Appia and takes her place at the head of MSI.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Well... Skrand has several reasons to wait.

Firstly, a frontal assault on the capital will take several months of travel without using a Gateway to the capital, leading to opportunities for being ambushed in transit after appearing at relatively fixed hyperlane exits or after exiting jump drive, and leads straight to an ambush if he does use a Gateway to the capital. His fleet relies on disposable long range craft that can deploy very heavy ordnance to destroy their targets. Being ambushed with the carriers in engagement range is definitely not the plan, and inevitable if he tries conventional routes in.

Secondly, time is on the Traditionalist factions side. Appia's position is not secure and she is relying on barbarians at the gates and mercenaries to hold her position. One set of barbarians have just had their strength broken by Sharpbeak, another by Gnaea, and the third survived, but now have a hundred ships they can't refuel, struggle to maintain, rearm and repair, and lack basic operational understanding to use. Mercenaries are expensive, and Appia cannot run a sufficient economy to sustain them.

Thirdly, the Reformers are not united; differences on key issues like the fate of Companionship Assets, forgiveness of debts, whether to tolerate Prikki bullying, how far Life2.0 can be trusted and old-fashioned pride and belief in Olinbari superiority can all be leaned on to divide and conquer.

Fourthly, Appia's supporters are vulnerable. By threatening them and their assets, they can be directly induced into turning on Appia, and with Appia's limited resources, she can be forced into picking between her allies, causing a very serious fault line in her backers within MSI.

Fifthly, there's the outside possibility Appia might make him a better offer than the Traditionalists; Sharpbeak knows the Traditionalist faction will never let him rise any further than he already has. Appia has shown she is much more flexible and open to negotiation.

And lastly, there's the potential of Life2.0; Skrand's kind are canonically gone even if we don't know what happened. Genetic engineering and Engenerators can repopulate his species in a way that would be a very compelling offer.

The immediate correct course of action for Skrand is to attack possible supporters of Appia in outlying territories by dividing his fleet into smaller formations that can attack multiple targets and force Appia into having to pick which allies she can defend.

Incentives to move quickly are Life2.0, as they have proven a resilient foe and need to be taken out before their threat increases, the Prikki who want to torture him then send him to Resource Processing, and that the Traditionalists are just as susceptible to being divided, but are unified right now by wanting Appia dealt with.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Faustian Pact, 1st Consideration"
28th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Appia Flavonius​

The perks of executive quarters are the ceiling is a display. I set it to a tactical overlay of MSI space, inhale from the underwear Elizabeth gave to me at the docking terminal as a saying goodbye gift, and have a little time for one beneath the stars.

Unfortunately, even she isn't enough to distract me.

The Prikki keep me from sleep in a waking nightmare.

If I accept the threat and allow their fleet to roam to hunt Sharpbeak, then I win the battle and lose the war. The Prikki are not who you want to be indebted to like that.

My forces alone definitely can't, and there's not enough credit to pay mercenaries enough to take the job. And my allies... Objectively, they shouldn't be able to. But they should have lost to Gaius and Gnaea...

Skrand is not coming straight to the capital. Septima would be, if she was in command, but Skrand will look at my situation and recognise that I can't protect my allies if he starts raiding.

I summon Elizabeth's beauty to mind.

But it's just a fantasy, isn't it?

Just like my grip on power.

I put my dress back on, and hail Sharpbeak.

He scowls. "Flavonius."

"Skrand... We need to come to terms."

"Why? I'm not afraid of the Prikki. You let them in and you lose. You know that."

"I want to make a proposal."

All four eyes narrow at me. "Speak."

"If you let me keep public leadership, I'll accept being a junior partner in a diarchy."

His squarks splutter. "You think you can control me. Just like Septima. But if I'm patient I can be rid of both of you."

"What?"

"Ask your young furry toy about a Kyaese called Kryydur."

He cuts the channel. I hail Rivkah.

 

[HistoryDude]

What kind of offer would Skrand consider? Will Appia's plan work?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Faustian Pact, 2nd Consideration"
29th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Appia Flavonius​

Rivkah's red reflective eyes are the first things I see in the gloom of very early morning. "Rivkah, I need information from you."

I recoil as she yawns. How many teeth? "Appia, it's 3am."

"Indulge me."

"Fine. What's wrong?"

"I just spoke to Sharpbeak hoping I could leverage the Prikki threat, it was no good. He cut comms after telling me to ask you about Kryydur."

She tosses her head to wake herself. "He's a Kyaese Commander who's been one of Mum's thousand volunteers since the beginning. He asked to take a monopole ship to raid Septima's holdings. How could Sharpbeak know..."

I nod. "That's what I thought too, there's a spy."

"Or our security measures are a little lax."

"I must confess that I've been wondering... Weapons development for example, you don't even encrypt your data."

She snorts. "Mum prefers it that way. We get quicker developments as there's no need to waste time maintaining security and our peer review process can operate much more quickly. Plus, we have a very innovative private sector when it comes to weapons development and it's better to keep everyone on the same page."

"What will you do?"

"Ask Kryydur how Sharpbeak knows him by name."

"Second question."

"Go on?"

"Grepp. What's his angle here?"

She yawns again. "Grepp wants to develop a regional power to balance out Arishkan power in the area. He thinks Mum and Uncle Thando are the right people."

"He knows we can't jeopardise the status of Designated Uplifter, right? Is his angle to use that as a pretext for invasion?"

"Nope. He wants to get Life2.0 into the Designated Uplifter position. If MSI leave it vacant, he thinks we can swing the vote."

"That leaves me leading a defunct state though..."

She shuffles. "Which he thinks we can then take over in a merger."

 

[CBR JGWRR]

What kind of offer would Skrand consider? Will Appia's plan work?

Still working on that.

 

[HistoryDude]

How would a merger between Life 2.0 and MSI even work? There's bound to be a lot of dissent on both sides...

Are we about to see some intrigue?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

How would a merger between Life 2.0 and MSI even work? There's bound to be a lot of dissent on both sides...

Note that the source for the concept is Grepp.

Are we about to see some intrigue?

Definitely.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

"Faustian Pact, Kryydur"
29th Hoggagha, 10 (2189)
Rivkah Of Unity​

Somewhat surprisingly, Kryydur does actually come when summoned. "Rivkah, is there a problem?"

I shut the door behind him. He watches me very carefully. "That depends on why Sharpbeak mentioned you personally to Appia yesterday."

He stays silent.

Thinking it over. Weaving a lie maybe? I glower at him.

"I can explain."

"Good. Because from where I sat, the most likely explanation is he's spying on us and knows that we're preparing to send you to raid Septima, and therefore may well inform her and ruin the plan. Worst case, you intend to take an irreplaceable engine and some of our best Kyaese and defect."

He shrinks. "It isn't like those."

I step closer. "Are you a traitor then?"

"Not a traitor. Double-agent, at worst."

Inwardly... I can't believe it. "Who are you working for?"

"The Kyaese people. Via Sharpbeak and you."

I grasp him, lift him to my level. His eyes bulge right in front of mine. "Explain."

Lots of wheezes. I relax my grip. "Please put me down."

I let go. He lands on the table. He preens his ruffled feathers. "Long answer or short?"

I scowl. "Everything."

He fliches, and runs his hands over his throat. "Sharpbeak has been secretly backing Lokra-Kitan and Kyaese resistance since a little before your Mum and Uncle were born. One of those ways was arranging agents onto slave ships that would be the beginning of a slave revolt, much like your Mum planned."

"How?"

"Sharpbeak owns a MSI subsidiary that does ship and weapons development for MSI, and he directs the profits via shell subsidiaries and slush funds into Indentured Asset retailers and piracy, then uses the latter to rob the former. Worked brilliantly until Gnaea started cracking down on it."

I turn the new information over. "First question. If that's true, why did he go along with Gnaea's orders to attack the Lokra-Kitan?"

His beak imitates a smile. "Have you actually heard of any confirmed casualties from Skrand's attack?"

I sit down. He's right. C'ean Comms haven't covered anything of the attack, Appia only specified he was sent... Cacaak didn't even mention there being any casualties. What if the attack was never actually conducted? "No. I haven't."

"Because there weren't any. Sharpbeak destroyed dummy targets and doctored images of previous orbital bombardments to satisfy Gnaea he had done the job, only he never needed to send them in."

I tap my wrist communicator. "Second question. Didn't Gnaea know that Sharpbeak was a Reformer?"

"Sharpbeak isn't the same kind of reformer. More extensive goals."

"Tear it down and start over type."

"Exactly. He's waiting, but I'm not sure what for."

"Third Question. Can you contact him?"

He looks at his feet. Takes his time. "Do you have any emetics?"

I pause. "No. Why?"

He slowly walks backwards away from me. "The communication device is smuggled past MSI's security in the stomach."

 

[HistoryDude]

Wait, Sharpbeak wants to destroy MSI? Why?