008: Reunion at Collace

[Tiglath]

Garvin

"We can enjoy the playground if we ride together," she responded. "And look at the Consular Guard. So handsome. I wouldn't mind having one--or more!--of them drop in for a visit. They can make it up to me for the last Zhodoni I met."

Garvin grins "I've 'eard that's their game - Milk Tray men* to a man! Mind you if you're invitin' all four of 'em over I'll need a bit o' notice! What with us now being nobility we'd at least 'ave to put out some sarnies or a few nibbles. So, there's that... an' well... with four of 'em in play you'd need someone impartial to keep the score!"

(OCC: * (per the 70's UK chocolates advert - when "stalking" wasn't a thing ) An utterly reckless variety of Collace catburglar/arcology scaler who, guided by intent, sheer bad luck or pursuant to some other stratagem, climbs into the bedroom of an independent lady citizen of Collace hoping to survive by stealth, charisma or superior body armour alone as per Law Level (Wild West) invoking "home defence" privileges).

[Thumper]

Walt

”Turning back to Tourmalines: “I may know a way to help. If it works, will you train me and some of my friends?”

Tourmaline replies "I am interested in help but I can not train you here on Collace - not with so many myrkálfar* in attendance. If you hire our unit there is the "time between times". I can not in any way replace the instruction I received and to attempt to do might even be dangerous but it seems you are powerful witches and warlocks all and so it is a matter of honing skills you already have".

(OOC: She probably means "dark elves" (presumably Zhodani) but instead used "dusky/murky elves".

As per the psi focus / can it be repaired like chipped windshield (actually "veneered")?

Yes! But only because the method used is "fabrication" itself...).

Walt nods. Thinks a minute while turning to view the Zho across the room. He returns to the conversation nodding his head "yes" and grinning.

"Excellent suggestive selling, Tourmaline. Well played.' The smile slowly fades. "In all seriousness, how about the two of you come to our ship tomorrow. I'll make the intros to the two individuals you might really like meeting. I really do think there is a chance we can fix this problem for you."

He reaches to shake and clink pint mugs with all.

[terrymixon]

Garvin

"We can enjoy the playground if we ride together," she responded. "And look at the Consular Guard. So handsome. I wouldn't mind having one--or more!--of them drop in for a visit. They can make it up to me for the last Zhodoni I met."

Garvin grins "I've 'eard that's their game - Milk Tray men* to a man! Mind you if you're invitin' all four of 'em over I'll need a bit o' notice! What with us now being nobility we'd at least 'ave to put out some sarnies or a few nibbles. So, there's that... an' well... with four of 'em in play you'd need someone impartial to keep the score!"

She laughs. “Oh, I can keep score, and I don’t know how good of a ref you’d be under the circumstances. Say, where are Jaelah and Roscoe? Do you think they’re taking a tour of the rooftop access too?”

[joertexas]

“Of course we want you in our lives,“ your mother said. “Don’t be ridiculous. All we’re doing is trying to adjust to this unexpected situation.“

Your father nodded. “She’s right. Even though I can’t pretend to understand half of what you’ve said, you can’t do anything that would make me Not want you in my life. You’re my daughter.

“What is this uplift work that you’re talking about? What’s going to be happening here?“

Jaelah reaches the water pitcher and refills her glass. "Along with everything else, we now own a truly monstrous space station in the Glisten System, with a population of a billion workers. Roscoe came up with a plan to split it into smaller facilities, spread out all over the Marches and further trailward into the Imperium. This station can produce items that are better than Imperial tech, all while paying its own way. All of this is under the office of the Grand Princess, who is also the archduke of the whole Spinward Marches."

"That, plus my plan to finance as many small business ventures as I can, is the uplift I'm talking about. All of this is in the planning stages, and I'm sure there are many things I haven't thought of yet. And, as Roscoe said, there are many moving parts to consider. My new minister's portfolio includes law enforcement, military, security, and social services for this universe and the rest of our holdings. Those duties are apportioned between the eleven of us who've been uplifted, plus Ciencia, the Grand Princess, who is also uplifted. She's our direct superior in the Imperial command structure, and we've all sworn fealty to her as her vassals."

[terrymixon]

“Of course we want you in our lives,“ your mother said. “Don’t be ridiculous. All we’re doing is trying to adjust to this unexpected situation.“

Your father nodded. “She’s right. Even though I can’t pretend to understand half of what you’ve said, you can’t do anything that would make me Not want you in my life. You’re my daughter.

“What is this uplift work that you’re talking about? What’s going to be happening here?“

Jaelah reaches the water pitcher and refills her glass. "Along with everything else, we now own a truly monstrous space station in the Glisten System, with a population of a billion workers. Roscoe came up with a plan to split it into smaller facilities, spread out all over the Marches and further trailward into the Imperium. This station can produce items that are better than Imperial tech, all while paying its own way. All of this is under the office of the Grand Princess, who is also the archduke of the whole Spinward Marches."

"That, plus my plan to finance as many small business ventures as I can, is the uplift I'm talking about. All of this is in the planning stages, and I'm sure there are many things I haven't thought of yet. And, as Roscoe said, there are many moving parts to consider. My new minister's portfolio includes law enforcement, military, security, and social services for this universe and the rest of our holdings. Those duties are apportioned between the eleven of us who've been uplifted, plus Ciencia, the Grand Princess, who is also uplifted. She's our direct superior in the Imperial command structure, and we've all sworn fealty to her as her vassals."

The portfolio is for whatever government you form inside the Reaches around where the pocket universe is located. It’s not for the entire universe.

“Let’s draw gangs like flies,“ your father muttered. “That and SuSag. I’m not sure there are enough mercenaries on this planet to protect anything with that kind of money floating around. And I find it difficult to comprehend you having access to something like that. It’s almost more unreal than everything else.“

Your mother puts her hand on his arm. “It’s going to take us a while to adjust to this, Jae. It’s also going to take more than one conversation about the details for us to really understand everything. You’ve made a good start in explaining things but it’s just so much.

“Rather than dwell on that, why don’t you tell us about Roscoe? What kind of person is he? Where is he from? What did he do before all of this happened to you all?“

[joertexas]

The portfolio is for whatever government you form inside the Reaches around where the pocket universe is located. It’s not for the entire universe.

We still have to govern and protect the pocket universe, though. To me, it overlaps.

“Let’s draw gangs like flies,“ your father muttered. “That and SuSag. I’m not sure there are enough mercenaries on this planet to protect anything with that kind of money floating around. And I find it difficult to comprehend you having access to something like that. It’s almost more unreal than everything else.“

Your mother puts her hand on his arm. “It’s going to take us a while to adjust to this, Jae. It’s also going to take more than one conversation about the details for us to really understand everything. You’ve made a good start in explaining things but it’s just so much.

“Rather than dwell on that, why don’t you tell us about Roscoe? What kind of person is he? Where is he from? What did he do before all of this happened to you all?“

"While I'd rather let him tell his own story, Roscoe started life as an artificial intelligence, what they call a conscious intellect with free will, in a highly-advanced android body. Using the Ancients tech, he now has a fully human body, so he's no different than any of us in the group. He does have more capabilities to link and move inside computer networks than the rest of us. Other than that, I can personally attest that he's a man, and I don't just mean physically. He doesn't have much life experience to draw on, but he's proven himself as probably the most moral of us. When I looked at the men around me, he stood out. Not that they are bad people, but they've been shaped by their experiences, and much of it hasn't been good. Roscoe doesn't have the sordid, painful, damaging past that the rest of us are burdened with. While he is very aware that the universe is a harsh place, he hasn't been tainted by it." Jaelah shakes her head.

"This is all from my perspective. You will have to talk with Roscoe to get his view."

[terrymixon]

“Let’s draw gangs like flies,“ your father muttered. “That and SuSag. I’m not sure there are enough mercenaries on this planet to protect anything with that kind of money floating around. And I find it difficult to comprehend you having access to something like that. It’s almost more unreal than everything else.“

Your mother puts her hand on his arm. “It’s going to take us a while to adjust to this, Jae. It’s also going to take more than one conversation about the details for us to really understand everything. You’ve made a good start in explaining things but it’s just so much.

“Rather than dwell on that, why don’t you tell us about Roscoe? What kind of person is he? Where is he from? What did he do before all of this happened to you all?“

"While I'd rather let him tell his own story, Roscoe started life as an artificial intelligence, what they call a conscious intellect with free will, in a highly-advanced android body. Using the Ancients tech, he now has a fully human body, so he's no different than any of us in the group. He does have more capabilities to link and move inside computer networks than the rest of us. Other than that, I can personally attest that he's a man, and I don't just mean physically. He doesn't have much life experience to draw on, but he's proven himself as probably the most moral of us. When I looked at the men around me, he stood out. Not that they are bad people, but they've been shaped by their experiences, and much of it hasn't been good. Roscoe doesn't have the sordid, painful, damaging past that the rest of us are burdened with. While he is very aware that the universe is a harsh place, he hasn't been tainted by it." Jaelah shakes her head.

"This is all from my perspective. You will have to talk with Roscoe to get his view."

They both seem to be dumbstruck.

“A robot?” your mother asked. “You married a robot? Does the Imperium even consider him a person? How can you be sure that he won’t do something crazy like in the science fiction vids? And children. How would that even work?”

[joertexas]

They both seem to be dumbstruck.

“A robot?” your mother asked. “You married a robot? Does the Imperium even consider him a person? How can you be sure that he won’t do something crazy like in the science fiction vids? And children. How would that even work?”

Jaelah shakes her head again. "We have had robots around us for forever, and Roscoe definitely isn't one. Ciencia made him one of the highest ranking nobles in the Imperium, so that certainly makes him a person. He's less likely to do something crazy than anyone you know, since everything about his mental makeup was carefully built, not randomly assembled from DNA instructions. He is capable of learning, and he is fallible, like the rest of us. But, he readily admits his mistakes and fixes them without holding grudges or making excuses. He really listens to me, and works together with me through some difficult circumstances. As for children, we are both perfectly capable of producing offspring in the usual way. The Ancients technology is incredibly advanced, such that human bodies can be repaired or completely rebuilt to match a person's own body. Autodocs and the regen therapies do almost the same thing, and they're used everywhere. He and I both have a few cybernetics components, while some of the others have opted for more items to enhance their capabilities. I'd rather keep that kind of tinkering with my innards to a minimum, which is why I had my natural eyes replaced. They're more capable, but they're still flesh and blood, as is Roscoe. I think of him as the best human I've ever met. Besides my loving family, of course."

[Tiglath]

Kit

Nsobi smiles and then blushes again and says shyly "Ankit Ghoshal, would it have been very "forward" of me to have arranged a table for two here? I asked for the indulgence of the Ambassadorial staff and received a personal reply from the Ambassador himself. He said he would be delighted if the Consulate's Diplomatic Mission here could devote any resource to honouring the victor of Spion Kop. He also asked your permission to use the action as a military teaching aid. He would appreciate it if you could deliver a personal account of the action. But... I would understand... if you were busy... or had important duties this evening...".

Kit laughs awkwardly. "Nsobi, first and foremost, I have to insist that you call me Kit. Given the you have set-up the meal and already cleared it with the Ambassador himself, it would be rude for me to say 'No'. I will happily accept, so 'Yes'. In terms of addition information about the SEMC tactics Spion Kop, I would of course need to clear it with the Colonel before revealing an additional information, I of course have certain legal responsibilities as I am sure you understand."

Kit will start to lead Nsobi over to the table, knowing full well that he will get a healthy amount of grief for this from the SEMCers. He pulls out her chair and after the two are seated, he will try to keep his attention and thoughts well grounded in the moment.

Nsobi accompanies Kit over the terrace to one of the atmosphere retaining two person "glass booths" used by those dining al fresco on the arcology's summit. He receives some good natured ribbing on route but soon has only Nsobi to focus on. She is delightful company and after they have eaten activates the booth's opaque/privacy field - "dessert" is one of those things Kit will enshrine in his memory...

[Tiglath]

Walt / Frank

Walt nods. Thinks a minute while turning to view the Zho across the room. He returns to the conversation nodding his head "yes" and grinning.

"Excellent suggestive selling, Tourmaline. Well played.' The smile slowly fades. "In all seriousness, how about the two of you come to our ship tomorrow. I'll make the intros to the two individuals you might really like meeting. I really do think there is a chance we can fix this problem for you."

He reaches to shake and clink pint mugs with all.

Tourmaline says "Well, you have 4DC Mercs - if you can convince Colonel Cross of SEMC then the Aslan will fall in with us on the grounds of sound investment". She then introduces the Colonel of the "other" human Merc Unit who is accompanied by the attractive blonde wearing a fine evening dress made up in Iyhula clan pale blue silk (and who appears to be the PA to Yugure The Twilight, wife of the Aslan Warlord).

Frank returns after a couple of minutes and nods at Skeet before turning to those around Skeet he doesn't know "My apologies ladies and gentleman, you certainly now have my full attention. I am Colonel Frank Cross, commanding officer of the SEMC, and this is Polly Iyhlua Maguire, absolutely my better half. It is a pleasure to meet you all." he nods and smiles.

[terrymixon]

They both seem to be dumbstruck.

“A robot?” your mother asked. “You married a robot? Does the Imperium even consider him a person? How can you be sure that he won’t do something crazy like in the science fiction vids? And children. How would that even work?”

Jaelah shakes her head again. "We have had robots around us for forever, and Roscoe definitely isn't one. Ciencia made him one of the highest ranking nobles in the Imperium, so that certainly makes him a person. He's less likely to do something crazy than anyone you know, since everything about his mental makeup was carefully built, not randomly assembled from DNA instructions. He is capable of learning, and he is fallible, like the rest of us. But, he readily admits his mistakes and fixes them without holding grudges or making excuses. He really listens to me, and works together with me through some difficult circumstances. As for children, we are both perfectly capable of producing offspring in the usual way. The Ancients technology is incredibly advanced, such that human bodies can be repaired or completely rebuilt to match a person's own body. Autodocs and the regen therapies do almost the same thing, and they're used everywhere. He and I both have a few cybernetics components, while some of the others have opted for more items to enhance their capabilities. I'd rather keep that kind of tinkering with my innards to a minimum, which is why I had my natural eyes replaced. They're more capable, but they're still flesh and blood, as is Roscoe. I think of him as the best human I've ever met. Besides my loving family, of course."

“If you are happy, then I suppose I’ll just have to adjust to the circumstances,” she said. “We aren’t going to run away from our home because of the upheaval—which is coming—but I suppose being able to come here could also be interesting. How do you see us helping you? I mean, we both already have jobs and I can’t imagine how a teacher and a cop can help something this big.”

[joertexas]

“If you are happy, then I suppose I’ll just have to adjust to the circumstances,” she said. “We aren’t going to run away from our home because of the upheaval—which is coming—but I suppose being able to come here could also be interesting. How do you see us helping you? I mean, we both already have jobs and I can’t imagine how a teacher and a cop can help something this big.”

"You both know where there are needs; which people could really use an investment in their lives and be good stewards of it. We are working with some of the better merc units there, including the people who run the Bartizan. They will keep an eye out for anything threatening, and deal with it. Of course, we also need to clue in some of the good cops, but you can do that better than I. I still need to figure out where to hide a portal in Prime, since I don't want just anyone coming here. We might set the end point here to be this universe's hub, where we can have security on watch. From there, you can travel here."

[terrymixon]

“If you are happy, then I suppose I’ll just have to adjust to the circumstances,” she said. “We aren’t going to run away from our home because of the upheaval—which is coming—but I suppose being able to come here could also be interesting. How do you see us helping you? I mean, we both already have jobs and I can’t imagine how a teacher and a cop can help something this big.”

"You both know where there are needs; which people could really use an investment in their lives and be good stewards of it. We are working with some of the better merc units there, including the people who run the Bartizan. They will keep an eye out for anything threatening, and deal with it. Of course, we also need to clue in some of the good cops, but you can do that better than I. I still need to figure out where to hide a portal in Prime, since I don't want just anyone coming here. We might set the end point here to be this universe's hub, where we can have security on watch. From there, you can travel here."

“While we know some things, we don’t know that much. How disruptive will this be? What kind of investment are you talking about?”

[joertexas]

“While we know some things, we don’t know that much. How disruptive will this be? What kind of investment are you talking about?”

"Roscoe and I made a two billion Imperial credit deal with a local mercenary company who will help distribute funds to people they've helped. Effectively, our funds are unlimited. This planet is called Farm World for a reason - we can supply food for billions of people, not that I expect to do a lot of export for that. We can build any factory, any ship, and make any product we wish. How disruptive all this will be depends entirely on how we go about the uplift. Until we know what we are doing, I want to start small. Grant a struggling business a few hundred credits, procure a vehicle for another business, provide a fabricator for another, and so on."

[terrymixon]

“While we know some things, we don’t know that much. How disruptive will this be? What kind of investment are you talking about?”

"Roscoe and I made a two billion Imperial credit deal with a local mercenary company who will help distribute funds to people they've helped. Effectively, our funds are unlimited. This planet is called Farm World for a reason - we can supply food for billions of people, not that I expect to do a lot of export for that. We can build any factory, any ship, and make any product we wish. How disruptive all this will be depends entirely on how we go about the uplift. Until we know what we are doing, I want to start small. Grant a struggling business a few hundred credits, procure a vehicle for another business, provide a fabricator for another, and so on."

“I’m sorry,” your father said. “I must have something in my ear. I thought you said two billion credits. That kind of money would start a feeding frenzy. There’s no way all the mercenaries on the planet could stop the gangs from going crazy.”

[joertexas]

“I’m sorry,” your father said. “I must have something in my ear. I thought you said two billion credits. That kind of money would start a feeding frenzy. There’s no way all the mercenaries on the planet could stop the gangs from going crazy.”

"Many companies on Collace have that in their coffers, and I don't think anyone wants to goad the Aslan into attacking them, nor do they want to tangle with the other merc companies. Besides, we're not moving credit chips around, this is all commercial account transfers. No one is announcing anything about it, and our transactions are small, so as to not be noticed. It would be the same for anything you wanted to handle. Small amounts, discreet transactions, and better than average security all around."

[terrymixon]

“I’m sorry,” your father said. “I must have something in my ear. I thought you said two billion credits. That kind of money would start a feeding frenzy. There’s no way all the mercenaries on the planet could stop the gangs from going crazy.”

"Many companies on Collace have that in their coffers, and I don't think anyone wants to goad the Aslan into attacking them, nor do they want to tangle with the other merc companies. Besides, we're not moving credit chips around, this is all commercial account transfers. No one is announcing anything about it, and our transactions are small, so as to not be noticed. It would be the same for anything you wanted to handle. Small amounts, discreet transactions, and better than average security all around."

“If no one is announcing it, how do people know to apply?” your mother asked. “And then the applicants need to be verified or fraud will be rampant. You can’t just be a secret supporter. There will be enough activity to track and trace. I should know. Then once they track down who is being so generous, there will be problems. You have to have a staff that is trustworthy and honest. Then they will become targets. Seriously, the gangs have gotten more bold in your absence. You have to take that into account.”

[joertexas]

“If no one is announcing it, how do people know to apply?” your mother asked. “And then the applicants need to be verified or fraud will be rampant. You can’t just be a secret supporter. There will be enough activity to track and trace. I should know. Then once they track down who is being so generous, there will be problems. You have to have a staff that is trustworthy and honest. Then they will become targets. Seriously, the gangs have gotten more bold in your absence. You have to take that into account.”

"Who do you know that operates a small business that could use a boost? If they only had a little more support, a bit of capital, they could move ahead?"

[terrymixon]

“If no one is announcing it, how do people know to apply?” your mother asked. “And then the applicants need to be verified or fraud will be rampant. You can’t just be a secret supporter. There will be enough activity to track and trace. I should know. Then once they track down who is being so generous, there will be problems. You have to have a staff that is trustworthy and honest. Then they will become targets. Seriously, the gangs have gotten more bold in your absence. You have to take that into account.”

"Who do you know that operates a small business that could use a boost? If they only had a little more support, a bit of capital, they could move ahead?"

“While I might suspect a few people could use it, that’s not the same thing as knowing. That’s why you need to have some visibility. Even if you had a group of people secretly recommending names, how will people react to this from someone unknown?”

[joertexas]

“While I might suspect a few people could use it, that’s not the same thing as knowing. That’s why you need to have some visibility. Even if you had a group of people secretly recommending names, how will people react to this from someone unknown?”

"That's the whole point. If you see someone, and I'll bet you know of them, you bring them the funds. Or, you can introduce your friend, one of our agents, who will give something to them, if that works better. Think about the local restaurant, repair tech, busker, coworker, whomever. There's the good student who could use money for clothes, or a tutor. This isn't a formal process, since I'm not trying to make money at it. For you two, I would give you a thousand credits to disperse as you see fit. Then, when you find another need, you come back for more. I don't even want to know who you gave it to, unless there's a security problem, and even then you'd go to the local factor for assistance."