Post by veronw on Oct 22, 2023 20:19:44 GMT
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/30/2023 1:09 PM
Y-convergence space | Akarana system | Stellar Lagrange 1 | ICEC temporary Headquarters
It was an honourable position; 'General Ambassador for ICEC relations' and was one that had been filled before by two others. They were very suited for the role, professional and friendly, they had all the qualities that would allow for the upkeep of stable relations between what was a whole group of individual nation's. They were both human, and of course there was no problem with this, the bulwark is more than 80% humans. However it was noticed that the visitors in ICEC were far from the same with this statistic. The trend seemed to be reptilian, so as a somewhat experimental move, a reptilian ambassador was assigned for the position.
Orgun-Gatrast is a Kylast, the first, in fact, to be assigned for a position nearly this important to the Bulwark. Kylast only make up around 1.2% of imperial population, a number very well remembered by each of them. Therefore it was a relief to Gatrast that he was brought along with a few more transfers of the same species, he wouldn't be the only of his kind wandering the station.
His snout turned so he could view out the window of his shuttle, the ICEC primary station in view. much of the structure was dominated by a construction staging platform many kilometres long, jutting with stockpile silos, docking booms, manufacturing facilities and massive mobile rigs. His attention turned to the star at the centre of the system, faint glimmers indicating the beginning of the tenuously enormous project about to take shape.
The 'organised' side of the station looked almost like an afterthought, a huge, smooth, vertical skyscraper-like structure shaped somewhat like a large wing, but practically bolted to the side, spilling half-built guts into the more industrial section surrounding it.
The traffic was almost admirable to see, almost as busy as one of the core worlds, except unlike the hundreds of brutalist cargo and cruise vessels occupying the Bulwark region of space, the variety of ships was far more intriguing. The relatively sleek, but unmistakeably bulwark-originating shuttle swung itself into one of the 'executive' hangars near the top of the office section. There wasn't much hassle, Gatrast's position was a respected one after all, in fact, he'd been respected for much of his life, he was used to it at this point.
Doors were opened for him and he chattered with his kin, met some staff , toured the surroundings a little through the oversized corridors with their warm carpets and fancy, decorated wallpaper. He was soon rushed along though, he had a meeting to attend to, and on rather short notice too. Riding a magnetically guided elevator, and travelling through a few more hallways, he soon found himself in a circular room, with lights embedded in its circumference, clearly beaming down heat. It wasn't a grand space though, rather modest in size, but was clearly made as a meeting place.
He seemed to be the first one in...unlike the solid desks he was used to though, he noticed that the floor was...cushions and beanbags. He wasn't opposed to it though, soft seats were easier on the tail. A coffee table height table was in the centre too, clearly inlined with screens and a dumbwaiter.
He shook his head and took a seat, waiting for the others he was supposed to meet, people he wasn't told very much about.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 2:37 PM
It was essentially posted on the sign leading deeper into the great arcology-city of San Se Ahn.
Seeking ambassadorial representative for saurian mission at ICEC HQ. Contact Cladeship Asi for more details.
Pahun Pah paused, reflecting on the various messages embedded into the non-real display. The Duality ebbed with a bit of chaos today that made it all the more enticing to pursue this particular diversion.
The haleelian stood an easy three meters in height, drawn in a firm physique that defied the slimmer aquatic versions of his ancestral people that were much more common in Ladon than elsewhere.
"Maybe I'm too tall for something like this.."
Nevertheless, the itch for adventure scratched at his soul and he found himself connecting with the Cladeship who swiftly filled him in on the details. Apparently it was a very last minute meeting, they needed someone who was rated for excursions and given that Pahun was Pathfinder(retired) he still qualified.
If nothing else, it'd be interesting to meet up with other natural saurians. Wasn't everyday that Saxheelians came across intelligent and friendly lizardfolk, and he had to admit, it did sound like a good time.
The smallship Asi measured at three-hundred meters in length; a tiny little thing that was nascent in its development. Pahun was the sole passenger as they Folded to the ICEC HQ, easily crossing the six-hundred lightyear distance from Ladon's secret location. It was almost like a day trip to the ancient haleelian.
Ejecting via a thin-membrane vacuole from the Cladeship, he used the little vehicle to transit to the space station, humming in delight at the basking of radiation from the star, the sight of so many various starships and peoples. Yes, it was a little like Home here.
Such feelings swiftly ended, however, when he finally made it to the structure. Unlike Cladeships and other Saxtech, the station felt cold--distant.
Too many years on our own craft.
Fortunately, it seemed as if the station had been designed with a great deal of accommodation in mind. He only needed to duck a few times, which was a quiet blessing. Even the elevator was plenty spacious!
The thought had occurred to him to just.. protean shift into something a little more compact, but he thought it best to just be a natural Haleelian for this. His mental architecture was from his homeworld, he should be true to it during a conversation with fellow saurs.
Arriving inside the chamber, he blinked a few times--assessing various visual spectrums to ensure he didn't need to account for anything beyond visual light+--before walking inside.
He took a moment to reflect on the sensation of carpet before letting a smile peel out across his face. Warmth radiating from the ceiling, comfortable temperatures, nice lighting, not cramped.
"Yep, meets all the basic needs."
Doubly appreciating the floor-oriented seating, he walked over and claimed a spot for himself before spreading out languidly, "Ahhhhh.. nice to have a space to rest. I take it you're one of the associates I am to meet? Pahun Pah, Meta-Sax Pathfinder. Ah, retired, anyways heh."
Black eyes with golden starbursts stare out of a vibrant blast of red, greens, browns, and blues that in turn spiral into various shifting tattoos. There's a loose outfit clinging to the torso, but the Sax is mostly bare and unbothered by apparently anything. Draped behind him is a tail, and above it what could be generously described as "tendrils" coming directly from his upper back. They meander with a mind of their own.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/30/2023 5:06 PM
Apart from UV light from the lamps and ambient non-harmful radiation from Bulwark patented inertial transmission, there was little to note in other spectrums, except for the large number of concerningly elaborate augmentations sprawled into Gatrast's body.
"That I assume I am." The other lizard nodded, and reached his hand out for a shake as Pahun sat, a gesture even the Kylast had adopted as a sign of universal respect.
"I am Orgun-Gatrast, formally you may call me Rast, I am taking position as the new lead ambassador for the Bulwark...probably, it seems, because of the high amount of other reptilians about here if I'm to be honest."
The Kylast speaking was shorter, at 2 and a half metres, but certainly wider, sporting a somewhat deep shade of green with a lighter underside and feathers of pure light blue hues adorning his crest and tail. His eyes were a similar, but much darker blue, almost drowned out by the pooling black around them, but seemed to match the colour of his uniform well, which appeared rather simple and bold, fitting to his form and even wrapping part way down his tail, which barely seemed separate from the rest of his body.
His feathers flared out a little, perhaps as he assessed the new contact. Their anatomy was quite different, but far more similar to each other than it was to a baseline Human, it looked to intrigue him somwhat.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 5:35 PM
Pahun was delicate with the handshake--they always had to be careful, in case something twitched wrong or one of the various symbiotes decided to come out and play--but smiled none the less. Two pairs of lips, front and side, crease in unison.
"Orgun-Gatrast. Entity semiosis established, play-communion ritual invocation is completed and incorporated into The Flow."
The grin widens, "Little ritual we do. Means you're a part of history. Pleasure to meet you Rast." The haleel engages in a clipped form of speech, the language easy on his lips.
Pahun equally assesses his peer, finding them most interesting. Beyond the obvious comparisons in their mutual biology (clearly a predatory heritage, yes), there were other elements that drew his eye. The augmentations were fascinating, he had no idea that the Bulwark engaged in such things. Several riders hopped into his awareness, assessing the stream-of-consciousness in real time as Pahun experienced existence. One of them, a fellow haleel, suggested that the augmentations may well be to accommodate a more humanoid scaled society.
He hummed, "Hey Rast, question. Are all the goodies in you for the squishy people? Or because you wanted them?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/30/2023 6:08 PM
There was a little wince, barely detectable, as Pahun spoke his full name. Even though he quickly learned why it was spoken as such, being referred in full left a very slight aftertaste on his mind, not a particularly pleasant one either. Nonetheless he'd dealt with disrespect both intentional and a hundred times worse and kept composed, it was his job after all.
"The pleasure is mine, from what i've heard there's much to learn about your people..or peoples, I've been trying to do preliminary research, but information on the sprawl seems pretty unreliable, even from official sources, I aim to fix this...in due time of course."
At the question, there was a moment of thought as he tried to decipher what it meant, but then, mentally acknowledging part of the information readout at the edge of his vision, he was suddenly reminded, feathers flaring in realisation. Gatrast grinned in pride, gesturing talons toward himself.
"Ah! You mean my augments, of course. The answer is complicated, but specifically it's both; there are a few that assist me with my role of course, such as live feed communication modules and the NIMI..uh, Neural Integrated Machine Interface, and there are others which I bought and had installed since they seemed impressive, like the PRCHASe.
One I'm quite happy with is the JETweb, it spans most of my important neural centres and relays information through short range superconductive pulses. It was expensive, but supposedly increases my 'awareness' by a whole 30%, but that seems like an odd statistic to quantify."
Again, another pause, he seemed too distracted explaining his augments like they were jewellery to consider an important question.
"I do have to ask how you could...see all that though, I was fairly sure I did a good job choosing kits that would keep things seamless."
His arms crossed and he leaned back into the soft seat, tone seeming less embarrassed, more curious.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 6:18 PM
Pahun, for his part, was observing Rast with rapt intensity. Unblinking eyes followed the body language, the eager description, saw the pride and felt the bleed through of that emotional energy.
I really did miss this.
He'd filed away the wince for later consideration. It'd probably would have been a good idea on his part to read the file on each species in question, but he preferred to simply be in the moment, to embrace the uncertainty and the missteps with all the accompanied ugliness. Felt more honest and genuine that way.
Emotions that he suspected his companion shared.
Pahun laid down fully on his stomach, propping his head up by the heels of his hands as he replied evenly, "We keep a fair bit of information about ourselves murky on purpose. A general description of culture; our mmmm anarchistic tendencies to self-govern, a broad description of technology. Keeps interactions fresh and interesting. Wards off would be foes as well. Who attacks an unknown?"
Shoulders shrug upwards minutely in amusement and the various trailing bits of him wiggle about.
"As for how I could see all that? Well.. let me share a little secret hm? We are the most advanced piece of technology. I can as assuredly see the way you see the world as I can see you as a galaxy of particles with all their interactions, from the subatomic and beyond."
"Mm, think of me as being the apex of what you and your people are doing. My entire body is an augment, after a fashion. Though, that gets into some complex meta-semiotic discussions on the nature of self."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 9:01 PM
A mountain of amniotic fluid rose and broke apart, these small seas parted from by the body of the lizardman. Every day trillions of designs would be reiterated, every day billions would be optimised, millions would be possible, and out of those thousands would make their way to the boards of several engineers of the varied species that worked on the Nexus project. All of these thousands of projects would have to be scrutinised, a collection of signatures would be a necessity to implement the changes.
Kirlan was one of such signatures. Though the Nexus project and the ICEC Branch of the CES was but nascent, he had been hard at work. Apart from official ambassadorial and directorate duties that were bestowed upon him, the severe size upon which the local IPD node had grown and refined was beyond the expectations of even the most optimist of analytical experts of the CES. That, combined with his personal choice to partake upon the shadowy arms race of nascent artificial intelligence that raged amidst the high corporate rungs of the CES made him tremendously busy with work, something that he most often enjoyed, though the necessity of a break grew by the week.
That is why, upon one of his many deep dives within the multidimensional information-scapes of the IPD, he was glad to discover the new ambassadors being assigned by a few ICEC members, and thought to call a meeting. It'd be a way to inform them as to the situations of the megastructure and the of the current members, as well as a way to gather with his kin.
The headache of the dive slowly subsided, and though Inghrumn tried as he did, they were running face-first into a wall of incompatibility between neural archetypes, an issue that by itself would give him a headache if he already did not have one. He chose to forget about the misgivings of his attempt, and quickly scurried away from the deep recesses of the IPD node over the Mithran, getting ready to meet these foreign ambassadors as his augments tried to read him available information.
The CES-borne structure, arguably larger than the place he headed towards, quickly dissapeared behind him as the sleek administrative ship made its way to the meeting grounds, whose growing sideways structure almost uncoordinated made Kirlan exhale in a small amount of exasperation. So many working cogs within this unphantomable mechanism of cooperation, that the exuberance of construction almost goes amiss into jagged births of metal.
He disembarked from the vessel and made his way to the meeting room. The station was of an architecture highly advanced socially, meant to house the plethora of species that the ICEC members were composed of, and with the thought of even others that did not partake upon the economic bloc. Despite his personal disapproval of some of his nation-peers in the handling of constructive assets and philosophies, he still enjoyed the spacious interiors and the well-realised designs that, at one point or another, were at the chopping block of his hand.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 9:21 PM
The soft hiss of the door gave heed as to the joining and last member of the meet. The plates of metal, broken apart and dragged at the parallel, revealed a lizardman of proportions vastly small than the corridor he threaded. To the Kylast, the adult had the stature of a child, to the Haleelian, he'd probably fit in his boot. Yet to both in the room, that glint of determination and posture that a being of importance carries made his presence of size equal to the physical of the others. Said posture, however, dissapeared quickly, replaced by softer expressions that started to dominate his demeanor.
"Ah, Pahun Pah... Orgun..." The lizardman bowed towards the both of them individually, a sign of respect for the Musavians, or simply politeness in the moment.
The lizard, standing at 1,8 meters of height, made his way to sit as to complete a triangle amidst the other two. Unlike the other two, he bore a suit almost mirroring that which a human would war, though the deep blue of the suit shimmered in a beautiful pattern of kaleidoscopic colors revealing an intricate weave that was not of simple fabric. The most prominent two features within the teal-colored lizardman were the large and vibrant orange ears, which almost perked at the hint of a noise and which raised questions as to how one of such a species would fit a helmet, and a distinctive strip of metal that almost made the outline of the red eye and vibrant blue eyebrow, indicator of a high-end adaptation few in the CES had.
He sits and accommodates himself, saying thus:
"I trust you have found no issue in transiting towards this location, its architecture is objectively design to take into account the various morphologies found around the ICEC bloc and Ancerious as a whole. You will both find easy integration to the informational mechanisms at play within the Nexus project."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 9:35 PM
The lazy Haleel turns his attention towards the newcomer, observing with interest how the Musavian entered and broadcasted their social mechanisms.
Ah, yes, the ones who mirror..
He'd heard of them. And of course, been right alongside all the rest of the Clade when Inghrumn had accidentally found himself in the midst of them all. He tasted the memory, sensing the amusement, gratification, and curiosity.
Equally curious was in knowing his name and Rast's name, but not introducing themselves. Pahun gazed at the other saurian, unblinking eyes assessing, analyzing.
Hmm, showed no fear or uncertainty when coming into contact with us for the first time. Carries themselves with a particular air. Pretty colors.
It reminded him briefly of a fire-lizard from Old World. The pang of nostalgia was dangerous, so he shoved that aside and reached over, sticking out a hand for a handshake as Rast had, "Well, you already know we don't really need much accommodation, but not having to stoop is a plus."
Integration into the data network? Hm, probably should do that at some point.
"Afraid I haven't indulged in the network yet. Not my style. Speaking of which, I prefer to come to these sorts of things ignorant of the attendees--makes it more personable to get to know folks. Mind doing an introduction?"
"I figure you know the basics of me from the profile Asi sent over, but I'll do it again for coherences sake: Pahun Pah, retired Pathfinder of the Higal Gehaykel. Subclade of crazies, thrill seekers, and otherwise adventurous folk."
Pahun smiles at the Musavian, genuinely expressing interest and openness.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 10:01 PM
Kirlan's ears perked to the speech of Pahun, his head turned at bit to the side and he stared at him inquisitively. Rather than any deep political interplay or personal ego reason, he had simply forgotten to state who he was, or rather, he generally either did not need to, or cared very little to the status that his position held - perhaps one of the reasons he held it at all.
He nodded, understandably:
"Forgive my ill manners. I am Kirlan, Director for the CES, Lead of the CES ICEC Branch. Our origins differ, mine is a duty of validating the choices of rungs of engineers, you stand upon a room within which much consideration by many minds was poured, mine included."
A thrill seeker as a diplomat was a weird choice, it was commonplace for the CES to pick the most pragmatic to interact with others, like any stress design of joints or fuel intake of an engine, the diplomatic and interpersonal response was measured -or attempted to- as to refine unto perfection. Though these thoughts raced his mind, his expression did not change, even without being a diplomat proper he was keen to such mannerisms as a survival mechanism within the competitive corporate rungs.
"Tell me, Pahun, what made you choose to represent the Saxheelians within the Nexus?"
The unassuming quote carried an unspoken heft. Kirlan did not see the origins of Pahun in a bad optic, he knew too little of the Saxheelians to assume much of anything at all, however, he of course expected a degree of trustworthyness to his diplomatic peer, one that the very name of Saxheelian carried by nature and hearsay, yet still to be proven now and personally.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 3:09 AM
[...]
Before the Kylast could get a chance to respond with a query to Pahun's intriguing response, the door hissed open.
Watching the Musavian enter, the kylast did almost believe that a child had wandered in, mistaking the brightly coloured ears for part of a feather crest. He soon gained his focus before saying anything however, and realised he actually recognised who was standing in the doorway. Suddenly he had to raise his chin, feathers drawing back in a sign of respect, perhaps it might be telling that Kylast have an entire body language category denoting respect itself.
This expression waivered a little however the moment the smaller lizard spoke his name. He had a feeling he was going to have to get used to correcting people.
"Of course, sir. I'll agree the tall ceilings are definitely appreciated, and I managed to connect my NIMI straight to the intranet, which has been saving me many a hassle. Though...in the future I'd advise you not speak a family name when referring to one of us, sir. It's a bit like lumping a whole human family into one person, or at least, that's how I believe it feels. Use our selfnames, Gatrast in this case sir, or simply Rast, if you prefer."
Getting the explanation off his shoulders, he seemed to relax a little again, though his tone suggested he was never agitated in the first place, in fact he seemed to be smiling. Clearly he didn't need the incoming introduction, but obviously wouldn't mind it either.
[...]
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/31/2023 9:46 AM
Pahun turned towards Rast as the other saurian spoke, feeling a little ding as the bits of information added up.
Ah. A strong kith culture. A note of compatibility there..
The haleel allowed himself the indulgence of instincts as he hum-clicked softly; a gentle mix of echolocation and chirrups. This little meeting would be most engaging indeed! And to have one of the entities from within the hierarchical command/social ordering of the CES present? A rewarding experience to be sure.
Eyes trail over to Rast again, pondering how the other would interpret what Pahun had said. The augments were present in both species, he knew that much based on past experience with the Musavians. Were all saurians like this?
The haleel did not rouse from his resting position, having no such respect-ritual themselves, "Mmm, perhaps it is best to explain how one accepts a position. That will answer your question better, me thinks."
"We call it self-selection. A task that benefits the community needs to be completed. That information is distributed to the Consensus in its entirety. Someone sees it, chooses it, and completes the task. It is how we order ourselves. As this was short notice, the community attributed a higher grade of experience--Pathfinder specifically--to accommodate the needs of the summit."
He hum-clicks again, "Hehmm not that I am familiar with summits of this more comfortable nature. Typically, they've been these wide and grand affairs. Giant cities, floating halls, huge castles, that sort of thing."
"Mmmm.. perhaps explaining a Pathfinder will help as well.. We are, in many ways, what you may call an "elite group" within the Clade. We're the front line explorers, the ones making First Contact, the ones who catalogue worlds. To be one demands decades of training and experience. I personally know several million languages, though a good number of that are our own."
His tail imitates a cat, gently slapping against the ground lazily as he explains.
"So you see, you're not sitting across from just any Haleel, nor any Saxheelian. I'm part of a group of less than a hundred, four thousand years old. Our little subclade is prideful of our accomplishments, but competent."
He holds up one hand--the digits are smooth and end in blunted nails, the distant echoes of herbivorous ancestry apparent--in caution, "But do not attribute this to status within the Clade. I and my kith are fitted for task and purpose. We chose our Path, and that Path was called upon to serve. I serve my people with great pride, great honor, and great joy."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 10:18 AM
There's a noise not unlike a rumble, something that would be equivalent to a hum in human terms, quiet and thoughtful. His own tail drags lazily against the carpet in front of him seemingly by whim, one of his legs crossing over to rest upon it. He'd heard stories about the sax in general, but as it seemed these pathfinders were a whole different breed; he went back to his instinctual categorising by achievements.
"Millions...That's a type of number I can only barely comprehend. I never was much of a mathematician to be fair, but I myself only know four, and three of those originate from the Bulwark proper. Also I agree with your statement on arrangements; I've seen so many spire cities and orbital fortresses that this little room is somewhat of a humbling sight, a very welcoming one too, it was designed well.
Overall though I must ask Pahun, If you chose to take this...assignment, surely there were others too? Is there a secondary selection process or is it a first-come first-served basis?"
His focus seemed to switch pretty cleanly, though it might have been worth noting he'd alternate between fields of view every so often, tilting or turning his head slightly and passively so that he could see one of the parties with both eyes or both of the parties with each.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/31/2023 10:25 AM
Pahun shrugs his shoulders minutely, "Depends on the nature of the task. If there are multiple people who desire to aid in one particular position of need, it will come down to establishing consensus on who the community feels best represents the task."
"In this case, there were no other takers for the project, due to all the demands recently on Pathfinders. Hence why a retired Pathfinder is here and not some young buck."
He grins, "Gotta understand, in the full Volume, there's trillions of us. Each Clade is like a distinct nation, and some Clades form civilizations of their own. It is why we are Meta-Sax; we're a meta-civilization of civilizations. A confederation of confederations. So, being able to learn and speak all the various languages is just a part of existing as us. It helps that there is a baseline universal tongue, bridges the gap with some of my more esoteric cousins."
The smile withers though. For a moment, he looks every bit the weary millennia old being he really is.
Trillions of other voices, other thoughts, other warm souls... reduced to mere millions. The silence is unbearable.
He recovers and rolls onto his back, looking up at the ceiling, "I hope that answers your respective questions. Tell me more of yourselves though, I know as little of you as you know of me."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/31/2023 6:22 PM
The lizardman nodded knowingly, before replicating:
"Forgive me then, Rast. This was the exact issue I intended to avoid, but it seems I did the exact contrary of what I intended to. There are many cultures I am not knowing of, and many more in the universe, I only hope to learn yours, if you would allow me to."
The impossibly quiet buzzing of electronics pulsed through the air, that small bit of information had gone through unnoticed for Kirlan, and he had just logged a small special note about the diplomat.
"You can call me Kirlan, or whatever nickname you see fit, my people do not carry too much concern in nomenclature, I guess the pragmatism of our work has bled to even our names in this day and age." Kirlan seemed to ponder for a moment, the CES as a people were somewhat devoid of a culture that was not intrinsically tied to work, however, that was such from the very day he was hatched, were it ever different? In the deepest recesses of his very soul he knew, but the cognisant and subconscious mind avoided such areas.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/31/2023 6:31 PM
Then, Pahun replied to his question. As he talked, the smallest indicators of understanding and pleasantness surged through the face of Kirlan, a smile that was truer than the one that he used thus far, features of the face brought forward by the contraction and relaxation of such minuscule muscle groups and orientations that they seldom appear in the books of physicians indicated a more relaxed position that Kirlan started to take.
He was, alas, in the presence of a great man, not only of stature and charisma, but also of precedent. He nodded, a slight more eager nod than the ones beforehand:
"A very interesting path that has brought you here. You must be part of a busy people, yet I see they still picked those of excellence to be part of our small gathering of diplomats. In my culture, we generally are picked, through countless unseen processes that determine the fields each and every one of us will excel at, that way there are seldom people who are unrealised in their potential. However, I do see that many of us would envy the freedom that your processes entail, perhaps even there is much to be gained there. I acknowledge that compared to you, we must seem but children in the cosmos!" He lets out a small chuckle.
After a little time has passed, Kirlan continues on his thoughts, this time, still about the very room they sit in.
"Well, it is indeed a humble place. But underneath this very humble room sits a megastructure whose completion may change the ethos forever. I don't mean to project greatness or even endow pressure upon us, but think about the weight of our words as we sit within this humble room. Is it not true that, one word misspoken is the death of millions or the glory of even many more? That vein of questioning has haunted our development of this and other megastructures theorised, the implications of even the slightest deviation upon a process this large could snowball into unprecedented proportions! If only..."
As Kirlan discoursed upon the topic, though tangentially related as it was to the systems he helped develop and which now governed as the beating heart of the mega-corporation which he partially directed, a change in his behaviour was evident, as if a small layer of pragmatism shedded away from the surface of himself, and a true passion for this very specific craft surged through his speech. At the end, he careened off into a small moment of thought, before resuming:
"Ah, I don't want to bore you both with the details of this type of work, it is beyond diplomacy, and revealing these things might get me into trouble!" he chuckled yet again, this time more jovially than before, as if "trouble" within the CES was something that was, by now, unreachable for him.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 7:19 PM
"Kirlan"
The kylast muttered to himself, as if he'd never heard the word before in his life. He just wasn't quite expecting the informality...but then again this was a rather informal meeting. Rast had to ponder for a moment, deeming it likely that his hiring had some part to do with the assembly. He didn't make comment on it but did make a mental note that everyone in the room was fine by their names.
"Very well then."
He nodded simply in reply, letting the conversation continue with a stern intrigue.
Seemingly though he seemed to already have a comment on the first topic.
"Ah, I do agree, the freedom seems nice, and that group consensus you mention too. Such a thing would never work for our own though is the unfortunate truth, much too dense is the Bulwark, far too many souls who would have to be sorted. I feel our system works better for circumstance, one builds their legacy on their own achievement, and recognition of that leads to further winding paths.
The hard part is that initial recognition of course, you have to catch the eyes of your peers, study and apply yourself. Humans seem to like to pamper their children, ensure their success carries through; Kylast tend to place their own at the bottom of the ladder, pulling them up a rung or two every so often, it's a fairer test of resolve that way." Uncertainty very subtly tinged his voice, he knew that the gears of bureaucracy had a way of grinding against each other, turning potential to dust in the process, but he assured himself that positivity was a key focus of this meeting.
He seems to shift a little in excitement though as the Musavian begins to emphasise the scale of the project. Gatrast had almost forgotten one of the primary aims of ICEC was something so grand. Over time the concept had faded into just that, a design that didn't seem possible, but now the other lizard had reminded him that what they were doing mere lightminutes away was in fact the beginning of this grand vision, a great monument that he was now a part of. Suddenly the feeling of inadequacy beside his peers here was a little more bearable.
"Nonono Kirlan! Don't attempt to belittle the work being done here. It is beyond any doubt a great project."
The lizardman grinned, his arms gesturing outward and his feathers almost pluming to emphasize his point.
"To undersell something such as this would be criminal. I understand that yes, the actions in this building, or indeed, in this very room might have some exponential impact on the titanic effort being taken out there, but does that not impress you in and of itself?
Despite such chances and the countless hurdles inbetween, we've already come this far, to the point where a dream like this is viable. Of course..."
He seems to refocus on the Saxheelian, a little less confidently.
"...Such dreams might not be as incredibly unrealistic to your peoples, considering the research I've undertaken, however I humbly ask you to see it from our perspective, and perhaps lend some thought to the pure scale of what's being done here."
With a renewed excitement and confidence, Rast seemed to sit up, hooked talons almost gripping the beanbag he sat in.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/01/2023 8:45 AM
Pahun listened to both of the other saurs, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He never really knew how to navigate the whole "wow you must be so X" thing that the youthful species typically responded to when his age was mentioned. And then there was the presumption of achievement..
"Mmm, it is...complex to describe how our social ordering functions on a nuanced level. Freedom isn't actually a word in our language, but then neither is "starvation" or "slavery" or such. They're concepts that just don't exist. In either case, we're more of a hermitage of folks, rather then a species-entire. Most often, it is small groups of people who join us, occasionally a planet or two's worth of population. It makes acclimation into the sometimes chaotic nature of our way of life easier."
"The Bulwark, for example, would spin out several million different Clades were it to go the Meta-Sax way. Think of us as a holistic ecosystem of peoples rather than anything rigidly unified."
Pahun paused here, considering how to respond to the other comments. On one hand, yes, the full Volume could have created such works, but never did. Such permanence would have been seen as obscene. An affront.
"As for the Mithran.."
He chewed on the words. There was a temptation to pull himself out of lockstep with their subjective existence and into the Consensus, to appeal for advice. The riders in his mind, of which there were several thousand now, made a small chorus of voices arguing for this or that. Yet, if he was to yank himself into the Consensus proper, it would disrespect the people here. He disliked the thought.
"We never built things of that scale. We were very much tied to the nomadicism of our past. Travel in our universe is also significantly slower... no matter how much energy you could throw at it, you could never go faster than one-hundred and twenty times the speed of light. So, we existed on a slower timescale relative to the size of the universe."
"Mmm.. not sure that made sense."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/01/2023 2:33 PM
Kirlan chuckles.
"Ever humble I see, Pahun. I guess even you can learn a thing or two from us then! I am certainly proud of being the lead of the first megaproject for the CES, it must be a great hallmark for nomads to invest so much into a project like the Mithran. In any manner, I am glad that you are here to represent the Meta-Sax."
Kirlan felt as though there was much that he could learn from Pahun, even on a personal level. In the matters of having lived through much as well as interpersonal interaction, Pahun was much more experienced than him. Through the ages, amongst the small rooms of server racks, the vats of amniotic fluid, the vast multidimensional escapes of vectorial values and the glittering seas of starchambers, Kirlan never had the chance to develop peers that were not strictly related to work. In truth, this conversation, though steeped in foreign interests, was one of the most direct personal relations he had had in long.
The deep thought produced a small exhale from Kirlan.
Still he turns towards Rast, the semblance of agreement splayed across his expression, he spoke of a truth that concerned him much.
"Of course! But the consequences can have a flow of value that has as much potential to positivity as negativity! It is this chaotic potential that is entailed upon any megaproject that has, well, been a headache to me for so long! hah.
Well my friends, just to be sure then, I reckon it's the best we all get along well, I am sure that that's the best outcome after all." The cheery manner of speech displayed the lightweight tone of the final message, Kirlan's demeanour of corporate pragmatism that he carried upon his his shoulders started to weigh down less and less, his tail gently swept across the floor behind him, the degenerate but colourful fins at the end hovered the carpeted floor producing a small noise.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/01/2023 2:54 PM
Oddly enough, Rast felt somewhat similar about the meeting. It's informality was a relief as compared to the cold interactions he had to endure from humans and even some of his own kin in the last few months. It wasn't a quick and easy process to be the first of his species in this particular position; there were many checks and a lot of vetting that decided if he was suitable, and it had tired him.
The warm room and seemingly warmer personalities surrounding him though put a more genuine smile on his features than he'd had in a while though, and for that he was simply grateful the meeting was arranged. There was also the prevailing instinct that Pahun knew what he was doing far more than both him and Kirlan, but simply wanted to take that experience and learn off of it, even through the casual speech being exchanged.
"Is that so? Here I was believing you'd had a 'seen this before' point of view."
He chuckled a little, the noise gravelly and rough.
"My apologies then. But I agree with Kirlan, I'm glad you chose to come here today for certain.
And that too yes, I find it hard to believe we wouldn't all get along, and meetings in warm light such as this will only help cement that positivity into the sum of our efforts, hm? Either way though..."
He stops to think a moment, and develops a Smirk, teal crest resting against his head as he leans forward toward the central table.
"If it's a friendship each of us are seeking, a meal tends to be the catalyst of that in our culture. When was the last any of you ate?"
It was mentioned offhand to him that the room was attached to the dumbwaiter network of the building. At first he found it odd, but now he understood.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/01/2023 4:45 PM
The haleel hum-clicked in amusement at the reactions of the other two. It was comfortable, nice even, to spend time among a morphology similar to his own.
He'd grown too used to his Saxheelian kin, forgetting the little bits of joy that seeped out when genuine comradery was present. It made him shudder ever so slightly. The little bit of juice in his system made his eyes dilate and he rolled back onto his stomach, once again propping his head up with the palms of his hands.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seen a Nexus-like object before. We just never built one. So, it's a novel project for us. The benefits are wonderful as well; a centralized place for our Cladeships to jump to, considerable access to new space to explore, and a hub to meet billions of new beings who don't want to blow us up."
He laughs lightly, "A novel experience indeed."
Pahun eyes Kilran, pondering at the words. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but he was certain the Misuvian was enjoying himself. He clicked under his breath, guess his comrade was a bit of a stick in the mud.
"Speaking of novel experiences--food? Ah.. hmm.. er.. well..."
The haleel looks sheepish, "I guess a few years ago? I don't keep track."
Half of him is in another mental space, trying to remember the last time he actually ate real food. There was the Duality where such things were common place, but those were just echoized representations of energy, not actual physical objects with calories to be converted.
Can I even eat real food?
The thought makes him laugh out loud.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/01/2023 6:56 PM
"A few years ago?
...
I guess that is to be expected.
As for me, well, I could indeed eat right now, though most of what I eat is standardised. Certainly doesn't sound fancy, but it isn't bad! Beats not eating in my opinion, you're losing out Pahun!" The lizardman laughs audibly, poking fun at Pahun for such a trivial thing fills him with the joy of a jokester momentarily.
"Well, I'll let you decide then, Rast. If it is your custom to bond over a culinary asset, then I shall partake." Kirlan looks around the room as if searching for something, but finds it within the his bionically adapted eye, a confirmation of the capabilities of the facility they are in.
"I think we should have many ingredients for whatever you wish.
Uh...
Cousine is not my strongsuit."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 9:48 AM
"Funny."
The kylast comments, a smile pulling at the edges of his maw.
"Years wasn't honestly the answer I was expecting...though perhaps in hindsight I should have. Though, no matter how advanced a civilisation, I believe that the simple ritual of a good meal shouldn't be forgotten, It's a core comfort, whether you need it or not. But then again I see not through your eyes, so perhaps it's something you don't miss either way,"
He grinned, shuffling himself forward to tap at the screen. He hadn't a chance to interact with the menu's yet however so took a second looking through them; Options for lighting, humidity, access to public intranet, catering.
"Ah, yes. I'll admit i'm not much of a chef either. Luckily for us, I believe there are people and machines to take up such skills for us...Let's see..."
He quietly swiped through the options, and found there to be...many, a muted expression of surprise pulling over his features.
"Well as it seems, the cultural departments of our nations have been busy creating joint culinary programs, no doubt part of the effort to share ideas...Seems some of them are hand-prepared, there's also...printed and constructed meals too? Honestly I wasn't expecting so much, perhaps you should all take a look yourselves and see if there's anything that catches your eye."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 11:00 AM
Pahun laughs softly, "If my people contributed to the cuisine, I'd suggest steering clear unless you like radiation poisoning. I'll just try whatever foods the two of you recommend."
He hums and moves himself into a proper sitting position. Tucking tail and legs into a nice little cross, he leaned back and let the tendrils sprouting from behind him hold him in place, "I am fairly confident I can consume anything on the menu. If I can't, I'll just break it down into atomic bits to sort through later. Who knows, might have some useful molecules."
The ritual of eating food.. now that was something he hadn't experience within his own paradigm in his entire lifetime. As far as he knew, "food" went out of fashion before he was even born.
"Ahmm..if I seem.. inept at this, just know it's because we don't really do the rituals around food. It'll be a learning experience for me."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 11:43 AM
"What a showoff!" - Kirlan chuckles at Pahun - "Just don't eat the furniture, okay?"
He hunches over and interacts with the small coffee table as well, though for him it was unecessary as he could simply use his neural adaptation to interface directly with the system. The pleasant hum of the table comes to light, and the wooden patterning of the coffee table gives way to a menu.
"I am curious now Rast. You are the one that suggested we bond over a culinary asset, so, I give you the burden of choice of what it'll be. As for me, well, it is customary to spend some time with trustees enjoying a cold delight that the galaxy calls "iced creams". It appears that our morphology causes confusion with the hot-blooded species and what consuming such an icy treat might entail, but to Musavians, it is considered a good delight."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 11:46 AM
Pahun sticks his tongue out at Kirlan in a humanoid manner and winks at him, though he offers no actual comment. Instead, he looks at Rast expectantly, wondering what all this would entail.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 12:26 PM
"Ice creams are a dessert, no?"
Rast gave a bit of a peculiar look, but soon batted it off with a shrug, this wasn't an organised dinner after all, maybe he could just eat what he wanted for once.
"Though if you insist, good suggestion. I think i'll have on myself, it has been a while, but i'll agree that it's certainly something our own species has come to enjoy fondly...humans are certainly good at the sugary things."
It was likely that Rast could also use the interface utilising his NIMI, but either forgot, or preferred the tactility of a screen. Nonetheless he soon found a serving called a 'mud fountain'. It seemed to be some amalgamation of chocolate sauces and brownies over a complex set of wavy patterned scoops. He found himself inadvertently licking his teeth and nodded to himself.
"This seems excessive...but I think I deserve to treat myself honestly. Pahun, I recommend you try the 'emperor's carnival', It seems to have quite a range of flavours on it, perhaps you'll get to test if that tongue is just for gesture or not."
He guffawed a little, making his selection and leaning back.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 12:35 PM
The haleelian harumphed--a mix of clicking and buzzing sounds--before crawling over towards the device and ordering this "Emperor's Carnival".
"I freely admit to having no real experience in using my taste buds, but I assure you, such legacy biology is still in place. If you ever develop the gut for it, I'll in turn recommend the Astana. Filling, if presumably bland for your tastes. Certainly enough to keep me going for a few years."
He grins at Rast as he coils back up into a sitting position, waiting to see what oddity came forth to greet them.
Reflecting on it, why hadn't they developed much of a food culture? Sure, it wasn't like everyone needed to eat at the same time, there was no regularity in it, but when you did need sustenance, why wasn't there something more to it than 'computer, replicate food supplement 42 Besh'?
He found this gap in his culture most distressing.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 1:00 PM
Kirlan responds in kind to Pahun, sticking his tongue out towards the vastly large Haheelian besides him. He then turns to Rast, and speaks:
"Well of course, it is a dessert. And we developed it on our own, but we did not have milk within our world, rather we used a replacement secretion from a local tree, with results that were very similar, if not a little less stiff after freezing. "
After a few moments, a small set of three cups of ice cream arrive, set upon a small 3D printed plate, chilled as to keep the treats intact. Kirlan announces: "Well, help yourselves gentlemen." - Then, darting a look towards Pahun - "Just don't eat the tray itself yes?"
The atmosphere had acquired a lighthearted feel, this seldom felt like a diplomatic meeting to Kirlan anymore.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 1:06 PM
Pahun rolled his eyes and made a chomping motion with his mouth, "Ohhhh, yummy tray."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 2:10 PM
There a slight 'ahh' as the smaller lizard explained their origin for the snack, finding it somewhat humbling that it was something that could be related to between them and humanity.
"You see, Kylast didn't have anything quite like ice cream exactly, but i'd say a close parallel would be Kranii-Fala, a type of chilled fudge that was often enjoyed by travellers in hot climates."
The name seems to require a small manipulation of the kylast's throat, producing a quick grunt, but he seems to think for a moment after speaking, seemingly recalling the flavour of the treat, and deciding he'd compare it to what was in front of him.
Nonetheless Rast snorted a little at the exchange the two produced before reaching over and grabbing his cup. The servings seemed to be adjusted to their size, depending on the ID they used to order the food, which was nice, and the cups seemed customised to the chosen 'flavour' having matching patterns or colours, still fully disposable and recycleable of course.
Emperor's carnival was just as eccentric as it sound, a veritable flower of smaller scoops, each a different colour and flavour with matching toppings; Blueberry, chocolate, vanilla, peanut..and even a few that weren't quite clear.
Rast was already taking a spoonful, letting out a cold sigh as he swallowed.
"Yeah...that's good."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 2:39 PM
Pahun stared at the massed contraption of plant matter, ripened bovinae leavings, and incalculable sugar molecules gestating in the muck. The bacteria cultures alone would be worthy of study, but the idea of ingesting this was...interesting to say the least.
"Do.. I just.. pick it up?"
I'm a diplomat, not a scientist!
He reached down with his hands, calculating the exact pressure required for him not to explode the blueberry that had slide off the side as he pinched it between his fingers.
The temperature of it was a simple 1 degree. Texture (he rubs his fingers) nominal for a plantling. His eyes focus in on the object, examining it with all of his available senses.
Seems.. safe enough I suppose.
He watches Rast consume the ice cream. Pahun turns back towards the blueberry, then carefully opens his mouth. He places it on his tongue and closes his mouth, feeling the taste buds there slowly wake up after an extended hibernation.
It was.. sweet? Was that the right word? He was pulling at enormously ancient places of his brain, trying to categorize the sensation.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 3:19 PM
Kirlan partook in a procedural tasting of all the three kinds of dishes presented before the group, occupying the small coffee table in almost its totality. He'd take a small bite out of the chilled cup of ice cream, then hop towards the foundation of chocolate to taste yet another combination of brownie and chocolate sauce, and yet again into the scoops of the Emperor's Carnival.
Still, he took time out of this small proceeding to watch Pahun intently, as the tall lizard-kin insecurily proceded to unchart the culinary lands of the sweet treats presented before him. As Pahun consumed the blueberry scoop, Kirlan slowly nodded in approval. The notion of eating something like this was likely as bizarre as the notion of eating uranium or dissociating the very molecules or atoms of a particular thing as nutrition, a two-way road it was. Yet Pahun still crossed it, although the comparison was flawed since Uranium would certainly not fall well within Kirlan's digestive system, there was still a clear effort from the Saxheelian.
"Don't worry Pahun, it isn't radioactive. Though I guess that might be a downside for you!" A snickerish chuckle is produced from Kirlan, which then continues: "So, what are your thoughts on it?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 3:57 PM
The kylast likewise seemed interested to watch the sax's reaction. He kept his head forward, but an eye on the appropriate side of his head made focus under a raised brow, simply curious to measure the reaction. In the meanwhile he was cleaning off another spoonful with his tongue, his glossy feathers relaxing into soft plumes, his tail back to dragging against the carpet.
He was half tempted to point out the spoon, but it looked like they'd figure it out pretty quickly without his help.
"Yes, do tell; your viewpoint of it seems to be the most unfamiliar out of all us after all. And an outsiders perspective on something mundane to seems fascinating
to me."
He dug his spoon down for another lump of 'mud fountain', it somehow tasted like a bunch of distinct chocolates in one mouthful, seeing that and the carnival next to what was presumably Kirlan's standard cup of vanilla amused the Kylast somewhat.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 8:58 AM
The saurian hummed, hemmed, hawed, and contemplated. He made a very convincing imitation of The Thinker as he sat there, pondering deeply about the nature of food and the universe.
It is wrong to consume materials of other beings, when there is so much energy freely given by the stars. But can a culinary tradition exist when all you eat is star-stuff?
He stares at the Emperor's Carnival for a long moment.
"It is sweet."
That particular region of the meta-plex that served as his brain had laid dormant for at least two thousand years. He genuinely did not recall when he last had used his taste buds. So the profundity of that statement was likely lost upon his peers in this room. However, the riders in his consciousness had experienced the sensations alongside him, and already the Consensus was abuzz about the entire activity.
Pahun's Contemplations were rapidly becoming a big hit.
"Yes, sweet is the word I think. It is.. confusing. There is a moral element to eating that I did not immediately consider. Yet, that moral element is highly complicated by the presence of a food-eatery culture. Which supersedes which in the priority of existence?"
Scaled hands rested gently against the knob of pseudo bone that served as his jaw, his tail more aggressively thwapping the ground as his thoughts accelerated and the noisy debate and raucous of the Consensus grew around him.
"What we eat, we harvest from stars. It is energy freely given, then transformed, then transformed again by our cells. Every molecule, every atom is accounted for. We gather only what we need, which is purposefully as little as is possible."
He stared at the mountain of sweets, "It is noemata to reduce our impact on the universe as much as possible. It.. probably sounds strange to both of you. It is born from a dozen lifetimes living in space I suppose."
Picking up the nearby spoon, he tests a mouthful of the substance. This time, the full flavor is apparent, his taste buds singing.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/03/2023 9:46 AM
Kirlan watched Pahun's reaction attently, attempting, through the study of the variation of his facial features, to peer into the highly complex mind of the tall lizardman besides him. The bulk of CES profits came from regional sales towards minor nations, but the bulk of CES cooperation was starting to align with the meta-sax, as they found out more and more about their ways of dealing with problems - There was good diplomatic reason for Kirlan to be interested.
Yet, it was particularly not for this reason that Kirlan payed attention. Instead, an odd fascination came from observing such a distant yet so-close being, an infactuation with what could be his ways of life. Perhaps it was the odd wisdom that he emanated paradoxically contrasting with the accessibility of his persona, or the highly different yet understandable things that he said about his ways of life and how their kind carried themselves, or perhaps just his height...
Kirlan chuckled a bit.
"Sweet, yet it bears such complexity beyond just taste to you." - Kirlan too pondered about the push and pull of men's necessity against nature's providence. His people were never one of excess, he certainly wasn't, hell, he set up the very basis of the system that ensured that they were not a people of excess. Yet even his prideful creation did not consider the impacts down to the levels that Pahun described. There was a vague similarity, a truth in the most optimal methods of usage of things, or a truth in simplicity one might put it.
Yet, neither him nor Rast were part of a culture advanced enough to produce this level of efficiency. There was still unprecedented struggle within both their societies, and certainly much more throught the galaxy as a whole. It is from that very struggle that necessities were borne. No Musavian could hope to live without the sacrifice of other living beings when their culture was but nascent and their people barely cognisant, it is a reality that was necessary to their evolution, and as such, culture grew around it.
Then, one might think, is the question now about the efficiency of a people versus their culture? Blind faith in the systems that ruled the CES was sadly common, would such blind faith possibly implicate future atrocities, in the name of the flow of value?
The musmus, after a moment of introspection, nodded slowly and stated:
"I can somewhat see where you're coming from."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 10:06 AM
On the other hand, Rast's thoughts on the matter produced much less internal conflict. He didn't worry an incredible amount once he heard the whole 'moral' argument, but he did seem equally entertained by the Sax's reaction nonetheless, likewise wondering how this seemed to his perspective. For a moment he felt like a simpler mind trying to understand what it was like to see through the eyes of some great computer, he didn't enjoy the thought and so he washed it away with another spoonful of ice-cream.
"Sweet's good, yes, that's probably the descriptor most would use. I think you'll also be happy to know that the budget of ICEC is...generous. Most of the ingredients are synthetic in one way or another, no animals involved unless where necessary, more efficient that way to provide for the variety of mouths...but I have to say that eating energy from stars probably doesn't carry quite the same flavour as this."
He took another spoonful, the chill raising his feathers slightly. Before realising something, raising a brow in Pahun's direction.
"What you haven't said however, is whether you enjoy it."
Rast huffed a little in amusement; It was clear he wasn' not enjoying it, but then again he wasn't even sure if enjoyment was even perceived the same, in how many ways, he wondered, where they different, despite the similarities.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 2:58 PM
Pahun squinted at the spoon in his hand, "Most?"
Does that mean he'd eaten a living thing? No, no certainly not. Likely just sourced as a byproduct of a natural creature, yes.
It was the rationalization he was going to stick to and that was that.
He hummed, uncertain still how the thing actually tasted. The sweetness was obvious, but there were flavors he couldn't identify. The texture was a bit...gamey...too. He clicked out a series of rapid sounds, expressing some of that internal frustration.
"I do not know if I enjoy it or do not. It is.. a different experience. In that sense, I do enjoy it: new experiences are always enjoyable to us. Do I enjoy the content of that experience? Hmm.."
He took another spoonful and consumed the ice cream.
Maybe I do? Hm, I wonder..
The temperature difference caused a reaction inside of him, making him shudder and shiver as the cold thing slid down his gullet. He coughed into a closed fist and blinked in surprise, "Huh. An autonomic response.. well. That was certainly new."
Pahun ran his hands over his body as if checking it was still working the way it was supposed to.
With a bit of a laugh he decides that, "Yeah, I think I do. I'll have more than enough spare matter to last for a while as well."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 4:05 PM
Rast let out a deep, encouraging chuckle.
"Aaah, thought you might. Took a little more adjustment than I was first expecting though."
He grinned, taking yet another spoonful of his own serving which he'd gotten quite far through by this point. He was at least pleased that what was essentially a cultural experiment had gone well, he wouldn't admit it but he was growing a little nervous at the admittance of uncertainty, but it had worked out, and there was a relief that come with that. But to think he had so little knowledge of the consensus, there were thousands who just tried the same meal, just out of his perception.
"And hey, if that response is anything to go by, maybe food is something worth exploring hm? I did mention there was something core about food that all creatures seem to react to, no matter how augmented."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 4:12 PM
Pahun's laughter echoes again in the small space, "Ha well, there's already a large debate happening about what to do regarding the food cultures of the galaxy."
His right hand danced about the air as he gestured while speaking, "Some already want to go about sending a whole Cladeship to each planet in the galaxy, collecting the culinary traditions of the people there and compiling a "galactic cook book" with the first page being an entry on how to build a basic food synthesizer."
The haleel took a moment to pause, getting another spoon of ice cream before he continued.
"Other half think it needs a whole new subclade given the attention I've been getting. Almost everyone is with us right now."
He taps his head and smiles at them, "Guess you're both making a different kind of history today, hm?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/03/2023 6:08 PM
Kirlan laughs gently at Pahun shivering. It was after all a very natural reaction, somewhat unexpected from hypernatural being in front of him.
"I am glad you are enjoying it! Ah, what a good suggestion this was, Rast. I think I now know more about the Meta-Sax just from Pahun talking about ice cream than we could ever hope to find in the Ancnet!" Kirlan darts a nod of approval towards Rast, it was truly a great idea.
Still, Kirlan listens attently to Pahun describe how, within him, there are many, and already this small meeting, thought as only a way to meet these diplomats and distract him from his repetitious duties, was now having such a large attention from the Clades in general. Kirlan slowly nods, and bows, lightly as he can already sitting down.
"Well, I extend my greetings to all of you who are with us through Pahun. Know that you will find no trouble exploring the culinary history of the CES, though in more recent years it has slowed down considerably, we do have dishes that date back in history before the corporations took hold. I will surely wrangle Pahun to taste all of them, heh!" A geniune jab from the humor of Kirlan, slowly undusting itself.
Still, Kirlan thought, it was a bizarre concept of a being that shared mindspace with so many others. In a way, was that not what he himself was seeking with the IPD integration? The IPD, in of itself, the voice of the billions of the CES. If one were to merge with it, would he not hear that voice, though distilled through the layers of the system?
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 6:40 PM
Through the descriptions, and thanks to a culmination of previous knowledge and a quick double-check using his connection to the intranet, Rast begins to realise his suspicions about how this whole 'rider' thing were correct. But to think, his little suggestion was suddenly causing such a ruckus in a society he barely knew a modicum of the depth of, it lit him up, especially the last line.
Quickly he realised that if nothing else, this moment right here would be a worthy legacy for his calling. He tried to hide his excitement, but it was hard; His feathers plumed, his tail curled and his teeth shone in a proud grin while the thought bounced through his mind. In the mind of the Kylast, he'd just sent a cultural shockwave through another nation, merely by suggesting something his race had a universal fondness for, it was beautiful.
"I uhh, well I couldn't of known i'd garner this much attention. Thank you both...thank you all, but i'm just following my customs, though i'm glad if it's caught your attention in the manner it seems to have. Likewise to Kirlan though, I'd be thrilled to demonstrate to whomever's interested, the range of culinary expertise that the Bulwark has to offer.
The human population seems to be almost as obsessed with food as our own, so with so many sub-cultures, the Bulwark has innumerable dishes and cuisines which very from system to system. Also, i think you've piqued my interest Kirlan, perhaps ill have to try some of what the CES has made; if they invented ice-cream on their own I don't doubt they have other great meals to share after all."
Rast's smile looked far from dying away now, seemingly eagre to find whatever purchase he could on this cultural foothold.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/04/2023 1:36 PM
Pahun smiles at Kirlan, amused and interested in equal measure at the prospect of being the official food-tester of the Meta-Sax. A culinary ambassador would certainly be a first for them as far as he knew.
He rubs the back of his head a little awkwardly, "Well, uh.. it's less like they're physically present and more like uh.. watching a movie through my eyes."
Trying to put any of this into terms a non-Sax could understand was functionally impossible, so he didn't go into further detail. The rest of the Consensus was indeed mostly present, with the exception of Cladeships who were busy doing other things, and Ladon, who did not wish to overbear with His presence.
He did send warm greetings though, which Pahun was obliged to express, "Ladon wishes for me to express His enjoyment at the interaction between us, the satisfaction of a new discovery, and a relishing in the fulfillment of part of our mission."
The haleel continues with his meal, carefully moving molecules around to various organs inside of his body for later storage and utility. With the matter in front of him, it would be more than enough to protean shift several times without worry.
Which means there are practical gains for consumption like this. Hm.
Mentally, within the great city-scapes of The Duality, he appealed to his people for the privilege to be the arbiter of experience both in the CES and the Bulwark for the culinary arts. This was, naturally, countered by many who desired for Pahun to complete his Contemplations and to archive the no-doubt-to-be-legendary work into The Flow of time.
The ordeal there in the other half of his reality made the physical form of Pahun before Rast and Kirlan smile mysteriously.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/04/2023 2:08 PM
Kirlan quickly nods to the "movie" commentary, and says, pointing to the small strip of metal between his eyebrow and his eye, which, in Pahun's analysis vision could be seen to directly feed information through the optical nerve and into a fine-fiber mesh of superconductors that weaved a path along the surface of the lizardman's brain, precarious by the Saxheelian's definition but more than capable to the CES:
"I understand. I can do that with most of the cameras here, at least the ones connected to the IPD."
Kirlan looks at Rast, the clear and tremendous satisfaction that beams through the face of the bulky lizard makes him feel glad that this meeting probably made his day one way or another. Still, in relation to his commentaries, he quickly nods, and bounces his head a bit sideways, indicating a half-agreeing motion:
"Well, I'd be pleased to see the Bulwark for myself, not just its culture. As for our ice cream, the plant substitute makes it far less rigid, but alas it doesn't require the process of milking an animal, which is to us, a rather weird thing. But well, I guess it worked for the humans, eh?"
he then reacts to Ladon's reponse to his greeting of all those that watched through Pahun:
"I am honoured to help the Meta-Sax. You are our associates after all, the ICEC Branch of the CES is pleased to help further Saxheelian objectives."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/04/2023 2:32 PM
Made his day? This whole event's made the Kylast's year most likely. His eyes are practically struck wide, pupils circular with a dangerous combination of sugar rush and pure excitement. Nonetheless the responses were well in line with what he was hoping for; good food usually made the basis for a lot of kylast relations, but this was on an international scale, it was almost symbolic.
"Ladon himself hm? Well, it's truly an honour, I'm thrilled this is all coming together so well. And Kirlan, of course, you're free to visit the Bulwark at any time, most especially as an ICEC representative, which of course includes you Pahun."
He gestures a claw between the both of them, feathers twitching behind his head somewhat.
"I do have to mention that in terms of culture in the Bulwark, you'll need to apply some context...You see there's the core worlds of course, which are pretty consistent, but toward the frontiers there's a gradient of increasing deviance. Most of the outer, less developed worlds can have very independent traditions and values. Thankfully loyalty to Vulkan is the one thing that always remains.
So really it would depend what region you visit, which i can of course provide information on if requested."
The kylast explained quite passionately, honestly the variety he described was one of his favourite aspects to talk about, he'd memorised the facets of many little clusters of cultures.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/04/2023 6:24 PM
Pahun found it amusing the way the other two seemed to find the presence of Ladon to represent a higher honor. Perhaps, it simply would be always that they would exist in the realms of others predispositions towards stratified existence. He hummed softly, feeling a reflection from Ladon of the sentiment.
"He simply is who He is. I would not call it a great honor, anymore so than meeting any one of us. Nor would He. He just is.. the largest of us shall we say."
The haleel grinned mischievously at the pair, content to let them wonder at the meaning behind those words before he segued smoothly into a new topic of conversation.
"I rather prefer the outlands myself. It comes with the nature of being a Pathfinder; you know, the crazies, explorers, adventuring types. Always looking at the horizon, at the unknown, at the bits under the rocks everyone forgets exists."
Another spoonful disappears.
"You know, in a lot of ways, that independent traditions and values echoes our own existence. See, we're united, but not, we're together, but apart, we're one soul, but many. Like your worlds and their many peoples, yes? United in concept, but distinct as an entity. This appeals to me greatly."
Pahun also finds that the more he speaks with them, the easier it is to speak like them. The less he has to refocus concentration on choosing the right words, the right cadence of speech. More... comfortable.
Yes. More comfortable with them. I rather enjoy their company.
"Rast, I think I'd like to visit the community you call home first. In our theoretical journey, at least. We still have our own cultural mission here to accomplish before we can plan our next grand adventure together."
Bright eyes shine with the indomitable will of a Saxheelian; conviction, faith, belief, determination and admiration all are expressed towards the two new souls, so fresh to the universe.
Yes. This will be a good place for us in time.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/04/2023 7:01 PM
The largest of them, of course. Kirlan recollects Ingrumn meeting with him, expressing the rather bizarre things that happened in his meeting with the Meta-Sax. The matter at the start was trivial, the trading of monopoles, a material which the CES found no usage, yet the impact it generated, more or less, is what has brought the CES here in the first place. By largest of them, he probably means that Ladon is a ship or something like that, probably.
"Weeeellll... Is it not an honor to meet any of you in this room? I digress, but I understand what you mean."
Kirlan listens intently to Rast and Pahun, both talk about the possibilities of exploring the culture of the Bulwark in person. Kirlan was a busy man, but there is more than enough reason for doing such a thing. After all, Pahun was the walking proof of compatibility with parametric systems, his mind as fascinating as himself.
he backdrops both of them talking to the sounds of him scooping out the last bits of the ice cream he got for himself. A delicaly for sure, the effects of which induce a small bit of coldness upon the lizard's body, the body reacts in kind and produces a series of chemicals which make him become more aware and awake, speeding up his metabolism. It was, in a way, taking advantage of his biology, a simple delicacy with complex impact upon the Musavian body.
"It seems we both have plans of bothering the Bulwark with our presence then, Pahun. It's only logical then that we go together, and under the guidance of Rast, if he would be so kind as to allow us.
As for our mission here? I think it has been a success thus far." He takes a deep inhale... and exhale. "I must confess, this was partially to escape my repetitious duties here. It is wonderful but taxing work, so I am thankful for your presence." He glares a frank smile, they have shed heat together by the cold treats and shared stories over eating, in more ways than one they have taken part in cultural rituals that tied them as friends.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/04/2023 7:32 PM
"Largest...hm...well that's still justification enough for me."
Rast chortles likewise scooping the last spoonfuls from his serving and slipping them down his throat before sighing, stretching, and going limp, landing against the back of his beanbag with a heavy thump, basking in his own resplendent glory perhaps. Ice cream didn't have quite as much of an affect on Rast, accept for the high levels of sugar somehow immediately going into his energy reserves, causing him to tap and fidget, probably not helped by his emotional state.
Nonetheless he seemed amused to see the saxheelian had already started to eat casually, a big step up from his completely analytical treatment earlier. Sure, it was likely that they were still breaking down the atomic composition of each spoonful, but at leas tthey were able to hold a well paced conversation whilst doing so, and as a plus he didn't even need to be taught any table manners, or so it seemed.
The talk of being a guide for the two of them seemed to intrigue him though, with his mind already racing at what kind of places they would go, even as the Musavian talked of their duties.
"Why yes, of course, I would be delighted to tour you to the Bulwark, I should leave it up to you where we should visit, but if you want me to pick I can oblige. And likewise I agree, fortunately for me, interactions such as this are my job...though they're usually much more drab and...linear, so to have such good company in such good spirit is a very welcome change."
Rast grinned in return, a slightly excited rumble escaping his throat. He knew it was selfish, but to have these two not just as associates, but as friends, at this rate he'd be the second most famous Kylast in the Bulwark, beside that guy who represents their species in the imperial palace.
"And why, i'm sure the emperor would be delighted to cover any travel costs or what have you, so you'll be treated well!"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/06/2023 3:55 PM
The haleelian just chuckled at their responses. Ladon Himself didn't understand, but then, He couldn't -- He could only bring himself so close to the relative timeframe of other non-Saxheelians, it made the people Pahun casually spoke with effectively eternal aliens to the great Cladeship. And with none of His kind in this galaxy, He was alone.
As are we all my friend..
Humming softly, Pahun returned to the conversation at hand, splitting his attention evenly between both Rast and Kirlan. The unique body language of Rast was fascinating, all the little twitches and plumage displays. It made Pahun itch to document it all down, but that would be rude and he stuffed his inner nature deep inside for later indulgences.
Eyeing the ice cream, he felt himself growing "full". Already, he'd started the rapid process of breaking the materials down into their constituent molecules for storage in the primary radiolytic organ. With several hours time, he'd be quite the bio fabricator analogue.
Placing the spoon down, he smiled, "I would enjoy that. Ah, forgive me, but.. travel costs?"
Didn't they just.. fly to the planet in question? What could possibly cost anything? He plied his memories on currency, vaguely recalling a few updates in the Consensus regarding the galactic economy and how it functioned.
"Oh, money. Right, yes, I understand now. We could always utilize a Saxheelian craft, then there would be no cost."
A simple, obvious answer--to him anyways.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/06/2023 4:40 PM
Rast chuckles nervously, his mood suddenly dwindling a bit, still enthusiastic but knowing things aren't quite that simple. His NIMI begins to access an onboard data storage rack nestled in his lumbar, information checking itself for updates via the communication modules behind his skull, before the requested information is relayed to the forefront of his consciousness via a web of neural interfacing fibres; somewhat less sophisticated than Kirlan's set up, but still effective enough at giving a steady picture in his mind's eye, almost intrusively so.
"Ah, well you see, it gets a little complicated there...it'd likely be less hassle for you not to; see saxheelian craft are technically living organisms correct? In the government's eyes, that makes it a class-8 purposed biological system. I'm not sure if a sax craft has ever entered Bulwakr space, but because of that niche, they're technically an outlawed presence."
He'd speak with a wince, his voice almost coming to whine at the last word, but he soon picks his tone back up, raising his palms in reassurance.
"Now of course, a case can be made to appeal for any individual instance to be greenlit by authorities, but you need permits, forms, inspections, specifications...a lot of snooping that I'm sure your people wouldn't be fond of. There are...ways around the snooping, but then you're getting into tangles of red tape I feel even your people would have to spend a good time learning to manoeuvre through.
And then there are processing payments, tariffs and border costs to consider...
It's still an option, i'm just saying it would be far less hassle to use a registered Bulwark yacht, then you don't even have to think about money...trust me."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/06/2023 4:53 PM
Pahun blinks at Rasts's explanation, then promptly bursts out loud laughing.
His laughter continues for a few moments before he realizes that Rast is, in fact, not joking.
"W-Wait, you're serious? An outlawed presence? One of us?"
The thought is so ludicrous he laughs again, though less at the notion of it being a jest, and more at the outright absurdity of the entire scenario. He shakes his head and waves it off, "Forgive me Rast, these concepts are.. distinctly unfamiliar. If we had a fixed location of territory, and you wished to visit me, you would simply visit me and that would be that."
"I cannot fathom the need for such.. intrusiveness."
Permits? Inspections? He could only imagine the tricks a Cladeship would play on such a thing. One moment, the ship has four decks, the next, six. An actual physical inspection team would have to contend with the whimsy of beings deeply unaccustomed to being poked and prodded for... He wasn't actually even sure what it would be for.
It produces another chuckle.
"Heh, yes, I imagine that would go over rather.. mm.. poorly. So, let us use your vehicle then."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/06/2023 5:18 PM
Rast laughs alongside him...but in a bit less of a genuine manner, eyes veering to the side. He felt almost embarrassed having to explain this, but laws were laws, and he had the reasons for them being instated at his very synapse-tips. Pahun seems to somewhat understand, and there's clearly still a difference in perception, but Rast knew the emperor had vetted these lines himself at one point or another, and kept his trust in them close.
At least it seemed there wasn't any further conflict beyond that.
"eheh...Well, really they're there to ensure you aren't bringing some sort of biological mega-hazard or illegal fabrication device into bulwark space. See, i know your society...lacks them, but there's very specific laws in place, laws which reference laws which reference paragraphs which reference the emperor's own words referencing specific events and on and on.
It's quite necessary, I assure you."
The lizardman's usually outward rumbling voice sounded a bit more meek, not in doubt of his nation's systems, but more so at the prospect that the Sax wouldnt understand, perhaps such a subject becoming a permanent point of contrivance between their people's, which wouldn't be pleasant.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/06/2023 10:34 PM
Kirlan watched as both of the Saurians discussed, Pahun trying to dance his way around the dense bureaucracy of the Bulwark, and Rast growing ever more unsure and embarassed about just how the Bulwark operated with its layers of ineffective policies. He couldn't contain it, a rhythmic laughter came out of the his belly, Pahun's innocence, despite his advanced age, made him sound like a child who couldn't understand why he wouldn't be able to simply take something from a shop, it was, in a way, a most joyous innocence to these machinations of money. Rast, in the counterpart, could not bargain a way to let guests of honour unimpeded, the very notion of intrinsic systems within a nation that did not serve to its advantages tickled a deep part of the musmus' soul, it was almost as if both of them were children, even if for the briefest of moments.
He inhaled heavily, and hushed the belly laugh for a moment.
"What a thing, Bulwark bureaucracy is so powerful it might class as a weapon and so complex that even Pahun can't wrap his head around it!
Heh.
I am sure you can find a way, Rast. However, for you both, you shall have unimpeded travels through many places of the CES, as long as I accompany you. We don't have many quells about hiding our things from those we trust, even less so from those we look up to." He nodded towards Pahun, it was clear he either appreciated the lizardman, or the faction he originated from.
"Forgive me if my words insult you Rast, it is just that, within the CES, there are such a degree of automatic systems that I had not had to think about bureaucratic processes in the depth you have just detailed in many years. Personally, I never liked hefty paperwork, though some people truly didn't like the fast transition to the IPD system as an overarching coordinator, I surely enjoyed implementing it and raising it to be what it is today. Maybe one day I'll be able to show you both!"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/07/2023 10:05 AM
Pahun nods at them both, folding his arms over his chest as he considered the potential ramifications of these systems. On one hand, he couldn't shake the notion of it being absurd, but on the other, he was Meta-Sax. His existence was unlike their existence, and their existence unlike his. Differences are to be embraced, and that was exactly what he decided to do.
"Very well then! When we travel to the Bulwark, Rast will introduce us to "paperwork"! It will be a fascinating new experience, something to archive in to The Flow!"
His tail flows behind him in excitement, his mind fully made up on pursuing the newness of the subject at hand.
"And as for Kirlan and our little friends," Pahun grinned impishly, "we shall integrate into the IPD system. It will be good to experience the reverse situation, me thinks. Only fair, given that one of you stumbled into our domain."
"Personally, I am simply overjoyed at the prospect of meeting new peoples, exploring new worlds, experiencing new cultures. It will be good. We share of ourselves, you share of yourselves, then all of us benefit from the mixing of new and old."
A simple merger of thought; the praxis of the Meta-Sax.
He unfolds his arms from over his chest, "You must visit Ladon as well. He has grown considerably since our first arrival, many new biospheres to explore. He is always creating and crafting, that one. There is a great rumble among us of Him having a new plan for a grand new piece."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 4:05 PM
Kirlan observes Pahun intently, until being caught by surprise when he talks about integrating with the IPD. He is blown aback by a combination of surprise and whiplash and the effect is visible, his eyebrows elevate and his eyes widen. It was unexpected, it was what he searched for, in a way, but not like this, he wanted fluid integration without the help of the Meta-Sax's highly advanced technology, to prove he could do it but to also be independent in this effort, a bid for even greater control of a system he already had a high control over, though not in the manipulative sense, to him, it was as if he were spearheading the way onto progress that would hopefully elevate them beyond their current struggles.
"Ah... Ingrumn, of course! He is a friend of mine, and within the system right now. If you wish to talk to him, I am sure he would be elated...
As for integrating into the IPD? heh... well, it is, uhh... it certainly is a possibility?"
He stopped to think about it for a moment, he could very well count with the aid of Pahun in his endeavor... His head tilted in considering this particular thread of research, Pahun had so far proven to be a very earnest person. In these few moments, the disposition for learning about things, a characteristic though intrinsic to the pathfinders unknown to Kirlan, had already brought Pahun into Kirlan's liking, he appreciated people who were open-minded and who sought knowledge.
Yes... This could be a way, Pahun's knowledge could be the difference to push the IPD integration projects into a realm of possibility, without the usage of the Meta-Sax' own processes. But could he trust the man that sat beside him? Only time would tell.
"We must talk more about it later, Pahun. The IPD is a complex system, integrating swiftly with it has been a challenge. As for Ingrumn, his case was a unique one due to the conditions..."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/08/2023 4:27 PM
"Ah yes, the IPD."
Rast remarked, recalling information. Recently due to events in the coronan theatre, the ICEC branches had been forced to utilise the system due to a lack of data throughput through the hive fleet that would allow communication with Megalodon. At first it was assumed things would go smoothly...they did not. Declassified reports and logs bounced through his head, the timeline of events causing him to chuckle a little in raspy tones.
"I've certainly heard much about how it's been interfacing with our assets in the shattered republic. I'm sure you know much more about it than I do, but from what i've seen, things have been awkward. You mention that the system relieves you of the manual efforts of management, and yet 'manual' is probably the most apt word to describe our operations.
Scrutiny is a tough thing to apply to a network you can't even comprehend, only seeing the output of, but the circumstances called for begrudging acceptance yes?"
He pauses, and snickers again, rolling his eyes over to the director.
"And i'm sure the abrasion between our systems has been causing headaches on both sides, no doubt."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 5:50 PM
"Well..."
Kirlan thinks about the implementations and parts of the IPD that have tried to interface with foreign assets. Although the system is obviously optimised towards their own works, they have made it available for other ICEC members to use so they can be more industrially competitive. However, there have been some issues... mainly on their other ends.
Before Branch ICEC was even made, the analysis of the industrial capabilities of all ICEC members was thoroughly conducted by CES proper. They determined the vast inferiority in elegance of the systems in comparison with the IPD, with the only exception being the Meta-Sax, who he so admires, Pahun in specific.
"Yes, of course. There are always a few challenges in implementing the system with foreign elements, it was made to be most compatible with our philosophies..."
Still, the alternative was resorting to archaic methodologies in the construction of the Mithran project. Were it not for the usage of the IPD and the participation of the Meta-Sax as a great helping hand in working through a variety of easily producible and highly effective designs as well as integrating all of the foreign elements as to maximise the flow of value with such a magnitude of different throughputs... It was a headache, sure, one that he was escaping as they spoke here, but one that he liked nonetheless.
"All issues are sure to be worked through before the completion of this project. The contrary of the usage of the system would be a highly disjointed project, which would take far longer than necessary and fulfil only half its promises!
The CES covets industrial integration. We are always welcome to talking about such with others, I myself have heard of good responses from the engineering teams cooperating in the design process, there are serious challenges to overcome, and each step taken collectively and coordinated builds one more support cable on the structure."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/08/2023 8:09 PM
Pahun observed the conversation passively, not particularly interested in the rigidity of the respective CES and Bulwark systems. From a Saxheelian point of view, they were inconsequential to the day-to-day lives of the Meta-Sax, and thus, were a curiosity.
The offer to participate with the IPD was to satiate Pahun's own individual curiosity, to understand how the Musmus created the system, the nuances of it, and how far they wanted to take the neural interfacing. While not a scientist by the traditional definition, Pathfinders were scientific through their training, and it was from that space he analyzed the potential outcomes.
Key point of order to him was diplomacy: build positive, friendly relations with the two saurian species and their respective societies.
"He is a friend? Good. I will speak with him in due time. I am inclined towards exploring the system in more detail personally. We have interfaced through vila into the Coronan," he grimaced, "theatre but that is not the same as active Saxheelian engagement. Different metrics."
Pahun folds his hands together, humming softly, "The Bulwark has an artificial intelligence mainframe yes? I am curious, what sapience level is it?
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/08/2023 8:37 PM
The sudden change of topic to the Bulwark's network caught Rast off guard a little. He didn't hesitate to answer though, only tilting his head slightly in curiosity of the question itself. The Kylast himself (and many many others) interacted with megalodon at least once every other day, if not the personality then the access portals and services she offered over the datasprawl, being practically inseparable from it.
"Oh? Megalodon? Well yes indeed. The answer depends on which part you refer to technically, but theoretically she is completely self-aware and capable of all human emotion. Though as i say, it's complicated, there's a lot of subtle buts and ors to it. I could explain a little but we wouldn't want to be here all day."
He chortled slightly, seeing the information on the AI he knows so well laid out in his head, yet finding it hard to find a compact way of putting it into words.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 9:21 PM
Kirlan smirks, slowly nodding understandably towards Pahun's willingness to talk through things with him and Ingrumn.
"You shall have no issue entering the local IPD node, where me and Ingrumn often find ourselves toiling away, Pahun. In fact, it'd do us well to have some company, especially one good at conversation like you."
Kirlan listened still to Pahun, at his mention of the Coronan theater and the grimace it caused upon him, he chuckled, painly so, sucking up breath through his teeth and producing a soft hiss in doing so, he comments earnestly:
"Yeah... The Coronan Theater is... what do humans call it? A "Shitshow"? Forgive my language, but it is the truth... I'm not sure you have made decisions related to it, Rast, but I have, and undoubtedly you have had to discuss it with your Consensus, Pahun...
What a... uhh... situation." He takes a deep breath and exhales, as if to dispell the very notion of that worrysome ongoing conflict, and moves on to listen to Rast's explanation of his system.
It is a bizarre thing, enough to make Kirlan scratch the back of his ear in thought, about how many of these systems within the galaxy utilise AI, yet none have had a real usage for it, beyond perhaps the system that the Meta-Sax have used. AI was a waste of processing power, its judgemental capacity simply a byproduct of a large-enough scale of optimisation processes, emotions and the likes simply wasted compute, yet so many people use them, ranging from ships and huge integrated systems like megalodon, to even individual cars. Do they not see the waste that AI like that is? Do they not see the truth in simplicity? He had to ask.
"But... why Artificial Intelligence? Sure, she can have human emotion, but... how is that useful for a system like that?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/10/2023 8:14 AM
Pahun tilts his head, having to take a moment to process the language being used by both Rast and Kirlan.
"Ah, I understand now. Interesting to utilize a vila in such a fashion. I suppose we are not so dissimilar, though there is no centralization such as in the case of Megalodon."
He glances over at Kirlan and hums softly, "Engagement with users of the system, I'd imagine. I have experienced humanity, to an extent, and they do enjoy their sentient interfaces. Perhaps it is comforting? It does not hinder efficiency to so great an extent to be a poor choice, especially if the end result is a userbase that actually uses the technology as it is meant to be."
Of course, those humans he had met were from a different universe to this, so who knew if the same things applied here. It was almost a pity that this parallel reality did not have parallel Meta-Sax. Finding their mirror would be so very interesting.
The haleelian steeples his long fingers together, "But I believe it wise to return to the topic of Corona. This comes down to a matter of culture. The Saxheelian approach is to encourage independence for those who seek it. Unity through common cause, but a loose unity. This is how we first began, it is thus our favored method. Greater merging happens later, when more time has passed, old wounds have healed, and a new perspective has arisen."
"Mmm, the long term thought, yes."
Pahun looks at both the other saurs, "Thoughts?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/10/2023 12:14 PM
Kirlan takes a moment to fully absorb Pahun's argument, however, comparing to the pragmatic doctrines of the CES, who see the IPD as a TOOL rather than as a BEING, he cannot ascertain if such a facet of friendliness would ever really help them, it didn't sit right with him for now. He shrugged.
"I guess it just isn't a thing for us in the CES."
He cracks the bony fingers on his hand listening to Pahun bring back the topic to the Coronan theater, the cadence of the cracks dirminushes as he puts more attention to it, and a sour feeling begins to rise from inside. It was a complex topic, he wish that his function had just been this megastructure, somehow constructing it seemed a ways simpler than dealing with the Coronans.
"The CES only want a hold of the local economies to be able to open up possible trading in the area after everything's through. It is still in our best interest to help them though, when they aren't killing eachother actively. We could gain powerful allies there, even if it is a very politically complex situation, but a mistep could sour the image of the ICEC, the image of all of us."
He ponders for a moment wether that is already the case, but he reckons not. There have been conflicts in the region but ICEC has initiated none.
"What is perplexing is how they focus so much in local squabbles rather than the large threat that is the Army of the Synopticon, I wish we got the pleasure to even have acquired a cohesive enough foothold to fight them, but alas, it seems our efforts in OCCCA are to not cease any time soon."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/10/2023 1:20 PM
The Kylast Shrugs a little.
"I understand, Pahun is right for the most part, she's a good interface and provides 'soul' to what would usually be a very worrying system for the average person. She also acts in many roles that make emotion necessary, up to and including virtual therapy; and aside from that, Vulkan has spoken before about how her personality is sculpted in order to assist the decision-making process in places.
But I see the CES prefers the more logical methods of the IPD, so to each their own I suppose.
Following that Rast rumbles in thought a little, his gaze pulling upward as he zones out a little, trying to remember what he can about corona. He knew at least that there'd be something important he'd need to clarify first and in realising this his expression returned to something a little more struggled, yet thoughtful, his lips pursed somewhat at the side of his snout.
"Now I should probably state first and foremost; My involvement with Corona is very limited, professionally and somewhat personally. I haven't had much time to delve into the details of everything happening there, but I know the practical ins and outs. I'm sure you've met Lorvaine, he's the one in charge of the intermediary body for Corona, he knows a lot lot more than I do.
That being said, I should be have access to most information regarding the subject over the intranet, so I can request what's necessary I suppose.
I can easily agree off the bat however that the Coronans aren't making it easy for any of us. Almost none of the head staff quite anticipated how...divergent their behaviour would be, but we're learning as we go."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/10/2023 4:57 PM
Pahun nods in understanding, "Yes, we have found ourselves quite invested on the whole in the affair. While there was not a consensus established for the whole of the Clade to participate, Pathfinder volunteers were aplenty."
The haleelian gets up to reposition himself on the soft, comfy pillows near the heater before he continues.
"We're experienced dealing with entities that are.. damaged in this way. It is always hard, but one has to recall that patience is the better virtue. Patience, understanding, and empathy. Were we disabled so mightily as the Coronans, perhaps we would act as they do. A goal of ours in the long term is to help create a regeneration program."
He flicks his tail idly, "Knowing what we do now, if they can be restored to their original humanity, it would lead to a net increase in quality of life across the cluster. But, then, much works need doing there."
Pahun sighs softly, "It would take us lifetimes to repair the damage to those worlds."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/12/2023 4:03 PM
Kirlan nods agreeably towards Pahun's wisdom. It is honourable, and he recognises that, to stick around and help them, would others do the same towards them? Empathy is a power feeling whenever it surges in such a way, in a way, seeing Pahun talk like that made Kirlan somewhat reassured that, if he made friends with the Meta-Sax, they would not give up on his people so easily, and there was some peace about that which rested deep within his heart.
"True, we can't hope to know how they feel, what got them to who they are right now. The best we can do is help them as they are. I hope they can see that we are not there on ill intent even despite the current troubles there. I could say that, were we to restore them to their former glory, we'd have a people that'd be eternally thankful for us, but I don't think that absolutely everything must be done for some kind of reward."
It'd indeed take lifetimes to repair their worlds... or would it? Kirlan's mind jumps into activation, no calculation is done, but pure speculation about the implementation of various degrees of engineering tactics in reprocessing of a truly titanic scale of material. Perhaps it could be done in as little as a few decades given enough assets and investments, however with the current political situation, it's unknown if it'd ever possibly be done at all.
"Restoring their worlds is a worry for another day, first we must restore themselves, lest they lay waste to us too." He exhaled deeply again and look up, it was a hard matter to talk about.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/15/2023 9:30 AM
The haleelian antecedent hum-clicked to himself, tapping his right index finger against his long snout, "Yes. Though, the question becomes, do they want help? Our interactions thus far seem to imply that they cannot help themselves. In such a situation, is there a moral impetus to intervene in their best interests?"
His tail thumped the ground in annoyance. It was always a complexity like this which arose to destabilize such reasonable efforts. He sighed.
"There is conversation taking place within the Consensus regarding a restoration strategy for them and their worlds, but we do not know if we should put it forward for consideration as of yet. There are many unknown factors, and unknown entities operating within that region of space."
To say nothing of the vulnerability presented by the old Republic's fractured nature. The division and imperialist legacy would no doubt make any grand functioning plans untenable. And that was without taking into account what a restored humanity would do with their newfound intelligence and abilities. There were already multiple human factions involved who were working to keep the Coronan's exactly as they were.
"Mm.. so strange. We travel to another universe, yet the problems remain the same."
Pahun sprawled onto his stomach and once again propped his head up with his hands to look at the other two, "We have eked out the last of our strength in discussing Corona? Should we move to something else?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/21/2023 11:49 AM
Kirlan grunted, as if musing upon the thoughts of the Saxheelian. Such different culture, so much older than the corporation, but still, prone to the very same issues as he was.
"We... have no consideration of long-term efforts as of right now. In fact, we're investing in stabilising the region before we make such plans, after all, the likeliness is that the geopolitical situation of the theater will only develop for the worse, and we'd rather not make great bids in such stability...
Buuuuutt, yes, best we move on from Corona."
The lizardman ran his tongue through the inside of the mouth cleaning out the last figments of the dissolved ice cream, before swerving into the next line of thought:
"Your people are highly integrated into eachother, yes, Pahun? But... What are your personal opinions of the galaxy yet? Have you seen anything like it from elsewhere?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/21/2023 2:00 PM
Pahum hummed curiously at the question, lazily flopping onto his side to look at Kirlan, "Hm? Well, yes. I suppose integrated is a way to put it. I've known no other life, so I have no baseline for comparison."
"We are all given a choice when we reach a certain age if we wish to participate with the greater community. As long as I can remember, no one has chosen not to. But then, there wasn't exactly a great deal of competitive polities that weren't themselves Saxheelians. In our case, we're simply never alone. I have my thoughts, my individuality, but my community I carry with me."
He taps his head gently, "My hearts are with them, and their hearts are with me. I can feel their feelings, hear their thoughts, know their true selves as they know my own. It drives our quest to understand others as well. To know your thoughts, hear your words, feel what you feel."
"It is our way of connecting. Of knowing. It is why I can say that my thoughts on the galaxy are biased by that lens."
The haleelian grins at Pahun, a degree of playfulness evident in his eyes, "You know, this place is like walking into a great metropolis full of chaos, when you were used to a solemn monastery. Well, maybe not solemn, but certainly quieter. On one claw, its enjoyable: we aren't alone for the most part anymore. We aren't surrounded by genocidal powers, always having to move on. On the other claw.. well. Corona is itself a microcosm of the galaxy."
Pahun hums softly, as if considering his words with great care, "Mm.. there is a sense of something similar to me in my memory. Long before the Clade arose, and long before The Hunters forced us into battle, we came across a star cluster that was as diverse as this place. It was as disharmonious as well. Smaller, by far, of course. But the... feelings.. are similar. I do not know if that makes sense. When I reflect on that time, I see it through my eyes, but the eyes of my gene-kin who lived it as well. It can be confusing to express."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/26/2023 7:58 PM
Kirlan listened to Pahun...
Feel what you feel
But can you Pahun? Can a creature of your capacity comprehend the complex feelings that arose inside Kirlan, and would you share them?
Kirlan chuckled to himself and repressed the thoughts, would it not be uncouth for a man of his standing? And what of the internal implications...
Still, he nodded gently:
"Well, that'd justify the fame of Saxheelian diplomacy.
In a way, we are converging upon similar paths, wether my brethren realise it or not..." - Kirlan raises his hand, and gently taps the strip of metal between his eye and eyebrow:
"There is great internal competition to see who achieves certain interfacing with my Integrated Productivity Database, it has become all-encompassing in some ways, I wonder how that will evolve...
We'll see." - He shrugged.
"My kin arose fast, not a few generations ago we could barely achieve space. To be truthful, our success lies in the demise of a local and prominent ship producer, which we picked the slack up for. Our view of the galaxy has largely been through the scope of economics, but I am inclined to agree, there is much constant warring, many parties unrelenting in ideals that are simply... not advantageous.
I can safely say part of that wonder of achieving space has been replaced by worries and considerations of galactical politics. Another part however, is simply irrepleceable."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/30/2023 5:15 PM
With little to say on the matter of the coronan theatre, and a curiosity of Pahun's answers, Rast was content to listen for a little, but it was clear his interest piqued at what Kirlan spoke of. The IPD integration he'd mentioned previously, but to Rast it still seemed a bit far fetched from the information he'd collected. Then again, they were much more knowledgeable in these types of systems, perhaps there were some factors he was unaware of. More importantly though, it reminded him of an important individual within the Empire's sphere.
His head rose, along with a talon, as if to ask for a turn to speak.
"You know, your talk of interfacing has reminded me of something similar that occurred within the Bulwark's research ministries a few years ago. It's quite public now, but at the time there was a deeply underground technological race, all sparked by the request of one high engineer."
Once he'd caught attention, he leaned back again, requesting information through his implants to double check he had the story right.
"Dylan Hestorias is his name. He had a very simple request; well...I guess it wasn't simple at all actually: He wanted to leave the confines of his body and be the first to permanently free his mind into a Man-Machine interface.
Most MMI's, such as my own implants operate on a one-way basis for the most part, and read simple neural signals, as if learning to flex a new muscle, or gaining a new sense. But Dylan wanted to his full experience to be immersed into a digital space, so he could design using his imagination alone. After decades of research and development, A solution was found in the 'Xylem' which itself is a very closely guarded piece of technology."
His head tilted to the side a little.
Buutt the issue turned out to be that they couldn't separate him from his body, the process also being irreversible. So he remains an organic brain that clings to instinct of natural processes, with a massive, classified piece of technology cross examining it constantly in every-which way. Still, he's since become the most effective architect of the modern age under Megalodon, and is seemingly quite happy for it, mostly uncaring of his existence outside of the sprawl."
He thinks for moment of the second half of what Kirlan spoke of, and yet found another similarity, which made him grin with a couple of short chuckles.
"As for arising quickly, it's well established that the Empire found our kind during an industrial flourish within our original universe. We had begun our first steps into space, but it turns out that step was directly onto the toes of the human nation that had been monitoring our progress for the past century and a half.
It's said that not 2 decades later, our homeworld was 80% sufficient on fusion arrays. In this galaxy though, we've carved ourselves new places amongst the human populace, the emperor has even granted us a 'homeworld' to ourselves: Kigraa"
He spoke the planet's name with a certain pride, his smile growing a little as he recalled memories of his visits to the planet.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/01/2023 8:56 PM
Kirlan nodded towards Rast. He respected the fellow lizardman as a peer, and by now the friendship that fostered between the three of them made the CES representative listen attentively to the tale that Kylast produced.
He raised a claw to his head, and slowly preened the blue protrusions from the back of his head, thinking. This was not the objective of what he sought for his own system, it was a similar type of pursuit, there was no denying such a thing, however, the IPD is not Megalodon, the suggestion of comparing the systems almost seemed comical in the mind of the lizardman, and even more, to inhabit the IPD would be an impossibility.
No, the issue they faced was the complete incompatibility that the common mind had with the highly abstract nth dimensional space of the system of his own making. There was simply no way that a normal organic brain could handle even a millionth of a fraction of the information that flowed every time a starchamber was lit by an optical beam shot at a calculating shower. The incompatibility was dual, a bottleneck on the user end that had been painfully true for decades, and now, the simply fact that the normal mind cannot comprehend such levels of abstraction.
"I thank you for telling your tale, Rast." - Kirlan bows slightly. "But I am afraid that the problems that our situations differ, and personally, I am not one to be entrapped within my own system. Still, our chase continues."
Still, the rise of the other Saurian species was a curious one for Kirlan.
"I am sure that the galaxy knew of us before we got into space, Ancerious is a very busy place after all. However, we were so miniscule then, I doubt anybody really cared." - The CES was the only native species in the room at the current junction, they rocketed into space age with contact to the AncNet, and local galactic prominence with the death of the ROMB. He could not envision a world where he'd be subjugated by another species, especially humans, whose inclinations have been less than favourable in general.
"At any rate, I am glad that your species achieved space, it inevitably brought you here after all. Perhaps one day I ought to visit Kigraa, the keen eye of a Mus'Vanus will always appreciate the inner beauties of finely crafted gems, if you understand me."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/02/2023 8:21 PM
Pahun nods in agreement with the sentiment that Kirlan offered, "We too are gladdened to see fellow saurians among the stars. In the first time of my ancestors, we were alone in that regard for many centuries. It was not until our journey to the distant mother galaxy our origin orbited that we found the first of our taxonomy."
The haleelian drags a finger against his jaw, "It was.. disappointingly hostile. They were mm.. shall we say.. the way most humans view us, hm?"
They sit in silence for a second, then look at Rast again, "Kigraa sounds like it will become a wonderful world. Would you mind telling us more about it? I am curious what the Emperor has gifted you and what the future holds for it. And, just as importantly, how we Saxheelians can help you achieve that dreamed of vision."
As he idled away the time with the other two saurians, the haleelians other half of his soul was dabbling in a great endeavor. The Galactic Cookbook mission was garnering significant support amongst the Sax, he found himself with several cladeships offering to transport him to the various planets he must clearly visit. Which left him debating on what the best course of action was; take a Sax craft, or travel among the galaxy as an unassuming normal person.
He stared at a hand in The Real, watching as it slowly shifted into something more humanoid as his split consciousness dabbled in the possibilities before letting it return to its natural form.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 05/16/2023 12:52 PM
There was a sort of dismissive, well-hearted chuckle from the Kylast at Kirlan's comment, nodding. There was a slight worry that he seemed somewhat foolish for divulging what was interpreted as an unrelated story, but he had his reasons,
"Oh don't mistake me, I know very well the situations are different, but it simply reminded me, and besides I feel it's important to highlight the kind of technology you're after doesn't always come perfect. Such a thing it is to align such separate kinds of thinking that some major things have to be lost or changed along the way. Maybe you should just be prepared for that is all...It also highlights the lengths the high engineers can go to get a project done within deadline, certainly a reputation they've upheld within ICEC."
His excitement grew however, at their sudden interest in his species' cradle planet, or at least the one in this universe. Though he hadn't the chance to visit it often, he knew its importance just as much as any kylast. It was the only place in the universe with a kylast population demographic larger than 80% and from there, through the data sprawl, is where the majority of their species' familial culture had blossomed once more.
"And Kigraa, it's wonderful. It was handpicked for us after all. The atmospheric composition had to be tweaked slightly, but we were quickly able to begin populating the surface with flora, saved in the DNA vaults from before the severance.
Temperate, rainy, sunny, warm, everything you could want." He grinned, leaning back a little with a talon against his chin as he reminisced vivid memories, a few of which very vivid thanks to their digital format. "It's got plenty of development underway though, as you guessed, much of it being infrastructural currently I believe, but I'm sure you'd both be welcomed with open arms, though I'd advise you to be careful in crowds, Kirlan."
He nodded at the Musavian, not wanting to be derogatory about his height but still being sure to warn him.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/21/2023 1:11 PM
“Ah, perfection…” Kirlan extends one claw towards Rast, almost quizzically. “How do the humans posit? It is in the eyes of the beholder?” Kirlian Chuckles. “Hah! That is rarely the case! Perfection is in the statistical analysis of the flow of value, it inhabits the perfect curves of the golden ratio, it lives within the decimals of euler’s number. If we do not achieve our perfection, we iterate, that is the nature of our people, Rast, we iterate.”
Kirlan tidies his suit, which glimmers in response to the physical movement and the complex scatterings of light across its reactive surface. His claw settles, and the clawed hand settles too beside him, holding him upright in conjunction with the tail on the large pillow he sits upon.
“That isn’t to say that I disregard your cautionary tale, there is value to it. Perhaps I should talk to this same high engineer. Although the concerns aren’t the same, there is always the possibility of biases that we have not accounted for interfering with the process, indeed” Kirlan nods, more to himself than to Rast, almost as if he had stumbled upon a wisdom that he himself had already known, agreeing to the past philosophies which he still carried.
Kirlan listened to Rast intently, the genuine excitement of the Kylast talking about his prize home planet did not go amiss within the CES Director, it did sound like a generally pleasant location, perhaps he should go there examine the comings and goings of Kylast society, much like Ingrumn was excited to convene with Saxheelians again, a feeling he now perpetuates too, if only for a differing reason.
Still he raises an eyebrow at Rast’s comment, careful in crowds? The thought of his height did not cross his mind, instead, he examined it in another way, was the planet prone to criminal activity? Did he care about his safety because his defense forces would be incapable?
“Oh not to worry Rast, I am always followed by a capable security detachment.” He waved the concern away.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/27/2023 8:00 PM
Pahun sits there and listens with half an ear to the conversation going on in The Real. Outside, amidst the spiraling realms of The Duality, he can feel the tug of another entity entering their domain. It's a rare enough thing to catch his attention - and the attention of everyone else.
In the timespan it took for Kirlan and Rast to have their back and forth, several significant conversations took place within the Sax.
Pahun gently thwapped his tail in a lazy expression of contentment. All in all, a reasonable set of decisions, he thought. Drawing himself back more fully towards the fellow saurians, Pahun hum-clicks softly, "I believe he refers to your height, dear Kirlan."
The thought of "security" wasn't even a conception in Pahun's consciousness. Who would try to harm a Saxheelian? Why? There was no point in the effort - those that had the capacity to were all entities that the Meta-Sax had contact with, and the rest lacked the motivation. It made him grin in interest, "If you are always followed by your security detachment, I am curious as to where they may be?.."
"Have your people mastered the art of dimensional phase shifting whilst I wasn't looking?" He sticks his tongue out in a teasing manner.
"As for myself, I shall simply go as I am. It is our way. I must see Kigraa for myself, to record it in The Flow and the accomplishments of your people, Rast. And, of course, the culinary opportunities!"
The alien rubs his hands together with a great degree of animation, genuinely pleased at the idea. Truly, in this moment had he been offered a starship or an ice cream treat on Kigraa, he would have chosen the ice cream.
"Mmm, which reminds me. We've come to a decision in the midst of our little chat here. In conjunction with other events in the galaxy, it is the decision of the Entire that we will be creating a space for ourselves. All are welcome there. It will be a far cry from Home, but we will do our best to live up to its example in the design."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/28/2023 11:49 AM
Kirlan had successfully somewhat submersed himself in thoughts about the implications of IPD-Mus'Vanus neural merging, enough to stave off the internal confusion that seeped through him. The musmus are a pragmatic people, placing a puzzle in front of them is the best way to distract them, they are not, however, a very sentimental people, and sentiments like these were the thing that the Director was the least prepared to handle.
Not possessing skin but rather scales, the saurian was unable to blush. However the involuntary psychological reaction was still present, he shifts his position a little still, confused by the whiplash.
“Oh… I, well…
caham
Well, yes, of course, my height. uhm…
You see, my attachment is not here with us in this room, it is unnecessary for this situation, we are in friendly territory after all.
And well, perhaps if you look away again Pahun, we’ll have found a way to reduce both of you to the size of a normal person!” - Kirlan chuckles devilishly.
“Well, when we go to Kigraa, perhaps I shall wear elevated platform shoes, or maybe a movement assistance suit. Or perhaps I’ll ask Pahun to carry me on his shoulders”
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/03/2023 3:16 PM
The large saurian merely thwaps his tail against the ground and smirks in response to Kirlan's taunt, "I am quite capable of doing that myself. Or expanding significantly beyond this. That said,"
He taps his shoulder, "My current height should be sufficient for a shoulder ride, yes. Hm, could hold Rast as well.." He glances at Rast, assessing his weight.
Pahun eye's glimmer with subtle amusement at the situation, well aware of having flustered the Director. It was unexpected that he reacted in such a way, and thus it was filed into The Flow for later consideration and modification of Saxheelian behavior around the musmus people.
"I must warn you, if I do end up carrying you on my shoulder, your security detachment may be..mm..challenged to keep pace. Though, you can of course simply request me to reduce my size to something more relative. That would be agreeable as well. I settled on my normal scale for the purposes of diplomacy and cultural exchange, but I am amiable to modifications to suit my hosts and companions."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 06/08/2023 10:57 PM
Kirlan's mind wanders at the thought of Pahun's shapeshifting abilities, and also at the thought of him being carried by Pahun. Under the protection of a capable Saxheelian like the pathfinder before him, there was likely no need to have a security detachment, and he wouldn't know wether the other Directors would be more upset at the detachment's lack of capability, or at him being carried like a child.
"Pshht, they'll find a way, I'm sure of that, it's their job." - He waves away the subtle challenging of the CES's capabilities, it might, or might not be true. - "However, if they don't, then it seems I would not need them if I'm around you...
As for your height, I think it's fine Pahun, excuse my humor, if anything, it is charming..." - He nods, almost sagely. Neutron star collisions painted a serene picture compared to his inner turmoil.
The words were a stark contrast, wether because of the frozen delicacy, or the interest in his peer, the carefully measured speech had been replaced by words produced at the moment, which spoke with a somewhat raw truth.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 06/12/2023 4:48 PM
Somewhat curious, Rast had let the two speak, only grinning slightly that they had taken up the idea of visiting his cultural home so well, but now at their back and forth and rather unnecessary ideas. He does eventually chime in however, leaning forward slightly and leaning his head down at pahun a moment.
"First off, you can stop analysing me, I'm heavier than I look.
Secondly, you should probably know bringing your own security into a Kylast settlement isn't a great idea, especially concerning the capital.
You see there's a sort of mutual respect expected of any and everyone in our society, and one of the largest aspects of that is trust. If you bring along a squadron of bodyguards people will think, especially as a foreigner, that you can't trust them. But I understand your concerns and I did bring up the issue, so the best way to circumvent it is for me to provide my own guards for you. It looks a lot less...I suppose...disrespectful that way.
And don't think for a second they give me flimsy guards, lords they're so proud of their job they'll build and carry you in a carriage if you want, it'll just make them feel more achieved."
He chuckled, scratching at his feathers for a few moments before pushing back into the beanbag and stretching his tail outward a little. Already he's thinking of the countless destinations they could visit while on the planet, trying his best to ignore the paperwork both him and pahun will have to go through to get into the border for now. He instead thinks of the hall of lords in the capital, deciding that it would be the best place if anywhere.
"Also glad to hear you're taking that whole food thing up, but i may as well warn you a lot of what you record on Kigraa will be quite meat heavy,"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/15/2023 7:37 PM
Pahun grins at the comment about Rast's weight and listens with interest. The two saurian species before him was so different from one another, yet, so fascinatingly similar. Contests of status and stature defined them. What would life be like, in such a place?
"Then it seems wise, Kirlan dear, to simply embrace the ways on Kigraa. Adaptability is a core trait of our cherished allies, no? Time to flex that muscle. Though, ah, Rast, no carriages please."
He is blushing - for a haleelian - at the thought, "My people have a .. poor history of being worshipped at various points and I would vastly prefer to remain discreet and entirely uninteresting. I have no desire to be carried, carted, or ordained with pomp and circumstance if it can be helped."
"..Though if such activities are unavoidable and part of the culture and traditions, I will acquiesce."
Clearing his throat - and desperately wanting to jettison that set of emotions into the sun - he pokes at Rast's final comment, "Meat, you say? As in.. from a living being? A creature that was alive? In the wild?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 06/16/2023 6:02 AM
Sensing the timidity in the fellow attendant's voice at his aversion to representation, Rast couldn't help but chortle beneath his breath; the result being a low, spattering rumble from his throat. His head tilted slightly at the same time, he supposed he could understand it, but it was odd to him.
"Hm, you see I can't think of a single of my own kin that would deny an offer like that, but beside all it was just an example, so no harm done. Honestly I think the sights are better by foot anyway. "
A moment passes where he recalls his personal transport, the very expensive shuttle he brought with him with its jagged, glossy black silhouette and its gold trimming and impossibly smooth blue interior...maybe he should refrain from mentioning it, it was one of his favourite status symbols, but also might seem a little excessive to his new friends. The concept does spark an idea though.
"But then I suppose if we're looking for the most authentic experience of the capital, we should travel in that manner too. I'll try my best to organise which paperworks you'll need, Pahun, And I believe Kirlan has most of it in order already, though to be fair there's a lot less for you." He'd add, glancing at Musavian.
"Once that's over with and i'm handed responsibility obligation I'll book a starhopper, B-class and send whatever other details you'll need through intramail."
Almost forgetting to mention it though, as it's not something that he usually has to deal with being questioned, he picked up on the last topic, gently crossing his arms as he explains the specifics.
"Ah, yes, and well, of course a lot of the more common and cheaper products are produced with standard Bulwark meat products, farmed or synthetic, and usually they come with that choice. But for a lot of our more exotic dishes...well a lot tend to use cultivated, specially bred genelines of specific creatures which in and of themselves are a very precious achievement to the families that went through the effort to obtain them, but there are also instances where creatures are naturally hunted using traditional techniques.
I can explain more some other time, but since most of the capital planet remains an ecosphere, and contains the most expansive examples of the wildlife from our true home, it's very highly regulated, Which I hope dispells some worries."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 06/16/2023 3:29 PM
Kirlan ponders at Rast's heft, although he is built like a wardrobe, he was likely but a fraction of the mass that Pahun carried, Saxheelians were made out of very purposefuly engineered materials and carried quite a heft, at least, that is what sensory data told him. Could he trust the other Kylasts within Kigraa? In the sake of diplomacy, he must.
"Very well then, if you trust that your planet shall see to us no harm, then I shall go through the arduous journey of dismissing my own security detachment, company policy can be a mountain to move sometimes, far heavier than you or Pahun." - He explained by moving an imaginary mass with both his claws slightly forward. One of his claws, however, moves outwards and taps Pahun's leg twice. - "As for the carriage, I have one right here." - He chuckles, and points his tongue out slightly towards Pahun, another taunt at his height. Whilst the Haleelian blushes at the mention of worship, the Musavian blushes at him being called "dear".
He pulls has claw back and quietly cracks his joints to distract himself as he listens to Pahun, surely the history there would be an interesting one, although the CES looked up to the Saxheelians in some way, they would never worship them. However, he made a small but important mental log on Saxheelian behavior - Pahun's in specific-, they seem to be humble creatures, despite their long lived and adveturous life.
Kiran tilts his head listening attently to Rast, he simply nods twice in quick succession to his commentary about paperwork, it'd be trivial for him with the effectiveness of the IPD, the likely time consuming part would be on Bulwark's end. Still he raises an eyebrow at the talk about meat-based products, Saxheelians carried a notion similar to flow of value, they too must have long sought solutions to dietary demands beyond what could be damaging to other living beings or biospheres. He chimes in.
"Indeed, sometimes, it can't be helped. We've longed moved into doctrines of protein printing and the likes, however, there is always the small remains, even though such farming and - even worse- hunting, are tremendously inneffective comparatively. I'm talking about the CES. We don't have much culture for hunting and similars, and most of the populace does not care for it, but, well, I reckon there was some importing from external influences when we connected to the Ancnet and such." - He shrugs, the parcel of the populace that partook in these activities was very small, compared to the consumption of the CES overall they almost posed a statistical insignificance, which, much to his own delight, meant that the CES biospheres were preserved, and thus, they had a greater quality of life for less cost.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/16/2023 8:03 PM
The haleelian buzzes a few times in Kirlan's general direction in response, the echo-location bulbs at his upper and lower snout harmonizing in a little wave of vibrations at him - a haleelian tickle.
Pahun doesn't miss a beat as he shrugs equally, "Generally, we just eat the efflux of stars. Really, anything that is mildly radioactive is sufficient, but there is symbiotic traditions surrounding stars. It is why culinary traditions as I have experienced here seems so new to us, we really have no need for any erm, normal.. methods of energy acquisition."
He laughs a little and gestures with a tentacle at the heat lamp, "Truth be told, I'd be just as comfortable basking in orbit of the real genuine heat lamp as I would be here in this cozy little room."
"But it's alright, part of the adventure is in trying things that one traditionally wouldn't. What better way to develop my cook book than to try what to us is exotic foods? Might stir the pot a bit in the Consensus, but eh, some of those old timers need a good slap in the head sometimes."
The haleelian laughs to himself, "Saying this as one of those old timers, of course heh. I can appreciate, Rast, the cultural cultivation and the strong familial traditions associated. I myself am of a clan that has a long lineage of tending to chrysomallon snails. I would be honored to be a participant of their harvest."
Oh sweet Gates of Home, the Consensus is going to crucify me.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 07/17/2023 7:41 PM
Kirlan nods to his saurian compatriot's choice of cuisine, remarking:
"Sadly Pahun, we have yet to discover the culinary complexities of uranium yellowcake or enriched plutonium. You're more than free to try out the rest tho."
Pahun's willingness to pursue these challenges to the norm are somewhat inspiring, after all, Kirlan was once the one challenging the norm and causing big shifts within his own society. Although he was no farmer of snails but rather of computational and processing methods.
Kirlan's mind was saved from another bout of thinking about the lizardman besides him by an awareness of the time that had passed within this meeting. He supposes time passes fast when one's having fun, and now that he's pledged to visit Rast's homeworld, there are no worries that they will see eachother again.
"My friends, it has been a tremendous pleasure, but I still have a Branch to run and a megastructure to build. So I suggest we wrap up soon, lest we be conversed until the end of our natural lives by the present Saxheelian."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/17/2023 8:06 PM
Pahun's tail thwaps the ground with a bit more force as he snorts around a laugh, "You'd best hope not. Some of my more distant kin take days just to move."
Rolling off the floor and onto his haunches in a single fluid movement, he sighs, "Either way, I suppose that you're quite right Kirlan. None of us are likely the type to not be in constant demand by various peoples in our respective societies."
"I confess, however, to rather liking the notion of gathering fellow saurian folk together. Perhaps a convention? A place to celebrate and share culture? And food, of course!"
He snickers a little, "I'll have to show some of my cooking skills by preparing some uranium cake that's totally harmless to baryonics. A fun little challenge hm?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 07/28/2023 3:16 AM
"Indeed" Rast replied, half hoping the saxheelian was being sarcastic. "But something tells me my instincts won't make trying it easy."
"Though..." His legs fold in, claws now resting on the suit collar of his tail. Promptly, he leans his head on his knee, tilting it in thought. "A convention sounds...nice. Human-like mammals seem to share such events all across the galaxy, and yet our communities must be disconnected to an extent that I have yet to hear one hosted which would feel accommodating to our nature's"
He grins again, this time looking at neither of them particularly, zoning out toward the orderly carpet on the floor before speaking.
"We can draw funding from ICEC for something like that, but of course species outside of ICEC will be invited. We could host it here in the headquarters, or somewhere easier to reach, such as lost star...perhaps even the Union would be interested in promoting such an important event. It would look good for them after all.
Call me an idealist, But I don't think it's worth starting small, that's not how our kind do things after all, don't you think?"
He raised his head for a moment and nodded for himself, a smile stapled to his jaws before he budged himself back upright and started standing up, dusting and straightening out his suit. As he adjusted his tie he stepped toward the centre of the room, seemingly in a better mood than he entered.
"Either way, It's very refreshing to be talking about celebration and arranging outings for once rather than logistics ERC's and co-operation macroforms and I thank the both of you. But Kirlan has a good point, I'd like to be able to leave the room with a few years left in me. So, likewise, you have both been excellent company, and I'm excited to see what comes out of this idle chatter, but I also unfortunately have a review to attend."
One hand went in his pocket as the other reached out to Pahun for a handshake, which he intended to follow up to Kirlan.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/29/2023 2:59 PM
Pahun nods as he shakes Rasts's hand, "Yes, I already know my own people throw their weight behind the idea. While haleelians are a smaller portion of the population, we do exist and would enjoy the opportunity to be there with other saurians. We may not be at the cellular level the same as everyone else, but we carry our progenitors legacy within us."
The haleelian stretches a little again, "Perhaps the Union is a good call. We've not had formal relations with them, but we know they are highly prominent. If we host it here, we may well be accused of bias and attempting to reap the cultural and "economic" benefits for ourselves."
"In either case, I believe we will defer to your respective experiences and expertise. No need to impose a Celebration of Worlds when a simple convention center will suffice hm?"
Chuckling to himself he feels the brush of minds against his own, joining him in a little dash of mirth. There was a great deal of excitement within the Consensus at both Pahun's Cook Book and the idea of a saurian convention.
"One thing comes to mind, however. If one is not naturally born of saurian stock, but can turn into one, are they still welcomed to such a place? To me, the answer is a simple yes but I'd like to know your respective thoughts. Briefly, of course."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 08/18/2023 5:40 PM
Kirlan gets up from the setting position and adjusts his tie and outfit, the interesting suit that he downs glimmers like waves of a thick oil in varied colors of the rainbow reflecting the light from the room, he ponders for a few seconds as the others discuss the ideas, not using his augment but rather his experience, thinking about the difficulty of establishing such an operation - Unlike Rast, he knows that to make such a thing come through, it takes the very same skill as coordinating logistical imports.
He looks at Rast’s offering of a handshake, remembering that it is a custom for other species, and firmly shakes the hand of the Kylast, the grasp is stronger than expected.
“I suppose we can leave the details for discussion in the future, yes? For now, all I can say is that the CES would likely support the decision, if not as a whole, at least Branch ICEC will. After all -”
He darts a quick confident look at both Rast and Pahun
“I’m the one that runs it!”
He quickly nods, assured in his abilities to make Pahun’s suggestion come through, he had power in abundance for such after all, and would be remiss to see his crush’s ideas die so quickly.
He turns towards the Haleelian, towering above him with the imposing stature of a gentle giant. He threatens to start, but the words do not leave his throat, held down by a heat that surges from his chest. He cleans his throat:
“I suppose I shall have to follow up on your offer Pahun, unlike you I can’t say I have sampled all of the periodic table of elements, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to know the culinary secrets of radioactive isotopes, however.
Unsure, and unwanting to leave the silence to pierce through himself, he bows down quickly in a standard musmus farewell. He gets up and darts a quick but longing look into the Haleelian’s eyes, before breaking contact:
“Well… Farewell gentlemen.”
And thus, he makes leave for the door with a quickened pace.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 08/21/2023 12:31 PM
"My personal view on it?"
The Kylast thought for but a moment before addressing Pahun's question.
"It should be if skin of scale is the most comfortable for the individual. We can't just be having any shapeshifter waltzing in now after all can we? And besides, I trust that people will be honest with themselves."
It was obvious now that Rast knew he'd have much to look forward to, even ignoring other current events this would be a chance for both him and many others to at least unwind over something, and furthermore the prospect of meeting a number more species like his own gave great anticipation.
His feathers bright and raised halfway, He continued with his powerfully enthusiastic tone.
"Yes yes, details later. All this waiting's going to slough my mind, you know. But nevermind that, I can't be a minute late.
I'll see you both again some other time, La'kan-gra!"
The last phrase was clearly some sort of farewell, spoken politely as he paced through the door after Kirlan and splitting off in the other direction with a wave to both of them.
Later still he'd find himself idly swiping at a PDA, burning his eyes into some entry listing countless convention venues.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 08/21/2023 10:11 PM
Pahun, meanwhile, sighed a little and layed back down on the pillows, "Well that was fun. I suppose I'll have to entertain the cook book.. and set up a meeting with these wonderful people again!"
The haleelian elected to take a small nap, rather than rushing off to volunteer for another adventure. He was retired after all.
Y-convergence space | Akarana system | Stellar Lagrange 1 | ICEC temporary Headquarters
It was an honourable position; 'General Ambassador for ICEC relations' and was one that had been filled before by two others. They were very suited for the role, professional and friendly, they had all the qualities that would allow for the upkeep of stable relations between what was a whole group of individual nation's. They were both human, and of course there was no problem with this, the bulwark is more than 80% humans. However it was noticed that the visitors in ICEC were far from the same with this statistic. The trend seemed to be reptilian, so as a somewhat experimental move, a reptilian ambassador was assigned for the position.
Orgun-Gatrast is a Kylast, the first, in fact, to be assigned for a position nearly this important to the Bulwark. Kylast only make up around 1.2% of imperial population, a number very well remembered by each of them. Therefore it was a relief to Gatrast that he was brought along with a few more transfers of the same species, he wouldn't be the only of his kind wandering the station.
His snout turned so he could view out the window of his shuttle, the ICEC primary station in view. much of the structure was dominated by a construction staging platform many kilometres long, jutting with stockpile silos, docking booms, manufacturing facilities and massive mobile rigs. His attention turned to the star at the centre of the system, faint glimmers indicating the beginning of the tenuously enormous project about to take shape.
The 'organised' side of the station looked almost like an afterthought, a huge, smooth, vertical skyscraper-like structure shaped somewhat like a large wing, but practically bolted to the side, spilling half-built guts into the more industrial section surrounding it.
The traffic was almost admirable to see, almost as busy as one of the core worlds, except unlike the hundreds of brutalist cargo and cruise vessels occupying the Bulwark region of space, the variety of ships was far more intriguing. The relatively sleek, but unmistakeably bulwark-originating shuttle swung itself into one of the 'executive' hangars near the top of the office section. There wasn't much hassle, Gatrast's position was a respected one after all, in fact, he'd been respected for much of his life, he was used to it at this point.
Doors were opened for him and he chattered with his kin, met some staff , toured the surroundings a little through the oversized corridors with their warm carpets and fancy, decorated wallpaper. He was soon rushed along though, he had a meeting to attend to, and on rather short notice too. Riding a magnetically guided elevator, and travelling through a few more hallways, he soon found himself in a circular room, with lights embedded in its circumference, clearly beaming down heat. It wasn't a grand space though, rather modest in size, but was clearly made as a meeting place.
He seemed to be the first one in...unlike the solid desks he was used to though, he noticed that the floor was...cushions and beanbags. He wasn't opposed to it though, soft seats were easier on the tail. A coffee table height table was in the centre too, clearly inlined with screens and a dumbwaiter.
He shook his head and took a seat, waiting for the others he was supposed to meet, people he wasn't told very much about.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 2:37 PM
It was essentially posted on the sign leading deeper into the great arcology-city of San Se Ahn.
Seeking ambassadorial representative for saurian mission at ICEC HQ. Contact Cladeship Asi for more details.
Pahun Pah paused, reflecting on the various messages embedded into the non-real display. The Duality ebbed with a bit of chaos today that made it all the more enticing to pursue this particular diversion.
The haleelian stood an easy three meters in height, drawn in a firm physique that defied the slimmer aquatic versions of his ancestral people that were much more common in Ladon than elsewhere.
"Maybe I'm too tall for something like this.."
Nevertheless, the itch for adventure scratched at his soul and he found himself connecting with the Cladeship who swiftly filled him in on the details. Apparently it was a very last minute meeting, they needed someone who was rated for excursions and given that Pahun was Pathfinder(retired) he still qualified.
If nothing else, it'd be interesting to meet up with other natural saurians. Wasn't everyday that Saxheelians came across intelligent and friendly lizardfolk, and he had to admit, it did sound like a good time.
The smallship Asi measured at three-hundred meters in length; a tiny little thing that was nascent in its development. Pahun was the sole passenger as they Folded to the ICEC HQ, easily crossing the six-hundred lightyear distance from Ladon's secret location. It was almost like a day trip to the ancient haleelian.
Ejecting via a thin-membrane vacuole from the Cladeship, he used the little vehicle to transit to the space station, humming in delight at the basking of radiation from the star, the sight of so many various starships and peoples. Yes, it was a little like Home here.
Such feelings swiftly ended, however, when he finally made it to the structure. Unlike Cladeships and other Saxtech, the station felt cold--distant.
Too many years on our own craft.
Fortunately, it seemed as if the station had been designed with a great deal of accommodation in mind. He only needed to duck a few times, which was a quiet blessing. Even the elevator was plenty spacious!
The thought had occurred to him to just.. protean shift into something a little more compact, but he thought it best to just be a natural Haleelian for this. His mental architecture was from his homeworld, he should be true to it during a conversation with fellow saurs.
Arriving inside the chamber, he blinked a few times--assessing various visual spectrums to ensure he didn't need to account for anything beyond visual light+--before walking inside.
He took a moment to reflect on the sensation of carpet before letting a smile peel out across his face. Warmth radiating from the ceiling, comfortable temperatures, nice lighting, not cramped.
"Yep, meets all the basic needs."
Doubly appreciating the floor-oriented seating, he walked over and claimed a spot for himself before spreading out languidly, "Ahhhhh.. nice to have a space to rest. I take it you're one of the associates I am to meet? Pahun Pah, Meta-Sax Pathfinder. Ah, retired, anyways heh."
Black eyes with golden starbursts stare out of a vibrant blast of red, greens, browns, and blues that in turn spiral into various shifting tattoos. There's a loose outfit clinging to the torso, but the Sax is mostly bare and unbothered by apparently anything. Draped behind him is a tail, and above it what could be generously described as "tendrils" coming directly from his upper back. They meander with a mind of their own.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/30/2023 5:06 PM
Apart from UV light from the lamps and ambient non-harmful radiation from Bulwark patented inertial transmission, there was little to note in other spectrums, except for the large number of concerningly elaborate augmentations sprawled into Gatrast's body.
"That I assume I am." The other lizard nodded, and reached his hand out for a shake as Pahun sat, a gesture even the Kylast had adopted as a sign of universal respect.
"I am Orgun-Gatrast, formally you may call me Rast, I am taking position as the new lead ambassador for the Bulwark...probably, it seems, because of the high amount of other reptilians about here if I'm to be honest."
The Kylast speaking was shorter, at 2 and a half metres, but certainly wider, sporting a somewhat deep shade of green with a lighter underside and feathers of pure light blue hues adorning his crest and tail. His eyes were a similar, but much darker blue, almost drowned out by the pooling black around them, but seemed to match the colour of his uniform well, which appeared rather simple and bold, fitting to his form and even wrapping part way down his tail, which barely seemed separate from the rest of his body.
His feathers flared out a little, perhaps as he assessed the new contact. Their anatomy was quite different, but far more similar to each other than it was to a baseline Human, it looked to intrigue him somwhat.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 5:35 PM
Pahun was delicate with the handshake--they always had to be careful, in case something twitched wrong or one of the various symbiotes decided to come out and play--but smiled none the less. Two pairs of lips, front and side, crease in unison.
"Orgun-Gatrast. Entity semiosis established, play-communion ritual invocation is completed and incorporated into The Flow."
The grin widens, "Little ritual we do. Means you're a part of history. Pleasure to meet you Rast." The haleel engages in a clipped form of speech, the language easy on his lips.
Pahun equally assesses his peer, finding them most interesting. Beyond the obvious comparisons in their mutual biology (clearly a predatory heritage, yes), there were other elements that drew his eye. The augmentations were fascinating, he had no idea that the Bulwark engaged in such things. Several riders hopped into his awareness, assessing the stream-of-consciousness in real time as Pahun experienced existence. One of them, a fellow haleel, suggested that the augmentations may well be to accommodate a more humanoid scaled society.
He hummed, "Hey Rast, question. Are all the goodies in you for the squishy people? Or because you wanted them?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/30/2023 6:08 PM
There was a little wince, barely detectable, as Pahun spoke his full name. Even though he quickly learned why it was spoken as such, being referred in full left a very slight aftertaste on his mind, not a particularly pleasant one either. Nonetheless he'd dealt with disrespect both intentional and a hundred times worse and kept composed, it was his job after all.
"The pleasure is mine, from what i've heard there's much to learn about your people..or peoples, I've been trying to do preliminary research, but information on the sprawl seems pretty unreliable, even from official sources, I aim to fix this...in due time of course."
At the question, there was a moment of thought as he tried to decipher what it meant, but then, mentally acknowledging part of the information readout at the edge of his vision, he was suddenly reminded, feathers flaring in realisation. Gatrast grinned in pride, gesturing talons toward himself.
"Ah! You mean my augments, of course. The answer is complicated, but specifically it's both; there are a few that assist me with my role of course, such as live feed communication modules and the NIMI..uh, Neural Integrated Machine Interface, and there are others which I bought and had installed since they seemed impressive, like the PRCHASe.
One I'm quite happy with is the JETweb, it spans most of my important neural centres and relays information through short range superconductive pulses. It was expensive, but supposedly increases my 'awareness' by a whole 30%, but that seems like an odd statistic to quantify."
Again, another pause, he seemed too distracted explaining his augments like they were jewellery to consider an important question.
"I do have to ask how you could...see all that though, I was fairly sure I did a good job choosing kits that would keep things seamless."
His arms crossed and he leaned back into the soft seat, tone seeming less embarrassed, more curious.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 6:18 PM
Pahun, for his part, was observing Rast with rapt intensity. Unblinking eyes followed the body language, the eager description, saw the pride and felt the bleed through of that emotional energy.
I really did miss this.
He'd filed away the wince for later consideration. It'd probably would have been a good idea on his part to read the file on each species in question, but he preferred to simply be in the moment, to embrace the uncertainty and the missteps with all the accompanied ugliness. Felt more honest and genuine that way.
Emotions that he suspected his companion shared.
Pahun laid down fully on his stomach, propping his head up by the heels of his hands as he replied evenly, "We keep a fair bit of information about ourselves murky on purpose. A general description of culture; our mmmm anarchistic tendencies to self-govern, a broad description of technology. Keeps interactions fresh and interesting. Wards off would be foes as well. Who attacks an unknown?"
Shoulders shrug upwards minutely in amusement and the various trailing bits of him wiggle about.
"As for how I could see all that? Well.. let me share a little secret hm? We are the most advanced piece of technology. I can as assuredly see the way you see the world as I can see you as a galaxy of particles with all their interactions, from the subatomic and beyond."
"Mm, think of me as being the apex of what you and your people are doing. My entire body is an augment, after a fashion. Though, that gets into some complex meta-semiotic discussions on the nature of self."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 9:01 PM
A mountain of amniotic fluid rose and broke apart, these small seas parted from by the body of the lizardman. Every day trillions of designs would be reiterated, every day billions would be optimised, millions would be possible, and out of those thousands would make their way to the boards of several engineers of the varied species that worked on the Nexus project. All of these thousands of projects would have to be scrutinised, a collection of signatures would be a necessity to implement the changes.
Kirlan was one of such signatures. Though the Nexus project and the ICEC Branch of the CES was but nascent, he had been hard at work. Apart from official ambassadorial and directorate duties that were bestowed upon him, the severe size upon which the local IPD node had grown and refined was beyond the expectations of even the most optimist of analytical experts of the CES. That, combined with his personal choice to partake upon the shadowy arms race of nascent artificial intelligence that raged amidst the high corporate rungs of the CES made him tremendously busy with work, something that he most often enjoyed, though the necessity of a break grew by the week.
That is why, upon one of his many deep dives within the multidimensional information-scapes of the IPD, he was glad to discover the new ambassadors being assigned by a few ICEC members, and thought to call a meeting. It'd be a way to inform them as to the situations of the megastructure and the of the current members, as well as a way to gather with his kin.
The headache of the dive slowly subsided, and though Inghrumn tried as he did, they were running face-first into a wall of incompatibility between neural archetypes, an issue that by itself would give him a headache if he already did not have one. He chose to forget about the misgivings of his attempt, and quickly scurried away from the deep recesses of the IPD node over the Mithran, getting ready to meet these foreign ambassadors as his augments tried to read him available information.
The CES-borne structure, arguably larger than the place he headed towards, quickly dissapeared behind him as the sleek administrative ship made its way to the meeting grounds, whose growing sideways structure almost uncoordinated made Kirlan exhale in a small amount of exasperation. So many working cogs within this unphantomable mechanism of cooperation, that the exuberance of construction almost goes amiss into jagged births of metal.
He disembarked from the vessel and made his way to the meeting room. The station was of an architecture highly advanced socially, meant to house the plethora of species that the ICEC members were composed of, and with the thought of even others that did not partake upon the economic bloc. Despite his personal disapproval of some of his nation-peers in the handling of constructive assets and philosophies, he still enjoyed the spacious interiors and the well-realised designs that, at one point or another, were at the chopping block of his hand.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 9:21 PM
The soft hiss of the door gave heed as to the joining and last member of the meet. The plates of metal, broken apart and dragged at the parallel, revealed a lizardman of proportions vastly small than the corridor he threaded. To the Kylast, the adult had the stature of a child, to the Haleelian, he'd probably fit in his boot. Yet to both in the room, that glint of determination and posture that a being of importance carries made his presence of size equal to the physical of the others. Said posture, however, dissapeared quickly, replaced by softer expressions that started to dominate his demeanor.
"Ah, Pahun Pah... Orgun..." The lizardman bowed towards the both of them individually, a sign of respect for the Musavians, or simply politeness in the moment.
The lizard, standing at 1,8 meters of height, made his way to sit as to complete a triangle amidst the other two. Unlike the other two, he bore a suit almost mirroring that which a human would war, though the deep blue of the suit shimmered in a beautiful pattern of kaleidoscopic colors revealing an intricate weave that was not of simple fabric. The most prominent two features within the teal-colored lizardman were the large and vibrant orange ears, which almost perked at the hint of a noise and which raised questions as to how one of such a species would fit a helmet, and a distinctive strip of metal that almost made the outline of the red eye and vibrant blue eyebrow, indicator of a high-end adaptation few in the CES had.
He sits and accommodates himself, saying thus:
"I trust you have found no issue in transiting towards this location, its architecture is objectively design to take into account the various morphologies found around the ICEC bloc and Ancerious as a whole. You will both find easy integration to the informational mechanisms at play within the Nexus project."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/30/2023 9:35 PM
The lazy Haleel turns his attention towards the newcomer, observing with interest how the Musavian entered and broadcasted their social mechanisms.
Ah, yes, the ones who mirror..
He'd heard of them. And of course, been right alongside all the rest of the Clade when Inghrumn had accidentally found himself in the midst of them all. He tasted the memory, sensing the amusement, gratification, and curiosity.
Equally curious was in knowing his name and Rast's name, but not introducing themselves. Pahun gazed at the other saurian, unblinking eyes assessing, analyzing.
Hmm, showed no fear or uncertainty when coming into contact with us for the first time. Carries themselves with a particular air. Pretty colors.
It reminded him briefly of a fire-lizard from Old World. The pang of nostalgia was dangerous, so he shoved that aside and reached over, sticking out a hand for a handshake as Rast had, "Well, you already know we don't really need much accommodation, but not having to stoop is a plus."
Integration into the data network? Hm, probably should do that at some point.
"Afraid I haven't indulged in the network yet. Not my style. Speaking of which, I prefer to come to these sorts of things ignorant of the attendees--makes it more personable to get to know folks. Mind doing an introduction?"
"I figure you know the basics of me from the profile Asi sent over, but I'll do it again for coherences sake: Pahun Pah, retired Pathfinder of the Higal Gehaykel. Subclade of crazies, thrill seekers, and otherwise adventurous folk."
Pahun smiles at the Musavian, genuinely expressing interest and openness.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/30/2023 10:01 PM
Kirlan's ears perked to the speech of Pahun, his head turned at bit to the side and he stared at him inquisitively. Rather than any deep political interplay or personal ego reason, he had simply forgotten to state who he was, or rather, he generally either did not need to, or cared very little to the status that his position held - perhaps one of the reasons he held it at all.
He nodded, understandably:
"Forgive my ill manners. I am Kirlan, Director for the CES, Lead of the CES ICEC Branch. Our origins differ, mine is a duty of validating the choices of rungs of engineers, you stand upon a room within which much consideration by many minds was poured, mine included."
A thrill seeker as a diplomat was a weird choice, it was commonplace for the CES to pick the most pragmatic to interact with others, like any stress design of joints or fuel intake of an engine, the diplomatic and interpersonal response was measured -or attempted to- as to refine unto perfection. Though these thoughts raced his mind, his expression did not change, even without being a diplomat proper he was keen to such mannerisms as a survival mechanism within the competitive corporate rungs.
"Tell me, Pahun, what made you choose to represent the Saxheelians within the Nexus?"
The unassuming quote carried an unspoken heft. Kirlan did not see the origins of Pahun in a bad optic, he knew too little of the Saxheelians to assume much of anything at all, however, he of course expected a degree of trustworthyness to his diplomatic peer, one that the very name of Saxheelian carried by nature and hearsay, yet still to be proven now and personally.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 3:09 AM
[...]
Before the Kylast could get a chance to respond with a query to Pahun's intriguing response, the door hissed open.
Watching the Musavian enter, the kylast did almost believe that a child had wandered in, mistaking the brightly coloured ears for part of a feather crest. He soon gained his focus before saying anything however, and realised he actually recognised who was standing in the doorway. Suddenly he had to raise his chin, feathers drawing back in a sign of respect, perhaps it might be telling that Kylast have an entire body language category denoting respect itself.
This expression waivered a little however the moment the smaller lizard spoke his name. He had a feeling he was going to have to get used to correcting people.
"Of course, sir. I'll agree the tall ceilings are definitely appreciated, and I managed to connect my NIMI straight to the intranet, which has been saving me many a hassle. Though...in the future I'd advise you not speak a family name when referring to one of us, sir. It's a bit like lumping a whole human family into one person, or at least, that's how I believe it feels. Use our selfnames, Gatrast in this case sir, or simply Rast, if you prefer."
Getting the explanation off his shoulders, he seemed to relax a little again, though his tone suggested he was never agitated in the first place, in fact he seemed to be smiling. Clearly he didn't need the incoming introduction, but obviously wouldn't mind it either.
[...]
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/31/2023 9:46 AM
Pahun turned towards Rast as the other saurian spoke, feeling a little ding as the bits of information added up.
Ah. A strong kith culture. A note of compatibility there..
The haleel allowed himself the indulgence of instincts as he hum-clicked softly; a gentle mix of echolocation and chirrups. This little meeting would be most engaging indeed! And to have one of the entities from within the hierarchical command/social ordering of the CES present? A rewarding experience to be sure.
Eyes trail over to Rast again, pondering how the other would interpret what Pahun had said. The augments were present in both species, he knew that much based on past experience with the Musavians. Were all saurians like this?
The haleel did not rouse from his resting position, having no such respect-ritual themselves, "Mmm, perhaps it is best to explain how one accepts a position. That will answer your question better, me thinks."
"We call it self-selection. A task that benefits the community needs to be completed. That information is distributed to the Consensus in its entirety. Someone sees it, chooses it, and completes the task. It is how we order ourselves. As this was short notice, the community attributed a higher grade of experience--Pathfinder specifically--to accommodate the needs of the summit."
He hum-clicks again, "Hehmm not that I am familiar with summits of this more comfortable nature. Typically, they've been these wide and grand affairs. Giant cities, floating halls, huge castles, that sort of thing."
"Mmmm.. perhaps explaining a Pathfinder will help as well.. We are, in many ways, what you may call an "elite group" within the Clade. We're the front line explorers, the ones making First Contact, the ones who catalogue worlds. To be one demands decades of training and experience. I personally know several million languages, though a good number of that are our own."
His tail imitates a cat, gently slapping against the ground lazily as he explains.
"So you see, you're not sitting across from just any Haleel, nor any Saxheelian. I'm part of a group of less than a hundred, four thousand years old. Our little subclade is prideful of our accomplishments, but competent."
He holds up one hand--the digits are smooth and end in blunted nails, the distant echoes of herbivorous ancestry apparent--in caution, "But do not attribute this to status within the Clade. I and my kith are fitted for task and purpose. We chose our Path, and that Path was called upon to serve. I serve my people with great pride, great honor, and great joy."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 10:18 AM
There's a noise not unlike a rumble, something that would be equivalent to a hum in human terms, quiet and thoughtful. His own tail drags lazily against the carpet in front of him seemingly by whim, one of his legs crossing over to rest upon it. He'd heard stories about the sax in general, but as it seemed these pathfinders were a whole different breed; he went back to his instinctual categorising by achievements.
"Millions...That's a type of number I can only barely comprehend. I never was much of a mathematician to be fair, but I myself only know four, and three of those originate from the Bulwark proper. Also I agree with your statement on arrangements; I've seen so many spire cities and orbital fortresses that this little room is somewhat of a humbling sight, a very welcoming one too, it was designed well.
Overall though I must ask Pahun, If you chose to take this...assignment, surely there were others too? Is there a secondary selection process or is it a first-come first-served basis?"
His focus seemed to switch pretty cleanly, though it might have been worth noting he'd alternate between fields of view every so often, tilting or turning his head slightly and passively so that he could see one of the parties with both eyes or both of the parties with each.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 03/31/2023 10:25 AM
Pahun shrugs his shoulders minutely, "Depends on the nature of the task. If there are multiple people who desire to aid in one particular position of need, it will come down to establishing consensus on who the community feels best represents the task."
"In this case, there were no other takers for the project, due to all the demands recently on Pathfinders. Hence why a retired Pathfinder is here and not some young buck."
He grins, "Gotta understand, in the full Volume, there's trillions of us. Each Clade is like a distinct nation, and some Clades form civilizations of their own. It is why we are Meta-Sax; we're a meta-civilization of civilizations. A confederation of confederations. So, being able to learn and speak all the various languages is just a part of existing as us. It helps that there is a baseline universal tongue, bridges the gap with some of my more esoteric cousins."
The smile withers though. For a moment, he looks every bit the weary millennia old being he really is.
Trillions of other voices, other thoughts, other warm souls... reduced to mere millions. The silence is unbearable.
He recovers and rolls onto his back, looking up at the ceiling, "I hope that answers your respective questions. Tell me more of yourselves though, I know as little of you as you know of me."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/31/2023 6:22 PM
The lizardman nodded knowingly, before replicating:
"Forgive me then, Rast. This was the exact issue I intended to avoid, but it seems I did the exact contrary of what I intended to. There are many cultures I am not knowing of, and many more in the universe, I only hope to learn yours, if you would allow me to."
The impossibly quiet buzzing of electronics pulsed through the air, that small bit of information had gone through unnoticed for Kirlan, and he had just logged a small special note about the diplomat.
"You can call me Kirlan, or whatever nickname you see fit, my people do not carry too much concern in nomenclature, I guess the pragmatism of our work has bled to even our names in this day and age." Kirlan seemed to ponder for a moment, the CES as a people were somewhat devoid of a culture that was not intrinsically tied to work, however, that was such from the very day he was hatched, were it ever different? In the deepest recesses of his very soul he knew, but the cognisant and subconscious mind avoided such areas.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 03/31/2023 6:31 PM
Then, Pahun replied to his question. As he talked, the smallest indicators of understanding and pleasantness surged through the face of Kirlan, a smile that was truer than the one that he used thus far, features of the face brought forward by the contraction and relaxation of such minuscule muscle groups and orientations that they seldom appear in the books of physicians indicated a more relaxed position that Kirlan started to take.
He was, alas, in the presence of a great man, not only of stature and charisma, but also of precedent. He nodded, a slight more eager nod than the ones beforehand:
"A very interesting path that has brought you here. You must be part of a busy people, yet I see they still picked those of excellence to be part of our small gathering of diplomats. In my culture, we generally are picked, through countless unseen processes that determine the fields each and every one of us will excel at, that way there are seldom people who are unrealised in their potential. However, I do see that many of us would envy the freedom that your processes entail, perhaps even there is much to be gained there. I acknowledge that compared to you, we must seem but children in the cosmos!" He lets out a small chuckle.
After a little time has passed, Kirlan continues on his thoughts, this time, still about the very room they sit in.
"Well, it is indeed a humble place. But underneath this very humble room sits a megastructure whose completion may change the ethos forever. I don't mean to project greatness or even endow pressure upon us, but think about the weight of our words as we sit within this humble room. Is it not true that, one word misspoken is the death of millions or the glory of even many more? That vein of questioning has haunted our development of this and other megastructures theorised, the implications of even the slightest deviation upon a process this large could snowball into unprecedented proportions! If only..."
As Kirlan discoursed upon the topic, though tangentially related as it was to the systems he helped develop and which now governed as the beating heart of the mega-corporation which he partially directed, a change in his behaviour was evident, as if a small layer of pragmatism shedded away from the surface of himself, and a true passion for this very specific craft surged through his speech. At the end, he careened off into a small moment of thought, before resuming:
"Ah, I don't want to bore you both with the details of this type of work, it is beyond diplomacy, and revealing these things might get me into trouble!" he chuckled yet again, this time more jovially than before, as if "trouble" within the CES was something that was, by now, unreachable for him.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 03/31/2023 7:19 PM
"Kirlan"
The kylast muttered to himself, as if he'd never heard the word before in his life. He just wasn't quite expecting the informality...but then again this was a rather informal meeting. Rast had to ponder for a moment, deeming it likely that his hiring had some part to do with the assembly. He didn't make comment on it but did make a mental note that everyone in the room was fine by their names.
"Very well then."
He nodded simply in reply, letting the conversation continue with a stern intrigue.
Seemingly though he seemed to already have a comment on the first topic.
"Ah, I do agree, the freedom seems nice, and that group consensus you mention too. Such a thing would never work for our own though is the unfortunate truth, much too dense is the Bulwark, far too many souls who would have to be sorted. I feel our system works better for circumstance, one builds their legacy on their own achievement, and recognition of that leads to further winding paths.
The hard part is that initial recognition of course, you have to catch the eyes of your peers, study and apply yourself. Humans seem to like to pamper their children, ensure their success carries through; Kylast tend to place their own at the bottom of the ladder, pulling them up a rung or two every so often, it's a fairer test of resolve that way." Uncertainty very subtly tinged his voice, he knew that the gears of bureaucracy had a way of grinding against each other, turning potential to dust in the process, but he assured himself that positivity was a key focus of this meeting.
He seems to shift a little in excitement though as the Musavian begins to emphasise the scale of the project. Gatrast had almost forgotten one of the primary aims of ICEC was something so grand. Over time the concept had faded into just that, a design that didn't seem possible, but now the other lizard had reminded him that what they were doing mere lightminutes away was in fact the beginning of this grand vision, a great monument that he was now a part of. Suddenly the feeling of inadequacy beside his peers here was a little more bearable.
"Nonono Kirlan! Don't attempt to belittle the work being done here. It is beyond any doubt a great project."
The lizardman grinned, his arms gesturing outward and his feathers almost pluming to emphasize his point.
"To undersell something such as this would be criminal. I understand that yes, the actions in this building, or indeed, in this very room might have some exponential impact on the titanic effort being taken out there, but does that not impress you in and of itself?
Despite such chances and the countless hurdles inbetween, we've already come this far, to the point where a dream like this is viable. Of course..."
He seems to refocus on the Saxheelian, a little less confidently.
"...Such dreams might not be as incredibly unrealistic to your peoples, considering the research I've undertaken, however I humbly ask you to see it from our perspective, and perhaps lend some thought to the pure scale of what's being done here."
With a renewed excitement and confidence, Rast seemed to sit up, hooked talons almost gripping the beanbag he sat in.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/01/2023 8:45 AM
Pahun listened to both of the other saurs, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He never really knew how to navigate the whole "wow you must be so X" thing that the youthful species typically responded to when his age was mentioned. And then there was the presumption of achievement..
"Mmm, it is...complex to describe how our social ordering functions on a nuanced level. Freedom isn't actually a word in our language, but then neither is "starvation" or "slavery" or such. They're concepts that just don't exist. In either case, we're more of a hermitage of folks, rather then a species-entire. Most often, it is small groups of people who join us, occasionally a planet or two's worth of population. It makes acclimation into the sometimes chaotic nature of our way of life easier."
"The Bulwark, for example, would spin out several million different Clades were it to go the Meta-Sax way. Think of us as a holistic ecosystem of peoples rather than anything rigidly unified."
Pahun paused here, considering how to respond to the other comments. On one hand, yes, the full Volume could have created such works, but never did. Such permanence would have been seen as obscene. An affront.
"As for the Mithran.."
He chewed on the words. There was a temptation to pull himself out of lockstep with their subjective existence and into the Consensus, to appeal for advice. The riders in his mind, of which there were several thousand now, made a small chorus of voices arguing for this or that. Yet, if he was to yank himself into the Consensus proper, it would disrespect the people here. He disliked the thought.
"We never built things of that scale. We were very much tied to the nomadicism of our past. Travel in our universe is also significantly slower... no matter how much energy you could throw at it, you could never go faster than one-hundred and twenty times the speed of light. So, we existed on a slower timescale relative to the size of the universe."
"Mmm.. not sure that made sense."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/01/2023 2:33 PM
Kirlan chuckles.
"Ever humble I see, Pahun. I guess even you can learn a thing or two from us then! I am certainly proud of being the lead of the first megaproject for the CES, it must be a great hallmark for nomads to invest so much into a project like the Mithran. In any manner, I am glad that you are here to represent the Meta-Sax."
Kirlan felt as though there was much that he could learn from Pahun, even on a personal level. In the matters of having lived through much as well as interpersonal interaction, Pahun was much more experienced than him. Through the ages, amongst the small rooms of server racks, the vats of amniotic fluid, the vast multidimensional escapes of vectorial values and the glittering seas of starchambers, Kirlan never had the chance to develop peers that were not strictly related to work. In truth, this conversation, though steeped in foreign interests, was one of the most direct personal relations he had had in long.
The deep thought produced a small exhale from Kirlan.
Still he turns towards Rast, the semblance of agreement splayed across his expression, he spoke of a truth that concerned him much.
"Of course! But the consequences can have a flow of value that has as much potential to positivity as negativity! It is this chaotic potential that is entailed upon any megaproject that has, well, been a headache to me for so long! hah.
Well my friends, just to be sure then, I reckon it's the best we all get along well, I am sure that that's the best outcome after all." The cheery manner of speech displayed the lightweight tone of the final message, Kirlan's demeanour of corporate pragmatism that he carried upon his his shoulders started to weigh down less and less, his tail gently swept across the floor behind him, the degenerate but colourful fins at the end hovered the carpeted floor producing a small noise.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/01/2023 2:54 PM
Oddly enough, Rast felt somewhat similar about the meeting. It's informality was a relief as compared to the cold interactions he had to endure from humans and even some of his own kin in the last few months. It wasn't a quick and easy process to be the first of his species in this particular position; there were many checks and a lot of vetting that decided if he was suitable, and it had tired him.
The warm room and seemingly warmer personalities surrounding him though put a more genuine smile on his features than he'd had in a while though, and for that he was simply grateful the meeting was arranged. There was also the prevailing instinct that Pahun knew what he was doing far more than both him and Kirlan, but simply wanted to take that experience and learn off of it, even through the casual speech being exchanged.
"Is that so? Here I was believing you'd had a 'seen this before' point of view."
He chuckled a little, the noise gravelly and rough.
"My apologies then. But I agree with Kirlan, I'm glad you chose to come here today for certain.
And that too yes, I find it hard to believe we wouldn't all get along, and meetings in warm light such as this will only help cement that positivity into the sum of our efforts, hm? Either way though..."
He stops to think a moment, and develops a Smirk, teal crest resting against his head as he leans forward toward the central table.
"If it's a friendship each of us are seeking, a meal tends to be the catalyst of that in our culture. When was the last any of you ate?"
It was mentioned offhand to him that the room was attached to the dumbwaiter network of the building. At first he found it odd, but now he understood.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/01/2023 4:45 PM
The haleel hum-clicked in amusement at the reactions of the other two. It was comfortable, nice even, to spend time among a morphology similar to his own.
He'd grown too used to his Saxheelian kin, forgetting the little bits of joy that seeped out when genuine comradery was present. It made him shudder ever so slightly. The little bit of juice in his system made his eyes dilate and he rolled back onto his stomach, once again propping his head up with the palms of his hands.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seen a Nexus-like object before. We just never built one. So, it's a novel project for us. The benefits are wonderful as well; a centralized place for our Cladeships to jump to, considerable access to new space to explore, and a hub to meet billions of new beings who don't want to blow us up."
He laughs lightly, "A novel experience indeed."
Pahun eyes Kilran, pondering at the words. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but he was certain the Misuvian was enjoying himself. He clicked under his breath, guess his comrade was a bit of a stick in the mud.
"Speaking of novel experiences--food? Ah.. hmm.. er.. well..."
The haleel looks sheepish, "I guess a few years ago? I don't keep track."
Half of him is in another mental space, trying to remember the last time he actually ate real food. There was the Duality where such things were common place, but those were just echoized representations of energy, not actual physical objects with calories to be converted.
Can I even eat real food?
The thought makes him laugh out loud.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/01/2023 6:56 PM
"A few years ago?
...
I guess that is to be expected.
As for me, well, I could indeed eat right now, though most of what I eat is standardised. Certainly doesn't sound fancy, but it isn't bad! Beats not eating in my opinion, you're losing out Pahun!" The lizardman laughs audibly, poking fun at Pahun for such a trivial thing fills him with the joy of a jokester momentarily.
"Well, I'll let you decide then, Rast. If it is your custom to bond over a culinary asset, then I shall partake." Kirlan looks around the room as if searching for something, but finds it within the his bionically adapted eye, a confirmation of the capabilities of the facility they are in.
"I think we should have many ingredients for whatever you wish.
Uh...
Cousine is not my strongsuit."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 9:48 AM
"Funny."
The kylast comments, a smile pulling at the edges of his maw.
"Years wasn't honestly the answer I was expecting...though perhaps in hindsight I should have. Though, no matter how advanced a civilisation, I believe that the simple ritual of a good meal shouldn't be forgotten, It's a core comfort, whether you need it or not. But then again I see not through your eyes, so perhaps it's something you don't miss either way,"
He grinned, shuffling himself forward to tap at the screen. He hadn't a chance to interact with the menu's yet however so took a second looking through them; Options for lighting, humidity, access to public intranet, catering.
"Ah, yes. I'll admit i'm not much of a chef either. Luckily for us, I believe there are people and machines to take up such skills for us...Let's see..."
He quietly swiped through the options, and found there to be...many, a muted expression of surprise pulling over his features.
"Well as it seems, the cultural departments of our nations have been busy creating joint culinary programs, no doubt part of the effort to share ideas...Seems some of them are hand-prepared, there's also...printed and constructed meals too? Honestly I wasn't expecting so much, perhaps you should all take a look yourselves and see if there's anything that catches your eye."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 11:00 AM
Pahun laughs softly, "If my people contributed to the cuisine, I'd suggest steering clear unless you like radiation poisoning. I'll just try whatever foods the two of you recommend."
He hums and moves himself into a proper sitting position. Tucking tail and legs into a nice little cross, he leaned back and let the tendrils sprouting from behind him hold him in place, "I am fairly confident I can consume anything on the menu. If I can't, I'll just break it down into atomic bits to sort through later. Who knows, might have some useful molecules."
The ritual of eating food.. now that was something he hadn't experience within his own paradigm in his entire lifetime. As far as he knew, "food" went out of fashion before he was even born.
"Ahmm..if I seem.. inept at this, just know it's because we don't really do the rituals around food. It'll be a learning experience for me."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 11:43 AM
"What a showoff!" - Kirlan chuckles at Pahun - "Just don't eat the furniture, okay?"
He hunches over and interacts with the small coffee table as well, though for him it was unecessary as he could simply use his neural adaptation to interface directly with the system. The pleasant hum of the table comes to light, and the wooden patterning of the coffee table gives way to a menu.
"I am curious now Rast. You are the one that suggested we bond over a culinary asset, so, I give you the burden of choice of what it'll be. As for me, well, it is customary to spend some time with trustees enjoying a cold delight that the galaxy calls "iced creams". It appears that our morphology causes confusion with the hot-blooded species and what consuming such an icy treat might entail, but to Musavians, it is considered a good delight."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 11:46 AM
Pahun sticks his tongue out at Kirlan in a humanoid manner and winks at him, though he offers no actual comment. Instead, he looks at Rast expectantly, wondering what all this would entail.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 12:26 PM
"Ice creams are a dessert, no?"
Rast gave a bit of a peculiar look, but soon batted it off with a shrug, this wasn't an organised dinner after all, maybe he could just eat what he wanted for once.
"Though if you insist, good suggestion. I think i'll have on myself, it has been a while, but i'll agree that it's certainly something our own species has come to enjoy fondly...humans are certainly good at the sugary things."
It was likely that Rast could also use the interface utilising his NIMI, but either forgot, or preferred the tactility of a screen. Nonetheless he soon found a serving called a 'mud fountain'. It seemed to be some amalgamation of chocolate sauces and brownies over a complex set of wavy patterned scoops. He found himself inadvertently licking his teeth and nodded to himself.
"This seems excessive...but I think I deserve to treat myself honestly. Pahun, I recommend you try the 'emperor's carnival', It seems to have quite a range of flavours on it, perhaps you'll get to test if that tongue is just for gesture or not."
He guffawed a little, making his selection and leaning back.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 12:35 PM
The haleelian harumphed--a mix of clicking and buzzing sounds--before crawling over towards the device and ordering this "Emperor's Carnival".
"I freely admit to having no real experience in using my taste buds, but I assure you, such legacy biology is still in place. If you ever develop the gut for it, I'll in turn recommend the Astana. Filling, if presumably bland for your tastes. Certainly enough to keep me going for a few years."
He grins at Rast as he coils back up into a sitting position, waiting to see what oddity came forth to greet them.
Reflecting on it, why hadn't they developed much of a food culture? Sure, it wasn't like everyone needed to eat at the same time, there was no regularity in it, but when you did need sustenance, why wasn't there something more to it than 'computer, replicate food supplement 42 Besh'?
He found this gap in his culture most distressing.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 1:00 PM
Kirlan responds in kind to Pahun, sticking his tongue out towards the vastly large Haheelian besides him. He then turns to Rast, and speaks:
"Well of course, it is a dessert. And we developed it on our own, but we did not have milk within our world, rather we used a replacement secretion from a local tree, with results that were very similar, if not a little less stiff after freezing. "
After a few moments, a small set of three cups of ice cream arrive, set upon a small 3D printed plate, chilled as to keep the treats intact. Kirlan announces: "Well, help yourselves gentlemen." - Then, darting a look towards Pahun - "Just don't eat the tray itself yes?"
The atmosphere had acquired a lighthearted feel, this seldom felt like a diplomatic meeting to Kirlan anymore.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 1:06 PM
Pahun rolled his eyes and made a chomping motion with his mouth, "Ohhhh, yummy tray."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 2:10 PM
There a slight 'ahh' as the smaller lizard explained their origin for the snack, finding it somewhat humbling that it was something that could be related to between them and humanity.
"You see, Kylast didn't have anything quite like ice cream exactly, but i'd say a close parallel would be Kranii-Fala, a type of chilled fudge that was often enjoyed by travellers in hot climates."
The name seems to require a small manipulation of the kylast's throat, producing a quick grunt, but he seems to think for a moment after speaking, seemingly recalling the flavour of the treat, and deciding he'd compare it to what was in front of him.
Nonetheless Rast snorted a little at the exchange the two produced before reaching over and grabbing his cup. The servings seemed to be adjusted to their size, depending on the ID they used to order the food, which was nice, and the cups seemed customised to the chosen 'flavour' having matching patterns or colours, still fully disposable and recycleable of course.
Emperor's carnival was just as eccentric as it sound, a veritable flower of smaller scoops, each a different colour and flavour with matching toppings; Blueberry, chocolate, vanilla, peanut..and even a few that weren't quite clear.
Rast was already taking a spoonful, letting out a cold sigh as he swallowed.
"Yeah...that's good."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/02/2023 2:39 PM
Pahun stared at the massed contraption of plant matter, ripened bovinae leavings, and incalculable sugar molecules gestating in the muck. The bacteria cultures alone would be worthy of study, but the idea of ingesting this was...interesting to say the least.
"Do.. I just.. pick it up?"
I'm a diplomat, not a scientist!
He reached down with his hands, calculating the exact pressure required for him not to explode the blueberry that had slide off the side as he pinched it between his fingers.
The temperature of it was a simple 1 degree. Texture (he rubs his fingers) nominal for a plantling. His eyes focus in on the object, examining it with all of his available senses.
Seems.. safe enough I suppose.
He watches Rast consume the ice cream. Pahun turns back towards the blueberry, then carefully opens his mouth. He places it on his tongue and closes his mouth, feeling the taste buds there slowly wake up after an extended hibernation.
It was.. sweet? Was that the right word? He was pulling at enormously ancient places of his brain, trying to categorize the sensation.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/02/2023 3:19 PM
Kirlan partook in a procedural tasting of all the three kinds of dishes presented before the group, occupying the small coffee table in almost its totality. He'd take a small bite out of the chilled cup of ice cream, then hop towards the foundation of chocolate to taste yet another combination of brownie and chocolate sauce, and yet again into the scoops of the Emperor's Carnival.
Still, he took time out of this small proceeding to watch Pahun intently, as the tall lizard-kin insecurily proceded to unchart the culinary lands of the sweet treats presented before him. As Pahun consumed the blueberry scoop, Kirlan slowly nodded in approval. The notion of eating something like this was likely as bizarre as the notion of eating uranium or dissociating the very molecules or atoms of a particular thing as nutrition, a two-way road it was. Yet Pahun still crossed it, although the comparison was flawed since Uranium would certainly not fall well within Kirlan's digestive system, there was still a clear effort from the Saxheelian.
"Don't worry Pahun, it isn't radioactive. Though I guess that might be a downside for you!" A snickerish chuckle is produced from Kirlan, which then continues: "So, what are your thoughts on it?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/02/2023 3:57 PM
The kylast likewise seemed interested to watch the sax's reaction. He kept his head forward, but an eye on the appropriate side of his head made focus under a raised brow, simply curious to measure the reaction. In the meanwhile he was cleaning off another spoonful with his tongue, his glossy feathers relaxing into soft plumes, his tail back to dragging against the carpet.
He was half tempted to point out the spoon, but it looked like they'd figure it out pretty quickly without his help.
"Yes, do tell; your viewpoint of it seems to be the most unfamiliar out of all us after all. And an outsiders perspective on something mundane to seems fascinating
to me."
He dug his spoon down for another lump of 'mud fountain', it somehow tasted like a bunch of distinct chocolates in one mouthful, seeing that and the carnival next to what was presumably Kirlan's standard cup of vanilla amused the Kylast somewhat.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 8:58 AM
The saurian hummed, hemmed, hawed, and contemplated. He made a very convincing imitation of The Thinker as he sat there, pondering deeply about the nature of food and the universe.
It is wrong to consume materials of other beings, when there is so much energy freely given by the stars. But can a culinary tradition exist when all you eat is star-stuff?
He stares at the Emperor's Carnival for a long moment.
"It is sweet."
That particular region of the meta-plex that served as his brain had laid dormant for at least two thousand years. He genuinely did not recall when he last had used his taste buds. So the profundity of that statement was likely lost upon his peers in this room. However, the riders in his consciousness had experienced the sensations alongside him, and already the Consensus was abuzz about the entire activity.
Pahun's Contemplations were rapidly becoming a big hit.
"Yes, sweet is the word I think. It is.. confusing. There is a moral element to eating that I did not immediately consider. Yet, that moral element is highly complicated by the presence of a food-eatery culture. Which supersedes which in the priority of existence?"
Scaled hands rested gently against the knob of pseudo bone that served as his jaw, his tail more aggressively thwapping the ground as his thoughts accelerated and the noisy debate and raucous of the Consensus grew around him.
"What we eat, we harvest from stars. It is energy freely given, then transformed, then transformed again by our cells. Every molecule, every atom is accounted for. We gather only what we need, which is purposefully as little as is possible."
He stared at the mountain of sweets, "It is noemata to reduce our impact on the universe as much as possible. It.. probably sounds strange to both of you. It is born from a dozen lifetimes living in space I suppose."
Picking up the nearby spoon, he tests a mouthful of the substance. This time, the full flavor is apparent, his taste buds singing.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/03/2023 9:46 AM
Kirlan watched Pahun's reaction attently, attempting, through the study of the variation of his facial features, to peer into the highly complex mind of the tall lizardman besides him. The bulk of CES profits came from regional sales towards minor nations, but the bulk of CES cooperation was starting to align with the meta-sax, as they found out more and more about their ways of dealing with problems - There was good diplomatic reason for Kirlan to be interested.
Yet, it was particularly not for this reason that Kirlan payed attention. Instead, an odd fascination came from observing such a distant yet so-close being, an infactuation with what could be his ways of life. Perhaps it was the odd wisdom that he emanated paradoxically contrasting with the accessibility of his persona, or the highly different yet understandable things that he said about his ways of life and how their kind carried themselves, or perhaps just his height...
Kirlan chuckled a bit.
"Sweet, yet it bears such complexity beyond just taste to you." - Kirlan too pondered about the push and pull of men's necessity against nature's providence. His people were never one of excess, he certainly wasn't, hell, he set up the very basis of the system that ensured that they were not a people of excess. Yet even his prideful creation did not consider the impacts down to the levels that Pahun described. There was a vague similarity, a truth in the most optimal methods of usage of things, or a truth in simplicity one might put it.
Yet, neither him nor Rast were part of a culture advanced enough to produce this level of efficiency. There was still unprecedented struggle within both their societies, and certainly much more throught the galaxy as a whole. It is from that very struggle that necessities were borne. No Musavian could hope to live without the sacrifice of other living beings when their culture was but nascent and their people barely cognisant, it is a reality that was necessary to their evolution, and as such, culture grew around it.
Then, one might think, is the question now about the efficiency of a people versus their culture? Blind faith in the systems that ruled the CES was sadly common, would such blind faith possibly implicate future atrocities, in the name of the flow of value?
The musmus, after a moment of introspection, nodded slowly and stated:
"I can somewhat see where you're coming from."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 10:06 AM
On the other hand, Rast's thoughts on the matter produced much less internal conflict. He didn't worry an incredible amount once he heard the whole 'moral' argument, but he did seem equally entertained by the Sax's reaction nonetheless, likewise wondering how this seemed to his perspective. For a moment he felt like a simpler mind trying to understand what it was like to see through the eyes of some great computer, he didn't enjoy the thought and so he washed it away with another spoonful of ice-cream.
"Sweet's good, yes, that's probably the descriptor most would use. I think you'll also be happy to know that the budget of ICEC is...generous. Most of the ingredients are synthetic in one way or another, no animals involved unless where necessary, more efficient that way to provide for the variety of mouths...but I have to say that eating energy from stars probably doesn't carry quite the same flavour as this."
He took another spoonful, the chill raising his feathers slightly. Before realising something, raising a brow in Pahun's direction.
"What you haven't said however, is whether you enjoy it."
Rast huffed a little in amusement; It was clear he wasn' not enjoying it, but then again he wasn't even sure if enjoyment was even perceived the same, in how many ways, he wondered, where they different, despite the similarities.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 2:58 PM
Pahun squinted at the spoon in his hand, "Most?"
Does that mean he'd eaten a living thing? No, no certainly not. Likely just sourced as a byproduct of a natural creature, yes.
It was the rationalization he was going to stick to and that was that.
He hummed, uncertain still how the thing actually tasted. The sweetness was obvious, but there were flavors he couldn't identify. The texture was a bit...gamey...too. He clicked out a series of rapid sounds, expressing some of that internal frustration.
"I do not know if I enjoy it or do not. It is.. a different experience. In that sense, I do enjoy it: new experiences are always enjoyable to us. Do I enjoy the content of that experience? Hmm.."
He took another spoonful and consumed the ice cream.
Maybe I do? Hm, I wonder..
The temperature difference caused a reaction inside of him, making him shudder and shiver as the cold thing slid down his gullet. He coughed into a closed fist and blinked in surprise, "Huh. An autonomic response.. well. That was certainly new."
Pahun ran his hands over his body as if checking it was still working the way it was supposed to.
With a bit of a laugh he decides that, "Yeah, I think I do. I'll have more than enough spare matter to last for a while as well."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 4:05 PM
Rast let out a deep, encouraging chuckle.
"Aaah, thought you might. Took a little more adjustment than I was first expecting though."
He grinned, taking yet another spoonful of his own serving which he'd gotten quite far through by this point. He was at least pleased that what was essentially a cultural experiment had gone well, he wouldn't admit it but he was growing a little nervous at the admittance of uncertainty, but it had worked out, and there was a relief that come with that. But to think he had so little knowledge of the consensus, there were thousands who just tried the same meal, just out of his perception.
"And hey, if that response is anything to go by, maybe food is something worth exploring hm? I did mention there was something core about food that all creatures seem to react to, no matter how augmented."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/03/2023 4:12 PM
Pahun's laughter echoes again in the small space, "Ha well, there's already a large debate happening about what to do regarding the food cultures of the galaxy."
His right hand danced about the air as he gestured while speaking, "Some already want to go about sending a whole Cladeship to each planet in the galaxy, collecting the culinary traditions of the people there and compiling a "galactic cook book" with the first page being an entry on how to build a basic food synthesizer."
The haleel took a moment to pause, getting another spoon of ice cream before he continued.
"Other half think it needs a whole new subclade given the attention I've been getting. Almost everyone is with us right now."
He taps his head and smiles at them, "Guess you're both making a different kind of history today, hm?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/03/2023 6:08 PM
Kirlan laughs gently at Pahun shivering. It was after all a very natural reaction, somewhat unexpected from hypernatural being in front of him.
"I am glad you are enjoying it! Ah, what a good suggestion this was, Rast. I think I now know more about the Meta-Sax just from Pahun talking about ice cream than we could ever hope to find in the Ancnet!" Kirlan darts a nod of approval towards Rast, it was truly a great idea.
Still, Kirlan listens attently to Pahun describe how, within him, there are many, and already this small meeting, thought as only a way to meet these diplomats and distract him from his repetitious duties, was now having such a large attention from the Clades in general. Kirlan slowly nods, and bows, lightly as he can already sitting down.
"Well, I extend my greetings to all of you who are with us through Pahun. Know that you will find no trouble exploring the culinary history of the CES, though in more recent years it has slowed down considerably, we do have dishes that date back in history before the corporations took hold. I will surely wrangle Pahun to taste all of them, heh!" A geniune jab from the humor of Kirlan, slowly undusting itself.
Still, Kirlan thought, it was a bizarre concept of a being that shared mindspace with so many others. In a way, was that not what he himself was seeking with the IPD integration? The IPD, in of itself, the voice of the billions of the CES. If one were to merge with it, would he not hear that voice, though distilled through the layers of the system?
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/03/2023 6:40 PM
Through the descriptions, and thanks to a culmination of previous knowledge and a quick double-check using his connection to the intranet, Rast begins to realise his suspicions about how this whole 'rider' thing were correct. But to think, his little suggestion was suddenly causing such a ruckus in a society he barely knew a modicum of the depth of, it lit him up, especially the last line.
Quickly he realised that if nothing else, this moment right here would be a worthy legacy for his calling. He tried to hide his excitement, but it was hard; His feathers plumed, his tail curled and his teeth shone in a proud grin while the thought bounced through his mind. In the mind of the Kylast, he'd just sent a cultural shockwave through another nation, merely by suggesting something his race had a universal fondness for, it was beautiful.
"I uhh, well I couldn't of known i'd garner this much attention. Thank you both...thank you all, but i'm just following my customs, though i'm glad if it's caught your attention in the manner it seems to have. Likewise to Kirlan though, I'd be thrilled to demonstrate to whomever's interested, the range of culinary expertise that the Bulwark has to offer.
The human population seems to be almost as obsessed with food as our own, so with so many sub-cultures, the Bulwark has innumerable dishes and cuisines which very from system to system. Also, i think you've piqued my interest Kirlan, perhaps ill have to try some of what the CES has made; if they invented ice-cream on their own I don't doubt they have other great meals to share after all."
Rast's smile looked far from dying away now, seemingly eagre to find whatever purchase he could on this cultural foothold.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/04/2023 1:36 PM
Pahun smiles at Kirlan, amused and interested in equal measure at the prospect of being the official food-tester of the Meta-Sax. A culinary ambassador would certainly be a first for them as far as he knew.
He rubs the back of his head a little awkwardly, "Well, uh.. it's less like they're physically present and more like uh.. watching a movie through my eyes."
Trying to put any of this into terms a non-Sax could understand was functionally impossible, so he didn't go into further detail. The rest of the Consensus was indeed mostly present, with the exception of Cladeships who were busy doing other things, and Ladon, who did not wish to overbear with His presence.
He did send warm greetings though, which Pahun was obliged to express, "Ladon wishes for me to express His enjoyment at the interaction between us, the satisfaction of a new discovery, and a relishing in the fulfillment of part of our mission."
The haleel continues with his meal, carefully moving molecules around to various organs inside of his body for later storage and utility. With the matter in front of him, it would be more than enough to protean shift several times without worry.
Which means there are practical gains for consumption like this. Hm.
Mentally, within the great city-scapes of The Duality, he appealed to his people for the privilege to be the arbiter of experience both in the CES and the Bulwark for the culinary arts. This was, naturally, countered by many who desired for Pahun to complete his Contemplations and to archive the no-doubt-to-be-legendary work into The Flow of time.
The ordeal there in the other half of his reality made the physical form of Pahun before Rast and Kirlan smile mysteriously.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/04/2023 2:08 PM
Kirlan quickly nods to the "movie" commentary, and says, pointing to the small strip of metal between his eyebrow and his eye, which, in Pahun's analysis vision could be seen to directly feed information through the optical nerve and into a fine-fiber mesh of superconductors that weaved a path along the surface of the lizardman's brain, precarious by the Saxheelian's definition but more than capable to the CES:
"I understand. I can do that with most of the cameras here, at least the ones connected to the IPD."
Kirlan looks at Rast, the clear and tremendous satisfaction that beams through the face of the bulky lizard makes him feel glad that this meeting probably made his day one way or another. Still, in relation to his commentaries, he quickly nods, and bounces his head a bit sideways, indicating a half-agreeing motion:
"Well, I'd be pleased to see the Bulwark for myself, not just its culture. As for our ice cream, the plant substitute makes it far less rigid, but alas it doesn't require the process of milking an animal, which is to us, a rather weird thing. But well, I guess it worked for the humans, eh?"
he then reacts to Ladon's reponse to his greeting of all those that watched through Pahun:
"I am honoured to help the Meta-Sax. You are our associates after all, the ICEC Branch of the CES is pleased to help further Saxheelian objectives."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/04/2023 2:32 PM
Made his day? This whole event's made the Kylast's year most likely. His eyes are practically struck wide, pupils circular with a dangerous combination of sugar rush and pure excitement. Nonetheless the responses were well in line with what he was hoping for; good food usually made the basis for a lot of kylast relations, but this was on an international scale, it was almost symbolic.
"Ladon himself hm? Well, it's truly an honour, I'm thrilled this is all coming together so well. And Kirlan, of course, you're free to visit the Bulwark at any time, most especially as an ICEC representative, which of course includes you Pahun."
He gestures a claw between the both of them, feathers twitching behind his head somewhat.
"I do have to mention that in terms of culture in the Bulwark, you'll need to apply some context...You see there's the core worlds of course, which are pretty consistent, but toward the frontiers there's a gradient of increasing deviance. Most of the outer, less developed worlds can have very independent traditions and values. Thankfully loyalty to Vulkan is the one thing that always remains.
So really it would depend what region you visit, which i can of course provide information on if requested."
The kylast explained quite passionately, honestly the variety he described was one of his favourite aspects to talk about, he'd memorised the facets of many little clusters of cultures.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/04/2023 6:24 PM
Pahun found it amusing the way the other two seemed to find the presence of Ladon to represent a higher honor. Perhaps, it simply would be always that they would exist in the realms of others predispositions towards stratified existence. He hummed softly, feeling a reflection from Ladon of the sentiment.
"He simply is who He is. I would not call it a great honor, anymore so than meeting any one of us. Nor would He. He just is.. the largest of us shall we say."
The haleel grinned mischievously at the pair, content to let them wonder at the meaning behind those words before he segued smoothly into a new topic of conversation.
"I rather prefer the outlands myself. It comes with the nature of being a Pathfinder; you know, the crazies, explorers, adventuring types. Always looking at the horizon, at the unknown, at the bits under the rocks everyone forgets exists."
Another spoonful disappears.
"You know, in a lot of ways, that independent traditions and values echoes our own existence. See, we're united, but not, we're together, but apart, we're one soul, but many. Like your worlds and their many peoples, yes? United in concept, but distinct as an entity. This appeals to me greatly."
Pahun also finds that the more he speaks with them, the easier it is to speak like them. The less he has to refocus concentration on choosing the right words, the right cadence of speech. More... comfortable.
Yes. More comfortable with them. I rather enjoy their company.
"Rast, I think I'd like to visit the community you call home first. In our theoretical journey, at least. We still have our own cultural mission here to accomplish before we can plan our next grand adventure together."
Bright eyes shine with the indomitable will of a Saxheelian; conviction, faith, belief, determination and admiration all are expressed towards the two new souls, so fresh to the universe.
Yes. This will be a good place for us in time.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/04/2023 7:01 PM
The largest of them, of course. Kirlan recollects Ingrumn meeting with him, expressing the rather bizarre things that happened in his meeting with the Meta-Sax. The matter at the start was trivial, the trading of monopoles, a material which the CES found no usage, yet the impact it generated, more or less, is what has brought the CES here in the first place. By largest of them, he probably means that Ladon is a ship or something like that, probably.
"Weeeellll... Is it not an honor to meet any of you in this room? I digress, but I understand what you mean."
Kirlan listens intently to Rast and Pahun, both talk about the possibilities of exploring the culture of the Bulwark in person. Kirlan was a busy man, but there is more than enough reason for doing such a thing. After all, Pahun was the walking proof of compatibility with parametric systems, his mind as fascinating as himself.
he backdrops both of them talking to the sounds of him scooping out the last bits of the ice cream he got for himself. A delicaly for sure, the effects of which induce a small bit of coldness upon the lizard's body, the body reacts in kind and produces a series of chemicals which make him become more aware and awake, speeding up his metabolism. It was, in a way, taking advantage of his biology, a simple delicacy with complex impact upon the Musavian body.
"It seems we both have plans of bothering the Bulwark with our presence then, Pahun. It's only logical then that we go together, and under the guidance of Rast, if he would be so kind as to allow us.
As for our mission here? I think it has been a success thus far." He takes a deep inhale... and exhale. "I must confess, this was partially to escape my repetitious duties here. It is wonderful but taxing work, so I am thankful for your presence." He glares a frank smile, they have shed heat together by the cold treats and shared stories over eating, in more ways than one they have taken part in cultural rituals that tied them as friends.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/04/2023 7:32 PM
"Largest...hm...well that's still justification enough for me."
Rast chortles likewise scooping the last spoonfuls from his serving and slipping them down his throat before sighing, stretching, and going limp, landing against the back of his beanbag with a heavy thump, basking in his own resplendent glory perhaps. Ice cream didn't have quite as much of an affect on Rast, accept for the high levels of sugar somehow immediately going into his energy reserves, causing him to tap and fidget, probably not helped by his emotional state.
Nonetheless he seemed amused to see the saxheelian had already started to eat casually, a big step up from his completely analytical treatment earlier. Sure, it was likely that they were still breaking down the atomic composition of each spoonful, but at leas tthey were able to hold a well paced conversation whilst doing so, and as a plus he didn't even need to be taught any table manners, or so it seemed.
The talk of being a guide for the two of them seemed to intrigue him though, with his mind already racing at what kind of places they would go, even as the Musavian talked of their duties.
"Why yes, of course, I would be delighted to tour you to the Bulwark, I should leave it up to you where we should visit, but if you want me to pick I can oblige. And likewise I agree, fortunately for me, interactions such as this are my job...though they're usually much more drab and...linear, so to have such good company in such good spirit is a very welcome change."
Rast grinned in return, a slightly excited rumble escaping his throat. He knew it was selfish, but to have these two not just as associates, but as friends, at this rate he'd be the second most famous Kylast in the Bulwark, beside that guy who represents their species in the imperial palace.
"And why, i'm sure the emperor would be delighted to cover any travel costs or what have you, so you'll be treated well!"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/06/2023 3:55 PM
The haleelian just chuckled at their responses. Ladon Himself didn't understand, but then, He couldn't -- He could only bring himself so close to the relative timeframe of other non-Saxheelians, it made the people Pahun casually spoke with effectively eternal aliens to the great Cladeship. And with none of His kind in this galaxy, He was alone.
As are we all my friend..
Humming softly, Pahun returned to the conversation at hand, splitting his attention evenly between both Rast and Kirlan. The unique body language of Rast was fascinating, all the little twitches and plumage displays. It made Pahun itch to document it all down, but that would be rude and he stuffed his inner nature deep inside for later indulgences.
Eyeing the ice cream, he felt himself growing "full". Already, he'd started the rapid process of breaking the materials down into their constituent molecules for storage in the primary radiolytic organ. With several hours time, he'd be quite the bio fabricator analogue.
Placing the spoon down, he smiled, "I would enjoy that. Ah, forgive me, but.. travel costs?"
Didn't they just.. fly to the planet in question? What could possibly cost anything? He plied his memories on currency, vaguely recalling a few updates in the Consensus regarding the galactic economy and how it functioned.
"Oh, money. Right, yes, I understand now. We could always utilize a Saxheelian craft, then there would be no cost."
A simple, obvious answer--to him anyways.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/06/2023 4:40 PM
Rast chuckles nervously, his mood suddenly dwindling a bit, still enthusiastic but knowing things aren't quite that simple. His NIMI begins to access an onboard data storage rack nestled in his lumbar, information checking itself for updates via the communication modules behind his skull, before the requested information is relayed to the forefront of his consciousness via a web of neural interfacing fibres; somewhat less sophisticated than Kirlan's set up, but still effective enough at giving a steady picture in his mind's eye, almost intrusively so.
"Ah, well you see, it gets a little complicated there...it'd likely be less hassle for you not to; see saxheelian craft are technically living organisms correct? In the government's eyes, that makes it a class-8 purposed biological system. I'm not sure if a sax craft has ever entered Bulwakr space, but because of that niche, they're technically an outlawed presence."
He'd speak with a wince, his voice almost coming to whine at the last word, but he soon picks his tone back up, raising his palms in reassurance.
"Now of course, a case can be made to appeal for any individual instance to be greenlit by authorities, but you need permits, forms, inspections, specifications...a lot of snooping that I'm sure your people wouldn't be fond of. There are...ways around the snooping, but then you're getting into tangles of red tape I feel even your people would have to spend a good time learning to manoeuvre through.
And then there are processing payments, tariffs and border costs to consider...
It's still an option, i'm just saying it would be far less hassle to use a registered Bulwark yacht, then you don't even have to think about money...trust me."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/06/2023 4:53 PM
Pahun blinks at Rasts's explanation, then promptly bursts out loud laughing.
His laughter continues for a few moments before he realizes that Rast is, in fact, not joking.
"W-Wait, you're serious? An outlawed presence? One of us?"
The thought is so ludicrous he laughs again, though less at the notion of it being a jest, and more at the outright absurdity of the entire scenario. He shakes his head and waves it off, "Forgive me Rast, these concepts are.. distinctly unfamiliar. If we had a fixed location of territory, and you wished to visit me, you would simply visit me and that would be that."
"I cannot fathom the need for such.. intrusiveness."
Permits? Inspections? He could only imagine the tricks a Cladeship would play on such a thing. One moment, the ship has four decks, the next, six. An actual physical inspection team would have to contend with the whimsy of beings deeply unaccustomed to being poked and prodded for... He wasn't actually even sure what it would be for.
It produces another chuckle.
"Heh, yes, I imagine that would go over rather.. mm.. poorly. So, let us use your vehicle then."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/06/2023 5:18 PM
Rast laughs alongside him...but in a bit less of a genuine manner, eyes veering to the side. He felt almost embarrassed having to explain this, but laws were laws, and he had the reasons for them being instated at his very synapse-tips. Pahun seems to somewhat understand, and there's clearly still a difference in perception, but Rast knew the emperor had vetted these lines himself at one point or another, and kept his trust in them close.
At least it seemed there wasn't any further conflict beyond that.
"eheh...Well, really they're there to ensure you aren't bringing some sort of biological mega-hazard or illegal fabrication device into bulwark space. See, i know your society...lacks them, but there's very specific laws in place, laws which reference laws which reference paragraphs which reference the emperor's own words referencing specific events and on and on.
It's quite necessary, I assure you."
The lizardman's usually outward rumbling voice sounded a bit more meek, not in doubt of his nation's systems, but more so at the prospect that the Sax wouldnt understand, perhaps such a subject becoming a permanent point of contrivance between their people's, which wouldn't be pleasant.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/06/2023 10:34 PM
Kirlan watched as both of the Saurians discussed, Pahun trying to dance his way around the dense bureaucracy of the Bulwark, and Rast growing ever more unsure and embarassed about just how the Bulwark operated with its layers of ineffective policies. He couldn't contain it, a rhythmic laughter came out of the his belly, Pahun's innocence, despite his advanced age, made him sound like a child who couldn't understand why he wouldn't be able to simply take something from a shop, it was, in a way, a most joyous innocence to these machinations of money. Rast, in the counterpart, could not bargain a way to let guests of honour unimpeded, the very notion of intrinsic systems within a nation that did not serve to its advantages tickled a deep part of the musmus' soul, it was almost as if both of them were children, even if for the briefest of moments.
He inhaled heavily, and hushed the belly laugh for a moment.
"What a thing, Bulwark bureaucracy is so powerful it might class as a weapon and so complex that even Pahun can't wrap his head around it!
Heh.
I am sure you can find a way, Rast. However, for you both, you shall have unimpeded travels through many places of the CES, as long as I accompany you. We don't have many quells about hiding our things from those we trust, even less so from those we look up to." He nodded towards Pahun, it was clear he either appreciated the lizardman, or the faction he originated from.
"Forgive me if my words insult you Rast, it is just that, within the CES, there are such a degree of automatic systems that I had not had to think about bureaucratic processes in the depth you have just detailed in many years. Personally, I never liked hefty paperwork, though some people truly didn't like the fast transition to the IPD system as an overarching coordinator, I surely enjoyed implementing it and raising it to be what it is today. Maybe one day I'll be able to show you both!"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/07/2023 10:05 AM
Pahun nods at them both, folding his arms over his chest as he considered the potential ramifications of these systems. On one hand, he couldn't shake the notion of it being absurd, but on the other, he was Meta-Sax. His existence was unlike their existence, and their existence unlike his. Differences are to be embraced, and that was exactly what he decided to do.
"Very well then! When we travel to the Bulwark, Rast will introduce us to "paperwork"! It will be a fascinating new experience, something to archive in to The Flow!"
His tail flows behind him in excitement, his mind fully made up on pursuing the newness of the subject at hand.
"And as for Kirlan and our little friends," Pahun grinned impishly, "we shall integrate into the IPD system. It will be good to experience the reverse situation, me thinks. Only fair, given that one of you stumbled into our domain."
"Personally, I am simply overjoyed at the prospect of meeting new peoples, exploring new worlds, experiencing new cultures. It will be good. We share of ourselves, you share of yourselves, then all of us benefit from the mixing of new and old."
A simple merger of thought; the praxis of the Meta-Sax.
He unfolds his arms from over his chest, "You must visit Ladon as well. He has grown considerably since our first arrival, many new biospheres to explore. He is always creating and crafting, that one. There is a great rumble among us of Him having a new plan for a grand new piece."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 4:05 PM
Kirlan observes Pahun intently, until being caught by surprise when he talks about integrating with the IPD. He is blown aback by a combination of surprise and whiplash and the effect is visible, his eyebrows elevate and his eyes widen. It was unexpected, it was what he searched for, in a way, but not like this, he wanted fluid integration without the help of the Meta-Sax's highly advanced technology, to prove he could do it but to also be independent in this effort, a bid for even greater control of a system he already had a high control over, though not in the manipulative sense, to him, it was as if he were spearheading the way onto progress that would hopefully elevate them beyond their current struggles.
"Ah... Ingrumn, of course! He is a friend of mine, and within the system right now. If you wish to talk to him, I am sure he would be elated...
As for integrating into the IPD? heh... well, it is, uhh... it certainly is a possibility?"
He stopped to think about it for a moment, he could very well count with the aid of Pahun in his endeavor... His head tilted in considering this particular thread of research, Pahun had so far proven to be a very earnest person. In these few moments, the disposition for learning about things, a characteristic though intrinsic to the pathfinders unknown to Kirlan, had already brought Pahun into Kirlan's liking, he appreciated people who were open-minded and who sought knowledge.
Yes... This could be a way, Pahun's knowledge could be the difference to push the IPD integration projects into a realm of possibility, without the usage of the Meta-Sax' own processes. But could he trust the man that sat beside him? Only time would tell.
"We must talk more about it later, Pahun. The IPD is a complex system, integrating swiftly with it has been a challenge. As for Ingrumn, his case was a unique one due to the conditions..."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/08/2023 4:27 PM
"Ah yes, the IPD."
Rast remarked, recalling information. Recently due to events in the coronan theatre, the ICEC branches had been forced to utilise the system due to a lack of data throughput through the hive fleet that would allow communication with Megalodon. At first it was assumed things would go smoothly...they did not. Declassified reports and logs bounced through his head, the timeline of events causing him to chuckle a little in raspy tones.
"I've certainly heard much about how it's been interfacing with our assets in the shattered republic. I'm sure you know much more about it than I do, but from what i've seen, things have been awkward. You mention that the system relieves you of the manual efforts of management, and yet 'manual' is probably the most apt word to describe our operations.
Scrutiny is a tough thing to apply to a network you can't even comprehend, only seeing the output of, but the circumstances called for begrudging acceptance yes?"
He pauses, and snickers again, rolling his eyes over to the director.
"And i'm sure the abrasion between our systems has been causing headaches on both sides, no doubt."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 5:50 PM
"Well..."
Kirlan thinks about the implementations and parts of the IPD that have tried to interface with foreign assets. Although the system is obviously optimised towards their own works, they have made it available for other ICEC members to use so they can be more industrially competitive. However, there have been some issues... mainly on their other ends.
Before Branch ICEC was even made, the analysis of the industrial capabilities of all ICEC members was thoroughly conducted by CES proper. They determined the vast inferiority in elegance of the systems in comparison with the IPD, with the only exception being the Meta-Sax, who he so admires, Pahun in specific.
"Yes, of course. There are always a few challenges in implementing the system with foreign elements, it was made to be most compatible with our philosophies..."
Still, the alternative was resorting to archaic methodologies in the construction of the Mithran project. Were it not for the usage of the IPD and the participation of the Meta-Sax as a great helping hand in working through a variety of easily producible and highly effective designs as well as integrating all of the foreign elements as to maximise the flow of value with such a magnitude of different throughputs... It was a headache, sure, one that he was escaping as they spoke here, but one that he liked nonetheless.
"All issues are sure to be worked through before the completion of this project. The contrary of the usage of the system would be a highly disjointed project, which would take far longer than necessary and fulfil only half its promises!
The CES covets industrial integration. We are always welcome to talking about such with others, I myself have heard of good responses from the engineering teams cooperating in the design process, there are serious challenges to overcome, and each step taken collectively and coordinated builds one more support cable on the structure."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/08/2023 8:09 PM
Pahun observed the conversation passively, not particularly interested in the rigidity of the respective CES and Bulwark systems. From a Saxheelian point of view, they were inconsequential to the day-to-day lives of the Meta-Sax, and thus, were a curiosity.
The offer to participate with the IPD was to satiate Pahun's own individual curiosity, to understand how the Musmus created the system, the nuances of it, and how far they wanted to take the neural interfacing. While not a scientist by the traditional definition, Pathfinders were scientific through their training, and it was from that space he analyzed the potential outcomes.
Key point of order to him was diplomacy: build positive, friendly relations with the two saurian species and their respective societies.
"He is a friend? Good. I will speak with him in due time. I am inclined towards exploring the system in more detail personally. We have interfaced through vila into the Coronan," he grimaced, "theatre but that is not the same as active Saxheelian engagement. Different metrics."
Pahun folds his hands together, humming softly, "The Bulwark has an artificial intelligence mainframe yes? I am curious, what sapience level is it?
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/08/2023 8:37 PM
The sudden change of topic to the Bulwark's network caught Rast off guard a little. He didn't hesitate to answer though, only tilting his head slightly in curiosity of the question itself. The Kylast himself (and many many others) interacted with megalodon at least once every other day, if not the personality then the access portals and services she offered over the datasprawl, being practically inseparable from it.
"Oh? Megalodon? Well yes indeed. The answer depends on which part you refer to technically, but theoretically she is completely self-aware and capable of all human emotion. Though as i say, it's complicated, there's a lot of subtle buts and ors to it. I could explain a little but we wouldn't want to be here all day."
He chortled slightly, seeing the information on the AI he knows so well laid out in his head, yet finding it hard to find a compact way of putting it into words.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/08/2023 9:21 PM
Kirlan smirks, slowly nodding understandably towards Pahun's willingness to talk through things with him and Ingrumn.
"You shall have no issue entering the local IPD node, where me and Ingrumn often find ourselves toiling away, Pahun. In fact, it'd do us well to have some company, especially one good at conversation like you."
Kirlan listened still to Pahun, at his mention of the Coronan theater and the grimace it caused upon him, he chuckled, painly so, sucking up breath through his teeth and producing a soft hiss in doing so, he comments earnestly:
"Yeah... The Coronan Theater is... what do humans call it? A "Shitshow"? Forgive my language, but it is the truth... I'm not sure you have made decisions related to it, Rast, but I have, and undoubtedly you have had to discuss it with your Consensus, Pahun...
What a... uhh... situation." He takes a deep breath and exhales, as if to dispell the very notion of that worrysome ongoing conflict, and moves on to listen to Rast's explanation of his system.
It is a bizarre thing, enough to make Kirlan scratch the back of his ear in thought, about how many of these systems within the galaxy utilise AI, yet none have had a real usage for it, beyond perhaps the system that the Meta-Sax have used. AI was a waste of processing power, its judgemental capacity simply a byproduct of a large-enough scale of optimisation processes, emotions and the likes simply wasted compute, yet so many people use them, ranging from ships and huge integrated systems like megalodon, to even individual cars. Do they not see the waste that AI like that is? Do they not see the truth in simplicity? He had to ask.
"But... why Artificial Intelligence? Sure, she can have human emotion, but... how is that useful for a system like that?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/10/2023 8:14 AM
Pahun tilts his head, having to take a moment to process the language being used by both Rast and Kirlan.
"Ah, I understand now. Interesting to utilize a vila in such a fashion. I suppose we are not so dissimilar, though there is no centralization such as in the case of Megalodon."
He glances over at Kirlan and hums softly, "Engagement with users of the system, I'd imagine. I have experienced humanity, to an extent, and they do enjoy their sentient interfaces. Perhaps it is comforting? It does not hinder efficiency to so great an extent to be a poor choice, especially if the end result is a userbase that actually uses the technology as it is meant to be."
Of course, those humans he had met were from a different universe to this, so who knew if the same things applied here. It was almost a pity that this parallel reality did not have parallel Meta-Sax. Finding their mirror would be so very interesting.
The haleelian steeples his long fingers together, "But I believe it wise to return to the topic of Corona. This comes down to a matter of culture. The Saxheelian approach is to encourage independence for those who seek it. Unity through common cause, but a loose unity. This is how we first began, it is thus our favored method. Greater merging happens later, when more time has passed, old wounds have healed, and a new perspective has arisen."
"Mmm, the long term thought, yes."
Pahun looks at both the other saurs, "Thoughts?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/10/2023 12:14 PM
Kirlan takes a moment to fully absorb Pahun's argument, however, comparing to the pragmatic doctrines of the CES, who see the IPD as a TOOL rather than as a BEING, he cannot ascertain if such a facet of friendliness would ever really help them, it didn't sit right with him for now. He shrugged.
"I guess it just isn't a thing for us in the CES."
He cracks the bony fingers on his hand listening to Pahun bring back the topic to the Coronan theater, the cadence of the cracks dirminushes as he puts more attention to it, and a sour feeling begins to rise from inside. It was a complex topic, he wish that his function had just been this megastructure, somehow constructing it seemed a ways simpler than dealing with the Coronans.
"The CES only want a hold of the local economies to be able to open up possible trading in the area after everything's through. It is still in our best interest to help them though, when they aren't killing eachother actively. We could gain powerful allies there, even if it is a very politically complex situation, but a mistep could sour the image of the ICEC, the image of all of us."
He ponders for a moment wether that is already the case, but he reckons not. There have been conflicts in the region but ICEC has initiated none.
"What is perplexing is how they focus so much in local squabbles rather than the large threat that is the Army of the Synopticon, I wish we got the pleasure to even have acquired a cohesive enough foothold to fight them, but alas, it seems our efforts in OCCCA are to not cease any time soon."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/10/2023 1:20 PM
The Kylast Shrugs a little.
"I understand, Pahun is right for the most part, she's a good interface and provides 'soul' to what would usually be a very worrying system for the average person. She also acts in many roles that make emotion necessary, up to and including virtual therapy; and aside from that, Vulkan has spoken before about how her personality is sculpted in order to assist the decision-making process in places.
But I see the CES prefers the more logical methods of the IPD, so to each their own I suppose.
Following that Rast rumbles in thought a little, his gaze pulling upward as he zones out a little, trying to remember what he can about corona. He knew at least that there'd be something important he'd need to clarify first and in realising this his expression returned to something a little more struggled, yet thoughtful, his lips pursed somewhat at the side of his snout.
"Now I should probably state first and foremost; My involvement with Corona is very limited, professionally and somewhat personally. I haven't had much time to delve into the details of everything happening there, but I know the practical ins and outs. I'm sure you've met Lorvaine, he's the one in charge of the intermediary body for Corona, he knows a lot lot more than I do.
That being said, I should be have access to most information regarding the subject over the intranet, so I can request what's necessary I suppose.
I can easily agree off the bat however that the Coronans aren't making it easy for any of us. Almost none of the head staff quite anticipated how...divergent their behaviour would be, but we're learning as we go."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/10/2023 4:57 PM
Pahun nods in understanding, "Yes, we have found ourselves quite invested on the whole in the affair. While there was not a consensus established for the whole of the Clade to participate, Pathfinder volunteers were aplenty."
The haleelian gets up to reposition himself on the soft, comfy pillows near the heater before he continues.
"We're experienced dealing with entities that are.. damaged in this way. It is always hard, but one has to recall that patience is the better virtue. Patience, understanding, and empathy. Were we disabled so mightily as the Coronans, perhaps we would act as they do. A goal of ours in the long term is to help create a regeneration program."
He flicks his tail idly, "Knowing what we do now, if they can be restored to their original humanity, it would lead to a net increase in quality of life across the cluster. But, then, much works need doing there."
Pahun sighs softly, "It would take us lifetimes to repair the damage to those worlds."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/12/2023 4:03 PM
Kirlan nods agreeably towards Pahun's wisdom. It is honourable, and he recognises that, to stick around and help them, would others do the same towards them? Empathy is a power feeling whenever it surges in such a way, in a way, seeing Pahun talk like that made Kirlan somewhat reassured that, if he made friends with the Meta-Sax, they would not give up on his people so easily, and there was some peace about that which rested deep within his heart.
"True, we can't hope to know how they feel, what got them to who they are right now. The best we can do is help them as they are. I hope they can see that we are not there on ill intent even despite the current troubles there. I could say that, were we to restore them to their former glory, we'd have a people that'd be eternally thankful for us, but I don't think that absolutely everything must be done for some kind of reward."
It'd indeed take lifetimes to repair their worlds... or would it? Kirlan's mind jumps into activation, no calculation is done, but pure speculation about the implementation of various degrees of engineering tactics in reprocessing of a truly titanic scale of material. Perhaps it could be done in as little as a few decades given enough assets and investments, however with the current political situation, it's unknown if it'd ever possibly be done at all.
"Restoring their worlds is a worry for another day, first we must restore themselves, lest they lay waste to us too." He exhaled deeply again and look up, it was a hard matter to talk about.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/15/2023 9:30 AM
The haleelian antecedent hum-clicked to himself, tapping his right index finger against his long snout, "Yes. Though, the question becomes, do they want help? Our interactions thus far seem to imply that they cannot help themselves. In such a situation, is there a moral impetus to intervene in their best interests?"
His tail thumped the ground in annoyance. It was always a complexity like this which arose to destabilize such reasonable efforts. He sighed.
"There is conversation taking place within the Consensus regarding a restoration strategy for them and their worlds, but we do not know if we should put it forward for consideration as of yet. There are many unknown factors, and unknown entities operating within that region of space."
To say nothing of the vulnerability presented by the old Republic's fractured nature. The division and imperialist legacy would no doubt make any grand functioning plans untenable. And that was without taking into account what a restored humanity would do with their newfound intelligence and abilities. There were already multiple human factions involved who were working to keep the Coronan's exactly as they were.
"Mm.. so strange. We travel to another universe, yet the problems remain the same."
Pahun sprawled onto his stomach and once again propped his head up with his hands to look at the other two, "We have eked out the last of our strength in discussing Corona? Should we move to something else?"
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/21/2023 11:49 AM
Kirlan grunted, as if musing upon the thoughts of the Saxheelian. Such different culture, so much older than the corporation, but still, prone to the very same issues as he was.
"We... have no consideration of long-term efforts as of right now. In fact, we're investing in stabilising the region before we make such plans, after all, the likeliness is that the geopolitical situation of the theater will only develop for the worse, and we'd rather not make great bids in such stability...
Buuuuutt, yes, best we move on from Corona."
The lizardman ran his tongue through the inside of the mouth cleaning out the last figments of the dissolved ice cream, before swerving into the next line of thought:
"Your people are highly integrated into eachother, yes, Pahun? But... What are your personal opinions of the galaxy yet? Have you seen anything like it from elsewhere?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/21/2023 2:00 PM
Pahum hummed curiously at the question, lazily flopping onto his side to look at Kirlan, "Hm? Well, yes. I suppose integrated is a way to put it. I've known no other life, so I have no baseline for comparison."
"We are all given a choice when we reach a certain age if we wish to participate with the greater community. As long as I can remember, no one has chosen not to. But then, there wasn't exactly a great deal of competitive polities that weren't themselves Saxheelians. In our case, we're simply never alone. I have my thoughts, my individuality, but my community I carry with me."
He taps his head gently, "My hearts are with them, and their hearts are with me. I can feel their feelings, hear their thoughts, know their true selves as they know my own. It drives our quest to understand others as well. To know your thoughts, hear your words, feel what you feel."
"It is our way of connecting. Of knowing. It is why I can say that my thoughts on the galaxy are biased by that lens."
The haleelian grins at Pahun, a degree of playfulness evident in his eyes, "You know, this place is like walking into a great metropolis full of chaos, when you were used to a solemn monastery. Well, maybe not solemn, but certainly quieter. On one claw, its enjoyable: we aren't alone for the most part anymore. We aren't surrounded by genocidal powers, always having to move on. On the other claw.. well. Corona is itself a microcosm of the galaxy."
Pahun hums softly, as if considering his words with great care, "Mm.. there is a sense of something similar to me in my memory. Long before the Clade arose, and long before The Hunters forced us into battle, we came across a star cluster that was as diverse as this place. It was as disharmonious as well. Smaller, by far, of course. But the... feelings.. are similar. I do not know if that makes sense. When I reflect on that time, I see it through my eyes, but the eyes of my gene-kin who lived it as well. It can be confusing to express."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 04/26/2023 7:58 PM
Kirlan listened to Pahun...
Feel what you feel
But can you Pahun? Can a creature of your capacity comprehend the complex feelings that arose inside Kirlan, and would you share them?
Kirlan chuckled to himself and repressed the thoughts, would it not be uncouth for a man of his standing? And what of the internal implications...
Still, he nodded gently:
"Well, that'd justify the fame of Saxheelian diplomacy.
In a way, we are converging upon similar paths, wether my brethren realise it or not..." - Kirlan raises his hand, and gently taps the strip of metal between his eye and eyebrow:
"There is great internal competition to see who achieves certain interfacing with my Integrated Productivity Database, it has become all-encompassing in some ways, I wonder how that will evolve...
We'll see." - He shrugged.
"My kin arose fast, not a few generations ago we could barely achieve space. To be truthful, our success lies in the demise of a local and prominent ship producer, which we picked the slack up for. Our view of the galaxy has largely been through the scope of economics, but I am inclined to agree, there is much constant warring, many parties unrelenting in ideals that are simply... not advantageous.
I can safely say part of that wonder of achieving space has been replaced by worries and considerations of galactical politics. Another part however, is simply irrepleceable."
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 04/30/2023 5:15 PM
With little to say on the matter of the coronan theatre, and a curiosity of Pahun's answers, Rast was content to listen for a little, but it was clear his interest piqued at what Kirlan spoke of. The IPD integration he'd mentioned previously, but to Rast it still seemed a bit far fetched from the information he'd collected. Then again, they were much more knowledgeable in these types of systems, perhaps there were some factors he was unaware of. More importantly though, it reminded him of an important individual within the Empire's sphere.
His head rose, along with a talon, as if to ask for a turn to speak.
"You know, your talk of interfacing has reminded me of something similar that occurred within the Bulwark's research ministries a few years ago. It's quite public now, but at the time there was a deeply underground technological race, all sparked by the request of one high engineer."
Once he'd caught attention, he leaned back again, requesting information through his implants to double check he had the story right.
"Dylan Hestorias is his name. He had a very simple request; well...I guess it wasn't simple at all actually: He wanted to leave the confines of his body and be the first to permanently free his mind into a Man-Machine interface.
Most MMI's, such as my own implants operate on a one-way basis for the most part, and read simple neural signals, as if learning to flex a new muscle, or gaining a new sense. But Dylan wanted to his full experience to be immersed into a digital space, so he could design using his imagination alone. After decades of research and development, A solution was found in the 'Xylem' which itself is a very closely guarded piece of technology."
His head tilted to the side a little.
Buutt the issue turned out to be that they couldn't separate him from his body, the process also being irreversible. So he remains an organic brain that clings to instinct of natural processes, with a massive, classified piece of technology cross examining it constantly in every-which way. Still, he's since become the most effective architect of the modern age under Megalodon, and is seemingly quite happy for it, mostly uncaring of his existence outside of the sprawl."
He thinks for moment of the second half of what Kirlan spoke of, and yet found another similarity, which made him grin with a couple of short chuckles.
"As for arising quickly, it's well established that the Empire found our kind during an industrial flourish within our original universe. We had begun our first steps into space, but it turns out that step was directly onto the toes of the human nation that had been monitoring our progress for the past century and a half.
It's said that not 2 decades later, our homeworld was 80% sufficient on fusion arrays. In this galaxy though, we've carved ourselves new places amongst the human populace, the emperor has even granted us a 'homeworld' to ourselves: Kigraa"
He spoke the planet's name with a certain pride, his smile growing a little as he recalled memories of his visits to the planet.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/01/2023 8:56 PM
Kirlan nodded towards Rast. He respected the fellow lizardman as a peer, and by now the friendship that fostered between the three of them made the CES representative listen attentively to the tale that Kylast produced.
He raised a claw to his head, and slowly preened the blue protrusions from the back of his head, thinking. This was not the objective of what he sought for his own system, it was a similar type of pursuit, there was no denying such a thing, however, the IPD is not Megalodon, the suggestion of comparing the systems almost seemed comical in the mind of the lizardman, and even more, to inhabit the IPD would be an impossibility.
No, the issue they faced was the complete incompatibility that the common mind had with the highly abstract nth dimensional space of the system of his own making. There was simply no way that a normal organic brain could handle even a millionth of a fraction of the information that flowed every time a starchamber was lit by an optical beam shot at a calculating shower. The incompatibility was dual, a bottleneck on the user end that had been painfully true for decades, and now, the simply fact that the normal mind cannot comprehend such levels of abstraction.
"I thank you for telling your tale, Rast." - Kirlan bows slightly. "But I am afraid that the problems that our situations differ, and personally, I am not one to be entrapped within my own system. Still, our chase continues."
Still, the rise of the other Saurian species was a curious one for Kirlan.
"I am sure that the galaxy knew of us before we got into space, Ancerious is a very busy place after all. However, we were so miniscule then, I doubt anybody really cared." - The CES was the only native species in the room at the current junction, they rocketed into space age with contact to the AncNet, and local galactic prominence with the death of the ROMB. He could not envision a world where he'd be subjugated by another species, especially humans, whose inclinations have been less than favourable in general.
"At any rate, I am glad that your species achieved space, it inevitably brought you here after all. Perhaps one day I ought to visit Kigraa, the keen eye of a Mus'Vanus will always appreciate the inner beauties of finely crafted gems, if you understand me."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/02/2023 8:21 PM
Pahun nods in agreement with the sentiment that Kirlan offered, "We too are gladdened to see fellow saurians among the stars. In the first time of my ancestors, we were alone in that regard for many centuries. It was not until our journey to the distant mother galaxy our origin orbited that we found the first of our taxonomy."
The haleelian drags a finger against his jaw, "It was.. disappointingly hostile. They were mm.. shall we say.. the way most humans view us, hm?"
They sit in silence for a second, then look at Rast again, "Kigraa sounds like it will become a wonderful world. Would you mind telling us more about it? I am curious what the Emperor has gifted you and what the future holds for it. And, just as importantly, how we Saxheelians can help you achieve that dreamed of vision."
As he idled away the time with the other two saurians, the haleelians other half of his soul was dabbling in a great endeavor. The Galactic Cookbook mission was garnering significant support amongst the Sax, he found himself with several cladeships offering to transport him to the various planets he must clearly visit. Which left him debating on what the best course of action was; take a Sax craft, or travel among the galaxy as an unassuming normal person.
He stared at a hand in The Real, watching as it slowly shifted into something more humanoid as his split consciousness dabbled in the possibilities before letting it return to its natural form.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 05/16/2023 12:52 PM
There was a sort of dismissive, well-hearted chuckle from the Kylast at Kirlan's comment, nodding. There was a slight worry that he seemed somewhat foolish for divulging what was interpreted as an unrelated story, but he had his reasons,
"Oh don't mistake me, I know very well the situations are different, but it simply reminded me, and besides I feel it's important to highlight the kind of technology you're after doesn't always come perfect. Such a thing it is to align such separate kinds of thinking that some major things have to be lost or changed along the way. Maybe you should just be prepared for that is all...It also highlights the lengths the high engineers can go to get a project done within deadline, certainly a reputation they've upheld within ICEC."
His excitement grew however, at their sudden interest in his species' cradle planet, or at least the one in this universe. Though he hadn't the chance to visit it often, he knew its importance just as much as any kylast. It was the only place in the universe with a kylast population demographic larger than 80% and from there, through the data sprawl, is where the majority of their species' familial culture had blossomed once more.
"And Kigraa, it's wonderful. It was handpicked for us after all. The atmospheric composition had to be tweaked slightly, but we were quickly able to begin populating the surface with flora, saved in the DNA vaults from before the severance.
Temperate, rainy, sunny, warm, everything you could want." He grinned, leaning back a little with a talon against his chin as he reminisced vivid memories, a few of which very vivid thanks to their digital format. "It's got plenty of development underway though, as you guessed, much of it being infrastructural currently I believe, but I'm sure you'd both be welcomed with open arms, though I'd advise you to be careful in crowds, Kirlan."
He nodded at the Musavian, not wanting to be derogatory about his height but still being sure to warn him.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/21/2023 1:11 PM
“Ah, perfection…” Kirlan extends one claw towards Rast, almost quizzically. “How do the humans posit? It is in the eyes of the beholder?” Kirlian Chuckles. “Hah! That is rarely the case! Perfection is in the statistical analysis of the flow of value, it inhabits the perfect curves of the golden ratio, it lives within the decimals of euler’s number. If we do not achieve our perfection, we iterate, that is the nature of our people, Rast, we iterate.”
Kirlan tidies his suit, which glimmers in response to the physical movement and the complex scatterings of light across its reactive surface. His claw settles, and the clawed hand settles too beside him, holding him upright in conjunction with the tail on the large pillow he sits upon.
“That isn’t to say that I disregard your cautionary tale, there is value to it. Perhaps I should talk to this same high engineer. Although the concerns aren’t the same, there is always the possibility of biases that we have not accounted for interfering with the process, indeed” Kirlan nods, more to himself than to Rast, almost as if he had stumbled upon a wisdom that he himself had already known, agreeing to the past philosophies which he still carried.
Kirlan listened to Rast intently, the genuine excitement of the Kylast talking about his prize home planet did not go amiss within the CES Director, it did sound like a generally pleasant location, perhaps he should go there examine the comings and goings of Kylast society, much like Ingrumn was excited to convene with Saxheelians again, a feeling he now perpetuates too, if only for a differing reason.
Still he raises an eyebrow at Rast’s comment, careful in crowds? The thought of his height did not cross his mind, instead, he examined it in another way, was the planet prone to criminal activity? Did he care about his safety because his defense forces would be incapable?
“Oh not to worry Rast, I am always followed by a capable security detachment.” He waved the concern away.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/27/2023 8:00 PM
Pahun sits there and listens with half an ear to the conversation going on in The Real. Outside, amidst the spiraling realms of The Duality, he can feel the tug of another entity entering their domain. It's a rare enough thing to catch his attention - and the attention of everyone else.
In the timespan it took for Kirlan and Rast to have their back and forth, several significant conversations took place within the Sax.
Pahun gently thwapped his tail in a lazy expression of contentment. All in all, a reasonable set of decisions, he thought. Drawing himself back more fully towards the fellow saurians, Pahun hum-clicks softly, "I believe he refers to your height, dear Kirlan."
The thought of "security" wasn't even a conception in Pahun's consciousness. Who would try to harm a Saxheelian? Why? There was no point in the effort - those that had the capacity to were all entities that the Meta-Sax had contact with, and the rest lacked the motivation. It made him grin in interest, "If you are always followed by your security detachment, I am curious as to where they may be?.."
"Have your people mastered the art of dimensional phase shifting whilst I wasn't looking?" He sticks his tongue out in a teasing manner.
"As for myself, I shall simply go as I am. It is our way. I must see Kigraa for myself, to record it in The Flow and the accomplishments of your people, Rast. And, of course, the culinary opportunities!"
The alien rubs his hands together with a great degree of animation, genuinely pleased at the idea. Truly, in this moment had he been offered a starship or an ice cream treat on Kigraa, he would have chosen the ice cream.
"Mmm, which reminds me. We've come to a decision in the midst of our little chat here. In conjunction with other events in the galaxy, it is the decision of the Entire that we will be creating a space for ourselves. All are welcome there. It will be a far cry from Home, but we will do our best to live up to its example in the design."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 05/28/2023 11:49 AM
Kirlan had successfully somewhat submersed himself in thoughts about the implications of IPD-Mus'Vanus neural merging, enough to stave off the internal confusion that seeped through him. The musmus are a pragmatic people, placing a puzzle in front of them is the best way to distract them, they are not, however, a very sentimental people, and sentiments like these were the thing that the Director was the least prepared to handle.
Not possessing skin but rather scales, the saurian was unable to blush. However the involuntary psychological reaction was still present, he shifts his position a little still, confused by the whiplash.
“Oh… I, well…
caham
Well, yes, of course, my height. uhm…
You see, my attachment is not here with us in this room, it is unnecessary for this situation, we are in friendly territory after all.
And well, perhaps if you look away again Pahun, we’ll have found a way to reduce both of you to the size of a normal person!” - Kirlan chuckles devilishly.
“Well, when we go to Kigraa, perhaps I shall wear elevated platform shoes, or maybe a movement assistance suit. Or perhaps I’ll ask Pahun to carry me on his shoulders”
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/03/2023 3:16 PM
The large saurian merely thwaps his tail against the ground and smirks in response to Kirlan's taunt, "I am quite capable of doing that myself. Or expanding significantly beyond this. That said,"
He taps his shoulder, "My current height should be sufficient for a shoulder ride, yes. Hm, could hold Rast as well.." He glances at Rast, assessing his weight.
Pahun eye's glimmer with subtle amusement at the situation, well aware of having flustered the Director. It was unexpected that he reacted in such a way, and thus it was filed into The Flow for later consideration and modification of Saxheelian behavior around the musmus people.
"I must warn you, if I do end up carrying you on my shoulder, your security detachment may be..mm..challenged to keep pace. Though, you can of course simply request me to reduce my size to something more relative. That would be agreeable as well. I settled on my normal scale for the purposes of diplomacy and cultural exchange, but I am amiable to modifications to suit my hosts and companions."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 06/08/2023 10:57 PM
Kirlan's mind wanders at the thought of Pahun's shapeshifting abilities, and also at the thought of him being carried by Pahun. Under the protection of a capable Saxheelian like the pathfinder before him, there was likely no need to have a security detachment, and he wouldn't know wether the other Directors would be more upset at the detachment's lack of capability, or at him being carried like a child.
"Pshht, they'll find a way, I'm sure of that, it's their job." - He waves away the subtle challenging of the CES's capabilities, it might, or might not be true. - "However, if they don't, then it seems I would not need them if I'm around you...
As for your height, I think it's fine Pahun, excuse my humor, if anything, it is charming..." - He nods, almost sagely. Neutron star collisions painted a serene picture compared to his inner turmoil.
The words were a stark contrast, wether because of the frozen delicacy, or the interest in his peer, the carefully measured speech had been replaced by words produced at the moment, which spoke with a somewhat raw truth.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 06/12/2023 4:48 PM
Somewhat curious, Rast had let the two speak, only grinning slightly that they had taken up the idea of visiting his cultural home so well, but now at their back and forth and rather unnecessary ideas. He does eventually chime in however, leaning forward slightly and leaning his head down at pahun a moment.
"First off, you can stop analysing me, I'm heavier than I look.
Secondly, you should probably know bringing your own security into a Kylast settlement isn't a great idea, especially concerning the capital.
You see there's a sort of mutual respect expected of any and everyone in our society, and one of the largest aspects of that is trust. If you bring along a squadron of bodyguards people will think, especially as a foreigner, that you can't trust them. But I understand your concerns and I did bring up the issue, so the best way to circumvent it is for me to provide my own guards for you. It looks a lot less...I suppose...disrespectful that way.
And don't think for a second they give me flimsy guards, lords they're so proud of their job they'll build and carry you in a carriage if you want, it'll just make them feel more achieved."
He chuckled, scratching at his feathers for a few moments before pushing back into the beanbag and stretching his tail outward a little. Already he's thinking of the countless destinations they could visit while on the planet, trying his best to ignore the paperwork both him and pahun will have to go through to get into the border for now. He instead thinks of the hall of lords in the capital, deciding that it would be the best place if anywhere.
"Also glad to hear you're taking that whole food thing up, but i may as well warn you a lot of what you record on Kigraa will be quite meat heavy,"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/15/2023 7:37 PM
Pahun grins at the comment about Rast's weight and listens with interest. The two saurian species before him was so different from one another, yet, so fascinatingly similar. Contests of status and stature defined them. What would life be like, in such a place?
"Then it seems wise, Kirlan dear, to simply embrace the ways on Kigraa. Adaptability is a core trait of our cherished allies, no? Time to flex that muscle. Though, ah, Rast, no carriages please."
He is blushing - for a haleelian - at the thought, "My people have a .. poor history of being worshipped at various points and I would vastly prefer to remain discreet and entirely uninteresting. I have no desire to be carried, carted, or ordained with pomp and circumstance if it can be helped."
"..Though if such activities are unavoidable and part of the culture and traditions, I will acquiesce."
Clearing his throat - and desperately wanting to jettison that set of emotions into the sun - he pokes at Rast's final comment, "Meat, you say? As in.. from a living being? A creature that was alive? In the wild?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 06/16/2023 6:02 AM
Sensing the timidity in the fellow attendant's voice at his aversion to representation, Rast couldn't help but chortle beneath his breath; the result being a low, spattering rumble from his throat. His head tilted slightly at the same time, he supposed he could understand it, but it was odd to him.
"Hm, you see I can't think of a single of my own kin that would deny an offer like that, but beside all it was just an example, so no harm done. Honestly I think the sights are better by foot anyway. "
A moment passes where he recalls his personal transport, the very expensive shuttle he brought with him with its jagged, glossy black silhouette and its gold trimming and impossibly smooth blue interior...maybe he should refrain from mentioning it, it was one of his favourite status symbols, but also might seem a little excessive to his new friends. The concept does spark an idea though.
"But then I suppose if we're looking for the most authentic experience of the capital, we should travel in that manner too. I'll try my best to organise which paperworks you'll need, Pahun, And I believe Kirlan has most of it in order already, though to be fair there's a lot less for you." He'd add, glancing at Musavian.
"Once that's over with and i'm handed responsibility obligation I'll book a starhopper, B-class and send whatever other details you'll need through intramail."
Almost forgetting to mention it though, as it's not something that he usually has to deal with being questioned, he picked up on the last topic, gently crossing his arms as he explains the specifics.
"Ah, yes, and well, of course a lot of the more common and cheaper products are produced with standard Bulwark meat products, farmed or synthetic, and usually they come with that choice. But for a lot of our more exotic dishes...well a lot tend to use cultivated, specially bred genelines of specific creatures which in and of themselves are a very precious achievement to the families that went through the effort to obtain them, but there are also instances where creatures are naturally hunted using traditional techniques.
I can explain more some other time, but since most of the capital planet remains an ecosphere, and contains the most expansive examples of the wildlife from our true home, it's very highly regulated, Which I hope dispells some worries."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 06/16/2023 3:29 PM
Kirlan ponders at Rast's heft, although he is built like a wardrobe, he was likely but a fraction of the mass that Pahun carried, Saxheelians were made out of very purposefuly engineered materials and carried quite a heft, at least, that is what sensory data told him. Could he trust the other Kylasts within Kigraa? In the sake of diplomacy, he must.
"Very well then, if you trust that your planet shall see to us no harm, then I shall go through the arduous journey of dismissing my own security detachment, company policy can be a mountain to move sometimes, far heavier than you or Pahun." - He explained by moving an imaginary mass with both his claws slightly forward. One of his claws, however, moves outwards and taps Pahun's leg twice. - "As for the carriage, I have one right here." - He chuckles, and points his tongue out slightly towards Pahun, another taunt at his height. Whilst the Haleelian blushes at the mention of worship, the Musavian blushes at him being called "dear".
He pulls has claw back and quietly cracks his joints to distract himself as he listens to Pahun, surely the history there would be an interesting one, although the CES looked up to the Saxheelians in some way, they would never worship them. However, he made a small but important mental log on Saxheelian behavior - Pahun's in specific-, they seem to be humble creatures, despite their long lived and adveturous life.
Kiran tilts his head listening attently to Rast, he simply nods twice in quick succession to his commentary about paperwork, it'd be trivial for him with the effectiveness of the IPD, the likely time consuming part would be on Bulwark's end. Still he raises an eyebrow at the talk about meat-based products, Saxheelians carried a notion similar to flow of value, they too must have long sought solutions to dietary demands beyond what could be damaging to other living beings or biospheres. He chimes in.
"Indeed, sometimes, it can't be helped. We've longed moved into doctrines of protein printing and the likes, however, there is always the small remains, even though such farming and - even worse- hunting, are tremendously inneffective comparatively. I'm talking about the CES. We don't have much culture for hunting and similars, and most of the populace does not care for it, but, well, I reckon there was some importing from external influences when we connected to the Ancnet and such." - He shrugs, the parcel of the populace that partook in these activities was very small, compared to the consumption of the CES overall they almost posed a statistical insignificance, which, much to his own delight, meant that the CES biospheres were preserved, and thus, they had a greater quality of life for less cost.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/16/2023 8:03 PM
The haleelian buzzes a few times in Kirlan's general direction in response, the echo-location bulbs at his upper and lower snout harmonizing in a little wave of vibrations at him - a haleelian tickle.
Pahun doesn't miss a beat as he shrugs equally, "Generally, we just eat the efflux of stars. Really, anything that is mildly radioactive is sufficient, but there is symbiotic traditions surrounding stars. It is why culinary traditions as I have experienced here seems so new to us, we really have no need for any erm, normal.. methods of energy acquisition."
He laughs a little and gestures with a tentacle at the heat lamp, "Truth be told, I'd be just as comfortable basking in orbit of the real genuine heat lamp as I would be here in this cozy little room."
"But it's alright, part of the adventure is in trying things that one traditionally wouldn't. What better way to develop my cook book than to try what to us is exotic foods? Might stir the pot a bit in the Consensus, but eh, some of those old timers need a good slap in the head sometimes."
The haleelian laughs to himself, "Saying this as one of those old timers, of course heh. I can appreciate, Rast, the cultural cultivation and the strong familial traditions associated. I myself am of a clan that has a long lineage of tending to chrysomallon snails. I would be honored to be a participant of their harvest."
Oh sweet Gates of Home, the Consensus is going to crucify me.
Gose {CES, CHET} — 07/17/2023 7:41 PM
Kirlan nods to his saurian compatriot's choice of cuisine, remarking:
"Sadly Pahun, we have yet to discover the culinary complexities of uranium yellowcake or enriched plutonium. You're more than free to try out the rest tho."
Pahun's willingness to pursue these challenges to the norm are somewhat inspiring, after all, Kirlan was once the one challenging the norm and causing big shifts within his own society. Although he was no farmer of snails but rather of computational and processing methods.
Kirlan's mind was saved from another bout of thinking about the lizardman besides him by an awareness of the time that had passed within this meeting. He supposes time passes fast when one's having fun, and now that he's pledged to visit Rast's homeworld, there are no worries that they will see eachother again.
"My friends, it has been a tremendous pleasure, but I still have a Branch to run and a megastructure to build. So I suggest we wrap up soon, lest we be conversed until the end of our natural lives by the present Saxheelian."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/17/2023 8:06 PM
Pahun's tail thwaps the ground with a bit more force as he snorts around a laugh, "You'd best hope not. Some of my more distant kin take days just to move."
Rolling off the floor and onto his haunches in a single fluid movement, he sighs, "Either way, I suppose that you're quite right Kirlan. None of us are likely the type to not be in constant demand by various peoples in our respective societies."
"I confess, however, to rather liking the notion of gathering fellow saurian folk together. Perhaps a convention? A place to celebrate and share culture? And food, of course!"
He snickers a little, "I'll have to show some of my cooking skills by preparing some uranium cake that's totally harmless to baryonics. A fun little challenge hm?"
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 07/28/2023 3:16 AM
"Indeed" Rast replied, half hoping the saxheelian was being sarcastic. "But something tells me my instincts won't make trying it easy."
"Though..." His legs fold in, claws now resting on the suit collar of his tail. Promptly, he leans his head on his knee, tilting it in thought. "A convention sounds...nice. Human-like mammals seem to share such events all across the galaxy, and yet our communities must be disconnected to an extent that I have yet to hear one hosted which would feel accommodating to our nature's"
He grins again, this time looking at neither of them particularly, zoning out toward the orderly carpet on the floor before speaking.
"We can draw funding from ICEC for something like that, but of course species outside of ICEC will be invited. We could host it here in the headquarters, or somewhere easier to reach, such as lost star...perhaps even the Union would be interested in promoting such an important event. It would look good for them after all.
Call me an idealist, But I don't think it's worth starting small, that's not how our kind do things after all, don't you think?"
He raised his head for a moment and nodded for himself, a smile stapled to his jaws before he budged himself back upright and started standing up, dusting and straightening out his suit. As he adjusted his tie he stepped toward the centre of the room, seemingly in a better mood than he entered.
"Either way, It's very refreshing to be talking about celebration and arranging outings for once rather than logistics ERC's and co-operation macroforms and I thank the both of you. But Kirlan has a good point, I'd like to be able to leave the room with a few years left in me. So, likewise, you have both been excellent company, and I'm excited to see what comes out of this idle chatter, but I also unfortunately have a review to attend."
One hand went in his pocket as the other reached out to Pahun for a handshake, which he intended to follow up to Kirlan.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/29/2023 2:59 PM
Pahun nods as he shakes Rasts's hand, "Yes, I already know my own people throw their weight behind the idea. While haleelians are a smaller portion of the population, we do exist and would enjoy the opportunity to be there with other saurians. We may not be at the cellular level the same as everyone else, but we carry our progenitors legacy within us."
The haleelian stretches a little again, "Perhaps the Union is a good call. We've not had formal relations with them, but we know they are highly prominent. If we host it here, we may well be accused of bias and attempting to reap the cultural and "economic" benefits for ourselves."
"In either case, I believe we will defer to your respective experiences and expertise. No need to impose a Celebration of Worlds when a simple convention center will suffice hm?"
Chuckling to himself he feels the brush of minds against his own, joining him in a little dash of mirth. There was a great deal of excitement within the Consensus at both Pahun's Cook Book and the idea of a saurian convention.
"One thing comes to mind, however. If one is not naturally born of saurian stock, but can turn into one, are they still welcomed to such a place? To me, the answer is a simple yes but I'd like to know your respective thoughts. Briefly, of course."
Gose {CES, CHET} — 08/18/2023 5:40 PM
Kirlan gets up from the setting position and adjusts his tie and outfit, the interesting suit that he downs glimmers like waves of a thick oil in varied colors of the rainbow reflecting the light from the room, he ponders for a few seconds as the others discuss the ideas, not using his augment but rather his experience, thinking about the difficulty of establishing such an operation - Unlike Rast, he knows that to make such a thing come through, it takes the very same skill as coordinating logistical imports.
He looks at Rast’s offering of a handshake, remembering that it is a custom for other species, and firmly shakes the hand of the Kylast, the grasp is stronger than expected.
“I suppose we can leave the details for discussion in the future, yes? For now, all I can say is that the CES would likely support the decision, if not as a whole, at least Branch ICEC will. After all -”
He darts a quick confident look at both Rast and Pahun
“I’m the one that runs it!”
He quickly nods, assured in his abilities to make Pahun’s suggestion come through, he had power in abundance for such after all, and would be remiss to see his crush’s ideas die so quickly.
He turns towards the Haleelian, towering above him with the imposing stature of a gentle giant. He threatens to start, but the words do not leave his throat, held down by a heat that surges from his chest. He cleans his throat:
“I suppose I shall have to follow up on your offer Pahun, unlike you I can’t say I have sampled all of the periodic table of elements, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to know the culinary secrets of radioactive isotopes, however.
Unsure, and unwanting to leave the silence to pierce through himself, he bows down quickly in a standard musmus farewell. He gets up and darts a quick but longing look into the Haleelian’s eyes, before breaking contact:
“Well… Farewell gentlemen.”
And thus, he makes leave for the door with a quickened pace.
Dictatorputski [Red Bulwark] — 08/21/2023 12:31 PM
"My personal view on it?"
The Kylast thought for but a moment before addressing Pahun's question.
"It should be if skin of scale is the most comfortable for the individual. We can't just be having any shapeshifter waltzing in now after all can we? And besides, I trust that people will be honest with themselves."
It was obvious now that Rast knew he'd have much to look forward to, even ignoring other current events this would be a chance for both him and many others to at least unwind over something, and furthermore the prospect of meeting a number more species like his own gave great anticipation.
His feathers bright and raised halfway, He continued with his powerfully enthusiastic tone.
"Yes yes, details later. All this waiting's going to slough my mind, you know. But nevermind that, I can't be a minute late.
I'll see you both again some other time, La'kan-gra!"
The last phrase was clearly some sort of farewell, spoken politely as he paced through the door after Kirlan and splitting off in the other direction with a wave to both of them.
Later still he'd find himself idly swiping at a PDA, burning his eyes into some entry listing countless convention venues.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 08/21/2023 10:11 PM
Pahun, meanwhile, sighed a little and layed back down on the pillows, "Well that was fun. I suppose I'll have to entertain the cook book.. and set up a meeting with these wonderful people again!"
The haleelian elected to take a small nap, rather than rushing off to volunteer for another adventure. He was retired after all.