Scene #1243: To XCOM HQ!

Owner	Pose
Rory White	The COGNIZANT ODYSSEY IS not coming in. When the machine appeared on sensors and a visual was established on satellites or other methods it quickly becomes apparent quite why. The ship is a 150-meter or so thick behemoth with four rod-shaped sections sprouting outwards like the tines of an umbrella some 30 meters or so behind the cockpit. These sections are all 90 meters long and slowly rotating, likely as a source of artificial gravity. The vessel's hull is made of several likely unknown alloys. Engine nacelles at the rear currently are dormant at first... but the whole machine about-faces with a few correctional jets and then activates its fusion rockets. But not before delivering its package. A tiny conical ship, the size of a small houseboat detaches from the underside and comes plunging straight for Earth blunt-end first. Much like any other atmospheric re-entry it obeys the laws of physics, heating up considerably to the point of glowing red-hot! Or no... no it's not. There's a huge buffer of heated air before it, but the ship itself is doing a remarkable job dissipating the heat and NOT melting. Three quarters of the way down it fires a brigade of retro-rockets. This takes a minute or so, but soon the craft stabilizes, swings around, and becomes a sort of atmospheric rocket hunting for a landing zone! Meanwhile, the COGNIZANT ODYSSEY is heading back for the warp gate - or at least, getting the heck out of dodge. Rory's not leaving her ship anywhere near a place hostile aliens can be found!
Elise Leroy	Any sensors onboard the two ships would be spiking wildly as the deep space monitoring radar stations on the planet below zero in on them and lock on. They soon leave the larger vessel be and focus on the approaching shuttle. As it enters the atmosphere, and slows down to a reasonable speed, it's joined on each side by a quartet of sleek fighter craft. The lead of which has a rather aggressive motif painted onto the fuselage. "Odyssey Shuttle, come about to bearing 0-1-0, and reduce speed to 400 knots. We will guide you in to Groom Lake landing facility. From there, its a small gate trip to the Base."
Kotone Yamakawa	There is someone watching the new arrival and is dressed as she normally is, looking like she fell out of a club somewhere. she's near the lnging area and is wiating to see just whom this Rory is, she'll find out shortly though.
Rory White	The craft takes a few moments to adjust course - likely because of the unfamiliar measurements being used. Thankfully, Rory's Muse is on the job of converting knots into her own measurements. "Roger XCom Control. Bearing 0-1-0, speed 400 knots." Yeah, this is not at all the kind of chaotic approach one might expect of a Multiversal visitor by this point, probably. The shuttle eventually lands on extending gear at the facility and Rory extends a ramp from the vessel's underside. But it's another fifteen seconds before the visitor herself appears... And when she does, well... "Hello?" A young human woman descends the ramp. She's some five and a half feet tall, fair-skinned, with sky-blue eyes and aqua hair. The hair goes down to her mid-back and is loosely bound into a ponytail. She's garbed in white, a strange sort of overcoat that seems inspired by stereotypical labcoats but far more fashionable. It opens in the front, and is held shut by a clasp over her heart... this leaves a triangular shaped opening down her front to show some draping other layers of clothing. besides the weird angles and lack of all apparent seams or stitches though, it's... just clothes, right. Behind her she's rolling a cart, upon which rests two rather sizable devices. One looks kind of like a hollow box with see-thru walls, the size of a desktop printer or so. The other is about half that size and is connected to the former through some cabling.
Elise Leroy	As the shuttle comes in to land, the four Interceptors veer off and return to their launch base. Groom Lake ground staff come out to meet the occupant and guide her to the warpgate. The escort includes a Strike Team, for show purposes only. This is Strike Two, headed by Major Roland 'Vandal' Savage, a tall, brickhouse like man toting an LMG. He and his squad take up an encirlcing position around Rory, so she doesn't 'get lost' during gate traversal. It's like stepping through a door, in one side, out the other, from the covered building in Nevada, to somewhere deep underground in Geneva.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa tilts her head a little bit as she looks up at the young woman comes down the ramp. She takes a moment to look her over. Kotone looks to be asian is weing a yellow top, which deatched purple sleeves, cargo pants and oddly as Rory might notice she has no visable physical flaws. Then gain that might seem normal to Rory. She takes a mment to move to meet up with the woman and seems to be curious about. "Rory White? I'm Kotone Yamakawa one of XCOMs off world personel." She holds out a hand to Rory whom if she's scanning her she'd red much like Rory might to XCOM at the very least she'd be getting the wireless signal from her. She's not visably armed but who knows what she could be packing. She just kinda falls in with Strike Team.
Alexis Maaka	Despite what one may suspect from a cyborg, Alexis Maaka does indeed get hangovers. However, she's never let it get in the way of her work, despite the partying from a few hours before. She accompanies the soldiers coming out to greet Rory properly. Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and she seems to be adjusting to the bright outside light as she comes out. An EM-GASH rifle, the very one sent by Eryl Fairfax of the Union, and upgraded with Zwei's gifts, is slung across her chest, and she keeps it held close in hand as she follows the troopers out. There's a patch on the sleeve of her coat that identifies her as XCOM, as well as a tag giving off credentials. Kotone gets a little nod from the taller and older cyborg, before she centers her gaze to Rory...or whatever she might've sent out as an emmissary.
Rory White	All this military escorting has Rory more than a litle nervous. Where exactly is she going? Yes, a world under atack being worried about visitors makes sense... but this is her first experience getting this kind of treatment and it has her a bit jumpy. As do some other things. She's constantly looking around wide-eyedly at her escort. As if she's just uncomfortable in her own skin, maybe. But she does seem to be pinging just about everything with those signals... until it eventually stops. Apparently whatever response she might've been looking for isn't coming. Through they gate they go, and this brings her face to face with Kotone and Alexis! Letting go of her cart, she shakes Kotone's hand politely - but it's a calculated motion and business-like. Rory's body language is ALL WRONG. She's trying, but it's all wrong. "Kotone Yamakawa! ... I'm sorry the approach took so long. It's been three months since I needed to do an atmospheric re-entry!" And she's doing quite well at hiding her excitement. THIS IS EARTH SHE IS STANDING ON. Not hers, but definitely Earth!
Elise Leroy	The escort disperses rapidly once through the Gate. The Strike Team returning to the barracks. Instead, now, are a pair of humans. A rather average looking male in a green commando sweater with the XCOM patch over the left breast, wearing a headset over a short cropped hairline. Accompanying him is a very tall woman, dark brown hair tied into a professionall ponytail, lean build hidden under a dress uniform, which she doesn't seem to be comfortable in. The woman has an oddness about her, an unearthly 'gleam' of sorts from under her skin, and behind her eyes, an orange/yellow hue, though she's entirely biological. It's the man that speaks first. "Welcome to Earth-115 and XCOM HQ. I'm Central Officer Bradford, we spoke over the broadband." he gestures to his companion, who salutes and introduces herself. "Elise Leroy, Commander in Chief of XCOM Operations. I lead Strike One on ground deployments." she says. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss White."
Staren	Staren arrives at the base through whatever mechanism has been prearranged for him -- teleporting into the base, teleporting to a nearby surface location and being escorted down, whatever. He's wearing a pair of glasses. Circular rimmed, the type you expect a frowning, german-accented doctor to wear, perhaps. He's rapidly looking at every person he can find... and frowning. As he comes up behind the others and catches sight of Rory, his eyes widen in surprise. "And who are you?" he wonders.
Alexis Maaka	As Bradford and Leroy arrive, Alexis is quick to snap off a salute to both. Unlike the escort, she remains there if only for cuirousity's sake. "Bradford, ma'am." Some modicum of respect for chain of command is present to the mercenary, it seems. Her eyes then focus back to ROry, their unusual golden glow giving the impression of cybernetic implants, the main indication as to who this woman really is. "I'm Alexis, we spoke over the radio earlier." She introduces herself to ROry, approaching with a hand reached out to shake. "I'm also with XCOM as an off-world contractor of sorts." Reaching up with her other hand, rifle dangling along the sling, she points a thumb at Staren. "I think Staren and you are already somewhat acquainted too."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa takes a moment to look over Rory smiling a bit but somthing ios a bit off she can tell that much. "Don't look at me I don't have any space craft experiance except picking some apart for salvage." She looks Elise for a moment as she arrives and she nods to her then turning her attention back to Rory as she moves to size her up a bit more, there's some niggling things that's bugging her about them, also a wireless signal? Huh but she can't seem to communicate with it, she knows it's there but that's it. "Hey Alexis thank you by the way? I'll be putting those things to use."
Rory White	Rory bows deeply on introductions. "Likewise! My apologies for the delay and in advance for any social blunders. ... I do not get out very much..." Well that's one way of putting it. She really is unfamiliar in her own skin. And only two eyes and two ears is rather cramped. When Staren appears, a flurry of wireless communication happens between her and the catboy scientist. Eventually stable communications are established, but probably XCOM has absolutely no way of deciphering it on the fly. The transmission rapidly dwindles to a periodic ping to keep the connection alive... And it's THIS sudden connection that draws Rory's attention moments before she actually spots Staren. Her blue eyes are wide as they get with wonder and uncertainty, not unlike his. "... Rory White of the Argonauts?" She offers as if uncertain herself about her identity in this brief moment. Her eyes go glassy and distracted for about five seconds... A nod's offered to Alexis and then Kotone. Her Mesh Inserts are working hard to figure out what exactly Kotone's broadcasting on, trying progressively earlier broadcast protocols. Who knows if they'll eventually settle on something antiquated or not! ... probaly not. Either way though her attention settles on Bradford and Elise. Smiling, the young engineer folds her hands. "The pleasure is mine too. How much help I can be remains to be seen, but I never ignore requests from people in need, sir, ma'am! ... What IS the situation...?"
Staren	Staren's expression becomes slightly more surprised when an incoming connection alert appears on his HUD -- he approves it with limited access privelages to see what happens. After a moment, his face falls, ears and tail drooping. "...Oh." He sighs and looks down at the floor. Beat Then he looks back up at Rory, apologetically. "Oh! Not that... I mean, it's nice to meet you!" He smiles and steps forward, extending a hand. His other hand reaches up to take the glasses off his face and fold their earpieces -- after the handshake, he puts it in a case and slips it into the blue messenger bag at his side. "These glasses, you see... They're a Christmas present from Arthur. They can tell at a glance who an Ego Bridge will work on... All through this base, I've been looking at people, and..." He stares off into the distance, a hint of sadness. "...I thought I'd finally found one..." He trails off. Beat. He looks around. Vahlen, Bradley, and Kotone get nods. Alexis gets "Good to see you found a place. Sorry it didn't work out with the Union." But, at the moment, he's most interested in Rory. Slowly, his ears perk up again and his tailtip twitches from side to side intemittently. "So. Here to help fight an alien invasion?" he asks, smiling.
Kotone Yamakawa	It takes a moment but as her own cyberbrain is trying to find what sort of crazy protocall to use ot talk to this other wireless signal. It would take a bit but it finds a protocall that kinda fell out of favour when America fragment but hey low and behold it seems to be get piung a few things apper on her hud and she pauses. Okay so some sort of social network rding a bsic profile and rep scores what? She can't seem to get anything else, however Rory would get a simple ping of a name ands nothing more from Kotone. "...I see your wired up as I am Rory. Yes they are really nastic, barbaic too..."
Alexis Maaka	Shrug. "Wasn't for me." ALexis moves along as she reaches over to give Kotone a little ruffle. That vest and the hacking tools should prove useful in the future, long as they keep Kotone out of harm's way when there's shooting. But neither Staren or Kotone are the important parts of this discussion, instead that would be Rory. "Essentially, this world's been dealing with alien incursions across the globe. Abductions and attacks on civilian sectors, lots of property damage and not one word from the aliens explaining why they're fucking around with everyone's stuff." She explains, bouncing off of Staren's question for Rory's benefit. "XCOM is an outfit that was assembled to research and investigate these attacks and the things carrying them out, hopefully figure out a way to get them to stop in the process." She says, matter of fact and to the point. "It's also been recruiting multiversal Elites like myself, Staren, and Kotone. More or less anybody who's got tech to share or know-how to deal with this sort of thing is gonna be a big help to the outfit, especially with what we're up against."
Elise Leroy	Elise nods to Rory. "Approximately eighteen months ago, we started receiving reports of abductions... nothing new there, we've had years of hoax calls... but then, Munich sent a report to the Council of Nations... a suburb had gone completely dark... no man, woman or child from a three mile area of the city could be found. XCOM was founded and staffed at a rapid pace. A week before this base was complete, we got another call. Paris, a local military team was sent into a suspected activity site and went dark. We sent in a team... only one came back, with the bodies of four 'Greys'... if you have the same stories from your world, it's the Roswell Aliens." Elise takes a breath. "Fast forward to today... we've gathered intelligence, personnel, artefacts and resources, both local and Multiversal... but we're still no closer to understanding what these Aliens want from us."
Rory White	"... An 802.11-based protocol?" Rory's face somewhat blanchs, shifting between amazement and disgust. This is not an unusual occurence - every world that diverges did it uniquely and very few things are shared between them. Rory hasn't shown much emotion the whole trip, trying to maintain a kind and polite demeanor, but it cracks AWFULLY at this tiny thing. Forced to work in 802.11 is like being shunted down to 8-bit graphics from HD. "Why does it always backwards-negotiate to that?" She's practically grumbling yes. But she does acknowledge Kotone's comment with a nod, the smile returning. "It's standard in my time. Being surrounded by so many people without inserts is the anomaly. No offense intended, sir, ma'am!" That's to Bradford and Elise of course, whom she faces quickly. Staren's disappointment is noticed quickly though, promting an... uneven, ALMOST frown from Rory. She's really bad at this body language thing.l It's something she has to actually THINK about. She's giving off some rather awkward and mixed signals with scrunching shoulders, uneven lips and... momentarily empty eyes. Yeah, body language is NOT her thing. So she's happy enough to shake Staren's hand and try to end the momentary awkward. "That is even possible to detect at a glance...?" Her voice does lilting up with interest! Voice, voice she's got down fine. Body language, noooooooooot so much. But then it's time to listen. And listen politely she does. Although without shifting expression much besides tightly pushing her lips together. When the explanation's finished her shoulders do sag though. "Several widespread incidents, technology beyond your understanding and no known motives... something terrible enough to warrant an operation this dedicated... my predictions aren't pleasant, ma'am! What sort of help is needed most right now? How often do the incidents occur?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks at Rory with a smirk on her face. "Yes I know, it kinda fell out of use after America fragmented after the third world war." She folows along and thinks over her reply. "insert? I assume that's some equivalent of a cyberbrian and I personally don't get too broken up about that myself. "Oh we have some Idea they are taking people for experiments but other than that? Whe don't know much it's like they view us as animals at best. Still we managed to pull a lot of tech from their cold dead hands for what it's worth...wait a launch now? Did they just hit again?"
Staren	Staren helpfully notes, "The 'greys' are similar in construction to pod morphs." Then, "The glasses were created with impossible-seeming technology from Arthur's world. I have no idea how they actually work." He doesn't seem to know what to make of her body language, so he ignores it. Sometimes, two incompetencies cancel out!
Elise Leroy	Elise winces at the announcement from the AI. "About that often... it comes in fits and starts, sometimes we can have ten calls a day, sometimes, nothing for weeks or months." she replies. Bradford presses a finger to his earpiece, then turns and runs back towards Central. Seems he's needed. Elise shrugs. "What we need most is help figuring out the alien's tech. We've got a research project currently running regarding Laser weapons, we're having problems with cooling the weapon itself... the emitters we have work perfectly, but they generate too much heat for current cooling systems to dissipate."
Alexis Maaka	"We get a /lot/ of calls." Maaka asides as the AI begins blaring. "I've been trying to see if our techs could adapt any tech I got, coilguns and such, but honestly right now we're short on resources to even work with, not to mention the whole world breathing down our necks with this whole alien thing." She comments. "For now, laser weaponry seems a good start if we can fix our current stopgaps with the whole thing."
Rory White	THAT news takes a moment to process, as does the sudden deployment. Whoever heard of a vocal alarm conveying such important news! Rory looks all about to find the source but... oh well, no luck! "Right now?!" The situation is worse than she thought. With an apologetic look to elise, she states... "Energy weaponry. It's probably a materials problem if heat dissipation is the main worry. Materials I can help with!" The worried expression shifts to a warmer smile. Although it is a bit practiced and not too natural! Yeah... that clinches it. There's something really weird about this Rory person. She gestures to the strange machine on the cart she rolled in. The cart's lower deck has a huge battery or generator-sort of device that's HEAVILY shielded. Radiation-proof materials if anyone's investigating. It might also serve as storage of some kind. The top deck has a printer-sized device vaguely resembling an open 3D printer. The sides have some thin slits. Although there's no sign of controls at all, a PDA of some kind rests next to it displaying some kind of control panel... The empty box looks like it's meant to do something in that open space, but who knows what. "Especially with this Desktop Cornucopia Machine."
Staren	Staren gives Rory an apologetic look. He already offered them this technology... ah well, let them explain to her why they can't take it
Elise Leroy	Elise looks at the device, then to Rory. She frowns and shakes her head a little. "Council Mandate states we can't rely on outside materiel for any of our projects. We can adapt methods, but we need to be able to manufacture all parts for our gear inhouse." she says. "That includes devices like this. Doctor Staren tried to provide us with similar equipment, but we cannot accept it." She sighs a little. "I think the best you can offer us is any expertise you might have in the field we're working on... I can introduce you to Doctor Vahlen and Doctor Shen. They head our Research and Engineering departments respectively."
Rory White	Oh boy, the look that sprouts on Rory's face. Like a deer in headlights. Her expressions only seem to be natural when something unexpected happens. How eerie. "But... how then..." She falls silent, glancing from Staren to Elise, then the others. "...Well, I am certainly up to challenges, though how much I can help with lasers is pretty questionable. My expertise is programming and robotics. Metallurgy and metamaterials engineering's something I'm only familiar with as a matter of course, not profession. To clarify: You must be able to supply all your own materials using what's available on this Earth, but anything you can assemble is..." Theres a pause, her eyes glass over a moment, then she speaks as if using the phrase for the first time, "...'Fair game?'" Staren might know that look. It's someone consulting with their Muse.
Elise Leroy	Elise nods. "Long and short of it, yes. We have some pretty decent materials. Vahlen's working on making the frame and casing for the new laser rifles out of Alien Alloy. I can have X-AI(Zai) forward you the data on it. It's a really interesting metallic crystalline ceramic polymer.... I've heard that term so often but have no idea what it means."
Staren	Staren gives Rory a sympathetic look at the news. He hasn't seen that look exactly -- he assumes she's browsing the net or something. "Laser weaponry /was/ invented in the 21st century... especially with alien materials, it should be possible to re-invent it..."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks at Rory for a moment, "That's something my world's not been able to get a handle on but ot's been more power output and the cooling I think." She looks for a moment at the thing kinda like a 3d printer and she peers at it for a moment. "Ummm so where's the con ah I think I see it just what is this this thing. This some kind of 3d printer?"
Rory White	"I could try explaining what of that makes sense to me, but it may be boring." Rory remarks, uncertain whether Elise was being rhetorical or actually curious. "And Mesh communications are open. Staren, if you'd please forward me the relevant protocols for local communications I'd appreciate it! My translation layers are full of holes every time I visit a new world." Yup, she's almost complaining. Frustration bubbles up in her tone as she unfolds her hands and looks Elise's way again. "It's quite possible that the DCM would not be entirely suited to to materials from this world to begin with. But adapting principles should be feasible! ... at least I'd hope they should be. Perhaps some of the knowledge I can offer might be good inspiration... Dr. Vahlen is the voice from the radio last night, right?" She then smiles over at Kotone. "Essentially, but far higher resolution. This device uses nanites to assemble objects from the atoms up. So long as it has power, materials, and a proper blueprint, it can fabricate anything from meals to small weapons to scientific instruments, miniature electronics, and clothing."
Elise Leroy	Elise nods. "She was. I don't know how she keeps breaching protocol, but I'm going to find out... I'd rather she focus on her work here, than debating economical differences on the broadband." As the AI announces again, Bradford chimes in over Elise's radio. "Splash one bogey. Strike Two is engaging now, Commander." Elise grins a bit. "Good job Bradford. Keep me posted."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks over and peers at them both. "You know I could use those protocalls my self if you'd not mind if we're going to be working together it would be handy honestly." She looks to Kotone nodding a little bit and pauses. "Wait one that uses micromachines? That's not quite expected and huh that be good for keeping something going. I admit."
Staren	Staren smiles to Rory -- he establishes a connection over mesh protocol and sends over the software for wireless connections here, on Kotone's world, and for establishing an internet connection over Multiverse radio (suddenly getting a look of horror on his face as he realizes, <<Did you not have this already?>>) He shakes his head and looks to the XCOM folk. "If cooling's the issue... hmm. Maybe you could have a backpack loaded with coolant that flushes out the gun as necessary? Or... replaceable heat sinks? Unless we can refine the lasers to produce less waste heat in the first place... can I see what you've got so far?"
Elise Leroy	Elise tenses at that announcement, and the look of semi-dread doesn't lessen as Bradford chimes in. "Call for you in the SitRoom... you know who." She sighs, rubs her temples and looks at the others. "I'll let you get our friend acquainted with the Base... Staren? You need to talk to Vahlen about that, but she's currently busy with something. Maaka, Yamakawa." she nods to both, then offers a hand to Rory. "It's been a pleasure. I look forward to working with you."
Rory White	Rory's eyes glass over with Mesh activity distraction again for a few minutes... but in a very short time she sorts out the protocol installations - or rather, assigns that task to her Muse. Soon though... her wireless signals change significantly and start pinging whatever local network there is for guest access! Yeah like /that's/ going to be approved offhandedly by X-AI. Idly, she ponders Staren's way, "I would wonder about miniaturing a generator to convert waste heat back into usable energy to charge the capacitors! Why waste it? Well, we'll have to see what kind of fabrication and materials are available and how much I can adapt..." Shehe takes Elise's hand and shakes firmly. "And I with you, ma'am! Hopefully I can explain this neatly to my colleagues..." Some of whom migght be very startled by the situation, for sure... So then she peers at Kotone. "Now that you mention it, I don't recognize that model Morph!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is now taking a moment to look at STaren for a moment and peering at him for a moment. "No I didn't have just /that/ protocall no. There's so many I can only carry so many with in reason, right?" The one's she's commonly using are the most notable ones are always kept loaded. "Morph if I might ask? What's a morph?"
Staren	Staren looks up as Elise is paged to the situation room, then he looks back to her. "Uh... good luck then. Good to see you again." She's offered a handshake, and then he looks back to Rory. "I could show you around if you're up for it, yeah. And, uh... The rest of the Multiverse doesn't /use/ models of morphs..." He looks at Kotone. "Although, I guess you have standard fullcon bodies, but I'm not really familiar with the models in your world." He looks back to Rory. "I've got a few synthmorph designs myself, but there isn't exactly a large customer base. One AI who wanted a body, a dozen victims of a genetic experiment gone wrong whose original bodies could no longer live on the surface, and the occasional terminally ill patient who decided dying sucks. And me, of course." He taps his chin. "Actually, the one I've made the most of is just some minor modifications to a design that the Argonauts gave me. The others, mm, one's rather unconventional, and the other is for combat and incorporates technology I don't share so readily."
Rory White	'What is a Morph,' huh. Rory blinks once... then bunches her shoulders up weirdly. "Body. Apologies, I keep miscalculating how prevalent these terms are. Your body is mechanical like mine, I imagined you were using a Synthmorph from Staren or something similar." Which Staren promptly disapproves much to her chagrin... She nods fervently to Staren's offer. "A tour is the swiftest way." She begins listening quietly to Staren's tales as evenly as she did the explanation on aliens... "A heavy endeavor then. And things I hardly follow! Well, I'm glad it has been useful!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "I'm a full prosethic yes, it's produced by a company called meditech form y world's japan." She's feeling a bit creeped out about this conversation but she's not running form it at this point and she pauses. "Do you know her world Staren?" She shrugds a little bit. "I see, you could say somethings in common there, but you make it sound like's stock out notmal where your from."
Staren	Staren blinks at Kotone, and rubs the back of his neck. "Ah..." Which to explain first? He looks to Rory. "No elites, at least not ones that bother with the affairs of the Multiverse, have recieved such bodies from me. Except for SELENE, the AI, for whom I made a synthmorph modeled after an Equestrian pony." He looks back to Kotone. "I'm not exactly familiar with the whole world... but Rory is a member of an organization called the Argonauts, which she says seeks to see technology used for good, basically. A few years ago, another member, Rebecca, contacted the Union. She said the Argonauts wanted to see that information was kept free rather than restricted, so it could help everyone... And when she learned we lacked such /basic human rights/" his eyes narrow slightly and his tail swishes, "as immortality, and such common technology as nanofabrication, she eagerly provided them. But I was the only one interested." His tail lashes and his ears flatten against the back of his head, then he sighs and relaxes. He looks back to Rory as he starts walking. "Let's see... the situation room is occupied, so let's start with the control room." He'll leave Rory to explain about her world to Kotone.
Rory White	"I see! That... might have been irresponsible of her. Though the reasoning makes sense. And while I am likely to do similar in emergencies. To clarify... as I would explain it, if one cares for their neighbor then they should make every reasonable effort to ensure they are happy. So sharing skills and findings and knowledge follows suit. Objectively I don't believe anyone has ANYTHING rights... if humans were meant to be immortal they would have emerged already so. So, what are often called rights are instead expressions of consideration. A human invention for fellow humans. Following that though, if the technology being offered could start a chain reaction of chaos, revolt, and social disorder, is distributing it under the pretense of it being a 'basic human right' responsible?" She's following along while droning on with this to Staren... "Since the point is that happiness is subjective, if someone is not happy being immortal then it cannot be a right. This is why I am not qualified to fully act on behalf of the Argonauts. I'm simply an engineer... and I'm astounded a colleague would present everything alone... I coudl not find the names you listed in the roster, Staren! It's possible she hails from another iteration of my world?" She then turns to nod fervently at Kotone! "Bodies are.. basically commodities. I am sorry for my poor communication skills. This one does not see much use. I've spent most of my time in the Odyssey's computers!" Wait what?
Staren	Staren stops walking and turns to glare at Rory, brow quirked. "You believe humans were /meant/ for something?" He shakes his head a little and hmphs, walking on. He holds his hands behind his back. "Your version of immortality is not forceful. If someone wishes to die, they can do so. But, even I concede that... careless distribution could destroy society. Perhaps she was overeager, but nonetheless, I am grateful for her indiscretion." He stops again, briefly, tilting his head. "It's possible. The warpgate she used appeared in space, floating in orbit around Saturn. Where is yours?" Rory's final admission gets a surprised look from him. "You mean... in 'simulspace', as you call it? I had wondered about the possibility of people living their whole lives in such worlds... there was an unfortunate incident where ten thousand people were trapped in one for two years, so it might be a touchy subject around some -- but, after all... it feels real, you can have all the comforts of home without the downsides, stay connected to the outside world..." He looks ahead of them. "I'd love to hear your thoughts based on first-hand-experience with the subject, then. I've thought, you know, you could have a whole society living in a VR world, and make it safer and more pleasant, with vastly reduced living costs for all. But it's not exactly an experiment I can just run." He stops when he realizes he's nearly walked into the giant holo-globe. "This is the command center. Agent Bradford monitors incoming calls and briefs en-route X-COM teams from here. That display there shows any current alien activity."
Rory White	Rory actually smiles a bit more naturally now. "Not quite simulspace, but essentially. To be in simulspace you'd need to sleeve into a Simulmorph! I'm more comfortable without a body at all, an Infomorph. Most people take some time to acclimate to being one but for me it's the exact opposite. Bodies take some getting used to." And she just said she hasn't used hers much... "...But you just answered your own question, Staren. Many say life as a Simulmorph is practically as good as life in physical reality. Countless space habitats are nothing more than hardened server clusters running vast simulspaces with skeleton crews to maintain it. They've been running for six, some eight years or more." She takes in the sight of the holo-globe... and is fairly awed by this. "21st century Earth, with holoprojectors!" EXCITEMENT! AWE! She takes a few quick steps closer for a better look! Then glances back and forth across all the surroundings... "The XCOM headquarters might be the most advanced installation for this world! I'm eager to see how they're developing differently!" Oh but there are more concerns to answer. As an afterthought apparently, "We've spotted several Warp gates since Unification. There is one for each colonized planet and planetoid and several in orbit, although the planetary ones all open to inhospitable locations and had to be secured. Jupiter's is under lockdown by the Jovian Republic, Luna's is heavily regulated by the Planetary Consortium... and as far as anyone knows there is none on Earth. That might be for the best, for now."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa pauses for a moment s she looks at Rory. "...that's a very of way of looking at things I have to admit but sometimes somethings get all over the place ont he other hand things like savery does exist out there and I do not agree entirel with your point but my home country does have the right for freedom of speech." She seems amused but really she's not one much for this level of thought she tends ot be focued on other area. "Christ, it's not hit that point there? Don't wiryr about it. "I know one of the suviors he's been helping me when he can. Eh? There seems to be some animal part of the mind that will eventually reject a perfect world I'm sad to say. Still keep going forward because going backwards? Generally isn't the best idea. There's also the massive particle collidor above too which is more than just a cover it's actually doing resarch, it's just useful to mask the energy signature of the Ant Farm as the strike teams like to call it. Full out information? No person's Ghost I know would surive long as pure information, a few hours or a day maybe but then things would start to degenerate or get overwhelemed."
Staren	Staren blinks. "An Infmorph? I read about that, but..." his voice quiets somewhat, "...I was too scared to try it..." Then he blinks and cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean? How can--" he starts, then freezes. "...Oh." He shrugs slightly. It's no big deal, there are plenty of AI elites in the Multiverse, after all! He smiles as she provides anecdotal evidence that a VR colony could work. Staren nods. "Yeah, XCOM probably has the most advanced anything on this world! Aside from the aliens." He hmms as she explains the warpgate situation. "Interesting. You know, I've wanted to visit your world, but never got the chance. Where would you advise going?" Staren leads them down stairs and through hallways until he gets to the science center! Perhaps more like alien study center, since there's that big chamber for 'interrogating' prisoners, and an autopsy room for studying the dead ones. "This is the laboratory. Dr. Vahlen studies the aliens the teams bring back here."
Staren	Staren looks at Kotone. "An infomorph isn't /just/ information... A mind needs to run as a program, not inert data. However, in the case of infomorphs, the mind-emulation software is connected to, mm... from what I've read, instead of a body, you have... the computer, and it tries to map as humanly as it can. of course, you can access any cameras, microphones, speakers, and the like that the computer can connect to, but it's like... the other instincts and responses are connected to software stuff. Like, if the computer you're on gets loaded down and you don't have enough processor cycles and memory to run properly, you feel pain, and similarly, other subconscious and autonomous responses are connected to the, uh, program environment I guess you could call it? There was information in Rebecca's files, like I said, but I haven't tried it myself."
Rory White	It does take a bit of time for Rory to convert Kotone's maybe overwhelmed rambling into something she can respond to. Her Muse might be working a bit overtime too. "Freedom of speech is a great right. It needs to proliferate far and wide!" ... Yeah, maybe she has a sense of humor. Or tries to. A hand comes up over her heart as she replies to Staren, "I do understand. Though if you would like to try I can try to help. As for visiting, you'd probably be best off visiting Luna. Though I don't agree with the governments there, Luna's society is probably the one people will find most familiar! Or you could try my home hab, Mitre Station in Lunar orbit." Then she turns back to Kotone. "Staren is right. Infomorphs are fully simulated neural nets. Every neuron in a brain and the rest of the nervous system's normal communications has to be replicated perfectly atop a virtual substrate or an Ego can't function. But it's very disorienting to plenty of people." And now they're in the laboratory. Rory actually shudders a little, shoulders bunching up at some of the images on the wall and intuiting what many of the tools might be for. "...Gruesome. Have there been any interesting discoveries, at least...?"
Staren	Staren blinks at Rory. "Plenty of interesting discoveries. The aliens are at /least/ as good at putting together bodies as your world is! The 'greys' were named Sectoids because their bodies are constructed like pods -- living sections held together." He waves a hand at a picture of a floater. "They've got cybernetics down, too."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa seems to have got her head on right, she ws just a bit overwhelemd she now seem to be quietly listening to the pair for a moment and she nods a little bit. "They have managed to make a materuial more durable than the body armour they had when XCOM was founded they call them nanovests, pretty good protection for what they are." She listens a bit more for a moment and humms. "It's somewhere I don't think my world is able to do, generally there's still part of the brain in the cyberbrain such as mine but the level of replacement, I have had? Was due to medical reasons. As for the term Ghost? It's hard to put into words but it's something we can defect to show if something actually is self aware or not."
Rory White	The Floater image triggers a heavy frown from Rory. "Painful-looking modifications. Surprising that they even function! ...Hm?" Surprised now by Kotone's explanation, Rory blinks a few times but keeps an even gaze on her. Not much emotion in it besides curiosity! "So... the science of converting a biological mind to data isn't that refined where you come from, but it's still used?" Curiosity... and a little worry!
Staren	Staren hmms. "Sounds like you have a way of detecting the soul." He looks up at the floater. "Yeah... well, who knows what the aliens are thinking?" He scratches his head, then leads them down more hallways and stairs. "This is the foundry, where new technology is researched and built, like those nanovests, the SHIVs, and the lasers they'll hopefully make one day. Dr Shen runs the place... hmm, maybe he and Dr. Vahlen are asleep at the moment."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "In some ways, memories can be backed up, for either sharing for whatever reason or to counter damage. After the ghost is gone while viewable ther'es no contex? I may be using a poor turn and this is where I tend to help out a lot. Also there's been problems with the cyberbrains sadly, there's a medical condtion where the brain tissue starts to harden and die about the implants. It's rare but it's a cause for cocern. Still there's been a lot of progress medically. As for the aliens I suspect they are thinking fresh meat, for whatever their plans are."
Rory White	Down into the depths of engineering! This is more Rory's place. She practically lights up with interest, eyes wide at many of the sights in the foundry. "They were very literal about self-sufficiency. What CANNOT be made down here?! It might be the next best thing to an industrial nanofabricator array!" Her enthusiasm ends up curbed by the strange tales of Kotone's world, getting her to look over her shoulder at her and then turn about completely. "... Brain... HARDENING?"
Staren	Staren smiles at seeing Rory so happy to see this place. Onward they continue, though. "Yes... like scarring. Either way, the net result is dead brain tissue around the implant, and..." He blinks at Kotone. "Wait, /does/ your world have uploads? Couldn't cyberbrain sclerosis patients be uploaded before their brains have become too damaged?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "It's rare look the tech's been in existance for less than thirty years I admit. There is resarch on it, not entirely and not entirely such transfers are not ... possible so far as I know or the mortality is insanly high I haven't looked into it too hard."
Staren	Staren nods. "I see..." He frowns. "...And this is the barracks. It's called that, but as you can see, all manner of training facilities are down here too." He gestures at soldiers on gym machines off to one side, and comes to a stop in front of a wall of pictures. "...And this is the wall of... the Memorial." He finishes quietly, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looks over it.
Rory White	And here she now is, face to face with a collection of something she's very rarely seen: real death. For her kind this isn't innately as tragic as it is for humans, but it's distressing ENOUGH. The frown remains as she reads names... "13. I... expected more, given the situation, but 13 is still too many. ... There is no restoring from backups here..." The very concept of that is pretty eerie! Enough that her eyes scrunch together closely oddly and her lips peel back into something kind of like a grimace...
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks sad as she looks over the wall for a moment. "There's a lot of people still alive because of them and those who are still alive. Look I been on death's door my self it's why I'm like this more machine than flesh now." She looks over the list for a moment and notices some of the pictures that have gone up. "...not used to death are you?"
Staren	'Actually, it looks likethe last 20 months have been kind, all things considered...' Staren mutters, but he does hang his head a bit for a brief moment of silence. Then he straightens up and turns around. "As she says. That pretty much completes the tour, I'm afraid... Maybe I should have tried to end at the Foundry..."
Rory White	Rory shakes her head. "... Not really. And I haven't known many people who've had to resleeve because of accidents!" A few specifics going unmentioned of ccourse, but Rory does mean that. She ends up looking away from the wall. "But that is not quite the answer. I have seen death several times. Not seeing it might have been preferable... don't worry, Staren. It had to be seen sooner or later."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa Says "We could head up ot the lounge there's some arcade games and a pool table up there or we can grab somthing to eat and getg off this topic and yes. If your here make every moment count with the assault teams or anyone else. I do my damnest to help keep them alive where I can."
Staren	Staren nods a little, and begins leading the way to the lounge. "So. You say you could 'help' me with trying out being an infomorph? How? I admit, I /am/ curious... Certainly, it seems like something I might try once, in the name of science... I'm just... mmh." <<Waking up in a Spare was terrifying, what idiot decided that a three legged bug was a good idea for that kind of morph?!>>
Rory White	"There isn't much I can do besides be there with you." Rory admits. "And explain things. .. Thinking twice on it, my help may be useless. I'm not too familiar with biological body sensations, I just have primers on what people use to acclimate." Though disappointed by this revelation, Rory keeps on walking... Back to the lobby... and nods to Kotone. "Sorry, this body doesn't have a digestive system, but thank you anways!"
Staren	Staren shrugs. "Still, it might be nice to have a friendly face around when trying it." He smiles, and playfully pokes her shoulder. "If you ever get to try a biological body, I'd be happy to help in any way I can!" He scrunches his face slightly when she explains she can't eat. "That was one thing I didn't like about being a robot. Then I realized I could eat in FullDive. Still... this body feels the most comfortable to me. I suppose being an infomorph is the same for you."
Rory White	Poked! Rory pauses briefly, glances at Staren.. and tries to smile. Puts too much effort into it though - the expression's too forced. "Everyone has their preferences! ... I'm willing to try things, but many other people scramble for flesh. I saw no reason to compete." Just another wacky thing to say. If her nature wasn't obvious before to otehrs listening it might be now... "... Is that strange?"
Staren	Staren blinks. "You're an AGI. Why would it be strange that you're not particularly eager to be flesh and blood? It's only in stories that every AI that isn't trying to destroy humanity wants to 'become a real boy', right?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Hummm I see, can still eat it keeps me sane ot be perfectly honest. Heh there's something I can't get back but I'm alive and I'm not sure. There's been no AI on my world confirmed to have a ghost, they are just drones so far as I know."
Rory White	"Ah--" THAT has Rory startled. She freezes in place rather awkwardly and WEIRDLy for just a second and a half then ends up staring at Staren. "... Yet another failure to keep that vague enough... I do not wish to lie but so many react badly to Infolife giving anyone a reason to be upset was at the other end." Hard to say if this means she's disappointed, startled, or what, with the suddenly even tone she speaks in. Rory actually falls silent, looks slightly away... then, surprisingly, grabs Staren's shoulder, leans in and delivers a friendly kiss to the cheek only to pull away just as quickly. "Except I am not a male! ..." And with that she seems NERVOUS as anything. Perhaps wondering if that was not quite how to deliver that statement. "... And I am already me. Why would I want to be something I am not? ... Though humans are colleagues and friends. Understanding them is a requirement!" And... she's still bad at it. Now looking at Kotone uncertainly, she makes an odd, scrunched face... "There are several kinds of AIs.... which do you mean...?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "I said on my world, as in AI's from my world are little more than drones of one stripe or another. It would likely hit the net pretty quick if one did develop a ghost, AI researchers would be going nuts about it. Look..." she tyouches hewr arm for a moment. "This tech has existed for maybe 25 to thirty years. Your world seems to me much farther ahead." What she doesn't voice is they may be a warning on what tech fields to avoid resarching into as well or being far more cautious about it. "There have been AI personel with XCOM in the past , don't think you need to worry. Your not screaming death of flesh or anything like that."
Staren	Staren blinks. "Huh? Keep what vague? What were you lying about?" He's just left more confused now. He didn't think she was hiding it, at least not from them. She said she was most comfortable as an infomorph, and that bodies take some getting used to. How could that not mean she was an AGI? The thought that she might have been an upload that lived as an infomorph since childhood didn't even occur to him. That would be kind of disturbing to think about. And then, kiss! Staren freezes, "Um, I..." A bit nervous himself. He has a girlfriend! Staren chuckles a little. "True enough. A real girl, then." He looks at her. "As far as I'm concerned, you /are/ a real girl. Or boy, or whatever you want to be. Being a person isn't about being physically human, or having a body of flesh and blood. It's not even about running on a brain made of neurons. It's about the psychology and moral frameworks in your program." He turns and stares into space. "I always knew people could come in many forms. I grew up in Lazlo, after all. Where humans and aliens live together in peace, and studying magic and science is so much more interesting than caring about the difference that noone gives it a second thought... well, aside from practical matters, of course." He turns towards her again. "And the first time I tested the Ego Bridge? That first time I looked in the mirror and saw a combat robot's optics staring back? You know what I thought? That that's what we really are. What I really am, and what everyone else really is too. We're just programs running on different hardware. Discriminating over what hardware someone happened to be created in is like... like saying people that drive a certain kind of car aren't really people. It's ludicrous! It doesn't matter!" Staren looks between Rory and Kotone. "We're all the same. Wanting to be a /human/ is like wanting to drive a particular car." He suddenly winces as he realizes he might have said something mean to Kotone again, Morg DAMMIT, but oh well, he can only plow on with the speech anyway. "You can do it if you want, but what really matters is being a person. And we already are. Anyone who says you're not just because you're not human in some way is ignorant, evil, or has been /tricked/ by someone evil who benefits from the ignorance of others."
Rory White	"Y-you have run into discrimination advocates before?" Rory's a liiiiittle shocked at Staren's vehement response. She'd not expected such a reaction! It has her looking worriedlat at Kotone. Was this because she tried to be a little friendly and playful? Maybe that was a mistake. "You needn't tell me these things. Please save the eloquence for the doubters!" Or in other words, he's preaching to the choir. And Kotone's reassurances also get her to smile, briging her out of that sudden nervous panic. She nods quickly, twice! "O-of course I am not! .... ... and if one does, please tell me! Emergent AGIs can behave very erratically and must be approached carefully!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Yes I run into it before for being cyberized my self it's not fun and then there's teh creepers who ... get of fon Dolls. I had to put up with that a /lot/ hi my body's a construct but I'm not thank you. Seriously it's distuging and hey your people right and I will. I .. didn't want to do this I had this done to stay alivce I admit..."
Staren	Staren blinks as Rory points out he's preaching to the choir. "Ah... well... I... um... Sorry, once I got going..." He blushes slightly. "I think it's a good speech. And while most elites don't seriously... advocate discrimination, I'm not sure /all/ of them /really/ get it on such a gut level. Not just that everyone deserves the same treatment, but that we're all the /same/ inside, programs with souls that happen to be running on various bodies." He winces at Kotone. "Seriously? Wow. I'm... sorry." He's not sure what more to say. He blinks and gathers his thoughts, then sighs and hangs his head slightly. "And it's a serious problem on my world. The largest human empire considers aliens and magic users as monsters, and treats even humans with psychic powers as second-class citizens and uplifts as basically work animals." He lifts his head. "For the past year we've been pushing hard to recruit sympathizers and turn people against the Coalition States... it turned out more people than we thought didn't believe the propaganda quite so fervently after all... but there are still plenty of people who do. There's a town full of them a few dozen miles away. They usually stay away from Lazlo because they know better than to mess with a city of mages, but as a kid I was afraid to go outside the city as much because of them as because of the dangerous fauna that roam my world."
Rory White	"E-erm..." With a few awkward noises as she struggles to parse Kotone's explanation, the Argonaut comes face to face with a rather disturbing side of human nature she's tried to ignore. "... Yes... some people are like that..." She offers edgily, not sure quite how to describe the matter. "If you're really upset over it, I may be able to negotiate a personalized human body for you in exchange for that one! It would be great study material." But then there's another big story to deal with from Staren which quickly distracts the bluenette... "A-ah.. so the senseless hatred extends to people who study magic too now." Disheartening. Disheartening indeed. "Existence knowing there are people who hate you without even knowing you is not an experience I would wish on anyone." But here is other sufferers...
Staren	Staren shrugs. "That's life. Whoever you are, /someone/, somewhere, hates you on principle. There are aliens who see humans as good for nothing more than slaves and experiments if not outright as vermin. I'm a half-alien, I'm sure they'd hate me too!" He says it cheerfully though, then shrugs. "I'm lucky. Like I said, I got to grow up in Lazlo. It's safe there -- only the Coalition is even big enough to /consider/ starting a war with us, and they probably won't because whoever wins, there'd be too many losses on both sides. But people who think like that are not welcome in Lazlo. Humans and aliens, magic or not, live in harmony there." He watches Kotone curiously, wondering how she'll respond to that offer.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Given some of the nuts on the lets go forward side of things? I can't blame the non violent people who object to it. Given what's happend with some of the issues and the new forms of crime that's sprung up, as a result of it." She pauses for a moment kinda staring at Rory was she serious? Could it work she looks at her. "...swapping a body is not something I'd take lightly and I don't know you well enough no offence to take up such an offer at this time. Also wouldn't the cost be insane biotech isn't exactly cheap in my experiance." There's also the question is how, would it be her after? She doesn't know.
Rory White	"No offense taken!" Rory replies evenly. "It's not a decision to be made so quickly either way. Expenses aren't a problem though! Oh, yes. Growing bodies takes time and resources. Robotic shells are much cheaper than biological bodies and can be fabricated. But Biomorphs like the standard Splicer are grown in large vats over two to three years all the time. There's always SOME in storage at a Body Bank, and the very influential push even further. I'd estimate an 80 percent chance that at least five Argonauts besides me would love to look at a robotic body from another world and wouldn't care about the actual value of services given in exchange. Also at least a 70 percent chance the transfer is viable and 98 percent chance that if it isn't we'd learn well before any harm happened! ... My apologies, our cultures seem very different on some things!" Her speech is jumpy, hurried, kind of anxious but she still is trying to stay gentler and diplomatic. It's a very practiced undertone! She turns to look at Staren worriedly, expression almost saying 'did I say something really wrong?!'
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "If you know the AD calender at all? It's 2030 AD or CE if you will and humm if you want to study me I'm all right with that with in reason Doctor V did the same here to help kickstart their mektrooper project. So I'd be ... Willing to at least try to leanr I'm not a luddite I'd more say I'm the sort who be more cautious. I don't think I ever said I'm a mechanic and vechile designer a pretty good one too."
Staren	Staren looks back slowly from Kotone to Rory. <<I don't understand it, but having a robot body is a touchy issue for her. My attempts to persuade her it doesn't matter backfired and made her hostile for a long time. Maybe she would also be unhappy in a biological body that wasn't her original? I don't know. I'd suggest cloning her original, but for all I know that'll piss her off too.>> He shrugs. "I suppose..." he speaks slowly, thinking, "...I could consider letting you look at my robot body. Since the Argonauts gave me immortality and all. But... I'm kind of concerned... that it could still end up in the wrong hands." Beat. "I'm sure there are other ways I could help repay you though. Other interesting things in the Multiverse to see. Yeah..."
Rory White	"Caution is a good trait to have. I would be shocked if you had immediately said yes, Kotone." Rory points out simply. "If you know there are options, whatever one you pick isn't for me to decide. But not having any options would be worse... wouldn't it?" No, she's nto so sure how Kotone's thinking about stuff! So she messages back, <<I should be more cautious about this subject in the Multiverse. Everyone becomes unpredictable around it.>>
Staren	Staren frowns slightly. Hey, /he/ accepted immortality immediately! Well. He did spend weeks analyzing the technology, but in principle he was cool with it. Also, it was something he'd been about to work toward /anyway/... Rory gets another shrug. <<It's sure caught me plenty of grief.>>
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks over to Rory for a moment. "So Rory why don't we head to the lounge and contiune talking there As for your ship it's huge from what i'm hearing at least by my world's standards."
Rory White	Rory nods in agreement. "After you, Kotone! ... standards, hm. It's a weird term to use now... I've run into ones this size that can handle plunging right into an atmosphere without even caring about their approach vector!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa leads the way and finds a spot to flop down and makes her self comfortable in a chair. "True I seen things fairly small and able to break the light barrier it's pretty all over the board when it comes to technology."
Rory White	"Not a day goes by when reports don't come in about things like this. It's enough to make everyone re-evaluate everything they ever learned about physics." Rory admits. "But it's a very exciting thing to see! ....What kind of world do you come from, Kotone? Earth and the date are obvious by now, but you mentioned so many other things!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Humm well lets see we had two world wars over the last 30 years, the first got nuclear but ... some level of sanity prevailed before all the old power's stockpiles were used for one. Then came one of the first major non medical breakthroughs with micromachines err nanotech. Nanites that can eat radio active fallout or waste in hours or days. The nation known as America collapsed after the third world war and splintered into three sections, one that allied with canada and Russia, one that's kinda just getting by and the Empire of Empire." She leans back thinking more. "The information age lead into everythuing the rate of cyberization even just with cyberbrains is rising, Japan's got it ot the point it's three out of four people are agumented with it...Canada is nearing there but slower because of a lot of Rural areas and it's always slower for tech to just get out there."
Rory White	"Sounds like a very similar history on several points, minus a complete social and ecological breakdown. May that never happen to your nations, Kotone!" Rory's very firm about that. She did see some of the Fall after all. "Cyberbrain means something else to me... what benefits does it give you?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "Well internet connectivity for one every person with one acts like another hub or realy in the system kinda. Communications, information processing Virtual reality use, hacking, or programming directly. Direct communication or even the synching up of memories and experiances with others. That can be risky as one can get confused and lose a sense of self. Also back up memories, in the even of being hacked or otherwise something happens to you. Well if your ghost's gone your done but still certain old age problems are gone for sure."