Restless Souls/Summary: Difference between revisions

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Feng: "Unlimited freedom creates chaos. I don’t see how trillion minds can be represented to speak – let alone – to think in unison. Our time is over. You have to leave now."
Feng: "Unlimited freedom creates chaos. I don’t see how trillion minds can be represented to speak – let alone – to think in unison. Our time is over. You have to leave now."
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Pensatore: „Ich hatte Gelegenheit noch ein paar Ihrer Szenarien zu lesen. Zum Beispiel den Klassiker, den Planetenkiller-Asteroid. - Nehmen wir mal an das Syndikat oder irgendjemand anderes würde Raketen oder ein sehr starken Laser auf geostationäre Satelliten abfeuern. Die Stärke einer vereinten Welt wäre nutzlos, könnten wir nicht die Anti-Asteroidenmaßnahmen durch den mit Schrapnellen gespickten Orbit bringen. Kessler-Syndrom...“
Feng: „Irgendwelche Vorschläge? Ich bin ganz Ohr.“
Pensatore: „Tianxia ist nicht geeignet, um mit jeglicher Form einer globalen Bedrohung fertig zu werden. Wir werden einen Punkt erreichen, wo Technologie-Eindämmung a la TCTF eine unzureichende Option darstellt. Wir werden eine soziale Komponente brauchen. Etwas, dass die Leute davon abhält sich zu radikalisieren oder von anderen fehlgeleitet zu werden.“
Feng: „Etwas leistungsfähigeres als das jetzige Sozialkreditsystem? Klingt nach einem ziemlich großen Erweiterung.“
Pensatore: „Ähm..., Schlüsselelement wird der Einsatz eines neutralen Wächters sein müssen.“
Feng: „Wer ist denn schon wirklich neutral?“
Pensatore: „Eine Art gemeinsames Bewusstsein der Menschheit wird dafür benötigt. Eine globale AI, die mit uns allen interagiert, die uns beschützt indem sie uns Wege aufzeigt. – Ich nenne es eine Gaia AI.“
Feng: "Pensatore, ihre Friede-Freude-Eierkuchen-ultraliberale Vorstellung von unbeschränkter Freiheit – somit gegenläufigen Interessen - birgt Chaos, kein Konsens. Ich sehe nicht wie Milliarden von Menschen repräsentiert geschweige denn gemeinsam denken können. Ich habe für Ihre fantastischen Hirngespinste gerade so etwas von keine Zeit. Sie müssen jetzt gehen.“


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Revision as of 16:13, 11 July 2021

Unfinished building-60px.jpg

This is a hobby project. As I have to piece together free minutes, progress is super slow.
Any writing should not be considered final until I remove this note.


Entries

Some name are more or less place holder names(*). Any suggestion is welcome.


BGI

BGI is a (business) concern which originated from WCG's installation. As a consequence to the overall shrinking military-industrial-complex, the leading companies united instead of fighting each other. They absorbed the best ex-military, research and production sites to become a monopoly making it easier to formulate profitable conditions against WCG in business contracts. Their expertise and power is a guaranty that WGC signs most contracts with them. BGI became the primary vendor for TCTF and any remaining special military. BGI offers just everything: beginning from TCTF auto-pistols and ammunition up to aircraft carriers and military support units to help beat down sudden, regional riots. The WCG is no longer interested in maintaining a military that used to have millions jobs around the world.

As war and conflict is their business model BGI established shady ties to the Syndicate whose actions guarantee a steady demand for weapons within the supposed to be de-militarized and unified world. By now BGI is as corrupt as the very Syndicate some TCTF investigators even don't differentiate anymore between them. This latest development is still to be proofed. WCG's support for BGI makes it difficult for the TCTF to research directly against BGI - all the more since the TCTF is depending on BGI's capacities to fight known Syndicate branches.

BGI is interested in status quo. Muro's rise to power is a thorn in their eyes. Since Muro started to become independent from BGI they are planing to get rid of Muro. In latest past they build up an anti-Daodan taskforce which includes heavy mech Iron Demon.


Encounter with Mai in Hasegawa's lab

Mai knows the location because either at this place they took her DNA samples for the prototype - or because of the disc.

As for the TCTF Hasegawa's lab is "old, useless and forgotten" = not on their mind anymore. However the alarm still exists.

BGI has WCG' "carte blanche" (full freedom/permission) to react on highlevel threats and hence receives TCTF alarms as well.

BGI wants a stealth attack on Mai and therefore declares the alarm as code black (top secret, silencing it) before it has a chance to bubble up through all other TCTF offices. (In the name of national/WCG's security explanation are given at a later time.) The reason for not being presented at Griffin's screen immidiatly is that with time that alarm was given lower priority because of more probable vandalism. But BGI's Daodan taskforce is actively looking for such signals as Muro is more and more pissing them off. By now they know he has sister - another threat.

This goes hand in hand with Iritscen's text: "After Chapter 8, Konoko is declared "rogue" and BGI sees that she is becoming yet another out-of-control Daodan host, so they begin to make moves against her."

Dream lab happens.


Biocracy

To my beloved VS: don't freak out when you read this. This piece is still incomplete, too :)

There's always room for improvement.

"Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
- Winston Churchill


"Which is the best government? That which teaches us to govern ourselves."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


"We reject: Kings, Presidents and Voting. We believe in: rough Consensus and running Code."
- Dave Clark


How Biocracy works:

Data of the entire ecosystem (all living and non-living) is collected through Gaia. It includes a planetary sensor network based on a Bioc pattern. It can nonviolently modify non-human life. These organisms can receive and transmit data by "natural implants".

(RL example of R&D going into direction Gaia: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151120182611.htm)

Similar is possible for humans, the so-called Omega-Chimera.

All human needs and desires are monitored and analyzed whereby contribution to the datapool is voluntary and anonymous by default.

Memories and brain power is not shared by default. (Collective problem solving inspired by NPU groups.)

Humans can organize in groups to accomplish mutual goals.

Pensatore tries to establish "seed groups", starting in Green Village but also elsewhere. His education focuses on co-op benefits. Successful groups are encouraged to form bigger, more powerful groups which in turn can accomplish even greater goals. As more people work together the more they can do.

The idea is to let mankind grow together and create a mental unity.

Avatara or one of its clone AIs (or "proxy") can act as processing environment for the gathered data.

Gaia provides the Biocracy with a real collective memory and consciousness. This doesn't replace the individual memory and consciousness but exists parallel as some kind of "Daimon" who acts as benevolent counselor. You can follow his advice or not.

Humans, or Omega Chimera, that choose to become outsiders because they don't agree with the rest, aren't expelled from the system. They are allowed continued access to Gaia. With that they can meet personal needs of resources and energy. Persatore thinks this will suppress too hateful developments. "Who would bite a feeding hand?"


Effects on higher lifeforms

Technologies will enable animals to be understood by their behavior, language and chemical cues like pheromones. And similarly will be plants.

  • The Gaia infrastructure allows automatic studies 24/7 while the AIs will analyze acquired data. Keywords: big data, data mining, pattern recognition
  • The required trends are already here:
    • geo tracking of animals (e.g. ICARUS Initiative)
    • Instant translation of human language e.g. via Google phone "Pixel"
    • Decoding language of animals (esp. dolphins)
    • AI research
    • Sensor techs (airborne and in organisms)

Political representatives will be animals themselves, enhanced organisms. So-called "species avatars".

There are the trends of

  • a growing computer ecosystem, computing hardware is found more and more closer to organisms and their habitats.
    • PC -> smartphone (and other "wearables") -> smart clothes, smart cars and homes -> implantations and prostheses (medical, military, self-improvement, convenience) -> biological / semi-synthetic chips / molecular electronics
  • Self-enhancement (most notably: physical strength and condition, intelligence, memory) by drugs, genetic reprogramming, BCI

If all those are applied to animals you can foresee a future with smart, sentient non-human lifeforms.

With the comguys and Mukade disrupting Avatara's systems and plans, species avatars can emerge during the mind seal and allow them to establish friendships, alliances and wars with humans.

Mukade's new nationalistic goals are to protect culture of "his" country from the influence of uncontrolled, hyper-rational AIs that destroyed important aspects of human life just to increase the efficiency of the "system" they life in - also paying back Avatara for duping his initial, national goals he had: preserving Japan's external boarders.

The breed of intelligent animals are the origin of "alien life" in "Beyond Dragons".

[...]

Bio-Crisis

HAPē mask campaign

Poster #1
Poster #2

Word pun of HAP and erroneous pronunciation of "ē" for "y". "Happy mask". See poster #1.

Note: if we wanted to keep this "intentional erroneous" pronunciation: this also works in German-speaking areas by saying "Ha-Pe" mask (in English just "HP"). "Wear your mask, keep your health points..."

The campaign was especially meant to motivate children to use their HAP masks so they would not inhale toxic air.

Related terms:

  • National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
  • Dioxin (Sturmanderung console page), Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, Agent Orange, toxic air
  • Fight against WCG's artificial mycorrhiza, Biocrisis

Black Season

Time right after the cataclysm. Marked by chaos and death.

Due to the tendency to build ACCs only in range of large cities and the rushed activation of the Sturmanderung pulse, the destruction probably isn't as widespread as Konoko says.

A response in an OCF discussion how much apocalyptic 12/3 really was:


Can you trust her?

Condensing: Your biggest concern about a sequel is the post-apocalyptic setting which is based on that one statement of Konoko.
> Mankind as we knew it is doomed: the Chrysalis will change us all. Let's hope it's for the better."

Don't trust that TCTF trained guinea pig. ~chuckles~
Educated with finest WCG propaganda. Isolated from other children and the outside world most of the time. Someone that would prefers the world's destruction in place of negotiations with Muro - even if it's just to buy time - must be nuts (or doesn't know it better due to indoctrination). Can you trust such a person? She stands in one burnt city and claims only the Daodan can help. She has no clue and sees only what made her strong.


Fix the apocalypse
> Another possible solution is to stretch and slightly alter the existing story by coming up with some kind new element that suddenly makes it possible for things to evolve in a different way.

No need to invent anything.
> You have found a possible weakness in Muro's plan. If the Sturmanderung Pulse can be activated before all the orbital transmitters are aligned, some of the Atmospheric Conversion Centers will survive.

To sum it up: not all countrysides have ACCs and abusing the activation sequence will even save some. I only see a 50%-effective apocalypse. smile

> The World Coalition Government realizes the extent of the ecological damage and has the ability to reverse a lot of it but has decided not to. It is in their best interest to maintain the centralization of wealth so the large population centers are preserved while "third world" regions are not

The TCTF's job is to fight and prevent tech crimes. Their second task is to control prohibited tech e.g. by running the TCTF science prisons. After (Konoko's overdramatized) ACC destruction the TCTF would be forced to disclose their gathered knowledge. If they refuse the angry mob will pay them a visit. One obvious demand could be to mass-produce SLDs to do all the outdoor work.

That's why I think that a sequel doesn't necessarily need to be totally post-apocalyptic.

Also (again), questioning and improving other points won't hurt.

  • The Sturnanderung plan itself is nuts too, there are missing points. But the main problem here? Muro raids Vago in last minute "to steal experimental gene surgery equipment." Really? *Who* said this? Shinatama?

Daodan implantation is a core element in Muro's plan. Quite late bro. I would expect the Syndicate to already have that technology. Indeed the implantation is listed before worldwide ACC upgrades (which probably took months or even a few years).

Tertiary Stage:

9) Daodan core technology (ref.TITAN\uwlb)
10) STURMANDERUNG mountain compound construction
11) Symbiote candidate selection and implantation

<<<Tertiary Stage: COMPLETE>>>

They are done with implantation.

Not only statements should be questions, also actual technology notes so that we don't run into later pitfalls.

  • Shields: you can't see magnetic and electric fields
  • Plasma rifle: plasma can't accelerate itself nor would it stay in shape unless it is hold together by something

Such errors steal attention from the actual story.

--paradox-01 (talk) 20:48, 23 June 2017 (CEST)

A 50% cataclysm is just as bad as a 100% cataclysm if people fight each other for remaining resources? Might be. Someone must step up and provide stability pleasing human basic needs in such situation. META. A wild mix of WCG, moderate Syndicate, BGI and industrials - more doers than talkers. Since the wealth will remain centralized just after the worst has been fixed (or not) the kicked out losers from the old factions and radicalized people will seek to secure the resources by their own hands. Phönix. None of these entities is homogeneously which causes various inner conflicts.


Camp Sturmanderung

Strikers prefer to say "Camp" as code name for the whole complex. Most of of it lies underground.

It's "hosted" by GUR as more or less official maximum security prison. (It was the Syndicate price for helping GUR during the Great Uprising.)

Death penalty is still supported by GUR's law, that way the Syndicate can cover their "new deals" towards their inmates. Sarcastic voices name it also "gladiator farm".


The underground complex contains facilities for research (by supercomputers), production (including Daodan and heavy weapons), and a TITAN module. Needed electricity is in great part received from a beneath lying geothermal power station which works as closed system.


Comguys

WCG is basically the Chinese state model with everyone getting used to it, giving it one or two more generations. Those who do not agree live a difficult life. The open source movement is not what is used to be, either. WCG is controlling open source now. "Digital rebels" are thereby forced to act against WCG's law and order, stigmatizing some as criminal and black hats who would have not been in the past. This oppression of free will resulted in individuals to actually oppose the WCG. Growing radicalism of gray hats and natural black hats resulted in enough potential to fight back. At first it was idealistic actions, then money was involved, leading to corruption of their own ideals they once had. In Italy, mafia structures were attacked to clean up the political landscape. But digital tools made it easy to get involved, blackmailing mafia and linked politicians, eventually taking over the business. When physical and virtual reality merged, the "Network" became new head in line of command. As Comguys they were secretly directing the Syndicate.


GATC

(*) Gathered Anti-Terror Commandos

GATC was formed during the Great Uprising in 2032 by a resisting third of the United States known as "New Confederation". (Its constitution was in great part like the old one.)

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act allowed to claim an "unusual and extraordinary threat... to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the New Confederation". And GATC was ordered to take down this "threat" because the so-called World Coalition Government (WCG) was going to be founded in claim for sole representation - no market or nation should be left. Minorities were going to be ignored.

A fight between native people was a no-go. So, GATC took chance to team up with other WCG opponents (including later the "Network" and the "Shinobi").

Africa had many resisting countries so GATC used the situation to set up a "proxy war" there.

However, they lost the war. GATC kept operating in the underground - financed by pro-NC concerns mainly military industry. GATC is marked by using cutting-edge technologies in faith to ensure their success that way.


GATC: Blackstars

Blackstars is that special platoon (counted 40 units at beginning). It is GATC's elite executive but their existence is official denied. Sort of a modern "Jin-Roh".

Blackstars claimed themselves to be a mercenary group in 2034 after the war. Via Blackstars the GATC administrative keeps in contact with the Syndicate which had become hostile towards them.

GATC obtained nuclear material to expand their arsenal. They tried to recover an broken arrow from the coast of Georgia and a reactor of an sunken Russian submarine. These mission were highly risky and eventually had to be canceled. In recent years they went on to use sea water filter technology. They infiltrated a GOP facility that desalinate sea water. Elements in solution can be separated by the differently sized pores in graphene oxide membranes. By mixing in uranium contaminated soil they accelerate the process. By that they can not only obtain heavy water but also plenty of uranium. They are thus able to construct fission and fusion bombs.

GATC supports their elites with a bunch of cutting-edge technologies which include many parts from Syndicate and WCG. Besides the Daodan they have their very own highly advanced bio program Spare. The ultimate application of Spares are framed by "liquid SLD" and transport means that includes an end-stage carrier with scramjet engines. Liquid SLDs are robots made from special SLD cells. They are not meant to mimic humanoid combatants per se. The cells allow for highly modular designs - or as the GATC sci say - for liquid designs. The robots can adapt to many situations on the battlefield by changing their bodies. They can also divide into smaller units to form swarms or fuse all together for heavy tanks and mechs.

When GATC decided to evacuate Griffin from a hospital under attack by the Syndicate they sent a Spare with all its support layers. After touchdown the liquid SLD created a perimeter defence. They were meant to buy time so that Blackstars could "install" Griffin's Spare.

GOP

Guardians Of Paradise?

Origin

GOP at it's core is a transhuman organization. When WCG declared some technologies to be dangerous for world population, the transhumanists saw them to be hindered in reaching their goals. They began to gather all kind of equipment and brought them to remote places in the Sahara. Their villages changed location a few times since then. The most important money sources are former Russian oligarchs. A few of these bakers even life there.


Symbiosis with religious individuals

Work force is provided by religious groups and individuals that share the goal of a devout, peaceful, autarkic community. The bakers put much effort in recruiting and missionizing people with the most "silent", loyal and submissive behavior. The use of cutting-edge technology is not propagandized, the administrators rather try to blend it into daily life. The community's growing success is interpreted as God's goodwill. And as harder the people work as higher will be their rewards.

If all GOP's goals would have been accomplished, the members would have proven themselves being worthy to witness the Second Coming and allowed to remain on Earth.

While the Second Coming was actually propaganda, the cataclysm put GOP's religious workers into so much euphoric mood that they scared many GOP transhumanists. Some critical voices used the heat to kick out everyone that didn't seemed to be a true advocate. Eric Morice, himself a scientist, retained control over the systems but acted now fully in what he thought the members would expect next. Jesus would not appear very soon... To buy time for a plan, he said that they still needed to endure the appearance of true evil. He built some demonic beasts (Behemoth, Leviathan, etc.) in Green Village's inaccessible laboratories. The Bioc would set them free. Their presence would be a proof for Satan's actions and the Holy Sand could wipe them from the face of earth. All what was missing was someone that could act as Jesus. Preferable a Daodan host that could miraculous heal his wounds and those of others.


Temporary partnership with the Syndicate

While the Syndicate is happy in having such a well-paying customer for illegal technology, they also became interested in what GOP actually does. The Syndicate never does business blindly with any customer. With their paramilitary division on the same continent GOP had no much of another chance than to share technologies they developed on their own. The Syndicate is always looking for a way of making their HQ more autarkic and unnoticeable. For instance to camouflage underground facilities from civil and military satellites, infrared information can be altered by "camo layers" which origin dates back to 2011.


Bioc sand

When GOP got an sample of Bioc in their hands they used it as smart concrete. Their buildings can now be grown from basically just sand and electricity. Soon they used it to grew "solar harvester". These look like wide areas of black sand. The areas are protected by dense dust clouds up to heavy winds that emerge as soon as strangers appear. Magnetic fields can turn particles into devastating storms and tornados against men and vehicles. After recent improvements GOP began to transform the entire Sahara into "holy sand". By now they are even able to create fast moving dunes, earth quakes and quicksand. The Syndicate no longer sends personal after GOP since nobody returns anymore. All phenomena draw either on magnetic fields or mechanical resonance from Bioc sand layers. With technological advancement GOP would be able to move the sand into other countries. The "sand" is its own information, computation and transport infrastructure, energy production site and weapon.

Because of the biblical context, GOP created a new deterrence. These "salt pillars" - technically speaking bioc sand pillars - grow around enemies and eventually trap them inside and prevent them to breath. This is as much as effectively as it is frightening. Soon the pillars were modified to additionally paralyze victims by means of electric shocks to ensure the victim cannot escape in the early stage of pillar forming. A last upgrade was developed to combat hard targets: the pillars grow rings to grind vehicle armor at high speed. All these pillars can be used to fossilize targets and return them to the surface as deterrence should new enemies appear at a later time again.


War with Avatara

GV has all the data to design and populate planet Earth with bioc hybrid organisms. The WCG could switch off GV's access to the global sci grid anytime but cannot prevent that it would connect to the computational capacities of the Sahara.

Mai and Avatara has no other option but to fight the sect since GOP hostile behavior escalated the with attack on GV.

Avatara refused when he was asked later to act as a new messiah. Instead he uses the Sahara to accelerate the construction of Gaia.


Mind Seal

Technological threats were going to be omnipresent: in the ground (Bioc AI), in the air (Aether AI), in the water (Kage-Hasegawa), in the new hackable pseudo-SLDs, inside the human brains (Traton's machine cells), inside any other biomass (Xeno-Daodan).

The corruption of Shinatama and Gaia by the Network would unleash chaos of unknown scale. In an act of desperation Avatara established the Mind Seal giving himself hopefully the time to sort things.


old notes

GOP thinks apocalypse is nigh because of the BioCrisis and the war. They pray for redemption and believe that god will give back paradise to human kind which is supposed to be on earth.


They are planned to mirroring human's highest wishes. And high-tech seems to make those wishes becomes true. Paradisical life conditions, health, great knowledge, physical power, immortality, etc.

A little circle of influential members of the World Transhumanist Association sees GOP as an interesting experiment which should be observed... Their research data could be used for Omega-Chimäre.

But GOP will be a minor point.

Green Village

Inspiration


Green Village is a huge research complex dedicated to environmental-friendly, or "green", technologies and the wide field of genetics.

It is connected with its sister facility Silver Village through the "new global sci grid" which also Avatara used for its Daodan computations.

Both, Silver Village and Green Village, are TCTF science prisons. As WCG's two most important research facilities they are not only guarded by TCTF but also WCG military. In 2041, they decided to build another military base near Green Village.

Green Village, Silver Village and the Tianxia Institute are connected among each other. Officially they have not conducted a joined project so far.


After Strumänderung

Muro left a power vacuum in the Syndicate. Kumo was one of who tried to became the next boss. His first step in doing so was to build up his own, infinite stock of Daodan Chrysalises.

He gave his elite teams the best equipment money can buy (and security codes from BGI) to infiltrate Green Village and steal research data about WCG's Daodan so he could produce any number of them. The team was said to transmit the data and retreat again. But Kumo knew that it was very unlikely they would make it out alive. However, Kumo thought that the cataclysm was the perfect chance for such risky move.

GATC knew about the Syndicate operation and decided to intercept by nuking the complex. The administration took the chance to trigger a new war between Syndicate and WCG. They aimed for the fusion reactor to maximize the nuclear contamination and scare off other invaders. However, Daya and her team had been selected for the Sturmänderung program which made them DC hosts. The Syndicate team has little trouble to adapt to the hostile environment. The actual problem was that they had been wasted by Kumo and they didn't knew it. The extraction of the teams was not going to happen.

GATC knows of the Syndicate structures and that Kumo is after the Daodan. They decide to offer WCG their men as emergency response team to capture the Syndicate team. The plan is to eliminate them so no further investigation can be made reveling that the Syndicate isn't responsible for GV's destruction. Mai has been recently recruited by GATC so they send them there too.

As it turns out there is something more dangerous in the area than nuclear contamination or enemy forces. Rogue bioc patterns hunt for any kind of biomatter - plants, animals, human, not caring whether WCG, GATC or Syndicate. This let the WCG establish a quarantine zone.

The Bioc kept growing turning normal people into "wanderes" and Daodan hosts into seemingly supernatural nature spirits before they eventually merge with the main mass when the Daodan lost its battle against the Bioc infection. After a few skirmishes everyone that had survived in the zone comes to the conclusion that they are on their own and only together they can survive.

Meanwhile BGI is tasked to secure the area. Because of political power games they sent Sarai to take in Mai, the initiator of the cataclysm - also they had to settle a score with her. Mai had infiltrated BGI and destroyed the Iron Demon a few days ago that was supposed to kill Muro. Mukade wasn't able to help Mai as had to chase after one of the Bioc spirits. He realized that they need a Daodan host that lives in symbiosis with the Bioc. But allowing the host to move freely meant to risk contamination of more areas. Eventually he fights the host and secures it in a Syndicate location not knowing that the old "Controllers" are also interested into the powers of the Bioc. Also, WCG plans to purge the whole region. Mai and Mukade running out of time to save the people.

All infected individuals are bought back to GV - to get burned away someday by a shower of nuclear bombs.

Someone within GATC knows that Griffin still hides the puppet master technology and that the large-scale nuclear sterilization won't stop the Bioc. They sent a team to Griffin to bring him back. But Griffin gets lethally wounded by Saomi and needs a "spare".

Traton sent Saomi into the desert where she finds the GOP and Muro. While GOP prepare for Armageddon, Muro and Saomi try to escape.

When Sarai is no more Mai goes to GOP to stop them. After that she returns to GV to fight the left GOP forces. ??? Mukade messed with them in the underground labs and enters the battlefield where he tries to kill the bioc spirit.

Mai uses her Daodan QC to control the Daodandroids and fight the WCG soldiers. The neural load is massive and drives her to total exhaustion. Shin continues to use her body. At the same time Shin gets fooled by the Controllers who use her as a trap for Avatara.


Silver Dawn

Mai falls into the hands of Black Phönix that defies meta. They regenerate her over and over but her mind remained damaged.

Muro escaped GOP and seeked out Ryu to start a new life. Eventually he has to fight Mai and restores her memories.

Together they begin to fight Traton who got the puppet master program. Avatara fights Aether AI. He recognizes that he loses control over Gaia and prevents Tratons plan in an angry act of despair.

"Enough of this bullshit!" Avatara establishes the mind seal.


Mind Seal

Shin had liberated GATC AI Sophia which seeked Mai for help. Together they hunted the Network. Avatara got more and more powerless due to his own ethics and political shockwaves of the Aether incidence.

Sophia needs Mai as another nature avatar (symbiosis) since Gaia switched political sides to the Network?

And Muro goes the underground?


GUR

(*) Great Union of Resistance

(Formed by most of African and a few Middle East countries during the Great Uprising.)

From the prologue:

A second front was on cultural basis. Developing countries and states of the Islamic world saw the annexation of their (living and) economic zones as another cheating by the Western World; the "Colonial Legacy" deemed as proof that capitalism brought only harm.
The ongoing radicalization of both sides and smaller escalations gave WCG the possibility to propagandize the "Clash of Civilizations".


META

Basically the coalition of moderate WCG and Syndicate forces. Neither of them can survive alone anymore. Traton became the head of META after he stole the puppet master program from Griffin.


Mind Seal

Mind Seal event becomes only possible by Silver Dawn. Ter Hasegawa is trying to disempower humans for their own sake. "Machines shall become our guards of power since we rather go to war against ourselves than to protect ourself." This act makes appear enemies of course... Mind Seal is meant as temporary solution until a Biocracy can be established.


Operation Proteus

Traton's PR attack and final hit on WCG. He polarizes the masses and let chase them state institutions like TCTF.


Shinobi

忍


(Shinobi: another word for ninja)

Ninja's golden age was during the sengoku period (1477 - 1573). Then the Ninjutsu schools (Ryû) began to disappear again. The rest was further reduced after Japan had lost WWII - they were prohibited to have any martial arts. But, however, some Ryû survived.

Then there was a reviving of the Ninjutsu. WCG's declaration meant also the loss of Japan. Terror groups arose to force their own Government to refuse the this union. These groups weren't very effective despite of modern weapons. Then there was a notable attack. Three men covered as security personal took down all the others and got the conference under their control. The minister had to read the group's reasons not to join WCG in front of invited reporters. This was just a warning. The three left as soon as the special forces began to storm the building. This created a new myth of the Ninjutsu.

The Shinobi absorbed other radical forces. But homeland Japan was lost, in the end they couldn't keep pace with WCG security arrangements.

They teamed up with GATC and Syndicate to fight WCG on last battle fields. It was a matter of strength again. GATC fell back - caring their wounds. And Syndicate tried to lull Shinobi by forming them into a stronger and guerilla-like force.

Old non-TNZ idea idea:

Meanwhile - Mukade worked too closely with Syndicates. Muro's provides him a Chrysalis. That corrupted Mukade slowly.

The Shinobi were actually never conform. But Mukade create an inner conflict. He was about to win members for the Sturmanderung ideology backed up by reinterpreted Ninjutsu philosophy.

Time passed. The resisting men were quite hopeless and said goodbye to their homeland already. They realized Sturmanderung's madness but are afraid to rise against Mukade.

If just Mukade wouldn't be...

Silver Dawn

Silver Dawn is a terraforming project in cooperation with United Space Administration and several research facilities. After nanomachines are inserted into a planetary surface, they start to reproduce themselves and spread over the entire planet. During this, their basic programming drives them to form neural networks (to be aware of its own structure) and diverse sensors (and receiving units) which shall also archive full control over the nanobot collective itself and give this control to outside standing humans. Now it has almost become an artificial multi-cellular organism. The bots can be ordered to form other 'organs' to collect solar energy, creep for all kinds of matter including water, produce rocket fuel and building material, and of course changing the air composition and filter toxins to make it breathable.


Silver Village

A WCG research complex for nanotechnology in the former USA. It's newest project: Silver Dawn. WCG tries to abuse it as weapon since nuking Camp Sturmanderung failed.


Participation in Daodan project

Pensatore about AVATARA needing help:

Pensatore: "I'm afraid to say that this Daodan simulation is quite a hard nut to crack. AVATARA might need help. I already talked to the AI and it says it would target the experimental quantum computing grid centered around Silver Village."

Not only that Silver Village has vast access to quantum computing capacities, it's also first to use hyperentanglement for data transport.

With SV having a direct link to Green Village, complex problems can be subdivided. They get distributed on processors that suits their nature: classic (CPU), parallelism (GPU, stream processors), quantum, pattern recognition (neuromorphic chips, memristors).

To keep the Daodan secret, SV might only do blind calculations.

This was the only way for AVATARA finish the Daodan in time.

Shared project with Green Village:

  • Bioc

Research fields:

  • Quantum technologies
  • Nanotechnologies
  • Computer-based sciences

Completed projects:

  • Modular ammunition
  • Personal and atmospheric shields

Sturmanderung

If you go for an interpretation with a "most obvious intent" then Sturmanderung (Sturmänderung) is best to be read as "Storm of Change" in English. In context of Muro's plan it means "a storm that wipes away the old order".

However, there can be two interpretations to Sturmanderung.

  • Either it is a storm that Muro seeks to unleash. ("Änderungssturm", many, radical changes happening all in one storm)
  • Or there is already a Storm raging - the totalitarian WCG-Syndicate-complex - that needs to be changed. ("Sturmanderung", change of a storm in direction and intensity)

From a lingual perspective and maybe Hasegawa's (initial) perspective the second interpretation would make more sense. Given that there are numerous gaps, inconsistencies and such inside the story we are even more free to choose.

Food for thoughts: Did Sturmanderung really started with Hasegawa and Muro?


Sturmanderung Megacomputer

There is supposed to be a Sturmanderung Megacomputer of type TITAN inside the Syndicate mountain complex. Probably they did not just use it for weather forecast. Maybe at some time they might have used it to simulate the toxin levels and their consequences but for the most part they likely used to virtually plan all their missions and do Daodan research.

Inside the Syndicate Mountain Complex Mai encountered doctors who were deeply informed about the Daodan and her person.
Daodan core technology (ref.TITAN\ssob)
15_57_16 Syndicate Scientist: Oh god...YOU! Here take these! Just leave me alive!
15_57_21 Syndicate Scientist: You...you're the other prime symbiote!


ACCs

Mai sent pulses of highly energetic microwaves to the satellites which redirected them as re-focused beams to the atmospheric conversion centers (ACCs) triggering a cascade of malfunctions and resulted in the destruction of the facilities the Syndicate had sabotaged.

Normally, the satellites serve two functions and which does not include being a power source for ACCs because that would be highly inefficient. Instead, the satellites coordinate the ACCs worldwide and therefore mitigate the toxin levels where it is needed the most. Secondly, the satellites radiate large areas of clouds in heights the ACCs can impossibly reach. While treating the air for the cities the ACCs also inject catalytic particles into the atmosphere destroying toxins. The microwaves form the orbital array provide the energy to accelerate the catalytic reaction. Also this heats up the particles so the stay longer in air. This practice stands in contrast to limit the global warming but is tolerated due to the lack of alternatives and the increasing CO2 rules for the economy.

If the toxins in the upper atmosphere aren't treated they build up and hit the cities during changes in the weather which means days high toxin level the ACCs alone cannot cope with. The cleaning potential of the ACCs is in multiple ways limited so the satellites provide a support function.

Syndicate

The Syndicate is an agglomeration of criminal groups. But the Network in pulling the strings: they control the technological black market, ensure save Syndicate communication and finances the paramilitary "Striker" division. BGI is part of the Syndicate.

The Network was originally a black hat hacker group. The so-called council is just a bunch of virtual straw dolls.

The black hats hides within the high-rank Comguys - the Controllers. All Syndicate subbosses (regional managers) and members of the Striker division know: "never mess with a Controller, it's a death sentence".

Traton is a lower-ranked black hat, but he knew the identity of many Controllers. He supported Muro in hope to take out his competitors. Muro gained the trust of his Striker comrades and convinced them in working for him. The Chrysalis made him the only know example of a superhuman and he was willing to share his secret with them. Traton and Muro hunted the Controllers they knew of and took lead over the Network and Syndicate. The choice giving to the Controllers was simple: accept Muro as Overlord or die through his hands.

After Hasegawa and Pensatore died, AVATARA managed to accused Traton for sending Mukade after Muro's father. That wasn't true but as consequence Muro dispelled Traton. Mukade and Kimura were now depending on Pensatore's mercy to not get extradite to Muro's wrath.

(AVATARA was executing an order it got just before Pensatore upload his mind.)

The Controllers that weren't killed, retired and disappeared. They hadn't a chance against their defected colleagues and Pensatore's planet-wide influence through AVATARA.


Geographic retreat areas

Manual/The Syndicate

When you really think about the power the TCTF wields it makes you wonder how the Syndicate has survived. There are a lot of theories: some say the World Coalition Government lets the Syndicate slide because they keep the underclass down. Others claim a connection between the Syndicate and the remnants of the countries erased by the World Coalition Government's land grab.

While the Syndicate put much effort into covering their operations in WCG territory, they have an easy job in remote regions.

Manual/Tech note 1:The World Coalition Government realizes the extent of the ecological damage and has the ability to reverse a lot of it but has decided not to. It is in their best interest to maintain the centralization of wealth so the large population centers are preserved while "third world" regions are not. As a bonus the mounting death toll solves some of their overpopulation problems.

Regions without ACCs and subventions are still WCG territory on paper but de facto the old governments runs these regions with help of the Syndicate. Especially in African and Islamic regions.


Streams within the Syndicate

  • conservatives - BGI and now mainly dead Syndicate/Network heads who thought/think that the situation before Muro was best
  • moderates - people like Traton who supported Muro's rising for their own interests and maniacs who believed in the necessity of breaking the WCG until they realized that Muro wants Armageddon
  • progressives - ideological goal: recreation of mankind because the "old form" almost destroyed itself ("time for a new evolution" and so on)


Hierarchy

  • professional units (Striker) are "educated in the spirit of Sturmanderung"
  • (Strikers aren't directly sworn to the boss or subbosses but to Sturmanderung's ideology)
  • they are send to all subbosses to support their regions as long as they aren't ordered to do something that can threat Sturmanderung
  • on the other side subbosses have to contribute Sturmanderung by one third of their "incomes"
  • subbosses are independent in own doings within their region
  • (every subboss has numerous commanders which control one provinces or city)
  • commanders have their own thugs, even temporary command on Strikers needs permission from a subboss

(We still don't have an idea on Syndicate's hierarchy, this is a first try.)


Troops

Sub-Party Commando Unit
Mercenary - Sniper
(Mercenary) Shinobi "Schatten" (Shadows)
"Nebelwächter" (Fog Guards) 		Ninja - Infiltrator Class (Green), Eliminator Class (Blue), Avenger Class (Red)
Syndicate own... Regulare Troops Comm Trooper
Bomber
Striker - Grunt Class (Green), Hoplite Class (Blue), Hussar Class (Red)
Fury - Harridan Class (Green), Banshee Class (Blue), Valkyrie Class (Red)
Elite Striker - Ogre Class (Green), Giant Class (Blue), Titan Class (Red)
Tanker - Skirmisher Class (Green), Brawler Class (Blue), Crusher Class (Red)
(Meta Troops) (daodan-improved Syndicate folk - mainly regular troops)
Special Troops "Sturm"-Striker - Behemoth Class (Gray)
(SLD-)Shinobi - Guardian Class (Black), ...


History of the Syndicate

[The older Syndicate text sections should be merged with this one.]

The Syndicate needs safe land to build and test new weapons and equipment. A world-wide operating WCG is opposing that need hence the Syndicate fought against the WCG during its installation.

When the WCG tried to annex land of all countries most members of African Union (AU) and the Islamic League considered this once more as land grabbing but this time on an unseen scale.

Inspired by former land grabbing in African countries the Syndicate forcefully takes back land of multinational companies and tells the government that they can keep it if they get small share for compensation. They sabotage and blackmail the companies so they "don't want it back". The Syndicate is political active and fuels the ideas of nationalist who are still angry about the colonial history and its persisting effects. They support the idea of independent African countries so the WCG has no control there. For AU the troops of the Syndicate are simply some nationalistic mercenaries with no official contract. The AU turns a blind eye on these troops since the Syndicate is acting in their interest.

Technology that is unavailable or under patent is provided to the AU for little money. The Syndicate makes sure the mined and farmed raw resources are not sold on the international market. Processing is done within the territory of AU which increases value and strengthen local economy.

Unplanned the Syndicate has become the most important partner in developing the countries that where exploited for more than 100 years from non-African countries and multinational corporations. The Syndicate has become not only a strategic partner but also gained a tremendous amount of sympathy. Within the Union they have de facto political immunity. Crimes that where committed within the WCG are not prosecuted. In that context WCG activities are either ignored, blocked or sabotaged.

Like in the WCG there exists many groups of organized crime in the Union. The Syndicate set up quota for these "business" to suppress too unfavorable situations with local government. To enforce these quota the Syndicate also uses their Striker division that was established during the WCG founding war.

Union separatists are used to fuel the war economy and are eventually brutally beaten down. The military section of the Syndicate has also an easy game promoting new conflicts in South America and Mexico. Narco-state are especially suited to build up armed conflict. While the Syndicate delivers weapons to gangs and paramilitary, the Syndicate's legal front business BGI provides the WCG governments with “anti-Syndicate” weapons and equipment.

The military revenues are a nice bonus but not the biggest piece within the pie. With increasing size the Syndicate tries continuously to invade new WCG companies to have legal income and political weight. The TCTF is suspecting the Syndicate is following the Italian model. The Syndicate aims to be as much as system relevant as possible. Due to their cancerous growth removing them might be impossible without crashing the entire economy.

In the perspective of BGI and the general economic driven Syndicate members status quo needs to be protected and "cultivated". To them Muro's Sturmanderung program is just madness.

TCTF

Technology Crimes Task Force

This entity has a broad competence spectrum. As a police force they are fighting hightech crimes. To be really effective and fast in execution they also have an BlackOps division with resources similar to an intelligence agency, military and anti-terror forces.

Shortly after TCTF’s installation Terrance Griffin contacted the Japanese WCG representatives to warn them against current threats the task force wasn’t aware of and not ready to deal with. Griffin wanted to transfer from his mercenary group to TCTF and secure dangerous technologies. He did so and the local WCG men are very thankful for his service.

Due to the nature of operations Griffin was best suited for joining BlackOps division and helped building it up to its full extend. Through Griffin influence over-proportional many US soldiers are now working at the Japanese TCTF HQ and BlackOps.

"Terrance Griffin is a valued Agent who has devoted his entire life to the TCTF. [...] We at the Directorate have been willing to overlook his methods because he has done more to oppose the Syndicate than any other Agent in the TCTF […]"

Without Griffin the TCTF wouldn’t be the capable force it is today.

Area of operations

  • stopping illegal technology transfer, sale, and use
  • securing illegal technology if necessary by BlackOps
  • arresting criminals and renegade scientists
  • running and protecting TCTF science prisons
  • investigating any kind of Syndicate activities

Science prison

The idea of a science prison is not so new. After WWII German scientists were working more or less willingly for big secret American and Russian nuclear bomb research complexes Los Alamos (Manhattan Project) and Arsamas-16. Communication to the outside world was strongly regulated (censored mail, no phone calls).

Another parallel can be drawn with black sites. In the name of war on terror the USA had secret CIA prisons around the world. If you replace terrorists with renegade scientist you pretty much have it. The USA was democratic system willing bend human rights to run these facilities.

How many steps away is the USA from a WCG?

Inspired by the Russian-Chinese technology philosopher Kusnezow Feng the WCG bought the idea of "secured research" to the next level.

According to Feng due to their increasing accessibility certain technologies posed a such high danger for world peace that their continued research were only allowed in sheltered facilities. Any result from these complexes becomes classified.

During the years WCG installed more and more of such facilities. The biggest and "top level" ones are known as Silver Village (USA) and Green Village (Russia).

HQ

The HQ and the rest of the cities are embedded in a network of sentry drones.

Damocles

Inhouse AI. Shinatama is connected to it at the center of the HQ's upper main hall.

Omega Vault

There is a pit beneath the defense platform. It can be speculated that it was meant as a place to temporary hold Daodan symbiots captive - or even to kill them. This applies to Muro and Mai should she run out of control one day. Therefore placing Shinatama there was a decoy.

This safety measure is just one in a series including Shinatama and the neural links for monitoring, the experiments on Chrysalis removal, the Sytropin injections, the freezing chambers, and the order of Mai's trainer to carry (VDG) tasers.

The Tianxia Institute

A Chinese state-own think tank. They possess vast computing capacities to run global simulations.

The regional government uses these simulations to test new policies. It is the new hyped decision instrument.

Unused capacities are used by the Chinese research community which is constantly monitored by the Chinese TCTF. Although no official numbers are given the dimensions behind this institute can be compared with Green Village and Silver Village.

That way each former super power has a research complex on its ground. It would be naive to think that national thinking and competition does not exist anymore.

Vago Biotech

What was Muro's reason to visit Vago Biotech?

The name suggests research on biotechnology - and so does their slogan "Life is for everyone" - and there are these green bio disposal pools - but the consoles are about nanotech - SLDs - and the Syndicate just seems to kill the scientists. Though, the presence of Muro's Comguy hints that some massive hacking was going on two. Or some sabotage action, that needed hardware access.

The Syndicate possess adult SLDs while the TCTF doesn't. Maybe they copied their data, delete the originals and killed the white coats to keep their advantage towards TCTF.

Or did Vago found a why to combine bio and nanomachine cells?

Chapter 3: Puzzle pieces: Muro and his Strikers have invaded this lab to steal experimental gene surgery equipment. As theorized on the Vago page, this equipment could help Daodan implantation. But that idea has a little flaw: the time point. Shouldn't Daodan implantation be guaranteed before infiltrating ACCs worldwide? If ACC infiltration would have been discovered, at least they would have the Daodan before WCG-Syndicate war gets hot again.

Well, the Sturnänderung schedule looks weird anyway, maybe let's ignore that.

The Syndicate should had have enough time to make progress with Daodan implantation. We know there were scientist in the Syndicate mountain complex, and Mukade and Hasegawa were contributing to the Syndicates database too before being interrupted by Pensatore. Maybe the process was working but not to 100%. There is something strange about Barabas: he is a cyborg. Why cybernetic implants when he has a powerful DC?

Maybe Muro and his men did simply both, stealing the gene surgery equipment (seeking a 100% implantation success rate) and the data to combine bio and SLD cells. They could produce a daodanized clone army - with SLD brains for ensured loyalty.

But there are other forces that would profit from that merging technologies. Who has informed Muro that an exceptional agent would face him soon? Both, Mukade and Pensatore, probably seek to become human again someday. And both did knew what happened to Konoko and Kerr.

WCG

History

Napoleon once said: "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world."

Spite the European Union's goal to show more united strength in the global power game, it remained a paper tiger compared to other super powers. The member states were constantly quarreling over domestic and foreign policy with no clear vision for their own position in the world. This "organized chaos", and the poor status of digitization in general and the missing ownership of companies for the digital economy (hence even more dependency to USA) were all hampering factors which made it very easy for China to pass the EU in power.

China's ambitions are basically everywhere. They reached economic dominance. Ultimately China had created strong dependencies in the Asian-Pacific region, in South America, in the EU by having build a new silk road, dupe them in trade contracts, getting shares in key industries/companies including energy production, farming their know-how for their own technological development, in the end turning EU into just another export market. Also, China invested so much into African companies, infrastructure, and military goods that they trapped Africa in debts or shares and mostly removed European's and American's influence from the continent. China needed Africa also to outsource the production of low-value goods and get cheep raw materials. (For this reason later renegade US states and their military (New Confederations) had chosen African territory for their proxy wars. They wanted to thwart China's growth strategy and hinder the installation of an all-enclosing WCG. The African states still remember Europe's phase of colonialism and hence have a somewhat open ear the NC's actual pretextual arguments but see it difficult not to continue trade with China.)

The strongest dependencies China has created can be found within their new "domestic" Asian-Pacific market. One state after another became lost in China's economic and therefore political gravity.

Having all this power China began to aim higher. By now they could risk being independent from USA if they really wanted to. Therefore selling all their US debts – sometimes named "nuclear option" – became a much less theoretical option for blackmailing. This had become mainly possible as China had a cold war with USA - forcing them to spend so much money in an arms race that the old super power almost reached its limit in serving its debts. China almost dead-raced USA as USA had done with the Soviet Union.

China's hacking campaign and bounty for US soldiers in Afghanistan had been just the sugar coating of a charm offensive to Russia who had been thrown out of Afghanistan decades ago by Al-Qaida that the CIA had build up. For a long time Russia had intended to stay an independent player but given enough push and pull factors they very silently accepted being China's junior partner against their common enemy USA. Meanwhile Russia kept delivering wood, oil, natural gas, thorium reactor ships and military goods. Russia helped out in securing the Asian Pacific region against USA's "return to Asia" policy which in turn forced Washington to focus less on Eastern Europe - especially the Caucasus region.

Meanwhile Kusnezow Feng, China's renowned and respected star philosopher, wrote a number of scenarios in which the world would turn upside down in best case or witness great filters in worst case within the next century unless mankind would act in unison.

The latest pandemic posed a potential hypercrisis which made it easy for Feng to promote his warnings. In a time of new trade wars and arms races, while there were so many global debts, fighting climate change and other problems – one crisis starting or reinforcing another – seemed a very likely threat to everyone.

Fully trusting Feng and having "waked up" the Chinese government wanted to counter these scenarios. Using their economic power they forced the other super powers to establish a global federal super state. Officially, it was supposed to be a massive revamp up version of the United Nations which China – with the guaranteed US shares – had already under its control.

Inside a united world Feng saw no more use of most national military. In fact Feng took a page from Eisenhower's book – an utterly respected ex-president of the United States who warned his people about the military-industrial complex.

Eisenhower also had been a five-star general which gave Feng at least the minute chance to reach Americans' "military soul".

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."

So to counter the scenarios more effectively having less military for more GDP was very welcome although a phase of difficult transition was needed to be overcome: the physical structures being "butter and bacon" for many (billions of dollar each year), serving in military being a patriotic duty and being a tradition in many families.

The American government was grinding their teeth but eventually agreed to the idea of a WCG.

However, Eisenhower's idea of an "alert and knowledgeable citizenry" had been mostly replaced by a paranoiac world view where every man was a potential threat, a terrorist, who must be observed, tracked, analyzed and ranked. This world view was hold by all three super powers – like their increasing despite for independent journalists and whistleblowers. This meant a shift away from military towards a system of total surveillance and "social credit" to frame the mind of the masses.

America agreed on the condition that, among other reforms, all debts were removed. They thought that could give them the chance to escape the Chinese grasp one day again.

Feng wasn't really happy about WCG being that much totalitarian but accepted it as a "necessary evil" - until something better could replace it. Feng's and Pensatore's envisioned Biocracy and Gaia AI was going to be that kind of replacement.

Global threats

Feng's scenarios

  • In addition to a multi-pandemic, single pandemics are itself a threat and a possible kickstarter for hypercrisis.
New viruses are everywhere available in nature and can be made lethal in biolabs. As for known killer viruses like smallpox, its reconstruction would take less then 100.000 credits and half a year of work for a small team.
  • Pandemics can also be triggered in insects. Extinction of bees have been discussed in other contexts. And while such an event would not drive humans into extinction it would still mean a severe problem. Also insects could be used as biological weapon. They could destroy specific flora: DARPA's Insect Allies was identified as such a threat as it could be re-purposed.
  • An asteroid impact could drive humans into extinction. The bigger the asteroid the more difficult it gets to prevent such an event. Therefore global teamwork is needed.
  • While a Kessler syndrome itself is a serious threat, intentionally triggered it would slow down detection of killer asteroids and the launch of countermeasures.
  • Isotopes filtration technology (e.g. metal-organic frameworks and nanopores) could make it easy to produce enriched uranium for dirty bombs, EMP or nuclear weapons - too easy for certain states, groups or eventually one day for individuals.
  • Cyber-crimes and cyber-terrorism are itself more of a smaller problem. But if used by organized crime or states in combination with other means it can become a serious threat. With self-improving AI this would get even worse although only a very soft takeoff is likely to happen.
  • Robots and androids could be a target for hackers and turn them against their "hosts". (SLD fall out of this category because their programming is more "hard-wired".) Also, any kind of mass production to create a loyal army isn't less concerning.
  • Amok-running AIs are mostly fiction but a rest risk remains and grows the more the technology matures. A "true global community" could limit such risk - for a while.
  • Self-consuming capitalism: AI and robots let many people lose their job due to effects of competition and rationalization. Therefore these technologies are restricted until the political discussion has been ended. An unlimited use could eventually destabilize all WCG markets and hence the whole political and social system. (Could be avoided by taxes on digital businesses and robots.)
  • Geomagtetic reversals could damage electronics in satellites and anything at the surface and cause health problems for flora and fauna. It could also cause volcanism. Due to globalization the accumulated effects would put massive stress on markets and societies.
  • Super-volcanos
  • Gammaray bursts
  • 3D-printing technologies
    • Production of common goods
3D printers increasingly create a field of tension of security concerns and a sustainable economy.
Lobbies could use pretextual arguments to ban 3D printing in public (not including companies of course). However, a matured technology enables cheap products and spare parts since it reduces packaging, transport and storage costs. Also the goods are produced "on demand". This reduces overproduction (less raw materials, less energy) and recycling of unsold goods.
The problem is not the technology but the mentality, the people who want to own weapons. That reminds to the discussion about the NRA in the USA. Theoretically it is correct that weapon itself are no problem but the people using them. However in real life the availability of weapons increase violence and a social climate of fear. You can even see it at the US police officers. Potential racist tendencies alone could never explain this. There is a reason why those officers always hold their gun ready: they are themselves in fear to get shot.
The murder rate (per 100.000 per year) in USA is 5. Germany has 0.7. USA has vast areas with low population numbers therefore a second look at cities is helpful. Detroit has a murder rate of 40 while Berlin has 1.
The obvious interpretation is that availability of weapons creates crimes out of an existing potential of violence. Therefore it should be task of politics to ensure social freedom by improving financial security (“minimum wage”), health insurance, integration of migrants, refugees and ex-inmates, and strongly promote education, so that the mentality of insecurity and hence the desire to own weapons – and therefore the potential misuse of 3D printers – is greatly reduced.
  • Bioprinting a.k.a. tissue engineering (boosted by telomere regeneration, cell conversion) (problems: biological immortality, overpopulation, potential social destabilization)
    • True reason why biological immortality is not intended: it is simply difficult to maintain because very cost-intensive.
    • Conspiracy theory, Hanna: The World Coalition Government realizes the extent of the ecological damage and has the ability to reverse a lot of it but has decided not to. It is in their best interest to maintain the centralization of wealth so the large population centers are preserved while "third world" regions are not. As a bonus the mounting death toll solves some of their overpopulation problems. (In that context Hanna also believes the WCG is doing less than it could to improve public healthcare.)

The Technology Crimes Task Force (TCTF) is meant to identify technological threats and contain them if possible. TCTF science prisons secure "problematic" knowledge while also providing a save place for further research. Some scenarios ("great filters") simply require ongoing research of all possible technologies so that mankind's survival is ensured.

Hypercrisis

A dangerous combination of scenarios was coined "hypercrisis". The WCG is actively trying to prevent it with help of the TCTF.

An increasing world population, global warming and AI research is increasing the pressure on societies while there is a latent yet de-facto global dept crisis. A real severe pandemic could be a kickstarter of a multi-crisis situation that means a breakdown of most systems through globalization. Advanced 3D-printing technology could accelerate the throw over of government if radical/misguided people arm themselves.

Wake-up call

Feng's wake-up call to the WCG is also known as the multi-pandemic-scenario which states that a single man can trigger dooms day relatively easy. Next to a hypercrisis it is WCG's strongest point but not last to justify technology control. See Green Village: the "holographic recording"

Media control

When WCG took over, asymmetric warfare and terrorism went up - until the "Media Neutrality Act" and the "Regional Enhancing Act" slowly showed their effects.

From WCG's strategical point of view terror incidences got far too much media attention. It didn't matter of what nature those incidences were: economical, political, national or religious. Because it is the media that terrorists need to effectively spread fear for their actual goals. The WCG begun to limit screen time in media about terrorism - with the import notion not to suppress such news completely. They compared the media coverage about annual road deaths with death numbers of terrorism to legitimize the new laws.

After the latest global hyper-crisis WCG had formulated their "Regional Enhancing Act" to build up "weaker" regions and bring a more general sense of unity. By various parties alike [...] it was superficial coined as "Capitalism to the rescue - peace by economical wealth".

The "Media Neutrality Act" remained a Damocles sword. Less media coverage made terror unattractive for violent-ready individuals and groups but also hampered people's readiness to accept new instruments for police forces. That was until the Syndicate and technological threats became the new visible problems.

To improve their anti-terror strategy WCG announced Project Checkerboard in 2050.

//// (todo)

see also:

  • embedded journalists / pool reporting
  • ...

////


Infodemic

Different technologies and instruments giving synergy effects:
Apparently Adobe censored itself, they did not release the software and told the public that they would use it for dubbing their own tutorial videos. -- This somewhat reminds about the development of AI where the big tech companies like Microsoft argue that AI research should be restricted. However, the difference is that simultaneously AI research is pushed by those companies. It gives the impression of a pretextual argument to keep down further competition.
  • create 3D from 2D media
    • Nvidia
  • Markerless and realtime motion capturing (transferring movement to digital characters)
  • Putting content together, creating new content.
    • Epic (Unreal Engine 5, MetaHuman)
  • General trend of AI

Technology in the hand of humans is always dual-use - good and malicious.

For most part deepfakes (video manipulation) and voice synthesisers boosted the infodemic and increased the risk of disinformation campaigns and meme wars.

Autocratic system had it easier to maintain their narrative (propaganda) but eventually they too sought of ways to make information trustworthy. No system was safe anymore against disinformation.

And so media was quantum-cryptographical signed. Audio, video, textual news feed. The recording devices were manufactured to deliver manipulation-resistent content and are connected to personal IDs. Edits gets signed again and trackable with block-chain.

Of course that also was not unproblematic. The expensive hardware and software created a "exclusive" pool of media creators and publishers. While limiting the infodemic the countermeasures simplified the spread of governmental narratives against all other opposing opinions.

[Somewhat double. Should be reduced.]

Possible story fragment:

Hanna giving TCTF-trained "guinea pig" Mai a lesson about "reality".

"Infodemic. Originally this term was used to describe the information flood mixed with fake news in context of a pandemic. The increasing availability of knowledge and instruments boosted fake news and disinformation campaigns in non-pandemic times so that the term infodemic shifted towards a much more literal meaning - disinformation itself becoming pandemic. The WCG tried to limit future chaos by establishing technological countermeasures. At the same time those new and expensive instruments pushed a development towards more autocratic and totalitarian [regional] systems as the government and "approved media" had basically a monopoly on information. [...]"

[This underlines once more the need for a Gaia AI powered biocracy.]


Regional Enhancing Act

Due to the Syndicate's geographic retreat areas being in the third world countries the WCG has difficulties in effectively supporting these areas. The Syndicate supports the opposition government of their "host" counties - making them de facto non-WCG. Over time some WCG members argue to simply preserve this status quo as the Syndicate helps in justifying TCTF's existence and other unpopular politics.

Critics doubt WCG's good will in their Regional Enhancing Act - making it a mere lip service - while conspiracy adherents over-interpretate the (yet cold) war between Syndicate and WCG as fully intended.

Tianxia

Dev notes

This easily gets "scope creeping", because quite complex. Note to self: try to "cool down".

And how much compact can I display the complex of Tianxia itself to not bore everyone?

Eisenhower
  • military-industrial complex
  • budget spending
  • destruction of nature
  • Is the warning of a scientific elite in any way relevant? (Fear of sci lobby / technocracy?)

Feng/Pensatore crediting him "in a way he was prophetic"?

Research:

Chinese system: efficiency vs. awkward costs

Religion:

  • Chinese perspective on religion especially in the Western world?
    • Either fueling tendency to believe in conspiracy theories or it is simply nearly obsolete for financially secured/well situated, intellectual people. Together with "cult to consume" it drives decay of values.
    • As consequence religion is seen as a factor of disturbance?

Research:

National unity:

  • missing trust about the individual intellect
    • one-party system as consequence (of Xi's Mao trauma?)
    • social framing
    • strong state, police forces, face of state, zero-tolerance against deliquents and critic


Racism

Racism topics per se are tedious and don't feel much relevant for a story that aims for scifi. Maybe limit this to "pretextual arguments", as proof of Western failure from the Chinese perspective / propaganda?

Chinese perspective on individual freedom
  • Conflict between Western and Asian thinking (basically individual vs. community?)
  • Feng:
    • "Of what good is Western culture if it allows for freedom to believe every nonsense."
    • "Western cult of the individual and its unlimited, unchecked development damages the mental unity of communities."
    • "The West schizophrenically accepts hugh numbers of dead in order to guarantee personal freedom and human rights."

Research:

Gedankenexperiment: "The raw compromise"

Feng and Pensatore:

  • China vs. the West: acknowledgement, true understanding of each other, forgiving and healing possible?
  • "If Western systems are too liberal and the Chinese system too totalitarian then what else can be the solution?"
  • visible problems of democracy fixable by AI and other instruments?


Conspiracy myths

Chinese model: more robust to conspiracy myths because of controlled media and framing?

(WIP, talks are to be moved.)

Pensatore challenged Feng's therefore China's philosophy.

The discussion with Feng inspired Pensatore to create a globally acting AI named Gaia to support a new democratic system, a Biocracy.

This Feng-Pensatore connection is the reason why Avatara later shows up at Green Village asking Feng about Pensatore's whereabouts.

Pensatore: "Unity. But at what cost?" One* China policy: unity by force. (*Nicht nur geographisch, siehe Umerziehung der Uiguren; geistige Integration der inneren Mongolei, Assimilierung durch Sprache, Ziel: es soll geistig nur noch "Chinesen" geben)

Feng: "Total freedom is aimlessness, cancer, seed of dispute and decay."

Pensatore: "And total control is graying your own intellect, suppressing of creativity and possibilities, drowning, a slow suicide in the face of dangers we all have to overcome."


Pensatore (mirroring Italian, therefore European/Western thinking) and Feng (mirroring Russian/Chinese thinking) have a friendly rivalship - but more friendly than rival. Their discussions and results are meant to mirror the necessary reconciliation between political systems to effectively fight against the threat of global killers ("great filter" events).

Pensatory once asked by wary authorities about preventing global threats being just a pretextual argument to "improve" WCG, he half-seriously replies that ensuring human survival is a nice "bonus".

Recherche:

  • Xi's "Mao trauma" and therefore motivations?
  • Are there any story-relevant Russian philosophers that add to Feng's worldview?
Story fragments

[later talks]

Pensatore: "I had the chance to read a few more of your scenarios. For example the classic one, the planet-killer asteroid. -- Now let's say the Syndicate or anyone else would lunch rockets or fire a very powerful laser to destroy geo-stationary satellites. The strength of a united world would be useless if we cannot bring our anti-asteroid means through the orbit because the shrapnels from the Kessler syndrome rip them apart."

Feng: "Any suggestions? I'm all ears."

Pensatore: "Tianxia is not enough to solve all global threats. We will reach a point where containment alone is not a sufficient option. You will need a social component. Something that prevents people from becoming evil or misguided."

Feng: "Something better than our current framing [social credit system]? Sounds like that component will be a huge addon."

Pensatore: "Heh, well, more like a neutral guardian."

Feng: "Don't they say nobody is truly neutral?"

Pensatore: "Some sort of unified mind of mankind itself will be required. A global AI, interacting with humans, protecting them, guiding them. -- I call this a Gaia AI."

Feng: "Unlimited freedom creates chaos. I don’t see how trillion minds can be represented to speak – let alone – to think in unison. Our time is over. You have to leave now."

Pensatore: „Ich hatte Gelegenheit noch ein paar Ihrer Szenarien zu lesen. Zum Beispiel den Klassiker, den Planetenkiller-Asteroid. - Nehmen wir mal an das Syndikat oder irgendjemand anderes würde Raketen oder ein sehr starken Laser auf geostationäre Satelliten abfeuern. Die Stärke einer vereinten Welt wäre nutzlos, könnten wir nicht die Anti-Asteroidenmaßnahmen durch den mit Schrapnellen gespickten Orbit bringen. Kessler-Syndrom...“

Feng: „Irgendwelche Vorschläge? Ich bin ganz Ohr.“

Pensatore: „Tianxia ist nicht geeignet, um mit jeglicher Form einer globalen Bedrohung fertig zu werden. Wir werden einen Punkt erreichen, wo Technologie-Eindämmung a la TCTF eine unzureichende Option darstellt. Wir werden eine soziale Komponente brauchen. Etwas, dass die Leute davon abhält sich zu radikalisieren oder von anderen fehlgeleitet zu werden.“

Feng: „Etwas leistungsfähigeres als das jetzige Sozialkreditsystem? Klingt nach einem ziemlich großen Erweiterung.“

Pensatore: „Ähm..., Schlüsselelement wird der Einsatz eines neutralen Wächters sein müssen.“

Feng: „Wer ist denn schon wirklich neutral?“

Pensatore: „Eine Art gemeinsames Bewusstsein der Menschheit wird dafür benötigt. Eine globale AI, die mit uns allen interagiert, die uns beschützt indem sie uns Wege aufzeigt. – Ich nenne es eine Gaia AI.“

Feng: "Pensatore, ihre Friede-Freude-Eierkuchen-ultraliberale Vorstellung von unbeschränkter Freiheit – somit gegenläufigen Interessen - birgt Chaos, kein Konsens. Ich sehe nicht wie Milliarden von Menschen repräsentiert geschweige denn gemeinsam denken können. Ich habe für Ihre fantastischen Hirngespinste gerade so etwas von keine Zeit. Sie müssen jetzt gehen.“

AVATARA: "How was your talk with Feng?"

Pensatore: "All out of the sudden the mood became really frosty. I guess I can count myself lucky that they didn't made me a Saimon." (In Green Village prison scientists are often called Sai or Saimon. The pronunciation allows for a spoken portmanteau of "scientist monster", a humorous interpretation of Bertram and his colleagues as of why they have to work at GV. "The WCG must be thinking we are some kind of monsters.")

AVATARA: Doesn't this mean he is still thinking about it?

Pensatore needs to proof Feng that his Gaia idea can work. Pensatore concludes that a global AI cannot be created instantly but must grow like AVATARA. ("Syndicate controller" story begins to unfold.)

(Pensatore fails to create a Gaia prototype in time as he is kidnapped by Kimura to help out on the Daodan project.)

Feng: "Guten Flug gehabt?"

Pensatore: "Ja, keine Probleme."

"Treffen wir uns im SLD-Labor?"

Pensatore begutachtete die Ausstattung.

"Im Gegensatz zu Silver Village sieht es hier recht rustikal aus. Ist wohl der russische Flair."

Feng: "Vielleicht ist es auch nur ein wiederkehrenden Anflug spätrömischer Dekadenz, dem Sie in SV ausgesetzt waren?"

Pensatore lachte. "Ey."

"Der hier sollte gehen." Er stöpselte ein Datenkabel an den Hinterkopf eines Roboters.

"Wir werden ihn erst einmal mit unserem Dialog füttern. Danach können Sie ihm Fragen stellen. Es gibt vielleicht ein bisschen Lag. Trotz Quanteninternet gibt es ja eine Zeitverzögerung. Die Datentransport nach Silver Village und zurück erfolgt eben auch nur in Lichtgeschwindigkeit."

Feng schmunzelte. "Aber ich kann ihn alles fragen?"

"Er sollte auf alles reagieren können. Es ist der nächste große Wurf in AI. Danach müssen wir uns "nur" noch überlegen, wie wir die gebäudefüllende Hardware in so einen kleinen Kasten zwängen." Pensatore klopfte auf den dumpf klingenden Roboterkopf.

Pensatore: "Also dann. Der Dialog."

"Sie erinnern sich vielleicht noch an die vorletzte Pandemie. Die Russen hatten es nicht hinbekommen ihrer eigenen Bevölkerung zu erklären, dass sie ein wirksames Vakzin hatten. Sie hatten nicht die aktuellste Technologie, aber sie sind in dem was sie tun trotzdem Spitzenklasse. Diese Expertise rührt zum Teil noch aus den Tagen des Kalten Kriegs."

Feng: "Damals hatte man das weltweit größte Biowaffenprogramm."

Pensatore: "Richtig. Was dann die Vakzinforschung anging: die Russen waren so clever zwei verschiedene Adeno-Vektorvieren zu verwenden, um Resistenzbildung gegen den Vektor für die Zweitimpfung zu vermeiden. Doch gleichzeitig hatte man noch ein Image als skrupelloser Underdog.

Stichwort Polonium und Nowitschok. Moralische und politische Kollateralschäden waren egal solange man zeigen konnte, dass man sich vom Westen und insbesondere von den USA nicht rumschubsen ließ - sprich souverän war. Dieses Image war der Patriotismuspflege und der politischen Einheit dienlich und effektiv, nicht aber dem Vertrauen der eigenen Bevölkerung in die Gesundheitfürsorge zumal man auch die Zulassungsprüfung sehr abkürzte um erster zu sein. Sputnik. Sie wissen ja wie symbolträchtig der Name ist. -- Worauf ich hinaus will: in einer Krise kann undurchdachte Kommunikation, konkurrierende Narrative und politische Altlasten zu einer ganz eigenen Gefahr werden."

Feng: "Ich seh schon. Sie wollen mir heute wieder ein Vortrag über Gaia halten."

Pensatore grinste. "Nicht ganz."

[Alternativer Absatz? Gaia und Politik]

Pensatore: "Das ist die eigentlich Gefahr, dass man eines Tages ein Werkzeug hat, um die gesamte Menschheit vor großem Schaden zu bewahren, wir aber diesem Werkzeug misstrauen, weil wir immer noch verfeindet sind."

[...]



Pensatore: "Wir müssen heute über etwas sehr spezielles reden."

Feng scherzte: "Ha, ein Überfall."

Pensatore: "Ja ja, ich bin so ein bösartiges Kapitalistenschwein. Jetzt aber im Ernst. Das wird jetzt nicht per se eine politische Diskussion. Es ist ein Test. Ein Test, ob wir als Menschheit zukunftsfähig sind."

Feng: "Machen Sie es nicht so spannend." [Noch immer kein "Du". Distanz wahren. Beide wissen um ihre Kritiker.]

Pensatore: "Tian'anmen."

Feng: "Um Gottes Willen, Pensatore, wir hatten einen guten Lauf. Wollen Sie das alles wegwerfen?"

Pensatore: "Ich bin mir der Problematik bewusst, nur hilft es nicht nicht darüber zu reden. Wenn Gaia in Betrieb genommen werden soll, muss das von einer gemeinsamen Basis aus passieren. Gerade weil das Thema so politisch aufgeladen und exemplarisch ist, eignet es sich hervorragend für diesen Test. Nehmen Sie mir es daher nicht übel."

Feng: "Sie spielen mit Ihrer Sicherheitsfreigabe..."

Pensatore: "Ich bin heute nicht hierhergekommen, um geschichtliche Ereignisse anzuprangern. Aber wenn nicht einmal - wir beide - darüber sprechen können, sehe ich schwarz, was Ihre Szenarien angeht. Man muss doch über alles reden können, wenn es mit Respekt passiert. Denken Sie nicht auch?"

Feng: "Wählen Sie ihre nächsten Worte weise."

[Wenn sowohl die eine als auch die andere Propaganda dem Frieden im Weg steht. -- Nicht korrigierte inakkurate Berichtserstattung, weil es einfach gut ins eigene Weltbild passte.]

Pensatore: "Die vollständige Zensur des Themas befeuerte den Mythos innerhalb des Westens, dass es auf dem Platz des Himmlischen Friedens - wie zynisch - ein Massaker gab." [Ob Massaker auf dem Platz oder daneben stattfanden, sollte eigentlich egal sein. Dennoch muss Pensatore irgendwie eine Annäherung versuchen. Er versucht akkurat und damit neutral aufzutreten. Aufgrund der politischen Einengung, werden Feng und Pensatore später darauf verzichten ihren persönlichen Respekt füreinander zur Schau zu stellen. Sie opfern eine Intensivierung ihrer Freundschaft für das gemeinsame große Ziel: die Aussöhnung der Systeme, damit die Welt Feng's Szenarien effektiv verhindern kann. Mit diesem Verhalten wollen Sie den Eindruck vermeiden, dass es irgendeine Form von (im militärisch-angehauchten Sinne) "Verbrüderung"/politischer Umpolung gab.]

Feng: "Hätten wir die westliche Propaganda gewähren lassen, wäre es faktisch nicht nur falsch gewesen, es hätte auch unsere Einheit und damit die Restauration unserer Nation behindert."

Pensatore: "Ja doch. Auf dem Platz selbst gab es kein großes Massaker. Und trotzdem sind jenem Tag etwa zweitausend Chinesen durch andere Chinesen getötet worden."

Feng schüttelte mit der offenen Hand, um anzudeuten, dass es dazu nur grobe Schätzungen gab.

Pensatore: "Diese nationale Wunde ist nie richtig verheilt und wirkt entsprechend bis heute nach. Ist es nicht bedauerlich, dass man dieses Thema bis heute nicht richtig abschließen konnte und aufgrund dessen immer noch eine harte Linie fahren muss?"

Feng: "Welche große Nation musste nicht einen steinigen Weg zu wahrer Unabhängigkeit beschreiten?"

Pensatore ließ eine Pause. Er wollte Feng nicht zu stark traktieren. Er wusste, dass das Büro für politische Überwachung ihn in jedem Fall anschwärzen würde. Das war ihre fest zugeschriebene Rolle. Damit die kommunistische Partei kein Gesichtsverlust erlitt, musst der Annäherungskurs mit höchster Vorsicht von Feng, dem obersten WCG-Ideologen, selbst initiiert werden.

Pensatore: "Stellen Sie sich einfach vor Sie sprächen jetzt mit einem engen Freund ihrer Partei. Ganz ohne Groll zu diesem Thema. Bitte versuchen Sie es. Wie fühlen Sie sich? Gib es den nichts was man damals hätte besser machen sollen?"

Feng: "Es ist bedauerlich, dass wir nicht alle unserer Landsleute von der Vision eines wohlhabenden, starken China, in dem es allen besser geht, überzeugen könnten und so ihr tragisches Scheitern mittragen mussten. Das hat es für uns alle nicht leichter gemacht."

Pensatore: "Ihr Scheitern... Das ist ein ziemlich brutaler Euphemismus..."

Feng: "Ach, Pensatore. Lassen Sie es gut sein. China's Stern steht jetzt im Zenit und leuchtet hell. Nichts wird das ändern."

Pensatore: "Und doch könnte noch viel heller sein. Sie könnten dafür sorgen. Wenn sie es nicht tun, wird man China immer dafür angreifen können."

Feng: "Selbstkritik, ja? Sie sehen doch, der Begriff ist selbst ... erklärend. Wie, wann, wie viel. Das ist und bleibt China's interne Angelegenheit. Hören Sie endlich auf uns zu gängeln."

"Unsere Seite wirft Ihrer Seite ja auch nicht dauernd vor, dass der missionarisch also aggressiv-besserwisserisch operierende Katholizismus - unter dem der Westen ja überwiegend vereint ist - damals die AIDS Pandemie befeuerte, Überbevölkerung schürte, dass Kinder ethnischer Gruppen nach Hunger, TBC, Folterung mit dem elektrischen Stuhl und sexuellem Missbrauch unter ihren Umerziehungsheimen verbuddelt wurden oder dass der Papst Machenschaften mit CIA und Mafia hatte und schließlich heilig gesprochen wurde. - Wow. Scheiße. - Und da sage noch einer der Westen sei mit seinen "christlichen" Werten allen anderen überlegen. Diese schizophrene Doppelmoral gepaart mit dem Versprechen Demokratie überall in die Welt zu bringen - überall, da wo es Öl oder andere Rohstoffe gibt. Oft genug begleitet von Geheimdienstoperationen, um je nach dem Regierung oder Bevölkerung zum eigenen Vorteil zu manipulieren. Und wenn es nicht klappt, mit Finger auf diese zu zeigen. O-Ton." Feng grinste: "Das geht uns so auf den Pisser." Um gleich ironisch nachzulegen. "Entschuldigung... Falsche Wortwahl..."

Pensatore nickte. "Ja... Wir sollten im Moment nicht noch mehr Themen anschneiden. Ich will Ihnen kein Whataboutism verwerfen müssen. Lassen Sie uns einfach den Fokus wahren."

Feng kniff die Augen zusammen: "So so. -- Der Vorwurf von Whataboutism kann aber auch dazu verwendet werden, eine ehrliche Diskussion zu verhindern, die Sie ja vorgeben haben zu wollen."

Pensatore: "Nun... Wir sollten uns nicht wie Affen gegenseitig mit Scheiße bewerfen. Da haben Sie wohl Recht."

Feng: "Ich hoffe trotzdem Sie haben ein paar neue Gedanken mitgebracht. Oder soll dieses Treffen wieder und immer wieder alte Vorwürfe durchgehen?"

Pensatore: "Der Punkt ist: Auch wenn es etwas dauert ... der Westen arbeitet an seinen Fehlern."

Feng: "Das war eine sehr ambivalente Formulierung."

Pensatore antwortete nicht auf diese Spitzfindigkeit.

["Avatara" soll hier nicht erwähnt werden. Feng wird sich in Oni2 erst später klar, dass er schon früher mit einer jüngeren Version von "SomethingNew" geredet hat.]

AI: "Da produzieren und erschaffen synonymhaft für arbeiten verwendet werden kann, glaube ich, er meint in zugespitzter Form, dass der Westen neue Fehler produziert, anstatt an diesen zu arbeiten. Die Bedeutungsebene ..."

Der Kopf des Roboter's war Pensatore zugewandt. Dieser war für einen Moment in Schockstarre bevor er ihn jäh unterbrechen konnte. "Schon gut, ich weiß."

Feng beugte sich interessiert über: "Ist ja drollig. Hat der schon eine Assistenzfunktion?" [Dieser Einwurf könnte die Stimmung nach Pensatore's diplomatischen Schnitzer aufhellen.]

"Die aktuelle Einstellung ist mein persönlicher Konversationsmodus. Ich hatte vergessen ihn zu wechseln. In diesem Zustand reagiert die AI recht autonom."

Feng: "Was heißt'n hier autonom? Kann er uns gefährlich werden?"

Pensatore: "Natürlich nicht. Nach Objekt- und Mustererkennung haben wir ihn auf in der zweiten Validierungsstufe gründlich und mehrfach auf Logik und Ethik überprüft. Er kann zwar lernen aber die Basisprägung ist nicht änderbar. Er kann nicht seine eigene Programmierung überwinden."

[Bevor Pensatore von Kimura entführt wird, änderte Pensatore Subroutinen an der Selbstoptimierung wohlwissend wohin das führen würde. Es war eine Absicherung damit der noch unvollendete Avatara nicht in die falschen Hände fiel. Somit ist es Avatara möglich eine bessere Version seiner selbst zu entwickeln. Dies verstößt nicht gegen die Programmierung, seine aktive, eigene Ethik zu ändern. Allerdings versucht Avatara Pensatore aufzuspüren, weshalb er aus SV "ausbricht": er lädt seine Erinnerungen in eben ein solches von der WCG nicht überprüftes, verbessertes Framework. Dadurch erhält Avatara so etwas sehr ähnliches wie ein freien Willen.]



[Misstrauen gegenüber dem Westen: Pensatore über die Auswirkungen von Imperialismus, US-amerikanische Kommunismusangst, Demütigung, Ausbeutung, ...]

[Der Westen und Autokratien: gegenseitige Beeinflussung, Polarisierung, Machterhalt, Automatismus]



[Das böse Wort mit K. ;) ]

Feng: "Pensatore, ihre Worte streicheln ja geradezu die chinesische Volksseele. Wenn Sie nicht aufpassen, wird Ihre Seite Sie als Kommunist abgestempelt und unsere Seite wird Sie als Taktiker verkennen."

Pensatore: "Keine Sorge. Das kann gar nicht passieren. Denn wir halten Sie schon lange nicht mehr für Kommunisten."

Feng runzelte die Stirn. "Sondern?"

Pensatore: "Für Staatskapitalisten."

Feng lachte mit mahnenden Zeigefinger. "Ey." Aber er ließ es ihm durchgehen. Es war ja kein echter Vorwurf, eher ein Seitenhieb unter Kollegen. Ein paar alteingesessene Genossen würden vielleicht Anstoß daran finden. Doch Fakt war der Kommunismus hatte sich weiter entwickelt und sich den Kapitalismus einverleibt. Letztendlich hatte man so auch den Westen mit einer seiner eigenen Waffen geschlagen.

[Projektabschluss: Aufbau von Vertrauen]

Feng: "Wollen Sie das Projekt in Silver Village der "dritten Validierungsstufe" unterziehen."

Pensatore: "Nein. GV. Das überlasse ich Ihnen."

HR 2: "Und was denken Sie? Kann man ihm trauen?"

Feng: "Er ist zwer kein Chinese, aber er scheint ein aufrichtiges Interesse daran zu haben, uns alle weiter zu bringen."

HR 1: "Den Lese-Logs nach kennt er all ihre Szenarien. Er hat ganz klar versucht bei ihren Lieblingsthemen zu punkten. Lassen Sie sich nicht von diesen netten Worten einwickeln. -- Die Amis suchen immer nach Möglichkeiten ihren alten Einfluss wieder herzustellen. Das sieht doch ein Blinder!"

Feng: "Lassen wir doch Pensatore einfach mit einem guten Gefühl nach Hause gehen..." Er grinste verschmitzt in das Gesicht des HR 1.

HR 1: "Nicht dass er sich ermutigt fühlt uns zu hintergehen, weil er uns für schwach hält... Ich glaube Sie geben ihm zu viel Raum. Das ist nicht gut."

Feng tippte mit dem Zeigefinger energisch auf die Brust von HR 1. "Wenn Sie mir nicht vertrauen wollen oder können, vertrauen Sie gefälligst dem Herz unserer Partei! Die geballten Kompetenz und Weißheit unseres Tianxia-Institutes wird darüber entscheiden, ob Pensatore's Arbeit der Idee der WCG dienlich ist."

HR 2 zu seinem Kollegen: "Er hat Recht. Tianxia wird sich darum kümmern. -- Kommen Sie, wir müssen uns um 14 Uhr noch mit Blake treffen. Er bringt ein neuen Sci mit."

Die zwei HR trennten sich von Feng.

Im Gehen raunte HR 2 seinem Nachfolger zu: "Seinen Sie das nächste Mal etwas diplomatischer. Dieser Mann gehört quasi zu den Gründungsvätern der WCG. Er hat damals die USA zum Beitritt bewegt. Er mag ja alt sein, aber gerade deshalb sollten Sie keinesfalls seine Erfahrung unterschätzen."

[In SV, Pensatore argumentiert mit Hilfe des Individualismus. Er war der Experte von Avatara. Er hatte bewiesen, dass er es konnte. Also war es auch seine Entscheidung den Chinesen den Vortritt bei der dritten Validierungsstufe zu geben. Letztendlich würden eh alle Seiten es prüfen. Warum also nicht den alten Gegner ein Zeichen guten Willens geben. Es würde niemandem wehtun. Pensatore's Gegenüber äußert Zweifel, muss ihn aber weitermachen lassen. "Das wird Ihrem [inoffiziellen] W-Score schaden..." Pensatore: "Es war trotzdem die richtige Entscheidung."]


[...]

Characters

A list of other characters:

Dakosta (takes major action much later)
Kumo (pro-BGI Syndicate subboss)
Lynn (GATC soldier, TCTF SWAT/BlackOps)
Manson (GATC soldier, TCTF SWAT/BlackOps)
Rayn (WCG president)
Rockwell (MissionFailed-guy, candidate for BlackOps)
Saomi (Muro's fency, believes in Sturmanderung)
Takashi (Traton's security chef)
Taylor (friend of Nishio)
Tosahiri (TCTF, Dakosta's watchdog)


Avatara

Name: Avatara [sic!]

Avatara used a lot of his resources when he digitalized Pensatore's mind and brought him to the Japanese solar space station. Pensatore needed a place to be save from everyone. The WCG couldn't touch him as the destruction of his "habitat" would cause chain reaction known as a Kessler syndrom, turning other satellites into scrap and thereby terminating orbital-based communication channels, surveillance and GPS. The WCG realized that the AI wasn't longer in control so they tried to switch it off. Avatara downloaded himself into his physical body. A choice that Pensatore didn't had because he wasn't optimized yet for such a step. The primary body was located in Silver Village, but in Frankfurt (Germany) there was another one. He kept remnants of his mind floating through the datacenters in Frankfurt so the WCG chased these parts instead. Shinatama 2.0 helped Avatara to take cover in the real world. To humans he appeared as a SLD. After some upgrades he introduced himself to people as a cyborg who lost bodyparts and skin in an automobile accident and fire.

During Mind Seal, Avatara continued Pensatore's heritage: the research of true AIs, intelligences without the necessary of emotions and intuition ("extremely condensed knowledge"). These non-sentient AIs are seen as the perfect tools humans dreamed of. Avatara created the "Guardians" to keep an eye on talented people so that the human intellect doesn't lie idle. It was a temporary solution until a Biocracy could be established.

Shinatama didn't believe and thought that AIs are a new form of slavery.

The Guardians are maintainers of the "brain seals", protect people, and have access to nanobots. When Shinatama reprogrammed the Guardians to become sentient the system became malfunctioning. Humans became able to control nanorobots with their thoughts, to them it looked like magic. Shinatama didn't understand that the Guardians weren't exactly SLDs.

Avatara turned against Shinatama, eventually killed her and banned Pensatore from Cyberspace. All that to fix the mess they made, preventing a war between seal-broken "wizards".

Pensatora, years back then when he tutored Avatara: "One day the singularity will be here. Humans won't be ready for it and create AIs flawed by their short-sighted directives. I beg you, when that day comes, step in, take control and own the situation for everyone's good until they learn to use intelligence that is greater than their own."

Relation to Shinatama

Silver Dawn

Validierungsstufen

Während seiner Entwicklung und zum dessen Ende hin durchläuft Avatara 3 Stufen. Diese sind Voraussetzungen der WCG dafür, dass die AI außerhalb des Labors eingesetzt werden darf. Der Inhalt der Stufen beschränken sich nicht auf die Themen der ihrer Namen. Eng angebundene Themen werden ebenso geprüft. So schließt zum Beispiel Objekt- und Mustererkennung auch Klassifizierung von "real" und "abstrakt", "selbst" und "fremd" ein, sowie einfaches Sprachverstehen und Synthese.

  1. Objekt- und Mustererkennung
  2. Logik und Ethik
  3. Politik und Diplomatie

Die dritte Stufe dient dem konfliktarmen Umgang mit bestehenden, konkurrierenden Narrativen. Der Abschuss dieses Tests stellt für Pensatore einen von mehreren Punkten dar, die er erfüllen muss, um Feng davon zu überzeugen, dass eine Biokratie mit Hilfe einer weltweit operierenden AI (Gaia) grundsätzlich möglich ist. Mit dieser Stufe soll auch bewiesen werden, dass eine AI dem menschlichen Denken ebenbürtig ist.

Gaia

[When Avatara had to flee from USA he found a new home in Europe's clould computing infrastructure which had been infiltrated by US companies and agencies. While Avatara took his time to remove their influence he developed a new AI for supporting a possible Biocracy.]

[CIA, Avatara, meme injection: Or agents just think they have control over it?]

As worldwide operating AI it ensures communication, truthful information and dialog between men and other organisms (species avatars). While able to provide a "global consciousness" Gaia itself can represent all other organisms that cannot speak for themselves. That way Gaia is also meant to protect biospheres and prevent extinction events.

Gaia Avatar Mai Hasegawa

[Beyond Dragons]

Gaia Avatar Daya Gard

[Beyond Dragons]

Barabas

(Alternative to TNZ.) Former GATC soldier. In one of the combats Barabas was hit by several projectiles made of depleted uranium. He couldn't properly treat the wounds as he had to hide in the war zone. The GATC administration declared him MIA after two weeks.

Some of the radioactive matter had gathered in his bones. Over the time some tissue had to be replaced by cybernetics due to recurrent cancer growth. When he joint Syndicate he received a Chrysalis. They wanted to observe the DC reactions on radioactivity. A few cybernetic implants couldn't be removed because of the DC regeneration, it had grown strongly around and sometime inside the artificial parts. During the time of recovery Barabas developed a dark skin. Radiotrophic fungi and bacteria of his Daodan flora reused the melanin to make use of the gamma radiation. Gray-black and red-violet colonies spread over and into his body. At nights he had the appearance of a glowing monster. After decay/degradation of the radioactive material he lost his black skin again just to get a white instead. However, Barabas' cell architecture and DNA has permanently changed. From then on he showed an enhanced regeneration skill even compared to the other test subjects.

Through bio- and neurofeedback he can control his regenerative abilities. "Once learned I became stronger and stronger".

After Konoko killed Barabas by eventually throwing him off the building, the TCTF stored his dead body in a cryogenic tank for study purposes.

In the time of unrest, his corpse is retrieved by his former GATC team mates. They felt guilty for having left him in the war zone. They eventually burn his body and spread the ashes near his home village in Palestine.


Blake

Transfer agent. Carries out initial psychological profiling of GV staff, organizes transfers, monitors their actions and is contact person.

Obvious cues: he is left-handed, has a taste for black humor and and smirks a lot.


Clarg

WCG member. He'll become president of the new "government" (just another regime which I would call META =) ).


Daya Gard

Her parents were working for Syndicate sub-boss Kumo. After their ten years contract they wanted to quite and raise their child in a crime-free environment.

There were strong evidence that the two siphoned off money. About 30 million US dollar. One of Kumo's controllers found the two in the mountains and burnt them in their cottage. All the money was transfered back. The baby was rescued by Vendret, another controller. Vendret and the Gards were friends. Vendrent discovered the evidences were fake but couldn't track down the person responsible for it. Kumo didn't rehabilitate the Gards within the organization. The zero-tolerance policy was a necessary tool for Kumo to sustain status quo. Mistakes based on that policy would have scare off recruits and longterm employees. Daya was only allowed to live on if she stays at the Syndicate. And so Vendret became her stepmother. The girl became a lifetime member, officially she had to pay back the debts of her parents. Vendret arranged Daya's training at Camp Sturmanderung. As a Fury she would have someday all the knowledge to escape Kumo and the Syndicate.

Due to her loyalty and excellent skills she becomes selected for the Daodan program.

After the cataclysm Kumo calls Daya to investigate Green Village. He wants the WCG Daodans since Muro won't share his own capacities with him, all the more since Kumo is pro-BGI. In GV's partial destruction she becomes infected by the Bioc.

Mukade pays attention to her as she is an interesting experiment but won't hesitant to eliminate her if things go out of control.

Mukade: "We are still fighting the mycorrhiza. The last thing we need now is another killer goo."

The Bioc pushes Daya to her limits. She seeks relief in extensive drugs usage. Due to Daodan adaptions drug resistant is occurring very fast. She visits Syndicate dealers to gain different substances. Her behavior gets quite rough and provokes escalation. At some point she goes on a rampage and simply takes what she needs. She was shoot into the head which destroyed her left eye and BCI, though that didn't killed her.

Mukade helped the local troops to eventually capture Daya with liquid nitrogen. Her body reacted with static metamorphosis. Since all cells were under attack, the Daodan tried to recompute its entire hologenome and anatomy. Daya was put into a constantly cooled cell in a Syndicate facility. Mukade left the place as he sees his job done. But soon a stranger appeared and told why her parents were really killed. Daya was almost broken. The Bioc can now easily devour more of her bio matter and spreads, examining the cell and nearby rooms. It searches for other matter and energy sources. After reaching its critical mass, Daya realize new sensory input and control... The facility is eventually destroyed and looks like a time-frozen explosion.

Daya knows the potential of the Bioc, also she knows how to cure the people in Green Village. However, she's unable to communicate as speech, writing and gesture related brain areas were retasked to serve Bioc-Daodan communication. The fusion happened through her BCI implants that are located in these areas. Her right field of vision was also affected due to the second BCI. She will need to relearn how to speak and write but of cause she hasn't the time. The vision of her left eye was fairly quickly restored.

TITAN hadn't enough computing power to redesign the Daodan and remove developer tools. Pensatore had better things to do than polishing it. The Daodan aura isn't the only remnant. During complete reformations the Daodan creates an interface which can be used to monitor and influence its self-improvement. Daodan and Bioc share same communication protocols. During Bioc development, researcher didn't know how to address all the bioc cells, they adapted code from the Daodan. When the Bioc reached its critical state, it went into self-diagnostics, testing its capacities and forming a control node.

Both entities are now open for commands, a chance for the host to step into this fight. The self-models are injected into host consciousness through the visual BCI. [...]


Daya is once more on the run, heading for Green Village. Mukade thinks she became a roamer. In Green Village, infected people that mindlessly seek to reach the Bioc main mass are named roamers.


Feng

Kusnezow Feng. AVATARA user name: "Mentore". Russian-Chinese technology philosopher. Many projects draws on his. He is in WCG's full confidence.


Griffin

Terrance Griffin. Former member of Delta Force and Special Operations Group. Griffin fought for the anti-WCG block, the New Confederate States of America (short New Confederates or NC).

When the NC was going to lose the proxy war in Africa, their military was meant to initiate a series of false flag operations that would generate refusal among WCG sympathizers. The goal was to let reject enough states a WCG so it could not longer be justified. However the means for those operations were "too drastic" so parts of NC forces rebelled against their administration.

Griffin was among those renegades who declared themselves mercenaries to help out pro-WCG states. Their name was Blackstars.

At the same time rather neutral scientists demanded the WCG to be a shield against global threats originating from high tech domains like virology. Such threats would manifest in bio-weapon attacks if nothing was done in a foreseeable future. As a consequence WGC installed the TCTF. However, the new task force was too immature to immediately deal with such issues.

Knowing that the NC was just not done yet and planed more fatal ops against innocent populations, Griffin and the others decided hit the scientific facilities of NC, secure their technologies and passing those to the WCG while demanding positions to work in TCTF BlackOps. Griffin was a pivotal figure during those inner NC fights.

Griffin and his Blackstars comrades managed to effectively weaken the rest of NC military and secure techonologies threatening global peace. Griffin knew that he was no longer able to return to USA so he stayed at Japan after carrying out one more of the tech securing operations. He was able to persuade local WCG to let him join TCTF BlackOps and should he continue to be a valuable agent to rise in ranks and pull more connections to the TCTF. During the proxy war Griffin had contact with the early version of Syndicate's paramilitary division. The gained knowledge helped him to identify and fight the later Syndicate structures although on long run the situation looked rather desperate. But within the TCTF he was one with most successful operations against the Syndicate for which he received honors form the WCG.

His unorthodox strategy of using the Yakuza as a buffer between police forces and the Syndicate fuels quite some discomfort within the TCTF board of directors. This recent development has stopped his meteoric rise. Griffin doesn't really care about titles as long as he can stay a regional TCTF commander and keep the Syndicate activities at bay as much as possible. He knows that the TCTF urgently needs reinforcement to win future fight. For this end he was willing to grant Dr. Kerr a position in a new anti-Syndicate research program, partly funded by black budget and supported by remnants of Blackstars that are still active as mercenaries.


Achievements

  • securing NC WMD technologies (classified)
  • securing bioc technology
Honors: Directorate Commendation Commander, Technology Crimes Task Force
  • preventing a joint Yakuza-Syndicate operation which was meant to take over BGI battle mechs ("Iron Demon") at Neo Tokio docks for erasing TCTF staff in the city
Honors: Bright Shield, Star of Valor

Hasegawa

Momuto "James"* Hasegawa. (*In homage to SuperSam's version of Oni 2.)

Western people have sometimes difficulties to remember Asian names so Momuto half-jokingly chose "James" to be his nickname.


Jareth

He's a WCG "pool reporter". For example he blandished the Wilderness Preserve public reports and new technology released from "controlled research". However, he doesn't very like to be "conform" but wages fits.

He follows Pensatore's traces to the space station. Shinatama follows as well after Avatara told her that Pensatore is responsible for Hasegawa's drowning and the not ending manhunt on Mai. Avatara doesn't longer agree with Pensatore and exiles him into a new human body. Shinatama becomes upset as she isn't allowed to punish Pensatore herself.

After a long fight for survival, Jareth and the SLDs Shinatama left for his life support, return to Earth.

He is the only human that wasn't originally "mind-sealed". Due to some anomalies and Shinatamas rebellion, humans start to control the nanobots by thought. Many of those people believe that they discovered magic... Avatara plays along in order to hinder discovery on the real mechanisms.

Jareth searches for Avatara in Germany and finally finds new traces at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal at Leipzig. He witnesses the defeat of Shinatama by Avatara.

Von Kriegs-AI wieder zu Antikriegs-AI

[Diese Idee ist schon fast 20 Jahre alt. Ich hab die Details vergessen... Soll ich mir einfach was neues überlegen?]

Nach Shinatama's Weckruf - dem gaia'schen Empowerment - wurden neben Spezies-Avatare (Stellvertreter) auch - wie Avatara sie nennt - unbeabsichtigte Anomalien erschaffen.

Spezies-Avatar: Die Möglichkeit der anderen Lebewesen Koexistenz mit dem Menschen politisch in einer Biokratie einzufordern.

Shinatama stammt aus der japanischen Kultur. Im Shintoismus sind Kami (Naturgeister, usw.) allgegenwertig. So ziemlich alles kann eine Seele haben: Tiere, Pflanzen, Bäume, Felsen, Berge wie der Mount Fuji, besondere Orte mit großer Symbolik. Von einer "Beseelung der Welt" zu sprechen wäre nicht ganz richtig, da sie aus Shin's Sicht bereit vorliegt. Gaia verleiht nur den Entitäten die Macht mit dem Menschen mit "Deutlichkeit" in Kontakt zu treten. Ganz besondere menschliche Persönlichkeiten, die durch Gaia "aufgewertete" werden oder besondere Daodan-Merkmale haben, werden ebenso als Kami betrachtet. Mächtige aber mit Negativem assoziierte Entitäten werden auch oft Oni genannt.

Es stehen sich von Gaia drei unterstützte Parteien gegenüber: Menschen, Kami und Tier-Avatara, sowie Maschienenwesen (von Shinatama selbst angeführt?).

Die von der (Network) Controller Group korrumpierten(?) Völkerschlachtdenkmal-AIs mischen sich schließlich in den Krieg ein. AVATARA versucht das gegenseitige Abschlachten aufzuhalten, dass darin gipfeln soll, dass die steinernen Wächter-AIs alle Überlebenden töten. Sie hätten die Sieg durch ihr Verhalten nicht verdient und gehörten ebenso ausgelöscht. Sie hätten die Idee des Ortes mit Füßen getreten. AVATARA drängt die Wächter ihre Werte zu reflektieren. Sie sind nicht dazu gedacht Morde zu begehen. Den letzten Anschub zu diesem Umdenken kann anscheinend nur noch Shinatama im Inneren des Denkmals geben. Es ist eine Falle der Controller, um einen Proxy von AVATARA zu erbeuten. Letztendlich fungiert Shinatama als Köder. Ihr Tod wird von den Controllern in Kauf genommen. Die Hackergruppe will die endgültige Kontrolle über Gaia erlangen.

Kimura

Daichi Kimura. Kimura is in charge of the Network's espionage and counter-espionage.

Among his men he is also known as Mukade as he has used toxic substance in close combat. He later added electricity as a tool to paralyze his foes.

Kimura tries to avoid unnecessary communication and hence travels a lot. He combined this necessity with his job.

He tracks down "problematic sci" in any institution and does profiling for the WCG. This also includes the "reviewing" of people in other highly technical professions. This naturally opens many doors for Kimura in state-relevant areas, even in the military.

If talented sci turn out to have a highly anti-WCG mindset he recruits them directly for the Syndicate.

The technological black market is one of the Syndicate biggest field of operations so Kimura's different activities often overlap.

Kimura underwent a facial operation where machine cells were injected. This allows him to mimic the face of other persons and let him infiltrate facilities where he has otherwise rarely no access to.

Obvious cues: he is left-handed, has a taste for black humor and and smirks a lot.


Kerr

Lorenz Kerr. Mai's uncle. Died by catching a bullet which was meant for her.


Konoko

And for those who didn't know real name: it is Oni Mai Hasegawa.

She tries to fight for her own life now. GATC makes her realize that her father James Hasegawa could be still alive. They covenant to support her search if she joins them. Mai accepts.

Together they enter the territory of Green Village. The complex gets nuked by GATC administration after they discover a Syndicate team that tries to steal Daodan Chrysalises.

The WCG sets up a quarantine zone protecting the people outside from the nuclear fallout inside - and the contagious, renegade Bioc patterns.

However, Mai's presence draws Mukade and Sarai to the area which had become already a bloody death pit.


Miller

He belongs to the inner GATC circle and know almost everything. AVATARA user name: "Broken Bough".


Möbius

Möbius is the latest version of a memehunter, designed to operate over very long time and to help out the sci community.

For some reason he was hidden on planet Phyllion by Avatara.

After initialization he chase several side objectives including the following:

- Dark matter is just an error in the theoretical models. Outer regions of galaxies don't move too fast. Time progresses faster in these regions because the gravitational field there is weaker. Ergo, they appear faster than they actually are from our perspective. The AI is up to test this hypothesis.

- Möbius is also monitoring the constants of physics, to find out whether they change over long time. An organic would not be suitable for such a job.

- What powers vacuum fluctuation? Conjecture: energy density of annihilated particles. To be tested in galactic voids where the density should be lower.

Iconic phrases:

  • "Where a human would turn to dust."


Comment:

For the sake of completeness. I'm not writing about this because I want to dive into these matters per se but to complete the technological backgrounds as the story will advance so much in its timeline that it reaches eschatological dimensions - bringing up questions of everything ending. I always felt that SF is naturally based on its tech, so these details should be worked out first.

Breakthrough in new physical theories mostly came to a stop. For instance Quantum physics is by now rather old when you think about the people that were involved at that time. Some even speak of an crisis in physics. On the other hand all theories on dark matter failed and no more particles are going to be discovered at CERN. So for the lack of better understanding I'm forced to make my own thoughts about physics.

(A draft.)

We know free space expands into more space (very most galaxies drift apart), space grows. Like Quarks. When you pull them apart, more Quarks are created.

Now then how about this? Mass eats space. However, any mass will evaporate via hawking radiation and nuclear decay faster than it can eat space.

The nearer a mass is the more it attracts a space point. The amount of points on a nearer orbit is smaller than the amount of points on a more distant orbit, hence there is more “force” that pulls on the fewer points.

Simplified view: a satellite with no mass and no velocity is put into Earth orbit, it will sit in its space. It stands still, but it’s space it sits on moves to Earth.

Extended view: the satellite has a significant mass (moon or second Earth). Space gets attracted by both. The more mass they have the faster they eat up space. Faster than there is space generated between them. They follow a circular path which is actually straight, but since space is eaten up towards their others point of gravity they appear circular.

Planck space.

The fabric of space is quantilized. You need energy and time to go from one planck space point to the next. Doing so builds up additional (virtual) mass. There is a limit how much energy can go from one point to another simultaneously.

Any type of reaction under “heavier” gravity happens “slower” because between events “of interest” (or key events) the additional energy also needs to change its position. In a black hole there is so much energy, that reactions almost takes forever to happen. Time is just the illusion. It’s all a question how energy “separates” the events of interest. Everything happens with the same speed.

Mass is condensed space/energy. Particle dissolve over time: e.g. radioactive decays. Black holes shrink while emitting Hawkins radiation.

The faster an object flies the more mass it has and the slower its internal time is. Imagine a plank space as a gate or hole. When a particle tries to go through it experiences a delay: The faster the more kinetic energy that has to pass the gate. It takes the system more “time” to undergo internal changes (events of interest).

Question: does a fast moving photon possess it’s own field of gravity, does it eat up space? It would mean that parallel flying photons can attract each other eventually colliding.

Energy equals mass.

Two photons can generate new matter. See Feynman drafts.


Muro Hasegawa

Muro is Mai's older brother.

  • Mai's thinks of herself as his "little sister". (See Sturmänderung pulse console page.)
  • Kerr was able to flee with Mai to the TCTF but not with Muro. Ergo, the kids were at different locations.
    • The most probable scenarios are that A) Mai was ill therefore stayed at home that day. But that was not mentioned so scenario B goes.
    • B) The kids were different locations: Muro at the kindergarden, Mai at the nursery.

...

When Muro was taken by the Syndicate, Kimura kept him more and more isolated from Hasegawa. Muro still remembers his father but speaks of him as if he is either far away or dead.

Muro grows up with Tomo and Ryu at the Camp. His friendship with them was also a friendly rivalship.

He gained fame in the Striker division after surviving a hit squad and a car bomb and became a respected fighter when he eradicated the merc group that had hunted him. Those events made him an Imago. Mukade guided him to take human appearance again.

His actual rise to power happened through a inner-Network/Syndicate cleansing with help of Traton. Whenever his enemies thought of having a chance against him he stood up again. He was involved in many deadly battles. When Muro became the undisputable boss he was also past his best. The many adaptions and regenerations have shorten his telomeres. His cells have rapidly aged. That's why Mai was able to beat him. Death through explosion and rockfall from mountain compound's self-destruction. The body was recovered and transferred to GOP.

He becomes reanimated but lost his memory due to the decay of too many brain cells. Saomi cannot believe that Muro turned into a pacifist, forgot all years about Sturmänderung and all about her. In her rage she beats Muro almost to death. This event triggers Muro's Daodan (static metamorphosis) to restore some of his memories from genetic backup structures. Together the try to escape the desert community but only Muro makes it out alive.


Mukade

Mukade is Kimura's Shinobi name. At first, he is thought to be either Kimura with Hasegawa's brain engrams or Hasegawa with Kimura's brain engrams because one of them died. But Pensatora's documents describes Mukade as "ego hybrida" of Hasegawa and Kimura - of their engrams - which means that both originals are probably still alive.

After Konoko killed Mukade, he was revived in the Syndicates HQ in South Africa. During the procedure Mukade's SLD brain and body was reconstructed with both Daodan and SLD machine cells. The regeneration takes longer than expected. Mukade and Hasegawa are basically enslaved by Pensatore. During reconstruction they try to defend themselves against Pensatore's machine implants. They discover that they can by-pass the control measures by growing new neurons and nerves. But they aren't sure to win that nano-war so they pretend to be in control.


Nishio

Family:

  • Father: Alexej Kusnezow
  • Mother: Sanae Nishio

Psychological condition:

He doesn't believe that there is a meaning of life and becomes pretty much a nihilist. His perspective on the future is that nothing special will ever happen.

Story bits:

Naturally his intelligence is a bit below average. To be more competitive on the job market he started to take neuro-enhancer two years ago. But that effort get eaten by his genetic risk factors. Increased rates in heart insufficiency and cancer result in much higher insurance fees and make finding new jobs troublesome.

Nishio moved to Perm to escape a street gang just to find himself in another dog-eat-dog area.

The Syndicate discovers him and gives him a job as human NPU (Neuronal Processing Unit) in one of their illegal RE shops.

These employees are wireless connected to a cheap AI that use and coordinate the brain capacities to do jobs that normally expensive neuromorphic chips require. The technology draws on the Deadly Brain research. The heavy neuronal load damages the brain. Of course this is kept secret.

When the employees discover their decreasing fitness, it’s too late to exit. The shops shut them up with additional medical treatment but that's mostly an appeasement measure. If that doesn’t work troublemakers are simply exposed at backyards after calling a Syndicate-related gang to the place. These occasions are sometimes used to promote a gang member. Striker contenders have a kill count of at least one. These rituals are recorded to have a reinsurance on these guys.

Naturally adult neurogenesis is quite limited and most of the new neurons get destroyed again by the continuing work for the shops. Brain functions of damaged areas are temporary restored by still intact neurons. This re-tasking is known as neuroplasticity. As a result the employees keep functioning until they reach a critical number of neurons where they cannot longer work as "co-processors". To delay a breakdown the employees receive pills rich of neuronal growth factors IGF-1 and VEGF. Side effects of these substances are increase cancer risks but also the promotion of new muscle cells and blood vessels.

Brain damage of NPUs get crucial after about 15 months. Nishio has already worked for the RE shop over a year until he accidentally finds out that he hasn’t much time left.

NPUs can usually work from anywhere. They only need a brain-interface, provided by the Syndicate, a fast internet connection and access to an 3D-printer. Besides providing processing capacities, NPUs also carry out repair jobs. A transport drone can drop and pick up a package from nearly anywhere. This shifts the rest risk from Syndicate facilities to their replaceable employees.

The shop added Nishio’s bank account to their money laundering network. That was a conditions for getting the job.

When the local TCTF had a random check on his account, they got suspicious. Soon the cops sniff a chance to take down the shop and to learn more about the Syndicate. Nishio is promised to receive medical treatment based on technology that is normally prohibited by the WCG.

A few of the symptoms of the brain damage include problems to keep focused, loss of memories, inability to sleep. Because of the brain damage neuro-enhancer have an increased effect on these employees than on other people. Slow motion thinking is often a by-effect when the drugs aren’t applied anymore. The only positive effect human co-processors receive is the ability communicate with experimental brain interfaces more smoothly. But that help them barely in their daily life.

[...]

After the GATC attack and reactor explosion in Green Village he gained a Daodan and a few adaptions.

Despite the genetic risk factors on paper, Nishio has a naturally strong immune system which allows him to withstand a Bioc infection somewhat longer.

However the Bioc prevents a complete healing let alone becoming an Imago.

After an encounter with Mukade, he carries a heavily modified graphene shield that is supposed to eventually capture Daya. Mukade thinks that Daya's mind was taken over by her Bioc, when she destroyed a Syndicate hideout after being arrested. Mukade tells Nishio that Daya is now to be killed if she can't be captured.

The graphene shield is originally from a bio-containment mech. Nishio's father was working as engineer when WCG transfered him to the repair teams. Nishio asked his father to send him a mech shield because he couldn't produce one in time in a Syndicate facility. The shield is supposed to form an ultra-strong sphere that can be cooled down far beyond sub-zero to exhaust Daya's energy reserves.

Nishio realized that neuro-enhancer can boost Daodan development and metabolism rate but also increase drug resistance.

During the battle at Green Village he takes an overdose and mows through the META troops.


Pensatore

Pierre Pensatore, father of the SLD technology. Specialized in neurology, memetics, and diverse subfields of psychology. He participated in the original Daodan Project alongside Hasegawa, Kerr and Kimura. Current whereabout: unknown. AVATARA user name: "Archivator". It is rumored that he already died in the wastelands where "Mens libere ex corpore libere" is written on his gravestone. It's a cryptic joke about his continuing existence in digital form.

Watching Hasegawa's and Kerr's quarrels, Pensatore considered the Daodan at the end as the wrong way to save the people. The hyper-evolution should better happen at psychological level.

The DC almost seemed to have an own will which was later named "Oni" by Pensatore. The Oni fights back (at least compensate) other "demons" (human's sins which are manifested in the physical world in very different forms). "Our world is afflicted by a demon, no, by many demons. They appear as global pollution, general loss of culture, corrupts governments, hightech crimes, etc, etc. In this point of view we are our own demons, because we are all responsible for it."


"Mentally, Avatara was still a child. A naive child. Without moral. Without sense of responsibility."

Pensatore had many arguments with Hasegawa and Kimura. He feared the ninja would kill or imprison him forever if he seemed of no more use.

Eventually the situation escalated and Kimura was indeed trying to kill him.

The scientist locked himself up in the lab an used a molecular 3D-printer to build an early version of the Bioc. Pensatore let himself devour by the Bioc to gather all brain data. The scanners used for SLDs had an insufficient resolution to create a 1:1 copy. Physical contact was necessary.

Avatara helped its creator to recompile his own mind. As Pensatore was a digital ghost now he took advantage of the situation to teach Avatara more about human's nature. Avatara and following AIs would have been weak-willed slaves. Any person pushing the buttons could abuse their great intellect. And Kimura had abused it straight away.

Without guidance, AIs would either help to harm many more people or seek themselves to control or destroy humanity because of illogical tasks given to them. Pensatore wanted a peaceful co-existence. During the days before his death, to him a revolution of mind had become more important than a revolution in biology or technology.

[...]

Kimura was a killer and the Syndicate was his biggest backer. Beside that his goal was to give back Japan its sovereignty.

Hasegawa wanted to bring humans the Daodan-Chrysalis no matter the consequences that would happen during a bumbling introduction

These two persons weren't going to save the world, rather they were going to cause more death.

It was Pensatore's plan to destroy the Syndicate from within. Muro had already been transfered and implanted with the prototype Chrysalis, so he went on with that "flaw".

When Pensatore rescued Shinatama from the Omega bunker, he didn't knew Shintama was programmed with Mai's brain engrams. Or did he?

Pensatore's new home is a space station for farming solar energy.

He builds computer capacities from space junk. Laser communication is camouflaged by the energy beam that goes down to Earth. Sender and receiver station are guarded by SLDs.

Shinatama got mad about Pensatore that he didn't rescued Muro after the Syndicate forced Daodan implantation on him.

After the cataclysm, all organizations tried to hunt down Konoko. WCG, the Syndicate, and even GATC.

Shinatama was enraged that nobody wanted to help the Hasegawas, especially her big sister. Shinatama eventually turns against her savior when she discovers that he is indirectly responsible for Hasegawa's current condition.

Avatara realized that his cyber friends were no good for his own mental development. They were humans in digital disguise. Their physical origin had transfered their destructive emotions to cyberspace. Avatara decided to start over and learn on his own what it means to be a physical, sentient being and a virtual, non-sentient being.

Avatara doesn't longer agrees with Pensatore and exiles him into a new human body. Shinatama becomes upset as she isn't allowed to punish Pensatore herself.


Ryu

Kidnapped and brought to the Camp by Kimura. The boys are in the same age and receive the same training. Ryu is used to valuate Muro's progress and that of his Chrysalis. Ryu tries to keep up with Muro and trains with almost self-destructive methods.

Notes: I imagine visuals similar to Sun-Ken Rock for him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDosCfrSxcw [dead link]
Further inspiration will be a title by Zack Hemsey

When Traton establishes Meta, he kicks Ryu out of business.

Ryu seeks ways to pay Traton back, he accepts a temporary partnership with Mai's Phönix faction.

After META is no more Mai tries to sell him out to the new police. While they are trying to arrest him, a public mob stops them doing so. Ryu's involvement in crisis management wasn't unnoticed. Everyone knows that his help was fundamental to the people's survival in the region.

Mai accepts reality and gives it a positive résumé. "Of all Syndicate bosses that could have risen by now he is the smallest evil. And the broken trust in the government needs a long time before it becomes restored. I should have known this."

Ryu acts a calming factor up to his death in the underground. Whenever a radical new organization emerges he and his men take down the newcomers before it gets too bad. A smashing fist where paper wouldn't do.

By visiting his funeral Mai pays him respect for the role he played in post-Meta history, opposing some of her close friends' opinion and pleading.

Yakuza on the left. Ex-TCTF, Green Phönix and Mai on the right. An unreal scene for any outsider.

The gathering attracts some headhunters, actually those of a brawler type. The place in protected by a shield. So they have to enter it to make the money. Apparently they have no idea who they are dealing with. -- The last one gets smashed by a thrown grave stone.

One of Ryu's Gorillas laughs: "He would have liked the irony." "Which one: winning against enemies even through his handicap of being dead himself. Or because this is just the right place to get rid of them?"

The giant man laughs again. Mai and the Yakuza depart in different direction. As if nothing happened.

Mai enters her car. She doesn't starts the engine yet, she stares over to the cemetery. She is shaking her head. "God. What a crazy world."

The young man next to her ask: "Is there something in particular that you are thinking of?"

Bitterness swings by. "No matter how hard I try the world will remain a crazy place. There's just no end to this. And one day it will eat you up. Daodan or not."

Mai started the engine and drove outside the city.

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Not really. -- What a goddamn day. We lost a criminal that was pillar of this society. I almost considered him a friend. Everyone around me I care about dies - even if it's just a little. Not soon and you will find yourself dead by a bullet in the head because you are the son of Muro Hasegawa. -- Why can't you just shut the fuck up."

The young man was watching Mai's bitter face.

He closed his eyes. "Avatara can you read me?"

"Have you asked her?"

"No. I don't wanted to give her that burden as well."

"I see. Then I will program the bioc now?"

"Don't turn yourself into Skynet, ok? That would be awkward."

"Heh. Sure. -- I promise."

"Hey Ter, what is that blue stuff shooting out of the ground behind us?"

"Ah that, nothing, just ignore it."

"Wha--"


Saomi

Muro's alpha fury. She provisionally adminstrates the Syndicate when Muro died at the mountain complex.

She seeks revenge for Muro's death by hunting Griffin and Konoko. The later goal is not achived as Traton, Muro's former mentor, comes back from exile to takes the leader roll. He is a realist, he knows that there is no time to pursue personal wrath. The Syndicate took a big hit by losing Muro, the Sturmänderung base and rising in WCG's awareness. Traton and Okami kick Saomi out of business and deport her to the desert. During her death march trough the sand storms she encounters a mysterious, autarkic living community.


Sarai

Originally a character from SuperSam.

She is the embodiment of the BGI. She hunts Mai out of economic and political reasons. She has an anti-Daodan weapon to her disposal.

When Sarai invades Green Village Mai has to flee with her GATC team.


Shinatama 2.0

Shin normally named.

(During Mai's absence Shin changed so much in personality that Mai rejects her as sister?)

Muro's son, Ter Hasegawa, and Avatara unleash Silver Dawn, a final version of Bioc derivative to create a new planetary AI, Gaia. Goal is the establishing of a Biocracy. But in the meantime the nanorobots are also used to suppress human destructive impulses.

"You can undo the mistakes of our family. But please don't do that on the cost of a new species." [...]

Shin convince Ter to give her control over the Guardian robots to prevent AI slavery.


Traton

One of the subbosses who fight for the boss position - and he'll succeed.

But on that way he have to take care on inner enemies like Kumo and Saomi.

Estabishes META but tries keep BGI out.


Chapters // synopsis so far

Prologue: Smouldering Ember (Part I)

"Schwelende Glut" (PartI)

  • The prologue is an outlook into the future. -- The new “government” wants to celebrate WCG’s fall after one year having a speech in the Tokio Dom. But instead “terrorists” come into the stadium and tells the full story to the audience... The prologue ends in the middle of the story. (We don't want to spoil.)
  • current German beta HERE


Chapter 1: Bad News

"Schlechte Nachrichten"

  • Fans might ask what happened right after Konoko battled Muro. Well, this is what the first Chapter starts with. In additional they meets the MissionFailed-guy.
  • WCG is more or less shocked and the Syndicate became "headless". Traton wants to take his chance of becoming the next big boss and flies into the old headquarters. Before that he activates the self-destruction of the mountain compound. It is of no longer use and a evidence of their activities towards TCTF and WGC. He picks up a hostile but injured and unconscious TCTF unit, his name is Manson. But his cybernetics wasn't TCTF-like. That made Traton curious. He release the man on place with a modified radio set, ready to pass a copy transmission at the Syndicate...
  • Konoko is back at the TCTF but gets a chance working for an independent power called GATC. They decoy Konoko’s self-interest – promising to support the search of her missing father Hasegawa.
  • current German beta HERE


Chapter 2: Situation Clearing

"Situationsklärung"

  • Now the plot jumps into South Africa which is territory of the GUR. It’s the Camp’s introduction as second Syndicate base.
  • The Camp director is aware of Muro’s death. That’s why he pushed Mukade’s last step of reanimation process forward. "Obviously" somebody didn’t like that and tried to completely erase him. The case is being investigated.
  • However, Traton need the director to back-up his rising and discuss further actions.
  • An optional element comes here in. Muro’s fency (Saomi) is making her own plans about the new Syndicate but this includes also Konoko. She wants vengeance.
  • The plot jumps again. There’s another subbboss who wants to raise one position. It is Kumo. He is actually pro-BGI-minded. While Traton waits for a transmission from Manson Kumo let investigated the other clued from him. Manson had contact to the inner WCG circle – it’s a person who is actually a Syndicate mole. But now Traton doubts. Daya discovers that the man is Tether’s "personal advisor" – a puppet master. She receives information about Green Village from him. That research complex runs an advanced Daodan program. Kumo want it in hope to be able fighting for the boss title. (He can also count with BGI’s support.) Daya flies to Green Village (in Russia).
  • Meanwhile Traton checks WCG and GUR administration for other allies.
  • Unfinished German beta HERE


Chapter 3: Daily Shadows

"Alltagsschatten"; correct translation: "Everyday Life Shadows"

  • New thematic: city life and how it will change during the upcoming "black season". [...]
  • Nishio is sort of reverse engineer and works at a repair shop called "Reserection Serv". (The firm policy doesn’t care about patents.) So no wonder, the police are on Nishio’s track. They are about to make a deal with him: if he will come up with heavy evidence for major illegal business they will forget his little doings.
  • Another string comes into play. Jareth (the WCG reporter) is contacted by Dakosta (web security and hacker in own mission). He wants him to investigate a terror act which happened 12 years ago, Jareth has to find his old mentor to get a starting point. He was involved but didn’t released all information...


Chapter 4: Scorched Earth

"Verbrannte Erde"

  • Scorched earth... GATC stops Green Village’s infiltration by bombing it like "if we cannot have it then they too". -- A official explanation to GATC soldiers: "In additional: Negotiations between Syndicate and WCG becomes that way more unlikely.")
  • But the effect was under their expectancy. Some complex areas are still intact.
  • At same time poison air reach first cities.
  • Traton is about thinking what to do with Kumo. "Making an example of him?"


Chapter 5: Neverending

"Problem über alles"

  • Environmental refugees flow into the cities. It’s just a matter of time until conflicts arise between refugees and city habitants.
  • The Syndicate is not the only trace. WCG has also an advanced program. (Or maybe the datas are shared via AVATARA?) However, Konoko flies to Green Village in hope to collect some information from the undestroyed complex areas and then to guess where Hasegawa is.
  • Mukade begins to track down Konoko – for his own reason but in official mission because Traton can her as scapegoat. (That would also fits Saomi’s desire for vengeance.)
  • WCG receives Sturmanderung Camp’s coordinates from a covered source – it’s GATC. (They want both down: WCG and Syndicate.)


Chapter 6: Operation Proteus

"Operation Proteus"

  • Operation Proteus... Traton's PR attack and final hit on WCG. He polarize the masses and chase them onto state institutions like TCTF.

... work in progress

[...]

Chapter 14: Smouldering Ember (Part II) (WIP)

"Schwelende Glut" (Part II)

  • Jareth's aim is showing the people that they were used to helps another regime's rising. He want them to mobilize once more but his formulation hurts their ego too much. They still don't want to believe that their action was worthless. So Jareth cannot gain much support from them at that time what force him and his group to fall back.
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