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==World Coalition Government== | ==World Coalition Government== | ||
===[[Quotes/Manual#MANIFESTO|Rebel manifesto]]=== | ===[[Quotes/Manual#MANIFESTO|Rebel manifesto]]=== | ||
:It's 2032 and the world ain't what it used to be. | :It's 2032 and the world ain't what it used to be. | ||
:We have one government where there used to be hundreds. Big brother is alive and well. | :We have one government where there used to be hundreds. Big brother is alive and well. | ||
:Things are pretty good in the big cities if you don't mind the fact that World Coalition Government tracks your every move. They claim they do it in the interest of the common good but it can make you feel insignificant and pretty damned helpless. No matter where you go | :Things are pretty good in the big cities if you don't mind the fact that World Coalition Government tracks your every move. They claim they do it in the interest of the common good but it can make you feel insignificant and pretty damned helpless. No matter where you go "they" are watching you. | ||
:In the cities most people have enough money to live quite well by the standards of the old world. An average family can afford a nice place to live, timeshare on a vehicle and a terminal that links them to the WorldNet. For most it's an acceptable payoff for a near total loss of privacy and systematic violations of our personal freedoms. | :In the cities most people have enough money to live quite well by the standards of the old world. An average family can afford a nice place to live, timeshare on a vehicle and a terminal that links them to the WorldNet. For most it's an acceptable payoff for a near total loss of privacy and systematic violations of our personal freedoms. | ||
:It's best not to think about life outside the cities. The powers that be would never admit it, but the air has gone bad. The forbidden zones they euphemistically call | :It's best not to think about life outside the cities. The powers that be would never admit it, but the air has gone bad. The forbidden zones they euphemistically call "Wilderness Preserves" are actually massive tracts of quarantined land. | ||
:The poor wretches who can't afford to live in the cities get as close to the atmosphere processors as they can and eke out a miserable (and dangerous) existence working on the reclamation teams who beat back the corrosive stain of the wilderness. | :The poor wretches who can't afford to live in the cities get as close to the atmosphere processors as they can and eke out a miserable (and dangerous) existence working on the reclamation teams who beat back the corrosive stain of the wilderness. | ||
:From time to time someone tries to improve public awareness of the ecological nightmare but World Coalition Government controls the media and silences them before any outcry can gain momentum. There is a growing awareness that something has gone horribly wrong and that something has to be done. | :From time to time someone tries to improve public awareness of the ecological nightmare but World Coalition Government controls the media and silences them before any outcry can gain momentum. There is a growing awareness that something has gone horribly wrong and that something has to be done. | ||
:Something has to give. It's only a matter of time | :Something has to give. It's only a matter of time | ||
===[[Quotes/Manual#THE_WORLD_COALITION_GOVERNMENT|Manual entry]]=== | ===[[Quotes/Manual#THE_WORLD_COALITION_GOVERNMENT|Manual entry]]=== | ||
:On January 12th, 2032 the newborn World Coalition Government annexed 80% of the countries of the world. The holdouts either reconsidered and signed treaties or were | :On January 12th, 2032 the newborn World Coalition Government annexed 80% of the countries of the world. The holdouts either reconsidered and signed treaties or were "dissolved" in a matter of months. | ||
:The leaders of the new regime gave us all kinds of rationalizations for their actions, ranging from endless border skirmishes between impoverished nations to environmental problems that they claimed could only be solved if all of the | :The leaders of the new regime gave us all kinds of rationalizations for their actions, ranging from endless border skirmishes between impoverished nations to environmental problems that they claimed could only be solved if all of the "citizens of earth" worked together. | ||
:If the truth were told, it was all about the money. | :If the truth were told, it was all about the money. | ||
:Years of boom markets and reckless spending finally took their toll, leaving small countries bankrupt and superpowers teetering on the brink of collapse. By uniting the economies of the world all of the old debt was erased and everyone got a clean slate. It was a real mess but at the time it seemed like the only way out. | :Years of boom markets and reckless spending finally took their toll, leaving small countries bankrupt and superpowers teetering on the brink of collapse. By uniting the economies of the world all of the old debt was erased and everyone got a clean slate. It was a real mess but at the time it seemed like the only way out. | ||
:At first World Coalition Government gave a lot of lip service to representing the annexed governments. There was even an advisory council modeled on the United Nations. As the representatives began to enjoy the benefits of a global marketplace they fell silent. In a matter of years all traces of the old governments faded away. It was an economic coup on an unprecedented scale. | :At first World Coalition Government gave a lot of lip service to representing the annexed governments. There was even an advisory council modeled on the United Nations. As the representatives began to enjoy the benefits of a global marketplace they fell silent. In a matter of years all traces of the old governments faded away. It was an economic coup on an unprecedented scale. | ||
:World Coalition Government accomplished most of what they promised. They created | :World Coalition Government accomplished most of what they promised. They created "peacekeeping forces" capable of putting down any infighting and they turned around the economy. | ||
:What they don't tell you is that the poor stayed poor and there are more of them than ever before. Sure, we have bright and beautiful cities but we pay for them by sacrificing our freedom and the well being of most of our population to the so-called | :What they don't tell you is that the poor stayed poor and there are more of them than ever before. Sure, we have bright and beautiful cities but we pay for them by sacrificing our freedom and the well being of most of our population to the so-called "greater good". | ||
:It is a golden age for the privileged. Their ivory towers are everything we hoped the future would be. | :It is a golden age for the privileged. Their ivory towers are everything we hoped the future would be. | ||
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:Biotech is to us what nukes were to our great grandparents - an emerging technology that scares the hell out of the ignorant. Everyone was terrified that some genetically engineered super virus would spread farther than its creators intended. Horror stories of weapons that made your bones melt and your eyes explode blinded the public to the less tangible threat of a totalitarian government. | :Biotech is to us what nukes were to our great grandparents - an emerging technology that scares the hell out of the ignorant. Everyone was terrified that some genetically engineered super virus would spread farther than its creators intended. Horror stories of weapons that made your bones melt and your eyes explode blinded the public to the less tangible threat of a totalitarian government. | ||
:Once the puppet masters behind the World Coalition Government had what they wanted they continued to exploit techno-phobia to keep them on top. They told us that abuse of technology was the enemy and that the Technology Crimes Task Force was our guardian. In the name of the common good they granted the TCTF blanket autority to investigate wherever and however they see fit. | :Once the puppet masters behind the World Coalition Government had what they wanted they continued to exploit techno-phobia to keep them on top. They told us that abuse of technology was the enemy and that the Technology Crimes Task Force was our guardian. In the name of the common good they granted the TCTF blanket autority to investigate wherever and however they see fit. | ||
:Sure, the TCTF does everything it is supposed to. They keep most of the | :Sure, the TCTF does everything it is supposed to. They keep most of the "cyber drugs" and illegal weapons off the streets but law enforcement is a smokescreen to excuse their actual purpose. | ||
:World Coalition Government uses the TCTF to control the evolution and distribution of new technologies. They suppress anything that could be used to undermine their authority. Their investigations are also used to violate the rights of anyone deemed | :World Coalition Government uses the TCTF to control the evolution and distribution of new technologies. They suppress anything that could be used to undermine their authority. Their investigations are also used to violate the rights of anyone deemed "dangerous" by World Coalition Government. | ||
:The real abuse of technology begins and ends with the government and its TCTF enforcers. | :The real abuse of technology begins and ends with the government and its TCTF enforcers. | ||
===[[Quotes/Consoles#History_of_the_Syndicate|History of the Syndicate]]=== | ===[[Quotes/Consoles#History_of_the_Syndicate|History of the Syndicate]]=== | ||
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====WCG and EU==== | ====WCG and EU==== | ||
The WCG looks like an extrapolation of the European Union entity at global scale. | The WCG looks like an extrapolation of the European Union entity at global scale. | ||
While its foreposts all around the world could be hosted in more or less regular diplomatic buildings and business centres, it's interesting to consider today's analogies in the | While its foreposts all around the world could be hosted in more or less regular diplomatic buildings and business centres, it's interesting to consider today's analogies in the "Old World", i.e. : | ||
*[http://www.eupedia.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/564 The EU quarter] in Brussels | *[http://www.eupedia.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/564 The EU quarter] in Brussels | ||
*[http://www.travelphotobase.com/s/FSTE.HTM European Parliament & | *[http://www.travelphotobase.com/s/FSTE.HTM European Parliament & Courts] in Strasbourg | ||
Personally, I like Strasbourg a lot better (been there, and actually spent a whole day at the old [http://multimedia.coe.int/coe/niveau3.pgi?TY=BG& | Personally, I like Strasbourg a lot better (been there, and actually spent a whole day at the old [http://multimedia.coe.int/coe/niveau3.pgi?TY=BG&ID=6&CH=404 Palais de l'Europe], which was hosting the plenar sessions of the European Parliament at the time). [[User:Geyser|geyser]] | ||
====Futuristic architecture==== | ====Futuristic architecture==== | ||
[[wikipedia:Antonio Sant'Elia|Antonio Sant'Elia]] was a Milanese architect responsible for the [http://www.unknown.nu/futurism/architecture.html Manifest of Futurist Architecture] and a [http://web.tiscali.it/antonio_santelia/galleria.htm collection of sketches] such as [http://web.tiscali.it/antonio_santelia/galleria/093.htm this one]. First cited (without being named ^_^) in the Oni context by [[User:Guido|Guido]], along with [[wikipedia:Frank Lloyd Wright|Frank Lloyd Wright]]. | [[wikipedia:Antonio Sant'Elia|Antonio Sant'Elia]] was a Milanese architect responsible for the [http://www.unknown.nu/futurism/architecture.html Manifest of Futurist Architecture] and a [http://web.tiscali.it/antonio_santelia/galleria.htm collection of sketches] such as [http://web.tiscali.it/antonio_santelia/galleria/093.htm this one]. First cited (without being named ^_^) in the Oni context by [[User:Guido|Guido]], along with [[wikipedia:Frank Lloyd Wright|Frank Lloyd Wright]]. | ||
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===Daodan and the WCG=== | ===Daodan and the WCG=== | ||
====Early on==== | ====Early on==== | ||
[[Hasegawa]] and [[Kerr]] | [[Hasegawa]] and [[Kerr]] "couldn't get backup from any legitimate source" for their Daodan experimentation, and the reason is : a hyperevolutive upgrade of individuals is more than likely to undermine the authority of an organism such as the WCG. | ||
With the [[Syndicate]], Hasegawa and Kerr expected to be funded on the sole basis of their renegade status, and to get away with little or no monitoring of their activity (not to mention ethical issues, which never apply anyway for Syndicate science : the more unethical, the more illegal, the better). | With the [[Syndicate]], Hasegawa and Kerr expected to be funded on the sole basis of their renegade status, and to get away with little or no monitoring of their activity (not to mention ethical issues, which never apply anyway for Syndicate science : the more unethical, the more illegal, the better). | ||
At the WCG, the situation is quite different : WCG will want to assume full intellectual control of the project right from the start. New technology has to be certified (by experts or committees) as serving the WCG and, more importantly, | At the WCG, the situation is quite different : WCG will want to assume full intellectual control of the project right from the start. New technology has to be certified (by experts or committees) as serving the WCG and, more importantly, "harmless" i.e. unlikely to undermine the WCG's authority in any foreseeable future. | ||
Hyperevolution of Man sounds cool, but apart from being unethical (which the WCG can live with) it's [[Daodan#Loss of control|uncontrollable by design]], which will be a major concern to an entity mainly preoccupied with its long-term stability. | Hyperevolution of Man sounds cool, but apart from being unethical (which the WCG can live with) it's [[Daodan#Loss of control|uncontrollable by design]], which will be a major concern to an entity mainly preoccupied with its long-term stability. | ||
Hasegawa may try as he can to present hyperevolution as | Hasegawa may try as he can to present hyperevolution as "just a resilience patch", primarily aimed to deal with the toxic atmosphere. Inevitably, hyperevolution will come to mean "supersoldier" or "superman" to ''anyone'', expert or no expert, Syndicate or WCG. | ||
Both entities have reasons to reject the project because of how it breaks the balance, but the WCG, with their | Both entities have reasons to reject the project because of how it breaks the balance, but the WCG, with their "Big Brother" approach, seem much more likely to make a detailed and objective analysis of the project and its perspectives. They seemed a lot harder to ''fool'' than the Syndicate, too. | ||
That's more or less why Hasegawa and Kerr didn't get/seek WCG support for the Daodan project. Another reason is that Hasegawa had already become a dissident through the episode of Jamie's death. He had ''de facto'' become a renegade scientist by trespassing the contaminated area around an [[ACC]]. | That's more or less why Hasegawa and Kerr didn't get/seek WCG support for the Daodan project. Another reason is that Hasegawa had already become a dissident through the episode of Jamie's death. He had ''de facto'' become a renegade scientist by trespassing the contaminated area around an [[ACC]]. | ||
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Also, the Daodan project is aimed to deal with the pollution, and actually ''calls for an acknowledgement'' (by the WCG) of the dramatic scales taken on by ecological issues. At the time of the events, the WCG would probably have regarded such action as out of proportion with the actual problem, and highly inconsistent with what their policy had been until then. Offensive, almost. | Also, the Daodan project is aimed to deal with the pollution, and actually ''calls for an acknowledgement'' (by the WCG) of the dramatic scales taken on by ecological issues. At the time of the events, the WCG would probably have regarded such action as out of proportion with the actual problem, and highly inconsistent with what their policy had been until then. Offensive, almost. | ||
Oni's material, however, mentions a [[Quotes/Consoles#BioCrisis|BioCrisis Subcommittee]], suggesting that the episode of Jamie's death ''has'' triggered official action from the WCG : action at the WCG's own pace, and unrelated to Hasegawa's | Oni's material, however, mentions a [[Quotes/Consoles#BioCrisis|BioCrisis Subcommittee]], suggesting that the episode of Jamie's death ''has'' triggered official action from the WCG : action at the WCG's own pace, and unrelated to Hasegawa's "resilience patch" whatsoever. | ||
====After Hasegawa==== | ====After Hasegawa==== | ||
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Actually, Griffin is being considered for investigation by the ''TCTF'''s Directorate, so the topic is closer to [[Griffin]] or the [[TCTF]]. | Actually, Griffin is being considered for investigation by the ''TCTF'''s Directorate, so the topic is closer to [[Griffin]] or the [[TCTF]]. | ||
At a first glance, the reason of the Directorate's concern is Griffin's | At a first glance, the reason of the Directorate's concern is Griffin's "the end justifies the means" attitude. On the whole, there's nothing there but common sense : at first sight, at least. | ||
It's interesting to see this note as specifically addressing [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, which is unethical and irresponsible (because of the possible | It's interesting to see this note as specifically addressing [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, which is unethical and irresponsible (because of the possible "loss of control" over a human weapon). In a way, the WCG ''knows what's good for it'' | ||
No matter what benefit the corporate elite could withdraw from the Daodan, the fact that hyperevolved humans ''can'' break the corporate balance and undermine the WCG's authority is dissuasive enough. Safety first, and hyperevolution means ''violent change'' : ''not'' safe enough. | No matter what benefit the corporate elite could withdraw from the Daodan, the fact that hyperevolved humans ''can'' break the corporate balance and undermine the WCG's authority is dissuasive enough. Safety first, and hyperevolution means ''violent change'' : ''not'' safe enough. | ||
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Actually, it would seem that Griffin has higher morals than the WCG, caring for the long-term safety of Mankind rather than the stability of the corporate state. His main mistake is to take the control of the Daodan entity for granted. That's where his approach is ''irresponsible'' rather than just unethical, and makes it prone to criticism by the WCG... or us ^^ | Actually, it would seem that Griffin has higher morals than the WCG, caring for the long-term safety of Mankind rather than the stability of the corporate state. His main mistake is to take the control of the Daodan entity for granted. That's where his approach is ''irresponsible'' rather than just unethical, and makes it prone to criticism by the WCG... or us ^^ | ||
====After the Cataclysm==== | ====After the Cataclysm==== | ||
If I was the WCG, I'd just ''nuke'' Mai and Muro and any Daodan I could get. That's the | If I was the WCG, I'd just ''nuke'' Mai and Muro and any Daodan I could get. That's the "due procedure" Griffin tried to apply, too late, when he blew up [[Shinatama]] in {{C8}}. As the "rogue" Konoko fights for her life towards the end of the game, the official, ''responsible'' point of view is made increasingly clear : | ||
:We must hope that Konoko was destroyed when she fell into the biomatter disposal vats. If not then she may be even closer to her final evolutionary stage: what form that might take, and what the presence of such a creature might portend for humanity we cannot know. | :We must hope that Konoko was destroyed when she fell into the biomatter disposal vats. If not then she may be even closer to her final evolutionary stage: what form that might take, and what the presence of such a creature might portend for humanity we cannot know. | ||
Technically, the Daodan symbiotes are not considered as human beings, and constitute a major (potential, and somewhat effective) threat to Mankind (not to mention the WCG's stability). Destroying the symbiotes ''is'' the | Technically, the Daodan symbiotes are not considered as human beings, and constitute a major (potential, and somewhat effective) threat to Mankind (not to mention the WCG's stability). Destroying the symbiotes ''is'' the "due procedure". | ||
As for the forms it might take : the WCG will have much to deal with in the wake of the Cataclysm. For one thing, the | As for the forms it might take : the WCG will have much to deal with in the wake of the Cataclysm. For one thing, the "remnants" of the Syndicate (beheaded, but still strong and well-prepared to worldwide pollution). Just ''how'' the WCG can be expected to "deal" with the Syndicate... that's [[Oni2:META|another story]]. | ||
As for the symbiotes, it's much easier for the WCG to | As for the symbiotes, it's much easier for the WCG to "pin" the Cataclysm on them (except they ''really'' did it : Muro and Mai, and originally Hasegawa). If the mob turns against the Daodan (and it's quite likely that they will), that's one problem solved already. And the nicest bit is that it ''is'' ethical. | ||