Oni2:Truth Number Zero

Just a sorta summary of the consensual added value so far by Guido and myself.

General notes

First off, Oni's universe is very probably set in an alternate history:

close to ours, but with a bifurcation somewhere around 2001.

Hence geopolitical and technological shortcomings are irrelevant.

Phases and entities

Pre-Daodan

The WCG was formally established well over a decade before the events of Oni, although de facto it had existed on local to near-global scales long before that.

(in the modern geopolitical landscape, think of the US-centered "globalization" or, on the other hand, the self-organization of Asian countries and federations)

Entities like BGI and the Network probably emerged as "monopolies" at roughly the same time, although they too were probably de facto established aforehand.

1. BGI is basically an extrapolation of today's Mittal: a monopoly in the domain of heavy and not-so-heavy industries, with shares in neighboring fields)
2. As for the Network, it is clear that it emerged in response to the unified regulation of technological crime, i.e., certainly after the proclamation of the WCG.

After a minor "arms race", the WCG's TCTF and the Network quickly reached a cops-and-criminals homeostasis:

• On one hand, consistent regulation of technology made tech crime a lucrative, versatile, steady business.
• On the other, the emergence of a global, paramilitary criminal network justified the "Big Brother" abuse.

At this point, the Network/Syndicate probably had a hierarchy not unlike a multinational corporation, with board meetings, strict rules etc. Law within the outlaw.

Conflicts and segregationism within the Syndicate were resolved by means of a centralized executive power and zero tolerance towards disruptive elements.

Thus the purpose of the centralized paramilitary force was also to ensure the cohesion of the Syndicate as a whole. "Don't f##k with the Council. Or else."

A equally important role was attributed to assassins. The multiply redundant Council could easily have an offending element terminated, but not vice-versa.

Ironically, WCG also resorted to the services of these same assassins (among other methods) whenever it was necessary to override the system's rigidity.

Another such twofold entity was BGI: a well-established industry that also happened to be the infrastructural/logistical backbone of the Syndicate.

There may have been a tight connection between these three entities: BGI, AVATARA and the pre-Daodan assassins (ninja/yakuza/whatever).

Daodan

First, there was a renegade assassin (Mukade). He was an expert hacker and fighter, one of the best. He had access to AVATARA and a connection to BGI.

As an idealist, he was upset by the course taken by the WCG-Syndicate "struggle" (mainly, the "arrested development" of society and the ecological breakdown).

So, he distanced himself from both the WCG and the Syndicate, well-prepared to deal with the consequences (e.g., to fight "fellow assassins" sent after him).

Rather than becoming a hermit, it is possible that he already considered an entreprise similar to the Fight Club (more on that concept later, elsewhere).

The exact genesis of the Daodan project is still unclear, as are the actual circumstances of the death of Jamie Hasegawa. Basically, Hasegawa met Mukade.

Hasegawa wanted to do something about the "dead end" apparently faced by the world at that time (a possible revelation thereof being the loss of Jamie).

Mukade shared those ideals, but had a more complete background and the practical knowledge that Hasegawa lacked (e.g., lots of insider information).

Conversely, Hasegawa (a biologist) had the means/idea/motivation to create the extraordinary entity that would break every balance: the Daodan.

Mukade provided Hasegawa with more or less basic hints on how to infiltrate/contaminate/alienate the Syndicate by means of the Daodan project.

Basically, plan A is that Muro (and/or Mai), a Universal Soldier prototype, escapes the control of the Council and achieves the improbable coup.

Plan B is that Hasegawa is himself a Daodan (secretly from everyone including Kerr). Hasegawa also inherits Mukade's brain engrams.

Of course, Hasegawa can't conceal plan B forever, and especially not from Muro. But that's another story...

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During Oni

"The real Mukade" (AKA the Old Man) is mostly out of sight. Either idle or getting along with the Fight Club (AKA Phoenix) in the wasteland.

Either way, he does not interfere with what he has started: Muro's New Deal at the Syndicate, Mai being raised at the TCTF as insurance.

Mai's story at the TCTF is pretty straightforward since she's part of a mostly conservative system (however, Griffin is notably overzealous).

Muro progressively repurposes the Syndicate, away from the network of organized tech crime and towards a megalomaniac terrorist group.

Muro's Syndicate (which BTW no longer refers to itself that way) gradually drops secondary developments and focuses on STURMANDERUNG.

Apart from petty crime, projects like Deadly Brains or Bertram Navarre's experiments become redundant as STURMANDERUNG draws nigh.

The WCG is aware of this loss of balance, but tries its best to conceal the radical, "pointless" alienation of the Syndicate.

It continues to stage/fake small-scale operations against the supposed bottom of the chain (smugglers, drug dealers, etc).

This effectively maintains the illusion that Muro's Strikers, although apparented to terrorists, are still "in the business".

Actually, though, the only remnant of the old-school Syndicate at the time of Oni is BGI and its child companies (Musashi etc).

BGI is not interested in the loss of balance any more than the WCG, and will take action against Muro at the first opportunity...

And there's Hasegawa. Aided by the Daodan and Mukade's engrams he has been progressively making BGI redundant to Muro.

Muro achieves control primarily through a constant reshuffling of the hierarchy throughout the network.

(this is the way it works for today's terrorist networks and for the Fight Club, with or without a leader)

Further enforcement is provided by the Ninja: a network of androids patterned after Mukade/Hasegawa.

Hasegawa surrounds himself with a few expert hackers/killers: supposed candidates for Daodan implantation.

Apart from the Daodan project, Mukade & Friends develops leading-edge technology (WMC, Mukade's gadgets)

This emerging technocracy, and the Ninja corps, leaves BGI with a secondary status and no guarantee of stability.

(not to mention STURMANDERUNG, of course, which is an ultimatum to common sense, and the triumph of anarchy)

Another aspect of Hasegawa's activity is that STURMANDERUNG is actually not what Muro and the Strikers think it is.

More, later...

After Oni

More, much later...