Oni2 talk:Silver Dawn
(Not really thought this out, rather free writing.)
Summary
META, a cooperation of the most important political, financial and economic forces, was the requirement to save those parts of the old world that weren't destroyed during the cataclysm. The Daodan as a live-prolonging, independent-making technology stands in Tratons way of ensuring total control. Meanwhile the losers of this coup get together plotting against that new planetary power. Konoko and Ryu eventually team up after Griffin confirms Traton's source of influence is puppet master tech. Traton plans to enhance every human thereby gaining possibility to influence all those. (reading and altering memories, brain-washing)
Everyone, who is a "meta", is going to be excluded from a search-and-destroy bioc pattern meant to kill all Daodan hosts.
Traton: "Pandora and the production of those SLDs was just a distraction. While they [Mai und Co.] are busy counteracting that we worked on the smallest scale... While they are good in fighting us man vs. man, they can't fight nanorobots with bullets nor fists."
Avatara takes action to prevent that mass-murder, recycling Traton's infrastructure and establish mind-seals. The AI agrees on Kimura's wish to give Japan back some independence, Kimura is blind to see that this status is by now just virtual. And as cost the country becomes a home for Daodan hosts. Those are also affected by Avatar's peacekeeping measures. After Shinatama breaking that system, some Daodan ascend to even more powerful beings and are called monsters, oni, kami and by other names from folklore. Humans under the restriction of mind seals can't understand hightechs anymore and thus name it magic.
Details about scene "Combat training with Phönix"
Mai received information from Kimura that Syndicate groups defying Traton hold a meeting in a certain building with no windows. There are dozen of levels Mai needs to pass in order to get to the former Syndicate hackers on the top level. The building serves two purposes: firstly it's meant to train Mai back to old strength and beyond as she was heavily wounded after the incidences of Green Village and secondly it's a test to prove the syndicate hackers that Mai is still the best fighter out there when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Each level is filled with different people possessing martial art skills (karate, jujutsu, etc.)
Incognito, Kimura to Mai: "Killing is not an option. Most of these combatants here don't have a Daodan and may be scum but even those have families. This is a diplomatic mission so to speak. We need Phönix. Remember that."
When Mai reached the top level Griffin stepped in and told her that there are no hackers and that he sided with some Syndicate guys "to do necessary work". They where all tricked into this place by Kimura. Mai: "I totally can imagine how that shady bastard is grinning at us right now."
The fight attracted Pandora to the scene (take other name?), META's Daodan hunter. Mai proved powerful enough to fight back this prototype which demonstrated her value to Phönix. Together they escaped and Ryu agreed on cooperation. In the following they tried to find out what Traton was up to, how to defend, and how to eventually stop him.
Details about Shinatama
Kimura tried to negotiate with BGI so they would act in Phönix favor. However, that was not enough.
Shinatama turned to the old Syndicate elite hackers (Comguys) in order to help Mai.
She told them of Avatara and the ongoing developments: Traton's meta program and Avatara's counter measures, the mind seal.
The Comguys disliked Avatara's idea of "human inclusion in a world full of AIs", fearing that all human will become mere puppets. They lure Shinatama into a trap and use their newly gained resources to reprogram her, making her believe that Avatara actually wants to enslave SLDs. They think that Shinatama will more likely fight Avatara if the victims are of her own kind.
Avatara is unable to persuade Shinatama of his plans. The comguys make sure he is only talking to proxies of Shinatama, altering the information she receives.
Eventually Avatara realized that he was not talking to the real Shinatama and destroyed the proxies. At that time he had to make a lethal choice: he prepared computer resources for the awaking of a new AI, Gaia. Shinatama tries to replace that AI. One of Avatara bodies has no other choice than to destroy Shinatama last physical brain and stop her upload that way.