Thread #6374043
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Your name is Terian Choke and you are an Urgi. You were stationed as a petty technical officer on the planet of Newroost by the Accord government, which is completely fine by you. You have very little interest in being a military engineer working on the front line against the machine collective or dealing with renegade Redwing regiments out in some cold space colony; instead having the job to secure territory and maintain bases in the blue zone of your species new homeworld. This is also, completely fine. What is not fine is that the bird you bet on to win on is losing all of his events.
”Swim damn you! Swim you sorry excuse for a bird!”
In the Consortium, every type of competitive event is open to sports betting. You may be halfway across the galaxy; but your credits are just as good here or there. Zaloon racing is supposed to be the best type of sport to bet; since the racers are too stupid to take bribes or get disqualified for cheating. They just take whatever performance enhancing drug cocktail their handlers make for them; which is all public information. Perhaps you should have studied biochemistry more if you wanted even more of an edge.
”GO ORANGE!”
He overtakes Blue, then Orange and Red come up close behind. They close their armor plates together and squeeze the water out of the interim space; the diving section of the race is next. You know your racer is going to reach the base of the river first with his own body's divebell technique. Unless...
”No! NO!”
He stops to take in breath, giving critical seconds for the other racers to make it to the dive site. He overshoots his oxygen he'll need, as two other racers rapidly dive to the finish at the base of the river.
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”Grahh! RETARDED- Wait... Third... Green first, red second, race to dive... Hold on! Isn't the race from three days ago? Where's the live feed!?”
The only other person present out the outpost who has been quietly enduring your outbursts speak. “No live signals. Esaal autonomous weapons may activate from them. We can't access any networks until the base commander is back and okays it.”
”That's stupid.”
“Blue Zone protocal.”
Dole stands watch along with you at the top of the lookout tower. He's junior security; so the rest of the base dumped him on you since one armed security is required to be at base at all times. Waiting for everyone to return from a routine patrol; the Casliaan hasn't taken his eyes off the horizon. It irritates you that he's taking it so serious. You outrank him in the Accord's hierarchy anyway. Casliaans tend to be of lower rank regardless of role; but he's just dumb muscle with a gun.
”I got money on this race. Did you unplug the upload dish manually? Or is the AI just keeping it off right now?”
Dole, still not turning his head, grunts. “...we aren't supposed to do that until we get permission.”
”I asked you a question.”
“...Well looks like it will have to wait, because I think the captain is back!”
You grumble, turning off your prerecorded broadcast masquerading as something useful and head down the long stairs with Dole to ground level. No elevator because, of course, could be comprimised. No AI hookups to any manual systems either, of course. Not a single comfort or conveniance in sight. You hop down much faster then him multiple steps at a time, your hollow bones making you light enough to practically jump down flights without fear of injury while he clutches the guardrails and carefully as to not fall. Heh, Stomper.
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You will complain about the conditions, but you were told it is for an important cause. This is about clearing what could one day be your race's new jewel, the homeworld of your whole species. Something about Newroost; which is its new, non-Aristocrat name; is special. While not yet advertised to the rest of the galaxy; this planet's lower then average gravity, weather conditions, and temperature fluxuations in some parts of it allow for unaided Urgi flight. No jetpacks, no gravity devices, no augmentations; just spread your wings and fly! It sounds too good to be true... which is why you think it's at least a little bit propaganda. To your species, this planet is a holy place.
The Urgi are a spacefairing species. For countless generations you have existed on spaceships, not planets, with life-support and gravity systems meant to emulate your true homeworld; a place where flight was ubiqitous. For one reason or another, its exact location was kept a secret. Simply put, very few species who evolve flight also develop intelligence, and it was commonly thought such worlds which allowed creatures with large, heavy brains to also fly would be very rare and special indeed. But the secret was kept too well; because eventually the Urgi lost the coordinates to where it was. This left you as a species without a place to call home; only able to live on heavy worlds that your frail, flightless bodies were ill-suited for. Genetic drift and isolation in artifical enviorments would lead to dysgenic effects on your evolution; an organism with no natural pressures or selection becomes weak. Extinction was the trajectory and eventual fate of your species.
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But this planet, a mere leftover from a war between two much larger space powers who didn't even care enough about it to occupy it again, could become the new seat of power and hope for the Urgi's future. But it isn't perfect; damage from serious bombing and leftover weapons from the war were left like trash across its surface, and many more lay in wait in secret bunkers and silos, or hidden in the depths of food-webs and biofilms on rivers and ponds. Uncountable dangers. Weaponized pollution.
There's no telling if its condition will improve even with the concentrated effort of your new government; underfunded and lacking in experience. So here you are, in the blue zone, having to patrol and test and check and survey and act as bait for any decade-long planned ambushes by whatever horrible machine or hibernating creature was left in wait for an invader long since lost interest. Does management have any idea how difficult it is to actual confirm a blue zone can be cleared and marked as a green zone? How cost-prohibitve it is? Yes you can survive on the surface, visible structures are not attacked, radiation within tolerance levels, and no known infestations or plagues are present in the area or its wildlife. But how are you going to confirm it's safe for habitation by general citizens? You're going to be stuck in this assignment forever, aren't you?
But maybe it's worth it, for a good cause?
>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your people
>As long as the money and privlidges are good
>No, it's not worth it
>No, it's not worth it for YOU
>Fuck this shitty planet; the Accord should go find your Homeworld!
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>>6374047
>As long as the money and privlidges are good
There's worse things than having a do nothing job.
Also, we're back! I've been waiting a long time to get to pick the candidates since we didn't last thread and that really bothered my OCDtismo.Kinda sad I didn't get my guess about the candidate right though
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>>6374047
>Yes, it's worth it for a possible homeland for your people
It's either this, or nothing. If the Urgi managed to lose their previous planet because they were too obsessed over hiding it, we might as well start from scratch.
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Quick reminder; this thread may have important or contentious future votes where 1-Post IDs may not be counted. Make sure to stake a multi-post ID or get a secure tripcode to ensure your vote is counted.
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You and Dole await at the gate. With the incoming patrol returning home, you turn off the motion-activated defense turrets and open the reinforced door. You look over at Dole and scowl when you see how happy he seems to be that his superiors are returning. What, does he get off serving them? He should know they'll give both of you extra work when they get back. Middle manager types...
But then again, maybe some work is alright. You think that this position, this work, even being on the bottom of some totem-pole in your new nation is still a good thing given your species chance to finally have a true Homeworld again. The place where the Urgi can spread their wings... but under the rule of the Accord. Not even a generation ago you would have been on a spaceship able to do as you please and go as you wanted, but now, things are different. It's a trade off, you suppose. You've never considered yourself especially patriotic, but if one day this planet could be a safe and healthy homeworld for the Urgi... maybe it's worth it. You stick up your chest and prepare to salute your superiors even if it hurts your pride just a bit, until you get a distinct feeling something is wrong. Nobody is talking, and the way the patrol shuffles seems like they're exhausted or wounded, despite having only been out for a few days. Dole's smile fades as the foremost one of the returning group finally comes into clear view, the security head, who raises a hand creakily.
“Stay... Back...” He moans.
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You've never seen someone infested with the worms in person like this; it's even worse then you thought. The worms, Kuku worms, are a bioweapon directly created by the Aristocrats. You see them wriggling beneath their flesh; the holes open in their skin where the worms burrow in or release fluid, filled with microscopic eggs. They can live anywhere; hiding under logs or stones or in mud, just waiting for the flesh of a large-bodied creature to get within striking distance. Once inside the host; they create more eggs and start eating its host from the inside out, before seeking to aggressively spread them to the next victim. The entire group is infested with them; out in the field and unable to communicate or have the worms medically removed before it was too late.
But the reason the parasite is so feared, and so aggressive to be used as a weapon, is because it hijaks the body and mind of its host, slowly turning them into a zombie capable of spreading this infection. This group of worm-zombies even sent out the captain to the front, the least turned, likely so you'd get closer. The rest are no longer even visiably alive. They shuffle towards the open door with newfound speed.
”AHHH! THEY'RE RIDDEN!”
You flap your wings up and panic, running from the doorway in a hurry. Dole raises up his gun, but hesitates.
“My... My friends...”
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You're not going to become worm food because of this total idiot. You run to the defense system manual control; but look up in dismay. It's too high for you to reach. You turn towards the entrance again, seeing Dole standing there slackjawed as the infectious zombies get closer.
”DOLE! SHOOT THEM! IDIOT!”
Why is he just standing there!?
You turn to the defense control again. You reach up with your wing tip, unable to get any kind of grip with your long feathers. Dammit! This switch was designed for a Casliaan; or somebody with a better upper body strength! Urgi use their talons for manipulation. Who put this here!? You jump up and flap your wings trying to reach the lever with a jump, but you aren't able to pull it down.
”DOLE!!!”
The zombified Urgi and Casliaans get closer; one you see absolutely bloated with worms. She waddles closer and lurches back, releasing a spray of vomit; spreading its infection.
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The infected people have already broken the quarantine of the base; the vomit sprays into your water supply, air-vent system, into the ground and wriggling into the cracks. This place is already totally comprimised now; any one of those worms could be laying in wait for weeks or months to wriggle into someone sleeping. One worm isn't impossible to recover from, but getting exposed to that much at once... there's no going back.
Seeing this; Dole finally snaps into action, firing his shotgun's purification rounds into the nearest zombie, but he does so with remorse.
“B-Back! Back exit! Run! I'll cover you!” He says, firing and blasting apart another zombified ex-team member. You take this opportunity to make your way towards the other entrance; through the living quarters. There, you briefly stop at the storeroom. It's not safe here anymore; parasitic worms will be in the vents, the pipes, everywhere... and you know they like to hide in food stores. But there's no way one could wriggle all the way through the ventaliation shaft and through the filters here already, right? You have to abandon the base, there's no other option for you, but while grabbing what few supplies you can carry, you look over a small collection of useful tools you might be able to take with you. Most aren't exactly Urgi-sized, but you could drag one out before you leave the base. Which one do you take?
>Short Range Transmitter
>Atmospheric Surveyor + Weather Predictor
>Defoliant Grenades + Pesticide Chem Kit
>Medbag
>Entertainment Tablet w/ Preloaded Programs
>Portable Latrine
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>>6374047
>Fuck this shitty planet; the Accord should go find your Homeworld!
I know it doesn’t matter now, but it’s too funny to not vote for retroactively.
>>6374547
>Entertainment Tablet w/ Preloaded Programs
This is not survival advice, it’s just Pure Cinema.
>>6374223
>embrace AI slop
>not a picture worth posting the neuron activation monke meme
Why have you failed us, Triforce AI….
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>>6374547
>Short Range Transmitter
We were deliberately here as 'bait for any decade-long planned ambushes by whatever horrible machine or hibernating creature was left in wait for an invader', and that hibernating creature appears to have taken the bait. So let's tug on the line as loudly as we can, and get the whole lot netted up and reeled in.
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No update at this time today; we'll continue as soon as possible.
In the meantime; who is your favorite "bad" Monke character?
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>>6375088
Man, that's another day I stay up late to see the candidate vote and post my point before everyone else gets it in their mind to do something and it doesn't happen.
As for your question, worms are the most interesting villains so far.
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>>6375088
If Kima counts as "bad," then I would say her. Helper was a really fun mystery, too. The Aanel are great as a concept, but it's been a while since we tangled directly with them, and they often feel less personal. Eoba II's worm-deging duel was peak kino, though.
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>>6375299
I'd consider her choice of Wrix short-sighted and impulsive, but neither she nor we knew anything about Wrix at the time, and it was our votes which turned him genocidal. Even then, the only reason voters cared (or in-universe Hegemonic history reviled him) was that he wiped the popular aliens and tortured The Yellow Fellow to death, none of which was predicted by us or could have been predicted by Kima at the time.
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>>6375379
While I'm not a fan of Kima, the Hegemony works under Klingon laws where killing your superior to get their job is apparently perfectly fine to the point there's an entire dress code for people who do so.
>>6375382
Some might argue that handing absolute control of an totalitarian dictatorship to some random dude means you're accountable for what he does, but i guess it could be called extreme negligence rather than malice.
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You grab the transmitter and hop towards the exit door. Dole has already backed up to there, blasting apart one more of the Ridden, before you open the hermetically sealed door and step outside. You shut the doors behind you. While the base is compromised now, this sealed exit will give you some time outside and prevent the Ridden from chasing you here. You breathe heavy as Dole reloads his gun.
"How many rounds you got left? Is it enough to purify the outpost?"
He shakes his head. "No, we aren't staying to sanitize the base. That requires a professional team. We need to move."
You prepare to argue, but you realize he's right. If one worm slithered into you you'd be able to survive it, but two or three could start controlling your body against your will; and imagine if one just waited in the barracks for you to fall asleep... The base is a lost cause now; you're stuck out here.
"I brought a transmitter; we can signal for evacuation."
"No good; it's too short range and the signal won't cross over the mountains. Besides, I forbid you from using the transmitter. It could activate a Esaal weapon."
"Forbid... I outrank you, idiot! This is your fault! Why didn't you shoot them as soon as they were identified as infected!? Isn't that your job?!"
"Why didn't you reactivate the security system, or close the main doors when infectious material was identified then?! It's your fault!"
"I couldn't reach the handle."
"That's a maintenance issue! Why couldn't you predict and prepare for that eventuality if you're so smart?"
"Stomper!"
"Bird-brain!"
Dole slings his gun back over his shoulder and looks outwards, before beginning to walk.
"W-Where are you going?"
"I have to report to headquarters. They won't send a rescue team here to avoid breaking quarantine unless the base signals back; and it can't now. Someone has to inform them directly."
"...You mean, walk to HQ? The only way there is through the red zone! Dole? DOLE!"
You hop after him.
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Your name is now Halam Anak, and you are the Supreme Ruler of the Hegemony. It is Year 203 of the Resurrection Era.
Underneath your guidance, the Hegemony rapidly took the advantage left behind from the previous Supreme Ruler, your father, and used it to gain a great strategic advantage in your part of galactic space. Beyond advancing technology and the eugenic quality of your population with your gene-program; you also successfully managed to manipulate the Urgi's formation into a proper nation state into a closely-aligned ideological clone of your own, humiliate the Aristocrats; a major faction in your section of space; and even found the first ever Academy of Starsight. You are also very personally accomplished in dueling, having many lovers, and even punishing disobedient rebels; though that one was once your best friend. Most Supreme Rulers rule for their entire lives and given your age, under any other circumstances you would be able to add many more great accomplishments to this record. Unfortunately, that is not what is going to happen to you.https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6266528/
Once diagnosed with the Geriatric Protien Collapse; your death-date was already set. The incurable illness is what already takes the lives of almost-all Jaxtians; though rarely from the disease itself, as self termination is the best treatment option to prevent the immense pain and slow decline of the disease. It's a normal part of the aging process, and a well accepted drawback of your race's ever-onwards quest for biological immortality and life extension. Unfortunately, yours came a bit early.
For the past few months, you've isolated yourself from your people. They know you are sick, but the extent and exact disease has not bee publically released. Simply put, there is no reason for the Hegemony to know of their leader's death long in advance. It is an unusual case, to be sure, though they will know of it once you've chosen your successor. It is not common for people to live through more then one Supreme Ruler sucession in their lifetime... Hopefully your successor will be a bit luckier then you. You're feeling pretty unlucky yourself. Maybe the unluckiest guy in the world.
But are you really?
>Yes, you have been afflicted by too cruel a fate
>It's your fault, so maybe you could have prevented this
>No, this is just the way things are
>Other (Write-In)
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>>6375524
>No, this is just the way things are
He is the first Supreme in this quest not to get murdered on the job so he should just look at it with pride.
Also, candidates soon..what are you anond hoping for this time around?
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Man, poor colonists. If I had known Monke Quest was back earlier, I would voted to take the pesticide. Looks like they are gonna need it.
>Write in: This could have been prevented. This should have been dealt with long ago.
The Hegemony's ultimate quest to stop entropy includes the essencial step of longevity for its people. Let us set up a project to fix the genetic degeration and train our successor into carrying it to completion.
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>>6375524
>No, this is just the way things are
He'd be upset but no one is safe from GPC, not even the Supreme. Honestly Halam will go down as a pretty solid supreme despite his early onset GPC and streak for breaking traditions, most of them werent negative changes per say either
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>>6375524
>No; I have lived my life as a Supreme of the Jaxtian people; an honour only afforded to scant few. Perhaps once I have picked my successor I should let my death, too, have meaning; and allow our scientists full remit to monitor my decline and experiment to see if this curse might be lifted from future generations.
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>>6375599
>Write in: This could have been prevented. This should have been dealt with long ago.
support it is the motivation to drives our society and the only drive that does not lead to a decline immortality has also to come with discipline and duty to not end up like the aristocrats
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The way things are...
Given your diagnosis, and the medical impossibility of your recovery, you've become withdrawn. The fatalistic outlook was never becoming of you, but simply a result of you knowing your own fate. How are you supposed to simply accept your decline and inglorious death? You have mulled over this many times, until the Threemind breaks you out of your stupor.
"...Your new project to rebuild the natural ecology and habitable tropical biomes and surface-world of Swallia will have a considerable cost, your Majesty. I see you haven't made any adjustment to the official budget. Is there something you're planning on..."
"Oh yeah. That."https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6308534/
Truth be told, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. But you felt the decision was righteous and good. After all; the Hegemony is meant to be the complete unification of three races in space; the Jaxtians, Vetuckers, and Swall. But as a result of the genocides and the Jaxtian's victory over the others resulted in the destruction of the Swall homeworld for a previous Supreme's vanity project, and a punishment for their resistance. The ecumenopolis has transformed from a shining beacon of your race's indomitable will into a symbol of wastefulness. It might be even more wasteful to change it back. But after all, you made a promise.
"Looks like I really am the opposite of my father. He had a long, stable rule that left a strong foundation for the next Supreme Ruler. I will leave behind a bunch of problems after a short, unstable one."
"But an eventful, glorious one."
How are you going to pay for the Swallia rebuilding project? Vote on up to two.
>Simply accept the economic downturn; our new economy is strong enough for another long-term project (Rivals may gain strength)
>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)
>Press the Accord for additional tribute and funding (Strains relationship & slows their growth)
>Begin raiding and looting other factions territory (Specify)
>Sell Azurium used in Myym's construction instead of slowly reclaiming it for new uses (lose Azurium source)
>Curb plans for the Academy of Starsight (loss of prestige)
Approval voting. No write-ins are allowed.
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>>6375944
>>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)
and then:
>>Begin raiding and looting the other factions territory (Consortium)
This can get us respect with the Esaal as clowning on the silly capitalists by using their own money to raid them.
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>>6375963
Hmm, the Loan might be fine in the end since we can find a way to skimp on it, but I don't know about raiding them after doing so, might destroy trade and fuck up the economy even more now that we finally opened up
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>>6375963
I'll allow this as a write-in but just know I'm planning on allowing you to choose if/how to pay back the loan later if you do take it, with potential options like just refusing to pay it back, pay it back with gratitude to improve relations, delaying payment, etc.
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>>6375944
>Take out a large loan with the Consortium (Will have to pay back w/ interest)
>Simply accept the economic downturn; our new economy is strong enough for another long-term project (Rivals may gain strength)
I will accept the loan but i don't like raiding.
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>>6376743
The Consortium are still a powerful rival economic and social order. We thumped the Aristocrats, but they still exist and are an ancient and advanced society of near-immortals. There are those weird crystal guys. We don't know what happened to the Seekers. And, yes, the Worms are out there.
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You decide to take out a loan with the Consortium. No single group can fulfill the volume of money you will need; so instead it is a collective effort by many AI run firms, governments, and private individual investors who share the burden of supplying the loan for you. It's safer for them, anyway. They are overjoyed, as you expected.
"You won't regret this, your majesty!"
"Indeed! The Consortium has the most reliable and fair interstellar financial network of all of known space."
"And with a low -compounding- interest rate!"
"Which you can pay back however you want! Like raw resources, computing cycles, manhours of specalized labor, or even cultural exchange -basedonminimumfairmarketdefaultprice-!"
"Yes yes, thank you so much."
With that minor humiliation out of the way, you receive a large sum of Consortium credits to act as a cash infusion to your economy, or useful for trading with other nations for your projects. Despite your conflicts in the past, the Consortium nations & corporations really do care about fair market exchange and making money. They are charging you interest for this loan after all; expecting to make a small but reliable profit off of your nation's relative stability and economic output.
With that out of the way, the Hegemony can begin the slow process of creating a new Homeworld for the Swall; it won't be the same, but a new ecosystem for them along with integrating its ecology into the city of Myym will allow you as best you can to minimize the time and cost of this still massive terraforming project. On actually repaying the debt? You suppose that's something your successor will have to deal with...
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Meanwhile, your attention is drawn to some recent developments. Your withdrawing from the public sphere over these past few months have had little effect on your nation's mostly automated hierarchy and progress towards goals; but it has also blindsided you by the growing culture on your foreign port planet; Skik IV. Once part of the HVS and a hiding place for many rebels and dissidents of the older Hegemony; you made the decision to open it up to foreigners and the galactic underground.
Most of the Hegemony remains locked to them; free peoples, space explorers, Aristocrats on holiday, Consortium travelers, privateers... Your planets and worlds belong to your people. But this free port you decided to open up specifically to give the Hegemony a bit more insight into the other nations and cultures in space, as well as allow for some limited trade and diplomacy thru this new place. Naturally, even though it exists within Hegemonic territory, a certain amount of freedom and reduction of the AI network and surveillance-state on this planet. For the first few months, it seemed the foreigners were on their best behavior. Many marveled how the planet had such a clean biosphere free from pollution, and safe and well maintained city infrastructure despite not being a seat of power or home to the richest and wealthiest Jaxtians; unthinkable in their backwater cultures. But recently, things have changed...
"Your Majesty, as we fully expected, the guests could not control themselves. The port city has had some unfortunate incidents, with growing intensity. No harm was done to any Hegemonic citizens or assets, but there was some nonlethal violence, vandalism, and work-crime. Things that would be considered terribly anti-social in the Hegemony. Racial tensions of these foreign groups allowed to coexist here have caused this conflict."
"Oh? Urgi and the Leraay are fighting? How appropriate, cats and birds. Not trying to break any stereotypes here. It must be the Supremacists leanings among the Urgi, more common then we thought."
"Perhaps we should redirect their hate towards the Swall? Cats and fish?"
"Har har."
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It's a complex issue. The Threemind tells you that despite its roughness; the port city acts as a kind of release valve and place of great interest to Hegemonic citizens. Kind of the "wild frontier" in the same was the new colonies were underneath your father. On top of this, it also provides a useful contrast between cultures, and makes your own citizens and planets look better. In a way, this dark stain is useful when compared to the rest of your excellence.
But then again, there is the threat of unrest, some loss of efficacy in the businesses present on the planet, and minor security concerns for your own citizens there and generally looking like a dope for allowing this kind of thing...
You could put a stop to it, of course. But would it be worth it?
>Have the troublemakers killed and tortured horribly (Severe break of trust & loss of foreigner opinion; minor atrocity)
>Increase surveillance & restrict movements further (quashes freedom)
>Selectively punish offending species & nations by restricting immigration and privileges to the offenders (slight loss of Accord favor, new species accepted as diplomats)
>Use Threemind network to subtly shift these groups away from each other and prevent these conflicts in the future with targeted propaganda (Least effective)
>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
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>>6376798
>Selectively punish offending species & nations by restricting immigration and privileges to the offenders (slight loss of Accord favor, new species accepted as diplomats)
I can accept a slight loss, and i wanna see what new species comes in.
Still though, I'm starting to believe you might actually keep up on that idea to just not do the candidate vote at all in this thread Bananas.
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>>6376801
The Supreme is, like, actively decaying as we speak.
>>6376798
>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
pic related
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>>6376798
Killing and torturing them is a LE EVIL option too silly to pick, but I could see the value in the rest, on some level.
However.
>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
This sounds funny. So I'll pick it.
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>>6376798
>>Use Threemind network to subtly shift these groups away from each other and prevent these conflicts in the future with targeted propaganda (Least effective)
Least effective according to who? Threemind? Sometimes you have to pick the seemingly worst option just to make sure your AI helper isn't having one over you
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>>6376848
That choice is more using the AI network to subtly shift behavior and keep them away from each other; so not actually punishing or stopping it but just doing things like making them go to social gatherings in different locations or subtly showing them types of food whose restaurants don't have windows facing streets the other side walks at that time, etc. Similar to your own citizen manipulation program.
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>>6374056
This is me
>>6376798
>Allow these events to continue to show your own nation's superior unity and national pride (Increase in status)
Literally who cares if some filthy aliens murder eat other, it's a free port. It's also a good place for our citizens to go get into some drunken brawls and blow off steam.
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Uh oh, Threemind has finally learned how to properly crack jokes at Halam. Too smart by far!
>Unplug Threemind.
Anyway, to the matter at hand:
>Selectively punish offending offenders (loss of favour with the Accord, new species show as diplomats)
We'll make it up to you later, angry birds. We're about to make a whole lot of new friends.
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When overseeing the security concerns and social friction in the port city, you ultimately decide to simply accept it as a facet of that rough-and-tumble place. Not only does this save you money and doesn't risk offending any of the foreigners living and working there by picking a side; it also gives a small benefit to your nation's culture and social fabric. Everyone can look at the behaviors of those foreign aliens living in the port city, compared to the social unity and cohesion of the Hegemony at large, and see how much of a difference it is. How much more orderly, productive, and righteous the Hegemony's core colonies are. There is a division, partially racial, but also cultural that showcases the Hegemony's strength.
”Besides... exposure to the outside world and its rough edges may be just what some of our people need.”
The scion and noble heir of a highborn Jaxtian bloodline, Jinn Garastra, has made himself a bit of a social butterfly among the foreigners and member of the galactic underground. Confident and ever-graceful, but still gregarious, he seems to be gathering quite a lot of experience first hand dealing with beings of other races and the mysterious and often criminal galactic underground.
”I hate his hair.”
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At a dueling conference among Jaxtians nobility and Hegemonic elite; you sit besides one Jale Berax, the immortal warrior. He is not of a noble line, despite this, his inclusion is implicit.
”Huh?”
”He's a boy, why does he let his hair grow out that long? I don't like it.”
You wonder why such a young Alpha-Jaxtian would be so starkly old-fashioned, talking more like a grumpy old man. He's small for an Alpha. You have to remind yourself. He's older then you, older then Cijan was, even. Yet biologically, he is very much in his prime. How jealous you are of him getting to step into a working life machine...
Jale nudges you in the side playfully, which stays sore for the rest of the day. ”Hey... your Majesty, you should spar him. Put a bet on it, and if you win, make him shave!”
”Why don't you spar him?”
”Oh he won't spar me; experience gap. I'm the "legendary warrior". But you're his senior, have the alpha-male physique advantage, and you're right above him in projected dueling skill. Come on, it'd be fun to see you two go at it with the difference of styles!”
”Hmm...”
To be fair, it has been a long time since you practiced dueling again. Your iron staff is feeling awfully cold, what do you say?
>Spar with Jinn with his hair on the line
>Friendly spar with Jinn no strings attached
>Order Jinn & Jale to spar for your amusement instead
>Refuse to spar with Jinn
>Other (Write-In)
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>>6377173
>Refuse to spar with Jinn
I know how this ends. You're basically a cancer patient dog.
Also, that hair is glorious, no way I'm risking having it lost. The jaxtians should have more haircuts than the short one.
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>>6377173
>Have Jinn spar with another Jaxtian in his cohort of potential Supremes.
If we Spar with this guy then our old and deteriorating ass likely gets 'I whooped your ass in the friendly old man, now I immediately challenge you for supreme leadership, ker-wakk, hail Supreme Jinn'.
Let's just see how well the guy sparrs against someone of about his own age to assess both better.
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>>6377572
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”Oh no, I'm not going to duel him.”
”Hmph. I'm a little disappointed, your Majesty. I wanted to see someone wipe that smug look off his face.”
”It would be much more useful to compare him to someone else in his social class... a possible candidate for the Supreme Rulership. Unless you wanted to try your hand again?”
”Oh no, your Majesty. I would never dream of it. I am merely a soldier, this is about nobility now.”
Threemind pings you. Because of your spotty dueling record in recent years, along with Jinn's growing skill, you will inevitably be dropped below him in official rankings on dueling skill. You wave it off, and simply allow it. While no fight to prove it, it's unspoken that Jinn is your superior in dueling now; rising in the ranks above you just beneath the legendary Eoba I & II in overall effectiveness.
Of course, the dueling rankings are merely projections, shadows on the forest floor. Each duelist brings their own spin and strengths; the Eoba's have remained the top of the dueling rankings because of their focus on skill instead of strength or speed, allowing them to refine their techniques. Of course, the AI simulations and dueling computers are not 100% accurate, and the Eoba's are programmed and allowed to be just a little bit faster, stronger, more percise then a Jaxtian normally could be; just to make a sort of “undefeatable opponents” to those practicing their skills. It has become a tradition at this point. But he was still a legendary duelist. Your own unique iron-bar style had put you at second place. But Jinn's speed and confidence have rapidly allowed him to rise through the ranks, and with age and maturity, he may even be able to supercede the legendary Eoba's one day.
Finally, the Blonde appears. They square off, the much less tested Nare Ogum stands nervously against Jinn Garastra. Their knives are blunted and this is only a simulation with AI assisted visualiziation, but he still doesn't want to be embaressed.
”...Interesting coloration. That isn't a noble family, is it?”
“No, your majesty. Most Supreme-Level blondes come from the Val family, as the blonde minority has a lower population pool and genetic variation to generate Supreme-Candidates as the Mainlanders do.”
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Almost effortlessly, Jinn proved his superiorty over Nare, whose knife skills are rather blunted. With Jinn the victor and with zero marks on him, and Nare with many, the frustrated blonde gives up.
“...You are not from a noble family, are you?”
”No.”
“Yet despite this, you still managed to work your way up here and face off against one of the best duelists in the Hegemony.” Jinn says about himself, flicking his hair back gracefully. “That shows a great warrior spirit.”
”Oh... Thank you, Jinn.”
Despite his ease in defeating Nare, the young Supreme candidate smooths over his victory with his words. Ever gregarious, Jinn exemplifies the Garastra line. Prototypical Supreme material; arrogant, beautiful, confident, and ever the good sportsman. Nare, more easily frustrated and not in any way as physical, accepts the defeat with kindness and humility.
The Ogum family is not of the highest bloodlines of Jaxtian nobility, but is notable for being a high-level Blonde family with unique red-orange colorations. Some suspect that members of the much reviled Blackspot family; a leftover relic of the degenerate capitalist era; may have escaped by intermarrying into blondes and having their more recessive genes disappear into their mass, which could explain the spots and a penchant for business and technical thinking skills. Regardless, Nare's interests are more in pushing his limits, free-diving, and endurance supports and the limits of Jaxtian psychology.
”...Does he go swimming with Swall, Threes?”
“No, it seems Jinn is the most “xenophilic” of your possible successors.”
”He really does take after his ancestors... Well, keep an eye on that one.”
“Will do, your Majesty.”
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Year 205 of the Resurrection Era
The Galactic Academy of Starsight was built under your direction, and is just about to become operational. Using some of the wealth leftover from your father's reign, you commissioned the facility; essentially multiple large and self-sufficient space habitats placed in dark interstellar space within Hegemonic territory to be as hard to find and secure as possible from possible Starseeing spies; the Academy is meant to become the new center of knowledge and learning of that most mysterious of sciences; Starsight!
As with new understandings brought on by the passed Cijan Anak; Starsight is the discipline of being able to expand one's mind and see and perceive fourth dimensionally. Something about it seemed only possible to those beings who are blind; either born that way or physically crippled to no longer have visual acuity. But we know now that is not the case. Still, the majority of Starseers in the Hegemony are volunteers who are blinded and taught in its mysteries for interstellar navigation and FTL communications. The first faculty members and classes will begin soon; and the facility is designed for mass adoption of even other life-forms then the Hegemonic races. You fully intend for this to be the Galactic Academy, as this may just be your greatest weapon against the worms...
In the meantime, the Threemind would like to know what sort of more immediate and concrete returns you'd like from the Academy. In practical terms, Starsight is still a very underutilized and under exploited field in the Hegemony; much too theoretical for normal operations. Is there anything you want the early founders to focus on to hopefully turn a profit from this costly investment?
>Military & Strategic
>Economic & Industrial
>Research & Scientific
>Eugenic & Biological
>Cultural & Spiritual
>No direction for early research
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>>6378048
"No direction" feels like it's either going to he a mystery box or a "no focus, you get nuthin" option. So I guess I'll go with
>Cultural & Spiritual
Just to see what they can discover.
Also, Jimbo here is a real fun one, I gotta say. If I were more skilled on drawing I'd try making that one Naoya meme with him and Nare.
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>>6378053
True that. The existence of the soul is still within a bit of a gray area that needs to be cleared up. I mean, yeah, you can say it's just le quantum science or some shit like that but science doesn't make giant space whales or turn you into a bed of flowers when you achieve inner peace.
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>>6378057
>science doesn't make giant space whales or turn you into a bed of flowers when you achieve inner peace
Science is not a force but a way of understanding the world. When we can test, prove and disprove theories about, and implement discoveries about "the soul" then this thing of superstition will simply become a part of our science.
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>>6378060
I hate that "errm we know it exists so that means it's le science" mindset, just because you know something exists doesn't suddenly mean it stops being something that breaks all other rules of reality to exist. No amount of science will make space whales, psychic parasites and jedi powers less non-scientific.
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>>6378063
If it has rules you can explain, test, and predict, it is scientific. That's just what it means.
It's also the best bet for making this magic mumbo-jumbo compatible with cringe monkey atheism.
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>>6378048
>Military & Strategic
The worms have been using it against us; both back when we launched that raid into Esaal space during the 'reconquesta' and when we fought off the consortium. We need to negate this advantage that the worms can offer to anyone we face.
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