HPU: Apollo City

[Deske]

"Yeah, wireless near field networking capabilities, pair code 28367. Go ahead and send it my way. A little augmented reality of the stage would probably help." He followed the rope up above him as he turned on his receiver.

--------------------

"A little bit. I'll probably have to develop portability first and then fit it to an arm mechanism. Trying to keep it stable while moving is the only big hurdle I can think of given that printers normally don't have a refresh rate high enough to simulate true movement."

[Roarin]

Hmm? Avery wasn't particularly sure what Jemmy was talking about, but she made sure her confusion didn't show, an ever present smile on her face as she glanced from the merchant back to the genet. "Right... money." The dog reached into her collar and was surprised to find a pouch with quite a few of these dinari inside of them. Fishing a handful out the canine held out a paw and handed the man six of them. "Your purchase price plus an extra for good will. Next time we meet hopefully you'll be inclined to taking more of our coin instead of the hides on our back."

[valerio]

(OOC: Just out of flu attack. Sorry for the long delay)

"Than right along we go, Chiot." There were dozens of things to do, and he decided to bring her where he normally would go on a butifull night. Casinos, where he made large amounts of money in minutes. Clubs where he'd dance along side her, grinning and doing a two-step. A quiet park where he played a mournful tune on his trumpet before offering to cuddle up on the bench.

"The ship will be leaving soon. Tomorrow, the first rescues will be here. I just want to spend time relaxing, yes. Are you in for an assolo? With me dancing for you? And then we'll go down and cheer with the others. How does it sound?"
---

"Oh, I suppose so," Francis remarked, putting his unease at the situation away whilst gathering information. Or doing his best to, anyhow. "Let's see standard accommodation."

The scenario around Francis dissolved, in favor of the 'Sea Port' section.
"This is where the rescues will reside. Here there is room to live, to learn crafts, to grow and raise food, not to mention fishing." The streets were brand new, just like the houses, though the style was old. Each house wasn't taller than three stores, made of perfect brick replicas and wooden windows.
A door opened, allowing Francis inside.
"Each house can host one numerous family, two medium families, or three 'nuclear' families. Bedding will initially be made of synthetic materials provided by Mr. Spencers' suppliers. Heating and electricity are being worked on as we speak, it will be solar and wind/sea turbines generated. Water comes from a natural freshwater source the island lays upon. At the beginning, food will have to be imported, and so the medical supplies. Unfortunately, this idea was developed a bit...in a rush. But on the long term, the prospectives are good, Sir."
---

"A little bit. I'll probably have to develop portability first and then fit it to an arm mechanism. Trying to keep it stable while moving is the only big hurdle I can think of given that printers normally don't have a refresh rate high enough to simulate true movement."

"And what about realizing first a mobile mesh *around* the body, say, like a chainmail, and then let a smaller, simpler printer to build the desired layer around that? This way you can have the equivalent of a shapeshifting exoskeleton ready to use. When you don't need the desired shape anymore, you depolarize the mesh, reshape it and cover it. A little rudimental, but it would be a starter."
---

Hmm? Avery wasn't particularly sure what Jemmy was talking about, but she made sure her confusion didn't show, an ever present smile on her face as she glanced from the merchant back to the genet. "Right... money." The dog reached into her collar and was surprised to find a pouch with quite a few of these dinari inside of them. Fishing a handful out the canine held out a paw and handed the man six of them. "Your purchase price plus an extra for good will. Next time we meet hopefully you'll be inclined to taking more of our coin instead of the hides on our back."

The man took the coins, made a grumpy face -not that he looked as if he could display any other expression. "Know what? They're yours, get them already." and he opened the cages. "If you lose them, I'm fairly sure you two will be my next guests. Now go, off with you!"
"Thank you sir," Jemmy said, bowing, then leading the way, away from the sketchy merchant. "I guess you two also need food. And a bath. Does it sound right to you, ma'm?" he asked Avery.

[22xander]

"sounds like fun cutie, so I will perform. Maybe I can scrounge up music that is worth your time to dance to, something real with heart to it. You feel me?" He smiled down at the cat. "Than it is decided, we will see where our respective talents can get us an act, and maybe a front row seat, before finding ourselves a place to be alone."

Ooc: I think you mentioned a solo?

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Don't call me sir," Francis said, a little sharper than he'd planned, "that's... someone else." He walked around the simulation, feeling it out before returning to an old question as he picked up a loose 'stone'. "And what are the provisions for protection," he asked. "There are always those who, when shown heaven, test the limits to see what they can get away with." To demonstrate, he hurled the 'stone' at a 'vase'. "To damage things. What would happen to protect others from them?"

[Mickey]

Quincy looked behind himself. "Hm, they're good."
"Hmf, skates!" Zeke said. "Cheaters, but not for long. Ready, bro?"
"Ready, bro!" grinned the twin.
Zeke used his own momentum to pull Quincy...and toss him against the track's wall!
The rubbery side made the dalmatian bounce, and in turn Quincy did the same with Zeke...and they gained advantage using each other as flipper balls!

"How the-?"

"My dude, that's awesome! Come on!"

Marky made no objection when James yanked a little, only moving to stay in line with him. They were getting good at this, but there was no way they could beat Quincy and Zeke if they kept that up.

[valerio]

"sounds like fun cutie, so I will perform. Maybe I can scrounge up music that is worth your time to dance to, something real with heart to it. You feel me?" He smiled down at the cat. "Than it is decided, we will see where our respective talents can get us an act, and maybe a front row seat, before finding ourselves a place to be alone."

"Intriguing...but why stop at one single place? Are you good at playing while walking?"
---

"Don't call me sir," Francis said, a little sharper than he'd planned, "that's... someone else." He walked around the simulation, feeling it out before returning to an old question as he picked up a loose 'stone'. "And what are the provisions for protection," he asked. "There are always those who, when shown heaven, test the limits to see what they can get away with." To demonstrate, he hurled the 'stone' at a 'vase'. "To damage things. What would happen to protect others from them?"

"As we speak, Mr. Spencers is arranging a proper security force: There is a colony, on the island, one dedicated to breed the best German Shepherd Dogs, who in turn are sent to security and military agencies throughout the world. Spencers closed all contracts and is redirecting the dogs to internal security. Problems are expected, but no turmoils, if that is your worry...Francis?"
---

"How the-?"
"My dude, that's awesome! Come on!"
Marky made no objection when James yanked a little, only moving to stay in line with him. They were getting good at this, but there was no way they could beat Quincy and Zeke if they kept that up.

And yet, the twin dalmatians had to stop that when they found themselves in front of a fork! From that point on, one section went to a spiraling loop to the left, the other to the right, before the tracks merged back into one. And like other kids and pets were doing, they dove in, taking the left fork, on their bellies!

[22xander]

"of course, that's the perogitive of a good jazz man. How many times do you think I've walked in martigras?" He smiled and moved his trumpet to his lips.

[valerio]

"of course, that's the perogitive of a good jazz man. How many times do you think I've walked in martigras?" He smiled and moved his trumpet to his lips.

And just as the dog started to play, Ness swallowed her metabolic pill before starting to dance in his stride by the rythm of the trumpet, her body fur changing in color along with her feelings as she perceived the music...

[Deske]

"I suppose I could, it's a bit of a stretch between the finesse required of a hand and the simplicity of a breastplate. I suppose an exoskeleton could work." Enrique finally looked up at his surroundings, "Are we going anywhere in particular? I didn't think the play started until the evening. Could be wrong."

[22xander]

Roux started slow, a sort of metabolic best and rythrm to it dispute it simply being the filegrie without so much as a percussion instrument. He seemed to be able to make her mind expect and know what the other instruments would be playing as he did, tricking her brain into pattern recognising and making her hear much of the other impossible sounds. As he moved on he picked up, swaying to the music and making the mood he intended clear to her.

[Roarin]

"Yes! Not to be impolite but you two are a bit dirty." As she examined the feline she brushed a paw through his fur and nodded as if to confirm her own assessment. "Food and bath! No arguemrnts against this yes?" She asked happily before walking next to Jemmy. "Hey Jemmy umm, who was that person you mentioned before?"

[Hlaoroo]

"Ah... I dunno... Can't say I ever wanted to hurt a human, really. 'Cept maybe that one that chased me out of the suit shop because she thought I'd shed on everything." Makani halts abruptly as a thought occurs to him.
"Wait... You guys... You weren't fighting by choice, were you?" he queries quietly.

Mace and Axe looked at each other, then the cat said, "Depends. When we started, or rather when we were forced to start, it was 'fight or die', easy as that."
"But in the end," Axe said, "it became a career of sort. We werent't shelter stuff anymore, and on the streets we'd be left to ourselves. Even a dog pack wouldn't trust a pit fighter as a leader, we're deemed as 'mad furs'."
"And so we kept fighting, by choice," Mace said. "Not a pretty job, but we became famous and got the best food."

Makani ponders this.
"So... Do you guys still hate the humans then? Would you choose a different life given the chance?" he asks.

~~~~~~~~

"Yeah, wireless near field networking capabilities, pair code 28367. Go ahead and send it my way. A little augmented reality of the stage would probably help." He followed the rope up above him as he turned on his receiver.

Todd flashes the information across to Miguel.
"Did you receive that data successfully?" he queries as he removes a padlock from a lever holding one of the ropes in place.

[valerio]

"I suppose I could, it's a bit of a stretch between the finesse required of a hand and the simplicity of a breastplate. I suppose an exoskeleton could work." Enrique finally looked up at his surroundings, "Are we going anywhere in particular? I didn't think the play started until the evening. Could be wrong."

"Just wanted to shw you something that should make you go 'wow'," Volken answered. "And to ease FETUS' ego before he decides to interfere with your calculations just to annoy you. Here we go." He stopped in front of a door marked with a red symbol of the greek letter 'Omega' followed by a 4.
"The Omega projects are experimental to a level only a selected handful are allowed to take a look at. De facto, it's FETUS' playground: We feed him ideas, he developes them on selected volunteers. Transhumanism is the next evolutionary step, according to the Lunar Circle' philosophy, but between that step and the presents...experiments are necessary. Ready? Oh, and by the way, crossing this threshold is like signing a non-disclosure agreement."
---

Roux started slow, a sort of metabolic best and rythrm to it dispute it simply being the filegrie without so much as a percussion instrument. He seemed to be able to make her mind expect and know what the other instruments would be playing as he did, tricking her brain into pattern recognising and making her hear much of the other impossible sounds. As he moved on he picked up, swaying to the music and making the mood he intended clear to her.

Through music, Ness felt a complete bonding with this dog. He was so...strange. One moment he was so mysterious, closed to the others, and the next he knew exactly how to push her buttons for her to dance and vibrate to the colors of her feelings.
And in the calm night, people started lining around the couple, not daring to even whisper, as the show went on...
---

"Yes! Not to be impolite but you two are a bit dirty." As she examined the feline she brushed a paw through his fur and nodded as if to confirm her own assessment. "Food and bath! No arguemrnts against this yes?" She asked happily before walking next to Jemmy. "Hey Jemmy umm, who was that person you mentioned before?"

"The Gens Iulia is valued among the most important families in Rome. Iulius Gracco has a strong political position, to offend him is to lose business faster than you could say 'egad'. Iulius is also famous for certain...quirks. Like buying animals out of markets just because."
"Lucky us," said the cat. "But I don't think I need a bath. Not me, no no no--HEY!" Jemmy grabbed the cat and put him over his shoulder like a beef quarter. "Leggo of me. I will definitely NOT guide you through the city! I will lead you into a lair of perdition! Indignity!"
"I can live with that," Jemmy said, starting to walk.
---

Makani ponders this.
"So... Do you guys still hate the humans then? Would you choose a different life given the chance?" he asks.

"Hating is just a useless waste of energy. Let's just say we find...difficult to trust them anymore," Mace said.
Axe added, "But now that we have a place to go to, this Meriweather Island, why not grab the opportunity? We are strong enough to grow and raise our food in peace. And to fend off any threat." He grinned

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Hmm," Francis said, nodding as the hologram used his name. There was still something about all of this that was worrying to him but he couldn't quite put his finger-pad on it... "Your choice now. Where should we go next?"

[Deske]

Enrique chuckles, "I'm so wrapped up in NDAs that one more wouldn't add any stress." He gestures towards the door, "Shall we?"

-------

Miguel's nods, "Yes." He looks around at the mechanisms above him, overlaying bits of the schematics on top of the actual thing. "Ahh, I see now. Lot easier to understand when they're procedurally labeled."

[22xander]

Roux tapped his foot to the beat to keep a steady rythem, and he kept his hands playing across the brass of his instrument with fanesse. His claws clicked along in a pitter patter of his other foot. He was a master at music, his one biggest talent, and he really showed it as the music made the crowd start to move too and fro.

[valerio]

"Hmm," Francis said, nodding as the hologram used his name. There was still something about all of this that was worrying to him but he couldn't quite put his finger-pad on it... "Your choice now. Where should we go next?"

"Let us visit the Guardians." and *zap* they found themselves on a cliff, staring at the sea...or rather, at a luminescent portion of the se. The light was coming from somewhere deep under the water.
"This is the genuine ruin of an ancient temple, before the same event that destroyed the ancient civilization of Zilnawa also put it into sea. It is inhabited by a colony of dolphins and other sea mammals and fish. There is enough telepathic power here to influence the minds. These people always took care of the island against invaders. Would you like to have a look inside?"
---

Enrique chuckles, "I'm so wrapped up in NDAs that one more wouldn't add any stress." He gestures towards the door, "Shall we?"

Volken nodded. The doors opened.
Inside, a vision that could have scared to the bone people less prepared: in a silence broken only by the hum of small machines, dozen of...bodies, though at a first glance one could have thought of corpses given to a mad scientist's dream, were being worked on by every sort of tool. A woman's flesh was being mixed with a sort of metal. Two men whose brains were exposed and connected to each other. A man whose...cosmetic changes were so radical that he looked like a freak from some alien planet, the head of a woman separated from its body...
"Telepathy, radical transplant, xenoplanetary adaptation, cybernization...These people offered themselves to the most risky procedures we could think of. See that guy? He changed so much because he believes that humans should colonize Mars, but in order to do so with less and less infrastructures, we should change ourselves to live and breath on the red planet just as an unchanged human can live on Earth. And so on. Heck, what you see outside the Omega Sector is primitive in comparison to that."
---

Roux tapped his foot to the beat to keep a steady rythem, and he kept his hands playing across the brass of his instrument with fanesse. His claws clicked along in a pitter patter of his other foot. He was a master at music, his one biggest talent, and he really showed it as the music made the crowd start to move too and fro.

Soon clapping started, and phones were taking pictures. But Nesse didn't mind them, she followed the music, enjoyed the positive scents that spoke volumes, listened to the body of this wonderful dog, trusting him as she never trusted anyone else...

[22xander]

Roux moves slowly, and even as he played he came close to her and leaned against her, dancing along and no longer trying to do percussion with his feet. He simply enjoyed what he was doing, missing at her and starting to dance along as well.

[Deske]

Enrique whistled, "Oh my, how ethically questionable." He paused, "I love it. While human application has never really been my forte, I've had no problem dabbling in it from time to time. No practical applications of course, but some minor research here and there. I've always been most interested in human to machine transfers. The possibility of technical immortality is oh so interesting. Again, no practical applications with what little I've actually researched, but of course, the interest is still there."

[Roarin]

Avery laughed softly, covering her mouth with her paw as she followed after the two as she kept pace with Koto. "You're not gonna put up a fuss too are you? I'm not sure I have Jemmy's strength to hoist you over my shoulder."

[valerio]

Roux moves slowly, and even as he played he came close to her and leaned against her, dancing along and no longer trying to do percussion with his feet. He simply enjoyed what he was doing, missing at her and starting to dance along as well.

At that point, Nesse's arms encircled the dog's waist as to allow him to keep on playing while whirling in the midst, with the humans and pets clapping all around them
---

Enrique whistled, "Oh my, how ethically questionable." He paused, "I love it. While human application has never really been my forte, I've had no problem dabbling in it from time to time. No practical applications of course, but some minor research here and there. I've always been most interested in human to machine transfers. The possibility of technical immortality is oh so interesting. Again, no practical applications with what little I've actually researched, but of course, the interest is still there."

"Those brains in the jar serve just that purpose. Don't mind the eyes, they are blind. Even the best-hearted volunteers, at first, found that discorporation was too traumatic an experience. In order to replace the body input, whose lack would make the experiment way too traumatic as well, we apply neural stimulations in order to create a virtual reality, like a lucid dream. As a matter of fact, they 'live' as if they had a body. The next step will be either preserve their individuality or create a mind collective. It is important, since mind-to-machine transfer serves to create spaceships to cover interestellar distances without having to create a bioecosystem to support a crew. Individual intelligence would eventually need individual bodies to explore new planets. A collective intelligence could distribute itself among many means of probing said planet. What do you think?"
---

Avery laughed softly, covering her mouth with her paw as she followed after the two as she kept pace with Koto. "You're not gonna put up a fuss too are you? I'm not sure I have Jemmy's strength to hoist you over my shoulder."

"Nah, I don't wanna end up a stew or something like that. In fact, I will gladly stay at home and eat real food while your most honorable friend here will no doubts lead you through the underworld of Rome the magnificent."
"You can bet it!" said the cat. "Touristic places are boring. I wills how you where the real life is, slaves."

[Deske]

"A human collective intelligence has its benefits and drawbacks. Everyone would always be on the same page however the constant input from everyone may sway logical thought in the direction of the whole rather than toward the individual, which is quite often a necessity. I think your basic telepathy experiment would have a better outcome for the whole of humanity. You could debate the next move if there were no telecommunications systems in place. Less weight for a spacecraft if you don't need radios to talk to the guy on EVA and an overall smaller footprint for planetary colonization." He walked over to one of the brains in a jar and leaned over to stare at it, "I am, however, interested enough in this that I'd be willing to volunteer for a nice mechanical transplant should a final product arise. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

[22xander]

Roux played faster and faster, than started to slow down, indicating to the crowd to slow their beats. He slowed as he grew closer and closer to the cat, smiling as best he could as he did. Slow, buitiful final notes that purred into the night as he finsihed his song. And when he finished he song, he took the instrument out of his mouth and kissed the top of the cat's head, having gotten close enough to touch her.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Francis looked around with a little amusement. "I suppose it would be rude not to acknowledge the architects - and the programmers - by looking inside," he allowed. He checked his pockets. No gum.

[Hlaoroo]

Makani ponders this.
"So... Do you guys still hate the humans then? Would you choose a different life given the chance?" he asks.

"Hating is just a useless waste of energy. Let's just say we find...difficult to trust them anymore," Mace said.
Axe added, "But now that we have a place to go to, this Meriweather Island, why not grab the opportunity? We are strong enough to grow and raise our food in peace. And to fend off any threat." He grinned

"True, true... So, if hate is useless then why play a game which necessitates the hatred of humans in order to be successful? Why don't we choose different scenario?" Makani suggests.

~~~~~~~~

Miguel's nods, "Yes." He looks around at the mechanisms above him, overlaying bits of the schematics on top of the actual thing. "Ahh, I see now. Lot easier to understand when they're procedurally labeled."

"Indeed. Have you any questions?" Todd queries, checking the tension in the rope.

[Deske]

"Do you keep the fly system around simply for the feel it brings people knowing that some things remain unchanged? I can see why people would be like it. What kind of plays do you show here on average? The classics of Shakespeare or is it fairly equal split between era's? Do you have any personal favorites?" He loaded up his 'idling' files, "I like to let some recordings of ancient Greek plays run when I'm not doing anything in particular, it's a good cover for when the background systems run at night while I archive the days recordibgs. Sophocles and Euripides spring to mind. I find the epics to be just that in nature. For more up to date ones, I tend to select those along the lines of Tennessee Williams or Anton Chekhov."

[valerio]

"A human collective intelligence has its benefits and drawbacks. Everyone would always be on the same page however the constant input from everyone may sway logical thought in the direction of the whole rather than toward the individual, which is quite often a necessity. I think your basic telepathy experiment would have a better outcome for the whole of humanity. You could debate the next move if there were no telecommunications systems in place. Less weight for a spacecraft if you don't need radios to talk to the guy on EVA and an overall smaller footprint for planetary colonization." He walked over to one of the brains in a jar and leaned over to stare at it, "I am, however, interested enough in this that I'd be willing to volunteer for a nice mechanical transplant should a final product arise. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

"Wonderful! I will be sure to put you on the list, then: As macabre as it may look to the layman, this solution has one great benefit, no euthanasy. Terminal sick people are the first targets for this technique. And I agree on your statement: Colonization requires as less a footprint as possible, in its early stages, since there is no way to fully comprehend the interactions between explorers and environment. We need agility. And after the first analysis is dealt with, we may consider using batches of staminals to grow up a new breed of colonists as customized to the new planet as possible."
---

Roux played faster and faster, than started to slow down, indicating to the crowd to slow their beats. He slowed as he grew closer and closer to the cat, smiling as best he could as he did. Slow, buitiful final notes that purred into the night as he finsihed his song. And when he finished he song, he took the instrument out of his mouth and kissed the top of the cat's head, having gotten close enough to touch her.

Nesse leaned to him, nuzzling the crook of his neck. "Now that's the way to treat a lady: Is it all experience? A charming pup like you must have lived his own share of adventures."
---

Francis looked around with a little amusement. "I suppose it would be rude not to acknowledge the architects - and the programmers - by looking inside," he allowed. He checked his pockets. No gum.

The scenery changed, shifted like an image overimposing...before Francis found himself surrounded by an architectural wonder. Photophore organisms would spread a soft greenish light, algae grew on the floor like a field of grass.
And H.U.B. was right: this place was literally filled with schools of fish and mammal sealife, a true echosystem grown in the ruins of a civilization, like in a Jules Verne's fable!
"Many humans tried, much to their sorrow, to trespass this place, which has a special importance for the natives -of course, humans think it's because of the treasures that are being hold down here, 'junk' to be taken away from the pristine seafloor."
---

"True, true... So, if hate is useless then why play a game which necessitates the hatred of humans in order to be successful? Why don't we choose different scenario?" Makani suggests.

For a brief moment, Axe's eyes flashed with an expression that would've scared off a rabid grizzly. "Because it feels...good, to return the 'favors' they inflicted on us, if only in a virtual environment."
Mace patted Makani's shoulder. "But if you have something specific in mind, we're willing to listen, friend."

[22xander]

"Pft, experience?" He smiled and looked down at her, still nussling her fluffy head. "The closest I've ever gotten are cons, what your experiencing is mostly just raw talent." He teased her, placing hid hands lower on her back and drawing her up to try to kiss her in the muzzle.

[Deske]

"Since it seems like this is all quite 'hush-hush' already, have you thought about sending death row inmates in as one big group, all neurally connected and with a slight amount of chemical lobotomization. Just to get rid of the propensity for violence towards other Earthlings. Send them in as a first contact with a main controller of sorts and let them secure a landing site. Then all the more well behaved of the inmates can go to work setting up printers for a basic colony. Not lobotomy here though, as I know a lot of the prisoners do I deed regret their decisions."

[Welsh Halfwit]

Francis blew out, a sound that sounded rather like a whistle. This was a room that impressed, even though Francis knew it to be fake; an assembly of lights and images. He could almost touch the fish from here, interacting with them and seeing their response. He had to stop himself from doing so. "Some sort of warning sign would seem in order, then? Danger of drowning? That sort of thing?"

[Hlaoroo]

"Do you keep the fly system around simply for the feel it brings people knowing that some things remain unchanged? I can see why people would be like it. What kind of plays do you show here on average? The classics of Shakespeare or is it fairly equal split between era's? Do you have any personal favorites?" He loaded up his 'idling' files, "I like to let some recordings of ancient Greek plays run when I'm not doing anything in particular, it's a good cover for when the background systems run at night while I archive the days recordibgs. Sophocles and Euripides spring to mind. I find the epics to be just that in nature. For more up to date ones, I tend to select those along the lines of Tennessee Williams or Anton Chekhov."

Todd smiles. "That, and it's a lot harder to stand on a hologram than on a set piece. Plus hologram projectors, lights and sound equipment still need to be hung somewhere so that they're out of the way and yet still easily accessible. Also, some effects are more effective the traditional way. Ever tried to slam a holographic door? As to what plays we show: it's a whole variety. Everything from the Greek classics through to Shakespeare and Marlowe to Gilbert and Sullivan, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and everything in between. I do not have a favourite; I am too busy during the plays to enjoy them and were I not, I am built for work in the frigid vacuum of space not for theatre so I would not have the programming to pick a favourite."

~~~~~~~~

"True, true... So, if hate is useless then why play a game which necessitates the hatred of humans in order to be successful? Why don't we choose different scenario?" Makani suggests.

For a brief moment, Axe's eyes flashed with an expression that would've scared off a rabid grizzly. "Because it feels...good, to return the 'favors' they inflicted on us, if only in a virtual environment."
Mace patted Makani's shoulder. "But if you have something specific in mind, we're willing to listen, friend."

"Hmm..." Makani ponders, thinking back to a brochure he's read. "I take it you guys are in the mood for adrenaline?" he queries with a mischievous smile.

[valerio]

"Pft, experience?" He smiled and looked down at her, still nussling her fluffy head. "The closest I've ever gotten are cons, what your experiencing is mostly just raw talent." He teased her, placing hid hands lower on her back and drawing her up to try to kiss her in the muzzle.

When the kiss was done with, Ness felt her head spinning. Her tail flicked. "Mmmmhh, you sure trained well enough. Tell me, want to see the ship start from our love den?"
---

"Since it seems like this is all quite 'hush-hush' already, have you thought about sending death row inmates in as one big group, all neurally connected and with a slight amount of chemical lobotomization. Just to get rid of the propensity for violence towards other Earthlings. Send them in as a first contact with a main controller of sorts and let them secure a landing site. Then all the more well behaved of the inmates can go to work setting up printers for a basic colony. Not lobotomy here though, as I know a lot of the prisoners do I deed regret their decisions."

The Circle thought about that, but this is not the kind of mission where people forced to do a risky job can be put in charge. We're talking about various degrees of criminal sociopathy. And the Circle wants those people to be at the peak of their mental capacity and all willing to work all the way because they want it. In short, we are looking for dedicated volunteers even to study the reactions in the early stages of development.
"The first mission will see Mars as target, and by then there must be no doubt about the 'volunteer' factor, or there will be troubles to no end for the program. And that is also why the circle is experimenting with anidroids first and cyborgs later, so to give the explorers a solid staff to work along with."
---

Francis blew out, a sound that sounded rather like a whistle. This was a room that impressed, even though Francis knew it to be fake; an assembly of lights and images. He could almost touch the fish from here, interacting with them and seeing their response. He had to stop himself from doing so. "Some sort of warning sign would seem in order, then? Danger of drowning? That sort of thing?"

"This simulation is just that bit unrealistic to allow visitors not to feel like drowning or cold. But you can try and 'swim', if you want to. Just try it."
---

"Hmm..." Makani ponders, thinking back to a brochure he's read. "I take it you guys are in the mood for adrenaline?" he queries with a mischievous smile.

"You can say it again!" both cat and dog said, their expressions very interested

[22xander]

"heh, love den?" Roux smiled as he dragged her to the pod-tubes. He decided to pet her flicking tail at the base while he walked, his own feriously wagging. "Do you mean my place? Because I think we have time for a few cuddles, don't you? Tomorrow then e boat lands doesn't it?"

[Deske]

Miguel nodded, "I can see why a solid surface might lend to the facade. Good to know you don't limit yourselves to a certain type. Many think that Shakespeare is the only playwright and it's good of theaters to show them the truth. Do you take roles in any of the plays or are you too busy working behind the scenes?"

-----------

"That makes sense. Nothing like someone who'll work toward a goal even if it means sacrificing along the way. Just from a heiarchical standpoint, do you think the cyborgs will see themselves as superior to the androids because they have actual humanity and not simply programmed thought paths?"

[valerio]

"heh, love den?" Roux smiled as he dragged her to the pod-tubes. He decided to pet her flicking tail at the base while he walked, his own feriously wagging. "Do you mean my place? Because I think we have time for a few cuddles, don't you? Tomorrow then e boat lands doesn't it?"

"The ship leaves tonight, under the light of the stars. Very romantic, don't you think? It will be like a carnival, only on the sea."
---

"That makes sense. Nothing like someone who'll work toward a goal even if it means sacrificing along the way. Just from a heiarchical standpoint, do you think the cyborgs will see themselves as superior to the androids because they have actual humanity and not simply programmed thought paths?"

Volken thought a moment about that. "I can't really tell: Unlike anidroids, where you can literally input the base of education and then let experience do the rest, cyborgs start with their own mindset, so much depends on the basic education imprinted by their biological parents and/or owners. But for sure we want do discourage any supremacist attitude: selections will be very, very accurate as possible. Hierarchy will be exclusively based on merit, not on rewards, and that should help defuse the 'avidity' factor. For a starter, that is. For example, we still must plan the colony's economic development: even if there will be no money to run around, we must make sure that all fully biological crew is equally treated, no matter how apparently insignificant their place in the colony is. Discipline must be administered as well: We must decide what kind of judge is expected to work there. Anidroids and cyborgs will be as valid citizens as their human counterparts, so we can't start with a legal system that is human-biased. And this in turn must be politically crafted so that it causes the less unrest amont the earthling politicians, who will be at best wary of this choice. Yes, this affair is so going to be interesting, heh."

[Hlaoroo]

"You can say it again!" both cat and dog said, their expressions very interested

"Well, they have the most awesome ride simulator ever here! They put you in a helmet which gives you a virtual reality and apparently you can set it to stimulate your adrenaline and senses as well as just your vision. And you sit in a car thing that's in a gyroscope type thing that can spin you three hundred and sixty degrees in all directions as well as lifting, dropping, shaking, tilting and vibrating to make the ride extra real! They have helmets designed especially for pets too, with different models for canine and feline to fit our ears and muzzles apparently. Each ride seats up to six riders, I think, and you can make the ride as long or short as you want within reason. So what do you say: wanna give it a go?"

~~~~~~~~

Miguel nodded, "I can see why a solid surface might lend to the facade. Good to know you don't limit yourselves to a certain type. Many think that Shakespeare is the only playwright and it's good of theaters to show them the truth. Do you take roles in any of the plays or are you too busy working behind the scenes?"

"Alas, poor Yorik. I knew him, Horatio!" Todd quotes almost expressionlessly. "No, my work is entirely behind the scenes. I am not programmed to act convincingly enough to be on stage. As I said, I was designed for solitary work in outer space. HEADS! LINE EIGHT FLYING IN!" After hearing enough "Thank you!"s from the stage to know everyone is safe, Todd has Miguel take a few steps closer to him so as to be safe, and then lowers one of the so called "live" battens with lights, speakers, projectors and a few other devices attached so that it's less than a metre off the stage, a comfortable working height for the ferret droid.
"LINE EIGHT LOCKED!" he calls, locking the rope in place before motioning Miguel forward.
"This is a live batten, so called because it has live electronics on it. I need to adjust one of the projectors slightly. The hologram was a few millimetres off creating a slightly fuzzy effect." So saying, Todd makes his way down the batten to just right of centre stage, stopping at a box with a number 3 stencilled on it and a series of lenses protruding from it.
"Don't ask me how the projectors work. All I know is how to operate and focus them, not what makes them tick." he says dryly, swivelling one lens a fraction and rotating another ever so slightly.
"That should do it. Anything on here you want to look at before we fly it out again, Miguel?"

[Deske]

Miguel stared at Todd, "I think you'd make a good psychopath or sociopath. Play to your strengths." He followed Todd along the batten, "That's pretty much all the questions I have at the moment. Is there anything I should see?"

-----------------

"How are you going to have a merit based society that doesn't run on currency or rewards? Without a system to show meritorious progress, you won't have a society or economic system at all. Legal systems would be easy, a council of various species, mechanical or not, distributed evenly over an amount of chairs. Equal parts human and robot for both unerring logic and emotion necessary to form real world decisions."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"No, I think I'll take your word for it," Francis said, stepping back. "There's still inherant dangers in putting all your eggs in one basket and I can't help but feel that a step, even of this magnitude, is just a step in a long term plan but there's no implicit peril in this city - at least how I've seen it -and it may easily be the solution to a major problem. Time, I suppose, is going to tell. Anyhow, where next?"

[valerio]

"Well, they have the most awesome ride simulator ever here! They put you in a helmet which gives you a virtual reality and apparently you can set it to stimulate your adrenaline and senses as well as just your vision. And you sit in a car thing that's in a gyroscope type thing that can spin you three hundred and sixty degrees in all directions as well as lifting, dropping, shaking, tilting and vibrating to make the ride extra real! They have helmets designed especially for pets too, with different models for canine and feline to fit our ears and muzzles apparently. Each ride seats up to six riders, I think, and you can make the ride as long or short as you want within reason. So what do you say: wanna give it a go?"

"Can we choose a theme for the ride?" Axe Asked, suddenly looking like a puppy. "Space? Jungle? World War? Dinosaurs?" Mace was nodding frantically, grinning from ear to ear...
---

"How are you going to have a merit based society that doesn't run on currency or rewards? Without a system to show meritorious progress, you won't have a society or economic system at all. Legal systems would be easy, a council of various species, mechanical or not, distributed evenly over an amount of chairs. Equal parts human and robot for both unerring logic and emotion necessary to form real world decisions."

"Merit is calculated on individual performances in respect to the task and schedule assigned, adding the 'collective' factor: If everything works fine, it means everyone is doing their job. And since we're speaking of an extraterrestrial planet, it will be considered a great merit to make one's part to keep everything working. Don't you think?"
---

"No, I think I'll take your word for it," Francis said, stepping back. "There's still inherant dangers in putting all your eggs in one basket and I can't help but feel that a step, even of this magnitude, is just a step in a long term plan but there's no implicit peril in this city - at least how I've seen it -and it may easily be the solution to a major problem. Time, I suppose, is going to tell. Anyhow, where next?"

The cat found himself standing on the terrace of...some temple of sort. White stone structure, which housed water running through the walls, along the floor, with photophores giving it all a luminescence, as if a liquid jewel flowing.
The breeze was cool, tasting like trees, the sun just warm enough.
From that position, Francis could admire the full extension of the main city and Seaport. Clouds flowed along the mountain the temple was erected upon. "The temple, in the tales of old, used to host a tribe dedited to the cult of the Sun. Presumably, the natives will reinstate said cult. This is supposed to become a place of meditation, relaxation."