Hariim sets up at one of the computer consoles on the bridge, and sets about improving the security of the ship's systems and communications. He also begins optimizing and tweaking the computer systems and programs of the ship. [Roll to make it harder for 1337 h4x0rz to get into our computers, and to improve the function and efficiency of said computers.]
Vakarus suddenly appeared next to Harrim, observing his work quietly.
-----
Maddox was sitting at the workbench inside the armory while making the final touches on a weapon design he's been working on.
(( Just a heads-up on behalf of Sega here...
He called today to let our family know that he has the stomach flu. I haven't talked to him directly but it's safe to assume that he's going to be out of commission for a few more days while he recovers.
Thanks for your patience and enthusiasm, everyone.
Get well soon, Sega! ))
((We'll just flesh out the existing characters without furthering the story directly and avoiding roll posts.
Send Sega my greetings, hope he gets well soon.))
((Hi everyone. I'm on the recovering side of this thing, but it's been one horrible ride. I've sent the last two days almost exclusively in bed, slipping in and out of daydreams about various things. I had so many which were based on this RP that I thought I had already told you al about my illness. Sorry about the confusion, but at least me checking this website and leaving a message shows that I'm starting to get a grip.))
[Even when he's sick and dreaming, the man is thinking about GMing the RP. Get well soon, Sega.]
Hariim looks over his shoulder at Vakarus, but the computer in front of him shows no indication that Hariim has stopped working. Read outs, command lines, and windows still flash and move at impossible speeds. Hariim asks: "Somethin' you need amigo?"
(( Radley now that you've seen Frosty's face, how does he weigh on the [b]HOTNESS[/b] meter? Why did you wanna see his face anyway? ))
((Just so I have a frame of reference for Yuga to react to if need it.
3/5, raccoon eyes, would not fuck.))
(( god damnit :suicide: ))
Vakarus shook his head. "Not at all. Carry on." He returned to his gunnery console.
-----
Maddox opened up the ship intercom. "I need volunteers for some weapon testing. Report immeadiately."
Yuga observed Frostys gear and listened to his details. She tilted her head back slightly and narrowed her eyes. "Like I said, the explorers guild on ayr should certainly be able to answer your questions."
She walked over to the holotable, "Mr. M'baal, would you kindly bring up videofeeds of the garages of the mafias racers."
Frosty stopped turning.
"I see. One last thing, before I go. Do you remember my little outburst towards you? I... would like to apologize for that. I too, was being unprofessional. I just thought we should at least make our new crew members feel welcome, because who knows what will become of this crew in the future as we continue our missions?"
Yuga turned to Frosty. "Mr.Frosty, while I do appreciate your newfound clarity you must remind yourself that this is mercenary operation. Professional assurance is worth more than trust and is also disposable."
"I understand. Still, I appreciate you trying to help me piece together my past. I'll try to put whatever pieces I have together the best I can to see if I can make anything out of it. And hopefully I will have the time to travel to Ayr to inquire about what this photo means and where it was taken."
Frosty then excused himself, and then went on to do his aerial patrols around the Muramasa once more.
Hariim gets up and on his way over, he flashes finger-pistols at the table. "Bang!" And the holotable springs to life. All requested video feeds and the relevant information, including blueprints, pops up. "Thought you were never gonna ask about that, boss." Hariim says with a barely-professional smile.
Yuga squints her eyes in a delighted fashion, "If I hadn't witnessed your professionalism first hand I'd assume you were hiding insecurities with these dazzling maneuvers of yours, Mr. M'baal."
She inspects the feeds and focuses on De'valgas and Lebedes' garages.
"It seems our orchestrations have yielded results. With two of the mafias drivers out of the equations, chances for success are increasing exponentially."
Yuga looked over to Hariim again, inspecting his mechanic eye.
"Forgive me, Mr.M'baal, but did you acquire your [I]enhancements[/I] out of circumstance or by choice?"
Hariim feigns being bashful, and answers Yuga with a friendly-yet-professional tone. It would seem he's in a good mood right now. "Both, honcho. Got a good chunk of my brain and my eye blown off by a kinetic. The rest I got offered by the corp when they saw me and machines agreed. Been upgradin' like crazy ever since, havin' your mind expanded with nanotube processors and quantum micro-comps has a way of givin' a guy a new lease on life."
Yuga narrowed her eyes dismissively, "Take heed, Mr.M'baal, cybernetic self-improvement can become a dangerous addiction."
[QUOTE=Radley;50036976]Yuga narrowed her eyes dismissively, "Take heed, Mr.M'baal, cybernetic self-improvement can become a dangerous addiction."[/QUOTE]
"My chrome saved my life, Yuga. Corona, it made my life [I]better[/I]. You're a psion right? You can get into most people's heads? How important is that ability to you? What's it like to have that? Is it like me, moving my arms, or breathing?" Hariim has not dropped his friendly expression and demeanour. He seems quite engaged with the conversation, like's politely talking to his mother about drinking beer too much or something.
"Natural ability will never compare to modifications." Yuga replied in a monotone voice.
She walked over to the console and picked up her hat, placing it stoically on her head.
"Modifications can aid one individual, but when a society has such liberal regulations paves the way for misuse. And with misuse comes a false sense of superiority and the established natural order becomes challenged."
She takes out her compass to inhale some vapors before continuing.
"And when such events start to occur, independent adjudicators must... [I]correct[/I] these transgressions."
[QUOTE=Radley;50037232]"Natural ability will never compare to modifications." Yuga replied in a monotone voice.
She walked over to the console and picked up her hat, placing it stoically on her head.
"Modifications can aid one individual, but when a society has such liberal regulations paves the way for misuse. And with misuse comes a false sense of superiority and the established natural order becomes challenged."
She takes out her compass to inhale some vapors before continuing.
"And when such events start to occur, independent adjudicators must... [I]correct[/I] these transgressions."[/QUOTE]
"Well think of it this way. This ship is like my implants and mods. It allows us to go faster than light, lets us blap stuff with more firepower than anybody has a right to have. My implants do what this ship does for all of us. They improve my life -keep me alive in fact- and have given me something I never thought I'd get. It lets me reach out to people like I never could before, trust me. Being able to transmit my thoughts into a compatible fellow 'borg is amazing, the realization of a dream! I'm still basically human, with all the needs and wants and desires, but I've just got a new funny way of fulfilling them. And besides, borgophobia isn't going anywhere any time soon. People like you hate people like me too much to really let us be considered people anyways."
Hariim shrugs as he finishes the last part. He isn't smiling anymore, but there's no hostility or malice in the way he talks or carries himself. He just sounds like he's stating the facts as he sees them.
Yuga observes Harrim quietly for a brief moment, and then replies, "Very well Mr.M'baal, but let me lend you this final advice. Do not let the pursuit of improvements achievable not by your own physical form, but solely by cybernetic modifications foster an addiction."
Yuga narrowed her eyes yet again and slight hint of vexation could be sensed in her voice.
"Having these unnatural abilities at hand will take hold of you, and when the time comes you will resent their absence".
[QUOTE=Radley;50037449]Yuga observes Harrim quietly for a brief moment, and then replies, "Very well Mr.M'baal, but let me lend you this final advice. Do not let the pursuit of improvements achievable not by your own physical form, but solely by cybernetic modifications foster an addiction."
Yuga narrowed her eyes yet again and slight hint of vexation could be sensed in her voice.
"Having these unnatural abilities at hand will take hold of you, and when the time comes you will resent their absence".[/QUOTE]
"Why does that sound like an ancient movie line? Well anyways, I don't mod out my bod. Just my head. I've always been a techie, but I like my meat just fine. Below my neck I'm 100% unaugmented battle-hardened human. I like what my headware gives me, not much else is interesting."
He pauses for a moment, then continues. "Is this like a personal thing of yours, or is it just what you were taught?"
"What I believe and what I have been thought culminate in a singularity, Mr.M'baal.
Races are born out of evolution, where the most well adapted furthers the species."
Yuga began walking around the holotable with her hands behind her back, focusing on Hariim.
"When a species decides to take evolution into their own hands, the natural order is upset. These cases have a fortunate habit of solving themselves via means of self-inflicted racial extinction. The royal archives contain a staggering amount of documents regarding races that have come undon by their arrogant attempts to bend the very foundation of life to their will."
Yuga stopped and leaned on the holotable, watching Hariim with her expressionless face.
"And that, Mr.M'baal, is not what I believe, but what I know."
[editline]31st March 2016[/editline]
((Heading to bed now, sorry to interrupt this))
Hariim nods, understanding Yuga's position. "Well then you're just as guilty as any other technologically advanced race. Technology, even the most basic kinds, makes biological evolution change. The order gets upset as soon as a sapient being starts throwing rocks. This ship upsets your balance. So does your compass, and everything you use that's not your body."
He looks Yuga in the eye, still no malice. If anything he just sounds like he's going through the motions, like he's done this all before. "My chrome is what keeps me alive, gives me this life I enjoy living. Without it I'd be a corpse right now. I'm not interested in trying to control evolution, borgs in general just like that they're alive to begin with, and that their lives are enhanced. I understand your position and point, but I don't think you're listening to mine." Hariim pulls up his work displays on the table, and continues his work on the ship's systems while he listens to Yuga.
Yuga was starting to tire of this conversation. She had no interest in trying to convert Hariim.
But she would still try to make him see the fallacies in his statements.
"The body is an operator which uses tools to assist him. When the distinct line between operator and tool becomes blurrier when one merges into the other, it is time to evaluate.
Yuga walked over to the observation ports to looked out with her back turned to Hariim,
"Surely someone with your experience with technology should poses a less naïve perspective on the matter."
"I thought a psion like you would have more appreciation for brains than brawn. The way things are for humans is this: our bodies are as much tools to us as the computers we use. What matters is the brain, the personality. My body is pretty damn different from the average human's, but my personality isn't. The main difference is that my tools are integral to my body, they feel natural to me. I work them like I beat my heart or work my lungs. So, I've just got a better set of tools, and that's it. I can see where you're coming from. You're not the first borgophobe I've had this talk with, but you've got to understand why my chrome is so integral to how I work and live. I can pull up the memories right here, and display them for you if you want. It might help you see where I'm coming from."
Hariim preloads the necessary files into the holotable, but holds off on displaying them till he gets Yuga's response.
"That won't be necessary, Mr.M'baal. The only thing that I require is for you to do your job.
It has become obvious to me that we will not compromise about this regard and thus continuing this discussion will not yield anything." Yuga replied, waving her hand dismissively.
She turns to Hariim, "But if you insist on playing these memories of yours, go ahead."
((Can one of you rednecks report to the armory. Thanks. XOXO))
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