MISSION CONCORDIA: OOC INFORMATION POST

[onemind]

MISSION: CONCORDIA

     INTRODUCTION

Mission: CONCORDIA will begin on DAY :000 (May 16th). With the beginning of this mission, the clock resets. We hope every Host who wanted to keep track of time is making tally marks on their bedroom walls, because officially we're in a new time zone and who knows if it'll pick up where we left off when life on the Station resumes. All characters will receive a MISSION BRIEFING and a series of associated files and dossiers on their databanks, along with a warning to keep their databanks in offline mode at all times while on the planet. This is absolutely vital; in fact it's the only additional direction Prince and Cathaway have to give.

On DAY :000, all hosts attending the mission will find transport has been arranged for them on a small ship currently in the hangar. Neither Prince or Cathaway will be driving this time though; today the pilot is a stranger: a cheerful young woman who informs the hosts they'll be rendezvousing with her partner on the ground. She explains that the ship has cloaking technology that keeps it undetectable by local sensors, but that for the duration of their time on the planet it will have to be in orbit to avoid someone or something literally running into it. Don't worry, it'll pick us up when we're done, she says.

When will that be? Well, your guess is as good as hers.

MISSION BRIEFING

     CONCORDIA

PLANET: Opia
LOCATION: Opia System, Red Sea Galaxy, Universe Atta-Teluda 5467.7
DESCRIPTION: Tucked away in the vastness of Atta-Teluda 5467.7, there is a system where life is on the cusp of becoming something different. That corner of the otherwise quiet universe is the planet Opia in the Red Sea Galaxy. From a top down view, Opia is one of very few planets in the universe known to harbor sentient life and it is the only planet out of the six found in the Opia System to. As far as the lifeforms of Opia are conclusively aware, they’re the only intelligent life known to be out there.

And they are intelligent - and varied. Though a homogeneous species (and so humanoid as to be indistinguishable from your run of the mill Earth resident - in fact, your translators will automatically translate whatever the universe appropriate phrase is into ‘human’), they make up for it with richly varied cultures, tastes, colors and... components. Further, while their space travel is limited to slow, long intra-system travel, tech is absolutely flourishing on the ground. Synthetic and organic life are closely intermingled here - cybernetic augmentation is not just common, it’s the norm. Every individual has their own implanted digital storage bank, identification and operational personal wifi hub. Everyone is very personally connected with technological systems - digital connectivity is not merely a lifestyle, but a global foundation block. Digital space is a very real concept here; alternate reality massively multiplayer online games are common pastimes and there’s a booming ‘Extraspace’ community for connecting with friends, family, educators and employers on a worldwide level; it’s totally possible on Opia to live a rich almost entirely digital life. While medical technology has advanced to the point that the average local lifespan tops out somewhere around 180 years, there’s a comfort to be found in the fact that because so much of life is being recorded, digitized and logged on a literal personal level. One day the stored data of humanity might have a significantly more long term future. That ‘one day’ might in fact be very soon. With the advent of what could be considered “true” Artificial Intelligence technology in combination with massive advancement in robotics, the people of Opia are moving closer and closer to a singularity point - the moment where organic life and synthetic existence are no longer two different things.

The world of Opia itself clearly reflects this tech forward perspective. Though the landscape and climates across the planet’s sixteen continents are as varied as its people, the planet is primarily characterized by its numerous sprawling cityscapes. And though the natural world hasn’t been forgotten - ecobuilding and revitalization is now an absolutely vital part of keeping the planet sustainable -, most cities are still reflective of a time when that wasn’t entirely the case. In a place like CONCORDIA, one of Opia’s four megacities, subcities and neighborhoods are a mish-mash of new, old, and retrofitted. Old brick and stone buildings are flanked by those with sleeker, cleaner lines; apartment block towers exist in the shadow of corporate super structures.

Concordia itself is broken into four major subcities (also called ‘zones’, ‘quads’, ‘blocks’ or, jokingly by teenagers trying too hard, ‘platforms’). They are: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The point where these four subcities meet is colloquially known as Omega Block, though it has no official designation. Each subcity technically follows all the same laws and regulations, though the natural infrastructure each have made the subcities fairly distinct from the other. Alpha Block is known for its corporate strongholds and setting the trend in ecobuilding. It’s home to not just magnificent skyscrapers, but also sweeping palatial gardens; Beta Block is largely the commercial and entertainment sector - here you can buy, trade or sell a variety of goods and services in the physical world; Gamma Block is the industrial subcity where products are made, technology is being implemented and factories manned by fleets of robots are churning out both mundane items and luxury ones; Delta Block is the oldest part of Concordia and houses most of the city’s government buildings. There are residential areas, local markets, and all the necessities for living - high class lives or otherwise - in each of the four subcities. Though travel between the four blocks by high speed bullet train is simple and accessible, most people spend a large part of their physical existences in the same subcity unless required by their profession or certain personal predilections to explore elsewhere.

While the subcities share many common traits, the most noticeable similarity which spans them all are the large, refractive glass towers. These towers stretch high into the sky, but have a very narrow footprint. Even from a great distance you can see the inner spoke of the tower moving, covered in spiraling horizontal windmill like blades that turn slowly and gracefully day and night. There are three in each subcity and one primary silo at Omega Block, totaling thirteen towers all together. These silos are the city’s data storage facilities, commonly known as ‘Memory Banks’. In essence, they are massive server bases where every individual’s data is stored for their lifetime-- and beyond. As technology and digital recording has progressed, these memory banks have become digital histories of people’s lives - their thoughts, their feelings, their internet search history. When a person dies (usually at the end of a long, productive life!), their amassed datastream is saved as a digital copy of that person. Given advancements in medical, cloning and synthetic technology, Concordia and cities like it are leading the charge toward the ability to quite literally copy a person into a new body.

However in counter to this has been a rise of anti-synthetic sentiment, the spearhead of which is the organization known as ‘Humans + Humans 1st’. This anti-synthetic movement asks questions like, is cloning and body jumping really ethical? In combination with a working environment being rapidly whittled down by androids (who have no citizen rights and aren’t recognized as individuals) and the rising disparity between rich and poor, there’s a notable biochauvanism movement rising from the lower and middle class that believes memory banking for the sake of mental reproduction and the continued growth of the android workforce will cause the Concordia (and Opia’s) soul to be destroyed. Can a life be contained in data? Are they destroying everything that makes themselves unique? What makes them individual? What makes them people?

Despite all this, the biochauvanism movement in Concordia wouldn’t have been able to make much headway against the heavy lean of science, fear of mortality, and what amounts an all too inevitable rise of Artificial Intelligence personhood if it weren’t for the fact that the ranks have recently been swollen by a whole new class of dissenters, Motivated by the simple fact that as human consciousness becomes nearly indistinguishable from artificial consciousness, the line between the two blurs, a certain selection of the very rich have begun to lean on biological supremacy ideals as a means of maintaining control over a large, unpaid workforce. If human minds are close to being placed in android bodies and if a synthetic organic mind is made, who is to say the opposite is impossible? And those resultant people, who are becoming what society has up until this point considered property as opposed to individuals, would bring about inevitable policy change. Once human and artificial consciousnesses become indistinguishable, what becomes of that huge, silent workforce off whose backs the super rich have made their fortunes? Suffice to say, not all of the powerful fear change as much as they embrace the idea of functional eternal life, but some do.

Even with these two forces operating to undermine advancement, it seemed that Opia’s future was clear. However, Concordia now has a problem that shouldn’t exist: recently, and without any real explanation, the biochauvanism movement has become bigger, more organized, and more efficient. Frankly, it’s become a whole lot more dangerous. Thanks to some very odd local and global power shifts, the grassroots organization known as ‘Humans + Humans 1st’ now has access to money, resources and tools to fight the good old anti-synthetic fight. Chief among these resources is a new weapon that’s capable of wiping out digital data storage on a massive level. This weapon bypasses all of the safety precautions that their world has developed in the hundreds of years they’ve been perfecting information technology and storage. It’s the belief of the Nest agents currently on the ground in Concordia that this biochauvanism movement is being subtly guided by extra-multiversal entities who have a vested personal interest in making sure that Opia’s population never reaches full synthesis.

YOUR MISSION is to work with Nest agents pre-established in Concordia to get Concordia’s path to synthesis back on track. It’s the belief of the Nest agents that the best way to accomplish the goal is to rout Humans + Humans 1st (H+H1) efforts to sabotage Concordia’s synthetic infrastructure and data storage. By doing this, Nest agents hope to help initiate the Artificial Intelligence personhood movement.

What you ACTUALLY choose to do? Well, that’s up to you - isn’t it?

PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS

     PERSONS OF INTEREST

CARATA - serenae - An agent of the Nest and one of the new host’s primary contacts while in Concordia. Carata is a petite, lithe woman, with a sweet voice and pleasant demeanor who would seem younger than she is even without the Nest’s extended lifetime. She’s human, or at least makes no attempt to be anything else, with rich brown skin and large, darker brown spotting across her cheeks and up into her browline. She is friendly, open, and quite outgoing, quick to physical affection. She seems well tied into the Nest, but not to the level of Cathaway, and there’s something oddly distant about her despite her warm nature.

NIRAD - nirsighted - An agent of the Nest and one of the new host’s primary contacts while in Concordia. Nirad is more or less human in appearance, though maybe if you spend a long time squinting at him you’ll notice something faintly off about his proportions. Nirad is largely soft-spoken, but he isn’t quiet. In fact he seems to have very little filter between his mind and what he says or does; he’s prone to wild mood swings at the worst of times and seems off balance and strange at the best ones.

Once they arrive in Concordia, dossiers will be provided to the hosts detailing on a number of Concordia locals. For OOC purposes, we've provided a brief summary of each. Detailed dossiers are available upon request.

DR. FEDELMID ARAN - The head data analyst of Omega Block’s memory bank. Dr. Fedelmid Aran of the Barstori has a strong history of biotechnical research and development and close ties to leading wetware corporations currently working on synthetic mind development. Reported to be something of a family woman in her very slim spare time.

SEONG-HYE NGOZI - Local Security Commissioner in a megacity is rumored to be quite literally an impossible job, and yet Ngozi has been managing to not just do the job (reasonably) well but has been re-elected time and time again. She has a seemingly iron-clad reputation and since taking the job, local and subcity physical crime has dropped by %2 each year. Digital crime has more or less stayed the same, but that’s fairly typical. In general, most people seem shockingly happy with the job Ngozi does but there’s always rumblings about corruption around any die-hard cop.

AHTALIAH VEN - A digital and physical darling of corporate Concordia (and beyond), Ahtaliah Ven is known for his good temper and common business sense. His competitors find him a little cutthroat and he’s laid off a significant number of bioworkers in favor of a synthetic workforce, but to offset that he makes a point of funneling massive profit percentages into philanthropic works. It isn’t personal, it’s just business. Ahtaliah Ven is on a number of company boards with a slew of ‘diversified interests’, but his family company, VEN DIAGRAMS, is a forerunner in personal technology gadgetry. Roughly 15% of Opia’s personal implants are designed and manufactured by Ven. That’s a lot of brains.

SHEENA FREY - Sheena is a fighter. She’s been a fighter since she was a kid-- literally, having dedicating her early life to Sarsalla, the most popular form of martial arts in Concordia. She won multiple continent-wide fights in her age and weight class, and it seemed like she’d be set for life until she was seriously injured in a practice match at 17. While multiple surgeries eventually allowed Sheena to regain the ability to walk, for the two years of her life that she spent bedridden, in and out of the hospital and physical therapy, she was cared for by one of the state-provided assistance androids - nicknamed “Pal”. Her injury and the isolation she faced in the aftermath of her injury left her with plenty of time to get to know Pal.By the time they were separated, she considered them a friend. When Pal was decommissioned less than a year later, its body scrapped and mind gone, she took it personally. Sheena has spent every day of her life since using her name, her accident, and her drive to push for Android rights and representation. Sheena holds no official place in the government, but she is the major representative of the Mind Life organization - the most prominent of the AI rights organizations.

REPRESENTATIVE GORAM SAFFIT OF THE LARANN - The public face of the biochauvanist movement. Not that he calls himself that. This aging representative of the Delta block is nominally a ‘Patriot’, and he made his name by standing for a strong moral background, for good ol’ fashioned beliefs, for family and for humanity. His rhetoric is veiled enough, and he condemns the acts of violence performed by ‘misguided people who have nothing to do with the movement or it’s ideals’, while at the same time using the unrest as proof that the public is angry, and that they need to be heard.

EXTRAAA - A rumored circle of hackers (yes, seriously) who are rumored to be behind some notable but ultimately harmless digital pro-android digital terrorism. Most of EXTRAAA’s “attacks” are small time data scrambling and digital defacement (think: rewriting wiki articles and posting conspiracy theory videos to youtube).

HUMANS + HUMANS 1ST - The biggest, best funded, most organized of the biochauvanist movement organizations. The members are faceless and anonymous, there is no known leader, and those of them that have been captured seem to know very little about the true power and structure of their own organization. They have committed acts of terrorism for the past thirty years, but in the past year they have become more organized and more deadly. There are many copycat groups, but Humans + Humans 1st were the first and remain the most deadly.

KUN ADETOKUNBO - Affectionately called 'Kun-Kun' by his fans, Adetokunbo is the favorite to win the upcoming BOUT IT OUT championships. He, along with three other top competitors have been making appearances around Concordia in preparation for the big fight and large holograms of him promoting the bouts can be found at many street corners.

[Additional dossiers will be added as they become ICly available.]

     MISSION KIT & EQUIPMENT POOL

PERSONAL MISSION KIT

• DATABANK
  (Loaded with mission briefing information and associated materials including a brief history of Opia, cultural information, a travel guide to Concordia, a user's guide to digital currency exchange and a children's television show about how to stay safe on the Extranet. REMINDER: KEEP YOUR DATABANK IN OFFLINE MODE.)
  
• INTERFACING DEVICE
  (This small, slightly curved, slightly warm device fits over the curve of most Host’s ears, and it acts the same as the implants most people on Opia have. It will allow Hosts to mentally access the net, to store their memories, and to interface with the technology on the planet. It also acts as a translator. Google glass - for your brain! It also serves as a disguise tool. The entirety of Concordia is monitored at all times and this device will make your face appear subtly different and make it untraceable to Concordia’s security systems. You will be seen, but not recognized. It doesn’t fool flesh and blood humans though, so don’t consider it a foolproof disguise if you get yourself in real trouble!)
  
• FAKE ID
  (Your identity is tied to your interfacing device, so be careful not to lose it! The ID has a record of your name, occupation, education, personal history, all of your physical and mental augmentations and modifications (enough to explain away any non-human appearance), social media accounts, where you’re from, who you’re from-- everything. It’s all fake except your name, of course. You’ve never been to this planet in your life. Still, it’ll pass almost any inspection. Just try not to catch the attention of any of the advanced level hackers or investigators. According to the ID, all Hosts are part of a brain trust developing new Extranet scenarios. Any other incriminating details are up to the player’s discretion.)
  
• CREDIT CARD
  (It’s a credit card. It’s full of credits. Don’t abuse it, because there is a limit, but it will allow you to ride public transport, eat, and buy a reasonable amount of clothing and local tech. If you go over your limit, expect to have to explain yourself -- and possibly end up with a card that will only allow you to spend a certain amount each day before you’re cut off.)
  
• "UNIFORM"
  (Your away clothes this time are composed of a pair of dark pants, a tightly fitted undershirt, a slightly looser long sleeve shirt with an asymmetrical hem, a belt, and a pair of running shoes. There is a short synthetic leather jacket to accompany it. All of them are slightly different but are of a similar design (you look less culty that way…). They are, much like the previous clothes, resistant to dirt, water, and minor tears. However, feel free to mix and match with items acquired locally. Go nuts. Buy some souvenirs.)
  
• TASER GLOVES
  (Another taser... This one is smaller than the last and takes the form of a pair of fingerless gloves that will trigger none of the weapons scanners on the planet. To activate it, you press your opposite thumb to the wrist of your glove and hold for three second. The next person you touch who has a different genetic signature than your own will receive a jolt strong enough to drop them. WARNING: will not work on artificial intelligence, however it will momentarily scramble the electronics of a cybernetically enhanced human.)

SHARED EQUIPMENT POOL

• SPY FICTION
  (Are you ready for some spy gadgets? Because Cirata and Nirad have a small stockpile of locally sourced tech. You can borrow anything you want, just try not to lose any of it. :( )
  
• SUBLIGHT ELECTRO PISTOL
  (A (very) small handheld weapon. While nominally designed for anti-android safety at the advent of robotic introduction into the workforce, these pistols have since been outlawed and are no longer in vogue. This one is very illegal and very dangerous. NO. NONE OF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH FOR THIS. You’ll have to secure your own horrific blackmarket weapons technology.)
  
• COMPANY CAR
  (Personal vehicles are a rare luxury, but you’re all part of a cool fictional brain trust so you get to share a company car. This one is black, posh and seats 5. (It drives on wheels; flying car permits are way harder to get.) It’s a rental, do not crash it. They didn’t opt for the extra insurance.)

NOTE: Again, don't lose anything or Prince will make you fill out some paperwork.

     NOTABLE LOCATIONS

BEARINGS - Your home sweet home for your time in Concordia. The Bearings is a small short term apartment complex on the 18th level of the much larger Benna Building in the Beta Block. The Nest has bought it out for the extent of your stay. It is a shared housing situation, each corner of the floor is occupied by clusters of rooms with shared restrooms, and the center is occupied by the shared living space, the kitchen and the social room. Consider it a large dorm - although the rooms aren’t really that much larger than the ones on the Station. Each room contains a bed, a table, a small closet, and a panel on the wall that allows you to personalize your room, allowing you to change the wall colors and the lighting scheme. It links with your implants- or it would, if you had one. As it is it links to the device the Nest has provided you, and through that you can program all of those things as well as an alarm, a notification panel, bring up a screen to watch entertainment, interface with the Extranet, and surf the net somewhere beside your own mind.

EXTRASPACE NETWORK - The Extraspace Network is the major digital zone of Opia. Think a combination of Facebook and Second Life with a heavy dash of virtual reality/tourism. Extraspace is, for the most part, heavily monitored and regulated by its official administrators and moderators. Extraspace is a global super power of its own right, a very real second platform for life and experience. Experience dinner with you spouse half a world away; make a major business deal; pretend to be something you aren’t in Extraspace’s roleplaying venues.

I&D INC. - Intelligence and Design is one of the foremost wetware companies on Opia. Though it has a strong digital platform, it’s head offices are located in Concordia’s Alpha Block. Public tours are available on a very basic level, but most of the company’s research and lab functions operate behind tightly closed and monitored doors.

CAVANAUGH HALL AKA “THE OPERA HOUSE” - The Opera House is one of the primary entertainment houses in the Beta Block. A live theater and performance hall, a certain percentage of its yearly performances are open to a digital audience but a large portion of its events are strictly physical attendance only.

SUBSPACE - All cities have impoverished areas; Concordia’s largest slum is a district colloquially known as ‘subspace.’ Undesirables of all type seem to gravitate to the subspace; crime here is common, as are visible technological augmentation. Where biotech in Concordia is typically vaguely discreet (for example, prosthetic limbs are typically made to resemble flesh and bone), impoverished people must make do with shoddier, more visible tech. It’s rumored that the right people in subspace can get you a ticket into Concordia’s mysterious underground.

PLATFORM TWELVE - A bustling shopping center on a raised thoroughfare. Almost anything legal to own in Concordia can be acquired here in person or ordered from here via digital distribution if you don’t feel like doing the pickup in person.

BOUT IT OUT - Sort of an arcade place, but there are holographic spheres where the projection of you/your avatar fights inside against your opponent. You can do so by linking up your interface, though unless you've already got your avatar stored it's just going to show a generic pic of whatever you look like, and that's so not cool. Then it's a matter of punching it out left and right. You can do the movements physically and have them translate into the holograms for show, or just concentrate really hard and have them happen anyway. Which is not as entertaining to the people watching and cheering. There are practically no limits to what you can do in these fights. Jump, fly, blast them with telepathic powers, whatever. It's the ultimate make-believe fighting game where your imagination is what's most likely to help you win over any actual technique. The city is currently gearing up for a major championship event. (Inspired by The Island; ty Noodles)

GREAT CONCORDIA MENAGERIE - A zoological park in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred. Includes aquarium and aviary, some of which are synthetic representations due to extinction. (ty Vee)

PSYCHIC FAIR - A weekly market on the cusp of the subspace where the more spiritually minded of Concordia get together. While many of these eclectics have sympathies with HH1, there are others who are peace with both synthetic and organic life within their beliefs. Much of the wares are useless knick-knacks, and the services provided are obscure and pointless occult rituals, but you never know what you might encounter... (ty Vee)

SUBSPACE DRAGSTRIP - Illegal racing on iffy jerry-rigger machines, built from scraps and modified with interesting functions and some minor AI of their own. Vehicles take all shapes and sizes with races handled as free for alls or by weight class, but mostly anything goes. Please think cyberpunk trash Speed Racer. Very dangerous, both to drivers and spectators, but has a strong cult following and gambling bookies attached to it. Lots of street food as well as bartering for junk parts. (ty Vee)

ELSEWHERE - Looking for something? Concordia is a sprawling city, a massive hub to a menagerie of cultures - low tech, high tech and everything in between. If you want to explore a location or venue that isn’t listed here already, feel free to recommend locations in the appropriate subthread. Approved locations (etc) will be added to this listing.

     CULTURAL NOTES

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING - While cybernetic augmentation and digital implanting is the norm on Opia, extensive biological modification still earns some sideways glances. Most synthetic equipment is designed to interface seamlessly and invisibly with the biological - prosthetic limbs look like the limbs they were meant to replace, personal electronics are often invisible when not in use, etc., etc.. A certain level of cosmetic and stylistic adjustment based on personal preference is more than acceptable, but odds are someone’s still going to be weirded out if you make yourself look like an eight foot tall dragon. Still, like anywhere else, there are people who break these rules, and among the youth and performers you can find some truly strange things. Extra limbs, extravagant piercings and subdermals, dramatic facial reconstruction. It’s all possible, even if it’s not really acceptable. If you’re not human, do your best to look a little more human, because you’re going to stand out even if people just assume you’re a weirdo.

VICE... WITHIN REASON - Almost everything is a little bit legal in Concord (except the big no-nos like murder, assault, etc etc). Drugs? Sure, but they're carefully regulated. Prostitution? Everyone's well vaccinated and documented. Gambling? Hell yeah. Moderation is the key to a happy lifestyle and vice, both physical and digital, is a carefully maintained entertainment sector. Yes, there are underground networks outside the law that are significantly seedier and definitely more dangerous but in general no one's going to look at you sideways for partaking of a little Stim here and there. Just don't bring it to work or drive under the influence.

SECOND LIFESTYLE - Digital life is a very real thing on Opia, but most people still manage a healthy physical existence as well. That said, reality based entertainment and hobbies are largely very much the pursuit of the upper middle class and above. While children of wealthy families may attend physical schools with traditional seeming classrooms, most others will attend extranet charter schools. The internet is cheap; real space is a luxury. As such, lower income homes/restaurants/etc tend to be very small and very economical about space. You can bet that the bigger a room is, the richer the person who owns it is.

FAMILY AND FORTUNE - The population of Concordia is wildly varied and certain neighborhood and groups may have their own values and belief systems, but commonly, the historical Concordian family structure has been as such: A single family unit is made up of grandparents, parents, and their children. The oldest child stays in their parents’ house into adulthood; whoever marries them moves in with them to take over their parents’ place when they die. They inherit everything from name, to titles, and property. The primary power in a family unit has always been the parent whose family owns the house. Gender discrimination is less common than the discrimination of second (and beyond) children. Their family may still monetarily support them and usually still expresses their love and affection them, but they are in inarguably a less socially advantageous position. They can build their own fortune, make their own name and pass this on to their own child, but it is a lot more difficult. However, this family structure has been experiencing a steady decline. With parents living far longer than they used to, the pressure of inheritance has both grown in a theoretical sense and lessened in a practical one. If you are even the first child of a family whose great, great grandparents are still alive, you know you’re never going to take your family’s name, title, and property. Most children simply leave home. If they’re feeling bitter, they disown themselves and leave the names they have the right to carry. There are whole generations of ‘New Names’ as a result of this disillusionment. Meanwhile, those who do manage to inherit keep a death grip on their names, titles and properties. Many young individuals - both those benefited and disenfranchised by this culture of inheritance - laugh at the outdated system, but because the older generations are still firmly rooted in society it still has powerful sway.

A log will be posted for the initial arrival on Concordia, but players are more than welcome to make their own posts during the duration of the mission. Characters are welcome to speak and interact with members of the native population; feel free to handwave minor interactions, but be prepared for the possibility of threadjacking by mod-controlled mission specific npcs or events should certain criteria be met.

Further, this OOC Information post provides only the starting information for Concordia. This post may be updated to track player discovered information or world changes as characters interact with the setting and plot!

If you have any questions, please direction them to the questions thread below!

NAVIGATION • PREMISE • FAQ • RULES • GLOSSARY • SYMBIOTIC SKILLS • ABILITY POINTS

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

QUESTIONS?

[onemind]

Have a question about the mission? Ask it here!

[circumspector]

So... OH BOY. This is so much information I need to ask about forgive me.

Angel will do this in stages from the smallest bit of poking and then out from there, so like starting with the internet, poking around accounts, databanks and so one, essentially what she did on Avera.

Then go from there to see what level the cybernetics are up to, what control she can gain over those.

The last one will be poking & prodding / testing herself against the androids and those who are the blends of synthetic and biological life and how far she can wiggle her way in there, what control and information she can obtain even if it's nothing more than just talking to them.

Basically, she's going to settle herself into a corner and just going to hackhackhack to see just how far she can go in a society like this.

[adamance]

All right, so before I even begin to consider where to go, there is the matter of the computer chip in the back of Lexa's neck. I have a few ideas about how to use this in the plot, but I am wondering if there's anything that would happen with the interfacing device? Furthermore, her chip was designed to long-distance interface and be able to connect to computers. While I don't think she's a wifi terminal or anything, it might be a problem.

Right now, I have a much, much firmer grasp on what the chip is: it's both a storage device and mini computer that adapts to someone's body. If someone is not a Nightblood like Lexa, they will die if the chip is forcefully inserted into their body. The chip itself is slightly degraded, but not so much that it lacks a great, great deal of code, as well as the artificial intelligences of all the previous commanders, including the woman who created the chip. It's synthetic, and it can sense minds, but it's firmly implanted in Lexa's for the moment. But yeah, it's basically a robot-super computer-ish thing in her neck.

This is connected to her brain, and while not necessarily an "active" device, I imagine it absolutely would run in to some problems with the interfacing device.

So, I guess, I'm curious about how that'll go!

[frakkincylons]

first of all, how dare you

ok no, i love this a lot. sam will be gfkldsghskagf about it, but i love it. okay, so. QUESTIONS, MANY QUESTIONS.

1. As we all know, Sam is a beepboop. But v organic, though there was that scene where he was scanned and recognized by the Raider, but p sure that's just because both cylons??? ANYWAY, is there anything on Concordia that would expose him as not so much human? Anything he should be worried about running into or things he'd be unaware of that I should be OOCly aware of re: this?

2. RE: Angel's hacking. Since Angel's going the route of hacking the cybernetics and poking android and databank stuff, we'd talked about it, and decided Sam would go for scoping out the corporations and stuff? Maybe governmental things? Also, hacking the hackers :'D

3. How terrible would it be if Sam tried to go Hybrid with one of the databank towers? 8|||||| just. wondering.

4. How terrible would it be if Sam tried to interface with android networks and see what their brains are up to and where they are in terms of sentience? Or just by normal observation, what could you get from the culture of androids and stuff here?

5. Can Sammy meet Sheena? :D

6. If Sam and Angel combined their mutual OP tech powers, with Sam being like pinnacle of synthetic life and Angel being Angel, could they put together a server for a dorm terminal they build with firewalls badass enough to keep them protected from Concordia's shit? Possibly also for Sam's head in general 8|||

[erbier]

I would be really interested in having Ilde interact with someone's Memory Bank? But nooot sure there's a way to do it that her low-tech self would be able to get to?

I guess the thought I'm having is maybe there was some kind of cemetery function where you can do something like that? IDK, that is why I come forth to you.

[decommission]

HIYA! Would Carata or Nirad be available at any point to answer questions about their time with the Nest? Wouldn't ICly be right at the start, but Steve would eventually at least attempt to ask them some stuff.

ALSO is it safe to assume the usual kind of city vermin lives here (pigeons, rats, awful awful bugs)?

[snippycup]

So.........does facial mapping cover......everything.........or......is everyone going to freak out when they see ahsoka

[decommission]

Are there any churches to be found - specifically in Subspace (possibly on the Extranet)? Looking to ask about how people in this world view souls in the human vs synthetic argument, and always for any possible H+H 1st stuff.

[apoptotic]

I'm not late to this. carrying on, seeing as anakin's current ability is a passive necromancy and we're talking a city, I presume there are going to be echoes of deaths all over, from accidents to natural causes to murder.

any places in particular that will ping particularly loudly and/or curious and otherwise interesting deaths he may pick up on?

not a question BUT

[decommission]

for timeline purposes and such (also bc it's in an inbox), a small scuffle medium throwdown happened late on 006 on the corner outside a 24 hour convenience store in subspace

CLASSY

(also if you need us to retcon or change anything lmk!)

[snaphiss]

because I live to add to your modwork:

how easy is it to see if something is coming from the same ip address? because mara is liable to do some sockpuppeting at some point if that's easier to hide / hidden info, but she's not a good enough hacker to completely obscure herself obviously.

WORLD BUILDING

[onemind]

Concordia is a big place with a diverse population and virtually (ha ha) infinite digital possibilities. Do you have a suggestion for a location? A culture trend? A weird form of entertainment? Make it here! If it gets approved, we'll add it to the main page.

<b>NAME OF THING:</b> <b>DESCRIPTION OF THING:</b>

[inflori]

NAME OF THING: Bout It Out
DESCRIPTION OF THING: this

[inflori]

NAME OF THING: Bout It Out
DESCRIPTION OF THING: Sort of an arcade place, but there are holographic spheres where the projection of you/your avatar fights inside against your opponent. You can do so by linking up your interface, though unless you've already got your avatar stored it's just going to show a generic pic of whatever you look like, and that's so not cool. Then it's a matter of punching it out left and right. You can do the movements physically and have them translate into the holograms for show, or just concentrate really hard and have them happen anyway. Which is not as entertaining to the people watching and cheering. There are practically no limits to what you can do in these fights. Jump, fly, blast them with telepathic powers, whatever. It's the ultimate make-believe fighting game where your imagination is what's most likely to help you win over any actual technique.

The international championships are major, so maybe Concordia could be hosting one at the time the Nest Buddies come on over. An excuse for a cover?

Inspired by The Island.

[erbier]

NAME OF THING: Greater Concordia Menagerie
DESCRIPTION OF THING: A zoological park in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred. Includes aquarium and aviary, some of which are synthetic representations due to extinction.

NAME OF THING: Pyschic Fair
DESCRIPTION OF THING: A weekly market on the cusp of the subspace where the more spiritually minded of Concordia get together. While many of these eclectics have sympathies with HH1, there are others who are peace with both synthetic and organic life within their beliefs. Much of the wares are useless knick-knacks, and the services provided are obscure and pointless occult rituals, but you never know what you might encounter...

NAME OF THING: Subspace Dragstrip
DESCRIPTION OF THING: Illegal racing on iffy jerry-rigger machines, built from scraps and modified with interesting functions and some minor AI of their own. Vehicles take all shapes and sizes with races handled as free for alls or by weight class, but mostly anything goes. Please think cyberpunk trash Speed Racer. Very dangerous, both to drivers and spectators, but has a strong cult following and gambling bookies attached to it. Lots of street food as well as bartering for junk parts.

Just Ilde Things

[erbier]

Synthetic Life: Has never experienced this in this capacity, will find it rather disturbing and will definitely see the androids as enslaved because she… has no real idea what separates robots from AI. They’ll seem real enough to her. Watch her be way too polite with them and get weird looks from everyone around her?

Extraspace: Entirely uninterested unless someone wants to show her something specific. She will not get the point and find it kind of overwhelming.

Augmentation: Creepy. Doesn’t understand it, will think they’re mutants or monsters or something. Would like her to see Petre fucking around like he’s augmented and freak her out. Someone is going to have to calm her down and tell her that no she can’t kill him even though he is a literal demon. She will like him even less than before.

Beta Block/Platform Twelve: Would love for someone to introduce her to some of the comforts of modern life. Please feel free to suggest anything you think would be fun/cute to show her. She will hate the outfit they’ve been given, so if someone took her to pick out a dress… that’d be cute. I’d like this to be a moment for cute things for just a bit during this mission, then we can get back to her being sad all the time.

Memory Banks: I really would like her to interact with this in some way. I think it’s a good vehicle for some reflection on the meaning of life!!! Which is a big theme for this mission.
RE: Fedelmid, maybe if she tagged along with somebody to talk to this dude she could… wander off and interact with one of these files?

HH1: Good thing Ahsoka explained terrorism to her the other day!!! God I’d love it if she told one of them off and almost got herself in trouble… To her it’s very… You have such a nice life here, you ungrateful fuck, why would inflict terror onto people over something so petty?

Vice: Disapproves of this shit so much, not big on the indolence of the modern world...

In general: She gets this mission and won’t balk much about doing it.

Nirad: Interested in interacting with him, since his weirdness is something familiar to her.
Ngozi: Would be interesting to interact with just to talk philosophy on crime, Ilde finds that shit interesting.
Sheena: Would not mind getting to sit in on that convo if Sam talks to her. It’d be interesting to her to also see how he responds to that story.

Bearings: She picks it from the stock options, but really likes it because it is pretty: http://66.media.tumblr.com/0d7a3f3a4c640c3f5d25c479108b824f/tumblr_o53be07ahl1re6nxeo1_1280.gif

I&D Inc: She could go on one of those tours and totally fit in as a tourist. Maybe that could be useful, get an idea of the front of house security or something.

Subspace: Could navigate this kind of area well, although like I noted above the augmentations kind of freak her out. She knows how to move in shitty places and avoid attention, and yes will use her taser glove and not stab anybody, jeez.

Elsewhere: zoo, spa, dragstrip, yada yadayaydaydayda

[frakkincylons]

Synthetic Life: :O! They should talk about synthetic life things. Sam's going to be kind of grossed out by the way this planet treats either androids and AIs so it'd be good for him to talk to someone about it

Beta Block/Platform Twelve: Sam also really hates his space pajamas and one of the first things on his list is getting some real pants. and clothes in general. so maybe they can go city exploring? and he can handle modern things for her/teach her modern things, so she won't get hella lost and turned around by herself?

those are the two things that really struck me as stuff we could easily put them together for. he'll want to look out for her in general because lil brood sister, but Sam might also be up for doing the I&D tour and checking out Subspace? idk idk /;3;/ let's do things

Petre Goes On Holiday

[inflori]

Most likely he will find himself in Subspace, where he will be happy to show his demon-y eyes and teeth as some kind of fucked up body mods for extra credit. (And so young, too! Wow look at him so hardcore.) It should be a way to get him and others to the underground, unless he fucks it up. He will probably fuck it up.

He's all about entertainment, and any excuse to go after it will be a good one. Either he will try to disguise it as a step of their mission or just say fuck you I do what I want and test the waters. I'd like him to go check out the Bout It Out championship so the audience can be seriously weirded out by the kid whose avatar wins battles by chomping down on his adversary's throats. He will be booed by most, praised by few. There is no way he is winning the championship, and yes, he will sulk about it.

I want to see him get his hands on dangerous hi-tech weapons! Inspired by the Fifth Element ( here and here ) so he can just think he's being totally awesome and blow their cover at the climax?? Of their mission?? It could be too soon in his presence in the game to just blow himself up and walk away from it upon regeneration, but why not show your fellow Nesters you can't be killed by traditional means other than with an explosion.

He doesn't really have an opinion on which side should prevail. He's getting orders, he's doing whatever he wants with them, and people trying to argue with him that this is right and that is wrong will not amount to anything. Unless you somehow prove that androids are the equivalent of god's gift to Earth, he's going to help them out. And just as easily throw them in front of traffic to see how they fall apart. WHO ALLOWED HIM TO BE HERE, THANKS SATAN

[erbier]

/shoves

[adamance]

All right, so first and foremost, Lexa is going to be using Concordia as a way of giving herself a crash course on technology. She has this knowledge actually implanted in her brain, she just doesn't have any access to it in the way that she should because the chip is degraded. In order to learn about her technology, she's going to go to I&D first for a tour, to see if she can understand the situation better, get kicked out, and then try someone else (read: one of the bodymod parlors). I'm having her do both because she doesn't trust people and will think it's bullshit.

From THERE, she will be going to Angel to find out about what's inside of her, and to interface with it and work with it.

From THERE, I have plans to have her advocate on behalf of the enhancements because the chip in her neck (the spirit of the commander) is something that has served and protected her people for a long time. She's going to offer to help this society move forward, and try to balance between "my people are technologically inept" and "but even so, this has helped us a lot." She can give speeches and crap, but she can also beat people up if needed. Since I imagine that would be involved in stopping the infrastructure.

Since Lexa doesn't have fun and takes things seriously, she will be curious about why they are on this particular mission and will also be keen on everyone ... not having fun ... and doing the mission. She can be bossy and get your character back on track if needed.

Otherwise, I'd like for her to come into her symbiotic powers here because I haven't had reason to do it yet, but I'll play with that on the fly.

[decommission]

Heya! Since Steve and Lexa were talking at the rally about this stuff I asked about religion in Opia - would you be interested in threading something out where they visit a church or attempt to do some online digging?

Sam and the no good very bad planet

[frakkincylons]

OKAY, gonna copy Vee here and just do a point by point thing

AIs/SYNTHETIC LIFE: if your dude needs someone to talk to about the whole AI issue going on on this planet, Sam is absolutely your person for that, because guess what he is. An AI from a civilization that passed the singularity point twice. And watched two civilization crumble because they fucked up like this planet is fucking up, twice. So he will absolutely sit here and tell you how bad it is to treat artificial life as slaves. Because they will revolt and kill everyone, because no one likes being slaves. Alternatively, if your person wants someone to say "they're machines, they don't have feelings" to, Sam is definitely here to possible shove u through a wall 8D (but not really, he hasn't gotten all his strength back yet from coma-time).

EXTRASPACE: Sam, as well as Angel, are going to spend a lot of time hanging out in Extraspace, probably setting up some tech in the commons room in the level at Bearings and just plug in for a while. Well, either use it normally or plug in Hybrid style. Probably less Hybrid style, as that tends to ping weird on the servers. They'll be doing a little bit of hacking, but not an intense amount, because we don't want to screw everyone over being found out, oops. Angel might. Sam will be more careful. So if you guys want to go exploring the digital life, Sam will be up for going with you.

SUBSPACE: he'll be doing a lot of exploring in general, and getting a feel for the pulse and culture of the city, so sam will be wandering the highs and lows of the city, talking to people, investigating things. what he'll really need someone around for is when he runs into some of the things mentioned about AI culture, in what the androids are made to do. specifically, the sex worker places. so, please see next note -

MIGHT NEED ASSISTANCE RE: NOT GOING FREEDOM FIGHTER: Sam's kneejerk reaction to some of the more fucked up uses of synthetic life here will be "FREE EVERYONE, FIGHT THE MAN, BOMB EVERYTHING", because this whole planet is really hitting him in the 'i am synthetic and i have to accept that and these are my people and i need to be part of my people and stop refusing to acknowledge it' feels. and seeing as there was this horrible thing called The Farm back on Caprica, he's going to see the sex worker stuff as just totally gross and not okay, and someone's going to need to drag him away from him and put him in a corner to seethe in, I'm very sorry :'||||

BOUT IT OUT: definitely going to try his hand at this, because it seems cool as hell, let's do it, guys.

THE OPERA HOUSE: gonna go catch a show or something, explore around, check out how all this nonsense works

H+H1: sam doesn't like these people. he really really doesn't. he's going to see them as the main issue here, and as the personification of this entire issue of treating synthetic life so poorly, and the catalyst to what Sam believes will be the end of this civilization. the 'cycle' in sam's canon was that man creates synthetic life, treats this life like machines with no rights or agency, synthetic life rebels against this oppression and enslavement, synethtic life sees human life as a threat and seeks to annihilate it both for self protection and revenge, most often ends with mutual destruction, everyone is dead. so it's of vast importance to sam that they not only stop these people, but get them to understand what they're doing. even if he really really doesn't like them personally. however, sam is also very bad at not getting emotional about things, so he'll probably want someone along with him to stop him from flipping now and again. He'll definitely be headed to the rally to see what's up there. And probably try to talk to the AI life advocates, when they show up to protest. see what they're doing and if they have the support they need, etc.

CORPORATIONS: sam will want to investigate these places and people physically first, maybe tour I&D, get a look at what they're doing and how the android life is being utilized there. idk what else

STUFF? THINGS? idk that's all that comes to mind atm, I'm sure I'll have more come up later, but for now, that's what i've got, and Sam's top level on the starter log is here, if anything strikes your face there! Let's play, guys!!!

FAKE IDs

[onemind]

Have an alias you want to keep track of for the duration of Mission Concordia? Post it here! Remember, characters can keep their names if they want and everyone's technically working for the same think tank company to develop new Extranet experience scenarios; that said, the number of professions that fall under that umbrella are... varied, to say the least.

[decommission]

Name: Renna Watanabe Steve Rogers
Age: 39 25
Eye Color: hazel blue-ish
Favorite Food: spinach
Favorite Color: khaki (random generator is too legit)

Backstory:
grew up in the quiet slums of Rux. brimming with creative energy, they committed themselves to their studies and were soon recognized and admired by their peers and administrators. from there they worked tirelessly to land a position in their ideal career field as a 3D animator for Didney, never rising above or below average in their efforts.

steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve

[decommission]

.... is going to be taking this mission seriously, and will probably be a bit of a downer toward anyone looking to just mess around and potentially get them in trouble.

I'm going to toss him at the rally in the arrival log if anyone wants to partner up with him for it.

BEYOND THAT I don't have much pre-planned. The city structure will remind him a bit of home (with a whole bunch of tech added on). He usually has OPINIONs! and I think he'll have a hard time wrapping his head around the concept of memory banks and people-as-digital-data in the future, so I'd love for him to talk to anyone else that has their own strong opinions about it.

[frakkincylons]

steve come be srs about this mission with sammo 8O

also, sam has 8| such a strong opinion. about everything here. let's chat bro.

reeze

[dbag]

I guess all the cool kids are doing the point thing SO I'll try but organization isn't really my strong point.

AI/ANDROID SHIT: WELL he did have an AI in his head for a while there and while he had a decidedly bad experience he can def talk AI if anybody is like "wtf is that" and needs a quick rundown. He also comes from Futuristic Sci-Fi World where cybernetics are totally a thing — hence the robot arm — and robots are all over the place SO in general, this is not BRAND NEW INFORMATION to him. As the father of an adorable sentient robot he'll be nice to the androids even though none of them are as cute as Gortys probably :c

EXTRASPACE: Gonna make all the MySpace friends — JK, his only friend is Tom. BUT he's gonna be smearing himself all over it probably.

SUBSPACE: 2 afraid they'll steal his kidneys. If he has to end up going there he'll bring a human shield FRIEND........ just in case... privileged little mermaid isn't part of this underground world. He does have obvious cybernetics (making him unfashionable :ccc) so if you wanna fit in he can just... stand around and put his arm in people's faces I guess.

IN GENERAL: Probably gonna have some fun with the tech and nnnot be entirely serious about the mission while playing around with it!! He is probably gonna do a lil hacking at some point, though. Pretty well-versed in how corporations operate as a business man SO he can possibly explain if anything comes up. A total dud in physical altercations so if those happen he's outtie. Also augmentations are a thing so heyo he fits in well.

Also I guess his alias is gonna be Hella Jenkins, I guess that's a thing??? Why was the name 'Hella' even in the ID generator guys.........

[snippycup]

Sooooo Ahsoka is pretty visibly an alien which makes this planet especially difficult to exist on as herself. She's going to be pretty hard to find because she has to go super stealth mode to avoid weird looks. Excessive scrutinizing attention makes her uncomfortable, so if you do find her, she's going to be hiding under a cloak pretty much 24/7.

Ahsoka's databank earpiece thing is actually going to be a collar since she doesn't have ears and her tooth headdress is too precious to fuck up.

AI/ANDROID SHIT: Ahsoka has been around droids since she was able to walk, and is super besties with R2-D2, so if anyone is gonna fuck with robots, Ahsoka is gonna have a bone to pick with you.

EXTRASPACE: Definitely going to spend a lot of time retreating here to do what work she needs to be doing, because doing it outside is a lot harder. She'll have a less white human avatar here!

SUBSPACE: Since this is where all the weirdos hang, this is probably where Ahsoka is going to camp out (if she isn't in the apartments) since it will be easier to blend in case anyone spots the orange skin under the cloak. She can be found trying to ward people off from doing shady shit while she lurks around.

SYNTHESIS: That whole synthesis thing kind of sounds like sublimation, so she's going to be really wary and uncomfortable talking about it and is going to be really conflicted on the subject. The mission goes against a lot of personal moral code, and depending on how things unfold, she'll probably be pretty unhappy with the outcome they're supposed to be manufacturing.