Victory in Ossogur - the tide has turned

Fiction Portal Intergalactic Summit
44

The longer we go without at least a Triglavian autopsy, the more certain it seems that the reason is that their biology and maybe even state of being is something … radical. They’re clearly knowledgeable about physics (singularity reactors, entropic disintegrators, stellar harvesting, etc.), but what if biology and infomorph engineering are their true strengths?

The main reason for the ban on mass-copying people-- multiple active clones of a single person-- is the eventually catastrophic psychology of the thing. People tend to develop a murderous obsession with eliminating their other selves. What if the “troika”-- I think that’s the term for a Triglavian tripartite person?-- exists as a way around this problem?

Depending on the approach, they might be able to manufacture or reabsorb troikas as needed. That could be the nature of the “flow.” The same volume of water can run broad and shallow, or narrow and deep. What’s on the surface may not say much of what is there. No need to worry about caring for unneeded population; no need to be troubled by losses; no need to defend precious individuals. What is needed is brought to the surface, in a configuration optimized for purpose both physically and mentally, then broken down and submerged again when its tasks are complete.

Even short of this: planetary populations might live underground, protected from lethal “weather” that would probably make most surface conditions nonsurvivable, and use the planet surfaces as gardens and laboratories for more exotic forms of bioengineering. Or they could live like modern astropolitans, never personally setting foot down a gravity well.

For that matter the bio-luminescent clouds we’ve seen in the Abyss could be biomass depositories or even farms, fields of life to be harvested to make whatever … even new Triglavian bodies.

Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. And vast.

7 Likes
45

You supposed “defenders” demonstrate such a commitment to Imperialist thought patterns.

What would make you think that a culture defined by it’s hate of authoritarian power structures would default to such a structure? Just because this is the order you have been indoctrinated into does not mean it is the only possibility.

You think in terms of Empire; that an attack must be conquest; and that conquest is done for conquest’s sake. Or perhaps for prestige, or colours on a starmap, or religion or corporate profits.

Even a cursory understanding of Triglavian culture and environment proves they do not conform to these patterns. We know that the Domain of Bujan deadspace is hostile to life, warped by terrifying energies, and intensely fragmented. After all, you named it Abyssal for a reason. These traits clearly impede the making of an empire.

What is the natural result of such an environment? Small, tight-knit communities, grouped into loose associations, further grouped into larger clans. Of anyone, I would at least expect the Matari to see this. This is exactly what we see; Clades and Sublcades, organized into a Convocation - or council. As we would expect, these Clades and Subclades share a rivalry, while at the same time conforming to majority vote in important matters.

We have also seen how disturbing consent-lock is for the Triglavians, and the effort they go through to find a solution agreeable to the majority. That many of you project your own ideals of domineering imperialism on to this leaves me utterly bemused.

As does the certainty that Triglavians had the same luxury as we; comfortable ecosystems and planets. What about The Domain of Bujan would in any way imply that?

Their largest vessels are classed as World Arks for a reason. And we clearly see that they are not designed as warships, unlike our Titans, whose only purpose is destruction. They are much larger and woefully undergunned for fleet action. There is your answer regarding the location of the Triglavian population.

46

I see a hostile polity that sends its ships to Matari systems to inflict harm upon not just our people, but the very stars that nourish the worlds upon which they reside.

Consequentially the only sane response is to eliminate their warships until they stop invading, regardless of any similarities between the two cultures observed by hobbyist ethnographers.

7 Likes
47

Do you see no irony in rehashing old Amarrian propaganda leveled against your own people?

48

Perhaps I was too verbose, so I shall rephrase myself.

If someone kills my people I will make space omelettes with their pods, and if they don’t have pods that’s one less threat in the cluster.

3 Likes
49

As the floods of liminality extend over yet another newly captured system, now is perhaps a good time to look again at the state of the tide. Since the posting of the chestbeating communiqué that started this discussion, three systems with liminal potential have been invaded - Archee and Angymonne in Gallente space, and Kino in Caldari space. Edencom did not successfully defend a single one. With the main strength of the Imperial Navy now spent and inferior reserves being called up to the frontlines, even the former bastions of Amarr systems look increasingly vulnerable. So go ahead, strut and preen over your inconsequential minor victories. Just don’t expect to halt the flow in any system with liminal potential.

Dazh Liminality progresses.

50

11 system down

few hundreds to go

51

The tide has turned indeed.

52

Today, another system - Otela in The Forge - entered Final Liminality. The invasion of Otela commenced at around 02:15, and Final Liminality was reached at around 06:00 the following day. The system held out for only slightly over 24 hours, and Edencom’s effective resistance collapsed when the system entered First Liminality after around 12 hours. How would you describe the state of the tide now, @Johann_Bererund?

Dazh Liminality progresses.

53

The tide have turned in favor of the triglavian

54

EDENCOM got cocky, and Liminality is the outcome.

Dazh Liminality progresses.

-Kybernaut Rusty

55

Another system, a caldari one ( whot a surprise ) fall under triglavian controll

56

I wonder, is it just the nature of human beings to be super-noisy supporting their “side” even when they have only the very vaguest idea of what their side actually stands for?

(Other than, like, munching stars?)

4 Likes
57

Especially then. People tend to need the chorus of others of like mind to convince themselves that what they’re doing is really ok, when they know it isn’t. It’s the same sort of group reinforcement and mutual acclaim of purpose that religions, charismatic strong men like Heth or (presumably) Omir, fads, etc all rely on, too.

2 Likes
58

Hmm … no, can’t agree, Arrendis. Followers both of religions and strong men tend to be pretty clear on what they’re about and why; whether it’s Heth (the Templis Dragonaurs and their ilk predate him by centuries; the values they represent are older still), Omir (“anyone can be great; you need only the will, which you can demonstrate you possess by committing what lesser beings would consider atrocities!”), or any of the various religions out there, the cult of personality isn’t the be-all, end-all.

I wish we knew even a quarter as much about the Triglavians as we do about the Provists, for example. Right now it’s like the kybernauts see themselves as kicking down CONCORD’s doors to present their demands, but the list at the moment goes:

  1. Moar blu starz plz (don’t get up, we’ll help ourselves)

  2. (also 3., 4., 5., etc.) [TBD]

59

Ok, no, I was unclear there, sorry. I wasn’t saying followers of religions and strong men do it because they don’t know what they’re about. I was comparing one set of ‘social reinforcement’ with the others. Same mechanism, different motivation.

1 Like
60

Oh-- the “when you know you’re wrong” thing?

Hm. If that’s the case, I think you might still be putting too much weight on the expectation that Heth’s followers, for example, knew in their heart of hearts that they were making the wrong decision. Also, what do you call it when people who’ve made the “right” call are also really noisy?

It seems to me more like people are just noisy for their side, whether their “side” possesses a politically and philosophically sophisticated set of principles, an unsophisticated set of principles, a void of principles, or, as it turns out, an almost totally unknown set of principles.

People are maybe a little … tribal, I guess, and not always in the sophisticated big-tribe way you see in the Republic. It seems like it might take a special kind of foolishness to join a “tribe” whose beliefs and customs you know barely anything about, though. You might end up, like, having to eat your own kidneys every day or something.

61

More ‘enforcing conformity’ in the case of religions and cults of personality. The mechanic I was referring to was the ‘everyone talks about how they’re individually totally into this to reinforce the belief across everyone communally’.

But yeah, it’s a form of tribalism, and an appeal to tribalism whether the motivation is ensuring orthodoxy, or just ‘I’m not alone here in this kyber thing, right guys?’

1 Like
62

I think this post should rename “failure in Niarja - the tide has not turned”
Because

2 Likes
63

Ayup. I wish Niarja hadn’t fallen, personally, but it has. You ain’t lyin’.

1 Like