Day in the Life: Escape from the Heavenly State

[CadetNewb]

"Even crack marines would have trouble repelling the likes of us," Hoshiko replied. "They're only human, and slightly tweaked at best. It's not like we're going to deal with their special forces, and even then, they only trust those guys as far as they can throw them, given they're afraid of anyone that's more than human," the Tiger Princess pointed out to them. Snatching the tiny model of the ship from Koyama in their virtuality, she began to casually claw and paw at it like a cat, tearing away its exterior until she pulled it apart completely, expanding its innards out for them to see as she spoke in meatsapce. "Pffft. Aos'si? I renounced that part of my past and managed to be one of the few people granted First Class Citizenship, and it's no mystery why," she disparagingly looked back at the aliens in meatspace. Even so, she circled key areas of the vessel in their virtuality before quickly finger-painting optimal paths in. "They're xenophobic, dogmatic, and conservative, always thinking about some glorious past that's long gone or probably never even did exist," Hoshiko remarked, her body held still by the inertia dampening seat-rig. Instead of a high-g burn, the ship gently shuffled off - unseen and unheard - towards the sector she had marked previously. The interception zone. "They don't think about the future and just want to wallow in the memory of some lost glory."

There was a low-heat and venom to her words in meat-space, but her attention quickly turned away from the schematic of the hundred or so year old ship in their virtuality and towards the Dragon princess, her eyes lighting up with delight.

"Oh sweet! You got a cyberdeck?" Hoshiko leaned in to look at the pack-of-cards sized device. "All too easy! No bunching up for the extra processing power means we get to sweep the whole ship faster!" she pumped her fist. "Though, it's just the ship that's an import, not the crew. You'll still get to poke around their hardware," the Tigress pointed out. "This is going to be a stealth op, so as long as they don't notice us, it'll be over before they even know it. That means we're going to practice for when things get hard!" Hoshiko snapped her fingers, the room smoothly sliding away until they were in their docking ring, its door mated to another model clearly not their own, and far cruder in design. Clad in their armored suits and rifles in hand, they were all loaded for bear.

"This is a near-worst case scenario where they noticed us latching on and are being jammed, but not for long - Koyama needs to find a terminal and jack in. So yeah, time attack where we just shoot them Jun!" The cutter charge paste burned through the door, the metal cut-out pushed down and away in the zero-g by the breacher device - right before the 'hamster launcher' sent several dark blurs down the hall. Concussion grenades burst mid-air as several forms flailed about, blasted out of their cover. There were seven space-suit clad humans in total, but it was only the two in the far in the back that began to bring their weapons to bear as the others floundered.

"Go, go, go!" For the Daqinren, time slowed as they moved, quickly marking her target for the synch-attack. "Who wants dibs on the shooters in the back? she cheered them on, Type 3 Assault Rifle already turning towards her target.

 

[Ray of Meep]

"I'm... not sure that warrants turning them to cinders though." Wen contested. As the corvette slowly accelerated and spitting back green lights across the board, he got out of his crash couch, disappearing from the bridge, returning with bulbs of protein shake, handing his fellow crewmates once each. The Ox-form maglocked himself to the floor, taking a swig, then furrowed his eyebrows at Hoshiko. "True, based on what I know of the Aos Si, they're all those things: xenophobic, dogmatic, and conservative, so are the humans. But we're fucking around with the humans for different reasons. They treated our great-grandparents and grandparents as slaves, and even now they don't recognize us as equals."

He pointed to the hull, out of it, if it had windows. "They've spend the last few decades building fleets to exterminate us, and we're seeing the beginning of it with our Mother-Empress. The same cannot be said of the Aos Si. They lament in their poor, sorry state, but they were never a threat to us. It seems above all else..." Wen walked around Hoshiko's seat, "You wanted to be left alone." He pressed the princess further, going silent for a minute.

"The Mother-Empress always taught that we should have an open mind, that we should be able to ask the difficult questions and answer for them, or else we're no better than the humans." Wen took another swig of his protein shake, taking a good look at Hoshiko.

"Your words are bitter. Lady Hoshiko, are you... by chance... ashamed of your birth? Misanthropic towards the Aos Si? Was it really their outlook alone that drove you towards Holocaust? Why?"

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

"I got them."

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Wen let loose four accurate gyrojets towards the two men in the back, watching them fly towards their heads and chests. Within seconds, he'll be moving forward to finish off the rest of the floundering humans at point-blank range.

 

[Uso]

"Marines tweaking on crack should be easy." Jun replied, her form popping into existence. She'd then snap-turn to face towards the enemy targets, firing a stream of Gyrojets at the people that Wen wasn't directly targeting. She had enough training to know how to use their weapons but the level of seriousness she brought to the simulation was low. Her whole body would end up sliding along the floor at she shot, with very little accompanying animation of physics.

"Hey! You can't just ask her about that right off the bat. Hoshiko's done a lot of stuff since she defended OUR city against the Aoi Si. Targeting armies and stuff is totally fair!"

 

[Soresu]

Koyama looked to the deck, eyed Hoshiko, and scowled, she had named it Flashy. Not 'Cyberdeck'. The princess was a bit of a technophile and enjoyed naming things she worked with. It was an odd thing, but one she kept to herself mostly. With the freighter out of her hand in virtual space, and Wen providing a protein bulb to her, she took a swig of it as the Ox began prodding at a seemingly (Upon her observations) prickly tiger.

"You all are greedy!" she whined, floating along as the gunfire began, she mag-locked herself to the human freighter's deck. Rifle in hand, the flash of gyrojet fire tracked on her HUD as the human resistance was being highlighted.

"Terminal, Terminal..." it began as a mantra of sorts once the weapon had clamped itself to her forearm. With the three performing the sweep and clean-up, the dragon princess activated her sensors. All she needed was a simple station, even a panel for the initial entry and attack.

As her meaty space body drank the shake, hearing Wen continue, Koyama unstrapped herself and got to her feet in a swift motion.

"Enough!" she hissed, small hand clamping on the Ox's larger arm. Applying pressure as a warning.

 

[Ray of Meep]

Wen ignored the physical warning, instead replying back sternly. "What? Is Lady Koyama afraid of opening the closet of skeletons? We'll be spending weeks hurling ourselves through the void, risking life and limb on a just crusade to save the Mother Empress. Now that we're on the float, it is a good time as any to be sure our intentions are noble. If not, we have to acknowledge so, and seek forgiveness, either from others..." He eyed Hoshiko, "Or from oneself."

He pulled his arm away from Koyama, stepping back away from Hoshiko's seat. "I am speaking out of line, questioning the moral authority of a superior, yet, such adherence to hierarchy is why the humans are demons, and we are not. We must be better."

 

[CadetNewb]

Locked into her seat, Hoshiko hardly moved in meatspace as Wen laid in heavy with his crude, cutting questions swung about like a flailing dao.

"Among my memories as an Aos'si, I very clearly recall my birth-mother and I starving, given that the other city-states destroyed ours for wanting to welcome the Empire," the Tiger Princess spoke, her polarized helmet visor glinted back at the impetuous man. "I also recall my mother being stabbed in a fight to steal our food," she added, voice icy cold. The glare from her helmet stayed fix on the other officer. "Apology accepted, Duìzhǎng Wen,"

"Take this seriously Jun!" Hoshiko berated the Ox-woman. Like a synchronized firing squad, the Daqinren burst forward with inhuman speed and quickly shot together. Men and women, many already stunned or wounded from the barrage of concussion grenades, were quickly silenced as self-propelled bullets tore into their bodies and detonated, shredding their insides. Even with such good work clearing out the first group, the princess ought down the urge to call Jun a fat cow, but moments like this reminded Hoshiko that Jun was a civilian of all things. "Next part, just as we planned. Jun, take up position and guard our netrunner. Wen, with me!" The initial security crew was quickly swept aside, and the airlock terminal was ready for the taking. But the rest of the ship, bridge included, remained. Up ahead was a T-junction, and their nav-line told them they needed to go right. "I'll watch the left, go!"

 

[Uso]

"This is being serious!" Jun replied, floating over to the edge of the doorway into the computer room where Koyama was getting setup so she could guard the door. There was some consideration to how to protect the room and Jun decided to just close the door once Hoshiko and Wen left. "I shot the humans, and I stayed behind stuff so I didn't get shot. That's the two important things they tell you to do!"

She would open up a direct chat with Hoshiko now, "This is your chance to talk up your recent accomplishments. Goading the humans into fighting one another, sabotaging those primitives, that kinda thing.... maybe just gloss over spending so much time with that rich guy on a paradise world because that could just make someone like Wen feel inadequate... unless that's your plan you know? Make him feel like he needs to try harder. It is a thing you can do but don't lean too heavily on it since it backfires more often than not. Of course I'm not saying shack-up with Wen but you gotta start doing this kinda thing so you can learn how to talk to people!"


Jun would then shout out in meatspace so Wen could overhear, "ASK HER ABOUT THE TIME SHE FOUGHT A GIANT CRAB!"

...

Jun would also quietly contact Koyama inside of their simulation, "Hey, is Netrunner an actual thing? Or is she just using terms from those old books?" She asked, fairly certain that Hoshiko was going back to using her old terms for things. It was quite possible that they might be embarrassingly called swashbucklers at some point.... or like 'my maties'.

It was clear she had a lot of work to do to help her friend.

 

[Soresu]

Koyama's tone changed considerably as did her body language. Her poise was more refined, dignified. "And you speak out of turn," she countered in an even tone. She rolled her hand, "And lower your eyes in our presence by doing so.

Your intentions may be sensible, even with a hint of noble intent." her posture changed, a pose close to one of the Mother Empress, it wasn't perfect, but near enough. And one sometimes worn when dealing with those that annoyed her or had gained her displeasure. "It is good to familiarize ourselves and build some form of camaraderie to be more open. But, you go too far too soon. Having taken the time to build a trusting relationship may have lessened the negative outcome of something otherwise hurtful to speak of and recall."

"And before or if even it becomes my turn, I am Kan'ya Koyama, daughter of Zhùlǐ Dānwèi Sì, her Imperial Majesty by birth I do not say this to imply arrogance, Duìzhǎng but a statement of fact. I am also the youngest of her line." just as Hoshiko held that title, so did she. One had earned their place by the rite of action the other had been born into it. But as she spoke her name there was none of a haughty tone or hostility. It had become that of what she had used before all of this began.

"You may know what that means when being born into such a family. And as such I have my ambitions which have resulted in my appearing and acting in this capacity. It is punishment for what I had done. I have been stripped of royal authority for my intruding and taking command from another." her helmeted head turned toward Hoshiko. A look had crossed her features one of apologetic embarrassment. Hoping the other tigress would catch on. She had thought the way she had achieved victory would advance her, and that it just had been fucking cool how it had been done. But the proverbial shit had hit the fan for her afterward. "While my audacity of that act saw us to victory, I had stolen it from them. And in my arrogance and pride, had made the assumptions Mother would be pleased. Instead, I faced punishment and humiliation. I had earned a flash of her wrath," pausing, Koyama sipped at the bulb, before suddenly squeezing tightly to wring every last drop from it that she could. Crumpling in her hand the recycler would have to wait.

"My true form had been taken, my title, my physical appearance. And many of my accounts and investments. It was to teach me humility and duty. To fight, to know the feeling of subservience and earn my way back in."

The former dragon had a feeling Hoshiko would likely be pissed. Or near enough to some negative emotion. At least from her observations and assumptions of the woman.

And for the first time in her life, beyond her mother, the Empress she bowed to the other tigress. "For this, I humbly, and with respect apologize for said action. You are my superior, and as such, should you wish, I will accept any punishment you see fit for that transgression."

"Dunno," Koyama responded to Jun as her virtual avatar had her little Flashy module integrated with the console. With the link established, the netrunner began her work. Her first strike was directed toward communications and from there began their invasion, spreading like a virulent plague. Beginning to breach the encryption with a viral attack, she continued speaking.

"With her? Probably both. But, I kind of like it. The books are great anyways so I built a world for it and seems popular to some people the whole retro gamer genre' thing has a niche. Or did you have another name in mind?" and now Jun had a nerd on her hands

 

[Uso]

This was getting out of hand, now there were two of them...

"No, I didn't have another one in mind. If you're ok with it then we can just call you a netrunner," Jun replied politely, even if it did sound like the verbal equivalent of wearing a Fedora unironically.

---


In the real world, Jun's eyes were going wide as she overheard Koyama talking, "THAT'S HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TALK HOSHIKO!" Jun shouted, waiting for a moment before switching over to a private channel to Hoshiko, "Listen to her, super wordy, all sorts of regal-sounding-things. The kinda speech that makes people take notice. It completely sets her apart from the plane speech that Wen uses. When it comes time to get good assignments you bet she's going to be the one who stands out to leadership when compared to the regulars."

 

[Ray of Meep]

Wen looked visibly difficult, his red eyebrows remaining knit. Quietly, he suckled his bulb of protein shake, watching Hoshiko reply coldly to his fiery questions, Koyama berating him in truly, royalty fashion, and.... whatever Jun was doing. His features calmed, as realization seeped in: this wasn't his motley crew, and he was no longer captain of his own corvette: he was a pilot in the presence of two potential heirs to the throne.

The ox-man shrugged, walking over to the recycler, letting his bulb float into the bin, then closed the lid for the contents to be sucked away by vacuum. "I never did apologize, Lady Hoshiko, and I won't. While the horrors you've faced are regrettable, tragic; petty desires such as vengeance shouldn't cloud our judgement, and lower ourselves to humanity. We are better than them, the Aos Si. Acts upon them, fueled by anger and vengeance, is as meaningless as berating a dog for tearing up a pillow; they don't know any better. The appropriate level of self-defense and punishment should suffice. I question the wisdom of incinerating entire armies with the end of a fusion torch drive."

He walked over to his crash couch, mindlessly watching the monitors displaying distance between them and their target tick down. It'll be days before meaningful progress is visible with the eyeball. "I..." Wen spoke up, then shook his head. "No." He harshly denied to himself.

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

"Roger that."

Wen mechanically turned right, following Hoshiko's orders, eyeing any potential openings in his path, putting down anyone who tried to contest him with gyrojets. Upon coming to a shut door, he immediately slammed a breaching charge onto it. "Ready to breach." He coldly remarked to his leader, eyeing the entrance like a soulless automaton.

 

[CadetNewb]

In meat-space, Hoshiko's polarized helmet remained expressionless, her nutrient bulb untouched.

"You are forgiven," She curtly bowed her head to the Dragon Princess. But despite her cool, polite demeanor to Koyama, the truth was that she was worried. There was something going on that involved Mother-Empress and Koyama, and she did not know what it was. But it had to wait. "I...wasn't exactly raised for courtly stuff," Hoshiko began, indirectly answering Jun and doing her best to ignore those damned PMs! "Mother-Empress encouraged me to choose. Which, I guess is something that many of our siblings don't have the luxury of," the Tiger Princess noted, her helmet unpolarizing as her eyes fell on Koyama again. Koyama, who spoke far more regally than she ever could. Hoshiko gave a nod of acknowledgement before she briefly glimpsed at the fat breasted cow, hoping that would be enough to shut her up already. But there was Wen. Looking at him hard, she couldn't help but think he was completely graceless in comparison to her sister. And it clicked. "Though, even before Mother-Empress, I had learned certain manners. Which, I'm guessing you don't have and were punished for?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

**

On board the simulated cargo ship, Hoshiko and Wen crossed into the T-Section together, one turning left and the other turning right at the same moment. Like a ballet, their guns went off in unison as the super-sonic projectiles curved mid-flight and lethally landed in the humans within their sights. Landing, and pushing off the surfaces of the ship, they quickly flew though the zero-g corridors and stopped, the door blasted apart moments later as they seamlessly moved together in silence. Coordinated and precise, the two quickly proceeded without a word between them, repeating the process every time the doors didn't mysteriously open. But this silence between them couldn't be further from the truth.

"We don't have enough breaching charges Koyama!" Hoshiko shouted over their line. "Open the blast doors!" she and Wen skidded to a halt. The blast doors leading to the bridge were far thicker than the rest, and in classic Russian style, looked like they could have stopped a tank. Having stopped right in front of the bridge, something pricked their ears - more humans were coming. They had to figure something out, and fast! Though things had been quiet for Koyama and Jun thus far, the door that the Ox-Type closed hissed open again, a pair of rifle toting crew members carrying first aid kits sharply turned away from their own terminal, their faces lit up in surprise on seeing the two Daqinren!

 

[Ray of Meep]

Wen growled, looking away in silence. "It wasn't the Mother-Empress. It was one of her generals, Kao Long, who sent me into this system, five years ago. For ten years, before I graduated from the academy, I was expressing concern how we were treating the Aos Si and the Chongwu, how the status quo was giving humans the moral high ground in the cold war." He pulled up a file, then flung it at Hoshiko.

"I wrote up a research paper on it, citing past human conflicts and how extremists within factions led to said factions' downfall, not only eating them within, but also giving their enemies causus belli to wage holy war upon them. The same thing is happening as certain groups within our empire are profiting off Chongwu exports for short term financial gain but long term political loss. I tracked down General Kao Long, who had financial stakes in the trade, and warned him directly of the consequences, imploring him to transition to something more morally acceptable, and don't repeat history. He instead gave me a promotion."

 

[Soresu]

Koyama stared into Hoshiko's blue eyes with her golden ones, "I thought it would be obvious," a look of disappointment marring her expression. She had no prior military experience until after being strong armed into volunteering. And seemed straight from court, "Born into my position and groomed for it. And took a military matter in my own hands. Without having prior military experience?

Now I'm here. With the person, I screwed over by taking the win. C'mon." returning to some normalcy of speech.

"Congratulations, you were manipulated into silence I would guess," Koyama answered even as he sent whatever file to Hoshiko. "Why not go to one of the Roosters?" with a questioning look, the woman placed a hand on her hip. "They could have exerted pressure on the situation if you could've gotten to the right one."

In virtual space, with Hoshiko yelling into her helmet, she received a growl in return. With her taking the ship's systems one by one, resistance had been firm despite the freighter's age. Bit Daqin technology was winning out. And all the while she was admittedly having fun with this, somehow finding entertainment in what could and likely would be an otherwise life or death situation.

"One second," she finally snapped back, the requested door began to open slowly at first. Push back from the simulated computer briefly surging into the rescue before being beaten back. With that, the door opened as normal for one as thick as it as that is.

Her attention had been mostly bent toward the task of attacking the ship in her own way. Leaving it to the Cow-form to deal with whatever came at them.

"It's going as quick as it can go, so they may have an idea you're coming." stating the obvious they could see how long that was going to take, Mother Russia didn't play around when they didn't want people getting into things. "That is if you don't want me to work the mechanisms to death. Then they might stop before it's even fully open."

 

[Uso]

"Yeah, gave you a 'Lets get rid of him' promotion!" Jun shouted out in meatspace, "The only thing that's going to convince them to change their minds about making money is if you give the a solution that makes them more money. Instead you're making a name for yourself as a whistleblower by saying the things we're doing are bad, and that we shouldn't do those things for reasons that don't have a dollar value attached. Any Rooster that's got a secret to keep or a buck to make is going to keep you as far away from them as possible. Everyone's gonna worry you're going to write a paper about how you don't like what they are doing."

It was clear to Jun that these people needed her help and big-sister-ly guidance to help them navigate the difficult world of politics, speaking like a princess, and possibly also being a princess.

Hoshiko seemed completely stuck in place.

Wen was digging himself a hole.

and Koyama... well aside from having the same like of dumb old stuff as Hoshiko, Koyama seemed to be doing alright.

Jun noticed that Hoshiko was looking right at her, and that reminded her that Hoshiko's career was stalled too! This was all a great opportunity to fix this situation for everyone.

"Though if we save the Mother-Empress they'll have to promote all of us." Jun added in meat space, before then also adding, "I mean, except me. I'm a geologist... geologists don't get promoted for that kind of thing... But maybe you could introduce me to one of those princes?"

---

The Cow was still watching the door to the room that Koyama and here were holed up in. When the door opened up she jammed the barrel of her smart gun into the small opening and fired off a bunch of shots. She then yanked her gun out and slammed that hatch closed. "Hey, can you vent them out into..." The VR version of Jun would quickly deploy her helmet at this point, letting it 'ZOOP' on around her head, "... Space? Just open all the doors and suck 'em out?"

 

[CadetNewb]

"Ugh. " Hoshiko tried to rub her temples. Her armored helmet stopped the tiger princess short however. "Where's that cocky rooster and her 'ara-ara' when you need her?" With a flick of her wrist, a mimicry of tossing over a manila folder, Hoshiko forwarded the details to Koyama and Jun as well. "Haven't you watched any of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms epics Wen? As far as I'm concerned, you got what you deserved," she growled. Taking a deep breath in meatspace, the princess let herself deflate from her building ire. Koyama was hinting at something involving her, but it was best not to pry. Yet.

"Wǒ Cuò Le," Hoshiko apologized, the words stiff like a painful bandage being removed. "The Aos Si only have to deal with one of our cities, one handing out humanitarian aid and very willing to trade for artifacts and information," she began, memories of opening an imperial food ration bubbling back uninvited. "And the Chongwu are meant to destabilize the humans first, and supplement our labor pool second. The humans treat them far worse than we do, and our laws are very strict on their treatment in the Empire." Hoshiko had never bothered to have a Chongwu, but this was what she had seen, what she was told, and what she was certain about. She glanced at Jun again.

"I doubt we'll save Mother-Empress by ourselves, but if we get into position, we'll play a huge part in crippling the humans' supply lines," the tiger princess pointed out. "So take this seriously!"

**

As Koyama focused on the terminal, a line of bullets stitched across the wall beside her and stopped short of the princess. Jun had quickly sent their bodies floating off in zero-g when the door slid open, globules of red floating about after them before the door shut again.

"Showtime!" Hoshiko and Wen had been holding off the enemy from in front of the bridge, but the moment the blast doors opened, the two tossed in their last flash bangs and stormed it. The two felt their armor breached as armor piercing cores zipped through their bodies, but they quickly gunned down the offenders. The officers at the controls spun around, only to be quickly shot in turn, and with a press of a button, the blast doors closed again. "Venting the ship's a classic, and from here it's basically cleanup," she noted. "But if you guys want, we can simulate that part too." Looking over to Wen in the sim, she pinged him again, "I caught two in the gut, no vitals hit. You?" the princess pointed at her waist.

A pair of neat holes had punched clean through her, but she seemed unbothered.

 

[Ray of Meep]

"Please read my paper at some point, Lady Hoshiko." Wen warily eyed her, then back at his monitor. "Yes, we have laws that protect the well-being of Chongwu, on paper. But fundamentally, Chongwu are still an economic tool first, civilians second, and that root fact makes them a destabilizing factor in the empire. Humans, for centuries, have given the minority or less-powerful groups in the societies equal treatment, on paper, but always falling short of granting them the same economic and political privileges as the main citizen body. The Spartans and the Helots. The Russian nobility and their serfs. The European Americans and their African counterparts. The Chinese and the Muslims. So long as the fundamental inequality is kept in place, no amount of icing on the cake is going to prevent the more powerful group to find loopholes to take advantage of the less-empowered. In our case, us, the Daqinren, and the Chongwu. Moral quandaries aside, so long as this unequal relationship exists, it is going to create instability and weaken the Empire. At minimum, it requires us to devote political resources to keep the Chongwu and their advocates quiet, if not physical, police resources."

"Look here." Wen flipped to a page, showing a bar graph, one column higher than the next. "Fifteen years ago, when I began my investigations, I recorded the first instance of Chongwu unhappiness, resulting in violence. Sun Meibi, professor of nuclear physics, assaulted by her dog-form Chongwu assistant, who had access to our information network, by law. Professor Sun was forced to kill the Chongwu on the spot, out of self-defense. And these numbers keep ticking up. By the last full year of research, before I published my paper, Chongwu violence against Daqin citizenry has reached double digits. Thank the Mother-Empress that there were no serious casualties. I've been out of the home system for five years now." The Bull-form billowed hot air from his nostrils unhappily. "I've yet to see any reform."

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

"No injuries sustained. I advise a change in breaching order: allow me to enter first to take advantage of my larger mass; less probability for vitals impacted." Wen remarked flatly and professionally, scanning the bridge first, before he came upon the consoles to vent the rest of the ship, all rooms except the bridge and Jun & Koyama's room. As his visor was polarized, but everyone else in the virtual space could feel Wen's frustrations, culminating in a mutter under his breath: "Showoff."

 

[Soresu]

If it were possible for soundwaves to travel in space, then it would have been in that moment as the lights had flashed in a warning. There was a thud against a viewport, and the sound of skin sliding against the glass. A human in a jumpsuit, a far-off look in their eyes that in a pressurized environment would have glazed over by now slid past.

"Were we not supposed to vent the ship? Because I wanted to vent the ship, also it was Jun's idea too." Koyama asked over their network Hoshiko's offer either forgotten or having not even been heard. All while her virtual avatar glanced up whatever trance she had been in over and done with. Looking from Jun, then to the wall, all the Cow-form got in response to the realization that her momentary charge had come close to death was a thoughtful 'Huh.'

"I modified the coding a bit. To simulate that sliding across the viewport feeling for dramatic effect. Good? No? I always wanted to do it. So bugger off if there are complaints!

I'll work on quickening slicing into their systems. The software on this tub is so old you may as well be trying to hack it with tin cans and waxed string."

After a pause of the continued lingo involving ancient human media, she added, "Any injuries?" Wen's feelings went on ignored on her end, as her pleasure and elated feeling of accomplishment and humor suffused her being.

------

Koyama wore a flat look at Wen's response, even while perusing the file sent to her by the other royal. She was low on the totem pole and had therefore begun to build her foundation of power around a firm economic base. The statistics and graphs she took in with fervor. With that look, it was clear she was none too pleased by what she was 'reading'.

She had resisted the urge to move her hands as if sifting through a stack of papers. "Dog-form you say?" she asked, "Then you should know depending on their classification they receive varied training. This is... curious."

"As much as I hate to admit it, carbon is cheap, and robotics while intriguing carry with them incredible expense to manufacture and maintain. Even others have begun trying to replicate our work." Koyama admitted with a weary sigh, "Likely coming to the same conclusion. Our economic and labor pool is small in comparison to the larger human sphere which has centuries on us. We make up for some of this shortcoming through more efficient means and mercantile savvy yet it only helps up to a point. And thus enter the Chongwu to help alleviate that. Pets for some civilians for others, workers for the rest."

"I have also come across some samples here and there of other groups trying to replicate our work. But it is poor and shoddy by comparison the genome falls apart quickly and easily. Or mutates beyond control. But it proves regardless of those like the Chongwu will be created by others eventually. Humanity has a history of such instances as you have indicated via the servitude of their own kind, and our ancestors Her Majesty included."

"For one to attack its owner reflects on the owner, not the Chongwu in question. If you treat someone poorly, pet or otherwise of course they will attack. Yet you mentioned their access to our networks," the princess pointed out, actually making the motion of tapping a stack of physical paper. This had the effect of her expression turning thoughtful, having tried to stroke her chin and failing at the attempt.

Looking to the side, she rubbed a bicep with her free hand, "I myself have Chongwu, and treat them quite well not because of the sheer expense of their class but because I desire to. And truth be told, I miss them dearly."

"Law only goes so far this is true. But I would hasten to question the reason why these cases have cropped up, to begin with. Your opening example states they had access to our network. I would investigate this first, as well as this Doctor. Then cross-reference the other cases for any similarities if you have not already?" she stared intently at the back of the Bull's head expectantly, blinked, and looked back to the other tiger in the compartment.

"You had a Rooster in mind for something like this?"

 

[Ray of Meep]

"The Chongwu have freedom to information, as our laws stipulate." Wen replied, "A noble experiment, an attempt to have the best of both worlds: a happy, subservient labor force. But such experiments have always become dystopia to the servants, leading to resentment, outcry, violence. Our Mother-Empress was a servant once herself, and we see clearly the consequences of that imposition by the Chinese's forbearers: decapitation, literally at times."

"In Professor Sun's case, she treated her Chongwu well at first, giving him all the freedoms and care stipulated by law, but as the law stated, stopped short of giving him full citizen rights to participate politically and find his own path economically, always remaining a research assistant to her. He found his way to Chongwu rebellion spaces emanating from outside the Empire, and grew unrestful as a result. According to Professor Sun, he confronted her more and more often of his limited freedoms, and she was forced to restrict his network access, which started a death spiral of resentment."

Wen now examined Koyama carefully, pausing. "I... don't doubt your affection for your Chongwu, Lady Koyama, but history has shown that, in order to maintain political stability, a nation-state must remove the less-empowered entirely, or give them the opportunity for equal economic and political power. There is no in between. If we do return to the home system alive, I would treat your Chongwu with care." He admonished.

 

[Soresu]

"Then the doctor should have petitioned for their right to the citizenry." Koyama stated matter of factly, "It may have been possible, however, you say he was of such independent thought?" with a few taps on the side of her helmet she sighed, "I am guessing the Doctor could afford but a Class A? Perhaps a Type Two, or Three if they could swing it if they had the Jiaozi."

Muttering to herself at that point, the little stub of her tail tried to wag but was ineffectual. "But I hasten to add this, we lead double lives, the 'Best of Both Worlds' as you so studiously put it." she raised a hand in a placating gesture and tone conciliatory.

"As we enjoy the virtual realms, our bodies labor in meatspace. Perhaps it isn't the same. But we share that similarity at the very least.

And trust me, Duìzhǎng, I know well my Mother's history and that of our ancestors. It was part of my early education. Sometimes she could be rather... intense regarding it." with a visible shudder at the last. Then with a spread of her arms and shake of her head, the gesture of helplessness before moving to toss the crushed bulb into a recycler.

"This however does not solve the problem, this back and forth. I can do nothing for them. She," nodding toward Hoshiko, "Might have someone. They 'ara-ara' a lot apparently." the cut and dry tone with a hint of skepticism even as her gaze turned flinty.

"I take the best of care of my Chongwu, Duìzhǎng. I would oft sit with them in meatspace and eat with them. Tell them stories from printed books. Exercise regularly with them and play with them in virtual space. They were by no means pampered but lead good lives.

Some of my siblings thought me mad. But then they were a bag of dicks, to begin with, the vast majority of the time. But I respect your drive and desire for change. And have noted the name of the General in question. And should we survive, I will be sure to intercede with Her Majesty on your behalf or ask her to speak with you on the matter directly."

To Hoshiko she didn't look having instead kept the conversation with Wen going, but sent a message to the other tiger privately, 'This smells like rot to me perhaps not Wen's words but something else. A Chongwu doesn't suddenly turn like that or begin questioning. Class A and above are practically fanatical about their work. If he said there are advocates for them then that would be a good place to start. And whatever this Chongwu was getting into on the networks before this even began.

And if this specimen went out beyond our borders I bet you a set of ancient twenty-first-century novels by some fat human who wore suspenders. And never finished the series because he likely stuffed himself to death with tubs of cholesterol those apes may have also had a hand in stirring the proverbial pot. If you have some Rooster you can trust, I would suggest having them look into it.'

 

[Uso]

"Didn't we kill the Humans because they are lesser than us in the first place? Kinda can't expect Humans to make decisions when Daqin are so much better at it than they are. The Chongwu aren't built to the same specs we are... not that I have a bunch of Chongwu maids to attend to me..." Jun said as she watched the humans sliding by on the window outside of the pressurized parts of the sim-ship.