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New face of warfare
All out of sudden, a military exposition has been organised. Many ESUN bigwigs were invited to come, and this applies to Unity Group members as well. On location, the guests may feel safe thanks to heavy security - provided by some kind of armored soldiers. In addition to acting as guards, they are the ones showing off at the exposition. Be it on foot drills or fake combat in mobile suits (modified, heavily armored genoaces), the squads perform their tasks with excellent speed and precision.
[1]
"What's the secret behind Project Khnum's success? We have cloning to thank for that!" The guests are entertained by a way too enthusiastic presenter with a fake smile. He is all too eager to explain the goings on of the exposition.
"Now, this is not the first such attempt, I'm sure everyone heard of the MJP Project. But that has its shortcomings - it creates cloned people, but people still, and the project's graduates grow just too slowly! The Earth Sphere is besieged by enemies from all sides, we need a large elite army to protect us and we need it now. Project Khnum is the solution."
"Its creations may be biological, but they're more robots than people. They are created from a template only vaguely similar to human DNA. No real sentience, no free will, only directives downloaded into their brains by our well-developed and tested training procedures. These procedures is what gives the Project Khnum clones their excellent abilities and teamwork, while ensuring they will never, ever harm a human being. Safety is always our foremost concern, a priority!"
"With Project Khnum dawning on the Earth Sphere, the face of warfare changes. No longer will our brave sons and daughters have to risk their lives in battle. No longer will nations have to spend huge sums on years' worth of training. With the project, a soldier of the new area, capable, skilled and loyal, is ready from nothing in mere months!"
Many of the guests are sceptical and some even look visibly disgusted. But just as many seem enthusiastic about this idea, as clapping fills the air as soon as the speech is over. One older gentleman seems especially content.
"Today this becomes reality. My dream... no - my final chance at redemption."
Edward Mcdowell looks like he aged 10 years since the last time you saw him, forced to stand with the help of a cane. But he is beaming with pride. Pride at the project that - as any information leaflet reveals, is his own doing.
[2]
And the DNA template mentioned during the presentation? It too is present on site.
"This is the right thing to do, isn't it? This is a good thing... right?"
Chou avoids the crowds and leans against the window in a secluded area. The Kin looks torn apart by internal struggles and exhaustion. But they're here not as a prisoner, but the project's co-creator. One whose genetic pattern served as base for the clone soldiers.
"What'd you do in my place, Ren?"
[3]
"..."
The cloned soldiers themselves aren't separated from the guests. You can talk to them, or try your luck against them in a fake fight (using 100% safe weapons). They even answer questions. But unless someone has business with them, they just stand still, like statues of futuristic warriors. So unlike the Kin whose DNA they share.
[1]
"What's the secret behind Project Khnum's success? We have cloning to thank for that!" The guests are entertained by a way too enthusiastic presenter with a fake smile. He is all too eager to explain the goings on of the exposition.
"Now, this is not the first such attempt, I'm sure everyone heard of the MJP Project. But that has its shortcomings - it creates cloned people, but people still, and the project's graduates grow just too slowly! The Earth Sphere is besieged by enemies from all sides, we need a large elite army to protect us and we need it now. Project Khnum is the solution."
"Its creations may be biological, but they're more robots than people. They are created from a template only vaguely similar to human DNA. No real sentience, no free will, only directives downloaded into their brains by our well-developed and tested training procedures. These procedures is what gives the Project Khnum clones their excellent abilities and teamwork, while ensuring they will never, ever harm a human being. Safety is always our foremost concern, a priority!"
"With Project Khnum dawning on the Earth Sphere, the face of warfare changes. No longer will our brave sons and daughters have to risk their lives in battle. No longer will nations have to spend huge sums on years' worth of training. With the project, a soldier of the new area, capable, skilled and loyal, is ready from nothing in mere months!"
Many of the guests are sceptical and some even look visibly disgusted. But just as many seem enthusiastic about this idea, as clapping fills the air as soon as the speech is over. One older gentleman seems especially content.
"Today this becomes reality. My dream... no - my final chance at redemption."
Edward Mcdowell looks like he aged 10 years since the last time you saw him, forced to stand with the help of a cane. But he is beaming with pride. Pride at the project that - as any information leaflet reveals, is his own doing.
[2]
And the DNA template mentioned during the presentation? It too is present on site.
"This is the right thing to do, isn't it? This is a good thing... right?"
Chou avoids the crowds and leans against the window in a secluded area. The Kin looks torn apart by internal struggles and exhaustion. But they're here not as a prisoner, but the project's co-creator. One whose genetic pattern served as base for the clone soldiers.
"What'd you do in my place, Ren?"
[3]
"..."
The cloned soldiers themselves aren't separated from the guests. You can talk to them, or try your luck against them in a fake fight (using 100% safe weapons). They even answer questions. But unless someone has business with them, they just stand still, like statues of futuristic warriors. So unlike the Kin whose DNA they share.
3
Yo.
[So let's see just what these "robots" are like up close.]
Can I ask a favor?
no subject
"What do you need?"
Though the choice of words is rather casual, the tone itself is not.
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But I also was thinking.
[Roy holds out his curled hand, thumb sticking up proudly.]
You know how to thumb wrestle?
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"No."
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[Without any kind of sudden movements Roy moves to take the soldier's hand with his own.]
-And then you try to pin the other person's thumb with your own. Crazy easy way to kill time when you and some other dude's bored.
Did these guys who made you just teach you how to kill and crap? Or you guys know how to have fun and relax?
no subject
The clone looks down at the hand but it doesn't move in Roy's grip. It's not that it's limp. Rather, its owner decides not to do anything with it.
"This question cannot be answered. Please contact a supervisor."
no subject
Sure you can answer it. Your just not trying hard enough.
But whatever. Stick up your thumb and try to pin mine. If you're cool with that or interested, I mean.
Like you at least know what "fun" is, right?
no subject
Despite the answer, the clone doesn't do anything, and the hand doesn't move. This is difficult...
3)
[Interitus is dithering close by one of the cloned soldiers, anxiously fidgeting all the while. She and Volya snuck out of the presentation itself... the spokesman's whole speech not really sitting well with them at all.]
"Um... Hello?"
[She waves up at the clone trooper, hoping for some response.]
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[The plant girl isn't sure what to ask now that she's on the spot... ]
"... I..."
[And suddenly it came to her.]
"Wanted to ask how you are... are you alright?"
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The answer came very quickly, very robotic in tone.
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[Interitus nods slowly for a moment before shaking her head.]
"That's not..."
[How do you explain concern to someone like this..?]
"Has anybody been treating you badly? I know what the person talking about you said..."
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"Okay."
[She stares up at the featureless helmet for a long while, hoping that at the very least she was able to speak to the clone eye to eye.]
"If anyone treats you bad... I promise I'll help you and your kin."
[It would be an odd sight indeed for anyone passing by, seeing the plant girl give the soldier a hug. After a while she lets go, skipping back a few steps and giving him a wave.]
"Stay safe."
no subject
The soldier seems tense at first, but the armored body eases seeing that Interitus doesn't mean any harm. Still, the hug isn't returned. The clone just... stands there. Like a somewhat fleshy statue.
It seems like your actions warrant no further response.
"Understood."
Almost no response.
1 - open to interruption
[It's been a while. But Eva and her estranged creator are face to face, again.]
This is your doing, isn't it.
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"Now no one will have to become a soldier to suffer for the sake of the rest of the world. Not you. Not anyone."
Let's just pretend there's an eva yelling icon
[Her shouting is loud enough to disturb other attendees-and give her an audience as she goes on.]
When I turned you down, it wasn't because I didn't want my children used for this-it's because nobody deserves to be used as raw material for some-some toy army!
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The guests turn towards the ruckus with surprised expressions, but Mcdowell remains calm.
"These aren't people, Eva. Didn't you hear the presenter? They never were people. Nobody is being used."
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[She steps closer, staring him down.]
Can they suffer? Can they dream? You did your best to train that out of us, but me-and the others-we still have the scars of what you did.
We weren't "people" to you then either, were we.
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"That's different. What we're using here is neither human nor people. Would you take offense that someone uses a machine with directives uploaded into it?"
"Project Khnum operates on the same principle. The clones are biological, but they're not sapient, they never were. Their brains are like computers, able to process only what we put into them."
The whole description sounds just a little bit familiar. Someone else, a non-human, described themselves in a similar way, a long time ago.
1/2
Ren's people...The kin. You based them on the Kin, didn't you.
2/2
You god-damn madman. Those people tore apart their bodies and the fabric of time itself to get back at their creators-and you used them as the basis for your slave army?! Did you learn nothing from what happened to Pedantic Blue?!
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"They only acted that way because their facility put that into their heads. They were told to hate humanity! We're not doing that here, the project doesn't even have access to the Kin facility."
Two guards quickly move through a shocked crowd. They grab at Eva from the sides - gently but also firmly.
"Listen, Eva... you know well how bad the situation is. The Balmarians are on the way, we need any advantage we can get! This is tactically AND morally sound, why are you acting like this? Have you lost your mind?!"
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[Eva lets him go-But she pulls against the guards enough to throw a few more lines at him, even as they drag her to the exit.]
Have you?! You're just letting history repeat itself-Have you ever thought about how they feel?! About how we felt?!
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Mcdowell's parting words are interrupted by an intense cough and hacking noises.
1
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"In times of peace they will still serve humanity. Working under appropriate authorities in ESUN, they can serve as police - or, rescue services! Firefighters! The possibilities are many."
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"If the project picks up and gets approved for wide scale use, the authority will be transferred to various ESUN commanders, and such."
"The training uses advanced friend or foe identification methods. Let's not bore everyone with technical details, but I'll just say this: especially during large scale mecha combat, the soldiers should have no problem telling apart who's human and who isn't. Well... I say human, but we don't wish to discriminate against our non-human friends, right? Only the enemies."
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I imagine you can also guarantee, but not actually explain, how there is no way they could possibly evolve sentience, right? Just like how all the other supersoldier programs out there didn't make people either.
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"Products of Project Khnum may be biological, you see. But they are programmable, their brains are more like computers. They can't do anything other than what we program into them! Authors of all the other super soldier programs, like the MJP, may wish they produced mindless tools that only do what they're told. But Khnum succeeded where they have failed."
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For that matter, do you have any evidence you can release of it?
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"Well, it looks like the time for questions is up! If you have more, please direct them to project head, mr Mcdowell. He'd love to clear any doubts you have. He might even put you in touch with the person who donated the template in question."
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3
...Probably not, huh.
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What do you do when not standing guard? What do you eat?
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Apparently that's all.
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Move along, then.