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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

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  1. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    Australians as well.
     
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  2. Threadmarks: Negetiations (part 9)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    12th August 2012
    14:27 GMT


    Local formal wear involves blinkers, a mouth mask and what looks a lot like a tracksuit. I mean, it's not exactly a tracksuit, but it would probably go in the tracksuit section of a catalogue.

    "Excuse me sir?"

    I actually used to own a tracksuit like this, back when I was in my teens. I suspect that I inherited it from my cousin, Peter. Blue with a white zip. I liked it.

    "Excuse me, madam?"

    I mean, that probably was the first piece of evidence that I shouldn't be allowed to buy my own clothes or dress myself, but what's fashionable on one world isn't going to be what's fashionable on another. Maybe I was just… Fashionably displaced?

    "Excuse me, madam?"

    The local woman whose attention I was trying to get actually stops and looks at me.

    "Yes?"

    "Hello! I work for the canvassing firm Wolwald and [click-click], and I was wondering if you had time to answer a few questions about current affairs?"

    "Canvassing?"

    "Yes, ma'am. People like me are sent out to various locations across the planet to ask people things, then those answers get tabulated and used to assist in policy-forming."

    She straightens up. "Government policy?"

    "Ah, well, honestly…" I give a self-depreciating chuckle. "Anyone who pays us for our insight. Governments who are trying to actually do what people want, corporations who are interested in finding out if there's a market for certain products and services. And the feedback from any one person isn't really that significant, so I don't want to.. try and convince you that this.. will directly result in change to any particular…"

    "No, no, I understand." She looks around. "I can.. spare a few minutes."

    "Thank you. Our take-up rate is very low, and we're grateful to everyone who agrees to answer."

    I make a show of activating my datapad.

    "Now, this is all fairly basic stuff, and I'm only interested in your opinion, but if there's anything here that you don't feel comfortable answering, just let me know and we'll move right along."

    I start with basic things: personal background stuff so that we can place her but nothing so intrusive that it's off-putting. Just to get us talking and get her comfortable sharing information. Then economics, or rather perception-economics. Do you feel better off than a year ago? Than five years ago? Is a greater proportion of your income going on necessities? I don't imagine that Professor Prokopios would be particularly impressed, but that's not the point.

    The point is that I'm constantly scanning her with empathic vision.

    Not super-deep, though I'm now pretty sure that no one would detect it if I did. Just enough to know how strongly she feels about a particular topic, and how those feelings work together to form a particular worldview. Which combined with the people I've already spoken to gives me a pretty good picture of… One small area of one city. And I know perfectly well that capital cities aren't representative of other cities, to say nothing of countryside areas.

    But this is the environment their government works in. I may know humans the best, but other humanoids tend to fall into similar patterns a lot of the time. If you build an echo chamber, you're going to hear an echo.

    "How do you feel about Yuna's trading relationships with other stellar nations?"

    "What, on the whole? Well it's obvious; being a trading point for just about everyone has made us rich."

    I nod. Not exactly what I meant, but I don't want to directly contradict her.

    "Are you happy with the terms of trade offered to each of Yuna's trading partners?"

    "I don’t think I understand. Why wouldn't I be?"

    "No, no, if you're not then you're not. But many governments charge different levels of tariffs to foreign governments they have good relations with, or with whom they have reciprocal agreements."

    "Um, no, no, I don't think our government should get involved in that sort of power bloc building." She shakes her head. "We're better off neutral. I mean, the places closest to us or with the most advanced technology are going to benefit most anyway, aren't they?"

    I make a show of writing that down.

    "That's a perfectly fine answer. I'm interested in what you think, and if that's what you think then that's what you think. Ah, do you mean that as a starting point, or under any circumstances?"

    "What do you mean by 'any circumstances'?"

    "Well, are there any things that another stellar nation could do that you think would mean that the government of Yuna should change their terms relative to other nations that Yuna trades with. For example, there is currently no prohibition against one nation targeting the trading ships of another that were coming here."

    "I… I'd prefer it if they didn't, obviously, but other than going to war ourselves I don't see how we'd stop them. I don't think two planets or empires who were at war with each other would care about what we said."

    "Okay, that's fine."

    And she means it. In common with the other members of her species that I've spoken to, she has almost no interest in actively engaging with the universe around her. That might mean that Dox was worrying over nothing regarding privateers, or that government policy only lines up approximately with the desires of the people. Or with what the people think government policy is.

    "Are you personally aware of any major interstellar wars happening at the moment?"

    "I think the Jarixians and the Phemenites had some sort of skirmish a little while ago."

    "Okay." I make a note. "Anything else?"

    "Ah… No? But it's not really something I pay much attention to."

    Which does actually make sense. She's not a futures trader or anything like that. Most of Yuna's revenue comes from trade, but they're not dependent on any one trading partner. If a couple of them decide to go to war, it doesn't impact the overall economy of the planet all that much.

    "That's fine; the fact that you aren't aware of any is useful information in itself."

    And she's fairly representative of all the people I've spoken to. Amongst the people who I'd expect to be most politically aware -at least as far as interstellar politics goes- about two thirds are aware of the war between N.E.M.O. and the Reach. Some were worried about its effect on their economy due to the sheer number of trading partners affected but none were worried about it spreading here. None felt it warranted a response stronger than a public restatement of existing trade rules or an offer to mediate.

    "Are..? Are there any? I mean, from the way you said it, it sounds like I'm missing one."

    "Ah, well, all across the galaxy as a whole there are a lot of wars, but the galaxy is a very big place and many of the people involved don’t do any trade here."

    "What about the people we do trade with?"

    "I'm afraid that me answering that would colour your responses to the rest of my questions, but if you're curious then I suggest enquiring with the Yunan Public Information Forum."

    "Now, how do you feel about pets?"
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2021
  3. Idkusername

    Idkusername Versed in the lewd.

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    Surveys... Truly, there is no low that OL can’t fall to. Want the ends, want the means.
     
  4. dxdragon

    dxdragon Experienced.

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    Sneaky Paul.

    A clipboard and a suit can really get you anywhere huh? Even on an alien world.

    Plus, he now has a basis to lead his discussions when he eventually gets involved.
     
  5. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    'inherited'

    'woman'

    Among other forms of displaced.

    'governments'
     
  6. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    He is a monster... but still better than charity muggers.
     
  7. doug89

    doug89 Versed in the lewd.

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    "Excuse me?"
    "Eek! Jesus Christ you scared- wait, this is the fifth floor balcony, how'd you get up here?"
    "Power ring. Do you have a moment?"
    "Wait, aren't you the fruitcake guy?"
    "Yes, but that's not important. We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty."
     
  8. Deadring

    Deadring Screee!

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    Can't, or won't? Ends and means are one, true, but there can be many means to the same end. Who could see them all?
     
    ChestBurster and Whiteeyes like this.
  9. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    ...'Blinkers'? Huh. That's an interesting detail for a culture. Definitely suggests people are happy not worrying about anything outside of what's straight ahead of them... But that might also be a bad thing... As for the rest, I'm picturing something slightly baggier than late-season 'Next Generation' Starfleet Uniforms... :p

    Ah, hand-me-downs. Weirdly, some of my favourite clothes were such. Used to have an old short-sleeved sweatshirt that was comfy as hell. Lost track of it last time I moved house... :confused: Which was over twenty years ago. That should say something.

    And it looks like the Gyuanites actually do ignore anything outside their frontal arc, if OL is having this much trouble getting people's attention. As for fashion, some people are simply beyond current trends.

    Amazing! I guess if you're annoying enough, people will interact just to make you leave. Or she's the sort to actually take notice..

    Heh, making up a random company name, just in case. I wonder if he's given each person he successfully bothered into talking to him a different name?

    ...Ah. I sense a little self-importance, there... Well, whatever works to get her talking.

    Still, if she thinks her opinions will make a difference, then more power to her.

    Which has a suitable handwriting-to-text app running, just in case she looks, eh? ;) Just to keep the illusion up, of course.

    And there's why he's doing it. No better way to built up a good cross-section than by random sampling, eh?

    Ha, good way to get around having to flit about the countryside. It is true, though. While the surface texture has changed over the ten thousand years plus that Humanity has been civilised, it still comes down to 'them city folk' compared to 'those yokel farmers'...

    Well, those well-placed to benefit from the trade, I suppose. A lot of that probably wouldn't filter down to the average data-entry clerk or, gods-forbid, the mailroom boys. Merely a higher class of entertainment technology and the like...

    Not that she probably knows what half of those terms are, or who those partners are. But who knows, maybe she likes to play the stock markets as a hobby?

    And let's not get started on the ones they don't like much but need to trade with...

    I wonder how many have given that sort of response? "Better not to stand out, or get involved." Though taht sort is social isolationism might have effects on Reach 'encouragements' towards becoming a 'partner'...

    Ah, now we're getting some tricky questions.

    Oh, how little you know. But they really do seem to have a character of non-involvement...

    Since there's nothing stopping some government committee from deciding that privateers would encourage others to leave them be, or discourage piracy in their space... The joy of large bureaucracies.

    Not quite 'some damn fool thing in the Balkans', then. Assuming their military makes its current actions public...

    More interested in local affairs, eh? Not an uncommon sentiment, I suspect.

    Indeed. As I said, no need for the military to tell people anything...

    All the trouble is 'over there somewhere', rather than on their doorstep, eh? Easy enough for them to decide it'll never turn up...

    Very non-commital, OL. Still not very reassuring.

    Wonder if said Office's website will see a sudden uptick in queries about ongoing wars because of OL's surveys? Would be amusing if that set off something unexpected but harmless...

    I suppose that's one way to build a map of an unfamiliar culture's Desire Networks. And probably one of the least intrusive, on a large scale. And a very unnoticeable way to stay out of sight, reality speaking. After all, who notices the folks taking surveys? Meanwhile, I wonder how Drusa's getting on at the local Reach offices... :p Hopefully doing OL's Trolling skills proud.


    I suspect that I inherited it from my cousin, Peter.
     
  10. doug89

    doug89 Versed in the lewd.

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    Yeah, that's a really curious element. Something like this maybe?

    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  11. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
     
  12. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    And Paul is incredibly annoying, so they'll interact with him even more!

    The more things change the more they stay the same.

    Something that's all too common in our world.
     
  13. Hell's Razer

    Hell's Razer Passive Member

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    You are thinking of blinders. Like the things we put on horses.
    I suspect blinkers are something else. But I could be mistaken.

    Edit: The lack of knowledge has been rectified.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
  14. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Not having any interest in the wider world, species wide.

    That is a truly baffling alien mindset.

    Resource exploration, interacting with potentially hostile others, building alliances...these things seem so basic for species survival.

    Maybe the Reach don't bother with them because they're so boring? Or alternatively they're the ones who engineered that mindset...
     
  15. Stsword

    Stsword Versed in the lewd.

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    Blinkers and blinders are synonyms.
     
  16. Hell's Razer

    Hell's Razer Passive Member

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    Huh. Well then, learn something new every day. :)
     
  17. LiamOfOrmonde

    LiamOfOrmonde Know what you're doing yet?

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    Schnauzers. Gotta love those bearded hounds. I had a mini-schnauzer as a kid and he could catch some serious rats. Turns out all of the beard hair is to prevent rats from biting their muzzle. The more you know.
     
  18. jasonh23761

    jasonh23761 Not too sore, are you?

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    I will maintain that Basset based Mutts are the best pets if well trained.
     
  19. Maxx Crowley

    Maxx Crowley I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    [​IMG]

    Move over Blue Lantern Hope Corgi. The rise of Les Potats is at hand.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
  20. Coda

    Coda Versed in the lewd.

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    Another one? I suppose old habits are hard to break.

    I was going to make a correction here, but it turns out that's correct in British English.
     
  21. Threadmarks: Negetiations (part 10)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    12th August 2012
    17:45 GMT


    It's nice to know that the people of Yuna are socially similar enough to humans that they'll cluster around a source of entertaining novelty. As a canvasser however it creates a problem of self-selection as the most opinionated seek you out and volunteer themselves. Finally found a couple of militarists, but the furthest they went was expressing a desire to police convoy routes.

    This planet is actually a pretty good neighbour. I checked their history while I was hiding from the crowd, and they've basically never waged an aggressive war. When they were attacked, they kept the door open for negotiations almost constantly. On the two occasions they were forced to fight a war to its conclusion, they were reasonably generous with the defeated party and have good relations with both worlds now.

    So with the Reach properly intimidated, this is going to be pretty easy. I mean, I doubt that Yuna will intervene on our side unless I use mind control, but-.

    My ring blinks.

    "Lantern Drusa to Illustres."

    I smile at her construct image.

    "What news?"

    "I think that it worked."

    "Good show. Did they say anything interesting?"

    "They put some sort of nanite in the fruit juice they gave me to drink. I scanned it and destroyed it."

    "Naughty of them. Anything else?"

    "I could have given the mercantilist speech their negotiator gave me myself."

    "I suppose that after all this time, it would be a bit much to expect them to change radically for our benefit."

    "I took off the illusion charm somewhere where they might notice that I wasn't you."

    Hm. That's… It would be a little awkward if I somehow managed to fail to achieve Dox's mission by tricking the Reach too hard. But it should produce amusing results at some point, and even if it doesn't I can clear that up before I leave.

    "Good initiative. Did you find the experience satisfying?"

    She nods.

    "I did."

    "Do you want to sit in for me in this next meeting as well?"

    "No. There are too many potential variables for me to predict how you would respond."

    "But do you want to?"

    "Yes. If I thought that I could do it successfully."

    "Well, we'll-"

    Incoming transmission.

    "-see. One moment, I have another call". I generate a phone construct. "Illustres here."

    "My lord, representatives of the Yuna government are seeking a meeting with you. Somewhat urgently."

    I smile. "Thank you, captain. Please tell them I'll be with them momentarily."

    "My-? Ah, yes, my lord."

    I cut the connection. "Lantern Drusa, please come to the location I'll be in a few minutes from now at your earliest convenience. No massive rush."

    "And if the Reach are following me?"

    "Do whatever amuses you."

    I wave my left hand, cutting the connection. And then I unfocus as I look at the entirety of this planet's civilisation. Who urgently wants a meeting with me? There and there, but that's just the people who want the meeting to happen, and therefore are senior to the people who are supposed to be taking the meeting. Who are probably less panicked because they don't get full intelligence briefings quite as fast…

    I step out


    and reappear in the room with them.

    "…shortly. Ah, there he is now."

    The captain nods through the monitor and one of the more on the ball civil servants turns around, a mild greening of her skin marking the point where she sees me.

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, captain."

    The screen shuts down as the rest of the government team adjust themselves, straightening eye protectors and tracksuits.

    "Did you just.. teleport..?"

    "As a diplomatic official, I was able to apply for an expedited licence." I spot the tracksuit decoration indicating the Department of Diplomatic Affairs, and make eye contact with the wearer. "Thank you, your people were most helpful."

    A group of five. Four of them are gyuanite, with the fifth being torcite. Narrowly humanoid silicoids, this one is four feet tall, four feet wide and made of what looks like rock. It's actually a lot more sophisticated than that, being able to move on certain planes without cracking or bending.

    Let's see: Diplomatic Affairs, Defence Force, Trade, Public Order and High Council's Office. About what I'd expect. HCO has seniority by default-.

    She smiles and gestures to the table. "Shall we sit?"

    "Thank you."

    The table is round, with a holopit in the central space. The chair's proportions are a little off for me, but they're designed to be able to cope with a variety of morphologies and it's certainly not uncomfortable. They sit down as well; the gyuanites' chairs shifting slightly so that their heads are at the same height as mine despite them being taller, while the torcite's chair does the opposite. HCO pulls a couple of datapads over to her and glances at them for a moment before returning her attention to me.

    "You're not bringing a staff with you?"

    "Lantern Drusa may be popping along later, but it isn't as if this is particularly complicated. Particularly at the level of introductory talks."

    "Ah. Well, alright then. You.. told our representative that your.. objective was… To be 'friends'?"

    "We'd like to maintain our existing trading relationship with Yuna, and all secondary trading partners thereafter. And by 'we' I mean all present and future members of the N.E.M.O. military alliance. While I'm sure that our side would be happy if you began acting against the Reach…" I shrug. "That's not really a big deal for us. I've familiarised myself with enough of your history to know that you're happiest not taking sides in that sort of conflict and I'm happy for that to be true in this case as well."

    The DF's torcite representative straightens slightly.

    "You do not intend to ask us to join N.E.M.O.?"

    I shrug again. "If you want to, you can, but anyone with a passing familiarity with your history should realise how unlikely that is. Though, ah…" I chuckle. "If you were expecting me to try that as an opening position…" I shake my head. "That 'plots for the sake of plotting' nonsense confuses and frustrates me. I'd rather just give it to you straight. So is there..? Something you want to ask me?"
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2021
  22. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    This shouldn't be orange.

    Also add a " at the end.

    'in a few'

    'planets'

    Hmm, it may be something to make guests feel more comfortable and not feel like the people in the room are trying to intimidate someone.
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2021
  23. Ardy

    Ardy I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    “Why did you flirt with several members of the Reach Diplomatic staff?”

    “Apparently because I need to keep closer eye on my new apprentice.”
     
  24. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    You knew what you were getting into Paul.
     
  25. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    "The circle closes, old man. Now, I am the troll"

    Paul must be very frustrating for the Reach. "He will trick you and try to get you to join NEMO!"

    "Yes. He told us so"

    "He...he did?"

    "Yes, then there were questions. And then cake. We like cake"
     
  26. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    No, that's correct.
     
  27. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Definitions, please? I presume 'torcite' refers to the rock-alien, though I forget if there are multiple native species on Yuna or not.

    Hope we get to see more of these negotiations, though I'm half-expecting an assassin Scarab to interrupt at some plot-convenient point.
     
  28. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    How very... Restrained. Though from what we've seen, they're trying to be the Venice of the sector: a nominally neutral trading facilitator. Which is one viable survival strategy, I suppose. And it seems to have been working quite well for them thus far...

    Well... That's a pretty good track record. It's impressive that they're so restrained in wartime. Then again, he's going off their records, and, after all, history is written by the victors...

    Ah, how went the trolling, student?

    Huzzah! I do hope you dropped some suitably OL-worthy burns, though. He has a reputation to uphold.

    And discreetly called them out on it, I do hope? Wonder if they intended it as a control method or an assassination play? Not that it would have worked, and they should have known that... :rolleyes: Bad-guys gonna bad-guy...

    That unimaginative, eh? A pity you couldn't look deeper via Empathic Vision, but they probably had shielding against that anyway...

    Oh, boy. That'll set the Reach to confused counter-plotting.

    The chance to mess with people without incriminating her own face? Who wouldn't?

    I suspect once is enough.

    Oh, dear. Trying to convert her to the trolling side?

    Betting that'll be the diplomats he was trying to get the attention of.

    Yep, there we are. Amazing how effective a little poking the bad guys can be sometimes.

    Heh. The Captain doesn't know about greediporting, does he? This will be entertaining.

    "Excellent. I have quite a few ideas, courtesy of copying you."

    Yeah, no need to poke the higher-ups.. yet. Don't know how their health is, after all. No need to go giving them heart attacks.

    Yeah, green is definitely their 'shock/concern' tell. Good to have that confirmed.

    ...Okay, I'm guessing their eyes have a wider field of vision than a Human's, and presumably the blinkers include things like display screens, as if they were an awkwardly designed Google Glass.

    ...Why am I picturing the LEGO Rock Raiders' stone creatures now? :p I don't care what you say they look like, I'll stick with that image.

    Good to see they're good at recovering from shocks. Down to business, then.

    Clever design, to promote a feeling of equality, no doubt. Now, how best to get what you want from them...

    Besides, a Power Ring is all the staff he needs. Personal assistant, research team and security staff all in one...

    Definitely getting a Venice vibe from them. Avoiding ticking off the bigger groups around them, while making lots of money from trading.

    Well, if you want to, you're welcome to... Although that would draw the Reach's ire...

    Ah, the joy of a reasonable diplomat. "Oh, minimal chance of convincing them to join us? That's alright. I'll just spook them into not joining our enemy either."

    Well, that's one way to short-circuit a diplomatic meeting. Cutting straight through any bullshit to get to the point. I wonder if Dox expected him to settle things this quickly. Then again, the locals still have their turn to speak... Let's see what they have to ask.


    ...glances at them for a moment before returning her attention to me.
     
  29. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    He could have also reviewed the records on his ring or the history records of the neighboring worlds.
     
  30. Rafin

    Rafin Not too sore, are you?

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    What about pre-unification planetary history? How did isolationist pacifist liberal capitalists become a unified nation?
     
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