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 UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF PREVIOUS PAGE.Really, I don't think any of us should be surprised by this development. Religion has always provided emotional and spiritual support during times of crisis and upheaval, no matter how much edgy and rebellious adolescents say otherwise. There are churches in Morgan Industries, too, and the one I attend is always packed to the brim on Sundays. I'm not a psychologist, but I'm not at all surprised that a neo-pagan movement has sprung up in Skye's followers. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Stepdaughters movement gains a spiritual foothold in our own colony, particularly among those who have to actually live, work, and study with the xenofungus and native life. I just don't think this is something to be too concerned about unless Skye goes full-on fundamentalist on us, and I don't think she's the type to do that unless things get really squirrelly. Post on the Interdepartmental Sciences Forum "Stepdaughters of Gaia: Thoughts" thread by M. L. Valdez
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Jan 22, 2015 17:22
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To: All Staff If any of you decide to become a stepson or daughter of "Gaia," then you are effectively saying that you consider Dr. Skye to be a better xenobiologist than me. As such, I expect you to pack your things and go ask the Gaians if you can stay in their little tree forts. I will gladly help with this process by terminating your employment here immediately. As for the rest of you, get back to work! Chief Kimberley
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Jan 22, 2015 17:39
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Good gods Skye has gone mad, I don't know if any of you have perused some of the pamphlets her people are printing but she has clearly gone completely insane. I'll bet dollars to donuts that the Xenofungus is to blame too, she's spent too much time standing out there unprotected soaking up the energy rays or whatever the hell it is that the fungus emits that messes with our heads. I think we should all be very, very careful of limiting our exposure to large masses of Xenofungus in the future; as if we didn't already have a good enough reason to do so. Still, bad news comes along with good; the X-ray emitters produced tangible results when turned against the worms. I guess that means I was wrong about the quantum entanglement and thank god for that; X-rays are much easier to defend against. We should definitely look into improved radiation shielding for our troops. The quicker we can get these psionics under control the better, hopefully we can even turn them to our advantage since it appears that the functioning is tied into the Xenofungus spores that have completely infiltrated every single part of the base. Yeah I took measurements; those spores go through our air filters as if they don't even exist. I think we're just going to have to accept the fact that the Xenofungus is everywhere and learn to live with it, I certainly don't see any way to filter the spores out of the air with our current technologies and by now every human on Chiron is well and truly infested with spores so it's probably too late to prevent that anyway. Havn't seen worms in 10 years eh Zhilin? Hopefully now you've realized that these worms are simply a fact of life on Chiron and we are going to have to learn to deal with them or face extinction. I understand its hard to grasp the concept because back home Humans are the apex predator, but that isn't true anymore. The apex predator on Chiron is the worms and the Xenofungus, with time and the right tools we can usurp that position but as things stand we most definitely fall under the descriptor of 'prey species.' I don't much like being a prey species, lets try and change that shall we? Post on the Interdepartmental Sciences Forum; "General Xenofungus Discussion" thread by M.N. Gott. Neruz fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jan 22, 2015 |
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Jan 22, 2015 17:50
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Morgan, The xenobiology department has concluded a battery of tests on the xenofungus spore and the results have been predictable, which is to say "not very good." Although the spore is nearly as small as a virus, it is nowhere close to as vulnerable as most viruses are outside their hosts. Instead, it more closely resembles a bacterial endospore of exceptional resilience, and that's saying something. All the usual sterilization techniques work--chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide, boiling water, extreme radiation--but where bacterial spores may need several hours of exposure to reach full sterilization, spores of madness require exposure more easily measured in days. Of course, none of these techniques are viable on living subjects of any species and I think the terrabiologists would have words with us if we tried to sterilize their dirt. Even the medical community would consider such measures uneconomical since the spores are ordinarily harmless and we're all infected with them anyway. Of course, another kink in our studies is the fact that we have been unable to intentionally activate a spore which could theoretically leave them more vulnerable. In our most comprehensive experiment, we planted spores in a patch of soil rich with all their favorite bacteria strains and bombarded them with every known reactive frequency, singly and in every possible combination. The spores danced a merry jig under the microscope, but we got nothing close to a fungal sprout. I'm beginning to suspect that they only activate after receiving a specific amplitude modulation, like a signal in Morse code or a radio transmission. If that's the case, it may be virtually impossible to find the right signal to make them activate, and even if we manage it I still doubt the spores will be all that vulnerable since they don't turn into ordinary cells without the right bacteria near. Frankly speaking, the more I study these spores the less I'm able to dismiss the fringe theory that they were intelligently designed. At least with the monoliths around we've got someone more concrete to blame than an invisible sky god, eh? Chief Hal Kimberley, Ph.D., Morgan Xenobiology Department
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Jan 22, 2015 19:22
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@ Thread I'm not going to try and say I was right, there were casualties in this latest fight with the mindworms, and like I always said, if you can find some solid research that indicates your theories with the worms without taking up valuable lab space, great! That being said, because of our new developments in armor and weapons, we managed to repel this latest incursion with fifty percent less casualties than the last time we had to fight these things. Those of you who were saying that that pursuit was pointless need only look at these numbers. Fewer dead soldiers and a much more efficiently destroyed boil. Is there still room for improvement? Of course! These technologies we're using for our defense are still just the tip of the ice berg, if we develop some more sophisticated weapons and armors, we can face these things without worrying about casualties. Also is it possible to remove some of the fungus nearer to our settlements and plant some old Earth trees? If we can keep the fungus back a bit, that'll give our colonies and our defenders more breathing room in the event another boil pops up. I'm not saying strip it all down, just trim it back. Post on the Interdepartmental Sciences Forum; "General Xenofungus Discussion" thread by Marcus Li @Doctor Veldez This development with the Stepdaughters is troubling, but so far, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt at the moment. They're a new religious movements and they might just be finding their footing. That being said though, we should keep a careful eye out for any signs of extremism, the last thing we need to deal with is having a greenie version of Miriam on our border. Also, Dr, I belive that this new location would be a good place for you to establish some kind of research mission for your aquatic research. The nutrient patches will feed you, the minerals can go to building some civilian ships and the access to two bodies of water would be helpful. If it peaks your interest, the Talon would be willing to help provide security. Post on the Interdepartmental Sciences Forum "Stepdaughters of Gaia: Thoughts" thread by Marcus Li
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Jan 22, 2015 19:23
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To: Morgan Industries Senior Personnel CC: Morgan Industries Xenobiology Department, Morgan Industries Food Production From: Dr. Maria Valdez Subject: Bjork bjork bjork Schedenfreude noun 1. Discovering that the local barnacle analogue from hell is not only safe for human consumption, it's drat good eating. Easily the biggest factor in the slow progress of our marine research on Chiron after the fungal reefs has been God's curse on ship hulls, a profoundly irritating little critter we call the medusa shell. Simply put, it's a sessile filter feeder with a shell harder than synthmetal that quickly covers any fiberglass immersed in saltwater (or fresh, there is of course a [sub]species in the Freshwater Sea) like a Biblical plague of boils. The only thing it doesn't seem to grow on is the aquafungus itself. One of our interns, apparently after one too many beers, decided to try extracting the meat and cooking it after hauling the fleet in for drydock for the second time this month. Lo and behold, medusa shells are really quite tasty and require no chemical treatment at all to render safe for human consumption. And for a cherry on top, treating boat hulls with a chemical compound derived from the aquafungus itself is proving extremely effective at deterring fouling from medusa shells and a variety of other, less irritating parasites. To celebrate dropping our maintenance budget by two thirds and our first successful xenofungus-derived product, Applied Maritime Solutions is hosting a company banquet at our headquarters in Morgan Industries and senior personnel are invited to attend. Please RSVP with the number of guests you will be bringing and whether you'd like the poached sporefish filet, the breaded and seasoned shroomskate, the vegetarian option (kelp-stuffed ravioli), or for the adventurous, the grilled razor shark steak. Garlic bread, lentil and xenosausage soup, and a sampler of medusa shell in a creamy alfredo sauce on a bed of angel hair pasta will also be served. Here's to ten successful years on Chiron, and putting the native life in its place: our dinner plates! Dr. Maria Valdez, Applied Maritime Solutions Ltd quote:@Doctor Veldez @Marcus Li Thank you for the offer, but AMS continues to regard shore-based operations as a temporary affair. We regard the establishment of sea-based cities, either using our own Xochimilco proposal or one of the others that have been bandied about (and half of them are named some version of 'Atlantis'), as effectively inevitable and wish to preserve our capital for that time. As it happens, Morgan's research prioritization continues to emphasize Build and Discover paradigms rather than Exploration. We trust that he will change his mind in due time, particularly given the implications of the Ethical Calculus proposals, which also fall under Explore. Post on the Interdepartmental Sciences Forum "Stepdaughters of Gaia: Thoughts" thread by M. L. Valdez Cythereal fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jan 22, 2015 |
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Jan 22, 2015 20:11
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TO: Chief Hal Kimberley, Ph.D., Morgan Xenobiology Department CC: Talon Security, Rat Catchers, et al BCC: CEO Morgan RE: Defensive Equipment Gentlemen, with the second major 'boil' of Mind Worms now confirmed, beaten and dissected, Morgan Logistics, Supply and Security would like to coordinate with your organizations and businesses to optimize our ability to safely deal with these encroaching threats. And threats they are. While we have seen the results of larger infestations of these creatures, MLSS has heard concerns that certain... factions shall we say? Yes. Factions. They are experimenting with smaller masses of the Worms in order to leverage their ability to assault the senses of sentient humans. We need not tell you that we cannot expect that Pod 5 landed in the only source of these things on the planet. The Xeno-Fungus is too well spread, and we know that there is massive batches of this stuff in Skye's claimed territory. The odds that they too have encountered the Mind Worms approaches 1 (and Morgan Projective Psychology is suggesting to Mr. Morgan that they may have more of them given Doctor Skye's current psychological trends). Ah, to make a wandering missive short, here is the crux of our issue: How can we optimize our forces to deal with a directed Mind Worm boil, rather than the current 'wild' Boils?
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Jan 22, 2015 20:31
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Information Network seems like a really good tech, with the 50% research boost at all. Does Social Psych do the same thing except for energy spent on leisure?
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Jan 22, 2015 20:38
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Glazius posted:Information Network seems like a really good tech, with the 50% research boost at all. Does Social Psych do the same thing except for energy spent on leisure? Network Nodes are very good, yes. One faction not only starts with Information Networks, he gets a free Network Node in every base. Social Psych is a bit different. Rec Commons, the building that the tech grants, is useful, but usually not until a bit later in the game. It's part of a system the LP hasn't explained yet, so in short Rec Commons are helpful but you'll rarely want to build them early on. For various reasons, Zakharov wants them earlier usually, while Santiago and Lal can put off building them for a while.
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Jan 22, 2015 21:10
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Datalink Intersect 1420-1888 [Flagged due to keywords 'Worms' 'Rat Squad' 'Trust no one' ] Hey Ernie, remember Jacobs [Identifed as Pvt Warren Jacobs, Rat Squad] from Rat Squad? Sure he's been drummed out on 'psychiatric grounds', but hear me out. The other day at our local, he's been mouthing off about the worms again... only this time he brought out these fascinating-looking pebbles that he said were 'trophies' from the worms he incinerated. In any case, I cadged a little processor time at Morgan Mining's , and while they aren't diamond, they possess a unique effect when subjected to magnetic fields....not gonna say much more over the Datalinks, but suffice it to say we gotta meet up there tomorrow and see if he's got any more. Trust no one. >Carl [Identified as Carl Rhodes, Third Technician: Morgan Energy Solutions] PS: They also seem to polish up well [Sent to Ernest Lawrence, Lawrence and Sons Jewelry] mecharick fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jan 22, 2015 |
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Jan 22, 2015 21:12
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CEO Morgan First off, thank you for the assistance in getting our training grounds moved near the monolith. The troops are congratulating themselves thanks to the new equipment, but I am convinced the extra training is what really saved their asses in the second mindworm encounter. The mental effects of the monolith has allowed them greater focus and discipline before they were shipped off to Tellus. Reviewing the logs and video, the weapons were honestly no more effective at killing them than before. The deciding factor was that far fewer of them succumbed to the mind worm's 'mental' attack. More troops still in the fight, meant more weapons gunning the little monsters down. And fewer of their own allies turning and firing wildly at their own troops. I understand you seek to expand to the east. Reviewing the terrain, it could very easily be a productive manufacturing colony. There is also a good deal of fungus though, combined with the unmapped location, I am willing to spend some of my capital and shares to make a base happen, and see it be a gateway to our main territory. You might be asking what I might be making that we don't already have? Well, it's actually kind of embarrassing to admit, but I believe now that the mindworms do deserve their name. The 'scientific' means of explaining away how they can perform 'psychic' attacks have been shown to be unhelpful in that last encounter. My own guess of some kind of spores is untrue, as I ensured the seals on their equipment myself. Nothing got in. The 'electromagnetic' theory is nice, but NONE of the extra scanning equipment picked up anything of the sort. The weapons we had killed them just as fast as the old assault rifles did. Sad to say, they may very well have some mental ability. Maybe not individually, but the mass itself working together? Get the xenobiology department to stop trolling the forums for a moment to think on that. Long story short, Talking to others in my department, we need someone to mentally prepare both soldier and civilian for life here and encounters with the 'locals'. The new church is nice, but it doesn't help us survive. Humanity does have some dormant capability, and I feel the fungus worms are exploiting it. To that end, I'd like to announce to you the formation of the Xenos Defense Initiative. Dedicated to the exploration, understanding, and if need be purging of the wilds of Chiron. The XDI will of course lend ourselves to defense of our colonies against others like Deidre, but I feel we are still woefully unprepared for the native life here which could be far more dangerous than anyone is giving credit for. We will happily work together with our other departments, but we'll be doing a lot of the grunt work out there. We are NOT going to sit with our thumbs up our asses for something bigger than the small masses of mindworms to come and eradicate one of our squads. We'll observe, study, and defend. And with your permission, we'll make the colony a thriving center of research and manufacturing. (the latter of which we'd be happy to sell to MLSS for a reasonable exchange) HCS, Head of XDI, Ezekiel Carson.
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Jan 22, 2015 21:26
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Reilly, Let me begin by reminding you that human control over mind worm boils is still purely theoretical at this point. There is reason to believe that Dr. Skye's xenology corpus is ahead of our own thanks to more focused spending, but nothing we have seen or heard suggests that they have managed to control mind worms in any quantity. That said, to speak theoretically, our current strategy would not change significantly whether or not humans ultimately direct a boil. Any humans seeking to influence mind worms will need to use the same frequencies that the mind worm collective uses in the first place, and so our current x-ray emitters would be capable of disrupting that influence just as they disrupt the worms' hive mind. But as I must remind everyone, this advantage can only be applied by taking the initiative in the earliest stages of combat in order to scatter the boil into smaller groups; once the worms are ready to begin their attack, they need little more than instinct and their "psychic" abilities to pose a danger to humans. As for the directing humans themselves, I doubt our emitters would be able to turn the worms against them. They'd be using emitters of their own, after all, and by the time we got in range to turn the mind worms we'd also be in range to simply shoot them. A strike team could potentially punch through the worms to eliminate the controllers, but at best that would still leave us with a feral boil if the security force is unable to finish the job. Chief Hal Kimberley, Ph.D., Morgan Xenobiology Department
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Jan 22, 2015 21:33
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FredMSloniker posted:I apologize if I've somehow misunderstood some detail about how the setting and/or the business world works in my attempt to generate fluff. I haven't exactly got much experience being a CEO! Mr. Sloniker: While we have our own proposals to worry about at the moment, I would be very interested in helping you develop the interface hardware you're proposing. This sounds like just the sort of ambitious project Lovelace would like to be known for. Let's do lunch and see how this goes. With the greatest respect, your colleague, Asa Wright, CEO, Lovelace Computing Machines OOC: Build the Virtual World after the Human Genome Project as soon as feasible in our most industrious base. This will give us two buildings for the price of one when we'll start needing it: no true Morganite could turn down that kind of value!
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Jan 22, 2015 22:25
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[Log of Morgan Industries Network Node Activity, collected by Employee Morale and Productivity Monitoring. Employee File 10194, Carl Hendrickson, Position: Terraforming Engineer, 3rd class] You know, you've got these 'Gains' out there talking about oneness and the beauty of the planet and all that other crap, and you can tell none of the Priestesses or Priests or whatever loony psuedo-wicca equivalent they've got have ever driven a Former or actually had to spend ages picking their way through the goddamn xenofungus, wondering if a goddamn alien worm from a lovely late night horror movie is going to hop out, make you crap yourself, and then eat your goddamn brain. Like, I don't really see what they see in this hellhole of a planet. Everything I've seen out there seems to be trying to kill us. Hell, even the weather doesn't work anything like it did on Earth. I swear, even after the Warming and the crazy climate change poo poo set in, things still weren't as crazy as a goddamn alien planet. We'll have work-stoppages for weeks just trying to clear fungal blooms and set up a basic farm because all of a sudden we catch a seasonal change we didn't know to expect. We know jack and poo poo about weather on this planet and it's screwing everything up, and guess who catches hell about it when we're behind schedule because of a mini-monsoon season? That's right, the grunts. You'd think R&D would start doing some goddamn meteorological studies or something. If we knew when things are gonna get rough, we could bootstrap out little slice of paradise a lot faster. But what would I know, I just drive the goddamn Former.
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Jan 22, 2015 23:13
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Mr. Carson, Although I appreciate your enthusiasm, the proposed site for the eastern settlement will actually be further clear of xenofungal forests than either the Morgan or Torrson settlements. As such, with your current business plan, I have my doubts that you will be able to assemble the capital for the eastern colony thus sponsored. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to seeing the work of your company in helping to secure our colony against the native dangers of Chiron. I am looking forward to a continued and mutually beneficial relationship with you. Nwabudike Morgan, CEO Morgan Settlement Interim Development Corporation and Morgan Industries
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Jan 22, 2015 23:49
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Laying the rails! With thanks to our current investors, the first sections of the Chiron Grand Railway are now running traffic! Taking freight and passengers from the riverside port facilities, our trains rocket along, delivering everything you could imagine to the first colony. Wealth is already flowing to our early investors! Act now! Invest today! Chiron Grand Railway - bringing the future to YOU!
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Jan 23, 2015 00:24
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To: HCS, Head of XDI, Ezekiel Carson From: Marcus Li, CEO of Talon Security Solutions Subject: Possible Partners Word on the grapevine is that you are looking to establish a base near those minerals down east. Morgan forwarded some of the heads your proposal, sorry to see it got shot down, contrary to what some have said, I don't oppose looking into the worms, just that our focus might be elsewhere, but hey to each their own, follow your own prerogative. If you're looking for support to build additional capital and convince Morgan to support your plan, I can give you a few pointers. Valdez's think tank might be interested in working with you. They're already looking to the long term when we can travel the seas more, and if you can plot a colony down on that isthmus, then you'll be facing two bodies of water, which will help significantly when it comes to commerce. Write or Sloniker could also be potential partners. Those tech firms are going to need a lot of minerals to build their projects. My self and Talon would offer to help, but currently I'm looking northward for a possible base to settle. That hill Rat Patrol is getting ready to scout will give us more sights to see and hopefully will indicate where Talon can throw down roots. Best of luck to you again Carson! Marcus Li
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Jan 23, 2015 00:50
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To: [undisclosed recipients] From: pittsburgh@greedmail.com Subject: [BIG DISCOVERY] Treasures in them mind worms! Hey friend, and welcome to the Planetary Internet! Thanks for leaving your e-mail address where I could find it. I've got a fantastic business opportunity in the making and I thought you right there should be the very first one to know about it! Word is coming in from the field that them mind worms are full of radioactive fuely goodness. You know what this means, boy or possibly girl: High time you started farming mind worms right in the comfort of your cramped habitation cube! I'm giving you the option to be the very first owner of a Pittsburgh Industries Wormfarm! This repurposed 100% glass fish tank will hold a whole ten gallons' worth of the precious little crawlies in comfortable and hopefully-secure conditions. For potential food sources, try gene-lab waste and vermin, unless you wanna get real creative  ! I've got only two dozen of these Worm Farms and they're bound to go fast, so make sure to buy today! For the low, low price of 600 credits you'll even get one with a free mind worm that I've taken the liberty of naming "Anguished Shriek" after how the neighbors describe the sounds coming from my habitation cube every night as I endure hours upon hours of existential sanity-destroying nightmares. I hear the particularly potent specimens have the most thorium inside! BUY BUY BUY!
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Jan 23, 2015 01:20
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To: Applied Maritime Solutions Personnel From: Dr. Maria Valdez Subject: Honestly, I should have expected this This evening, one of our supremely unfortunate young laboratory interns discovered why I make occasional unannounced surprise drills. This young man, whom I don't believe I need to name, decided that a productive use of company time and laboratory network bandwidth was to watch pornography of young women getting "erotically" attacked by mind worms. Now, I am not a squeamish individual and I understand that boys will be boys, but that was the most disturbing poo poo I've seen in my life. The individual in question has found himself reassigned to janitorial service in the xenobiology labs for the remainder of his contract with AMS. Seriously, people. I could care less what you do with spare bandwidth as long as you're getting your job done, but that poo poo is just wrong. Dr. Maria Valdez Applied Maritime Solutions Ltd
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Jan 23, 2015 01:49
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To: paulsack@greedmail.com From: pittsburgh@greedmail.com Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Fwd: Fwd: Re: Honestly, I should have expected this Sheeeeeeit man, really? Stuffed a wad of synthetic brain tissue up into an inflatable woman and threw a bunch of mindworms onto it and set the camera rolling while trying with your creepy nasally voice to sound like a lady moaning? How much have you made on sales so far? That's genius, I tell you. Except the part where it deflated.
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Jan 23, 2015 02:05
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To: All Science and Tech teams From: Coordinator AJ Kusisitiza, Kusisitiza Datametrics I think we may have something. Building on our rediscovered networking capability and our current manufacturing ground work, we may yet be able to substantially increase our industrial capabilities through a level of automation undreamed of even on Old Earth. It's going to take a while to get all the bugs out, but the benefits are potentially massive. Remote resource-gathering operations, living space optimisation, potentially making everyone's lives richer and more productive. Ambitious, certainly, but I believe all this is in our reach in relatively short order. Kusisitiza Datametrics will be doubling down on this line of development, so any and all of our unutilised lab space is up for rental to assist your own endeavours at reasonable rates. Let me know if you need to tap into the extra capability, and we'll see if we can arrange something. But please, no live mindworm research. Coordinator AJ Kusisitiza, Kusisitiza Datametrics
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Jan 23, 2015 02:07
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Worth noting that Industrial Automation will require us to discover Industrial Economics first... Currently available techs: Doctrine: Mobility, High Energy Chemistry, Nonlinear Mathematics, Polymorphic Software, Industrial Economics, Secrets of the Human Brain.
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Jan 23, 2015 02:20
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In the lower right of the new tech window pop-up, there's a quote icon highlighted by default, and next to it is a text icon that explains how the new tech was derived from previous tech. Could you also post that? Thanks.
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Jan 23, 2015 02:25
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I potentially could, but I was concerned about excessive image clutter. Honestly, most of the information in there has been replicated by my own explanations in the text, but if people desperately want this... anybody else want this?
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Jan 23, 2015 02:27
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AJ_Impy posted:To: All Science and Tech teams To: Coordinator AJ Kusisitiza From: Dr. Maria Valdez Subject: Collaborative research potential Good evening Coordinator, Your remote resource-gathering operations are of great interest to us here at Applied Maritime Solutions, and we know the feeling of pinning our hopes on technological breakthroughs that have yet to materialize. We furthermore believe that your proposals have a great deal of synergy with our own Project Xochimilco for an offshore colony base. One of the primary shortcomings of offshore bases in our models is a lack of mineral income due to Planet's relative lack of mineral wealth on the ocean floor, and the notion of subsea trunklines for deep undersea mining is one we're not sure will ever be practical. To that end, remote mineral gathering would supplement sea bases greatly, and doubly so if Morgan ever comes around on the Weather Paradigm or we otherwise develop a revolutionary type of mining operation. Nothing to be done for it right now, and our own labs are largely marking time right now, but we'd like to stay in touch pending future developments. Dr. Maria Valdez, Applied Maritime Solutions Ltd
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Jan 23, 2015 02:33
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nweismuller posted:I potentially could, but I was concerned about excessive image clutter. Honestly, most of the information in there has been replicated by my own explanations in the text, but if people desperately want this... anybody else want this? I would, as long as it isn't too much trouble for you. Your descriptions are great and more than adequate, but I had completely forgotten about that feature, and never used it much anyway. There's bound to be some cool stuff in there.
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Jan 23, 2015 04:05
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Klingon w Bowl Cut posted:I would, as long as it isn't too much trouble for you. Your descriptions are great and more than adequate, but I had completely forgotten about that feature, and never used it much anyway. There's bound to be some cool stuff in there. The sheer richness of the lore in SMAC is one of the reasons I have not been quite satisfied by any 4x since.
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Jan 23, 2015 06:02
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Klingon w Bowl Cut posted:I would, as long as it isn't too much trouble for you. Your descriptions are great and more than adequate, but I had completely forgotten about that feature, and never used it much anyway. There's bound to be some cool stuff in there. The Alpha Centauri Wiki has all the text for all the techs, but it is of course spoilertastic. (edit: If you want me to take the link down, I'll be happy to - not sure how you're handling links to external spoilers here.) Nonspoilering, though, here's the text for what we've seen so far: Industrial Base posted:The first colonies lack any kind of factories or heavy industry, so the creation of an Industrial Base becomes a high priority for economic growth. This Industrial Base emphasizes small-scale manufacturing with primitive assembly lines and simple currency instruments. Centauri Ecology posted:Finding adequate sources of nutrients, energy, and minerals is the most immediate problem facing the colonists after Planetfall. An understanding of the basics of Centauri Ecology provides the new arrivals with the tools they need to begin shaping the world around them-how plants grow, what geological structures exist, and how natural energy sources may be exploited on Planet. Information Networks posted:Survival equipment from the Unity contained a variety of computers purpose-built for the needs of a frontier society. However, they must first be connected into Information Networks before scientists can utilize their power. Applied Physics posted:The colonists must create new tools from the wreckage of the Unity to survive and expand. Early inquiries into Applied Physics emphasize this adaptation of existing technology for the new environment. Planetary Networks posted:Once the colonists discovered how to survive, they focus on recreating some of the organizational tools left behind on Earth. Following the implementation of simple Information Networks, the creation of a standard for Planetary Networks emerges as a high priority for the scientific community. Biogenetics posted:The alien environment on Planet brought a host of unforeseen health problems for the colonists. Early inquiries into Biogenetics center on the prevention and treatment of these problems. Researchers in this discipline seek an understanding of the entire genetic code. Social Psych posted:The overcrowding aboard the Unity following the premature wakeup caused terrible conditions for the crew, but also generated valuable data concerning humans under extreme environmental stresses. Analysis of this data provides the first comprehensive, mathematical insight into the Social Psychology of humans. ManxomeBromide fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Jan 23, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 06:06
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Hal Kimberley's Private Log Ah! Some days it's good to be me. Well, every day is good to be me, but this one especially. The xenobiology department finally got some fresh blood now that native Chironians are starting to graduate from our jury-rigged university program. A few of them were inspired by the monoliths to become "xenoarchaeologists," if you can believe that! Quite honestly I have no idea what to do with them, so I've spun them into their own subgroup and left them to their own devices. I just hope Morgan doesn't talk them into starting their own business; I swear that man is nuts. Oh, but here's something interesting: none of the native-borns suffer any allergic reaction to the spores whatsoever! It's a slam-dunk of a study waiting to happen, so I'll be holding on to that one for a rainy day. Word from the "front lines" is that the X-ray emitters did exactly what I expected them to. It's less than what those meatheads in the field would have liked, I'm sure, but every step in science is a step forward! It's not my fault if their heads are buried too deep in the dirt to understand that. As it is, Morgan tells me I saved lives, and he even forwarded a few messages of thanks. Now I may not be the most sentimental of men, but I'm certainly glad to be appreciated. Of course, a crackpot message managed to sneak in with the rest. "The emitters didn't do anything, we totally aren't infected with spores, psionics is a real form of energy that completely escaped our notice despite two hundred and fifty years of looking!" Pfff. How do these people always get past security measures? Now that's an unexplained phenomenon! Oh, and in equally good news, the security team recovered thorium "pearls" from the carcasses, thus confirming my secondary hypothesis that mind worms have incorporated radioactivity! If the sample our lab gets doesn't resonate at the same frequencies as those loving spores, I will eat my beard! It's a shame the protective equipment isn't panning out, though. Materials science is quite beyond me, but evidently it's hard to build a Faraday cage that is flexible and irregular and keeps out X-rays and leaves room for electronic optics and the pressure mask which every soldier needs. Well, whatever. Leave that for someone else to fail! What else, what else...oh, yes, Atlas is finally fat and happy now that they've fed Morgan that bullshit about "social psychology" which means now he's got no more excuses to stop us from Discovering the Secrets of the Human Brain. I expect Atlas will still get the lion's share of the grant money, but who do you think they'll bring in to consult on spore imaging? Who else knows more about xenofungus outside of that cargo cult to the south? [laughter] I almost feel sorry for Skye, putting on three hats like that. Scientist, politician, and now cult leader! Must be exhausting keeping your head up your own rear end all the time. I had to put my foot down in the department; I don't care which flying spaghetti monster those lab rats worship, but saying that Skye knows Chiron better than I do is crossing the line! On the plus side, they stopped whispering about how I don't do any field work. Evidently there's rumors now that the xenofungus rotted Skye's brain. Well, good! Leaves more room at the top for me. But as for tonight, I've been invited to a feast being held to celebrate our dominance over yet another of Chiron's native life forms. My personal contribution will also be featured: evidently that failure of a fungicide I pawned off on Valdez works as an excellent tenderizer for some fish or another. Makes me wish I'd put my name on the patent after all. Oh well; can't win 'em all! End log. Double encryption, key to my voice. Signing off. Klingon w Bowl Cut posted:I would, as long as it isn't too much trouble for you. Your descriptions are great and more than adequate, but I had completely forgotten about that feature, and never used it much anyway. There's bound to be some cool stuff in there. I think text without screenshots would be good enough for me. I appreciate nweismuller's extrapolations, but it'd also be interesting to see a nod towards the original text.
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Jan 23, 2015 07:11
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ManxomeBromide, as long as you have the text for the techs we've already acquired, can you add the Industrial Base text to your post? Given that that's the tech we started with.
nweismuller fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jan 23, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 07:28
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To: Morgan Industries Senior Personnel From: Dr. Maria Valdez Subject: Please do not be alarmed Good evening everyone, I have received a number of inquiries from dinner guests regarding the sealed laboratory complex currently under construction at the end of the AMS pier here in Morgan Industries, including specifics such as why the complex is being built to maintain an atmospheric pressure *lower* than standard in the rest of the base, why living quarters are included in the complex, and the specific nature of the thermal purge system being installed as we speak. I assure you all, there is nothing to be concerned about and I will be issuing a press statement regarding Project Cipactli at such time as there is any meaningful information to be released. The personnel for Project Cipactli are universally volunteers, and the thermal purge system, itself merely a safety precaution, has met with the express approval of Morgan Industries proper. We at Applied Maritime Solutions take safety very seriously, and please do not worry about the facility under construction. Enjoy your dinner. Dr. Maria Valdez, Applied Maritime Solutions Ltd
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Jan 23, 2015 07:38
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So Xeno Team brought back a live worm and stuck it in a shielded tank downstairs, does anyone else know about this? I've talked with a few of the guys watching the thing and apparently they've set up a system that lets them raise or lower the shielding between the worm tank and a small adjacent room. At present there are no plans to use the worm for any specific research but this seems like an excellent opportunity to gain some first-hand experience with the effects of their psionic assault in a relatively safe environment. I'm going to go down and give it a spin after lunch; I imagine this will be a nightmare in every sense of the word but knowing for sure what these things can do may well help with insights into how to deal with their abilities. Oh, must remember to get full brain scans before and after, make sure there hasn't been any damage or long-term effects from exposure. Wouldn't want to end up like Skye, assuming that the Xenofungus is indeed messing around with her head of course. Dr. M.N. Gott Private Log Entry 1437 Jesus loving christ. Dr. M.N. Gott Private Log Entry 1438
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Jan 23, 2015 07:47
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How big is Hal's beard and how will he prepare it for consumption?  nweismuller posted:Mr. Carson, RE:XDI CEO Morgan I understand your point, though my hope was more hoping to secure the eastern border on the narrow strip of land connecting our primary bases with the unexplored landmass, and ensuring that the nearby resources are utilized. As for Capital, that is not really a concern, as I've considerable shares myself and am willing to invest to see this happen. I'm in direct contact with the majority of the advance teams that encounter the fungus, seeing as how I was coordinating their movements. The secondary hope was that with aquatic expanses on either side of the proposed base location, I would be able to study the fungus lurking away from the shore as well. And I'm sure Valdez would appreciate a wider range of places to take samples from. Regardless, I understand your reluctance, and if the manufacturing capabilities of the colony is not something you're willing to invest with at this time, It is alright. I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities on the unexplored landmass to our east. Incidentally, In case you hadn't already heard, we have been developing means to capture and contain some of the worms. Only one or two at a time, as we are not willing to risk the kind of damage the boils do. I'd like to invite you and the others to partake in some observational tests. I can't confirm or deny the raid on illegal (And dangerous) attempts to hold worms in... glass. Let me assure you, every precaution is taken to contain these worms, and the movie trope of keeping dangerous things and people in glass prisons will NOT be emulated. I don't care how careful civilians are. Our hope is to narrow down the possible means of attack that this life form can display. The lunch will be afterwords, as I'm not going to have people upchuck all over the observation terminal because it ate a rat or something. XDI HCS, Ezekiel Carson. To: Maria Valdez, Hal Kimberly, AJ Kusisitiza, Marcus Li, Asa Wright, "Reily", Fred M. Sloniker This is an invitation to the many varied departments and businesses that I believe have an interest in the new equipment that's been designed. At our current lab at Morgan industries, we've developed holding cells for the local 'mindworms', should they be controlled and captured. Our only samples are unfortunately taken because they were contained after burrowing in a soldier. Their sacrifice should not be in vain though, as this has allowed us to get a pair of live specimens. With these worms contained in as secure as possible cell, we are able to run tests now and develop reliable means of capturing worms separated from their boils, by means of incineration or otherwise. I invite you all to Morgan Industries to observe these tests alongside us. I know many of you disagree on their means of attack and what abilities they may or may not have, but our hope is that our range of testing with both stimulus reaction and live 'bait' (No it's not people yet) will help answer some of these questions. I'll provide lunch with some of Valdez's recent catch served as well after the tests. Partake as you wish. This is a week from now. (Using Chiron's night and day cycle, not the old earth one.) You will have to provide your own accommodations, but none of you are so poor to not manage a hotel room. The XDI HQ is currently residing in Gray district 3. Your datataps will give you directions, don't worry. If you are unable to make it for whatever reason, I am more than willing to provide the recorded footage we will make that day. XDI HCS, Ezekiel Carson Drakenel fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jan 23, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 08:00
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(Tech details updated with Industrial Base, which we started with, so there's no YAY RESEARCH screencap.) ...the rise of the so-called Cult of Gaia's Stepdaughters has been greeted largely with amused derision by the descendents of Cryopod 5, but a study of the social dynamics information gathered from the early colonization period as well as the last days on Unity show that this may be part of an intentional social engineering gambit on the part of Dr. Skye or her closest advisors. As contact has been made with the survivors from Cryopod 1, an obvious difference between Dr. Skye's settlement and the designs pioneered by Morgan IDC is population density - the Morgan IDC design uses space approximately half as efficiently as the structures built from Cryopod 1. The rise of a personality cult would fit with a social structure deliberately engineered to maintain focus, loyalty, and social cohesion under conditions of greater material stress and deprivation. This is not the only explanation, of course - when Atlas completed its research into Social Psychology, the results could be readily compared and cross-correlated with the similar but independent research from Gaia's Landing. They confirm the results gathered from Unity logs; Cryopods 1 and 5 both attracted authoritarian followers at a much lower rate than usual, but Dr. Skye also attracted individuals more willing to accept drastically unusual propositions as provisionally true. The astounding finds on Chiron may have catalyzed the founding of the cult. Cryopod 5, on the other hand, seems to have attracted more than its "fair share" of authoritarian dominators, which may also explain the lower population density...
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Jan 23, 2015 08:41
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Drakenel posted:How big is Hal's beard and how will he prepare it for consumption? It's his private log, so he'll definitely wuss out if it comes to that. But as for size, think "well-manicured Santa."
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Jan 23, 2015 08:54
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Drakenel posted:To: Maria Valdez, Hal Kimberly, AJ Kusisitiza, Marcus Li, Asa Wright, "Reily", Fred M. Sloniker Carson On behalf of Morgan Logistics, Supply and Security your invitation is accepted. We look forward to a mutually profitable endeavor. MLSS Rep. Reilly
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Jan 23, 2015 09:03
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Drakenel posted:DI HCS, Ezekiel Carson. Carson I accept the invite, but I hope you don't mind me brining a few squads with. While I have full confidence in your security measures, having actually fought these things, you'll understand that I'd like to bring some extra protection for this initial demo. My men won't bother anyone, think of it as a complementary guard detail for the conference. Marcus Li
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Jan 23, 2015 09:18
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Bliss Authority posted:Mr. Sloniker: From: Fred Sloniker <ceo@dreamlandgames.com> Subject: Cooperative ventures To: Asa Wright <ceo@lovelace.com> I'd love to talk shop! I admit that our expertise lies more in software than hardware, and I believe an arrangement where you build the VR hardware and we write the code to run on it would benefit both our companies. If you'd like, I can show you around Dreamland Games, have you talk to some of the guys so you know we aren't just blue-skying, and we can go from there. Sincerely, Fred M. Sloniker Dreamland Games 'We make your dreams come true' P.S.: If you're interested in checking out our products, just set up an account with us and let me know what your username is. I can arrange for a couple of months of Premium membership gratis. :D Drakenel posted:To: Maria Valdez, Hal Kimberly, AJ Kusisitiza, Marcus Li, Asa Wright, "Reily", Fred M. Sloniker From: Fred Sloniker <ceo@dreamlandgames.com> Subject: Que? To: Exekiel Carson <ecarson@morganenterprises.com> While I'm flattered that you would invite me to what will, no doubt, be a fascinating display, I have to admit I'm not sure why you think it's relative to my interests. Dreamland Games is a software developer focusing on developing compelling multiplayer entertainment using the latest technology. We are not involved in biotechnology, personal defense, or any other industry that might require us to have extensive information on mindworms. Indeed, the many and varied enemies you can face in our games very deliberately have passing resemblance to actual Chiron wildlife at best. We aim to offer an escape from reality, after all. Sincerely, Fred M. Sloniker Dreamland Games 'We make your dreams come true'
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Jan 23, 2015 09:27
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I wonder if fear is the only emotion that the worms can trigger in us or if it might be possible to trigger different sensory perceptions with the right adjustments. What if we could cause hallucinations without the fear component, or even other emotions entirely like love or anger? Obviously there would be some pretty horrific potential abuses if it can be done, but there is a lot of potential for some pretty useful things there too; full immersion VR comes to mind but the medical benefits could be profound. Hell if we could harness this power and deliberately induce a sense of well being in a person we could just up and cure depression entirely! drat that would be useful, have to regulate the tech carefully though because brainwashing wouldn't be far behind and that is the last thing we need. Still, getting ahead of myself a bit. We need to find out how these goddamn psychic projections actually work! Oh sure we've narrowed it down to probably having something to do with the ubiquitous Xenofungus spores reacting to certain low-power wavelengths of radiation projected by special organs in the worms; of course the goddamned worms turn out to have integrated nuclear decay into their own biology because psychic worms wasn't bad enough. No it had to be nuclear powered psychic worms, aagh! Maybe I should go run some more tests with the worm tank before Morgan decides on some proper official experiments that will no doubt end poorly for the subjects. Ha ha no gently caress that, once was one time too many. I'll go back down there once we've come up with a way to keep those things out of my head. Dr. M.N. Gott Private Log Entry 1440 Neruz fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Jan 23, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 10:01
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ManxomeBromide posted:The Alpha Centauri Wiki has all the text for all the techs, but it is of course spoilertastic. (edit: If you want me to take the link down, I'll be happy to - not sure how you're handling links to external spoilers here.) Nonspoilering, though, here's the text for what we've seen so far: Thanks for posting that! If they're all that short, then yeah, more images aren't necessary. Cythereal posted:To: Morgan Industries Senior Personnel To: Dr. Maria Valdez From CIC Dakarai Kaapanda Subject: Re: Bjork, bjork, bjork Congratulations on your success, Doctor. I am happy to accept your gracious invitation. I will be attending with two guests, and we would like the vegetarian ravioli. This is purely a personal choice by my family, and not a snub of your many other excellent-sounding dishes. Though do not be surprised if my daughter sneaks bits of the other courses too. She is a young and curious one. On a more important note, we should also touch base some time during the evening about your company. Mr. Morgan has put out the word that he wishes to expand our operations into an area that borders both the ocean and the freshwater sea, which would seem ideal for your purposes, yet I have not seen nor heard of you making any bids to do so. Combined with your other email about the interesting research taking place at your HQ, it makes me wonder if you are perhaps holding onto your shares until such a time as we have the technology to establish full-scale sea bases? Because my job entails overseeing the economic viability of many different projects, I have a variety of resources and contacts I would be pleased to place at your disposal, if my guess is correct. While your presence would of course be sorely missed if you left to found an aquatic colony, I can think of no better place for you. Sincerely, Chief Integration Coordinator Dakarai Kaapanda
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Jan 23, 2015 10:21
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