Video/Action

[terminally_clever]

[Action; Scorpio District]

[It's the first night of the Firefly Festival, and Fumi's out to observe the light show.  To anyone who's just met her for the first time since her arrival in Hinoto-Ri, it's probably a bit of an odd sight.  She's sitting on a small hill overlooking the festivities below and just watching the fireflies dancing through the air and lighting up the night sky with their brilliance, laptop nowhere to be found for a change.]

Ah... it's so amazing...

[The smile on her face and the sparkle in her eye are like nothing she's displayed since coming here.  She really seems to be genuinely enjoying herself, just sitting idly by while she takes a moment to enjoy the scene.]

[Video; 13th Hour; Leo District; locked to Yamato and Miyako Hotsuin]

[As the feed flickers on, Fumi's face is illuminated by the light from her COMP.  The room she's standing in is dark, so it's rather hard to see what's behind her.]

Chief.  Miyako.  You're both going to want to see this.  Meet me in the Leo District.

Comments

[greyerrant]

[ Loken doesn't frown, but his flat expression shifts a bit as he squints slightly at Fumi. ]

Hm, well, what time period are you from? To give context to my viewpoint: I was born during the 30th Millennium.


[ As for the limits of human morality, Loken does take on a puzzled look. ]

What moral qualms stop humanity from altering or improving itself through genetic engineering or other forms of augmetic work in your time?

[terminally_clever]

[There's a momentary look of surprise, but it's quickly buried under fascination.]

Ah. That would explain things. I'm from the year 2011.

[Fumi thinks for a moment on that.]

...Religious ones, mostly, I suspect. Well, that and fear of eugenics being used by a totalitarian government to control the genetic makeup of the populace. It's a rather hotly debated topic.

[greyerrant]

Ah, Religion. [ The distaste in his voice is clear enough on that subject, at least. ]

I understand there were historical examples of that sort of thing before the Unification wars. Cardinal Tang of the Yndonesian Bloc engaged in that sort of behavior before the Thunder Warriors put a stop to his genocidal insanity.

The Ethnarch was... monstrous. He burned scientists, mathemeticians, and philosophers because they opposed the view of his church, and systemically eliminated anyone he didn't consider genetically compatible.

[ His armor whirs as the enormous warrior makes fists, before he realizes his combat urge is spiking and visibly calms down. This is a pretty visceral reaction from him, and one that is rarely provoked. ]

[terminally_clever]

There you have it, then. Those are exactly the kinds of things people are afraid of happening if we open that door. Not to mention the numerous ethical arguments. For example, is it right to genetically modify an unborn fetus, since it's incapable of giving informed consent? Or do the parents hold the rights to decide whether or not to modify their own unborn offspring?

[greyerrant]

I would argue that those things happened not because of genehancement and the quandaries that went along with it, but rather because a religious zealot got his hands on the reigns of power. Mass murder, particularly in the name of... [ Again the distaste sneaks in ] God, precedes any concept of eugenics, if my historical knowledge is not completely incorrect. [ Loken shrugs, ceding that it might be, after all, records are very incomplete. ]

[ He considers the ethical question for a moment, and nods. ]

I suppose it depends on what is done to the unborn child. I cannot see the problem in correcting genetically inherited diseases or traits that would cause the child to die, though altering other traits might be seen as less clear choices.

As for the parents, again, it depends. Is the child a result of genetic manipulation in the first place? If so, then further modification wouldn't seem to violate any rule that I know of. My gene-sire was a product of one such project, so I will admit my own biases in this area are significant. I can only say that in my time the rights of the parent to determine the genetic makeup of the child are basically absolute, though of course the limitation most commonly encountered is a combination of technology available, and money.

In the case of the Imperium, most of our gene-modification is done after the child or fetus in question is already born. I myself chose to be altered to what I now am some time in my teens. The only exception I can think of is the Geno Chiliad regiments of the Imperial Army, where selective combination of stored genetic material ensures properly combat-capable warriors are indefinitely produced. That is a breeding program of sorts, but it doesn't carry over to the population as a whole.

[terminally_clever]

It's funny when you put it that way, considering that in my time religious zealots are the loudest voices of opposition to any sort of genetic tampering. But I suppose it's not strange that such attitudes would evolve over time. You're certainly right about murder in the name of God being an old concept, though. It's probably as old as the human race itself.

[But yes, on to the other topic.]

Any manipulation at all is widely frowned upon in my time, regardless of potential benefit. Realistically speaking, the most likely thing to occur would be families with more money being the only ones with access to the technology, thus enabling them to essentially purchase long-term genetic superiority over the less advantaged.

[greyerrant]

Older, actually, if the xeno-breeds take on history is correct. Several of the older races slew in the name of their gods while we were wandering around in Africa as hunter-gatherers.

Hm, very possible. I wish I understood economics outside of the logistical training I've received in order to be a better commander, but I'll admit the economic aspect of it is beyond me to an extent. We leave that to the Administratum.

[ Loken sighs. ]

Superstition does hold back progress a great deal, I must admit. But it had run its course the moment we could see behind the stars and knew there was no golden chariot pulling them along.

[terminally_clever]

It's just part of human nature, I suppose. People will always find something to fight over.

[greyerrant]

That was the argument of Sigismund the first Captain of Rogal Dorn, to me. I myself believed that humanity could find peace.

[ His eyes take on a haunted look. ]

I regret being proven wrong. Tell me, since you know of biology. Are non-sentient animals as inclined to slay and destroy wantonly as humanity sometimes seems, or is that trait peculiar to us?

[terminally_clever]

Well, in the first place, attempting to view the behavior of non-sentient animals through the lens of human drives and emotions is a flawed perspective. They simply don't view the world in the same way. The closest thing, I suppose, would be carnivores who revel in the kill but leave the carcass behind without eating it.

[greyerrant]

[ Loken nods, accepting the correction. ] The space wolves boast of such things on their homeworld Fenris, but I am inclined to say they are simply drunken stories. I thought most carnivores tended to consume their prey.

[ Loken looks like he wants to say more, to ask more, but he's clearly held back. It seems he can't form the words properly, so a silence that is rather awkward descends on them both. ]

[terminally_clever]

Well... yes, as a rule. But sometimes the dead are taken as trophies. Paraded in front of the pack. That sort of thing.

[greyerrant]

My homeworld has few animals that were not imported from Terra. Cats, dogs, smaller birds, and grox, mostly. It was a mining and later hive planet, so there was little in the way of... local fauna.

[ This was his way of indirectly admitting he didn't know much about animal behavior or biology, and also suggesting he was curious about it. Whether Fumi will pick up on that is of course, up to her. ]

[terminally_clever]

A rather inhospitable environment, I assume?

[Fumi's not that great at people, so she's either missed that cue or has glossed over it entirely on purpose.]

[greyerrant]

You could say that. It was a huge, empty place with a lot of burned-out mining industry. The only thing Cthonia produced in my time was gangs.

[terminally_clever]

Who was in charge there?

[greyerrant]

Depends on the time period. Initially, it was the spire nobles and the administrators of the old mines, and the gang leaders.

Eventually Horus Lupercal, my genesire, took charge of the world and made it a far better place.

[terminally_clever]

Well, at least your world and mine seem to have that in common.

(ooc: you're on the warned list for AC, you need to check in by tomorrow night or they're dropping you)

[greyerrant]

How so?

[terminally_clever]

They were both cesspools of wasted potential until someone strong came along and fixed things.

[greyerrant]

I wonder if your world's eventual fate will end up as unfortunate as Cthonia's. Horus led us into a golden age only to be led astray by his own pride. The problem of strong men.

[terminally_clever]

Those who claim power must also find a way to consolidate and maintain it, or they will lose it. That's a natural and expected consequence of such a society. I don't see a problem with it at all.