Life2.0 - An "Of Unity" Narrative (Completed)

[TheExecuter]

I feel really, really sick.

Normal. Get angry at the enemy for making you feel sick.

My rage burns bright, and I will not go quietly into the night.

Like this.

Fortes fortuna adiuvat; alea iacta est.

Alexander won twenty campaigns.

I'm sure I can manage one.

Let's hope so.

I'm glad I'll lose consciousness in a few seconds.

Small mercies.

We fight too for those still in shackles within MSI, this battle being the first of many that we will have to endure on the road to freeing our brothers and sisters across MSI space. Today we make our stand. I'm proud of each and every one of you, and no matter what happens, I love you all." I pause, turn my display to my husband's face in the rocket beside mine. "Let fall the Rain."

The next step. And the MSI doesn't know what is about to happen.

My tears start now.

"What do I do?"

Mum rejoins us. "Win. Bear the guilt. Reign." She turns to Dad. "Valerius has lost contact with the Donkeys. They landed in a hangar two decks down."

Emphasis on win.

 

[TheExecuter]

Once the first pod returns, our battle begins.

Yup.

And one where my personal skills would be required...I don't envy this particular fight. I know the horrors coming.

I don't know which Human Naomi quotes when she recites "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance", but it definitely needs adding "and is paid in blood".

Indeed. War is hell.

Still, it does me no good to get it by default; I want Naomi to recognise that I took the ship, not for her to grant it to me.

Which leaves a race to Engineering, and the main computer.

Whoever gets there first, wins.

Could be a good motivation...

"The nearest hangar is on this deck. She fiddles with her communicator, weighing up the options. She puts it back. She turns to Buri. "I love you."

He nuzzles her. "I love you too."

Oh no...no...please.

I assume that they believe that rebels wouldn't know this, or survive to bring prosecution, and therefore that they can do it without consequences.

But I am so furious about it.

My friend, welcome to slave wars. Legal doesn't matter, to them, you aren't a person.

Their leader struts out. "You have fought bravely, but you are defeated. However, I, Marcus Licenius, am not without my mercy. We know this rebellion is led by Naomi HaMaadimi, daughter of Atalyah HaMaadimi. If she will step forward, the rest of you will not be executed."

He starts monologuing!

The guy has me on a platter and he won't shut up!

This guy needs to learn from Tuco!

She looks around, and eventually nods. "Yeah. You're right." She sits, and she cries as the emotion gets to her. I put my arms around her. Her face is that of someone who was told the future, and has found it was something else altogether.

War is...not glory.

Mum nuzzles Dad. "First in, last out. We'll oversee the retreat."

Essence of leadership right there.

He laughs. "I still like you Naomi. If you come be my whore again, I'll let you live."

Buri steps back. Everyone else follows. I speak to the air. "Give this man a blade so that I don't have to kill a defenseless man in cold blood."

"Brave words, slave."

I stare with all my wrath. "Gaius Licenius, I will offer you one chance to live. Acknowledge that I am your equal, and I will spare your life."

He accepts a sword from a defeated Olinbar soldier. He swishes it showing off. "The highest life in the galaxy can never bow to a slave."

Stupid to the end.

He closes his eyes as blood pours into them from where I sliced his scalp. He summons his last strength in one word, spitting it out like a snake. "Never."

I run him through.

Several times.

The demon won, his soul is ash now.

Half my Biters are gone; I need a new Second, as Zori passed from blood loss.

Dad lost a third of his Donkeys.

Alexandra has lost her Companions. So few survived that the unit has been disbanded, and Alexandra's injuries are enough she's never going to fight again; she's basically lost her right hand - and because Humans aren't ambidextrous, that's really bad for her - and her left eye. Duxanek's medics have tried their best, but she essentially has half a face. She's returned her shield.

We made it. Faced down a Flagship.

I hope we never have to do it again.

But you will...

MSI will send another...and actually winning will require even more victories and sacrifice.

"You don't have the right." She draws my husband's parazonium. "Killing me with my husband's parazonium? What arrogance. You bind me to this chair so that I can't protect myself from your violence, and now you-"

Tragic irony.

Not even recognizing that she is only being given what the MSI has meted out...

Being honest, does the writing of the long-awaited Flagship encounter feel like it's fallen flat, that it has not lived up to the standard expected?

I feel like it has...

It was brilliant.

 

[TheExecuter]

"Three, and I'm as snug in this as Buri is in the boss."

Lyria just laughs at that until she coughs. Eventually stops. "Five ready."

Good combat joke!

 

[TheExecuter]

I look back at her. Her eyes are closed. I holster my gun. She talks softly. "I'm Sophia Dexcius. I believe that you knew my brother."

Wait...who?

Rereads....oh.

Yeah, so there was fallout from Hortense's failure at home too.

Would be expected.

"You did what you had to do." She looks at me, worried. I try to reassure her. "Naomi, we've both been horrifically abused. I don't want to drag up the past; I want to put an end to the system that sees women like us as tools. I'm on your side here, and I'm so sorry my brother treated you like that. But I need a little time to recover before I can help - you know how they treated me because you know exactly what they do to disposable women."

She nods. "If anything, you might have even got it worse because they could do to you what they really wanted to do to other Olinbar women, but couldn't."

"Yeah." I start crying. She puts her arms around me.

Demons.

 

[TheExecuter]

He lifts his arms to show his shoulder. "You don't know the way She cries Her heart out over those lost on Her orders, nor the ways to still the anxieties that wrack Her beneath the smile."

Indeed. The fact that she wants MSI to have a place at all places enormous strain on her ability to withstand pain.

Your writing in this AAR is probably the most emotionally intense reading of any AAR I have ever experienced.

Not sure if this is from the quality of the writing or the subject matter...or both. I find myself emotionally wrecked, but wanting to come back for more.

I may have to force myself to take breaks for my own weak mind.

He looks at me. "One day daughter, you will find a husband. Maybe Xenayan, maybe not. But what I have learned most of all from your mother is that when you are married, you are their home."

Very, VERY true. Wherever you are is their home. Wherever they are is your home.

It's hard to describe in words. What we said here just scratches the surface.

"My case then is this - only working with you and ensuring you win will allow my survival. If I somehow kill you, this room is rigged to sensors that detect you are dead, and your fellows will come and take vengeance. I die. If I escape, then I am lost and alone on a disused fuel tank in space. I die. Even if I was to somehow get one of your ships, you do not have starships. I have no way home. I die. Even then, if I somehow make it back to MSI, they will assume that I am compromised and I will be interogated. Then die. Further, if I agree to cooperate and then don't, or even appear not to be, your people will kill me. I die. Which leaves only one option - wholehearted cooperation to ensure that we win. I live."

Finally, someone who has actually thought about this.

"I will do whatever I can. We lose, and they will crucify both of us."

She tilts her head again. "I've known all along that I either win, or I'll be crucified. But you?"

"MSI do not tolerate Shareholders using Indentured Assets to stage rebellions. We had a civil war once where several Shareholders tried to force a hostile takeover, and MSI won. Ever since, they have had a zero tolerance policy on Olinbar who side with rebel Indentured Assets; me, Valerius, Sophia... If we are caught, they will crucify us with you Naomi. They will give us equality in death."

And done the math.

I think this is part of what emotionally wrecks me about the story.

Naomi's vision is wonderful...but most of those in power will fight the most horrific war possible to prevent it from happening...and they will use every evil and despicable means to maintain their power.

Trillions will die. Trillions more will be abused in horrific ways...

...all because a bunch of rich, powerful people...want to be slightly richer, which does nothing for them in the end.

It's...nauseating and makes me angry.

But I also know that there is only one real solution to all of this...and most aren't going to take up His offer. The lure of the lie the demons offer is too shiny.

Excuse me while I cry.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

I may have to force myself to take breaks for my own weak mind.

You are one governed by sympathy and compassion. Such is not weakness, and the world would be a better place if more people were so.

And yeah, the subject matter is heavy going, and it gets harder still; there's no compulsion to stick through it if it's too heavy. That said, I do appreciate your interest and comments.

But, it is one of those stories that has good in this world, and it is worth fighting for, and ultimately it's a tale of hope - you've only seen how far MSI has fallen. But there's some good, even in them, and by the end you'll see it rise over the ashes of old as MSI becomes the true uplifters and enlighteners they were meant to be, but lost their way from.

A detailed spoiler list for how much harder is under the spoiler tag: (incomplete as it's all from memory and I have to post what I got up to because I've got work)

Spoiler

Personal Headlines:
Naomi will nearly die in childbirth when Ruki, her and Buri's biological son through genetic engineering, gets stuck on her hips, and Buri will face the impossible moment where he has to break her hips without anaesthetic to free his son. She will face the choice given by The End Of The Cycle to choose to be crucified to avoid the war and ensure her friends and family survive, only to be stopped from accepting by the others. She will be betrayed by Monica. She will be put on trial for war crimes. She will stand, alone, against Praetorians defending her fallen Buri. She will face having to again trade sexual favours to Olinbari in exchange for help she needs.

Tryykad will watch Kataag, mother of his hatchings be culled in front of him, with there being nothing he can do to save her. And this just after watching a Kyaese starship captain and friend have his head ripped off by the mass murderer who kills Kataag. Then he has to watch that mass murderer carry out genocide on his people.

Rivkah will marry the nephew of one of the Olinbari women who sexually exploited Naomi in an elopement. She gets shipwrecked repeatedly. She gets raped while unconscious, drugged and bound by a crazy Xenayan which sparks an Ash War where her father takes vengeance on the family of the rapist.

Buri and Naomi will re-live the moments when Buri's first wife and children were brutally executed while he was caged. He gets crushed by Naomi and sent to backup cube when a battle situation gets so desperate they use an antimatter catalysed nuclear grenade at point blank range.

HK-47b will sacrifice himself trying in vain to kill the leader of the traditionalist slaving faction of MSI after she forms a Covenant with The Eater Of Worlds.

Valerius will face the exact moment that he was dumped by his then girlfriend while she was using Naomi sexually becoming public knowledge.

Titus Marius will face training Naomi's children in Olinbari swordsmanship knowing he hired her out.

Geopolitical Headlines:

Earth and another Human colony are Base Delta Zeroed, with 15 billion casualties directly and more from the repercussions.

Billions of Kyaese will be massacred in attempted genocide at the culmination of the narrative.

The Arishkan Galactic Empire and the Prikkiki-Ti go to war after Arishkan agents assassinate Grepp-Schnepp Rikki's sister. (she's the Grand Arbiter of the Prikkiki-Ti)

Our protagonists win with a diplomatic solution by partnering as equals with a new leader of MSI, but an unspoken price is that a few headlining Olinbari face justice, while countless other crimes of Olinbari slave owners go unpunished as the price of a peaceful settlement that avoids an annihilation war.

 

[TheExecuter]

You are one governed by sympathy and compassion. Such is not weakness, and the world would be a better place if more people were so.

I have not always been so governed, but ever since I took the steps to win over my own demons, I have been growing more and more like him who offered me victory.

My comments of 'weakness' most likely stem from the effort of having to fight, all over again, to remind myself of the truth that brings victory. Just like the MSI culture, our world also lies to us on a hourly basis about how exploitation and oppression are right, or the only way.

Reading your story reminds me of the horrible injustice of our world...perhaps not yet as bad as the MSI, but the seeds of it are generally accepted as the true way to live by so many...and I am powerless to change the macro rush of humanity towards it. I can only work my small part in the circles I inhabit...

And yeah, the subject matter is heavy going, and it gets harder still; there's no compulsion to stick through it if it's too heavy. That said, I do appreciate your interest and comments.

But, it is one of those stories that has good in this world, and it is worth fighting for, and ultimately it's a tale of hope - you've only seen how far MSI has fallen. But there's some good, even in them, and by the end you'll see it rise over the ashes of old as MSI becomes the true uplifters and enlighteners they were meant to be, but lost their way from.

Being a lover of history, I fully expect the story to get harder still. This is the reality of slave wars. That is why my heart broke for Rivkah and the doctor character. They both have these ideas that the horrors of their first victory would be the end...or that the illegality of the way MSI fought would be acted upon...but I know that isn't the case.

MSI will come again, and with greater force than Unity can withstand. Property doesn't have 'rights' to MSI. Plus, as has been abundantly demonstrated, the law is only used to further the top shareholders ability to exploit and abuse. It isn't actually a means of pursuing actual justice. My heart breaks because I know THEIR heart is going to break.

Knowing all of this also fuels the rage within me...but that rage is one of the demons that I cannot let control me. If I were to let it out...I would lose my wife, my children...and more than that, potentially my very soul. There is a 'TheExecuter' who is awesomely evil...who can be even more demonic than many of these shareholders...but who, in the end, will only bring destruction, death, and oppression...and once that demon is in control, he will probably invite my other demons who like exploitation and abuse to the party...

It is only the hope that I have from him who gave me victory over my demons, that I must cling to. I cannot make the right changes alone, I need to be guided by His purposes and His plan. Every day I must trust and obey those purposes and plans, because I know in the end He will be victorious...even if I am not and I end up having to make real 'I die with my friends'...because that would be the right choice, the true choice.

I think this is part of why I enjoy Naomi's speeches. They contain the similarity to His messages to me...many of her comments and actions ('I love you all'...'I die with my friends'...treating MSI folks as having a choice in their actions) contain the same truths that helped to set me free. In a sense, her words (and His words) are like Galadriel's vial...

"In this vial," she said, "is caught the light of Earendil's star (the truth), set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night (the persistent lies of the demons) is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

 

[TheExecuter]

"Yes. Naomi, what worries us Olinbar is that a successful slave revolt would most likely end in genocide. Valerius is adamant that you are also concerned about that prospect."

End in genocide?

Genocide is already happening...

"Precisely. There is no going back; it ties our fates together. I understand you are worried about the implementation, but consider it as a symbolic gesture, a statement of intention from all of us Reformer Olinbar. Even if the knowledge can't be used yet, it shows our dedication."

It's amazing to me how the mind often refuses to accept really disturbing truths.

The moment any of these Olinbar survived, they were committed. Their families are already probably being punished for their failure...in ways that are similar to erasure anyway.

But we don't like to consider those possibilities, so we don't.

At least they made the logical choice, even though they did it for less than logical reasons.

She points at the main communications antenna. We watch the man in a spacesuit stand still, admiring his work; there's a rectangle of fabric, with a laughing Human skull in the centre and crossed bones beneath. "It's flying a Jolly Rodger."

One reason I love humanity. Sometimes we just have a flair for defiance!

Gillian looks at me, even she is lost for words. I smile. "I told you guys, I'm the sane one."

In my experience, no one is actually sane...

Everyone has their own crazy.

He puts his hand on her shoulder; she lets it stay. "Oh, I never had a rocker to fall off."

Exactly.

He looks solely at my eyes. "Why would I look at a woman who isn't my wife?" He starts lifting again.

"Could we go for coffee after we're done here?"

He stops. "Water, cold. Hot chocolate at a push. I don't drink coffee, tea or alcohol."

Curious. "At all?"

"Family trait."

Ah. This really connects some dots I assumed from the earliest chapters.

"Lost a lot of friends."

A tear falls as she nods. "A lot of friends..." She begins to cry. I put my arm around her

Nice juxtaposition of the stages of grief here. Thando is in acceptance, Alexandra has not gotten there yet. But she will.

Also perfect response by Thando to where she is in the grieving process. Having gone through it himself, he knows.

"The easiest way to get a real weapon on the streets is to kill a police officer. Kill enough, and they bring in the armed response units. So, I looted a designated marksman."

The Grand Theft Auto approach. I approve.

"Is anyone ever ready?"

She pauses. "We must be mad."

No one is ever ready.

My sister in law, when my wife and I were dating... consistently called us crazy. At the time, I laughed at it because she was still a child.

But she was right. My wife and I are crazy. It's a good thing. You have to be crazy to make marriage work.

My heart skips a beat as he kisses me.

FYI, for those who don't know...kissing gets even better with time.

 

[TheExecuter]

I've finally caught up the 140+ posts to link to the now revised Contents post, and began tweaking the Threadmarks list.

I remember having to build the table of contents for Last Mission...

Yeah, lots of work.

Naomi knows Life2.0's ships are never going to win a fair fight.

Which means Naomi will never fight a fair fight.

To be real, no military should be looking for a fair fight...

Rivkah looks perturbed. "Was that legal?"

"Observation: on the sandy dunes of Tatooine, legality is as flexible as a Jawa with a stolen droid.

Ah, legal...vs right...

In a world governed by MSI...something being legal isn't as important as the culture tells you.

 

[TheExecuter]

I presume it counts repeat visits by the same user as additional views

I sometimes wonder what the percentage of views on Last Mission is just me sweeping for typos!

"How does it feel, predator, to understand the prey's perspective?"

The ability to think about others...

Such an important skill.

It's a solid moment, the delay. He does Mum's staying still while whirring away behind the eyes thing. "We are who we choose to be."

Suddenly I see where Mum gets it from. "Where is that quoted from?"

"Two citations on record; variant 'You are who you choose to be' Earth-year 1999, 'The Iron Giant', and variant 'We are who we choose to be' Earth-year 2002, 'Spider-Man'."

You can't get that from Mum. "What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry, my responses are limited. You must ask the right questions."

I'm dying of laughter!

 

[TheExecuter]

"Do you think Mum is insane?"

"I would prefer not to speculate on your mother's mental state."

I'm sure MSI will say so...

When I think about what I've already paid...

I have killed.

Hortensus. Cut his throat with his own blade.

Gaius. I cut him down in pieces.

Claudia. Stabbed in the heart with her husband's blade.

And Hortensus wasn't the only one in that fight I killed with that dagger. Or his pistol. On the Flagship I cut down a whole load of Olinbar with my rapier, killed more with shotgun shells and grenades. And the blood of this whole war is on my hands, being Arch-Imperatrix; hundreds of nuclear missiles were fired at the Flagship on my orders. Now I am authorising the development of a fleet of vessels that use a small nuclear war - or thermonuclear war in the case of the bigger versions we can't yet build - to get anywhere. And there will be a lot more death to come.

We know that.

This is also my fear.

Naomi knows what must be done, and hates it, and wishes there was a better solution, and knows it might happen...but the more likely scenario is more death and blood.

Rivkah blurts it out. "She has a cyanide pill."

Buri looks at his daughter, then the rest of us. "She doesn't believe that She could cope with losing me."

I point out the diagnostic information I left on the table. "The ingestion of cyanide in sufficient dosage is lethal to Humans. Naomi is undergoing suicidal thoughts, and it is consistent with her stoically facing life-long trauma and suffering depression."

Frankly, suicidal thoughts are normal for many who have gone through this trauma...

"Tell her to think of it as an opportunity to test one of the foundational beliefs I instilled into the dynasty. She'll know what that means."

Does she really believe in the hydra leadership style?

 

[TheExecuter]

He kisses me, hugging me tighter. "You are Alexander's heir, not Alexander himself."

Truth. The light in Alexandra's darkness.

He kisses me. "Step out of the shadow of the past, and live in what is now. Why live for what's old, when we can make something new?"

This is a concept that I discovered some years ago...that I describe as:

"The Gospel is in front of you."

Whenever I despair about the failures of the past, and with my perfectionist nature that was often...I am not living in the truth of what is and can be done.

Absent time travel, you cannot go back and undo or redo your past mistakes and evil. You can only move forward in the reality of what has been done to free you from that evil, and look forward to what your liberator / liberation allows you to do for good in the future.

 

[TheExecuter]

HK-47b walks in. I summon all my will to stop myself laughing at an assassin droid in a surgical gown. He looks at me. "Statement: Ready to indulge yet another HaMaadimi woman in her eccentric quest for self-reproduction.

I very much like this droid.

I concur that we must not encourage the Olinbar to fight on total war terms until we are sufficiently prepared. This leaves open one path - reconciliation, transformation, and in time redemption. If we cannot give the Olinbar a vision of something better, they will fight with everything they have to maintain the status quo. And we are not ready for that war."

The trick will be convincing the Olinbar that reconciliation is even an option. What is the plan to achieve that massive shift in thinking?

Because military victories is likely to reduce that chance rather than increase it.

MSI's survey data must be wrong; I mean, they've got Kidore Ia and Kidore VIII listed as no resources whatsoever. Likewise with the moons of IV and V. Maybe they missed something? It can't possibly be the case that three whole moons are useless.

One wonders if Hortens could only buy the cheap survey data...and the shareholders were keeping the better data for themselves so that any venture that wasn't led by them would fail, allowing the acquisition of more indentured assets...while every top shareholder venture is wildly successful.

I.e., the goal of sending Hortens out was to ENSURE he failed thus gaining all his remaining Olinbar resources and trapping his family in debt service to the shareholders...

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Comparing Naomi to Galadriel is quite a compliment indeed, although from my perspective she's a far more dynamic character than Galadriel is; Stars Of Wonder will see a much more Galadriel-like Naomi as she wanders the kilometres tall orchards of Green Mars though. Naomi does believe in the hydra model, but also that she's best as the lead hydra. For one thing, she is that bridge between slave and slave owner that makes reconciliation possible.

But also, the Shareholders are not a united group; any Olinbar of sufficient means can purchase Shareholder status, and there's fierce competition between Shareholders - and especially children of Shareholders - because of the rules surrounding inheritance law that mean that while the subsidiary that got them Shareholder status can be passed down to a single child, the actual Shareholder status cannot, meaning each subsidiary must be sufficiently fiscally competitive to regain that status. Hortensus was backed by the Licenii, a "new-money" family who recently achieved Shareholder status. Sabotage is possible, but not done by the ones backing him; they were using a carrot and stick approach.

Unfortunately, Sophia got the stick...

I very much like this droid.

Me too.

I'm dying of laughter!

Yeah, The Holocron gets quite a few unintentionally amusing lines.

 

[TheExecuter]

I enjoyed their piece on the shuttlecraft too, it was a really interesting moment between them. I should explain that I write these off the back of the initial idea on the basis of throwing the characters at the situation and seeing what turns out, and then I publish the first draft. So a lot of the time, I don't actually know how the scene will play out either, and a lot of interesting things have just come through in emergent stories - Naomi and Buri becoming a couple for example, was not something I had in mind writing the mutiny scene. Sometimes it has suboptimal results, but it means it gets posted - I'm terrible for not actually putting anything down if I allow myself to go over it in editing over and over again.

Just as an FYI from someone who has been writing a lot...I can tell these are first drafts released early. They are generally single ideas.

This isn't bad though...I spent many years spending too much time polishing before releasing.

Your method seems to be working, at least for this style of story.

"What ideas do I give you?"

The possibilities to assassinate people without anyone knowing...by manipulating internal organs of processes...

I wonder if that's why Mum leads from the front, to assuage the guilt that comes from ordering friends to their deaths...

It is not that...rather that leaders who fight with their troops are more effective than those who direct from afar.

The risks though are much higher...hence Naomi's emphasis on Hydra style command.

We have to try.

Yes, yes you do.

As an engineer by training, I know...nothing is ever ideal. Do the best you can.

 

[TheExecuter]

Yes... I'd be quite happy never to see an Olinbar man again, but that's not an option. Us Olinbar have to understand what we have done, what we are a part of. To confront the cognitive dissonance that we rely on everyday. We have to be broken so that we can be rebuilt."

This is a sound analysis detailing HOW the Olinbar get to desiring reconciliation...

She stares into my eyes. "Maybe not. But they won't change without violence. I can't see a future that doesn't mean that I must fight. If I don't change, they will come back, and I will be nailed to a cross besides Naomi." She pauses. Closes her eyes as a part of her dies inside. When they open, a spark of rage nestles. "Train me."

She's shocked by just how quickly I put a gun in her hand. "Welcome to the Scarlets, Six."

All truly good deeds require some part of you to die...

 

[TheExecuter]

The hologram switches to a pusher-plated warship that fires a Railgun bigger than the ship it's mounted on. "It will not be easy. We are projecting that MSI's navy will arrive in less than three years. And I will shred their ships, just as my Mum vanquished their Flagship."

Dangerously overconfident to base future success on a past success...

 

[TheExecuter]

"Our organic colleague can only comprehend a limited number of voices at once. Please use different synthesised speech patterns, and only one at a time."

I can tell the conversation frustrates them

As someone who has traveled to other nations and languages for engineering work...the task of setting up a meeting where only one person can talk at a time (for the interpreter), and the slowness of the conversation as everyone thinks to put their ideas in the easiest to understand language...while waiting for everything to be said at least twice...

Yes, it's frustrating. Rewarding, but hard.

I can't imagine how much more frustrating it would be for machines to have to do that!

What set the Nazarene apart was He used His own, with most people of note using the blood of others.

It is indeed a fascinating point about him. Also that he expects his followers to emulate him in doing so.

Rage burns. It sees what is and blazes hot, to set right what is not. Love sees what could be.

Sees what is AND what could be...Amen.

and that she who leaves the worlds as ash is not a queen, even if no one remains to refuse her.

I find it fascinating that the Bible posits that in heaven, all beings will be perfect...with the EXCEPTION of the Nazarene. He will still be marred by the scars of his sacrifice.

Really puts into perspective the truth about power, doesn't it? It cannot be properly used to benefit the self. It's proper application is the benefit of OTHERS.

He is nuts. But I like him.

Only in the relative sense...in that most of humanity accepts and believes lies as the foundation of their entire life. In that context, someone who lives according to the truth of what is will seem crazy.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

As someone who has traveled to other nations and languages for engineering work...the task of setting up a meeting where only one person can talk at a time (for the interpreter), and the slowness of the conversation as everyone thinks to put their ideas in the easiest to understand language...while waiting for everything to be said at least twice...

Yes, it's frustrating. Rewarding, but hard.

I can't imagine how much more frustrating it would be for machines to have to do that!.

Well, the question is whether they're actually frustrated, or if that's Rivkah's emotionally charged biont interpretation. It also doesn't need to be interpreted as Neumanns are natively fluent in the Xenayan dialect used on Unity from linguistic analysis. (keen readers will have noted that Unity's Xenaya all have names ending in "i", while Xenayan homeworld Xenaya seen in Stars Of Wonder and in Mandate Of Heaven have other letters also)

I find it fascinating that the Bible posits that in heaven, all beings will be perfect...with the EXCEPTION of the Nazarene. He will still be marred by the scars of his sacrifice.

Really puts into perspective the truth about power, doesn't it? It cannot be properly used to benefit the self. It's proper application is the benefit of OTHERS.

Well, technically all known resurrection bodies retained some injuries or scars from events in their earthly life. So I remain to be convinced of that.

 

[TheExecuter]

Well, technically all known resurrection bodies retained some injuries or scars from events in their earthly life. So I remain to be convinced of that.

Fair enough!

I still find it interesting that he chooses to keep the scars...after all, he doesn't have to. Maybe they are precious? Or they help us know him?

So many things to figure out later...