Fwurg

[Miranda Asillion]

Before replying Miranda picked up Legin's hand from her shoulder with her thumb and index finger and removed it from her shoulder in a slow, exaggerated manner. Despite the relative weak grip she used, there was a lot of strength behind it and that could be felt.

"It's Miranda." She said emphasising the last syllable.

"And the reason I'm not impressed by your cybernetics is because they use inefficient, outdated technology and don't even provide improvement to either work or life in general."

[Fecta Legin]

"Ah, Miranda, I'm terribly sorry. I will try not to pronounce your name wrongly.

Tell me, are you by any chance an Astrian woman? " Where Legin had more emphasis on the astrian part than the woman part, as it was pretty clear that Miranda was a woman.

[Miranda Asillion]

Miranda took another sip of her drink, the coloured liquids still swirling through each other, and waited a bit before swallowing it.

"Maybe I am. Why do you ask?"

[Fecta Legin]

"Well, at first I thought you to be a human, but your clothing indicates more of a Sundarian origin. However your opinion of cybernetics in combination with your firm grip leaves the highest probability to Astrians. Which in turn explains your opinion on cybernetics. The logical one of a very young race I might add.

I ask because knowing that you are from Astrian origin makes that any further discussion about the quality of cybernetics will be purely a philosophical one, and you earlier clearly indicated that you had no interest in philosophical discussions for the night. Any further attempt to talk about this subject would thus be futile and we can better put our effort in something we all like.

So: how do liked the weather of the day?"

[Dewa Nishkor Sardan]

"Very young race, pff. You're one to talk, Fecta Legin.", came a disinterested reply from Sardan.

[Miranda Asillion]

"A bold claim indeed. What gave you the impression Astrians are a young race?" Miranda said.

[Fecta Legin]

"Because I already conducted my first extended research before the first Astrian satellite was sent into orbit. The cyborg Astrians as we know are just at the end of their first generation I believe.

I know that the Teprogrenaian species are not that old as well, not as old as the Veolians, but compared to the Astrians we are veterans. We have generations of experience with cybernetics and how to handle them. The oldest Astrian cyborg is around the 85 years old, and I believe still has to decease."

[Miranda Asillion]

"Really? 85 years old?" Miranda asked with sarcastic amazement. "Last time I checked the oldest Astrian currently alive was 167, but what do I know I'm just a medical engineer."

Miranda's voice turned cold. "You may be over 300 years old, but don't pretend you know more about a species than a member of that species. We have recorded history going back 8000 years, technology is hardly an accurate measurement of a civilizations age. You should know that as a philosopher."

She took another sip from her drink.

"We may not become as old as the Veolians or the Teprogrenaians but that doesn't give you the right to look down on us."

[Fecta Legin]

"Well, in that case, it might be that the Astrian data I read was wrong.

The information I red said that the first Astrian cybernetics dated 85 years old. It is estimated that Astrians will get around 200 years old with help of cybernetics I remember from some papers, so it is highly likely that the first Astrian cyborg still lives."

Legin suddenly went silent for a moment, clearly thinking of something. But before Miranda or Sardan could make a decent reaction Legin suddenly continued: "of course, 85 year old cybernetics does not have to mean that the first Astrian with cybernetics is 85 years old. A childish mistake of thoughts from my part. Though this doesn't change the point I was trying to make.

But Madam, don't worry, I am not over 300 years old. I'm a merely 231.

And also, I'm not looking down on you, I'm analyzing your behaviour compared to your development and your public available history."

((OOC: your wiki page about Astrians state that the first cyborg Astrian dated 85 standard years ago. I like to know if Miranda has other ideas IC, or that you OOC have changed your mind over time about the age of the first Astrian cyborgs. This is important for me to play my philosopher properly :).

Also, I took some liberty in what you told in other treads and what you share in public with help of papers and other kinds of 'reliable' info. If you have other ideas about this, just say so, so I can correctly extract info I read from other topics.))

[Miranda Asillion]

((OOC: You already noticed your error IC. That was the error you made.))

"If you're 231 then you weren't born yet when we send our first satellite into orbit. You might be referring to the news article on the Traverser probe? That wasn't our first satellite.

We are a rather new face to the interstellar community, that is certainly true. As such we may seem primitive to some, but we have accomplished much in the last 300 years.

Our recent change of government seems to have made other species distrustful of Astrians. I even heard some of my people ask if Astrians are still welcome in the Union. Can you imagine that?"

[Dewa Nishkor Sardan]

"What do you mean with 'other species'?", Sardan looked slightly annoyed.

"Because I have no distrust of Astrians, except for the obvious stealthy communications and the excessive cybernetics... But that didn't change during your change government."

[Fecta Legin]

"Yes I can imagine that people grow distrustful towards Astrians. There was a growing amount of commotion in the STF according to the news, then suddenly an admiral takes over the entire faction and hands it over to a government we never heard of and everything went immediately quiet.

So the only conclusion most people can make is that the news in your system is silenced, and with that the government and the current situation of the STF, or the ACA as the silent government likes to call it.

And the point that every Astrian is smiling after the military coup and keeps repeating: 'everything is fine.' As they are hiding their bruises and don't want the worlds to see them does not help either."

[Miranda Asillion]

"The system the STF was based on didn't work any more, the ACA was a collective idea agreed upon by over two thirds of the population. If the military hadn't stepped in we would probably be to busy fighting a civil war to offer any kind of response against the Mandalorians. Not to mention the lives that would have been lost."

Miranda knocked back the last of her drink.

"What do you expect us to say? It's not like there where other options available to us. The respectable part of the STF government was helpless and so far the change is still for the better. We're not saints and most definitely not perfect but we do what we must. If the Union truly doesn't want us, I doubt we'll stick around much longer."

[Fecta Legin]

"Don't take it personally, the point is that the ACA tries to tell the message that there is change, but at the same time they are quiet. So what I observe is that most people receive the message that the ACA is a change compared to the STF, but they don't trust it because they don't see any real change. They are told there is change, but there isn't for as far they can tell.

Besides this, there is no actual statement or report about what happened. It happened really fast within the news, but before people grasped the actual situation in the STF, it was already solved by making it the ACA.

People don't know what happened, and the one they expect to tell them a story, the news and the government, both went silent about the situation so people grow distrustful."

[Dewa Nishkor Sardan]

Sardan listened to the exchange for a while, and then came to a decision.

"I don't know, Legin. I applaud the fact that someone in the STF with actual power had the bright idea to take over. Of course, with little experience in such things, it is no surprise that the outside view of the situation wasn't managed as well as could be. But you know what, I'll let you two cyborgs discuss this blatantly obvious military coup in private."

He stood up, gulped down his drink.

"Miranda, it was nice to meet you. Fecta Legin, until next time."