"Fuckin'- What the fuckin'. Fuck. Who the fuck fucked this fucking... How did you two fucking fucks...
Fuck!
Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word."
in the field of Aircraft and electronics maintenance, "Fuckin' fucker's fucked" is not only a statement of exasperation but a clear and detailed diagnosis...unfortunately they send the paperwork back when you include it.
thats why i always use "070" on the MAF..
for non military: MAF = Maintenance Action Form. an in "action performed " ( repair) 070 = Broken.bent.torn.twisted. nonrepairable. an if at sea thats followed by bloop test. "1010" lost at sea.
we used letter codes, I put in 'FTDW' until it finally got sent back, then when someone eventually asked why I used it, I said it was for "Fuckin' Thing Don't Work" and much nodding of heads and silent agreement was the order of the day.
Galina's voice? I'm inclined to think that's not a coincidence. (I'm seeing some other similarities as well -- though that might just be my imagination...)
I don't remember whether the name Galatea came up before? It sounds familiar.
Oh, right, the font... I was only seeing the colour -- I never notice the font differences when not looking consciously. :-( (Except for extreme cases of course, such as the Epiphytes or various bots.)
I'm surprised though that she is supposed to look *exactly* the same? Side by side, they do not really look like the same person to me. Though maybe that's just because of the make-up and the shiny plastic skin...
(Also, my comment was rather pointless in view of the hover text, which I missed as usual -- annoying little things always hiding behind the pages ;-) )
Galatea has a better vox than Galina had. She probably should NOT have shiny skin, though, as the rest of her tech should have progressed as well, and even the original didn't look plastic. *gives Cent the stink-eye*
Well, Galina had real (though artificially grown) human skin, right? While her "successors" are "ordinary" Androids AIUI. So it doesn't seem surprising that other materials are used in their construction...
(While Troy androids can use biologicals nowadays, this one is of Lunar and/or Epiphyte origin -- so again, differences are to be expected.)
BTW, which one is it really? The epilogue of Lunastar suggests that Galina's successors are actually created by the Epiphytes; while there was some mention here that they are Lunar-make?...
It was used in the movie Bicentennial Man, but I suspect, for them to use it here, it had some previous usage in a more serious work, and I'm just not a big enough nerd to know it.
It probably has roots in Greek mythology before that, though...
Specifically, in Ovid's Metamorphoses, 'Galatea' was the name of the sculpture/girl that Pygmalion became enamored with. Though the name is also apparently associated with a sea nymph with whom the cyclops Polyphemus became enamored. And, since the name means 'milky while', she might also have an uncredited appearance in Sondheim's Into The Woods, as the best friend and childhood companion of Jack. ^_^
http://lunastar.thecomicseries.com/comics/311/ Last balloon in panel 5 is the explanation: all of the android ambassadors who "inherit" Galina's role are given her appearance as well.
Thank you, @Tokyo Rose. It has been so long since I had seen the epilog . . . It makes me realize that I should reread Luna Star, and the beginning of his one, because there are so many of these kinds of details I need to recall. Also, I got kinda choked up all over again, reading the comments too. So . . . my thanks to both of you!
Man, I wish I could back my truck up into cars that piss me off without any repercussions X"DDD. Well..aside from not being allowed to drive. Guess I'm talkin more..jail or financial repercussions LOL
Athena is New Troy's ambassador to Luna, while Galatea is technically Luna's ambassador to the Epiphytes (though one could argue that she's the Epiphytes' favored ambassador to humanity).
Thank you, @Tokyo Rose. That, of course, goes on to spawn even more questions, so please forgive me in advance. ^_^
SPIKY MAGIC HATE BALL ... <shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow!> -- Shouldn't Galatea be sporting more chrome in her personal dress to convey solidarity with the cultural aesthetic of Luna? ^_^
...
SPIKY MAGIC HATE BALL ... <shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow!> -- Who, exactly, currently controls Tycho City? Because, if it is Luna, Galatea's diplomatic credentials shouldn't really protect her from local offenses involving vandalism, assault, reckless driving, etc. Diplomatic immunity applies only to accredited personnel for crimes committed on foreign soil. And, if it's the Epiphytes, does that mean the Epiphyte governor is the one Galatea is accusing of being an ass? Or was the Lunarian governor of Tycho City touring in his yacht through Epiphyte territory when he offended Galatea, and she addressed the matter? (Presumably using a borrowed shuttle to so do.)
Answer #1: Galatea dislikes wearing chrome or silver lamé anything because she thinks it makes her look like, quote, "a big stupid baked potato", unquote.
Answer #2: Tycho City is Luna-controlled. However, Galina's successors are really more of the Epiphytes' interface with humanity than the other way around; they occupy a sort of grey area in regards to diplomatic credentials. It's not that they're immune to legal consequences, but they do get a little more than their fair share of leeway--which is very rarely needed, given that they tend to behave themselves, generally speaking. Galatea is relatively new to her role and is a "young" android to boot. Under the circumstances*, she was slapped with a fine and her piloting privileges were suspended.
* First offense, and no one was injured. Also, the Tycho City governor had just publicly referred to the Epiphytes as "a bunch of arrogant weeds that ought to have a flamethrower taken to 'em" and Galatea as "a jumped-up little whorebot trading on the reputation of a Lunarian hero to push her anti-human agenda". (Galatea had asked him a somewhat awkwardly direct question--she IS still learning the ropes of diplomacy--about where he'd gotten the funds to buy his extremely expensive personal yacht...)
Thank you, @Tokyo Rose. Yes, I'd have to agree with @HiFranc that the three young ladies (Galatea, Lynn, and Acantha) are all spiritual sisters. ^_^ I doubt we'll see the three of them together soon, since Galatea is out on Mars, but they obviously all have studied at the same Charm School. ^_^
I bet I know the common thread that binds those three! I bet that in their closets, they each have a t-shirt that reads: "Everything I ever needed to know, I learned watching 'Lost in Translation'"
You wrote, " Galatea is relatively new to her role and is a "young" android to boot. "
I'm curious:
The fact that she is "young" for an android and the fact that the Epiphites build "Speakers of Words", plural, makes it clear that this is a recurring role.
It was revealed that, despite how comparatively progressive New Troy is in regards to how much rights humans give androids, even they impose an artificial limit on android lifespans to... What was it... some 70 years? After that they are... terminated? And why? Because humans feel uncomfortable at the thought of androids having a longer lifespan and outliving them? Reminds them too much of their mortality, perhaps?
That, at least, I can understand. (I don't necessarily approve, but I understand it.) But, do the Epiphytes feel the same way about androids? Do they impose an artificial lifespan on their "Speakers of Words"? Or, do they typically experience a century or three, after which their behavior becomes erratic or they break down?
It was revealed that, despite how comparatively progressive New Troy is in regards to how much rights humans give androids, even they impose an artificial limit on android lifespans to... What was it... some 70 years? After that they are... terminated? And why? Because humans feel uncomfortable at the thought of androids having a longer lifespan and outliving them? Reminds them too much of their mortality, perhaps?
****
The 70 year lifespan on a New Troy android isn't a hard and fast number, and it's probably not derived from a human-standard lifespan...looking at grandma and grandpa Taylor, I'd say they're well on their way to the century and a half mark, barring accidental death, so if android lifespans were set so as not to outlive humans, 70 years seems remarkably short in-universe.
If I were a betting man (*innocent look*), I'd put my money on that 70 year figure coming from some form of unavoidable degradation of key system components, leaving an android with the ugly choice of death-of-self due to quantum dementia, death-of-self by loss of personality, or termination. Given those options, I know what most folks familiar with advanced dementia would pick...
Side note to the Demonic Duo: There might be an interesting short arc here...
*****
That, at least, I can understand. (I don't necessarily approve, but I understand it.) But, do the Epiphytes feel the same way about androids? Do they impose an artificial lifespan on their "Speakers of Words"? Or, do they typically experience a century or three, after which their behavior becomes erratic or they break down?
*****
See above, with the additional thought that the Speakers seem to be more 'biological' than a standard android, which would fit in with the Epiphyte use of biology-based tech. If that's the case, the biological systems might set a Speaker's lifespan to a much greater extent than the electronic / quantum / handwavium parts of their anatomy. They might also not serve for their entire lifetime...maybe after a few decades of juggling inter-species and inter-cultural politics, the Speaker might just come to the point of saying "**** this, I'm going fishing!".
Bear in mind that all of the above is strictly My Opinion (tm), and is subject to change, deletion, and / or swearing-at by the Demonic Duo without notice.
The Tech Page shows that androids in New Troy are limited to 100 year lifespan, Mr. Black.
And we were told that Athena meet Dolly when she was 12. Dolly was 2 at the time. Dolly is now 60 (on the cast page) so that Athena has to be 70 (or least 69). :-)
New Troy artificially limits android lifespans as a "compromise" for giving them rights on par (theoretically) with that of the human citizenry.
The Epiphytes have a very different view of lifespan, however, given that some of their own elders are very, very old indeed. The Speakers serve as long as they're willing and able to. Some of them do retire early, stepping down from their position to lead their own lives. Others remain in their position until natural entropy has its way with them to the point of rendering them unable to carry out their duties; Mister Black was right in that androids can suffer from "quantum dementia" as their minds slowly degrade over time. The Epiphytes don't artificially restrict the Speakers' lifespans, and carry out as much maintenance on the body or mind as is necessary, in accordance with the individual Speaker's wishes.
Interestingly, in my headcanon back when I "created" Ariel the AIS and her modern Copenhagen city state, one of their specialities was bio-tech and green-tech. (much like it is today)
Remember that organic synthesizer that Calliope was working on way back at the very beginning of the story ?
That's the sort of stuff the Copenhagen city state would develop. Stuff so advanced in bio-tech and green-tech, that it almost works like magic.
Incredibly difficult to make, manage and repair, it would be a super specialized field - But also a lucrative one in a world full of toxins and radioactivity.
Part of the reason for their bio-tech was that they had little access to metals and had to do almost everything with modified organics.
Which also meant that they couldn't just spit out androids willy nilly and use them for cheap labor.
And that meant that they had to make their android last as long as possible, as they were a major investment of both labor and resources.
So things like their filters and bio-plants was vastly ahead of other city states.
But while they lived vastly longer than regular androids (about 180 to 225 years), there was also vastly fewer of them.
Like, they only made up about 10-15% of the population.
Which meant that you couldn't just go buy one.
You had to befriend one, and it was usually for life.
Which made their androids somewhat different from the regular androids ... probably more like Speaker of Words, but more specialized.
In fact, they would probably get along with the Speaker of Words and empaths real well.
Of course, among a group of unusual individuals, you'd get a few that stood out.
That leads to a few "epic" androids of the city-state, that don't really "belong" to anyone but themselves.
I had this idea of 7 androids that were originally "born" almost 400 years ago, as part of a military experiment.
And for some reason, they didn't suffer decay like most do.
Which meant that you had a few combat androids with almost 200 years of actual combat experience.
And then what do you do, if they suddenly decides that they want to be "owned" by someone ?
I wasn't aware of this artificial lifespan for androids in New Troy. Are there any extenuating circumstances that will either extend that lifespan or negate it?
I'm thinking specifically of Dolly, who's been with the Taylors for ~60 years now, but she just upgraded to this new prototype frame. Does she still have to retire and self terminate in 10 years?
That seems like a HUGE expense for very limited use, not to mention (from an objectively scientific POV) a LOT of valuable andro-psychological data lost regarding adaptation and suitability for this frame.
@DLKmusic, as near as I can understand, it is not really an entirely arbitrary human-imposed limitation. @Tokyo Rose pointed out that there's a mental degradation that occurs over time, sort of like bit rot, as I interpret it, that eventually would lead to some sort of dementia. @Centcomm stated that their span is 100 years. As I understand it, that is somewhat because it is better that they don't have to suffer in that way. Going by what was said, this is how I understand it. I'm always open to correction, however.
Dolly should have some forty years yet, and being in the Taylor family, she would have advantages that could allow her lifespan to extend well beyond.
Athena is 70 years old, but looks 50-ish to me. Not bad.
Wonder if Lynn's GREAT Grandparents (Adonis "Don" & Demeter Taylor) are still alive? Depending on how effective the anti-aging treatment is, they could be as young as 89 all the way to 120. If they double the life span, that entire range should still be alive. Heck her GREAT Great Grandparents could still be alive somewhere!
As far as their anti-agathics go, I'll have what they're having!
If the Tycho City governor responded in that hostile a manner, even if the question was awkwardly asked, I think more investigation may be needed into it's answer. ;)
Actually, I'm fairly certain that Tokyo Rose does have a clothesline, but she uses it as a doggy leash.
I can neither confirm nor deny that she also uses it as a garrote, because I'm afraid that if I asked her, her reply would come in the form of a hands-on demonstration.
Oprah Winfrey has a new line of graduated-coverage clothing for Epiphytes looking to drop a few pounds. "With Waist-Watchers special clothing, you get to wear as much as you want, in whatever colors you want, and still reach your target weight. For every four hours you spend in the sunlight, you just take out a card from your weekly allotment for every article of our special clothing you have on. For every four hours in the shade, you can pull 5 cards. At the end of each week, you just make sure you don't have any cards left over. We have all sorts of colors and styles, but basic black remains a very popular favorite with most Epiphytes. It's so slimming." ^_^
They do enjoy adorning their bodies for aesthetic reasons. Body paint, makeup, jewelry, and clothing are very popular for that purpose.
Contemplate the idea that there are health-conscious Epiphytes who are against the use of such things because of the potential to interfere with one's ability to photosynthesize, those who argue that individual expression can easily be balanced with nutritional needs, and some who claim that it's worth the increased need to ingest sustenance to be properly à la mode, dahliang...
my comment yesterday morning went missing,,
the girls are standing : Roseblossom is 6ft(ish) an Galatea is 5ft, same height as Galina 1.524m.. these species ( ? genius ?) of Epiphytes tend to average 6ft
I think you mean "genus" :-) However, I'm not sure it makes sense to apply Terran taxonomy to extraterrestrial life forms...
Also note that Epiphytes *choose* their form -- so the group of those who look human-like do not constitute a genetic clade at all. If you want to classify them, probably just best to stick with "form".
Possibly Calliope told her. Even if not though I expect her to be ECSTATIC. I think she probably loves Dolly a lot. Especially for helping her overcome her learning difficulties (as originally seen).
I suspect that she will be happy about Dolly's upgrades.
Undoubtedly, Calliope would have talked to her about it already.
*****
I may be the 'odd person out' here, but I"m not certain that Athena will be happy at all with Dolly's "upgrades".
After all, Dolly's "new and improved" body is, in many ways, not very "improved" at all. It's certainly prettier, and much more capable of passing as human, but Dolly's role is caretaker and bodyguard, and her new body is much more vulnerable to pain, hunger, and other forms of privation. It's also much more organic...which has interesting implications for Dolly's later years. We the readers see it as a prettier, more human shell. Athena might see her childhood friend trapped in a (relatively) frail and vulnerable body...not a comforting image at all.
In fact, once the current mission is over (the paperwork and debrief aren't finished, so it's not done yet) and the need to pass as human isn't pressing, I'd love to hear Dolly's opinion on her "upgraded" condition.
I think Athena will be in favor of the upgrades for one reason in particular -- but, I agree with you, @Mr. Black, that that is only the tip of the iceberg.
The discussion about limiting the android lifespan has conspicuously overlooked the ramifications of the re-upload process. Specifically, if enforcement is accomplished by limited-life components, then a re-upload would seem to 're-set the clock'. Athena, in particular, is most likely to be aware of how much time Dolly has already used up and can be expected to be strongly in favor of anything that might grant Dolly increased longevity to prolong the family association -- even if it came at the cost of a reduction in Dolly's overall functional effectiveness.
As far as the functional effectiveness, however, there are probably some things to consider. It is no secret that, in my personal opinion, the creatrices have skewed the "meat versus metal" debate impossibly far in favor of "metal", making the series 5 nothing but a downgrade as far as Guardian effectiveness compared to a properly kitted out series 2 or series 3 chassis. However, there are a few canon items that offer a minimal degree of hope:
* -Dolly had to significantly "up-clock" when synchronizing to the series 5 processors, implying the possibility of major cognitive and learning improvements. Admittedly, if there was any recognition of this up until now, I missed it. I don't think we ever saw Dolly thinking "I feel much smarter now" or "My senses are so much more acute" or "Now I have the capacity to get those Bomb Disposal and Language:Troll skill package suites I wanted, but for which I lacked the capacity." If we did, I missed it.
* - Calliope had apparently been working on the series 5 for some time before Lynn got kidnapped with Dolly in mind. She described it as some of her best work. It seems improbable she (foremost android designer in New Troy) would have been planning to put Dolly in a chassis she knew Dolly would regard as a downgrade. It makes me wonder just how badly Dolly underutilized her existing capabilities during the mission. It might (or might not) be analogous to handing a standard-trained infantryman an Barret sniper rifle and telling him "It's a better rifle than your M-16. Now go out and kill the enemy." Give that same trooper a six-month course in sniper tactics, techniques, and weaponry and you would probably get a much more effective soldier -- albeit one who does not fight in the same way.
* - After processing the performance data of the prototype in the field, if Dolly wants to go back to a more conventional chassis, I'm sure her family would support her decision and Calliope would promptly get to work on the series 5.1. ("Remember to include pain threshold overrides, this time.") The only reason Dolly was in the series 5, after all, was because CentComm convinced her it was necessary for Lynn's rescue because of Nova Roma's strong anti-android laws. But I'm sure Dolly's entire family knows of her preference for function over form and (if appropriate) won't be at all surprised to see her in a Francine-like chassis two weeks from now if that's what Dolly decides on after sitting down to discuss trades and options with Calliope in an unhurried fashion, now that everyone is safe.
The "data" of the mind can still degrade even if transferred to a new "hard drive"; we see this phenomenon even now when moving, say, music files around.
Sure. The "Xerox Effect". As I said, we (those of us who aren't the creative team ^_^) don't know what mechanism is actually used to implement the life-span limits. The clock would be reset by a hardware reload only if it were a hardware mechanism. If it were a software mechanism, then a different set of rules seem likely to apply, and if it is strictly legislative, then even more different rules would apply. My conjecture was based on earlier comments which proposed that the typical mechanism was hardware-based.
Considering that it seems to have been Dolly's look that Athena has initially fallen in love with, I think she will actually have a pretty hard time coming to terms with the new body...
So ... everyone else's comments here have me second-guessing my own understanding (or lack thereof). People seem to be suggesting that Athena, Galatea, etc. are proceeding to New Troy and a reunion with our other dramatis personae -- which makes little sense to me.
Assumptions:
* - Athena Taylor is the Ambassador from New Troy to Luna. This means that her current official residence is on Luna.
* - Seedpod Four is a shuttlecraft of Epiphyte registry that, until recently, has been transported by the Antares from an unspecified point of origin
* - Galatea is actually an android of Epiphyte manufacture, and probably attached to Seedpod Four as part of its complement. From this we can infer that Seedpod Four was recently in Tycho City, but that doesn't help much since we don't know where Tycho City is. Odds seem good, however, that Tycho City is on Luna.
* - The Antares is currently in orbit around Mars.
So, given the above, it seems reasonable to conclude that Ambassador Athena (and her consort) hitched a ride from Luna to Mars on Seedpod Four which, in turn, hitched a ride on the Antares. If they're heading to New Troy, they're going seriously in the wrong direction. ^_^ If they're heading to someplace on Mars, everything makes sense (to me), except why there would have been any significant time savings over just riding on Antares.
Alternatively, Seedpod Four is about as much of a "shuttle" as a Star Trek Galileo-class interplanetary ship and the Ambassador was returning to Luna from the remote reaches of the outer Solar System. They decided they wanted to get somewhere faster than the Antares would have taken them in the normal course of events so they called an Epiphyte 'taxicab' and are transshipping in Mars orbit before employing the Epiphyte 'superdrive' to get to some (as yet unknown) destination that isn't Mars.
May we safely assume more exposition will be forthcoming? ^_^
Athena and Her husband were on one of the asteriod mining colonys She was brokering a deal for Luna and Troy. Once that was done they got to Mars and were going to take the torch ship to earth Athena wants to be with her Daughter.. Calliope and See her granddaughter.
Rose and Galatea happened to be in comm range and they diverted from there trip ( to earth ) to pick up the Taylors as they are all friends. And the epiphyte shuttle can make the trip in hours instead of days.
It does have a gravity drive like the bigger ships.
That does indeed clarify a lot. I was under the assumption that a "shuttle" is always a landing craft; and thus that they were going to the Mars surface, while Antares was doing a stop in orbit before continuing on to some other destination...
When Galatea visits New Troy, does she wear an "I am an android" t-shirt, or does she rely on her status as an Epiphyte ambassador to provide her with diplomatic immunity from New Troy's "androids shouldn't look too human" laws?
For that matter, I wonder how much overlap there is between her design and Dolly's series 5 prototype? Seems silly to assume Calliope hasn't known for decades about the Epiphyte's practice with regard to their human envoy-androids.
"Ambassador" isn't (typically) a title that goes anywhere with you like "Doctor" or "Countess". The perquisites generally depend on your credentials having been accepted by whatever foreign government to whom you are sent. So, as far as I know, if the American Ambassador to France goes on holiday in Germany, they do not enjoy diplomatic immunity while on German soil -- unless they are also the American Ambassador to Germany. (Of course, you can have things work however you want in DataChasers.)
So, unless there is an overall World Government capable of granting carte blanche to Galatea everywhere in humanspace, for Galatea to enjoy immunity in New Troy means she's an envoy to New Troy. I suppose she could separately and independently have been named Ambassador to New Troy, Nova Roma, New Sparta, and Luna -- but I hadn't gotten that 'vibe'.
It would probably be easier if the Epiphytes had actual ambassadors (like Tulip, Roseblossom, etc.) for each separate government, but then make sure Galatea's name appears on each embassy's personnel list as something like "Attaché for helping the Ambassador speak to Humans". Embassy personnel still get immunity, but don't have to shoulder all the responsibilities of being the ultimate authority to speak on behalf of their people.
As far as construction details -- understood that Epiphyte components have to come from Epiphytes. But, when it comes to reverse engineering an existing piece of hardware (such as android bodies indistinguishable from humans), the aphorism is "the hardest part is simply realizing it can be done". If Calliope has had decades to observe Galina-series androids in operation and reviews ordinary news reports on their doings and behaviors I'm sure it would provide insights and motivation to her own design process just because she can see that the Epiphytes have already solved the problem, so there must be a solution. At least, that would make sense to me.
You nailed it. The Epiphytes do have independent ambassadors, but Galatea has "attaché" status for each embassy. She's immune to local laws regarding android aesthetics.
Also, Galatea isn't indistinguishable from human; the Epiphytes took a slightly different approach to the hardware aspects of creating their Speakers, but they're still noticeably artificial when scanned. There isn't a lot of overlap with Dolly's "Model 5", as Calliope was working in a different direction too.
Wouldn't you say the Epiphyte-green eyes are sufficient to tell she is not human? Sure, some humans have greenish eyes too -- but I don't think they are ever that saturated?...
I take the creatrices at their word that Galatea was created by the Epiphytes to be identical in appearance to Galina, and I assume the Epiphytes to be up to the task of accomplishing this. As I recall, Galina was specifically constructed to 'pass' as human (to visual inspection), so if she could, then that implies Galatea can as well. (Not including higher-tech and more penetrative scans.)
Of course, just because diplomatic immunity allows you to ignore or flout laws of the host country with with impunity doesn't mean that you will. However, what little we have seen of her temperament, plus the commentary from the creatrices suggests to me that she takes a positive delight in flouting that particular law to the consternation of whoever she manages to shock and appall by so doing. No doubt she considers it some form of test -- if anyone is so wrong-headed as to disagree with her about whether she should be 'allowed' to 'pass' as human, they deserve to suffer for their opinion. ^_^
Remember that Galina originally had obviously cybernetic blue eyes -- they only became green after the Epiphytes fixed her up...
(Thinking about it, it seems odd that visibly cybernetic eyes are the preferred way to distinguish Androids, when in fact some humans have this kind of eyes as well...)
Also, I wouldn't say that Galina was specifically constructed to pass for human. More like, she was meant to *be* as much human as possible, within the legal constraints -- her looks being just a natural part of this, rather than an intentional deception...
<3 I love how much we learn about a new character within a single page! X3 I love Galatea already. What a spunky gal, though a tad bit reckless and impulsive, still has the guts to get back at an ass for being one XD;; Roseblossom is such a gentle mama-type, too! :D
Yep she is.. Most of the Epips have that parental thing down pat. They even have the 'Mom' Look and if your a human they really CAN tell if you are fibbing. :D And yes Gali is a bit of a spitfire thats why shes grounded for piloting for a bit.
Okay, it's because I'm a silly person who gets stuck on tiny details. I get that. But ... why are Galatea's eyes black-on-green in panel 5, and green-on-black in panel 6? It can't have been an accident; if you change models between frames, that's a positive action that you chose to do, not an oversight. But I don't know how to interpret it. Does it convey anything I'm not understanding?
I think in both panel 5 & 6 the eyes are the same (black eyeball, green iris which covers a large part of the exposed eye, and black pupil). It is (I suspect) just a trick of the light and shadow that in one panel the green of the iris is much more noticeable and dominant, while in the other panel the eyeball and pupil dominate the overall impression conveyed.
Trick of the lights. A black gemstone like material is used for the majority of the eye and a emerald gemstone is used for the green part sometimes it looks odd. Also the outer surface is a glass like material so sometimes that reflects oddly.
Fuck!
Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word."
for non military: MAF = Maintenance Action Form. an in "action performed " ( repair) 070 = Broken.bent.torn.twisted. nonrepairable. an if at sea thats followed by bloop test. "1010" lost at sea.
Tycho City's governor should know how Karma works, and that accidents happen . . . (Next time don't get caught, Galatea!)
Rosie is pretty, and the interior of the Seedpod is very nice. The Epiphytes do offer attention to aesthetics, don't they? :D
And yes Epiphytes do adore the look of things. But this shuttle is well built for its role.
But is he ex-military as well ?
I don't remember whether the name Galatea came up before? It sounds familiar.
Centcomm, then I speculate that it's for some yet unspecified, yet to be seen reason?
I'm surprised though that she is supposed to look *exactly* the same? Side by side, they do not really look like the same person to me. Though maybe that's just because of the make-up and the shiny plastic skin...
(Also, my comment was rather pointless in view of the hover text, which I missed as usual -- annoying little things always hiding behind the pages ;-) )
(While Troy androids can use biologicals nowadays, this one is of Lunar and/or Epiphyte origin -- so again, differences are to be expected.)
BTW, which one is it really? The epilogue of Lunastar suggests that Galina's successors are actually created by the Epiphytes; while there was some mention here that they are Lunar-make?...
It was used in the movie Bicentennial Man, but I suspect, for them to use it here, it had some previous usage in a more serious work, and I'm just not a big enough nerd to know it.
It probably has roots in Greek mythology before that, though...
Are we going to hell in a handbasket perhaps ?
ooOooooOoooohhh .... riight!
There was that thing I was supposed to do!
... poor Calliope, more stress!
Man, I wish I could back my truck up into cars that piss me off without any repercussions X"DDD. Well..aside from not being allowed to drive. Guess I'm talkin more..jail or financial repercussions LOL
SPIKY MAGIC HATE BALL ... <shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow!> -- Shouldn't Galatea be sporting more chrome in her personal dress to convey solidarity with the cultural aesthetic of Luna? ^_^
...
SPIKY MAGIC HATE BALL ... <shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow! ... shake-Ow!> -- Who, exactly, currently controls Tycho City? Because, if it is Luna, Galatea's diplomatic credentials shouldn't really protect her from local offenses involving vandalism, assault, reckless driving, etc. Diplomatic immunity applies only to accredited personnel for crimes committed on foreign soil. And, if it's the Epiphytes, does that mean the Epiphyte governor is the one Galatea is accusing of being an ass? Or was the Lunarian governor of Tycho City touring in his yacht through Epiphyte territory when he offended Galatea, and she addressed the matter? (Presumably using a borrowed shuttle to so do.)
Answer #1: Galatea dislikes wearing chrome or silver lamé anything because she thinks it makes her look like, quote, "a big stupid baked potato", unquote.
Answer #2: Tycho City is Luna-controlled. However, Galina's successors are really more of the Epiphytes' interface with humanity than the other way around; they occupy a sort of grey area in regards to diplomatic credentials. It's not that they're immune to legal consequences, but they do get a little more than their fair share of leeway--which is very rarely needed, given that they tend to behave themselves, generally speaking. Galatea is relatively new to her role and is a "young" android to boot. Under the circumstances*, she was slapped with a fine and her piloting privileges were suspended.
* First offense, and no one was injured. Also, the Tycho City governor had just publicly referred to the Epiphytes as "a bunch of arrogant weeds that ought to have a flamethrower taken to 'em" and Galatea as "a jumped-up little whorebot trading on the reputation of a Lunarian hero to push her anti-human agenda". (Galatea had asked him a somewhat awkwardly direct question--she IS still learning the ropes of diplomacy--about where he'd gotten the funds to buy his extremely expensive personal yacht...)
You wrote, " Galatea is relatively new to her role and is a "young" android to boot. "
I'm curious:
The fact that she is "young" for an android and the fact that the Epiphites build "Speakers of Words", plural, makes it clear that this is a recurring role.
It was revealed that, despite how comparatively progressive New Troy is in regards to how much rights humans give androids, even they impose an artificial limit on android lifespans to... What was it... some 70 years? After that they are... terminated? And why? Because humans feel uncomfortable at the thought of androids having a longer lifespan and outliving them? Reminds them too much of their mortality, perhaps?
That, at least, I can understand. (I don't necessarily approve, but I understand it.) But, do the Epiphytes feel the same way about androids? Do they impose an artificial lifespan on their "Speakers of Words"? Or, do they typically experience a century or three, after which their behavior becomes erratic or they break down?
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The 70 year lifespan on a New Troy android isn't a hard and fast number, and it's probably not derived from a human-standard lifespan...looking at grandma and grandpa Taylor, I'd say they're well on their way to the century and a half mark, barring accidental death, so if android lifespans were set so as not to outlive humans, 70 years seems remarkably short in-universe.
If I were a betting man (*innocent look*), I'd put my money on that 70 year figure coming from some form of unavoidable degradation of key system components, leaving an android with the ugly choice of death-of-self due to quantum dementia, death-of-self by loss of personality, or termination. Given those options, I know what most folks familiar with advanced dementia would pick...
Side note to the Demonic Duo: There might be an interesting short arc here...
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That, at least, I can understand. (I don't necessarily approve, but I understand it.) But, do the Epiphytes feel the same way about androids? Do they impose an artificial lifespan on their "Speakers of Words"? Or, do they typically experience a century or three, after which their behavior becomes erratic or they break down?
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See above, with the additional thought that the Speakers seem to be more 'biological' than a standard android, which would fit in with the Epiphyte use of biology-based tech. If that's the case, the biological systems might set a Speaker's lifespan to a much greater extent than the electronic / quantum / handwavium parts of their anatomy. They might also not serve for their entire lifetime...maybe after a few decades of juggling inter-species and inter-cultural politics, the Speaker might just come to the point of saying "**** this, I'm going fishing!".
Bear in mind that all of the above is strictly My Opinion (tm), and is subject to change, deletion, and / or swearing-at by the Demonic Duo without notice.
Now, where'd I leave the fifth ace.....
And we were told that Athena meet Dolly when she was 12. Dolly was 2 at the time. Dolly is now 60 (on the cast page) so that Athena has to be 70 (or least 69). :-)
New Troy artificially limits android lifespans as a "compromise" for giving them rights on par (theoretically) with that of the human citizenry.
The Epiphytes have a very different view of lifespan, however, given that some of their own elders are very, very old indeed. The Speakers serve as long as they're willing and able to. Some of them do retire early, stepping down from their position to lead their own lives. Others remain in their position until natural entropy has its way with them to the point of rendering them unable to carry out their duties; Mister Black was right in that androids can suffer from "quantum dementia" as their minds slowly degrade over time. The Epiphytes don't artificially restrict the Speakers' lifespans, and carry out as much maintenance on the body or mind as is necessary, in accordance with the individual Speaker's wishes.
Remember that organic synthesizer that Calliope was working on way back at the very beginning of the story ?
That's the sort of stuff the Copenhagen city state would develop. Stuff so advanced in bio-tech and green-tech, that it almost works like magic.
Incredibly difficult to make, manage and repair, it would be a super specialized field - But also a lucrative one in a world full of toxins and radioactivity.
Part of the reason for their bio-tech was that they had little access to metals and had to do almost everything with modified organics.
Which also meant that they couldn't just spit out androids willy nilly and use them for cheap labor.
And that meant that they had to make their android last as long as possible, as they were a major investment of both labor and resources.
So things like their filters and bio-plants was vastly ahead of other city states.
But while they lived vastly longer than regular androids (about 180 to 225 years), there was also vastly fewer of them.
Like, they only made up about 10-15% of the population.
Which meant that you couldn't just go buy one.
You had to befriend one, and it was usually for life.
Which made their androids somewhat different from the regular androids ... probably more like Speaker of Words, but more specialized.
In fact, they would probably get along with the Speaker of Words and empaths real well.
Of course, among a group of unusual individuals, you'd get a few that stood out.
That leads to a few "epic" androids of the city-state, that don't really "belong" to anyone but themselves.
I had this idea of 7 androids that were originally "born" almost 400 years ago, as part of a military experiment.
And for some reason, they didn't suffer decay like most do.
Which meant that you had a few combat androids with almost 200 years of actual combat experience.
And then what do you do, if they suddenly decides that they want to be "owned" by someone ?
I'm thinking specifically of Dolly, who's been with the Taylors for ~60 years now, but she just upgraded to this new prototype frame. Does she still have to retire and self terminate in 10 years?
That seems like a HUGE expense for very limited use, not to mention (from an objectively scientific POV) a LOT of valuable andro-psychological data lost regarding adaptation and suitability for this frame.
Dolly dies of old age !
Dolly should have some forty years yet, and being in the Taylor family, she would have advantages that could allow her lifespan to extend well beyond.
Wonder if Lynn's GREAT Grandparents (Adonis "Don" & Demeter Taylor) are still alive? Depending on how effective the anti-aging treatment is, they could be as young as 89 all the way to 120. If they double the life span, that entire range should still be alive. Heck her GREAT Great Grandparents could still be alive somewhere!
If the Tycho City governor responded in that hostile a manner, even if the question was awkwardly asked, I think more investigation may be needed into it's answer. ;)
*pokes SPIKY MAGIC HATE BALL with stick*
... Can Centy now use all those lovely stripperiffic outfits that are available on the Epiphytes ?
... Does Tokyo Rose approve ?
... Does Tokyo Rose have a clothesline ?
... Does Tokyo Rose secretly salivate at the thought of how much money she could make on selling clothes to the Epiphytes ?
- No.
- No.
- No.
- They don't really wear much in the way of clothes, obviously, so... no. :D
I kinda thought it funny if the Epiphytes, being an advanced race and all, thought that stripperriffic clothes was the shiznit! >_<
I can neither confirm nor deny that she also uses it as a garrote, because I'm afraid that if I asked her, her reply would come in the form of a hands-on demonstration.
They do enjoy adorning their bodies for aesthetic reasons. Body paint, makeup, jewelry, and clothing are very popular for that purpose.
Contemplate the idea that there are health-conscious Epiphytes who are against the use of such things because of the potential to interfere with one's ability to photosynthesize, those who argue that individual expression can easily be balanced with nutritional needs, and some who claim that it's worth the increased need to ingest sustenance to be properly à la mode, dahliang...
Centcomm can finally use those skimpy clothes art assets! >_<
(And thirded too, if there is an extra vote on sale ;-) )
@centcomm would help out with PC but my own RL cash issues are ......well suck royally right now.
Lots of ambassadors... - so Lynn's grandparents return to visit her.
I really like Galatea and Roseblossom (wow, she is tall...)
I really like all the visuals here. The characters look good, as does the interior of the shuttle.
Galatea looks like Galina (still miss seeing her), but more mature.
And thank you for the laughs, Rose. The banter on the page was classic.
I'm sure Galina and her sucessors had much fun with that. :)
the girls are standing : Roseblossom is 6ft(ish) an Galatea is 5ft, same height as Galina 1.524m.. these species ( ? genius ?) of Epiphytes tend to average 6ft
Also note that Epiphytes *choose* their form -- so the group of those who look human-like do not constitute a genetic clade at all. If you want to classify them, probably just best to stick with "form".
Would she get some grey hairs too ?
And how would that work ?
Also Galatea reminds me strongly of Galina when she gets mad.
Undoubtedly, Calliope would have talked to her about it already.
Undoubtedly, Calliope would have talked to her about it already.
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I may be the 'odd person out' here, but I"m not certain that Athena will be happy at all with Dolly's "upgrades".
After all, Dolly's "new and improved" body is, in many ways, not very "improved" at all. It's certainly prettier, and much more capable of passing as human, but Dolly's role is caretaker and bodyguard, and her new body is much more vulnerable to pain, hunger, and other forms of privation. It's also much more organic...which has interesting implications for Dolly's later years. We the readers see it as a prettier, more human shell. Athena might see her childhood friend trapped in a (relatively) frail and vulnerable body...not a comforting image at all.
In fact, once the current mission is over (the paperwork and debrief aren't finished, so it's not done yet) and the need to pass as human isn't pressing, I'd love to hear Dolly's opinion on her "upgraded" condition.
The discussion about limiting the android lifespan has conspicuously overlooked the ramifications of the re-upload process. Specifically, if enforcement is accomplished by limited-life components, then a re-upload would seem to 're-set the clock'. Athena, in particular, is most likely to be aware of how much time Dolly has already used up and can be expected to be strongly in favor of anything that might grant Dolly increased longevity to prolong the family association -- even if it came at the cost of a reduction in Dolly's overall functional effectiveness.
As far as the functional effectiveness, however, there are probably some things to consider. It is no secret that, in my personal opinion, the creatrices have skewed the "meat versus metal" debate impossibly far in favor of "metal", making the series 5 nothing but a downgrade as far as Guardian effectiveness compared to a properly kitted out series 2 or series 3 chassis. However, there are a few canon items that offer a minimal degree of hope:
* -Dolly had to significantly "up-clock" when synchronizing to the series 5 processors, implying the possibility of major cognitive and learning improvements. Admittedly, if there was any recognition of this up until now, I missed it. I don't think we ever saw Dolly thinking "I feel much smarter now" or "My senses are so much more acute" or "Now I have the capacity to get those Bomb Disposal and Language:Troll skill package suites I wanted, but for which I lacked the capacity." If we did, I missed it.
* - Calliope had apparently been working on the series 5 for some time before Lynn got kidnapped with Dolly in mind. She described it as some of her best work. It seems improbable she (foremost android designer in New Troy) would have been planning to put Dolly in a chassis she knew Dolly would regard as a downgrade. It makes me wonder just how badly Dolly underutilized her existing capabilities during the mission. It might (or might not) be analogous to handing a standard-trained infantryman an Barret sniper rifle and telling him "It's a better rifle than your M-16. Now go out and kill the enemy." Give that same trooper a six-month course in sniper tactics, techniques, and weaponry and you would probably get a much more effective soldier -- albeit one who does not fight in the same way.
* - After processing the performance data of the prototype in the field, if Dolly wants to go back to a more conventional chassis, I'm sure her family would support her decision and Calliope would promptly get to work on the series 5.1. ("Remember to include pain threshold overrides, this time.") The only reason Dolly was in the series 5, after all, was because CentComm convinced her it was necessary for Lynn's rescue because of Nova Roma's strong anti-android laws. But I'm sure Dolly's entire family knows of her preference for function over form and (if appropriate) won't be at all surprised to see her in a Francine-like chassis two weeks from now if that's what Dolly decides on after sitting down to discuss trades and options with Calliope in an unhurried fashion, now that everyone is safe.
Just my opinions, of course.
Assumptions:
* - Athena Taylor is the Ambassador from New Troy to Luna. This means that her current official residence is on Luna.
* - Seedpod Four is a shuttlecraft of Epiphyte registry that, until recently, has been transported by the Antares from an unspecified point of origin
* - Galatea is actually an android of Epiphyte manufacture, and probably attached to Seedpod Four as part of its complement. From this we can infer that Seedpod Four was recently in Tycho City, but that doesn't help much since we don't know where Tycho City is. Odds seem good, however, that Tycho City is on Luna.
* - The Antares is currently in orbit around Mars.
So, given the above, it seems reasonable to conclude that Ambassador Athena (and her consort) hitched a ride from Luna to Mars on Seedpod Four which, in turn, hitched a ride on the Antares. If they're heading to New Troy, they're going seriously in the wrong direction. ^_^ If they're heading to someplace on Mars, everything makes sense (to me), except why there would have been any significant time savings over just riding on Antares.
Alternatively, Seedpod Four is about as much of a "shuttle" as a Star Trek Galileo-class interplanetary ship and the Ambassador was returning to Luna from the remote reaches of the outer Solar System. They decided they wanted to get somewhere faster than the Antares would have taken them in the normal course of events so they called an Epiphyte 'taxicab' and are transshipping in Mars orbit before employing the Epiphyte 'superdrive' to get to some (as yet unknown) destination that isn't Mars.
May we safely assume more exposition will be forthcoming? ^_^
Rose and Galatea happened to be in comm range and they diverted from there trip ( to earth ) to pick up the Taylors as they are all friends. And the epiphyte shuttle can make the trip in hours instead of days.
It does have a gravity drive like the bigger ships.
For that matter, I wonder how much overlap there is between her design and Dolly's series 5 prototype? Seems silly to assume Calliope hasn't known for decades about the Epiphyte's practice with regard to their human envoy-androids.
Any Epiphyte " construction " items that found its way into Dolly would have had to come from from them or someone that knows the tech.
So, unless there is an overall World Government capable of granting carte blanche to Galatea everywhere in humanspace, for Galatea to enjoy immunity in New Troy means she's an envoy to New Troy. I suppose she could separately and independently have been named Ambassador to New Troy, Nova Roma, New Sparta, and Luna -- but I hadn't gotten that 'vibe'.
It would probably be easier if the Epiphytes had actual ambassadors (like Tulip, Roseblossom, etc.) for each separate government, but then make sure Galatea's name appears on each embassy's personnel list as something like "Attaché for helping the Ambassador speak to Humans". Embassy personnel still get immunity, but don't have to shoulder all the responsibilities of being the ultimate authority to speak on behalf of their people.
As far as construction details -- understood that Epiphyte components have to come from Epiphytes. But, when it comes to reverse engineering an existing piece of hardware (such as android bodies indistinguishable from humans), the aphorism is "the hardest part is simply realizing it can be done". If Calliope has had decades to observe Galina-series androids in operation and reviews ordinary news reports on their doings and behaviors I'm sure it would provide insights and motivation to her own design process just because she can see that the Epiphytes have already solved the problem, so there must be a solution. At least, that would make sense to me.
You nailed it. The Epiphytes do have independent ambassadors, but Galatea has "attaché" status for each embassy. She's immune to local laws regarding android aesthetics.
Also, Galatea isn't indistinguishable from human; the Epiphytes took a slightly different approach to the hardware aspects of creating their Speakers, but they're still noticeably artificial when scanned. There isn't a lot of overlap with Dolly's "Model 5", as Calliope was working in a different direction too.
Of course, just because diplomatic immunity allows you to ignore or flout laws of the host country with with impunity doesn't mean that you will. However, what little we have seen of her temperament, plus the commentary from the creatrices suggests to me that she takes a positive delight in flouting that particular law to the consternation of whoever she manages to shock and appall by so doing. No doubt she considers it some form of test -- if anyone is so wrong-headed as to disagree with her about whether she should be 'allowed' to 'pass' as human, they deserve to suffer for their opinion. ^_^
(Thinking about it, it seems odd that visibly cybernetic eyes are the preferred way to distinguish Androids, when in fact some humans have this kind of eyes as well...)
Also, I wouldn't say that Galina was specifically constructed to pass for human. More like, she was meant to *be* as much human as possible, within the legal constraints -- her looks being just a natural part of this, rather than an intentional deception...