[X] Plan An Open Secret
-[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
-[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
-[X] Unison – the title you earned as a member of the Two Twenty Three, it's one that the aliens are very unlikely to understand. The general meanings of the word are good ones, but when the Contact Fleet actually works out what it's in reference to some interesting delayed reactions are likely.
-[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.

Because this was what I would have picked and someone already bundled it.
 
Try to remember if the Contact packet we sent them references anything like that, and if not, default to "unknown, wait for more data." Or, you know, ask.
And you think such a behavior would be appropriate for a first contact? I, obviously, don't. In fact, for me it's so unimaginable that I cannot take the options serious as presented.
 
It's a first contact situation with a bunch of races experienced in contact with aliens. How would you like Amanda to act, what should the first impression be the aliens get of her?
I understand that much lol.

The understanding that's lacked is comprehension of the implications of each choice and how the implications interact with each other.
 
Actually, "former president" might actually BE a good choice: it says that this is someone who knows her people well, who was once a leader and who retired to step out of power. We could have this be part of her introduction while still having Envoy or Unison as her formal title -- and of those I prefer Envoy.

These sound like something that should inform our mode of dress. Can our Aegis be edited into something that they would find comfortable?
I very very much agree with this notion -- we already know that the Contact Fleet knows we know more than we ought to know. So let's go out of our way to present ourselves as someone who has gone out of her way to be familiar and inviting to our guests.
 
The understanding that's lacked is comprehension of the implications of each choice and how the implications interact with each other.

This is something I can try to address a bit in the infopost this evening. I'll see what I can do. If there's anything in specific you're looking for, let me know and I'll focus on it.
 
Alright, lessee what we've got.

These sound like something that should inform our mode of dress. Can our Aegis be edited into something that they would find comfortable?

Unfortunately no, not really. Amanda's Aegis is a transposition of her soul into physical reality. Modifying that would require significant change in how she perceives herself within that reality. Not really going to happen within the next brace of hours.

Which .... shouldn't particularly matter since "detect threat" is not a Mending issue as far as I can tell. Insight, Knowledge, or Protection I could see ... Mending not so much. it should be great at fixing social faux pas though

This:
As I understand it, Amanda detects Shiplord infiltration because their biotech is very wrong from Mender's standpoint (like their logistics cruiser was) and she is the most sensitive Mender, not because she has some danger sense or whatnot.

Is absolutely correct. The only other Potentials who can sense links like she can are Harmonials, and there's no guarantee that Shiplord infiltration systems wouldn't be good enough to appear to be in harmony with their vehicle. They also perceive those links at a subconscious level, whilst Amanda can do so consciously. This makes her much more accurate.

Do we have any idea how detailed after-action reports to the Shiplords are?
That helps determine just how much we can show on first contact.
As in, did they get ANY info back after the Tribute fleet died?


As far as you are aware, nothing more than "Tribute fleet ded, RIP."

Can the shiplords hack souls?

No. It would require vast amounts of energy to do so if it's even possible, and souls appear to be remarkably resilient things. It's far easier and more efficient to just mess with the hardware.

Nope. TRUE most hilarious title is:
Lady in Fire Enfolded

Heh. That was quite good.


:facepalm:

(As I understand it, "Purify" and its cause (except for exact Speaking mechanics) is open knowledge and clips are floating in the Net. So it is not hard to discover that the source of the beam is, somehow, some phenomenon called "Practice" and this friendly woman and not some secret weapon (although, on the second thought, Amanda, Kalilah and 223 may qualify as secret weapons)).
@Snowfire - how openly accessible are Amanda's broadcasted actions during the tribute fleet fight, and how accessible is our public internet, where you cannot not see Amanda?

Although the human net is relatively open once you're inside it, actually getting into it is quite a lot harder. There's going to be a general exchange of cultural data, but things like Purify are actually safer than you might think. Until it comes to the inevitable discussion of 'How the hell did you defeat the Tribute Fleet first time?' That's a conversation I'm looking forward to seeing you handle ;)

@ "Manner" - human body language cannot mean anything for aliens. They don't know humans yet. So, deviating in our greeting from that of our diplomats will simply send garbled signals - "why do these people greet us like that, but this one not?".


They're getting a Humans 101 package sent out to them, and will have several hours (realtime, not necessarily what is perceived) to absorb it. Although you don't have the 'Grey Eminences' of the relative powers (to steal a CK2 example), the representatives you'll be talking to aren't slouches. They also have centuries more experience in first contact situations than you do, to the point that at a certain level the knowledge is institutional. They might be confused by some parts of it, but if you didn't have Insight to give you an inside track they'd be leagues ahead of you in terms of adapting to each other's non-verbal communication. Basically, you have Practice hax. But they have experience. To try and translate into mechanics, it's like the different between rolling 1d12 vs 3d4. Both have the same maximum possible result, but one is much more reliable than the other.

And you think such a behavior would be appropriate for a first contact? I, obviously, don't. In fact, for me it's so unimaginable that I cannot take the options serious as presented.

Which behaviour are we talking about here? To reiterate, An Open Smile doesn't necessarily refer to Amanda smiling at everyone. I'm using human terminology in the options so that they translate well, instead of burying you in xenorelations minutia. Your manner also matters due to timing, as depending on when you choose to talk to the aliens first, their understanding of human interaction will be better or worse. And if you do meet them when the knew the least, it's not as if that will be ignored. Once they have a grounding in human interaction, they'll run how you acted through it, and that will have an effect (if a delayed one) on how they interact with you.

Now I think I can say pretty clearly that I don't offer trap options without labeling them as such, and even then I like to hope that it's usually more a case of 'high risk' instead of 'you activated my trap card!'

Knowing more of what Amanda knows about the visitors would help

I'll see about filling you in a bit more about this after dinner. Specific points of interest would help.
 
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To reiterate, An Open Smile doesn't necessarily refer to Amanda smiling at everyone. I'm using human terminology in the options so that they translate well, instead of burying you in xenorelations minutia.
Then it's a base assumption problem on my side - if you use English, I assume you mean what my experience tells me is the standard meaning of the word/expression. If you deviate from that use, a hint would be appreciated (by me), preferably before you use an alternate meaning.
 
And you think such a behavior would be appropriate for a first contact? I, obviously, don't. In fact, for me it's so unimaginable that I cannot take the options serious as presented.
You think that taking a "wait-and-see" approach when someone from a completely different species does something superficially similar to something from your species is unbelievable? Or that people in a first-contact situation will ask about behavior, when the meaning is unclear?

Because that's what it came across as.

Were you trying to say that a sincere expression of friendship and happiness is unthinkable? Or was it the specific use of human expressions, when - guess what - that's what Amanda Hawk is? I have to say, you're coming across as one of those people who complain about Star Wars or some other sci-fi work set somewhere else using English and Earth-native measurement units.
 
Were you trying to say that a sincere expression of friendship and happiness is unthinkable? Or was it the specific use of human expressions, when - guess what - that's what Amanda Hawk is? I have to say, you're coming across as one of those people who complain about Star Wars or some other sci-fi work set somewhere else using English and Earth-native measurement units.
No, I'm one of those people that for some reason believes that the behavior of a unfamiliar race is unlikely to match mine. Or that I'm a good model for predicting the behavior of non-humans.
And vice versa, especially if the 'other' in this case has experience with first contact scenarios.
But this discussion is moot, because Snowfire clarified that Amanda is not acting as described, but in an appropriate manner that approaches what he described in human (contemporary cultural) terms.
 
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Vote Tally : Original - Sci-Fi - The Practice War | Page 371 | Sufficient Velocity [Posts: 9281-9310]
##### NetTally 1.9.9
[6] Plan: ◈SUNSHINE
[2] Plan: ◈Unison
Total No. of Voters: 8

A few things came up this evening so I'm not going to be able to get you your additional detail tonight, @justinkal. I'll work on some tomorrow. Given the interest, the next section will definitely be an alien perspective of meeting Amanda. Probably featuring your favourite bullshit Nilean as PoV.

I merged the two other votes as their plans are the same.
 
Actually, "former president" might actually BE a good choice: it says that this is someone who knows her people well, who was once a leader and who retired to step out of power. We could have this be part of her introduction while still having Envoy or Unison as her formal title -- and of those I prefer Envoy.
Thing is, how you choose to introduce yourself matters, as opposed to what they find out later. The then-players mass-voted to butt out of politics for a couple years. Presenting yourself as an ex-president is an implicitly political move, and kinda undermines that. It comes off very differently from the aliens finding out on their own that you used to be president. And fought the Tribute fleet.

As far as you are aware, nothing more than "Tribute fleet ded, RIP."
Huh.
Too widely used in our system for us to plan on keeping Practice a secret, though; not like we're going to shut down industrial activity.
Plus, as long as they are in the Sol System, I expect their ship sensors will be up and running.
Will probably see the odd Unison user in space wearing the equivalent of shirtsleeves

Might even have seen Amanda heading for the station at .2C.

Hey, I expect Iris is probably going to make that crack to Vision.:V
 
Here's the thing:
We're not president. We're not (officially) politically active. Influential as we are, we chose to give Adria space.
Presenting this way implicitly claims authority in a way the aliens cannot fail to pick up.

We would be undercutting the main message of the actual diplomatic contingent as opposed to serving as a plenipotentiary envoy who can serve as an auxiliary channel, and if necessary be disavowed for going beyond her remit.
The position of head of state and head of culture are not inherently the same; they are in America, but it's not true everywhere in the world (England, for instance, has the Prime Minister separate from the Queen) and it's obviously not true with Humanity 2.0 either, or else Amanda would be President-for-Life.

And, when you really look at why Amanda is here, as opposed to say Kalilah or Vega or Phoebe, the answer is ultimately because of Amanda's unique position as cultural head. It removes ambiguity and frames how Amanda will be interacting with the delegates to present her in that fashion, which is incredibly important as she is not serving a political or (explicit) security function; she's here because she's a master of the common touch, such that she basically rebuilt the bedrock of Humanity 2.0's cultural and social structure when she was a teenager.

[X] Plan Minister of Culture
-[X] Guest Halls – given your clearance, it would be possible to introduce yourself informally after the Contact Fleet representatives come aboard. They've accepted your offer of accommodation for their representatives, although it took a little explaining of the human connotations of diplomatic privileges, and you could just happen to be there to welcome them once they've gotten past the formal greetings at the docks. Informal, short with a possibility to extend.
-[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
-[X] Mother of Circles - of the many hats you've worn over the years, the one that most qualifies you to be here, indeed, demands you be here, is the position you earned building a new culture for humanity in the wake of the Sorrows. As Adriana said, "no one else alive that has the same common support, or knows humanity as well as you do."
-[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
 
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The position of head of state and head of culture are not inherently the same; they are in America, but it's not true everywhere in the world (England, for instance, has the Prime Minister separate from the Queen) and it's obviously not true with Humanity 2.0 either, or else Amanda would be President-for-Life.
I quote:
They're getting a Humans 101 package sent out to them, and will have several hours (realtime, not necessarily what is perceived) to absorb it.
The aliens know precisely what it means for Practice!Earth to send it's previous President as a diplomatic envoy.

It's the difference between sending George HW Bush as a US representative in the 90s, and introducing him as ex-CIA head instead of ex-president.
Both are true, but one title says different things from the other.
How you choose to present yourself matters.
And, when you really look at why Amanda is here, as opposed to say Kalilah or Vega or Phoebe, the answer is ultimately because of Amanda's unique position as cultural head. It removes ambiguity and frames how Amanda will be interacting with the delegates to present her in that fashion, which is incredibly important as she is not serving a political or (explicit) security function; she's here because she's a master of the common touch, such that she basically rebuilt the bedrock of Humanity 2.0's cultural and social structure when she was a teenager.
I don't agree.

She's here because of her unique gestalt of experience and abilities; everything from her history in government to her gift for detecting Shiplord subversion to her literally supernatural Diplomacy rating of 31 to her direct line to important people to her talent for recognizing and working with technology and new knowledge to the data processing advantage Sidra gives her.

Even her status as being absurdly hard to kill plays a role here.

Her cultural status is part of it, but it's the least important part of First Contact; until and unless the alien contingent fully digest what role she has played in the development of Humanity 2.0, it's so much gas. Or worse, might be misinterpreted, given the fact there are six nations and at least ten species being represented here. That's the sort of detail you'd leave for subsequent negotiations when the groundwork has been laid.

And frankly, until they integrate a proper model of how humanity works in their thinking, many of them would be more impressed by the fact that she was part of the contingent that broke the second Tribute Fleet. That's something that doesn't need much translation.
We're not doing it because it's not how we choose to present ourselves, or how we want to be seen.
Adhoc vote count started by uju32 on Feb 1, 2018 at 8:59 PM, finished with 100 posts and 24 votes.

  • [X] Yes
    [X] PLAN SUNSHINE
    -[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Envoy – a neutral designator, it grants you a broad mandate to discussion but is vague enough that nothing you say could really be considered binding. A private citizen, acting on the request of the President. It understates a great deal, but that could be wise.
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [X]No
    [X] Plan Unison
    -[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Unison – the title you earned as a member of the Two Twenty Three, it's one that the aliens are very unlikely to understand. The general meanings of the word are good ones, but when the Contact Fleet actually works out what it's in reference to some interesting delayed reactions are likely.
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [X] Plan An Open Secret
    -[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Unison – the title you earned as a member of the Two Twenty Three, it's one that the aliens are very unlikely to understand. The general meanings of the word are good ones, but when the Contact Fleet actually works out what it's in reference to some interesting delayed reactions are likely.
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [X] Plan Minister of Culture
    -[X] Guest Halls – given your clearance, it would be possible to introduce yourself informally after the Contact Fleet representatives come aboard. They've accepted your offer of accommodation for their representatives, although it took a little explaining of the human connotations of diplomatic privileges, and you could just happen to be there to welcome them once they've gotten past the formal greetings at the docks. Informal, short with a possibility to extend.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Mother of Circles - of the many hats you've worn over the years, the one that most qualifies you to be here, indeed, demands you be here, is the position you earned building a new culture for humanity in the wake of the Sorrows. As Adriana said, "no one else alive that has the same common support, or knows humanity as well as you do."
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.

Adhoc vote count started by uju32 on Feb 1, 2018 at 11:19 PM, finished with 103 posts and 24 votes.

  • [X] Yes
    [X] PLAN SUNSHINE
    -[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Envoy – a neutral designator, it grants you a broad mandate to discussion but is vague enough that nothing you say could really be considered binding. A private citizen, acting on the request of the President. It understates a great deal, but that could be wise.
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [X]No
    [X] Plan Minister of Culture
    -[X] Guest Halls – given your clearance, it would be possible to introduce yourself informally after the Contact Fleet representatives come aboard. They've accepted your offer of accommodation for their representatives, although it took a little explaining of the human connotations of diplomatic privileges, and you could just happen to be there to welcome them once they've gotten past the formal greetings at the docks. Informal, short with a possibility to extend.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Mother of Circles - of the many hats you've worn over the years, the one that most qualifies you to be here, indeed, demands you be here, is the position you earned building a new culture for humanity in the wake of the Sorrows. As Adriana said, "no one else alive that has the same common support, or knows humanity as well as you do."
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [X] Plan Unison
    -[X] Landing Dock – highest chance of 'immediate' reactions from your new guests, without the benefit of more extensive time to adjust to human norms. You know their reaction manual, they don't know yours. A bit of an underhanded move, but the docking areas are fully equipped for diplomatic functions. Highly formal, but likely to be short.
    -[X] Manifest Unison – your Aegis is as unique a piece of clothing as could ever be produced, and also grants you the highest chance of detecting individuals affected by Shiplord infiltration systems, if they exist. Clearly demonstrates human technological prowess in a way that the Contact Fleet literally cannot match, but will likely draw attention to Practice.
    -[X] Unison – the title you earned as a member of the Two Twenty Three, it's one that the aliens are very unlikely to understand. The general meanings of the word are good ones, but when the Contact Fleet actually works out what it's in reference to some interesting delayed reactions are likely.
    -[X] Open Smile – against a backdrop of diplomatic smiles, yours will be the one that shines true. Although not all the races present are likely to understand the very human expression, you're confident in your ability to translate it across to them effectively. Well suited to informal or formal occasions.
    [x] null
 
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I'll work on some tomorrow. Given the interest, the next section will definitely be an alien perspective of meeting Amanda. Probably featuring your favourite bullshit Nilean as PoV.

I am just curious if the Nilean gets to see Amanda in action close and personal - after all I would put the odds of infiltrators being present at "probable".
 
Hmm... Plan Minister of Culture has some value to it... Not sure if I should switch or not.
 
[x] null
Will decide if Minister of Culture is worth swapping to, sometime in the next 12 hours.
 
[X] PLAN SUNSHINE

// I'd only change the title if I were to propose my own plan; and that's not worth splitting.
 
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