It Takes Time <To Be Properly Taken Apart> - Chapter 03
Chapter 3
Chapter Length: 6,000~ wordsCultural Exchange: Part II
"Mhm. Anyway, getting back to the main topic: Can you tell me about the Compact, now?" "Of course. The Compact is no simple thing, though, I feel I should warn you. A thorough explanation is likely to take quite some time." "That's fine." Raqi nodded agreeably. "I need to understand it in proper detail in order to be able to make an informed judgement on it, so please, go as in-depth as you'd like." Punica was very curious to find out more about what Raqi meant by seeking a 'partner', but she got the feeling that direct attempts to get her to talk about it were unlikely to yield results. Instead, she decided that she would focus for now on trying to make the girl trust her as much as she could: that way, she would be more likely to open up. If she did a good enough job of explaining how the Compact worked, it wasn't impossible that Raqi would volunteer to join of her own accord. That was how the vast majority of species that had come to be a part of the affini's great state had entered it, after all. What they had to offer was objectively very enticing; and when presented correctly, wanting to be a part of it was really the only logical option. Any choice to do otherwise could only be based on some or other form of irrationality. The main issue with talking about the Compact was that it was highly nuanced. Some topics were just far too complicated and prone to misinterpretation to be safe to brook with someone like Raqi; who was already at least somewhat primed to see the affini in a negative light. As such, the key in conversations like this, Punica knew, was to emphasize a focus on clean, concise, and easily digestible information. More complicated things, like implantation or the logistics of domestication initiatives, could be left for a future discussion when the xenosophont had been made to feel more comfortable around her. "Before I can explain the Compact, I need to start with some of our history first. Several aspects of the philosophy behind its foundation and operation will not make sense otherwise. Is that alright?" "Of course." "Very good. Then, to begin with: As I imagine you are aware, we affini are a very technologically advanced race. More advanced on an overall level than any other species we have ever encountered, in fact; though some-" She paused for a moment to glance at the glass cube around her- "-do manage to equal or surpass us in specific fields. Still, when viewing society through a lens of overall development; ours is by far the most advanced." "I know a lot of people who would very much disagree with that," Raqi said, sounding amused, "but go on." She replied with a knowing smile. "They would be far from the first to say such a thing. Regardless: The same is also true, much more importantly, on a cultural level. As you are also no doubt aware, the universe is filled with strife and conflict. Inequal and inhumane political systems dominate throughout a majority of xenosophont civilisations; variants of capitalism and fascism being particularly common. Systems like that employed by the Affini Compact, which offer all citizens both unrestricted access to any and all resources they might desire, and a guarantee of freedom from oppression, discrimination, and all other forms of interpersonal violence, are unheard-of elsewhere in the galaxy." This raised Raqi's eyebrows. "You're a post-scarcity society, then?" "We achieved that a very long time ago, my dear," Punica replied, a hint of pride slipping into her own voice now. "Over a hundred thousand years before I had even been uplifted. It was then, in fact, that the beginnings of the Affini Compact began to come into existence. A short while after we achieved post-scarcity society, we as a race were forced to come together to decide how we wished to spend the rest of eternity. And we decided, collectively, that we would dedicate ourselves to the betterment of the universe as a whole. So it is that we arrive at to the mission statement of the Affini Compact: To uplift not only every sophont species, but every individual sophont from privation; and to provide them with both a life of limitless plenty, and the happiness which accompanies it." "That's quite a lofty goal," Raqi commented, tone level. "It all sounds very good and not-morally-complicated, when you put it that way; without mentioning the fact that, for all of your so-called 'wards', subscribing to your idea of 'happiness' is not optional." This, Punica knew, was going to be the hard part of the conversation. The way Raqi had framed her response made it fairly clear what her position was likely to be on the forceful parts of the domestication initiative. Still, she had nothing to fear from being open with her. The logic behind the affini's methods was correct, and that meant in a rational discussion, the efficacy of such a system could not be challenged. Whether or not the xeno made decisions primarily based on logic or emotion, she had yet to discern, but she would know based on how she responded to what she had to say next. "The Domestication Initiative refers to the process of bringing new species and populations into the Affini Compact," Punica began, taking care to keep her tone neutral, and not to let any hint of defensiveness show. "Contrary to what you may or may not have heard, the vast, vast majority of species that join the Compact do so willingly and without the need for any kind of persuasive force to be employed. The amount that do not willingly join is so small that it better resembles a rounding error than an actual statistic." "Uh-huh." Raqi nodded. "I wonder if the reason it's so low has anything to do with what happens if a society refuses to join." For around a milisecond, the composition of plant matter that made up Punica's face froze. It was only an instant, and then it returned to the practised neutrality it had been only a moment earlier. "...That is undoubtedly a part of it, yes. It is not, as you seem to be framing it though, strictly a bad thing. The affini do not employ force unless absolutely necessary, and when we do, we do our utmost never to kill or injure any forces that we engage in battle with. You must understand: Warfare when we are involved is a very different affair from that which is commonly conducted between feral societies." The landamaeri's head tilted. "'Feral societies'?" Punica realised she had made an error, and tried quickly to correct it. "There is a substantial degree of nuance to the term that would take some time to explain, but it is in essence a term we use as shorthand to refer to those civilisations that have not yet undergone domestication." Her explanation was met with a scoff. "Well, isn't that a polite and not-at-all demeaning or patronising way to refer to them." She raised a hand, palm tilted upwards as she splayed her fingers out in a Terran gesture of mockery. "Might as well go ahead and call everyone not living in your empire savages at that point, why don't you?" For a moment, Punica almost felt herself goaded into letting her frustration get the better of her. Instead, she took a deep breath, and then let out an equally deep sigh. "You are not the first to point out that, at a glance, the optics of conquest are far from clean. However." Now, it was her voice that grew steely. "The universe, at large, is not a kind place. We know that, and we are doing our best to fix it. That involves making a number of difficult decisions. There is no perfect answer to the matter of bringing new species into the Compact, and the one that we have arrived at is as close to perfect as we could get after over a hundred thousand years of optimisation." She raised an arm in a mimicry of the gesture Raqi frequently made. "Take, for example, the matter of the ongoing domestication of the Terran Accord. The Accord, prior to our arrival, was a hyper-capitalistic, fascist dictatorship. The non-bourgeois members of the population were expected to labour anywhere from 30 to 80 hours a week - with more than three quarters of the populace in the upper range of this bracket - in order to accrue sufficient currency to provide for themselves." The foliage around her face shifted to a dark red. "Tell me: Do you believe us in the wrong for stepping in to intervene in their society?" Raqi's posture shifted. She folded her arms in front of her chest, but the gesture seemed relaxed, rather than one of defiance. "I'm not going to deny outright that there are some societies that are so irredeemable that direct intervention the likes of which you're requiring is warranted. The Terran Accord certainly sounds like one of them." Punica felt somewhat mollified hearing this, the colouration near her face turning back to its normal deep green. "I appreciate that you at least agree on that much." "I'm not some bleeding heart anti-war Fleetist, Punica," Raqi replied, using another term the plant wasn't familiar with. "I understand there are some times when force is necessary." She unfolded her arms. "Truth be told, I don't actually have any particular issue with the affini's imperial ambitions. If what you say about most civilisations being as atrocious as the Terran Accord is true - and I don't really doubt that it is - then in that respect: yeah, absolutely, conquer away. I'd view that more as liberation than anything." That last sentence lit a glimmer of hope in Punica's core. She was beginning to think that Raqi might in fact be the kind of sophont to prioritise rationality over idealism; in which case there would be a very high probability that she could be made to understand the benevolence of the Compact. "But," she continued. "Like I said, that's not the part that I'm concerned about. What I more want to know about is your- or, rather, the Compact's definition of 'happiness.'" Several of Punica's vines slowed their movement somewhat. "The answer to that question varies by individual. But as far as the Compact is concerned... Then, if I had to summarise, I would say: The fulfillment of all basic and complex needs; the ready availability of any and all commodities, goods, and recreational activities; access to any experiences which they should wish for; and in a more general sense, the fulfillment of any desire as a whole that can be granted; within reason, of course." Seeing the look on Raqi's face, she quickly elaborated: "Some desires, such as those which would involve taking from or inflicting harm or misery upon other sophonts, cannot be catered to. In these cases, we endeavour to make our wards happy in other ways that are not inherently destructive." "If that's the case," Raqi replied slowly, "then what do you need all of the drugs for?" "I beg your pardon?" "If the Affini Compact's primary reason for existing is just to provide happiness in the ways that you've described, then why have I heard so many stories of affini doing what frequently amounts to kidnapping people, then stuffing them so full of drugs that they can't even remember their names or identities?" "You are referring, I take it, to our utilisation of xenodrugs within the domestication process?" "Yeah. In essence, I don't see how the use of drugs can be necessitated to provide any of the things you just described on more than an incredibly rare basis. But from what I've heard, giving people drugs is pretty much the affini's entire thing. And I'm not just talking about regular drugs that wear off after a day or so: I'm talking about 'once you're on it, you never really come off it' kind of shit." Her brows furrowed. "Wasn't there an entire subsection of your society who were pretty much all like this? ...Florets, I think they were called?" "Ah." Punica was silent for a moment. The movement of vines in and around her core, which had been largely stable up until now, suddenly began to grow erratic. "I... think you may be conflating two things. Yes, we do indeed have a class of sophonts within our society known as florets. A floret is an individual who has become an affini's pet. It is a legal status that exists within the Compact, with its own unique roles and privileges. One of these privileges is, indeed, the right to make use of xenodrugs recreationally. Generally speaking, they are very popular - both among pets and owners - for their use in recreational activity." "I... want to ask what's up with the whole 'pet' thing, and also that having that as a legal status sounds extremely dubious, but first- You only mentioned one thing. What's the second?" "The drugs that one cannot come off of." Her voice grew quiet. "What you are referring to are class-O xenodrugs. They are the only class of xenodrugs that are never used recreationally. Their purpose is purely medicinal. They are used to treat individuals who have sustained damage - either physical or psychological - that is impossible to recover from." She stopped to take a breath. "The drug, in essence, renders them permanently happy and thoughtless. They are incapable of taking any action whatsoever, or forming conscious thought, but are suspended in a state of ceaseless bliss that permeates every second of awareness." By the time she had finished talking, Raqi's countenance had grown cold and closed once more. When she spoke, it was in a warning growl: "That is not something that should exist. What you are describing is an abomination." Punica flinched backwards, all of her vines falling still. "...It is not an unpleasant fate to be subjected to. Every person on class-O xenodrugs is, as I have described to you, indescribably happy: to a greater extent than either of us could imagine." Her eyes flickered from spot to spot on the wall. "Still, despite that, it is not what we want for our wards. There is a reason why the use of class-Os is reserved for only the most dire possible circumstances; it is understood that a simple excess of chemical bliss is not an ideal way for a sophont to live their life." "There are no circumstances that necessitate something like that," Raqi replied, not relenting. "Ever. I don't care what happened to me: the last thing I would ever want is to be turned into... into something like that. I would a thousand times more rather die- or, hell, even have to live in pain and suffering for the rest of my life, than become like that." "Personally... I agree with you." Raqi's eyes widened. "Y- You do?" "Yes." Punica nodded. "The use of class-O xenodrugs is highly controversial among my people. There are many arguments that - although on a biological level, experiencing them can be described as happiness - on a philosophical level, the identity erasure that their usage entails can be paramount to an individual's death. For this reason, opinions on their usage are very varied." Most of her body was still, only her humanoid features remaining animate as she spoke. "Generally speaking, the majority of affini consider their use justified in cases where an individual is condemned to suffer and be in pain for the rest of their existence otherwise, and where the only other alternative is euthanisation." Raqi shook her head. "What's even the difference, at that point?" "In the case of class-O xenodrug usage, there is at least a minimal possibility that an individual can be weaned off of their usage. In some cases, some cotyledons have been kept on them for long enough that medical technology has advanced to the point where they can be cured of whatever condition lead to their needing to be given class-Os in the first place. In these situations, there have been attempts to rehabilitate the affected individuals and bring them back into society." Her voice quieted. "Although their successes have been... limited. Most of the patients that were volunteered to the trials emerged with lasting cognitive or physical changes. None fully resembled who they were prior to their being placed on class-Os." She locked eyes with Raqi. "Unpleasant as this is, I personally consider it the only ethically viable use of class-O xenodrugs. It is better in my view that a person be placed in what amounts to a kind of stasis, and potentially be able to be revived later on in at least some form, than to perish outright. Even if their prior identity is lost as a result of this, then at the very least the physical organism that carried it can live on, and be given a chance to develop a self anew." There was a long silence. "How common, generally speaking, are views like yours within the Compact?" Raqi asked. "My position regarding opposition to the utilisation of class-Os for all but medical purposes is relatively common. There are those, however, who do not take issue with their effects in the same ways that I do. It is, as I said, a controversial matter." "And what of the views on the significance of personal identity, overall?" The affini let out a contemplative rumble from her core. "Opinions on that topic are much more varied, and it is generally considered a less fraught topic. There are a large number of philosophical schools employed within the Compact from which one can approach the topic. But generally speaking, a simple way to put it would be to say that it is not seen as overly sacrosanct; at least not in the way that it is within some cultures." Punica had become so engrossed in the conversation, and her own thoughts about it, that she had stopped paying full attention to Raqi's body language. As a result, she didn't notice when the other woman abruptly started to tense up. "Elaborate on that." A series of vines began to sway contemplatively, several of them tangling around each other and then un-tangling in helixes. "In the first place, defining something as abstract as 'personal identity' is very difficult. Most agree that a sense of 'self' is something that is unique to a given sophont, and exists largely in the realm of thoughts, feelings, and emotions; rather than as a tangible concept which can be written down and described. In this sense, a person's 'self' is an inherently flexible thing. The way that a person views themselves will naturally change over the course of their lifetime, and can also be influenced by any number of events that happen in their life; which may cause them to think, or feel differently about themselves." "Generally speaking," she continued, the leaves comprising her body having begun to rustle softly, "my understanding of the significance of this concept is that many non-affini cultures possess strong beliefs about the inherent 'sacredness' of this concept. These cultures place a high value on attempting to maintain the integrity of a sophont's identity, and do not believe that attempts should be made to intentionally alter or interfere with it." Large swathes of her vines and other assorted body parts were now moving on their own. When she had begun this conversation, it had been with an aim in mind: to try and convince Raqi of the merits of the Compact and the affini way at large. But now, without her even realising it, this discourse had assumed an entirely different role for her. Punica was enjoying herself. She was so caught up in the thrill of exchanging ideas and beliefs with this foreign woman that she could no longer be said to be doing it with any conscious purpose: her actions being driven instead by an entirely automatic desire to seek more of the intellectual stimulation that she was currently experiencing. "The problem with this view is that there is no material difference between an intentional and unintentional change made to a person's identity. Regardless of the method used, the outcome - namely, that the person changes - is still the same. Of the cultures that hold this belief, I am not aware of any who abhor the concept of change in and of itself. Almost all sapient lifeforms accept the idea that, as a creature continues to live and grow, it inevitably becomes different from its past iterations. These changes, however, are considered 'natural'; and virtually no one takes any kind of issue with them." She raised a questioning tendril towards Raqi. "What, then, is the real significance of this differentiation? The way I see it, the outcome between an intentional and an unintentional change is the same. A sophont with a fear of arachnids can overcome that fear naturally as they grow older, or through exposure therapy; or through simple genemodding to alter the part of their neurology that generates fear in response to the triggering stimuli. Whatever the method, the outcome is in essence still the same." "Yes, but," Raqi interjected, "it's possible to produce a lot of changes in a person through direct intervention that don't occur naturally." Punica's vines swirled questioningly. "The accuracy of that statement might be dubious on a scale as large as the Affini Compact, but I understand what you are getting at. However: Why, exactly, does that matter?" Raqi's expression tightened. She seemed to falter for a moment, as if searching for words. "Because you can do a lot of really fucked up things to a person on purpose that don't usually just happen to them by accident or natural occurrence." A soft smile formed on Punica's lips. "It would seem to me that your concern is more for the kinds of changes that could be made to a person, rather than the underlying principle of how they are brought about. Given what you said earlier about drugs: Would I be right in presuming that there is something about this topic that worries you?"
Fuck. Raqi stared blankly ahead into space. This was... This was not how she had expected this conversation to go. During her time in the Mobile Fleet, she had been used to being relatively peerless when it came to discussions about philosophy. The reason why wasn't that she was in any way smarter than everyone else; it was that most landamaeri didn't really care about these sorts of issues, and so never applied themselves to thinking or trying to learn about it. As a result of this, Raqi had gotten used to being more or less able to steamroll just about anyone who she got into a debate with on these topics. This plant, however, was doing exactly that to her. As her gaze bore into the wall on the opposite side of the ship, in her mind, she was being subjected to the deeply uncomfortable sensation of starting to feel as if she might be wrong about something. Punica had more or less backed her into a corner: the line of logic she had used to bring her here was functionally invincible. Or, rather- the problem was less that the affini had a very strong argument: it was more that Raqi's wasn't actually as good as she had thought it was. I can't... answer that question directly. In the time it took her to think, she was staring blankly into space, and remaining completely silent in the real world. This exchange was already completely lost, and she knew it. But she couldn't afford to make the situation any worse by admitting the truth: that her actual reasons for disapproving of identity modification were almost entirely emotional. There wasn't really a rational basis for her beliefs: the thought just made her incredibly uncomfortable, especially if it was a xeno doing it that she didn't trust in the least. If she actually came out and said that, she would be serving Punica an opportunity on a silver platter to say something along the lines of "Well actually I'm very trustworthy, and also I would never use my mind-altering chemicals to do anything to you that you didn't want (or at least, that I couldn't just make you want) and if I *did* do that then it's not like you'd mind anymore anyway, so what would even be the problem?"- which was not an argument Raqi had a counter for. As such, in true Landamaeri spirit, it was now time to cut her losses and run away. "It's not so much that it worries me-" she lied openly- "rather I... I think I just came into this with a faulty premise. I-it's not really that important, anyway, so, uh... I think that pretty much answers most of what I wanted to know about the affini and about the Compact, for now at least. So, uh, thank you." "I'm glad that I was able to be of some service." Several of the tall plant woman's vines were waving around by the edges of the glass. "So, then: After hearing what I have to say, have you been able to reach a decision about our suitability?" Raqi could feel her face contorting. She was utterly useless at hiding embarrassment in person; or just about any other emotions for that matter. Fuck: why, oh why had she mentioned the partner thing? That was such an unbelievably stupid mistake to make. Making it sound like she was romantically and-or emotionally vulnerable around the plant woman who hailed from a species known for kidnapping and domesticating emotionally vulnerable people was quite possibly the worst thing she could be doing right now. "Uhm, not quite yet. I'm gonna need some time to think it over, if that's okay. And, uh, I have to do that on my own. My brain doesn't really- I can't process stuff properly if I'm around other people. So I'm gonna go back to my room now, if that's alright." "Of course it is, my dear." Up until this point, Raqi had been too stressed to really pay all that much attention to the melodic and musical way in which the plant spoke, but now that she was starting to feel seriously worn out, her emotional state had calmed down enough that it was becoming much more noticeable. What was equally noticeable was the way that being called 'my dear' had just sent a shiver down her spine. Fuck. I need to leave, I need to leave, I need to leave, I need to leave- "Yeah okay cool see you later!" She ran out of the room, smashing the close button on the doors, and then sped down the hallway and back to her room. The moment she reached it, she ran inside, and then locked the door behind her. "Fuck!" She screeched, swinging both arms to her sides. "What the hell am I doing?! Why did I just tell her that I'll 'see her later'? Why the fuck did I just ask for her permission to go to my own room?! Why am I... being polite with her as if she's just another person, and not a predatory megalomaniac plant?!" She grabbed the side of her head with one hand. This was the thing about being a member of a social species: her brain couldn't really tell the difference between a sapient of her species and another. As soon as a person started registering as anything approximating 'safe', she just started slipping into the same habits which she used to talk to everyone else around her. Which in her case included being polite, deferential, and overly eager to please or at least avoid offending. In essence, an entire laundry list of the worst behaviours to display around someone from a race of dominant plant people. Her fingertips wriggled their way through the feathers growing out of her head, making their way to the skin underneath, which they then began to dig into. She then made her way over to her computer, taking a moment to brush some of the stray hairs that permeated the atmosphere of her room off of her keyboard, then navigated back to her documents folder and pulled open The Plan.vodf once more. Once it had opened, she scrolled down to a section around three quarters of the way down, titled 'What To Do If You End Up Talking To One Of The Affini In Person'. The title was written in un-bolded, 30pt text. Below it was a large, 20pt subheader in bright red text: the only one section in the entire document to have one. It read:
The Plan.vodf - LandamarOffice Writer
DO NOT TALK TO THE FUCKING
PLANTS IN PERSON
PLANTS IN PERSON
You are simply not built for this. If you end up talking to one of them in a face-to-face conversation, where you don't have time to think and can't hide your expressions, you are fried. You are screwed. You are completely and utterly done. Your gay ass is getting domesticated, and there will not be anything you will want to do about it.
All of your strengths lie in dealing with people at a distance. When you have to get up close and personal with them, that is where you suck the absolute most. You are a terrible liar, and you don't even know how to mask basic emotions like laughter or surprise. If you try to be deceptive about pretty much anything, they are going to see through it instantly, and you are not skilled enough to use any other techniques like being aversive or giving half-answers.
If you do have to talk to them in person, make sure you steer the conversation to keep it away from anything that goes near any of your kinks. They're used to domesticating people who aren't even into it: if you let them know the kinds of stuff you go for, it will never have been so over for any other person in the history of the universe. If possible, try wearing a mask or something so that they can't see your facial expressions; that's worked pretty well a few times in the past.
Also on the off chance that they turn out to be shiny or something, don't look at them either. Also if they sound pretty don't listen to them. Filter all the conversation through an audio filter to make them sound ugly. And also really really don't smell them; that part should hopefully be obvious though because like, if you can smell them you're probably getting drugged. Make 100% certain in the event that one somehow gets onto the ship (tbf if this happens you're cooked anyway, so it probably doesn't even matter) to filter all the air so none that's come in contact with it can get to you. The one upside is that I don't think they can drug you just by sight or sound at least?
god that'd be kinda hot though
TerraTranslate :: Raqi Marr :: Punica Granatum :: The Affini Compact ::
Story Recommendation: The Place Where We Can Stop Running, by Dame Harmony The Place Where We Can Stop Running is just an absolutely exceptional story. Released all in one part instead of in a serialised format like most HDG stories are, the amount of care and attention given to it by its author puts the writing and overall polish at a level I have yet to see in any other story in this setting. As far as the story itself goes, Stop Running is an incredibly wholesome tale. Standing in contrast to the usual 'feral gets abducted and domesticated' stories that are common in the setting, the main Terran protagonist - one Chloë Sulla - seems an almost perfect fit for the Compact, and we get to see a much more peaceful, less-drama-filled story of how a sophont adapts to life in paradise. Despite that rather calm sounding description, it is also bar none the most emotionally invested I have ever felt in a HDG story. At only 100k words, it's a fairly quick read among longform HDG content, and it is amazing that the author managed to pack as much incredible character development, emotional weight, and smoking hot kink scenes into that short of a story. I can only wish that one day I will be even fractionally as good at pacing as she. Final Summary: Forever changed the way I see atomic compilers.