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Chapter 107 - Self Configuring Modular Robot[]
Hand Receipt courier message, June, 3058...
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To: Her Majesty the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth, Melissa Steiner-Davion
From: Ngo, Patrick Dinh, Duke of Kowloon
RE: enclosed data packet, eyes only.
[4 attachments]
Diplomacy was had, results were gained. see to it that efforts are made to confirm the navigation data enclosed. He might've been playing me.
-Patrick Ngo
Duke of the Kowloon System
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"It's called a Cognitohazard." Elizabeth Ngo-Steiner-Davion pronounced.
"A what?" Victor Stiner-Davion asked, they were on Tharkad, on the way to Kowloon for the honeymoon. Arthur was clearing up details with Royal Staffers, and arranging contractors for the Archon's wedding present to the happy couple...leaving Victor to speak with his new sister-in-law.
"Cognitohazard. It's an idea that, by itself, can be hazardous to existing cultural, psychological, or social structures." she explained, "For the Clanners, the last message, and the Elbar Declaration's original text, with the signatures, represents a significant cognitohazardous attack, which is why Pat was so sanguine about letting one of their leaders walk off with one of seven original copies of the order known to exist."
"A 'head game' then." Victor said.
"It got you route data all the way to the Clanner Homeworlds, including their supply and refueling points." Liz noted. "IF the scouting results in what we hope, that is...but you could get the same speech from Bianh Vu Dao or Alicia Li."
"Focht's man confirmed it."
"The Defector?"
"Yeah."
"Weird. I would have set the odds at ten to one in favor of it being a diversion or distraction, or false data." she said, "but then, I'm not exactly great at reading people...and Patrick is. It's why he's a great Duke, and I'm a good coder."
"Only 'good'?"
"Okay, I'm alright at hiring people who are better at it than I am." she said impishly, "SO maybe a little bit of your mother's efforts to teach me how to manage people sank in..."
"This, is surreal...I'm walking in the garden with my brother's wife, and she's a certifiable genius...who says she's only 'okay'."
"That's because I am. Arthur's the REAL genius in the Pack." Liz stated, "He's our visionary, organizer, leader, and my husband. He bought me my life, Victor. I'm not fogged on drugs, not tripping over my feet and thrashing on the floor, not screaming my throat dry...because of my wonderful husband-because he remembered not to give up."
"There's actually a purpose. Your 'gateway' project."
"You want to use it to supply the counter-invasion." Liz observed, "Right?"
"Yeah."
"Do-able...provided it actually works."
"You have doubts?"
"Every time I work on a project." she said, "Never as many as Terry, but he's better at finding flaws than I am, just like Sierra's better at leveraging those flaws into new features."
"Can it be done??" Victor asked.
"Ask me again after we've come back from the Honeymoon." She said, "We're going to be doing some science, and maybe some biology-make a little Steiner-Davion for you and your brothers and sisters to spoil."
"I pledge, many, many noisy toys." Victor said half-seriously.
"I expect you will."