Intergalactic Summit

Pilots;

A recent news report indicates the hiring of clone soldier mercenary groups by 'the Deathless,' an entity of unknown nature and capability, after the acquisition of FIO dossiers on Serpentis military assets. Some of these mercenary groups were subsequently involved in a raid on a Serpentis military installation. The Upwell Consortium has been revealed to have acquired Serpentis blueprints and components, and has been called upon by Raish to hand over materials.

With that framing, let's begin.

In the first place, the simplest and most likely explanation remains that CONCORD uses the term 'entity' because it is not known if the Deathless is a cabal of Capsuleers or baseliners, or a single particularly competent independent actor, and so lacking knowledge uses the term 'entity.' Alternatively, it's entirely possible that some detail has been lost in Scope's writing, and that the implication so far is off the mark, and that this is simply a new minor actor on the stage, much like the Schism.

However, what if this isn't the case?

It's known that the Deathless has some tie with the Upwell Consortium, though whether as contractor, consortium member, benefactor, or leadership is unknown.

What's more, 'The Deathless' is a suggestive term, and it may be that 'entity' is used specifically because the nature of the party is outside normal assessment.

But who could the Deathless be? Or what?

If (and this is a very large if!) the entity is indeed not a regular, run-of-the-mill baseliner or capsuleer, what else could it possibly be?

We now know, for instance, that first-generation clone soldiers used implants extracted from Jove cadavers, and were unstable and perhaps subject to psychological issues, given the severity of the purge that followed. What's more, we know that Mordu's Legion has ties with some of these groups, specifically including Intara Direct Action.

Could the Deathless merely be some individual or collective of clone soldiers, who have become so wealthy that they are able to initiate contracts themselves? Empowered actors may start identifying themselves as beyond mortality. After all, enough clonings would surely strip anyone of a belief of their own mortality.

Is it possible that the data stored in a Sleeper implant set could be sufficient to carry a complete infomorph, duplicating even those details that we would normally leave to mere biology? If so, could a clone soldier perhaps have a hybridized consciousness, or one completely dominated by a long-dead Sleeper infomorph? It's far-fetched in the extreme, but to be honest the capabilities of the Sleeper implants are subject of much study. Their full capabilities remain unknown. Certainly, at the very least, schizophrenia resulting from infomorph contamination could result in megalomaniacal ideation.

Alternatively, what if the entity in question is a strong AI? Or perhaps simulated consciousness? As we know from the ruins, the Sleeper civilization was an upload society, and this technology isn't unknown even to us. What if someone or someones are in fact digitized? Removed from the confines of biology, an adequately rigorous simulation may be sufficient to sustain a consciousness for extended period, or perhaps even to allow it to persist beyond biological limits. We know this requires considerable computational ability, given that Kirkinen's withdrawal from the CEO role following his digitization, but we also know that this computational ability exists. Could the Deathless be post-biological, post-human?

I'm sure there are many more options, but let's consider this a base for converstion.

What even is going on here?

Quite fair. Ultimately, I'd have to agree. It's just clear that something unusual's been going on of late.

IMO: Insufficient data at this point to form a conclusion. But worth following.

Mr. Mokk, approaching? I feel we sailed past that point long ago.

Mind-controlling implants ? An AI employing mercenaries ?

Well. Those possibilities are, in my experience, not entirely impossible. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Still, when it is Arataka Research Consortium, rather than Gutter Press that are mentioning these possibilities, then, well, that's somewhat concerning.

Do keep us updated, Dr. Priano.

In the meantime, I suggest people should refresh their spaceship piloting skills. It might become necessary.

It's worth noting, Ms. Valate, that I'm posting this not as an ARC coordinator, but instead as a private capsuleer speculating and wondering at strange reports.

As many have noted, there simply isn't much information available at present, and so this isn't a suitable subject for a thorough ARC release.