The Panopticon Awakens[IC, Closed, PMT]

[Christoslavia]

"Emperor, you say this but what if another powerful nation saw the Cyberiad as hostile and tried with all their might to destroy the Panopticon, you can not hope to play judge, jury, and executioner with a subjective bias. I further find it funny that you will so adamantly defend the soverignty of the Cyberiad Council while the Panopticon so blatantly violates the sovereignty of other nations."

[The Evan Empire]

Still seated the Emperor responded with a tint of ice in his voice: "Sovereignty is the ability for a state to govern itself freely, I don't see this technology as a threat to The Evan Empire, or any other nations sovereignty. However, this is a matter of privacy and security, both of which don't concern the Evan Empire. I recognize that it does however pose a security threat to any nation looking to oppose the Cyberiad Council, and in that respect I would not advise provoking such a threat in the same way that you wouldn't threaten a nuclear superpower, which he also happens to be.".

[IOTA Corp]

"Also," Agnew chimed in, deeply reclined in his chair with a look of smug amusement on his face. "The Evan Empire currently can act as judge, jury, and executioner. And they can defend whomever they please, they are sovereign after all. I don't think I need remind you that you are currently at the industrial heart of this empire. You are here at his grace and remain here because of it. While you are here, you are under his mercy. I say this not as a threat, The good emperor would never dare harm a guest, but to make a point. Your opinions are only the opinions of one man. You don't have any more moral authority than any of the men seated at his table. The only power you possess while you are here is that which has been kindly lent to you. After all, 'Peacekeeping is always defined by those in charge.' " Agnew returned to his smug reclined expression.

[Christoslavia]

Equally smug, SUPREME OVERLORD retorted

"Except he can't, when it violates another nations right to exist and be sovereign. If you go by the argument that Peacekeeping is the will of those in charge then the sovereign piece only applies to those in charge, which it does not. Another hypocrisy. No nation deserves to act as the supreme moral authority, even if the Panopticon is a deterrent, or for science, that is exactly the power it gives the Cyberiad. It's easy to speak from your positions but imagine if you were on this end of the table."

[IOTA Corp]

Agnew leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "Supreme Overlord, you misunderstood me. In this room. At this moment. You are merely a voice. You are hypocritically arrogant if you assume your moral views are objectively correct. And any nation, at any time they so choose, can deny the sovereignty of another: Its called war."

[Christoslavia]

SUPREME OVERLORD snapped a hard stare at Agnew

"No you misunderstand me. I never asserted my views are morlly objective, but you all seem to be. Now are you threatening war? Or are you taling out of your ass."

[IOTA Corp]

"Well then, if you are not objective, why do you demand The Cyberiad be put at the mercy of total strangers to control what they may build within their borders and what technology they may possess? The reason, I think, is that you are terrified of the power of the Panopticon, and you are projecting this moral and ethical criticism of the Cyberiad to mask your selfish desires to hide in the darkness. To hide so that you may rule your nation with a tyrannical hand that the Cyberiad opposes! Our views need not be objective, and neither do yours. You speak so highly of sovereignty, but when one nation gains an advantage you seem to cry for them to destroy it. If you truly believed in a nation's right to Sovereingty, you would not demand something be done to infringe upon it. Technological progress is the inevitable march that drives us all. If it wasn't the Cyberiad that built the panopticon, another would. Maybe you don't like how they went about building it, but that's just tough luck. Now the Cyberiad is much more diplomatic than I am, and they may reach a compromise with you, but you can't force them to do anything without shattering the illusion of sovereignty you seem to hold oh so dear!" By this point, Agnew had stood with his hands placed squarely on the table, with his voice elevated nearly to the point of shouting. He sat back down in his chair. " And I never threaten war: It's not good for profits," he remarked with his smug expression taking up residence yet again on his face.

[Christoslavia]

"Well then, if you are not objective, why do you demand The Cyberiad be put at the mercy of total strangers to control what they may build within their borders and what technology they may possess? The reason, I think, is that you are terrified of the power of the Panopticon, and you are projecting this moral and ethical criticism of the Cyberiad to mask your selfish desires to hide in the darkness. To hide so that you may rule your nation with a tyrannical hand that the Cyberiad opposes! Our views need not be objective, and neither do yours. You speak so highly of sovereignty, but when one nation gains an advantage you seem to cry for them to destroy it. If you truly believed in a nation's right to Sovereingty, you would not demand something be done to infringe upon it. Technological progress is the inevitable march that drives us all. If it wasn't the Cyberiad that built the panopticon, another would. Maybe you don't like how they went about building it, but that's just tough luck. Now the Cyberiad is much more diplomatic than I am, and they may reach a compromise with you, but you can't force them to do anything without shattering the illusion of sovereignty you seem to hold oh so dear!" By this point, Agnew had stood with his hands placed squarely on the table, with his voice elevated nearly to the point of shouting. He sat back down in his chair. " And I never threaten war: It's not good for profits."

Silence fell over the room. SUPREME OVERLORD clasped his hands together, his demeanor changed from one of calm to one that was ice cold, the emotion left his face and his stare penetrated Agnew,

"Listen to me Agnew, I never demanded anything of the Cyberiad. I never said the Panopticon should be destroyed/dismantled, etc. What self respecting leader would not be afraid of a country with a device this powerful? It's natural, hell if none of you at this table aren't the least bit worried then you are lying to yourselves subconciously. I have no need to hide my selfish desires, no need to cower in the dark unlike you. Would I like it destroyed? Yes. Am i going to demand it or force it? No. I don't think I'm here with an ulterior motive, and considering how concerned you are with profits, I believe it's you who wants something more out of it. I came here to voice my concerns whether the Cyberiad agrees or not, not to sit here and listen to a blathering and childish CEO who can't see beyond his own payroll. Do not cross me. And watch your tongue before it gets the best of you."

[IOTA Corp]

Ignoring the angry OverLord, Agnew look to the Blizatinian leader while smiling, "Would you like to interject anything into our little discussion Emperor Reconlaf?"

[Blizatine]

Ignoring the angry OverLord, Agnew look to the Blizatinian leader while smiling, "Would you like to interject anything into our little discussion Emperor Reconlaf?"

Emperor Lexam Reconlaf,

Well since you asked so kindly I will say a few words. Morality is subjective, foreign policy is hypocritical that is the true nature of things. A country's foreign policy is dependent on what is good for them, there is no moral considerations when making these decisions. I have pushed for this for one reason and one reason only, it infringes on what I believe to be best for both Blizatine and the world at large. This technology will lead to the destruction of every other nation state in existence, because of the sheer power of it. Though who will be most effective would be a sovereign corporation like yourself which is why I find it a bit odd your not arguing heavily against them keeping it, after all isn't your main motive supposed to be profits. If the Cyberiad council has this tech it's only a matter of time until other nations design their own in response. What do you think will happen to your corporation when all your models and items are view-able in intricate detail by the masses. What will happen when anyone with the means will be able to produce perfect replicas of your goods? This has not only numerous consequences for you but the world as a hole, if there is no copyright protection innovation will be stifled for who would be willing to put their life into a work that is guaranteed to be stolen by others? With this technology their will be no motive to invest in technology as any tech you manufacture will be taken by the whole world. I make no claims of morality by sovereignty. I make the claim that this technology will negatively impact my citizens as well as citizens around the world, and as such I, no we have a vested interest in stopping it's production.

[The Evan Empire]

After hearing Reconlaf’s remarks, The Leader of The Department of Empire Economic Management stood and spoke up: “Reconlaf brings up an excellent point, but unfortunately history has proven that technology cannot be avoided. Years ago the internet was invented, originally a part of an incredibly expensive and secretive government defense network. Nowadays we know that without it we would never achieve the amount of commercial and cultural prosperity that it has provided without it's existence. Not to say that the internet is perfect in its ability to safely share anything on Earth, but limiting it's abilities or retarding it's spread is an obstacle against it's growth. People living before the existence of global networking would probably find the world we live in today as hostile and far too open, but society has an uncanny ability to adapt to new circumstances. I also believe that, much like the internet, this new Cyberiad technology represents a significant leap forward in mankind's abilities to view and communicate globally that will not be fully realized until it's widespread use. And I also hope that The Department of Empire Economic Management’s Evco Incorporated can pioneer the use of this budding technology alongside the Cyberiad Council.”. As the department leader sat back down Evco Incorporated’s honorary CEO Emperor Evan gave a supportive handshake.

[IOTA Corp]

"To further the department leader's point," Agnew began. "Even if the panopticon technology were someday possessed by multiple nations, and even if they decided to use it on something as trivial as gaining schematics, copyright laws are there, so they can't do anything with them. The purpose of a copyright law is to prevent someone from manufacturing your copyrighted property, not to prevent them from knowing how. Although..." Agnew seemed to consider a new point that left him slightly upset. "We produce weapons as well... But I am sure that there will eventually come a way to circumvent the Panopticon, there always is."

[Christoslavia]

More relaxed now, SUPREME OVERLORD spoke again looking at the Minister, but not before shooting a look at Agnew,

"So you see our points then. And i see yours Minister. As long as the Panopticon is not used as a weapon, as long as it does become something wonderful and good for this world, then I guess we have nothing to fear. All I wanted was assurance and I believe I got it. Thank you for professionalism also...at least some of us still have some.

[Blizatine]

Emperor Lexam Reconlaf,

Well then let me address each of your points. Firstly IOTA corp, we both know there is corporate espionage, and we both know nations don't follow rules. Even if you were to copyright a weapon, that copyright is only enforcable through WA members based on their very, loose laws. They are so loose in fact that if I gained your schematics for a weapon and I believed it to be better than mine, I would begin produceing my own, or at least a very similar version, and outside of war, there wouldn't be much you could do about it. So imagine what would happen if countries that weren't in the WA got a hold of this tech.

Secondly Evan Empire, the internet was a great weapon with powerful capabilities, but at no point did it infringe on anyone's rights. Sure there may be people who use the internet in a illegal manner, but the technology itself is not perpetuating any crimes, unlike this tech would be. Is there really not one person at this table who is not fine with the idea of being watched at all times and have everyone of their actions available to be viewed? Because if truly no one here other than I is unwilling to let others see what they are doing at all times, I will drop this proposal. Your Supreme Overlord? Mr. Agnew?

[The Cyberiad Council]

Before anyone could respond, the Commander Prime's phone rang. "What is it?" "Again!?" "Was it..." "Then what was hacked?"

At that moment, the projector in the middle of the room turned on. Displayed in the hologram were what appeared to be intelligence reports on several nations, including Blitzatine and Christoslavia. And documents labeled 'contengencies' which detailed the best way to eliminate the leaders and destabilize the country. The Cyberiad representatives stood frozen. Then the words "We are the Augment" appeared over the data files.

"Get that thing off" Orwell yelled at an Imperial guard.

[Blizatine]

Emperor Lexam Reconlaf,

Oh hell no you don't, Uerthe!

The collosal 9ft man blocked the imperial guard with his massive frame, growling at the man.

What is going on Prime? Columbus get me copies on all that now!

One of the bodyguards opened a device that began recording the screens images. Seeing the details against Blizatine and other countries The Emperor stood up and said,

You see, you talk of trust, but what did I say, if it can be used as a weapon it will. Furthermore you all can now see there are blatant attempts to assault our sovereignty. They are a threat to all of us, and I have seen enough here to demand the destruction of of their computer as it has been shown to be used in a threat to all of us. Furthermore Blizantine extends it's hand in friendship, and support of the Augment, and thanks them for the hard work they've done.

[Christoslavia]

The Praetorian Guards all had their handguns drawn, ready to kill the Cyberiad Prime and all the other NatCode members at the end of the table. But SUPREME OVERLORD waved his hand at them, with a clenched jaw, he stood up.

"Well, do you want war? Because this is how you get war. I thought for a moment that I could trust you, but you can't trust anyone these days. You have about 15 seconds to come up with some BS excuse right now."

[The Cyberiad Council]

The Cyberiad soldiers' rifles snapped up and aimed at various targets, the Golems drew compact rifles from a compartment that opened from their upper thighs and moved to flank the Cyberiad representatives.

The Prime then snapped out of his amazement and looked to the hostile parties.

"I know for a fact neither of you are stupid, so don't do anything rash that will result in your early Demise! If these files are authentic, I had no knowledge of their existence, but after seeing your hostile tendencies I feel peace is behind us. Reconlaf, if you demand The Panopticons destruction, you will have to take it by force! THE PANOPTICON STANDS!"

[Christoslavia]

"All i hear coming out of your mouth are lies! We are done here. I will be leaving. Thank you for your time and patience. And thank you Emperor Evan for hosting us."

SUPREME OVERLORD did an about face and as his guard closed ranks around him, abruptly left.

[The Evan Empire]

The guard attempting to stop the projector drew his gun along with all Evan Empire Guards present in the room. They looked to the Emperor for direction. Behind him the Leader of The Department of Empire Intelligence was talking rapidly into his phone as Emperor Evan stood up infuriated: “Hold fire! The Augment has just performed an attack on the Evan Empire that will be considered an act of war and brought to the Imperial Senate. As for this meeting, I see that all attempts for civility have been compromised, my secretary will arrange for each of your departures. And should any of you attempt military action against the Cyberiad Council you will have the Evan Empire to deal with. Good day.”. The Emperor then walked back to Leader of the Department of Empire Intelligence and whispered “Find that source” before leaving.

[IOTA Corp]

"I think that went well," Agnew, who had remained seated throughout the tense ordeal, said to no one in particular.

[Blizatine]

@IOTA Corp

"I think that went well," Agnew, who had remained seated throughout the tense ordeal, said to no one in particular.

Emperor Lexam Reconlaf,

Honestly, I'd give it a six out of ten, I mean who doesn't like an unexpected hack at a crucial time. Before we go, I think we've all made our position clear, so what's yours?

[IOTA Corp]

Honestly, I'd give it a six out of ten, I mean who doesn't like an unexpected hack at a crucial time. Before we go, I think we've all made our position clear, so what's yours?

"Unfortunately, The IOTA Corporation will not be able to lend military aid to its ally; however, we will remain neutral in our stance. The Panopticon is of no concern to us at the present time." As he was speaking, Agnew had stood up, buttoned his suit, and began to walk calmly toward the door. "Oh," Agnew paused in the doorway and looked back to the Blizatine Emperor. "It really is a bad policy to mingle with terrorist." Agnew then continued his exit, guards in tow.

[Blizatine]

Agnew left the room leaving only two ambassadors remaining, the Emperor smiled at the CEO's comment and mused to himself

One man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

The Emperor sighed and relaxed back into his chair.

Columbus, we get the data?

Columbus was checking data on his device, he flipped through a couple screens and said,

Yes, the leak was transferred directly to the Empire

The Emperor nodded, he pulled out some paper from his bider and wrote a quick thank you note to Emperor Evan for holding the meeting, sealed it in a letter, addressed it, and threw it on the table.

Good, alright get me in contact with this Augment group. Your Supreme Overlord, I wish you luck. Columbus call our ravens out, we're going home. Oh and get me general Takahoshi I have a great idea.

With that the Emperor and his posse got up and exited the building.

[The Cyberiad Council]

As the Blizatine Emperor and his entourage were exiting the capital building, they noticed a cellphone lying face up on the ground with a bow tied around. A tag read, "To Emperor Reconlaf". After picking it up he noticed the Augment's insignia on the back...