Tu Shanshu

Hey, everybody. I'm turning... twenty one? Twenty two? Have we decided how we're counting that year in the Dreaming yet?

Anyway, I'm having a party at my place. Everybody's welcome. Even if you don't like me, I do have a lot of ice cream. Just putting that out there.

[Attached is his address in the Sky Sector, and the date and time.

Some Foreigners – specifically, Aya, Raine, Jackie, Bucky, Valdis, Danny, Sonja and Miles – will also receive individual texts, consisting of an ASCII art birthday cake, a smiley face, and a link to this video message. Cute.]

[It's been a while since Tony's made a public broadcast on the network. He doesn't look harried or frustrated now: this time he has good news. His eyes are gleaming with excitement, and he seems very pleased with himself.]

I've got an announcement for anybody who's interested in technology and engineering - kedan and foreigners. I've been working with the College to put together a community space in the Sky Sector. Sort of like a... library, for practical engineering. It'll have cutting-edge equipment, all kinds of tools, tons of space to mess around in, and even some basic supplies for anyone to use.

Tech's developing really fast in Keeliai, and it'll develop even faster if we collaborate and pool our knowledge and resources. This will be a place where we can do that. Where everyone can learn at their own pace, on their own schedule, and work on the projects they're interested in. With the situation with Tu Vishan and the Chihuelans... I think it's important for everyone to have a chance to contribute.

So, it's open to anyone. It's free to use for anyone at the College and students get first dibs, but if you're not enrolled here and you still want to get in on it, there's just a monthly membership fee to cover operating costs. I'll do my best to keep plenty of membership slots available. [He grins.] It's a lot cheaper than buying all your own equipment. Also, for people who want a private workspace, there's going to be some that you can rent by the month.

There'll be a bunch of classes, too. The advanced courses have a small fee, plus some money for supplies, but the basic courses will be free for students and members. I'll even be running some free courses open to the public. [Not something that will earn the College any money directly, but it'll be good for community goodwill, and encourage donations and new members.]

Just clean up after yourself, take care of the tools, and replace the supplies you use. And sign up for things early: there may be waiting lists for classes and workspaces. [He'd hate to turn people away, since that's sort of against the principle of the whole thing, but, sadly, his time and resources are not infinite.]

I'll be working full-time, maintaining the equipment and teaching a lot of the classes. When I'm not busy with those, I'll be available to help people one-on-one. I'm also looking for a couple people who can be around to watch things when I'm not there, so we can keep the doors open twenty-four-seven.

[And now that he's covered the basics, his expression turns a little more serious.]

Technology in Keeliai shouldn't just be used for profit or politics: it should be used to make everyone's lives better. We should be sharing with each other and learning from each other and building new things, not just fighting over what we have. That's what this is all about.

If you're looking to make a profit, you're better off at SI. [A case of pot meet kettle if there ever was one, but Tony's not above taking a few well-earned digs at his former company. Anyway, he's always been in favor of technology for the greater good: it's just the "not-for-profit" aspect that's new to him.] Most of the stuff we work on in the classes will be for the College and other public institutions. And anything that gets made here, the patent [not a concept with a direct translation into kedanese, but the translation magic will convey the gist of it] belongs to the College. That's not to cheat anyone out of their inventions or anything like that - it's so that everyone can use and build on any advances we make.

This will be a place for foreigners and kedan to work together to make Keeliai a better place for everyone. If you want to be a part of that... You know where to find me. [He grins again, and ends the feed.]

[Malicant has made his move, and Tony has decided that it's time for the Foreigners to step up their game. Starting with their communication network. As Bakura demonstrated, the consoles are no longer safe from Malicant's prying eyes (if they ever have been).

After a marathon troubleshooting session with Akito, Tony has also concluded that if a truly secure secondary network is going to happen any time soon, there's going to need to be a lot more people working on it. His time and resources are stretched thin, and he needs help.]

The consoles are not secure. I don't know if anywhere is, but we can actually do something about the consoles, at least. I know there've been some attempts to encrypt the console traffic and a couple false starts at a secondary network. I think it's time to get down to business and get a fully independent secure mobile network up and running, as soon as possible.

Magic is too susceptible to influence, so this network is going to be strictly technological. Pure tech and heavy encryption give us the best chance of shutting out our nosy neighbor.

If you have any expertise with radio, electronics, or telecommunications - anything that might be helpful - get in touch. Engineering, physics, cryptography... Hell, if you worked a summer job in IT. I want you here at Stark Industries.

Also, if any foreigners from higher-tech worlds brought any stuff along with them that they don't mind giving up, I'd like to take a look at it. Electronic devices like cell phones would be the best. A lot of post-industrial-revolution consumer goods contain minerals and compounds that are hard to get a hold of here, and we'll need as much of those as we can get.

And one more thing: I've put together a dozen... self-defense devices. Nothing big, but enough to give you a few seconds if you're in a tight spot. Distributing them to the turtle parents is the top priority, but if there are any left over, it's first come first serve. If you want one, meet me at SI and I'll give you the rundown here.

[private to ALL TURTLE PARENTS]

The fewer people are bonded to each turtle, the more vulnerable they are. Protecting the turtles means protecting their parents, so you all get first dibs on the toys. Anyone who's interested, send me a message and I'll set one aside. And come to SI as soon as you can.

[private to AYA, RICHIE FOLEY, CLARK KENT, DONATELLO, and MIKE WESTON]

I'm contacting you all specifically because I know you have tech skills or because Aya told me that you've worked on the secondary network in the past. We need you in on this.


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((ooc: For the sake of security, Tony will only be describing the self-defense gadgets in person. Anyone who comes to SI to claim one will be given the following information:

There are six aversive devices [remaining: 4]. They consist of a slightly concave hemisphere - sort of like a very thick-walled bowl - that fits in the hand. They work on a principle similar to the Active Denial System. When they are held with the concave side facing out, and a button on the side is pressed, they emit a ten-second burst of radiation that, while harmless, causes immediate and intense discomfort to any person standing in range. Anyone without extreme magic- or drug-enhanced pain insensitivity will be compelled to move out of range. The area of effect is a wide cone that extends out about thirty feet. Each device has enough power for two bursts before it must be recharged.
[claimed by: Enjolras, Annabeth]

There are six force field generators [remaining: 5]. These are devices are disk-shaped, with about the same dimensions as a restaurant pager. Press the large button on top, and they will generate a transparent force field bubble about six feet in diameter. The field lasts about six seconds under ideal conditions, but may collapse sooner than that if it is interacting with a lot of matter (e.g., if the person holding it is swimming, or in tall, dense grass). The field can be moved, and will remain centered on the device when in motion (in other words, you can run with it). Each device has enough power to generate one force field before it must be recharged.
[claimed by: Raine]

Both devices can be recharged at any console, or at Stark Industries.))