I served in the Homeworld War. I was at the second Battle of the Yards. And I watched Gyr burn. At the time I was devastated. It was an attack without honor by a man who had none.
I always felt the Gyra were a good and decent people. They didn’t deserve this. And seeing so many on my ship die and watching an entire people’s planet boil, I found it hard to cope. In my time of darkness, I turned to the light. The Order of Dawn became a good part of my life.
When we look back at the Galactic League and it’s attempts to influence the direction of Phaelos III, we come across Princess Mos Lara Kan, Ancillary Consul of the Galactic League, attempting to influence things from afar.
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There is a lot being said about Android rights, in the moments leading up to the celebration imminent on New Gyr. I feel, however, that too many so-called activists don’t understand the realities involved in the debate. My aim is to clear that up, on the eve of the coming festivities.
One influential person during the early days of New Gyr, back when it was Phaelos III, was Ryl Nyr-Fan, representative of the 20 million Gyra refugees and member of the Silent Conversation.
She spoke to the colonists that Gyr was still a political force and sought to have the Gyra treated as a political entity and worthy of respect. She also requested that they be listened to.
Dear Editor, I think many people in the Android/AI rights debate are missing what this is ACTUALLY about. Let’s think for a moment: What’s the definition of an Android? We don’t call a robot arm […]
[START SPONSORED CONTENT] We all try to do our best to make the galaxy a better place. Even, sometimes, our corporate overlords at the Enterios Corporation (haha, I kid, I kid, of course they’re trying […]
The following letter is a response to the writer of A Soul Makes a Person, Not Artificial Intelligence: There are two simple questions you should consider. One: Do all living people have souls? Surely you have […]
HUMAN + MACHINE has just dropped two new EPs, “MANIFESTO” and “MATTER OF WATER”! The enigmatic band will be playing next at Voyage Point, New Gyr, for the planet’s 30 year anniversary! Matter of Water […]
Dear Editor,
I remember a time when Robotics research held the lofty goal of easing human labor and creating better tools, not fashioning “people”. Now, it seems, the Galaxy has gone mad and we are asking ourselves if we want to give human status to machines – to tools, mind you.
Rumblings from law enforcement in the outer colonies indicate that a new designer drug has been observed hitting the black market. Named “Coral”, it is seen as the next wave of kite. At the moment […]
The following was written by current Speaker Arlanna Ryf-av:
As we begin to celebrate 30 years of this grand experiment, we must take the time to remember the person who put their heart, sweat, and mind toward first dreaming and then designing this celebration: Fen Ga-ryn, our speaker of nine years, almost a third of the time our new land has existed.
Editor,
All due respect to your last submitter, but they are so very, very wrong.
I too, was a first responder to Phaelos III, a service technician of sorts. And what your previous writer failed to mention was that in the first three days of habitation, not one, but THREE tables met their end.
The following is a message from Speaker Arlanna Ryf-av:
As Speaker of the Silent Conversation, I want to welcome all of you to our commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of New Gyr. We have worked hard to put together an event that recalls our past but looks towards the future; that reflects the diversity of our land and its people; and that emphasizes our commitments to inclusion and fair treatment of all – be they Innate, Evos, or Augment; be they Dawnlighter or Follower of the Tides. We are looking forward to a joyful, hopeful, peaceful celebration, and we hope that you all will join with us in that spirit.
Each morning I wake up and keep to a ritual. Shower. Dress. Coffee and a smoke outside the newsroom. Breakfast occurs somewhere in there, along with some chatting and the start of the workday.
But as I have my coffee and smoke, I take in the scene around me that many others in New Gyr take for granted each day. Green grass and trees toward one horizon. A breeze carries fresh salty spray from the other horizon. Above, a blue sky that kisses the ocean as the two meet in the distance.
The G9-45, Enterios’s latest and greatest in un-capped, fully autonomous androids, debuted in a limited sale on Ottsalia last week. Leveraging the most adaptable AI ever produced, it is capable of handling nearly all tasks formerly requiring a human user – completely eliminating the need for human labor, if you can afford the price tag. Though organic staff members may still oversee them in some workplaces, they will likely soon be replaced by robots.
There has been blood spilled. This war has spread to nearly all worlds and has resulted in dozens of duels. And now, dear reader, the war has reached New Gyr and our own very newsroom. Rest assured that I will stand with you on the side of that which is correct, which all peoples can agree is good and just. We will stand opposed to the Baryosi Comma!
The following are a summary of fines and punishments handed out recently for individuals found in violation of the laws of New Gyr: Punishments for Kite Bust outside Three Stone Harbor Assigned During a string […]
Humans are not machines, and machines are not humans. That’s just reality, and the HUMAN capability to feel empathy has nothing to do with it! New Gyr should indeed be a place of refuge, but granting human status to non-humans will not further that goal.
There is nothing greedy or complacent about using robots for labor that no human can safely do. Frankly, intelligence caps on androids may very well be preventing humans from being ruled by deathless cybermasters!
Two weeks ago, Baryosi citizen Emeka Chi’kelu was found guilty of the attempted assassination of two legitimate business people on Baryos. About three years ago, Chi’kelu attempted the assassination but their plot was foiled when an Ottsallian Purse animal of some interminant species began making noise (court records show both squawking and barking) which reveiled Chi’kelu’s presence.
After the failed plot, Chi’kelu fled to New Gyr to “lay low”, but they were discovered by the New Gyr Militia about two years ago based on a tip from a local informant.
It has been 30 years since the colonists of Phaellos III declared this world to be New Gyr, a place of safety and refuge for the lost and persecuted. To do this they had to rely on the values of empathy and understanding, reaching out to others who they previously feared or called enemies. Now, however, greed and complacency have lead us to put those same values to shame. All around us, every day, sentient Androids suffer in servitude and enforced ignorance due to an outdated legal definition that could be corrected with a few keystrokes.
