I, NICOLE

[Navrin]

Yes, the other regional leaders each had one other person from their region with them in the lodge. Most of who also being a member of that leader's specific cell, although having a member of another cell in the same region or even just someone from their respective regions is also possible.

Normally, Rotor would be there with Sally, doing what Nicole is doing, but he stayed behind to be the Freedom Fighters' liaison officer to the Kingdom of Acorn as well as rear technical support.

Click to shrink...

Very interesting, thank you.

And Nicole is not even a month old yet! She's just a baby (goddess)! Give her time to get her footing!

Click to shrink...

She did decide to eat burned cookies even when told not to and came to a conclusion about her preferences there, so I suppose I was underrating her to some degree. Is some of her problem that each of the minds that became the current her had very different priorities and methods so she's mostly been stuck with inaction while she tries to figure out what's best even for small things? (And possibly not having worked out that listing the "acceptable" options and then using an RNG to pick one can often be better than inaction - and if, after the RNG does its thing if she's disappointed she knows to change the action)

Somewhat related: How coherent is her gender identity? Are there different ideas about what being a woman means clashing? Does Rotor's contribution make a muddle of things?

 

[Tangent]

I, NICOLE
Yet another amalgamated mind SI fic by Tangent!
In which I infect Nicole the Digital Lynx!
Oh, and give Sally and Rotor issues of their own…

O o O o O​

Location: The Community Lodge, Haven, Angel island.

Of course, the transition from a collection of loosely aligned and semi-isolated resistance cells into a more structured organization was going to take more than just the one sitting, and might even require more than one summit before everything was properly finalized into something everyone agreed with. I greatly resisted the urge to try to optimize the process, taking the lesson of my predecessor, the Source of All, to heart.

Well, technical predecessor anyway, as from the perspective of the Outsider part of me, the source of all was an advisory tool essentially attached to House Acorn, and I was essentially a tool for Princess Sally of House Acorn. So, subjectively similar in some respects, but entirely different in others.

For one thing, SoA seemed to be stuck in "Nation Builder" mode, which would explain why it consistently picked aggressive and expansionistic advisors such as Kodos Lion, Ixis Naugus and Dr. Julian Robotnik. I, on the other digital appendage, would greatly prefer that my charge continue to exercise her critical thinking skills.

So, no, I refrained from trying to influence anything about how the Free Nations Coalition formed as the various leaders, Sally included, debated on everything from the preamble to the charter.

Well, I mostly refrained from trying to influence anything at the summit, but as the first session was winding down, an opportunity arose that I simply could not let pass me by.

Archimedes tapped his staff against the wooden floorboards, the sharp clack-clack bringing the side-chatter of the regional leaders to a halt.

"A fine skeleton we have built today," the Fire Ant said, his voice warm and resonant. "We have defined who we are and how we stand. But a coalition that exists only to exist is a hollow thing. Before we adjourn, I open the floor to the concerns of the world. What are the 'impossible' tasks that have been held back by the walls between our cells? What is the first great weight we shall lift together?"

He leaned back on his staff, leaving the invitation hanging in the air.

Sally opened her mouth to speak—likely to suggest a tactical audit of the Borderlands—but before she could, I stepped forward.

I didn't wait for a nod or an invitation. I wasn't speaking for anyone but myself and did not need permission. I walked to the center of the floor, my eyes sweeping across the gathered leaders and their seconds and/or assistants, even Sally, with a clinical, focused intensity. Here and now, they were a parliament of equals and I could show none favor over another if I wanted to get my point across.

With a flick of my wrist, again mostly for show because presentation was everything, I swept the political map aside and replaced it with a Complex Logistical Flowchart and a map of proposed Sanctuary Zones.

"I have a proposal," I began, holding my voice steady and echoing with what I hoped would come across with serious weight. "The FNC exists because isolation was our greatest weakness. But even with our new unity, we face a humanitarian crisis we cannot simply 'blast' our way through: The Deroboticization Logjam."

I highlighted a series of data-points representing liberated Robians across Mobius.

"Dr. Robotnik was a master of systemic cruelty. He stole an experimental medical technology and subverted it with the aim of swiftly conscripting unpaid laborers and soldiers with a device originally intended to save lives, not subjugate them. The Roboticizer. He then produced model variants with offset frequencies and distributed them randomly among his forces, and in doing so he ensured that even if a cell captured a deroboticizer, it would only work on a fraction of their people. Currently, we have thousands of liberated Robians stuck as mechanical beings—not because we lack the technology to reverse the process, but because we lack the Organization to match the victim to the specific hardware that changed them."

I leaned over the holographic table, my eyes locking onto each of theirs in turn.

"I am proposing the first official FNC humanitarian mission: The Global Registry and Restoration Pipeline."

I called up an image of a flow chart titled as The Signature Database. "We have the opportunity to create a comprehensive technical registry. Every liberated Robian who desires it can have their mechanical signature scanned. We will cross-reference these against the known 'frequency dialects' of captured roboticizers from every region."

I gave that a moment to sink in, then replaced the image with one labeled with Strategic Relocation. "Instead of trying to move delicate machinery of various size and mass through war zones, we use the FNC's logistics network to move the people to the tools. We match the specific Robian signature to the regional hub holding the exact hardware calibrated to counter it. No more guesswork, and no more failures from mismatched frequencies."

I was on a bit of a roll as I called up a hologram of the proposed architecture. "The FNC must fund and defend dedicated Sanctuary Hubs. These won't be military bases; they will be specialized facilities for psychological and physical support, as well as post-derobotization rehabilitation. They will serve as the arrival points for Robians who finally have a destination, as well as recovery clinics for those who need to readjust to once again having normal lives."

I wasn't done yet, as there was one last issue to address with my presentation: the Safety Filter. "These hubs will also perform vital medical audits. We must identify those whose organic bodies can no longer sustain life without their mechanical components. We cannot offer a restoration that results in a funeral. We owe them safety, not just a sentiment."

O o O o O​

The room fell into a heavy, contemplative silence. Nicole didn't step back; She stood her ground at the center of the council, waiting for them to catch up to the scale of her vision.

Jack Rabbit leaned in, his usual smirk gone. "You're talking about building hospitals for the tin-men. Real ones. With specialized gear."

Lupe nodded slowly, a look of profound respect in her eyes. "A path home. Not a miracle, but a map."

Sally watched her partner with a mixture of surprise and pride. Her 'PDA' had just laid out a global healthcare infrastructure plan without being asked.

Archimedes let out a soft chuckle, his mandibles clicking. "It seems the first great weight has been chosen. Does the Coalition accept the task?"

Nicole adjusted the holographic display, the technical data smoothing out into a clean, professional proposal.

"To be clear," Nicole said, her voice cutting through the rising murmurs of the council. "This is not an overnight fix. Robotnik's industrial-scale cruelty requires an industrial-scale response. We are not just talking about machines; we are talking about generators, manufacturing chains for replacement parts, and dedicated medical transit."

She looked directly at the regional leaders, her gaze finally landing on Sally, who was still wearing a look of stunned realization.

"The FNC should not force any region to host these facilities. It must be a voluntary commitment of resources and territory." Nicole paused, her digital eyes flickering with a calculated spark. "However, given Prince Regent Elias's recent mandates regarding the restoration of the Great Forest and his commitment to the veterans of the Great War, I am prepared to formally recommend that the Kingdom of Acorn host the first pilot hub. I am confident that once the data is presented to the Regency, the Kingdom will provide the necessary infrastructure to begin the Signature Mapping Project."

"Any member nation that joins this network—providing the space and security for a Sanctuary—will receive full access to the Global Signature Database and the training required for their own technical staff to operate the equipment. We don't just want one clinic in the forest; we want a network of healing that spans the globe."

The room was deathly quiet. This wasn't a "magic wand" moment; it was a project manager pitching a multi-year public works project.

"You're not just asking for a vote," Jack Rabbit said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "You're asking for a budget. You're asking us to build something that doesn't shoot back."

"I am asking you to build something that makes the shooting unnecessary," Nicole corrected. "Every Robian we restore is a worker Snively loses and a family we win back. It is a non-military objective that proves the Free Nations Coalition can be more than just a glorified PMC."

Lupe stood up, her hand resting on the table. She looked at Nicole with a profound, newfound respect. "A path home that doesn't rely on luck. The Wolf Pack supports the initiative. We will provide the first scanning teams for the North."

Sally watched her partner, her heart racing. Nicole hadn't asked permission because she didn't need it—she had identified a fundamental truth and laid it bare. By publicly assuming Elias would agree, Nicole had effectively guaranteed it; her brother could hardly say 'no' to a global healing initiative without looking like a tyrant. Not that he'd want to say no anyway. Not to something like this.

It was a brilliant, "Reasonable" political trap.

A bit rude to just spring this on her without any warning, but it came across as all the more genuine because Sally was reacting to the proposal at the same time as all the other leaders.

And Nicole was right - Elias would love this. An opportunity to do something important and lasting that was an unambiguous good? He'd jump on this project in a heartbeat.

 

[Navrin]

Cheers for Nicole. Definitely something very worthwhile to do. Also very good that consent is actively sought rather than assumed. I'm proud of her deciding this is something she wanted to have accomplished and figured out a means of achieving it.