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Comic 178 - Two weeks later..
Author Notes:
Simon 3d
Gloves exist. So does foundation makeup. If it comes down to it, cosmetic surgery to remove and replace the synthetic skin. For that matter, anyone who sees her and doesn't already know what's going on won't really know what the tattoo's for, if they even notice it in the first place. It's not the Scarlet Letter, it's a nightclub hand stamp.
I find this to be a glorious example of bureaucratic dumbness.
These are some really nice environment shots.
SHakes head sadly.. sighs
Maybe she can get a skin transplant later on to remove it...
I clench my teeth in anger when I look at crap like that. Pisses me off. Packaging doesn't matter to me, sentience does.
Poor Galina. At first I thought it took that long for her to wake up...
And yeah, I would not have allowed the tattoo - even if I did not mind - it sets a precedence for all later androids who do not have a choice.
*hugs Galina many times*
That was not a good choice, Galina...
She looks so sad in panel 3 looking at that tattoo...
*hugs her some more...*
"nor did they for several hundred years :/"
Do they ever gain the right to refuse such markings? What about the androids in Datachasers? Aren't they -all- required to have a tatoo or some sort of radio ID transponder or something to identify themselves? We've seen examples of both in the story.
Even if New Troy has exemptions, I'm sure those manufactured in Nova Roma requires such. We aren't shown much of New Sparta, but wouldn't Luna androids have always-on transponders, if not manufacturer markings?
Hmm... what about the Europa Combine? Does Europe manufacture many androids? Or do they mostly import / immigrate?
There are usually "manufacturer marks" on new androids, placed unobtrusively; they're viewed as simply "birthmarks" by most androids. When you can swap bodies at will (finances permitting), being so marked is pretty much a non-issue. Similarly, transponders can be disabled, removed, or simply shielded.
Europe does manufacture androids, but we haven't delved too deeply into the details there yet in the process of worldbuilding.
So, Copenhagen / Scandinavian androids would be fairly similar to New Troy models, I think, except they would have an improved bio package, including the ability to sweat and excrete smells and even fabricated pheromones, for increased stimilus during intimate relationships.
This also means that in general, Copenhagen/Scandinavian androids are more Bio-Happy than the average New Troy model, simply because their package offers more. Oddly enough, Copenhagen/Scandinavian bio-packages are actually cheaper than the New Troy equivalents, for reasons unknown - Though most expect it to be because they have delved deeper into the mysteries of bio-engineering.
As far as identification goes, there is only one required by law, which is a serial number stamped into their skull, spine and femur, so that the body can be identified in case of a catastrophic event.
Most have adopted the New Troy tradition of very colorful eyes and/or hair. But the main method of casual identification is their internal transponder / comm-relay, which can be turned off if need be - Though it is very rarely done ... and in a few cases, it might even be considered rude to do so!
Apart from that, there's almost no mechanical difference, except for a more advanced knowledge standard package in areas of Bio-tech, recycling, filtering and green energy - Which makes them better adapted to the average job in copenhagen - And also a few internal filters are significantly improved along with a cleaner power source, which means significant longer running time between services.
Also, Copenhagen androids usually have a lifespan of almost 200 years, but are also produced in much smaller numbers due to severe lack of raw materials - Particularly metals. This may sound like a long time, but humans in Copenhagen live almost 160 years on average, due to advanced Bio-Tech.
This means that the few Copenhagen androids that are around, tend to be very well known, almost to the point of being legendary, especially the ones who work in the bodyguard business - Nothing says legendary better than someone who have survived long enough to acumulate 200 years of wasteland experience. They also tend to be both extremely well learned, experienced and rather cautious, and are very careful about binding themselves to someone else, almost shy even.
Once they do, however, they are very loyal.
Some people say that a Copenhagen android cannot be bought, only befriended.
It's also extremely rare for a Copenhagen android to change body due to fashion, they simply don't have the raw materials for it and while the bio package is cheap, the metal "skeleton" is more expensive than a New Troy "skeleton".
... uhm ...
I think I'm done rambling.
Sorry for the wall of text.
I've never met any of the scoundrels who are behind Datachasers IRL.
Also, I tend to ramble on a bit, once I get going. So obviously, Centcomm can just say "Nope, that's not how it works" or "Yeah, that sounds about right" at the drop of a hat - She can choose to take inspiration from what I rambled about, or ... not.
... now I almost feel like having to add a disclaimer to my ramblings.
Do I have to add disclaimers ?
Very unpractical, that is.
(BTW: If the judges used the term "normal human" by way of comparison, that'd be interesting. It implies she's merely a different kind of human.)
On the surface, she is indestinguishable from a human in almost every way. Even talking with her won't reveal her nature. That has to scare the fecal matter out of a lot of people. Consider the recent political climate, especially with the wars on Terra and the strained relations and paranoia on Luna. They'd be worried about the possibility of android assassins and spies. And sentient andriods are so new that I bet many haven't even heard of them. Consider, also, how those war robots seemed to go rogue on Terra and killed all those civilians.
But it sounds like a lot of them missed the relevance: If she even thinks and acts so closely to a 'normal human' that they'd have a real difficulty noticing anything out of the ordinary, maybe she's more human than android?
On the one hand, I'm disappointed that they gave her the label "android" instead of just calling her an artificial human. It carries a -lot- of connotation and stereotypes, including (as we've seen) the implication that she's a robot or machine. On the other hand, this label does have her paving the way for android rights.
Galina looks a little different here. Her face looks a little more mature (to me). Her hair is different too. :-)
Just curious: Earth in the background really looks like one of those pictures from the ISS - down to the smallest details. Is it a rendering, or did you use a real photograph?
ID codes suck. ID codes printed into your exposed skin suck *more*. I guess the court wanted her to be recognizable as an "artificial" life form, not just by mandated authorities (they could use the equivalent of a RFID chip for that), but by *everyone* and at first sight... which sucks, as I said.
Galina acted wisely agreeing to the request, however I just hope she is not going to regret her decision.
Gali was making a tradeoff .. and yeah heres hoping it does not bite her :D
Still I don't think it is a good idea for Galina to 'allow' them to brand her even if it can be removed later.
Very little good has come from 'mandated' tattoos. The Jews under the Nazi regime, slaves (throughout history), gladiators, criminals (also throughout history)... generally all those that were considered 'rightless'. Not a good precedence for Galina. Guess she isn't as big a history buff. Bummer about that.
If the entities that wanted her branded knew what they were doing, it wouldn't be possible to remove. The code would be imprinted into the DNA and would come back if the skin was removed. Doesn't sound like they went that route though.
Sure the tattoo can be abused but so can any and all of the above.
And who is to say someone won't pass a law that bans gloves or using make-up on the hands. :-7 Or using make-up at all, if you aren't a FULL human. Don't start down that slope is the best advice I think.
movies and such do a similar thing with "matte shots" where a enviroment is used with the charcters to reduce both workload or get a shot .. I tried to render this shot .. but honestly the shot looked far far better combining the ISS shot with the station and grounds the image in something we all know.
That "whoa" factor is what really pleases me :D
It did stop the show, for me... for at least a moment or two or who knows for sure... :-D