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Senate: VOTING Senate Proposal #116 - Consciousness Ownership Act

Koyama listened with patience, her countenance was unchanging at Mochi's words. She continued to stand tall, her hands had returned to be clasped behind her back. Her posture remained unmoved, her startlingly colored eyes observing the man as he spoke. He knew some of her moods and body language through observation. But this was different, she was not there as an officer or the woman he may know off duty. But as a royal and representative of her constituents. But in the capacity of helping guide the hand of billions, of representing the Imperial House. It was a burden few could shoulder. But she bore it.

At the end of his speech, the Senator of Jiyuu inclined her head. "I thank the Senator of Virginia for his words. However, I must regretfully stay the course in my seconding the motion to the committee for revision. This is not the end of the proposal, Senator Iemochi. However, you did provide an example of your own regarding the armies of Eihei that could be produced and thus partly agreed with the validity of my point. A Soul Savour Pod would not be necessary to accomplish this feat. Merely the tanks, and data on how to construct them or earlier iterations. I reiterate my statement that our civilian model, the Minkan can be weaponized. Or, used on its own at a civilian level.

It is impossible to not discuss these matters without taking into account how entwined Soul Transfer technology, Cloning, and Hemosynthetics the latter of which are considered restricted technology are involved with one another on an intimate and are irrevocably bound to one another. Said restricted technology need not be military in origin either but that of the State which I believe falls under the legal body of the senate.

It is to include concerns I have brought to light. My mentioning of Star Army was an example of several I have accumulated as I have downloaded the discussion before my arrival. It, however, is one of the more dangerous examples that should be taken quite seriously, however. As I have stated, our Soul Transfer technology is intrinsically tied to Hemosynthetics. Our lifeblood, our flesh, and bone.

"This is not merely a military matter, my fellow Senators. I have forewarned of one of the possibilities regarding one of your points, Senator Iemochi by providing instances of how a 'clone army' may be attained. It would be erroneous to believe it an impossibility for such a thing to occur," inwardly she had been cringing, her training being the only thing to keep her from a raw panic at standing before the men and women who helped with the stability of the Yamataian way of life. "After all, as you have mentioned, it may have already happened, and we have yet to know of it. Thus therein lie the danger."

One of her hands came forward, palm up, arm crooked as if she were holding something. "There is no such thing as perfection be it in law or life and there will be flaws regardless of where they may lay."

A small, pale finger then pointed downward, but the look did not change as she shifted her gaze from the Resurgence's science officer to everyone else, resting it on the Premier a moment then to everyone once again. "We must be thorough and diligent with this proposal. It lays a fine groundwork but cuts an even finer line, we must try to shutter any loopholes and illegalities that may spring from it. This is not purely on a military basis, what may occur within the Star Army is a Star Army matter for them to handle, but, from a civilian perspective, there are other means with which one may do such a thing and it get out of hand."

With a breath she ended her speech, "I continue to hold to my decision of seconding the motion. I have stated the merit and the flaws that I have found. However irrelevant one may see them be. They are there. They are very real and entirely possible." with a small bow, her arm retreated behind her back again.

"I thank the Premier for the chance of rebuttal."
 
Katsuko nodded in affirmation and then announced, "The motion to pass the bill into committee for amendment is passed. The honorable Senators will be permitted to submit changes or challenging bills to the original proposed by the Senator from Virginia." She then locked eyes with Mochi and said pointedly, "If anything your argument supports the fact that this bill is not even near ready to pass before this body of government." She then picked up her stack of datapads, "We will recess until proposals for changes or new proposals are submitted," she said in relief, the business, for now, was at least closed. She was very interested to see how the process continued and smiled to herself.

"Thank you Senators for appearing today to take part in this process, in an advisory and guided through Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Himiko I of Yamatai," she said in closing. "Until next time..."
 
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Senator Takagawa, after meeting with the objectors, submitted a revised version of the bill to the amending committee that satisfied or compromised all of their objections. Labeled "Proposal #116-A, Amendements to the Consciousness Ownership Act," she entered it into the docket with a note that it also contained her structural revisions to the instrument itself.

 
Katsuko turned to the next matter of business, "Senators, the honorable Senator Takagawa has submitted an amendment proposal to proposal #116, it is now before you as Proposal #116-A. Let us please take a look at this amendment so we can proceed forwards, if required, for another vote on the matter."
 
The folowing text was added: "In no instance will the creation of a limited fork for evidentiary purposes be made in violation of any other law or statute."
 
Mochi nodded, having read the Amendment to the original Proposal. "It seems scaled back in scope from the original Proposal, and I hope that puts minds at ease." He spoke, scanning the text again, "I like a lot of the safeguards, but I think a few may be overly restrictive. The current ban on organic cloning only applies to Humans, does this Amendment seek to expand that to a total ban on any non-sexual reproduction other than the production of Nekos?"

The Elysian ran a couple of fingertips through his blonde hair, "Of course, as always, this is only going to be binding on civilians and not Star Army personnel on duties, so we don't need to go over that again. However there are some parts of the bill that mention the Star Army, which as I'm sure everyone knows by now is not bound by our laws."

The Senator ruffled his wings absentmindedly, "You mention skills and personality potentially being separate from memories. Does this mean that knowledge transfer via telepathy or other means is exempt, but transfer of memories is not? Does it restrict people who want to create sapient AIs with skills for a purpose?"

"Authorised entities may need some distinction between whether it applies to those who were the target of the backup, or people beyond that."

He looked over to Senator Takagawa. "I must say, the rest of the Amendment seems very comprehensive. Well done for your diligence in writing this the way you have. I hope I don't come off like I'm being overly critical, I'd just like some further clarity on these areas."
 
Hitomi nodded. "Thank you, Senator. Much of what you mentioned were mere oversights. Steward, I would like to further refine this amendement before a vote given the feedback, and withdraw my amendment from voting status until then. The revision period is now open again, with your leave, Steward."
 
For a select group that knew, the most inflammatory person in the crowd was Miyamae Eriko. YE 30 had been the year of the original legislation. YE 30 had also been the year she had been the commander of a Star Army base attacked by Mishhuvurthyar. Only after Eriko had resurrected, beaten, broken, learned of her deceit, and killed her CO did Yamatai see a need to discuss the morality of consciousness, ownership, and the acts that can happen therein. She had seen it pertinent to arrive today after having done so much to cause the people in this room the need to speak on it now. Did she regret what she did to Miho?

Her eyes flitted to Katsuko and pain sparked behind them, making her square jaw clench and pop with the bitter memory of what sparked this adjournment almost 15 YE ago.

Miho whispered, "I wonder, will they kill you, your daughter, or Katsuko first?"
Eriko sniffed. “Not while I still draw breath.” And with that she jammed a double dose of Agony straight into Miho’s spine, whispering all the while: “I’m sorry, Miho. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry for everything that you think we did and everything I didn’t do to help you. And I’m so sorry for doing this. All of it.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes and activated the SPINE locking unit; ... “Now tell me what I want…”
Click to expand...

No... she didn't regret a thing save for making everyone come together and talk about it... How many times now? She sniffed as she had before ending Miho, before ending her career, before sitting here today listening to the point so far removed. She dabbed at her eyes and felt sorry for them all; but she also felt hope for them all, too. It was hard to raise her dewy eyes to look back up at the senators, but she did.

Sachiko was sitting near her, thinking way more objectively. It was a given as Sachiko had never rezzed a Nekovalkryja for the purposes of torture like Miyamae.
 
It had been Hitomi's job, as a newly-commissioned officer and SAINT Operative, to watch the United Outer Colonies collapse from the inside out, a task whose heavy toll on her led to an immediate retirement, for the first time, once the duty was finished. And now here she stood, representing the people she once spied upon. If she had noticed who was in the crowd, she gave no sign, to either Eriko or Katsuko that she had.
 
“Nekovalkyrja, Senator.” The Senator of Jiyuu stated from where a volumetric representation of the woman stood, “In Yamataigo, as I am certain you are aware… 'Neko' merely means ‘Cat’.” her voice was calm. He had his hangups on being called a Birdman, and Koyama had them being merely called a ‘cat’. She knew she had a mother, but also knew her kind was capable of self-reproduction, sexual, or simply having a ‘Contributor’, the genetic material of a willing person. A sample of hair, blood, and or saliva.

"I do have a question, Senator Takagawa, if you would indulge me, the Senator of Virginia's question piqued my interest. We are capable of reproduction via several methods. Cloning, Sexual, Self, and Contribution via something as simple as a hair, skin, or blood sample. Contribution being consensual does not technically fall under... sexual congress. A mere willing exchange of genetic material. Would this impact those of us borne of a contributor considering it is still of an intimate, if non-sexual nature?"

Steward Gushiken, seated just to the side of the Premier, offering the barest of nods, “The Senator of the Koukotsu System withdraws voting status of her amendment to Proposal #116 Does the Senator desire to set a time period?”

The older Neko then shifted her carnelian eyes to the Senator of Jiyuu, the edges of her eyes tightening ever so slightly. A subtle warning. Even after all these years since her service with the now-destroyed Tenth Fleet, the young woman was still a bit of a firebrand. But, at least she seemed to get the message, and have gone quiet.
 
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Hanako looked over the bill again and said, "Most of this seems reasonable, but I would like to see item three changed to allow the modification of backups, with consent of the individual in question. For example traumatic events or secure passwords may need to be removed by medical or military services," she said. "Other than that I'd vote yes for it."
 
Hitomi nodded as Hanako spoke. "The bill allows deletion, but not modification, specifically for medically and security purposes, and must leave the individual with the knowledge that something was deleted. I will make the language more clear if that is enough. As a former intelligence operative and police officer, I feel that allowing outright modification, or any instance where the individual is aware nothing at all changed, has serious implications for security and order, but am open to counterargument."
 
"I suppose people could get all the modifications are done 'live' and then save a new copy, although that could have risks," Hanako conceded. "Kind of like editing code in production."
 
"Indeed, Senator, the bill does allow for pre-modification archiving, an exception to the rule that multiple backups need to be kept current."
 
"And, to answer your question, Steward, I believe that falls under my efforts to clarify and strengthen the language with regards to species with natural asexual or parthenogenic reproduction." She nodded back to the Imperial Steward, collecting her tablet and the handwritten pen-and-paper she was fond of using.
 
Katsuko remained quiet, present of course in the Senate Chamber remotely during her trip to Jiyuu. Her kimono that day was well composed with printed designs of orchids and hummingbirds - a quiet and subtle reminder of things she was very fond of. She awaited the addition of voices and the speeches of the other senators in regard to the amendments made by Hitomi - if there were any, however, the Senator had requested more time. Hopefully, this proposal would get back to voting soon. "Senator Takagawa, please take the time you need for further revisions," she finally said.

The Premier had been oddly quiet, almost completely in her own analytical mode since the press release of the Senator from Virginia. "We will adjourn until the modifications are brought back before this body," she stated. Things were moving again at least.
 
Sachiko was forward in her thoughts as she began by looking at Hitomi, "Your hard work is appreciated. Several changes have been made and in doing so, the forum for communication has ensured that the collective has created something thoughtful in theory and likely useful in practice. When the proposal is ready once more, I too will be ready on behalf of the suzerainty of Xiuluria."

Quietly and off records, Sachiko said to herself, "Though I don't speak for all elves present here today. She bears that responsibility with grace, though." Her opalescent eyes had fallen to the bright, intelligent, capable woman who she had heard of as simply "Sami" for years amongst her kind.

The votes coming in had made Eriko uncross her legs and stand with a click of her heels to leave.

((EDIT: I didn't see adjournment, made minor edits))
 
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