SCMR Chpt 106

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==Chapter 106 - Self Configuring Modular Robot==
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Nelson watched..
A man scream blood as he died, and he felt sick.
This was more potent than the Elbar Declaration. This was more potent than the treaty DeChevalier signed with the Kowloonese in 2770, where the SLDF pledged to protect Kowloon's sovereignty.
It was certainly more visceral than the Voice of the Great Father promising peace.
On the screen, Aleksandr Kerensky watched in horror on one image, as Tranh Truk Ngo fell into the final stage of his illness trying to convince the General not to leave on Exodus....and damning him for doing it.
"These records..."
"We didn't give the HPG back to the Ministry until after the treaty of 2794 brought Kowloon into the Lyran Commonwealth-by then, we had the only copy." Patrick said, "Marjie didn't trust Blake as far as she could throw the man...and Marjie Ngo was a size petite from the Sithers-Nghien stations, she had to have a support frame to walk in normal gravity."
"If the other Khans see this..." Elam was at a loss.
"Kind of tough to take, isn't it??" the Duke asked, "Doesn't fit the legend you grew up on."
"No, it does not."
"Let's pick your souvenir, Khan Elam, you can parade that around without...well, for the most part, without disrupting your whole civilization...then again. You're willing to pretend you forgot about my question in the city."
Nelson shuddered. "Aff...it was genocide." he said. "Our ancestors voted to commit genocide." he looked at the ancient document, "Including men that signed this...declaration."
"Yeah. They did." Ngo said, "You know what the great thing about the past, our distant ancestors, is?"
"What?"
"They're our distant ancestors. We don't have to make the same mistakes over-and-over again...or keep making the same mistakes."
"You are making a point."
"Natalie Breen." Ngo said, "She is currently on a mission of murder, hunting people for being distantly related to the ones your ancestor voted to genocide...people who weren't even there. People who never even heard of The Clans are going to be murdered for something their direct line ancestors weren't even involved with...you've got colleagues out testing civilians for DNA pairings that have thirty generations' separation from whatever happened in the Clan Homeworlds. They're gonna kill those people if they find them...is that who you want to be?" he nodded to the document, "Is that why you want that document? Or do you just want it to complete a collection of trophies that won't mean anything to the next generation, because the values those trophies represent aren't upheld?"
"More of your culture?"
"More like integrity, Khan Elam." Patrick stated, "You either act on your beliefs or you don't believe in them. Word was given, will you make it good??" Pat met his eyes through ferroglass faceplates. "The Rimjobs usually stopped at the third generation when they ran programs, we're thirty generations in. Is that the values you want to be remembered for?"
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