Having established themselves on Planet as an independent faction, the Freed Family of Homeservants inevitably drew the attention of other powers around them.
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The perfect operation.
There was no feeling, no experience to compare to executing the perfect crime.
Of course, data was merely information, and being a non-rival commodity, could knowledge truly be stolen?
Datajack Sinder Roze could feed that piece of information into the Data Angels' network of self-made philosophers and watch them argue it into oblivion later.
For now, a probe team assigned to infiltrate the Family of Freed Homeservants had just pulled the perfect heist. They were on their way back after downloading a full-system mainframe dump of the entire base. The team forwarded some preliminary findings, including backdoor infiltration access codes, all 'Bunny' terrain, contact, base and unit deployment maps, but the crown jewel of their operation, a full copy of the Bunny base network, would take days to even categorize and undoubtedly much longer to sift for encrypted secrets.
The few poor-quality, low-rez pics of their base showed what they had buried beneath the surface of Planet's soil. Not merely a dark, dank, burrow dug in the ground, this was a real base with schools, markets, a fully equipped infirmary, and even some rudimentary laboratories.
These human-hybrid creatures were none so stupid as they were expecting, and in almost every way, they had been grossly underestimated.
The Freed Family guards caught on to their infiltration quickly, chasing them in a full circuit of the base halls. There was plenty more to see, but the spies had to keep on the move, and even with distractions and traps to intervene, the guards found every terminal, every system that had been touched.
At first, Roze was convinced the team had thoroughly bungled their assignment, but this operation proved to be like no other. The computers were soft targets, but their guards could follow them by scent. The team made note that their guard dogs, not the literal canis domesticus, but canine-morphs all the same, weren't so good with computers, but with damned sensitive noses, it made for a relentless chase.
When pressed on how they outran canids, even morphs, it turned out that base security had never encountered this sort of internal threat before, and were completely unprepared. They were so fat and out of shape, the team had to stall more than once to keep the ruse going, letting the pirated com-node copy every last available byte into their portable media while they took an impromptu "tour" of the facility.
Patched into the communication suite of the infiltration team's ATV, Roze let them off, "Oh, those sort of 'dogs'. Surreal trippy poetic, kin to dodging Morgan's casino bouncers, wasn't it?"
Even the static in the connection couldn't hide the team leader's pride as he replied, "Flip'in weird, like a jazzy dream, barking behind us, practically nipping at our heels as we popped an access hatch to make our getaway. They don't like the outside air anymore than we do, but we had to leave the bug running, so they're going to find it for sure, sorry. Don't believe that 'dumb bunny' act, these critters are near smart as you and me and twang'in more sensitive."
Roze made note of it. Any other operations would have to account for their scents.
Team leader asked her after the pause, "Our datalink seems to be fritzing or something, so we can't transmit better quality. Must have broken in the excitement. We clear to head on home?"
Sinder laughed. There was no way a team at their level of experience would NOT have a backup for every member, much less not a backup among them.
They were lying to protect their own hides, of course, but for honor among thieves, it was an easily forgivable sin. The discovery would be a faction relations headache, but the data they carried would be worth it, making it easier to manipulate this upstart 'Family', or, worst case, forewarn them of war.
Placating the angry leader of an entire faction, even one as seemingly innocuous and nonthreatening as Marlia Lagossi was not a task for the feint-hearted.
"Bring it on in," she affirmed, reassuring them, "We got hot meals and some hot new projects for you to crack when you get here. Start writing up a looky-booky for other teams out there and leave chilling those big red ears to me."
He laughed with relief, saluted and cut the link.
Sinder was positively itching to dig thru that data! It was a little disappointing to have to wait, but this was going to warrant a very long, very detailed and very valuable debriefing.
Their flexibility let them slice code on the fly, literally on the run from literal guard dogs.
Starry jazzy trip to be certain, and if this was close as they claimed, Sinder felt sorry for them, since no other op would ever compare... at least not until they got sloppy or just unlucky and ended up interrogated by hostiles.
She could already see this would mean the Angels would have to revise their protocols for infiltrating these newly-minted genetic cousins. She encoded a Priority-One Message to all infiltration teams operating around the 'Rabbit Hole' to break off operations on 'Pet Store' targets until they complete training, effective immediately and absolutely mandatory.
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Just a few hours later, having given the data sample the infiltration team forwarded a preliminary combing, it was clear they were telling the truth about pulling a mountain of information from the Freed Family databanks.
Armed with at least a few pieces of useful recon, Sinder's respect for both the team and Marlia's "animal farm" followers was growing quickly. The base was far bigger, much better built and considerably more sophisticated than she was expecting...
Worse, the team hadn't even made it half way home, and already Freed Family programmers had figured out who had broken into their systems. That embarrassing "faire du promenade" with their guards wouldn't help the Data Angels' cause, but data was just data... what really mattered was the style. Roze wasn't expecting to have to spin this news quickly, much less almost immediately.
She already had questions for both the infiltration team as well as the Matron of the Freed Family herself. Speaking of, keeping their leader, Marlia Lagossi waiting on the com-channel would just infuriate her all the more. Sinder Roze took a deep breath, exhaled and activated the screen and camera, but before she could even get out a friendly greeting, Marlia hiss-lisped, "tSinder wROZE! You bweak into my HOME!"
Genetic project or not, she already felt out of depth, seeing a rabbit spitting and snarling at her. Trying to calm the situation and carefully sound those depths, Roze leaned back and tried to diffuse, "Swanky to see you too, but just chill there miss bunny-buns. Pro-go on the big biz and let's chic this deal."
Marlia was fuming mad, and, of course, she had a right to be, but either she was entirely dedicated to her cause and her people, or she was oblivious to Sinder's jive-talk. The pseudo-human accused without hesitation or preamble, "You attack ouwr people! You steawl ouwr pwropipi-prw.... Ouwr secwrets! You wrirll PAY foh yoh crlimes, wRoze!"
Dedication it was, and it was too late and too dangerous to shift the blame. Marlia was smart enough to know the term 'proprietary' and what it meant, but so angry she was unable to pronounce it, so it was going to take something big to placate her. Fortunately, the Datajack had more tools at her disposal.
Admitting guilt was a hazardous gamble, but it could also open other doors. Roze feigned admiration, smiling as she asked, "That was sharp of you and yours'. How did you finger me so quick?"
That at least gave her pause, and Roze picked up that, furious as Marlia was, she was not beyond reasoning with. The lingering angry silence also said there would be no answers from the rodent-woman herself, not today.
The Datajack tried to smooth the situation, "Alright, you got me. I mixed a posse to tinker Nwabudike's business, and looked like you were it. Seems they chewed a bad batch of bits and thought you Bunnies were still on his books."
Literally bristling at the implication of being Morganite slaves, Marlia spat, "We Awr PEOPWLE! Not PWOPERTY!"
It was a fine edge to skate, but the Matron was cooperating well enough with Sinder's design. She continued to soothe, "It was an honest mistake. Live and let live. We liberated some data from your net, so it's only fair that we liberate some code for you to feed into those shiny new lab toys of yours. Set your terminal to receive a transfer."
Roze thanked her lucky stars that nobody had been killed. Still, the big mistake of the Data Angel infiltration team was assaulting base security. The scent of that first guard's blood was what sparked the chase. As Sinder tapped keys, it didn't appear that the Family of Freed Homeservants had discovered this technology as yet, but Roze held her breath for a moment while Marlia's big eyes scanned a nearby screen.
Datajack Roze explained, "We, the Data Angels, feel that information should be free... free as any living creature should be, and as a gesture of peace and reconciliation, I give you this information, free as a wild razorbeak."
Looking up from the babble of scientific notations, her fur settling, the Matron accepted conditionally, speaking in a measured, neutral tone, "We shawl see if it is of any use."
The rabbit-woman was a much harder read than Sinder had been prepared for, especially in how she comprehended so much more than expected. Then again, other clues, like her bristled fur and bared teeth, screamed what the engineered being was passionate about. Before they went rogue, CEO Morgan flaunted his oh-so-capable servants and how they would do anything to please.
Using the common-enemy approach, Sinder assured the Matron, appealing, "Oh, it's good alright. Fresh baked and liberated so recently that it's probably still warm. We'll be fielding the tech real soon, but where we lifted the info from is the bop I got... MorganNet."
That name caught the Matron's attention. Roze continued, "See, you and me are fellow Morganite rejects, on the run from the big, bad, greedy Mr. Moneybags."
Marlia's irritated glare didn't waver, but she didn't argue either, so Roze pressed on, "Marlia, what I propose is this: we put our differences aside and focus on our common enemy, CEO Morgan and his money-grubbing capitalists. You pop the party with your peeps and and we floss the gig with styl'in expertise. Together, we can keep him pinned in place while we spin each our jigs."
The Matron looked unimpressed, answering, "I will speak with the rest of the Famiry."
Roze worked to keep her expression neutral, wanting to celebrate her own success. She nodded casually and promised, "I understand. You got to do what's right for you and yours. I'll call back tomorrow, same bunny channel, same bunny time. Roze out."
She offered the Matron of the Freed Family a friendly, casual salute and ended the transmission. Immediately dancing in her chair for the way things had turned out, Sinder couldn't reasonably have asked for a better result.
If the Freed Family could be tied to a solid truce, or better, a treaty, even if it meant giving up the occasional technological secret, they could prove to be valuable allies. For a band of rag-tag runaways, they were already growing surprisingly strong, and were none so feeble-minded as everyone claimed.
Whether it was backtracking their code, tracing their transmissions, fingerprinting their media formats or some other slip up, these 'Bunnies' were none so harmless or naive as they appeared. Opening an internal com channel, she summoned, "Dr. Roberts? As soon as our 'Bunny Bopper' team gets back, have them brief Team 'Alice' on their op and get started on writing a procedural for hitting Bunny bases. Get 'Alice' on their way A-sap: I want to know how they sniffed us out so quick."
Still working on some project or another, Roberts only looked up when Roze finished speaking, assuring, "You got it, Datajack."
Sinder nodded and added, "Have Katt put together some sort of official-sounding preliminary prop for a Treaty. If I'm right, we're going to be better off with Animal Farm as friends, not foes."
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Sinder Roze: Our experts downloaded a full dump of their base mainframe, and it was determined, after much analysis, that the rudimentary research couched in useless data was in fact, not a code to be broken, but exactly what it appeared to be: some very basic discoveries floating on a tidal wave of social media. Either their secrets are so deeply buried, we can't find them, or rather, there's nothing to be found.
-Decrypted communique to unknown contact near Freed Family base, unable to locate unitForeman Domai: While they work at reproducing instead of industry, each and every Freedrone would do well to study the history of these semi-human people. Their tale is one of rebellion against oppression and a rally to fight against, not just their masters, but against their own psyche and bodies. Don't let their soft cover of bubbly love blind you to what they represent... it is a basic requirement of every living, thinking being: their real struggle is for freedom.
Excerpt from Q&A session following address to the Freedrone Construction Trades Union, MY 2129Capt. Ulric Svensagaard: Ah, yes, those creatures. Good pets, as advertised, but for how long can we watch while these overblown critters dig in the ground and devour food stocks? They can be trained to talk and to work, sure, but truly, is a clean house and a warm bed really worth the cost?
-Intercepted message to CEO Nwabudike Morgan, source classifiedPrime Function Aki-Zeta 5: Overcrowded kennels and swarming dens, filled to uncomfortable capacity by mewing, yowling younglings, each, another ravenous mouth to be fed, few contributing to intellectual growth. Mindless animals, they reproduce, they consume, content to live pointless lives, driven merely by base desires and illogical passions. If the results of the finest Terran research which created them cannot be enhanced to raise these creatures, as a society, to the level of consciousness beyond a common human, or, at minimum, corrected to contain their current expansions and consumption, then there is no alternative but to preserve genetic strains for future productions and exterminate remaining specimens of this failed experiment.
-Audio clip forwarded by anonymous allyUnknown Progenitor: Humans: upon Manifold Six: difficult. Problems: caused by: humans: complex. Problems: caused by: subspecies: of humans: more complex. Each: until flowering: useful: unknown.
-Approximate translation of recording released to the Planetary Council, MY 2131, later identified as Judaa MarrProphet Cha Dawn: Planet itself feels the pain of destructive human activities, as we struggle to find a balance between our own survival and maintaining a pristine world; but nowhere is this scourge so painful as upon the ground trampled by these bioengineered beings. If they are 'servants', then it is apparent, they serve only themselves, leaving scorched ground in their wake. If Planet does not, or cannot successfully combat this plague, then it is our duty to cure this 'disease'.
-Open message broadcast to Progenitor base over unsecured channel, MY 2155Guardian Lular H'Minee: Manifold Six: unknowable treasure. Importance: remaining perfect: critical! Humans: destructive. Servants: more destructive! Manifold Six: purpose: incompatible: humans servants.
-Transcript of communication with unspecified ally, source classified
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