Historical Strategy, According to a Bunch of Fembots
Cables hung from the ceiling, as an antique grand strategy game's opening cutscenes played across a similarly antique laptop. The faint, cobalt hologram of a small human swayed its hips and moved around, eyes closed. The projected person was seemingly made of rubber, with digital hair sculpted delicately and a face that could have only been done with a rendering program. As she opened her eyes, she attempted to awaken what looked like a human being painted silver. The gynoid's long, bright red hair contrasted with the silver, statuesque body, molded in detail with a bellybutton, nipples, fingernails and toenails, and other small touches of realism in the metal. She opened her eyes, revealing vibrant but contained blue spheres.
"Hi, PT! What's up?" The gynoid, Ansley, smiled widely, and patted the hologram on the head. Psi-Theta looked back at the Ansley. "I've managed to get this set up. It's a historical game. Victoria II. I play it whenever I close my eyes and have to listen to you get maintenance." PT pressed "Start", and a world map dated for 1861 spread out across the screen. Ansley tilted a head, her head ticking a bit. "What's our goal?" Psi-Theta fiddled with the cursor. "Normally we'd try to survive, or conquer the world, or whatever, but I was thinking something different." Ansley interrupted. "I've got something!"
"Carry on." PT twirled a finger around. "Well, you're still developing a new body, right? We have nanofabricators here. We each select a general goal, and whenever one of us make a real step towards that goal, they get to choose one of your new parts. Sound good?" Ansley begun to fantasize about what sort of body she'd put PT into. There was a bit of a When-Harry-Met-Sally situation that was really only evident for one side. PT, entirely unaware, smiled and shrugged. "Sounds fun."
Psi-Theta immediately put the cursor onto the British Empire and started playing. Ansley assumed a bit of a confused expression, as she brushed some hair aside. Psi-Theta smiled. "My goal is going to be to create a liberal/collectivist nation. In other words, to get the people in-game to be as close to gynoids as Victorians could be. Yours?"
Ansley thought to herself, and then responded. "I like to win, so I'll go with when we win wars of conquest. I'm going to win tons, and the bet!" PT nodded, and took the mouse, immediately releasing Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, and a series of African holdings as semi-independent satellite nations. Ansley's eyes widened. "What are you doing?!" PT waved a virtual hand. "Relax. I want to create a unified, easily ran nation, and having the entire British Empire isn't a good way to do that. Point for me." As soon as Psi-Theta designed a shining, golden metallic arm, with ridges and joints, it was sent to the nanofabricator, and stored on the body design. "Crap!" Ansley sighed.
She downloaded the controls for the game, and mentally brought the cursor to the "Government" tab, changing the government from the Liberal Party. As the cursor scrolled down the list of UK political parties, PT hoped that she would pick the socialist Labour Party, but instead it landed on the Tories, reactionary warmongers. "Point for me!" On the virtual, now-two-handed mannequin, a large set of rounded, firm silicone breasts painted with freckles, differences in skin tone, and dark nipples appeared on a very human-looking torso. PT sighed. "Well, I suppose it does look beautiful to an extent..."
In the dark, dark room, Ansley stopped for a second to look at her friend. "Um, actually, I really know very little about this game. I'm basically going on what you've told me, but otherwise I'm kind of stumped. What are we doing?" The little dot on the game map labeled, "London", flashed blue, and a small, holographic image appeared from a projector. The new AI wore multiple starched petticoats, a long brown dress, and had red hair in a bun. Her face was rounded and soft, and had freckled cheeks. She wore little makeup, and curtsied. "Hello! My name is Mary Collins. You are the new advisors to the Queen?"
PT shrugged. "I guess? Why are you here?" Mary nodded. "Well, I came to advise you in running the country. I probably developed from a bit of heuristic code or some-such." She waved a hand. "May I please get to know the both of you? I'm a bit confused as to why Miss...um.." The person in question responded, "Ansley." Mary continued. "Yes, Miss Ansley. While I defer to your greater judgment, I question why you, and to a lesser extent my other rubbery overseer, are dressed so immodestly, and why there is a skeleton with a torso and breasts on a monitor behind me."
PT made some hand motions as she attempted to explain. "You can dress how you like, and we'll dress how we like, or not dress. Mutual respect, then?" Mary lowered her head. "Fine then.. I suppose you may make as many mistakes as you wish. I certainly hope no gentlemen see this debauchery." The others smiled weakly as PT continued. "The monitor is for my new body. We're playing a game. We score points based on how we govern the country. Each point is a new body part."
Mary nodded. "Ah. Well, PT, what are you trying to do?" Psi-Theta looked at the ceiling. "I'm trying to create a collectivist, liberal isolationist nation. Ansley wants war." Mary sighed. "I suppose you both know best. Psi-Theta, I would recommend using your National Focus. It is a mechanic which allows you to use, depending on your international standing, a certain number of special government decisions. You have five. One of those decisions you can do is to Encourage Socialists. Apply that decision to as many territories as possible, and you'll entrench the idealism of the Socialist Labour Party in power. Their beliefs certainly seem to be close to your hopes. You can do the same with the Liberals if that's what you want."
Psi-Theta pumped a fist. "Done! You're not allowed to change them back!" Ansley nodded, smiling, as a neckplate of gold, engraved with various quotes from Carl Sagan and Kurt Vonnegut in immaculate script, appeared on the mannequin. Mary looked back at PT. "Remember that the Socialists have Full Citizenship as an ideal for immigration reform. That seems kind of silly, to let in other heathens and Frenchmen. I'd recommend the Liberal Party, but I assumed you'd prefer to let in Frenchmen and other ne'er-do-wells."
A pop-up appeared on the game's screen. It displayed a goatee'd man in a trench coat, fist raised high, with the option to either accept or repress the wishes of his group. Mary chimed in. "This decision will change the political leanings of your POPs. A POP is more or less a unit of population. If you repress this labour rally, you will cause the people of that territory to gravitate slightly towards the "Reactionary" movement, which is jingoistically pro-war, anti-reform, and will probably assert to bring back the Empire. If you let the labour rally happen, the Socialists gain some ground.
The mannequin's skeleton suddenly swelled out into a rounded, freckled rubber ass, which grew somewhat larger than PT's current sized posterior. As Mary weeped for her country and Ansley smiled, it was obvious to everyone but Psi-Theta whether the labour rally had been supported or suppressed.