title: The Essence of Self-Defense
author:  Hidy Ochiai 
description: A basic self-instructional manual that will enable students to defend themselves against most physical attacks.
zlib_text: # In Xanadu
  
    1. [](text/ch001.xhtml#section)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  [Cover](text/cover.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![cover image](../media/epub-to-image.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #
  
  
  Security through physicality. Security through redundancy. Security through
  obscurity.
  
  
  How do immortal artificial intelligences defend themselves? With an air gap.
  With a security force that has no connection to anything that can harm them.
  With a young woman, trained to fight and to die who, along with her cohort
  must keep them safe. But In Xanadu things don’t always go as planned…
  
  
  
  
  
  The Theremin played.
  
  
  In the great hall of the Banu Qattmir all was peaceful. The great screen
  displays overhead flickered in a bright rainbow light of nothing very much.
  The Keepers of the Cores went about their business on the gleaming floor,
  seeming as small as ants in the vastness, and the music played on. It had
  always been so, for as long as Nila could remember it.
  
  
  I hate it, she thought savagely. I hate it, hate it, hate it!
  
  
  The h