Tracking: review and release chained block ORE (ore v2) so text can use block ORE #95

Background

Block ORE (Lewi–Wu) is the order scheme EQL stores in its _ord_ore and
_search_ore column types. ore-rs implements it for fixed-width values only.

Problem

Block ORE can't encrypt text in a general way. cipherstash-client works around
this by packing text into at most six 64-bit blocks, which is ASCII-only and
ignores everything after about 76 characters. A variable-length chained-prefix
scheme exists only as draft PRs #78 to #83, integrated in #90, last updated in
June 2026. Until it ships, Stack Encrypt can't produce TextOrdOre or
TextSearchOre (cipherstash/stack#1132).

Proposal

1. Bring the stack to review, starting with ORE v2 (1/n): compatibility vectors + bench baselines #78, and decide on the open gates:
   Unify v2 ORE on a single-key API (split the OreCipher trait) #89 (a single-key API for v2) and SIMD AVX2 path is unverified pre-merge (no x86 CI on the stack) #87 (the AVX2 path has no x86 CI).
2. Release ore-rs with the chained scheme.
3. vitaminc-ore then adds block ORE for text in a minor release.

This is not on the critical path for vitaminc 0.6.0, which ships without block
ORE for text and records the gap in its conformance exceptions list.

Status (2026-10-12)

• Stack reviewed and merged to main (ORE v2 (1/n): compatibility vectors + bench baselines #78–ORE v2 (6/n): chained-prefix variable-length scheme + string encryption #83, integrated in ORE v2: variable-length & string ORE, v2 wire format, SIMD + constant-time hardening (integration branch) #90).
• SIMD AVX2 path is unverified pre-merge (no x86 CI on the stack) #87: AVX2 path now covered by x86_64 CI on every PR (closed).
• Chained scheme released in 0.9.0-rc.1 (pre-release; wire formats not frozen).
• Settle the wire-format decisions before 0.9.0 freezes Bit6 and chained, or explicitly defer each to a new scheme id:
  • Unify v2 ORE on a single-key API (split the OreCipher trait) #89: single-key v2 API (changes Bit6 key derivation)
  • Chained scheme: pad strings to a length bucket to hide exact length #104: Padmé length padding for chained strings
  • Right-only ORE storage for unindexed stores (queues, columnar) — needs a trinary indicator #99: trinary indicator for right-only storage
• Release ore-rs 0.9.0 final.
• vitaminc-ore adds block ORE for text (minor release); unblocks stashgen refuses TextOrdOre and TextSearchOre — EQL stores block ORE terms and the engine derives CLLW ORE stack#1132.