Schlock Mercenary III: One million years of crowdsourced kitten videos

[Coidzor]

They're better served doing most of the things that would be important objectives in retaking the base in order to evac, from what I understand anyway.

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

Oh. I guess that explains why Tagon decided it was a good idea to dive head-first into a very dangerous situation on Osiri and leave Kevyn to handle things. He's trying to outdo his own father.

Of course, this may mean that Tagon will oppose the idea of leaving the Gavmorges to die...

[ChowGuy]

Well, yeah. There's a lot of Eugene in Karl, and a lot of Roy in Kaff. Especially the stubbornness in both.

[Thalnawr]

It already *is* difficult to evac, IMHO--they have half their team at the bottom of a six-kilometre shaft, and we have no idea if Ennesby's control over the Touch-and-Go's teraports is precise enough to get them out. If they have to fly out then that's going to take time, and that gives opportunities for something else to happen that stops them in their tracks.

Plus, of course, the decision isn't Elf's to make anyway--it's actually up to Kevyn whether they pull out or not.

There's also the little fact that "something" at the bottom of the hole where Tagon, Pi, Schlock, and maybe Bunni are interferes with teraports, a lot. Teraport extraction is probably out of the question, at least for them.

[Wayson]

Something that has still not been explained to my satisfaction is whether or not Osiri is aware of the people running around on it. Let me clarify.

We have already seen that something is acting as a defense mechanism, but is this purely a response to Schlock splatting on the surface, or is it being directed by an AI or biological lifeform? There was no reaction a few panels later when everyone ran out to scrape up Shlock, so... you tell me.

(If you're wondering why no one on the surface has been affected/noticed yet, it's because they're not touching Osiri. They're touching the hundreds of kilometers of ice that's surrounding it.)

[tyckspoon]

We have already seen that something is acting as a defense mechanism, but is this purely a response to Schlock splatting on the surface, or is it being directed by an AI or biological lifeform? There was no reaction a few panels later when everyone ran out to scrape up Shlock, so... you tell me.

That was one of the weapons Schlock brought with him to 'patrol' Oisri. The splat apparently caused it to break out of its contained form, at which point it promptly fell over in accordance with the laws of physics. Oisri didn't do anything there besides providing the ground for Schlock to fall onto. (Although one wonders what happened to the *rest* of the arsenal Schlock was toting- was it all duo-formed or whatever it is the Toughs use to carry their sidearms normally, and it was just that huge axe that happened to get hit in the right way to make it open? Simple answer I guess is they all just broke.)

[factotum]

Oisri didn't do anything there besides providing the ground for Schlock to fall onto.

It didn't even do that--the surface he hit there was the roof of Station Imo, which was built by the Gavs; the actual surface of Oisri is underneath the station.

[HandofShadows]

LOL Massey has a tie on his armor!

[ChowGuy]

He has a briefcase too. They're both essential parts of his lawyer-fu, and he'd feel as naked without them as Schlock without a plasgun.

[tonberrian]

WELP. Nice knowing you, Tagii.

[The Glyphstone]

HOKAY.

That is a legitimately terrifying image.

[Coidzor]

Is anyone else getting a very... Thuntish vibe from Monstrous and Maddened Tagii?

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

WELP. Nice knowing you, Tagii.

Not necessarily. Para might be able to salvage her with a few days of work.

HOKAY.

That is a legitimately terrifying image.

That's just a symbolic representation of Tagi's mental state. Think of the consequences if she gets out, it would be even more terrifying.

Remember what Petey did when he went feral? I imagine that a reattached Tagi would gravy everyone standing next to the AI seat to prevent her from being unplugged again, then gravy anyone with enough technical expertise to do anything to her, and then begin systematically lashing out at every possible threat in the area, starting with Osiri.

[BRC]

Remember, they once fixed an insane AI by ordering it to repress it's fear of ghosts. Provided Tagii is still required to obey Tagon, they could do something similar.

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

Remember, they once fixed an insane AI by ordering it to repress it's fear of ghosts. Provided Tagii is still required to obey Tagon, they could do something similar.

That would leave you with the "literal genie" kind of AI. The one that's constantly looking for loopholes in your orders in order to kill you and everyone around you.

Remember, Petey took a boatload of prisoners during an engagement, and neglected to tell Tagon about them. He even planned to used them for fabber raw materials. He didn't tell Tagon about them until it was necessary. And then he betrayed the Toughs, then self-destructed.

Para is probably the only person on the crew capable of properly returning a feral AI to sanity. Anything less than that is bound to have consequences.

[Rockphed]

Remember, they once fixed an insane AI by ordering it to repress it's fear of ghosts. Provided Tagii is still required to obey Tagon, they could do something similar.

Tagii is not now, and never has been, required to obey Tagon. She is unfettered.

[factotum]

I wonder why Para designed Tagii in this way? She must have had a reason for splitting her up. Thing is, there's no core attached to those other systems, so whatever's down there isn't really Tagii anyway--it's maybe an insane shred of her personality, so all bets are off as to what it might do if they plug it back in.

[HandofShadows]

Remember, Petey took a boatload of prisoners during an engagement, and neglected to tell Tagon about them. He even planned to used them for fabber raw materials. He didn't tell Tagon about them until it was necessary. And then he betrayed the Toughs, then self-destructed.

While Petey did hid stuff from Tagon, he did not not willingly betray the Toughs. That was done under direct orders of an Ob'enn that was on the ship. Petey couldn't disobay orders from him as follwoing the oerders is hard wired into him.

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

I wonder why Para designed Tagii in this way? She must have had a reason for splitting her up. Thing is, there's no core attached to those other systems, so whatever's down there isn't really Tagii anyway--it's maybe an insane shred of her personality, so all bets are off as to what it might do if they plug it back in.

Thurl explained this, it's a new model of hardware that he's not familiar with. He simply unplugged it without knowing how to do it properly.

[Coidzor]

Thurl explained this, it's a new model of hardware that he's not familiar with. He simply unplugged it without knowing how to do it properly.

Or it's not so much new as part of the way Para set things up for an ace in the hole that they stuck the monkey wrench in wrong.

[BRC]

Or it's not so much new as part of the way Para set things up for an ace in the hole that they stuck the monkey wrench in wrong.

Considering Para's reaction, I don't think she planned this. In fact, the hardware setup seems to be more Thurl's idea.

The important thing is that Ennesby has access to the system controls, but not the processors, while Tagii has access to nothing but the processors, and is therefore just spending cycles thinking, hence the "Experiencing thousands of years".

Personally, I don't think this particular scenario makes sense. There is clearly enough processor power to keep things like flight controls, gravity, lights, and life support running. If this is what happens when she has nothing to do, Tagii should have gone insane anytime the ship spent ten minutes not doing anything in particular, since apparently aiming weapons is the only thing that burns up enough processor power to keep her from thinking herself into madness.

[tonberrian]

Considering Para's reaction, I don't think she planned this. In fact, the hardware setup seems to be more Thurl's idea.

The important thing is that Ennesby has access to the system controls, but not the processors, while Tagii has access to nothing but the processors, and is therefore just spending cycles thinking, hence the "Experiencing thousands of years".

Personally, I don't think this particular scenario makes sense. There is clearly enough processor power to keep things like flight controls, gravity, lights, and life support running. If this is what happens when she has nothing to do, Tagii should have gone insane anytime the ship spent ten minutes not doing anything in particular, since apparently aiming weapons is the only thing that burns up enough processor power to keep her from thinking herself into madness.

Tagii is in an isolation tank. She's been there for what seems like millenia. When she's hooked up properly, there's always something to analyze - the people, the stars, secret plans, what the heck is up with Oisiri, etc. But without any new input, she's just going to come to the same conclusions again and again.

You'd think that AI's would be more proof against that sort of madness, though.

[factotum]

You'd think that AI's would be more proof against that sort of madness, though.

How would you prevent it? If the AI is a true artificial intelligence then it must suffer all the problems that a real intelligence suffers, and that includes various forms of madness.

[Maugan Ra]

HOKAY.

That is a legitimately terrifying image.

Yeah. Really, really quite freaky. It... probably doesn't help that I've always feared insanity at least as much, if not more than, traditional death.

Also, if people want another interesting tidbit... Last time we saw Tagii isolated, she'd at least created a virtual world simulation for herself, presumably as a way to distract her own mental processes. Suffering, yes, but capable of managing it to an extent.

Now, it's nothing but binary numbers. Whatever the isolation has been like from Tagii's perspective, it has evidently driven her into a state of being unable to do anything more than shriek inarticulate rage in eternal isolation.

Actually, considering she's incapable of resting without having someone outside power her down, for her this has basically been several centuries of combined sleep and sensory deprivation. The original simulation might have actually been the hallucinations stage. I don't think any human has ever gotten to the equivalent stage as Tagii - we either fall unconscious or die.

[Coidzor]

How would you prevent it? If the AI is a true artificial intelligence then it must suffer all the problems that a real intelligence suffers, and that includes various forms of madness.

Well, no, not necessarily. All we've got to go on is our own meat-based intelligence, and last I had checked, we're still not sure how much of madness is dependent upon our meat or a direct consequence of our intelligence divorced from our meat.

[Ravens_cry]

My heart is utterly bleeding for Tagii right now.
Been completely deprived of all sensory experience, including any sense of time passing? It sounds utterly horrifying, and I would not wish it on any biological or machine entity. Also, it seems something worse is happening as well.

[factotum]

I just had a horrible thought. I'm wondering if General Tagon's story about having ordered his son to firebomb his own mother and girlfriend is some sort of setup for exactly the same situation happening on Oisri--maybe the Doctor gets infected with nanobots and Tagon (or worse still, the Reverend) is forced to kill her?

[guttering flame]

Is the Tagii sensory deprivation story an introduction to what happened to the imprisoned *whatever* in the prison?

[Ravens_cry]

Sir, the AI is punning again!

[NEO|Phyte]

Last two pages aren't looking too good for the hostage.