Schlock Mercenary III: One million years of crowdsourced kitten videos

[Radar]

You're clearly not paranoid enough.

Exactly: A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.

[Lizard Lord]

Spoiler

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Obviously not everyone is going to take Petey's offer here, but I would be surprised if no one did. So who do you think is ready for early retirement?

[BRC]

Spoiler

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Obviously not everyone is going to take Petey's offer here, but I would be surprised if no one did. So who do you think is ready for early retirement?

[Spoiler]
I kind of doubt it. The retirement offer seemed more like a Punchline to me. Karl Tagon is likely to end up in one of Petey's habitats, but I kind of doubt any of the Toughs will, not unless Howard feels like opening up some slots in the Chain of Command.

[Samuel Sturm]

Did anyone else see that coming? Because I sure didn`t.

[The Glyphstone]

I really hope this isn't building up to an announcement that Shlock Mercenary is ending its run.

[Imgran]

I really hope this isn't building up to an announcement that Shlock Mercenary is ending its run.

No, I don't think so. There's plenty of room for more story without the further adventures of Tagon's Toughs, even in the worst case scenario.

If the Toughs dissolve, frankly I suspect it'd be because Taylor wanted to dispense some characters who were only around because there was no reason to get rid of them, off to some reasonably satisfactory retirement, like he did with Der Trihs, Nick and Shep.

[tonberrian]

I find it hard to believe that this is Karl's retirement, or at least his permanent one. Much as he'd hate to admit it, he's got a hero's heart somewhere deep, deep, deep down under all that money-grubbing. And there's too much going on now for him to just ignore it.

[factotum]

The Toughs kept going before without Tagon (he died once, remember?) so why should they stop now, even if Tagon retires? Not that I think he's likely to, mind you.

[Malroth]

he'll TRY to retire but accidently stumble on some UNS black ops project and end up causing an even bigger mess than he would if he wasn't trying to be a civilian. Peetey will then give him a ship as a way of minimizing the colateral damage.

[Bulldog Psion]

I really hope this isn't building up to an announcement that Shlock Mercenary is ending its run.

I hope so, too, but I think that there are far too many loose ends for it to reach that point quite yet.

*Fights down rising sense of panic*

[Thalnawr]

I hope so, too, but I think that there are far too many loose ends for it to reach that point quite yet.

*Fights down rising sense of panic*

Worry not, fellow Schlock fans. Howard has already said that June 12th, 2012 was the start of Act 3 of the comic. We've got around 5 to 7 more major story arcs to go (including this Broken Wind arc).

[Rockphed]

I really hope this isn't building up to an announcement that Shlock Mercenary is ending its run.

Howard said something about knowing when the comic would end, let me look it up...

Worry not, fellow Schlock fans. Howard has already said that June 12th, 2012 was the start of Act 3 of the comic. We've got around 5 to 7 more major story arcs to go (including this Broken Wind arc).

Oh, look, somebody found it already. While I will be sad when Schlock comes to an end, there is a limit to how long I will believe the Toughs can dodge the karmic doom they have built up.

[Bulldog Psion]

Oh, look, somebody found it already. While I will be sad when Schlock comes to an end, there is a limit to how long I will believe the Toughs can dodge the karmic doom they have built up.

Yes, that's probably true. Having the UNS as a deadly enemy kind of limits your lifespan, I'd think.

[factotum]

Yes, that's probably true. Having the UNS as a deadly enemy kind of limits your lifespan, I'd think.

Not necessarily if you never go into UNS space--they'd be perfectly safe in Petey's territory, for instance, so long as the Pa'anuri don't break through; and if the Pa'anuri do, well, doesn't matter where in the galaxy you happen to be, you're probably not going to survive it!

[Imgran]

Frankly I think part of the reason this is happening is the Toughs are too small-time to be the focus of the events that are going on right now. They need to get eyes into the inner workings of some of the big players. That can't happen while the focus is on a small cruiser and its hapless crew. They were the first cause of a lot of the story, but the story itself has passed that small mercenary company by, and Howard may feel he needs to get that company out of the way so the actual story has a chance to be told.

As for Petey's own motivations? I strongly suspect that he's found that he can predict just about everyone in the universe accurately except the Toughs. Something about them tends to introduce a lot of chaos into his machinations and he'd rather put them someplace safe while he goes about fixing everything and saving the universe. At least until he's found a situation where he legitimately needs to introduce a bit of chaos into the equation again.

[teratorn]

There's a problem with that big players thing, and that is the name of the strip. Tagon may or may not leave, but we'll keep following schlock, the strip is named after him.

[smuchmuch]

I suspect Petey motives is simply that he wants to protect people he considers friends, but he know he can't spare the energy to break them from another UNS battleplate (it happened twice already already , he's a 'three strikes' guy)
So he's offering them a chance to walk out where he can keep an eye on them and protect them from UNS silencing.

There's a problem with that big players thing, and that is the name of the strip. Tagon may or may not leave, but we'll keep following schlock, the strip is named after him.

MAybe we'll be following the adventures of Shafter's shifters now on ?

Yeah I doubt so.
(Mind you, I'd read it. They look lice there'd be occasion for nice throwbacks to the smaller funnier earlier days of the comic. But they look like 'hardprint bonus storry' material)

Most likely the Tough will have to spring in action for some reason weither they like it or not.

I'm disapointed at Petey here, I though he was more genre savvy. Last time the Toughs tried to just enjoy a vaccation, the end of the galaxy happened, think of what will happen if they start considering retirement ?!

[HandofShadows]

Wait, Schlock is TROLLING Petey?

[The_Admiral]

I cannot believe that nobody has made this joke yet.

No Schlock, you are the career sociopath.

[The Glyphstone]

I cannot believe that nobody has made this joke yet.

No Schlock, you are the career sociopath.

And then Schlock was a mercenary?

[sihnfahl]

Wait, Schlock is TROLLING Petey?

Heh, yeah.

[smuchmuch]

I don't know it has been showed before he hasn't much social skills and it's been a while since he had shown his own sociopathic side. He might have been genuinely clueless about what Petey meant here.
(At least today strip seems to show it this way)

[NEO|Phyte]

It's looking increasingly unlikely that Tagii is the one in charge of the maraca.

[Gnoman]

I suspect this "retirement" arc is a way to remove Petey's Deus ex Machina properties smoothly, both in-comic and out. If he makes the generous offer of a comfortable retirement, and the Toughs refuse, then Petey will no longer be seen as having a significant impetus to pull their fat out of the fire, when he needs that energy to fight his war.

[factotum]

I think it's more likely Howard wants to mix up the team and get a few new characters in to stop it becoming stale. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Thurl accepts the retirement offer, given what happened to him during the Oisri arc! (Bit surprised we haven't seen him again--surely the Doctor has had time to regrow him a new body by now?).

[Bulldog Psion]

Looks like Tagii is quite handily restrained by Ennesby. Survivor and prisoner, rather than mole, or so it seems to me.

[factotum]

Looks like Tagii is quite handily restrained by Ennesby. Survivor and prisoner, rather than mole, or so it seems to me.

I agree, but the question then becomes, why does Ennesby want to keep Tagii around without telling anyone? I suppose he could always ask her for tactical advice if necessary, but it isn't likely the Toughs will put him in a position where that would be useful.

[smuchmuch]

It could simply be out of pity. If he told anyone you can be sure she'd get ereased fast. (and understandably so).

[Bulldog Psion]

Yes, I figure it was just a bit of AI to AI mercy.

[Landis963]

Speaking of mercy, it might be advantageous of Ennesby to hand Tagii over to Petey right now. She won't die, she'll get to disappear entirely (even she's got to admit she's very vulnerable in Ennesby's mind), and she'll have access to all the power Petey has.