Girl Genius XVII: And Then He Had Pie

[PhantomFox]

"Its for science!" Nice pun. Experimentation indeed.

[eee]

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I dunno. That doesn't look like a very BIG fortress. And you'd think there'd be a roundhouse in the middle, it being a train station fortress.

RE Agatha's melancholy: She might miss Dimo. She might be assuming all this is because of her. But I *still* do not see Krosp or the weasel. The former is bad, the latter... would be fatal. And if the weasel IS missing, and Agatha knows it... O_O

[endoperez]

Soooo... depot fortress

Crazy theory (don't remember if I've seen it here before) - the boss of the place is

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Agatha's uncle Barry, a HETERODYNE BOY GEEZER living out the rest of his life in secret, getting ready for the Other's return, or something.

[stsasser]

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I dunno. That doesn't look like a very BIG fortress. And you'd think there'd be a roundhouse in the middle, it being a train station fortress.

RE Agatha's melancholy: She might miss Dimo. She might be assuming all this is because of her. But I *still* do not see Krosp or the weasel. The former is bad, the latter... would be fatal. And if the weasel IS missing, and Agatha knows it... O_O

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Barring a Whovian 'It's bigger on the inside...', I suspect that it's designed on the iceberg pattern and trains are taken apart and assembled with lifts.
When under attack, the entire fortress may retract underground.

[Emperordaniel]

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Barring a Whovian 'It's bigger on the inside...', I suspect that it's designed on the iceberg pattern and trains are taken apart and assembled with lifts.
When under attack, the entire fortress may retract underground.

That would be fun.

[Ellen]

Is St. Szpac a joke I'm missing? That name seems like it should mean something.

[ryuplaneswalker]

That would be fun.

Figaro Castle from Final Fantasy 6 was the Best castle ever.

[Traab]

Figaro Castle from Final Fantasy 6 was the Best castle ever.

I just wish I knew why it could only go to 2 places. I mean, its hella awesome, but really? Also, that has to play havoc with international diplomacy. "Hey, hi there. Yeah, I was hoping I could park the capitol of my kingdom over here in your nation for awhile, that cool?

[memnarch]

Weasel located in third panel, right shoulder.

[Lost Demiurge]

Is St. Szpac a joke I'm missing? That name seems like it should mean something.

Hm, pronouncing it...

Szpac... Spock? Could be.

[eee]

I still don't understand what sort of propulsion method the sanctuary cars are using. There has to be one to direct them to the fortress, but there's no outward sign of any...

Weasel located in third panel, right shoulder.

Yes, and Krosp is there, too. This is a relief.

And the last three panels settle THAT question. Brother Ulm was not talking metaphorically or about death by misadventure, he intended to murder Agatha (or at least some female passenger) rather than let her into the fortress. Fortunately his fellow monks are apparently a step ahead of him...

I really wonder what this is all about.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

I still don't understand what sort of propulsion method the sanctuary cars are using. There has to be one to direct them to the fortress, but there's no outward sign of any...

Giant, long range, directional, focused magnets. Which also explains why the Magnet spark was not able to stop them: his puny magnets were overmatched by the awesomeness of the monk magnets.

Grey Wolf

[Traab]

I still don't understand what sort of propulsion method the sanctuary cars are using. There has to be one to direct them to the fortress, but there's no outward sign of any...

Oh thats easy, a constant flow of air escaping the balloon as the pumps reinflate them are used as propulsion.

[sherlock]

Soooo... depot fortress

Crazy theory (don't remember if I've seen it here before) - the boss of the place is

Spoiler

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Agatha's uncle Barry, a HETERODYNE BOY GEEZER living out the rest of his life in secret, getting ready for the Other's return, or something.

I was thinking exactly the same thing after reading about the Abbot.
Corbettites' order. Perfect place to hide, to use your spark to help people, and to keep an eye on what's happening in the world.

[lord_khaine]

I just wish I knew why it could only go to 2 places. I mean, its hella awesome, but really? Also, that has to play havoc with international diplomacy. "Hey, hi there. Yeah, I was hoping I could park the capitol of my kingdom over here in your nation for awhile, that cool?

The King had a chainsaw and his brother knew magical kung fu, your logic and international diplomacy is null and void

[factotum]

I'm a little puzzled as to how the Abbot apparently got a message to the other monk without Brother Ulm hearing it--they've been together in the sanctuary cars almost all the time, so unless that message arrived while they were still being attacked by the bears, I can't see an opportunity to do that. Guess we'll find out when we hear what the message is.

[Lochar]

I'm a little puzzled as to how the Abbot apparently got a message to the other monk without Brother Ulm hearing it--they've been together in the sanctuary cars almost all the time, so unless that message arrived while they were still being attacked by the bears, I can't see an opportunity to do that. Guess we'll find out when we hear what the message is.

I think it's more of a "You were about to break one of our most sacred rules. The Head Guy is going to want to 'discuss' this with you."

[AgentPaper]

I think it's more of a "You were about to break one of our most sacred rules. The Head Guy is going to want to 'discuss' this with you."

This was my interpretation as well.

[Divayth Fyr]

I was thinking exactly the same thing after reading about the Abbot.
Corbettites' order. Perfect place to hide, to use your spark to help people, and to keep an eye on what's happening in the world.

If he was the Abbot I can't see any of the monks trying to hurt (not to mention kill) Agatha inside the fortress. Have an "accident" somewhere along the way? Possibly. But not a direct assault right under his very nose (for the record, I agree with Lochar's interpretation).

[AgentPaper]

If he was the Abbot I can't see any of the monks trying to hurt (not to mention kill) Agatha inside the fortress. Have an "accident" somewhere along the way? Possibly. But not a direct assault right under his very nose (for the record, I agree with Lochar's interpretation).

Well, that could easily have been a stun gun he pulled out, rather than a laser, couldn't it?

[Divayth Fyr]

Well, that could easily have been a stun gun he pulled out, rather than a laser, couldn't it?

It could. But if it was an option, why even mention killin' a passenger?

[AgentPaper]

It could. But if it was an option, why even mention killin' a passenger?

Hm, he could be referring to the fact that he'd likely have to kill Zeetha or her other friends in the process, but that's a stretch.

What if he simply doesn't know the whole story? Perhaps the "Abbot" told him that he absolutely must not let her into the fortress, without having the Abbot's identity revealed to him, and as such not knowing why. He could have assumed that "at any cost" included killing her. This seems to be supported by the fact that he doesn't know what the penance is for killing a passenger, since if he had been told to kill her explicitly, it stands to reason that he would have been either told he would be forgiven for said act since it was necessary, or at least told what his penance would be beforehand.

[eee]

I see two major problems with the idea that Barry might be the Abbott. Well, three, if you consider that would mean at some point he took Holy Orders, which is not something you do casually.

1) As noted, it's hard to see how Brother Ulm thought killing Agatha would be AT ALL acceptable to Abbott Barry, and

2) More importantly, Klaus is right: Agatha IS dangerous. Perhaps the most dangerous person on Earth. She may be the most powerful Spark who has ever lived AND she could easily take control of the Other's resources and use them for destruction and conquest if she wished; and it's doubtful she'd bungle it as Lucrezia did. What is making all the difference is the loving and stable upbringing she got from Punch and Judy. Just as Bill and Barry were wooed to the side of Good by their mother, so was Agatha by her foster parents. And yet, think how tenuous that upbringing was. Agatha's locket could have broken and her Spark develop anytime. The Geisters could have found her. Dr. Beetle was apparently up to no good concerning her, although his plans never reached fruition. If the Mongfishes had had the slightest clue of her existence they'd have razed Europa to find her. It was luck Agatha, Punch, and Judy made it as long as they did. Barry would have been a fool to have trusted in that much luck. And later, from the moment the hologram of her materialized over Strumhalten and she identified herself to Europa, her life has been at constant risk. That Barry, if he rose to any kind of position of authority in the Corbetittes, would not have brought his niece under his protection the moment he could, for her sake AND the sake of the world, is unthinkable. This hypothesis does not fit the facts.

Of course, I'm probably wrong. I usually am. :)

Now, Barry being a prisoner of the Corbetitties, that might be a different matter.

[Aquillion]

I think it's more of a "You were about to break one of our most sacred rules. The Head Guy is going to want to 'discuss' this with you."

Not sure that that's all it is. Remember, they do have an eject button for the confessional; that implies that they kill passengers occasionally, regardless of what they say, and that doing so is at least somewhat institutionalized. The fact that there's a specific penance for it seems to support this, too.

[Divayth Fyr]

Not sure that that's all it is. Remember, they do have an eject button for the confessional; that implies that they kill passengers occasionally, regardless of what they say

How are those linked? Ejecting a passenger doesn't have to harm them, much less kill.

and that doing so is at least somewhat institutionalized. The fact that there's a specific penance for it seems to support this, too.

So any country that has laws institutionalizes crime?

[scienceguy8]

Want to hear a crazy theory that is not completely related to the current storyline?

Higgs is a...

Spoiler: Conjecture Time!

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...Heterodyne.

The Evidence:
1. He is very strong and resilient. It has been shown in the past that Sparks can be stronger and more resilient than normal old people, and even more so if they take to experimenting on themselves rather than a minion.
2. The Jägermonsters show familiarity with him, as they should if he is a Heterodyne in hiding.
3. The Castle is familiar with him. This would also mean that Higgs is much older than he appears, but life extension and reanimation devices are kinda old hat for Sparks.
4. His cool, calm demeanor could be seen as an attempt to hold his excitement in check, so as not to enter "the Madness Place."

[AgentPaper]

Not sure that that's all it is. Remember, they do have an eject button for the confessional; that implies that they kill passengers occasionally, regardless of what they say, and that doing so is at least somewhat institutionalized. The fact that there's a specific penance for it seems to support this, too.

It's "eject" not "fill with fire". And Brother Ulm not knowing what the penance for killing a passenger only means that he doesn't know what it is, not that there certainly is one. This implies that he's never heard of someone killing a passenger, otherwise he'd probably have heard about the terrible penance they had to pay.

I also don't think that him thinking he should kill Agatha necessarily proves that the Abbot can't be Bill, since it could just as easily be a misunderstanding, as I pointed out before. Brother Ulm was told something along the lines of "don't let the heterodyne enter the fortress at any cost!" If Bill is hiding his heterodyne-ness from the monks, he wouldn't be able to say that this is his daughter he's talking about, and there's a number of reasons Ulm might not know that "any cost" shouldn't include killing her:

1) Bill simply didn't think of it, since killing his own daughter is so unthinkable it simply slipped his mind. Missing small but important details is basically a unifying trait of Sparks, so this isn't really that implausible.
2) Bill couldn't tell the monks this, since doing so would hint too much at their relationship, and thus allow the monks to figure out who he really is. Since he's supposedly here to hide from the Baron/Other/Time Monsters, all of whom are very good at extracting information from people, having anyone knowing where he is, even a steadfast ally like a monk, would be very dangerous.
3) Bill doesn't talk to most of the monks personally, and so Ulm was relayed these orders through one or more intermediaries, and "don't kill her" got lost somewhere in the line of communication.
4) Bill has been infected by the Other in some way, perhaps similar to how Agatha or the Baron have, which works against him unconsciously, making him make mistakes or misunderstand things with dire consequences, such as failing to mention that the monks shouldn't go so far as to kill Agatha. This may also be why he has effectively exiled himself to the fortress, where he can't hurt anyone, similar to how the Baron seems to have taken himself out of the picture after the Other got him.
5) Bill might have thought that it wouldn't even be possible for the monks to kill Agatha, given how strong a spark she is. Not a likely cause on it's own, but could be combined with others to make them more likely.

As for evidence supporting Bill being the Abbott, there's not much, other than that it would explain why we're going to the depot at all from a narrative standpoint, and that it would essentially mean that Bill retired to spend all his time in a basement playing with trains. Which would just be great in so many ways.

[Lochar]

Not sure that that's all it is. Remember, they do have an eject button for the confessional; that implies that they kill passengers occasionally, regardless of what they say, and that doing so is at least somewhat institutionalized. The fact that there's a specific penance for it seems to support this, too.

Ejection != death.

And besides, you're also not technically a passenger until you've had confession anyways. If just being on the train meant you were one of their passengers, they couldn't take out assassins.

[Porthos]

"It's EMBARRASSING (that you were so unsubtle about it all)"

Oh, yes. This fella should be fun.

[factotum]

Ejection != death.

For it to be at all useful the ejection would have to be putting the passenger outside the train, would it not? A train which, in order to maintain the vital schedule, is presumably moving at the time? While it may be strictly true that ejecting the passenger isn't guaranteed to kill them, I think there's a fairly high probability of it doing so!