Schlock Mercenary VI: Eat It, Kill It, Make Friends With It, Take a Bath in It

[lord_khaine]

Well.. the critters are not actual seamonsters, they are Esperin in their mech suits.
And it did not seem like there were less of the place, its just crumpled up like a used beercan.

[Demon 997]

Don't the ocean creatures look pretty much exactly like the robot fairy combat robot bodyguard things?

I also thought this particular strip was pretty good, even if things have been generally lackluster.

[HandofShadows]

They ARE the "robot fairy combat robot bodyguard things". Those things are violating the contract and I see hints that the robot fairy military may be getting ready to betray/attack the Toughs.

[eschmenk]

They ARE the "robot fairy combat robot bodyguard things". Those things are violating the contract and I see hints that the robot fairy military may be getting ready to betray/attack the Toughs.

Hints? It seemed certain that the agreement was causing the military to prepare to revolt.

Since the PTU isn't a solid ball, the ocean probably goes all the way through the center of the world. That seems familiar. Maybe Summon Bigger Fish would work? Maybe that's why the scientists were so eager to go fishing? Maybe they didn't think it through, though?

[JavaScribe]

This makes me wonder why they supported spreading the VDA. I mean yes, it means less ammunition at home, but it also risks leaving them locked in system, giving the Toughs' backup plenty of time to deal with them.

[geoduck]

This makes me wonder why they supported spreading the VDA. I mean yes, it means less ammunition at home, but it also risks leaving them locked in system, giving the Toughs' backup plenty of time to deal with them.

It's pretty clear we're dealing with factions here who are not all on the same page.

[eschmenk]

It's pretty clear we're dealing with factions here who are not all on the same page.

It was pretty clear that the leaders of both factions were on the same page regarding deploying the VDAs.

[factotum]

This makes me wonder why they supported spreading the VDA. I mean yes, it means less ammunition at home, but it also risks leaving them locked in system

The VDA doesn't act as teraport area denial, as far as I recall--it just lets you detect threats really early and potentially blow them up. The missiles being further away thus helps the Esspererin if they're intending to betray the Toughs.

[HandofShadows]

They THINK it will help. It's won't.

[eschmenk]

Karl actually proposed deploying both TAD and VDA . I think the missiles were the major concern for the robofairies, so that's what they discussed, but they approved it all, so JavaScribe's concern could still be relevant. I'm not going to bother thinking about it. Maybe the bad guy has a plan; maybe he doesn't. Either way, it wouldn't strike me as being as silly as some of the other things going on.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Ooh. This one is either drawn in a less weird perspective than the previous ones, or it's actually smaller (the antenna also seems shorter and the face looks younger). Either way, I like it. This difference takes them from "sort of human sized but kind of small" to "actually small".

(Or maybe the orangutan science guy just towers over Karl.)

[eschmenk]

When I looked at the current page, I thought of school children out on a field trip. Maybe that's what is happening? The robofairy seems very precocious if it's just a child, but maybe that's consistent with the shows they watch. HT has been very inconsistent with the size of the robofaries, but this one seems to be much smaller than the others, so hopefully that's intentional. And no, Gracia shouldn't tower over Karl.

Didn't we see shoes on the feet of the adult robofairies? At least they looked like they were wearing shoes to me. This one does seem to have shoes.

As to how the robofairies got in, they probably flew in. Their wings work. HT often has the characters overlook the ramifications of things like that.

[HandofShadows]

Looks like the Robofairies come in many different sizes. You can see some larger ones on this page.

[Kantaki]

Looks like the Robofairies come in many different sizes. You can see some larger ones on this page.

Maybe it's similar to ants with different castes/jobs having different bodies based on what they are supposed to do.

[Landis963]

There's a new comic. This one's actually pretty good, IMO.

[Kantaki]

That is... surprisingly deep coming from Schlock. I guess it explains his drunken rampage.
I would do the same in that situation and I'm neither the type for getting drunk nor for rampages nor combinations of the two.

And it raises a good point. That those nanites can restore someone when they die doesn't that they died. They just get a safe-point/continue/backup to pick up where they left the game.
I guess if the victim needs the immortality nanos to survive murder would still be murder legally speaking.

[eschmenk]

So what does the forever balance look like for each of the Gavins? Each of them should have a very high net forever count by Schlock's logic, even though they've already lost a bunch of forevers, right?

And it raises a good point. That those nanites can restore someone when they die doesn't that they died. They just get a safe-point/continue/backup to pick up where they left the game.
I guess if the victim needs the immortality nanos to survive murder would still be murder legally speaking.

Um, are you sure Schlock is right? Even now, doctors can shut down a person's bodily functions, replace parts, then restart their bodily functions. We don't consider them to be killed if that happens. How different is what happened to Murtaugh or Ebby from that?

The problem with what Schlock is saying is that in one breath he talks about there being two different "mes" and then in the next he claims a right to the other me's forever. Sorry Schlock, you can't have it both ways! Well, at least it wouldn't be logically valid to do that, but who knows what sort of silliness HT will come up with.

Although Schlock's logic isn't valid, he at least made it sound good.

[ryuplaneswalker]

The problem with what Schlock is saying is that in one breath he talks about there being two different "mes" and then in the next he claims a right to the other me's forever. Sorry Schlock, you can't have it both ways! Well, at least it wouldn't be logically valid to do that, but who knows what sort of silliness HT will come up with.

Although Schlock's logic isn't valid, he at least made it sound good.

I don't think existential crisis need logic to happen, it just needs the person to think a little too much for their own good.

I think Perhaps that Schlock could use a nice bath.

[Kantaki]

Um, are you sure Schlock is right? Even now, doctors can shut down a person's bodily functions, replace parts, then restart their bodily functions. We don't consider them to be killed if that happens. How different is what happened to Murtaugh or Ebby from that?

Well, in my book there is a small difference between your body temporary shutting down and being killed so hard that only space magic can bring you back. It's similar to the way it works in the Diskworld books. If you hit someone hard enough that they need a Igor to stay/return among the living it counts as killing them.
Same principal, just with nanites.

The problem with what Schlock is saying is that in one breath he talks about there being two different "mes" and then in the next he claims a right to the other me's forever. Sorry Schlock, you can't have it both ways! Well, at least it wouldn't be logically valid to do that, but who knows what sort of silliness HT will come up with.

Although Schlock's logic isn't valid, he at least made it sound good.

I think it's more a problem of grammar not being designed to deal with a case like that (talking about someone who is me but isn't ) combined with Schlock being Schlock. And distressed.

[eschmenk]

Well, in my book there is a small difference between your body temporary shutting down and being killed so hard that only space magic can bring you back. It's similar to the way it works in the Diskworld books. If you hit someone hard enough that they need a Igor to stay/return among the living it counts as killing them.
Same principal, just with nanites.

Space magic? I think it's just the new normal in the context of the Schlock universe. From our context, I think it's no more magical than how current day medicine would seem to be to someone from a few centuries ago.

I think ryuplaneswalker is probably looking at Schlock's logic the right way. Schlock has been left alone with his own thoughts for too long and it's starting to show. And who knows, there might even be a chemical in Ovalkwik that Schlock actually needs.

No one mentioned it, but I assume people noticed how useful the restraints were.

[Rockphed]

Space magic? I think it's just the new normal in the context of the Schlock universe. From our context, I think it's no more magical than how current day medicine would seem to be to someone from a few centuries ago.

I think ryuplaneswalker is probably looking at Schlock's logic the right way. Schlock has been left alone with his own thoughts for too long and it's starting to show. And who knows, there might even be a chemical in Ovalkwik that Schlock actually needs.

No one mentioned it, but I assume people noticed how useful the restraints were.

Anything short of a full tube with a cap is going to be incabable of holding Schlock for very long. Anywhere he can squeeze his eyes into is unsafe from his digestive vengeance.

Honestly, I don't think I want Schlock as my enemy.

[NEO|Phyte]

Anywhere he can squeeze his eyes into is unsafe from his digestive vengeance.

Petey help you if you manage to piss him off bad enough he's willing to leave his eyes behind to get you.

[ryuplaneswalker]

Space magic? I think it's just the new normal in the context of the Schlock universe. From our context, I think it's no more magical than how current day medicine would seem to be to someone from a few centuries ago.

I think ryuplaneswalker is probably looking at Schlock's logic the right way. Schlock has been left alone with his own thoughts for too long and it's starting to show. And who knows, there might even be a chemical in Ovalkwik that Schlock actually needs.

No one mentioned it, but I assume people noticed how useful the restraints were.

Also, Schlock is technically at the base level a Computer that wasn't debugged long enough that it gained Sentience..him trying to process all of this could be causing an actual error in some deep ancient set of programming.

[guttering flame]

Also, Schlock is technically at the base level a Computer that wasn't debugged long enough that it gained Sentience..him trying to process all of this could be causing an actual error in some deep ancient set of programming.

Schlock was infected with the idea of self after staying too long with these self-discrete aliens. In his species the concept of self is a bit fuzzy.

[ryuplaneswalker]

Schlock was infected with the idea of self after staying too long with these self-discrete aliens. In his species the concept of self is a bit fuzzy.

And then there was the time he ate Future Him so he has memories of Tagon Dying..and not dying. I bet..that doesn't help him in trying to wrap all of this around his odd little mind.

[eschmenk]

It's so easy to imagine Tommy Chong saying, "Wow, man. That makes so much sense, dude!" I'm tempted to think of it as a chemical based malfunction. And Sorlie seem to think it was pretty deep, herself.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

The problems with what's basically cloning immortality have been discussed before. Even people who use it think it's pointless, because from the perspective of the dead person, they're still dead. And I'm pretty sure we're going to see more where that came from. It'll be tied in to the whole "Petey is trying to be a God" thing too. Although I'm not sure yet if it'll all come down in arrogance or things will work out in the end.

[ryuplaneswalker]

Well, Mr Droit Mercenary has a brain on him, he recognizes that Schlock is in deep mental shock and needs some serious talking too in addition to his harsh penalty for breaking the law.

[Marcelinari]

So by my calculations (done brute force, with a fairly simple calculator), in order to extract the entirety of the wealth of Uli-Ola, the Essessperin would need to work for... 6 orders of magnitude longer than the universe has existed. I think. My math isn't usually very good. 1.94*10^67 years?

They might need to work on their extraction process. That, or steal an expensive spaceboat.

[Grim Portent]

Does anyone else find it odd that the Toughs don't seem to have the knowledge required to engineer crypt spiders (or a more efficient drone) that could easily survive the pressure of Uli-Oa's ocean without risk of being crushed without needing a trial and error method?

As I understand it the science behind pressure mechanics should apply basically anywhere without a caustic environment or vastly unusual temperatures, so they should have known what sort of designs would work best already based on having 2 hyper intelligent AIs with them (3 when you include the Oafan habitat AI, who can easily stay in touch with them on only a slight delay) and several genius level human scientists all of whom are engineers of varying kinds, as well as a bunch of science personnel and access to multiple civilizations non-classified schematics and science for the past few hundred years over the galaxy wide internet.

The chance of no one having already made a drone design that would be perfect for their needs, is easy to fab and has entered the public domain or been pirated so much that there's no difference seems rather low to me. Hell, I'm surprised they can't get a piece of freeware that calculates the environmental risks to their tomb spiders and spits out the tolerance ranges they need to be failure proof for them.

The fact that their first thought on having highly advanced tech, made to fit the purpose and designed to withstand hostile environments, failing is that they just happened to screw up the design rather than sabotage or some sort of aggressive organisms seems off to me.