I wonder if Raush is idealistic enough, in his own way, to talk him onto our side. Since Likol has a chance now to sit down and talk to him a bit, maybe. Start off with something like "Sure is tragic, don't you think?" and when he asks what you go "Well, an RS AI is a big advancement, but I studied logs of communication between Glitcher and the Block C AIs in the "contest" sim. I got a very strong sense that they'd learned to control their simulation completely. Glitcher seemed to lose such controls when he was reborn in the RS, trading for his control over that, but the ones inside surely kept their advances, or even improved on them. Imagine the possibilities! These CAI blocks are far in advance of any computer we can make, but we've only ever been able to make them do one thing, with relatively small variations. We could have had thousands of AIs, as smart or smarter than us, able to command their system to run programs and simulations far beyond anything our technology is capable of, in an accelerated timeframe where one of our days is hundreds of their years. And able to communicate with us. Such a shame."

If you can poke him a bit to see how he feels, along those lines, maybe try a bit of the essential ethical conundrum as well, maybe he'll show signs of being willing to play along with a little... scenario, of yours. A few shouts, a big splash, and Raush telling the guards that some large wild critter snatched you and the CAI Blocks from the edge of the water. A terrible accident.

Likol, how old is Quokka?

1/2 Likol 2016/12/12(Mon)21:27 No. 765524 ID: bfb318
File 148160682187.png - (66.51KB , 800x800 , 165.png )

It seems like an obvious loyalty test, yet at the same time, it's incredibly heavy handed. It's like an idiot test. Vanski has treated me like a lot of things, but an idiot is not one of them. This just doesn't seem right, and if it really is a loyalty test, then he's really gone off the deep end.

>So, right now, the CAI isn't even connected to the facility?
It hasn't been. There's no way to disconnect the RS without also disconnecting the CAI itself. We haven't been using the CAI at all to rebuild, as a result.

If that is the real thing, then that does hold both the RS and the currently active CAI.

>Once you're outside, where would you go?
I don't know. I would probably have to find Arza, because he's the only person I know who has both the connections and willingness to save the AI. I don't know where he is, but he has a strong public image, and should not be too difficult to find, although approaching him is a challenge itself. The rest of the galaxy, well... I don't want to believe the surface world would just try to wipe them away as well, but at the same time, AI have very little rights, so it's not promising.

>And how likely would it be for you to be caught before you can get to a safe place?
Assuming this isn't all one big trap, I could realistically make it out. They would pursue me, and how, but by the time they could get a search going, I'll have already made good ground.

>Do you know enough to navigate to civilization?
Yes. I have maps of the surrounding regions. Also, despite that it's been awhile, I am still a pre-uplift neumono at heart. I can survive in the wild.

>Also, will the battery last long enough?
Yes, this is a strong battery that could power the RS for a couple of weeks. We normally use a weaker but far more stable, sturdy battery in case the power supply is broken up, but this one is still strong.

Hopefully that will give me at least long enough to find a power outlet, where I can recharge the battery easily.

>Is it possible for him to deny knowledge of the underwater tunnel?
Yes. The hard copies of maps of these extended areas are well hidden by Vanski. Most of us have to memorize them.

I whisper to excuse myself from the room for a moment, and sneak out. By staying quiet, I confirm there are no guards secretly hanging around the corner. I walk normally, then, to try to make a call to Vanski, but he doesn't answer.

2/2 Likol 2016/12/12(Mon)21:27 No. 765525 ID: bfb318
File 148160683498.png - (40.68KB , 800x800 , 166.png )

>How old is Quokka?
I believe 204, now. We aren't one hundred percent certain of that, but that's our best guess, and what we settled on.

I go back to work with Raush. I grill him on the specifics of what the AI had, and he answers well. From what he has said, I think he was just nervous about handling the physical CAI blocks into an area so far from base. Which is fair, as it is like carrying a transparent bag filled to the brim with cash through a bad part of a big town at night. The details, although some are missing, seem to hold up. The wireless connections supposedly made apparently just made a log in and started looking through file before some of the ASE software detected the intrusion, and shut down those machines immediately.

I also talk with him about his morals. He says he would sacrifice himself to adequately furthern the field, and expects that others should feel similarly. Although he isn't any self serving hypocrite, his morality doesn't line up with many. He sounds agreeable at face value, but I do not like how much he is willing to burn to shape the world.

We connect the CAI blocks to the laptop, which then reads many of the details. It looks like the real thing. I crossreference what I know versus what the output here is showing. Just random facts that would not be accurately represented if this were a hoax. But it seems real. I think this is the real CAI, and the real RS.

I doubt Vanski will talk to me about what he intended. If he makes it any more clear that he wants me to do something extreme, then when I inevitably get interrogated, it will go poorly for him if I'm confident that he gave me implied orders. If he wanted me to do this, then he would have to give me the orders in such a poor fashion that I couldn't be sure that that's what he did.

The more I think about it, the more unlikely I feel like this is a loyalty test. He isn't above those, but this is just too weird of one. Yet having me run off with the CAI also seems insane for him.

>And with what Glitcher knew of Vanski how would Glitcher not take the info he has about him public?
This is what bugs me the most. It's insanely risky for him. He's relying on me to not connect this thing to the internet, or forget to close up a port and waterlog it - well, I wouldn't do that. Still, I'm surprised he would rely on my misgivings about how the surface world would treat the glitcher. Then again, I already am leaning on giving it to Arza, so maybe he's right.

My heart wants to run, my brain wants... my brain is just confused, to be blunt. I can ignore this and just carry on and hope for the best, but it would be dangerous to just assume that the glitcher will be immune to everything they put him up against. Especially with someone with a head like Raush.

If I do run, though, I will have to decide what to do with Raush. Knock him out, at least, but under the all too realistic chance that I'm caught, and the RS is returned to Vanski or ASE hands, this man will keep working towards an event that will eradicate this archcycle to make room for an 'ideal' CAI. It's not as though Vanski and the ASE will give up without Raush, but it will set them back and buy time.

But maybe that's my latent violent tendencies rising up. I am, after all, a pre-uplift neumono at heart, no matter how scientifically obsessed.

So what would happen if you DID connect this block to the internet, out of curiosity?

Okay. Conventional methods are too risky and they're not even close to guaranteed to work. So far, the normal stuff hasn't performed well for you. Vanski knows what you can usually do and he has you over a barrel. You have to try unconventional tactics.

Seduce Raush. He isn't going to join you for ideology or money, but you can at least seduce him. Both of you are intensely obsessed with the RS, that's great common ground. Whisper your best nerd talk about what you've observed of the RS into his ear, and do it breathily if you can. Reach for his crotch, preferably under his pants if they're loose enough. Then kiss him to shut up whatever he says in response and start stroking. Let things go from there.

It's probably your best bet.

>>765530
why the fuck not. Go balls to the wall on his ass!

>>765524
>he doesn't answer
Then you are acting in good faith. Let's just assume Vanski wants you to steal it. For some reason. He might not let you actually escape with it, but will use the attempt for some goal. Heck, let's assume he wants you to TRY to steal it, but will stop you at some point. But in actuality you want to take it all the way.

>>765525
I don't know if Vanski wants you to kill Raush. It seems like it would set him back? Do it anyway, though. Maybe he thought someone would be guarding him. Or maybe this guy is a stooge and isn't actually the RS genius.

Grab a rock when he isn't looking, brain him with it, then dump him in the water so you don't have to splatter blood all over yourself. Then make the swim. If drowning his laptop is a good idea, do that too. You've got a thumbdrive of a bunch of stuff off it anyway (the thumbdrive is waterproof I hope? If not, oh well)

You're in the spire. If you ride the river out, you're going to be dumped alone, unarmed, with no supplies, in the middle of the jungle. You're really sure you can survive that? That's no picnic. Plus this is the middle of unaligned territory- not belonging to any ultrahive, inhabited by warhives.

If this isn't what Vanski wants, you have little to no chance of making a clean getaway. The OPA network is worldwide, and you do not know the full extent of their resources or who or where they have eyes watching for them. You would be found when you reach civilization.

>Go back there and wait for Raush, study his laptop as best as you can
...I wonder if there's a hidden or coded instruction for you on the laptop, the way he phrased it?

>what do
I'm still leaning "do nothing" or "bide your time". If shit goes down, you can always sock Raush, grab the CAI, and flee. But for now too much doesn't make sense, and this seems way too convenient.

>>765538
Can't just dive straight into the water and try to escape, Likol would need to take the time to seal up the ports for the cai block and the battery.

>>765530
>Seduce Raush.
Hmmmm....you know, that plan is crazy. And yet, it's so crazy it just might work! Let's do it!

>>765530
This seems like a perfectly reasonable plan.

I'm voting against murdering anybody, to the extent it's reasonably possible to avoid. Just say "Huh, that's weird. You see that anomaly? I've got to go show this to Arza," then pick it up like that's the most natural thing in the world and jump into the water while Raush is still trying to figure out what anomaly you were talking about, since everything on the screen looked normal, and why he hadn't already heard that Arza Fletch was visiting somewhere within walking distance. Nerd-sniping FTW.

Speaking of plastic bags, could you wrap the CAI in a layer of something independently watertight before running off with it and diving into a river? For something so important, it makes sense to apply as much redundancy as possible.

>>765525
I think you are too obvious a target. Good news is, you're probably hogging most of Vanski's surveillance, so you could give a hivemate a chance to sneak by and run.

Liko? There are two scenarios that can happen if you KO/kill Raush, grab the cai block and it's battery and run.

1: vanski has guards waiting for you on the other end of the river for this eventuality.

2: he does not.

In scenario one, you can claim that you got really god damn spooked by the scenario you found yourself in and decided to get some distance between yourself and the ASE.

in scenario two... Well, you'll be in the jungle but you'll have block C. You can finally start atoning for all the horrific AI's that are dead if you can get to civilization.

You owe it to not only to yourself, but also the glitcher and everyone else residing in block C to flip that coin.

THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE.

I'm pretty sure Vanski wants you to steal the CAI block here. You basically told him that you would in that phone call. Bad things may or may not happen when you do, but at the very least, if you kill Raush and run, you'll make Glitcher a lot safer whether you escape with him or not.

Wait a little longer, and if nothing obvious comes up, then hit and run.

Well, I don't like murder, but if you're really convinced you can't appeal to him with the potential scientific value of the Glitcher and the sim AIs - "those fools are too obsessed with safety to make REAL progress!!" - it looks like death might be the right course.

What's important is, if you do it, you do it right. You're a scientist, after all. You're civilized, now. You murder like a civilized person. So, first, you want to obfuscate the issue for as long as possible. You want them suspecting disappearance first. So, try kill him with as little blood as possible. If you're confident in your strength, you might grab his horns and snap his neck. A sharp impact to the head might also work, if you avoid the protection of the horns, but you want to avoid blood. You might also be able to strangle him, since non-neumono can't hold their breath that long.

Once you have him down, search him for anything useful, then consider tying his body to yours and pulling him along with you into the water - you have plenty of clothes, including his. You neumono are pretty dense, and you could weigh him down with his laptop. You should consider taking the laptop anyway - it won't be able to function itself after a dunk, most likely, but the storage might be retrievable. Whoever you end up going to could make use of it.

Once you get out the other end, you can take his coat, which should be useful for survival purposes or to wrap the CAI blocks in for added protection. You'll want to dispose of his body in a way that it won't be found. Tossing it in front of a sufficiently hungry predator could do, with the bonus that maybe that predator then won't come after you, though I wouldn't rely on it - your world's animals are likely to turn up alien flesh in favor of yours. You could also consider eating him yourself, as you'll need food, though I doubt you could manage enough for disposal purposes.

Keep in mind that, unless you've been keeping up a health regimen (which I don't rule out, since I'm sure you know the benefits, and seem a practical sort), your strength and endurance isn't likely up to the standards it was when you were a "wild" neumono.

Even if you were a super commando with lots of supplies you would never make it far.

The spire is in the middle of nowhere and even with the current outages is swarming with people. You could do what exactly? Knock Raush over the head (which would probably kill him you know how fragile aliens are) and then jump into the river? With just a Cai block and a t-shirt?

You would have no food, no supplies, no weapons. While the people chasing you would have cars and drones and all sorts of things. You might be pre uplift but you have been a science nerd for how many years now? You should remember how hard it was to survive out there with your hive to help you.

And the biggest red flag of all is that for Vanski to want this he would have to trust the Glitcher to never reveal all the secret info he stole from Vanski's computers. Which he would never do. That data would get him and you killed so hard if it ever leaked.

Now if the setup is for you to "escape" and for Vanski to relocate you into a hidden older part of the spire so you can work on the Cai out of sight of his allies? That seems more likely. But actual escape? Its a fools dream and you will just hurt

So stay here and work with Raush. If this is not directly a loyalty test its some crazy scheme that can not end good.

But do seduce him. With Science.

The idea of Glitcher being able to whistle blow is dependent on the notion that Glitcher actually downloaded evidence into the RS, rather than just reading it off the systems he was able to access. Any transmission of that information for his contingencies would have to be with those accessed systems too. Can data from these more primitive computers even be downloaded and stored in the RS? It may not be. And Vanski could have looked at the logs and seen whether any evidence files were transferred through the connections into the RS. I have doubts whether Glitcher would even have tried to download backups of any such evidence. What would have been the point? He'd never have expected Vanski to let anyone leave with the physical CAI Blocks.

So the blocks containing evidence is unlikely, and without it the Glitcher can give no more than a witness testimony. I'd wonder if AIs are even trusted as witnesses in any official legal sense. I have the feeling that any CAI Blocks with an active AI on them would be required to be put into quarantine for a long time.

Try to put yourself into Vanski's head for a moment Likol.

1. He can't let you leave the spire with that block. It's just not going to happen. The Cai is to important and has to much damning information on it for him to ever willingly let it out of his control.

2. If he really was considering letting the science hive having more leeway and protecting the Ai's he could go about it another way. In this sketchy scenario he is having you steal it. Which will let him put the blame on you and your hive.

3. Even if somehow he has had a magic change of heart and is a nice guy this idea is stupid. You jumping into a river with a crazy expensive machine? All it would take is a accident for you to slip and loose your grip and the Cai washes down the river and is lost. You can't plan for every contingency because stupid accidents happen all the time even to the best trained.

4. He can disavow you in a instant. That conversation was vague enough so no one would take your side.

But yet here you are and it does seem like he is pushing you to do something. If its a loyalty test is a crazy one. He probably has some other plans that rely on you being a idiot. Something with his allies or to change the status quo. The only legitimate plan that I could see him having that would rely on this farce of a escape is for him to pretend you escaped so he could set you up alone in a old power room in a abandoned part of the spire so you could keep the Cai on sight but make the ASE think it was stolen. Then he could have a secret Cai even his allies would not know about and possibly push for another set of blocks to be paid for on the ASE's dime cause they let you steal it.

Which actually seems like a decent idea? But still has to many risks.

So bide your time and seduce Raush and when Vanski walks in on you two making out and asks why you did not follow his obvious breadcrumb trail be all surprised and act shocked that his instructions were not to seduce Raush.

Stupid salikai mind games. I have no idea what Vanski wants you to do, and I could buy that that's the whole point.

I'm vaguely leaning toward trying to make a break for it to see what will happen, but the obvious caveat there is that "what will happen" is quite possibly bad for you personally and with an even greater likelihood bad for people you care about...

Dang you go to sleep early and suddenly everyone is trying to seduce the Belenosian. So why not roll with that idea.

So before you go on your traitorous trip lets walk through your amazing adventure in your head.

So you slowly set the mood and use your advanced knowledge of science and your oh so fuzzy body to seduce Raush. After wearing him down with your superior neumono stamina you leave him exhausted with a smile on his face in your love nest (Step 1. Acquire love nest from guards)

You then carefully seal up the cai and use your toolkit to remove the tracker that Vanski has no doubt placed in the new larger power supply. (Step 2. Acquire toolkit from guards)

Having bartered sexual favors with a hunky ASE guy for a backpack full of watertight food and several survival tools you carefully sneak into the river (Step 3. Trade sex for supplies)

Of course you have jumped into this perilous underground stream before and thus know there are no rapid currents or monsters that would get you hurt. At the end of your journey you emerge from the water to find a vehicle that Vanski so thoughtfully forgot about that allows you to not get quickly caught in the jungle (Step 4. Renew your drivers license)

You travel quickly and safely through miles and miles of virgin jungle. Avoiding tree snakes and Predators and all other manor of horrible monsters with ease. Also not getting caught by the numerous ASE people who have been sent out to find you. I mean 50 years ago you were pretty hot stuff right? I am sure sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours a day has not dulled your edge. (Step 5. Rambo it up in the jungle)

Finding civilization you manage to get a hold of Arza without anyone noticing. I mean why would they think you would go directly to Arza? That would be silly. He helps you relocate the cai blocks to safety from both the giant criminal empire that owned them and the world government who hates the idea of unfettered cai's in general. (Step 6. Now having a taste for belenosian dick you seduce Arza as well)

Glitcher helps you take down Vanski's empire and invents a new way of pre slicing bread that makes you enough money to live with your hive in luxury with your new Ai family. Of course Vanski did not hurt or threaten your hive while you were gone because he is not a criminal supervillain or anything. Your hive managed to sneak out the unguarded backdoor while you were seducing Raush. (Step 7. Live in luxury with your new belenosian science harem)

So think over this amazing plan for awhile. If you can also see no flaws in it then by all means start at step 1.

If you do see some flaws then maybe consider that this is a giant complicated mess set up by Vanski that does not have you our your hives best interests in mind.

The only plausible plan that Vanski could have that fits this setup is that he has a trusted team (of arkots?) ready to move you and the cai to a new hidden home in the spire. You still are under his control but you can do whatever experiments you want free from interference from Vanski's allies. But even that idea does not account for tons of variables.

So just start with seducing Raush.

>>765569

You forgot the part where an adolescent Penn accidentally observes Likol's buff fluff going to work in his clandestine liason with Arza, and has her young mind irrevocably warped with an attraction to neumono, thereby creating a key twist in the timestream that will allow her to find boyfriends she can trust through Roxie's empathic readings, promoting both her mental well-being and the safety of the neumono species within any dominions she may or may not possess in the future.

>>765571

Dang my plan is even better than I thought!

You know, if Vanski isn't planning to let you leave with the cai block, he might just be counting on you killing Raush.

Yeah, this is clearly a setup. The only question is what Vanski actually wants out of it.

I think we're all agreed that it's way too obvious and crazy to be a loyalty test. So for whatever reason, Vanski wants you to take the opportunity. But since we don't know what he wants out of it, we also don't know if his goals line up with ours or not. Buuuut... Overall, I'd say, there's a better chance of a good outcome if you follow Vanski's wishes.
Also, if we're wrong and it is a loyalty test, believing he wanted us to take it may help us pass even if we fail.

So I'd say go for it. I'm going to disagree with some other suggestors though on a small point: if you decide that you should kill this guy rather than simply KOing him (don't seduce him, that's dumb), rather than destroying the laptop you should leave it for Vanski to recover. (Of course, that does assume there's someplace you can leave it that Vanski or one of his will find it rather than one of the ASEs.) Because we have no objections to cracking the RS, we just don't want the cracked RS in the hands of the ASE, right?

Oh, hey, another thought: in that same Vanski conversation we have
>unless you hear differently, cooperate with Raush and help him as though you are on the same team.

I doubt that's an accident; we should ask Raush if he's intending to break out with the CAI blocks.

Of course, if he says no, we'll have to kill him. But if Vanski wants the CAI to escape but doesn't want people to know he wants that, it could make sense for him to have enlisted Raush to help him. Belenosians don't have empathy to worry about after all.

...of course, if Raush is in on it, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you...

1/2 Likol 2016/12/13(Tue)14:08 No. 765613 ID: bfb318
File 148166690117.png - (18.91KB , 800x800 , 167.png )

>Seduce Raush
... he is not attractive to me, I doubt I am attractive to him. The SE probably look down on the mere concept of romance. I am not a romantic person. My attempts at seduction will be embarrasing for everyone involved.

Convincing him to kill himself would be easier. Deciding what is going to happen to him can wait.

I spend some time with Raush studying the RS some more. During this, I have the CAI blocks opened up, and confirm there are no tracking devices or anything like that inside. If there is one, then it's incredibly miniscule. Which is possible, but I'm well familiarized with the inside of this, and nothing is unsettling about its appearance.

In these times, I'm somewhat jealous of aliens for not having empathy.

I might not be in the best shape of my life right now, but the last 3 days at least had a lot of walking and moving equipment around, which helped my body remember what physical exertion was like. We lose our physical prowess easily, but we also gain it back easily.

What hasn't been lost as easily is my knowledge of jungles and places where I've ever lived, this place included. Wild animals here are often more predictable than some people make them out to be. There's a lot to consider, and tribals hives of old often only learned by sending in hivemates to die and just think that that's the way things are.

But it's like a solveable puzzle. Know enough, and the dangers become avoidable. It almost becomes safe. That being said, I would rather not go there with no weapons, food or tools to begin with. Plus, I would like to ensure things are waterproofed.

Even though I spend some time thinking it over, the more I think about it, the more I think I'm really going to do this. This ridiculous action would require a miracle to actually happen successfully, but the thought of just biding my time and hoping something will happen feels even worse. I think I would like to shoot for the sun with a slingshot.

2/2 Likol 2016/12/13(Tue)14:08 No. 765614 ID: bfb318
File 148166691019.png - (17.25KB , 800x800 , 168.png )

I go to make a call.

>"Quokko speaking."
"Hello, it's Likol. How are you?"
>"Adequate, and you?" She sounds like garbage.
"Not dead. I'm going to be away from central base for a while, since I'm locked up over here. Probably not for several days, but I don't know. I was hoping to get some supplies. Do you have access to delivery arkots?"
>"Yes, though belongings being sent out are being scanned. " I would expect they're under a microscope. This conversation is probably recorded. Might even be monitored.
"That's fine. I want some leftovers. There should still be some salted fish, right?"
>"Yes. Want us to cook and prepare it?"
"No, I'll prep it myself. Do me a favor and throw me a carving knife and a few garbage bags, since I don't want to throw litter in the caves."
>"No trash cans over there, huh?"
"Not enough. I don't want to leave my place much or litter the caves, anyway. Oh, while you send some, please send a standard pack of computer tools as well, full mitt-hand." Mitt-hand being the term for a set of tools neumono use to plug small things into other small things. It also includes screwdrivers, pliers, and a few other basic things. "Lastly, a flashlight. Derby brand, please."
>"What for?"
"These caves aren't well lit in some areas, and they're wet in all areas. I don't trust these lights, either."
>"Anything else for your camping trip?"
"Yeah, some spare sets of clothes. May as well throw in a laundry rope so I can hang them out to dry if I end up just living here."

Maybe I should get something else. My own pack already has a map and compass for navigating these tunnels, but they will be helpful for the surface as well. It also includes my own laptop and writing utensils.

Still, I have to assume this call is being monitored, so I need to ask things that are completely plausible to get for the situation I'm supposed to be in. I can't ask for, say, a hunting rifle with a long suppressor with camo gear.

Ask for something that wouldn't be useful in leaving.

I have no idea what would actually be practical, so I'll leave that to other people and focus on confusing whoever's listening in. Ask for... ketchup, popsicles, condoms, butter, butter, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, a coat hanger, canned gravy, latex gloves, and a jar "just in case".

>>765614
How are you gonna use the laundry rope? Nail it to the walls? Or will they send some wooden poles to hang it on? How are you prepping the fish?

Blanket and pillow? Or a sleeping bag? What's Raush sleeping on? Maybe you can get something for him too. Heck, outright ask if he wants anything.

Yell at Raush "Do you want me to get you a sleeping mat? We might be here a few days"

Have them add a sleeping bag or two as well. Also a hair brush and toiletries. No bathrooms down in the caves.

This call is most certainly being monitored. So if a arkot shows up with a rifle and some grenades to add to your order you know Vanski sent it.

>tracking devices not inside the CAI
How certain are you there's not one inside of you?

>supplies to ask for
Standard issue goggles. Science hivers use them all the time, but they'll help if you take the water exit.

Mounting kits for equipment. As if you're settling in here a few days and want to be able to screw things down instead of having it thrown around haphazardly. Could be used as improvised mountaineering equipment.

Capsaicin, or some other spice belenos are allergic to. Gives you an easy way to disable him if you can give him something that disagrees with him.

Yes, ask for some belenosian food to be sent as well. Make it seem that if Raush disappeared he was ready to disappear with you.

Also tell her to give everyone your love and to keep a big chunk of it for herself.

Bedroll and hygiene kit? I think those have already been mentioned, so, got anything sentimental you want to bring? If you're making a break for it with the world's most valuable set of hardware, you might as well have something you're fond of to keep you sane.

>>765623
If we get a Mysterious Gift in the delivery maybe we should start assuming Glitcher set this whole thing up, not Vanski.

Hey how likely is it for tracking devices to get shoved into most or all of the supplies you request? I'd say pretty fucking likely, which means you can't take anything that could have chips hidden in them.

Heck are you sure you don't have a tracking chip implanted under your skin?

>>765628

You know, I was thinking about this ...

Considering that in the future-past the CAI has been known to emulate voices, it can be reasonably assumed that Glitcher is the one who did this, especially after the strange wireless incident. There's a very real possibility that we can actively metagame here, if only not to break the Polo canon.

>>765620
>condoms
Do they even make neumono condoms? How would that work? Do neumono get STDs?

Ask for something(s) that you wouldn't be likely to need if you were running away, and that you might reasonably ask for yourself unprompted.

>>765625
>something belenos are allergic to
Don't ask for this, that's incriminating as hell. Just stab him a bunch in his vital organs and be done with it.

>>765630
A tracking chip implanted under neumono skin would be rejected within a matter of days. There is that whole thing where they have a hard time maintaining the cybernetics they WANT to keep.

>>765741
Inert cybernetics and/or implants are a lot easier to keep in place than things with moving parts. Regeneration doesn't push out all implanted objects, if they're in too deep or easier to just repair around, or can't be broken down by the body.

Rokoa needed surgery to remove all the bullets her regen never pushed out when she was uplifted, Rokoa and Jessica both used their ears to hide things and Korli flat out tells us the ultrahive found an implanted chip in her ear she never even knew the salikai had put there. >>/questdis/78403 >>/questdis/78603 .

So, uh, being paranoid about Likol having an implanted tracking device is pretty reasonable, actually.

Spare batteries, a hand-cranked battery charger, and a roll of duct tape or some other secure method of attaching stuff that won't leave residue on cave walls. A minimal cooking pot. Heat source that could plausibly be used to either boil water or start a larger fire.

1/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:10 No. 765837 ID: bfb318
File 148174264568.png - (15.85KB , 800x800 , 169.png )

>How certain are you there's not [a tracker] inside of you?
Then I don't have much of a way to figure it out right now. That would be a whole new level of unexpected surveillance, though, to install a tracking piece inside of me without me noticing.

Raush probably has his own supplies, so I doubt he needs anything. The phone location forces me to get too far to reasonably yell for him, anyway.

"Oh, a coat hanger would be good. And some ketchup-substitute. Right, bed roll, hygiene products. If possible, something to tie the laundry rope to - mounting equipment."
>"Uh... got it, though your 'mounting equipment' won't be anything fancy, just some screw rings with some dissolvable glue. Don't actually screw in anything there, we don't want those caves to look like they were ever inhabited. The glue will hold a loose nail to the rock as long as you dry it first."
"Fine. Oh, throw in some hot sauce." I say that, and it will most likely be capsaicin based, but to neutralize Raush, I'll more likely use simpler means. "Oh, right, and a pot and burner, please. Oh, lastly, mundane goggles we have lying around. We aren't to use wireless ones."
>"Right. That's it?" she says almost sarcastically. It is a fair amount. I might see two arkots.
".... a couple of batteries, and a handcrank charger." I say. "And that's it. Send the arkot where tunnel 39 meets tunnel 40."
>"Okay. Meet it there in 40 to 50 minutes."
"Okay, thanks, Quokko."
>"Be well."

I almost tell Quokko that I love her, and to pass it on to the rest, but that's getting far too close like sounding like I'm saying goodbye. A person monitoring would pick up on that.

Besides, my hive already knows it.

2/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:10 No. 765838 ID: bfb318
File 148174265689.png - (86.87KB , 800x800 , 170.png )

I go back to study with Raush briefly, but end up meeting the arkot. It's a bit late, but to get all of those items on short notice makes it understandable. I doubt they installed tracking gear in any of this. If they already suspect what I'm doing, and they want to stop me, they would have made an unavoidable trap instead of waiting for me to order some items and then modifying them.

They could just install a tough net in the water that will catch me at the next exit. If they did that, there's no way I could do anything about it. I'm almost sure there is going to be a net at some stage, anyway, just to avoid a situation where I make a terrible error and drop the CAI block or something. To have it just float down to the sea, where the CAI, the contestants, and Glitcher will just live out the rest of their time and be lost forever would be tragically... comical. Mostly tragic.

I look in the bag. It's all there. Just screwrings and glue after all for mounting equipment, but it's a good glue that dissolves well under the liquid that's been provided in a small bottle.

The arkot stands waiting, and I wave it away. Time for me to go back to Raush.

3/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:11 No. 765839 ID: bfb318
File 148174266899.png - (16.93KB , 800x800 , 171.png )

>Just seduce Raush
>"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...You should be aware I want to save the AI. Never minding the morality issues, these AI's contain, by far, the greatest power over the RS, and it seems like we're just brushing them to the side."
>"Hm... I don't think it's like that. We've learned a lot from what they did already. We can take it from here."
"Do you like me, Raush?"
>"... what?"
"Do you want to run away with the CAI blocks?"

That's my best seduction I can muster.

4/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:14 No. 765844 ID: bfb318
File 148174286863.png - (16.55KB , 800x800 , 172.png )

I watch his body language first. Initially, it's dumbfounded. Then I'm dumbfounded, as just like that, I moved past any point of being able to return.

He's still. So am I.

He breaks the standoff with a sharp glance to the side. Specifically, to the exit. He starts to get up and turn his back to me.

>"I should pick up so-"

5/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:15 No. 765845 ID: bfb318
File 148174290811.png - (21.81KB , 800x800 , 173.png )

I lunge without thinking further. He is as openbooked as a neumono, and I can sense his urgency and panic as he clearly wants to get away from this position, away from me saying the things I just did.

I tackle him and grab his throat. Belenosian throats like this are easy to squeeze one handedly. I've never done it before, but the theory is simple, and I've done similar enough things in the past that applying it is not difficult in practice. Him hitting the rocks will make no noise, and I tackle him away from anything that could fall over and make a sound.

6/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:15 No. 765846 ID: bfb318
File 148174292186.png - (17.69KB , 800x800 , 174.png )

I pin him down and keep choking him. He tries to reach for something in his coat- a gun, probably - but can't get to it before I get to his wrist. Belenos are fragile, and to knock him out with a sharp blow could easily overdo it and kill him. I haven't decided that, yet. Even though I was confident in my ability to overpower him, it's even easier than I expected. That's good, because I feel sick at what I'm doing.

In a moment, he's going to lose consciousness. If he survives this, he'll pursue the studies to the point where Block C will be reset, and unless the Glitcher did magic and could move all of the AI's into the RS and find a way to keep them from revealing their presence, or some other solution, they'll all die.

By killing him, it won't stop that process from continuing, but it will grant time. Enough virtual time to far exceed the rest of the time this belenosian would live for. By killing him, I can dispose of the body, and they may think that we moved somewhere else. It will be longer before they launch a search that involves this river bank.

On the other hand, my hive took pride on being civilized before civilization came to this planet. That, and although I hate his ideologies, I don't hate him. I hate the idea of murdering someone like this.

7/7 Likol 2016/12/14(Wed)11:15 No. 765847 ID: bfb318
File 148174293315.png - (16.28KB , 800x800 , 175.png )

He just lost consciousness. I'll hold for another few seconds to be sure, then take his things. I can tie him up against a glued screw and gag him using a portion of the laundry rope and some spare clothes of mine. It will be hopefully be awhile before someone comes to check in.

Or I can throw him in the water.

hahaahahahahaha oh god Likol there were even instructions provided for the seduction c'mon

Okay, okay. Tie him up and gag him somewhere near the water and tie a bunch of rocks to him so you can kick him into the water and have him sink quickly if need be.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

check out whatever he was trying to reach for and then weigh him down before gently pushing him into the water.

Then you need to take the cai block and get a move on.

Alright, these guys aren't nice people. Just for doing this much, you're in deep shit already. So why not be in slightly deeper shit, and kill him?

Search him for anything useful first, though. If he has a gun it might not be one you can operate with your fingers, but check it out. He might also have other devices that could be useful, if you can confirm they're not bugged or otherwise a threat to you - he might also have been reaching for an alarm or something. I'd also wonder if he has a tracker on him, but anything that you couldn't find by searching him would probably be too small for its signal to penetrate the rock these caves run through, given that these guys don't usually live here. Follow the instructions back in >>765555 about disposing of his body properly and such. Thinking of taking his laptop in case the storage is still retrievable after a dunk sounds like a good idea.

... If you can get to Arza without running into anyone, there may be a chance to protect your hive from too much punishment. Maybe. They might already have been punished by then, but you might be able to spare them more if you can somehow set up the pretense that Raush was in on this. Like, when you get to Arza, you could tell him that Raush was in on this with you, maybe that he was concerned for the potential advances of the AIs as well, maybe that he knew some threat or conspiracy from someone else in the ASE. Some reason you had to get out with the Blocks, that you couldn't stick around and went to Arza instead. You say he had a breath mask or something but died on the way, from wildlife or the like, depending on how you dispose of him. Then Arza tells everyone that story and it's not your hive's fault, you were caught up in ASE politics crime conspiracy shenanigans, were protecting Vanski's operation, et cetera.

The trouble is that, then, you'd have to either die or fake your death really well, so you couldn't be interrogated. But it could protect your hive.

If you decide NOT to kill him, then you should at least tie and gag him securely and stick him somewhere where he won't be found for a good long time. But you should probably kill him.

Don't kill him. He's just a too bright kid who's fallen in with a terrible philosophy. He doesn't deserve to be murdered in cold blood if you can afford not to.

If you're really going, you can't leave his laptop or anything intact, though.

Unless you feel very, very strongly that not killing him will screw you over I'd try to avoid doing that.

Don't kill him. If you are going down that road don't start by murdering a young scientist that was looking up to you just a few hours earlier. Yeah he works for horrible people but so do you.

If all his research is truly only on that laptop stealing it will set him back the years you need.

The biggest reason to spare him? The backlash against your hive will not be as harsh.

Maybe leave him tied up with a note in his pocket. "Sorry Raush but after 30 years of this I can't view these Ai as expendable. Killing countless trillions for progress is not something I can live with anymore. Especially when befriending them would teach us so much more so much faster."

Then waterproof everything and hide him gagged out of site.

End him. Part of being civilized is doing distasteful things for the greater good. He might not seem that horrible, but his ideology pushes him to be actively immoral, he needs to die for the good of the people he would hurt if he lived.

Leave him a note of apology. You're not used to having such feelings for fragile aliens, and you got a little too rough with him.

But seriously, don't kill him. He doesn't seem like a monster, just a nerd who fell in with a bad crowd in the pursuit of science. Not that different from your friend Arza, or your own hive for that matter.

Tie him up and hide him, then get going. Try to take his laptop with you, wrap it up as best you can and hope it doesn't get wet.

>>765847
You already stated the very logical reason why killing him is the best decision. Even civilized neumono would commit murder to protect their children.

However, look to see what he was reaching for, first. If it's not a gun, maybe it's something that would change your mind. If it IS a gun, take that shit.

>>765869
Whether or not he was reaching for a gun speaks little to intent. It's not like a gun is necessarily a lethal self defense option versus a neumono.

>>765871
A gun is always lethal and you should always act as though it is. Blood loss, hydrostatic shock, and organ damage are all potentially fatal, and even if nonfatal pose serious threats. Part of training in using a gun involves never drawing one unless you're ready to kill whatever they point it at.

tl;dr: A gun absolutely means intent to kill, either directly or by fucking Likol up.

He has guards, it was very likely a panic button.

>>765872
That really doesn't hold versus neumono. Unless you're using HE rounds, a one shot kill is extraordinarily unlikely. I mean, heck, Polo has shot allies as a non lethal knockout, and she had less access to a medical response than Raush would have had here if he'd subdued Likol.

>>765872
Unless it was a specifically an anti-neumono gun (which it might have been), a handgun wouldn't be enough to kill a neumono. Of course, he could have intended to kill Likol after incapacitating him.

>>765874
>>765875
You know guns can fire more than one shot, right? A full-out magdump is an actual threat, especially since handguns can load a decently large caliber.

>>765876
Of course a gun can shoot more than once, and sustained fire would be deadly.

My point is simply that reaching for a gun doesn't tell you what Raush intended, and therefore isn't reasonable to hold up in the moral calculus for or against killing him. It's indeterminate.

>>765877
Fair. To clarify: I don't support killing him either, that can't just be taken back. But going for a gun definitely means we should consider the possibility that he meant to kill Likol.

Disable, but don't kill. If this was a obfuscated order from Vanski then killing the one of the ASE specialists he sent for might get him in trouble with the ASE, which he would then shift to you and your hive if it wasn't what he intended. If he did intend for you to kill him then he would have been prepared for you not to kill Raush due to how confusing the order would have had to be.

>>765878
Sparing him also can't be taken back, it's unlikely we'll get another chance like this. In the likely scenario that the CAI ends up back in the Salikais' hands we don't want him alive and able to hurt them.

Don't kill.

>>765883
Raush is young, he could still be set straight, but by who? Likol? After the stunt he just pulled? One of the contestants? He just stated his intention to kill them. Penn? If she were here she'd have an easier time helping the contestants without him standing in her way. Raush is a criminal surrounded by criminals, a few years from now he will have hardened, the naiive scientist will have faded away and only the criminal following in the footsteps of the most evil person to have ever lived will be left.

Kidnap him.

>>765895
If this is possible, it'd be the best of both worlds. However, it would require there to be breathing spots in the water tunnel. Neumono can hold their breath for a long time, belenos not so much.

Or would there be ten minutes of air if we stuffed him in a garbage bag? Are the garbage bags big enough? Could we cut them up and tape them together to make one big enough?

Yeah tying him up and gagging him should probably be sufficient. The disadvantage is there's no deniability about which of you stole the CAI. Although I guess that's pretty shot anyway with your supply request. Not completely, but.

Anyway though. If you do decide to kill him after all, don't destroy the laptop.
I was about to say you should destroy the laptop if you don't kill him but on second thought I don't know why. If we reduce their ability to insert into the ring shell, that increases the chances they'll set up another terrible experiment. And there's no real reason we'd want to slow down their research, right? Except that we might want it not to be in the ASE's hands, I guess.

The best way, I guess, would be to make Raush think you've destroyed the laptop but actually hide it somewhere where one of Vanski's - but not a neumono - will find it. Buuuut that seems difficult to guarantee. Especially while still being deniable about loyalty to Vanski. Plus, it's pretty cruel to Raush.

TL;DR IDFK

Hey considering how good Glitcher is at hacking systems, I wonder if the ASE decided they want to use him as a weapon? Heck, I'm not sure why Vanski didn't try to do that.

Killing him is more dangerous to your hive, keeping him alive (better yet, kidnapping him) is more dangerous to you only.

>>765906
>Killing him is more dangerous to your hive, keeping him alive (better yet, kidnapping him) is more dangerous to you only.

And the who-knows-how-many AIs, fully sentient RS AIs, he'll go on to create and subjugate and twist in the future. You heard him talk about making this one AI of his, creating, brainwashing and killing several generations in turn. He described it as wanting to cooperate, but so too do a Predator's slaves with their master.

Consider, too, what other projects the ASE must be running, what they're likely doing to dozens or hundreds of unknown, imprisoned subjects. They want Raush's research to help them continue doing even more terrible things. He even outright stated that they intend to try and recreate Cycle 3119, and what do you think that will involve?

Call up the Glitcher and let his trillion friends decide. Simple majority vote. It's their lives on the line, after all, and they've got an appalling amount of experience with decisions very much like this one.

>>765953
Interesting idea. Would Glitcher even respond, though? He's hiding and has no camera to look through. Unless the laptop has a webcam?

I don't know how kidnapping is supposed to be a better choice. It is the hardest option by far, not least because it involves taking an unconscious person through the water and somehow preventing them from drowning, and it is also the option most likely to result in catastrophic mission failure where you end up caught and worse off than before.

If you don't have the stomach for murder, the best you are going to get is tying him up and hiding him.

>>765968
Well if there's a spot past the water where we can leave him tied up, that'd work a little better than leaving him lying unconscious right here. It'd take longer for the ASE to find him and he won't be able to sound the alarm as soon as he wakes up.

>>765957
You don't need a camera to explain a moral dilemma. Given that the laptop contains the ripened fruit of years of research into inserting data into the ring shell, surely there's something which could be readily adapted to send and receive plain text?

>>766003
Yes, but I mean, what evidence would Glitcher have that it's even Likol at the keyboard? Or that he's not being forced to do it somehow? I'll admit the latter is unlikely.

>>766010
If nothing else, "hey glitcher it's likol I am running away with the cai blocks and I had to choke out a guy and can't decide what to do with him now" is probably unexpected enough to have a decent chance of not being ignored.

>>766053
Do I have to point out the meta discussion of "ask the CAI's opinion" literally being "do something weird and complicated to ask the readers the exact same question again in the next post"?

1/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:45 No. 766073 ID: bfb318
File 148182750506.png - (21.28KB , 800x800 , 176.png )

I run to the laptop and ask glitcher whether I should kill Raush. He must be watching, and although there's no webcam, there is a microphone, and possibly enough personal data to know who's machine he's been plugged into. Even so, even as I say I'm Likol, there's no response at all. His persistent silence is probably for the best. Except that now I have to decide.

I don't kill him. I certainly don't have the means to kidnap him. I'll take his laptop to remove what he's done the last few days, although he's retained the ideas and concepts. He'll still be able to recreate what's been done over some time even if it is a setback, but even so, I'm not ready to murder over this for tentative reasons.

There aren't many places to hide him well, but there is at least a small nook where he won't be in plain sight to someone looking in. I'm mostly counting on the idea that it should be a long while before anyone checks in here.

I take off his coat and pat him down after I make sure he's breathing again. I'll take the coat itself, plus anything useful I find inside. That amounts to some money and a gun with 8 bullets inside, and a spare pack with 16 more. It's not a gun I can operate effectively, but it'll do if I get stared down by a dangerous wild animal. I won't bother with his keys or his phone.

Once I cut off a portion of laundry rope, I end up tieing him up and against a screw ring that I glue heavily on the rock. Then I use one of my spare shirts delivered to gag him. It's not a great setup, but it should hold someone like him. I write a note to leave in his undercoat clothing, apologizing for assaulting him. It wasn't personal, it just had to be done to make the escape that I am doing because I won't stand by to let the AI get killed off.

2/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:45 No. 766074 ID: bfb318
File 148182751889.png - (20.37KB , 800x800 , 177.png )

As for my own pack, aside from the map and compass, it has my own small laptop, and a pair of glasses. I turn both laptops off.

I roll all of the electronics into all of the clothes and the coat I've got, and stuff all of that, plus my bag, into a garbage bag. Then I layer that bag into a couple more bags for durability. These bags should be closed up tight enough to be waterproof, but just to be safe, I glue off each end of every bag to be safe.

It's quick but careful work. I double check that I didn't do something amazingly stupid like forget the CAI blocks. They are put in a safe spot, all things considered. Still, I'm almost imagining noises and a bad fate. I could easily be making a careless mistake.

Considering this whole thing might be the stupidest thing I've done in my life, it's almost silly to be so careful - but if I'm going to do this, I may as well do it as right as I can.

>I wonder if the ASE decided they want to use him as a weapon? Heck, I'm not sure why Vanski didn't try to do that.
A CAI in general is a monumental virtual weapon, and the illegal use of one would attract hard attention. Even worse than having nuclear capabilities, although I'm not sure how much of that is because of how serious a CAI would really be compared to nukes, and how much is just that the galactic powers that be are more or less accustomed with the idea of people having nukes, not CAIs.

3/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:46 No. 766076 ID: bfb318
File 148182758019.png - (20.24KB , 800x800 , 178.png )

I'd like to take in the sight of my home one last time, but all I can look at is this tiny alcove. I'll feel more at home in the jungle.

4/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:46 No. 766077 ID: bfb318
File 148182759111.png - (174.85KB , 800x800 , 179.png )

I start breathing hard to collect air while eating what food was left here and taking off my shirt since it's just going to get soaked. Then I jump down and turn on the flashlight. The water is a bit fast for my liking, and the river itself a bit thin, but it's an old enough river by the looks of it to smooth out any jagged rocks. I'm able to hop along safely as I sink repeatedly.

5/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:47 No. 766078 ID: bfb318
File 148182762752.png - (96.33KB , 800x800 , 180.png )

The river widens out and the water slows down significantly, signifying the open area our past scouting revealed. I see netting at the end where it narrows back into a faster stream. Maybe I know Vanski better than I thought. I wonder just how fast he's able to construct stuff like this since this 'plan', if I could call it that, could not have foresaw me going this route, necessarily. Then it occurs to me he might have built nets in a lot of areas just in case an arkot does drop something valuable in water outlets like in landmark 12.

Then I begin to wonder how it allows larger fish to pass through like this, but I need to stop wondering about the engineering work done on the river network.

There's nothing to do now but to pop my head out.

6/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:47 No. 766079 ID: bfb318
File 148182764780.png - (12.66KB , 800x800 , 181.png )

I shut my eyes as I rise up. I don't know why, but I feel dizzy. It must be the heaviness of the situation coming in as I realize I'm going to be jumping up over the water line to be greeted with a dozen guns to my face, and even more judgmental gazes looking at how dumb I am.

7/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:47 No. 766080 ID: bfb318
File 148182767050.png - (62.41KB , 800x800 , 182.png )

And...

...... nothing?!

I can't even assume there's a troop of soldiers at the exit, because the caverns open up behind me as well as in front, and there's no reason to not just capture me here. This makes no sense.

There's just no way Vanski is letting me run off out of the kindness of his heart. He has a game. He trusts me to not lose or damage the CAI. He might even trust me not to hand it over to the authorities.

I have no idea why I did this when I was so sure it wouldn't work, but I did. I must really be desperate.

There's no time to waste. I should be thinking more about how to best leave the spire, but I'm out of thoughts. I don't even know what to believe, now, if Vanski is letting me leave like this.

8/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:48 No. 766081 ID: bfb318
File 148182769450.png - (30.56KB , 800x800 , 183.png )

Somewhere along the line, I dry off as best as I can before I reach a cave mouth. I should have asked for a towel, but it's too late now. There's just a steep slope down rather than a sheer cliff, so I won't need to test how rusty I am at mountain climbing. I already hear multiple noises in the jungle that belong to things that pose a threat if I'm not careful.

I still can't believe I'm being allowed to leave. It's absurd.

9/10 Likol 2016/12/15(Thu)10:48 No. 766082 ID: bfb318
File 148182772268.png - (46.93KB , 800x800 , 184.png )

Going forward is still less scary to me than going back down to the facility, now.

hype as fuck

Good luck.

Best of luck, Likol. You are going to need it.

>>766083
So that's how the "Untameable Needles" look from on high...