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[Sean Mirrsen]

mind duck gun?

Sorry for pointing this one out, but the mental image this brings is really great.

*shoots gun*
"Quack."
"Dude, what was that?"
"I dunno, I suddenly just feel like I shou QUACK."
*start waggling around*

Aside from that, Anton has some ideas he could pursue that would allow quantum-level copying of things... the problem is that those ideas are a huge leap from where his understanding of the universe currently is. He's currently in a state of BSOD, after the conversation with the Doctor, and can't decide on what to do. Things he could have tried to pursue he now sees as either meaningless or impossible. He could try to do something if he gets results from his backstory experiment, but I haven't been able to get PW to give me any concrete response on the state of it, so -

I feel like in the state he's in, the most likely thing he'd do is go rogue. Or retire. Get his immediate responsibilities sorted out, set up production orders for the nearest future, then compile the list of things he'd have liked to work on, and bundle it with a short message explaining his reasons for leaving. Then just take the Party Wagon and leave for some barely-inhabited planet on the far end of the galaxy, to live out the rest of his days there, fixing broken appliances for locals and not bothering with the ARM, the UWM, or the fate of the universe.

I even have a backup character in mind for if that happens.

[Nikitian]

Aside from that, Anton has some ideas he could pursue that would allow quantum-level copying of things... the problem is that those ideas are a huge leap from where his understanding of the universe currently is. He's currently in a state of BSOD, after the conversation with the Doctor, and can't decide on what to do. Things he could have tried to pursue he now sees as either meaningless or impossible. He could try to do something if he gets results from his backstory experiment, but I haven't been able to get PW to give me any concrete response on the state of it, so -

I feel like in the state he's in, the most likely thing he'd do is go rogue. Or retire. Get his immediate responsibilities sorted out, set up production orders for the nearest future, then compile the list of things he'd have liked to work on, and bundle it with a short message explaining his reasons for leaving. Then just take the Party Wagon and leave for some barely-inhabited planet on the far end of the galaxy, to live out the rest of his days there, fixing broken appliances for locals and not bothering with the ARM, the UWM, or the fate of the universe.

I even have a backup character in mind for if that happens.

Damn, why did you wait so long to say that? Our characters could have been drinking themselves to death enlightenment together all this time!
...I can feel your pain. Maurice was this close to saying "Fuck it" and going playing Russian Roulette with a prototype Blaster Pistol from the Armory. Or using that expedition investigating the missing college to escape into a pocket dimension and never return to our universe. But, you know, who else would do our job if not us?


@Kriellya Thank you. I also felt that Piecewise really wanted us to do the Science this way. So yeah, S.O.P. initial passive scanning (with or without any particularly interesting results), and then embarking on delicious dangerous demonstrations.

[syvarris]

Aww.  What delicious secrets did you two get which are making your chars consider leaving?  I wanna know too. ;-;

...Although if both of you leave, that essentially gives Saint executive power over Heph.  Hmm.

Nik, as far as you being kicked out... I see that as highly unlikely.  IC, Anton's too nice, and Saint doesn't care much as long as you don't make a habit of blowing things up.  Simus might be angry, but she's seemingly permanently catatonic, and technically has no more power than any of us anyway.

As I said through Saint yesterday, I think that only very basic tests of properties should be done before we attempt to reproduce things.  After all, if we can't replicate an item, it doesn't matter how intrinisically we understand what it does--we'll only ever have one copy.  If we run into a wall and can't figure out how to replicate something, then testing makes sense, because we lose little if the item is destroyed, and might gain some additional understanding.

That all said, I don't think your experiment was stupid.  It served the useful purpose of seeing if there was something actual traveling, or if it was purely magic teleportation.  It's hard to imagine why the rifle would explode, if indeed that's what it did.  If you had posted this in the thread, I doubt that I would have stopped you or even pointed out that the rifle's irreplaceable.

[Radio Controlled]

Say, do we have any eta yet on that spess magic factory? Any at all? What is it currently waiting for otherwise?

[syvarris]

Information on the SMF is on the Hephaestus page, as always.  _{Does anyone aside from me find that page useful?  Or is it too much of a clusterf***?}

I have the Estimated Time of Completion recorded as "End of the M21 cycle" which is meant to mean that it will be completed during the timeskip after M21, M22, and M23.  So, we'll be able to work on it during M24.

Yes, this is the minimum time we can get.  I tried putting all four construction crews to work on speeding it up, but that wouldn't have done anything.  I'm pretty sure that it's taking so long primarily because PW knows we'll start to go wild after it's done.  ...And because we're moving a planet's worth of mass, I guess.

[Radio Controlled]

Right, I was searching that page when you posted, quick work.

From other thread: I like the concept of 'pw attention bubble reality distortion'. We have to weaponise this somehow.

[AoshimaMichio]

Right, I was searching that page when you posted, quick work.

From other thread: I like the concept of 'pw attention bubble reality distortion'. We have to weaponise this somehow.

I foresee your crippled body being terminally weaponized.

[Radio Controlled]

Right, I was searching that page when you posted, quick work.

From other thread: I like the concept of 'pw attention bubble reality distortion'. We have to weaponise this somehow.

I foresee your crippled body being terminally weaponized.

Sorry, no prizes for stating the obvious!

[Kriellya]

They are not useless. It was mentioned before that the thing was a laser rifle with some attachments. Seeing those attachments could lead to some insight about what the laser does and how it works. Is it a rangefinder? Is it emitted by the rifle or the attachments? Is the attachment a mundane shape that could be replicated like the mind duck gun?

That's a bit different. That's not 'scanning', that's visual inspection. Finding all the obvious buttons and parts, if you will. By 'scanning', I mean asking PW to tell us every little tiny thing about the device. What's it made of, what are the internals, what that completely insignificant part does, can we replicate it, etc. We could *assume* that those scans have been done for any device, because PW would rather not give a flying fuck about what these devices look like on the inside, and there are only a few questions we would like the answer to without any testing, such as 'can we duplicate it'. So just ask those.

[Parisbre56]

@kri: I'd describe visually inspecting the insides of a device and trying to determine its function without using it or disassembling it as scanning. Don't know of there's a better word for it.

Piecewise said we can't just give Nyarstifacts to a science team. So the only way to replicate something that is not strictly mundane (that means something that piecewise answers "No" to the "Can I copy it?" question) is to try and determine how it works. And looking at its insides (if possible) is the first step to that. Then you progressively move to more active tests to determine how it works.

@syv: What's this control implant you speak of? I thought the sods had genemodded pleasure centres that kept them happy as long as they follow their master's orders. Did you change their minds?

[AoshimaMichio]

Paris, he's talking about manipulator brains.

[syvarris]

No, I'm not talking about manip brains.  I don't think they have control implants either?  None that I've read about, anyway.

I vaguely remember that back during the boarding, our sods got lucky and entered the command room of the enemy sods.  They captured the enemy commanders, but the commanders gave an order* which commanded all the enemy sods to turn off their control implants in their brains, effectively cutting themselves off from command.  PW said that a sod which had that happen was completely unpredictable, and might guard a hallway, or go blow up the ship's reactor.

*I think the commanders actually each gave a different order (All formatted like 'Order ##') while being interrogated for the 'stand down' order and our commander decided to try giving one of those orders to the enemy sods.  The order he gave apparently meant 'turn off your control implants, command has been compromised'.

[Parisbre56]

Are you sure the control implants aren't some sort of radio combined with biometric/location sensors like the ones our shock implants have? Did piecewise say what the control implant is and what it does? Because to me, what you're describing to me sounds like they said "The orders you receive can no longer be trusted. Deactivate your tracking equipment. Follow CONTINGENCY." where CONTINGENCY is a preprogrammed order or set of orders.

(By the way, combining our shock implants with a simple radio (maybe activated by pushing a button in our mouth) would be good for spec ops missions.)

[syvarris]

Spoiler: Things that were said, mostly by PW (click to show/hide)

The sods continue along their prescribed path. They make it up to the intersection nearest the barracks door yet there's a slight problem. The door is open and there are noises inside. Hmm.
...
No one comes in or out of the door, but the door doesn't close either. As per the sound...it's hard to tell. It's quite muffled but it sounds sort of like someone talking. Theres some sort of other noise you can here but can't quite make out. Almost a white noise sort of thing. It seems to be interrupting what might be speaking every now and again.
...
A quick peek inside reveals a small group of what look like normal men watching a bank of monitors. The feeds on the monitors seem to be from a combination of helmet cams and mounted cameras. The sound you were hearing is coming from a television near the door that is still on, but unwatched.
...
One of the sods pulls a flashbang from his belt and, without even looking, expertly tosses it into the room. There is a three second pause and then a brilliant flash and concussive bang. The sods move in an instant later, easily subduing the blinded men and zip tying their hands behind their back and their ankles together.

One of the sods moves to the monitors and scans his camera across them for you to see. There are a few feeds that look to be on the bridge, and several that appear to be pointed at team AD, from what you can tell.
...
The sods manage to, through threatening looks and hard edged movements that carry with them the promise of broken ribs and dislocated joints, to extract a sound bite from the hostages. The soundbite is as follows.

"Stand down, Order 118. I repeat, Stand down, order 118."
...
>Sod orders are non-standardized in terms of their numbering. They often have the same set of orders, but the numbering is randomized to make compromising their control harder. I cannot tell you what order 118 is in the context of those sods and that controller.

You send the message through, but make sure the sod cuts it so that only the parts about standing down are heard.
...
(In response to strongarming UWM commanders for the meaning of order 118)  They all tell you it means some variation of stand down, give up or don't act.
...
According to the controllers, 223 is the code for accepting a new controlling voice. There are others, such as a few that are basically the same as "Stand down" or "Do not attack until given the order, regardless of stimuli".  If you had something specific to ask how to do, this would probably go better.
...
You play order 223 over the intercom. There's a brief delay and then the sod cameras begin blinking out, one by one.
...
You have one of the sods Execute a commander. The others don't even flinch. You ask them about the commands you need. They each give you a different number.

These motherfuckers...
...
So you end up executing everyone, namely because none of the codes work. Nothing does anything, actually. It seems that the controls are no longer effecting[sic] any of the sods, if there are any living sods on the ship. Your sod tells you that the other sods might have "Turned off control machines" whatever that means.
...
The bank of monitors seems to be simply that. It used to have readouts on each sod and their locations and such, and computer systems that seemed to have a relation to them, but all that is gone now. Dead. All thats left are the scattered feeds from a few stationary cameras. Could probably control those, at least.

The sod explains in broken English that there are machines inside sods that allow for monitoring and control of them. But that the sods can break these connections and go autonomous if ordered to do so. He remarks that sods in autonomous mode are "Dangerous".
...
"Steve, how badly did Team Sod (H) fuck up?" Milno asks as he checks the screens.
>Hard to say. Sods gone Autonomous might be infinitely better or infinitely worse then if they were being controlled. They might just stand around and guard a hallway. Or they might go and try to overload the main reactor and destroy the ship. We'll have to see.
...
(When asked which vital ship areas were near enemy sods)
Well, you have a few choices. The main cannon, the central reactor and the engine control are all relatively nearby. Any of them could be targets for rogue sods, assume they actually do anything and don't just stand around.
...
After that, PW basically just said that hunting the remaining enemy sods would be etirely superfluous.

Important bits are that the sods say that the control machines actually... control them.  But it's vague enough that you might be correct.  It's irrelevant in any case, because my original point is that they could have a SOP when unshackled to disable any manipulators that they have.

[Parisbre56]

Hm. I guess we'll have to see.

Did you ever try to see what happens when you press a forcefield against hexsand? Is it made of energy? Is it eaten? Because that would make an easy way to bypass it when needed or even stop it from being projected entirely.