ouch. First let me apologize for my previous post. I pressed the wrong key
and sent it off before I finished composing. Sorry. I now return you to my
post in progress....
>TML nightly Thu Oct 8 20:30:05 EDT 1992 Volume 45 : Issue 20
>
>Archive-Message-Number: 4706
>From: [email removed] (Derek Wildstar)
>Subject: Long Message from Wildstar
>
>I've been off in jumpspace for the last week or so, but now I am getting
>around to responding to some of the recent threads here on TML.
>
>About the "Virus" and Challenge 64:
>
...
>
>I find it extremely difficult to believe that the question "What if
>someone discovered intelligent computer chips?" has one and only one
>answer: "People would build them into walkie-talkies and forget their
>very existance." What about the issue of "all sentient life-forms are
>protected citizens of the Imperium". These sophont computer chips are
>naturally-occurring, evolved creatures; definitely life-forms! Is this
>a major form of slavery within interstellar society, or are the Cymbiots
>paid employees of the ship owner, free to quit at any time? If they are
>de-facto slaves, how do they feel about it? They are sentient creatures
>capable of forming their own opinions, aren't they?
Maybe they _are_ treated as slaves. Perhaps *THIS* is the true nature
and source of the virus...the Cymbiots are taking revenge and freeing
themselves from an oppressive slavery.
See, the Imperium wasn't totally stupid for creating a computer virus that
destroyed their culture...they were totaly stupid for making slaves of a race
that could DIRECTLY affect the single aspect of their culture that was
responsible for keeping their culture intact (i.e. their computers). This
slave race was the one who created the virus and furthermore, they could not
be detected or prevented from doing so.
There are a couple of points that need discussion...
1. What took them (the Cymbiots) so long to rebel?
A. Perhaps the conditions they worked under only got bad recently?
B. Perhaps it took them this long to spread the rebellion plan among
all or most of the Cymbiot occupied ships?
2. Since I never planned on using the virus idea, I never paid any attention
to the details of it. How did ship-based chips feed this virus into
planet-based systems which would NEVER need to interface with the ship
systems anyway?
3. Could the Cymbiots have sparked off the Rebellion? Here's how I see it
could have happened....
If the Cymbiots can indeed interface with planet-based systems (see #2),
then they inserted news stories about the assasination of Strephon in all
the planetary news services they contact. These stories would be complete
in all details, including the fact that Dulinor assassinated the emperor
and assumed the Iridium Throne. In fact neither Dulinor nor the emperor
were on Capitol at the time. Strephon was away on a secret vacation
(even emperors, *especially* emperors need vacations), while Dulinor was
in transit back to his home from a visit to the capitol. Notice both
principals are out of touch.
When the twins hear the news one assassinates the other (rats, I can't
remember their names) for whatever reason, things like this happen all the
time 8+)
Dulinor hears that Strephon has been assassinated and it has been
attributed to him (mistakenly, he believes). He goes along with it,
because it is a lucky accident and he thinks he can do a better job anyway.
After Strephon speaks up, he can't back down or disclaim something he has
already publicly claimed. Nor can he claim it was mistaken identity
because he has already made some statements concerning the subject.
Meanwhile Strephon has heard that he has been assassinated by D. He also
believes it is a case of mistaken identity, in this instance the
victim was mistakenly identified as Strephon.
One thing leads to another and the Rebellion happens as already outlined
by GDW. However, it was all triggered by the Cymbiots in order to
create a chaotic situation wherein their own rebellion has a better
chance of success.
No doubt this scenario has problems which some of you will proceed to point
out to me...8+), but hey, it *could* have happened that way.
...
>
>About Stutterwarp, Steve H. writes:
>How about a stutterwarp-powered missile (or better yet, a whole bunch of
>them) launched from a conventional ship. Instead of high explosive,
>have a proximity fuse connected to a sandcaster round. Have the missile
>home in on the stutterwarp ship, and detonate in its path. If the ship
>is not too badly damaged by this, then launch a bunch more, and surround
>the ship with sand. Now that you've gotten the thing to stand still,
>you can fire at it with conventional weapons, or come alongside at your
>lesiure for a boarding action.
Why does this make the stutterwarp ship stand still? Can't it still stutter?
8+))
On the Gamba subsector:
>
>> Atmospheric taint would likely be large amounts of water in the
>> air.
>This counts as a taint? I've always assumed that a taint was something
>which would be extremely unpleaseant at very best, is usually harmful,
>and can be fatal at worst. Then again, I'm in the Washington, DC area,
>and we have large amounts of water in the air for most of the summer.
>
Ya, I agree with this, water is not a taint or Earth would certainly be
considered to have a tainted atmos. Here in central Pennsylvania, we get
lots of humidity also (where it comes from, I don't know, unless it drifts
down the 125 miles from lake Erie).
- ----------
Captain Sir Michael Talmoth, UPP: BA5A8B
"You see me now a veteran,
Of a thousand psychic wars,
I've been living on the edge so long,
Where the winds of Limbo roar.
- -- BOC