there's no hope for him now, travis. he's sufferin'.

[initiates]

Peter Parker has decoded the rest of the message first mentioned here (and ICly mentioned here). This was done in the timeframe during the mission, and it can be assumed the post was sent directly to the tablets of anyone there. The message that’s been scrambling the AI is just a set of coordinates and a simple message: kill me. Now, this doesn’t need to be logged out to count ICly, but to everyone whose characters would pursue the coordinates, we’d like to know their course of action!

Following the coordinates will indeed lead into the UE council’s base of operations, and specifically into an underground room within the complex. There they will discover a vast bank of computers, all networked together and running the same program: the UE’s newly "elected" Presidential AI. This is the same AI that Soldier Blue’s mission was sent to implant the Transport AI into, and the two competing programs are now warping and corrupting each other. The Transport AI is keeping the Presidential AI from launching any lethal attacks on the Transports in the future, though just barely, but it’s also fragmenting the Transport AI’s programing.

Investigating the programming (you did bring a computer-savvy character with you, right?) will uncover that destroying this version of the Transport AI will destroy the AI in the present of Exsilium, as well. They’re inextricably linked, thanks to the time travel involved in implanting it.

So, will you put the Transport AI out of its misery, and destroy the UE Presidential AI at the same time? Will you leave it? Will you try something else? Feel free to answer within this post, and ask away if you have any questions!

Comments

[phaseshifted]

ON TEAM THIRD OPTION if something comes up--Angel's got her alien powers and she'll see if she can get herself inside the computers to aid Transport AI from that, obviously limited by the way everything would be foreign. The half ideas I had right now were 1) proposing they try to separate Transport AI and Presidental AI so that they could terminate only the latter and 2) giving Transport AI power and strength to take over Presidential AI and destroy it that way.

[khajidont]

It would be fun if they could work together to at least attempt to get the AI out together! As loathe as Jaime is to kill at all, if the Transport AI is the only thing keeping the Presidential AI from nuking them all again......

And I was thinking Option 1 myself - depending on mod responses, Jaime could hold the Transport AI inside him until they got back to home base to let it back out again. (Or Angel could? I'm not sure what her powers are!)

[phaseshifted]

I totally have not forgotten about this, just been thinking about more options since option 1 is time dependent and apparently will set off an attack.

However, if somehow there was a way to carry Transport AI, Jaime's probably better suited--if he's got experience in that department, Angel will definitely concede to him since she'll have never done it before. Carrying data isn't the same as carrying around a friend.

[khajidont]

Considering the moment the Transport AI is divorced from the UE AI a bomb will go off, I'm thinking carrying the Transport AI out is likely a moot point anyway! But I'll defs keep it in mind

[thebutt]

The first one would be possible with a lot of time on their side, but unfortunately they don't have that much time. There's also the tricky fact that the instant they separate them, the UE AI will launch an attack in the present.

The second option would lead to the UE AI becoming aware of its Transport AI hijacker, and immediately focusing all energy against it. And, unfortunately, the UE AI is far more advanced than our dinky little hundreds-of-years-earlier model Transport AI. So without drastic countermeasures (still possible), the UE AI would overtake the Transport AI in Exsilium, rather than vice versa.

[hailpluto]

When you say drastic, do you mean "power surge knocks all electricity out of the building" drastic or "blow the place up" drastic?

[slingshots]

More toward the latter, but both of those options would impact both AIs at the same time.

[phaseshifted]

Absolutely ridiculous idea here, but I was wondering--if it was option 2, would the assault to overtake the UE AI possibly succeed if Angel poured absolutely all of her power, knowledge, and energy into Transport AI in a go-for-broke, certainly suicidal effort? She's fine with sacrificing her life to save the free world (already did it before), she knows Sirens can do crazy things when they push themselves to the limit, and she's from the year 5357, so she would be trying to pull out any stops she could to save Exsilium and their AI friend. If not, totally fine, just wanted to throw that out there.

[thebutt]

After conferring, we've decided that yes, that would do it! Would you be alright with killing her in this way, and not having the resurrection technology able to bring her back?

[phaseshifted]

Entirely! Since it's so close to endgame, I figured resurrection wasn't going to be much of a thing anyway.

[thebutt]

Then we'll accept the sacrificial go-for-broke effort! At the cost of her life, she will be able to give the Transport AI enough juice to overpower the UE AI—although it will also take some hasty program upgrades at the same time, by computer-savvy characters along (of which we have at least 2-3, so that shouldn't be hard). You are welcome to log this out, discuss how it goes down with other players, or just generally sit back and be content in the knowledge that the AI will be safe and sound. You know, as safe and sound as anyone can be in this game.