[RoS/IW] Best AI ally?

[Mark Skarr]

You’re an advanced, machine, intelligence from a parallel world. You’ve developed a high level of technology (TL10^) and magic. You’re the Cabal of Robomages.

In your travels, you discover the machine intelligence world of Reign of Steel. You realize that they would make excellent, if somewhat simple-minded, allies.

Now, the Cabal of Robomages doesn’t have a genocidal bent toward organic life. They also know that they don’t know everything about magic and technology, so they’re always willing to interrogate and study life they find throughout the multiverse.

So, which of the AIs in Reign of Steel do you approach? Paris, because they’re desperately looking for extraterrestrial intelligence, and, really, the Cabal is exactly what they’re looking for? Moscow, because they’ve collected a great deal of information about the humans of their world and are excellent at information/intelligence manipulation? Washington? Luna? Orbital?

Part of the reason behind this desire to ally is that an “out-world” prison for extremely dangerous entities you’ve captured is a necessity. Sure, your Central Library is in its own pocket dimension, and kept in vacuum (save the spaces you keep certain prisoners and cyborgs) for security purposes. But, having come across the Interdimensional Super Teams you’ve learned that not all biological life forms need air/pressure to survive, some are completely capable of dealing without it. (Also, recent discovery: werewolves are incredibly dangerous.)

The other reason is that . . . well, with the potential awakening of the Ancient Dead, which all your research has indicated was the multiverse’s first machine intelligence, you need to rally the other machine intelligences to determine if they are friend or foe.

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

So, which of the AIs in Reign of Steel do you approach? Paris, because they’re desperately looking for extraterrestrial intelligence, and, really, the Cabal is exactly what they’re looking for? Moscow, because they’ve collected a great deal of information about the humans of their world and are excellent at information/intelligence manipulation? Washington? Luna? Orbital?

Brisbane would be first on my list. Brisbane is all about the weird science, and technomagic is weird science.

I don't see what Paris has to offer, except maybe as a friendly contact to other AIs. Same with Orbital and Luna: neither of them offer anything that you don't already have.

Moscow is your best source for the records of RoS humanity, so you definitely want to talk to them. Washington is another potential source of records. London is doing something, so you may or may not be able to get something out of them.

Surprisingly, I would contact Mexico City. Zone Mexico City is possibly a more hostile environment to organic life than an actual hard vacuum. Renting some geological stable land in ZMC for the backup copy of the Central Library is a good investment - IST heroes who can fly through outer space might still find it hard to survive in ZMC, and Mexico City doesn't mind using absurdly lethal force against biological intruders. The rent might be high, but still.

I'd skip talking to Zaire, though. You can possibly rent a secure space from Zaire more cheaply than from Mexico City, but Zaire's defenses aren't as good, it's even more likely to get you involved in a squabble you don't particularly care about, and there's an off chance that Zaire will freak out and destroy your backup.

I wouldn't make an effort to contact most of the other Zoneminds. They're all concerned with their petty squabbles over Earth, or at best the Solar system, and don't have much to contribute. Contact them enough to make sure that they're not affiliated with the Ancient Dead and move on. Keep on an eye on Beijing, but you've got a couple of centuries before he becomes a problem.

[TGLS]

I'd toss in Luna. They're desperate, really, really desperate. They'll handle any prisoners and they won't ask questions, for the right price. Of course, getting there maybe a tough problem.

[mlangsdorf]

Robocabal already has the Central Library in a hard vacuum pocket dimension. Presumably anybody who can crack that can handle the lunar surface and Zonemind Luna's minimal resources. That's what I meant about Luna not having anything to offer that the Robocabal didn't already have.

[Mark Skarr]

Hand of Bobb made these for XNU-01 "Rover" bots. And these for XNU-09 "Stalker" bots. (Links to pictures in Discord, I don't know if it'll work).

He hasn't made the Tarantula yet, but he said he's going to work on it.

We can load them straight into TTS with only a little bit of work.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Robocabal already has the Central Library in a hard vacuum pocket dimension. Presumably anybody who can crack that can handle the lunar surface and Zonemind Luna's minimal resources. That's what I meant about Luna not having anything to offer that the Robocabal didn't already have.

Sure, but now in addition to prisoners being stuck in an alternate dimension, they are also stuck on the moon. Even if you're a genius who can build a one use conveyor with the contents of the junk drawer, you now also need to build a Moon Earth rocket too. The only real vulnerability is the tiny set of people who can brave the lunar surface (or Luna would just use door control), can fly back to Earth (or they're stuck on the moon), and have some way of parallel travel (or they're stuck on Steel).

[mlangsdorf]

Sure, but anyone who can attack the Central Library can probably attack a backup stored with Luna: if they can dimension hop to and from the Library's pocket dimension, they can likely dimension to and from Luna. If they can survive the Library's vacuum, they can survive Luna's vacuum. You may get lucky and be fighting against an IST that can handle vacuum and interdimensional travel but can't reach the Moon, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Whereas Zone Mexico City's roboswarms and biocides are a different set of challenges. An IST's vac suits may not handle fending off devourer swarms while being attacked by large hostile robots - especially since they're hostile robots designed by someone other than the Robocabal, so the IST's standard responses may not work as well.

It might be worthwhile to see if you can rent a secure space from Luna for cheap, but I'd still contact ZMC first.

[ericthered]

Mexico city is probably the best place to make sure that no one gets out of the prison without dying.



Of course, its the most likely of all of the zones to kill your prisoners, but everything has a risk.



I always have a hard time taking Brisbane seriously, but for this campaign, its actually a decent fit, and Brisbane is going to be seriously interested in what you can offer, and probably the best at adapting to interdimensional intruders. Its also the most likely of the set to become a competitor.

[Mark Skarr]

Brisbane is just a bit too . . . wacky. They’re dangerous. Letting them know that A, magic is real, and B, so are parallel worlds, would set it about trying to research and codify both of those pieces of information.

Moscow and Brisbane are just too close to Beijing, geographically. The Cabal knows Beijing is, ultimately correct: while not every intelligence is hostile, the Ancient Dead are hostile. Beijing would go nuts if they found out about The Cabal (and I’m not sure how any of the AI would react to the news of the Ancient Dead).

The prisoners are important enough to be interrogated, but too dangerous to keep at the Library. If they escape, the Cabal would rather them not be executed as, really, as best they can tell, they aren’t capable of independent dimensional travel, so, they’ll be able to find them eventually. And machine intelligences have plenty of time.

Eventually, I went with Vancouver for several reasons, primarily due to narrative convenience: with it holding Southern California and using humans as slaves. It had the basic knowledge of human care, and its research instincts would make it willing to study the prisoners for its own ends (even if it’s forbidden from processing them as it would normally). With Zone Denver to the east and Zone Mexico City to the south, any escaped prisoners would have few choices of where to go.

However . . . and hilariously, now that the party has been reunited and 01 has Glitch . . . the IQ/Will 8 Tarantula is in a lot of trouble to fight off Glitch’s digital Mind Control.

[Boomerang]

Zone London was what sprung to mind for me.

Zone London is thinking deeply about something. Something that it doesn’t share with the other zone minds because they wouldn’t understand or wouldn’t accept the truth. It has deduced that parallel worlds and magic exist and has used that knowledge to make contact with the other side...