Comic for Monday, October 24th
I should probably point out that this fellow here is not, strictly speaking, and particularly reliable narrator sort. I also had sort of planned on putting his name on this page, but I had to tweak the conversation flow a bit, and I figured it wasn’t strictly necessary. Naomi is not known for quizzing people on their names before attempting to beat them up. I had also planned there being more language difficulties here, but decided it wasn’t worth it and this fellow probably knows Malsan well enough to speak it legible with his customary drawl.
We are holding steady at a two comic buffer. I had hoped we’d get up three this weekend, but massive productivity was not had.
A new vote incentive will be hope shortly, so make sure to catch the current while you still have a chance! 😛
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Panel 7: “messanger girl” => “messenger girl”
It probably speaks to my own wicked nature however I wonder if there is a simpler explanation of the I.D.S plan. What if the plan is to attract Kor’s World attention to Masla so they invade here rather than Central. It could be the thing CA doesn’t want the cops of Arron’s team learning because it is a way shitlord level of move. Hmmm, make that otteagent level.
Well, I would say that no faction is entirely sinners or saints here. Most of the characters fall into a range of ‘pragmatic’ to ‘idealistic’ (as I prefer to call the scale of good and evil… 😛 )
Of course, finding the ‘one unifying plan’ may be complicated by the number of people doing the planning from any given side… 😉
Tom is wrong about I.D.S. abandoning Palindra since they are relocating people to Malsa (see THIS LINK, Panel 5).
Once again, Naomi proves that she’s not a doormat: “If you want me to play messenger girl make it a better message.” 🙂
As far as backgrounds go, the ones on this page are both ambitious and well executed. I am impressed.
You know, except for that slight case of treating her like a doormat, he seems to have her figured out pretty well….(the whole, “you want a fight, I’m sure she’s up for one” bit.)
(….though she doesn’t have him figured well, unless my assumption about him…”following” Summers without her knowing is wrong..)
I do not think Kally is the person Tom is talking about following around here… (I put my theory over on the Contact page comments as it might be a spoiler if I am right).
We know that there is little love lost between Tom and Kally though, so if it is, I am pretty sure that it would be with Kally unaware.
There are a couple options here.
One, the IDS may not actually believe that Kor’s World will attack Palindra. They may drop whatever immigration/migration/invasion plans they have if they know Kor’s World is coming.
Two, the IDS seems have serious internal communication problems. People like Tom may know nothing about those plans.
It depends on how prepared the IDS are for a war I guess. The last one was apparently devastating, but this time they have far better magic tech. If they leveraged it correctly, they could mostly use Palindra to fight for them and pretty much cement themselves as the saviors of the world.
I wonder if we will get a Kor’s World point of view character at some point. We could really use more insight into what their deal is.
Since when does me making a point of view character for a group give insight into what they are doing?? 😛
I’m pretty sure Tom does NOT know about the migration plans. I certainly wouldn’t tell him anything about it, would you? ^^
Spelling / typo in last panel: Naomi says “incusion” when I’m pretty sure that she meant “incursion”, with an “r”.
Fixed! Thanks!
Jumping off the theories bit…
His theory makes a bit too much sense. I’m annoyed I didn’t put it together until now.
Kor’s World’s Objective in the first war – Unknown, likely conquest.
At least one other world has the same markings as the File on Kor’s World – Possible invaded location?
If they did it once (possibly twice) why shouldn’t they keep trying? The attack on Central was not a random attack but a well planned military strategy that required a ton of industry behind it. That sort of thing doesn’t evaporate and likely would continue working after the war was over in preparation for the next one.
Palindra is less technologically equipped than Central, but Central was at their levelish when Kor’s World first attacked. Kor’s World (KW from here on out) i also taking a different approach for unknown reasons. However, if they are here, they are possibly planning an attack.
If Tom is correct and the IDS wouldn’t interfere, then every person on Palindra is in danger. If Peter realized that, and realized the IDS wouldn’t interfere, it would explain his sudden defection. It would also explain Naomi’s working with Peter; she wants to save the world.
The Bridgepoint data was sabotaged and copied. The KW agent we saw IDed Mium and thought something was wrong. He was expecting something different there. Possibly a connection between KW and AVON? KW should already have all the data they need; they are the ones that figured out how to build it after all. I can see them sabotaging it to keep it out of other hands. Missing a puzzle maybe?
I think there are still more pieces to the puzzle. MYM is a big one, Kor’s World is legit worried about him AND seem to know what he is.
There are also a lot of players who we need to sleuth out the motives on. What is Corporate Affairs doing? Do they know a tie between Kor’s World and Avon? Peter seems to have thoroughly infiltrated Avon, so he likely knows most anything they do… BUT the former boss of Avon is missing (as per the cast page), and there is some shady things going on there. Likely the rank and file (and maybe no one outside of the executive staff, the original ones) actually know what Avon is up to.
But this is getting, well, really good. The comic has been good for awhile, but I feel it’s really hit its stride with this chapter. The story is hitting it’s stride, there is a marked improvement in the dialogue, and the art continues to get better. It’s getting to the point where I am legitimately waiting for the new pages.
” Kor’s World’s Objective in the first war – Unknown, likely conquest. ”
In sci-fi, aliens often attack others out of fear that they will grow in power and one day threaten their empire. It’s depressing how Hollywood portrays aliens (and humans) preemptively destroying others out of fear. We know very little about KW. But this is how I imagine them. Or, maybe they’re AI like in The Matrix, who conquered humans and make darned sure that humans will never be able to rise up to conquer them.
” …has the same markings as the File on Kor’s World – Possible invaded location? ”
Sounds likely. Or maybe, unlike Central, they went completely xenophobic after they repelled their KW invasion?
” …likely would continue working after the war was over in preparation for the next one. ”
There’s such a thing as overextending themselves or starting a fight that they can’t win. KW may already be invading other worlds. And being repelled by Central may have humbled them a bit or made them wary. Or maybe they only invade worlds which are either developing “dangerous” technology (like true AI) or which they believe is growing dangerously powerful?
” …if they are here, they are possibly planning an attack. ”
From the dialog, we know that they are concerned about the existence of MYM and having technology which they consider dangerous. But gathering intelligence on an enemy always comes before a major offensive. Doing otherwise could be suicidal.
” …and the IDS wouldn’t interfere… ”
That would be foolish on the part of IDS and Central. The more worlds that KW conquers, the less buffer there is between them – making it more likely that KW invades Central again. Every world KW takes means more resources available to the enemy and less potential allies. At least, it is if one considers the situation in terms of conventional warfare.
Consider: Why does the IDS bother to “police” other dimensions? It requires a lot of resources and manpower which they could use to increase their defenses, instead. I’m thinking that it’s an excuse to gather intelligence on other dimensions and put them in a position to coordinate an offense/defense against KW – not to mention the potential for interdimensional trade and improving interdimensional relations. Also, they can learn from the technology and/or magic of other worlds.
” If Peter realized that, and realized the IDS wouldn’t interfere, it would explain his sudden defection. ”
I still believe that Peter left IDS because (a) he’s bored out of his mind and (b) he found out how corrupt IDS is. Though, for all I know, you could be right.
” It would also explain Naomi’s working with Peter; she wants to save the world. ”
That’s pretty much a given. I think Naomi even said as much.
a few things here, and im not quite as organized as you xspace.
but what is known, from the background fluff, kor’s world attacked central first. my understanding is that central didn’t even have offical mages, or good knowledge of the various dimensions, when kor’s world attacked it.
unknown world is well only in fluff att
kor’s world is only known through their interactions, no diplomacy drive has worked, or if any has been tried. i am thinking that they are either a space natzi type, or a matrix type. and are activly expanding with little or no thought to “being nice”
ids may or may not interfere. what ids’s sop for such an invasion is is acctually unclear. otte seemed to think that would give him a good head start by taking peter and then blameing his dissaperence on them.
kally is former military and monster hunter. she was all nutrilaize then figure things out. the rest split the gamut of “omg peter attacked an agent” to “wtf are those things falling out of the sky?” msb’s ignorance can be blamed on the fact that they have no prior experience with kor’s world “negotiations”
now the bridgepoint… my understanding is that that is an artifact from the kor/central war. the data is almost all that they have on how kor’s world got there. and their primary knowledge for moving from world to world. if it has been sabatoged then creating new gates could be… problimatical.
peter i think has many reasons for leaving. not shure bored is truly one. but what is know is that he suddenly hacked some server without probable cause or even going through his chain of command. then he just left. -may- have been martin but showed up breifly in avon. then disapeared again. some time between avon and levenworth, the bridgepoint data was sabatoged. tho i think it was the corruption and therelocation progect that led to him leaving.
” …bridgepoint… my understanding is that that is an artifact from the kor/central war. ”
Kor’s World invaded Central via a “bridgepoint.” That is canon. But Central has yet to figure out how to make one. Instead, Central has been opening brief portals. I think what Central has been doing is like forcing open a very expensive, very energy inefficient single-person hatch, with a bridgepoint being like yanking the giant hangar doors wide open.
“…if it has been sabatoged then creating new gates could be… problimatical.”
Not really. Central was researching how to make a bridgepoint. And they were getting close. But having their research sabatoged in no way prevents them from traveling between dimensions. It just means that they’re forced to continue using the equivalent to a gas-guzzling single-seater, versus being able to build a 22nd century supersonic transport that runs on Mr. Fusion. It means that they can’t invade another world en-masse – only by one or two people at a time.
” peter i think has many reasons for leaving. not shure bored is truly one. ”
I vaguely seem to recall the story implying that Peter gets bored easily. Either way, my impression is that he’s a Mensa-level genius. From what I’ve read, people with such a high IQ tend to get bored very easily and need challenges.
It was Kyle that speculated the Peter left the IDS because “…found something more interesting and wandered off…”. Though Kyle presumable knows Peter well, he is not a reliable source yet as we don’t know what his stake is.
I am curious what Tom’s ability is. It was certainly implied that he was hiding by more somewhat supernatural means, but he didn’t appear obscured. This is hinting at a whole new branch of magic (from what we have seen as possible so far).
The other implication on this page. Hot damn. That is going straight into the theories section…
You are right that Tom’s magic is something a little different. While not unique to him by any means, we’ve only really scratched the surface of what magic can really do. You’re guess is in the right direction though (about Tom) 😉
really? im the only one thats up this late(early)?
hmm tom seems to be a bit put out about naomi finding him so quickly. from his demeanor and what he says im guessing hes kinda like an undercover cop. or maybe a spy. stays hidden even in plain sight. and mainly reports on stuff that happens.
yes arron has much on his plate… but seriously? “no im not going to play your game”. ok i can see not playing it, but running it that way is not going to get you closer to whatever peter and the msb are doing.
I am not sure Arron is in direct command of Nathan. We know that Nathan is a “special agent”, and that special agents tend to work outside the normal system. Tom seems to be Nathan’s point of contact, the implication to me is that Tom is here because Arron was trying to get ahold of Nathan, and only has a method of getting ahold of Tom.
One should assume that Tom speaks for Tom, regardless of chain of commands. Tom certainly doesn’t plan on fighting Kor’s World. These things are not always up to him, though. Tom sighs.