Comic for Thursday, September 14th
So I figure I should note that Atter is intentionally not talking in his preferred -(language)- ; I decided that explaining that in the page was simply not worth the panel space. He did briefly on the last page, but Peter does not actually speaking -(language)- very well, and Atter is nothing if not chatty. It wouldn’t be the same if people couldn’t understand him as he elaborates on his plans.
There is past reference with Mium’s idea of risk reduction. At some point Naomi mentions Mium isn’t allowed to future proof his plans by killing people, because, when Mium stops to think about it too much, it turns out the plans work way better with less moving parts. As Atter illustrates, though, once you kill someone, geez, it just never ends. Humans.
I suppose I should note that our dear Director Sophie is a good bit older than she looks. It’s the sort of thing I’d put on the character page if I ever go my lazy arse around to finishing it. Though not why. I’ll leave that one up for speculation. She is a human, if that helps. I am also starting to get the feeling her minions are unhappy with her. Tokiwa because it will be bureaucratically improper to not file the mass murdering permits before loosing a mass murder, Grumpy-Red-Haired-Lady-Who-I-Don’t-Think-We’ve-Seen-The-Name of because she doesn’t think it will work out well, David…well… maybe not David, he seemed like sort of a tool, and Rick because, well, he seems to have some degree of morality. Or at least likes his old boss better than his new one.
For the better or the worse, I don’t think Sophie views it as a democracy… 😐
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What’s in the bag Peter? With Mium there a weapon seems unlikely. Is Atter on speakerphone?
Atter does not have the slightest clue how dangerous Mium is. This is going to be fun.
A couple months ago, someone commented about Peter, claiming that what we’ve seen of his behavior so far implied that he was something of a sociopath or at least seemed to lack concern or empathy for anyone but himself (or maybe Miko). I disagreed and gave my reasons why.
Here, though, it is interesting that Peter is describing Atter as a quote, “bonafide monster”. And he was the one to talk Mium out of his “risk reduction plan” (i.e., killing all those who are risky to their survival or who stand in their way). To me, this seems to suggest that Peter definitely has a moral compass.
And, yeah, I did chuckle at the last panel. 🙂
A very interesting study looked at a number of logical and ethical dilemmas that basically came down to “save the many or save the few”. A good number of people, when faced with hard decisions like that, could not even give an answer. Why I bring this up, however, is that those who /could/ give an answer were often viewed as heartless or sociopathic by those who could not choose. Simply put, weighing lives against lives and making a decision requires a detachment and impartiality (if you are going to come to any logically defendable position) looks like sociopathy to those who cannot detach their emotions enough to approach these issues. That is not to say that these people actually are sociopaths who make hard decisions in a logical way, examinations of people who actually do make these decisions often show the strain that it puts on them (doctors, rescue workers, etc.), all it means is that it can appear that way to people without enough exposure to known /true/ sociopaths.
I think that “Save the many or save the few” is sort of the dynamic between Peter and Naomi. He is pretty willing to operate ‘efficiently’ in the big picture, but Naomi sort of balances it out by being the ‘impulsive hero’ type who might be aware of the big picture, but does not actually care about it.
Naomi may due things that do not seem worth it to Peter, but he is willing to play them out to see how they go in order from becoming to far down the antivillian tree.
I think it was me that said Peter was basically a sociopath, but I agree that’s probably not the right term. He clearly just does not ‘get’ how to deal with people (especially in the prequel comics), but on the other hand is reasonable good at (and completely willing to) manipulating them. He does not really read as autistic spectrum like Miko, but he also just is not normal sometimes. Really, he reads a lot like an AI. He has a goal (which we don’t know what is) and seems pretty hellbent on that, though apparently he is not missing his morality chip like Mium. 🙂
Honestly if we are discussing that, given that at one point he HAD to have been human (what with having parents and grandparents and all that), he’s most likely a mind emulation. Remember M.Y.M. offered to upload Miko… or at least a backup.
I believe the correct term for Peter is :Manipulative chessmaster with antisocial tendencies due to an apparent inflated sense of self-value which is caused by a negative view of most others due to their limited comparative capabilities in useful areas. IE: he has a big head and messes with anyone he views as “stupid”, which is most people, and never saw a need to learn to “play nice” with them.
So, is IDS already on such poor terms with the civil service Kyle is highly placed within that Biana isn’t worried about additional enemies from turning something like Atter loose on Aaron & Peter (presuming she knew and authorized or at least expected it, seems like they have history so seems odd not to expect it)?
Central (the I.D.S. world of origin) bore the brunt of the Kor’s World attack, and when the picked up and reformatted the pieces of their shattered society, the I.D.S., their Civil Service, and their military were sort of intertwined, with lots of grey areas where oversight is ….. confusing.
Add to that their seeming taste for Byzantine-style politics, and you have the current mess where Directors act more like warlords than administrators.
I am pretty sure there are several groups in the IDS that are directly trying to provoke a war. It was basically set up that Malsa and Arpon were supposed to go to war, with the IDS aiding Arpon. I don’t think Peter and Mium screwing with their plan have done more then delay this.
PS: I got this from an Amaranth comment somewhere, I’m not smart enough to figure this out.
Panel 5 “We are supposed [to] uphold law and order”
Now, of course, the real question…..is this going to be made an exception for the risk reduction rule? (Or would that not succeed anyway?)
I am guessing she’s hoping her weapon does so much collateral damage while taking out her intended targets that central command will be forced to cover it up to save face.
So…. The plan is to send someone who makes Rovak seem well adjusted into a country that literally just expelled all the IDS agents. The country that has proof that the IDS has been breaking the primary part of their treaty, and when called on it IDS leadership insulted them.
Do they even understand what “Causus Belli” means? I mean, this sort of thing is easily grounds for war. Even excluding that, when Peter survives he might go on a real offensive. Either way, this course of action is beyond crazy.
I think the Biana has pretty much reached the point where she figures she might as well make the conflicts between her and her foes open. And maybe try and get some of the ‘hidden’ enemies to escalate to the point where direct departmental responses are allowed.
The real question is if Atter is official or if there is plausible deniability that his actions are not linked back to Sophie and her department. Sure, the Keplers and other well informed individuals may know where he comes from, but that doesn’t mean that the locals would know about this particular black-ops agent from another dimension. There is also the question about how good he is at covering his tracks. We know he can sneak up on Arron Kepler and send constructs at Nathan quietly enough that he doesn’t notice till he is already surrounded, so there is a chance that he is capable of staying off the radar somewhat (the exceptions being with those who know his methods enough to know what they are looking at).
That said, I don’t expect him to actually remain an unknown threat for long (even if Malsa cannot legally prove his origin); mainly because of the “shiny new sheriff”, also known as Tyler Webber. If anyone is likely to become a “problematic element” that is too difficult to kill without witnesses, it would be him. And what a group of witnesses he would have. We already know that Tyler acknowledges that many of his group are spies, so any attack and any information about the true origins of that attack would VERY quickly filter out to the powerful people well beyond any hope of suppression.
That said, It doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the IDS in terms of their relations with Malsa. Aaron Kepler could help out the locals in suppression or avoidance of the new threat, creating a “we trust some of you but not others” environment. Sophie could frame an intervention as “swooping in to save the day”, despite the fact that she ordered it. The local government could even try to suppress the information by itself to avoid panic. There are plenty of things that /could/ happen, but not enough information to know what will happen.
True, things are up in the air. I just don’t think Sophie quite realizes that Peter is the one keeping someone who has plans exactly like Atter in line.
If the IDS is looking for an excuse to crack down on things in a military manner, a rampant AI might be just the ticket, actually. Though I do not think Sophie knows about Mium.
Keep in mind the Biana employs Rovak for basically that exact job (causing havok so she has an excuse to come in smash things), so it is a tried a true IDS tactic. They really are sort of bastards.
Forget Mium, the real threat of a “rogue AI” is Ila F-10. She isn’t bound by any structured programming, is just as likely to see murder as expedient, no-where near as sneaky, and her origins aren’t likely to be seen as the type of secret that will need to be protected by all sides.
That said, this would be attacking an individual which is something they already have authority to do (so long as all the paperwork is filed); something very different from attacking a sovereign nation. They really don’t have an excuse yet to attack the nation yet, though they are looking. Their closest bet right now is the gate detection system, but that is partially stymied by the fact that it showed them ignoring their duties and the fact that the new system is better than what the IDS currently has (making it internally clear that this is likely something different). Having a “just war” isn’t just about keeping other nations from intervening, it is also about not turning your soldiers against you as you wage it.
I love those last three panels! Gave me a good chuckle.
You can really tell that Peter and Mium have that kind of a relationship that you see between old friends, where nothing needs to be said and a look suffices to make a point.
Panel 3 has 2 “not”s. Panel 5: “But this is a dirty trick to use.” Panel 9: “He is a Bonafide Monster.”
Fixed the first and third issue there, thanks 🙂
The dirty weapon is on the purpose, it’s sort of like… a messy way of dealing with it. Or a dirty bomb. Causes lots of damage to things that aren’t per se the target. To Rick, Arron is a military target, he doesn’t really agree with attacking him, but at least he can make sense of it. Using Atter to deal with Arron, he doesn’t like, because Atter is a sort of… messy tool, for an assassin.
I see. and you’re welcome.
Sorta like the Dirty Pair then? Atter is something you use when you need to scour an area right down to the bedrock!
Panel 5: “but this [is] a dirty weapon to use.”