Sounds logical enough, Ronin, but why would she start down that road? For salvation from whatever madness she had been dealing with?

I told you once that I would always tell you the truth. At least as much as you wanted to hear.

There was a friend I needed to get the attention of, hence the proverb. You never got far enough into your training but sometimes it's efficient to use a recognition code that expires after a single use. After which I recommended the name of someone that might be able and willing to help them with some people whose attention they had drawn and a course of action to deal with the situation.

Afterwards I expressed agreement/approval of the manner they chose to deal with the problem.

I see, and if you would have told me up front, the thing in question would have known something was rotten in denmark. Good plan.
w3 #@><0r$ #@\/3 0]_[r 0\/\/]\[ c0d3.

You'd be suprised what can be done when you're creative.

If only these forums were as lenient on H@><0r, the fun I'd have.

You know, Endeavor, for all the good things that hypersenses have granted me, there is one thing I wish they hadn't.

Because up until my eruption I would NEVER have understood what you just typed, and now I can. I can't decide if the ability to decipher l33t-sp3@k is good or bad.

Endeavor.

I tell you since you asked.

The creeping madness of accumulated taint hangs like the Sword of Damocles over the head of every nova who seeks to improve themselves and expand their abilities. If indeed your mother was slowly being driven insane by her own drive for greatness, undertaking the path of Teras would have been a perfectly rational and terribly appropriate way to do so. Terats frequently use the Path of Teras and the bursts of enlightenment that follow to rid themselves of aberrations ranging from nervous tics to gelatinous skin.

If your mother truly was the great and dedicated scientist you claim, it's likely she would have adopted the road of Portent. Travelers on that path frequently do so to bring themselves back from the brink of madness.

Tell me; whatever became of your mother?

.ronin

Not quite. Close enough though.

Like I said, we all act on our beliefs one way or another.

You actually believe that? What are you, the Utopian PR department's pet ninja?

So you basically bought into the Utopian worldview but just didn't agree with their approach.

Jack.

If you do not concern yourself with the fact that the human body, no matter how stalwart, simply is not acclimated to the rigors of channeling quantum forces having spontaneously evolved a great leap up the Darwinian ladder, then that is your own issue.

Taint need not cripple. But it can, and I look out for that. I would mind being an abomination less than being mad and will take steps to see that does not happen.

Taint can drive a nova insane. That is fact. I choose to be cautious, that in mind.

.ronin

Be cautious or not as you choose but anyone that passes personal preferences and fears can expect to be questioned. I don't take issue with the dangers or potential for danger inherent in the use of quantum or the growth of "the Taint" but...

"... the body of even the stoutest man of labors would rapidly begin to degenerate and bloode begin to flow freely from the orifices of the body at such unimaginable velocities. In less than a minute the work of God would come to naught. Therefore it is our learned judgement that velocities greater than twenty-eight miles in an hour must be considered a barrier beyond which man cannot hope to pass."

That was written by a highly educated and medically trained man and given in a report as factual determination. If I'm not mistaken its actually a paraphrase for an earlier "pearl of wisdom" given in a newspaper column intended to educate the common baseline man. Suffice to say, they were in fact mistaken. How many facts do you have on the rigors of channeling quantum and its affect on the body.

Are you aware of the origin of the phrase "mad as a hatter?" Of course you are, but for those that aren't; it was once believed that hatters, the makers of hats, were doomed to eventually go insane. The reason behind that belief, though unknown at the time, was the chemicals used in hat-making included mercurious nitrate used to cure felt.

Prolonged exposure to the mercury vapors caused mercury poisoning. Victims developed severe and uncontrollable muscular tremors and twitching limbs, called "hatter's shakes"; other symptoms included distorted vision and confused speech. Advanced cases developed hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms.

People go insane from "the Taint"? People went insane from being hatters too, or at least that's what everyone believed until they figured out the mechanism behind the observation.

Okay, maybe the taint-buttered do go nuts and given your deeper Terat background maybe you even have some personal anecdotal knowledge to share on the subject. Although I don't know how you would tell the difference between an individual exhibiting signs of mental aberrations due to taint as opposed to... Oh, say the growth of a freakin' tumor in their skull for instance.

You are aware that the MR Node is a tumorous growth, right? That it meets the medical distinctions for a tumor? That the increase in quantity and quality of quantum usage corresponds to an increase in node size and density? It's just that this particular kind of tumor is genetic in origin and lets you take the rules of reality and twist them like a piece of origami. What do you think happens to the brain as a tumor enlarges?

So here's the sum up for the home players. True; quantum isn't a game and this isn't the world of the comics books where everything eventually goes the way of truth, justice and the ill-defined common good. But raising the specter of taint everytime the subject of quantum usage comes or someone like Hino acts like a nutball is like Utopia crowing about Terat terrorists everytime they need to spin a PR disaster. It's probably true in a small number of cases but overall?

I got one more for you too. A contemporary expression of "Mad as a hatter" was the phrase "mad as a March hare". It refered to the frenzied activities of the male hare during March, its mating season. Of course the wascally wabbits behavior only appears strange to us since we don't share the aesthetic perceptions of the activities that are going to get the wabbit laid.

On the flip side we can only guess how our courtship rituals might appear to the wabbit, unless you've some affinity for wabbits or you're a telepath with a lot of time to kill. The bottom line is that it made perfect sense to the hare, but then the hare wasn't trying to pass itself off as a man either. So this brings up the question; what is the standard of measure for taint?

I'm not even going to touch the "spontaneously evolved up the Darwinian ladder" comment. Not at this time anyway. I'm about to get busy for the next few hours babysitting somebody that gets sick in zero gee.

Um this may sound like a silly thing, but if a program is feared then why not put into a cupter of it's own and blow it up.Or if worse came to worse, blow it up.After all data can be reprogramed,codes remade.

If I could stop anthing that would have me asking asking foor help from here,I would.And I guess having a high IQ dosen't give you all the right anwsers.

Well, good for you. I on the other hand see this 'madness' as simply another path. You go explore the nova experience of having a bushel of tentacles instead of a face while I explore the boundries of what you call madness. Fair?

I would like to point out to any Harvesters out there, that yes, I can learn.

I don't understand why everyone is so anti-tentacle. They can be quite useful. And they're not so unatractive either.

My personal opinion?

It's easy for someone to believe they're a rebel, that they've transcended herd instinct, but to actually do it requires leaving behind herd mentality and becoming something else. Something different. Most people like to pretend they're something different but at the end of the day they go to bed with mediocrity and a baseline's sense of aesthetic. Hyper intelligence only makes their problem worse as they use it to rationalize the same old care worn assumptions they never really questioned before they erupted.

So anyway, you have a bunch of nova playing at being something different than they were who suddenly come face to face with a tentacled life form and the first thing these evolved beings think is, "Ewwww!"

Tentacles, you see, are icky in their minds. Although Endeavor seems to have a thing for them.

I have seen the accumulation of taint kill a nova. I have also seen someone so aberrated that they couldn't even concieve of relating to the rest of humanity and they certainly had accumulated enough taint to overwhelm the body and/or mind of any three novas, yet they were cruising along just fine.

If you see taint as the enemy, it is.

If you don't have ANY issues with accumulating taint, then you have a different sort of problem.

Don't forget to be yourself. If you can figure out who that really is, I mean.

Exactly.

Although I prefer a spot in between the polar extremes. Better view.

A thing against them?

Are you saying something?

g@\/\/d +@]_]< @b0]_[+ d][r+y ]\/[][]\[d$.

For them.

I mean there you are, lounging around in your school girl uniform, while spending your nights toiling away on some geek project or other...

Huh.

Actually maybe I understand why after all. But you know, a healthy girl like you with pink hair, those large eyes and that tiny little mouth could get lots of dates. Maybe Jager's out of your league but I'm sure you lay your hand on at least a dozen or so baseline guys. Heck, with a little effort you could probably even get Skew's autograph, not to mention Sandy seems to have a "flexible" approach to dating.

:p

Wha... Hey...


What I do is my buisiness. When I'm bored I tend to... wander... mentally...

I'm not harming anyone. And I'm not as anime looking as you think. I'm rather plain jane... Well, for a nova.

Jack, you're being crabby. You must not be getting any.

Sadly, Jack, folks too often polarize on every issue. That's why every wannabe world leader want to either smack everyone in the head or won't kill a fly. Ghandi or Mao.

In the end, there is only one path. Your own.

Endeavor, there is something to be said for persistance, hope, and spasms of inspiration. Don't let the world change you, friend.

I know what you look like. We worked together once remember? Also, I picked up a couple of those magazines you endorse in Japan on my last trip.

Ya know... you really should meet some of the in-laws. I think you guys would hit it off. Especially "Squidman". Don't let the name fool you. I'm told he's very popular with the ladies despite appearances. He not only has the tentacle thing going for him but the suckers act as tiny little mouths and he's very gentle. As an added bonus he's also empathic which he can't finish unless his partner finishes as well.

I think he's a he anyway. I mean they do call him SquidMAN, though it's kind of hard to tell for certain with all that motion going on constantly.

Give me the word and we'll hook you too up next time I'm groundside.

:p

Me? Nah, just the usual Major Tom to ground control fun.

See?

I'm not the only one that thinks your worldview would change with a little earth moving action.

"Spasms of inspiration".

Get it?

:p

Wow, amazing how thread topics vary. Starts out a warning about a killer AI on the loose (uh, Endeavor, I um, I called the tech hotline about two minutes after reading this. Hope we're cool and all.) and the next thing you know Chance is trying to hook an underage (I think) young lady up with some sort of sexual liason.

I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to this kind of thing.

Yes, let walk to beat of uber alis Utopia, and the great SS leader Pax.Utopia dosen't owe the world a damned thing,and they have done more good than say IBM,AT@tE Doe chemicials, what about Forisep, Bowing, and BMW? Did any of these companies do anythign that was not for the bottum line?

Now, are any of you out here ranting about Utopia. Doe dosen't make chemicals to help the needy. It made around 80% napalm used by US armed forces,that kill in the countless thousands.Do you rant about that?But becuase Utopia dosen't cure everything,they are evil?

I do not agree with the idea they shoudl not work on way to cure these sorts fo things, butdo not mistake good deads as a sign saying "we are saints".They can only do so much, Maybe Utopia is finding a cure for these things now.Or maybe Utopia dosen't have the man(nova) power to do so.Then agian, they may feel that there are more important things, like stoping a war,dealing with radicals who want to nuke cities.It has happened before.

Now I am willing to help in this good man's goals but I am not willing to say that utopia should be prefect.And your aniti-Utopia propagnda should stop.It is one thing to point out real flaws in characters, it is another to sling mud.What was it that a dervies agent do, that's right two days ago, one killed 50 odd people with one of his fire ballls...Are you yelling for Devries to stop killing?

Sandy, if your going to get up on a soapbox at least make an effort to be intelligable. Your messages are still garbled and rambling. Is english your first or second language?

Gerald, You think things area wierd now, then wait until you've crossed dimensional barriers, faught off Chuthulian (sp?) monsters and Nova assassins, all the while defending the comatose dimension hopping Nova who got you there in the first place. After an experience like that, things around here seem downright baseline!

Jack, if Sakura ain't interested in hooking up with Squidman send him my way. I'm always up for a chance to, ah, "broaden my horizons" if you know what I mean.

Gerald
Yep.

Whether she's under age or not depends on the municipality you want to apply. In several she's about four years past her prime for being bought, impregnated and subsequently squeezing out a couple of kittens between beatings.

I just think she'd be a little less flighty if she had some outlet for that stew of hormones.

Rossi
My resources are a little limited at the moment so I had to settle for sending your photo from News Week - the one from the article talking about your company. Subtracting transmission time the response popped up on my HUD about ten minutes later and was;

"Damn! Thanks."

Squidman's a sucker for a tux with a European cut. I'm not a hundred percent certain whether Squidies a card carrying holder of an X or Y chromosome but the fact that you are doesn't seem to be issue so who knows. If you share Sherazahde's proclivities I'd say your guaranteed an E-ticket ride as it's suppose to be a very... Umm... embracing encounter.

In any case it sounds like a hell of an experience. Bastian would probably love to have Squidie at a party, assuming he hasn't already but you know what they say about assuming.

Sandy
I have caught that you want to talk with me but at the moment I'm not in a place easily accessible by even unconventional travel. Maybe when I get groundside again.

If you're in outer space, Jack, and you still have time to post on OpNet - you might be addicted.

Um ya, Jack I think the only thing I could do is waiit.. Um I heard of something that would let you send data at supper phontic speeds,I think that means faster than light.. But I am sure your long disanace bill is going to be a killer...

Vixen
Being able to internally synthesize florine catalytic reactions for anarobic activity has it's advantages. Not needing to breath I have two hours of quiet time on point while the others do suit and gear checks.

After that I get to play high guard, or life guard if you prefer, while the others are working as my sense of balance isn't tied to my inner ear. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours modifying the radio ranging software installed on T-kats comps and fed through Prodigy's communication systems so I could set my displays for proximity alerts. If I don't get a tell-tale every 30 seconds, or if someone drifts out of position I get a code flash on my HUD and then go to work.

Short version; the periods of frantic activity are punctuate by long hours of tedium. I like to stay busy.

Sandy
At any given time there are a minimum of 2 comm satellites we can access with the high band tranceivers but it's a bitch to aim the beam and track the satellite. On the other hand, we found a new application for spatial warps.

Seem the interface surface of a warp is permeable to energy transmissions.

All right, I will rephrase:

When you're up in OUTER FUCKING SPACE and the most exciting thing you can think of during your quiet time is to post on the same message board you can post on when you get back to Earth, you might be an addict. Or just jaded.

Allow me to rephrase.

When you've been in Outer FREAKIN' Space for two weeks, with the majority of that time spent on EVA, you need to find something to concentrate on or the void begins to eat at your mind. Prodigy's com gear has been a god send and even T-kat's comps have made the job much safer and easier. Of course you know what happens when they give you access to the OpNet at work...

Besides, I can ignore you guys whenever I want. The void doesn't like to be ignored. And it's not like I can listen to music or whistle.

:p

Stop the "]_33+" speak!

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>_<;;;

?_?

Jack:

You know, there is a lyric from a song that I'm thinking of when I tell someone my age. 18 and life to go. I'm legal on roughly 95% of the earth's landmass. I'm not exactly innocent to the whole thing. :p

Violette:

What? Me and Jack have differing methods of code speak. Jack has his, I have mine. It's just that my method of under the radar fun is "133+" speak. It's a old habit from my pre-node days. I could write a book report, all in #@x0r. But, just for you, I'll refrain from further increasing your migranes.

Gomen.

Jack, the Void is a selfish bitch who just hates to be ignored.
Stay frosty, brother, and remember that little hissing noise is natures way of saying, "APPLY THAT PATCH NOW!!!!!"

After spening two months stranded on a 58 km3 rock (I know, I walked over every square cm of that damn thing), I try to avoid Space as much as possible. I hate it when the money takes me there and worse when I have to go for personal reasons.
On the plus side, dodging mirco-meteorites is a blast. Especially when you move through a cross-gravitational field at high-velocity with an erratic acceleration vector.

As if the world wasn't tough enough, novas have to go out and find new ways to kill themselves. Yee-haw!

Yep, some of the dust particles in the outer coma of a comet have the kinetic velocity of a bullet or higher. Part of what makes doing life guard duty so much fun.

Hang on...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Had to go snag somebody. Prodigy's ion engine has accelerated our timeline, which is good, but the downside is the uneven acceleration of the coma mass. Our gear is taking a beating and the danger of drift is much higher.

Looks like we're going to have to send for a gravity specialist earlier too.

*sigh*

That means an extra 4 days on EVA even if it does shorten the next phase by a week.