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Message no. 1
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Pete)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Sun Jul 1 10:05:01 2001
>>>>>[Compliment Ratspeak? I suppose. I doubt you'll be able to drag
Jester
out into a conversation he's been out of it for a while now I suspect myself
that he's dead. Someone got lucky or he got unlucky. While I have been a
supporter of the "God's private joke" theory, mainly the one where he's
given up and is working on a much less ambitious project I still find it
hysterically funny how many people are digging holes in the ground and
insisting forcefully that we originated from here. But then, many people
find my theory hysterically funny so... There is evolution, yes, of course
there is regardless of origin. I just can't quite figure why we as a race
are devolving faster than we're evolving. Unless of course Douglas Adam's
had it right in his 20th centrury novels - we're actually descended from
hair dressers, second hand car salesmen and telephone sanitisers. I'm not
convinced about that myself, but it does have some merit.

As you say, artificial intelligence has existed for some time, but it is in
the sentient, or self aware/conscious intelligence where I find the most
contradictions and the most opposition, even though there is some strong
evidence that such an entity or entities exists.

I have to confess I do not recall the runners you mention, but that is
because my historical research is lacking more than anything and also a
certain idleness for browsing archives and poking in deep core databases. In
that respect I am a very superficial person and skim the surface more than
dig into the meat. There have been some interesting and almost legendary
sacrifices for what could possibly be interpreted as the greater good,
though that also is open to interpretation. What may be good to some is
mediocre or insignificant to others. Haze, Lynch even the gung ho
neanderthal Mitchell all face their own interpretation of good while others
look upon their excessive behaviour and believe it to be the deepest of
evils. I was having a conversation on another node where Lynch's sometimes
heroic actions have been seen as the embodiment of corporate evil and that
he is almost a one man band supporting the extension of corporate control of
the lives of millions. Others would go blue in the face and start rabidly
frothing at the mouth at that interpretation because Lynch is doing a hard
man's job in hard world. Interpretation is always subjective to the
subject matter and interpreter. The only difference I feel is that some
people have a better bead on the subject than others.

Characters like Twitch amuse me. They run their lives according to the where
the next pay check is coming from and utilise weapons of death without a
care in the world to the overall consequences. Not just the legal issues but
the moral ones too. Everyone - unless they're vat grown has parents, many
are married with children. Only recently I was reading in the press about a
security guard who allmost single handedly fought off a shadow incursion
team, he died leaving three kids and a wife to fend for themselves without a
bread earner. You can almost guarantee that the team he drove off could give
a shit about that little snippet.

We are all pebbles falling into a pond. The ripples we leave behind are
commensurate with the velocity we hit the water and the relative size of
ourselves as pebbles. Though also the effect we have on the detritus of the
pond and shoreline itself can be considerable dependant on where we land in
the pond. A young truck driver in San Bernadino exposed a very nasty
situation where a lazy corporation was dumping toxic chemicals into the
reservoir feeding the drinking water for millions of people, the driver's
conscience drove him to speak out. He was later found in a back alley robbed
blind and beaten to death - the press announced that it was damning that
such a fine upstanding citizen should be killed by low life muggers, yet
those with just a small finger on the pulse can figure out what really
happened there.

How many people actually consider the rippples as opposed to the pay cheque?
I would say almost none. Did Lynch consider the ramifications of executing
Thunda? Did Thunda consider the consequences of his campaign. Do any of the
mercenaries fighting in the various flash fire wars around the world ever
actually stop to think about what the consequences of their involvement.
Everything, every one does has an immediate perimeter effect, some things
can travel outwards and have surprising effects on a variety of people that
were not even involved in an incident or even part of it, they just happened
to be nearby. For instance, the old lady on 23rd and Baltimore who after
witnessing a mugging purchased herself a small cannon for self protection
and proceded to blow away a family including two kids, a police officer, two
firemen and a pimp - because she saw something and interpreted it wrongly.
Or the previously friendly neighbourhood conscious family who turned their
apartment into a bunker that Napoleon would have envied, locked themselves
into it with an arsenal that puts the UCASMC to shame and promptly
suffocated because while the bunker was secure and they were protected from
the psycopaths on the streets the designer had forgotten to put in an air
supply.

Legacies are a curious result of one's life and they are not something I
consider valid as a judgement against the achievements of one's life. What
was Haze's legacy? Does it really matter? Shouldn't a person be judged on
their performance in the pond and the interpretation of the ripples they
caused when they struck the surface? So many people are so concerned over
the legacy they leave behind them that they rarely if ever consider the
consequences of their actions and effects on others in the frenzied attempt
to leave a meaningful or at least generous legacy to their immediate family.
There are few indeed who act appropriately to offer even unknown's a
reasonable remembrance of their existence.

I think the one thing that any rodent can hope for is a nice tasty bit of
cheese to make them happy. I can't honestly say that I would celebrate your
demise and shutting up, I find your irony and observations entertaining and
amusing and sometimes profound. Others as you suggest probably just find you
irritating.]<<<<<
-- Grungewallah <15:09:22 / 07-01-62>
Message no. 2
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Mon Jul 9 18:15:06 2001
>>>>>[Grungebunny,

Your analysis is interesting. One comment in particular -

>Do any of the
>mercenaries fighting in the various flash fire wars around the world ever
>actually stop to think about what the consequences of their involvement.

The answer would be that many do, though they are often limited in their
ability to influence the direction of those effects: either to accept or
reject a contract to push them in a certain direction is all that is
possible.

Mercenary work is often merely shadowrunning on a larger, more overt
scale. Some mercenary units devote considerable effort to investigating
the circumstances of the contracts they are accepting. However, there
are many units, and not all are inquisitive or selective: and at what
point should we refuse a task, to see a more enthusiastically brutal
force take the role on instead, and shed blood in gallons where a few
cupfuls would have sufficed?



We (I say we, though I am fairly new to the mercenary business) are not
inherently humanitarian: but our *actions* are more humanitarian than
those of most governments or corporations. At least, those of us who are
able and willing to undertake missions requiring prolonged presence,
rather than short-term hit-and-runs. Many of the more established units
consider the possibility that they may have to return to an area, and
deal with its inhabitants again: it is better to leave behind respectful
enemies and friendly allies, than to have all parties hate you.

This is not from soft-heartedness or generosity, of course: it is brutal
pragmatism. Time spent digging concrete-lined wells, effort spent in
basic medical care for local villagers, money spent buying local
supplies, is repaid when a local farmer sees strangers laying mines in
the road and comes to us because we have shown him respect, paid him a
good price for his milk and meat and grain, vaccinated his children, and
he feels a small debt to us and feels we have dealt with him more fairly
than the local bandits would. So he *warns* us of an ambush, instead of
simply sitting under a tree to watch the fireworks.


Other units, of course, expect to change names and leaders every few
months, care nothing about building these links, and so boast of the
freedoms they offer their members. "All the money you can steal, all the
pussy you can hump, and all the targets you can shoot!" was a recruiting
line for one unit seeking new members recently: the unit was "Bortin's
Freebooters", registered as Unit #74326, and its active membership
peaked at two hundred and six. It fought one campaign only, the short
and vicious war between Conakry Free Port and Freetown PLC. It *had*
over five hundred members, few of whom lasted more than a month on
active duty, and the unit was dissolved nine weeks after its formation
when most of its surviving members were captured and summarily executed
by Conakry forces. 'Bortin' is at large and wanted for assorted war
crimes, but will doubtless never be identified, let alone found. This is
merely one example of the large darkside of mercenary work.



We'd like to clean up the dregs of the industry... but it suits the
employers to have such available, and there's no money to go hunting the
scum. Sound familiar? It should, the same applies to shadowrunners.
Whatever the task, a shadowrunner can be hired to do it: similarly,
whatever bloodthirsty deed you demand, some mercenary unit of giggling
psychopaths will take it on.



That our unit can often leave a deployment area in somewhat better shape
than we found it, is a long-term potential military advantage and a
salve for our consciences: not the purpose of our existence. We exist,
to earn a return: I'm fortunate that my current unit is independent and
thus demands rather lower margins than many corporate forces.

We have more latitude, more ability to turn down the most lucrative-but-
ugly work: but we are still an organisation built around the controlled
application of violent force to solve problems.

Like shadowrunners, mercenaries who deny that truth are deluding
themselves.



And... my current employment is cleaner and more honest than what I have
done in the past. There is a certain clarity about working for hire: it
strips away inessentials and allows you to look clearly at what you do,
and why it is being done.

Many choose not to so look: but that is their choice.






And I should not drink tequila alone, I think. It makes me both
melancholy and talkative.]<<<<<
-- Emma <22:56:32/07-09-62>
Message no. 3
From: shadowtk@*********.com (jaimie nicholson)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Tue Jul 10 01:10:01 2001
*****PRIVATE: Emma
>>>>>[Re your merc outfit, is it looking for more soldiers? I do magic, and
some light drone support (no VCR, but, so my drones are somewhat slow and stupid).

What you describe sounds much more rewarding than patrolling a barrens
brothel. Last night I took down a patron who was cutting up one of the
girls only to be told that it was okay, that was what he'd paid
for.]<<<<<
-- Pixie <23:14:10/07-09-62>
Message no. 4
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Wed Jul 11 16:35:00 2001
*****PRIVATE: Pixie
>>>>>[The good news is, we're always looking for soldiers, especially
magicians. Good pay, good conditions, good work.

The bad news is, military discipline and a minimum five-year contract.
Not for everyone (which is why we're always looking). Not meaning to
scare you off, just letting you know what you'd be getting into.


Still interested?]<<<<<
-- Emma <21:38:42/07-11-62>
Message no. 5
From: shadowtk@*********.com (jaimie nicholson)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Thu Jul 12 01:10:01 2001
*****PRIVATE: Emma
>>>>>[What can you tell me about medical cover and leave?

Also, I like my recreational drug use, obviously not in a firefight or
out on patrol, but later that night... is that a problem?]<<<<<
-- Faerie <17:17:37/07-11-62>
Message no. 6
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Sat Jul 14 06:25:01 2001
*****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[I take it that 'Pixie' and 'Faerie' are one and the same?

Medical cover is excellent. Experienced troopers are a scarce asset, and
the hardest to procure to order: and soldiers who have been wounded and
have recovered or been repaired, tend to be very good at both avoiding
similar injury, and teaching others about what *not* to do when under
fire.

+++++include file: medical policy.doc


Leave is a nominal one hundred and thirty days per year. This may sound
high, but should be borne in mind against typical operational
deployments of three to six months. Unlike office workers, we work the
whole year and calculate from there: the leave allocation equates to
weekends, twenty days voluntary time and an allowance for public
holidays.


Recreational drug use could pose significant problems, depending on the
substance(s) involved and the frequency of use. Are you able to offer
more detail?]<<<<<
-- Emma <11:30:35/07-14-62>
Message no. 7
From: shadowtk@*********.com (jaimie nicholson)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Sat Jul 14 19:45:03 2001
*****PRIVATE: Emma
>>>>>[Damn it to hell... yes, Faerie is Pixie... but I'd appreciate it if
you don't mention that to any UCAS spooks, specifically the FRAG.

Leave... sounds pretty sweet, but your qualifiers are noted.

Recreational drugs... I never have, and never will, let them interfere
with my work... it's just that at the end of a long day in the trenches,
I enjoy a little smoke. It hasn't got me killed out here in the shadows,
I think that's probably sufficient to tell you that I'm not a helpless
wasto.]<<<<<
-- Pixie <17:49:52/07-14-62>
Message no. 8
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Fri Jul 20 10:35:00 2001
*****PRIVATE: Pixie
>>>>>[As is often the way, our UCAS spooks are tame and friendly. If
you've heard of Jason Lynch, he owns a twenty-five per cent stake in the
unit (other than Colonel Rusanov, the only shareholder) and you may thus
appreciate that we have a deep antipathy to the FRAG and no intention of
assisting them.


Your recreational habits should cause no serious problems, as you
describe them. Being intoxicated on duty or when needed, or causing
yourself injury, would be significant disciplinary offences, but within
those rules we try to take a fairly relaxed line on alcohol, nicotine,
THC and similar substances. As you say, everyone needs to unwind (I have
a fondness for tequila myself).

Away from operations, provided you are clean and sober for duty and your
off-duty conduct does not prejudice the unit or yourself, there is no
problem. On deployment, similar rules apply but more strictly and with
somewhat less time available for "unwinding".


If you are still interested, then you may wish to come for an interview.
Magical talent is scarce and valuable, and when it is multitalented and
capable (as you appear to be, from a review of Shadowland) it is at the
very least worth investigating.]<<<<<
-- Emma <15:40:32/07-19-62>
Message no. 9
From: shadowtk@*********.com (jaimie nicholson)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Fri Jul 20 16:30:06 2001
*****PRIVATE: Emma
>>>>>[Re: Lynch and the FRAG... Huh? I think I've heard Ronin mention a
Jason Lynch, but other than that...

Where and when could this interview be held? Do you have people in Tir
Tairngire, or would I have to leave here?]<<<<<
-- Pixie <17:38:46/07-20-62>
Message no. 10
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Paul J. Adam)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Fri Jul 20 17:05:02 2001
*****PRIVATE: Pixie
>>>>>[Suffice it to say that we and the FRAG are opposed.

As to the interview, "when" is flexible. "Where" would be here at
Yeager
Field, in Tarislar. We can assist you with transportation if
necessary.]<<<<<
-- Emma <22:10:32/07-20-62>
Message no. 11
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Michael Goldberg)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Tue Jun 26 21:50:01 2001
>>>>>[ I like your attitude, Grungewallah. However, it is a bit misplaced
against the old ones. I did not start out as a Shadowrunner. And while I
have done plenty of activities that qualify as such, I have not just rolled
out and said, "I need to be active again."

I have been active. I have NEVER stopped being active. However, no one has
been listening (as far as I can tell) in the correct places to hear of my
activities. I also haven't done something that I felt was worthy of
exclaiming, "Look at what I have created!" for this node. On the other hand,
being a competent decker means it isn't always about being noticed.

More to the point, recently I have decided that the time was right to post
on this node again.

I know ... I know ... I do not offer any proof of my activities. You will,
unfortunately, just have to take my word on this one. There are people here
and there who know a fraction of what I have done and what I have more
recently been up to. They are for the most part, people who know that it is
wiser to stay quiet because they cannot prove it conclusively enough to
share.

Still, the point remains. No one let this rat out. I merely decided it was
time to be noticed again.

Hail to IBA. Hail to the other denizens who have survived the odds over the
years for whatever reason. If we were all green runners, our death rate
would be even higher than it already is. Darwinism is always at work,
whether we like it or not. Besides, there are worthy things to learn from
the older crowd. New toys can only displace experience (whether trained or
earned the hard way) so much. Just ask Haze.

Oh wait ... he's dead. Better ask Twitch instead. ]<<<<<
-- Ratspeak <03:00:00/06-27-62>
Message no. 12
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Mark Imbriaco)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Tue Jun 26 21:55:01 2001
>>>>>[ Being your normal, charming, self I see, Rodent. What brings the
resident muckraker out of the woodwork this time around? ]<<<<<
-- Neuron Basher <22:00:41/06-26-62>
Message no. 13
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Pete)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Wed Jun 27 14:55:04 2001
>>>>>[Better ask Twitch wot?]<<<<<
-- Twitch <19:59:32 / 06-27-62>
Message no. 14
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Pete)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Wed Jun 27 16:35:01 2001
>>>>>[Misplaced Ratspeak. You think?

Hrrm, perhaps. However some of these old ones are names I recognise and in
order to evaluate correctly a small amount of provocation is needed or they
just sit there and whither away like vines in a desert.

It's perhaps funny how well people actually mesh with the reputations they
have and the rumours I have heard.

Mitchell the poor psychotic always on edge, aggressive, mean, looking for a
reason, a method, a motive... A target.

Quinn, eternally sarcastic, superior yet elegant, eloquent yet common,
confident but not arrogant.

I could rattle on a bit more but what's the point, you all know yourselves.

And you Ratspeak. Eloquent as always, mysteriously mysterious and vague as
ever. Hinting without actually passing anything of value, talking without
saying much of anything. Not an easy thing to do at the best of times, yet
you have made it an art form.

You'll excuse me if I do not join you in your salutation of the surviving
minorities. I do not see that there is cause for celebration yet.

For instance. What do we have here? A sociopathic nutball in the shape of
Twitch, chatting amiably in an open forum inhabited by a sociopathic nutball
from the Seals. Law Enforcement and Law Breakers. I'm sure you see the irony
here without me pointing it out to you.

I still have to be convinced over the Darwin theory I'm afraid. I go with
the old theory that we originated on Mars millions of years ago, realised
that the planet was doomed when a deep space scan picked up a large asteroid
on collision course and without the technology to build a defence we used
what technology we had to travel to and populate the earth. Ever wondered
why the Dinosaurs died out? They didn't, not entirely, even after the ELE
event in the Gulf of Mexico - they were hunted into extinction because they
competed. The reason there's no missing link? Well, technically there would
have been, if our ancestors had allowed the neanderthall native to evolve as
they should have - but again they were competition for a resource limited
planet. The proof of this theory? Just look around, we repeat constantly
what we have done in the past, yet nothing we do, nothing we make survives
the ravages of time or nature. Always mankind is erased slowly inexorably
from history.

This is the one thing that bothers me about humanity, and many of the
strange people that wander our streests today. The desire, nay passion for
technology that is like an all consuming cancer of the mind and heart. The
reliance on technology to complete or achieve that which is difficult or
cannot be done without the skill.

Weapons with smartlink targetting systems, IFF, range finding, wind sheer
calculation, height/mass/speed adjustments etc etc. Cybernetic replacement
limbs that make you stronger, faster, more able. Eyes that can see further,
analyse what they look at and give you a full heads up readout. Headware,
bodyware, wetware, extrawear, underwear. The reliance on technology to
replace the skills that were so proudly honed over centuries of existence.

Hell, for a relatively small sum of money - by modern standards. I can have
a set of interfaces attached to my body that will allow me to ride a
motorcycle, fire a gun, kung fu someone to death, and all this even though I
have no intrinsic knowledge of those skills at all. I know, these can never
replace true skill and training, but damn they are coming close. How long
before the technology actually over takes the skill. They're working on that
right now, as we speak.

A couple decades ago Artificial intelligence was a dream in the eye of
lunatic programmers who didn't know any better. Today it is a reality. Check
out the edges of the matrix if you doubt that. Hell, check out somewhere
closer to home if you really want proof.

So, in the end is this what we will become? So reliant upon technology that
we effectively become superflous to the overall scheme. No longer in control
of it, but merely a parasite leeching off it?

Is the future of mankind living today, free of technology in the poor
sectors of the cities and outlying areas. Or are they the future slaves of
the technology that slowly takes over the existence of the more wealthy and
fortunate?

Don't mistake me, I'm no technophobe. I have partaken of the facilities on
offer to increase my own abilities, but I still feel a certain concern about
it. This concern is simply reinforced when I hear rumours about a person,
and then have those rumours confirmed, that just reaffirms my suspicions
about things.

Does any of this really concern me? Am I really particularly bothered about
it all? Well actually contrary to the above, no. Mankind has made it's own
bed and it can damn well lay in it. Meanwhile I'll scam off the top and sip
at the cream that deigns to flow in my direction.

The whole thing, if you'll excuse me saying so, is just highly amusing. The
rather pathetic little ratrace that these poor peasants get themselves
involved in, the battle everyday to make ends meet and eat a meal or just
survive so they can repeat the whole sorry procedure the next day. What a
sorry existence.

More thoughts, cynicism, criticism and rambling from the Grungewallah
somewhere near you some time soon.]<<<<<
-- Grungewallah <21:34:05 / 06-27-62>
Message no. 15
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Michael Goldberg)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Sat Jun 30 00:55:00 2001
>>>>>[ What brings me into the scrutiny of the denizens of this node,
Neuron
Basher? What has always brought me out of the dark corner that I lurk in?
I'm really surprised you would have to ask. Being one of the former
Serenity crowd, I would have thought you would know that by now ... just
like certain other details about other denizens of this node.

What brings me in the shadowed light of this node? A desire to learn things
... rumors - beliefs - death - slavery - freedom - civilization - etc.
Also, I have a few paying projects that I need to drive to closure and a new
and old riddles that I am working.

All in all ... pretty much status quo for me and not a single ounce to why
now .. I trust I haven't disappointed you, Mr. Basher. ]<<<<<
-- Ratspeak <03:00:00/06-30-62>

>>>>>[ Twitch: Which is more useful in your job: technological toys to play
with or experience? ]<<<<<
-- Ratspeak <03:01:11/06-30-62>

>>>>>[ Thank you for the compliment, Grungewallah. I was sort of hoping to
drag out Jester into the conversation as he usually has some enlightening,
yet cryptic statements to offer at this point in the discussion.

No such luck, I guess.

Evolution happens whether our origin stems from some other planet, or just
some slumbering god's private joke. The changes in our society brought
about by the increasing knowledge of science and magic are testament to
that. The changes brought about at the end of the Middle Ages showed it
just as well.

Does metahumanity tend to repeat its cycles if left alone? Yes. But with all
the outside variables, it is never quite the same twice.

Artificial Intelligence in machines has existed for a long while. The
rumor/proofs that they are capable of sentience or are actually sentient has
been in fiction since the same time -- if not prior to it. Individuals
always striving to leave their mark in an uncaring world. Hoping that their
lives will account for something beyond the lives of those who knew them.

How much can a person in the shadows hope for? How many people here
remember the sacrifice of a runner named Powerhouse? How many remember the
sacrifice of another runner named Doc Jones? (Actually, I think that both
are of at least a handful.) Which one was more meaningful? Does anyone
outside of the people that were present even remember who they were or what
their sacrifice was? I can trace some of the ripples of both sacrifices far
and wide.

What is the legacy that was left by Pestilence's former partner, Doc
Grizzle? What is the legacy of the kid down the block who was gunned down by
gangfire? What is the legacy of the deaths of people who die simply because
they are too stupid to keep on living?

How much can one man who isn't graced by genius hope for? How much can one
rodent hope for?

I suspect that the only thing that will be hoped for in the event of my
demise is that some people will be very happy that I finally shut the frag
up. ]<<<<<
-- Ratspeak <03:05:32/06-30-62>

***** PRIVATE: Twitch
>>>>>[ If it is not prying too much into how you do business, Twitch, just
what exactly is the specifications in payment in your contract for the
Wanderer? I'm starting to wonder if you are getting seriously ripped
ff. ]<<<<<
-- Ratspeak <03:39:13/06-30-62>
Message no. 16
From: shadowtk@*********.com (Pete)
Subject: Who let the rat out?
Date: Sat Jun 30 19:15:01 2001
>>>>>[Tech toys is fun Ratty, but there ain't nuttin' beats experience.
Ain't no newbie gonna last more'n a few seconds against someone with some
savvy and a few years under their belt. I seen a lot of 'em come along, all
full o' shit and cyber an' claimin' they's the new street god. Some I took
down, others I seen squished like bugs. I reckon mebbe one in fifty actually
makes it. Why d'ya ask Ratty? You oughta know the answer to that.]<<<<<
-- Twitch <00:21:01 / 06-31-62>

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