Can't faze Ms. Taylor with technology!
(Acantha is a very old soul.)
The story is reaching genuinely literary levels in this arc.
The depth of emotion and the intricacy of the plot are becoming positively synergistic!
You and Ms. Rose should consider a novelization in at least three volumes.
Last year I read a trilogy that told the same story from three very different view points.
It was quite informative how widely variant the same action could be.
I'm a fan of James H. Schmitz myself. He was well ahead of his time (though some of the dialogue is dated).
If you can find the Agents of Vega, read that. The Telzey books are very interesting too. And of course there is The Witches of Karres. Another is A Tale Of Two Clocks (or Legacy, which is easier to find).
Baen reprinted a lot of this back around 2000, so it is possible to find them without a lot of trouble.
Very interesting. Sounds like her first arrival was kinda like a slap in the face when someone is out of control. Maybe hearing her story gave him a reference as to his own anger and he determined her anger and pain was somehow greater than his and he was at least in her case kinda shocked back into protecting as he was designed. Or something like that. Well done panel and solid lighting and dialog.
A mine flail won't fit are you going to try to drive a Sherman tank down that passageway? Wait why is everyone looking at me? I drove tanks in the army but this is different.
The more hardware Lynn identifies the more likely Aeneas is to decide she might make a good addition to his nonexistent staff and put her to work repairing some of the breaks in his logic circuitry. Or he might get PO'd at her for indicating his firmware, software and hardware are obsolete.
Me thinks, Aeneas is smart enough to give her a try, and wait what she does offer or do. With all the weaponry available to him, he can still react before anything dangerous can happen. Plus, he trusts Acantha, and therefore will give it all the benefit of doubt. He knows he could use any help.
And me thinks, Aeneas knows he is outdated, hardware wise. Therefore, he will take the comment as it is, not happily, but yeah. Her comment is a clue that she might be a valuable asset in identifying possibly solutions and she might be a great help when transferring into new hardware,....
I guess Lynn needs to watch what she says huh? although most AI tech is old. its manufacture and use is very limited. AI electronics aer much diffrent than that used by "robots" and other smart hardware.
Does she have any friends in her age group or is Lynn the first? Somehow I do see her as a central figure in a youth movement that is not revolutionary, but is not government and Empire friendly.
without giving spoilers. Her Brother has assured that Acantha has NO peers that arent terrified to speak to her. he has taken steps to cut her off from pretty much anyone her own age. Lynn is the first "teen" and Lynn is bearly a teen being 18 Acantha has been able to talk to and share things with. the only other person she interacts with on a regular basis is Miraiko ( being 22 ) but her "caste" prevents much socialising. and shes from a diffrent culture as well. Lynn may be from a diffrent city but the basic culture is the same for both girls.
That could actually be a mistake on his part.
By assuring Acantha has few if any social ties, he puts her in a position to easily 'cut the crap' right off just as soon as she has a viable opportunity to do so.
It seems that when Acantha came here when she was 12 she may have been trying to do a suicide thing, she had to know that she probably wouldn't live through the experience. Second point since Decimus has isolated her so efficiently it would seem to this poor judge of plot lines, that he had been planning the events of last evening for sometime. Just waiting for Acantha to mature enough to carry a child full term and probably die, an assisted death, of childbirth complications.
and we have a winner! excellent judge of whats going on here . although now... Acanthas outlook is a "bit" more positive thankfully. she no longer wishes to die.
Oatmeal Raisin please, afraid Acantha was living in a fools paradise. She knew he was so far off the deep end that nothing would save him and ancient Rome had plenty of examples of Brothers taking Sisters as consorts/mistresses/breeding factories. She was hoping against reality that she could escape before he made that move.
Cantha may be living in Roma but her knowlage of ancient rome is from movies and romaticised novels. history ( that far back ) was never her strong point. if it was even avalable. she did know her brother was off but he had left her alone in her room up untill now. before this point he ( deck ) allowed her a "safe spot" so he knew where she was. the game has now changed. A LOT.
I didn't expect Deck to sink that low. I expected him to have Lynn's eggs harvested, then fertilized with his "Imperial Grade Semen", and then implanted into Acantha. That way, the next generation of Livius would be born with Taylor DNA, and Lynn might never know what had happened.
Sure we would consider that abhorrent, but in their world, it's not that different than letting the A.I.s make reproductive choices for you.
It would also eliminate the genetic risks of incest, while still using his sister as a royal baby factory. He might've even been able to get Acantha to agree to be the surrogate mother to his and Lynn's baby. Heck, Lynn might've agreed to donate some eggs, if Taylor DNA is what's needed to get Nova Roma's A.I. to cooperate.
His parents didn't do a very good job of teaching him to say "please"
I'm seeing an inverse parody of the "What would you do for a klondike bar" commercials.
"Would you walk unarmed into a major defense base controlled by an insane AI with a personal grudge against your bloodline!?" "HEEEEEEELL NO. It can HAVE the damn cookie!"
Wow! You've really outdone yourself on this page! It evokes such STRONG emotions, even with Acantha just casually recounting the tale, without a single rendered tear to emphasize. Which is why this is one of my favorite parts of the story.
I can imagine a 12 year old Acantha weeping bitterly, oblivious to the danger of the place, while a confused Aeneas doll watches. And the cookie thing was a nice touch.
After relating her story, I can also imagine Acantha choking out the words, "Why? How could he do that?!" She's all alone now. And a sypathetic Aeneas could relate all too well to her situation.
And then, when Aeneas hugged her... she must have been really touched by the gesture and bawled her little eyes out. Blew her mind, indeed!
(Acantha is a very old soul.)
The story is reaching genuinely literary levels in this arc.
The depth of emotion and the intricacy of the plot are becoming positively synergistic!
You and Ms. Rose should consider a novelization in at least three volumes.
Though if it was online, I must day, I'd DEFINITELY read it. ;)
It was quite informative how widely variant the same action could be.
makes a note to check that out :D
isnt it though?
thank you ! Actually im wondering if it would be longer as a novel. and the knife has yet begun to twist :D
I would not be at all stunned if a Vincent Price look alike was sitting at the control console!
"The right to buy weapons is the right to be free".
Anything one can think of, someone else has thought a lot more about!
Let me recommend some classic 'classical' literature.
E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman Series is the original space opera! It is an amazing story.
Especially the Little Fuzzy novels.
If you can find the Agents of Vega, read that. The Telzey books are very interesting too. And of course there is The Witches of Karres. Another is A Tale Of Two Clocks (or Legacy, which is easier to find).
Baen reprinted a lot of this back around 2000, so it is possible to find them without a lot of trouble.
Try this.
And who knows what would fit into the mindscape of Tokyo Rose, Death2Bravo. I mean, she seems to have broad horizons to me. :-D
And me thinks, Aeneas knows he is outdated, hardware wise. Therefore, he will take the comment as it is, not happily, but yeah. Her comment is a clue that she might be a valuable asset in identifying possibly solutions and she might be a great help when transferring into new hardware,....
BTW: Thanks for the great comic, again!
By assuring Acantha has few if any social ties, he puts her in a position to easily 'cut the crap' right off just as soon as she has a viable opportunity to do so.
Sure we would consider that abhorrent, but in their world, it's not that different than letting the A.I.s make reproductive choices for you.
It would also eliminate the genetic risks of incest, while still using his sister as a royal baby factory. He might've even been able to get Acantha to agree to be the surrogate mother to his and Lynn's baby. Heck, Lynn might've agreed to donate some eggs, if Taylor DNA is what's needed to get Nova Roma's A.I. to cooperate.
His parents didn't do a very good job of teaching him to say "please"
"Would you walk unarmed into a major defense base controlled by an insane AI with a personal grudge against your bloodline!?" "HEEEEEEELL NO. It can HAVE the damn cookie!"
I can imagine a 12 year old Acantha weeping bitterly, oblivious to the danger of the place, while a confused Aeneas doll watches. And the cookie thing was a nice touch.
After relating her story, I can also imagine Acantha choking out the words, "Why? How could he do that?!" She's all alone now. And a sypathetic Aeneas could relate all too well to her situation.
And then, when Aeneas hugged her... she must have been really touched by the gesture and bawled her little eyes out. Blew her mind, indeed!