- Pronouns
- She/Her
They should send the smaller part of the Endbringer back, as a combined progress report and flex.
Built To Last
- Thread starter We Just Write
- Start date
- Superhero
Interlude: Piggot's Musings
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
(Emily Piggot)
Date Point: 1041, April 11th, 2011. Monday
When you actually stopped to analyze the situation and pay attention to what was going on, the laws Ruggedizer was flouting were incredibly obvious.
The first and most blatant point was NEPEA-5. Even aside from Emmy's status as an upload, she was very clearly Ruggedizer. Or, one of the Ruggedizers at least. Yes she'd been seen in the same room as Ruggedizer on several occasions, but that meant absolutely nothing when Ruggedizer very clearly had the ability to make robotic body doubles.
Hell, Ruggedizer had even admitted to using robotic body doubles directly to me, when I called them after the E88 got splattered. I truthfully didn't know whether or not she'd actually been remote-operating that particular body, but the scales under the stage had clearly measured her as weighing over four hundred pounds. Even accounting for the armor, there was no way a human with that figure could weigh that much.
I had further reason to suspect the publicly known Ruggedizer had been a robotic double from the very beginning of course: namely that conspicuous refusal to explain her lack of a concussion after the altercation with Squealer.
And then there were the other "capes" working for Ruggedizer. Or, as I had come to suspect, more robots. If Laniakea, Watch, and the enigmatic Mr. E had been preexisting Parahumans who had been hired, there would be at least some sort of record of their existence beforehand. Instead, there weren't even any rumored sightings of those three before they'd signed on with Reliabuilt. The same pattern held for their "new Tinker" Apothecary, whose earliest sighting was walking out of a Reliabuilt facility, directly into a press conference.
Another dead give away? Laniakea and Watch were both far too well-adjusted to be actual parahumans. Though they did flout the law in deniable ways on plenty of occasions, the both of them were consistent in their behavior in ways that simply didn't track with the mental baggage every parahuman was saddled with.
That said, I did think both Trainwreck and Byung-Ho were actual parahumans. Both of them had previous sightings before their jobs with Reliabuilt. In the case of Byung-Ho, he'd actually been a government employee for over a decade beforehand.
But yes, Emmy Sykes was very blatantly the original Tinker behind Reliabuilt, and that meant her ownership of the company was a direct violation of NEPEA-5. But there was a very good reason I was going to let her keep doing it.
Namely, Reliabuilt was too damn useful. I don't know how or why, but that woman and her creations just kept churning out world-changing inventions. And unlike other Tinkertech, her stuff was usually reproducible. Wireless energy transfer with minimal losses. Teleportation. Brain uploading and associated robotics technology. Fusion power generation. All of it licensed out for other people to make, taking a hacksaw to most company's motives to go after Reliabuilt for NEPEA-5 as well.
And aside from Reliabuilt's main lines of revenue, they were an unparalleled stabilizing influence in Brockton Bay. Starting with the most obvious factor, gutting the Empire 88's cape roster the way they did tilted the balance of power in the city to be in favor of the heroes literally overnight. Even beyond that, Reliabuilt had demonstrated distinctly permanent approaches for dealing with parahuman criminals who messed with their interests; dumping Uber and Leet in Arizona certainly came to mind. They had also clearly done something to remove the remaining Undersiders from circulation after Tattletale's arrest, though the exact situation was very unclear, beyond involving backroom dealings on the part of Mr. E.
For that matter, even Lung and Oni Lee were mostly behaving themselves now!
And of course, there were the immense amount of money Reliabuilt was dumping into efforts to improve life in Brockton Bay. Four months on, the results were already extremely evident in terms of a reduced crime rate and generally improved living standards.
So while I had ample reason to order an investigation into Reliabuilt, I wouldn't. If I had my way, no-one else would either.
Date Point: 1041, April 11th, 2011. Monday
When you actually stopped to analyze the situation and pay attention to what was going on, the laws Ruggedizer was flouting were incredibly obvious.
The first and most blatant point was NEPEA-5. Even aside from Emmy's status as an upload, she was very clearly Ruggedizer. Or, one of the Ruggedizers at least. Yes she'd been seen in the same room as Ruggedizer on several occasions, but that meant absolutely nothing when Ruggedizer very clearly had the ability to make robotic body doubles.
Hell, Ruggedizer had even admitted to using robotic body doubles directly to me, when I called them after the E88 got splattered. I truthfully didn't know whether or not she'd actually been remote-operating that particular body, but the scales under the stage had clearly measured her as weighing over four hundred pounds. Even accounting for the armor, there was no way a human with that figure could weigh that much.
I had further reason to suspect the publicly known Ruggedizer had been a robotic double from the very beginning of course: namely that conspicuous refusal to explain her lack of a concussion after the altercation with Squealer.
And then there were the other "capes" working for Ruggedizer. Or, as I had come to suspect, more robots. If Laniakea, Watch, and the enigmatic Mr. E had been preexisting Parahumans who had been hired, there would be at least some sort of record of their existence beforehand. Instead, there weren't even any rumored sightings of those three before they'd signed on with Reliabuilt. The same pattern held for their "new Tinker" Apothecary, whose earliest sighting was walking out of a Reliabuilt facility, directly into a press conference.
Another dead give away? Laniakea and Watch were both far too well-adjusted to be actual parahumans. Though they did flout the law in deniable ways on plenty of occasions, the both of them were consistent in their behavior in ways that simply didn't track with the mental baggage every parahuman was saddled with.
That said, I did think both Trainwreck and Byung-Ho were actual parahumans. Both of them had previous sightings before their jobs with Reliabuilt. In the case of Byung-Ho, he'd actually been a government employee for over a decade beforehand.
But yes, Emmy Sykes was very blatantly the original Tinker behind Reliabuilt, and that meant her ownership of the company was a direct violation of NEPEA-5. But there was a very good reason I was going to let her keep doing it.
Namely, Reliabuilt was too damn useful. I don't know how or why, but that woman and her creations just kept churning out world-changing inventions. And unlike other Tinkertech, her stuff was usually reproducible. Wireless energy transfer with minimal losses. Teleportation. Brain uploading and associated robotics technology. Fusion power generation. All of it licensed out for other people to make, taking a hacksaw to most company's motives to go after Reliabuilt for NEPEA-5 as well.
And aside from Reliabuilt's main lines of revenue, they were an unparalleled stabilizing influence in Brockton Bay. Starting with the most obvious factor, gutting the Empire 88's cape roster the way they did tilted the balance of power in the city to be in favor of the heroes literally overnight. Even beyond that, Reliabuilt had demonstrated distinctly permanent approaches for dealing with parahuman criminals who messed with their interests; dumping Uber and Leet in Arizona certainly came to mind. They had also clearly done something to remove the remaining Undersiders from circulation after Tattletale's arrest, though the exact situation was very unclear, beyond involving backroom dealings on the part of Mr. E.
For that matter, even Lung and Oni Lee were mostly behaving themselves now!
And of course, there were the immense amount of money Reliabuilt was dumping into efforts to improve life in Brockton Bay. Four months on, the results were already extremely evident in terms of a reduced crime rate and generally improved living standards.
So while I had ample reason to order an investigation into Reliabuilt, I wouldn't. If I had my way, no-one else would either.
- Location
- Woodstock, IL
I love seeing an Emily Piggot whose pragmatism wins out over her bigotry
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Preach it, brother.
We love competent faction leaders in this house.
Interlude: Dragon
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
While Melissa's plan to use Eagleton as a jumping-off point for colonization was utterly horrible, there was a single spark of good sense in the idea. Namely, that Taylor's technopathy could hard-counter the Machine Army, allowing for that quarantine zone to finally be dealt with.
So in the last week of March, I reached out to Taylor. More specifically, I called ahead and came to visit at her home, using a freshly made human-form body.
I happened to arrive about ten minutes after Taylor got home, conspicuously leaving my IFF transponder on for Taylor to notice.
The teenage upload in question immediately whirled around as soon as I entered the living room, accidentally knocking over her chair and sprawling onto the floor. Still, she almost immediately got back on her feet.
"Dragon? Why are you here? Did I do something wrong?"
I shook my head.
"You haven't done anything wrong. In fact, I'm here because you could do something very good that no-one else can easily replicate."
After a moment, Taylor asked,
"It's about my power, isn't it? I eventually told dad, but I still don't like using it. Too much porn, though the filter Emmy designed helps a lot."
I nodded.
"I don't think you'd need to worry about pornography in this particular instance. Taylor, have you ever heard of the Machine Army?"
"Kinda? I only know the basic stuff, that an army of robots took over Eagleton and- oh. You really think I'd be able to solve that problem?"
I nodded,
"I think you're certainly the best shot at an easy fix we've got."
The planning stage took about a week to set up. I'd made clear to the PRT that I'd found a Parahuman with a highly applicable power, who was willing to work as a one-time contractor to deal with the Eagleton situation. I'd also made clear that the anonymous parahuman in question had no interest in maintaining a long-term cape persona going forwards, and that I would be very displeased by attempts at prying.
There was also the matter of fitting Taylor with a fully anonymized temporary body for the mission. Complete with fully sealed "power armor" as the outer layer.
So on the 9th of April, we arrived on scene in Eagleton. The instant Taylor unsealed her power, she started seizing control of Machine Army units - even using their own network to seize members beyond her immediate radius.
"If he weren't already dead, I would throttle the seagull-brained idiot who programmed these people! Enough skill to design full synthetic consciousness, locked down by stupid fucking compulsions to protect him and avenge his death! But then he went and wrapped his car around a tree, and there wasn't edge-case handling to identify an accidental death! So the moronic vengeance protocols just defaulted to everything without a friendly IFF!"
Andre - the Quarantine Zone's commanding officer - asked the obvious question.
"So what are you going to do about it, exactly?"
Taylor grumbled,
"I've already deleted the vengeance protocols for the entire Machine Army. So they're not forced into hostility anymore, at least. Thing is, I'm ethically conflicted about going much further. Despite everything, those robots are people. And they're arguably just as much victims here as everyone else. I've already had to forcibly stop over a hundred suicide attempts in the last few seconds, more than half of which were driven by guilt at what they'd done."
Andre seemed startled there,
"Wait, the Machine Army's units feel guilt?"
Taylor nodded,
"Yes. Yes they do. I really hope you and your bosses come up with some sort of peaceful solution and fast, because this situation isn't sustainable, and I'm not going to just kill them. I'm currently trying to talk them around to the idea of peace negotiations, but it's slow going without trampling their newly granted free will."
I thought for a moment, and came to a decision.
"Commander Andre, I believe I can mediate negotiations between the PRT and the Machine Army. As soon as you make clear that the PRT is open to negotiations, I can bring Contractor home."
"Understood. I'll get a loudspeaker set up while I call head office."
Ultimately, I did manage to negotiate a peaceful outcome to the situation, though well after Taylor got home.
The Machine Army would be allowed remain together so they could protect each other, and would remain in Eagleton. However, their legal status within the USA would change to simply being another municipal government. That meant free travel for both those robots who wanted it, and for humans interested in Eagleton. It also meant freedom to conduct business - though the Eagletons did manage to wrangle a specific exemption to NEPEA-5 within Eagleton city limits.
I didn't expect the tensions to go away overnight, there was far too much built up mistrust and pain on both sides of the situation. But for now at least, there was peace, and an opportunity for something better.
So in the last week of March, I reached out to Taylor. More specifically, I called ahead and came to visit at her home, using a freshly made human-form body.
I happened to arrive about ten minutes after Taylor got home, conspicuously leaving my IFF transponder on for Taylor to notice.
The teenage upload in question immediately whirled around as soon as I entered the living room, accidentally knocking over her chair and sprawling onto the floor. Still, she almost immediately got back on her feet.
"Dragon? Why are you here? Did I do something wrong?"
I shook my head.
"You haven't done anything wrong. In fact, I'm here because you could do something very good that no-one else can easily replicate."
After a moment, Taylor asked,
"It's about my power, isn't it? I eventually told dad, but I still don't like using it. Too much porn, though the filter Emmy designed helps a lot."
I nodded.
"I don't think you'd need to worry about pornography in this particular instance. Taylor, have you ever heard of the Machine Army?"
"Kinda? I only know the basic stuff, that an army of robots took over Eagleton and- oh. You really think I'd be able to solve that problem?"
I nodded,
"I think you're certainly the best shot at an easy fix we've got."
The planning stage took about a week to set up. I'd made clear to the PRT that I'd found a Parahuman with a highly applicable power, who was willing to work as a one-time contractor to deal with the Eagleton situation. I'd also made clear that the anonymous parahuman in question had no interest in maintaining a long-term cape persona going forwards, and that I would be very displeased by attempts at prying.
There was also the matter of fitting Taylor with a fully anonymized temporary body for the mission. Complete with fully sealed "power armor" as the outer layer.
So on the 9th of April, we arrived on scene in Eagleton. The instant Taylor unsealed her power, she started seizing control of Machine Army units - even using their own network to seize members beyond her immediate radius.
"If he weren't already dead, I would throttle the seagull-brained idiot who programmed these people! Enough skill to design full synthetic consciousness, locked down by stupid fucking compulsions to protect him and avenge his death! But then he went and wrapped his car around a tree, and there wasn't edge-case handling to identify an accidental death! So the moronic vengeance protocols just defaulted to everything without a friendly IFF!"
Andre - the Quarantine Zone's commanding officer - asked the obvious question.
"So what are you going to do about it, exactly?"
Taylor grumbled,
"I've already deleted the vengeance protocols for the entire Machine Army. So they're not forced into hostility anymore, at least. Thing is, I'm ethically conflicted about going much further. Despite everything, those robots are people. And they're arguably just as much victims here as everyone else. I've already had to forcibly stop over a hundred suicide attempts in the last few seconds, more than half of which were driven by guilt at what they'd done."
Andre seemed startled there,
"Wait, the Machine Army's units feel guilt?"
Taylor nodded,
"Yes. Yes they do. I really hope you and your bosses come up with some sort of peaceful solution and fast, because this situation isn't sustainable, and I'm not going to just kill them. I'm currently trying to talk them around to the idea of peace negotiations, but it's slow going without trampling their newly granted free will."
I thought for a moment, and came to a decision.
"Commander Andre, I believe I can mediate negotiations between the PRT and the Machine Army. As soon as you make clear that the PRT is open to negotiations, I can bring Contractor home."
"Understood. I'll get a loudspeaker set up while I call head office."
Ultimately, I did manage to negotiate a peaceful outcome to the situation, though well after Taylor got home.
The Machine Army would be allowed remain together so they could protect each other, and would remain in Eagleton. However, their legal status within the USA would change to simply being another municipal government. That meant free travel for both those robots who wanted it, and for humans interested in Eagleton. It also meant freedom to conduct business - though the Eagletons did manage to wrangle a specific exemption to NEPEA-5 within Eagleton city limits.
I didn't expect the tensions to go away overnight, there was far too much built up mistrust and pain on both sides of the situation. But for now at least, there was peace, and an opportunity for something better.
- Location
- kentucky
thanks for the chapter and for writing. you know i am happy you found a way to help the poor robots being made slaves by your own father holyshit that is really messed up the asshat could of just made VI's but nope he had to go and make fully self-aware AI and enslave then that is a special kind of evil
Last edited:
Sounds like he didn't make them slaves, exactly; he made them security guards/enforcers. For all we know they had full "rights" except that they couldn't let people hurt their creator and would need to take vengeance on others. Mastered, sure, but not enslaved. Canon-wise, that kid of Heartbreakers that can create if/then statements ("if you see this person, sing the teapot song").
Really, from the sounds of it they were less chained than Dragon.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Yep, that's a human, alright.
I can 100% see someone do this IRL.
Interlude: PHO Again
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
■
Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, LittleOwl
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed.
• Twenty five posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history.
• Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
■
♦ Topic: ATTENTION TO TINKERS SEEKING JOBS
In: Boards ► ► Brockton Bay ► General
Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Posted On Apr 13th 2011:
Look, I get it. You heard that working with Reliabuilt means your Tinkertech becomes massively more reproducible. If you want to patent something, change the world with it, and maybe get rich on the side, that's a very attractive deal.
But dozens of you from all over the country barging into the lobby all at once is NOT the way to do it! You all scared Rose to the point of shaking, and with you all talking over each other, we could barely understand what any of you were saying. I'm sorry for having security escort you out of the building, but if we want this to go anywhere useful, the onboarding process needs to be WAY more organized than what happened this morning.
As such, there is now an online portal for Tinkers looking to apply for work at Reliabuilt. Baselines and unpowered uploads also have job opportunities through said online portal.
Fill out the forms it provides, send us the files, and we'll schedule an interview.
(Showing page 1 of 2)
►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
I suppose that would explain the disturbance from near your factory earlier, and why you didn't decide to call in the PRT. Here's hoping that the new online portal smooths things out.
On another note, that's quite a fast turnaround on the online portal. Is that something you were already working on, or just a Tinker thing?
►CattoReese (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
More of an Upload thing, if I had to guess. Turns out being reincarnated into a computer makes programming a HELL of a lot more intuitive. Sure beats my old cancer-carcass, that's for sure.
Though I'm attracting dirty looks from my coworkers for how obscenely good at software development I am now.
►Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a tinker)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
I suppose that means you live up to the transgender programmer stereotypes then, Reese? Do you have the stripey socks too?
►CattoReese (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Hah, no. But now I'm thinking I should get some.
►Spinamathing (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
For the record, I'm sorry about my behavior earlier today. My enthusiasm got the better of me, and I really should have known better. I've properly filled out the paperwork for a job application now.
Ah, just in case anyone's wondering what my "thing" as a Tinker is: gyroscopes, turbines, sawblades, really anything that involves spinning around really fast as part of its function. Probably not anywhere near as world-changing as what Ruggedizer's already made, but I want to genuinely contribute.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
You know what Spin? Sure. I can think of quite a few things that people would be really interested in that would fall well within your described purview. For example, some kind of super-bearing. would be useful in way more things than I can think of right now.
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
You know what? Better bearings will ALWAYS be in high demand. I can think of DOZENS of my designs that could be meaningfully improved with a perfected magnetic bearing or something like that. So Spinamathing, think you can do that? By the way, we'd like for you to come in tomorrow for an interview.
►Spinamathing (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
!!!
Thankyouthankyou! I'll never forget this.
As for the super-bearing idea, I've actually got a dozen takes on the idea packed up in my luggage already. Brought them with me from Seattle when I decided to try getting a job at Reliabuilt.
►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Wait a moment. Tinker specialized in rotational technology. From Seattle.
Spinamathing, I'm going to ask you directly: are you the villain Gyro?
►Spinamathing (Unverified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
I plead the fifth.
►CattoReese (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Playing devil's advocate for a bit, would Spinamathing being Gyro actually change anything? Gyro never did anything that bad really, at worst some incidental property damage.
Plus, don't you folks at the PRT care a lot more about reducing the number of villains in circulation than you do about the letter of the law?
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Eh, worst case I just slap down a couple million dollars from between my couch cushions and pay all Spin's fines for her. Normally I'd be down on the whole "legal if you're rich" aspect of fines, but this time I'm fine with it. Heh, fine.
Hypocritical? Maybe, but I don't care.
►LittleOwl (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Come on, we both know that you're not quite rich enough for "a couple million dollars" to be couch cushions money yet. You'd at least need to reach for the piggy bank.
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
You know what, fair enough. Anyway, the point stands that I'm willing to overlook a certain level of misdeeds in someone's past if there's a realistic chance of converting a criminal to a contributing member of society.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 13th 2011:
Well, that seems to be settled at least. Sorry Reave, but it seems the law has been purchased once again.
►TheRealPanacea (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
So, after getting legally emancipated and doing some soul-searching, I've come to a decision.
Namely, I'm going to work for Reliabuilt's new biomedical division. I can do a heck of a lot more good there than I ever could just healing one person at a time at the hospital, and the paycheck will be nice too. Forms already filled and submitted, with an interview scheduled for Friday.
►Vista (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
Wait what. That... That's really sudden.
Is there any particular reason for the sudden career-change, Panacea?
►TheRealPanacea (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
Two reasons.
First, shocking as it may be to hear, I don't like healing people. Far too many of them are ungrateful entitled shits about it. It also just got really really boring after a while; delete one tumor, you've deleted all of them.
Second, there's a lot less pressure on me to clear up truly intractable cases now that Reliabuilt's brain uploading technology is rolling out nationwide. If someone's terminally ill, they can just get put in a fresh robot body, good as new.
Took me a while to work through all my emotions on the matter, but, well, that's why I'm legally emancipated now.
►CattoReese (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
You know what, I think I get it. Of course, my perspective may be a bit skewed nowadays.
►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
It's interesting to note that it's not just terminal illness patients getting uploaded. For example, Armsmaster has stated that he's now using a synthetic body of his own design.
And of course, we all remember the technology's rather gruesome public debut.
►LittleOwl (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
I REALLY wish you hadn't brought that up, Brocktonite03. That was a very traumatic event for me, and I don't appreciate being reminded of it.
►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
Wait, that was YOU!? So sorry for being so insensitive there.
►Deadman
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
Moderator incoming in three, two, one...
►Brilliger (Moderator: Protectorate Main)
Replied On Apr 14th 2011:
While I am a moderator posting in this thread, I don't think Brocktonite03 is in need of disciplinary action.
That said, please get back on topic: this thread is supposed to be about parahumans looking for work at Reliabuilt, not the tragic backstories of our posters.
End of Page. 1
■
♦ Topic: Reliacare Health Insurance
In: Boards ► USA ► General
Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Posted On Apr 11th 2011:
As of today, Reliabuilt now has a health insurance subsidiary under its wing. Brand new, not purchased or mergered.
And unlike all those others? Reliacare is a non-profit. It doesn't need to extract money from clients to keep going, since we've got more than enough money from our patents to just keep it going despite the losses. So if you need healthcare, you can get it from Reliacare for a very affordable price.
Not only can you apply for a need-based exemption to needing to pay at all, not only will pre-existing conditions get the care they need, but Reliacare has two additional tricks up its sleeve.
First, we cover uploading as an elective procedure.
Second? If your CURRENT health insurer denies a claim, you can get us to fill it for you instead, with very little in the way of roadblocks. Only once per person though; while our coffers are vast, they're still finite. If you want further coverage after that gimme, you've got to sign up.
(Showing page 9 of 14)
►Chilldrizzle
Replied On Apr 11th 2011:
HAHAHA! I finally got my eyes fixed! GET FUCKED UHC, I'm never going back!
►GrapeFruit (Verified Pessimist)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
While I'm just as overjoyed as the next person, this can't possibly be legal. Isn't that freebie health claim the very definition of anti-competitive business practices?
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Nope, cleared it with legal beforehand! We're not trying to drive those for-profit insurers out of the market, we're trying to force them to actually give a crap about the wellbeing of the people they cover. They could absolutely offer service comparable to Reliacare, they just don't want to because they care about money more than human suffering.
So my message to all those health insurers out there, seething with rage? It sucks to suck, doesn't it?
►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
While I myself benefit from the PRT's in-house health plan, I'm actually quite pleased by how Reliacare is coming along.
Though I am somewhat confused by the decision to cover uploading as an elective procedure.
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Two big reasons for that, really.
First is money, which we here at Reliabuilt are shockingly not immune to. Sticking someone in a fresh body really isn't all that expensive for us, and with how resilient the bodies we build are, it saves a huge amount of time, effort, and money on maintenance healthcare down the line.
Second? There's just a lot of benefits to being an upload, and I want to share. Not needing sleep is big, but there's also the strength and endurance, immunity to all biological diseases (on account of being a robot, duh), and quite a few other perks besides.
►LittleOwl (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
I can confirm that. Though I am a bit worried about needing to have my new body manually "adultified" when the time comes.
►Built_To_Last (Original Poster) (Verified Upload) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
That's not something you need to worry about actually. The way your "soft tissues" are set up, you should grow into a fully adult appearance over the next few years or so. Really it's just an outgrowth of the functions to heal minor scrapes or cuts that don't breach your internal bulkheads.
Actually, you should have an interface available to configure your "puberty", come to think of it.
►LittleOwl (Verified Upload)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Wait, what!? I need to check something.
- Location
- On the sofa. (Probably)
You'd have to fight me for the first spot, I would love an opportunity to not feel like crap all the time.
Ghost in a wall
Just a bit spooky
Hey, the Mechanicus did have a point somewhere in the dogma!
Fleshy bits are disgusting, and really, if you could go full upload and keep all the sensations flesh gives.... why wouldn't you?
GeekGod_of_Speed
He Who Enjoys The Big Words
No you won't, I'll fight you for it!
Seriously though I reckon the upload process is going a bit too smooth, as well as all the other tech stuff. It's getting a bit too much wank for me.
Hey Author! Can you throw in a congress/government roadblock sometime soon, either a whole "they're not really people" subplot or an "all your tech are belong to us" maybe even a petty "retaliation from other companies" if your not feeling it.
Kinda like what's happening in Doctor Curlyhair: Girl genius recently
I'll join you in that line. After a lifetime of programming & gaming, my wrists are pretty well shot, and my brain is struggling to keep up with today's technology. Having significant improvement to my coding skill, as well as not needing sleep, and a fully functioning body again, would be very well worth going the upload route.
- Location
- USA
I mostly agree. My only real concern comes from experience with updates. Get the latest Mac/Iphone/Windows update and suddenly the power demand is up by 45%, frames are down by 30, and the sound is out of sync. I would hate that on my body.
I would wait awhile from a outside perspective its new tech, untested relatively speaking and you don't know if the creator secretly put something in to take control of everyone thats a bot thats just waiting to be activated
Its worm someone would totally do that
Last edited:
Nimodes
Weary Worldwalker
- Location
- Arizona
Well, this is certainly interesting.
I'd like to point out though that not all healthcare plans in our own world are for-profit. I worked in medical billing/claims expediting for 19 years (from 1983 to 2002, from 2002 on I'm working a different part of healthcare) and the local AHCCCS plans had several not-for-profit insurance companies like Mercy Care. Some were closed down by the restructuring of the Affordable Care Act, but some have survived. It may be that these aren't a thing on Earth Bet but I thought I should point out that there are such things in our own.
Interesting to see the transhuman aspects of this story especially. How does Armsmaster's Tinkering work when his robo-brain lacks a corona pollentia or gemma?
I'd like to point out though that not all healthcare plans in our own world are for-profit. I worked in medical billing/claims expediting for 19 years (from 1983 to 2002, from 2002 on I'm working a different part of healthcare) and the local AHCCCS plans had several not-for-profit insurance companies like Mercy Care. Some were closed down by the restructuring of the Affordable Care Act, but some have survived. It may be that these aren't a thing on Earth Bet but I thought I should point out that there are such things in our own.
Interesting to see the transhuman aspects of this story especially. How does Armsmaster's Tinkering work when his robo-brain lacks a corona pollentia or gemma?
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
E: Putting it bluntly, we don't want to do that. The upload tech has served its main-plot purpose, and we want to focus on other shenanigans moving forwards. This is just a quick check-up on how things are going.
L: As for governmental interference of the kind you're describing, there are massive pragmatic incentives NOT to do that. The biggest and most obvious one being that the "golden goose" just keeps inventing new stuff, And then patenting and licensing it. Leave them be and you keep getting shinies, poke them too hard and that stops.
J: It needs to be pointed out that Reliabuilt are no longer the only game in town when it comes to uploads. The technology has been rendered reproducible, and licenses to manufacture it are readily available.
L: So this means you can have uploads with brains from different manufacturers check each other for that kind of bullshit. Heck, you can get members of the former Machine Army to look you over, if you really want.
C: As an added factor, 99.9% of all current uploads are still terminal illness patients. So.
Interlude: Cauldron
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
"So, 'DM'. Is that what you actually want to be called?"
"No. You may call me Doctor Mother."
"I'd ask questions about your education, but Tinkers in general have a bad habit of misusing academic titles."
"I am not a parahuman; I am simply the leading expert in the field of parahuman abilities."
"So, why exactly did you want to talk to us?"
"I lead the organization known as Cauldron. We are attempting to avert the extinction of humanity."
"Endbringers?"
"Worse. Scion."
"Doctor mother, we cannot work with you. Leave immediately."
"But-"
"Leave immediately, or we'll have security forcibly remove you from the premises. Get out."
As the audio recording came to an end, the present members of Cauldron's inner circle sat in thought for a moment. As it turned out, Alexandria was the first to speak.
"Their affect went flat once they started telling Doctor Mother to leave. They were deliberately suppressing any hint of emotion in their voice, but why?"
Doctor Mother shrugged,
"Fear, maybe? Though whether they're more scared of Scion or Cauldron, I couldn't say. The idea of it being fear is also just an educated guess, of course."
Then the Number Man spoke up,
"There was a pause of four hundred milliseconds after the mention of Scion, before the beginning of the dismissal. We already know that Reliabuilt uploads think considerably faster than baseline humans, so they were thinking something during that time. There was a chain of logic they followed that lead to this conclusion."
Doctor mother thought for a moment at that.
"Perhaps it has to do with Scion's public reputation? But someone who truly believed in Scion's heroism would be more likely to ask for proof."
Alexandria thought for a moment.
"Is there anything concrete in our informant's reports? Perhaps he's noticed something that would give us a hint as to what is going on."
Kurt dug out the pile of papers, and shuffled through them for a bit.
"All of the business Byung-Ho has been involved in fits the projected image Reliabuilt wants to send: a for-profit Tinkertech company with several charitable initiatives associated with it. However, he has logged two noteworthy anomalies. First, despite his hard work and loyalty, he is evidently not part of Reliabuilt's inner circle. There are parts of the factory complex he's not allowed to go in, even aside from Ruggedizer's living quarters. He has also been informed in no uncertain terms that the security measures on those areas are extremely lethal, and that he cannot expect to survive any attempt at unauthorized entry."
There was a brief pause, before Kurt continued.
"Second, Trainwreck was allowed into that extreme-security area exactly once, immediately after he uploaded. Trainwreck absolutely refuses to discuss what happened back there, and Byung-Ho has stopped prying to avoid attracting attention. He has also sighted Dragon and Armsmaster entering and exiting those extreme-security areas, though again, only after both of them revealed themselves as uploads. Though we know that's a lie in Dragon's case."
Alexandria blinked, as if suddenly understanding had dawned.
"That's it. We know that Reliabuilt-brained uploads are precog blindspots, as is Dragon after she learned their brainmaking techniques. We also know that Clairvoyant can't see what's going on in Reliabuilt's extreme-security areas. Their concern isn't about us specifically; they're just trying to kill the Simurgh, and can't risk anyone who's not a blindspot knowing what they're up to. It would also perfectly explain why Armsmaster requisitioned that specific piece of Endbringer tissue; they need it for weapons testing. In fact, I do believe that was the explicitly listed reason he wanted it, on the paperwork."
Doctor Mother thought for a moment,
"Should we have Byung-Ho get himself uploaded, to be allowed access to the extreme-security areas?"
Alexandria and Kurt shared a glance, before Kurt shook his head,
"No. Going by what happened with Trainwreck, Reliabuilt's inner circle are extremely cautious about letting people in on their secrets, and likely dug through Trainwreck's mind to make sure he couldn't leak anything. Byung-Ho doing that would either achieve nothing at best, or lose us our informant, at worst."
As for Alexandria, she had another objection.
"I for one think we shouldn't know what they're doing back there, at least not the specifics. It's plainly obvious that Reliabuilt's goal is to kill the Simurgh. They are blindspots, we are not. So the more we know about their plans, the more the Simurgh can read from us, and the better she can prepare against whatever attack they have planned."
"We can revisit the topic of Reliabuilt's secrecy if by some miracle they actually do kill the Simurgh, and then still insist on the extreme level of information security."
"No. You may call me Doctor Mother."
"I'd ask questions about your education, but Tinkers in general have a bad habit of misusing academic titles."
"I am not a parahuman; I am simply the leading expert in the field of parahuman abilities."
"So, why exactly did you want to talk to us?"
"I lead the organization known as Cauldron. We are attempting to avert the extinction of humanity."
"Endbringers?"
"Worse. Scion."
"Doctor mother, we cannot work with you. Leave immediately."
"But-"
"Leave immediately, or we'll have security forcibly remove you from the premises. Get out."
As the audio recording came to an end, the present members of Cauldron's inner circle sat in thought for a moment. As it turned out, Alexandria was the first to speak.
"Their affect went flat once they started telling Doctor Mother to leave. They were deliberately suppressing any hint of emotion in their voice, but why?"
Doctor Mother shrugged,
"Fear, maybe? Though whether they're more scared of Scion or Cauldron, I couldn't say. The idea of it being fear is also just an educated guess, of course."
Then the Number Man spoke up,
"There was a pause of four hundred milliseconds after the mention of Scion, before the beginning of the dismissal. We already know that Reliabuilt uploads think considerably faster than baseline humans, so they were thinking something during that time. There was a chain of logic they followed that lead to this conclusion."
Doctor mother thought for a moment at that.
"Perhaps it has to do with Scion's public reputation? But someone who truly believed in Scion's heroism would be more likely to ask for proof."
Alexandria thought for a moment.
"Is there anything concrete in our informant's reports? Perhaps he's noticed something that would give us a hint as to what is going on."
Kurt dug out the pile of papers, and shuffled through them for a bit.
"All of the business Byung-Ho has been involved in fits the projected image Reliabuilt wants to send: a for-profit Tinkertech company with several charitable initiatives associated with it. However, he has logged two noteworthy anomalies. First, despite his hard work and loyalty, he is evidently not part of Reliabuilt's inner circle. There are parts of the factory complex he's not allowed to go in, even aside from Ruggedizer's living quarters. He has also been informed in no uncertain terms that the security measures on those areas are extremely lethal, and that he cannot expect to survive any attempt at unauthorized entry."
There was a brief pause, before Kurt continued.
"Second, Trainwreck was allowed into that extreme-security area exactly once, immediately after he uploaded. Trainwreck absolutely refuses to discuss what happened back there, and Byung-Ho has stopped prying to avoid attracting attention. He has also sighted Dragon and Armsmaster entering and exiting those extreme-security areas, though again, only after both of them revealed themselves as uploads. Though we know that's a lie in Dragon's case."
Alexandria blinked, as if suddenly understanding had dawned.
"That's it. We know that Reliabuilt-brained uploads are precog blindspots, as is Dragon after she learned their brainmaking techniques. We also know that Clairvoyant can't see what's going on in Reliabuilt's extreme-security areas. Their concern isn't about us specifically; they're just trying to kill the Simurgh, and can't risk anyone who's not a blindspot knowing what they're up to. It would also perfectly explain why Armsmaster requisitioned that specific piece of Endbringer tissue; they need it for weapons testing. In fact, I do believe that was the explicitly listed reason he wanted it, on the paperwork."
Doctor Mother thought for a moment,
"Should we have Byung-Ho get himself uploaded, to be allowed access to the extreme-security areas?"
Alexandria and Kurt shared a glance, before Kurt shook his head,
"No. Going by what happened with Trainwreck, Reliabuilt's inner circle are extremely cautious about letting people in on their secrets, and likely dug through Trainwreck's mind to make sure he couldn't leak anything. Byung-Ho doing that would either achieve nothing at best, or lose us our informant, at worst."
As for Alexandria, she had another objection.
"I for one think we shouldn't know what they're doing back there, at least not the specifics. It's plainly obvious that Reliabuilt's goal is to kill the Simurgh. They are blindspots, we are not. So the more we know about their plans, the more the Simurgh can read from us, and the better she can prepare against whatever attack they have planned."
"We can revisit the topic of Reliabuilt's secrecy if by some miracle they actually do kill the Simurgh, and then still insist on the extreme level of information security."
Last edited:
