VL121R | Day 2 Morning | Text

[meadqueen]

I’m southwest of the mountains, near the shore. There's an abandoned village here.

A central square, strangely paved, surrounded by several metal longhouses and an odd tower at one end. It's been abandoned for quite some time.

Comments

[meadqueen]

I see. It seems a bit sad.

[metalicarus]

What?
The machines are a bit sad?

[meadqueen]

To be left behind, I mean. Unable to do anything but follow orders that don't matter anymore.

[metalicarus]

Machines don't actually feel anything, you're just projecting human feelings on metal.

[meadqueen]

They can think and follow orders, but they don't have minds?

[That's sad too but she won't say it]

[metalicarus]

They have minds enough to problem solve and be able to keep doing what they're doing even in adversity that would make normal people stop.
They're not programmed to have opinions.
Most of them.

[Which, ok, kinda sad when he types it out like that, but also there's got to be a line in there somewhere. For himself, at least. Not that he wants to go anywhere near that opic.]

[meadqueen]

I see. Is there a way now to change their orders?

[Or is that why people keep asking about power?]

[metalicarus]

I mean maybe. Depends on if you can get into their computer heads and speak their language at them to tell them to do something else. Sometimes they've got defenses to stop that.

[meadqueen]

I see. And if these devices are intended for military applications, I'd imagine that this sort of intrusion would be anticipated.

[metalicarus]

You're on the money. Gonna need a special key more than likely, or a password. Can't just have anyone knocking on the door.

[meadqueen]

Do you think these watchwords would cycle even in the absence of their masters?

[Randvi may not know technology, but she knows war. If the airplane people were smart they weren't sticking to a single password indefinitely]

[metalicarus]

If they're programmed that way, yes.
Lots of things you can do with enough science and technology.
You thinking about trying to brute force your way through with guessing?

[meadqueen]

I’m thinking that if this was a military camp the watchword may be written here somewhere.

[metalicarus]

If the people working there were idiots, it's possible.
If it's written on paper, it might be long gone by now.
Check under the desk or inside the bottoms of drawers though, humans are predictable about these things

[meadqueen]

I’ve managed spies before. The larger the group, the greater the potential for leaks. Most of the paper I've found here has been too faded to read, but if I'm searching anyway I may get lucky.

[metalicarus]

Have you? Not an easy job. A little like wrangling cats.
Let me know if you find anything or get stuck again, sometimes more than one head's better at this kind of stuff.

[meadqueen]

As you say. I prefer when my spies aren't literate, but that presents its own set of problems.

I will let you know.