Latest blog post: Redraw of chapter 1 is happening (2024-05-11)

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Regular
ANTIcarrot

"Well, I suppose I did agree that I would talk with Protagistan first... So the UN will just have to make do with speaking with our resident AI, who can entertain a hundred coonversations at once."

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Senior
glenn

There aren't any TV cameras or Press at this Most Historical Meeting?

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Senior

If gen. Bahin had it his way, there wouldn't even be any UN representatives attending this meeting, not to even dream of public media.

Might've been a good tactic for Zane to bring a (fake) TV news crew pointing a huge camera + mic boom around (while a dozen microscopic bodycams do the actual recording unnoticed), though ...

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Senior
glenn

"Sneaky" works here!

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Senior

Hmmm, did Iskra call for reinforcements in the meantime? We know her, Shorty and Brownie from page 139 ff., but the rightmost agent seems to be new (and there really should be one or two more attending to tasks outside the meeting room) ...

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Senior
tully

Well, bulky bald people crammed into tight suit with an earpiece comes in boxes of a dozen, at like $25.

They probably have glove-compartments in those black limos filled with them....

Or was it Kinder-eggs I am thinking of ?

Anyway, back at page 138, there is 3 black MB´s . If only 3 rides in each car that still makes 9.

So something between 9 up to maybe 12 suits must be poking around including Iskra.

Also user "BH" further up has a point, does Zane copy Iskra´s mannerism to put her at ease ?

I am still expecting Bahin to do something stupid..Based on his outburst at page 204..

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New
bh

I like how the gesture of his upper right arm in panel 6 exactly reflects the gesture of her right arm in panel 5.

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Senior
Wouter215

So the three suits are with Iskra (The U.N.) and not Bahin? Shouldn't Bahin have more support?

Also minor spelling error, "communicated" missing a "c" in panel 5.

Zane: "So this 'Un' is this planet's centralized power body?"

Iskra: "It's more of a playpen where the political subdivisions of this world can scream at each other without the use of weapons."

Zane: "What?!"

Bahin: "We've printed you a schedule to visit all 205-ish countries here..."

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Senior

Shouldn't Bahin have more support?

We can't see the room's corner behind him, so he might have his own muscle present ...

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Senior
tully

With those 3 Raharr standing there , I suggest he gets hold of Angus MacAskill !

yes yes I know he´s been dead for like 170 years......

The room behind the "looking glass" is certainly filled with people watching and the corridors full of guards I would think. Also they would be wise to make a relaxed&friendly approach to get Zane relaxed. After all a #1 contact scenario does not happen too often..

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Regular
un_pogaz

Bahin it's absolutly mad to have lost the exclusity interaction with the Rahar and the Alliance. His expression it's absolutly gorgeous, I've rarely seen a face that represents "killing with the glare" so perfectly.

Honestly, either he keeps his cool and stays quiet, or he opens his mouth and gets kicked out of the room because I doubt he could disimulate such contempt for UN interference in his plans to take advantage of the aliens.

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New
Gilgamesh

In the mind of the agent guy:

'Oh Hell she's so hot' xp

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Senior
charlesw81

If Gharr is specifically exiled to Bahin's country (that has frequengly been dubbed "Protagistan" in the comments), he might view that as a win to have the only member of the Rahar specifically residing on Earth in Protagistan.

Obviously Gharr wouldn't represent the Alliance and his field in xenobiology and xenopsychology might have limited technological uses for Earth... BUT he would be excellent for informing, advising and guiding Protagistan and the rest of the world on relations with the Rahar, the Alliance and other civilisations he knows of out there.

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Senior

Speaking of Gharr's exile. I'm suddenly reminded of Page 45 in Chapter 2, when Ahshu thinks of the Azinarsi explorer as an exile.

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Senior
tully

That short dude is being very professional. I think I would be sweating a fair bit standing next to a +50cm taller alien.

Also, Bahin looks so freakishly angry, I wonder when things are going to blow up but since Zane wants to talk to someone ELSE before Iskra, I wonder if this is Bahins chance ?

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Senior
Darth_Biomech

When you become a special government agent, both your sweat glands and muscles involved in smiling get surgically removed, didn't you know?

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Senior

Seeing Gilgamesh's later comment, chances are that that list might see a couple additions soon ... 8-X

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Senior

I don't think that he would insist on talking to Protagonistan first, given his intent to avoid treating the human nations differently. Maybe if he suspects that not doing that might reduce the chances of Protagonistan (read: Bahin) going along with returning the surviving Raharrs. But I don't think that Bahin will openly say something to that effect, and whether Zane can read human facial expressions well enough to associate "imminent volcano eruption" is unclear ...

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Senior
Wilson

I think Zane is just expressing his intention to honor the agreement he made with Protagistan. I doubt he knows anything yet about the friction between General Bahin and the UN representatives. With any luck, his expression of good faith will help the general calm down.






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TRIVIA
Artificial Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence are not the same thing.
AIs, much like in real life, are not conscious or sapient and are more like really advanced scripts.
ACs - like Quantum - on the other hand, are properly sapient persons, but their functioning relies on a specific hardware setup as much as on code, so they cannot upload themselves to other computers.