12 ☼ VIDEO

[sweetvalleygirl]

Did everyone make it back from Alaska okay? Please say yes.

[She's quiet for a moment, looking rather anxious. All these news reports and network posts have Jessica feeling confused and worried.]

Um, I was just thinking... If the porter can give people powers, why does it need to bring us here in the first place? Why doesn't it just give powers to

Comments

Video, Salarian form

[heal_or_execute]

Hope they all made it back. Destruction to islands shocking. Implications regarding the level of weapons technology employed... deeply troubling.

Anyway, have been researching Porter. Evidence to suggest AI has more power outside this world than in. Can Import people, give them powers, even erase their associated media to prevent metafictional confusion. But, still limited.

Example- HIVE conflict. Imports used as operatives by AI. Tasked with recovering data stolen from Porter, combating HIVE. Why not simply Port data back to the City? Why not erase HIVE from existence to start with? Explanation- Porter not truly omnipotent. Needs extradimensional operatives. Can't empower natives.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

[She stares at him, is tempted to ask about his appearance, but decides not to.]

Oh. I guess that makes sense. It would be easier if all this was the Porter, I guess. Instead of... something else.

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[heal_or_execute]

[He looks sad]

Yes, better that way. Simpler. Porter responsible for kidnappings, torture, experiments, murders, destroyed islands. Just more additions to long list of disasters caused by AI. But evidence points to human capacity for cruelty, not machine. Will have to act accordingly.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

Is this the sort of thing people mean when they talk about terrorism and war? Does this mean there's going to be a war or something?

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[heal_or_execute]

Possibly. Hard to predict. So much has happened unexpectedly. Still, trend shows definite increase in violence and suffering. First kidnappings, then torture, then murder, now islands annihilated. Trend will either continue or reach a climax- hopefully soon.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

It's... [She pauses, struggling for the word.] Um, it's escalating! Kidnapping, torture, murder. Like on the police shows, they say it's an escalation.

[She panics a little.]

But what comes next? What could possibly be worse than destroying an entire island? It has to be war!

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[heal_or_execute]

Not necessarily. [Mordin starts to pace as though in front of a classroom] Different people have different definitions of what constitutes a state of war. Some might say that war is already underway, simply hasn't been declared yet. Others might say City is in a constant state of war due to general insecurity and frequent violence. Still, really a matter of semantics.

Chance for peace still exists. Finding people behind kidnappings and other attacks, stopping them from hurting others will prevent further attacks! Also, eliminate incentives for retaliation. Reduce chances of further escalation.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

But how do we do that? [She pauses, then adds:] What can someone like me do? I'm not a superhero or a cop or even out of school. I want to help but I don't know how.

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[heal_or_execute]

[And we're back to sad face]

Peace may require more violence. Should be handled by those qualified, capable of dealing with risks. Not your fight. Should never become your fight.

Recommend you help in smaller ways: social and emotional support. Reach out to your friends, take good care of them. Comfort and encourage others, prevent loss of hope. Despair sometimes as dangerous as bullets during dark times.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

I can do that, I think. Maybe I could make dinner for people coming back from the fight!

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[heal_or_execute]

[Enthusiastic nodding, head bobbing up and down]

Excellent idea! Praise heroism, reward courage and sacrifice. Show appreciation for their efforts. Creates incentive for further action.

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[sweetvalleygirl]

I'll do it then! I'll make spaghetti for everyone!

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[incywincyhero]

[Definitely not showing his face right now. He took a bit of drywall to the face on Unalaska Island, and while it's hardly a life-threatening injury, it is a bit visible.]

When you put it that way, it does seem a bit weird, doesn't it? I mean, it's generally accepted that exerting force in another dimension requires a heckuva lot more energy than any equivalent action in your own, assuming you even have the tech. So what makes the Porter different?

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[sweetvalleygirl]

Yeah! What this guy said! This so confusing!

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[heal_or_execute]

No idea. No theories, no explanation. Completely inexplicable, like so many other things regarding the Porter. Interdimensional manipulation should be impossible to begin with, but to have such power yet be limited in own universe? Preposterous!

Two years of history to draw on, yet we still know so little. Can only make best guesses based on what evidence indicates.

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[incywincyhero]

Oh, it's possible all right -- I know people back home who can pop over to the next universe over for coffee as easily as find the nearest Starbucks. But the Porter's operating at a whole other level, and it's not following the rules.

Think we could find a way to measure the power input/output somehow? Verify the hypothesis, then see where it leads us.