From: timk@tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca (Tim Kuehn)
Subject: Re: [FAQ] Re: Newcomer to the Theatre...
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:19:01 GMT

After having been driven underground by various adventures and in settling
a Matrix war started by a rogue process that got away from him when his
lab blew, Unity.re-established is checking his holophone monitoring systems
to see how his custom improvements are working. Remembering the Chat' to
be a good place as any for some digital schenanigans, he dialed in, hooked
into an available holophone, tweaked some parameters, and saw what was up
at the bar.

Before his unbelieving eyes, Unity.scanning watched....

>In <25cbd2$8u2@bigboote.WPI.EDU>, whisper@wpi.WPI.EDU (Robert Enters) wrote:
>"Your gear is impressive, I myself am less subtle or forgiving.
>Tranq's? An Ares Predator or a good Fireball is my style. A bit rough around
> the edges, but it get's the job done." This said with a nasty smile.

	<<LISA, please tell me they've improved the most recent model
	newbies in the time I've been gone,>> thought Unity.dumbfounded.

	<<'fraid not,>> replied LISA. <<From what I've been able to
	determine since coming back on-line and live, this seems to
	be the norm.>>

	<<What kind of life-expectancy do you project for this one?>>
	asked Unity.musing.

	<<If he behaves a lot smarter than he talks, he'll have an average
 	 lifespan with the usual 75 to 80 percent mission survival rate,>>
	 replied LISA. <<If he actually acts that way on a real mission, I
	 compute a 1 to 10% probability of survival.>>

Unity.thoughtful was silent for a while....this character may bear watching.
When newbies rush in where angels fear to tread, a lot can be learned from
the sleeping giants they often woke up.

	<<LISA...>>

	<<Yes?>>

	<<Keep an eye on this newbie. He may bear watching to see what
	kind of mischief he gets himself into. If he ends up someplace
	with useful information, we may be able to use him to scare up
	some credits to replace all the ones I had to blow fixing you
	back up.>>

	<<And I deserve every credit of it too!>> replied LISA. <<After
	all, *I* was the one who pulled your ass out of the fire in the
	Matrix wars and got the necessary data through to that Rudke
	fellow. If he hadn't been in the right place at the right time
	that HK would STILL be roaming the Matrix making life unsafe
	for organic and synthetic alike!>>

Unity.amused chuckled at that.

	<<Ok, you've made your point,>> replied Unity.kidding.
	<<It was just a reality check anyway.>>

	<<Glad to hear it boss,>> replied LISA. <<I'll keep an eye
	on him.  Anything else you want while I'm on watch?>>

Unity.pondering stopped to think for a while.

	<<Yeah, pull the log on the last battle from the Matrix Wars.>>

	<<Still not satisfied the Matrix-HK was dissipated?>> asked LISA.

	<<Not at all,>> replied Unity.determined. <<That HK may've been
	confused, but any AI as intelligent as it was was bound to figure
	out that self-preservation comes before its primary motivation of
	killing and destroying. With the backup process wound in with the
	HK code, it may still have a vault of data stored away someplace
	where it can get to it later on. Personally I'm almost certain it's
	still hiding out there, and I want to track it down before it
	attacks again.>>

	<<Read you loud and clear boss,>> said LISA. <<Retreiving records
	now.>>

	<<Thanks LISA,>> said Unity.grateful. <<You're a doll.>>

	<<I will be if you ever got me a real body!>> retorted LISA.

Unity.amused chortled.

	<<One of these days when I have enough credits to build
	you one, I just might to that,>> said Unity.affectionate.
	<<For now you'll have to settle for what you have.>>

	<<Yeah, like having a small motorized cart with a
	maniplator on the end is some geniuses idea of fun,>>
	snorted LISA.

	<<But LISA, I love you for who you are already!>> replied
	Unity.fake-hurt.  <<You know that!>>

	<<Riiight,>> replied LISA affectionately. <<And cows can
	fly.  Records retreived and on-line now.>>

	<<Begin playback,>> replied Unity.absorbed.


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Unity.*, LISA, the Matrix HK, and the "Matrix Wars" are mine.
Touch them not lest you die! :-)

The newbie's character is his own. Who knows what he'll do next? :)

Tim Kuehn