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It sounds to me like Ferial has been here a while… Every time Rulebook gets toasted he repairs/ restores himself somehow. This would explain why his is insane, as the data transfers are never fully complete. I would suggest that with time they will never happen. Maybe the UNSC AI just came into this cycle of "interrogation" and is disgusted with it, thus the sarcastic/ challenging response to Ferial.
This is the only time Ferial has ever been here, actually, but you would be correct in assuming that Rulebook has gone through a restoration process more than once, with a little data loss each time. The UNSC AI, however, has never seen this process before and is simply on an information gathering mission at this point.
Hum, at this point… that would seem to assume that it will become more and that this AI will now have a nice part in your little story here, I don't know if it was intentional or if I'm right for that mater but you seam to be giving out hints.
Data loss…
Ah! So it's "insanity" and not "rampancy" for SURE now. Rulebook is slowly yet surely becoming more and more insane. Ferial should be careful with the kill-transfer…or the information he seeks may become lost.
Mind you, I remember somewhere in the Halo books Cortana came across a way to copy herself with a Covenenant program and then to link herself to the copy to give her more processing power. However, the copying mechanism wasn't perfect and there were errors.
Awww, poor Rulebook! And, it appears that the AI seems to be…um…I guess "familiar" with Ferial with the last statement signifying that this wasn't the first time that they've had an encounter. Or, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that the AI asked "what can I do for you today"
Uh oh jim you didn't follow the rules about naming the moniters!!
it has to be Complex name of emotion, Complex noun eg. Guilty Spark or Penitent tangent.
Yes, that is the cronological order is Contact Harvest, Cole Protocol, FoR, Flood, First Strike, then GoO. however, Contact Harvest is following Srg. Johnson. Cole protocol follows Gray squad, (special Spartans). FoR, Flood, First Strike follows Master Chief, and GoO follows green team (Linda, Kelly Curt)
So, if you were to trap Ferial and do the "not touching youuuu" thing, would he go berserk? Because it's not only annoying but it's also not under his control…
This doesn't look good.
Ferial conversing with the UNSC AI.
I wonder whether he'll convert him to his side, convince the AI to turn on [his/her/it's] masters or even go rampant altogether.
Similarly he could use it to ge into the UNSC and track reclaimer even though they believe they lost him. Y'know like tweak the scanning settings for huge power readoffs, slipspace jumps etc.
I have never heard of UNSC AI going rampant, i guess its possible. The way Jim wrote this I get the feeling that this UNSC is ticked with Ferial and thinks it can deal with him.
It's happened several times, hence the 7-year limitation on any UNSC AI. A couple of examples, in Contact Harvest, Sif goes rampant in her last moments, and in The Cole Protocol Juliana is an AI that is already well past her 7-year limit and is in the first stages of Rampancy. So, yes, it happens rather frequently.
Also, in… I think Fall out Reach or Last Strike (I think that's the name?) Dr. Halsey is talking to Cortana, and the subject of rampancy comes up. And Jim, don't say anything else about The Cole Protocol. I just got it last night, so don't ruin it! I still have yet to find Contact Harvest anywhere..
It is also believed that during the level Cortana on the main Halo storyline, Cortana herself went rampant or at least a part of her. So this AI has been destroyed and had to repair itself before now and it loses data each time. So who has destroyed it before, and why does he lose information? Or is that a plot point for later? And it was mentioned above that Ferial knows this AI. Therefore he knows the location for Eternal Refuge thus he's not using RC and the calvacada to find it. Sooooo, the plot thickens even further!
omg, he haz recon!!! I always 4got 2 comment, my ever. Ever since this started, it had a lot of changes and even my mum who cood guess the ending 2 the matrix had a try at this but she got bored. i cant wait 2 c ferial get owned, te main reason i got so intrigued was because a bad guy like him shood be absolutely vaporized just before every thing goes 2 s***. So hope that happens, and if he doesnt die, well then the nearest cliff here i come!!!!!
Havn't yet signed up, just trying this out. Now, are we seeing something like a repeat of Mendicant Bias? We know Ferial is connected to the Flood, be it as creator, ally, or another relationship, and we also know that he is extremely persuasive, through force and words. And then there is Rulebook. If he is an exception from the naming rule, that would imply that he has some superiority, even more so as he is guarding the supposedly most powerful of the Cavalcade. I might be barking up the wrong tree, but I just happened to notice the simialrity and thought I'd mention it.
Does Bayne have a point though? Did you deliberately change the name from the rule to be different or because Rulebook is somehow superior? And what is this rule? I've never heard that AI's have to be named that way… Oh and who named the Calvacada? Did they name themselves? And now I'm receiving a "You're session has expired" comment every time I try to post a second reply. Is my computer or my profile just retarded or is this another bug?
Honestly, my main reason was because I thought 'Rulebook' sounded really cool as a Monitor's name, but it also works out that Rulebook is special and so I can get away with breaking from tradition.
Mmmm Trangia-prepared-boil-in-a-bag-food….not.
Although sitting out on the moors after a long day of hiking in the worst weather imaginable you'll eat anything. Except pot noodle, I refused that.
Mind you, having watched a pot of water simmering in a Trangia pan for 25 minutes solid on a freezing October morning last year… I'm not so inclined to disbelieve that.
Trust me, when it happens to you you'll never forget it.
It sounds to me like Ferial has been here a while… Every time Rulebook gets toasted he repairs/ restores himself somehow. This would explain why his is insane, as the data transfers are never fully complete. I would suggest that with time they will never happen. Maybe the UNSC AI just came into this cycle of "interrogation" and is disgusted with it, thus the sarcastic/ challenging response to Ferial.
This is the only time Ferial has ever been here, actually, but you would be correct in assuming that Rulebook has gone through a restoration process more than once, with a little data loss each time. The UNSC AI, however, has never seen this process before and is simply on an information gathering mission at this point.
Hum, at this point… that would seem to assume that it will become more and that this AI will now have a nice part in your little story here, I don't know if it was intentional or if I'm right for that mater but you seam to be giving out hints.
Data loss…
Ah! So it's "insanity" and not "rampancy" for SURE now. Rulebook is slowly yet surely becoming more and more insane. Ferial should be careful with the kill-transfer…or the information he seeks may become lost.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd already confirmed insanity in previous comments.
Mind you, I remember somewhere in the Halo books Cortana came across a way to copy herself with a Covenenant program and then to link herself to the copy to give her more processing power. However, the copying mechanism wasn't perfect and there were errors.
Am I along the right lines here?
Yeah, I think that was actually inThe Flood.
Actually, it was in First Strike.
Yeah, I think that was actually in The Flood.
They really don't.
Alrighty, thanks for clearing that up
It might, it might not. I honestly haven't decided yet. I guess we'll just see how the story unfolds.
Probably the first time I see you having not resided on a plot and admitted it very nice
Honestly, I love writing myself into corners just to see how it resolves itself. This was one of those corners.
It's all good. I'm not into spoiling anything. That bit about Juliana isn't particularly spoilery.
Barnes & Noble usually has copies of Contact Harvest, and if nothing else, you can order it online.
Awww, poor Rulebook! And, it appears that the AI seems to be…um…I guess "familiar" with Ferial with the last statement signifying that this wasn't the first time that they've had an encounter. Or, maybe I'm reading too much into the fact that the AI asked "what can I do for you
today"Yeah, you're reading too much into it. Remember, this UNSC AI is an extremely sarcastic personality.
The way I see it, he is just letting Ferial know he's there. I don't think the UNCS knows much about him.
yay i saw it's, so cute is he the rulebook but so poor is he that ferial is upon him!
Heh, you may want to double-check your grammar rules and try again. I think I need a cipher book to figure out what you just said.
*enter the Cipher sniper
It kinda looks like German, in the word ordering.
i won't waste any more of your time jim
Reader comments are never a waste of my time – I just like to be able to interpret them.
A fanbase is nothing without interaction.
Exactly so.
One of the first times fereial is annoyed…
Rulebook(?) dies…
Was that eternal refuge? Or am i being presumptious?
Was what Eternal Refuge? Rulebook? Certainly not.
I think he is asking whether or not the setting is Eternal Refuge. I guess not.
It is not.
That last panel reminded me of someone playing hide and seek.
"I found you!"
"Awww, man!"
Hello… I seem to have the same profile pic as you.
I beg to differ…look again.
I didn't mean exactly the same picture… it's just pretty similar.
For a minute there I thought you were having a conversation with yourself.
Uh oh jim you didn't follow the rules about naming the moniters!!
it has to be Complex name of emotion, Complex noun eg. Guilty Spark or Penitent tangent.
No, I deliberately avoided that rule here. Rulebook is a special case.
Rulebook is a Special Boy…or Girl
Do AI even have genders?
Sort of, in the sense that all UNSC AIs are based on a real human mind.
They call Cortana a "she"...
In order: The Fall of Reach, The Flood, First Strike, Ghosts of Onyx, Contact Harvest, and The Cole Protocol.
Which reminds me, I need to buy that on Amazon.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the cronological order:
Contact Harvest, Cole Protocol, FoR, Flood, First Strike, then GoO?
Trying to decide if I should get and read Contact Harvest before I read The Cole Protocol..
Yes, that is the cronological order is Contact Harvest, Cole Protocol, FoR, Flood, First Strike, then GoO. however, Contact Harvest is following Srg. Johnson. Cole protocol follows Gray squad, (special Spartans). FoR, Flood, First Strike follows Master Chief, and GoO follows green team (Linda, Kelly Curt)
Actually, Cole Protocol also follows
potential spoiler?
Jacob Keyes, and an Elite that is rumored to be the Arbiter.
end potential spoiler?
Yes, I believe so.
I have trouble keeping track of all these names. I don't think I actually knew them in the first pace…
Poor Textbook, although it seems he is trying to upload himself to a different shell, if you will.
I thought he was Rulebook?
I was talking about my math textbook, thank you very much.
I'd say, "Nice save," but I was taught to never tell a lie.
Was that taught by the same person who said 'a watched pot will never boil?'
My my, Ferial is getting a little testy, isn't he?
Well, there are a couple of things that Ferial doesn't have under control, and you can tell that it drives him nuts.
So, if you were to trap Ferial and do the "not touching youuuu" thing, would he go berserk? Because it's not only annoying but it's also not under his control…
No, I would think he would be able to keep calm in that situation.
It's when his long standing plans get delayed, that he gets impacient.
Is Mr Blue Text another AI? He has been sounding a bit mad with all the jokes…
Blue text is the other AI from the last two comics. He's/She's a UNSC AI of unknown name.
ah cool. thanks
first! This is a pretty cool series.
Seond!
More like 40th. All the comments have disappeared – again. I've emailed the IntenseDebate guys about it.
I still see them all…
That's because Austin of IntenseDebate took care of it as soon as I emailed him.
Of course, that was supposed to have a C in it.
I don't know how to log in to post, so this is a test. Don't mind me.
This doesn't look good.
Ferial conversing with the UNSC AI.
I wonder whether he'll convert him to his side, convince the AI to turn on [his/her/it's] masters or even go rampant altogether.
Similarly he could use it to ge into the UNSC and track reclaimer even though they believe they lost him. Y'know like tweak the scanning settings for huge power readoffs, slipspace jumps etc.
Oh, Ferial already has an idea of where the Reclaimer is and what he's up to. He doesn't need to infiltrate the UNSC to accomplish that.
I see….Blown that theory right out of the water. Still 3 theorys left. I'm hoping one'll be right
What happend to not commenting on theories?
I'll make comments when they won't give any plot points away.
Mostly when it'll make us tear our hair out trying to figure out what happens next. ;D
Jim doesn't have to follow rules
I have never heard of UNSC AI going rampant, i guess its possible. The way Jim wrote this I get the feeling that this UNSC is ticked with Ferial and thinks it can deal with him.
It's happened several times, hence the 7-year limitation on any UNSC AI. A couple of examples, in Contact Harvest, Sif goes rampant in her last moments, and in The Cole Protocol Juliana is an AI that is already well past her 7-year limit and is in the first stages of Rampancy. So, yes, it happens rather frequently.
Also, in… I think Fall out Reach or Last Strike (I think that's the name?) Dr. Halsey is talking to Cortana, and the subject of rampancy comes up. And Jim, don't say anything else about The Cole Protocol. I just got it last night, so don't ruin it! I still have yet to find Contact Harvest anywhere..
If you want the names, they are fall of reach, first strike, the cole protocol, contact harvest and several others
It is also believed that during the level Cortana on the main Halo storyline, Cortana herself went rampant or at least a part of her. So this AI has been destroyed and had to repair itself before now and it loses data each time. So who has destroyed it before, and why does he lose information? Or is that a plot point for later? And it was mentioned above that Ferial knows this AI. Therefore he knows the location for Eternal Refuge thus he's not using RC and the calvacada to find it. Sooooo, the plot thickens even further!
it took me a while to decifer the images, but i like that finally ferial is seen as not being unstoppable
Is it just me or is UNSC pretending to be Rulebook to Ferial? Maybe that is his plot to attain information from him?
It's just you.
No, cuz then he'd just pull out a weapon and kill you dead.
note the word "Trap", Jim
I once heard, suprisingly, of something called an "ENERGY SHEILD"
Imp blast
good reference.
omg, he haz recon!!! I always 4got 2 comment, my ever. Ever since this started, it had a lot of changes and even my mum who cood guess the ending 2 the matrix had a try at this but she got bored. i cant wait 2 c ferial get owned, te main reason i got so intrigued was because a bad guy like him shood be absolutely vaporized just before every thing goes 2 s***. So hope that happens, and if he doesnt die, well then the nearest cliff here i come!!!!!
Havn't yet signed up, just trying this out. Now, are we seeing something like a repeat of Mendicant Bias? We know Ferial is connected to the Flood, be it as creator, ally, or another relationship, and we also know that he is extremely persuasive, through force and words. And then there is Rulebook. If he is an exception from the naming rule, that would imply that he has some superiority, even more so as he is guarding the supposedly most powerful of the Cavalcade. I might be barking up the wrong tree, but I just happened to notice the simialrity and thought I'd mention it.
Rulebook is protecting Eternal Refuge, not another Cavalcada, just to be clear.
Does Bayne have a point though? Did you deliberately change the name from the rule to be different or because Rulebook is somehow superior? And what is this rule? I've never heard that AI's have to be named that way… Oh and who named the Calvacada? Did they name themselves? And now I'm receiving a "You're session has expired" comment every time I try to post a second reply. Is my computer or my profile just retarded or is this another bug?
Honestly, my main reason was because I thought 'Rulebook' sounded really cool as a Monitor's name, but it also works out that Rulebook is special and so I can get away with breaking from tradition.
And Ghosts of Onyx
Mmmm Trangia-prepared-boil-in-a-bag-food….not.
Although sitting out on the moors after a long day of hiking in the worst weather imaginable you'll eat anything. Except pot noodle, I refused that.
I don't think that would count to prove the saying
Or "Cheaters never win?"
Mind you, having watched a pot of water simmering in a Trangia pan for 25 minutes solid on a freezing October morning last year… I'm not so inclined to disbelieve that.
Trust me, when it happens to you you'll never forget it.
Yes, First Strike.
Actually, it was in The Bible.
Actually, it was in The Bible.
Edit: the old code doesn't seem to work.
Thank you.
It does look pretty funny.
Yeah, IDC doesn't support Textile.