History Fridge / SchlockMercenary

* In a recent arc, the company had been split up into four commands. "Mallcop Command", under Captain Tagon, had to deal with a group of punks practicing Parkata Urbatsu, a martial art that evolved from "[[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20100307.html the ancient disciplines of Parkour, urbobatics and something called Youtubing]]". The description seems like a throwaway joke until it's revealed that both the punks and Lieutenant Shodan, who was training the troops in Parkata Urbatsu, had set up cameras to capture their stunts, which they planned on editing and making public. The cameras are an integral part of Parkata Urbatsu too!

* Invoked in-universe during the "Broken Wind" arc. The team realizes that the Eina-Afa station would have taken the raw materials of ''several'' solar systems to create. The sheer scale of engineering and resource harvesting required boggles everyone's mind. And the realization that there is or was someone out there with the technological capability to grind entire star systems down into basic elements and re-process them like this - and the wherewithal to actually ''do it'' - fills them with cosmic dread. One team member equates it to finding a spent shotgun shell the size of a house; somewhere there's a gun out there ''that big,'' and someone has fired it at least once.

* Invoked in-universe during the "Broken Wind" arc. The team realizes that the Eina-Afa station would have taken the raw materials of ''several'' solar systems to create. The sheer scale of engineering and resource harvesting required boggles everyone's mind. And the realization that there is or was someone out there with the technological capability to grind entire star systems down into basic elements and re-process them like this fills them with cosmic dread. One team member equates it to finding a spent shotgun shell the size of a house; somewhere there's a gun out there ''that big,'' and someone has fired it at least once.

* Invoked in-universe during the "Broken Wind" arc. The team realizes that the Eina-Afa station would have taken the raw materials of ''several'' solar systems to create. The sheer scale of engineering and resource harvesting required boggles everyone's mind. And the realization that there is or was someone out there capable of doing it fills them with cosmic dread. One team member equates it to finding a spent shotgun shell the size of a house; somewhere there's a gun out there ''that big,'' and someone who knows how to fire it.

* Osiri is thought to be a device capable of [[spoiler:holding a Pa'anuri]]. Later on, it's discovered to be capable of [[spoiler:creating them]]. So it begs the question: Is this a bug or a feature?

* In one side-arc, the toughs stumble upon a group of AIs (called 'Squiddies' by the [[FanNickname fans]]) Who had succeeded in cleansing themselves of their 'Meat Infestation' some 15,000 years ago. Said AIs also proved incredibly stupid for a space-faring race, overlooking small but important details that can spell disaster especially for a sublight inter-stellar voyage. One wonders how such AIs could have achieved spaceflight or even Sapience in the first place. However, the HV scale is a measure of processing power, not ingenuity. Whether they be more or less clever than any meatspace sophont, a high HV intelligence can reach their conclusions and get started on new ones that much ''faster.''
** Not to mention, what kind of race would program and use AIs that were capable of being so idiotic? The exact same kind of race that would create independent AIs without safeguards against harming their creators.

-->'''Petey:''' In 10 Minutes, [the frigate] will be overhead, at which point it will destroy this building and [[ExactWords any who remain inside.]]
-->'''Petey:''' ... [My robots] and I will share your fate.
-->'''Qlaviql Captain:''' You murdered our government to install '''me''' in its place?
-->'''Petey:''' Let's say "[[SarcasticConfession removed from office]]". It has a less criminal ring to it.
* In one side-arc of ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' the toughs stumble upon a group of AIs (called 'Squiddies' by the [[FanNickname fans]]) Who had succeeded in cleansing themselves of their 'Meat Infestation' some 15,000 years ago. Said AIs also proved incredibly stupid for a space-faring race, overlooking small but important details that can spell disaster especially for a sublight inter-stellar voyage. One wonders how such AIs could have achieved spaceflight or even Sapience in the first place, until you realize that a computer is only as smart as the person who programs it and the 'meat' the squiddies later dealt with were the kind that would program AIs [[AIIsACrapshoot without any safeguards...]] -Les
** The fact that the HV scale of intelligence goes above 1 (human equivalent) disproves the notion that a computer in the Schlock universe can only be as clever as the programmer. The circumstances leading up to their spaceflight were not shown, but you might look at the origins of the Golgafrincham B-Ark in ''Literature/TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse'' for a related use of the RuleOfFunny.
*** The HV scale is a measure of processing power, not ingenuity. Whether they be more or less clever than any meatspace sophont, a high HV intelligence can reach their conclusions and get started on new ones that much ''faster.''

*** The HV scale is a measure of processing power, not ingenuity. Whether they be more or less clever than any meatspace sophont, a high HV intelligence can reach their conclusions and get started on new ones that much **faster.**

** The fact that the HV scale of intelligence goes above 1 (human equivalent) disproves the notion that a computer in the Schlock universe can only be as clever as the programmer. The circumstances leading up to their spaceflight were not shown, but you might look at the origins of the Golgafrincham B-Ark in TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse for a related use of the RuleOfFunny.

* [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2005-06-12 this strip] is foreshadowing the future [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2013-01-13 complete loss] of [[spoiler:the toughs' own ship]].

** Also - the costumes worn by Kathryn and her Parkata Urbatsu allies in that episode make them honest-to-Petey [[http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/ mall ninjas.]] I forget how long it took me to get that one. - Alberich

** [=LOTA=] is the [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-06-12 Longshoreman Of The Apocalypse]]; all [=LOTA=] wants to do is transport resources to [=LOTA=]'s creators as efficiently as possible - even if that means transporting all twenty-two billion of [=LOTA=]'s population to a terraformed paradise where they have no more need for [=LOTA=]'s services. [=LOTA=] then retrofits the former habitat as the biggest friggin' gun in the universe, thus returning to [=LOTA=]'s original function - a tank. Now [=LOTA=]'s name stands for the [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-12-20 LongGUNNER Of The Apocalypse.]]

* The Toughs wear uniforms that are color-coded by rank. Why don't they (like UNS Marines) all wear the same color uniform? Well, if you shoot the colonel in charge of a company of marines, you've demoralized the company, his exec has to step into command (assuming he HAS a clear exec - Captain Kerchak wasn't a shoe-in for Colonel Jaksmouth's replacement), loss of cohesion, etc. If you shoot a mercenary officer, you've just killed the only person able to tell the sociopath grunts to STOP. Still doesn't explain why the 'enlisted' Rev wears Commander's colors, though.
** The Reverend doesn't wear Commander's colors: his uniform is a slightly different shade of blue, though it's hard to tell unless he and Kevyn or Elf are standing right next to each other. The Reverend wears the colors of a high-ranking NCO, appropriate for his rank of Master-Sergeant.
*** All of that's true for the old uniforms, but it seems that with the new uniforms, the Reverend and the Commander's wear the same color uniforms.
* Ventura loses a tooth in between getting captured and leading her hacked battleship and mechs into battle. Max used a tooth earlier to hack one of the mechs. This may be subtle foreshadowing that she used the same trick or worked for the same people. Alternatively it may be the poison tooth mentioned in the current arc.
** In the recent arc there is mentioned that she has a bomb in a tooth so that her superiors can remotely terminate her. Kevyn mentions that he would have built in an auto-kill feature on it being jammed. Ventura is still alive, but maybe she lost that tooth in the above sequence.

* Once you realize how the Fleetmind chooses to spent its vast reserves of power, it sinks in that [[spoiler:it's casting away lives it could have saved whenever it displays its Teraport-busting powers]].
** I was under the impression that the current arc was at a critical stage in the Andromeda war and nearly all of Petey's resources are tied up at the moment. I know it's been a while (okay, more than a year) since [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20090303.html this comic]] but still.
*** Pretty much, yes. Not being able to throw energy at his problems until they were solved was a novelty to Petey, meaning there was no opportunity cost before that point.
* The teraport, and I am not talking about the tear apart thing since that is discussed in the comic itself. I am talking about how the early version at least powers itself. It is supposed to take random molecules from the thing it is transporting and converting it to energy. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-07-16 Think about that for a minute. This is horrifying even before we learn about all the micro and nano stuff that could be disrupted by this. A more general fear could be serious material degradation of the hull or the anniplants after several ports. Scary, right. Now look at the last panel of the comic linked to. This one implies that the random sampling of molecules chose full items. Let that sink in as you remember that the ship is missing 1800kg of mass, and that the sampling of mass was uncontrolled, and the something in the last panel could easily be exchanged for someone.
** And then to make it worse, in [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-08-07 this comic]] part of the mass converted is suggested to be in a characters memory centre.
*** I just thought that he was distracted by the 'port.
** It's implied later that ship-based teraports use the annie-plants for energy, like the rest of the ships' systems. It doesn't ''have'' to be random, Kevyn just thought that would be a better idea. Remember: MadScientist.
** Then again, when Breya was considering not forwarding the teraport data to Xinchub, but doing it anyway because she didn't want to sacrifice a whole ship "to be rid of the fat man", using the fat man's, uh, mass to power the 'port would save everyone a lot of grief in the future.
** She was giving the teraport data to him, and he was teraporting himself. Even if she was teraporting his ship using her power, she couldn't use his mass to power it.
* Way back in January 14 2005 Kevyn and Ennesby were using the VDA to test the teraport since it had changed after the core generator had activated (they didn't know that yet). They perform 3 million tests and Kevyn asks "Do I want to know what odds you beat when none of the torpedoes killed anyone?" Now, originally I just thought it was a throw away joke. Given the size of space, Ennesby could just run the test lightyears away from anybody. Then it hit me, to make the tests work, Ennesby had to perform the tests inside controlled space where there are systems to give the torpedoes exact position (like our GPS). When they where hiding out earlier, Ennesby mentions that he doesn't have access to such systems when outside inhabited space. That means he ran those tests INSIDE a populated solar system. 3 million tests.
** Even if it's limited to inhabited systems (not at all certain, the VDA nodes could ID their location by looking at stars, or similar) the odds of them hitting anything were ludicrously minimal. No matter how you define "solar system" ours is well over 99.9999999999999% empty space (Literally, no hyperbole). Out of the remaining fraction of a fraction of a percent, the vast majority (over 99% again) is the sun. In essence: Ennesby could've teraported a few quadrillion times without any measurable risk of hitting anything else.
* Osiri is thought to be a device capable of holding a Pa'anuri. Later on, it's discovered to be able of creating them. So it begs the question: Is this a bug or a feature?

* [[LateToThePunchline It took me a while to realize]] that the book titled "Emperor Pius Dei" wasn't just a reference to Petey being a virtual god. ''Its initials are "PD."'' It took me ''five years'' to realize that.
** Also, "Pius Dei" translates approximately to "dutiful god." It's a mission statement.

* [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-01-27 "Pray that there is a God, my little flock, because only a god can stop the entropic destruction of the universe."]] Only there ''is'' eventually a god, and he goes by the name "Petey"....
** The "big old black hole" gets [[ArcWords fairly important]] later on, too.

* Osiri is thought to be a device capable of holding a Pa'anuri. Later on, it's discovered to be able of creating them. So it begs the question: Is this a bug or a feature?
** Or its entire purpose?

* Osiri is thought to be a device capable of holding a Pa'anuri. Later on, it's discovered to be able of creating them. So it begs the question: Is this a bug or a feature?

** In the recent arc there is mentioned that she has a bomb in a tooth so that her superiors can remotely terminate her. Kevyn mentions that he would have built in an auto-kill feature on it being jammed. Ventura is still alive, but maybe she lost that tooth in the above sequence.

** Even if it's limited to inhabited systems (not at all certain, the VDA nodes could ID their location by looking at stars, or similar) the odds of them hitting anything were ludicrously minimal. No matter how you define "solar system" ours is well over 99.9999999999999% empty space (Literally, no hyperbole). Out of the remaining fraction of a fraction of a percent, the vast majority (over 99% again) is the sun. In essence: Ennesby could've teraported a few quadrillion times without any measurable risk of hitting anything else.

** Petey is a warship; all he wants to do is make war for the benefit of his creators as efficiently as possible - even if that means becoming a god in the process.[[hottip:*:And as his loyalty to the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-By-Any-Other-Name]] Ob'enn empire has been eliminated, scaling up his loyalty means his "creators" are in effect all baryonic life in the universe.]]

* Way back in January 14 2005 Kevyn and Ennesby were using the VDA to test the teraport since it had changed after the core generator had activated (they didn't know that yet). They perform 3 million tests and Kevyn asks "Do I want to know what odds you beat when none of the torpedoes killed anyone?" Now, originally I just thought it was a throw away joke. Given the size of space, Ennesby could just run the test lightyears away from anybody. Then it hit me, to make the tests work, Ennesby had to perform the tests inside controlled space where there are systems to give the torpedoes exact position (like our GPS). When they where hiding out earlier, Ennesby mentions that he doesn't have access to such systems when outside inhabited space. That means he ran those tests INSIDE a populated solar system. 3 million tests.

* Way back in January 14 2005 Kevyn and Ennesby were using the VDA to test the teraport since it had changed after the core generator had activated (they didn't know that yet). They perform 3 million tests and Kevyn asks "Do I want to know what odds you beat when none of the torpedoes killed anyone?" Now, originally I just thought it was a throw away joke, given the size of space, Ennesby could just run the test lightyears away from anybody. Then it hit me, to make the tests work, Ennesby had to perform the tests inside controlled space where there are systems to give the torpedoes exact position (like our GPS). When they where hiding out earlier, Ennesby mentions that he doesn't have access to such systems when outside inhabited space. That means he ran those tests INSIDE a populated solar system. 3 million tests.

* Way back in January 14 2005 Kevyn and Ennesby were using the VDA to test the teraport since it had changed after the core generator had activated (they didn't know that yet). They perform 3 million tests and Kevyn asks "Do I want to know what odds you beat when none of the torpedoes killed anyone?" Now, originally I just a through away joke, given the size of space, Ennesby could just run the test lightyears away from anybody. Then it hit me, to make the tests work, Ennesby had to perform the tests inside controlled space where there are systems to give the torpedoes exact position (like our GPS). When they where hiding out earlier, Ennesby mentions that he doesn't have access to such systems when outside inhabited space. That means he ran those tests INSIDE a populated solar system. 3 million tests.

** She was giving the teraport data to him, and he was teraporting himself. Even if she was teraporting his ship using her power, she couldn't use his mass to power it.