choice of bodyguard

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-05 10:44am

Ghost Rider wrote: The OP states it is loyal to you and only you as much as Chewie was to Han. Thus literally while not a pet, he's not going to overtly screw you.

Ah drats, I missed that part. Point conceded then.

harbringer · Post by **harbringer** » 2004-05-07 08:31am

A) Durham Red

B) Probably Durham Red (she is just hot).

Pretty sure there was a book out for her... but most remembered as a 2000AD character, so in case thats invalid.

A) Max from Dark Angel.

B) Either a hive mind (say all the tyranids or xenomorphs

) or an Osiran from Doctor Who.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-05-07 02:28pm

40k

asppect of the laughing god.....

that's gonna be messy
the whole face looks like your darkest fears....
hell even the vong are gona be shitting themselves.

Laird · Post by **Laird** » 2004-05-07 07:56pm

Grey Knights spacemarine from Warhammer40k.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2004-05-07 10:09pm

Metrion Cascade wrote:
XaLEv wrote:
Metrion Cascade wrote: That's fucking sick. How? How the hell does it carry that kind of firepower?
It doesn't have the raw power to destroy an ISD in a "traditional" fight; it would do so through more unconventional means. Subverting the crew or the ships systems via effector, displacing something nasty into a vital area or firing down into it from hyperspace, things like that.
Oh. Pretty straightforward tactics, still. I like it. I've been developing this little sci-fi universe of my own for some time, and the more powerful races can hyperspace bombs into your engine room. Though for the most part they just use brute force - they define a capital ship as anything with a certain set of strength indices for space warfare (a set that can't be met without the firepower to explode a planet of a certain size, and a certain speed and shield strength).

Did someone meantion that Culture Drones vary in size from suitcase-sized for the older models to fist sized for the newer ones?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

willburns84 · Post by **willburns84** » 2004-05-09 11:50pm

Kitsune wrote:For the first situation, I think I would chose a gay major from the Mercenary company "Hammers Slammers" named Major Stuben.

For the second, is Dahak from "Fourth Imperius" considered mortal? He can be killed, thoretically. Probably not, maybe Alicia DeVrees assuming Megeria comes along.

Does that mean that if you're male, that Stuben is in love with you?

willburns84 · Post by **willburns84** » 2004-05-09 11:55pm

willburns84 wrote:
Kitsune wrote:For the first situation, I think I would chose a gay major from the Mercenary company "Hammers Slammers" named Major Stuben.

For the second, is Dahak from "Fourth Imperius" considered mortal? He can be killed, thoretically. Probably not, maybe Alicia DeVrees assuming Megeria comes along.

Does that mean that if you're male, that Stuben is in love with you?

I only raise the point b/c of his relationship with Colonel Alois Hammer.

willburns84 · Post by **willburns84** » 2004-05-09 11:56pm

1st) Honor Harrington - she has the character shield of the Gods...

2nd) Ahriman, Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer (?spelling?).
He's not silly broken like the Culture when placed in the SW universe, although he'd certainly make Palpatine shit his pants. I don't think Ahriman is immortal...

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-05-10 12:08am

willburns84 wrote:
Kitsune wrote:For the first situation, I think I would chose a gay major from the Mercenary company "Hammers Slammers" named Major Stuben.

For the second, is Dahak from "Fourth Imperius" considered mortal? He can be killed, thoretically. Probably not, maybe Alicia DeVrees assuming Megeria comes along.

Does that mean that if you're male, that Stuben is in love with you?

actually Stuben is hypersexual/metrosexual. He will fuck anything so long as he's on top, and is sociopathic enough to fucksomeone and then kill them in bed. or the infamous, "if I take off my hat kill everyone in the room: 0rder executed in "The Sharp End" and "counting the Cost"

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-05-10 12:14am

willburns84 wrote:
willburns84 wrote:
Kitsune wrote:For the first situation, I think I would chose a gay major from the Mercenary company "Hammers Slammers" named Major Stuben.

For the second, is Dahak from "Fourth Imperius" considered mortal? He can be killed, thoretically. Probably not, maybe Alicia DeVrees assuming Megeria comes along.

Does that mean that if you're male, that Stuben is in love with you?
I only raise the point b/c of his relationship with Colonel Alois Hammer.

No!

basically, Hammer likes women, and knows how to control people working for him, and maintain their loyalty. Stuebens tends to kill the ones he sleeps with, and hammer has pointably told steubens he WILL put him down like a rabid dog. The fact that Hammer has spared jaquim's life more then once, basically the reason Jaquim is loyal is Hammer owns his balls and then some.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-05-10 12:22am

Blind Samurai with a KZin molecular blade.

Metrion Cascade · Post by **Metrion Cascade** » 2004-05-10 11:35pm

fgalkin wrote:
Metrion Cascade wrote:
XaLEv wrote: It doesn't have the raw power to destroy an ISD in a "traditional" fight; it would do so through more unconventional means. Subverting the crew or the ships systems via effector, displacing something nasty into a vital area or firing down into it from hyperspace, things like that.
Oh. Pretty straightforward tactics, still. I like it. I've been developing this little sci-fi universe of my own for some time, and the more powerful races can hyperspace bombs into your engine room. Though for the most part they just use brute force - they define a capital ship as anything with a certain set of strength indices for space warfare (a set that can't be met without the firepower to explode a planet of a certain size, and a certain speed and shield strength).
Did someone meantion that Culture Drones vary in size from suitcase-sized for the older models to fist sized for the newer ones?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

What's the first book I should read about the Culture? And how do these damned things work? Is it just wanktech?

XaLEv · Post by **XaLEv** » 2004-05-10 11:45pm

The Player of Games would probably be a good start.

As for how they work, you'll have to be more specific than that.

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-11 07:01am

Actually, PoG will introduce you to escort drones, which are far less impressive than some other Culture ( or even Elencher ) machines... but still worthy bodyguards ( and that, ladies and gentlemen, is an understatement

).

Metrion Cascade · Post by **Metrion Cascade** » 2004-05-14 02:19am

XaLEv wrote:The Player of Games would probably be a good start.

As for how they work, you'll have to be more specific than that.

How are they powered, how do they move, are they sentient, what kind of weapons do they have, etc.

Novels have been boring me lately, but I'll look into the book. Thanks.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2004-05-14 02:24am

Use of Weapons is a much better place to start, IMO. It has Skaffen-Amtiskaw.

If you want to learn about the Culture, that sticky on top of this forum should help.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-14 06:56am

Metrion Cascade wrote:How are they powered,

Probably Grid-tap ( think of some kind of ZPE ) with AM backup unit.

how do they move,

AG for ground travel, with force fields as repellors where AG doesn't work, and probably some kind of thrusters. Later models are easily capable of supersonic flight within the corridors of a starship ( which speaks of their manoeuvrability ).
Plus warp unit for space travel ( it is unknown if all classes have them, escort drones perhaps not but for assault it's sure ), perhaps a few dozen lights at least.

are they sentient,

Most of them are. And they are among the most charismatic characters in the novels ( Skaffen-Amtiskaw being the most charismatic IMHO ).
Shipminds and Hubminds do have 'slaved' drones ( ie remotes ).

what kind of weapons do they have

CREWS ( Coherent Radiation Emission Weaponry System, some kind of FEL - it can shift between a vast array of frequencies but is mostly used in X-ray mode, power in the GW range at least considering the 7 GW assault laser designed for humans in UoW ), effectors ( advanced sensor, hacks into biological and artificial systems, can suck/blow energy out of/in a target without an apparent medium ), nanomissiles ( 1 mm-long AM warhead, capable of levelling a house in the assassin-version, military-grade perhaps in the KT-range ).
Some drones are known to have Displacers ( aka 'remote hyperespace singularity', some kind of shield-ignoring transporter ), though no Culture escort drone has ever displayed this ability.
Plus a wide array of micromissiles ( remotes equipped with a small laser and some level of AI, the size of a small fly ), scout-missiles ( ? micromissiles with less weaponry and more sensor ) , knife-missiles ( basic model is a 'powered flesh-slicer', essentially lightsaber on steroids - it uses cutting fields for armoured targets, and there is indication that it uses its edge for 'soft' targets -, more advanced models have entirely autonomous .7 AI, warp, guns... ).
To this, you can add various 'force fields' that can be used as shields, manipulators, etc.
The heavier models might carry more powerful weaponry like plasma cannons ( some kind of particle beams ), or advanced projectile weapons, but this is only speculation.

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-14 07:53am

The Nomad wrote:To this, you can add various 'force fields' that can be used as shields, manipulators, etc.

This includes impact-shields, mirror fields, and 'blackbody mode' which is some kind of undetermined stealth/cloaking system ( apparently crude enough to equip the Culture's equivalent of 3PO ).
Military-grade drones rely a lot on sensor jamming, and have some kind of exotic passive-stealth ( ? ) system that can fool starship sensors to a degree.

And there are of course aura fields, which is in fact coloring the drone's field to create some sort of body language. See : http://stp.ling.uu.se/~zrajm/nerd/drone_colours.html

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-14 07:57am

Drats, forgot this : they can combine force fields and 3D projection to create holodeck-style holograms ( IIRC they're called soligrams ). They can thusly mimic all sorts of beings or objects.
The exact level of faithfulness as well as the duration of soligrams is unknown.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2004-05-14 08:00am

T-X from T3.

She's the closest thing to Guri from Shadows of the Empire that I've seen and if she was good enough to be Prince Xizor's bodyguard, she's good enough for me. Besides, she's hot.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-05-14 08:23am

You guys know I'm going to pick the Masterchief. So...

A. Masterchief

B. T-1000.

there's something about having a buddy made of a mimetic poly-alloy that gives me a boner. HEY T-100! FORM OF---MILA JOJOVICH! NOW! PROTECT ME!

The Nomad · Post by **The Nomad** » 2004-05-14 10:50am

The Nomad wrote:there is indication that it uses its edge for 'soft' targets

In fact, apparently not

. Just remembered the comments about the UoW slaughter scene...

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-05-14 11:01am

I'd either have to pick the Master Chief or Squall Leonhart from FFVIII with a Lionheart gunblade.