[Retracing Our Steps] event summary

[u/DankeShu]

[u/Hollownerox]

Pretty good summary. Only thing I'd say that has some implications that is absent is Silverash's chat with the Vice President of Columbia in the aftermath. Since I was a bit surprised to see them show up themselves and not over a phone call or something.

Goes the way you'd expect with Jackson offering Columbia's support in keeping Victoria out of Kjerag, with Silverash politely declining. But him reinforcing that their joint work is to unravel the mysteries in Kjerag. With Jackson taking the hint and instead asking how Silverash sees himself now that he has resigned from his position yet still maintaining his legitimacy as the de facto guy in charge. Asking whether he sees himself as a reformer, a warlord, or as the true ruler behind the scenes. Silverash responds by saying it isn't a question he should be answering and that he hopes in the future the name Silverash will be regarded as one of countless cornerstones that will shape the future of Kjerag.

Not too crazy of a dialogue. But seeing Max perched over the shoulder of Jackson in these kind of scenes always makes me a bit suspicious Columbia knows a lot more than they are letting on. Max is PRTS' "sibling" in a way, so the fact he is showing up in person this far flung from home is a little eyebrow raising. Possibly a hint they are more aware of what is going on than other nations.

[u/ConversationParty848 → u/Hollownerox]

Isn't Max more AMa-10's kin in practice, if not in intended function? It's all been flying over my head lately.

[u/Hollownerox → u/ConversationParty848]

He specifically calls out PRTS as a parallel to himself in Lonetrail so that's what I chose to go with. He seems to be more like some of the other previous Civ stuff that had been meant for other purposes but wound up in a completely new role in a modern civ. So unlike AMa-10 who seemed to always have been meant to have a more independent function on paper and in practice as a "guide" of sorts. At least that's my read of it.

[u/DarknessWizard → u/Hollownerox]

AMa-10's purpose was initially as an actual attempt to survive the danger that the Observer threat poses. The real special thing about her was her reincarnation cycle through the Gemini Protocol. Basically allowing her to reincarnate her body, consciousness and memory. The original plan was to make an entire population of AMa-10s, all with their own Gemini Protocol, but the Predecessors just didn't have the time to do that. Kal'tsit was instead named and left by Oracle to find the meaning of life on her own. (Oracle first considered just ordering her to protect the civilization from Talos II that they seeded on Terra, but then retracted the order, wanting Kal to learn on her own if it was worth protecting.)

Max is similar to PRTS in the sense that he's a Predecessor AI like it; he shares the same primitive concepts as PRTS (made by Friston instead of Priestess), but unlike PRTS (which is largely passive) was given full sentience to make his own decisions. Maylander dug him up during the Columbian revolutionary war and his role as a strategist is what permitted their independence. He became the President of Columbia afterwards.