 Why does Ares hunt bugs?, What's in it for them? |
  |
 Mar 15 2007, 03:24 AM
Post
#1
|
|
|
Running Target  Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737  |
Pretty much what the title says; I'm just wondering why is it, in a world where everybody-and-their-sister is looking out for #1 and doesn't seem to care what happens to the rest of the world, why does it seem like Ares is being somewhat altruistic, doing a public service as it were, in hunting down insect spirits?
Are they getting bounties, public acclaim/relations, or is it one of those rare cases in the Sixth World where someone is actually doing something for the public good? (I was just reading the fluff page at the beginning of Street Magic and thought about the resources that were being expended for no apparent return, monetary or otherwise) |
 |
 
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 03:34 AM
Post
#2
|
|
|
Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
They don't kill all of the bugs they come across, ony the onces that they can't draft into service. Ares actually has some bugs working for them and I do suppost that there are some advantages to that. However, there seems to be two main reasons. Damian Knight has some personal interest in the Invae and their extermination. The Bug Hunt is his vendetta above all. Second, Armageddon ain't good for business.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 04:05 AM
Post
#3
|
|
|
Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
yeah, check out Betrayal, in Threats 2, for more on the profit angle. (experiment with bugs, ???, profit!)
there are other advantages. it's relatively risk-free combat training and testing: you get to try new tricks and toys in real combat, and if they fail, your enemies don't get to pick over the leftovers. it's good advertisement--all real Americans buy Ares-brand products, because Ares supports America! those are just cost reducers, though--minimize the losses taken. the real profit is, like hyzmarca said, having bugs to experiment on and turn into bioweapons. |
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 04:07 AM
Post
#4
|
|||
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
With the bugs that are working for Ares, I'm assuming that you're referring to the ones that Hard Corps has summoned, as detailed in Threats 2. Secondly, not that I mind, but what's Knight's beef with the bugs? What did they do to him that he's expending more resources that most countries have available to deal with them, even to the point of sending highly trained magicians to hunt them back to their home metaplanes? And thirdly, I wish that more corps/organizations would take that same view of Armageddon--as was being commented over on one of the Horrors threads, most people/dragons/etc are doing the ostrich approach when it comes to those sorts of things. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 15 2007, 04:29 AM
Post
#5
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 238 Joined: 24-January 07 Member No.: 10,756 |
Yeah.... Ares may be taking more of the "Faust" approach. Not that the ostrich approach is good, but just because a Corp does something that is apparently good on the surface does not mean they aren't using that good to hide the hideous risks they're taking on the side.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 04:30 AM
Post
#6
|
|
|
Creating a god with his own hands Group: Members Posts: 1,405 Joined: 30-September 02 From: 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 Member No.: 3,364 |
Because bug-converted humans don't buy ares products, and neither do dead people.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 04:44 AM
Post
#7
|
|
|
Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,174 Joined: 13-May 04 From: UCAS Member No.: 6,327 |
What Fix-it said. And what others have said, they get good publicity being a corporation that is actually fighting the good fight against an inhuman spirit threat. Their expertise will help drum up more contracts (such as stealing away from Lonestar security contracts) and for military related contracts with the government. That they can do something about it will appeal to the public.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 05:19 AM
Post
#8
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 328 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,353 |
Actually I'll be more surprised that they were doing apparently good things just for the goodness of it. As for Ares's advantage, they get major PR and a card to play in negotiations with the government (look what we did for you and in order for us to help more....). In fact, I used similar reasoning in my reworking of Shadaowrun history as a explanation for megacorporate power in general. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 15 2007, 02:07 PM
Post
#9
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 366 Joined: 9-August 06 From: Holiday Florida Member No.: 9,055 |
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146 |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 15 2007, 07:39 PM
Post
#10
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 238 Joined: 24-January 07 Member No.: 10,756 |
Also the intro to Baldur's Gate.
Which is obviously much more important. |
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 07:44 PM
Post
#11
|
|||
|
Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
They do if they're Good Merges. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 15 2007, 07:52 PM
Post
#12
|
|
|
Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
I can tell you from personal experience that even partial merges make extensive use of Ares products.
~J |
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 08:15 PM
Post
#13
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 366 Joined: 9-August 06 From: Holiday Florida Member No.: 9,055 |
The sick part is I agree with you! |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 15 2007, 08:41 PM
Post
#14
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 909 Joined: 26-August 05 From: Louisville, KY (Well, Memphis, IN technically but you won't know where that is.) Member No.: 7,626 |
Corps are known for 2 things: greed and abuses of power by the executives. Any number of personal reasons could lead DK to unleash the Ares assault squads on the bugs: insect phobia, personal loss, a general hatred of spirits, vaguely patriotic notions or a simply pro-human agenda.
Various things can justify the means but all that matters is DK wants bugs dead. Crap, for all we know, he's the one freakin' male mantis on the planet. |
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 09:17 PM
Post
#15
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 546 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Manchester, England Member No.: 1,062 |
Well, at least someone is fighting them, it would certainly suck if no one was.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 15 2007, 09:51 PM
Post
#16
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
You forgot "It's good PR, a local problem, and maybe this will finally get the Chicago city government to allow firearms, or at least buy us a long term Knight Errant contract."
Meanwhile, in lab C-8... termite doberman test subject 5 just displayed remarkable progress in recognizing the difference between an employee and a shadowrunner. Unfortunately, the termite bulldog in C-12 is far too pre-occupied with the mahogany desk in the observation room to listen to instruction. |
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 12:05 AM
Post
#17
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 546 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Manchester, England Member No.: 1,062 |
This thread compelled me to through read UB again, and really it suggests that it should probably be Aztechnology that should be fighting the bugs rather than anyone else. Not only does it suggest they know a lot of answers as to who what where and why the bugs are, but almost as importantly - they really could do with the PR.
So, the only thing I can really come up with for Ares' reasoning is that it's something to do with the agenda of 'The Unseen', Spider Shamans perchance? |
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 12:30 AM
Post
#18
|
|||
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 548 Joined: 21-December 06 Member No.: 10,416 |
The Azzies would probably fight the bugs only to keep them from wiping out humanity before the Horrors return. There is a lot in canon that infers that the Aztec gods actually are the Horrors and that the Azzies have been trying to contact them and bring them back all the sooner. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 16 2007, 04:43 AM
Post
#19
|
|
|
Free Spirit Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,944 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Bloomington, IN UCAS Member No.: 1,920 |
It's been a while since I read Bug City and Burning Bright (I think that was the novel about the Chicago containment zone going up), but didn't Ares get the original contract to deal with the problem from the UCAS government because the UCAS military was not in a position to do anything about the outbreak? I thought that scenario got Ares involved with insect spirits, then Ares decided to experiment and mine the situation for PR as has been stated.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 05:11 AM
Post
#20
|
|
|
Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,174 Joined: 13-May 04 From: UCAS Member No.: 6,327 |
Correct, Burning Bright is the novel that deals with Chicago and the bugs.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 05:35 AM
Post
#21
|
|
|
Target Group: Members Posts: 16 Joined: 2-August 05 Member No.: 7,530 |
I always thought that Dunkelzahn had something to do with it.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 06:29 AM
Post
#22
|
|
|
Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
IIRK, Dunk was the one that tipped Knight off to the bug problem in the first place. Not a bad idea on Dunkelberries part really. Get a AAA out there hunting bugs. They caused a huge problem last time around. Fore warned is fore armed.
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 10:28 AM
Post
#23
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 141 Joined: 12-August 05 From: Helsinki Member No.: 7,552 |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 16 2007, 11:50 AM
Post
#24
|
|||
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
That Knight has a decoy mage who can easily trash force 8 true form bug spirits, and seems to enjoy doing so. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Mar 16 2007, 03:05 PM
Post
#25
|
|
|
Cybernetic Blood Mage Group: Members Posts: 3,472 Joined: 11-March 06 From: Northeastern Wyoming Member No.: 8,361 |
Well personally I always figured that it meant Ares was training mages outside of the Manasphere somewhere in deep space.
And then we find out about Eden Station, so it makes me wonder what else they have out there... |
|
|
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 29th April 2024 - 12:25 PM |
Topps, Inc has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Shadowrun. Topps, Inc has granted permission to the Dumpshock Forums to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with the Dumpshock Forums in any official capacity whatsoever.