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[Ozarck]

Of course, we need to be able to adapt. Homeless shelters, orphanages, and low-income health clinics are probably the ideal fronts for this operation. We just need to pay off the right people, really.

you really latched onto the orphan idea. Still thinking too narrowly. and we don't want to make some supposedly legitimate business that the government might possibly regulate and look into. I mean, in order to siphon off enough people, we'd need a pretty big network, probably. And we don't want to be hiring do-gooders, who might expose the fact that orphans regularly disappear mysteriously in our facilities.

On the other hand, this is a hugely overcrowded world, rife with crime and probably lacking in the compassion department. So orphanages might be much rarer than, say, street kids, like in Buenes Aires or Rio, I forget where. We're going to essentially need to become something like a little mafia, dipping our dirty little hands into a variety of fields or this to work on the scale intended.

Why Steve would send a small bunch of ignorant fools and thoughtless crooks to organize a job like this is beyond me. it has such potential to explode in his face, leaving the ARM looking the criminal scum it is.

Clearly you need to quickly create your own criminal empire parallel to the one(s) already existing so that you can pay them off.

[Kedly]

That's why we could all be collecting bodies from different sources as well.

[DoctorMcTaalik]

Of course, we need to be able to adapt. Homeless shelters, orphanages, and low-income health clinics are probably the ideal fronts for this operation. We just need to pay off the right people, really.

you really latched onto the orphan idea. Still thinking too narrowly. and we don't want to make some supposedly legitimate business that the government might possibly regulate and look into. I mean, in order to siphon off enough people, we'd need a pretty big network, probably. And we don't want to be hiring do-gooders, who might expose the fact that orphans regularly disappear mysteriously in our facilities.

On the other hand, this is a hugely overcrowded world, rife with crime and probably lacking in the compassion department. So orphanages might be much rarer than, say, street kids, like in Buenes Aires or Rio, I forget where. We're going to essentially need to become something like a little mafia, dipping our dirty little hands into a variety of fields or this to work on the scale intended.

Why Steve would send a small bunch of ignorant fools and thoughtless crooks to organize a job like this is beyond me. it has such potential to explode in his face, leaving the ARM looking the criminal scum it is.

Clearly you need to quickly create your own criminal empire parallel to the one(s) already existing so that you can pay them off.

In the scenario I was imagining, we would be operating out of existing, privately-run but poorly funded facilities. I imagine many orphanage owners would be willing to sacrifice a few children to improve the quality of life for the rest.

Anyway, I'm imagining we could apply similar tactics to our dealings with any number of organizations, especially if we implied mob-connections. I agree that the idea is flawed, though; the larger our web becomes, the more likely it is that individuals might betray us. I just don't see a likely way to secretly abduct 50,000 people without operating lots of fronts.

[Ozarck]

That's fair. I think it will depend on the time frame, too, though. Minimum, we'll probably need around 1000 people abducting 10 or so a year each for 5 years. This might be inaccurate, but it was a quick math exercise to get a starting feel or what we need. 100 people would need to take 500 each to make the 50k, for instance. So our network is gonna be larger than is comfortable, of course.

Sure, we can get larger batches at once in some circumstances. For instance, if there are wealthy areas and poor areas, and migration to wealthy areas, we could sell passage to the wealthy areas and just rake them in by the shipping crate load.

Plus, I think we might be erring on the side of sanity in terms of what the situation on the world is like. I think it might be more like a place full of refugees and Tokyo level overcrowding everywhere. At least. in which case, there are a lot more cracks for people to fall through, and targeting orphans, low level gangs, or blue collar workers would be a waste of time, simply because we'd be throwing so many other opportunities away. it'd be like fishing fleets which pull in Marlin, Shrimp, Crab, Tuna, sea Bass, and a few more kind of fish, and tossing everything but the shrimp.

I also think targeting blue collar workers would be a dangerous idea, because people with stable jobs might be more likely to be missed. Migrants and day laborers, yes, but anyone with a real job, not so much.

[Comrade P.]

Spoiler: I drew my character. Again. (click to show/hide)

[Parisbre56]

Just had a funny idea. What if you cloned people and left the clones behind (after making sure they look like the original and implanting some "red herring" memories in them)?
"What are you talking about? People are not missing. They're just suffering from unexplained amnesia. I bet they're being abducted... by aliens!"

[Xantalos]

Just had a funny idea. What if you cloned people and left the clones behind (after making sure they look like the original and implanting some "red herring" memories in them)?
"What are you talking about? People are not missing. They're just suffering from unexplained amnesia. I bet they're being abducted... by aliens!"

Oh man if only Xan were still his flesh shifter self.
Sooooo useful. For both sides.

[Empiricist]

Yes. All the yes.

[NJW2000]

Wish I'd been on that mission. Still, I guess I just have myself to blame, apart from that idiot Henk who trusted me.

[Empiricist]

Well on the bright side, if they ever find a way to separate you all, they could just use some of that candy to disappear an entire area's population.

Wait a minute, what if we did that to an entire ghostship?

[NJW2000]

Interesting idea, I guess. But I don't have the candy any more

And I bet that spoilsport Miyamoto won't let me use it as a weapon.

[Empiricist]

Would have been interesting. Especially if you had a sentient mass of synthflesh and a fuckton of people. See if it's murderous rage could be diluted.

[NJW2000]

Anyone ever made or thought about an official ER cocktail?

[Empiricist]

I recall that one idea had the drink held in an armored box of indeterminate thickness with the drinker having to guess the right implement to penetrate it without ruining their drink. It was called GM's Tears.

[Comrade P.]

I recall that one idea had the drink held in an armored box of indeterminate thickness with the drinker having to guess the right implement to penetrate it without ruining their drink. It was called GM's Tears.

That idea is a genuine treasure.