OOC: 7. Disposing of VIREN and the Drive System.

OK, given that the discussion on VIREN is heading for the toilet at an ever increasing speed, it looks like VIREN will be disposed of. So, is there an Explorer's office on Zironis? Will they buy these things, or do they expect this stuff to be donations? If they try to low-ball us, are there other avenues to sell off VIREN? Whatever we do, the resolution will have to take place on Zironis, as I don't think we'll be able to keep VIREN on-board given the reactions we have seen thus far. So, if we do get rid of the AI, what options do we have for selling?

(I know the discussion of what to do with VIREN will be done in-character. I am trying to discover what options we actually have available to us.)

Likewise, we can't directly use the Drive Core. It is made for a frigate and we are a cruiser. So, unless we are carrying it along to help VIREN, we have no use for it. How do we get rid of it? Can we strip it for parts and get a stack of those "pretech parts" thingies used for mods and such? How many of those will we get? Can we sell it to the Explorers, or is this expected to be a donation? Are there private buyers we can sell it to?

Again, we're gonna have to figure out what our options are to dispose of our recovered artifacts. Hopefully we get paid well. Good luck to us when VIREN gets activated and wants revenge for selling them and their drive to separate buyers, thereby completely ruining their mission ...

Okay. The Drive is actually easy. You receive 300,000 credits for it from the Zyronis Imperial shipyards or the Explorers, if you don't wanna keep it for a future Frigate.

The AI, on the other hand, actually has rights, like an independent organization, so they cannot be sold.

They can be silently disposed off/destroyed (although technically illegal there are a lot of people who would support that...)

They can also be let loose with a simple bot or given to anybody else, including Mariella, Verdura's Wardens or the Explorers. None of them will refuse a level 4 True AI.

I will post Mariella's reaction tomorrow.

That's the info I needed. Thanks!

Hank now has his "I lost" plan. Depending on Mariella's reaction, he might be able to get it done.

I'd love to keep it, but we're probably gonna need the money, and any plans for future ships is way in the future.

As an aside, which can be handled in main thread or a side thread, Hank won't let Mariella just take VIREN to the Explorers. Instead, what he plans on doing, with Mariella's help if she wants to, is the following:
- Hook up VIREN to the holoprojector. He will explain the situation and what they are going to do. He will also do this OFF-ship if necessary, as he doesn't want to further panic the objectors.
- He will ask VIREN what type of body they would like to use, within reason, of course. This way they can have a body they would be more comfortable with. Of course, there is a price limit, and other limits.
- He will then figure out how to procure said body and ensure VIREN gets installed in that body.
- He will then apologize that things didn't work out, but that they should be in much better hands with the Explorers anyway, then wish them the best.

If Hank gets the chance for a conversation with them, great. If not, so be it.

EDIT: One thing he does want to ask about is the nanite infection he and Mercer have.

Actually, that is an amusing thought. Some are freaking out about the AI we found, but no one is even concerned in the least about the infection Mercer and Hank have. Honestly, they should likely at least as concerned about the infection than the AI ...

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Nanites are even harder to understand and do something about.

Douklan is VERY freaked out about this, but it's almost unimaginable to him, as nanotechnology is much more of a fairy tale than the dangers of unfettered AI. So he's focusing on the thing that he can comprehend, and saving his anxiety about the possibility of his shipmates (or he himself) getting colonized by nanometer (or smaller) assemblers and rebuilt into something else, whether it be a hideous abomination like the ape things we fought or something much more alien and unrecognizable, for his nightmares. After all, what can they do? They've all been exposed now. Think about it too long, and the conservative option is to self-immolate to be sure.