Radio audio, evening.

[firstsoldier]

[It's that guy again! He still sounds pleasant at least.]

I wish to make a suggestion that we find ways to make ourselves... visibly identifiable even when in monstrous forms, as members of the convoy and thus ideally not a marauding wild beast even if we are acting like one. Something beyond our often hidden sigils, that an unthinking creature is unlikely to imitate. What exactly, I am open to recommendations for. I suspect friend-or-foe ID chips might be beyond what this place is capable of.

[The rest sounds extremely reluctant.]

I don't have as much control of the ... thing ... I become as I would like, and though I am reasonably sure I can keep from doing serious intentional harm to allies, I can't guarantee my behavior might not match that of a feral creature and thus seem to be a viable target for hunting. Especially as it seems intent on establishing a ... pecking order, and aggressively.

... I suspect I'm not the only one who has such concerns. These changes are uncomfortably unpredictable.

Comments

Audio

[guidemyway]

I love this idea~!

I'm just throwing this out there, and people can disagree. But they'd be foolish if they did.

We should all get ~FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS!~

You can thank me later.

[firstsoldier]

[His tone changed just slightly, almost amused but surely not as he has no humor.]

Not a terrible idea, but what would you suggest to make them easily spotted from a bit of a distance? And are friendship bracelets not covered in charms? We'd have to make them.

[guidemyway]

So we have to be a little creative here. But we're on a big road trip, and I'm pretty sure there's got to be some good high vis jackets and stuff hanging around. We use the reflective bits of those to make the bracelets.

As for the charms. I'm happy to get a group arts and crafts session started up. Or we use bits and bobs that we find on the road.

[firstsoldier]

Let's see what you come up with then. I've got a bit of reflector strip that can be removed from the side of my truck, it's not much use.

audio

[qaw]

Not saying it's a bad idea—

[ In fact, he thinks it's a pretty good one! ]

—but we should make sure those people hunting us don't figure out what our signals mean and try to use them against us.

Re: audio

[firstsoldier]

I did not get the impression the cyborg creatures were actively thinking and planning so much as running on very old directives. If we were concerned of an intelligence mimicking us, then these radio transmissions alone would be a terrible risk.

[qaw]

These ones, sure. But the people that have been here the longest only showed up... what, four or five months ago? We have no idea what else might be out there. There could be smarter ones roaming around somewhere, or someone might be making new ones we haven't seen yet.

We can't plan for everything, but we should have something in mind if it does backfire.

[firstsoldier]

[The man on the other end of the radio sounds bemused.]

That is a level of alarmism that will be ultimately unhelpful I think. While it is true that absence of evidence is not proof a threat doesn't exist, shaping our actions based on so far unseen, potential risk is unwise. Somehow I suspect we will not go from mindless herds of killer cyborgs to single, excruciatingly intelligent shapeshifting spies in our midst in one fell swoop. In the meantime I'd prefer not to get shot again because I occasionally look and act like a wild monster.

[x2bet]

How about this, slick - "Yellow-hello, my name's Benny and I like to wear a checkered suit jacket. Please don't eat me like a ham hock, I don't taste all that good."

[firstsoldier]

Do you intend to keep the suit jacket even if you become, perhaps, a dragon? And what of everyone not you?

[x2bet]

[Okay but he doesn't give a damn about anyone getting eaten that's not him. But great question.]

Like from Grognak the Barbarian? Sure, why not? I'll be the best-dressed dragon in the wastes!

[firstsoldier]

How will you have it sized up to your new form?

audio;

[faceguy]

We can make matching team jerseys!

[Perfect.]

[firstsoldier]

.... Very well, what team do you propose?

[At least he's fairly sure he knows what that is. The outfits sports people wore, right?]

[faceguy]

Uh, I mean... Team Drifter?

Unless you can get everyone here to agree to support the Knicks. [He knows there's at least one person from Boston, so unlikely.]

[firstsoldier]

The only thing I can get everyone to consistently agree on is how they don't agree on anything. I'm hoping if they're simply handed something to make use of they'll accept it, be it.. friendship bracelets or jerseys or dog tags.

[audio]

[serialmurderbot]

ID markers would be the most consistent system, but unaugmented humans wouldn't have the capacity to collect ID chip data without interfaces, and even salvaging from the cyborgs doesn't seem to give the right level of tech. And non-invasive feed interfaces would get destroyed.

[Fuck it misses the feed and all the ident systems it involves.]

Additional high likelihood of harm happening between two compromised convoy members stuck in an altered state with increased aggression.

[firstsoldier]

Mm. I'm one of them at risk of an altered state with increased aggression. Every option has its potential failure points, but something may be better than nothing at all, concerns of spies amongst us aside. So far alternatives are .. 'friendship bracelets' and .... sports jerseys.

[serialmurderbot]

Spies. [It sounds... skeptical about that.] Given the small numbers here and the way people join, spies are less likely than genuine differences in opinion. [And it's a very paranoid SecUnit saying so.]

Alterations are highly variable. Multiple options are probably best.

[So why does it sound grumpy about that?]

audio

[bufudine]

[He thought he'd gotten away from this but...]

Clothing or a mark in a unified colour. Bright and bold enough to be easily seen.

[But it's the second part that has him concerned.]

Control comes with not fighting the monster every step of the way. [Picking your battles, so to speak.] Do you feel hungry?

[firstsoldier]

[Way too quickly, the second part is addressed first.]

No. I am adequately fed.

[That's probably not true.]

Another suggested sports jerseys; those would qualify I think. He prefers blue, the right shade should be visible from a distance. Friendship bracelets I fear are easily missed by most after ... two dozen feet or so.

[bufudine]

...What's a sports jersey?

[What's a friendship bracelet for that matter? Though at least the 'bracelet' part probably means that it would be difficult to see.]

Probably around when this was first brought up: audio

[coffinturk]

Needs to take shapeshifting into consideration. A rotation of pattern or color can help keep outsiders from mimicking it.

[firstsoldier]

Implausibly difficult to arrange at this juncture, especially with no shapeshifting infiltrators in evidence yet. We don't currently have the resources to outfit this many people in different patterns and colors on a rotation or the need for such.

[coffinturk]

That's true. It's wise to prepare for it. If we can change, then it's only a matter of time before we find something here that can.

[ Or create illusions. But that's probably a whole other kettle of fish. ]

For now, it's probably easy to use the other suggestions. Find ways to make sure it stays on or stays visible.

[ He can't help but notice Sephiroth still has his fashionable fit after waking up a chimera. Mostly. But also, it's issues that come up with his other forms. ]

I'd prefer red.

[ ...Just putting that out there. ]