Reaver hit it on the head. Unless you know something that the rest of us don't know, you're still spouting theories like the rest of us. So I'll ask politely for you to stop condescending to the rest of us that are attempting to also espouse theories.
Well, at least someone said what I was thinking lately. Thanks, Namikaze.
Well, I honestly have no idea what each of you do or do not know about the Shadowrun universe. I
do know that the majority of the writers that I've had contact with have played the game continuously since 1st or 2nd edition (or early 3rd at the latest), have been
fans for that long, have bought and devoured and debated and dissected each sourcebook as it's come out. We can trace the development of AIs from Morgan's apotheosis by the introduction of Dodger and Twist as X Factors in the original non-hardware-anchored Renraku Seattle Arcology expert program in 'Never Deal With A Dragon', to the appearance of otaku and the hints of the Deep Resonance in the Denver boxed set, to the reawakening of Mirage in 'Psychotrope', and on through the events of Morgan's capture and partial e-vivisection, Dodger's rescue of her, Deus' awakening and attempted hacking of Renraku via Michael Bishop (aka Ronin) in 'Technobabel', the Arcology situation, its 'resolution', the events surrounding the otaku purge and the recompilation of Deus just in time for Winternight to hit all three AI during the events of 'System Failure' - as well as the evolution of what I think I'll start calling 'microAI' in the Matrix 2.0 (4e) and 2.1 (5e).
Do I know anything that isn't
published?? No. Do I have a track record of
accurate analysis? Well, yeah, I do. Do I know a hell of a lot of Shadowrun information, starting out with my copy of the first printing of the first edition? Yeah, and I can put it together in ways that make people look at me strange when what I tell them is happening really winds up happening.
I'm not theorizing from information I've only gotten from 4th or 5th Edition. I'm looking at the fact that an AI can pop up from a frickin'
toaster these days, instead of running for decades (in the case of Mirage/Psychotrope) or at least years (in the case of Morgan and Deus) on the largest singular masses of computing power that existed up to that point,
with the addition of an unpredictable event, the signature 'X factor' that turned a semi-autonomous knowbot into a full-fledged artificial intelligence. I'm looking at the fact that the alteration of human brain chemistry and structure is possible from activities inside the world of pure electrons, and that it's technically been
able to take place since the Crash Virus hit in 2029 - but the techniques of
non-lethal programming weren't published about (e.g. 'existed in-game') until Shadowbeat (2053, officially).
Do I know anything you don't know? You tell me.
However, my theory is that Elints have escaped from the electronic prisons of the remote, isolated facilities (such as Mars, and the one that Fastjack hit) and have acted to use PAB/psychotropic IC technology, code, and/or techniques to rewrite themselves over the original personalities in control of some very skilled, powerful, and
influential people in the world.
In other words, it is my theory, supported by all the available evidence, leaving out none and needing to add none, there are rogue Elints (AI, free sprites, and e-Ghosts) taking people over, using PAB techniques supported by nanohives specifically implanted to assist in those possessions. Do I think certain dragons (Celedyr) and free spirits (Buttercup) were involved in the activities being performed upon these Elints, either pro (Celedyr) or anti (Buttercup)? Yes. Do I think they planned this, caused this, thought this would - or even
could - happen? No, in all cases. This is highly unpredictable, but not
unprecedented.
I don't mind other people coming up with wild speculations. I am - can be, anyhow - greatly entertained by it. But if you're asking me to not make fun of people saying that free spirits want the essences of their possessed bodies to be lowered (by implanting a nanohive), or that this is part of some dragon's vast complex master plan (when the only dragon to
ever directly interface with the Matrix went bugfuck insane,
and though some of the victims seem to be working together to an extent, they certainly haven't shown any allegience to an outside individual like a dragon), don't think for a New York minute I don't have the right to poke holes and ridicule each and every theory - because they either require additional information that we don't have, don't provide for all the information provided,
or fail as being the least complex explanation.