16.9.08

Notorious Cybercriminal Caught, Executed

Neptune Starport - September 13

Notorious pirate captain DepJ has been caught and executed by remote cyberagents of the AI Council. Agents apprehended him in the notorious anarchic Neptune Station Tuesday as he violated some of the few remaining laws our civilization still holds dear. "It is pretty hard to get an AI living-death squad after you," says Derek Nartoole, an uploaded human aide to the Council. "Those guys are really nasty. They capture you, remove your 'consciousness mechanisms' and leave your body continuing to operate as before. That's where the 'flying dutchman' ships come from that are reported sporadically."


An "Exterminated Consciousness" vessel sighted off Europa


Old spacehands warn to stay away from these ships when they are sighted, for though the minds of the crew are gone, they are still quite dangerous and operate as if they were still crewed by normal humans. The AI Council apparently leaves them in this state to caution all those who would violate its dictates. Some say that the consciousness of the crew is not actually removed, but loses all volition and must live forever with no control over their actions. Nartoole denies this rumor saying, "the Council is not so cruel."

DepJ and his crew were tried and sentenced in absentia for the crimes of attempting to overwrite ship AIs, trying to hack the AI Council mainframe, shouting "Whoomp, there it is!" as a battle cry, and egregious pants-stealing.

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