Darn. Pete did put something up today...

Wednesday was hoping for one more day, since it would of had it done by then. (Even though it had plenty of time to get it done.) Instead, you get this...


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Hmm... I had thought we had all three parts of the triangle already. But it never has been explained fully. And I still don't trust Chen.

Eagerly anticipating the rest of the story!

The third part was military contracts? I think.

Hmm, the third part? I seem to recall something printed on the screen behind Dr. Schlock in a flashback link long ago, but I can't remember.

Yes. Physical control of Oasis, possession of Dr. Steve's lab, and military contracts.
He had the 2nd and 3rd, but then Torg destroyed Dr. Steve's lab and got the military contracts revoked.
Then they got Oasis.
Then Chen found an "alternate" Dr. Steve's lab.

Now they need military contracts again. Not sure why.

Military Industrial Complex. Leverage of the government from within, and all the benefits that go with it.

Specifically the REA units right? Oasis, Steve's work, and all the tech needed for his REA-1s - that's what all that research Biyu Diyu, Shankcraft, and etc were setting up, iirc.

Which...if he's got a space station that literally makes orbital DFAs, I'm not sure why that's such a big deal now, but hey it's his triangle, not mine!

If you have a look at the original Triangle tho, Torg was definantly required in there. We thiought that was to control Oasis buuuut.... I think now there is something else going on and the Triangle isnt quite what we were lead to believe.

I've always personlly believed Torg is one of the sides of the triangle. Why.... no idea. Simply controlling Oasis shouldnt require Torg with Dr Steve's lab.

I do not like Chen...but hopefully Torg will have fooled his plan, whatever it may be.

What's on Kusashi' s back?

At least Oasis is awake now! The grammar of "Stab you so many lots" made me smile.

What were the 3 parts of the triangle again? Also, glad Chen's not dead. Don't think keeping him around is a good idea for Schlock, though. Chen's a jerk but he's spent like a decade in jail already with Hereticorp. I want him to walk away from all of this with nothing gained. I think that's a fitting final punishment for him after everything he's already been through.

Panel 6 is funny. I suppose when you work for a clichéd evil organization for a decade you tend to just accept that you'll be killed once you're not useful anymore.

As for the Schlock Triangle, it's possibly something like this:

1. Oasis.
2. Some way of controlling her.
3. A source of funding.

Stealing their contracts reminds me… wasn't Crushestro's foundry DFA'd back in R&D Wars?

So, a quick thought… who's been maintaining the rebirth facility during the 15+ years since Dr. Steve's death?

It looks like a kusari. By which I mean the weapon.

I made a new Schlock Triangle thread to summarize what we know.

(Because that was what I was supposed to be doing. Not grading).

What are you up to Chen?

Irving, getting nostalgic are we?

I don't know Chen, I don't know, I still don't forgive you for Gennaro, but I don't want you to die, so, there's that :)

http://sluggy.info/search/?s=schlock+triangle is a good read (reference links for this comic as it were)... when we first saw the triangle, it had Torg, Oasis, and 'House of Cheese R&D' and 'obtain defense contracts' near 3. But obtain defense contracts was the how, and it also said 'can't move on 3 until 1', where 1 was Oasis.

Later, Schlock explains to Kusari that in order to move on 'step 3' without 'raising eyebrows', he needs the defense contracts, since there is so little privacy in the world today. Then we see the triangle again in a different form. Now it's Oasis, REA-1, and Baselab. Torg is connected to Oasis, because Schlock says "she must try to contact him eventually". Schlock has explained to Chen at this point, I think, how talking to Torg led him to the base-lab, so it seems that the base-lab is part 2, and the REA-1 is there to provide military contracts. At this point we don't know we he wants those.

Alt-Riff in the DoR mentioned the orbital flux satellites as being key to the plan, and Schlock back in the DoN described the contracts as necessary so that they can gain access to the satellite network to create flux satellites (under the guise of creating coordination satellites for the REAs). Torg and Riff feel that preventing this will prevent the rise of 4U city.

So it was my understanding that the defense contracts were necessary for Schlock to be able to build the satellites without suspicion. They had a satellite in orbit that was destroyed; Sasha indicated they still have a manufacturing station in orbit to create more. Hereti-corp has also taken over NASA now. We know that the gang just sabotaged Hereti-corp's reputation overall, and apparently got their defense contracts with the Pentagon nullified. A manufacturing station in orbit is all very good, but without a ground to orbit connection to get materials up there probably not that helpful. And Sasha could be lying - we've never had any confirmation of what she said.

So it seems like there are several questions. Was the orbital DFA really the main reason for the defense contracts? Does Hereti-corp (what's left of it) still have a firm grip on NASA? How much does their loss at the Pentagon (also of their reputation and main base) cause problems for Schlock's plan? Was Sasha lying or not, and do they have other flux satellites in orbit? Why did/does Schlock need Oasis to move on the third part of the plan?

From today's comic, it looks like the computers at the rebirth facility will be an adequate replacement for the base-lab. Chen thinks he understands what Schlock is really working on, and that Oasis is critical. He says that controlling Oasis completely is everything. Schlock doesn't really confirm or deny. But maybe he hasn't moved on the main part of part three at all. Now, if he can control Oasis, he will, as long as he has sufficient working satellites, with Chen's help. But if that is the case, then I think we're still in the dark about the main part of his plan (although there has been speculation, in the spec forums, about why Oasis may be important... but I will let that stay in the spec forums).

Edit:

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(I started this post before you posted this, so I didn't see it)