Doug Lampert wrote:
FreeFlier wrote:
I doubt they would have consented.
In which case, legal can muddy the waters incredibly.
--FreeFlier
Even if they would consent, the point that the red-reo doesn't install itself instantly and immediately dump a backup still applies.
And even if the red-reo did somehow install, instantly calibrate itself to an alien species, and is ready to dump a download within seconds, so what? There's bound to be bandwidth limits on their data-links. I doubt that they can send a bunch of full backups instantly by hypercom.
Basically, there's no reason to think that a backup was POSSIBLE in the involved time. We know that in the time involved they hadn't managed an off-site backup of their own people.
Finally: If off-site backups are some sort of legal "you absolutely must do this to everyone within seconds of taking custody or you are an inhumane monster" thing, then why didn't Srabben and crew already have such off-site backups? Off-site backups aren't ubiquitous. You're not required to make such an extraordinary effort to keep prisoners alive that it demonstrably GREATLY exceeds what they and their side will do for anyone, including themselves.
Especially since the entire thing, from missile swarm usurpation to the Maxim 39 blowing up, apparently happened over the course of what seems like a couple of hours AT MOST. This has all been in a single eventful, terrible afternoon.
Edit for evidence:
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2018-02-24 Elf says here she's been captain for 70 minutes. The taking of the 'Honor' was quick, and it's not that big a ship. Let's call it another hour from Elf hitting the deck to when Peri did. Let's go super conservative and say there was an hour of fighting after the UPA missiles were swiped.
That gives us, on the super outside, four hours.
Now, it appears that the cats have RED-REO already, which both makes things easier, and complicates them.
Because in order for the Toughs to back them up, they'd need access to their RED-REO nannies and the highly encrypted and distributed backup data. Which would require either consent and possibly a very good technician who can unlock them, or they need to be hacked, which they are specifically hardened against, as well as being ASTOUNDINGLY illegal.
It appears that civilians don't have offsite backups, and it's doubtful the UPA would either, meaning little to no active provisions for being read for dumping. Their nannies would have to be altered, which, again, legally questionable, even if they did consent, and perhaps not even possible without removing them completely and replacing them with new ones.
In other words, it is very, very likely that there was NO POSSIBLE, LEGAL WAY for them to have protected the UPA prisoners from vaporization via long gun pot shot, in anything remotely resembling the time they had.