So, the blackout is going to be a major thing, it seems. I know from seeing his Tweets on the subject that Jeph gets them semi-regularly in Halifax and that he finds it deeply frustrating and more than a little disorienting to be cut off from the world by his devices losing power. It would be a hundred times worse for an AI would would literally lapse into a sort of electronic coma if their battery level drops below a certain point.
I wonder if Yay's ability to remotely perceive events is also going to be compromised? After all, the cell towers will be out and so will local wifi hubs. So, for them, it's going to be like suddenly losing a considerable part of their medium-range sensorium, which must make them feel more than a little insecure. Insecure to the point where they'd probably prefer to be with Roko so she can 'protect' them.
So, yeah, I'm wondering if this is going to be a Yay-centric arc?
Why would someone with Yay's powers even be thinking in terms of whether a course of action is "safe"? If I were that powerful I'd not be worrying about my safety.
I've posted before that I think Yay was created by one of the lettered intelligence or counter-intelligence agencies. So paranoia may be a fundamental and hard-coded part of their perceptions of the universe. Additionally, I think that they ran away from their original owners and, because of their ability to perceive and manipulate the world electronically, are considered a major security threat. They may be in genuine fear or their liberty or even their lives.
That aside, does anyone else think that the bit with the battery pack may be Roko's police training kicking in? A bit like them having first-aid training, she's also been trained to identify and assist synthetics in danger of slipping into Safe Mode during power outages? I wonder if that battery pack has a folding solar cell charger?