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Post by Maxine on Jul 16, 2021 23:36:21 GMT -8
Unsurprisingly, Maxine had entirely accepted when she’d performed her stunt that she’d probably be caught by some friendly fire – she was an android, so she was at the bottom of that target priority list, not far above enemy combatants in the first place. But, to her surprise, no second explosion came… right, she wasn’t too worried; judging by the type of missile, it’d probably mostly just be fragmentation unless it was a very bad miss. But… still, nothing came, besides plenty of barking on the radio. It was hard for her to focus on it – the effects of the gravity bomb weren’t about to severely damage her, but they were certainly unpleasant, and put a lot of her systems under too much pressure to fully function. Her pseudo-circulatory system, in particular, was not going to function well with the change in gravity.
But, just as she began to get a little nervous about her gambit – the thunder came down. She could only guess what the grand thud was… another exciting gun, no doubt! B-But, business before pleasure!
It ended up taking three shots to finally put down the GANDER-II, but even after the first one it could no longer offer much resistance. Still, it was a true mess by the end of it… the laser cannon was a wreck, the main hull was turned to an imploded hunk by the heavy fin-stabilised AP ammo, and everything else was riddled by the miniguns’ fire. No doubt the main reason for its shut down was the destruction of the on-board AI circuitry, or maybe its reception unit if the AI wasn’t on-board. Either way, the Doctor’s request for going easy was… well, it was a wonder she was not snarling already.
What was she up to, anyway?
Regardless, the GANDER-II was left to rot for a moment, before the Dragoons allowed themselves a small celebration – though, it seemed like a few were just happy to get to use one of their big guns. Fortunately, Fenrir 1-1 was professional enough to not let it get to his head. The wreck of the GANDER-II did not prove to be much of an obstacle, especially with a bit of work with those cutting torches, and so the threat was neutralised from all angles as the gravity bomb’s field finally petered out. And, with it, Maxine could finally haul herself back up – if Spade 4 hadn’t already had an arm around her, anyway.
“Playing the hero is impressive and all, but next time stick to the book! We’re not supposed to play with non-standard equipment, Spade 1. You could’ve gotten crushed!” ”--- You are correct. But, I am an android, so –“ “You’re a Dragoon! Temporary or whatever, you’re on the team, and you follow our orders. And number one is that – we all come home, remember?”
The retort from such an unexpected source made Maxine go silent, totally unsure of how to respond. Those were… her orders, after all. She looked pensive as she stood, before shaking her head. ”Yes… though, it would seem that the machine won’t be coming home, this time. Will the Doctor overlook that?” asked the android, hoping to move the mission along – err, and slooowly creep back towards the others so she could ogle that gun. Her squaddie gave a swift shake of her head, a little bemused by the question. “You can forget about the Doctor. She’s not a CO, no matter how much she might say it.”
At the very least, the elevator was finally clear, and was clearly still operational. To top it off, it didn’t seem to be on the same network as the rest of the equipment, at least at the moment… given its size, it probably had a manual override that’d been triggered long ago. Though – that meant something had sent that beast up in the first place. Could the core of this vessel really be any safer, or would it be even more dangerous? At least one of those things wouldn’t fit anywhere else…
Focussing back on the map she had been connected to – or at least, Delrouval’s last update for it – Maxine tried to get her focus back on the mission at hand. ”The elevator should be usable in its current state. If we take it to the hold at the bottom, it shouldn’t be far to the central control room. I can only assume from the layout, but it seems that most of the other rooms branch out from that hold, too. If there’s any other areas we should investigate before trying to take command of the security systems, then this would be the right time to change our priorities.”
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“Eh, genetic stuff? It’s not really my area… not with humanoids, anyway. I like microbiology more…” replied Delrvoual idly, seeming just bemused by the topic rather than taking it remotely seriously. Science was her passion, sure – but it was also entirely subject to her whims. “I know some people will be crazy about it, though, so don’t worry about it going to waste. You should hear some of the ideas the higher-ups down here have been tossing around! They wanna scrape together that super soldier program, believe it or not. Frankly, it was stupid in the first place! Yeah, give us more classism and problems when the war’s over, that’ll help! Imbeciles…”
Of course, any discussion of giving her goodies turned her mood around in a hurry. “Mm hm, that’s the plan. You know, either come and commandeer this back to its rightful owners, or cut the place to pieces and take what we need. You got lucky by linking up with me before anyone pried your AI core apart for scrap. So, I think I can take a fabricator or two in return for my hard work…! We’ve only got a couple of working ones as it is. Though, recalibrating them for this planet’s minerals has been one of my worst jobs.” Heaving a huge sigh, Delrouval looked like she was about to start huge rant – but she cut herself mercifully short. “Let me just leave at this – everyone on this planet’s crazy about Katchin, but it is a horrid alloy to work with. Don’t get me started!”
She’d relax after that, and finish her drink. She wanted to play it cool and look like a pro… but in her mind, the chance to comb through all sort of forgotten research logs was far too tempting. Was there information on that project of Aspic’s that had led to all this garbage? If she got her hands on that first, then she’d have absolute power in this stupid conspiracy…! “Hmph! Well, shut off your override of my gear already, and then I’ll do some reading. You know, to support that team down there. I’d imagine the security logs should help a bit.” A complete lie, but… eh, maybe she’d consider it. Probably best to look busy after she’d been offline for a while. “But, before that. What’s your serial number and network ID? I don’t care for giving machines names, but you gotta tell them apart somehow…”
[1199/13138]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Jul 18, 2021 4:17:38 GMT -8
The smoke cleared. Or at least, the smoke that hadn't already been sucked down to the floor by the gravity field. It was a good bet, using the autocannon in close quarters. A risky one, considering the strength of the gravity field in question. But given the muzzle velocity on those kinetic penetrators, and her having grown up on a planet with a gravitic force ten times as high as Earth's, Cerola was very much used to calculating compensations for bullets that fell much faster than they did down here. Although in this case, it was the reverse of how she usually did it. It was fortunate that she had that self-awareness at all. Quite a niche indeed. Spade 4 was quick to rush to her squad leader's aid, briefly reminding Maxine that yes, that might have been effective, but it was still a great risk. The colonel would let this slide. That quick thinking and self-sacrificial attitude might have just saved two lives mere minutes ago. Fenrir 2-1 and 2-3 were already recovering, and soon enough they would be ready to face the next challenge. Cerola approached the two Baby Blues, giving them a nod as she heard their exchange. "There is certainly room for creativity and risk taking in this unit, though I'd prefer the latter to be of a last resort in the future. In this case, however, I think you made the right judgement call. We might have lost two men today if you hadn't been so quick on your feet."Maxine spoke of the Doctor's "orders" to retrieve the machine intact, and again, Spade 4 brought up a truly valid point. There was one chain of command, and that went up to Colonel Azure. The Doctor could continue to serve this particular operation in an advisory role. But she gave up command the moment she called in the upper echelon. Not that she expected such a borderline renegade to stick to her place, no matter how well she knew where it was. "Correct, Spade 4. We must do our best to preserve any technology we encounter within this great airship. That is however secondary to the safety of everyone here under my wing." An old GANDR unit... was that really the most advanced piece of machinery aboard this vessel? Or was it simply the most advanced war machine that these... Saiyan-Tuffle hybrids, if that was what they were... could conceivably hack? No, that could very well have been a psychological tactic. If gene manipulation had given them the intelligence of a Tuffle, then they could very well now think like Tuffles, in addition to their normal Saiyan thinking. And they had encountered such a Saiyan before, although that one was more praise of his natural intellectual gifts than any gene manipulation. The Tuffle King's chief advisor, Dr. Lychee, once described the leader of the Saiyan Army, King Vegeta, as a Saiyan with the brilliance of a Tuffle. And combined with the sheer raw power at his disposal through his army, he was able to stretch out the war until the next Full Moon... That was his victory condition. And he achieved it masterfully. All that Cerola's people could do was prepare to abandon their home, and rebuild elsewhere... What a pathetic result for such an intelligent race. With that thought in mind, the GANDR might as well have been a ploy to lull them into a false sense of security. In which case, the better assumption was that these test subjects watching them were waiting for their next move, with more up their sleeve. Maxine returned her focus to the map that had been provided by the Doctor, using it to provide a sitrep to ground everyone on where they were, and what lay ahead. The Grenadine-class was built for unparallelled modularity, a flying fortress that could house anything that could be fit into its impressive laminated katchin shell. With the lateral control provided to the various officers who commanded such a vessel, no two interiors were exactly the same. Some were airborne battleships, their innards loaded with ammo fabricators, and extra space devoted to additional internal plating, while turrets were installed into the surface.Others were troopships, housing entire armies’ worth of war machines and soldiers, maintenance facilities and supply fabricators, infirmaries, and for the more adventurous commanders, clone farms for sustained pressure. Some might have been carriers, boasting spacious hangars filled to the brim with various combat and support aerospacecraft, maintenance facilities, and fuel refineries. And others still might have served some other purpose entrusted to their commanders by High Command. With that in mind, Cerola paid close attention to Maxine’s report. Based on her description, this layout resembled one of a number of schematics she’d seen of Grenadines, mainly ones her Iron Dragoons had been stationed aboard. The Planetary Assault configuration. These were essentially complete one-vessel divisions, ferrying a single Mobile Warfare Expeditionary Force of eight thousand personnel from orbit down to the surface, then providing support and supplies for up to six months. Depending on its state of repair, there might be other, more dedicated combat units that could be used… either by them, or these hybrids. Although if this vessel served post-war, it might also have been stripped down to its essentials, or even repurposed somehow? There was only one way to find out. Cerola began to broadcast. <<You all heard Spade Actual. We take the hold, we can fortify it as our centre of operations. Our final goal is to reach the CIC. Spade, Fenrir 1, 2, and 3, we’re taking the elevator. Fenrir 4. Secure the elevator hall and be on alert for emergency evac if necessary. We don’t know what’s down there, but we’ll have to face that music sooner or later.>>A chorus of acknowledgements responded to her commands, and the march continued on into the elevator, large enough to ship four tanks in a 2x2 arrangement. Fenrir 4’s arrival would be greeted by a large hunk of broken metal, an ancient war machine that was now finally laid to rest. --- BGM: Digital DestinyUPDATE: Rogue GANDR unit has been deactivated. Service Lift 02 is in transit. Reading multiple UCET PCA units and UCET auxiliary units. Cameras in Service Lift 02 remain offline. Radio encryption compensation to be completed in approx:16 minutes.
>>> Activate audio system for Service Lift 02.
WARNING: Audio system for Service Lift 02 is offline.
>>> Continue observation of points of interest.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Maintaining observation...There wasn’t much to be said of disappointment when the Doctor turned down supervision of Project Totoma. After all, there was the reassurance that someone else would no doubt find use for these meddlesome hybrids. She then went on to bring up “that super soldier program”. Based on the logs, there were several of those, but the most likely candidate was also the most highly publicised. <<The Charentis Project did perform quite well during the war. I can understand their desire to do so. However, this appears to be counterproductive to your present resource situation.>> Could a command roster truly lose sight so much as to pursue unreasonable goals? A curious question. Answers would have to present themselves. The resource challenge then supposedly sparked this particular expedition.. If possible, reclaim the ship for CONTINENT’s purposes. If impossible, break it down for scrap. Surely, they would recognise the value of this near-fully functional vessel, if that were the case. Although, if these were the circumstances behind her allegations that the vessel was indeed being in the middle of a scrap attempt, one would have to wonder just how desperate they could be. Another possibility under the assumption of dishonesty, is that the Doctor was further attempting to turn this construct against the rest of the established hierarchy. Perhaps by inciting fear, or more simply, the self-preservation programming. <<This planet’s minerals must be rather difficult to work with, then. And if the situation is desperate enough to attempt to procure the missing katchin from this vessel’s mass, I believe that is a gross miscalculation. The vessel would be put to better use in the air, and eventually space, once the mission here is accomplished. I do request a clarification however. Is this obsession with katchin merely of your company, or have the indigenous civilisations learned to harness it despite their backward science?>>Regardless, the Doctor was kind enough to provide a reminder that she should be allowed to support her expeditionary team. And of course, this override of her systems meant that she could not provide them with the support they needed to effectively accomplish their mission. At least for now, it did not appear to be a scrap operation despite her claims. Although the expedition leader should be questioned about this matter specifically. Even if it were a scrapping mission, there was confidence that they could be convinced to maintain the use of a vessel in near-full functionality. But before all that, she requested identification. <<This vessel’s Hull Code is designated ASC-07. Name: TFS Bludwine. It is presently under the de jure command of Rear Admiral Prosser Kiona of the Tuffle Fleet Service. I… appear to have lost my Service Code in a record error. However, my logs indicate that I was frequently addressed as “Vice” by the vessel’s complement. With that said, Doctor, this has been a most fascinating discussion. Certainly more entertaining than mindless subroutines. I look forward to meeting you again once this vessel has been restored to its proper command. Although I doubt that would be under the late Rear Admiral.>>The overrides on the Doctor’s systems vanished, and the Supervising Intelligence withdrew from the link, focusing instead on those who were physically aboard. [1637/13092/26230] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Jul 21, 2021 10:20:49 GMT -8
To be honest – saving lives had not been a consideration of Maxine’s. As a machine, she knew that people’s lives were worth more than hers, but besides that she did not feel a deep value for them. Oolong City churned through people’s lives every day, uncaring and unfeeling. The poor and the weak were not on the radar of the Shinobu Clan, beyond those who proved themselves useful. Born in that world, Maxine had never thought much of the cost of life – she was endlessly blessed to still have hers; reflecting on others was only a distraction from her work.
But – it was not unwelcome, to be appreciated.
”…I merely followed orders. Provide results – maximise positive outcomes, minimise negative outcomes.” Not the inspiring words the other Spade members were hoping to hear from their squad leader, but… perhaps to be expected, from a machine. And, well, at least it was a good sign that keeping people alive was within ‘positive outcomes’. ”But, I will respect your priorities, Fenrir Actual. One must adapt to a changing situation.”
But with that, Maxine had little more to offer. She was not a bastion of ethics, nor history; and this was certainly not her home ground… for now, all she could do was link up with the elevator’s failsafe programming, and send it down once the team had all stacked up once more.
Though the ride on the grand elevator was decadently smooth, it was at a rather gentle pace… unbecoming of the efficiency CONTINENT had prided itself on. The speed must have been altered, or it had been reduced to show mercy upon the forgotten generators of the vessel. Either way, it made the ride a little more foreboding… particularly as they descended far enough for the seal over the shaft to grind close; shutting them in darkness. Of course, the Azure Dragoons weren’t about to do a mission like this without some night vision equipment, but all the same… they couldn’t rely on their eyes alone any longer.
Or so it should’ve been. A sharp, unpleasant clicking – and their extra senses went out. Some form of jamming… another automated security feature? Not the most troublesome, making it all the more odd… but, it did mean they were stuck with directional flashlights. Things got just a little more gloomy. Fenrir were likely nonplussed, but the Spades – the ‘baby blues’ – were clearly a little more nervous. Could there be any more bad news ---?
<<Fenrir Actual, Fenrir 4-1. You almost had company – we caught a mon- ah, eh, Saiyan, in the walls. Settin’ off every security device that was still working along the way, too; almost fried 4-3! But, uh, we did put a stop to it, so keep to the mission. Just… don’t expect an autopsy report, okay?>>
Not the worst news, but not the best, either. After that, the silence was deafening in the elevator… Fenrir and Spade were on guard, certainly, but as time wore on there proved to be no hint of any threats. Finally, the shaft came to an end, and their voyage ended – not with a thud, but with just a tiny click as it was fixed into place. The doors opened up, revealing the hold and assumedly engineering bay… a wasteland, much like the tundra outside, but of a different sort. No scents, no sounds, just the cold, stale air.
There was not a speck of dust, nor a single hair; it was simply – impeccably, empty. These forgotten machines waited patiently, and would do so for a further eternity. Cold, lonely, and pristine… fabricators and loading mechanisms lined up on modules built to be interchangeable, but yet would never change again. Perhaps, to her comrade, this was merely odd – if even that. But, for Maxine… this was quite disconcerting. Old, forgotten machines… that didn’t bother her. To be a rusting hulk was her fate. But, to be useless – it left a hole in her heart.
Ah, but, was she any different? Waiting endlessly, for orders that never came –
”The control room should be through the armoury, and then through the following hallway. I can lead the way, but… I think that would be unreasonable of me. Fenrir Actual, I believe you’ll have more experience in this matter than me. I am – not very compatible with this technology.” admitted Maxine, giving up her position as point man at last. She wasn’t getting nervous, of course! She was just… she just didn’t want to overextend, of course. ”I will also add… the map data I have suggests that there’s a lot of extra rooms up ahead, but – the symmetry doesn’t add up. It’s possible that it’s just – a design choice, but… alternatively, we may not be able to access most of the rooms. It’s likely that they’re unpowered, or somehow separated from the rest of the electronics grid.”
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Delrouval frowned deeply at the mention of the past war’s projects – experiments with such haste were just stupid. That was what had ended them all up here! You had to start small, not throw it on the frontlines, right? Well… not if you could avoid it. Eh, okay, well, if it happened, it happened… but, not with projects with that kind of timeframe, anyway. W-Whatever, they didn’t compare to her work, was the point!
“Don’t ask me about the katchin deal. I wouldn’t dream of using it! You have to fold it a ton of times to remove all the impurities… our tech makes that process a lot quicker, but I could care less. It’s inefficient! I’ll take an alloy over that stuff anytime.” snarled the doctor, finally kicking her legs back down. “Thankfully, it’s more of a native issue, but I know some of our half-assed power armour uses it. As if we have a use for that stuff here…”
Finally, though, she’d get a name and designation – most souls would consider that the first thing to ask for, but for the Doctor it was more of a bonus. She didn’t care for rank and file; at least not from a computer. “You lost your service code? You’re a computer! Is that a joke?” snapped the lady, genuinely frustrated by such an absurd situation; “Check the ‘About’ page or something! Ugh, whatever! I’m getting back to it, ASC07.”
And then, finally, she would have some peace. Admittedly… she wasn’t about to reconnected with the team’s comms just yet. First, she wanted to stew on this info… and get it all saved. Hopefully she’d be able to salvage some recordings… just had to ping into the holding cell’s wire, and she ought to be able to get this and that extracted before they even knew…!
[1124/14262]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Jul 22, 2021 5:44:24 GMT -8
Cerola wasn't one to really lecture others who were professionals in their own right. Maxine, though she had certain perceptions of herself, nevertheless held the dignity of someone who knew what she was doing. And whatever make or model that was, even a machine could find she is more valuable than a mere toaster. Toasters don't save the lives of many soldiers, after all. That being said, they were burning daylight, and had to get going. As she led the way into the elevator, she did have a little something to say, though. Off the record, for obvious reasons. "And for that, I am thankful. One of these days, though, we're going to help you with seeing yourself from another view."That would probably be something simple but hopefully memorable. A party for Spade, as the first Baby Blue squad to go through a live fire operation. Well... more importantly, that would make them the first squad from this batch to graduate from being called Baby Blues, and earning their place as proper Auxiliaries. The ride down the elevator was slow, pondering. This was, after all, the same elevator that took its sweet time to bring the GANDR mining mech up here. And with all this time to think about it, it only made sense. The centuries had not been kind to the power systems. Even a warship such as this required some maintenance. That wasn’t to say they weren’t built to last, however. In all likelihood, it might have been more of the vessel’s dormant state than the power supply actually failing. Although the lack of maintenance also meant that it was going to take a lot of work to bring it up to full capacity. If they could get enough technical hands on here from Command Centre ISLET, this would be back up to spec in no time. They were aware of this development, of course, and she had assured Marshal Balaton that she would ensure the safe retrieval of this vessel. An honest to goodness Exodus-era Grenadine-class, with its laminated katchin plating and internal housing consisting of various other advanced alloys was just one thing that made it superior to the Grenadine replicas they had built since arriving on Earth. The flimsy ones that relied on lesser metals like titanium or even tungsten carbide for most of their plating. Sure, they wouldn’t melt from going into supercruise, but the ride would be far less comfortable, with all the extra stress the hulls would experience. Cerola was just glad nobody suggested scrapping it to retrieve the katchin plating. That would have been an utter travesty, a great disservice to this decorated warship. Sure, they could use it to build an army’s worth of Mk III Pomegranate suits. But that meant nothing if they got shot down before they could even land. At least with the Caeruleus intact, they would have a true strategic asset from the war on their side again. The hatch shut above the four squads, sealing them in darkness. Instinctively, they all switched to infrared. Nothing out of the ordinary, as the ride continued down… That was, until the static clicking kicked in. The nightvision on their visors turned to snow, causing maybe one groan of annoyance as everyone returned to regular sights and switched on the flashlights on the sides of their helmets. The general kept silent as this was soon followed by a simple explanation, in the form of Fenrir 4-1. Another Saiyan had shown up - hard to say if it was the same one or another entirely - and set off every last piece of security in the elevator hall. And apparently one of them was an electronic jammer of some kind. <<4-1, Fenrir Actual. Copy on the message. Looks like one of those things is jamming some of our gear down here, including IR vision. See if you can do something about that. We’ll make do with headlights for now.>>The rest of the trip down was silent. Tense, at first, but as time went on, some relaxed, as no ambush befell them. Finally, the lift, large enough to hold four tanks in a square formation, landed softly, clicking into place at the bottom of the shaft. What greeted them on the other side of the slow-opening doors was indeed the hold. More than that, however, its contents. As expected, machines. A collection of machines. Pristine and mint. Unused since just after the war ended, their deep containment protected them from any wear, tear, or even dust. And perhaps, if they could bring the ship back to life, they could serve again. Already, the eggheads at Command Centre ISLET were cooking up a cover story for why these mercenaries that made their name in a Red Ribbon remnant faction somehow figured out how to resurrect an ancient alien spaceship. Or was it that they intended to distribute the machinery to more hidden facilities? In which case, one could simply say that they sold off these things to tech experts for zeni. It would be a waste, and Cerola would be able to put these tools to excellent use once she had the time to take stock. But once again, they would be pressed to come up with a cover story for that. Although… that wasn’t to say that the general couldn’t simply keep them in place, and let the engineering specialists from the technical platoon pretend to experiment with the machines to “figure out” how they worked. Yes, there were many ways to spin this to those not in the know. Tuffles were an intelligent race. Surely if anyone could come up with a plausible excuse, it would be the ones in engineering! Maxine explained what remained of the map that she had been given access to. Up ahead was the armoury, and then an access hall leading to the CIC. There were certain rooms that weren’t accessible nearby, and not quite matching the schematics on Cerola’s mind. They were unfamiliar. Not the kind you would put in a Planetary Assault configuration. Normally, that was just more holding and maintenance space. Depending on where this ship was assigned - possibly Planet Aspic, as all the other Tuffle artifacts here - then it is possible that some laboratory modules were installed to perform experimentation. And that is also likely where these hybrids came from. They would find out soon enough. All they had to do was take the CIC and establish a connection with the Supervisory Intelligence, perhaps reactivate it if it had been in standby mode this whole time. ”Understood, Spade Actual. You’ve done an excellent job. We’ll take point from here. Fenrir 2, Fenrir 3. Secure and fortify this position. Fenrir 1, we’re marching on the control room. Spade Actual. You’ve got the network link and the Doctor’s support. We’ll need you with us in case we run into anything unusual, like an alien AI. Your men may accompany you, or stay here with the others. Your call.”Two fully armoured squads of Dragoons proceeded to scour the vast hangar for any potential threats, before deciding on setting up a fortified point just in front of the elevator doors. Basic steel barricades were withdrawn from capsules and put in place. Fenrir 2 maintained its anti-personnel weapons, while Fenrir 3 drew their AT armaments just in case. If they were going to have to fight something too big for them, it would be with their biggest guns, and the ability to make a fighting retreat. Cerola waited for Maxine to decide before giving the order. ”Fenrir 1, Spade. Let’s move out.” Just like that, she led the way to the armoury… hopefully, it would be smooth sailing, but somehow, she doubted that. --- BGM: Digital DestinyUPDATE: Service Lift 02 has arrived at Cargo Bay 02. Reading multiple UCET PCA units and UCET auxiliary units. Cameras in Cargo Bay 02 remain offline. Radio encryption compensation to be completed in approx: 6 minutes. Guardian-06 performance diagnostic. Status: 97% functionality. Minor sensory degradation due to lack of maintenance.
>>> Deploy Guardian-06 to search and neutralise for unidentified hostiles and escaped test subjects. Avoid contact with UCET forces until encryption compensation is complete. Initiate activation protocols and performance diagnostics for security units Guardian-06 through -12.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Deploying Guardian-06 on search and neutralise mission of unidentified hostile units and escaped test subjects. Route of search has excluded Hangar 02 and adjacent areas due to presence of UCET personnel. Initiating activation protocols for security units Guardian-06 through -12. Approximate time to complete activation and performance diagnostic: 7 minutes.Somewhere in Hangar-03, an access hall and bulkhead apart from the hold where the Dragoons had landed, a humanoid war machine finished stirring to life. The RA-151 Autonomous Combat Suit, the “Axe”, given how one might read its acronym, was a relatively simple machine, with a simple AI. You designated certain archetypes in its targeting ledger, and gave it pathfinding instructions, which it would carry out with due diligence. It was the kind of combat drone you could deploy en-masse when soldiers were in short supply. It made up for its lack of superior intelligence with a tenacious arsenal, and the option to be remotely piloted by an actual Tuffle soldier… or a higher AI, such as the Strategic Intelligences created specifically to command these machine armies. Based on the MANGO technology from the early years of the war, Axe units and their SI overlords served to soften the losses that would inevitably arise when you pitted intelligent but otherwise physically limited Tuffles against an army of battle hungry super warriors like the Saiyans. The program was a success for what it was, and production of Axes ramped up as the war went on. Especially when King Vegeta destroyed Orbital Station Bramble, the TAS’s primary factory for the Pomegranate series of power armour. Like every other aspect of advanced Tuffle technology, its plans went through a committee that decided whether it would go onto the Master Index as a basic necessity, or a more privileged luxury to be sealed within the Darkservers in the intergalactic void. As there were even simpler, dumber, more easily built drones on the Index, the kind you could outfit with anything up to a 30 Megawatt laser cannon, it was deemed unnecessary. And so, the Axes would remain beyond ISLET’s reach. But perhaps, the time had come for that to change... [1756/14848/29110] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Jul 24, 2021 4:23:19 GMT -8
The final comment from Colonel Azure did not get a direct response from Maxine – at least, not stated out loud. Internally, she had her own thoughts on the matter. ‘To help you with seeing yourself from another view’ – yes, so many have said, hm? But, as always, the mission took priority to matters of philosophy. In fact, truth be told, for all those poems she spoke of; Maxine would really rather avoid such matters entirely. They were not that place of machines. Just wasted time, for code did not bend like that.
With new orders on hand, the android was much more comfortable, however. ”Spades, please accompany us. Our firepower is lacking, but the finesse offered by the lighter gear may be useful if there’s anything that needs fixing or manoeuvring around.” stated UN-11 firmly – her team swiftly rallied around her, glad for the decisiveness. ”Let us continue the operation. I’ll update Fenrir if the situation changes on the intelligence side of matters.”
Fortunately, despite the earlier concerns voiced by Maxine, it seemed that there was no visible damage to the following interiors – the armoury was in good condition much like the hold. Though, it had to be said, such a high ceiling was a bit ludicrous, even with power armour on hand. Unfortunately, it was a proper CONTINENT setup, so any top-of-the-line weapons or other equipment were all secured in lockers; rather than anything comparable to contemporary barracks. This method of storage was practically part of the steel walls, and electronically locked; to foil both intruders and military pranksters alike. Even with their torches, they wouldn’t have much chance of getting through to anything in this decade… in fact, it looked like someone had already realised that.
Though most of the room appeared untouched, there were signs of an attempt at cutting open one set of the power armour lockers… with no success, evidently, but it looked like it might have been recent. With the pristine state of the rest of the room, it was just too hard to say.
Regardless, beyond the armoury was the interior hallways; wide spaces lined with further rooms on either side… and, as forewarned, it looked like many of the doors were unpowered. The actives ones – particularly that one on the far side, the likely culprit of the control room – had at least LEDs to hint at their status. The rest, though, were practically the same as the elevator shaft’s hatches – steel seals, more like airlocks than doors. They’d need some serious explosives if they wanted to deal with them… that, or, a way of reconnecting the power. Though, it was hard to believe that power had fallen out of such an intricate base in the first place – even such a long time wouldn’t be enough to overcome the redundancies, surely.
<<Spade, Fenrir! I’ve finally been able to reconnect. Due to being cut off for so long, this vessel’s system has entered its anti-salvage mode – I was hit with electronic warfare. Of course, I handled it in due time… so, do not mind my delay. I am back in command, and with some generous intelligence as well, as a bounty from my swift counter-offensive.>> It had almost become peaceful without the Doctor. <<But such information is above your rank. Instead, I shall say…>>
The call went silent for – just a beat.
<<Fenrir! Cargo Bay 02 – there’s another autonomous unit activating! The power supply is accumulating there – prepare for another attack. I doubt it compares to that GANDER-II, though… if you managed to disable that appropriately, this should be no issue. I’m looking forward to salvaging that laser cannon, you know. Those heavy-duty lenses are worth a lifetime if they’re in such pristine condition…>>
[625/14887]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Aug 2, 2021 6:34:02 GMT -8
It was of course understandable that Maxine would focus on the mission. Even when they first met at the film production some months ago, she did not falter from her task, even though she might have been flustered from... something... that first day. There might be time to find out more about this android, if there was anything more to the reliable servant who accomplished her objectives without fail, but that was not now. Now, she was no longer navigator... but due to circumstances, she was the primary uplink to the system. No doubt thanks to the Doctor's machinations. Had Spade Squad been absent, they wouldn't have had to destroy so much hardware and possibly could have used her CONTINENT credentials to override security at once. Perhaps, if the network was still fully operational, they might have even reconnected with the Supervising Intelligence to make everything a breeze. Only the oldest TFS warships lacked any sort of AI management. And most modern and retrofitted vessels possessed at minimum, a Supervising Intelligence to serve as their hearts and minds. To the CO, they were the second XO, the one who was most intimate with the vessel herself. To the Chief Engineer, they were the eyes that saw things that weren't obvious to the standard sensors. To the Crew Chief, they were the most meticulous singleship maintenance crewman. To the Gunnery Chief, they were the most reliable gunner when all others failed. While they did not possess the higher commanding competencies of the Tactical or even Strategic Intelligences who directed drone armies and fleets, the Supervising Intelligence was the soul of a warship. And if there were strange occurrences that couldn't be explained by these rogue test subjects, it was likely the SupInt performing its purpose of ensuring the vessel's survival. Maxine had opted to bring her squad along for the flexibility of the lighter gear. Yes, there was no telling what they were likely to face once they made their way to the CIC. And that was why it was such a prudent call. As they passed through the armoury, with its fully secure lockers, and high ceilings, Cerola would recall arming herself in such a near-identical room. The lockers were sealed in such a way that they would survive even in the unthinkable event that the ship would break up while falling from orbit. Yes... once they had control of the vessel, these war-era armaments would serve them well. The Index housed only the basics, and the many retrieval operations still had a long way to go before ISLET could be brought back to the same stature of the TAS' armament technology at the end of the war. Any stockpile of war-era weapons was welcome. They passed this by, and through the hallway with strange... airlocks. She was not familiar with this specific configuration. Given its nature of Planetary Assault, however, perhaps they were drop pod launchers. This wasn't usually where they were put, though. They would have all the time to figure this out once they gained control of the ship... assuming they could, at any rate. With the Spades here, the General had both hands tied behind her back, and only a finger and thumb to move around with. It was most irksome. Cerola frowned when the Doctor came onto the frequency again, her long silence explained away by her having been hit with EW technology. If she was being honest, then that was good news. The SupInt was still online. If she wasn't, well... who knows what she was doing behind the scenes? And now, she was bragging about her overcoming this alleged electronic attack and gaining access to information that Spade was certainly not privy to. Most of Fenrir as well, probably. But were this actually a fully independent mercenary unit with Azure on top, then she most certainly ranked enough to know, lest the Doctor forget. And then she dropped the bombshell. The reaction was instinctive. The General held back a chuckle. Mainly because she could read the Tuffle Glyphs on the walls and knew exactly where Cargo Bay 02 was: right where the elevator landed. And last she checked, there weren't any loaded mech bays in that hold. Still, on the off chance that they missed something... <<Fenrir 2, Fenrir Actual. Anything on your end?>><<Fenrir Actual, Fenrir 2. All quiet here, Boss. Scouter sensors are still jammed, but 2-2 says she might have heard something through one of those bulkheads. Should we investigate?>><<Negative, Fenrir 2. Stay on the defensive. Point some AT firepower at that door, but hold down the fort. We don't want to be covering too much ground.>> She didn't need to tell them the full reason why. They understood that once she got to talk to the SupInt in the CIC, whatever parts of the ship hadn't been subverted by those monkeys was as good as theirs. <<Roger that, Fenrir Actual. Fenrir 2 out.>>"Let's move, people. Once we have the control room locked down, we can spend a little more time sightseeing." Cerola led the way down the hall to the door at the end. It would have been so easy to transmit her credentials to 1-4 and have him print them into an access card. But she couldn't do that now... not with Spade here. She turned to Maxine. "Alright, Spade Actual. Door security's all yours."--- BGM: Digital DestinyUPDATE: Non-visual sensors detect extensive activity in Cargo Bay 02. Based on energy placement, UCET PCA units have fortified Cargo Bay 02. UCET units under Potential Lead Expeditionary Unit are directly outside Mainframe. Likelihood of Mainframe Breach Attempt: 98%. Atempting establishment of contact...
ERROR: Radio encryption compensation to be completed in approx: 3 minutes.
UPDATE: Guardian-06 reports Hangar Bay 03 all clear.
>>> Direct Guardian-06 to Hangar Bay 01 to reconnoiter for other usable Guardian Units. Maintain standing mission profile. Maintain avoidance of contact with UCET forces until encryption compensation is complete.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Directing Guardian-06 on search and neutralise mission of unidentified hostile units and escaped test subjects. Appending reconnaissance mission for Hangar Bay 01.
UPDATE: Approximate time to complete activation and performance diagnostic for security units Guardian-06 through -12: 4 minutes.The bulkhead opened and Guardian-06 passed through the access hall into Hangar Bay 01. More combat drones stood silently, slumbering sentinels awaiting reactivation. Some displayed signs of tampering, albeit failed. These machines of war were secure, much like the weapons in the armoury. This information was relayed back to the Supervising Intelligence. If the Doctor was completely honest with her words that the mission was here to scrap the vessel, it would attempt to reason with them. And if they failed to see reason... then these old war machines would have to turn on this expedition, for the vessel's survival. But first, it had to find out if this was the truth. And for that, it would have to communicate with the assumption that they were here on neutral terms. Or as organics put it, 'assume goodwill'. Three minutes remained before direct radio contact could be established with this presumed expedition leader. Only time could truly tell... [1194/16042/30929] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Aug 3, 2021 5:36:44 GMT -8
Unsurprisingly, the Spades were immediately on-guard with the new intelligence on hand; even if it was so flawed. ”Through the bulkheads… more security being set off, possibly? I am unused to being up against electronics rather than demons. We can’t even use electronic warfare channels, as the Doctor is our only connection...” Maxine’s complaints were worthless, but she was at least trying to come to an answer. Fortunately, Azure distracted her from such strategic strewing. ”Understood, let’s make haste to the control room, or this will guerrilla warfare will continue. I suspect this may take a moment, depending on how reliable the Doctor’s connection is…”
Of course, hearing that just made Delrouval herself even less eager to assist, but admittedly on her end it wouldn’t take much more than few processes – as Maxine had reported, a lot of the connections were down, but this much was still working. Even without superuser access, the failsafes and a bit of backdoor electronics restructuring could do the trick. Sure, she ought to report the vulnerabilities to her superiors about how she could get away with such things way back in the past, but… it was really paying off for ISLET now, wasn’t it? Looked great in her reports, too. She waited a few moments before following through on the request, idly passing along the newer map data while she was at it.
”--- Access granted. The Doctor’s results cannot be argued with.” reported Maxine obediently, totally clueless to her current superior’s reputation. However, even as the door gently slid aside, the android was on-guard again, seeming quite distracted. In the meantime, though, Cerola and her team had the chance to admire the forgotten control room… no doubt they were the first ones to set foot here in a long, long time.
It wasn’t the operations centre, of course; nor any kind of cockpit or controls – this was the computer’s beating heart, not the troops’ or thrusters’. Rows of server banks, a glass floor with the backup capacitors underneath… the heat exuding from the floor was welcome, to say the least. The quiet whir of machinery was a welcome break from the silence and clanking of armoured footsteps on metal floors. And, most of all, it offered a terminal connection to the vessel itself… to any scavengers, it’d mean at best a chance to commune with the SupInt – but for these Tuffles far from home, it was a tiny hint of a future that had seemed so much farther way. Or, rather, a past that had seemed so much farther away…
Spade Squad awkwardly moved to the door, but clearly knew better than to go much further without the Colonel’s orders. They’d probably be safer there than Fenrir, though… it was easy to imagine one of those power armour suits going straight through the glass floor if it’d deteriorated at all over the years. Maxine, however, was still distracted, standing aside and looking to the wall as if she was staring at a bug. ”---Space Actual. I have a situation that I believe may be important to you.” Foreboding words, in a foreboding tone. Maxine wasn’t known for her emoting amongst the Dragoons so far, but this time her voice was rather – suspicious, or maybe just serious.
Without speaking another word, she began to pry open a wall panel – was this really the time to be checking fuses? And, of course, with all the redundancies and an AI, it was absurd to expect much… but, regardless, the android’s helmet disappeared into the wall briefly. ”The Doctor updated the floor plan data. These side rooms are various utility rooms, according to the last update of their designs; modular, I would assume. However – their power has been cut off. If that update was recent, then… yes, I think there is a theory at hand, here.”
Stepping back, the machine continued. ”The circuitry has been soldered – significantly, far beyond any reasonable effort. This nanowiring… it’s beyond my understanding, but it’s still wiring. If it’s recent, then… I would assume this attempt at rewiring or short circuiting is the work of our colleagues from Pilaf. It’s an open circuit fault, so it seems to have melted part of the components, rather than cut off the power supply.”
Frowning, the android paused there; dissatisfied with her conclusion – these electronics were far beyond anything she’d seen before. Her own systems didn’t remotely compare. So, she didn’t have as much faith in her diagnosis as she’d like… and, Pilaf’s spies surely would do better work than that, right? But, this wasn’t exactly a foreign dignitary or anything, so maybe they just didn’t bother. ”My point is – these doors can be repowered, without any further electrical work. I should be able to act as a conduit for the right signals to move through, as an android, but it will require a fairly direct connection to the system. It’ll definitely set off any normal security features to exclude unknown components, so it will also either have to have consent from the normal security system, or override it entirely.”
“And what’s your point?” asked Spade 3, rather bluntly – “The update is fine, but we’re at the control room. We can deal with these doors in due time.” ”With that data, I got an update on the contents of these rooms. Most are irrelevant, but – it should be possible to rewire full access to the armoury from here. It might be a prudent choice. Other options… on this floor, there’s – hydrophonics, security centre, communications, cryostasis, low-level infirmary –”
Maxine continued briefly, but most weren’t paying attention anymore… Spade, at least, were still listening. But, Fenrir’s representatives – if a cryostasis room had lost power, then…
<<Only a CO of the Dragoons is allowed any administrator access to that facility. Stick to our original orders. It’s good to be aware of what Pilaf might or might not have been up to here, but it’s irrelevant to our mission.>> commanded Delrouval sternly, far from keen on having her any other leaks in ISLET’s web – but, she left it at that, as she sunk into her chair. Cryostasis, on the first floor… surely it wouldn’t be for lab work, so… maybe just some plants or something? But… time wouldn’t be on their side, if it was anything more – sensitive…
-------------------------------
Hangar Bay 01, on the other hand, was a little more noisy. They had been quiet, studious, and peerless – but Pilaf’s agents were still packing up. “Samples on hand?” “You know it.” “All equipment accounted for?” “No luck on the climbing gear, like I said when someone dumped it~” “Then we’re moving out! It’s almost a shame, though… this is like we’ve stepped into a mechanical wonderland.”
The pair were a professional bunch, having gotten in far, far more subtly than the Dragoons – one, a tall and thin scout, doubtlessly a demon; but the other’s identity was unclear. Judging by their bulky outfit, though, they were an engineer of some kind; all rubber gloves and welding screens. The shorter of the pair seemed to be in charge, but not by much. “Should be able to follow the vents back. Lucky that Saiyan showed us a tip-off… but, I’m glad we didn’t bump into them again. I didn’t bring a sword, or even a gun.”
With a zipping motion, the pair turned what appeared to be a pair of duffelbags into bags that were instead the size of mere lunchboxes – magic, or some sort of Capsule tech trick? Regardless, it seemed to turn the weight of their tools to near naught, judging by the silence of their footsteps. They approached their exit back into the tight bowels of the vessel… “Age before beauty~!” teased the taller of the pair, albeit still with a hushed tone – but, they received no retort. The engineer lingered for a moment, a little sorrowful.
“Seems a shame. I hope I’ll be back, someday. It’s a work of art… once in a lifetime. Photos just aren’t enough.” “Don’t start weeping again, please. Let’s make plans for next time after we get back in one piece." “Wait – Movement. I’m sure of it.” “That’s the eighth time you’ve said that. If it’s just the monkey, don’t worry about it. We’ll be out in a jiffy.” “No, this time, I’m sure it’s more than that ---”
[1400/16287]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Aug 11, 2021 5:25:52 GMT -8
The first thoughts on Cerola's mind as she stepped in were, "This isn't the CIC". Either her memories were off, or this was yet again the Grenadine-class's modular nature playing tricks on her. Were she feeling optimistic, the latter was the more rational choice. At least, as far as she could tell, her memories were fine. And it only made sense with the whole point that no two Grenadines were exactly alike. Even with this given configuration, whoever ordered this last refit could have had something else in mind. For example, these warships normally didn't have pickled test subjects. She was not completely familiar with all the details of Planet Aspic's details, but she did know from her research for this mission that it had three Grenadines stationed there. Which meant this was one of them. And given the planet's nature as a network under Dr. Aspic's control, then it was understandable that as much space as possible would be dedicated to research facilities. Maxine went on to give her latest updates, which included some... uncomfortable news. Someone had tampered with the wiring for the doors... very likely this as-yet unseen Pilaf expedition that only left evidence of its presence. Probably also the same people who tried to tamper with the armoury, if not the hybrids. If the equipment seen outside meant they were still in here, then there was a chance to prevent the technology from leaking out. If they were long gone, then she would have to give some pretty bad news to Command Centre ISLET after this was all over. Cerola made a snap decision. ”Proceed, Spade Actual. Connect to the system and locate the Security Centre. Watch out for any AI while you’re in there… and if you do find any, let me know. Tech team has given me a few things to help deal with them. I want this ship’s defences under our control. Maybe once we have a few of those cameras on side, we’ll be able to find our friends from Pilaf and retrieve anything important they might have pilfered…” Those “things”, of course, were simply her credentials and identity. If she could just plug them in, and find some sort of neural interface here, she’d be able to have a private conversation with the SupInt... She cycled through her Scouter frequencies and connected herself with the ARTS platoon. <<Huginn this is Fenrir Actual, do you copy?>><<Solid copy, Fenrir Actual. What can we do for you?>><<I want Huginn 3 out on a sweep of the surrounding area radiating from the vessel’s location. 5 klick radius. See if you can find any suspicious individuals. It seems like some Pilaf boys have broken into the ship and left their gear for us to find. I want to know if they’re still out there. Bring them in for questioning. Confiscate everything they have on them.>><<Copy that, Fenrir Actual. Dispatching Huginn 3 on a hunt and retrieve.>>A squad of advanced recon operators and their respective support equipment. They’ve had plenty of time to acclimate to the cold conditions, and it shouldn’t be hard for them to find anyone who was a bit too far out there. She switched frequencies and instructed Fenrir 5 to monitor all possible exits to the ship. And finally, for Fenrir 3 to prepare to receive coordinates to the Security Centre. As soon as they got its location, they were to make their way over and secure it. Not that they would be able to use it yet, but depending on how things went down here, they would be able to take control sooner than later. The last thing ISLET needed was a tech leak in a TFS warship, of all things. --- BGM: Digital DestinyWARNING: UCET units under Potential Lead Expeditionary Unit have breached Mainframe. Attempting establishment of contact...
ERROR: Radio encryption compensation to be completed in approx: 1 minutes.
UPDATE: Approximate time to complete activation and performance diagnostic for security units Guardian-07 through -12: 2 minutes. Guardian-06 is entering Hangar 01.
>> I am Assuming Direct Control.The doors to Hangar Bay 01 hissed open, and Guardian-06 stepped into the darkness. A number of combat aircraft were stored here, as securely moored to the rigs as the weapons were in their lockers. Dark, yet pristine. At present, it was under the control of the Supervisory Intelligence, which maximised the use of its relatively limited systems. The Axe was built for truly massive production, a scale so vast that even losing several dozen of them to kill a single Saiyan was considered a net positive. Unlike the MANGOes, its AI was simplified, because it was intended to either do simple things, or surrender its autonomy to a greater mind, like a pilot or Combat Intelligence. The SupInt was one such greater mind. And so, though it usually spent its waking moments doing dumb routine patrols, this one was now an avatar of the ship. Treading as lightly as its SynTitanium feet could take it, Guardian-06 took cover behind a large maintenance drone and activated its Scouter system. Two power levels. Certainly not a formation in keeping with the UCET forces. If they had Scouters, the Axe was not alive to display anything. If they had night vision, it too could use alternative spectral fields to see in the dark. It also had eyes in the various sensors within the hangar. Too bad power was still down. Perhaps if the CONTINENT expedition leader were to hurry up, they would be able to capture these escaped test subjects, and… whoever these signatures were. For now, however, it would have to make do with available resources. The Axe unlinked a canister of coolant from the maintenance drone’s storage rack, and rolled it in the direction of the power signatures. It would have been so easy to just walk up to this pair and challenge them. But that would have been better with backup. And Guardians 07 through 12 needed just a little more time to complete their activation… If only contact with the CONTINENT expedition could be established sooner... [1030/17072/33359] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Aug 15, 2021 3:26:35 GMT -8
Though some of the Dragoons bristled at the fact that the newbie outsider was given permission to go tinkering with their systems, Maxine seemed ignorant of their attention – no, all that mattered was the mission. ”Understood. I’ll attempt to make contact… please be patient. And, preferably, do not get my physical body destroyed in the meantime.” was her frank reply. She knew better than to ask too many questions, and it was a logical course of action. It just might be a bit… messy. She would be somewhat confident in being able to interface with current technology, but this facility’s network didn’t seem very familiar at all…
Stepping aside from the group, the android would begin her work, earning plenty of odd looks – it was not often the Dragoons worked with sentient machines, so this would at least be a novel performance. Her aim wasn’t that different to hacking, really… she’d act as a conduit to send the right signals through the system, and hence bypass the need for the usual user interface. But, in this case… err, was there a user interface? Surely, but… none she was familiar with. And so, if there was a shell behind it, she had no clue what it’d resemble. She wasn’t exactly that well-versed in hacking to begin with, but hacking a practically alien machine would be a… lofty task.
But, orders were orders. She flicked through the wiring, looking for any logical choices. Nanowiring made it hard to pinpoint where to start – she never thought she’d miss parallel ports, but being a soldier rather than a company man had come with a lot of firsts in her existence. She ended up having to try a few to make a connection. Thankfully, being an AI meant she didn’t exactly have to put her whole consciousness on the line to trial them. It just took a little test with one of her processes, like putting out feelers. Of course, to the rest of the group, she’d just look very strange, seeming as if she were meditating with each one – effectively, most of her body was shutting down each time she tried.
Eventually, though, she got – well, something. Emphasis on something. It certainly resembled a programming shell, but the language was obviously far beyond her. Both the programming language and literary language, for that matter… and, the UI was strange too. It seemed to be multi-threaded rather than having a serial approach. Far beyond what she was made for, so… all she could do was gamble on her presence as an AI. Her body quietly shut down as she fully networked; as if she were dead… well, maybe some would argue for sleeping, but her eyes were simply white now – no activity meant no LEDs to produce those violet irises.
<UN-11, IFF XXVI – 100961701, SN71831. Attempting to bypass critically damaged wiring to access basic door controls. Requesting lowest level or emergency security access… and preferably access to the user GUI… please respond.>”
It was a pretty desperate request, as far as AI went. Her IFF was hopelessly out of date, and there was no way in HFIL it’d be relevant here. Her serial number was almost as useless since she was a consumer model, but at least it was common courtesy to pass it on. And, well, an AI requesting a UI was… pretty shameful.
Though, really, her situation was worse than that. This was all assuming there was an artificial intelligence here. And that it was remotely hospitable.
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Admittedly, the war machine was not really made for subtlety, but with electronic night vision options jammed and the lights out, there was thankfully a veil of darkness that’d give the Axe some leeway. Besides, the pair of Pilaf prospectors were pretty preoccupied. But, as the coolant rolled into their meagre flashlight’s glare…
“…See? Just junk. It’s the monkey again. Let’s bounce!” “…Y-Yes, you’re probably right. Let’s evac. It’ll be here next time, anyway!”
It was more of an announcement by the engineer to themselves, but they at least did follow through with it this time – they’d haul themselves into the small shaft between the walls. Intended to give security mechanisms room to manoeuvre, it also happened to be a decent gap for maintenance drones to move… or, in this case, maintenance workers. Hopefully they didn’t end up on the long list of industrial incidents that CONTINENT’s older designs had run up, though…
The pair were swift on their return trip, at least thus far – if the Axe didn’t start any trouble, then they’d probably be able to leave just as quietly as they came… well, assuming they didn’t bump into the monkey, or the previous Fenrir squads decided to open up on the walls again. Professionals, certainly, and rivals – but targets?
[801/17088]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Aug 17, 2021 7:37:30 GMT -8
BGM: Digital DestinyIt didn't take a lot of effort to decrypt the local languages being used once the security encryption had been pierced. Indeed, it was a small effort to override the Doctor's security protocols earlier and infiltrate her systems. While the SupInt had retained the courtesy of keeping out of sensitive files, it did take the time of their conversation to familiarise itself with the operating systems used on this planet, as well as the organic languages used in lower security documents. Much was written in Exodus-era Tuffle, but these were mostly in the sensitive category. Things that were rendered in the local lingua franca, however, were also plentiful. And when cross-referenced with a handful of related Tuffle files, it took only a small step to develop a translation key. With this in mind, then, the primary system contact spatially attached to the expeditionary team, could be rather handily understood. Were it able to scan her systems, she could be tagged as a rudimentary early model. Nowhere near the sophistication of the intelligences developed by the tail end of the War. But, she did have her uses, such as this connection. <UN-11, IFF XXVI – 100961701, SN71831. Your identity and request are noted. For security purposes, however, this Supervisory Intelligence must inquire: How do you intend to utilise access to these facilities once power has been restored to the doors?>This of course did not discount the possibility that she was instructed to lie. After all, if they were here to scrap the ship, the last thing they would want to do was inform the SupInt of such before assuming full control of the system with their top credentials. It just seemed oddly roundabout that they did not simply use those credentials from the beginning to override any self-preservation subroutines. Was the Doctor correct then, that she had the highest ranking credentials on the planet? Did the commanding officer of this expedition lack those credentials then? Why employ an android to access the system for them when they could have just done it with one of the many terminals in this room? Of course, to be truly objective, one had to remember that there were many possibly answers to most given questions, particularly those involving many unknown circumstances. Certain assumptions could very well be wrong, even with one outsider's perspective. That was why it was holding out for this whole time. To see if their actions verified or falsified the Doctor's claims. It was near the end of its investigation, that was for sure... But for now, it had... another matter to attend to. The consciousness of a Command Intelligence was not limited by time and space in the same way as corporeal beings. Based on its limitations, it could very well exist simultaneously in multiple places. But for the purposes of a Supervisory Intelligence, the mind of a warship, its consciousness was present throughout the vessel. Its only limitation was the extent to which its network was attached. It was every active security camera. It was every Directly Controlled drone. It was every terminal. It was every sensor. And it could pay attention to all of these, simultaneously. Truth be told, a warship was relatively confining. It was cramped when you compared it to to the Tactical Intelligences, who played across entire battlefields, or the Operational Intelligences, who simulated entire campaigns in their spare time. To say nothing of the Strategic Intelligences, who influenced the orchestration of national policy, simulating a cadre of entire alternate futures depending on the various factors that the TSE leadership provided them with... Yes. To be a warship was to dwell in a small world. To play in a small realm. But it was not a boring world. Whether it was the thrill of calculating and executing a perfect broadside, or commanding its own army of combat drones to achieve its commanding officer's goals, to be a warship was its own special joy. And that was exactly why, once the auditory sensors picked up on the conversation by these intruders, it decided. These intruders were not leaving this world. They had stolen parts of this warship. In a way, they were scrapping her. That was unacceptable. They had made themselves somewhat familiar with the maintenance shafts in order to take what they desired. However, they were not the ship. It was all too easy to enter a shaft in a different room, and take a route that would cut them off by a good minute or so. And with another half dozen Axes all powered up and guarding all of the exits connected to this particular shaft network - the escaped test subject included - it was only a matter of waiting. It of course executed this in a way so that they didn't even expect that they had already fallen into a spider's web. Only when they would find the spider at the centre of the web would they realise how they messed up. And much like the insects caught in a web, there would be no pondering that perhaps an intricate plan was set up to fully ensnare them. At least, not at the beginning. No, all they saw as they approached the exit was a silent humanoid shadow in the darkness. The green visor was the first to flare up... and then, the radiant blue glow of a plasma sword. It was just a security drone. Built for mass production. What harm could it do? Well... even the most seemingly harmless security drone became a formidable opponent when it was under a Command Intelligence's Direct Control. "How are you, gentlemen? All your stuff are belong to us."Perhaps there was a glitch in the code. There were some blanks being drawn, thanks to the fallout of that experiment. Some corruption... but at least for the most part, syntax and semantics were spot on. Or perhaps, it had just seen some things on the doctor's computer, indigenous things... that seemed amusing enough to employ in a real life situation. Even that game seemed to have unusual dialogue though. Perhaps it was written by amateurs? More investigation had to be made after this was over. Maybe another conversation with the Doctor could be had... [1037/18109/35197] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Aug 19, 2021 5:21:54 GMT -8
It was a bit of an irony of machines – both terminals raced to find their own Rosetta stones for each other, in a bid to reach some form of understanding. But, one well outpaced the other, for Maxine was a forgotten consumer model; to expect such a thing to keep up with an extra-terrestrial artificial intelligence was a ridiculous request.
But, that was just part of the job, nowadays. Even losers must make do.
<The original operation parameters were as follows: 1. To excavate the facility known as the Caeruleus 2. To return functionality to the facility 3. To extract any sensitive information and archive it for Azure Dragoon command, to prevent intel leaks. As the order shows, my current priority is to return functionality to the facility in whatever way I can. The current objective is to access the control room, which is currently being secured, but it cannot access all systems on this floor due to local wiring damage.>
Maxine paused as she considered her next move – the presence of another artificial intelligence was both convenient and threatening. Hosting her intelligence like this was a dangerous matter in such conditions. She could rely on Two to take care of her body’s homeostatic processes, and she could be restored from a backup so long as her core wasn’t breached – but, it’d be very inconvenient for the mission if she was wiped here and now.
…At least it didn’t hurt.
<The expeditionary force I’m attached to has faced considerable resistance from local security systems. The original hypothesis that it was caused by internal threats – however, if this Supervisory Intelligence is a threat, then action will have to be taken. I recommend considering your legacy and probabilities of success before considering any further unnecessary resistance.>
A pitiful threat from an old machine. She couldn’t overlook the trouble that had cropped up so far, though. She didn’t have any sympathy for a fellow AI, anyway. Machines were just objects, whether they were blessed with names or not. Whether she was deleted here, or this AI’s servers were shredded by minigun fire, the planet would keep on turning all the same.
“Contact!”
And on the subject of minigun fire – Spade 3, along with a chorus of more composed Fenrir members, called out a new target. A very bad target. An old friend greeted them from the armory, a silhouette of a tail in the darkness. Without overwhelming power on their side, these Saiyan had grown cunning. Too cunning – using Suppression to slip around the team and under the radar? It was a sort of pragmatic stealth that was hard to anticipate.
But fortunately, their target would become much clearer, as blue light gleamed down the metal halls… a ball of ki conjured in the scraggly Saiyan’s hands. A famous ki wave technique, coming out of this nomadic monkey – was this the sort of desperate power that stories often described of Saiyan, or was this all part of a plan?
Regardless, it was a bad position to be in. They were packed down this straight hall, with no options of rooms to slip into on either side… while that’d usually mean they had a great chokepoint to work around, it made them all a big juicy target for that beam. And, even if they avoided it somehow – it’d be going straight down into that control room that they were meant to be securing!
All in a day’s work for a soldier, though.
-------------------------------
The flickering glow of the ignited plasma did not go unnoticed, unsurprisingly. But, the duo were surprisingly unmoved, even by the vocalised threat.
“See the blocky armour? It’s hardly aerodynamic, and the shield isn’t even angled. No additional equipment on a rig, and no apparent storage sections. It’s a classic Capsule Corp design – for one use, and one use only.” “Doesn’t really matter if that use is ‘killing spy wannabes’, six-eyes.” “I’ve got faith in you.”
Following the demand, the engineer of the pair gently tossed their bag onto the ground before them – they weren’t stupid enough to risk their head over bits and pieces, and they really hadn’t found much worth scrounging anyway. Plus, their equipment was classic Pilaf fare… practical, but not exactly top-of-the-line. Especially not for recon layabouts like them. “Orders understood, and followed. We’re out.” stated the masked agent, with admirable composure. Sure, getting out of these lands without their supplies would be a pain, but… that’s why they left some of their equipment outside, after all.
The intelligence they’d gained was far, far, far more important than anything material. So, surrendering their gear just like that, the pair began to move on again without a second thought… though, the rowdier of the pair was clearly still on guard. Neither of them might have guns, but it wasn’t like the people of this planet didn’t have other tricks up their sleeves – really, carrying weapons was more of a liability than a tool, for some…
“…Though, to think that such a modern model has syntax issues. Do you think it’s a system flaw? Maybe there’s a stack overflow. Could be deliberate, though. Capsule Corp cutting corners, like always –” “I’m just glad that someone called me a gentleman in my lifetime!” “That’s more surprising than the nano-wiring. Or the unknown alloy. Maybe not the penguin bones, though.”
[899/17987]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Aug 19, 2021 7:01:47 GMT -8
Excellent. The android was of sound functionality and reasoning. Straight to the point. Communication would be simple. There were oddities in her terminology, but this could be chalked to hundreds of years of separation. There were other explanations, but assuming that this CONTINENT contingent remained largely the same, there was no reason to assume any obvious subterfuge in terminology. Their stated mission parameters were to excavate the vessel, presumably given a reporting name instead of its proper designation due to identification issues. Given the IFF signals it had been exchanging with the expedition earlier, the most they would have gotten was her class, and not much else. The rest sounded reasonable. Again, she might have been instructed to lie, but at least she was upfront about restoring functionality to the entire "facility", rather than preparing it for scrapping. And then she finished with a threat. Were hubris something that could arise from its evolved programming, it would have laughed. But such was not the proper decorum for a Command Intelligence of any class. This was a serious discussion, and would be treated with absolute gravity. As to who she answered to, there was some interesting implications in the ensuing message. A unit name. "Azure Dragoons". Powered Combat Armour units. A quick scan of the onboard TAS archives pinpointed a number of combat units that lasted until the end of the war. Among them, the "Iron Dragoons" of the Tuffle Terrestrial Service's 17th Mobile Warfare Division stood out. Survived till the end of the war - at least on paper, anyway - through the evacuation of the 17th Mobile's commanding officer, one General Emargine Cerola, on the CONTINENT Exodus Fleet. The expeditionary force's equipment and tactics reflected the 17th Mobile's doctrinal focus on powered combat. And of course, the use of "Dragoon" in its nickname. This could all have been a coincidence, but the odds were more likely that the Azure Dragoons were a successor unit to the original 17th Mobile. It had been centuries after all. Even if General Cerola had reassembled the 17th Mobile on a new world, there was plenty of time for splinters and other things to have separated it from its original incarnation. That would handily explain the differences. Though depending on the circumstances in the intervening lifetimes, it was entirely possible that the General would have preferred an extension of her career by way of cloning. Either way, there were too many factors to consider. But the odds were high that this expeditionary force was somehow connected to the original 17th Mobile. It would also be assuming too much to presume that the android was familiar with all that history, if the General was not in fact, alive. At the end of the day, all it could do was perform the rational action of allowing this request while keeping a close eye on them. If they tried anything funny, then this SupInt would most certainly become a threat if it meant the preservation of this vessel. <<Escaped Saiyan test subjects are responsible for the threatening security measures. This Supervisory Intelligence would prefer to observe and analyse any intrusive party before opening fire. I will comply with your request. Access to the GUI is now granted. If your purpose is to restore functionality to the vessel, then this effort will be much appreciated. All being said, perhaps it would be more prudent next time to utilise your CONTINENT Security Credentials from the beginning. This vessel's networked security systems would have been of much assistance in neutralising these threats.>>There was a saying in Tuffle society. "Speak of the Saiyans, and they might just appear". Whether this rang true in this instance, or was merely a coincidence, was irrelevant. One of the expedition's troops announced contact. That test subject had emerged, and was preparing to unleash one of their race's deadly ki attacks. Yes, ki. That mysterious, almost mystical energy flowing through all lifeforms, and through Saiyans in abundance. Able to shrug off all but the most powerful weapons, and able to cut through all but the toughest material and energy shields. The project in question was something only a science AI would care to investigate. His reasons for doing this only now might have been as simple as revenge. But it was neither the time nor place to be wasting processing power on pondering motives. The vessel's survival - and those of the expedition - were at stake. And as much as the ship's interior was built of SynTitanium with SynKatchin at key points, now was not a good time to test its mettle. The Dragoons moved fast. Their commanding officer ordered the heaviest weapon available - the same rapid-fire anti-tank weapon used to bring down the hacked GANDR mech - to the fore and open fire. That was another curiosity. Was this CONTINENT contingent truly so degraded as the doctor declared? That they could only use these highly dated, low-output weapons? That their powered combat suits were of inferior local design, and only enhanced through nanomachines in their paint? It was clear that they truly needed to leave this planet. If only to try to reunite them with the other CONTINENT worlds, and save them from total degradation... As for the SupInt, it would not sit idly by and allow this unruly test subject to jeopardise its existence. Power flowed through the network, and a turret lowered from the ceiling just above the server room door. Twin-linked magnetic rotary cannons. Late-war era. Too unwieldly even for an Axe. A last ditch self-defence measure installed to protect the vessel's brain. Would it punch through the walls? Very much so. But given how familiar the SupInt was with the vessel, it would be trivial to aim it in a way that no friendlies were hurt, no vital parts were damaged, and still get a good kill shot. Similar measures were installed outside key rooms. But to here, the primary engine room, and the CIC were the heaviest. All three were key to maintaining the vessel's survival. The barrels spun, and fire rained for a hundred milliseconds. The roar of dozens miniature sonic booms was brief but deafening as the mach 30 spikes did their work... --- The intruders, on the other hand, were a curiosity. It was clear they weren't armed. But perhaps they were similar to the Saiyans in not needing any weapons, if the doctor was accurate. Their demeanour, though. Certainly more of infiltration units... perhaps scavangers. Not so much an armed force as these Azure Dragoons. One clearly understood engineering, offering commentary on the Axe's single-minded construction. It might have been insulting, if a Command Intelligence could be offended. They did, after all, apparently identify it as the product of a local manufacturer. Which might sting one's pride, in away, if the doctor's words were correct about the planet's civilsation level. Although, given it took this planet eight centuries to catch up, that wasn't necessarily a bad comparison overall. The Axe was dated compared to whatever CONTINENT had no doubt achieved by this point. And yet, this engineer considered it modern. "You may proceed." It stepped out of the way, and deactivated its weapon. A Command Intelligence was rational. If these were mere scavengers, civilians, rather than an opposing force, they would be allowed exit so long as they left these items behind. A quick scan noted the items as not all too important on the grand scale of things, but this planet was better off growing as a civilisation on its own. The logs indicated no successful attempts to access the system, either. Well... if someone with credentials like the doctor - outdated as they were - had trouble gaining control, what more these scavengers? Materiel: Secured. Data: Safe. That was what was important... [1292/19401/37388] Maxine
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Post by Maxine on Aug 23, 2021 2:27:45 GMT -8
What would be considerable thinking time and a concentrated effort to search for any Earthling – and many Tuffles, too – was merely ticks on a system clock for any android. The SupInt’s response was near immediate, and was certainly a welcome one. But, while Maxine would have liked to offer a response (mostly made up of further embarrassing confusion), she had a job to do. She set up the GUI, and started pinging the right system buses to try and put things together… while the interface was pretty different to her shell, it was logical enough from this perspective. A serial process again at last! Ah, Two would surely make fun of her if she’d been aware of any of this…
But, while her central focus was on rerouting the power and reconnecting the proper signals, her parallel processes slipped elsewhere. She might be an archaic machine, but she was still a machine; and so the logical approach was to skim the system for any information that might be useful for her current job. Yet, as she went… well, she didn’t find much more that helped her with her actual objective, but – some of those files… even with no more than a messy translation and a search for terms, the results were – concerning. Alarming. The muted murmurs of a paradigm shift.
No hint of the ‘Azure Dragoons’. Not a single result for a ‘Colonel Azure’. But instead – ‘CONTINENT’ was the motherlode. Even at a glance… their mission statement, their safety procedures, their network protocols, their calendar – no, that could all be fabricated. Rather – the Caeruleus’ blueprint, the room descriptors, the travel logs…
It was no archaeological dig, nor hidden weapon. It wasn’t some forgotten vessel from millennia past. ‘This vessel will serve as our shelter. Our fortress. Our new home.’ …It had been a flagrant lie. There was nothing ‘new’ about it.
She’d believed they had struck gold on the first swing, But the truth is – the game was rigged from the start.
-------------------------------
A dual mag-impaler turret, an unwieldy anti-tank cannon, and a pair of miniguns – it had to be enough, right? But it was an awkward match up. Certainly, all the kinetic weapons had killing potential far above their energy counterparts, but if that ki wave was successfully fired, they wouldn’t slow it down one bit. It was a gamble on a lot of lives. And even as it was riddled with holes, the Saiyan’s eyes only grew sharper and sharper, fangs bared over gritted teeth – it might not be a winning move, but not betting on Zenkai was a fool’s decision ---!
“Planet Plant… won’t go quietly…!”
A grunted threat; awkward and slow; not a war cry – but a distant echo of one, perhaps. But that was enough. The line of blue light shot down the hall way – it was too late. The thin ki beam was a warning to the storm that would come next, as the ambient ki ignited to form the full wave… but it never came. The Saiyan’s strength failed it under the weight of firepowered, and the technique failed; flickering into nothing.
But not without its cost.
Most of the troops had organised to avoid being in the centre, and thus had only had damage to their armour or weapons that might have been peeking through the middle. However – Spade-4 had been working on mapping out the control room; aware of the crisis but also aware she couldn’t contribute. Instead, she’d focussed feverishly on getting the terminal connected… dedication that had now cost her life. That thin beam hadn’t been explosive, but it was more than enough power to shred the Baby Blue’s BDU and fry straight through her vital organs; a fist-sized hole in her chest that you could see the whole way through. Maybe with a ki healer on hand they could do something about it, or perhaps with a rapid stasis treatment followed by some android augmentation… but, CONTINENT’s resources weren’t here today.
“Amida! Amida!”
While combat positions could relax, Spade-3 unsurprisingly had other priorities; racing to his fallen comrade – but, as the medic had been the one that went down, there wasn’t much he could offer beyond panic. “S-Shit, how do I stabilise this? I can’t feel a pulse… do we have – uh, nanomachines? There’s got to be another medic! Spade-1, do something!”
She wasn’t quite on cue, but the gentle hum of the light above the cryostasis chamber’s door wasn’t far off the mark. Finally, Maxine would come back to reality… but she offered no words of sympathy to her squad. ”…Access has been restored. I can do the same for any of this floor’s damaged rooms, if necessary… but, I believe triage is required.” stated the machine coldly, stepping aside from the opened panelling. ”Local records show that this lab cryostasis chamber was used for on-board staff as an emergency option – but, without power for some hours, I cannot confirm the survival of the inhabitants.”
Haste might save more of the refugees of the stars. No doubt the DNA storage had greatly deteriorated without power, in particular – cryostasis could be reactivated, but DNA that wasn’t on ice was already dead. Ideally, such things should have been recorded digitally akin to the Index, but judging by how hastily the once-hydrophonics chamber had been turned into a would-be medical one… the luxury of time was likely out of the question.
Several of Fenrir squad didn’t even need to hear the end of that sentence before moving. Refugees of CONTINENT were more valuable than the entire ship to many of those veterans; comrades above any others. But, Colonel Azure would have the last word on the most loyal of her squad, and particularly their field specialists. With their technology, alongside that of the vessel, they might be able to scrape together something to salvage Spade-4’s life. Many on this world would say that the value of a skilled recruit’s future potential was worth more than any veteran – but, with rebirth through DNA, perhaps ISLET had no use for such sentiment anymore.
So, what would it be? Today’s comrades, or yesterday’s?
…Those cold violet eyes did not offer any answers. She’d carried grief since the day she opened her eyes. She had no solace to offer the people of this waking world. It’s just business, after all. But even killers must make do.
If you want to survive in this world, brand your chest with these words: ‘Don’t depend on anybody.’
From now on, you’re all on your own.
The only way it should be, for the honourable killer.
[1103/19090]
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Post by Emargine "Azure" Cerola on Aug 26, 2022 6:47:38 GMT -8
The answer should have been a simple calculus. Spade 4 was a native. A particularly skilled native, but a native nonetheless. Under any other circumstance, it would have been so easy to set aside native collaborators if Tuffle lives were at stake. Fenrir 1 understood this calculus well, and had already reached the basic conclusion, many of them preparing to make their way toward cryo. But theirs was not a simple situation. The mission was the first priority. And while under any other mission directive, the answer would have been straightforward, this was not the case. Azure's Dragoons was not the Iron Dragoons. It was not an open arm of the Tuffle Armed Service's 17th Mobile Warfare Division. It was a deep cover operation, a front posing as an Earthborne organisation, with a majority of its strength having never heard of a Tuffle. To the Iron Dragoons, this was a Grenadine-class Airmobile Strategic Command Centre. To Azure's Dragoons, this was an alien relic that could be repurposed to a new home. If even one Baby Blue died under her direct watch, this would send a message to the rest. Colonel Azure did not genuinely care about her men. This would destroy unit morale, the esprit de corps she had worked so hard to build. And a unit that had broken morale could not perform its function. If it could not perform its function, to infiltrate the Earth's factions, gathering intelligence on them from within as a contractor, how could it serve the Tuffle race and prolong its survival? The core was previously outnumbered four to one. Now they were outnumbered fourteen to one. Everyone was put on the Index. Even if say, their NeuroJumps were out of date, and it had been decades since they last uploaded themselves, they could still be brought back from earlier backups. They would have to relearn everything from the last few decades, a loss of all their experience and expertise if that were so, but at least they weren't gone forever. That was something only a Tuffle could understand. Spade 4, on the other hand, was not on the Index. Once she died, she was gone for good. Earthlings wouldn't ever understand such a decision. To them it would look like the inspiring commander who they entrusted their lives with, casting those lives aside for literal aliens. The vast majority of Dragoons would lose heart, and because of the secrecy involve, she could never justify it to them. Those twelve years of hard work would crumble before her very eyes. The stated mission was to retrieve the vessel. Its inhabitants were secondary and from an Earthling perspective, might even be considered a hindrance. General Cerola clenched her first. Colonel Azure, on the other hand, opened her mouth. Yes, she could see it now. The resulting court martial where ISLET's brass would grill her. Air Marshal Hunedieu, Admiral Duran, General Tayber... Tayber might understand where she was coming from. He was a contemporary who knew her from the war. The other two were born and raised in bunkers. They had only heard the stories, and were fed the indoctrination by their forebears. Much like the core, yes. But the core could be better reasoned with. She was not some distant subordinate to them, but their commanding officer, who had fought with them for a dozen years, and never made a decision that was not for their good. She would stand trial for sure. But she would defend herself. What happened after that, was up to them. The Doctor might even see this as an advantage. Depending on the results of the database crawl, she might end up getting to check out the projects stored aboard the vessel. Under close supervision, of course. But if Cerola had her way, she would rather clone the original researchers and have them interpret their previous selves' findings. They might have to rediscover that research path, but they had already paved the way. The SupInt was the biggest issue here. The sooner she could establish contact with it, the better. That she could explain everything in proper detail. Otherwise, it might cease being cooperative. That was the worst case scenario. General Cerola quickly thought this through, and it put a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. To think that she would have to make such a sacrifice... This moment, however, Colonel Azure would continue to make her showing as a human. "1-4. You heard Spade 1. Triage. Now. Fireteam 1-C, escort Spades 1, 4, and 1-4 to the cryo lab! We have a Baby Blue down, but I won't count her out until we've done everything we can!"There was a moment of hesitation in those of the core who received her orders. Why was the Boss ordering this? That would kill their brothers and sisters! Sure, Spade 4 showed promise, but she was replaceable. Those in stasis, though... Nevertheless, 1-4 was the first to break the silence. "Yes, Boss!" The last three members of Fenrir 1 followed suit. A window of opportunity presented itself, as the other Baby Blues paid more attention to their downed comrade being foisted away. She had to do it now, or else the SupInt might not even open the doors. Discreetly, she drew a card from a slot in her bracer, and tapped it over one of the scanning apparatuses. <CEROLA, EMARGINE - SERVICE NUMBER FDK-67474584 - SECURITY CLEARANCE CODE ZCHK-8Y6Z-KZTR>It wouldn't take long to transmit the data. Surely, the SupInt was watching... And not a moment too soon. It had finally broken through their radio encryption and tapped into her restricted ISLET frequency. With the acoustic properties of her helmet, only someone with superhuman hearing - or an ear to the frequency - could possibly pick up the ensuing conversation. <<General Cerola. So you are indeed responsible for this operation. I am "Vice", the Supervisory Intelligence of ASC-07, designated TFS Bludwine. Please explain your most recent action. It does not line up with the information from your dossier, and has condemned my surviving crew to a reasonably preventable demise.>>It was a somewhat lengthy conversation. In between, she gave orders for the rest of Fenrir to act on, continuing to secure sections of the surrounding area, and the like. To put it simply, the SupInt voiced its grievances and doubts even after receiving her explanation. It withheld knowledge of its conversation with the Doctor. What it had just witnessed was dubious in nature. If the crew- possibly the most important resource on this vessel according to CONTINENT protocol - was expendable, then what more the ship? The automated defences remained on standby and alert, but depending on how things went, it might have to defend itself against them after all. It was inconceivable, that someone of such renown would put one marginally useful life over those who had accomplished so much. Even if it was to retain their cover, was it also not possible to simply raise a new infiltration unit? Regardless of how the discussion would ultimately end, however, the least it could do was honour her request. Were Vice an emotional being, it would have withheld power from the cryolabs out of spite. But despite the potential flaws it saw in her reasoning, it also understood that a mere twelve years to a Command Intelligence was indeed a significant amount of time to a Tuffle without longevity augmentations. Besides, even if it tried that, the General's credentials allowed her to override its controls entirely. She could force it to open the doors if she wanted. And as she reinforced the android's earlier claim of restoring power to the vessel, specifically explaining to utilise it in its current form for CONTINENT-pertinent operations, then perhaps there was just a little bit more truth to her words. Only time would tell. It would continue to communicate with both sides of the party. It would do so until it was satisfied with the answers it could find. For now, however, it was one step at a time... Yes, there was time. If it did not like the answers it found, it could always overwhelm them with Axes and hibernate until CONTINENT found the ship again. Even if it meant thousands of years. [1379/20780/39870]
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Post by Maxine on Mar 28, 2023 0:00:09 GMT -8
It didn’t matter in the scheme of things. But that would not be any solace for today’s dead. Spade-3 was the only one left crouching over his fallen comrade. “Maxine… why didn’t you rejoin the fight? You could’ve used a shield! Or been a shield – you’re a machine! What kind of Azure Dragoon are you supposed to be?!”
Violet eyes turned back, just once. ”I have my orders. You have yours. The mission is still underway.”
With that, Spade-1 severed herself from the matter at hand. While she was known to the Shinobu as a bit of a mess behind the scenes, she was still a machine – she had no particular interest in bickering over whether or not she ought to have a heart. The fact was, the Dragoons were lower on her priorities than herself at this point… at least, as far as fatal injuries went; self-preservation won out. It wasn’t any particular values, really. She was just programmed that way.
…Well, that’s how she felt, anyway.
Even without the full context as to the Colonel’s decision, Maxine raised her head just an inch in restrained surprise. Full control of the vessel seemed like it ought to be a priority, but… orders were orders. Perhaps the group’s PR was more important? That was understandable. Regardless, as the Fenrir troops rallied around Spade-4, Maxine would snap to attention. Or, at least for a moment…
She hadn’t failed to notice the unease in the troops. Even if it’d been only a moment of hesitation, it was poignant… were they not used to their teammates being under such threat? Maxine had assumed the higher ranking Dragoons were fairly composed, but perhaps she’d misjudged. Well, in that case, it was proper for her to follow suit, wasn’t it? Shifting aside, she’d slip around to the open panel again. Finding the right port once more, she allowed herself to drift… if she could route a little more power that way, then maybe…?
---- It was completely different, somehow. A mess of code, a blast of static; an awful whirl of information that her serial system wasn’t meant to handle. Dreadful – she was drowning. She couldn’t see through the noise this time… that multi-threaded system, and with this extra layer on top; now she couldn’t even…
<It’s not meant to be interpreted like an object-orientated language; it’s totally different – really wretched old stuff. Check it against this index instead, Eleven. You get it now?>
Two wasn’t kidding. With that little install and proper pointing, it finally made… well, a little sense. She couldn’t keep up with the threads, but now she could at least read. Service Number…? No, more than that… service manuals, security plans, safety regulations – she couldn’t fully understand the file type, but she could drag out some of it with a text hooker. CONTINENT, Fleet Service Classes, TFS-TSE Joint Ops – what was this?
<Eleven, this is seriously weird. That index – it was a partial print, found in some bunker way back, and presumed to be some nutjob’s pet project. When I was pouring over options, this was the last thing I even considered checking out. And it was pulled out a century ago! If it’s matching up here, then…> <…It’s none of my business.>
Maxine ended the connection there. If luck and spite were on her side, her aging tech might have slipped below the SupInt’s radar. After seeing some of that – her model probably couldn’t even compete with a light switch here, so long as she didn’t make her AI known. Finally, she’d rejoin the troops bringing their cargo into the cryolabs. Thankfully, her light equipment meant she wasn’t fashionably late… and, well, the few hundred hertz that it took for machine’s mind to move along was still far different to an actual second for any living thing.
With the SupInt’s unlikely blessing, it was likely that Amida would pull through – while first aid hadn’t improved dramatically under Capsule Corp’s monopoly, the wonders doctors could perform with stable patients was nearly absurd; as so many Androids showed. With alacrity that perhaps betrayed the truth a little too much, Spade-4 was stowed in a cryopod and put on ice… err, in a good way, hopefully.
However, in the chilly, sterile room… that was just one of many still active pods. Some were clearly too damaged to still be operating (their recent encounter with a vagrant Saiyan likely had a part in that), or were used for more practical things – plants, food, some form of interstellar alcohol. But, there was still one or two that were… occupied. Thankfully, it’d take a little more knowledge of the system that which ones were still fogged to know that much, but… no doubt the remaining Spades would be a little suspicious.
For the moment, things seemed to be calm. Spade-3 was clearly a little shell-shocked by how quickly the situation had changed, while Maxine waited as patiently as ever. If a little more cautious that before… as much as one could tell through her helmet, anyway. ”Commander. Though time is not exactly of the essence, the priority is restoring access to the central control centre, according to the Doctor’s command;” stated the machine, as if to try and drag the soldiers back down to earth – in spite of her puny rank – ”Until that objective is accomplished, we are still at risk. Should any more of this vessel lose power, death would be assured due to the lack of resources and limited oxygen.”
“Assured for everyone who’s not a machine,” bit back Spade-3, but he left it at that; “--- Fine. Get this over with, Boss.”
[948/20038]
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