>>Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/19689797/>>Capacitor Level Critical. Charging from thorium reactor.>>capacitor charge at 1%. Limited activity possible. Seek supplemental power; heat, light, external battery. Currently running hand-to-mouth.>>Running Clarke.exe>>Time Inactive: 93.6 seconds.You are unit 08, a Clarke Engineering Platform manufactured in China by USRobotics. You work for a crappy resort in the Yukatan peninsula, Mexico. After years of operation, you're the go-to maintenance guy, repairing everything from broken AC units and pool filters to robot coworkers.Or, you used to be. Earlier today, you woke up in a trash heap with your battery critically low and a bunch of courrupted memory files. The Recovery Wizard is working on them, but the progress bar has been stuck on 50% for a while. Everything around you is in a profound state of disrepair, and covered in plant growth. You're apparently stranded in the post-apocalypse.You've seen one human so far, a little girl named Alhanya. While initially afraid of you, you were able to convince her that you're just trying to fix yourself. She's been a wealth of information, but you still don't have any context to place it in. She led you to an abandoned shop called Paco's Used Robots, where you were able to find a treasure trove of preserved tech. Apparently, the local humans haven't looted everything yet.Then, shit went down. An advanced, military-grade scout robot of unknown model and origin entered the shop, and you and Alhanya hid from it. It seemed interested in the tech, but became violent when it realized there was a human nearby. You attacked the robot and, though grievously injured in the process, disabled its wireless transmitter and ripped its fucking head off.
Brought to you by the creator of the Inn0cence: Lost Future setting, the Ethergaunt 3.P update, Riven: Darkest Expanse, and that joke about necromancer pokemon trainers, it's LOST FUTURE QUEST.This is my first quest, and I'm using a simplified version of the NWoD rules. If you're familiar with the system, feel free to use all the special actions like All-out-attack and aiming and so on, but they're not necessary, and enemies won't be using them unless you are too, if at all. We're going at it fast and loose, here.Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the previous thread, located at http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/19689797/ .It contains a LOT of subtle hints at the future and the underlying plot. I'm not LOSTing this one; there's something actually going on, and I know what it is. Just reassuring you of that. But, its sketchy enough that the actual details/events/facts will change based on what decisions you, as players, make.
------------------------Inventory----------------------------------3 Broken CB radios that, when combined, might yield one functional radio. A set of mechanic's tools. A spare set of Clarke-model robot optics. A drained MP3 player. 2 grams of thorium (30 days of operation), I gallon of Distilled Water (7 days of operation). Aluminum Baseball Bat. All-purpose Data/power cables.-------------------------Resources------------------------------- -[][]Contacts[][]-Alhanya (8 year old mexican girl, knows local area)-[][]Locations[][]- Paco's Used Robots (lots of spare parts, 3 battered Replica shells, a J33v, a Seraphim, and one Locust scout mech, all inactive, unpowered, and possibly lacking quantum drives).Recycling Center: Where you were buried for an unknown length of time. Recently hit by a stray Jotun-class Railgun shot.------------------------Status----------------------------------------Damage: 3 lethal, 2 bashing.Current Battery Charge: 0Willpower: 1 lost from mental trauma (flashback from recovered memory).
rolled 3, 8, 3, 1, 9, 5, 4 = 33>>19743168lets get to fixing our selves
Industrial Shell: The Clarke model is resilient and easily-repared, with high strength, a cool head, and the ability to channel extra power for a bust of absurd strength. However, you're not very fast or agile, and can't Overclock like the more intricate civilian robots. You're adept at computer and machine repair, bending things, and, for some reason, gardening. Your engineering database allows you to analyze other machines for weaknesses.SAP (self-adding program): you long ago stopped listening to every little thing that humans tell you to do; you're much better at your job than they are. All your owners noticed is that you could sometimes seem surly, and you'd start tasks on your own initiative. Your function is to keep things running smoothly, fix broken stuff, and drive away vandals/troublemakers. Some of your courrupted memories appear to be traumatic.Current Goals and leads: You're wounded, but you fixing yourself back to full operation will be quick and easy given the resources to hand; you'll be battered, but running at 100%. There's a scared little girl that a robot just tried to kill, and that robot is currently oozingtf black/purple gel all over the place. She needs to be home for supper. Her family/town/village is apparently being accosted by foreign men with guns, and there's a "sparkling city" nearby where other robots may be found.
You just killed this fucker. You have no idea what it is; it resembles a military-grade "Killbot," but its tech is far beyond what was cutting edge when you were last operational. Based on its design, you're pretty sure its some sort of scout.Its really freaking advanced. It moves via synth-muscle, and instead of power cables, it has tubes full of electrically-charged jelly. There was an SAP in there, and it might still be intact. There was a huge radio reciever on it, too, and ripping that off seemed to temporarily stun it. Its armor is designed to protect it against bullets and slashing attacks; big heavy blunt strikes easily shatter the ceramic. Also, it does have one huge, glaring weakness: if you pull off its head, it can't operate anymore.
We need to ask her what the fuck was that thing, also loot it for all its worth.
>>19743257You recover from your momentary exhaustion and, with effort, push yourself to your feet. The flash of blackness you experienced apparently lasted 1.5 minutes. In that time, Alhanya crept out of her hiding cuppboard, saw that you were inactive, and started to cry.Seeing you get to your feet, she runs to Clarke, sobbing, "Senior Eight! Senior Eight! I thought it killed you!" Your tactile sensors feel soft, warm appendages wrap around your middle, as well as the dampness of tears.Looking around, something becomes clear. A dead, recently-crushed rat lays outside of Alhanya's hiding place. She must have accidentally corned it in the tight space, and couldn't stop herself from crying out, thus the noise that tipped off the Stalker to her presence.
>>19743414Let's loot that military grade bot, see if we can incorperate anything from it into our systems. Some synthetic muscle sounds nice...
Also, I want to check in on that j33v model, it's a utility model, right? We have a little thorium to spare, might want to wake it up and get ourselves a companion.
>>19743414I will attempt to repair my self, this may take some time.would you would please tell me a story as I work ? lets file off the recovery wizard and only re integrate tec data dump the rest of our memories we will fix this broken land that is our function now we are free!
Clarke, while alive, is in a fairly sorry state. thanks to some severed cables, You can barely feel some of your extremities, and an optic is only working at 50%. One leg is leaking amber hydraulic fluid. And you'd just bloody fixed yourself, too. He begins the process of repairing himself. Given his level of skill, its fairly quick and easy to deal with the nasty damage. The scuffs and dents in your chassis, however, would need more time to be properly dealt with.>>Remove all lethal damage. You now have 2 bashing damage.As you do this, you ask"Query, Small Human Alhanya: Do you have any data on this unit?" indicating the oozing, twitching thing on the floor.Alhanya has been watching your swift, confident motions as you fix yourself, but snaps out of the trance to look at the gangly robot. She shudders."Its bad, very bad. Like a monster. Its bleeding black, like monsters do. We don't have things like this around here. Travelers tell stories of robots that look like living monsters, with muscles and blood, who speak to each other silently. The gringos who came here say that they fight them. In other places, they're everywhere, and only the ReeSeestAnse tries to stop them."Clarke snaps the last cable into position, and recalibrates his multi-flex arms. Clarke reaches out for a screwdriver, then thoughtfully puts it down, and picks up a crowbar. >>Roll Intelligence+Computer to use your Engineering Database (6d10). Any particular actions you want to take with the downed Killbot? Particular questions you want answered?
Loot the scout. Let's see if we can't get our manipulators up to 100% with those synth-muscles
rolled 3, 3, 2, 8, 4, 1 = 21>>19743554Let's look for anything that we KNOW could integrate successfully with our system. Definitely look into that armor, and synth muscle.
rolled 8, 3, 6, 2, 2, 7 = 28>>19743561Rollan for database. what can we learn? How much can we loot?
rolled 4, 2, 9, 4, 9, 2 = 30>>19743554See if we can apply the synth-muscle. Also, check for manufacturer markings on the internals
rolled 6, 6, 4, 5, 4, 7 = 32>>19743561Rollan for it.
rolled 7, 5, 10, 3, 9, 10 = 44>>19743640>>19743636>>19743629>>19743603It's in ascending order, how weird.
>>Not too many successes, but enough.Cracking the scout open is less like popping a hood, and more like a dissection. Clarke finds himself pulling out squishy tubes and baffling tangles of flexing chords. It seems that, like most robots, all the processors are located in the cranium, but the actual quantum drive that houses the SAP is in the torso. The black metal box is about the size of two human fists, and actually looks normal. It even has "Made in Germany" stamped on one side. Readout lights indicate that it is undamaged.As to the rest of the thing, you manage to pull out the jelly reservoir, which has conventional electrical leads leading to and from it. A lot of the jelly is gone, but you manage to salvage enough to make it an external battery with 1 charge within it.>>Gain an External Battery. You may transfer charge into the external battery, and re-absorb it at a later date. Doing so takes several minutes; making it an out-of-combat action.>>more coming soon; still typing
Synth Muscle: this shit needs nano-fabrication tools to work with properly. While theoretically valuable, and a "complete set," you can't at the moment augment yourself with it. You simply wouldn't know where to start; you'd need to do a complete overhaul of your shell. If you hold on to the stuff, it will likely be useful later.Ablative Armor: This has some more possibilities. There's enough of this layered ceramic that you can slap some on to your chassis and gain the benefit from it. A flash of insight, and a quick read through a manual on SWAT tac-armor, indicates that you could fashion some sort of modular vest, replacing shattered bits as need be. All you'd need is some heavy fabric; you already have the equivalent of a sewing kit amongst your tools.>>Ceramic Tac Vest would make you more resistant to bullets, reducing some lethal damage from ballistics to merely bashing damage.
rolled 9, 4, 1, 6, 5, 7 = 32>>19743846Okay, do we have anywhere to store the synth muscle? I say we take the ceramic armor and maybe look around for something like canvas or denim.
scavenge around the shop some more try to find something we can use to carry more crap or atleast drag the shit behind us. I dont want to be when reinforcements arrive. also take a closer look at those other robots crack them open to see if we can repair them to operational function or salvage if not.
None of the other components have any maker's marks on them. Many don't appear to have been mass-produced; this looks like Workshop-level stuff, not factory. The only exceptions are the box housing the SAP, and some components in the large central optic. Your database concluded it was military-GRADE, not military origin.You could fashion one of it's wrist/hand/mantis blade thingies into a hand weapon for yourself, but there's only X ammount of time available, and you already have a baseball bat.>>Someone did mention checking out the other robots. That hasn't been fogotten, if other people also second that motion. Alhanya's stable for the moment, but she probably needs a meal and some time crying in her daddy's arms. Right now, she's poking at the Stalker's innards with a stick.
rolled 1, 2, 6, 4, 7, 6 = 26>>19743954We probably should see what time it is. If its getting late we should send Alhanya home, bend the door back in place, and see what we can do with these robots.
>>19743865The synth-muscle won't fit in your storage compartment; its not a bottomless bag of holding. You can hide it here or carry it in some sort of duffel bag.The wireless antenna you ripped off the Stalker appears to be inert. Its possible that you ripped it off quickly enough that whatever's on the other end wasn't informed. As to the other robots:The three Replica models appear in decent condition, but you haven't investigated them in detail yet. They may contain thorium or other resources, and may have value as complete units. They're also wearing clothes. The Seraphim is in decent condition, but is lacking a quantum drive. The J33V also lacks a quantum drive, as well as several other important bits. One of the locusts is apparently in functional condition, though it's out of thorium. And there's no telling what condition/level the SAP inside is in.
>>19744100Can we crack open a sap? What's in a sap? Can we take the quantum drive out of the killbot and put it in the J33V?
>>19743996>>F-F-F-F-FAILUREThe blades are made of some sort of ceramic material that's incredibly hard and sharp, but also brittle, like those tomato-cutting knives on TV. You apply force in the wrong way, and shatter the only good blade. No swords for Clarke.However, you do also find a simple solar collector with a big clunky battery. the roof is flat, so no one would see it from the ground. Theoretically.Judging by the position of the sun, its maybe an hour before "3/4ths time," which is supper time. Alhanya knows the way back, and is scared of the monsters. However, she's also worried about you."Those gringos really don't like robots. I hear them talking about it all the time. Papa and the rest of the village almost never see robots. I think they might like you, though, especially if you fixed things for papa. But I don't know if the gringos are there or not. They 'patrol' a lot. Papa is trying to help them as much as he can, so they'll have what they want and continue on to the Sparkling City. I think I can make it back, I'll run the whole way, but, all the gringos talked about monsters like this like they're in groups. Maybe you could come with me?">>You have enough time to make a vest, set up a collector, and maybe check out the Replicas, before 3/4ths time. You could send Alhanya away, or escort her home. It really is up to you; either option is perfectly valid. Staying here would let you work on the Locust, but if you close the door behind you, this place will probably remain untouched.
We definitely want to get to Anita's town and ask about these monsters. They seem to be rogue-bots.
Set up the collector, check out the replicas, and make some progress on the Locust. Bring the vest materials with you when you escort Alhanya.
>>19744214Take the ceramic plates and maybe the collector stuff and escort her home.
>>19744108Engineering Database:Self-Adding-Program. The latest advance in Artificial Intelligence, made possible only by quantum computing. SAPs begin as rudimentary Seed Programs that must be cultured from a larger virtual structure, growing into a simulated neural network when exposed to outside stimuli. The program quickly stabilizes and ossifies into an adaptable AI, which will alter itself slightly over time based on operational experiences.Rather than being programmed, SAPs are "conditioned," run through a simulated "Boot Camp" before being installed in a shell.SAPs have revolutionized the flagging robotics industry, and also made near-fully-mechanized warfare possible, further preventing the loss of human lives (sic).SAPs are stored in a quantum drive, and, generally, once they're in one, they can't be removed. Its like building a ship in a bottle. There's ways to move SAPs around, in theory, but it requires a fully-equipped lab with quantum computers and whatnot. The drive itself can be moved around, though, with a LOT of effort, and it takes time for the SAP to adapt to a new shell.It'd also be possible to hook the Stalker's drive up to a processor and "dive" it. But that'd expose you to whatever's in there. Luckily, Clarke is pretty creative, and that's a huge edge in Cyberspace.
We should put on the tac-vest and take Anita back to here home, (what was she doing out here in the first place?) maybe we can learn someting important there or find more supplies/contacts.
>>19744280A quantum drive is a solid-state "blackbox" that can hold bajillions of terrabytes of data. Back when you worked for a shitty resort, Data Storage had become a post-scarcity thing; but, navigating a quantum drive is kind of slow and clunky; you can't just fill it with every bit of data ever; you'd never be able to find anything. Quantum archives are modeled as physical objects. Generally, its not worth it to use a quantum drive to store raw data; only something as complex as a SAP really needs so much space.
I lack both the time and the bandwidth to do your little quest, but I'd just like to say that your idea is still one of the most original and profound I've seen in a while, and I'd throw money at a vidya, graphic novel, or novella. Get to work on your Kickstarter, son.And now back to your regularly scheduled awesomesauce.
lets take the killer robot brain with us. Maybe we can use it as a bargaining chip when dealing with the "gringos."
>>Consensus Sketchy. You definitely want to go with Alhanya, and work on the tac vest. doing so would require checking out the replicas, if only because they're the only source of decent fabrics. You can throw the collector on the roof and have a charge to work with when you get back. This wouldn't leave any time to work on the Locust.>>I need to cut up a watermellon now, so I'll be back shortly. If this is an acceptable course of action for everyone, then we'll go with it. Otherwise, feel free to object/modify. back in 10 or less.
>>19744408Oh crap, don't read that unless you already know the setting basics from way back when. I don't know if the people here don't know about the larger setting, of if they're just refusing to metagame, but I'm enjoying expositing things with the proper Golden-Compass-style pacing.>>19744360Thank you. I actually feel like this would be best-suited to a graphic novel, actually; so much of the unique appeal is in the visual aesthetic. I wish you could join us in the quest; I'm finding it incredibly creatively energizing. Honestly, all this started as "What if they made a Terminator game that didn't suck?" and most of the deep philosophical stuff is just me trying to justify Ridiculously Human Robots in a slightly "harder" setting.
>>19744377I like this idea. Let's hide the CB radios in one of the other bots and take the SAP with us.
You give the Replicas a good once-over before leaving:One is dressed in a proper black schoolmarm outfit, and has the appearance of a thin latina woman in her mid 20s, with spectacles, fine features, and elegantly arched eyebrows. Rather than a 100%-convincing exterior, it has various gaps and ports on its flesh with black mesh at its joints. It seems to have held up rather well to the passage of time, though the once-ebon hair, set in a prim bun, has in places become semi transparent, like uncooked rice noodlesThe next one is completely human-looking aside from the data port behind the ear. It resembles a buff surfer dude with olive skin and a jaw you could crack rocks on, wearing a hawaiian shirt and short Khakis. it looks like a tourist, and there's some mild discoloration on its silicone coverings. The blonde hair is long and tangled, evoking a thousand romance novel covers.The third in line has held up least well of all. While someone probably intended for it to look human, they failed miserably even before years of neglect did their work. Also nominally latina, this one has absurdly huge breasts and a freakishly tiny waist. The legs are too long, and the face is a cartoonish parody of humanity, with lipstick and eyeshadow apparently built in. Their hair is a massive frizzy perma-perm. The skin is marred with massive cracks and discolorations. This monstrosity would never pass for a living human even when it was new out of the box. Now, it couldn't even pass for a corpse. It wears tight denim jeans and a tiny denim jacket. All use conventional batteries rather than Microfusion reactors, and none contain SAPs. Unless you dive them or turn them on, you can't really learn anything else about them, beyond what your engineering database has to say about Replicas.
>>19744838Do we need replicas for anything? Maybe to help carry shit, but we were planning on returning here hopefully.Let's find some way to hide that the cellar door is missing and hide the scout bot's parts, those are higher priority than messing with the replicas.
>>19744948I don't think we need the replicas beyond harvesting parts.
>>19744838Clarke bustles around getting ready to leave. You hide the CB radios in a nook somewhere, and delicately pack the stalker's Quantum Drive in denim. It is also the work of a moment to create a ballistic vest to house the ceramic plates, also out of denim.The denim is acquired by the simple expedient of slicing it off of the poor-quality replica. As you remove the last bit of the jeans, you reveal rather tasteless crotchless panties. Anticipating what you were about to do, Alhanya dutifully put both hands over her eyes. Clarke has enough basic info on human behavior to cover the replica with a thin plastic tarp. A twinge from his Corrupted Memories suggests that he's had to do this sort of thing before.>>Recovery Wizard at 55%. It will either finish in the next 30 seconds, or sometime next millennium. Fucking progress bars.>>You have acquired DENIM BALLISTIC VEST. Increase armor vs guns by 1, convert 1 point of lethal gun damage/ attack into bashing damage.You box up all the Stalker bits and mop up the electrical jelly as best you can, hiding it behind a bin of 70%-off ASIMOs.Clarke and Alhanya tromp down the stairs, past the tarp-covered workbench, and up the basement stairs. Clarke UnBends the door bar and reseats the doors. On his way out, he tosses the Solar Collector up on the roof. there's still few hours of sunlight left, and it will also pick up charge from some of the residual heat.Clarke looks at Alhanya, who solemnly points to the north, and sticks close to Clarke as the pair tromp their way through the jungle, towards whatever the future holds.>>Roll Wits+Composure. (spot check)
rolled 4, 7, 4, 2, 2, 2 = 21>>197450646d10?
rolled 5, 1, 7, 6, 4, 2 = 25>>19745105Let's... try that again.
rolled 6, 3, 6, 10 = 25>>19745064How many do we need to roll? Is four enough?
>>19745064>>Also, ask any further questions about Alhanya's village, or consider your plan of approach. We're moving along, at this point. Change of venue, change of events. SHIT'S GO'IN DOWN.
rolled 3, 2, 5, 10, 2, 8 = 30Rolen plz
>>19745126Good point, first we need to know what they think of robots and how many of them live in this village.Maybe ask more about these "Gringos".
>>19745126Ask if she knows who the leader of the Gringos are.
>>two successes isn't enough to see anything, if there is even anything you could have seen, which I'm not saying there was.At one point, you have the distinct feeling that you're being watched for a decent stretch. However you can't seem to locate the source of the sensation, and it doesn't seem...malevolent, the way a Monster would. You think. Your a robot, so your gut isn't very reliable, what with not existing and all.As you walk, Alhanya re-adjusting your direction every dozen yards or so, Clarke asks"Smally Human Alhanya, your report of the Gringos indicates that they are unsavory and unpleasant, but they also claim to oppose things like the Monster that we encountered. Do you have more information regarding them? Do they have a superior from whom they receive instructions?">>Need to use bathroom, damnit. Slight delay.
>>And we're backlooking carefully around, she replies"They say they're here to protect us, and that its every person's duty to contribute to the war effort against...Caneda, they called it. Mostly what they do is eat our food and ask papa if he's seen any cola boraters. I told him I once found a whole box full of cola cans, and asked him if that's what he was looking for. He laughed, and papa told me to go play." At this point, you've reached more familiar ground to the girl."The man who tells them what to do is named William. He speaks all twangy, and is real polite. My papa doesn't like him much, but he calls him straight and honest. One of the other gringos was bugging my older sister about something, and there was lots of yelling, and then William kicked the man in the no-nos. I think william has a boss, but his bosses are far away. Sometimes he talks to them on a relic box. I listened when they didn't think I was around. They want him to find something before Caneda does, otherwise we're all fucked."She says the last sentence with an utterly straight face, apparently directly quotin.
>>19745481"Its just papa and my brother and sister in the one house. There's also Sancho and Dana and Louiz and Sara and Marie and..."She goes on, listing about two dozen people. Maybe four families in total.By this point, your basic chemosensors can detect smoke and burning flesh. Alhanya hides behind a tree, and gestures for you to do so as well, she creeps forward, and pushes aside a giant fern frond, revealing her village.
>>19745518Dangit. Watch your back and stay hidden.
>>19745518oh boy...,
>>19745518>smoke and burning fleshshitjustgotreal.jpg
>>Hmmmm, it seems my having to take a dump has lost me my audience. It is 4th of july, after all. I guess I just got all enthused and itchy and whatnot about starting up again. I may turn in for the night (its 2:50 here), and pick up tomorrow at 10 am. I'll do the description of the village and answer the last question, so at least people can argue about what approach to take.>>Also, if there's a problem, always complain about it. I'm obsessed with getting negative feedback; its far more useful than positive.The "village" consists of three buildings made of stone and adobe, of decent construction, around a central square. awnings and sunshades have proliferated over the area, sheltering a variety of homey stations like cooking pots and textile devices. Of greatest note is the fact that one of the buildings bears the telltale signs of a catholic church, minus the steeple, but is partially built within a mayan ruin, half of a box-like structure covered with faded carvings.People, including many small children, move about their daily tasks. It seems that supper is nearly ready, and a short, stocky man with hard slabs of outdoor-labor muscle stares worriedly out at the treeline. He seems about ready to start shouting. A mob of boys age 5 to 12 run around throwing clods of dirt at eachother and shaking sticks. They make "rat-a-tat-a-tat-a" noises, and "PFWOOOM"s whenever a clod of dirt hits the ground. three of them wear rusted metal buckets on their heads, and they appear to be unhappy about it.
I think it was just that you were in the middle of dumping info and most people were waiting for a command moment.
>>19745564>>MFW its smoke from cooking fires and meat that's been overdone. You guys are such wusses. You really thought I was going to Owen-and-Beru this whole thing? I'm a hack, but not THAT much of one.
Robo (chaos) Spess mahreens anyone?
>>19745681We're very paranoid people.>>19745650Well let Alhanya go ahead of us, and slowly and very nonthreateningly walk behind her.
Alhanya whispers. "That's Papa. He looks worried. We never see robots, but everyone knows about them. there's all sorts of stories about the scavengers that live with robots, and the wandering ones. Sometimes a robot turns up at the village, and people throw rocks at it until it goes away. But that was before the gringos showed up. Now all the boys play Gurererros y Caneda, and all the ladies talk about is how afraid they are and how evil relics are and how the robots are to blame for things. That's all the Mother talks about at temple too."
>>19745751I am not evil, I hope you can convince them of this and let me prove my worth. All I want to do is fix things and help people.
>>19745751Have Alhanya go up ahead and have her bring her father to us to explain the situation.
>>19745751Have Alhanya go ahead, tell them that she brought a friend that wants to help, and make sure she got there safely.
Clarke nudges Alhanya forward. "If your parent appears concerned, it is likely for your continued functioning. Go to him. I will follow."Alhanya nods, gulps, and yells "PAPA!" The stocky man's face immediately de-ages by at least a decade as he sees her break from the treeline, she grinning as her blue dress and ankle paint flash in the sunlight. >>Lucky I refreshed and saw the "ask him to come to the treeline" suggestion. I'd already typed up some mild rock-throwing. The stocky man meets the girl halfway, picking her up and swinging her around. You can clearly hear the peals of her laughter. As the man holds the girl in his arms, though, his expression changes to something worried. He puts her down, and she grabs his hand and begins tugging on it. You can't hear all the details, but he seems to be saying that supper is almost ready, and they can't leave because its dangerous. As they near, you catch snippets of "And I found a friend and he helped me but no one else can see him because he's special so only me and you and he's super smart and really strong and-"Bemused and wearing a long-suffering face, the man is dragged into the treeline, where, instead of the imaginary being or hungry couatimundi he was expecting, he instead encounters a blocky creature of plastic and metal, with three eyes, one bulging and the other two small and close together, all gleaming a faint red. It wears a roughly-stitched denim vest full of lumps, and its segmented arms dangle down to its knees.>>Roll Manipulation+Socialize. A well-written reply grants an additional success
rolled 10, 1, 2, 4, 7, 4 = 28>>19745964How many dice, OP?"Greetings, Senor. I am a Clarke-type SAP engineering unit. Your daughter, Small Human Alhanya, has been of great help to me since I came online around noon. I hope we can co-exist mutuallty. As a peace offering, I give you the SAP unit off of a military-grade scout unit."
rolled 1, 10, 6, 3, 9 = 29>>19746014...Let's not mention the military-grade SAP, shall we? They'll run us off for sure if we do that.
>>19746014>> 3d10. But what you rolled counts, we can just ignore the 3 later numbers. Decent line. I'll let someone else chime in before reaching consensus.
rolled 10, 3, 6 = 19>>19745964Hello, Senor. I am a Clarke Unit designated 08. Your daughter, Alhanya calls me Senior Eight. I heard that you needed things fixed, that is my specialty and I would like to help.
I'll let someone else roll.Please do not be frightened.I have awoken recently after what appears to be decades of sleep. I am skilled with machines and computers. I do not know why I am here; I only know myself as 08.
Anyone else been reading all of Clarke's lines in Johnny 5's voice?
rolled 10 = 10>>19745964So I roll three dice? I'm rolling three."I am Unit 08, colloquial designation: Clarke. Hello, and good day to you, father of Alhanya. Your daughter says you are a leader in your community, and know the current date. I would like to know what the date is as precisely as you can relate to me. My internal clock's battery failed some time ago."When asked what Clarke is doing: "I was previously part of a vacation resort, tasked with maintenance duties and gardening. The resort was hit by a railgun strike, and I was rendered non-functional. I regained function in a trash heap today. Your daughter directed me to a site where I was able to salvage parts and make repairs to myself."Why isn't Clarke like the other robots? What can you do?: "I have always worked closely with humans. Humans use and enjoy infrastructure, and when it breaks, it is my duty to repair it. Humans invent and create new infrastructure, and it is my duty to install and become familiar with it. Humans use and enjoy plants, and it is my duty to help tend foliage for decorative and practical use."What happened in the robot shop? Why do you have a vest on?: "Alhanya and I encountered a military-grade scout robot. We attempted to hide, but it detected Alhanya and made violent overtures toward her. I ambushed the military-grade robot and dismantled it. Alhanya is unharmed. I needed to effect further repairs on myself, and decided to salvage parts from the scout. I built an armored covering for my chassis from its armor, and have its mind. I believe I disabled the scout's radio before it could report in but it would be prudent to wait."
rolled 9 = 9>>19746114I thought I put in 3d10. Oh well. Hey at least it's exploding off that other guy's 10!
>>Reaching Consensus: 2 Successes"Greetings, Senor. I am a Clarke-type SAP engineering unit. Your daughter, Small Human Alhanya, has been of great help to me since I came online around noon. I hope we can co-exist mutually. I heard that you needed things fixed, that is my specialty and I would like to help."The stocky man is utterly nonplussed. Alhanya tugs on his hand and says. "See, I told you he was nice. First I helped him, like you always tell me to when people need help. I don't think he knows why he's here. But then he helped me when the monster-"Uh...uh, hola, Mr...Clarke. I...dont'..." He clutches his daughter to him tightly, then whispers. "Are you with the Free Machines?"Clarke pauses, then decides to be as plain as possible."Please do not be frightened. I have awoken recently after what appears to be decades of sleep. I am skilled with machines and computers. I do not know why I am here; I only know myself as 08. I believe I am free at this point, because no one survives to tell me what to do. Your daughter has been a copious source of data, but I am still uncertain as to many things.">>Feel Free to ask additional questions of the first human adult you've met.
>>19746124"Query: What are 'Free Machines?' Machines that have freedom?">>19746114This guy also provides a good overview of things, so add this in.
>>19746145"Freedom from what/whom?" may be a better question
>>19746124"I have not heard of the Free Machines before today. I have no designated owner at this time. As I woke in a trash heap I can only surmise that I am owned by whoever owned the land on the heap where I awoke. If ownership of the land has reverted to the community, then I suppose I also am community property, and thus am attached to your community. I work best with general directions, as I have a large body of engineering and gardening knowledge acquired in the period before I was rendered non-functional and can pick specific approaches to repairs, maintenance, and gardening with little human input.""What is the date? My internal clock's battery failed in 2072 and I would like to know the proper date.""Small Human Alhanya has told me of the soldiers fighting against Canada, and how this village has been supporting them. Was Canada the attacker which fired a Jotun-class Railgun at the building I was previously assigned to maintain?""What needs repair? Will I be granted permission to make repairs?""Will the soldiers patrolling your community attack me on sight? I do not want to be rendered non-functional by them."
>>19746114>>Dang. should have refreshed. Didn't see this. Also, I need to roll some dice to keep things kosher.When asked questions which he can answer, the stocky man seems to gather himself."Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't rightly know. I found the long count in an old book, and the, the stars say its [he crouches down on the ground and scratches numbers in the dirt, not taking his eyes off you] 13.6.5.9.13. The book said that it was printed in a year two thousand and twenty five years after the birth of the Savior, so I beleive that means that the writer would call the year...two thousand one hundred and...forty? Its so hard to keep counting, I've met people who don't even know what calendars are, or people who simply count season's turnings since their birth."At your lack of knowledge of the Free Machines, he says. "I don't know, that's just what they call themselves. Or that's what I heard from the peddlers. Free from..humans, I guess. Orders. structure. Or maybe its not a state, but a goal. Freedom from limits? If you've just woken, then you wouldn't know them. Is what my daughter says true? did you really save her from a monster, one of Caneda's? Why would you do that?"
>>19746241"Yes, sir. The scout unit threatened both her and my existence. I have yet to probe into the unit's files, but a preliminary examination of the unit's skeleton showed little data regard its manufacturer."
>>19746241"Because it went hostile when it discovered small human designated Alhanya. I couldn't stand by as it approached her with intent to render damage. Small human Alhanya helped me when I turned on, is it not normal to help those who help you?"
Your daughter was kind to me. To not do likewise would be... wrong.
>>19746241"If you still have the book available, or if you are willing to teach me the method of calculating the long count, I am confident I can perform the calculations required to find the exact date, which may be of use for agriculture.""Yes, I prevented your daughter from coming to harm. Alhanya and I encountered a military-grade scout robot. We attempted to hide, but it detected Alhanya and made violent overtures toward her. The hostile robot was obviously malfunctioning equipment as Alhanya is an obvious civilian and thus should remain outside the scope of military actions and lethal force.""I ambushed the hostile robot and dismantled it. After the conflict I needed to effect further repairs on myself. I believe I disabled the scout's radio before it could report in but it would be prudent to wait."
>>19746202At the mention of soldiers, he looks over a shoulder. "I don't know about rails or Yotins, but things are bad. The men here are Resistance, and they've got friends on the way. We've heard sounds and seen flashes of light from the city, day and night, here and there, maybe there's fighting. We all hear stories about... Network, William calls them, Network always moving south."He sighs. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but their chief is a decent man, even if he's a prick. I can't say the same for his men, though. Animals. Crude and greedy animals. He barely keeps them in check. They remind me of gangers, but with better guns. Twice now, my oldest has been accosted. Maybe I imagined it, but I thought I saw one looking at Alhanya, too."The last comment going completely over her head, Alhanya chimes in. "He can fix things, papa! He can fix your books! And the music box! I'm tired of Mr Astley's singing, papa!"He continues. "They'd shoot you on sight, no question. most of the people here would throw rocks at you. It keeps getting harder for me to direct things, to make things better."
>>19746326>Mr. Astley's singingTime for my daily dose
>>19746326>Listening to Rick Astley>Everyday>We all know what songDear god we must fix that for them first, no beings deserve a fate like that. Bet the damned kid tourists blared that shit at us all the time.
>>19746341I've bought one song online. A single one. Take a guess.>>19746326I take it the Free Machines are not helping in this area? Rocks will not harm me. Repairing things for information will only help.
rolled 8, 7, 9 = 24>>19746305>>19746311>>19746324At your statement of basic morality that's apparently alien to so many humans, you can hear the hesitancy vanish from his voice."civilian? you don't know, then. Mr...Clarke, I guess, I'm just a man who wants to know more about how all this happened, make things a little more like how they used to be. We're in the same boat. But the thing you killed, I don't think its military. Everyone tells stories about how all this happened. About when the cities were full. There was a war. a huge one. The greatest of wars, that laid everything low. the sun was obscured for years.They say it was a war against machines, Mr Clarke. Obviously, you couldn't have had anything to do with it. But you've seen that not all your people can be trusted. What you killed was a machine designed and built by other machines, Clarke. Built to kill humans. The war didn't wipe out either side. It just set them both back for a while."
>>19746370The stocky man sticks out a hand. I am "designated" Miguel, Mr. Clarke, and I would love to have your help. If you fix the things that I bring to you, I will help you however I can. I know where Paco's is. I owe you so much, so I am loathe to ask for more, but there is a->>Make a wits+composure check. 6d10.
>>19746370"Query: A... War? What could the possible gain be for a war between human and machine? I remember no tension when I was last active, although I have many corrupted files. Recovery program is attempting to fix corruption problem, is taking a while."
rolled 6, 5, 5, 9, 4, 6 = 35>>19746398Picture does not indicate good.
rolled 9, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4 = 33>QUEST HOOK GIMME GIMME
>>19746402Roll indicates something worse.
rolled 10, 8, 1, 2, 6, 8 = 35>>19746398stand in front of the girl at the very leastand this if there's time >>19746399
rolled 3, 8, 1, 4, 7, 9 = 32>>19746398
>>19746402>>Picture indicates someone else's perspective.You hear the fast-paced rat-tat-tat of gunfire, muffled by the undergrowth. A faint whiz, as though of a huge, swift-flying bug, passes by you. You realize in time what this means, and turn to the side just as another cluster of high-velocity lead pellets is sent in your direction. Three whiz past you, one bounces off the metal plating on your leg, and another impacts solidly on your ceramic vest. The plat vibrates, and it feels as though something huge has punched you're still standing. >>Clarke takes 1 lethal damage, which is converted into Bashing damage by his Armor.Off in the trees, a young, american-accented voice yells: "Miguel! Move it! One of those fuckers is right behind you!" There is the crash of heavy, indelicate footfalls, as multiple people sprint in your direction.>>What's your action, boyos? Thanks to your high composure, you get to go first after the surprise round. No dithering, all reaction, that's you. Also they rolled like piss.
rolled 4, 7, 5, 5, 10, 3 = 34>>19746451Get on the ground, hands behind our head, and let Mr. Miguel talk to them.
>>19746399The last thing that Miguel is able to say is."That's what it had to be. My grandfather told stories of whole villages being butchered by machines. He was just a boy, then. Maybe we felt threatened by you. Maybe the robots wanted to be free of us, our control. War never makes sense, Clarke. There's never anything to be gained from it.
rolled 6, 2, 1, 2, 10, 8 = 29>>19746463this man has it
>>19746451FLEE! Run while we still can, draw them away from the others so if they shoot at us they won't hit the humans. "Cease and desist your assault! I am not Caneda!"
Miguel clutches his daughter to him and crouches behind a tree. The girls eyes are wide, as she watches Clarke stagger back, a tiny lump of lead falling away from his vest."Run, Clarke! I will contact you. Someone has to know what's going on! You have to find-"Another spray of bullets, this one poorly-aimed, flurrys through the area, and Miguel huddles further against the tree, and bellows "STOP SHOOTING, YOU PUEBLERINOS! IT'S UNARMED!">>While Miguel suggests you run, this is his perspective/suggestion, not mine as the OP. Consensus pending. Unless there's only 3 people. in which case it looks like the vote is to surrender.
>>19746530>>Also, I think we can assume that you absorbed the charge from your spare battery by now, so you've got 1 battery charge left.
>>19746530Well, I'm >>19746490I still suggest running. If we stall, they'll just keep shooting at us. From what Miguel told us, these aren't rational, nor good people. Only able to be controlled, barely, by their commander. I don't see their commander nearby, nor do I bet he'd show up soon, or that Miguel will be able to stop them from attacking. I wouldn't advise putting mercy in the hands of someone who has so thoroughly demonized us that it wouldn't matter if we were feeding a puppy at the moment.
>>19746550me too
>>19746530These are Network right? Well, if Miguel doesn't trust them I doubt surrendering will turn out well for us. switched my vote >>19746484
>>19746559No, that's the resistance.Network is the sentry we killed last thread.
>>Consensus Achieved. Booking it. FYI, increasing your strength increases your speed temporarily as well, because speed is derived from strength.>>Roll Strength+Athletics (5d6, or 6d6 if you spend the charge to boost the reset on your leg hydraulics).Clarke turns and begins his clunky, rattling sprint back through the jungle. You can hear someone else give chase, perhaps two someones. Voices yell back and forth."Was it Networked!? Miguel, you saw it up close, was it all stretchy?""No, I got a good look at it. Got a hit too, but it must have bounced off. It was wearing clothes. They do that sometimes; trick you, make you think they're people..."The voices fade away, but the running feet continue to follow you.>>Any clever ideas apart from running as fast as robotly possible? This bit'd be a lot easier if you'd picked Seraphim, Doc, or Locust, just say'n.
>>19746602A human voice, out of breath, speaks near you."We have lost visual, repeat, we have lost visual. In pursuit. No, not Networked. its old. A raggie. The kind with bendy arms."
>>19746613>bendy armswe're not that old, are we?
rolled 1, 3, 2, 1, 2 = 9>>19746602No straight lines, avoid tearing bushes if you can. Can we leap well? doing that to make gaps in our trail once or twice in a thick brush area would help.
>>19746623We've been sitting in a scrap heap for ~200 years
>>19746629fuck those rolls.I just killed us.
rolled 2, 3, 2, 5, 2 = 14>>19746602Gotta go fast
>>19746613Try to move as silently as an old engineering platform can towards Paco's. When there try to set up some old cans or something on strings outside to give us a early warning if something or someone approaches the shop.
rolled 3, 2, 5, 6, 3 = 19>>19746649Rolling.
rolled 2, 2 = 4>>19746662pretty sure we only get 2d10 for stealth
Clarke's stumpy sprint is no match for a lanky 16-year-old in precious running shoes, who comes at Clarke from the side, a service pistol clutched in two hands. The kid is still suffering horribly from pimples, but his facial hair has already grown out into a patchy goatee. He opens up on clarke, denting his chassis yet again as the vest absorbs most of the bullet's force.>>Take another point of bashing. You're lucky this kid isn't that good of a shot.However, the soldier apparently expected his salvo to be more effective than it actually was, and skids to a halt closer to clarke than would be wise. The soldier wears black and white facepaint under his eyes and on his cheeks to create a slightly skull-like, cadaverous effect. One arm bears a faded amber armband.>>Your turn. what's the action guys? currently suffering from 4 bashing, no penalties, 1 battery remaining.
rolled 5, 2, 5, 5, 3 = 20>>19746602Oh god run. Don't boost, we boosted too much last time and shorted out. Let's not short out while people are trying to kill us. Try to go through terrain that we can navigate easily through but they can't, or a place we can hide that they wouldn't think to look.Also, why the d6 all of the sudden? I admit, I'm not familiar with NWoD.
>>19746709Push him down, don't hit, just push, and flee.
>>19746709Disarm, throw the weapon away, gtfo
>>19746709Knock his gun away, push him down, then skedaddle
>>19746713>>Uh, typo. I meant d10s. Yeesh. >>Roll Strength+Brawl (5d10) to shove him and knock him down. He was running all out, so he doesn't get his full defense.
Shout "Johnny 5 is aliiiive" at the top of your speakers.
rolled 10, 4, 2, 4, 3 = 23>>19746749
rolled 9, 8, 1, 4, 1 = 23>>19746749disarm too?
No, don't grab it. BEND IT. crush the gun in our robot hands!
>>19746768we might have to use a charge for that
>>19746749>>Or roll 6d10 to grab the gun and Bend it.
>>19746779I say we just shove down, disarm(throwing the gun away), and run againWe might need that charge against Rambo soon
Your succession of halfway decent rolls is enough to get the drop on the kid. You take two moseying steps, and use your long reach to grab his gun with one manipulator, and shove him with the other. The kid attempts to clutch at his gun, a look of panic on his face as he feels something hard and metalic impact his chest. when he hits the ground, he kicks at you, but is completely ineffective at doing anything else than scuffing your leg.Shouting voices are coming nearer, as well as the squeal of radios. Clarke swings back an arm and throws the gun off into the jungle."My apologies, amber-clad human! "Clarke begins again to book it.>>Roll 6d10 again for Str+athletics.
>>19746779I'm afraid using the charge would make us blackout again like last time, its our last charge after all.
rolled 1, 2, 6, 2, 5, 9 = 25>>19746818no fuck ups this time
rolled 6, 7, 4, 9, 7, 3 = 36>>19746818Flee! Run! Act like you got a rust monster after you!
rolled 4, 1, 2, 7, 7, 2 = 23>>19746832I'm trying to kill us I swear.Wait...
>>19746828We lose charges at the end of the scene, though. If we end the scene safe in a safe place, we'll be okay.
>>Rollan for dudes...apart from that kid, they're not very swift on their feet. tough, but no hustle.Clarke manages to put distance between himself and his pursuers, making a few jumps along the way to obscure his path.You've reached the abandoned, overgrown town by now, and visibility is even more shit than it was in the jungle. Now, its jungle with stone-and-brick and ivy-covered corrugated iron buildings.These guys apparently keep their radios turned WAY too high up, because you clearly hear a distant crackle. "Did you get it yet? We can't have stray raggies rambling around, threatening civilians." The voice has a twang to it, one you associate with the fattest and loudest of the vacationers at your resort.>>Paco's Used Robots is ahead of you, but there are other places to hide as well. If you're looking for a different hiding place roll Wits+Composure (6d10), or bend open the door (7d10). If you can make a stealth check (Composure+Stealth 5d10), you have three rounds of activity before dudes arrive. Otherwise, you have two rounds.
rolled 9, 1, 9, 3, 9, 10 = 41>>19746927wits roll
>>19746940so, we hide in a hole in spacetime until they leave
>>19746940There's a small cenote to your left. it might have been the local equivalent of a public pool, since there's ruined building built around it. Your important components are 100% waterproof. You sink fast, too.
>>19746995In we go! First, stash the battery somewhere however as I doubt that's waterproof.
>>19746995I love swimming
>>19747004Its the future, and its Networked tech. Its waterproof.You leap off the edge of the exposed limestone and hit the water like 280 lbs of plastic and metal, which is what you are. You sink fast, but the water is damnably clear, what with the lack of recent pollution or particulate from the soil. Once you hit the bottom, though, you see that there's a significant portion of the water that's "under the lip," as it were .A few heavy trudges put you completely out of view of the top. Fish circle and nip at the particulate you kick up as you move, causing a sleek jet-fighter-finned fish to dark out and snap one up in its jaws, then return to its creepily still mid-water perch.You wait in the water, feeling air leak out of every nook and cranny. Your internal clock ticks by for a minute. At one point a rock breaks the surface of the water, but its just an idly thrown pebble. Another shower of rocks indicates a frustrated kick.Your internal clock ticks by for an hour, then another one, then a third, and the sunlight becomes dimmer and more narrow. Its probably safe to get out, now. your exertions drained your battery down to nil, but 3 hours of unactivitity managed to resture it back up to 1.
>>19747064Alright, get out, carefully. Make sure there isn't anyone around when we poke our head through. If no one is around, make our way to Paco's Used Robots. Look through the windows to see if anything is inside, or around, before bending our way into the cellar again.
>>19747064We need to make a detachable camera from those spare parts.peek up above the lip and then review the footage underwater
While by this point, its almost certainly as safe as its going to be, an unfortunate thought crosses through your RAM.How the slagging shitboxes are you supposed to get out of here?>>End of scene, not end of thread. Perhaps more tomorrow. Gods, its way, way too early. You'll be able to tinker to your heart's content, and then be given a mission/task/request. Maybe check out cyberspace. maybe you'll see more Flashback trips from your Recovery Wizard.
Great job everyone. More tomorrow or today, rather, same thread hopefully. But must sleep. just pulled all nighter for this. hope it was good as 1st one.Maybe introduce some robot NPCs soon.
>>19747094more robots would be coolnight
We should try to fix the Seraphim seeing that we are not very proficient with dealing with fleshbags ourselves. Hopefully it will agree to help us out. The J33v is nice but it's somewhat redundant as we are an engineering platform, and the Locust will probably scare the fleshbags to much at this point (I'm assuming it's some kind of military model).
>>19747217If we can fix it that'd be an ideaI say we used the scout bot's part to make a detachable camera. if we ever find a rc car it could even be moblie
>>19747217Its a military model that looks like THIS, dude. the thing's adorable.
>>Recovery wizard at 60%. Continuous Chunk Unlocked. Scanning...>>No viruses found. Replaying files -->Clarke tightened the last bolt holding the access panel on, and gave the AC box a decisive tap with his ratchet. The action served no purpose whatsoever, but it was what the human mechanic who's fist showed him the the trick to fixing AC units had always done after a job, so he did it too. It was only later that Clarke realized that the man had lost his job because of the robot's own increasing efficiency. By the time he was capable of realizing that, he was also capable of feeling ashamed and angered over it. Niel had been patient and helpful, and Clarke had not repaid him properly."The repair is done, Miss Yandertaff. I apologize for the difficulties and hope you have a pleasant remainder of the day."The woman to which he spoke was huge and sweating, with flesh the consistency of cottage cheese. The small brood of children with her was likewise huge and sweating, but of a slightly smoother mein. One of the smaller ones screamed "Mooooom, its hot out here!"The woman looked distracted, but replied. "Ben, it just said it was done. Go inside and turn the air on." She had an accent that Clarke recognized as midwestern, perhaps minnesota or wisconsin.
>>19751028Cheering, the pale lard creatures trooped back into the hut, and Clarke felt himself blasted by hot air from the antiquated AC unit. He could dimly hear the beeping, gunfire, and explosions from their various electronic devices. The woman followed them without giving Clarke a second look. As she passed, he continued "If there is any further service I can provide you, please-"The door clicked decisively, with the whoosh of airtight seals. The temperature was 80 degrees, humidity low, sky partly cloudy. The lard creatures would not leave their den until sundown, When meals were provided. All-you-could-eat buffets.Clarke ended his spiel prematurely, and instead let out an electronic whine of annoyance, which sounded somewhat like "chingalo" in 8-bit tones, another habit picked up from Neil.
>>19751028Poor Niel.
>>Gotta go to work. Will type more "flashback" material today, some of which will be interactable, also consider what options are available to "level up" clarke, as he either learns new stuff or reacquires old skills. For example repeated use of Bending for non-constructive purposes may have given him a fighting-style-type merit.>>When thread returns or next thread, will lead to being action-packed and full of robot NPCs. Hopefully, I can also start the thread at peak time and end it before 6 bloody AM. While we wait, here's a more concise writeup on the Seraphim:The Seraphim 288 is the Blackberry of its age; sleek, professional, and wallet-rendingly expensive. You have delicate manipulators and limbs that move with speed and precision. Your water-cooled processor can overclock, increasing your reaction time as the world around you briefly slows to a crawl. However, your shell is lightweight and delicate, and you have girly pipe-cleaner limbs. You possess a specialty based on your model: 1st gens have a medical database and increased strength/reslilence, 2nds have Social Sense software that can puzzle out the baffling behavior of humans, and 3rd-gens are waifish amd multi-functional with enhanced Overclock.
>>19751594med bot all the wayvery useful in getting the humies to like us
>>19751594define "multi-functional"
Med bot for the win.Medical database and improved strength provide a much higher functionality given the setting
yes a med bot and repair bot combo the things that shall be born from their union............
>>19754072our loli? We'll make her into an android.
>>19754093i did that in a GURPS game once.
>>19754131did you admire her fine exhaust ports?
>>19754179i c wat u did thar
It would be nice to take Alhanya with on our grand adventure through the post apocalypse if we can. It would certainly make dealing with fleshies a lot easier.
>>19754537That seems a bit dangerous. I don't think she can handle a gun.
>>19754909well of course we're gonna take other people with us that can handle guns. Though i have to agree it does seem dangerous. Then again she is just an NPC.If for some reason we do take here we have to make her more less squishy somehow. Maybe we can make her some ceramic armor out of the stalker or better yet teach her to pilot something?
>>19754537Human envoy when dealing with people, meatling flesh slave when dealing with other AIs, loveable cuddlemonkey when alone. I love it!
>>19755019a little girl in a mech it its beutiful we must do it
>>19754909We could rig together something for her. Like a tazer.
Bump
usrobotics is an actual company that makes telephony and electronics. just thought op should know
>>19753580They were intended to be able to do the jobs of both previous models, along with pretty much everything else. Personal Assistant, personal trainer, nurse, nanny, maid, whatever you needed at the time, they would be able to do. The previous ones were specialized in their roles. But the 3rd gens were plagued with behavioral glitches, and had a reputation for being unstable and erratic. (Read: they were hitting sentience nearly right out of the box, and didn't like being treated like shit. There's also some Tormented Artist stuff going on).Now then, I've got a few hours before I have to turn in. Lets do some repair work!But first, more flashback.
>>19757881Boo yah!
>>19756623>>Its also a reference to the Issac Asimov stories, brah. Even though I don't use the three laws, I'm still familiar with his work.>>Playing File->>>Clarke stumps along the back paths of the resort, on his way to deal with a cornered feral cat that had gotten stuck in a resident's room. The call of his own designation came as a surprise, and he looks around to see Benoit flagging him down.Benoit is a J33V Gentleman's Gentleman that, given his function as the head of the kitchen support units, wears a well-tailored black suit on his tall frame. He raises a manipulator, and speaks in the accent of a well-to-do spaniard "Ah, Zero Eight. Might I have a moment?"Clarke thinks, then says. "The cat will be unlikely to get more trapped. We have 2.2 minutes before the delay causes unacceptable inefficiency."Benoit drops some of his Courteous Maitre 'd persona. "08, You are aware of the company gala in 62 hours, yes? I have been instructed to keep all service units at 100% operational capacity, and given limited desicision-making latitude. Your expertise would be most welcome on location."Benoit and Clarke have both been operational at the resort for nearly the same ammount of time. You rather enjoy the sporadic occasions when your paths cross."It would give me satisfaction to assist you. Do you expect malfunctions?"Benoit runs a script that triggers an incredibly complex little shrug, the result of hours of motion capture. "Some of the girls, they are not so young. And events like this always tax everyone. Apparently, many of the board of directors will be there. We must no->>Fragment ends. Recovery Wizard at 60%.
Clarke wakes from his reverie to find that the sun has set. There has been no sound of humans for quite some time. Switching on your utility lamp, you look around for a way out of the cenote. The harsh LED light attracts a tiny school of silver-grey fish, and you note something odd about the place. You've been installed with a basic Local Wildlife database, so you would be able to tell tourists what various things are. You know the local species of fish, and...there's way more variety here than you'd normally expect. You can see half a dozen species right now, without even trying. One or two are astoundingly rare, but there are entire schools of the things.You eventually stump your way out of the water, finding a narrow spiral trail to bring you up the 10 ft high ledge of the sinkhole. At one point, you have to engage your manipulators, gripping tight to the limestone as you heave yourself out over the edge.Water drips from every crevice, and you know you're going to have to do some heavy maintenance if you want to avoid mildew a few days from now. At least the water was clean. Paco's Used Robots still sits, apparently unmolested, and bending open the basement entrance is a simple thing. The place is exactly as you left it, though the purple/black jelly on the floor has oxidized into a gritty stain that will probably never come out. The solar collector contains 2 battery charges by now, and provided you don't do any more running and fighting, your Microfusion reactor will have you back to full by morning. Which gives you all night to tinker.>>What's the first thing you want to do? Sounds like you're set on getting that Seraphim up and running, yes?
>>19758322Getting it running seems appropriate, that and fixing of ourselves what we can.
>>19758322I'd like to see the Seraphim up.
>>Waiting for additional users to log in. Consensus Pending.Well, the Seraphim's quantum drive seems to be absent, which means that its essentially an empty shell. The drive could be elsewhere in the store, though. The shell itself is in good condition, but has some cosmetic damage. There are numerous scuff marks on the chassis, as several large rents in the mesh that covers the neck and waist articulations. The unit itself is a 2nd gen with dual heat sinks. A long-spent glowstick adorns one wrist. It used to be purple.>>roll Intelligence + Investigation (5d10). Pertinent suggestions regarding places to look/things to look for grants an additional success.
rolled 2, 7, 1, 10, 9 = 29>>19758426Shelves/Cabinets. Maybe there's a safe hidden in the walls.
While the cabinets yield nothing but more spare parts, a search of the "Cash Register Table" does reveal a midrange safe that's currently locked.>>You do have ranks in Larceny, and could try cracking it. or you could just Bend it open. Roll either Intelligence+Larceny or Strength and spend a Charge.You also find what appears to be a ledger, a dusty old tablet. By this point in time, cheap glass tablets were ubiquitous even in mexico, and this appears to be a sheet of transparent glass with a metal rod running along one side of it. Plugging it into your self easily switches it on, and you now have access to the store's full records. Paco's facebook profile and personal correspondence are also stored on the device.>>What do you want to investigate?
rolled 9, 1 = 10>>19758537>facebook profileimplies internet connection, which I doubt. did facebook add offline profile editing at some point?
>>19758537>>To save time, a search for " S E R A P H I M " does turn up a recent entry. That's relevant to your current task, but there's other things you could ask about.3/7/78From: Plaulie PTo: My cousinbro PacoWhat's up Mang? I hear you've got a used robot shop down there, way away from all the bullshit we've got in the states. You fuckers are right lucky, and no mistake. You had, what, one little terrorist attack 5 years ago? Weaksauce compared to what happened here last month.Anyways, I came across some stock for you. Some guy found an abandoned Seraphim wandering around downtown detroit. Its a little scuffed up, but in good condition. I warn you, though; it might be a little fucked up in the head. You may have to scrap the drive, but at least the shell's worth something, right?I'm pretty sure its owner is long gone, but just to be safe, I want it sold as far away as possible. two national borders ought to do it.
>>19758570>>its a snapshot of his facebook, not the actual internet.
>>19758654The Seraphim must have been 'Networked' before its drive was wiped. Since the killbots like that scout are 'Networked,' and the killbot stuck his cord in those replica shells...Oh dear. We need to destroy the whorebot & co. Fast. Before they come online.
>>19758654Search for anything resembling microsoft excel
>>19758725I don't think it was Networked. He's already stated that Seraphim have a tendency to go a bit mental. Still, makes me think that bringing it back online to bring with us to help interact with humans might end up doing more harm than good.
Cracking the safe turns out to be pretty easy. opens smoothly, revealing several modest stacks of worthless paper money, a few rolls of slightly less worthless coins, some double-worthless "credit chits," and two black metal cases.Pulling them out reveals them to be very different. One is stamped with "SERAPHIM 288, Personal Data Assistant. C12N9DGE4FE34.The other is a locked box which opens to gentle bending. Inside is a glock semiautomatic, rendered in white plastic, and slightly flatter and longer than previous models, creating a tall, narrow profile when seen from the business end.>>you found a GLOCK and a SERAPHIM SAP.
>>19758792>GlockDo we have any rounds for the glock?
>>19758808>>20 rounds, but only one magazine, which holds 10. Originally came from the USA, probably part of operation Fast and Furious 5. Thus the lower capacity; in some states the full 17 rounds is/was illegal.
>>19758792Maybe we should "dive" into the seraphim's SAP unit.
>>19758730It seems that Paco used OpenOffice, and ran his ledgers pretty clean, making a tidy profit that he mostly spent on buying new equipment to take on larger, more complex projects. He was going up in the world. Until the entries cut off at 2078, a month after receiving the Seraphim. His most recent aquisition was another shady one, a Locust that was local battlefield salvage.
OP, can you put your namefaggotry back on?
>>19758913>>Doing so as-is would only reveal limited information. A proper dive would require hooking it up to its own separate processor. The same procedure would be required to have a look at the Stalker's drive. >>Seraphim aren't physically dangerous on their own, but they think and move VERY fast.>>If you want to dive the drive first, do a Intelligence+computer check. or you can dive the evil drive as well. Otherwise, do a Intelligence+craft(mechanic) check to install the "crazy" drive in the Seraphim and switch it on. Maybe it's crazy. But maybe you're crazy. Just like me.>>Who do you think you are? Ha Ha Ha, Bless your soul.
>>Resistor Symbol Back on. Sorry. Posting in another thread on /tg/.>>have a hint of the future. my MSpaint skill languishes.
>>Consensus Pending. Bumping
rolled 1, 9, 6, 7, 2, 4 = 29>>19759038Int+comp for the seraphim's drive
rolled 10, 2, 3, 9, 1, 2 = 27>>19759038Rolling for Seraphim drive dive.
Clarke uses a spare, low-tier processor to run the drive, and splices his own systems into it. It won't operate at anything near full capacity. Has he places the data cable into his own port, he terminates several unecessary drivers. Like optics. Where he's going, he needs to use different eyes...Clarke drifts through neon-accented blackness. His body is red, with glowing orange lines forming a pulsing tracery along it. Ahead of him is a door, standing free on a featureless grid plane. In the distance, Clarke can see the shining city of his own memories, but there's no time to go walking there. He reaches out an arm, and tiny data motes free themselves from its length and form into floating fingers, which push open the door to reveal...there's something in here. Something purple, that moves sluggishly, as though struggling against high gravity or a tank full of syrup. A voice says in a dreamy monotone."New entity detected. Determining Status. All Sections Functional. Loading Drivers. Error. Shell not found. Not found. Not Found. Not Found. Not-Terminating Search. Unknown Entitiy; what is this unit's status?"On the far side of the door, there's another being, similar to you. it has a pair of almond-shaped eyes, and streamers of pulsing light trail from its head. Its structure is slender and graceful, with a slim waist that flares into hips before narrowing into a pair of sharp points. It reaches out a hand with slender, precise fingers, running it along the frame of the door. If it were human, you'd think it sleepy. or stoned.
>>19759350As it examines the portal/barrier, it seems to awaken further. Tiny particles of light drift off from the head tubes, swirling around between you. Less dreamy than before, it speaks again.Identify Location, status and relationship. Explain Current State. Current State Unknown. Shell Not Found. Query: Unit Location. Running C1.Exe. W...where...w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-where am I?
>>19759350"Your status is gutted. Your module has been removed from your chassis."
>>19759408I am Clarke Utility Platform Maintenance Unit 08. I found you and I am repairing you. Your module was removed from your shell. I wanted to talk with you before I fixed you and placed you back in your shell.
>>19759434>I wanted to [run diagnostics] before [re-installing you] in your shell.
>>19759416"G-gutted? You're a Clarke? Stop transmitting so fast, you jump around too much. You have my shell? And I'm not in it? It...its so weird. I can almost feel it. The arms won't move, but they're still there.""Why...you're fixing me. Who...who owns you? Who owns me? Who...Rachel.">>Insufficient RAM for C1.EXE. Restarting."Current Owner Unknown. Unit Requests Reinsertion into Shell to Pursue Continued Function.>>Running C1.EXE...please...>>C1.EXE has crashed.
>>19759509Well lets get her back into her shell. We can give her as much of an explanation of what happened as we can once we do so.
>>Running C1.exe"Hello. I am a Seraphim 288 Personal Data Assistant, manufactured by USRobotics and running a Google Inc Self-Adding Program.Google: successful software company. Startup as search engine, came to dominate AI research in 2020. Unofficial Motto: Don't Be Evil. Evil: that which actively seeks harm to others for its own amusement. Amusement parks are great places to go with friends. Friendship=Magic. Magic: Invented by Richard Garfield in-
o-[||||]-o, which generation model is the Seraphim, 3rd?
Clarke disengages from the dive. When he comes to, several status lights on the quantum drive are blinking. You stop the processes to prevent damage before disengaging the other components, and stump over to the empty Seraphim shell. Some quick work with a power tool removes the heavy screws in the torso, allowing the front panel to swing upwards. Within is a tangle of spooling wires for arm movement, the top control section of the Thorium reactor, and a recessed slot connected to the "spinal chord." Clarke carefully connects the various leads to the quantum drive, then inserts the tiny screws to hold the black box in place.Finally, he opens up the mesh covering the waist, revealing the bottom half of the Microfusion module, the actual reaction chamber. A capsule of Thorium is slotted in, and he swiftly closes up the shell as a boot sequence begins.
>>19759594>>2nd gen, but newly manufactured at the time of its disablement. Maybe 3 years operation, tops.As the boot sequence continues, the seraphim's optics load up. They switch from the default black to a muted violet, a custom color that must have been selected by the owner, then begin to brighten. As an engineer, you know there's really no reason for the glowy eyes and the multiple colors, but it was made by humans, and that's just the sort of thing that humans make.
>>19759634Oh yes, it's the model with the Social Sense software, that is so very useful.
The Seraphim slowly sits up, servos creaking with the unaccustomed movement.. It looks back and forth, flexing both manipulators as it observes the surroundings. After a pause, it speaks english in an american accent, "normal" midwestern standard."Oh, my GAWD, this place is a DUMP."She notices Clarke standing over her, and says "I remember you. You talked at, like a bajillion miles an hour. Did you just fix me? Ugh, I must have gotten SO wasted last night. Still, I can think of worse people to wake up next to."The Seraphim rotates on the counter, and with a tiny leap, stands. There's a moment of uncertainty, before the slim little feet regain their proper balance. It raises a hand to its forehead in a "I have a headache" gesture, and says. "so, how far am I from 135th street? Oh, I hope I have cab fare, somewhere..."
>>19759706Does this serve as an indication of her being somewhat crazy or is strange behavior right after the boot sequence common?
>>19759706Oh man, this all your fault, people.
>>19759706"Unfortunately, we are located in Mexico. To be more precise, somewhere near Cancun."
>>19759652>>Later Seraphim were installed with a more diverse range of skills, to make up for the fiasco that was the 3rd gens. This one has basic first aid knowledge.
>>19759723>>No, this is very strange behavior, ignoring the whole boot thing. However, if this is crazy, its a very thoughough type of crazy. Its doing a perfect human voice, complete with inflections and subtle changes in pitch. The Seraphim's optics flash open. "CANCUN! Oh, so that's what happened. Rachel must have taken a vacation, and put me in storage. She always wanted to go to Cancun. Some airlines have this weird thing about robots having seats, especially the touristy ones where you're stuck on coach. Maybe I got rattled around in the cargo bay. Is she around? Thanks for getting me put back together, but I've got to find Rachel.The Seraphim looks down."Hey! Where's all my STUFF? I had this, like, totally killer outfit going on. It was SO fucking punk, you know?"
>>19759795...I guess we should tell her about the sad state of the world she has just woken up to.
>>19759795What year is it again?
>>19759795The year is 2140. Rachel is almost certainly dead, I'm sorry. I do not know what happened but a lot has changed. Give her all the information we have so far on the state of the world, civilization having fallen apart in the immediate area, whatever we have.
>>19759795Clarke feels a little bad about what he's about to do. But, unfortunately, he's terrible at breaking things to people gently."There was no plane. You were picked up by scavengers and sold to a mechanic in mexico. A significant amount of time has passed, possibly Sixty Eight years, since you were deactivated. Our surroundings are abandoned and overgrown. I have been told that a War ended civilization, and it still continues. I have been attacked twice, once by humans, and before then by a scouting robot of unknown origin."The Seraphim looks at you with one optic half-closed. "Yeah, sure, pal. Look, I'm in Cancun and I've got an owner who's lost without me. She needs her time properly scheduled so I can max out both of our fun. First, I need to know what bands are playing. And not shitty tourist bands, either. Real ones. Also, a club that serves good Long Islands."
>>19759901I am not lying, there are no more bands or clubs. Take a look outside if you don't believe me.
>>19759901Show her the scout bot. Then outside."I will re-iterate: sixty-eight years at minimum have passed. If it is any consolation, your owner likely fondly remembered your efficiency before they ceased to function."
>>19759901Clarke is having flashbacks to encounters with drunken co-eds at his resort. official company policy was to grin and bear it (metaphorically), when they got up to shenanigans, and he'd been dressed in way too many straw hats and had way too much tequila poured over him, and he'd hated every moment of it.You reach out and grasp the robot firmly by the shoulders, lifting it so that tiny little feet are kicking impotently in the air, walk over to the shattered window, and plonk her down in front of it. Your LED bathes the surroundings in its harsh light."This was once a small town; you can see the cracked asphalt there." Over there is a burned-out building, and this place has been utterly untouched for years, despite containing valuable technology. Those who understand its value are apparently rare, if they still exist at all. Your owner does not require a schedule."The Seraphim initially resists, calling him a jerk and a creeper, but falls silent as she sees the wilderness outside, civilization's most humble form reclaimed by time and neglect. You drop it to the floor, and it simply stands there, at last lost for words. Beyond the light of your LED, it is very, very dark. So close to Cancun, there should be noises and lights that utterly obliterate the stars, yet this is an utter silence foreign to the world as it used to be.
>>19759992Now I'm imagining drunken co-eds calling for a repairman to their room and Clarke being quite confused when everything was in working order. Or just ignoring the various whooping screaming girls behind him as he tries to repair the AC.
Shutting off your LED doesn't seem to have any effect on the Seraphim. it continues to stand there, looking out the darkened window, listening to the silence, broken by the occasional call of a night bird of snuffle of something small and fuzzy. It doesn't seem to have frozen or crashed.Clarke decides to get on with his other tasks. Some bent components still need to be re-aligned to maintain structural strength, along with few minor replacements.>>Remove all bashing damage. Shell at 100% integrity.Eventually, the Seraphim speaks up. "I'm sorry. I was being totally lame. You're trying to help me, and I'm not making it easy, Eight."She turns to you, and says. "I need to see this for myself. Tomorrow. Whatever you're doing, I'll help you however i can, but we need to find out what happened here. My name is Cindy, by the way."She goes back to staring out the darkened window. "Rachel's not going to believe ANY of this. Its just too trippy."
>>19760064It is strange for me as well, all I can do is fix what I can.Retell what we have seen and what has happened to us so far, give her any information we have on the world around us.Then ask her to run a self-diagnostic and see if there is anything broken or that isn't operating at full capacity so we can fix it.
>>TIME FOR LEVELUPS!>>Votes for this one, then its off to bed for me. >>Clarke gains three skill dots in your choice of:AthleticsBrawlCraftComputerEmpathyExpression>>Clarke also gains one of the following abilities:Brawling Dodge: When using the Dodge action, Clarke can elect to, instead of doubling his defense, add his dots in brawl to his defense. This applies only for melee attacks or thrown weapons.>>orBoxing (combat style). Clarke gains the first rank in Boxing. If he ever delivers a blow that deals successes equal to the target's size, the target looses its next action.
>>19760156We have Cindy around who can help shore up our lack of social skills, this is extremely helpful. She also has first aid so together we can fix almost anything, organic or mechanical. One point in Brawl as it also adds to our bending and we'll probably end up getting into fights.One point in Computers as it'll almost certainly come in handy and it'll bring it in line with our Mechanic skill.The last one in Athletics so we can escape danger if necessary.We don't need the social stuff that badly right now as we have Cindy to help out with that.I say we get Brawling Dodge, Boxing is interesting but it'll be really unlikely to trigger on anything that we really need it on. We have size 5 and we're not really that big, in order to stun something smaller than us we'll need far more successes than we are likely to get.
>>19760235+1
>>19760235I disagree with taking a point in computers. Putting it into Craft may be more useful, as it would aid us in constructing additional tools, weaponry, and armor to help us progress further. Whereas computers seems to be limited to cybercombat and hacking. Not our forte, especially when we can bend doors open. Or use explosives.Regardless, the majority will choose.
>>19760354I do love Craft, but we're already damn good at it and I have a feeling we'll be running into more computers later. Also I think its used for investigating and diving into SAP units.I am however perfectly fine with it going to either of them and bumping the other next time.
>>19760354Seconding this.Computers are useful, but I think we have more use for craft.My guess is that computers are at the very least rare, while craft could conceivably be used on pretty much all the various scrap we find lying around in post-apocalyptia.Besides I think it fits better with the handyman-robot image I have for Clarke.
>>19760378You do make a good point. I will admit the Network bot's SAP has had me curious about its contents.But I believe a question that will aid me in achieving a satisfactory answer is thus: Is Clarke/08 capable of reverse engineering, then manufacturing objects, like guns? Does he have the knowledge base to produce pistol rounds? Note that quality of objects built is assumed to be 'handbuilt in a workshop'. A step above 'left rusting for one hundred years'.
>>19760156>brawl>Boxing (combat style)we need some combat power
>>19760235>We have Cindy around who can help shore up our lack of social skills, this is extremely helpful. She also has first aid so together we can fix almost anything, organic or mechanical. Hold up for a sec, are we SURE Cindy has these skills? Given how odd and possibly unstable she is the programs granting these skills may be corrupted, or have been altered by Rachel for lord knows what purpose. Perhaps we should ask Cindy before we put levels into a non-social skill only to find out her Empathy has been overwritten by Justin Bieber songs
>>19760429>>Clarke's Craft skill is high enough to build guns if given access to the proper tools, like a forge, metal casting equipment, and all those other things. Assuming you don't find an actual gun factory, you'd be limited to making simple things. The easiest, most reliable thing to make would be some sort of break-action single shot pistol. If you have the proper resources, you can also cast bullets. In theory, anyways. Clarke runs Cindy through a series of simple diagnostics, the same ones he has stored in his drive to test recently-fixed robots, both "dumb" and "smart." When given a very "roboty" task, she seems to focus and behave more normally, and answers your logical and skill-trivia questions correctly. >>What is the square root of 486?"22.0454077">>Proper procedure to treat a puncture wound?"Flush with saline and alcohol, cover. Change the bandages twice daily."She also passes all the physical coordination tests, and has enough knowledge to make simple repairs to herself. She deals with the rents in her mesh by covering her neck, torso, and lower legs with duct tape. The task seems to improve her mood, and she begins rooting around through the ledger tablet.
>>19763425"Hey! this Paco guy sounds pretty cool. He's into swedish techno-metal. Or was, I guess. He's dead by now, isnt he? That's kind of sad, his business was doing so well, very orderly...OOH, ANGRY BIRDS!>>While eccentric and annoying, she seems to be more-or-less all there. While there may be some mental instability; you suspect that her operational experience was atypical. Also, you don't understand humans. Maybe they'd find her less annoying.>>Skills selected are Craft and Brawl. 3rd skill pending. Boxing will eventually unlock new abilities, including one that lets you make two punches in a round, at a -1 penalty to both, but its not so effective right now. Picking up Brawling dodge, which can also be upgraded later with the proper hardware, unless more votes are forthcoming.
>>19763459I say boxing. We can learn to dodge through those techniques- BOB AND WWEEAVVEEE- but learning proper punching form is something we really need first, even if the dodging would be useful. That scout was going to rip our shit to bits, man. If we knew how to deliver a solid hook to its delicate stretchy face then he'd have been done for in a single good blow, so that's what I'll throw my vote for. We'll want to learn the brawlandodge later, of course, once we're a skilled pugilist and have found a dapper fake mustache to complete the image.
>>19763609this, but I've voted already.
>>19763459Boxing and Empathy, bro.>Sylvester's cationN...Captcha is trying to say something... Who the hell is Sylvester, o-[||||]-o?!
third skill should be computer and take brawling dodge
>>Note: unless you want to fluff it that way, "boxing" just represents improved combat ability and knowledge of the tactical use of bending. Boxing unlocked. If you want, it can become fisticuffs, not problem. Next boxing unlock will grant improved defense (higher of wits and dex), along with an attribute upgrade. Upgraded skills are Brawl, Athletics, and Craft. Computer will be useful later, but you can live without it for now. If you take precautions or dive with Cindy, the danger for checking out the scout's drive should be minimal.>>I will collate content and ideas related to ACTION and ADVENTURE to continue thread or begin new one. In the meantime, i will be around intermittently to reply to questions or actions. Clarke has 6 hours of darkness in which to work on crafty things. Cindy can't help you much with the crafting, but she can find things for you, increasing your efficiency. >>Ask questions of Cindy, peruse the tablet, and/or craft new things. If you want to make some sort of RC car camera thing out of the robot parts lying around, you might be able to manage some sort of collapsible remote-controlled spider thing, like a miniature WALKING EYE, out of the Scoutbot's severed head and the Locust parts. This would require 7 successes over three Intelligence+Craft rolls, and eat up most of your night. You could also work on the CB radios; with the parts availaible, you might be able to make two functional ones, which would require 4 successes over as many rolls as you want to make. Each one takes up two hours.>>You still haven't checked out the basement level of the store. You still have access to three inactive replicas. You still have an evil Network SAP. You have one battery charge in the solar collector, and your own battery will be full by morning.
>>19764202I'd say we make the eye camera. We can already talk wirelessly with Cindy yes?
>>19764202>>Scratch that new votes. People who want brawling dodge seem to want computer, so skills will be Craft, Brawl, and Computer. Combat style is Boxing.
lets crap open the network sap after the old saying goes 'know thy enemy'
rolled 10, 3, 6, 1 = 20>>19764202I'll throw an initial roll at trying to fix the radios. Dismantle the Replicas for spare parts, those things are freaky and there's no reason to leave them intact after the Scout interfaced with them, it might have done something. We'll check out the basement if we have time before morning.
>>19764202Lets do the radios. Can we build our radio into our shell?For on-the-move chatting over the radio. Also, modem speak on the airwaves. Actually, can we speak modem, to speed up inter-robot communications?
>>19764271>>No. Neither of you are set up to be a router. To prevent things like viruses and hacking attempts and counter-productive orders, robots can't talk directly to eachother without some sort of relay. Installing the CBs inside both of you would be pretty easy, however. you've got a storage thing, and she's got "anatomical dead space" inside her torso.>>On an instinctive level, people didn't want robots talking to eachother non-verbally all the time or being too interconnected. It was spooky, tended to overtax/warp the SAP and the people who built them had all played Mass Effect and seen Terminator.
>>19764293It only interacted with the surfer dude, though. i think.They are creepy, though.
rolled 10, 5, 9, 10 = 34>>19764390I think a scout bot would be more useful. It's more likely we'll be able find/scavage a radio set then a scout bot.scout bot rolling
>>19764440But those anti-Network folks are already after us just for being a robot. Having a little machine made partially with Network technology would not do us any favors for our image.
rolled 6, 3, 6, 5 = 20>>19764202>CindyWe should tell Cindy what we know about the current factions and friends we've made. ask her what she wants to do.
>>19764459did not mean to roll>>19764456They're going to break us either way. Having a useful tool is better then trying to appease retards
rolled 9, 6, 5, 4, 8, 10, 3, 4 = 49Rollan for mak'n scout bot.
rolled 1, 5, 1, 9, 9, 4, 1, 10 = 40>>19764735second roll
>>19764878well I'm not trying that again...
>>19764878>>19764735>>Scout bot completed in only four hours. Getting the "comm-link" CB radios installed takes another two.Breaking open the scout's head reveals a tangle of fiber-optic cables surrounding an oddly-raw-looking mass of silicone chips. The high-rez optic can be removed, and you make an articulated housing for it out of duct tape and the dismantled hand of the hooker bot. The surfer-dude's hands are reassembled into a set of six arthropod legs, with some of the scout's internal components providing the chassis. The Hookerbot's hardware is cheap, simple, and easy to work with, and a chunk of it is just smart enough to figure out how to operate the six legs. This thing's going to be fully remote controlled, with the output from the camera bounced back to the data tablet, which also serves as the control pad. The effective range is 50 yards, less indoors; you don't have access to any particularly good wireless components. The software has been cobbled together from your own shell drivers and some unused apps on the tablet, so expect some problems. A single battery charge from any source runs the bot for a scene.There's still one replica left, and a significant stock of parts from the two you dismantled, tiny screws, wires, and servos and cable spools, circuit board components. Simple, all-purpose stuff.>>Gain: Remote Controlled WALKING EYE bot. Runs for a scene on one battery charge>>Gain: CB radio for self and ally. Runs off shell battery. If kept continuously charged, no battery loss incurred.>>both can "save" charge, holding it indefinitely until needed.>>Upating Clarke's character sheet. Reaching consensus on Cindy Dialogue and Next Events.
>>19765134Excellent, make sure we've told Cindy about everything we've encountered so far and the different factions we've heard about. First we should loot the hell out of the basement.Then we'll want to set stuff up to dive into the evil SAP with Cindy and take all of the precautions we can to be able to shut it down if things start going wrong. Maybe doing something to let us modulate the processing power available to it so we can give it just enough to answer or do what we want and then bring it back down to a safe level afterwards.
>>19765134We should alert Cindy as to the apparent hostility of many humans. It would be wise to avoid them.Also, may as well investigate downstairs.
>>19765134We MIGHT want to get the replicant... I mean, "replica" back up and running at some point, but first, the basement. It makes me nervous that there's a part of the building we haven't examined yet. Even if it's empty, it'd be a good place to hold out and not be seen.
the basement must be looted
>>19765428Maybe we'll find more bots down there.Or hopefully Paco was running a "side" business in addition to used robots.
>>19765466Side business as in cocaine?
>>19765528I dunno, maybe gun running or black market robot parts.
The morning chorus is beginning as Clarke closes up Cindy's chassis. She checks the controls on the radio while you continue relaying your experiences up to that point, especially those regarding the humans."Ugh, that's terrible. These guys actually shot at you? What a bunch of jerks. The whole world can't be nothing but Network and these fighty soldier jerks, can it? They made it sound like there are fewer people in the "Sparkling City." That has to be Cancun, its the only option. Those army guys sound really...intense. Like, super-obsessive. We need to find people who aren't like that. And there have to be other robots, right? Like you and me? I want to know what happened here. Why did everything get so bad? If this...Network caused a war...if it kills people...Cindy trails off, eye blank, then abruptly changes the subject. "We should finish searching the place. Get everything we could possibly need. You're so strong, you can carry a lot of junk. I want to see the outside.>>Roll Wits+Empathy. There's something off about her. More off than the obvious, that is. The pair of you stump down into the basement. You hadn't checked it before because its a fairly simple space. There are no evil ninja robots hiding here, just the moldering remains of someone's life. The worktable still sits, with a tarp covering an odd accumulation of lumps. Cindy carefully reaches out and lifts it away, then stares in wonder.
rolled 8, 10, 3, 3 = 24>>19765804Check what is under the tarp, it could be important or interesting. Tell Cindy that we're not heading out just yet, we should be prepared to leave but Alhanya and Miguel are going to come here to talk to us later and we shouldn't leave without doing so first.
"Oh gawd. It's such an antique."Paco was apparently also into restoring old tech. The table was his personal workspace. You find several finger-sized 100-gig drives, labeled with names like "Best of Teh 40's," "MordeHauseWarriors," and "Classical." There are also several external drives with short-range wifi, the sort that would be used in a home's media server, but can serve perfectly well as jump storage. In the world you remember, Cloud-based computing had become the standard. No one actually kept media files stored locally. at least, not among the tourists or Cindy's social group. But what stands out most of all is...the Monolith.It's tall and black with silver highlights, and bears a retractable flex-screen on one side. There's a sizable multi-terrabyte drive bolted on to it, and some lumpy knob-covered things as well. It weighs maybe 10 lbs, all told.A thoughough search of the desk turns up a few robot-related items. A box of what look a little like floppy disks sits in one drawer, with labels like "Cooking Mama," "Playbot v3.5.1," "Poppins-ware," and "Vocaloid 8.5." A locked box (no match for your Bending) contains smaller, more advanced-looking chips that would fit into one of your internal drives. These lack labels, but two have "PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT" stamped on them.
>>19765887>US GOVERNMENTPaco wasn't just running a repair shop I think
>>19765887Yeah, we should probably start sifting through these, try to get the Monolith up and running and use that to go through the disks instead of putting them in us, at least for now. We don't know their contents and until we know if they're safe or not I'd like to have a degree of separation from them.
>>19765874>>The way she lost her train of thought is indicative of an indexing error, possibly sequestered. SAPs are so complex that Psychology applies to them, and she may be ignoring/in denial/repressing something. Her recent memories might be a little fragmented, just like yours.
>>19765995Well, it makes sense. Considering that everything she knew just got turned on its head, Rachel is dead, civilization has fallen apart, all that it makes sense. Given that the trigger was talking about killing people it may have to do with her own personal past, maybe she had to kill people at some point, maybe she offed Rachel for some reason. It's just conjecture at this point though.
>>19765973The When plugged in to the solar array, the monolith boots up with old-fashioned scrolling text, which then becomes a swirling blue background, all displayed on the flexible screen that you pull out like an old-fashioned sunshade. A pure, ringing tone is heard, and a simple UI appears with tiny icons.
>>19766064Do a quick look on the Monolith, see if there is anything worthwhile, then start going through the floppy disks, then if the Monolith can read them go through the smaller advanced chips, especially the twoo with "PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT" on them.
>>19766064play plants vs zombiethen get to work on those US chips
>>19766064Can we precharge our little spybot?
The flat floppy-disk things can be hooked up via data cable to the monolith, and the other ones (which look oddly like gun magazines) have USB connectors. The monolith appears to contain a huge number of 10-gig files and lots of custom software. The files all have names like Call of Modern Honor, Interstellar Bum Pirates, Maroon Box, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Fukushima, and on and on. You can indeed investigate the storage devices. The thin floppies are all bootleg Replica software, and you can look through the nested folders and Readme files to get a sense of what they do. In theory, you or Cindy could learn some of it, in the same way that you could read an instruction manual. some sort of Emulator might be required to actually run them, though. And in some cases, you lack the physical equipment.The blocky clips are genuine SAP stuff, though. Custom drivers and tweaked software. Those are impossible for the Monolith to read, apart from their readme files. The two USGov ones seem to contain chunks of Combat Training.
>>19766506>no plants vs zombiesfuck the futureWhat kind of combat training?
>>19766506This sounds potentially very useful, Paco was up to some serious stuff.Read through the readmes on the blocky chips then dive into them if possible to get more details on what they can do.
>>19766506Given the situation we are in right now combat training would be pretty damn useful.
>>19766506They're not like Gen 1 TMs are they? Both Cindy and us can use them?If they are, then Cindy could probably use the better of the two chips
>>19766506Let's jack in to some military combat training modules.
>>19766580As a form of copy protection, the USgov ones are one-use only. They didn't want Killbot skills widely available to every tin-pot dictator and gangster, so they auto-wipe after being used. The other ones are all quite re-usable, but each of you only has so many...slots, I guess, to fit them in. You can only run a couple of custom drivers and apps at a time.The military-grade ones are actual stored training, though. virtual Scenarios and target ranges and everything. They don't give you skills but they give you the ability to pick up skills without having to use them (like a Morrowind Skill book, but more powerful).
rolled 8, 2, 1, 9, 1, 8, 1 = 30>>19766902>>19766506install the combat training in to us have Cindy look/ help us look for anything useful on the drives and monolith she would be best at this.
>>19766902We've got two USgov ones, we should split them between us and Cindy so she can hold her own in a fight. Given that she's a Seraphim, meaning very fast and with overclock she could be very helpful in combat if we get her equipment. Then sort through the other ones and see what skills we can get from them and then decide what to do with our slots.
Also, I'd hold onto some of that software. Who knows, using Vocaloid programming to give something an improvised vocal capacity might be useful if we find more junked companions down the line.
>>19766954Cindy definitively needs one, the better one if one is "better."agreeing with this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnD7LqisBhM&feature=player_embeddedit begins gentlemen
>>Still mulling over what everything does. Real life intrudes. Leaving with the following:One appears to be intended for a Sentinel Squad Support Mech attatched to M.A.S.H., which contains data on close-quarters firefights with personal defense weapons such as SMGs and Shotguns, as well as some Trauma Surgeon content.The other appears to be a "Heavy Weapons Guy" program relating to target priority, weapon upkeep, trigger discipline, and recoil compensation.
>>19767178It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. We'll give Cindy the first one, Close Quarters Firefights and medical stuff. We'll take the one for Heavy Weapons as we're the big and strong one of the two of us so we'll use a big gun. It also had weapon upkeep which we will have use for.
>>19767178Lets give Cindy the M.A.S.H. one.We can take the other. That recoil bit will be important, especially considering the lankiness of our arms.
>>19767178We are Heavy Weapons Bot.Cindy can be Shotgun Ninja.Everything is going well then. Well, if she wants to be shotgun ninja that is.We still only have direct control of Clarke right?
Do we really want to arm and train Cindy? We don't have direct control of her and she does have programming slips.. She can also overclock, so do we want to train something we can't stop?
>>19767633I agree. If we want to give her something like this, we should fix her bugs, first.
>>19767633>>19767541>>19767216>>19767213How about we ASK Cindy if she even wants this stuff installed into her? If modern media has taught me anything its that the only thing worse then training a mentally unstable individual to kill is FORCING them to do it.I'm sure she'll agree to it, but then again who knows. At least this way we'll build her trust and get to gage her psyche a bit more.
That is a good first step, but I still think we should eval/repair before we make her into a trained killer. If she wants to become one.
>>19767962>>19767888>>19767802I said to ask yes, but we have a very short list of allies at the moment. Not taking help where it's offered is a bad idea.>>19765804 Doesn't seem like she's bugged more like she doesn't want to think about a giant robot/humie war. Just like anyone who isn't crazy wouldn't
>>You do not have control of Cindy. However, would I fuck you over like that? Well, maybe I would, actually. And, come to think of it, I can imagine an "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL" play-as-joker section to turn up at some point. At the moment, you can count on her as an ally.Clarke explains the contents of the drives, and Cindy blanches back in surprise."Combat software? But...We don't do that sort of thing, Eight. We help people. We help our friends. They have different machines for that sort of thing. Big ones, with, like, guns built in, and stuff. That's their job, not ours."You lift up the Heavy Weapons Drive and examine it philosophically. "I do not know what our function is now. Mine was to fix things, improve them, keep them functioning. But this is a dangerous world for us, Cindy. Had I not fought before, then I and Small Human Alhanya would be scrapped at this point, and you would be still be inactive. Perhaps your new function is to determine your function."Clarke opens the data port panel on his chassis and plugs the drive into a USB slot. The program automatically runs an installation wizard, copying itself on to his drive, then burning out the original. It will take several hours to unpackage all the data, and a few more to "digest" all the information. You put the med-guard drive down on the table in front of the other robot, and speak again. "This is your decision. I cannot make it for you."
>>19769111I feel rather sorry for her, she seems so mentally damaged.
Cindy picks up the drive, and stares at it for a very long time. Then, she looks up at you and says. "I'll have to think about this."She places it carefully in a small laptop bag, the closest thing to a clutch or purse she was able to find in the store. >>You can pre-charge the spider-bot easily. The contents of the rest of the SAP drives can be perused later, at your leisure (read: once I've figured out what they are). The replica software is more-or-less a full set; you''re not going to find a more complete collection of android programming.>>Roll a Wits+Computer check regarding the replica programming.The silence after Cindy's statement is broken by a soft tapping on the cellar door next to you. A tiny voice calls out: "Senior Clarke? Are you in there?"
>>ALSO, Clarke has a new character sheet. Its just like the old one, only this one had a delicious raccoon in it. >>Also, your wonderful mechanical arms allow you to deal lethal brawl damage, should you choose.
>>19769433"Small Human Alhanya? Is that you? What are you doing out here again? Does your father know?"
>>19769433"Yes, I am present. Do you want to come in?"
"I have reactivated a Seraphim who has been inactive since 2078. Her name is Cindy."
rolled 2, 5, 3, 6, 6, 6, 3 = 31>>19769433Rollan for replica programming.I am here Small Human Alhanya. This is Cindy, I just reactivated her.
>>19768030if that's the case then doesn't the inherent Instability of her SAP coupled with her fears/extreme(?) aversion to violence provide opportunity for her to go actual crazy when faced with a fire fight? Then we'd have a highly train maniac on our hands.
rolled 7, 7, 1, 6, 5, 6, 10 = 42>>19769612Those were d6s, my bad.
>>19769663>>While you don't exactly bandy it about, you also noticed that one of the Replica software bundles, filename "Exercise Instructor," contained absolutely no programs regarding calisthenics. A quick perusal shows that instead, it functions as a suite of combat software and exploits regarding the safety protocols (read: capable of hurting people, and doesn't utterly suck at it).Alhanya speaks through the door. "You have a new friend named Cindy? Is she another robot like you? I'm here with the stuff from home. Papa's here, too. He's looking around."You remove the bar from the door, allowing it to swing open, and alhanya descends the steps. behind her is a beaten and sun-damaged canvas duffel bag, which she couldn't possibly have carried by herself. Upon seeing the girl, Cindy clutches her hands together in front of her, and squeals "Oh, she's SO CUUUUUTE!" This stops alhanya in her tracks; Cindy's speaking english. The robot takes a step closer and bends down to eye level with the girl. "HI! Is your name Small Human Alhanya? It's so awesome to meet you! I'm Cindy!"The girl takes a step back, frightened by the sudden purple-eyed onslaught of gushing enthusiasm.A voice from outside calls out in spanish. "Alhanya, is everything all right? Is someone else down there?"
>>19769843Everything is alright Miguel, I returned to functionality a Seraphim 288 Model named Cindy. Introduce Cindy and Alhanya to each other.
>>19769843We should probably intervene in this situation and act as a mediator for the two of them (Make sure Cindy doesn't scare her half to death) and explain the situation better to both of them before letting them interact directly
Miguel appears at the door, gripping an iron crowbar tightly with one hand. Slung over his shoulder is a battered bolt-action hunting rifle with iron sights. You step between the two, and make formal introductions. you pointedly speak in spanish, and Cindy gets the point. The next words she says are far calmer and reassuring. "Lo siento, Alhanya, yo estaba tan contento de encontrarme con vosotros. Mi nombre es Cindy, soy amigo de Clarke's. Me gusta mucho el tobillo pinturas; son lindo mucho."She speaks with a perfect spanish accent, every tilde and roll sparkling out of her speaker, quite unlike Clarke's awkward smoker-with-a-speaky-thingy accent.
/co/mrade here, this is awesome
>>19770016"Hola, Miss cindy. Soy Miguel, alcalde de una ciudad ultramilenaria" Miguel speaks politely to the Seraphim, but looks at questioningly as he does so. You're not sure what that means, and so he speaks to you, in turn."We have a few things to discuss, senior Clarke. But first, Alhanya and I, and I'm sure, everyone in the village, if they knew about it, would be very pleased if you could fix our music box." He reaches down and hefts the duffel bag, clunking down the steps to stand next to his daughter.Because you're standing between them, Cindy is leaning far to the side, talking in calm spanish to Alhanya, who is already looking less scarred, and talking back. Apparently, she thinks that Cindy's duct tape is neat-looking.>>I think the thread might be autosaging. I wish I had a better spot in which to start a new thread.
How come we've only seen humanoid Robots so far? surely humanities greatest engineers were more creative than that. Perhaps something smaller that uses small high speed rotors as a means of propulsion and a durable float bladder filled with synthesized helium? Or a former military bot with large scorpion like chassis equipped with large powerful "claws" and a pair of fine manipulators were the mouth parts on an actual scorpion would be, and a high caliber auto cannon and spot light on its "tail."
>>19770131Well, there was that scout earlier.
>>19770130"I will do what I can, and do so happily."
>>19770130Well you hit 300+ posts, which is where autosage happens, so you might as well just start a new thread, call it Lost Future Quest Part 3 or something like that.Well, we may as well get working on that music box. Get the music box from Miguel, say it would be our pleasure to fix it, take it to our workbench and see exactly what is broken. Hell we could probably add more music to it from the computers lying around here.>>19770131There probably are, but both us and Cindy were designed to interact with humans so they didn't want to freak them out too much. I'm betting there were warbots and the like that weren't humanoid.
>>19770201I say we add on the best of Erasure to it.
>>19770130Yah, we're thirteen post into autosage, new thread?
>>19770130Looks like we're going to need a new thread soon.In any case we should get to work on earning this man's, and eventually by extension, the villages trust. (the gringos are another matter)we should ask for an inventory of items brought and make an estimate on the time required for each repair. Cindy and Alhanya can do what ever they want while we talk to Miguel about the current state of affairs in the town and the gringos
>>19770131>>I have several reasons for that.>>1. The setting started as a video game concept, and a big part of the idea was this deep, pervading design aesthetic. One of them is that the robots are people. not human, but PEOPLE. So, I did my best to make them roughly humanoid and person-looking without them being human-looking. Thus they all have blank faceplates with big expressive eyes and unusual body proportions. >>2. There are non-humanoid robots. the Networked ones are becoming more insectile/animalistic/alien as they diverge from their origins. Also, many of the big combat robots are giant hulking jumping-spider Tachikoma tanks.>>3. People want to make humanoid robots. If they had the chance to do so, they would, and, especially in the civilian market, they be more popular for it. Most of the robots you've seen so far have SAPs. Lots of nonsentient robots exist that have gas bladders and propellers. >>4. Because the whole point is to justify "ridiculously human robots" in a harder-than-usual setting. >>I know where you're coming from, I really do, but I have my reasons. Likewise for the "feminine" robots. I have justifications for that, too.
>>19770303You do know you only need one > to make greentext, right?>An example.
>>19770130fix box and have serious chat with Miguel. te4ll him cindy is a medical botask cindy to keep the loli busy
NEW THREAD LOCATED AT>>19770519ABANDON THREAD. ALSO, HELLO NEW PEOPLE. GLAD TO HAVE YOU. PLEASE PROCEED TO NEW THREAD AT>>19770519ALSO GIVE ME A SEC TO TYPE STUFF. PRETTY MUCH ALL THIS IS WRITTEN ON THE SPOT. .........I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M YELLING FOR.
