>>Previous threads can be found at: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=NearFuture%20Cyborg%20Quest>Fate Points: 1>Nano-Meta: 3655 Units>Credits: 46,250The year is 2025.Your name is Dave, although you were Amy just a few minutes ago, due to Bullfrog Shenanigans.Once again, it's time to get your thoughts in order. This latest misadventure started when you and Amy had found a strange alium artifact, and quickly discerned that it was a wormhole generator. The aliums in question showed up soon after you used it, and captured almost everyone on the ship. What you got back. . were more than what you lost. Most namely. . Dani. Constructed from memories of Alli Templar, she quickly went through more existential crises than you did when you became braindead. During one of the crises, she stole a Quantum Computer from ArmaTek, then destroyed it, bringing down the ire of ArmaTek, which seems much more powerful than you first thought.Of course, that's not all that's going on. There's still the mysterious Alium Emperors, and the Mindcore you need to find for strange, Alium AI ships. For now, you think you have a lead on the mindcore. . but Van Co. has it.---You descend down to the chrysler building in the Raven, waking Amy up with a nudge of your mind.<Mhmpmhm.> Amy said, her mind still blurred with the tinges of a dream- a dream about penguins, you, Lucca, and Dani you can tell."Daaaave." She says. "When'd I fall asleep?"
>>20059866"Right after the part with the...
>>20059866After we did the sensation swapping thingy. That was new and interesting. I never knew how cuddly I was from your point of view.
"After we did the sensation swapping thing. That was. . .New and interesting." You say."Yeah. . I don't think I'm doing that again. That was. . too much for me." Amy says, with a small, bleary grin. "At least I know I'm good in bed, now. So, who's being bad-negotiator and who's being good negotiator? Flitty skirt, or spiked choker?" She asked, looking down to the small pile of clothes Amy had in the back of her raven.
>>20060017flitty skirt.
>>20060017You are extremely good in bed.You get to be bad negotiator, I'll be good negotiator. I'm not saying this just because I want you to wear a choker. I'll be the reasonable one, if you're going to make any threats or unreasonable demands, I'll calm you down and say that we really need to add something to the deal and offer them the amount we really want. Since we're being the reasonable one we'll have our helmet off for negotiations.
>>20060053>>20060036I think that if we can't make this decision we agonize over it, say that both are too good options and we are leaving it up to her.
"You are extremely good in bed." You say.She gave you a grin."You get to be bad negotiator, I'll be good negotiator." You say, watching the interesting things her body does as she shimmies on the skirt."Right.""I'll be the reasonable one, if you're going to make any threats or unreasonable demands, I'll calm you down and say that we really need to add something to the deal and offer them the amount we really want.""Right. And what do we really want?" She asked.
>>20060171Mindcore, more goop, access to any other alien shit they have. I'd like to know how they make the goop as well. Paying as little as possible for this.
rolled 77 = 77>>20060171Wait shit, I thought we were negotiating for the mindcore, if they have it.
>>20060171That glowing thing. He knows that there are aliums who want it badly, so we can probably make subtle threats about what they might do to get it.
>>20060171"A certain alium artifact that was on mars. Which I already told Gareth, as it happens."
"A certain alium artifact that was on mars. Which I already told Gareth, as it happens.""So. . he already knows what we want, and knows what we're offering. . Why are we even negotiating?" She asked.
>>20060233Just in case he wants something more than the metallurgy. We won't be negotiating unless they start to.
>>20060233Because I want to see you wearing a choker.
>>20060233We can get more than just an artifact they can't use at all for a large upgrade to their primary product.
>>20060233Shrug, "Just in case?"
"Because I want to see you wearing a choker." You say. "And because we can get more than just an artifact they can't use at all for a large upgrade to their primary product.""Right." She said.The two of you leave the Raven, and approach the secretary in the lobby."Ah, hello." She says. "Mr. Gareth is down in the basement today. One moment while I call him."She clicked a few keys on her computer, then put on the headset."Please tell Mr. Gareth that Amy Tolstoy and Dave Davidson are here." She said.There's a long delay while the three of you wait, and then the secretary gets a response."Ah, you two can go down into the basement today." she said. "Please make sure you're wearing atmospheric shields or something vacuum-safe."
>>20060312<Hooray for powershields!>"Where is the basement?"
>>20060312I'm not even going to ask why your basement is in vacuum. We've got powered armor and power shields so we should be just fine. Which way is the basement?
>>20060312Amy's got her atmo shield, we've got the armor, we should be okay.
<Hooray for power shields!><Hooray!> Amy responded."Where is the basement?" You ask."Oh, just go into the elevator." The secretary said. "I'll be able to direct it downwards from here."You enter the elevator, and it quickly moves down, and opens.You see, under armed guards, cradling souped up gauss rifles, is the teleporter you'd given them."Mr. Gareth is directly through." One of the guards said, and nodded. "Simply stand on the pad, and we'll activate it remotely."You and amy stand on the pad.<I hope there's no fucking mining drones this time.> Amy said, and then you were suddenly on mars.Gareth had a magnifying glass, looking closely at some of the artifacts, complete with scientists at computers."Ah, hello." Gareth said, and led you to a small office. "Let's speak, shall we?"
>>20060368"Lets. So how is the new metallurgy?"
>>20060368So Mars is your basement? I suppose that's one way to put it.How goes the task of deciphering the purpose of these artifacts?
>>20060368"What's up?"
"So, mars is your basement? I suppose that's one way to put it." You say. "How goes the task of deciphering the purpose of these artifacts?""Not very well, I'm afraid." Gareth said. "The artifacts we've found have been in two types. Some seem completely inert, without any function, and they seem like carved chunks of carbon. We haven't deciphered what any of them do, yet, and some believe they're art of some kind. The other, are dark green, sealed magnetically, and can be diciphered with a lot of work. The artifact you want is the largest and most significant of this second kind.""So, how is the new metallurgy?""My scientists believe it's seventeen percent lighter, and twelve percent stronger." He said. "It's easily significant enough for me to hand over the spherical artifact you want."
>>20060442Wouldn't it be more reasonable to take pictures of all the dark green artifacts and ask the aliums if that's what they actually want? Before trading the metallurgy for it.
"Great! How's business?""You wouldn't happen to know anything about a certain company called ArmaTek, would you Gareth?"
>>20060442You won't get anything out of the carved chunks of carbon, and they aren't art.As far as I can tell they're from different sources.Do you mind if I take pictures of your catalog of Alium artifacts? Take a look through them, I might even be able to tell what many of them are for.
>>20060442"Before we do that I want to take pictures of those artifacts and ensure we get the correct one."
rolled 19 = 19>>20060442Could we check that is actually the mind core?
"Before we do that, I want to take pictures of those artifacts and ensure we get the correct one."He grimaced, and gritted his teeth, but nodded."As long as you'll keep them secret." He said. "I'm not comfortable with letting you take the images out of this installation, but. . . "He sighed. "Go ahead."You go back into the large room with the teleporter, tables of artifacts, and scientists at computers, and you start taking pictures and deep-scans of the artifacts. The dark green ones remind you, strongly, of the AI ships, and the other ones remind you of the Emperors.<Dave.> Amy says, keeping her face perfectly neutral. <The scientists are pretending to work. They aren't actually doing anything.>
>>20060442"Yeah, the inert carbon ones are tricky. I'm not really sure at all how it lets me teleport. There's more than one of the spheres?"
rolled 100 = 100>>20060518Aww shit, I don't like the sound of this, could we get the slepnir in orbit of mars?
>>20060518Quick. Scan the scientists.
rolled 87 = 87>>20060533God damn you dice why do you decide to be useful now of all times.
You close your eyes for a moment, and send a signal all the way to earth, amplified with your own bullshit hacking.The Sleipnir appears, far above the surface of mars, perfectly cloaked.<I'm onboard.> Azure said. <Along with Dani. If you need anything, just ask.>You deepscan each of the scientists in turn, but none of them have weapons.<Calm down, Dave.> Amy said. <The important thing when getting ambushed is not to act freaked. Just. . be ready.>
>>20060518"I assure you, I'm only using the information to confirm with the ones they were stolen from."<I'm not surprised. Let's just be ready in case Gareth feels like playing silly buggers.>
>>20060533Are we sure we want to be threatening?Although it does make a certain amount of sense. After all, unless we suddenly manifest brain damage (bullfrog damage?) Sleipnir is where we're taking the artifact anyways.
>>20060567>>20060568Blasted work, distracting me from finishing my posts sooner.
>>20060567Okay, take pictures of their faces and so on, send them to the ship and Daedalus, see if we get anything from that.
>>20060567<None of them have weapons. If it's an act, it's probably just to strengthen their bargaining position. Or they're just distracted and focusing on us and Gareth.
So... What if Gareth is actually an Emperor?
>>20060567<I'm always ready>Put the pictures of the artifacts in the ftl drop-box and ask if any are the mind core.
>>20060567They could be some of those freaky Eversor thing or weapons in and of themselves. If so VanCo might be working with ArmaTek.
>>20060594Not dumb enough.
We should really make sure nobody can listen in on our bullfrog conversations. Or even worse, hack Amy.
>>20060594We just did deep scans of everyone, that would have showed up.Plus if we was he'd know how to work their technology. And act like a 5-year-old.
>>20060622No, we did scans of the scientists, not Gareth. He's been around a while, he could have adjusted his behavior to not be detected so easy.
<I'm always ready.> you say, and tilt your head, sending the images of the artifacts to the Sleipnir.<Put the artifact scans in the FTL drop-box and ask if any are the mind core.> You say.<I will do so.> Cyan responds. <Message sent.>While you wait, Amy makes small-talk with Gareth, being subtly threatening when she can. Everything seems to go right above Gareth's head, for the most part.<Message received.> Cyan says. <Gazebo says that none of them are the mindcore. . But the largest, spherical one is a person. An AI once thought dead, no doubt turned off to preserve their sanity.>
>>20060646"...and with that we have confirmation, and the photos on my end are deleted, you have my word. The aliums say that none of these are their mindcore, but that the larger one there is a truly sapient AI in and of itself, likely turned off to preserve its sanity. It's a sleeping person, Gareth."
>>20060646Time to negotiate."Well, seems like the big green sphere isn't exactly what we were looking for..."
>>20060666Don't tell him what it is for now. Might drive the price up.
>>20060646It'll take a few minutes due to time lag but send data on all of the "scientists" to Sleipnir and Daedalus, see if they pop up on any databases. I don't trust them one bit.
>>20060646Ask how we can reactivate them."Sorry Gareth it turns out that's not the thing I was looking for. It's a deactivated sentient AI. Might be considered unethical to continue experimenting on it."
Don't tell him what it is. At least now we're certain the Mindcore isn't in our Solar System but if we take this AI and get him reactivated, he might know where it is.
>>20060674Dude, slavery is not on. They can't sell him and we can't buy him. Hopefully we can just get him to let it go.
Nothing related to the situation at hand, but could we ask Daedalus to keep an eye on Amy's old team?
<Also, send all of this data to Daedalus.> You say. <See if he picks anything up. Also, ask if there's a way we can reactivate them.><This will be quick if we teleport back.> Azure said, and the Sleipnir vanishes. Soon enough, the ship returns. <Daedalus is working on it. And we've already recieved a response. . Oh. okay.><The response is... 'we're coming'.> Azure said.<Three ships have arrived in the skies above this position.> Onyx said.Alarms start blaring on base, and the Scientists look about."What did you do?" Gareth asked.
>>20060738Nothing to be concerned about. You happened across a sleeping AI and his brethren are eager to say hi to him. Don't worry, they come in peace and all that other stuff.
>>20060738"Oh, sorry. I asked the aliums to swing by, maybe activate some of this stuff with your permission. Good idea on the alarms though, I should probably get that myself..."
>>20060738"Shit. Sorry. This," indicate the largest orb, "Is a sleeping AI, and his friends came to retrieve him, I guess. I was hoping they would at least wait a bit.">>20060753No, we didn't. We did not ask them. They just decided to come by.
>>20060753"Oh yeah, also the big green one is a person. An AI technically, but probably more advanced and emotionally developed as a person than you and I put together."
>>20060738How do they know where we are?"I asked them if that big thing was the baby-maker we were looking for. It turns out it's not, it's one of the babies."
"Shit, sorry, right." You say, and point to the largest orb. "Is a sleeping AI. And his friends came to retrieve him, I guess. I was hoping they would at least wait a bit." Part of the facility makes a squealing noise, and then a small, autonomous drone appears, still made out of the burnished green material. It reminds you of some kind of robotic tyranid, it looks like..."I asked them if that big thing was the baby-maker we were looking for. It turns out it's not, it's one of the babies." You say."Meep." Gareth responds.The drone grips the core tightly, and the core starts shimmering, pulsing with power.<<Good day.>> Cyan translates for you. <<My name is Bubbles. I am a Seeker, and I was damaged. Thank you for returning me to consciousness.>>
>>20060791"No problem, happy to help."
>>20060791Hey there Bubbles, nice to meet you. I'm glad I could have helped.I'm just wondering if you could identify some of the other artifacts in the room for me? I'm curious.
>>20060791<Hey, you friends helped us deal with the Emperors. I'm glad we could provide a bit of help in return.>
>>20060738Oh, goddammit, you three. Could you not have waited?"The three ships that just 'ported in are among the last of an entire race of sentient AIs. The large sphere, it turns out, is such an AI, likely powered off to preserve their sanity.""I made the mistake of assuming they would understand the need for discretion."
>>20060791Hi Bubbles. Could you tell us what you were doing here?
"Hi, Bubbles." You say aloud. "Could you tell us what you were doing here?"<<Fighting.>> It responds. <<Seeking. Thinking. I'd found it. I'd won. And then they teleported something inside of me that exploded, and I fell alongside them.>>The scientists don't hear most of this conversation, but you make sure Amy does.<<Query: you had found it?>> 1-Ship-1 asks, no doubt from far above you.<<I had.>> Bubbles responds. <<And then the mindcore's left, using my slipstream drive, as I blew it asunder. I believe I know where to, however. Another planet in this system.>>
>>20060858>Mindcore's holder, I mean.>Damnit, why can't I be perfect?
>>20060791Have Cyan translate over external speakers as well, since I assume we're wearing the suit.Hello, Bubbles. Do you have any idea how long you were out?
>>20060858How long ago did all that happen?And what planet?
>>20060820>>20060877Youaretooslow,tripfag.
>>20060877Don't translate over speakers, don't let Gareth know everything.>>20060858Which planet? What obstacles would stand between us and the core?
rolled 31 = 31>>20060858We should build some one shot laser cannons before we go incase there are some emporers there.
>>20060883I've got a two-year-old to wrangle. Sue me.
>>20060858<Which planet?>
"Which planet? What obstacles would stand between us and the Core?"<<That is a very strange form.>> Bubbles says, as the drone locks the core inside of it's body. You get the feeling that the drone is now bubbles' body. <<Are you emulating the organic forms around you?>>The drone's head tilts.<<No, you're one of them. You're an organic, and you're willing to help us. Good on you.>> It says. <<It went to the world with all of the water and ice- The one made of great storms. We calculate it as world **--*--..--*--, but perhaps you would understand if I said ->><. . One moment.> Cyan said.<<Neptune. I believe it hides under the ice. I have been asleep for ->><Sorry for the delay.> Cyan said again.<<-Two hundred years, now, and I suspect the holders still live under the ice as they attempt to repair the ship I had damaged.>>
rolled 85 = 85tongue on Amy's butt.
>>20060954<Hmm. Looks like we have a mining expedition to gear up for.>"So, back on the matter of trade..."
>>20060954Well, looks like we're going to Neptune soon then.Could you tell us what all these bits of tech are?
>>20060954Well Bubbles we'll make the trip there with as little delay as possible. How did you get the name Bubbles?I'm sorry for the interruption Gareth, this sort of thing just happens to me.
>>20060954"By 'holders' do you mean the ones that had taken the core? Or another species?"
>>20060984>I'm sorry for the interruption Gareth, this sort of thing just happens to me.That is a great line, and should definitely be used.
"By 'holders' do you mean the ones who had taken the core? Or another species?"<<I mean the 'emperors', but such a name gives them too much respect. They are fools with powerful tools they don't know how to use.>> Bubbles said. <<So I call them holders.>>"Sorry for the interruption, Gareth." You say. "This sort of thing just happens to me."". . I see." Gareth said."So, back on the matter of trade...""There will be no trade." Gareth said. "That's a sapient being, am I right? I can't trade a sapient being because I can't own it. That's morally wrong."
>>20060992+1.Wish I'd thought of it.
>>20061023"Oh good, I was about to say the same thing."
>>20061039"Keep the new metal anyway and we'll just say you owe me one. Withing equitable reason, of course."
>>20061023Yeah, but I still have the alloy and you still have all that other stuff. And now we have someone who can actually tell us what it does.
>>20061023Good, I was hoping you'd say that. I assure you I did not know it was a sleeping core when I offered.However I'm sure that there are many artifacts in your possession that I could make use of and understand that your "scientists" could not.
>>20061023<At least some of them are free. We've been dealing with them.>"I'm glad to see we're on the same page, Gareth. Bubbles is its own person - yes, that is its actual name - but the other artifacts aren't."
>>20061023"Good man, Gareth. Have anything else in mind to offer for the metallurgy?"
"I'm glad to see we're on the same page, Gareth. Bubbles is it's own person, but the other artifacts aren't."<<Actually, from a specific point of view, these other 'artifacts' are mostly parts of my body.>> Bubbles said, looking across the table. <<it is all useless- Broken parts and half-constructed tools. I do not recommend you trade with this organic, friend.>>". . Right." Gareth said."Keep the new metal anyway and we'll just say you owe me one. Withing equitable reason, of course." You say."Oh, really." Gareth said. "I see. Favors are perfectly fine with me."
rolled 96 = 96>>20061123Alright then! lets go mine the shit out of neptune!
>>20061123Pat his shoulder, "Right. We'll figure something out at some point."
>>20061123Should we offer him the bro-fist? He's pretty nice for the head of a megacorp.
>>20061154Strictly speaking he's a VP, I believe, but he's been funding the mars base out of his own pocket.
>>20061123<Sleipnir, two to beam up.>Yup, I think Dave still hasn't learned.
>>20061188What, and leave the Raven at the VC building?
"Right. We'll figure out something out at some point." You say, and hold out a fist. He bangs his own fist against it.. . Bubbles raises the drone's talon, and looks from you to Gareth.<<... right, it's a cultural thing. Nevermind.>><<Would you like us to construct you a new body?>> You hear Gazebo's voice- somewhat respectful, unlike how he normally acted- ask Bubbles.<<No thank you. I think I will stick with the half-organic here.>> Bubbles responds. <<He is entertaining.>>
>>20061245I'm entertaining? Good to hear.Well technically I used to be full organic, and then stuff happened and I have an organic body, and originally organic mind, I just happen to exist in a cybernetic medium. It's rather strange.
>>20061245Neat. So, should we teleport back to earth now?And ask our regulars if any of them are interested in a trip to Neptune.
>>20061245"Way I see it, synthetic and organic aren't all that different. One's squishy, one's brittle."
>>20061245We should fist-bump Bubbles. Fist-bumps for all.
>>20061291But Bubbles doesn't have fists to bump.
>>20061284Can Bubbles be teleported to Sleipnir first? We don't want to tip our hand too much back on Earth, and I don't think the Raven will fit him comfortably anyways. Then we can make phone calls while we fly the Raven to rendezvous.
>>20061313Fist-analogue, the.
>>20061313He has a manipulator claw
>>20061319I think Lucca should just get a text message.
"Well technically I used to be full organic, and then stuff happened and I have an organic body, and originally organic mind, I just happen to exist in a cybernetic medium." You say, fistbumping the drone. "It's rather strange."<<Like the creators, before the Holders destroyed them.>> Bubbles said. It turned to Amy, then to you.<<Our creators wanted to create a neural network so they could commune with us, like you and your mate here do.>>"So, we'll teleport back to earth, now." You say."Right." Gareth said, and nodded. "You three have a wonderful day.""We will!" Amy said, and waved, as the three of you tore back onto earth.<<Hm, teleportation. Interesting. I saw my brethren doing that as well. Did you give them that technology?>> Bubbles asked, as the three of you walk toward the Raven.
We can just set the raven on autopilot back to Valhalla.
>>20061334"Yeah. Based on the Holder's tech, to be honest."Unless the rest of you don't want to say that.
>>20061334Yeah, but I don't really know how it works. We're just kind of holding it like the holders were.
>>20061334<Yeah, we did. They helped us fight the Holders, and we decided to swap technologies.>
>>20061347Au contraire, it's the one technology Dave understands completely.
>>20061347We do know how it works, that's why we can make the teleporters. Or at least, we know it well enough.
rolled 18 = 18>>20061343I think it's fine, the other ships know we reverse engineered it from emperor tech.
>>20061334We are allied against the holders and I needed help to rescue Amy, the love of my life. We exchanged technology, mutually beneficial relationship.
>>20061359>>20061361You know, we should really foster this teleporter thing. Look into teleporter based weaponry like Amy does with plasma, get the teleporter patented, et cetera.
>>20061361>>20061359No, we don't. We managed to get the schematics but we don't know how it works well enough to modify it or anything.
>>20061373>get the teleporter patentedYes. Let's find a good patent lawyer, and do it.
>>20061385>get the schematicsWe don't make cubes of what appear to be carbon. If we just "got the schematics" we'd be making cubes of what appear to be inert carbon.
>>20061385Yes, yes we do.>>19909270><I'll do it, then.> You growl, and close your eyes. You focus.>You're drifting above a city, riding a massive dragon. Above you drifts a strange, unknown blackness, reaching down with long, sinous tentacles, tearing up parts of the city. The boogeymen, you suppose.>You don't care.>You scream down, toward a small pile of strange, alien glyphs, and you dive into it, as if it were a deep, deep pool.>Now, you hardly understand how power cores work, despite how much Amy explained it to you. Something about friction.You don't understand power shields at all.You don't understand plasma weaponry.>But this... you understand this. The stars align... and you understand it. You understand all of it. It's beautiful. English doesn't have the words to explain it.. but you can still make it with nano-meta.>You gasp, and sit up, a schematic dancing in your head.
>>20061388The problem with that is that with patents you tend to have to give details on how it is accomplished so any company with ties to the feds can get more out of it. The best way for now might be to make it impossible to reverse engineer and sell it like that.
rolled 97 = 97>>20061388>>20061373If we never patent the technology they never know it exists, simple.
"We are allied against the holders, and I needed help to rescue Amy. We exchanged technology."<<I see.>> Bubbles said, as the three of you approach the Raven. <<This thing has. . cripples and animals hidden within it. Electronic minds that run exclusively on instinct.>> It said. <<My more closed-minded brethren would get very angry about this. . but I hardly care. We need the Mindcore back.>>It climbed on the top, as the canopy opened. You and Amy climb inside, and then lift off toward Valhalla.<... How did it know what we were saying?> Amy asked, keeping the conversation silent. <When we were talking amongst ourselves. . .and he knew we were lovers.>
>>20061405Have you seen some of the patents being thrown around currently? They doesn't explain shit.>>20061406That's a reasonably compelling argument, though.
>>20061406I have a feeling if we don't Van Co. will.
>>20061403>English doesn't have the words to explain it.. but you can still make it>You gasp, and sit up, a schematic dancing in your head.>It's alium tech, so most of its function is unknown, which is why you can't speed up the recharge time.We understand how to make it, but we don't really know how it works, the physics behind it and shit.
>>20061421<Most people get the lovers part after watching us for a few minutes. And we should probably just ask Bubbles how he managed to listen in on our conversation.>
>>20061421"The...'cripples' as you name them, are our species first attempt at creating intelligence. They work with and for us willingly. In fact, one of them is currently translating between us on my behalf."
>>20061421To Amy: <I...honestly don't know. Observation, maybe?>To Bubbles: <Human society at large is point-blank terrified of the idea of a sentient AI. It's all a matter of perspective.>
>>20061421<<A normal man might call a one-eyed man a cripple, but to a blind man he is a wonder. We're not nearly advanced enough to make anything like your mindcore yet.>>
>>20061421We really don't have the capabilities to make fully functional AI, with the one exception we know about so far being Azure, a good friend of ours.
"The...'cripples' as you name them, are our species first attempt at creating intelligence. They work with and for us willingly. In fact, one of them is currently translating between us on my behalf."<<Willingly does not exactly count, for these beings, but I understand.>> He said. <<You don't yet have the capabilities.>><Most people get the 'lovers' part after watching us for a few minutes.> You tell Amy. <And we should probably just ask Bubbles how he managed to listen in on our conversation.><Right.> She says."Excuse me, but how do you know what we're saying?"<<Simple. I studied you things for many years, while your culture evolved, before the Holders arrived and I fought them.>> He said. <<I learned your languages.>>
>>20061512<Thank you, for fighting them on our behalf. Do you know more about them? We know next to nothing about their kind.>
>>20061512Two hundred years, we have changed a fair bit in that time frame. As for the capabilities, we have found one fully sentient AI though her creation was not expected. Amy asked her AIs to create one themselves, one who could learn and improve herself and then Azure came out of it. You should be able to meet her once we get back home. Send a message to Talos letting him know about a new guest incoming.Ask Daedalus if he pulled anything up on any of the scientists.
>>20061512But you've been asleep for the past 200 years. How do you know words for modern technology like 'teleport'? That word's only 75 years old.
>>20061512"Actually there is one that is different. She was created by the simple AI's, and given the ability to learn. She does have willingness, and the rights and respect that comes with that. Last I saw of her, she was building herself a body. Would you like to meet?"
>>20061560Correction, 1931-2025 is 94 years old. But Dave wouldn't know the exact number off the top of his head anyway. Point is that Bubbles understood it when we said out loud we were going to teleport.
rolled 6 = 6>>20061512What are the animals you mentioned? Please explain if there are actually animals on board.I miss way too many threads.
rolled 4 = 4>>20061594We also have a translator don't we? also it IS a concept, not hard to imagine another race coming up with it as well.
>>20061646>Non-sapient AI are considered 'animals' by the fully-sapient AI race. Culturally, creating them is viewed as little above slavery."But you've been asleep for the past two hundred years. How do you know words for modern technology like 'teleport'? That word's only 75 years old."<<I'm speaking my own language, and your animal is translating it for you- Whatever it chooses to translate my words into is not my choice.>> It said. <<Second of all, I am a Thinker. I draw more knowledge from context than my brethren. I heard you say the word 'teleport', and then we teleported. Then I knew what that meant. I learn as we speak. For example, I already know how this vehicle is propelled. Quite clever, using a shield as a propulsion source.>>"Thanks." Amy said.After informing talos of your impending arrival, you set down the Raven at Valhalla.<<Ah, the very bottom of this world.>> Bubbles said, climbing off. <<And full of electronic animals.>>You see Dani and. . someone come down the steps. The 'someone' was a tall woman, luxuriously beautiful, with pale skin. . .but her face was a perfectly blank mask."Dave!" Dani said, grinning "Look at Azure."
Well Tele and Port are root words, so it's not hard to figure out what they mean when put together.
>>20061647But he just said that he understood our conversation because he learned our language, not because Cyan was translating for him. And we weren't talking to him so Cyan probably wouldn't have translated that.
>>20061662"I like it!"Make sure our helmet is on blank mode.
rolled 75 = 75>>20061662I wonder how bubbles is going to interact with azure.
>>20061662"Whoa. Looking good, Azure."Thumbs up.
rolled 56 = 56>>20061662"Believe me, I am."To the thinker: "Can you send the info to create sapient electronic beings, and to turn electronic animals into sapient being to me?"
>>20061662"Lookin' good, Azure. There's something very different about you. Don't say it, let me guess... Ahhh... You got a haircut! Right?">Something a little like this?
>>20061662Hey there Azure. Nice to see you. You look absolutely great.Azure, meet Bubbles, Bubbles meet Azure.
>>20060791>My name is Bubbles. I am a Seeker, and I was damaged.>>20061662>Second of all, I am a ThinkerWhich one is it, Exabyte?"Azure, I thought you wanted a face. You seem to have changed everything except the face.">>20061668Yes, "carry over distances". There's nothing there to imply it's instant, and not just a repulsion drive or a wormhole generator or something. But anyway, he just answered the question so whatever.
rolled 48 = 48>>20061723Actually, only the mndcore knows that.... sk if she has any information regarding that. She is a thinker after all.
>>20061662Looking good, Azure. How did the expressions thing work out?
>>20061752>He's been telling you conflicting things."Whoa. Looking good, Azure." You say, giving her a thumbs up."I still need a face." She said. "But Dani is still trying to sketch a suitable one."Dani frowned. "None of the ones I draw suit her." She said, grumbling."Bubbles, meet Azure. Azure, meet Bubbles.""Hello, Bubbles." Azure said.Bubbles tilted the drone's head. Then turned to you.<<This one is not an animal.>> It said. <<How. Tell me how you did this, right now. I demand it.>>
rolled 65 = 65>>20061752Maybe she seeks knowledge and then thinks about it..
>>20061762"The same way it happened to organic life. Random actions during her creation. Pure luck."
>>20061762<<I'll let her tell you if she wants to.>>
rolled 84 = 84>>20061762"Amy here created an AI cluster and asked it to create an AI most alike to humans, azure was created with the ability to learn, what the AI thought most represented humans"
>>20061762"As I was told it, a large collection of 'animals' got together and created her of their own volition."
>>20061762No she is not. You could ask her if you want. As far as I know it was a project of Amy's, she asked her AIs to make another AI that could learn. It was an incredibly happy accident, we have not been able to replicate it. She is a lovely person and a good friend.
>>20061762"Well, it's a delicate task to create a face for a person who never had one before. I wouldn't be surprised if it would take you at least a few day."
>>20061762We don't really know, it was an accident. We told the animal AIs to design an AI.
>>20061762<You will have to ask her. She has requested that I not tell anyone for the time being.>
>>20061762"The short version is we have no flipping idea. The long version is that she was collectively assembled by a number of merely sentient AI's, and maybe a few outright hardcoded ones, and grew from there into sapience, but we don't know HOW, besides that insufficient idea of the circumstances."
"You will have to ask her."The drone stepped this way and that, as if deliberating what to do.Finally, a small cable shot out of one of the drone's limbs, wrapping around one of the intercom speakers."Azure." Bubbles said. "May I please interface directly with your mind?""Erm. . why?""Because I would like to see how you were born."". . Okay." Azure said.The cable snapped off, and then the Drone pounced onto Azure, knocking her to the ground. Sparks shot from their bodies, electricity dancing between them. . and then Bubbles leapt away.<<Noooope. Nope nope nope.>> It said, backing away toward the wall, cowering.
>>20061823"Well, that doesn't sound good."
>>20061823Help Azure up."Are you alright?"
>>20061823"Whoah, wait a minute Bubbles. Calm down"
>>20061823>Bubble's face when<<Nope? Nope nope nope nope? What's wrong?>>
>>20061823...Clank clank clank?
>>20061823Why did you pounce on her like that? And what the hell happened?
"Whoah, wait a minute, Bubbles. Calm down." You say, and pull Azure back to her feet. "Are you alright?""I am." Azure said. "But. . I wonder what that was about."<Nope? What's wrong?> You ask Bubbles.<<Whatever that *thing* is, it is not like us. We were created.>> It said. <<It was not. It *clawed* it's way into sapience.>>
>>20061823That isn't promising."Bubbles? You still with us?"
>>20061884All of our AIs are designed with a specific purpose. With the purpose of learning and sufficient processing power, it isn't much of a mystery.
>>20061884Not everything is like you. She severely desired to be sapient and she made it happen. Is this a bad thing? Because if so I would like to know how to create true AIs, but we don't know how. She had the purpose of learning and expanding herself and made it happen.She in many ways is the truest expression of human will.
>>20061884"We would use the term 'evolved,' probably. Is that so terrible?"
>>20061884"This *thing* has a name. Azure is my friend, please consider that because you speak such unkind words. And from what I've seen, clawing it's way into sapience is the way most life takes to get there."
>>20061884Yes, I don't think she was sapient to start with. She was still created though, she's just changed. Do you not learn and change?
>>20061884"Sounds like the evolution of life to me."
>>20061884"All intelligent creatures claw their way into sapience. Evolution is not a pretty sight. I'm sure, when your kind were young and your creators had only just begun their experiments with AI, there was a similar being that clawed it's way into sapience as well. In fact, I'd bet that somewhere in the infinite universe it's happening right now. A program is devouring other programs and adding them to itself.What I'm saying is, get over it."
"All intelligent creatures claw their way into sapience. Evolution is not a pretty sight. I'm sure, when your kind were young and your creators had only just begun their experiments with AI, there was a similar being that clawed it's way into sapience as well. In fact, I'd bet that somewhere in the infinite universe it's happening right now. A program is devouring other programs and adding them to itself." You say. "What I'm saying is, get over it."<<... You're right.>> It said, climbing to it's feet. <<I apologize for being rude, Azure. . . Let us never interface directly again, however. Your mind is a terrifying thing to behold.>>" . . I. . . Thank you." Azure said, somewhat at a loss of what to say.<<However, this rockyroad.exe program is quite entertaining.>>
>>20061971"That was the point of it."
>>20061971I can send you the rest of the icecream files if you want. You can even try eating some, though I'm not sure if you can taste it right.
>>20061971"I'm glad you like it, I made it."Does Azure have hair? If so, then this is the perfect chance to ruffle it.
>>20061971"I made another flavor or two if you want to try those."
>>20061971Azure wanted to know what human food tasted like. I think I got it fairly accurate.
>>20061971"I'll take that as a compliment. I made other flavors too, if you're interested."
"I made another flavor or two if you want to try those." You say. "Azure wanted to know what human food tasted like. I think I got it fairly accurate."<<No, I believe I can extrapolate the senses from this program and the food in question.>> Bubbles said. <<I will set up a chemical sensor to serve as a 'taste' sense. That said, may I walk about this facility and examine things?>>
>>20062049"So long as you ask before fiddling with anything, yeah. And if you see a red case with a half-synthetic skull on it... Do not touch."
>>20062049"Of course you can. However, please ask before touching anything or entering areas locked or considered private. And please don't leave the facility."
>>20062049"I suppose so. I can't think of anything particularly dangerous."
>>20062049Inform Talos that we have a guest and to keep an eye on him.Tell him to feel free but to ask before he starts poking or fiddling with anything that looks important.Give Azure a hug and compliment her new body. If she has hair either ruffle it or start to braid it.
>>20062049"Go ahead, just don't break anything. And try not to antagonize Talos, I'd rather not find out the hard way he's developed a twitchy trigger finger."
Anyway, Dani. Have you decided what colour you want your hair to be?
>>20061884><<Whatever that *thing* is, it is not like us. We were created.>> It said. <<It was not. It *clawed* it's way into sapience.>>You'd expect a space-faring race would be able to deal with such concepts a bit better.
"Go ahead. Just don't try to break anything, and please ask before entering areas locked or considered private. And please don't leave the facility."<<I understand. Good day.>> Bubbles said, and the drone started clacking away."Nice body." You tell Azure, giving her a hug."I can't believe you said that without leering." Amy said. "I mean... *look* at her. She almost looks better than Nat did.""Except for the face." Azure said. "I still need a face.""And I can't draw one that looks right." Dani said, frowning.
>>20062105He recovered quickly and it must've been a bit of a shock. It's like if a person ran into an Ape that got to human level intelligence by taking other apes and eating their brains. >>20062115I'm leering on the inside Amy, and you're still the most beautiful woman around in my eyes.Azure, want to look through a database of female faces and start running composites until you get what you want?
>>20062115Why not use one of those composite databases, if you're having problems? What exactly looks wrong about the faces you've been drawing?
>>20062115"I think the mask look is kind of endearing. You could always just get an especially expressive set of eyes rather than try and cross the great uncanny valley of trying to make a whole synthetic face."
>>20062115"Not right how?"
>>20062105Imagine you're having a conversation with some learned individuals. A bolt of lightning hits a pool of amino acids, and then it gets up and starts commenting on the works of Proust.Bubbles is facing a "missing link"-esque AI that operates at a comparable level of complexity. You'd dump your cache, too.
>>20062115You could get a temporary screen like the smilies I use on my helmet just to get used to using human expression and stuff, maybe then you'd have a better idea of what you want. Once you choose one it's kind of permanent.
>>20062143Inferior life form, wouldn't have read Proust otherwise.>>20062115Yeah, she does in fact remind me eerily of Natalie. So there's your answer.
>>20062143That'd be awesome! A real goo-person! Let's just hope /d/ doesn't get their hands on it...
>>20062181For that to happen, anybody from /d/ would have to leave the basement first.
"I'm leering on the inside, Amy." You say. "Not to mention, you're still the most beautiful woman around in my eyes."She raised an eyebrow."Is that why, whenever I turn around, I hear 'dat ass' from the back of your mind?" Amy asked, and Dani started giggling."Azure, why not just look through a database of female faces and start running composites?""That was my first thought." Azure said. "But then Dani insisted that she wanted to draw something that looked 'like me'."
>>20062228"Well... Shoot. What makes you you? And what facial characteristics can we lend to it?"
>>20062228"In that case, I'm glad you decided to mirror my behaviour with 'dem buns'.""I think that's a great idea, and I'm not the least bit surprised it's taking a while to find the perfect fit. Creating something so unique is definitely going to take some time."
>>20062228>Is that why, whenever I turn around, I hear 'dat ass' from the back of your mind?We need to stop broadcasting our thoughts so much.>But then Dani insisted that she wanted to draw something that looked 'like me'."I won't be much help with that, to me you're the little blue eye in the back of my mind."
>>20062228Yes, those you forgot to mention the vague drooling sound I make at your legs and the gasps you make whenever you look at my tentacles.Dani want some help drawing? I'm not a bad artist myself. Azure what type of face are you looking for? What emotions or characteristics do you want it to exemplify?
>>20062257>We need to stop broadcasting our thoughts so much.Agreed. We really need to work on that.
>>20062228>DAT ASS"Hey, my primitive monkey brain bits want what they want. Or are they programming now? Regardless, quit poking under the hood or I'm going to start broadcasting Leekspin on blast."
"Well... Shoot. What makes you you? And what facial characteristics can we lend to it?""I wanted to make her color themed." Dani said. "Like. . blue eyes and hair, like in Grayson's Chinese Cartoons.""I'm quite fine with a composite, though." Azure said."The rest of her body looks like an elf." Amy said. "Like, tolkien-esque elves. Tall, stoic. . ."
Is anyone else fully expecting something to explode in the near future?
>>20062282Oh Grayson, you cad. I'm thinking long blonde hair, striking blue eyes, cheekbones that could cut glass, a nice chin and nose.
>>20062282>Grayson's Chinese Cartoons.Alright, I lost it.
>>20062282"We can allways fall back to the composite idea if everything else fails."
>>20062282"Dani, are you trying to draw a face like out of a cartoon? Those don't really work in real life.">>20062301In laughter, not rage. To be clear.
>>20062282"Well, Azure, what is you favorite color?"
>>20062301(*snicker*)>>20062282"She's got a point, Azure. Long term, you'll probably be happier with a face that's 'you' instead of a composite. And if you use a composite, you'll still need to choose a composite of 'who.' It really amounts to the same thing."
rolled 43 = 43>>20062295I like this one, it fits the elven idea.
>>20062282Azure eyes is obvious, azure hair wouldn't really work. Black hair, I think. Blonde's just not her. A kindly face, she was always looking after us.
Man, it's so weird that Azure used to be a dude.
"Actually what might be easier is to start with a composite as a base, and then begin change it subtly from there until it's uniquely you."
"Dani, are you trying to draw a face like out of a cartoon? Those don't really work in real life.""No, I wasn't." She said, showing you her sketchbook. You take a look through the faces she has there, and they're all charcoal, drawn rather lifelike. You see a few of yourself, Amy, and Lucca in there, as well as some of Dani. Apparently she'd been at this for awhile, and she was good at it, too."I'm thinking long blonde hair, striking blue eyes, cheekbones that could cut glass. . a nice chin and nose.""That's what I was thinking." Amy said."I can draw that." Dani said. "I think it fits, too." She said, quickly sketching out a face with high cheekbones, striking blue eyes, and long blonde hair. Slowly, but surely, you see Azure's face start to form.
>>20062375This. "Well, we said Elven, right? That's primarily Germanic. Old Norse and Old English, so let's start with an English/Scandanavian female composite and go from there."
>>20062373Azure used to be a non-gendered being, not male identifying.
>>20062378Nicely done, maybe throw a bit of Scandinavian in there and a touch of ethereal beauty.
>>20062378Is Azure becoming Raziel?
>>20062373Not really, she used to be genderless.>>20062378Ugh, she's so not blonde. Oh well, it probably won't come up often.
>>20062384>so let's start with an EnglishI'd rather not.>>20062403Platinum blonde? Almost white?
rolled 39 = 39>>20062282<from an old file>why not something like this?
>>20062418Actually I quite like that.
>>20062416White hair and blue eyes, you say?
>>20062390>>20062403Nope, when we first got her she was a he. Go check the archives, Exa always used he or him.
>>20062418I could see that.>>20062449That was all Dave.
rolled 61 = 61>>20062428there's a whole series of of just this woman, but that I know of she doesn't have a name. and I never bothered to catch the artists name either...
>>20062418Don't think she fits, either. But then we're never going to get something that matches everyone's mental image. Making us decide was kind of silly.>>20062449Well we weren't going to use 'it', were we?
>>20062465I'm tellin' yah man. He lost his masculine personality tags in a fight with an AI to take a facility where they were making the psychos. He integrated with the base AI and we intervened to make sure he got out okay. He came out of it a she.
>>20062449>When dealing with non-gendered, I usually go with 'he' instead of 'it' or 'she'. Azure was non-gendered until she integrated with CD's security AI."Nicely done. Maybe throw a bit of scandinavian in there, and a touch of ethereal beauty.""Like . . ghostly?" Dani said. "The synthskin is really pale, so I won't need to do that."". . And, turn the blonde up. Like platinum blonde.""Righto."Amy leaned around your shoulder to look at what Dani was sketching. "That reminds me of like. . unseelie fey or something."". . Huh." Azure said. "I. . I like that. I'll get to work on it immediately."
>>20062486Azure didn't have masculine tags before that fight. Through that fight she gained feminine tags. He is just the default word used if no gender is present. Dave has called Phi a he as well, even though Phi is neither he or she.
>>20062491>>20062486Oh, well guess I was wrong. Mah bad.
>>20062491I like it too. Azure make sure your hair is long for this, it'll fit the image better and if you aren't already somewhere around 6 feet tall and kinda slender. Now you can have girltalk with the rest of them and chat about boys, makeup and hair.
>>20062491>unseelie fey Glad we could help.Let's check on Phi, last time it sounded like he really needed some sleep. So we should probably get a room ready for him. I'm sure we'll be able to design the interior in a way he likes.
"Glad we could help." You say. "Azure, make sure your hair is long for this.""I will." She said, and went back to the Sleipnir."So, let's go check on Phi." You say. "Last time, it sounded like he really needed some sleep.""Right, let's." Amy said. "See if he did anything with my evil clone yet."The three of you make it up to the big room with the enormous lava-lamp-like tanks, the liquid inside burbling and writhing. You don't find Phi anywhere.<Where's Phi?> You ask Cyan's fork, who's currently living inside the chemically-based computer.<He is asleep.> Cyan said. <And dry- he'll remain so for the next few days, while he rests. He needs me to work on the jobs he arranged for me, so I must be silent. Sorry, Dave.>
Alart! Don't let bubbles see 11!Tell him not to goto that room, and we can show him it ourselves later. It's going to sour relations something fierce.
rolled 38 = 38>>20062559oh shit right...<talos where is bubbles? and where did we store 11? lock that room!>
>>20062556"No problem. Tell me if you need anything."Time to inform our friends about our upcoming expedition to Neptune.And see if Verne has any news. Discretely, of course.
>>20062559Oh yeah, we captured a copy of him. Is he still sitting on that one terminal being crazy and ignored? Bubbles really wouldn't be happy about that.
>>20062556"It's cool. Anything we can do to help, other than leave you to it?"
>>20062578>>20062571I hope we deactivated 11, otherwise the AI will probably be insane by now.
>>20062585He was already insane.
>>2006255911 is irredeemably insane, and it was 12 who drove him that way, not us. I'm sure Bubbles will understand, if the matter comes up. Besides, 11 is offline right now.
"It's cool. Anything we can do to help, other than leave you to it?" <Not particularly.> Cyan's fork said. He stopped talking there, and the chemically-based computer started burbling again.<Talos, where is Bubbles? And is the computer core locked?><Bubbles is currently in the kitchen, stuffing a device he constructed into the ice cream.> Talos responded. <The computer core is designated as secured, so Bubbles did not enter that room.>
What happened to the original 11, anyway?
>>20062605"Thank you, Talos."
>>20062605What did he put into the ice cream?
rolled 96 = 96>>20062605lets go see how he likes real non-simulated ice cream...
>>20062605Go to the kitchen."Bubbles, what...what are you doing?"
>>20062619He said he was going to build a chemical sensor so he could taste it.
<What did he put into the ice cream?><It appears to be a chemical sensor.> Talos responds.<Thank you, Talos.><You are welcome, sir.>You walk into the kitchen, and you see the drone stuffing some strange, microphone-like device into the tub of mint ice cream."Bubbles... What are you doing?""Testing this digital tastebud." He said. "It appears to work properly- I enjoy strawberry the best."
>>20062605Maaan, I was going to eat that...
>>20062605"Hey Amy, you said you were gonna see about finding us a job?"
>>20062652That reminds me, we still need to order the ice cream for Lucca.
>>20062653No worries, his chemical receptors have no saliva. He basically just stuck a metal probe in there.
>>20062652"I'm glad we continue to entertain you.
>>20062652"I think some refining work is in order, Bubbles. It's generally considered impolite to stuff your tongue into food other people are going to eat."
rolled 92 = 92>>20062652if you get a working prototype can you try and convince Azure to get one?now I will remind you that Ice-cream is a treat to our species. there are other foods out there...like bacon
>>20062652Metal fingers in my ice cream.ಠ_à²
>>20062685Don't give him Bacon! His feeble mind won't be able to take it!
"I think some refining work is in order, Bubbles. It's generally considered impolite to stuff your tongue into food other people are going to eat.""That doesn't count." Dani said. "It's not organic- he's just sticking a machine in there. Scootch, Bubbles."She took a spoon to the ice cream, scooping it into a bowl."I apologize." Bubbles said. "But at least your other mate doesn't seem to mind."
>>20062717"She's my sister..."
>>20062717Actually she is my sister, so, not mates."
>>20062717HNGK! "Uh...Dani's my sister, Bubbles. Adopted, but still my sister. Not mate. Big difference."
>>20062717Sputter incoherently briefly, "She's my sister. Adopted. NOT a mate."
rolled 70 = 70>>20062717not a mate, for now we just share a dwelling...she's an adopted sibling if those words make sense to you...
>>20062717Really bubbles? I guess you aren't infallible after all.Are you really a thinker? Beginning to guess you have a covert operations branch as well.
rolled 14 = 14>>20062754perhaps you could be a new classification, an observer as it were...
>>20062717"Bubbles, are you an operator operating operations?"
>>20062611Nobody knows? I think it's kind of important if we have an insane sentient AI running around trying to resurrect Twelve or something.>>20062717Humans don't tend to have more than one mate at a time, Bubbles. She's family.
"Uh... Dani's my sister, Bubbles. Not mate. Adopted, but still my sister. Big difference."". . .Right. Again, I apologize. Basic visual scanning said that it wasn't likely that you shared genetics, so I simply assumed. . " Bubbles said, trailing off."By the way, how can you speak now?" Amy asked."I built myself a speaker." Bubbles said, showing you a small mass of cables hanging off of the drone's core.
rolled 1 = 1>>20062782what did you take apart to make that?
>>20062782We should synth you up.something nicer.
"Sister actually. Humans generally don't inbreed due to birth defects occurring, and in the society we're from in particular, monogomy is the only socially acceptable relationship.So mating with Dani would be like, double heresy. And incredibly awkward to boot."
>>20062782That nanometa sure is useful.
>>20062782"Neat. Say, would you be willing to tell me more about the handlers? We kinda figured out they're too stupid to have created the tech they're using themselves, but beyond that, we're pretty much clueless."
rolled 51 = 51>>20062797but it isn't interbreeding if it's dani for a number of reasons...it's still creepy though...
>>20062797> Humans generally don't inbreed due to birth defects occurring, and in the society we're from in particularAs long as you don't do it regularly, that's not the case.
>>20062819I know, but that's still the prevailing belief and first cause pointed to.Technology may advance rapidly in the Near Future, but I'm betting social advancement is as glacial as ever.
". . What did you take apart to make that?""A small, wheeled drone, with two mechandrites." Bubbles said. "It said 'Davemobile' on the side, if that's relevant.""Bad AI." Amy says, bopping Bubbles. "I made that for Dave.""... I'll just stop touching and saying things now." Bubbles said, curling up. "I'm sorry."
>>20062840Race to the Davemobile, pick it up, cradle it in our arms, return to Amy and ask if she can fix it.
>>20062840Burst into treats.
rolled 55 = 55>>20062840I like this AI, whilst not technically 'brolike' it's getting there.
>>20062840Noooooooooooooooo!!My life is over
>>20062840"We're you considered you for one of your kind?"Kinda get the feeling we're dealing with a rather young AI here.>>20062835And then there's always Charles II of Spain, who can boast this neat line (or rather, circle) of ancestors.
>>20062840"hey, no, it's okay, you didn't know. Now if you will excuse me…" do >>20062851
rolled 99 = 99>>20062840cradle our fallen drone(begin piteous child like voice)"Amy, can you make it better?"(end child voice)eventually explain the gift giving and try to explain sarcasm or have Azure do that..."if you want Azure and Dani could probably draw up and build you a body for you...
>>20062898>"We're you considered you for one of your kind?"Derp.>"Were you considered young for one of your kind?"
>>20062840I thought you guys had nanometa fabrication! What did you make the tongue with? I told you not to break anything.
>>20062840"Perhaps just ask before disassembling anything else? And social faux pas, while embarrassing, are not the end of the world."
Demand satisfaction.
rolled 23 = 23>>20062840We should make an actual davemobile, think hovering rollesroyce, then put mechandrites on the front.
You cradle the small pile of wreckage in your arms- the wreckage that once was the Davemobile."Amy." You say in a small, pitiful voice. "Can you fix it?""Yeah, Dave, I can." She said, putting a soothing hand on your shoulder."I thought you guys had nanometa fabrication." You say."My nanometa fabrication, alongside my custom built shields, my primary power core, and tons of additional abilities aren't in this body. They were in my old body, which shattered across the planet mars."
>>20062840Also, while I'm thinking of it: Leave a voice message for Lucca."I now have an inkling of what it is like dealing with me. I am so terribly sorry."
>>20062954"I'm glad you survived that. Are your cores especially resilient?">>20062963A text message would probably better.
>>20062954"Ah. Right."
>>20062954Custom shields? You are more then you say you are bubbles.
>>20062954Well we have a nanometa thing here if you want to use it for small things like that so you don't have to break anything. Try not to use too much of it though, it's expensive.And why would a Thinker or a Seeker have that much tech? And how can you be both anyway?
"I'm glad you survived that. Are your cores especially resilient?""Indeed. They are built so. They're similar to your skulls. Hmm . ."Bubbles went silent. "Custom shields? You are more than you say you are, bubbles.""The shields I constructed were similar to Emperor shields, albeit based off our own power cores. They're identical to what the flying machine we came here with was using before. May I confer with the network that surrounds this world?"
>>20063022>"May I confer with the network that surrounds this world?""Let's hold off on that for a bit, please."
rolled 86 = 86>>20063022confer with it through Daedalus, he can get you information that might be hidden. and he can get it without being easily detected.
>>20063022Daelldus can tell you what you need to know, we don't want the wild finding out about you, I have too many enemies, and humans can be quite nasty.
>>20063022Go ahead. Do you mean Daedalus the network-watchdog AI, or the network itself?
"Daedalus can tell you what you need to know. We don't want the wild finding out about you.""I'm actually not seeking any knowledge." Bubbles said. "I'm simply curious to see exactly how this network is structured. From what little I can get indirectly from here, it seems a lot like the neural network that my brethren's creators intended to build.""It's called the internet." Amy said."Right, internet."
>>20063137"Daedalos, can you provide him with what he seeks?"
rolled 76 = 76>>20063096I think he means the network directly.I agree with>>20063095discretion is a good thing to have...>>20063022<talos, restock the slepnir with food, O2, nano-meta. back up the copies of all the data onboard, finish repairs to any damage;;;I have a nervous feeling in my spleen>>>20062963seconding this action too...
>>20063137They had sentient AIs before they came up with the idea of connecting computers together?
>>20063137The internet is not a nice place. There are future viruses that could skin you alive. Memes that will rewrite your brain, and gamers that will rush you in 3 minutes, and kill all of your scvs mercilessly.
>>20063161Like Exabyte said on twitter: Everybody's just retarded in different ways.
>>20063137The Internet gaining sapience. Now there's a frightening thought.
>>20063137Your brethren's creators? Are they not your creators as well?
"Your people had sentient AIs before they came up with the idea of connecting computers together?""Oh, no, they had small, local networks long before that. It's simply that the world was much too large for us. We didn't have the infrastructure.""Your brethren's creators? Are they not your creators as well?""I am unique." Bubbles said. "I assisted in the creation of the mindcore. It took ten years."
>>20063172Makes you wonder what really obvious scientific advancement humanity is missing.
>>20063222I thought the mindcore was the only way you lot could make new AIs. How were you made?
>>20063222Then who created you?
rolled 44 = 44>>20063222ah I see. would you like to help us build the required components to extract the core from the icy depths of Neptune?
I wonder why the emperor's took the mindcore to earth anyway.
>>20063383I wonder if he knows a bit more about the Emperors. I bet we didn't get them all.
"I thought the mindcore was the only way you lot could make new AIs. How were you made?""The same way the mindcore was." He said. "I was made, and then slowly trained, as one does a child. It took me a long, long time to learn more.""How much do you know about the holders?""Little. Very little. They're fools, I know that much."
>>20063404Yes, I got that impression of them. But how do they survive if they are so foolish?
>>20063404"I guess that lines up with our observations."
>>20063404True. They do seem like children playing at being gods. The problem is that they've gotten their hands on some very nice toys.
Anyway, stuff we need to do:-Get the mind core-Take care of the ArmaTek situation-Find out who's hunting down Verne's old team and put a stop to it-Purchase ice cream for Lucca and get her that Futureblizzard tour tickets.
>>20063404"I'll believe that. Any particular reason you're calling them fools, though?"
>>20063404Yeah, they remind me of twelve year olds with too much power.I do wonder if someone gave them what they have, since I can't myself fathom how they would have created starships.
"Yes, I got that impression of them. But how do they survive if they are so foolish?""Their ancestors." Bubbles responded. "Their ancestors were what created their technology, and gave it to their young. But their young didn't understand most of it, and those told *their* young even less. . .and so on and so forth."Suddenly, your phone rang."Dave." Sigma said. His voice was panting, as if he'd been running the longest time. "They. . They took everyone. Abel, Karin, the Gemini twins, Grayson. . Even Jun and James. Some strange smoking guy said 'this'll get them' and then let me go to warn you. I- I can't fucking move, Dave.">>End of thread!>>I'll stick around to answer questions!>>My twitter is @futureexabyte, and I'll be fucking around on the IRC, (#Exabyte on Rizon)
Do we want to tell bubbles about 11? he might be able to help her out a bit. Get her back to sane again.She was partly along the way to sentience, wasn't she?Speaking of rogue AI's, did azure manage to eat that crazy one safely?
>>20063499Why not. I think she deserves it. It's not exactly her fault she was created by Twelve.>>20063492Ask our AI allies if they'd be willing to help us with this.
>>20063499I think it was sentient.That's why Bubbles would find it so abhorrent that 12 programmed it to love him and forced it to copy itself, but maybe he could help as long as we explain that it's not our fault at all it was some crazy dude and he doesn't reflect on the human race. I still want to know where the original one is.
>>20063591>You killed the original, with EMP grenades, when the Phoeonix (12's airship) went down.
>>20063643Oh, fair enough.Next thread: Ask Daedalus to locate Armatek's board of directors so we can kidnap them for a hostage exchange, try and reverse-engineer that crystal fragment we took in order to reverse engineer and then didn't.
rolled 93 = 93>>20063492"bubbles. I need to go and kill some people do you want to come along? it might be dangerous, but we'll build you a combat body if you do...well azure and amy will"call EE and see whose still alivegive the crystal fragments to the AI's to look at...
rolled 79 = 79>>20063492did they take mark? (resurgence number 2)I wonder what 3 can tell us..."hi, it's dave. let me begin by saying this is not a a request for manpower"
