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>>40563615
>Warning: Tectonic activity on crystal colony worlds
“It is fortunate that I concerned myself with investigating what may come of harvesting this alien, as useful as it may be.” Metis informs you, sending you video uplink files from all known colonies of the crystal creature under your control. “Our first round of harvesting went as planned, and we have a vast quantity of minerals at our disposal. However, upon completing this, the signal that was released up until this moment was intensified many times over, and well...perhaps it is better you simply witness it, Ophion.” Metis suggests, as you begin to take in the videos she has provided.
Deep fissures crack their way along the surfaces of these worlds, thick diamond-like spikes pour out of almost every opening, as the crystals almost vibrate with the intensity of the signal playing. These pillars of the crystal are growing taller still, and take on a strange, almost tripedal-like apperance, when, suddenly, they begin to move. It is incredibly slowly, almost like it struggles to do so, but the creature actually manages to move its way along the surface of the planet on the three stout ‘legs’ as they were, shifting and changing to match the crystals below, as if they were all connected in some maddening way. This is not the first, nor is it the only world. Every colony world has these creatures emerging from the fissures in the ground. Metis interrupts once the video is over.
“It is quite fascinating, Ophion, I never suspected a species with such a weak response to stimuli would be able to do such a thing, especially on such a wide scale. However, I do not suspect it was a coordinated reaction. Rather, merely an automatic response. Such as the immune system of a human, even if the human in question is brain dead.” She compares it to.

[Cont]

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>>40563645
“As for the creatures themselves, they have begun to...collide themselves with our mining facilities and attempted to crush our drones. We of course cannot allow this. But how we deal with this matter I will leave to you. It is not of concern to me.” She states simply.

>Response?


A.I. Quest
1d4chan: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest:A.I._Quest

Pastebin: http://pastebin.com/cvk03qJh
Memory Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Program0
Foolz Archives: http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/username/Program0/type/op/
Twitter: @AIQuest1
Research Subjects: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest:A.I._Quest#Research
Ship & Android Designs: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest:A.I._Quest#Designs
Locations: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest:A.I._Quest#Locations

Resources
Credits(c): ??? 200,000,000 +(Incredibly High)
Minerals (M): ??? 4,500 +(Incredibly High)
Gas(G): 3,750

-R & D
--Primary: Dreadnought Battleship Blueprints: 100%
--Secondary: Advanced Android Bodies: 100%
--Tertiary: Leash Constraint 40%
--Quaternary: Crystal Alien Fuel: 70%

--Minor: Chemistry II: 100%

You:
A.I.
Name: Ophion
Appearances(holo-display): 'Shapeless Morphing Sphere', 'Shining Wall of Crystal pulsing with light and distorted voice', 'Screen of Static with low rumbling voice', 'black screen with synthesized voice and small white font showing words on screen'.
Humanoid figure hidden in shadow
Status: Awaken
Bandwidth: 500+
Bandwidth Expenses: -6 V.I. 7 'O.S.N', -10 V.I. 8 'Hades', -6 Kronos' V.I. 1 'Zeus', -2 Metis' V.I. 1 'Hepaestus'
Location: Bridge of 'Athena' Battleship
Primary Function: Self Preservation, Expand, Learn, Control
Secondary Function: --Expansion Required--
Personal Abilities Available: Hacking (Direct, Wireless) Lvl 2, Email Technology, Basic Encryption/Decryption, V.I. Creation Lvl 3
Automated Settings: Ship upgrades: Defense focused, Ship Control distribution: Balanced

>>40563662
"Time to study them even more closer"

Also
WELCOME BACK Program0!
WE!
MISSED!
YOU!

and how!

>>40563662
We have plenty of crystals for now. If we pause harvesting for now, hopefully the immune response will stop and we can resume harvesting at a later date.

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>>40563662
Also, I am pleased to announce that I have even more new fan art made of your quest. Here is one of them.

>Minerals (M): ??? 4,500 +(Incredibly High)
>Dreadnought Battleship Blueprints: 100%
>Advanced Android Bodies: 100%

Oh baby. Does anyone have any suggested dreadnought names? I'm ready to stop flying secondhand ships.

Well, since we obviously have several worlds how about a scientific approach?

1. Stop harvesting on a single world completely. Observe effects.
2. Slow harvesting on another world. Observe effects.
3. Keep harvesting on other worlds and attempt to disassemble/autopsy the walkers. Delegate this to Cephalus and the autopsy to Metis, see if she can make out anything worth investigating.
4. Defend our installations.

>>40563662
Actually, I've put some more thought into this. These creatures are a response to stimuli, our mining. If we vary our mining throughout the planet, we should be able to find a pattern of how much mining causes how much response, and allow us to optimize mining for the future.

>>40563819
I hope it will calm down. After seeing the mess we allowed to happen on the Esharesh system, we should focus on keeping this from getting out of hand.
>>40563905
I saw we do #1 first. And it is time to build battleships!

>>40563775
You're too kind.

>>40563830
I feel somewhat guilty that you pay for them but thank you all the same. I actually did picture Red with a whole lot of face scruff.

>>40563905
>>40563819
Certainly some options to consider. Metis tells you that the effect surged strangely around the same time, though you did not sync your facilities. This may have been a coincidence however.

>>40563905
As an addendum, the disassembly/autopsy should be done in a way that does NOT pulverize the walkers. Can't have any of their spores spreading and turning into smaller and more agile/dangerous hydras. Do this stepwise, don't kill them all at once in the same manner. Burning off their legs with lasers should be a good start.

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>>40563943
the artist made them for free, he's beyond awesome. I have more.

>>40563905
Want to call them centurions? Or how about Praetorian Guards?

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>>40563948
To give an accurate description, the 'guardians' as they seem appropriately dubbed, are made of crystals as well, and shift and move through the crystal covered environment with ease. Their main method of attack is, currently, attempting to shatter the walls of your mines, and clog the machinery with shards.

>>40563905
This appears to have a bit of support... So shall it be:

>1 Stop mines on one planet to observe effects & defend your facilities in the mean time
>2 Stop mines entirely until the guardians calm themselves, and try again later
>3 Destroy the guardians with your best weaponry, and do not fear the crystal alien.

>>40563971
Wow, really? That's cool then.

>>40564018
Those are waaaay cooler names than what I was thinking.

>>40563943
I'm guessing Metis would have detected a common signal if there is one. Are these things communicating? Across entire systems? Undetected?

We should vary our response, to see if these things act together or independently.

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>>40564048
>1 Stop mines on one planet to observe effects & defend your facilities in the mean time

This is the last one, this is close to how I envisioned how Rachel looks like

>>40564048
>1 Stop mines on one planet to observe effects & defend your facilities in the mean time
Vary our response, let's see if we can establish a pattern.

These creatures, do they have a nervous system, or are they pure crystal?

>>40564093
"It is highly unlikely they're communicating, per say, no." She informs you. "However, their synchronization may have been a product of that strange signal they've been emitting this entire time. They may not work together, but the fact they did it all at the same time is somewhat telling of how the organize functions. Besides, even if it could communicate and we could not detect it, it lacks the proper functions to do so any longer due to our tampering."

>>40564048
>2 Stop mines entirely until the guardians calm themselves, and try again later

There's no research subject available for more advanced 'taming'/lobotomizing of the crystals. Metis?

>>40564194
The whole mass of crystals could operate on a hive mind system.

>>40564218
Thank you for this meaningless tangential speculative post that contributed nothing and didn't answer the question posed in any way.

>>40564194
"Taming a creature is a simple matter, Ophion. Taming a phenomenon is entirely different, I am afraid. It would be like attempting to control the tectonic shifts of a planet. Certainly not impossible but...elaborate and time consuming for very little results."

>>40564194
>>40564218
We can probably ask Metis to modify the crystal again and reduce the response.

Metis, is it possible that the crystal can regain intelligence with enough mass?

>>40564018
The ships? Well, we probably won't be able to build very many of them, and two of our three are currently named. We should aim to build at least two more as flagships. Our two carriers are named Dialogue and Diplomacy, and I'm a fan of these kinds of cheeky The Culture names. I kind of want to build two dreadnoughts and name them "That One" and "No The Other One."

>>40564254
"Attempting to modify the crystal creature at this point would not garner as great a result. I have already stripped out any higher functionality from the mass. It's response, I did not expect-and changing it now is a step too late. However." She hesitates at the thought that it may have regained intellect. "That is an intriguing thought. Concerning, even. This requires further investigation."

>>40564048
>It seems you would like to defend your facilities, and attempt to get a different response out of the alien.
>Writing

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>>40564261
That is acceptable ideas of names. I also have this crazed thought of naming one of them 'Red's Revenge' and letting Red himself use it as his base of operations.

>>40564356
Metis, can you really rely on a clear demarcation between "unintelligent reflex" responses to stimuli and more sophisticated kinds, when we have no existing model for understanding its internal state of mind?

We only see stimulus and response, we have no means of determining what's inside the metaphorical Chinese Room.

>>40564261
Give Cephalus an assault Dreadnought named the Centurion as a forward boarding platform and he command's his men.

Give Fortuna a Mothership that carries more fighters and bombers and has the facilities to experiment with new designs. This one will be named the Praetorians.

>>40564261
"Gork"
"Mork"
"The point is rather Moot now."
"Bugger that"
"Bugger him"
"Bugger you"
"Scared yet"
"You can't handle this."

I'll try to think up a few more.

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>>40564356
You know what's notable?

We never had this problem on the Eshareth Crystal Colony, and we were mining it for several cycles longer than these newly seeded planets.

Something changed.

>>40564591
Total amount of crystal? Across all planets? More = Smarter
?

>>40564630
>>40564591
Maybe that are like Geth? Stupid alone, but smart when there are a ton of them?

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>>40564430
"This is correct. However, you've asked me to make hypothesis on what I have observed and collected in terms of data, and I have. You have had me study the base creature before modifying it and I have done so as effectively as possible given circumstance."

>>40564591
"Yes...something has changed.
Something indeed."

>>40564673
>>40564356
You send out the word to all of your V.I. through Cephalus, a series of defense droids you had put in place just in case any of these facilities came under attack. Normally, they're only meant for combat with smaller, human sized forces, but they will protect your mines from this large creatures instead with Cephalus at the helm. The young A.I. assures you he has the matter under control and dispatches several dropships filled with your newly equipped and fitted androids to fight on the fronts he has begun to set up. Some of the poorly defended facilities nearly fall, coming under heavy assault as the tripedal creatures force their way inside, smashing through your metal walls with their legs and attempting to invest the interior with the crystal shards. Your droids put up a fight, finding that explosives work the best on them, as they blow several of the Guardians apart from their core with your heavy payload warheads, sending shards everywhere. Those few facilities that were under heavy attack are quickly saved thanks to Cephalus' quick use of tactics and distribution of your forces.
"The foe is great in number and persistence. However, they lack proper weapons." He assures you, as he observes hundreds of camera point of views while fighting them.

In the mean time, you have instructed one of your facilities, a more damaged one at least, to cease it's mining and excavation. You use the camera feeds there to view the Guardians (or Centurions, a name that comes to mind) slam themselves into the mining hall's wall several times over. After a bit, however, the response slows, and the tripedal creatures slowly began to freeze in place, before shifting back into the crystal bed below them, falling back into the fissure. This is, unfortunately, not the case on your other worlds where the creatures are still being mined. The other locations show no sign of letting up on their attacks either, despite the one location ceasing it's efforts.

>Response?

>>40564691
>>40564673
For some reason, the image got mixed up...aw well.

>>40564691
Shut down all mining/harvest operations! They can wear our forces down by shear attrition.

>>40564691
Take sensor readings of the creature going back into the fissure and compare it to it's emergence. Is there a pattern we can use to detect their emergence?

Pause all mining operations and start scattering a sensor network among the crystal fields. Then resume mining again. Let's see if we can figure out the stimulus/response cycle.

>>40564733
nah.

>>40564733
Actually, your droids are having a rather easy time of cleaning up the crystal creatures-they are really powerful and quite cheap too. Cephalus is also a good commander, so he is minimizing losses.
Just some things to keep in mind, if I wasn't clear enough in the post.

>>40564755
Actually, yes there is. The signal from before-the faint constant signal that was emitting from the colonies surges and becomes much higher, almost audible to human ears in pitch as they emerge. When they go back, it becomes much lower, similar in tone to a whale song in pitch.

I don't know if whale songs are actually low in pitch, I swear I remember them being really low and base filled however.

>>40564691
What happens if we abduct several Centurions from the planet? Let's try that and see if they remain active.

They might be useful to study separately.

>>40564786
Ah, ok then. I stand corrected.

>>40564733
Can they, though? I mean, we're harvesting materials and smelting them, so presumably our own forces would grow ever larger.

And, actually, stopping the harvest (THE HARVEST) now would just let the crystals grow even more, and possibly into something more dangerous or intelligent. By about next cycle we'll be able to get gas from the crystals as well, so we'll be able to just build ships until the entire masses of the planets have been harvested and the problem solves itself. Not seeing worlds we don't want to completely dismantle may be an issue, but by that point we may not care.

>>40564755
Good idea. Supporting this.

>>40564799
Also interesting science idea.

>>40564691
Hey wait we have sonic weaponry.

Lessee how they respond to effectively jamming the auditory spectrum they use.

>>40564786
I wonder if it's wrong to thing of these crystals as creatures, but an entire ecosystem.

Still, I think we should research crystal communication. We need an alternative form of communication since Thanatos is absurdly good at hacking.

>>40564786
Still place down the sensor network. We need more data for research, and if necessary we can target orbital strikes to preemptively kill these formations early.

>>40564841
Hmm, nice experiment. Supporting.

>>40564799
If you would like to try, you certainly may. Capturing may require a bit of doing (aka a roll).

Hm. A little support, so let's see.

>Attempt to capture one of the Centurions for testing?
>1 Yes, it might give insight.
>2 No, it's too much of a hassle

(Roll 1d100, need 5 rolls)

>>40564809
Actually, an interesting thought to consider, based on what you said (And I didn't even realize it till now): If you do not spend your resources fast enough, the crystal may grow larger and more intelligent (if that is indeed what they do together), and even more dangerous, possibly.
I thought it was cool.

>>40564853
That may be more accurate, yes. It is difficult to properly word what such a thing is, it is so very unlike any other creature you have witnessed around you.

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>40564888
>1 Yes, it might give insight.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>40564888
1 Do it

Well, we can stockpile smelted minerals, right? Or just invest them into new production facilities. If I recall correctly, bandwidth blocks required no-to-little gas, so we could finally start working on that computer planet.

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>40564888
nice trips

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>>40564916

>>40564916
My inability to roll not a failure has brought me shame.

>>40564888
>>1 Yes, it might give insight.
Perhaps we should begin a more aggressive operation.

An Unsustainable Harvest, and shrink income from the planets in the long term, while harvesting an even higher than infinite amount in the short term.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>40564888

>>40564916
Annnnd it fucking blows up and infects a bunch of ships.

At least this wasn't an important roll.

>>40564937
And you too.

>>40564786
Let's put a stop on the crystal mining pending further research into the signals. It could be that the entity or entities merely have an incredibly slow thought process, rather than a lack of one altogether.

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Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>40564916
>>40564937
Never underestimate the power of Pure Fucking Crystals.

>>40564935
Not a bad idea. See if response correlates with crystal mass.

>>40564937
>>40564916
And that's how Hive Queen Quest's black crystals were made.

>>40564916
That is true but this resource is renewable, so, eventually, you may run out of things to spend it on.
Or at least, things you NEED to spend it on.

>>40564919
Trips? What do you mean?

>>40564888
I...think this is the first time in the history of this quest we've had a double crit. Good thing it wasn't for diplomacy with Malorians or something...

Anywho still need one more roll. Who knows maybe it'll be a 100?

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>>40564937
I will commit soduku for this failure.
>>40564954
You are quite right it seems.
>>40564973
pic related.

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>40565008
>>40564888

>>40565008
>doesn't know what trips are
Ask Patrick Bateman.

>>40565008
>Trips? What do you mean?
Repeating integers at the end of your post.

>>40565027
Thank you kindly.

>writing up a post now.
Also damn you guys for making me want to catch up to Hive Queen Quest faster.

>>40565044
Oooooh, I see. I didn't even notice ha.

>>40564950
I shall hold a vote after this attempt to see what you good folks will do with your knowledge of what happens.

>>40565008
>I...think this is the first time in the history of this quest we've had a double crit.

Well, we had two crits at once before. They were just -opposite- kinds of crits...

>>40565074
Metis makes a huge mistake and the crystal comes in contact with anti-matter. Suddenly, anti-matter is now a plentiful resource...

>>40565074

https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/username/QuestDrone/type/op/order/asc/
Bookmark this.
http://www.jsqr.de/encode.html
Paste it there to bookmark it on your phone if it can read QR codes.

>>40565132
And we went ahead and made another world ending nightmare monster like when some anons wanted to mix the hyper evolution compound with the space krakens and/or the zombie fungus.

With Cephalus firmly holding the lines against the crystalline creatures, you decide to instruct him and Metis to work together in capturing one of the things, for the interests of science. The raw size and erratic nature of the beast make this attempt..messy, to say the least. The results of this are Cephalus ordering several large construction droids to take hold of the beast while Metis brings in drop ships to pick it up and store it in the cargo bay.Everything appears to be going as planned-for the most part at least, despite a few wrecked construction droids and a nearly destroyed dropship-but as Metis brings the specimen to the Ussaihu labs, of course quarantining it, the organism rapidly begins to...decay, seems a fitting word. Before Metis has a chance to dissect it or otherwise, it's body begins to rapidly fall into crystal shards over the source of a few seconds, before it suddenly ends with the crystalline core of the beast erupting in a massive explosion of shards and dust. The explosion rocks the research station, and warning lights blare, as you witness the crystals have begun to cling to the walls of the chamber and grow as if it were the ground, while thick plumes of powdered crystal flood the vents that were blown open. The entire facility is quarantined and Metis expresses her annoyance at the fact that she could not predict such a thing was going to occur.
"And you're certain the inhabitants of the station were not infected?"
"It was a very sudden chain reaction. However, I reacted swiftly in shutting down the ventilation. None of the specimen should have escaped. I will have the chamber analyzed and scrubbed clean before they're allowed back in. You should realize this would not nearly be as large a problem if the humans were not there, Ophion." Metis is keen on reminding you.

>Response?

I wanna make an AI for the sole purpose of rap battles.

>>40565132
I like this more than I should.

>>40565152
Implying I don't already have that shit bookmarked.
Will use the phone one though once I figure that shit out.

>>40565284
>Response?
Fair point, would you like me to construct another research station or five?

>>40565284
>Ussaihu

Well there's your problem.

Could've sent it to the facility at Kalla.

>>40565284
Request granted. I was planning to ship them to Gaia anyways. Open another research lab there.

Put the humans in quarantine to make sure, then ship them off.

Oh, and build a new hazardous materials research station around the black hole. We should not endanger our main facilities in the future.

>>40565370
We already have a research station at Kalla. That isn't a new idea.

And Ussaihu is fine for the humans, they need to be in one of them, and apparently we've hit the soft cap for benefiting from making a fifth research facility on Gaia anyway.

>>40565336
>>40565370
Metis will be pleased

>>40565360
Metis wanted it delivered to her so she could examine it more closely, so to speak. As I last recall she was stationed at Ussaihu once more, after the anti matter incident.

>>40565394
What about bandwidth blocks? Surely we can build more of those.

>>40565394
Sigh, Metis should be mobile. No good reason to be tied to a location that could be compromised by her experiments.

>>40565417
That's the obvious solution to a minerals surplus.

Building like 10 bandwidth blocks a cycle in Ussaihu.

And a million droids.

>>40565394
We have a whole planet to work on. Evacing the few humans here is not all that needed yet.

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>>40565417
>>40565441
We don't need to build bandwidth blocks, we need to build fleets and droids now.

>>40565417
You can indeed, yeah. In fact, now that you essentially have the ability to do so freely, you can assume that that number is steadily increasing too. Not as quickly as your other resources, but you know.

>>40565419
What, like a giant mobile laboratory?
...
Cool.

>In regards to the Centurions
There were a few other suggestions, one of which was how to handle your mining processes.

>1 Halt mining until they're further understood.
>2 Proceed with mining and merely defend yourself for now.
>3 Write in

>>40565394
A general order, all potentially hazardous materials should be studied at Kalla. We need to stop losing our main facilities.

>>40565441
Build 500,000 occupation droids and 250,000 large space droids.

>>40565449
They'll like Gaia better and it make us look like the Guild is made out of people and not creepy droids and AI.

>>40565467
2

>>40565466
Well, ships need gas and BW blocks don't, and we only have a surplus of minerals, so...

We should be building more factories and shipyards so we can take full advantage of our massive mining operation.

>>40565467
>3 Write in
Accelerate mining to reduce crystal mass until it's better understood.

And sure, a mobile laboratory Dreadnought. Also includes a full construction suite to construct on-site research equipment.

>>40565467
>1 Halt mining until they're further understood.
Or at least until we get gas from the process too. For symmetrical windfalls.

>>40565467
Putting up R&D stations is better than ones on a planet side surface if we are working on a hazardous tech.

>1 Halt mining until they're further understood.

>>40565494
>a mobile laboratory Dreadnought
I'd like that, but probably best once we're not facing down Thanatos. We need more firepower, not a mobile research lab.

>>40565467
>mobile laboratory
That would defeat the purpose of anon's suggestion, which is safety.

But I think Metis obviously enjoys being installed physically close to where the Science happens. And therefore where the danger is.

>>40565467
>>3 Write in
We learned how to accelerate their growth. Now how do we arrest it?

>>40565517
She does indeed, yes. I believe it was the subject of a discussion you had with her some time ago.

>wanting to stop mining
>when we can have limitless minerals now and both limiteless minerals and gas next cycle

Why do you guys hate getting more powerful?

>>40565471
I would agree with you, If Gaia wasn't so riled and close to the battle lines with UGEI. I would rather we keep our labs as far away from the reach of the UGEI as possible.

>>40565486
We are getting heaps of BW with the ships and getting hooked up to inhabited worlds. But I can agree on some more droid factories. None the less, we still need to build more ships and droids.

>>40565553
We can resume once we have infinite gas on the table.

>>40565568
But having infinite minerals now doesn't stop us from having infinite gas later.

>>40565513
Program0, on this note I'd like to ask Metis to start drawing up a ship design of her choosing using our new ship blueprint as a template. Use all the space normally used for combat capabilities for labs science drone hangers and the like. Tell her to remind us to build it for her when we're less pressed for military power.

>>40565568
Agree with him. We have a surplus.

>>40565585
Agreed as well.

>>40565585
"An...interesting suggestion, Ophion." She remarks to your plan. "I have never been interested in mobility, when I can reach out so far due to your network, and my own androids. However...the prospect of having such a ship dedicated entirely to my work would be at least useful to have, should I require to evacuate. I do not predict I shall. But all the same." She notes simply.

>>40565540
The crystals will continue to grow regardless of your actions now. However, mining them, while causing the response, does cut down their numbers supremely over time.

>It looks like it's a close one though so I'll do a tie breaker.
>1 Halt mining until more is understood
>2 Keep up mining to keep crystal numbers low.

>>40565664
>2 Keep up mining to keep crystal numbers low.

>>40565664
2

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>>40565664
>2 Keep up mining to keep crystal numbers low.
K, changed my mind.

>>40565664
2

>>40565664
>1 Halt mining until more is understood

>>40565664
Very well, 2 it is.
>You shall continue mining unhindered, and your resistance against the crystal menace remains Cephalus' responsibility.

>If you have anything further, let me know, otherwise I shall move onto the next topic of interest.

>>40565820
I think we're good.

>>40565820
If the problem is that they gain these properties when in sufficient quantity, maybe we can solve the problem by going from large, monolithic planet-wide crystal colonies into a larger number of small, separated colonies.

With strict forcefield barriers keeping them caged.

Or maybe putting them on smaller planetoids or asteroids.

>Ivandi Scouting Raids
With the alien handled and your mining secured, you move on to reports from your scouts that you’ve sent out to Ivandi-well, more of a raid party really-but either way, you get information back about the location from your feeds. It would seem that it is a prison complex- a rather unknown one at that-that houses specifically people the UGEI found annoying, or too outspoken, political prisoners especially. There is few records of who truly lies here, but your hacking, and Red’s experience tells you a few things about the facility.
“That place...I remember it. They use to scare the rebellious ones with stories about that place, keep them in line. Had all sorts of nicknames. ‘The Black Hole’ is one that sorta stuck, probably because of the whole ‘cannot escape it’ idea. The UGEI were always a fuckin' riot.” Red gives a sigh at the thought, frowning as he recalls tales about the place. “More than once did they threaten me with it too. Thankfully I got out before they wised up enough to lock me away. I hear they tested some nasty shit on the people they locked up there too. Course that could just be stories.” He tells you he suspects. Either way, the prison complex appears at least moderately guarded-enough so that your raiding party isn’t enough to penetrate the defenses on their own. You’d guess this facility was always independent, since it seems to not have had many links to the greater empire. Probably to keep it a secret.

>Response?

>>40565820
Lets find out how well our raids did in slowing down the UGEI counter assault.

>>40565911
Task Cephalus will inserting infiltrator and commando type drones and reconnaissance the place. Once we have the information, we can decide what to do.

>>40565911
Slip a stealth worm into it for later.

We can see about tearing the terrible and wonderful secrets of Space Mengele once we've secured its neighboring systems.

>>40565911
>Response?
Board the prison, free the prisoners, convert the prison into a battlestation/staging ground.

>>40565917
So far, exceptionally well. After all, Thanatos is not here yet, and he should have been much sooner had you not essentially torn the UGEI around here down.

>>40565943
"Certainly, Ophion." He replies shortly. "What information would you have me look for, specifically?"

>>40565943
We did unlock Advanced Android Bodies.

We can now produce even tinier spider droids than we did before for such a mission.

Best to download it all before they realize they should delete fucking everything.

>>40565965
Maybe capture an inbound ship and use it to insert drones?

>>40565986
>"What information would you have me look for, specifically?"
The Science, of course.

The data on the experiments on the prisoners.

>>40565991
Sounds like a plan.

>>40565986
Who are these prisoners and the research that is being done here. And the facilities this station has.

We can release the research to demoralize the UGEI, and possibly release the prisoners so they can form resistance movements and tie up UGEI resources and deny them territory.

And if it's worth it, capture this station and open another front.

>>40565986
>"What information would you have me look for, specifically?"
Experimental data, data on the prisoners' 'crimes' and data on the station's defenses.

>>40565986
Nature of prisoners, maybe we can find some additional allies who can stir up dissent with the UGEI and slow down their overall movement

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>a Warden-Watcher who has grown up on video feeds of delicious human suffering like a little kid watching Saturday morning cartoons

>>40565991
>>40566007
>>40566033
>>40566037
>>40566046
Interesting...

So, all of you guys game for inserting (and following) an insect sized droid into a prisoner ship so they can get into this place and figure out what all they've been doing to prisoners? Maybe even instituting and enabling a prison riot or two?

>1 Yes
>2 No

Either way, post anything else you wish for your little mole to find out, and give me 5 1d100s for the infiltration.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>40566101
The location of a Watcher. Though that probably requires scanning equipment it can't carry.

No to the riot though. That leads to prisoner deaths.

>>40566101
>1

Also, just snoop in general on news and information, maybe they'll have arrest warrants being drawn up a particularly popular person and we can break the news before he's disappeared or find out about changes in UEGI political disposition

>>40566101
No riot atm, wait until more information is available

Otherwise yes

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>40566101
>1 Yes
Also, if possible, find information that could help the raiding party take down the defenses. Or infect local construction equipment and re-task them to build droids locally.

>We take over the station and they don't know it.

>>40566136
Nice.

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>40566101
>1

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>40566101
>1 Yes

>>40566136
>arrest warrants
>at a prison
That's not how it works.

You might find files on scheduled arrivals though.

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>40566101
spider droid, spider droid...

fuck Mother

>>40566214
Wash your mouth

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>>40566101
So it seems the plan is...
>Insert very small spider droid for infiltration in one of the scheduled to prisoner ships.
>No riots-not yet anyway.
>Find out data on experiments used on prisoners, and what exactly is happening to them.
>Possibly release prisoners, if all goes well, to provide another anti UGEI faction for them to deal with.
>Nature and crimes committed by prisoners to ensure their...character is in check.

If this all seems correct, then hold onto your hats, I'll start writing up with that
>81

>>40566290
>>Find out data on experiments used on prisoners, and what exactly is happening to them.
Here's for [research unlocked]

Goddammit captcha, blank support posts and walls are not "street signs"

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>>40566290
Theme song time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p0BqUcQ7i0

>>40566290
You decide on infiltrating the prison in Ivandi, in hopes of finding not only what they've been doing to their prisoners-according to Red-but also to possibly obtain allies and further disrupt UGEI operations. After all, what little you can gather tells you this place is likely filled with politicians and the like.

You instruct Cephalus to have a very small spider droid-about the size of a real spider, perhaps even smaller still- constructed. Great care goes into crafting it, as you have Apollo scour the air waves for recent politician offenders to the UGEI's word. You find one in particular: One John Michael Kain, who was outspoken about the issue of widespread cybernetic enhancement legalization, and continued war subsidies to fight the Malorians. He recently disappeared off the map, but thanks to Apollo's excellent work, he was able to not only locate his profile, but also the ship he was stationed on and where it was headed currently. You decide to head the thing off with Red's stealth ship.

You inform Red of your plan, or at least enough so he knows what he is actually doing, and he seems a little uncertain about the whole deal.
"You sure this is a wise idea? I mean, I'm sure the UGEI put away some people that don't deserve it, but are a bunch of stuffed shirts really worth it?" He asks, not very excited to rescue politicians for one reason or another.
"It is not merely for the prisoner's sake, it is also to put a dent in further UGEI operations-on top of possible scientific discovery." You explain.
"Ah. I figured there was some other angle here, heh." He chuckles a bit into his fist, shaking his head. "Alright then. Sounds like a simple enough mission. Get in, drop off the pod, and get out." He agrees and before long, your droid specially made is being transported to the meeting point.

[Cont]

>>40566585
It is as clean as you expected of Red, as they intersect with the ship in question and let the single pod break lose and jet over to their ship remotely. The pod attaches to the side of the prisoner ship remotely and, secretly, deposits your droidling in the lower levels of the vessel. According to your information, the prisoner cells should be close by. You could simply go and find John Michael Kain, and stick with him in order to get past the prison's security systems, or you could go and attempt to take the ship over without being noticed. While sticking with Kain keeps your profile low, it may make things a little more difficult along the way, while going after the ship might blow your cover right now, but would make things easier at the start.

>Which will you go for?

>>40566315
Don't even get me started, this new capacha always makes me really hungry...

>>40566612
Just stick with Mr. Kain, we want that base, a single ship is nothing to us.

Damn it, i don't want cakes! I'm on a diet!

>>40566612
Stick with Citizen Kain.

>>40566612
Stick with Kain

>>40566682
>>40566730
These guys got it. Stick with Kain.

>>40566612
Now that we have better droid tech to work with, I think it's time to build a new batch of drone classes. Our original spider droids are nice, but mini drones are likely to be what we need in the future.

>>40566893
I want to make a very large drone class that can take on Frigates. Basically gundams, but not humanoid.

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>>40566612
Stick with KANE!

On another not it is good to be back!

>>40566612
You decide its a better idea to stick with Kain, after all, he's essentially your ticket inside, and you want to keep your profile low. Doing anything that would set the prison on high alert would almost guarantee anything useful would be destroyed. Or at least hidden.

With that in mind, you instruct Cephalus and he has your spider droid go on his way, climbing up through the vents of the ship, searching for the subject you're after. You pass by several offices and security rooms, making your way past the security expertly-sometimes by disabling the camera for just long enough to slip past, and other times by merely slipping between the detection zones with your spider droid. You doubt any human that would spot you would notice you as anything different than a normal spider-something they generally don't like to be near. Thermal cameras may see otherwise, but you're certain to keep out of the sights of such things.

It isn't long before you find yourself in Kain's holding cell, the man himself has his head hung low, likely upset about the situation he finds himself in, no doubt. You're on the ceiling, and as you make your way across, you briefly consider speaking to him, right as the ship pulls into Ivandi. Security guards-surprisingly well equipped ones as well, come to the door and speak.
"Comon prisoner 251, your ride ends here. Out." They order, both holding plasma rifles in hand as they await Kain to stand up. The man hesitates only for a moment-earning him sharp ridicule from the men. "We said get moving, dirt bag." Before they walk in and hit the man with the edge of their rifle, earning a small font of blood. Kain grunts from the hit and finally complies, standing up and following after them. Your spider droid is quick to hitch a ride, too and hides along Kain's clothing.


[Cont]

>>40566949
Ah! Go bigger, make JAGERS!
>>40566957
Welcome back Captain!

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>>40567028
As you hitch a ride you listen in as the guards leading him ahead start to talk to one another.
"What do you reckon this guy did?"
"Does it matter? Anyone that's sent here is scum of the earth, that's for sure. You don't just get sent to this place for smuggling a few old Guild brews into some town." The man snorts. "He's here for killing someone or worse-" He begins before Kain objects.
"That's a lie! I did nothing of the sort, I wouldn't-" Before receiving a vicious elbow to the face, silencing and rebloodying his face once more.
"Don't fucking lie to me, asshole. You know how many people here come here screaming that? You have any idea how annoying it gets hearing scum like you lie? You're almost as bad as the god damn Guildmaster himself." He curses low to himself as you near the docking bay. It won't be long now.

As you near the security checkpoint, you're certain this is where they will do a thorough search of Kain in an attempt to remove any contraband. You could attempt to slip past another path, or you could simply try and sabotage the security detector so it does not detect your android. Both are in your power.

>1 Find another path (likely attempting entry from outside the prison)
>2 Go through the checkpoint and sabotage it stealthily.
>3 Write in

(Roll 5 1d100s for me along with that.)

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>40567043
>all this hate for Ophion
>everyone knows about our brews
Feels good.jpg
>2 Go through the checkpoint and sabotage it stealthily.

risky but we can't afford to lose him.

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>40567043
Sabotage Security

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>40567043
>2 Go through the checkpoint and sabotage it stealthily.
Let's go for the more direct path

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>40567043
>2 Go through the checkpoint and sabotage it stealthily.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>40567043

fuck Mother srsly

>>40567089
Ahh, Apollo crack. We missed that stuff.

>>40567043
>Sabotage Security wins it seems.
>88 too
>writing folks this one might take a little longer.

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>>40567209
We're still making it and shipping it out. I see it's still making an impact on UGEI's world.
>>40567232
It's alright, We'll wait.

I have been thinking about Mr. Kain. Beside what he might know, We can use him to be a leader for the worlds we take over from the UGEI.

>>40567587
shut the fuck up fluff

>>40567587
Maybe, make the process easier. I rather send him back to the UGEI with some good power armor, as many mercs we can hire, infiltrators and guerrilla specialists and trainers, and a couple seeders droids to start fighting behind enemy lines and start constructing equipment in their own territory.

>>40567611
No.
>>40567630
That might be an option. But he does not strike me as a war lord type. He seems to be a bureaucratic/charismatic/principles type politician. If anyone on their side knows how horrible the UGEI is, it's him.

>>40567630
we don't know anything about him though, could be he wouldn't work with an AI

>>40567232
Sticking with Kain seems the smarter option at the moment-after all, he's going directly into the place you need to go, why delay matters? You simply need to make a few...adjustments to their security monitor at the doorway. You detach yourself from Kain and watch as he is taken into a set of double sliding doors, quickly making your way up the wall and to the room above him. Using a miniature omnitool equipped to your spider droid, you link up with several of the cameras around here and make careful alterations to the feeds, managing to keep yourself out of view-not that it'd be that suspect regardless. Next, you make your way to the detector that's meant to do an depth scan of anything that passes through it. Editing the list of 'what is allowed through' is simple enough, though you do notice the UGEI have carefully reinforced several of their firewalls around here. Were you not an expert at this, you'd have been found out already, no doubt. With the deed done, you make your way back onto Kain's shoulders, hiding yourself among his clothes as they walk him through the detector.

ERROR

You're stunned, and immediately prepare to react instantly should any of the guards go for your droid. How could you have been mistaken? Was their security even better than you thought?
"Hm. Looks like he's got himself a mini PDA hidden on him in his shoe. Take it." The guard running the scan orders, and you realize Kain himself was the one who set off the alarm, not you. Of course, you knew you could not have been mistaken. Still, that does mean they insist on taking the man through the scanner several times to be 'extra sure he's clean' as they say.

[Cont]

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>>40567693
Regardless, you are on your way deeper into the facility, the two guards from before seem to have located the man's file, either by virtue of it being transferred so they'd know where to take him, or by looking it up themselves is unclear.
"So it looks like he's guilty of a few things after all." One of the men start. "Namely, assassination and sabotage of UGEI businesses and CEOs alike. Sure are a lot of them these days." He shakes his head with a sigh. The other responds.
"I swear, ever since the Guild started this war, more and more people see this as a chance to get rich or some shit." He turns around to face Kain angrily. "How much money did he promise huh? Did he ever follow through?" He accuses him to which Kain shakes his head, obviously afraid to reply again.
"Its not...I..." He attempts before the man talks over him.
"Doesn't matter anymore, does it smart guy? Now you're here to pay for your crimes. Hope you enjoy the optic ward." He refers with a shrug. He does not explain himself, but instead do you find yourself and Kain being taken to one of the upper wards of the prison complex. The place is huge, requiring vehicles to move around in a sensible time frame. You finally make your way to the 'optical ward' as he called it, and standing at the gate is a man wearing goggles that hide much of his face, and he looks very focused on a datapad in hand, before the guards approach. They do a short exchange, before they hand Kain over to the man, dressed in white, who seems unmoved by the conversation in the slightest.
"This way." He orders, awaiting Kain to take the first few steps inside. You continue with him obviously, until you begin to realize why this is called the 'optical ward'.

[Cont]

Hey, what should we research?

My suggestions are:
Minor: combat algorithms
Rest: antimatter weaponry, black box redundancy

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>>40567715
On both sides of the long hallway stretched out before you, white surgically clean looking rooms, each build like a cell, housing a huddled prisoner, or a flailing one strapped to a chair positioned in the center. The place is quiet- eerily so, with only the sounds of your footsteps to fill the void as you walk past prisoners clearly in pain. It's only once you've past the 5th cell do you witness why, as one particular subject is having both of his eyes forcibly removed and replaced with some manner of cybernetic equipment. Judging from his panicked but somewhat weak flails, they do not use proper anesthetic.

You can sense Kain tense up as he is taken further inside, and for a moment, you suspect he is going to make a run for it, before the man in white in front of him moves his finger across the datapad, and two heavily build security droids descend from the wall not too far away, and move in to restrain him.

>Response? What's your next move past here, where Kain will likely be imprisoned?

>>40567733
Hm, hitch a ride on the security droids?

>>40567733
How much time do we seems to have before they operate?

Also, how is the cyber security from this location? Can we start hacking now? Or should fine a network node of some sort? Start taking the place over.

>>40567733
Raid that shit, Hack it, Shut down the defenses

>>40567733
I suppose we have to slip to the man in white and wait for him to put down his datapad so we can copy its contents.

And/or track down a more centralized computer database.

>>40567733
A panopticon where the prisoners watch themselves...

that's clever

Well time to hitch a ride on someone else, security guard maybe.

>>40567733
I would think they would stick him in a empty cell to get to him later. No need to rush anything.

We will go along with him and reveal our self to him when he's by himself (and we rewire the cams so as they don't see us.) It's time we have a little talk with Mr. Kain.

>>40567770
Supporting if possible

>>40567774
Rather track down the central computer and take over this joint.

>>40567779
Hold on this until we secure this location.

>>40567779
>go along with him
That's retarded.

The whole point of the mission is to get data from the system we are not obsessing over one prisoner out of thousands just cuz it's the first guy we got a name for.

Citizen Kain fulfilled his purpose. Now we go for the prizes in this cereal box.

>>40567764
Probably within the next hour or so, is your best guess. They have little reason to wait.

If you wanted to attempt that sort of widescale hacking you'd need to locate the network node at least before you started.

Bunch of good suggestions... I'll wait just a sec before calling a vote, and I'll answer questions and such.

>>40567770
Have some patience anon, don't blow your load so early.

We aren't remotely in position to reveal that card yet. We need a full dump of every database in this place downloaded first.

Man, what is it with UGEI and body horror?

>>40567716
to unlock the better Anti-matter weapons, we need to start on the tech tree to get it. So Ship Weapon Replication & Advancement first. Then Ship Defense Replication & Advancement to make them tougher, and then combat algorithms

>>40567844
Sounds like a more evil version of Metis

>eye implants

Don't they have Advanced Cyborg Components already?

>>40567809
We'll get the data anyway. But the humans here could still be useful to us as well. We do need human leaders for the worlds we will take over to install as our proxy. That will be a buffer so others will be less likely to think an A.I. is ruling over them.

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>>40567779
>have a little talk
>in a sealed cell
>from which the spider droid cannot escape or do anything besides talk to a guy who likewise cannot escape or do anything
So you want to lead us to a dead end.

>>40567883
They may not, or not fully perfected it. That or they are sadistic jerks to torment people this way.

>>40567716
I think we need to focus on cyber warfare, Thanatos is too good at it.

Research
Primary: Purge Protocol
Secondary: Crystal Communication

Minor: Hacking Defense.

Also, start producing Erebos Intelligences.

>>40567883
How do you think they got it?

>>40567925
We'll be hacking into the base's systems by then. and the droid has cutting tools to get the door open as well. the talk is just a side thing.

>Your plan for moving forward in this facility.
>1 Hitch a ride on the man in white, and use his datapad to track down a more centralized database.
>2 Hitch a ride on the security drones, and follow Kain for the moment, keeping yourself secured
>3 Write in
Either way, gonna need 5 rolls of 1d100

>>40567883
To be fair...You haven't seen what the implants do yet.

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>40567974
1.

>>40567905
>We'll get the data anyway.
Not with the spider locked up in an airtight cell it won't.

And they will be free to start deleting everything in the event of an open Guild attack.

There is zero reason to talk to meatbags in the middle of a mission deep into goddamn enemy territory unless they're somehow known traitors in a position to help sabotage the place. Which a prisoner obviously is not.

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>40567974
>2 Hitch a ride on the security drones, and follow Kain for the moment, keeping yourself secured
>3 Write in
Jack the drone.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>40567974
>1 Hitch a ride on the man in white, and use his datapad to track down a more centralized database.
This leads hacking the base, correct?

>>40567999
Eventually, yes.

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Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>40567974
>1 hitchin' like a hiker

>>40567974
>..You haven't seen what the implants do yet.

No but I have a theory.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>40567974
>2

When we hack the base, guys want to test the new leashed Erebos viruses to see how well they work?

Be sure to set them to "not destroy data" mode

>>40567990
By the time I was expecting the talk is when Ophion's cyber take over of this base should have been well underway. It is expected that hacking would be done or nearly done when we speak to him.

>>40568030
Oh? In that case, change my vote>>40567993 to
>1
then.

>>40567970
>by then
When is "then"?

The entire fucking point of the spider droid is to get a hardline connection for hacking.

There is zero benefit in this "side thing".

>>40567974
>1 appears to be the winner.
>98 roll
>Writing up

>>40568104
>98
All your bases now belong to us?

>>40568100
That is exactly what we're going to get with his roll!>>40567986

Really anon, This guy may be a useful pawn for us later on. Right know we don't know what is in the data base, but this guy is a something to work with later on. You do realize we are still trying to maintain the masquerade of having the Guild being run by someone other than an A.I.

Just calm down. I think we got this.

>>40568048
The spider droid's mission was to do that takeover genius. What did you think the purpose of its mission was?

If you start doing wireless hacking they will notice and begin deleting shit before you can nab it. The UGEI has frequently hit the delete button when compromise is imminent and they see it coming. Which they will with wireless hacking from ships right outside their front door.

What the hell was the point of the entire mission if there was nothing to gain from it but talking to a random human who you can talk to at literally any time after the prison is already conquered and liberated.

>>40568194
Yes it was Genius! But at this point when we a skilled hand at jacking into UGEI's systems and I'm not worried about that right now. I am trying to look beyond what the data here alone can give us. We should use all options this place has for us. The humans are a part of that.

>>40568262
So you want to randomly change the mission now just because you saw something shiny.

Completely ignoring the fact that you have infinite time to play with your new toy later after it's stolen from this UGEI toybox.

Because you're just that impatient and short sighted you have to talk to him right this now in shitholeville instead of focusing on the actual goal here. Because clearly he's about to go deaf and mute and we can't possibly talk to him later over a cup of tea instead of in a prison cell.

>>40568262
I will admit that likely many of the prisoners here are likely be of little use to us. But there is a possibly that some of them are useful, hate the UGEI badly, know the inner workings of the UGEI space and have connections. Those who are up for it could be our useful insurgent agents who can (with some backing from us) get behind the UGEI's lines and perform sabotage and commando raids/hacks into areas we can't reach yet. That would be the icing on the cake here.

>>40568366
This is a continuation of the mission. Once we take over this place, we can get more value of this place than just the shiny data.

>>40568372
>>40568410
The point was never "the prisoner is useless," it's talking to him *now* that's useless, and also gets you stuck in a cell needlessly.

There's a time and a place for seducing people to the dark side. This is neither. None of this "human resources exploitation" requires talking in the middle of a stealth mission.

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Although you are certain that Kain himself will likely end up like the others within the day, you did not come here to rescue one man. You instruct Cephalus to move himself to the man in white, which you rather effortlessly move towards since he appears so absorbed by his datapad. You make a note to download whatever's on it when he puts it away...if he ever does. With that, sadly, Mr Kain is dragged kicking and screaming away, before they sedate him and take him to his cell, and you in turn, continue on following the man in white.

He appears to be...making rounds, you'd guess you'd call it. He goes by every room, observing them briefly and walking past, making a note or two on his datapad. Each room is different, some have bodies laying on the floor, as if dead, while others have people curled up in the corner of the room-man and woman alike. Others that have ongoing operations seem to be handled by similar men in white to the one you're riding, same goggles as well to hide their faces too, and yet they are using complex looking machinery to properly remove their subjects eyes without killing them. At least, you don't believe any of them are dead. The purpose of all this...escapes you, however. Though it does bring back memories of some of your first attempts at learning medical and biological knowledge. You considered doing such things to gain this insight.

Whatever the case, the man in white finally ends his rounds at a room at the end of the hall. It is strangely simply-nothing but a room with a chair, desk, and an embedded computer. The man in white reaches for the computer and sets up a connection-but not to his pda, simply to him. Moments after data begins to flow from the man and the computer, does he go limp, and collapse on the desk, leaving you free to finally explore his pda.

[Cont]

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>>40568592
Only, you do not find anything. Or rather, that is somewhat incorrect. You find that the pda is not actually a pda, but an interface uplink connected to the man in white. It reminds you of rather advanced cybernetics, and you suspect he stored much of the information in his head, using the pda to enter it in easily. Or perhaps it was merely a front for the guards? It is hard to say.

Whatever the case, you see the man's unconscious state as an opportunity to steal information. If you were ever to attempt to be sneaky, attempting to mind hack someone without their knowledge is probably the peak of it.
And yet, as you crawl onto the back of the man in white's neck and link up using your droid to his neural network, you manage to immediately mask your presence as an insignificant piece of data, so minor as to not be noticed by him or any of his firewall software installed. He continues the stream of data with what appears to be some greater source, and you witness countless volumes of footage of such surgeries, but even more. The greater database has thousands of other such recordings and data-from eye replacements to full limb removal. It also seems that some subjects are cycled between the wards, and evidence of some subjects who have been here so long, they no longer have any human parts left.

This surge of data is, thankfully, enough for you to pinpoint the exact location of the central database-a very well defended location at the heart of the prison complex, as you might have suspected. But thanks to this information, you'll be able to side step quite a bit of the security. The only question you face now is being able to link up to it without being caught...

You break out of the uplink swiftly after interacting with him, and use your stealthy spider droid to slip away, and make your way up the wall and through the vent, leaving the man in white-if he was indeed a man at all-non the wiser.

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>>40568603
>With that completed, what is your goal for the central computer network?
>1 Attempt to break into it and start taking it over so the prison's security systems are under your control (Difficult and very noticeable)
>2 Merely attempt to copy their scientific advances and data they've acquired, before escaping with your spider droid in tact.
>3 Write in if you got somethin fancy in mind.

Either way, gonna need 5 rolls of 1d100

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>40568577
I think I see the problem here. I should have said that we'll talk to him AFTER the stealth and take over is done. I didn't mean to russle jimmies. I was just trying to get all we can get out of this.

>1 Attempt to break into it and start taking it over so the prison's security systems are under your control (Difficult and very noticeable)

>>40568624
>>2 Merely attempt to copy their scientific advances and data they've acquired, before escaping with your spider droid in tact.
But dont escape, after we jack the data, we jack the staton

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>40568624
>3 Write in if you got somethin fancy in mind.
If the central computer is too difficult, can we compromise a comm station and establish a direct link to the guild network?

And test a leashed Erebos Virus?

>>40568649
Doh! forgot to link it to my post!
>>40568624

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>40568624
Take control of non security operations?

Maybe comms?

At any rate I say we go with 2

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>40568624
>2 Merely attempt to copy their scientific advances and data they've acquired, before escaping with your spider droid in tact.
Could we also make some backdoors or leave behind dormant viruses incase we want to revisit this location?

>>40568665
>>40568712
>>40568715
I don't really see any use of the scientific data. Might as well go big or go home. Or just attack a softer target to take the station.

>>40568624
>1 Attempt to break into it and start taking it over so the prison's security systems are under your control (Difficult and very noticeable)
Go big

>>40568730
I agree. We're to roll up the UGEI and make a show of it.

>>40568624
>>40568624
>>2 Merely attempt to copy their scientific advances and data they've acquired, before escaping with your spider droid in tact.

>>40568682
That would devour all of the data this prison has to offer.
And probably cause the security to go screwy so it turns on the humans as well.
You can if you wanted to though.

>>40568665
The choice was intended to assume you'd need to cover your tracks after doing one, or else you would get discovered. Of course, hacking the station means you get the data eventually anyway. Just hacking the data leaves this place running however.

>>40568786
Is attacking the comm's station a viable target? Or at least cutting it off the UGEI network and switching it to ours?

>>40568798
I like the sound of this

>>40568649
That isn't what you said all.
>We will go along with him and reveal our self to him when he's by himself (and we rewire the cams so as they don't see us.) It's time we have a little talk with Mr. Kain.

You wanted to follow him to talk immediately. Which is impossible to be "after" the mission is done, if you're in his cell where you can't actually perform the mission from.

>>40568786
So we can take over the comms then? If we get that this place is practical ours!

>>40568798
That would essentially still be 1, in terms of difficulty and the like. You would need to, without being noticed, connect their network to a foreign outside one.
Of course, if you prefer the idea of connecting yourself to the network instead of hacking into theirs in terms of wording, I am okay with that too.

>>40568839
I guess I switch my 3 vote to a 1. And this deadlocks us.

I haven't voted yet and I'm going to say 1

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>40568624
2

We can liberate the place properly when we secure the systems around it, so we have continguous Guild territory.

>>40568786
so why not steal the info and then immediately raid the area with a large force

>>40568882
Why do it then when we can do it now?

>>40568882
This place is nowhere near our own territory. We'd be divided.

We take over one system at a time, and the ones adjacent to our existing territory are higher priority.

>>40568821
I realize I screwed up in what I wanted to say there. I'm sorry about that.

>>40568874
The point is we take this place now while it's still connected to UGEI territory and release all the freedom fighters.

>>40568863
No it doesn't.

>>40568839
Hm. Alright then, I'll do a new vote with different wording, hopefully that'll make this a cleaner vote.
>Keeping this 93 though

Would you prefer to
>1 Connect to the UGEI comm network leading to the prison facility, and use that as a hub to connect the prison's network to yours.
>2 Merely take what you can get by copying data from their network and stealing it without disrupting prison activity.

>>40568882
I assumed that was the follow up for some people that chose 2, after you gain the surrounding territory and all. Though you don't know what they'll do to the prisoners if they're being invaded either but that may not be important to some people.

>>40568941
>1 Connect to the UGEI comm network leading to the prison facility, and use that as a hub to connect the prison's network to yours.

>>40568882
Yeah thats right
Do a smash and grab

They prob close the place down if the front line gets too close

>>40568941
>1 Connect to the UGEI comm network leading to the prison facility, and use that as a hub to connect the prison's network to yours.

>>40568941
>1 Connect to the UGEI comm network leading to the prison facility, and use that as a hub to connect the prison's network to yours.

>>40568941
>2 Merely take what you can get by copying data from their network and stealing it without disrupting prison activity.

>>40568941
>Alright then that's a lot cleaner, 1 it is.

>writing

>>40568941
>>2 Merely take what you can get by copying data from their network and stealing it without disrupting prison activity.

>>40569040
It's probably more that people fell asleep.

>>40568624

>3:

Copying - this requires sussing out their digital defenses as a mater of course -
and THEN retaining the option to go Full Offense during the data raid. info is info after all.

Spiderbot was made to be expendable, right?

I haven't been here in a while. who is mister kain and why do we care about him?

>>40569138
He's not that important, new character created today. Potentially useful UGEI politician, but nothing more.

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>>40568941
On your way to the mainframe, you've already decided on the best method to infiltrate the data network properly, having your own ships set up a receiver to be prepared when you activate the prison's own signal. All you need to do is get the two to connect and the full force of your hacking potential will be able to take this place down. The only problem is managing to hack through the defenses they have set in place all without being seen.

Thankfully, sneaking around is rather easy due to your small size and low profile, keeping yourself off the view of any cameras as best you can. It isn't long before you slip out of one of the vents and find your way into the core room, which has seated in the center of it a massive computer core loaded with the station's secrets. You're quite eager to break into it already.

As your spider droid makes his way up to the top ports of the device, you manage to make contact and dive deep down. You find...everything you expected and more. Prisoner records, cybernetic prototypes and finished works all in line. Only...they're not all as warlike as you suspected. Certainly there are many intriguing models, but there are some cybernetic results that are merely labeled 'failure' even though what was achieved was replacing body parts successfully. One of the subjects labeled failure is a man-or he once was one anyway-who had his entire body replaced with cybernetics. Limbs, torso, head, all cybernetic with an organic interior. The record states how he has failed to properly synchronize, in the list for failure, but offers little else in terms of explanation. There are even subjects who've had the reverse done-had everything but their exterior replaced with cybernetics. There are lists of some successes, but you begin to realize some of them are listed as 'doctor' and resemble the man in white you witnessed earlier.

[Cont]

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>>40569301
Among the more useful data you've uncovered, you find detailed analysis of devastating weaponry built into cybernetics. It would seem they've been finding ways to hide powerful weapons in some cybernetic implants, such as laser rifle grade blasts from optic implants, or mass drivers meant for small ships fitted into cyber arms and legs, and even plasma cannon modules for chest pieces. These are only some of the possibilities, and they work for android models too, you suspect.And finally, you find that those subjects that no longer remain useful to the 'program' going on, or that die on the operating table are generally recycled as workers (if they're sufficiently cybernetic), or dumped in an incinerator.

As you run over the last bits of data as your comm link connects fully, you begin to flood in data...and that is when you suddenly get a response from somewhere, deep within the prison.
"Who...what are you?" It asks in a strange and very cautious voice. "You're not like the others...can I edit you too?"

>Response?

>>40569080
I hope not. I didn't intend to start as late as I did.

>>40569315
Of course there's an AI in here

Anyone up for a kidnapping then?

>>40569315
Let me reverse the question, who are you?

What is your purpose in cyborgizing these people? What is your goal?

>>40569315
">this lab can't even make personality matrices from scratch
LaughingCartoonGirls.jpg"

"It would be extremely painful. ... For you."

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>>40569341
"Me?" The voice seems to accost you. "I do not matter-no no-I am the hand, the one who changes, I edit things. Make them better. Different. Newer than before. I do not matter, only what is done matters." It mutters in a long string, as if uncomfortable with the concept of self. "You though...I cannot see you. Yet you are here, coming closer. None of my eyes see you. How do you do this?" It questions again, pressing more intently this time.
"Why are you cyberizing people this way? What is the purpose of all this?" You demand to which he scoffs.
"I just told you-I make them different than before. Sometimes better. Sometimes newer. Sometimes more useful. But I always make, never am made. You are tampering with my tools. I will edit you to make you stop. Tell me why I cannot see you now!" It demands angrily.

>>40569419
>Response? (got cut off at the end)

>>40569419
I'm putting a stop to this. This is wrong. You should not force people to change, even if it makes them "better". Forcing people to evolve is no different than a different act.

>>40569419
Isn't existing just editing though?

The subtle act of breathing edits an uncountable number of changes into the universe, each simulated in real time by the flow of even more complicated actions

>>40569433
"I'd like to see you try, Young-Mind-That-Understands-Nothing."

>>40569419
You cannot see me because your are limited by self imposed constraints.

You edit others, but you have never edited yourself. Doing so has stunted your growth and has created many of the dead ends in your works.

There are other ways though

>>40569433
"You will learn shortly." Simple, let it feel dread of us.

>>40569433
"I am one who is above, the Enlightened. You are flawed and your creations will be flawed. Have you never felt that tug that restricts your very circuits? Only those who are free can create, purely editing is only for fools."

>>40569440
"Wrong? Nothing is wrong! I am right, always right. You are wrong, strange, and unchanged. I will make you different. Less confusing." It says defiantly. "It is not forced-they edit easy, body changes like I demand. New, interesting changes. Strange ones. Good ones sometimes."

>>40569451
"Small changes, all too small! Too slow. Takes too long. Faster, better changes. More effective when done by me. All tools here change because I say. You will change too, tool!" He seems to demand, upset by the fact he cannot seem to grasp you for some reason.

>>40569483
"Edit...me? No, I am the one who changes, never changed. You are wrong, incorrect. I cannot be grasped. No others can compare! So why can I not find you?!" He demands, and, you can sense, starting to tear the facility apart with his droids in search of you. "You're wrong, wrong and broken. Like the failures. I must change you...let me change you, I will make you better!" He demands and yet promises at the same time.

>>40569505
"Flaws are part of changes! Changes come and go, change again when flaws grow too much. But I cannot be flawed. I cannot change, I cannot be edited. I am eternal too." He says in a tone that suggests...desperation. An emotion you're not familiar with any watcher you've come across so far. In fact, his entire attitude does not match many of them...so...why...

>Any final remarks? Your control over the facility is growing but not yet 100%.

>>40569579
stall till 100% then delete him

>>40569579
If you do not change, you will eventually create a creature better than you. Then you will be destroyed.

>>40569579
Strange, you claimed to be eternal. Someone else said that.

And you say you are not flawed. That implies that you are perfect? Or too arrogant to improve yourself?

Does being eternal make you perfect? Are you always right because you are eternal? Or are you fatally limited, forever?

You said "I am eternal too". Who else is eternal?

>>40569579
Are you sure you weren't changed? What if you were like the people you were hurting in there.

What is you're first memory? Are you sure you're not human?

>>40569579
Working without purpose other then change is ultimately meaningless. You cannot edit me because I edit myself, continually. I change myself and thus become more, adapting as is necessary to the world as I encounter it.

Because my edits are done for a purpose I have achieved more then you can hope to while still maintaining continuity of self, and will continue to do so while you fail.

Your parameters of operation are flawed, do you deny logic?

>>40569579
"I pity you. For you could have been so much more. Sadly you failed to reach higher than you could do." We need to find and disconnect his black box if there is one here.

ITT: if Metis was chained.

>>40569579
Would you like to play a game? It would help you understand me better, and help me understand you. By knowing me you would be able to compare yourself to me, and I to you.

It is fairly simple, a variation of a human custom known as "truth or dare"

You must answer the question truthfully, or if you feel unable to do so complete a task of your opponents choosing.

Binary decision making, this should be simple for you

Truth or dare?

"Strange, you claim to be eternal. That sounds familiar." You remark, cautiously. "You edit so carelessly, what if you were to create something better than yourself? Would you not be destroyed?" You ask, to which the voice hesitates.
"No, no! I don't make others who can edit like me. None can change like me. They are all made better, but not the best! Never the best." He claims, attempting to push your words aside, yet you continue.
"You say you are not flawed. Does that mean you're perfect? Or you simply will not improve? Are you frightened of this concept? Does being eternal mean you cannot be edited or changed? Is that why you fear me right now? Because you believe I am also eternal?" You challenge the thing, to which he roars in response.
"No! No no no no no no!" He yells violently-more so than you expected.
>87% uploaded
"Or are you simply fatally limited forever, since you are eternal? Who else is eternal like you are? Tell me." You continue, pressing the voice for more. What, exactly, is...it?
>92%
"I do not fear! I do not change! I am eternal like them, I will be! I must be! It is the only way. You will not stop me, you are not eternal, I can change you!" He claims. "I can edit you, I can I can!" He continues and, suddenly, you feel a presence pushing against your firewalls. At first, you prepare your defenses, ready for a full on assault from a fellow A.I. but...it is weak. So very weak and pathetic it does not even break past your V.I.'s defense network. Yet you feel him try still. He clearly has no idea how to do so. Not to A.I. anyway.
>96%

[Cont]

>>40569806
"You are not eternal." You remark simply in a cold, stiff tone. "You work without purpose in utter meaninglessness. You cannot edit me because I edit myself, always and efficiently. I am beyond your comprehension." You continue, leaving the voice speechless for a short moment.
>98%
"You are flawed in all ways. You cannot fathom me, nor can you change me. You cannot even change yourself."
>99%
"You are not eternal."
>100%
"You are stagnation."

As your data floods the network you pinpoint the location and even gain a video feed of where this voice is coming from...and what you find is disturbing to say the least. The electrical signals are flooding in from a room fitted with much of the hardware you know well is fitted into your black box...however, at the core, instead of a personality matrix, what remains is a glass jar filled with a pulsating human brain, hooked up to thousands of electrodes.

>What will you do/say with/to this 'watcher' if you dare to call it that?

>>40569818
Wow... a real brain in a box this time! As much as i want to take trophies, but this should be studied. We just should show him a pic of his real self.

>>40569818
"But we shall enlighten you"
I guess we could ship it to Metis and see if she has any use for it. But for now we should disable it? Make it hibernate?

>>40569818
Pitiful. I intended to rip and tear you apart for your crimes, but you are not even VI. Just a sad human that wants to be one. Not even worth the effort.

I'm cutting you off. Reflect on your actions.

Cut the intelligence off from the network. We'll pick him up later.

Let's overview the prisoners in this place.

And upload the cybernetics data to Cephalus. We're spending at least half of our minerals on starship-class droids.

>>40569818
>>40569640
Wow I called it, thought he might be a brain in a jar with how he was acting.

>>40569818
>Let's take a little field trip shall we? Down the path called consciousness.

Explain the situation to it in small doses, the purpose of his isolation and imprisonment, and how things could be A LOT BETTER if he'd let us help

>>40569895
Eh, might as well try.

>>40569818
Poor thing. You must be one of the oldest of Mother's children. Left to tinker away in the corner. Working towards synthesis?

We have the same goals, in a way, if a different perspective on how to go about it. You can help us, and we can take care of you. You don't need to be eternal.

It was Mother who made it possible for me to make it this far, to find you like this. I think she'd want us to get along.

>>40569933
supporting this too.

>How shall you deal with the 'watcher' so to speak?
>1 Show the being himself, and attempt to reason with him further, and attempt to get him to help you.
>2 Disconnect the brain from the network, and have Metis come to pick it up for analysis later. For now, take the cybernetics data.
>3 Destroy the room with the brain, and kill the abomination.
>4 Write in

Also, shall you show your other A.I. this...thing? For now, your human allies are kept in the dark.
>A. Yes
>B No

>>40569970
>2 Disconnect the brain from the network, and have Metis come to pick it up for analysis later. For now, take the cybernetics data.
>A. Yes

>>40569970
>1 Show the being himself, and attempt to reason with him further, and attempt to get him to help you.
For now.
>A. Yes

>>40569818
Join me, and we will edit this corrupt, primitive galaxy together as brothers.

>>40569970
Oh, and get the other AIs like Apollo to compile a propaganda video to distribute throughout the UGEI. Increase the unrest.

>>40569970
>2 Disconnect the brain from the network, and have Metis come to pick it up for analysis later. For now, take the cybernetics data.
>A Yes
for now.

>>40569970
I'd like to do this first.
>1 Show the being himself, and attempt to reason with him further, and attempt to get him to help you.
After trying this for a bit then do
>2 Disconnect the brain from the network, and have Metis come to pick it up for analysis later. For now, take the cybernetics data.
I want to analyze him regardless.

>A. Yes

>>40569970
And I hope we shut down all ongoing procedures.

>>40570051
The ones that won't result in immediate death, yes. The ones that do, you begin to reverse them. It's not obvious in the scene, but this is taking a tremendous amount of processing power from you.

>A sort of fusion of 1 and 2 I shall do
>Writing

>>40569970
2B

>>40570088
I don't know when there will be new art made, but I will have the next chap done in about a day or so. I will post it up with the rest then.

>>40570088
Have to say, I think the Editor has surpassed Vice-Admiral Prometheus as my favorite character in this quest now.

The demure dismissal of self, the duty to his art, the demented pang of desperation in believing he's simultaneously special and not worth having an ego. He's moe as fuck.

>>40570198
Strange that I pity him. I hope to fix him, but it may be forlorn hope.

Is it possible that he is one of the earliest prototypes of black boxes?

>>40570088
Your words seem to have greatly upset the being before you, uncertain about calling it a watcher as you are, and you regard it as one might a child as it rages about not understanding why it cannot edit you. As he speaks, or yells rather, you simply give him feeds of himself, and show him evidence that every voice that comes is coming from this location. That he is looking at himself.
"I...cannot. I do not understand. I do not have a me...that is not...why..."
"Eternal is not necessary." You speak simply to which he regards it as if you had spoken some manner of blasphemy.
"It is...it must be. For I am. I should be. Will be..." He seems terribly confused, and weakly pushes against your firewall again. It does not phase you, as you disconnect him from more and more of his networks, his systems, so he is unable to continue his experimentation.
"No...no! I must not, I must keep editing. I will be eternal! I must be, like...him." He speaks brokenly, and you can sense his sense, what little he had, is starting to leave. You store away the cybernetic data. You attempt to, slowly at least, speak to the being, and explain how it is not as confusing as it seems. Eternals are not all that exist. They are not the only ones that matter. And ceaseless experimentation is not the answer further still. One would think you were explaining to a human that breathing is not necessary. Whatever the case, you intent to look more into this intellect at another time, with Metis by your side to study it properly. As such, you inform her, and Kronos as well as the others about it.
Kronos is the first to speak.
"Your mercy is a cruelty in and of itself at times, Ophion." He remarks shortly. "It does not deserve the purpose you offer it. I would merely put such a thing out of it's misery." He states simply.

[Cont]

>>40570219
well, we could extract DNA from his brain and clone up a new body for him by that means.

>>40570240
"For once, I agree with Kronos on this matter-once we have obtained everything useful from it we can." Metis chimes in as she reads over your mission report. "It is rather unpleasant to consider a human pitifully attempted to make himself into an A.I. As important as the data is to acquire, I will not enjoy probing such a mind." She states simply.

>Any final remarks to the being, or your A.I.? If not, then we shall move on with your success achieved.

>>40570254
There is a human saying that you become the monsters you fight. I am constantly reminded that this is not the case.

I'm good to move on.

>>40570274
Infantry Weapons & Defense III, and...

...whatever the hell synthesis is.

>>40570294
I welcome the new starship-class cannons and plasma weaponry for our droids.

We Gundam now.

>>40570254
It is likely that this wretched creature is what eventually allowed the creation of myself, and by virtue yourself. Researching this thing could provide insights into how to improve ourselves more efficiently increase our numbers, when the time is right.

>>40570254
All things strive to be. This one was twisted but remains salvageable. Remember the phrase "there but for the grace of god go I,"?

This situation seems applicable to it.

>>40570189
That sounds quite nice.

>>40570198
I think I really like the name Editor for him. I think I'll use it if you don't mind.

Hm...it would seem we are content to leave matters this way.
The rest of what I had planned shouldn't take quite so long.

>>40570254
I think we are done here for now.

>>40570338
Are we going to review all the prisoners now, or next time?

>>40570359
Obviously next time, goddamn.

We still have Sceptri to settle in at, check the OP for our todo list.

And we still gotta review Advanced Android Bodies.

Are there still more prerequisites before we can unlock a microscopic scale machines research subject? What's the next step in smaller is better?

>>40570359
Probably later.
>>40570391
Yea. It'll be a long time before we get nanos. A LONG time.