“What can you tell me, then? Can we link with the network?”

“Ah, well, it’s likely they could act as a sort of planetary shield. Also, the power requirements are simply staggering. As for linking... I doubt it, sir. They don’t seem to be designed with standard protocols... which makes sense, seeing as they are so small and have so little to work with individually. Even moreso, I can tell from the designs that they are likely still in the prototype stage. Probably pushed into service. General integration would have come afterward, probably through some sort of interface system.”

Hmmm. “Very well. Thank you, Spacer Clay. Dismissed.” You wait for the man to salute and leave before turning your attention to the other man in the room.

“Your report?”

Rinn steps forward and hands you a datapad. You flick through it briefly before laying it on the desk and nodding to him to begin, “Well, it’s like this sir. They got forty three individual heavies mounted on the corvettes and I’d guess about five thousand fighters. Modified, probably souped up with some spare parts way in the past. Piloted too.”

“Heavy lances?” you ask, a frown of worry creasing your face.

“Ah, yeah. Corvettes were never meant to mount em so they can’t be putting out that much even if the whole thing is one big gun. But in the shape we’re in I wouldn’t fancy our chances.”

“And they’re still hanging back?”

He nods, “Yessir. Same as yesterday.”

“Thank you, Mister Rinn. That will be all.”

“Sir!” and with that the man departs, leaving you to ponder the situation. The followers of Maestro were all too glad to provide you with their religious text, the ‘Palathidion’, and you’ve been reviewing it in preparation. Twenty three hours remaining before your scheduled rendezvous, and only one question remains.

How to make the best use of it?

==Map Legend==
Green Dotted Arrow: Current Jump
Yellow Dotted Arrow: Last Jump
Orange Dotted Arrow: Last minus 1 Jump
Red Dotted Arrow: Prior jumps.
Green dot: Current position.
Purple Dot: Elaborated Destination
Yellow Square: Your awakening position
Teal dotted zone: Hundred Systems Territory (Hundred Worlds Rebellion)

==Command Staff==
Lieutenant Kateryna Ivanova - Executive Officer
>Second Lieutenant Dray Parson - Intelligence Officer (Cryo)
Second Lieutenant Robert Tynes - Steward
Chun-Fan Dai - Chief Engineer
Third Lieutenant Mardigan “Guns” Rinn - Weapons Officer
Dr. Christof Burr - Physician

==Junior Officers==
Ensign Fie - Communictions Officer
Ensign DuBois - Staff officer (Sensors)
Ensign Tremko - Staff officer
Ensign Rao - Staff officer

==Persons of Note==
>Dr. Eliphim Ketro -- Civilian Scientist (Cryo)

Previous Threads:

1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15474877/
2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15527576/
3: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15547424/
4: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15558914/
5: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15581324/
6: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15603188/
7: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15626860/
8: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15671288/
9: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15681393/
10: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15702140/
11: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15725852/
12: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15749179/
13: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15760403/
13-2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15765549/
14: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15783485/
15: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15807704/
16: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15856771/
17: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15880596/
18: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15904452/
19: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15916825/
20: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15949806/
20-2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15954334/
21: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15994976/
22: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16075942/
23: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16087046/
24: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16157217/

>Also, when archiving make sure to include the thread number in the title and a "Void Quest" tag.

rolled 40 = 40

What's the gist of their creation myth(s)?
Any anything we can gather of their history from the texts?

i suggest that we talk to Ivanova now. Say we've noticed she's gotten more distant. suggest that people need others to talk to in high-stress situations. suggest that one's peers are an excellent source of such people. talk about how Rinn and Tynes seem like a decent bunch, and that they would be great friends.

then start preparing everything we can that would be useful to fullfill prophesies/prove our godhood after we arrive at Maestro's resting spot.

>>16182150
Pretty much the same as what the High Priest told you last session. Anything specific you want to ask?

rolled 21 = 21

>>16182200
Was just going to pick through for useful details to keep in mind. Nothing in particular. Maybe more information on important peoples? Mostly in the hope of gleening other names of survivors.

>>16182099
This time I'd like for us to go in full power armor. Just in case.

Bring a small drone vanguard, but no other humans this time. Other than that, just try and get all our details about Charles in line.

(voting to side with the traditionalists, dunno what we're doing about that)

It's weird being here early.
No one to argue with, nothing to bump gently...

So Vedibere, how was your day?

So I had a thought after finding a model modified to be a container...

did we ever have that chess piece from Asura checked by anyone other than ourself? We didn't remember the captain as a chess player, so there is always a chance that it was a disguised data storage unit.

meanwhile, time to catch up on some threads...

VOID QUEST! VOID QUEST! VOID QUEST! VOID QUEST!

Woo!

we had a rousing discussion thread last night about what do. http://archive.easymodo.net/tg/thread/16173481

Some questions:
EIs and AIs. What was their effective lifespan? Until they died in combat or were decommissioned? How recent is the tech (relative to the hundred worlds rebellion), and what happened to the older EIs?

Green star. That doesn't sound possible, AFAIK stars range from white to blue to yellow to red. Just saying "nothing seems strange about it" is enough, because presumably SOME of he highly trained scientists we have on-board would have said if something was off.

Our primary goal is to chat with Maestro. How possible is it to send down a shuttle with a drone to an uninhabited location and pulse messages into the nanite swarm?

Can we communicate with their space fleet? That might be a worthwhile thing to do if we can find some way of getting them on our side.

Is Vedibere still here?

I suggest trying to "DEEP SCAN" around the base of the tower and beneath it if there's anything there, as well as the subterranean area beneath the pole(s?). See if there's anything down there that we can actually pick up.

Also, in the discussion thread, we suggested transmitting on multiple bands, in different Ophidian cyphers and codes and whatnot, direct messages to Charles.

I have a sinking feeling that if we manage to get into communication with Charles, things aren't going to be super smooth. Either he'll be corrupted by data loss or he'll have grown ego maniacal over the eons, assuming he's still active and hasn't been offline for millenia.

But if we do ever manage to speak to him, we have to inquire about the mission that Asuro talked about.

IS ANYONE ELSE HERE STILL!?

>>16183027
I'm reading the easymodo thread presently.

>>16183027
Sure.

For wat do when we're done with this day: power armor is unnecessary, as is a human retinue. Drones are sufficient.

Equip drones with some sort of nanite-disruption system. Doesn't really matter what it is, as long as it's possible.

If Charles is far gone, and it's just Lord Maestro left, meet him as a being of the same order: because we are both EIs, after all. Tell him that Asura has told us that it is up to us to resume the mission: to become the one above all. Can we count on his allegiance?

>>16183074
Ah. Yeah, we got some discussion done there.

I've got to go, but I'll be back later. Hope VoidQuest is still going on in a few hours.

>>16183074

Good good! I'd hoped that someone would have sense enough to back-reference that.

Okay then, read through it. One point I feel should be made:
>I asked if it was going to be possible to deprogram Ivanova.
That is not what you asked. You asked if her implants could be surgically removed or disabled with the technology onboard.

Do you plan to go down in power armor or your dress uniform?

>>16183788
Dress uniform of course, as a god we have no need for protection we are invincible.
Also we want Charles to recognize us if at all possible.

>>16183841

And if shit really goes tits-up, we're pretty much going to have to write off the meatbody anyways.

>>16183788
Power armor.

No more fucking nanites in us.
Come on people, we dodged a bullet getting them out, don't give them another chance.

>>16183968

I agree with this man. All these savages seem to respect is power, so let's show them who the god is here.

>>16184018

Wait, thats a really good idea! We find a way to shut down the nanites in an area around us whenever they piss us off or threaten us. One more card in our godly hand.

>>16184024
I see it as a sign of weakness. If things get hot, power armor won't help anyway.

Information is the key to making the correct decisions. Information on the planet, on the fleet, on the system, and on your target himself. If possible you would like to contact Charles normally, without venturing down and risking yourself. Yet your coded hails go unanswered. Or rather, are answered by the wrong people. As before communications open with the priests, but your cyphered message is so much gibberish to them. Indeed, even without the encoding a message intended for an EI would hardly be comprehended by a normal person regardless.

And so you move on to more drastic measures. Remembering the success with the Asura you dispatch a shuttle and drone. The swarm of fighters and corvettes that constantly monitors your presence seem... a bit less than pleased. Immediately a flood of warnings and requests for withdrawal assault your comm-bands, and to avoid a potentially messy confrontation you withdraw without ever touching ground. Still, the shuttle itself was fitted to blast pulsed and modulated energy through the nanite net and most certainly entered the atmosphere. If Charles -- or Maestro -- is able to monitor such things you feel sure he would have received the message. That there is no reply is by turns frustrating and foreboding.

#############

>>16184051
deleted original post because i derped and re-posted
>>16183085

I still think it's a good idea, since I've mentioned it since the end of last thread and during the discussion last night as well.

“What do you mean, artificial?”

“Well, sir... how do I explain this. Hmm.” The reactor specialist Imin Par, stands on the bridge studying the holoprojector. His dark blue, wavy hair (gene-altered, clearly) stands out, as do his rather striking looks and apparent youth, though he claims over a hundred years. He turns to you, stroking his chiseled jaw, “Well, you see, it wasn’t done often but there are cases where some installations were created for specific purposes. I’m sure you heard of the Manos-Re system having its star reignited? Same process, mostly. The strange color is probably because of the artificial method used.” He shakes his head, “Green. Heh. Well, I guess maybe Crux wasn’t so full of it after all.”

“What?”

He looks up, having dropped his gaze to the floor as he muttered the last part, “Well, sir, I just remembered a story I heard a couple decades back. Well, back before going on ice at least. Just gossip around the water cooler.”

“I’m interested.”

The man shifts uneasily, “It’s not much. We were talking about just weird things we’d seen in our time. Well, the parts that everyone had authorization for at least. Aa friend of mine, robotics specialist, said he was stationed on a secret R&D base on an earth-like. Rare, but I mean we’d all been there. Then he said that the weirdest part was the sun wasn’t normal. Green, he said.” He looks back to the hologram, “Maybe the same base? Maybe not. Not even sure he was telling the truth. We were all trying to one-up each other, after all.”

You nod, “Thank you, that will be all.”

He smiles, white teeth shining, “Yes, sir.”

###########

“Sensors show... well, I’m not getting much of anything sir. Nothing new, at least.” DuBois says, reading the scans as you focus on Maestro’s spire and -- hopefully -- what is below it.

“No new readings?”

“No, sir. The thing is shielded and I think the nanites might be disrupting our scans more than expected.”

“And the landing site?”

Ivanova raises her console, looking over at you. You stand arrayed and decorated in your dress uniform once again, and your XO waits until you finish the scans before speaking, “Completely clear as far as I can tell, Sir. One grav-speeder, a model used by the priesthood, with two lifesigns.”

You nod, “Then the Godspeaker’s message told the truth.”

“I would not be so sure about that, sir.” Ivanova says neutrally, “It gave an accurate depiction of what we would see when we scanned. Nothing more. I still do not think you should be going alone.”

You pause for a second, considering, “Noted. Is the shuttle prepared?”

“Yes, sir.” Tynes looks up from his screen, “Drone fighter escort prepared to launch too.”

“Yeah, gave you a nice and shiny loadout in the shuttle too, sir.” Rinn chimes in, “Take what ya can get away with, ‘s what I say. Some of the puppies in there would make a hovertank shit itself, pardon me.”

>Last comments? Land? Retinue, if any? Demeanor on landing and during interactions, if landing and interacting? Things like that.

>>16184078
Armor. Power armor, wear it.

Yes, land. But only after we can confirm if the lifesign down there is who we expect it to be. Bring some drones, try to make them emit an anti nanite field.
Act godly, and terse around everyone. Even Charles until we confirm he's not looney.

Say little more than needed. Appear much more guarded than before. I'm willing to hear out his plans for revolution though.

>>16184078
>I still do not think you should be going alone.

Hmm.. how to put this.

If this comes down to a slugging match, Ivanova might not be much help, considering the very air itself could become hostile.

She could be of a great use in her Spooking. That's for sure. Hacking, access codes, secret facilities... she knows this crap.

In the space part of the battle, I don't think the ship itself will be very safe from the expert fleet. They're packing more heat than us, we're not very shielded. Jumping away in this situation would be the best idea, unless I'm underestimating our power (likely).

Might need Rinn on guns in the shuttle. Could substitute for ensign, possibly.

I don't know if Ivanova should come or not. In power-armor, of course.

Opinions?

>>16184140
No, don't wear armor. It will make us look weak if we come dressed the same as our angels did earlier. And if it comes to it, our body is an acceptable loss.

>>16184078
Tell Rinn and Ivanova that our body can be spared if shit goes bad. Theirs can't, so they're staying on board. Have them at their stations, ready to fire if needed.

If shit gets really bad, we'll Jump out of the system and leave our flesh body on the planet, a mindless husk, if need be, and we won't leave any of our other crew down there.

Bring some explosives, small and discrete explosives. Never know if we'll need them. Do we have any kind of small jetpacks? If we do, bring one, and hide it underneath a cloak or cape. And a high powered pistol.

When we land, make sure it's the man we're supposed to meet, and say little, just, "As you will." or something like that.

>>16184199
If things go to hell, do we really want to risk having the XO and captain of the ship stuck on the planet isolated from the rest of the ship? It's better to leave her behind in the worst case scenario.

>>16184215
Exactly. Our human body is pretty much just a flesh and blood drone, and is ultimately expendable.

>>16184078
We're not a spess mahreen sergeant. Keep our helmet (and armor) on.

Tell them it's becuase we don't trust the magics taken route here that we've altered our form to a more resilient one.

If we're going to meet with people, then no armor. If we're going in to be sneaky and slip in to meet Charles while expecting hostility, wear our armor.

So yeah, our armor.

>>16184240

No. We are something much better. We are a SPACESHIP!

>>16184331
I happen to like our body, It's dead killy for a drone. And it's good for meetings and stuff too. Just throwing it away seems so...

>>16184348

We aren't throwing it away.

Vedibere, how much more can the armour take compared to our body?

>>16184078
Have we got any kind of stealth equipment that would be likely to be able to foil nanite-enhanced senses? The invisibility tricks used by these people didn't seem that sophisticated, so perhaps if we have a more comprehensive stealth suite of some kind we'd be able to evade their detection methods. Could be exceptionally handy.

>>16184442
The armor is more useful to keep the nanites off us than as AP.

>>16184498

Our body can do that already.

>>16184585
Do you remember the super death moon?

Because, I do.

Why take the risk? What is so worth it? They already don't trust us. And hell, if anything it would show them we've switched to a war footing. Good to know for our "allies" in this cluster fuck.

>>16184599

Those weren't nanites. And we weren't on the surface. The armour did nothing against the death moon, by the way.

>>16184442
Quite a bit more punishment considering that is its designed role. You're tough. Super tough. But you aren't an armored powered carapace designed for heavy and prolonged combat.

>>16184599
I do too.

For the love of Ophidia, Vedibere. Don't let us go down there naked!

I still say the uniform is a powerful symbol, and that if shit goes pear-shaped, then it won't matter if we're in a meter-thick unisteel box. Harbinger is jumping, meatbody is staying. I can only think of one possible scenario (sudden attack by insurgents) where you'd want armor and circumstances wouldn't make it as useless as a gnat fart in a hurricane.

>>16184673

While I respect the power of your similes, I must disagree sir.

So, like, I've made up my mind what I am going to write about regarding armor vs. not armor.

Anything else?

Last time we went down they called the guys in armor angels or something, didn't they? They're not going to let an angel near their god, they're doing this for us because they think we are a god. We need to go down in our dress uniform and look godly.

>>16184742
The other stuff mentioned here is good.
>>16184140

I doubt it would have worked what with the airborne nanite swarm present but I wonder how well Ivanova's stealth systems would work? Sneak off the shuttle after us while cloaked and ghost around a bit?

So, we're not taking Ivanova? Seems kind of a dick move.

Also, I don't think we're actually jump-capable.

How about this: if we're jump capable, we go down by ourselves. If not, we can take Ivanova and maybe Rinn.

You know what I wish we had? Red shirts. An endless supply of ensigns willing to sacrifice themselves for drama.

>>16184923
>dick move
To who? Ivonova? She's a Spook. She is dickery incarnate. Intel even dicked around with her body and brain.
Trust me, she can take a little dickery.

>>16184976
I like you.
Why don't you come over to my house, and I'll let you fuck my sister.

>>16184980
Your logic is infallible.

Also, I'm probably braindead.

What I meant was "well, maybe we could use TWO people in power armor, and Ivanova could help us spook our way"

In other news, the "my heart is a black hole and it is filled with sorrow" needs to be interjected in a sufficiently emo scene.

>>16185010
>"my heart is a black hole and it is filled with sorrow"
THIS MUST HAPPEN.
I mean, not right now, but when we next get to chat with the techprie- I mean Godspeakers..

>>16184985
No thank you Anon, for I am married... TO THE THEATER!

>>16185071
Well, if you're sure then.
More for me.

>>16184742
>Anything else?
Well, if we go down wearing power armor, we can just use technojargon to say we didn't like our body being invaded by nanites.

OH GOD. Remember what they said about the 'pure of blood' being the most magically powerful?! GED IS PURE OPHIDIAN, WE COULD'VE BEEN A GOD-TIER MAGE!

Also, just found out that Chef Boyardee produces Mac n' Cheese in a can.

>>16185362
Wait, before we head on down there, get everyone to battlestations, Yellow Alert. Get our Sensors officer and others to keep an eye out not really on the fleet, but on US. We can use the suit and the Drones (if we bring any) to keep the signal clear. If things start getting out of hand (a legitimate danger to our fleshdrone, not just ordinary combat) then we Lance the offenders and declare our dominion as God of Destruction.

If we do encounter friendly priests wondering whats up with the armor and drone retinue, we can just say "Before, I came down to visit an old friend. Now, I come to prove my godhood."

>>16185475
is everyone gone off playing WoT or something?

>>16185527
Nah, got mouse and IS7 in beta. End game, and it got boring.

Waiting for Vedibere to update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiKPgmN5jTg

>>16185475
not sure if we should be lancing things from space (their space fleet will want to tear us a new one) but shooting them with a handlas might be acceptable

otherwise, i am in full support of this.

“Excellent. Thank you all. Ivanova.”

“Sir?”

“I believe it would be more sensible for you to stay behind. At needs my human form is expendable, as I’ve already demonstrated once. Neither yours nor anyone else’s is. Nor will I be going alone; You will be able to see as I do and speak to me as if you were present.”

She pauses then nods, “Yes, sir. My apologies, that is a far better plan.”

“No need to apologize for ideas, Lieutenant. That’s why we all work together.” Your mortal form turns, heading for the bridge door and, eventually, the shuttle bay.

############

Your transport launches quietly and without fanfare. You immediately direct a group of fighters into escort formation and bring weapons on-target in case of possible attack but, in contrast to prior attempts, this time you are not treated with hostility.

No, not even that. Your sensors tell you an entirely different story altogether. The scans of all the patrolling fighters pass around you, never touching upon any of your descending forms. Patrols alter course to avoid your avenue of approach and, most interesting of all, when you enter the atmosphere the nanites form a swirling corridor for your craft -- one that both deflects light and dampens noise.

Onboard your spaceward form your command staff works efficiently and precisely. Systems are kept on-target and on-line. Sensor readings are analyzed and communications channels are, though as dead as ever, still monitored thoroughly. Jump preparations and calculations locked in and ready, the drive itself on standby. There will be no chances taken, not here. Not when you are so close.

At last your sleek metallic forms swoop low, coming to a mild hover less than fifty feet from the waiting transport. Your drone fighters, extensions of your will, walk across the sky like fingers on a desk, their standard defensive pattern a beautiful weaving three-dimensional dance even as your shuttle touches down.

And you as well.

The landing ramp extends and doors swish open, revealing your massive form. Pontifex-pattern powered heavy assault armor, one of only three suits on the ship, sheathes your form. Backlight swirls around you, giving you a menacing and faintly majestic air as you descend. Thudding treads connect with the unisteel gangplank, the ornate and overlay-sheathed exosuit increasing your bulk many times over and your height to nearly eight feet.

Dust rises from the dry plain as your unisteel-shod feet touch ground at last. Armor systems check, all green. Your display flashes and displays the outside as if you were wearing a second skin, but you need it not. You are the ship, you are your body, you are the drones overhead. And now, most relevant of all, you are your armor.

“You are Harbinger?” A gravelly voice rings and you turn to the source. From the hovercar two men have emerged. One in blue robes, practically cowering behind the vehicle, the other in the red of a Godspeaker.

“I am.” you reply, your own voice smooth and natural through the suit’s speakers, “Who might I be addressing?”

The man bows his bald head briefly before looking up to address you once more, “I am Godspeaker Waram. Ulinat spoke of you, but his description was far less... grand.” As he speaks you take in his form. Short but broad-chested. Heavily muscled and sporting a nose that has likely seen many breaking blows land upon it from its slightly crooked angle. Massive calloused hands give him an air of a forgemaster or smith, and you note that both of his ears have been replaced with plain black iron-looking augmetics. But the most noticeable thing of all is not his physical form, but rather then immense cloud of nanomahcines that swirl about him at all times, following his every move. You can almost feel the air thicken as he slowly walks closer.

“I take many forms, for now this is the one I find best suited for the task at hand. You are one of those Ulinat spoke of? Why is he not present himself?”

He nods, “I am. Know that I am to be your guide, Godspeaker Ulinat and our final brother prepare the way even now. It was not easy, and the opportunity is brief. Have you any questions before we depart? Time is short, so we must be brief.”

rolled 10 = 10

>>16185803
"Then let us go. And while we move you can tell us more of your plan."

>>16185803
"I ask but one question: Is this a march that will bring us to War, or to Maestro?"

>>16185882
Sounds like a reasonable thing to say.

in before "going full retard"

>>16185958
>going full retard
Well it's the only important thing that comes to mind that applies to that very moment.
If anyone else can think of zomezing I'm sure Vedibere would appreciate having more to work with.

>>16185882
I like that. It's important to know what the deal is with those who opposed us.

>>16185803
"I have several Holy Lance weapons warm and ready to fire at my location, should such firepower become necessary. Any advisements on particularly strong enemies we should avoid a direct confrontation with? Can your subversions prevent the fleet from being willing to attack should it occur? Is there anyone powerful enough to be able to erect a shield strong enough to stop such a force?"

Nothing quite like telling your priesthood that you are ready to throw down smiting as a moments notice to get their brains in gear.
Make sure to mention we can do pinpoint strikes as well.

>>16185882
Thirded.

>>16186108
Against saying this in such a way, he may rethink taking us to Maestro.

Be respectful but commanding, allow them to countiue thinking your a god.

>>16186148
Agreed on both points.

>>16186108
I suppose it was a little overdone.
>Preists: Greetings, Oh God Harbinger.
>AdviceHarbinger: Ok cool, now I got guns, big guns, bigger guns, and BFG's. Who do you want blown up?
>*meaningful glance between priests*

I also like to imagine them using eyebrow communication, Jeeves & Wooster style.

>>16186236
But i do consider it important to ask if they've obfuscated the fleet, and if so, if we CAN bring down the Holy Fire without too much ire.

Wish them both a happy birthday.

bump

Whys it so slow tonight, is something going on that i should know about?

>>16186505
Heretic Quest, for one thing. Also I think Commander Quest is also on.

rolled 28 = 28

KILL EVERYONE IN SIGHT, AND THEN OURSELF.

IT IS THE ONLY OPTION

>>16186573
Proud of yourself?

>>16186701
>Khorne fags from Heretic Quest
Great...

This wont end well.

>>16186701


Now now, we aren't heretics anymore.

I just got here, so i'll need to do some reading to get up to speed~

>>16186719
I admit it, I had no idea what I was doing.
>oh hey, VQ!
>Wait where is everyone?
>Must be in the other quests.
>Oh hey, HQ is over, I'lll advertise over there, maybe get some of the regulars back.
>OH GOD THAT KHORNE FAGGOT CAME THROUGH CLOSE THE GATE CLOSE THE GAAATE!

>>16186701
Unacceptable.

We should, instead, be the Emprah.

Pic related.

I can't help but feel this is somehow my fault.

Sorry, Vedibere.

>>16186738
Why didn't you just delete that post?

>>16186723
This is thread 25 of a Vedibere quest. Ignore ALL comments and just read his updates and you'll be done in about an hour of straight reading.

1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15474877/
2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15527576/
3: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15547424/
4: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15558914/
5: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15581324/
6: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15603188/
7: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15626860/
8: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15671288/
9: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15681393/
10: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15702140/
11: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15725852/
12: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15749179/
13: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15760403/
13-2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15765549/
14: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15783485/
15: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15807704/
16: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15856771/
17: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15880596/
18: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15904452/
19: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15916825/
20: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15949806/
20-2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15954334/
21: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15994976/
22: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16075942/
23: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16087046/
24: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/16157217/

>Pontifex-pattern powered heavy assault armor
>the ornate and overlay-sheathed exosuit increasing your bulk many times over and your height to nearly eight feet.

It keeps slipping my mind to ask this: how big are the pauldrons?

>>16186738

YEAH WELL FU-..

*Ahem*

From what I can tell we have some combat coming up.
I say we charge the unfortunate SOB who has drawn our attention.

Also, we do not hear any demonic whispers. None at all.

REALLY, NONE AT ALL.

>>16186761
Having never read Heretic Quest, I was being optimistic.
It was getting lonely in here.

>>16186757
I don't blame you, your quest is fun as fuck.
It's not like most of those angry people didn't come from here in the first place anyway. Back to square one.


BUMP PARSON INTO A STAR.

YOU'RE ALL FAGGOTS GENTLY BUMP THE PRIESTS

>>16186803
All the while slightly molesting all of them.

>>16186830
The nanites are already doing that. Free IRL porn, 360 degree viewing, all day erry day for any mage.

>>16186795
It's still there.

>>16186795

I'm being very, very quiet. Because I'm waiting for the "actually talk to Charles" part. So far, faggotry has been at a minimum, and I'm okay with where things are going.

That doesn't mean you import faggotry from elsewhere, mind you.

>>16186844
it's gone now.

>>16186887
Small blessings. Thanks for that much anyway.

I've been wondering this for a long time.

Is it Ved i BEER?

Or Ved i beh leh?

>>16186971
I always pronounced it Ved-i-bear.

>>16186971
>>16187021
This is going to drive me nuts now.

>Vedibere
I thought of it as being veh-di-ber-EH. Rhymes with "beret."

Vedibere, how the fuck do we say your name?

>Gedibere~

If possible, Vocaroo it so there can be no confusion.

>>16186971

VED-i-BEER, pronounced like Boromir.

>>16187062
Bedivere, with two letters switched.

Almost done, guys.

I'm gone for all that time we nothings happened...

Since no one really did answer the question at the end of the last post..

1. Where are we going.
2. What state is Maestro in.
3. Why is this such a limited opportunity.

Anything else we could ask?

>>16187205
Thank the machine god for wikipedia.

Well that clears up that.

>>16187225
Doesn't matter too much.
Their god.
They can only keep their forces occupied and us invisible for so long.

>>16187205
BTW, do you mind if I give one of my kids the name Vedibere for a middle name? It give me the excuse to give him a first name that also begins with a V, so he can be called Triple-V or some such thing by the other kids and V-cubed in math club, and when he grows up it'll be a kickass signature.

>>16187225
>1. Where are we going.
>2. What state is Maestro in.
>3. Why is this such a limited opportunity.
what
>>16187243
said, although a little exposition would be nice

We want to appear very reserved this time, so don't ask them a battery of questions.

We already asked the good one, now we wait.

>>16187225
>1. Where are we going.
To meet maestro. Or to war. Who knows!
>2. What state is Maestro in.
We discussed this for a while last night, and consider him likely to be mad with power, thinking himself a god. Not that much of a stretch considering that he is a higher-order being, really. If he's 'alive' at all.
>3. Why is this such a limited opportunity.
Because part of the council doesn't want a new god coming in and messing their shit up. Not that unusual, see Christianity/Judaism.

"I ask but one question: Is this a march that will bring us to War, or to Maestro?"

A thin smile creeps across the man’s face, “As the god of War, would you shun it? But no, the time is not yet right. You are only yet proven in hope rather than truth. The path lies to Lord Maestro, Ulinat secures the path with orders and authority. Sline awaits to bring you before our Lord. Mine is the task of transporting you unseen, unheard, unknown. Come now, we must make haste.”

###################

The drive flows smoothly and swiftly, the blue-clad priest handling the vehicle masterfully while the nanites, at Waram’s command, swirl about the craft. To no discernible purpose, as far as you can tell, but by the beads of sweat on the man’s brow there must be one. Ahead the massive spire looms, towering into the stratosphere and marking your destination. Your friend. Your comrade.

Your answers.

Meanwhile your bridge bustles quietly, tracking the movement and all the craft in orbit. A well-oiled machine, efficient and exact. You check the missile tubes and verify their payloads: Disruption warheads, precomputed targeting vectors. One by one you re-check each, your mind wandering to Clay’s words before the mission....

###############

“You’re sure, Spacer?”

“Yes, sir.” The man smiles confidently, “I’ve tested it a dozen times already. A massive disruptive blast from our warheads will nullify them. Several weapons detonated properly and the nanites will be neutralized for a nearly eighty kilometer radius.”

“Hmmm.” You respond, crossing your arms in thought, “Completely nullified?”

“Completely.”

“How long will the effect last?”

At this the man’s smile loses a bit of its spark, but he plunges onward, “Well, they will re-establish themselves very quickly. Proliferation is very rapid. Very rapid. I would guess twenty minutes. Maybe thirty.”

“And then we have to do it again?”

“Ah. About that. It’s likely that after one overload the nanite net will adjust and compensate. It’s designed to handle enough energy to power a planet, after all. I would only count on the alpha strike working.”

“A follow-up will do nothing?”

He gives a half-hearted gesture, “I don’t really know. I’ve only been studying it for a day. It might do nothing, it might have the exact same effect. I believe it would be somewhere in the middle, though. Reducing the effectiveness of the network for a brief period. But after that I doubt there would be any effect.”

“I see. Thank you, Spacer.”

“Sir!”

################

Wow my grammar checker seems to have gone to bed early...

Anyhow a little exposition would be nice. But as you pointed out there isn't much we could ask that wouldn't be inane.

Nearly fifteen minutes later you begin seeing the first signs of pilgrims crowding the roads. Thinking back to the text you were provided, Maestro’s crash site is considered a holy place where, if you are devout enough, all ills can be healed. And from the increasing thickness of the nanite swarm as you draw closer you believe it might even be so.

Soon the trickle of people turns into a torrent, then a throng. Before long the only clear area is the road reserved for priests and their craft, the press of humanity to either side packed in so tightly that the press of bodies would hold one up by itself.

And before you, rising far higher than you gave it credit for from space, a foreboding walled compound with two great doors, a golden image of the Prophet emblazoned upon them. Yet the gravcar does not slow. Instead the door swing open swiftly, your erstwhile chariot flashing through even as they begin to close once more. All around you your armor’s sensors chime warnings, powerful starship-grade shielding doming the structure and keeping people out.

Or in.

You are given no time to dwell upon that, however. Waram, his face soaked in sweat, opens his door and steps out, beckoning for you to follow. You climb free and follow him toward a towering grey stone edifice, an enormous high-columned block of granite carved with images of the prophet and his closest followers. Your destination: A side door, already open. Held that way by a man in white robes, a ball of light floating above his left hand.

Waram stops inside, bending his face to the white-robed priest and nodding occasionally. They trade muttered whispers before eventually the Godspeaker straightens, nods, and beckons you after him. You leave the white-robed man behind, walking swiftly through opulent corridors. No, opulent is not the right word. The corridors are opulent as your lance-bolts are warm. Rich carpets woven of silk and golden thread, likely by hand from the exquisite detail, line the floors and soften the tread of your feet. Exquisite carved statues alternately tower overhead or are set into alcoves. Mosaics of jewels, backlight by shifting nanite-light seem to come alive and move with the radiance. And all along the arched roof are painted murals that take your breath away, images to make men weep at their beauty.

Yet all of this flashes past in haste. Onward and downward he leads you, and though your pace is fast progress is slow. A twisting wynd of corridors and maze of passages being threaded through. Random detours at points, pressing onward at others, your armored legs carry you through halls utterly devoid of people. You pass adjoining corridors from time to time, hearing the bustle of hundreds just out of sight, yet their figures remain unseen and unknown. A twisting path through teeming masses, down empty corridors. Ulinat has fulfilled his part well, it seems.

>Atmosphere
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV9qPGM6L0E

Downward, ever farther and ever deeper you go. Layers upon layers of floors, winding spiral stairs. Opulence gives way to normality, then to austerity, then to bare stone halls. A chill seeps into the air, felt through suit sensors and atmosphere alike. Stone narrows, closing in, then merges seamlessly with unisteel in a sheer join. The practical, all-too-familiar corridors of an Ophidian warship fold around you once more. But where you feel at home or -- no, as one -- on your own ship here it is different. Wires and long cables hang exposed, tacked up to the ceiling. Ribbons of hundreds of wires an leads arc from the floor and up through holes cut in plating, or wrapped around columns. All pulsing with power in amounts that steal your sense of ease away.

No longer do you hear masses just out of reach. No longer does Waram hurry his pace excessively. No, the dead silence and stillness of the air speaks volumes by itself. You are within the inner sanctum and slowly, inexorably, being led to one place. The central computer core.

A final turn brings, at last another form into view. Clad in red robes as well, but not a man you recognize. Short blonde hair, chiseled features, and a gaze devoid of any sort of human emotion. He stands before a titanic solid steel door, far larger than that of the original vault. Waram stops, leaning one hand against a the wall as he mops his face, “Godspeaker Sline. He will lead you the rest of the way.” He gestures to the man, who nods.

“Harbinger. Our Lord awaits you.” His voice as cold as his gaze. No tone or inflection. Only control, perfect and exacting.

“And I him. Let us go.”

“As you wish.” He turns to the door, striding forward and placing his hand upon a small black pane briefly. As he removes it you see, for a split second, the imaged imprint and a slight drop of blood. Then a scan of his form, invisible to the naked eye but neither to your suit sensors nor your own. A minute of silence. Stillness.

And then a subsonic rumbling your mortal form can feel even through the suit. The door ponderously lifts upward, enormous steel locking-tines coming into view and allowing you passage between.

“Come.” that is all Sline says, striding forward. Two more doors, smaller than the last. A dozen expert combat drones laying dormant, pacified by the Godspeaker’s authority. And at last, at long last, the vault door. As you remember it, so like your own.

Sline places his hand on a final panel before turning away, “I go no further.” His only words as he strides off. All for the best, anyway. You wait, the unisteel door bolts sliding, one by one, back into their sheathes.

**THUNK**

At long last...

**THUNK**

… face to face once more ...

**THUNK**

… it is time.

The vault door slowly lifts, inching upward second-by-second. An interminable wait until it at last locks into place. You step foward, into the room beyond. No mere vault any longer, oh no. A vast chamber, wires snaking across the walls and through the floors. Cables hanging in great loops from the ceiling. Dozens of fields containing enormous energies, power sinks, and protecting vast databanks. Huge metal frames holding rack upon rack of aux processors.

It is the center of the room, however, that draws the eye.. The computer core set raw and open upon a unisteel pedestal, a crisscross tracery of wires and energy feeds connected in incomprehensible ways throughout. Above it hangs a lone, limp form suspended by cables alone. Wires and connectors thread through it in dozens of places, through the eye sockets and out again A cluster of wires down the spine, from the heart, out the legs, toes, and where fingers should be. The body of your friend, Charles Urwright.

And upon the main core’s display, next to the link-jacks, one more telltale. A lone green light. Of consciousness. Sentience.

Life.

>>16187373
That's some pretty freaky shit right there.

>>16187373
>The computer core set raw and open upon a unisteel pedestal, a crisscross tracery of wires and energy feeds connected in incomprehensible ways throughout.

I hope it's not really incomprehensible, because it looks like there is no way to jack in, they took all the open jacks.
I just hope he hasn't gone all Shodan on us.

>>16187373
Is unrotten flesh visible?
Is "he" still in that thing?

That aside, salute or gesture appropriately for when two officers (or captains) meet. Step up, plug in, and see how far the rabbit hole goes. (perhaps asking first would be a really neat idea)

>>16187373
Why the hell would he need a rig like this? Shouldn't he have had a perfectly functional EI setup already?

But I suppose we already knew that something had gone horribly wrong. He wouldn't have let this planet languish in obscurity for sixty-five thousand years if things had gone right... or if he was in a position to do anything about it.

Nothing for it but to find someplace to jack in and see what's left.

Eww. So is he a skeleton at this point? His body is as old as ours, but had none of the same vaccuum preservation.

In b4 PUT IT IN. Thought I can't think of anyone else to do at this point. If he hasn't responded yet then verbal communication is probably moot.

>>16187373
External power armor speakers: "Charles. It's been a long time."
Assuming no response from the systems here, jack in. I assume that there's a datajack built into the power armor; if not, we'll have to get out in order to access it.

Look for Charles in the EI core, greet him as old friends finally reunited. Tell him that we recovered Charon from the Asura. Ask him what happened, both to him and to the Empire when we were knocked out by the rebels.

>>16187426
>Why the hell would he need a rig like this? Shouldn't he have had a perfectly functional EI setup already?
Because his old setup was built to run a ship.
Now he runs a planet.

INB4 Zenoma Sekot

>>16187426
>>16187418
Link jacks are on the main core's display, right next to the status light.

>>16187424
>salute

This. "Permission to come aboard, Captain."

Then we jack in, for all the horror or good it entails.

Unless we're met with proof otherwise, treat him as the god people believe him to be. Don't contradict dogma if we can get away with it.

We're both gods in service to humanity, in the name of holy Ophidia.

If he stills seems sane, that's needless. Give him a friend's greeting.

>>16187373
I am impressed.

Also kind of feel like I just walked in front of the Golden Throne.

All those Aux Processors are to keep the swarm of nanites functional. Seems that there just wasn't enough processing power in the EI core to run -- get this -- an entire planet's worth of nanites.

What's likely happening is that Charles has resigned his consciousness to a virtual backseat as he takes up the gargantuan task of controlling everything ever.

Course of action, should be to greet him as a commander greets another when coming on board his ship. Ask to jack in. Then jack in.

I mean, assuming we wouldn't be totally fucked, that's what we came to do, right?

Caveat: Maestro might be programmed to expand to fill all available processing power. If we jack in, we might be co-opted into the processing network.

Possible solution: if talking out loud gives no response, possibly type in the same stuff on a console.

I REALLY want him to be normal. To have someone we can finally talk to about what happened.

And becuase of that, I know it won't be so. Working with Vedibere is like that dorf fortress macro about fun, except in the last panel standing on top our spiked thrown is the waiter still holding the fun /just/ out of reach. And that's why I love him for it.

Setting speech mode to sycophant. Let's appease us some gods!

>>16187373
Now would be a VERY good time to ask the shiboard guys and Ivanova:
"Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?"
plus all the exposition that implies.

>>16187490
>Treat him as a god
Agreed. Additionally, treat ourselves as a god. Refer to ourselves as Harbinger, not Ged, unless he begins to refer to us as such or he seems sane and not consumed with power.

Greet him. Then, if a console is available to type a greeting, do that too. Ask to plug in. I assume he would say yes, but who knows, right? If he says no... I dunno what to do, lol!

>>16187496
>Charles has resigned his consciousness to a virtual backseat

Charles is gone. I'm betting his consciousness was long ago subsumed by the task of tending this construct, and by extension, this world. Maestro's all that's left. Expect something borderline feral, like Asura.

He must have some sort of audio communicator to talk with the godspeakers.

So I guess were starting with "Hello Charles" before or after "Permission to come aboard captain". And if speaking doesn't elicit a response, THEN we jack in and see what is going on.

>>16187549
If that happened I guess we'd just leave and go home.
Maybe beat up Parson. Afterall, gotta respect an EI's wishes.

>>16187541
Good idea. A quick few scans sent up to the Harbinger and processed by our guys would tell us what NOT to touch.

>>16187554
Asura was partially wiped and the status indicator on the core was yellow.

I assume that by having green lights, charles is still there, just sleeping or something.

Of course, that means absolutely nothing for his mental state.

>>16187541
Hey Dai, found you a real looker.

well, there's only one way to find out if charles is still in there or not.

Link-up time!

I know this is super quick, but holy shit Vedibere!
You got enough to start going? I fucking NEED to know what happens from here.

"Hello Charles. It's been a long time. . . It's good to see you again."

>>16187590
>find wired up corpse of EI
>AdviceHarbinger,jpg
>Whore out to engineers

>>16187549
Actually, I don't think so.
Only the Godspeakers knew Maestro's True Name, as they put it.
If Charles really did set up this entire religion as a safeguard, and greeting him as 'Charles' and referring to ourselves as 'Ged' would show him that it's really us, rather than someone who was able to fool the Godspeakers into just thinking we're a god.

So we should call him Charles.

>>16187577

If he were to actually /say/ no, and not just cockblock us hard when we jack in (jacking in to a suddenly dead port), we should try talking to him. Probably in full-on soul-bearing fashion. He's the only one we know of "alive" who could possibly comprehend the weight we're carrying around.

If we still get nothing out of him, we offer the clergy to take the accursed ones (the ones the nanites don't like) to turn them into "scourges", then we get the fuck out of here, and head on for the next.

But goddammit, I don't want to do any of that, in the slightest.

>>16187373
Damn man.

>>16187572
>>16187541
Sounds like a good first step after saying hello.
>>16187554
Worried about this too.

Powerarmor has done well, seems we impressed the priest with it. Good idea going alone too from the looks of it. We didn't say anything stupid. And now we've got our eyes on the prize.

>>16187664
And the prise is Charles with no eyes.

Every Ophidian we find is scrap. All the stations and shipyards we find debris or worse.

The Harbinger is one tough bitch.

>>16187678
>where we're going, we won't need eyes to see.
You mean to tell me all Ophidian FTL was based on the Event Horizon Gravity Drive?!

Remind him of who you are cautiously.

Charles is going to steal the heart filled with sorrow line.

I'm ok with that.

Also, if he self-terminates and expects us to pick up his mess, I will kick a puppy.

>>16187696

And the more we look, the more disheartened I become. We find graveyards, bones, sepulchers haunted by ghosts. Now we find humanity in biology, but not in spirit, and a possible dead god sitting watch. Will we never find SOME remnant? Even if Sol is a blasted husk, ONE fragment that bears the soul of Ophidia, of /humanity/... is that too much to ask?

What good is it to be the mobile tombstone of a race?

>>16187760
This.
If Charles decides to go out like a pussy WE DO NOT FUCKING LET HIM.
I don't care if we have to get into a supra-existential EI hacking war again, WE'RE NOT LETTING HIM GO.

>>16187766
I like your post.

They're human here.

But they're not Man.

>>16187779
No, if that happens, we drop the cluster eater and jump out.

Religious nutjobs with high level military tech access, warships, and flt are one reformation away from launching a bloody genocidal conquest of everything.

..and while that would restore a human empire, its not OUR human empire, so cluster eater.

>>16187808
>cluster eater
IT would eat US too.
Just a singularity warhead on the other side of the planet will do, as according to vedibere.
>Eh, you would probably render an area the size of Australia into glass instantly and the rest of the planet would...
>Well, let's put it this way. Ever seen those documentaries about the ELE asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs?

>>16187808

Once again, we can't afford to do that. If we want to spend months shuttling the untouchables elsewhere, THEN nuke the whole fucking joint, perhaps. But we are NOT going to eliminate a viable source of human genetic material. Not going to happen without us tapping it to get a large enough sample range to ensure species continuance.

Not on MY watch, asshole.

>>16187855
this.

survival of the species trumps matter-of-opinion or preference. religious nutjobs or not, they are the only large population of humans we have found.

>>16187830
>64,000 years since the empire fell
>failing to read "jump out" after "cluster eater"
>failing to account for this civs space fleet when discussing neutralizing them as a threat.
>space constanza.archive.jpg

>>16187855

Listen to Lord Dracula, he speaks sense.

>>16187905
Never thought I'd hear that, let alone agree with it.

So then... About the religious zealots. If wiping them out isn't an option, could we make them OUR religious zealots?

We did tell the godspeaker up front that any interaction with us is going to come with some hard truths.

>>16187891
>I got 99 problems,
>Advice_Harbinger.jpg
>And reading comprehension is one of them.

My bad.

>>16187920
i think thats what we are doing, wether we mean to or not.

i mean, we are perpetuating that we are a god n' all....

>>16187891

The fleet's only a concern so long as it's at point-blank, and/or so long as there's something backing it. If we annihilate the planet and fuck off to elsewhere (as far from what I want to do as it gets, but I'd rather survive), they'll not be able to follow, and they'll quickly dissolve from any sort of coherent force. In months, maybe years, they'll be scattered fragments, if not utterly extinct.

Still, I WANT this to work. It NEEDS to. It's the best we've found so far, and I doubt Sol's an intact jewel just waiting on our asses. I'd even come back if we get stonewalled, if just to pull out more humans to spread the rebirth of Ophidia.

>>16187938
A Captain of a ship is basically a god anyway, so it's not that much of a stretch.

You stare for a moment before collecting yourself. “Are you all seeing this?”

“Yes, sir.” answers Ivanova immediately. Rinn follows with a soft “Damn.”, Tynes merely shaking his head. The two Ensigns try to avoid the sight at all after a brief glance to affirm it, and you are left to decide what to do once again. As they say, once a spacer always a spacer.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” The formal request flows from you without prompt, an old habit and, moreover, a test to see how much he remembers. Or if he remembers.

Instead of a reply, though, the silence stretches on.

“Lord Maestro, my brother, are you here? Can you speak with me? I am in need of your council.” A pause. A long pause. “Charles? Hello? Can you hear me? It’s Ged. Make some kind of sign if you can.”

Nothing. Just the slow pulse of vast energies, the warm hum of electronics. You reach to your left, closing the vault door behind you with a heavy concussion. Then silence.

You take a step forward. Then another. And another. More. Closer to your comrade, your fellow, your friend. His form wasted and emaciated, bulges of cables like tumors snaking beneath his skin. Coiled where muscles would be, still-living skin draped across bundles of wires linked to what was once a man. A good man. But you hold your gaze. You do not look away or avert your eyes.

You owe him that much, at least.

Standing before the computer core your gaze finally drops. From one body to another. One empty shell to one that remains full. Meshes of wires punched through holes in the core’s casing, affixed directly to the device. Unknown cause, origin, purpose. Yet there still gleam three silver jacks on the front. A thought and a lead snakes from your suit, hovering momentarily over the ports. You look up, around. The sights. The feel. Your memories of the world he is responsible for.

You take a breath and speak through your XO’s chair speakers. “Ivanova, I’m jacking in. Please stand by, I’m not entirely sure what I’ll find in here.”

“Wha... Wait, Ged! You don--”

The plug connects, your vision goes dark. For the second time today blackness overtakes you, spiraling downward; falling, falling....

>I’m dead tired tonight
>Post your probable objectives inside Maestro’s head
>Also discussion so I get a feel for it couldn’t hurt
>Next thread Friday, 18:00
>Hope to see you there
>Also hope you enjoyed the thread, even though it was a bit shorter than normal

Challenge charles to a mindscape breakdancing competition rather than any silly sort of hacking bollocks.

We shall pop and lock our way to victory comrades.

>>16188065
Main objectives are "finding him" inside of there, and reminding him who we are. Call him by his name, remark on what he's accomplished, regale him with our past stories: shooting bottles at windows, etc.

We need him to acknowledge us for who we are, that is the most important bit.

Then, if we can do that, we tell him what happened to us, and ask what happened to him, to the Empire. What he's done here, how things have worked out, what he's doing.

Then we need to ask what the mission was. THE mission. The one Asuro talked about.

>>16188053
Objectives:
1. Find any remnant personality of Charles.
2. Ascertain mental stability.
3. Tell him that we met with Asura and have Charon in our possession; see if he knows about the others.
4. Ask how this happened, both the world that he created and what happened to the Empire after we were knocked out by the rebels.

If Charles is still here, try greeting him as one would an old, dear friend at first. If he seems to not recognize us or responds to us as if he actually believes his own myths, then and only then, respond in kind. Otherwise, talk with him as we would to any of our command staff or crew, without the veneer of mythology.

>>16188065
Definitely enjoyed it. It also means I can get some proper sleep, since we aren't going until six in the morning.

>What do in Charles' Brain?
First, we need to lighten the load. If we try to bring back Charles while his core is still under the strain of running a planet of nanites, it could Asura him and the whole planet might go down.
So find out where the processes are fro the nanites and tell them to go low priority. Effectively speaking, the impact would be that all the nanites except the ones on this quarter of the planet would be almsot completely shut down. All the fancy stuff like decorations and visual alterations, off. Important things like 'fly' spells and such keep running.

THEN we can start searching for Charles.

>>16188065

GODDAMMIT!

No hate, Vedi; you have to do what you need to IRL. It's just the frustration of pausing at a climax. The same reason I swear at The Walking Dead and throw things at my TV, then religiously show up the next week.

Objectives: his perspective of time passing. Local history. Galactic history. What's going on in this pseudo-system and on this planet, with this culture, and with the nanites. What remnants of Ophidia remain. Explaining our situation and timeline.

And more than that, a genuine interaction with our friend; an attempt at recapturing a fragment of our life as just another captain aboard just another starship in the greatest empire to ever span the stars.

>>16188129
Should we really be interfering in an unknown and unfamiliar system landscape like that?
There's the possibility that Charles would have put automated maintenance and monitoring programs on those processes, and interfering with them might provoke a hostile response.

>>16188149
DEFINITELY THIS

If he's more machine than man now, we need to try and reverse that. We need to try and bring the identity of Charles back to the forefront.

Why not expand that to gaining mastery over the nanites to begin with? If we want to keep our god-cred its essential.

>>16188212
Because they belong to Charles, our best friend in the universe, literally.

And they're completely foreign to us.

>>16187855
I agree with this.

Fuck, where do this "drop cluster eater lol xD" idiots always come from?

At THE very worst, we can just leave without having gained anything. We cannot attack this (possibly) last bastion of humankind, nutjobs or not.


Although, they cannot really stop us from doing anything, so I would suggest to set up a research base somewhere on the planet and research the shit out of these nanites. They can be answer to many of our problems. Heck, we might be able to repair Harbringer to full power again if we crack the secrets of Nanites.


Also, I think Charle's entire RAM (or mind if you will) is preoccupied with administrating the nanites, that is why he wasn't able to reply to us. All those countless quadrillions of nanites are taking too much processing power from him. We will have to lend some Processing power to him to be able to hold decent conversation.

Seems possible they don't know about the research station on the pole of this planet.

Could be the same one our spacer was telling us about.
Investigating this should be a priority, though not a top one. If Charles is around I suggest we ask him about it at some point before leaving though.

>>16188065
Aww dammit a cliffhanger. Oh well.
OBJECTIVES!!!!!!!!
1. Ascertain Charles/Maestro's mental condition and/or stability.
2. If sane, ascertain WTF happened to Ophidia once and for all. ( I know its not gonna happen but i can hope goddamit.)
3. If not sane try to stabilize, WE ARE NOT LETTING THIS ONE DIE!!!!!!!

>>16188229
So what? You have seen what the nanites can do. They even self replicate. If we can gain control over some, or even learn how they function it could be a tremendous advantage to have.

We could make self breeding scrubber nanites and purge the bioweapon from that deathtrap we visited a while ago. No virus can survive being ripped apart at the molecular level. Then we might even be able to revive the people in those pods.

Its what Charles would have wanted I'm sure.

>The military buzz-cut and newly gained muscular bulk gives him a much different impression than the cloistered cyberneticist that helped resurrect you months ago. One of the best adaptees to military life, in fact.

Haha.
I love that.
We will have the best Combat Scientists in the Universe!!!


>>16188822
That's exactly what I was thinking about.

We should really set our scientists to research and possibly improve the nano-tech they have here.
If we manage to produce them, then the possibilities would be endless.

I am even half-heartily thinking of unfreezing Ketro for this task.
And remember how he said that the scientists (now Military Engineers?) wanted to do sciency stuff? Well, this is the golden opportunity.

>>16189030
Clay said that this nanite system is a prototype that was rushed into service. It's unlikely that we have the facilities or equipment to actually set up a control system for the nanite swarm. There's also the problem of creating a power distribution system for a swarm, or if our reactor could even power it.

>>16189062
>Clay said that this nanite system is a prototype that was rushed into service. It's unlikely that we have the facilities or equipment to actually set up a control system for the nanite swarm.

Well... depending on how the things progress from here, we could have this entire planet under our beck and call, so we could start (a long) process of building the necessary facilities (and the infrastructure for said facilities).
We could continue to develop the nanites and get the project out of the Prototype stage.

>There's also the problem of creating a power distribution system for a swarm, or if our reactor could even power it.
Dunno, I think we could power it. We wouldn't to control Planet worth of nanites for one, and I am pretty sure that the whole swarm on the planet is powered by Maestro's reactor.

>>16188065
>“Wha... Wait, Ged! You don--”
Daww she called us Ged.