Roland: still trying to find him now. Although I wouldnt get to optimistic about the heavy weapons if he disabled him and put another au in he still can. But let's hope he isn't that smart.
Blake: Roland, PACES was derived from your program, and you were custom-programmed to be compatible with the armours. Shouldn't that mean that you and PACES are the only AIs that can access the armour, since Jacob's the only one who could program you just right for that?
*He brings out the back-up armour. It can only make Warp 9 and only has the palm phasers and a photon micro-torpedo launcher. It's mainly silver.*
Huh, the old Prototype Warp Armour.
Roland, if you can't find PACES in the next five minutes, just activate the back-up in the ship computers. He downloaded when we came in.
If you can't manage that, can you plug yourself into this armour AND Jacob's at the same time?
*He looks at the console, and notices that the lock-down is still in effect.*
Good. He's dead in the water while the lock-down's active.
Blake: Roland, PACES was derived from your program, and you were custom-programmed to be compatible with the armours. Shouldn't that mean that you and PACES are the only AIs that can access the armour, since Jacob's the only one who could program you just right for that?
*He brings out the back-up armour. It can only make Warp 9 and only has the palm phasers and a photon micro-torpedo launcher. It's mainly silver.*
Huh, the old Prototype Warp Armour.
Roland, if you can't find PACES in the next five minutes, just activate the back-up in the ship computers. He downloaded when we came in.
If you can't manage that, can you plug yourself into this armour AND Jacob's at the same time?
*He looks at the console, and notices that the lock-down is still in effect.*
Good. He's dead in the water while the lock-down's active.
Roland: while Jacob might have created me to work the suit it is possible if anyone had access to those files to create a dumb ai to infiltrate paces it is possible. Also you have any idea how..... Never mind. I am sending a copy of me to that suit.
" Now the gate has been unlatched headstones pushed aside; corpses shift and offer room ,a fate you must abide."
Roland stops for a moment. Thinking. He should be able to handle this. Why can't he fins that other suit. He runs a self diagnostic again which tells him he's fine but he doesn't believe it.
Jacob is flying around the outside of the ship looking for any signs of the suit.
" Now the gate has been unlatched headstones pushed aside; corpses shift and offer room ,a fate you must abide."
Roland: while Jacob might have created me to work the suit it is possible if anyone had access to those files to create a dumb ai to infiltrate paces it is possible. Also you have any idea how..... Never mind. I am sending a copy of me to that suit.
*The suit powers up and the boots slide forward onto the platform. Blake steps into them as the mechanical arms fit the armour. The process takes 2 minutes (because this is a much older version of the armour) to fit and initialise the armour.*
*James arrives to the bridge and soon he issues that they resume combat procedures. The crew remain in their normal suits and the bridge crew soon fond themselves descending into the combat bridge which is really more secure version of the bridge. *
*OOC: Federation General Quarters revamped in the late 25th century by late Fleet Admiral Allen, who saw the usual general quarters as un safe for the crew of the ship and devised these new enhancements to all vessels and required to have safety procedures. The EV suits received a needed update as they became thin and elastic and strong like combat armor. New vessels received combat bridges which were beneath the bridge at first then later were moved to a deck or two down with the seats descending downward into place in the Combat bridge. These bridges were reinforced with stronger materials to withstand punishment and had forcefields that would activate in case of any emergency, bird flack to seal breaches, and shielding to protect it from continued attack when the bridge above is destroyed.
Just thought I would give a little bit of heads up... as to what these things I am mentioning are.*
James: Here we go... All ships forward at level 2 combat speed.
Jacob: alright. I'll Send a shuttle to bring it in.
Captain Devon on the harvest bridge.
Devon: all hands prepare for combat we are going in.
Ooc: at work now so I won't be on for a few hours.
OOC: Well, i'm now going to bed. I've got a 2-and-a-half controlled assessment in the morning, and I NEED an early night (I'll probably need one tomorrow from the exhaustion (mainly stress) too, but I should be back at 14:00 UTC (16 hours) at the earliest.
*Dorman is watching as they get closer to Angel Halo... The operation time counting down... The feeling that he is all too familiar with... So many times over a century ago...
He is soon hearing the voice of his dead wife.. Urging him to be calm and not lose himself to his inner darkness... That she is always with him... waiting for him...*
Dorman:*He weakly smiles, perhaps he will find some measure of peace... but not yet... there is much to do...*
Roland watchs as jacob gets some much needed rest. What he had feared he finds is true. When jacob the man who made him and relys on him for so much needs him the most roland cant fullfill his part. His hologram statics for a moment as he looks around. he has lived for 15 years he has been Jacobs constant ally, friend and supporter. 15 years of never stopping saving worlds over and over again. But now his program is fractured. He is entering a state of rampancy. He found he was right his rampant part affected the suit and thats why there was no pilot it was him. He decides against waking jacob. There is nothing even he can do now. Like all things everything has a time. He stands there for a moment looking at jacob. His normal yellow color hologram now has streakes of red. He knows he cant wait it has to be done now. If he could cry he would. For he knows what they are up against and now his friend for the first time in 15 years will be alone. He nows jacob has other ai but he also knows he doesnt see them the same. As his hologram begins to disapear he takes one last look around.
Roland: goodby jacob
And in a matter of seconds roland is gone.
Jacob wakes up a few hours later
Jacob: Roland any update on the sttus of the fleet and the planned attack.
No answer comes.
Jacob: Roland! whats going on
Jacob jumps out of the bed and looks at the terminal. It has a picture of a old earth F-22 fighter with the letter MIA on the screen. Jacob looks at the screen in horror and shock trying to realize what happened and why roland is gone.
OOC: remember this is going to affect him pretty big cause as i said they have been working together for 15 years so jacob was closer to roland then to most humans.
" Now the gate has been unlatched headstones pushed aside; corpses shift and offer room ,a fate you must abide."
Roland watchs as jacob gets some much needed rest. What he had feared he finds is true. When jacob the man who made him and relys on him for so much needs him the most roland cant fullfill his part. His hologram statics for a moment as he looks around. he has lived for 15 years he has been Jacobs constant ally, friend and supporter. 15 years of never stopping saving worlds over and over again. But now his program is fractured. He is entering a state of rampancy. He found he was right his rampant part affected the suit and thats why there was no pilot it was him. He decides against waking jacob. There is nothing even he can do now. Like all things everything has a time. He stands there for a moment looking at jacob. His normal yellow color hologram now has streakes of red. He knows he cant wait it has to be done now. If he could cry he would. For he knows what they are up against and now his friend for the first time in 15 years will be alone. He nows jacob has other ai but he also knows he doesnt see them the same. As his hologram begins to disapear he takes one last look around.
Roland: goodby jacob
And in a matter of seconds roland is gone.
Jacob wakes up a few hours later
Jacob: Roland any update on the sttus of the fleet and the planned attack.
No answer comes.
Jacob: Roland! whats going on
Jacob jumps out of the bed and looks at the terminal. It has a picture of a old earth F-22 fighter with the letter MIA on the screen. Jacob looks at the screen in horror and shock trying to realize what happened and why roland is gone.
OOC: remember this is going to affect him pretty big cause as i said they have been working together for 15 years so jacob was closer to roland then to most humans.
*Blake is in the armoury looking over the Armada Armour. He also has PACES on his mind as he's searching through the Computer Banks. He's been lent an AI program from the Roosevelt to aid him. He slips the iso-chip into the terminal.*
Blake: Vanus, you up?
Vanus: I am functioning, Commander. Searching now.
Strange. An AI program appears missing. It's under designation R-01.
Blake: Roland?
Vanus: There are traces of data fragmentation.
Blake: Can you find PACES?
Vanus: He is now reactivated.
PACES *Speaking over the terminal*: Hello, sir.
Blake: What happened, PACES?
PACES: Another AI overrode my security protocols and hijacked the suit.
Blake: PACES, all the AI were accounted for when the armour was stolen.
PACES: Correct, but the program seemed to have a data-coding similar to my own. It almost matches Roland but...
The program was missing key parts of Roland's programming, and Roland appears to have deteriorated.
Blake: What?
Matthews to Jacob, can you come down to the Armoury?
PACES, go over all the armours. See if Roland saved his program into any of the other armours.
PACES: Sir, I suspect another power at play. R-type AIs such as Roland and myself should have a 50-year lifespan before even the first sign of rampancy. And, his program almost appeared to be split into two.
Blake: What?
*He removes Vanus and puts the chip back in its case.*
Show me.
*PACES puts up an image of three data-streams.*
PACES: The first is a record of Roland's normal program. The second is a data-stream from Roland when he uploaded into the Warp Proto-Armour. The third is from my records when the rogue AI hijacked my systems.
I will overlap the two recent streams.
*He overlaps the second and third streams, producing a stream similar to the first.*
I will now overlay this on top of the original stream.
*He now overlaps it on top of the first stream.*
Blake: They're identical!
PACES: Roland's program was split into two fragments. The first was made up of Roland's personality sub-routines. The back-up compensated for the loss from the basic codeon his recovery drive, but his capabilities were severely limited. The second was made up of Roland's basic programming and core sub-routines, including his survival sub-routine and self-improvement sub-routine. This duplicate hijacked the Armada Armour and disabled my program.
Blake: PACES, can you get Roland back?
PACES: Even if we got the rogue element of his program, I'm afraid that his personality and memory sub-routines have already de-fragmented beyond hope of restoration. I'm sorry, sir, he is gone.
Blake: You did all you could.
PACES: Sir, we are approaching the Angel Halo.
Blake: Send a copy of yourself to Jacob's Armour and fill him in, in the air!
*The Armour powers up and Blake steps into the boots as the mech arms fit the rest of it. After the Armour has fully engaged, he steps outside and moves onto the ship's hull as it approaches the outer perimeter defences.*
PACES?
PACES: Sir?
Blake: I have a bad feeling about this.
PACES: Indubitably, sir.
*There's a massive Republic Fleet between the Allies and the station, hiding behind a colossal defence platform network.*
Sir, there is an inter-fleet comm.
Blake: Let's hear it.
Matt *Over comm*: This is Fallback, Aldebaran is secure!
Ramez *Over comm*: Copy that Fallback. Stormbreaker is ready to commence assault!
*OOC: Fallback and Stormbreaker are codenames. Fallback, obviously, for Matt's force at the Aldebaran Station, and Stormbreaker for the main assault force.*
Jacob steps into his suit. As the systems come online but the familiar greeting.of Roland is empty.
PACES: Sir, Commander Matthews asked me to fill you in on what we've found.
*PACES fills Halsey in.
Outside, Armada is flying with the Allied Fleet formation before spinning around, still flying forward, and looking back at the fleet - namely the Harvest.*
Blake: C'mon, man...
PACES: Sir, the Armour has been bought online.
Blake: Thanks PACES.
*He spins back, looking at the enemy fleet now. Suddenly, the Vanguard Shuttle pulls up alongside. Hawk's piloting and looks at him, giving a two-fingered salute. Blake nods inside the Armour.*
Combat mode.
*His HUD goes from blue to red as the fleet nears the enemy.*
*The battle groups are now closing on weapons range...*
James: Deploy the shield bits to protect the escorts attack runs have the fighters rush in to confuse them... While the cruisers hold back and use heavy fire to make a hole..
Comm: *as the weapons and bits deploy, fighters heading forward.* 10
*The James on the USS Freedom bridge cuts out as it was a hologram.. James is sitting down in one of the shuttles his suit tightened and a helmet on his head, rifle, phaser pistol on him, along with a combat knife.*
James: Lets get this over with..
*Cough comes back as he jabs the hypo in which barely suppresses it..*
*The Republic joins the rest of the fleet in the engagement as Armada heads for the enemy fighters, cutting into them with his nano-pulse blades.
When he comes across an enemy frigate, he slips in behind the shield and nails it with a spread of transphasic micro-torps before letting loose on the nacelles with his Phaser Gatlings.*
PACES: Sir, they have lost main power.
Blake: Give me the most direct and least suicidal path to the nearest capital ship.
*A path appears on the HUD, leading straight towards the nearest capital ship.*
This is your idea of LEAST suicidal?
PACES: Unless you want to dodge the escorts' torpedo fire while evading the capital ship's phaser fire?
Blake: Point taken. Okay, just focus on the fighters.
*The Orbital defense grid comes online and begins opening fire on the allied fleets, the ring cannon aims on the bulk as the defense fleet moves away to form a hole and it fires taking out at least 10 ships and a large group of fighters and damaging some capital ships.*
*The Orbital defense grid comes online and begins opening fire on the allied fleets, the ring cannon aims on the bulk as the defense fleet moves away to form a hole and it fires taking out at least 10 ships and a large group of fighters and damaging some capital ships.*
Sam: What the hell?!
*Outside. Blake is just staring at the carnage the defence platforms have caused behind him.*
Blake: Oh my god...
PACES, target the nearest platform.
*Armada flies at the platform, dodging weapons fire, taking a few hits, before literally smashing into the satellite. As it stabilises, he activates his right Nano-Pulse blade and tears into it, ripping the plating off before punching into it.*
PACES: Sir, at this range, the explosion will do inconceivable damage to the armour, or worse, your skeletal structure!
Blake: Noted!
*He uses the impulse jets to fly a few meters away before firing his palm-phasers into the hole he made. The Platform explodes and the blast sends him flying into the hull of a Shedai Cruiser. A forcefield comes up, trapping him as he looks around the Bridge, and sees Tal standing in the centre, staring at him.*
Blake *Voice modulated*: Aww... TRIBBLE.
*OOC: Now going to bed. Be back at 13:00 UTC (15 hours) (at latest).*
Comments
Blake: Roland, PACES was derived from your program, and you were custom-programmed to be compatible with the armours. Shouldn't that mean that you and PACES are the only AIs that can access the armour, since Jacob's the only one who could program you just right for that?
*He brings out the back-up armour. It can only make Warp 9 and only has the palm phasers and a photon micro-torpedo launcher. It's mainly silver.*
Huh, the old Prototype Warp Armour.
Roland, if you can't find PACES in the next five minutes, just activate the back-up in the ship computers. He downloaded when we came in.
If you can't manage that, can you plug yourself into this armour AND Jacob's at the same time?
*He looks at the console, and notices that the lock-down is still in effect.*
Good. He's dead in the water while the lock-down's active.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
Roland: while Jacob might have created me to work the suit it is possible if anyone had access to those files to create a dumb ai to infiltrate paces it is possible. Also you have any idea how..... Never mind. I am sending a copy of me to that suit.
Jacob is flying around the outside of the ship looking for any signs of the suit.
Blake: Thanks.
Computer, activate Warp Proto-Armour. Matthews 1-1-0-Omega-Obsidian-Delta, enable.
*The suit powers up and the boots slide forward onto the platform. Blake steps into them as the mechanical arms fit the armour. The process takes 2 minutes (because this is a much older version of the armour) to fit and initialise the armour.*
Okay, Roland. Upload Preference set Armada-1.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
OOC: Sub-plot.
*The rest of the fleet arrives as they begin moving in on Angel Halo.
R.S.S. Republic, Bridge.*
Sam: Here we go.
Battle stations!
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
*OOC: Federation General Quarters revamped in the late 25th century by late Fleet Admiral Allen, who saw the usual general quarters as un safe for the crew of the ship and devised these new enhancements to all vessels and required to have safety procedures. The EV suits received a needed update as they became thin and elastic and strong like combat armor. New vessels received combat bridges which were beneath the bridge at first then later were moved to a deck or two down with the seats descending downward into place in the Combat bridge. These bridges were reinforced with stronger materials to withstand punishment and had forcefields that would activate in case of any emergency, bird flack to seal breaches, and shielding to protect it from continued attack when the bridge above is destroyed.
Just thought I would give a little bit of heads up... as to what these things I am mentioning are.*
James: Here we go... All ships forward at level 2 combat speed.
Blake: Looks like the pilot's dead.
*He flies around to look at the front of the armour.*
What the...?
*The armour is empty.*
Roland, scan the armour.
Jacob, I've found the Armour. Transmitting coordinates now.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
Roland: scanning now.
Jacob: alright. I'll Send a shuttle to bring it in.
Captain Devon on the harvest bridge.
Devon: all hands prepare for combat we are going in.
Ooc: at work now so I won't be on for a few hours.
OOC: Well, i'm now going to bed. I've got a 2-and-a-half controlled assessment in the morning, and I NEED an early night (I'll probably need one tomorrow from the exhaustion (mainly stress) too, but I should be back at 14:00 UTC (16 hours) at the earliest.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
He is soon hearing the voice of his dead wife.. Urging him to be calm and not lose himself to his inner darkness... That she is always with him... waiting for him...*
Dorman:*He weakly smiles, perhaps he will find some measure of peace... but not yet... there is much to do...*
Roland: goodby jacob
And in a matter of seconds roland is gone.
Jacob wakes up a few hours later
Jacob: Roland any update on the sttus of the fleet and the planned attack.
No answer comes.
Jacob: Roland! whats going on
Jacob jumps out of the bed and looks at the terminal. It has a picture of a old earth F-22 fighter with the letter MIA on the screen. Jacob looks at the screen in horror and shock trying to realize what happened and why roland is gone.
OOC: remember this is going to affect him pretty big cause as i said they have been working together for 15 years so jacob was closer to roland then to most humans.
*Blake is in the armoury looking over the Armada Armour. He also has PACES on his mind as he's searching through the Computer Banks. He's been lent an AI program from the Roosevelt to aid him. He slips the iso-chip into the terminal.*
Blake: Vanus, you up?
Vanus: I am functioning, Commander. Searching now.
Strange. An AI program appears missing. It's under designation R-01.
Blake: Roland?
Vanus: There are traces of data fragmentation.
Blake: Can you find PACES?
Vanus: He is now reactivated.
PACES *Speaking over the terminal*: Hello, sir.
Blake: What happened, PACES?
PACES: Another AI overrode my security protocols and hijacked the suit.
Blake: PACES, all the AI were accounted for when the armour was stolen.
PACES: Correct, but the program seemed to have a data-coding similar to my own. It almost matches Roland but...
The program was missing key parts of Roland's programming, and Roland appears to have deteriorated.
Blake: What?
Matthews to Jacob, can you come down to the Armoury?
PACES, go over all the armours. See if Roland saved his program into any of the other armours.
PACES: Sir, I suspect another power at play. R-type AIs such as Roland and myself should have a 50-year lifespan before even the first sign of rampancy. And, his program almost appeared to be split into two.
Blake: What?
*He removes Vanus and puts the chip back in its case.*
Show me.
*PACES puts up an image of three data-streams.*
PACES: The first is a record of Roland's normal program. The second is a data-stream from Roland when he uploaded into the Warp Proto-Armour. The third is from my records when the rogue AI hijacked my systems.
I will overlap the two recent streams.
*He overlaps the second and third streams, producing a stream similar to the first.*
I will now overlay this on top of the original stream.
*He now overlaps it on top of the first stream.*
Blake: They're identical!
PACES: Roland's program was split into two fragments. The first was made up of Roland's personality sub-routines. The back-up compensated for the loss from the basic codeon his recovery drive, but his capabilities were severely limited. The second was made up of Roland's basic programming and core sub-routines, including his survival sub-routine and self-improvement sub-routine. This duplicate hijacked the Armada Armour and disabled my program.
Blake: PACES, can you get Roland back?
PACES: Even if we got the rogue element of his program, I'm afraid that his personality and memory sub-routines have already de-fragmented beyond hope of restoration. I'm sorry, sir, he is gone.
Blake: You did all you could.
PACES: Sir, we are approaching the Angel Halo.
Blake: Send a copy of yourself to Jacob's Armour and fill him in, in the air!
Activate Armada! Matthews 1-1-0-Omega-Obsidian-Delta, Active!
*The Armour powers up and Blake steps into the boots as the mech arms fit the rest of it. After the Armour has fully engaged, he steps outside and moves onto the ship's hull as it approaches the outer perimeter defences.*
PACES?
PACES: Sir?
Blake: I have a bad feeling about this.
PACES: Indubitably, sir.
*There's a massive Republic Fleet between the Allies and the station, hiding behind a colossal defence platform network.*
Sir, there is an inter-fleet comm.
Blake: Let's hear it.
Matt *Over comm*: This is Fallback, Aldebaran is secure!
Ramez *Over comm*: Copy that Fallback. Stormbreaker is ready to commence assault!
*OOC: Fallback and Stormbreaker are codenames. Fallback, obviously, for Matt's force at the Aldebaran Station, and Stormbreaker for the main assault force.*
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
Comm: 10 minutes until operation begins...
James: Keep your wits about you...
Jacob steps into his suit. As the systems come online but the familiar greeting.of Roland is empty.
PACES: Sir, Commander Matthews asked me to fill you in on what we've found.
*PACES fills Halsey in.
Outside, Armada is flying with the Allied Fleet formation before spinning around, still flying forward, and looking back at the fleet - namely the Harvest.*
Blake: C'mon, man...
PACES: Sir, the Armour has been bought online.
Blake: Thanks PACES.
*He spins back, looking at the enemy fleet now. Suddenly, the Vanguard Shuttle pulls up alongside. Hawk's piloting and looks at him, giving a two-fingered salute. Blake nods inside the Armour.*
Combat mode.
*His HUD goes from blue to red as the fleet nears the enemy.*
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
James: Deploy the shield bits to protect the escorts attack runs have the fighters rush in to confuse them... While the cruisers hold back and use heavy fire to make a hole..
Comm: *as the weapons and bits deploy, fighters heading forward.* 10
9.
8.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0 Begin the operation..
James: Fire at will.
James: Lets get this over with..
*Cough comes back as he jabs the hypo in which barely suppresses it..*
T'mar: Enemy ships closing.
Now in weapons range.
Sam: Fire.
*Outside.*
Blake: Let's do this.
*The Republic joins the rest of the fleet in the engagement as Armada heads for the enemy fighters, cutting into them with his nano-pulse blades.
When he comes across an enemy frigate, he slips in behind the shield and nails it with a spread of transphasic micro-torps before letting loose on the nacelles with his Phaser Gatlings.*
PACES: Sir, they have lost main power.
Blake: Give me the most direct and least suicidal path to the nearest capital ship.
*A path appears on the HUD, leading straight towards the nearest capital ship.*
This is your idea of LEAST suicidal?
PACES: Unless you want to dodge the escorts' torpedo fire while evading the capital ship's phaser fire?
Blake: Point taken. Okay, just focus on the fighters.
PACES: Of course.
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
Wax: Alright you dogs keep up the fire...
*Tactical is humming with attention..*
Tactical 1: Fire at 304.12
Tactical 3: 406.56
Tactical 4: Open with a torpedo spread at 406.56
Tactical bit controller: Shifting to defensive pattern mk II
Devon: launch all fighters. Prep all torpedoes. All weapons fire at will.
Dorman: *pings the comm* Lower batteries what are you doing increase your fire.
Devon: report
Officer : sir enemy ship bearing mark 980.92
Devon all weapons fire on that ship.
Commander show them our new toys...
Tal taps a few commands on his terminal
Sam: What the hell?!
*Outside. Blake is just staring at the carnage the defence platforms have caused behind him.*
Blake: Oh my god...
PACES, target the nearest platform.
*Armada flies at the platform, dodging weapons fire, taking a few hits, before literally smashing into the satellite. As it stabilises, he activates his right Nano-Pulse blade and tears into it, ripping the plating off before punching into it.*
PACES: Sir, at this range, the explosion will do inconceivable damage to the armour, or worse, your skeletal structure!
Blake: Noted!
*He uses the impulse jets to fly a few meters away before firing his palm-phasers into the hole he made. The Platform explodes and the blast sends him flying into the hull of a Shedai Cruiser. A forcefield comes up, trapping him as he looks around the Bridge, and sees Tal standing in the centre, staring at him.*
Blake *Voice modulated*: Aww... TRIBBLE.
*OOC: Now going to bed. Be back at 13:00 UTC (15 hours) (at latest).*
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood