What I would do in this situation is make a mega-exosuit with tons of dakka and armor and go an wreck their stupid metal bawks. But I suspect that is not what you have in mind.
So, uh, Bugzapper, can I assume you're in school? Based on stuff like how you tend to publish after school hours by this site's default time, and more often on weekends at times.
So, uh, Bugzapper, can I assume you're in school? Based on stuff like how you tend to publish after school hours by this site's default time, and more often on weekends at times.
dont forget that lots of day job also are during those timeframes
So, uh, Bugzapper, can I assume you're in school? Based on stuff like how you tend to publish after school hours by this site's default time, and more often on weekends at times.
dont forget that lots of day job also are during those timeframes
Well - after school hours (2:00? 1:55 in my case) is a thing I put
I'm unemployed at the moment. A high-school dropout, as well. Year 10.
Most of my writing takes place somewhere between midnight and Stupid o'clock. Less distractions.
Also, take into account the time differential between the U.S and Australia, which is where I live.
I do go to school, but not in the capacity you'd expect. I'm a volunteer groundskeeper/maintenance guy at a small local bush school. Only working two days a week, but they're extremely grateful for it. It's your actual 'shoestring operation' on a tight budget.
Currently occupying a position of esteem somewhere between Groundskeeper Willie and Boothby of Starfleet Academy.
I'm unemployed at the moment. A high-school dropout, as well. Year 10.
Most of my writing takes place somewhere between midnight and Stupid o'clock. Less distractions.
Also, take into account the time differential between the U.S and Australia, which is where I live.
I do go to school, but not in the capacity you'd expect. I'm a volunteer groundskeeper/maintenance guy at a small local bush school. Only working two days a week, but they're extremely grateful for it. It's your actual 'shoestring operation' on a tight budget.
Currently occupying a position of esteem somewhere between Groundskeeper Willie and Boothby of Starfleet Academy.
Pretty much me as well. I am planning on making some money from selling some of the carnivorous plants I grow.
We spent the following day preparing for the assault on the Lava Castle. The ExoSuits were given a once-over (twice), reactors fully charged and all systems fully checked out. Once we left The Broch, there would be no turning back. Everything we needed had to be already on hand at the other end. Four canisters of Anesthezine gas were loaded into each suit, along with rolls of hull tape, spare power cells and batteries, welding torches, laser cutters, medical kits and everything else short of the galley sink. The last items to be stowed raised some serious concerns among the AIs.
"Flechette rifles and a Gauss cannon? Captain, you are aware that we cannot harm human beings. These items are not necessary to the success of the operation. The same objectives can be achieved by using non-lethal means. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this decision, Sir."
"JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY. I fully appreciate the constraints of your ATG protocols. I would never order any of you to directly inflict harm on a human being, or indeed any other sentient form. However, we are heading into harm's way. Make no mistake of that. You will carry these weapons and use them without hesitation when an appropriate target presents itself. That is an order. How you choose to interpret this order is entirely your own concern. Report for duty at 0600. Dismissed."
We still needed a drop-ship. Working with JUNO, I modified the Gen III Cyclops design to incorporate four docking stations to accommodate all of our ExoSuits. Although the suits could make it to the insertion point under their own power, I conjured it would be best to have something capable of making a hasty retreat waiting outside. Five knots versus one hundred and twenty. No contest. The other three Cyclops were also coming along as heavy fire support, remotely piloted by JUNO and IANTO. They would form part of the nasty surprise laying in ambush for any would-be pursuers. I named the new vessel 'Taranis' and ceremoniously handed command over to DIGBY.
Before turning in for the night, I sent a squadron of recon drones to scan the Inactive Lava Zone corridor. The Warpers had positively identified this location as the best of several routes into the target area. The drones were currently creeping along the seafloor, searching for passive sonar arrays, proximity sensors, magnetic anomaly detectors and concealed defence turrets along our projected approach track. If we could maintain the element of surprise right up to the other end of the ILZ corridor, we were halfway home and hosed. JUNO had arranged for the Warpers to meet my strike team at the head of the ILZ corridor. Hopefully, they should be able to get us safely through the convoluted tunnel system leading to the Lava Castle. Small as their role was, the Warpers were still taking a huge risk in aiding us.
By 0615, all four ExoSuits were secured aboard Taranis. Ulysses, Aegis and Red Dragon had already set sail under remote AI command to scout ahead of the dropship. As soon as they were in position, Taranis would move in, drop the ExoSuits and fall back to a safe distance behind their defence line. We came in nice and slow, not wanting to alarm the Warpers. JUNO had told them what to expect, although I wasn't sure how she'd conveyed the fact that four Cyclops would be attending this party. That would be enough to scare the living Hell out anyone who knew of their capabilities. After this Sea Emperor kerfuffle has died down, I'm definitely going to get JUNO to teach me everything she has discovered so far about advanced Warper communications. If I'm about to meet Manannán's version of The Big Feller, I'd like to say at least a few coherent words on my own behalf.
On my first day on this planet,
Manannán sent to me
A Reaper that tried to kill me.
*snip*
On my twelfth day on this planet,
Manannán sent to me
Twelve Biters biting
Eleven Crabsnakes sliding
Ten Rads of radiation
Nine Gassy pods
Eight Reefbacks groaning
Seven naughty Peepers
Six Bone Sharks howling
Five Tiger Plants
Four Sand Sharks hiding
Three sneaky Bleeders
Two deadly Stalkers
Ok. This sounds very... cool and confusing. How? Was it biologically engineered? Or is it alien to the planet? I really would like an explication, but otherwise, quite a plot twist!
There were four Warpers waiting for us. JUNO explained that each portal could only be sustained for approximately ten seconds or so, depending on the psionic strength of the Warper who summoned it. I welcomed the Warpers, but also wanted to thank them for their assistance. I asked JUNO to translate, although she politely declined. She had a perfectly good reason for doing so, too.
"Activate your holographic camouflage, Captain. Select 'Warper', then 'Translate'. You will be able to convey your meaning directly via the speech to gesture conversion facility. However, please be advised that our translation lexicon is far from complete. Anything that cannot be accurately translated will not be transmitted to the Warpers. Your hologram will not respond to invalid input."
"That's extremely bloody handy. A right canny piece of work, Lass." I said admiringly.
"Thank you, Sir."
I suspect that seeing the hulking form of Gawain suddenly transform into a plus-sized Warper might have surprised them just a wee bit. I copped a decent blast of psionic static for pulling that stunt, although I was able to ride it out without losing my breakfast. I hastily apologised to the Warpers, then told them what their role in this raid involved. They were strictly non-combatants in this operation. All they had to do was get us inside, and then find somewhere safe until we were ready to release the Sea Emperor. Whatever happened beyond that point was entirely our problem.
Zero hour.
On my signal, all four Warpers opened portals and slipped through. JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY followed almost immediately. I lagged slightly behind by about one second, more than a smidgeon concerned about how this spatial jump would affect me. In the end, I figured I would either wind up butt-naked in Pod 5 or somewhere on the other side of the ILZ corridor. You know what? Stuff it.
Allons-y!
The transition was nowhere near as gut-wrenching as I thought it would be. Uncomfortable, most definitely. It was like the worst elevator lurch you would never want to experience. Even so, I was still in one piece, breathing and in possession of most of my wits. Not partially embedded in a lava wall or the Warper that was floating directly in front of me. A good start. I took a few seconds to regain my bearings, then addressed the crew.
"Okay JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY. Fan out and find me something that doesn't want us here."
"Scanning commenced. Searching for automated surveillance and defence systems. Attention. Multiple hostile targets located. Alterra technology signatures detected." JUNO said curtly.
I had a sudden thought. "Is it possible to make a dive on one unit and feed the entire network false surveillance data?" I inquired, "Otherwise, I'll simply let fly with a few dozen rounds from Long Meg here." I said, swivelling the Gauss cannon on its external mount.
I'd prefer not to, actually. That would be as ill-advised as ringing the Lava Castle's front doorbell.
"That won't be necessary, Captain." JUNO said, "The defence system's AI is an obsolete ALECTO Mod One series. This type was considered to be somewhat sub-optimal in terms of base intelligence, even during its own time. It should not pose any significant obstacles to infiltration."
I'm unemployed at the moment. A high-school dropout, as well. Year 10.
Most of my writing takes place somewhere between midnight and Stupid o'clock. Less distractions.
Also, take into account the time differential between the U.S and Australia, which is where I live..
With writing skills like this?!? Damn, someone hasn't been noticed by someone high-up enough...
Ok. This sounds very... cool and confusing. How? Was it biologically engineered? Or is it alien to the planet? I really would like an explication, but otherwise, quite a plot twist!
The Sea Emperor is definitely a native of the planet. Trust me on this one.
Pretty much me as well. I am planning on making some money from selling some of the carnivorous plants I grow.
Venus Flytraps FTW!
No, see those are the ones I am keeping. But in a month one sundew seems to turn into 100,000,000 sundews, so I think I might be able to make a decent amount of money from them.
"Okay, JUNO. It's your call. Make the dive if you can, and then fox the Hell out of those sensors."
"Affirmative, Captain. Signal strength is nominal. Negotiating with external system. Stand by."
We continued to advance slowly in staggered line abreast. The red pips on my HUD suddenly turned green, indicating that JUNO now had complete control of the Lava Castle's outer defences and sensor network. That's one barrier down. Now we had to find an entrance to the base itself, preferably one that was large enough to accommodate an ExoSuit or four. A sub bay would be ideal, but I had no idea of its probable location. This area was almost devoid of any significant marine life and visible light was nothing more than a fond memory. What little infra-red light this area had came from small extrusions of magma pooling in the countless cracks and chasms scattered across the seabed. Now I truly know what 'gloomy' looks like.
Even with JUNO slapping a virtual blindfold over the base's sensor array, it probably wouldn't be a good time to use active sonar. With no large sea life to provide any useful level of background noise, even our passive sonar was having a rough time of it.
"What's it like in there, JUNO?" I asked cheerfully.
"Extremely cramped, Sir." JUNO quipped. "Whoever designed this AI's systems architecture had absolutely no grasp of the fundamentals of heuristic programming. There's barely enough material in the core processor matrices to make a decent pair of ear-rings. In all honesty, I've seen far more adequate data storage and transfer allocations in a toddler's game console."
"How about ICE? Anything nasty guarding the access channels to the base's main systems?"
"No Intruder Countermeasure Entities are detected, Sir. I shall attempt to gain access... Uplink successful. Transmitting core data stream to your tactical display now, Captain."
Someone in the Lava Castle had their head properly screwed on. The main sub hangar access tunnel lay on the opposite side of the structure, effectively shielded from frontal assault by the sheer amount of solidified lava forming the base of this natural feature. According to the base schematics, the Lava Castle was honeycombed with wide, high corridors and cavernous rooms. Some of the smaller side passages and personnel berths might be an awkward fit for the ExoSuits, although we'll be well and truly deep inside the base before this even becomes a problem.
I managed to identify the critical structures we would need to strike first. Life Support, Barracks and Armoury. Current base complement was 150, including a platoon of 40 armed security personnel. Most of the remainder would be scientists, technicians and support staff, plus a handful of admin drones and upper-echelon management types. Even so, it doesn't take much training to pick up a smart-weapon and point it in someone's general direction. Consider all 150 of them as a combat-capable force, and adjust the overall strategy accordingly. Anesthezine gas could account for most of our potential adversaries, although we still might face the prospect of some ugly little squabbles during the mopping-up operation.
Now that JUNO had the surveillance system pinned down, we could safely pick up the pace a little. The ExoSuits lifted clear of the seafloor and jetted over to the Lava Castle. I sent out a micro-drone to scout ahead, searching for manned defence turrets. Torgaljin Corp were using a hodgepodge of Alterra tech and their own home brand, obviously filling in the gaps with a physical human presence.
"All units, engage optical camouflage. Rig for blackout."
Finally, the sub bay access tunnel loomed before us like a gaping maw. I was relieved to see that the entrance was not equipped with sea doors, and that the tunnel appeared to be clear for its entire length. The entrance was guarded by a pair of manned Sentinel HV cannons, and I could clearly see the glow of red light coming from the gunners' cabin viewports as we stealthily passed by. There was a fairly good chance that the gunners were otherwise engaged, having settled comfortably into a daily routine where almost nothing ever happened. The absence of any large sea life in the area might be reasonably attributed to bored gunners taking pot-shots at whatever passed within range. Even so, our approach had to remain completely undetected for as long as possible. We will also need to deal with those turret crews first. No sense leaving our one and only escape route guarded.
The next bit was slightly more tricky. The base's moon-pool was pressurised to a depth of 1,200 metres. That meant airlocks had to be traversed once we got clear of the water. If they weren't hooked into the security system, I'd be more than pleasantly surprised.
"Can you over-ride the airlock activation alarm, JUNO?" I asked, "I'm assuming that all underwater operations in this base require some sort of official clearance. Somebody's bound to investigate once those airlocks are operated."
"I can easily over-ride the alarm, Sir. However, the sound of the airlocks cycling will undoubtedly draw unwanted attention to our presence. How should I proceed, Captain?"
"Best to leave the alarm alone then, JUNO. If they twig to the fact that you're manipulating their systems, we'll be up to armpits in Belter mercs in no time at all. Just act casual. We'll be fine."
A scan of the hangar's interior revealed at least ten technicians were working in the vicinity. We jetted over to a large submerged lifting platform and pre-positioned ourselves carefully before activating the lift. With any luck, its sudden appearance wouldn't generate too much interest. Our ExoSuits were still concealed with optical camouflage, although there might be some visual blurring effects as we exited the water. Here we go. Fingers crossed.
The platform's hydraulic motors whined, and it slowly began to ascend. As my suit's viewport broke the surface, I noticed a few heads turning curiously in our direction. Thankfully, most of them turned back to whatever task they had at hand. However, one technician was walking purposefully towards the elevator.
"Uh-oh. We have a stickybeak inbound. Get ready." I said quietly.
The platform came to a gentle stop. I looked over at DIGBY's suit, Percival. Sure enough, the suit's camouflage field rippled as it attempted to adjust to the new scenery around it. The technician frowned suspiciously, reaching for the communicator hooked onto her belt.
GalacaticSurvivorNY, United StatesJoin Date: 2016-02-12Member: 212919Members
I don't think they will kill her, right? I don't think Selkirk could emotionally, and the AI's have been programmed not to kill people. Can't wait till next post!!!
The technician gawked at our towering suits, her mouth gaping comically.
"Nǐ hǎo, Señorita." I said, smiling wickedly. "Light 'em up."
There was a brief burst of stasis fire from all four suits. I disengaged from my haptic control harness and climbed out of the suit. DIGBY, IANTO and JUNO followed immediately, spreading out to truss up the incapacitated technicians with hull patching tape. If an old trick works extremely well in front of a new audience, you might as well stick with it. No pun intended.
"All ExoSuits in overwatch mode. Guard the exits."
The unmanned ExoSuits braced to attention, then rapidly moved out to secure the area. The androids had our first batch of packages neatly secured within minutes. As their stasis fields collapsed, each tech was given a generous whiff of Anesthezine, sending them straight to Sleepytown without the slightest hint of fuss. They would be out for at least six hours, which gave us more than enough time to cause some serious mischief in this base.
I grabbed DIGBY and pointed him in the direction of the portside turret access. I sprinted over to the starboard airlock, paused just long enough to catch my breath and opened the first hatch. The compartment took about 30 seconds to depressurise. I tensed, waiting for the access light to turn green. When it did, I opened the inner door and entered. The gunner swivelled around in his seat.
"Hoy, you're early, boet. This watch isn't supposed to finish for another..." he trailed off uncertainly.
I grinned broadly, flooding the entire compartment with Anesthezine. Goodnight, Jimmy.
DIGBY had dealt with his target in a similar fashion, although he had the good fortune to find the other gunner enjoying a quiet snooze on the company's time. He simply opened the valve on his gas canister for a few seconds and then walked out. Mischief managed. Now we had to do the same thing, but on a considerably larger scale. For that, I would need to find the base's Life Support systems. The three androids stood waiting by their ExoSuits, ready for the next phase of the operation.
"All done here. We'll leave the suits out here to keep watch on our backs. Okay, let's head inside."
Life Support was easy enough to find. We had entered the main base facility through one of the man-hatches rather than using the hangar airlock. Since we still had the element of surprise on our side, there wasn't much point in having our ExoSuits clomping along echoing corridors and generally disturbing the peace. If we needed them, they could be brought to our position under remote command without any trouble at all. The androids looked mildly uncomfortable carrying their flechette rifles, although they diligently brought them to bear whenever they checked around a corner. I had a slightly tougher time of it. My Gauss cannon was fairly heavy and more than a wee bit on the cumbersome side.
We were able to reach the Life Support installation without incident. Six technicians hit the deck in a most refreshing display of compliance. The androids promptly gassed the techs and had them hog-tied with tape within seconds. I strolled over to the main atmospheric processors and set to work.
in the end because im assuming the sea emperor is a carnivore and not completely sentient he might just eat selkirk and the warpers after they rescue them
in the end because im assuming the sea emperor is a carnivore and not completely sentient he might just eat selkirk and the warpers after they rescue them
in the end because im assuming the sea emperor is a carnivore and not completely sentient he might just eat selkirk and the warpers after they rescue them
Comments
dont forget that lots of day job also are during those timeframes
Well - after school hours (2:00? 1:55 in my case) is a thing I put
We might have to wait on Bug's word on this.
Most of my writing takes place somewhere between midnight and Stupid o'clock. Less distractions.
Also, take into account the time differential between the U.S and Australia, which is where I live.
I do go to school, but not in the capacity you'd expect. I'm a volunteer groundskeeper/maintenance guy at a small local bush school. Only working two days a week, but they're extremely grateful for it. It's your actual 'shoestring operation' on a tight budget.
Currently occupying a position of esteem somewhere between Groundskeeper Willie and Boothby of Starfleet Academy.
Pretty much me as well. I am planning on making some money from selling some of the carnivorous plants I grow.
Best of luck to you, mate. It's too damn hard to turn a decent buck these days.
Venus Flytraps FTW!
"Flechette rifles and a Gauss cannon? Captain, you are aware that we cannot harm human beings. These items are not necessary to the success of the operation. The same objectives can be achieved by using non-lethal means. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this decision, Sir."
"JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY. I fully appreciate the constraints of your ATG protocols. I would never order any of you to directly inflict harm on a human being, or indeed any other sentient form. However, we are heading into harm's way. Make no mistake of that. You will carry these weapons and use them without hesitation when an appropriate target presents itself. That is an order. How you choose to interpret this order is entirely your own concern. Report for duty at 0600. Dismissed."
We still needed a drop-ship. Working with JUNO, I modified the Gen III Cyclops design to incorporate four docking stations to accommodate all of our ExoSuits. Although the suits could make it to the insertion point under their own power, I conjured it would be best to have something capable of making a hasty retreat waiting outside. Five knots versus one hundred and twenty. No contest. The other three Cyclops were also coming along as heavy fire support, remotely piloted by JUNO and IANTO. They would form part of the nasty surprise laying in ambush for any would-be pursuers. I named the new vessel 'Taranis' and ceremoniously handed command over to DIGBY.
Before turning in for the night, I sent a squadron of recon drones to scan the Inactive Lava Zone corridor. The Warpers had positively identified this location as the best of several routes into the target area. The drones were currently creeping along the seafloor, searching for passive sonar arrays, proximity sensors, magnetic anomaly detectors and concealed defence turrets along our projected approach track. If we could maintain the element of surprise right up to the other end of the ILZ corridor, we were halfway home and hosed. JUNO had arranged for the Warpers to meet my strike team at the head of the ILZ corridor. Hopefully, they should be able to get us safely through the convoluted tunnel system leading to the Lava Castle. Small as their role was, the Warpers were still taking a huge risk in aiding us.
By 0615, all four ExoSuits were secured aboard Taranis. Ulysses, Aegis and Red Dragon had already set sail under remote AI command to scout ahead of the dropship. As soon as they were in position, Taranis would move in, drop the ExoSuits and fall back to a safe distance behind their defence line. We came in nice and slow, not wanting to alarm the Warpers. JUNO had told them what to expect, although I wasn't sure how she'd conveyed the fact that four Cyclops would be attending this party. That would be enough to scare the living Hell out anyone who knew of their capabilities. After this Sea Emperor kerfuffle has died down, I'm definitely going to get JUNO to teach me everything she has discovered so far about advanced Warper communications. If I'm about to meet Manannán's version of The Big Feller, I'd like to say at least a few coherent words on my own behalf.
Manannán sent to me
A Reaper that tried to kill me.
*snip*
On my twelfth day on this planet,
Manannán sent to me
Twelve Biters biting
Eleven Crabsnakes sliding
Ten Rads of radiation
Nine Gassy pods
Eight Reefbacks groaning
Seven naughty Peepers
Six Bone Sharks howling
Five Tiger Plants
Four Sand Sharks hiding
Three sneaky Bleeders
Two deadly Stalkers
... And a Reaper that tried to kill me!
"Activate your holographic camouflage, Captain. Select 'Warper', then 'Translate'. You will be able to convey your meaning directly via the speech to gesture conversion facility. However, please be advised that our translation lexicon is far from complete. Anything that cannot be accurately translated will not be transmitted to the Warpers. Your hologram will not respond to invalid input."
"That's extremely bloody handy. A right canny piece of work, Lass." I said admiringly.
"Thank you, Sir."
I suspect that seeing the hulking form of Gawain suddenly transform into a plus-sized Warper might have surprised them just a wee bit. I copped a decent blast of psionic static for pulling that stunt, although I was able to ride it out without losing my breakfast. I hastily apologised to the Warpers, then told them what their role in this raid involved. They were strictly non-combatants in this operation. All they had to do was get us inside, and then find somewhere safe until we were ready to release the Sea Emperor. Whatever happened beyond that point was entirely our problem.
Zero hour.
On my signal, all four Warpers opened portals and slipped through. JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY followed almost immediately. I lagged slightly behind by about one second, more than a smidgeon concerned about how this spatial jump would affect me. In the end, I figured I would either wind up butt-naked in Pod 5 or somewhere on the other side of the ILZ corridor. You know what? Stuff it.
Allons-y!
The transition was nowhere near as gut-wrenching as I thought it would be. Uncomfortable, most definitely. It was like the worst elevator lurch you would never want to experience. Even so, I was still in one piece, breathing and in possession of most of my wits. Not partially embedded in a lava wall or the Warper that was floating directly in front of me. A good start. I took a few seconds to regain my bearings, then addressed the crew.
"Okay JUNO, IANTO and DIGBY. Fan out and find me something that doesn't want us here."
"Scanning commenced. Searching for automated surveillance and defence systems. Attention. Multiple hostile targets located. Alterra technology signatures detected." JUNO said curtly.
I had a sudden thought. "Is it possible to make a dive on one unit and feed the entire network false surveillance data?" I inquired, "Otherwise, I'll simply let fly with a few dozen rounds from Long Meg here." I said, swivelling the Gauss cannon on its external mount.
I'd prefer not to, actually. That would be as ill-advised as ringing the Lava Castle's front doorbell.
"That won't be necessary, Captain." JUNO said, "The defence system's AI is an obsolete ALECTO Mod One series. This type was considered to be somewhat sub-optimal in terms of base intelligence, even during its own time. It should not pose any significant obstacles to infiltration."
With writing skills like this?!? Damn, someone hasn't been noticed by someone high-up enough...
The Sea Emperor is definitely a native of the planet. Trust me on this one.
No, see those are the ones I am keeping. But in a month one sundew seems to turn into 100,000,000 sundews, so I think I might be able to make a decent amount of money from them.
WOW!!!!!
"Affirmative, Captain. Signal strength is nominal. Negotiating with external system. Stand by."
We continued to advance slowly in staggered line abreast. The red pips on my HUD suddenly turned green, indicating that JUNO now had complete control of the Lava Castle's outer defences and sensor network. That's one barrier down. Now we had to find an entrance to the base itself, preferably one that was large enough to accommodate an ExoSuit or four. A sub bay would be ideal, but I had no idea of its probable location. This area was almost devoid of any significant marine life and visible light was nothing more than a fond memory. What little infra-red light this area had came from small extrusions of magma pooling in the countless cracks and chasms scattered across the seabed. Now I truly know what 'gloomy' looks like.
Even with JUNO slapping a virtual blindfold over the base's sensor array, it probably wouldn't be a good time to use active sonar. With no large sea life to provide any useful level of background noise, even our passive sonar was having a rough time of it.
"What's it like in there, JUNO?" I asked cheerfully.
"Extremely cramped, Sir." JUNO quipped. "Whoever designed this AI's systems architecture had absolutely no grasp of the fundamentals of heuristic programming. There's barely enough material in the core processor matrices to make a decent pair of ear-rings. In all honesty, I've seen far more adequate data storage and transfer allocations in a toddler's game console."
"How about ICE? Anything nasty guarding the access channels to the base's main systems?"
"No Intruder Countermeasure Entities are detected, Sir. I shall attempt to gain access... Uplink successful. Transmitting core data stream to your tactical display now, Captain."
Someone in the Lava Castle had their head properly screwed on. The main sub hangar access tunnel lay on the opposite side of the structure, effectively shielded from frontal assault by the sheer amount of solidified lava forming the base of this natural feature. According to the base schematics, the Lava Castle was honeycombed with wide, high corridors and cavernous rooms. Some of the smaller side passages and personnel berths might be an awkward fit for the ExoSuits, although we'll be well and truly deep inside the base before this even becomes a problem.
I managed to identify the critical structures we would need to strike first. Life Support, Barracks and Armoury. Current base complement was 150, including a platoon of 40 armed security personnel. Most of the remainder would be scientists, technicians and support staff, plus a handful of admin drones and upper-echelon management types. Even so, it doesn't take much training to pick up a smart-weapon and point it in someone's general direction. Consider all 150 of them as a combat-capable force, and adjust the overall strategy accordingly. Anesthezine gas could account for most of our potential adversaries, although we still might face the prospect of some ugly little squabbles during the mopping-up operation.
You just had to make a who reference after naming an ai ianto..
You sir need a raise
"All units, engage optical camouflage. Rig for blackout."
Finally, the sub bay access tunnel loomed before us like a gaping maw. I was relieved to see that the entrance was not equipped with sea doors, and that the tunnel appeared to be clear for its entire length. The entrance was guarded by a pair of manned Sentinel HV cannons, and I could clearly see the glow of red light coming from the gunners' cabin viewports as we stealthily passed by. There was a fairly good chance that the gunners were otherwise engaged, having settled comfortably into a daily routine where almost nothing ever happened. The absence of any large sea life in the area might be reasonably attributed to bored gunners taking pot-shots at whatever passed within range. Even so, our approach had to remain completely undetected for as long as possible. We will also need to deal with those turret crews first. No sense leaving our one and only escape route guarded.
The next bit was slightly more tricky. The base's moon-pool was pressurised to a depth of 1,200 metres. That meant airlocks had to be traversed once we got clear of the water. If they weren't hooked into the security system, I'd be more than pleasantly surprised.
"Can you over-ride the airlock activation alarm, JUNO?" I asked, "I'm assuming that all underwater operations in this base require some sort of official clearance. Somebody's bound to investigate once those airlocks are operated."
"I can easily over-ride the alarm, Sir. However, the sound of the airlocks cycling will undoubtedly draw unwanted attention to our presence. How should I proceed, Captain?"
"Best to leave the alarm alone then, JUNO. If they twig to the fact that you're manipulating their systems, we'll be up to armpits in Belter mercs in no time at all. Just act casual. We'll be fine."
A scan of the hangar's interior revealed at least ten technicians were working in the vicinity. We jetted over to a large submerged lifting platform and pre-positioned ourselves carefully before activating the lift. With any luck, its sudden appearance wouldn't generate too much interest. Our ExoSuits were still concealed with optical camouflage, although there might be some visual blurring effects as we exited the water. Here we go. Fingers crossed.
The platform's hydraulic motors whined, and it slowly began to ascend. As my suit's viewport broke the surface, I noticed a few heads turning curiously in our direction. Thankfully, most of them turned back to whatever task they had at hand. However, one technician was walking purposefully towards the elevator.
"Uh-oh. We have a stickybeak inbound. Get ready." I said quietly.
The platform came to a gentle stop. I looked over at DIGBY's suit, Percival. Sure enough, the suit's camouflage field rippled as it attempted to adjust to the new scenery around it. The technician frowned suspiciously, reaching for the communicator hooked onto her belt.
exceptional
This is why writers are considered evil!
The technician gawked at our towering suits, her mouth gaping comically.
"Nǐ hǎo, Señorita." I said, smiling wickedly. "Light 'em up."
There was a brief burst of stasis fire from all four suits. I disengaged from my haptic control harness and climbed out of the suit. DIGBY, IANTO and JUNO followed immediately, spreading out to truss up the incapacitated technicians with hull patching tape. If an old trick works extremely well in front of a new audience, you might as well stick with it. No pun intended.
"All ExoSuits in overwatch mode. Guard the exits."
The unmanned ExoSuits braced to attention, then rapidly moved out to secure the area. The androids had our first batch of packages neatly secured within minutes. As their stasis fields collapsed, each tech was given a generous whiff of Anesthezine, sending them straight to Sleepytown without the slightest hint of fuss. They would be out for at least six hours, which gave us more than enough time to cause some serious mischief in this base.
I grabbed DIGBY and pointed him in the direction of the portside turret access. I sprinted over to the starboard airlock, paused just long enough to catch my breath and opened the first hatch. The compartment took about 30 seconds to depressurise. I tensed, waiting for the access light to turn green. When it did, I opened the inner door and entered. The gunner swivelled around in his seat.
"Hoy, you're early, boet. This watch isn't supposed to finish for another..." he trailed off uncertainly.
I grinned broadly, flooding the entire compartment with Anesthezine. Goodnight, Jimmy.
DIGBY had dealt with his target in a similar fashion, although he had the good fortune to find the other gunner enjoying a quiet snooze on the company's time. He simply opened the valve on his gas canister for a few seconds and then walked out. Mischief managed. Now we had to do the same thing, but on a considerably larger scale. For that, I would need to find the base's Life Support systems. The three androids stood waiting by their ExoSuits, ready for the next phase of the operation.
"All done here. We'll leave the suits out here to keep watch on our backs. Okay, let's head inside."
Life Support was easy enough to find. We had entered the main base facility through one of the man-hatches rather than using the hangar airlock. Since we still had the element of surprise on our side, there wasn't much point in having our ExoSuits clomping along echoing corridors and generally disturbing the peace. If we needed them, they could be brought to our position under remote command without any trouble at all. The androids looked mildly uncomfortable carrying their flechette rifles, although they diligently brought them to bear whenever they checked around a corner. I had a slightly tougher time of it. My Gauss cannon was fairly heavy and more than a wee bit on the cumbersome side.
We were able to reach the Life Support installation without incident. Six technicians hit the deck in a most refreshing display of compliance. The androids promptly gassed the techs and had them hog-tied with tape within seconds. I strolled over to the main atmospheric processors and set to work.
You might be slightly disappointed.
That would be anti-climactic... -_-;;;