Like any other sealed ecology's atmospheric replenishment plant, this system had equipment for adding various chemical agents to the breathing mix as required. This process was intended to add pathogen-specific decontaminants, disinfecting agents and deodorising compounds to the recirculated air, mainly to keep conditions vaguely tolerable for inhabitants. In the pressure-cooker environments of a starship or a sealed colony working the long haul, even a pervasive body odour might be a potential trigger for violent conflict. To this end, certain chemical agents were used to prevent hostilities from getting out of hand. Normally, incapacitating gases such as CS, CN-20 and VOMEX were used to take most of the fight out of combatants. In extreme cases, high-potency ORC aerosols and non-lethal nerve agents were vented directly into the atmosphere. However, this was a Torgaljin Corp base. Personnel were generally regarded as replaceable parts.
I barely suppressed a snarl of disgust. The base's 'Pacification' menu included HCN-5K. Hydrogen cyanide gas, at a concentration of 5,000 ppm. One hundred per cent lethal within seconds. Before proceeding with my plan, I removed the offending cylinders from the injection manifold. Reckon I might be able to arrange an unfortunate 'accident' while relocating these villains.
Preferably over an active lava vent.
Once the cylinders of Anesthezine were connected, I gave the heads-up to the androids. The plan was to give the gas a full twenty minutes to spread throughout the entire complex, then commence mopping-up anyone still standing. Of course, it wouldn't be necessary to bind everyone before proceeding with the actual rescue operation. We'd probably run out of time well before we ran out of hull tape.
Twenty minutes later, we moved out. Unfortunately, we couldn't have it all our own way. One section had its own atmospheric plant, entirely separate from the main facility. I conjured this would be where we would find Paal Torgal and his closest chums. Executive territory. JUNO scanned the base's surveillance feeds to verify that almost everyone was out for the count.
"One hundred and forty-three personnel accounted for, Sir. Unable to obtain surveillance footage of executive accommodation unit. Data feed has been externally secured at the source."
"Well, we've had a damned good trot so far. How many security personnel were laid out?"
"All of them, Captain. Most were in the mess hall eating breakfast at the time. One squad was dispersed throughout the facility on guard duty."
"Good. DIGBY and IANTO, secure all of the Security contingent's weapons. De-res them at the armoury's Fabricator terminals, then completely zero the entire inventory of blueprints. Recursive search of the facility's files for any backup copies. Report back to me outside the Executive accommodation area as soon as you're done. JUNO, you're coming with me. Better bring the ExoSuits up behind us as fire support. Got a peculiar feeling we're going to need them."
This is too easy. They're probably going to get a nasty surprise in the executive accommodation unit. I wonder what the fate of the Torgalijin personnel will be since Selkirk wants to spare them... send them back to the Sol system?
To be fair, they've had that base down there for a long time and they're not used to anything exciting happening. They might not even have noticed De Ruyter's arrival and destruction. Then a group of heavily armed, camouflaged exosuits came out of nowhere and started to sedate everyone once their perimeter security was compromised. The security was probably a lot better back when the Warpers were attacking them.
fangfatherhunter, maybe you could stop spamming? It's kinda derailing the thread in a sense. This isn't about what early access people get, it's about Bugzapper's story.
Presently, IANTO and DIGBY came jogging briskly up the central corridor. JUNO and I were hunkered down in a spacious atrium outside the Executive accommodation precinct. Whatever else I felt about Belters, I had to admire their construction techniques and the efficient use of space within this Lava Castle of theirs. This was a natural consequence of their skill at creating habitable spaces inside asteroids, often concurrent with extensive mining operations. Belters as a whole are not huge fans of enclosed spaces, so no effort had been spared in creating the illusion of a light and airy atmosphere in this base, in spite of the oppressive gigatonnes of midnight-black lava surrounding them.
In its own way, the atrium was a wistful re-creation of the lost forests of old Terra, although all the plants it contained were native to this planet. Some species were entirely unfamiliar to me. I assumed that they may have been genetically manipulated, recalling having read that Paal Torgal's son, Baat was a fairly savvy biochemist. If this Baat chap's a creative sort, he might also be capable of discussing this Sea Emperor business in a calm and reasonable manner. I most sincerely hope so.
Our ExoSuits advanced slowly through the atrium in a close box formation, marching two abreast. The three androids and I were dismounted and on foot in the centre of their protective square, ready to add our firepower to the fray. We were definitely in Executive territory now. The dense Aramid fibre synthetic grass covering this area muffled most of the sound coming from the ExoSuits' heavy footfalls, although any halfway decent seismometer in this base would be going completely nuts by this time. I still couldn't shake a nagging suspicion that we were walking straight into an ambush, although I gained some comfort in knowing that the opposing force would be slightly more manageable, at least in terms of numbers. Taking on all 40 House Torgal mercs and possibly some talented amateurs might be a bit too much to ask of our plucky 'Strike Team Aurora'.
Surprisingly, we managed to traverse the entire length of the atrium entirely without incident. Not quite so surprisingly, the ambush we'd been waiting for was actually around the next corner we turned. There were two or three seconds of stunned inactivity on both sides, then all hell broke loose. We were facing three, possibly four security troopers at most, and they were all wearing respirators. Hmmm... We might actually need to do some honest work to get past this lot.
Bummer.
"Mount up!"
All ExoSuits ceased to advance and squatted low in their dry-land boarding configuration. The foremost pair commenced rapid fire with repulsion cannons, mainly to keep the defenders' heads down as we climbed aboard, but also to give the defenders a more accurate idea of what they were facing. As soon as we were all safely aboard, our advance continued purposefully. The security strongpoint was overwhelmed with ridiculous ease and to my surprise, we found only three terrified pen-pushers cowering behind its ballistic screens. Rather than go through the usual name, rank and serial number business, IANTO simply reached down, tore off their masks and gassed them to oblivion.
Just for the record, riot shotguns don't do an awful lot of damage to ExoSuits. However, if they had they been using just one Gauss cannon, this skirmish might have had an entirely different outcome.
Yes, but why was the bloody AIR SUPPLY not behind a million deadlocked blast doors?
You're 1,200 metres down. If you actually live in this base, you're not going to be messing with your only air supply. Trust me.
Most commercial and industrial A/C plants are only protected with a standard Yale lock, if at all. Might be a little harder to get in if the plant serves a bank's data centre, or is on a military base or something similar.
Yes, but why was the bloody AIR SUPPLY not behind a million deadlocked blast doors?
You're 1,200 metres down. If you actually live in this base, you're not going to be messing with your only air supply. Trust me.
Most commercial and industrial A/C plants are only protected with a standard Yale lock, if at all. Might be a little harder to get in if the plant serves a bank's data centre, or is on a military base or something similar.
I'd say a Torgaljin base guarding a godlike sea monster under their thumb qualifies as high security.
But they're the villains with clearly no regard for life (Tomar, case and point), so I wouldn't be surprised if Life-Support would be low on (if not off) their priority list.
DIGBY had been guarding our six while we were finishing up with the Spartans of the 101st. Chairborne Rangers. He was the first to spot the pack of creatures rampaging through the complex's main atrium, heading straight for us.
"Captain! Multiple large life forms inbound! Six contacts; moving very fast, no thermal signatures, acoustic profiles do not match any known species. Potential first contact with new life forms."
IANTO had dismounted and was dragging the unconscious non-coms into a utility room just off the main corridor. JUNO and I headed back to DIGBY's position as quickly as the ExoSuits could carry us. We arrived just in time to catch our first glimpse of these new creatures. Each was the roughly size of a midsized land-car, and they moved wickedly fast. It took at least fifteen seconds before my tactical HUD compiled enough data to display a composite image of one, extrapolating a single creature's appearance from the lightning-fast blurs of motion seen as they rushed towards us. This situation did not look good at all.
"Defence field, maximum discharge!" I yelled, "IANTO! - Get yer bloody bahookie back here!"
The first pair to reach us were repelled by an EDF burst. JUNO opened fire on the closest one, driving it back under a constant barrage from her repulsion cannons. The creature appeared to shrug off any actual ill effects of this pounding, and it was only the sheer amount of graviton energy being poured into it that kept it at bay. Any soft-bodied creature would have been turned into a molecule-thin greasy slick by this time, although it seemed these creatures were made of far sterner material.
Our assailants resembled a cross between a robber crab and a mantis shrimp equipped with oversized, granite-hard boxing gloves. For now at least, they circled warily, as if sizing us up as opponents. Occasionally, one would dart in and take a vicious swipe at one of the ExoSuits. Somehow, IANTO broke through their cordon and joined our ranks, just in time to repel another particularly spirited attack. This was no bloody good at all. It required the combined force of at least two pairs of repulsion cannons to beat back a single attacker. They could easily keep us bottled up here until all of the base personnel revived.
"IANTO, what do you make of these beasties? Have you seen anything like them before?"
"Negative, Captain. This is an entirely new species... Wait. I am detecting a number of anomalous electrochemical and thermal readings in their physiology.
Scanning... Please stand by."
"Best make it extremely quick, Laddie. Looks like we're all about to be tag-teamed in a three-way."
"Sir, these creatures appear to be a completely new native species. No known precursor organisms have been discovered to date. Please be advised that they are also genetically enhanced and cybernetically augmented. Someone is physically controlling their actions." IANTO said emphatically.
"I need some new options, people... What can we do here? EMP?"
"Negative, Captain." IANTO said grimly. "The pulse discharged by the ExoSuit's EDF systems should have been more than sufficient to disable any electronic devices implanted or attached to the creature's body. One might reasonably assume that the controllers are EMP-hardened to prevent this particular countermeasure from being used against these creatures. I fear that we have no other options remaining but to employ lethal force in this case. What are your orders, Sir?"
Yes, but why was the bloody AIR SUPPLY not behind a million deadlocked blast doors?
I'd say a Torgaljin base guarding a godlike sea monster under their thumb qualifies as high security.
'Security': An entirely subjective and somewhat misleading term, particularly when JUNO and chums can hip-check your base's hopelessly obsolete AI through the nearest firewall.
If you absolutely must maintain the illusion of security, you're probably better off with a fluffy blue flannel 'Woobie'.
It sounds like Torgalijin is using the Sea Emperor to create bioweapons. Having kept a mantis shrimp before, I can only imagine the destruction these enhanced rock punchers are capable of. Maybe try blocking (Or hijacking) the signal used to control them?
Yes, but why was the bloody AIR SUPPLY not behind a million deadlocked blast doors?
I'd say a Torgaljin base guarding a godlike sea monster under their thumb qualifies as high security.
'Security': An entirely subjective and somewhat misleading term, particularly when JUNO and chums can hip-check your base's hopelessly obsolete AI through the nearest firewall.
If you absolutely must maintain the illusion of security, you're probably better off with a fluffy blue flannel 'Woobie'.
As I said, should have used deadlocked doors. And of course, an outdated computer system with poor security is a bad security decision in itelf.
"Fall back to the Plaza at the entrance to the atrium. They're using the foliage as cover. Our best bet is to draw them out into the open." I said, opening fire on one that had tried to blind-side me.
The ExoSuits probably wouldn't withstand much more than a couple of hits from one of these creatures. One smashed its way through one of the atrium's minor support pillars in frustration, sending huge chunks of basalt flying in all directions. That pillar was four metres wide at the base. These 'Rockpunchers' were probably the toughest things we'd ever faced. No disrespect intended to any Reaper Leviathans in the audience, mind.
"Sir, I have located the subcutaneous control devices implanted in these organisms. Dorsal surface, zero point five metres from the main cervical process. Depth, 200 millimetres. Information transmitted to your tactical HUD." IANTO said.
The Rockpunchers surged forward, preparing to press home their attack. All four ExoSuits were now unloading a constant barrage of repulsion cannon fire. JUNO fired a stasis pulse into the jostling mass of armoured chitin. It had no effect. Only one explanation for that. Their controller modules were equipped with Alterra Corp stasis over-ride devices.
Most definitely an 'oh, crap' moment.
"Stasis field is ineffective, Captain. I strongly recommend that you engage the MARTIAL protocol." JUNO exclaimed urgently.
No choice whatsoever. "All units, initiate MARTIAL protocol. Selkirk, Alexander F."
All three AIs simultaneously opened fire with their flechette rifles. The air buzzed with a swarm of minute tungsten-tipped darts, creating a lethal cloud capable of shredding an unarmoured human being into a red mist. The Rockpunchers simply hunkered down, protecting their vulnerable facial parts with the clubbed stomatopods that formed their fists. This attack halted their advance, but there was a definite limit as to how long we could hold them with this tactic. Ammunition.
DIGBY spoke up. "Captain, I believe that I can solve this problem. I shall require your Gauss cannon."
"There's no need to kill these creatures." I said firmly. "They're not responsible for their actions. Wound them if you absolutely must, but do not cripple them."
"Sir, I only intend to disable their control implants. Do I have your permission to proceed?"
"Hell yes! We're running out of time, and we're entirely out of options. Go for it."
DIGBY's ExoSuit removed the Gauss cannon from Gawain's external mount. The android climbed on top of Percival, straddled its hatch and hooked his feet into the suit's docking points. The suit passed the cannon up to him. What followed next was nothing short of incredible. DIGBY manoeuvred the suit into a firing position directly in front of our formation, literally 'surfing' its upper structure as the suit moved. He quickly adjusted the cannon's power settings, then brought the weapon to bear. The Rockpunchers were beginning to stir once more, slowly uncurling from their defensive posture. JUNO and IANTO immediately opened fire, keeping them tightly buttoned up inside their carapaces.
The Gauss cannon whined ominously as its capacitors spooled up, preparing to fire.
Yes, but why was the bloody AIR SUPPLY not behind a million deadlocked blast doors?
I'd say a Torgaljin base guarding a godlike sea monster under their thumb qualifies as high security.
'Security': An entirely subjective and somewhat misleading term, particularly when JUNO and chums can hip-check your base's hopelessly obsolete AI through the nearest firewall.
If you absolutely must maintain the illusion of security, you're probably better off with a fluffy blue flannel 'Woobie'.
As I said, should have used deadlocked doors. And of course, an outdated computer system with poor security is a bad security decision in itelf.
Torgaljin sounds like a greedy company, and greed tends to lead one to make bad decisions. Ignoring that, they've been stuck on this planet longer than Selkirk, so it's no surprise that their security systems are outdated.
But deadlocked doors are the second security system ever invented, after heavy blunt objects...
Picky-picky, @sayerulz .
Ever wondered what a futuristic weapon like a Gauss cannon could do to a deadlocked door, no matter how sturdy?
Incidentally, Phoenix223 completely nailed it. The base's security systems and AI are totally obsolete.
I suppose that reflects the issue I see with most modern militaries: everyone is making new weapons, but they have all been able to kill everyone else with a single shot for ages, with no decent defences against them, meaning it boils down to who shoots first, wether the gun is ten days old or ten years.
I mean, I don't think upgraded and very high security would be worth the money in Torgaljin's eyes. They are a few thousand metres below sea level on an unexplored alien world that not a lot of people know about, and if people do come lurching to the planet its likely that the warpers will just fill their ships reactors with a few gallons of seawater. So I think you would be relatively safe. Who would expect a fleet of cyclops and 4 heavily armed exo-suits to be knocking at their door.
Comments
I barely suppressed a snarl of disgust. The base's 'Pacification' menu included HCN-5K. Hydrogen cyanide gas, at a concentration of 5,000 ppm. One hundred per cent lethal within seconds. Before proceeding with my plan, I removed the offending cylinders from the injection manifold. Reckon I might be able to arrange an unfortunate 'accident' while relocating these villains.
Preferably over an active lava vent.
Once the cylinders of Anesthezine were connected, I gave the heads-up to the androids. The plan was to give the gas a full twenty minutes to spread throughout the entire complex, then commence mopping-up anyone still standing. Of course, it wouldn't be necessary to bind everyone before proceeding with the actual rescue operation. We'd probably run out of time well before we ran out of hull tape.
Twenty minutes later, we moved out. Unfortunately, we couldn't have it all our own way. One section had its own atmospheric plant, entirely separate from the main facility. I conjured this would be where we would find Paal Torgal and his closest chums. Executive territory. JUNO scanned the base's surveillance feeds to verify that almost everyone was out for the count.
"One hundred and forty-three personnel accounted for, Sir. Unable to obtain surveillance footage of executive accommodation unit. Data feed has been externally secured at the source."
"Well, we've had a damned good trot so far. How many security personnel were laid out?"
"All of them, Captain. Most were in the mess hall eating breakfast at the time. One squad was dispersed throughout the facility on guard duty."
"Good. DIGBY and IANTO, secure all of the Security contingent's weapons. De-res them at the armoury's Fabricator terminals, then completely zero the entire inventory of blueprints. Recursive search of the facility's files for any backup copies. Report back to me outside the Executive accommodation area as soon as you're done. JUNO, you're coming with me. Better bring the ExoSuits up behind us as fire support. Got a peculiar feeling we're going to need them."
"Affirmative, Captain."
Also I thought "ní háo" was mandarin?
To be fair, they've had that base down there for a long time and they're not used to anything exciting happening. They might not even have noticed De Ruyter's arrival and destruction. Then a group of heavily armed, camouflaged exosuits came out of nowhere and started to sedate everyone once their perimeter security was compromised. The security was probably a lot better back when the Warpers were attacking them.
(pardon if I shouldn't do this, Bug)
https://trello.com/c/ZUPgDPKm/122-cute-fish-for-people-who-bought-before-v1-0
Now please stop spamming things irrelevant to the story, if you will.
Presently, IANTO and DIGBY came jogging briskly up the central corridor. JUNO and I were hunkered down in a spacious atrium outside the Executive accommodation precinct. Whatever else I felt about Belters, I had to admire their construction techniques and the efficient use of space within this Lava Castle of theirs. This was a natural consequence of their skill at creating habitable spaces inside asteroids, often concurrent with extensive mining operations. Belters as a whole are not huge fans of enclosed spaces, so no effort had been spared in creating the illusion of a light and airy atmosphere in this base, in spite of the oppressive gigatonnes of midnight-black lava surrounding them.
In its own way, the atrium was a wistful re-creation of the lost forests of old Terra, although all the plants it contained were native to this planet. Some species were entirely unfamiliar to me. I assumed that they may have been genetically manipulated, recalling having read that Paal Torgal's son, Baat was a fairly savvy biochemist. If this Baat chap's a creative sort, he might also be capable of discussing this Sea Emperor business in a calm and reasonable manner. I most sincerely hope so.
Our ExoSuits advanced slowly through the atrium in a close box formation, marching two abreast. The three androids and I were dismounted and on foot in the centre of their protective square, ready to add our firepower to the fray. We were definitely in Executive territory now. The dense Aramid fibre synthetic grass covering this area muffled most of the sound coming from the ExoSuits' heavy footfalls, although any halfway decent seismometer in this base would be going completely nuts by this time. I still couldn't shake a nagging suspicion that we were walking straight into an ambush, although I gained some comfort in knowing that the opposing force would be slightly more manageable, at least in terms of numbers. Taking on all 40 House Torgal mercs and possibly some talented amateurs might be a bit too much to ask of our plucky 'Strike Team Aurora'.
Surprisingly, we managed to traverse the entire length of the atrium entirely without incident. Not quite so surprisingly, the ambush we'd been waiting for was actually around the next corner we turned. There were two or three seconds of stunned inactivity on both sides, then all hell broke loose. We were facing three, possibly four security troopers at most, and they were all wearing respirators. Hmmm... We might actually need to do some honest work to get past this lot.
Bummer.
"Mount up!"
All ExoSuits ceased to advance and squatted low in their dry-land boarding configuration. The foremost pair commenced rapid fire with repulsion cannons, mainly to keep the defenders' heads down as we climbed aboard, but also to give the defenders a more accurate idea of what they were facing. As soon as we were all safely aboard, our advance continued purposefully. The security strongpoint was overwhelmed with ridiculous ease and to my surprise, we found only three terrified pen-pushers cowering behind its ballistic screens. Rather than go through the usual name, rank and serial number business, IANTO simply reached down, tore off their masks and gassed them to oblivion.
Just for the record, riot shotguns don't do an awful lot of damage to ExoSuits. However, if they had they been using just one Gauss cannon, this skirmish might have had an entirely different outcome.
You're 1,200 metres down. If you actually live in this base, you're not going to be messing with your only air supply. Trust me.
Most commercial and industrial A/C plants are only protected with a standard Yale lock, if at all. Might be a little harder to get in if the plant serves a bank's data centre, or is on a military base or something similar.
I'd say a Torgaljin base guarding a godlike sea monster under their thumb qualifies as high security.
But they're the villains with clearly no regard for life (Tomar, case and point), so I wouldn't be surprised if Life-Support would be low on (if not off) their priority list.
"Captain! Multiple large life forms inbound! Six contacts; moving very fast, no thermal signatures, acoustic profiles do not match any known species. Potential first contact with new life forms."
IANTO had dismounted and was dragging the unconscious non-coms into a utility room just off the main corridor. JUNO and I headed back to DIGBY's position as quickly as the ExoSuits could carry us. We arrived just in time to catch our first glimpse of these new creatures. Each was the roughly size of a midsized land-car, and they moved wickedly fast. It took at least fifteen seconds before my tactical HUD compiled enough data to display a composite image of one, extrapolating a single creature's appearance from the lightning-fast blurs of motion seen as they rushed towards us. This situation did not look good at all.
"Defence field, maximum discharge!" I yelled, "IANTO! - Get yer bloody bahookie back here!"
The first pair to reach us were repelled by an EDF burst. JUNO opened fire on the closest one, driving it back under a constant barrage from her repulsion cannons. The creature appeared to shrug off any actual ill effects of this pounding, and it was only the sheer amount of graviton energy being poured into it that kept it at bay. Any soft-bodied creature would have been turned into a molecule-thin greasy slick by this time, although it seemed these creatures were made of far sterner material.
Our assailants resembled a cross between a robber crab and a mantis shrimp equipped with oversized, granite-hard boxing gloves. For now at least, they circled warily, as if sizing us up as opponents. Occasionally, one would dart in and take a vicious swipe at one of the ExoSuits. Somehow, IANTO broke through their cordon and joined our ranks, just in time to repel another particularly spirited attack. This was no bloody good at all. It required the combined force of at least two pairs of repulsion cannons to beat back a single attacker. They could easily keep us bottled up here until all of the base personnel revived.
"IANTO, what do you make of these beasties? Have you seen anything like them before?"
"Negative, Captain. This is an entirely new species... Wait. I am detecting a number of anomalous electrochemical and thermal readings in their physiology.
Scanning... Please stand by."
"Best make it extremely quick, Laddie. Looks like we're all about to be tag-teamed in a three-way."
"Sir, these creatures appear to be a completely new native species. No known precursor organisms have been discovered to date. Please be advised that they are also genetically enhanced and cybernetically augmented. Someone is physically controlling their actions." IANTO said emphatically.
"I need some new options, people... What can we do here? EMP?"
"Negative, Captain." IANTO said grimly. "The pulse discharged by the ExoSuit's EDF systems should have been more than sufficient to disable any electronic devices implanted or attached to the creature's body. One might reasonably assume that the controllers are EMP-hardened to prevent this particular countermeasure from being used against these creatures. I fear that we have no other options remaining but to employ lethal force in this case. What are your orders, Sir?"
'Security': An entirely subjective and somewhat misleading term, particularly when JUNO and chums can hip-check your base's hopelessly obsolete AI through the nearest firewall.
If you absolutely must maintain the illusion of security, you're probably better off with a fluffy blue flannel 'Woobie'.
As I said, should have used deadlocked doors. And of course, an outdated computer system with poor security is a bad security decision in itelf.
http://subnautica.wikia.com/wiki/Rock_Puncher
The ExoSuits probably wouldn't withstand much more than a couple of hits from one of these creatures. One smashed its way through one of the atrium's minor support pillars in frustration, sending huge chunks of basalt flying in all directions. That pillar was four metres wide at the base. These 'Rockpunchers' were probably the toughest things we'd ever faced. No disrespect intended to any Reaper Leviathans in the audience, mind.
"Sir, I have located the subcutaneous control devices implanted in these organisms. Dorsal surface, zero point five metres from the main cervical process. Depth, 200 millimetres. Information transmitted to your tactical HUD." IANTO said.
The Rockpunchers surged forward, preparing to press home their attack. All four ExoSuits were now unloading a constant barrage of repulsion cannon fire. JUNO fired a stasis pulse into the jostling mass of armoured chitin. It had no effect. Only one explanation for that. Their controller modules were equipped with Alterra Corp stasis over-ride devices.
Most definitely an 'oh, crap' moment.
"Stasis field is ineffective, Captain. I strongly recommend that you engage the MARTIAL protocol." JUNO exclaimed urgently.
No choice whatsoever. "All units, initiate MARTIAL protocol. Selkirk, Alexander F."
All three AIs simultaneously opened fire with their flechette rifles. The air buzzed with a swarm of minute tungsten-tipped darts, creating a lethal cloud capable of shredding an unarmoured human being into a red mist. The Rockpunchers simply hunkered down, protecting their vulnerable facial parts with the clubbed stomatopods that formed their fists. This attack halted their advance, but there was a definite limit as to how long we could hold them with this tactic. Ammunition.
DIGBY spoke up. "Captain, I believe that I can solve this problem. I shall require your Gauss cannon."
"There's no need to kill these creatures." I said firmly. "They're not responsible for their actions. Wound them if you absolutely must, but do not cripple them."
"Sir, I only intend to disable their control implants. Do I have your permission to proceed?"
"Hell yes! We're running out of time, and we're entirely out of options. Go for it."
DIGBY's ExoSuit removed the Gauss cannon from Gawain's external mount. The android climbed on top of Percival, straddled its hatch and hooked his feet into the suit's docking points. The suit passed the cannon up to him. What followed next was nothing short of incredible. DIGBY manoeuvred the suit into a firing position directly in front of our formation, literally 'surfing' its upper structure as the suit moved. He quickly adjusted the cannon's power settings, then brought the weapon to bear. The Rockpunchers were beginning to stir once more, slowly uncurling from their defensive posture. JUNO and IANTO immediately opened fire, keeping them tightly buttoned up inside their carapaces.
The Gauss cannon whined ominously as its capacitors spooled up, preparing to fire.
Torgaljin sounds like a greedy company, and greed tends to lead one to make bad decisions. Ignoring that, they've been stuck on this planet longer than Selkirk, so it's no surprise that their security systems are outdated.
Picky-picky, @sayerulz .
Ever wondered what a futuristic weapon like a Gauss cannon could do to a deadlocked door, no matter how sturdy?
Incidentally, Phoenix223 completely nailed it. The base's security systems and AI are totally obsolete.
I suppose that reflects the issue I see with most modern militaries: everyone is making new weapons, but they have all been able to kill everyone else with a single shot for ages, with no decent defences against them, meaning it boils down to who shoots first, wether the gun is ten days old or ten years.