'BOREALIS RISING' - A Subnautica Story V2.0.

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  • Quantum_AnomalyQuantum_Anomaly Join Date: 2016-06-13 Member: 218496Members
    "soya-lentill crunch" is now my new favorite food-name-reference. I didnt think soylent could get more gross, or lentils more green (and bland) but you did it. The perfect image of just dried crunch lentils held together with a chewy protein paste. Wonderfully horrific. XD
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    Ssshh... Everyone else will want one too!

    (The high-five's coming on next page, actually.)


    lw7rb4ruiuxh.gif
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    Whenever someone speculates what's on the other side of a cliff-hanger, I immediately break out in a cold sweat.

    Thanks a heap, guys. ;)


  • SkopeSkope Wouldn't you like to know ;) Join Date: 2016-06-07 Member: 218212Members
    edited March 2017
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    Imma bump this with a boop
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    @Skope and @phantomfinch : Subtle.

    Cool your thrusters, folks. There will be another page shortly. :)
  • SkopeSkope Wouldn't you like to know ;) Join Date: 2016-06-07 Member: 218212Members
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    @Skope and @phantomfinch : Subtle.

    Cool your thrusters, folks. There will be another page shortly. :)

    Hey, the Bumpasaurus is better than trying to force the story into CPR.

    I would rather not get into that situation.

  • LordArmageddonLordArmageddon Join Date: 2017-03-07 Member: 228713Members
    Quick bump. Now. Do you have any plans to write yet another sequel? *slap's self* Yes he'll write another!
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    Quick bump. Now. Do you have any plans to write yet another sequel? *slap's self* Yes he'll write another!

    No, actually.

    There's not much point to writing a sequel of a sequel. I'll leave that shi niou gosa to the hacks of Hollywood.

    However, let's not discount the inspirational value of a large sum of money, willingly offered. ;)
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    Quick bump. Now. Do you have any plans to write yet another sequel? *slap's self* Yes he'll write another!

    No, actually.

    There's not much point to writing a sequel of a sequel. I'll leave that shi niou gosa to the hacks of Hollywood.

    However, let's not discount the inspirational value of a large sum of money, willingly offered. ;)

    Sellout
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    edited March 2017
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    Sellout

    Hardly. Let's call it 'survival'.

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure

    But if they do make a movie obviously Simon Pegg has to star doing his "scotty" voice
  • 0x6A72320x6A7232 US Join Date: 2016-10-06 Member: 222906Members
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    Quick bump. Now. Do you have any plans to write yet another sequel? *slap's self* Yes he'll write another!

    No, actually.

    There's not much point to writing a sequel of a sequel. I'll leave that shi niou gosa to the hacks of Hollywood.

    However, let's not discount the inspirational value of a large sum of money, willingly offered. ;)

    ...that's pretty much why Hollywood does it. They know there's $$,$$$,$$$,$$$ in it.
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    edited March 2017
    Contingencies.

    Although we've beaten the Kharaa hands-down, there are still no guarantees of safe passage. Sky Watcher is the unknown variable in this equation, and I've been figuring out the safest way to deal with any potential lack of cooperation when Borealis is finally ready to launch. We'll play it safe and try the direct approach first. Since we have no way of knowing what scanning technology Sky Watcher uses, its effective detection range or trigger threshold, we'll have to feel our way through this situation very carefully. It's quite possible that any contact with the Kharaa contagion is enough to reactivate the planetary defence system. Infection leaves subtle traces in human body chemistry. Marker proteins, elevated white cell counts or neutralised fragments of the organism itself clearly indicate if an individual has been exposed to specific pathogens. As far as we can tell, all of the colonists are now free of the Kharaa infection. However, Sky Watcher may see it otherwise.

    The abiding presence of the Precursor energy weapon isn't the only threat we face. As I discovered more than a century ago, Warpers are also capable of killing starships. To this end, I am equipping Borealis with tau-meson shielding, reverse-engineered from the system used to keep Father of Tides confined in the Lava Castle prison. Warper fields cannot penetrate a tau-meson barrier. This much is known. The Precursor cannon is another matter entirely. I can't even conceive a shield technology capable of withstanding a single shot from that weapon, let alone a constant barrage. Since the gun draws its power from a planetary energy network, it's quite possible that Sky Watcher would keep ramping up the juice until Borealis' shields collapsed. We certainly wouldn't break atmo in time.

    My contingency plan for the Precursor gun is brutally direct. Borealis' mass-driver batteries will be trained on that gun emplacement as soon as they become operational. If that weapon so much as twitches during launch, we will blow it to pieces without the slightest hint of hesitation. I briefly considered using a low-yield nuke instead, although I conjure this planet has suffered enough from that form of technology. Naturally, there is a distinct possibility that Sky Watcher would simply generate another cannon to replace it, and then we're back to Square One. To make matters even worse, we have no way of knowing how many of those weapons Sky Watcher can effectively control at once. Once we cross that particular line, our chance of survival drops like a paralysed falcon.

    Without warning, Héloise playfully swatted my bum with her Guardian knot. A decent thwack, too.

    "Hoy, meneer! - Enough with the thousand-metre stares! J'ai faim, mangeons! Picnic time, now!"

    "Sorry, love. I was awa' with the pixies again. Yon mucking great gun is doing my head in."

    She grinned in that glorious dark way of hers. "You could always blow it up, you know."

    I nodded, sucking air between my teeth. My gaze returned to the general direction of Pyramid Rock.

    "That possibility is still very much on the table, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, there's no way of telling how the natives will respond to the attack. My gut tells me that's not a good idea. By the by, it also says it wouldn't mind a wee bite of something out of DIGBY's smashing tuck-box. Between you and me, I'm nicely inclined to that train of thought right now... Let's dig in."
  • 0x6A72320x6A7232 US Join Date: 2016-10-06 Member: 222906Members
    If we're worried about Sky Watcher detecting elevated white blood cell counts in passengers on board Borealis, I'd think mighty hard before training weapons on that platform (Sky Watcher logic might be: if you're not infected, why are you taking precautions against quarantine enforcement?). Unless Selkirk is reasonably confident of his First Strike capability completely taking out the enforcement platform before it can get off a shot. Might be easier to do some sort of modification to the Valkyrie Field and put the entire population in there until Borealis is out of range. Or even cryosleep, but I think Sky Watcher would see through that one.
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    @0x6A7232 Sky Watcher's detection capabilities are unknown.
    Selkirk wouldn't blindly assume that Borealis is free to go without covering any possibility of being attacked, however remote that possibility may be.
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    Bugzapper wrote: »
    @0x6A7232 Sky Watcher's detection capabilities are unknown.
    Selkirk wouldn't blindly assume that Borealis is free to go without covering any possibility of being attacked, however remote that possibility may be.

    Has he considered firing into the thermal exhaust port?
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    edited April 2017
    Minou soon found himself the centre of attention, and he was positively lapping it up. The Cutefish appeared to be quite comfortable paddling about in our cooler chest, occasionally raising himself out of the water to receive a tickle under his chin. IANTO's completely fascinated by this creature, but his scientific curiosity is no match for those soulful, highly expressive eyes. He's just as smitten as the rest of us.

    "Captain, may I have your initial data on this creature?" IANTO asked. "I'm uncertain whether this species is a transitional phase of a previously encountered creature, or an entirely new evolutionary direction... It shares the same triple-helix DNA configuration as other life on this planet, although there are some rather puzzling anomalies that will require a more thorough examination, preferably performed under controlled conditions."

    When IANTO mentioned the word 'examination', Héloise bristled defensively. I gently squeezed her hand and whispered that Minou would be entirely safe during IANTO's investigation. Word is bond.

    "Nyet problema, mate. There you go." I shot a data-burst of the Cutefish biometric analysis to IANTO. "Now, you mentioned anomalies. What sort of anomalies are we talking about here?"

    IANTO looked uncertainly at Minou. "First of all, his dual respiratory systems, Sir. This creature is also capable of obtaining oxygen directly from atmospheric air. Secondly, after reviewing your data, I am convinced that his potential level of intelligence is rather higher than one might first suspect. Far beyond simple mimicry of actions and elaborate swimming tricks, in fact. It responds to pleasant stimuli in an intelligent manner and actively seeks out 'friendly' company, which is highly unusual for any life form we've encountered here. The fact that such a creature has apparently evolved spontaneously is utterly inconceivable. Given that evolution needs hundreds of millennia to achieve this level of biological sophistication, Cutefish shouldn't even exist. Frankly Sir, I'm stumped."

    "I sense the fine hand of Father of Tides at work here. Ballpark guess... How smart do you think he really is?" I prompted.

    "I can only offer pure conjecture at this point, Sir. Assuming that Minou is a representative specimen of the species, my initial evaluation places Cutefish somewhere between chimpanzees and dolphins, at least in terms of demonstrated intelligence levels. A most remarkable creature in all respects."

    As if to underscore IANTO's assessment, Minou spread all five tentacles to grip the rim of the cooler, then started playing a game of peek-a-boo with anyone who cared to join in. Every time he popped up in front of someone, he chirped and gurgled at them until he was rewarded with a tickle or a gentle head rub. Occasionally, someone would feed him a small morsel of vegetable matter, which he appeared to enjoy immensely. As far as the history of Terran space exploration is concerned, I'd be hard-pressed to find anything remotely like how we've spent this particular afternoon.

    Okay, Spacers... I'll see your golf practice on Luna, and raise you four androids and a human taking high tea on a starship construction dock, with a giggling alien squid as a centrepiece. We have our Alice, but there's a wee shortage in the white rabbit, dormouse and Mad Hatter department.

    As they say, strange things happen at sea. We're getting quite used to it.
  • sayerulzsayerulz oregon Join Date: 2015-04-15 Member: 203493Members
  • Enderguy059Enderguy059 Australia Join Date: 2015-10-15 Member: 208486Members
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    Le bump!

    Merci beaucoup, Monsieur. :)
  • BugzapperBugzapper Australia Join Date: 2015-03-06 Member: 201744Members
    CHAPTER ELEVEN

    All things considered, the transfer of colonists went surprisingly well. There were a few minor incidents along the way, thankfully made manageable with a few well-chosen words and a ready smile. I have to admit, there were a few worried faces as we assembled the colonists at the head of the decontamination setup. It looks a mite intimidating, and there's probably some echoes of past infamy associated with herding people through a facility such as this. Having been a human in a previous life, I'm fully aware of how deep those mental scars can run.

    One thing was absolutely certain. The colonists need to be told what to expect. This version of the E-42 aerosol is suspended in a flash-evaporating fluorocarbon solvent that IANTO cooked up specifically for this application. Perfectly safe for contact with human tissue, but it does have one unfortunate side effect that won't endear it to anyone on the receiving end of this process.

    It's a wee bit nippy. Negative 45 degrees Celsius, to be precise.

    Of course, this sensation of intense cold is only momentary. To alleviate any physical distress, the final section of the spray race is equipped with heated blowers to take the chill out of your bones. Even so, it was obvious that a practical demonstration was required before anyone would enter. Unfortunately, any one of us androids wouldn't suffice, as I quickly discovered. Went through the whole process twice, in fact. Considering the amount of sound and fury that this rig generates, I'm not entirely surprised.

    I smiled winningly at Héloise. She muttered something remarkably obscene in Cantonese, squared her shoulders and set off through the decontamination tunnel. As she disappeared into the swirling clouds of aerosol vapour, I heard her stifled yelp of surprise as the full blast of the spray jets kicked in. Seconds later, the fans roared into life. This time, Héloise was rather less restrained in her reaction to cryogenic shock. Suffice it to say, the storm of Belter curses that ensued was loud, highly inventive and entirely unprintable. Rather than dismay the colonists, this outburst provoked gales of bawdy laughter. At my expense, I might add. Something tells me I might have to wipe out another Kharaa hive single-handed to regain any semblance of dignity, particularly after this little episode.

    Oh aye, the trip back to The Broch was such jolly fun. After the initial shock of decontamination, most of the colonists seemed to think it no worse than an unusually rigorous banya session. Granted, the icy dip came before the toasty-warm sauna part and there was a conspicuous absence of birch twigs. On the whole, our passengers settled down nicely afterwards. Well, aside from a trio of shrieking toddlers who could not be pacified by anything JUNO or I could say, do or offer. According to one of them, we are now officially Nasty Robots. Well, we'll just have to live with that.

    One of the positives of being an android is an innate ability to filter out certain audio frequencies.

    Smiling pleasantly to myself, I activated the sub's entertainment system and selected a fluffy Mozart piece to pass the time. Considering the level of suffering those wee howler monkeys are currently inflicting on our passengers, I should either select one of the Death Metal golden oldies as the next track, or flood the entire compartment with Anesthezine gas.

    Decisions, decisions...
  • Enderguy059Enderguy059 Australia Join Date: 2015-10-15 Member: 208486Members
    Flood it, Flood it, Flood It, FLOOD IT!
  • the_marinerthe_mariner US of A Join Date: 2016-12-29 Member: 225653Members
    Yes! GAS THE BASTARDS!
  • phantomfinchphantomfinch West Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Join Date: 2016-09-06 Member: 222128Members
    Yes! GAS THE BASTARDS!

    Whoa slow down hitler
  • the_marinerthe_mariner US of A Join Date: 2016-12-29 Member: 225653Members
    Yeah, that may have come out a bit wrong.
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