Conflict At Exodous Station
WarpZone
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6264Members
Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6264Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Fic about command station stress!</div> And now for something completely different: A fic all about struggling with the command station's interface! ^_^ I'm starting it off with some "NS world" type of non-game problems, then seguing into game situations as we go. Here is the begining:
*beep-beep... beep-beep-beep... BOO-BING!*
"Oooh! That's what turns me on!"
The logo of Ascendancy Interplanetary Inc. appeared in the lower right-hand corner of the main screen, and the pouty, pink-haired model wearing practically nothing bent over to drape her arms across the logo.
"Welcome to your Command Station, Senior Executive Sellenger," the young woman's voice crooned from the pod's small speakers, "I look forward to serving y..."
Squad Commander Benjamin Jenkins skipped the startup sequence. Text messages quickly filled the screen:
<Loading suplementary interface software... loading complete!>
<Error 372- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error 401- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error 79- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error...
Jenkins keyed in an override code to skip the remainder of the error messages. He hadn't read Ascendancy Interplanetary's procedures manual, but he could guess well enough what it would be telling him if he had the time to look up each number.
Internal scanners offline. Power transfer grid damaged in several places. Security doors locked down. Nanobot supply hovering around 50%. All the classic signs of nano-gridlock.
"Ready to move, commander," Private Karl Oddmund's voice reported over the com line.
"Standby," Jenkins said, swiping a TSA Command Interface disk through the data port again. This time going for a full OS reinstall.
The computer-generated trollup's voice suddenly said "Naughty, naughty!" and a text message popped up on the screen:
<ACCESS TO THIS FUNCTION HAS BEEN DISABLED. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR.>
"Damn!"
"Is there a problem, sir?" asked Private Ted Magoon.
Jenkins could see both soldiers in the overhead view. They were holding the space station's Ops area, nervously training their standard-issue LMGs on the doors as they awaited build orders. Poor **obscenity**. He knew what they were going through. He himself had served under commanders who'd seemed to just freeze up at times. There was always a good reason, of course. But the troops in the feild don't know that.
"Yeah, I'm having trouble getting the Command Station to accept TSA interface software," Jenkins told his troops. "I think it's loaded all our nano blueprints, but the interface is all screwed up. Spits out numbers instead of just telling me what's going on, and the icons are all corporate logos instead of pictures of our structures."
Okay, Jenkins thought, Second one from the right...
As soon as he'd clicked on the icon, an outline of the infantry portal appeared under his cursor. "Okay, it's working now."
Apparently, the programers who'd modified this command station had intended the build interface to work normally, but only if you already knew how to use it.
"Where do you want to die today," Jenkins muttered to himself, making sure the coms were off.
* * *
What do you think? Comments and Criticism, please! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
*beep-beep... beep-beep-beep... BOO-BING!*
"Oooh! That's what turns me on!"
The logo of Ascendancy Interplanetary Inc. appeared in the lower right-hand corner of the main screen, and the pouty, pink-haired model wearing practically nothing bent over to drape her arms across the logo.
"Welcome to your Command Station, Senior Executive Sellenger," the young woman's voice crooned from the pod's small speakers, "I look forward to serving y..."
Squad Commander Benjamin Jenkins skipped the startup sequence. Text messages quickly filled the screen:
<Loading suplementary interface software... loading complete!>
<Error 372- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error 401- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error 79- Please consult your procedures manual or supervisor.>
<Error...
Jenkins keyed in an override code to skip the remainder of the error messages. He hadn't read Ascendancy Interplanetary's procedures manual, but he could guess well enough what it would be telling him if he had the time to look up each number.
Internal scanners offline. Power transfer grid damaged in several places. Security doors locked down. Nanobot supply hovering around 50%. All the classic signs of nano-gridlock.
"Ready to move, commander," Private Karl Oddmund's voice reported over the com line.
"Standby," Jenkins said, swiping a TSA Command Interface disk through the data port again. This time going for a full OS reinstall.
The computer-generated trollup's voice suddenly said "Naughty, naughty!" and a text message popped up on the screen:
<ACCESS TO THIS FUNCTION HAS BEEN DISABLED. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR.>
"Damn!"
"Is there a problem, sir?" asked Private Ted Magoon.
Jenkins could see both soldiers in the overhead view. They were holding the space station's Ops area, nervously training their standard-issue LMGs on the doors as they awaited build orders. Poor **obscenity**. He knew what they were going through. He himself had served under commanders who'd seemed to just freeze up at times. There was always a good reason, of course. But the troops in the feild don't know that.
"Yeah, I'm having trouble getting the Command Station to accept TSA interface software," Jenkins told his troops. "I think it's loaded all our nano blueprints, but the interface is all screwed up. Spits out numbers instead of just telling me what's going on, and the icons are all corporate logos instead of pictures of our structures."
Okay, Jenkins thought, Second one from the right...
As soon as he'd clicked on the icon, an outline of the infantry portal appeared under his cursor. "Okay, it's working now."
Apparently, the programers who'd modified this command station had intended the build interface to work normally, but only if you already knew how to use it.
"Where do you want to die today," Jenkins muttered to himself, making sure the coms were off.
* * *
What do you think? Comments and Criticism, please! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
*growl*
No skulk, don't go kill the comm
*growl!!*
Ok Ok, go rush the n00b comm
*Growl!! Chuckle*
But since we can't do that in the "real world" of NS... I'll have to think of something else... ^_^