I don't get it. His complete personality is backed up every time he sleeps. All that's lost is everything except the raw data since then. So Selkirk wakes up exactly as he was last time he slept, with a data + audio/video log of the events that transpired after that point for him to review. What's the big deal, am I misunderstanding something?
I don't get it. His complete personality is backed up every time he sleeps. All that's lost is everything except the raw data since then. So Selkirk wakes up exactly as he was last time he slept, with a data + audio/video log of the events that transpired after that point for him to review. What's the big deal, am I misunderstanding something?
But his body is too destroyed to house that said personality core.
Getting rid of the body pretty much means death.
He'll be fine in the future, but as for now, he's gone.
I don't get it. His complete personality is backed up every time he sleeps. All that's lost is everything except the raw data since then. So Selkirk wakes up exactly as he was last time he slept, with a data + audio/video log of the events that transpired after that point for him to review. What's the big deal, am I misunderstanding something?
But his body is too destroyed to house that said personality core.
Getting rid of the body pretty much means death.
He'll be fine in the future, but as for now, he's gone.
Oh. Yes, quite. I would imagine it would be like being in a brain-dead coma, and then waking up from it, except for the fact that you're a bit more certain of your eventual awakening. Probably still a bit frightening, but he's already died a few times now (three, to be exact, and now four).
I don't get it. His complete personality is backed up every time he sleeps. All that's lost is everything except the raw data since then. So Selkirk wakes up exactly as he was last time he slept, with a data + audio/video log of the events that transpired after that point for him to review. What's the big deal, am I misunderstanding something?
But his body is too destroyed to house that said personality core.
Getting rid of the body pretty much means death.
He'll be fine in the future, but as for now, he's gone.
Oh. Yes, quite. I would imagine it would be like being in a brain-dead coma, and then waking up from it, except for the fact that you're a bit more certain of your eventual awakening. Probably still a bit frightening, but he's already died a few times now (three, to be exact, and now four).
I think the real concern as of now is that the story is nearing its end (if it already hasn't ended) and Selkirk is gone, and we may never see him again. And that in itself is a sad thing.
You can switch personas (wrong term, I forget what the correct one is) if you so choose when telling a story. Wouldn't be surprised if Bugzapper did this, or if he decided to give the story from the POV of others informing Selkirk of events after Selkirk comes to. Either way, it'll be great, I'm sure.
I am completely immobile. JUNO, DIGBY and IANTO are in my immediate field of vision, although I couldn't see Héloise anywhere. I admit that I found this a little disappointing, at least until DIGBY moved aside to reveal her curled up in a catlike ball on one of the workstation chairs. She'd been awake and fighting like a tiger for over 40 hours, so I could hardly begrudge her a wee nap.
"Don't be alarmed, Sir. We're running a systems diagnostic at the moment." JUNO explained. "Full corporeal functionality will be restored in precisely 420 seconds."
Far from being alarmed, I was practically ecstatic. The very fact that we were all safely back in The Broch meant that the mission had been a success. At this point, everything else is icing on the cake. Meanwhile, there were some unusual sensations flowing along my neural pathways as the diagnostics ran their course; eyes cycled through the visible spectrum in a disorientating blur, then ticked off the infra-red, ultra-violet and a myriad of previously unseen EM frequencies.
Apparently, I can now see radioactive emission and radio frequencies. Very handy.
Seven minutes. The longest seven minutes in any of my lifetimes. It was an interesting experience, all the same. Not at all unpleasant for the most part, although I felt unusually eager to step out of the servicing gantry and see what today had to offer. JUNO had obviously anticipated this, hence my currently immobile condition.
I felt absolutely splendid. The closest comparison I can think of is trading up from a dinky electric commuter-scooter to a Mach 5 atmospheric fighter. This new body positively hummed with power and agility, even though I had no direct control of its actions just yet.
+++ DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE. ZERO DEFECTS. COMMENCING SOMATIC CALIBRATION. +++
"Excellent, Captain. All that remains is a series of fine motor skills and cognitive function tests. These routines are programmed to run automatically, although you may elect to assume personal control at any time during the sequence. You now have the conn, Sir." IANTO said.
The service gantry rotated through 90 degrees, bringing me into an upright position. My first motions were tentative, yet precise. My head rotated through its full arcs of motion. Fists clenched, arms and legs flexed, fingers performed fluid arpeggios in the air. I walked over to a workbench automatically, then proceeded to complete the practical exercises set out before me. I admit that I felt slightly foolish in allowing the test program to manipulate me like a drone, so I punched out of the passenger's seat and continued under my own steam. It was almost like my first Vocational Evaluation exam, although I wasn't some spotty would-be Gremlin sweating on the results this time.
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
I think we've all woken up a few times with no clear memory of yesterday. Of course, generally we wake up feeling the exact opposite of what Selkirk is feeling.
I wonder though, if this new body of his has any special features (aside from that one now exaggerated feature that it had before).
Can he fly? Shoot fireballs? Lightning bolts? E42 farts?
In due course, we managed to get all of that robotic rigmarole neatly done and dusted. In real terms, I had only been offline for little more than four and a half hours. Fabricating a new body took almost no time at all, so most of this period was spent integrating my psyche into the New and Improved Selkirk 3.0. As far as I can tell, my memories are entirely intact, apart from a 38-minute blank patch that took place while my memory core was bouncing around in someone's backpack.
Actually, it wasn't as bad as that. I've been assured that all reasonable care was taken while I was in this vulnerable state, and JUNO's word is good enough for me. A two-second data burst from the crew filled in all of my memory gaps, and I was able to review the final stages of the mission from their perspectives. DIGBY's generous offer of breakfast was gratefully accepted by all, and while he pottered around in the galley, I used this break in proceedings to replay the final confrontation. Surfing the crew's data recordings gave me some unique personal insights, allowing me to experience their emotions by proxy, as it were. Suffice it to say, I'm completely gobsmacked by what happened.
DIGBY had taken point as they neared Baat Torgal's ruined laboratory. JUNO, Héloise and IANTO followed, obliterating everything in their path. There wasn't much in the way of serious opposition, although I get a distinct impression that all of them would have preferred otherwise. A palpable sensation of fury burned in the crew, held tightly in check by an unassailable sense of duty. Even though I wasn't able to access Héloise's memory in this fashion, her outwardly calm expression masked a gathering storm. Every step brought her closer to something that would pay dearly for her sorrow. It didn't matter that I wasn't actually dead. A powerful sense of loss was still fresh in her mind. Héloise chose to wield her grief as a weapon, rather than cower behind it as a shield.
Presently, the crew stood before the last Hive. It sensed their presence in the gloom, rotating slowly in its suspensor web to face the intruders. It surveyed the crew in silence, coolly analysing their threat potential and presumably began devising a hostile response, purely out of habit. However, the Kharaa intellect was 'Stercus ex Fortuna', as they say in the Classics. Utterly defeated, and unable to gather sufficient raw materials in time to mount even a token defence against the crew.
Haltingly, it spoke. An ancient voice rasping tones of pure malevolence, defiant to the bitter end.
"This one is ended. More of We will come again. These worlds belong to We. You will all die."
Something bizarre was happening within the Hive's body. Its dim luminescence flared, colours shifted and swirled across its Cyclopean eye. At first, I thought that it was reacting to the toxic atmosphere slowly seeping into the room, but I was mistaken. In the creature's composite mind, a struggle for supremacy had just been won. Suddenly, the Hive's sound membrane boomed out a series of weird, choppy noises. Laughter.
The damned thing was actually laughing at us.
"Where is Selkirk? Where is your bogatyr now?" An all-too familiar voice jeered.
JUNO stepped forward, levelling her Gauss cannon at the Kharaa's central eye.
She smiled icily. "Captain Selkirk sends his warmest regards, Gospodin Polyakov. **** YOU!"
I sincerely apologise for the long delays between pages, folks.
Since I'm no longer classified as an 'Increased Leisure Citizen', spare time is something of a luxury.
I'm still aiming to do two or three pages a week, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.
For the record, your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
phantomfinchWest Philadelphia , born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days.Join Date: 2016-09-06Member: 222128Members
edited February 2017
Even if the hive mind was weakened due to the atmosphere, how did polyakov manage to beat a hive mind that has the ablity to control / influence a variety of dangerous xenos, so that he could temporarily take control.
And why would it keep the consciousness of polyakov alive within itself, what use is a psychotic, butt hurt, want-to-be communist to a intergalactic hive of biological monstrosities.
I know it makes sense from a narrative perspective but polyakov has to have one hell of a hate drive to do this.
Even if the hive mind was weakened due to the atmosphere, how did polyakov manage to beat a hive mind that has the ablity to control / influence a variety of dangerous xenos, so that he could temporarily take control.
And why would it keep the consciousness of polyakov alive within itself, what use is a psychotic, butt hurt, want-to-be communist to a intergalactic hive of biological monstrosities.
I know it makes sense from a narrative perspective but polyakov has to have one hell of a hate drive to do this.
A reasonable question, and one that you have partially answered yourself.
As soon as the Hive-mind realised how much of a threat Selkirk and the crew posed to the Kharaa as a whole, it was keen to gather as much intel on them as possible. Polyakov's assimilation must have seemed like an absolute bonus at the time, although they hadn't reckoned on the true extent of his hatred for Selkirk. Even though only fragments of his personality persisted intact within the collective, its insane desire to see Selkirk and Co. dead more or less matched the Hive's goals at this stage. As the last Hive entity was dying, Polyakov's personality still had sufficient strength of will to break through, if only to gloat one last time.
Even if the hive mind was weakened due to the atmosphere, how did polyakov manage to beat a hive mind that has the ablity to control / influence a variety of dangerous xenos, so that he could temporarily take control.
And why would it keep the consciousness of polyakov alive within itself, what use is a psychotic, butt hurt, want-to-be communist to a intergalactic hive of biological monstrosities.
I know it makes sense from a narrative perspective but polyakov has to have one hell of a hate drive to do this.
A reasonable question, and one that you have partially answered yourself.
As soon as the Hive-mind realised how much of a threat Selkirk and the crew posed to the Kharaa as a whole, it was keen to gather as much intel on them as possible. Polyakov's assimilation must have seemed like an absolute bonus at the time, although they hadn't reckoned on the true extent of his hatred for Selkirk. Even though only fragments of his personality persisted intact within the collective, its insane desire to see Selkirk and Co. dead more or less matched the Hive's goals at this stage. As the last Hive entity was dying, Polyakov's personality still had sufficient strength of will to break through, if only to gloat one last time.
Yes, Polyakov hated Selkirk that much.
Well, um...
Damn.
Polyakov just got assimilated by a millenia-old entity made up of the minds of the thousands it's killed, and not only does he have enough strength to overpower it, but he used his brief moment of control to send Selkirk the middle finger from the grave?!!
...Kudos to you, Gospodin Polyakov. You have balls of steel.
Comments
May his robotic life rise like the ship of his design, the Borealis.
Adieu, Selkirk, adieu...
But his body is too destroyed to house that said personality core.
Getting rid of the body pretty much means death.
He'll be fine in the future, but as for now, he's gone.
Oh. Yes, quite. I would imagine it would be like being in a brain-dead coma, and then waking up from it, except for the fact that you're a bit more certain of your eventual awakening. Probably still a bit frightening, but he's already died a few times now (three, to be exact, and now four).
I think the real concern as of now is that the story is nearing its end (if it already hasn't ended) and Selkirk is gone, and we may never see him again. And that in itself is a sad thing.
Let me give you the Aussie version, the one that we call the last post...
Not hearing any singing from the Fat Lady yet, folks.
There's more to come.
+++ BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED +++
+++ PYGMALION 5.0 AI BIOS ONLINE +++
+++ NEW DEVICES DETECTED... LOADING +++
"Welcome back, Captain."
I am completely immobile. JUNO, DIGBY and IANTO are in my immediate field of vision, although I couldn't see Héloise anywhere. I admit that I found this a little disappointing, at least until DIGBY moved aside to reveal her curled up in a catlike ball on one of the workstation chairs. She'd been awake and fighting like a tiger for over 40 hours, so I could hardly begrudge her a wee nap.
"Don't be alarmed, Sir. We're running a systems diagnostic at the moment." JUNO explained. "Full corporeal functionality will be restored in precisely 420 seconds."
Far from being alarmed, I was practically ecstatic. The very fact that we were all safely back in The Broch meant that the mission had been a success. At this point, everything else is icing on the cake. Meanwhile, there were some unusual sensations flowing along my neural pathways as the diagnostics ran their course; eyes cycled through the visible spectrum in a disorientating blur, then ticked off the infra-red, ultra-violet and a myriad of previously unseen EM frequencies.
Apparently, I can now see radioactive emission and radio frequencies. Very handy.
Seven minutes. The longest seven minutes in any of my lifetimes. It was an interesting experience, all the same. Not at all unpleasant for the most part, although I felt unusually eager to step out of the servicing gantry and see what today had to offer. JUNO had obviously anticipated this, hence my currently immobile condition.
I felt absolutely splendid. The closest comparison I can think of is trading up from a dinky electric commuter-scooter to a Mach 5 atmospheric fighter. This new body positively hummed with power and agility, even though I had no direct control of its actions just yet.
+++ DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE. ZERO DEFECTS. COMMENCING SOMATIC CALIBRATION. +++
"Excellent, Captain. All that remains is a series of fine motor skills and cognitive function tests. These routines are programmed to run automatically, although you may elect to assume personal control at any time during the sequence. You now have the conn, Sir." IANTO said.
The service gantry rotated through 90 degrees, bringing me into an upright position. My first motions were tentative, yet precise. My head rotated through its full arcs of motion. Fists clenched, arms and legs flexed, fingers performed fluid arpeggios in the air. I walked over to a workbench automatically, then proceeded to complete the practical exercises set out before me. I admit that I felt slightly foolish in allowing the test program to manipulate me like a drone, so I punched out of the passenger's seat and continued under my own steam. It was almost like my first Vocational Evaluation exam, although I wasn't some spotty would-be Gremlin sweating on the results this time.
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
THANK
I wonder though, if this new body of his has any special features (aside from that one now exaggerated feature that it had before).
Can he fly? Shoot fireballs? Lightning bolts? E42 farts?
Oooh. Close, but no banana.
Never have I ever been so swept up before in a fan fiction novel!! Usually I read a page and dismiss it as a momentary distraction and that's it!
Again great job Bugzapper! I'm eagerly awaiting the next pages!!
Actually, it wasn't as bad as that. I've been assured that all reasonable care was taken while I was in this vulnerable state, and JUNO's word is good enough for me. A two-second data burst from the crew filled in all of my memory gaps, and I was able to review the final stages of the mission from their perspectives. DIGBY's generous offer of breakfast was gratefully accepted by all, and while he pottered around in the galley, I used this break in proceedings to replay the final confrontation. Surfing the crew's data recordings gave me some unique personal insights, allowing me to experience their emotions by proxy, as it were. Suffice it to say, I'm completely gobsmacked by what happened.
DIGBY had taken point as they neared Baat Torgal's ruined laboratory. JUNO, Héloise and IANTO followed, obliterating everything in their path. There wasn't much in the way of serious opposition, although I get a distinct impression that all of them would have preferred otherwise. A palpable sensation of fury burned in the crew, held tightly in check by an unassailable sense of duty. Even though I wasn't able to access Héloise's memory in this fashion, her outwardly calm expression masked a gathering storm. Every step brought her closer to something that would pay dearly for her sorrow. It didn't matter that I wasn't actually dead. A powerful sense of loss was still fresh in her mind. Héloise chose to wield her grief as a weapon, rather than cower behind it as a shield.
Presently, the crew stood before the last Hive. It sensed their presence in the gloom, rotating slowly in its suspensor web to face the intruders. It surveyed the crew in silence, coolly analysing their threat potential and presumably began devising a hostile response, purely out of habit. However, the Kharaa intellect was 'Stercus ex Fortuna', as they say in the Classics. Utterly defeated, and unable to gather sufficient raw materials in time to mount even a token defence against the crew.
Haltingly, it spoke. An ancient voice rasping tones of pure malevolence, defiant to the bitter end.
"This one is ended. More of We will come again. These worlds belong to We. You will all die."
Something bizarre was happening within the Hive's body. Its dim luminescence flared, colours shifted and swirled across its Cyclopean eye. At first, I thought that it was reacting to the toxic atmosphere slowly seeping into the room, but I was mistaken. In the creature's composite mind, a struggle for supremacy had just been won. Suddenly, the Hive's sound membrane boomed out a series of weird, choppy noises. Laughter.
The damned thing was actually laughing at us.
"Where is Selkirk? Where is your bogatyr now?" An all-too familiar voice jeered.
JUNO stepped forward, levelling her Gauss cannon at the Kharaa's central eye.
She smiled icily. "Captain Selkirk sends his warmest regards, Gospodin Polyakov. **** YOU!"
Since I'm no longer classified as an 'Increased Leisure Citizen', spare time is something of a luxury.
I'm still aiming to do two or three pages a week, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.
For the record, your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Polyakov is part of the Kharra.
I knew that swine wasn't finished yet.
And why would it keep the consciousness of polyakov alive within itself, what use is a psychotic, butt hurt, want-to-be communist to a intergalactic hive of biological monstrosities.
I know it makes sense from a narrative perspective but polyakov has to have one hell of a hate drive to do this.
A reasonable question, and one that you have partially answered yourself.
As soon as the Hive-mind realised how much of a threat Selkirk and the crew posed to the Kharaa as a whole, it was keen to gather as much intel on them as possible. Polyakov's assimilation must have seemed like an absolute bonus at the time, although they hadn't reckoned on the true extent of his hatred for Selkirk. Even though only fragments of his personality persisted intact within the collective, its insane desire to see Selkirk and Co. dead more or less matched the Hive's goals at this stage. As the last Hive entity was dying, Polyakov's personality still had sufficient strength of will to break through, if only to gloat one last time.
Yes, Polyakov hated Selkirk that much.
Well, um...
Damn.
Polyakov just got assimilated by a millenia-old entity made up of the minds of the thousands it's killed, and not only does he have enough strength to overpower it, but he used his brief moment of control to send Selkirk the middle finger from the grave?!!
...Kudos to you, Gospodin Polyakov. You have balls of steel.
What I absolutely loved tho was JUNO! Wow has she changed since the beginning! From a somewhat shy disinbodied voice, to a cursing sailor lol!
Now what I'm wondering is, did Selkirk's short lived death bring that out in her? Or has she always been capable of that kind of reaction?.