Super Robot Quest

Okay then, here's my first test omake:

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Defense Force Actions



25 July, A.D. 2070

You at least admit you completely overlooked the sappers' efforts in reinforcing the walls, what with your attention focused on the excitement over the previous month. As it stands, you take the opportunity one afternoon to be visibly seen walking along the new ramparts of the Institute.

You are legitimately impressed. They'd gone completely all out.

Combined with the aesthetics of an Old World university campus (restored with some modern but functional architecture), the immediate image that you can compare it to is some of the nicer EUDF bases closer to Unity Station. Wrought-iron gates with manned checkposts. Barbed wire along the top of concrete walls. Decorative features that, on closer inspection, are actually emplaced fighting positions for security to take cover in.

There are even wide areas of walled off open space. All in anticipation of future building projects. You could easily fit a landing pad, a bigger and expanded motor pool, or...whatever you can think of, really.

You definitely owe the sappers an apology.

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Engineering Actions


1153, 9 July, A.D. 2070
Motor Pool

"So, uh, good news," Wilde says as he rubs the back of his head. "We're definitely on our way to making the Hound configure into a Mecha form."

"The bad news," Henry continues, arms crossed and looking as stoic as ever, "is that you were right about not being ready for this month's demonstration."

Behind them, various Hounds are in a state of disassembly. Most look as if they had torn themselves apart from strong mechanical pressure, others due to crushed components. Each failed Hound, however, tells a story of learned lessons.

The most recent of the Hounds stand tall, and look mostly intact. However, you are able to see where the Duo had chosen to focus the joint movements on, and what they did surprises you. The truck stands upright on the rear half of the truck, the sections that would normally connect to the flatbed. The armored limbs scheme are already in place, and each standing example leaves no obvious angle at the internal parts. It is how to configure the Mecha form that each model disagrees on.

"This one," Wilde says as he raps a fist against the foot, "I chose to add rocket boosters to the torso to give it some lift in configuration. Easy to fuel and maintain, and you'd have to be configuring a hundred times in an hour to run out." He points up to the torso, which looks to be sagging just slightly forward were it not for the crane cables holding it in place. "Problem is, it'll stand for a little bit before it just falls over. I overdid it with the configuration components inside the cab."

Another one stands tall, this one on its own weight. But the torso appears...off. "Where are the windows on this one?" you ask. "I'd have thought they'd be in the front."

"This one we tried to just add rotational joints to the 'waist,'" Henry explains. "We kept the rocket booster idea since it worked pretty well, then just had the torso twist 180 degrees. It...works…" He looks a little hesitant. "But the problem is that we really couldn't make the cockpit compensate for it. That, and we had no way to really armor up the rear that becomes the 'front' of the torso. Works in theory, but impractical."

"And so on, and so on," Wilde agrees. Quite a few different varieties were attempted, but none passed their strict standards. You mentally snort. Any of these would likely have had some infantry commanders interested, particularly if they could get an armored tank on demand.. But to his Engineers?

It wasn't good enough for a Super Robot.

"They're all tentatively part of the CRX-04 line," Wilde says dismissively, "But I'm not going to say it's finished. I really, really want to get this working right before we can call it good!"

You nod. "That's fair. You can show some of the examples to the general, but I'll make sure she knows it's not ready." Your eye then catches another disassembled Hound, though the upper torso so ubiquitous with the other examples just isn't present. It's as if the entire upper cab simply...unfolded. Or opened up as a socket. "What about this one?"

"My idea," Henry says. "I'm honestly not sure we can make the Hound or anything bigger configure with our current understanding of it. So this is my stopgap; make the Hound an armor component of the Jackal."

You blink. "You mentioned something like that before," you muse. "...what do you see coming out of this approach?"

"The Jackal is quick enough to make it work," Wilde admits. He looks a little disappointed his approach didn't work, but he's not letting it keep him down too much. "Our new idea? We take the Jackal, and really soup the thing up. Give it all the bells and whistles, all the toys, all the shineys. Then we give it a custom configuration." He points to the unfinished Hound. "And make it the torso unit of the Hound." He gives a small, quick laugh of glee. "Combining Robots! Two engines! And we don't even have anything from the kaiju sample yet!"

Henry nods in agreement. He has not changed his pose once since you all started talking. "Honestly, we think a lot of our problems can be eased a little with whatever Sam can get us from the kaiju sample," he agrees. "But we won't know until we actually get it. And until Sam actually starts on it, he won't know either."

You ponder this as you study the broken down husks. "...we have been neglecting that," you think. "...we'll see what he has to say next month."



2019, 19 July, A.D. 2070
'The Lair'

It is a quiet Engineering Bay that watches the Season 1 finale of Brave Lord Valen (something Vassilyev insists is the only season).

Somehow, what had started as just a small fun project to introduce the AI to animated cartoons as an older form of human culture had turned into a group get together. Ignatov and his staff, Wilde and Henry taking a break from their project, Sam and a few of his researchers...even Sasaki joined in.

You can no longer bring it in you to be surprised when she proves to be quite familiar with the series.

Amazingly, the AI sat still and watched the entire thing, from start to finish. You all obviously took breaks - you all are human, and she isn't - but every time the episodes were rolled, she became quiet and watched the show in real time.

It's only after the end of season credits begin rolling that she says something.

"I know it's not real," she says. Far from the bubbly, manic voice from a month ago, the AI's voice and mannerisms have mellowed quite significantly. Though she still retains those moments all too often. "It's all fiction. But...do people really reach for something like that?"

Ignatov smiles gently. "Every person is different, child," he says quietly. You've noticed in the last month he has taken to adding that moniker when talking with the AI. You don't have the heart to tell him not to. "You have seen in the show, and with us, that everyone acts differently. Some people are shy. Some people are greedy. Some are loud, brash. And then there are people almost like the Brave Lord Valen. Like him, and the boy he chose as his pilot."

Sasaki takes the chance to speak up. "In human history, people fight each other over the most selfish reasons," she says. "Some people fight for their religion. Some fight for territory. Some fight for glory, for fame. But you also have many people who fight for their families. Their friends. Their homes. And in battle, where emotions are the strongest they ever will be in person, even the meekest person can show courage when no one thought it existed."

For what started as a children's show, you muse, Valen turned out to be quite the thought-provoking show, and showed a LOT of different people exhibiting different behaviors. "I'll just say this," you say. "Courage and fighting against injustice are good traits. They're signs that you want to make the world better than how you found it, and a better life for everyone. But you don't have to follow how the show does it." You smile a little. "Just put some thought into it, that's all."

Though the crew makes later plans to show additional shows to the AI, it's not something you make regularly. But you think this was hitting the AI at a very formative period of her development. Ignatov reports to you that now, more than ever, the AI (who is recently starting to answer to the name 'Katerina') is devoting more and more focus to improving every aspect of the limited servers she calls home.

At this rate she may very well create a supercomputer hub for you.



You have decided.

Putting the Duo, Dr. Ignatov, and Sam together in the same room for the same project is a terrifying prospect.

You really need to have them do this more often.

[See Interlude]


1233, 28 July, A.D. 2070
The Proving Grounds

"When I called you to schedule a demonstration, I was not expecting…" Peters seems to be at a loss for words. This is a first for you in the brief time you've known her.

"A dirt rally?" a man behind her says. You look over her shoulder to see a tall, slim man watching the proceedings with every hint of rapt attention. "I understand you have made modifications to these Coyotes, Major?"

Oh, dear you. Peters seems to not have informed him at all about what went on.

Callaghan was going to love this.

"Absolutely, Colonel," you agree, naturally enough. Colonel Franklin Kim, you gathered from Sasaki's digging around, was a member of the First Response Corps. Though each individual local county maintained their own services, for truly big emergencies (such as a kaiju raid), the FRC could arrive on incredibly short notice with enough resources and equipment to create a 'beachhead' until local responders could arrive. "And my team was able to greatly modify the basic Coyote chassis."

Turning to the side while you allow the pilots to make some truly ridiculous turns while skidding along the track, you activate the radio. "Callaghan."

"Sir?"

"I want you and Tellison to configure and engage in CQC Drill 2."

You can practically see the grin forming on his face over the radio. "Say no more, Sir."

As you turn your attention back to the demonstration, you are just in time to see Tellison - one of Sasaki's regular test pilots - tumble head over foot in his Jackal. Colonel Kim glances at you, and then seems somewhat surprised when you remain calm. "Keep watching, Sir," you advise, "This is the best part."

He looks up only to see Tellison configure into Mecha form and attempt to launch a haymaker onto Callghan's Jackal. For his part, Callaghan was already configuring, and had incorporated the configuration process into deflecting the strike with his arms and attempted to grapple Tellison. What followed was a very quick and intense back and forth between the two Mecha as they exchanged jabs, punches, and strikes.

Callaghan eventually comes out the victor - but you would say he had something of an unfair advantage. Considering what Sam was able to prepare just in time for this demonstration and all...well. That report is staying with you for awhile.

"Introducing, Sir, the CR-01 Jackal," you say in a showman-like voice. "Designed by our Engineering team, the design is combat-tested and has been blooded." Having left your radio transmit to "ON," Callaghan and Tellison can still hear you, even as Callaghan extends his Jackal's hand to pull Tellison back up to his feet. "As you can see, it offers greatly enhanced performance over the standard Coyote frame, and is the world's first design that boasts the Variable Configuration concept in motion."

On cue, both Callaghan and Tellison break into a sprint. "It offers quick response times, greater agility, and the ability to navigate broken terrain and urban environments." As the two duck and weave through broken areas of the track - something Sasaki chewed out the earlier pilots for ruining - you conclude, "And it's only the first of its kind. Though we retain our own versions of this model for Brigadier General Peters' Super Robot Project, you won't find anything else in the EUDF inventory quite like it."

Both pilots take this opportunity in mid jump to configure back into vehicle mode, speeding off towards the maintenance bay.

"...I have...just one question, Major," Colonel Kim says calmly. When you show he has your full attention, he asks, "How soon can the First Response Corps acquire some?"

"I can help you with this, Colonel," Peters says, stepping into the process smoothly. Knowing already this is your cue to step to the background, you allow Peters to enter the stage. "I do have a deal with General Armistead that any new developments that he can make use of will go to him. That said, any of your FRC units that are attached to his forces, I will make sure first manufacturing runs arrive to them…"

You sigh inwardly. The game of politics.

At least you know for sure you will get the resources you were promised after that demonstration.

You also suppose the scheduled cage match/boxing exhibition is just gratuitous to him now too.

Typical. After all the effort the Duo had put in...

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Science Actions

[See Interlude]


[See Interlude]

Sam really had his hands across a lot of projects this month. So much so (even in Engineering) that he's put together another video presentation for your perusal.

The familiar, cheesy music and overlay appear once again, giving the viewer ample warning to brace for the booming voice of-

"Sam Carlson here!" said booming voice announces. "And I'm pleased to announce we've made groundbreaking strides in the field of Extra Sensory Perception!" A breakaway stickfigure image of a giant in a psychic-enhancer helmet is shown stomping through a city with each step. "No…no, not those kinds of groundbreaking strides. But we're getting there!"

"Now, pay attention, because we've got a pretty big break to cover!"

The overlay image of the human brain is shown again. "Just about any human brain is capable of emitting very unique radio waves." Squiggly lines are shown emanating from the brain, and not really going anywhere. "But humans are so early in this development that they're pretty useless for anything practical." The brain is then promptly swallowed by a mockup of the psychic-enhancer helmet, and the radio waves are shown as much more defined and focused. "Now, we've discovered how to channel this into something we can actually use! We've managed to isolate those radio waves, and then channel them into machines. So I thought: can you make a Man Machine Interface without damaging the brain?"

The helmet emits a 'ding!' noise before opening, unveiling a turkey plate meal. "Uh…animators, I was actually thinking the analogy of 'turning the brain into a vegetable'-oh, look just cut this and-"

*bzzzt*

"Anyway! In cooperation with the Defense Force Research Institute Engineering Department-" There is a brief cutaway image of First Lieutenant Wilde, Sergeant First Class Henry, and Dr. Boris Ignatov (with Henry having a muted look wondering 'why am I here?'), "-we decided to see what we could come up with. Gentlemen? The floor's yours."

Videos of Wilde and Henry assembling a skeletal frame greatly resembling the Jackal are shown, along with Ignatov and the Novgorod team huddling over several computer stations typing like madmen. Wilde's voice then speaks in, the camera fully cutting to him as he walks backwards to his workstation, "Thanks for having us, Sam. So we talked it over, and the idea of an MMI is pretty awesome. But we compared notes with Sam's guys, and we figured out something really quick: the human brain really, really doesn't like it if you try to simulate something not like the human body."

Video logs of a female researcher struggling with a servo arm are displayed, with several repeated instances of a research assistant simply getting punched in the face in the most unlikely of ways. "Lucy over there was struggling because she kept trying to compare the servo arm to a regular arm," Wilde continues. "You can manage, but it's not intuitive; more joints means you keep trying to compare the wrong ones to something you're familiar with. And if you're in the heat of trying to fight something, that's something you don't wanna deal with. It'll probably turn the brain to pudding after awhile." Someone from off screen hands Wilde a bowl of…pudding. "Mmm, chocolate," Wilde says with a grin. "Henry?"

The camera shifts over to Henry standing in front of the skeletal frame of a customized Jackal, arms crossed and beret ever unmoving. "So in order to help make this easier for the human brain, we simply made sure to keep as much of the human joints as possible," he explains. Behind him, the frame begins to make very basic movements. "The elbows and knees bend as they should, you have comparable turning capability along the waist, and so on. The only difference is that the movements are appropriately heavier, but the brain will just think it's because it's 'wearing' the Jackal through the MMI. Doctor?"

The camera shifts one more time to Ignatov. "Thank you, Sergeant," he says. "The human brain has been called the greatest computer ever made, if only we could decipher it. It is highly unlikely we will ever fully understand it, but we understand enough to know what is easily processed." Overlaid with the movements of the frame, certain signals and strings of code are shown to be feeding directly into the computer. "Very, very few people will be able to act upon such commands. But with our current understanding of programming knowledge, it is all we are able to manage." He pauses, then smiles. "If, that is, you do not have a psychic-enhancer helmet."

The scene then shifts to a view of Lieutenant Callaghan conducting his little tank battle months ago. "The lieutenant's method of abstracting many of the commands, we believe, is the key," Ignatov continues. "The brain should not need to account for every single action, every single line of code. Perhaps one day it may get to that point, but right now it would be overwhelming. So we have calibrated the MMI to interface with the human brain as thus."

A side by side comparison of thought to action ratios are shown between the brain and the MMI, which then feeds into the frame almost instantaneously. "The human brain understands how the human body moves. It understands how to clench a fist, how to throw a punch, how to jump into the air. The brain will simply trust the MMI to handle the rest of the minutia it does not understand how to process. The MMI, in turn, is assisted by the brain handling the direct movements and freeing processing power to handle those tiny actions the brain cannot account for. Sam?"

"Thanks, fellas. Couldn't have said it better myself." An image of Callaghan walking on a treadmill (weighed down by a mechanical harness) is shown, with the frame walking alongside him on a much larger treadmill with an almost one to one translation. "So after putting all our brainpower together – heh – we figured, let's not stress the brain too much and let that crazy devil run with what it knows!"

An image of the 'dirt rally' between Callaghan and Tellison is then shown, with the actions-per-second and thought-to-action ratios displayed on Callaghan's Jackal, versus Tellison's manual-only controls. "The human brain is incredibly adaptable, and that extends directly to ESP! It can handle a lot more thought processes than you give it credit for, and it broadcasts just as many unseen thoughts that only a direct machine link can see. As long as the experience is comparable, and as long as you have the hardware to back it up, the human brain can do just about damned near everything!"

An image of a minesweeper game hopelessly lost is then shown in the corner. "Except that. Stupid game."

"I'll end this video on this note: we do not directly put in an MMI for vehicle mode. We almost had a repeat of Jack." He pauses. "We don't want a repeat of Jack. But what you can do is the same thing as earlier; just have enough of the MMI to handle direct motions the human body can account for, and the computer'll handle the rest. Steering? Done. Clutch? Perfectly okay. Pedal? Naturally! Mental 360 degree minimap of your surroundings? Doable. Simulating horsepower with your brain? Forget about it." An image of Callaghan steering the Jackal through the Proving Grounds proves his point, showing a now quite skilled pilot pushing his machine to its limits.

"And that's not the end of it! The more models the Engineering cats can crank out, the more refined we can make the MMI. And I can't wait to see what the kaiju samples offer; those could solve a lot of problems. Won't know for sure until we start taking bits out of the freezer though-PAUL! What did I say about lunch!?"

*bzzt*

"Sam Carlson, we're done here!"

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Results: Man Machine Interface Unlocked!
Man Machine Interface ready for field testing! Defense Force Action Unlocked!
ESP Theory has progressed to Advanced ESP!
ESP - Pushing Limts Ongoing! 1 RP Locked next turn!