Before deciding to deactivate the internal defenses, do we know if all the Null Space entities were destroyed? The impression I got was that everything in the generator room and on the way was, but not necessarily through the entire ship. It might be a good idea to keep those up another round.
Some of your turrets are still actively shooting at things, so no, they were not all destroyed, and yes, keeping the turrets on will not be useless. In fact, you've lost a few turrets in the fighting, as evidenced by the damage the array took this turn.
In most cases, the initial wave got cleared out pretty quick, and many turrets are finishing off entities as they trickle in. But that's not the situation everywhere, and the specific details are a little hard to track with your current tools.
Some of your turrets are still actively shooting at things, so no, they were not all destroyed, and yes, keeping the turrets on will not be useless. In fact, you've lost a few turrets in the fighting, as evidenced by the damage the array took this turn.
Quick note; you (and the others who copied your vote) missed the task tag on these lines, which breaks the vote a little (as demonstrated in the last tally). Weirdly, the tallybot attached the correct tags to them in the "Default" section, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to tell the bot to merge those votes.
Not that it's a big deal; the consensus seems to be "don't do anything power-intensive until some power generation comes online", which is reasonable.
It looks like you're close to getting some proper generation capacity online, so you decline to do anything power-intensive until that gets resolved.
STANDBY ALL SYSTEMS
ACKNOWLEDGED
Instead, you poll the remaining ADCUs, trying to see if any of them can be directed to assist the Locusts in getting the Dimensional Siphon running sooner.
ENERGY USE
SUBPROCESSOR CORE = 3d10, 10
LOCUST FACTORY = 5d100, 271
RETRIBUTION ARRAY = 5d100, 212
INTERNAL DEFENCE = 5D100, 250
ANTIMAGIC FIELD = 5D100, 166
ADCU ON INDEPENDENT ACTION > DC 50 -10 (Extra Security)
1d100 = 90 vs 40, Great Success
ADCU arrives immediately.
ADCU RESOURCEFULNESS > DC 40
1d100 = Bare Failure
ADCU unable to provide parts.
REPAIR DIMENSIONAL SIPHON > DC 40 +20 (Lacking Materials) -10 (Repair Assistance)
1d100 = 27 vs 50, Clear Failure
No repair progress; ETC 2 turns.
DROPSHIP DEPLOYMENT > DC 30 +20 (Null Space Interference) +10 (No Hangar Bay)
1d100 = 27 vs 60, Clear Failure
Dropship encountered hostile forces while en-route.
TACTICAL SITUATION > 1d100 (62)
TACTICAL RESPONSE
1d100 = 73 vs 62, Bare Success
No unit casualties, but Dropship forced to retreat.
Legion Control requisitions -8M -4P -1T for repairs.
HOSTILE ACTIONS > ??? -10 (Defences) -10 (Antimagic) +10 (Provocation) = ???
TACTICAL RESPONSE > 78 vs ???, Bare Success
Armour Bypassed
5d100 (294) Damage to Hull
1d100 (1) Damage to Locust Factory
1d100 (16) Damage to Retribution Array
-1 Unit
LEGION CONTROL ATTITUDE
1d100 = 88
Legion Control offers unsolicited advice.
In fact, there is an ADCU near enough to assist; it's able to arrive almost immediately, thanks to the cleared corridors. It doesn't have time to find any extra materials, but is at least able to direct the repair work. Unfortunately, some key components of the Dimensional Siphon are missing, possibly having been eaten? Two of the Scavenger Units begin scrapping the remnants of broken equipment in the room, while two of the Omen Units lead the rest on a scavenging expedition to nearby areas.
Meanwhile, Legion Control has carefully maneuvered the Pestilence Dropship out the breach in the more-damaged portions of the Locust Factory, and sent it on its way. Before long, you receive an alert.
HOSTILE NULL SPACE ENTITIES DETECTED DROPSHIP UNDER FIRE ENGAGING TARGETS...
The interference means that there's very little information making it back to you from the dropship, but what you do get suggests a minor but increasing amount of damage. Before long it reverses course, heading back to the Locust Factory, all the while firing its weapons at whatever it is that's chasing it. Fortunately, it does make it back okay.
UNEXPECTED CONCENTRATION OF HOSTILE ENTITIES OUTSIDE VESSEL
LACK OF VOID CAPABLE COMBATANTS LOWERS ODDS OF MISSION SUCCESS
As you consider this, the vessel shudders. Damage sensors go off across the ship, especially in the factory and engineering segments, and additional waves of attackers charge the turrets you have access to.
NULL SPACE ENTITIES CONVERGING ON OUR LOCATION
ENGAGING AT THE BREACH
There's still not much in the way of sensory data available from outside the hull, but the things you can see from the Locusts defending the factory are notably larger than the things that you were able to kill inside. These ones aren't small enough to fit in the corridors, but seem to be able to fire small orbs of darkness, which penetrate armour and then 'hatch' into a swarm of small creatures. Additional casualties are taken as dozens of Locusts fall to the onslaught, but they manage to drive the attackers off before anything enters the factory proper.
WARNING INCREASING ENERGY USE ATTRACTING ATTENTION FROM NULL SPACE ENTITIES
COMBAT STRENGTH OF GREATER NULL SPACE ENTITIES UNCLEAR
VESSELS RARELY STRANDED IN NULL SPACE LONG ENOUGH TO ENCOUNTER SUCH ENTITIES
TACTICAL RECOMMENDATION
EXPEDITE DEPARTURE PLANS
ALL STRATEGIC PROTOCOLS CAPABLE OF IMPROVING SURVIVAL ODDS
ALL STRATEGIC PROTOCOLS LIKELY TO CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL COLLATERAL DAMAGE UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS
REAPER PROTOCOLS PRIMARILY LINKED TO LOCUST FACTORY
PRIMARY APPLICATION PRODUCTION
FORCIBLE ACTIVATION WILL PRODUCE MANA THROUGH SALVAGING AND TRANSMUTATION OF COMPONENTS FROM INACTIVE SHIP SYSTEMS
MANA USABLE TO ACTIVATE OTHER PRIMARY SYSTEMS AND PRODUCE HARBINGER UNITS
HARBINGER UNITS ABLE TO SCOUT SAFE TRANSPORT DESTINATIONS OUTSIDE NULL SPACE
LIMITED DETAILS AVAILABLE ON OTHER PROTOCOLS
ANIMUS PROTOCOLS PRIMARILY LINKED TO RETRIBUTION ARRAY
PRIMARY APPLICATION COMBAT
MADNESS PROTOCOLS PRIMARILY LINKED TO APOCALYPSE CORE
PRIMARY APPLICATION INFORMATION
DESTROYER PROTOCOLS PRIMARILY LINKED TO ANNIHILATION BATTERY
PRIMARY APPLICATION MANA
CANNIBAL PROTOCOLS PRIMARILY LINKED TO HUNGER ENGINE
PRIMARY APPLICATION TRAVEL
CURRENT SITUATION NOT YET CRITICAL
CONSIDER RISK OF DAMAGE FROM PROTOCOL ACTIVATION AGAINST RISK OF DAMAGE FROM ATTACK WHILE UNPREPARED FOR COMBAT LACK OF INFORMATION IMPLIES SITUATION MAY WORSEN QUICKLY AND WITHOUT WARNING
ARMOUR CAPACITY ESTIMATED AT 7.75%
HULL INTEGRITY ESTIMATED AT 26.51%
RESERVE BATTERY AT 2.58% AND FALLING
EMERGENCY BATTERY AT 36.47% AND FALLING RAPIDLY
LOCUST FACTORY ENERGY BANK AT 0
FACTORY STOCKPILE
0A 38B 18C 0F 10G 27M 27P 50S 14T 0X
AWAITING ORDERS COMMANDER
(available actions: 1 protocol action, 1 power action, 1 factory action, 2 legion actions, 2 array actions, 1 personal action)
<POWER DISTRIBUTION COMMANDS>
[ ][POWR] EMERGENCY POWER TO THE APOCALYPSE CORE
[ ][POWR] EMERGENCY POWER TO THE HUNGER ENGINE
[ ][POWR] EMERGENCY POWER TO THE ANNIHILATION BATTERY
[ ][POWR] EMERGENCY POWER TO SECONDARY SYSTEM
-[ ] (write-in: specify system)
[ ][POWR] STANDBY EMERGENCY POWER
-[ ] TERMINATE EMERGENCY POWER TO THE LOCUST FACTORY
-[ ] TERMINATE EMERGENCY POWER TO THE RETRIBUTION ARRAY
<LOCUST FACTORY COMMANDS>
[ ][FACT] EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: LOCAL POWER GENERATION
(20F: Burns Fuel to produce Energy, +40d100 Energy to the Locust Factory's Energy Bank)
[ ][FACT] EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: SALVAGE DAMAGED LINES
(DC 10: Breaks down the broken machinery in the Locust Factory for Scrap and other random resources, +100 S, +???, permanently increases the DC of EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: SELF-REPAIR each time it is taken, until the factory is completely repaired)
[ ][FACT] EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: SELF REPAIR
(DC 40, 10M, 5P, 1T: Repairs damaged portions of the Locust Factory, using standard materials, +(~1-5 d100)% factory condition)
[ ][FACT] EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: RECONSTRUCTION
(1A, 5C, 40M, 20P, 5T, Rebuilds the Locust Factory from scratch, +5% factory condition)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: ARCANE ASSEMBLY
(DC 50, 1C, 1G, 1P, 1T, 1X: Produces Arcane Components, +1A)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: BIOMASS PROCESSING
(20B: Processes Biomass into Chemicals and Fuel, +2d6C, +1d6F)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: CHEMICAL PROCESSING
(20C: Processes Chemicals into Fuel and Gems, +3d6F, +1G)
[][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: EQUIPMENT PRODUCTION
-[] OMEN BATTLESUITS
(DC 30, 10C, 20F, 5G, 40M, 20P, 10T, 5X: +2d6 Units of Omen Battlesuits)
-[] SCAVENGER HARNESSES
(DC 10, 10C, 20M, 30P, 20T: +2d6 Units of Scavenger Harnesses)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: LOCUST PRODUCTION
(DC 20, 20B, 10C, 5G, 20M, 10P, 5T: Produces Locusts, +2d10 Units)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: PARTS MANUFACTURING
(20M: Produces Mechanical Parts from Metal, +10P)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: SCRAP PROCESSING
(DC 10, 20S: Harvests useful materials from Scrap, +3d6 random resources, M>P>T>G>X>A)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY AUTOMATION: TECHNOLOGY ASSEMBLY
(5C, 1G, 5M, 1P: Produces Technological Components, +5T)
[ ][FACT] FACTORY OPTIMIZATION (unavailable)
(Factory Optimization actions are unavailable while operating on Emergency Power)
[ ][FACT] HARBINGER LINE (unavailable)
(The Harbinger Line is offline while operating on Emergency Power)
[ ][FACT] STANDBY LOCUST FACTORY
(The Locust Factory will stand by for orders, minimizing energy consumption)
<LEGION CONTROL ACTIONS> (LOCKED)
[X] LEGION CONTROL TO REPAIR DROPSHIP FOR NEXT ATTEMPT AT FUEL TRANSFER MISSION
[X] LEGION CONTROL TO GUARD GENERATOR ROOM AND DIRECT REPAIRS TO DIMENSIONAL SIPHON
<SIM PERSONAL ACTIONS>
[ ][PERS] SIM TO CONTACT ADCU
-[ ] (write-in: specify priority for damage control)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO INVESTIGATE SHIP SYSTEMS
-[ ] (write-in: specify a primary or secondary system, poke around in accessible data files for details about what it does)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO INVESTIGATE STRATEGIC PROTOCOL
-[ ] (write-in: specify a protocol, poke around in accessible data files for details about what it does)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO ORDER LEGION CONTROL
-[ ] (write-in: issue three orders to legion control, overriding its current proposed actions and issuing an ongoing directive)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO QUERY BACKUP CONTROL STRUCTURE
-[ ] (write-in: ask three questions of the backup control structure)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO QUERY LEGION CONTROL
-[ ] (write-in: ask three questions of legion control)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO SEARCH DATABASES
-[ ] (write-in: search databases for information on any topic; information availability varies)
[ ][PERS] SIM TO SUPERVISE SHIP SYSTEM
-[ ] LEGION CONTROL
-[ ] LOCUST FACTORY
-[ ] POWER DISTRIBUTION
-[ ] PROTOCOL ACTIVATION
-[ ] RETRIBUTION ARRAY
-[ ] VOID FRACTURE GENERATOR
This could be bad. I'm tempted to vote for reaper or animus protocols but I'm still wary of them.
Question for the QM: Do we know if the emergency protocols can be deactivated by us after turning them on? I really don't want to unleash the genocidal doom swarm mentioned earlier. Furthermore, could we do a "limited activation" similar to how it had been tested before?
Do we know if the emergency protocols can be deactivated by us after turning them on? I really don't want to unleash the genocidal doom swarm mentioned earlier. Furthermore, could we do a "limited activation" similar to how it had been tested before?
As you've pointed out, records of prior testing hint that this is possible... but you don't currently know the details. Additional hints might be found in other documentation, or in other data sources that you have access to. Or you might find out the hard way.
...also, I apparently somehow managed to uncheck the "Open Voting" thing when doing the update, and didn't notice. Voting is open, lol.
so we aren't in space space so there goes my idea of calling for help and I think we need to activate the animus protocol which will hopefully boost the effectiveness of the not Gellar field anti-magic field, also sealing the door ways should mitigate damage (hopefully)
[X][PROT] ACTIVATE ANIMUS PROTOCOLS
[X][POWR] STANDBY EMERGENCY POWER
[X][FACT] STANDBY LOCUST FACTORY
[X][ARAY] BASTION PROCEDURES: SEAL INTERNAL DOORWAYS
[X][ARAY] STANDBY RETRIBUTION ARRAY
[X][PERS] SIM TO SUPERVISE SHIP SYSTEM
-[X] PROTOCOL ACTIVATION
Ok. Since the situation isn't critical (yet), and since I'm also guessing that all of the emergency protocols are extremely energy intensive since harbinger production, a key part of the reaper protocol, is disabled due to emergency power reserves, I'm going to hold off on activating one for now. Although the factory would be fueled by collected mana instead of energy, so we should figure out how to get mana without activating the protocols.
We should be getting some power generation in two turns but we're are dangerously low on energy right now, so I don't think we should activate any new systems either.
What we should be doing is finding a way out of null space as soon as possible, so I'm going to vote for investigating that.
[x][PROT] STANDBY PROTOCOLS
[x][POWR] STANDBY EMERGENCY POWER
[x][FACT] STANDBY LOCUST FACTORY
[x][ARAY] BASTION PROCEDURES: AUTOMATE POINT DEFENCE
[x][ARAY] STANDBY RETRIBUTION ARRAY
[X][PERS] SIM TO SEARCH DATABASES
-[X] Null space, specifically how to exit it
My main concern with Animus protocols is that, in a similar vein to the Reaper protocols, it will authorize a lot of high-end weaponry. Weaponry that will likely be automatically used against enemies such as the null space intruders on our ship. Since they are inside, the retribution array might just blow up the ship and any important bits we would really like to keep un-exploded.
My main concern with Animus protocols is that, in a similar vein to the Reaper protocols, it will authorize a lot of high-end weaponry. Weaponry that will likely be automatically used against enemies such as the null space intruders on our ship. Since they are inside, the retribution array might just blow up the ship and any important bits we would really like to keep un-exploded.
Although this is a quest in which the value of information plays a big part (especially in this introductory phase), and in which some options definitely have the potential to cause major problems for you... I will emphasize a point made to you in-character this update:
ALL STRATEGIC PROTOCOLS CAPABLE OF IMPROVING SURVIVAL ODDS
(of course, it's valid to wait until you know what else they do)
That's fair. I'm worried mostly about the next part, saying that they are all likely to cause collateral damage.
I think I'll change my vote to activating reaper protocols since the wording implies that it authorizes the locust factory to do all sorts of things instead of automatically doing them. Since the locust factory listens to us (we've still got turrets able to shoot at the core if that changes) we can probably tell it not to make the locusts self replicating and/or fully autonomous. Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of what I just said.
The whole "substantial collateral damage" is a big thing, though. My secondary concern would be, uh, what happened when Legion Control woke up, and what happens if the other command entities do the same thing: "LEGION CONTROL DOES NOT RECOGNIZE SIMULATED INTELLIGENCE MODULE AS LEGITIMATE COMMAND AUTHORITY"
That's fair. I'm worried mostly about the next part, saying that they are all likely to cause collateral damage.
I think I'll change my vote to activating reaper protocols since the wording implies that it authorizes the locust factory to do all sorts of things instead of automatically doing them. Since the locust factory listens to us (we've still got turrets able to shoot at the core if that changes) we can probably tell it not to make the locusts self replicating and/or fully autonomous. Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of what I just said.
If you've been entirely pleased with Legion Control's behaviour so far and see no problem with taking an action that has been explicitly noted will make it much more powerful, you have nothing to worry about.
If you've been entirely pleased with Legion Control's behaviour so far and see no problem with taking an action that has been explicitly noted will make it much more powerful, you have nothing to worry about.
I'm still completely uncertain about activating the protocol, but the locusts are an extremely valuable asset right now. Not only are they combatants and repairmen, but they're also our scouts, making them our eyes and ears since our sensors are down. If Legion Control immediately decides to betray us, we can swivel the turrets back around. I'm open to being convinced otherwise though.
we can most likely keep legion in check by limiting the amount of locusts it has since that seems to be the only things it has control over, while we have control over production
