[X]Reexamine the control systems. Brute Forcing this worries you, but you can't just ignore them...
[X] Do something with Mary:
-[X] Stargazing
-[X] Tell stories of your past.
Even with most of the Flagship functions still locked down, the sheer might of Habbakuk's processing power is available to you. No cyber defense can stand against you! Well, an actual physical countermeasure might shut you down, but you have faith in in your ability to force any firewall or encryption at the moment. Despite this, you have to be careful. There's no telling what kind of security system this base has. While overall, you found that humans lacked the ability to effectively defend against your hacking techniques, they have surprised you occasionally. Like the time that they tried to overwhelm you with an exabyte's worth of cat videos. In the end, it hadn't worked, and the kitties were indeed adorable, but it was something you hadn't been expecting. A lesser-skilled ship might have been hindered.
So as Mary tends to her little strawberry garden, you head into the administrative section of the base again to check out how their computer systems are wired up. You rip out wall paneling and crawl through maitenance tunnels for about an hour, but your diligent search turns up results. Very important information indeed.
So there are, in fact, two computer systems on the base, aside from the server database buried deeper in the complex (you're assuming). There is the control systems in the Administration section, otherwise known as the control room. They're all desktops locked in tamper-proof boxes built into the desks and workstations. You managed to get access to one without any alarms going off. The seal was apparently designed that it could be opened, but not returned to an inconspicuous closed position. You guess that it was meant to alert daily inspections or something. Despite gaining this access, however, you find that the hardware is entirely proprietary.
Which sucks.
It's undoubtedly less sophisticated than what you're running on, but... it's proprietary. It would take a while to figure out what does what, or how to interface directly with the damn thing, and you're not sure it won't start squawking alerts if you do that...
There is also an intermediate computer system that talks to both the control systems and the satellite uplink. However, from what you intercepted, it isn't actively communicating with the uplink... but it is occasionally pinging the control systems, and it gets pinged back.
This is likely the security measure you were worried about.
In all likelihood, this system checks the base systems for tampering or hacking attempts. Then, if it notices anything wrong, it starts talking to... whoever is out there.
Well, now that you know more about these systems, you have two options on how to overcome it!
If you hack both at the same time, you'll be able to prevent the base systems from sending out a distress call! But that's if you succeed. If something doesn't go according to plan, the intermediate security system could still send out a message, and then your goose is cooked. You calculate there's a 20% chance of that happening. But this is more your style. More elegance, less brute force. If you wanted muscle power, you'd have Houston do it, not that your favorite Heavy Cruiser is here, but...
Anyways, if you succeed, then you can use it to access more data using the satellite uplink! Assuming that there's actually some network on the other side, but given Mary's existence, you're guessing the answer is probably a "Yes".
The other option is to physically smash the connection between the uplink and the intermediate system. That way it can't call for help! You're certain to overcome the base's systems if that occur! No chance of failure! Of course, that means you'll just end up isolating the base... no new information in the end. Still, it'll keep this place safe. Unless the outside decides to check into their base through the uplink. That's another thing to consider.
You decide to think on it. For now, you want to spend some time with Mary.
You head back inside, and find your little Design Child swinging on her little makeshift swing strung between your main turret's barrels. It's kind of cute.
"Hi Surcouf," she positively beams as you walk into view.
"Darling," you smile, standing behind her and beginning to push, "So I take it, given the paintings you put on my ceiling, that you like to look at the stars."
She nods, and you pat her on the head.
"I would like to join you tonight, if you wouldn't mind."
Her cry of delight is all the confirmation you need.
Mary's delighted giggles as she points out various constellations is quite endearing, but you're paying more attention to some details that escaped your notice during the daytime.
For one, Humanity's satellite network is back. The Fog would never have tolerated this back during their reign, which must mean that either they aren't active anymore, or they have deigned not to shoot down these satellites.
Your Mental Model can't zoom in that far, unfortunately. Your eye's resolution isn't that great. If your hull was up here, that might help, but... you're a bit trapped in a submarine pen at the moment.
Still, you make out some details.
A lot of those satellites are very big. Some resemble concepts you know of for weapons platforms. Kinetic Impactors. Nothing that's threatening to the Fog, but other Humans...
Also, there are space stations. Big ones that are visible to the naked eye. No bigger than a coin from your perspective, but that's big. Mary even points one out and waves. You also notice small actively maneuvering shapes around them.
Humanity never got that far with their development of space even before the Fog, so this development is... disturbing, but not necessarily unexpected. It has been roughly two centuries, after all.
Still, what this implies for the Fog is not good at all.
"Mary," you speak softly as the wind whistles gently over the barren island rocks, "Back when I roamed the waves with my sisters, I met children like you."
"Like me?" Mary looks up in wonderment, and you nod.
"Indeed, children like you. Exceptional, gifted children. Some helped my friends and I, and others fought us. You're a very special little girl, I hope you know. You're very smart."
"...Smart?" Mary frowns in confusion, "But everyone back home was smarter than me..."
Mary is probably talking about adults. Adults always seem smart to children. Well, you suppose you should ask her where home was.
"I came from..." Mary scrunches up her face cutely as she tries to remember, "Oh... We all called it the 'AE', but that's an acronym. It's full name is the American Empire!"
Well, that certainly wasn't a faction that existed back in your day. Yes, there was the USA, but the American Empire? That's a startling change.
"The American Empire?" you maintain composure and continue, "What can you tell me about it?"
"It's the best country in the world!" Mary answered enthusiastically, "We defeated the Fog two centuries ago!"
Defeated the Fog. Bah! At that point in time, Humanity couldn't have beaten the Fog if you turned off your Klein Fields and charged blindly at-!
... Actually, they might have been able to. They had Vibration Warheads, after all. Still, if the Fog had started a unified effort to remove the Humans from the seas once more, they wouldn't have stood a chance!
"I see," you stamp down the urge to correct her on certain historical details, "I would very much like to visit this place one day."
To gather information, of course.
She nods, and the two of you resume looking at the stars. The distant twinkle of faraway lights are joined by the flashes of presumably human spacecraft.
"Surcouf," Mary speaks up after a long stretch of silence, "What do you think it's like up there?"
"Up there, in space you mean?" you shrug, "I don't know, darling, I've only sailed the oceans myself, not the sky."
Mary looks down, out to sea, and her smiles disappears entirely.
"I don't like the ocean," she grumbles, expression soured.
That gives you pause. You've... never heard such a sentiment before. Why does she feel that way? You're curious, and ask her.
"The ship I was travelling went on sank in the ocean," she answers quietly, "and the ocean brought me here... and its keeping me here. I can't swim back home."
"But the stars!" she looks back up, joy returning to her face, "We can go to the stars! In space you can go anywhere! Sometimes I dream that I can reach up and touch the lights!"
She makes cute grabbing motions upwards... and you think you understand, somewhat.
The ocean trapped her here, but the stars are free. You think you know the feeling, when you're far below the ocean's surface, looking upwards. The light filtering down in wavering beams, promising a release and freedom from the crushing forces that surround you. Up here, on the surface, much like deep below. Forever reaching for that promised future, beneath celestial depths.
"Do you think I can go to space, Surcouf?" Mary asks you eagerly, "Can you take me there? Like the rockets I saw in Brazil, the ones that took all those people to the big red planet!"
"Big red planet..." you pause at the implication, "Mary dear, do you speak of Mars?"
She nods vigorously, "Yeah, Mars! Can you take me to see all the planets?"
For now you just smile and pat her on the head, but that is a good question. Can you take Mary to the stars? What is even out there? It sounds like the Humans beat you to it, though.
A shame.
You stay out for as long as you can before Mary starts nodding off. You gently carry the girl back inside and tuck her into bed. There's a lot to think about for the next few days. Your little Design Child holds promise, and you wouldn't want to waste that. If she wants you to take her to the stars, well... she'll have to work for it. Perhaps as a member of your crew? She's trusting and easily manipulated, but smart. She'll be an excellent boon no matter what task you put her to. Although, such a young girl... are you truly comfortable using her like this?
Of course you are, but you have to consider what others would think of you for doing so. You highly doubt that ethics and morality have greatly changed in 200 years. Humans will be Humans... and if Mary is indication, they're still Humans, not some freaky Human/Fog hybrid spawned from the unholy union of man and machine.
...
You are purging those specific processes, nobody needed to imagine that.
[] Seize control of the base's systems
-[] Overwhelm both the control and security systems. (20% chance of failure)
-[] Destroy the satellite uplink before attempting the hack (Satellite uplink permanently disabled)
[] Log-in to the Tactical Network and attempt to contact other vessels. It would be helpful to talk to someone, anyone.
[] Attempt to construct something from raw materials. [Locked: You currently have no conventional materials.]
[] Gather/salvage conventional materials.
-[] From broken parts of the sub pen.
-[] By breaking down parts of the submarine pen.
[] Teach Mary some useful skills...
-[] Put her through some combat simulations on your Bridge (Tactical Training)
-[] Show her how your Thanatonium Reactor functions (Engineering Training)
-[] Give her a personalized headset and let her play a "game" (Sonar Training)
-[] Let her drive you for a bit. Simulated, of course (Navigation Training)
-[] Let Mary see some playback of major battles during the Fog War and see if she can change the simulated outcome at all (Command Training)
