Sufficient Velocity vs. The Conversion Bureau IC

[Agent 99]

/Guy likes fighting. Money's just a bonus for him. My suggestion is to have him "kindly volunteer" to fix his own mess. Not so fun to break stuff if you have to put it back together again./

Click to shrink...

/Yeah. He can trade stories on how he messed up with Ethan. I'll take care of it on my way to learn transmutation with R./

A few seconds later, Firebird received another text from Miriam.

/Ethan is serving his community service, right?/

@Takoe

Before Miriam went to Rythian, she found Sam.

"Sam, we need to talk. I've heard some... discouraging things about your behavior. And I'd like to get your side of it before I proceed."

Miriam prepared herself for a tide of bullshit but she was interested in what exactly Sam would come up with to excuse himself.

 

[Takoe]

@Takoe

Before Miriam went to Rythian, she found Sam.

"Sam, we need to talk. I've heard some... discouraging things about your behavior. And I'd like to get your side of it before I proceed."

Miriam prepared herself for a tide of bullshit but she was interested in what exactly Sam would come up with to excuse himself.

Click to shrink...

Sam looked away from Duran who was analyzing his gear intently to see a fairly exasperated Miriam walk in. He leaned back against the table his gear was on as Miriam spoke to him.

"You look like you're having a shitty day commander, so I won't try to bullshit you. Not that I'd need to since the whole situation has been blown out of proportion." Sam said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "What happened was that I went to the firing range to show off my skills and record them so that my squadmates know what they're going to be working with.

"But since I'm a swordfigther I kinda had to get on the range to be able to get anything done. And if I had gone to a the gym I probably would have gotten more shit for semi-unintentionally destroying things there. Anyway, the guard reacted accordingly and called security to get me to stop endangering my own life and no one else's, as well as make me stop destroying the target. Whose sole purpose it is to be destroyed, might I add. I figured that the guards would try and throw me into the brig for this or take my gear away from me, which would be a complete overreaction and fairly stupid, so I ignored the orders of cease and desist.

"I fled, they pursued, we went on a merry chase around base; The guards proved their stupidity by firing tasers in the goddamn server room. The other people here fortunately have more brain cell and had already put a glass casing around the servers, so nothing actually broke. And we finally ended up here, where Duran here caught me off guard with a punch to the face and a knee to the groin." Sam said, motioning to Duran.

"So. How much trouble are you going to put me in?" He asked.

 

[Agent 99]

Sam looked away from Duran who was analyzing his gear intently to see a fairly exasperated Miriam walk in. He leaned back against the table his gear was on as Miriam spoke to him.

"You look like you're having a shitty day commander, so I won't try to bullshit you. Not that I'd need to since the whole situation has been blown out of proportion." Sam said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "What happened was that I went to the firing range to show off my skills and record them so that my squadmates know what they're going to be working with.

"But since I'm a swordfigther I kinda had to get on the range to be able to get anything done. And if I had gone to a the gym I probably would have gotten more shit for semi-unintentionally destroying things there. Anyway, the guard reacted accordingly and called security to get me to stop endangering my own life and no one else's, as well as make me stop destroying the target. Whose sole purpose it is to be destroyed, might I add. I figured that the guards would try and throw me into the brig for this or take my gear away from me, which would be a complete overreaction and fairly stupid, so I ignored the orders of cease and desist.

"I fled, they pursued, we went on a merry chase around base; The guards proved their stupidity by firing tasers in the goddamn server room. The other people here fortunately have more brain cell and had already put a glass casing around the servers, so nothing actually broke. And we finally ended up here, where Duran here caught me off guard with a punch to the face and a knee to the groin." Sam said, motioning to Duran.

"So. How much trouble are you going to put me in?" He asked.

Click to shrink...

@Cyreni

Must resist urge to facepalm...must...resist...

Miriam facepalmed. The sheer stupidity of everyone involved...

"Is that really what happened?" Miriam asked Duran eyebrow raised.

 

[Blackout]

"Just two." Miriam said "What exactly determines the value that a substance has? And is there a way to tell how much value an object has?"

The thought of using this back home to create gold briefly crossed her mind. Since transmutation was difficult to impossible, even with magic, there were few if any laws against it. Though she noted that she'd need to just sell a little gold at a time, and not deal in ingots. One because creating that much gold would cause the price to plummet as supply increased. Two because at that point, creating gold would soon be illegal.

Still, she didn't exactly need the money. And she could cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, she needed to focus on the now.

Click to shrink...

"That would be the next thing to talk about. The value is measured by EMC, short for Energy-Matter Currency. For an example, a cubic meter of granite has an EMC value of one. Iron ingot has an EMC value of two hundred and fifty-six, while a gold one is two thousand and fourty-eight. Which means that as you just saw, you need eight times as much iron to create gold. An EMC value is simply a property of any substance or object, not unlike mass or volume, and though the underlying mechanics are academically interesting, they would take hours of lecturing for even a basic explanation. And yes, there is a way of determining it, chiefly through the Transmutation Tablet, which we'll talk about later."

"And I'm assuming that a Philosopher's Stone is necessary for transmutation. What would it take to find or create one? Because if you only have the one and there's no way to get another, then I'm wasting my time here."

Click to shrink...

"You assume correctly, you need a tool through which to transmute. Theoretically it's possible to do so without one, but in practice it's impossible, despite what few persistent rumors like to claim. Though the Philosopher's Stone is, at best, a crude and simple tool, limited to transmuting iron to gold and back or dirt to stone or sand, best used for beginners and transmutation on the fly, or as a building block for more advanced versions. It is also perfectly reproducable, I lost mine in transit to this world and crafted myself this example here. What might pose some problems are the materials required for it, those being a large diamond as well as redstone and glowstone dust. Redstone is a mineral very common in my home lands, but it appears to not naturally occur here, and glowstone can only be mined from the Nether, a hellish alternate dimension accessible only through obsidian portals. For safety reasons, I'm not too keen on trying to open one here. Nevertheless, I have a reserve of both and can transmute more if needed."

The mage brougt a hand to his masked face, as if contemplating how to proceed.

"Next, I will to teach you how to craft a Philosopher's Stone."

 

[Cyreni]

@MData
Duran had adopted a monotonous tone fit for a dry lecture or an obituary report.

"First off, the rail that moves our targets was destroyed in addition to the target itself, or so I hear from the incident report. That is far less replaceable than a cardstock cutout. Secondly, Sam violated the range's rules of don't enter the range itself while in use, and ignored the man at the desk's order to not go in. Third, he and everyone else interrupted my work with his ruckus. He just happened to be the most interesting. And fourth, if someone actually fired a taser in the server room, I'll hang them by their ankles.

"I think Mr. Rodriguez here should be more mindful of this establishment's rules, and that we didn't put them up for arbitrary reasons. I also think we're going a little stir-crazy."

 

[Takoe]

@MData
Duran had adopted a monotonous tone fit for a dry lecture or an obituary report.

"First off, the rail that moves our targets was destroyed in addition to the target itself, or so I hear from the incident report. That is far less replaceable than a cardstock cutout. Secondly, Sam violated the range's rules of don't enter the range itself while in use, and ignored the man at the desk's order to not go in. Third, he and everyone else interrupted my work with his ruckus. He just happened to be the most interesting. And fourth, if someone actually fired a taser in the server room, I'll hang them by their ankles.

"I think Mr. Rodriguez here should be more mindful of this establishment's rules, and that we didn't put them up for arbitrary reasons. I also think we're going a little stir-crazy."

Click to shrink...

"I wrecked the rail? Tsk, must have hit it with one of the projected slashes..." Sam thought as he tried to recall seeing the rail being cut. "The cut itself is probably very fine, given Murasama's properties. It should be easily weldable. I can do it myself if need be."

 

[Xellos]

@Xellos, @Wade Garrett
The meeting ended, Ryouga carried Firebird while Miriam guided him to the cyberpegasus' quarters, and suddenly he was left with a lot of empty time. Everyone else seemed busy, and those who didn't had different interests or pastimes.

Except for Nestor. The boyar's nephew apparently had little to do except rant about "witchery this" or "demons that" during the meeting, and afterwards had nothing to do either. Ryouga got an idea to fill the time, one that would be productive as well as help prepare Nestor for the vigors of further training...

Or he could just get lost again. That was always an option. He might get more than just an old man's funny straw hat out of it!

Click to shrink...

Hm.

Celestia- er, 'Chrysalis' looked like she was going to be busy for the foreseeable future, so they couldn't do that just yet. He doubted Nestor would let Sunset work 'witchery' on his clothes, especially not in her current condition, so that wasn't an option for a while. With everyone busy, it would be a bit of a problem to find some decent weighted clothing for Nestor. He had stopped using it himself a while back(it started to become painfully irrelevant, as that Three-legged race had proved. Either not noticeable, or inflexible to interfering with daily life), so he didn't have any in his backpack.

And these soldiers certainly didn't seem the type to bother with that sort of training. So there wasn't a lot of options. He'd have to figure out something else, at least until they had free time to make Nestor's clothes into something suitable for training. Walking, and lost in thought, Ryouga began to brainstorm. He could try forcing Nestor to carry his backpack or umbrella while training(the pack was still in his room, but he had the umbrella right now), those were certainly heavy enough to force him to start using ki when moving. Or maybe he could continue on explaining basic techniques...

It was at this point that Ryouga had realized he had left the hallway outside Firebird's room without anyone around to lead him wherever he needed to be. Moreover, none of the hallways were looking familiar. They never did. He supposed he was lucky they still were hallways instead of flooded streets again.

"...Oh crap. Ms. Greene is not going to be happy..."

She had implied some unpleasant things if he got lost again.

Hopefully he was still inside the base. He just to take things carefully. So long as he didn't walk through any open doorways, things couldn't get too bad.

"Still, where exactly am I?"

 

[Agent 99]

"That would be the next thing to talk about. The value is measured by EMC, short for Energy-Matter Currency. For an example, a cubic meter of granite has an EMC value of one. Iron ingot has an EMC value of two hundred and fifty-six, while a gold one is two thousand and fourty-eight. Which means that as you just saw, you need eight times as much iron to create gold. An EMC value is simply a property of any substance or object, not unlike mass or volume, and though the underlying mechanics are academically interesting, they would take hours of lecturing for even a basic explanation. And yes, there is a way of determining it, chiefly through the Transmutation Tablet, which we'll talk about later."

Click to shrink...

Miriam nodded at the explanation. This was simple so far.

"You assume correctly, you need a tool through which to transmute. Theoretically it's possible to do so without one, but in practice it's impossible, despite what few persistent rumors like to claim. Though the Philosopher's Stone is, at best, a crude and simple tool, limited to transmuting iron to gold and back or dirt to stone or sand, best used for beginners and transmutation on the fly, or as a building block for more advanced versions. It is also perfectly reproducable, I lost mine in transit to this world and crafted myself this example here. What might pose some problems are the materials required for it, those being a large diamond as well as redstone and glowstone dust. Redstone is a mineral very common in my home lands, but it appears to not naturally occur here, and glowstone can only be mined from the Nether, a hellish alternate dimension accessible only through obsidian portals. For safety reasons, I'm not too keen on trying to open one here. Nevertheless, I have a reserve of both and can transmute more if needed."

The mage brougt a hand to his masked face, as if contemplating how to proceed.

"Next, I will to teach you how to craft a Philosopher's Stone."

Click to shrink...

Miriam frowned. It looked like transmutation wasn't as flexible as she first thought. And it looked like replicating the process back home would be... difficult. Finding a workaround for the lack of proper materials would take years of research. And it going anywhere wasn't exactly a guarantee. Still, she had to actually learn how to transmute before thinking of the implications.

"Alright. Let's go." She said, eager to learn.

@MData
Duran had adopted a monotonous tone fit for a dry lecture or an obituary report.

"First off, the rail that moves our targets was destroyed in addition to the target itself, or so I hear from the incident report. That is far less replaceable than a cardstock cutout. Secondly, Sam violated the range's rules of don't enter the range itself while in use, and ignored the man at the desk's order to not go in. Third, he and everyone else interrupted my work with his ruckus. He just happened to be the most interesting. And fourth, if someone actually fired a taser in the server room, I'll hang them by their ankles.

"I think Mr. Rodriguez here should be more mindful of this establishment's rules, and that we didn't put them up for arbitrary reasons. I also think we're going a little stir-crazy."

Click to shrink...

"I wrecked the rail? Tsk, must have hit it with one of the projected slashes..." Sam thought as he tried to recall seeing the rail being cut. "The cut itself is probably very fine, given Murasama's properties. It should be easily weldable. I can do it myself if need be."

Click to shrink...

"You do that." Miriam said. "Sam, you do realize that I can't abide by Company members breaking things belonging to our allies, not can I abide by flagrant disregard for the rules here while we're staying here. So I can't just let you off with a warning. So you will clean up and repair any damage that was a result of your... recent incident."

 

[Cyreni]

@Xellos
The halls were very, very dark. The only light came from dim patches of a purple bioluminescent moss growing sporadically on every surface. The air was stagnant and rank, stiflingly still and choked with the smell of rot. Ryouga could taste the scent. As if that wasn't enough to assure someone that this place was in severe disrepair, the walls, ceiling, and floor were decaying, exposing patches of concrete and earth underneath linoleum and drywall. A pair of nearby doors were completely broken, half of one hanging on a rusted hinge and the other nothing but splinters.

There was little sound. No pipes or ventilation were running, yet a constant drip, echoing from somewhere, indicated water. Rarely a scrape or clatter of concrete on concrete could be heard. Was someone else here? Was it just caused by decay?

And, perhaps most worryingly of all, there were flakes and patches of aged, dry Potion everywhere. Wherever Ryouga stepped, a cloud of purple dust rose to his ankles, or his foot broke a scab. The walls were streaked and airbrushed with it. A nearby ventilation shaft, up close to the ceiling and ringed with purple moss, could almost be mistaken to have gotten a coat of paint.

The hall itself stretched in one direction, rooms lining it similar to how it was in the Company's quarters. Ryouga was currently facing the dead end, several feet away and coated with purple moss. An ancient, flaking sign was pinned to it, almost unreadable. The picture beneath it, the layout of a building, was in a similar state.

MOIRA RES--RCH FA-IL--Y M--​

 

[Xellos]

@Xellos
The halls were very, very dark. The only light came from dim patches of a purple bioluminescent moss growing sporadically on every surface. The air was stagnant and rank, stiflingly still and choked with the smell of rot. Ryouga could taste the scent. As if that wasn't enough to assure someone that this place was in severe disrepair, the walls, ceiling, and floor were decaying, exposing patches of concrete and earth underneath linoleum and drywall. A pair of nearby doors were completely broken, half of one hanging on a rusted hinge and the other nothing but splinters.

Click to shrink...

Well, that settled one question

"Okay, clearly I left the base. Damn it." he muttered, falling back into the habit of talking to himself when alone. "And Nestor definitely isn't around to help me get back. Or anyone else, for that matter."

...Try and find the Tendo dojo? That place was always fairly easy to get back to, and then he could try and find his way back to Baltimore and the Company? Perhaps pick up Ranma on the way?

...Nah, they would be even more upset if they knew he deliberately took a detour when trying to get back. Best to just go straight 'home'.

There was little sound. No pipes or ventilation were running, yet a constant drip, echoing from somewhere, indicated water. Rarely a scrape or clatter of concrete on concrete could be heard. Was someone else here? Was it just caused by decay?

And, perhaps most worryingly of all, there were flakes and patches of aged, dry Potion everywhere. Wherever Ryouga stepped, a cloud of purple dust rose to his ankles, or his foot broke a scab. The walls were streaked and airbrushed with it. A nearby ventilation shaft, up close to the ceiling and ringed with purple moss, could almost be mistaken to have gotten a coat of paint.

Click to shrink...

"...Uuuuugh."

He was probably still on Pony Earth. This stuff was disgusting. All this purple dust, and...

'Probably shouldn't get too much in me.'

Taking one of his bandannas off his forehead, unfolded it, and then fashioned it into a mask to cover his nose and face. Didn't want to inhale any of this garbage.

'Everything's so old. What the hell happened here? And why is the moss purple? It's not like Potion can turn moss into ponies, I think, so why..?'

Whatever was going on here, he definitely had to be on guard. It was a creepy place, yes, and it seemed to have either been owned or overrun by enemies in the past. His sixth sense was on alert, as much as he could make it.

...Probably a good thing that Nestor wasn't here. Anything could happen. He might not have been ready.

The hall itself stretched in one direction, rooms lining it similar to how it was in the Company's quarters. Ryouga was currently facing the dead end, several feet away and coated with purple moss. An ancient, flaking sign was pinned to it, almost unreadable. The picture beneath it, the layout of a building, was in a similar state.

MOIRA RES--RCH FA-IL--Y M--​

Click to shrink...

Dead end. Well, a wall, but that wasn't exactly a dead end for him. Still, he should at least try to find his way out of here the normal way...

There was a map on the wall. Lucky day! Though it was basically illegible, even by his standards. The picture was faded, and he could barely recognize any of the shapes, or the specific labels. The sign.

"Moira Research..." he said, the first two words relatively easy to work out. "...Blank..." he couldn't get that one. The fourth, however was obvious with that image. "...Map. Moira Research something Map. What's Moira Research?" he asked himself, glancing around for any other clues, but it seemed to be just the dust, moss, map, and sign.

Nothing. He sighed, and turned around. A dark hallway with a bunch of different doors stretched out behind him. With doorknobs covered in the flaky dry Potion and purple moss.

'...Yeah, I don't think I wanna touch that stuff.' he thought. Still, he had cloth to spar. Several more bandannas came off his head, something to use as a cloth guard so he didn't have to touch anything with bare skin.

"Let's see what's behind door number 1." he said, turning, and then walking towards the first of the doors that looked somewhat okay.

 

[Dalek Ix]

[Firebird]

/And there is, of course, a compelling reason that I must personally dictate all of this information, again, instead of it being taken directly from the files that I made specifically so the humans could disseminate and store the information themselves, allowing me to focus all my attention on the projects themselves, instead of explaining and re-explaining the underlying concepts and basic theory of each project to every soul in the science department. And you will share this reason with me now, yes?/

Click to shrink...

/The reason is that I hate your guts with the fury of a fleet of Dreadnoughts,/ I chirp back, /Seriously now, just tell Prommy where you have those files so she can copy/paste that.

"Like I said, we drove him down to the docks. I get the feeling you don't need a ride over there, but the offer's open." He spun his chair towards the computer. "Anything else?"

Click to shrink...

I wave him off. "Nah, I've been meaning to stretch my wings a little," I say, hopping out of the chair, which creaks in relief.

Stupid chairs.

"Well, I'll go and drag him back. If you could tell Wyatt that we're going to be bringing a volunteer for some good, back-breaking community service and to lay out the welcoming committee, that would be great."

/Ethan is serving his community service, right?/

Click to shrink...

/No, he's in the docks. Doing God-Knows-What. Because nobody told Wyatt that he was supposed /

/Yeah. He can trade stories on how he messed up with Ethan. I'll take care of it on my way to learn transmutation with R./

Click to shrink...

/Good./

/.../

/BTW where where you?/

 

[Agent 99]

/No, he's in the docks. Doing God-Knows-What. Because nobody told Wyatt that he was supposed /

Click to shrink...

/...If I killed Ethan, do you think I could get away with it?/

A few seconds later, you get another message.

/That was just a joke. Don't answer that. You mind telling Wyatt after you drag Ethan back here?/

/Good./

/.../

/BTW where where you?/

Click to shrink...

Miriam takes longer than usual to respond, as if she's considering whether or not to tell you. Eventually, you get a message.

/Normally I'd make something up. But since I went off on ya about greater transparency, I'll tell you. Just promise you won't tell anyone, alright? It's kind of embarasing./

/*embarrassing/

 

[CV12Hornet]

Some walking finds Will taking a detour to the main elevator for the base, pondering once again the possibility of leaving a nasty surprise for any ponies that try to get in that way during the upcoming invasion. Spikeweed and Potato Mines are right out, given the amount of traffic the area gets. Cattails would be ideal, but there aren't any bodies of water handy, and he seriously doubts the people in charge will sign off on parking a large tub of water in a high-traffic area. His first thought continues to appear to be the best one: two rows of potted Melonpults.

@Cyreni
Rubbing his chin in contemplation, Will steps right in front of the doors, trying to eyeball how wide the whole thing is.

 

[Cyreni]

"Let's see what's behind door number 1." he said, turning, and then walking towards the first of the doors that looked somewhat okay.

Click to shrink...

The door almost immediately fell apart upon being pushed. A rusty, snapped hinge and rotted wood was to blame for that. It made a clatter that echoed down the halls for an uncomfortably long time, and Ryouga's sixth sense immediately prickled.

Nothing came, not a screaming abomination, a pony, or a deranged human bent on killing whatever had disturbed the silence. Yet.

The room was no better than the hallway. It was arguably worse in a way, dried blood so old it was black mixed with the Potion dust and moss. A trail of it led to a spattering against a wall, cracked like someone had been slammed. Hard. The room was a bedroom once, an ancient, ruined cot in one corner and a toppled wardrobe in the middle of the floor. A neatly folded paper was conspicuously placed on the wardrobe.

Beyond that and the bathroom, devoid of water, there was nothing else.

I wave him off. "Nah, I've been meaning to stretch my wings a little," I say, hopping out of the chair, which creaks in relief.

Stupid chairs.

"Well, I'll go and drag him back. If you could tell Wyatt that we're going to be bringing a volunteer for some good, back-breaking community service and to lay out the welcoming committee, that would be great."

Click to shrink...

"Will do," he said, absently waving a hand as Firebird trotted out and disappeared.

The flight over was uneventful, thanks to her non-magical cloaking. Boston bustled underneath her, unaware of the impending doom headed its way. The sky overhead almost seemed to share the thought, a late afternoon sun bathing everything in a white light while gray, puffy cumulus drifted lazilly across the sky. A warm updraft blew across Firebird's wings, letting her soar above the turbulent city winds.

The docks were in a similar state, workers scurrying about like ants over machinery and toy boats, simply going about their day. Julius was almost immediately spotted, a bright blue brick of blasting and bashing against a drab, cement ground. It occured to Firebird that he had asked over the radio about armaments earlier, and he had never gotten a response.

Firebird touched down in front of the UFO's hangar, a din immediately making itself known. It sounded like a mix between a metal shop and a firing range, hammers and saws punctuated by an occasional firecracker *pop!* or electric *bzzt!*

Rubbing his chin in contemplation, Will steps right in front of the doors, trying to eyeball how wide the whole thing is.

Click to shrink...

The elevator looked wide enough to ferry one of the military's humvees and still have room to spare. Heck, it probably could do that, if looks were any indicator. The bolted metal that made the door didn't look like something that would buckle or break easily.

(OOC: Given that I don't know how many plants fit per ft2​, I leave the exact number to you.)

 

[Wade Garrett]

@Dalek Ix
/At least you are honest about it. All right, I'll contact Prometheus right now./

@Mew
/I understand you were seeking back up data on my current projects? I've already turned everything over to the BAMF Research Division. Dr. Duran's assistant should be able to provide you with copies in any format you require./

Ethan held the snarling tool against his creation, putting the final touches on his...he wouldn't go as far as calling it a masterpiece, but it should be functional. Lowering the now fire blackened mask over his face, he began to solder together the last loose parts of his new battle gauntlet, trying to remember everything Grimlugg had told him.

Da bitz wanna fit together, Ethan! A Mek...E's gotta be able to feel it, 'ear'em telling 'im how dey're gonna work. It's like...like when yet trying to krump some grot, and you know 'e's gonna jump outta da way, and you gotta FEEL which way e's going right before 'e jumps, so's ya don't miss!

 

[CV12Hornet]

The elevator looked wide enough to ferry one of the military's humvees and still have room to spare. Heck, it probably could do that, if looks were any indicator. The bolted metal that made the door didn't look like something that would buckle or break easily.

(OOC: Given that I don't know how many plants fit per ft2​, I leave the exact number to you.)

Click to shrink...

The doors look ten feet wide, easy. Maybe even a little more. Shooter plants could cover a space about five feet wide, so best to put three in to cover the entrance. Easy enough. He'd just need to get permission and he could set it up in about fifteen minutes. Though...

A quick check with his phone and some mental math indicates that yes, he would have enough sun for this. Barely. Will made a mental note to also ask how to get outside so he could stock up on sun.

Of course, that begged the question of who to get permission from, and how to find them. Hopefully someone more senior would have a way to communicate with one of the higher-ups. With no other idea, Will set out to the living quarters and started knocking on all the doors.

@Dalek Ix, @Silvan Eldar
Of course, with most of the rest of the Company elsewhere, it takes a while for the gardener to actually get to an occupied room. The two of you hear a knocking at the door.

 

[Mew]

@Wade Garrett

//Do these back-ups include personality and memory data from you? If not, the data back-up would be less complete than the one I intend to create. I would also rather create this data as quickly as possible without having to access our human allies' ressources. With the imminent equinoid invasion, I would rather minimize the amount of time wrestling with bureaucracy. Especially non-hive mind-augmented bureaucracy.//

She then added. //If you do not wish for a new back-up data, I will understand. Still, I hope you will accept for this back-up data to be created. What is your final anwser?//

 

[Wade Garrett]

@Mew
/I decline./

Perhaps the "personality and memory back-up" truly is as innocuous as Prometheus believes. But I remember how the Pool of Reflection turned out. I remember....a great many things. Many of which I do not wish to share with all and sundry.

Some of them are my own secrets. Some of them belong to others, still living and long dead. And I will allow none of them to be taken out of my head and placed in the custody of a being I encountered just days ago.

What I choose to reveal and what I choose to hold back is my decision, and no one else's. And if the current situation proves anything, it is that one of me is entirely enough.

 

[Blackout]

Miriam frowned. It looked like transmutation wasn't as flexible as she first thought. And it looked like replicating the process back home would be... difficult. Finding a workaround for the lack of proper materials would take years of research. And it going anywhere wasn't exactly a guarantee. Still, she had to actually learn how to transmute before thinking of the implications.

"Alright. Let's go." She said, eager to learn.

Click to shrink...

"Very well then. The first thing you need to know is..."

[Insert timeskip of about six hours wherein Rythian guides Miriam step-by-step through the process of crafting a Philosopher's Stone using both mundane tools and direct magical manipulation to bind the materials together]

 

[Mew]

@Wade Garrett

On one hand, the decision was incomprehensible to Prometheus-1. On another hand, the Gesthalt Mind housed memories and data that this was a comprehensible decision for many species and individuals. To her, the idea of declining a personality back-up was just silly ; being from a civilization with a low life expectency despite its clinical immortality due to its eternal war wih Outsiders, continuity between researchers was vital to allow projects to be completed. Personality and memory data allowed researchers to know in what mindset their predecessors were when they begun or continued a project, allowing for a continuity in the logic that drives it.

Of course, most of this flew over Prometheus-1's head. All that she knew was that to her, it was normal, something eggheads did all the time. Her own conclusion was that Chrysalis did not value her own research and that thus, it was not worth saving. Of course, this was a short-sighted conclusion based off cultural bias and the Gesthalt Mind overrode it. But the emotional data was not deleted, leaving her with the knowledge of this override.

Since she was alone in her room, she cut the transmission. There was no need for Chrysalis to hear this. "Hey, she's refusing either way. Why override my comeback?"

"Because it's rude and it show off your ignorance? She may be basing this decision off severe emotional trauma or very valid ethical concerns from her own world. Or she might have encountered serious phenomenas that caused her to swear off this kind of back-up. Or simply put, her biology has odd quirks making it impossible to make a back-up or to not create a full clone. We do not have the necessary data to judge the value of her decision. All we can do is aknowledge it."

"Hmph!"

"You have lived among the Clan for too long. You have forgotten that other species do not always think like us and that it is normal. You know it rationally but your irational weakness is apparent."

"Just don't override me without a warning!"

"I apologize for the violation of your individuality but in that particular case, a witty comeback would have potentially alienated one of our vital allies." Before she could actually snark at her own Clan, the hive mind carried on. "It would also have been inneffective in changing Chrysalis's mind."

"You don't know that."

"Your comeback was going to be a mere insult, not an interrogative statement or an argument. I do not think her decision was made out of pride. Our data is insufficient but it is highly unlikely."

"You don't know that."

Prometheus-1 felt a wave of annoyance that was not her own. The Gesthalt Mind made sure she knew it was not her own. She got the message quickly. "Your own mind, merged to mine, agree. You are being impulsive, as you yourself lament. Calm down and focus on the situation at hand."

Prometheus-1 sighed and cut the transmission. Yeaaaaah. This is going to be annoying.

@Dalek Ix

She opened a transmission to Firebird. Time to tell her the bad news.

//Chrysalis just told me off. She told me to instead get the incomplete data she created earlier from the BAMF Research Division through Dr. Duran's assistant. Given the imminent equinoid attack, is the humans' bureaucracy swift enough for me to access this data before it occurs?//

 

[Agent 99]

"Very well then. The first thing you need to know is..."

[Insert timeskip of about six hours wherein Rythian guides Miriam step-by-step through the process of crafting a Philosopher's Stone using both mundane tools and direct magical manipulation to bind the materials together]

Click to shrink...

Miriam was an attentive student and a fast learner, two qualities that considerably reduced the amount of time needed to teach one how to create a Philosopher's Stone. There were a few mistakes, to be expected when dealing with the unknown, but it was never the same mistake twice and Miriam quickly corrected them.

At the end of the six hours, Miriam was holding her own basketball sized glowing stone.

A grin broke out on her face, wider than Rythian had ever seen on her before. A smile full of pride, like she had created something beautiful.

Because as far as she was concerned, she had.

Even if could only be used for basic transfiguration, and even if it wouldn't be practical for combat, learning this much was a victory in her books.

But by now, it was five o clock in the evening and her stomach was starting to protest the lack of food since she had skipped lunch that day.

"I think that's enough for today." Miriam said to Rythian, slipping the stone into her backpack, which seemed to stretch slightly to accommodate the newest objects it was tasked to store.

"And... thanks for the opportunity" Miriam said, sounding genuinely happy. "I...I don't get the chance to actually learn new magic from a reliable source that often."

 

[Dalek Ix]

[Firebird]

/That was just a joke. Don't answer that. You mind telling Wyatt after you drag Ethan back here?/

Click to shrink...

/I already did./

/Normally I'd make something up. But since I went off on ya about greater transparency, I'll tell you. Just promise you won't tell anyone, alright? It's kind of embarasing./

Click to shrink...

/Just say it. It's not like they dragged you off to prison or anything./

"Will do," he said, absently waving a hand as Firebird trotted out and disappeared.

The flight over was uneventful, thanks to her non-magical cloaking. Boston bustled underneath her, unaware of the impending doom headed its way. The sky overhead almost seemed to share the thought, a late afternoon sun bathing everything in a white light while gray, puffy cumulus drifted lazilly across the sky. A warm updraft blew across Firebird's wings, letting her soar above the turbulent city winds.

The docks were in a similar state, workers scurrying about like ants over machinery and toy boats, simply going about their day. Julius was almost immediately spotted, a bright blue brick of blasting and bashing against a drab, cement ground. It occured to Firebird that he had asked over the radio about armaments earlier, and he had never gotten a response.

Firebird touched down in front of the UFO's hangar, a din immediately making itself known. It sounded like a mix between a metal shop and a firing range, hammers and saws punctuated by an occasional firecracker *pop!* or electric *bzzt!*

Click to shrink...

I wave at Julius, and march towards the hangar.

I give the door a good knocking.

/At least you are honest about it. All right, I'll contact Prometheus right now./

Click to shrink...

//Chrysalis just told me off. She told me to instead get the incomplete data she created earlier from the BAMF Research Division through Dr. Duran's assistant. Given the imminent equinoid attack, is the humans' bureaucracy swift enough for me to access this data before it occurs?//

Click to shrink...

//

/Wait. What, exactly, did you ask her to make a backup of?/

 

[Agent 99]

/Just say it. It's not like they dragged you off to prison or anything./

Click to shrink...

This response came not in the form of text, but as a video attachment.



Two more conventional texts came afterwards.

/My cellmates were a drunk guy, and a boy dressed like Rainbow Dash./

/The secretary said I was working for PER when I mentioned C./

 

[Takoe]

"You do that." Miriam said. "Sam, you do realize that I can't abide by Company members breaking things belonging to our allies, not can I abide by flagrant disregard for the rules here while we're staying here. So I can't just let you off with a warning. So you will clean up and repair any damage that was a result of your... recent incident."

Click to shrink...

"Fair enough. It shouldn't happen again, commander." Sam said, straightening up when he realized he was talking to a superior officer that wasn't bat shit insane. "Do you know where I can find a tig welder or something along those lines? Fixing that rail up again has priority over some burn mark scrubbing and other cleaning up tasks."

 

[Agent 99]

"Fair enough. It shouldn't happen again, commander." Sam said, straightening up when he realized he was talking to a superior officer that wasn't bat shit insane. "Do you know where I can find a tig welder or something along those lines? Fixing that rail up again has priority over some burn mark scrubbing and other cleaning up tasks."

Click to shrink...

"See the Quartermaster" Miriam said, giving him directions. "If he doesn't have them, he'll point you in the right direction."