The Secrets' Crusade
- Thread starter Snowfire
- Start date
- Original Sci-Fi
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Me at this moment:
> Working down from internal screaming after working out what the absolute bullshit of my dice are once more doing to this story
> Okay, that's the insanity dealt with, let's see what the other actions are like.
> Go to check Mary's stats for the research actions
> Wait, what's this Daughter of Secrets Trait again
> +15 to Secret based research.
I hate past me
> Working down from internal screaming after working out what the absolute bullshit of my dice are once more doing to this story
> Okay, that's the insanity dealt with, let's see what the other actions are like.
> Go to check Mary's stats for the research actions
> Wait, what's this Daughter of Secrets Trait again
> +15 to Secret based research.
I hate past me
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I thought we'd proofed by logic deduction that you switch multiverses to the dice result that is correct for the historical account you are reporting?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
There is no proof of this supposition!
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Okay okay okay, it's not proof, but your dice acting as expected, ie, randomly, has a probability of {forget about it}. Every particle physicist would gauge that sufficient to call the new particle 'proven' to exist.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
In other words, it's proven. Snowie is just being tsundere.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Dmol8
The Undead Unhinged Lunatic of the Web
- Location
- Belgrade,Serbia
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Well then:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zruYJHJNK8s
Thank you for reminding me Christian Care Bears were a thing back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Edit: Added a Wikipedia link and also I actually forgot how racially inclusive the animation was for this.
Last edited:
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Frankly the absolute minimum I expect is (something you or Consolat would probably not call "safeguards" but I absolutely will lump in the same category of "Consolat AI governed systems") the equivalent of someone ringing a doorbell - a notification to the locals that a starship is approaching the star system.
It even makes perfect sense for the Consolat to have that, because this allows them to roll out a welcoming mat to the arriving friends.
The small wrinkle in here is that this is Origin of Secrets, a place where any incoming traffic is something to make note of.
At which point Shipteens are gently asked why they came here, and there's really good chance of them guilelessly telling the science expedition that they were following the trail of a different starship.
And I give 99.99% odds that nothing bad at all will happen to the Shipteens, but the news there may be an unannounced and unaccounted for visitor in the system, is definitely bumping up the alert level of everyone present.
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Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Consolat lived in a world without FTL. Ships showing up abruptly and unannounced wasn't really a thing.
Might I suggest the Shiplord sensor net around the system as the more likely reason for the Shiplords to notice the Shipteens?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Trail? Not exactly. You jumped direct from the Fourth to the Origin.
If the Shipteens get anywhere, they'll be doing so on the basis of backtracking and a lot of guesswork.
Which could very well lead to a similar result, mind, but the details matter.
Origin 1 - Entrees
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
"I have to be honest, I didn't expect this," you admitted. The half-eaten slice of pizza in your hand made a fine pointer, though one you knew wouldn't survive long. It was much too tasty. But then, it had been made very traditionally.
"My family on my mother's side was of Italian descent," Jane said, as if that explained everything. Your captain's face was, for once, almost entirely clear of the stresses of command. She'd donned a short-sleeved top for this occasion, and it was stained in a few places by flour from where her apron hadn't been quite successful in its duty.
"Tuscan, in fact," the fair-faced man to Jane's left added. Commander Michael Dustsin winked at you in a way that felt secretive, despite being right in front of his superior. "She made sure we all know the difference."
"You're such a liar, Mike," Jane laughed. You'd not had much opportunity to interact with her XO, but none of it had made you think poorly of him so far.
"I don't know," Paskal Gilsan mused. The intelligence officer's eyes were bright as he considered the array of partially consumed food scattered along the bar you'd been using in lieu of a table. "I remember you being quite precise, Jane."
You laughed again, not for the first time this evening, and considered how this really wasn't anything like what you'd planned for. When you'd decided to share one of your evenings with the Adamant's command staff, your expectations of any knowledge transfer had been focused on skills related to their duties aboard ship. The reality that'd met you when you stepped into the wardroom had been decidedly outside of those expectations.
The ubiquitous smart matter of the compartment had been reconfigured into a spread of colourful clay tiles. The bright shades reflected cheerily from the polished faux-hardwood bar now laden with food and drink and was surrounded by traditional stools. None of them had been occupied then, but there wasn't a single empty seat now.
Behind you, heat radiated gently from three tall ovens in pale stone at the heart of a rustic kitchen, styled in more of the same stone and dark wood a match to the bar. They'd dialled the environmental settings up to the intensity of a summer back on Earth, and the smell of food all around you was underlaid by the scent of woodsmoke.
It had been a long time since you'd cooked pizza 'outdoors', but it certainly wasn't your first communal meal. They'd been an unconscious core to your first, fragile Circle. You'd shared in making meals so that eating them together would mean something more, and that had been – you could recognise now – where some of the strongest bonds had taken root between you.
You shook yourself out of those memories as you felt the attention of the room turn to you, covering the lapse of focus with another bite of your impromptu pointer.
"I'm sorry," you said, after taking a few moments to chew and swallow. "I think I missed the question."
"It's alright," Jane told you agreeably. "We were wondering what you thought about the reports that Iris filed earlier today. I know it's business, but–"
"But it's important, nonetheless," you agreed firmly. You considered the question for a second, then nodded. You did have some thoughts, and the sudden tension that had followed the question was easy to feel. Things hadn't exactly gone to plan, for either of the tasks your daughter had involved herself in.
Lethal Ghosts 27 + 33 (Iris Learning) + 20 (Lagless Computing Core) + 15 (Modified Filters) - 60 (???) = 35 vs 30/???
Bare Success.
"I think the issues that came up with the sensor sweeps are ultimately fixable." Better to address the near-failure first. You'd already done it once for your daughter, though you probably shouldn't use the same methods.
:You don't have enough arms, for starters,: Sidra pointed out.
:I'll have to try the facts, then,: you sent back, words glowing with a thankful smile. Sidra hadn't needed to say that. Your relationship with the Unison might not ever be the same as it'd been before you started this mission, but it seemed to be improving.
"The final report I saw from the analysis team said that they'd struggled to make progress in a way that gave us anything concrete," you went on, the time required to talk with your Unison barely noticeable. "And I can see how that would be frustrating. Not knowing what's out there, exactly what's out there, would be concerning regardless of the circumstances.
"Given how important this final," you hoped, "stage of the mission is, not being able to see what the Consolat left behind is going to force us to be more careful in how we act. But their efforts weren't fruitless, either."
There were a few brief nods in response to that, and you frowned. You could understand their concerns, especially when they were all so much more involved in the Adamant's day-to-day actions, but…
"Knowing that the systems are almost certainly Consolat in nature does help," Gilsan agreed. The lines of concern on his face didn't fade, however. "But that only tells us how little we know. Insight and the Trailblazer packages set us up to deal with Shiplord technology. We have no idea what the Consolat were capable of before they died. And unknowns are the best way to get yourself blown, or killed, in an infiltration mission."
"That's true." You nodded. "But none of their platforms have responded to our presence, even after taking Vega and Elil off the stealth systems on entering orbit here. Whatever differences they did have, they aren't enough to find us."
"And we're learning," Chander Roshan interjected. The eyes of the ship's engineering lead were intent in his dark face as he spoke. "Miss Iris noted in the report herself that much of the problem right now is having to learn the differences between Consolat and Shiplord stealth programs and materials. The analysis teams are noticeably closer with their algorithms now."
"Exactly so," you said. Then, after a moment of consideration, you added. "Iris told me that she's confident that a bit more time should bring us some real results now that they have some properly tuned algorithms. But there's just so much to do right now, everyone has other priorities to handle."
"Which I suppose brings us to the other external task she was involved with," Jane sighed. Her eyes sparkled, though, as she went on. "Did she take the slow progress on the sensor analysis personally?"
"It's possible," you replied, smiling. Iris certainly had, but teasing her about it wasn't any fun when she wasn't present. "Though I'd hope there are no complaints with her results there."
"I was expecting details on their landing party movements and a fine-grain analysis of the ship," Gilsan said. "Maybe a better idea of what's beneath the ship's blisters. Knowing if they're weapons or something else was a concern for my team."
"I'm noticing the use of past tense there," Michael said. "I saw the figurative cries of joy, but I was going to read the initial report tomorrow morning."
"Well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," you trailed off. Jane's XO rolled his hand in a gesture to keep talking. "But if you insist…"
Fellow Guests: 99 + 33 (Iris Learning) + 20 (Lagless Computing Core) + 20 (AI Network Bonus) + 10 (Echo of Nabu Network Bonus) = 162
Iris: Oh look, a convenient access vulnerability.
Iris had, after coming to terms with her self-proclaimed failure to break a set of stealth systems almost two orders of magnitude older than humanity, taken to the task of investigating the Shiplord research vessel. Gilsan's expectations hadn't been particularly enormous, though he and others in the command crew had hoped for some actionable data on the ship's capabilities.
No one had believed Iris would find a vulnerable access point to the ship's systems, break through the encryption and firewalls without setting off a single alarm, and from there extend her influence into a good eighty percent of the now-identified Midnight Dreaming's secondary systems.
There was a wealth of information on the ship's purpose in its archives and logs showed expeditions down to the bunker-complex that Elil had noted on the Consolat homeworld. A location that the Shiplords referred to as the Consolat Archive.
"My team's still picking through all the data," Gilsan explained, a rare little smile on the intelligence officer's face. "It's why the report we sent out this evening was only an initial brief. We'll get more clarity on what they've been looking for as analysis continues, and I don't think Iris is planning on sleeping for most of the next day until they have it all nailed down. But the salient points right now go like this."
"The most important point is also the most dangerous to our purpose here." Several heads leaned closer to listen, examples of others who'd decided to wait for the full report. "Part of the ship is sealed behind far more dangerous firewalls, which Iris didn't want to risk touching. Fortunately, there were some records in private logs that told us why: there's a team from Shiplord Central Intelligence aboard, leading the expedition.
"For those who don't know," he went on, lapsing into a reporting manner. "Central Intelligence is one of the sections of the Shiplord intelligence apparatus that we know very little about. Most of what we know is a result of Group of Six data sharing, much of it Nilean in origin, which outlines them as the most dangerous part of the Shiplord intelligence community. Their mandate is much broader, covering general threat assessment, analysis and resolution. They're also the section that appears to use AI the most."
"Which explains why Iris didn't try to break in, once she knew what she was dealing with," Michael nodded, his smile having long since slipped away.
"She wasn't able to be certain about the presence of a Shiplord AI platform, but essentially yes," you said. Your daughter's exact words had verged heavily into the profane, but there was simply no fun in telling the current gathering that. Not when she wasn't here, at least.
"So we're going to face a much more dangerous set of eyes when we reach the homeworld?" Michael asked. Gilsan made a noncommittal sound.
"Not entirely," he said after a moment's consideration. "Though it would definitely be bad for them to detect us here, given what the log files had to say about why the Midnight Dreaming was sent here."
"That being?" Chander queried. The engineer had set down his own slice of pizza to listen.
"Humanity's actions at the Third and Fourth Battles of Sol," Gilsan replied. "Which actually gave us something we hadn't expected: recordings of the action. We'll be making those available once we've been able to check for any anomalies."
You really didn't want to admit to how much you wanted to see those recordings, but Gilsan and his intel team had a point. You couldn't be sure that the Shiplords weren't doctoring the data, and jumping to conclusions wouldn't help anyone.
"Given how saturated in something very like Practice this system is, it's not difficult to guess their goal." You'd be looking into that later in the week with some of your Heartcircle, but you could share what you did have. "It's similar enough that I can make a pretty good guess for why the Tribute Fleet went berserk at us after my main involvement at the Second Battle of Sol."
For a moment, you couldn't stop yourself from remembering the feeling of that chain of perfect moments. The feeling of your soul, buoyed by the will of billions in the cause of blazing defiance. Anger, pain and a terrible resolution, to do what must be done regardless of the cost. Power of a magnitude that you'd only touched a handful of times since, demanding to be used before it shattered your command ship.
A breath.
And a word, sung to the world, that changed it forever.
Jane touched your shoulder, drawing you back to the world around you with a start. "Are you alright?"
"Memories." You brushed your hands across your face, as if the motion could sweep the recollection of Purify away. Surprisingly, it actually did. "I'm fine. Really."
"Alright." The acceptance was heartening. "So you think the Shiplords saw how the Consolat died in what you did to the Medicament-class they brought along?
You nodded. "I really do. It makes sense. I'm still working on why they gave up like they did, but maybe the answer to that'll be somewhere here. But if the Shiplords are focusing on the Archive, it's possible that they aren't able to access what Elil felt is present at the other locations. Or just don't know about it."
"You really think that's possible?" Another officer asked, her expression sceptical. "They've had millions of years, haven't they?"
"They have," you acceded. "But that doesn't mean they were able to understand everything they found. We learned how to understand and reverse-engineer some Practiced creations into things we could build without it, but every human has at least a spark of Practice inside of them. If the Shiplords lack that entirely, well, that could be what they're missing."
"So you'd suggest we go looking elsewhere?" Jane asked.
"Maybe," you hedged, shrugging eloquently. "I'd rather not go looking there first, at least. Knowing that they're there gives us some room to manoeuvre, but we shouldn't waste that."
"That lines up with our own opinions," Gilsan added. "We can use this, and it's not the only thing we got that we can use, but we can't afford to be careless with it. And that leads us helpfully onto those other things."
The focus that your impromptu fall into old memories had scattered found itself again, fixing on new information, and Gilsan went on. The food scattered across the bar remained, for the moment, forgotten.
"Iris was able to pull the output of a set of a shipwide diagnostic program, which I believe we can back-engineer into a full picture of the Midnight Dreaming's capabilities. And that, I'm happy to say, should help us stay hidden from their sensors whenever we do end up entering their close-range coverage."
"So some useful information and a potentially very serious bullet dodged," Michael summarised. "Seems like a good start."
"It does," Jane said. She raised the tall stein she'd been using throughout the evening to the rest of the room with the air of a woman making a proclamation. "To more of the same."
Glasses clinked, and conversation turned back to gentler things. And in some cases simple silence, as people rushed to make good on their culinary selections before any of the home-cooked food could get cold.
Curiously enough, you felt better about having talked, even though you'd hoped to help the others. But they seemed happy, and as Jane drew you into a conversation on the merits of specific toppings variations, you found yourself willing to let the matter pass for now.
The end of the night came far too quickly, in the end, but there was one more question waiting before bidding all good night. Not a question you'd initially expected to be asked on accepting the invitation to dine, but the reality of the occasion had made it seem more likely. It was a little funny actually, given how the question was only being asked because of something you'd begun as a child.
"We were wondering what you thought?" Martin Aster, the ship's primary helmsman, might have been volunteered to prove you right. But he also seemed genuinely curious, and the questioning expression on his bronzed face was mirrored by the rest of the room.
"Thought of what?" You had a good idea, but better to be certain.
"Of all this," he continued, gesturing around the compartment. "You said it wasn't what you expected, but what were you?"
"Is it really a question you need answered?" you asked. Yet in the same moment, you knew that it was. Wasn't it human? To want to ask the Mother of Circles – and oh how you'd learnt to love and hate that title in equal measure – if your own little island of chosen or even temporary family was good enough?
"I suppose it is," you answered yourself. "Otherwise you wouldn't have asked."
"Well," Martin looked up and down the bar at his fellows. "Yes, ma'am."
"Amanda, please." You shook your head, mock despairing as one hand tucked your golden hair back from an attempt to roam onto your plate. None of it stopped your smile from widening, touched by the brightness that the evening had kindled in your soul.
"But to answer your question." You set down your glass, refilled for the last time, and glanced round the compartment. Breathing it in in a way few humans could. Your voice softened, the tempo of it shifting, almost wistful. "This is what I hoped for from the very beginning, I think. As far back as I can remember, at least after the Week of Sorrows."
A solemn silence fell for a moment in remembrance of those fallen, all those taken in that week of pure hell. You joined it, but didn't let it lie for long. That wasn't the point of this time, or your words.
"I wanted the feeling of home. The warmth of the family so many of us had lost." A single long finger tapped the wood of the bar. "Everything that the CIrcles grew to become, and everything this is, too.
"So I think this is wonderful," you finished. There was a warmth in your voice that only the Circles knew, and you saw it as a few of those present recognised it. "Truly."
"Thank you, Amanda," Jane said at length. Her voice was a little choked. You hoped they understood; you'd have given this praise to any gathering like this. But a look in the dark eyes of the Adamant's Captain told you that she, at least, did. That was enough.
"You're welcome, but all of you made this real," you offered back, dipping your head into a silent thanks of your own. "I just helped."
Sensor algorithms refined for Lethal Ghosts, +10 to next attempt, higher DCs adjusted. Full access to scientific archives of the Midnight Dreaming acquired. Presence of a Central Intelligence section aboard the ship identified. Additional options available.
"My family on my mother's side was of Italian descent," Jane said, as if that explained everything. Your captain's face was, for once, almost entirely clear of the stresses of command. She'd donned a short-sleeved top for this occasion, and it was stained in a few places by flour from where her apron hadn't been quite successful in its duty.
"Tuscan, in fact," the fair-faced man to Jane's left added. Commander Michael Dustsin winked at you in a way that felt secretive, despite being right in front of his superior. "She made sure we all know the difference."
"You're such a liar, Mike," Jane laughed. You'd not had much opportunity to interact with her XO, but none of it had made you think poorly of him so far.
"I don't know," Paskal Gilsan mused. The intelligence officer's eyes were bright as he considered the array of partially consumed food scattered along the bar you'd been using in lieu of a table. "I remember you being quite precise, Jane."
You laughed again, not for the first time this evening, and considered how this really wasn't anything like what you'd planned for. When you'd decided to share one of your evenings with the Adamant's command staff, your expectations of any knowledge transfer had been focused on skills related to their duties aboard ship. The reality that'd met you when you stepped into the wardroom had been decidedly outside of those expectations.
The ubiquitous smart matter of the compartment had been reconfigured into a spread of colourful clay tiles. The bright shades reflected cheerily from the polished faux-hardwood bar now laden with food and drink and was surrounded by traditional stools. None of them had been occupied then, but there wasn't a single empty seat now.
Behind you, heat radiated gently from three tall ovens in pale stone at the heart of a rustic kitchen, styled in more of the same stone and dark wood a match to the bar. They'd dialled the environmental settings up to the intensity of a summer back on Earth, and the smell of food all around you was underlaid by the scent of woodsmoke.
It had been a long time since you'd cooked pizza 'outdoors', but it certainly wasn't your first communal meal. They'd been an unconscious core to your first, fragile Circle. You'd shared in making meals so that eating them together would mean something more, and that had been – you could recognise now – where some of the strongest bonds had taken root between you.
You shook yourself out of those memories as you felt the attention of the room turn to you, covering the lapse of focus with another bite of your impromptu pointer.
"I'm sorry," you said, after taking a few moments to chew and swallow. "I think I missed the question."
"It's alright," Jane told you agreeably. "We were wondering what you thought about the reports that Iris filed earlier today. I know it's business, but–"
"But it's important, nonetheless," you agreed firmly. You considered the question for a second, then nodded. You did have some thoughts, and the sudden tension that had followed the question was easy to feel. Things hadn't exactly gone to plan, for either of the tasks your daughter had involved herself in.
Lethal Ghosts 27 + 33 (Iris Learning) + 20 (Lagless Computing Core) + 15 (Modified Filters) - 60 (???) = 35 vs 30/???
Bare Success.
"I think the issues that came up with the sensor sweeps are ultimately fixable." Better to address the near-failure first. You'd already done it once for your daughter, though you probably shouldn't use the same methods.
:You don't have enough arms, for starters,: Sidra pointed out.
:I'll have to try the facts, then,: you sent back, words glowing with a thankful smile. Sidra hadn't needed to say that. Your relationship with the Unison might not ever be the same as it'd been before you started this mission, but it seemed to be improving.
"The final report I saw from the analysis team said that they'd struggled to make progress in a way that gave us anything concrete," you went on, the time required to talk with your Unison barely noticeable. "And I can see how that would be frustrating. Not knowing what's out there, exactly what's out there, would be concerning regardless of the circumstances.
"Given how important this final," you hoped, "stage of the mission is, not being able to see what the Consolat left behind is going to force us to be more careful in how we act. But their efforts weren't fruitless, either."
There were a few brief nods in response to that, and you frowned. You could understand their concerns, especially when they were all so much more involved in the Adamant's day-to-day actions, but…
"Knowing that the systems are almost certainly Consolat in nature does help," Gilsan agreed. The lines of concern on his face didn't fade, however. "But that only tells us how little we know. Insight and the Trailblazer packages set us up to deal with Shiplord technology. We have no idea what the Consolat were capable of before they died. And unknowns are the best way to get yourself blown, or killed, in an infiltration mission."
"That's true." You nodded. "But none of their platforms have responded to our presence, even after taking Vega and Elil off the stealth systems on entering orbit here. Whatever differences they did have, they aren't enough to find us."
"And we're learning," Chander Roshan interjected. The eyes of the ship's engineering lead were intent in his dark face as he spoke. "Miss Iris noted in the report herself that much of the problem right now is having to learn the differences between Consolat and Shiplord stealth programs and materials. The analysis teams are noticeably closer with their algorithms now."
"Exactly so," you said. Then, after a moment of consideration, you added. "Iris told me that she's confident that a bit more time should bring us some real results now that they have some properly tuned algorithms. But there's just so much to do right now, everyone has other priorities to handle."
"Which I suppose brings us to the other external task she was involved with," Jane sighed. Her eyes sparkled, though, as she went on. "Did she take the slow progress on the sensor analysis personally?"
"It's possible," you replied, smiling. Iris certainly had, but teasing her about it wasn't any fun when she wasn't present. "Though I'd hope there are no complaints with her results there."
"I was expecting details on their landing party movements and a fine-grain analysis of the ship," Gilsan said. "Maybe a better idea of what's beneath the ship's blisters. Knowing if they're weapons or something else was a concern for my team."
"I'm noticing the use of past tense there," Michael said. "I saw the figurative cries of joy, but I was going to read the initial report tomorrow morning."
"Well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," you trailed off. Jane's XO rolled his hand in a gesture to keep talking. "But if you insist…"
Fellow Guests: 99 + 33 (Iris Learning) + 20 (Lagless Computing Core) + 20 (AI Network Bonus) + 10 (Echo of Nabu Network Bonus) = 162
Iris: Oh look, a convenient access vulnerability.
Iris had, after coming to terms with her self-proclaimed failure to break a set of stealth systems almost two orders of magnitude older than humanity, taken to the task of investigating the Shiplord research vessel. Gilsan's expectations hadn't been particularly enormous, though he and others in the command crew had hoped for some actionable data on the ship's capabilities.
No one had believed Iris would find a vulnerable access point to the ship's systems, break through the encryption and firewalls without setting off a single alarm, and from there extend her influence into a good eighty percent of the now-identified Midnight Dreaming's secondary systems.
There was a wealth of information on the ship's purpose in its archives and logs showed expeditions down to the bunker-complex that Elil had noted on the Consolat homeworld. A location that the Shiplords referred to as the Consolat Archive.
"My team's still picking through all the data," Gilsan explained, a rare little smile on the intelligence officer's face. "It's why the report we sent out this evening was only an initial brief. We'll get more clarity on what they've been looking for as analysis continues, and I don't think Iris is planning on sleeping for most of the next day until they have it all nailed down. But the salient points right now go like this."
"The most important point is also the most dangerous to our purpose here." Several heads leaned closer to listen, examples of others who'd decided to wait for the full report. "Part of the ship is sealed behind far more dangerous firewalls, which Iris didn't want to risk touching. Fortunately, there were some records in private logs that told us why: there's a team from Shiplord Central Intelligence aboard, leading the expedition.
"For those who don't know," he went on, lapsing into a reporting manner. "Central Intelligence is one of the sections of the Shiplord intelligence apparatus that we know very little about. Most of what we know is a result of Group of Six data sharing, much of it Nilean in origin, which outlines them as the most dangerous part of the Shiplord intelligence community. Their mandate is much broader, covering general threat assessment, analysis and resolution. They're also the section that appears to use AI the most."
"Which explains why Iris didn't try to break in, once she knew what she was dealing with," Michael nodded, his smile having long since slipped away.
"She wasn't able to be certain about the presence of a Shiplord AI platform, but essentially yes," you said. Your daughter's exact words had verged heavily into the profane, but there was simply no fun in telling the current gathering that. Not when she wasn't here, at least.
"So we're going to face a much more dangerous set of eyes when we reach the homeworld?" Michael asked. Gilsan made a noncommittal sound.
"Not entirely," he said after a moment's consideration. "Though it would definitely be bad for them to detect us here, given what the log files had to say about why the Midnight Dreaming was sent here."
"That being?" Chander queried. The engineer had set down his own slice of pizza to listen.
"Humanity's actions at the Third and Fourth Battles of Sol," Gilsan replied. "Which actually gave us something we hadn't expected: recordings of the action. We'll be making those available once we've been able to check for any anomalies."
You really didn't want to admit to how much you wanted to see those recordings, but Gilsan and his intel team had a point. You couldn't be sure that the Shiplords weren't doctoring the data, and jumping to conclusions wouldn't help anyone.
"Given how saturated in something very like Practice this system is, it's not difficult to guess their goal." You'd be looking into that later in the week with some of your Heartcircle, but you could share what you did have. "It's similar enough that I can make a pretty good guess for why the Tribute Fleet went berserk at us after my main involvement at the Second Battle of Sol."
For a moment, you couldn't stop yourself from remembering the feeling of that chain of perfect moments. The feeling of your soul, buoyed by the will of billions in the cause of blazing defiance. Anger, pain and a terrible resolution, to do what must be done regardless of the cost. Power of a magnitude that you'd only touched a handful of times since, demanding to be used before it shattered your command ship.
A breath.
And a word, sung to the world, that changed it forever.
Jane touched your shoulder, drawing you back to the world around you with a start. "Are you alright?"
"Memories." You brushed your hands across your face, as if the motion could sweep the recollection of Purify away. Surprisingly, it actually did. "I'm fine. Really."
"Alright." The acceptance was heartening. "So you think the Shiplords saw how the Consolat died in what you did to the Medicament-class they brought along?
You nodded. "I really do. It makes sense. I'm still working on why they gave up like they did, but maybe the answer to that'll be somewhere here. But if the Shiplords are focusing on the Archive, it's possible that they aren't able to access what Elil felt is present at the other locations. Or just don't know about it."
"You really think that's possible?" Another officer asked, her expression sceptical. "They've had millions of years, haven't they?"
"They have," you acceded. "But that doesn't mean they were able to understand everything they found. We learned how to understand and reverse-engineer some Practiced creations into things we could build without it, but every human has at least a spark of Practice inside of them. If the Shiplords lack that entirely, well, that could be what they're missing."
"So you'd suggest we go looking elsewhere?" Jane asked.
"Maybe," you hedged, shrugging eloquently. "I'd rather not go looking there first, at least. Knowing that they're there gives us some room to manoeuvre, but we shouldn't waste that."
"That lines up with our own opinions," Gilsan added. "We can use this, and it's not the only thing we got that we can use, but we can't afford to be careless with it. And that leads us helpfully onto those other things."
The focus that your impromptu fall into old memories had scattered found itself again, fixing on new information, and Gilsan went on. The food scattered across the bar remained, for the moment, forgotten.
"Iris was able to pull the output of a set of a shipwide diagnostic program, which I believe we can back-engineer into a full picture of the Midnight Dreaming's capabilities. And that, I'm happy to say, should help us stay hidden from their sensors whenever we do end up entering their close-range coverage."
"So some useful information and a potentially very serious bullet dodged," Michael summarised. "Seems like a good start."
"It does," Jane said. She raised the tall stein she'd been using throughout the evening to the rest of the room with the air of a woman making a proclamation. "To more of the same."
Glasses clinked, and conversation turned back to gentler things. And in some cases simple silence, as people rushed to make good on their culinary selections before any of the home-cooked food could get cold.
Curiously enough, you felt better about having talked, even though you'd hoped to help the others. But they seemed happy, and as Jane drew you into a conversation on the merits of specific toppings variations, you found yourself willing to let the matter pass for now.
The end of the night came far too quickly, in the end, but there was one more question waiting before bidding all good night. Not a question you'd initially expected to be asked on accepting the invitation to dine, but the reality of the occasion had made it seem more likely. It was a little funny actually, given how the question was only being asked because of something you'd begun as a child.
"We were wondering what you thought?" Martin Aster, the ship's primary helmsman, might have been volunteered to prove you right. But he also seemed genuinely curious, and the questioning expression on his bronzed face was mirrored by the rest of the room.
"Thought of what?" You had a good idea, but better to be certain.
"Of all this," he continued, gesturing around the compartment. "You said it wasn't what you expected, but what were you?"
"Is it really a question you need answered?" you asked. Yet in the same moment, you knew that it was. Wasn't it human? To want to ask the Mother of Circles – and oh how you'd learnt to love and hate that title in equal measure – if your own little island of chosen or even temporary family was good enough?
"I suppose it is," you answered yourself. "Otherwise you wouldn't have asked."
"Well," Martin looked up and down the bar at his fellows. "Yes, ma'am."
"Amanda, please." You shook your head, mock despairing as one hand tucked your golden hair back from an attempt to roam onto your plate. None of it stopped your smile from widening, touched by the brightness that the evening had kindled in your soul.
"But to answer your question." You set down your glass, refilled for the last time, and glanced round the compartment. Breathing it in in a way few humans could. Your voice softened, the tempo of it shifting, almost wistful. "This is what I hoped for from the very beginning, I think. As far back as I can remember, at least after the Week of Sorrows."
A solemn silence fell for a moment in remembrance of those fallen, all those taken in that week of pure hell. You joined it, but didn't let it lie for long. That wasn't the point of this time, or your words.
"I wanted the feeling of home. The warmth of the family so many of us had lost." A single long finger tapped the wood of the bar. "Everything that the CIrcles grew to become, and everything this is, too.
"So I think this is wonderful," you finished. There was a warmth in your voice that only the Circles knew, and you saw it as a few of those present recognised it. "Truly."
"Thank you, Amanda," Jane said at length. Her voice was a little choked. You hoped they understood; you'd have given this praise to any gathering like this. But a look in the dark eyes of the Adamant's Captain told you that she, at least, did. That was enough.
"You're welcome, but all of you made this real," you offered back, dipping your head into a silent thanks of your own. "I just helped."
Sensor algorithms refined for Lethal Ghosts, +10 to next attempt, higher DCs adjusted. Full access to scientific archives of the Midnight Dreaming acquired. Presence of a Central Intelligence section aboard the ship identified. Additional options available.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Many thanks to @Baughn and @Coda for their beta work - some of this was especially needed today and I can't thank them enough for it. An interesting note: Lethal Ghosts and Fellow Guests were the top priorities for the command staff. Getting them out of the way early like you did here, or at least showing that you were focusing on them, is what made the dinner such a social affair.
Don't talk to me about that 99 from Iris. I swear she's rigging my dice.
Next update hopefully this week.
Don't talk to me about that 99 from Iris. I swear she's rigging my dice.
Next update hopefully this week.
It would be one thing if she found that in a Consolat system. Those were made before AIs could dig in and double check things. Accomplishing it on a Shiplord vessel is impressive as hell.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Not... not quite.
It would be one thing if she found that in a Consolat system. Those were made before AIs could dig in and double check things. Accomplishing it on a Shiplord vessel is impressive as hell.
The Consolat made the Secrets. One of which is "AI"...
Pretty much by definition they were already capable of doing almost everything which the Secrets are capable of doing. The exception being the First, for technical reasons largely to do with scale. In the case of AI...
The Consolat version of AGI is the same as what we're inching our way towards in reality. It is not based on any Secret, and doesn't cheat by using souls; it's software, running on regular computers, with everything that implies in terms of the capabilities that Iris is missing as a result of her architecture. It also doesn't have...
Well, no. I imagine it has the precise same safeguards as the Secret. They're just there because the Consolat put them there, as opposed to because the Consolat put them there.
Honestly? Honestly, Iris is less likely to find a convenient security hole on the Consolat equipment. They'd have no reason to build any form of limitations into their own defences.
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...She did say something about a "convenient access vulnerability"...
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
...this is cruelty to QMs...She did say something about a "convenient access vulnerability"...
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
If that were a solvable problem, I'm kind of surprised that species such as the Nileans don't seem to have cracked the technology. Concern that the Shiplords, who freely use the Second Secret and have AIs of their own, would find out, counter the tech, and either use it against the Nileans or blow it (and the Nileans) up as a 'forbidden weapon' of sorts might explain it.
???
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
I believe what Baughn is saying is that the Consolat AGI would most likely have safeguards because of an active decision by the Consolat, as opposed to a secret-based AI by another race which would have safeguards because several million years ago the Consolat decided that the Secret they used would have these safeguards.
Or:
Consolat decide their AGI need these safeguards - > Consolat AGI has these safeguards
Other race: Want to make AI with a secret -> Use a secret -> That secret has safeguards built by the Consolat -> Their AI has safeguards based on what the Consolat felt were appropriate.
Both of them have safeguards because the Consolat decided they would have these safeguards, it's just, well. You know.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
It's been quite a while since Second Contact, but this actually came up there when Emissary Kendl worked out that Iris was an AI. The relevant section follows:
In short, the Nileans tried. They tried for almost two thousand years, and nothing worked.
Given what you knew about the Shiplords then and what you know now, this was almost certainly a result of enemy action. AI is one of the enormous advantages that they wield over other races, but it's also presumably rather difficult to work out how to do without workarounds like the Second. Which is probably part, though not all, of why they bar the Second with the Tribute Directives.
What else they do? You're not entirely sure, but something else that came up early in Practice War was how the Shiplords had injected hardware-level exploit points into human technology during the Week of Sorrows, presumably through the use of Sixth Secret tech that modified active systems and design templates. You managed to get rid of those because Marcus (your Minister for Security) was ridiculously good at his job, despite being limited in how many actions he could take per turn. Other races? Not so lucky. They'd need an AI to manage that effectively.
Funny that, eh?
Do you really think that the current incarnation of the Shiplords would remove exploits like that when a race wins free of Tributary status?
And I was going to write a reply for this - or make @Baughn do it for me - but then @Shard essentially nailed it.
Though it's worth noting that Baughn isn't entirely correct in their statements about Consolat AI. There'll be opportunities to get down to brass tacks on that going forward.
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- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And the reason the Consolat created the secret for it?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I....can't fully answer this at this time. What I can say is that the Secrets appear to provide loopholes or easier access to certain key advancements. Faster than light travel, biological manipulation, electromagnetic manipulation, gravitational manipulation, high-customisation nanotech, etc.
Why the Consolat chose these specifically? You don't know.
There are, however, restrictions in the Secrets. Things that you arguably should be able to do, but for whatever reason can't. The limits on subspace propulsion is one of these - Secret based grav drives can't breach 30% of light speed. Normal (yours is a massive special case, though not perhaps for exactly the reasons you'd think) FTL drives appear to have a similar restriction: the range limit.
And due to how they work, the Secrets manifest as a pathway to development long before a race will actually be able to (practically) crack the underlying science. It gives you a structure to develop and work from and be part of galactic civilisation. But it also restricts you. Not entirely, as races like the Sphere have shown. But the way the Secrets are structured cut out a lot of the immediate threat points.
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- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That means the Secrets are not Magic, they are shortcuts that make it easier to do things you can do without the Secrets, if you know what and how?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I believe I've been saying for quite a long time that the Secrets and how they were made did not at all involve magic. And I can justify this, in a way that is at least conceivable (last I checked) to modern physics. It most likely doesn't conform to what our reality's physics actually are - maybe, there wasn't a consensus on that point last we talked about it - but it could.
This development was pretty much the reason that I made a Discord server for PW. Specifically for the locked #technical channel where @Coda and @Baughn have helped me to find scientific justification for everything that people can do in this story. It looks like magic, and by some definitions that makes it indistinguishable from it. But there's a solid scientific framework supporting it.
And I really can't thank my tech team enough for helping me do that. I quite literally could not have done so without them.
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