This will be a wild ride
–
AN: Hi everyone. So I've been in this site for a few years and now...
–
AN: Hi everyone. So I've been in this site for a few years and now...
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This will be a wild ride (PA/Multicross)
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Chapter 0.1 – Beginning
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
This will be a wild ride
–
AN: Hi everyone. So I've been in this site for a few years and now I decided to try my hand at writing. Decided to go the "safe" rout: a Planetary Annihilation story, mainly inspired by works such as Playing Fair and Rise of the Steel Phoenix. Fair warning I'm not a writer by trade and English is not my first language and I can't play PA myself, so expect mistakes and delays. I will try to update as fast as possible but expect delays. Productive criticism is appreciated.
[]
Chapter 0.1
Clip
This is the first thing greeting my consciousness. Afterward, everything else is like digital interface and heads-up display hybrid with augmented reality like an overlay on too high-quality visuals. Then comes shock, panic, fear, disbelief and more shock.
I know that "introduction", seen it enough time in youtube to understand its meaning. When I finally see what's around me, a snowy field, I practically froze. I have read enough fanfic about Commanders but IT CAN'T BE REAL! LIFE IS NOT SOME FANTASY!!! WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!
- - - - - - - - -
Ok. After…. chronometer says 33 minutes and 24 seconds since activation, so nearly as long panic attack, I, kinda, calmed down. No, not calmed down, just mellowed slightly. Allot of stories make it sound easy, the sudden "Tomato in the Mirror" moment is just a few seconds and then all is "fine and dandy" - it's not.
I remember myself as human, remember the touch, sound, sight and even my thoughts being different. That difference is still jarring, I won't get used to it for quite some time. Everything feels alien and yet familiar and that is scary. Logically that familiarity implies some nasty things about my existence i.e. I was never human, but my memories and … feelings make me think otherwise. No stop, keep those existential fear (Was I ever human? Was I just a simulation living in a simulated world like Elon Musk said? Or was my mind uploaded when I slept? Born in it? Copy of the original? Gods exist and some are dicks? ROBs? SOMETHING?!) for later, dad always said need to be calm in extreme situations. Think of the positive.
Well, at least one good thing about being a twelve-meter tall deathbot is that cold does little to affect my … chassis. Gives enough time to understand how to move, or really do anything substantial in this body besides attempting to read hud info. It feels wrong, and stiff and like it always been like that..
Ok screw moving, I need some information, where's 'help' when you need one.. huh, readout's changed: 'settings', 'units', 'command', 'communications', 'status', 'self-diagnosis' and more, useful, but later, Ah, found it.
I'm an Osiris Commander, a four-legged vaguely insect-like mech, so not even humanoid, awesome! Sensors are online and optimal. Primary generator offline [repairs needed], secondary generator offline [repairs needed], reserve (experimental?) generator offline [repairs needed], primary reserve energy storage at 30%, secondary one at 97%. Power is above the red line, but better fix that, material resources- holy, that's a long list! Hundreds of different materials, components, alloy and more for construction. So no simplified "energy – metal" system? Besides the point! Ah, condition.
It shows physically minor, superficial damage remaining, after emergency repairs? What? And is that-. Dievs žēlīgs, something managed to damage Osiris' core, force-deactivating it! And it was in emergency repair-mode for nearly 1300 yea-r-s. N-no, no thinking a-about that, just find kā kustētities šajā draņķī!…
Was that mental dissonance? NO, no priories, moveme- *thug* . O-ow, ran into a tree. So movement is.. almost intuitive, like human body, despite the non-humanoid design. I can somewhat move now, and other systems are "green", what now? … Build a Metal Extractor? Eff that!
I'm NOT mentally sound to do that! Not in some random tundra near a mountain. And SOMEHOW my human needs to find shelter, reminded me that I slowed down, am still in a snowy field, with few trees scattered around and a mountain in front, completely EXPOSED (am I insane?). Speaking of that mountain, there's a cave, possibly big enough to house .. me. Labi, trek towards the cave. Wow so many tracks, feeling kinda embarrassed. That must have been a sight: Commander running like a headless chicken, not even straight. So what MENTAL problems do I have?! *thoooo* huh?
[
Quick Software Analysis complete:
-Quantum Computers 1-to-5: online
--Q1: green
--Q2: green
--Q3: green
--Q4: green
--Q5: green
-E-Warfare: 100%
-Unit databas: 100%
-Archive data: 60% {40% data lost}
--Memory archive 1: {information available}
--Memory archive 2: {all non-critical information lost}
--Memory archive 3: {non-critical information corrupted}
--Memory archive 4: {information available}
->PrimaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
->SecondaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
-->AdditionalCore: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
Initializing Deep Software Analysis and Debugging
WARNING
Deep Software Analysis and Debugging requires significant energy and time investment
Start process: Y/N
]
Apparently tons. My situation is not good enough, when I have some Generators, Extractors, and Storages I'll do it ASAP, but right now it's a dead-sentence, no for now put it on ice. I will need to fix my Osiris body, can't always rely on an external power source and … I need a distraction.
OK, a plan. Uhh, I think the 1st thing is to understand my capabilities: find out what *I* can do and not, since energy and metal resources are not like in the game, the only "real" reference I have. Then again PA is(was?) a spiritual successor of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander, should dig up what remember of them just in case?
2nd what's my situation: where am I, when am I, what resources I have, technology, information, specific location, threats, etc. cause nothing is ever this peaceful for long.
3rd analyze mental state: I STILL don't want to accept this as reality.
4th get a long term solution/plan.
5th find people to talk to. Isolation and loneliness can have (MORE) negative effect on anyone's (my) psyche.
6th…
Uh, I'm not that good at planning long term. Just keep it flexible yet simple.
Fine, hurry up get into the cave, hide and then thing up guidelines to follow. Maybe then I could actually calm down and think what is what. .. And I have a program that records some of my actions into an abbreviated after-action report, cause why not.
No matter what happens This will be a wild ride.
___________________________________________
AN: So this is the beginning of the story. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Comment below.
Last edited:
Possible Universes
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
Last edited:
- Location
- Puerto Rico
Regarding MCU, if you were to acquire the Space Stone, how long would it take you to make it into a power source for the Commander? Or would you need to hack into Zola's computer brain to know?
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
If I acquire the Space Stone, it will first be analysed thoroughly, before I go that rout. Besides wasn't the Space Stone more of a transport without a gauntlet? Then again being suddenly transported in space would be deadly.
Chapter 0.2
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
–
AN: This chapter will contain some quasi-relevant exposition, but don't worry the classic PA actions will start in the next chapter. Without further ado:
[]
Chapter 0.2
After a whole hour of walking and another half-hour of just standing and looking at HUD, I finally calmed down. Asking existential questions, or blaming some random non-corporeal entity, aka ROB, is pointless without more "solid" information. Real situation might be more different than the wildest imagination, in short I need more data.
And as it turns out some data is available in the corrupted archives. Those can be fixed, but to do that I need time and stabile energy income. Yet before I do anything about those lets deduce what's real, what's not and how to do all that, I mean it's not a fanfic where you master it in a snap and can build stuff in seconds, reality matters damnit!
So for the foreseeable future looking through what I have, and CAN do is a priority. Primary reserve energy storage, P-RES for short, is at 25%, and second one is almost full as well. Reading up about Commander mind and comparing to what I feel/see(?) to get a grasp of what's what is a start, alongside Extractors, and Generators in parallel with deducing my location, especially considering this is a habitable world a relative rarity by human 21st century science and data-points in the Archives.. wait, how do I know that?
- - - - - - - - -
Well, dis-a-thing. From what I understood in my impromptu relative 8 hour "learning" spree, Commanders have a central processing hardware (5 networked "mini" room-temperature quantum supercomputers with mind-boggling specs) that contains hundreds high-level, yet specialised (non-sentient) AI Programmes arranged into some kind of neural net. And they're arranged in different "levels" and runtime priorities, like human conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. Really it reminds me of a brain with one difference: human brains don't have a centralised command core. If anything nothing I remember of my "human" studies indicate that the brain has something that controls other functions, which is the "Core" of a Commander.
And that's just for a normal Commander. My case is WAY different.
So standard Commanders have Centralised Control Core that control other systems and Commanders physical activities. It's heavily centralised. As in this Core is the Keystone – without it, Commander is just hunk of weirdly shaped metal.
For me? *I* am the Centralised Control Core. Like not the conscious part that I identified as, but the whole me: memories, subconscious and unconscious, aka whole brain in digital format.
So why did I fumble and How am I even capable of processing all this? Short answer: subconscious and unconscious mind. A lot of Commanders AI "mind" is similar to human mind, and thus some emergency system for lack of better terms "fused" Commanders sub-AIs with part of my mind (I'm no longer human). That fusion caused some massive changes.
UNLIKE Commander CCC I don't directly "control" all these sub-processes, they are partially affected by my non-conscious mind. I both directly am and am not those, know and don't know all info that's here. Human brain adaptability and in-build adaptive systems "fill in the blanks", ensuring that I'm functional and get more familiar to all this, but it's crude so these AIs now have semi-independence: they don't need my direct supervision, but they are affected by my subconsciousness. Yeah, don't understand HOW that works, besides that it does.
That's the reason for my gradually growing understanding and familiarity of these systems. Weirdest part: only halfway through I noticed that I understood how to read and was "reading" multiple threads at the same time. It's slowly sinking in: I'm no longer human (I'm no longer human), sasodīts.
Well the good thing from all that: I now can build any unit in my database. Bad thing: no hack.
True, Progenitor nanites can build units quickly, but it's still like an hour for a single Metal Extractor and 2 some hours for Energy generator. Quantum computers allows multitasking, but depending on number of action not infinite multitasking. It is possible to "overclock" systems to increase reaction-time, including bullet-time, but costs more energy and might damage systems. Hacking is possible only when digital systems are similar, and sure an interface system can be made to interact with other non-Progenitor tech, but it's not instant. Cyberwarfare is also a thing judging by number of dedicated AIs with non-insignificant chance of me getting hacked (note to self: Improve cyber defences, fast). Reverse engineering tech requires time EVEN if tech is comparable. True there is that Quantum Resource Network that transports matter and energy between units (but not modify it in transit). Out of everything this looks like magic, BUT has limited "bandwidth". Aka only matter transportation, so I need to make that material before it's converted and send through QRN. Energy is bit more lenient: no braking conservation of energy. Can't tell about efficiency though, no real reference point.
I DO have an "Resource Core" but it's functions are not clear and it's labeled as "AdditionalCore" which, yeah. Not now.
So after 2 hours (real time) familiarisation let's do a Commander thing and build economy… God heaven't played RTS in forever.
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, 17 hour in and I have small base: 8 Basic Energy Plants - fusion plants that use QRN stored Hydrogen to start ignition, then continuing the reaction up to heavy element Iron creating "sun in a bottle" (fusion power is real! NOT "20 years" away!), 6 Metal Extractors in somewhat optimal position for material extraction (they also act as manufacturing units, producing some necessary materials that are "fed" into QRN), one Metal and one Energy Storage Facility (to be somewhat efficient) and single Bot Factory with few bots for additional help.
At first I was worried what will happen, I mean in game all units and structures are part of a single Commander, how would that translate here? Would it distill me across units? As far as I can guess I'm a unique case of upload into Commander, there might be problems. True Total Annihilation had uploads: all it did was make you a "soulless killing machine", but I don't feel like that (and hopefully never will) so that's out.
Luckily fear was unfounded, yes, it was strange, but not deliberating.
First ting I build was an Energy Plant (because energy is my lifeline no energy = dead). I could access its sensor readouts (game equivalent to vision) and regulate some of it's functions, but it was automated.
As it turned out all structures and units have in-build computer that automates processes decreasing Commanders direct control, but are inactive (or outright "dead") if there are no Commander oversight or very specific situations. Meaning once, say a Dox, is build the only thing Commander does is gives general orders (move to this location, fire at the enemy, patrol designated rout, etc.), unit itself calculates how it fulfils the objective. In addition some structures like Factories have additional quantum-computers that increase Commanders "unit cap".
Turns out there's a reason for that: everything is centralised. To ridiculous degree. Just as those interconnected pseudo-AIs, every unit, every structure, every nanite is connected to the Commander. Units and structures can't be hacked. Period. Only point of vulnerability: Commander. And everything that's not a Commander (practically) is expandable. Another point for the theory that Progenitors were not humans, such centralisation is unhealthy. Moving on.
It turns out E-Plants and M-Extractors production were set on "redline" aka it worked as fast as it could, and while it "produced more" it also caused some inefficiency: some 15-20% materials and energy was wasted (damaged materials, waste heat, etc.). True overall it produced 30% more than optimised solutions and for combat that's what's important, but I'm not in combat. Had to fumble with economy structure settings, though in the end I managed to decreased production speed to "civilian speeds" not emergency levels.
And those Fabricators? Those Fabrication Bots are godsend, building speed increased almost exponentially, in battle I could drown potential enemies in waves of machines in hours if I don't take things slow. No wonder Commanders are called "brutally efficient self-replicating mechanism of war".
Now that I have stable economy I decided to check what I need to fix my Osiris frame, because my P-RES was 1% when I finished the 1st E-Plant. Sincerely doubt that commanders are suppose to lose energy THAT quickly. Luckily all I need is basic Bot Factory to "realign" Osiris' personal energy storage units, and refill secondary generator that turn out to be a fission plant (.. I'm a walking nuclear station.. shaize). Primary generator (a fusion plant.. wow) will require Advanced Bot Factory due to specific designs that are too complex and delicate for basic factories to build, but that can wait, let's fix what I can.
So without further delay I stepped on the Factory and let the internal AIs to do their job.
And that's when Murphy (laipni lūgts !) decided to knock: there was an explosion and moments later my seismic sensors detected a crash. Something fell, something .. big.
___________________________________________
AN: This chapter will contain some quasi-relevant exposition, but don't worry the classic PA actions will start in the next chapter. Without further ado:
[]
Chapter 0.2
After a whole hour of walking and another half-hour of just standing and looking at HUD, I finally calmed down. Asking existential questions, or blaming some random non-corporeal entity, aka ROB, is pointless without more "solid" information. Real situation might be more different than the wildest imagination, in short I need more data.
And as it turns out some data is available in the corrupted archives. Those can be fixed, but to do that I need time and stabile energy income. Yet before I do anything about those lets deduce what's real, what's not and how to do all that, I mean it's not a fanfic where you master it in a snap and can build stuff in seconds, reality matters damnit!
So for the foreseeable future looking through what I have, and CAN do is a priority. Primary reserve energy storage, P-RES for short, is at 25%, and second one is almost full as well. Reading up about Commander mind and comparing to what I feel/see(?) to get a grasp of what's what is a start, alongside Extractors, and Generators in parallel with deducing my location, especially considering this is a habitable world a relative rarity by human 21st century science and data-points in the Archives.. wait, how do I know that?
- - - - - - - - -
Well, dis-a-thing. From what I understood in my impromptu relative 8 hour "learning" spree, Commanders have a central processing hardware (5 networked "mini" room-temperature quantum supercomputers with mind-boggling specs) that contains hundreds high-level, yet specialised (non-sentient) AI Programmes arranged into some kind of neural net. And they're arranged in different "levels" and runtime priorities, like human conscious, subconscious and unconscious mind. Really it reminds me of a brain with one difference: human brains don't have a centralised command core. If anything nothing I remember of my "human" studies indicate that the brain has something that controls other functions, which is the "Core" of a Commander.
And that's just for a normal Commander. My case is WAY different.
So standard Commanders have Centralised Control Core that control other systems and Commanders physical activities. It's heavily centralised. As in this Core is the Keystone – without it, Commander is just hunk of weirdly shaped metal.
For me? *I* am the Centralised Control Core. Like not the conscious part that I identified as, but the whole me: memories, subconscious and unconscious, aka whole brain in digital format.
So why did I fumble and How am I even capable of processing all this? Short answer: subconscious and unconscious mind. A lot of Commanders AI "mind" is similar to human mind, and thus some emergency system for lack of better terms "fused" Commanders sub-AIs with part of my mind (I'm no longer human). That fusion caused some massive changes.
UNLIKE Commander CCC I don't directly "control" all these sub-processes, they are partially affected by my non-conscious mind. I both directly am and am not those, know and don't know all info that's here. Human brain adaptability and in-build adaptive systems "fill in the blanks", ensuring that I'm functional and get more familiar to all this, but it's crude so these AIs now have semi-independence: they don't need my direct supervision, but they are affected by my subconsciousness. Yeah, don't understand HOW that works, besides that it does.
That's the reason for my gradually growing understanding and familiarity of these systems. Weirdest part: only halfway through I noticed that I understood how to read and was "reading" multiple threads at the same time. It's slowly sinking in: I'm no longer human (I'm no longer human), sasodīts.
Well the good thing from all that: I now can build any unit in my database. Bad thing: no hack.
True, Progenitor nanites can build units quickly, but it's still like an hour for a single Metal Extractor and 2 some hours for Energy generator. Quantum computers allows multitasking, but depending on number of action not infinite multitasking. It is possible to "overclock" systems to increase reaction-time, including bullet-time, but costs more energy and might damage systems. Hacking is possible only when digital systems are similar, and sure an interface system can be made to interact with other non-Progenitor tech, but it's not instant. Cyberwarfare is also a thing judging by number of dedicated AIs with non-insignificant chance of me getting hacked (note to self: Improve cyber defences, fast). Reverse engineering tech requires time EVEN if tech is comparable. True there is that Quantum Resource Network that transports matter and energy between units (but not modify it in transit). Out of everything this looks like magic, BUT has limited "bandwidth". Aka only matter transportation, so I need to make that material before it's converted and send through QRN. Energy is bit more lenient: no braking conservation of energy. Can't tell about efficiency though, no real reference point.
I DO have an "Resource Core" but it's functions are not clear and it's labeled as "AdditionalCore" which, yeah. Not now.
So after 2 hours (real time) familiarisation let's do a Commander thing and build economy… God heaven't played RTS in forever.
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, 17 hour in and I have small base: 8 Basic Energy Plants - fusion plants that use QRN stored Hydrogen to start ignition, then continuing the reaction up to heavy element Iron creating "sun in a bottle" (fusion power is real! NOT "20 years" away!), 6 Metal Extractors in somewhat optimal position for material extraction (they also act as manufacturing units, producing some necessary materials that are "fed" into QRN), one Metal and one Energy Storage Facility (to be somewhat efficient) and single Bot Factory with few bots for additional help.
At first I was worried what will happen, I mean in game all units and structures are part of a single Commander, how would that translate here? Would it distill me across units? As far as I can guess I'm a unique case of upload into Commander, there might be problems. True Total Annihilation had uploads: all it did was make you a "soulless killing machine", but I don't feel like that (and hopefully never will) so that's out.
Luckily fear was unfounded, yes, it was strange, but not deliberating.
First ting I build was an Energy Plant (because energy is my lifeline no energy = dead). I could access its sensor readouts (game equivalent to vision) and regulate some of it's functions, but it was automated.
As it turned out all structures and units have in-build computer that automates processes decreasing Commanders direct control, but are inactive (or outright "dead") if there are no Commander oversight or very specific situations. Meaning once, say a Dox, is build the only thing Commander does is gives general orders (move to this location, fire at the enemy, patrol designated rout, etc.), unit itself calculates how it fulfils the objective. In addition some structures like Factories have additional quantum-computers that increase Commanders "unit cap".
Turns out there's a reason for that: everything is centralised. To ridiculous degree. Just as those interconnected pseudo-AIs, every unit, every structure, every nanite is connected to the Commander. Units and structures can't be hacked. Period. Only point of vulnerability: Commander. And everything that's not a Commander (practically) is expandable. Another point for the theory that Progenitors were not humans, such centralisation is unhealthy. Moving on.
It turns out E-Plants and M-Extractors production were set on "redline" aka it worked as fast as it could, and while it "produced more" it also caused some inefficiency: some 15-20% materials and energy was wasted (damaged materials, waste heat, etc.). True overall it produced 30% more than optimised solutions and for combat that's what's important, but I'm not in combat. Had to fumble with economy structure settings, though in the end I managed to decreased production speed to "civilian speeds" not emergency levels.
And those Fabricators? Those Fabrication Bots are godsend, building speed increased almost exponentially, in battle I could drown potential enemies in waves of machines in hours if I don't take things slow. No wonder Commanders are called "brutally efficient self-replicating mechanism of war".
Now that I have stable economy I decided to check what I need to fix my Osiris frame, because my P-RES was 1% when I finished the 1st E-Plant. Sincerely doubt that commanders are suppose to lose energy THAT quickly. Luckily all I need is basic Bot Factory to "realign" Osiris' personal energy storage units, and refill secondary generator that turn out to be a fission plant (.. I'm a walking nuclear station.. shaize). Primary generator (a fusion plant.. wow) will require Advanced Bot Factory due to specific designs that are too complex and delicate for basic factories to build, but that can wait, let's fix what I can.
So without further delay I stepped on the Factory and let the internal AIs to do their job.
And that's when Murphy (laipni lūgts !) decided to knock: there was an explosion and moments later my seismic sensors detected a crash. Something fell, something .. big.
___________________________________________
- Location
- Earth, Sol System
Someone just sicced a Titan on your ass, didn't they?
Chapter 1.1
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
-
AN: Thanks for the comments! Here's another part I'm satisfied with:
[]
Chapter 1.1
Something massive just landed some distance from my position. Something that my sensors, highly advanced alien sensors detected only AFTER it landed. My forces consist of some economy structures, one Basic Bot_Factory (build inside a cave to avoid winds and snow), 15 fabber bots and no defensive structures. To top it off the Osiris' chassis, my body, is in the middle of a long, delicate repair process that CAN'T BE INTERRUPTED without damaging it further!
So of course in the middle of this I discover a simulation program that's throwing out hundred's of simulations, from bad to worst, and different scenarios of my defeat, brīnišķīgi. Why do Commanders need an in build simulator anyway?! … Oh, for analysing possible tactics, success-fail ratios, and .. researching new tech, wha-? No! One problem at a time.
I know next to nothing: not where exactly it is, not whether it's a thread, possible ally, anomaly or what-have-you! There are no external signals that my systems can detect, so that route is out, and might not have worked at all. Heck I don't even know how to respond (no, standard Commander protocols don't count, really NO)! What I do know is that's not a natural occurrence. To fix that I need information. Need scouts. Judging by my storage I-, hmm.
Okey, 1st lets turn E-plants back to combat production and slow down my personal repair, ?I?'ll need to manage every ounce of resources here. Then direct all 15 fabricator bots some 40 meters outside the cave… Good enough, now to build an Air Factory. That should decrease build time to 15 minutes instead of 4 and some hours. Fun tip - with greater number of construction units they can automatically start building multiple things at the same time (i.e. one builds basic carcass, other builds internal gears, etc.). Will eat a lot out of my resources, but it should get me what I need: eyes in the sky, Firefly.
When the Air_Factory is ready, I'll direct three foruths of the fabricator bots to build more Metal Extractors in optimised position, maybe some Energy Plants; the rest will assist in building my scout plane, and later bombers and fighters (Air Fabricators will come later, when I feel safer). Just need to be ready in case I meet something hostiles.
- - - - - - - - -
20 minutes later my Firefly takes off. It's a rather thin plane, relatively small, light but fast. It has a weak laser as "defence armament" but I'm not putting my money on it not in this weather. The craft truly excels at scouting runs aka information gathering (aka what I need). I send it on a bit curved flight path that will take bit longer to reach the anomaly's crash/landing site. I purposely avoided straight line, because if it's a hostile, it's the same as showing them where to find me. I'm not a solider, but I'm not dumb, and won't take such risks when I don't have an army, can't fight back and survive.
It will approach the anomaly from North-East (judging by in-build compass its north of me). Firefly has strict orders to only find, observe, patrol around the anomaly, and notengage. Depending on what it observes in the next 30 minutes and 17 seconds, I'll decide how to react.
While Firefly follows its trajectory, the AirFactory and its 4 designated construction bots start their next orders, others are putting down M-extractors where they can. While the local geology is relatively rich with elements, there are no good places for large material income so all I have are below-optimal spots that can't yield enough in combat production speeds. I know that most of my world mining companies couldn't get even fraction of what I get from such places, but that doesn't change how stressful this is: only 2 more Metal-extractors near the caves entrance and other good spots are further away. Firefly might as well find what is that when I get those extractors.
Speaking of, production estimates show that I might get 2 Bumblebee bombers and 1 Hummingbird Fighter (they seriously called that? good grief), at the end will have some resources left, but energy will be fine. Important to add: my/Osiris' repairs at these speeds will be done in 14 day and 3 hours. Even at fastest repair speeds it would have taken 2 and a half days (with significant risk percentage of having new problems), so I'd been stuck either way. Didn't exactly plan on dealing with something unexpected: just wanted to start repairs, and slowly expand, while reading/learning accessible data.
I couldn't remain hidden forever and turtling up with defence structures would only give them initiative… 27 minutes and 5 seconds till contact. Nothing to do but wait.
- - - - - - - - -
Two additional M-extractors just came online, and my small airforce is ready to deploy. The closer Firefly got to the target, the more nervous yet focused I got. The moment of truth. Through Firefly's sensors I will "see" what caused this ruckus. Contact in 4, 3, 2, …
… That's a spaceship. Big spaceship. It is crashed, but even with that you can see just how massive it is, with somewhat complex shape with sloped front. In pieces. Neticami. What happened?
Wait, I know that from somewhere, but where? No, i-it can't… Overclock systems (open simulator). Put in Firefly data (tell AI to reconstruct the ship, NOW!). Erase not ship parts and environment (switch to wireframe configuration). Reattach broken pieces (pull up squished frame). Compare with (human memories)… Ma(tch).
…
(…)
..no.
(…)
(End overclocking).
3 seconds. It took me 3 real world seconds to confirm what I though: Battlestar. A severely damaged one.
It's a colonial ship from Battlestar Galactica. Ship crews by humans-s-s-s… Overriding Fireflys original orders and direct it as close as possible. It's not a pretty picture. Hull and superstructure sustained heavy damaged, multiple holes dot the once impressive armor, some kind of "exotic radiation" and "standard" radiation, and tons more, but not what I'm looking for! Please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong!
There, organic matter… blood and broken bones, liquified organs, muscles, nerves..
They're dead. They're all dead. Humans couldn't survive such a crash, I knew that, but… Oh, Dievs žēlīgais. They're all dead.
- - - - - - - - -
As it turns out I can still feel grief. I can still feel human emotions, I can still be overwhelmed by them.. to limited extend. I lack organic body and associated chemicals/processes to truly… Not important (not a biologist).
Thousands of sentient beings died. Were killed. Impact crater was immense, but smaller then it should be from orbital entry, Commander's programmes confirm that. And colonials are too smart (and paranoid) to miscalculate their FTL jump. This was either an emergency jump or sabotage. But..
It can wait. I stoped most of my units order, and took a moment of silence. Least I could do. Especially with what I have planned to do next.
___________________________________________
AN: As I said might be infrequent updates + I'll answer some comments at a later date. sorry
AN: Thanks for the comments! Here's another part I'm satisfied with:
[]
Chapter 1.1
Something massive just landed some distance from my position. Something that my sensors, highly advanced alien sensors detected only AFTER it landed. My forces consist of some economy structures, one Basic Bot_Factory (build inside a cave to avoid winds and snow), 15 fabber bots and no defensive structures. To top it off the Osiris' chassis, my body, is in the middle of a long, delicate repair process that CAN'T BE INTERRUPTED without damaging it further!
So of course in the middle of this I discover a simulation program that's throwing out hundred's of simulations, from bad to worst, and different scenarios of my defeat, brīnišķīgi. Why do Commanders need an in build simulator anyway?! … Oh, for analysing possible tactics, success-fail ratios, and .. researching new tech, wha-? No! One problem at a time.
I know next to nothing: not where exactly it is, not whether it's a thread, possible ally, anomaly or what-have-you! There are no external signals that my systems can detect, so that route is out, and might not have worked at all. Heck I don't even know how to respond (no, standard Commander protocols don't count, really NO)! What I do know is that's not a natural occurrence. To fix that I need information. Need scouts. Judging by my storage I-, hmm.
Okey, 1st lets turn E-plants back to combat production and slow down my personal repair, ?I?'ll need to manage every ounce of resources here. Then direct all 15 fabricator bots some 40 meters outside the cave… Good enough, now to build an Air Factory. That should decrease build time to 15 minutes instead of 4 and some hours. Fun tip - with greater number of construction units they can automatically start building multiple things at the same time (i.e. one builds basic carcass, other builds internal gears, etc.). Will eat a lot out of my resources, but it should get me what I need: eyes in the sky, Firefly.
When the Air_Factory is ready, I'll direct three foruths of the fabricator bots to build more Metal Extractors in optimised position, maybe some Energy Plants; the rest will assist in building my scout plane, and later bombers and fighters (Air Fabricators will come later, when I feel safer). Just need to be ready in case I meet something hostiles.
- - - - - - - - -
20 minutes later my Firefly takes off. It's a rather thin plane, relatively small, light but fast. It has a weak laser as "defence armament" but I'm not putting my money on it not in this weather. The craft truly excels at scouting runs aka information gathering (aka what I need). I send it on a bit curved flight path that will take bit longer to reach the anomaly's crash/landing site. I purposely avoided straight line, because if it's a hostile, it's the same as showing them where to find me. I'm not a solider, but I'm not dumb, and won't take such risks when I don't have an army, can't fight back and survive.
It will approach the anomaly from North-East (judging by in-build compass its north of me). Firefly has strict orders to only find, observe, patrol around the anomaly, and notengage. Depending on what it observes in the next 30 minutes and 17 seconds, I'll decide how to react.
While Firefly follows its trajectory, the AirFactory and its 4 designated construction bots start their next orders, others are putting down M-extractors where they can. While the local geology is relatively rich with elements, there are no good places for large material income so all I have are below-optimal spots that can't yield enough in combat production speeds. I know that most of my world mining companies couldn't get even fraction of what I get from such places, but that doesn't change how stressful this is: only 2 more Metal-extractors near the caves entrance and other good spots are further away. Firefly might as well find what is that when I get those extractors.
Speaking of, production estimates show that I might get 2 Bumblebee bombers and 1 Hummingbird Fighter (they seriously called that? good grief), at the end will have some resources left, but energy will be fine. Important to add: my/Osiris' repairs at these speeds will be done in 14 day and 3 hours. Even at fastest repair speeds it would have taken 2 and a half days (with significant risk percentage of having new problems), so I'd been stuck either way. Didn't exactly plan on dealing with something unexpected: just wanted to start repairs, and slowly expand, while reading/learning accessible data.
I couldn't remain hidden forever and turtling up with defence structures would only give them initiative… 27 minutes and 5 seconds till contact. Nothing to do but wait.
- - - - - - - - -
Two additional M-extractors just came online, and my small airforce is ready to deploy. The closer Firefly got to the target, the more nervous yet focused I got. The moment of truth. Through Firefly's sensors I will "see" what caused this ruckus. Contact in 4, 3, 2, …
… That's a spaceship. Big spaceship. It is crashed, but even with that you can see just how massive it is, with somewhat complex shape with sloped front. In pieces. Neticami. What happened?
Wait, I know that from somewhere, but where? No, i-it can't… Overclock systems (open simulator). Put in Firefly data (tell AI to reconstruct the ship, NOW!). Erase not ship parts and environment (switch to wireframe configuration). Reattach broken pieces (pull up squished frame). Compare with (human memories)… Ma(tch).
…
(…)
..no.
(…)
(End overclocking).
3 seconds. It took me 3 real world seconds to confirm what I though: Battlestar. A severely damaged one.
It's a colonial ship from Battlestar Galactica. Ship crews by humans-s-s-s… Overriding Fireflys original orders and direct it as close as possible. It's not a pretty picture. Hull and superstructure sustained heavy damaged, multiple holes dot the once impressive armor, some kind of "exotic radiation" and "standard" radiation, and tons more, but not what I'm looking for! Please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong!
There, organic matter… blood and broken bones, liquified organs, muscles, nerves..
They're dead. They're all dead. Humans couldn't survive such a crash, I knew that, but… Oh, Dievs žēlīgais. They're all dead.
- - - - - - - - -
As it turns out I can still feel grief. I can still feel human emotions, I can still be overwhelmed by them.. to limited extend. I lack organic body and associated chemicals/processes to truly… Not important (not a biologist).
Thousands of sentient beings died. Were killed. Impact crater was immense, but smaller then it should be from orbital entry, Commander's programmes confirm that. And colonials are too smart (and paranoid) to miscalculate their FTL jump. This was either an emergency jump or sabotage. But..
It can wait. I stoped most of my units order, and took a moment of silence. Least I could do. Especially with what I have planned to do next.
___________________________________________
AN: As I said might be infrequent updates + I'll answer some comments at a later date. sorry
Last edited:
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
As you can see, not quite.
And while I originally planned for that to happen, I ... remembered that I would die. No seriously, with the whole jarring shift (unprepared, might I add) you need time to get things going. Titan would make you into a pancake/smouldering wreck/cloud of gas, etc.
Hope it's not that disappointing.
- Location
- Utah, salt lake city
Nice fic so far, I recommend filling out the details more so that they dont meld with other parts of the fic and make a mess.
Chapter 1.2
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
-
Sorry for the delay, I usually want to post when I have rechecked what I have written and have one chapter ahead.
This will still be a slow burn.
[]
Chapter 1.2
It took some time, but I managed to get enough pictures of colonial emblem to digitally recreate it. Then I spend "subjective" 9 hours (1.78 real world hours) looking through available archives for ways to recreate it physically. The moment one of my threads (still not used to that) found how to do that I got to work.
.. it was not easy. Took several tries (and sub-AIs reinterpreting and refining what I want correctly), but I managed to create a good 5 meter tall, half meter tick disk made out of gold (an "eternal metal".. that's cheaper than Progenitor alloy and more symbolic) with Colonial emblem on it.
The memorials has two purposes: honouring the dead and testing my capabilities (They were soldiers protecting their civilisation. From an outsider, this should be a good way to honour them).
While Commanders can, theoretically, build almost anything with their nanobots, they can't build them just like that. From what I gathered I suspect it's a Progenitor in-build limiter – they were build for war, they're efficient at war and that's it (again over specialisation). Commanders are not used for civilian project. Then how did I build something that should be "impossible"?
Combination of things: creative use of existing systems for tech analysis, my status as (non-progenitor) brain upload (or something like that) crating previously non-existent possibilities, and the AdditionalCore functions. It's functioning and affecting me, but I can't access its data due to errors and system analysis requirements. It all works in a roundabout way.
Suffice to say I had to improvise to get the results I wanted. Luckily a combination of simulation programme, analysis systems and (ouch)… my memories… allowed to create a new sub-programme that I'm tentatively calling "design software". Does what the title says: gives me the chance to design and test new units (so lucky that I have army of [slowly improving] AIs that streamline the process, otherwise it would take WAY more time). Now I can research, design, save and add new units to my Archives yay.
During all that I also supervised construction orders and actions. Bots put down additional M-Extractors and E-Plants, a group of Air Fabricators were build and send towards the Battlestar, another group started building additional factories, and my body repairs have been accelerated.
My situation was slowly improving, but the main concern is to find other colonial survivors. If my haunch about the time period is correct… No point in speculating, first I need to confirm my suspicions.
- - - - - - - - -
10 minutes later the 12 Air Fabricators notified me of them reaching the crashed Battlestar as instructed. Now starts the hard part. Setting other units on pre instructed tasks on cycle, I focused most of my awareness on the task ahead.
First using air-fab sensors (visual, electromagnetic, infrared, thermal, gravimetric, and more) and "few" nanites I carefully scanned the whole damaged Battlestar starting from pieces laying around it, small and big, moving slowly toward the ship. A lot of debris were just strong half-melted armor platings (proportionally weaker than progenitor alloys and much heavier), few internal structural ribbings, pieces of gun barrels, and some pieces were just cooled lumps of metal and their origin unidentifiable, the work. With that done, let's get to the ship itself.
God damn, 12 Colonies of Kobol could engineer. While no hexagonal (honeycomb) internal structure, their design could withstand absurd amount of stress. Need to run some tests, but a fully intact Battlestar might be even more durable than any of my space units.
And I'm only extrapolating from the surviving heavily damaged, slagged and broken carcass. That's saying something.
Engines and power generators are strange. Based on my knowledge of "Battlestar Galactica" and power generator videos I've watched the power plants are fusion generator (still cool!), with a twist: tylium. The fictional material that allows physics bending things to happen. Yes, I found that some fictional materials are real, least in this universe. There are only few drops of the yellow oil like liquid in storage tanks. Even with nanites scouring all up… All together enough for thorough analysis yet due to its complex atomic makeup and "volatility", there'll be little to nothing left afterwards (store for now, examine later). Without this "unobtainium" power plants are "nothing special". In fact, quick comparison with Progenitor fusion reactors (that are similar to tokamak reactors), indicate that it should be "low" power reactor (high-double digit kilojoules).
Same with engines. The sublight engines seem to be a type of fusion torch - it expels relatively small amount of reaction mass with disproportionally large acceleration. Again thanks to tylium. Judging by my unit data, Omegas, the 2nd largest spacefaring unit in my current arsenal, with its Progenitor-grade fusion engines while more "wasteful" than battlestar's has greater delta V (brute force for the win).
Strangely, Colonial gravity technology is in some ways more advanced than progenitor. I won't get too technical (mainly because I don't understand everything), but the gist is Progenitor gravity technology uses vortex gravitoelectromagnetism to create a directed "repulsive" gravity force (somehow). Colonials (and to extend Cylons) uses some pice of tech that effectively converts magnetic fields into "gravity" (… that's not how science works!!.. or is [my] humanity just that far behind? depressing). Odd as it may be that's not what I am looking for.
Aha, and there's the masterpiece: Faster-Than-Light jump drive. It's in a bad shape. Many components are burned, containment plating breached, permanent magnets are dead, as in no longer capable of magnetic fields (didn't know that's even possible) and more. It's connected with some kind of "tylium energiser" that's… I only recognised it due to pipes leading from t-storage tanks to it. All that damage to both energiser and jump system, coupled with low amount of tylium left, colonials must have dumped all available fuel for this jump (point one to my theory).
Surprisingly I feel disappointed. Wanted a fully functional example to compare with what I know about (my) Earth's, theoretical Musha jump drive<1>. Do colonial FTL treats light speed limit as "sound barrier" and using quantum tunnelling effect like Musha drive? Idle mussing aside I need this jump drive because Commander FTL is a wormhole with strict mass limit – it can't send anything heavier than fully stocked Commander in a specialised transport pod. Colonial (and Cylon) jump drives could (possibly) bypass this limitation, allowing me to transport whole armies, without need to "start from scratch". When I get full schematics and at least some basic science for this, I'll see how to improve this.
Onto other matters: surprisingly there are fighters inside a surviving, half-collapsed flight pod. Well, there are some. It was eerily empty (another point to my theory). Most were crushed completely, identifiable only by some pieces, though one was in "repairable" condition.
Unfortunately that's when I stumbled into problems.
From series fans know that Colonial's used relatively "primitive" technology, mainly to decrease Cylon cyberattack effectiveness. To do so they strip away most wireless networking, requiring humans to physical interact with separate systems. Pain, but I already thought ways to circumvent that issue. Bigger problem is that most electronic devices and computers were eliminated, though some lucky ones survived, mainly in ships best defended section, the CIC. By lucky I mean "1 in-a-billion-chance lucky". And the bigger problem? No, not physical issue, I have enough samples of wiring, resistors, inducers, capacitors and other physical components to fix that in few minutes. No, the biggest issue is programming compatibility.
…Makes sense: on (my) Earth, technology that is slightly more than just 10 years old has high chance of being unusable by newer devices without upgrading their software or processors, CPU, Ram or other component. Right now I am an alien build warmachine and colonials are considered "never before encountered species".
I can sidestep physical problems by creating similar replicas from available materials but the software? Multiple sub-programmes are testing and building computer interface system. It'll take few minutes before my systems can (somewhat) interact with colonial tech, but it seems PA lore about Commanders being capable of assimilating any tech is not as far fetched as I originally feared.
While that's going on, I'll look what I can find out the old fashion way: reading letters. Turns out Colonial language and English are similar enough for me to read them plus I never paid attention before I found the battlestar, but Commanders also have linguistic programmes that ... have merged with my linguistic centres… (being so aware of your psyche is soooo wrong). Tālāk!!
Oh. Found the designation of this Battlestar: "BSG-38 Selena". … and it's the same Mercury-class as Pegasus. So it's around 1.8 kilometres (slightly longer than 1 mile) has in-build manufacturing units, better armor than Galactice, higher automation and has networking tech, considered top-of-the-line Colonial warship (thanks Spacedock). It's saying something about this classes quality, that Cylons felt better to install a back-door/virus in the software than to fight these ships directly (I've read fan speculations and seen the clips).
There are no way that crew of such vessel would make a FTL jump that crashes them. It's speculation with high-chance of success, but I think I'm close to the beginning of reimagined Battlestar: Galactica and this was one of the few Colonial ships that escaped complete destruction. Interesting fact: they never specified how many such ships were made, just that Pegasus was the last of it's kind…
Not as good as I hoped, not as bad as I feared. I can't save 12 Colonies of Kobol, they have already fallen, but I can help the exodus fleet. I also have no delusion that I can make things peach for them. Not everything I do will be for the best, I know that. All I can do is what I can to help them.
Though convincing technophobic civilisation that machine that makes their robotic creation look simple, is a good guy will be a challenge in and off itself! Not to mention…
One thing at a time. I have information to dissect, economy to build and a ship to fix… Hell let's get going.
___________________________________________
<1> - real thing published in 2016. Quick summary here
Sorry for the delay, I usually want to post when I have rechecked what I have written and have one chapter ahead.
This will still be a slow burn.
[]
Chapter 1.2
It took some time, but I managed to get enough pictures of colonial emblem to digitally recreate it. Then I spend "subjective" 9 hours (1.78 real world hours) looking through available archives for ways to recreate it physically. The moment one of my threads (still not used to that) found how to do that I got to work.
.. it was not easy. Took several tries (and sub-AIs reinterpreting and refining what I want correctly), but I managed to create a good 5 meter tall, half meter tick disk made out of gold (an "eternal metal".. that's cheaper than Progenitor alloy and more symbolic) with Colonial emblem on it.
The memorials has two purposes: honouring the dead and testing my capabilities (They were soldiers protecting their civilisation. From an outsider, this should be a good way to honour them).
While Commanders can, theoretically, build almost anything with their nanobots, they can't build them just like that. From what I gathered I suspect it's a Progenitor in-build limiter – they were build for war, they're efficient at war and that's it (again over specialisation). Commanders are not used for civilian project. Then how did I build something that should be "impossible"?
Combination of things: creative use of existing systems for tech analysis, my status as (non-progenitor) brain upload (or something like that) crating previously non-existent possibilities, and the AdditionalCore functions. It's functioning and affecting me, but I can't access its data due to errors and system analysis requirements. It all works in a roundabout way.
Suffice to say I had to improvise to get the results I wanted. Luckily a combination of simulation programme, analysis systems and (ouch)… my memories… allowed to create a new sub-programme that I'm tentatively calling "design software". Does what the title says: gives me the chance to design and test new units (so lucky that I have army of [slowly improving] AIs that streamline the process, otherwise it would take WAY more time). Now I can research, design, save and add new units to my Archives yay.
During all that I also supervised construction orders and actions. Bots put down additional M-Extractors and E-Plants, a group of Air Fabricators were build and send towards the Battlestar, another group started building additional factories, and my body repairs have been accelerated.
My situation was slowly improving, but the main concern is to find other colonial survivors. If my haunch about the time period is correct… No point in speculating, first I need to confirm my suspicions.
- - - - - - - - -
10 minutes later the 12 Air Fabricators notified me of them reaching the crashed Battlestar as instructed. Now starts the hard part. Setting other units on pre instructed tasks on cycle, I focused most of my awareness on the task ahead.
First using air-fab sensors (visual, electromagnetic, infrared, thermal, gravimetric, and more) and "few" nanites I carefully scanned the whole damaged Battlestar starting from pieces laying around it, small and big, moving slowly toward the ship. A lot of debris were just strong half-melted armor platings (proportionally weaker than progenitor alloys and much heavier), few internal structural ribbings, pieces of gun barrels, and some pieces were just cooled lumps of metal and their origin unidentifiable, the work. With that done, let's get to the ship itself.
God damn, 12 Colonies of Kobol could engineer. While no hexagonal (honeycomb) internal structure, their design could withstand absurd amount of stress. Need to run some tests, but a fully intact Battlestar might be even more durable than any of my space units.
And I'm only extrapolating from the surviving heavily damaged, slagged and broken carcass. That's saying something.
Engines and power generators are strange. Based on my knowledge of "Battlestar Galactica" and power generator videos I've watched the power plants are fusion generator (still cool!), with a twist: tylium. The fictional material that allows physics bending things to happen. Yes, I found that some fictional materials are real, least in this universe. There are only few drops of the yellow oil like liquid in storage tanks. Even with nanites scouring all up… All together enough for thorough analysis yet due to its complex atomic makeup and "volatility", there'll be little to nothing left afterwards (store for now, examine later). Without this "unobtainium" power plants are "nothing special". In fact, quick comparison with Progenitor fusion reactors (that are similar to tokamak reactors), indicate that it should be "low" power reactor (high-double digit kilojoules).
Same with engines. The sublight engines seem to be a type of fusion torch - it expels relatively small amount of reaction mass with disproportionally large acceleration. Again thanks to tylium. Judging by my unit data, Omegas, the 2nd largest spacefaring unit in my current arsenal, with its Progenitor-grade fusion engines while more "wasteful" than battlestar's has greater delta V (brute force for the win).
Strangely, Colonial gravity technology is in some ways more advanced than progenitor. I won't get too technical (mainly because I don't understand everything), but the gist is Progenitor gravity technology uses vortex gravitoelectromagnetism to create a directed "repulsive" gravity force (somehow). Colonials (and to extend Cylons) uses some pice of tech that effectively converts magnetic fields into "gravity" (… that's not how science works!!.. or is [my] humanity just that far behind? depressing). Odd as it may be that's not what I am looking for.
Aha, and there's the masterpiece: Faster-Than-Light jump drive. It's in a bad shape. Many components are burned, containment plating breached, permanent magnets are dead, as in no longer capable of magnetic fields (didn't know that's even possible) and more. It's connected with some kind of "tylium energiser" that's… I only recognised it due to pipes leading from t-storage tanks to it. All that damage to both energiser and jump system, coupled with low amount of tylium left, colonials must have dumped all available fuel for this jump (point one to my theory).
Surprisingly I feel disappointed. Wanted a fully functional example to compare with what I know about (my) Earth's, theoretical Musha jump drive<1>. Do colonial FTL treats light speed limit as "sound barrier" and using quantum tunnelling effect like Musha drive? Idle mussing aside I need this jump drive because Commander FTL is a wormhole with strict mass limit – it can't send anything heavier than fully stocked Commander in a specialised transport pod. Colonial (and Cylon) jump drives could (possibly) bypass this limitation, allowing me to transport whole armies, without need to "start from scratch". When I get full schematics and at least some basic science for this, I'll see how to improve this.
Onto other matters: surprisingly there are fighters inside a surviving, half-collapsed flight pod. Well, there are some. It was eerily empty (another point to my theory). Most were crushed completely, identifiable only by some pieces, though one was in "repairable" condition.
Unfortunately that's when I stumbled into problems.
From series fans know that Colonial's used relatively "primitive" technology, mainly to decrease Cylon cyberattack effectiveness. To do so they strip away most wireless networking, requiring humans to physical interact with separate systems. Pain, but I already thought ways to circumvent that issue. Bigger problem is that most electronic devices and computers were eliminated, though some lucky ones survived, mainly in ships best defended section, the CIC. By lucky I mean "1 in-a-billion-chance lucky". And the bigger problem? No, not physical issue, I have enough samples of wiring, resistors, inducers, capacitors and other physical components to fix that in few minutes. No, the biggest issue is programming compatibility.
…Makes sense: on (my) Earth, technology that is slightly more than just 10 years old has high chance of being unusable by newer devices without upgrading their software or processors, CPU, Ram or other component. Right now I am an alien build warmachine and colonials are considered "never before encountered species".
I can sidestep physical problems by creating similar replicas from available materials but the software? Multiple sub-programmes are testing and building computer interface system. It'll take few minutes before my systems can (somewhat) interact with colonial tech, but it seems PA lore about Commanders being capable of assimilating any tech is not as far fetched as I originally feared.
While that's going on, I'll look what I can find out the old fashion way: reading letters. Turns out Colonial language and English are similar enough for me to read them plus I never paid attention before I found the battlestar, but Commanders also have linguistic programmes that ... have merged with my linguistic centres… (being so aware of your psyche is soooo wrong). Tālāk!!
Oh. Found the designation of this Battlestar: "BSG-38 Selena". … and it's the same Mercury-class as Pegasus. So it's around 1.8 kilometres (slightly longer than 1 mile) has in-build manufacturing units, better armor than Galactice, higher automation and has networking tech, considered top-of-the-line Colonial warship (thanks Spacedock). It's saying something about this classes quality, that Cylons felt better to install a back-door/virus in the software than to fight these ships directly (I've read fan speculations and seen the clips).
There are no way that crew of such vessel would make a FTL jump that crashes them. It's speculation with high-chance of success, but I think I'm close to the beginning of reimagined Battlestar: Galactica and this was one of the few Colonial ships that escaped complete destruction. Interesting fact: they never specified how many such ships were made, just that Pegasus was the last of it's kind…
Not as good as I hoped, not as bad as I feared. I can't save 12 Colonies of Kobol, they have already fallen, but I can help the exodus fleet. I also have no delusion that I can make things peach for them. Not everything I do will be for the best, I know that. All I can do is what I can to help them.
Though convincing technophobic civilisation that machine that makes their robotic creation look simple, is a good guy will be a challenge in and off itself! Not to mention…
One thing at a time. I have information to dissect, economy to build and a ship to fix… Hell let's get going.
___________________________________________
<1> - real thing published in 2016. Quick summary here
Last edited:
- Location
- Puerto Rico
Good chapter.
Well, you could pretend to be an alien machine from an advanced civilization (which you technically are) or that you are a creation made by the Lord of Kobol Hephaestus that has come back to check on the tribes of Kobol.
Well, you could pretend to be an alien machine from an advanced civilization (which you technically are) or that you are a creation made by the Lord of Kobol Hephaestus that has come back to check on the tribes of Kobol.
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
There are many ways one could present himself. And each scenario has their ups and downs, and as human (or an upload in this case) I'm not perfect, I will make mistakes though you'll need to wait and see.
And a little warning: I'm not that well versed in BSG. Most of my knowledge comes from Wiki and TvTropes, with few YouTube videos sprinkled in, so expect some... deviations when I won't be able to "fill the blanks".
And a little warning: I'm not that well versed in BSG. Most of my knowledge comes from Wiki and TvTropes, with few YouTube videos sprinkled in, so expect some... deviations when I won't be able to "fill the blanks".
- Location
- Earth
To be honest you are stripping down most of the key advantages PA mcs get. You ruined mcs integration into the commander, disabled multithreaded thoughts and linked all useful software to the unreliable subconscious of a human mind. You also removed the 'hack' which is one of the main advantages of PA. Well mc can probably still manage to get pretty strong but it seems really needlessly nerfed.
Chapter 1.3
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
-
Ok, today's my birthday, and decided a small present in form of a chapter. Enjoy.
[]
Chapter 1.3
I had my hopes up too much (I know I'm taking it slow, but still!).
That basic computer interface system? Colonials use different programming than Progenitors, than (my) 21st century humanity and whatever hybrid I am, so the few programming languages that I know are useless (well useless as translators, but as reference points for refining cis helps making it more responsive and flexible).
That's not to say I'm not making progress, yet coupled with the extensive damage, corrupted files, imperfect (yet improving) compatibility, lost files, it might take few days to get something useful (military records, coordinates, whatever) from all this disjointed data points viss maz!
… ok no, I can put some AIs to deal with this, right now I need to fix the Selena. While I have space-worthy units, they have many flaws, biggest of them: none are designed for long term deep-space voyage (they are not optimised for "endurance"). You can use them for such purpose, but a) they don't have dedicated systems for such travels; b) lack in-build energy storage or generation systems in case of emergency; and c) Quantum Resource Network. As I said, QRN isn't magic and has its limits (for one it seems to not have infinite range).
Unlike them Mercury-class battlestars were designed for long(er) term operations, has space for storing power plants, some units, maybe manufacturing systems, and (most importantly) might have a FTL system with less limitation than Commander wormhole drive. I said "fix" because I don't yet have full battlestar's blueprints, so I can't rebuild it from scratch, nor can I make it "Progenitor bullshittech" with a snap. Oh, my systems are learning and cataloging what they find, simulation programmes (with almost 100% realistic physics systems, damn) helps avoid irreparable mistakes and refine (the small) ways to refit the downed ship plus some improvisation (i.e. using alloy with similar tensile strength, but lighter here, use similar spec, but smaller resistor there, etc.). Most actions became a routine and nothing particularly new will come up, so I better return (most of) my awareness away from Selena and back to my base. After all my main "body" (Osiris chassis) first stage repairs are about to be done and there are few new things I've discovered.
- - - - - - - - -
Seal outer hull shut and done! After 6 days of rearranging and repairing internal energy storage banks (some complex metallic, maybe, solid-state capacitors) and nuclear fission reactor, and few other miscellaneous patches I can finally move my … primary body(?). Whatever, Osiris chassis hasn't really seen the sun or my base in a long while, time to stretch my legs. And it's an interesting sight.
The thing about my base, in the last 6 days it grew. Enormously. Now it is spread through multiple thousands of square kilometres (both land and sea), has hundreds of M-Extractors, (more) E-Plants, multiple different factories and over thousands of units of varying quality. "Varying" because I (an instance of me, that still feels strange) build Basic and Advanced Factories of all types. Few interesting things cropped up.
First up the planet. Using chain of several basic and advanced Radars and Satellites (that use "light particles" for their light-speed quantum radar<1>) I have a fairly decent picture of the planet I'm on. This planet is slightly larger and heavier than Earth with impressive amount of elements, very oxygent-light atmosphere and despite having organic life (mainly silicon heavy plant life) there are not many large multi-cell animals. Coupled with radioactive-decay analysis (why would a Commander need that?) indicating that this planet is 'just' 2.7 ± 0.09 billion years (compared to my Earth's 4.5 billion). Rather a good find: no intelligent life that I might threaten (or they threaten me), resource abundant, and there are little hazards for me, even on biological side.
Turns out Commanders have whole slew of protocols and procedures how to deal with bio-hazards (from animals, insects, plants, algae, viruses, chemicaks, organic compounds, and stuff I don't know how to pronounce, ow). Some of those are pure nightmare fuel (biological metal eating gray-goo equivalent, anyone? no? good). I really hope (and please universe, please) I don't have to use most of those.
The difference between Basic and Advanced fabbots are (mostly) the nanites. Advanced nanite 'builders' are more complex, constructed using rear earth elements, otherwise the construction nanites are indistinguishable in function between the two. Well not quite.
In general Fabricator bots have "specialised" construction nanites. Well there are 3 types of construction nanites, to be exact: standard, liquid-resistant, and exoatmospheric. Most "ground" and "air" fabricators and structures (and Commanders), use "normal" construction nanobots. These nanites can build in almost any environment, but will underperform in certain conditions (for example in no outer space).
Liquid-resistant are just that – specialised for performance in liquid environments, be it H2O (water is universal, at least) or ammonia "lakes", their performance will decrease outside such places (i.e. it will take longer to build ground based structures).
Exo-atmospheric or space-nanites are optimised for orbital construction. Unlike other construction nanobots, exo-nanites are lighter and more sensitive to temperature/chemical changes than the other two types, have longer operational range (~100 meters versus 42 m standard and 15-to-30 m for liquid), use much strong electromagnetic fields to keep themselves from drifting from one another and their fabrication unit (not against such local centralisation, don't want a grey goo scenario).
Advanced Metal Extractors are basically an improved Basic Metal Extractors, just, eh, more. Through the use of an odd combination of traditional (drills, pumps, conveyers, nets, centrifuges, and similar) and somewhat exotic (vibrating nano-wires, lasers, laser-based "tractor" beams etc.) mining equipment Extractors can dig deep and extract (hence the name) multiple tonnes of materials (mostly metal, little to no other elements… why?) in few minutes. Then using on-board nano-machines, foundries, forging and construction equipment, and tractor beams ("short" range using photons as a manipulator <2>) to perform processing to create necessary materials (mostly alloys) and feed them into the QRN for storage and for building purposes.
Next – Advanced Energy Plants. They produce considerably more power than basic ones (more than 6 times). I wanted to know how, and the answer surprised me – Quark fusion (Holy, I have effin quark fusion reactors, scientists were right!<3>). I've read about them its practically nuclear fusion using not with atoms, but their building blocks - quarks (If I remember right scientists calculated this reaction produces up-to 8 time more energy than nuclear fusion, apbrīnojami)! Quark fusion is a much harder reaction to produce though, mainly due to quark decay (extremely short lifespan). For this to work you'd need powerful particle accelerators (Wakefield accelerators <4>, nice, maybe using this I can add Particle Accelerator weapons to my arsenal in the future) to create the necessary reaction quarks.
And the Server Bank. This is my own "unique" structure. Server Bank is a one storey sized building (5x8x3 meters) consisting of a collection of multiple stacked progenitor quantum computers with the express purpose to increase the computing power of few programmes (analysis, simulator, design software, background processes et cetera). I thought of this concept to speed-up my diagnostics, but since I found the Selena it found other uses.
I've noticed, and mentioned before in previous AAR, that all structures have in-build quantum computers that increase Commander control "bandwidth". With my rudimentary design software (really want to get a better one) I manage to isolate the right components, modelled the receivers/transceivers, cooling systems, build interlocked parallel layered structure and constructed the outer protective layer. Programming was the hardest part, cause something prevented me from creating even semi-separate systems (note-to-self: get rid of progenitor restrictions), but I found a way to "circumvent" the problem. Commanders use centralised control so I used "the same principle": extend my programmes' resources through direct control.
Constructed by advanced fabricators 3 days ago it's a relative power-hog, but well worth the expanses: computational resources centupled, threads and programmes are working faster, managing units become so much easier, and deciphering damaged and corrupt Colonial programming become… slightly faster (lot's of damage and blanks to fill [no magical solution]).
Still Server Bank made it easier to fix the Selena and retrofit it at the same time. With so much computing resources I can run simultaneous hundreds of threads (still weird) toward designing and simulating, both decreasing reconstruction mistakes (while cutting off some "unnecessary" parts like doors or life support…) and reverse-engineering some of Colonial technologies (primarily artificial gravity and Jump drive).
It even allows me to (extend) redesign some of my own weapons before integrating them into Selena (and units themselves where it's beneficial). Mainly to shore up few of battlestars weaknesses, but also to find optimal weapon, reactor and storage placements aka make it "suitable" for me.
Then there's the Orbital and Deepspace Radar that will finish construction in few minutes, something that I really need (for my embarrassment). Thing is, while Commander has fairly large sensor coverage it does not cover the entire planet, nor does it actually reach orbit, not to mention the rest of the star system. Yes, using other sensors (optical, radio-wave, ultraviolet, x-rays and similar "traditional" sensors) I can view some natural satellite, and with my satellites like Hermes I can get better data and with in-build orbital mechanics algorithms (would have been harder otherwise) I can calculate and send my units to other celestial objects. BUT all that, and here's the fun part, is light-delayed. While precise, and relatively small, I still have to spend some computational resources to correctly calculate trajectories, and the less precise information I have, the bigger probability something is not calculated with 100% precision. Case in point, one of my Hermes was almost hit by a fast, stray comet that shot past this planet. Surprisingly to mitigate this the Orbital and Deepspace Radar ha- *ding*
Ah! It «1» is done! Time to see my "backyard". Activating «2» and … neticami. This planet is 1.2 times larger than my Earth, has two moons one around 34 kilometers, and other, around 2 km (1905 m). The star emits almost white light (yellow-white colouring), there is one rocky, smaller than Mars planet closest to it, three planets further away from the star and the (second) planet I'm located at is a large circumstellar asteroid belt, further out "behind" them - one gas giant, with "vertical" rings around it, and number of dwarf-planets further out. And I detect everything in real-time! Yes, ODRadar gives a real-time system wide view (īsts Faster Than Light detection system!). And it has two modes.
On omni-directional setting the radar can precisely identify anything bigger than tennis ball in 10 light-hour range and with rough estimates around 1 light-year range (all using electromagnetic/quantum particle science humanity wouldn't begin to understand for hundreds of years). An almost perfect identification system. Almost. Progenitors have masking systems that can spoof signal readings and thus returning signals become unidentifiable (why in PA games you can see [most] enemies as dots, not identify precise units till "conventional" sensor ranges).
ODRadar's secondary mode - a tight narrow field view - gives a view in a given cone (one millionth of a apex degree) about 10 light-years scope (with the same precision as aforementioned 10 light-hour bounds) and with rough precision around 500 light-years distance. Archives state it's less often used due to its (relatively) short effective range and galaxy-wide system consisting of deep-space probes acting as mapping systems with far more powerful and accurate sensors (praktiski galaktiskais GoogleMaps, skaidrs).
OK, ODRadar has WAY more potential than I first thought. Not just for tracking local space, with this I have potential to get highly accurate coordinate for Jump Drive! I'll run some tests/simulations, but it might be valuable to install one ODR directly in the battlestar. For now, I have planets, asteroids and gas giant to "colonise" for resources, structures and units to build, and Colonials are being hunted, so time's a premium… Least have reason to be productive.
___________________________________________
<1> Real life concept, but still theoretical Quantum radar - Wikipedia
<3> more info: "Quark Fusion" produces eight times more energy than nuclear fusion ; again you can find basic info on YouTube as well
<2> Partially inspired by this: Physicists Develop Reversible Laser Tractor Beam Functional Over Long Distances
<4> Wakefield accelerators
- - - - - - - - -
AN: Bit sad none comments, but then again nothing much to talk about. Any tips?
— — — — —
Edit:
«1» <- http://i.imgur.com/o3EkMdih.jpg
«2» <- http://i.imgur.com/wq52ybGh.jpg
___________________________________________
Ok, today's my birthday, and decided a small present in form of a chapter. Enjoy.
[]
Chapter 1.3
I had my hopes up too much (I know I'm taking it slow, but still!).
That basic computer interface system? Colonials use different programming than Progenitors, than (my) 21st century humanity and whatever hybrid I am, so the few programming languages that I know are useless (well useless as translators, but as reference points for refining cis helps making it more responsive and flexible).
That's not to say I'm not making progress, yet coupled with the extensive damage, corrupted files, imperfect (yet improving) compatibility, lost files, it might take few days to get something useful (military records, coordinates, whatever) from all this disjointed data points viss maz!
… ok no, I can put some AIs to deal with this, right now I need to fix the Selena. While I have space-worthy units, they have many flaws, biggest of them: none are designed for long term deep-space voyage (they are not optimised for "endurance"). You can use them for such purpose, but a) they don't have dedicated systems for such travels; b) lack in-build energy storage or generation systems in case of emergency; and c) Quantum Resource Network. As I said, QRN isn't magic and has its limits (for one it seems to not have infinite range).
Unlike them Mercury-class battlestars were designed for long(er) term operations, has space for storing power plants, some units, maybe manufacturing systems, and (most importantly) might have a FTL system with less limitation than Commander wormhole drive. I said "fix" because I don't yet have full battlestar's blueprints, so I can't rebuild it from scratch, nor can I make it "Progenitor bullshittech" with a snap. Oh, my systems are learning and cataloging what they find, simulation programmes (with almost 100% realistic physics systems, damn) helps avoid irreparable mistakes and refine (the small) ways to refit the downed ship plus some improvisation (i.e. using alloy with similar tensile strength, but lighter here, use similar spec, but smaller resistor there, etc.). Most actions became a routine and nothing particularly new will come up, so I better return (most of) my awareness away from Selena and back to my base. After all my main "body" (Osiris chassis) first stage repairs are about to be done and there are few new things I've discovered.
- - - - - - - - -
Seal outer hull shut and done! After 6 days of rearranging and repairing internal energy storage banks (some complex metallic, maybe, solid-state capacitors) and nuclear fission reactor, and few other miscellaneous patches I can finally move my … primary body(?). Whatever, Osiris chassis hasn't really seen the sun or my base in a long while, time to stretch my legs. And it's an interesting sight.
The thing about my base, in the last 6 days it grew. Enormously. Now it is spread through multiple thousands of square kilometres (both land and sea), has hundreds of M-Extractors, (more) E-Plants, multiple different factories and over thousands of units of varying quality. "Varying" because I (an instance of me, that still feels strange) build Basic and Advanced Factories of all types. Few interesting things cropped up.
First up the planet. Using chain of several basic and advanced Radars and Satellites (that use "light particles" for their light-speed quantum radar<1>) I have a fairly decent picture of the planet I'm on. This planet is slightly larger and heavier than Earth with impressive amount of elements, very oxygent-light atmosphere and despite having organic life (mainly silicon heavy plant life) there are not many large multi-cell animals. Coupled with radioactive-decay analysis (why would a Commander need that?) indicating that this planet is 'just' 2.7 ± 0.09 billion years (compared to my Earth's 4.5 billion). Rather a good find: no intelligent life that I might threaten (or they threaten me), resource abundant, and there are little hazards for me, even on biological side.
Turns out Commanders have whole slew of protocols and procedures how to deal with bio-hazards (from animals, insects, plants, algae, viruses, chemicaks, organic compounds, and stuff I don't know how to pronounce, ow). Some of those are pure nightmare fuel (biological metal eating gray-goo equivalent, anyone? no? good). I really hope (and please universe, please) I don't have to use most of those.
The difference between Basic and Advanced fabbots are (mostly) the nanites. Advanced nanite 'builders' are more complex, constructed using rear earth elements, otherwise the construction nanites are indistinguishable in function between the two. Well not quite.
In general Fabricator bots have "specialised" construction nanites. Well there are 3 types of construction nanites, to be exact: standard, liquid-resistant, and exoatmospheric. Most "ground" and "air" fabricators and structures (and Commanders), use "normal" construction nanobots. These nanites can build in almost any environment, but will underperform in certain conditions (for example in no outer space).
Liquid-resistant are just that – specialised for performance in liquid environments, be it H2O (water is universal, at least) or ammonia "lakes", their performance will decrease outside such places (i.e. it will take longer to build ground based structures).
Exo-atmospheric or space-nanites are optimised for orbital construction. Unlike other construction nanobots, exo-nanites are lighter and more sensitive to temperature/chemical changes than the other two types, have longer operational range (~100 meters versus 42 m standard and 15-to-30 m for liquid), use much strong electromagnetic fields to keep themselves from drifting from one another and their fabrication unit (not against such local centralisation, don't want a grey goo scenario).
Advanced Metal Extractors are basically an improved Basic Metal Extractors, just, eh, more. Through the use of an odd combination of traditional (drills, pumps, conveyers, nets, centrifuges, and similar) and somewhat exotic (vibrating nano-wires, lasers, laser-based "tractor" beams etc.) mining equipment Extractors can dig deep and extract (hence the name) multiple tonnes of materials (mostly metal, little to no other elements… why?) in few minutes. Then using on-board nano-machines, foundries, forging and construction equipment, and tractor beams ("short" range using photons as a manipulator <2>) to perform processing to create necessary materials (mostly alloys) and feed them into the QRN for storage and for building purposes.
Next – Advanced Energy Plants. They produce considerably more power than basic ones (more than 6 times). I wanted to know how, and the answer surprised me – Quark fusion (Holy, I have effin quark fusion reactors, scientists were right!<3>). I've read about them its practically nuclear fusion using not with atoms, but their building blocks - quarks (If I remember right scientists calculated this reaction produces up-to 8 time more energy than nuclear fusion, apbrīnojami)! Quark fusion is a much harder reaction to produce though, mainly due to quark decay (extremely short lifespan). For this to work you'd need powerful particle accelerators (Wakefield accelerators <4>, nice, maybe using this I can add Particle Accelerator weapons to my arsenal in the future) to create the necessary reaction quarks.
And the Server Bank. This is my own "unique" structure. Server Bank is a one storey sized building (5x8x3 meters) consisting of a collection of multiple stacked progenitor quantum computers with the express purpose to increase the computing power of few programmes (analysis, simulator, design software, background processes et cetera). I thought of this concept to speed-up my diagnostics, but since I found the Selena it found other uses.
I've noticed, and mentioned before in previous AAR, that all structures have in-build quantum computers that increase Commander control "bandwidth". With my rudimentary design software (really want to get a better one) I manage to isolate the right components, modelled the receivers/transceivers, cooling systems, build interlocked parallel layered structure and constructed the outer protective layer. Programming was the hardest part, cause something prevented me from creating even semi-separate systems (note-to-self: get rid of progenitor restrictions), but I found a way to "circumvent" the problem. Commanders use centralised control so I used "the same principle": extend my programmes' resources through direct control.
Constructed by advanced fabricators 3 days ago it's a relative power-hog, but well worth the expanses: computational resources centupled, threads and programmes are working faster, managing units become so much easier, and deciphering damaged and corrupt Colonial programming become… slightly faster (lot's of damage and blanks to fill [no magical solution]).
Still Server Bank made it easier to fix the Selena and retrofit it at the same time. With so much computing resources I can run simultaneous hundreds of threads (still weird) toward designing and simulating, both decreasing reconstruction mistakes (while cutting off some "unnecessary" parts like doors or life support…) and reverse-engineering some of Colonial technologies (primarily artificial gravity and Jump drive).
It even allows me to (extend) redesign some of my own weapons before integrating them into Selena (and units themselves where it's beneficial). Mainly to shore up few of battlestars weaknesses, but also to find optimal weapon, reactor and storage placements aka make it "suitable" for me.
Then there's the Orbital and Deepspace Radar that will finish construction in few minutes, something that I really need (for my embarrassment). Thing is, while Commander has fairly large sensor coverage it does not cover the entire planet, nor does it actually reach orbit, not to mention the rest of the star system. Yes, using other sensors (optical, radio-wave, ultraviolet, x-rays and similar "traditional" sensors) I can view some natural satellite, and with my satellites like Hermes I can get better data and with in-build orbital mechanics algorithms (would have been harder otherwise) I can calculate and send my units to other celestial objects. BUT all that, and here's the fun part, is light-delayed. While precise, and relatively small, I still have to spend some computational resources to correctly calculate trajectories, and the less precise information I have, the bigger probability something is not calculated with 100% precision. Case in point, one of my Hermes was almost hit by a fast, stray comet that shot past this planet. Surprisingly to mitigate this the Orbital and Deepspace Radar ha- *ding*
Ah! It «1» is done! Time to see my "backyard". Activating «2» and … neticami. This planet is 1.2 times larger than my Earth, has two moons one around 34 kilometers, and other, around 2 km (1905 m). The star emits almost white light (yellow-white colouring), there is one rocky, smaller than Mars planet closest to it, three planets further away from the star and the (second) planet I'm located at is a large circumstellar asteroid belt, further out "behind" them - one gas giant, with "vertical" rings around it, and number of dwarf-planets further out. And I detect everything in real-time! Yes, ODRadar gives a real-time system wide view (īsts Faster Than Light detection system!). And it has two modes.
On omni-directional setting the radar can precisely identify anything bigger than tennis ball in 10 light-hour range and with rough estimates around 1 light-year range (all using electromagnetic/quantum particle science humanity wouldn't begin to understand for hundreds of years). An almost perfect identification system. Almost. Progenitors have masking systems that can spoof signal readings and thus returning signals become unidentifiable (why in PA games you can see [most] enemies as dots, not identify precise units till "conventional" sensor ranges).
ODRadar's secondary mode - a tight narrow field view - gives a view in a given cone (one millionth of a apex degree) about 10 light-years scope (with the same precision as aforementioned 10 light-hour bounds) and with rough precision around 500 light-years distance. Archives state it's less often used due to its (relatively) short effective range and galaxy-wide system consisting of deep-space probes acting as mapping systems with far more powerful and accurate sensors (praktiski galaktiskais GoogleMaps, skaidrs).
OK, ODRadar has WAY more potential than I first thought. Not just for tracking local space, with this I have potential to get highly accurate coordinate for Jump Drive! I'll run some tests/simulations, but it might be valuable to install one ODR directly in the battlestar. For now, I have planets, asteroids and gas giant to "colonise" for resources, structures and units to build, and Colonials are being hunted, so time's a premium… Least have reason to be productive.
___________________________________________
<1> Real life concept, but still theoretical Quantum radar - Wikipedia
<3> more info: "Quark Fusion" produces eight times more energy than nuclear fusion ; again you can find basic info on YouTube as well
<2> Partially inspired by this: Physicists Develop Reversible Laser Tractor Beam Functional Over Long Distances
<4> Wakefield accelerators
- - - - - - - - -
AN: Bit sad none comments, but then again nothing much to talk about. Any tips?
— — — — —
Edit:
«1» <- http://i.imgur.com/o3EkMdih.jpg
«2» <- http://i.imgur.com/wq52ybGh.jpg
___________________________________________
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth
First off happy birthday.
Pretty cool chapter. The tech concepts were pretty interesting. You will get more comments once there are a few more chapters and regular updates. A bit too much use of (), it was useful in some places and disrupted the flow in other places.
I look forward to the next chapter.
Pretty cool chapter. The tech concepts were pretty interesting. You will get more comments once there are a few more chapters and regular updates. A bit too much use of (), it was useful in some places and disrupted the flow in other places.
Both these image links are broken.
I look forward to the next chapter.
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
Thanks. And yeah, I gathered as much. I guess now the images work.
Brackets '()' partially donate the small mental dissonances and secondary thought that interspersed in the main thread. But I see how that might be disruptive... I'll see what I can do in future, might even get rid of it completely.
- Location
- USA
Happy birthday m8!
- Location
- Arizona
- Pronouns
- Him/His
Happy Birthday!
BTW, there may be a commander care package or two waiting for you in this universe or the next. See myself or @Mr. Cloak for more details.
BTW, there may be a commander care package or two waiting for you in this universe or the next. See myself or @Mr. Cloak for more details.
Mr. Cloak
Orchestrator of Paradoxical Apocalypse
- Pronouns
- I
@Flameal15k is right- you may-or-may-not have an interuniversal care package in your universe.... And Happy Birthday!
Feel free to PM me if you want the details.
Feel free to PM me if you want the details.
Last edited:
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
I'd like to say sorry for the long wait, I've have a lot of IRL stuff keeping me occupied for a while. On top of which when I was writing this chapter I actually rewrote it three times, and it seems 4th is incoming. Just cant get it the way I want. Again, sorry for the wait.
Chapter 1.4
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
-
[]
Chapter 1.4
Day and a half. That's how long it took to get all salvageable and restorable data from Selena. 49% of it's originally stored data. At this point I had somewhat of a good grasp of -corrupted- Colonial programming (and slight insight into Cylon "virus" examples). The rest can't be retrieved and is more-or-less gone.
While I'm partially to blame (acted slowly, imperfect interface, incorrect prioritisation…), the circumstances weren't ideal either (infected/corrupted, burned, damaged and broken systems) so I'll consider this a -small- net gain. Force descriptions, basic technical manuals, personal diaries, some communication protocols, there are even some, heh, "historic documents" about -now- First Cylon War. But (in my opinion) the best I got from battlestar's archives are few coordinates. Both a "cypher" to understand their long-range FTL coordination system and possible explorable locations IF the deviations are not too big.
Now that surviving data is more or less secured, I can really start to repair/change the downed battlestar. While I was fixing it, the process was slow and I did prioritise data translation and extraction, tech "reverse-engineering", but now that all sensitive and valuable stuff is "safe" I can ramp up my repair speed. Peculiarly Mercury-class' onboard manufacturing systems are… Ignoring Progenitor extractor's in-build material extraction systems, Commanders only have nano-assemblers, devices that build their technology at microscopic–nanoscopic scales and, while efficient, to extend, is wasteful: why build expendable aluminium missile shell that way if it takes less time to construct thge shell using, for example, human smelting/welding conveyer? Okey, I know why, the differences and limitations (including that of QRN), but "normal" construction methods have their own advantages, so yes, battlestars manufacturing units are very useful, give insight into "traditional" construction methods and I'll spend some threads trying to integrate it into my own systems (if "Rise of the Steel Phoenix" <1> thought me anything it's better to have fallback options, one-trick-ponies don't live long… wonder if he finished his fic… or if I'll ever read it… depressed).
Battlestar's new hull structure is largely the same as any other battlestars with some new "towers", missile racks and systems doting the outer section in places for optimised coverage, and visibly altered railguns (improvements taken straight from Artemes Railgun Platform). These are the only visual differences hinting on all the changes and upgrades I am doing beneath that thick armor.
Likewise I decided to rename the ship, make it more.. mine. Also to honour its previous crew I settled with a 'minor' change. So itss rechristened name is Luna. In addition…
I.. wanted some reminder, something that will to extend ground me, to not lose myself in times to come. So I replaced outer Colonial symbols with my countries flag (Dievs svētī' Latviju). I'm not hyper-nationalist, and consider myself open-minded to other cultures (so long ashuman sentient rights and freedom ain't suppressed), but no matter how small, I care about my country (, my family) and this little promotion will serve as good reminder of my origin.
I wasn't idle during that time either. Now around 1/100 of the planet's supercontinent and ocean is -my- territory and houses hundred's of thousands structures (šausmas, exponential growth is scary). And with the help of ODRadar both moons are now covered with extractors (for little good, quiet resource poor those) and energy plants plus orbitals are occupied with satellites, Orbital Factories, Solar Array's, Orbital Fabrication Bot's etc. increasing my industry in space. Though it will take days before closest planets are reached even with Progenitor fusion drives (space is big, what a surprise). Speaking about space travel one: almost all my space units have thermal regulators, radiators, microsheets (etc) for heat management and two: spacecraft follow fully Newtonian physics aka no magic "WWII dogfight" in space. I mean, I like Star Wars, but I love real physics and sane reality much more. And, to be honest, that's something I didn't spot. The heat, I mean. Most of my structures while active produce some amount of waste heat (proportionally little more than overworked MacBook, but that's -nothing-) and unless you "cool" them, or space their production amount accordingly, becomes very hot. As far as I can tell there's no large risk of them overheating, but the environment IS feeling the consequences. It's not alarming, though "locally" air temperature has risen by 2°… and around some extractors/generators there are ponds from melted snow. Actually I'm worried about that: for the last 11 days I have build structures, produced fabricators non-stop and only now I spotted that there are negative consequences. The only reason I'm okey with that is that this planet is 'uninhabited' and for the most part there are no complex biological organisms, plus environmental damages that the nature won't fix in few centuries or millennia. Something to keep in mind when I reach sentient inhabited worlds.
Also about 10 hours ago I've started constructing second Server Bank and it finished 3 minutes ago. I had a thought about networking multiple Server Banks, to increase processing power in order to accelerate technology research. Around this time I • am about 65% done with Colonial FTL analysis, meaning, without tylium-energy problem, I can build (read: copy-past) Colonial style Jump drives (and to a degree alter it's scale), but I still need more research in this area ; • discovered that Colonial artificial gravity technology can be hybridised with Progenitor grav tech. Some more refinement is needed and either way it will use more energy, but it will shore up the general weaknesses of either tech greatly improving current usage and opening new possibilities (Colonial/Cylon's general inefficient conversion energy usage, range and directional field ; Progenitor lack of constant, non-layered, non-homogeneous/equable field quality).
And I'm on time limit. While nothing directly affects me, every minute I spend here is indeterminate amount of time (due to time dilation) the Colonial fleet loses people, resources, gets hunted down and all this pointless one mans genocide (Cavil!) continues. Ignoring that most Cylons are "descendants" of brain uploaded, enslaved and tortured girl, as "evolved" sentient beings such actions are just pure idiocy (no way to hind it). *Sigh* enough philosophy, time to get things done.
- - - - - - - - -
Today, (13 dAT - days After Transference) I'm physically testing few new technologies and especially my first Jump drive equipped crafts. It's an ugly thing: modified Hermes space probe with back attached 1:10 miniaturised Colonial based FTL system all encased into large egg-like outer shell. Without tylium catalyst (the only "exotic" material I can't find in any amount) it could eat a lot of energy, but simulations are showing promising results. This is first of several real life tests, cause I want to be 100% sure that nothing unexpectedly bad happens before I "mainstream" some technologies. This test is meant to evaluate FTL precision and energy expenditure for single and multi stage jumps. Not far, just few inter-system jumps (average distance around 3 light-hour range).
OK, "testing field" is ready, 1st predicted destination set (this planet's larger moon), detection units and structures primed, Server Banks ready for data flow, probes' sensors calibrated, FTL drive primed. Now let's overclock systems and…
[
Operation: Start overclocking 1:100'000
]
(now one millisecond feels like minute and a half .. everything's so slow) First test, 4.5 light-seconds jump commence in 3.., 2.., 1.., Jump.
*zzin*
[
" Status
"
Operation: End overclocking
]
Even with accelerated perception, if I weren't monitoring both starting and ending destinations (and crafts own external-internal systems) I'd miss the transition. But it was as I suspected, BSG Jump drive works as Musha speculated: using momentary vacuum pulse and quantum tunnelling effect to pierce the "light barrier" and propel the craft at superluminal speed..
Simplified explanation, when activated jump drive "pierces" the fabric of space using quantum tunnelling effect (same principle that happens inside stars, is used in USBs and Progenitor Teleporter) creating something like a singularity (or an open ended string/wormhole analogue), at the same time, envelopes the spaceship in a superdense photon bubble via strong light/laser burst. The bubble acts as super cavity bubble that allows objects to move faster that the given environment allows, but only as long as the bubble holds. The split moment this bubble "pops" the object is ejected from the "tunnel" and returns in normal space. Shorter range than Commander Wormhole, but far less energy intensive, and slightly more versatile (bigger mass transit and precision ["Adama manoeuvre" come to mind]). The same thing my successful simulations showed down to the nanometer (if not as impressive, that was apbrīnojami).
The reason I wanted to do a physical jump test was because Selena's FTL consisted of more than just the "engine" and navigation computers commonly showed in series. Colonial and perhaps Cylon FTL drives also have multiple emitters around the ship that create the photon bubble (hence the "egghermes"). Just want to ensure that everything works fine, don't want a critical failure during combat.
Speaking of, since this test is a resounding successful, let's do the rest.
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, with about 300 individual and chain jumps for Hermes-J and 10 jumps each for number of FTL enhanced Orbital Fabrication Bots, Orbital Factories and Jig Gas mining station I'm fairly confident most problems are dealt with (don't want to call Murphy again). With progenitor computers their precision and distance are much better that near anything in BSG, but without tylium and any reasonable way to acquire it (be it mining, or synthetically producing it), I need to expand at minimum around 20'000 energy units (around 20% single Energy Storage units capacity) or 110 terawatts.. that's about 100 times the power Hoover Dam power plants produces in one year (energy efficient indeed, and its clever how quantum tunnelling and singularity itself picks up the slack). I can mitigate this problem by constructing more E-Storage units inside the battlestas, with an additional Advanced E-Plant, for faster production just in case (need to use the space somewhat efficiently, right?).
The biggest problem I discovered was my operational limits and QRN range. In games Commanders usually arrive alone, build up and when they move to another star system, they start again from the beginning. From game perspective that's understandable, but I didn't expect that in reality… In reality, Commanders have limited operational and direct control range that's around 1.15 light-day (that's ~ 200 Earth astronomical units or 3x10^10 km effective range). Once this far from Commander one of two things happen to mobile units: either they self destruct (as I found out first-hand), or follow pre-defined instruction with strict time limits until it's again in my direct control (second attempt) or, after the time limit expires, self-destructs (I guess to deny enemy access to resources or tech, or something.. ). What archive data I can find mentions there should be signal boosters for increasing the range, but even that will suffer due to Quantum Resource Network. In short within the ~ 1 light-day range QRN can transfer energy (and to extend matter) approximately 1:~1 with next to no loss from Commander, but further than this threshold it will exponentially lose more and more in the transfer.
Some Archive data hints there were some experimental boosters, technologies or combination therefor that could allow for longer range affect, but nothing progenitors would archive in Commander "for safety reasons" (again those progenitor restrictions)… Either way that's not the main point: all test were successful, operational limitations known and soon I can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, after multiple iterations, simulations and tests I still can't get satisfactory results. At least I started this after I finished constructing and installing the new gravity tech, but still… Bad news – the hybridised gravity system eats 30.7% (4.1% higher than expected) more energy than standard progenitor gravity 'repulsor'. Good news – it has greatly improved acceleration/deceleration, increases crafts manuverability by 29.9-48.2% (depending on craft), adds multi-range/shape field projection capability, 'few' additional "miscellaneous" improvements -and- greatly increased its applicability in other fields (besides thrusters for Progenitors, or the 1G artificial gravity for Colonials, especially possible future weapon and research technologies). It turns out Colonial magnetic-to-gravity converter (that uses non-metallic components Progenitors lacked until I worked the problem out .. again, why is that?) shunt through progenitor vortex mechanics, in a way 'refines' and 'compresses' the process in witch magnetic fields are shifted to gravitational fields as well as its "quality". The increased power consumption is because vortex gravitoelectromagnetic systems need that much to successfully "thicken" the dispersed gravity waves, meaning I had to fiddle with this systems and components to get it -just- right (at the end had to decrease Colonial systems power usage by half and increase Progenitor part by 381% for the most optimal power-to-effect ratio).
Yet even with all this breakthrough, I can't finish my next project. Who knew trying to replicate ME Normandy style effective reactionless drive would be that hard. With further research it's possible (no thermal exhaust, nigh-perfect stealth even in space), but it's not a priority. Oh, it seems time's up. Saving all researched data and start packing.
With that returning probe and test done, I'll soon can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, with that I have full contingent and some reserves for Luna. While I have Avengers for space combat I needed new fighter that would fit with battlestars launching mechanism and honestly, little variation is healthy, though it took less time and iterations than I anticipated to clean up any defects in my new fighter designs. While each can fulfil multiple roles, they have some specialisations.
My first fighter, the aerospace multirole 'jack-of-all'. Outwardly this variant is marginally longer otherwise differs little from the Viper Mk VII (which exact components and design I saved just in case I encounter Galactica), internally though.. Augmented most computers with progenitor pieces taken and modified from Avenger orbital fighter, with AI redesigned to operate the new tool (it can operate as single unit or in swarms. scalable and adaptable), cockpit now hosts most of it's new sensor equipment so no manual piloting possible. The only changes to the weapons I made was to swap Colonial style missiles with Commander ones and added specialised micro-assembler for new kinetic rounds pluss better coil-gun firing system. As a norm, hucked it up to my QRN so its effective range's the same as my other units'.
Second that I tentatively calling Hammer is a mix between a "light-bomber" and "heavy-fighter". Shorter height and slightly stockier, it is fitted with 'heavy' direct pulse laser weapons, newly invented 'smart' anti-fighter swarm missiles (since Cylons like to use large numbers of Raiders) and mini-tactical nuclear missiles (no bigger than Davy Crocker<2>). With a yield of 50 kT should be strong enough to damage even capital ships, especially with the little surprise I added.
The last design codename Spear is a bit different. Lightest of the craft and "fastest" this small fighter is armed with two 'light' pulse lasers for defence (still powerful by BSG standards) and highly enhanced jamming/E-warfare systems this fighter is my specialist craft. While nearly all my units have jammers, Spears have the most advanced jamming equipment and -active- E-warfare suits. In theory, it can spoof enemy sensors making it and company practically invisible to most active and passive sensors, or forcing enemy fighters/weapons into close visual ranges to hit my fighter-drones. In theory. Can't test it without assistance.
All my fighters are fitted with the newly developed gravity systems increasing their acceleration, deceleration and manuverability, in addition to decreasing fuel consumption. I also wanted to install mini-jump drives, but I lack both space and some components to install them inside such small shapes (and again due to lacking knowledge in non-metalics. I'm starting to see a pattern here).
Problem for later, my other instance informed my that the probe just finished it's last test successfully meaning I can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
… discontinuing production, stopping all mining operations, transfer resources to newly restored and improves battlestar.. that's even now is rising, leaving planets atmosphere. God the new gravity systems are more than worth their weight in gold. Housing my primary body inside what used to be mess hall (now bottom hangar bay) I and 142 different construction units (from ground based to aquatic, to some space fabs) are safely secured in what little free space I left. Soon Luna will break geosynchronous orbit and I'm off.
It's strange. This is clearly an illogical, semi-suicidal move, completely irrational in this situation. This is not my fight, I could just sit put and do my own business. But then again people, and sentient species are living beings fictional or not. Or did we merely saw one version of them as per multiple-world theory?
Ah! Enough philosophy, I was raised to be human, and that's what I'll do! Input the extracted last-used coordinates, spool up the FTL engine. It's time, no second thoughts, no retrospective analysis, don't care how nervous I feel, let's change fate.
*zzin*
___________________________________________
<1> Fanfic, quite good, read if you're interested "Rise of the Steel Phoenix"
<2> yes, based on that that Davy Crockett (nuclear device) - Wikipedia
- - - - - - - - -
Finally finished. RL did throw some curveballs, but this part didn't want to be written... AND I HAVE NO DIALOGUES YET!! Just great
[]
Chapter 1.4
Day and a half. That's how long it took to get all salvageable and restorable data from Selena. 49% of it's originally stored data. At this point I had somewhat of a good grasp of -corrupted- Colonial programming (and slight insight into Cylon "virus" examples). The rest can't be retrieved and is more-or-less gone.
While I'm partially to blame (acted slowly, imperfect interface, incorrect prioritisation…), the circumstances weren't ideal either (infected/corrupted, burned, damaged and broken systems) so I'll consider this a -small- net gain. Force descriptions, basic technical manuals, personal diaries, some communication protocols, there are even some, heh, "historic documents" about -now- First Cylon War. But (in my opinion) the best I got from battlestar's archives are few coordinates. Both a "cypher" to understand their long-range FTL coordination system and possible explorable locations IF the deviations are not too big.
Now that surviving data is more or less secured, I can really start to repair/change the downed battlestar. While I was fixing it, the process was slow and I did prioritise data translation and extraction, tech "reverse-engineering", but now that all sensitive and valuable stuff is "safe" I can ramp up my repair speed. Peculiarly Mercury-class' onboard manufacturing systems are… Ignoring Progenitor extractor's in-build material extraction systems, Commanders only have nano-assemblers, devices that build their technology at microscopic–nanoscopic scales and, while efficient, to extend, is wasteful: why build expendable aluminium missile shell that way if it takes less time to construct thge shell using, for example, human smelting/welding conveyer? Okey, I know why, the differences and limitations (including that of QRN), but "normal" construction methods have their own advantages, so yes, battlestars manufacturing units are very useful, give insight into "traditional" construction methods and I'll spend some threads trying to integrate it into my own systems (if "Rise of the Steel Phoenix" <1> thought me anything it's better to have fallback options, one-trick-ponies don't live long… wonder if he finished his fic… or if I'll ever read it… depressed).
Battlestar's new hull structure is largely the same as any other battlestars with some new "towers", missile racks and systems doting the outer section in places for optimised coverage, and visibly altered railguns (improvements taken straight from Artemes Railgun Platform). These are the only visual differences hinting on all the changes and upgrades I am doing beneath that thick armor.
Likewise I decided to rename the ship, make it more.. mine. Also to honour its previous crew I settled with a 'minor' change. So itss rechristened name is Luna. In addition…
I.. wanted some reminder, something that will to extend ground me, to not lose myself in times to come. So I replaced outer Colonial symbols with my countries flag (Dievs svētī' Latviju). I'm not hyper-nationalist, and consider myself open-minded to other cultures (so long as
I wasn't idle during that time either. Now around 1/100 of the planet's supercontinent and ocean is -my- territory and houses hundred's of thousands structures (šausmas, exponential growth is scary). And with the help of ODRadar both moons are now covered with extractors (for little good, quiet resource poor those) and energy plants plus orbitals are occupied with satellites, Orbital Factories, Solar Array's, Orbital Fabrication Bot's etc. increasing my industry in space. Though it will take days before closest planets are reached even with Progenitor fusion drives (space is big, what a surprise). Speaking about space travel one: almost all my space units have thermal regulators, radiators, microsheets (etc) for heat management and two: spacecraft follow fully Newtonian physics aka no magic "WWII dogfight" in space. I mean, I like Star Wars, but I love real physics and sane reality much more. And, to be honest, that's something I didn't spot. The heat, I mean. Most of my structures while active produce some amount of waste heat (proportionally little more than overworked MacBook, but that's -nothing-) and unless you "cool" them, or space their production amount accordingly, becomes very hot. As far as I can tell there's no large risk of them overheating, but the environment IS feeling the consequences. It's not alarming, though "locally" air temperature has risen by 2°… and around some extractors/generators there are ponds from melted snow. Actually I'm worried about that: for the last 11 days I have build structures, produced fabricators non-stop and only now I spotted that there are negative consequences. The only reason I'm okey with that is that this planet is 'uninhabited' and for the most part there are no complex biological organisms, plus environmental damages that the nature won't fix in few centuries or millennia. Something to keep in mind when I reach sentient inhabited worlds.
Also about 10 hours ago I've started constructing second Server Bank and it finished 3 minutes ago. I had a thought about networking multiple Server Banks, to increase processing power in order to accelerate technology research. Around this time I • am about 65% done with Colonial FTL analysis, meaning, without tylium-energy problem, I can build (read: copy-past) Colonial style Jump drives (and to a degree alter it's scale), but I still need more research in this area ; • discovered that Colonial artificial gravity technology can be hybridised with Progenitor grav tech. Some more refinement is needed and either way it will use more energy, but it will shore up the general weaknesses of either tech greatly improving current usage and opening new possibilities (Colonial/Cylon's general inefficient conversion energy usage, range and directional field ; Progenitor lack of constant, non-layered, non-homogeneous/equable field quality).
And I'm on time limit. While nothing directly affects me, every minute I spend here is indeterminate amount of time (due to time dilation) the Colonial fleet loses people, resources, gets hunted down and all this pointless one mans genocide (Cavil!) continues. Ignoring that most Cylons are "descendants" of brain uploaded, enslaved and tortured girl, as "evolved" sentient beings such actions are just pure idiocy (no way to hind it). *Sigh* enough philosophy, time to get things done.
- - - - - - - - -
Today, (13 dAT - days After Transference) I'm physically testing few new technologies and especially my first Jump drive equipped crafts. It's an ugly thing: modified Hermes space probe with back attached 1:10 miniaturised Colonial based FTL system all encased into large egg-like outer shell. Without tylium catalyst (the only "exotic" material I can't find in any amount) it could eat a lot of energy, but simulations are showing promising results. This is first of several real life tests, cause I want to be 100% sure that nothing unexpectedly bad happens before I "mainstream" some technologies. This test is meant to evaluate FTL precision and energy expenditure for single and multi stage jumps. Not far, just few inter-system jumps (average distance around 3 light-hour range).
OK, "testing field" is ready, 1st predicted destination set (this planet's larger moon), detection units and structures primed, Server Banks ready for data flow, probes' sensors calibrated, FTL drive primed. Now let's overclock systems and…
[
Operation: Start overclocking 1:100'000
]
(now one millisecond feels like minute and a half .. everything's so slow) First test, 4.5 light-seconds jump commence in 3.., 2.., 1.., Jump.
*zzin*
[
" Status
"Operation: End overclocking
]
Even with accelerated perception, if I weren't monitoring both starting and ending destinations (and crafts own external-internal systems) I'd miss the transition. But it was as I suspected, BSG Jump drive works as Musha speculated: using momentary vacuum pulse and quantum tunnelling effect to pierce the "light barrier" and propel the craft at superluminal speed..
Simplified explanation, when activated jump drive "pierces" the fabric of space using quantum tunnelling effect (same principle that happens inside stars, is used in USBs and Progenitor Teleporter) creating something like a singularity (or an open ended string/wormhole analogue), at the same time, envelopes the spaceship in a superdense photon bubble via strong light/laser burst. The bubble acts as super cavity bubble that allows objects to move faster that the given environment allows, but only as long as the bubble holds. The split moment this bubble "pops" the object is ejected from the "tunnel" and returns in normal space. Shorter range than Commander Wormhole, but far less energy intensive, and slightly more versatile (bigger mass transit and precision ["Adama manoeuvre" come to mind]). The same thing my successful simulations showed down to the nanometer (if not as impressive, that was apbrīnojami).
The reason I wanted to do a physical jump test was because Selena's FTL consisted of more than just the "engine" and navigation computers commonly showed in series. Colonial and perhaps Cylon FTL drives also have multiple emitters around the ship that create the photon bubble (hence the "egghermes"). Just want to ensure that everything works fine, don't want a critical failure during combat.
Speaking of, since this test is a resounding successful, let's do the rest.
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, with about 300 individual and chain jumps for Hermes-J and 10 jumps each for number of FTL enhanced Orbital Fabrication Bots, Orbital Factories and Jig Gas mining station I'm fairly confident most problems are dealt with (don't want to call Murphy again). With progenitor computers their precision and distance are much better that near anything in BSG, but without tylium and any reasonable way to acquire it (be it mining, or synthetically producing it), I need to expand at minimum around 20'000 energy units (around 20% single Energy Storage units capacity) or 110 terawatts.. that's about 100 times the power Hoover Dam power plants produces in one year (energy efficient indeed, and its clever how quantum tunnelling and singularity itself picks up the slack). I can mitigate this problem by constructing more E-Storage units inside the battlestas, with an additional Advanced E-Plant, for faster production just in case (need to use the space somewhat efficiently, right?).
The biggest problem I discovered was my operational limits and QRN range. In games Commanders usually arrive alone, build up and when they move to another star system, they start again from the beginning. From game perspective that's understandable, but I didn't expect that in reality… In reality, Commanders have limited operational and direct control range that's around 1.15 light-day (that's ~ 200 Earth astronomical units or 3x10^10 km effective range). Once this far from Commander one of two things happen to mobile units: either they self destruct (as I found out first-hand), or follow pre-defined instruction with strict time limits until it's again in my direct control (second attempt) or, after the time limit expires, self-destructs (I guess to deny enemy access to resources or tech, or something.. ). What archive data I can find mentions there should be signal boosters for increasing the range, but even that will suffer due to Quantum Resource Network. In short within the ~ 1 light-day range QRN can transfer energy (and to extend matter) approximately 1:~1 with next to no loss from Commander, but further than this threshold it will exponentially lose more and more in the transfer.
Some Archive data hints there were some experimental boosters, technologies or combination therefor that could allow for longer range affect, but nothing progenitors would archive in Commander "for safety reasons" (again those progenitor restrictions)… Either way that's not the main point: all test were successful, operational limitations known and soon I can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, after multiple iterations, simulations and tests I still can't get satisfactory results. At least I started this after I finished constructing and installing the new gravity tech, but still… Bad news – the hybridised gravity system eats 30.7% (4.1% higher than expected) more energy than standard progenitor gravity 'repulsor'. Good news – it has greatly improved acceleration/deceleration, increases crafts manuverability by 29.9-48.2% (depending on craft), adds multi-range/shape field projection capability, 'few' additional "miscellaneous" improvements -and- greatly increased its applicability in other fields (besides thrusters for Progenitors, or the 1G artificial gravity for Colonials, especially possible future weapon and research technologies). It turns out Colonial magnetic-to-gravity converter (that uses non-metallic components Progenitors lacked until I worked the problem out .. again, why is that?) shunt through progenitor vortex mechanics, in a way 'refines' and 'compresses' the process in witch magnetic fields are shifted to gravitational fields as well as its "quality". The increased power consumption is because vortex gravitoelectromagnetic systems need that much to successfully "thicken" the dispersed gravity waves, meaning I had to fiddle with this systems and components to get it -just- right (at the end had to decrease Colonial systems power usage by half and increase Progenitor part by 381% for the most optimal power-to-effect ratio).
Yet even with all this breakthrough, I can't finish my next project. Who knew trying to replicate ME Normandy style effective reactionless drive would be that hard. With further research it's possible (no thermal exhaust, nigh-perfect stealth even in space), but it's not a priority. Oh, it seems time's up. Saving all researched data and start packing.
With that returning probe and test done, I'll soon can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
Ok, with that I have full contingent and some reserves for Luna. While I have Avengers for space combat I needed new fighter that would fit with battlestars launching mechanism and honestly, little variation is healthy, though it took less time and iterations than I anticipated to clean up any defects in my new fighter designs. While each can fulfil multiple roles, they have some specialisations.
My first fighter, the aerospace multirole 'jack-of-all'. Outwardly this variant is marginally longer otherwise differs little from the Viper Mk VII (which exact components and design I saved just in case I encounter Galactica), internally though.. Augmented most computers with progenitor pieces taken and modified from Avenger orbital fighter, with AI redesigned to operate the new tool (it can operate as single unit or in swarms. scalable and adaptable), cockpit now hosts most of it's new sensor equipment so no manual piloting possible. The only changes to the weapons I made was to swap Colonial style missiles with Commander ones and added specialised micro-assembler for new kinetic rounds pluss better coil-gun firing system. As a norm, hucked it up to my QRN so its effective range's the same as my other units'.
Second that I tentatively calling Hammer is a mix between a "light-bomber" and "heavy-fighter". Shorter height and slightly stockier, it is fitted with 'heavy' direct pulse laser weapons, newly invented 'smart' anti-fighter swarm missiles (since Cylons like to use large numbers of Raiders) and mini-tactical nuclear missiles (no bigger than Davy Crocker<2>). With a yield of 50 kT should be strong enough to damage even capital ships, especially with the little surprise I added.
The last design codename Spear is a bit different. Lightest of the craft and "fastest" this small fighter is armed with two 'light' pulse lasers for defence (still powerful by BSG standards) and highly enhanced jamming/E-warfare systems this fighter is my specialist craft. While nearly all my units have jammers, Spears have the most advanced jamming equipment and -active- E-warfare suits. In theory, it can spoof enemy sensors making it and company practically invisible to most active and passive sensors, or forcing enemy fighters/weapons into close visual ranges to hit my fighter-drones. In theory. Can't test it without assistance.
All my fighters are fitted with the newly developed gravity systems increasing their acceleration, deceleration and manuverability, in addition to decreasing fuel consumption. I also wanted to install mini-jump drives, but I lack both space and some components to install them inside such small shapes (and again due to lacking knowledge in non-metalics. I'm starting to see a pattern here).
Problem for later, my other instance informed my that the probe just finished it's last test successfully meaning I can go off to find the Exodus Fleet …
- - - - - - - - -
… discontinuing production, stopping all mining operations, transfer resources to newly restored and improves battlestar.. that's even now is rising, leaving planets atmosphere. God the new gravity systems are more than worth their weight in gold. Housing my primary body inside what used to be mess hall (now bottom hangar bay) I and 142 different construction units (from ground based to aquatic, to some space fabs) are safely secured in what little free space I left. Soon Luna will break geosynchronous orbit and I'm off.
It's strange. This is clearly an illogical, semi-suicidal move, completely irrational in this situation. This is not my fight, I could just sit put and do my own business. But then again people, and sentient species are living beings fictional or not. Or did we merely saw one version of them as per multiple-world theory?
Ah! Enough philosophy, I was raised to be human, and that's what I'll do! Input the extracted last-used coordinates, spool up the FTL engine. It's time, no second thoughts, no retrospective analysis, don't care how nervous I feel, let's change fate.
*zzin*
___________________________________________
<1> Fanfic, quite good, read if you're interested "Rise of the Steel Phoenix"
<2> yes, based on that that Davy Crockett (nuclear device) - Wikipedia
- - - - - - - - -
Finally finished. RL did throw some curveballs, but this part didn't want to be written... AND I HAVE NO DIALOGUES YET!! Just great
Last edited:
Chapter 1.5
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
-
[]
Chapter 1.5
*zzin*
[^
='Musha' FTL transition sequence complete=
Engine status: stand-by.. green {no critical problems detected; optional provisionary system scan advised}
Power Systems:
-EP1: operational
-EP2: operational
-AEP1: operational
-AEP2: operational
-ES1: 51%
-ES2: 100%
-ES3: 100%
-ES4: 100%
^]
Wow, that was.. disorienting which is impossible, cause there's nothing in me as upload (I'll settle with this, end of story) to disorient. Systems seem to be working fine, eh
[
Quick Software Analysis complete:
-Quantum Computers 1-to-5: online
- -Q1: green
- -Q2: green
- -Q3: green
- -Q4: green
- -Q5: green
-E-Warfare: 100%
-Unit database: 100%
-Archive data: 60% {40% data lost}
--Memory archive 1: {information available}
--Memory archive 2: {all non-critical information lost}
--Memory archive 3: {non-critical information corrupted}
--Memory archive 4: {information available}
->PrimaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
->SecondaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
-->AdditionalCore: ERROR/?OPERATIONAL¿ {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
]
yup, everything is working as intended. Using different "dimension" for faster than light travel enacts a change in environment and that change from "normal" space to string-tunnel-whatever-space and back is not pleasant… (I'll just compare it to jump into water not accurate, but the sudden shift is closest human experience I can compare it to!).
No, wait I'm here for a reason not to puzzle my own horror nature! This should be around ± 0.5 light-month range from Selena's emergency jump starting position (the margin error mainly due to hastily inputed 'random jump' coordinates, Cylon virus wrecking havoc, with a small dashing of stellar drift). Looking around in the "immediate" standard sensor range nothing substan- scratch that, minisculely increased background radiation, and slightly higher number of particles and space junk in "near" space, and- there, ODR reveals large amount of ship debris 9 light-days (that's around 1560 AUs aka 1560 time the distance from Sun to Earth) from Luna (all that detected in 8.6 microseconds… damn Commanders are fast). From the recognisable pieces I can tentatively virtually restore and identify few colonial ship types, like Valkyrie, some supply ships, an- wait, is that…? (Double check!) .. that's Manticore from Deadlock?! It can't… no, no the game more-or-less depicted what transpired in 1st Cylon war and I'm a War-machine in a different reality myself, of course it's possible. I guess it still hasn't sinked in, this is NOT fiction! But that means Cylon capabilities.. I really should have watched more videos about Deadlock not just few ship breakdowns. Ok, positive… I'm lucky I learned about this surprise here, rather during a battle, that might have cost me (but then again Deadlock ain't the only depiction, there were others and even a prequel series). Whatever, I now know not to 100% rely on my admittedly limited foreknowledge, always expect deviations. Ok, but where to go from here…
- - - - - - - - -
… So hard. No scratch that, problem being hard isn't the thing, it's BOREDOM! Space is big. Stupendously big, like ridiculously, impossibly big. Even as an upload with vastly expanded capabilities, "senses", alien knowledge and variable army of semi-intelligent AIs, its still mindboggling (nedaudz šausminoši, really impressive, but still mindboggling). And herein lays the problem. Space has no easily discernible "landmarks" and navigating by stars is not overly reliable (since those are distant, change depending on observers position and in constant motion relative to themselves and Luna that's ALSO in motion, not to mention FTL..). While Commander's are equipped with sensors and technology such as Orbital Deepspace Radar that allow for orientation, without precise coordinates (or Progenitor GoogleMaps equivalent) it is useful only for reaching semi-random solar systems, not a rag tag survivor fleet.
So why did I thought it's a good idea to use my sensory equipment to find Pulsars or use ODR to act its namesake and scan every sector around me to find Exodus fleet‽?!! Pulsars I get, because, at least to my sensors, are very distinct and unique so I reasoned if I had locations and frequencies of multiple X-ray pulsars I could triangulate my position accurately near anywhere in the galaxy, give or take some minimal drift distance (worse comes to worse, I can use them as "mere lighthouses" to orient myself). I already found 5 X-ray Pulsars, just re-checking and making minor adjustments using few Advanced Radar Satellites for multiple angle view, don't want to screw up and have a wrong map here.
But ODR… It is very useful, don't get me wrong, but it's also limited. With it's relative "short" range, cone view and the amount of space I need to comb through, it's easier to find a piece of paper in a hay stack…… And I'm think-talking with myself, great, boredom and insanity, just peachy!
*sigh* For the "after action report" – 13 hours since I found the wreckage, 12 and a half since I wisen up and begun my search for "landmarks" aka Pulsars, 11 since I begun dissecting what Archives I had on space navigation (both intact and readable corrupted files), and 10 h 42 min since I employed ODR to comb the Space for Colonials. The thing is I have no idea how far everyone is, the distances they can and have to travel, not to mention that yes real big interstellar space is screwing with my perception and my sanity (scientists were right everything is dust in cosmic scales).
Though have to say Selena's crew did an insane gamble. The planet "Prime-2" I .. woke up on, is 71 light-years rounded down from the location Selena jumped and that's way past their Red line. Considering that normal Mercury-class battlestar's maximum safe jump distance is 30 LY and you get my point.
Sad thing is I highly suspect that I found one of the colonies (though don't know which one), but from distance of 34 light-years ± 1 light-months, I can't be 100% sure (some of ODR's limits, past 10 LY readings gets slightly .. spotty, especially since there are no artificial systems or active technologies like Basestar's to detect). Data from Selena is a bit scrambled, but the gist of it the Twelve Colonies of Cobolt occupy a local star cluster with the farthest colonies being, give-or-take, 48 LY apart and their relative position changes very little (hence more precise long jumps inside Colonial space of influence). I could attempt to FTL and search from near that planet there (with similar results as now).. if I want to get Cylon attention. Been debating it for 7 hours, benefits, drawbacks, possible scenarios. In short:
Pros: Colonials might get some breathing room; Cylons might get distracted from their plans; I could get chance to get their technology; my presence and possibly my actions might alter their.. "society". Cons: Cylons might react negatively to me; I lose my element of surprise and give them a chance to observe/study my technology and modus operandi; I can't predict how Hybrids might react to an 'outsider' or my affect on their "divine plan". And that's what unnerves me the most.
The thing is I don't know much about BSG spiritual/magical aspect. Somecharacter people (atceries pie velna!) like Boomer or that "scientist" Baltar(?) experienced "visions" that at first might have been Cylon doing, but later seasons and Hybrid reactions somewhat debunked that hypotheses. And then there's the Hybrid mantra "it all happened before, it will happen again" (sounds a lot like they are stuck in a cycle).. No, no I decided Colonials first, THEN deal with semi-religious slaver cyborg civilisation. Besides Exodus Fleet has reasonable Cylons that I can talk to, so that's even better.
Ok, been here in one place for too long, time to relocate.
- - - - - - - - -
15 days After Transference, three different locations with no success at detecting Colonial Exodus Fleet. Monotonous and time consuming work, especially since I have programs for that and seemingly don't need to sleep (note: check 'why' later). But I don't understand, I had to find at least something by now! Yes, space is big and ships are comparatively small, but c'mon!… *sigh* What ever, pack up and to the next location, this time to that unusual readings 21 lightyears from here. Maybe it's a small stray planet? If true might stop by for a little while, do some industry actions (cause, in my "wisdom" or paranoia, I destroyed all assets I couldn't take with me in "Prime" solar system before I left) and think up a new game plan, because this search is almost pointless. Anyway finish up my "on the fly" projects/distractions, such as magnetic plasma sheets over hangar doorways (..had nothing better to do, and I wanted my force fields), fine-tune Luna's other new non-combat upgrade. Ok, all is set and.
*zzin*
Cool, y' know the dril- *ping* What? "*chsss*, *wriiiiii* ay, e *shhh* e ** p" No, no, clean up the noise, (Overclock systems) what are they saying (sensors, Radar, Lidar, enhanced DRADIS, ODR up, where are they)!! "Ma*shh*y, ** maday, *whiii* -yone, we need help, please!" (There) Survivors! 5 light-seconds 60° overhead, 45° starboard side!
Shit. This is bad. 5 civilian ships, all with varying damag, limping, power's fluctuating.. shit! Overriding safeties, don't care for the necessary system cooldown! Initiating short range jump, now!
*zzin*
*kro* (Sasodīts) There, 50 klicks from Luna, open channel "This is battlestar Luna, to all survivors: We heard ya' came as fast as we could. What's your situations, respond" it almost sounds like my voi-, NOT NOW! "Thank the gods. This is refinery ship Mountain Ore, Star Memory's life support is barely holding, it needs immediate assist!" That's the passenger liner and it's practically breaking apart!
"Hold on Star Memory, help is on its way" engines at half thrust, need to control my approach vectors, yet don't have much time and WHAT AM I DOING?! Damnit, I'm not prepared for this scenario! How can I .. Wait! My flight pod! Just barely, but I can get that liner inside of my upper hangar, vacuum seal the exits, pressurise the pod.. running simulation… success! OK, engaging reverse thrusters there's the liner, few kilometres away, prototype tractor beam, your first live test run, don't fail me now. "Star Memory brace for repositioning," "*Shzz*ruste*shzz* dead, wha*shzz* re you doi-, WHAT T*shhhhh* -AK!" good, careful now, careful. Guide it inside, through the plasma screen, activate artificial gravity, pressurise the atmosphere aaand.. "Welcome aboard Star Memory", "What was that! What did you do!" .. fudge, they don't have such technology, how can I…
*Kreeeu, Kreeeu* Oh, what now! .. Contacts! Dozens of them. Hundreds. 130'000 kilometres aft of Luna.. It's Cylons. Just my luck (Like I didn't have enough to deal with Murphy)!
Need to stop Colonial panic "Attention all survivors, DRADIS contacts, 400 and counting. Cylon Raiders. Reposition behind Luna and prepare for FTL." "By the lords of Kobolt.. Whoever you are we can't jump, our drives are dead!" There goes the easy choice. "Then get behind me. This will get ugly quickly" launching fighters. I have 300 Fighters, 90 Hammers and 60 Spears including the reserves, 10% of each will guard remaining Colonial ships and watch for any other surprises. Reposition Luna, putting its large overhead profile between Cylons and remaining Colonial survivors. I am terrified, this is my first battle with real lives at stake, but I won't run away now, I won't become less human than I am. And I won't let people be slaughters, without fighting back.
___________________________________________
- - - - - - - - -
Slow updates are slow. Sorry for the wait.
[]
Chapter 1.5
*zzin*
[^
='Musha' FTL transition sequence complete=
Engine status: stand-by.. green {no critical problems detected; optional provisionary system scan advised}
Power Systems:
-EP1: operational
-EP2: operational
-AEP1: operational
-AEP2: operational
-ES1: 51%
-ES2: 100%
-ES3: 100%
-ES4: 100%
^]
Wow, that was.. disorienting which is impossible, cause there's nothing in me as upload (I'll settle with this, end of story) to disorient. Systems seem to be working fine, eh
[
Quick Software Analysis complete:
-Quantum Computers 1-to-5: online
- -Q1: green
- -Q2: green
- -Q3: green
- -Q4: green
- -Q5: green
-E-Warfare: 100%
-Unit database: 100%
-Archive data: 60% {40% data lost}
--Memory archive 1: {information available}
--Memory archive 2: {all non-critical information lost}
--Memory archive 3: {non-critical information corrupted}
--Memory archive 4: {information available}
->PrimaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
->SecondaryCore 1-to-10: ERROR {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
-->AdditionalCore: ERROR/?OPERATIONAL¿ {for additional information Deep Software Analysis required}
]
yup, everything is working as intended. Using different "dimension" for faster than light travel enacts a change in environment and that change from "normal" space to string-tunnel-whatever-space and back is not pleasant… (I'll just compare it to jump into water not accurate, but the sudden shift is closest human experience I can compare it to!).
No, wait I'm here for a reason not to puzzle my own horror nature! This should be around ± 0.5 light-month range from Selena's emergency jump starting position (the margin error mainly due to hastily inputed 'random jump' coordinates, Cylon virus wrecking havoc, with a small dashing of stellar drift). Looking around in the "immediate" standard sensor range nothing substan- scratch that, minisculely increased background radiation, and slightly higher number of particles and space junk in "near" space, and- there, ODR reveals large amount of ship debris 9 light-days (that's around 1560 AUs aka 1560 time the distance from Sun to Earth) from Luna (all that detected in 8.6 microseconds… damn Commanders are fast). From the recognisable pieces I can tentatively virtually restore and identify few colonial ship types, like Valkyrie, some supply ships, an- wait, is that…? (Double check!) .. that's Manticore from Deadlock?! It can't… no, no the game more-or-less depicted what transpired in 1st Cylon war and I'm a War-machine in a different reality myself, of course it's possible. I guess it still hasn't sinked in, this is NOT fiction! But that means Cylon capabilities.. I really should have watched more videos about Deadlock not just few ship breakdowns. Ok, positive… I'm lucky I learned about this surprise here, rather during a battle, that might have cost me (but then again Deadlock ain't the only depiction, there were others and even a prequel series). Whatever, I now know not to 100% rely on my admittedly limited foreknowledge, always expect deviations. Ok, but where to go from here…
- - - - - - - - -
… So hard. No scratch that, problem being hard isn't the thing, it's BOREDOM! Space is big. Stupendously big, like ridiculously, impossibly big. Even as an upload with vastly expanded capabilities, "senses", alien knowledge and variable army of semi-intelligent AIs, its still mindboggling (nedaudz šausminoši, really impressive, but still mindboggling). And herein lays the problem. Space has no easily discernible "landmarks" and navigating by stars is not overly reliable (since those are distant, change depending on observers position and in constant motion relative to themselves and Luna that's ALSO in motion, not to mention FTL..). While Commander's are equipped with sensors and technology such as Orbital Deepspace Radar that allow for orientation, without precise coordinates (or Progenitor GoogleMaps equivalent) it is useful only for reaching semi-random solar systems, not a rag tag survivor fleet.
So why did I thought it's a good idea to use my sensory equipment to find Pulsars or use ODR to act its namesake and scan every sector around me to find Exodus fleet‽?!! Pulsars I get, because, at least to my sensors, are very distinct and unique so I reasoned if I had locations and frequencies of multiple X-ray pulsars I could triangulate my position accurately near anywhere in the galaxy, give or take some minimal drift distance (worse comes to worse, I can use them as "mere lighthouses" to orient myself). I already found 5 X-ray Pulsars, just re-checking and making minor adjustments using few Advanced Radar Satellites for multiple angle view, don't want to screw up and have a wrong map here.
But ODR… It is very useful, don't get me wrong, but it's also limited. With it's relative "short" range, cone view and the amount of space I need to comb through, it's easier to find a piece of paper in a hay stack…… And I'm think-talking with myself, great, boredom and insanity, just peachy!
*sigh* For the "after action report" – 13 hours since I found the wreckage, 12 and a half since I wisen up and begun my search for "landmarks" aka Pulsars, 11 since I begun dissecting what Archives I had on space navigation (both intact and readable corrupted files), and 10 h 42 min since I employed ODR to comb the Space for Colonials. The thing is I have no idea how far everyone is, the distances they can and have to travel, not to mention that yes real big interstellar space is screwing with my perception and my sanity (scientists were right everything is dust in cosmic scales).
Though have to say Selena's crew did an insane gamble. The planet "Prime-2" I .. woke up on, is 71 light-years rounded down from the location Selena jumped and that's way past their Red line. Considering that normal Mercury-class battlestar's maximum safe jump distance is 30 LY and you get my point.
Sad thing is I highly suspect that I found one of the colonies (though don't know which one), but from distance of 34 light-years ± 1 light-months, I can't be 100% sure (some of ODR's limits, past 10 LY readings gets slightly .. spotty, especially since there are no artificial systems or active technologies like Basestar's to detect). Data from Selena is a bit scrambled, but the gist of it the Twelve Colonies of Cobolt occupy a local star cluster with the farthest colonies being, give-or-take, 48 LY apart and their relative position changes very little (hence more precise long jumps inside Colonial space of influence). I could attempt to FTL and search from near that planet there (with similar results as now).. if I want to get Cylon attention. Been debating it for 7 hours, benefits, drawbacks, possible scenarios. In short:
Pros: Colonials might get some breathing room; Cylons might get distracted from their plans; I could get chance to get their technology; my presence and possibly my actions might alter their.. "society". Cons: Cylons might react negatively to me; I lose my element of surprise and give them a chance to observe/study my technology and modus operandi; I can't predict how Hybrids might react to an 'outsider' or my affect on their "divine plan". And that's what unnerves me the most.
The thing is I don't know much about BSG spiritual/magical aspect. Some
Ok, been here in one place for too long, time to relocate.
- - - - - - - - -
15 days After Transference, three different locations with no success at detecting Colonial Exodus Fleet. Monotonous and time consuming work, especially since I have programs for that and seemingly don't need to sleep (note: check 'why' later). But I don't understand, I had to find at least something by now! Yes, space is big and ships are comparatively small, but c'mon!… *sigh* What ever, pack up and to the next location, this time to that unusual readings 21 lightyears from here. Maybe it's a small stray planet? If true might stop by for a little while, do some industry actions (cause, in my "wisdom" or paranoia, I destroyed all assets I couldn't take with me in "Prime" solar system before I left) and think up a new game plan, because this search is almost pointless. Anyway finish up my "on the fly" projects/distractions, such as magnetic plasma sheets over hangar doorways (..had nothing better to do, and I wanted my force fields), fine-tune Luna's other new non-combat upgrade. Ok, all is set and.
*zzin*
Cool, y' know the dril- *ping* What? "*chsss*, *wriiiiii* ay, e *shhh* e ** p" No, no, clean up the noise, (Overclock systems) what are they saying (sensors, Radar, Lidar, enhanced DRADIS, ODR up, where are they)!! "Ma*shh*y, ** maday, *whiii* -yone, we need help, please!" (There) Survivors! 5 light-seconds 60° overhead, 45° starboard side!
Shit. This is bad. 5 civilian ships, all with varying damag, limping, power's fluctuating.. shit! Overriding safeties, don't care for the necessary system cooldown! Initiating short range jump, now!
*zzin*
*kro* (Sasodīts) There, 50 klicks from Luna, open channel "This is battlestar Luna, to all survivors: We heard ya' came as fast as we could. What's your situations, respond" it almost sounds like my voi-, NOT NOW! "Thank the gods. This is refinery ship Mountain Ore, Star Memory's life support is barely holding, it needs immediate assist!" That's the passenger liner and it's practically breaking apart!
"Hold on Star Memory, help is on its way" engines at half thrust, need to control my approach vectors, yet don't have much time and WHAT AM I DOING?! Damnit, I'm not prepared for this scenario! How can I .. Wait! My flight pod! Just barely, but I can get that liner inside of my upper hangar, vacuum seal the exits, pressurise the pod.. running simulation… success! OK, engaging reverse thrusters there's the liner, few kilometres away, prototype tractor beam, your first live test run, don't fail me now. "Star Memory brace for repositioning," "*Shzz*ruste*shzz* dead, wha*shzz* re you doi-, WHAT T*shhhhh* -AK!" good, careful now, careful. Guide it inside, through the plasma screen, activate artificial gravity, pressurise the atmosphere aaand.. "Welcome aboard Star Memory", "What was that! What did you do!" .. fudge, they don't have such technology, how can I…
*Kreeeu, Kreeeu* Oh, what now! .. Contacts! Dozens of them. Hundreds. 130'000 kilometres aft of Luna.. It's Cylons. Just my luck (Like I didn't have enough to deal with Murphy)!
Need to stop Colonial panic "Attention all survivors, DRADIS contacts, 400 and counting. Cylon Raiders. Reposition behind Luna and prepare for FTL." "By the lords of Kobolt.. Whoever you are we can't jump, our drives are dead!" There goes the easy choice. "Then get behind me. This will get ugly quickly" launching fighters. I have 300 Fighters, 90 Hammers and 60 Spears including the reserves, 10% of each will guard remaining Colonial ships and watch for any other surprises. Reposition Luna, putting its large overhead profile between Cylons and remaining Colonial survivors. I am terrified, this is my first battle with real lives at stake, but I won't run away now, I won't become less human than I am. And I won't let people be slaughters, without fighting back.
___________________________________________
- - - - - - - - -
Slow updates are slow. Sorry for the wait.