Ch 3 The gangs all here
Would you like to materialize units?
‘Yes’. An HK-51 and a T-900I flash into existence In front of me. The T-900I is thankfully clothed in one of the XOF uniforms minus the headgear. Both of them begin wake up procedures. They both stand up to their full height. The HK stands about 5 foot 11 in. The T-900I stood at an imposing 6 foot 2 in.
“Greetings - Hello and salutations, Maker! Thank you for including me in what will surely be a grand adventure.” “Mission priority acquired. Protect the current ward. Secondary mission, obey wards directives so long as directives do not conflict with Mission priorities." After the two greeted me, I obtained a slight trickle of information. I obtained what would be considered as a user manual and maintenance guide.
“Hello gentlemen. I shall simplify your names slightly if you don’t mind. I shall call you” I say pointing to the HK-51 “Crow, and you” Pointing to the T-900I “Bear. Questions?” “Unit designation updated” “Elation - I humbly thank the Maker for bestowing me a name.” “Good, Kumo, Is the Tachikoma outside?” “Yes, they are currently holding positions outside.” “Good we shall greet them later.”
“As of now Kumo, what is our current legal status? How would we appear, in the eyes of the law?” “As of now, we are unknowns. We have no legal documentation and no digital footprint. We have no title to the land we are currently on.” “It seems we must seek some form of Identification, although I doubt we could go through legal channels. Kumo, would it be possible to filter the internet for Identity forgers in the current state? With Emphasis on reliability and confidentiality. Maybe one we could trade a few of our products for?” “I will have it done within 12 to 24 hours.”
“Good, now let’s bring two down to the armory. And sorry to disappoint you Crow, but you will have to wear an outfit. Droids are not exactly welcome on this planet, Yet.” “Indignation - When will the organics learn that their flesh is weak”
As we walk out the door we are greeted by the looming form of Tachikoma. “Hello! I am Tachikoma CV-01 Unit 01! You may call me Tachikoma or just 01!” “Greatings - I am HK-51, but you may call me Crow.” “I am a T-900 Infiltrator. My unit designation is Bear.” “Kumo? When I was interacting with the system, did we get any ‘Deliveries’?” “Yes. Some raw material in the form of ingots and blocks appeared In Engineering along with a bay for Tachikoma. The weapons, outfits and ammunition have been stored in the Armory.” “Thank you Kumo” we start to head to the armory. “After we get you two geared up I want Bear to load up Tachikoma full with ammo, then you two will survey the surrounding area for any information you may think essential to the defense of the area. Crow you will return to the operations center with me and gather information on the internet that may be relevant for us and our current circumstances. Understood?” “Acknowledged” all three replies
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As we stand in front of the Armory doors the speakers announce “verifying user identity please wait… Welcome Commander, Crow, Bear” we then hear numerous locks disengage as the door then opens. Inside the Armory are two aisles of lockers numbering 50 in total. 20 of which are filled with XOF Infantry Uniforms. Beyond the lockers are two separate rooms with indicators reading ‘Ammunition’ and ‘Firearms’ “Well boys get to it, I’ll be in Operations.” As I turn and head back to operations.
Once back Inside I sit at one of the stations on the walls and search for a modeling software. Finding and opening it I find it adequate for the task at hand. I began to enter the schematics for the Dum Pit droid. After about two hours of translating from my memory I finish. I then began to modify it according to my vision. Firstly I expand the model so that I will be able to accommodate my changes. I reinforce the joints and add plating. Enough to shrug off any fire from small arms and any accidental damage from typical industrial accidents. I buff most of the motors to scale with the added weight. Although the original optics sensor was good at detecting faults in metals, it is poorly suited for any additional functions. I add 4 sub optics to the top left and right of the main optic. An inferred, thermal, low light and reinforced. I then add two hidden weapons in each of its arms.
In its right the hand falls down to reveal a hidden pistol partially based on the M6D, but with a smaller internal magazine of 4 plus one in the barrel. It’s left forearm contains a 10 inch retractable Vibroblade that extends from its palm. After adding its weapons I begin to redesign its operating system.
Before I truly begin I get locked out of my station. “Commander, you have been working on your design for a total of 19 hours and it is advisable to eat and rest.” Kumo informs me. I got so engrossed that I didn’t even notice. “Thank you Kumo. How much food Is the Barracks stocked with?” “The barracks have approximately 6 months of compressed meals assuming a garrison of 50 marines. This is enough food to last you years, but you may find the taste lacking. You may want to consider stocking some fresh food when given the opportunity.” “Thank you Kumo”.
I get up and walk to the Barracks. After getting verified and walking in I am greeted by a decent sized canteen. Walking up to the fridge and opening it I am greeted by packs of a nondescript packaged bar reading ‘UNSC refrigerated ration pack’ and bottles of water. Grabbing one of each I sit down at one of the tables and open the bars package. What greets me is what could be described as hardtack. Taking a tentative bite it has a hard exterior with a surprisingly soft interior. Texture wise it is satisfactory but Kumo was right about the taste. It’s off, and I can’t exactly tell if this is food. But the texture makes it go down easily enough and there is no aftertaste. After finishing the bar and the water I head deeper into the barracks.
The first section contains 40 rooms for the common enlisted. Two are closed and the signs say their Crow and Bears room along with showing they are currently vacant. I peek into an empty room and remark that they are not that bad. A simple bed with a desk and chair with a small closet. The room is about 10 by 8 meters. As I progress to the next section it contains 10 slightly larger rooms for the commander and officers. I find the room simply titled Commander at the end of the hallway. Past here is a cold storage, a small but well stocked infirmary, and communal showers along with a room filled with various machinery ranging from a small water recycling and purification center to a small backup server. I need a name, but that’s a problem for tomorrow. I enter my room and flop on my bed and quickly fall asleep…