Terra
"We'll need to radicalize our production, create an assembly line to build these ships. FTL drives, engines, and the new railguns should be on separate assembly lines each and built exactly to specification, no fumbling with it, we don't have time for experiments."Jess said as she and Mike talked and walked into a facility somewhere in the Mideast of North America. they weren't alone, surrounded by two scientists, a mechanics engineer, and three military advisors.
"I see. Building dedicated role ships will take time, you plan on mass producing cheap ships to buy time for the big guns to be built." Mike said thoughtfully. It was a sacrificial strategy though. He wasn't unfamiliar with such a strategy but he didn't like fielding them.
"Yes. Our nuclear armaments are capable of defending Earth in the immediate vicinity, and Ankyros, but neither Armstrong nor Ares have any defense platforms. If we are under threat we need to get something cheap and with range out there as a deterrent. Our dedicated role ships are going to take time to build. Longer still to maximize the efficiency of their production. We can't expect the first light cruiser for instance for a least 3 months, likely longer. And the bigger the ship, the longer it'll take." One of the Military advisors confirmed with a nod.
"What about making these cheap fighters drone? Remote deploy?" A second one asked, to which the engineer shook his head.
"The time delay from Earth or settlement to space would render them useless. And since trying to build their subspace relays for each ship would cause the price and difficulty of assembly to skyrocket, we can't afford it yet." The engineer countered, shooting down the idea.
"What about using VI on them?" The second Advisor then stated in retort to which the two scientists started chortling and laughing. "Vi can't adapt enough for combat, most they can do is accelerate data build and extrapolate prin-" One started as if talking to an imbecile, but stopped halfway through, looking at his fellow scientist.
"Wait. What if we used the Vi in conjunction with remote piloting?"
The second scientist went to laugh again, but paused, seemingly pondering it. "That won't...Wait no, it might. It won't be perfect but if we use the VIs as extrapolating pilot input as reference data, it might actually compensate for a few seconds' worth of lag at least. And if we set them with networking capability they could use swarm mentality and tactics as well. That's...that's actually brilliant Edgar!" He looked genuinely shocked but happy at the same time. The first scientist turned to the engineer.
"Is that feasible, Everett?"
"I mean sure, it's feasible. Not perfect but doable." He says, going over the plans for the strike craft that would be the first real ship. "We would have to reduce the FTL drive's size though, meaning they'd only be good for small hops, but since we can keep the capacitors the same it should allow extra power for jumps, eliminating the recharge time. These would be system-only ships, but it sounds like that's fine.
Mike nods, hearing the conversation. "Good, make it happen. I want attachments ready for Ares and Armstrong as soon as possible, use them to refine the manufacturing, then crank up output for Earth's defense."
"I'll contact my brother at Vera enterprises, and get production started on custom VIs a.s.a.p," Jess said, already starting to type out her message to Bill.
"Good, tell him there's a bonus if he can complete them before the first ships get ready to roll out. All right, people you have the plan. Design or request whatever you need, you have full use of your budgets! This takes top priority so let's move!" Mike commanded. The officers saluted, then entered an adjacent room to start planning strategic deployment locations. The scientists and engineers went to report to their teams and work to make the necessary changes, and Jess was currently on call with her brother. Mike looked out over the walkway they were on into the building housing the prototype.
the T.D.F. 10S mk1. Wasn't much of a name but the people working on building her were already coming up with a nickname, and Admiral Kolensky had to admit, it was a very Terran name. The ship itself was small and sleek. Built for speed and maneuverability over taking hits. it had a look that was sharp-cutting, like a dagger with a crescent at the end, and painted jet black to reduce visibility. Designed to be aerodynamic enough for flight if needed but primarily for space. It would have two under-mounted, cryo-cooled railguns and two top-mounted PDFs. Simple, small, and light, but it was at least something. And already someone was walking over to the prototype's fuselage. 'Seem's a name's been decided officially' Mike thought with a smile.
After a moment of spraying in dark grey, the worker stepped away from the ship, and an all too Terran grin spread across his face at looking at the name.
"T.D.F. 10S-Zerg"
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Kulrix Ambassadorial ship- 3 days out form station Lch'tial Station.
Amelia was looking at Viza curiously as she watched him try to busy himself, noting his odd body posture and his strange avoidance of looking her in the face, though she couldn't tell why. She knew it wasn't the pheromones' this time, they both were making sure of that, and it didn't seem to be that sort of vibe either. It seemed more...respectful? or fearful, one. Deciding she didn't like it, she asked him about it, deciding beating around the bush was not the best way to deal with it this time."So why are you avoiding my face?"
Viza,for his part, looked shocked but also confused at her question. Was it some sort of weird cultural thing she didn't get again? "Because you are here, in my room." He said cautiously.
"Well, yeah, we can't leave yet. Besides, it's not like it poses a risk to us. You have your..medication...and I have my scent blocker. No worries." Amelia said, trying to cheer the situation up but unfortunately making Viza seemingly shrink even further away from her.
"I understand, Lady Amelia but... It is... You are a-" Viza started, trying to find the proper words.
"If you try calling me a matriarch again, I will punch you Viza." Amelia said, half playfully, half warningly. She was NOT about to be called a matriarch.
"N..not what I was going to say." Viza lied through his teeth nervously. Taking a deep breath, he then continued what he had been trying to say.
"You are a person whose opinion I value, even if we've known each other for a short time. I am..ashamed, that you've entered my home yet I cannot offer you anything more comforting." He explained, and judging my his body language, which she thought she had somewhat figured out, it was a stressful thing for him to admit.
"I don't see why you value my opinion so much, it seems like I've done nothing but cause fuck ups with my opinions here lately." Amelia said, trying to put on a happy smile but failing, she sighed and pulled her knees to her chest.
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"I tried to "protect" my home by not giving them the weapons and designs I made, leaving them potentially vulnerable to some group of nasty aliens and even if I wanted to now, I can't without risking their safety again. Oh yeah, theres also the almost causing those nasties to know where home is because I stupidly thought I was protecting them. I still might because of what I said in that message." She sighs and says.
"Everything I try to protect ends up hurt for it."'Just like last time' she mumbles under her breath. She turns around and learns against the wall.
"Sorry Viza, not much to value when it comes to my opinion."
Viza moves closer to her at that, looking her over intently before saying to her in his lower, more rumbly voice, one she realized was his "softer" voice.
"I see a female who did not hesitate to defend innocents from a corrupt general. I see someone who took great pains not to bring discomfort to me personally without even knowing me for a week, simply because it was her opinion to do so. I see a woman who worries for her home, and wishes to protect it. And I see someone pained by a troubled past, something I know all too well about. There is plenty to value in that, Lady Amelia." Viza said honestly to her, his soft voice actually doing quite a bit to help her hold back the emotions biting at her a bit.
The was a long pause in the room after that, where neither said anything, before the silence would finally be broken.
"Th-thank you Viza."
"There is nothing to thank me for, Lady Amelia. I simply spoke the truth."
"I'm...gonna try and get some rest now."
"As you wish. Good night, Lady Amelia."
"Good night, Viza."
----3 hours later---
She was once again in the white room, an operating room she remembered. Her body was paralyzed from a chemical cocktail but she could still feel, was still aware. 'Anesthesia awareness', she thought numbly. She could see a number of surgical instruments on a table near her, and tried blinking her eyes repeatedly to get the attention of the surgeons.
"Oh, look at that, she's awake." the First started, pointing to a readout that she now realized was an eeg readout. She didn't have to blink, they knew she was conscious.
"Good, then we can begin. Keep an eye on her EEG, and double check the straps. We don't need her getting loose while the implantations are underway." An older sounding surgeon in full theatre dress said as he looked over the various instruments.
"I still don't see why she needs to be conscious." A third said. This one seemed to be prepping a multitude of syringes.
"Because we need to make sure the neural link doesn't fry her mind." The second, older doctor said.
"Well if it does then it means the bitch wasn't as smart as she thought she was, doesn't it. Just desserts if you ask me." the first one said.
"Shut it, Operator. Like it or not we need this asset so dont fuck it up. This is bleeding edge tech and the last thing the board needs is you holding a personal grudge against project Wonderland." The third began but the second, the senior she surmised, held up a gloved hand to stop them.
"we are ready. Lets begin with the regenerative nanite implant at L4." he said.
A moment later, and a flash of agonizing pain as Amelia felt her back being cut open feeling the flesh rent away, bone and muscle expose, bone cut into, and the chilling, freezing pain as something was injected into her. She could feel it move, feel it spread throughought her, up her spine, in her head. She could then feel them attach something else to her spine before the agonizing process of suturing up that location began.
It was terrifying. She could feel it all but couldn't move, could cry, couldn't do anything.
"L4 injection and regenerative nanite implant successfully attached, Removal of left ocular and retina next for implant." The lead said again as one of the others came over, clamping her eye open, and she stared at the scraper-like tool approaching her.
'No. No no no no no no no no! Stop! Please! STOP! GET AWAY FROM ME!' She tried to scream, but couldn't. Just as she began to feel the tool almost hit her though, a shock as blinding light filled her senses.
Amelia woke up with a scream to see Viza over her. Not realizing what was going on she pushed him away of her, a bit too hard, and moved as far back as she could, her left eye switching to low-light mode with a slight glow. Viza, for his part, was practically thrown against the ceiling and fell back down, letting out a grunt of pain both times as he slowly, painfully got up, talking in his "soft" voice.
"Lady Amelia, calm down. We are on the Kulrix, we are safe. You've nothing to fear here."He said slowly to her, not looking her in the eye but down in front of her, hands held low and tail held down and curled, the Krultathan version of showing you mean no harm.
It took Amelia a good few moments to regain her bearings. Her mouth was dry, her skin felt clammy, and she was able to feel pain in her throat. She had been screaming in her sleep. Sleep. She had the nightmare again, the memory, whatever you wanted to call it. She went through it again as if she had been back there, courtesy of her PTSD and the nanites in her regenerating against any form of repression her brain might try. A lovely "Gift" from Wonderland, or BlackRock as it's officially called. Taking her own inventions, twisting them, and using them against her.
Suddenly she realized she had hit Viza when she woke up.
"Viza! Oh gods are you okay, I'm so sorry I didn't...I didn't mean to." Amelia said panickedly. What if she had hurt him, what if he had died because she was careless, what if-
"Lady Amelia.*Cough* I am fine, do not worry. Are you *Cough* okay?" Viza said, struggling to catch his breath from having the wind knocked out of him, a bit of orange blood seeped from his mouth but he quickly wiped it off.
Hearing Viza was okay, Amelia couldn't help it as tears fell down. First one, then another, and then another. as she collapsed down again, unable to will herself to move. She had hurt another thing she wanted to protect. Another person she had wanted to protect. She couldn't, the only was to protect those she cared for was to stay away, or else one way or another She or blackrock would hurt them. She needed out of this room for Viza's sake, she need out of this tiny room,this tiny room, the walls, they're getting closer, and closer, and closer. Too small! this place was too small, she couldnt move again couldn't think couldn't-get away can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't ca-
She didn't realize when she started hyperventilating, she didn't realize when she started seeing the black dots from it, or when her heart started beating past 150 bpm. She didn't realize when Viza walked closer to her, nor when he sat beside her. She showed some reaction though, when he pulled her close, when his tail wrapped around her in comfort, when he started purring with her head against his chest. Eventually, the sobbing stopped. Eventually, her breathing went to normal. Eventually, her eyes closed again, and eventually Amelia passed out in Viza's arms, his comfort helping ease her episode away.
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Verifying connection...
Verified.
Verifying identification...
Verified.
Server T337D4A access granted.
Executive 6: Executive 1 has been unresponsive since the server breach. 3, how has your investigation went. Is it Cheshire?
Executive 3: Negative, Amelia is still offworld. The virus used on the server self destructed, we have no leads besides 8 or so words.
Executive 6: And? what are these words then?
Executive 3: "Did you think Death wouldn't come for you" followed by "Faust."
Executive 4: Shit.
Executive 5: Fuck.
Executive 2 Disconnected.
Executive 3: "It means something to you?"
Executive 6: "You're new so you don't know. Faust was 1."
Executive 3: "Oh. Shit. But who would go after us? Without us, the U.S.U.N. loses its advantage."
Executive 6 Disconnected
Executive 4 Disconnected
Executive 5: "Ordinarily, Amelia Ryder. Considering she's off planet though, we don't know. 1 was the one who organized most of the projects, and no one can get in touch with 0 either. The only other person who might know is 2, and considering he immediately left.... yeah, he knows, and he's scared. Which means you should be too. Up your defenses, 3. You may be new but you're still a director. Don't show weakness."
Executive 5 Disconnected
Executive 3: Understood 5.
Executive 0 has entered chat
Executive 3: 0? Where have you been, the Board have been trying to contact you.
Executive 0: "One chance 3/aka Craig Michur. Leave Wonderland and never return."
Executive 3 was booted from server by Executive 0
Server purge initiated
Executive 0 Disconnected