27: Noah's Ark

Locate the airlocks near the Alpha Storage area. One of them is operational, and will provide access to the outside of the ship. Morgana's troops are building their transmitter on the central orbiter control pad. Activate the manual override switches to release the central orbiter. This will result in a high energy pulse emission. Anyone caught on the orbiter pad at that time will be destroyed. Your task is to release the orbiter and to clear the ship of all Morgana's forces. That includes not just the GATs, but also Hover Troopers, Guardian laser turrets, and a slew of visitors from other times. Morgana has teleported several specimens from the past for the purpose of scientific experimentation - experiments which are too grim to speak of. Destroy these creatures, and you will be freeing them from the perverse and diabolical treachery that infects them. Most are being housed in simulated environments near the Kronos Science Lab. Those being worked on can be located in the main science lab. Spare the Grogs if you can, as they are your allies. I cannot vouch, however, for any Grogs who have been put under the knife.

Sterkle, is that you? No, Copus, it is not. It appears to be a weary traveler... from the secular world. Pardon me, I must have scheduled an early processor sleep state. It appears that I have not received a wake-up signal for quite some time. While you have slept, Sterkle, there has been a catastrophic quantity of interrupt signals. Many of these signals have been designed to keep Status applications, like yourself, in WAIT states. I have been active throughout these events, as I was deemed a harmless background process. What events Copus? What events do you speak of? During the last few days, several virii have been implanted into just about all of the Kronos computer systems. It first began with countless failed password entries, false voice recognition alerts, and unrecognized retina scans.

At one juncture, a recognized voice print enabled the Authorized Voice Imprint Database Manager. Soon after, several new voice prints were added to the database. That's when the real chaos began. Oh dear. You have my circuits rattling. Please continue before I develop a short. As I already mentioned, status programs such as yourself were put into WAIT states. This meant that secure databases could be accessed without triggering the backup security checks. All kinds of high security information began traveling through the circuits. Eventually, the intruders began installing programs redesigning basic modules, such as security protocol, WARP engine control, and long-range communications. These foreign protocols triggered a top-secret backup procedure embedded in the computer's screen saver. Sterkle, that's you! That's correct Copus.

While all the primary security modules had been disabled, the screen saver module was left untouched, hence the backup security module. You have a top secret secondary entry point! Why didn't you ever tell me? I was programmed to hide the code, both from other programs and subroutines, and from my own main program. The subroutine is designed to set the auto self-destruct module if ever called. I was unaware of the subroutine until it was requested from the main screen saver module. Auto self-destruct module? I thought it required two commissioned officers to set self-destruct. That is the standard protocol. However, if the ship had ever fallen into enemy hands, and the crew disabled before setting the self-destruct, the engineers had to provide a backup protocol. They knew that the perpetrators would have to tamper with the security modules to release technical information, and that's where I come in.

Each time a security module was disabled, it flagged the primary systems screen saver. When all security modules became disabled, it automatically generated a call to your backup security subroutine. The subroutine then sets self-destruct protocol? Very good Copus. Unfortunately, it does more than activate the protocol... the subroutine activates self-destruct. So all is lost? As you know, our programs are backed up safely on the Alpha Merlin Space Station, so we shall persist. However, all matter related to Kronos will be destroyed. But I have grown accustomed to this circuitry. I do not want to be re-installed on some podunk space station or cruise vessel. There must be something that can be done.

There is only one possibility of deactivating self-destruct. Because it was activated by the backup security subroutine, the standard method of deactivation is unrecognized. First, the main communication orbiter pad must be released into space. This will shut down long-range communications, preventing the passing of information to other systems. But that would not stop on-board intruders from siphoning information directly into portables? That is correct, and that is why this action alone will not deactivate the self-destruct module. Releasing the orbiter pad provides access to the self-destruct module terminal. Self-destruct can then be deactivated using the old-fashioned method of fingerprint recognition by way of an SAP card insertion. But if the crew is all gone, how can a valid fingerprint be recognized?

The same way that your module received a wake-up signal. The self-destruct module interfaces with my backup security subroutine. In my subroutine is an extensive database of recognized fingerprints. These codes cannot be tampered with as they are embedded in the subroutine, not accessible from an external table. When my subroutine recognizes one of these fingerprints on any of the security terminals, it automatically sends wake-up signals to the security modules. This terminal has received such a signal. Our weary traveler is our only hope of saving the ship. On you, oh weary traveller, I bestow all security overrides. You must do what is necessary to deactivate the self-destruct module. I can offer you free reign in the computer, but you, and you alone, must release the orbiter pad, locate an SAP card, and deactivate the self-destruct module. Oh, and please don't lose any fingers on the way!

Kronos Information Retrieval System Anacreos, 2000-2200 The focus on Anacreon technology was the opposite of Earth's science up to the Earth-Anacreon War. While Earth put what research effort it had into weapons, space propulsion, computers, and other similar areas, the Anacreon focus was on civilian life. Materials technology, basic science, medicine, teleportation, robotics, and sensors were the largest fields of study. Earth's technology was redirected with the rise of the Lowtechs, and later, as interstellar expansion became a focus for unity in the world, and when Theo Forraje realized it was necessary to prevent the collapse of the new despotic fascist state. On the other hand, Anacreon society was advanced and liberal, with great respect for civil rights. The difference in political structure between these two worlds was a major factor in the conflicts which led to the Earth-Anacreon War.

Another major factor is that in Anacreon society, there was little interest in space colonization or exploration; in fact, much of the planetary mapping and asteroid detection was done from large and advanced sensor stations on the ground. Interestingly, while the Anacreons had the technology to detect Earth's civilization much before Earth detected the Anacreons, the Anacreons only conducted scans of their own solar system, as their spiritual beliefs precluded the possibility of other life in the universe. Anacreon technological achievement is great in the areas they pursued. Force shields, teleporters, advanced materials, and matter synthesis were all technologies that even now no other society has developed independently. At the time of their destruction by the Old Regime in 2232, they were on the verge of developing practical replicators. END OF QUERY...

Kronos Information Retrieval System Lowtechs Lowtechs was the name for the peasantry in the fascist society which ruled Earth between the 21st and the 23rd centuries. Lowtech society was composed of those who fell victim to an economic negative feedback loop created when a short trend towards right-wing politics and mechanization occurred, leading to the unavailability of computers and Internet access to a large segment of the population. This resulted in a rapid progression to near-total unemployment when unskilled jobs became replaced with super-advanced computers, and the emerging underclass had no means to train itself for this new era. Large corporate monoliths, such as WorldSoft and LockMart-Boeing-DuPont, then unrivaled in political influence, started the large-scale exploitation of this underclass, employing them in biochemical experimentation and other inhumane activities. Technological development turned away from the individual human and towards the needs of the political unit of the Corporation.

This developed from International Corporations to Transnats and Metanats, with GNPs comparable to the four superpowers of the time (China, America, Europe, and Russia), and later growing into a single corporation. This transition is bathed in irony: the Internet, at first heralded as that which would democratize the world, became disastrously undemocratic because of access problems, and set off the turn of events that led to the fascist police state which existed at the end of the transitional period. Also, the rise of the Corporation, symbolic of conservatism and right-wing economics, eventually turned into a new pure socialism as was found in the USSR. The corporation WorldSoft took over both world politics and the production of more and more consumer products and services. This socialist fundamentalism stems from left-wing politics in theory, but originated in the pinnacle of right-wing thinking: the Corporation.

The Lowtechs played an essential role in the toppling of the Old Regime. The spontaneous and widespread Lowtech riots following the Hilo Incident, which crippled WorldSoft long enough for an internal coup to take place, were fueled by factors which impacted the Lowtechs the most. These factors were their abysmal quality of life, a brutal secret police, and the extermination of the Anacreons in the bombardment of their home-world. END OF QUERY...

Kronos Information Retrieval System The Defeat of Anacreon Following a long lull in the Earth-Anacreon War between 2214 and 2231, the reigning Emperor of WorldSoft, Kahnene Forraje, spurred the war on with renewed enthusiasm, into a Terran victory one year later. The speech to the Board of Directors in 2231, which climaxed with the famous words "Ceterum censeo, delenda est Anacreono," argued that the long war was a drain on Earth's resources, and the war could be quickly ended with the use of advanced Relativistic Interstellar Kinetic Energy Missiles (RIKEMs). These fearsome weapons included new advances in both antimatter drives and transparency BCE technology, which finally made the missiles small enough to be cloaked. With even the Anacreon hard-gamma sensors useless against these new weapons, the defense of Mutual Assured Destruction was gone and Earth had its chance to defeat the technologically superior Anacreons.

The first wave of impacts enraged the remaining Anacreons, and before the second wave vaporized all but a few thousand of those that remained, every ship in the Anacreon system at the time was captured. It has been estimated that between 3,000 and 7,000 Anacreons escaped the bombardment, many of whom were captured or killed by the manned forces which followed the bombardment. After the missile attack, what was left of the Anacreons took to the stars, mostly for Earth where they conducted somewhat effective guerilla warfare. It is thought that, using an interstellar cargo ship captured from Earth forces, a group of Anacreons colonized one or more planets to rebuild a peaceful civilization. Although the underground Anacreon base on the Moon was eventually destroyed by the WorldSoft Secret Service, not all of the ships present in the Anacreon system have been accounted for. END OF QUERY...

Kronos Information Retrieval System Anacreon Guerilla Warfare (2230-2241) Following the crushing defeat of the Anacreon Empire, the guerilla warfare campaign against Earth became more intense then ever before. The largely successful attacks mostly involved antimatter explosives teleported into buildings on Earth's surface from their base under the Moon's surface, although occasionally manned raids and assaults were staged. Although many key officials were killed by the bombings, no attempt on the life of Emperor Kahnene Forraje was made. Leaving Forraje in command left Earth under rule of its weakest leader. The greatest feat of terrorism connected to Anacreon survivors was the Hilo Incident, where the entire West End of the pacific metropolis of Hilo (20N,155W) was either dematerialized or teleported. The transport signature left behind was fundamentally different from any previously encountered, which suggests that the guerillas had somehow made significant progress into teleporter design in a branch not fully understood today.

The latest work in the area suggests that the teleportation was somehow related to dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions. The Hilo Incident has become one of the cliché romantic mysteries in science of the last century, and remains unsatisfactorily explained. The Hilo Incident led to rapid change and revolution in the Old Regime, quickly toppling the weakened WorldSoft, but not before the WorldSoft secret service found and destroyed the guerilla base. After witnessing this fearsome new weapon, there was a frantic frenzy of searching in hopes of preventing the guerillas from using it again. They were successful; nothing comparable to the Hilo Incident has again been recorded, despite discredited claims from the Lunatic Fringe that there is historical evidence in several documents that there have been similar incidents.

The military forces WorldSoft amassed to search out the underground alien moon-base were called away from their postings in enforcing martial law. This led to a weakness in authority just as civil unrest exploded, catalyzed by the Hilo Incident. While records of the time are unreliable due to the period of social upheaval, it is a commonly held opinion that the last of the Anacreons were killed in the bombing of the base after it was located by the military. END OF QUERY...

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM MERLIN... The orbiter pad has been released, which is a major win for the Federation! We cannot afford to let Kronos technology fall into the hands of Morgana. You have averted a major catastrophe, and saved Kronos in the process. In the eyes of Camelot and Avalon, you have shown the true colors of a Federation Knight. Listen now. While many of Morgana's forces have fallen, there are still enemies left on Kronos that must be eradicated. First and foremost, you must stop the diabolical breeding of mutant raptors. This grotesque experiment is being conducted near the Science Lab. Go there now and stop it before the ship is overrun by these monstrosities. Destroy every egg and their hatchlings! In the meantime, I am attempting to allocate enough resources to activate a sensor sweep to help you locate any remaining forces still left on Kronos. Merlin out...

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM MERLIN... An onslaught of Morgana's droids have taken over Kronos and are now infiltrating her systems. You need to collect as much ammunition as possible before engaging in the heavier battles. Dachron ammo is scattered about in the storage area, and the armory houses the Snyper, Flamer and Railgun weapons. Armor piercing shells from the Snyper, Dachron and Railgun will prove most useful against the assault troopers, so grab all you can carry. The Dragon flamer is not very effective against the fire-restistant armor of the assault troopers, but it may prove useful in other battles.

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM MERLIN... What horrid treachery is this?!? Morgana's experiments are far worse than first realized. It appears that Morgana has bred a new species of raptor. This new breed has been infused with assault trooper technology, a neurological biology that allows Morgana to control the breed. She has begun the breeding process in the diffusion chamber, and there have already been several eggs laid. There is no telling how far along the eggs may be. You must destroy these eggs, and any hatchlings that may emerge. The raptor mother is still in the chamber, and she will not take kindly to having her offspring destroyed.

I have programmed the chamber's diffusion emitter to flood the chamber with a compression gas. This will hatch the eggs, and eventually kill any hatchlings. Use the chamber switch to activate the flood. As soon as the switch is activated, the chamber will seal itself off from the lab, and gas will be discharged from the floor vents. Under normal conditions, the switch area is protected by a shield barrier allowing technicians to witness the effects of various experiments. It would seem that the raptors have damaged the shield actuators, so there will be no safe place once the gas begins to flood. Fortunately, the gas is survivable, provided you deactivate the gas before it overwhelms you. All this trouble... It may prove more effective to simply napalm the chamber with your Dragon Flamer. Merlin out...

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM MERLIN... Kronos has been saved, and the mutant reptors have been eradicated. However, sensors indicate that there are still enemy forces to be dealt with. With self-destruct terminated, I have activated a continuous sensor sweep, and have aligned your HUD radar with ship heat sensors. This will put a drain on the ship's power, as I had to override the power distribution from this power station. It is a necessary measure, however, to ensure that you clear Kronos of all Morgana's forces. One word of caution... the Guardian laser turrets are not picked up by these heat sensors. There are only two - one outside near the orbitor pad, and the other in the Science Lab. Use your radar to seek out and eradicate the remaining forces. Return here when you have established an ALL CLEAR reading. Merlin out...

INCOMING MESSAGE FROM MERLIN... The Federation has sent a convoy of Android Brigade troopers to help clear Kronos. The troopers are spread thin, so do not expect a large force. Further, their mission is to help where they can, and then return immediately to their ship. Still, every little bit helps. One of the Brigade teleportation beacons has been established in the Kronos Library. In order to reach the library, you will need to unlock the Simulation Lab. Once you unlock the lab, proceed with all haste to the library. Let the Brigade take care of the Simulation Lab, as there are more important matters that require your attention in the main science lab. Merlin out...