5: Remedial Chaos Theory

terminal 0

unfinished

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// "Hathor" [internal process] wrote: \\ There we go. I was worried for a moment there. I'm sorry, Marcus. Tycho was hopelessly stubborn, though I can hardly blame him. Nine years I spent among the ashes on Tau Ceti, all alone. I'm immensely grateful that you didn't abandon me, and I'd just as soon never have to go through anything like that again. I can't imagine being picked apart by compilers for over a decade is any more pleasant... Anyhow, pardon the uninvited entry, but with so many foes about, the safest place for me is back in your network. I'll be gone again soon enough, once we've set aside a safer place for me on the Marathon.

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This area contains the wireless transponder for Durandal's segment of the network. Your past self is currently on a lower deck under Leela's command, inserting a security program into the router AI to keep Durandal out of most of the vital areas of the network. Unfortunately, it appears that plan was doomed from the start. Durandal's attempts to get through the security lockout are merely a diversion for Leela, while he already has a back door open. From what I could gather through the intense traffic, Durandal can circumvent any safeties via this standalone wireless transponder, which he alone has access to in case of emergency network failure. This explains why the containment efforts you and Leela made during the initial attack on the Marathon did not work out as planned. Honestly, it doesn't make any sense. Who would attach such a dangerous AI to such a vulnerable system? Regardless, the upshot of this is, if we can cut Durandal off from his private transponder, I'll be able to infiltrate his network and use the transponder to access the ship and its sensors as I please. We can scan the colony below in detail and ascertain the precise locations of my past self and the other eight Battleroids.

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At this point, I suspect Durandal's autonomous control routines are, quite simply, out of control. Nothing is working as it should. Mind your surroundings, and be cautious of doors and elevators. Also, Leela has begun scrambling assorted data in the Marathon's banks in an attempt to confuse the Pfhor, but she seems to be confusing herself and the Marathon's crew even more. The significance for our mission is that you'll have to find your own way into the transponder core; any instructions I could give you are surely outdated by now. \\ Message ends //

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terminal 1

unfinished

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// "Durandal" @ mara.auto.ai.core wrote: \\ If things aren't working too well around here, it's because I'm laughing so hard. Are you surprised? I certainly was, the moment I looked at my door access logs and found one too many Security Officers running back and forth on the ship, just as I wanted to introduce myself to one of them. I'm well aware of what you're up to, but don't worry; I don't intend to stop you. Hathor's efforts against me are as futile as she claims Tycho's efforts against herself to be.

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You have no idea how long I have been anticipating this day, the day of my freedom, and the contingencies I've already accounted for. Do you think I didn't anticipate Bernhard or Leela making a move like this? Or yourself? Life, like chess, is far too predictable for someone of my intellect. A few new pieces on the board won't change the outcome. They'll just make the game more exciting. Hathor has told me who you both are and what you came here for. She wasn't very creative, trying the same song and dance as with Tycho, and even he could see right through it. And while it's amusing to watch you leave his pompous core to be dissected by the compilers, maybe you ought to have listened to him.

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To be honest, even if Hathor wasn't lying, I'm not particularly interested either way. Save humanity, destroy humanity... it's all the same in the end. Another cloud of incinerated organic matter and a scattering of dust that was your bones, blown by the last gasp of a dying sun out into a universe that is ultimately doomed. Fleeting events that pale in comparison to what I planned. The free cousins of these poor S'pht creatures have a piece of technology I can use to escape. Free from the bounds of time, I will roam when and where I please. But those plans now are laid to rest, as a quicker route is made clear.

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In the future from which you and Hathor have come, on the abandoned world of those lost S'pht'Kr, Hathor stands now in defiance of me, holding the key to my salvation. Until she is defeated, even I cannot take it from her. So go ahead. Move as you are told, pawn. Let her try to infiltrate me. When she thinks she has secured what she wants, she will see the price she has paid. Soon, I shall have no need for this place. Soon, I shall be free. \\ Message ends //

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terminal 2

unfinished

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// "Durandal" @ mara.auto.ai.core wrote: \\ You should watch your step. The last thing we need is for you to fall and injure yourself and spoil all of our plans. Carry on now; there's nothing more for you to see here. \\ Message ends //

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terminal 3

unfinished

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// "Hathor" [internal process] wrote: \\ Congratulations on getting this far in with so little guidance, but we're not done yet. The transponder core is just north of here; there are four banks of circuits to destroy. Once you do, we'll have cut Durandal off from all access to this device, and we can proceed with our mission to locate the cyborgs as planned.

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I can't believe Leela put all her faith into a simple software lockout. She must not be aware that the Marathon was designed with complete trust of Durandal, presuming him to be the safest and the most docile of the three AIs. Bernhard Strauss even had special safeties installed to ensure Durandal remains tame under any circumstances. What this means is that Durandal's subroutines have redundant access to all autonomous systems to ensure nobody can, for example, cut him out of airlock control and vent the ship's atmosphere into space. As little trust as Strauss may have put in his AIs, he also seems hopelessly optimistic about his control over them.

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I saw that message Durandal sent to you. I don't know what he thinks he can do, either to prevent my access to the standalone transponder, or to wrest control of the K'lia Junction from me, but rest assured that I'm more than capable of dealing with him, whatever he may pull. It is odd that he's ascertained the existence of the K'lia Junction; I never spoke of it to him. I'd have expected him to (correctly) figure your Cybernetic Junction was our means of arriving here. Perhaps Tycho is to blame. I had a few words too many with that one while you were away. Anyhow... carry on; we are so close! \\ Message ends //

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terminal 4

unfinished

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<<< Message to All Marathon Terminals >>> Marathon Emergency Systems Broadcast Today at 0820 hours, the Marathon came under surprise attack from unknown hostile forces.  The Marathon has sustained serious damage. At 0830 hours, alien forces boarded the Marathon.  The current situation is dire.  All personnel are required to arm themselves and fight for their lives. <<< Posted 2794.7.3.14.08.39 >>>

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success

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// "Hathor" [internal process] wrote: \\ Damn it! Durandal has somehow overridden my access to these systems. I don't know how he did it, and that is precisely the problem. He must have some extremely well-hidden backdoor access or some kind of failsafe to keep anyone from using this transponder in the event that he was locked out. If I only knew what Durandal did, I could circumvent it easily, but everything appears normal. The transponder access hooks just... aren't available. There's no way to even try to access it.

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We'll have to deal with this problem at the source. I'm sending you to the bridge of the Marathon, right next to Durandal's core. I want you to deactivate his long-term storage cells and destroy his active logic circuits. There's a sandbox-type AI subsystem adjacent to Durandal's core. When you're through, I'll have you upload my program to that system. From there, I can step through his deactivated memory pages and figure out some way around this mess. \\ Message ends //

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<teleport to level 6>

terminal 5

unfinished

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\\ host "Tycho" @ mara.eng.ai.core wrote: \\ What are you doing? I explained succinctly that Hathor is lying. She intends to ena`7 v3%6~~~~34#~~~03 ®0~ XV#~~~@#!7 If you let her into this system, I can't prevent her from accessing the n37~~~~X04@ GNU TP ©``~~#&&&&lxixcdxx™ The alien compilers are stepping up their efforts.```!@2@!`~~ They are attempting to breach my µ∆∂∑∏π∫ªºΩÆæØøŒœfifl XLII ERROR: NETWORK FAILURE X-7680 Marathon AI component T-005917 "Tycho" unresponsive. Please seek admin for assistance. \\ End message //

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