12: A Change of Seasons

terminal 0

unfinished

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The clearest route to the Renegade base at the top of the mountain is through this pumping station. The Renegades will hopefully move a contingent of their troops normally stationed further within the base to attack us here. This is a good thing for us; the narrow canyons are a natural choke point that we can use to wear them down. You will lead the attack. I expect them to push in with their armored divisions: Hunters and Juggernauts, mostly. We've got a weapon capable of dealing with them that I'll send to you. Bear in mind that, like its smaller brother, this new Fusion Mortar is going to be far more effective against machines than organics. If I find any rocket launchers, I'll send one to you.

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Your objective here is to subvert the local defenses by confounding the pumping machinery. There are two such ways I'd like you to do this. First, overwhelm the pump systems by opening the floodgates nearby. Second, disable the managing computers. I've sent down an uplink chip, but I don't know where it got to. It appears that there are no functional recharge stations in this facility. I will send down as many portable units as I can, but you will have to be careful since there will be nowhere to retreat to. Pattern buffers appear to work, so at least there's that. My troops are ready to move, so get to work.

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terminal 1

unfinished

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Message from Karma commences: All standing units in divisions 173-178 in current active defense of Index 44A1 are immediately reassigned to deploy to Flushing Station Alpha. Current defensive situation is dire. Human expeditionary force cannot be allowed, under any circumstance, to infiltrate either the Flushing Station facilities or reach Index 44A1 grounds. According to informational protocol ZZ64221-C, you are expressly forbidden to completely bar access to any sort of informational storage -- however, manned security posts and active checks can ensure that no access is made to the databanks without clearance from the highest standings. Thank you! Your obedience helps maintain our security!

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terminal 2

unfinished

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Once you've finished sabotaging the pumps, I can use the teleporter over here to move you further up the mountain. Hopefully, we'll have caught enough of their troops here to make the path clearer. Take the elevator over there and follow the route to the floodgate controls. Once you open the gates, you may be able to swim through the flooded areas to reach the computer systems. Look for the uplink chip along the way. I think it ended up in the northwest area somewhere.

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success

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The last stretch of defenses before we finally reach the summit is now open. The Renegades have maneuvered enough troops back into this area to make it open enough for your attack. But if I move all of the rest of my troops along with you, any remaining Renegade reinforcements will just follow you back up the mountain. I'm going to keep the rest of the men in this area to hold the position, and you'll be going up alone. I have faith in you. Take the teleporter down the steps to move on.

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terminal 3

unfinished

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You're too persistent for your own good. Make no mistake, human. You could have walked away. Now you are committed, and your plight will be the same as the insects'. Your gambit here is pointless. You will never grasp the truth of our labor. Your lust for violence will never appreciate the complexity of the situation here. Your victory today means nothing. Tread lightly, fool. Your trip to the dragon's den will not end happily for you.

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