2: Like flies on a corpse

shel.override ----------begin external feed Just because you've been an ice-cube for the past few decades doesn't mean that we have all had the privilege of such a vacation. You will have already noted the aesthetic changes to a number of items in that portable arsenal of yours, and the replacement of some obsolete weaponry by more cutting-edge pieces which I hope you will find comparable in their destructive capacities. After all, I hesitate to give you anything requiring too much of a learning curve.

The ancient .44 caliber Magnum Mega Class of yours has been replaced numerous times in UESC armament specifications over the years. In the interests of conserving ammunition, I have equipped you with the model currently recommended for light combat situations. I'll be allowing you to experience a martial delicacy soon. Look for it. Speaking of weaponry - please do refrain from commandeering any ordinance from the humans until it is clear that they will be unable to make further use of it. I know you've had some trouble with that in the past.

As for your mission here: I'm having difficulty accessing some of the more important memory sections of the Chimera. It seems that large segments of this ship's computer hardware is biochemically based, rather than electrically based. As I'm sure you know, electrons are close friends of mine, and accessing raw biochemical data isn't an area with which I have any experience.

Spanning across the roof of the huge northern bay area, you should see a very long bridge. I need you to cross that bridge and look for an officer's quarters. Inside, there should be a key card that you should bring back here. A high level security pass like the one you should find will provide me with the biochemical credentials I need to access more of the Chimera's internal network. end.burst/override ----------endexternal feed

-------------------Begin Crew Entry Log Timestamp: 1024 hrs. Login ID: Mark Renton, mrento-uesc.sci How strange it is that things so simply set in motion can be so very hard to stop. The #ref deleted project is almost done, or so they tell me. It's been "almost done" for years now. I can't even remember the last time I had faith in what they were telling me. Maybe I never did.

THE ZEUS AND MERCURY CLASS FUSION ARMS The original Zeus-class fusion gun that was bought back from Tau Ceti was designed specifically to disable Pfhor circuitry. It had two firing modes: a primary mode that fired a series of bolts, and a secondary mode that released one large bolt that did a serious amount of damage to the target. Unfortunately, the secondary mode was highly unstable and often caused fatal accidents.

ZEUS B4 FUSION PISTOL The continuous accidents with the secondary trigger of the original Zeus led to its removal in the revised B4 fusion gun. To compensate for this the primary bolts were amplified and the firing speed increased, making this a much more reliable and efficient weapon. Few of the men missed the secondary trigger effect, as most of those who used it were killed in overload accidents.

ZEUS D2 FUSION PISTOL Instead of firing single bolts, the Zeus D2 fires a constant stream of small bolts. Each individual bolt does not do much damage, but the high firing rate more than makes up for that. An unexpected yet beneficial side effect is that the constant stream of bolts effectively paralyses many of our opponents, rendering them helpless while the constant barrage of bolts burns out their circuitry.

MERCURY A3 FUSION RIFLE This weapon is a combination of the Zeus B4 and D2 guns. The primary trigger fires the small bolts of the Zeus D2, while the second trigger fires the same bolts as the Zeus B4. The double-battery pack allows both triggers to be used simultaneously, making this a formidable weapon. The Mercury A3 is currently undergoing field tests. So far, the feedback has been highly enthusiastic.

MERCURY B2 FUSION RIFLE The Mercury B2 is currently in early prototype. Its primary mode is a continuous jet of fusion discharge, and the secondary mode fires very large fusion bolts theoretically capable of crippling the old Juggernaut-class Pfhor drone with a single shot. Currently, it suffers from a few serious problems: the primary trigger tends to melt the acceleration coils after a prolonged burst, while the secondary trigger has a recoil that often sends the user flying. Two men have been injured on the testing ranges so far.

-------------------Begin Br-&78st Protocol Timestamp: 3400 hrs. ATTENTI*N CREW UESC CHIfdrA Multi-deck breach inevi@4ble. All available crew required to evacuate injured or ?lain UESC personnel & civilians to the inner fortificati--Ø4h 7)edical quarantine #73. All personnel in unsecured are^3 of the sh§p a<$ required to carry unholstered sidearms as n7ted in section 893A of high-alert protocol. NOTE: FIrE AT WILL ORDERS HAVE B∞∞N ISSUED. ELIMINATE ALL HOSTILE FOR(ES ONBOARD. -------------------End Broadcast Pr|§tcol

shel.override ----------begin external feed Believe it or not, the Pfhor really do have quite a flair for acronyms. It has long bothered Pfhor linguists that so much is lost in the translation from Pfhorish to other languages. One curious exception to this rule is Narsh, the language of the Nar. The similarities between Pfhorish and Narsh tend to bother Pfhor intellectuals more than the differences between Pfhorish and other languages. There is very little that doesn't bother the Pfhor intellectual class. end.burst/override ----------endexternal feed

rEstri3t`d 6oc*me&= ##########################disp1∂y ENCRYPTION FAILURE Caution: the following document was deleted directly before a major system failure. Because it may contain classified information, please terminate your connection with this terminal immediately and report the above encryption failure to your superior. DOCUMENT CONTENTS FOLLOWS Pre-crash Hull Integrity: 98% Pre-crash Maneuvering Operation: 99% Pre-crash Tactical Usefulness: 100% Pre-crash Battle Assessment: OK

Caution: these readouts are intended to be accessed from read-only memory space, and are not to be modified. Unauthorized modification of read-only memory space constitutes class one treason and is grounds for a court-martial and probable execution. Caution: these readouts are intended~# Caution: these accessed one treason is memory not~ #### . . Changes confirmed. Readout data l~TRANSMISSION HALT. .order deleted .order deleted .order deleted END OF DOCUMENT

&acutedes%20ire&acute &c origin: classified destin: classified ref: none 6E657665727361796E65766572 stamp: revenge &c &c Still a pawn?&c &c I´m disappointed.&c You could have done so much better.&c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c

&acutedes%20ire&acute &c &c &c &c &c &c Don't take me for a fool. The bugs make that mistake. I know that he(8)_ is here.&c &c Why else would you be?&c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c

&acutedes%20ire&acute &c &c &c &c &c &c Don´t take me for a fool. The bugs make that mistake. I know that he(8)_ is here.&c &c Why else would you be?&c &c Still a pawn.&c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c

&acuteinfe%20rior&acute &c origin: classified destin: classified ref: none 6E657665727361796E65766572 stamp: introduction &c &c We haven't seen each other in such a long time.&c &c &c You missed me, didn't you?&c &c &c &c &c &c &c &c

&acuteinfe%20rior&acute &c origin: classified destin: classified ref: none 6E657665727361796E65766572 stamp: introduction &c &c &c &c &c &c You what? You don't remember me?&c I'm hurt. We had such fun together.&c &c &c &c &c &c &c

&acuteinfe%20rior&acute &c origin: classified destin: classified ref: none 6E657665727361796E65766572 stamp: introduction &c &c &c &c &c &c There, there.&c &c You remember now, don't you?&c &c &c (laughter) &c &c &c