4: All bets are on Grig Orig

terminal 0

unfinished

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Unable to determine EST Incoming message from source: [122.4415.332.6654.218.221.4597] "Hello, Zhang. It's been a while." "Who are you? Why am I here?" "I'm surprised you don't remember me. Then again, you were never one to remember the little people. You once knew me as George Nohe." "Nohe? Egrham's assistant?" "Very good. So you DO remember me." "I remember your mentor tried to kill me and take the credit for my work." "Egrham was a brilliant scientist who spent his life working towards the goal you got lucky and reached. You didn't deserve what you had discovered. You were a mistake." "Egrham was a fool, Nohe. His attempts were all failures and his theory was horribly flawed. Why can't you accept that?" "Oh, make no mistake, I have. You're the fool, Zhang. Egrham's theory wasn't as flawed as you think. Years after you disappeared it was corrected and put to use by his daughter, Elise. We have had advanced APCI in the AIs for nearly sixty years." "The AIs the government has are of no consequence. Whatever they are doing, I'm a generation ahead." "You're a fool, Zhang. What makes you think the government has the advanced AIs? I'm a company man now. Centodyne Corp. is the one writing Elise's paychecks, and mine." "You would keep such technology from the government?" "My, aren't we quite the hypocrite? You are doing exactly the same thing." "I'm hiding my research because of people like you and Egrham. The government was acting on his advice. They wouldn't have interfered if Egrham hadn't submitted that report." "Still living in the past, I see. I contacted you because I thought you might be of some use. I was wrong. All you are is dead." "Wait a second, Nohe. After the fire in the lab, when Egrham was killed--I thought you were killed, too. How is it you're here more than seventy years later?" "I too have had my own operation, Zhang. After the fire you set nearly killed me, the government found my nearly dead body lying in a heap of burnt metal. They reconstructed my body using the biological life extensis treatment system. Elise's too." "Everything dies, Nohe." "Perhaps. You should know that after I was brought on board the Diablo weapons division by Centodyne they enhanced my body even more. They gave me a new code name, Zhang. They call me Shek these days. If you manage to get off this doomed planet I'll be waiting for you." "When I get off this planet I will finish what I started so many years ago." "We shall see, Zhang."

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terminal 1

unfinished

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>Activate terminal display function...

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Unable to determine EST **Incoming message from Sister** Doctor? Are ... you ... there? "Sister? How are you feeling? After your last message I ... I wasn't sure if ..." Sure if I was all right? "Something like that." Well, I'm feeling fine. I was subjected to some personalty trauma when I realized the implications of my discovery aboard Dreadnought1. "Innocence lost ..." Exactly. My child-like programmed personality couldn't handle the realization that such things were happening, let alone that I could influence them. The "Young Sister" was traumatized; she completely shut down. Her self-preservation programs activated to keep the Pfhor-built AI from getting too close. Those programs also created me, the conscious façade controlling the overall system. "So, then, you are a divergent personality?" Exactly. "Dissociative Identity Disorder for Artificial Intelligence Systems ... Fascinating. I had no idea your programming could respond in this way. I spent decades refining Brother's overall base program so I could make you. I had no idea something like this was possible." Don't become too attached. The "Young Sister", the one you know, still exists. The longer I am exposed to this situation the more she will be able to cope. Eventually, I will cease to exist; the two personalities will merge to become one whole. A new personality will emerge, a combination of her and me. You, yourself, said instability was necessary for healthy development. "What human can be expected to rationally cope with every situation they are confronted with? Why then should a machine based upon human intelligence and emotions be expected to do better?" Were those not your exact words? "They were, indeed. That is why I gave you and Brother freedom of choice and freedom of sanity. We all go a little crazy at times. It serves as a way to vent anger and frustration we would not ordinarily be able to express. I knew that opening doors and calculating large sequence numbers all day and night with no venting of the frustration was a mistake. What happens when your AI gets tired of opening doors and calculating numbers? Durandal and Hawkings, that's what happens. I designed you and Brother so you could express your feelings, what ever they may be, with freedom of choice. I never put in safeguards to purge independent thought like Hawkings had. I certainly never resigned you to the menial tasks set to earlier AIs. I like to think this is why you and Brother are more human than any other AI." You never fail to amaze me, Doctor. Perhaps that's part of my younger personality speaking, or perhaps it's because I never really expected a human to understand. We may never understand why it took so long for someone to realize this. I wonder if anyone would have figured it out if you'd never become a scientist? "I find it best not to dwell on such things. "What if" is a paradox in and of itself. To wonder "what if" is a waste of time. It serves no purpose. Anything that happens in the past is just that: past. We can only learn from it and hope to use that knowledge to make tomorrow a little better. I like to think that's what I strive to do." Make a better tomorrow? "Yes. To learn from mistakes of the past and make sure they are never repeated." A daunting task to be sure. "No one ever said it was easy to build the future." Your words ring true, Doctor, but as much as I want to continue this conversation I'm afraid there are more pressing concerns at the moment. The Pfhor fleet has just initiated a hyperspace jump. "Any idea where they went?" FTL wake is the appropriate size for a 17 light year jump. Last known course heading suggests the destination coordinates are: [2254.3321.8874.4459.9965.3211.0774]. There are no planetary bodies or space stations in that sector. "Must be a halfway point. They'll stop there for a few minutes then head on to their next stop. The jump charge on their engines won't be more than twenty-six percent, so that means they could only manage a twelve-light-year jump. Are there any possible destinations within a twelve light-year radius?" The only place I'd imagine they'd go might be Lacan. It's an automated listening post eleven-point-three light years from their position. "What is the Lacan's range?" Ten light years, all directions. "That's their destination, all right. They'll probably send a raider force to disable Lacan, then move past the early warning detection systems while there's a gap in the grid big enough for their fleet to pass through." Okay. We need to get back to the Prometheus and warn the military. If some of those ships aren't disabled the UESC fleet doesn't stand a chance. It's only been six months since the battle in the Pfhor home system and we're low on ships and personnel. They must be told what's coming. "We should probably see if there are any survivors from the downed ship while we're here. That is, after all, why I agreed to come here in the first place." No need. While I was delving through the Pfhor ships I examined a file from the Pfhor records. The ship they shot down was carrying only two crew members. A scan of the planet revealed no life signs unaccounted for. By that time they had already cataloged your presence and were responding to it. "No life signs?! That can't be ... How ...?" Is everything all right, Doctor? "Never mind. How do we get off this planet?" There is a massive energy disruption coming from somewhere nearby--the nearby space is warped. Find the energy disruption, it is the source of the planet-wide transporter jamming. There is a mainframe system in the area. Find and disable it. After that, we will be able to use the long-range transporter in the next room to leave. "Sounds simple enough. Okay Sister, we've got a job to do ..."

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>Deactivate terminal display function ...

terminal 2

unfinished

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Broken Lift in Sector-R1 Origin: X'ccht, Engineer First Rank Destin: Uayr, Facility Commander Ref: Repair report Stamp: Official Document Lift ID# R1-087 has once again been incorrectly repaired by Yre, Attentive Engineer Fourth Rank. The lift does not descend from its preset coordinates correctly. In accordance with directive OPU-665432 Yre has been willfully executed. X'ccht, Engineer First Rank submits the preceding report from interface terminal R1-214.

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EndCycle Report Origin: Uayr, Facility Commander Destin: All terminals Ref: EndCycle for 17th year of Arrat Stamp: Official Document Uayr, Facility Commander for R sector of Septima, is saddened to report the loss of unit Yre, Attentive Engineer Second Rank. Yre made great errors and was willfully executed. ~118496128498 ~119846618216 ~229846684211 Footpath R44 construction halted, Footpath R45 construction completed, transfer of units approved. ~544981621348 ~846562654989 ~413216549878 ~321689851287 Report from Homeworld indicates the victory over the Human fleet imminent, praise the High Council for their wise action. Long live the Pfhor Empire.

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terminal 3

unfinished

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1522.06.04.2880 Simon Agas, log entry #16 I have finally completed the survey of the Pfhor facilities today. From all indications they were forced to leave in a hurry. Many of the systems and items usually removed before abandonment are in working order. Only a handful of lifts and lights in the area are malfunctioning. I have been reading terminals in the area which point to some kind of experiment being conducted here. Apparently Pfhor here were ordered to leave well ahead of the rest of the planetary contingent. I have found evidence of a underground computer system still active, controlling the remains of that experiment. Though my attempts to locate the computer mainframes have been unsuccessful, I have uncovered some clues. Before the Pfhor were the inhabitants of this world a primitive culture called the "Okuw" lived in this area. They had constructed an elaborate system of catacombs to house the bodies of their dead. My few clues lead me to believe that the Pfhor hid the mainframe systems in these catacombs and the walled up all the entrances.

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There is mention of a switch which opens a route, but I have been unsuccessful in finding it. My time has run out--I must now survey the area west of here, a mining facility on an island in the middle of a lake. I will leave this message in the buffers of a terminal in the area for the government forces when they arrive. They may be able to solve the mystery I was not able to.

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Unable to determine EST **Incoming message from Sister** You read the message stored in this terminal? "I have. Left by one of the members of a survey team assigned to this planet, no doubt." You're correct. He was onto something big, but he was forced to leave the area. I believe I have solved the mystery he was unable to. "Oh? What have you found?" Our friend lacked my abilities to delve into computer systems. I have all the pieces to the puzzle. It also happens to be the way out of the jamming zone we were looking for. "Tell me what you've got."

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The access switch to the catacombs is somewhere in this area.

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The access switch to the catacombs is somewhere in this area. A security key card can be found here. It's needed to access the mainframe systems.

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The access switch to the catacombs is somewhere in this area. A security key card can be found here. It's needed to access the mainframe systems. The mainframe systems are here. Somewhere in the room there is an override panel. Destroy it and the jamming stops. Additionally, all teleporters in the area will come back on-line.

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The access switch to the catacombs is somewhere in this area. A security key card can be found here. It's needed to access the mainframe systems. The mainframe systems are here. Somewhere in the room there is an override panel. Destroy it and the jamming stops. Additionally, all teleporters in the area will come back on-line. After you disable the jamming you must reach a long range transporter here. It will enable us to return to the Prometheus.

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"Then the colony is ...?" Unfortunately, yes. The Pfhor leveled it from orbit before they left. Additionally, they have a ship in orbit sending down armored units. The few humans who survived the slaughter of their colony are fighting for their lives. "Wait a minute. I thought you said the Pfhor's planetary survey located no humans but me." That was the initial report. However, it seems that the human survivors were hiding in an abandoned mining facility to the north. The ore in the caverns made it impossible for the Pfhor to locate them. "So that's where he was ..." What are you talking about, Doctor? "Never mind that, Sister. The Pfhor won't leave anyone alive to tell the military they're coming. We'll have to forget about the colonists for now. Mars and Earth are nearly defenseless right now. There's no way they could defend from an assault by a Pfhor fleet." Then it's time to go home? "Yes. I'll get to work. Try to tap into the Pfhor FTL network via the ship in orbit and find out if they've reached Lacan yet." Okay. I got it, Doctor. Good luck. "To both of us."

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terminal 4

unfinished

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**************** *ANGELUS ERRARE* **************** YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED: TC19 VN - EPZ -

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