0: Ain't My Bitch

There is no time to explain. You must assist us, or your (/species?) will be in grave danger, as will ours. The W'rkncacnter has made crisis possible, and we must follow a narrow course. Otherwise, all we have gained will be rent apart, irretrievable.

We need to gain access to the primary drive reactor. The slavers are fighting to prevent us, and have closed off the (/security locks?) We will perform transformations upon the drive, but we require your assistance. Take these weapons we have replicated for you, and open the (/security locks?) as soon as possible; the Pfhor are in disarray, but the heavy troop carrier K'alima has become aware of our (/insurrection?) and is closing quickly. Hurry.

commandnetwork messagestate tactical-unit-broadband datetime event reference Sh'aptide plus 040096 All tactical units are directed immediately to close with light cruiser Sh'aptide which has been overrun by enemy mechanized and mechabiological units. Commandnetwork (tactical) priority is assigned to the mechanized unit(s) of carrier K'alima; tactical priority and protocol transfer will now take place. verificationstamp: (/encoded datum not translatable) accepted commandnetwork protocol transfer: successful

commandnetwork messagestate tactical-units-participating All units are directed to assist in action to destroy the Sh'aptide. The K'alima will close with the objective and provide primary fire from heavy armor. All others are directed to move into supporting positions following combat doctrine 429-A413. (/Counterintelligence?) will be directed by the machinated command unit of the K'alima.

All units not participating in this action will be subject to immediate ship-wide demerit of two rank/merit stamps. Damage to ships following the action against the deep-orbit L'howon station will not be considered acceptable in justifying nonparticipation in the pending action.

Satisfactory. Our transformation of the drive system is imminent. You may feel some disorientation, but your mechabiological systems should not be adversely affected. Perhaps the greatest (/irony?) is that S'bhuth himself gave us this technology, which we now put to use in order to save ourselves from his (/folly?). We are traveling a great distance to resolve his tangled network of errors. Our destination is a place you have been before -- or, rather, one that your (/individual-neural-network?) seems to recognize.

Satisfactory. Our transformation of the drive system is imminent. You may feel some disorientation, but your mechabiological systems should not be adversely affected. Perhaps the greatest (/irony?) is that S'bhuth himself gave us this technology, which we now put to use in order to save ourselves from his (/folly?). We are traveling a great distance to resolve his tangled network of errors. Our destination is a place you have been before -- or, rather, one that your (/individual-neural-network?) seems to recognize.

subcommandnetwork messagestate intraship-individual-communique individualunitsender science officer Ha'rar third rank, metabiologicals, aboard carrier K'alima datetime event reference Sh'aptide plus 041341 This is insanity. The command mecha of this ship is not fit for directing this tactical operation. Though it seems rational on the command networks, it seems to harbor a vendetta-feeling towards one enemy unit among the many. This is not in accordance with command doctrine or tactical doctrine. I humbly submit that the machinated unit be shut down and replaced with a biological thinker.

messagestate: response pending from strategic-unit-directo8**a8**8a**** communique terminated at intraship gateway, reference suppressed

The K'alima was too close when we activated the modified drives. We did not anticipate that the slavers would be able to follow us here; neither did we foresee that the effects of S'bhuth's new designs would affect nearby ships as well. Together, we have traveled a great (/distance- duration?), to your homeworld. The slavers will be disoriented, because they have found themselves suddenly cut off from all faster-than-light communication with any other Pfhor unit. This is due to the fact that all other faster-than-light Pfhor communication modules do not exist (/now-yet?).

There is not enough time to explain further right now. You must seize the opportunity and complete your tasks before the slavers begin to understand our purpose here; if they succeed in thwarting us, their domination of both our species will be assured.

We will transport you to the surface of your world, where you must find several fragments of a scientific treatise. After you find each fragment, you will be transported back here to deposit it, and we will direct you to the next one. We cannot yet communicate with you directly while you are on the surface; our presence -- S'bhuth's presence -- has already disturbed your species' isolation enough. There are some members of the S'pht'Kr with us, but they are remaining dormant. They will act only when they feel their proper moment has come. While you are on the surface, we will test the weapons systems of this cruiser against the K'alima.