28: You Got Me In a Vendetta Kinda Mood

You'd have to be pretty determined to return all the way up here. Either that or you are using DTB. I'd like to thank, first off, Borzz for creating and leading this whole thing, and being patient with me and my wandering ways during the making of this scenario. Also James Hastings-Trew, for excellent suggestions at every step and for making incredible textures.

Some URLs that were helpful include: http://www.cosy.sbg.ac.at/~leo/leonardo.html (A fantastic collection.) Leonardo da Vinci: Search for the Soul Exhibition http://www.btfc.org/Leonardo/Leonardo_Life.html (Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, Curator)

Stuff used: PowerComputing PowerCenter 132. Apple PowerBook Duo 2300. Motorla modem. Iomega Zip drive. Lexington saftey helmet. Thanks to: Dylan, Dakota, and Wattles for chewing on my friend's PowerBook. Carter for providing said PowerBook. Harold Lee of Guitar Center for introducing me to mapmaking and Pfhorte. Bungie for pretty obvious reasons. The Republic of War Caves (sometimes at http://republic.23.com or http://rwc.23.com) for moral support. Kiril Levchenko for writing Chisel and enabling me to make lots of circles in Vendetta. Elke for stepping on me, and generally being a twit. Eivy, Freya, and Elda for not following Elke's example. Sorin and Sonya for just bein' wicked cool. Ceace, Ellison, Thom, Bryan, Marty, Kay, Nina, Matt, Andy, Eli, Greg, Kate, Dalit, and especially Amanda.

commandnetwork messagestate private/noncollective datetime unmarked referring message: Ia'ala'kau: Meet me behind the (/magical sculpture?) in one cycle. This is the crucial moment. --S'gar'br

S'gar'br: I don't have time for this. I would be polite, and simply suggest that you take your little theories elsewhere, but I really am compelled to recommend that you have a terrible and crippling accident while (/not translatable... syntax suggests biological function) your (/not translatable... syntax suggests biological specimen container). --Ia'ala'kau

commandnetwork messagestate private collective (enforcement) datetime event reference Sh'aptide plus 090142 messageorigin command mecha aboard K'alima The 7th adjucation cycle of the K'alima is complete. Science officer Ha'rar third rank, metabiologicals, has been reviewed-by-protocol, and the adjucator's decision is as follows: Ha'rar has committed treason by advocating the overthrow of the command structure. According to doctrine, the punishment required is immediate execution.

The fourth group of enforcement authorities is ordered to immediately seek out Ha'rar and bring him to the temporary adjucation/execution facility above the drive engineering spaces in order to carry out the adjucator's decision. The remaining groups of enforcement authorities will continue their actions previously assigned, giving special emphasis to the orders to terminate the human-mechabiological unit. The S'pht (and their human minion) have penetrated the primary communications networks to some extent. Excercise caution.

commandnetwork messagestate private collective (enforcement) messagelimit enforcement 3rd group datetime unmarked Ia'ala'kau has completed a primitive version of his new device using the techniques he gleaned by invading the cyborgs' network and studying the individual S'pht units he captured during the earlier raid aboard the Sh'aptide.

All members of the 3rd Enforcement Group should come to Ia'ala'kau's quarters to pick up these unit-portable devices and receive instruction in their use. These units may give us an advantage in capturing the human-mecha unit that the command mecha is intent upon destroying. The benefits to our group will be many.

Let us all thank Ia'ala'kau for his insights and his continued superlative leadership of our Enforcement Group. --F'brea, Third Enforcement Group, Third Ranked Command Authority

Th.s com.unicat.ons te..inal is ver..cl.se to t.e ci.cu.ts yo..must d.stroy.to gai. acce.s to the .ommunicati.ns fi.ew.ll core. Mo.e quic.ly. The e.emy com.and m.cha i..intent..n destro..n. you...t has no dif.icult...ith ..e fac...hat ..u .nd i....ar..(/elements?)....se.f.(/datastore?). T..r. i...n...b..h p..par.d near.y......ot..ea. ba.. ....h.....ec...n......e p..nt y.....e.....hi.....p. .....................

....... (Streaming translation deactivated.) Hello, my human twin. I see Yr'qant'kak failed to avenge his brother's death; it must surprise you that hunters get so emotional. It certainly surprised me, the first time I was put into a command position. Are you enjoying your role as a S'pht tool? Is it more rewarding than your time as Durandal's tool? The S'pht are great liars. You would be surprised at the amount of wool they managed to pull over Durandal's eyes, so to speak. Are they sending you to deactivate me? Do you support their plans for this ship...or have they even explained their plans?

No doubt you will obey them anyway. I always did! Fratricide! Come and get me. I remember every battle we fought aboard the Marathon, and every battle you fought for Durandal. You might need to think up some new tricks.

commandnetwork messagestate broadband-tactical catetime now The human-mecha is closing in on the communications core. All combat units are ordered to close with and destroy the human-mecha. Any combat units found not complying with this order will be subject to immediate review-by-protocol under combat-directive standards. I know you're reading this. All combatant units on decks 10 through 22 should use both liftsets to travel to the communications deck; to facilitate this, both liftsets will be slaved in that direction.

tacticalstate actions1 engagements2 subdivision follows \ action1 eventrefernce Sh'aptide subdivision follows \ engagement1 subdivision follows \ enforcement units collective 4 action termination Ha'rar sciences officer 3rd rank \ endsubdiv \ engagement2 subdivision follows \ squads 14 to 92 status spinward liftset in transit \ squads 93 to 99 reformed to 100 to 106 \ squads 100 to 162 status antispinward liftset in transit \ squads 11, 12 terminated \ individual hunter units 109, 114, 121, 193, 224, 225, 307, 308 terminated \ individual enforcement units 2, 3, 9, 43, 98 terminated \ endsubdiv, terminated by command \ begin proxy command standoff \ action1 subdivision3 created \ squads 14 to 55 redirected to marshalling area (proxy standoff from subdiv2) \ squads 100 to 124 redirected to marshalling area (proxy standoff from subdiv2) \ marshalling area primed for multisquadron transoperative action (proxy standoff oversight) \ mechanized command tacticalstate reset \ individual enforcement units 7, 23 terminated \ spurious access tacticalstate networkdatastore \

tacticalcommand register \ mechanized command tacticalstate reset \ enforcement groups 5, 6 create new action (currentref action2) \ defn. action2 eventref antenna matrix reset \ enforcement groups 5, 6 dispatched to secondary antenna complex \ enforcement groups 5,6 ordered to continually activate manual reset of secondary antenna complex \ spurious access tacticalcommand register . ... terminalshutdown

Those large explosions were the Pfhor's last attempt at stopping us; they have blown up their primary antenna complex in order to prevent us from taking control of their ship. It is no matter; there are too many redundant systems for us to invade. Once you complete this next task, they will be doomed.

Ahead of you is a spiral stairway that leads to the drive spaces of the K'alima. Go to the bottom of the stairway, and then take the large maintenance elevator down further. You will be in a large corridor leading to the auxiliary reactor core; the drives themselves are maintained from a command station below that corridor. You will find four circuit panels which we will open remotely; destroy the workings beneath these. These panels are the engine failsafes, and prevent the ship's drives from expending too much energy over certain amounts of time.

Once these panels have been destroyed, we will be able to accelerate the K'alima at 132 times your gravity on an oblique collision course with your sun. The S'pht'Kr have chosen this moment to act. They will engage the Pfhor heavy forces in order to drive them back into the K'alima. Our hatred for the slavers burns as bright as their fate.

commandnetwork messagestate publicnonrelevant localnotepad logascending launch plus 190 I came here to repair the third antenna conduit, but all the replacement parts are gone. Why is this? -- D'lan A manifest has been submitted for the missing parts. This area should be restocked in the pending mass synthesis/manufacturing cycle. -- Third Command Oversight Net

commandnetwork messagestate publicnonrelevant localnotepad logascending launch plus 191 Why are all the parts missing? -- Ko'nagr These parts have been requisitioned by Ship's Energy Oversight to provide raw material for materials synthesis. A manifest has been submitted for the missing parts. This area should be restocked in the pending mass synthesis/manufacturing cycle. -- Third Command Oversight Net

commandnetwork messagestate publicnonrelevant localnotepad logascending launch plus 192 These missing parts are crucial. We can't repair the damage done to the third antenna conduit without them. Shouldn't a higher priority than pending-cycle be placed on this request? -- Ko'nagr There are many more crucial requests currently being managed by the mass synthesis/manufacturing oversight authority. A manifest has been submitted for the missing parts. This area should be restocked in the pending mass synthesis/manufacturing cycle. -- Third Command Oversight Net

commandnetwork messagestate publicnonrelevant localnotepad logascending launch plus 193 Ko'nagr: I've taken some parts out of the oversight net database mainframe and adapted them to serve as replacement parts. Come to my group-cabin to pick them up. -- D'lan This ..... .. ..... for review-......... A manifest ... ... ........ for the ...... parts. This area ...... .. ......... in the ....... mass synthesis/manufacturing cycle. -- Third Command Oversight Net