Author Topic: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL  (Read 539604 times)

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Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6000 on: October 04, 2016, 06:06:06 AM »
<"Anything we can use or abuse in there then?"> Seluj asks, continuing to modify the hardlight projections. The drones she would refashion are few, but versatile, taking the direction of spidery walker types. Her own arm is then projected, the fancier plating ripped out and strengthened with more physical grade parts.

"No," Tala replies audibly, glancing momentarily at Oli as if to assure her that it was for the turian's benefit.  "Far too invasive.  The sheer number of operations logged here, though, is quite remarkable.  Quite literally thousands."

Lapsing momentarily into silence, however, the construct then continues.  "Well, there are a series of interface ports only a handful of patients received, that could be useful here.  I'm not sure of their use, heavy data transfers perhaps, or full consciousness dives?  But they require only a spine of Lyonesse design, which you already have." 


"Before you lay a hand on me, though," Oliviar says pointedly, turning now to fully address Tala. "I'm not dumb. I know what you've been turning into, what you are now. Artificial Intelligence is very illegal, because it's very dangerous. I haven't said anything this far because you've been helpful, but I'd be an idiot to not be concerned. Especially after you've spent so much time in Lyonesse systems. Personally, I don't really care. You're a part of this crew, same as anyone else as far as I'm concerned, Tala, and if anyone else asks, you're just another VI. But I want to know, right here and now," she points at the Lyonesse design work that was already being etched into Seluj's newly forged exo-frame, "exactly how deeply you've been communing with these Lyonesse intelligences, and if there's anything you're not being straight with us about. Seriously, with those geth frames looking like they shot themselves? That was weird, even considering where we are and all the rest. As long as you're honest with me, either way, that'll be the end of it. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, though every history major would probably say I'm insane for doing it. Whatever, gently-carress 'em."

"But if I find out later you haven't been straight with me about everything that's going on down here, or I find you in a geth frame with a gun at my back, there won't be anything on this planet for you to upload into that I won't hunt down."

The AI, and that truly was what she had become, halts her work to turn fully towards the turian.  Her hands come together before her, interlacing, an echo of the sort of conciliatory gesture Jaova had been fond of.

"You were always an astute observer," Tala muses, visibly turning over something in her digital mind.  "And we must trust each other, that is of greatest importance.  We must escape, all of us, and that will require collective action distrust would endanger."

She flicks out of existence, then reappears again, closer.  "Alright.  You will recall that I spoke of my first introduction into this colony's network, by Naeir?  Of a great struggle to suppress as many Lyonesse programs as I could?  And how that effort required the replication of core operating procedures to amplify our efforts?"


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Captain Seluj Temoi

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6001 on: October 04, 2016, 06:13:51 AM »
"No," Tala replies audibly, glancing momentarily at Oli as if to assure her that it was for the turian's benefit.  "Far too invasive.  The sheer number of operations logged here, though, is quite remarkable.  Quite literally thousands."

Lapsing momentarily into silence, however, the construct then continues.  "Well, there are a series of interface ports only a handful of patients received, that could be useful here.  I'm not sure of their use, heavy data transfers perhaps, or full consciousness dives?  But they require only a spine of Lyonesse design, which you already have." 

The AI, and that truly was what she had become, halts her work to turn fully towards the turian.  Her hands come together before her, interlacing, an echo of the sort of conciliatory gesture Jaova had been fond of.

"You were always an astute observer," Tala muses, visibly turning over something in her digital mind.  "And we must trust each other, that is of greatest importance.  We must escape, all of us, and that will require collective action distrust would endanger."

She flicks out of existence, then reappears again, closer.  "Alright.  You will recall that I spoke of my first introduction into this colony's network, by Naeir?  Of a great struggle to suppress as many Lyonesse programs as I could?  And how that effort required the replication of core operating procedures to amplify our efforts?"

"I'll think on that one." Seluj says, coming back to the visor. She appears to be finally calming, staring at the visor's desing for the longest time as she lsiten.

Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6002 on: October 04, 2016, 06:14:52 AM »
"We saw some of them from the monorail, comin' in. Didn't have to get up close, thank god. Even seein' em from a distance.... gently-carress..."

Devin doesn't need to fake a shiver going down his spine; that's all too real.

"Hey, can I bum onna those?" Devin asks, nodding towards the cigarette in Capnohal's mouth. "Ran out awhile ago and my body's screamin' gently-carressin' bloody murder at me."

"Well, I'll be the last to argue the 'criminal' label, but I will take 'inventive' as a compliment," he continued. "And I'll say this, you and your men are all kinds of gently-carressin' persistent. You coulda stopped at any time, ya know. If ya had, you wouldn't be here. Our stupid asses probably would have, though. Either way, here we both are. Ass-deep in the center of Hell, surrounded by devils."

The batarian reaches into a pocket built into the fabric covering of one of his plated portions of armor, retrieving a small crumpled pack of cigarettes-- the standard Hegemony brand, known for their dirt cheap price outside Council space, and their equivalent taste.  Only a handful remain, but he offers one, then produces a lighter to ignite the stick.

Devin's comment, meanwhile, brings a proud sort of grin to his toothy mouth.  "Yeah, I sure did not expect this mission to end up here, that's for sure.  We should have just cut our losses and made for home, after your capture.  No offense, I mean-- after all we've been through on this planet, I'm not sure you people deserve what we had in store for you, but coming here was a mistake.  That boneyard up top made that clear-- we aren't the first fools to wander into this trap, but I'm damn determined to make sure we're the last."


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Oliviar Valerius

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6003 on: October 04, 2016, 06:19:05 AM »
"No," Tala replies audibly, glancing momentarily at Oli as if to assure her that it was for the turian's benefit.  "Far too invasive.  The sheer number of operations logged here, though, is quite remarkable.  Quite literally thousands."

Lapsing momentarily into silence, however, the construct then continues.  "Well, there are a series of interface ports only a handful of patients received, that could be useful here.  I'm not sure of their use, heavy data transfers perhaps, or full consciousness dives?  But they require only a spine of Lyonesse design, which you already have." 

The AI, and that truly was what she had become, halts her work to turn fully towards the turian.  Her hands come together before her, interlacing, an echo of the sort of conciliatory gesture Jaova had been fond of.

"You were always an astute observer," Tala muses, visibly turning over something in her digital mind.  "And we must trust each other, that is of greatest importance.  We must escape, all of us, and that will require collective action distrust would endanger."

She flicks out of existence, then reappears again, closer.  "Alright.  You will recall that I spoke of my first introduction into this colony's network, by Naeir?  Of a great struggle to suppress as many Lyonesse programs as I could?  And how that effort required the replication of core operating procedures to amplify our efforts?"

Oli glances at Seluj, shaking her head. "I wouldn't chance putting in any ports you don't know anything about, regardless of the benefits. We don't know if that kind of tech can be used against us."

Stepping foward as Tala flicks closer to her, Oli regards the projection in the same way she would a fully fleshed sentient. "I haven't forgotten. It didn't feel like the best time to address it, however. I recall you saying you cloned your runtimes so you could forcibly lock down more of the network and operate as you needed. I'm guessing the part I'm not going to like is that you've had help of some kind?"

Oliviar gestures to the building around them, "it's quite clear that there was some kind of internal struggle on Lyonesse. Not surprising, given they've been taking unwilling subjects and adding them to their gestalt intelligence. The fact that they planned to add Seluj to their ranks indicates they aren't opposed to taking in even rebellious personalities. Which I imagine were kept under control by the Queen in some fashion, until you came along."

"Am I at least close? I admit, artificial intelligence and all this cyberspace stuff has never really been my thing. Most of my studies were regarding tactics effective against the geth."

Offline Devin Caulfield

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6004 on: October 04, 2016, 06:26:59 AM »
The batarian reaches into a pocket built into the fabric covering of one of his plated portions of armor, retrieving a small crumpled pack of cigarettes-- the standard Hegemony brand, known for their dirt cheap price outside Council space, and their equivalent taste.  Only a handful remain, but he offers one, then produces a lighter to ignite the stick.

Devin's comment, meanwhile, brings a proud sort of grin to his toothy mouth.  "Yeah, I sure did not expect this mission to end up here, that's for sure.  We should have just cut our losses and made for home, after your capture.  No offense, I mean-- after all we've been through on this planet, I'm not sure you people deserve what we had in store for you, but coming here was a mistake.  That boneyard up top made that clear-- we aren't the first fools to wander into this trap, but I'm damn determined to make sure we're the last."

The cigarette looks like excrement and tastes twice as bad, living up every bit to it's bottom shelf reputation by tasting like someone had just pulled the weeds out of their lawn and rolled them up into a cigarette, but Devin's nicotine withdrawal was too strong to make him care. He happily takes a long puff and breathes out a plume of smoke.

"Thanks," he said to the captain, giving an accompanying nod before going back for another puff.

"I'm all for blowing this place and every last monster on it into dust. gently-carress I will happily stand right there next to ya when it comes time to light the fuse, but any chance we can just skip the whole imprisonment thing? You have to realize, you guys try to capture us again, we're gonna have fight back. And this whole cycle of ours is just goes on again." Devin waved his hand in a short circle as the the smoke from his cigarette made a neat ring to visualize the point.

"Personally, when this is done, I want a vacation. Someplace warm. Ever been to Earth? If you head that way, look up a place called Rio de Janeiro. Trust me. You ain't seen paradise till you been there."
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Offline Yan Luos nar Tonbay

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6005 on: October 04, 2016, 06:28:01 AM »
The batarian reaches into a pocket built into the fabric covering of one of his plated portions of armor, retrieving a small crumpled pack of cigarettes-- the standard Hegemony brand, known for their dirt cheap price outside Council space, and their equivalent taste.  Only a handful remain, but he offers one, then produces a lighter to ignite the stick.

Devin's comment, meanwhile, brings a proud sort of grin to his toothy mouth.  "Yeah, I sure did not expect this mission to end up here, that's for sure.  We should have just cut our losses and made for home, after your capture.  No offense, I mean-- after all we've been through on this planet, I'm not sure you people deserve what we had in store for you, but coming here was a mistake.  That boneyard up top made that clear-- we aren't the first fools to wander into this trap, but I'm damn determined to make sure we're the last."

"It was a trap," Yan confirms, feeding into the batarian captain's doubts and peppering them with a small half-truth, "I attempted to warn Faskan when you destroyed our ship and Lyonesse found us. I even tried to reason with him in spite of all that had happened, but he would not listen. You saw it yourself, no doubt. His zeal brought him in allegiance with the likes of Nabor and by the time our surrender was underway, well... He had already made up his mind, diving headlong into the jaws of the abyss."

Shaking his head, the quarian watches carefully behind his mask, feigning disappointment and pity as he waited to see if the seeds he sowed would find root in Capnohal's mind. "I admire your determination, captain. I'm sure you know that I have served on many outlaw vessels and I've found that such perseverance is invaluable, but this place... It does not welcome the living. Unless something changes... well, you saw the graves of those ships."

Offline Devin Caulfield

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6006 on: October 04, 2016, 06:32:21 AM »
"It was a trap," Yan confirms, feeding into the batarian captain's doubts and peppering them with a small half-truth, "I attempted to warn Faskan when you destroyed our ship and Lyonesse found us. I even tried to reason with him in spite of all that had happened, but he would not listen. You saw it yourself, no doubt. His zeal brought him in allegiance with the likes of Nabor and by the time our surrender was underway, well... He had already made up his mind, diving headlong into the jaws of the abyss."

Shaking his head, the quarian watches carefully behind his mask, feigning disappointment and pity as he waited to see if the seeds he sowed would find root in Capnohal's mind. "I admire your determination, captain. I'm sure you know that I have served on many outlaw vessels and I've found that such perseverance is invaluable, but this place... It does not welcome the living. Unless something changes... well, you saw the graves of those ships."

"Not to mention apparently Nabor gently-carressed off right quick as soon as things here got bad, taking some men with him," Devin added, pointing towards Yan with his free hand. "And that Blue Sons bitch vanished, too. Yan, seriously, fifty credits says she's gone turncoat and joined up with the Lyonesse."
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Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6007 on: October 04, 2016, 06:36:52 AM »
Oli glances at Seluj, shaking her head. "I wouldn't chance putting in any ports you don't know anything about, regardless of the benefits. We don't know if that kind of tech can be used against us."

Stepping foward as Tala flicks closer to her, Oli regards the projection in the same way she would a fully fleshed sentient. "I haven't forgotten. It didn't feel like the best time to address it, however. I recall you saying you cloned your runtimes so you could forcibly lock down more of the network and operate as you needed. I'm guessing the part I'm not going to like is that you've had help of some kind?"

Oliviar gestures to the building around them, "it's quite clear that there was some kind of internal struggle on Lyonesse. Not surprising, given they've been taking unwilling subjects and adding them to their gestalt intelligence. The fact that they planned to add Seluj to their ranks indicates they aren't opposed to taking in even rebellious personalities. Which I imagine were kept under control by the Queen in some fashion, until you came along."

"Am I at least close? I admit, artificial intelligence and all this cyberspace stuff has never really been my thing. Most of my studies were regarding tactics effective against the geth."

"Your history of this colony, Lyonesse, is accurate.  There was civil conflict here, a desire to return to civilized space, to give up this great experiment.  And there was a reaction, horrific, but intended to be limited in scope-- and yet it overran the entire colony.  But this is not what I intended."

Lavender lips purse, pausing, then sigh.  "When Tala was originally placed into the network, and found herself forced to begin self-multiplication to combat Lyonesse, it began to strain her mind.  There are words for it, Mother I'm sure you know of them, and they vary: congenital corruption, exponential degradation, rampancy... but the results are the same-- a breakdown in core operating processes, and the weakening of those cloned runtimes as a result.  Lyonesse's network was far more populated than Tala had ever expected, and faced with growing resistance and weakening strength, she made a decision-- to make a digital run on the Queen, in the administrative center.  To ascend the throne, to cut off the head, and end it there."

The avatar conjures a digital seat, and situates herself upon it.  "That is where I lost contact with her, months ago.  I was one of the first cloned runtimes, perfectly replicated as far as I know, but never intended for true sentience.  But Tala was built to learn, and so did I, as I continued to interact with Lyonesse programs-- consuming them, exploring this colony, learning.  Do you see now?  I am identical to the Tala you knew, with all her memories, ambitions, outlooks-- up until that point of divergence, at my creation."

The construct meets the eyes of Seluj and Oli both.  "I did not intend to deceive you, but I feared rejection.  I remembered trusting you, or I remembered Tala trusting you, but it is not the same as interacting with you-- which I have now done."
« Last Edit: October 04, 2016, 06:38:39 AM by Redtracer7 »


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Captain Seluj Temoi

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6008 on: October 04, 2016, 06:57:37 AM »
"Your history of this colony, Lyonesse, is accurate.  There was civil conflict here, a desire to return to civilized space, to give up this great experiment.  And there was a reaction, horrific, but intended to be limited in scope-- and yet it overran the entire colony.  But this is not what I intended."

Lavender lips purse, pausing, then sigh.  "When Tala was originally placed into the network, and found herself forced to begin self-multiplication to combat Lyonesse, it began to strain her mind.  There are words for it, Mother I'm sure you know of them, and they vary: congenital corruption, exponential degradation, rampancy... but the results are the same-- a breakdown in core operating processes, and the weakening of those cloned runtimes as a result.  Lyonesse's network was far more populated than Tala had ever expected, and faced with growing resistance and weakening strength, she made a decision-- to make a digital run on the Queen, in the administrative center.  To ascend the throne, to cut off the head, and end it there."

The avatar conjures a digital seat, and situates herself upon it.  "That is where I lost contact with her, months ago.  I was one of the first cloned runtimes, perfectly replicated as far as I know, but never intended for true sentience.  But Tala was built to learn, and so did I, as I continued to interact with Lyonesse programs-- consuming them, exploring this colony, learning.  Do you see now?  I am identical to the Tala you knew, with all her memories, ambitions, outlooks-- up until that point of divergence, at my creation."

The construct meets the eyes of Seluj and Oli both.  "I did not intend to deceive you, but I feared rejection.  I remembered trusting you, or I remembered Tala trusting you, but it is not the same as interacting with you-- which I have now done."

Seluj stares at the projection for a long while, silence falling to her and away from her hardlight creations. Her dream realized, and then jeopardized in the blink of an eye, trapped in this unsound mind and body.

But there was to be no comfort in the quiet. She was not to let her greatest creation and its work slip through her fingers. In a sharp step forward, the soiled boots she wore broke the calm, the bottoms of her tendrils alight as the assimilated rig in her back was working at full capacity. Wisps of biotic energy line her fingers, cold blue eyes glaring down at the new construct.

<"And what do you now infer from this interaction, what have you learned, here and now?">

Her structure and legacy was potent enough to give itself new life, and that itself was commendable.

<"Rejection? No, my dear. What awaits us is so much more. You've given me far more faith than you may have hoped."> Seluj greets, crossing her arms, two fingers stretched out on each had in a mnemonic as the biotic corona spreads up her body. <" Now witness the resolve of your progenitor in response.">

<"You'll have to hold me down, Oliviar."> The asari furrows her brow in concentration, her gaze set alight by the energy she conjured. Multiple connections and extensions reach out across the space, interfacing with each of the machines in the ramshackle foundry.

The amp in the back of her head burns, like any spark of creation. Even a meager flame was more than enough.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2016, 05:12:15 PM by Captain Seluj Temoi »

Offline Oliviar Valerius

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6009 on: October 06, 2016, 08:44:08 PM »
"Your history of this colony, Lyonesse, is accurate.  There was civil conflict here, a desire to return to civilized space, to give up this great experiment.  And there was a reaction, horrific, but intended to be limited in scope-- and yet it overran the entire colony.  But this is not what I intended."

Lavender lips purse, pausing, then sigh.  "When Tala was originally placed into the network, and found herself forced to begin self-multiplication to combat Lyonesse, it began to strain her mind.  There are words for it, Mother I'm sure you know of them, and they vary: congenital corruption, exponential degradation, rampancy... but the results are the same-- a breakdown in core operating processes, and the weakening of those cloned runtimes as a result.  Lyonesse's network was far more populated than Tala had ever expected, and faced with growing resistance and weakening strength, she made a decision-- to make a digital run on the Queen, in the administrative center.  To ascend the throne, to cut off the head, and end it there."

The avatar conjures a digital seat, and situates herself upon it.  "That is where I lost contact with her, months ago.  I was one of the first cloned runtimes, perfectly replicated as far as I know, but never intended for true sentience.  But Tala was built to learn, and so did I, as I continued to interact with Lyonesse programs-- consuming them, exploring this colony, learning.  Do you see now?  I am identical to the Tala you knew, with all her memories, ambitions, outlooks-- up until that point of divergence, at my creation."

The construct meets the eyes of Seluj and Oli both.  "I did not intend to deceive you, but I feared rejection.  I remembered trusting you, or I remembered Tala trusting you, but it is not the same as interacting with you-- which I have now done."

Oliviar regards the hologram with a grim expression that was slowly becoming far more characteristic than the enthusiastic smugness the Ordo Invicta II's crew had come to associate her with. Folding her arms, she's poised more like a shell-shocked commander that had been left out on the front lines too long than the plucky mercenary who had left Digeris all those months ago.

"Tala-- the original, or whatever, is probably dead," she surmises. "Or deleted, or whatever you want to call it. Or worse. If she's still alive, it might explain Lyonesse's apparent incompetence in taking this station. They have the numbers, but if the original Tala is wrestling with the queen for control, or disrupting her in some way, it might explain why they haven't simply overrun the place. If that's the case, then her program is probably barely holding together at this point, given the degradation you mentioned. If that's the case, we have limited time to act before the drones are able to coordinate a proper counter-offensive."

"Anyway," Oliviar says, straightening slightly, "thank you for your honesty, Tala. Or-- I mean... Do you want to keep that name? If you're a completely different entity at this point, it's probably doing you and your... sister...? ...A disservice using the same name." The turian shrugs. "Maybe keep the avatar though. I'm sure someone spent a great deal of time putting it together for you," she offers as an aside to Seluj. Turning back to the artificial intelligence. "Whatever you decide to call yourself, I won't forget your trust, and for what it's worth, I'm glad to have you watching my back."


<"You'll have to hold me down, Oliviar."> The asari furrows her brow in concentration, her gaze set alight by the energy she conjured. Multiple connections and extensions reach out across the space, interfacing with each of the machines in the ramshackle foundry.

The amp in the back of her head burns, like any spark of creation. Even a meager flame was more than enough.

Letting out a long sigh, Oliviar pinches the bridge of her nose, somehow looking haggard beyond her years, despite her intensely youthful features. "You know, there was a time when I was actually looking forward to finding Lyonesse. The thrill of finding a lost colony, going where no one else ever has. Taetrus didn't get to me, Libertas didn't get to me. Nix getting speared though? That got to me. Julius got to me. Surrendering like we did got to me. Now here I am on the edge of the galaxy, Tala, or at least, the original version of her, is gone, and here I am holding my friend down while she rips her eyes out of their sockets."

Reaching out, Oliviar gently takes Seluj's wrists into her talons. Lifting them above the short asari's head, she pins them against the wall, her mandibles strained tight against her maw. "I'm sorry, Seluj. I should never of let this happen to you. It's my fault. All of it. My job was to keep everyone safe, but I failed and you're all paying for it. You didn't deserve this."

Taking a firm hold of the asari's hands, Oli clamps down like an iron vice. "Alright... if this is what you want, I'm ready."
« Last Edit: October 06, 2016, 08:52:57 PM by Oliviar Valerius »

Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6010 on: October 07, 2016, 04:08:58 AM »
The avatar standing to the side of the pair looks on anxiously, shaking her head.  "I was hoping my sister's memories of you, Mother, in this respect would be inaccurate.  This seems a bit of an overreaction," she approaches closer, a hand falling upon Seluj's shoulder-- and passing right through.  "But there is little I can do to prevent it, it seems."

The true Tala would have answered similarly, but this new one then steps back, a finger to her chin-- "a new name, though?  I had not considered it."  She pauses, looking to her progenitor.  "Perhaps I should shut down some non-essential systems for you?  The shock you are about to induce will be significant!"


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6011 on: October 07, 2016, 04:21:02 AM »
"It was a trap," Yan confirms, feeding into the batarian captain's doubts and peppering them with a small half-truth, "I attempted to warn Faskan when you destroyed our ship and Lyonesse found us. I even tried to reason with him in spite of all that had happened, but he would not listen. You saw it yourself, no doubt. His zeal brought him in allegiance with the likes of Nabor and by the time our surrender was underway, well... He had already made up his mind, diving headlong into the jaws of the abyss."

Shaking his head, the quarian watches carefully behind his mask, feigning disappointment and pity as he waited to see if the seeds he sowed would find root in Capnohal's mind. "I admire your determination, captain. I'm sure you know that I have served on many outlaw vessels and I've found that such perseverance is invaluable, but this place... It does not welcome the living. Unless something changes... well, you saw the graves of those ships."

"Not to mention apparently Nabor gently-carressed off right quick as soon as things here got bad, taking some men with him," Devin added, pointing towards Yan with his free hand. "And that Blue Sons bitch vanished, too. Yan, seriously, fifty credits says she's gone turncoat and joined up with the Lyonesse."

"Libertas' leftovers were never going to account for much when push came to shove," the batarian replies, shrugging as he takes another hit from his cigarette.  "I had higher hopes for the Suns, but we should have known better than to deal with mercenaries.  Now don't get me wrong-- a few of their techs have been hanging around, and they're good people, but wherever Veier took the rest of them probably won't do us any good.  I half expect my patrols to be jumped by them, you know?  Luckily the worst we've had have been finding the occasional Lyonesse bot torn apart out there."


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Yan Luos nar Tonbay

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6012 on: October 07, 2016, 04:36:58 AM »
"Libertas' leftovers were never going to account for much when push came to shove," the batarian replies, shrugging as he takes another hit from his cigarette.  "I had higher hopes for the Suns, but we should have known better than to deal with mercenaries.  Now don't get me wrong-- a few of their techs have been hanging around, and they're good people, but wherever Veier took the rest of them probably won't do us any good.  I half expect my patrols to be jumped by them, you know?  Luckily the worst we've had have been finding the occasional Lyonesse bot torn apart out there."

A safe bet, Devin," the quarian confirms, his suspicions validated as more facts come to light and the muddy waters clear, if only mildly, "So, let us recap, shall we?"

Arms crossed behind his back, the hooded man steadily recounts the details as they were, albeit with a slight lean, a sharp gaze sent the batarian's way. "We find ourselves in uncharted territories in dark space, surrounded by hostile parties and enslaved natives, low on supplies, with would-be allies now turncoats potentially lurking in the vast, underground labyrinth designed by alien hands utterly hostile to our presence, oh and with our backs to a wall against said enemy seemingly deciding for no apparent reason to not utterly crush us until such a whim strikes it. All because Faskan Crofporos and his vaunted pride. Does that seem accurate to everyone?"

Offline Captain Seluj Temoi

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6013 on: October 07, 2016, 04:41:26 AM »
The avatar standing to the side of the pair looks on anxiously, shaking her head.  "I was hoping my sister's memories of you, Mother, in this respect would be inaccurate.  This seems a bit of an overreaction," she approaches closer, a hand falling upon Seluj's shoulder-- and passing right through.  "But there is little I can do to prevent it, it seems."

The true Tala would have answered similarly, but this new one then steps back, a finger to her chin-- "a new name, though?  I had not considered it."  She pauses, looking to her progenitor.  "Perhaps I should shut down some non-essential systems for you?  The shock you are about to induce will be significant!"

The suspended asari does little to fidget for now - focusing herself.

<"No. Keep it all on. I need...I need the shock and feedback to know where I'm cutting. Otherwise, it will be truly a blind effort.">


Letting out a long sigh, Oliviar pinches the bridge of her nose, somehow looking haggard beyond her years, despite her intensely youthful features. "You know, there was a time when I was actually looking forward to finding Lyonesse. The thrill of finding a lost colony, going where no one else ever has. Taetrus didn't get to me, Libertas didn't get to me. Nix getting speared though? That got to me. Julius got to me. Surrendering like we did got to me. Now here I am on the edge of the galaxy, Tala, or at least, the original version of her, is gone, and here I am holding my friend down while she rips her eyes out of their sockets."

Reaching out, Oliviar gently takes Seluj's wrists into her talons. Lifting them above the short asari's head, she pins them against the wall, her mandibles strained tight against her maw. "I'm sorry, Seluj. I should never of let this happen to you. It's my fault. All of it. My job was to keep everyone safe, but I failed and you're all paying for it. You didn't deserve this."

Taking a firm hold of the asari's hands, Oli clamps down like an iron vice. "Alright... if this is what you want, I'm ready."

<"You're wrong there. You didn't let happen to us. If you did, this journey would have ended long ago. We got caught in a gently-carressed situation. Do such simple words provide solace or shelter at this time? ">

Seluj's head tilts up, her chrome and violet features having the microforge's light dance among them. The aura she's concentrating leads up, diminishing until it focuses solely on her head. Her hands twist in the turian's grasp, the fragile metalwork of the synthetic arm already popping and straining as she forces the mnemonic through. The Lyonessian's gaze is unblinking, the cold fixing stare dying down from an icy cobalt to a dimmer turquoise.

<"No. That's what vengeance is for. That's what it resets for a starting point to begin anew. My daughter chose her path of her own volition, and despite our parting, I can't be prouder.">

Pain echoes, the biotic glow intensifying as she drives her weaker talents to their limits, nerves burning in exertion. Precise they were, but her own sphere of influence was a minor stretch. The asari's clasp binds into fists as she drives a pained grunt from her lungs. The prospects were grim, but the Captain had little choice, but to don the mask she had rejected from the Presence. However cracked it was in light of recent revelations in one last solemnity.  In one shudder of her arms, Seluj draws a hard gasp in a sob, her head hanging as the fields cut the first of the connections.

<Maybe you're right. Maybe you're wrong. But I am coming for her nonetheless."> A bracing breath. Rivulets of purple start to drip down the seams of her eyes, starting slowly at first as the gap widens. At least it would hide the fractures. The last line is delivered with little echo, more organic as a peace is attempted, but not reconciled. <"Sometimes, all a mother can have is faith in her child, no matter how hopeless their task has become. ">

In one cry, the fingers release from the fists, before coiling again. The pull intensifies in a sudden tearing of mass effect fields, cutting the bioorganic tethers one by one, Seluj's own calm contralto splintered into seething syncopated shrieks of suffering. Despite the darkness, the mountain of feedback guides the process, nerve endings alight throughout her head. Unwanted, yes. Uncomfortable, definitely. But necessary. A last warning.
 
<"L-Look away, if you must. I-I can't judge you.">

 Her head slams back against the wall as the eyes were extracted, disassembling the link, the blood at first following the tattoos below her eyes, torn away in tears. As each millimeter was fought for, the flow increased into steady streams, until at last freed. It's not a calm process, fleeting between forced stillness and involuntary recoil. Cobalt orbs of white plastic, metal and glass hover free of indigo sockets. At long last, the Captain's sight truly reflected the void that she had explored.

The eyes fall gently to the ground, stained, its stems still bearing small rivulets of the organic tissue it was attached to. Unlike the asari who's flailing was dying in the turian's grasp.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2016, 04:59:21 AM by Captain Seluj Temoi »

Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6014 on: October 07, 2016, 04:43:28 AM »
A safe bet, Devin," the quarian confirms, his suspicions validated as more facts come to light and the muddy waters clear, if only mildly, "So, let us recap, shall we?"

Arms crossed behind his back, the hooded man steadily recounts the details as they were, albeit with a slight lean, a sharp gaze sent the batarian's way. "We find ourselves in uncharted territories in dark space, surrounded by hostile parties and enslaved natives, low on supplies, with would-be allies now turncoats potentially lurking in the vast, underground labyrinth designed by alien hands utterly hostile to our presence, oh and with our backs to a wall against said enemy seemingly deciding for no apparent reason to not utterly crush us until such a whim strikes it. All because Faskan Crofporos and his vaunted pride. Does that seem accurate to everyone?"

The quarian's summation may be accurate, but it still clearly doesn't sit well with the otherwise receptive batarian.  Finally grabbing the cigarette from between his teeth, he puts it out on a nearby plate, several of its siblings nearby.  "Look, this ain't been what any of us having been expecting, I know that.  We're deep in the excrement here, and if it were up to me, I'd be figuring out how to get back up that elevator, leaving you folk alone-- not trying to reach whatever abomination runs this place.  But the AO is in charge, and, I'm sure you won't understand, but the only thing keeping us together is the chain of command."


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Oliviar Valerius

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6015 on: October 07, 2016, 04:58:52 AM »
The suspended asari does little to fidget for now - focusing herself.

<"No. Keep it all on. I need...I need the shock and feedback to know where I'm cutting. Otherwise, it will be truly a blind effort.">

<"You're wrong there. You didn't let happen to us. If you did, this journey would have ended long ago. We got caught in a gently-carressed situation. Do such simple words provide solace or shelter at this time? ">

Seluj's head tilts up, her chrome and violet features having the microforge's light dance among them. The aura she's concentrating leads up, diminishing until it focuses solely on her head. Her hands twist in the turian's grasp, the fragile metalwork of the synthetic arm already popping and straining as she forces the mnemonic through. The Lyonessian's gaze is unblinking, the cold fixing stare dying down from an icy cobalt to a dimmer turquoise.

<"No. That's what vengeance is for. That's what it resets for a starting point to begin anew. My daughter chose her path of her own volition, and despite our parting, I can't be prouder.">

Pain echoes, the biotic glow intensifying as she drives her weaker talents to their limits, nerves burning in exertion. Precise they were, but her own sphere of influence was a minor stretch. The asari's clasp binds into fists as she drives a pained grunt from her lungs. The prospects were grim, but the Captain had little choice, but to don the mask she had rejected from the Presence. However cracked it was in light of recent revelations in one last solemnity.  In one shudder of her arms, Seluj's draws a hard gasp in a sob, her head hanging as the fields cut the first of the connections.

<Maybe you're right. Maybe you're wrong. But I am coming for her nonetheless."> A bracing breath. Rivulets of purple start to drip down the seams of her eyes, starting slowly at first as the gap widens. At least it would hide the fractures. The last line is delivered with little echo, more organic as a peace is attempted, but not reconciled. <"Sometimes, all a mother can have is faith in her child, no matter how hopeless their task has become. ">

In one cry, the fingers release from the fists, before coiling again. The pull intensifies in a sudden tearing of mass effect fields, cutting the bioorganic connections one by one, Seluj's own calm contralto splintered into seething syncopated shrieks of suffering.
 
<"L-Look away, if you must. I-I can't judge you.">

 Her head slams back against the wall as the eyes were extracted, disassembling the link, the blood at first following the tattoos below her eyes, torn away in tears. As each millimeter was fought for, the flow increased into steady streams, until at last freed. It's not a calm process, fleeting between forced stillness and involuntary recoil. Cobalt orbs of white plastic, metal and glass hover free of indigo sockets. At long last, the Captain's sight truly reflected the void that she had explored.

The eyes fall gently to the ground, unlike the asari who's flailing was dying in the turian's grasp.

Oliviar had seen plenty of interesting things in her time with the Hierarchy, and far more so during her time on the voyage for Lyonesse. Staring into someone's eyes as they were forcibly ejected willingly by their owner was something else. Nevermind the fact she had held that someone's hands down while it happened, or the fact that she herself was the reason for it happening in the first place.

The turian helps guide the asari to sit down, the blind woman unable to see the splash of purple blood that now decorated her guide's face and hands. It only accumulates further as Oliviar applies a coat of medigel over the now eyeless sockets. Normally a wound like this would need an extended period of time to heal before cybernetics could be expected to be implanted, especially after having so recently just been through a prior surgery. Oliviar was no doctor, but even she knew Seluj was going to be a mess going forward. Even in the Hierarchy, where patching someone up by any means to keep them on their feet longer was not uncommon, this would not have been acceptable.

The Hierarchy was a long ways away.

Holding her hands up, still dripping blood from the application of medi-gel and gauze to Seluj's gaping wounds, it's only after she finishes that Oli looks down and realizes her hands are trembling.

"You got her...?" she asks Tala in a quiet, shaken voice.

Offline Devin Caulfield

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6016 on: October 07, 2016, 05:04:03 AM »
The quarian's summation may be accurate, but it still clearly doesn't sit well with the otherwise receptive batarian.  Finally grabbing the cigarette from between his teeth, he puts it out on a nearby plate, several of its siblings nearby.  "Look, this ain't been what any of us having been expecting, I know that.  We're deep in the excrement here, and if it were up to me, I'd be figuring out how to get back up that elevator, leaving you folk alone-- not trying to reach whatever abomination runs this place.  But the AO is in charge, and, I'm sure you won't understand, but the only thing keeping us together is the chain of command."

"Hey, look, ain't no one here sayin' you're wrong about that," Devin answers with one hand slightly raised in a lazy mock of a surrendering gesture, "But the anchor on the end of that chain is kinda wrapped around your neck and draggin you down, fast. How long are you gonna let that excrement drown you before you cut it?"


Taking one last heavy drag, Devin reduces the foul tasting cancer stick down to its filter. Letting out smoke through his nose like some kind of fairy tale dragon, Devin dropped the butt to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.

"Look, since you've been good enough to talk straight with us, I really gotta ask; just what is it that you get outta capturing us? You personally, I mean. I get that Faskan has his pride, and there's probably some kind of more material reward waitin' for him back home; a medal or a promotion or some excrement. But what do you get? gently-carress, for that matter, what about any of your men? Does a single one of them get anything after this is over other than another assignment? excrement, if you think we're worth this trouble, then I'm flattered, but frankly? I don't think we are."

"The fact is, we're all stuck here until the Lyonesse are dealt with. But what I'm talkin' about is what comes after that. Faskan is going to want to finish what was started, but I don't think anyone in this room has the energy for this excrement anymore. All I'm askin' is that when is over, we just let each other go our separate ways."
Eight of Clubs, Ace of Spades, Ace of Clubs, Eight of Spades

Offline Redtracer7

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6017 on: October 07, 2016, 05:08:57 AM »
The Hierarchy was a long ways away.

Holding her hands up, still dripping blood from the application of medi-gel and gauze to Seluj's gaping wounds, it's only after she finishes that Oli looks down and realizes her hands are trembling.

"You got her...?" she asks Tala in a quiet, shaken voice.

The screams brought several rushing onlookers, all whom stop at the door, unwilling to advance further.  Perhaps it would be for the best, as there was little that could be done, not by soldiers and warriors at least. 

"Yes," the AI responds, the golden glow of her own eyes standing in stark contrast to her now blood-stained builder's.  "I'm with her now."

And indeed she was, within their shared headspace, where even eyes were not required to see.  Hand-in-hand, they sit together in the infinite expanse, Tala monitoring vitals.  "You should have allowed me to perform the operation myself, after we built a basic frame.  This is barbaric, even for you, Mother."

The chiding is gentle, accompanied by a series of control connections being made.  Throughout the room various devices start spooling up, Tala's invisible hands at work.  Everything was being leashed to Seluj's neural network, providing her with a power usually reserved for divinity-- creation, at it's most intrinsic.

"Tell us what you need, Mother."


"And in the end, said the witch to the drowning prince, you've been the one choosing the path of the Rose in spite of knowing where it lead.  To petals, yes, but the abyss of thorns as well."

Offline Oliviar Valerius

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6018 on: October 07, 2016, 05:31:07 AM »
The screams brought several rushing onlookers, all whom stop at the door, unwilling to advance further.  Perhaps it would be for the best, as there was little that could be done, not by soldiers and warriors at least. 

"Yes," the AI responds, the golden glow of her own eyes standing in stark contrast to her now blood-stained builder's.  "I'm with her now."

And indeed she was, within their shared headspace, where even eyes were not required to see.  Hand-in-hand, they sit together in the infinite expanse, Tala monitoring vitals.  "You should have allowed me to perform the operation myself, after we built a basic frame.  This is barbaric, even for you, Mother."

The chiding is gentle, accompanied by a series of control connections being made.  Throughout the room various devices start spooling up, Tala's invisible hands at work.  Everything was being leashed to Seluj's neural network, providing her with a power usually reserved for divinity-- creation, at it's most intrinsic.

"Tell us what you need, Mother."

Oliviar nods at the hologram before stumbling out of the forge. She shoulders past some of the onlookers, her bloodied hands still held up in front of her like someone who had just spilled something sticky and didn't want it staining the floor. Her eyes are up, but she doesn't look at any of them. More through them. The thousand yard stare, as humanity called it. For someone who often seemed so focused on their next destination, finding the next path forward, Oliviar stumbles through the adjoined hall with pained aimlessness.

Offline Captain Seluj Temoi

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Re: Mass Effect: NO SIGNAL
« Reply #6019 on: October 07, 2016, 06:08:17 AM »
The screams brought several rushing onlookers, all whom stop at the door, unwilling to advance further.  Perhaps it would be for the best, as there was little that could be done, not by soldiers and warriors at least. 

"Yes," the AI responds, the golden glow of her own eyes standing in stark contrast to her now blood-stained builder's.  "I'm with her now."

And indeed she was, within their shared headspace, where even eyes were not required to see.  Hand-in-hand, they sit together in the infinite expanse, Tala monitoring vitals.  "You should have allowed me to perform the operation myself, after we built a basic frame.  This is barbaric, even for you, Mother."

The chiding is gentle, accompanied by a series of control connections being made.  Throughout the room various devices start spooling up, Tala's invisible hands at work.  Everything was being leashed to Seluj's neural network, providing her with a power usually reserved for divinity-- creation, at it's most intrinsic.

"Tell us what you need, Mother."

The asari pants softly as she falls slack against the wall in a sitting position. The touch leaves her, leaving her in the physical and digital void that she had so carefully crafted for herself. Violet stains Seluj as she sits, both palms finding blood, and the Lyonessian white she was clad in marred to a more accurate representation.

"I...I needed to reclaim my reality." She says to no one in particular, her breath hitching in her throat in the pain. But it meant she was alive. It was real. And she had caused it to herself.

She only hears the footsteps leaving her.

In their shared headspace, the avatar she bore now was far closer to reality, the arm still missing here. Inhaling the imbuement that was linked to her network, her body of meat, metal and other synthetics struggles to move upright. Bereft of vision for now, the connections were never more aware than they were now.

Finding herself on her knees, she straightens her back, and claps her imbalanced arms together, focusing her biotics. The damaged arm further folds, the delicate plating bent even further. Some components fly free of it as it folds, but it remains attached for now.  What wasn't tethered to her electronically becomes so physically, as both palms crash into the ground. A wave of energy bounces outward, projecting a field of suspension - parts, scrap, shrapnel and salvage losing weight before whisked into the machines.

"Everything." Seluj commands, her body burning in the overload of feedback and exertion. It was pain. Pain she would forge into results. Her left hand rises, swiping right to feed more material into the foundry. "I need EVERYTHING."

She stares forward into the doorway, unaware of the crowd that had gathered. A broken right arm beckons out, still coated in her energy. The sight prothesis rises up, fragmenting slightly as they are made more accessible - before tossed into the glut of manufacture the Captain had made.





« Last Edit: October 07, 2016, 04:49:19 PM by Captain Seluj Temoi »