Liberation! Pt 4 (Patreon)

[X] Plan: The Next Step

-[X] Vault Complex COG

--[X] Side with Marjak

---[X] The burial sites are irreplaceable and the logic virus has previously gone out of its way to destroy such records.

--[X] Site GIBBON

--[X] Site AEOS

-[X] Vault Complex OMAC

--[X] Try to offer to leave if they stand down since they aren't with the logic virus according to them. If they refuse ask them if they aren't infected what have they been doing the whole time down here? Also who were they before all...this started?

-[X] Vault Complex CAMBON

--[X] ALKADRACH

--[X] Server Complex 02

-[X] Central Power Core 07

--[X] Express gratitude for them helping with the planetary liberation operation. Try to get them to talk more about what they were doing when the planet was under the control of the logic virus?

((((()))))

TNDI made a decision. “We’re going to be focusing on the existing sites,” She said authoritatively. “The logic virus has shown a habit of eradicating watchmaker remains with both enough regularity and thoroughness to suggest deliberate targeting. We don’t know to what degree that’s true here yet, but we aren’t taking risks.”

“Ah, I see,” KLNG hissed. “Apparently dead watchmakers are worth more than living autons.”

“That ISN’T my point and you know it,” TNDI responded cooly, a wave of outrage going through her at the statement. She was level headed enough to see why KLNG said that, and not respond in kind, but she definitely didn’t appreciate it. “Regardless, you’re outvoted. You’re free to lodge a complaint with the Fleet if you don’t like it.”

For a moment, the auton was silent. “Fine,” They eventually responded, voice still carrying undertones of displeasure. “I can recognize when I’m screaming into the wind. If you don’t mind, ” He said, giving a curt bob of the head and walking away.

“What an ass,” Marjak said, voice momentarily clear, and while TNDI didn’t disagree…she understood where he was coming from.

((((()))))

The team entered the facility: past the hole they were using to access it was what appeared to be a security checkpoint, one armed with heavy looking turrets, though thankfully they didn’t stir to life.

“Scanners are detecting minimal power,” KLNG noted, raising a tricorder to one of the wall mounted weapons. “Most likely in power conservation mode,” He noted. “The gene-keys my Captain printed should keep them from registering us as a threat.”

Marjak stood still. “InternInternInternal SCANNERS are [audio driver error] noNO lifesIgNs,” They eventually said, causing TNDI’s display to flicker to a :(. Well, it had been a long shot anyways, the captain thought: the odds of anyone surviving this long had never been high.

Still. They had a job here to do.

Ah, Captain! Ijin again. I’ve got an update from the field teams. The extraction from Site GIBBON was a success: nothing living, sadly, but we managed to locate a number of intact gene samples, fossils, and other items considered high cultural value. Koptu is liable to be happy, certainly: he’s always wanted to run a zoo, you know?

AEOS is secured. We’ve heavily shielded the facility: technicians are using it to create a back-door from the Nekroverse and load as much of the network as we can with VaccineWare.

…We’ve also managed to document several hundred thousand unique corpses, a number that is increasing with every passing. Major sites are being carefully scanned: we’re extracting anything at risk that we can, but some of it is fragile. My crew are doing what they can to preserve them, but we are almost certainly have sites destroyed, even with our field teams assigned to this. It would probably be worse if you had agreed with KLNG. Anyways, with everyone tied up we don’t have the ability to hit more than one site at a time, now.

Anyways, here is the manifest:

Zoological Database: A collection of information on assorted AutoPlanet wildlife, from before it became CPUMoon, taken from a zoo. DNA samples, fossils, remains of various qualities, archival data. The place had an AutoBrain managing it, but they were unpowered when we found them: we’re trying to get them awake, but for now I’m including them on the manifest. Grants +5 Bonus ACD to be spent on a BioData project. Allows for EXP projects CPUMoon Autopreservatorium, AutoVessel AutoZoo Printers, CUL projects AutoVessel Preservatoriums, Forbidden Archive BioVault, CPUMoon Arcolozoos, and ACD projects AutoCloner Vats, Forbidden Archive Gene Lab, and AutoVessel Biodex.

Server Farm AEOS: A large amount of intact servers connected to the regional network. Currently we’re using to, as you’re aware, deploy VaccineWare, but when this is all over it should be fully restorable and upgradable. Unlocks mutually exclusive projects CPUMoon VaccineWare Engine, CPUMoon Nethub Nexus, and CPUMoon Nekroverse Digicrypts.

COG Valley Organocide Files: I’ll update this as needed, but this consists of a list of sites, corpses, and artefacts we’ve found that’s relevant for documenting the Organocide. They’re too many to list individually: there is…a lot. Unlocks EXP Projects Monuments of Mourning, CUL project Watchmaker Genocide Site Preservation, Day of Rememberance, ACD projects Mass Forensic Anthropology, Academy Genocide Documentation Department

Site AA1: Large structure, entrance located under shallow amount of dirt. Scans indicate decomposed organic tissue, but no other immediate anomalies.

Site AA2: Minor warp taint detected, as well as a powered structure of some sort, medium sized. Partially above-ground, entrance seems to be small administrative building.

Site AB6: HEAVY warp taint, small structure, electrified, detecting toxic gasses in heavy quantities. Entrance seems to be a disused exhaust vent passing through area.

Site BA9: Very large, small amounts of electricity, entrance buried extremely deep. Large quantity of mines in vicinity, several of which seem to be buried up to six to ten feet, especially clustered around structure entrance.

Site CL00: Above ground facility, seems to be connected to a passage going deep into CPUMoon. Heavily fortified by both mines and assorted laser turrets. Design and defences matches with standard watchmaker maintenance hatch design.

Site ATON: A backup power generation facility located in the valley, one that was also used for geo-engineering research. With the primary power systems of AutoPlanet destroyed or failing, an alternative would be needed. Fighting was drawing close.

Site NOSTROS: An educational facility that was thankfully not immediately in the hot zone, intended to be for secondary schooling. Civilian, but if its AutoFacility was alive, it could hopefully help AutoPlanet recreate it's educational system: though NewFrames came with a certain amount of preset knowledge, there was apparently only so much one could pre-code onto a positronic brain.

Site XIBUS: An urban residential area in the crater valley, near a hot spot: according to Koptu's scans, it likely contains a variety of infected AutoHome units, domestic auto-facilities intended for civilian use.

((((()))))

“...WE ARE WILLING TO DISCUSS LEAVING IF YOU STAND DOWN-”

“Do you really think I’m stupid enough to fall for that,” OMAC said in a brief moment of absolute clarity, voice flat. “D_ y_u kn_w hOW mANY IDJITS haVe tr_d the ‘oh we won’t stab you in the back if you stop attacking and lower your guard’ t_ick?”

“WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY,” WLF reiterated once more, growing exasperated. This situation called for de-escalation. Pressing a button on his rifle, its various parts and components began to re-configure themselves, turning a fusion weapon into a Mag-Barrier Rifle, a custom creation of the Machina. A moment later, the ballistic rounds of the DummyAutos began to hit an invisible wall, before being sent back-wards- along with the autonbots. “WE ONLY BREACHED THIS LOCATION BECAUSE WE BELIEVED YOU WERE LIKELY INFECTED WITH THE LOGIC VIRUS: OUR RECORDS OF THIS FACILITY INDICATED IT LIKELY, ESPECIALLY SINCE UNLIKE OTHER AUTONS WE’VE MADE CONTACT WITH, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST FOUR CENTURIES.”

“Ha! I_l tell you what I’ve been doing, I’ve b_en ‘holding down the !@#$damned fort’,” OMAC said, voice dripping with contempt at the edge. “MyMyMy protocols s_y I’m [error] to p_t_ct this facility until relieved by someone higher-higher-higher in the [WORD NOT FOUND] of command, and shoot any infected son of a !@#$ that tried to sneak in.”

Alright rookie, you’re improving. It was still awkward, but you’ve successfully built the profile: you know this guy has been burned before when asked to stand down, and you know he’s been spending the time since the organocide stuck doing babysitter duty for a government that isn’t coming back, and best of all you did it while not accidentally escalating the threat level. As such, I’m going to award you sonsabitches a gold star. Keep trying to gather information: ties, history, status, ideology, needs, fears, and keep trying to figure out a way to get them to stand down.

[ ] Rhetorical Strat Here.

((((()))))

For a moment, all was still in the corridor, the auto-turrets twitching as they scanned for threats, on what appeared to be permanent high alert. There were twenty of them in total, arranged on the ceiling, walls, floor: behind them was a set of doors, a pair of heavy metal monoliths that met in the middle, creating a vertical crease. Next to it was a small gene-key reader, a cylindrical structure three feet tall sticking from the floor, an open slot near its top.

Soon, however, they began exploding in a shower of sparks, one by one. Sparking to life, the turrets began firing into the shadows before them, filling the air with bullets, bombs, lasers as they attempted to locate their target, their sensors struggling to detect minute movement.

With every second, another turret found itself blown away until only one was left, a ceiling mounted autoturret whose barrel kept making a clicking noise: a ballistic gun-turret that had run out of ammo. Decloaking, a pair of Hunteks scurried forward, pulling out a capsule shaped item and placing it within the slot of the genekey reader, causing it to light up, a green LED flashing to life on it as the doors to Server Complex 002 opened.

“Good work, gentlemen,” OrphaTek Jr said, floating from the darkness, watching as the heavy metal monoliths slid apart, creaking with the strain of centuries of disuse, until a vast darkness lie before them, though not an unrelenting one the magician noted as he saw one by one the lights in the room beyond come to life.

Hovering forward, he and Daquwaka entered the facility, which consisted of yet more monoliths, these instead of being iron apertures rather were monumental server hubs, each dozens of times the size of a Bond-Machina, if not hundreds, creating the illusion almost that OrphiaTek was walking the streets of a cybernetic arcology.

THIS PLACE. INTACT. Dakuwaku communed, and OrphiaTek agreed: it was remarkably undamaged, and, curiously, they were detecting no robo-spiders. Raising his Eye, he gave a wave of his wand, causing it to move, becoming a compass of sorts. “Nearest functional terminal we can access,” The Occultek said carefully: one had to be specific with their wording when working with devils and infernal tools. Then, he began to follow it, venturing down the maze like labyrinth of corridors, hallways, and alcoves…

Only to barely brake his grav-harness in time to avoid getting his head lopped off, the Mystek barely avoiding the chrome edge of a blade wielded what appeared to be an Auton kept in the air via a series of microjets on its body, its body the same color as the blade they wielded, a cutting sword on the end of a pole. “TARGET IDENTIFIED,” The Autonite said in a deep synthetic baritone, and the Mystek found themselves having only seconds to duck out of the way of a heavy auto-cannon round, which passed through the space he had just been, detonating inside a server.

Daku let out a burble, releasing a stream of boiling water from their mouth, the liquid splashing the strange Auton, who turned, dashing towards the Fossegrimm through the air, the wyld-psyker avoiding the edge of the blade by raising a pillar of coral using their warp spawned powers, uppercutting the chrome warrior enough to send them off trajectory, opening them up to the Huntek snipers waiting in the wings, their living metal rail-weapons releasing a titanic crack as they fired.

The force of the weapons caused the auton to impact the floor, their armor made of some unknown composite that had let them absorb the blow, though the sheer kinetic force had caused the floor to heavy dent around where they land. With immediate speed and reaction, the entities auto-cannon shifted even as it immediately flipped into an upright standing position. “NEW TARGETS ACQUIRED.” A series of cracks and, to OrphiaTeks horror, he saw three Hunteks be reduced to red mist before his eyes, their shields shattered by the force of the autons weaponry.

Quickly, OrphiaTek made a decision, flicking his wand and activating something he had hoped to save for lesser machines. The hostile autonite spasmed as it was inflicted with a curse of autohack, its motor-abilities being hijacked by the devil-executable.

A moment later, the hall was silent except for the whir of the twitching machines gyros. “What are you?” OrpiaTek whispered.

“Unit…Designation…Legion…” The machine said, voice halting and monotonous, compelled, if accidentally, to answer OrphiaTeks questions, though it was clear the robots machine spirit was resisting. “Model Type…OM-” The machines eye went dark, its body powering off. Apparently, it had decided shutting down preferable to interrogation.

Well. The auton could be repaired, at least. The Hunteks…

OrphiaTek sighed. “OrphiaTek to team, we have casualties,” He said over comms, surveiling the slowly descending cloud of blood, all that remained of the victims. “Body retrieval will not be possible.”

Hey. I’m the Huntek assigned to coordinating comms between you and the other teams. Nice to meet you, even if I’m sorry about the circumstances. My callsign is Parrot. Basically, my job is to act as your eye in the sky.

First, Server Complex 02: first off we have a ton of computing technology that’s still functional that can be repurposed for more benevolent ends once all this is done. Then you have Legion: an intact highly advanced auton combat frame. The big prize though is the backdoor we’ve gotten into the entire planetary network. For now, we’re keeping things subtle, but we’ve begun deactivating security in several sites of importance across the entire theater.

Then ALKADRACH. First, the good news. When the Organocide happened, the autons and prisoners joined forces to overthrow the warden and watchmaker security, along with radical elements of ALKADRACH’s science department: they attempted to cooperate in order to enact quarantine protocols. This seems to have, broadly, worked…

For a time. And now we get to the bad news. Their numbers hadn’t been enough to sustain a stable population. The genepool wasn’t deep or wide enough. According to the survivors, their ancestors spent centuries developing tools to mitigate the issue, but not only did this merely slow the problem, especially with the dearth of resources they had available, some of their solutions had actually backfired, increasing their genetic degradation.

There are twenty nine organic Alkadrachi left, all of them unrecognizable as being a Watchmaker and completely sterile.

Contact with them is tenuous: they and their auton caretakers are (justifiably) nervous about opening up, but I’m broadly optimistic about future contact, and the prison is in many ways still a thriving city: one of the few left on the planet, from what I understand.  Regardless of anything, that still means we’ve successfully located what may be hundreds of thousands of survivors, both Auton and Alkadrachi.

Anyways, here’s your manifest:

SERVER FARM 02: A large series of servers with backdoor access to the planetary network and incredible amounts of data. Unlocks special project CAMBON Special Archive

LEGION: An unknown model of highly combat auton armored with an unknown composite containing a large amount of microjets for flight. Fully intact, it had shown the ability to resist the autohack virus. Unlocks the military project AutoVessel Space Rangers, AutoFacility LEGION Security Autons, Jogmakogs Fist Security Company Contract, LEGION AutoPrinter

Alkadrach: The last children of the watchmakers, descended from its outcasts, its scorned, and its chained, all having came together to try and provide some sort of future for their heirs. A final ember of what had once been a great flame. Unlocks projects Alkadrachi Artisanal Clonopods, Day of Remembrance.

We’re down a few units, but still within acceptable parameters. That sounds cold, but it’s the truth: three deaths will not meaningly impede operations. Don’t take that as permission to get stupid, though.

Here are the sites Upsilon can hit this turn:

[ ] PSICLOPS Facility 11: The Watchmaker Psionics program. Facility 11 had been a training camp before the Organocide, where it specialized in turning adolescent watchmakers who tested high for psychic activity into tools of the state or, according to some of the files we found, test subjects. Post organocide eventually went out of contact with CAMBON abruptly.

[ ] Kfmagirr National Hospital: A government operated hospital, one that was surprisingly entirely genuine in its purpose, if subject to the apparently inefficient and annoying (though broadly functional, since they were a notionally competent government) healthcare system of the Watchmaker state. Did not survive organocide, but high likelihood of ample medical data on original watchmakers remains, along with surviving medical autons.

[ ] WEEBOPLEX WAREHOUSE: A colossal supply depot that served as the primary source of material for Alkadrach. Every ten years, to ensure they don’t run out of resources, a team of autons and Alkadrach make a suicide to the location in order to salvage supplies. Most who made the trip didn’t survive in one piece. If we can secure a route they can use to safely move between both areas, we’d buy a lot of good-will.

[ ] The Wreck of the AV Mekaro: The remains of a crashed AutoVessel identified by the Alkadrachi as Mekaro, the Flying Circus. I’m honestly as confused as you, but I’d be careful about this one. The Alkadrachi think the place is holy ground, forbidden for anyone to step on: we’re probably going to lose points with them if we investigate.

[ ] The Tower of Silence: A community of infected autons. They’re apparently…monks? They’re sane enough the Alkadrachi do trade with them: we might be able to use them as a point of contact to get other groups of sane infected autons to stand down and open diplomacy.

SELECT ONE:

Residential Facility 01: The VIP section, most likely: scans showed high numbers of autospiders and a high amount of battle damage. HUB 01 Terminal has timestamps for several VIP's perishing in rapid succession in recreational area. The Eye shows little watchmakers, hiding in a hole as the world burned around them, confident they could weather the storm: and yet, approaching in the distance, a pale rider approached.

Residential Facility 02: Scans indicated a number of corpses and unpowered autons, though no robospiders. Little damage, however, meaning security was more functional. HUB 001 indicates death likely result of starvation due to malfunctioning security system. The Eye shows a watchmaker entering a room, only to find it locked behind them.

Server Complex 01: Semi-powered, high amount of security, little robospider presence. Security Hub referenced communication with other Watchmaker installations. The Eye shows a messenger bird, flying over a city in flames.

Security HUB 02: No robospiders, and security was generally more functional, though there were a surprising number of corpses present HUB 001 shows timestamp of security breach at location coinciding with multiple lifesign flatlines. The Eye shows a fortress besieged, its defenders slowly starving to death.

Maintenance Bay: A machine shop of sorts, most likely used to meet manufacturing and repair needs. The entrance was crawling with robospiders, and more movement had been detected inside. HUB 001 referenced it connecting to an engineering workshop. The Eye showed a hand clenched into a fist, its middlemost finger rising.

((((()))))

Vlaahk barely dodged out of the way, avoiding a strike from the hammer, slapping on a few sticky mines as it passed: moments after it was clear, they detonated, consuming a chunk of the hammer in a massive fireball. “Much like you say, ze directorate has VERY nice toys,” He said as Maxis came to a swinging halt, tossing the haft of the now ruined gigahammer away.

“Good thing I build my own,” Maxis bragged, holding out his hand once again…

Only to get sent careening into a wall as a pulse of strange energy exploded a short distance from the autons manipulator, the renegade combat robot smashing through that appeared to be a small brick…maintenance structure of some sort. Still, the bots durability meant that this only stunned them for a moment before they careened back into combat, flipping smoothly upward by their microjets into a dash, their fist ALMOST knocking into Vlaahk, who pulled back at the last moment to avoid it, giving their own uppercut, sending Maxis flying upward.

“Your forces are aiding the Directorate- Why?” Vlaahk asked before grabbing Maxis by the leg as swinging him with full force against the ground, the former remaining anchored by activating every singly gravitic and magnetic subsystem he had. A moment lated, the renegade autons foot impacted Vlaahks, head, sending the autobodies ball shaped cranial unit swinging.

“I’m not enemies with the Directorate. I’m not opposing the Liberation: just you,” Maxis responded, a note of annoyance in their voice before they went flying from Vlaahk detonating a handful of concussion micro-bomblets that had fired from a device in the AutoBodies abdomen, giving him space. For all that they were battering at each other, the construction of each chassis was robust enough to ensure both were mostly just dented. Banged up, but with little permanent damage.

Distantly, Vlaahk heard an explosion as Maxis slid to a stop.

THIS IS MAGOS TACHYON. THE SYNTHETICS WEAPONS HAVE FINALLY PROVEN SUFFICIENT. REQUESTING BACKUP.

CLAWD: NOGO, HOSTILES HAVE LOCATED AND CAPTURED SEVERAL VIRUS BUSTERS: CURRENTLY OCCUPIED TRYING TO HELP THEM.

Vlaahk swore internally, watching as Maxis hovered, the pair of them staring each other down, waiting for an opening. Very well, he needed to ramp up his annoyance of Maxis, get him wasting more time and effort on attacking Vlaahk. “Hmm,” He responded to the other auton, maintaining his composure. “Well, though it likely won’t be appreciated, you have my thanks,” He admitted. The sentiment was genuine, at least, but if he had the measure of Maxis’ character correct…

“I don’t want your thanks you piece of !@#$ing garbage,” Maxis snarled, offended to the circuit at having the appreciation of someone they considered an unforgivable monster, proving Vlaahk correct. Regrettable, but predictable, the AutoVessel thought, barely ducking under another hit, slapping a sticky mine to the enemy auton before rerouting all power to shields, bracing themselves even as they and their enemy took a detonation on the face.

By the time Vlaahk was able to reboot his sensors, Maxis had been knocked away. “Regardless,” Vlaahk responded, keeping his voice level. “You have my gratitude and respect. It must have been…difficult, surviving,” He continued, taking a gamble.

“Difficult?!” Maxis yelled, the word hitting a nerve. “Billions were dead! The planet had literally detonated! Almost everyone who was left were insane or forced into hiding! DIFFICULT is an understatement! I had to survive for CENTURIES on my own, watching helplessly as my homeworld COLLAPSED on itself!” He screamed, charging Vlaahk again, going in for a blow Vlaahk barely avoided. “All because YOU murdered the last chance we had to fix it!“

Alright. Bad news is, Tachyon took damage: he’s currently down to slightly more than half of his wounds. Beyond that, a few Virus Busters have been captured, meaning that next turn their focus is going to be rectifying it.

Good news is, you’ve kept Maxis busy and learned more: he blames Vlaahk for the current status of CPUMoon, and whatever technology he used to teleport his gigahammer in isn’t reliable.

Now, at this point, things are getting dicey: as such, I’m unlocking the Secret Agents Gambit. Call for reinforcements, utilize a ploy based on what technology Vlaahk or the rest of his team have access to, come up with some form of novel strategy. Remember, success is defined by both how plausible it is you could do it, how effective the gambit would be if successful, and lastly by how interesting an idea it is. Remember, you want to at least try to capture all hostels alive.

[ ] Insert Gambit Here.