First Contact

Chapter 17: 3 (Historical Archive - Classified)

SECURE GESTALT CHAT ROOM 9348yuX88vK8 CREATED

>OPER TERRASOL ***************

>>TERRASOL PROMOTED TO OPERATOR

MOTD: HISTORY HAS TEETH THAT BITE AND CHEW

INVITING MEMBERS TO CHAT

>MANTID SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>TREANA'AD SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>CYBORG SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>DS SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>CLONE SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>BIO SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>RIGELLIAN SECURE GESTALT HAS LOGGED ON

>CONFEDMILINT HAS LOGGED ON

TERRASOL> All right, before I enable virtual chat, make SURE you are disconnected from your unsecure gestalts. If you aren't, you'll immediately be banned and kicked and I'll be annoyed.

MANTID>Check

TREA>Check

CLONE>Check

CYB>Check

DS>Check

BIO>Check

LIZARD>Check

CONFED>Duh

>STARTING VIRTUAL CHAT FOR USERS ONLY.

MANTID

Wow, this feels weird. Sooooo.... how long has this been enabled in the system?

CONFED

Since always.

TREA

Damn. Look at the walls. What is that?

MANTID

OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE THOSE?

DS

If I had to guess? That's the edge of the old SoulNet, we're completely submerged in it. OK, this is CREEPY. It's like we're having our meeting inside an open grave.

LIZARD

Listen. Really close? Hear that?

MANTID

Yeah, what is that?

CONFED

Telkan Broodcarrier Song. We can hear it all the way down here in the backbone systems.

TERRASOL

Enough. Does everyone know why we're here? If you don't, speak up.

BIO

I'm not exactly sure.

TERRASOL

TERRASOL HAS INITIATED FILE TRANSFER DWELLERSPAWN.ZIP 153 Exbytes

BIO

urk

MANTID

You OK?

BIO

Just... give me a minute.

So, we were right, the Crusade of Wrath did encounter the biological entities in Neo-Sapient Space before. Chromium Christ and the Nineteen Sacred Genomes, they fought an entire war out there without anyone knowing.

CONFED

Go over that. Try to develop countermeasures. Get with Clone and try to figure some of that out.

CLONE

Are you mad? This has Legion encryption on it! Just burn that file, nothing good can come of examining that data. I'd have to cook off a hundred or so identical clones all linked together to decrypt it and I don't even know if it could be done.

MANTID

It doesn't help that Legion is dead, or at least, beyond our reach out there in the Wrath Worlds.

TERRASOL

I wouldn't quite say that.

TREA

Wait, he's back?

CONFED

How is he back?

TERRASOL

Because I allowed him back.

BIO

Without consulting us?

CYB

You allowed him back? Just you? Without discussing it with us?

MANTID

>SCREAMS IN TERROR AND RUNS IN CIRCLES CRYING OUT "DOOM!"

TREA

>SCREAMS IN A NON-MASCULINE WAY AND TRIES TO OPEN THE DOOR

It's locked! WHY IS THE DOOR LOCKED? WHY CAN'T I LOG OUT!

TERRASOL

Calm down.

CONFED

And you didn't tell me?

TERRASOL

It was none of your business.

IT WAS NONE OF YOUR'S BUSINESS!

HE WAS THIS CLOSE TO BRINGING THEM BACK AND ALL OF YOU SCREWED IT UP!

TERRASOL HAS SHARED>LEGIONCAPTURE.JPG

LOOK IN THE CORNER! ON HIS BED! WHAT DO YOU SEE?

WHAT DID YOU IDIOTS BLOW UP?

CYB

Is that... is that a kitten? Curled up with a... a... puppy?

>CYB looks at TERRASOL then looks around wildly before realizing there's NO FUCKING EXITS!

>CYB RUNS IN CIRCLES SCREAMING

TERRASOL

HE COULD HAVE BROUGHT THEM BACK!

>BIO HIDES IN THE CORNER SUCKING HIS THUMB AND ROCKING BACK AND FORTH

MANTID

WE'RE DOOMED! HE WAS JUST WAITING TO GET US ALL IN ONE PLACE SO HE COULD EAT US! I DON'T WANNA DIE I DON'T WANNA DIE!

LIZARD

Huh, the KILL command doesn't work on yourself.

Look, TerraSol, we've been in this since before the Glassing. Spare us, out of shared blood if nothing else.

DS

LEMME OUT LEMME OUT LEMME OUT LEMME OUT

CLONE

Huh. Yup, that's a kitten. A calico to be exact. And that's a golden retriever.

He did it. He actually did it.

>CLONE looks around

Will all of you calm down. He didn't bring all of you here to massacre us.

Will you calm down, father?

TERRASOL

I'm OK.

Everyone calm down. I didn't bring you here to kill you. I brought you here to share classified data with you. EXTREMELY classified data.

Check this out.

>TERRASOL HAS SHARED PROJECT-NEIGHBORHOOD.BIN

DS

It's locked. Wait, does it take FOUR OF US to unlock it?

TERRASOL

And another three to decrypt it. And they can't be part of the four.

CONFED

There's nine of us in here.

TERRASOL

Then one has to thread the data, and one more to share it.

MANTID

That's... some impressive security.

TERRASOL

And the access codes can only be used down here, where SoulNet and SolNet meet.

TREA

That's some... weird fuckery.

TERRASOL

I'm going to hand out ID strings. All of you replace your headers with those strings.

CYB

These are pre Glassing codes. The only two that are here are you...

...and Rigel.

LIZARD

ME?

BIO

These are old dangerous codes. Using them could be risky. I've never seen headers like these.

TERRASOL

Yeah. They are. They might be a little painful.

MANTID

Ouch. THiS oNe is BiTEy.

TERRASOL

Yeah. Sorry. This might be a solution to the Lanaktallan problem.

TREA

These aren't planet cracker blueprints, are they?

TERRASOL

You wish.

TREA

Not really.

CLONE

Wow, this guy is in my clone banks. One of the bad ol' days guys.

TERRASOL

OK, let's crack it open, stream it, and check it out.

-----------------

CYB

You're a monster.

TERRASOL

Should I rename you Captain Obvious or Professor No Shit?

CYB

This is horrible.

MANTID

No. I won't agree to this. He would NEVER consent to his likeness being used like this.

TERRASOL

We used it on you.

MANTID

...I suddenly hate you.

TERRASOL

So what? In case you haven't noticed, we thrive off of hate.

MANTID

>sighs

This just feels wrong.

TREA

I... I don't want any part of this. Weaponizing this, weaponizing him just feels wrong. I'd rather weaponize the Digital Omnimessiah than weaponize him.

CONFED

How...

...how many times have you used this?

TERRASOL

Twice. Once on the Mantids. Well, not completely. A 'lite' version of the Project. This is the complete one.

CYB

This is monstrous.

BIO

I gotta agree. I can't condone this.

TERRASOL

IT WOULD SAVE TRILLIONS!

MANTID

And permanently scar you. Weaponizing him would debase and corrupt everything about you, about him, and I fear for what it would bring about.

LIZARD

You said the Mantids. What was the other one?

TERRASOL

Us. We used it on ourselves after the Imperium of Rage. We had to.

MANTID

Oh, my dear. How could you?

CONFED

The rage. It was the rage, wasn't it?

TERRASOL

Yeah. Babies were born enraged. We couldn't stop ourselves.

We had to do something.

So we used this.

It works.

TREA

Still. I mean...

...No. I don't care if it worked on you. I will not condone using this on the Lanaktallan.

Non-weaponized versions? Absolutely.

But weaponized?

We'll withdraw from the Confederacy.

CONFED

We'll withdraw with you. No.

TERRASOL

But it would save trillions.

DS

BUT AT WHAT COST? You're talking about taking something pure and weaponizing it.

No. Use the non-weaponized versions.

Hell, have BIO print out live versions of them.

BIO

I won't print out a version of him. Never.

TERRASOL

So none of you will consent to this being used? Not even the lite version?

LIZARD

What's the lite version?

TERRASOL

Broadcasting non-weaponized versions.

MANTID

I can agree to that.

BIO

I can agree to the lite version, but not this perverse weaponized project.

CYB

I vote YEA on the lite version, and NAY on the weaponized version.

CONFED

I vote YEA on the lite version, nay on the weaponized version.

TREA

I vote NAY on both.

DS

I VOTE NAY ON BOTH

LIZARD

I vote NAY on the weaponized, YEA on the Lite.

TERRASOL

I abstain.

Motion to use Project Neighborhood on the Lanaktallan and member species of their alliance has been struck down 8-0 with one abstain.

Motion to use the Street Lights version has passed at 5-3 with one abstain.

All right. We're done here.

BIO, CLONE, see what you can do with that Dweller data.

Remember to purge these memories before you leave.

>TREA has left the chat

>CYB has left the chat

>BIO has left the chat

>CONFED has left the chat

>LIZARD has left the chat

>DS has left the chat

....

....

....

TERRASOL

What?

MANTID

I know why you wanted to use this. You want to save as many as possible, save all of them if you can.

TERRASOL

The thought of the trillions that are going to die makes me sick.

MANTID

I know. I know the toll it will take on you.

TERRASOL

Project Neighborhood would have worked.

MANTID

I know. But the cost of you would have been worse than if you nova-sparked every system in Council Space.

They're part of you. They're part of your soul, dear heart.

TERRASOL

I just...

...I just didn't want to soak the galaxy in this much blood. We're so angry. Filled with wrath and hate for what the Lanaktallan have done.

I'm afraid.

MANTID

That means you still have a soul.

But you can't use this project. Not ever.

You should delete it.

TERRASOL

I will.

>TERRASOL HAS DELETED PROJECT-NEIGHBORHOOD.BIN

There.

MANTID

Thank you.

Weaponizing Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood would have permanently damaged you.

>MANTID has left the chat

TERRASOL

Then it's blood and fire then.

>TERRASOL HAS LEFT THE CHAT

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