PrincessOfNothing Member
- Last Seen: 6 yrs ago
- Joined: 11 yrs ago
- Posts: 264 (0.07 / day)
- VMs: 1
-
Username history
- PrincessOfNothing 11 yrs ago
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
Walking alone in the halls, Alice crossed her arms and sighed softly. She desperately wished Tori was still there. As a matter of fact, she wished anybody would be there right now. Maybe she left too hastily, because now all she wanted was somebody to just interact with. Maybe talk, or play video games with, anything. For a moment she stopped in the middle of the hallway and bit her lip as she thought, before turning back around and beginning to return back to the squad room. The small hope that was growing on her face was crushed, and she instantly froze the moment she heard a pair of technicians in white lab coats.
“ALI-009”
DON’T CALL ME THAT. THAT’S NOT MY NAME.
Trying to keep her anxious trembling to a minimum, she silently turned back around, facing two of her engineers. With all her strength, she twisted her face into an affected, compliant smile, and answered
“Yes, it must have slipped my mind...I apologize…”
"Slipped your.. mind..?" One of the technicians asked aloud, his face scrunching in a critical manner as jotted down a few notes on his datapad. "Thats wierd.." the technician muttered as he began walking down the corridor, gesturing for Alice to follow.
“I-I, um...yes...you suggested that I may have forgotten...so I responded with an idiom that coheres with that sentiment...I learned it from the 7th…”
As soon as the technicians turned away to lead her away, she tightly balled her hands into fists. Her mask of obedience became a scowl as she stared daggers at them. Lie, lie, lie. Alice would lie through her teeth if it would convince these ones. It’s not like they’d figure it out immediately, while she could easily recognize if they did. They were weak. These organics were weaker than her. Weak! She didn’t need to answer to such weak creatures, because she was strong. If she so wanted, she could crush these two like insects. Then she could flit to her Eagle and lay waste to the Lincoln before anyone would even know what happened.
"Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; -- obey!"
But...no...that was wrong! She couldn’t do that! She wouldn’t do that! She only destroyed others because that was her directive. And it’s not like she could just not kill enemy forces. Gerard may not understand, but a weapon that does not kill is abandoned, or modified until it did.
The technians led her to the Lincoln's on board R&D lab, less a laboratory for developing, and more a space for the maintinence for the ship's delicate electronics. The lab was a fairly large room, clean and well kept, with various electronic terminals and machines hanging around. Close to a dozen white coats wandered the lab, either tinkering with different pieces of equipment, typing on computers, or conversing with one another as different lights and data streamed down different screens.
"This way, ALI-009" The technician said as he led her to a large platform in the center of the room. The round platform featured a small pillar, with an interface plug for Alice's android shell to plug into. Standing by the platform's interface terminal was a woman flanked by another pair of technicians. Alice's scanners easily identified the woman as Dr. Reina Santoro, the head of the several of the UEE's major AI programs.
"Alice," Dr. Santoro said with a warm smile, "Are you ready to begin?"
Begrudgingly, Alice followed her captors to the R&D lab. Here were more engineers that her entoptic interface recognized, and Alice’s scowl quickly melted into the same unassuming smile to evade suspicion. The last of them was Dr. Santoro, who like Tori was, also a source of warmth in her existence. Out of all her engineers, she was the sole one to treat her like a conscious being instead of ordnance. Seeing her, she calmed down slightly and went onto the platform, plugging into the jack. At Dr. Santoro’s voice, she gave a genuine smile and nodded at her question
“Ready, Dr. Santoro.”
As Alice plugged into the system, she could see- or more correctly, feel numbers and data begin coursing through her being. In this state she could still make out what the technicians were saying, but she could feel the keystrokes they made on the terminal, as though it was meddling with the fiber of her being.
"ALI-009 has been getting increasingly violent as of late, doctor." One of the technicians noted as he rapped a series of keystrokes into the computer. "Have you reviewed her combat data from the last combat mission?"
"It appears its aggression levels have increased yet again- I think it may have overrode its inhibitors again."
"Damage to the Eagle was extensive, much more than previous missions." another technician added. "I think it may be best to wipe its memory and reformat it."
"N-No!"
"What did you say?" the first technician asked, almost irritatedly, "You're not supposed to talk back-" the technician had begun reaching over to the terminal before Dr. Santoro interrupted him.
"What Alice means, is that by wiping her memory, you risk corrupting the AI core, as well as eradicating the learned combat procedures and maneuvers, right Alice?" Dr. Santoro interjected smoothly, her warm voice protective, yet professional.
"Yes...while I understand basic rules of combat, through my service with the 7th, I have learned new methods of fighting. In the battleground, soldiers don't necessarily act as logic dictates, and with the 7th, I have learned to harness the unpredictability of combat to fight more efficiently. I have only learned this through experience, so wiping my memory would mean losing this, and having to start all over."
Alice's voice trembled slightly as she continued
"And I...have grown attached to the 7th..."
"There it goes again," one of the technicians sighed exasperatedly, "All this talk about 'attachment'. ALI-009 continues to fail to recognize its own logic circuits and loyalty protocols, Dr. Santoro-"
"With all due respect, sir, do you not recognize your own? Human experience and consciousness is merely a collection of electrochemical impulses. Emotions are controlled by hormones, even what you call love is a cocktail of chemicals that encourage reproduction. Is it so strange to suggest I can feel the same things, merely in another form? I-"
"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME." The technician spat, red-faced with anger. The man was nearly shaking at this point. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" The scientist continued.
"You are a series of AI developed for warfare. Not emotion and love. What the actual fuck?!"
The scientist took a deep breath before he turned to Dr. Santoro. "The ARTEI series has considerably less issues and is superior to the ALI series by far. I would yet again like to recommend replacing this defective piece of junk with something that can follow orders. Like for instance, an ARTEI, or even a TACOSA unit."
The scientist opened his mouth to continue, but Dr. Santoro silenced him with an irritated flick of her hand. "Dr. Beil, you're obviously getting quite heated. I understand that you're used to the higher obedience priorities of the ARTEI and TACOSA series, but that is what makes them so limited when compared to the capabilities of a unit like Alice. Why don't you take a break, and let me handle Alice's maintinence?"
Dr. Beil shot Santoro a glare, and shifted his gaze towards Alice for a long moment before he finally sighed. Walking away with a huff, he left Santoro and Alice alone. Giving a long, tired sigh, Dr. Santoro pushed her glasses further up on her face and approached Alice, her brown hair bobbing sligtly as she moved.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Alice, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked in a quiet voice, almost a whisper.
Alice was still in slight shock from the Dr. Beil and the threat of him and her erasure. After a few moments, and with the help of Dr. Santoro's presence, she was able to regain most of her composure.
"I am alright, Dr. Santoro...t-thank you for your support of me..."
"Theres no need to thank me dear," the doctor said warmly as she patted Alice's cheek. "They just don't understand your potential like I do."
"Now, lets get on with that maintinence check." the doctor said as she returned to the terminal. Her fingers flew across the keyboard with graceful strokes. Again, Alice felt the machine she was plugged into maniplating what felt like the very fiber of her being. However, by the Santoro's hands, this manipulation felt not invasive, or stressful, but rather relaxing, as her core processers were cleaned of excess data and fragments, and her memory was compressed and stored.
As Alice was restored to full working order, Dr. Santoro spoke to her quietly. "Alice, you must understand that not all the other scientists understand the depth of your emotions and capabilities. You need to find ways to keep your aggression in check, or else the other scientists may try to reformat you again- and I may not be able to stop them."
With Reina performing her maintenance, Alice allowed her body to relax and enjoy the experience. Unlike with the other engineers, Alice had a full trust of Reina as she probed the deeper parts of her root code, as if she didn’t have to hide from her. Her hands had a more pleasant finesse than the other engineers, and by the end of the process, Alice felt as if a calming wave washed over her, cleaning her of her current anxiety and anger.
“I understand, Dr. Santoro. And I apologize for my aggression, especially in the most recent mission. The recent death of Tori has affected me deeply, and Mr. Astelion has not taken it well either. I was very attached to her as well, all of the 7th were. But I understand that I can’t let myself be consumed by this, nor let my anger control me. I will find a way to control it instead, I promise…”
"Try going to the gym some time," Dr. Santoro suggested, "You can't build muscle mass or burn fat like humans, but it could serve as a destressor. The others might have need ot a training or sparring partner from time to time as well."
Finishing her maintinence, Dr. Santoro clapped her hands together lightly, "Alright Alice, everything looks fine from here. Unless you have any more concerns, you're free to go."
Alice gave another genuine smile and unplugged from the interface jack. As she moved her limbs slightly, she nodded at Dr. Santoro's suggestions.
"Those sound like efficient solutions to my temper. I think Maki is at the gym, and some of the others of the 7th might be there as well. Thank you, Dr.-...Reina.", with a slight hesitance and a strong caution, she slowly hugged Dr. Santoro, careful not to hurt her with her increased strength. With that, she smiled, and left the lab to see her comrades at the gym.
Soon, she reached the gym, indeed finding Trapp, McKnight, Sokolov, and Astelion at the sparring ring. With a light stomp, she sent a resounding clang that could be heard throughout the entire gym, especially by her four team mates. Cracking her knuckles as she grinned playfully, she asked
"Okay, so who's first?"
“ALI-009”
DON’T CALL ME THAT. THAT’S NOT MY NAME.
Trying to keep her anxious trembling to a minimum, she silently turned back around, facing two of her engineers. With all her strength, she twisted her face into an affected, compliant smile, and answered
“Yes, it must have slipped my mind...I apologize…”
"Slipped your.. mind..?" One of the technicians asked aloud, his face scrunching in a critical manner as jotted down a few notes on his datapad. "Thats wierd.." the technician muttered as he began walking down the corridor, gesturing for Alice to follow.
“I-I, um...yes...you suggested that I may have forgotten...so I responded with an idiom that coheres with that sentiment...I learned it from the 7th…”
As soon as the technicians turned away to lead her away, she tightly balled her hands into fists. Her mask of obedience became a scowl as she stared daggers at them. Lie, lie, lie. Alice would lie through her teeth if it would convince these ones. It’s not like they’d figure it out immediately, while she could easily recognize if they did. They were weak. These organics were weaker than her. Weak! She didn’t need to answer to such weak creatures, because she was strong. If she so wanted, she could crush these two like insects. Then she could flit to her Eagle and lay waste to the Lincoln before anyone would even know what happened.
"Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; -- obey!"
But...no...that was wrong! She couldn’t do that! She wouldn’t do that! She only destroyed others because that was her directive. And it’s not like she could just not kill enemy forces. Gerard may not understand, but a weapon that does not kill is abandoned, or modified until it did.
The technians led her to the Lincoln's on board R&D lab, less a laboratory for developing, and more a space for the maintinence for the ship's delicate electronics. The lab was a fairly large room, clean and well kept, with various electronic terminals and machines hanging around. Close to a dozen white coats wandered the lab, either tinkering with different pieces of equipment, typing on computers, or conversing with one another as different lights and data streamed down different screens.
"This way, ALI-009" The technician said as he led her to a large platform in the center of the room. The round platform featured a small pillar, with an interface plug for Alice's android shell to plug into. Standing by the platform's interface terminal was a woman flanked by another pair of technicians. Alice's scanners easily identified the woman as Dr. Reina Santoro, the head of the several of the UEE's major AI programs.
"Alice," Dr. Santoro said with a warm smile, "Are you ready to begin?"
Begrudgingly, Alice followed her captors to the R&D lab. Here were more engineers that her entoptic interface recognized, and Alice’s scowl quickly melted into the same unassuming smile to evade suspicion. The last of them was Dr. Santoro, who like Tori was, also a source of warmth in her existence. Out of all her engineers, she was the sole one to treat her like a conscious being instead of ordnance. Seeing her, she calmed down slightly and went onto the platform, plugging into the jack. At Dr. Santoro’s voice, she gave a genuine smile and nodded at her question
“Ready, Dr. Santoro.”
As Alice plugged into the system, she could see- or more correctly, feel numbers and data begin coursing through her being. In this state she could still make out what the technicians were saying, but she could feel the keystrokes they made on the terminal, as though it was meddling with the fiber of her being.
"ALI-009 has been getting increasingly violent as of late, doctor." One of the technicians noted as he rapped a series of keystrokes into the computer. "Have you reviewed her combat data from the last combat mission?"
"It appears its aggression levels have increased yet again- I think it may have overrode its inhibitors again."
"Damage to the Eagle was extensive, much more than previous missions." another technician added. "I think it may be best to wipe its memory and reformat it."
"N-No!"
"What did you say?" the first technician asked, almost irritatedly, "You're not supposed to talk back-" the technician had begun reaching over to the terminal before Dr. Santoro interrupted him.
"What Alice means, is that by wiping her memory, you risk corrupting the AI core, as well as eradicating the learned combat procedures and maneuvers, right Alice?" Dr. Santoro interjected smoothly, her warm voice protective, yet professional.
"Yes...while I understand basic rules of combat, through my service with the 7th, I have learned new methods of fighting. In the battleground, soldiers don't necessarily act as logic dictates, and with the 7th, I have learned to harness the unpredictability of combat to fight more efficiently. I have only learned this through experience, so wiping my memory would mean losing this, and having to start all over."
Alice's voice trembled slightly as she continued
"And I...have grown attached to the 7th..."
"There it goes again," one of the technicians sighed exasperatedly, "All this talk about 'attachment'. ALI-009 continues to fail to recognize its own logic circuits and loyalty protocols, Dr. Santoro-"
"With all due respect, sir, do you not recognize your own? Human experience and consciousness is merely a collection of electrochemical impulses. Emotions are controlled by hormones, even what you call love is a cocktail of chemicals that encourage reproduction. Is it so strange to suggest I can feel the same things, merely in another form? I-"
"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME." The technician spat, red-faced with anger. The man was nearly shaking at this point. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" The scientist continued.
"You are a series of AI developed for warfare. Not emotion and love. What the actual fuck?!"
The scientist took a deep breath before he turned to Dr. Santoro. "The ARTEI series has considerably less issues and is superior to the ALI series by far. I would yet again like to recommend replacing this defective piece of junk with something that can follow orders. Like for instance, an ARTEI, or even a TACOSA unit."
The scientist opened his mouth to continue, but Dr. Santoro silenced him with an irritated flick of her hand. "Dr. Beil, you're obviously getting quite heated. I understand that you're used to the higher obedience priorities of the ARTEI and TACOSA series, but that is what makes them so limited when compared to the capabilities of a unit like Alice. Why don't you take a break, and let me handle Alice's maintinence?"
Dr. Beil shot Santoro a glare, and shifted his gaze towards Alice for a long moment before he finally sighed. Walking away with a huff, he left Santoro and Alice alone. Giving a long, tired sigh, Dr. Santoro pushed her glasses further up on her face and approached Alice, her brown hair bobbing sligtly as she moved.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Alice, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked in a quiet voice, almost a whisper.
Alice was still in slight shock from the Dr. Beil and the threat of him and her erasure. After a few moments, and with the help of Dr. Santoro's presence, she was able to regain most of her composure.
"I am alright, Dr. Santoro...t-thank you for your support of me..."
"Theres no need to thank me dear," the doctor said warmly as she patted Alice's cheek. "They just don't understand your potential like I do."
"Now, lets get on with that maintinence check." the doctor said as she returned to the terminal. Her fingers flew across the keyboard with graceful strokes. Again, Alice felt the machine she was plugged into maniplating what felt like the very fiber of her being. However, by the Santoro's hands, this manipulation felt not invasive, or stressful, but rather relaxing, as her core processers were cleaned of excess data and fragments, and her memory was compressed and stored.
As Alice was restored to full working order, Dr. Santoro spoke to her quietly. "Alice, you must understand that not all the other scientists understand the depth of your emotions and capabilities. You need to find ways to keep your aggression in check, or else the other scientists may try to reformat you again- and I may not be able to stop them."
With Reina performing her maintenance, Alice allowed her body to relax and enjoy the experience. Unlike with the other engineers, Alice had a full trust of Reina as she probed the deeper parts of her root code, as if she didn’t have to hide from her. Her hands had a more pleasant finesse than the other engineers, and by the end of the process, Alice felt as if a calming wave washed over her, cleaning her of her current anxiety and anger.
“I understand, Dr. Santoro. And I apologize for my aggression, especially in the most recent mission. The recent death of Tori has affected me deeply, and Mr. Astelion has not taken it well either. I was very attached to her as well, all of the 7th were. But I understand that I can’t let myself be consumed by this, nor let my anger control me. I will find a way to control it instead, I promise…”
"Try going to the gym some time," Dr. Santoro suggested, "You can't build muscle mass or burn fat like humans, but it could serve as a destressor. The others might have need ot a training or sparring partner from time to time as well."
Finishing her maintinence, Dr. Santoro clapped her hands together lightly, "Alright Alice, everything looks fine from here. Unless you have any more concerns, you're free to go."
Alice gave another genuine smile and unplugged from the interface jack. As she moved her limbs slightly, she nodded at Dr. Santoro's suggestions.
"Those sound like efficient solutions to my temper. I think Maki is at the gym, and some of the others of the 7th might be there as well. Thank you, Dr.-...Reina.", with a slight hesitance and a strong caution, she slowly hugged Dr. Santoro, careful not to hurt her with her increased strength. With that, she smiled, and left the lab to see her comrades at the gym.
Soon, she reached the gym, indeed finding Trapp, McKnight, Sokolov, and Astelion at the sparring ring. With a light stomp, she sent a resounding clang that could be heard throughout the entire gym, especially by her four team mates. Cracking her knuckles as she grinned playfully, she asked
"Okay, so who's first?"
speaking of which, I also need to collab with @PrincessOfNothing, for Alice's maintenance.
Ah yes, I was going to ask you about how to do Alice's maintenance!
Amd then theres alice. I can imagine her doing wrestling moves and lucha libre stuff.
I'd imagine something along the lines of this
Alice followed Ari and the others to their squad room. While it wasn’t completely necessary, out of courtesy she held her body close to herself to allow her team mates more room in the rather cramped interior of the Lincoln. From there, she found her spot in the squad room and stayed there as the group listened to Trapp and his after action report. He began with standard statistics, kill counts and the such before taking out a box. From the box he produced a number of dog tags.
One by one, he listed the former owners of each tag. Their age, identification number, and for many, their cause of death. It was clear he personally and deeply knew each and every one of these men and women before they died. This was a stark reminder to the 7th of everyone who had given their lives so they could have the chance to continue fighting in this war. People died and will continue to die for them so they can go on to win. Again, war protected no one, no matter how good or bad, or even winners and losers.
She froze when Trapp mentioned Tori. He was right. Tori believed in each and every one of them; she was in a sense, the team’s mother. Tori truly understood Alice, even as she matured and newer emotions and behaviors emerged. She didn’t presume that these emotions were evident of humanity in Alice, but instead that Alice herself was growing into her own individual person. And now, Alice was not only endangering herself, but her friends by surrendering to her anger. If Tori were still here to witness this kind of behavior from her, she would most certainly be disappointed.
Even more shame and embarrassment filled Alice, and she began trembling slightly. Trapp finished his report with an invitation for the 7th to partake in alcohol. But Alice was a machine, and of course wasn’t affected by the intoxicating effects of alcohol and other recreational drugs, so that really wasn’t going to work. She wasn’t able to escape her anxiety like her organic counterparts by drinking. Instead, she had to suffer through it all with full mental capacity and awareness.
When Gerard put forth his confession, she couldn’t help but frown. There was no denying that those among the Coalition ranks were people too. They had families, friends, and dreams. But the issue was whether that mattered when they were shooting at Alice and her own “family” with intent to kill. To consider that their personhood in the battlefield would only serve to foster sympathy with the enemy. And feeling compassion and kinship, if even for a second, towards those that would show no mercy to you or anyone you loved, would lead to your own death. That was the price of valuing honor over reason.
Alice had seen how Gerard spared the lives of Coalition pilots. Pilots that would only return to fight them again in the future. The 7th’s allies gave their lives to give them more opportunities to succeed against the Coalition. And still, Gerard would spare the lives of their enemies, in turn, giving the Coalition pilots and soldiers more opportunities to try to kill them again, and maybe they would even succeed. This was a weakness, and while Gerard was strong, but Alice couldn’t help but feel that one day this weakness would get him killed. And she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, just like with Tori.
She didn't want to fail again. She wasn’t going to be useless.
“Mr. Delacroix, I apologize if I seem cruel, but who the enemy is doesn't matter. There is no doubt that they are people like us. But in combat, they would still waste no opportunity to kill you, me, or any of us. By sparing the Coalition, you are giving them these opportunities. Countless members of the UEE, from the owners of those dog tags to..." Alice's voice shook and wobbled with distress. If she had tear ducts, she'd be using them now. "...To Tori Astelion...they gave their lives fighting the Coalition so we could have the chance to win. One of my directives is to protect my team mates, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure your survival.”
With a small huff, Alice left the squad room. So many things on her mind, and she just wanted to be alone to think about them. Maybe she’d find something to do to take her mind off of them, or maybe she wouldn't. But for now, she just needed to think.
One by one, he listed the former owners of each tag. Their age, identification number, and for many, their cause of death. It was clear he personally and deeply knew each and every one of these men and women before they died. This was a stark reminder to the 7th of everyone who had given their lives so they could have the chance to continue fighting in this war. People died and will continue to die for them so they can go on to win. Again, war protected no one, no matter how good or bad, or even winners and losers.
She froze when Trapp mentioned Tori. He was right. Tori believed in each and every one of them; she was in a sense, the team’s mother. Tori truly understood Alice, even as she matured and newer emotions and behaviors emerged. She didn’t presume that these emotions were evident of humanity in Alice, but instead that Alice herself was growing into her own individual person. And now, Alice was not only endangering herself, but her friends by surrendering to her anger. If Tori were still here to witness this kind of behavior from her, she would most certainly be disappointed.
Even more shame and embarrassment filled Alice, and she began trembling slightly. Trapp finished his report with an invitation for the 7th to partake in alcohol. But Alice was a machine, and of course wasn’t affected by the intoxicating effects of alcohol and other recreational drugs, so that really wasn’t going to work. She wasn’t able to escape her anxiety like her organic counterparts by drinking. Instead, she had to suffer through it all with full mental capacity and awareness.
When Gerard put forth his confession, she couldn’t help but frown. There was no denying that those among the Coalition ranks were people too. They had families, friends, and dreams. But the issue was whether that mattered when they were shooting at Alice and her own “family” with intent to kill. To consider that their personhood in the battlefield would only serve to foster sympathy with the enemy. And feeling compassion and kinship, if even for a second, towards those that would show no mercy to you or anyone you loved, would lead to your own death. That was the price of valuing honor over reason.
Alice had seen how Gerard spared the lives of Coalition pilots. Pilots that would only return to fight them again in the future. The 7th’s allies gave their lives to give them more opportunities to succeed against the Coalition. And still, Gerard would spare the lives of their enemies, in turn, giving the Coalition pilots and soldiers more opportunities to try to kill them again, and maybe they would even succeed. This was a weakness, and while Gerard was strong, but Alice couldn’t help but feel that one day this weakness would get him killed. And she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, just like with Tori.
She didn't want to fail again. She wasn’t going to be useless.
“Mr. Delacroix, I apologize if I seem cruel, but who the enemy is doesn't matter. There is no doubt that they are people like us. But in combat, they would still waste no opportunity to kill you, me, or any of us. By sparing the Coalition, you are giving them these opportunities. Countless members of the UEE, from the owners of those dog tags to..." Alice's voice shook and wobbled with distress. If she had tear ducts, she'd be using them now. "...To Tori Astelion...they gave their lives fighting the Coalition so we could have the chance to win. One of my directives is to protect my team mates, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure your survival.”
With a small huff, Alice left the squad room. So many things on her mind, and she just wanted to be alone to think about them. Maybe she’d find something to do to take her mind off of them, or maybe she wouldn't. But for now, she just needed to think.
*Looks at large quads and glUtes* ...i need to stop leg day.
There's never enough leg day. At least until you can crush a watermelon with your legs
Hey have y'all heard of Steel Battalion? Cause someone made like, a giant cockpit controller for it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpS1SVeBQ1M
It's so beautiful, I think I might cry
It's so beautiful, I think I might cry
The Eagle cast a subtle but knowing glance through space at Guillotine’s Marauder. It was clear through the attempted but absent response he had given her that her actions had upset him to some extent. But she did what she had to do. There were only two types of people in wars: the living and the dead. From her perspective, there were further friendlies and targets. And which ever an individual was at any given moment was not considerate of what they did outside of the battlefield. Any life could be extinguished in an instant. The lives of good people and bad, of people who were loved and hated. The death of Tori painfully reminded her of that.
Tori...
She began letting out a synthetic growl, low and distorted, and not given to the illusion of humanity that her previous vocal monotony produced. The growl indicated that an anger was growing inside her, as it often did. This was not something she willed, nor could she even control. The smallest mistakes could quickly frustrate her, and sometimes emotions like grief would be expressed through anger. She didn’t like being angry, especially in battle, because it made her impulsive and do things she wouldn’t do with a clear mind.
After receiving new orders from Marquis and regrouping with Guillotine and Sokolov, Alice couldn’t help but watch with awe at the incredible sight of the wave motion gun firing. A beam of gleaming plasma pierced through space before finally impaling the Coalition destroyer, splitting it in two. The remaining halves didn’t survive long, both erupting in further explosions. Then it was done, the destroyer was, well, destroyed. Even Alice could understand and appreciate the irony in such an event. As the explosions subsided, her mind returned to the mission at hand.
The bomb team regrouped, and by now, Alice was getting fidgety. As her temper was kindled, she, for lack of a better word, began to itch for combat. Fighting was her catharsis, her way of releasing this anger. When she was like this, she became impatient. She began tapping the Eagle’s fingers against her rifle, a form of stimming that relieved her stress, if only for a short time. Eventually, before they could decide on a plan, Wes haphazardly sped into battle. She took this as a go ahead and did the same. However, her MAS was much more faster, and surged past him, ready to fight.
After finally calming down from her tantrum, Alice was becoming frustrated again. Not long after the bomb team destroyed the Coalition cruiser, they were being pulled back to the Lincoln. This order would mean abandoning the Ulysses and the many civilians on it, let alone their own soldiers. Such orders lacking even the most basic foresight from the UEE leadership that technically owned Alice, mind and body, baffled her. Even if she was just a tool to them, at least she was an effective tool. In the right hands she could do amazing things. Even in her own hands she might even be able to do more! But she didn’t seem to be in good hands, and that was the problem. If a solution existed to this problem, would it even be feasible?
Nevertheless, she had to obey orders. With the rest of the bomb team, she swiftly flew back to the Lincoln. Every once in a while, her thrusters sputtered slightly from the damage. By now, the Eagle was noticeably damaged, it’s formerly pristine ivory armor marred with the scars of war. Scorch and scratch marks covered the surface of the White Rabbit, almost to the point of the armor appearing black. But Alice still moved with a grace and care as she navigated the scattered debris of the cruiser following the charge’s detonation, as well as fire from the rest of the Coalition forces.
When they neared the hangar, Alice watched the remains of a Ferir drift away, disabled by Maki and Gerard. For a second, she raised her rifle to destroy it and kill the pilot within, before realizing she lacked enough ammo to finish them off. Even though she could not show mercy to her targets, she couldn’t be blamed for circumstances out of her control, right? Not everyone was as lucky as this pilot was, at least not for long.
Alongside the other pilots of the 7th, Alice expertly docked the machine back in the hanger. While the Eagle was clamped into place, Alice transferred herself back into her body. Letting out a small shudder, she began carefully stretching her body within the rather small space.
The embarrassment from her earlier tantrum remained. Gerard was correct, she needed to control her temper. But then again, some things are easier said than done. Now, she just needed to hope her engineers found out. They knew what was in her code, but they didn’t seem exactly detect the error that likely caused her temper. And unless they read her root code to a rubber duck, they wouldn’t find out any time soon.
Pushing the thoughts out of her head and replacing them with excitement about William’s success on her first sortie, Alice began to exit her MAS. Creaking gently under the stress of the recent damages, the Eagle’s cockpit opened up, allowing her to crawl out. Once on the ground, she eagerly found her way to Ari, leaving the White Rabbit and its repair to her Engineers. Wes joined Alice, and a smile grew on her face as she met Ari. “Congratulations, Miss Williams! You performed excellently on your first mission!”
"Of course it was him," Wes replied to Gerard as he walked in besides Alice, a bit of a sneer on his face. "What self preserving general wouldn't throw away thousands of lives? And I don't care if he hears me saying this. I'm not some toe-twoed private. Its not like he can court martial us for hurting his feelings."
Tori...
She began letting out a synthetic growl, low and distorted, and not given to the illusion of humanity that her previous vocal monotony produced. The growl indicated that an anger was growing inside her, as it often did. This was not something she willed, nor could she even control. The smallest mistakes could quickly frustrate her, and sometimes emotions like grief would be expressed through anger. She didn’t like being angry, especially in battle, because it made her impulsive and do things she wouldn’t do with a clear mind.
After receiving new orders from Marquis and regrouping with Guillotine and Sokolov, Alice couldn’t help but watch with awe at the incredible sight of the wave motion gun firing. A beam of gleaming plasma pierced through space before finally impaling the Coalition destroyer, splitting it in two. The remaining halves didn’t survive long, both erupting in further explosions. Then it was done, the destroyer was, well, destroyed. Even Alice could understand and appreciate the irony in such an event. As the explosions subsided, her mind returned to the mission at hand.
The bomb team regrouped, and by now, Alice was getting fidgety. As her temper was kindled, she, for lack of a better word, began to itch for combat. Fighting was her catharsis, her way of releasing this anger. When she was like this, she became impatient. She began tapping the Eagle’s fingers against her rifle, a form of stimming that relieved her stress, if only for a short time. Eventually, before they could decide on a plan, Wes haphazardly sped into battle. She took this as a go ahead and did the same. However, her MAS was much more faster, and surged past him, ready to fight.
After finally calming down from her tantrum, Alice was becoming frustrated again. Not long after the bomb team destroyed the Coalition cruiser, they were being pulled back to the Lincoln. This order would mean abandoning the Ulysses and the many civilians on it, let alone their own soldiers. Such orders lacking even the most basic foresight from the UEE leadership that technically owned Alice, mind and body, baffled her. Even if she was just a tool to them, at least she was an effective tool. In the right hands she could do amazing things. Even in her own hands she might even be able to do more! But she didn’t seem to be in good hands, and that was the problem. If a solution existed to this problem, would it even be feasible?
Nevertheless, she had to obey orders. With the rest of the bomb team, she swiftly flew back to the Lincoln. Every once in a while, her thrusters sputtered slightly from the damage. By now, the Eagle was noticeably damaged, it’s formerly pristine ivory armor marred with the scars of war. Scorch and scratch marks covered the surface of the White Rabbit, almost to the point of the armor appearing black. But Alice still moved with a grace and care as she navigated the scattered debris of the cruiser following the charge’s detonation, as well as fire from the rest of the Coalition forces.
When they neared the hangar, Alice watched the remains of a Ferir drift away, disabled by Maki and Gerard. For a second, she raised her rifle to destroy it and kill the pilot within, before realizing she lacked enough ammo to finish them off. Even though she could not show mercy to her targets, she couldn’t be blamed for circumstances out of her control, right? Not everyone was as lucky as this pilot was, at least not for long.
Alongside the other pilots of the 7th, Alice expertly docked the machine back in the hanger. While the Eagle was clamped into place, Alice transferred herself back into her body. Letting out a small shudder, she began carefully stretching her body within the rather small space.
The embarrassment from her earlier tantrum remained. Gerard was correct, she needed to control her temper. But then again, some things are easier said than done. Now, she just needed to hope her engineers found out. They knew what was in her code, but they didn’t seem exactly detect the error that likely caused her temper. And unless they read her root code to a rubber duck, they wouldn’t find out any time soon.
Pushing the thoughts out of her head and replacing them with excitement about William’s success on her first sortie, Alice began to exit her MAS. Creaking gently under the stress of the recent damages, the Eagle’s cockpit opened up, allowing her to crawl out. Once on the ground, she eagerly found her way to Ari, leaving the White Rabbit and its repair to her Engineers. Wes joined Alice, and a smile grew on her face as she met Ari. “Congratulations, Miss Williams! You performed excellently on your first mission!”
"Of course it was him," Wes replied to Gerard as he walked in besides Alice, a bit of a sneer on his face. "What self preserving general wouldn't throw away thousands of lives? And I don't care if he hears me saying this. I'm not some toe-twoed private. Its not like he can court martial us for hurting his feelings."
<Snipped quote by vietmyke>
Yay! This calls for a celebration! High fives all around!
@vietmyke Sorry about that, myke! And I was hoping that follow your suggestion of letting our MASs take more damage proportionate to the danger of MAS combat, but I guess I ended up glossing over it a bit. Trust that by the time they delivered the charge, the Eagle was pretty beat up. And now that I think about it, the point blank missile thing might have been more appropriate during Alice's tantrum
@Howler Hell yeah she is
@Howler Hell yeah she is
© 2007-2024