"This seems like folly to me." Elly had come back after the ark brain was finished giving Xanthiana instructions on what to do, the EGO device was not happy with the situation. Xanthiana was driving hard, the Arkbrain told her she didn't have a lot of time and she trusted it for good or bad, she figured bad, but she was a pessimist like that.
"Which part? The part where we are taking on long odds by ourselves, or the part where if we fail an ark brain will unleash a virus on the area that will make the entire bay area completely unlivable for non votanis people forever?"
"Both!" The plague didn't really concern Xanthiana as much as a votan weapon killing humans in general concerned her. If the weapon was unleashed she was certain a new war would start up and this time no one would survive it.
"I can't have the ereps involved or they'll blame the votans, and I have no connection to the votanis collective, and or they'll want the weapon for themselves just in case. And as far as the weapon, well I'll be fine if we fail so you know we'll keep living."
"You're such a pessimist."
"Of course I am, if you had my life story you'd find it hard to believe in anything good in this, holy shiiiiittttt." Xanthiana slammed on the breaks and almost collided right into a Volge. The creature was just standing in the middle of the road like a lost animal, it didn't even seem to notice her at first. She sat frozen in the car, her hands gripping the steering wheel.
"Do they normally just stand there?" Elly broke the silence, if only in Xanthiana's head.
"I've never seen a volge in person before, I don't know what I'm supposed to do other than turn the car around and drive in the other direction as fast as possible." The volge stood there in the road not moving still, Xanthiana didn't know the creatures to travel alone, then again she had little actual experience with them outside of campfire tales.
"Do you think we can kill it? I'd love to study a Volge."
"I can kill anything given enough time, the bigger question is, can I kill it before it annihilates me with some volge horrible, I have no idea." The creature lurched once and the collapsed, it was of course surprising to Xanthiana. In theory anything can get sick and die, Xanthiana didn't know shit about the volge let alone what could kill one.
"Quick we have to examine it!"
"Why?"
"Because whatever killed it might be fatal to you as well."
"So you want me to examine the corpse and possibly get infected."
"There's some optimism assuming you already aren't infected."
"Elly please, don't be you for just like a little bit ok."
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Ark Brains
The wreck didn't look any different the second time around. It still smelled bad, and aside from it being darker inside Xanthiana didn't see anything that jumped out as especially dangerous. There wasn't any new sound or presence. She was about to ask Elly to find Deliah when she spotted the older woman on her knees sitting there like she was praying. Xanthiana approached her but couldn't seem to shake the woman out of whatever trance she was in. Then the ship went unnaturally quiet, and Xanthiana couldn't get a hold of Elly in her own head. And then Xanthiana's long dead, half remembered mother appeared.
"I mean you no harm Xanthiana." The voice wasn't her mothers, but Xanthiana didn't remember her mothers voice.
"Get out of my head Ark Brain." Xanthiana didn't know much about the computers, only they were the basis for the EGO tech and that some of them were extremely dangerous.
"You must listen to me Xanthiana, there is a danger here, other Votans are about to access an Ark ship they should leave alone."
"Why tell me, why not Deliah she's with the Erep." The image of her mother shimmered for a moment.
"She does not have an ego device, I've used some of my remaining power to remind her of her childhood, but I can not communicate with her like I do with you. This also concerns the Votanis Collective, if that Ark ship is breached and what is contained unleashed the earth will never be the same, and the votans will be to blame." Xanthiana wanted to tell the ark brain to fuck off and find someone else, but she couldn't, she couldn't let the world get worse than it already was.
"Ok, tell me what I need to know." The road to hell was paved with good intentions was an earth phrase, but it seemed to be the only one that made sense considering the situation.
"I mean you no harm Xanthiana." The voice wasn't her mothers, but Xanthiana didn't remember her mothers voice.
"Get out of my head Ark Brain." Xanthiana didn't know much about the computers, only they were the basis for the EGO tech and that some of them were extremely dangerous.
"You must listen to me Xanthiana, there is a danger here, other Votans are about to access an Ark ship they should leave alone."
"Why tell me, why not Deliah she's with the Erep." The image of her mother shimmered for a moment.
"She does not have an ego device, I've used some of my remaining power to remind her of her childhood, but I can not communicate with her like I do with you. This also concerns the Votanis Collective, if that Ark ship is breached and what is contained unleashed the earth will never be the same, and the votans will be to blame." Xanthiana wanted to tell the ark brain to fuck off and find someone else, but she couldn't, she couldn't let the world get worse than it already was.
"Ok, tell me what I need to know." The road to hell was paved with good intentions was an earth phrase, but it seemed to be the only one that made sense considering the situation.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Death Politics
"There is nothing in there just medical waste and instruments." Deliah had pulled out some instruments from her roller and was preparing to go inside the arkfall, Xanthiana felt the need to try and tell her not to bother and they should just blow it up before it caused more pain.
"To you and your EGO device I'm sure it looked like nothing, but the Earth Republic has been tracking this fall for a while and if our intel is right there is very important things inside of it." Xanthiana wanted nothing to do with it. The smell was getting worse than it had been when she arrived.
"So this is what you do, track down ark falls and kill raiders?"
"Mostly the ark falls, I'm a scientist at heart, but you can't be that in this world and not have a fast trigger finger." Deliah attached a gas mask in front of her face and offered Xanthiana one.
"No thanks I've been inside, no need for a return trip."
"Going to watch my back I take it."
"Sure we'll call it that." Its not like Xanthiana was in a rush to go kill Rushard, she wanted to of course, but wanted to savor the moment for a bit, let the dumb bastard think he's going to achieve victory, and then kill him without him ever knowing she was there. The fantasy was one thing that kept her going. Xanthiana didn't suspect anyone would be coming not with the smell from the ark fall and the smoke from the burning bandit vehicles, that usually tells people even in this shitty place to stay away.
"She might be right, there could be something VBI might want in there."
"And if I cared about that I'd go inside, but since I don't, and extension you don't Elly, we stay out here." Xanthiana was way more interested in picking over the corpses of the raiders.
"Why are you ok with picking over these corpses but not the ones in the arkfall?"
"Because these ones are fresh and I sort of know where they've been, the ones in the arkfall are gross and I have no idea where they have been or what killed them." It made sense to Xanthiana, but not Elly. Xanthiana had fully picked over all the corpses when she began to worry about Deliah. She hadn't heard from the human in what felt like a couple hours and she figured there would have at least been occasional chatter about something.
"Elly I'm going to regret this but scan for Deliah for me."
"She's in the arkfall same as she was, hasn't moved in like thirty minutes though."
"Shit." Xanthiana checked the magazine on her rifle and turned on her flash light, something was wrong in that Arkfall and sadly she was going to have to be the one to check it out.
"To you and your EGO device I'm sure it looked like nothing, but the Earth Republic has been tracking this fall for a while and if our intel is right there is very important things inside of it." Xanthiana wanted nothing to do with it. The smell was getting worse than it had been when she arrived.
"So this is what you do, track down ark falls and kill raiders?"
"Mostly the ark falls, I'm a scientist at heart, but you can't be that in this world and not have a fast trigger finger." Deliah attached a gas mask in front of her face and offered Xanthiana one.
"No thanks I've been inside, no need for a return trip."
"Going to watch my back I take it."
"Sure we'll call it that." Its not like Xanthiana was in a rush to go kill Rushard, she wanted to of course, but wanted to savor the moment for a bit, let the dumb bastard think he's going to achieve victory, and then kill him without him ever knowing she was there. The fantasy was one thing that kept her going. Xanthiana didn't suspect anyone would be coming not with the smell from the ark fall and the smoke from the burning bandit vehicles, that usually tells people even in this shitty place to stay away.
"She might be right, there could be something VBI might want in there."
"And if I cared about that I'd go inside, but since I don't, and extension you don't Elly, we stay out here." Xanthiana was way more interested in picking over the corpses of the raiders.
"Why are you ok with picking over these corpses but not the ones in the arkfall?"
"Because these ones are fresh and I sort of know where they've been, the ones in the arkfall are gross and I have no idea where they have been or what killed them." It made sense to Xanthiana, but not Elly. Xanthiana had fully picked over all the corpses when she began to worry about Deliah. She hadn't heard from the human in what felt like a couple hours and she figured there would have at least been occasional chatter about something.
"Elly I'm going to regret this but scan for Deliah for me."
"She's in the arkfall same as she was, hasn't moved in like thirty minutes though."
"Shit." Xanthiana checked the magazine on her rifle and turned on her flash light, something was wrong in that Arkfall and sadly she was going to have to be the one to check it out.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Shootout at the Old Arkfall
"My name is Deliah by the way." The Erep soldier was dug in by the arkfall, Xanthiana was up top providing over watch with her rifle. The bandits looked to be in the twenty to twenty five range based on vehicles and the limited scans Elly could provide.
"That will come in handy, I can mark your gravestone now."
"It's better than we did for you Votans, mostly just left you rotting, maybe pissed on the corpse."
"In Castithan pissing on the corpse is considered a great honor." Xanthiana could see the raiders coming over the hill, she took a breath and sighted up on the lead car's driver.
"Really?" Xanthiana fired and the drivers head evaporated, his roller swung wildly out of control and smashed into the one next to it causing a bit of a jam up. It didn't stop the raiders from coming, but it would at least slow them down and make it easier for Deliah down below to handle.
"Oh yeah, its why I always tell every Castithan I run into I intend on pissing on them when they are dead, sometimes even before they are dead." Deliah laughed and then the sound of her voice was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. The raiders had pulled their remaining vehicles into a barricade, and they were trying to figure out Xanthiana's position when Deliah hit them from below. She managed to kill a couple before they adjusted to her firing position and pinned her down.
"You still up there?" Deliah croaked out, she sounded a bit hurried.
"Doing my best to kill these guys, but they are dug in very deep and keeping out of my scope."
"Well if you can figure out a way to help me out I'd surely appreciate the effort."
"Just like a human asking a Votan to help them out of a rough spot." The raiders were dug in tight. She had sniped them as best she could from where she was, but trying to relocate somewhere else might put her in the line of fire for the raiderss. But if she didn't Deliah would certainly be dead and as much as humans bothered her, that grizzled erep lady entertained her and that was more than enough. She slid down the embankment and came up firing she caught a couple surprised raiders who hadn't position to adjust to her firing from a different place. Deliah seeing her chance as they turned to face Xanthiana popped up from her fortified position and caught the raiders in a cross fire, she threw some grenades in for good measure The few raider who survived attempted to flee and Xanthiana killed them before they made it very far.
"Glad you didn't take too long to help me out there." Deliah looked a bit dirty, but otherwise unhurt.
"Didn't have enough of a bladder load to send you off in style, figured had to save you until I did."
"That will come in handy, I can mark your gravestone now."
"It's better than we did for you Votans, mostly just left you rotting, maybe pissed on the corpse."
"In Castithan pissing on the corpse is considered a great honor." Xanthiana could see the raiders coming over the hill, she took a breath and sighted up on the lead car's driver.
"Really?" Xanthiana fired and the drivers head evaporated, his roller swung wildly out of control and smashed into the one next to it causing a bit of a jam up. It didn't stop the raiders from coming, but it would at least slow them down and make it easier for Deliah down below to handle.
"Oh yeah, its why I always tell every Castithan I run into I intend on pissing on them when they are dead, sometimes even before they are dead." Deliah laughed and then the sound of her voice was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. The raiders had pulled their remaining vehicles into a barricade, and they were trying to figure out Xanthiana's position when Deliah hit them from below. She managed to kill a couple before they adjusted to her firing position and pinned her down.
"You still up there?" Deliah croaked out, she sounded a bit hurried.
"Doing my best to kill these guys, but they are dug in very deep and keeping out of my scope."
"Well if you can figure out a way to help me out I'd surely appreciate the effort."
"Just like a human asking a Votan to help them out of a rough spot." The raiders were dug in tight. She had sniped them as best she could from where she was, but trying to relocate somewhere else might put her in the line of fire for the raiderss. But if she didn't Deliah would certainly be dead and as much as humans bothered her, that grizzled erep lady entertained her and that was more than enough. She slid down the embankment and came up firing she caught a couple surprised raiders who hadn't position to adjust to her firing from a different place. Deliah seeing her chance as they turned to face Xanthiana popped up from her fortified position and caught the raiders in a cross fire, she threw some grenades in for good measure The few raider who survived attempted to flee and Xanthiana killed them before they made it very far.
"Glad you didn't take too long to help me out there." Deliah looked a bit dirty, but otherwise unhurt.
"Didn't have enough of a bladder load to send you off in style, figured had to save you until I did."
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Always Harder Than It Looks
The erep's roller was not exactly standard issue. All the windows and doors had been reinforced with big metal plates and the tires were larger with traction meant more for off road than trail driving. Xanthiana couldn't make out how many were on board, but the roller was small, so no more than two. She was laying prone with her rifle trained on the roller as it approached the arkfall. Elly could tell her the passengers didn't have EGO devices or even active radio signals, and they appeared to be alone. The roller stopped and one woman in armor got out, she had her hands up cradling a rifle above her head, it was the universal signal for surrender.
"I'm not here to harm you." Xanthiana was kind of surprised, while she wasn't in full cover she thought she'd hidden herself well enough. The woman's voice was broadcast from a speaker somewhere in her armor, she was wearing a facemask, so Xanthiana couldn't make out what she looked like.
"Can you tap into her com system to respond?"
"Affirmative, one sec let me connect you, and go ahead."
"This is Xanthiana Roeyka of VBI industries, we claim this salvage." The fact she didn't actually work for VBI as much anymore was something she just left hanging there, its not like VBI would notify the ereps of that. The soldier lowered her rifle and took off her mask, she looked old, probably around fifty, which was a bit strange for a foot soldier even in the shitty world they lived in.
"Thank god you weren't some raider, I caught site of your rifle glint and took a chance, I figured if you were a raider you would have just opened fire to start." The older soldier walked toward the arkfall, Xanthiana kept her rifle trained.
"I could shoot you you know, no one would know."
"You could, but you aren't, you VBI sorts are jumpy, kind of dick holes, but not flat out murderers. Besides you'll need my help." Xanthiana laughed, whoever this old military chick was, she had guts.
"And why do I need your help?"
"Because there are raiders coming, I got in front of them, hoping to check out what's here before they got here, but I can see its way too big to snag it and take off, so we'll have to defend it until support arrives, and it's easier to defend with two than it is by yourself." It was a fair point, and Elly confirmed the Erep's statement, there were more people incoming.
"You have a deal."
"I'm not here to harm you." Xanthiana was kind of surprised, while she wasn't in full cover she thought she'd hidden herself well enough. The woman's voice was broadcast from a speaker somewhere in her armor, she was wearing a facemask, so Xanthiana couldn't make out what she looked like.
"Can you tap into her com system to respond?"
"Affirmative, one sec let me connect you, and go ahead."
"This is Xanthiana Roeyka of VBI industries, we claim this salvage." The fact she didn't actually work for VBI as much anymore was something she just left hanging there, its not like VBI would notify the ereps of that. The soldier lowered her rifle and took off her mask, she looked old, probably around fifty, which was a bit strange for a foot soldier even in the shitty world they lived in.
"Thank god you weren't some raider, I caught site of your rifle glint and took a chance, I figured if you were a raider you would have just opened fire to start." The older soldier walked toward the arkfall, Xanthiana kept her rifle trained.
"I could shoot you you know, no one would know."
"You could, but you aren't, you VBI sorts are jumpy, kind of dick holes, but not flat out murderers. Besides you'll need my help." Xanthiana laughed, whoever this old military chick was, she had guts.
"And why do I need your help?"
"Because there are raiders coming, I got in front of them, hoping to check out what's here before they got here, but I can see its way too big to snag it and take off, so we'll have to defend it until support arrives, and it's easier to defend with two than it is by yourself." It was a fair point, and Elly confirmed the Erep's statement, there were more people incoming.
"You have a deal."
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
The Scent of Death
The smell was overwhelming. It was a rancid odor of burnt metals and plastics, combined with something organic burning. It was enough to almost have Xanthiana retch. Elly offered to turn off her olfactory senses, but she knew that would put her at a disadvantage versus whatever remained in the arkfall. The interior looked like a lab of sorts, or it was before it crashed, there were all kind of tools and tables scattered around, the smell appeared to come from whatever they had been experimenting on.
"Elly scan the equipment in this room, give me your best guess on whatever it was they were doing in here."
"That's going to be difficult to determine with my data on file Xan, the Earth Republic only has rumors of Votanis experiments, no actual proof, you might know more about this than I do."
"I rather doubt that Elly, I was a foot soldier, a good one in my own estimation, but I just used the weapons, I didn't design them." Xanthiana didn't want to take another step in the room, if what was being developed in there was biological weapons she didn't want to get infected by whatever they were testing, even if most of the votan's biological weaponry seemed to target humans to the exclusion of Votans, there could be other horrible shit in there like hell bugs.
"This appears to be a morgue of sorts, most of the instruments are used in autopsies, I don't believe you have anything to be afraid of for biogenic weapons."
"Unless what they were investigating was the cause of death in a bio weapon."
"There is always that." Xanthiana smiled to herself, making Elly question herself with regards to her analytic analysis was always funny to her, even if it was frustrating to the EGO device. For the most part there didn't look to be anything to salvage, other than the bags of waste that Xanthiana was not in anyway going to root through. She was just about to leave when a blooping sound went off in her head.
"What in the hell is that noise?"
"I was alerting you to the presence of an intruder approaching the arkfall." The ego device seemed cheerful, Xanthiana was less so.
"Couldn't have just told me?"
"You have your way of doing things I have mine." Xanthiana shrugged knowing that much like she enjoyed frustrating the EGO it did the same to her. She exited the arkfall and took up her rifle, she could see the runner in the distance it looked military, possibly earth republic.
"Looks like we're about to have a visitor." Xanthiana racked the rifles slide and readied herself, even if the arkfall had nothing inside of it, she wasn't just going to turn it over, not without someone paying for the privilege of course.
"Elly scan the equipment in this room, give me your best guess on whatever it was they were doing in here."
"That's going to be difficult to determine with my data on file Xan, the Earth Republic only has rumors of Votanis experiments, no actual proof, you might know more about this than I do."
"I rather doubt that Elly, I was a foot soldier, a good one in my own estimation, but I just used the weapons, I didn't design them." Xanthiana didn't want to take another step in the room, if what was being developed in there was biological weapons she didn't want to get infected by whatever they were testing, even if most of the votan's biological weaponry seemed to target humans to the exclusion of Votans, there could be other horrible shit in there like hell bugs.
"This appears to be a morgue of sorts, most of the instruments are used in autopsies, I don't believe you have anything to be afraid of for biogenic weapons."
"Unless what they were investigating was the cause of death in a bio weapon."
"There is always that." Xanthiana smiled to herself, making Elly question herself with regards to her analytic analysis was always funny to her, even if it was frustrating to the EGO device. For the most part there didn't look to be anything to salvage, other than the bags of waste that Xanthiana was not in anyway going to root through. She was just about to leave when a blooping sound went off in her head.
"What in the hell is that noise?"
"I was alerting you to the presence of an intruder approaching the arkfall." The ego device seemed cheerful, Xanthiana was less so.
"Couldn't have just told me?"
"You have your way of doing things I have mine." Xanthiana shrugged knowing that much like she enjoyed frustrating the EGO it did the same to her. She exited the arkfall and took up her rifle, she could see the runner in the distance it looked military, possibly earth republic.
"Looks like we're about to have a visitor." Xanthiana racked the rifles slide and readied herself, even if the arkfall had nothing inside of it, she wasn't just going to turn it over, not without someone paying for the privilege of course.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Arkfall
"SHIT!!!!" Xanthiana swerved the car out of the way as a large piece of ark wreckage smashed into the ruins of the highway directly in front of her. She slammed on the brakes and swung the car to the side, she could hear the tires spinning and failing to grip what was left of the road. She narrowly avoided the crashed ark wreckage and ended up putting the car into a ditch. The smoking wreckage in front of her did not lookinviting or safe. Whatever it had been in orbit it was now a twisted metal ruin which could have something good or bad inside of it.
The car was pretty well stuck in the ditch, Xanthiana tried to get it out by throwing it in reverse but she was going nowhere fast. She frowned at the steering wheel, she was about a hundred miles north of paradise and didn't know of any locals who could help her with the car. She also knew that ark's tended to bring out ark hunters, and other local scum. Not to mention whatever was in the ark itself.
"Sorry about that Xan I didn't have my ark tracker online." Xanthiana couldn't be too angry with the AI, the only reason it had gotten as sloppy as it had been was because of her interference and humanizing the device to herself.
"Next time a little more warning than arkfall imminent." Xanthiana's neck hurt from the sudden stop, but she'd deal. She was just glad she had started wearing her seat belt or things could have been a lot worse. She opened the car door and surveyed the site. The wreckage was letting of a huge plume of smoke alerting just about anyone in the area to its crash site. It looked like part of a ship instead of a full ship, but Xanthiana wasn't the best at determining votan ships to begin with despite having traveled on one.
"I'm updating my files to reflect that, do you want to check it out?" Xanthiana had her rifle out, it wouldn't do much good inside the cramped quarters of the wreck, but it was the only weapon she had bullets for.
"Not really no, this always feels like tomb robbing to me, but better us than the next asshole, so I guess we'll be going in." She made her way to what looked like an access point and took a deep breath, she really didn't like stepping back on the ark ships, it reminded her of a lot of bad memories.
"Scans on full, good luck Xan." And into the belly of the beast Xanthiana went.
The car was pretty well stuck in the ditch, Xanthiana tried to get it out by throwing it in reverse but she was going nowhere fast. She frowned at the steering wheel, she was about a hundred miles north of paradise and didn't know of any locals who could help her with the car. She also knew that ark's tended to bring out ark hunters, and other local scum. Not to mention whatever was in the ark itself.
"Sorry about that Xan I didn't have my ark tracker online." Xanthiana couldn't be too angry with the AI, the only reason it had gotten as sloppy as it had been was because of her interference and humanizing the device to herself.
"Next time a little more warning than arkfall imminent." Xanthiana's neck hurt from the sudden stop, but she'd deal. She was just glad she had started wearing her seat belt or things could have been a lot worse. She opened the car door and surveyed the site. The wreckage was letting of a huge plume of smoke alerting just about anyone in the area to its crash site. It looked like part of a ship instead of a full ship, but Xanthiana wasn't the best at determining votan ships to begin with despite having traveled on one.
"I'm updating my files to reflect that, do you want to check it out?" Xanthiana had her rifle out, it wouldn't do much good inside the cramped quarters of the wreck, but it was the only weapon she had bullets for.
"Not really no, this always feels like tomb robbing to me, but better us than the next asshole, so I guess we'll be going in." She made her way to what looked like an access point and took a deep breath, she really didn't like stepping back on the ark ships, it reminded her of a lot of bad memories.
"Scans on full, good luck Xan." And into the belly of the beast Xanthiana went.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)