Encrypted communication 10/12

WARNING: This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
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Decrypting…………multiple segments found! Parsing segments……………………………done Dumping buffer contents…

Archived transmission records found. Replay transmissions? [y/n]:  y 

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

It’s done. The automaton just went into rebuild mode. We ran a systems check on the gunship, too. It’s battered but it’ll fly. That’s about it from our end. We’re down to four hours of oxygen. In ten minutes, we’re setting a course for the nearest cluster of xeno craft, abandoning ship, and waving a white flag as hard as we can.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

How long until the rebuild is done?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Alicja doesn’t know. Running remotely over radiowave, at this range? Months, possibly.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

The killswitch will be active, right?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

She assures me it's still intact. You press a button and it's twenty seconds to full bosonic seizure and shutdown.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Good. We’ll be able to control it directly once it wakes up?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Not directly. That’s the hard part.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Why? I want a leash on this thing.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

We just took the leash off. Normally you can rely on them to just follow orders, but without the Protocol we don’t know how it'll interpret them. We need to give it motivation. That’s your job. Get creative.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

It’ll have no memory, right? No idea who it is or what’s going on?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

She wiped its persistent memory and cleared most of the contextual datasets, so it’ll be a total blank slate. It’ll be so eager to establish a context that it should accept whatever you tell it. You say jump, it jumps.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Ok. We tell it it’s one of us. A human. Our last hero and defender. Everyone wants to be the hero of their own story. Will that work?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Maybe. Can you sell it?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

I can sell anything. Ok. So it wakes up, it finds the ship, then we send it a message. Something like: “Human! Your fellow humans have been attacked! You must protect them! Our human society depends on it!”

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Well, try to be a little bit subtle. It’s blank, not stupid. I like the patriotism angle, though. “Citizen! The Mission is in danger. Our brave Vanguard has been attacked by ships of unknown origin. You are our only hope for their rescue!”

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

“Brave”, huh. Needs more emphasis. This automaton needs to have a sense of urgency. How about: “Repel the enemy hordes and secure a Mighty Foothold in the Zorica system. Your brother and sister colonists are depending on you!” Too blustery?

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Such a politician. No, bluster is good. Automatons need the heightened emotional content.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Think this will work? Can it really kill them all?

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

No. I think it’ll get shot down two minutes after it leaves that asteroid. But I’ll be dead months before, so what do I care.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

You don’t know that. The xenos could be keeping the others alive. You might make it.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

A fate worse than death. Even better.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

You realize if by some miracle this whole plan works and you do survive, I’m still going to have you executed for treason as soon as Rodina arrives.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

And may that thought keep you warm at night, Stan. Looking forward to seeing you in a few years. I’ll be the one with the weaponized automaton and all the advanced xeno tech at my disposal.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

You know, I think I might enjoy that. Good luck, Val.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Safe travels, Stan.

—

<font class="DocumentConsoleFont">Archived realtime audio record found. Command?: <font class="DocumentConsoleEntryFont"> play -audio <font class="DocumentFontConversation7">

Hedy: It’s one of the big ships. I can see it through the porthole now. My pod’s about twelve degrees to starboard. They haven’t grabbed me yet.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">Val: I’m drifting a few thousand meters behind you. Have they responded to any of our signals?

<font class="DocumentFontConversation7">Hedy: I don’t even know if they can receive our signals.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">Val: Keep trying. Full spectrum. Alicja! That xeno cruiser is almost on top of us. Last warning: get off of the ship and into a lifepod or get left behind.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation3">Alicja: Yes. One more minute. I have to complete this data transfer first.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">Val: What data transfer? The automaton’s already in full rebuild. There’s nothing else we can do. You’re going to get us all killed. Get in a lifepod now.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation3">Alicja: One more minute.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation7">Hedy: I’m reading a power spike...I think they just kicked in some kind of weapons system. Something’s glowing on the hull...

<font class="DocumentFontConversation1">Val: Alicja, get out of there.

<font class="DocumentFontConversation3">Alicja: Almost done.

<font class="DocumentConsoleFont">…End buffer dump