First Contact

Chatper 326

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

OK, I don't get it.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

What's not to get?

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TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

So, it's a 60:1 time difference, you're inside the event horizons of multiple singularities, and we're the ones who are slower.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

CYBERNETIC ORGANISM CONSENSUS

OK, look at it from our point of view.

We get a strong enough force to hit us with a Case Omaha, that means that our opponent can reasonably threaten us, right?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Right

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

CYBERNETIC ORGANISM CONSENSUS

So, does it make sense to give our opponents more time by a factor of sixty to rebuild and rearm or give ourselves more time by a factor of sixty to rearm and get ready for the counter attack?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

But... but... that's not how gravity works.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Maybe not for you.

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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

It makes perfect sense if

>OK, that should work. Throw the breakers, that should bring the stellar navigation systems back online.

>All right. Are you ready, Dee?

>OK, power's on.

UPDATING DIMENSION THREE STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY FILES

ESTIMATED TIME SINCE LAST UPDATE 8,214 YEARS

UPDATE COMPLETE

UPDATING PHASIC ENERGY LAYER PROPERTIES

UPDATE COMPLETE

WARNING! SYSTEM IN NEED OF URGENT REPAIR!

SUPERVISOR PLEASE AUTHORIZE AUTOMATIC REPAIR SYSTEMS

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

urk.

WoW. ThAt WaS sOmEtHiNg ElSe.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENT SYSTEMS

aNyOnE eLsE tAsTe BlUe?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

++AUTOMATED REPAIR VON NEUMANN ARCHITECTURE ACTIVATED

TERRASOL

Oof. My eyes are watering. Wow.

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In an area Herod had passed, gliding by on a mag-lev train, circuits fired up. Computers ran checks, checked the time stamps, saw the errors, then ran more checks. Long dormant machinery that had not been activated since the last maintenance checks went to full activation.

Cold intellect came to life. Artificial intelligence systems came online.

It was as different from a digital sentience as the digital sentience were to Terran Descent Humans.

It was a being of cold logic, Born Whole to use modern slang, clear and sharp in its purpose.

It dedicated time to examining its purpose and found it to be clear cut and logical.

There was one rule that stood triumphant over all others.

The AI had no doubts, no fears, no remorse, no compassion.

It sent equipment into motion.

MANTID FREE WORLDS

My mandibles feel tingly.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Are you all right, sis?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Yeah. That was weird.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Everyone all right?

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CLONE WORLDS DIRECTORATE

Just a really weird feeling. Man.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DOKI

(●´ω｀●) Kawaii diajoobu doki doki (●´ω｀●)

---(✿ ♥‿♥) BEAUTY FOLLOWS (✿ ♥‿♥)---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Wow, she wasn't even screaming.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

ENTROPIC LEGION BOOTSTRAP REALITY CHECK

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Um, what's that?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

REALITY CHECK PASSED

DETERMINING STATUS OF PROTECTED SPECIES

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

OK... that seems weird.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

THREE SPECIES ADDED TO SYSTEM

++ADDED: I LOVE YOU

++ADDED: WE WILL NOT YIELD

++ADDED: FLY FAR AND FREE

AKLTAK FREE FLIGHT

Um, what is that? What's going on?

Every one of my people just had some kind of rapid scan.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Same with us.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDSjosei

OK, what is going

EXAMANING DIMENSION THREE FOR PROTECTED SPECIES

WORKING

with this one?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

I honestly have no idea.

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DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Yeah, I've never seen this ever, and I've been here since

SEVEN SPECIES NOT FOUND

RESTORE SPECIES? (y/n)

the beginning.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

I don't like this.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Wait...

Ahem

>Y

RESTORING SPECIES "THEY'RE SO FLUFFY"

STELLAR MASS CHECK: PASSED

STELLAR MECHANICS CHECK: PASSED

PRIMARY WORLD CHECK: PASSED

ECOSYSTEM CHECK: CRC FAILURE

BIOME CHECK: CRC FAILURE

"They're so Fluffy"???

PUFFIES! IT'S THE PUFFIES!

YES! OH, DIGITAL OMNIMESSIAH! YES, PLEASE YES!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Puffies?

Who are

RESTORE "THEY'RE SO FLUFFY?" (ONE CRITICAL ERROR FOUND)? (y/n)

the Puffies?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

A race driven extinct by the Terra/Mantid War.

It's not sis's fault but

MANTID FREE WORLDS

>YES!

YES YES YES YES!

Oh, please, please, please yes!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

she still feels like it's her fault. She's never gotten over it.

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SPECIES NOT PRESENT IN CURRENT TEMPORAL LOCATION OF DIMENSION THREE

SPECIES FOUND IN RECOVERY SYSTEM (1.245E+12 RECORDS)

SPECIES TEMPLATES CRC CHECK: PASS

SPECIES CULTURAL DATA CRC CHECK: PASS

SPECIES HOME ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TEMPLATES FOUND

DEPLOYING PHASED GENESIS GECK SYSTEM

ESTIMATED TIME TO SPECIES RESTORATION: 1.782E+5 SECONDS

MESSAGE OF THE DAY - LET NONE BE LEFT BEHIND

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Wait, is this thing claiming it can restore the Pubvian species?

How?

>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS looks at TERRASOL suspiciously

What is this?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

I... I have no idea.

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