RPG The Matrix: Search for Zion

[James]

[size=1][b]Note: This RPG is ONLY for those who have been accepted in the sign-up thread. Thank you.[/b][/size]

[font=times][color=darkblue][size=4]"Dreaming. Something which is often taken for granted. It is an experience where one can travel across broad vistas of time and space without leaving their own body.

And for so long, it has been the domain of the mind. A magical event, which cannot be controlled and which is always guaranteed to end, no matter how violent or hurtful it becomes.

But there is a different kind of dream. A dream where reality and fantasy collide, often with tragic results. But this is not a dream. It is a nightmare; a scientifically engineered nightmare.

The machines, which were created by man to do his bidding are the very engineers of this dream. Its purpose is two fold, to give men all that they desire -- the comforts and tragedies of human life -- yet also to drain their very existence; to use mandkind's own dreams and aspirations against him.

This is why we must never give up. You may say that the truth, the real world, isn't what men want to know about. You may say that it isn't what they want to see; that they are happy with their blissfully unaware existence. But so many of us have been woken from our deep sleep. We know the truth. We know that we are being exploited -- that our invisible prison is holding our species in a perpetual limbo.

This is why we must fight back. We must fight until we have no more energy left. Afterall, is it better to live your entire life as a slave, or to die in defence of mankind?"

[b]Our Future - Morpheus (01.01.2101)[/b][/font][/color][/size]

[i]The desk was cluttered with all kinds of strange objects. Everything from a half-used packet of batteries, to a notepad with roughly-scribbled notes covering its pages.

In the middle of the desk was a head. Its eyes were closed. Its owner was fast asleep, his back gently rising and falling as he breathed. This was the first time he had slept in several days.

His computer terminal was still turned on. The monitor emitted a soft green glow. Steaming over its surface were waves of numbers -- they were all moving in sequence, arranging themselves in small groups and then breaking apart and starting all over again.

The man's eyes began to flutter slightly -- and then they began to open slowly. As his long, black eyelashes parted, he could see the monitor.

He sat up slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. He then put his hand down the neck of his shirt and felt around his chest -- he produced a small dogtag and looked at it.[/i]

[b]Name: Syth
Awaken Date: 09.07.2175
Position: Commander, SCH-071 "Zephyr"[/b]

[i]He was only in his early thirties, yet he had such a great responsibility. After the great Morpheus had died, there was a power vacuum for several years. And only two people had preceded Syth as Commander of the Zephyr.

Stil, Syth felt honored. And he knew that his crew were the best in the real world. Better than any he'd ever encountered.

Syth stood up and walked across the cold, metallic room. The nearby exit door slid open automatically, with a soft "whoosh" sound, as he approached.

Beyond the doorway, was a lone figure sitting at a computer terminal. The lone figure was younger than Syth, but was one of the most valuable crew members he knew of.

Syth leaned over the young man, who was asleep at his terminal, and patted him on the shoulder.[/i]

Syth: Hey...wake up...

Flash: Hm? Wha?

Syth: C'mon...I need that area map from you.

Flash: Oh. I'm sorry...I must have dozed off at the controls...

Syth: Heh, it's okay. :)

Flash: What map was it again?

Syth: I need a map for the crater. We need to go out there in our radiation suits and look for metal. Remember, the Zephyr has taken significant damage from the machine patrols over the last two days. I need a good map so that we don't get lost out there.

Flash: Ugh, we'd [i]have[/i] to land in a huge crater wouldn't we?

Syth: Yeah...it was the only place where we could hide from the machines' radar though.

Flash: Yeah. Oh well. I'll print out a copy for you...

Syth: Good man.

Flash: Should I tell the away team to get ready?

Syth: Hmm, yeah. They'll need some time to get their suits on and such. I'm only going to take you and Warlock with me though. The others' skills will be useless on this kind of mission. And we need Raiden, as our pilot, to remain on board if we get into any trouble.

Flash: Okay then, I'll try to find Warlock. I think he's gone to the basement for a little VR training.

Syth: Hahah, didn't you put the difficulty level way up last night?

Flash: Oh crap!

[i]The nearby door opened and Warlock stumbled in. He leant against the wall, his nose bloodied and his head slightly bruised.

Syth opened the first aid kit on Flash's desk and walked over to Warlock.[/i]

Warlock: God man...what did you do to that damn simulator?

Flash: Er...:D

Syth: Heh, you alright Warlock?

Warlock: Yeah...just some bruising...I'm fine.

Syth: Good...'cuz we're going to need you to do some ore-hunting later on. :)

Warlock: Ugh geez.

Syth: Don't worry, you'll be well protected. I'll make sure to bring plenty of heavy weaponry.

Warlock: Phew. I couldn't stand another beating like the one I just had. Blah.

Syth: Heh...okay, go and get your Environment Suit on...and remember to bring you 10x Item Pack with you. We never know what we'll need.

Warlock: Will do!

[i]Warlock weakly saluted Syth and exited the room. Flash looked somewhat embarassed. He smiled, avoiding Syth's glare, and exited the other side of the room.

Syth stood there and shook his head.[/i]

Syth: Kids...

[Warlock]

[I]Warlock closed the locker in his small room hard, stiffling a yawn as began putting on his Environment Suit... As he finished putting it all on, he walked to his door, and it slid open... On the other side, he was greeted by Flash...[/I]

Flash: Er... Sorry 'bout the VR training t-

Warlock: Don't worry about it... I'll make sure to make you pay sometime...

Flash: Thanks alot.

Warlock: No prob'.

[I]They both began walking down the narrow corridor, talking about their up-coming ore-mining mission...[/I]

[James]

[size=4][font=times][color=darkblue]"Our fate is in the hands of those who would confront the cruel efficiency of the machines."

[b]Our Future - Morpheus (01.01.2101)[/b][/size][/color][/font]

[i]Syth checked his items to make sure that everything was there. He held out his arm and activated his long-range personal scanner.

He then took a mobile cargo unit by the handle and wheeled it out into the corridor.

The Mobile Cargo Unit was a strange device. It was essentially a large plastic bin on wheels, which included an air-tight seal. The crew of the Zephyr frequently used the device to store metal.

It was easy to find scrap metal, particularly with the density of the machine population. The machines posessed no care for their own kind -- when a machine was broken or damaged, it was immediately destroyed and deposited in some sort of dump (or in this case, a large crater in the earth).

Syth knew it would be easy to find metal. But he also knew that as a large dumping ground, the area would attract significant numbers of machines.

He wheeled another two Mobile Cargo Units into the corridor. Just as he finished wheeling the second unit out, Flash and Warlock walked through the doorway. Both were wearing their environment suits, though Warlock still looked a little shaken.[/i]

Syth: You sure you're okay, Warlock?

Warlock: Yea...I'm alright. Don't worry about me. My life support system will keep me going. :)

Syth: Good. I've brought out a MCU for each of you. Hopefully we should have no trouble. Here are your weapons...

[i]Syth opened a compartment on the wall, which contained all sorts of rapid-fire weaponry.

Most of the weaponry used by the crew were not typical guns. As a typical gun with bullets wouldn't kill a machine. Rather, these guns fired energy bursts. Their primary function was to disable the electronic networks inside the target machine, thus "killing" the machine.

As time had gone on, some machines had developed an immunity to the less powerful guns. And it had become increasingly difficult for the Zephyr crew to engineer new forms of energy weapons.

Syth handed an Energy Blaster to both Flash and Warlock. They took the weapons and instantly set them on "100% Power".[/i]

Syth: Alright. We're ready.

[i]Syth pressed a button on his arm and spoke into a microphone on his wrist.[/i]

Syth: Raiden, can you please open the blast doors? And keep the ship's guns aimed at the entryway -- I don't want [i]anything[/i] getting into the ship, you got it?

Raiden: Yep, sure thing boss.

Syth: Okay, let's go fellas.

[i]Syth led Flash and Warlock down the corridor, toward the ship's blast doors...[/i]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Salalia slid over from her console and smiled at Raiden. Out of the members of the Zypher, Salalia was the only human that had been born in Zion.[/i]

Raiden: What's new?

Salalia: Not much......rather bored, everybody on this ship seems to have very few issues.

Raiden: I suppose that makes our local psychyatrist bored.

Salalia: Very much so.

Raiden: We'll dig up some dark secrets to tell you.

Salalia: I'm not sure if I should be exicted or not....[/COLOR]

[James]

[i]Syth, Flash and Warlock each made their way down the extensive exit ramp. The ramp was lit with flood-lights on either side and as they got halfway along the ramp, the hatch behind them closed tight.

Above the hatch were two automatic energy guns, designed to automatically target machines and disrupt their energy supply.

The three men were each pulling behind them their large plastic bins, in the hopes of finding scrap metal.

Syth activated the machine-tracker on his wrist computer and looked up over the terrain for the first time.

The crater was a desolate wasteland. It had been caused by a machine army, intent on destroying a pocket of human resistance. The crater was all that was left of mankind in this area.

Syth scanned the horizon. His Environment Suit's visor projected various heads up displays directly onto his retinas. As he looked over the horizon, he saw what looked like some movement. He zoomed in and noticed two small P37 Clean Up robots patrolling the area. They were small, but if they saw the three men, they would easily be able to raise the alarm and have military machines swarming on them within minutes.

Syth turned and looked at the others.[/i]

Syth: This shouldn't be too hard. Just have your blasters at the ready.

[i]Flash and Warlock both nodded and proceeded to follow Syth along the pit of the crater toward the two robots.

Something wasn't right. They were well within range of the two 'bots, but neither robot appeared to notice their presence.

Syth lifted his gun and aimed at the nearest robot, when all of a sudden, an enormous seeker-droid flew overhead. Its tentacles were at least 20 metres long -- it very much resembled a giant squid, except that it could fly.

The huge beast flew over head and began to turn in the distance -- it was coming back for another try.

It flew low over the ground this time, its huge tentacles outstretched.

Syth dropped his plastic storage unit and aimed with both hands.[/i]

Syth: Aim at the eyes!!!

[i]Flash and Warlock nervously nodded and held their weapons up.[/i]

Syth: 100% power! Make sure!

[i]They nodded again and aimed at the creature.

As it made its second pass, Syth, Flash and Warlock began to open fire.

Their blasters were not equipped to deal with such a huge enemy, but the three managed to totally destroy the machine's eyes. However, being a machine, it was able to use terrain-mapping sensors to detect its prey.

The huge machine ascended high into the air and came swooping down fast. It kicked up dust as it effortlessly glided over the ground.
[/i]

Flash: Look out!

[i]All three men dived to one side, narrowly missing the hull of the machine.

As it flew past, one of its tentacles struck Warlock on the shoulder, sending him flying backwards several metres.[/i]

Flash: Warlock!!!

Syth: Wait, Flash! Keep shooting at it!!

[i]Warlock lay motionless on the ground. Flash looked over at him for a moment and then focused his attention on the task at hand. As the enormous creature came down for a second attack, Flash ran towards it...firing relentlessly at its huge metallic face.[/i]

Syth: Stop it!! You're going to get yourself killed!

Flash: No! The bastard deserves to die!!

[i]Flash bolted towards the oncoming machine, firing his blaster non-stop. As he fired, chunks of metal began flying off the facia of the machine -- and suddenly, the top-half of its head completely caved in, showering Syth and Flash with metal and rubber debris.

The creature tried to bank sharply to turn again, but it's navagation system was badly damaged. As it turned, it careened sideways and hit the ground directly. Several huge metal tentacles snapped off the creature and rolled along the ground.

The machine itself stopped for a moment, as if getting its bearings. It lurched forward once more, but its engines gave way and it fell face-first into the ground, erupting in a huge fireball as it did so.

Flash ran over to Warlock and checked his pulse.[/i]

Syth: Is he...?

Flash: No, he's alive. His shoulder is broken. :(

Syth: We can get it fixed...let's just get him back inside the damn ship!

Flash: But what about the scrap metal?

Syth: Forget it! We'll land the Zephyr closer to the junkyard...it's not worth getting someone killed over!

Flash: Grr...alright. :mad:

[i]Flash and Syth both lifted Warlock and carried him back to the Zephyr.

They lay him on his bed, removed his clothing and began the process of regenerating the bone in his shoulder.

Syth took out a cloth and wiped his forehead.[/i]

Syth: Man...poor Warlock has been through a lot today.

Flash: Yeah. :(

Syth: Don't worry, he'll be fine. We just have to find a way of getting to that scrap metal...

[Yoda]

[I]The door to Warlock's room slid open, and Raiden stood in the doorway. He coughed twice, because he was quite ill, then looked up at Syth.

Raiden: How is he?

Flash: Broken shoulder......... but he'll be okay.

Raiden: What's the plan boss?

Syth: Just sit tight for now until I figure out a way to get that scrap metal......

Raiden: Right you are skip. You want me to take her down?

Syth: Yeah, land Zephyr around by the scrap heap somewhere, but keep out of sight.

Raiden: Okay, but I dunno where to land, this is some bare *** terrain..... I'll just get her in an area of high static interference, and ready the EMP.

Syth: Yeah, good plan. Get to it.....

Raiden: Sure thing skip.

Raiden turned and darted down the corridor. He entered the cockpit, where Salalia was busy doodling on a pad. Craig jumped in his seat, and turned the ship's flood lights out. He turned on the tuner, and instantly a a high pitched static screech belted along the cockpit.

Salalia: GAH!!! Turn it off!!!

Raiden: Looks like we got out static interference........ didn't even have to look for it. Lets see....... ground stability...... 98%. That's good. Ground angle........... 30*...... not too bad. Lets get her down.

Slowly the engines cut out, and the gas tankers blasted ful power to let the Zephyr down gently. It stuck to the ground like an insect on a wall, and Raiden cut all exterior lights, and lowered the guards on all windows. Then he amped up the radar.

Raiden: And now we wait........

Salalia: Wonderful......[/I]

[Warlock]

[I]Slowly, Warlock's eyelids fluttered open slightly... All he could see was a dim light right above his head, and what looked like a black shape moving around at the side of his vision... Slowly, his eyes became more focused, and a head popped up in front of the light...[/I]

Flash: You alright buddy?

Warlock: Ugh... Yeah... Except my entire body aches...

Flash: That happens when a seeker's tentacles smash into you.

[I]Warlock blinked his eyes and few times, and he saw everything clearly...[/I]

Warlock: Next time Flash, you can get beaten and bruised alot all in the same day...

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]That night, Rico dreamed of his companion left behind and all the good times they've spent with one another...but now he was gone. Called back on Zephyr...He was still by her bedside...connected to the other world...not moving as she wept. Perhaps someday...Rico would bring 'Lis to this side of reality...the horrible truth.

~
He awoke on Zephyr on a cold, padded pod filled with thermal liquid. He looked very much different in his previous state. He didn't enjoy what he turned out to be. Battered, bruised...tattered clothing. He sat up and took a look around. He was definitely inside his quarters with the interface still strapped on him. He removed it and got up. The room was cramped, but all the stuff he left the last time he jumped out into Zion. He dried up and suited up, shaking of all the tenseness of his reawakening. He wondered who else came aboard during his time in VR...He unlatched his door and opened it. A draft came through...they had apparently landed and had the vents open. He wandered towards the bridge to report for duty. If anyone was there and not on a mission...[/i][/COLOR]

[James]

[i]The door to Warlock's quarters was still open. Syth looked up and saw Rico walk by.[/i]

Syth: Rico?

[i]Rico stopped and entered the room. He sat down beside Syth.[/i]

Rico: Man...what happened to him?

Syth: We went out into the crater to find scrap metal for the ship...

Rico: Oh geeze. Hm, I can fix this.[i]

Syth moved over and let Rico work. Rico activated the nearby Biological Evaluation machine and took out several plugs. He inserted them in various places along Warlock's shoulder.[/i]

Rico: He should be completely healed by tomorrow morning.

Syth: Ugh...

Rico: What's the matter?

Syth: I shouldn't have taken them out there. We weren't prepared for it.

Rico: Hey...these things happen. It's no big deal. The machines are everywhere...we can hardly go one day without a fight.

Syth: Yeah...

Rico: Cheer up. :)

Syth: :)

Rico: Anyway...what's our next mission?

Syth: Once we get some scrap, we're headed to Zion.

Rico: Are you serious?!

Syth: Yep. :) There are some things we need to do there.

Rico: Wow, I've always wanted to go back there.

Syth: Me too. The sooner we get Warlock healed...and the sooner we get that scrap, the sooner we can leave. We'll need the scrap to protect the hull of the ship -- you can bet that the machines won't let us get close to Zion.

Rico: Yeah...

[Yoda]

[I]Salalia: So..... you think your good enough to get us into Zion?

Raiden stopped dead for a second. Then he slowly looked to his side at Sil.

Raiden: I'm...... I'm sorry?

Salalia: That's right, Syth wants to go into Zion after we get the scrap metal.

Raiden: What the hell........... that place is so heavily guarded by sentry's....... this ship isn't fast enough.

Salalia: Well Syth has great faith that you can get us through.

Raiden: Oh great......[SIZE=1]I'll be right back[/SIZE]

Raiden walked out of the cockpit, and went down the ladder, into the computer room. He proceeded about the circumfrence of the room, and down a passage way. He took the left door, into Warlock's room. There he saw Syth sitting down and chatting to Rico.

Raiden: Syth.......... can I.... talk to you over here for a second.

Syth: Ugh........ sure.......

Syth got up slowly, and left the room. Raiden led him into the computer room. Raiden leant on one of the seat's they have when they go into the matrix.

Raiden: Sil just told me we're going to Zion......

Syth: Yeah....... so?

Raiden: Eheh......... have you forgotten how hard it is too get in there? There are sentries all over the place...

Syth: So? Your one of the best pilot's I know........ you can get in easy.

Raiden: *puffs* Well okay........... I wish I had your faith in me.

Raiden turned again and headed up the ladder towards the cockpit. He sat down in his chair........ and stared blankly at the radar.

Raiden: Maybe now I'll need that psychiatrist evaluation....

Salalia: Heh....... why are you staring at the radar like that?

Raiden: Trying to plan a route into Zion.

Salalia: Plan???

Raiden: You cannot simply stroll into Zion. There are sentries in packs by the dozen. I have to find a way to get in with as little attention as possible. [/I]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]

[i]Syth and Rico looked out the ship's windows as they prepared for relaunch.[/i]


Syth: Heh...so how are the kids?

Rico: They're not born yet...

Syth: But how long until then?

Rico: Soon, really soon...

Syth: *sigh* We'll have to find and rescue their pods as well.

Rico: When the time comes, yes...lol...it's strange though.

Syth: Huh?

Rico: I'm not even the father of those kids...even in VR...the world isn't always what you want it to be.

Syth: What happened to 'Lis?

Rico: I found her by the Looking Glass club...in the alleyway...beaten...bruised up, badly...crying. I took her home and it turned out that she bore a son that night.

Syth: That's awful...

Rico: Yeah, but what could I do about it...?

Syth: I see your point...

[i]Rico finished up repairs on the interface of Warlock and woke him up with Dopamine...[/i]

Rico: You alright, man? Syth tells me you had some damage to yourself...

Warlock: *shrugs* Ow...*grasps his shoulder*

Syth: ??

Rico: Hold on...

[i]Rico walked up to one of the computer terminals and accessed Warlock's bio signs...[/i]

Rico: Well...all of us are over 50% organic...that new piece of metal acting as your joint...your muscles'll have to grasp it and mold with it...kinda like water submerging an object...

Warlock: Wonderful...hey...since when did you come on board.

Rico: I just started...

Flash: It's been a while...

Rico: How much more scrap metal do we need?

Syth: About 2 more tons...with the cybernetic enhacements on the arms...it'll be done in no time...

Rico: Enhancements...I can barely stand my P2P interface...

Syth: Good thing you didn't try to pull it out in your sleep..

Flash: Ha...Locke...you feel up to the job again?

Warlock: Yeah...jes give me a couple minutes...

Syth: Work quickly...we want to be at Zion ASAP...

Rico: Any new members that took the red pill while I was gone?

Syth: Nope...just the same old crew...

Rico: You think it'd be save to send mail?

Flash: Gotta use high bit encryption though...what, you wanna contact your "friend?"

Rico: Just to tell her I'm alright...

Warlock: You know how hard it is to go back into the actual World, right?

Rico: Sometimes I just want to link myself back there...but I can't run away from the truth, ever...

Syth: I got the link open...you've got less than 5 minutes before our chances of detecton go up 30%

Flash: Man, you're just too cautious...

[i]Rico interfaced with the computer on deck...he thought for a couple of seconds, located her IP and sent his message...he closed the link, unhooked the interface and got back up...[/i]

Warlock: you alright?

Rico: I'm fine...you guys need an extra pair of hands to make repairs to the ships?[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Salalia stepped onto the deck, clothes glistening with moisture, holding a big bottle of something....[/i]

Syth: ?

Salalia: Oil. It appears we've sprung a leak......and I'm no mechanic.

Flash: Bye! *grabs bottle* *disapears*

Rico: That was quick.

Salalia: Yeah, except I'm going to get washed now.....[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]Rico looked out the corner of his eyes as Salalia walked out of the room...[/i]

Rico: Do I know her?

Syth: C'mon...you haven't been out for that long...she's Salalia...you can't forget her...

Rico: :therock: being the only girl on this ship, I presume.

Syth: Yes...well then, shall we start programming the gun AI?

Rico: You got something besides EMP for this thing?

Syth: Yeah...a lot of stuff happened when you were away.

[i]Rico and Syth took a seat by the computer terminals and each took 4 consoles and began programming.[/i]

Warlock: *sits up* Man, you two are crazy...

Rico: Why, 'cause we're on 4 computers at once, writing seperate codes for each console?

Warlock: I don't know how you guys do it...I'm good at computers...but eh...this is insane.

Syth: We want the guns to be fully operational in two hours...tested and ready.

Warlock: Want me to help?

Rico: You can debug the progs when we're done.

Warlock: ...:rolleyes:

Syth: Don't worry, we're being careful not to fudge up...

[i]Warlock looked on as the two interfaced with each console, writing large amounts of code for it, almost streaming as fast as the Matrix coding view on the other screens. He interfaced himself to check their work and also to acquire power from the cable to power his cybernetic functions.[/i][/COLOR]

[Flash]

Flash: Wait up! You want weapons? I'm your man..

[I]Flash sits down in one of the seats, plugging into the system... Working along side Syth and Rico, with Warlock checking as they go, all 4 of the crew-members are working beyond the capacity of any normal person... Flash begins to work on the energy analysis of each weapon, knowing everything about efficiency and such when it comes to weapons... [/I]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Salalia scrubbed herself clean and put on a simple white shirt and pants. Pulling on her belt and Datapad, she walked back to the main bridge.[/i]

Flash: Yeah!

Salalia: *sigh* There's another guy with too few problems........

Warlock: So, what do you do here?

Salalia: Psychologist, Hacker, and all that other stuff.

Rico: You still smell like oil.

Salalia: I know...it's depressing.[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: Well, it is oil...seeps into skin, stays there for a while until it moves upwards and you get rid of it later..

Syth: Cut the medical mumbu jumbo...

Rico: What? Aren't you a medicine man as well?

Syth: Well, yes...but, just cut it out!

Rico: Okay, fine...

Sala: Since when did you come in?

Rico: A couple hours ago...umm, do I know you?

Sala: VR did something to you?

Rico: I just don't remember you...

Flash: Well, you have been away for a couple months.

Rico: Yeah, I know...so how's the weapons coming along...gimme your tech lingo.[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Salalia rolled her eyes and sat down at her console. Typing quickly, she loaded another set of encrypted messages and began to decode them.[/i]

Syth: What's this?

Sala: Brain teasers.

Syth: Right now?

Sala: Just kidding, they're actually the messages we never bothered with from two years ago.

Syth: ....um....

Sala: Don't tax your brain, I'll tell you when I'm done. ;)[/COLOR]

[Flash]

Flash: Well, let's see here... We got main systems Grid online, variable control sequences are 50% done, along with the stabiliser system for maximum accuracy... Twin-linked Buster Cannons on two swivelling turrets on Port and starboard, and a main cannon system on the front, and that's nearly 35% complete.. Power banks are fully operational, and the Main cannon is running off a Neuron Gel pack, should last 10-20 shots, I'd say. Depends on what power ambience we set it to... But the main cannon can only be fired fowards, so if you want to fire it another way, we'd have to turn the whole ship around.. That's just the way it was built, if it were on a turret, the recoil would rip the whole thing off... Plus we've still got the EMP emitter, but it's been reconfigured to only affect outside a 2 metre radius of the ship's hull, so using it won't effect anything inside... We do however have a 'Last-resort' type EMP, which emphasises the wave length and has a greater range... However, it runs directly from the ship's core, so it will shutdown the ships's systems... But not the back-up, so even if we use it, we can still move, but not use the weapon grid... But if I reconfigure the hardware setting, Auto-repair [i]should[/i] be able to get the ship up and running, fully operational, in 10-20 minutes. Until then, we're flying blind... Which is why I mean it as a last resort. But even so, we do have a few Non-electronic weapons on board, only 4 or so, specifically built for such a case. Old fashioned weaponary, loaded with AP rounds and a Grenade launcher, so we can take out machines... Until we deplete our ammo supply... But the EMP system is only 60% complete, I should have the whole thing ready in a few hours... If I hurry.

[James]

[i]Syth eyed Flash thoughtfully.[/i]

Syth: You take this stuff really seriously, don't you?

Flash: Yeah. :blush:

Syth: Heh, well...I'm glad you do. Once our systems are operational, we can send out another team for scrap. I'm not going out there again without support from the Zephyr...

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue]Sala: Sounds fascinating....

Flash: What?

Sala: :rolleyes: Nevermind.

Syth: Howzit going?

Sala: Mostly okay, some of this stuff is a bit weird, but I'm gettin it.

Rico: Weird?

Sala: The codes are erratic, and they use more than one or two in the same message. Kinda like a collage of codes.[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: It's a lot different from binary coding eh?

Sala: 1011001010

Rico: Something like that..

Flash: How much time do we have left until we have to go?

Syth: Just take all the time you need...they don't know we're going...

Flash: Awright...

Rico: You need help?

Flash: Just keep programming the AI...I think we're going to need multi-adaptive targeting systems just in case we get overwhelmed.

Rico: Hmm...what if we have a constant charging EMP matrix?

Flash: Elaborate?

[i]Flash listened as he got to work on the EMP emitter's internal systems.[/i]

Rico: From that point that you're working on right now...we relay the energy to satellite emitters and maintain a constant loop of energy throughout.

Syth: That might be a good idea...once we get the scrap to spare.

Sala: Right...

Rico: 'Locke, you up to the job?

Warlock: Of course...[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Salalia laughed at Flash's blank face and kicked back, tossing her dattapad at Syth.[/i]

Syth: Does any of this make.....sense......?

Sala: It's in German and Greek. Do the math.

'Locke: Greek?

Sala: Latin. The language of old.

Rico: *scratches head* I vaugely remember that....[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: Let's just stick to the Katakana and 0-9 coding...

Syth: Are you going to be alright?

'Locke: I'll be fine...

[i]Warlock suits back up and walks over towards the airlock of the ship.[/i]

Rico: I'll go with you...

Syth: No...we need you here to code...

Rico: I'm also a field medic.

Sala: *shrugs*

Flash: Just let him go..he'll probably whip up some complex AI in five minutes anyway.

Rico: *looks at Flash*

Flash: Just kidding...

[i]Rico shook his head and walked over to the lockers where a couple of spare hazard suits where hanging. He took one and slipped it on. Syth threw him an microphone/headphone/camera device.[/i]

Syth: Use it with your p2p device.

Rico: Okay...

[i]He puts it on his head and joins Warlock in the airlock.[/i]

Syth: You two ready?

Rico/Locke: Yeah....

Sala: Good luck you two..[/COLOR]

[Warlock]

[I]Warlock un-hooked a medium-sized energy pistol from his hazard suit's belt, and powered it up...[/I]

Syth: Okay... Let's go.

[I]Slowly, the airlock hatch opened, and the team made their way down the long ramp leading down... Rico looked around, sensing movement...[/I]

Rico: Tell them to get the turret's ready... Seems like they robots are on the alert...

Warlock: Yeah... I know...

[I]The group continued decending...[/I]

[Flash]

[I]Flash plugged into the Weapons matrix, taking maximum control of the port-side weaponary systems... He swiveled the turret around, and saw Rico, Warlock, and Syth... He talked to them over radio...[/I]

Flash: Don't worry guys, I got your backs... Port-side turret is full-op, and ready to go... I'll cover you if anything should happen...