RP: 4th Fleet (NSN) [4th AASP] Recruitment

[Zack]

To: Bodytailor Orion Seven Two 72-3933-9428
From: 4th fleet recruitment office

We request that you join us at The Spire in downtown funky city at 7pm. There is an opening in our special projects division and we are interested in discussing terms for your employment.

--

Although Nepleslia was still largely a scary place to be, downtown, in the tower district, was generally quite nice. Apartments, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment were all suspended above the streets and connected by numerous walkways between skyscrapers so the occupants never had to set foot on the ground.

The Spire was one of those restaurants, fairly high end, well stocked bar, and perched on top of one of the largest sky scrapers in Funky City. Numerous green cloth covered tables were setup around the edges of the restaurant. Full floor to ceiling windows gave a good view of the lights and fires of funky city. In the center of this room was an open kitchen area, numerous chiefs and waiters preparing and delivering food.

At the door, were two bouncers wearing hostile class power armor with nepleslian military markings. In-between them a single hostess dressed in a tight fitting skirt and button down white shirt seeing people to their tables.

 

[SentientRace]

Planetside. What a horrible place to be.

Thus far, Orion had only been at one of the orbiting stations around the planet. He had posted a service profile of himself through the Nepleslian's outdated version of the 'Polysentience' involving himself as a civil contractor and the services he would provide regarding weapons and technology development. Apparently he had posted the profile in all the right places, because he received a reply telling him to meet the head of the 4th Fleet down at Funky City downtown... even the name put him at unease (as should anyone, Freespacer or not, be).

Regardless, Orion took a shuttle down to the planet and accessed the local AGPS system through his Polysentience Terminus unit and made it to the place after taking a couple of public transportation tram systems. All the while, Orion would be jittery about all the alien sights he'd be exposed to. Feeling wind for the first time almost had him crush a nearby civilian. Hearing someone sneezing in the train made Orion instantly retreat as far away as he could from the person... quite a sight to everyone, seeing a large, multi-colored robot be visibly shaken by someone sneezing. Most everyone thought it was a publicity stunt of some sort, but those that recognized the insignia of the Freespacers engraved on his back knew what he was.


Quite the adventure it was to reach the place, but after a couple of hours, the journey was over.


Orion arrived at the place. He looked at the hostess through his blue glowing high definition cameras, mostly ignoring the bouncers. "Hello. My name is Bodytailor Orion 72-3933-9428. I was called here to negotiate the terms of my business with the Nepleslian military.

So, I was thinking I could know your name and begin negotiations?"

 

[Zack]

The woman had her arms crossed just above her waist, a datapad carrying a list of names nestled in-between her arms. She would then flash him a smile, the combination of moves highlighting her best assets.

“Ah yes, the rest of your party just arrived. Please follow me.” She would make a quick turn and walk into the restaurant, heading for a table. Sitting down at the table was a single man and woman. The woman, a young looking girl with black hair and a blue navy uniform, would stand up as soon as the freespacer arrived while the man continued sitting. He was wearing uniform pants, and a heavy green coat.
“Would you like me to get you a drink? The waitress will be by soon to take your order.” The hostess said, “We do carry radioisotopes if you require them in your food.”

“My name is Heram Wazu,” The man would say, standing up to reach out to shake the freespacers hand. His eyes would wander over the spacer’s body eventually settling on looking at the arm in place of where the head on the body normally would be.
“How are the spacers doing today?”

 

[SentientRace]

Perplexed as to what the woman meant by 'the rest of his party' having arrived, it took a moment for Orion to follow the woman. He had gotten here a bit late, you see (what with all the negative stimulus he got throughout his journey here), and it would be odd for his employers to have 'just arrived'. Unless she was speaking of another, third party, she would have to be talking about his employer. An employer getting late to an interview? Certainly a Nepleslian habit of sorts. He could never imagine a Freespacer arriving to a rendezvous this late if he knew his way already and was... accustomed to the horrible sights and situations within a planet, which he was sure these Nepleslian men were. They probably paid no attention to it!

The Type Four walked into the room. His torso was mostly a sphere, with a blue glowing center that was blocked from sight by a overlaying kind of 'Y'-shaped piece of metal that was welded into both his shoulders and his lower abdomen. What could be called eyes were located around the primary sphere, with each blue-glowing camera touching his shoulder plates, and a third one located just below the middle of the sphere. It was with these eyes that Orion would use to follow the hostess and find the man and woman at the table which had been undoubtedly waiting for him.

Orion turned his attention to the hostess for a second when he was offered a drink. He raised his hand and waved it in a bit of a circular motion. "No need, but thank you for the offer." And then it was down to business. The cameras turned to further investigate the man and the woman just as the male stood up and reached out to him. Orion looked at the hand. Ah, yes, the Nepleslian custom of hand-shaking. Orion extended his own right hand, which was quite large (perhaps as large as an ID-SOL's) in comparison to his hybrot frame, grabbed the man's hand, and, quite non-fluidly, shook it up and down.

It was hard to tell whether Orion didn't know how to do it right, or if he simply did so this slowly out of fear he may break his employer's hand... his hand had a grip that could shatter bone, after all, so he made sure to grab the hand delicately and shake it up and down with seconds between each motion. It looked and felt kind of awkward. As he did this, Orion replied. "A pleasure to meet you Heram Wazu. My full name is Bodytailor Orion 72-3933-9428, but you may simply call me Orion to save time."

Then he relaxed his grip and retracted his arm. Upon Heram Wazu's question, Orion actually went as far as to make a poll question in a famous Polysentience server. "I have made a poll in the Polysentience to determine the correct answer to your question, Heram Wazu, but if I had to guess, I would say they are doing fine, for the most part. It is my opinion, however, that we all suffer from the tides of war, both the Nepleslians and the Freespacers, and this is my reason for being here."

He then noticed the man was observing his mechanic third arm, which looked a lot more rustic than his two humanoid arms; it was hydraulic, after all. But Wazu didn't have to look much further to find points of interest in Orion's machine body. There were drawings of stars across his plating, painted in yellow, blue and red, but mostly white. There were blue-glowing optic fibers running down the 'skin' of his arms and legs, as if they were veins of some sort. There were drawings on the very arm he was looking at, actually, of a couple of kids playing with a ball next to a sitting robot. Wazu would notice a lot of these drawings were probably done by kids, or at least with the mentality of children behind them.

"My third arm is mostly built for my love of hydraulics. It is not as useful as my other arms, but I love it." Orion had to appease Wazu's curiosity. He assumed Wazu questioned it's existence.

 

[Zack]

Wazu’s body was considerably more fleshy than the machine shaking his hand. Naturally his was much smaller and ended up being jerked up and down in time with the machine’s movements until it finally let go.

“Alright, so am I supposed to look at your third arm, or your chest?” Wazu would ask, his eyes still wandering between the two as he tried to make his decision. Of course he would quickly follow up by saying, “Nevermind, that question can wait till later. Introductions first.”

The hostess would give him a smile and nod before turning and walking back towards the entry way, turning the table over to one of the waitresses who would set menus down on either side of the table quietly. Four chairs, four sets of plates, silverware, and cloth napkins have already been set up next to water and wine glasses.

“This is Drei,” He said, moving his hand to gesture to the woman with him. “This is the organic part of the computer system used to control, manage, and operate the military and utility operations for Nepleslia. If you decide to work with us she will be handling all your heavy processing needs, take care of manufacturing prototypes, testing, and training on basic devices.” He would return to sitting and motion with his hand for the Freespacer to do the same. Drei would then unclip a datapad from the hips of her uniform and set down next to Orion’s place at the table.

“This is what I intend to do,” Wazu explained, letting the datapad begin displaying telemetry data from a C3E class starship in orbit above nepleslia. Weapon status, sensor data, and equipment status reports filing down the right side of the screen with numerous control options displayed on the left. “Get the best people, equip them with the best technology, and generate the best strategies for solving the problems presented to the Nepleslians. This involves remote operations of numerous pieces of tech throughout the empire, rapid design of new gear, and constantly adjusting our technology and tactics to face new threats efficiently.

To do this I need people who not only have technical skills when it comes to science and engineering, but they have to be able to think differently than the standard ID-SOLs. Nepleslia, Yamatai, and even the NMX have been following a doctrine of deploying large fleets and accepting large losses when it comes to attacking or defending and for us that is completely unsustainable. Simply put without finding new methods of fighting this war we will end up loosing.” He would then lean forward in his chair, leaving one arm on the table.

“I want you to help us with development, and I can put the resources of the Nepleslian government behind your projects.”

 

[SentientRace]

“Alright, so am I supposed to look at your third arm, or your chest?” Wazu would ask, his eyes still wandering between the two as he tried to make his decision.

"Well, you may want to look at my upper chest. Located next to my sho --"

Of course he would quickly follow up by saying, “Nevermind, that question can wait till later. Introductions first.”

"--Alright."

When the hostess went to arrange the table, Orion was introduced to the other woman. An organic part of a computer system? Interesting. An automata that was their interface with their computer system. Quite rustic, but still admirable. He didn't bother himself too much with the details. Sitting down would be a bad idea. Unless the chair could withstand half a ton's worth of weight, Orion was better off just sitting on the floor. Judging from the materials the chair was made of, and how very flat it was, it looked like sitting on it would cause him to sit down onto the floor. Regardless, Orion followed the order, in hopes the chair would be made of a material that could support him...

...he sat down on the chair and let all his weight rest upon it. Shortly thereafter, a crack, a snap, and then a powerful THUD that reverberated across the restaurant. Whoever was in the restaurant (if there was anyone), would turn their heads toward the collision in either curiosity or concern, and once seeing a robot that had tried sitting on a wooden chair, would either try containing their laughter, outright laugh, stare, or continue on with their activities.

Orion stood up and looked around the restaurant. "I am fine! No need to worry!" A couple of chuckles escaped his speakers... wherever they were, and the optic fibers across his body began glowing green. "Never assume furniture to be as good as the restaurant it is in, eh?!" Orion turned to look at the man before him, laughing a bit. "I think I will just stand, if that's fine by you, Heram Wazu." After a couple of apologies, and the Freespacer's gesture of 'it's fine, don't worry', they resumed their negotiations.

Orion heard the man's plans, his optic fiber cables slowly turning back to blue. It was a good thing he was so experienced with making programs and creating defensive mechanisms and software. Solid planning on Heram Wazu's behalf, and Orion was just the man... or machine... or both, to do it. Right hand came to rest in the air, then closed into a fist. "Your plans are wise to follow this trajectory! As Datajack Situla Six Seven 67-9238-3649 said in The Book: 'Any barbarian can smash things with a cudgel or pull a trigger, but to defeat an enemy without bloodshed, without even breaking a sweat… That takes true talent!' I will help you, Heram Wazu, for your ideals are truly revolutionary and your wisdom is bound to victory...!

...However, there is one thing I must request..." Orion put his hand down, and his optic fiber began to turn to a glowing red. Both of his hands were lowered to his knees, and his body tilted forward, as if looking at the ground. "...my family is dead. My homeship, destroyed. I must... atone for my past. If I am to do that, I will need funds, to rebuild my home, and to bring in a new family to share my days with. I hope you can understand this. Normally I would ask my Freespacer brethren to give me the resources, but I will be too far away to manage these things personally, and even though I have made some preparations to have someone manage my resources for me to begin to build a new fleet ship, and have some of my brethren donating to my cause, I will require more than what they are giving me at the moment..."

Orion looked up, and his optic fiber glowed blue again. "...so, can we arrive at negotiations of payment? The more generous the better, but anything you can give me for my services will be much appreciated."

 

[Zack]

“Just call me Heram for now,” Wazu said, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment and remembering why first contact negotiations with the freespacers had gotten off to a difficult start. Drei, on the other hand, would immediately turn to one of the waitresses and began making arrangements for a stronger chair.

“200DA a week should be a sufficient rate of income for you. Drei will handle all of your expenses, equipment purchase requests, and the like so you won’t have to worry about being able to afford what you need to work. Bonuses and profit sharing will be set up at the competition of projects and will be adjusted based on the scale of the project. Needless to say it is likely you’ll earn more from that than your weekly pay.

I would also like you to provide a list of what your spacer brethren have given you so far and what you still need to Drei. She helps control the flow of aid from Nepleslia to the Free State and I am certain we can arrange for additional assistance to be provided to you in this regard. Retaking the Great Lighthouse is one of our long term goals, but it is not our most pressing concern right now.” Wazu would look over at Drei, then to the waitresses speaking with their managers in the kitchen area, then back at the blue glowing bits on the spacer.

“And if you are interested in the pay for project, there are already two in the pipeline that I believe you are well suited for. The Drei system is due for an update, and needs to be expanded to include new interfaces, control systems, and utility functions. There is also a drone design we have that is unfinished. I am not quite sure what to use it for much less what to do with it but the design is somewhat similar to what you use for your body.” He would the nod to Drei, who would change the display on the datapad to show the pre-production sketch of a headless robot with numerous exposed hydraulic bits and an integrated radar/sensor suite on its chest. “Of course you are welcome to look through our project library too, but the goal is to produce useful equipment and finding out what the grunts need is going to be part of the job.”

 

[SentientRace]

"Very well, Heram."

The hybrot Freespacer listened to what he had to say. As the man before him said those words of comfort and reassurance, Orion's optic fibers began glowing green. Such a generous man, Heram was! How very fortunate he was to be under his command! Such joy moved through Orion's circuits and neurons!

"Yes Heram, I will provide Drei with a list! I'm glad you're thinking about our beloved long-gone Lighthouse but..." He then continued to hear Heram out. The Great Lighthouse... what a complicated issue to address. Was it best left to rest in favor of peace or fight in favor of the teachings within The Art of Never Again? It was hard to say, in these times of war. But at the moment, like Heram had said, it was of no importance. The NMX were a much more pressing issue.

The projects he proposed seemed a bit odd to Orion. For one, Drei seemed like a perfect automata. How she needed any upgrades was beyond Orion at the moment. But, he would not question it. Then, there was the drone. Why had it been created if it had no purpose to begin with? That was much more curious than the 'upgrades' Drei needed. Giving it purpose and reason, of course, was not beyond Orion, and this would possibly be his first task. A robot without meaning was not a robot, it was just art. And, from what Orion had learned thus far from the Nepleslian military, they didn't really fund art projects.

Orion grabbed Heram's hand in his much bigger, broader, mechanic right hand. It was a tight grip, but the fingers were not closed enough to firmly grasp Heram's hand within it. In a calm, yet very firm voice, Orion spoke to his employer. "Thank you, Heram. You don't know how much this means to me. I will make sure to serve you well."

"...by the way, 56% of the Freespacers say they are doing fine today, 22.3% say they are doing great today, 12% say they have had better days, 7.2% say this is one of their worst days, 1.5% say this is the best day of their lives, 1% says this is the worst day of their lives."

 

[Zack]

“Thank you for keeping me updated on the Spacer’s demographics.” Wazu said with an amused smile. He would take a moment to restrain himself from asking about that 1% as he looked over at the waitress and managers that were still figuring out where to get a new, sturdier, chair.

“I am more interested in hearing your thoughts on the two projects,” He said as his hand was again shook by the Spacer. “…than with other issues. There will be plenty of time to discuss the role the lighthouse plays later, after more pressing matters have been seen to. Also, are you aware of the recent happenings with the Elysian Empire?”

Before to much longer a sturdy, metal, dinning cart was rolled out from the kitchen and placed next to their table as the wheel locks were put in place. “I apologize for the wait,” Their waitress said, being sure to sound very sorry as she leaned forward slightly, “I hope this will serve as a sufficient chair for the time being while we find a more permanent replacement.” To their credit, they had at least fastened some makeshift cushions to the top of the push cart and made sure the top was flat enough to sit on.

 

[SentientRace]

It had been Heram's petition to know how the 'spacers had been doing today. "You're welcome!" He hoped Heram wasn't being sarcastic, though. Based on what he had read on the Nepleslians, sarcasm was one of their most 'indirect ways to insult someone's intelligence'. He paid it no mind, however. He knew Heram had to be a different kind of man.

Then, the questions. Ah, how to go about upgrading an automata... well, that was, if she really wanted an upgrade. It was the Freespacers' belief that all creatures and machines are equal, and that their sentience was recognized as at the same level. Some could be used for some tasks, others, for other tasks. Freespacers never 'got rid' of any technology, but rather tended to 'supplement' it by adding more practical things to it; thus the disproportionate, repetitive and perhaps excessive amount of things on a single ship, robot or cyborg. They would never outright trash impractical accessories. That would just be rude. The glowing optics across his hybrot armor now glowed blue again. Orion's hand quit touching the Nepleslian's and he settled to simply standing at the table.

"Hm. If I had to take a guess about lady Drei's required upgrade, I would say she should have integrated access to the Freespacer Polysentience, PANTHEON, InterNEP and NAM Network. That way she has an almost infinite disposal of information at her hands. On that end, it would be interesting to know if the NMX hold a similar interstellar information network which we could hack and have her read. Of course, that would require severe re-programming on her hardware, considering complications with compatibility issues and different format reading abilities, but it could be done in a week's worth of time I'm sure. Anyway, I would rather ask her what kind of upgrades she thinks she needs! I'm sure no one knows any better what would make them more practical that the very person that is in need of the upgrades, don't you think, Heram?" The hybrot's body turned to lady Drei, awaiting a response from her.

As she responded, the waitress finally arrived with a makeshift chair. Orion chuckled and thanked her, and proceeded to sit down on the much sturdier surface. The dining cart instantly bent under the pressure of the weight, but surprisingly enough stood through the punishment and did not collapse.

 

[Zack]

“The Freespacer Polysentience is something that Drei can monitor but she lacks a suitable communication protocol to initiate her own queries. Panthon access would also require a serious reworking of Drei’s security systems to make sure she is not cross contaminated by their systems. As for the interNEP, there are other issues but I will let Drei explain those.” He would turn to look at Drei who would motion to the Datapad she had set in front of Orion.

“The planned block 2 upgrade for the Drei system so far has the following requirements.” The datapad in front of Orion would then display a series of colored lines, some connecting, some not, all spreading out from various different points on a map of Nepleslia.

“The InterNEP network needs to be standardized. Each color represents a different network and the lines represent the various communication pathways, cables, and transmission systems that make up the planet’s network. Roughly only 23% of the network can be accessed through my current systems. Physical and software upgrades need to be implemented in this regard.” She would then pause only for a moment as the view switched over to a power and utilities grid.

“The Nepleslian Utilities grid is currently running at 32% efficiency. Numerous damaged systems, distribution pipes, and fallen power cables need to be repaired. Power generation facilities need to be modernized from their pre-empire designs. Utility systems need to be brought up to some standard levels. Mobile power and utility backup systems and repair units also need to be developed for integration into my systems.” She would then alter the display again to show a series of Nepleslian marines being given basic instructions.

“Human Factors systems are only able to generate a positive response with the target 62% of the time. This should be able to be improved upon as well.” Drei said, moving on to display a set of computer modules and room shapes.

“The Drei servers, organic components, and primary computers are units custom designed for each starship class or location. In addition to continuing the standardization of hardware and genetic components, a standardized computer, server, and operations room needs to be developed.” Drei would then show the data on the Nepleslian CC chip.

“CC chip, brain scans, cloning, and ST transfer systems need to be standardized. We have discussed using an organic system to emulate brain function allowing for virtual copies of crew members to be stored on the main computer for use by the starship as virtual command crew or as virtual pilots for attack craft. This idea has not been fully evaluated yet.” Drei would then show an image of her own brain.

“Finally,” She said, “The Drei playbook, the file that contains all strategies, tactics, and plans, continually needs expanding. Being prepared for dealing with new situations is vital to continued full effectiveness operation.

Also… I need to further develop my own problem solving skills. Operating within the parameters of the playbook is easy but being confronted by a new scenario can be problematic, such as a slave being freed but not wanting to leave my side.”

 

[SentientRace]

After hearing all Heram and Drei had to say, Orion would remain quiet for a few moments. He was just sitting there, on the tray, unmoving, cameras at his shoulders zoomed into the datapad Drei had been showing him. It took half a minute for him to assess a full plan.

"I have arrived to a conclusion, but I'm not sure if it's acceptable. However, I highly recommend it.

Drei is too complex for her own good. She is trying to be both a leading military unit and a leading domestic unit, and the competition of both focuses is simply too much for one single entity to carry out, regardless of how complex or advanced that entity may be.

We need another Drei, a second Drei, to rebuild the infrastructure and all domestic network necessities of Nepleslia, while this Drei manages the military and imperial defense strategies-- or, if you prefer, vice-versa. These two Drei will be interconnected by a separate, private network. That way, one can focus on leading rebuilding and standardizing infrastructure and networking operations, while the other can focus on military intelligence operations and the use of advanced strategies and dynamic adaptation, yet keep each other informed of these operations and help each other 'evolve', so to speak. They can co-ordinate their timing this way, and help the Nepleslian government reach ideal performance from both military and infrastructural standpoints at the correct times for both to progress uniformly, not to mention help each other gain more experience through their synchronization. They will technically be one, but two at the same time... much in the form of the blessed Polysentience but at a smaller scale.

The updates for the Drei system can be done. I can most definitely program her the correct communications protocol for producing queries in the Polysentience. I can also come up with a good security system to keep her from being cross contaminated by PANTHEON systems. The InterNEP and NAM networking systems should become more and more available the more Drei... or, Drei 2, should you take my suggestion, makes progress with the Nepleslian infrastructure.

I think our greatest objective should be to locate and infiltrate the NMX information network, though. It has only come to my mind lately that this should be our primary objective, but without any knowledge on their systems, there is little we can do. Because there is so little information in the Polysentience's databanks about the NMX network, I have not been able to assess a proper infiltration method. I find it is my responsibility to help lady Drei, and by extension Nepleslia, in whatever way I can..." The cameras turned to Drei.

"...so I am willing to teach her in the ways of the Hacker Cult. My abilities to almost intuitively understand programming and not only be able to decipher them, but decrypt the information within a reasonably small amount of time will enable Drei to hack into the NMX systems and peruse without threat of being detected, if done properly. I don't suggest this without proper training first and several trial and error runs, but once she has been fully trained I am confident we should be able to extract information from the NMX." Then Orion turned to look at Heram, cameras shifting positions to face him.

"Heram, if you can give me a sample of NMX hardware programming, or a sample of an NMX information network, I can decrypt it and enable Nepleslia the ability to hack into their systems and view, steal, and even create data to misinform them. But I need a sample on which to work with, first.

As for the updates on Drei, I can complete them in about two week's notice, save making the second Drei. If I must upgrade Drei including the domestic and infrastructural data, it may be harder. The problem is unreliability of the medium. Infrastructure should be fixed apart from the military applications, as they could both conflict with each other in terms of priority. Regardless of how fast Drei's computing systems might be, she is still only one automata, and though I am confident in her skills, I fear she may be overworked to the point of impracticability."

 

[Zack]

“Drei already operates as a swarm intelligence of sorts.” Wazu explained, “When networked all the computer systems share the same AI, same memories, and pool resources. As the network is broken into smaller chucks each becomes a shard of Drei, operating with what resources it has. When re-networked both Drei shards end up merging into one. While resource intensive it does create a robust network as Drei can not easily be stopped from carrying out its operations….” He would then look over at Drei

“Please make your support documentation available to Orion.” In moments numerous poorly organized documentswould pop up on the datapad.

“Keep in mind that a large part of this project is helping re-organize the support documentation to a more manageable format.

As far as domestic and military operations are concerned, I believe they are the same thing. A strong central authority is needed to manage both effectively. The current problem with the Drei system is while she is quite capable at following instructions, testing, and improving upon current designs she is less capable at taking something entirely from need, to concept, to design, to production all on her own. This is what leads to the necessity for standardized power and utility stations.

You are, however, welcome to being work on linking the Drei system to other information networks.” He would then look over at Drei.

Drei would then look over at Orion,

“I will begin searching for NMX hardware examples for you to use.” She said

Wazu would then add,

“And right now we aren’t on a tight timetable for Drei’s upgrades. Take your time and make sure that the changes will be effective and lasting. The more effort we have to spend on keeping Drei up to date is effort taking away from developing other technologies.”

 

[SentientRace]

As Orion looked into the datapad, questions became answered. "Ah... I see... she is much more complex than what she looks! She is really a Type Five with avatar control abilities! That's pretty impressive for Nepleslian technology!-- Er, I mean... taking into account your infrastructure levels and all, that is." He felt he had insulted the man without meaning to. Of course, Orion held in much higher esteem his own Freespacer technology, whereas probably Heram held Nepleslian technology as the epitome of inventions.

The intrigue on Drei grew much bigger now that he knew exactly what she was. But still... "Interesting as this is, Heram, I find the centralization of her domestic and military operations a bit... unnerving. If someone were to hack into her systems it might very well be the downfall of all Nepleslia!" Both of Orion's hand came to touch the datapad, searching through information on Drei's systems. "On the other hand, this makes updates for her easier to accomplish. I wouldn't need to cram all the hardware necessary for the updates I intend into a single entity, and all software compatibility and format reading issues can be solved through the network."

Then Orion would hear Heram out regarding the status of the Drei Network and how he thought it was a good idea, and was necessary... ideas which Orion would disagree with. For now, though, he'd just 'agree to disagree' and do what he was told regardless. Nepleslia wasn't his nation, even though he had the best intentions to help it, so it was no skin off his bones if he didn't ensure the system couldn't be exploited. Specially if his very boss was preventing it. "Yes, I do think I'll make sure to apply all communications and networks systems into her software. --Oh, and the support documentation will be adjusted post-haste. It just needs to be organized properly, that's all."

Drei occupied herself with making it known that she would provide NMX network data for him, for which he was glad. That was a very big part of his winning strategy against the NMX; both personal and as part of the Nepleslian team. He then turned to Heram, which proceeded to explain that the upgrades for Drei were not high priority at the moment, and that other issues should be discussed as well.

"--Ah, that reminds me about the droid you spoke of. It does not seem to have much use. What purpose did you have in mind for it? Any thoughts? I could come up with purposes for it in due time, but at the moment I am drawing a blank. Perhaps if you name necessities I could provide suggestions and solutions using that droid, but that's all I can guarantee at the moment.

Maybe it's time I was shown to the rest of the crew." There wasn't much doubt in his mind that there were other crew members who would be working with him. He actually wondered where they were... But then, Nepleslian culture was radically different to Freespacer culture...

 

[Zack]

“Almost everyone who is participating in this has been hand picked for certain skills.” Wazu replied. “That also means their arrival times have been staggered somewhat so that I’ll have an easier time getting to know them. Our ‘human factors’ person is in this building now and should be joining us shortly. Her name is Zoey…” Wazu would look over at Drei, pause a moment, then continue, “… Just Zoey. Ex-Elysian national, Ex-NMX slave. We’ve checked her for bugs and other foreign electronics but that doesn’t mean she is clean. Feel free to ask her opinion on things but don’t show her anything sensitive.”

“We also have an interior designer, Ms. Anson, who will be joining us later as well. She helped work on the interior layout of the first crew module for the C3 class starship and is currently helping with work on a second updated module based on what we learned doing the first. I have yet to meet her in person but she does tend to think of things I do not.”

“Finally, we’ll be helping SMoDIN set up a press core of sorts. We might have an embedded reporter and a marine guard attached to us for a while. NNN is still working out the terms for this though, so I do not know all the details myself.”

“As for the robot,” Wazu said, pausing for a moment, “Part of making things useful is that sometimes you make things that aren’t useful. I had an idea, worked out the basic design, and then moved on. After all marines are cheap and it doesn’t make much sense to try and replace them with robots. We could try and use it to augment the sensor and communication abilities of unarmored soldiers on the streets, 1 for every platoon. High end sensor gear could also make it useful in a customs role. However it might not be realistic to implement the design at all, but that does not mean it will just be thrown out. It gets filed away with all the other projects that have not been completed for one reason or another. If you want to look through the old project file be my guest, there are hover tanks, surface to orbit laser vehicles, APCs, flying and wheeled drones waiting for someone to finish them. Nepleslia’s big needs right now are ground vehicles, personal equipment, and starship components.

Wazu would then look over at Drei again.

“And Drei of course. Centralizing all functions is what makes Drei an efficient tool of managing society’s needs from growing crops to fresh water to traffic management. The government needs her to do these functions because they are unable to set up various organizations to handle these tasks in a timely manner. This may leave the system more vulnerable to various attacks but vulnerabilities are inherent with any system. Part of what we do is to generate attack methods against Drei and then figure out ways to protect against them. Some level of isolation and decentralization is acceptable, but using completely isolated systems is not a viable method for Nepleslia.”

 

[SentientRace]

“Almost everyone who is participating in this has been hand picked for certain skills.” Wazu replied. “That also means their arrival times have been staggered somewhat so that I’ll have an easier time getting to know them. Our ‘human factors’ person is in this building now and should be joining us shortly. Her name is Zoey…” Wazu would look over at Drei, pause a moment, then continue, “… Just Zoey. Ex-Elysian national, Ex-NMX slave. We’ve checked her for bugs and other foreign electronics but that doesn’t mean she is clean. Feel free to ask her opinion on things but don’t show her anything sensitive.”

The NMX were truly despicable creatures. To enslave someone and force them to do their bidding... that was something unforgivable and intolerable. The optic fibers across Orion's body glew violet while Heram mentioned it, but Orion wouldn't do anything other than listen to him. His anger lay within him, there was no need to express it at the moment.

“We also have an interior designer, Ms. Anson, who will be joining us later as well. She helped work on the interior layout of the first crew module for the C3 class starship and is currently helping with work on a second updated module based on what we learned doing the first. I have yet to meet her in person but she does tend to think of things I do not.”

“Finally, we’ll be helping SMoDIN set up a press core of sorts. We might have an embedded reporter and a marine guard attached to us for a while. NNN is still working out the terms for this though, so I do not know all the details myself.”

Slowly Orion's glowing parts turned to blue once more, and Orion became intrigued about the other three people that would be joining them. "An interior designer. That is a very rare trade where I come from! I've never met one. It should be interesting to share conversation with her!" And then Heram mentioned the reporter and the marine, and the whole thing with NNN. Orion got excited and began glowing green. "A reporter! How amusing! I suppose we'll be all over the news? I've only been in a news cast once before. For the Polysentience... but those were horrible news I was going to be delivering, to say the least. I'm glad I get to be in a good report this time! I hate having to deliver bad news!"

“As for the robot,” Wazu said, pausing for a moment, “Part of making things useful is that sometimes you make things that aren’t useful. I had an idea, worked out the basic design, and then moved on. After all marines are cheap and it doesn’t make much sense to try and replace them with robots. We could try and use it to augment the sensor and communication abilities of unarmored soldiers on the streets, 1 for every platoon. High end sensor gear could also make it useful in a customs role. However it might not be realistic to implement the design at all, but that does not mean it will just be thrown out. It gets filed away with all the other projects that have not been completed for one reason or another. If you want to look through the old project file be my guest, there are hover tanks, surface to orbit laser vehicles, APCs, flying and wheeled drones waiting for someone to finish them. Nepleslia’s big needs right now are ground vehicles, personal equipment, and starship components.”

It seemed he had underestimated Heram. He also did not think of simply throwing away ideas because of lack of purpose. A true engineer at knew when a project would not reach a desired end. He or she would know when he or she merely created to entertain him or herself and when he or she was creating to serve a higher goal. In the end engineers didn't need a reason to create other than to satisfy themselves with their creations. "Perhaps I will. I have a lot of works stored in my data files that I could apply to serve the Nepleslian military. They were old works of mine which I created at my homeship... and since that is now gone, then I suppose I might as well put these works to a renewed purpose."

Wazu would then look over at Drei again.

“And Drei of course. Centralizing all functions is what makes Drei an efficient tool of managing society’s needs from growing crops to fresh water to traffic management. The government needs her to do these functions because they are unable to set up various organizations to handle these tasks in a timely manner. This may leave the system more vulnerable to various attacks but vulnerabilities are inherent with any system. Part of what we do is to generate attack methods against Drei and then figure out ways to protect against them. Some level of isolation and decentralization is acceptable, but using completely isolated systems is not a viable method for Nepleslia.”

"I agree, Heram. But I still would much rather decentralize her power. Like you very well said, " then Heram's voice would come out of the speakers.

"Some level of isolation and decentralization is acceptable,--"

Then Orion's voice would resume the thought. "-- So I think the proper level of decentralization should be to separate Drei's infrastructure and military-based facets into two separate networks that communicate with each other frequently. Because Drei is so advanced it makes her current role possible, but the danger of that role is that if she becomes hacked or gets shut down, Nepleslia is stark naked against the enemy. Both the military and the domestic sector would receive a huge blow to their operations simultaneously. I believe the danger far out-weights the utility of the role, which could be performed some other way and achieve the same results effectively."

 

[Cabaline]

To: Orchid Anson
From: 4th fleet recruitment office

We request that you join us at The Spire in downtown funky city at 8pm. There is an opening in our special projects division and we are interested in discussing terms for your employment.

Orchid arrived at the spire exactly as the clock hit 8pm. She had dressed in a femininely tailored suit. It had vibrant hunter green knee length skirt with a buttoned suit jacket. Underneath the jacket she had on an accentuating light brown vest. Around her neck was a slender gold chain and she wore dark brown two inch high heels. She carried a small brown clutch with gold closure. Her curly red hair was held back with a matching green headband.

“Hello, I am Orchid. I am here to speak with the representative from the fourth fleet recruitment office. Do you know if the he has arrived?” she asked the hostess.

 

[Zack]

“Naturally I can not ask you to go against whatever dedication to truth, justice, and the Polysentience you may have. But I would like you to keep in mind our goal is to generate the best possible outcome for Nepleslia and that will involve trying to present the best image possible to the media.” Wazu said in regards to the reporter.

“As for Drei,” He said, taking another look over at the woman standing nearby, “Maybe I am too confident in her abilities. I do not like the idea of splitting her up completely but a similar system is already used for Drei hardware that gets isolated from the other Drei machines. It does not make much sense to peruse a design based on gut feelings.”

--

“Yes, your party is waiting for you.” The hostess said with a smile, constantly doing her best to show off her blonde hair, blue eyes, and other assets that got her hired to greet guests. “Please follow me.” She would pick up another menu from behind the small podium she used to hold the guestbook and quickly turn to lead Orchid further into the restaurant, walking past the open central kitchen area to the round table near the window where the others sat. On one end was Orion a freespacer robot currently seated on a metal cart where a chair once was, Wazu, sitting across from him in a normal wooden chair, jacket still on, and Drei, a somewhat pale looking female with shoulder length black hair in a nepleslian navy uniform.

Once she arrived at the table Wazu would stand up, “Nice to finally meet you in person,” He said, “Please have a seat, we have a lot to discuss.”

 

[Cabaline]

“Thank you” she replied to the hostess.

Orchid followed her through the restaurant until they arrived at the table where she was greeted by Wazu.

“I always enjoy meeting new people, however I do not believe I know who you are,” she replied as she took a seat at the table.

The hostess handed Orchid the menu she had grabbed previously and returned to the entry way.

 

[Zack]

“I am Heram Wazu, and I’m in charge of running the 4th fleet. We contracted you to do some design work for the C3, though I guess we never did actually talk to each other I am familiar with your work.”

Wazu would then point to the spacer sitting across from him, “This is Bodytailor Orion Seven Two Dash Three….” Wazu would look up to Drei.

“72-3933-9428” Drei would reply.

“Right, that,” Wazu said. “He will be working with us developing systems and technology.”

“The woman standing next to me is Drei, she is the system responsible for administration, running our ships, and handling all of our computing needs. If you need anything material feel free to ask her and she can arrange for it.” Wazu would then look over at Orion.

“And this is Ms. Anson. She does interior design and helped with the layout of the original C3 crew module. Normally she does contract work out of Nepleslia but I am hoping to talk her into coming along with us instead of working from home.”