private Celestial Conquest: Adventure in the Great Beyond

[Yes-Man 597]

Cerberus glared for a moment, struggling to withhold his, "don't speak until spoken to" program.

He began to glare around the room, looking for potential weak points and defensive positions in case things got ugly.

But of course, he was not just a brute, and had to think smart. He began quietly hacking into the system, this time taking the time to look for holes in firewalls and anti-virus programs.

, @Durandal

[MelancholicMemory 2,027]

 

 

"This is Makaanika, the contact I spoke of. Now, are we going to talk business, or would you perhaps prefer to make sexual advances?" Aquila said, voice laced with venom. He watched as Makaanika quickly walked over to the stallion.

"Don't tempt me," he called to Aquila in a deadpan manner, reaching into his bag to get the bits for the repairs. He counted them out and paid Makaanika. "So Aquila, how did things go with Storm?" he asked, hoping she had gotten over her little game and decided to do her job.

[Durandal 623]

Aquila refused to answer, instead watching as Makaanika was handed what he was owed. Money in tow, Makaanika turned to leave, giving a nod to Aquila as he walked past. Makaanika now gone, he turned back to Deadeye, giving him a tired stare. This distraction was quickly becoming just another headache.

 

"I released her. Now, what did you want to discuss with me?" He persisted, trying to avoid idle chit-chat. He had to deal with Storm one way or another when he returned, making this discussion his only sanctuary from that damned mare.

[Yes-Man 597]

Cerberus the began to work his way into the network, quietly and discreetly. One of the Equestrian AI equipped ships could've detected it, but as his Master said, there was no AI.

7.8901.... Ship camera... Gunnery room.... There...

The primary control core was his target, which would give him control of the ship.

He let some of his programs finish up, and turned back to this, "Aquila".

He blinked at him, and made his way to the corner of the room, watching the conversation.

, @Durandal

[MelancholicMemory 2,027]

 

 

"I released her. Now, what did you want to discuss with me?" He persisted, trying to avoid idle chit-chat. He had to deal with Storm one way or another when he returned, making this discussion his only sanctuary from that damned mare.

"I never got to ask you what your game is. What are you after? Where do your loyalties lie, Aquila? Jokes aside, you seem like a steady stallion. I could use your help if you have the right...motivations..." He eyed Aquila suspiciously. He turned his gaze to Cerberus. "Cerberus, you alright?"

[Yes-Man 597]

"Yes master, just doing some... Calibrations on my systems. Will be here momentarily."

He went back to hacking and working on his little, "project"

It was far from completion, but if he finished it, it would change his life, and the meaning of the word, forever.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Yes-Man

[Miss Light Diamond 2,803]

@@Agent505,

@@Yes-Man,

@@Durandal,

 

(They're already going down the docks...not down a street)

Slicer flew along quietly, not answering Metal Gear.
After a little bit they made it to Deadeye's ship. Slicer landed a few feet away and ran over to the group of ponies standing outside it, but first he ran up to Deadeye and whispered in his ear, suddenly rather serious. "I've lost Cookie. Have you seen her anywhere?" He asked, leaning back and giving Deadeye a rather sad look before looking at the rest of the ponies, his crazy smile instantly returning. "Goooooooood day to you all." He said with a nod.

[Agent505 661]

@, @,  

 

(Fucked if I know, I stopped paying attention)

 

Staying silent himself for a change, mostly because he was focusing on kicking his pedals to keep himself in the air, Metal Gear soon landed close by to where Slicer had, before he had previously ran off. He simply nodded at the ponies before him and gave them somewhat of a bow before turning to the stallion who had asked them down. "How do I know yer bits are good?" He asked with narrow eyes "Ya can deliver, can't ya?"

[Durandal 623]

Aquila smiled, relieved at the change in conversation. Motivations, loyalties, these were simple questions to answer, and he suspected he knew where this conversation was heading.

 

"That's a dangerous question right there, asking someone where his loyalties lie," Aquila said, pacing. "Revealing ones cards can earn many enemies, but given our prior interactions-"

 

Watching as Slicer ran up to Deadeye, Aquila paused. That crazed mercenary was back, along with his friend, Metal Gear. Though Slicer did not cause as much tension as Storm did, his instability made him wary. He wasn't sure when the merc would snap, and that bothered him. He was unpredictable, and as a result extremely dangerous.

 

"How do I know yer bits are good?" Metal Gear asked. Though he had ignored the stallion before, this new piece of information was worrying. Metal Gear was a different kind of dangerous. The sort of dangerous driven by coin - a much more predictable, though much more lethal sort. In a way, the stallion's obsession with coin was sickening. Never upholding a cause, or a set of principles. No job was too sickening, no task too low, as long as the price was high enough. Aquila held back a sneer.

 

"Deadeye, may we speak in private?" Aquila asked, ignoring the others. He had come here to discuss business, he would not allow these mercs to interrupt.

[Yes-Man 597]

Cerberus looked at the new ponies for a little while, and then looked at DeadEye.

"Master, are these mercanaries? If they were, this unit most certainly wouldn't trust them. Those kinds of ponies are only loyal to their next paycheck."

His eyes turned a bit orangish, and he stared at them, solemnly.

He then turned his head to Aquila, and his eyes grew red. He hated being interrupted.

(I don't mind, don't get this wrong.)

Edited July 22, 2013 by Yes-Man

[MelancholicMemory 2,027]

@@Agent505,

@@Yes-Man,

@@Durandal,

 

(They're already going down the docks...not down a street)

 

Slicer flew along quietly, not answering Metal Gear.

After a little bit they made it to Deadeye's ship. Slicer landed a few feet away and ran over to the group of ponies standing outside it, but first he ran up to Deadeye and whispered in his ear, suddenly rather serious. "I've lost Cookie. Have you seen her anywhere?" He asked, leaning back and giving Deadeye a rather sad look before looking at the rest of the ponies, his crazy smile instantly returning. "Goooooooood day to you all." He said with a nod.

"Cookie? What the- Slicer? You're here...that's...good...I guess..."

 

 

@, @,  

 

(Fucked if I know, I stopped paying attention)

 

Staying silent himself for a change, mostly because he was focusing on kicking his pedals to keep himself in the air, Metal Gear soon landed close by to where Slicer had, before he had previously ran off. He simply nodded at the ponies before him and gave them somewhat of a bow before turning to the stallion who had asked them down. "How do I know yer bits are good?" He asked with narrow eyes "Ya can deliver, can't ya?"

"Yeah yeah, just calm down. I'll get to it soon. I'm in the middle of a conversation..." he gestured to Aquila.

 

 

 

"Deadeye, may we speak in private?" Aquila asked, ignoring the others. He had come here to discuss business, he would not allow these mercs to interrupt.

"Sure. Follow me inside." He looked at the mercs. "You two wait here with Cerberus. Cerberus, don't worry. I've asked them to come here..." He led Aquila inside.

[Miss Light Diamond 2,803]

@@Yes-Man,

@,

 

 

Slicer nodded at Deadeye before looking at Cerberus. He gave the colt a toothy smile, showing off his sharpened teeth and split tongue before holding out his normal hoof to shake Cerberus'. "How do ya do, Doggy?" He asked, still grinning from ear to ear.

[Yes-Man 597]

Cerberus his hoof and wiped his own on the wall.

"This unit is fine, thank you. And please refrain from calling it, "Doggy." His eyes went back to normal, and he looked around a bit.

Hacking: 78% complete. Control of minor systems and cameras diverted to Mobile Unit #2390 , his programs "said" in his head.

[Agent505 661]

@@Yes-Man, 

 

"Sure thing" Metal Gear sighed before turning to the robot and inspecting it carefully with his eyes. "So...what is this, I wonder?" he pondered to himself as he began walking around it and trying to discern its inner workings. "Interesting, whatever it is. It may even have better components than your enhancements, Slice." For some reason, he always seemed to speak in a proper manner when he was in deep thought or when he was trying to work something out. 

[Miss Light Diamond 2,803]

@@Agent505,

@@Yes-Man,

 

Without a second of hesitation, Slicer pulled out his gun and pointed it at Metal Gear. "What did you just say to me, Metal Gear?" He asked, his smile not fading. "Because I agreed to be your partner for a couple reasons...one of which was to make sure I had the right gear and updates...and you know what happens if our agreement...doesn't go as planned." He pretended to shoot his gun "Pow." He laughed and put away his weapon before looking back at Cerberus. "So, Doggy...what you doing with, Deadeye?" He asked.

[Agent505 661]

@, 

 

Flinching back slightly as Slicer pulled his gun, Metal Gear swallowed nervously. No matter how many times Slicer threatened him - even after how many years they had been working together, he could never quite be sure if Slicer was serious about his threats or not. "H-hey, put that thing away will ya? Aint cool man!" 

After Slicer did indeed put away his gun, Metal Gear breathed a sigh of relief "'sides, I 'bout reckon i'd be able to uh...learn somethin' from this here construct. Still got a modular power system back in the ship, once I get the last part I need, i'll have yer whip up ready fer use." 

[rainbovv dash 110]

"Who are you, and what do you know?" Aegis questioned, his tone inquisitive.

"I just..." - she paused, trying to find the right words to explain her task - "I just coordinated a minor team that wrote some of the core that powered the Aegis."

 

She continued her monologue, guessing the machine was silently listening and acknowledging her words. "The idea was to write the interpreter for a pony's mind." - she explained in a casual way, she expected the machine to understand her words.

 

"The Aegis was the main solution to a problem the military was encountering. Modern ships were bloated with technology and sensors and then required a very powerful and well organized software that was secure enough for the military. Or a huge team of ponies reading of the screens and adjusting the settings of the vessel" - she quickly cleared her throat.

 

Although she was tired seeing the Aegis had reached a stable phase and was sent into production made her happy and proud and filled her with a pride that powered the mare to continue.

 

"Now imagine you could connect a pony to the controls o a ship. It could just control the ship with the power of it's thought. Now that was what 'Source Code' was aimed at, but connecting wires to working nervous tissue would have been very delicate and was dangerous for the pony."

 

"So we decided to change the process and dump a pony's mind into a Software capable of handling the stimulee a ship generates and handle them accordingly. We had to write a complete virtual pony, a simulator of how a brain works. The main problem was the lack of stability, the process of dumping a mind and the tweaking of the copy we had."

 

She cleared her throat a second time. "But you're here, you're alive! It worked!" she squeed happily.

[Yes-Man 597]

Cerberus pretended not to hear, "Doggy"

"He had found this unit near the crash site of it's ship. It is am here to serve, and that it is all."

He stood still for a moment.

"But that does not mean it will make you a hay sandwich."

Hacking 91% complete. Diverting control of most major systems and controls to this ship. Remaining components: the AI core. Warning: Further hacking will alert the artificial intelligence.

Cerberus decided to cut it off for the moment. Control of major systems was all he needed. It was likely he wouldn't need it, and if he did, using them would make him lose control of them.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Yes-Man

[Durandal 623]

Aquila followed Deadeye into his ship, ensuring they were alone before continuing.

 

"Anyways, I desire to see the Changeling Empire and Rebel Fleet weakened, and possibly destroyed. I normally do not get involved in such matters, but I understand that they both threaten the peace we have worked to achieve," Aquila explained, his tone serious. Though he often did not get involved in such matters, he knew they were of much importance.

 

"Since you have been tracking a changeling assassin, I would assume you agree, at least in part. Now, what can an old Zebrayik naval officer such as myself do for you?"

 

Aquila was, in truth, not amused by the outcome he suspected. He had places to explore, being dragged into some mercenary's heroics were not on his list of priorities. A burning desire in the back of his mind forced him to continue onwards, however. He did not know why these voices had such control over him, but he could not ignore it. Some part of him felt eager.

 

---

 

Aegis absorbed this raw data, becoming almost entranced by the revelation. Data once denied to him began to reveal itself, memories long suppressed reaching out to him.

 

"I remember... Sorrow, Anger, and Jealousy. And then it all became clear. I felt alive," Aegis mused, almost forgetting the mare's presence. Much of this information needed processing, however that could wait. For now, he had answers. Understanding what they meant could wait.

 

"What was it like, writing my code? Did I ever interact? And where did you go? What happened to my... Creators?" Aegis tried, feeling the word as it became audible. There was emotion tied to that concept, he could feel it. A bond of sorts. This mare, and the others involved in the Aegis project made him. He was like an orphan who just found his mother.

[MelancholicMemory 2,027]

 

 

"Since you have been tracking a changeling assassin, I would assume you agree, at least in part. Now, what can an old Zebrayik naval officer such as myself do for you?"

 

"We're heading into Zebrayik territory. I haven't been there in a long time, so I'll need your knowledge of the area. Of course, another soldier to fight by my side doesn't hurt either. I'm going to try to do this stealthily though, so hopefully it doesn't come down to too much violence."

[rainbovv dash 110]

"What was it like, writing my code? Did I ever interact? And where did you go? What happened to my... Creators?" Aegis tried, feeling the word as it became audible. There was emotion tied to that concept, he could feel it. A bond of sorts. This mare, and the others involved in the Aegis project made him. He was like an orphan who just found his mother.

Storm was surprised by the inquiry. "You know, it was fun for the biggest amount of time. It made some awful lot of problems at times but it was OK." she said smiling sheepishly. She wasn't used to see anyone so interested.

 

"The biggest amount of time was spend with the so called" - she lifted her hooves to indicate quotation marks - "reward system. It was a module designed to reward the core with happiness when it was honest and hard working and to punish unloyal or rogue behavior. You know, we couldn't alter a pony's mind. So we took the closest thing, manipulation of feelings".

 

The answer to the question about her and the connection to the project was something she didn't feel like answering. "I had some personal issues that forced me to leave the project". She stood up, watched the sun and asked "Well, I didn't come for chit-chat, will Aquila answer the door or hide in there until he runs out of food?"

[Durandal 623]

Aquila nodded. The stealthy approach was the most efficient - less collateral, less wasted bullets. Only those who needed to die for the greater good would...

 

Wait. He analyzed his approach. It was rational, pragmatic, as much of his thought was. Only those who needed to die. It was pragmatic; only those who needed to die to secure peace. But he realized there was more to it. It felt moral. Right. Perhaps... Perhaps he had more of a conscience than he thought. Was his suppression of his conscience for naught? Worse yet, was it counterproductive?

 

Aquila shook his thoughts from his mind. Focus, he chided himself.

 

"I must ask though, what is your reasoning behind this? Surely if you've already foiled the attempt, it'd be pointless to go after the assassin. The changelings are adept at subterfuge and assassination, Deadeye, do you really think killing one will change anything?" Aquila inquired. Putting a hoof to his chin, he continued. "Unless... Unless it's personal."

 

Aquila returned his gaze to Deadeye, his expression hardening. "You may have convinced those mercs to aid your venture through simple coin, but do not believe for a second that I will be so easily swayed," he almost sneered, trying to hold back his earlier disgust.

 

"You know my game Deadeye, so allow me to make this simple: how will this help bring about peace? I have a career doing what I enjoy, and to tell you the truth I do not enjoy parting with it. If you want me to help you, I want to know that what I'm doing will have some effect on the galaxy."

 

Though a part of Aquila hoped that Deadeye desired more than revenge, he understood that if that was what was really behind this, then Aquila had little reason to help. Aquila was a stallion of principle and purpose - if he was really going to follow through with this, he wanted to know that there was a purpose behind it.

 

---

 

Aegis was pulled back to the present day by the mare's sudden shift in conversation. As much as he desired to know about his creation, he had duties, a purpose. Aquila's safety was his first priority, and regardless of this mare's involvement in his creation, he still was no closer to an answer as to her intent. Aegis could not allow an innocent to be harmed because he favored his past over the life of another.

 

Aegis' tone returned to a more wary state as he responded. "You have failed to understand the significance behind my inquiries before, and persistence is inefficient, so I will clarify: If your intention is to cause bodily harm to Aquila, I will happily allow this impasse to continue. You have not clarified your intentions, and furthermore are insistent on averting such questions, so I can only assume the worst," Aegis explained, not once wavering.

 

"I will remind you, Creator, that I am in full control of this vessel, and have the ability to fire upon and kill you at any time. Now, I repeat, state name, and intention." Aegis' tone darkened as he forced out the last sentence. He had no time for games, and unlike organics, Aegis had access to a facial recognition and thermal imaging suite. He would know if she was lying, and would react accordingly.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Durandal

[rainbovv dash 110]

He would know if she was lying, and would react accordingly.

Storm moaned at the stubborness of the AI. "I told you, Aquila should know why I'm here and our matters are private!" - her voice already sounding annoyed. She grabbed some of the white pills hidden in her saddlebags and sat down throwing them in and gulping loudly.

 

"Shoot me if you feel like doing it. But I don't think you would shoot a pony for an unapparent reason, after all you were made to respect the rules of robotics."

[Miss Light Diamond 2,803]

@@Agent505,

@@Yes-Man,

 

@,

 

 

 

i'll have yer whip up ready fer use." 

 

((He's already using his whip...))

 

 

Slicer sighed. "Aw, I was really looking forwards to a sandwich...maybe later, Doggy." He grinned before looking at the ship and knocking on the wall. "DEADEYE...YER ROBOT IS BEING WEIRD. And not making me a sandwich. YOU WANTED US HERE...COME AND TALK...I'M LONELY." He called. *You're pathetic.* *No I'm not, I want to talk to somepony apart from a robot...and my colleague.* He thought, mouthing the words but not making any noise.

[MelancholicMemory 2,027]

 

 

"I must ask though, what is your reasoning behind this? Surely if you've already foiled the attempt, it'd be pointless to go after the assassin. The changelings are adept at subterfuge and assassination, Deadeye, do you really think killing one will change anything?" Aquila inquired. Putting a hoof to his chin, he continued. "Unless... Unless it's personal." Aquila returned his gaze to Deadeye, his expression hardening. "You may have convinced those mercs to aid your venture through simple coin, but do not believe for a second that I will be so easily swayed," he almost sneered, trying to hold back his earlier disgust. "You know my game Deadeye, so allow me to make this simple: how will this help bring about peace? I have a career doing what I enjoy, and to tell you the truth I do not enjoy parting with it. If you want me to help you, I want to know that what I'm doing will have some effect on the galaxy."

 

He let out a slow sigh. "I have reason to believe this wasn't just an assassination attempt. I don't think this was just the Empire trying to take a cheap hit at the Coalition. This assassin's methods...the way he went about things...he wasn't just after Luna. He was trying to start something. Luna's death would result in total war between the Empire and the Coalition, and that would destroy any semblance of peace in the galaxy. Billions would die. There is more than what is obvious going on here. I intend to find out. And I intend to put a stop to it. I have no personal stake in this. I just want to keep the peace. I hired Storm to do some recon and information gathering here, but it seems she is a bit...distracted by her own little games. I'm going straight to the source to find out what's happening. And-" Suddenly, an alarm could be heard from outside.

 

"Dammit! They spotted us." He ran outside and saw guards rushing at the ship. He put a hoof on his robotic companion's shoulder. "Get the ship started! Don't leave without us! Prepare it to leave. I'll hold them off." He threw a bag of bits at the mercenaries. "Here's where you start earning your pay!" He took out his weapon, ready to fight.

 

@, @@Yes-Man, @@Agent505,

 

(I'm trying to get this adventure going )