Unity Retrieval Project Backstory Thread

[buzzie71]

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Tempest Log, 11.121.71 0800 (UMT), homeworld orbit

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11.121.71 0600: Performing scheduled self-diagnostic.  Deactivating instruments...

11.121.71 0601: Self-diagnostic complete.  No problems detected.  Resuming observations of space.

 

11.121.71 0644: Spontaneous redstone discharges detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0646: Fulfilling downlink request sent from University of High Point.

 

11.121.71 0700: Performing scheduled self-diagnostic.  Deactivating instruments...

11.121.71 0701: Self-diagnostic complete.  No problems detected.  Resuming observations of space.

 

11.121.71 0800: Performing scheduled self-diagnostic.  Deactivating instruments...

11.121.71 0801: Self-diagnostic complete.  No problems detected.  Resuming observations of space.

 

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0823: Fulfilling downlink request sent from University of High Point.

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0823: Fulfilling downlink request sent from University of High Point.

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0823: Fulfilling downlink request sent from Mount Oops Observatory.

11.121.71 0823: Fulfilling downlink request sent from Pleiades Observatory.

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0823: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0824: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0824: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

11.121.71 0824: Gravitational anomaly detected.  Noting position and observational data.

 

11.121.71 0825: WARNING: High energy pulse detected.  Overload imminent if exposure continues.

11.121.71 0825: WARNING: High energy pulse detected.  Overload imminent if exposure continues.

11.121.71 0825: WARNING: High energy pulse detected.  Overload im-

 

[Author's note: Edited to fix some typos]

 

Next: Equatorial Beacon Supercannon Log

[NatalieIsNot]

:O

[EeHee2000]

:O

dem

Edited February 11, 2014 by EeHee2000

[buzzie71]

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Equatorial Beacon Supercannon (PCX1) Log, 11.121.71 1110 (UMT), [redacted]
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Welcome to the Equatorial Beacon Supercannon Command Console (v12.0)

Please enter your username: Spark4
Please enter your password: ********
Access granted.

Spark4@PCX1~ $ls
mail
cannon
Spark4@PCX1~ $./mail
You have 2 new messages!  Type “read #” to view.
1. [xXTwilight863Xx] Diagnostic complete.  Your mac...
2. [Len_Martio] MESSAGE FROM UMCSC COMMAND TE...
>read 1
1. [xXTwilight863Xx] Diagnostic complete.  Your machine is actually broken cuz I totally griefed it lolz spam spam spam spam spam spam spam team twilight deserves ice cream lol
>markgrief 1
Message 1 has been deleted and xXTwilight863Xx marked as griefer.  Would you like to send this name to the UMC Court of Justice for grief consideration?
>y
Name “xXTwilight863Xx” has been submitted to UMC Court of Justice.
You have 1 new messages!  Type “read #” to view.
1. [Len_Martio] MESSAGE FROM UMCSC COMMAND TE...
>read 1
1.  [Len_Martio] MESSAGE FROM UMCSC COMMAND TEAM TO PCX1 PRIORITY ONE:
Storm aliens made surprise attack.  UMCSC fleet taking heavy casualties.  80% of fleet and Tempest lost to assault in first ten minutes of attack.  Rotation of homeworld will bring battle zone into your field of fire within five minutes of sending this message.  Ignore fighters.  Destroy their capital ships.  Notch save us.
>exit
Spark4@PCX1~ $ls
mail
cannon
Spark4@PCX1~ $./cannon
[]============[>
Equatorial Beacon Supercannon
[]============[>
Power level: 100% (9000000/9000000 RPU)
Initiating self-diagnostic…
Diagnostic complete.  No grief detected.
Scanning for targets…
Warning: Over 1000 targets detected.  Please choose filter options below:
[1] Non-UMCSC Cap Ships Only (11)
[2] Non-UMCSC Fighters Only (1148)
[3] UMCSC Cap Ships Only (25)
[4] UMCSC Fighters Only (5)
>1
Using ship database last updated 11.121.68 (UMT)
Targets listed in descending order of size.  
Choose target:
1. Unknown Vessel
2. Unknown Vessel
3. Unknown Vessel
4. Unknown Vessel
5. Unknown Vessel
6. Unknown Vessel
7. Unknown Vessel
8. Unknown Vessel
9. Unknown Vessel
10. Unknown Vessel
11. Unknown Vessel
>1
Target Unknown Vessel will be within range in 1 minute.
Fire automatically when in range?
>y
Aiming cannon…
Cannon has moved into position.
Target is in range; firing!
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Cannon requires 5 seconds of charging time.  Choose next target:
1. Unknown Vessel
2. Unknown Vessel
3. Unknown Vessel
4. Unknown Vessel
5. Unknown Vessel
6. Unknown Vessel
7. Unknown Vessel
8. Unknown Vessel
9. Unknown Vessel
10. Unknown Vessel
>1
Aiming cannon…
Cannon has moved into position.
Target is in range; firing!
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Cannon requires 5 seconds of charging time.  Choose next target:
1. Unknown Vessel
2. Unknown Vessel
3. Unknown Vessel
4. Unknown Vessel
5. Unknown Vessel
6. Unknown Vessel
7. Unknown Vessel
8. Unknown Vessel
9. Unknown Vessel
>1 auto -n false
Automatically choosing largest vessel to fire on.
Disabling notifications from cannon.
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Miss.
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Near miss.  Unknown Vessel critically disabled.
Direct hit.  Unknown Vessel destroyed.
Miss.
Alert: No more targets in filter option within range.

Please choose filter options below:
[1] Non-UMCSC Disabled (1)

[2] UMCSC Cap Ships Only (10)
>exit
Spark4@PCX1~ $logout
Logging out...

 

[Author's note: Edited for nonsense and formatting after complaints of excessive horizontal scrolling - apologies! D:]

 

Next: UMCSC Report on Stormfall (next post)

[buzzie71]

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UMCSC Report on Stormfall, 11.121.72 0800 (UMT)

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Belligerents:

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United Minecraft Cities Space Command

The Storm*

 

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Commanders and leaders:

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UMCSC:

DeterministDent

saber761

Aon7

kenny06

KilljoySpy

Len_Martio

 

The Storm:

[No information is available at this time.]

 

====

Strength

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UMCSC:

10 fighter craft

67 frigates

24 bombers

3 carriers

22 corvettes

1 hospital ship (UMCSC Rigel)

1 space weather observation satellite (Tempest)

1 supercannon (PCX1)

 

Storm:

1153 fighter craft

4 frigates

2 large destroyers

5 carriers

 

====

Casualties

====

UMCSC:

78 frigates

24 bombers

2 carriers

19 corvettes

1 hospital ship (UMCSC Rigel)

1 space weather observation satellite (Tempest)

 

Storm:

231 fighter craft

4 carriers

1 large destroyer

3 frigates (1 disabled)

 

====

Outcome

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Pyrrhic UMCSC victory; forced Storm retreat while sustaining heavy fleet losses.

 

The fleet of an unidentified alien species tentatively identified as the Storm jumped into homeworld orbit at 0824, destroying the space weather satellite Tempest and opening fire on UMCSC ships in orbit.  Fighters moved in to engage the UMCSC ships at point-blank range while the capital ships stayed out of weapon range of the UMCSC ships and fired directed energy artillery bolts.  Many of the UMCSC ships were old spacecraft left over from the Last Chaos, technologically advanced in their day, but in any case, no match for Storm weaponry.

 

The UMCSC fleet sustained heavy casualties despite outnumbering the Storm fleet in terms of capital ships; it was only with the fortuitous arrival of the Equatorial Beacon Supercannon and the subsequent destruction of many Storm capital ships that turned the tide of battle and paved the way for a UMCSC victory.

One Storm frigate was critically damaged by the Supercannon while in retreat.  An away team from the UMCSC Into Light Unscathed is now preparing to salvage whatever data it can find from it.

 

Next: Anonymous mail

[buzzie71]

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Anonymous mail, 11.121.72 2300 (UMT), [redacted]

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- .... . / -. ..- .-.. .-.. / -.-. ..- -... . ... / .- .-. . / .-.. .. -

 

Next: Away team leader report excerpt

[buzzie71]

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Away team leader report excerpt, 11.121.73 1200 (UMT), UMCS Into Light Unscathed (in orbit)

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The away team consisted of myself (ChameleonCircuit), four UMC Marines (Dinorex, pounce57, sgwit3, and Numbomumble), a salvage specialist (OpportunistLizard), and a translator (sunset93).  All of us are junior officers serving onboard the Beacon-class carrier UMCS Into Light Unscathed, as requested by the vessel’s first officer, who insisted that neither the Captain nor any of the other senior officers should be permitted to join this risky mission.  Due to the shipwide failure of life support on the damaged Storm frigate, I and the four Marines were clad in standard-issue iron-plated environmental combat suits, while the two others wore diamond-plated environmental suits.

 

We took a troop transport shuttle sent from the ground to the frigate.  With no obvious docking hatches visible outside, we deployed from a hull breach on what appears to be the starboard side.  There was no gravity inside, and it took us a while to notice that since the magenta floor plating contained no iron, we could not hold ourselves down by magnetizing our boots.  Eventually we set our boots to an experimental slimeball-sticky setting that did permit traction.

 

Initial observations of the room we landed in were inconclusive; we were unsure what purpose the room served.  At this point OpportunistLizard took a scan of our surroundings, noting that even though main power was offline, there was a faint power reading coming from the stern end of the ship.  The team followed his lead to get there.

 

En route, we noticed what appeared to be humanoid bodies strewn about the floor.  pounce57 took images and scans of some of the bodies and transmitted them back to the Light; presumably the Chief Medic onboard would be interested in the data.  If the risk is minimal, I recommend a second boarding operation to retrieve some of these bodies for autopsy and analysis.

 

sunset93 noted that there were no terminals or displays onboard the vessel.  It was something that, once said, we could not help but notice as well.  I found it slightly disturbing - how else would a crew control a ship if there was no interface between the two?

 

OpportunistLizard brought us to the source of the power reading, which came from inside a bright hemisphere-shaped thing at the center of a raised structure in the middle of a circular room.  Inside was a strange organic-looking gland about the size of our helmets that was covered in a web of bright-green lines connected to something bright green at the bottom.  

 

Our salvage specialist took a scan of the structure.  He reported that the gland appears to emit electrical impulses, that his scans are detecting neurons inside, and that successful removal of this unit was, in fact, impossible without taking the power source out with it.  He explained to us that whatever the bright-green energy thing is was a backup power source for the data that keeps the gland running, and that without it, the gland would lose power and die.

 

It suddenly occurred to me that the description he gave sounded like a brain - perhaps the crew were linked mentally with the ship, which was in fact alive?  I voiced that thought out loud, wondering how we could ever extract memories from a brain when OpportunistLizard held out his scanner.  Since human personalities and memories can be encoded into digital form as a soul matrix, he mentions, and since beds have technology to convert a soul matrix back into biological form, it would be simple enough to download the memories and data if the thing inside the structure were in fact a brain.

 

With no objections from the others, I told him to start.  I and the marines stood guard while OpportunistLizard downloaded the data and sunset93 made preliminary translations.  In fifteen uneventful minutes the download was done, but sunset93 mentioned that she requires more time to translate what was found.  

 

We made our way back to the dropship, which returned us to the Light without incident.  sunset93 is currently continuing to translate what she has found along with some neuroscientists, both onboard and on the ground.

 

Next: Selections of Storm frigate data

[buzzie71]

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Selections of Storm frigate data, translated by sunset93, 11.121.76 1000 (UMT)

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[Translator’s note: I discovered a translation matrix mapping the Storm’s language to PvE’s, which has helped greatly with the reverse mappping.  It is not complete though, and many nouns are difficult to translate well.  I have bracketed them and filled them with the best possible translation I could come up with. I'm transmitting this information to UMCSC; I anticipate they will forward this to the greater UMC for analysis. -sunset93]

 

The [Phantoms].  Their aggression knows no bounds; their hostilities unequaled.  Their specters appeared out of nowhere, setting fire to our cities, burning our world and sinking our ships.

 

[Lord of the Sun].  His forces returned the attack with as much rage as that which burned in his eyes.  He won, but lost much, including his own [Fire].

 

The [Phantoms].  They faded, but not without trace.  The warning they shouted turned us in fear.  “We will return, without mercy.”

 

An idea.  [High General of the Storm] suggests light.  The shadows will be pierced by that which illuminates all.  The [Cannon] will carry the light.  The [Cannon] will deliver the light.

 

[Our homeworld].  It is not rich enough.  Our [mining vessel] can sail far and break rocks for more.  But without more, we cannot build the [Cannon].

 

More rocks.  Found and broken.  One more rock will complete the [Cannon], one with life.  The home of [care bears].  We watch them in their sleep.  We learn while they wake.  They will be nothing before us.  When their walls are down, we will break their rock and take its riches.  And then the [Cannon] will be complete.

 

The light.  It burns.  It is a [scorpion] and its harness a [fish].

 

A ship.  It came by through a hole in space.  White and shiny, but not like us.  They call it Unity.  The ants inside control light.  We will learn from them.  We will take their vessel and use its power for our [Cannon].

 

Destiny.  Breach the walls.  Steal the light.  And drag the [Phantoms] into its blinding blaze.

 

Next: Snowpoint Resolution excerpt

[buzzie71]

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Snowpoint Resolution excerpt, 11.121.77 1100 (UMT), Snowpoint

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[Note: This was voted 197-3 in favor by the General Assembly.]

 

A joint resolution to provide for the common defense of all residence-states of PvE.

 

...

 

WHEREAS the Storm attack on the UMCSC Fleet is considered an attack against UMC and its member states per Article 5 of the UMC Charter, and

 

WHEREAS the UMC has been tasked with the protection of PvE against any threat both internal and external, and

 

WHEREAS the UMC and its member states are compelled to contribute to the research and development of new offensive capabilities should existing measures prove to be insufficient,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBER STATES OF UNITED MINECRAFT CITIES ASSEMBLED:

 

...

 

2. That a new space-worthy dreadnought vessel utilizing the most advanced technology available to PvE be constructed for the primary purpose of retrieving the lost exploration cruiser SS Unity,

 

3. That a new shipyard that can hold said dreadnought as well as a fleet of smaller escort vessels be built for the primary purpose of constructing the dreadnought,

 

4. That the state of war between the Storm and the United Minecraft Cities may be formally declared by the UMCSC pending a majority General Assembly vote in support, and that should this state of war be declared, that the UMC member states pledge all its resources to resolving the conflict against the Storm to a successful termination.

 

 

THE END

 

[Author's note: This is actually not quite the end.  Another subplot that was started for this story and meant to be interwoven with the current plot had been abandoned part of the way due to time constraints, but if I have time or there is great interest, I'll continue writing and release bits of story in this thread.  Thanks go to TheRandomnatrix and schererererer who have been providing feedback for the pieces I wrote, and thanks to all who have followed this story to the end; I hope you enjoyed it :D]