NationStates Jolt Archive


Evening of a Thousand Yesterdays (Story-driven RP)

Ma-tek
05-03-2004, 20:14
[OOC: If you wish to take part in this roleplay, you will need to sign up at http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=314757 and provide details of what you wish to contribute. Please read through the thread before replying there. Thanks!]

IC:

Operative 21-Gamma-5 - more commonly known as Sulkat Esperallya-Rihad - was not especially suited to remaining hidden.

Indeed, if it were not for the fortune of his heritage, it would be nigh on impossible for him to remain hidden from any eyes - no matter how close to blind. He was a walking behemoth, standing at well over seven feet tall, and, unusually for his species, was nearly three-quarters as wide.

He hadn't always been Operative 21-Gamma-5. In fact, he had once been little more than the Imperial Weapons Master - noted for his ability with or without the blade. Indeed, he had fought for the Emperor Si Ling I's honour at a bloodsport competition out on one of those Eru-forsaken moons of Saturn or Jupiter - he couldn't remember which, now, as he'd not really paid much attention on the journey or as to where he was, so focused on his task and 'quest' had he been - and had returned victorious.

That had not won him renown. Far from it. It had won him scorn. It had cost him his position as Imperial Weapons Master, also - not for his victory, but for the nature of his victory. The Emperor of the day, Si Ling I, had not approved of the brutal nature of his fighting style during the competition. Had called it 'dishonourable'.

Sulkat did not feel this was the case, but one did not argue with the leader of the greatest civilization to ever bless Ambar with its presence. Naturally, only those inside the civilization in question actually felt that it was indeed the greatest civilization to ever bless Ambar with its presence - the Humans called the planet 'Earth', or 'Terra', or any number of other names - but there had once been no doubt in Sulkat's mind that the Empire of the Eternal Dawn was the pinnacle of social evolution here on this Earth. Of course, he had other ideas now, knowing what he knew about this 'glorious' Empire. - He suppressed a minor yearning for home; oh, how much more comfortable his old home had been... there were any number of small comforts that living in a truly high-tech and sophisticated society had brought. He missed them - and shoved such thoughts aside immediately.

Not that the word 'evolution' actually implied to him that which it implied to others, others who sat squarely in the secular camp. There was no question in his mind that 'evolution' was merely an invented word; yet another lie spread by Morgoth and his ilk...

Yet all this was irrelevant as he attempted to bypass the oh-so-complex security system that guarded the most well-defended and important military asset in the entire Empire of the Eternal Dawn: the High Command Citadel.

Indeed, few even knew of the presence of an entire city, full of military personnel and their families, deep beneath the capital of the Empire, Nenya.

What made the secrecy all the more effective was the fact that Nenya itself burrowed deep beneath the ground - some four miles, in fact, in some places, although there were no people living so deep - and so none would suspect that there would be anything of note beneath the city beneath the city, so to speak.

A city beneath a city beneath a city; it was, to Sulkat's mind, the ultimate deception. How could one ever know it was here, unless there were a leak?

One could not.

Which was how Sulkat knew it was here. He had... informants. Unfortunately for the informants in question, they were not aware that they were informants - a pang of guilt pricked at his awareness for a moment for the duplicity - but informants they were.

Sulkat resisted the urge to grunt as the console that opened the massive metal door that lead into the Tertiary Access Tunnel pinged its acceptance of the code that the small metal instrument which Sulkat held in one massive paw had entered. Features carefully impassive, almost bored, and oh-so-very aware of the multitude of surveillance systems which were monitoring him already, Sulkat bowed his head to the door as it opened.

He had observed such a response from a high-ranking IDF AF officer just moments before - the IDF AF officer had not seen him, of course, as the officer in question was merely Human. Fortunately, it was unlikely that the discrepancy between the officer's memory and the surveillance system recordings would be noted; if it had have been, Sulkat would surely have been in severe trouble.

Replacing the small metallic object - disguised to look like an ordinary small military comm device - in a secret pocket designed to hold the device, Sulkat strode purposefully into the Access Tunnel and towards the mag-lev train that would take him to his destination.

It was several miles to the Citadel itself, from here; walking was not an option - he was on the clock. It was, after all, only a matter of time before a scanner noted that the skin his body constantly slothed away was not possessing of a genetic code that matched any known employee.

Fortunately, this would take some time to occur: he had sprayed himself down with a special solution that would prevent such problems - for a time. The solution would not last forever; it could not, as if it did, he would likely suffer from heat stroke. Thus, he had to move slowly, despite the fact that time was of the essence. It was a paradox, to be sure.

The journey was brief; the train itself moved pretty fast, and the journey was just as smooth as one would expect - mag-lev piste systems were always far smoother than the primitive rail systems that so many nations still relied on. As he marched through the clean, sterile corridors of the Citadel, Sulkat noted that there were few people around at this time of the morning - it was 4am Nenyan Standard Time, unless the constant use of the transferance system was confusing his sense of time again. Which was eminently possible.

The signs were well-spaced and informative; it was almost bizarre to be walking through a high-security military installation that was so confident in its own security that it told you exactly where the most sensitive materials were. Barely breaking stride, Sulkat noted that he had indeed chosen the correct route - the sign he passed noted that it was 250metres to the Communications Division HQ, and 730metres to the High Command Chamber; Sulkat wanted the CDHQ, not the HCC.

It did not take long to walk the distance - Sulkat had a long, loping stride, even though he was attempting to walk slowly; he was sweating profusely underneath the spray-on siliplas bodysuit he was wearing to mask his genetic code from the security scanning system.

It was somewhat ironic, really, Sulkat considered as he entered an empty booth in the busy, high-ceilinged hive of activity. It was ironic indeed that the only place that boasted a secure enough communications grid in order that Sulkat could make contact with one of his subordinates was, indeed, so difficult to gain access to. He could possibly have made the call from elsewhere - but here, where security was so tight, there would be very little chance of discovery. The lie hidden within the lie - the repetition of the theme brought a small smile to Sulkat's features. Locking the door and activating the 'secrecy' system, he worked at the controls before him with expertise - and as rapidly as Nenyanly possible.

Within a few moments, the trimensional 'visor sprang to life, and the wall before him transformed-

"Greetings, Operative 93-Epsilon-2," Sulkat stated softly, the tiny smile still in evidence on his amber-eyes-dominated face...
Ma-tek
15-08-2004, 22:50
...But, deep down, underneath his consciousness, time seemed to stretch, even as he peered at the screen and spoke...
Lunatic Retard Robots
30-08-2004, 21:22
Fleet attache Paul M. Bowie walks down the street in Nenya, towards his office in the sprawling chambers of government of the Empire Of Eternal Dawn. The midday sunlight glints off his slivery, chrome body as he smiles to passers by in the street, drawing amazed looks from small children. He is not just any regular defense representative, having the responsibility of managing trade, exploration, science, and on top of that military matters, and reporting it to Ma-tek, one nation the Parliament Funkadelic does not want to offend.

Paul reaches the front door of the large office building which is his temporary residence, and greets the security guards at the door.

"Good morning. I trust you both had a good night's sleep?"
Techon
30-08-2004, 22:15
Jake Kerd sat in his temporary room while he stayed in Ma-Tek, he lied down on the couch, ands behind his head, feet up on the arm rest, he was Techon's top agent, resourceful, cunning, intelligent, and he always found something humorous to say during a crisis. He had cracked down many terrorist operatios single handedly, and was considered a legend among those who knew he existed.
And now here he was, napping on a couch.
Ma-tek
01-09-2004, 20:55
Fleet attache Paul M. Bowie walks down the street in Nenya, towards his office in the sprawling chambers of government of the Empire Of Eternal Dawn. The midday sunlight glints off his slivery, chrome body as he smiles to passers by in the street, drawing amazed looks from small children. He is not just any regular defense representative, having the responsibility of managing trade, exploration, science, and on top of that military matters, and reporting it to Ma-tek, one nation the Parliament Funkadelic does not want to offend.

Paul reaches the front door of the large office building which is his temporary residence, and greets the security guards at the door.

"Good morning. I trust you both had a good night's sleep?"

The 'security guards' - who in fact wear the lower-key version of the Commonality Police Corps uniform - look at each other as if to say: 'Foreigners. What can you do?'

One smiles slightly as he responds evenly (and somewhat slowly, as he strives to still be polite), "I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say yes, we did, but it's usually considered, uh, a little impolite to ask that question here in the Commonality, sir. It has... unpleasant connotations, for some."

He glances at the other guard.

"Not to do with sex, you understand. By Eru's big right toe, nobody here gives a damn what you say or do regarding sex, so long as it's legal. But asking about how well someone slept tends to imply a disreputable past, in our culture. It's... complicated, sir."

Talkative, for police.

[OOC: Nenyan streets aren't typical streets. They tend to have no cars, no road, and few buildings that are visible. The buildings tend to be obscured by the forest that you're walking in. Access to work-buildings is achieved through EM slingshots which throw cars/lifts down through the Earth to the 'working city', which is underground. Above ground is entertainment and the like. People tend to live underground, in Nenya; this is not the case anywhere else in the Commonality, though. Nenya is the exception, not the rule.

Also: although I'm posting from a country called 'Ma-tek', Ma-tek is representative of a tri-state suprastate (with a total population lower [2billion] than that of Ma-tek [over 3billion], to confuse you even more :p)] now called ICEL, which used to be called EOTED. ICEL stands for Iluvauromeni Commonality of Everlasting Light; EOTED stood for Empire of the Eternal Dawn.]
Lunatic Retard Robots
03-09-2004, 01:13
OCC: Ok...I'll keep that in mind.

IC:

"Oh...sorry."

Paul goes through the security process and enters the building. His strong honesty circuts prevent him from being a spy, so he is really no threat.

Soon, he is on the floor of his office. He passes through the corridors quickly, and arrives at his office. Opening the door, he finds a large stack of papers to get through, many of them ominously labeled 'top secret,' and although it was nothing more than formality, what was inside could be very annoying for a robot like Paul. Something like an assignment.
Ma-tek
06-09-2004, 22:14
A gorgeous-looking woman with long brown hair and elegantly chiseled features, whom Paul knows to be Sarah, the first ASI built by Nenyan hands - he knows that she has something of an odd past, but she's not mentioned very much as yet, even though she 'works' in the office next door - pops her head around the door.

Helpfully, she asks the LRR Liason, "Everything okay? Settling in well?"
Lunatic Retard Robots
07-09-2004, 01:58
"Oh, yes. I'm just looking through the mail. Seems like it was backed up a few days in the system."

He comes across maps, pages of assignments, hitlists, and other frightening things. Obviously meant for another Bowie.

"Excuse me, I need to go and check in at the security office."

Paul gets up and grabs the stack of papers. He then makes for the door to his office, with what would be a worried look if he were human, but for the time being is just a worried mind.
Ma-tek
11-09-2004, 15:20
Sarah raises her eyebrows in an intriguing mimickery of a Human, but says nothing. Her mind was whirring already: she was intensely curious as to why he had hurried away. His body language - had he been Human or even a humanoid organic - would have suggested he was worried.

But she did not know whether or not his creator(s?) had been so exacting with their programming; would he show such body language automatically, or would it be entirely autonomic?

She wasn't sure, so couldn't make a judgement. With a shrug, she returned to her office - even though she had no real need to be there.

After all, she was everywhere in the building all at once, anyway.

{Her curiousity drove her to watch the LRRian via the security system; she was mostly just curious if he actually was going to the security office or not...}

[OOC: Note: Any bits contained in { } represent the thinking processes/activity in c-space of an artificial intelligence. In this case, the AI in question is Sarah, obviously.]
Techon
11-09-2004, 15:25
(OOC: Question, when and where do I come in?)
Lunatic Retard Robots
14-09-2004, 00:58
Paul arrives at the security office in a little while, and on the front desk he deposits the large stack of papers.

"I found these on my desk."
Ma-tek
26-09-2004, 17:26
The dark-haired woman behind the security desk raises both eyebrows, which pretty much says exactly what her lips do: "And?" She has a crisp, clinical Dth'gari accent, marking her as a relatively high-ranking member of Great House Dth'gar.
Lunatic Retard Robots
26-09-2004, 23:49
"They're dangerous! Someone must have put them on my desk by mistake, but...well, read them."
Ma-tek
28-09-2004, 00:06
"Dangerous?"

She glances at the documents. "They say 'Top Secret'. How can I read them if they're 'Top Secret'?"

It's a perfectly rational point, at least.
Lunatic Retard Robots
05-10-2004, 01:33
"They...really, just read them! Isn't your job security?"

Paul Bowie gets a bit agitated, and begins to regret his decision to leave the ship in the first place.
Ma-tek
05-10-2004, 22:09
The Security woman looks dubious. Well, she would: it's pretty much her job. To be dubious, not look dubious.

She considers for a few moments. "Do you have clearance to authorize me to read these documents, sir?"
Lunatic Retard Robots
06-10-2004, 01:15
"Yes...listen...if you aren't going to do anything, can you give me the address of someone who can do something about it? It is imperative that your intelligence agency knows about these!"

In LRR, there aren't many top secret things, and security everywhere is generally lax. After all, there's never been any need. Aboard fast-moving trading and exploration ships, it is virtually impossible to insert spies and other bad individuals.
Ma-tek
06-10-2004, 18:29
The security woman still looks rather dubious, but curiousity combined with the possible legality (which is better than the previous possible illegality) of the situation gets the better of her anyway.

She take a peek...

[OOC: What am I seeing, here? lol]
Lunatic Retard Robots
06-10-2004, 22:31
Oh...er...I explained it on the last page, I guess you missed it...

I dunno, I think I might have already run out of steam for this RP. My writing is not up to scratch.
Ma-tek
21-11-2004, 19:54
Oh...er...I explained it on the last page, I guess you missed it...

I dunno, I think I might have already run out of steam for this RP. My writing is not up to scratch.

[OOC: Sigh. Kay.]