NationStates Jolt Archive

In the midst of war, in the midst of conflict, there is alway innovation, especially when old units being sent to conflict often come out in scrap heaps. Inventor specialists Jeremy Conway and Jeffrey Gladius knew this very well as they saw the lumbering AT-AT walkers go out into battle all scary-looking and such, and then they just...die. They fight, sure. They kill enemies, sure. But they just don't cut it in when the enemy wields fast-moving mecha that runs rings around them and blasts them into smithereens. They pace back and forth, back and forth, wearing the floor out.

"We need new walker units. Something faster, stronger, better armed and armored. Shielded, even." Jeffrey grumbled.

"Yeah. But how are we going to get such things? And what are we going to design them with? Those are big questions..." Jeremy said to his best friend.

Then they spotted some of the Godulan units, destroying their way across the landscape to crush enemy forces. One unit in particular caught their attention. It was lithe, and graceful, like liquid steel. It fought and struck with animalistic fury...for it was an animal of sorts. A Godular Cougar.

Jeffrey watched the mecha cats, several times the size of Siberian tigers, roar their way through the enemy ranks, slashing with deadly claws, biting with even more deadly jaws, using other weapons like flamethrowers and rocket launchers. A smile, first small, then growing larger into a grin slowly spread on Jeffrey's face. "Jeremy. I think we have our solution..."

Before the other young man could ask, Jeffrey was already on a secure comlink, making a call to Godular's tech department...

Oddly enough, the Godulans still had a single earth-held asset: A little known yet often passed district of Vizion's capitol just outside the international airport. A small landing pad, several voluminous storage silos, and a small terminal, surrounded by two hotels, a small trade center dealing in flashy little gizmos that were a big hit with the kids, and a massive windowless building covered in ivy vines and a massive amount of security.

This last building contained the Old Terran offices of Godulan Robotics and Mechanicals Incorporated. Not much actually happened here short of developmental brainstorming amongst its various inhabitants.

Compared to the Godulan establishments on Alitar and Bluefall, it was merely a token structure, but it had one thing: It was the only thing within 'call' range.

A small dial tone rang in Naria's mind, and for a moment, she was startled by the sudden noise. It had been a couple years since she had last gotten that noise, and as a result it also took her a few seconds to remember how to activate the connection.

"Godulan Robotics and Mechanicals Incorporated, you have reached the Old Terran Offices, what can we do for you?"

"Yes we can. Can we connect to your superiors, please? It's urgent." Jeffrey said. "We have some ideas that may...interest them."

Naria's response was automatic, as though the rust on her instincts had just melted off like ice in the spring:

"May I ask who is calling please? I am afraid we'll only be able to get you the Associate R&D Director at this time, all the higher developmental and managerial staff are on Dewi."

She was also quick to do a trace on the phone call, and realized that it was Coredian in origin. Odd thing, calling us in the middle of a campaign...

"Jeffrey Gladius, Assistant Researcher." Jeffrey said. "I'm calling in to get some help on certain things. Can you patch me through to your assistant director?"

"Let me check to see if he's not busy. Urgent or not, he tends to turn off his comm unit when he's working."

Naria toggled a conventional intercom and buzzed the Associate Director of Research and Development, one John Dolph. The buzzer startled him, causing his massive metallic frame to jump slightly, then he extended one of his multipurpose fingers to toggle the com. "What is it... um... Naria, is it?"

"Yes, Director, you have a call on line one."

Dolph turned on his cellcome and felt an odd static in his mind. "Odd, never felt that before..." he thought to himself.

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Connecting now. Jeffrey Gladius, Assistant Researcher."

"This is Assistant Director John Dolph, what can I do for you? What the hell are these guys doing calling me? Made me spill my damned coffee. Bastards..."

"Um... Director?"

"Yes? Why's the ditz still on the line?"

"Sir, I think you might want to switch to a conventional phone."

"Why's that? What the hell has she been smoking?"

"Your thoughts are transmitting. And I don't smoke sir, and I will be up there after the call to have some words about calling me a ditz."

"Oh shit... FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK... >line goes dead<"

*Phone pickup* Voice that sounds very mechanical starts up on a full throated bellow.

"HI! SORRY ABOUT THAT, MY COMM WENT ON THE FRITZ. AM I COMING IN? I'VE NEVER USED A PHONE BEFORE, SO I CAN'T TELL HOW WELL IT WOULD WORK."

Jeffrey winced at the loud voice coming through. "You're loud enough, Director. Quiet down. Anyway, I've got a couple of ideas to do with those Godulan Cougars you have, and I was wondering if we could meet...in person that is."

"By all means! Just take a skip to Terminal 37 at Vizion International Airport and I'll send Naria to pick you up if she doesn't kill me first! It has indeed been a long time since we've had visitors, much less potential customers! Ever since Kriegorgrad's purchases, we haven't been very busy."

"By all means! Just take a skip to Terminal 37 at Vizion International Airport and I'll send Naria to pick you up if she doesn't kill me first! It has indeed been a long time since we've had visitors, much less potential customers! Ever since Kriegorgrad's purchases, we haven't been very busy."
"All right! We'll be there in less than an hour!" Jeffrey said, and hung up. "C'mon, Jeremy. We're going now!"

The youths then gathered up their notes on what's needed, put them in a duffel bag, which Jeremy carried, and ordered a fast transport to wait outside the Base. The two ran for it, and headed onto the small hypersonic plane, seats ten. "Hit it, and watch the SAMs!"

The pilot lifted off and flew northwest, the safest corridor for aerospace travel, for now. Then he turned towards Vizion and in only thirty-five minutes, made it to the international airport, where they landed and taxied to Terminal 37...

As the two Coredians departed the small craft, they would have been able to see a single seven foot tall, amazingly lithe, and almost disturbingly beautiful woman waiting for them on the landing pad. Disturbing because it was both completely obvious that the body was artificial, and at the same time impossible to tell how it was artificial due to the craftsmanship.

The woman waved to them for their attention, being that they were the only people departing the only non-Godulan craft anywhere near this part of Vizion International.

As they approached, she smiled at them and spoke with secretarial precision.

"Greetings, I am Naria. Director Dolph sent me here to walk you over to the GR&M Terran Office. I am assuming that those are your 'ideas'?" She pointed at the duffel bag as she finished her comment.

Jeremy was fair-haired and wore an oversized military jacket, light orange T-shirt and dark green cargo pants. Jeffrey favored an open collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue jeans.

The AI/droid/robotic unit before them was disturbing to Jeremy, because he expected to sense a lifeform before him, but sensed something almost...biomechanical. Godulan robotics are way more advanced than Coredian, that's for sure! "Yes, our notes are in there." He answered.

It was a short walk to the blocky building that was the GR&M offices, though during their commute, a metallic terrier decided that Jeffery was its bestest best friend in the whole wide world and began following him around, panting happily with a tinny little breathing sound and the occasional resonating yap.

"Note the 'wildlife' here. We're often a tourist hotspot because of our robotic creature analogs. They've driven out the actual wildlife in the area, but people tolerate that because its only this specific area, and because even the smallest creatures perform some small public service.

"Take that centipede you accidentally stepped on... oh don't worry about it, its sturdy enough that you'd need to run over it with a car to actually kill it. That little creature is quite handy with repairing plumbing.

"If you have ever been on a Godulan vessel, I would encourage you to inspect the various support facilities. Each Mako is an artificial ecosystem unto itself."

The trio entered into the massive lobby of the GR&M office building, and it was immediately noticeable that the company entire could afford lavish furnishings even for this 'backwater' office. Several Holo sets sat on one side, displaying the latest news from the Coredian war and several other engagements, as well as some story about Baron Skye's appointment of General Lear to the Archonal Command ship Godstar. Plush couches surrounded the viewing area, and strange pictures looked down upon the secretary and the two visitors.

Chief among the paintings was what appeared to be a portrait of four individuals. The painting itself bore the label:

Recognized Chamber Theurges
(Clockwise from Left)
Aries
El
Gaea
Sojun (OverPower)

Each of the individuals seemed rather... dangerous. Although how El managed to look like Someone Not To Mess With while bearing the appearance of a ten year old boy in a white business suit was something to be discussed later.

"Ever since we came into the Chamber, its become a rather widespread fashion to decorate with pictures of various personalities from interdimensional space. Portraits of Baron Skye are widespread, although he never encouraged it."

Naria led the two visitors to a surprisingly large and sturdy elevator. As they entered, she stepped back and pressed the button for the second to last floor.

"The floor is one big room, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding the Director. If you will excuse me, I must attend to several other things. Just because we don't have customers very often does not me we're never busy."

"Nifty place, and the 'artificial wildlife' is just...amazing." Jeremy sighed as if he's having a crush. He might as well be, considering that this is all stuff just a magnitude above what the best Coredian techies could build. They could build droids, yes, but not to the point where they can effectively pass for the animal kingdom!

The youths entered the elevator and headed up, up, up to the director's room.

The elevator doors opened, and revealed an expansive chamber with ceilings about twenty feet up, interspersed with stark white columns leading up to the final floor above.

The room itself was appointed like a living room in the loosest sense of the word. More holofeeds showing current events, but also some displaying very detailed schematics of various robotic 'creatures'. One of them in particular displayed a schematic of a Cougar Robot, along with little video snippets of it playing with a rubber ball.

"The Godulans specialize," Dolph said startling the two of them by inexplicably materializing behind them, "in creating mechanized duplicates of organic creatures, all the way down to the re-creation of their instinctual protocols. This enabled us to not so much create AIs that would emulate human thought, but to create a thinking computer of human scale complexity."

Dolph was a massive, eight-foot-tall mechanical monstrosity that looked like it should have been an instrument of war rather than an assistant director's artificial body. Where its face should have been, was a strange featureless oval that turned back in forth to regard the two visitors. Its body was of slender build, and would actually be able to double as a man if conditions were suitably dark. Artificial muscles flexed as it moved, and it essentially looked like a terminator that had been 'fleshed out'.

"Greetings! My name is John Dolph, Assistant Director of this little establishment. I understand you wish to 'collaborate' on something?"

What is this guy? Jeffrey couldn't help but stare at him for a long moment, then shook his head. "Well, yes, we need to collaborate. You see, we find that our older AT-AT walker models are fine for light assault, like attacking a minor stronghold. But in this day and age, it just doesn't cut it when the enemy has mecha units that can run rings around them and blast them to pieces with impunity. We want to create new ones. Something more...bestial."

The duffel bag he was carrying dropped to the ground and he opened it, pulling out his notes. "More predatory than the pachyderm-look of the AT-ATs."

The featureless oval of the director's face rippled slightly, and a pleasant smile formed itself on the surface. The mouth on the face began to move as he spoke:

"Yes, those things are often the butt of somewhat scathing jokes in Godulan Engineering classes. Suffice to say the only thing wondrous about them is that people still use them." Dolph's chest heaved in an amused Hmph, laughing to himself at his own joke as he bent down slightly to inspect the notes Jeffrey had brought.

"Sounds like you saw our Cougars. True modern marvels, they are. At their present size they're capable of speeds in excess of one hundred and fifty miles an hour, with tremendous acceleration... you seek to procure manned versions?! Oh, that presents something of a conundrum..."

"Yeah. Cougars for the first part, then other animals if possible." Jeremy said. "Tigers, wolves and more."

It would make sense. Tigers won't be as fast as the other two, but they'll be the heavier armed and armored of the 'animal mecha'. Wolves would be swift and be great force projectors in numbers.

"Wolves, and Tigers, eh? Well, we have been working on models such as 'Sabrecats' and 'Bloodhounds', as well as one that Maximillian is rendering some assistance on... something called a 'Death Angel' or some such. He said it was based on a previous model he used."

Dolph thudded his way over to one of the holo readouts, then typed in a few keywords. The readout responded by displaying a video montage of a strange Canine robot about the size and shape of a timberwolf, snuffling its way along the ground.

"The Bloodhound was designed specifically to breach any and all cloaks and deception tactics. Much like a tracking dog seeks the scent of its pray, the Bloodhound 'smells out' multiple indications of enemy presence. Electromagnetic and olfactory signatures, changes in air pressure, so on and so forth. It is also equipped with a moderate stealth capacity itself, and is somewhat hardier than a cougar its size."

The holo readout began displaying another video montage of a massive, stockier, and much more fanged version of the Cougar, roaming around and chewing on a piece of titanium rawhide.

"The Sabrecat was made to be the Heavy Tank to the Cougar's swift strike role. At the size I suspect you wish to specify, this creature can incorporate several anti-aircraft cannons in addition to a complement of heavy Siege Cannons and assault blasters. It is somewhat slower than a Cougar, but it is far better armed and armored. We had to sacrifice the tail in order to increase the strength of its hind legs, though, so no clubs or anything there."

The holodisplay vanished, and a small disc popped out. Dolph took the disc and handed it to Jeffrey. "For further 'perusal'. No blueprints though, as this is what many call a 'teaser'."

Dolph turned and motioned for them to follow further into the display area.

"The Death Angel is strictly classified, and were you not one of our closest allies I would have been executed for even mentioning the name to you. However, there are other models we fiddle about with, if you would like to see such things as our Insect Swarms..."

"Yeah, let's see what you got in your arsenal of animal analogs." Jeremy nodded.

"As you wish. However, I find it necessary to note that our Cougar, Bloodhound, and Sabrecat models are the fastest ones we have, short of the Kythons, but that was a joint project between us and Balrogga, with support from several other alliances."

Dolph tapped on another Holodisplay, and seven more model names were listed, as well as a small subwindow reading (previous projects)

Under Development

Mammoth
Kraken
Urson
Silverhide
Tyrant
Plaguebringer (CLASSIFIED)
Sentinel (CLASSIFIED)

------------------------------------

Previous Projects

Spyfly Surveillance Swarm
Hornet Anti-Personnel Swarm
Peregrine Long Range Recon Droid
Worker Ant Construction Swarm
Suicide Squid Torpedo Droid
Cougar Multipurpose Shock Droid

The latter list broke off with a "Page 1 of 6" tab, further perusal would show primarily their work on developing animal types such as tabby cats, squirrels, canaries, and several childrens' toys.

"Feel free to review them," Dolph said, "If you wish to inquire about those two classified projects, I'll have to make a call before I'll provide you with a temporary password to access them. For the moment though, you must excuse me, I discovered when I began actually talking to you that I have not maintained my voice module as well as I would have liked, and while you may not hear it, I am presently being victimized by an annoyingly frequent feedback issue. I need to go switch out. Back in a couple minutes."

The boys were extremely interested in all the neat things Godulans have built or are under development. Of course, they then came to the classifed projects, and waited for the Director to return before they would inquire about just what the heck those two things are.

An odd voice echoed from the deeper parts of the massive room, "Oh... oh no! Why didn't I think to label them?! Um... lets try this one."

A woman's voice responded "Testing, testing, tes-- Nope."

A few seconds passed, then something akin to a humanoid cat thing continued "Testing, tes-- Neowp."

A child's "Blah!", a sonar ping, thousands of crickets chirping, and then Dolph's voice once again with "IF I GET ONE MORE ANIMAL, I'M GONNA... oh cool."

Dolph thudded his way back to the two boys, making sounds akin to clearing his throat the entire way. As he stopped at their side, he tapped his head a couple times and sighed with relief.

"Much better. No more screeching in my brain anymore. So, had a good look-see?"

The boys chuckled a bit at the antics of Dolph. Jeremy answered. "Yeah, but what are the secret projects that you've listed, the Sentinel and Plaguebringer?"

Dolph sighed to himself, then pressed a small button on his neck. He stood, motionless for a couple minutes, every now and then nodding slightly. Finally, he finished whatever it was with a simple "Whatever."

He stepped between the two boys and tapped in a code that seemed to take about half a minute to complete. When it did, the two "CLASSIFIED" items selected at the same time and took up separate displays.

One display revealed what appeared to be a strange carpet of motes moving along a plain. At what appeared to be a signal consisting of a star destroyer coming to a hover overhead, the motes swiftly formed up into a massive array of strange rods that almost instantly incinerated the destroyer in a veritable storm of lightning.

"Plaguebringer is much like our construction ant swarms, duplicating their hive mind and cooperative capabilities but also bringing them to a whole new level. We refined the power cores and collective database to enable this swarm of flea-sized nanobots to form into multiple types of heavy weapons. The scene you see here is of the Plaguebringer bringing down an Imperial Star Destroyer that we had captured and subsequently enhanced the shielding. Those arcs of energy you see are modified Plasmatic Pulse discharges designed to disintegrate the enemy vessel and transport it into the mote swarm, where the remnants are converted into additional motes.

"If you will note the time readings on the bottom of the feed, you will find that it took thirty seconds to annihilate that Star Destroyer."

The video feed continued on, displaying the swarm as it took on a mysteriously red hue around what appeared to be several cells of purified metallic substances, and began to grow.

Dolph coughed and pointed at the next display, which showed a scene of what appeared to be a massive metallic dragon sweeping over a desert planet, it would occasionally open its massive jaws and 'breathe' a great beam of energy that scythed through the sands and left gread plumes of shimmering glass in its wake.

"This should interest you greatly, as we know your nation's latent... connection with draconic elements. Sentinel is a mechanized dragon analog, equipped with several siege-grade flux cannons, multiple assault blasters, talons, teeth, a bladed tail, those..." he indicated as the dragon landed and its massive wings broke into several dozen razor edged tentacles that burst forward like a bullet to render a tank into nothing but iron slivers, "and a particularly powerful main cannon in its mouth that doesn't come close to matching a superlaser, but is still a damn sight more powerful than the heaviest turbolaser the Imperials can pump out. Heavily shielded, agile as crazy, and capable of submersion as well as aerospace flight. This project was actually what set Maximillian on starting up 'Death Angel', much to the chagrin of the rest of the Triad."

OOC: I do hate to burst in on this thread but I am also seeking refits after the disasterous battle on the Coredian beaches and around the capital. The mechs you make Godular seem to be the ticket. If you don't mind, I would like to post ICly with a few design requests of my own.

OOC: I have no problem with it. Can always say that seeing the Godulan Robots in action left many of the allied forces wanting to know whether we would be willing to share the love. Might wanna ask CW too though, since its his thread.

OOC: I have no problem with it. Can always say that seeing the Godulan Robots in action left many of the allied forces wanting to know whether we would be willing to share the love. Might wanna ask CW too though, since its his thread.

OOC: The question was directed at both of you, so I'll wait until her replies.

Wow... Were the simple words inside the twosomes' minds as Dolph revealed the secret projects to them. Jeffrey grinned. "Amazing stuff. I think we're going to be fine once we're through. Let's begin the next stage. Designing the mecha-animals for human pilots."

-----

OOC: Sure, come in Beta.

"Well," Dolph replied, "the main issue with attempting to control something as complex as a Cougar is that there's so many points of control that its literally impossible to control such a thing with a mere joystick and keyboard interface. Thats why we stuck with robotic controls for the smaller models, as we had to create dedicated AIs capable of acting as the 'brain' of the robot.

"However, we have been tinkering about with adapting the newer Starbolt interfaces to create just that type of connection with organic pilots. You see, we've developed a form of neurosynaptic interface that utilizes a form of electrolytic goo to transfer thoughts and commands to a secondary AI that converts each 'command' into actual response and movement. Consider it like the thinking part of the brain sending signals to the cerebellum, which controls how each signal is to be interpreted and acts upon them. Operating at the speed of thought, you have no better reaction time.

"It essentially turns the pilot into the machine. Plus it acts as a nice buffer against harsh accelerations, as the cougar's mobility can cause some SERIOUS G's to be pulled."

With the battle on the ground of Coredia pretty much at a close except for the still huge daemon forces in pitched battle with the combined forces of the Grand Alliance, the Beta Aurigean engineers began to rethink their cumbersome armor units and how they could make them more effective in a large scale assault. Then and image came to them mechs moving lithely through enemy forces cutting them to shreads as larger mechs bulldozed though the sluggish enemy armor. It was the animal mechs of Godular that had performed with amazing effectiveness in the war thus far. They had to get some and fast.

"Send a comm to Godular and see if we can get a meeting set up with one of their engineering people ASAP."

One of the engineers turned and made the comm, "This is Beta Aurigae VII's engineering division calling about setting up a meeting with one of your enigneers. We wish to procure some of your mechs and we have a few design of our own we wish to submit," the engineer said to the person answering the comm.

"Well," Dolph replied, "the main issue with attempting to control something as complex as a Cougar is that there's so many points of control that its literally impossible to control such a thing with a mere joystick and keyboard interface. Thats why we stuck with robotic controls for the smaller models, as we had to create dedicated AIs capable of acting as the 'brain' of the robot.

"However, we have been tinkering about with adapting the newer Starbolt interfaces to create just that type of connection with organic pilots. You see, we've developed a form of neurosynaptic interface that utilizes a form of electrolytic goo to transfer thoughts and commands to a secondary AI that converts each 'command' into actual response and movement. Consider it like the thinking part of the brain sending signals to the cerebellum, which controls how each signal is to be interpreted and acts upon them. Operating at the speed of thought, you have no better reaction time.

"It essentially turns the pilot into the machine. Plus it acts as a nice buffer against harsh accelerations, as the cougar's mobility can cause some SERIOUS G's to be pulled."
"What do you think, Jeff?" Jeremy asked his best friend.

"Neural interface. I think there was something in the works about that stuff back home...yeah, it could work." Jeffrey nodded. "Let's get started!"

The Aurigan call was recieved, filtered, number-coded, encrypted, encrypted again, encrypted a third time because the operator was bored, transmitted through the intergalactic void, recieved, filtered, decrypted, decrypted again, decrypted a third time and eliciting a string of curses from the second operator, funneled through the quagmire of bureaucratic hierarchy, copy/pasted, prioritized, discussed, debated, fought over, recorded nine hundred and thirteen times for posterity, given a momentary glance by Baron Skye, transmitted back through the intergalactic void with a "You bothered me with THIS?" note and the proper recieving address, transmitted again, and picked up by a biomechanical secretary.

All in the space of a thirty second 'hold please' and some peppy muzak.

Godulan clerical errors are nothing less than spectacular, but nobody ever notices them anyway.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Excuse me for a second," Dolph said rather suddenly, "Naria's on the line... what? Another one? Wow! That war is drumming up all kinds of business! Have them send a rep over whenever."

His head ticked slightly, and he turned back to the two boys. "Looks like there's gonna be more company coming. Anyway, this isn't any simple neural interface. It ain't just gonna be a helmet with wires poking out or the like. The pilot is gonna be suspended in a tank of goo with a breath mask. I would suggest that you try it out first. It feels pretty weird at first, but you get the hang of it right quick. I've got a few simulators on the floor below us if you want to test 'em out. We made a few models to put into the arcade we have on the street corner. A major draw, those things are. Who knew that running around the city as a squirrel would be so popular...

"If you're not interested though, I'll simply whip up the preliminary designs we have for the placement of such control modules in enlarged versions of our robots."

"Excuse me for a second," Dolph said rather suddenly, "Naria's on the line... what? Another one? Wow! That war is drumming up all kinds of business! Have them send a rep over whenever."

His head ticked slightly, and he turned back to the two boys. "Looks like there's gonna be more company coming. Anyway, this isn't any simple neural interface. It ain't just gonna be a helmet with wires poking out or the like. The pilot is gonna be suspended in a tank of goo with a breath mask. I would suggest that you try it out first. It feels pretty weird at first, but you get the hang of it right quick. I've got a few simulators on the floor below us if you want to test 'em out. We made a few models to put into the arcade we have on the street corner. A major draw, those things are. Who knew that running around the city as a squirrel would be so popular...

"If you're not interested though, I'll simply whip up the preliminary designs we have for the placement of such control modules in enlarged versions of our robots."
"I guess we can try it in that arcade first." Jeremy grinned. I wonder if we can start up a company dealing in these interfaces after this war...

"We have confirmation from the Godulans. They say we can come on over."

"Good, have General Anderson report here at once. Prepare to open a portal to Godular."

A few minutes later, General Anderson arrived and he and Dr. Munivich stepped through the portal to Godular. They arrived just outside the research facility and stepped through the door into a reception area where they announced themselves and waited for someone to arrive.

"Already? Huh. Well, show them in, Naria. Send them up to floor six in about five minutes."

Dolph turned to the two visitors and began thudding his way to the Elevator. "If you would be so kind as to follow me, I'll show you to the simulators."

He guided the boys into the elevator, down a floor, and into a large pseudo-unlit room that contained several transparent capsules of strange bluish gel that seemed to sparkle and shimmer, giving the room an eerie bluish glow. Dolph motioned to the closest capsule and indicated a small toy action-figure-esque duplicate of Dolph's body.

"This one requires the least training to figure out, as it enables you to retain the typical human range of motion. You do not need to undress to get in, but I would suggest removing bulky coats and the like, as those would prevent the gel from establishing a connection with the proper synaptic pathways."

He brought out a stepladder just tall enough to allow somebody to climb into the capsule, and also provided what appeared to be an extremely large snorkel. "Just strap that breath mask on, take off your shoes and whatever, and step in. You'll feel a rather persistent tingling on the back of your neck for about half a minute, and then you'll be able to see a computer interface. It may look like its in the gel, but its actually being direct-wired into your brain. You just think what options you want to select, in this case the only one being 'tin man', and will it to begin. Your view will suddenly shift to the optical receptors of the tin man and you will have full autonomic control of the figurine. Whenever you wish to stop, you just will it to end.

"Now don't worry about getting wet in this thing, as the gel is form-fitting but not insinuative. You are supported by it, you do not float in it. It is an important distinction. It reacts to sudden accelerations and such by cushioning your body against the harsh stresses of such maneuvers. I also feel it necessary to point out that you will have full sensory range with the tin man. Tactile, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. Just as if you were a very very very very small man. Your body will twitch occasionally as a side effect of the synaptic connection, but its nothing to worry about even though it may seem unnerving at first, and consistent use eventually causes the reaction to fade away.

"SO!" Dolph said, clapping his metallic hands together, "which of you wants to go romping around in the building's ductwork first?"

"I will." Jeremy smirked. "Let's do it."

As instructed, he took off his shoes and climbed into the capsule after putting on the breath mask. The gel seemed cool to the touch, and as promised, there was a itchy, prickly sensation on the back of the neck. Thirty seconds later, something like a Heads-Up Display (HUD) appeared before the boy's eyes.

"Cool." He smiled through the mask, then directed his thoughts to 'click' on the only option available. Then he entered the mind of the Tiny Tin Man...

Whoa...everything's so big! Was Jeremy's first thought as he started to move the tin man around, almost as if he WAS the Tin Man. I guess I am, after a fashion.

For the next few minutes, Jeremy had fun with the tin man, using all of the senses as normal. Godulan technology is the best! He had so much fun he almost lost track of time...oh, there's the clock. Wow, I've been in it for ten minutes!

He willed the game to end, and he returned to 'full size', blinking as he looked around. "Great stuff, Jeff! You should try it!"

The two men followed Naria up to the sixth floor and had just sat down begining to pull out their notes.

"We have put a lot of thought into how we wish to outfit our armor forces since Coredia," said Munivich. "We have come to the conclusion that a manned mech will provide the best results. Now I realize that your mechs are unmanned but we have had some bad experiences in the past with weapons that were completely AI controlled and we don't wish to repeat the experience. We have some designs that we would like you to take a look at just to tell me what you think about building them. What really sold us on your mechs however, was the animalistic look they have, it gives us the shocker effects as well as plenty of power and the speed and maneuverability we are lacking. So here are the designs on the 'Bear', 'Mongoose', 'Jaguar', and 'Cheetah'. Oh and we were also wondering how you would feel about an amphibious unit and most important of all can it be done?"

Dolph never ceased to be amused by the romping tin-man. He couldn't help but give an internal giggle whenever he heard the pilot's voice pop out of the Tin-man's mouth with cries such as "Whoa! This is WIERD!" and the like.

When Jeff ended the session, too soon by Dolph's standards, they always ended the games too soon, he helped the boy out of the capsule, and gave the other a speculative look. "You're welcome to try for yourself. I'm gonna keep chatting, and you should be able to hear me as the Tin-man.

"Now, imagine what you just experienced in that capsule, my boy, and imagine how it would feel to be roaring across the plains at some two hundred and thirty miles per hour, bringing to bear some of the strongest weapons in your arsenal against those who would seek to destroy you, so on and so forth. You could bat fighter craft out of the air! The Cougar can jump quite high, at the size I suspect it will have to be in order to account for your preferences, I can only provide a general estimate, but that sucker would have a maximum jumping height well in excess of one mile. And, of course, gyroscopic enhancements and the superior agility of the Cougar means that it will always land on its feet..."

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"I am presently not qualified to give detailed responses on those questions," Naria replied to the Aurigan representatives, "John Dolph, the director of R&D for this establishment here, is presently busy with some other representatives that approached us earlier. He should be done in a few minutes, then you're welcome to join him, although knowing him he might try to get you into one of those simulation capsules as well.

"However, I can tell you right now that Mongoose and Cheetah models are too inefficient to use, which is why we have as yet refrained from attempting battle-capable versions. You see, the Mongoose is too long, and too short-limbed. Bloody inefficient. Now if you wish for a burrowing type, I'm certain Dolph would be most interested. As for the Cheetah, well, there's a certain limit to how fast we can make the animals, as our Servomotors can only move at a maximum rate. Rest assured that they do improve quite rapidly with time, but right now, the fastest ones are on the Cougars, and we are at the moment unable to create something faster.

"Although, not wanting to be too much of a buzzkill, I would point you towards the small database that my superior has left on relating to various projects such as 'Urson', a Bear-Type Armored Personnel Carrier Mech, 'Mammoth', a Super-Heavy Artillery Model, and 'Kraken', an Amphibious Shock-and-Awe mechanism incorporating the heaviest armament of the lot and an APC capability to boot."

"I am presently not qualified to give detailed responses on those questions," Naria replied to the Aurigan representatives, "John Dolph, the director of R&D for this establishment here, is presently busy with some other representatives that approached us earlier. He should be done in a few minutes, then you're welcome to join him, although knowing him he might try to get you into one of those simulation capsules as well.

"However, I can tell you right now that Mongoose and Cheetah models are too inefficient to use, which is why we have as yet refrained from attempting battle-capable versions. You see, the Mongoose is too long, and too short-limbed. Bloody inefficient. Now if you wish for a burrowing type, I'm certain Dolph would be most interested. As for the Cheetah, well, there's a certain limit to how fast we can make the animals, as our Servomotors can only move at a maximum rate. Rest assured that they do improve quite rapidly with time, but right now, the fastest ones are on the Cougars, and we are at the moment unable to create something faster.

"Although, not wanting to be too much of a buzzkill, I would point you towards the small database that my superior has left on relating to various projects such as 'Urson', a Bear-Type Armored Personnel Carrier Mech, 'Mammoth', a Super-Heavy Artillery Model, and 'Kraken', an Amphibious Shock-and-Awe mechanism incorporating the heaviest armament of the lot and an APC capability to boot."

"I was actually hoping to the Mongoose unit as an extremely agile close quarters fighter, so I wasn't really worried about the running speed so much as the reflex speed," replied Munivich. "The Cougars will do nicely in place of the Cheetah's however, and perhaps the 'Urson' specifications could be modified a little to place it in a more front line type role instead of a personel carrier."

"The 'Kraken' doesn't seem to be too bad a choice for what we want in the water," said General Anderson peering down at the specifications, "but the good doctor here believes that we need something a little smaller and faster but still packing a pretty good punch. I must say that I agree with him and we came up with something along the lines of a 'Tigershark' or 'Baracuda' model. But why am I telling you this when you aren't authorized to give me a detailed response. Please excuse my rambling, we will wait for Mister Dolph."

"Once again, I am not qualified to answer such concerns. You would have to bring that up with Director Dolph when he returns from being a 'tour guide' for the other representatives. I shall advise him to expedite such proceedings."

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"What's that? They're asking 'Hard' questions? All right, I'll be right up there."

He turned to the two boys and sighed. "The only problem with being such a laid-back establishment nowadays is that when business picks up we're hard pressed to keep up. I'm gonna be upstairs talking with the Aurigans, who seem to be requesting various design modifications beyond intended applications. You are welcome to accompany if you wish, although I suppose the capsule isn't going anywhere."

As the boys followed Dolph to the Aurigans, they conferred with each other in voices that could only be described as excited.

"That was cool, imagine what it'd be like inside a Cougar!" Jeremy grinned.

"Yeah. I bet the other Jedi would love to wield one of those babies." Jeff agreed. "I think it'd be a good idea to go all the way. Designing, pre-production, prototype testing, then mass-production."

"Yeah, but where would we even begin?" Jeremy asked.

"One step at a time. One step at a time." Jeff began scribbling more notes in one of his notepads.

The elevator doors opened, and Dolph stepped through, the two Coredian representatives in tow. He brought his arms out in a wide gesture of welcome and strode towards the Aurigan group and Naria.

"Gentlemen! I understand that you have questions about various models, including amphibious applications and a prospective 'mongoose' analog.

"Allow me to answer the latter concern by noting that Godulan Robotics and Mechanicals did consider a Mongoose type warbot, yet it was found to be infeasible for Godulan purposes due to the fact that the agility requirement cannot be fulfilled by larger models. If you were to wish for a manned version of a mongoose type, the analog would simply be too big for its own good.

"As for amphibious applications, I'm sure Naria has informed you of the Kraken project that only recently went into full production, but I am uncertain as to whether she would remember the much smaller and more agile 'Squid' warbots we incorporated from before we ventured out among the stars. They are an aging design, but we have made certain that they incorporate the most modern motility and weapons mechanisms. As their name would infer, the warbots are crafted to appear as a metallic giant squid some twenty meters in full length, equipped with hardpoints for ten missiles of up to medium range anti-air, and one medium grade cannon of your choice. Top speed is, based on estimates of the capability of the modern components, somewhere around one hundred knots at full surge. They are QUITE agile."

The elevator doors opened, and Dolph stepped through, the two Coredian representatives in tow. He brought his arms out in a wide gesture of welcome and strode towards the Aurigan group and Naria.

"Gentlemen! I understand that you have questions about various models, including amphibious applications and a prospective 'mongoose' analog.

"Allow me to answer the latter concern by noting that Godulan Robotics and Mechanicals did consider a Mongoose type warbot, yet it was found to be infeasible for Godulan purposes due to the fact that the agility requirement cannot be fulfilled by larger models. If you were to wish for a manned version of a mongoose type, the analog would simply be too big for its own good.

"As for amphibious applications, I'm sure Naria has informed you of the Kraken project that only recently went into full production, but I am uncertain as to whether she would remember the much smaller and more agile 'Squid' warbots we incorporated from before we ventured out among the stars. They are an aging design, but we have made certain that they incorporate the most modern motility and weapons mechanisms. As their name would infer, the warbots are crafted to appear as a metallic giant squid some twenty meters in full length, equipped with hardpoints for ten missiles of up to medium range anti-air, and one medium grade cannon of your choice. Top speed is, based on estimates of the capability of the modern components, somewhere around one hundred knots at full surge. They are QUITE agile."

Upon Dolph's entry, the two Aurigeans looked up from from their coversation nodded to the two Coredians and then focused there attention squarley on Dolph. When he had finished, General Anderson was the first to speak.

"While the issue regarding the Mongoose is regrettable, I understand the complications involved and appreciate your effort to find us suitable replacements. The Squid analog sounds like what we're looking for to compliment the Kraken. I have one additional question before the Dr. here moves on to another aspect of our interests. Am I right in thinking that both the Squid and Kraken analogs can use their tentacles as weapons. And if so, what kind of crushing power would each of them put out?"

"Now that the General has finished, I would like to move on to the modifications of the Urson model into a heavier front line unit. As we already have all the troop transports we need between our dropships and such, I was wondering if we could either remove the space and make a smaller model or if we could use the space to allocate some more weapons."

"Am I right in thinking that both the Squid and Kraken analogs can use their tentacles as weapons. And if so, what kind of crushing power would each of them put out?"

"You would indeed be correct, although they are more geared toward that purpose on the Kraken than on the Squid. The Squid can travel onland but it requires most of its tentacles to remain mobile. Its two extended tentacles, however, can strike like a whip out to a range of six meters with a strength approximately equal to my own. For a point of reference, I can bench press a small armored vehicle. Now, Squids are not actually programmed to crush enemy targets, as much as they are geared towards throwing them long distances."

"Now that the General has finished, I would like to move on to the modifications of the Urson model into a heavier front line unit. As we already have all the troop transports we need between our dropships and such, I was wondering if we could either remove the space and make a smaller model or if we could use the space to allocate some more weapons."

"I must admit that we designed the Urson as an APC mech due to the extensive Godulan Usage of the StarSpider SiegeBorg, which fulfills the role you speak of with far greater destructive efficiency. However, we do have a secondary model of the Urson that replaces the belly-mounted personnel compartment with a rather extensive rocket launcher array. However, in order to be effectively activated, the Urson would need to be standing up, as it would if it were a normal bear attempting to intimidate its enemies. This would normally make it a much more visible target, but we also placed heavier ablative shielding on the unit in order to counteract the resulting increase in enemy fire. However, if you wish for a truly effective Heavy Artillery Unit, might I be so bold as to suggest more focus be paid towards the Silverhide unit? It is a Gorilla analog, very strong, very well armed, and very well armored. It also has the bonus of being able to equip specially designed hand weapons that could easily match Capital Ship Main Battery Cannons in firepower. Quite nifty, quite nifty indeed."

"You would indeed be correct, although they are more geared toward that purpose on the Kraken than on the Squid. The Squid can travel onland but it requires most of its tentacles to remain mobile. Its two extended tentacles, however, can strike like a whip out to a range of six meters with a strength approximately equal to my own. For a point of reference, I can bench press a small armored vehicle. Now, Squids are not actually programmed to crush enemy targets, as much as they are geared towards throwing them long distances."


"That seems to be what we're looking for so when we are finished here, we would like to place an immediate order for quite a number of both analogs. After some initial testing with you human interface first."

"I must admit that we designed the Urson as an APC mech due to the extensive Godulan Usage of the StarSpider SiegeBorg, which fulfills the role you speak of with far greater destructive efficiency. However, we do have a secondary model of the Urson that replaces the belly-mounted personnel compartment with a rather extensive rocket launcher array. However, in order to be effectively activated, the Urson would need to be standing up, as it would if it were a normal bear attempting to intimidate its enemies. This would normally make it a much more visible target, but we also placed heavier ablative shielding on the unit in order to counteract the resulting increase in enemy fire. However, if you wish for a truly effective Heavy Artillery Unit, might I be so bold as to suggest more focus be paid towards the Silverhide unit? It is a Gorilla analog, very strong, very well armed, and very well armored. It also has the bonus of being able to equip specially designed hand weapons that could easily match Capital Ship Main Battery Cannons in firepower. Quite nifty, quite nifty indeed."

"Interesting," replied Munivich. "I will need to see the top speed and weapons capabilities on both of these units before I make my decision. Oh, and what about the Jaguar analog we brought to the table earlier."

OOC: The Jaguar is pretty much the same idea that CW suggested with the tiger but I didn't want to copy his stuff so I came up with another animal.

"All predatory cat analogs fall under the Cougar and Sabrecat models. The Sabrecat is heavier than the Cougar, incorporating somewhat heavier firepower at the expense of speed. Their are manned and unmanned versions of both, although we have found that the Sabrecat seems to be the more optimized version."

"All predatory cat analogs fall under the Cougar and Sabrecat models. The Sabrecat is heavier than the Cougar, incorporating somewhat heavier firepower at the expense of speed. Their are manned and unmanned versions of both, although we have found that the Sabrecat seems to be the more optimized version."

"That's good to here," replied Munivich. "Now, if you don't mind we would like to test out your human interface for both the land and water analogs before we can bring up some prices for purchasing and quantity."

"Hmm... maybe I should have just had Naria send you to the fifth floor instead. Oops. Hindsight 20-20, huh? But I am only too happy to oblige, it is my favorite part of the pitch, after all. If you will all follow me... um... back down..."

Dolph turned and thudded his way back to the elevator.

"Hmm... maybe I should have just had Naria send you to the fifth floor instead. Oops. Hindsight 20-20, huh? But I am only too happy to oblige, it is my favorite part of the pitch, after all. If you will all follow me... um... back down..."

Dolph turned and thudded his way back to the elevator.

The two men followed Dolph to the lift. Dr. Munivich still beombarding him with questions as they entered and began their descent.

"I'm curious as to what type of interface you use to achieve the same success with the manned units as with the unmanned units? Do you think that our soldiers performance will be better than other nation's manned analogs because of the genetic engineering we employ? Would a telepathic being have a better result with the analog because your analogs appear to have an almost organic intelligence?"

On and on the questions went during the lift ride, only subsiding when they arrived at the floor in question.

"Gee, that's a lot of questions..." Jeffrey noted as they headed back downstairs.

"Yeah, it's a rainstorm." Jeremy commented.

Dolph was fielding the questions as quickly as they were asked. He was speaking of his specialty, after all.

"I'm curious as to what type of interface you use to achieve the same success with the manned units as with the unmanned units?"

"The most important part of controlling our analogs is instinct. Be the animal and such. So the interface is a direct neural uplink, where the pilots needs and wants are filtered through a digitized cerebellum. The unmanned version simply has a primitive AI taking the place of the pilot. One of the nice things about the manned versions is that they can order the unmanned ones around. Coordinating attacks, you know."

"Do you think that our soldiers performance will be better than other nation's manned analogs because of the genetic engineering we employ?

"I cannot provide an estimate on that, as our own pilots and soldiers, indeed the entire godulan populace, have undergone multiple genetic overhauls. We would not be able to provide a proper bead on how an unmodified pilot would fare compared to a modified one, although we suspect that the only genetic enhancement that would benefit a pilot would be improved reflexes, but not many actually bother with that one."

"Would a telepathic being have a better result with the analog because your analogs appear to have an almost organic intelligence?"

"Not much difference, though psions seem to have better mental control and make for somewhat easier to train pilots. If you wish to purchase customized versions, I'm sure we'd be able to emplace Neurosynaptic Circuitry and a psi amplifier within the mechs, enabling the potential mindwalker to commit veritable barrages of psionic energy at the enemy."

Dolph returned everything that was thrown at him, right up until the elevator doors opened again.

"Ah, here we are. You said you wished to test out the interface for a squid correct? That's somewhat further in the back than the tin man we were displaying earlier. We had to contract a marina on the coast to hold the test subjects, despite the distance involved, I think you will find little to no lag in the connection. If you will follow me..."

Dolph grabbed the step stool and escorted the representatives further into the somewhat dark room, passing by the eerie glow of multiple other interface capsules until he stopped at one that had a picture of Cthulhu taped on the side. He placed the stool beside it and turned to the Aurigan representatives.

"You do not need to undress to go in, but I would advise taking off your jackets before entering, as it would block the connection and make it all rather uncomfortable. It will take a while to get a feel for the controls, as you have ten limbs to worry about now, rather than four..."

"The General will be doing the actual testing," replied Munivich as the General removed his jacket and waited patiently. "I wish to view the medical scans of his brain and his other bodily functions to see what kind of effect the technology has on the body. It is an interesting design and we might want to use something like it in the future, so all of this data could be very valuable."

"But of course," Dolph replied, and pulled out a small tube from the back of the capsule. He took out what appeared to be a small stylus, pulled on a part of the tube, and a paper thin computer screen came to life, giving a little Beedlebeep in acknowledgement that it was indeed working properly. He tapped the screen a couple times and handed it to the doctor.

"Just scroll up and down to keep an eye on the various medical statistics we make sure to keep track of during testing. Some have proven allergic to the synaptic gel we utilize, but it is easily inocculated against, and can be remedied on the fly with a healthy dose of aspirin, oddly enough."

"Excellent," replied a thoroughly excited Munivich. Now at the point of resembling an overgrown schoolboy.

The General entered the test chamber and was hooked up to the interface. Everything was ready but the final instructions from Dolphe.

"Now, the gel is gonna tingle slightly at first. That's perfectly normal and is part of the acclimatization process, so try to let the sensation pass. After a couple seconds, a little interface display should materialize in front of you. That's the confirmation that a link has been established, and the controls are being interpreted directly from your brain. To start up the control of the squid, just will that little 'Initiate Connection' tab to toggle. That'll put you in full autonomous control of the squid.

"Now, when you're in control of the squid, you're gonna go limp for the most part, with the occasional twitch which is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. What normally controls your arms will control the extended tentacles that can throw and manipulate things. Your legs can control precision maneuvers of the other eight tentacles, and to move forward you just... will yourself forward.

"As soon as the connection is established, you will see yourself underwater. Be careful here, you're clamped into place. Your first test is to remove that clamp with your manipulator tentacles. Once you've done that, feel free to wander around in the cordoned area, which includes a small stretch of beach and a few cargo containers for onland manipulations. When you're done, just will the connection off and you'll be back to your old self and free to leave the capsule. Don't worry about the squid, it'll return to its original position automatically."

"Now, the gel is gonna tingle slightly at first. That's perfectly normal and is part of the acclimatization process, so try to let the sensation pass. After a couple seconds, a little interface display should materialize in front of you. That's the confirmation that a link has been established, and the controls are being interpreted directly from your brain. To start up the control of the squid, just will that little 'Initiate Connection' tab to toggle. That'll put you in full autonomous control of the squid.

"Now, when you're in control of the squid, you're gonna go limp for the most part, with the occasional twitch which is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. What normally controls your arms will control the extended tentacles that can throw and manipulate things. Your legs can control precision maneuvers of the other eight tentacles, and to move forward you just... will yourself forward.

"As soon as the connection is established, you will see yourself underwater. Be careful here, you're clamped into place. Your first test is to remove that clamp with your manipulator tentacles. Once you've done that, feel free to wander around in the cordoned area, which includes a small stretch of beach and a few cargo containers for onland manipulations. When you're done, just will the connection off and you'll be back to your old self and free to leave the capsule. Don't worry about the squid, it'll return to its original position automatically."

The initial phases happened just as Dolphe described. Before long, the general got the hang of using the menus and was ready to unclamp himself from the dock and get moving about.

"I'm attempting to unclamp myself now," said the General through the built in communicator. His first attempt was clumsy and disordered as he got acclimated to using the tentacles of the squid. After about twenty-five seconds, the General has successfully unclamped himself from the dock and was moving cautiously around the area as he got used to the controls. Pretty soon he was moving the squid about like an expert, the interface was extremely easy to use once you got the hang of it. He was ready to move onto the small beach and attempt to control the squid on land. As he approached the beach, he began sending instructions to the squid to begin "walking" up the sand and onto the beach. The controls were slightly different as he only had two manipulating tentacles as the rest were used for walking. He approched the containers and grabbed one of them and proceeded to chuck it into the water to see what the squid could do with it there. He returned to the water and moved quickly to the container and grabbed it with his tentacles and tugged it under water. When he reached the bottom of the tank, he stopped and hurled the container out of the water and back onto the small island. The unit is remarkably strong for its size, thought Anderson as he maneuvered the squid back to the dock, These units should make us unstoppable in the battlefield. Stopping the squid, the General disengaged the interface and was unhooked. He stepped out of the chamber with a broad grin on his face. The doctor was also all smiles.

"Well Mr. Dolphe, that was on experience of a lifetime. I am very impressed with your units and technology."

"I wholeheartedly concur with the General," replied Munivich.

"I wish to inquire about prices immediatly. We have a large order to place."

OOC: Do you want me to place the order in your Storefront Godular, or do you want me to place it here. BTW, I looked at your specs for the Urson and it's a bit too slow for my taste. Is there anyway that we could make a slightly smaller and faster unit on the same platform?

Order in the storefront, tag it as secret and if you wish. Also tag it as 'ally' in order to get the better-than-merchant versions.

As for the Urson, we really focused more on the VERY heavy armor its sports, rather than the overall maneuverability. Unless I'm mistaken, it can still hustle somewhat more swiftly than an AT-AT or the like.

"Excellent! I'll notify the main office immediately! You can conduct the transaction with them. We're just a small branch of the R&D department, after all, so all the major decisions must go through them."

Order in the storefront, tag it as secret and if you wish. Also tag it as 'ally' in order to get the better-than-merchant versions.

As for the Urson, we really focused more on the VERY heavy armor its sports, rather than the overall maneuverability. Unless I'm mistaken, it can still hustle somewhat more swiftly than an AT-AT or the like.

"Excellent! I'll notify the main office immediately! You can conduct the transaction with them. We're just a small branch of the R&D department, after all, so all the major decisions must go through them."

OOC: Right you are, I was reading the speeds wrong on the units, I was thinking KPH instead of MPH. Anyway, there isn't a price for the Kraken on the Storefront, so I'll need that before I place my final order. BTW, I might be interested in the Sentinel a little bit later on so a price for that would be much appreciated. Thanks for tolerating me in this thread both CW and Godular, now I'll give the reigns back to CW so he can finish his stuff.

IC: "That's great," replied Munivich. "Now if you will excuse us, we'll head back home and contact your main office shortly. Thank you very much for your hospitality and your time." Nodding to the Coreworlds representatives, he said, "And thank you for letting us barge in like this." Then speaking quietly into his comlink, he gave a nod to each man in turn and a portal appeared and Dr. and General stepped through the portal back to Beta Aurigae VII.

"Huh. Seems like everyone has their own wormhole networks. Getting kinda popular." Jeremy said to Jeff, who nodded with a smile.

"We prefer probability nexi for travel. No special engines required, just preset equations that we store in our computers. Makes travel on established trade routes somewhat more convenient...

"And now back to you two again... where were we?"

Dolph's strange metal face took on a momentarily thoughtful look and he turned to head back to the elevator.

"And I should have the Head Office install an anti corridor mechanism in here... those guys came and went too easily for comfort."

"Producing the Cougars and stuff." Jeff said.

"Ah, yes, well. We can construct the cougars to your specifications and desires easily enough, along with any other designs you would like to... test? I understand one of our allies is already commencing a combat test of our Sentinels, perhaps our close contact and stations upon your soil will prove beneficial to testing, no?"