NationStates Jolt Archive

Keven, the 6-inch high Xiscapian A.I., stood in the middle of a small room atop a Holo projector. He was shown to be pale, with light blonde hair and a kind of rouge handsomeness. He wore blue pants, a gray shirt, and a brown jacket, with boots on his holographic feet. Around him was some 10 capsules, made to fit up to a ten foot tall humanoid inside. Once inside the VR chamber, the VR would engage and begin. Three sets of node wires also lay connected to the projector, for beings too large or small to fit inside the capsules. He set himself into the VR and waited for his students to come.

Gerrak looked hesitantly around the room-it looked like the old coldships used before Gates-the claustrophobic pods and monitors. "Mister Keven?" he asked hesitantly."Me Gerrak Krag for Vee Arrr thing?"

Kevens cool voice came from everywhere at once. "Indeed. Gerrak. Species: Troll. Date of birth: Year of our Lord 862. Attributes: Immense size and great physical strength. Uses his slingshot well. Good hunter, uses a Force-like ability known as Darksense. Weaknesses: Unfamiliarity with slugthrowers, ignoramity of the galaxy at large. Machines not understood very well, especially spacecraft and FTL. Summery: Able Student. Will provide interesting challenge."

Gerrak's hearing pinpointed the several speakers secreted about the room, and he nodded. Either Instructor Keven was hiding, or he was-ah, the illusion cast before him held a small hovering device-Instructor Keven was a genius locii.
He bowed, and replied, "Ignoranz a weeknezz onlee if uncorrecked, Sir--we fix dat now, riyt?"

The A.I. smiled a superior smile. "But of course. No mistake is a mistake unless left unchecked, or this is what my creators have told me. I have never made one." Keven looked thoughtfully at the troll. "What do you think we should do while we wait? I am capable of millions of different combat situations."

Gerrak's mind roiled-the Ordo Zorak Zoran worshipped War and it's every aspect. He could spend centuries here, with every day a sacrament.
"Mebbe we tok first-let yu gaij my level to chooz riyt start. With practiz, we do Kobiyashi Maru."

"I gaged your level of skill long before you ever came to this planet. I have access to many infomation networks. But yes, let us speak. What do you think of the Academy so far?"

Gerrak thought for a moment, then answered, "Me could hunt here long time, but dat not purpose for be here. Kitzune nize, but odd-me dink me like, but mor time needed here. Dey Young Raze, but well-travelled. Me lurn wot dey know, take to Pamaltela. Not teck-trollz uze teck for war, no elze. Kitzune need teck, trollz like magik bedder. Kleaner den teck.
"Korse, kitzune uze magik tu-just call it 'Forz' to mayk feel bedder-like chair no longer chair becuz yu callz it troan, or is mor chair. Young Razez dink cuz wurds meen dings if yu change wurds yu change dings." He shook his head sadly. "Dings shud change furst.
"Look kitzune hiztree-how menny times change wurds change dings? How dey furst wars fought and wot over?"

"Words have more impact than perhaps anything else in the universe. They've united great nations, parted lovers, saved lives, started wars, destroyed evil, wiped out entire species... Words have power. You are wize beyond your years, my friend. Erm, who is "Raz"?"

"Raze not hu-well, raze menny hooz. Trollz wun raze-Elder Raze, from Time Before Time. Kitzune Young Raze frum Time After Time, like hoo-mans, doh hoo-mans deny dey wun raze."

"Hmm. Tell me about your social life, back home. That is the one area I am ignorant in."

Gerrak looked oddly at the spirit."Trollz ztart yung-raize togedder, menny fadders. Not go out 'til gud wid zling-then ztart hunt.
"Hunt ztart before Yelm pass Westgate to Hell-wake wid huntbrudderz, eat leftofers. Me tu young hunt 'lone, zo hunt in trees-huntbrudders Hombaba an' Jhor. Furst hunt fur mudders-leave prey and flee dere-mudders dedly.
"Den hunt fur zelfzez-wen hunt dun, we go train-Ordo Zorak Zorani make warrior of yu, or food. After train, go bar-danze fur hunt, den drink, brag, zhow off, listen to Old Wuns tell how mush bedder it wuz in Old Nightz. Mebbe fight if gud night, but uzlee tu tired. Play 'Kill da Kin' if enuff dere, den store away leftofers, make jewry if gud hunt, and cuddle wid huntbrudderz-zleep before Yelm pass Eastgate frum Hell." Gerrak realized how much he missed his huntbrothers, and a lump formed in his throat.

Keven could see that he had made the troll uncomfortable. "A thousand apologies. I did not wish to make you feel sad or resentful. Forgive me." he sat back and watched the troll though his cool holographic eyes.

"No-no bad-me just miss huntbrudderz. Not dink dem before. Me dinkz haff new huntbrudderz zoon, but miss old." He looked at Kevin thoughtfully. "Yu get dat wey? I know yu make own reality, but effer mizz wen yu images not liyk peepel?"

Gerrak waited for a reply, then stated: "Yu sowllezz if no wids frenz den dinks frenz bring payn-frenz bring joy, an' rememerrrin' frenzz bring no joy-diff'rent. Frenz'riesz bring joy-remm'brin brings memriez, no joy-me weep fur lack of joy-me frenzz stilll dair-me zad cuz frenzz no heer."

"No-no bad-me just miss huntbrudderz. Not dink dem before. Me dinkz haff new huntbrudderz zoon, but miss old." He looked at Kevin thoughtfully. "Yu get dat wey? I know yu make own reality, but effer mizz wen yu images not liyk peepel?"
"No. I am a completly self-sustaining computor system. If everyone on this planet died right now, and no one else came here for another 1,000 years, I would still be here, in perfect condition. Not much for me to do, although I do have links with other A.I. thoughout the planet. I don't need biologicals, but I do find them amusing, and even surprising at times. I think, now, we shall start a simulation. Something simple I think. Please get apply those node wires to your head so we may begin."

"Zhoor ding." Gerrak lay in the creche and applied the nodes where he thought they should go. A bit of experimentation, and he was hooked into the mind of Mister Keven.
(OOC:I'm not entirely certain of the advancements of Xiscapian technology, since trolls rely on the Force/magic instead. Since Keven is aware of Darksense, I'm assuming he has some VR variation ready to "fool" Gerrak's Darksense into accepting the simulation. Worst case scenario would involve awakening Gerrak's fetch, but we'll play it by ear)

Gerrak was suddenly plunged into a misty swampland. Vision, at least normal vision, was not past 7 feet. Gerrak's Darksense was fooled too in thinking that this world was real. Kevin's voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Relax. You are a hunter. You know that. I know that. You are hunting. This planet naturally cancels out your Darksense, due to strange megnetic anomolys. You need to hunt and kill your prey. You will know it when you find it..." Gerrak was left alone in the fog and mist, misshappen trees twisting around him, the scene of a child's nightmare, but the perfect conditions for a hunter such as himself.

Pat walked up to the VR chamber. Not wanting to ruin any lesson happening inside he patiently waited outside. Thinking to him self he wondered how battle would be portrayed to people that had never experienced it. He assumed the AI would have sufficient knowledge on the subject and in all likely hood was probably programed by someone with combat experience. Still he wondered if the AI could "simulate" the feeling of seeing one of your best friends blown to pieces by a burst of flechette rounds from a "Jackhammer".

The door in front of Pat opened automatically. "Come in. Gerrak is in a sim right now, would you like me to put you in one too, or would you rather wait? My Xiscapian name is Kevin, by the way."

"Hello Kevin, nice to meet you." Pat said looking around. "Lets go ahead and begin a sim, I'm interested and wish to get started."

Pat was no longer surronded by walls. He was standing on a grassy hill overlooking a small town. The buildings were crude, made of cut stone and wood rather than metal and plastic. One could see kitsunes going about their daily business. However, this must have been very far in the past, because they were using wheeled carts and no hovercrafts or ships were in sight. Far beyond that, visable only from the hill Pat was now standing on, hidden by several more hills, was a monsterious ship. It was as tall as a skyscraper, and as wide as three put together, a smooth round metallic ball. From it in the distance one could just see soldiers armed with bullet firing weapons begin to troop out towards the sleepy little village. In front of Pat on the hill was an array of all kinds of weapons, armor, and equipment. Kevin whispered. "Choose quickly and wisely, for the time has come."

The initial panic over the loss of Darksense subsided rapidly-Gerrak had been very good at Stalk'n'Hunt, a troll game for children where they were blinded and their Darksense nulled then they protected a piece of meat from other children not so limited. Keven's world didn't quite smell right-but swamps were like that, every one unique.
He had to be very careful-without Darksense, he couldn't spot the soggy spots that would prove a danger, and Keven was disrupting that sense. He lowered himself into the swamp water, feeling his way carefully. Cautiously, he scented-and smelled Pat? Surely Mister Keven would not have him hunting his huntbrother, so Pat must be in the room now. He'd have to be careful-Keven said his prey was here, and given the vagaries of the kitsune, his first hints would be visual. At least, that's what he hoped...

A flash of movement in the fog! And then it was gone, silently. The imperssion Gerrak might have gotten was bigger than him, green, scaly, and probably pretty nasty.
"The Xiscapians have a saying:" Kevin whispered. "The most dangerious kind of prey is the one that's hunting you."

Gerrak lowered himself into the stagnant water so only his nose and eyes broke the surface. It was either one of the great land raptors or a cave troll. The giant insects of Pamaltela all tended to hunt their hunters, but green and scaley meant either of the others. Both had advantages and disadvantages to hunting-the raptor was clever, but just an animal-it would rely on it's teeth to clutch and it's smaller foreclaws to rend chunks of flesh. The smaller ones which leaped and used their hindclaws were deadlier-their size made it easy to achieve surprise, and they could leap amazing distances, but lost this ability as they grew. It's great jaws could be held shut, and by angling it's head, you could make them shred their own throats.
The cave troll would be a problem-clever as a man, it's weakness was it lived in a state of rut. Preferred methods were to build snares and incapacitate them-not an easy task as they grew flesh almost as rapidly as it could be removed. Given the limitations of his senses-only seven feet was just beyond claws' reach, and too close to make a sling or rock useful-he would have to play cat and mouse with it, let it come to him and use himself as bait.
He slowly moved in the direction he'd sighted it, alert for it's sudden appearance...

There was nothing. The water level was rising steadily, and the fog seemed to get thicker now. Gerrak felt a momentary brush on his leg, and it was gone before even his reflexes could catch it. Trees loomed out of the darkness, hundreds of feet high now. No land of any sort was in sight.

Pat looked at the weapon arrayed before him. Chuckling slightly he noticed that some how Kevin knew about the new weapons systems coming out of Dynamic Revolution. Because sitting next to a tree was the elite of DR war tech. The MAS was open and obviously brand new. The DR Mobile Armoured Suit was the latest in body armor tech. Using Myanmar composite materials DR war tech scientists had been able to create a mobile suit roughly 7.5 feet tall. Using Hydrolics and contracting metals the suit was capable of increasing the strength of the pilot. Their relative speed was the same but the on-board computer aloud for better analization of the situation. Pat had not been fully briefed on How the suit did what it did but he knew what it could do. He had been in one of the QSF units scheduled to receive the MAS system, before he had been transfered to a new project. Pat and his unit had been trained in the use of the suit, and Pat new that from experience the suit could take a limited amount of 7.62 mm rounds at point blank range with no side effects. Pat stepped into the suit and started to spin up the Power cell. Given a very small amount of time to think Pat decided that he would not be able to kill of the entire army before they reached the town. He chuckled to himself and decided that the town was not what he was trying to save, no, he was trying to save the people. *BEEP* Pat looked down the suit was powered up. Pressing the execute command the suit began to close around him, until he was encompassed in a cacoon of tungsten titanium. Pat walked over to the mini-gun lying on the ground. He picked up the 175lbs with ease and attached the Power cell to his back. Reading the action message the suit informed him he had 100,000 rounds in the current cell. Fully loaded Pat began to sprint to the town. Hopefully his menacing appearance would scare off the locals before the army arrived.

http://www.weaponsblog.org/images/professional-grade-jin-roh_58.jpg

http://jasonchartley.com/img/airsoft_minigun

The locals screamed in Xiscapian. "Demon!" Women, children, and elderly men fled before Pat. However, once in town he found his way blocked by no less then ten kitsune warriors wielding katanas and wearing ancient, metal armor. With a firce cry they rushed him, beating at him with their steel swords.

A fish? An alligator? Gerrak wondered. He didn't know if the thing he sought was aquatic, but there was but one way to find out. He dived, and swam silently through the depths. The sensation of being underwater was cleverly done, and Gerrak would have to inquire as to it's mechanisms later.
He couldn't see very well in the murky waters, but he couldn't see very well out of it, either, so he felt no worse off.
The ponderous bulk of his prey was here-lurking just outside his senses, and he had to lure it closer.
When Dehore's tears flowed into the goddess Styx, he gave her trolls to serve her. Water was the first environment outside of Darkness in which trolls learned to live-the rock stomach could extract oxygen from water and pump it into the bloodstream-not as effectively as lungs, but effectively enough. Gerrak began to flail, waiting for his hunter to swoop in--it would be unpleasantly surprised when it did.

The thing lunged out of the fog, thinking it's prey drowning. The huge Acklay (http://www.3dtotal.com/team/interviews/carlos_baena/baena_images/acklay_ILM_still.jpg) came down with it's sword-like claws, slashing at Gerrak at fast speeds.

Pat fired 25 rounds from the plasma mini-gun into the air. He didn't think the warriors would be scared but he hoped the the young, old, and women would get out of the village faster. He fired off 25 more rounds. Pat marveled at the warriors resolve hacking away at the MAS, with no effect. Not wanting to hurt the warriors but fearing that they might find a soft spot Pat flipped a hay cart over then he put two of the warriors in the "cage". Looking around Pat realized that almost the entire village was vacant. Hoping the villagers had run and not hidden in their houses Pat turned to face the onslaught of soldiers. Pat took off, hoping to intercept the soldiers before they reached the village. Suddenly skidding to a halt Pat turned around and with 4 well placed shots, freed the entrapped Xiscapians. Then turned to face the threat.

Most all of the villagers were in the hills now. The warriors followed Pat, yammering and yelling and holding their katana's high in the air, intent on taking him down. Suddenly they heard. Their ears perked and their teeth bared. Suddenly dozens of soldiers appeared over the hill. They unleashed their weapons, spitting bullets. Instantly four warriors went down, bloody holes in their skin. The remaining 8 gave a yell of fury and charged, bravely but stupidly, at the approaching army.

Gerrak stopped flailing and dived towards it's hideous maw. The thing did not seem to be a water-dweller, but it adapted quickly. It was an unknown, but Gerrak didn't sense Chaos in it, so it was natural-to it's own bizarre environment. It wasn't large enough for Gerrak to fit entire in it's mouth(OOC:Based on the idea the being in shot is 6'-correct me and I'll adjust-the alternative is a bit more gruesome, but hell, Gerrak's a troll) so he slipped under it's jaw at the last minute, and plunged claws that could shred bronze into it's doughy throat, and clawed his way down it's belly.
Gerrak was not a sea troll, adapted to an aquatic environment, but he had fished-underwater, slashing and clawing was futile, but punching rapidly, pumping his arm in and out, was fairly effective, and he was picking his target area based on where it's softer skin should be.

The creature gave a horrible, echoing scream and plunged it's claws at Gerrak's back. It thrashed, trying to loosen him up, while it's blood burned Gerrak, a kind of slow, painful acid.

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Pat as he pushed off the ground with his mechanically enhanced legs. Landing in front of the charging Xiscapians. Hoping to stop their charge Pat had inadvertently become a bullet shield. Bullets pinging off his titanium armor Pat began to engage the hideous maw of soldiers in front of him.

Gerrak tore a shovelful out of it's belly and stuffed it in his mouth-he thought he'd ripped open it's belly, but wanted to be sure-his skin tingled, and he needed to know if it were stomach acid or some intrinsic quality of the thing. He gauged it's weak points right, he was sure-the drumming on his back indicated it was used to walking on these and lacked the ability to effectively attack there-he had to keep himself here, where it was weak and couldn't effectively attack-if he slid up under it to get on it's back, he might not be able to do anything lethal to it...

Pat's sim...
The soldiers were surprised. They haulted for just a second...which gave the warriors the time they needed to cross the last few yards and slam into the soldiers. Blood and guts splattered as the warriors engaged the soliders at close range. Many died trying to tug their combat knife out of it's sheath. The soldiers were backpedaling, trying to get a clear shot off at the warrirors. Meanwhile the soldiers threw grenades at Pat, not daring to get close.
Gerrak's sim...
The Acklay roared again, falling. The worst thing about Acklay, however, is that they always have friends. Two more came, hissing and growling for Gerrak. The first Acklay finally died, and the two others ripped into it and began to eat their dead brother.

Gerrak was saddened-these things did not have the Man Rune, or they'd have held off their feasting until he was dead. On the other hand, he was also saddened there was no substance to the Ackley-he was feasting on air and would become flatulent soon-poor Pat. However, with two predators, he knew what to do-skimming under one, he opened it up with a few jabs of his foreclaws-now was the time to test it's upper hide. The other would sense the weakness and know it had more to gain by attacking the weakened one, and he would know if jumping on it's back was indeed a good idea while it fought it's fellow...

Pat couldn't help himself, he smiled. The warriors were the very definition of honor. The warriors had obviously made mincemeat of the relatively small patrol. Shaken back to reality by the warning beep of live grenades. Thinking quick Pat jumped right before the explosion. Unfortunetly he was hurled behind the fighting soldiers and warriors by the explosion. Hitting the ground with a deafening thud Pat quickly began a diagnostic check of the suit. Everything seemed to operating normally. His weapon was still in his hands and the plasma cell for the weapon was reading 98%. "Lucky me" muttered Pat as he stood up

The Acklay ignored it's wounded comrade and continued to eat the dead one. The Acklay Gerrak had attacked, however, reared up. Instead of clawing at him like the previous one had, it repetedly bashed itself against a tree, trying to dislodge it's attacker.
Pat's Sim...
Now most of the soldiers were halfway up the hill. They turned now and fired their automatics. The warriors fell as one, gracefully tumbling onto the blood-soaked grass among the bodies of their enemies. Pat was alone now as the soldiers turned to face him. Or was he? From the direction of the village came the sound of hoofbeats and yelling. An army of mounted calvery and foot soldiers, all wielding katanas and bows, charged up the hill, some 125 men strong. The soldiers were slow in turning, and only a few managed to fire before being trampled or stabbed.

Pat sprinted the remaining distance to the top of the hill, leaving the Warriors to do their own thing. Pat looked down from the crest of the hill and saw the soldiers making their way up it. Pat pitied the soldiers, their leader had let them down. A direct assault up a hill with defenders on top is suicide. Still the Xiscapians did not start this fight. Morally justifying the upcoming slaughter Pat opened up, raining brimstone from above onto the soldiers below.

The soldiers fell to blade and arrow and shot, but they regrouped at the top of the hill, with the Xiscapians at the bottom. There was a momentary lull; That was all that was needed. The hill itself seemed to rear up, throwing the soldiers some fifteen feet to the ground below, dislodging soldiers, equipment, and weapons from it's top and side. The warrior army trumphitly went in to destroy the stunned enemy army- And vanished in a flash of fire and huge balls of flame. A wing of fighters, low tech compared to anything modern but more than sufficent for the job, flew over, killing every warrior in a hail of bombs and rockets. They flew onward to bomb the village. The soldiers, climbing to their feet, turned their attention to Pat. Kevin whispered again. "You cannot count of the natives to help you. I recommand trying to enter the ship's bridge and taking control." The soldiers began to fire bullets and throw grenades at Pat.

The hard shell on the thing's back wasn't a proper target at all, but one only learns things by trying. The Ackley was a hexapod, and not terribly well-balanced to try and dislodge Gerrak, but he had little interest in remaining where his claws did so little. Trying to avoid being crushed between the Ackley and the tree, he rolled under it again-it's nasty claws were vicious, and Gerrak wanted no part of them, but it's underbelly seemed it's only weak point.

The Acklay came down on top of Gerrak, driving it's claws forward, trying to impale him before he could reach it's belly.

Falling back on Master Reedwine's training, Gerrak hopped nimbly away, avoiding the claws. The Ackley seemed awkward, ungainly. Gerrak theorized it's primary attack was those horrid jaws, as it's rearing up and lashing forward was ungainly-it was too used to balancing in six legs then bobbing and diving to bite, and adaption did not seem it's strong suit. It's homeworld was probably heavy gravity-it was faster than it should be. There had to be a way to get it off balance-Gerrak tried to remember Master Reedwine's techniques, to flow in the moment and bide his time.
There had to be a way to trap it-he looked about for something it might sink it's claws too deep into and become stuck, or a patch of soft ground-let it slog into swamp mud. He dodged and weaved, holding back until an opportunity arose. He was on a time limit-it would only take the other so long to eat the first, so he had to stay alert.

The Acklay stabbed forward, nearly falling into the water. It's claws sunk into the mud, and it screamed and tore them back out again. The other Acklay finished eating it's dead brother and began to try to get behind Gerrak. If one was tough, two were horrifying.

So much for his time limit. Gerrak had been in worse situations, and faced more dangerous opponents. These things weren't that bright-he had to find a way to use that-when it came to him.
The second trying to flank him-these things depended on sight and pack tactics, not realizing that Gerrak was used to a 360 degree field of perception. Even with his darksense removed, his hearing was keen and sharp-he could hear them splashing, even when they merely swept the water,and his hearing was not nearly so muffled as sight and darksense. He scooped up a clawful of mud and chucked it at the Ackley's eyes-if he could blind it, all he need do is drop and let it pass over him, towards it's brother. He doubted it was bright enough to cease hostilities once begun, but one learns best by doing...

The mud hit the Acklay squarely in the eye. It reared up, screaming and slashing at thin air. The other Acklay roared and lauched itself into the air with surprising speed, to come down on top of Gerrak, trying to pin him to the mud like a bug on a pin in a demented collectors box.

Pat looked up as he herd Kevin's voice. Nodding Pat began to engage the troops that were getting back to their feet. After killing the remaining soldiers Pat returned to the "armory hill" as he had begun to think of it. Throwing down his minigun He picked up weapons that he knew would be effective in close quarters combat. A shotgun, a carbine plasma rifle, and grenades. Fully loaded with weapons and ammunition Pat climbed into the HMMRV (http://www.halo3italia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/wart.jpg) and took of towards the drop ship. But before He got there something caught his eye. Stopping the vehicle Pat leaned out and picked up one of the dead warriors Katanas. Pat slid the sword into his pistol holster. Feeling satisfied that it wouldn't fall out Pat floored the accelerator and urged the HMMRV up to 100 kph.

The "moon" ship grew bigger and bigger all the time to Pat as he grew closer. He would be able to see five soldiers guarding the enterance ramp to the ship, with another five spread out to guard the perimieter against attack. All were equipped with either machine guns or shotguns.