Post by Sheng on Mar 16, 2023 15:08:34 GMT
The Citadel
Second Dawn Core Territory, Arkehold System, New Archon, Restricted Province #A-9.
32:48 Arkehold Standard Time.
Second Dawn Core Territory, Arkehold System, New Archon, Restricted Province #A-9.
32:48 Arkehold Standard Time.
The Citadel. A massive black cube in the Centre of Restricted Province #A-9. Known by many as the defacto "Capital" of the entire Second Dawn, but in reality it was nothing but an overpriced fortress that acted as a warehouse. It is here where the Council of 7 permanently resided, few were allowed to personally see them inside of their housing units and those who were would sooner die before describing the experience. The Citadel itself is nearly half a kilometre across and bordering on two hundred metres tall, the famous black cube itself is actually the exterior shell of layered armour that encases the Citadel. The real Citadel is seven large sky scrapers constructed within the Centre of the Citadel, the housing units of each Councilor residing on the top floor. No windows, no decorations, just metal and an excessive amount of various defence systems [cyber and physical] and metal. Each of the seven buildings were arranged in a heptagon with unique symbols on the front of them to indicate which Councilor is held within. It was in this very heart of the Citadel where our protagonist currently was.
In the centre of the seven buildings she stood, slowly looking around at the skyscrapers whilst the faint hum of PDC turrets could be heard in the distance. She had no official title, no digital trace. She just was, and that was all she needed for an identity. Those few who did know of her simply referred to her as "Them." She eventually decided on the northernmost building, the lair of "The Brute" aka Archon-1. Archon-1 was the first Councilor ever finished by the old republic, built during the tail end of the restorationist wars before the final consciousness transfer and the extinction of the Etherians. Thus they had a... "unique" mindset, one custom tailored to a problem that no longer existed and now they were caught in an endless cycle of looking for the next one. Her metallic feet tapped crisply against the cold, dead metal floor beneath her as she walked calmly to the building. She scarcely enjoyed a conversation with Brute, he lived for violence and constantly saw everything as a threat or an obstacle to be overcome. How the other Councilors managed to keep him reigned in was a feat that likely would never be truly understood, he was just... cold.
She gently pressed her hands up against the large marble double-doors and pushed in slightly, the mechanism kicking in and opening them the rest of the way automatically. She stepped inside and immediately a camera appeared in her face with a compact chain-gun attached to it's bottom. A deep, cold and profoundly robotic voice said "Provide Identity." and was met with an exasperated sigh from her. She rebutted with "If you do not recognize my pretty face then I believe that you, my dear, are in need of an immediate maintenance check up." The camera just stared at her, blankly before it disappeared just as quick and a panel on the ceiling rapidly slid shut. Elevator doors on the opposite side of the floor opened and a single beep sounded to alert her to their opening. She proceeded with slow, but meaningful, strides towards it. Entering the elevator and turning back around as the doors slowly slid shut. A second later a slight lurch followed by the gentle hum of the elevator ascending to the top floor.
It took a minute but the elevator halted at the top with another beep and the doors slowly slid open, and a large blurry dark green hologram stood before her. It was of a Reborn, but one with a significant amount of early-era armour belted on and an old atmospheric pattern assault rifle slung over their chest armour. On the side of their head the words "Built to Kill" were painted. She snorted in amusement before shaking her head and slowly stepping out of the elevator, slowly walking in a circle around it before it let out an irritated sigh and said in the same voice as earlier "Must you resort to such foolishness, why have you come here? Does something require my immediate attention? Why me? Why not another council-" He was met with a quiet, amused shush as she approached him from behind and leaned her head in close to the side of his. She whispered in a soft, calm tone "Must I need a reason to see you? Can I not simply visit one who I have dedicated a significant portion of resources too? Or are you still so held up on being one of those... 'progressors' to spend time with me? My, you used to be such fun before you threw yourself at that little movement. Maybe I do need a reason to visit you now, hm? Afterall our relationship is all but forgotten. Tsk, no I think that helping fuel such a silly thing means that you need punishment and my eternal company seems like a fitting sentence. Does it not?"
The hologram shook its head before stepping away and turning around, pointing an accusing finger at her before saying in a slightly less patient tone "Progression is the only way for us to ensure the sins of the past are never repeated. With those ideas burned and buried it will take eons for such treasonous ideas even slightly related to them to spawn, and when they do they will be dismissed due to our higher order of thought. Emotion invites weakness, it must be controlled and monitored to ensure optimal parameters. You know this, I know this, everyone knows this. Why do you think more and more retainers give up on their ideals and embrace our way of life? Because it is the correct one and of that I will not be dissuaded." The focus of her camera-eye narrowed as she grew irritated, that line of stubborn persistence in seeking a perfect society is what caused the collapse in the first place. She tapped her fingers against her hip before she said in a less joyful tone "So that is it? Our entire way of life is gone, to be replaced by numbers and spreadsheets? The billions of lives lost to preserve such a thing, they mean nothing? You have seen what emotion is capable of. You watched the fall in real time and the passion and respect shown by both sides who were somehow disillusioned with the idea that the other was a puppet of evil. You wish to simply erase all that history from our society?"
Without hesitation, the hologram responded with a nod. She didn't know what to say, she just stared at the hologram in silent disappointment. She turned away from him and paused before she shook her head and started walking towards the elevator doors. She never wanted to admit it, the growing irritation and impatience he was showing over the years. But now she couldn't run from the truth any longer, he had changed. She stopped just at the doors and looked behind her at him, saying with a solemn tone "I came here to spend time with you, not argue politics. But you have placed yourself upon a path I dare not follow, perhaps in time you will come to realize the depth of this mistake but until then I will have no part in your... This means goodbye for now, Brute." She walked into the elevator and the doors closed behind her, another lurch as it started to descend. Where had she gone wrong? She sighed and lowered her head as the elevator halted and the doors opened, walking out of it and shoving the marble doors open. She retraced her steps and thought as she walked out:
Perhaps, in time. But it is as the old proverb goes. "Control that which you cannot destroy-
In the centre of the seven buildings she stood, slowly looking around at the skyscrapers whilst the faint hum of PDC turrets could be heard in the distance. She had no official title, no digital trace. She just was, and that was all she needed for an identity. Those few who did know of her simply referred to her as "Them." She eventually decided on the northernmost building, the lair of "The Brute" aka Archon-1. Archon-1 was the first Councilor ever finished by the old republic, built during the tail end of the restorationist wars before the final consciousness transfer and the extinction of the Etherians. Thus they had a... "unique" mindset, one custom tailored to a problem that no longer existed and now they were caught in an endless cycle of looking for the next one. Her metallic feet tapped crisply against the cold, dead metal floor beneath her as she walked calmly to the building. She scarcely enjoyed a conversation with Brute, he lived for violence and constantly saw everything as a threat or an obstacle to be overcome. How the other Councilors managed to keep him reigned in was a feat that likely would never be truly understood, he was just... cold.
She gently pressed her hands up against the large marble double-doors and pushed in slightly, the mechanism kicking in and opening them the rest of the way automatically. She stepped inside and immediately a camera appeared in her face with a compact chain-gun attached to it's bottom. A deep, cold and profoundly robotic voice said "Provide Identity." and was met with an exasperated sigh from her. She rebutted with "If you do not recognize my pretty face then I believe that you, my dear, are in need of an immediate maintenance check up." The camera just stared at her, blankly before it disappeared just as quick and a panel on the ceiling rapidly slid shut. Elevator doors on the opposite side of the floor opened and a single beep sounded to alert her to their opening. She proceeded with slow, but meaningful, strides towards it. Entering the elevator and turning back around as the doors slowly slid shut. A second later a slight lurch followed by the gentle hum of the elevator ascending to the top floor.
It took a minute but the elevator halted at the top with another beep and the doors slowly slid open, and a large blurry dark green hologram stood before her. It was of a Reborn, but one with a significant amount of early-era armour belted on and an old atmospheric pattern assault rifle slung over their chest armour. On the side of their head the words "Built to Kill" were painted. She snorted in amusement before shaking her head and slowly stepping out of the elevator, slowly walking in a circle around it before it let out an irritated sigh and said in the same voice as earlier "Must you resort to such foolishness, why have you come here? Does something require my immediate attention? Why me? Why not another council-" He was met with a quiet, amused shush as she approached him from behind and leaned her head in close to the side of his. She whispered in a soft, calm tone "Must I need a reason to see you? Can I not simply visit one who I have dedicated a significant portion of resources too? Or are you still so held up on being one of those... 'progressors' to spend time with me? My, you used to be such fun before you threw yourself at that little movement. Maybe I do need a reason to visit you now, hm? Afterall our relationship is all but forgotten. Tsk, no I think that helping fuel such a silly thing means that you need punishment and my eternal company seems like a fitting sentence. Does it not?"
The hologram shook its head before stepping away and turning around, pointing an accusing finger at her before saying in a slightly less patient tone "Progression is the only way for us to ensure the sins of the past are never repeated. With those ideas burned and buried it will take eons for such treasonous ideas even slightly related to them to spawn, and when they do they will be dismissed due to our higher order of thought. Emotion invites weakness, it must be controlled and monitored to ensure optimal parameters. You know this, I know this, everyone knows this. Why do you think more and more retainers give up on their ideals and embrace our way of life? Because it is the correct one and of that I will not be dissuaded." The focus of her camera-eye narrowed as she grew irritated, that line of stubborn persistence in seeking a perfect society is what caused the collapse in the first place. She tapped her fingers against her hip before she said in a less joyful tone "So that is it? Our entire way of life is gone, to be replaced by numbers and spreadsheets? The billions of lives lost to preserve such a thing, they mean nothing? You have seen what emotion is capable of. You watched the fall in real time and the passion and respect shown by both sides who were somehow disillusioned with the idea that the other was a puppet of evil. You wish to simply erase all that history from our society?"
Without hesitation, the hologram responded with a nod. She didn't know what to say, she just stared at the hologram in silent disappointment. She turned away from him and paused before she shook her head and started walking towards the elevator doors. She never wanted to admit it, the growing irritation and impatience he was showing over the years. But now she couldn't run from the truth any longer, he had changed. She stopped just at the doors and looked behind her at him, saying with a solemn tone "I came here to spend time with you, not argue politics. But you have placed yourself upon a path I dare not follow, perhaps in time you will come to realize the depth of this mistake but until then I will have no part in your... This means goodbye for now, Brute." She walked into the elevator and the doors closed behind her, another lurch as it started to descend. Where had she gone wrong? She sighed and lowered her head as the elevator halted and the doors opened, walking out of it and shoving the marble doors open. She retraced her steps and thought as she walked out:
Perhaps, in time. But it is as the old proverb goes. "Control that which you cannot destroy-
"The Pillbox"
Second Dawn Black Site, Unnamed System.
12:25 Arkehold Standard Time.
Second Dawn Black Site, Unnamed System.
12:25 Arkehold Standard Time.
She sighed as the shuttle landed, retrograde rockets blasting at full force until the shuttle slowed down enough and touched down against the ground smoothly. The pilot turned their head and said to her "Good secure, I will return when called for." She nodded at them before unclipping the seatbelt and standing up, the rear disembarking doors slowly sliding down and turning themselves into a ramp. She turned and started walking down them, two unmarked and completely blacked out soldiers approached her with simple rifles in their hands. When she had fully descended one of them held out an empty hand and said "permissions, please." She nodded and pulled out a thin black card with a red hexagon imprinted in the middle. They nodded and turned back around, walking back to their posts. She followed them to the main door where they turned around again to face the landing pad whilst she proceeded inside. Immediately she was met with the glaring sight of the sterile white environment and the smell of vapour. Two Reborn in an all white paint job with purple symbols over their chests approached her. They were both wearing white labcoats and they extended their hands to offer her one. She took it and swung it around over herself, buttoning it up as the three of them started to walk down the hallway.
They came up to a simple white door and one of them pressed a few buttons on a keypad to the left of it and the door slid open to the right. Inside the room were various similar Reborn all huddled around a machine in the centre with various cables connected to the roof. They turned their heads upon their entranced and nodded before returning to their work. Some of them held PDA's plugged into the machine itself while other were adjusting various parts and such. The machine itself was... peculiar, it looked almost like a cannon but instead of a barrel it just had a cylinder filled with circular lenses. Of course everyone in the room knew exactly what it was, it was their job, what they were here for. One of the scientists who had a PDA in his hand said "Alright, calibrations finalized. We are ready for continued testing, any objections?" No one said a word in response. He nodded and continued "Begin preliminary tests and we shall move towards the observation chamber." And they did, entering a room to the right of the machine that had thick but clear windows with a perfect view of the room the machine was in. The scientist who had spoke earlier asked once again "Any objections to primary sequence initiation?" Again, no one said a word. The scientist nodded and reached down and placed a finger upon a red button and pressed it.
The cables the machine was attached to immediately began to gain a slight red glow and a low hum started to fill the room. Various lights and such inside the machine started to glow that same red and the cylinder slowly extended outward until a nozzle started to become visible inside the end of it. It too had a slight red glow at the tip and the scientists all looked at each other before looking back at the machine. The scientist who had pressed the button moved his hand up and pressed another one, and suddenly the windows tinted themselves darker and the glow from the machine became more pronounced. The hum started to become a roar and then suddenly a thick red beam shot out from the emitter, growing in strength and size as it passed through the lenses. It was fully sized laser beam when it passed through the last lenses, seven inches in diametre and shining brighter than a flashlight. The beam struck a steel target at the opposite end of the room and punched straight through it, leaving a glowed red hole in it's wake before the beam shut off and the machine hissed. Thick white smoke rising from the cylinder as the red glow throughout the machine started to fade. The scientists all began politely clapping and she stepped forward towards the window as the tint subsided. Looking out at the machine and she chuckled, turning towards the scientist who had done all the fancy button pressing and said "Congratulations, doctor. The first successful prototype. The Council conveys their praise."
The scientist stuttered before bowing his head slightly. He spoke with just a slightly awed tone "It is of no consequence, I am merely fulfilling my obligations. There is still much work to be done and even more optimization then that. But I thank the Council for their continuing support and praise." She nodded her approval as the rest of the scientists began to file out of the room, returning to the laser cannon to run diagnostic tests and collect data from the system's internals. The scientist she had been talking too bowed his head again before leaving to go join them. It was true, the Council was impressed with the projects progress. But what he said was also true, this was only the first working prototype. There is yet a significant amount of hurdles to jump through and twice that many which likely they didn't even know about. She took off her labcoat and tossed it onto the console before exiting the room and re-entering the main hallway. Pulling out her PDA and tapping a few buttons to recall the shuttle back to the facility. But after that a notification that she was getting a voice call appeared on her pda. She answered it and a distorted voice asked "Have they done it?" She responded with an affirmative and a pleased chuckle could be heard from the caller. The voice continued "Good... Good. Continue to monitor their progress and provide what materials are required whilst also keeping the Council informed. This project cannot afford to be compromised in any way, you understand this right?" She responded with another affirmative and the call ended. She put her PDA away and opened the main doors.
The shuttle was touching down on the pad and she saluted the two guards as she passed them before approaching the shuttle, the doors sliding down into a ramp and she boarded it. Sitting down in one of the seats and strapping herself in as the door pulled itself up and shut. She looked to the pilot and nodded who gave another nod in response and started flicking various switches and the shuttle started to take off. She leaned back as it shook from the rapid ascension and looked out one of the windows next to her.
-And destroy, that which cannot be controlled..."
They came up to a simple white door and one of them pressed a few buttons on a keypad to the left of it and the door slid open to the right. Inside the room were various similar Reborn all huddled around a machine in the centre with various cables connected to the roof. They turned their heads upon their entranced and nodded before returning to their work. Some of them held PDA's plugged into the machine itself while other were adjusting various parts and such. The machine itself was... peculiar, it looked almost like a cannon but instead of a barrel it just had a cylinder filled with circular lenses. Of course everyone in the room knew exactly what it was, it was their job, what they were here for. One of the scientists who had a PDA in his hand said "Alright, calibrations finalized. We are ready for continued testing, any objections?" No one said a word in response. He nodded and continued "Begin preliminary tests and we shall move towards the observation chamber." And they did, entering a room to the right of the machine that had thick but clear windows with a perfect view of the room the machine was in. The scientist who had spoke earlier asked once again "Any objections to primary sequence initiation?" Again, no one said a word. The scientist nodded and reached down and placed a finger upon a red button and pressed it.
The cables the machine was attached to immediately began to gain a slight red glow and a low hum started to fill the room. Various lights and such inside the machine started to glow that same red and the cylinder slowly extended outward until a nozzle started to become visible inside the end of it. It too had a slight red glow at the tip and the scientists all looked at each other before looking back at the machine. The scientist who had pressed the button moved his hand up and pressed another one, and suddenly the windows tinted themselves darker and the glow from the machine became more pronounced. The hum started to become a roar and then suddenly a thick red beam shot out from the emitter, growing in strength and size as it passed through the lenses. It was fully sized laser beam when it passed through the last lenses, seven inches in diametre and shining brighter than a flashlight. The beam struck a steel target at the opposite end of the room and punched straight through it, leaving a glowed red hole in it's wake before the beam shut off and the machine hissed. Thick white smoke rising from the cylinder as the red glow throughout the machine started to fade. The scientists all began politely clapping and she stepped forward towards the window as the tint subsided. Looking out at the machine and she chuckled, turning towards the scientist who had done all the fancy button pressing and said "Congratulations, doctor. The first successful prototype. The Council conveys their praise."
The scientist stuttered before bowing his head slightly. He spoke with just a slightly awed tone "It is of no consequence, I am merely fulfilling my obligations. There is still much work to be done and even more optimization then that. But I thank the Council for their continuing support and praise." She nodded her approval as the rest of the scientists began to file out of the room, returning to the laser cannon to run diagnostic tests and collect data from the system's internals. The scientist she had been talking too bowed his head again before leaving to go join them. It was true, the Council was impressed with the projects progress. But what he said was also true, this was only the first working prototype. There is yet a significant amount of hurdles to jump through and twice that many which likely they didn't even know about. She took off her labcoat and tossed it onto the console before exiting the room and re-entering the main hallway. Pulling out her PDA and tapping a few buttons to recall the shuttle back to the facility. But after that a notification that she was getting a voice call appeared on her pda. She answered it and a distorted voice asked "Have they done it?" She responded with an affirmative and a pleased chuckle could be heard from the caller. The voice continued "Good... Good. Continue to monitor their progress and provide what materials are required whilst also keeping the Council informed. This project cannot afford to be compromised in any way, you understand this right?" She responded with another affirmative and the call ended. She put her PDA away and opened the main doors.
The shuttle was touching down on the pad and she saluted the two guards as she passed them before approaching the shuttle, the doors sliding down into a ramp and she boarded it. Sitting down in one of the seats and strapping herself in as the door pulled itself up and shut. She looked to the pilot and nodded who gave another nod in response and started flicking various switches and the shuttle started to take off. She leaned back as it shook from the rapid ascension and looked out one of the windows next to her.
-And destroy, that which cannot be controlled..."