sunflower

IC: "Thank you," I nearly spat out the words. Hakann's bloated ego seemed to be infectious, or maybe it was just the mountain air. I broke my attention away from Echelon, I had gotten what I wanted from him, focusing on the member of his inner circle who had done what I had been planning. With less crushed bones and more words. "If we are going to kill these stuck-up vigilantes we do not have time to waste, otherwise, we'll take our services elsewhere. This trophy city of yours may not come through in that case."

personalMessage_33 //received -422.23 //sender ID 7-033 Heremus, I hope your work has been progressing according to expected projections, my team and I have experienced some setbacks with the control algorithm for the mechanoid. The base language we have been provided with is more sophisticated than our initial hardware could handle. We should meet soon. May Your Ideas Be Many -Soanume //PRIVATE encryption <blueskopio> another was sent in today, it was a basic unit, though it displayed the same system failures as the more specialized worker models from before i kept my team away from it, i didn’t expect these drones to be able to develop the extraneous code the incidents are getting more prevalent i don’t know what to do any insight you could offer would be welcome //encryption end… //end… personalLogSoanume_323 //recorded -414.7 I spoke to Heremus today. He was keen on looking into the… matter, it interests him greatly. I suppose that’s what he wasn’t put on the project. They’ve been coming in with more frequency now, mostly unique or advanced units—I suppose it makes sense, their programming delves deeper into the reaches of the code. We have gotten three of the MATORAN models, each of different classes. I’ve removed their matrixes and frozen processing, just like the others. I sent the bodies to the Builders for repair, but I don’t think this flaw is mechanical. Complex machine code, what a gift. It’s rather ironic, here we are attempting to build an artificial intelligence to record and analyze galactic amounts of information, and we have just that springing to life underneath our noses. I don’t like what I don’t understand, and there’s plenty I don’t understand in that pile of- strange platform we were provided with. Its tendency to rewrite itself makes multi-strain problem solving easy, but leads to these kind of unintended results. I don’t think anyone else knows, Heremus says we should study it, but even our self-aware modifications are dangerous, let alone self-aware accidents. //end… personalLogSoanume_378 //recorded -388.9 Heremus wants us to see what the flawed segments of code can do if left to develop on their own. We can’t exactly let them wander around the build site, and the idea of biologically-intelligent drones will not sit well with many of my colleagues. I have an idea, less obtrusive than a pocket dimension and with little chance of contamination. I could, in theory, run a simulation on this device. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would allow us to have complete control over the parameters. Transferring the base code from the affected units will take some ingenuity, but this’ll be far more discreet. //end… //personalMessage_44 //received -380.1 //sender ID 7-033 //PRIVATE encryption <nightwolf> Heremus, I’ve completed the base areas for the simulation, it turned out larger than I initially expected, though the scale isn’t an issue. I am no artist, but I am pleased with the work. I’ve as you suggested, I’ve called it Rei Iden, as ironic as that is. Still, it inspired me to give names to the rest of the locations. I decided on the second model we designed, the collection of islands mass no bigger than small city together. Huge expanses of liquid water were too intensive on the program, so the islands are floating within a vast expanse of sky, connected to one another through natural land bridges. I did manage to get a facsimile of weather working, and the conditions and temperature mirror that of the interior of the mechanoid. We can, of course, alter these somewhat dreary weather patterns to something more inviting. The outer edges of this simulation are unpredictable, logical code structure breaks down, forming landmasses which appear at will and behavioral echoes that take more monstrous shapes. I placed the main settlement on the largest of these islands, a five-sided megalith of rock covered mostly with a forest of trees from Tesara. The settlement is located on the western edge, and modeled after our own architecture. It’s rather advanced in design, but I prefer the stark white paneling and smooth geometric lines to huts. It features all the amenities needed for a society, residential areas in the north, recreational facilities in the east, transport centers at the southwestern side, overhanging the edge of the island, and even a small industrial sector at the center. The skyline itself would be familiar to you, the buildings rise high enough to appear to touch the stars, giving the small settlement a verticality which greatly increases its overall area. I’ve called the place Fa-Metru, I think you’ll approve. The second largest landmass, Whe-Nui, is just to the north and above, and is somewhat more barren than the first. I’ve added a multitude of tunnels and caves into its surface, each to be filled with various flora native to the underground habitats in the mechanoid. Smaller landmasses orbit this one, each a little sanctuary of its own. The only source of fresh water is located here, an underground lake which occupies the largest cavern. The last location of note is much, much smaller, however the fact that it borders the bounds of program causes it to be in an ever changing state of flux. Even I can’t predict what will form there. Its size does remain constant, though the last time I checked it was a lava field filled with snow. I’d like to show you around sometime. -Soanume //encryption end… //personalLog_401 //recorded -352.8 I guess I should talk about what started all this. Short answer, I don’t know, I don’t think anyone does. I do have ideas, theories, some guess as to how it started, but none have fit quite right. About a month ago my team received one of the worker drones that had been reported to be malfunctioning. It was nothing abnormal, it looked no different than the countless others that had suffered some sort of breakdown during the trial phases. They were built to be self-repairing, but a block of solid protodermis doesn’t do much good for even armored limbs. It was a VORTIXX unit, an advanced model I helped design. There was no damage to it evident, so I cracked open the skull casing to get a look behind those all-too-lifelike eyes. I wasn’t at all ready for what I found. The very code I helped write looked like it had been torn apart and then used as glue to hold together a makeshift grouping of stimuli processers and decision modifiers. Each segment of code was sending and accepting input from the next, a giant web of activity that should have melted clean through the complex organic circuitry of the unit. I removed it immediately, chalking it up to some careless heuristic oversight or input surge. I forgot about it for a time, until the next one came in, displaying the same random code breakage. And, well, here I am now. Uploading these fragments of consciousness to a fake world in the hopes of understanding exactly what is going on. Honestly, we should have expected our creations which imitate life to develop past just simple imitation. I’ve made a template for recording each of these that I include in the system. Some have additional fields based on need, but this is the basic outline. I look over them at least once before sending them in. Name: This was Heremus’ idea. He said it would make them more… alive. I was never one to give sentient names to my creations, but Heremus insisted. Make: The model of the unit, almost all are present in some shape or form, though thankfully the gaseous artificial Energized Protodermis derivative hasn’t shown these symptoms. Appearance: I put down identifying marks here, it makes it easier to track their activities. Mannerisms: I loath to call it personalities, but at this point it’s almost what it is now. Each unit is unique, just as unique as we are. Their base code still defines some of their actions, but they have been developing at an alarming rate. Thankfully, I took care to wipe their memory centers before transfer to the simulation. Abilities: We certainly haven’t learned when it comes to uplifting the biology to extreme levels. The last time we gave control over the aspects of the universe to a species they started a planetary war. Which is why we started this massive project in the first place. The computer can’t quite model some ‘powers’ correctly, but I have attempted to compensate with plausible alternatives. //end… //personalLog_434 //recorded -334.3 We’ve been leaders, gods, and myths; creators and destroyers of life. But at heart, we’re still scientists. Well, I like to think so. I’ll be creating a brief log of various experiments preformed and alternations made to the program here. The device records all events that take place within, but I like to have my own account. It helps put things into perspective. Introduced Agent: I have some initial ideas, weather pattern changes and technological breakdowns. Heremus wants to introduce aggressive fauna and constructed foes, as if this were some kind of gladiatorial simulation. I'm hesitant, these are drones not warriors. Variables: The involvement of the units will vary, but identifying patterns in their behavior will be invaluable in understanding their development. Results: I don’t really need to explain just how complex this can be, and how much even a little bit of understanding can help in this study. //end… //personalMessage_76 //received -323.4 //sender ID 012 Soanume, Greetings my friend, I’ve arranged the help of some my own constructs to keep Rei Iden up and running. Perhaps then you will get some rest, yes? Gravity (dark-star) Silvan Haven (silvbro) Don’t lose yourself in this world, I’d miss you terribly. -Heremus //end… //personalLog_33212 //recorded -299.2 I believe Soanume has taken quite well to this project of her’s. It was rather cleverly designed, we have been able to implement and change parameters there as we see fit, carefully recording reactions and results. The current set is as follows: -All BZPower rules apply. -This is a computer program, physics can act in strange and unexpected ways, none of which qualify as a deus ex machina. -Characters are the sole property of their player, irreparable damage may not be caused without their permission. -Characters can die, in order to preserve the façade of realism, those who sustain injuries which would render them inoperable will be removed from the program. We have stumbled on one of the biggest revelations of our time, though if we do not proceed carefully, it could all be wiped out in an instant. Many of my people are scared enough at the thought of our planet breaking apart, and having another lesser race develop before us could push some of us over the edge. They are our children, though, our legacy to be among the stars. I rather like the poetry in that. //end…

OOC: It's not really something that's been done, but I'm fine with it. As long as you've got a decent explanation as to why, go for it.

IC: Ekko "Is this like that palm reading stuff?"

IC: Leli gave the loosest definition of a salute, which turned into a wave at Sajis as she marched in inside the hulking titan of metal. "Why not, mostly," She answered Uyism's single word question. She'd found that simple answer explained a lot of what came out of the Ussalry's R&D division. And, well, she was admittedly kinda short, so the perspective from up here was a nice change of pace. Almost slowly, she undid the indicated latch, and pulled herself inside the Exo-Matoran.

IC: The humans were unprepared. They were still recovering from the attack earlier, patching their wounds and picking up the pieces of their battle machines. Their organic bodies were weak, and required time to rest. Time which could be taken advantage of. The humans would be worn down, their defeat was inevitable. Or so the blue-armored Devastator unit fancied, the mechanic mind giving a small amount of processing power to think through such situations as it marched it's Fire Vulture forward. The squad of robots was advancing from their twisted metal fortress, advancing along the connector bridge with a focus born of calculating circuits and cold metal. The Fire Vulture was positioned at the front, a sinister collection of capacitors and wires making up what would have been a flamethrower; apparently the machines had cooked up a new toy. Flanking the battle machine were a pair of Sentries, their dull tan armor pitted and scratched from damage the robots deemed unnecessary to repair. Further down the bridge, an otherwise bored looking gunner had the surprise of his life when he looked through the magnification screen on his mounted turret. He fumbled with his communicator for a moment, before pressing it up to his ear. "Vale! You seeing this? A bunch of tin cans just rolled out of their base," He paused for a moment, glancing at his instruments, "They're coming up fast, I'll try to raise Sentai Fortress."

Sarcen Vale and Kenkaku approved~

IC: "Right." "Have any idea how to get in?"

IC: She bit her lip, and smirked. "I don't think we'd get in trouble."

IC: "Pink it is then, I'll have to talk to the engineers about that." Leli glanced over at the foreman, a familiar glint that normally foreshadowed less-than-stellar-actions returning to her eyes. Being out an about, keeping herself busy, had done her well. It was easy to forget the wreck that she had been not even an hour before. "Say, you think they're ready to go, Tarnok?"

IC: "What do you think of pink?"

IC: Leli had already managed to position herself atop one of the dull-grey machines, claiming it for her own by right of "dibs". And rank. That too. "Needs more color, really."

IC: Leli stuck her tongue out, before practically bounding towards the massive monoliths of metal.

IC: I attempted to ignore the fact that the fanatic was slinking around in places that he should really leave alone. Hakann undoubtedly knew as well, that gunmetal viper of his certainly giving the egomaniac this strain of thought as well. Unwilling to not get anything out of this, I locked eyes with Echelon as I spoke, focusing my attention entirely on him. "The Maru have made themselves an obstacle, one that needs to be removed. We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for them, now would we, Toa? You wouldn't have had to take control of this city if your god hadn't been beaten by a motley group of vigilantes. And yet, even now they still roam the island hailed as heroes, despite this... injustice to your cause." "They will be coming here, of course. You've made yourself, and this city, a target for any half-sane would-be heroes on this island. I propose we offer them a trade. The lives of the hostages you hold in these walls for those fancy Kanohi they hold onto like a crutch. Make them choose between those they swear to protect and the tools they use to do so. And when they refuse and attempt to save the poor souls here, because no self-respecting hero would deal with the likes of us, we will remove them. For you."

I started to write something like that, a somewhat more specific outline of the "events" that could be put forth, but it ended up just feeling either too restrictive or not encompassing enough for what I have planned. The sheer variance and scope kinda makes it hard to pin down a good generalization. As for the profiles, simply put, yes. It sounds like a throwaway line, but it really is there to allow for unique and customized powers if one doesn't feel like making a completely custom species.

Nah this helps, I wrote the thing in the span of ~5 hours on a whim, and looked over it a total of zilch times.

Silv's got it right, basically any MU species that were present around day zero. I've attempted to stress the whole "these are our creations", but I can add something that explains it more explicitly.

The game boils down to essentially a survival sandbox, with artificial challenges thrown in every five minutes or so to keep 'em on their toes. Bionicle Oregon Trail, in a sense. How do characters react when a giant eldritch horror shows up, an electric storm starts frying anyone in the air, rain suddenly melts through armor, or elemental powers shut off completely? There are even more personal changes that could be made, what happens if half the population suddenly goes blind? That, and not everyone is nice nor sees the benefit of working together, like Silv said above, locking people together in a room tends to end with one party wanting what the other party has. Even then, how players respond to the hurdles will impact how future tests are run and which ones are presented. The narrative on the other hand, well that's a chance to explore an emergent AI in an entire group of emergent AI. Every experience and every memory is completely new, where before they only had the limited mental facilities of a somewhat "smart" piece of construction equipment. Of course, it's not appealing to everyone, and so the game aspects above may be more their speed. EDIT: Totally blanked on this one, but the whole "wait is our reality real is this all fake?" will completely be a point that's pursued throughout. Lots of red pills, blue pills, and trenchcoats.

personalMessage_33 //received -422.23 //sender ID 7-033 Heremus, I hope your work has been progressing according to expected projections, my team and I have experienced some setbacks with the control algorithm for the mechanoid. The base language we have been provided with is more sophisticated than our initial hardware could handle. We should meet soon. May Your Ideas Be Many -Soanume //PRIVATE encryption <blueskopio> another was sent in today, it was a basic unit, though it displayed the same system failures as the more specialized worker models from before i kept my team away from it, i didn’t expect these drones to be able to develop the extraneous code the incidents are getting more prevalent i don’t know what to do any insight you could offer would be welcome //encryption end… //end… personalLogSoanume_323 //recorded -414.7 I spoke to Heremus today. He was keen on looking into the… matter, it interests him greatly. I suppose that’s what he wasn’t put on the project. They’ve been coming in with more frequency now, mostly unique or advanced units—I suppose it makes sense, their programming delves deeper into the reaches of the code. We have gotten three of the MATORAN models, each of different classes. I’ve removed their matrixes and frozen processing, just like the others. I sent the bodies to the Builders for repair, but I don’t think this flaw is mechanical. Complex machine code, what a gift. It’s rather ironic, here we are attempting to build an artificial intelligence to record and analyze galactic amounts of information, and we have just that springing to life underneath our noses. I don’t like what I don’t understand, and there’s plenty I don’t understand in that pile of- strange platform we were provided with. Its tendency to rewrite itself makes multi-strain problem solving easy, but leads to these kind of unintended results. I don’t think anyone else knows, Heremus says we should study it, but even our self-aware modifications are dangerous, let alone self-aware accidents. //end… personalLogSoanume_378 //recorded -388.9 Heremus wants us to see what the flawed segments of code can do if left to develop on their own. We can’t exactly let them wander around the build site, and the idea of biologically-intelligent drones will not sit well with many of my colleagues. I have an idea, less obtrusive than a pocket dimension and with little chance of contamination. I could, in theory, run a simulation on this device. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would allow us to have complete control over the parameters. Transferring the base code from the affected units will take some ingenuity, but this’ll be far more discreet. //end… //personalMessage_44 //received -380.1 //sender ID 7-033 //PRIVATE encryption <nightwolf> Heremus, I’ve completed the base areas for the simulation, it turned out larger than I initially expected, though the scale isn’t an issue. I am no artist, but I am pleased with the work. I’ve as you suggested, I’ve called it Rei Iden, as ironic as that is. Still, it inspired me to give names to the rest of the locations. I decided on the second model we designed, the collection of islands mass no bigger than small city together. Huge expanses of liquid water were too intensive on the program, so the islands are floating within a vast expanse of sky, connected to one another through natural land bridges. I did manage to get a facsimile of weather working, and the conditions and temperature mirror that of the interior of the mechanoid. We can, of course, alter these somewhat dreary weather patterns to something more inviting. The outer edges of this simulation are unpredictable, logical code structure breaks down, forming landmasses which appear at will and behavioral echoes that take more monstrous shapes. I placed the main settlement on the largest of these islands, a five-sided megalith of rock covered mostly with a forest of trees from Tesara. The settlement is located on the western edge, and modeled after our own architecture. It’s rather advanced in design, but I prefer the stark white paneling and smooth geometric lines to huts. It features all the amenities needed for a society, residential areas in the north, recreational facilities in the east, transport centers at the southwestern side, overhanging the edge of the island, and even a small industrial sector at the center. The skyline itself would be familiar to you, the buildings rise high enough to appear to touch the stars, giving the small settlement a verticality which greatly increases its overall area. I’ve called the place Fa-Metru, I think you’ll approve. The second largest landmass, Whe-Nui, is just to the north and above, and is somewhat more barren than the first. I’ve added a multitude of tunnels and caves into its surface, each to be filled with various flora native to the underground habitats in the mechanoid. Smaller landmasses orbit this one, each a little sanctuary of its own. The only source of fresh water is located here, an underground lake which occupies the largest cavern. The last location of note is much, much smaller, however the fact that it borders the bounds of program causes it to be in an ever changing state of flux. Even I can’t predict what will form there. Its size does remain constant, though the last time I checked it was a lava field filled with snow. I’d like to show you around sometime. -Soanume //encryption end… //personalLog_401 //recorded -352.8 I guess I should talk about what started all this. Short answer, I don’t know, I don’t think anyone does. I do have ideas, theories, some guess as to how it started, but none have fit quite right. About a month ago my team received one of the worker drones that had been reported to be malfunctioning. It was nothing abnormal, it looked no different than the countless others that had suffered some sort of breakdown during the trial phases. They were built to be self-repairing, but a block of solid protodermis doesn’t do much good for even armored limbs. It was a VORTIXX unit, an advanced model I helped design. There was no damage to it evident, so I cracked open the skull casing to get a look behind those all-too-lifelike eyes. I wasn’t at all ready for what I found. The very code I helped write looked like it had been torn apart and then used as glue to hold together a makeshift grouping of stimuli processers and decision modifiers. Each segment of code was sending and accepting input from the next, a giant web of activity that should have melted clean through the complex organic circuitry of the unit. I removed it immediately, chalking it up to some careless heuristic oversight or input surge. I forgot about it for a time, until the next one came in, displaying the same random code breakage. And, well, here I am now. Uploading these fragments of consciousness to a fake world in the hopes of understanding exactly what is going on. Honestly, we should have expected our creations which imitate life to develop past just simple imitation. I’ve made a template for recording each of these that I include in the system. Some have additional fields based on need, but this is the basic outline. I look over them at least once before sending them in. Name: This was Heremus’ idea. He said it would make them more… alive. I was never one to give sentient names to my creations, but Heremus insisted. Make: The model of the unit, almost all are present in some shape or form, though thankfully the gaseous artificial Energized Protodermis derivative hasn’t shown these symptoms. Appearance: I put down identifying marks here, it makes it easier to track their activities. Mannerisms: I loath to call it personalities, but at this point it’s almost what it is now. Each unit is unique, just as unique as we are. Their base code still defines some of their actions, but they have been developing at an alarming rate. Thankfully, I took care to wipe their memory centers before transfer to the simulation. Abilities: We certainly haven’t learned when it comes to uplifting the biology to extreme levels. The last time we gave control over the aspects of the universe to a species they started a planetary war. Which is why we started this massive project in the first place. The computer can’t quite model some ‘powers’ correctly, but I have attempted to compensate with plausible alternatives. //end… //personalLog_434 //recorded -334.3 We’ve been leaders, gods, and myths; creators and destroyers of life. But at heart, we’re still scientists. Well, I like to think so. I’ll be creating a brief log of various experiments preformed and alternations made to the program here. The device records all events that take place within, but I like to have my own account. It helps put things into perspective. Introduced Agent: I have some initial ideas, weather pattern changes and technological breakdowns. Heremus wants to introduce aggressive fauna and constructed foes, as if this were some kind of gladiatorial simulation. Variables: The involvement of the units will vary, but identifying patterns in their behavior will be invaluable in understanding their development. Results: I don’t really need to explain just how complex this can be, and how much even a little bit of understanding can help in this study. //end… //personalMessage_76 //received -323.4 //sender ID 012 Soanume, Greetings my friend, I’ve arranged the help of some my own constructs to keep Rei Iden up and running. Perhaps then you will get some rest, yes? Gravity (dark-star) Don’t lose yourself in this world, I’d miss you terribly. -Heremus //end… //personalLog_33212 //recorded -299.2 I believe Soanume has taken quite well to this project of her’s. It was rather cleverly designed, we have been able to implement and change parameters there as we see fit, carefully recording reactions and results. The current set is as follows: -All BZPower rules apply. -This is a computer program, physics can act in strange and unexpected ways, none of which qualify as a deus ex machina. -Characters are the sole property of their player, irreparable damage may not be caused without their permission. -Characters can die, in order to preserve the façade of realism, those who sustain injuries which would render them inoperable will be removed from the program. We have stumbled on one of the biggest revelations of our time, though if we do not proceed carefully, it could all be wiped out in an instant. Many of my people are scared enough at the thought of our planet breaking apart, and having another lesser race develop before us could push some of us over the edge. They are our children, though, our legacy to be among the stars. I rather like the poetry in that. //end… look it's actually a game now for science, you monster

IC: Briefly, I flicked my attention to the female vortixx, though why the snake wasn't where this showboating featherweight currently forcing himself off as a Dark Lord was right now was beyond me. She'd shown more tact when it came to these things than he certainly did. Echelon was a player in whatever game Zaktan was dreaming up right now, Kohra on the other hand... I didn't bother with the meaningless breath Hakann seemed keen on wasting, too much time had been wasted already by some pretense. A motion stopped my Rahkshi in their tracks by the entrance. I didn't need them. Still making my way forward through the chamber, I started without preamble. "We have use for you and your city, Echelon. It would be in your- the best interest of this agreement to provide support. Who knows, we may remove some of the issues currently plaguing your Dark Conquest." #### this place was getting to me, I was beginning to sound like Hakann.

IC: "You'll never take me alive." Or awake.

IC: "Don't have time to rest, there are robot suits to be had!" She was going to crash within the hour, her sentences were beginning to increase in pitch already.

IC: It was through sheer force of will and unrelenting determination that Leli managed to continue to pull Tarnok along despite the fact that she had to move her feet at a decent clip faster than him. Of course, it didn't stop her from nearly skidding to a stop at the door, grabbing onto the handle with the opposite hand to both open it and stop herself from launching down the hallway. The door was barely open when Leli slipped through, her air of infectious merriment returning in small bits and pieces.

IC: "Yeah but it'll be that much later then."