Re: The Savage Brawl [Round 1: Afterlife]
02-20-2010, 03:56 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
To conserve power, Hoss limits himself to standard stereoscopic vision, as opposed to the full-sensory suite that he is accustomed to. His quicksilver eyes alight upon numerous reaction mass candidates on the ground in front of him, data-gathering subroutines analyzing their potential composition through complex pattern-recognition algorithms. Hoss continues towards the shore of his little island, and towards the most likely candidate for reaction mass: water.
As he does so, Hoss's higher thought processes occupy themselves on this "competition" he's been forced into.
The sentient slime holds no interest for Hoss; it is an alien, and therefore, inferior. The cyborg lich he considers only for the potential technological salvage he may gather from its inanimate corpse. The... flying meatball he quickly dismisses; the only data he considers relevant is an ancient entry in his vast encyclopedia, again pre-dating the Diaspora, to a satirical supernatural being that very closely resembled this floating noodle beast. The faceless Death God is also dismissed, only notable because of its humanoid appearance. Hoss files it away as a possible example of human superiority manifesting through the multiverse.
His brief analysis of the more obviously non-human competitors completed, Hoss turns his attention to the Cultivator. Again, he is surprised by the human similarities, and impressed by her obvious power (and, perhaps, slightly attracted). What he finds most interesting is that her methods of communication did not seem to use a specific language; her intentions were, instead, instantly understood by all parties. Hoss, himself, has integrated a universal translator into his vast cybernetic repertoire, but he has never heard of something which does the reverse.
His final priority, then, is to make contact with the Cultivator; with her trans-universal powers, he may have the opportunity to enact his new plans. Yet to do so, Hoss must survive this death match, which brings his thoughts back to Dr. Anarchy...
... Hoss's attention is brought back to his external pickups, to a green flare across the lake. His hampered ocular implants and currently underpowered aural sensors are not able to resolve the source with much clarity, but Hoss can guess. The irony of the mad scientist's current technological superiority is not lost on him; where Hoss was a mobile platform for the eons of technological infrastructure from his vast, universe-spanning Empire, the Doctor appears to use vastly inferior and, in the case of the chemical-combustion rocket, primitive technology. Yet she suffered no damage upon entering this reality, while Hoss nearly died, and was reduced to a fraction of his normal operating standards.
Hoss halts his ruminations, having reached the edge of the water. This, he decides, is the most optimal source of reaction mass. Specifically, He3.
Hoss removes the glove from his left hand, and raises his arm, reaching out over the surface of the water. A portal irises open at the base of his silver palm. A small cylinder slides out, and falls towards the murky depths.
He3, or Helium-3, is a rare and valuable isotope of Helium, and a natural decay product of Tritium. While naturally-occurring only in the most exotic of environments, it can be artificially manufactured from Deuterium Oxide, or 2H2O, also known as Heavy Water. Tritium can be created from Deuterium Oxide when the Deuterium captures a neutron. Deuterium Oxide was abundant in the oceans of ancient pre-Diaspora Earth, and Hoss assumes the same ratio of Deuterium Oxide to Di-hydrogen Monoxide is present in the lake before him. Therefore, in order to extract a usable amount of He3 from what must be a limited supply of reactionable material, Hoss requires an extremely powerful and dense neutron burst, to convert every available Deuteron into Tritium. Which, as it happens, is exactly what the device, now tumbling towards the water's surface, is about to do.
Neutron bursts are some of the most destructive forms of atomic warfare listed in Hoss's mental encyclopedia, and since he does not want to kill himself (his particle shields are permanently offline), he must rely on the natural shields his device generates during the neutron burst.
The cylinder activates millimeters away from its intended target. A zero-point energy sink, charged for emergencies like this one, releases a large portion of its reserves into the device's quantum circuitry. An elliptical, directed forcefield activates, swallowing as much water as possible without touching any of the scattered islands and other landmass. The device rockets towards the center of ovoid shell, and in a blaze of atomic glory, initiates the neutron burst.
Countless neutrons spray and ricochet throughout the forcefield's interior, wreaking untold havoc on a molecular level. Water molecules are ripped apart, the relatively few Deuterons fuse with every stray neutron they encounter, and instantly convert themselves into Tritium. Small explosions are visible beneath the eerily calm surface, as stray fission reactions annihilate themselves. A small computer within the device estimates that enough time has passed for a statistically average distribution of Deuterons to have been completely converted into Tritium. The forcefield instantly collapses in upon the device, condensing the water contained within to an impossibly small volume in an impossibly small period of time. Combined, these events force the rapid decay of all the collected Tritium into He3, which is then absorbed into the device, along with the remaining water. Outside the buzzing, immaterial shell, a massive tidal wave rushes towards the sudden void left from the forcefield's collapse; a rapidly shrinking oval turns into a pillar of water as its walls meet, and their kinetic energy is redirected. Hoss doubts the other contestants would miss this display.
The device, now containing a small amount of He3, rushes back to Hoss's outstretched hand. As the hole in his palm closes, Hoss allows the He3 to flow back into his body. The sudden injection of reaction mass allows him to run his fusion generator at higher levels, increasing its energy output to the rest of his systems. He activates his newmatter fabricators, allowing them to dismantle the remaining di-hydrogen monoxide brought back from the lake, increasing his supplies. He directs more power to his synthetic muscles, increasing their operation strength to 150% of their organic counterparts. He even allows himself the small satisfaction of reactivating one of his internal gyro-stabilizers, lending a bit more grace to his movements.
Hoss returns his focus to the opposite island, where a majority of his opponents appear to be located. Hoss steps into the water, gradually submerging himself, and begins to make his way across the bottom of the lake.
To conserve power, Hoss limits himself to standard stereoscopic vision, as opposed to the full-sensory suite that he is accustomed to. His quicksilver eyes alight upon numerous reaction mass candidates on the ground in front of him, data-gathering subroutines analyzing their potential composition through complex pattern-recognition algorithms. Hoss continues towards the shore of his little island, and towards the most likely candidate for reaction mass: water.
As he does so, Hoss's higher thought processes occupy themselves on this "competition" he's been forced into.
The sentient slime holds no interest for Hoss; it is an alien, and therefore, inferior. The cyborg lich he considers only for the potential technological salvage he may gather from its inanimate corpse. The... flying meatball he quickly dismisses; the only data he considers relevant is an ancient entry in his vast encyclopedia, again pre-dating the Diaspora, to a satirical supernatural being that very closely resembled this floating noodle beast. The faceless Death God is also dismissed, only notable because of its humanoid appearance. Hoss files it away as a possible example of human superiority manifesting through the multiverse.
His brief analysis of the more obviously non-human competitors completed, Hoss turns his attention to the Cultivator. Again, he is surprised by the human similarities, and impressed by her obvious power (and, perhaps, slightly attracted). What he finds most interesting is that her methods of communication did not seem to use a specific language; her intentions were, instead, instantly understood by all parties. Hoss, himself, has integrated a universal translator into his vast cybernetic repertoire, but he has never heard of something which does the reverse.
His final priority, then, is to make contact with the Cultivator; with her trans-universal powers, he may have the opportunity to enact his new plans. Yet to do so, Hoss must survive this death match, which brings his thoughts back to Dr. Anarchy...
... Hoss's attention is brought back to his external pickups, to a green flare across the lake. His hampered ocular implants and currently underpowered aural sensors are not able to resolve the source with much clarity, but Hoss can guess. The irony of the mad scientist's current technological superiority is not lost on him; where Hoss was a mobile platform for the eons of technological infrastructure from his vast, universe-spanning Empire, the Doctor appears to use vastly inferior and, in the case of the chemical-combustion rocket, primitive technology. Yet she suffered no damage upon entering this reality, while Hoss nearly died, and was reduced to a fraction of his normal operating standards.
Hoss halts his ruminations, having reached the edge of the water. This, he decides, is the most optimal source of reaction mass. Specifically, He3.
Hoss removes the glove from his left hand, and raises his arm, reaching out over the surface of the water. A portal irises open at the base of his silver palm. A small cylinder slides out, and falls towards the murky depths.
He3, or Helium-3, is a rare and valuable isotope of Helium, and a natural decay product of Tritium. While naturally-occurring only in the most exotic of environments, it can be artificially manufactured from Deuterium Oxide, or 2H2O, also known as Heavy Water. Tritium can be created from Deuterium Oxide when the Deuterium captures a neutron. Deuterium Oxide was abundant in the oceans of ancient pre-Diaspora Earth, and Hoss assumes the same ratio of Deuterium Oxide to Di-hydrogen Monoxide is present in the lake before him. Therefore, in order to extract a usable amount of He3 from what must be a limited supply of reactionable material, Hoss requires an extremely powerful and dense neutron burst, to convert every available Deuteron into Tritium. Which, as it happens, is exactly what the device, now tumbling towards the water's surface, is about to do.
Neutron bursts are some of the most destructive forms of atomic warfare listed in Hoss's mental encyclopedia, and since he does not want to kill himself (his particle shields are permanently offline), he must rely on the natural shields his device generates during the neutron burst.
The cylinder activates millimeters away from its intended target. A zero-point energy sink, charged for emergencies like this one, releases a large portion of its reserves into the device's quantum circuitry. An elliptical, directed forcefield activates, swallowing as much water as possible without touching any of the scattered islands and other landmass. The device rockets towards the center of ovoid shell, and in a blaze of atomic glory, initiates the neutron burst.
Countless neutrons spray and ricochet throughout the forcefield's interior, wreaking untold havoc on a molecular level. Water molecules are ripped apart, the relatively few Deuterons fuse with every stray neutron they encounter, and instantly convert themselves into Tritium. Small explosions are visible beneath the eerily calm surface, as stray fission reactions annihilate themselves. A small computer within the device estimates that enough time has passed for a statistically average distribution of Deuterons to have been completely converted into Tritium. The forcefield instantly collapses in upon the device, condensing the water contained within to an impossibly small volume in an impossibly small period of time. Combined, these events force the rapid decay of all the collected Tritium into He3, which is then absorbed into the device, along with the remaining water. Outside the buzzing, immaterial shell, a massive tidal wave rushes towards the sudden void left from the forcefield's collapse; a rapidly shrinking oval turns into a pillar of water as its walls meet, and their kinetic energy is redirected. Hoss doubts the other contestants would miss this display.
The device, now containing a small amount of He3, rushes back to Hoss's outstretched hand. As the hole in his palm closes, Hoss allows the He3 to flow back into his body. The sudden injection of reaction mass allows him to run his fusion generator at higher levels, increasing its energy output to the rest of his systems. He activates his newmatter fabricators, allowing them to dismantle the remaining di-hydrogen monoxide brought back from the lake, increasing his supplies. He directs more power to his synthetic muscles, increasing their operation strength to 150% of their organic counterparts. He even allows himself the small satisfaction of reactivating one of his internal gyro-stabilizers, lending a bit more grace to his movements.
Hoss returns his focus to the opposite island, where a majority of his opponents appear to be located. Hoss steps into the water, gradually submerging himself, and begins to make his way across the bottom of the lake.