Re: Intense Struggle Season 2! (Round 1: Training Facility ONX)
07-16-2010, 01:39 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by WoodlandBeef.
The Hunterbot proceeded down the corridor with utterly no hindrances other than maneuvering its form from point A to point B. Consequently, Charlie's scanners detected more of the biological stasis ooze along the hall. Whatever was in the stasis chambers had gotten out and was running about this path. The robot's protocol had been reformatted to not terminate any of the seven upon encountering them, but had not deviated from the potential threat of other life forms in this facility.
A chasm was the first so-called obstacle in the path. CH4-12-L13 observed it and tentatively pressed forwards. Across its many missions, an area like this was booby trapped more often than not; not that the Hunterbot couldn't handle such travesties. The Republic's defenses couldn't even keep it from marching all the way up to the Chancellor's office and prominently pin the man down to await his termination. The tenuous footing was awkward for the Hunterbot to cross the chasm as the pitfall seemed indefinite in how deep it extended.
Within time, the machine crossed the chasm and scanned the inactive machine beside the next pair of sliding steel doors. Its purpose was unknown and the machine was promptly inactive for a reason the Hunterbot was unable to process. There was a metallic clang as something took a stab at the armored hunter's body frame. Charlie rotated and snatched the tiny attacking creature by one leg in a massive pincer causing the organism to screech. A quick scan identified the creature as an unknown species and potentially hostile, considering it had tried to scratch Charlie's sleek frame. Charlie affirmed a termination protocol for the organism and raised its other pincer to the squirming thing. It screeched even more as the pincer opened to permit the flamethrower nozzle to char the creature until naught was left but ash.
The robot returned to the matter at hand and issued a radiating scan of the area, which informed Charlie that there was another life form beyond the doors although its life signs were unlike any the Hunterbot had encountered ever before. CH4-12-L13 activated its cloaking mechanism and seemingly vanished from sight with a watery visual effect. The steel doors opened revealing a hovering rosebush of some unknown quality that lacked information on any database Charlie could search. The creature seemed rather unfazed by the opening door and just hovered in place lazily, even as the Hunterbot approached and decloaked in front of Reudic with a flamethrower claw aimed right at it.
|This must be that ‘Charlie' Hunterbot. Looks to be some form of experimental breeding of arachnida or crustacean. Looks potentially difficult to crack the shell, but the nutrition would most likely sustain me for half a solar cycle| Reudic had completed digesting the small creature it previously ensnared. The plant being projected illusory images towards the new food source's mind, but was rather confused as to the lack of a ‘mind'. The creature did not move though and the Viridioflorian considered it safe to ensnare the prey with its snaking roots.
Charlie continued to run scans over the plant and stored the data into a new file for later reference on the Viridioflorian species. The Hunterbot's processor completed the scans and data storage, and shifted to observe the room. The three sets of doors were the only other things in the room aside from a few dried bloodstains and char marks. CH4-12-L13 processed that following the linear path would lead it to the ‘meeting place' where it could then successfully complete the tasks of termination and return to the main objective. The Hunterbot shifted its tripod legs, just before Reudic's roots could ensnare one of the limbs, and started for the next doorway. Charlie's optics studied the door and waited for the automated sensors to respond and open, but no such thing happened. Wordlessly, the robot jabbed the door with one pincer, but the action did not elicit any reaction. Charlie deduced that the room was in a kind of lockdown and did what it was programmed to do in the instance of such a protocol.
Blast the door to smithereens.
Reudic withdrew its root tendrils quickly as the prey-beast had slipped out of its grasp for the moment. The rosebush hovered lazily and observed its next meal speculatively, wondering what it had in mind. There was a loud humming noise that culminated in a crackling whoosh and bright light being emitted by the creatures tail at the cracked wall. A rush of heat and wind ruffled the Viridioflorian's petals accompanied by the sound of metal being wrenched, torn, and stripped as the prey-beast created a new opening in the wall with its pincers. Reudic remained indifferent to the happening as the prey-beast turned to regard the plant being and beckoned to it with one of those pincers before proceeding through the portal.
The Hunterbot processed the next obstacle which was a chasm like before, except the walkway was now segmented requiring those who sought to traverse it to jump. Charlie's audio receptors picked up on muffled sounds coming from beyond the far doorway. Switching to its thermal scanners, the Hunterbot identified two more humanoid life forms moving around rapidly as if under attack. They were undoubtedly two more of the objectives that had been placed in Charlie's databanks as targets to terminate by protocol once the target destination was reached. Carefully, the Hunterbot regarded the chasm before it and ascertained that its form was two bulky to attempt jumping from small platform to platform. Instead, the machine identified the elemental composition of the ceiling and walls as substantially magnetic; enough for Charlie to walk across without difficulty.
Activating the electromagnets in its feet, the Hunterbot scaled the wall and ceiling, inverted its body, and then proceeded across the chasm. Upon reaching the other side, the tail tip rotated to see if the Viridioflorian was following. Indeed the plant being had followed, although it seemed to simply levitate across the chasm by some form of biological hover propulsion. Charlie activated the optical camouflage mechanism and proceeded through the door, ignoring the small machine beside it.
The two humanoids identified as Lloyd Conrad and Karen were in the room attempting to survive an onslaught from several remaining automated defense turrets protruding from the ceiling and walls. Both sides had temporarily paused upon the door opening, but nothing was visible in the opening so they resumed their skirmish. The tripod scaled the walls of the room while storing data from the two humanoids as later reference. Neither the turrets, nor the humanoids seemed to have noticed the cloaked Hunterbot, or the fact anything else was in the room until one turret was crushed, torn from its socket, and flung into another. The explosion of smoke, flame, and shrapnel not caused by Karen drew another pause from the battling contestants and turrets whom collectively turned towards the area where the Hunterbot remained cloaked.
The characteristic humming filled their ears followed by Charlie's ceiling-hanging appearance and firing of three plasma bursts that disposed of the remaining turrets. Karen reacted instinctively and flung fireballs at her new threat as would any good game player if something like that showed up out of nowhere. The mechanized ‘menace' seemed to jump off the ceiling and invert itself appropriately on the floor before launching into the air and swatting Karen with one of the heavy pincers. Her sword was sent spiraling and embedded into the wall as the machine loomed over her, a compartment opening in its underbelly and a nasty looking needle extending to mere inches from her neck. The girl glared at the attacker angrily and grit her teeth.
“Whoa! Whoa! Let's not be hasty here! The Monitor said something about not killing each other right off the bat†Lloyd shouted while waving his hands in a ‘simmer down' gesture.
Charlie's optics regarded the aggressor beneath its central body segment carefully while processing Lloyd's words. He was indeed right that The Monitor had given a preferred directive. With that logic in its processor, the sedative needle snapped back up into the Hunterbot's body and it backed off from Karen's downed form. The machine took a standing by poise closer to Lloyd although Charlie kept its optics and targeting computer trained on Karen.
The Hunterbot proceeded down the corridor with utterly no hindrances other than maneuvering its form from point A to point B. Consequently, Charlie's scanners detected more of the biological stasis ooze along the hall. Whatever was in the stasis chambers had gotten out and was running about this path. The robot's protocol had been reformatted to not terminate any of the seven upon encountering them, but had not deviated from the potential threat of other life forms in this facility.
A chasm was the first so-called obstacle in the path. CH4-12-L13 observed it and tentatively pressed forwards. Across its many missions, an area like this was booby trapped more often than not; not that the Hunterbot couldn't handle such travesties. The Republic's defenses couldn't even keep it from marching all the way up to the Chancellor's office and prominently pin the man down to await his termination. The tenuous footing was awkward for the Hunterbot to cross the chasm as the pitfall seemed indefinite in how deep it extended.
Within time, the machine crossed the chasm and scanned the inactive machine beside the next pair of sliding steel doors. Its purpose was unknown and the machine was promptly inactive for a reason the Hunterbot was unable to process. There was a metallic clang as something took a stab at the armored hunter's body frame. Charlie rotated and snatched the tiny attacking creature by one leg in a massive pincer causing the organism to screech. A quick scan identified the creature as an unknown species and potentially hostile, considering it had tried to scratch Charlie's sleek frame. Charlie affirmed a termination protocol for the organism and raised its other pincer to the squirming thing. It screeched even more as the pincer opened to permit the flamethrower nozzle to char the creature until naught was left but ash.
The robot returned to the matter at hand and issued a radiating scan of the area, which informed Charlie that there was another life form beyond the doors although its life signs were unlike any the Hunterbot had encountered ever before. CH4-12-L13 activated its cloaking mechanism and seemingly vanished from sight with a watery visual effect. The steel doors opened revealing a hovering rosebush of some unknown quality that lacked information on any database Charlie could search. The creature seemed rather unfazed by the opening door and just hovered in place lazily, even as the Hunterbot approached and decloaked in front of Reudic with a flamethrower claw aimed right at it.
|This must be that ‘Charlie' Hunterbot. Looks to be some form of experimental breeding of arachnida or crustacean. Looks potentially difficult to crack the shell, but the nutrition would most likely sustain me for half a solar cycle| Reudic had completed digesting the small creature it previously ensnared. The plant being projected illusory images towards the new food source's mind, but was rather confused as to the lack of a ‘mind'. The creature did not move though and the Viridioflorian considered it safe to ensnare the prey with its snaking roots.
Charlie continued to run scans over the plant and stored the data into a new file for later reference on the Viridioflorian species. The Hunterbot's processor completed the scans and data storage, and shifted to observe the room. The three sets of doors were the only other things in the room aside from a few dried bloodstains and char marks. CH4-12-L13 processed that following the linear path would lead it to the ‘meeting place' where it could then successfully complete the tasks of termination and return to the main objective. The Hunterbot shifted its tripod legs, just before Reudic's roots could ensnare one of the limbs, and started for the next doorway. Charlie's optics studied the door and waited for the automated sensors to respond and open, but no such thing happened. Wordlessly, the robot jabbed the door with one pincer, but the action did not elicit any reaction. Charlie deduced that the room was in a kind of lockdown and did what it was programmed to do in the instance of such a protocol.
Blast the door to smithereens.
Reudic withdrew its root tendrils quickly as the prey-beast had slipped out of its grasp for the moment. The rosebush hovered lazily and observed its next meal speculatively, wondering what it had in mind. There was a loud humming noise that culminated in a crackling whoosh and bright light being emitted by the creatures tail at the cracked wall. A rush of heat and wind ruffled the Viridioflorian's petals accompanied by the sound of metal being wrenched, torn, and stripped as the prey-beast created a new opening in the wall with its pincers. Reudic remained indifferent to the happening as the prey-beast turned to regard the plant being and beckoned to it with one of those pincers before proceeding through the portal.
The Hunterbot processed the next obstacle which was a chasm like before, except the walkway was now segmented requiring those who sought to traverse it to jump. Charlie's audio receptors picked up on muffled sounds coming from beyond the far doorway. Switching to its thermal scanners, the Hunterbot identified two more humanoid life forms moving around rapidly as if under attack. They were undoubtedly two more of the objectives that had been placed in Charlie's databanks as targets to terminate by protocol once the target destination was reached. Carefully, the Hunterbot regarded the chasm before it and ascertained that its form was two bulky to attempt jumping from small platform to platform. Instead, the machine identified the elemental composition of the ceiling and walls as substantially magnetic; enough for Charlie to walk across without difficulty.
Activating the electromagnets in its feet, the Hunterbot scaled the wall and ceiling, inverted its body, and then proceeded across the chasm. Upon reaching the other side, the tail tip rotated to see if the Viridioflorian was following. Indeed the plant being had followed, although it seemed to simply levitate across the chasm by some form of biological hover propulsion. Charlie activated the optical camouflage mechanism and proceeded through the door, ignoring the small machine beside it.
The two humanoids identified as Lloyd Conrad and Karen were in the room attempting to survive an onslaught from several remaining automated defense turrets protruding from the ceiling and walls. Both sides had temporarily paused upon the door opening, but nothing was visible in the opening so they resumed their skirmish. The tripod scaled the walls of the room while storing data from the two humanoids as later reference. Neither the turrets, nor the humanoids seemed to have noticed the cloaked Hunterbot, or the fact anything else was in the room until one turret was crushed, torn from its socket, and flung into another. The explosion of smoke, flame, and shrapnel not caused by Karen drew another pause from the battling contestants and turrets whom collectively turned towards the area where the Hunterbot remained cloaked.
The characteristic humming filled their ears followed by Charlie's ceiling-hanging appearance and firing of three plasma bursts that disposed of the remaining turrets. Karen reacted instinctively and flung fireballs at her new threat as would any good game player if something like that showed up out of nowhere. The mechanized ‘menace' seemed to jump off the ceiling and invert itself appropriately on the floor before launching into the air and swatting Karen with one of the heavy pincers. Her sword was sent spiraling and embedded into the wall as the machine loomed over her, a compartment opening in its underbelly and a nasty looking needle extending to mere inches from her neck. The girl glared at the attacker angrily and grit her teeth.
“Whoa! Whoa! Let's not be hasty here! The Monitor said something about not killing each other right off the bat†Lloyd shouted while waving his hands in a ‘simmer down' gesture.
Charlie's optics regarded the aggressor beneath its central body segment carefully while processing Lloyd's words. He was indeed right that The Monitor had given a preferred directive. With that logic in its processor, the sedative needle snapped back up into the Hunterbot's body and it backed off from Karen's downed form. The machine took a standing by poise closer to Lloyd although Charlie kept its optics and targeting computer trained on Karen.