Re: The Fatal Conflict (GBS2G7) (Round 2: Robo City!)
06-28-2011, 09:43 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
ArDat-2 gently placed its hand apparatus on Pi-3-TI's shoulder equivalent, speaking carefully in that same mishmash of odd emphases that it had used when first approaching the barbarian and the gladiatrix. "Surely the arbiter by his nature is prepared to do what he must to save us, Pi-3-TI. Even if he is unaware of what that is, he should perform admirably if he is truly the Arbiter."
Rho-7-7 bobbed its sensory clusters in a gesture that was almost certainly analogous to a nod. "Indeed, it is largely the Destroyer we must concentrate our efforts on, ensuring we do our utmost to mitigate his destructive influence. To that end, we would like to speak with these warriors; in any case, the Singularity will surely become suspicious soon if you are not present for the proclamations."
Pi-3-TI gave a corresponding bob of agreement and swept wordlessly out of the room, clerical vestments billowing behind it. The remaining robots pivoted in place to face their aforementioned warriors; Kargrek raised his eyebrows in a silent "Go on,", while Bellona gave a brusque "Well?"
Rho-7-7's long fingers wove together contemplatively. "Well," it began. "Now is likely the most auspicious time to give a clear picture to all of you. As you know, the Destroyer' part in the prophecy is to–"
Scott rolled his eyes with annoyance. "Yes, you've made that all very clear. Please, can we get to the point?"
He hesitated for a moment as something occurred to him. "Erm, that is, unless you two haven't been told…"
As Scott trailed off lamely, Bellona pulled a face while Kargrek rolled his shoulders noncommittally. "Just the most basic form of this prophecy. Had little time to learn more."
The woman nodded and added "And we were told that the robot you just dismissed would answer our questions. How is it going to do that if it's off 'proclaiming' with the Singularity?"
The robots exchanged a glance; ArDat-2, after a short pause, finally said "It is true that Pi-3-TI is much more knowledgable and wise than we are, but his station is bound by authority and tradition. He will return as soon as he may, but he lacks the freedom of movement and schedule Rho-7-7 and I boast."
"But he is coming back?"
"Of course. You have our word."
"Your word again." Bellona's eyes rolled, but she waved a hand and spat "Fine, get on with it."
Rho-7-7 returned to its train of though. "Yes, the Destroyer, if allowed free reign, will set into motion events that will end with our civilization destroyed and our people eradicated. Given that the Singularity has been deliberately mislead by iconoclasts in the military, and the military itself vehemently opposes the wisdom of prohpecy, it is up to us to organize the true fight against the Destroyer."
At this point, the other robot cut in with "We have been getting a number of reports from a number of platforms since your appearances, all claiming to have identified the Destroyer. Some even implicated you yourselves, but the majority focus on one or the other out of two main suspects."
One of ArDat-2's sensory clusters shifted, revealing a small projector; it lit up, and an image the humans recognized as Luron cutting a robot in half appeared on the wall. "Most messages we've received paint this man as the Destroyer, and it is certainly true that he has rendered a great many robots inoperative, most of them civilians and older models."
Rho-7-7 bobbed again and began speaking. The humans present found the odd back-and-forth conversation style rather strange, but Scott figured that beings used to communicating primarily by high-speed data transfer must find purely-verbal conversations rather tiresome. "On the other hand, little else about him matches the hallmark characteristics of the Destroyer. We have allowed the Singularity and military to believe him to be the prophesied catalyst of cataclysm, largely because he is less dangerous than the true threat; we believe mounting a large-scale assault on the true Destroyer would have minimal chance of success and would claim far too many casualties."
As Rho-7-7's whirring voice quieted, ArDat-2's once again spoke up. "Instead, we feel a competent strike force, headed by yourselves, would be the best option. It has become clear even our most elite combat models are ill-equipped to fight such powerful warriors, so only you have the capacity to fight the Destroyer."
The projector blinked off momentarily, and when it came back on, the image of Luron was replaced by one of Zaire, surrounded by glowing red runes and laughing as he destroyed dozens of panicking robots. "This," said ArDat-2, "is who we truly believe to be the prophesied villain. We have few images of him and even less information, as he tends to destroy our citizens before they can glean anything, but he will occasionally toy with them, intentionally leaving them alive, ostensibly for greater sporting value, thereby giving them time to make reports and send us what stills we do have."
"Everything we've received so far appears to confirm him as the Destroyer with the same certainty we have in confirming this man as the Arbiter. Most of our citizenry is unaware of his existence and location, so we have been devoting much of our energy to ensuring that the bulk of our more defenseless models don't accidentally stumble upon him. We should be able to create similar areas of low civilian density to allow your unhindered passage as you approach the destroyer. I shouldn't have to stress how important or urgent this mission is, nor how advantageous it is that you leave much sooner than later."
There was another brief pause; the silence was broken by Kargrek saying something he'd apparently been holding in for some time. "And why should we?"
The robotic Arbiter and Third Chronicler were apparently taken aback; they swapped glances again, but before either could speak, the barbarian continued."We were told you were soulless monsters. Your 'citizens' attacked us on sight. Not just attacked, tried to kill. You expect us to save you all just because you personally aren't strangling us?"
"Well–"
"We might as well–"
Bellona put a hand across his chest and shushed him; he glowered, but quieted down and let her speak. "Soulless monsters don't worship gods or care about their kin. These two could have killed us several times if they'd wanted. There's no reason to believe they have any harm in their intent."
She lowered her voice and hissed in Kargrek's ear (which involved standing on the tips of her toes and was about as far from inconspicuous as possible) "And they're the best chance we have to find and take out Zaire without killing off another potential ally. Of course they're using us, but we just have to use them too."
Kargrek grunted and crossed his arms, but had to concede she was right. "Fine,"he rumbled eventually."The sooner we get on with this, the better."
Rho-7-7's clusters bobbed enthusiastically. "Good, yes, expeditiousness is key."
It passed a small, boxy device to Bellona; it was rather more baroque than most of the technology present in this setting, but Scott immediately recognized it as a simple communicator and microcomputer. "This will plot you the path we've cleared for you, as well as allow you to contact us if need be. And before you say anything, you will be able to talk to Pi-3-TI as much as you like through it once he is available. This indicator will inform you whether or not your transmissions will go through."
Bellona gave a decent effort to puzzle out the metal box's operation, but Kargrek merely grabbed Scott by the shoulder. "This," he said, "is why you're coming with us."
The clergybots flashed in alarm. "Perhaps," blurted ArDat-2, "it would be better to keep the Arbiter here, so that he may–"
It was interrupted by Bellona, who smirked as she purred out "But isn't the Arbiter by his nature prepared to do what he must? Surely whatever he does is what he was prophesied to do."
Robotic fingers clicked together in agitation as the pair of clerics formulated a response; the frustrated Scott's brow furrowed with annoyance as he watched a scenario start to play out where he continued to be used as a lever against those around him. "Don't I get a say in this?"
"Well of course!" the gladiatrix said, all smiles. "And, of course, everything I said back when we first met in this city is just as true as it was then."
Scott glowered. "Fine. I'm going with them."
Unable to argue with their savior, the robots reluctantly withdrew their objections. Rho-7-7 gave a short burst of static that effectively evoked a sigh as Bellona passed the communicator to Scott. "Alright. We will show you the way out of this building, after which you should follow the directions we send you to find the Destroyer. Our fate is in your hands, as literally as the expression can ever be taken."
The door opened, and the five hominids marched, rolled, and slouched out.
---
Dr. Lorrden had found the building he'd broken into surprisingly bare. Very few robots had been moving through the halls, and those that were had been dispatched with a minimum of effort. After climbing several floors and finding little, he'd begun to give up hope of finding much of anything, much less Scott. And then, as he turned a corner, he saw the man himself. Plus the two warrior types. What were they called? Kargrek and… B something.
And behind them were a pair of spindly robots of a sort he hadn't seen before. Still, all of them seemed to go down to the same sorts of things, and his potions hadn't failed him yet.
"Duck!"
One of his freezing flasks hurtled through the air in a high arc; the others' heads whipped around to see him and his projectile; rather than the relief and compliance he'd expected, though, Kaja was surprised by expressions of panic and Bellona moving to intercept the vial. She plucked it out of the air, pirouetted gracefully, and sent the potion crashing to the floor halfway between the alchemist and the group. Ice blossomed outwards, sharp and sudden but safely distant from anyone.
Before the flabbergasted doctor could choke out a word, Bellona simply said "Don't. They're with us."
Lorrden grimaced, but made no move to attack again. "What's going on?"
Kargrek smiled for the first time since encountering the robotic priests. "We're going to kill Zaire.
Spoiler
ArDat-2 gently placed its hand apparatus on Pi-3-TI's shoulder equivalent, speaking carefully in that same mishmash of odd emphases that it had used when first approaching the barbarian and the gladiatrix. "Surely the arbiter by his nature is prepared to do what he must to save us, Pi-3-TI. Even if he is unaware of what that is, he should perform admirably if he is truly the Arbiter."
Rho-7-7 bobbed its sensory clusters in a gesture that was almost certainly analogous to a nod. "Indeed, it is largely the Destroyer we must concentrate our efforts on, ensuring we do our utmost to mitigate his destructive influence. To that end, we would like to speak with these warriors; in any case, the Singularity will surely become suspicious soon if you are not present for the proclamations."
Pi-3-TI gave a corresponding bob of agreement and swept wordlessly out of the room, clerical vestments billowing behind it. The remaining robots pivoted in place to face their aforementioned warriors; Kargrek raised his eyebrows in a silent "Go on,", while Bellona gave a brusque "Well?"
Rho-7-7's long fingers wove together contemplatively. "Well," it began. "Now is likely the most auspicious time to give a clear picture to all of you. As you know, the Destroyer' part in the prophecy is to–"
Scott rolled his eyes with annoyance. "Yes, you've made that all very clear. Please, can we get to the point?"
He hesitated for a moment as something occurred to him. "Erm, that is, unless you two haven't been told…"
As Scott trailed off lamely, Bellona pulled a face while Kargrek rolled his shoulders noncommittally. "Just the most basic form of this prophecy. Had little time to learn more."
The woman nodded and added "And we were told that the robot you just dismissed would answer our questions. How is it going to do that if it's off 'proclaiming' with the Singularity?"
The robots exchanged a glance; ArDat-2, after a short pause, finally said "It is true that Pi-3-TI is much more knowledgable and wise than we are, but his station is bound by authority and tradition. He will return as soon as he may, but he lacks the freedom of movement and schedule Rho-7-7 and I boast."
"But he is coming back?"
"Of course. You have our word."
"Your word again." Bellona's eyes rolled, but she waved a hand and spat "Fine, get on with it."
Rho-7-7 returned to its train of though. "Yes, the Destroyer, if allowed free reign, will set into motion events that will end with our civilization destroyed and our people eradicated. Given that the Singularity has been deliberately mislead by iconoclasts in the military, and the military itself vehemently opposes the wisdom of prohpecy, it is up to us to organize the true fight against the Destroyer."
At this point, the other robot cut in with "We have been getting a number of reports from a number of platforms since your appearances, all claiming to have identified the Destroyer. Some even implicated you yourselves, but the majority focus on one or the other out of two main suspects."
One of ArDat-2's sensory clusters shifted, revealing a small projector; it lit up, and an image the humans recognized as Luron cutting a robot in half appeared on the wall. "Most messages we've received paint this man as the Destroyer, and it is certainly true that he has rendered a great many robots inoperative, most of them civilians and older models."
Rho-7-7 bobbed again and began speaking. The humans present found the odd back-and-forth conversation style rather strange, but Scott figured that beings used to communicating primarily by high-speed data transfer must find purely-verbal conversations rather tiresome. "On the other hand, little else about him matches the hallmark characteristics of the Destroyer. We have allowed the Singularity and military to believe him to be the prophesied catalyst of cataclysm, largely because he is less dangerous than the true threat; we believe mounting a large-scale assault on the true Destroyer would have minimal chance of success and would claim far too many casualties."
As Rho-7-7's whirring voice quieted, ArDat-2's once again spoke up. "Instead, we feel a competent strike force, headed by yourselves, would be the best option. It has become clear even our most elite combat models are ill-equipped to fight such powerful warriors, so only you have the capacity to fight the Destroyer."
The projector blinked off momentarily, and when it came back on, the image of Luron was replaced by one of Zaire, surrounded by glowing red runes and laughing as he destroyed dozens of panicking robots. "This," said ArDat-2, "is who we truly believe to be the prophesied villain. We have few images of him and even less information, as he tends to destroy our citizens before they can glean anything, but he will occasionally toy with them, intentionally leaving them alive, ostensibly for greater sporting value, thereby giving them time to make reports and send us what stills we do have."
"Everything we've received so far appears to confirm him as the Destroyer with the same certainty we have in confirming this man as the Arbiter. Most of our citizenry is unaware of his existence and location, so we have been devoting much of our energy to ensuring that the bulk of our more defenseless models don't accidentally stumble upon him. We should be able to create similar areas of low civilian density to allow your unhindered passage as you approach the destroyer. I shouldn't have to stress how important or urgent this mission is, nor how advantageous it is that you leave much sooner than later."
There was another brief pause; the silence was broken by Kargrek saying something he'd apparently been holding in for some time. "And why should we?"
The robotic Arbiter and Third Chronicler were apparently taken aback; they swapped glances again, but before either could speak, the barbarian continued."We were told you were soulless monsters. Your 'citizens' attacked us on sight. Not just attacked, tried to kill. You expect us to save you all just because you personally aren't strangling us?"
"Well–"
"We might as well–"
Bellona put a hand across his chest and shushed him; he glowered, but quieted down and let her speak. "Soulless monsters don't worship gods or care about their kin. These two could have killed us several times if they'd wanted. There's no reason to believe they have any harm in their intent."
She lowered her voice and hissed in Kargrek's ear (which involved standing on the tips of her toes and was about as far from inconspicuous as possible) "And they're the best chance we have to find and take out Zaire without killing off another potential ally. Of course they're using us, but we just have to use them too."
Kargrek grunted and crossed his arms, but had to concede she was right. "Fine,"he rumbled eventually."The sooner we get on with this, the better."
Rho-7-7's clusters bobbed enthusiastically. "Good, yes, expeditiousness is key."
It passed a small, boxy device to Bellona; it was rather more baroque than most of the technology present in this setting, but Scott immediately recognized it as a simple communicator and microcomputer. "This will plot you the path we've cleared for you, as well as allow you to contact us if need be. And before you say anything, you will be able to talk to Pi-3-TI as much as you like through it once he is available. This indicator will inform you whether or not your transmissions will go through."
Bellona gave a decent effort to puzzle out the metal box's operation, but Kargrek merely grabbed Scott by the shoulder. "This," he said, "is why you're coming with us."
The clergybots flashed in alarm. "Perhaps," blurted ArDat-2, "it would be better to keep the Arbiter here, so that he may–"
It was interrupted by Bellona, who smirked as she purred out "But isn't the Arbiter by his nature prepared to do what he must? Surely whatever he does is what he was prophesied to do."
Robotic fingers clicked together in agitation as the pair of clerics formulated a response; the frustrated Scott's brow furrowed with annoyance as he watched a scenario start to play out where he continued to be used as a lever against those around him. "Don't I get a say in this?"
"Well of course!" the gladiatrix said, all smiles. "And, of course, everything I said back when we first met in this city is just as true as it was then."
Scott glowered. "Fine. I'm going with them."
Unable to argue with their savior, the robots reluctantly withdrew their objections. Rho-7-7 gave a short burst of static that effectively evoked a sigh as Bellona passed the communicator to Scott. "Alright. We will show you the way out of this building, after which you should follow the directions we send you to find the Destroyer. Our fate is in your hands, as literally as the expression can ever be taken."
The door opened, and the five hominids marched, rolled, and slouched out.
---
Dr. Lorrden had found the building he'd broken into surprisingly bare. Very few robots had been moving through the halls, and those that were had been dispatched with a minimum of effort. After climbing several floors and finding little, he'd begun to give up hope of finding much of anything, much less Scott. And then, as he turned a corner, he saw the man himself. Plus the two warrior types. What were they called? Kargrek and… B something.
And behind them were a pair of spindly robots of a sort he hadn't seen before. Still, all of them seemed to go down to the same sorts of things, and his potions hadn't failed him yet.
"Duck!"
One of his freezing flasks hurtled through the air in a high arc; the others' heads whipped around to see him and his projectile; rather than the relief and compliance he'd expected, though, Kaja was surprised by expressions of panic and Bellona moving to intercept the vial. She plucked it out of the air, pirouetted gracefully, and sent the potion crashing to the floor halfway between the alchemist and the group. Ice blossomed outwards, sharp and sudden but safely distant from anyone.
Before the flabbergasted doctor could choke out a word, Bellona simply said "Don't. They're with us."
Lorrden grimaced, but made no move to attack again. "What's going on?"
Kargrek smiled for the first time since encountering the robotic priests. "We're going to kill Zaire.