Mass Effect: Uprising, based on Bioware's new RPG.... Options

[Lord Revan]

Mass Effect: Uprising

<<Civilian Transport: Yucatan-en route to Caleston, Hades CGA 12506, Hades G Cluster>>

<<Captain’s log: 2186/ [Data Corruption]>>

Cpt. O’Brien: The voyage has gone smoothly enough so far, it’s been two days since we left Sol. I am somewhat anxious about all this; I’ve clocked more hours in the Traverse than most captains these days, but ever since the Geth came out of the Veil three years ago, I’ve been getting this sinking feeling it’s only a matter of time before they give wiping us all out another shot.

<<Corruption>>

Cpt. O’Brien: That feeling’s getting stronger the closer we get to Caleston; it feels like something’s hovering over my shoulder but there’s nothing there.
Some of the crew have been talking about similar feelings they’re getting..... It’ll only be a few more hours before we land..... I don’t know if I’d feel better spending a few days with firm ground beneath my feet or heading right back for real civilization ASAP.

-------------

“Come on, move it! The faster you all haul the cargo, the sooner we get paid and be able to live comfortably for a couple months!” Lundro, the Yucatan’s salarian first mate shouted at the armored lifters.

“Lundro? What’s the status on the cargo dump?” Captain O’Brien asked through the com-link in the salarian’s headset.

“We’re getting there, Captain; Marquis and the others are working as fast as they can without being more clumsy than usual.” No sooner did the alien finish then a very heavy cargo crate, plus two armored humans slammed unceremoniously into the dirt of Calestine.
"What are we going to do about them?" Lundro muttered, shaking his head as the two humans struggled to their feet.

--------

<<Infiltration Drone- Alpha_2832-5316/ Status: Online/ Location: Human Cargo Transport- Yucatan>>

Unit Alpha’s orb-like eye lit up. Its mandibles flexed outward, as if yawning. Rising to its full height, Alpha ran a brief self-diagnostic.
When the systems check was complete, the synthetic scanned the room it was in. The space was small, an unused space between a layer of ablative armor and ship hull.

Without pause, Alpha crawled through a small hatch and sealed it shut after entering the ship. The Yucatan was dimly lit, a common trait of human vessels, energy conservation was a keyword.
Alpha’s mandibles clicked together, reducing the glow of its spherical optical receptor to a small enough point that it wouldn’t give away its presence.

The synthetic life form leaped up to the ceiling, its hands and feet adhering to the metal alloy. <<Priorities: 1. Eliminate target vessel’s crew and any other organic sentients. 2. Remain undetected unless there are extreme circumstances.>>
Infiltration Drone Alpha found a maintinance terminal and sent a remote hacking signal.

The Yucatan’s VI noticed a new user enter the system. Before it could begin to follow protocols and query the new user, an override command went out through its systems.
The command was identical to the one Cpt. O’Brien would use, so the VI waited for orders that were expected to come with an override..... It waited forty nanoseconds before its code was suddenly erased from memory.

Alpha flexed his mandibles into an expression similar to a smile, the ship’s VI was out of commission, and the crew was still unaware of any of these events.
The data-eating virus had been attached to the override, which had forced the VI to idle. Now that the annoyance it could pose was out of the way, Alpha could concentrate on its objectives, one of which, was gathering intel on the organics in Citadel Space.

----------

<<Citadel News Report>>

ExoGeni has denied reports that their mining operation on Caleston has been attacked. Corporate officials claim that the sudden loss of communications with Caleston is due entirely to technical difficulties.
And that the ship being sent to the Hades Gamma Cluster is a simply intended to supply and repair the facilities.

Many investors have pulled much of their funding until confirmation from ExoGeni that their report is not a cover-up.....

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Dec 6 2007, 10:47 PM

[Lord Revan]

<<Caleston/Hades CGA 12506/Hades G Cluster
Infiltration Drone- Alpha_2832-5316>>

Thirty minutes ago, the new vessel had landed in the mining colony’s spaceport. Alpha attached the final shaped charge where it needed to be before it heard most of the shore party coming up the loading ramp. It patched into the security systems to monitor their progress. They cleared the ramp, passing directly under the hidden drone, and then they split up and went their separate ways.

Minutes ticked by, Alpha waited for the opportune time to cut the crew off...... Then, all twenty-seven shaped charges scattered around the frieghter detonated. Several things happened: Primary power went out and the pressure doors slammed shut as they became nothing more than deadweight.
Alpha watched impassively as the crew suddenly flew into a panic, they could no longer move about the ship, nor could their communications penetrate the jamming signal Alpha was now projecting. They were woefully unprepared for something like this. The infiltration drone dropped down from the ceiling, making its way with a torturously carefree pace to the element zero core of the frieghter.

Like the Yucatan’s VI before it, the virtual intelligence of this vessel had been wiped out during the crew’s absence; this was but one of many strategic first moves toward the Geths’ true goals. Alpha_2832-5316 activated the transmitter in the corner as it entered the core room.
The single unit linked up with the Geth neural network. Normally any synthetic Geth unit, regardless of whether it was a simple trooper, a lumbering armature, or a prime unit, would only have the intelligence of a typical predatory mammal, albeit with knowledge of their own weapon’s use, if cut off from the nueral network that offered increased processing power for them.

However, infiltration drones like Alpha were a new sub-type, designed to function efficiently on their own. They didn’t need the “shared brain-power” of the neural network to be a very lethal threat. It was their purpose to execute complex objectives and adapt to their personal situation on the fly.
It took thousands of Geth with their cumulative processing power in order to equal the dynamics of Alpha's intellect and ingenuitity. Alpha almost felt pride at his own budding self-awareness, it couldn't be long before his full-fledged AI was as abstract and unique as any organic sentient, as well as ingenius as a renowned thinker. But that was still a way's away, and he refocused on his task.

Unit 2832-5316 sent a signal through the transmitter, reporting on its progress so far, and requesting pick-up for this evening. As the message was sent on its way, Alpha’s mandibles spread out wide; it took a nanosecond to aim.... Then a double bang! resonated throughout the ship as a high explosive slug launched toward the transmitter and detonated with bone-breaking force.

A thin cloud of smoke swirled from the center of Alpha’s “mouth.” Alpha 'coughed' the excess heat away to clear up its sensors. Its jaws then closed again like the petals of a flower and clicked tightly shut, forming a shield for its optical receptor. While one could be fooled into believing the drone was unarmed, an advanced mass accelerator was hidden inside its cranial armor, nestled behind and below its "flashlight head."

The drone turned and strode toward the terminal overlooking the pulsing element zero drive core. Alpha’s long, double-jointed fingers danced along the holographic keyboard, flipping toggles, typing code, and adjusting manual sliders with enough speed that they only appeared as blurs to the human eye.

The readout on the panel showed the core discharge was imminent. Alpha spun and rushed down the freighter’s corridors as fast as possible. The discharge would fry all of the crew, but the infiltration drone knew it had to move quickly if it was to escape its own deathtrap.
With no less than two minutes and five seconds to spare, Alpha arrived at the airlock. It grabbed another shaped charge, and armed the detonator expertly. The explosive blasted a hole with a three-foot diameter. Alpha dove through the gap and to freedom before the smoke could begin to clear.

Normally, a ship of this size would establish landlines to the ground around it, like static electricity on primitive aircraft the lines would channel the otherwise lethal discharge into the planet. However, the crew had yet to do so when Alpha had locked them all in their cabins and killed the bridge crew.
The countdown continued as the Geth drone tried to put as much distance between himself and the ticking time-bomb.....

------------------------------

<<Citadel Station/The Widow/The Serpent Nebula
Wards: C-Sec>>

"Listen to me, Dragus. I don't care about the details of your new job; this isn't some backwater hunting ground where you can rip up the place all you want in order to kill whatever you want, this is the center of galactic politics and commerce." Kale was a seasoned C-Sec lieutenant, probably on the verge of being promoted to captain at any moment. He knew who and what he was arguing with, and he had to admit, he was surprised he hadn't already pissed in his pants and sweated out a river by now.

The 6.11 foot tall krogan he was talking down to stared into his eyes with a cold, animal venom. Flanking Kale were two fellow officers, their shotguns down but at the ready, and a few meters behind them was another armed with a sniper.
Dragus leaned forward slightly, his cold reptilian eyes hovering close enough that Kale could make out his own reflection in them. "And I don't give a d*** about what you have to say. This could be the anniversary of the day my people drove the d*** rachni to extinction for the sorry little salarians, and I still wouldn't care."

The krogan was a mercenary of the worst sort, not a battlemaster, thankfully, but that didn't matter when he was breathing on your face. Kale knew that if Dragus lost it, he wouldn't have a chance in hell of living. If two shotguns and a sniper were enough to kill the bull mercenary, Dragus would still have enough time to kill Kale and a lot of bystanders in the middle of Citadel Security Headquarters.

Kale didn't have any power to hang over Dragus, and everyone concerned knew that. It was the human officer who had to make the choice, let the krogan be on his way and kill whatever poor fool was his mark, or do the stupid, but noble thing and try (and die failing) to arrest Dragus.
The lieutenant's shoulders drooped and he broke eye contact to stare defeatedly at the floor. Dragus grunted, pushed roughly past Kale and toward the elevator to the Presidium. The krogan growled at the turian officer with the sniper rifle as he passed.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Dec 13 2007, 05:17 AM