Faster then Darkness

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What? Your head spun, where did that come from?

There is something covering your mouth.
You grasp for air, but after a panicked breath, realize that you have no trouble breathing.
You try to move your limbs, but something is holding them in place. Your eyes open and see nothing but darkness.

It feels like you are submerged in some kind of liquid.

Internal Systems: (Design Specifications EX103.443)

Energy Generators: 80% Capacity
Control Core: Xny%//aaad§ Error
+++WARNING!Specification:Unknown+++ +++Vitals_Readout:Positive+++
Auxiliary Computer Core: 100% Operational
+++WARNING!Software_Build:Beta.V.2.3.734+++
Structural Integrity: 70%
Life Support: 100% Operational

There is another flash of pain as this information flows into your mind. Not in form of words, but as completely formed thoughts.

What the Fuck is that supposed to mean?

There are large jagged Holes in Your Body.
An incredible Power is running from your center outwards to your Boundary. Layer by layer of you filled with air and warmth, but also large areas that are exposed to nothingness.
You notice a trickle of additional power into your body through some kind of umbilical.

Drive Systems: (Design Specifications EX103.443)

Sub-light Drive: 30% Operational
+++Able_to_hold_Orbit:YES+++
FTL Drive: iwwo9((?93===12“?as Error
+++WARNING!Specification:Unknown+++ +++Drive_Test_aborted+++

You try to struggle against the restraints, but you can't move your limbs and the pain gets infinitely worse as you try.

At the same time you feel your body jerking sideways, power blasting from openings along the length your vaguely rectangular cross section.
You feel new holes being torn into your form, tiny on your vast surface. The umbilical snaps, the power flow, puny in comparison to the supply in your burning heart, stops.
Why? What?

Communications Systems: (Design Specifications EX103.443)

Internal Comm: 100% Operational
Intra-System Comm: 100% Operational
FTL Comm: 30% Operational
+++Unable to connect to subspace+++
Quantum-Relay: 0% Operational
+++No_Quantum_Connectors_found+++

A panicked voice Screams into your head „Who the fuck just fired the thrusters, we ripped completely free from the scaffold. You guys just want to die faster?“
A Second Voice answers. „We didn't do anything, Sir! Maybe it was a hiccup while booting the System?“
While the two people scream into your brain. You let out a pained noise.
Voice1 „What was that?“ and after a moment of silence „Whoever that was, Stop fucking around, and keep the comms free.“
voice2 „We didn't say anything“

Somehow Voice1 screams even louder inside your skull. „We are simply going to die, if we don't get that drive running, and if that's not motivation enough, I will execute the next person I catch who isn't doing his job properly for sabotage.“ The speaker pants a little and then starts again “In fact, I'm going to do that personally,... with my wrench! I'm going to come down there and fuck your fucking brains in with my fucking wrench! You understand that?“
Voice3? „Yes Sir. Of course, sir, we are working as fast as we can Sir.“


What to do?
>>>Speak with them (write in)
>>>Suffer a little more in silence

>>1430313
>>>>Speak with them (write in)
What's the situation? How'd we end up like this?

>>1430313
>You try to struggle against the restraints, but you can't move your limbs and the pain gets infinitely worse as you try.
So I'm guessing we need someone else to help us out of these?

>>1430313
>Jettison all oxygen. Meatbags are too loud

>>1430313
>>>Speak with them (write in)
Who are you people in my head and why am I restrained.

File: Home Planet.jpg (143KB, 1182x676px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1430330
>So I'm guessing we need someone else to help us out of these?

You are not sure about anything at the moment, except that you are not very well.
But it seems likely.
>>1430373
You hear a synthetic voice: “Who are you people in my head, and why am I restrained?“

There is a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then you hear voice1 starting to scream again „THATS IT, IM COMING DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW AND IM...“

>>1430331
>>>Jettison all oxygen. Meatbags are too loud

In reflex you try to recoil from the noise, there is a beeping sound next to the first speaker that makes him stop immediatly, then a new voice appears, a much deeper voice and with a strange lisp. „Kruaf here, I'm at one of the auxiliary computer junctions. I don't think that was one of our guys, there was no one transmitting, and whoever that was just letting us know he has control of the environmentals, so play nice, please!“

+++WARNING, venting the athmosphere might result in loss of life among the crew. COMMAND AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED+++...+++ROOT ACCESS GRANTED, OVERRIDE(Y/N)+++

Voice1 speaking with a much quieter voice “what? get up here, on the double.“ speaking up a little and in a tone of forced friendliness „Hello there, whoever you are, uhm, please don't kill us... we are only fixing the ship to get away, uhm, i mean you probably want that too, right? Uhm, and what do you mean in your head?“

>>1430330
>>>“What's the situation? How'd I end up like this?“

„Not sure what exactly you mean? The situation in general is pretty bad, but when you are on one of the last ships in the system you know that of course. Listen you can keep the ship if you want. As soon as we find another one, uhm, I mean we fix the ship so you can use us right?“


Sensor System: (Design Specifications EX103.443)

External: 100% Operational
Internal: 20% Operational

+++Basic-System Check Complete+++

„We can use each other, right? If you have control of the system, you can probably help us.”

A new universe blossoms in your mind. You are moving through the void over a planet. Cloud banks drifting slowly over large oceans and reaching over green and brown landmasses. Half of the Planet is covered in night and you can see countless lights on this side, covering large patches of land and in a few places even the ocean.

+++Plant: Designation Unknown+++
Then you get bombarded with measurements of the planet, Surface area, Volume, Density, Surface Gravity, Escape Velocity, Albedo and atmospheric composition only the ones you actually register among the myriad of Data-bits in your head.

The sensory overload almost makes you pass out and you feel a wave of nausea rising.

cont.

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“we aren't really qualified to fly an experimental ship anyway, so you do that and we fix stuff, right?“

When you notice yourself preparing for a more detailed survey of the large southern landmass you tear your attention away from the planet, afraid of what data flood might follow.
There is a metallic cylinder slowly spinning away from you. Thankfully, it has far less data to offer than the planet.
It seems the atmosphere, inside, is slowly bleeding into the void. It suffered some kind of damage recently, a bit of debris surrounding the cylinder, most percievable, two of its outstretched robotic arms got torn off.

„If, you want the ship, and can get here unnoticed, you CAN fly it, right? Please, we can work together on this!“

Inside your body additional eyes open to your mind. You see a man sitting in a big padded chair, surrounded by computer consoles, leaning slightly over the central console, speaking intently to it. He is scrawny and wears what you recognize as a military uniform in a grey color, has a beard that is peppered with grey and currently dark circles around the eyes. There is tension showing on his face, but also a bit of hope.

„There is no reason that we need to be enemies on this.“

>>>What do you say/do?

>>1430830
Fix... the ship and we will leave. Then you will tell everything I wish to know. How long should this take?

Sorry, but I'm gonna be that guy not sorry

Are we going faster and then after that there is darkness? Because if not you've fucked up. If you want to imply that darkness is slower, then it should be "Faster Than Darkness".

Heh, damn, Sorry.
im not a native speaker, i guess it will not be the last mistake.
Little late to change for this thread.

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Actually, that isn't too bad

Friendly bump

I´m busy Qm, but I try to play tomorrow

Heyo

Hey OP where you at?

>>1431365
Glad to have your Attention

>>1431442
Germany

>>1430864
>Fix... the ship and we will leave. Then you will tell everything I wish to know. How long should this take?

„Right, sure, I knew you would be reasonable. We will tell you everything we know.“ He leans back a bit in his chair, without relaxing much. „About the repairs, I … I'm not exactly sure. After the power came online, it might actually just work. We are running some tests now, but the drive system has never been tested as far as i know, and the science team didn't exactly leave a step to step guide to finish this thing.“
„Question isn't really how long we will take to get it together, and more like can we do that before the whole system gets swallowed up, we kind of have a deadline, don't we?“
Something else tugs at your attention, there is a bit of communication traffic going on above the planet, you try to ignore it.

>>>What to do?

>>1432338
that was me

>>1432338
to clarify a bit, possible actions could be:

>>>Ask him Stuff
>>>Try to use Sensors to get a clearer picture
>>>Listen in on communication
>>>try to use or manipulate systems in any way
>>>other

>use the sensors

>listen in on comms

>>1432338
>ask about "the whole system gets swallowed up"
>how you can help with repairs
>Listen in on communication

>ask about "the whole system gets swallowed up"

„Well, it's what I said, the 'Shadow' or 'Invaders' or 'End of days', depending which theory you personally like.“ He answers, making the quotation marks with his hand, “The thing that has covered most of union space. This system is next. How could you have missed that? … Actually, you know what, i don't care. You're the nice guy sitting at the environmental controls and that is good enough for me.“ Speaking the last part more to himself.

„The story goes something like this, around 6 years back, couple stars seemed to go dark in a region of space a few hundred light years from here. Was kind of a shock for the astronomers, but not anyone else, until they noticed that the area was spreading.
A year later the stars in the centre reappeared, so maybe it was a natural phenomenon that would just pass, a few other people claimed they found proof that it would stop or reverse. So without anything to go by, anybody just kinda carried on.
FTL probes were built to look at it, but they would just go dark, as soon as they arrived at the event horizon, along with any ship they send to investigate.
A few people started building Arch-Ships and the like. But that was only an option for super rich people and a few organizations forming for exactly that purpose. The government tried to go on and finally started a few programs of their own, far too late. They didn't have the means to build ships for everybody anyway, no one had.
Most people still hoping that it wouldn't be too bad. Maybe just cut them off from hyperspace for a year or something.
Then 4 months ago, the refugee fleets appeared. Alien ships we had never seen, travelling through our space. First theory was they caused everything, but it quickly turned out they were fleeing the event horizon and really had no clue either.
What drove the public opinion, far past panic mode, was that the home systems of a few of the travellers had reappeared. They could contact it through subspace, but any signal they would get in return, where automated systems. Nobody was left there. After that little reveal everything pretty much ended over night. Everybody who could flee, did so, the rest just sank into chaos.“

>how you can help with repairs

„Seems like you know the ship's systems a little. We kinda don't. Maybe you can help us out there, I mean, we got the blueprints from the computers but a few of them are, …well, they aren't exactly standard issue. I would say a anything touching the drives or the control core tends to be rather esoteric.“


>Listen in on communication
roll d100, best of three (or less if there are less posters)

try sensors too?
Y/N

>>1432735
me again

>>1432735
Tell them you're an AI in charge of the ship, and will cooperate to help them escape the Shadow in exchange for repairing your body to your directions.

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>1432735

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>1432735
forgot the roll

„I'm the Intelligence controlling this ship. And I have decided to cooperate if you do the repairs to my instructions“ The man looks at the console a bit puzzled before he answers “Okay, sure. We can do that.“ he pauses for a moment “By Intelligence, you mean you are AI? You don't have do answer. Just,… actually don't answer that, i don't want to know.“

>>79 it is

Driven by the need to learn more about this situation, you open yourself to the voices in the background, fully expecting it to be similarly painful as the experience with your other new senses. The voices get Louder and for a moment, you fear, that the sensations will just wash over you without control.
Focusing on a single voice, and then another, part for part you weave a tapestry of the information-channels, and manage to perceive them simultaneously. Somehow sure, you weren't able of such a feat, before awakening in the current situation.
The Pain at the back of your head, at least receding in the background behind this new experience.

The Communications in the System are mostly panicked requests for Evacuation.
Order on the ground has apparently collapsed completely. In between the pleas for help, the occasional penitential sermon can be heard. You listen to a negotiation between a ship captain and multiple groups of people on the ground, determining witch of the contenders could supply the most provisions in exchange for the last available places on the transport.

The Orbital facilities are a little better off. You identify 9 separate ships and two stations in orbit, transmitting some kind of identification signal. And there seems to be at least some manner of organization still present. Two of the ships appear to be military vessels trying to evacuate groups from the surface. Most of them seem to finish off their business to leave.

You have gained control of the comm-system You and can now hail anybody you want to speak to, and compile a list of groups in need of evacuation, or places you might find supplies(Food/Building material).

>>Speak/Ask more Questions
>>Try to use the sensors
>>Communicate with someone in system
>>Assist in the Repairs (testing the drive system)
>>try to find out more about the ship (what/how)
>>other

>>1434416
>>Communicate with someone in system

Any tech companies likely to have materials and engineers. Same deal as the current crew, rescue in exchange for repair.

>>1434416
>Assist in the Repairs (testing the drive system)
>Communicate with someone in system

Ask for people who know about engineering, starship, construction or someone who can help.

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>1434416
>>Assist in the Repairs (testing the drive system)

>>try to find out more about the ship (what/how)
>check our inventory, ammo, fuel, food for crew ect, repair materials. Find out what we lack.
>just general info about our ship, weapon systems, cargo space, crew space.
>start by searching for the info by checking consoles or.."feeling ourselfs" and asking the current crew.

Lets grab some supplies and maybe extra people from planet once we know what we need...what ever helps us the best.

Also..."automatic" systems..guys it is highly possible we are immune to that darkness...although I'd rather avoid diving in it to test my theory.

Forget to add in my post
>ask the crew of their skills/lack of them and options of what the ship would need.

My PC went up in smoke today. Will try to resume this when/if i recover my stuff

>>1434416
>>Assist in the Repairs (testing the drive system)