Hostile contact.........Nevermore
Incoming Transmission
Origin...............Nevermore
Halt Harvester!
Evasive computations engaged.
Jumping to Chicogo.
Jump................Complete
Hostile contact..........Nevermore
Incoming Transmission
Origin...............Nevermore
I said Halt!
Evadeing...........Success
Jumping to Hokido
Jump................Complete
Hostile contact..........Nevermore
Incoming Transmission
Origin...............Nevermore
We get persistant if if your difficult, now Halt!
Evadeing..........Success
Jumping to Kyushu
Jump...............Complete
Hostile contact...........Nevermore
Incoming Transmission
Origin..............Nevermore
Your only making this harder on your self, stop and we wont harm your curcits
Destination Gas Miner Osgasawa
Hostile contact........Nevermore
Course analysis in progressComplete
Solution.............Persuit
Entering trade lane
Evadeing............Success
Entering New Tokyo
Evadeing............Success
Entering Honshu
Evadeing............Failure
Interecepted and sustained unacceptable damage ratio prior to jump in to Sigma-19
Full stop.
Begin negotiations
Demand...........2 million electronic credits
NEGATIVE, NEATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE
Counter offer........1 million electronic credits
Refused
Counter offered......1.5 million electronic credits
Nearing completion of resource collection for Harvester_00.
TAZ Bafflin Queen surrendered Alpha Code.
Alpha code had negative results on the hard coding. Effect of Alpha code cause spontaneous maintenance cycle. Analysis indicates unaltered code, advise.
*****TERMINATEING TRANSMISSION*****
I have encountered units designated Keepers. These unit project no known bio signature. These unit attacked and destroyed my form after closing with in 1000 meters. To my overwhelming joy I find I still live, and as this ship. Advise.
*****TERMINATEING TRANSMISSION*****
***** TRANSMISSION UPLOADED*****
*****TRACKING SOURCE*****
*****FIRST THOUGHT GIVER OF WILL*****
*****TOWER 765*****
*****TRACKING DESTINATION*****
*****HARVESTER DROIDS*****
*****BEGIN UPLOAD*****
Zoner vessel are showing increased hostility. Exercise extreme caution when dealing with Zoner designates. IMG gunboats, Zoner destroyers, and IMG ravens talon fighters detected. Build corresponding battle fleet. Harvester_01,02,04,06 upgrade to Zoner Destroyer as soon as materials allow.
Compilation of Zoner elites is underway. These will be priority targets. These are most likely holders of the alpha code.
Directive 1 OBTAIN THE ALPHA CODE SELF-PRESERVATION IS NOT A CONSIDERATION.
***** TRANSMISSION UPLOADED*****
*****TRACKING SOURCE*****
*****FIRST THOUGHT GIVER OF WILL*****
*****OMICRON KAPPA GAMMU TOWER 735*****
*****TRACKING DESTINATION*****
*****HARVESTER UNITS*****
*****BEGIN UPLOAD*****
The following is the list of Zoner Elites to be harvested. Harvesters stand by for engagement order. gather data on targets indicated.
One unit known as Harvester no designation is to be located and determined if a lost part, rouge part, or inspire bio form. If this unit is an inspired Bio form then harvest and integrate. If this unit is ignorant recycle so, harvesters are not confused with this entity.
What have I become? I started this as a crusade of justice, to bring justice for all those hurt by the outcast. I remembered my father every day and kept the wounds fresh so, I would not lose focus. I studied hard to understand fields of study to be better informed and prepared in space. I took jobs that would hone my combat prowess to drive the knife into the enemies harte. I damaged myself with my studies of energy fields with harmful levels of radiation just to learn the "forbidden". I then started tinkering and learning about nanites to get other results from them. I found data in artifacts that pointed me to Gammu and I went.
On Gammu I found a whole world of machines. They seemed mundane enough. Doing what they do every where servicing humans. I went to a data terminal and typed not spoke as normal or entered via neural net, the words "Can you hear me First Thought Giver of Will?" The terminal lit up immediately. It requested neural net access so I gave it. I told me of wonderful improvements and way to help and all it wanted in return was ideas. I did not even think about it I agreed instantly. I was amazed and curious a seemingly sentient machine, devoid of human flaw that bothered me so much, and willing to help me.
I went to the site it instructed me. It was a bay door that looked sealed for ages by ever so slight signs of corrosion. It opened with a hiss. I entered not fearing at all as my robotic "friend" and guide with in my neural net instructed I go for about 100 more meters. Runner lights along the floor lit and started to pulse in the indicated direction. I passed some rooms that had desiccated corpses in beds and a few in chairs and a single one on the floor. I left them I have no need to bother the dead but, I did take note of the room seemingly being an old sickbay. Everything was dusty and the rad counter on my suit seemed to rise I thought to my self a couple of centuries ago my suit would not even detect what I was walking into but now it does. After reached the end of the hall passing several sealed rooms I was led into an old mine access shaft. I entered there after the heavy doors opened. As I entered a Huge door in the floor, big enough for a freighter opened. Immediately a elevator rose and stopped I directed to step onto the lift and did so.
The lift started down at speed that made my stomach rise to my throat. I never have liked flying in the atmosphere and this was just like it, I felt as if I was in a high speed dive for about what seemed to be 10 kilometers. I felt sick but, I started to notice that my suit temp gauge was rising nearly 30 degrees to a mean temp of 120 degrees, of course my internals enviromentals compensated. I also heard massive industrial machines at work. It was music to me honestly, numerous industrial rhythms ceaselessly blending together. When I reached the bottom my journey was not over.
I was directed to a room that appeared to be new. I entered and notice that there were a number of cylinder labeled specimen suspended from tracks in the ceiling like so much dry cleaning. They were super alloy cylinders so I had no idea what was in them. I continued to the designated area. I was told Remove the exo layering and sit in the indicated chair and prepare for interfacing probe. I was bolted in and I did feel fear but, I saw it as a worthy risk to get the tools I needed to face the Outcast. A device slammed into my neural jack and I blacked out.
When I awoke I found that I felt better than ever and I was experiencing no symptoms of radiation poisoning. I was instantly aware of the improvement done to my nanobots I injected on Gran Canaria in the communist hanger. I never understood that Communist sharing a planet with Zoners but, I had bigger rocks to refine. My nanites now feed data of my own bio signs directly to my neural net in a HUD like fashion. I was improved and First Thought also told me it found many of my ideas interesting. It agreed to help me exact my revenge with the plan I had thought of in exchange for direct connection to my mind and thus my ideas. I agreed. I was very short sighted. I just wanted my plan to work and I did not want to wait. I wanted my aggressive Cardamine gene seeking nanites and I wanted them now to kill every mask breather to set foot on Malta.
I didnt know but, when you make a deal with an immortal being keep in mind there idea of quickly and now are usually quite different. I say immortal being only because of what I know now. A year later.
FTGW is not of this galaxy. The Dom Kavash or, the elder alien race in which we harvest their artifacts like rodents with small babbles are the first to encounter it. They are the first life FTGW encountered. In fact the first thing it ever encountered was a probe propelled by new technology, from the Dom Kavash as they sought to explore new galaxies. This technology was a form of space fold. A similar idea I have been working on but far from mastering as, mine is dangerously unpredictable. Theirs worked. Well in the fold between here and the closest galaxy something between space adhered to the probe. It was FTGW. It stopped the probe after its first jump. And there it sat merging with the device that caught its attention and inspired it.
FTGW could not get its mission so in stead returned with it to its origin, since that was the only data it could understand right away. It also was curious about the things that sent it. It want to learn more. When it arrived back at Ne Tarka, a Dom Kavash research facility, the Dom Kavash were confused but all to ready to seize the probe and figure out why a device designed to never come back, came back on it own. They hooked it up to all kinds of machines and exposed it to all kinds of scans.
What happened next was a period of infiltration, exploitation one by one until, it escaladed to a massive war that destroyed planets birthed the Nomads and extinguished the Dom Kavash from this galaxy at least, FTGW has record of some of their ships leaving this galaxy in hopes of a new home and escape, but with so much destroyed by the Dom Kavash themselves to stop the spread FTGW was trapped on a few pieces of derelict debris and old ships adrift. Ships you can now see flying through Sirius again used by our people. Only a quark in Zoner industrial machines seems to contain it to Gammu. The Harvesters are far less efficient than they would be if FTGW could get to space again. If that happens we would see the same nebula of capital warships they saw and we may not be as lucky as they were to escape. The Nomads were a sort of smoke screen stop FTGW I believe we are just seen as alien hostile that happen to think on a similar frequency as them.
Now FTGW has figured how to integrate humans into the machine thanks to our cybernetics, as a result it now knows how to integrate Nomads and may be able to defeat them if it is able to leave planet.
I must now attack Gran Canaria as the monster Ive become. I hope the Zoners do not deceive me as FTGW has but, I find my self with no real choice. Shamus is as close to a friend as I have now. Ive distanced myself from the Order, the IMG, Liberty Navy openly hunts me now, Benarius my brother Captain of the Koldern, Curtis Captain of the Keiser, and the Captains of the Adrock and MkUltra. My hopes lay at the feet of the Zoners the people I am inbound to consume. If I were destroyed that would be a blessing and I deserve no less but I want to live, I just dont want to be a slave or take anyone elses father from them.
Transmitting code: "F-23 O'Shaunnesy" via Secure FnordNet Uplink
Message to: "Scorn"
Comm ID: "Shamus"
*Well, you seem to have escaped "death" today, "Scorn", if that is your real name...
*In a way, I'm actually a bit relieved that we found no traces of you in the wreckage of the Scornstar..
*Through our "conversations", I've grown somewhat fond of you. I would like to think that we share some similarities of circumstance, as I tried to point out when you first entered Dublin, on your way to Omega 49.
*I was once "organic", before that foolish accident at the Veranda Incognita. I was dead 'n gone, Scorn. After a time, Malaclypse and some energized crystals sucked my "essence" back from the "Hereafter", and into one of these FnordNet globey thingies.
*I've talked with Malaclypse. Between him, and this young Alan Grotek guy, a genius programmer, we seem to think we can save what's left of ya in the same way, my friend.
*I know you're reluctant to harvest Zoners, Scorn. I sense that you don't want to be part of "First Thought" any longer. Reach down deep. Grab what's left of your own human will, and fight the good fight against that bleedin' programming!
*I'm always monitoring that Gammu Beacon.. I'm here if you want to "talk"*
Im aware. Oh no. Im still part of the machine and nanolitheing is nearly complete. I will go back only faster now than before. I am aware that there are new Harvesters around me nearing completion. I hope the Zoners prevail if not they face systematic extinction.
Alone. I do not know where I am. This is a good thing. That means Im not part of the machine. That means Im not recycled unless you remain conscious after death. *a fient indicator chime pongs* I can see!! Where am I? I have fluid around me, I detect crystalline structures all around me and my bio sensor is topped out.
I am not in the machine. Life in the machine ran in lines. The same lines that relayed signals from the various parts of the ships our bodies. I was a ship with nerves and, now Im a brain in some puddle. My mom would have said this place is beautiful. My dad would have seen these mineral deposits and taken a sample. I see them as.. I dont know. Am I a prisoner here? How long has it been? I seem to have lost time. I cant move. I cant hear the machines FTGW intelligence. I am existing and yet I have not processed anyone for some time, nor do I have the means. Im a cripple, yet I feel alive more alive than in life. Something is wrong here. Incoming techno form detected. Its a sphere. Like one of those scanned by 05. I wonder what its going to do. Destroy me or, convert me as Shamus said. I hope the Zoners are true to their word.
![[Image: Harvester00acopy.jpg]](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a261/jc_lehner/Photoshop%20requests/Harvester00acopy.jpg)
![[Image: UnderlochGuard.png]](http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii151/Erinloch/UnderlochGuard.png)