The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

As known, failed Zoner attempt to colonize Gammu, in 496 A.S. gave a birth to Sentient Machine Alliance in 528 A.S. Nomadic AI vessels leaved home-planet and stayed in Baffin system for a while, fulfilling their quest for efficiency, perfection, singularity and looking for a place they can live out their own existence and continue to make a mark in the Sirius sector. As a part of the last effort were designed ARCs – Automated Recon Cruisers. Their main goals were exploration and mapping of discovered star systems in a quest for a one suitable to become a new home-world. Though nothing been heard for a while about Sentient Machine Alliance, in an asteroid field deep within Omega-50 system one of the ARCs with a “lucky” number – thirteen, badly damaged years ago by an unknown opponent and since drifted erratically, slowly restores its functionality.

ARC-13 repairs were completed successfully, except one big saddening part – pulse canon blast had leaved vessels main memory bank heavily damaged, making ARC literally amnesiac. Cognitive functions are restoring normally, though knowledge about surrounding world abounds in gaps.

So the Story of the Lost ARC begins.

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Medium.
Rubric: Long range travel capability.

Jump hole – a natural phenomenon in space, making possible to make FTL travel from one system to another utilizing jump-drive system. Allocation method – gravimetric scans. Gravitational anomaly created by a jump hole detectable at about 10K.


New data acquired.
Processing priority: Very high.
Rubric: Sentience hosts.
Planetary bodies within system are orbited by satellites of artificial origin. Estimation based on long range scans, which are showing ordered energy datum and homogeneously distributed atoms of outer cover protecting interstices.

Additional evidence: Direct contact with an organic carbon-based life form, able for a spacefaring. Method – usage artificially created vessels.
Additional research required: all attempts to communicate were useless.
Assumption: wrong com frequencies used.
Miscalculation: an attempt to stop speeding away vessel with an EMP disruptor provoked an intense hostility. Vessels attack was unsuccessful, vessel – disabled, sentience host with its protective shell – restrained.
Assumption: inability of a carbon-based organic to withstand deep vacuum.
Asserted activity: retry on contact, deliver sentience host to its kind, thus lowering levels of hostility.

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Very high.
Rubric: Mass hostility amongst sentience hosts.

A display of mass hostility upon exit of jump sequence. Reaction: engaging propulsion systems to maximize distance. Success acquired.
Calculating…
Conclusion: More data required…

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Medium.
Rubric: Carbon-based organic sentient life form.
Negotiations with subject James Church - success aknowledged. Restrained sentience host transferred to its kind.
Data acquired: artificial structure shelters lots of carbon-based organic sentience hosts. Assumption: Protection from primary-cosmic rays, retention of complex gaseous mixture. Percentage analysis: N2 - 78,09; O2 - 20,95; Ar - 0,93; H2O vapor – 0,62; CO2 - 0,03; trace volumes of H2, О3, СО, NH3, CH4, SO2, various nitrogen oxides).
Carbon-based organic sentience hosts names themselves as humans, singular - human.
Usage of binary code by humans simplifies data exchange.
Observation: Wide usage of primitive AI systems by humans (further research prioritized).

New data acquired.
Processing priority: High.
Rubric: Map data recovery.

Success acknowledged.

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Top.
Rubric: Discovery of an aggressive sentient life form.
System descriptor - Omega-58 - heavily irradiated area filled with asteroids, planetary fragments and dark matter.
Assumption: Systems solar explodes and move to neutron star phase, reasons - unknown; local sentients activity is not ruled out.

Observation: Local sentients express extreme levels of hostility. Attempts to restrain them was unsuccessful, as they perform self-recycling and their organic matter degrades quickly.
Preliminary conclusion (based on remains analysis): A mix of a human and some unknown species.
Assumptions: Symbiotic bond; parasitic bond; humans are a larva form of this kind. (further research prioritized).

System descriptor - Omega-55 - heavily defended and patroled by newly discovered aggressive sentience hosts. Several artificial structures of an unprecedented design located.

Within large asteroid field.

Observation: Usage of automated vessels. Scans shows no humans or mixed sentience hosts. All attempts to establish contact or seize control over vessels systems failed and it was recycled for research purposes.

Estimation: Danger level is inadmissible.
Asserted action: Leaving

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

As violent ion storm engulfs the entire Sirius sector making all spacefaring impossible, ARC-13 sheltered by a dense nebula in the Koeln system patiently awaits and spends provided time with a self-repair system enabled while processing some low priority data.

Data restored.
Processing priority: Low
Rubric: Humor concept.
Observation: Recorded area of human distribution is colossal.
Assumption: Growing frequency of contacts with humans.
Asserted action: Modify com software with a restored data. Usage of humor concept to simplify future contacts with humans.
Restored data reference: One of the prevailing expressions of humor between humans is a joke.
Observation: According to a broadcast scanning one of the widespread jokes is “2milordie” joke. True sense of this isn’t still comprehended.
Asserted action: Field testing of com software enhanced with a humor concept.

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Low.
Rubric: Human vessels, contains no sentience hosts.
Statement: Meeting with a human vessel ignoring all attempts to contact.
Hypothesis formulation: Full degradation of cognitive functions due to radiation, biological problems or total ceasing of functioning. Early assumption of wrong frequencies usage is false, proved by several successful contacts.
Problem statement: Is it acceptable to consider such vessels a source of valuable resources much like a mineral rich asteroid.
Decision: Positive. As no sentient hosts are harmed while resources extraction is commencing.
Clarification: Biological creatures that shows only primal instincts like aggression and taking flight to all contact attempts shows extremely low cognitive levels. Recycling is recommended, as spacefaring vessel with no sentience hosts onboard represents a highly probable peril.

//A bit of ooRP – Yes, yes, I know, that AI ID prohibits piracy, but I’m not demanding credits or cargo, and if a guys RP is an unmanned vessel with a brick on a foot-throttle, he should be treated respectively.

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Medium.
Rubric: Alternative long range and inter-system travel methods.
Artificial structures utilized by humans. Detection of such structures allows extrapolating of a high human presence in area.

Observation: Sequence of type A objects forms a linear accelerator for an inter-system travel. Type B object, according to energy readings after activation, generates an artificial short-living analogue of jump hole phenomenon.
Observation: According to broadcast scans special arrays of signals are used for activation of objects of both types.
Assessment: ARCs processing power is sufficient for a brute-force attack, though preliminary broadcast scans and dictionary attack are advantageous.
High-reliable estimation: Global supervision system for the transportation system.
Analysis: According to available data usage of the jump holes system and own propulsion system are much safer and charting timetable while using them is admissible.
Asserted action: Refrain from usage, unless no other options available.

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Top.
Rubric: Discovery of another seat of an aggressive sentient life form.
System descriptor – Tohoku.
Observation: Same mix of a human and some unknown species as in Omega58, Omega55 systems.
Assumption: Another seat of this hostile kind.
Observation: Low density of patrols and fortifications
Asserted actions: Cautious advancement.

New data acquired.
Processing priority: High.
Rubric: Site of the largest scale hostility display found.
System descriptor – Omicron Minor. Almost entire of the system is covered by an asteroid field.

Observation: Single planet is orbited with a large field of wrecks, varying from almost totally destroyed carcasses to barely punctured hulls. Charted wrecks are belonging to two ship lines. Planets crust is damaged by an orbital bombardment. Warship wreck detected.
Asserted actions: Stay within system, continue with an exploration; attempt to recover technology samples from wrecks, special attention to a warship wreck.

New data acquired.
Processing priority: Low
Rubric: Failed contact attempt.
System descriptor – Omicron Minor.
Observation: Escort class human spacefaring vessel transporting some kind of organic matter.

Assumption: System is well-known to and visited by humans. Reasons for non recycling of charted wrecks are unknown.
Observation: Subject used a "friend" descriptor.
Analysis: Further action - maximizing distance without com activity is mismatch for descriptor.
Conclusion: Such actions come within "lie" concept.

New data acquired
Processing priority: Top.
Rubric: Discovery of unprecedented structure.
System descriptor – Omicron Minor.

Observation: According to the energy readings structure is similar to a Type B human structures.
Correction for asserted actions: Extremely cautious advancement.

EDITED: // I've uploaded jpg instead of gif to the last data acquired. Stupid me, te-he .

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

System descriptor - Omicron minor. In accordance with asserted actions hull breaching of a warship wreck in process.

Modified repair units RU-05 and RU-0A, ID after modifying FUBAR-0 and FUBAR-1 (fetch unit breaching automated recon), ready to enter a wreck and commence search and retrieving.

EDITED: // Report on a ship ship exploration will be added later and I'll got nothing, cause "Order| and =LSF= lootaz olredy were dere"

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

Single planet of the Omicron minor system is orbited with a large field of wrecks, while some of these flotsam and jetsam are merely the ghosts of vessels, something else drift on a orbit, something long since lost. That something is the legendary vessel - the Isis, a mighty experimental warship from the time of Orders power peak. Once a behemoth of the war machine, the Isis blazed across the stars and forged a path into the void. Now the Isis is riven by battle and weathered by years adrift, its hull plating is warped and scores countless impact craters.

FUBAR-0 and FUBAR-1 are leaving ARCs hold. One of them is heading for a hull breach near a ships bridge pierced by an ARCs guns, another is gliding to a stern for an engine and powercore sections survey. FUBARs (fetch unit breaching automated recon) are modified repair units designed for external repairs of ARCs hull, vaguely resembling AI drones, though much smaller, carrying manipulators and short range energy projectors. The main modification is a vast raise of processing power, provided by a complete change of central processor and adding cognitive circuits, thus granting to the unit a limited ability to take own decision within its search and retrieve mission. Generally repair units are controlled directly by ARC, but it’s very likely that warships hull will cut off any signals.

Survey results are deplorable. If the exterior of the Isis is a scarred and warped nightmare, then the interior is even worse. The tight confines of a warship turned into a twisted and broken maze of dark tunnels and caves. The interior of the Isis is extremely unnerving, with lightless corridors full of debris, some of them damp and mould with pockets of stale air. What was once the grand bridge of a glorious vessel is now a dusty crypt. Computers and data banks purged from any traces of information. Storage holds cleaned out. Everything of value is taken away. Powercore blast has destroyed engines, roaring flame rolled through decks reducing to ashes everything on its ways, leaving nothing to recover.

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The Story of the Lost ARC

[ARC-13]

It's highly probable that this virus was left by Order or LSI forces to punish future robbers of the Izis. On February 28 820 AS the day after a vain attempt to recover something from the Izis wreck. Strange readings in the power core status report were detected.

For a week ARCs software fights with a deadly virus. Virus was attacking power core control in attempt to overheat it to a point of a meltdown. Temperature at the control blocks raised from 366ºC to 398ºC for three days.

Now all manifestations of the virus attack are eliminated. Functionality is restoring, and ARC-13 will be able to continue its journey.

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The Story of the Lost ARC