You order the tanks forward, loading orders into their simple pilot programs to engage at extreme range and lay down volley fire to cover the approach of the APC's. This fight will be decided by the infantry, that ridge is too precarious to support all of your armor anyway and who knows what is lying in wait among the broken ground and low earthworks.
Your tanks roll into position and their disruptor cannons open up, lobbing violent packets of code into the hillside. Where it impacts, there are brief flashes as the code spreads into the surrounding earth. The ground blackens and cracks, craters forming as your weapons erode the system architecture. Several times you see the telltale flashes of kills as viral forces are eliminated by the raging disruptions in the system, their algorithms flashing and sparking uselessly as the logic strings break. Polygons and primitives scatter from the hillside, debris from your devastating assault. The autocannon targeting systems come online and rake your tanks with low-calibre packets of viral infection but the ablative logic shields hold, neutralizing the incoming rounds.
Under the cover of your assault, your APC's surge forward. They too are raked by fire from the autocannon but it is only slightly more effective. A few viral rounds strike the propulsion subsystems on one APC, but the vehicle blows the track and continues forward on the bare wheels leaving the track behind to be consumed by viral logic. The APC's disgorge their deadly payload, infantry antivirals rushing forward across the broken ground. Their charge is met by a counterattack from the ridge as hidden infantry pop up and the firefight is on.
Your forces have the advantage, and the infantry lay down a withering cover of antiviral rounds while the engineers move in to lay charges. Your tanks automatically shift fire to track fire along the ridge where the viral infantry have popped up, and the second volley goes forth. The ridgeline is rocked again as massive packets of disruptive code detonate, further eroding the ridgeline and nearly annihilating the viral infantry forces. That has always been the virus's weakness, its lack of foresight. It showed its hand too soon and gave your tanks a perfect target. Two titanic detonations mark the end of the autocannons as your engineers finish their work, now safely back with the APC to rearm.
Antiviral infantry rush the ridge to cover as the engineers bring fresh charges forth to finish the artillery. Soon the position is silenced, and the ridge is yours. You are surrounded by broken and twisted wreckage, smoke billows from the hulks of the autocannon and artillery. There is an ammo cache nearby but viral rounds are useless to your forces, the weapons are incompatible.
Your infantry squads were not destroyed, so a quick protoformat brings them back to full strength. The tread of the APC is not so easily replaced, however. Its drive subsystem was heavily corrupted and you may have to abandon the vehicle as it is below 1/3 normal speed. Regardless, you can now approach the bunker unopposed. Inside, if you are very very lucky, you will find something to win this war once and for all.
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You are Commander Ford, and you have just spent an hour reading first contact procedures. They are ridiculously detailed but the essence is that:
1. You must not interfere with the natural development of a primitive culture1.
2. You must portray the Imperium in the best possible light.
3. You must comply with the command directive2.
1 - Primitive Culture is defined as any culture not possessing clean fusion technology (or equivalent), or spaceflight, or one which is dominated by tribal superstition which would interfere with peaceful productive diplomacy and trade. Final determination of Primitive Culture status is at the sole discretion of the commanding officer on scene.
2 - Command Directive states that first contact procedures may be disregarded in the following circumstances: 1. Imminent danger to the Imperium. 2. Detection of Au forces hiding in the system.
So... you could contact these people if you wanted to. You shut down the console and walk into your ready room, a small enclosed space just off the bridge where the commanding officer can rest while remaining nearby. You take out a uniform and have a quick shower while considering the possibilities.
You know that there are at least two living things on the ship aside from yourself. You know of at least three AI, possibly four. One of these is shut down and sealed, one of them is the one you have been conversing with. The other one (two?) you're not sure about. There should be a combat controller AI in the system but you're not sure if the low-power state has it shut down or what. The most frustrating part is the nagging feeling that you should know these things, but you can't remember. If only you could remember!
You change into a uniform, which feels nice. The smart fabric hugs itself to your body and automatically displays your rank and appropriate command symbols, medals, and piping. The built-in comp accesses your implants and small readouts on the sleeve become active, displaying health and metabolism information as well as ship status and sensor readings. The sensor model of the solar system is still compiling, and the diagnostic has 5 hours, 38 minutes left.
A small light remind you of the incoming repeated communication.
You key the indicator and a video window pops up with a man's face. It is an older man, greying hair but well kept wearing some form of uniform. Military then? What kind of primitive culture has an organized military. You see obvious rank insignia on his shoulder, so a hierarchical command structure. Details click into place, assisted by your logis implants. The man's name is Boyd, according to a small nametag on his uniform. The color scheme is a strange black/green/tan spatter, some kind of camouflage? There is nothing in the records to indicate that this world even has a military. The survey reports primitive locals engaged in tribal wars and yet you are receiving a directed modulated radio emission.
Should you reply? What will you say?
Author
Topic: Pulse - Boyd (Read 12043 times)