Moderator: RPG Support Staff
"Better start setting course for Australia, Dome, my man. Doesn't look like we'll be here too long."
First Aid said as the doctor approached Springer, looking into his optics as he spoke. The Protectobot doctor began going over what he and his fellow Protectobots had seen back aboard the Guardian.“I was with Ultra Magnus. I was with him when this thing… this Fallen showed up."
>>Ultra Magnus, Prowl, and Optimus Prime, the simulation was a success the second time around. This doesn't mean the process is done since we still need to test it out on the field. I will still like some time in the near future to chat with Omega Supreme and Skylynx on how they operate with their combinations. The combining process will still need advancing even if Superion does work. I know the science division is being rerouted to Africa and I am wondering how soon that will be.<<
Quickswitch wrote:“…Sir? What exactly is a phase sixer anyway?”
"Long enough for you to turn your sights towards the exterior, sir." And it was a surprisingly quick journey, though it seems like Prowl's attention had been taken up by his explanations to Quickswitch. The shuttle landed promptly after Rook's response, and not too far off on the visual monitor was the sight of an abandoned military outpost.Prowl wrote:“How much longer until we reach our destination, Rook?”
Rook wrote:"Long enough for you to turn your sights towards the exterior, sir."
Rook wrote:“Sir, I’ve noticed Quickswitch being a little… well, he doesn’t seem to be taking it the best way, from what I can see. I do have a few ideas in mind for others who might be good for the job, but… well, I would prefer to hear your opinion first.”
”Right. His combat history isn’t shabby either - the constant mood swings seem to be of some use in combat. Unpredictability makes a tough opponent. I have trust in you that this upgraded tech will do something to improve his reliability. Maybe a few sessions with Rung could be beneficial, after the upgrades are complete.”Prowl wrote:"Whatever it is, it’s deeper than a faulty circuit. Regardless, Quickswitch doesn’t appear to be power hungry, which makes him a good choice for the Phase Sixer project. A mech that craves power is more likely to abuse it once he gets it than a mech who doesn’t desire power."
Rook took a couple of steps over to one of the work-in-progress stations, lifting a datapad off of it and scrolling through some files.Prowl wrote:"Still, if you have other potential candidates in mind then I’m open to hearing about them. Fire away, Rook."
Rook wrote:”Right. His combat history isn’t shabby either - the constant mood swings seem to be of some use in combat. Unpredictability makes a tough opponent. I have trust in you that this upgraded tech will do something to improve his reliability. Maybe a few sessions with Rung could be beneficial, after the upgrades are complete.”
Rook wrote:“A few of the wreckers, such as the triple changer trio, could be of appropriate conditioning to receive heavy upgrades, should we continue down the Sixshot route. Some others scattered between our forces here and Garru-. Names such as Skyklik, Pyro and Deftwing come to mind. Animus is a point-one-percenter, and therefore a suitable candidate, but he’s… let’s just say that I haven’t exactly had the fondest experience working with him.”
”Right.” The idea of a killswitch was completely understandable, in all honesty. They didn’t really know what they were dealing with here. If Quickswitch went berserk, with his new added firepower… it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for anyone standing in the immediate vicinity. “I’m in favour of that idea, then. Does Intelligence have any specifics about the killswitch’s design? If not, I’d suggest remote activation, and allowing several key mechs in high command access to the bypass.”Prowl wrote:“I think regular sessions with Rung would be beneficial from a psychological perspective. Still, having a chit-chat with a therapist every so often will only go so far. We’ll need a fail safe to ensure that Quickswitch does not go rogue. Autobot Intelligence indicates that Sixshot and the other Phase Sixers have such a fail safe in case they were ever to try and overthrow Megatron. A ‘kill-switch', I believe it's called. It shuts them down before they can do any damage. Such a ‘kill-switch’ would be a useful precautionary measure in Quickswitch’s case.”
”Dishonesty can cause many issues with trust, and I am sure you are well aware of that feeling. Animus, though a capable mech, is capable of inflicting that feeling, especially in situations where being upfront is a necessity rather than a luxury,” Rook’s blue optics stared right into Prowl’s, as if they were piercing daggers. “He and I were at an outpost some time back with some others, and we were waiting for an evac shuttle. I believe he was in charge of communications. Before we knew it, he had boarded the shuttle by telling the ship’s operators that he was the sole survivor from the outpost. We ended up having to call for another shuttle after we’d realised what had happened several breems after.”Prowl wrote:“Rook, you said you had a bad experience with Animus? What exactly happened? Do you feel that perhaps we should eliminate him from the list of potential candidates all together?”
Rook wrote:“I’m in favour of that idea, then. Does Intelligence have any specifics about the killswitch’s design? If not, I’d suggest remote activation, and allowing several key mechs in high command access to the bypass.”
Rook wrote:”Dishonesty can cause many issues with trust, and I am sure you are well aware of that feeling. Animus, though a capable mech, is capable of inflicting that feeling, especially in situations where being upfront is a necessity rather than a luxury. He and I were at an outpost some time back with some others, and we were waiting for an evac shuttle. I believe he was in charge of communications. Before we knew it, he had boarded the shuttle by telling the ship’s operators that he was the sole survivor from the outpost. We ended up having to call for another shuttle after we’d realised what had happened several breems after. I’ve heard similarly bad stories from others, such as how he lied to get onto the Ethics Committee. Quickswitch may be temperamental, but at the very least he isn’t a cheat.”
Rook wrote:“Say, what are the extent of Overlord’s abilities that we know of? I haven’t exactly had the chance to read too much about him, but I have a feeling that there’s more to being a Phase Sixer than simply just more alternate modes and stronger armour. We should always look for other suitable candidates too.”
”Wouldn’t hurt to send them the call right now, it will take them some time to arrive, after all,” the defense specialist suggested. Rook scanned the facility with his optics. Equipment all set up? Check. Autotroopers on guard duty? Check. Quickswitch?Prowl wrote:"Things are coming along nicely. Soon, we’ll be ready to call the Aerialbots down and also begin analyzing the data from Sixshot. Then the upgrade process to Quickswitch can commence."
Rook wrote:“As far as the killswitch goes, I’d say we’re best off setting a trigger-activated stun. Maybe in a worst-case scenario, I wouldn’t be opposed to a temporary system shutdown. There are the obvious ethical issues with that. But that line of ethics had been long crossed with the war’s advent of physical modifications.”
Rook wrote:“Having ununtrium bonded armour and the enhanced sub-neural processors is an advantage that anybody could have, regardless of their other unique abilities. And although Quickswitch would require heavy conditioning, probably by Rung, to improve his sensors, the question lies of how we would obtain samples of ununtrium. It decays rather fast, from what I recall, so a stable isotope would be necessary. Would you have any ideas about that?”
Rook wrote:“An interference module specifically against the big guy? I’d suppose it’s to prevent a mutiny, what with the cutthroat power struggle within their ranks. Though it would be useful to have, considering what happened with Optimus’s… well, you know. Definitely something to consider, but I doubt Quickswitch would need an anti-friendly-fire virus just yet.”
Rook wrote:”Wouldn’t hurt to send them the call right now, it will take them some time to arrive, after all.”
Silverbolt wrote:>>”Roger that, Prowl. We will be en route shortly.”<<
It wouldn’t be Prowl if it weren’t for his moral ambiguity. Rook found himself agreeing, and not because Prowl was convincing or anything. No, it was because he himself was outfitted with a custom-crafted set of durabyllium armour, specifically made to endure warlike conditions.Prowl wrote:“Hard choices need to be made and we can’t be concerned with hurting others’ feelings when the safety and security of entire planets is at stake. As for a trigger-activated stun, I would prefer an audio trigger, a password or code that can be spoken. A physical trigger or device can be lost, stolen or destroyed. An audible passcode would be best.”
”Whether we retrieve or make, resources will still need to be expended. As you said, we need a cyclotron, but the assembly of one will take time and, if I recall correctly, the amount produced by bombardment is… minimal. We already have multiple teams across the planet, and our mechpower would be stretched a bit too thin if we were to go ahead with that now. Would it be possible to bond the ununtrium after the initial process is done? Unless, of course, the acquisition team can be prepared and ready to go without too much strain on personnel.”Prowl wrote:“Ununtrium was an element that the humans just discovered within the last fifteen or so years. It was developed in a laboratory in the nation-state called Russia. We would need to send a team to acquire it, of course. The other option is to simply make some, ourselves.”
Rook wrote:“A spoken killswitch can still be overheard by someone else. If anything, I would recommend a programme that eliminates both physical and verbal needs. Such a program can easily be installed into the systems of the killswitch holders, and can be activated remotely, mentally and without any risks of being stolen. And should a killswitch holder be captured, we can set a failsafe to annihilate the programme internally to prevent the code from being stolen through interrogation or experimentation.”
Rook wrote:”Whether we retrieve or make, resources will still need to be expended. As you said, we need a cyclotron, but the assembly of one will take time and, if I recall correctly, the amount produced by bombardment is… minimal. We already have multiple teams across the planet, and our mechpower would be stretched a bit too thin if we were to go ahead with that now. Would it be possible to bond the ununtrium after the initial process is done? Unless, of course, the acquisition team can be prepared and ready to go without too much strain on personnel.”
Rook wrote:“Let’s get to work then, sir.”
Pharma wrote:“Surely, you’re not allowing clumsy clods such as these to handle precise equipment? Might as well resort to what the humans call a socket wrench.”
Silverbolt wrote:>>”Roger that, Prowl. We will be en route shortly.”<<
”Understood, sir. I’ll get to work on it right away.” Rook nodded, realising that his speciality in defence had just been further pushed into the realm of kill switches. He’d have to ensure that the ins and outs were well done, because there was no way he was going to let some careless amateur mistakes be the factor that caused Quickswitch to go rogue. They already had the odds stacked against them, they didn’t need more on top of that pile.Prowl wrote:“Seems to be the safest and most efficient option. If it can be done then do it. You can install said program into my system first. Since this is my project, I will be one of the few with the ability to activate the killswitch.”
Thankfully, Prowl had beat him to the chase, and given the medic a decent enough answer. But had Prowl not been around, the words from Rook’s mouth would’ve burned a bit more bitter. Nevermind that for now, though, it’s time to get to work.Pharma wrote:“Surely, you’re not allowing clumsy clods such as these to handle precise equipment? Might as well resort to what the humans call a socket wrench.”
Silverbolt wrote:>>”Prowl, we are outside. Let us know where we should go. Are we starting the physical tests now?”<<
Return to Earth - A New Battlefield
Registered users: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Jelze Bunnycat, kurthy, Nemesis Primal