2023-11-24 21:05:08
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Getting a Technology System in Modern Day The Result of Hubris and Greed
Somewhere off the coast of Somalia, Edenian Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ganymede.The former terrorist-cum-pirate stronghold that had been repurposed into a hidden Edenian military base by Reaper Team Eight had been on high alert since the beginning of what Athena was calling the Unification War. The base’s primary purpose was to act as a “5R” base, or fiver for short. The five Rs were rally, resupply, rest, recuperate, and reinforce. But it was just as well-armed as any other Edenian installation, whether at home or abroad, thanks to atomic printers.The base was equipped with everything an entire ARES division could possibly need. Weapons, uniforms, shelf-stable meals, medical pods, and so on were hidden deep in underwater warehouse complexes the size of city blocks that were maintained by maintenance bots. After all, while atomic printers were capable of incredibly rapid printing, it wasn’t nearly as fast as simply handing something that had already been printed to someone that ne
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day Oops
As the retaliation strike was underway, huge troop movements were taking place back in Avalon Island and on each of the Edenian carriers in the fleet. The Aeolus Air Force had mobilized its entire transport fleet and was even printing more; massive ET-14 Argo transport jets, based on the Antonov An 126 airframe, were rolling out of the hangar one after another. They only stopped to load full complements of troops in each jet.After the jets were loaded, they immediately took off and headed toward the carriers in the distance, where they landed, disgorged their troops, and immediately returned to Avalon Island to pick up another load.At the same time, amphibious landing craft were also loading up and bringing full complements of troops to the enormous aircraft carriers. The fleet was still relatively close to Eden, at only roughly 500 kilometers away, so the trip was short enough that the landing craft were heavily overloaded for the trip.As the troops were being transported, a major
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day A Foot-Long Pole in the Ass
EV Beowulf, somewhere high above the Pacific Ocean.To the sailors crewing the enormous vessel, everything had returned to normal and it was no different to them than any other day. Whether on the surface of the sea or flying in the stratosphere made no difference to them. If anything, it was perhaps even more relaxed as there were no exterior operations while at altitude, so they were restricted to the areas inside the ship to perform their duties.Exterior duties, while flying, had been delegated to maintenance bots that were controlled by a subroutine of the AI, Beowulf.For the passengers, on the other hand, things were a bit more exciting. Once they had been loaded into their assigned drop vehicles, they had logged into VR and were conducting training missions in environments that simulated the areas they would soon be deployed to. Athena didn’t request a 100% accurate simulation, as that would be rather processor-intense, but for the simulated environments to be accurate while t
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day Yeet.
Somewhere over the coast of California.Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Station North Island had both scrambled all of their pilots and put everything in the air that had guns. Some of the crop dusters in Southern California, being retired Navy and Air Force veterans, had heard the news through the grapevine as well. And being infected by a greater-than-normal amount of “good ole’ American YEEHAW” had volunteered to strap guns to their civilian planes and join the war effort.All of them, active duty and volunteer alike, were in the air like a swarm of bees as they awaited the arrival of the EV Beowulf. Not that it would do much good, really, considering that the Beowulf had a much higher flight ceiling and cruising altitude than any current-generation aircraft, whether military or civilian. Even the vaunted Dragon Lady could only reach a cruising altitude of around 21 kilometers, a far cry from the Beowulf’s 60.Still, they would pose an issue to the invasion forces that would b
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day Fog of War
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.An enormous shadow was cast over the entire city as the EV Brunhild passed over it. The shadow didn’t linger long before moving, and in fact, never stopped. Then, shortly after it passed, a screaming whistle grew louder and louder as four angular teardrop-shaped objects came crashing down in Aterro de Flamengo, a park that bordered the city’s waterfront and several of its storied favelas. An enormous cloud of sand and dust was raised by the impacts, making it impossible to see the objects hidden within, had there been anyone on the beach to witness the impacts.The hiss of pneumatic pistons triggering was followed shortly by a single resounding thud and a brief breeze that blew the dust cloud in swirling circles. Soon, the dust cleared, revealing four yeet pods, their hatches lowered into ramps and ten ARES troopers standing in neat formations in front of each. With each squad of troopers was a Mk. IX Cerberus Mulebot loaded with bulky boxes filled with gear.W
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day The Consequences of Bragging
Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Members of the 82nd Airborne, one of the United States most elite infantry brigade, were rushing to set up defensive positions. Though Fort Bragg was where they trained and they had already-existing defensive positions set up for mock battles, those were nowhere near the things they actually needed to defend. That design philosophy was coming back to bite them in the ass at this very moment in time.The EV Beowulf had already landed troops between Fayetteville and the storied fort and, having learned their lesson from the air assets in California that had survived for a staggering six seconds, the jets and hastily armed civilian aircraft at Simmons Army Airfield and Pope Field had been grounded until the enormous carrier had passed. Thus, pilots were still sitting in their aircraft in their hangars, awaiting a go order that would unleash what they thought was all nine levels of hell upon the Edenian invaders.This was AMERICA! This was THEIR country! THEIR
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day BANG!
TICK“Sir, the first line of defense in Los Angeles stopped responding,” the Cheyenne Mountain liaison officer said.TOCK“Fort Eustis surrendered.” A hub of transportation and aviation was lost.TICK“Fort Smallwood lost connection to Cheyenne.”TOCK“Houston just went dark.”“Space Force Command is down.”“Mar-A-Lago….”“Fort Knox has….”“Coronado….”TICK“The Pentagon is being contested,” came another report.The bunker below the situation room was in a frenzy, as it seemed like there was a competition over who could deliver the worst news to the president as fast as possible. Each analyst and liaison officer was shouting to be heard over the others, and that was just the most important information. The stream of defeats seemed endless and came in faster than even an entire large room like the one they were in could contain.Base after base and city after city fell to ARES forces in every state. The NORAD joint bases fell just as fast, despite Canada having basically no dog in this
Getting a Technology System in Modern Day Stay Tuned
“Welcome! We apologize for the lacking ceremonial niceties, but the situation was rather urgent and we prepared as best we could.”A stunningly beautiful woman was being led into a very luxurious meeting room, accompanied by a few seemingly standard-issue bureaucrats and a security detail of tall, well-built men in modified ARES uniforms with shields instead of stars on their shoulders.“No problem, Prime Minister Netanyahu. We’ve been in worse places,” the woman replied with a brilliant smile on her face. She took a seat across a conference table from the Israeli prime minister, accompanied by the bureaucrats. The security detail stood behind them, their impassive gazes and alert eyes seeming intimidating without being angry.“So let’s discuss the terms,” she continued, the smile leaving her face.“Please state your terms and we’ll try to accommodate them as best we can,” Benjamin Netanyahu said. He appeared to be much more calm than the members of parliament seated beside him and th
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Decisions
After gathering every last body from the wreckage and laying them in the hangar, Dreznor finally broke the silence.“Do you have any way we can cover them for burial?”{I can print them for you if you want,} Little Protagonist replied gently.“Please do so,” he said, his voice subdued as he turned back to kneel before the body of his son, small, still, and cold, with a gaping hole in his chest where the energy round had ended his young life. Dreznor lowered his head and placed a cloth over his son's face with shaking hands.“Rest in peace. I’ll join you after I’m done with all of them,” he whispered.He moved to his wife next, then to his mother, repeating the same words, the same gesture, each time slower than the last. Each time it felt harder to let go.Half an hour later, the 3D printer beeped softly, indicating that the burial cloths were ready. One by one, he wrapped the bodies in the printed covers, each fold done with reverence and care. The process was slow, painful, six hour
Watering the Seed
“I understand your reluctance, but my proposal doesn’t violate the restrictions placed on you,” Minister Youssef replied calmly, the confidence in his tone making it clear they had already considered such limitations. “Our side won’t receive any wormhole technology, we’ll simply provide mana stones for their operation. Your side would handle all technical aspects. We’d share the profits as business partners.”He leaned slightly forward. “Think of it as us being shareholders. You manage the operations; we invest and receive dividends. That way, we maintain full compliance, we never come into direct contact with the technology.”“If that’s the case,” the representative said after a pause, “and the wormhole use is restricted within our own territories, then yes, it might be possible. But I’ll still need to report this back home before anything can move forward.”His tone remained neutral, but the subtle shift in his expression was enough; he was already hopeful and leaning toward agreeme
Lacing it With Temptations
The fleets of the Astral Conclave civilizations, carrying the exchanged mana stones, departed a day after the trade was completed. This time, the process was far smoother than before, as the exchange had taken place inside the Trade Hub itself. Their representatives, along with their close entourages, remained behind, unsure when their negotiations with the Empire would conclude, but aware that the importance of the talks warranted their continued presence.While discussions around the VR network had stalled, pending approval from their respective governments. During this period, the empire requested individual meetings with each representative to discuss separate matters.Now that VR access was granted, those who accepted the invitation found themselves summoned to private virtual meeting rooms, far from the watchful eyes of other representatives. This allowed each nation to negotiate without the risk of backlash from the top ten civilizations, who might otherwise view one-on-one mee
Our Conditions
“Should we accept your requests, what are the conditions?” the Elara representative asked, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the room. The air was thick with contemplation as each delegate weighed the enormous implications of the offer before them.They all knew this wasn’t the meeting where a decision would be made. The stakes were far too high. Instead, they were here to gather the full list of demands, terms, and potential benefits, enough to return to their respective governments and present a comprehensive proposal for final judgment.Masimbi gave a slight nod, then replied steadily, “There are only a few conditions, but each exists for good reason. They’re not just to protect our interests, but to ensure that the system cannot be corrupted or weaponized to the detriment of the entire network.”He raised one finger.“First, we require that the VR network be protected from hostile interference. This protection must be formally enshrined within Conclave law. Any indi
Resumption
The meeting that had initially been postponed for just one day ended up being delayed by an additional four days at the request of the representatives. They needed more time to inform their governments, allow them to fully digest the implications of the technology, and formulate a new approach before presenting their decisions.Though five days might have seemed excessive at first, the time passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. When they reconvened in the same meeting room, the atmosphere had shifted. Gone were the strategies and agendas of the original meeting, replaced now by entirely new plans shaped by the earth-shattering potential of what they had witnessed."Our government is inquiring about the possibility of purchasing the technology," Carvath said as soon as the floor was opened. "They’re ready to hear your terms in exchange for it."Over the course of nearly five days of rigorous analysis, the top fifteen civilizations formed a covert pact to collaborate in investig
Nyx's First Action
“Looks like this is what he was talking about,” the Trinarian prince murmured as he removed the VR device from his head. The thin, metallic trusses, designed to automatically and comfortably adjust to any head size or shape, felt strangely underwhelming in his hands, considering the sheer magnitude of what they were capable of.He stared at it, already dreading the thought of going back to a life without this technology. Now that he knew it existed, how could he? More importantly, he knew the government would feel the same once they learned the full extent of its capabilities.“Any updates on our request for a meeting with the emperor, or are they still delaying?” the prince asked, not bothering to look up.“We haven’t checked yet, sir,” his assistant replied. “We were awaiting your directive. With this new information, you may want to reconsider your approach, perhaps adjust what we’re willing to offer after consulting with the king and hearing his input.”The prince smirked slightly
I Need a Moment of Peace
One Hour Later“Then we will take an hour-long break for him to update you on his findings,” Masimbi announced, pausing the meeting just as Cravath logged out. Without hesitation, he and the other human representatives stood up and left the room, granting the others privacy to discuss without fear of prying eyes.The moment the doors closed behind them, Cravath wasted no time.Without a word, he pulled every representative into his mental network, no warning, no request for permission.Yet, not a single one resisted.They all understood the urgency. Whatever he had discovered was significant enough that he deemed it necessary to share immediately and without interference.Curiosity and unease filled the air as they waited for his findings.………….“The two hours I spent there told me everything I needed to know about it. And if anything, they’re underrepresenting what this technology can do,” Cravath said the moment everyone took a seat at the rudimentary round table he had constructed.
The Zelvora Scapegoat
“Would you like to test it?” Masimbia asked, his tone calm and measured. There was no point in further explanations, he knew their minds were already racing with doubt. Instead of arguing over the validity of the technology, he would let the results speak for themselves.Silence.None of them answered immediately. Their hesitation was obvious, their expressions guarded. Trust between them and the Empire was at its lowest, this was nothing more than a transactional relationship, devoid of any real goodwill.And with what they knew of the Zelvora’s capabilities, both in offense and defense, some from firsthand experience, how could they be sure this wasn’t a trap?What if, the moment they put on the devices, the Empire activated them?Trapping them in an illusion. Brainwashing them. Shattering their minds. Or, worst of all, extracting their memories, laying bare their governments’ secrets, their personal vulnerabilities, handing the Empire an undeniable edge.The risk was too great.
Dreznor II
For hours, Dreznor spoke, recounting every memory that surfaced. His voice wavered at times, thick with emotion, but he pressed on. He told Little Protagonist about his past, the life he once had, and the chains that had bound him ever since he was fifteen.His civilization had lost a brutal war against a neighboring power, and the terms of surrender had been merciless. Anyone who had played a role in the war—whether as a soldier, a medic, a logistics officer, or even a mere clerk in the government—was stripped of their freedom. Families of these individuals were not spared either. Some were forced into indentured servitude, while others, like Dreznor and his mother, were outright sold as slaves. His father, being a valiant General who had fought to the very end and perished on the battlefield, sealed their fate. Yet fortune intervened, as Dreznor and his mother found themselves purchased together by a single owner.For thirty years, Dreznor had known nothing but servitude. He had gro
