One Last Dawn
Last Chance Knight
Allow for a moment, if you will, to entice you into an expansion of the rich and diverse world of Horizon Zero Dawn. This is of course, just my take on but one possibility of a continued story in the wonderful lore of this compelling game, but I hope you enjoy the stage I’ve set all the same. It is a bit long-winded, but I believe it to be engaging and hope you find it to be so as well. Without further delay, I present my idea for:
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:20:03:14
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: I’m just saying, Emma, that a bunch of scientists and their families, cooped up together for the rest of their natural lives, need something to do! What better than... well… science?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That part I understand, Oman. What I take issue with is the nature of this proposed project--especially given our limited resources. If anything, don’t you think our focus should be on things we can leave behind? Or at the very least, endeavors to improve life here while it lasts?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: With Doctor Artier working on that recycler project, I would say our resources are a little less stretched than you’d like me to believe.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That’s not the--
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: I was getting there, Emma. My point is that with so much effort made to preserve the knowledge of our time, what if it doesn’t come across? What if our mistakes are just words on a screen to them, or voices without meaning? They will be the living embodiment of childhood, which leads to adolescence. Did teenage Emma Fink understand everything they read or watched without someone who’d experienced it to explain?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Well, no, but--
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: All I am saying is that a human being who lived in our time might help solidify the lessons.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Alright, I suppose I see where you’re coming from, but what about this particular candidate spurred such inspiration?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Captain Mina Batapur gave up her spot in Elysium for him; the last survivor of Operation: Enduring Victory. A veteran of the 9th Mechanized Response Battalion, the most successful and decorated unit of the whole Faro mess. Time and again they proved themselves resourceful and endlessly persevering. By the sacrifice of his comrades and their final stand at U.S. Robot Command, Zero Dawn was finished and deployed. The man is a living monument, with real, first-person experience with the Faro Plague. Who better to attest to our mistakes?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: [Scoff] I hardly think that the future of new life needs is another soldier, Oman.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Not a soldier, a survivor. He embodies the virtues of the 9th MRB: resourceful, dedicated, and--no pun intended--enduring. Isn’t that exactly what a reborn humanity could use as it comes into its own?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I don’t know about all this…
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Just do me a favor and talk to him. Talk to him, then give me your answer, ok?
//[END]
…
…
…
//Holographic_Datapoint::ACILIA_District_Lounge_Surv22::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Begin Playback ->
//
An exceptionally tall woman strides into view wringing her hands. Her hair is cut into a very short bob with angled bangs. Narrow shoulders and a similarly narrow waist, together with long, thin limbs, make for an almost skeletal appearance. The woman’s face, however, is kind and rather charming.
Another figure comes into focus sitting in a chair facing the wall, or rather what must have been a video screen simulating a window. It is hard to discern much about the figure from their back, though they are clearly a broad-shouldered male with a very short buzzcut.
“Gunnery Sergeant Jasper Kismet?” the female inquires, stopping her approach roughly five feet behind the man’s chair.
A long silence spans between the two before the male--assumedly Jasper Kismet--speaks.
“It looks so real, doesn’t it?” he questions, reaching out to run his fingers along the video screen. “They even used real glass for the screen to make it seem like a window. Simulated heat from sunshine, or reverberating feedback from pelting rain. All this effort to make it feel a little less like being trapped in a tomb city.”
The woman shifts her weight from foot to foot uneasily, but takes a step forward to persist.
“Gunnery Sergeant, my name is Doctor Emma Fink. I was hoping you had a few minutes to talk?” Despite the hopeful inflection, her posture indicates that a conversation is exactly what she isn’t hoping for.
“Jasper, please,” he says, still not turning around. “There is no military anymore, ranks are arbitrary.”
“By that logic, should I no longer be referring to myself as doctor?” she asks snarkily before her mental filter can stop her. Emma appears to be preparing an apology when Jasper begins laughing out loud.
“No, no,” he says, his laughter starting to subside. “You are yet a purposeful member of this small society. There will be medicine and science so long as there are people left to continue them. A demilitarized humanity--no matter how small--is still a step in the right direction. I’m glad to lose the rank, it’s not associated with good times.”
A small, surprised smile curls the doctor’s lip and one might wonder if she is seeing the potential in Jasper that Oman does.
“That’s a very optimistic way to look at it,” Emma says, no longer wringing her hands and instead folding them neatly in front of her.
Jasper rises from his seat and turns around to face the scientist. He offers his hand and a friendly smile, though the dark circles beneath his eyes are evident even through the purple-washed playback of the holographic recording.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Fink,” Jasper says politely. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Emma takes Jasper’s hand and shakes it, returning his smile politely and pulling up a chair to sit opposite him.
“I wanted to talk a little about your… career?” Emma sounds hesitant, but Jasper shows no outward signs of recoiling. “I understand if you would rather not, as it must be a tender subject.”
The former soldier raises a hand to stop her from continuing that line of thought, presenting a reassuring smile to compliment the gesture.
“It’s alright, Doctor, ask anything you’d like.”
Emma shifts in her seat, uneasy--though for a different reason than her initial anxieties. Perhaps she did not expect him to be so gentle and forthcoming?
“You were a member of the 9th Mechanized Response Battalion, correct?”
Jasper nods.
“Yes, you would be correct.”
“According to your personnel file, you were the technical officer for your section, and eventually your whole platoon?” Emma looks down to the screen on her forearm, double checking her notes.
“Yes, also correct.”
“What were your responsibilities as technical officer?” Emma continues, looking up at Jasper to maintain conversational eye contact.
Jasper reaches up and scratches the back of his head, one eye squinting as he tries to recollect the whole list of duties he performed.
“Honestly, making sure that every scrap of tech we had worked like it was supposed to,” he says simply. “It started off with maintaining the tanks and small arms, but when we lost Gunny Hondro--our armor tech--I took on his responsibilities too. By the time it came down to Witchita and USRC, I was the only techie in the platoon.” Jasper starts fidgeting with the button of his pocket as he delves back into the dark memories of Enduring Victory’s final hours.
“I had my hands in just about every tank, DEW, railgun, slug-thrower, and suit of U-weave in the 9th,” he continues after a brief pause. “With every hand on deck it was just as likely that the techie maintaining your gear was going to get killed as any other frontliner grunt. I needed to pick up the slack; if I was lucky I’d get a one or two hour stint of rack while trying to catch up on the backlog.”
Emma taps away at her screen while Jasper explains, likely taking notes. This does not escape the former soldier, who glances at her dancing fingers more than once as he goes on.
“Would you say, then, that you’ve an intimate understanding of the technology you handled?” Emma asks, glancing up at Jasper again to ask her question to his face. Jasper chuckles amusedly.
“Doctor, I could probably rebuild any armored vehicle in the 9th from scratch while blindfolded. I can field strip any small arm we fielded in thirty seconds flat, and I even taught myself how to machine the parts I needed when supplies ran dry.” Jasper smiles widely. “Before I joined up I used to take apart all sorts of things with my bare hands and put them back together. It’s how I ended up in the military.”
Emma looks up, curiosity flickering in her features.
“You were recruited for your technical skills?” she asks, to which Jasper laughs heartily again.
“Uh, no, unfortunately not,” he says, wiping the laughing tears away from his eyes. “My step-dad and I didn’t get along great, but he had an amazing taste in old cars. One day I took apart his favorite--a pristine Gran Torino gas-burner older than him. Hell, it might have been older than his dad even.”
Jasper leans back in his chair to look at the ceiling, but Emma keeps her eyes on him.
“He caught me right as I finished taking it apart and marking up my diagram. To say he was furious was an understatement, but if he killed me like he probably wanted to, the car would never get back together. So he gave me two options: put the car back together perfectly, or get shipped off to military school.”
“And you couldn’t get it all back together?” Emma asks, interrupting in spite of herself.
Jasper laughs again and recalls his gaze from the ceiling to meet the doctor’s again.
“Oh no, I got her back together and absolutely flawless. My step-dad was just a lying sack, and sent me off anyway.”
//
//[CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//<- End Playback
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:04:23:55
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Christ, Oman, I just got done reading your project theory files!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: [Indistinct grumbling] Do you have any idea what time it is, Fink?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: No, I mean yes, I mean--it doesn’t matter! This whole thing is crazy, Oman! How did you come up with this? I mean, nanofluid as oxygenation replacement, neural pathway copying and mapping, genetically programmed nanorobotics?! It’s...it’s… unbelieveable!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: But it will work, won’t it?
//
//[Long pause]
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I… I think it actually can…
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::$ProjectKatabasis_ProjectAnabasis.vtx::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//...but that requires accurate mapping of neural pathways from the initial Katabasis project, //which will be detailed below.
//
//Section 39 - Neural Mapping
//
//Traditional neural mapping is tricky as it is nearly impossible for us to provide direct stimuli that
//will fire across all synaptic structures without missing any. That said, I’ve considered a new
//approach to mapping that I believe will get us a clean and complete image of a subject’s neural
//network. Much like dreaming draws only from that which we have seen or experienced in the
//real world, we can procedurally stimulate each sub-region of the brain while the subject is
//unconscious in order to collect synaptic data. While this will be a mildly time-consuming
//endeavor, a single 8-hour session with a sedated subject will yield a roughly 45% complete
//map of the subjects brain neurology. Considering overlap and diminishing returns, we can
//likely have a fully completed map with a dozen…
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:14:22:47
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: So you realize, then, this is the last moment you are going to remember when you wake up? This backup of your memory into the project database is going to be it.
//
//Jasper Kismet: Yes, I understand.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: You’re certain?
//
//Jasper Kismet: The way I see it, I took an oath, Doctor Innovich. I am sworn to defend against all enemies and the unknown beyond. Besides, it feels like this is the only way Enduring Victory can be anything other than… unbelievably pyrrhic.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Alright then. We’ll do the backup and get you into...stasis.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: [Scoffs]
//
//Jasper Kismet: Is something wrong, Doctor Fink?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: No, Jasper. Oman is just making it sound so clear-cut is all.
//
//Jasper Kismet: Probably better that way, honestly. As my buddy used to say: “sometimes it’s best not to know what is in the hot dog.”
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Precisely. Now, lay back and we’ll begin.
//
//[Machinery whirring]
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: He’s out. When the backup finishes we’ll put him in one of the UltraWeave Mk 7.5’s and get him into a preservation casket.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: God, Oman, don’t you think this is playing with the natural order just a little bit? I mean, honestly! It was quite the mess to begin with but this? I-I’m not quite sure it’s even moral!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Who we are as people is what matters, Emma. Besides, I didn’t see you rushing to spill the beans when it all started coming together.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I... What was I supposed to even say?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: [Chuckling] Oh come off it, Emma. As much as you piss and moan, this whole project fascinates you--the possibility of it all. It’s functional immortality in its own way!
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: You call that functional immortality?!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Yes, I do. What would you call it, then?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Before the world collapsed and the apocalypse threw the book out the window we had a word for it.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Oh? What?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Criminal.
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:[CORRUPTED]
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: But how could you let something so simple slip, Oman!? This is not a small matter!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: It will be ok, Emma. We can fix this, we just need to provide more functional resource stockpiles to his casket, and we’ll program a corrective measure to patch his system with--that’s all.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That’s all? That’s all?! The man’s going to have his neurology reinstated as if wired up by a deficient chimpanzee, Oman! Your psyche profiles were supposed to be thorough, how in the hell did you manage to let PTSD go unnoticed? That outright alters brain neurology over time! The snapshot we have and the end stage won’t match up. If he isn’t outright dead when the casket opens, he’ll likely be batshit insane!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Emma, calm down. I know how we can fix this, alright? We branded in a marker for each mapping node, right? If we update his casket system software to run a diagnostic comparison between his original snapshot and his post-rebuild neurology, the connections can be repaired.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: And if the casket runs out of resources it will be the same problem, we can’t predict how long the repair will take once initiated!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Look, each casket already has enough resources to sustain the occupants for over a thousand years on standby. The Cradle facilities will have humans looking in all the right places by 2380, so there is plenty of time. So when the neuro-rebuild process is brought online he may have to cook a little longer before he gets out, that’s all. It will be fine.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: So, what? Slap in an addition year or two of resources, apply a software patch for the man’s brain and hope for the best?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Basically, yes.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: You realize this reckless, inconsiderate behavior is the reason you were passed over for Zero Dawn Alpha, right?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Yes, I do. I suppose we are doomed to repeat our mistakes, aren’t we?
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::AnabasisSystemLog.vtx::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//DateTime: [CORRUPTED]
//
//Initializing ->
//Done.
//
//Detecting Connected Casket Units ->
//-HC1
//-HC2
//-HC3
//-HC4
//-HC5
//-HC6
//-HC7
//-HC8
//-HC9
//-HC10(P)
//Done.
//
//Detecting Katabasis protocols registry ->
//Done.
//
//Loading Katabasis program settings ->
//Done.
//
//Applying settings ->
//Done.
//
//Initializing subroutine check ->
//-Preservation OK
//-Nanofluid Synthesis OK
//-Neuroscreening OK
//-Nanorobotics Control OK
//-Resource Management OK
//-Recycling OK
//-Diagnostics OK
//-Mainframe Connection OK
//-Database OK
//-Database Backup01 OK
//-Database Backup02 OK
//-Special Instructions HC10(P) OK
//Done.
//
//Automated maintenance online.
//
//Non-essential systems entering standby ->
//Done.
//
//Primary systems entering standby ->
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 20-APR-2320 00:00:01
//
//Diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 20-APR-2363 00:00:01
//
//Diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: projections not met, no contact with Cradle facilities; no contact with exterior //populations
//
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 11-DEC-2654 03:45:56
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: seismic activity detected
//System alert: structural integrity compromised in multiple locations
//System alert: damage to casket units ->
//-HC2
//-HC5
//-HC6
//
//Attempting automated repair ->
//-HC2: Irreparable; subject lost.
//-HC5: Damage to nanofluid tanks repaired; significant resource losses.
//-HC6: Irreparable; subject lost.
//Done.
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 08-JUN-2901 12:20:11
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: structural integrity degradation detected
//System alert: loss of power to HC3 detected
//
//Attempting automated repair ->
//-HC3: Irreparable; estimated subject expiration in 1.08e+7ms
//
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 30-MAY-3038 23:04:21
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: HC5 subject expired as projected
//System alert: maximum safe threshold for Katabasis operations reached
//System alert: minimum safe reconstructive resources detected in Casket reservoirs->
//-HC1
//-HC4
//-HC7
//-HC8
//-HC9
//
//Full system wake-up active ->
//Done.
//
//Initializing diagnostic...
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//
//Casket status check 17,521 ->
//-HC1
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC4
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC7
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC8
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC9
//---Anabasis: failed
//---Warning: nanofluid impurity detected
//---Warning: no subject brain activity detected
//---S.Status: expired
//-HC10(P)
//---Anabasis: In-Progress
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has extended time to Anabasis completion
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has discovered a mapping match percentage
//---55.43% beneath acceptable margins.
//---S.Status: OK, undergoing Anabasis
//Done.
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//
//DateTime: 03-JUN-3041 10:24:38
//
//Casket status check 26,304 ->
//-HC1
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC4
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC7
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC8
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC10(P)
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has reconciled 99.744% of deviant neurology
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” cannot reconcile remaining deviation
//---Warning: Effects of deviant neurology unknown
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: exterior facility access detected
//
//Preparing caskets for subject release ->
//-HC10(P)
//…
~~~
There you have it, the stage is set for what I believe will be a fantastic story set in the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe!
I am looking for a detailed writing partner interested in playing our ruin-delving heroine, Aloy, who will discover the freshly released Jasper Kismet while investigating rumors of vengeful wraiths running amok. These supposed demon-machines of human shape are none other than the neurologically frayed subjects of the Anabasis Project. Hyper-intelligent, endlessly vindictive, and far departed from their original sanity, Aloy just might rediscover why humanity is truly the most dangerous game!
Despite all this background lore, I am very willing to collaborate and add to this fantastic world with my partner. New machines, new enemies, new tribes and beyond! So don’t be afraid to step right up and take your chances.
Please note, despite the above lore and background, all of my roleplay is written in 3rd person style. Thank you.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Elysium Rising
Elysium Rising
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:20:03:14
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: I’m just saying, Emma, that a bunch of scientists and their families, cooped up together for the rest of their natural lives, need something to do! What better than... well… science?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That part I understand, Oman. What I take issue with is the nature of this proposed project--especially given our limited resources. If anything, don’t you think our focus should be on things we can leave behind? Or at the very least, endeavors to improve life here while it lasts?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: With Doctor Artier working on that recycler project, I would say our resources are a little less stretched than you’d like me to believe.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That’s not the--
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: I was getting there, Emma. My point is that with so much effort made to preserve the knowledge of our time, what if it doesn’t come across? What if our mistakes are just words on a screen to them, or voices without meaning? They will be the living embodiment of childhood, which leads to adolescence. Did teenage Emma Fink understand everything they read or watched without someone who’d experienced it to explain?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Well, no, but--
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: All I am saying is that a human being who lived in our time might help solidify the lessons.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Alright, I suppose I see where you’re coming from, but what about this particular candidate spurred such inspiration?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Captain Mina Batapur gave up her spot in Elysium for him; the last survivor of Operation: Enduring Victory. A veteran of the 9th Mechanized Response Battalion, the most successful and decorated unit of the whole Faro mess. Time and again they proved themselves resourceful and endlessly persevering. By the sacrifice of his comrades and their final stand at U.S. Robot Command, Zero Dawn was finished and deployed. The man is a living monument, with real, first-person experience with the Faro Plague. Who better to attest to our mistakes?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: [Scoff] I hardly think that the future of new life needs is another soldier, Oman.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Not a soldier, a survivor. He embodies the virtues of the 9th MRB: resourceful, dedicated, and--no pun intended--enduring. Isn’t that exactly what a reborn humanity could use as it comes into its own?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I don’t know about all this…
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Just do me a favor and talk to him. Talk to him, then give me your answer, ok?
//[END]
…
…
…
//Holographic_Datapoint::ACILIA_District_Lounge_Surv22::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Begin Playback ->
//
An exceptionally tall woman strides into view wringing her hands. Her hair is cut into a very short bob with angled bangs. Narrow shoulders and a similarly narrow waist, together with long, thin limbs, make for an almost skeletal appearance. The woman’s face, however, is kind and rather charming.
Another figure comes into focus sitting in a chair facing the wall, or rather what must have been a video screen simulating a window. It is hard to discern much about the figure from their back, though they are clearly a broad-shouldered male with a very short buzzcut.
“Gunnery Sergeant Jasper Kismet?” the female inquires, stopping her approach roughly five feet behind the man’s chair.
A long silence spans between the two before the male--assumedly Jasper Kismet--speaks.
“It looks so real, doesn’t it?” he questions, reaching out to run his fingers along the video screen. “They even used real glass for the screen to make it seem like a window. Simulated heat from sunshine, or reverberating feedback from pelting rain. All this effort to make it feel a little less like being trapped in a tomb city.”
The woman shifts her weight from foot to foot uneasily, but takes a step forward to persist.
“Gunnery Sergeant, my name is Doctor Emma Fink. I was hoping you had a few minutes to talk?” Despite the hopeful inflection, her posture indicates that a conversation is exactly what she isn’t hoping for.
“Jasper, please,” he says, still not turning around. “There is no military anymore, ranks are arbitrary.”
“By that logic, should I no longer be referring to myself as doctor?” she asks snarkily before her mental filter can stop her. Emma appears to be preparing an apology when Jasper begins laughing out loud.
“No, no,” he says, his laughter starting to subside. “You are yet a purposeful member of this small society. There will be medicine and science so long as there are people left to continue them. A demilitarized humanity--no matter how small--is still a step in the right direction. I’m glad to lose the rank, it’s not associated with good times.”
A small, surprised smile curls the doctor’s lip and one might wonder if she is seeing the potential in Jasper that Oman does.
“That’s a very optimistic way to look at it,” Emma says, no longer wringing her hands and instead folding them neatly in front of her.
Jasper rises from his seat and turns around to face the scientist. He offers his hand and a friendly smile, though the dark circles beneath his eyes are evident even through the purple-washed playback of the holographic recording.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Fink,” Jasper says politely. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Emma takes Jasper’s hand and shakes it, returning his smile politely and pulling up a chair to sit opposite him.
“I wanted to talk a little about your… career?” Emma sounds hesitant, but Jasper shows no outward signs of recoiling. “I understand if you would rather not, as it must be a tender subject.”
The former soldier raises a hand to stop her from continuing that line of thought, presenting a reassuring smile to compliment the gesture.
“It’s alright, Doctor, ask anything you’d like.”
Emma shifts in her seat, uneasy--though for a different reason than her initial anxieties. Perhaps she did not expect him to be so gentle and forthcoming?
“You were a member of the 9th Mechanized Response Battalion, correct?”
Jasper nods.
“Yes, you would be correct.”
“According to your personnel file, you were the technical officer for your section, and eventually your whole platoon?” Emma looks down to the screen on her forearm, double checking her notes.
“Yes, also correct.”
“What were your responsibilities as technical officer?” Emma continues, looking up at Jasper to maintain conversational eye contact.
Jasper reaches up and scratches the back of his head, one eye squinting as he tries to recollect the whole list of duties he performed.
“Honestly, making sure that every scrap of tech we had worked like it was supposed to,” he says simply. “It started off with maintaining the tanks and small arms, but when we lost Gunny Hondro--our armor tech--I took on his responsibilities too. By the time it came down to Witchita and USRC, I was the only techie in the platoon.” Jasper starts fidgeting with the button of his pocket as he delves back into the dark memories of Enduring Victory’s final hours.
“I had my hands in just about every tank, DEW, railgun, slug-thrower, and suit of U-weave in the 9th,” he continues after a brief pause. “With every hand on deck it was just as likely that the techie maintaining your gear was going to get killed as any other frontliner grunt. I needed to pick up the slack; if I was lucky I’d get a one or two hour stint of rack while trying to catch up on the backlog.”
Emma taps away at her screen while Jasper explains, likely taking notes. This does not escape the former soldier, who glances at her dancing fingers more than once as he goes on.
“Would you say, then, that you’ve an intimate understanding of the technology you handled?” Emma asks, glancing up at Jasper again to ask her question to his face. Jasper chuckles amusedly.
“Doctor, I could probably rebuild any armored vehicle in the 9th from scratch while blindfolded. I can field strip any small arm we fielded in thirty seconds flat, and I even taught myself how to machine the parts I needed when supplies ran dry.” Jasper smiles widely. “Before I joined up I used to take apart all sorts of things with my bare hands and put them back together. It’s how I ended up in the military.”
Emma looks up, curiosity flickering in her features.
“You were recruited for your technical skills?” she asks, to which Jasper laughs heartily again.
“Uh, no, unfortunately not,” he says, wiping the laughing tears away from his eyes. “My step-dad and I didn’t get along great, but he had an amazing taste in old cars. One day I took apart his favorite--a pristine Gran Torino gas-burner older than him. Hell, it might have been older than his dad even.”
Jasper leans back in his chair to look at the ceiling, but Emma keeps her eyes on him.
“He caught me right as I finished taking it apart and marking up my diagram. To say he was furious was an understatement, but if he killed me like he probably wanted to, the car would never get back together. So he gave me two options: put the car back together perfectly, or get shipped off to military school.”
“And you couldn’t get it all back together?” Emma asks, interrupting in spite of herself.
Jasper laughs again and recalls his gaze from the ceiling to meet the doctor’s again.
“Oh no, I got her back together and absolutely flawless. My step-dad was just a lying sack, and sent me off anyway.”
//
//[CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//<- End Playback
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:04:23:55
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Christ, Oman, I just got done reading your project theory files!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: [Indistinct grumbling] Do you have any idea what time it is, Fink?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: No, I mean yes, I mean--it doesn’t matter! This whole thing is crazy, Oman! How did you come up with this? I mean, nanofluid as oxygenation replacement, neural pathway copying and mapping, genetically programmed nanorobotics?! It’s...it’s… unbelieveable!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: But it will work, won’t it?
//
//[Long pause]
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I… I think it actually can…
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::$ProjectKatabasis_ProjectAnabasis.vtx::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//...but that requires accurate mapping of neural pathways from the initial Katabasis project, //which will be detailed below.
//
//Section 39 - Neural Mapping
//
//Traditional neural mapping is tricky as it is nearly impossible for us to provide direct stimuli that
//will fire across all synaptic structures without missing any. That said, I’ve considered a new
//approach to mapping that I believe will get us a clean and complete image of a subject’s neural
//network. Much like dreaming draws only from that which we have seen or experienced in the
//real world, we can procedurally stimulate each sub-region of the brain while the subject is
//unconscious in order to collect synaptic data. While this will be a mildly time-consuming
//endeavor, a single 8-hour session with a sedated subject will yield a roughly 45% complete
//map of the subjects brain neurology. Considering overlap and diminishing returns, we can
//likely have a fully completed map with a dozen…
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:14:22:47
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: So you realize, then, this is the last moment you are going to remember when you wake up? This backup of your memory into the project database is going to be it.
//
//Jasper Kismet: Yes, I understand.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: You’re certain?
//
//Jasper Kismet: The way I see it, I took an oath, Doctor Innovich. I am sworn to defend against all enemies and the unknown beyond. Besides, it feels like this is the only way Enduring Victory can be anything other than… unbelievably pyrrhic.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Alright then. We’ll do the backup and get you into...stasis.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: [Scoffs]
//
//Jasper Kismet: Is something wrong, Doctor Fink?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: No, Jasper. Oman is just making it sound so clear-cut is all.
//
//Jasper Kismet: Probably better that way, honestly. As my buddy used to say: “sometimes it’s best not to know what is in the hot dog.”
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Precisely. Now, lay back and we’ll begin.
//
//[Machinery whirring]
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: He’s out. When the backup finishes we’ll put him in one of the UltraWeave Mk 7.5’s and get him into a preservation casket.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: God, Oman, don’t you think this is playing with the natural order just a little bit? I mean, honestly! It was quite the mess to begin with but this? I-I’m not quite sure it’s even moral!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Who we are as people is what matters, Emma. Besides, I didn’t see you rushing to spill the beans when it all started coming together.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: I... What was I supposed to even say?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: [Chuckling] Oh come off it, Emma. As much as you piss and moan, this whole project fascinates you--the possibility of it all. It’s functional immortality in its own way!
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: You call that functional immortality?!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Yes, I do. What would you call it, then?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Before the world collapsed and the apocalypse threw the book out the window we had a word for it.
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Oh? What?
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: Criminal.
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::Conversation_Transcription::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//Date:[CORRUPTED]
//Time:[CORRUPTED]
//
//[FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED]
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: But how could you let something so simple slip, Oman!? This is not a small matter!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: It will be ok, Emma. We can fix this, we just need to provide more functional resource stockpiles to his casket, and we’ll program a corrective measure to patch his system with--that’s all.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: That’s all? That’s all?! The man’s going to have his neurology reinstated as if wired up by a deficient chimpanzee, Oman! Your psyche profiles were supposed to be thorough, how in the hell did you manage to let PTSD go unnoticed? That outright alters brain neurology over time! The snapshot we have and the end stage won’t match up. If he isn’t outright dead when the casket opens, he’ll likely be batshit insane!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Emma, calm down. I know how we can fix this, alright? We branded in a marker for each mapping node, right? If we update his casket system software to run a diagnostic comparison between his original snapshot and his post-rebuild neurology, the connections can be repaired.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: And if the casket runs out of resources it will be the same problem, we can’t predict how long the repair will take once initiated!
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Look, each casket already has enough resources to sustain the occupants for over a thousand years on standby. The Cradle facilities will have humans looking in all the right places by 2380, so there is plenty of time. So when the neuro-rebuild process is brought online he may have to cook a little longer before he gets out, that’s all. It will be fine.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: So, what? Slap in an addition year or two of resources, apply a software patch for the man’s brain and hope for the best?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Basically, yes.
//
//Dr. Emma Fink: You realize this reckless, inconsiderate behavior is the reason you were passed over for Zero Dawn Alpha, right?
//
//Dr. Oman Innovich: Yes, I do. I suppose we are doomed to repeat our mistakes, aren’t we?
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//[END]
…
…
…
//Text_Datapoint::AnabasisSystemLog.vtx::Elysium_UnknownLocale
//
//DateTime: [CORRUPTED]
//
//Initializing ->
//Done.
//
//Detecting Connected Casket Units ->
//-HC1
//-HC2
//-HC3
//-HC4
//-HC5
//-HC6
//-HC7
//-HC8
//-HC9
//-HC10(P)
//Done.
//
//Detecting Katabasis protocols registry ->
//Done.
//
//Loading Katabasis program settings ->
//Done.
//
//Applying settings ->
//Done.
//
//Initializing subroutine check ->
//-Preservation OK
//-Nanofluid Synthesis OK
//-Neuroscreening OK
//-Nanorobotics Control OK
//-Resource Management OK
//-Recycling OK
//-Diagnostics OK
//-Mainframe Connection OK
//-Database OK
//-Database Backup01 OK
//-Database Backup02 OK
//-Special Instructions HC10(P) OK
//Done.
//
//Automated maintenance online.
//
//Non-essential systems entering standby ->
//Done.
//
//Primary systems entering standby ->
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 20-APR-2320 00:00:01
//
//Diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 20-APR-2363 00:00:01
//
//Diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: projections not met, no contact with Cradle facilities; no contact with exterior //populations
//
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 11-DEC-2654 03:45:56
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: seismic activity detected
//System alert: structural integrity compromised in multiple locations
//System alert: damage to casket units ->
//-HC2
//-HC5
//-HC6
//
//Attempting automated repair ->
//-HC2: Irreparable; subject lost.
//-HC5: Damage to nanofluid tanks repaired; significant resource losses.
//-HC6: Irreparable; subject lost.
//Done.
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 08-JUN-2901 12:20:11
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: structural integrity degradation detected
//System alert: loss of power to HC3 detected
//
//Attempting automated repair ->
//-HC3: Irreparable; estimated subject expiration in 1.08e+7ms
//
//Enacting contingencies ->
//Done.
//
//Resuming standby.
//Done.
//
//DateTime: 30-MAY-3038 23:04:21
//
//Unscheduled diagnostic subroutine wake-up ->
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: HC5 subject expired as projected
//System alert: maximum safe threshold for Katabasis operations reached
//System alert: minimum safe reconstructive resources detected in Casket reservoirs->
//-HC1
//-HC4
//-HC7
//-HC8
//-HC9
//
//Full system wake-up active ->
//Done.
//
//Initializing diagnostic...
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//
//Casket status check 17,521 ->
//-HC1
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC4
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC7
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC8
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: neurological shift detected [OVERRIDE]
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//-HC9
//---Anabasis: failed
//---Warning: nanofluid impurity detected
//---Warning: no subject brain activity detected
//---S.Status: expired
//-HC10(P)
//---Anabasis: In-Progress
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has extended time to Anabasis completion
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has discovered a mapping match percentage
//---55.43% beneath acceptable margins.
//---S.Status: OK, undergoing Anabasis
//Done.
//
//[CORRUPTED]
//
//DateTime: 03-JUN-3041 10:24:38
//
//Casket status check 26,304 ->
//-HC1
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC4
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC7
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC8
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: resources 384 days past depletion
//---S.Status: none, subject released upon resource depletion
//-HC10(P)
//---Anabasis: complete
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” has reconciled 99.744% of deviant neurology
//---Warning: Patch “RepairMismatchNeuroNodes” cannot reconcile remaining deviation
//---Warning: Effects of deviant neurology unknown
//---S.Status: OK, awaiting release
//Done.
//
//Checking conditions ->
//Done.
//
//Extrapolating data ->
//Done.
//
//System alert: exterior facility access detected
//
//Preparing caskets for subject release ->
//-HC10(P)
//…
~~~
There you have it, the stage is set for what I believe will be a fantastic story set in the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe!
I am looking for a detailed writing partner interested in playing our ruin-delving heroine, Aloy, who will discover the freshly released Jasper Kismet while investigating rumors of vengeful wraiths running amok. These supposed demon-machines of human shape are none other than the neurologically frayed subjects of the Anabasis Project. Hyper-intelligent, endlessly vindictive, and far departed from their original sanity, Aloy just might rediscover why humanity is truly the most dangerous game!
Despite all this background lore, I am very willing to collaborate and add to this fantastic world with my partner. New machines, new enemies, new tribes and beyond! So don’t be afraid to step right up and take your chances.
Please note, despite the above lore and background, all of my roleplay is written in 3rd person style. Thank you.
