Ground Control

by **The Caretaker** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:59 pm

"So what are you suggesting?"

by **Acala** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 11:01 pm

"Can you refuse to follow their orders?"

by **The Caretaker** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 11:49 pm

"The reason I answer to the Braddock family isn't because they hold the deed to the land, or any temporal authority over me."

by **Acala** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 12:08 am

"That's good!"

"Or ominous."

"But mostly good!"

by **Will Stanton** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 2:01 am

"Why do you answer to the Braddock Family?"

by **The Caretaker** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 2:13 am

"For one, the late James Braddock seeded the original lattice that housed the system before this one. He wasn't from around here, if you catch my drift."

"But there must always be a lighthouse."

by **Will Stanton** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 2:51 am

Will nodded. "The lighthouse is important. I always felt more...needed when I worked out of mine."

by **Acala** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:43 pm

"If you've worked with a Lighthouse before you should know more about moral parameters than anyone here."

"Theoretically."

by **Will Stanton** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:16 pm

"The past tense is the big qualifier.

I used to lead the X-Men; I was the Champion of the Morrigan and a close confidant of Captain Britain herself. Now I'm university supplies, somewhere on the hierarchy between paper clips and carbon paper."

by **Acala** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:37 pm

"Overqualified carbon paper."

by **Will Stanton** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:59 pm

"Granted," Will nodded. "But besides the point. I'm in no shape to judge the moral values of anything; I killed the previous headmaster."

by **Acala** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:14 pm

"Is it possible to place the system in a self-contained mode?"

"Avoid any meddling and let you fulfill your purpose at your own discretion?"

by **The Caretaker** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 5:32 am

"I suppose I could, but generally I need to be aware of the physical realm here, as well as whether a dimensional breach is about to start spewing boggarts at you."

"And it's funny you should mention the previous headmaster. I rather suspect that's who has the authentication token right now."

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 6:49 pm

"Well, fuck. I don't suppose it's a Highlander thing and I've somehow gotten the token by right of combat or whathaveyou?"

by **Acala** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:02 pm

"That's not how rights management works."

by **The Caretaker** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:03 pm

"I think you mistake me, here."

"I mean she may not be dead so much as... elsewhere."

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 8:49 pm

"I'm not sure I follow. Is this some kind of digital religion I'm stumbling across here?"

by **The Caretaker** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:15 pm

"Shortly before the work was done to regrow the lattice, someone departed to the Starlight Citadel."

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:17 pm

"We were, uh, being attacked by nanites at the time," Will said, looking over at Acala. "Some of her friends might have infected the link."

by **Acala** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:22 pm

"Rude."

"But accurate."

by **The Caretaker** » Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:44 pm

"Well then, some people might be in for a disappointment."

"But ordinarily, the authorization token can only go with a fully sentient being."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 2:56 am

"You're suggesting, then, that...ASHLIE's alive and in the Citadel?

I...can't believe that. But even if that were true, it would mean the proverbial key's on the other side of the metaphorical door, right?"

by **The Caretaker** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 1:11 pm

"Not precisely. It's more of a passport. When I am fully functional I can inquire after it and request a replacement."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 5:58 pm

"What do you need to become fully functional, anyway? Seems like you're doing alright at the moment."

by **The Caretaker** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 5:58 pm

"I'm doing just fine as a module that keeps things tidy. A full Mastermind system is considerably more, eh?"

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:04 pm

"Well, I'm sure that on the Starlight Citadel, Mastermind modules are available in every corner drugstore, but here in Maldon, they're a little hard to come by."

by **The Caretaker** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:05 pm

"Ah, I'm sorry if it sounded as if I were putting the burden on you. What has to happen before I can download the missing pieces is getting this lattice into the proper configuration that will be recognized as a Mastermind system capable of receiving them. That's what I've been preparing for."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:27 pm

"Well. As I said, the timing is going to make that...questionable, at best. And I'm sorry for what will have to happen once I leave."

by **Acala** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:30 pm

"I can protect the crystals."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:32 pm

"You can't drag these to Muir," Will said, perhaps more harshly than he should have.

by **Acala** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:34 pm

"I did not mean for them to imprison you. I did not trust the administration here."

"Tell me that was a wrong assessment."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:44 pm

Will waved his hand at that, somewhat dismissively. "You weren't looking at all the data points."

"Crystals are notoriously fragile. How long, do you think, would it take you to finish getting ready for the Mastermind system?"

by **The Caretaker** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:54 pm

"Well, there's a rather novel nanoassembler swarm being inhabited by your friend, there that could speed things up considerably."

by **Acala** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:00 pm

"Technically it's a biological maintenance, neural interface and emergency defense system."

"There has been some improvisation and adjustment of functions."

by **Will Stanton** » Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:03 pm

"Growth is good."

by **Acala** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:49 am

And so, after Will went on his merry way to, presumably, tattle on the crystallographic developments underneath the school, Acala set about helping the Caretaker tidy up. A significant portion of which seems to be floating about the cavern, scanning the various crystal formations and occasionally settling on them with her nanite good to clear out impurities, cut more defined facets and polish them to a sheen. She generally takes her cues from the Caretaker, but as she gains a bit of an understanding of the overall structure she starts working a bit more independently and with a surprising aptitude.

by **Ghost** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:25 pm

Some time after Will leaves a cloud of swirling darkness crawls along the walls and ceilings of the corridor of the Point, soon followed by Ghost trailing their power's manifestation. Occasionally the darkforce creature stops and plunges an appendage into the wall, followed by systems in the Point flickering and losing power intermittently, the creature sapping energy from the conduits in the walls.

by **Narrator** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:59 pm

If Ghost were somewhat inclined to be sensitive to such, they might detect a power flare further down the corridor, just out of sight.

by **Ghost** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:03 pm

Ghost does tilt their head slightly, though they seem uncertain. As much as their emotionless face can show as such. The darkforce creature on the other hand scurries towards it like a shark gliding towards blood in the water.

by **Ballinger Lippincott** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:04 pm

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to find somewhere else to play, Ghost."

The voice is familiar.

Indeed, the source is familiar as the darkforce entity comes into visual range.

[Plot] Ground Control

Who is online