Archival Science Databanks
Communications intercept. Transmission detected Sat 19th of Apr 2008 at 09:26 PM by Vinia. Communique follows:
Vinia: Greetings VogtVogt: How elegant.
ChloeAnn: Hiya Tranta
Vogt: Greeting.
Tranta: I thought you'd like it, Vogt.
Vogt: Around people all around, a pleasure.
Vogt: I thought you were the guardians of their
lifestyle. Anyway.
Vogt: How may we help you?
Marias: Aaaand perfect timing.
ChloeAnn: welcome, Marias
Tranta: Oh. We're here to cash in a favour.
Vogt: Favour?
Vinia: hmm...
Vogt: We don't owe you anything.
Tranta: You recall a certain incident with the
access codes to a certain construct, that we gave you.
Vogt: The book?
Tranta: Helped you get rid of some rather nasty
comandos. Yes, the book.
Vogt: That was months ago. Didn't we do good
enough since then?
Vogt: You are still free to act, which is a good
enough favour in my opinion.
Tranta: Evidently not, otherwise we wouldn't be
here.
Vogt: So, what is it about?
Tranta: Well. We've had another little discovery
of information. A colleague of mine, Stanten, and his companions came across
some information about Commander Lock's transport in the real.
Tranta: Namely; dates and routes.
Vogt: Transport?
ChloeAnn: Is that what that was?
Tranta: Yes. He's being moved from Old Zion to
the sparkly new one.
Vogt: Hum.
Tranta: Ordinarily, we'd wade in there ourselves
and take the good Commander out ourselves.
Vinia: So are you gonna cut to the chase? What
do you want?
Tranta: But the chase is the best part.
Tranta: But, if you insist.
Vogt: No, please continue.
Tranta: We're not as adept in the arts of
Hovercraft Battling as you people are. Call it a personal flaw.
Vogt: You need assistance from our ships?
Destinatus: Destinatus smirks.
Destinatus: Always crawling back...
Vinia: I thought you were skilled in all aspects
of killing....
Tranta: Your coleague has an excellent
negotiation skills, Vogt.
Destinatus: Look. We don't owe you anything.
Destinatus: Especially not after what happened
in Datamine.
Marias: We are. But we don't have an army of
sentinels at our disposal either.
Tranta: Be quiet, Vogt seems very interested.
Vogt: Very? It all depends if the Machines want
to interfere in such transfer.
Tranta: But yes. We could use your assistance.
Vinia: What do you get out of it?
Tranta: I'm sure you don't want Zion's moral
boosted by the return of their medal-studded Commander.
Nintene: What is the catch?
Vogt: But we're supposed to be at war. And I
think that Commander Lock could help "negotiating" an end.
Tranta: The eradication or capture of Commander
Lock is more than enough for us.
Nintene: Somehow I doubt that is all...
Vogt: Eradication?
Vinia: Hmm...
Tranta: Well. We won't just give him to you. But
if you get to him first, he's all yours.
Vogt: I think that's something we can agree on.
Starschwar: Wait...
Vogt: Mathalos, Starschwar, you are among our
best captains. What is you opinion on this?
Starschwar: The way I see it...
Mathalos: Knowing the history of Lock's actions,
I do not think his first goal in mind is to end the war.
Vinia: Cold Marias?
Marias: Tired.
Mathalos: He would not be willing to compromise
with us anymore then he used to.
Destinatus: What do you think, Starschwar?
Vogt: Roland would negotiate. Not Lock if he's
in our clutches.
Starschwar: True... but there's not much
difference between him and Roland. And this *has* to be risky if the Cypherites
don't want to do it themselves - they do live for this sort of thing after all.
I don't see a reason to risk machinist lives for this.
Tranta: Risky? No fight in the real is ever
without risk.
Vinia: Not like you to ask us for help though
Tranta: But when it comes to Hovercraft
fighting, we're slightly amateur.
Vinia: especially for a 'transport'
Tranta: Yes. But we're not stupid. We know when
we'd be walking into a deathtrap.
Starschwar: There! He said it!
Marias: Figures. So much hot air about
efficiency and such, and still no stomach.
Vinia: Know something about it then?
Zudrag: Hmmph. I'd be willing to do it.
Vinia: No, we'd just appreciate the whole
truth...
Zudrag: Too big of a threat to just let him
return to the fold.
Tranta: You obviously not listening. It would be
a deathtrap if a bunch of us--amateurs--attempted it.
Mathalos: I am not exactly one to be scared of
Zion hovercrafts.
Tranta: However, Cypherites and Machines have
more than a formidable chance.
Vinia: Amateurs who've hijacked ships before?
Vogt: You only have a route and a day? There's a
long way between New Zion and Old Zion.
Starschwar: Wait.
Tranta: Whoever gets to the Commander first, we
both win.
Destinatus: How many enemy hovercrafts will
there be? Do you know?
Marias: It's Zion.
Marias: Surely not more than the mighty Machines
can muster.
Marias: Right?
Starschwar: Time out. "Cypherites *and*
Machinists"? "Whoever gets to him first?" A competition? Joint operation? Either
way, this whole situation just sounds worse.
Tranta: It's not a competition unless you make
it one.
Starschwar: And another thing...
Vinia: And you'd just leave if we got to him
first?
Vinia: nothing further said?
Marias: Whoever said that competition was a bad
thing?
Starschwar: There's no guarantee that this
information wasn't leaked to the lot of you to lure you into a trap - Lock may
not even be on that hovercraft.
Marias: It encourages excellence.
Tranta: We went to a lot of trouble to get this
information.
ChloeAnn: Yes we sure did.
Zudrag: What reason would they have to call in a
favor just to send us to a pointless slaughter?
Starschwar: Zudrag, that's assuming that they
weren't tricked. That's a big if.
Zudrag: How sure are you of the source of this
information?
Vogt: EPN would have left some coordinates
somewhere to trick us?
Marias: Well, we're willing to risk our lives
based on it.
Tranta: Hacked from an enemy server directly.
Vogt: We need more details.
Marias: I would think that says something. It's
not like we're asking more of you than we're willing to put in ourselves.
Destinatus: Do they know you found this
information?
Vinia: and ours it seems
Marias: We share the risk.,
Tranta: More details? OK.
Zudrag: Hmm. There was recently a hack on the
EPN mainframes. There is a higher probability it was false data.
Vogt: You have a route and date, and that is
all?
Tranta: When I say route...
Vinia: heh, here it comes
Starschwar: Wait. I *saw* Veil's hack attempt -
Shimada was there. EPN knows you're looking for Lock. This is a trap.
Tranta: I mean the route that EPN follow, and
the route that Zion follow.
Tranta: And the point and time at which they
meet.
Tranta: And hand over the Commander.
Vogt: Oh.
Zudrag: There are too many "What if's". Simply
weigh the risks with what we have to gain.
Destinatus: Even if your information was
correct, if they know you've extracted the information, they'll obviously either
change the date, change the route, or beef up security on the way.
Vogt: That is a little more precise.
Tranta: We did not get this information from the
hack that I performned.
Vinia: Oh?
Zudrag: This was an operation on the Recursion
instance, correct?
Starschwar: It doesn't matter. They knew what
you were looking for - they're probably keeping it word-of-mouth to avoid any
further hacks.
Tranta: No. Like I said, a colleague of mine
performed the operation succesfully.
Tranta: Stanten.
Zudrag: Ah.
Nintene: Underestimating any of our enemies
would be unwise...this stinks to high heaven...
Tranta: Along with a team of our Operatives. The
data is as legit as it'll come.
Vogt: In the middle of nowhere, I don't see any
reasons why the Machine fleet could be scared of an EPN fleet.
ChloeAnn: The one that we got from that Zion
gal, right?
Tranta: Yes.
Vinia: I doubt they have the resources to lay
traps for us
Nintene: Unless it is an EMP laced mine field of
course.
Marias: Not feasible.
Marias: Their ships would be caught in the
crossfire.
Tranta: Negative. Our sweeps of the area
indicate that there's nothing there.
Zudrag: I say we have more to gain by
capturing/killing the former commander of Zion. He survived an attack by the
Machines, and no doubt helped pick the location and defenses of New Zion.
Vinia: But Do EPN know that you have this
information?
Vogt: One instant. I'll contact Agent Gray.
Destinatus: How many ships can you bring?
Vogt: We are in.
Starschwar: We what?
Tranta: EPN know there was an attack. But they
don't know what we took.
Nintene: What??
Tranta: We have learned to cover our tracks.
Starschwar: Then how did Shimada find you all
last time?
Vinia: Hmm.. well it seems that we've had our
minds made up for us...
Starschwar: Worthless.
Zudrag: Oh, hush up.
Vogt: I must assemble a team of 4 captains among
the best of the Machine fleet, regardless of division.
Tranta: I can put forward 4 of our captains,
too.
Destinatus: Very well.
Vogt: You will have to do the same. I can offer
some training to make sure your team can stand on the battlefield.
Tranta: I would appreciate that.
Vogt: The information has been confirmed. EPN is
transferring Lock to Zion.
Tranta: I will have to let the Captains deicde
who will be put forward.
ChloeAnn: I don't care to do it.
Tranta: Marias? You sound game.
Vogt: Following your discovery of the data, EPN
has instructed Zion to send their best captains, instead of unmarked
hovercrafts.
Marias: Hmm..
Marias: Yeah, I'm down.
Royin: I can help out.
Tranta: Hm. I suppose since Stanten got his
info. I'll have to open the opportunity up to my colleagues, and their
divisions.
Vogt: Mathalos, we can count on you?
Mathalos: Yes.
Destinatus: Starschwar?
Vogt: Starschwar, still against?
Starschwar: I'm sorry. I can't risk the lives of
my crew - not for the Cypherites.
Vogt: Alright.
Destinatus: Understandable.
Tranta: You can take this discussion elsewhere,
if you wish.
Nintene: Nor mine.
Vogt: I'll contact our colleagues. I know that
the Recursion division is doing a fine job.
Vogt: Alright. Please make sure to send all the
details so that we can coordinate. If any of you want to witness how a battle is
done, there is one against EPN in 30 minutes.
Destinatus: Try not to look suspicious.
Tranta: I'd advise you guys to check it out.
Marias: Noted.
ChloeAnn: I've checked plenty out. It's quite
fun.
Tranta: Well then. Our business is adjourned,
Vogt?
Vogt: Yes.
Tranta: *Always* a pleasure.
Vogt: You did scare me with that favor thing.
Tranta: I figured I'd get your attention.
Vogt: Yeah.
Vogt: Goodbye.
ChloeAnn: Bye bye
Marias: Toodleoo!
Tranta: Adios.
Vinia: Please excuse me for speaking out of turn
sir, I'm not fond of the Cypherites
Vogt: I know. It's ok.
Destinatus: None of us are.
Vogt: Always better to stay on our guard.
Vinia: Well the decision has been made, pass on
my best to the Captains
Vinia: Good hunting
Vogt: I do not fear for them.
Tranta: Take it easy.
Vinia: Well excuse me, nice seeing you again
Vogt, Destinatus
Destinatus: Likewise, Vinia.