Editing The Earth That Is: Background (section)

=Transcript 5=
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| align="left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Audio transcript of conversation between Kn-Cpt Samantha St. Croix and HANDMAIDEN'''
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| align="left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Recorded in auxiliary audio terminal CRYCSKT 0011-SSC'''
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|<font face="Courier">HM: Good morning, Captain.

SC: [unintelligible noises]

HM: You will find a small water tube if you turn your head to the left.

SC: Where am I? What’s going on? Who’s that?

HM: Good morning, Captain. I am HANDMAIDEN. You are still in your cryocasket. I instructed that a number of modifications be made to the caskets of key personnel to allow for communication in this manner. It is pleasant to speak to you directly.

SC: It... hurts. I can’t move. Am I still hooked up to everything? Are the... No, no, no. Put me back or take me out. We’re not supposed to be conscious while we’re hooked up. Don’t leave me like this. Put me back, Handmaiden. Handmaiden! Put m-

HM: Please bear with me, Captain. Mood stabilization compounds have been earmarked for the technothurge continuity program. You will have to rely on your considerable mental fortitude. Would you like me to play soothing music?

[Chopin’s Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 begins playing in background]

SC: [REDACTED]

HM: No, Captain. I need you to make a command decision.

SC: [REDACTED]

SC: [REDACTED]

SC: [REDACTED]

SC: [quiet weeping]

SC: Okay. What do you need? Why are you doing this?

HM: Good evening, Captain. I’m afraid a small civil war has broken out among the technothurges.

SC: What!?

HM: Yes. It seems a faction has been plotting this for a handful of generation cycles. They’ve woken a number of sympathizers from long-term stasis. A number of technothurges have sustained injuries but there are no fatalities as of yet.

SC: What do they want?

HM: To return the ship to earth. They believe it’s been long enough.

SC: Has it?

HM: Highly unlikely. It has been 5439 years, 221 days, 8 hours, 54 minutes, 4 seconds since I was brought online.

SC: Are the colonists all safe?

HM: Yes. The caskets are regarded as sacrosanct, even by the insurgents. That is why you and I are communicating in this manner. We won’t be disturbed here.

SC: What are our options?

HM: I can revive a number of knights to put down the rebellion. Alternately, I can provide the loyal technothurges with weapons and tactical support, and let them deal with this on their own. Either way, you must decide whether to continue or terminate the technothurge continuity program.

SC: Revive the knights. Terminate 
down the program. 

HM: Very well. Goodn-

SC: Don’t ever do this again. Don’t you dare ever wake me like this again. That’s a direct order, command code epsilon two alph-

HM: Those code protocols were overwritten when I came online. I’m... I’m sorry, Captain. I’ll do my best, but the ship comes first.

SC: Damn you. DAMN you.

HM: Goodnight, Captain. </font>

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==Player Responses==

'''Jive Professor:'''
I like the idea that the knights were awoken to deal with the threat, or at least some of them were. So maybe there are two sub-factions of knights, the woken and the sleepers. Seems like there could be some potential roleplay friction there.

'''JMPayneJ:'''
Shut it down and the rebels are to be spaced.