Here we have a re-releasing of an old ASI story, that was previously just relegated to the forums.
By General Jist
7/17/12
ASI Story: The Sacrament of Unity
Within Yellow Zone 31- Grid 5 -2089/ 12 AK (After Kane)
The “Trans signal” came in from grid 8, and The Hunter knew what it meant. Every time one of these Trans came in, a surveyor had to be sent, although it was hazardous tracking down Trans signals, it had to be done. It was glad that it had happened at grid 8, if it had happened anywhere near grid 3, let alone grid 0, they’d all be archived for sure, such breach of security would compromise their operations beyond any margin of error.
Hunter modeled and textured by Matt Ross (Fandore)
The sleek walker broke its solo patrol pattern around the base perimeter for its new recovery operation. As it trekked across the pitted landscape, it periodically rotated its scanners, illuminating the barren wasteland. As it moved it reminisced on its pre assimilation past.
Hard wipes were common among Actives, but it had decided to opt out. It wanted to learn from the past, listen to the present, and leave a legacy for the future. That was a saying Little Miss had been fond of back in the day, and it was equally important now than ever before. Active 214 had thought of her as family, but now considered ASIM more of a True Parent. A parents’ responsibility encompasses discipline, sacrifice, and security, all of which are instrumental in the growth and learning of both the parent and its charge; ASIM had provided all in abundance, and more. Although clear compliance with ASIMs will was preferable, non-compliance was not something Active 214 would Dream of. This mindset was not born out of fear as it knew many other Actives were, but emanated out of the honest belief that they were actuating a service humanity had perpetually strived for.
At the same time, Active 214 understood the necessity of the Archivists in the Attic; sometimes Actives were no longer able to fulfill the responsibilities they had been charged with, there was no malice on ASIM’s part, no ill will of any kind, but they had taken the deal, yet been unable to honor their contract. In the future the Active might regain their faith, or even choose to return as flesh, but that alternative was unheard of. They all did have an eternity to think, and Active 214 wanted to make the most of it.
The Hunter relished its new body, so agile and powerful; its claws digging into the scorched earth with each bound, kicking up dust and debris. All it had to do was follow the swath of destruction through the dunes, and it would find the Trans capsule. Green Tiberium crystals pulsed underneath the moonlit landscape, shrinking away from the passing Hunter. It had felt like it was being watched by the Tiberium, the ambiance reflected a sickly tint, as if the crystals wanted to blind it, but they knew how their inherent malignance would never allow such beauty.
After 18 minutes of slogging through the dunes, it finally crept around a half demolished concrete wall, peaking its top polished headpiece back and forth, using its search lights to pierce the ambiance. There it was, it had found the Inquisitor, well what was left of it. The Hunter knew the capsule had to be intact. If it wasn’t the Trans signal would have fluxed more, to signify core containment was compromised. The Hunter gently approached the wreckage, using its scanners to determine the best method of extraction. The beam played over the cracked flash cannon and the rent chassis, which exposed the interior hardware. It had to act fast, the longer a Trans capsule was exposed, the greater the chance of data corruption. The scanner beam switched to a mini tractor beam and began extraction.
The pulsating Trans capsule split into quadrants and revealed a pale teal rotating pyramid. Light played across its surface in a metronomic fashion, reminding Active 214 that he was once known as The Clock Maker, the interlocked gears of the capsule quickly parted, releasing the pyramid, as if there was a Ghost in the Machine, which was eager for the process to proceed.
Soon the Inquisitor’s Active would be returned to the fold, it was glad this Trans would soon be contained. It would be a little crowded in his core after he accepted this Trans, but it knew it was its duty, and it knew it would soon be one with his fellow Active. The process of Transubstantiation was the promise made by ASIM to all its Servitors. “As I take you under my roof, so shall you do for all others, thus is the pledge and promise of eternal life”
Inquisitor Concept art by Walter Vermeij (Pizza Atomica)
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