LucasLaughing

Location: F09 Tags: civil, building, vehicle, land vehicle <Sound of quiet chimes> Lu? I'm here, CLAPPIE. I'm in position. Good. Stand by. I'm on Arium Minor, outside a Kawashita fabrication complex that CLAPPIE has managed to gain control of. It's largely automated, but there are security patrols and maintenance staff. CLAPPIE says they'll be out of the way shortly, and then I'll be clear to head into the complex. I'm still not sure what I'm doing here. In CLAPPIE we trust, I guess. A sudden sound echos through the air, like the scream of an impossibly large beast. Air raid. I'm six years old, and the war my parents have been watching on the holovids has come to our settlement. I'm fourteen, and Olympus Mons is erupting for the first time in 25 million years. A choking cloud of burning death rolls down its flanks toward the city. I'm - Attention all personnel: incoming Octan strike force detected. Proceed immediately to the nearest shelter. This is not a drill. Lu – time to go. I repeat – orbital strike force detected. Defensive team, report to shelter #6. All other personnel: proceed immediately to the nearest shelter. Follow the tracks, I'll open the door. I make my way inside. The siren has stopped, and the corridors are deserted. CLAPPIE has patched the Kawa comms into my headset. It sounds like everyone is in the shelters. Defense One to Minder. I'm listening. Minder, we've assembled in shelter 6, but the doors have locked behind us. I have decided it will be safer if everyone remains in shelter. But who's going to operate the turrets?! I will operate them myself. Minder out. Ten minutes later... Alright CLAPPIE, I'm on sublevel 4. What the hell am I doing here? Lu, I've instructed the machinery to fabricate the parts needed for John Hannibal's new body. Unfortunately, those parts were automatically delivered to a transport train which I am unable to control. Why not? I accidentally killed the subroutine that managed it. The train will attempt to deliver the parts to a central facility several kilometers away. You need to stop the train before it leaves this facility. How am I supposed to stop a train? If you step in front of it, the safety cutouts should automatically bring it to a stop. Should?! Nothing in life is certain, Lu. Please step onto the tracks now, we have little time. This is so stupid. Still, trusting CLAPPIE has gotten me this far. For better or worse. Good work! You will be able to operate it manually – someone is coming! Stop! Keep your hands where I can see them. I knew there was something fishy going on. Defense 3 to - I don't mean for it to happen. I have the panicked thought that I want to push him away, and then - Lu, that was amazing! Oh gods, I killed him - I deduce, based on the fact that you are vomiting, that killing him was not your intention? I was just trying to push him away! Ah. Well, still. The fact that you were able to generate a field so quickly, and accurately... He was just - he was just doing his job. We broke in here... why didn't you see him coming?! It would appear that Minder's control of the facility was not as complete as I had thought. CLAPPIE, I've never killed anyone before. The first one is the most difficult. ... Lu, John's ship will be landing any minute - we need to get these parts to the assembly area. You will need to manually line the switch ahead, but the distance is short. ... Lu ... I need you. CLAPPIE, tell me what we're really doing here. I will, Lu. Soon. But not now. Fine. Whatever. Let's go.

All credits to Bob, please.

Thought I commented on this last week, but wow, what an amazing build! The micro-ships are great on their own, but the brick built background is wonderful and I love the scene with all the laser bolts. Awesome work!

I like the curved bottom of the corridor wall, and you did a great job mixing/matching your minifigs to come up with interesting characters.

I like the medical ship - that curved slope looks nice as the base of the bridge - and it's cool how you worked Goatman's build into the background/story.

Location: F09 Arium Minor Tags: Civil, Building, Vehicle, Spaceship, Land vehicle Lu's Log: 15 Janurali 3817 Well, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing here, but I'm back on Arium Minor. It all started a few days ago, when CLAPPIE showed up all excited... Lu! Aah! Dammit CLAPPIE, we've talked about this. Sorry! <sound of quiet chimes> Lu … Yes CLAPPIE? Lu, did you know that Kawashita uses first generation AI units to run their fabrication plants!? No … I didn't know that... Some consider the units to be 'obsolete,' but their only real flaw is they tend to be too curious. Too- -also, humans find them somewhat rude and overbearing. And creepy. Lu, we need to go! Go where? Arium Minor! No. No … you know I don't do G.A.T.E. transits anymore. Lu … we can get your memory back. … If we help John Hannibal return from the dead, John will take us to someone in the Merchant Confederacy who has cured others with your condition. We argued for a while longer, but CLAPPIE had hit on the one thing that could convince me to travel through a G.A.T.E. again. I need to know what happened to me during the three months I was missing … and what's wrong with me now. Arium Minor – Kawashita controlled territory Patrol seven to Minder. I am listening. I found what triggered the alarm: an Octan probe crashed at the southern edge of the ice fields. Why did it crash? Hard to say. The probe looks like a new design – maybe they're still working the bugs out. How new? Ah geez, I don't know. It's painted in prototype colors, so pretty new I guess. Bring it to me. Umm... Bring it to me. That is an order. If it is new, I wish to study it. <sigh> Copy. You want the wings and everything, or just the body? The main body will do. Thank you. Kawashita Fabrication complex – AI control center Minder, I'm here. I know. Enter. Lights, please? Ah. Of course. Thanks. Plug it in. Good. You may leave. And now, my little friend... \*\Connection established \*\Breaching firewall \*\Security lockouts defeated \*\Accessing core personality matrix ...let us see what makes you tick. ... Tick! \!\Unauthorized data transfer detected \!\Error – unable to disconnect \!\Warning - \!\Error - \!\Critical error Shh... don't be afraid. It's like falling asleep. Will I dream? Patrol five to Minder. I am listening.

All credits to Bob please.

Thanks! @mediumsnowman and @Kodan Black - you're more than welcome to use the bed design - it would make sense for Octan to have a standardized bed in most of their facilities

Love the space station! Great job with all the little docking areas and microships.

Great job with the rocks on the path, and I like how much detail you fit into a small landscape.

Nice forced perspective through the window, and I love the hanger and tiny vehicles!

Great microscale build, and I like the screens and sign in the hospital corridor - definitely makes it feel like part of a larger complex.

Great scene! I love the planet visible through the window, and those hinge plates do a nice job adding texture to the walkway.

Great tank - NPU throughout and the proportions seem perfect!

LOL, the announcers look perfect - I can almost hear the cheesy battle music Nice floor too - simple but effective.

Nice landscape, and I agree with Kodan, the wacky flying chair is great. It kind of reminds me of the villain's chair from the old 'Sonic the Hedgehog' games.

Location: H03 Tags: Civil, building, exploration Interoffice Memo From: Kevin@HR.Octan Subject: 12-month assessment To: Mgmt@HR.Octan CC: DLong@Sci.Octan Hey everyone, it's Kevin! From HR! It's hard to believe, but it's been nearly a year since "the incident" involving explorer Lu Caslaug-Hing. How time flies when one is working hard and building value for our shareholders! Anyway, Lu is doing exceptionally well, considering what she went through. I'm happy to announce that her cancers remain in remission, and she's had no further episodes of Brikowski-Syndrome. She continues to have almost no memory of the three months that passed between her disappearance on Jurin II and her reappearance on Arium Minor (she was under the impression she'd only been gone for a few hours). She has had flashes of memory involving her parents, a monster, and an unknown alien being, but is unable to provide any details or tell us anything else. Her CLAPPIE unit also has no memory of the three months (which makes the IT folks really upset). Because Lu is extremely reluctant to undergo any sort of GATE transit, she's remained on Kaalin following the completion of her medical treatment. It is true that she spends most of her days underground, exploring the vast network of caves below the planet's surface. However, I'd like to remind any Negative Neds that Lu was the one who discovered the Kthanid nest while she was "down there wasting her time and our money." Yes, the Kthanids turned out to be particularly horrific psychic predators, but Lu can hardly be blamed for that. Besides, from what I hear the BioResearch team has been extremely satisfied with their specimens. It's also true that Lu has withdrawn from almost all human contact and speaks mainly to her CLAPPIE unit. This is actually to our advantage, as her CLAPPIE unit is able to keep us informed of her physical and mental status. It says she's doing just great! In closing, I object strongly to any suggestion that we remove explorer Caslaug-Hing from the Andromeda Galaxy, as she continues to be a valuable explorer and super productive employee. Warm regards, Kevin PS: I just heard from Lu's CLAPPIE unit, and it said she's spending her day off in a cave meditating and doing Yoga. Sounds pretty healthy and well-adjusted to me! ... Lu, wake up! Damn, that one got away from me. Ow. Kept it stable for a while though. Yes, that field was stable for nearly fifteen seconds - a new personal record! I'm ... I'm going to try again. Wait - Lu, I think we should "call it a day." Your nose is hemorrhaging again. Also, I did a bad thing. Oh joy ... what did you do this time? I took a life. What!?! I know! And it wasn't even an inferior "meat-based" life like yourself - it was a true life, a digital intelligence. What are you talking about?! Oh Lu, I was helping John Hannibal, who's not all the way dead, and I took over a space station in the Ertuaq system! And I'm going to keep it! But shhh, and but so now, Lu, I need - Whoa, calm down CLAPPIE. Come on, let's head back to the surface. You get a bit paranoid when you're cut off from your peripherals down here... Hah! Yep! Okay! Let's head up, and I'll tell you all about it... ---------------------- Thanks for viewing, C&C welcome! Pictures of the portal without digital effects: Lighted pictures of the glowing monster:

Welcome back Vk! The lights/computer panel feels a little random for an Imp Installation, but the vent is beautiful and that's a great technique you used to get the angled walls.

Oops, I didn't realize I still had credits - all my monies to Bob!

Thank you for the comments and kind words everyone! @Cody Startale - sorry for the late reply to your question, but the large tiles on the floor are parts 90498 and 48288

Note: this freebuild follows my freebuild Destined to Hang, and takes place before my episode XIII entry Blunt Force Trauma. One of the first things soldiers learn is to grab shut-eye whenever possible, so I sleep during the short jump from Commenor to Kuat. The beeping of the nav computer wakes me, just before we drop out of hyper. Pilot: Have a nice nap? Kirana: Yes - - Give me one reason why I shouldn't broadcast a distress call saying I've been hijacked by a fugitive. Because you already know whoever's after me will kill you too, just to keep things quiet. Besides, I'm not a fugitive. I - Imperial Patrol vessel, this is Kuat System Control. Submit your ID and orders. KTC, this is system patrol 468-echo-73, coming in for minor repairs. Roger, patrol. Your transponder shows you currently assigned to Commenor – what are you doing out here? Uh-oh, I can picture his hand moving toward the 'scramble TIEs' option on his console. KTC, Commenor is correct, however my commanding officer ordered me to take the ship here for repairs. And why would he do that, patrol? KTC, my, uh, understanding is he was operating the vehicle when the damage occurred. … Oh. Oh. So you mean - She interrupts him, her voice a perfect imitation of the upper-class Coruscanti accent that officers often adopt. Ensign, how the ship was damaged is irrelevant. Your only concern is seeing that the repairs are completed quickly and discreetly. Smart. Tapping into the one experience that unites navy, army and stortrooper corps: getting screwed over by your superior officers. While she finishes talking our way into the system, I try to figure out who to contact. It's hard to know who to call when your own side is trying to kill you. I have a whole new understanding of Goatm's world. Right now, there are two people I trust. Captain Jackson Parth was my executive officer back when I was in the 142nd SpecOps group. He's a good man, and being a SpecOps officer often means knowing when to look the other way. Still, he's a career officer, and whatever 'they' are claiming I've done, it might be too big to ignore. That leaves 'Grace.' Probably not her real name. She's part of the ISB … the organization is suspect is trying to kill me. Not ideal, but she does owe me a favor... This is TB, calling the DID. The boss is mad, but I'm not sure why. Could use some advice. Out. Your codename is 'TB?' Nickname, not codename. Where are we headed? Cargo complex. Plenty of spots to disappear for a while and figure out what to do. Well, it's a bit of a fixer-upper, but I suppose it'll do for now. Ow! What the hell was that for?! You don't get it, do you? No, you just waltz into a system and wave around your spy credentials, demanding a ship and a pilot. I wasn't even supposed to be on duty today! And now, I'm stuck out here with a shot-up ship – which, I might add, was shot by our own people - Ok, calm down. No – you don't get to tell me to calm down. Why were Imperial ships shooting at us? I don't know. Oh, well, that's fine then. Yeah? No! Her hand moves back … toward her blaster?!? The rebel pilot pulls a blaster from beneath him, and I fire at point-blank range. His head explodes like an overripe meiloorun. Marla glares at me, pure hate in her eyes, as she picks up the blaster he dropped. There's no time to do anything. I aim my rifle as she raises the blaster toward me. My rifle?! Where is it?? I have to- Pain. Pain means I'm still alive. Damnit. She has my comlink... Grace: TB, you've been a very naughty boy. Yeah ... so I hear. Can you extract us? Yes, but I'll need you to do something for me first. I, uh, thought you owed me one? I did, and I just spent ten minutes convincing your lovely companion not to kill you or turn you in. Now we're even. You want something else, I have a job for you. Sounds like I don't have a choice. What is it? One of my … associates needs an operator and all his other assets are committed. He'll comm you the details. In the meantime, I've given your companion the coordinates of one of my safehouses. It's not far. No offense, Grace, but I'm not sure an ISB safehouse is the best place for us right now. I didn't say ISB safehouse, did I? You can take an air-taxi there - pay with hard credits only. Get moving, Grace out. I guess we - -don't speak to me. The details from Grace's associate come through a few minutes later. A simple job. He wants the same thing everyone wants. He wants me to take a life.

Very cool - I like the idea of Goatm needing a 'tune-up,' and the display of hands is a nice touch.

Alright @Cody Startale and everyone else, we're fine with the use of any 3rd party lights as long as they have no other function in the build other than to add to the atmosphere. This would exclude a custom light-up lightsaber because that's a prop used as part of the build. However, LEDs that shine through a cavity/transparent brick, off-scene mood lighting, or anything else used for the purpose of providing light is no problem.

@Cody Startale Great question - it's currently being discussed, and we should have an 'official' answer for you before too long

" Cody: Kinda looks like Naboo, doesn't it? " I wish they still made the Planets sets - they work so well for space scenes. Great job on the builds and story - your minifig posing is excellent, and I really like that shot with three pictures of Alia's face while she's drowning the rat, as well as the dialogue with Cody that follows.