Drunkard's Walk Forums

This is a result of my old Cyborg character rattling his cage and noticing that the Nanoha-verse lends itself very well to multi-crossoverness.
Jail Scaglietti had been working on cybernetics for quite a while.  So long that I wonder if he didn't create a prototype himself before Subaru and Ginga came along.
Non-administrated world #97 seems like a good place to lie low.  TSAB doesn't hang around there and there's plenty of subjects that won't be missed, as far as Scaglietti's concerned.
He makes two mistakes.  One: he gave this kid way too much dakka (special ability - Integration: capable of integrating any weapon system into his body).  Two: he's one stubborn, willfull, and willy little wildcat.  He did at least make sure that the subject never really saw him.  Given that the subject was rescued by Lindy Harlaown (at this time an XO, just back from maternity leave, and her ship's attention caught by the top-shelf mage- and mass-powered fireworks), that could have led to nasty things later on down the road.
Lindy considered herself lucky.  Her strong maternal instincts were the only thing that was able to get through to the very angry, slightly disturbed, heavily armed, and obsurdly powerful child-turned-combat-cyborg.  She then has to fight the Admiralty to keep the boy from being 'decommisioned' as they put it.  Instead, he is disarmed of his weapon systems, returned to his grateful family, and is visited by TSAB agents on a regular basis for counceling.  Also, they talk to his parents about bringing him to Midchilda for mage training... as well as the rest of his brothers since they all got great potential.
Eventually, he becomes an Enforcer that specializes in dealing with unusual situations and first-contacts.  And he loves his job.  (This is where the multi-crossoverness comes into play.)
"The scenery changes, I meet lots of interesting people, and I get to use exlposives.  How cool is that?"
Thoughts?

Funny you should mention children turned into combat cyborgs, because I've just started watching (for the first time, so no spoilers, please) Gunslinger Girl... which is a "good" world for any world-hopping cyborg to visit, right?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Ohhhh yes. Yes indeedy. Especially when that cyborg was himself unduly cyberized as a kid, eh?
I'm still wondering when he's gonna run into Skuld.
Others on the list (note that they become 'reservists' that he can call upon on an official or a favor-for-favor basis):
- Vash The Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood (oh yes, gonna save his sorry ass, because he is that cool)
- Gally/Alita (screw it, he's gonna wind up marrying her)
- Knight Sabers (oh yeah... They's in fer'n upgrade)
- Various Jedi Knights (when the council first balks at training Anakin, he gets snapped up by the Midchildans)
- Adml James T. Kirk (Starfleet armada off the port bow)
- The Nerima Wrecking Crew (its like hitting someone with a Happy Fun Ball)
- The Senshi (playing the Sensei role all over again)
- The BPRD
- The Hellsing Organization
- The Scoobies (tentative - never got to sit down and watch all of Buffy)
- Macross/Robotech (the eggheads were wondering where the hell that engine had come from)
Any other ideas?
ETA: Oh yeah!
- The Humankind Abh Empire (hopefully he can avoid starting a war)

Mai-HiME comes to mind, if only because a fight between him and Miyu sounds freaking awesome.

Quote:(special ability - Integration: capable of integrating any weapon system into his body).

Quote:- Knight Sabers (oh yeah... They's in fer'n upgrade)

Assuming that his being "disarmed of his weapon's systems" doesn't involve completely removing the integration ability, it would be funny/awful if the Knight Sabers thought that he was a fusion boomer. Considering their past experiences with such, they'd probably be more likely to shoot first and ask questions later. *grin*

Quote:HoagieOfDoom wrote:

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Quote:(special ability - Integration: capable of integrating any weapon system into his body).

Quote:- Knight Sabers (oh yeah... They's in fer'n upgrade)

Assuming that his being "disarmed of his weapon's systems" doesn't involve completely removing the integration ability, it would be funny/awful if the Knight Sabers thought that he was a fusion boomer. Considering their past experiences with such, they'd probably be more likely to shoot first and ask questions later. *grin*

Oh yeah, that's gonna be fun.  This one's gonna run a bit like DWII, only a little more explodey.  In fact, three words come to mind: Therapy no Jutsu.  AKA Befriending - Nanoha ain't the only one that's got a market on it. 
Hrm...  Interesting thing: his cybernetic body has the ability to grant everything it's own power sub-system.  For example, his big mage-tech anti-material weapon will have a capacitor that is seperate from all the other weapons so it can charge for a shot while he's in the middle of running and gunning.
Also, on his Integration ability... he's not exactly like a Fusion Boomer.  In order for him to take control of a larger mechanism (say, a vehicle) it has to have a certain degree of automation.  Smaller craft he can control easily.  Something even as large as a scout ship, though, will need an automated engine room and such for him to control effectively, otherwise he can only work one system at a time.
That said... God help you if he ever gets to an armory.

Quote:Jail Scaglietti had been working on cybernetics for quite a while. So long that I wonder if he didn't create a prototype himself before Subaru and Ginga came along.

Quote:He makes two mistakes. One: he gave this kid way too much dakka (special ability - Integration: capable of integrating any weapon system into his body).

Quote:In order for him to take control of a larger mechanism (say, a vehicle) it has to have a certain degree of automation. Smaller craft he can control easily. Something even as large as a scout ship, though, will need an automated engine room and such for him to control effectively, otherwise he can only work one system at a time.

Oh, dear Belldandy...

This kid is the prototype for Vivio. A failed prototype for her, or else Scaglietti wouldn't have needed Vivio to control the Cradle, but still her prototype.

Does she know she has a big brother?

Edit: Considering that he and Fate were both adopted by Lindy, he's Vivio's big brother and uncle at the same time. That must make family reunions awkward...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Well, given that he teaches Nanoha-chan about 'Befriending' (not that she needed any help in the first place - mostly the fine art of DRIVING!*POW!* THE!*POW!* POINT!*POW!* HOME!*POW!* WITH!*POW!* EVERY!*POW!* SINGLE!*POW!* IMPACT!*BA-DA-BOOM!*)...
"Ah, Nanoha?"
"Yes?"
"Not that I am offended in the least, but why is she calling me 'Aniki'?"
Oh, and because TSAB with Tachikomas just tickles me, Ghost in the Shell is on the list now. 

Quote:"Not that I am offended in the least, but why is she calling me 'Aniki'?"

"I'm sorry. I'll ask her to call you 'niisan' instead."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Actually, wasn't the Cradle specifically constructed/keyed to react only the the Sankt Kaiser itself? In that case, Jail just needed a body with the right genes, not something with an integration ability or cybernetics.

Quote:robkelk wrote:

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Quote:"Not that I am offended in the least, but why is she calling me 'Aniki'?"

"I'm sorry. I'll ask her to call you 'niisan' instead."

LOL!
BTW: Failed prototype?  I'd say that he was just a prototype - period.  Proof of concept even, that a successful combat cyborg was possible.  And this was proven when TSAB couldn't stop him at the time and it took Lindsy to talk him down before people really started getting killed.
Anyhow, he would have needed certain genetics from the Belkans to fulfil the role that Vivio filled.  Whoop!  Hoagie beat me to the punch.
  

Oh, yes... There's a world where a vastly different sort of augmentation is performed on humans so that they can fight, and in that world is a young girl who's been given both that augmentation and so much mental conditioning (from birth, no less) that she occasionally seems to have no personality of her own left. What happens when Our Gallant Hero meets Ruri Hoshino of the Nadesico?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

robkelk Wrote:Oh, yes... There's a world where a vastly different sort of augmentation is performed on humans so that they can fight, and in that world is a young girl who's been given both that augmentation and so much mental conditioning (from birth, no less) that she occasionally seems to have no personality of her own left. What happens when Our Gallant Hero meets Ruri Hoshino of the Nadesico?

The Dead-Pan Humor Snark-Off.
  

HoagieOfDoom Wrote:Actually, wasn't the Cradle specifically constructed/keyed to react only the the Sankt Kaiser itself? In that case, Jail just needed a body with the right genes, not something with an integration ability or cybernetics.

Easy enough to get around. This was Jail's first plan - get someone who could take control of it without having the right genes.
When that failed, he went to Plan B, which was to get a source of the right genes and make Vivio.
Of course, we all know how well that worked out..
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Quote:ECSNorway wrote:

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Quote:HoagieOfDoom wrote:

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Actually, wasn't the Cradle specifically constructed/keyed to react only the the Sankt Kaiser itself? In that case, Jail just needed a body with the right genes, not something with an integration ability or cybernetics.

Easy enough to get around. This was Jail's first plan - get someone who could take control of it without having the right genes.

Yep.  And he made the mistake of not counting on the anger issues of an eight-year-old boy that suddenly found himself in possession of enough firepower to level a modest city-state. 
That said... I think he wasn't the only one getting counceling afterwards. (o_o)  The whole family was pretty dysfunctional at the time, but it was all pretty much a package deal when the one that wants them all to stick together is a kid that can go Fusion Boomer on your ass.
Anyhow, it strikes me as a logical process.  First he tries with an existing person, but emotional baggage proves to be far too chaotic to deal with.  After the heat Scaglietti gets from the Admiralty in keeping his involvement in that mess covered up, he lets things cool off for a decade or so until he creates the Numbers - this time starting from scratch with Artificial Mages like himself.
Follow up with a royal bot-whoopin' when the Original Prototype gets on the scene, with assistance from those who would become Riot Force 6, and the help of a few other friends from out of town (refer to the list previously supplied, then pick and choose).  Shake and then serve after igniting. 

I think we have at least the beginning of a plot outline here - enough to get started, at least.

Is the story going to be written before, after, or at the same time as DSKSWDYHMS?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

About at the same time. I'd like to get a little more done on DSKS, at least the first story arc, before I start working on this new project.
But as for a plot... Not as much as I'd like, really, but we can fix that.
The first chapter we'll spend meeting Matteus and somewhat younger Lindsy. Part of me wanted to make her an early-mid-teens version, but post-motherhood-Lindsy works better for the story.
In subsequent chapters we meet his very much dysfunctional-but-stuck-together-like-glue family, as well as witness Lindsy's battle against the Admiralty and Scaglietti's scathing reprimand.
And then, of course, comes some mild angst as the root problems within the family are dealt with, followed by his acceptance into the academy on Midchilda, thus concluding the first arc.
Second arc begins with events leading up to Matteus's graduation. His time there hasn't been easy because he's stubborn to a fault (Still!) and about as willy as they come. Before his graduation, witness his grand going-away prank. Some will laugh, some will scream in outrage, and a few will weep and lament that the academy is never going to be the same again.
The Prank had such a profound affect on everyone that it even reverberated up in the echelons of the Admiralty. The boy was a disruptive influence, no doubt about it, and yet he was undeniably useful. What to do with such an asset? Stick him on the frontier and hope he doesn't start a war! Crossoverness begins as he visits stange new worlds and makes new allies for the TSAB.
There will be a small 'sub-arc' (probably a series of short stories) where Matteus spends time with Nanoha, giving her the 'appropriate' training for a 'proper Midchildan Enforcer'. She's got a good idea of how its done, but the finer points are a bit lacking, such as knowing when to kick 'em when they're down. She's a sweet kid, really, but follow-through is important.
"Look, I'm not saying you gotta be a nasty person, but sometimes you have to take a step back and think, Is this person gonna stop? And will I have the energy to stop them later if I don't do so now? Remember, Nanoha. To protect the ones you love the most, ruthlesness has its place on the battlefield."
His education leads to somewhat different outcomes in the second season, for which he's not around to share in... but he's done his part already.
The third arc will be Matteus spending more time on the frontier, only he gets lost after getting caught in a sort of time/space storm.  He's certain that he can make his way back, but from what he can tell he's pretty far off the beaten path.  On this journey, he finds Gally/Alita and falls in love with her.  And for that love he raises all kinds of hell, up to and including establishing a democratic government in the name of the TSAB. (That's gonna be one hell of a report right there.)
He also makes some very good friends, one of whom is Skuld, who likes him so much that she claims him as one of her own.  And he just stumbles across all kinds of awesomeness before he finally makes it back home, plus a few new friends/family members.  (Fun thought: Alita establishing a Panzer Kunst school on Midchilda.  Can you imagine Vita, among others, learning the Art of the Armored Fist?)
Later arcs will simply be the legacy of Matteus as his children (as well as some of his nephews and nieces) go to the Academy and have their own adventures.  And no, the Academy will simply never-ever be the same. 
And that's all I really have in mind for now. Most of the info I have that isn't based on the first and second seasons I snagged from the web. I have downloaded everything up to Strikers, though. Just waiting for a chance to sit down and watch it all.

I'm not sure about having Alita settle down long enough to form a school... she'll get caught up in something and while she'd have an easy time attracting students it'll break character for them not to get mulched at some point.  That and we are talking about a grandmaster level fighter with a tendency to chop off her own body parts and take down things that Belldandy would have to remove her seals to take.  that and we are talking about churning out anti-army weapons at even brown belt levels here.  I think its more likely that she'll constantly have people trying to get her to teach not realizing just what they are asking for.  I mean learning even one actual move of Panzer Kunst can make a cyborg into someone that will be at the level of one of Knives generals.
Considering her back story your going to have a lot of things to deal with from her baggage... I'm not sure how much of Battle Angel you've read through (or Last Order for that matter) but just with her robot clones and the inevitable evil side clone mess, though I that group/entity will actually expect the nuclear armed, suicide paratrooper, one woman army they end up dealing with.  One who will likely make a good (if not successful) attempt to off her summoner.  Yoko is not exactly the kind to cooperate.  On the other hand... you could probably melt some people's brains if she ever explains to the crew of Nadesco why she doesn't like to make claim to her Martian heritage...  we are talking about a group that got her to grab a nuke and do an orbital cannonball into a heavily populated city voluntarily.
I mean I'm pretty sure that anyone reading her in detail back story will likely make her take daily counseling sessions, for the next 900 years... or try to at least.  I mean she should not be able to integrate into a civil society anywhere near that stably.  That or she'll end raising anyone tyke bombs they run across... I mean between the tech from her original adopted home world and the fact she manages actually retain sanity is amazing... that she can be normal for years and only doing something stupid like killing (or attempting to infront of her) her friends and family is going to set her into hunter killer mode.  Mental health professionals are going to be stalking her... and that will be before they figure out her tendency to respawn.

Okay, I've read all of BAA and quite a bit of Last Order... and that's not quite how it came off to me. For one thing, Yoko never knew about the contents of the software package she uploaded into Melchezedec(sp?)... and she felt horribly guilty about it once the full accounting of the damage caused was explained to her. And the Orbital Canonball thing was supposed to be her death-sentence - a Ketheres equivilant to the Tipharean practice of casting out criminals through the Dust Chamber.
You see, the thing you have to remember about Last Order is that it is Kishiro's Director's Cut of BAA - the original published ending was not to his liking and happened due to dealines and budget cuts. Last Order picks up at a point after Professor Desty Nova blew her up with a bomb and rebuilds her in Tiphares.
And the closest she comes to being truly off her rocker is while she's dealing with the 'ghost' of Colonal Pein in Last Order... and even then it's just a pretty severe case of angst. And angst happens to be one of Matteus's specialties.
As for her school, I don't think Alita would be so irresponsible as to teach someone she or Matteus feel would turn against them. The curiculum will be strictly limited and depend on the degree of responsibility a student shows and not the level of mastery (though that counts, too). And because the power levels involved here exceed the 'Nerima Wrecking Crew' level and go on to the 'DBZ Zone', the number of students is going to be limited. Probably just their kids and a couple of trustworthy friends like members of Riot Force 6.
Also I'm convinced that the one to look out for is Aga Mbadi.  He convinced his 'old friend' Caerula Sanguis to stay and compete in the ZOT, telling her that with her team they, "could be champions."  That was a pretty damn long-shot, at best.  After seeing the Venus and Jovian Union seed teams that Toji's team and Alita's had to fight through to get to the finals...  There was just no way the Stellar Nursery would have made it.

Weapons integration?

Oh come now, how can you _not_ have him meet Mega-Man? >.>

Unfortunately, I've never played the Megaman games... (^_^ Really oughta one of these days, eh?

One, I think your underestimating how much people are going to read into her back story file... I mean true or not is subjective and 'common sense' is going dictate that even if she isn't lieing, or misremembering what happened, her existence is full of horrible, horrible things that have happened to her and around her.  She should be a complete basket case.  Ignoring the massive psychological trauma she has largely shrugged off and actually dealt with and that... Then think about how many issues she has had with authority figures... her list of jobs (government head hunter, blood sport racing star (which is likely to be the single best documented portion of her life), government assassin... then things get really weird)... all the freaky body mods and whatever that crazy, flan obsessed Nova guy has done to her... and the medtechs and head shrinks are gong to have a field day with her.
Add in she fought largely so it could all go white (seriously berserker mode there)... let alone the actual explanation: "By flipping out like a ninja and chopping off people's heads, I was actually reforging neural pathways (damaged by getting shot down during a nuclear, orbital cannonball attempt (brainwashing made me do it... no I'm dead serious) and spending something like 200 years in a garbage heap on barely acquit life support.". and of course her trying to explain that she is from some hell future Earth that was stuck is a solar system run by crazy immortal people and how she changed the solar system by participating in a killer game show.
She'll run into the same problem people do trying to explain Negima without making it sound wrong.
Not being completely aware of most of those cyborgs you mentioned, I can't make specific comments on them, but remember that you are talking about a combat style for full conversion cyborgs and lots of those moves can give you brain damage and make you go crazy.  It also take a long, long time to train you to competent level.
On a different note... seeing the tech involved in Alita's later bodies might explain what Light was going for with the X project.  All in all keeping a lid on the tech from Alita's home solar system is going to be a nightmare.  The sheer easy immortality can be obtained there is just horrifying.  you could probably make the second half of the plot dealing with immortalfied dimension hopping nutcases going around inter dimensionally  wreaking havoc and running into the people who have to deal with them.  Trying to extract there agent from that solar system is going to be a mess...

Oh, you're talking about how other people are gonna view her? Well, I don't see it as being a big issue.

For one, she's not gonna work for TSAB. You're right, she's got authority issues and she's not simply gonna take up government work. If anything, she'll probably want to take up her only other passion aside from Martial Arts: Music.

Second: her origins are gonna be covered up by TSAB. More on why later, but it has a lot to do with what you mentioned about how messed up their world is. Suffice to say that the only ones that are gonna know will be trusted friends and allies such as Riot Force 6.

Really, all Alita has ever wanted was to go bury herself in the sweet cream of life somewhere. We see this when Professor Desty Nova pulls a 'Matrix' on Alita. Granted, it wasn't really her ideal life (she's a little more adventurous), but her hatred of Nova was cemented that day when he gave her a taste of life that was so idyllic. It can be argued that she has always wanted it that way - an escape from violence, if only for brief respites. This is what really drives her.

With Matteus involved, things will move much differently. Alita has someone she can battle against as an equal and a friend, re-awakening lost memories (and hopefully the better ones) with blows traded for fun and sharpening their abilities. For example, remember her time battling Jashugan? Those were some of her most productive times in terms of recovering lost memories, and she would forever think of Jashugan as great and worthy warrior - the only one that ever bested her without leaving her embarrassed.

Thanks to this thread over in the General Discussion forum... I've decided that my character's Intelligent Device is going to be this bad boy.
It also provides a little more action for the first story arc.  It was originally a design by Scaglietti.  With its AMF properties, he wanted a little insurance against his pet project in case things got too dicey.  Unfortunately for him, it went way beyond dicey and Matteus somehow got his hands on the damn thing, turning it into a shoulder-mounted heavy weapon.
Interestingly enough, the AI for the ID was incomplete at the time.  When he interfaced with its incomplete system his neural net got copied over and hard-coded.  The end result is an ID unlike any other.  It does not simply follow orders and react.  It has complex problem solving intelligence.  It not only feels emotions, but emotes them clearly.
Matteus, having nothing but brothers, always wished for a sister.  The ID ran with this, making its persona into the twin sister he never had.  Ergo, the device's name given by Matteus: Little Sister.  (Hey little sister, shotgun!)  And because they both think on the same wavelength, the synchronization between the two is utterly flawless.
Scaglietti and the Admiralty know that they have an incredibly dangerous weapon on their hands.  The term 'Loose Canon' applies quite aptly, and they strive to deal with him as such, first through beauracratics and then later on through outright force.  Of course, that's just covered up by the Admiralty.  Rogues and all.  What can you do with them?
Later, the technology is reverse engineered, and we know the rest. 

malformed link...
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

The site has an anti-hotlinking thing, apparently.  Here's their approved forum thumbnail.

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Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.