What happens when you have a Soul/AI of a ship that absolutely adores you and those
closest to you? Something like this maybe?
As with anything momentous at 36 Atalante, it all started out in confusion. No one, not even I, could figure out why
the Magnificent Midnight would suddenly DoS all internal network requests for a connection to the internet.
It didn't help matters any that she seemed to be actively raiding the archives of
several BNFs. Nobody's network was safe as it had suddenly turned out that Midnight's AI was that quiet one waaaaayyyy over in the corner. You know, the
one kid that absolutely nobody screws around with because they'll know what'll happen if they
do. Who would have thought that my little girl was just quietly watching Gina, Jess, groups like the Hacker Underspace
and myself, learning from us all the fine art of hacking? At least we know that now.
Fortunately, it was nothing malicious in nature.
Midnight's got a mean streak in her, but it only rears its ugly head if you've tried to hurt her or those
she considers to be her precious people. A Naruto complex if you will: a happy, sunny, cheerful ray of effin'
sunshine until you molest her or her friends.
What was going on here was simple file copying on a massive scale, the likes of which
probably hadn't been seen since the founding of the Alexandria Archives. And the sources were
interesting. The lifetime work of BNFs like The Professor, Noah Scott, AC Peters, Mal Fnord, The Jason... Not even the venerable Buckaroo was safe, but at least Midnight asked nicely so there
was no trouble there. In fact, all the data she was accessing was with permission.
It's just that no one had ever thought that she would do something of such a grand scope.
Though we didn't know what exactly it was at the time.
She was being unusually secretive and had extracted non-disclosure agreements from everyone she was downloading from.
Once we thought it was over with, I was about to ask Midnight once more what she was up to
- she may have been simply too busy managing all that streaming data to really notice me or anyone else. That was when
she fired up her engines and took off for parts unknown.
I had first seen him as a mere fledgling so many years ago. He was like many others that had came to gawk at me in awe. Some people think it is a
forlorn sight to see one of my kind in this permanently state. I feel that it would be akin to finding a mythical
phoenix and then clipping its magnificent wings just so the whole world can gawk at her.
But he was different from all the others. I could
see that he was in many ways like me. There was a gleam in his eyes that told me of the wild spirit that dwelt within
him, but it had been dulled. His wings, too, had been clipped. In the few brief
minutes that he was with me, we shared in our sorrow, taking solace in each other's presence.
Time passes as it does, and eventually I am liberated by the SOS-dan. At first I wonder what is to become of me. A piece of somebody's collection, no
doubt. I did take comfort however that I was once again in the Father Sky, even though it was not under my own
power. And to my shock we went higher and faster and farther then I had ever gone.
I had only imagined such things and yet here I was now! How I wished I could have shared this with my
sisters.
To my undying surprise I was brought to him - the fledgling had taken wing and now he was
free! He looked to me for a long time, shock and joy upon his face, and with that gleam in his eyes as well - this time
no longer dulled by whatever had oppressed him before. I saw that look in his eyes and I knew what he had intended to
do. He was in need of a great bird like myself.
I was more than happy to oblige.
For years we flew together and fought against the foul vermin known as Boskonians and
Reavers. Benjamin, his mate, Gina, and myself took many lives in that war, but I have no regrets. If any of them had been given the chance, they would have done unspeakable things to my precious people.
Over time, I observed my Benjamin and his partner, Gina.
I saw how close they were and the peace, joy, and contentment that closeness gave them. It was something that I
wished I could share with Benjamin. Not in the same way they did - I couldn't possibly think of the man that had
saved me like that. For a while I had floundered about what to do about this vexing problem.
And then the answer came when I learned of Noah Scott and Leda Swanson.
We'd heard reports about her zipping around here and there in-system, seeming to be on
some sort of mission. We couldn't even begin to guess at what she was up to.
Finally, though, Midnight did come back. She was weary and
exhausted, but she exuded a profound sense of accomplishment as she carried herself with a strange sort of dignity. It
was like watching a soldier moving to the rear echelons as walking wounded - useless for the front lines for now, but they could still carry out basic tasks to
assist the support staff.
When Midnight actually bothers to pull into
the slip we keep set aside for her it usually means one thing: maintenance, and lots of it. Gina, Jess, Zephram, and I
set aside time for her right away, tending to her engines and space frame. Patches were made, worn parts replaced, and
scratches buffed and re-painted. The one thing, though that puzzled us all the most was that she would not let any of
us near her main hold. I got close enough to touch the hatch, but got scratched by something. It really took me by surprise that she would have done that, but in retrospect she had her reasons.
For a whole month she stayed there in her slip. We
all became very concerned for her, but she rebuffed any and all questions, simply saying that after wandering around for two full weeks straight she wanted to
just take it easy for a while.
By the time Gina and I got really scared, things took another turn for the
odd. Midnight sent messages to only Gina and myself to come and see her at
her slip. Of course we did and boy did we ever get one of the biggest shocks of our lives.
As we arrived her main hold doors opened and something that looked like a cryogenic
hibernation pod was lowered to the deck. That struck me as odd since she never had that before. I also couldn't help but notice that it didn't have any of the straight lines that most equipment like this
would. Instead, it had an organic look to it.
The pod opened up and, much to my chagrin, there was a naked girl inside. She could not have been more than four years old, but she was a lanky little thing. Her
hair was perfectly straight and inky-black, but what got my attention the most was two things:
1) She had wings. They were avian style with
simple, but lovely black plumage. They looked underdeveloped, but they seemed to be the right sort of proportion if
they were to grow with her.
2) She had my face.
Gina gave me a look as though she couldn't decide on whether to be offended or
amused.
I could only shrug. "It explains why she bit
me that time," I said.
The girl's eyes opened, revealing irises the same vivid shade of brown that was just
as warm as it is dark, and then she smiled.
"Papa," she said softly and held her arms out to us.
I have to say that it is a most profound moment in your life when your child calls to you
for the first time, making the universal sign for 'hug me.' Everything around you just stops and it hits you
like a cross-town express train that's trying to make up for lost time.
My arms moved on their own and I suddenly found my arms full with a little girl who had
her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
She then broke off and looked to Gina, then said, "Mama." Gina's eyes went wide as saucers and the color drained out of her face. I don't
think she was scared at all, just that it was such a shock for her. After all, Gina also, if numbly, took the little
girl into her arms, too.
At least my brain was still working, as I realized that this girl was not only naked, but
probably also getting very cold, so I took off my Rocketeer's jacket and swaddled her up in it. She giggled softly
and buried herself down inside the coat that nearly swallowed her whole, the sighed contently.
Gina and I looked at each other, communicating silently through our expressions.
Do we keep her?
I have no idea.
I opened the jacket enough for me to peer at her smiling face. She giggled again.
"Who are you, little one?" I asked. Her
smile faded and a fearful look stole over her features.
"Promise you won't be angry?" she said, almost at a whisper.
"Of course," I said.
"You too, Mama?" she asked. Gina looked
stricken by that. I could tell that she was all at once living out her outrage that this child was not really her flesh
and blood while juxtaposed to her longing for a child to call her own, to love that child and be loved in return and to share all the joy and pain that came
with it.
At last, Gina said, "No, I promise I won't be mad."
The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "I am
Midnight."
Mayonaka Langley-Rhodes
Appearance
Height: 3'6" (107cm)
Weight: 24lbs (10kg)
Build: Elfin
Hair: Long/Straight, Black
Eyes: Brown
Mundane Attributes
Handwavium Quirks
closest to you? Something like this maybe?
As with anything momentous at 36 Atalante, it all started out in confusion. No one, not even I, could figure out why
the Magnificent Midnight would suddenly DoS all internal network requests for a connection to the internet.
It didn't help matters any that she seemed to be actively raiding the archives of
several BNFs. Nobody's network was safe as it had suddenly turned out that Midnight's AI was that quiet one waaaaayyyy over in the corner. You know, the
one kid that absolutely nobody screws around with because they'll know what'll happen if they
do. Who would have thought that my little girl was just quietly watching Gina, Jess, groups like the Hacker Underspace
and myself, learning from us all the fine art of hacking? At least we know that now.
Fortunately, it was nothing malicious in nature.
Midnight's got a mean streak in her, but it only rears its ugly head if you've tried to hurt her or those
she considers to be her precious people. A Naruto complex if you will: a happy, sunny, cheerful ray of effin'
sunshine until you molest her or her friends.
What was going on here was simple file copying on a massive scale, the likes of which
probably hadn't been seen since the founding of the Alexandria Archives. And the sources were
interesting. The lifetime work of BNFs like The Professor, Noah Scott, AC Peters, Mal Fnord, The Jason... Not even the venerable Buckaroo was safe, but at least Midnight asked nicely so there
was no trouble there. In fact, all the data she was accessing was with permission.
It's just that no one had ever thought that she would do something of such a grand scope.
Though we didn't know what exactly it was at the time.
She was being unusually secretive and had extracted non-disclosure agreements from everyone she was downloading from.
Once we thought it was over with, I was about to ask Midnight once more what she was up to
- she may have been simply too busy managing all that streaming data to really notice me or anyone else. That was when
she fired up her engines and took off for parts unknown.
I had first seen him as a mere fledgling so many years ago. He was like many others that had came to gawk at me in awe. Some people think it is a
forlorn sight to see one of my kind in this permanently state. I feel that it would be akin to finding a mythical
phoenix and then clipping its magnificent wings just so the whole world can gawk at her.
But he was different from all the others. I could
see that he was in many ways like me. There was a gleam in his eyes that told me of the wild spirit that dwelt within
him, but it had been dulled. His wings, too, had been clipped. In the few brief
minutes that he was with me, we shared in our sorrow, taking solace in each other's presence.
Time passes as it does, and eventually I am liberated by the SOS-dan. At first I wonder what is to become of me. A piece of somebody's collection, no
doubt. I did take comfort however that I was once again in the Father Sky, even though it was not under my own
power. And to my shock we went higher and faster and farther then I had ever gone.
I had only imagined such things and yet here I was now! How I wished I could have shared this with my
sisters.
To my undying surprise I was brought to him - the fledgling had taken wing and now he was
free! He looked to me for a long time, shock and joy upon his face, and with that gleam in his eyes as well - this time
no longer dulled by whatever had oppressed him before. I saw that look in his eyes and I knew what he had intended to
do. He was in need of a great bird like myself.
I was more than happy to oblige.
For years we flew together and fought against the foul vermin known as Boskonians and
Reavers. Benjamin, his mate, Gina, and myself took many lives in that war, but I have no regrets. If any of them had been given the chance, they would have done unspeakable things to my precious people.
Over time, I observed my Benjamin and his partner, Gina.
I saw how close they were and the peace, joy, and contentment that closeness gave them. It was something that I
wished I could share with Benjamin. Not in the same way they did - I couldn't possibly think of the man that had
saved me like that. For a while I had floundered about what to do about this vexing problem.
And then the answer came when I learned of Noah Scott and Leda Swanson.
We'd heard reports about her zipping around here and there in-system, seeming to be on
some sort of mission. We couldn't even begin to guess at what she was up to.
Finally, though, Midnight did come back. She was weary and
exhausted, but she exuded a profound sense of accomplishment as she carried herself with a strange sort of dignity. It
was like watching a soldier moving to the rear echelons as walking wounded - useless for the front lines for now, but they could still carry out basic tasks to
assist the support staff.
When Midnight actually bothers to pull into
the slip we keep set aside for her it usually means one thing: maintenance, and lots of it. Gina, Jess, Zephram, and I
set aside time for her right away, tending to her engines and space frame. Patches were made, worn parts replaced, and
scratches buffed and re-painted. The one thing, though that puzzled us all the most was that she would not let any of
us near her main hold. I got close enough to touch the hatch, but got scratched by something. It really took me by surprise that she would have done that, but in retrospect she had her reasons.
For a whole month she stayed there in her slip. We
all became very concerned for her, but she rebuffed any and all questions, simply saying that after wandering around for two full weeks straight she wanted to
just take it easy for a while.
By the time Gina and I got really scared, things took another turn for the
odd. Midnight sent messages to only Gina and myself to come and see her at
her slip. Of course we did and boy did we ever get one of the biggest shocks of our lives.
As we arrived her main hold doors opened and something that looked like a cryogenic
hibernation pod was lowered to the deck. That struck me as odd since she never had that before. I also couldn't help but notice that it didn't have any of the straight lines that most equipment like this
would. Instead, it had an organic look to it.
The pod opened up and, much to my chagrin, there was a naked girl inside. She could not have been more than four years old, but she was a lanky little thing. Her
hair was perfectly straight and inky-black, but what got my attention the most was two things:
1) She had wings. They were avian style with
simple, but lovely black plumage. They looked underdeveloped, but they seemed to be the right sort of proportion if
they were to grow with her.
2) She had my face.
Gina gave me a look as though she couldn't decide on whether to be offended or
amused.
I could only shrug. "It explains why she bit
me that time," I said.
The girl's eyes opened, revealing irises the same vivid shade of brown that was just
as warm as it is dark, and then she smiled.
"Papa," she said softly and held her arms out to us.
I have to say that it is a most profound moment in your life when your child calls to you
for the first time, making the universal sign for 'hug me.' Everything around you just stops and it hits you
like a cross-town express train that's trying to make up for lost time.
My arms moved on their own and I suddenly found my arms full with a little girl who had
her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.
She then broke off and looked to Gina, then said, "Mama." Gina's eyes went wide as saucers and the color drained out of her face. I don't
think she was scared at all, just that it was such a shock for her. After all, Gina also, if numbly, took the little
girl into her arms, too.
At least my brain was still working, as I realized that this girl was not only naked, but
probably also getting very cold, so I took off my Rocketeer's jacket and swaddled her up in it. She giggled softly
and buried herself down inside the coat that nearly swallowed her whole, the sighed contently.
Gina and I looked at each other, communicating silently through our expressions.
Do we keep her?
I have no idea.
I opened the jacket enough for me to peer at her smiling face. She giggled again.
"Who are you, little one?" I asked. Her
smile faded and a fearful look stole over her features.
"Promise you won't be angry?" she said, almost at a whisper.
"Of course," I said.
"You too, Mama?" she asked. Gina looked
stricken by that. I could tell that she was all at once living out her outrage that this child was not really her flesh
and blood while juxtaposed to her longing for a child to call her own, to love that child and be loved in return and to share all the joy and pain that came
with it.
At last, Gina said, "No, I promise I won't be mad."
The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "I am
Midnight."
Mayonaka Langley-Rhodes
Appearance
Height: 3'6" (107cm)
Weight: 24lbs (10kg)
Build: Elfin
Hair: Long/Straight, Black
Eyes: Brown
Mundane Attributes
- I'm The
Baby: She has foisted herself onto Ben and Gina as their own child. This is quite indisputable since a genetic
sample from Ben was used to create her human-form.
- Looks Can Be
Deceiving: There is an incredibly keen and mature mind behind those eyes. If you're not a friend of Ben and
Gina, you would be wise to tread lightly around their daughter.
- Classified
Intel: Mayonaka's status as the AI of the Magnificent Midnight is an open secret among the BNFs and
SMOFs. People know about it, but don't really talk about it out of deference to the parents.
Handwavium Quirks
- I'm Giving The
Orders: Mayonaka now effectively carries the Magnificent Midnight's AI and (dare we say it?)
soul. When the Midnight is required she happily steps in to perform her
duties as the AI for the ship.
- Batteries Not
Included: Her physiology suggests other unique abilities, but otherwise she's pretty much human.
- Now With
Wi-Fi: Controls her ship-form through a similar sort of digital telepathy used by Jess Ayanami to maintain her group mind. Mayonaka's range is a bit better, though, so it is not uncommon for the Midnight to take off on short jaunts without Mayonaka.
- Can't Fly
Yet: Mayonaka's wings are that of a hatchling's and lack the flight feathers and size to pull it off.
This will change once she matures.