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[Character/Draft/RFC] I blame the sleep deprivation...
[Character/Draft/RFC] I blame the sleep deprivation...
#1
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


  • 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.
Reply
 
#2
Whoa.

That's all I can say right now. Whoa.

(Oh, and that's not a bad "whoa", either. Just... whoa.)
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#3
That's a different take on 'planned parenthood'. 8P
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin
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#4
Sorry, but cracking the Forge? Ain't happening. Lebia would cut her out of the public net within a couple of miliseconds, and all the important stuff is on
a standalone network with ONE point of access (Libbie's core) which can be PHYSICALLY cut. Midnight is NOT getting in.

That's not to say the Forge crew won't help, but she'd have to ask nicely and EXPLAIN. And she'd never get anything other than what she asked.
Reply
 
#5
She might have some trouble getting datafiles from Stellvia, too, depending on who she approached. (Noah'd be the least-likely to share, Takami the most-likely.)

But the muse tells me that Helen Swansen-Scott will want a "big sister" to play with, and Mayonaka looks like she's only a few years older than Helen, so it'll happen... (But no Gold Digger: Tiffany and Charlotte references, please. Helen isn't quite that smart, and Mayonaka isn't anywhere near that innocent.)
--
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
Reply
 
#6
Bob: Getting that kinda reaction out of you is something I shall take as a compliment.

Timote: I'd say it's about as expected as an unexpected pregnancy. Wink

Cobalt: Not saying she actually did. As the story noted, she did ask very nicely, and then to make sure that no one was going to try and stop her she also
asked that non-disclosure agreements were made.

Rob: Helen and Mayonaka as playmates FTW! ^_^ No worries about Gold Digger references, though. I haven't seen that particular anime yet, so anything that
resembles it is purely coincidental.

ETA: I just realized that I should also mention how badly Dane-side medical databases got raped when she went digging for information about human bodies in
general.

Should I classify this as a Blue Hair moment for Midnight/Mayonaka?
Reply
 
#7
Quote:Rob: Helen and Mayonaka as playmates FTW! ^_^ No worries about Gold Digger references, though. I haven't seen that particular anime yet, so anything that resembles it is purely coincidental.
Comic book, actually. (Although the writer and publisher like to pretend it's manga, it's actually written in English and published first in North America.)

And if the girls need an older, more responsible companion, well... Luna Schroeck is six or seven years older than Helen, but is she "more responsible"? Something to think about for Adventures in Fen Babysitting...

Quote:ETA: I just realized that I should also mention how badly Dane-side medical databases got raped when she went digging for information about human bodies in general.

Should I classify this as a Blue Hair moment for Midnight/Mayonaka?
Why not? ^_^
--
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
Reply
 
#8
You'd probably do better with Nina Avins, who would be a genuine... um... (looks back at top of thread) what year is this happening? Nina would be a
genuine teenager by 2012, as opposed to Luna, who would be approximately kindergarten age...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#9
I hadn't set an exact date quite yet, but it'll definitely be somewhere in the 2014-15 range. Since no one on 36 Atalante has had a baby just yet and Helen's birth was high-profile enough to warrant even Midnight's attention. Once she saw the kind of attention that 'offspring' got, she decided that it was what she wanted. Of course, Midnight didn't like the idea of being entirely helpless so she advanced her human-form's age by about four biological years.
Part of the inspiration for this is some old stuff I've had kicking around in my brain. A then-girlfriend and I wrote fics together some years back where one of the interesting features was ships that are people and people that are ships - the whole dual-nature thing.
The other part was my second cousins who I got to see over in San Antonio for Christmas. A cousin of mine has three infinitely lovable little girls, and it doesn't help that I like kids in general. I hadn't gotten to see them in a while, but they haven't forgotten me so we had a lot of fun.
Rob: when one of the little gaki has the ability to summon up her ship-form whenever she feels like it (which happens to arguably be the fastest ship in Fenspace) the possibilities are endless...
"Hey Helen!  I heard my Mom and Dad talking about something weird happening over on the dark side of the Moon.  You wanna check it out?"
*Cackles gleefully*
Reply
 
#10
Oh, dear... Well, at least this explains why Helen gets a voice-over-Interwave-protocol cellphone when she's only six - she's going to need one.

And, yes, little Helen will be born somewhere around Hallowe'en 2014, so Luna would be six years older than these two girls. Hmmmmm... Nina acting as babysitter, Luna complaining about having to watch "some little kids", and Helen and Mayonaka the youngest ones there... so, how do we convince The Jason to take part in this? He does look to be about the right age to be part of the group, after all.
--
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
Reply
 
#11
Easy. Jason no Yojimbo. He'll eat it up.
Reply
 
#12
*laughs* Oh, I don't mind keeping an eye on the kids now and then. And I do look their age, or close - it's all the biomod's fault. I'm still
in my forties...it's just what the forties are for the mod - aging rate is currently 1/4 normal (whether this will change in the future? Who knows.). But
be warned....while I watch out for kids, I do tend to take an uncle's role a lot...and I love to give uncle gifts. You know the type - loud, messy,
thousands of parts....

*grin* And do you really want your kids hanging out with someone who admires trickster shapeshifters like Coyote and Loki...and is more than happy to teach
them and give out holoemitters as gifts? Admittedly, probably limited ones at first....but still. Even limited ones give kids so many fun options. Smile
Reply
 
#13
Papa's the one with the long-suffering patience of a saint, but he will (gently) put his foot down if he sees something that needs to be rectified. And if
Mama needs to put her foot down...

EDIT: GAH! I was just thinking of outlining a funny scene, but then it spiralled out of control and became this micro-short instead!



"papa!papa!papa!Papa!Papa!Papa!PAPA!PAPA!PAPA!"

Benjamin was already expecting the tiny black blur to come bursting through the doorway of his office and fly into his arms. It was a good thing she was a lot
lighter than she appeared thanks to her avian nature.

"Mayo-chan, what did you do this time, my little raven?"

For an answer, Gina suddenly appeared at the doorway, literally seething. The bits of opaque foam clinging to her naked body was a clear give-away as to why
she was upset. Benjamin did his best to hide the guffaw that wanted to come out. A snort escaped anyhow and Gina gave him a look that would have sent him
beyond the Next Dimension(tm) and into the one after that.

He then looked down at his ever-so-adorable daughter. "Just how did you get ahold of a Type 17? No, wait, nevermind. I'm not sure I want to know. Just
stay right here while I do damage control, and then we'll discuss your punishment."

As Benjamin got up, he grabbed one of his other favorite coats, a gray trench coat, off the coat rack and drapped it around Gina.

"Benjamin," she growled, a crazed glint in her eyes, "help me out here. I love her so much, but right now I just want to KILL HER."
Benjamin shushed her gently and carefully pried her hands off the door frame - which wasn't easy given how strong she was.

"It's okay, Love, I know. Remember, our little one is of the Raven. She is the avatar of the Trickster God and she is only doing what comes
naturally. Remember that she takes after me and that you're more than welcome to take your frustration with her out on my hide..." And then the door
shut behind them and clicked, telling Mayonaka that her Father had no intention of letting her go for now.

An hour later, Ben came back to his office, winded and looking flushed.

"Mama was really angry this time, wasn't she?" said the dark-haired, dark-winged stick-of-a-girl in Ben's chair. Her brown eyes, just like
his and set in a face that was his as well, glittered with mischievous amusement. Benjamin sighed as his little girl just reminded him once again just how
not-so-innocent she was.

"Getting your Mama riled up like that just to get her in the mood is -NOT- gonna get you a baby brother or sister any sooner. Your punishment will be
restriction to the base for the next week and your next playdate with Helen will be cancelled. Instead of The Jason coming to babysit the two of you,
you'll get extra lessons from your Uncles instead."

Mayonaka groaned in that put-apon manner that children do when they are punished.

"Well, what did you expect?" said Benjamin as he came around the desk and scooped his daughter out of the chair. "Now, your mother and I love
you very much," he want on, punctuating that with a kiss to her forehead. "We both understand that you are the avatar of the Raven - which you still
haven't told me how it happened."

"It's my secret," she muttered stubbornly.

"And your Mother and I are fine with that as well. But just do us a favor and limit your tricks on your Mama to the less... flamboyent stuff. Instead,
use me as a victim. I'm a lot safer than your Mama."

"You're not as much fun, though!"

"Oh, I'm not, am I?" said Benjamin as he suddenly began to tickle his daughter mercilessly. "Huh? Huh!? HUH!?" Mayonaka giggled
helplessly as she tried to struggle. She was strong for her size and age, but true physical strength for her wouldn't come until some years down the road.
For now, her Father was strong enough to maintain a tickle-hold on her. then, as suddenly as he started, he stopped and set her upright on the deck, giving
her a loving swat on the butt.

"Ow," grumbled Mayonaka, more annoyed than hurt.

"Yeah, yeah," said Ben, looking at her with a grin. "Go on and get out of here. Your Mom's taking a nap and she should be up soon. No
more pranks, though."

Mayonaka sighed theatrically. "Yes, Papa."

The grin stayed on Ben's face for a while, even though he had to work at a break-neck pace to make up for lost time.
Reply
 
#14
*laughs* Cute. VERY cute, Ben.

*grin* And....it fits SO well into an idea I had for gifts for the two girls. Holoemitters...but with resident AIs to help keep an eye on them. With those, I
could give them unlimited emitters, which could be damned useful in emergencies. I was trying to figure out who I might use for AIs...and for Mayonaka's, I
had sort of settled on Raven. Before reading your scene, even, which amuses me to no end. For Helen's...well, I'm not sure yet. But I'm being
tempted by Granny Weatherwax. Pity anyone that tries to bother the two kids with THOSE two as protectors. Smile
Reply
 
#15
Anyone messing with Helen WILL go to the Seventh Level of Screwed, no question. Depending on the situation, things will likely go past level eight all the way
to level NINE.

Let me put it this way, the Fifth Level of Screwed can be summed up as "Blow yourself out an airlock without a suit, it'll be less painful."
Reply
 
#16
And that's if the person is lucky and Noah gets hold of him first. He doesn't have a biomod, after all...
--
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
Reply
 
#17
*chuckles* Oh, I'm right there with you. Granny is the one not to anger, though. She'll go bees at them. As in turning into a very large swarm of solid
hologram bees. Although they don't possess venom, the bees are VERY large, and have stingers that can extend up to half an inch out of their bodies. And
unlike normal honeybees, they can sting as many times as they want. The Death of a Thousand Cuts has nothing on the Hell of Ten Thousand Stings....

*grin* My grandfather was a beekeeper. Forty odd hives at one point when I was growing up. There wasn't a summer as a kid when I didn't get stung at
least once.
Reply
 
#18
For the Information of the Collective:

No one is sure WHEN the Levels of Screwed were codified, but over the years they've been irregularly added to and defined as discrete amounts. Even the
most casual look at the currently defined levels of Screwed shows that there are fairly large gaps in-between them, but that just allows for expansion.

As defined at September 2014:

Level 1) You're screwed.

Level 2) You're SO screwed.

Level 3) Holy Sh*t are you screwed.

Level 4) You pissed off Noah Scott on Stellvia?

Level 5) Walk out an airlock without a suit, it'll be less painful.

Level 6) The Professor wants you for a Guinea Pig?!

Level 7) You pissed off the Scarlet Angel?!

Level 8) You hurt Greenpeace?!?

Level 9) You tried to wipe out humanity?!?!?
Reply
 
#19
Level 10) You messed with Helen Swanson-Scott AND Mayonaka Langley-Rhodes?
You think Gina was pissed about the Type 17? Just watch her go Mother Bear on your ass. You'll be wishing she actually had an Evangelion to pilot five minutes into it. *Big Evil Grin-O-Doom*
Reply
 
#20
Okay guys! Heads up!

I decided to open up an Etherpad for Adventures in Fen-Babysitting! Doing this for two reasons:

1) See if it's any easier to colaborate using Etherpad
2) Germinate and spread ideas like the disease they are! ^_^

So, even if we don't really get a solid sotry out, it'll be worth the experiment. Come and join the insanity!
http://etherpad.com/8tiNHB8JfR
Reply
 
#21
Mm. How about "Ad-Fen-tures in Babysitting" as a title instead?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#22
blackaeronaut Wrote:Level 10) You messed with Helen Swanson-Scott AND Mayonaka Langley-Rhodes?
You think Gina was pissed about the Type 17? Just watch her go Mother Bear on your ass. You'll be wishing she actually had an Evangelion to pilot five minutes into it. *Big Evil Grin-O-Doom*

Ah... No. That'd be about Level Eight. Hurting Greenpeace pretty much guarantees a response from the majority of Fenspace (including some of the more moderate criminal element). Level Nine would have all of Humanity after the uber-idiot's soon-to-be-vaporised ass.

Besides, which do you think is scarier? A blazing mad Gina backed up by the Roughriders, or a hyper-intelligent, uninhibited, sadistic mad scientist combat cyborg with hefty amounts of medical training?

There's a reason Attim M'Zac was nicknamed The Scarlet Angel, and I don't think it was JUST because she liked the colour red. A.C.'s my character, and *I* shy away from what she'd do to someone who'd piss her off enough to allow the Darkeyes side of her free reign.
Reply
 
#23
Bob: Ad-Fen-tures in Babysitting it shall be! That is, if everyone else is in concurence. ^_^;

Cobalt: I stand corrected.

Everyone Else: I've had a starting bit posted on the Etherpad for a bit now. Just waiting for anyone else to show up and poke at it. There's no logins
required and I don't need to be online for anyone to play around with it. Just be sure to use the chat window to leave notes about what you're up to.
Reply
 
#24
I poked my nose in on the Etherpad, but didn't have the time to do anything. Later, maybe.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
Reply
 
#25
I can't seen to get the Etherpad to work for me... How long do I have to let it load?
--
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
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