Synuefe NL-N C23-4: The Goose That Lays The Guardian Eggs
31 Jan 2021OmegaPaladin
Acting on information I had picked up from Canonn, I decided to set out to the nearest Guardian structure at Synuefe NL-N C23-4 B3. It was a fair distance out from the bubble, so I decided to ride in style. Saud-Kruger's Dolphin was a popular choice for wealthy tourists as well as cruise lines, but a few pilots had shared some tips for making it an explorer as good as the Diamondback that could still park in . Apparently, point defense turrets on the roof were essential for Guardian expeditions. On the trip out, I really appreciated the comfortable interior. I was looking forward to getting an Imperial Clipper, which was the luxury combat model, only available to notable cliens of the Empire. Even with money to buy a half dozen 'Condas, Gutamaya never bent the rules.Eventually, I dropped out in a fairly normal system. Two planets here were terraformable - I wonder why the Guardians never actually got around to it? The target world itself was nothing special - I had scanned hundreds of similar worlds on my voyages. As I closed on the site, I could see the unmistakable signs of something made by intelligent life. There was a small clearing in the corner of the sire where I could land. Cautiously, I activated the telepresence link for my SRV as it dropped out of the bay, and began my first SRV mission since pilot training.
The strange thing was that the site was still active. Hundreds of pilots and scientists had visited the site, and yet machinery popped up from under ground. Then the sentinels emerged in a shower of rocks and dust, hovering in front of me. The sleek metallic drones immediately opened fire, but fortunately my shield was able to stop the plasma waves. I swung the plasma repeater around, fumbling with the controls before I managed to target the sentinel and lay on a punishing barrage until my weapon capacitor drained. The sentinel paused and lowered, then the missile alert sounded in my ears as several glowing warheads shot skyward. My ship's point defense swatted them out of the sky, to my great relief. I poured more rounds, and the sentinel exploded. Naturally, I quickly gathered the more useful components of the debris. The second sentinel was much easier than the first. I was very glad these sentinels were nowhere near as dangerous as Guardian hybrid fighters. Maybe they are more like repair drones that also provide defense.
There had to be an automated factory underground to supply all of these sentinels. While our synthesis technology can make all kinds of ammo and devices in a unit small enough to fit in a Sidewinder, this station was something well beyond that. I imagine they are far enough ahead of our technology that any attempt to modify or directly access the factory below might destroy it. No one wants to be the guy who killed the goose that lays the Guardian eggs.
There was a standard protocol for activating the machine that Canonn had described: Activate a series of pillars by shooting them with the SRV gun, while keeping to a time limit. Since I had familiarized myself with the layout, it was a pretty smooth process. As the pillars of light rose across the factory, I fought off another wave of sentinels, more aggressive in their attacks. They managed to drain my shield, but I ducked behind a pillar recharge. When they fired a missile volley, I popped out and finished them off. With all the killing of sentinels, I was seeing the patterns in their AI. I pulled the SRV into the ship's hangar for a repair before collecting a relic.
I climbed up to the summit, surrounded by pillars of light, and placed the relic in a key slot. The terminal floated out, a giant glowing sphere, crackling with electricity. It was surreal - the Guardian tech was as far beyond us as a frame shift drive would appear to a captain in the age of ocean ships on Earth. A quick scan collected the data I needed - and unleashed one last wave of sentinels. I fought my way through them, then pulled my SRV into the bay on my Dolphin. My camera drones could already see the systems powering down and retracting into the ground. In a day or so, it would be as if I had never been here, millenia-old machines no worse for wear.
