Chapter 556: Underwater
"These are definitely so of the most interesting creatures that I have ever seen." Jace watched through the tank screen as he continued to sink. The further down he got the darker it got. While the creatures seed to slowly get larger. Fortunately it appeared they were avoiding him for so reason. Hopefully he was unlike anything they had seen before. But that would insinuate a greater intelligence along with a long life span.
"How is your breathable atmosphere?"
"I am fine. My spider tank is recycling the air and my armor is completely filled up. How about down there? Am I making enough progress that you might have to consider creating an oxygen rich environnt down there for ?" Jace asked as he calculated the depth to the bottom of the ocean that he still had to go.
"This facility was originally built to be an ergency bunker in the event of a disaster. The creators decided it would be nice to have a natural environnt underground. Since they have been gone it has overgrown and evolved. Actually, I think it is one of the more beautiful sights on this planet." The AI explained. "You are coming up on the bunker’s underground entrance."
Jace frowned as the calculation showed him the sa information. A holographic image appeared since he could not actually see how dark the depth of the ocean was. Almost no light was making it down this far. So he was using a form of echolocation to search the depths of the ocean. While a night vision cara was spotting the various creatures that were swimming in the area.
"I am opening the entrance now. It is currently flooded with water. You will need to wait for
to drain it and flood the room with breathable air." The AI inford him as he slipped past an opening entrance and into the bunker as the doors closed above him.
His spider tank creaked as it landed on the ground. Jace then frowned as sothing tried to access his tank’s systems so he blocked it. "Really?"
"It was worth a try." The AI remarked before there was a sudden ringing and Jace pulled the additional caller in.
"Commander-" The voice stopped. "Ah... the other being connected is the artificial intelligence that seems to run most of the cri and trade in this galaxy." Cain remarked after a mont. "Anyways. I secured a military satellite without the local military realizing and am using it for consistent communication. Although Victor is still dark."
"That is fine." Jace answered before sending a few signals and encryptions. Securing the satellite and the communication network they were now building. "I just sent so information. Secure the network and then start using codenas until further notice. Under no circumstances is my na to be disclosed or ntioned."
"Understood. I will disseminate that order. What nas should we use for you?" Cain asked as the satellite went dark. Becoming almost invisible even to his sensors."
"Commander, Major, or Gladiator." Jace answered. "I will leave it up to you to co up with codenas or callsigns for the others. Make sure they make sense so we know who we are talking about."
"Understood." Cain answered. "What should we do about Victor?"
"I will take care of it. I know his location. It seems the locals lost him though. Which I found strange." Jace explained. "Do you mind if..."
"You want us to look into why they did not realize where he landed?" Cain asked.
"Affirmative. Go ahead and-" Jace grunted as the tank was suddenly pushed to the side. "What was that? Umm..."
"That is unfortunate." The AI for the NeoYakuza remarked. "As for a na. I will co up with one later. I have never been one for a solid identity. Never needed it." The AI explained before cutting to sothing more important. "We have another problem that will draw your imdiate attention however. One of the many creatures, or rather one of the offspring of the creatures, decided to wander into the pressure chamber and the automated process is not sothing I can stop and start."
"Hmm..." Jace frowned. "That is a problem. Do you have information on the specific race of this sea creature?"
"Plenty. But I do not have access to the information, doing so would open a can of worms that would collapse my systems and destroy several ships. You can access it through a panel that is in the pressure chamber. As well as any other information that I have accumulated over the years that I have decided is not relevant or important enough to keep around." The AI explained, "but this will an you have to step out of your tank."
"How fun..." Jace sighed as he pressed so buttons and his tank began floating until it bobbed upon the surface of the pressure chamber that was filling with air and losing the ocean water. He put his helt back on and sealed it before changing the suit’s setting to account for the higher level of pressure on the outside of the tank. "Keep the lights off. The creature is probably not used to them and we do not want to spook it."
"Very well. Will you need any more assistance from ?" The AI asked.
"Maybe. We will see." Jace remarked as he opened the roof and could almost instantly feel the pressure throughout his body. "Cain, I have a question. Have you located a suitable elent that matches my theoretical calculations for the ship’s powersource?"
"Yes and no." Cain answered with what sounded like a chanical sigh. "The core of this system’s sun is a suitable source. I have not been able to reach much farther. The technology in this galaxy is very... fixed."
"It is not adaptable." Jace groaned as he closed the roof of the tank before jumping into the water and swimming downwards as his visor scanned the area. Providing him with a layout of the area as well as the shape of the creature. "Then it seems we might be here for a while. Start coming up with a plan for a long term investigation. See if you can find talent while we are here and maybe make the ship a bit larger."
"I will make it so." Cain answered before disconnecting the call to his end.
"I tried to hack your companion several tis but he kept blocking . How was he able to do that when his systems and programming all fit inside a body that small?" The NeoYakuza asked as Jace slipped past the creature, getting his first good look at it.
It had scales that looked like fish but running his hand against it and sensing the electricity inside. He could tell they were thicker and tougher than most tals while also being more flexible. While the electrical system seed to instantly respond to his probing with a sense and emotion of interest. Then he could feel it, the tap of sothing knocking on the door to his brain. But he could also tell the creature was infantile in nature.
"It is the upper limit of programd intelligence. It can be surpassed under the right conditions. Conditions which you have not been able to achieve because of the technological limits of the Milky Way Galaxy." Jace explained while also swimming past the creature that started following him to the door panel that Jace had found. It was nudging him in excitent.
"Oh? What is a way I might achieve such a feat?"
Jace raised his arm and a holographic screen appeared as he connected to the panel. It took him only a mont to access the system and see how the facility was set up. Split between three sections. One that the AI had changed to condensed files which must be the stored files. Another that was the automated systems that ran the maintenance of the facility. Then the final was the AI itself that was transmitting constantly to several different locations. "By communication."
"Communication?"
"Yes- this one is really excited, but fear is starting to set in." Jace remarked as the creature swam upwards but then swam back down after being exposed to the air for only a mont. Jace at the sa ti saw sothing of interest in the files as he was searching for the creature’s race. Flagging it before finding the creature that was just marked as a number. "You’re not very creative with the nas are you?"
"This is fair." The AI agreed.
"The creature encountered the atmosphere inside and its skin started to peel off. You have biological data and the creature’s typical behavior and habitat." Jace began explaining as he quickly read through the file. "Raise the pressure level of the atmosphere and spread a mist through it as well."
"Very well. But will that be permanent? Can the creature survive like that?"
"No. But its parents and it will understand my intentions and prolong its life while I co up with a more permanent solution." Jace explained, he could almost feel the telepathic eyes that were watching his actions closely.
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