And Try to Think

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:// USER: “ coolguyfin_32@helix.holo ”
:// ID: FIN, ADORIN - OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR

I must say, when I am pleasantly honored to be put in charge of this operation! I understand how important this whole thing is to the future of the Helix Syndicate and its intelligence gathering operations. All those other operations I had to slave over, gathering intelligence and making sure all those Enforcers went in prepared… It finally paid off! Now here’s my time to shine. Although I’ve never handled an operation like this one. Mostly just debt collections and whatnot. How much different could it be?

Not that much. No, I’ll have this all handled right quick and everything will be peachy keen. And then I’ll look like the best operations supervisor in the bunch! Shame on those other guys, shying away from this opportunity. It’s like they’ve got no ambition, no desire to move up in the ranks.

So, from what I’ve gathered, this whole thing is about developing an artificial intelligence unit that can be used for both administrative duties and espionage. Sounds difficult, but I’m told they won’t need to do it from scratch.

The purpose of this unit, I don’t think they’ve named it yet, is to rapidly decrypt nearly any and all encoded communications it manages to intercept. Neat, neat stuff. And, you know, they also want it assisting in things like monitoring internal computer systems. Now this is where I come in! Since there’s already an AI unit like this on the market, something called the H01 by some company or whatever, all I have to do is find one.

Now, since the company is defunct, we can’t just go and order one. I’ve got to scrounge around for it, probably pick over their old places of operation. So now I’m going to requisition some Enforcers for some teams I’ve got to send out. Again, all easy business for me. This’ll be quick.

 

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Simple people, by all means, should be able to follow simple instructions. It is, indeed, in their nature as simple people to be able to perform simple tasks. I ask for simple tasks to be done and apparently this is too much. Team Aurek has reported a failure in investigating the destroyed Hegemonic Automaton distribution center on Eriadu. Despite being buried under several tons of rubble, many of the facility's basement-level security droids remained active. The report I am in possession of indicates nine men dead, seven wounded.

They did not even retrieve the artificial intelligence unit that was alleged to be there. In addition to getting most of their rank killed, their firefight attracted the attention of the Eriadan security force that had been monitoring the quarantine zone. An additional two dead from that ensuing firefight. We are very fortunate to have such wealthy leadership who can afford to bribe security force commissioners into silence. Still, I am thoroughly embarrassed. We should hold our men to higher standards than we currently do...

 

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I cannot adequately convey my frustration through the use of text, but I shall endeavor to do so anyway. Team Besh has also reported failure in their mission to extract an H01 Artificial Intelligence Unit from a derelict Kynareth-Class Automated Star Destroyed. Evidently, they had not expected the droid crew to remain active after all this time, or for the Artificial Intelligence Unit to put up such resistance to being captured. Apparently such a long time in an active state had made it... Quarrelsome, to say the least.

Although this is another devastating setback, it at least remains far from public eye. No bribes will need to be made to cover this up. The cost of seventeen of our trained contractors being brutally murdered by seemingly-harmless naval droids, however, certainly puts a dampener on things. I have requisitioned another team of hopefully better trained and better equipped Guavian Enforcers to prepare for another attempt at the derelict: to be referred to as Team Besh-2 in future entries.

I have since shared my concerns about the combat capability of our Enforcers in matters beyond roughing up debtors. They have not responded. I certainly hope the casualty count does not climb too high before they elect to listen to me.

 

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There is a belief out there in the galaxy that the Force is both conscious and actively influencing events in the galaxy according to its own sort of divine will. Most often I consider this little more than superstitious nonsense, but now I am forced to reconsider. The Force is not only conscious and active, but deliberately interfering in my operations. Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong! Several times over!

Team Cresh consisted of five Enforcers. Five! Armed and armored men! Ruthless, able-bodied cutthroats in every sense! Their assignment was to track down the scientist responsible for developing this H01 we're so keen on replicating and getting the blueprints from him. You know, the usual "one way or another" business. The last I'd heard from them is that they found him on Annaj. Now they've all turned up dead! Every one of them killed! They were riddled with bullets. Bullets. From slugthrowers. I can't even begin to fathom what led to them dying so ingloriously. Who ever heard of a scientist who knew how to defend themselves? Something else must be going on here.

I have once again informed my superiors that the Enforcers are clearly not cut out for this work. And yet again there is no response. I will simply anticipate the formation of Team Cresh-2 meanwhile.

 

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Team Cresh-2 will not be formed. Upon learning of their demise and who they had been sent after, my superiors have elected to no longer pursue the scientist in question. They have also docked my pay, citing "failure to engage in adequate planning in relation to an integral operation" as the reason. They have the time to do this, mind you, but not address my concerns over the quality of our current rank and file Enforcers! The nerve of them all! To think I left my old line of work on Bastion only to be so meticulously unappreciated here.

The Nether take all of them. Still, owing to my sense of professionalism, I have not given up the cause just yet. Team Besh-2 has been mustered and, owing to the experiences of their predecessors, they will be much more prepared this time. Sustained ionic bombardments should nullify whatever fight remains in those meddlesome droids. I have also tasked Team Dorn to investigate another facility on Raxus Prime. I've also dispatched probe droids to their former factory on Ord Cestus. I don't care how many setbacks I've got to endure, however many cuts to my paycheck I have to endure. I'm handling this. I'm in control here.

 

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I am decidedly not in control here.

Team Dorn was beset by both a machine cult and Rodian scavengers. Apparently they took to squatting in the Hegemonic Automaton facility and ransacking it, likely because of Hegemonic Automaton's less-than-friendly treatment of its neighbors. To the credit of Team Dorn, they were able to inflict great casualties on the Rodian scavengers before being slain to the last man. So I am told, anyway. I have paged my superiors once again to inform them of this calamity and once again attributed it to the poor training of our Enforcers.

Meanwhile, the probe droids I sent into the Ord Cestus facility have stopped responding to communications. They reported active, non-hostile droids in the area but have curiously remained silent since. Most likely a technical failure of some kind. I will have to check back on them later. In the meantime, Team Esk has been dispatched to the planet of Celanon to investigate that abandoned distribution center for any clues as to where we might find an artificial intelligence unit.

 

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Team Besh-2 were able to exceed my expectations- not only were they able to secure the H01 Artificial Intelligence Unit, but they managed to take control of the Kynareth-Class Automated Star Destroyer they boarded. For a brief and fleeting moment, I believed I experienced a mix of emotions I have not felt in some time. Among them: relief, happiness, jubilation, etc. But as with all things in my life, it was not meant to last. Several members of Team Besh-2 revealed themselves as agents of the Waylon Syndicate. They killed the remaining members of Besh-2 before activating the star destroyer's hyperdrive and escaping.

So not only are our agents incompetent, but traitorous as well! Who is running the background checks on these people? This is uproariously absurd! I can't even take credit for the fact that Team Besh-2 managed to get as far as they did, since apparently they were being helped by those bastards in Waylon! What am I doing wrong here? Perhaps I should start praying to the Force. Or maybe the sun. I have heard the sun cults of Xion are able to get things done. Why can't I?

Why can't I?

 

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Miraculously, Team Esk has not incurred a single casualty. In fact, they reported back on the location of several H01 Artificial Intelligence Units. Incredible, really. I have formed two more teams, Esk-2 and Esk-3, to investigate two of the locations provided. One such unit is believed to be on a Kynareth-Class Star Destroyer purchased by the government of Rudrig several years ago. And as everyone knows, the government of Rudrig downsized much of its navy, including the Kynareth-Class it employed, following the informal cessation of operations by that once-great Tion Hegemony.

The other unit was installed on a space station in orbit of Ruusan. Most of the space station is still intact, so the unit should still be present and functional. Finally, it seems as though I'm getting somewhere. Perhaps my claims that the Enforcers are all uniformly useless, knuckle-headed cretins are incorrect after all! Well, I won't go that far, actually, considering how long it took them to get to this point. This could have been finished up a long time ago if those nimrods on Team Besh had the foresight of handling active Hegemonic Automaton naval droids.

 

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As it turns out, the star destroyer I sent Esk-2 to investigate was actually the one I had sent Team Besh to investigate early. The one that had gotten stolen by those devilish turncoats on Team Besh-2. Well, more's the pity. At least they weren't horrendously killed or anything. It did turn out to be quite the waste of time, though, having them equipped and shipped out to the supposed location... Not to mention the time and money spent pressing the relevant Rudrig authorities to divulge the necessary information. No matter, though, the Helix Syndicate has plenty of money after all.

The good news is that Esk-3 was able to extract the unit from the space station in question! There, once my superiors get their hands on that, they will know just what all this time has been for. Really, I ought to be promoted at the end of this. Having to deal with all these setbacks... And none of them were even my fault! Completely out of my hands. But I stayed the course. Esk-3 will be expected back at headquarters in three days, so I will have that much time to gussy up and prepare to be interviewed for my better and brighter position.

 

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Well, it looks as if my superiors, in their infinite wisdom, have finally elected to listen to my advice! They sent out a memo today regarding the "newly formed specialist division of our field operations branch." Sounds exactly like what I suggested. I counted how many times I used the word "specialized" when I sent them my concerns. Seventy-three times. It was quite apparent to them, I think. This is good news. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll allow me to be supervising them as I have these missions, as they're to operate more or less entirely separate from the current field supervision structure. Terrible shame, they could really use someone who knows their way around in these matters like I do! Wouldn't want the best and brightest to end up with a half-wit or something.

Now that the H01 Unit is on-site, several scientists have also shown up. The modifications, from what I gather, won't be too extensive. These things will be ready for production in the coming months. And it's all thanks to me! Maybe they'll name it after me. It's the least they could do.

 

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:// ERROR
:// USER: “ coolguyfin_32@helix.holo ” NOT FOUND


:// SYSTEM MESSAGE: “you’re fired; clear your office and get out”