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| Update! | |
| Posted By: Red Loser <dnannery@purdue.edu> | Date: 5/4/04 10:50 a.m. |
In Response To: The Enkidu story as of today (Red Loser) I have updated the chronology to reflect the Covenant transmission (8) and to improve the formatting. I have also added parts to other sections. These additions have been underlined for easy reference. Thanks for all your compliments and criticisms! The Enkidu story revolves around the UNSC Lebanon; its AI, Enkidu; and its encounter with Forerunner artifacts and the Covenant while the fall of Reach is taking place. Hopefully, this summary will give a chronological timeline of what has occurred so far. PROLOGUE ii. Re: Amendment Request OPORD SENTRYWALK
This transmission is a letter from Rear Admiral Robert "Bob" Miller to Captain Terry Mathers, who is in command of the UNSC Lebanon, in response to a request by Captain Mathers for another ship to accompany him on patrol. The message is read by the crew member to whom Enkidu is talking. The recipient reads it at Cryobay B on 25 August 2552, one day after (5). It appears that the Lebanon is involved in some sort of operation known as SENTRYWALK. Based on its mission (a patrol), it seems at present that SENTRYWALK is a patrol operation by UNSC ships, possibly to determine Covenant presence in the area surrounding Reach. Captain Mathers is apparently concerned because the Lebanon will not be escorted. His request for another ship to accompany him are denied; the UNSC does not want to delay SENTRYWALK, and it cannot spare another vessel for the operation. The nervousness and urgency surrounding SENTRYWALK may be due to the UNSC's awareness that Covenant ships are closing in on Reach. iii. General Quarters 08:10 08:18:2552
While the Lebanon is patrolling a system with a single planet, Frigid. The system contains more than one sun, the primary being an M class. (Note: M is the dimmest, coolest variety of star; presumably the other star(s) is an M class as well. Another possibility is that this is a binary star system, with the secondary star being a white dwarf. This would explain the "light show" in (6), since such systems produce "novae"--very bright flashes of light as a result of matter being sucked out of the M star and accreting onto the white dwarf. However, Enkidu seemed to imply that it was the M star which was the source of the "light show"; also, it is doubtful that the planet Frigid, let alone the Lebanon, would be able to survive a nova. Note that most main-sequence stars, including M stars, are labeled "dwarfs," as in (3). Thus, it is more likely that this is a star system containing two M stars, one a good deal more massive than the other. I say two because binary star systems are very common, whereas three-star systems are rare.) According to (3), this system is very near Reach. The planet is probably rotating extremely slowly, since the sun never sets (7). A Covenant frigate in orbit of Frigid breaks off to attack the Lebanon. Though the Lebanon is the weaker ship, Captain Mathers is a man with a plan. It appears that Keyes is not the only UNSC captain with good maneuvering skills.... The unknown recipient of the message is located in Cryobay B. WAKING UP IS HARD TO DO 2. Packing and Unpacking
Captain Mathers destroys the Covenant frigate but unknowningly leaves survivors. In addition, the Lebanon is severely damaged in the battle and must be abandoned. The only way to land the ship on Frigid is to slingshot around the primary sun; however, the Pelicans on board are able to reach Frigid before the Lebanon heads toward the sun. Captain Mathers and a skeleton crew remain on board the ship in order to refine its trajectory and make what repairs they can. It appears that the recipient of the message is probably in charge of the cryo bay, since he is receiving orders directly from Enkidu and he is in charge of the team which revives the crew in cryosleep. Enkidu orders him to evacuate on a Pelican as soon as he has finished unthawing the crew. Enkidu compacts himself for a hard transfer off ship. 3. Shore Left
The recipient is unable to reach the Pelicans in time because of a boarding action by Covenant survivors. Presumably the Covenant are defeated. The recipient is located in the Lebanon's hangar. The Pelican squadron enters orbit around Frigid. Surveys show a Covenant excavation on the surface. The squadron prepares to land at the site, though Enkidu has reservations about doing so--he is concerned that the Covenant will be able to find them easily. 4. Whether Forecast
The Pelicans crash-land on the surface of Frigid. The crew are exploring the area around a blue-beam tower. The oxygen content in the planet's atmosphere is very low, but it is much higher around the tower. It is necessary to enter the tower in order to prevent more of the crew from suffocating; the door locks are broken, and the crew enters. Enkidu is interfaced with a terminal inside the structure. The message is received in the Lebanon's hangar. 1. please allow me to introduce myself
Make of it what you will. Presumably, Enkidu's contact with the Forerunner computer system has caused him to go rampant. As has been noted, the paragraph preceding the ( ( I ) ) ASCII art contains references to past Bungie games. The message is received in Cryobay B. 5. Blast From The Past
This is another difficult transmission. It is possible that Enkidu is speaking figuratively of humans trespassing on Forerunner ruins in general or the ruins on Frigid in particular. If the latter is the case, then this fits well with Enkidu's warning not to land near the structure and the future return of Covenant ships to the system. The reference to "sunbathing" indicates that the Lebanon is nearing the primary star. "Pleasant dreams" is probably not a reference to cryosleep, since the recipient has returned to the hangar. 6. It's A Cold Day Here In Hell...
Enkidu seems to imply that the Flood are present in the facility: "You're never sure what's frozen in there." The star around which the Lebanon was...um...slingshotting...appears to have emitted some sort of burst of radiation or stellar material (perhaps a solar flare). The Lebanon survives with little damage sustained relative to how badly it was damaged in the battle (7). The recipient is located in the hangar again. 7. How I Spent Your Summer Vacation
The Lebanon has returned from the sun and is aerobraking (see HTML source) over Frigid. This simply means that it is skipping in and out of the planet's atmosphere in order to slow down to speeds suitable for crash-landing. (Hence the pun: "So you're trying to crash at my new place.") This explains Enkidu's comment: "What a pretty trail you left in the sky. Just like a falling star." The ship is low on power ("LOW-BATT" message). The reference to "no friends" may indicate that the Pelican squadron crew have all died (infected by the Flood?). The second, more sarcastic, reference to "friends" refers to the Covenant, which have arrived in the system. Only one ship is mentioned, the CCS Sword of Justice. In typical Covenant fashion, it sends a threatening, religious-tinged message to the Lebanon before attacking. The recipient is located in Lifeboat Bay C; he is preparing to abandon ship and land on Frigid. APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION 8. You Have 49 Unread Messages
There isn't much in the way of plot here. It's clear that the Covenant are pretty ticked off by the humans' transgression on "holy relics." This message is viewed from a portable terminal. The message "CACHE ONLY - NET DISABLED" indicates that this is a stored transmission and that the terminal is not connected to the Lebanon's network. This likely means that the recipient is on a lifeboat. I'll keep updating as they come in. Next time, I'll probably start a new post.  | |
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| Replies: |
| The Enkidu story as of today | Red Loser | 5/3/04 8:42 p.m. |
| Im seriously lost | guns_n_cars | 5/3/04 8:48 p.m. |
| Re: Im seriously lost | Krispy Kreme Donuts Are Coming | 5/3/04 9:03 p.m. |
| Re: Im seriously lost | guns_n_cars | 5/3/04 9:06 p.m. |
| Re: Im seriously lost | Anton P. Nym (aka Steve) | 5/3/04 9:11 p.m. |
| Re: Im seriously lost | Red Loser | 5/3/04 9:53 p.m. |
| See: enkidu.bungie.org | Dark Bastion | 5/3/04 10:35 p.m. |
| Re: Im seriously lost | B-Sharp | 5/4/04 9:53 p.m. |
| Great analytical work! *NM* | Socrates | 5/3/04 9:00 p.m. |
| Very nice work! *NM* | Gre'Thor117 | 5/3/04 9:34 p.m. |
| Must Read! | Miguel Chavez | 5/3/04 10:05 p.m. |
| Re: Must Read! | SanchezTheLlama | 5/3/04 10:09 p.m. |
| Re: The Enkidu story as of today | Dark Bastion | 5/3/04 10:31 p.m. |
| Impressive! Great work! *NM* | Brian Graham | 5/3/04 10:34 p.m. |
| Coherence, Finally!! Thanks Red Loser. Nice Stuff *NM* | gd | 5/3/04 10:35 p.m. |
| Good Job! | Exogenesis | 5/3/04 11:01 p.m. |
| Awesome summary, Red, you rock. :) *NM* | Blitzwolf | 5/3/04 11:17 p.m. |
| Awesome job Red Loser, you rock! *NM* | Wado SG | 5/3/04 11:39 p.m. |
| Re: The Enkidu story as of today-tanx :) | vshields ash | 5/4/04 2:47 a.m. |
| Re: The Enkidu story as of today | LietLives | 5/4/04 3:24 a.m. |
| very nice | Warbow | 5/4/04 8:35 a.m. |
| New Page | Black Six | 5/4/04 10:48 a.m. |
| Re: New Page B6? | NuvaKaita | 5/4/04 11:22 p.m. |
| Re: New Page B6? | Black Six | 5/5/04 2:58 p.m. |
| Re: New Page B6? | NuvaKaita | 5/5/04 3:09 p.m. |
| Update! | Red Loser | 5/4/04 10:50 a.m. |
| Also! | Red Loser | 5/4/04 11:10 a.m. |
| Re: Also! | Socrates | 5/4/04 1:25 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Red Loser | 5/4/04 2:29 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Socrates | 5/4/04 4:07 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Wado SG | 5/4/04 2:29 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Red Loser | 5/4/04 3:20 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Ragashingo | 5/4/04 6:46 p.m. |
| Re: Also! | Golden Chief | 5/6/04 11:02 a.m. |
| Re: Update!-sniffle ;( ascii games...nm | vshields ash | 5/4/04 12:44 p.m. |
| Re: Update! | Saladfax | 5/4/04 5:06 p.m. |
| Who is the recipient? | Red Loser | 5/4/04 5:35 p.m. |
| Re: Who is the recipient? | Brian Graham | 5/4/04 7:07 p.m. |
| Re: Who is the recipient? | Socrates | 5/4/04 8:32 p.m. |
| Re: Who is the recipient? | Ernie | 5/31/04 4:23 p.m. |
| Re: Who is the recipient? | Anton P. Nym (aka Steve) | 5/31/04 8:20 p.m. |
| Re: Who is the recipient? | Cerami | 5/31/04 9:11 p.m. |
| Re: Update! | phishyfee | 5/4/04 11:27 p.m. |
| New one to add to the summary, enkidu_th | Jota Rota | 5/4/04 2:01 p.m. |
| Excellent summary!! *NM* | Vid Boi | 5/4/04 5:03 p.m. |
| Guess of who endiku REALLY is... | MrBlop | 5/4/04 7:53 p.m. |
| Re: Guess of who endiku REALLY is... | (T)he (C)hosen [O]ne | 5/4/04 8:35 p.m. |
| Note on planet characteristics | Capo Rip | 5/4/04 8:50 p.m. |
| Re: Note on planet characteristics | (T)he (C)hosen [O]ne | 5/4/04 9:00 p.m. |
| Re: Note on planet characteristics | Charles Hammond Jr. | 5/5/04 3:40 a.m. |
| Re: Note on planet characteristics | Red Loser | 5/5/04 1:39 a.m. |
| Re: The Enkidu story as of today | Casey | 5/11/04 11:53 p.m. |
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