The engines churred as the energy began to flow into the gate like blood through the heart. In theory, this should be enough to force open the damn thing, but it was only in theory.
Jackass and her team watched carefully as the gate's color changed from pure marble white to blood red. First, the energy coursing through the gate appeared in form of veins, seemingly expanding in random directions until the whole of the portico was crimson in color. This was the first time the gate turned completely red.
The entire science team watched with careful eyes, expecting to finally open the last door on the moon base after five decades of research and effort. In a perfect scenario like those of ancient human movies, a team of intelligent scientists would work their asses off for years to open the ancient cryptic gate, dedicating their lives to discovering what was behind the forbidden mysterious door, and once they did, the gates will open and they'll be rewarded with wealth, forbidden knowledge and power, and immortality, and so much more... but reality had a hobby of shitting on your dreams.
The Maso engine let out a rattling sound as it began to vibrate. At first, it was a little, then a little bit more. This continued until the pressure of trying to produce so much energy, shake the poor machine like an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0. Then suddenly the engine stopped, engulfing the room in silence.
Before the scientists took a breath of relief, the Maso engine let out an ear-screeching high-pitched sound that caused the ground beneath it to turn pitch black under the heat.
"That doesn't sound good" Pascal said in a worried tone.
"No shit, sherlock" Jackass jumped towards Pascal, catching him and dragging him behind a cover "GET DOWN!" she yelled, the rest of the science team followed in her steps, finding whatever cover they can find. One S model even cut a piece of wall with his blade and put it in front of him as a shield.
Jackass held her breath as the sound of air being sucked into a single point rang in her ear. This was the problem with Maso engines, when they reach a critical state, they'll suck the air like a black hole, leaving the poor bastards around it to suffocate. But the worst part was yet to come.
The engine illuminated the room with white light as the temperature in the room dropped significantly. A few seconds later, the engine's plate cracked, causing the power generator to burst out all of the sucked air at once, creating a shockwave strong enough to tear anything nearby apart.
Once the dust was settled, the mad Woman coughed her filters(lungs) out. She and Pascal were somehow still alive.
"Is everyone alive?" a voice yelled over the destroyed lab, the broken pieces of equipment was everywhere "You better be dead cause the top brass won't fund us again. I know I wouldn't" the man let out a laugh, before he too began to cough.
"Shut the fuck up, Germain. I just wasted fifty years of my life. Don't make me take it out on you" Jackass threatened, the android under threat simply put up his hands as a sign of surrender.
Germain was a scientist just like Jackass. Where she was a natural self-trained talent who was in the business since the machine wars, Germain was a newbie with an extremely irritating personality.
The reason why the mad scientist hated Germain wasn't because of jealousy or anything of that sort, it was due to his affiliation with the church. Ever since the election of the high priestess, one of the church's core policies was the retrieval of holy artifacts left behind by humans. These artifacts ranged from books to works of art, scientific blueprints to ancient blades, and even videos and computer data. To put it simply, everything that was directly produced by human hands.
Of course, fanatics of such caliber wouldn't allow anyone entry to the place with the most amount of human knowledge without them having the first dip on the items inside. If the gate ever opens, Germain's employers will rush in to secure what's inside.
"Damn Templars" Jackass cursed Germain as she helped Pascal to stand up.
"Thank you, Jack" the Machine said.
Jackass winced "Jackass, how many times do I have to tell you this?"
Pascal let out a nervous chuckle "You know I can't do that. The meaning of that word in old dictionaries is not appropriate. I can't call my friend like that"
The woman rolled her eyes, she didn't want to have this conversation again so she decided to back down for now. She turned her toward the lab, she grew pale at the sight of destruction, now she had to explain this to the superiors and get bereted for "Reckless use of valuable equipment".
Nearly every piece of equipment in the lab was broken, the ones near the generator were completely evaporated "Fuck me"
"Don't worry, Jackass. Church will fund us again" one of her research assistants tried to comfort her.
"Now without giving me a massive headache they won't" she sighed, she began to walk away from the whole mess, she had some explaining to do to her sponsors "Stay where you are Pascal, this is my problem" the madwoman stopped the machine without even looking back.
The machine flinched as he heard his name. Pascal was always eager to take your burden, he had to learn not all burdens must be taken, this lab was her responsibility and hers alone.
"What do you mean the project is over?" Jackass yelled. The woman in front of her was unfazed by her reaction.
"It is the most logical conclusion is it not?" Tanya crossed her legs, her expression as robotic as one could get "Your efforts in opening the gate have been fruitless for the last fifty years, Miss. Jackass. Our department no longer wishes to support your endeavors" the woman in black suit answered blatantly.
"What? you're going to leave the project just because it didn't make you a good buck?" Jackass slammed her arms on the table, looking directly at the calm blond in front of her.
The minister of the economy took a sip from her coffee "There is no benefit in continuing this project, the funds for such projects could be used elsewhere, where it can be beneficial" she took a document from her desk's drawer and began reading it "Unless we sell whatever trinkets we find behind that gate to those zealots from the church" Tanya huffed.
Jackass's face hardened "There could be information about Maso in that vault, what could possibly be worth more than that?"
"You can't run an economy with a few books about mystic spells and ancient charms" the Blond brushed off her argument.
Seeing how Jackass didn't want to give up, Tanya sighed "Look, the Triarchs have already tasked me with overseeing the construction of several new districts for the machines in the kingdom of the night, I don't have much to spare for useless undertakings" Jackass winced, calling fifty years of her work pointless broke a piece of her pride.
"You litte-" before Jackass could retort, Tanya placed the document she was reading on the table, sliding toward the Scientist. Jackass glared at the blond Android before picking up the paper, her glare only received an irritating grin.
The mad Scientist read through the text, her eyes widened in surprise "I said we cannot fund pointless projects, Miss. Jackass" she gestured towards the paper in the Scientist's hand "That is a far more promising project"
"Alien ruins on mars? care to explain why no one was informed about this?" Jackass questioned, she knew far too well the current nature of the Triarchy. How different factions competed with each other to gain power. There was a high chance this project was nothing more than a scheme to gain more influence for the Triarch of Authority, she rather not drag her whole team into the power struggle between the politicians.
"Quite a saddening view, Miss. Jackass. To think you have so little faith to assume power is all we want" she let out a chuckle "I assure you that there is no need to worry, there is no scheme or deeper purpose. Simply profit for the whole of the Triarchy"
"Profit for the nation my ass" Jackass quietly grumbled which was heard by the minister.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Miss. Jackass" the blond Android said with little to no bother about what the Scientist said "Take your team to the martian base as soon as possible"
"And leave behind all of our work on Luna?" Jackass asked, she didn't want to leave her team's work for the last decades behind incomplete.
"Miss. Jackass" Tanya crossed her legs and took a deep breath "The Triarch of Authority deemed our efforts on the moon to be... unremunerative" Jackass wanted to speak up again but Tanya cut her to it "I know it must feel bitter for older androids like yourself, Miss. Jackass, but humans are... things of the past now" the Minister lowered her voice as she finished her sentence.
The Scientist clenched her fist "If you want to say something, say it properly" she said in an almost threatening voice. Her anger wasn't for the Minister's lack of care and respect for her creators, Jackass's anger was directed towards younger Android's arrogance. Jackass had worked her ass off fighting a losing war for as long as she could remember. And now, the newer generations who knew nothing of hardship were treating her as if she was damaged, as if she was lesser than them, unable to understand the new era.
Tanya did not flinch under the gaze of the older Android, their eyes were locked on one another's, never leaving the other even for an instant. In the end, it was the Minister who relented.
"Humanity is gone" Tanya's voice echoed in the silence, both of them involuntarily winced. Despite acknowledging the information a long time ago, hearing it still caused something in their programming to cause them pain, their loyalty code was something hard to remove.
Before the pain could subside, Tanya continued "They left us" the words left her mouth with venom "Just like a mother who leaves her children to fend for themselves, a god who leaves his followers is no god at all. They are nothing to us now" there was a pain visible on her face "They are not our masters. Humans lost that right a very long time ago. They no longer hold sway over us" the blond Android looked downwards towards her desk as the silence returned.
For several painful seconds, the silence remained. When Tanya finally lift back her head, it was no longer filled with emotion, her face was cold, it remind Jackass of a certain YoRHa battler model "Whatever such worthless species have left behind is not of use to us, Miss. Jackass. The luna project ends here"
The Scientist stood motionless for a moment, her eyes looked at what was behind the Minister's seat, the flag of the Triarchy. Her artificial eyes studied the white flag with the black stripes conjoining in the middle, shaping a chain circling a star. The chain surrounding the star represented the Triarch of Authority, the law and the bureaucratic body that kept the nation together. The outer circle represented the Triarch of Steel, the might and the army that protected the nation. And finally, the eye that embellished the top of the chain just above the star, representing the Triarch of Truth, the purpose that drove the actions of the nation. The eye looked directly down toward the star, symbolizing the eternal search of the androids for purpose, to look toward their creators for examples.
"We need them more than you think, Minister. More than we like to admit" Jackass turned back and walked towards the door. She hated to admit but what they needed the most now, was a god.
'No' she shook her head, the androids didn't need a god, for what they craved was far greater than such beings. What Androids craved the most, was a...
"Purpose" 9 declared, his arm brushing the smooth marble corner of the table as he walked along its edges. The holographic table was projecting the map of the Sol system, illuminating the room with a blue light "Something that has no form yet without it, we are nothing" as his mind interface sent the command, the images on the projector changed, showing the newly found alien ruins on mars "A thing with no mass, with no energy. A simple projection of the mind" his lips formed into a smile "Is it not amusing how a none-existing thing has so much power over us, Sister?"
9 carefully studied the shape of the ruins, his mind filled with fear and joy at the same time. For years he had been searching for a purpose to inject into the minds of his kind. Humans were their gods, yes, but they had no form, they were not real, after all, a god was just that, a figment of happenstance.
"Many are still fools, sister. They doubt the purpose I gave them, they doubt their gods" anger began to fester in 9's soul "Fools! could they not be a simple sheep following their shepherd?" he yelled, the light on the holographic projector flickered as his fist slammed the table.
Despite not believing humans to be gods himself, it still infuriated him to see others with the same view. Such androids were a blight upon his vision, those who did not blindly follow orders, those who dared to question and threaten his seat of power. Even now, many within his nation had no faith in the church, threatening his influence from within the shadows. Their very existence preached dissent, fortunate favored them for even 9 couldn't kill them all.
"But this, this will silence all those who dare to speak against my nation" he gestured towards the blue image floating in the air "The aliens were not alone, even now as we speak, their infestation might be spreading through the stars!" his face hardened as he let out the words with disgust "The fear! the fear will silence them all, as it always has" 9 let out abominable laughter, the static of his voice echoed in the air. Then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, allowing the humming sound of the machines to combat the all-consuming silence.
The energy, fear, and joy that filled the heart of 9 suddenly dissipated, leaving him to stare blankly at the image. Even now the cogs in his mind were hard at work to find a way to use this new discovery to his own benefit. In the corner of his view, the twitching sound of a machine drew his attention. It came from a box-like object in the corner of the room, connected to several wires that kept it in constant pain but alive.
"Yes, sister?" 9 asked, trying to decipher the meaning behind the sound "Have I done something to upset you? come on, you can tell me" he walked closer to the black box, the meaningless sounds continued, irritating 9 "I can't understand if you don't speak properly now can I?" he questioned, clenching his teeth. The sounds continued even more frantically in spite of his irritation "What do you want? TELL ME ALREADY!" he yelled, he punched the wall nearby, punching through reinforced steel with the power of his fist alone "WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT, SISTER? TALK PROPERLY OR SHUT UP!" he threatened but the sounds continued, trying to give him a message 9 could not understand "I said SHUT UP"
Giving control over his fury, 9 slapped the box in rage, causing the wires to be torn apart as the BlackBox crashed into the wall, letting loose an ear-screeching mechanical shriek. 9's rage-filled expression suddenly changed to that of fear as he scrambled toward the BlackBox.
"I'm sorry, sister, I'm sorry. Are you ok?" he grabbed the box and embraced it in his arms, even now the box writhed in pain, letting small electric bolts out of its body, the only movement it could do.
9 frantically inspected the box in his arms, looking for damaged parts.
"You're going to be ok, you'll live!" 9 let out a mad giggle as he noticed the small dent on the box that was already repairing itself. It must've caused a lot of pain, but that was ok, his Sister lived "Oh, you had me worried for a moment" he sighed in relief "Here let me put you where you belong" 9 wiped the tear on his face before placing the box back where it belonged, reattaching the wires into the box.
He wanted to speak again but a ring in his head informed him of his agents wanting to speak with him. With a deep sigh, 9 gently patted the box before walking away to leave the room, he could speak with her Sister again, once his plans were in action.
The automated door opened as 9 approached, he halted between the door frame. 9 turned his head back, giving a final look at the BlackBox, a smile formed on his face "See you soon, 2" 9 turned back and resumed his walk.
Once 9 left, the door closed shut, leaving the dark empty room behind. The only sound that could be heard was the mechanical twitches that clinked throughout the room, trying to imitate the ability it once had. To cry.
Triarchy Codex:
The Triarchy is ruled by three individuals who are selected by a council of androids from their respective branches, who in turn, are formed from high-ranking officers or individuals. Each Triarch rules its respective branch but together, they devise the future actions of the Triarchy.
Triarch of Authority:
The administrative body of the Triarchy. They attend to the bureaucratic needs of the nation, write laws on the lower level, and minister the economy. They are tasked with funding the nation's needs.
The Triarch of Authority is chosen by a council of admins, known as the voice of reason.
Triarch of Steel:
Formed from conjoined forces of the former resistance, the army of humanity, and YoRHa forces. The Triarch of steel commands the fighting force of the nation, including the newly formed navy. They are tasked with defending the nation against both alien and internal threats.
The Triarch of Steel is chosen by a council of Generals, known as the war council.
Triarch of Truth:
Although during the first days of its establishment, the church held no power, the influence it had over the minds of the masses, could easily be translated into political power. Now, the church of humanity is one of the most influential organizations within the Triarchy.
The Triarch of Truth is chosen from the ranks of high priests and priestesses of which there are always five. The high priests act as counsel for the Triarch of Truth and are tasked to tend to the church's needs.
Special organizations:
YoRHa:
Due to their overzealous nature, the church has shown much interest in the organization. Although their jurisdiction lies with the army, many of their members aligned themselves with the church after being given a pardon by the high priest Alethar, creating a schism within their ranks.
Thanks to their elite status, YoRHa was given the freedom to operate without concern for many of the army's laws, though there are still restrictions.
Templars:
Protectors of faith recruited completely from androids. They act as the militant branch of the church, protecting the church's interest in sol system and beyond. They actively help the search for ancient artifacts.
Templars have the largest number of magicians, androids who somehow developed the ability to use Maso.
CPI (Cultural Preservation Initiative):
A group of free-spirited androids with a passion for history. These historians and archeologists are tasked with the discovery of ancient artifacts. They are funded by the Triarch of Authority and often protected by YoRHa or the Templars.