{"id":1292,"date":"2024-01-22T11:08:16","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ordcantrell.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/piston-is-down-panic-erupts-across-the-galaxy\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T11:08:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:08:16","slug":"piston-is-down-panic-erupts-across-the-galaxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ordcantrell.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/piston-is-down-panic-erupts-across-the-galaxy\/","title":{"rendered":"PISTON is DOWN – Panic erupts across the galaxy!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The holo springs to life with a familiar hexagonal lotus icon. An urgent theme plays on woodwinds and strings.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"TLI-Banners-03-1.png\"<\/p>\n

An EV droid stands before the camera in front of a large computer control room. Panels with blinking lights and screens with scrolling torrents of numbers and graphs fill the space overhead, while panicked analysts below shout orders and tap furiously at their datapads.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Piston-15-1024x512.png\"<\/p>\n

\u201cGreetings Sentients, EV-1000 here with breaking news. I\u2019m here at the Leafar Holonet Center, a major hyperlane data processing center that provides up-to-date navigational coordinates and hyperlane routes to relays and ships all over the Ploo sector. And if the wails and moans weren\u2019t enough of a clue, you can see on these screens that we have a major crisis on our hands. PISTON, the AI that powers most of the Galaxy\u2019s astrogation computers is *down*. The sudden collapse of the essential piece of infrastructure has left travelers across the galaxy stranded and confused. I\u2019m here with Maath Varik<\/b>, one of the Holonet Center\u2019s lead analysts, for details. Mr. Varik, what do our folks at home need to know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maath Varik, a hirsute Ithorian sporting a mustache over each mouth, turns and replies through his translation device. \u201cAuthorities are encouraging people to STAY HOME and not to jump to hyperspace. If you don\u2019t know how to navigate using a Hyperspace Sextant, and\/or have a on-board Navicomputer with a considerable library of up-to-date charts, you really shouldn\u2019t attempt to use the lanes. Our astro-cartographers are working around the clock to try to resolve this problem, so keep your ears open as the situation develops.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PISTON_broken-291x300.png\"<\/p>\n

<PISTON Doesn\u2019t work, y\u2019all. Stop trying to make it work.><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much. We turn now to reporter Ghon Horizonis<\/b>. Sola, can you tell us how this happened?\u201d The image turns to another ithorian, this one with hooded, piercing eyes. He\u2019s standing in front of a hospital, near a somewhat tipsy looking Aleena.\u00a0<\/i> \u201cGhon Horizonis reporting live from the Herdship Tree of Tarintha<\/i> orbiting the planet Ithor. Behind me is the hospital where the mastermind and architect of PISTON, Vadik Edik<\/b>, is recovering from serious injuries.\u00a0 Edik is reported to have sustained these injuries in a dramatic lightsaber duel with the notorious Jar-Tan Rabor <\/b>at The Great Tarintha Supercomputer<\/i> just hours ago. Sir, can you tell us what you saw?\u201d He turns to the Aleena.<\/p>\n

The little Aleena stares into the middle distance as he answers. \u201cI saw [hic] a bunch of dem big ol spider-people running down the alley wherein I was nappin. The lead one was holding some device, like maybe a spikey computery thing. Next thing ya know this three-eyed gran comes charging down after them. Then there was blaster fire, and smoke, and one o\u2019 them glowy-swords playing ball with the blaster shots. And there was yellin\u2019 and hollerin\u2019 and folks running away. It was like Life Day at my in-law\u2019s place [hic]!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the facts, please,\u201d Ghon reminds him.<\/p>\n

\"duel_of_the_piston-1024x576.png\"<\/p>\n

<Artist\u2019s rendition of the dramatic lightsaber duel. Yes, we\u2019re aware Jar-Tan doesn\u2019t actually have a lightsaber\u2026><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWell after a minute of fightin\u2019 (seemed like hours though) it seemed to settle down, and when the smoke cleared a bit I saw the big spider-guy \u2013\u201d [Jar-Tan Rabor, the reporter corrects him<\/i>] \u201c– rushing off to that big computer place, leaving his squad behind to deal with the Jedi. The Gran was being held by a couple of the spider-ladies. They was asking \u2018should we kill him?\u2019 and the one in charge just said something like \u2018that ain\u2019t the job – just knock him out and leave him.\u2019 But before she did, Vadik just said \u2018I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t let you finish your contract PISTON is to valuable to be in your hands\u2019 and pushed a button on his comlink. Next thing you know, something big blows up over yon thataway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghon nods. \u201cI was over at the site of the explosion earlier. A section of the Great Supercomputer housing the PISTON AI went up in flames. We can only surmise it was a built-in failsafe Vadik triggered in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"research_facility_explosion-300x300.jpg\"<\/p>\n

<A large section of the Great Tarintha Supercomputer exploded.><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell the Spiders all started laughing and telling Vadik that he just made their job much easier. Then they shot him with a stun-bolt and skedaddled. After that, I checked his pockets \u2013 I mean his pulse \u2013 and called an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"vadik_Bactatank.png\"<\/p>\n

<Pictured: Vadik Edik receiving Care at the Tree of Tarintha Medical Authority><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you sir. A desperate gambit from Mr. Edik, it seems. And while life without PISTON will be harder, who knows? Perhaps this move may have saved countless lives. Back to you, EV.\u201d<\/p>\n

The holo returns to the EV unit in the Holonet Center.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Ghon. It seems that Vadik Edik hasn\u2019t awoken yet for comment, but Jar-Tan responded to us only saying \u2018It\u2019s against my policy to discuss the jobs I do for clients.\u2019 Which raises the question: was someone else really behind this? And why? Rest assured, we\u2019ll continue to follow up. As of right now, it is unknown when or if PISTON access will be available again, or what might take its place. In the meantime, be careful out there!\u201d<\/p>\n

The lotus logo and stirring theme music fill the holo before going dark.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holo springs to life with a familiar hexagonal lotus icon. An urgent theme plays on woodwinds and strings. An… <\/p>\n

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