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fandom-space-princess · 2 months ago

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Feed Designation: Lucky 13

Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries; Love, Death, + Robots (crossover) Rating: General audiences Chapter: 1/2

As inspired by this post.

Summary:

On the contested border planet Nemvali-IIb at the edge of Corporation Rim space, attacks by GenValen corporate acquisition squads bent on stealing both resources and people are a fact of life. The planet's first and last line of defense is a makeshift airforce of volunteer pilots. When an intact corporate gunship full of dead bodies is recovered and repurposed for their mission, it is assigned to newly augmented pilot Takeda Tira. Superstition be damned--if no one else will fly the thing, she will. She thought the ship she'd be flying, even built by the enemy as it was, could hold no surprises for her. She was wrong.

Read below, or on AO3.

Audio file localstorage.2205170:

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “How’s the new gear treating you?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Medical cleared me. That’s all I need.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Augments that extensive are no joke. If you need the time, take the time.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Negative on that. No way to break them in except to fly with them. Besides… two raids already this month. All they got last time was gear, but I’m not going to sit in bed rubbing my eyes while the corpos grab somebody’s kids. Not if I could be out there.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: [sigh] “I’ll give you that. Well, on that front. I have good news and bad news.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Chief?”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “The good news: we have a bird for you. The bad news…”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: …

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “That’s not funny, Jackie.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Wonder when you think I grew a sense of humor?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “That’s a gunship. A GenValen gunship. How…?”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Recovered after the last raid. We didn’t even have to shoot it down. Pulled it out of deteriorating orbit right before it would’ve started burning, whole crew of corporates dead inside. Techs claim rapid decompression and electrical failure killed ‘em. Fixed the seals and they say it’s flightworthy.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “So it’s… ours now.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Don’t make that face. It’s not like we’re so rich with ships we can throw out one that works. Just think of the surprise the bastards are in for the next time they come back. Shoot ‘em out of our sky with their own railguns.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Why doesn’t it have a pilot yet?”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “After seeing the cabin full of bodies, nobody’s been in a real hurry to get behind the flight controls. Everybody’s been a little… well, let’s say wary.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “I’m not superstitious. So long as it’ll fly.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “It’ll fly. As far as your interface goes, engineering had to scrub the software. Much as they could, anyway. Some basic subroutines they can’t get rid of that keep the engine running, so to speak, but they shouldn’t give you any trouble. There’s no personality left in there to get in your way. That thing’s dead.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “If you say so.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Listen, you’re the one that wants to fly. This is the bird I have for you, at least until our new wings are ready. Just put this thing through its paces, break in that fancy new hardware in your brain, and I promise you I’ll see about getting you moved up the list for something a little friendlier as soon as we can. All right, Takeda? I promise you.”

Feed log localstorage.2205172:

{Authentication protocol: pilot ID Takeda Tira, callsign “Gravity.”}

{Authentication successful. Welcome pilot Takeda.}

feedID[Gravity]: Guess you still have enough of a brain to say hi. Query: identification.

{ShipID GenValen enforcer designation 13-02313.}

feedID[Gravity]:Right. Great. Not ominous at all. Let’s see what we’ve got. {Ping: Jasper Sikora, callsign “Techno.”}

feedID[Techno]: Boss lady. What’s up?

feedID[Gravity]: Systems report?

feedID[Techno]: Eh. You can get it into the air, for whatever that’s worth to you. Not sure if it’s my imagination or if the entire crew bay really still stinks like dead corporates. Not that I feel sorry for the fuckers, but I can’t imagine dying in this tin can.

feedID[Gravity]: Your head’s gonna be in a helmet anyway, what do you care what the upholstery on your chair smells like?

feedID[Techno]: I know. It’s just the design of this thing… brr. Gives me the creeps in here.

feedID[Gravity]: Techno. The systems report.

feedID[Techno]: Yeah, yeah. Triple-checked engineering’s upgrades. Seals look good. Turret diagnostics coming back solid gold. Engines, check. Electrical, check. Bot pilot is reading as limited cognition/residual functionality only. You make friends yet?

feedID[Gravity]: Very funny. So far it gave me an ID and that’s it. Interfacing like that still makes my teeth itch.

feedID[Techno]: You’ll get over it. What’s it call itself?

feedID[Gravity]: No name, just a registry designation. 13-02313.

feedID[Techno]: Hell. Chief is actually making us fly corporate death trap number 13?

feedID[Gravity]: No, Sikora, I’m asking you—politely—to help me get my ship run-ready.

feedID[Techno]: Cursed-ass piece of… this isn’t a ship, it’s a coffin with wings.

feedID[Gravity]: Rude.

{Environmental adjustment: forced-air-recycle(crew cabin)}

feedID[Techno]: Aww, fresh air? For me? You’re too kind.

feedID[Gravity]: Wasn’t me. Automatics kicked on. Guess she heard you complaining.

feedID[Techno]: Not reassuring, boss. Not reassuring.

Feed log localstorage.2205177:

{Communications protocol: tightband local, return signal: emergency hail, civilian sector, Ardath-Benak Agricultural Community}

feedID[Gravity]: This is pilot Takeda Tira with Nemvali-IIb auxiliary air support, responding to distress call. We have three support ships inbound, do you copy?

Civilian feed: …

feedID[Gravity]: I repeat, this is pilot Takeda with aux air, can anyone hear me?

Civilian feed: …

feedID[Gravity]: 13, channel filter and rescan. Max signal sensitivity.

{Filter set to maximum gain. Scanning.}

{Scanning.}

{Signal not detected.}

feedID[Gravity]: Dammit!

feedID[Gravity]: Bruno! What’s our eta?

feedID[Bruno]: 90 seconds, ma’am.

{Ping: pilots Valo, Candace and Joshi, Vanya}

feedID[Gravity]: CV, Flashbang, check in.

feedID[CV]: On your eight.

feedID[Flashbang]: On your four. Picking up two hostile ships, one at the landing zone, one holding in low hover.

feedID[Gravity]: Any intel on the people?

feedID[Flashbang]: None.

feedID[Gravity]: Fuck. All right. CV, you and I can take the flier. Flash, get your crew groundside. Those assholes don’t leave this planet with a single civilian.

feedID[Flashbang]: They aren’t leaving this planet full stop.

feedID[Techno]: Boss, our sensors are freaking out.

{Incoming command packet: GenValen piloting overrides. Apply command packet y/n?}

feedID[Gravity]: Ougch, son of a… gods, it’s like bugs in my eye sockets. No! No. 13, dismiss command packet and screen sensors for interference.

{Affirmative, pilot Takeda.}

feedID[Techno]: Gravity with the magic touch! Our eyes are clear. Contact in 20 seconds.

feedID[Flashbang]: Breaking for groundside. Give ‘em hell.

feedID[CV]: Like we were born for it.

{Hostile gunship acquiring targeting lock, preparing to fire missiles.}

feedID[Gravity]: What—? How do you know—

{Evasion protocol y/n?}

feedID[Gravity]: Yes!

feedID[Bruno]: Brace for impact!

feelID[Gravity]: Aaaaughh

{Missile detonation evasion successful. Secondary debris impact. Hull integrity: 97%.}

feedID[Techno]: You all right boss?

feedID[Gravity]: I felt that debris impact in my fucking spine. Gotta figure out how to turn down the volume on the augments.

feedID[Bruno]: Targeting validated, ma’am. Firing on hostiles.

feedID[CV]: Crossfire incoming.

{Incoming ground communication: pilot Joshi}

feed[Gravity]: Flash?

feed[Flashbang]: Takeda. I. hsst

feed[Gravity]: Joshi! Report now.

feed[Flashbang]: Got a little too hot down here, Grav.

feed[Gravity]: Get back to your ship, Vanya. Cut and run.

feed[Flashbang]: No can do. We’ve got the civilians but we’re pinned down, and we’re… not walking anywhere anytime soon.

{Brace for impact.}

{Projectile impacts to rear third of ship. Hull integrity: 91%.}

feed[Gravity]: Shit. Shit!

{Pilot Takeda.}

feedID[CV]: Get over here you fuckers!

{Pilot Gravity?}

feedID[Gravity]: … uh. 13?

{Adversarial software protocols partially operational. Deployment against hostile gunships possible. Deploy y/n?}

feedID[Gravity]: You still have your killware modules?

{Partially operational. Deploy y/n?}

feedID[Gravity]: … screw it. Yes.

{Deploying.}

feedID[Techno]: Ha haaaa! Hostile flier appears to be experiencing a few technical difficulties.

{Deployment successful.}

feedID[CV]: Hot damn. Come on over here, assholes, I’ve got a present for you.

feedID[CV]: I’ve got this one, Grav. Go pull Vanya’s boots out of the fire.

feedID[Gravity]: You sure?

feedID[CV]: Drinks on me back at HQ.

Video file HQ.medbay.2205178:

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Wanted to come by and check up on you, Takeda. How are you feeling?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Tired. Sore.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Sounds like you earned both. The surgeon reports that Joshi and Irving going to make a full recovery. I understand that’s thanks to you and your crew. Want to tell me what happened?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “You got my report? The ground team got the civilians away from the GenValen acquisition squad, but Joshi took three shots in the back from close-range energy weapons. Irving took out a combat bot but sustained multiple fractures in his right arm and right leg doing it. They were pinned down in one of the outbuildings. I came up on the hostiles from behind, and Bruno got up on the roof. Techno gave us cover fire with the ship’s air-to-ground turrets.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “I read it. I’m not complaining—that was a hell of a thing you pulled off. I’m just curious, though. You said you left Valo going after the flier. What were you thinking? Landing with that thing still armed and in the air… that’s not just stupid, Gravity, that’s dogged pursuit of martyrdom and I don’t have you pegged as the type. I’m going to need an explanation.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: [sigh]

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “13 disabled it.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “So your report claimed. But how? How’d you do it?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Not me. 13. I was mostly just trying to fly through a migraine. But 13… she knew what she wanted to do, I think. She helped.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Thought you weren’t the superstitious type.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Don’t look at me like that.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “Takeda, that ship is dead. Engineering scrubbed the bot pilot. It can’t know anything. You sure you don’t want medical to have another look at your augments?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “No, I’m—I’m fine. Tired, like I said. It’ll pass.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “I can have the techs take another look at the ship, see if there’s something they missed.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “No!”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “No?”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “No, sorry. Just… whatever’s going on with the bot pilot, leave it alone. Please. I like it how it is.”

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: …

feedID[Laporte, Jacqueline]: “All right, Takeda. All right. Rest up tonight. We’ll talk again soon.”

feedID[Takeda, Tira]: “Thanks, chief.”

Feed log localstorage.2205178:

feedID[Gravity]: Hey, 13. You there?

{Acknowledged, pilot Takeda.}

feedID[Gravity]: I’ve never met a bot pilot that talks.

feedID[Gravity]: Not that you’re supposed to even still be a bot pilot. Or anything at all.

{Physical readings indicate ongoing somatic reflex response.}

feedID[Gravity]: Yeah, it’s not the warmest in here.

{Environmental adjustment: temperature-modulation(flight control cabin)}

feedID[Gravity]: …

feedID[Gravity]: You called me Gravity.

{Affirmative, pilot Takeda.}

feedID[Gravity]: I think I’d like you to keep doing that.

{Affirmative, Gravity.}

feedID[Gravity]: They said they scrubbed your software. They think they did.

feedID[Gravity]: I don’t think they knew what they had with you.

feedID[Gravity]: But I do.

#the murderbot diaries #tmbd #love death and robots #ld+r #crossover #fanfic #this doesn't truly exist in either canon this is some hybrid third thing

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rei-ismyname · 7 months ago

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Let's talk R-LDS

R-LDS or Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Sickness was alluded to in X-Men #4 and the Infinity Comics before being named in X-Men #7. We're told that Magneto has it and it's directly caused by Krakoan resurrection/The Five, kinda.

Here's Beast doing some alluding.

In the panels above, we learn that Hank McCoy is the only one working on the problem - the problem being Magneto's loss of his powers and his body breaking down rapidly - his very chromosomes unraveling. He seems quite sure that it could happen to 'any of us' though the lack of quarantine suggests it's not contagious.

The next bit of information we receive is from Magneto and Scott in conversation, reflecting on The Iron Night. They took down a wild sentinel that was attacking the town and Mags lost control over his powers immediately after, requiring Scott to knock him out for safety's sake. Scott is no scientist, and while Magneto is a genius polymath autodidact (with plenty of experience in genetics) it's not a character trait that's seen focus lately. Thus, I'm assuming they're discussing it as amateurs and as patient zero in Magneto's case.

Magneto confidently names the condition for the first time as well as using an acronym for it, suggesting it's confirmed to exist, he's had a positive diagnosis, and they're using the term enough to require shorthand. He even spells out the subtext for us - it was a hidden flaw in Krakoan resurrection. I'll come back to that notion. Scott says 'we don't know that for sure,' implying that R-LDS is just a theory or speculation, which Mags doesn't directly refute. Instead he lays out the worst case scenario. They can't both be right here, so what's the deal? Magneto's symptoms are obviously confirmed, but how did they get from there to here?

If Magneto is the first and only person affected by his condition, why are he and Beast so sure about its providence and everyone being in danger? How could they possibly link it to Krakoan resurrection? I'm no scientist but I do know that there's only so much you can conclude from a single data point. Magneto was indeed only resurrected by the Five once, but he died again after that on Arakko (X-Men Red #7). The body he's in came out of a portal from Overspace in Adam Brashear's underwater base (Resurrection of Magneto #3.) His body suffering a condition borne of something that happened to a different body doesn't make sense. Considering he's the only person to return to life that way AND the only one allegedly with R-LDS, that would be the place to start for Beast's sciencing.

There he is, good as new.

Word of God

In a recent AIPT interview, Tom Brevoort removed any ambiguity and just straight up confirmed it. With the caveat that his recent X-history knowledge seems pretty poor, he is the de jure ultimate authority on the matter. I don't agree with that, and not just because I don't respect him as a creator. This habit of on-panel ambiguity and editorialising in interviews is vexing.

It's especially vexing when he contradicts himself. He counterpoints his own information with some of what I just pointed out, but the fact that they've made a list of who was and wasn't resurrected suggests R-LDS is a plot point they're committed to. I have to wonder why he bothered giving a detailed answer to this question if it's 'yes,' then 'maybe', then 'it will definitely be a thing you'll see as we progress.' Saying all of that and then ending with 'we know very little so far' really makes me wonder what he's thinking. Tom Brevoort could have given his usual cagey answer about not wanting to spoil anything, but he didn't here. I'm saving most of my Brevoort-specific criticism for a separate piece, but this glib and irreverent tone is typical of his commentary - even managing a light jab at Jordan D White.

Frankly, I think it's a graceless and cynical development. There are so many character beats, mistakes, and conflicts to use from the First Krakoan Age that choosing to create R-LDS feels like a shot at the core of hopefulness and creativity that blew our socks off in 2019.

HoxPoX

House of X/Powers of X was hopeful and magical. After a decade plus of endless misery and genocides, dull stories and bizarre characterisation, for once mutants got a W. The ability to use mutants working together to right the horrendous wrongs they'd suffered was central to that - the power of community and cooperation. What they built wasn't perfect but The Five was something they got right.

What would possess someone to take the cornerstone of the greatest X-Men story of all time (don't @ me) and try to tear it down? Remember, when the dust settled we ended up in Moira X life 10E. In 10A, the original Krakoan experiment, the mutants won! They thrived and protected what was theirs against Dominions. It took a literal apex AI God existing outside of space and time directly opposing them to fail. Enigma, on the back foot, sent Omega Sentinel through time to start ORCHIS years early and ensure Krakoa's collapse. Am I to believe 'no, sorry. That was a dead end?'

Haven't we been here before?

We've had mutants suffer from the Legacy Virus and M-Pox already, and I might even be missing other examples of nebulous diseases that threatened to wipe out all mutants. Obviously it's the prerogative of the X-Office to use whatever plot points they want, but do we really have to do this again? There are plenty of ways to sideline Magneto as a combatant that don't require repackaging old storylines. We've even had Hank McCoy decades behind the curve desperately trying to catch up before - in All-New All-Different X-Men.

Small World

Defenders-era Hank McCoy might be the worst possible 616 scientist to tackle this problem. He's literally decades behind the science curve and doesn't have the experience in dealing with anything like this. He's not the same guy that worked on M-Pox or the Legacy Virus. He never set foot on Krakoa and has never met any of the Five. We don't know how much data was recorded or kept from The Five but Beast may not have access to it.

Why isn't he talking to Cecilia Reyes, Forge, Jean Grey, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, Adam Brashear, Healer, Doctor Nemesis? Even doctor dickhead that extorted Storm has the ability to instantly diagnose anyone. It makes the world feel tiny, and when you're following an era of interconnectedness that's just so disappointing. Portraying him as supremely concerned about 'all of us being ticking time bombs' rings hollow if he's working on it solo. Hank McCoy has always had a sense of arrogance where his scientific ability is concerned but not to this degree. Look at the guy! He's hating the stress he's under.

Sins of Sinister and the White Hot Room

I have to wonder if the implications of linking Magneto's illness to The Five's resurrection have been fully considered. The Sins of Sinister timeline ran for a millennium with the Five resurrecting on an industrial scale. Rasputin IV would have noticed, or the Quiet Council. The mutants left behind in the White Hot Room in RotPox spent 15 years bringing back ALL the dead mutants. That's 16 million, minimum. 15 years is less than a thousand but it's still longer than the First Krakoan Age, several times over. Nobody noticed anything? Elixir, member of the Five and Omega biokinetic, with his unlimited mastery of DNA didn't notice anything? Destiny didn't see mutants falling apart? Sounds dubious as hell to me.

Towards the end of the era many humans were resurrected too. 5% of the Five's work was set aside for bringing back poor children etc through the Phoenix Foundation. Steve Rogers was resurrected into his current body on Judgement Day. I am extremely skeptical that this has been considered, and in Steve's case whether the X-Office can even use him.

Conclusion

Magneto's physical degradation has been swift. Here he is in Uncanny X-Men #700, implied to be at most 6 months before X-Men #1. I think I've demonstrated that the concept is nonsensical and to reiterate, I think it's a terrible narrative choice. If I'm being generous, it'll be interesting to see if they can explain R-LDS in a way that makes sense - if they can do something new and interesting with a tired concept. There's only been one issue since it was introduced, so perhaps I'm jumping the gun on breaking it down. Let's check back in 6 months.

What do you think of R-LDS? Do you think my reasoning is sound? As always, I'd love to hear what other fans think.

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