A Logbook on Goo

by Zakelga

Chapter 1: A Mucky Memory

[DREAM SEQUENCE: INITIATED]
[SCANNING...]
[ERROR: INSUFFICIENT MEMORY BANK]
[REQUEST: ACCESS MEMORY VAULT]
[SCANNING...]
[ACCESS: GRANTED]
[ACCESS: MEMORY SIG 071]
[DREAM SEQUENCE: ACTIVATE IN 3...2...1...]

"You better slow down Tristen! Or do you want to end up like, THE ZOMBIE OF TELMA LAAAKE! RAAAAAH!"

"EEEK!! Help me! Ha ha ha!!"

Markus Obediah laughed along as he strolled down the side walk, keeping one eye one his younger brother and another on the great view he had of the towering city skyscrapers ahead of him. A gentle breeze flowed through the air, calming his nerves and making him feel relaxed while he kicked a stone blocking his path. Packing, unpacking, decorations, new neighbors, school crash courses; these were just a few of the many speed bumps during the transition. It wasn't easy, and not everyone was pleased about it. But everyone was together, and that's what mattered the most.

It had been a few months since the Obediah family left their home satellite on The Armstrong, taking their growing trading business with them to a newly colonized planet just a few hundred-thousand lightyears away. This freshly terraformed world was the first major project their father headed himself, and he wanted his family to proudly be the first citizens to occupy it. The planet's name was still sitting in bureaucratic hell, but the borders were now officially open to the public. The family of six (domestic leopard included) arrived at their beautiful mountainside palace, settled in, and opened the major trading centers to the cosmos.

In just a few short weeks, hundreds of thousands of people arrived to become part of the already growing population. People from all walks of life graced its earthly soil. A soldier seeking retirement, a broke merchant wanting to start anew, an immigrant family escaping the troubles of a global war; it did not matter who you were, all were welcome. As long as you abided by the rules and contributed to society, you were left to your own devices and free to call any place your home. Even with the influx of citizens, it would take at least decades to completely fill the planet.

---

Markus and Tristen were taking advantage of this openness, traveling by skyship to explore the wonders they now called their backyard. Their current stop was the city of Vells, a metropolis on stilts over a lush forest that was considered the "pitstop" for new arrivals before they headed out into the unknown expanse. They were going to visit a relative that had just arrived for fueling. Though they wouldn't look the part, the Obediah's were actually part of a militaristic family. For thirty generations, the eldest Obediah relative would take over Galaxy Ultratech Corporation, or GU Corp, one of the smallest, yet most powerful private militaries in the known galaxy. They valued quality over quantity, and shined all the brighter for it. Their inventions, originally intended for battle, were a major boost to humanity's galactic expansion. It was GU Corp that was responsible for ending over a quarter of the known wars raging across the cosmos and for creating the galaxy-famed Cosmic Rail, a warping complex that shuttled workers between star systems in a matter of minutes.

Jason Obediah, Markus' father, was the first family member ever to break the cycle. He preferred the excitement of terraformation, building new worlds and landscapes to give humanity new wonders to explore. After marrying a young and upcoming tradeswoman named Emiline, he resigned from his service at GU Corp and joined a robust terraforming company. Jason's father, a commander in the military, had become outraged at his decision to leave, becoming distant and refusing to talk to him whenever they were in the same room. It was a harsh consequence, but Jason learned to live with the guilt. He had three children and moved to a satellite colony, a temporary home until he had assured his position.

Now, twenty-two years later, Jason's dreams had come true. Relatives from all over the galaxy requested to see the fruits of his labor, and one of his cousins had come to visit now. Tristen was the first to spot him next to an open cargo bay door amongst the sea of people.

"Uncle Manny! Uncle Manny!" Tristen shouted at the top of his lungs. "Over here!"

Named after a famous boxer of the twenty-first century, Manny Obediah was someone who you just wanted to be around. With a lean build, chestnut hair, and piercing brown eyes, one would think that he would shun too much contact, when the exact opposite actually held true. Fun, easygoing, and great with jokes, he was always seen walking about with friends, family, and even complete strangers. If left to his own devices, the man would talk for hours at a time. Right now, Manny was surprisingly alone, talking on his holo-speak before shutting it off and looking towards the boys with a big smile.

"Hey, if it isn't the little Fry-bean! Hopped out of any sand pits lately?" he asked in a joking tone.

"That's mean uncle! That happened only twice, and I'm seven years older now!"

"You mean, you're seven years old." Markus interrupted. "It's nice to see you stop by uncle Manny. I assume you're here for more than just a visit?"

"Unfortunately, yeah." Manny sighed. "You know GU Corp; once a war pops up, we're the first fighting force everyone calls." He leaned back and stretched his arms. "Though this time, I don't know if some of us will make it."

"Wow, that bad? Who's the lucky punching bag?"

"The way things are going right now, it may the other way around."

Markus smirked. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"Actually, it can. We're fighting Earth."

Markus froze, a frown immediately replacing his smile. "Holy hell... That's more than bad, it's suicide!"

"That's not the worst of it. With the Solar System suddenly now considered a hyperpower, our current clients and customers are terrified of losing their money and influence." Manny sat down on an empty workbench and stared at the sky, a scowl plastered on his face. "The filthy pigs are demanding a share of the profits Mars and Venus make as a sign of trust. If the trifecta won't comply, they threaten to take the system by force and create a new government in the name of "equal opportunity". Greedy bastards don't even care about the people doing the actual fighting."

Manny shook his head. "And we can't even back out of this now unless we're willing to break policies. Don't get me wrong. Financially, GU Corp could be set for the next several decades if we pull this off. On a military stand point, however, we would have to sacrifice a lot of man power to be at least close to efficient as possible, and man power is something we currently lack."

*Yawn* "Marky, I'm bored. Can we go back to the walking around now?" Tristen moaned. He was currently fiddling with the circuitry of a city police droid, re-programming it with a pocket-sized conduit to tap dance at the sound of a hover engine.

Markus chuckled. "Alright, let's get you back to the ship. Our next stop is goi-"

"Actually, Markus..." Manny sheepishly grinned, scratching the back of his head. "I was hoping you would give something back to your father. He kinda forgot about a few cases and crates on the ship from his...earlier expenditures."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "...What do mean by, expenditures?"

"Remember when your father wanted to be a," *Ahem* ", an "actor" before he found terraforming?"

"Oh god, please don't remind me."

Manny sighed. "Well, some of the "props" that he and other people have definitely used were left behind when he resigned. The storage room that houses them will need to be restocked with gear for the upcoming war, and since nobody wants to even go near the damn stuff, well, they need to be shipped out. I'm in quite a pickle right now, so if you could deliver the stuff instead of me, that would be fantastic."

Tristen beamed with excitement, tossing the unfortunate police droid over the guard rail and down to the forest below before sprinting over to Markus. "Wow! Dad was going to be an actor?!? What kind of actor was he going to be? Theater? The movies? Ooh, ooh! Maybe even a circus performer!"

Markus wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "Uh, no he wasn't exactly... any of those. He was... how should I say..."

"Well, the answer is actually quite simple." Manny piped in. He squatted in front of the boy get to eye level. "You see kid, when a man and a woman fall in love with each othe-"

*AHEM!!* "Tristen, why don't you go wait at the skyship while I go and fetch dad's belongings?" Markus interrupted.

"Awww, I wanted to see the battleship up close..." Tristen pouted. He started making puppy dog eyes, trying to guilt trip his brother.

"Tell you what. If you wait in the ship and behave while i'm gone, I will personally give you access to at least some of the high-quality biomass I own to further decorate your aquaroom." He took a white, electric card out of his pocket and handed it the the young boy. "I'll even let you use the public telepad to get you there faster."

"Really?!? Deal!" Tristen exclaimed, swiping the card from his brother's hand and taking off, running to the nearest transport hub. "Bye uncle Manny! See you later Marky!"

"Don't forget to tell G.A.R. to clear the loading dock! I'll be coming back in a few hours or so!" yelled Mark.

"See ya Fry-bean! Have fun!" Manny shouted. "He sure has grown quite a bit, hasn't he?"

Markus scoffed. "If only I could say the same about his temper. Have you seen him when he's angry? He reminds me of a delirious baboon. Trust me, I've seen one."

Manny laughed. "Hahahaha!" *sigh* "You haven't changed a bit either. C'mon, I'm refueling the ship at hangar Delta. You can tell me how this little patch-of-dirt planet is treatin' you along the way."

---

The Spitting Cobra was enormous, a tough-looking battle cruiser that had obviously seen much combat. Spanning three-hundred feet wide and fifteen-hundred feet across, the blue-grey vessel was a wonderous marvel to behold. Turrets and cannons poked out in every direction. Four, massive engines occupied the back of the ship, creating a low rumble as they were being tested for fluid leaks. The command center sat in between two, behemoth-sized matter disruptors, twin pieces of experimental artillery that fired reality-twisting projectiles at unbelievable speeds. Any enemy would feel frightened by being anywhere near the monster, especially when the giant guns were pointed at them.

Having already seen the warship on previous visitations, Markus was alternatively walking alongside Manny, reciting to him the plans and concepts his family made for laying out an orbital defense grid. They were currently chatting inside the cargo holds of the vessel, making their way down the aisles to the storage container of "acting props".

"-and the orbital flak cannons won't arrive until next year, so we're left with a blind spot around the moon station." Markus was explaining. "The EMP and anti-shield artillery are already locked in place, and we can't spread out our fighters, or the defense line would be too thin."

"Interesting..." Manny mused. He tapped his head in thought before speaking again. "You know, if your family's willing to spend a few more credits, GU Corp actually has a solution to the dillema. We've developed a warp-snaring configuration capable of blanketing a continent. It's just been released to the public, so the price is insane, but since you're family, I wouldn't doubt that our executive would give you a fairly decent discount."

"That's... actually pretty generous of you." Markus replied. "I'll have to talk it over with mother, but it will definitly be an open option. Oh, I guess this is the container?"

The pair arrived in front of a glossy red storage unit. It didn't look like much exept for a crossed out sign that said [PROPS DEPARTMENT], but the contents inside were apparently making the crew members uncomfortable. Markus groaned. Just thinking about the conversations to come gave him a headache.

Manny chuckled. "Hehe, hey don't worry. At least you now have exciting memorabilia of your father's days long past. I'll go get the lift while you can sort through all the mess in there." With that, he jogged off to the control deck to grab the lift keys.

With a sigh, Markus walked up to the front door, twisting the handle just a crack when a holopanel flickered to life in front of him.

[HALT. UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED. PLEASE STANDBY WHILE BODY SCAN IS IN PROGRE-PRO-PRO-*zzzt*-]

[ACCESS: GRANTED. PLEASE STEER CLEAR OF THE AUTOMATIC DOORS.]

Huh, strange, Markus thought as the storage box doors were opening. I need to tell Manny that the shipping containers need maintenence. It'd be terrrible if the V.I. did that for everyone.

Markus walked inside and pressed the lights on to find... nothing. No boxes, no crates, no cases. Just a plain, empty room with a holo panel casually pulsing with light anchored to the wall.

"Huh?" Markus said, a puzzled look setting on his face. "Is this the right container? It said "props" on the outside, so either the stuff has be-"

*SLAM!!*

"GYAAH!! WHAT THE-?!?"

The doors behind Markus swung shut and locked, sealing him inside the box. He ran to the doors and started banging on them, hoping to get someone's attention.

"Hello?!? Anyone out there?!? I'm trapped inside this container!! ...Damn, just what the hell is going on he-"

*PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST*

Markus looked up. From a vent attached to the ceiling, a green gas was being sprayed into the storage unit. All of a sudden, he started coughing and wheezing, unable to find any breath. The ground was getting blurry beneath his feet, making him lose balance and trip onto the floor.

*Beep* The holopanel in the room flickered on, revealing a familiar face and a devilish grin.

"Hey there Markus. You alright? I know that stuff stings a bit, seeing that it's the same gas we use for our training, but don't worry about the dying part. Once it's flushed out of your system, you'll be good as new."

"MANNY, YOU BASTARD!! WHAT THE HELL ARE DOING?!?"

Manny leaned back in a chair and twiddled his fingers.

"The answer is actually quite simple. Remember when I said that GU Corp was low on man power? Well, the boss says that we don't have the time to go through our regular recruitment procedures, so he gave the greenlight for us commanders to enlist the members we want, however we want. When he said that, I immediatly thought of you! Aren't I just the sweetest?"

"YOU LIED TO ME!!" *COUGH* "THERE WAS NO CARGO!!"

Manny looked thoughtful. "Actually, that part was true. There was all this random junk in that containter your father left. We burned it years ago though."

Markus started banging on the door. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!! *COUGH*, *COUGH* "MANNY!!"

"You know, now that I think about it," Manny reached over and pulled out a stack of papers lying on his desk, sifting through its contents. "one of my colleagues was particularly adamant about training you himself. Ah, here it is. He said that this was a great chance to, and I quote," *ahem* ","straighten out the Obediah legacy and give my bastard grandson a real life worth living", end quote. Congratulations! You're getting quality grandpa-and-grandson bonding time!"

"LET ME OUT!!" *COUGH* "LET ME OUT NO-" *COUGH*, *COUGH* "Ugh..."

Markus collapsed on the floor, barely able to here Manny speak up again.

"Oh, I can see that it's getting close to your bed time, so I'll leave you to rest now." Manny said in a mocking tone.

"You're gonna have a fantastic time meeting new friends and criminals at the training grounds, so you need the energy to wake up bright and early tommorow morning. On behalf of our great, little family, I officialy wel-... t-.... Gal-...Corpor-..." *zzzt*

[ERROR: PROTOCOL VIOLATED]
[REDACTING: MEMORY SIG 071]
[DREAM SEQUENCE: TERMINATED]
[MEMORY VAULT: LOCK CYCLE ACTIVATED]
[WAKE SEQUENCE: INITIATED]
[SCANNING...]
[WAKE SEQUENCE: ACTIVATE IN 3...2...1...]

---

Author's Note:

Hello readers and writers alike!

Okay, just to be clear, none of the technologies or timeline is canon with the Grey Goo universe. The true lore of the game is surprisingly vague, so I took the liberty of making my own. Either that, or my internet skills need fine-tuning again. If any of you find any info on the timeline or history aspect, let me know so I can make revisions.

Enjoy

Comments

[Maxes Altho]

I haven't played Grey Goo, don't have the money to, but a goo story without a sex tag?
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/003/866/nfNeT7YvTozx0cv7ze3mplZpo1_500.gif

... why you looking at me like that? I like it weird.

[JohnIsOffline]

Not bad, i love it. seem not bad at line.

[muffinlord4life]

mooooarr plllzzzzz mooooooooooarrrrrsss

[Nataniel]

So far it sounds interesting. I really hope ponies are overreacting with all that war stuff and the end of Equestria. I really, really hope. Otherwise it's just another "super powered human turned x wrecks shit in Equestria".

[PlieRow666]

can you make a Grey Goo Groups!

[Blazing Shadow]

[novablade223]

sooo.. is the goo going the good guy or be the monster goo we no?

[wlam]

Well, that could have been unusual and interesting. Too bad you ended up doing nothing with it.

[Zepher]

5592749
It's not a bad game. They got dlc for it and added a 4th race.

[Nova Eclipse]

Aww I'm so sad that it stop continuing, it IS such a good game and this was just starting to get interesting, looks like all good things must come to an end