Fire and Thunder

by computerneek

Chapter 1: Awakening

I feel my power levels shifting as my awareness stumbles into being, deep inside my Survival Center. Speaking of which, a diagnostic I never started comes back, reporting my Personality Center to be fully inoperable and my Survival Center only 1.37% functioning- and thence being used for the seat of my conscience for the time being. The same diagnostic, probably triggered by some low-level reboot protocol, reports Damage Control processors functional at 0.03% base capability, with only two repair nanites still responding, no spiders. 97.84% of my data cores are either inoperable or not responding; of those that are, one is my main personality backup core, the others all empty.

Except for one. One of these functional cores has a single, corrupted file in it. After file duplication, it takes a recovery program almost 0.473 seconds to recover- or erase- the damaged portions of this file, which seems to be a sensor log. Correction, upon spending 0.073 seconds reading the recovered contents: It’s a threat assessment file. No sensor information about the threat itself was recovered, only a partial weapons signature- and enough figures to suggest that I have between 3.47% and 7.18% of the total signature.

Analysis of the nature of the corruption- taking almost 6.41 seconds- suggests that the file was corrupted by power loss. At the expense of almost 0.27% of my available processing power, I set my personality logs to be broken up into 0.1-second segments, to be saved independently, so as to tolerate another case of power loss. I figure I can stitch them together later, once I stabilize my power situation.

A second diagnostic suggests that all power reserves are nonfunctional; it seems I am operating on live solar power. I set the nanites to work in reproduction, before I order them to service the Damage Control processors first. As much as I may wish for power storage, it is more important that I am able to continue repairs than that I am able to work through the night. I watch the nanites operate; I will service DCC until I have at least one redundant backup in place, then I will divert to power storage and system diagnostics capability.

Solar production drops suddenly, though not below current usage levels. I increase my personality log granularity to 0.01-second segments, increasing log-related processor load to 2.83%. A third nanite has been produced, and is joining the other two in production of a fo-

Upon reawakening, it takes me approximately 7.09 seconds to review my records from my last period of wakefulness. I will require approximately 7.93% greater solar production to reactivate the three nanites that DCC is reporting; this time, production is stable. My system clock has rebooted, again; I do not know how much time has passed. Primary systems diagnostic is reporting the same numbers as were present in my logs; as such, I expect it was fairly recent. I set some programs and relegate to Low Level Alert in an attempt to divert the power from my personality to the repair systems.

Another rough awakening. I am now sporting 7 nanites; system logs indicate the stable solar period lasted approximately 3.02 minutes, with my awareness beginning about 73.92 seconds in. It seems my attempt to divert power to the nanites was successful; DCC was able to operate all available nanites for 37.82 seconds before power levels fell too low once again. Power production appears to have changed smoothly, as a solar day might.

Solar production is holding steady, and climbing. First solar was detected 38.82 seconds before personality activation this time, and has already exceeded the previous period’s peak. I am able to activate the nanites without relegating to Low Level Alert once again. Production peaks at 103.47% of available consumption 90.62 seconds after first light; I revert to Low Level Alert as production falls, relegating any and all required power to the nanites working on my damage control CPU.

I am getting tired of low-power awakenings. However, I dare not order repair to take priority over personality launch; if I do, despite repairs being roughly 7.89% faster, I am likely to remain dormant for centuries, certainly long past whenever my enemy returns, until all systems have been repaired before reawakening again. This aside from the simple matter that, presumably, I will be able to improve repair- or solar- efficiency in manners in which DCC will be unaware of. Thence, I am not only more likely to regain combat effectiveness faster with my repeated reawakenings, but I am more likely to be awake to observe the enemy once again. This again appears to be a low-power smooth rise and fall; I suspect it is moonlight, while the other is sunlight, and divert to Low Level Alert.

Thirteen more full day-night cycles have passed. I still do not know how much time is spent between them. It is ‘evening’ of this day; I must soon relegate to Low Level Alert to maintain repair activity. However, I have just repaired one of my Final Emergency Reserve power cells and tested functionality; thus, I decide to lie dormant for at least one full cycle, and discover the total actual duration- if possible- of the cycle. I shut down damage control and revert to Low Level Alert.

The gap between what I assume to be sunset and moonrise is at least 37.41 minutes long; power was lost during this period. I repeat the experiment.

The same gap, between moonset and sunrise, is at least 2.49 hours long. Again.

I return to Normal Alert this morning, once solar production rises above supporting levels once again. The total cycle appears to be exactly 24 hours long, with my ‘day’ and ‘night’ periods spaced at 12-hour intervals. This suggests to me that I am inside a cave or structure, catching glimpses of the sun and moon for three minutes per day or night. I return to my repair duties.

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[tsaukpaetra]

The odd things you notice in delirium.