Oni BSB 35: Dawn of the Chrysalis (April Fool's 2018) (Destiny)

by Ragashingo , Official DBO Cryptarch, Saturday, March 31, 2018, 21:55 (2219 days ago)

Having dealt with Commander Griffin and the TCTF in one way or another, Mai tracks Muro’s plane to somewhere deep in the mountains. How does she do that? Well, she planted a tracker on Muro’s Wucraft m17e VTOL transport back at the airport cargo hangers, as I’m sure you recall.

When Mai arrives at the Syndicate base, she doesn’t do so on motorcycle or by high tech glider. No, drops out of a Daodan powered superjump (or was she flying?!) and leaves a nice little impact crater. Either way, Mai is now officially bad-ass!

After a harrowing running and gunning battle with Syndicate forces outside, Mai makes her way into the Syndicate’s ultimate base. This place is full of troops and weapons of all kinds. While Mai will encounter a couple of scientists who might help her, she has to be careful and quick as the mainline Syndicate troops take betrayal very badly and will kill their less well armed coworkers at a moment’s notice.

After cleaning out the first couple of levels, Mai comes across an amusing console:

Musashi Blast Doors:

dwarf\mtnc\bulletin
Incidence Report: Damage to loading bay tunnel Red.

At approximately 08:00:00 a collision occurred between parked vehicle APC12 and BGI vehicle #102472.

The impact forced the vehicles through the storm doors at Stop Point B.

The vehicles and debris were removed by 10:33:00. The driver (S. Uade, Green Division) suffered minor injuries.

Tunnel Red will remain closed until the installation of new blast door: model Musashi DX1000.

Recommendations:

1) Stop Point A operators must coordinate Blue tunnel for two-way traffic.

2) Reprimand all personnel for sloppy operating behavior.

3) Replace all remaining doors with Musashi DX1000.

So, when Mai thinks: “I wonder how strong those doors are,” this incident is what she is referring to.

Once through the door, Mai proceeds to fight her way up and up the Syndicate base. As she rummages through the base’s files she slowly uncovers the Syndicate’s master plan:

STURMANDERUNG : Primary Stage

TITAN\mtnc\uplink...dcs112
Accessing Data Files...
Project: STURMANDERUNG
Primary Stage:
1) Worldwide infiltration of Atmospheric Conversion Centers
2) Modification of ACC core filtration systems with smuggled parts
3) Remote satellite uplink/triggering systems installed: 417 regional processors on-line

<<<Primary Stage: COMPLETE>>>

So this is what they were doing at the Atmospheric Conversion Center they took Shinatama too! Perhaps Mai stopped them at the converter she visited… or more likely Shinatama exploding disabled enough of that processor that it would not be functional?

STURMANDERUNG : Secondary Stage

TITAN\mtnc\uplink...dcs113
Accessing Data Files...

Project: STURMANDERUNG
Secondary Stage:
5) Low Orbit satellite control signal burrow established
6) STURMANDERUNG mountain compound construction
7) Daodan core technology (ref.TITAN\ssob)

<<<Secondary Stage: COMPLETE>>>

STURMANDERUNG baseline report: Dioxin levels

Project initialization: 97 ppm

Primary stage: 100 ppm

Secondary stage: 152 ppm

36.18% increase

So, not only has the Syndicate been sabotaging the Atmospheric processors, they also have completed research into Daodan technology.

STURMANDERUNG : Tertiary Stage:

TITAN\mtnc\uplink…dcs114
Accessing Data Files...

Project: STURMANDERUNG
Tertiary Stage:
9) Daodan core technology (ref.TITAN\uwlb)
10) STURMANDERUNG mountain compound construction
11) Symbiote candidate selection and implantation

<<<Tertiary Stage: COMPLETE>>>

417 regional atmospheric processors on-line

15 group control stations on-line

It’s here that Mai realizes the Syndicate’s plan. They are going to reverse the function of the atmospheric processors to speed the earth’s complete biosphere collapse. All that will be left are Contaminated Zones like the one that killed Mai’s mother in a matter of minutes. Once that is done, the Syndicate will sell Daodan technology to anyone that can afford it. The rest of the population? Presumably, there’s going to be billions of casualties involved in this plan!

As Mai fights her way back towards the surface, she comes across a giant satellite dish and one final console. The way she navigates the console’s help system still makes me smile even to this day!

STURMANDERUNG : Final Stage

TITAN\mtnc\uplink…dcs115
Accessing Data Files...

Project: STURMANDERUNG
Final Stage:
13) ACC installation modification COMPLETE
14) STURMANDERUNG mountain compound COMPLETE
15) STURMANDERUNG transmitter array COMPLETE

<<<Final Stage Complete: PENDING>>>

input>?
invalid STURMANDERUNG command

input>help
invalid STURMANDERUNG command

input>F1
Welcome to STURMANDERUNG help.
Please choose from the following options:

1) Initialize
2) Test with current settings
3) Edit current settings
4) Abort current process

input>3

Current settings

Frequency: 1002 Amplitude: 233 Mode: 1

input>Frequency = 9999, Amplitude = 9999, Mode: 9999
Warning: value out of bounds

input>initialize
Warning: error encountered
Warning: charge overload detected
Abort process or press F1 for HELP

input>blam! love, little sister
invalid STURMANDERUNG command

input>

So, as you can see, some programmer didn’t have very good bounds checking and wrote a program the ran with whatever dumb values someone typed in. By typing in outrageous values, Mai essentially caused the destruction of all 417 regional atmospheric processors the Syndicate had modified. She could have just shutdown the current planned command, but all that would do is give the Syndicate the chance to try again. By destroying the processors she made sure their plan to reverse their function and speed the planet’s demise was impossible to carry out.

And that quote “blam! Love, little sister” that might be my favorite quote in any Bungie game. Ever.

With that complete, Mai rides the transmission tower platform to the surface and watches as her invalid program is transmitted to the atmospheric processors. Once it is finished, Muro and some of his thugs come out to greet her. Mai pleads with her brother to stop what he is doing, but he refuses.

At this point another split occurs. If Mai killed Commander Griffin, Muro transforms into a powerful Daodan monster scarier than Barabas or Mudake. But, if Mai spared Griffin, he and a couple of TCTF heavies arrive via helicopter and Griffin stands with Mai and aid her in her fight against Muro.

Once the dust settles, and Mai comes out on top the game ends. But we do get one final cutscene.

Mai narrates the outcome for us:

When I blew the processors I bought us some time, but at a horrible cost. The dead and the dying now line the streets but it is impossible to deny the problem any longer. My father's work may prove to be the salvation of the afflicted after all.

Mankind as we knew it is doomed: the Chrysalis will change us all. Let's hope it's for the better.

I love this ending. It's certainly a downbeat. Hell, Mai may have killed thousands or millions by destroying the air processors. But there is a hope there that not everything is lost. And beyond that, there is the fun, thought provoking idea that a significant portion of the planet will receive Daodan Chrysalises. Maybe for the average office worker, it'll just mean the toxic pollution won’t kill them and that they’ll heal immediately when they get a paper cut.

But there’s always gonna be bad guys… and good guys. And now, the badder or gooder you are, the more powerful you become. Future cops are robbers are going to be crazy!

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Next: 36: Oni Final Thoughts