When Merlin leads the Charge into Zion....

Expert snuggler wrote:...fix the brain wiring and improve the NEAT interface ...

And thereby create one more person who can't enter the Temple until its defenses have been co-opted or eliminated -- probably.

Weird Harold wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:...fix the brain wiring and improve the NEAT interface ...

And thereby create one more person who can't enter the Temple until its defenses have been co-opted or eliminated -- probably.

I doubt that the Temple defenses are responding to NEATs. The Adams and Eves would have had access to the temple and NEATs wouldn't have been gone until they died out.

Don

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n7axw wrote:I doubt that the Temple defenses are responding to NEATs. The Adams and Eves would have had access to the temple and NEATs wouldn't have been gone until they died out.

Don

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What happens when the Temple detects a NEAT that isn't registered in its database?

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:I doubt that the Temple defenses are responding to NEATs. The Adams and Eves would have had access to the temple and NEATs wouldn't have been gone until they died out.

Don

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What happens when the Temple detects a NEAT that isn't registered in its database?

Good question....dunno. At any rate, you have a point.

Don

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Bluestrike2 wrote:There's probably an active wireless network in the Temple that's used for managing any maintenance remotes. They might be able to hack into it, but it might be less intrusive to send SNARCs through the HVAC ducts and map the hidden areas outwards from the environmental plant, they'll be able to find hidden doors from their non-hidden sides.

Actually, that's an excellent point. I remember in Textev from MTaT concerning the implants every TF citizen had and access to cloud storage for their memories (I would assume stuff that was more important to remember got stored). Since technology reflects use and it's users, it stands to reason that their would be little need for all that many physical interfaces in the temple to begin with. Indeed, the command crew probably impressed the colonists by getting things to happen in the temple "simply by willing it" when in fact they were sending commands via their implants to the computer systems. The manual interfaces were intended for the "mere mortals" who would follow and so it is possible to open and close doors, turn showers on and off, flush the toilette and open locked doors in cases of emergency (see the Inquisition's "wands"). But in order to access the temple's systems, you would need to log on to the wireless network (which probably requires access codes and does not allow for "visitor access" - i.e. MAC address exclusion).

No, it's entirely possible the Inner Circle will not be able to open the "black box" that is the Temple and will have to develop technologies to rival that of the Temple. After all, OWL managed to recreate the R&D needed to build not only the Nimue PICA but Olyvya's VR suit. They'd need to do something like that to catch up to all the missing tech in the Cave and then develop further. But they only have 20 years in which to get that done.

thanatos wrote:Actually, that's an excellent point. I remember in Textev from MTaT concerning the implants every TF citizen had and access to cloud storage for their memories (I would assume stuff that was more important to remember got stored). Since technology reflects use and it's users, it stands to reason that their would be little need for all that many physical interfaces in the temple to begin with. Indeed, the command crew probably impressed the colonists by getting things to happen in the temple "simply by willing it" when in fact they were sending commands via their implants to the computer systems. The manual interfaces were intended for the "mere mortals" who would follow and so it is possible to open and close doors, turn showers on and off, flush the toilette and open locked doors in cases of emergency (see the Inquisition's "wands"). But in order to access the temple's systems, you would need to log on to the wireless network (which probably requires access codes and does not allow for "visitor access" - i.e. MAC address exclusion).

Pretty much why I think wandering in and "hacking" a system you know nothing about is a really BAD idea.

And if the Temple's designers were really paranoid, simply logging on to the Temple's Wi-Fi with a valid ID won't give you any kind of control over any critical system... or even control of the wi-fi network. That kind of control would be restricted to specific rooms, rooms that won't be open to the general public or even most Temple personnel.

If the Temple has had its physical access to the control and operations essentialy "locked" for 800+ years and there is nanite maintenance, why could that maintenance not have closed the physical enterences to the command & control by building the accesses shut?

You have sliding doors in the occupied parts of the temple. Really tough for something like that, which could be built by nanites, to be opened if the Thing in the basement simply had the nannies rebuild the doors into bulkheads.

If the controls to the present operation of the Temple, including what is underneath, is by a secure WIFI network, all of the various TF secure areas could be physicaly seperated with NO openable access except by manufacturing that access using nannies. Sure, you could have various air, fluid and power conduits passing through the major walls, but they could be too small to let people in. The actual command area could be as simple as a bunker built like an TF armored space ship. All that fancy HVAC and pictorial wall stuff could be a separate set of systems with no current physical access to the brains of the operation except come TF military com cables.

Besides, if the Temple defences and things like the bombardment weapons (and anything else that was built with TF tech) has the kinds of capacity and capability of OWL and Merlin, it may not actually be using it unless something "wakes it up". At that point, the Temple control and whatever else is hiding is likely to be able to "see" things like the nural implants using TF tech that the Inner Circle and Merlin have. As soon as these things are recognized for what they are and checked agains any list of authorized equipment, it should take action to deal with them. 800 years after the War of the Fallen, there should not be any "new" operating implants. Just what can be done by the Temple control system other than call down a kenetic strike? Oh, I don't know. How about sending tiny insect type remotes to slam into that nice soft human body like a .223 bullet- right in the head- and eliminate them? Won't stop Merlin but will take out the human part of the Inner Circle quite effectively. Or just sting them with fast acting neurotoxin if you prefer the less energetic method.

Besides, Merlin does have command authority over Owl and whatever was left for him in the cave, but probably not for the systems in the Temple. There may not be a usable backdoor to the Temple system unless it is access from one of a set of specific Archangels.

XO, none of the flesh and blood members of the inner circle has neural implants, they have various gadgets (earpieces and contact lenses mainly). The chance of the Temple being able to detect them at a distance is negligible. If the archangels could have done that the war against the fallen would have been very short indeed. Might well not be very bright to wear them in the vicinity of the Temple, though.

But, as you say, if the last angel out 'put off the lights' and welded up the door in any control centre, then getting back in could be a real problem.

It's easy to work out the problems in them getting access to the Temple, the hard bit is finding a plausible route that does get them in.

The Temple was built after the War Against the Fallen was well in hand. The demons were on the run and the angels' fabbers could out produce their enemies' by a large margin. So large the angels could build the Temple without risking losing the war.

The command crew would not be returning. They would be dead soon. The Temple was to be left for the colonists. We know the Key is one way to access the Temple's controls. That means there are backdoors into the Temple's control system. Hacking in through those controls is possible but unlikely without someone like Elias Proctor or his stored personality.

One now wonders if there is not a cache of tech in the Desolation mountains that remained undiscovered by the command crew. Perhaps there is a cache in Alexandria that survived the bombardment.

PeterZ wrote:The Temple was built after the War Against the Fallen was well in hand. The demons were on the run and the angels' fabbers could out produce their enemies' by a large margin. So large the angels could build the Temple without risking losing the war.

The command crew would not be returning. They would be dead soon. The Temple was to be left for the colonists. We know the Key is one way to access the Temple's controls. That means there are backdoors into the Temple's control system. Hacking in through those controls is possible but unlikely without someone like Elias Proctor or his stored personality.

One now wonders if there is not a cache of tech in the Desolation mountains that remained undiscovered by the command crew. Perhaps there is a cache in Alexandria that survived the bombardment.

PeterZ,
Where do you get the evidence that the temple was built "After the War Against the Fallen was well in hand"?
I have a quirky memory and can dredge up lots of trivia... that bit of info is in a file that I cannot find.

Happy Thanksgiving for those who are celebrating it today... may you find at least one thing to be truly thankful for