Chapter 940 940 What they don't know
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The matter of what to do about the dangers of the testing within the secondary layer while there was a risk of them being watched caused a lot of discussion over the next few days while the Myceloids tested the defences of the five outlying camps that they had set up.
There were simply too many variables, and the probability of a negative outcome was too hard to determine since one had never really happened, and they couldn't even say for sure that the presence that they had felt in the other layer was hostile.
"What about if we have Nico and Khan closest to the Portal when it opens? If the being is allied with the combat-loving Myceloids, it should have a lot in common with them, so if it detects their thought patterns first, it should have a positive first impression of our group.
That might convince it not to interfere when we attempt to use the secondary layer to travel." Lilith suggested.
Khan snorted in amusement. "Or perhaps we should bring Darla back. If there is anyone who is on Commander Nico's level of pure combat maniac, it would be her."
The other Huntresses laughed at the suggestion.
"But then how would they know that we're not funny-looking Myceloids? The two of them think about combat and ways to have more and better combat twenty-four hours a day, even when they're doing other things. That's a bit too similar, don't you think?
So, if we have you there with her, they might notice the contrast and then be able to form a proper opinion."
Khan glared at Lilith, certain that there was an insult in there somewhere that she wasn't detecting, but the Huntress seemed quite sincere, and the plan was sound.
By mutual agreement, they had decided not to mention the possible drawbacks of their plan to the Alliance and would treat it as if the cost-benefit analysis had been done by the Alliance on their behalf. If something went wrong, they would blame the ones who sent the request, and by the time the mess was sorted out, nobody would really care anymore.
Assuming that they survived, that is. If things went so badly that they didn't, it wouldn't matter to them in the first place. The Hunters had a saying that a mess you didn't have to clean up wasn't really a mess at all.
"If we put both humans at the front, they might get confused about the other species in the room and what our role is, so it's best to have one of each in the lead. That means you and Nico. Or you and Max, but Nico seems like a better fit for the personality of the entity that these Myceloids would favour." Lilith added.
Nico nodded. "She's got a point. If it's a being that favours honourable duels and violence for the sake of violence, I think that we could be good friends. We could open the portal and chat and talk about the greatest fights we've ever seen, and I would name him Sue, and we could be best friends." Nico agreed with an amused smile on her face.
"Why Sue? Surely there is a better name for it? Something like Krork or Gargantua or something with an air of power to it." Khan asked.
"Well, it felt like a male entity, or at least a testosterone-driven one, so naming it Sue should fit the level of wanton violence that it embodies. I've never met a man named Sue who wasn't ready to fight the world." Nico elaborated.
Somehow, that logic made sense to the Hunters, and Max sighed as they all started to form an agreement that this was the way things were going to be done.
"Alright, now that it's settled, let's get a test probe ready so that we can actually do the experiment, and then we will prepare to open the portal. Do you think that the timing matters? The same time of day as last time, or perhaps we could do it at a moment in time when the portion of the planet we're on is facing away from where it was last time?
That might buy us a few extra minutes to work before it noticed the portal." Khan suggested.
"That's a good plan, but we don't even know if it's still there. For all we know, it could be right beside us, watching our activities, and just not visible to our probe." Max reminded her.
"I thought that we agreed we weren't going to discuss those possibilities? I really don't want to consider what will happen if some massive being pulls one of us through the portal the moment that we open it."
The other Hunters laughed, but Nico got a calculating gleam in her eyes.
"We could put a pair of research assistants in the front. That way if anyone gets grabbed, it would be them, and then we could use the data from their Mobile Suits to finish the testing. It would be great. Not only would we get the data, but we could get some firsthand remarks if they survived." Nico suggested.
Lilith shook her head. "No, that is definitely against the Alliance's rules on the treatment of workers. All forms of tricking them into being guinea pigs have been banned after a series of creative explorations of the loopholes in the initial laws."
Khan nodded in agreement. She had been there for some of the negotiations when she was young and still a trainee herself.
"Let's get a time picked and get the probe ready. But what sensors do we even need? Clearly, it needs a propulsion system, but should be target specific wavelengths for monitoring?"
Max shrugged. "How about we send a modified shuttle, and then we can just monitor everything all at once? The shuttle will be able to hold the propulsion system just fine, and they already have great sensors, but we can load the whole cargo bay with more monitoring gear to keep track of absolutely everything that we can think of."
"Agreed. Your new shuttles are very versatile. Miss Nico, if you would like to get started on the construction, we will start programming the extra sensors using Hunter technology."
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