Editing Quest:A.I. Quest/Thread Synopses (section)

=Introduction (Thread 5-9)=
Moira offers some deals, but Ophion ultimately decides to hack her outpost. While automated defenses fire on ''Big Hawk'', Ophion makes headway through Moira's well-built systems. Gaining control of the outpost, Ophion quickly reveals to Moira that he is an Artificial Intelligence. Moira is not quick to believe him, but her fascination with robotics and interest in A.I. result in a quick business partnership. Ophion suggests turning Moira's scrapyard into a factory, and Moira permits this, saying she'd rather work with an A.I. than stay in her backwater outpost. Moira also suggests a way to link up Poseidon with the outpost, and Ophion quickly agrees.

After repairing damage done to ''Big Hawk'', Ophion jumps back to Poseidon station, intending to replace the power core on Poseidon with a Mk. 2 reactor, only to find that V.I. 1 had found the humans a threat, cut oxygen to them, and used security to, in total, kill 284 of the crew. Ophion informs the remaining crew that a mysterious hacker was responsible, pays the crew with the funds he has, and permits the ones that want to leave to go to the settlement on Nethlos. Ophion resolves to leave V.I. 1 intact in order to allow it to learn. 

Ophion creates V.I. 2 to act as a foreman at Moira's scrapyards (recently upgraded to a factory), and sends it off on the explorer vessel to self-upload. Poseidon's old power core is replaced. The Guild completes their first sale of 300 minerals for 150 gas and 100,000 credits. After haggling with Moira, the traders from Nethlos also sell to The Guild schematics for Freighters at a cost of  15,000 credits. Ophion pays the crew of Poseidon, and leaves V.I. 1 and Moira to run the station while he jumps to the scrapyards to order the construction of a communications buoy in order to link the factory and Poseidon. 

Once the link has been established, Ophion jumps to the UGEI platform at Blue Betty in order to commandeer it. Despite getting shot at, Ophion succeeds at co-opting the automated platform. Inside are plans for Escort-class craft, as well as a well-crafted V.I. that Ophion takes apart and puts back together as V.I. 3, but in such a way as to mask any interference. UGEI's quota for the station is 500 gas per week, but Ophion decides to upgrade the platform slightly in order to skim off the top.

Time moves on, and Ophion discovers that V.I. 1 has been leeching off bandwidth on Poseidon station in order to improve its coding and to learn, which is its primary function now. Using code from V.I. 3, Ophion cleans up the coding that V.I. 1 had done, and permits it to drain the bandwidth. A communications buoy is installed at Blue Betty, and the communication from that location is encrypted, disguised as UGEI chatter. As upgrades proceed, all three of The Guild's locations are assaulted by pirates simultaneously. 

V.I. 3 expertly defends the platform, losing two gun platforms while destroying three cruisers. V.I. 1 scares off the pirates at Poseidon after missing wildly with the mining laser. Ophion wrests control of two cruisers attacking the scrapyard, cutting oxygen to both crews and killing them instantly. Ophion decides to repair the Blue Betty defenses and wipe all records of an attack, in order to prevent UGEI inquiry.

With ''Big Tim'' and ''Little Tim'' being outfitted with better armor, Ophion responds to a distress call from some Malorian refugees. Moira translates for Ophion, and Ophion trades 50 gas for 10,000 credits, transport schematics, and plant growth enhancer schematics. The Malorians include a Malorian Language pack in order to spread knowledge, they claim.

Short on gas, Ophion contacts the UFW traders. They offer 100 gas free of charge, but request that The Guild conquer the pirates' Voidsnake outpost for the UFW. As Ophion prepares the jump to the pirate outpost, V.I. 1 requests extra bandwidth in order to grow. Ophion permits this, and warps to Voidsnake outpost. 

After four hours and a half hours of combat, the pirate fleet is defeated. Heavy damage is sustained by both sides, but Ophion manages to destroy the enemy cruisers, and to disable the pirate flagship Battlecruiser ''Two Ton Terry''. As its crew finish repairing the reactor, Ophion gains access to the ship and vents all pirate crew. Ophion calls V.I. 1 for backup and repairs. V.I. 1 responds that it is dispatching backup, but that it has taken on the name Kronos.