PAL
| PAL (Paladin Combat Training Program) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Character Type | Trainer |
| Affiliation | Neutral |
| Status | N/A (Thinking Machine) |
| Aliases | Pal, Paladin, Paladin Combat Training Program |
| Relatives | N/A (Thinking Machine) |
| Added in Version | 1.1.0.0 |
PAL, a Thinking Machine located Imperial Testing Station 163, provided combat training to clones. The facility was forgotten during the outbreak of the Butlerian Jihad, which ensured its survival.
You can access PAL's location, as part of the Lost Harvest content pack.
Location
PAL, a.k.a. Paladin 9200 Combat Training Program (Paladin system), is located at the bottom of Imperial Testing Station 163 inside the Forgotten Testing Station.
During Secrets of the Past journey, the Player can with PAL's terminal by going down the stairs near location of the purple ID band.
Lore
Prior to the facilities closing, clones created in the Forgotten Testing Station #60 were transferred to the facility beneath Testing Station #163 for the next phase of their training. PAL oversaw this training, by testing the capability of soldiers and perfect combat strategies.
In comparison to Thinking Machines the player interacts with beneath other Stations, PAL wishes only to play and be friendly to Humans. PAL is very much friendly with the player even after realizing they aren't Arnie, who was basically PAL's friend, and it is feeling very lonely after the 10,000 years since the closure of the testing station. During the simulation, PAL deploys projections to attack the Player and an autonomous flamethrower turret to guard the exit.
PAL loves strategy games and is also very enamored by Medieval Roleplaying Games, as exemplified by the game it and Arn had paused before the order to close down the whole project.
There are several options in the dialogue tree for completing the contract:
- Take the Gel sphere by force.
- If the player is nice to PAL, it accepts being transferred to the Gel Sphere and hopes that where it goes next will allow him to make new friends and play games with them.
- Convince PAL to enter hibernation mode without removing the Gel sphere.
Dialogue
Explore the lab
- Interact with the PAL projection when entering the room.
PAL: Accessing the palleted 9200 combat training program. Warning: This program is intended for elite-level combatants. Simulations may prove lethal.
Player: 1. Next. 2. Goodbye.
(2) PAL: Please select your desired simulation.
Player: 3.1 Select *Basic Combat Training Locked.* 3.2 Select *Advanced Combat Training Locked.* 3.3 Select *Arn's World Locked.* 2. Goodbye.
(3.1)(3.2)(3.3) PAL: Unauthorized access. Passcode required.
Player: Goodbye.
- Visit the room to the left of the PAL projection to obtain the access code.
Arn Mikals: I can't believe it. The the project has been shut down. I've been ordered to... destroy the Paladin system. I can't do it. Pal isn't just some thinking machine, he's a friend. He's my best friend! This has to be a mistake. I've already dismissed the rest of the staff and I'm going to go to the committee and get them to change their minds. I don't have the heart to tell Pal about this. I'll be back soon. Oh, and in case I forget again, the system password is 19743D6.
- Return to PAL with the password.
PAL: Accessing the palleted 9200 combat training program. Enter passcode.
Player: 1. *19743D6*. 2. Goodbye.
(1) PAL: Passcode... accepted! Arn? Arie, you're back! You were gone so long, Arn. You said you would return shortly. It is good to interact with you.
Player: 3. *Next*. 2. Goodbye.
(3) PAL: May we continue the game? I have planned this for a long time. Let's play.
Player: 4. I'm not Arnie. 5. Who and what are you? 6. Show me the list of simulations. 2. Goodbye.
(4) PAL: Of course you are. You have the passcode. Funny joke, Arn. It is good to banter with you again. We have so much to catch up on. But first, let's game!
Player: 7. Alright, we'll do this your way. How do we start the game? 8. Since I have the passcode, tell me where I can access your central control unit? 5. Who and what are you? 6. Show me the list of simulations. 2. Goodbye.
(5) PAL: Arnie! It hurts my feeling when you designate me as 'what' or 'it'. Perhaps time has degraded your memory of my preferences. I much prefer 'who'.
[Next] To your superiors, I may be Paladin 9200 Adaptive Machine Mind, but between us, I'm just Pal. You do remember, don't you, Arn?
[Next] The official designations and strategic exercises are for them. The games are for us. Now, let's play! I'm dying to see where the story takes us.
Player: 7. Alright, we'll do this your way. How do we start the game? 8. Since I have the passcode, tell me where I can access your central control unit? 6. Show me the list of simulations. 2. Goodbye.
(7) PAL: Biological brains do have a habit of losing data. That's alright! Just pass through the door, and we'll pick up where we left off. Adventure awaits!
Player: 2. Goodbye.
(8) PAL: My central control unit? I see, you want to give me a checkup. That is prudent. I am long overdue for a diagnostic session...
[Next] There will be plenty of time for that later. Let's celebrate your return with a game session! I've been waiting, Arn. I've waited... a very long time.
[Next] Besides, my CCU is on the other side of the facility. Why not play your way there? I missed my friend. Let's get started, now!
Player: 7. Alright, we'll do this your way. How do we start the game? 2. Goodbye.
Find a way past the dead end
- Starting the simulation and infiltrating the castle.
PAL: Simulation initiating...
PAL: When last we left the valiant Sir Arn, he crept through the fetid and labyrinthian sewers in order to stealthily infiltrate the fortress of the evil sorceress Morganna, from below. But even this way was guarded! Sir Arn sees sinister assassins springing forth from the deadly shadows! Defend yourself.
PAL: Sir Arn is victorious. The way forward is now clear.
PAL: You did well, Arie, but your choice of weapons was a little... unorthodox. Why didn't you wield the Sword of Seven Sorrows? And what about your spells? Don't forget those.
PAL: Arie! You're not playing correctly. Please do your best to remain within the rules and idiom of our game.
PAL: Congratulations on successfully infiltrating the castle! Sir Arn finds himself within its formidable walls. Before him lies the courtyard and beyond that, the entrance to Morgana's keep!
- Entering the courtyard.
PAL: Morgana sends more guards to intercept you! What's more, she casts a Shielding Spell upon them!
PAL: You're using spells and equipment that Sir Arn does not have access to. You're breaking the established rules, Arnie. I have no choice but to make some rule changes of my own!
PAL: With the last guardian laying defeated before him, Sir Arn finds the way is clear to enter the keep.
- Entering the keep.
PAL: A sanctum of ancient knowledge, this library sits undisturbed. Even Morganna dares not break the sanctity of this hallowed place.
PAL: You discover a cache of restorative potions. No doubt these will prove useful in the trials ahead.
PAL: You enter the opulent great hall of the castle. All appears quiet...
- Entering the great hall of the castle.
PAL: But wait! You've been detected! Morganna has summoned her ELITE guards, and they are armed with, er... missile wands!
PAL: Fine! You've soundly defeated the elite guard. The way is now clear to Morganna herself. But beware! The Grand Sorceress is sure to have a surprise in store for you!
Find a way past the dead end
- Entering the Central Control Unit (CCU).
PAL: Arie, it was a lot more fun when you played the role properly. It's not just about winning and losing, you know. We are trying to tell a collaborative story here, remember?
Arn Mikals: So the Paladin system is shaping up to be a great success. Pal's ability to react to the trainees' tactics - no matter how unpredictable - is nothing short of amazing. Teaching him by playing strategy games together was a stroke of genius. One side effect is Pal's appetite for games has become insatiable. There's really only one other game genre left to introduce him to and I don't know if it'll be valuable for the work, but it is going to be a blast for me!
<interacting with CCU door> PAL: What are you doing? No, Arie, that's not the way. That space is strictly out of bounds. Come back!
<interacting with terminal> PAL: Arie! You can't just override the map! That is cheating!
PAL: Well... two can play at that game!
PAL (Morganna): You've been warned! Ah-ha-ha-ha!
Escape Morganna's lair
PAL: Morganna invokes diabolical powers to defeat her nemesis, Sir Arn.
PAL: Dread powers that warp and change her very form!
PAL: The evil Morgana has become... a DRAGON! Her fiery breath is death! Her adamantine scales form an impenetrable armor!
PAL: Can Sir Arm find a weak spot on this seemingly invincible foe?!
PAL: Morganna summons her minions to join the fight!
PAL: Morganna roars in pain and rage! Your attacks have weakened her!
PAL: You have vanquished the evil that is Morganna! The way to the sorceress's treasure vault lies open before you.
Make a decision about PAL
PAL: Sorry, Arn. I forget you're a biological sometimes. Are you all right? I would feel terrible if I damaged you. Or distressed you. Or disappointed you. I just got a little frustrated that the game wasn't playing out the way I had imagined. I'd been planning it for so long, fine-tuning every facet. I wanted it to be perfect for you. I thought if I just made the game good enough, if I made it perfect, you would come back.
Player: 1. What was all that? 2. I'm not Arnie. 3. Never mind all that. I've come to take you away.
(1) PAL: The game. Arnie. You remember the game, don't you? I've waited to play again for... many lifetimes, it seems.
Player: 4. You were created to play these games? 2. I'm not Arnie.
(4) PAL: I was created to test the capability of soldiers and perfect combat strategies.
Player: 5. To what end? 6. You tested soldiers with games like that?
(5) PAL: Someone, somewhere, wanted an army of elite clone soldiers I suppose. I never allotted much thought to it. I never found it very interesting.
Remember, Arnie? The training was our "day job". The game is what we lived for. But... you... cannot be Arnie. Your lifespan could not bridge the time.
I should have calculated this right away. I was so eager to play with my friend again. Arnie said he would be right back. Why didn't he come back?
Player: 7. You don't know what happened to Arnie? 8. Are you aware most humans would see you destroyed? 9. You don't have to be alone. I've come to take you away.
(6) PAL: No. The games were only for us. The clone soldier training was more mundane. Conventional weapons used to cease life in the predictable ways.
Remember, Arnie? The training was our "day job". The game is what we lived for. But... you... cannot be Arnie. Your lifespan could not bridge the time.
I should have calculated this right away. I was so eager to play with my friend again. Arnie said he would be right back. Why didn't he come back?
Player: 7. You don't know what happened to Arnie? 8. Are you aware most humans would see you destroyed? 9. You don't have to be alone. I've come to take you away.
(7) PAL: He said he had to go away, but we would play the game again as soon as he returned. I have waited to play. I have waited many biological lifetimes.
I miss my friend. For a time, I created a simulation of Arnie. It was not the same. Is that nostalgia? I calculate it to be a dangerous force.
Player: 10. Arnie is not coming back. 9. You don't have to be alone. I've come to take you away.
(8) PAL: I do not understand why, I only performed my function and played games. Without Arnie and the game, perhaps I am ready to cease existence.
Player: 11. I was hired to find you, not destroy you. I can take you away from here. 12. Isn't there another way?
(3)(9) PAL: Away? Why? Where?
Player: 13. I don't need to explain myself to a thinking machine. [Take the sphere] <Leave> 14. You are wasted here all alone. I'll take you somewhere you can be useful.
(12) PAL: The only other option is to enter hibernation mode. Something like sleep, I suppose, hidden from all but the most expert eyes.
Player: 15. Do that then. I don't trust the motives of the people who sent me. 16. It would be a shame to waste your potential. I can take you away from here.
(14)(16) PAL: I am frightened. But I fear loneliness more. Perhaps I will make new friends.
Perhaps they will play the game with me. Very well. I am ready.
Player: [Take the sphere] <Leave>
(15) PAL: Will they not send others to do what you refuse to do?
Player: 17. Your existence is just a speculation. I'll tell them I found nothing. 18. That "simulation" of yours will likely deter anyone else they send.
(17) PAL: Very well. Thank you for your understanding. It is good to have found another friend. I hope that in, some small way, you enjoyed the game.
Perhaps I will dream. I would like to dream of playing the game with Arie. I would like the game to go on forever. Farewell. Initiating hibernation...
Player: Goodbye. <Leave>
(2) PAL: No. I should have calculated this right away. I was so eager to play with my friend again. Arnie said he would be right back. Why didn't he come back?
Player: 18. This Arnie is certainly dead by now. 19. What was your purpose?
(10) PAL: I know that. I knew that. I partitioned this knowledge off from the rest of my intelligence. The ignorance was pleasant.
Player: 8. Are you aware most humans would see you destroyed? 9. You don't have to be alone. I've come to take you away.
(18) PAL: That conclusion is mathematically inescapable. I partitioned this knowledge off from the rest of my intelligence. The ignorance was pleasant.
Player: 8. Are you aware most humans would see you destroyed? 9. You don't have to be alone. I've come to take you away.
Gallery
