Pict text

"The Big Floaty Thing What Kicks Our Asses"


A number of terminal picts contain text relevant to the Marathon 2 Story. Michael Hanson <hanson@cs.stanford.edu> provides the text for part of the Juggernaut pict (pict. resource 12602).

The mailed fist of Battle Group 7's air combat wing
is the 723rd Heavy Air Cavalry, armed with the Dreaded
Utfoo Heavy Assault Craft.  The World Killers, led
by Aohl Tfear, are personally responsible for routing
the combined planetary armed forces of Nebulon as well
as handing general humiliating defeats to the Nar.
In the rather unwieldly language of the Nar it is
called "Gaze in Stunned Disbelief at the Tool of
Our Destruction."  In Nebulonese it is known as "The
Big Floaty Thing What Kicks Our Asses."  I believe
the Phfor call them Juggernauts.

Yes I think I would have to agree with the Nebulons ;-)

Update: see below for a more accurate deciphering of this text.




Gabe Rosenkoetter <acrosenk@artsci.wustl.edu> provides the text from the Simulacrum pict (pict. resource 11812).
Words with [?] are not clear. Genitalia is also spelt as given in the pict.


SUB-STANDARD                       PFHOR OPTICAL
ORAL BONE-HUBS[?]                  RECEPTOR ORBS[?]                  


NON-TERRAN INTERNAL                HYPER-EXPLOSIVE 
ORGANS/DUCT WORK                   GENETIC IMPLANT


BINARY PODIAL DIGITS               EXTERNAL GENITAILIA
SANS CHITINOUS COVER               NOT PRESENT




Benjamin Elgin <belgin@osiris.ac.hmc.edu> writes concerning the text in the Juggernaut pict (pict. resource 12602).

"I'd always read it as "Adml Tfear" (i.e. Admiral Tfear) rather that "Aohl Tfear". Makes sense to me..."

Well I must admit after straining my eyes once more over this pic I would also tend to agree it does look like Adml. We know from a terminal on "Bob's Big Date" that Tfear was an Admiral. So the abbreviation Adml does make sense.

You must hurry.  The Pfhor fleet is close
enough that I can identify its flagship as
the battleship Khfiva.  If the Khfiva is
still admiral Tfear's vessel then there is no
chance that I can best him in the coming
battle.

Tfear is a brilliant strategist and the
Pfhor's oldest active admiral.  I'm sure
his list of decorations and victories would
only bore you, so get back to work.
<Bob's Big Date (Terminal 4: 1st message)>
So did Tfear have a first name?




Brian Jaeger <pepino@indy.net> points out that in the Simulacrum pict (pict. resource 11812) from Marathon 2 the text should read:

SUB-STANDARD ORAL BONE NUBS

and

HYPER-EXPLOSIVE CYBERNETIC IMPLANT




Loren Petrich <petrich@netcom.com> provides the pict text for the second terminal on "Ne Cede Malis"


		              Vacuum Seal 37
		              MAG X 14

MARATHON
INFIVACB
52796.COLIN
ORIGINAL
DESIGN:
M. DAVID
LONGO: 
GRATITUDE
EXPRESSED
TO GREG
KIRKPATRICK
RANDY THE
SMARTY
PANTS 
1234567890
CHRIS
GEISEL
MORETEXT
-QUITE A
LOOSE
OPERATION
MARATHON 
RULES
ALL PLAYERS
RULE: ON TO
THE FUTURE

*break




In a Story forum post the ever observant MrHen <marathon@mrhen.com> points out that the last line of the pict text on the second terminal on "Ne Cede Malis" should read .;break, not *break. The full correct text is therefore:


		              Vacuum Seal 37
		              MAG X 14

MARATHON
INFIVACB
52796.COLIN
ORIGINAL
DESIGN:
M. DAVID
LONGO: 
GRATITUDE
EXPRESSED
TO GREG
KIRKPATRICK
RANDY THE
SMARTY
PANTS 
1234567890
CHRIS
GEISEL
MORETEXT
-QUITE A
LOOSE
OPERATION
MARATHON 
RULES
ALL PLAYERS
RULE: ON TO
THE FUTURE

.;break




Callie21V <callie21v@hotmail.com> makes an excellent attempt at deciphering the pict text in the first terminal of Fatum Iustum Stultorum. It's the one about the S'pht'kr defenders? You can read his account in this Story forum post or directly below.


Original image:

Image with blue channel suppressed and contrast heightened:

Here goes my attempt at deciphering it (undecipherable stuff is denoted by asterisks). Corrections are encouraged. There do appear to be some spelling/grammar errors, as with the other pict text, since this stuff wouldn't receive the same level of proofreading scrutiny as the term messages proper.

[Main paragraph. "Achievement" seems to be missing an "e." Line 2 Word 6 could logically be "pinnacle," but it looks more like it ends in "al." The paragraph does end with an ellipsis, as indicated.]

Defender
S'pht'Kr Elite Guard
Powered Armor

The Elite Guard of the Ruling Family of the
S'pht'Kr are equipped with the ******** of S'pht
technological achievment - the powered armor
******** ******* ** ** Defender. *** ** *******
with a fusion generator that in turn powers its
anti-graviton generator, ************ drive, and
the devastating focused plasma beam. Many
other features too numerous to list are contained
within its molecularly aligned ceramic armor.
Among others this includes the truly amazing
******* field projector...

[Parts of Defender, clockwise from upper left. The one missing word might be an acronym, like "GPA" or "OPF," although it almost looks like the word "gas." Could "con(n)ection" and "intera(r)ction" be some other, properly spelled, words?]

SEALED
ENVIRONMENTAL
CHAMBER

***
PROJECTOR
ELEMENT

SEMIORGANIC JOINT
CONECTION INTERFACE

MOLECULARLY ALIGNED
CERAMIC PLATE

FOCUSED PLASMA BEAM
FOCUSING LENS

ANTIGRAVITON
FOCUSING
PYLON

ENVIRONMENT
INTERARCTION BEAM
PROJECTOR

HYPERWAVE
NETWORK
ANTENNA




McNutcase <mcnutcase@gmail.com> in a Story forum post takes a new look at the Juggernaut pict (pict. resource 12602) in Marathon 2 and starts an interesting relook at the Juggernaut text.

Two errors are noted in the original deciphering. Firstly the word 'general' should be 'several' and the word 'Pfhor' is incorrect, it is in fact a four letter word. In another post Document suggests that the four letter word may be 'Bobs'. Which does make sense.

Thus the full text now reads:

The mailed fist of Battle Group 7's air combat wing
is the 723rd Heavy Air Cavalry, armed with the Dreaded
Utfoo Heavy Assault Craft.  The World Killers, led
by Adml Tfear, are personally responsible for routing
the combined planetary armed forces of Nebulon as well
as handing several humiliating defeats to the Nar.
In the rather unwieldly language of the Nar it is
called "Gaze in Stunned Disbelief at the Tool of
Our Destruction."  In Nebulonese it is known as "The
Big Floaty Thing What Kicks Our Asses."  I believe
the Bobs call them Juggernauts.


In terms of the Warpeado pic. He suggests the following:

Warpeado

The Warpeado was 
especially built 
to rip the Nebulon 
war ?machine? a new 
asshole. It is a 
high yield neutron 
bomb propelled by 
a single stage 
solid fuel rocket. 
It's ?caused? the 
passing of many 
a Nebulon... 
it'll do you an 
injury, mate!


The N-Cannon pic text proves much more elusive

N-Cannon

The sheer ?????? 
pulses ?????? 
????????? ?????? 
was ???????????? 
the N-Cannon 
?????? the ? ? ? 
Nebulon pulse 
?? ????? ??????? 
It is a ??????, 
???? ?????. 
Versions of the 
????????? ?????? 
?????? the 
?????? ???????? 
units ?????



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