Eclipse Phase: Glory

[Joose]

Public lockers are plenty available, so you can store your stuff there no problem if you want.

Fab/FJ, you heading along with him or hanging back?

[FatherJack]

Usagi can tag along, although not sure what use she'll be. She can feign a sort of casual indifference in the art work, but would be studying for patterns found in nature which influenced it. She eyes his gun cautiously and hopes it doesn't get nasty.

I hope we don't need that.

[Dog Pants]

I hope so too. I would like to talk to him as an artist and win his trust. I am interested in his work. We do live in a chaotic and dangerous world though, and there is more to all of this than meets the eye.

That said, I'm still not comfortable that I won't blow my cover by taking my Dirty Harry gun. I think I'd be better off on my own - I'm going to have to do some creative talking as it is to explain my manky combat synth without explaining where my friends came from - but I'd feel better if you were nearby to back me up if it all goes tits up and they turn out to be terrorists or psychos.

[Joose]

Decision time then Pants: Going in alone or with your buds? There are lockers available, so are you going in armed or not?

[Dog Pants]

I had a think about it in the shower. Threatening someone with a gun probably doesn't hold nearly as much threat in a world where you can just upload your backup into a new morph. A financial hit maybe, although in anarchist society that's a moving target anyway, and maybe an inconvenience if I shot him in the cortical stack, but not something to make him wet his pants, especially if he hangs out with suicide artists. So I think I'll go unarmed. I've no desire to get into a confrontation with him, and if I do I don't need a gun to be unpleasant. On the other side of that, if I end up in the shit I'm similarly protected. How easy is it for me to get a backup done just in case it does go wrong and I bite it? It won't affect me going in or not (although I'd still like to know if I can call on backup), but it would be handy.

So with that in mind, I'll go meet Wang.

[Joose]

I had a think about it in the shower. Threatening someone with a gun probably doesn't hold nearly as much threat in a world where you can just upload your backup into a new morph. A financial hit maybe, although in anarchist society that's a moving target anyway, and maybe an inconvenience if I shot him in the cortical stack, but not something to make him wet his pants, especially if he hangs out with suicide artists.

Ok, couple of things to point out: Even though people are effectively immortal, people still do their best to avoid death. This is for a few reasons, each more or less important depending on the individual:

1) Dying is, generally, a fucking horrifying experience. Knowing that you will come back to life and everything will be fine doesn't change the fact that right now you are in immense pain from the sucking chest wound. You could get around this by restoring from your backup rather than your cortical stack (more on this in a sec) but then you have the psychological problem sometimes known as "lack"; the troubling fact that there were things that happened to you that you know nothing about, and for at least some small time you didn't exist. This bring us to...
2) Long term psych problems. Resleeving is a pretty standard process, but its not entirely without risk. Its like driving a car: Most of the time you get to your destination with no problems, but sometimes you get rear ended by a lorry on the motorway and die. That possibility of coming out of a resleeve not quite the same as you went in makes some people freak the fuck out. A tiny minority, but still. Even those resleeves that go perfectly have a little bit of a "settling in" period for most people, where they get used to the fact that the body they are in now isn't the same size/shape/gender/species as the one they were in moments before (from their perspective). For most people this is just a bit of a pain, like breaking in new shoes. For others its an existential nightmare.
3) Cost. There are a fuckton more egos floating around than there are bodies to put them in. Even with advanced medical science and cloning techniques, growing a biomorph to maturity takes months, which is why so many people stomp around the place in cheap and shitty robo-bodies. You are right that cost is less of a problem in Anarchist societies, but its not a non-issue. You can make clothes, food, guns etc. from a nano-fabricator. You cant make bodies.

So, depending on what kind of a person Wang is, he could have a few different reactions faced with death. If he were a super-rich combat vet, used to dying and resleeving over and over and with a library of backup morphs to slip into he probably wouldn't give a shit. If he were poor, in his original body and has severe phobias about the whole resleeving thing then he would react to death threats just like anyone in the real world would. In all likelyhood he is somewhere between those two extremes. As a rule of thumb, if you wave a gun in the average persons face they will still scream "don't kill me!" and do a little wee.

"Suicide Art" is a weird one, but as it wouldn't necessarily be something you guys know about I wont just tell you. If you want to know more, a research test (with a +20, as it shouldn't be too hard to find something) or a test against any art based knowledge skill will do.

So I think I'll go unarmed. I've no desire to get into a confrontation with him, and if I do I don't need a gun to be unpleasant. On the other side of that, if I end up in the shit I'm similarly protected. How easy is it for me to get a backup done just in case it does go wrong and I bite it? It won't affect me going in or not (although I'd still like to know if I can call on backup), but it would be handy.

As a synthmorph, its piss easy. Go to a clinic, say "back me up, yo!" and they will do so. Because synthmorphs run cyberbrains rather than little bags of grey goo it is literally a case of copying over some files. Its practically instantaneous, and because you are still within the first month of working for Firewall its completely free (Firewall give all new recruits one months worth of backup insurance for free, along with assurance that if you croak whilst on the job they will provide your re-instantiated self with a new morph as close to your lost morph as possible).

I'll let you retcon if you do want to bring your gun along after all that, and whether you do or don't want to go get a backup before heading in.

Arriving at the door to the Blue Pod, you get to see it for the first time. Its made from a largish old cargo container, and is bright red. This may be ironic. Interestingly, although it is just (from the outside at least) a large roughly rectangular box, the thing is being spun along its long axis, presumably for gravity. Considering the fact that its not in any way round the gravity in there must be fucked. As you approach the airlock, it swishes open. In the doorway is an extremely slim woman in what looks like a custom Sylph morph, somehow managing to appear to be lounging even though you are currently in microgravity (ie, floating about). She has one hand on her hip, and the other hand is holding a long thin stick, like a two foot long chopstick, which she is tapping on her leg. She stares at you for a second from under dark, slicked back hair.

Mmmmmyes?

[fabyak]

My guy has gone along as well. Not said anything to anyone just gone with and ignored everyone on the way

[Dog Pants]

I'll take the backup but not the gun. You'll let me retcon taking the gun if everyone starts shooting I assume?

Oh! Um, hi. I'm Yu? I spoke to Mr Wang earlier about a visit? He said I could drop by.

DCOM is gesticulating more than usual and has a little robo-camp in his voice. He glances at his hands as he puts one to his face.

Oh, the morph. I hoped he might think a synth was cute. Um, this one's on loan but it isn't quite what was described.

If robots can look sheepish, he does. I'll make a couple of rolls once I'm at my PC and not struggling with the iPad.

[Dog Pants]

Deception: 75

7, 1: 71 Success!

Persuade: 55

2, 2: 22 Critical! Excellent Success!

And since you offered (ref suicide art):

Research (Ignacio):

9, 5: 95 Severe Failure!

You're letting the side down, Ignacio.

[Joose]

Yu. Yuuuuuuuu.

She makes a quick pass around you, daintily kicking off the walls to change direction. When she gets back to the front of you she gently taps you on the head with her stick thing.

Yeeeeesss, it works. Post-post-scarcity, the violent and broken nature of modern society. It speaks of a rich kind of poverty. A liiiittle overt, but it shows promise. I like you. I am Barrow. Wang is within. Follow.

She kicks away again and floats back through the airlock into the Blue Pod.

Yeah, Ignacio doesn't find a damn thing.

[Dog Pants]

Well okay then. That's what I was going for. I shall follow.

[fabyak]

Can I do research as well? If not I will follow DCOM looking unimpressed and a little angry

[Joose]

Can I do research as well? If not I will follow DCOM looking unimpressed and a little angry

Of course!

The inside of the Blue Pod (I keep almost calling it the Blue Pill) is a bit weird. As predicted, the gravity provided by spinning the thing is really quite wonky: the spaces are large for rooms, but quite small for a hab (think large sports hall sized) and there has been no effort made to ensure that the artificial gravity is always pointing straight down thanks to the roughly square cross section of the place. This, coupled with the fact that it is well below a standard 1G, and emphasised by the fact that none of the doors/furniture/decorations are quite straight to anything gives the place an Alice in Wonderland feel. This is not helped by the fact that the decorations you see (presumably art pieces by the various members of Blue Pod) go from the surreal to the downright creepy. There is a sculpture made of some sort of shape changing yellow plastic that tracks your movements and alters itself accordingly to give a pretty decent illusion of being non-euclidean. There is what at first glance appears to be a painting of a young boy that, when looked at, pings up a little information box to your mesh telling you that it is in fact entirely made from cloned human organs all based on DNA samples from people who died during the Fall. At one point someone moves past you in a very odd synthmorph: it looks like a wheel made out of humanoid arms.

Mason daaaarling! You have guests!

She indicates a door to a smaller area in the Pod, you can hear quiet music coming from inside. Barrow doesn't wait around, as soon as you are at the door she slinks off again.

[Dog Pants]

DCOM casts a glance at Unlabelled, which given his synth shell is completely unreadable, and delves into Wang's area.

I'm so tempted to wave at the handwheel.

[Joose]

delves into Wang's area.

As you enter the room, you can see Wang reclining in a large beanbag, at an angle to the door. He has two holographic screens in front of him covered in code, and the way his eyes are flitting about suggests there may be more of the same in his mesh. Despite all that, he sees you coming in.

Now, I was struggling with how to handle the portrayal of Wang. The problem is I have an image of what kind of guy he is, but if I portray him as someone from decades in the future you probably wont get what I am aiming for. So instead, I am going to portray him as if he was this kind of guy in the present day. He isnt actually dressed like this or speaking like this, but this is the present day version of what he is actually like. Think of it as a similar translation effort as you would have in RPGs set in medieval times: we tend to use modern language and terminology even though we are playing as an elf in chainmail. So...

Wang is dressed in tight trousers and a smart shirt with the collar up. He has immaculately groomed gelled up hair, and you can see a thick gold chain where the top few buttons are opened. He has a can of some sort of energy drink in one hand. He looks over at you.

Sup brah! Welcome to the Blue Pod! You met Barrow huh? Her shit is tight, you should check out her act if you get a chance.

[Dog Pants]

Oh! Mr Wang, wow. Is Barrow the suicide artist you mentioned? She's intense. Uh, I'm sorry but I'm feeling a bit.. overwhelmed. Now I'm here I feel like I should have studied everything more. But I love what you do, it's so unusual. No, taboo! It's exciting. Sorry, I'm babbling. Do you like my synth? Barrow said it was a bit obvious but I think she liked it. I'm not used to being around artists so I probably went over the top.

I'm going to talk shop a little and try to disguise the fact that I'd never heard of him until today, mostly by pretending to be starstruck and dizzy. I am actually interested in his stuff though so I'm happy to keep that up for a while. I'll get to the punchline of he seems happy and relaxed but I'll be trying to work out if he is as he seems first.

Kinesics:

1, 1: 11 Critical! Excellent Success!

Woop! Man, my rolls are going to shit on me so hard soon.

[Joose]

Wang babbles on about modern art subjects for a bit. He covers a few things, and clearly loves the sound of his own voice:

1) Barrow is indeed the suicide artist. He explains that suicide art is kind of like theatre, but basically boils down to her killing herself in interesting/horrible ways and letting people watch or even experience it themselves as a fully immersive sim. It supposedly explores the meaning of death and loss in modern society. Lots of people think its a gross waste of one of the few things that is in limited supply in the modern world. Wang appears to get off on it.

2) Wangs work is more about experimental AIs: things that think in fundamentally non-standard ways. Its clearly art, in as much as there's no real world practical application of most of his stuff, but its the kind of art that you would only understand if you were deeply into programming yourself. Although he is probably good enough to be working on AGIs (essentially the same as any "natural" Ego, but created artificially from scratch rather than uploaded from a body) he exclusively works with stuff at a pre-sentient level. In other words, his work can often solve complex tasks, and might even be able to convincingly mimic life in some way or another, but it isn't self aware and no one would actually consider it a "person" by any definition.

3) Blue Pod as a whole is interested in pushing the envelope, artistically. They are all about edgy, technologically advanced, deeply weird shit. He mentions that one of the resident artists is doing some study on the Factors (the one living sentient alien race that humanity has met so far. Basically big Amoebas), another collects information gathered on some of the alien worlds humanity has visited via the Pandora Gates and tries to work out which bits of the alien stuff found there is functional and what is purely form. The more conservative inner system worlds would lose their shit in horror at some of the stuff the Blue Pod is doing, but if they were up to anything that the generally Anarchist population of Locus found worrying they would have been ejected from the station long ago.

Kinesics:

1, 1: 11 Critical! Excellent Success!

Wow, shit. OK: Wang is clearly a bit distracted, like his mind is mostly on something else which is worrying him. A lot. He is also a lot more comfortable talking about what other people are doing at the moment, but you notice he quickly changes subjects if he starts to stray anywhere near what he has been up to recently. He is pretty good at covering this up though, most people probably wouldn't have noticed anything is amiss.

[Dog Pants]

I'm so glad I came here, this is amazing! I'm really glad we met.

DCOM leans closer to Wang and lowers his voice. His tone changes significantly.

Say, Mr Wang. Um, I had a friend. Well, friend of a friend really. I think she was interested in your last project. Do you think you can tell me a little about that? I could do with catching her up.

Intimidation (45):

9, 6: 96 Severe Failure!

Ah fuck. There's the payback for that Kinesics roll. Maybe I failed so hard he completely fails to notice I'm not camp any more.

[Joose]

Sorry Fab,totally missed your Steam message yesterday. Yes, you can try an intimidate roll too, as you are in the room. You will have to actually do something to go along with it though, you can't just radiate intimidation
Doesn't have to be talking mind. You could just lean forward intimidatingly or something.

On that note, a quick word on how I will handle the whole "charisma" style skills, as that is not always clear and different GMs follow different rules: If you want to, you can just say "I threaten the dude" and make a roll. Maybe you are in a rush, maybe you just are not feeling creative at the time; whatever, that's fine. However, if you have your character do something particularly cool I may give you a bonus to the roll. I figure that's a good balance of promoting roleplay whilst not punishing the new, the busy or the socially uncomfortable. I wont be chucking bonuses around all over the place though, they will be reserved for the times that make me go "heh, nice".

For the moment: Wang gives DCOM a momentarily funny look and tries to change the subject again.

[fabyak]

Ok

Unlabelled walks up to Wang in what could easily be described as 'an invasion of personal space' and mutters in his ear

We ngerti apa sing lagi nganti. Apa ora kita njupuk mate lan miwiti ngomong? kowe koyone nggoleki karo lampus, babagan carane pain?

Now with rolls!

Intimidate (16... this isn't going to go well): 2,4

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaail