Eclipse Phase: Glory

[fabyak]

Is there any to tell if whatsherface is still alive here or killed to death? Also cutting off everyone elses access so they can't undo what we're doing. Would it be possible to undo the weird changes they've made without anyone noticing? Can I also take a closer look at the heating system as I'd like to know what would need to get warmer in the event of someone coming closer as I wonder if it's a warning system of some kind...

Also which doors would open if the external lights came on? I'm slightly wary (not warty as I just typed) that there might be another vessel out here with moar dudes about.

Oooooh, can I see any comms to anything else around here in the same way we are?

[Joose]

Is there any to tell if whatsherface is still alive here or killed to death?

Do me a research roll for that.

Also cutting off everyone elses access so they can't undo what we're doing.

You could revoke everyones log in information. Of course, they would still be able to horse their way back in the way you just have, and they would probably find it slightly easier as they would be more familiar with the system. Easy enough to do if you want though, you have Admin access.

Would it be possible to undo the weird changes they've made without anyone noticing?

You can, but it would take you a while to reconfigure the whole system. You can certainly undo the more obvious ones nice and quick, but to completely sort things out thoroughly would take ages. You are essentially looking at rebuilding the computer systems from scratch at that point.

Can I also take a closer look at the heating system as I'd like to know what would need to get warmer in the event of someone coming closer as I wonder if it's a warning system of some kind...

It certainly is a warning system. Its the standard warning system that exists on most Habs/ships so they don't suddenly find themselves doing a deep space impression of Titanic because they didn't notice an incoming ice-asteroid. What is weird is that normally the warning system would be linked in to mesh comms or a speaker system or at least an alarm bell. Here the proximity alarm has been connected to the hot water heater. If a big rock floats past, the water coming out of the taps in the kitchen will get a couple of degrees hotter. Looks like it is still patched in to the standard alarm system as well. Just also the water thing.

Also which doors would open if the external lights came on? I'm slightly wary (not warty as I just typed) that there might be another vessel out here with moar dudes about.

Its not fantastically mapped out, but as far as you can tell if someone turns on the exterior lighting, three doors in the living area, one door in the engineering/engine area and one door in the Ops centre will pop open. None of them are airlocks, just regular sliding doors a la Star Trek.

Oooooh, can I see any comms to anything else around here in the same way we are?

Nope, not a squeak. There is a farcasting set up (long range comms) as well as the darkcaster and a short range system for close ship to ship communication. The short range is offline, the other two are in perfect working order but are not currently in use. The logs show that they get relatively regular use, with a few messages a day going through the farcaster and a couple of egocasts a week, give or take. Communication on both has been slowly dropping off recently though, with more incoming egocasts than outgoing.

[fabyak]

Research (25) with Barry's help (is there any limit to the amount of help he can give per mission?)

Roll: Roll(1d100)+0:
26,+0
Total:26

[fabyak]

Also cutting off everyone elses access so they can't undo what we're doing.

I'll do this at the last possible second so no-one has a chance to spot it

Would it be possible to undo the weird changes they've made without anyone noticing?

Sod it then

Can I also take a closer look at the heating system as I'd like to know what would need to get warmer in the event of someone coming closer as I wonder if it's a warning system of some kind...

mmmmmmmmmmmkay

Also which doors would open if the external lights came on? I'm slightly wary (not warty as I just typed) that there might be another vessel out here with moar dudes about.

Might be worth sticking the lights on to open the doors just before we blow the airlock to try and draw people out and eliminate hiding places

Can I get a fix on how many people are in there at the moment?

Can the firewall be turned on to reject any incoming egocasts?

[Joose]

Research (25) with Barry's help (is there any limit to the amount of help he can give per mission?)

Roll: Roll(1d100)+0:
26,+0
Total:26

Nah, I'll give you that, its not exactly hidden away info so you can have a +10.

Doing a facial recognition search on Yus Ghost Morph pings up a video file from some point before the internal cameras stopped working. Do you want to watch it?

Can I get a fix on how many people are in there at the moment?

Not easily. Normally you could do so by tracking mesh comms or using internal sensors, but the internal sensors are down and someone has turned off the mesh comms logs entirely. You could try to infer a number of people by cross referencing things like doors being opened, incoming/outgoing egocasts, volume of waste being produced, load being put on the atmospheric system and so on. It would be bloody hard though. If you want to do that, roll a research with a -20. Yes, that means you will need to roll under a 6.

Can the firewall be turned on to reject any incoming egocasts?

The firewall I mentioned was just a network firewall, the kind of thing that you would use to stop hacking attempts. You can configure the egocasting gear to just say no (or turn it off entirely) but it would just be a case of someone from the inside undoing what you did to make it work again. If you wanted to turn it off/block it and then *intentionally* bugger it up to stop people just turning it on again... make an Interfacing roll (or an infosec if you don't have that) and I will use that as an opposed test roll if someone tries to fix it.

[fabyak]

pffft, realised I mistyped slightly. Meant to say 25 + Barry helping. I will say yes to the video

Roll a six you say? Would be rude not to try...

Roll(1d100)+0:
62,+0
Total:62

Well... I got *a* 6

Interfacing (65):

Roll(1d100)+0:
69,+0
Total:69

Bollocks, I think my luck has run out!

[Joose]

Roll a six you say? Would be rude not to try...

Roll(1d100)+0:
62,+0
Total:62

Well... I got *a* 6

There are definitely a number of people on the Hab. Some number. One or more. Or possibly less. You don't know.

Interfacing (65):

Roll(1d100)+0:
69,+0
Total:69

Bollocks, I think my luck has run out!

You have turned off the egocasting system, but you are pretty sure you haven't slowed down anyone trying to turn it back on again in the slightest.

I will say yes to the video

Yay!

The scene on the video appears to be a kitchen or something similar. There is at least some gravity, and as it is definitely video from the hab that means it must have come from the ring shaped living quarters as that is the only place with artificial gravity. There are three morphs standing to the right of the shot. One of them looks like a pretty standard human morph, the other two look like the monstrous morph that messed up the Kesyrah. Held between them is a naked, hairless man wrapped from neck to toe in sheets of a translucent, organic material that looks like a cross between sausage casing and cling film. They are holding him over the mouth of a gleaming, bladed apparatus on a stainless steel kitchen counter. On the left of the shot is a man sat on a kitchen stool that matches the description of Dexter Vo, the leader of the Khanhs. Standing behind and to one side of him, hands on his shoulders and leaning slightly against him, is Tara Yu.

At a nod from Vo, the naked man is slowly lowered, feet first, into the machine. He screams himself raw as blood splatters across the counter. At the other end of the machine a noodle like substance is being extruded. The naked man is raised out of the machine slightly, revealing ruined stumps where his legs used to be. Vo takes the noodles, flash fries them in some oil, adds a little fish sauce and hands them to Yu, who tucks in eagerly with a pair of chopsticks. The man is forced to watch. You assume they have drugged him or something to stop him just passing out. The man is being lowered back into the machine when the video feed cuts out.

Fab, do me a Willpower Stress Test. This is simply rolling under your Willpower stat x 3. For you, this means rolling under 54.
If you forwarded the video to either DCOM or Usagi they will need to make a Stress Test too. Of course, if you didn't then neither of them are aware of what you just watched.

[fabyak]

Roll(1d100)+0:
52,+0
Total:52

I can feel the luck dribbling away...

Pengarep padha disimpen sawetara kanggo kula

Wanna see something gross?

[Dog Pants]

I have no desire to see something unpleasant purely because it is unpleasant, although I do appreciate how it is bringing out your communication skills. What did you see?

[FatherJack]

Usagi's backstory and medical experience would indicate she'd have no problem seeing nasty stuff, but I'm not sure there's anything on her character sheet to do with resisting a stress test that would actually bear that out, unless she could maybe roll against her Anatomy skill instead or something?

IC she'd probably want to see, from a scientific interest perspective.

[Joose]

Usagi's backstory and medical experience would indicate she'd have no problem seeing nasty stuff, but I'm not sure there's anything on her character sheet to do with resisting a stress test that would actually bear that out, unless she could maybe roll against her Anatomy skill instead or something?

IC she'd probably want to see, from a scientific interest perspective.

Seeing medical stuff and the aftermath of horrible violence isn't quite equal to seeing horrible violence in action, but I agree that Usagi would probably be more numbed to it than most. Still do a stress test (assuming you mean that she does watch it), but you can have a +20 for your background.

[FatherJack]

Thanks, ever-curious she will take a look.

Her WIL is 15, but I'm not sure if I'm rolling for WIL+20 or WILx3 + 20 - the rule book kind of hints it's situational depending on what's happening to the character:

Roll(1d100)+0:
15,+0
Total:15

Ah, well - that's good.

[Joose]

Her WIL is 15, but I'm not sure if I'm rolling for WIL+20 or WILx3 + 20 - the rule book kind of hints it's situational depending on what's happening to the character

For stress tests it is always WILx3 +/- modifiers. So yeah, you are well within that one. You watch the video, its pretty horrible but doesn't upset you at all.

OK, so, ready to try and pop the airlocks Fab?

[fabyak]

On holiday this week so access is sporadic but yes!

Unlabelled looks towards DCOM and mimes someones face bursting as he does the doors

[Dog Pants]

DCOM shoulders his gauss AR and waits for a target. Pull!

[fabyak]

and I get my gun out and ready too.

[Dog Pants]

Dude, shouldn't you be spacing some mofos?

[Joose]

Sorry, my brain was in full on Bashmode. Right then, spacing time!

You issue the command to open the airlock doors, making sure to override the normal safety systems that would prevent both sides of the airlock to open at once. Air explodes out through the gap, taking various small objects with it: an old utilitool, a tatty rag of clothing, various loose nuts and bolts. Not a huge amount of detritus, but then the section of the hab immediately next to the airlock is micrograv anyway, and they are generally kept fairly stuff free so you don't keep banging in to things floating across a room. At least some of the stuff that's come out was probably magnetically attached to something but the rushing air has knocked it free.

A couple of seconds after you popping the door the rush starts to slow down. Anything inside not sealed up is effectively in vacuum now. So far, no evidence of people of any kind.

Fab, the image of someone's avatar springs up in your mind in the mesh connection to the hab. The avatar is a slender, attractive Asian woman with dark eyes and long hair. She fades in to your view as if she is walking towards you, hips swaying and showing a lot of leg. When she speaks, it is in the deep, soft voice that would not be out of place for a film noire femme fatale.

Well hello handsome. Whats a nice boy like you doing in a place like this?

You can do an Interfacing test for me to see what you can make out about the avatar.

[fabyak]

A couple of things, first's going pretty well so far. You wouldn't happen to have some gum would you?

Interfacing (65):

Roll(1d100)+0:
15,+0
Total:15

Scouts honour these rolls are genuine!

[Joose]

Hehe, you silly. Its been a while since I met anyone new. Its nice to see a fresh face, especially when its as yummy as yours!

She makes a little purring noise.

You haven't got an ID on her as such, but you can tell she is not actually a real person. Best bet would be someone's Muse, custom built for that someone's ... personal preferences. Its not uncommon for people to load their muse into the home, ship or personal hab so it can perform small maintenance and security roles. Unless they have been built specifically for security they tend not to be brilliant at it. If this one was a security AI you would probably be trying to work out how to wipe away a nosebleed whilst wearing a vacsuit by now.

In case you don't know, Muses are not full AIs. They are a step up from the kind of AI that you get in those online chat programs like Cleverbot; they might be able to fairly convincingly respond in conversation and perform tasks that they have been designed for, but they cant learn or go outside their programming. If you ask it something it doesn't understand you will probably just get an "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I cant do that" kind of answer.