Eclipse Phase: Devoted

[Joose]

She looks at you for a second.

OK, I'm not even going to ask why you want to know. Just...I'll do you a deal, ok? You promise to transport me out of here, I'll tell you all I know about it. C'mon, I can get to the docks without anyone noticing, its not like it will inconvenience you at all to take me. Deal?

[Dog Pants]

Isn't there an option to piggy-back another ego? How would I expect to smuggle her out? Hey wait, smuggling?

Profession: Smuggling: 50
5, 4: 54 Failure!

Well there's no need to be so happy about that, beardy-roller.

[Joose]

Nah, i'll give you that. Its not a particularly hard question.

Yes, there is such a thing as a piggyback module, which lets another Ego ride along in your Morph. Not really a smuggling thing though, and currently you don't have one. You could try and find one on the station, but then you would need someone to fit it to you.

The obvious way to smuggle her out would be to just hide her on your ship when you leave. If you were trying to get her out of a corp facility or a prison or something it probably wouldn't work, but somewhere like this you doubt it would be difficult. The security in this place is more focussed on keeping the wrong people out of certain areas, and limiting access to systems. They don't seem to give much of a damn about generally moving around the place.

If that proves too difficult, there is always the option of just taking her stack. Trouble is, that involves taking her stack out. Yes, ego backups, stacks and the like provide effective immortality, but that doesn't mean that dying isn't traumatic. She isn't likely to go for that as Plan A.

[Dog Pants]

Wait, is she not an infomorph?

[Joose]

Ah, no, sorry. Just realised I missed a bit of info there. The server you are wired into has a second wire, connecting it to Kyoshi. Chi is Kyoshi.

[Dog Pants]

Ahh. That makes getting her out a little trickier. Mind you, like you say, it's not like anyone is bothered about her leaving. Hopefully.

Be in Zombi when I tell you to be. If you are ready to leave when we are I will attempt to secure you transport with us.

[Joose]

...OK, fine, I'll be there. You better not stiff me on this.

Heres what I know. AWE is some kind of specialised AI, designed for psychosurgery. Its actually a product of a company called Cognite. Ive no idea how Nine Lives got a hold of it, but they havent figured out how to reproduce it yet, thank god. Its operation is pretty simple: you feed it Egos and they come out brainwashed. Totally loyal, like *fanatically* loyal. They sleeved one of the first egos they put through it and told it to dance. They didnt tell it to stop dancing, so it just kept dancing and dancing till it died. By the end there was blood all over...its feet...

She stops for a second, pulling herself together.

Look, what scares me is that its getting better at its job. I mean, it was already crazy good, but the improvements its made in a couple of weeks are astronomical. I'm worried that its not just learning, it might be a Seed. I mean, that would be bad enough in itself, but at the moment it has limited hardware resources, but there are rumours of some kind of debate coming up in a couple of days to discuss using it more. If they take it out of whatever little box they currently have it hidden in and give it more resources... I dont want to sound alarmist, but we all know what happened the last time we had run-away Seed AI. Thats why I want to get out, I don't want to be at ground zero for something like that.

Quick reminder on AI in Eclipse Phase:

Limited AI : Specialised, limited scope AIs that do something specific. Your Muse is a Limited AI, as is the systems that run a ships navigation. Siri would be a Limited AI (albeit a really shit one by EP standards)

AGI : Artificially created Egos. Functionally the same (kinda) as an Ego from a regular person. They can learn, but only in the same way anyone else can.

Seed AI : Basically an AGI that can reprogram itself to improve its own code. Which then means it gets better at improving its own code. Hello exponential increase in intelligence. The TITANS were Seed AI. Needless to say, people are scared of Seed AI.

[Dog Pants]

Well at least it's not the exurgent virus, huh?

Wait for my signal. Be ready.

DCOM unplugs and turns to 'Kyoshi'.

This shoddy morph makes me itch. Where can I get resleeved?

[Joose]

Out of the simulspace, Kyoshi is all smiles. He does give you a bit of a quizzical look at your question though.

Well, your best bet would be to visit Pyschopomp. It is not really a public facility, but there are no access restrictions and you may be able to strike a deal with someone there. I would not like the guarantee you anything as to the quality of the morphs available there.

So good to meet you again my friend! I am pleased you are interested in my business proposal! I will see you soon I am sure!

He is all smiles and quick bows, then he toddles off.

[Dog Pants]

Has he seen the morph I'm in? It looks like it was found at a bus stop. To Psychopomp then! Lets hope it doesn't live up to its name.

[Joose]

Has he seen the morph I'm in? It looks like it was found at a bus stop.

He/She is probably more referring to the fact that unscrupulous people might stick something unpleasant in your morph, kinda like loading up DRM cracks with spyware. Or take a copy of your Ego during the transfer.

Psychopomp then!

Getting to Psychopomp from Peristyle means going through Marinette, the nest of beehive corridors that run through the bulk of the asteroid. This area is largely populated with members of the Rada Nanchon, who make up the rank and file of the Nine Lives. You practically have to push your way through the place its so densely populated. No one pays any attention to you though, they are all to busy nattering to each other.

Do me a perception test to see how much of the nattering you pick up.

[fabyak]

Perception (19)

Roll(1d100)+0:
56,+0
Total:56

I'm guessing that means I keep bumping into things and *still* don't notice them

[Joose]

You are vaguely aware that people are talking, but pay them no attention. Lets hope your pals are more attentive!

[Dog Pants]

Perception 45
8, 5: 85 Severe Failure!

DCOM walks into Unlabelled.

[FatherJack]

Prescription: 65

Roll(1d100)+0:
39,+0
Total:39

Woo! Usagi notices I typed 'prescription'.

[Joose]

Usagi manages to put the distraction of DCOM and Unlabelled bouncing off each other enough to pick up some fragments of conversation as you pass through the tunnels. It takes you a minute or two to tune in to the local slang, but you gather that the crowded tunnels are due to a large number of Nine Lives gangers either travelling to Legba physically or casting in and sleeving into one of the gangs stored morphs. They are all here for an upcoming debate.

We spent too long popping stacks and torturing. The Fall's over, we need someone that can take us into the future.

Hah! A play on Nazon in his own house? That we speak of this at all means Papa already knows. If she had something, why would she come here and risk confrontation?

Why would she come here if she did not?

[Joose]

Psychopomp then.

Entering the Psychopomp hab is like entering a combination factory and torture chamber. The corridors are covered in workstations, healing vats and clone pods that contain an impressive range of different morphs. The traffic of screaming victims, disinterested operators and gang enforcers never seems to stop. Technicians remove the bewildered and hysterical sleeved morphs from the pods and hand them over to armed Nine Lives soldiers who drag them off. After a little looking around you find a slender bouncer morph, matching the description of Timoti, managing a slave maintenance crew.

You were given a Firewall challenge/authenticate code by the way. It doesn't actually matter how you introduce yourself, or how he responds, as the code is based on a series of high and low frequency markers that will be embedded into whatever you say by your Muse and authenticated by the other person. Unless someone knew exactly what to look for in your speech it will just look like you are chatting.

[Dog Pants]

The sparrow flies south over the Rhine...

Hey you. Any of these assholes ever escape?

[Joose]

Now and then. Not often though. Certainly none of mine, if thats what you are asking. Want to see what happened to the last one that tried to get away?

He grins horribly. He also checks out, what he said contained the correct authentication code.

[Dog Pants]

I'm not looking for a failed one but go on, I'll indulge you.