Game 2

Incoming message on the local mesh

Sender: Kyoshi Katsurou

"Hey! It's been so long since Extropia university you guys!! I just NEED to show you my research! Come on down to Peristyle when you get the time, we got to discuss this!"

Message attachments: [Coordinates for a research lab located in Peristyle]

Message end

Artur-Today at 8:04 PM
"Huh."

Aeris-Today at 8:05 PM
None of you seem to recall a Kyoshi Katsurou

Sarah checks the credentials for the message, searching for it's origin.

Quickly, she notices it came directly from Kyoshi Katsurou's mesh profile, no redirections were made and no attempt to encrypt or hide it were made.

It's an bog standard IM

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:10 PM
"Huh. That's suspiciously unsuspicious.  It's either our guy trying to make contact, or it's some kind of scam."

AurumDude-Today at 8:11 PM
"I mean, the name doesn't sound nigerian." Duncan sips his coffee calmly.

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:16 PM
"We should at least poke our nose in there, on the off chance it's our guy."

Aeris-Today at 8:18 PM
Nathan checks the mesh for mentions of Kyoshi Katsurou

This is the best result:

"HEYY MANN WELCOME TO KATSUROU'S HOUSE OF HERBS!!"

"WE GOT IT ALL"

"WEED, OREGANO, MUSHROOMS, YOU NAME IT"

"SHEEET WE EVEN GOT REAL GRASS"

"COME ON DOWN RIGHT NOW YEAHHH"

Artur-Today at 8:22 PM
"Yeah, this is pretty weird."

Aeris-Today at 8:22 PM
[Funky reggae beat]

Artur-Today at 8:23 PM
"Ugh." Nathan mutes the music and sends the Ad to his team.

"I think we should split, just in case we walk into a trap."

"Hey, uh, Sarah

think you can check out the sensor feeds from that adress?"

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:27 PM
"On it"

Aeris-Today at 8:32 PM
Sarah hacks into Legba's mesh, looking for access into Peristyle's security feed.

She quickly notices that Legba's mesh isn't as most hab's. It's a mess of interconnected servers, each run by it's own individual crew. Hacking here is a game of finding the exit in a maze.

She finds some mentions of airgapped servers, some that can only be accessed when in that area and others that don't work at all

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:35 PM
"Stupid anarchist server structure."

Aeris-Today at 8:36 PM
Yet, she does find Peristyle's server and hacks into the camera feed.

Inside, you see a dozen people or so, most of them in menton morphs, working in a fairly advanced lab.

Everything seems to be normal, there is no alarm.

There is also no sign of this being a "grass" shop of any sorts

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:40 PM
"Looks like the address we were given really is a lab of some sort. The Kyoshi guy is in there."

AurumDude-Today at 8:41 PM
"Hmm. Alright, are there any rumors of what the place is for? People seem to avoid it?"

Aeris-Today at 8:43 PM
A quick search of the mesh reveals that Peristyle is Roland Nazon's personal quarters and home to the Houngan, his personal psychosurgery research team.

There is no real reason to avoid it appart the the vast majority of Nine Lives members don't have any interest in doing so.

Entering Roland Nazon's quarters (located past the Houngan's lab) is completely forbidden however.

Artur-Today at 8:48 PM
"So, you guys want to check him out?"

AurumDude-Today at 8:48 PM
"I think any lead has merit - will checking them out play our hand, or is it low-key enough?"

Artur-Today at 8:49 PM
"Depends entirely on who exactly they are"

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 8:50 PM
"He contacted us, and gave us a cover story to go with it. I think it's low-key enough to check out."

AurumDude-Today at 8:51 PM
Duncan shrugs, looking at a nearly empty mug. "Then by all means, let's check it out gang." A pause. "Jinkees."

Aeris-Today at 8:57 PM
Thankfully, Peristyle is right next to Zombi so it takes only a few minutes to travel.

Peristyle is a ragtag pile of tin-can habitats, holding somewhat against the vacuum of space.

As you open the main hatch, the researchers quickly gaze at you and most return to their work.

(roll kinesics with no modifier if you have it)

Aeris-Today at 9:03 PM
They seem slightly nervous, but nothing out of the ordinary

You can hear bribes of conversations

“the effects of AWE on ego components scheduled for the next ascension.”

"It's too early to even consider such an untested program... but maybe it could solve the D.I.D. problem."

"It's pointless to argue until we can test it on AWE tomorrow, lets just get back to work."

And with that, they return to their stations, except Katsurou who makes his way towards you.

"There you are! Glad to meet you!"

"How's the work going huh? Wait don't tell me, it must be great right??"

"Come on over here, I just MUST show you my research!"

He produces a small portable server from his pocket and hands each of you a universal jack connected to it. He takes one and plugs it in his own PDA.

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 9:11 PM
Sarah plugs one of the jacks into her access jack implants at the base of her skull(edited)

Artur-Today at 9:12 PM
Nathan takes the jack cable and just kinda plays with it with his fingers while waiting for his team to analyze the data.

Aeris-Today at 9:13 PM
"Play along, pretend you care."

AurumDude-Today at 9:13 PM
Duncan watches Sarah's reactions, leaning against a table. "I don't like dipping my wick in coffee pots I don't know, sorry."

Aeris-Today at 9:14 PM
"I'm not Kyoshi Katsurou, I'm Rokuzawa Chi. I'm a psychosurgeon from Titan, here to spy on Nine Lives"

"I'll be short: I wanted to get a piece of Nine Lives' new tech, but I'm in wayyyyy too deep. I want out."

"I didn't want to see their research be used just for torture, but Nazon will have my stack on a stick if I try to leave. This place is fucked, they don't know what they're playing with."

"I just want out, you've got to help me, I can pay you: rep, info, credits, whatever you want."

Artur-Today at 9:18 PM
"Why us? What makes you think we'd help you?"

Aeris-Today at 9:18 PM
"You aren't Nine Lives, that's enough for me."

"Shit man, Just help me!"

Artur-Today at 9:20 PM
Nathan steels his gaze and calmly places his hand on the man's shoulder, grasping it hard enough for it to hurt.

"Chill."

Aeris-Today at 9:20 PM
"S-Shit, ok... It's cool"

Artur-Today at 9:21 PM
(over TacNet) "Well, this was a waste of time, if he's telling the truth. What do you guys want to do? He might have some info."

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 9:22 PM
(tacnet) "We should help him. Info or no."

AurumDude-Today at 9:22 PM
(tacnet) "Bathroom. Stack extraction. Walk."

(tacnet) "I mean, if we're looking to be cheeky about it..."

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 9:24 PM
(tacnet) "Messy, but doable. That's plan B.  Plan A is he just meets us at our shuttle on our way out and flies off this hab with us."

Artur-Today at 9:26 PM
(tacnet) " I don't like the idea of potentially compromising our cover here to help a stranger; we're here for a reason. We can get him out, but not before finding Timoti."

AurumDude-Today at 9:26 PM
(tacnet) "Fine by me. We'll come back to him when we're on the way out - shit'll be tits up by then anyway, probably."

Artur-Today at 9:27 PM
(tacnet) "If we get out at all."

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 9:29 PM
Sarah unplugs from the pocket server. (out loud) "That's really interesting, Kyoshi. I think I might be able to do something with that."

"Tell you what, lemme do some research, and I'll get back to you later."

Aeris-Today at 9:29 PM
"Really? Oh man that's great!"

"You sure you don't want anything in return?"

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 9:30 PM
"We'll sort out the details later."

Aeris-Today at 9:32 PM
"Well... uh, sure! Don't leave me hanging around here! H-Haha!"

"If you need anything, just send me a message, I'm all ears!"

[Encryption key recieved]

"Just use this, I'd rather not have Nazon on my ass."

"Oh and by the way, before you go do whatever you came to this shithole for, I'll warn you about Nazon: He's done so much damn ascension forking that he's completely fucking insane, no way he's the one actually running the show."

"Suposedly, the council controls 9Lives, but there's no way that's true. Someone's in the shadows."

@@

AurumDude-Today at 9:38 PM
"...thanks for the heads up."

Artur-Today at 9:39 PM
"Alright, take care..." (encrypted) "... Dr. Kush."

Nathan heads back to the Zombi airlock.

(tacnet) "Let's hit the body shop. Let's make sure we're still clean, that was one weird meeting."

Aeris-Today at 9:42 PM
(time for Ilia)

You feel a tingling in your fingertips

Slowly, sensation returns to your members

You open your eyes and are greeted with a blinding white light.

A short man slaps you lightly on the cheek:

"Hey, you're Alya right? Pyrrhos sent you?"

"Uhh, actually, take your time, this is probably not a morph you're used to right? "

Alya-Today at 9:52 PM
"Oof! I feel so huge. Wooooh"

"And yeah, he sent me."

Aeris-Today at 9:53 PM
(Imma need integration, alienation and continuity tests)

(scratch the continuity, Legba is close enough for easy reintregraton)

Alya-Today at 10:04 PM
"This feels uncomfortable, but I'll deal with it. Where's the team? I was told there's a team."

Aeris-Today at 10:05 PM
"Yeah, the're supposed to be coming in soon, just stay here for a while, chill out, I'll come and get you."

He hands you a water pack and a few protein bars: "This should help you for now, clothes are in that compartiment, the equipment you requested's in that lower one."

(Back to the others)

You enter Psychopomp's corridors, packed with healing vats, clone pods and workstations.

The range of morphs is impressive.The traffic of screaming victims, disinterested operators, and gang enforcers never seems to stop. Technicians download slaves from the infomorph servers and sleeve them into the waiting custody of armed Nine Lives soldiers.

Following the coordinates provided by Pyrrhos, you make your way to a short slender man in a bouncer morph.

He's busy managing a slave maintenance crew at the moment.

@@

Pwnage_Incarnate-Today at 10:17 PM
Sarah is visibly bothered by the screaming, is sticking close to Nathan, and is holding her SMG like it's a damn security blanket

AurumDude-Today at 10:18 PM
(tacnet) "We're blowing this place up after this, right?"

(tacnet) "Sarcasm."

Artur-Today at 10:19 PM
Nathan walks up to the contact.

"Hey."

Aeris-Today at 10:20 PM
"What's up? I know you?"

AurumDude-Today at 10:20 PM
Duncan mingles around in the area, seeing how things operate...looking for obvious eyes in the skies, whoever might be watching the conversation others are having.

Artur-Today at 10:20 PM
"Maybe, we have a friend in common. Are you free to talk?"

Aeris-Today at 10:21 PM
"Uhh yeah, I might"

[Firewall challenge code recieved. Send authenticate code back? Y/N]

Artur-Today at 10:21 PM
Nathan sends the code.

And rests his hand near his holster.

Aeris-Today at 10:23 PM
"Oh yeah, now I remember you! Yeah yeah, follow me."

He signals to the slave workers to continue working and takes you to a closed sleeving bay.

Inside, you see a bruiser morph siting on the table.

Timoti punches his credentials in the wall panel, the windows instantly darken and you are isolated from the rest of Legba

Alya-Today at 10:27 PM
"Oh, I know some of you guys. Hi, Nathan. And, er, repair guy. Duncan? I think it was. I'm Alya."

AurumDude-Today at 10:28 PM
"Looks like you grew up fast..."

Artur-Today at 10:28 PM
"Huh, small system."

Alya-Today at 10:30 PM
"Anyway, I'm told that the job is investigating a new psychosurgery tool. As that is my line of work, I'll lend my expertise. The morph... well. I didn't want to prounce about a criminal hellhole in a fancied-up neotenic."

Aeris-Today at 10:30 PM
"Yeah, that's a good decision if I ever saw one."

"Anyways, you can't know how fucking happy I am that you're here."

Timoti is now visibly shaking, his stress clearly leaving him.

"I wouldn't have called you in if it wasn't for a VERY good reason, check this out."

He hands you a small screen with a video playing.

(Who watches it?)

AurumDude-Today at 10:35 PM
(hai)

Artur-Today at 10:35 PM
"Hmm."

Nathan takes the screen and watches the file.

Aeris-Today at 10:37 PM
(Everyone who watches, give me a WIL x3 test, failure gives 1d10 /2 SV)

The footage is horrifying

You see two unarmed men in a gladiatorial pit.

Unlike the cowering you'd expect from slaves forced to fight, these men are tearing at each other's throats.

Ripping and tearing flesh with bare hands, showing no hesitation, pain or fear of death

One of the men rips the other's throat out with this teeth and leaves him to die, his blood spraying on the ground.

The video feed switches to a woman twitching on the ground, her eyes rolled back.

"They played Dance until you gotta resleeve to her, this is what happened." Timoti says

He takes back the player. "I've lost another morph when his master told him to blow the airlock, just to see if he would do it."

"I dont know how they are doing it, but these egos I'm receiving... These aren't human anymore."

@@

AurumDude-Today at 10:46 PM
"As in they took the...damaged...egos and got them resleeved? PTSD and that?"

Aeris-Today at 10:47 PM
"I get stacks delivered directly, not the usual download from Guinee... These are insanely loyal, to the point of death."

"Elleggua delivers them in person, that's Nazon's second in command!"

@@

Alya-Today at 10:49 PM
"Yeah, that's psychosurgery all right. But, even with psychosurgery, it is difficult to get someone to be so self-destrictive. Possible, but it takes a lot of time. How many of these did you get?"

Aeris-Today at 10:51 PM
"I don't know, a few dozen so far? Maybe more... I don't keep count."

Artur-Today at 10:51 PM
"That is super fucked."

"Why'd you go silent on us, though?"

"Higher ups said you'd vanished"

Aeris-Today at 10:53 PM
"I can't blow my cover man, shit, what would they do to me?"

AurumDude-Today at 10:53 PM
Duncan looks quizzically at that, but stays silent

Aeris-Today at 10:53 PM
"I need to keep attention off my back right now, the whole station's in turmoil ever since the nanchon's bosses farcasted in."

(Nanchons are 9 lives factions)

Alya-Today at 10:55 PM
"Do you know what they are here for?"

Aeris-Today at 10:56 PM
"There's gonna be a major meeting between everyone: Papa Nazon, Lam Cong Dong, Bertrand Theo, Su Wu, the whole nine yards."

Artur-Today at 10:57 PM
"Shit, that's pretty big."

"I thought Su Wu was dead."

Aeris-Today at 10:57 PM
"Nah, that fucker is still kicking, sadly."

Alya-Today at 10:58 PM
"Hmm. And is there any indication of, erm, 'disquiet' in the ranks?"

Artur-Today at 10:58 PM
"These guys probably store back ups on the other side of the gates."

Aeris-Today at 10:59 PM
"Disquiet? Shit, everyone's hanging on to their junk, the situation is on a razor's edge. Who knows what's going to happen."

Artur-Today at 10:59 PM
"I swear they always find a way to come back."

Alya-Today at 11:01 PM
"I see. That might be why this Elleggua character is delivering these personally. If Nazon and Ell are the only ones with access, they could be readying it as a weapon."

Aeris-Today at 11:01 PM
"Yeah, that would make sense. I think Papa's trying to take down Lam Cong Dong. There's rumors that a powerplay is glose to happening."

"I'm sure Dong's the source of all this anyways... Those fucked up egos started showing up after she farcasted from Venus a few weeks back."

AurumDude-Today at 11:03 PM
"...so as soon as Dong showed up, weird stuff started coming all over?"

Duncan coughs. "Inappropriate, sorry."

Aeris-Today at 11:03 PM
"She even came in person to oversee me resleeving Bertrand Theo and escorded him back to his place! Shit, Nanchons never cooperate like that..."

Alya-Today at 11:04 PM
"Does Nazon and Elleggua have a nanchon of their own?"

Aeris-Today at 11:06 PM
"Nah, Papa runs the show around here, Elleggua's just his helper... Well I think""

"The Nanchons report back to Nazon, but they might want to change that."

Artur-Today at 11:07 PM
"This whole clusterfuck could actually be benefitial to us, if we play our cards right."

AurumDude-Today at 11:09 PM
Duncan clucks his tongue. "...what are we aiming for, then? Gotta get him out, what else? Cracking the station open?" He pauses.

"Hey, what was that asian doctor's name? Hanzo Hattori? The other guy."

Alya-Today at 11:10 PM
"Hmm. If 'Papa' wants to prevent this, and has only his closest confidantes holding his trump card, then the tool must be kept in a secure area, inaccessible by station mesh. But unless Papa is running the show with hundreds of forks of himself, there's got to be people using the tool to make these. Which brings me to two conclusions: one, that we have to break into whatever area is most secure in the station, and two, psychosurgeon researchers have entered into it."

Artur-Today at 11:11 PM
"Rokuzawa?" Nathan answers Duncan's question.

"What about him?"(edited)

AurumDude-Today at 11:12 PM
After a few seconds of hard thinking, he comes up with it. "Have you heard of that guy? Even in passing."

Aeris-Today at 11:12 PM
"Uh, yeah, that researcher dude right?"

AurumDude-Today at 11:13 PM
"Anything of import about him, or just another name?"

"Name, face, whatever."

Aeris-Today at 11:13 PM
"Uhhh, not that I know of... I dont hang out with those guys much."

AurumDude-Today at 11:14 PM
He shrugs. "Works for me."

Artur-Today at 11:14 PM
"Anyways, Alya is right."

Alya-Today at 11:14 PM
"Wait. You sleeved these guys, that means you were given stacks. Do you have any left?"

"Or server access, you know? Maybe we could just ask them."

Aeris-Today at 11:15 PM
"Yeah! Actually I do, I forked one in secret."

He hands you a clean new stack.

"as for the servers, sorry, I just can't risk my cover like that."

Alya-Today at 11:24 PM
takes the stack, connects it to a spare among her requisitioned gear, and runs a simulspace. (edited)

Aeris-Today at 11:32 PM
Alya runs the ego in simulspace.

It appears as a simulmorph of inderterminate gender: "Where's Lindsey? Are you from the company?"

Alya-Today at 11:33 PM
[Lie] "Of course I'm from the company, dear."

Aeris-Today at 11:34 PM
The ego smiles: "What would you like me to do?"

Alya-Today at 11:35 PM
"First, I want you to clearly state the company's name, in full. To check that you know us well."

Aeris-Today at 11:35 PM
"Cognite"

Alya-Today at 11:36 PM
"Mmm-hmm, very good. Now, how well do you know Lindsey? Please state her full name now."

Aeris-Today at 11:36 PM
"I-I... Lindsey? I don't know..?"

Alya-Today at 11:37 PM
"Okay, its fine. Do you know her position?"

Aeris-Today at 11:37 PM
"I-... You know? You know! Tell me!"

Alya-Today at 11:38 PM
"Hush, its not important. I command you to relax."

Aeris-Today at 11:39 PM
"Yes! Yes of course!"

The ego instantly relaxes, looking into the emptiness

Alya-Today at 11:40 PM
"Now dear, can you tell me why you want to obey Cognite and Lindsey so much? I need to know for research."

Aeris-Today at 11:41 PM
"This is what I want to do. I live for Lindsay and Cognite. That's who I am."

Alya-Today at 11:41 PM
"I see. And do you remember your name, and where you are from?"

Aeris-Today at 11:42 PM
"My name is... uh, Nosh. Yes! Nosh!"

"Where do I come from? I... dont. Know."

"You know you... me, right? Right? I know me. What do I know?"

At this point you realise the extent of the psychosurgery this ego has undergone.

They have clearly been imprinted on someone named Lindsay and Cognite, every other possible defining trait they might have had has been removed, an absolute devotee to it's master.

It's unlike anything you've ever seen, unlike anything you thought possible.

Work of this magnitude would take decades of work with state of the art tools.

[MEMO TO DO PWNAGE'S HACKING SURVEY OF THE SERVERS]